#starblaster crew

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 2 Part 10 Group 50

Propaganda and further images under the cut

Seven Birds: Taako, Magnus, Merle, Lup, Lucretia, Davenport, Barry Ghost Crew: Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, Ezra Bridger, Chopper

Seven Birds:

they literally spent a hundred years becoming a family and lucretia tried her best to protect the but they could only save the world after all of them had been reunited and they LOVE each other they deserve to win this whole thing

Ghost Crew:

SPACE FAMILY :D

ur honour they mean everything to me,,,,

BESTEST SPACE FAMILY THEY'RE ALL SO INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER AND LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH AND AAAAAAAHHH ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

#tumblr polls #poll #polls #tournament poll #found family #found family tournament 2023 #tumblr tournament #tournament #The Adventure Zone: Balance #The Seven Birds #IPRE #Starblaster Crew #Taako #Magnus #Merle #Lup #Lucretia #Davenport #Barry #Star Wars Rebels #The Ghost Crew #Kanan Jarrus #Hera Syndulla #Sabine Wren #Garazeb Orrelios #Ezra Bridger #Chopper

[papergardener]

As much as I love the idea that Davenport chose the Starblaster crew, that he saw their innate potential and goodness and had to fight to have them as part of this extraordinary mission...

What if instead the rest of the crew were assigned by the IPRE. And some guy hands him the crew list and goes 'Good luck!'

Davenport: what the fuck

#taz balance #Davenport #Starblaster Crew #you've got the standoffish twin #the pyromanic twin #your security officer is beefy baby #chronicler is also a baby #a necromancer #Merle

[flamingfoxninja]

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence The Fourteen Entities have always existed in each and every world ever created. They may have their powers wade and ebb in their struggle for dominance, but they always have influence. They always have dominion over some part of the world, the inhabitants, and the Avatars that they have chosen.

Funny how Seven of those Avatars ended up being on a space crew together.

Sooo I’ve been writing a thing and I guess it was suggested to me to try and promote it here for people to read. So here we go.

This was inspired by some wonderful TMA/TAZ artwork created by @disturbedgerblin  a while back of the Starblaster Crew being Avatars and I’m working my way through them

#taz #tma #davenport needs to be stopped he has too many words when will this end #the adventure zone #the magnus archives #the starblaster #starblaster crew #magnus burnsides #taako and lup #taako taaco #taako taz #merle highchurch #merle taz #magnus taz #fanfiction #lup the adventure zone #lup taako #lup taaco #barry bluejeans #lup taz #barry taz #taz lup #taz barry #taz magnus #taz merle #taz taako #tma avatars #tma the hunt #tma the corruption #tma the lonely

[yaboi-julien]

@blupjeansweek day 6: Family

[ID: A digital illustration of the seven birds from the adventure zone chilling in a pillow and blanket fort.

Lup is a tan skinned elven woman with dark brown hair done up in two buns with bun covers. She is wearing circular glasses, an oversized shirt with the IPRE symbol on it, and cookie-monster print PJ pants and is holding a mug decorated with cheezy flames and is sitting in Barry’s lap. Barry is a fat pale skinned human man with short brown hair and rectangular glasses, wearing a weezer shirt, boxers with prints of tiny pairs of jeans on them, and is holding a green mug with the face of a creeper from minecraft printed on it. He looks over at Taako, a tan skinned elven man with brown choppy hair dyed lavender halfway down and wearing a face mask, head band and a purple house coat, who has one hand on Barry’s shoulder while the other reaches for a box of cookies Magnus is holding out of reach, a frustrated look on his face. Magnus is a dark skinned heavily built human man with straight choppy black hair and black sideburns, wearing a tank top with the gravity falls pine tree symbol on it and red plaid-print PJ pants. In his free hand he holds a beige mug printed with Polynesian artwork stylized fish, as he leans away from Taako and pushes him away with his other foot.

Davenport is a pale skinned lightly built gnome with cochlear implants, short ginger hair and a large ginger mustache, and wearing navy-blue star-print PJs, who sits calmly in front of Magnus, painting his nails and looking up at the commotion. In front of Davenport is Merle, a dark skinned chubby dwarven man who lays splayed on a pillow, his eyes closed, grey hair in a bun and medium beard well groomed, holding a mug depicting a potted plant wearing lingerie and wearing two-piece PJs printed with cannabis leafs. Across from the two is Lucrecia, a dark skinned human woman with medium length black curly hair wearing rectangular glasses, a pink shirt with a cat on it, purple PJ pants, a wrist brace, and holding a mug with the lesbian flag on it. She also looks over at the commotion, smiling softly.

