#starseas

✤ New Year's Eve Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ You’ve Got My Devotion (Hate You Sometimes) by lucythegoosey / @harryrainbows {E, 95k}

Harry was in the biggest boy band in the world. He was also one half of the best (or worst, depends on who you ask) kept secret relationship in the music industry.

Now, almost five years on, after One Direction has broken up, and Harry and Louis' relationship has as well, a video threatens to put everything at risk.

One determined Irishman, a massive publicity stunt and two begrudging exes are all it takes to bring One Direction back to life and maybe, just maybe, Harry and Louis' mangled love life too.

Or: Harry and Louis are forced to fake-date after an old video from when they were dating emerges.

2️⃣ baby we could be enough (i'll make this feel like home) by orphan_account {M. 52k}

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who's trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

3️⃣ Can’t Hide It, You Might As Well Embrace It by supernope {E, 67k}

Together since they were teenagers, Harry and Louis are professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They may also secretly be married.

4️⃣ And Touch Me Like You Never by runaway_train / @runaway-train-works {E, 35k}

“Lets move back a bit yeah?” Harry clutches at his waist with a free hand and tugs him to move through the crowd until they are almost at the back of the group and settles them both beside the far wall. “There. That better?”

Louis looks up at him, as if he’s a tad dazed. “Uh, yeah, thanks. Can’t really see much from back here either though.”

Harry lifts a shoulder and grins at him, placing a hand on the wall behind Louis to pen him in. “We’ll just have to create our own fireworks then, won’t we?” He says it jokingly with a wink, and Louis laughs but he seems nervous. He must know that Harry is harmlessly flirting. Harry flirts with everyone after all, including Louis.

“Do you think this is a good idea Haz?” Louis asks quietly, almost too quietly in the clamour of the room, his head bowed as he scuffs his shoe on the carpet.

“Stop over thinking it Lou, it’s one kiss. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Or The one where Harry and Louis agree to be each other's New Year's kiss and it ends up being a lot more than they bargained for.

5️⃣ six feet beneath the moon by @starseas {NR, 25k}

AU. takes place over one night. harry and louis meet at a going away party.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 like cranberries on a winter evening by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou {G, 57k}

Louis hates Christmas. With good reason, too. And no, he doesn’t want to talk about it.

When research for his next novel leads Louis to the website of a quirky little hotel in Northumberland, there is exactly one room available for the two weeks that Louis really wants to get away from his family.

Will the fairy lights, kind smiles, homemade pastries, and genuine friendships awaiting him in Harry Styles’ hotel be enough to cause Louis a change of heart?

💎 Never Walk Away (A Man Can Be Kind) by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove {T, 8k}

Louis and Harry have recently ended their three year relationship. But maybe a little holiday magic can bring them back together.

“I don’t know why you’re so nice to that louse,” Oli says as the taxi pulls away from the curb.Louis glances back through the window. Harry is still standing on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, watching them go. “He’s not a louse,” he says absently.“He hurt you.”“I hurt him,” Louis replies. “And he didn’t mean to. It was inevitable. It’s not his fault. It is what it is.”Oli is silent for a long moment. At last, he sighs. “Someday you’re going to have to stop being afraid.”

💎 Rapture by @allwaswell16 {E, 3k}

It was New Year's Eve in Victorian London, and a lonely vampire could no longer resist the stunning lamplighter he watched night after night.

Or, a vampire Harry fic because what says the holidays like Victorian vampires?

💎 so c'mon c'mon (and dance with me baby) by theweightofmywords / @lil0 {NR, 3k}

Determinedly, he rushes back to where the DJ’s loud music can drown out his loud and racing thoughts, where there is free champagne, and where there is a kind man, hopefully, still waiting for him.

His chest unfurls with relief as he spots Harry, now with a martini in hand. He is standing steadfastly at their cocktail table, and Louis feels an odd sort of kinship when he sees his new friend. Harry straightens up as he sees Louis approaching.

“Did you find-”

“Let’s dance,” Louis cuts him off. Thankfully, Harry doesn’t ask questions.

Louis and Harry meet at a corporate holiday party, drink copious amounts of champagne, dance like fools, steal rich people's food, and possibly, just maybe, fall in love.

💎 Know What You Need by nonsensedarling / @absoloutenonsense {E, 3k}

 It is, and I say this in all sincerity, literary perfection. And I know people think I’m nuts for loving it so much but it quite honestly has stayed with me since the first moment I read it, and a piece that I have found richly rewarding every time I have read it. In fact, I actually think it has somehow gotten even better with age. The characterisation and the sense of longing and regret and love are just so well done that they still make sense even today, when many other older larry fics have dated (still great! just you can tell when they were written from the characterisation/ideas).  And I know people hate the ending but the fact that it follows through instead of swerves at the last moment is what makes it all work. It’s a fic that manages to capture the horror and the terror and the joy of something ending in a way that is very, very hard to do. 

