fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #5963 ]

I'm bored and fandomless and have a hankering to read fic but at a loss of where to go. Anyone have a rec for a fandom I can go into relatively blind and enjoy? Or just a fic they loved that I could enjoy without knowing much beyond basic canon?

Steve/Bucky has been my main obsession for the past mumble-mumble-years and I think I've read that river dry.

Teen Wolf, Shadowhunters, and The Witcher have a huge amount of fic. And I've only seen the first 3 seasons of Teen Wolf and first seasons of Shadowhunters and The Witcher. I love Steve/Bucky and I get the same dynamics in the major pairings there.

I've seen Shadowhunters come up a lot, I'll maybe give that a go. I didn't mention them but I did dip my toes in both Teen Wolf and Witcher, you're right about similar dynamics. Don't know anything about Shadowhunters, but I've seen it mentioned here and if it goes with the others then there should be some stuff for me to enjoy. Thank you!

I fell into my first slash OTP in 30 years of being in fandom last year; it's Dream/Hob from The Sandman. I'd read the comics years ago and come out loving the canon but shipping nothing.

The show ups the stakes on their relationship significantly but so far Hob only shows up in half of episode 6, if you want to watch just the one episode and see if you like the characters. If you watch only two episodes, make them one and six.

If the show continues to follow the comics Hob will have more to do later including (massive spoilers for the end of the series.)

Here's a couple of my favorite fics:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41313138

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43089540/chapters/108283101

Ohh, I've been intrigued but not enough to actually watch the show. I'll try out ep 6 and see if it grabs me. Thank you!

I got into the choose-your-own adventure series Markiplier in Space that's available on Youtube, same with the other series A Date/Heist with Markiplier.
However the 'first' in the series is a four part video Who Killed Markiplier (which isn't a choose your own and can just be watched, same with Markiplier TV and Damien).

Hmm, I'll take a look. Thank you!

9-1-1. All you really need to know is that the characters are mainly firefighters, with some paramedics and cops, and they respond to all sorts of crazy accidents/emergencies.

The main pairing is Buck/Eddie, which I've seen compared to Steve/Bucky before (although I can't say how accurate that is since I'm personally not familiar with them). Buck is a firefighter who's kind of a lost puppy (pretty much his entire character arc is trying to figure out who he is/what he wants), and Eddie is a firefighter and Army vet/medic who is a single dad to a special needs son, Christopher. Eddie doesn't appear in the show until season 2, and he and Buck become best friends pretty quickly. Eddie and Christopher kind of adopt Buck into their family, and they have a pretty domestic situation going on. The fans like to call Buck Christopher's second dad, and even the actor who plays Buck has described Buck as a co-parent. There's speculation that the pairing could become canon (both actors and some of the writers are in favor of it, but some are not, so there's a bit of disagreement behind the scenes and no one really knows at this point where it's going to go).

There are various plot points that come up in fics at times, but that basic info should be enough to understand most fics.

That...actually makes me want to watch the show. But I'll definitely check out the fic. Thank you!

ayrt

If you're up for watching a new show, I'd definitely recommend it! There are a ton of Buck/Eddie (the ship name is Buddie) videos on YouTube if you want to get a feel for things. It's nothing new or groundbreaking, but it's really fun! Most of the characters are great, the canon ships are mostly enjoyable, and there's a found family aspect that I always enjoy.

There's also the spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, which takes place in Austin, TX (the original is set in LA) and is also about firefighters/paramedics/cops and the crazy situations they respond to. The main ship for it is TK/Carlos, which is actually canon, and has a ton of fic. TK is a firefighter/paramedic who moved to Texas from NYC with his dad (who's the fire captain), and Carlos is a cop who was born and raised in Texas (and his dad is a Texas Ranger). My favorite ship for the show, though, is actually TK's dad and a police sergeant who works with Carlos but the sergeant is a recurring character who's only in a handful of episodes and I'm basically the only one who ships it lol. There are some really good canon ships, too (I love Judd, who is a firefighter, and his wife Grace, who is a 911 operator).

Lone Star is much more of a character drama (there are even episodes without any emergencies at all, that focus just on what's going on with the characters) and some fans of the original don't like Lone Star and call it a soap opera lol. They're definitely different in some ways (although I like both) but Lone Star also has some great characters and a really good found family aspect like the original.