In the background, decorative strings of lights illuminate a fort of pillows, blankets, and couch cushions. END]

#blupjeansweek2022 #blupjeans #IPRE #the adventure zone #taz balance #the adventure zone balance #seven birds #taz IPRE #starblaster #the starblaster crew #lup #lup the adventure zone #lup taz #lup tacco #Barry Bluejeans #barry bluejeans taz #barry the adventure zone #taako #taako the adventure zone #taako tacco #taako taz #magnus #magnus burnsides #magnus taz #magnus the adventure zone #Davenport #davenport the adventure zone #davenport taz #captain davenport #captainport

[weirdlizard26]

i think its really important to consider how lucretia’s relationship with everyone shapes up after the reunion and we do get a glimpse of it in that spinoff, but another thing i wish got explored more is how barry reconnects with everyone. idk.

#wl26 #taz #in truth everyone is very very interesting in this regard #like. ok. its very obvious with lucretia bc he did kinda antagonize everyone for a little bit there and i imagine it would have consequences #the trust issues the guilt the everything. its all there #we saw in the spinoff that theres some tension between her and davenport and i also wonder if there would be like #like u know davenport was the captain on starblaster. so the leader. but for the past decade lucretia has been madame director #so their roles on the crew kinda switched there #and i wonder if that would lead to anything u know what i mean #not necessarily conflict but more like. we used to be just casual friends and now shes been my boss for a while and now we're back to being #just friends again and its a tiny little bit awkward maybe #i also honestly wonder abt the main trio #bc like. they might as well have had a completely different dynamic back on starblaster #they might not even have been so close u know what i mean #and now theyre a trio for a few years and then they remember that things used to be different. how would that impact their relationship #lup lost in the sauce..... #and she disappeared even before the forgottening!! #so she stands out from the group. what would that manifest. #and barry. my best friend barry. my sweet man #reuniting with everyone after a decade of complete solitude #does he ever feel like he doesnt belong anymore? bc he spent so much time apart from them? #aughhhhhhhhhhhh #sorry i promise im normal i swear

[oldwizardboots]

you know what, fuck it *recontextualizes your love song to be about found family*

#this is about my starblaster crew playlist 😬 #sorry strong friendship/found family is so much more interesting than romantic relationships. #I don’t make the rules. #rose speaks

[jortsman]

Year Eighty Eight: Road Trip

#before the century was stolen #btcws #taz balance #taz balance fic #ipre crew #ipre crew fic #taako and lup #taako #taz lup #Lup #blupjeans #blupjeans fic #Barry Bluejeans #merle highchurch #magnus burnsides #lucretia taz #davenport taz #the stolen century #the stolen century fic #the starblaster

[infinitefinalsweek]

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I NEVER ACTUALLY FINISHED WHO WE ARE (AND WHAT WE MEAN TO EACH OTHER)??? AND NOBODY EVER CALLED ME OUT ON IT?? WTF.

#theres only one remedy to this. #writing an entire second fic about the starblaster crew as a family. its my only choice #ramblinged

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

Characters in a found family should only use nuclear family terms to refer to each other if it enhances the understanding of their relationship. Or if its funny. Anyway i should not have to draw a found family genealogy chart to determine that character X is technically character Y's second cousin once removed in law through their unofficial adoptive aunt who is the mother figure in law to character Z which is character Y's step nephew even though no one involved is actually married or agreed to adopt each other. Also no one thinks like this when they have a found family in real life.

Yall you can just be close friends like thats still found family. The point of a found family is to challenge the traditional family structure why are we assigning set titles to everyone. If you mention found family shipping discourse on this post im gonna kill you btw

