#tknp

It's time once again for my annual rec list! This is not in any way a comprehensive list of the best HRPF in 2025, but it is the HRPF I happened to have read of this year's offerings that I enjoyed the most and thought others might, too. Organized by pairing for your convenience:

McDrai

Obligations by @helenish (McDrai, a/b/o, 21K) -- mm yes I'm starting obscure with a work by the multi-fandom legend and possibly best writer in hrpf right now, Helenish! Come for the biting, stay for the feels.

Ahead by a Century: Prelude by @demotu (mcdrai, the first segment of a decade-long getting-together journey, 34K) -- I was SO excited to see demotu return to HRPF this year after a decade-long hiatus. This is the first segment of what's apparently gonna be a several hundred K near-canon getting together story that spans a decade of their lives and includes some VERY long drawn-out UST, so obviously I am extremely sat.

General Dynamics by @demotu (mcdrai, BDSM AU with dom-for-hire Leon, 45K so far) -- gotta love a good BDSM AU, especially when it features Connor McDavid, deprived sub who thinks he isn't allowed to have what he wants. The dom-for-hire piece adds a really fun element to the dynamic that I haven't seen so far. It's a WIP, but invest now, it's worth it!

from the happy effort of a body by @notthequiettype (mcdrai, getting together, 12K) -- notthequiettype cannot miss. The one starts with the team looking at Leon's grindr profile and includes some variety of (imo) demisexual Connor and provides, as always, such real-feeling and complex characterizations and a rich sense of the friendship between the two of them. Plus some very hot smut.

halfway there by crispierchip (mcdrai, switch!Leon/dom!Connor, 50K) -- oh hell yes. Leon's a switch who's having trouble not subbing during the season so Connor offers to help him out and you can just guess where it goes from there. Super satisfying.

every lonely place by withfeathers @thelittlebirdthatkeptsomanywarm (mcdrai, getting together post trade, 70K) -- I feel like I don't have enough classic long getting-together stories in this list this year but here's an excellent one. Leon gets traded to Boston and it turns out a big part of why he's so bummed about it is that maybe what he wants from Connor isn't just friendship after all.

a hundred shades of gold by @notthequiettype and @winglavender (mcdrai, AU where Connor's older, 41K) -- the treat I've been waiting for ever since the first part came out last year! I'm not usually a huge age difference person, but this one handled it in a really lowkey and enjoyable way that felt true to their dynamic. So genuine-feeling and satisfying. The chatfic element also really worked for me.

Willmack

blush by countthestars @moondoggiestyle (willmack, panties, 10.5K) -- I maaaay already have been overly effusive on main about how much I love this fic, but it is a treasure. I can't reread it too often though or it makes me want to write willmack in panties (again) and I just don't have that kind of time. But I do want other people to write them in panties so you should all read it and get (hot and bothered and) inspired.

woke up like this by canary @bigdogenergy (willmack, woke up as a girl, 18K) -- Speaking of willmack feminization, how about Mack with a surprise pussy? As with everything by canary, impeccably written, love the relationship dynamics.

i got time, i can give you some (willmack, developing relationship ish, 6K), and anywhere but home (willmack go to Sid's training camp, 13.6K) by donderwolk @bliksemflitsenblog -- I'm pretty sure donderwolk is the preeminent willmack scholar of our times. If she doesn't have a PhD in them by the time they're done with their ELCs, it'll just be because universities haven't caught up with her level of expertise. It's an unparalleled delight to read stories infused with all that rich insight into their characters and the wonderful weirdness of their dynamics, in prose that never fails to make me hum with satisfaction. They're weird about each other; they're weird about themselves; they're weird about Sid; what more can you want?

Soldier Boy, Bleed by @ghostsinmachine (willmack, non-AU D/s, 38K) -- This fic might have the best Mack voice I've ever read. If (whennnn) I write a WYL installment for them it's going to be heavily indebted.

Always Comes First by toxotes @toxotesjc (willmack, 38K) -- I discovered toxotes this year and proceeded to read all of their work, gratefully. They're is super good at displaying hauntingly real internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity, so if you enjoy pressing that particular variety of angst button, you're gonna eat this and all their other works up with a spoon.