Anyway I could talk about this fic for hours don’t get me started but if you’re new to the fandom and haven’t experienced the achingly painful trauma that is the solar flare fic, or if you just like pain and want to read it again, I’ve linked it below. 

Things Have Gotten Closer To The Sun by starseas (50k)

it’s strange, making the choice to face his past—it almost feels like he’s heading for the sun straight on, like he’s screaming come on and burn me, i deserve it.

-

Since we are in quarentine and because of that I’ve reverted to my 2014 tumblr self and have started indulging in fanfics again, and since I’ve read ALOT of them, I decided to make a list and compile the best fanfiction I have ever read. This list is not in any type of ranking or affiliated to one specific fandom, so it’s a bit of a mess. (I will also direct you to the author’s AO3 page, and tumblr if I can find it).

Why do I think this fics are the BEST of the BEST? Well, either, they could be turned into a book and become a best seller by simply changing names, or I think the author has a HUGE potential in becoming a published author. 

Also if you guys think there are fics that are on the level of this ones please PLEASE rec them to me, I don’t care what fandom they are from.

THINGS HAVE GOTTEN CLOSER TO THE SUN by Starseas

Fandom: One Direction Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne/Zayn Malik Genre/tags: Future fic, end of the world AU Rating: Mature Words: 49k   Summary:  When a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, Harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.

Notes: I no longer read fanfiction involving real people, but this still remains on being one of the best fics I’ve ever read so I had to put it here. So, first of all, I LOVE this author, I used to follow her on tumblr and read everything she published. If I’m not mistaken her tumblr is deserted and she hasn0t posted anything in a long time, but I sincerily hope that she decided to move to writing and publish original works. Second of all, this fic is phenomenal, she somehow manges to portray a sense of despair under the whole romance plot. I cried in the end.

IRREPARABLE by aslightstep (WIP, abandoned?)

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Pairings: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers Genre/tags: Fix it Fic, Canon compliant Rating: General Audiences Words: 131k Summary: Forgiveness is a journey, or so Tony was maybe told a long time ago. He doesn't know about any of that and doesn't particularly care to. In the wake of civil war, the Avengers remain, as do their enemies. And Tony Stark rebuilds, as always.He destroys the phone, he burns the letter. But he can't (he won't) eliminate Steve Rogers from his mind.

Notes: Ok, I know I shouldn’t be recommending any abandonded works, but I am recommending this one anyway because the characters depiction are on point!! Tony’s stuborness really shows and it’s all so... realistic? Like it could have actually happened in the comics or in the MCU. It’s a beautiful slow burn, like extremely slow burn, and I just wish the author didn’t left it behind.

THE KUBBLER-ROSS THEORY by antivenom

Fandom: The Amazing Spiderman, Deadpool Pairings: Gwen Stacy/Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson (barely)  Genre/tags: Drama, Canon compliant, Grief Recovery Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Words: 80k Summary: Peter deals with a loss that immobilizes him and permeates through every drawn breath. In which his grief is a visceral abstraction that he can touch, that he can feel. And in which, with a little help, with time, with acceptance, with anger, with sadness, with Wade, he learns how to live in a world without her.

Notes: The way this author describes and deals with the subject of grief is so real. It’s amazing the way she portrays Peter way of coping with his guilt, her death, and everything in his life. It is incomparable to any other fic or BOOK I have ever read. Also this is the first part of a series, so I’d definitely read it if you are into really good slowburn Spideypool.

BRIGHT HAIR ABOUT THE BONE by MissDisoriental

Fandom: Hannibal (TV) Pairings: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Genre/tags: A/B/O Dynamics, case fic Rating: Explicit Words: 484k Summary: In a world where omegas are little more than trophies to be bought and sold, Will Graham has done the unthinkable by escaping a forced bonding. Already in high demand as a profiler, Will's determined to find freedom on his own terms. For Hannibal Lecter the outlook is far more straightforward: a slow, systematic seduction of the most uniquely captivating omega he's ever encountered. As the shadow of a new and terrifying serial killer falls over Baltimore, the stage is set to redefine all accepted meanings of passion, temptation, horror and beauty – and to discover the ecstasy of a genuine love crime.

Notes: Yes, this fic is half a million words, no I don’t regret staying awake two days in a row just to finish it. Also, yes, I know it’s ABO. I usually don’t read ABO because I don’t like mpreg, but I made an exception for this one because it’s just that good. The way this author writes is so in sync with the series vibe. The descriptions, the way Hannibal speaks and acts, the way Will goes about the situation, this is just amazing.

TWIST AND SHOUT by gabriel and standbyme (@chubbyhawke)

Fandom: Supernatural Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester Genre/tags: 60′s AU, War Rating: Explicit Words: 97k Summary: What begins as a transforming love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak in the summer of 1965 quickly derails into something far more tumultuous when Dean is drafted in the Vietnam War. Though the two both voice their relationship is one where saying goodbye is never a real truth, their story becomes fraught with the tragedy of circumstance. In an era where homosexuality was especially vulnerable, Twist and Shout is the story of the love transcending time, returning over and over in its many forms, as faithful as the sea.

