straightforwardly | 301 | another compilation of fic recs

Including, but definitely not limited to, my recs from this past Yuletide. (Though, iirc, I still haven’t looked at the Madness collection yet.)

Fandoms included: Ace Attorney, Dracula, A Guide for Young Ladies Entering the Service of the Fairies, Hamlet, Mansfield Park, MDZS/CQL, Miraculous Ladybug, My Dress-Up Darling, Petshop of Horrors, Stardew Valley, Valdemar

A note on the Miraculous Ladybug recs specifically: for those recs, I won’t be noting what the focus of the fics are, because… they’re basically all permutations on the lovesquare, and all the options for describing the relationship (i.e., writing out “lovesquare” or “Adrien | Chat Noir/Marinette | Ladybug” or denoting exactly what sides of the square is being focused on in each fic) felt super clunky to me. So instead, I’m leaving it out entirely.

No blood, no tears, no traces (Ace Attorney, Dahlia & Iris, 14K)
Out of the two of them, Dahlia has always been the smarter one.

To Shear, to Skin (Ace Attorney, Dahlia & Pearl, 16K)
The lamb's point of view? What does it know? To eat, to sleep. To die. That's all.

"Why would it escape? It cannot make the same connections we can. It cannot see the axe and think death. It cannot see the gate and think freedom. All it knows is the shepherd. When he yells, it thinks love."

(Dahlia grows a bit too attached to her sacrificial lamb of a little sister.)
THIS FIC. This fic!! Pretty much every other Dahlia fic I’ve read has been has character work piecing together what canon gives us into a coherent narrative, or is otherwise simply a canon compliant missing scene—and I have enjoyed all of that!—but this! This!! It’s a (pre-)canon divergence AU where Dahlia takes an interest in Pearl; it felt so fresh and interesting, and I loved the way the relationship between the two of them develops.
*

a silent forest (A Dark Room, Builder & Wanderer, 1.1K)
To be perfectly honest, you were never expecting to wake up again. It was cold; it had been cold for a long time, the sort of deep, killing cold that almost seems like a living thing, that eats into people and breeds fear and distrust and death.

*

These Ghosts in My Head (Dracula, Quincy Morris, 1.0K)
On the night of October 3rd, Quincey tries his hand at a journal.
Quincey!! This is a lovely bit of character work, made all the more brutal for the foreshadowing of what we as readers know is coming.
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her foot was light (and her eyes were wild) (A Guide for Young Ladies Entering the Service of the Fairies, 1.4K)
A Guide for Elf-Knights Drawn to the Mortal World.
There were two fics written for this short story this past Yuletide, and both smashed it out of the park. This one focuses more narrowly on one of the narrative possibilities of the original story; specifically, it’s an f/f take on the elf knight, in a similar style as the original canon, and told from the elf knight’s perspective. The writing is lovely, and the ending so true to the tone of the canon.
a thousand thousand leaves, falling (A Guide for Young Ladies Entering the Service of the Fairies, 36K)
Haunted by dreams of a sister she can't fully remember, Asra Levesque enters the fairy realm and finds herself locked in the eternal battle between summer and winter.
This one, on the other hand, combines a few of the potential narratives from the original canon—though it focuses the most heavily on the sisters, with our main character being the sister who was left behind—and combines them create its own new ending for this story. I think both of these fics can be read without canon knowledge (though canon itself is short, excellent, & free), but of the two, this one stands the most strongly on its own.
*

Wittenberg Days (Hamlet, Hamlet/Horatio, 4.6K)
The affairs of heirs are complex indeed.
My unpopular Hamlet opinion is that I’m not actually into Hamlet/Horatio, but this fic? This fic is brilliant. It mingles Shakespearen prose (complete with iambic pentameter!) with the style of “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead”, and it does so brilliantly.
*

Shifts of Fortune (Mansfield Park, Mary & Fanny, 1.5K)
Mary Crawford had the benign misfortune of being pretty, clever, and poor. If she had had money, she would have been the queen of any society that included her, but for a girl of her background to be undeniably superior to those of higher birth was a trial.

An AU in which Mary Crawford and Fanny Price switch places.

*

Play It Again (MDZS/CQL, LWJ/WWX, 8.5K)
It was an unhappy occasion, one of utmost seriousness. A sect leader had died, and not because all of the other sects had banded together to kill him this time. Jin Guangshan would surely be missed by someone.