#shut up pandora #found family #i call everyone under 30 whos friends with phoenix wright and miles edgeworth their kids #bc the concept that these two have like 15 kids between them is hilarious #i call camila darius raine eda and sometimes lilith hunters parents #because all of them have the potential to either have had a parental relationship to hunter in the past or do so in the future #and be a loving influence in his life where he was missing it from belos #i refuse to call the starblaster crew sans davenport and merle siblings #because you dont get anything more meaningful out of it than if you just called them friends #and besides even though merle was played by the mcelroys dad he and dav were never guiding forces for the crew #them goofing around doesnt give the vibe of two dads and their five kids its seven people who are best friends enjoying each others company #anyway again the term friends is just as meaningful as mom or dad or sibling and its often a better descriptor #you dont have to make them siblings to say theyre close sometimes friends are closer than siblings #also again if you bring up discourse about whether shipping in a found family counts as incest i will kill you #btw the answer is 'technically bc of the strict definition of that word no but it can be weird depending on the characters' #bc found family is a general term to describe a variety of relationships and that sometimes involves unofficial parents or siblings #whether its weird is a case by case basis #i will not debate this point

[jerreeeeeee]

Balance fic recs

some of my favorite balance fics. various ages, popularities, and lengths. i’ve been wanting to do a rec list for a while!

caramel by nevereverever

The first time Taako is left alone, it isn't pretty. But their lives are stuck in a loop and people come back and die again and again and he wonders if there will ever be a time when he doesn't have to fear being left alone.

2.7k, Taako & Lup Lup dies one cycle and then, years later, she dies again. But she always comes back. Hurt/comfort of the best kind.

Warmth by noxic

"It was a well-known fact among the residents of the Starblaster that Lup, Barry, and Taako slept in the same bed more often than not. It was one of those things that they just did without really talking about it."

2.1k, Barry & Lup & Taako The BLT fic of all time. Quality platonic adult sleepovers.

Taako the Matchmaker by @fantasysamsclub

In which Taako tries to set up his sister. Events take place during Stolen Century.

11.1k, Blupjeans & Taako Taako tries to set up blupjeans. Miscommunication ensues. Very sweet and funny.

red fishing line by @anistarrose

A routine performance of Sizzle it Up goes nightmarishly wrong, and at Lup’s bedside, Taako feels helpless. And when a red-robed guest appears before him, Taako doesn’t know how or what to feel at all.

3k, Barry & Lup & Taako Also the BLT fic of all time. Excellent subtle Taako characterization, and my favorite depiction of the familiarity-but-not of being voidfished. Warning for major character death.

Sunny-Side Up by @barry-j-blupjeans

And the world? The world loved Taako. For once in his gods-damned life, people loved him. They didn’t care about all the flaws, they didn’t care where he came from or who he was before. They loved his food and they loved him. No one would ever quite be at Taako’s level and that was something he thrived on. There would never be anyone who could measure up. Taako deserved this happiness. He worked for it. He wasted his fucking life away for it.

5.7k, Taako A wonderful character study, revolving around the role food plays in Taako's life. Fairly minor but impactful characters like Sazed and Taako's aunt are utilized in a very meaningful way. So well-written and warm. Warning for brief suicidal ideation.

On the Deck of the Starblaster by @papergardener

“What the… what are you all doing? We have work to do!” It’s a justified reaction, Lucretia thinks, to finding your entire crew literally lazing about on deck not an hour into this new cycle. “This one's on me,” Taako says. “It’s a new trend I like to call: taking a fucking break.” Cycle Nintey-Five. Everyone’s maybe not doing so good and could use a little warmth.

6.5k, Lucretia & Taako Near the end of the century, Lucretia is feeling rough. Taako pulls her out of her funk and initiates a much needed rest. Fantastic characterization, of Lucretia as a whole, and the loyal, warm side of Taako. Warning for mentions of a suicide attempt and suicidal ideation.

leaving, as an injustice by @anistarrose

When Mavis is eight, she starts finding her Dad asleep on the couch in the morning. Sometimes, he’s even all the way out on their tiny patio, with his head slumped onto a pillow atop the chess table, and bags beneath his eyes. In one of their following games, he tells her about tactical retreats.

4.7k, Mavis & Merle A study of Mavis and her relationship to Merle. Incredibly insightful into criminally underrated characters. Excellent Merle characterization.

Permission by vaguenotion

She’d been doing this on and off for the last hour, as if daring the men to catch up to them. Daring them to fight her. Every time seemed like a final stand. Here is where I will meet them, her shoulders said, hiked up around her ears. Here is where I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done. But then Taako would grab her hand, and she would turn and see the bruising on his throat, the blood drying on his brow, the tear in his shirt. And she would grip his hand in hers and together they would keep running.

12.6k, Taako & Lup My favorite depiction of the twins as children, both in character and realistic. Beautifully atmospheric, with so many small details that make the setting feel so real. Warning for assault and harm to children.