Notes: Obviously you don’t need an introduction to this one being that it’s the 2nd most kudosed work in AO3 and the most famous fanfiction in the Supernatural fandom. This fic BROKE me, like, actually full on sobbing BROKE me (my dad thought I was about to have a panic attack). It’s an understatement to say I recommend it. I don’t know where this authors are but I sincerly hope they become published one day.

MURDER WITH THE DEVIL AND FRIENDS by MindfulWrath (@mindfulwrath)

Fandom: Achievement Hunter, Rooster Teeth Pairings: Micheal Jones/Ryan Haywood Genre/tags: Western AU, Fake AH crew AU, Murder Mystery, horror Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Words: 205k Summary: Deputy Michael's been working in the little shithole town of Achievement City for a little over a year now. Things have been pretty decent so far (apart from that one creepy coworker), but they're about to get a lot more interesting, and a lot more dangerous.

49,276 words - Complete 

“it’s strange, making the choice to face his past—it almost feels like he’s heading for the sun straight on, like he’s screaming come on and burn me, i deserve it.

-

If This Is To End In Fire by Jiksa | E | 4306 Apocalypse makes it sound a lot more glamorous than it actually is.

the heart not to lose it by alwaysenduphere | M | 7715 Niall doesn't step toward Harry or make any move to comfort him, just considers him for a moment. His jeans are ripped at the knee and there are fresh fingernail marks on one of his biceps; Niall thinks he’s gripped himself too tightly trying to hold himself together on their way back to the car and possibly away from Louis. Niall imagines he looks similar from Harry's perspective. He pulls one of the blankets out of the trunk and holds it out toward Harry. "The backseat is still yours. You can shift if you'd like." Harry takes a step toward him and gently takes the blanket. Steps back. "Do you? Shift?" "Not anymore," Niall replies curtly, tucking his backpack under his head as he crawls into the front seat, taking care to not bump the gear shift with his bum knee.

Starting at the End by dearmrsawyer | T | 8690 Once upon a time, the world had felt so small. So little unoccupied space, such small stretches between the people in Louis’ life. Since everything had changed, since all of this, and with nothing but his legs to get him from one place to another, the world now seemed immeasurably big.

i don't want you to leave (will you hold my hand?) by candypinklouis | E | 12494 The call isn’t on speaker, but Nick can hear Harry’s voice anyways, voice ten times higher and panicked. “Have you seen the news?” There’s a zombie apocalypse; Nick, Harry, and Louis must fight to survive.

This empty world of nothingness by Bright_Life_Lights | M | 13398 Louis wakes up one morning and there's like, no one there anymore. His whole town is completely empty, wiped off all the people that lived in it. His family, his friends, all gone. Except for Harry. Together they set out to find other survivors of whatever it is that might have happened, only to find that things are even more complicated than they seem.

the beauty of the blistering sky by kiwikero | E | 14870 When the world goes to shit, it's all Louis can do to keep himself alive. That isn't enough, though, when his mother and siblings are back in their hometown, and he has no way of getting in touch with them. He plans to make the journey alone, but a twist of fate brings him Harry, a stranger with a kind smile in a world that's forgotten what kindness means. Together they set out for Doncaster, and along the way Louis finds out that, with people like Harry around, there might be hope for the world yet.

Nobody Marks You by graceling_in_a_suit | T | 33093 “The plan is: we’re gonna put on a play. Now, I see some doubtful faces–” Louis looked around and found zero doubtful faces. Liam looked intrigued, Zayn looked bored, and Harry looked scarily blank. “But this is what’s happening. We’re gonna do some fucking acting, we’re gonna perform our hearts out, and we’re not going to think about anything else. The past, the future; none of it. All we’re going to think about is... “ Niall trailed off, eyeing the bookshelf to his left. He closed his eyes and reached a hand out towards it, running his fingers over the covers before pulling a book out at random. “William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.” AU: Five assholes stuck in a bunker put on a play.

Still Deep In Us by graceling_in_a_suit | T | 41449 “Did you take the harpoon out?” Harry asked urgently. He ripped off his shirt, not bothering to listen to Perrie’s stumbled apology. “Nevermind, it’s too late now. We have to get it back in the water.” He held his shirt to the wound, pressing and pressing and hoping. Its skin looked sickly pale, and the blood beneath his hands was thin and blue. It was a fucking mermaid, and it was dying, and they were just standing there and arguing and letting it happen. AU. The village Harry has called home his entire life sits on six shaky legs, held aloft from the ocean which claimed the entire world twenty years ago. Harry's just a grieving tinkerer trying to do his best, and Louis is a mermaid that ruins The Village's delicate balance of power (and perhaps, just maybe, wins the heart of a boy).