Okay,aside from MCU, the carousel of my fandoms include:

My Hero Academia (you can go in pretty blind, kinda get the gist by the fics themselves). Obviously, it varies depending on your pairings, but there's so many characters. I even found fic for the dog man and the tree dude! Anything you're into, you'll find.

Jujutsu Jaiden
AI should specify that I'm super into OC or Self Inserts with het pairings. So what I've found tends to be around that. But there's plenty of slash pairings if you're into that too (in both fandoms I've listed). You want (all of these guys are hot) an arrogant overpowered jerk but ridiculously pretty and kind of ridiculous as a person? Gojo! You want the kind of man who kills for a living and has a lot of trauma and will probably throw you out when he's done with you, but you'd still go running back like a dog if he called? Toji! (I've got a really sweet fic about him though that I just love!!! It's super cute and features the youths of the show as babies basically because Toji is a dad of one of them: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37346839/chapters/93276784#workskin). Want the dude who will probably kill you and only cares for his vision (but damn he's tall and broad shouldered and long haired)? Getou! Want the only guy who will probably treat you well and is kind of over everything but actually cares? Nanami!

Other fandoms that have some really good pairings, even if they're not what I tend to read:
- The Mandalorian (Djin, Boba Fett, personally I enjoyed the one where Fennec is in love with OC, but OC is in a contract with Boba to give him babies and then Djin shows up and DjinxOCxBoba because DxB happens too)
- attack on Titan
- Harry Potter (yes, yes, but I've really gotten into time travelling Hermione trying to divert Tom Riddle from becoming full on evil; I'll recommed Altered State)
- overwatch (so many characters I don't even go here anymore lol)
- Inuyasha (for some throw back. I think Sands of Time or something is just a key long read Sess/Kag)
- Bleach
- Castlevania (I'm here for the Alucard stuff. I'll link the one I started reading)

I don't actually participate in these fandoms, but I have read fics based on tags and they've been good
- devil may cry
- dragon age (I do actually read slash in this one)

Forgot to mention the great Yakuza Video game series! Got into the fandom because of a secret here featuring Kiryu, ended up reading a shit ton of fic of only Majima lol

I just got into these games a couple of months ago and I'm having so, so much fun. Finished 0 last week and started Kiwami today. That wonderful experience of "oh, I really like this thing, oh there's a MILLION OF THEM TO GET THROUGH" and I'm just settling in for the ride rubbing my hands together with glee.

I haven't dipped into the fic side yet, so uh, recs? :>

AYRT

YAAAAYYYY! I'm so happy for you! I wish I could play it lol. They look like fun.

Any pairing you're looking for? I specialize in Majima/OC Majima/self insert, but I'm sure I could scrounge up something else!

I AM INCREDIBLY LATE SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU'LL SEE THIS, I'M SO SORRY

I've become a Majima simp so uh, literally anything even Majima-adjacent is cool with me

Oh I got you! I've been checking this! Okay, again, they're all oc or self insert Majima, but I just love his crazy ass so lol

Okay, so right now I don't have time to search through my faves to find the exact links, but I will post them later today/tomorrow. If you see this, could you please respond so I know to continue posting here? If I don't see anything, I'll just post on the newest secret release for you!

Also, I have a DW account if you want to squee or want other recs etc. -- not sure if you have one, just wanted to extend the offer!

You're a good egg, thank you! Sorry again for being so late and thank you for taking the time to respond! I don't have a DW but I lurk on Discord a lot.

I am always down to squee :>

No worries!! I hope you see this!

Collateral Damage
Such a good slow burn!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365998/chapters/72136929

Catch-22
I don't remember this one too well, or maybe I do? Anyway, I liked it enough to save it, I think I'm remembering...mind the warnings. Also, the author lists three authors in the summary to check out!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/37645384/chapters/93973978

I don't know why I thought I had more :(

I have discord (aka I need to find my log in and I'll be there again)! Where/how do I find you? Lol

You are a star! :D

I will be settling in to these when I get in from work <3 thank you! My discord is syncing_ships#7266. I work odd hours so I may be a bit slow responding but please do hit me up if you ever fancy it!

For sure! I hope you enjoy them! I'll definitely hit you up once I find my log in lol

I would like to second My Hero Academia because it is such a big fandom and I think anyone would be able to find some fic or pairing that they like.

First things first: yes, it's a shonen anime about teenage superheroes. But honestly it's a lot of fun - for the vibe, think Harry Potter but fast paced, set in modern Japan and with superheroes.