Come Hell or High Water by @nillial

“Taako,” Hurley asks, “where’s your magic umbrella?” Taako looks behind him. He had tossed the Umbrastaff in the path of a neighboring vehicle, which was beginning to catch up to them. He sees them now, far in the distance, and he sees his Umbrastaff, too, lying dangerously close to its wheels. As if on cue, he watches the tires crush it to pieces. “Whoops,” he says. - Lup is trapped. And then she isn’t. --- In which Taako breaks his umbrella during the Petals to the Metal race, unknowingly freeing Lup, who is almost immediately captured by Kravitz. After becoming a member of the Raven Queen's retinue with Kravitz as her trainer, she has two missions: 1) find her family, and 2) ruin Kravitz's afterlife. A story about enemies becoming friends and lost families finding their way back to one another.

197k (currently), Lup & Kravitz Incredible characterization. I love the way Lup is written. Hilarious shenanigans, sweet friendship-building, and terribly sad sometimes, because it dives deep into the reality of Lup existing in a world that's forgotten her.

Very cold water on a very hot day by @keplercryptids

Sometimes a family is a nerd who can't swim and the crunchy-haired watersport inventor who teaches him how. Surfer lingo required.

3.1k, Barry & Taako Deep dive into the beach year. Excellently in character, well-written dialogue, and a beautiful depiction of their growing friendship.

Children of Atlas by @papergardener

They’ve survived the apocalypse and now as far as they know, they’re the only ones left. Perhaps it was inevitable that they’d consider… repopulation. Lucretia writes up a weekly schedule to try and address that. Absolutely no one is happy with this.

76k (currently), IPRE crew The premise for this one is incredibly offputting, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. The characterization and quality of writing is absolutely wonderful. I also love the attention to detail of the realistic difficulty of just surviving. Fantastically atmospheric, this fic dives deep into the uncertainty and fear of the first cycle, when the crew are all strangers, and the love that turns them into a family. Warning for extensive discussion of sexual assault.

Emissary Davenport by DragonWrites

A series of stories where Captain Davenport is secretly an emissary of Garl Glittergold, Gnomish god of pranks. And when you're a serious-minded captain on a mission to save all of reality, having a cheerful trickster god as your unexpected patron can get a little strange...

300k, Davenport A series of four works set in an AU where Davenport is an emissary to the leader of the gnomish pantheon. My absolute favorite depiction of Davenport, ever. The first three works are explorations of Davenport as a character and the relationships between people and gods in a DnD world. The last, Lost Gods, is the best fanfiction I've ever read. I can't express how good it is. The attention to detail among myriad plot threads, the building of themes, the characterization across just about every single character in Balance, all come together to create 223k words of a genuine masterpiece.

#apparently theres some kind of comment thing going on and people were making fic rec lists so i wanted to throw my hat in the ring #bc a few of these are very underrated #yes theyre all gen. i don't care for shipping. sorry #mine #taz #taz balance #the adventure zone #taz: b #taz fanfic #taz balance fic #fic rec

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 1 Part 17 Group 84

Propaganda and further pictures under the cut

Seven Birds: Taako, Magnus, Merle, Lup, Lucretia, Davenport, Barry

Boys from the Dwarf: Arnold Rimmer, David Lister, Kryten and The Cat

Submissions are still open!

Seven Birds:

they literally spent a hundred years becoming a family and lucretia tried her best to protect the but they could only save the world after all of them had been reunited and they LOVE each other they deserve to win this whole thing

Boys from the Dwarf:

Listen. These guys actually canonically have nobody else, the entire rest of the crew of this spaceship died in a nuclear incident which TECHNICALLY was Rimmer's fault. Forced family. Lister is the last human alive, Rimmer is technically a ghost kept alive by technology, Kryten is a robot and Cat is a cat. They live on this massive spaceship yet still choose to spend all their time together, it has been like 30 years at this point. I cannot stress to you how they had the option to leave and go elsewhere in this ship the size of a city at any given time yet chose to stick together after 30 years. Every opportunity any of them has had to get off this godforsaken ship, they have turned down. They would do anything for eachother but also would leave eachother on a random planet without hesitation (and actually have done). They are best buddies, they even have a handsign/handshake.