Every drop of rain singing I love you by @mcjesuswept (willmack, werewolves, 5K) -- mcjesuswept has written a ton of great stuff lately, and I chose this one because I can't resist me some werewolves, especially when they can't resist each other. Also there's piss kink. Which might not be my thing but is apparently also not NOT my thing.

the thing that gets attached to you by edmoil @stonemitts (willmack, internalized homophobia and jerking off, 10K) -- mmmm is there anything hotter than two guys who are trying not to be gay but jerking off together anyway? Delicious Will pov delicious internalized homophobia delicious smut.

Tom/Wyatt

Let Me Love You by sofrancesca @sofrancescasocleanclean (Tom/Wyatt, D/s, 10K so far) -- Ohhhh my god you guys this feels like another installment of Where You Lead except that I didn't have to write it, which is a GIFT. Sofrancesca does such an amazing job of inverting the dynamic so that Tom is just as much of a pest as we know him to be in real life except that what he really needs is to be held down by Wyatt, our scrumptious dominant mouse who no one believes is a dom (except for Tom, who knows right away). If only Tom knew himself to be a sub. Can't even tell you how excited I am to get the rest of this one!

million-mile august by @teethkick (Tom/Wyatt, getting together, 17K) -- Absolutely loved the growing feelings and tension in this one (and the previous one in the series, which is more pre-slash-y but also great). I wrote down that it gave me "stomach flutters galore," so, you know, if you like those. 😏

bury me here in your laundry pile by ribena (Tom/Wyatt, wingfic, 11K) -- mm the angst and the yearning and the internalized shame combined with such unusual worldbuilding (Tom's part cat! Wyatt's part bird!). And so sweet at the end.

TKNP

Living Things by makeit_takeit @makeit-takeit (TKNP, getting together post retirement, 303K) -- Living! Things!! This is a series and it isn't finished yet, but the main storyline was just resolved, so this is the perfect time to read it. This is, imo, the definitive take on how Travis and Nolan could end up together in the future in a way that feels realistic.

A True Place by @sofrancescasocleanclean (TKNP, historical whaling AU, 23K) -- the pininnnnng!! I'm probably biased because sofrancesca wrote this for me and specifically put in things that she thought I'd like, but boy howdy did it work. The homoerotic tension of listening to someone jerk off in the bunk next to yours in the crowded belly of a sailing ship 😍

Tread Carefully by @patrebka (TKNP, foot fetish, 7.6K) -- yes okay but hear me out! It's foot fetish fic with FEELINGS. You definitely don't need to be into feet, as long as you're into hockey boys being into stuff they'd rather not be into (and aren't we all).

(honey you're starting something) deep inside of me by ellen_shame @ln-shame (TKNP, TK is a nurse, 3K) -- Um. Nolan almost comes on a hospital table; that's all I'm gonna say.

Other

shotgun waiting to sound by @teethkick (Pierre-Luc Dubois/Ryan Leonard, non-AU BDSM, 13K) -- This one is a total rarepair and brings a different a rougher side of BDSM than you see in a lot of fics. Not something I write a lot of, but very delicious to read. For when your rookie just needs, as the tag says, to be broken like a wild horse, ideally by a very large and very solid man.

New Fevers by @teethkick (the Dewies struggle against comphet, 39K) -- oops all teethkick in this section! I had never read anything about these two, but almost 40K later I had so many feelings about these two and the internalized homophobia keeping them apart. Long pining epics full of denial, my beloved 🥰

Time Loop: periods of time are repeated and re-experienced...there is often some hope of breaking out of the...cycle of repetition

I love how even in all those years and it's been like 10+, the type of fic for some of the pairings is still the same. The vibe of the fics for the pairings (romantic/platonic/somewhere inside or outside of those) all kind of hit the same.

Sid and Geno: Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you.

Jamie and Tyler: I think I can finally find a home in you.

Toews and Kane: Everytime they mention you, they're going to mention me too.

TK and Nolan: I don't think I could ever get tired of you.

And the new ones to me that already have their own.

Connor & Leon: You're the only one I want to do this with.

Nico and Jack: I am constantly impressed by everything you do.

Jamie and Trevor: We just keep finding our way back to each other.

Nate and Makar: Very few things have caught my attention the way you have.

Auston and Mitch: You took my breath away and I don't think I'll ever get it back completely.

Will and Mack: They're never going to be able to untangle my name from yours.

I just love it.

The Philadelphia Flyers; time loops, curses, loving and chronic repetition

for: @celbrini

did we make a gift based solely on words and reading for the most dyslexic person we know? yes. but it was done out of love. kyle, our friend and beloved, happy birthday. me and markus @russilton think you're pretty neat, in case you haven't realised by this giant fucking thing we made for you.