But I'm not trying to sell the canon. I'm trying to sell the fic. So here are two of the biggest pairings:

Midoriya Izuku/ Bakugo Katsuki (BakuDeku):
This is the biggest ship of the fandom, being the main character (Izuku) and his ex best friend/former bully/now rival. The vibe is that they were best friends as children until Katsuki got his superpower and Izuku didn't. After that, Katsuki bullied Izuku, calling him 'Deku', or 'useless' (also a misspelling of his name). As teenagers, the events of the main plot happen where Izuku is given the power of the number 1 hero, allowing him to go to UA, the number 1 super hero highschool, where Katsuki was also accepted. Izuku chooses Deku as his superhero name and Katsuki is furious that Izuku is in his class and more powerful (and popular) than him. Cue tension/ fights/ /redemption/ rekindling of their friendship/... romance??? Their dynamic is that Izuku is a sweet nice polite boy and Katsuki is very angry and swears all the time. Note: there's a bit more to their relationship that will come up in fic so you will definitely want skim the wiki.

Midoriya Izuku/ Todoroki Shoto: Shoto is another student at UA, who is quiet, awkward and very reserved, but also has a very powerful ice superpower. We find out that he is the son of the number 2 fire powered hero, Endeavour - but we also find out Endeavour was abusive and only married his wife to produce children woth ice and fire powers. As a result Shoto refuses to use his fire power at first, but Izuku gets through to him and encourages him to do so. Need I say more? Note: you will want to read the wiki on the Todoroki family to know a few more details that would come up in fic.

You will also want to skim the wiki on the other main characters and the main villain.

Also, if you don't want to read about teenagers, a huge amount of the fic is set in the future when they are in their 20s and are proper professional superheroes. There's also heaps of AUs etc. And a bunch of adult characters as well that I have barely mentioned.

In case you still aren't convinced you can find something in this fandom that you'd like, I will note that BakuDeku has 37,000 fics. Stucky has 60,000, for comparison. Basically, I'm saying there's probably something there for you if you give it a go.

AYRT

Yes!

If OP is into slash, there's a lot of it. And as the anon above me mentioned, a lot of the fic features the young heroes later, young adults already professionals in their careers. There are some really good Bakugo fics where he has his own agency etc etc.

Other choice slash pairings you may enjoy
All Might/Endeavor: AM is basically superman but due to a battle wound he deflates and is kinda dying. He's super good etc. Where as Endeavour is always #2 in the ranking. He's abrasive, cold, hulking, and just no sense of humor and surpassing all might is his only goal (as well as having a legacy aka his son). Enemies essentially. Different dynamic from the one listed above. Definitely one to check out.

Bakugo/Kirishima: they're best friends.

Hawks/Dabi: this is kinda how I entered this fandom lol. Hawks was essentially a ward of the state aka the hero commission took him from an abusive home as a child and basically groomed him to be the elite hero he became. He has beautiful red wings. He's nonchalant and admires Endeavour. He's also the one the hero commission sends to play double agent with the bad guys. Dabi is Endeavour's eldest son who allegedly died in a fire (due to his fire quirk being wayyyy too hot and his father pushing him wayyyy too much). He's very devil may care, gets involved with bad guys to expose his father for the abusive and hypocritical man he is, etc etc. Fanon tends to play him slightly unhinged sometimes. But they're paired quite often. One is kinda the golden boy the other is dark. They've both been through so much shit. They're both masquerading as bad guys in a way.

Anyway, these were just a few, there's literally something there for everyone!

SA

I should mention for JJK, if you're into slash, Gojo and Getou were bff and both very strong, until Getou lost it and became genocidal (started killing non sorcerers). Of course, they had to duke it out. **Spoilers** gojo eventually kills getou, and if you have slash goggles on, there's a certain point where good who gives playboy vibes says love is the biggest trap/deception of them all -- implying that his bff that he loved(?) Betrayed him by changing this way. Anyway, getou we get in the show is possessed by some bad guy from earlier canon.

Toji was sent to kill Gojo, but was defeated (barely). He has no powers, but entrusted his baby son to Gojo to look after upon his death.

And Nanami is always annoyed by Gojo but is one of his oldest friends and tolerates his nonsense.

Seconding Teen Wolf. I've seen about...40 minutes of this show but it's pretty easy to understand who the characters are (just read cast descriptions on Wikipedia or something.)

[ SECRET POST #5963 ]

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AYRT - spoilers for the show

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