They’re an unlikely crew but ultimately they’re all each other has. Dave wakes up from stasis as the last human alive and to keep him sane the ship’s computer brought his dead bunk mate back as a hologram. They don’t usually get along but after being all each other has they ultimately need each other and do care about each other. They’re just hard assess about it. Also on board is a humanoid being called The Cat, who is from a species that evolved from a cat that was smuggled on board the ship before the accident that killed the crew. He’s usually self-centred but even after finding his own species again he ultimately decides his home is with the boys from the dwarf. And then there’s Kryten, a service mechanoid with an over-active guilt chip that they rescued from a crashed ship along the way. They’re dysfunctional and complete opposites to each other in many ways, but they are always together in every parallel universe they come across. And even when they do separate to try to do their own thing, ultimately they always come back to each other. They’ll act like they all dislike each other at times, but ultimately if trouble threatens one of them then the rest will band together. Also their dynamic together is just extremely funny.

#tumblr polls #poll #polls #tournament poll #found family #found family tournament 2023 #tumblr tournament #tournament #The Seven Birds #IPRE #Starblaster Crew #The Adventure Zone: Balance #Boys from the Dwarf #Red Dwarf #taz #taz balance #Seven Birds #Taako #Magnus #Merle #Lup #Lucretia #Davenport #Barry #Arnold Rimmer #David Lister #Kryten #The Cat

[papergardener]

Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Relationships: The Director | Lucretia & IPRE Crew | Starblaster Crew Tags: Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, Miscommunication, Trust Issues, Dark Comedy, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, Team Bonding, Canon Compliant, Happy Ending, Crack Treated Seriously, they’re all idiots your honor, In this house we love and support Lucretia, IPRE Crew | Starblaster Crew as Family, Post-Apocalypse, found family on speedrun, Sleepovers

Story Summary:  First Cycle. As far as they know, they’re the only ones left. Perhaps it was inevitable that they’d consider… repopulation. Lucretia writes up a weekly schedule to try and address that. Absolutely no one is happy with this.

Chapter 8: Taako’s Day

“Does anyone have any bug repellent spells?” Taako says, once again swatting his hat about. “Cause now would be awesome.”

It might not have been so bad if Lup hadn’t cast Light on his hat. While effective at illuminating the narrow path through the forest, it also attracted every flying bug in a mile radius. It was only after getting halfway back to the ship that they remembered they all had Darkvision, with all three humans back at the ship. But even with the light doused, the bugs seemed to really like Taako.

“I’ve uh… I’ve got Insect Plague?” Merle offers from behind.

(Read more here, this is a long one!)

#TAZ #TAZ Balance #Fanfiction #Seven Nights #Taako #Starblaster crew #Seven Nights Chapter 8 #Taako's Day #Lucretia #Davenport #Lup #mature rating but doesn't apply here #he's just having a tough day #I'm excited #I fucking love his night #Taako and Lucretia best buds #eventually

[yardsards]

i like the headcanon that the starblaster crew *weren't* actually the best and brightest to come out of the ipre, and were instead actually 1: some of the only motherfuckers reckless enough to go aboard a brand new and largely untested piece of technology 2: people that the institute weren't that afraid of losing

#eliot posts #taz #the adventure zone #taz balance #edit: see the reblogs for additional Thoughts

[barry-j-blupjeans]

TAZ 2023 Fic Recs

It is that time of year again! Unfortunately, I don't have as many as last year, mainly because work and Life have been a lot this year. But I am very, very glad to share the fics I have loved this year and I'm looking forward to any other recs!

A Candlenights Barold by @sgrumby - or honestly, all three of the Reaper Squad Candlenights fics! Based off that one liveshow where Merle became Santa Clause. Now it is the job of Barry, Lup, and Kravitz to deliver presents to children every Candlenights! This one is based off A Christmas Carol and is not only hilarious but also super in character.

The Best Version Possible by @thedaisiestdaisy - Taako's experience with past romances, his current one with Kravitz, as well as the aftermath of Story and Song. This is a beautiful, meaningful fic that hits me in the feels every time I read it. It's such a deep, refreshing dive into Taako's character.

a monster might begin to worry by @anistarrose - In short, a Barry-kills-Governer-Kalen AU. In long: Such a good fucking fic. Rose's character voices are top notch and she's so incredibly good at playing with emotions and building up scenes. It's a god-tier Magnus fic, with some fun Magnus-Kravitz interactions and some wonderful hurt/comfort.

