The Marci Rating System

Another one from Yuletide!

Love You More with Every Breath, by antonomasia09

“It would be nice,” Kiem mused, easing himself down gingerly onto a convenient bit of debris, “if, just once, we could take a vacation together without nearly dying.”

Already a fandom classic:

please leave a message, by Ravenesta

Does anyone have the number for Shane's girl from Boston? I feel bad that they've been seeing each other for this long and we've never added her here.

And the sequel!

across the wires, by Ravenesta

Hayden groans. "Rozanov? Dude, what are you doing in my fucking house?

"It is girls' night," Ilya informs him primly. "I am one of girls."

Of course the hockey boys have fanfic!

The Game Plan, by FestiveFerret, pouringinsheets

Ilya started typing, and Shane realized he was composing the post already. "What is the saying?" Ilya asked. "The cat has come out of the backpack?"

Shane opened his mouth to correct him then snapped it shut again. He nodded. "Yup, that's the saying."

About to rec this one for fic rec Friday, realized I haven't actually read it yet, got excited that now I have a new fic to read!

Following Protocol, by Astral_Insanity

Sure, there were plenty of parenting guidebooks available, but none of them quite addressed the nuances of his life.

Working for an anti-capitalist terrorist organization as the captain of an espionage crew (which included your daughter) and a giant fuck-off warship was apparently not very common.

Reference Check, by v838monoceros

He opened a private line in the feed. Perihelion, he sent, letting a bit of his confusion and annoyance through. Can you explain why exactly Mariana of Shipping Solutions Inc. is asking for a reference for one Security Consultant Rin, who apparently served with us on you for three years?

Really thought I had recced this one before, right after I listened to 'Winter's Orbit' (by Everina Maxwell, the audiobook was excellent!) and then devoured a bunch of fanfic for it, but a brief search didn't turn it up. And so:

The Winter Widow, by Geese_In_Flight

“My lord?” Bel’s voice was closer now, and distinctly disapproving. “Forgive me, but dinner is quite soon, and her grace will not be pleased if you are late. Again.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kiem said. “Bel. I’m supposed to get married.”

There was the briefest of pauses behind him, before Bel said, “Yes. I am aware, my lord. But that really does not change the situation with regards to dinner.”

Upgrade, by lyricwritesprose

Ratthi got to his feet carefully. “Do you know how to install an energy weapon on a cleaning bot?”

From the side, Ratthi could see SecUnit’s eyebrow quirk very slightly in what he had come to recognize as some form of amusement. “No. But I know who to bother about it.”

Translation: Gurathin was about to have another upsetting day.

the cat distribution system, by ScarlettStorm

Wei Wuxian didn’t imagine acquiring a cat like this, nor did he imagine acquiring a fluffy white cat that, even covered in dirt and debris and clutched to a four-year-old’s chest like a teddy bear, manages to give the impression it’s judged his entire life and found it deeply wanting.

I've thought about this fic several times recently, with the idle notion of searching it up in my bookmarks (unlikely to work, but probably would have turned up several other mostly-forgotten gems). And then, lo! It showed up in The Rec Center #506! What luck!

The god of scraped knees, by spqr

Jaskier tries to stop listening, tries to look as innocuously, condemnably human as possible while he puts a leg up on a log and starts to strum for the jolly campers. But he still hears Geralt, almost amused, “Who, Jaskier? He’s as normal as they come.”

Stranger on a Strange Planet, by IHopedTheredBeStars

“Eden,” I said. “Did you hack our SecUnit’s governor module?”

“No,” it replied firmly. Then it looked off to the side and muttered, “I gave it the codes and let it decide for itself whether to apply the hack or not.”