Hieroglyfics Recs

Stephen has arranged for a source to stay at a gentleman’s club that caters to a particular sort of gentleman, with particular tastes; Jack, unknowing, follows him there. Possibly this is the Age of Sail version of the “undercover in a gay bar” trope, but it is handled so deftly and sensitively here that it seems completely in keeping with canon. Jack’s utter obliviousness is just wonderful.

A lovely, slow and stately portrait of Jack and Stephen growing old together. The language is beautiful, subtly weaving together the threads of their interactions with their families, old friends, and each other until the picture emerges.

This story feels exactly like canon, except for the zombies, and I can’t believe I actually wrote that sentence in a rec. No, seriously. It was originally written as a series of comments to the anonymous Aubreyad Kink Meme, and with the author’s permission, I collated it into a single file, which is linked above. And it rocks utterly. It is the story of a plague that comes to London, and of sailing ships, and of politics, and how Jack and Stephen’s friendship is sorely tested by difficult times; it is magnificent, and you should read it. There are clever references to canon and to other sources (I detected a Shackleton homage, and I am sure there are others.) And there are zombies.

Aubrey and Maturin gen, crossover-fusion with Temeraire, short story. Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin meet Captain Laurence and Temeraire. I love the way this is written, which seems very true to both sources, although I suppose that in a true crossed-over world, Jack and Stephen would already be somewhat familiar with dragons and their riders.

Aubrey/Maturin: The aftermath of Stephen’s escape from prison and torture in H.M.S. Surprise. The one that started it all, for me! Gorgeous writing, hot and sweet.

Aubrey/Maturin, G to PG, can be read as slash or gen. Alas, my very favorite writer in this fandom vanished a few years ago. Her stories all begin with a short quote from canon, but were I left on my own I wouldn’t be able to tell where O’Brian’s words end and hers begin, so perfect is her voice. I adore her writing to tiny little bits. I especially love Sealegs, Unkindest Cut, At Dawn, and Blue Devils, but really, all these are wonderful.

Jack/Stephen. This is my favorite type of story in this fandom: a missing scene which expands on the innuendo of the text (in this case, a discussion about the Sultan and his “Ganymede” in The Thirteen Gun Salute) but never takes it too far. Excellent character voices.

Sophie/Clarissa, PG. Clarissa comes calling on Sophie. The story is gorgeous, understated and gentle. The language is perfect, and the echoes of Jack off at sea in Sophie’s solitude are so nice. Maybe my favorite parts are the hints of Diana, and how the others see her. You don’t need to have read the whole series or even to have gotten to the books with Clarissa to enjoy this delicate femslash.

Aubrey/Maturin (readable as gen). While recovering from the torture he endured at Port Mahon, Stephen agrees to a swim with Jack. This is magnificent! The style is so beautifully O’Brian that I’m not convinced this isn’t a missing scene that I just missed on my first reading of canon.

Aubrey/Maturin, NC17, AU. If this is a fusion with something I don’t recognize, it’s brilliant, and if it’s an original fusion I’m floored. It takes O’Brian’s world into a different direction in the same way the Temeraire series does (but with its own completely realized execution: swords and sorcery, and a complicated feudal/sexual structure), and as such it would be fabulous as original fic. The dialogue and characterizations are fabulous, the minor characters from the series welcome grounding in canon, and the plot nicely done with a punchy ending.

Aubrey/Maturin. A sea battle, and a swarm from Stephen’s hives. The language is perfectly O’Brian, and the dialogue and actions sweetly in character..