Also by Rose and very worth reading:

fill up your lungs, feel better - Barry spies on the BOBs corporate excursion and realizes his family still cares, even if they don't truly know him.

to eat from a poisoned plate - Barry leaves notes in Taako's cookbook.

somewhere over the rainbow (bluebirds fly) - Maureen and Lucretia fall in love. Then, Maureen and Lucretia fall out of love.

midlife crises, laboratory niceties - Barry bulldozes his way into being on the Starblaster crew. Davenport is very concerned <3

colors of space and time - Taako and Lup's relationship with their hair.

Rode Hard And Put Away Wet by @holdmecloser-gandydancer - Band AU!! My beloved!! Lup, Johann, and Kravitz are in a band and it gets. Tough. To put it lightly. Whenever Lup discovers Kravitz and Taako are hooking up. This is a WONDERFUL and super funny fic, that also has it's moments of deep reflections and a lil angst! Plus, Blupjeans! We love that!

Astrology for Horse Jugglers by @noodyl-blasstal - Kravitz and Taako meet at a wedding. This goes badly for everyone except them. This fic is pure chaos and I adore it so, so much.

We Got Boned! - Another one by Noodyl! Barry and Lup write a book for payback, kinda. This one is such a fun, weird turn of events. I cannot describe my love for it.

Revenge Plus One by @ceilingfan5 - Kravitz is invited by his ex (Edward) to go on a cruise. A cruise that will host Edward's wedding. And, to add insult to injury, Edward (rightly) assumes that Kravitz will have no one to bring along. So Kravitz does the responsible adult thing: Invite the gorgeous man who sells bagels in the work cafeteria (Taako) on the cruise with him. There is fake dating! There is tension! There is romance! I love this fic so much, I want to eat it.

a lesson in boy math - Also by Larissa! Speed-dating, Taakitz style. Both Taako and Kravitz are the best shade of weird in this <3

fashion statement by @journalofimprobablethings - Taako takes Lup's robe when he finds her and the umbrella. Lucretia deals with that. This fic? Destroyed me. And I loved it. It's pretty full of angst but the good kind, y'know?? I'm in love.

That's all I got this year!! I hope you all enjoy these fics as much as I did! They're all incredible and I love seeing all the different ideas and takes everyone has :O

#taz #taz balance #the adventure zone #fic recs #i am speaking

[its-your-mind]

Love when TAZ: Balance things happen bc all of us are fuckin Starblaster Crew simps in disguise and are ready At All Times to jump right back on our bullshit at the slightest opportunity and I get to see the same post reblogged on my dash dozens of times by many different mutuals and it kicks so much ass

#taz #taz balance

[anistarrose]

taz balance one-shot recs!

I've been meaning to make this post for a while now, so here we are! The majority of these are from the past three years or so, because I love a fandom classic as much as anyone, but I particularly want to shine a light on some gems from after the peak of traffic in the fandom tags! There are of course also exceptions that are older, though.

Also, April 19th-21st are Just Leave a Comment Fest, so please show these authors some love!! They're all so deserving!

a recipe for home by @journalofimprobablethings: Taako tries to cook for the first time since Glamour Springs. When things go awry, Lucretia is there to lend a hand.

Gen (Taako & Lucretia), 3.5k. Early B.O.B. era hurt/comfort centered around cooking, with a delicious dollop of sentimentality and dramatic irony on top.

Seven Times Magnus Burnsides Gave Someone A Hug + One Time He Received One by @barry-j-blupjeans: Magnus wasn't really any good at— at words. He was more of an action man. Or, y'know, a "I'll take this hit so you don't have to" man. Talking to someone about their feelings was all kinds of weird, so usually he just left the space for someone else to talk. And, well... Magnus wasn't good at words. But there's a few different ways to get his support across.

Mostly gen with some Magnulia, 8.6k. You've all heard of the classic 5 Plus 1, but obviously Magnus deserves a 7 Plus 1! I don't know how to describe it without spoilers other than being full of incredibly sweet, gentle takes on so many fraught or bittersweet moments. Super underrated, do give it a read.

Embrace the Dark by @ceilingfan5: Bookstore coworkers Kravitz and Taako get more than they bargained for when Taako tries to use his powers to fix Kravitz's migraine. But it's okay--it's an excuse for them to spend time together until one of them can nut up and ask the other out.

Taakitz, 8.9k. Modern with Superpowers AU! Super sweet interactions between Kravitz and Taako, paired with lots of fun background worldbuilding. And, of course, a very special grilled cheese sandwich.

