Well why yes, I do have recs for both ireland and steve/bucky! What a coincidence!
Haha, my spouse and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon and ho-ly crap was it incredible. So there’s the obvious: Cliffs of Moher, drive up the coast and see castles, etc. But before we left, I accidentally came across an NPR segment on “the best smelling places in the world” - weird, right? So I was listening and the top pick was a spice market in India, and the #2 pick just so happened to be a place we would be driving through in Ireland called The Burren Perfumery. Now, when we went it was in the middle of winter so pretty much everything was closed up, but the inside shop and grounds were really sweet/lovely and we really enjoyed our time. The tea I picked up there was literally the best i’ve ever had in my life, and I cannot wait to go back when everything is thriving. Also, in the same area not that far away we were driving to our next location and just so casually passed a 5,000 year old tomb called Poulnabrone dolmen. So bizarre and simple, literally just off the side of the road like it’s No Big Deal. Loved it.
Alright, and so I’ve also recently gotten into steve/bucky and have consumed… a lot of fic. Thanks, frequent work-related airplane rides! There are definitely a lot of fun, fascinating fics that are perfect for the pairing and perfect for the fandom, but there are also 3 loooong fics that have kind of changed my life, the way I think about things, and how I think about the world around me. These 3 are now in my top 10 favorite things I’ve ever read, ever, full stop. So here we go:
1. The Not Easily Conquered Series. Pt 1: A Long Winter, Pt 2: The Thirteen Letters, and Pt 3: Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears. https://archiveofourown.org/series/115516 117,692 words, complete. Summary: “In 1945, Steve Rogers jumps from a nosediving plane and swims through miles of Arctic Ocean to a frozen shore. In 1947, Steve Rogers marries Peggy Carter. In 1966, the New York Times finds the lost letters of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.” But it’s so much more than that. I spent a week after reading this just… thinking. It’s about shaping the century, rewriting public and institutional memory, how a single event would change academia, journalism, community, relationships, choices, etc. The global historical and political references are so intentional and taught me a lot, and I just… it’s genuine poetry. I appreciate everyone’s characters, choices and developments.
2: Ain’t No Grave Series by spitandvinegar. https://archiveofourown.org/works/5094785 127,178 words, complete. Summary: “It's six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone. For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don't. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It's very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters. I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU. Steve sits down hard on the steps.”
So, there are DEFINITE trigger warnings for this, and let’s get them out of the way first. Drug use, ptsd, past mentions of sexual abuse, catholic steve rogers and homelessness. On paper this fic would never, never be for me, but in practice it’s just SO wonderful, fresh, hilarious, and charming. It’s simultaneously so out of left field while so definitive of every Steve/bucky trope, compiled into something completely unforgettable. I cry-laughed so often I had to read passages out loud to my spouse so we could laugh together. This fic stayed with me for it’s sheer uniqueness, determination, and lessons in self-care.
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timeasmymeasure
Ireland and Recs
Date: 2016-07-07 02:26 pm (UTC)Haha, my spouse and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon and ho-ly crap was it incredible.
So there’s the obvious: Cliffs of Moher, drive up the coast and see castles, etc. But before we left, I accidentally came across an NPR segment on “the best smelling places in the world” - weird, right? So I was listening and the top pick was a spice market in India, and the #2 pick just so happened to be a place we would be driving through in Ireland called The Burren Perfumery. Now, when we went it was in the middle of winter so pretty much everything was closed up, but the inside shop and grounds were really sweet/lovely and we really enjoyed our time. The tea I picked up there was literally the best i’ve ever had in my life, and I cannot wait to go back when everything is thriving. Also, in the same area not that far away we were driving to our next location and just so casually passed a 5,000 year old tomb called Poulnabrone dolmen. So bizarre and simple, literally just off the side of the road like it’s No Big Deal. Loved it.
Alright, and so I’ve also recently gotten into steve/bucky and have consumed… a lot of fic. Thanks, frequent work-related airplane rides! There are definitely a lot of fun, fascinating fics that are perfect for the pairing and perfect for the fandom, but there are also 3 loooong fics that have kind of changed my life, the way I think about things, and how I think about the world around me. These 3 are now in my top 10 favorite things I’ve ever read, ever, full stop. So here we go:
1. The Not Easily Conquered Series. Pt 1: A Long Winter, Pt 2: The Thirteen Letters, and Pt 3: Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears. https://archiveofourown.org/series/115516
117,692 words, complete.
Summary:
“In 1945, Steve Rogers jumps from a nosediving plane and swims through miles of Arctic Ocean to a frozen shore.
In 1947, Steve Rogers marries Peggy Carter. In 1966, the New York Times finds the lost letters of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.”
But it’s so much more than that. I spent a week after reading this just… thinking. It’s about shaping the century, rewriting public and institutional memory, how a single event would change academia, journalism, community, relationships, choices, etc. The global historical and political references are so intentional and taught me a lot, and I just… it’s genuine poetry. I appreciate everyone’s characters, choices and developments.
2: Ain’t No Grave Series by spitandvinegar. https://archiveofourown.org/works/5094785
127,178 words, complete.
Summary: “It's six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone.
For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don't. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It's very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters.
I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU.
Steve sits down hard on the steps.”
So, there are DEFINITE trigger warnings for this, and let’s get them out of the way first. Drug use, ptsd, past mentions of sexual abuse, catholic steve rogers and homelessness. On paper this fic would never, never be for me, but in practice it’s just SO wonderful, fresh, hilarious, and charming. It’s simultaneously so out of left field while so definitive of every Steve/bucky trope, compiled into something completely unforgettable. I cry-laughed so often I had to read passages out loud to my spouse so we could laugh together. This fic stayed with me for it’s sheer uniqueness, determination, and lessons in self-care.