Wei Wuxian himself had actually been a little happy, glad that Jiang Yanli's terrible father in law would no longer be around to be quite so terrible and pleased that he had the opportunity to come see her again with the Jiang delegation, but he hadn't been particularly upset until this very moment, faced with Lan Wangji in his usual white, as opposed to the actual mourning whites of some of the Jin around them, and it occurred to him that this might be the last time he saw Lan Wangji.

*

The Asset Ordeal (Miraculous Ladybug, ???K, WIP last updated in 2020)
totallychatnoir: Radiant
totallychatnoir: Carefree
totallychatnoir: Dreamy
totallychatnoir: Adrien's Asset
marinettedesigned: Please stop.

In which Chat Noir discovers Marinette is a fan of his derrière. She just doesn't know it yet.
As a note, this is a social media fic told solely through screenshots of (fake) Instagram DMs. Hence why I don’t know what the wordcount is. It also has 13 chapters of a projected 20, last updated in 2020. None of these were dealbreakers for me, but I think it’s important to mention. Now, for the fic itself—I was a little skeptical when I clicked on it, but it ended up being such an adorable tale. I don’t think the summary (or title) is particularly accurate—it’s really more about Adrien having a crush on Marinette and finding out Certain Facts via conversations he has with her as Chat Noir, with events spiraling from there. It’s fun, it’s cute, and I giggled so much while reading.
Charcoal Lines (Miraculous Ladybug, 7.7K)
Marinette needs a model to finish her figure drawing portfolio. If drawing Chat Noir will distract him from asking why she refuses to ask Adrien, then she'll make it work. (It's not like his suit leaves much to the imagination, anyway.)
This is so darling. The dynamics between Marinette and Chat (and Marinette and Adrien) were done so well, just how I like it best, and I really like how the reveal is handled here. It's a take that I haven't seen before, but it felt very believable.
Consequences of Dating Blindly (Miraculous Ladybug, 4.0K)
Marinette knew she tended to get tunnel vision when she was focused, but luckily her boyfriend Chat Noir was always there to watch her back as they fought Monarch. With their enemy having disappeared, however, they decided together that it was finally time to reveal themselves. In public. Face to face.

It's a little silly to have to introduce yourself to your own boyfriend, but after all, it wasn’t Marinette’s fault that she never knew her boyfriend’s name.

(Adrien has never been to school, and Marinette doesn't know him.)
This was very funny, and got me craving more “Adrien never went to public school” AUs.
Dirt-y Little Secret (Miraculous Ladybug, 4.6K)
A game of truth or dare escalates, and things get a little dirty (literally).

(In which Marinette and Chat Noir eat dirt and spill way more beans than they intended to.)
This is such a silly fic, and deliberately so. I mean, both of our main characters literally eat dirt! But it also has a lot of heart. There’s genuinely great character moments, and I loved their dialogue and dynamic. Also, the Ladybug identity reveal in particular made me laugh.
I (Wish I) Knew You (Miraculous Ladybug, 49K)
University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?
I’ve read and enjoyed a good number of this fic author’s longfics recently, but this is hands-down my favorite. I love so much of what this fic does and the choices it makes. I love how Marinette struggling with her social life as a young adult serves to give her a satisfying parallel emotional narrative to Chat’s own loneliness, and the way their dynamic develops through via those catalysts. I love the handling of Adrien’s situation, and the narrative choices that get made to explain how he’s gotten to this point. And I love the way all of those elements combine to give us a reveal that is both surprisingly funny for a fic which is as emotional as this one is, and yet fits it so well. It’s honestly one of the best reveals I’ve ever read, on a number of levels: how it happens, why the characters figure it out, and how they react in the wake of that new information. It just rang so true on every level.

tl;dr I had an amazing time, this is an amazing fic, and a part of me just wants to immediately dive in and read it again.
in which chat noir comes up with an awesome gift for ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug, 5.2K)
If his Lady wants ultra rare Adrien Agreste merch, then that’s what his Lady will get!

Maintaining a Professional Distance (Miraculous Ladybug, 43K)
Ladybug and Chat Noir receive a hotel room from the city, which they most certainly will not use. After all, that wouldn't be very professional, would it?
does the premise challenge my suspension of disbelief? yes. did I have a rocking good time when I gave it a shot anyway? also absolutely yes. I originally skipped over this fic several times while looking through people’s bookmarks due to me going “okay, I love ladynoir, and I love bedsharing, but I don’t think this premise makes sense?”. But after having a great time with several of this author’s other longfics (including the standout “I (Wish I) Knew You”, recced above), I decided to go for it, and I’m glad I did, because it was great. This fic author is rapidy becoming a favorite, in that every work I've read by them so far has been an absolute hit for me.
No Names in the Stars (Miraculous Ladybug, Claw Noir/Shadybug, 4.8K)
Shadybug knows how her story ends: people like her don't get happy endings. She's made her peace with that.