Break This Heavy Chain by Punka_Writes: In the immediate aftermath of Story and Song, Barry Bluejeans could really use a hug.

Blupjeans and misc. platonic interactions, 2.3k. The absolute epitome of comfort food in written form, with excellent Barry characterization (and of course, he does get that hug)!

birds of a feather steal sweaters together by @holdmecloser-gandydancer: When you're a big, burly guy it seems that your clothes just become free reign for all your friends. Normally Magnus is a reasonable guy, but everyone has their limits.

Gen (IPRE crew), 1.9k. Starblaster era fluff! Everyone is written absolutely delightfully, and every time I read it I snort out loud at least twice.

Security by @ceilingfan5: Barry has finally made it--his incredible scientific discovery has landed him a huge fortune...and a lot of problems. The only good thing that's come of it, honestly, has been his bodyguard, Lup. (And the science. That's good also.) He's just gotta stay normal about how nice it is to have someone like Lup around, and also not perish by way of press circuit, and everything will be fine.

Blupjeans, 6k. Modern with magic AU from Barry's POV, featuring equal parts anxiety and pining. Also, it's straight-up extremely funny.

Lonesome Dreams by @jerreeeeeee: Taako wakes up one morning from a nightmare, fast fading. There was a guy in glasses, and they were… somewhere high up? Something terrible happened, but he doesn’t remember. He wakes up in a wagon he’s never seen before, but it has his name on it. There’s tons of food inside, more than he’d be able to afford. And he’s alone. Thinking back to the last thing he remembers is difficult. College? No, he’d graduated. Top of his class, obviously, he remembers that. But what- what happened after? Where is Lup?

Gen (Taako & Lup), 10.2k. Everything starts out the same, except Taako remembers Lup, even if not how she went missing, and it's incredibly underrated and full of phenomenal characterization. I won't spoil how things shake out, but it's a great emotional ride and I genuinely reread it all the time.

it's my party and I'll mope if I want to by @holdmecloser-gandydancer: Taako's birthday is just another Thursday. A detective and an old friend have a different idea.

Gen (Taako & Lucretia & Angus), 2.1k. Short and so sweet! Fics about voidfished!Taako's birthday never get old, and this is one of my absolute favorites. Nailing the angst-to-wholesome ratio.

Tedious Familiarity by @barry-j-blupjeans: Déjà vu. Noun. A feeling of having already experienced the present situation. A tedious familiarity. Barry Bluejeans woke up in a cave, fresh out of a pod filled with green goop, and saddled with an unsettling feeling that he had been here before. If you had asked forty-year-old Barry if he would follow instructions left by a talking coin, he probably would have asked you what type of drugs you were on. But, y’know, fifty… two? Fifty-one? How old was he? Fifty-two sounded right. But, y’know, fifty-two years old Barry didn’t really have that many other places to turn, so this couldn't be all that bad.

Gen, 4.1k. Missing scenes based off Barry's decade alone, written in such an effective style, where all the little details truly make it. Mandatory reading for fellow Barry angst enjoyers.

Angus McDonald and the Wonderland Escape Rooms by coppersunshine: When Angus gets grounded from detecting, to keep his skills sharp he becomes a patron of the Wonderland Escape rooms, run by Edward and Lydia, who quickly decide he's their new nemesis. To their surprise, Angus and the collection of weird adults he's accompanied by decide otherwise.

Gen (Angus & Edward & Lydia), 7k. Modern with magic AU, putting Edward and Lydia in the absolute funniest possible job, at which a little boy detective torments... and maybe, even gives them a chance to turn over a new leaf. I am of the opinion that Angus and the Wonderland twins have a criminally underexplored dynamic, and this fic gave me everything I wanted.

If the Sun and Moon Should Doubt by Punka_Writes: Merle Highchurch, on the brink of a bad decision.

Gen, 1.6k. Merle character study immediately before running out on his marriage. Truly the incredible characterization that Merle deserves; this was a fic that really ignited my love for him.

Greensleeves by @sgrumby: Kravitz has never seen a lich like this before, and he's seen a lot of liches. Merle is just trying to save the universe, thanks very much.

Gen (Kravitz & Merle), 2.2k. A unique and also absolutely genius Lich!Merle AU where Kravitz inevitably comes after him, and Merle is... well, the Peacemaker, of course!

#taz #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #fic rec #long post