Her name on Claw Noir's wrist changes things.
Okay, apparently I accidentally lied: there’s one fic on this list that isn’t the lovesquare. ~~Because it’s an alternate universe version of them instead.~~ At least, I assume so—as of writing up this recs list, I’ve only seen the first season of this show, back in 2017, so my canon knowledge isn’t the most complete. But even working only from an osmosis-level of knowledge of these two, I still had a wonderful time. I always love a soulmarks AU that does things a little differently, and this one nailed that. These two have such a fascinating dynamic here, and I love how the fact of (and eventual reveal of) the soulmarks plays into that.

(It also makes me really want to read more fic about these two! But… maybe after I catch up with canon first, lol.)
one night of moonlight (Miraculous Ladybug, 22K)
2:13 ok im texting you now like i promised instead of drunktexting adrien and telling him how badly i want his cock tonight. arent you proud of me?
2:19 this is Adrien, hi.

Marinette's brain-to-mouth filter isn't great on the best of days. Add some beer and some misplaced texts, and things get a little more... interesting.
yet another fic where I was skeptical of the summary and ended up screaming (positive) by the end!! Just, SHOOT ME INTO THE SUN THIS WAS SO FUCKING HOT. But, also, it was also really incredibly sweet?? This worked so well for me on so many different levels.
The Prescription (Miraculous Ladybug, 5.3K)
The prescription for Mr. Chan. Who was Master Fu. That he'd given to Ladybug. That Marinette had given to Adrien.

That prescription.

In which Adrien uses the brain cell, and (wrongly) assumes that Ladybug has too. Set during/after Backwarder.

touch my world with your fingertips (Miraculous Ladybug, 3.7K)
The first time that Marinette dies, she's just unlucky.

Your Kitty (Miraculous Ladybug, 9.1K)
“Such a dramatic kitty.” Marinette scratched under his chin, bringing a smile to his face and a purr to his throat.

Your kitty, he didn’t say.

Wait. What?

(The one where Chat Noir thinks he needs pats like a cat, only to find out he may have jumped to the wrong conclusion.)
I have a massive soft spot for those “Chat Noir has cat instincts” fics, but this one had a unique take on that trope which I really enjoyed. Other aspects I really enjoyed: how this fic juggles the different sides of the lovesquare (particularly how the characters handle believing they both have feelings for two different people at the same time) and Marinette’s reaction to the identity reveal!
*

wintercheer (My Dress-Up Darling, Marin/Wakana, 1.7K)
Twenty-five-year-old Kitagawa Marin has a boyfriend who loves to sew, a closet full of gorgeous cosplay, and a finance degree.
The Marin voice is SO GOOD, and I loved this glimpse into what their lives could look like once they’re adults. It rings so true, and made me feel warm all the way through. I love them <3
*

season for returning (Petshop of Horrors, Leon/D, 1.1K)
D knows better than to talk, here. His hand comes up - blindly, because he does not dare face the picture this situation paints in full sunlight - and finds that beloved head, that beloved hair, that beloved person. His fingertips meet skin: a cheekbone, giving way to the thin skin of covered eyelids, thin lashes fanning out against his touch; they find their way into that mass of wild hair he’s missed more than anything.

His throat is tight.

But it is only a dream, and so he allows himself this.
It’s been a solid decade since I last consumed the canon (though I have pre-ordered volume 1 of the new collector’s edition, so soon!!!), so I admit my grasp on this canon and ship isn’t the greatest anymore, but nevertheless I thought this was a beautifully written post-canon fic, and I look forward to revisiting it once I revisit the manga itself.
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yellows and greens (Stardew Valley, Pam, 1.0K)
It's not that Pam don't like the doc. It's that she don't trust him.
This character voice!! Pam isn’t a character I really care about in this canon, but I was intrigued by the combination of the summary + the Harvey/Penny tag, and I ended up having a great time with this character study of her.
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Astra Inclinant (Valdemar, Vanyel/Tylendel , 9.6K)
The Herald-Mage Tylendel rode on through the deep, dark wood, seven sword maids at his side.
I always love it when a Yuletide brings me another Vanyel/Tylendel longfic to add to my hoard, and this is an excellent addition indeed! This is a canon divergence AU where Withen does find out about their relationship and drags Vanyel home, and what Tylendel does after. It’s great!