shadowfireflame | Some Cabin Pressure Recs (Reply)

Because the radio series Cabin Pressure (with Benedict Cumberbatch, of course, and also Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole, and writer John Finnemore) is just too amazing to not get drawn into the fandom. (You can also follow Finnemore’s blog here or read my review of the radio series here.)

I entirely blame

lobelia321 (because of this recs post) and

daasgrrl (because of this pimp post) for getting me into this fandom and for the brilliant

redscharlach and her fabulous icons for keeping me entertained once there. Also check out

caffienekitty's recs list.

I am still a newbie in this fandom (fandot?), though, so this list will likely grow! If you feel inclined, please do rec me other Martin-centric stories, especially funny/cute ones, because I’m pretty good on the angst in this fandom at the moment.

As always, please let me know if a link isn't working! Now with jump links:

[Gen], [Douglas/Martin], [Arthur/Martin], [Other Pairings], [Sherlock Crossovers], [Fanvids]

::: Gen :::

Bermuda by dvs
Gen. Our crew get caught in the Bermuda Triangle and crash land on a desert island, with a twist. This story was totally delightful and in-character and fun. Arthur in particular was hilarious, and the chemistry between Douglas and Martin just zings off the page.

Rules for Martin by errantcomment and oxfordtweed
Gen. The Care and Feeding of Martin Crieff, or an adorable but also heartbreaking list of things the students who live with Martin have shared with each other. It’s so obvious that the students who created this genuinely love their friendly ghost in the attic. I hope they save him some baked potatoes.

A Short History of Aviation by loneraven (singlecrow on AO3)
Gen. A very touching Star Trek AU that works seamlessly. Adorable and revealing. What I love best about this story is how much of a team, a family, they are, even in space, and how Arthur’s mood is the general barometer of how everyone aboard is feeling.

Standing By by Diane
Gen. While the crew is standing by, Douglas is sad and Arthur, Martin, and Carolyn try to cheer him up in their own ways. Written in the script format, this piece has lovely, spot-on characterizations and great backstories.

Unalaska by oxfordtweed (oxfordtweed on dreamwidth)
Gen. Thanks to etothepii’s Asteroidea series, I absolutely adore the dynamics of all His Dark Materials fusions (dæmons being one of the coolest ideas in modern fiction), and this is no exception. Instead of just our four lovely characters, now there are eight to balance, and it’s done very smoothly and believably. (The short companion piece, Panserbjørne Are Brilliant, perfectly overwhelmed me with how well the dæmons fit each character, from Martin’s flightless bird to Arthur’s albatross.) I hope for more in this verse!

Unconventional Dynamics series by branwyn (branwyn1914 on tumblr)
Technically gen, though set in a BSDM!AU. Top!Arthur, top!Douglas, sub!Martin. Douglas thinks Martin’s a top until he comes to the realization that Arthur’s right about Martin, and Douglas proposes that he and Martin enter into a platonic arrangement. Arthur and Douglas’ banter totally steals the show for me here, making me crack up. This series also has some good world-building in coming to explain Martin’s tragic backstory. Sentence that serves as a nice summary: Douglas has been the confidante of overwrought subs before, but never one so heartbreakingly unprotected, never one whose fears and worries were so completely justified.

::: Douglas/Martin :::

A to Z by cleo_2010
Pre-Douglas/Martin. Douglas, Martin, and Arthur play the sex alphabet for the cheese tray on the flight deck. Douglas and Martin were not prepared for Arthur to singlehandedly crush them. This was really cute and funny (and, um, educational also), and the voices are great.

Gone Horribly Wrong by splix
Douglas/Martin. Douglas gets in over his head with some smugglers, and Martin pays for it. Warnings for non-con and violence. Martin!whump is basically canon, and I *ahem* quite like it, so this was great. I found the premise and execution very believable, especially the after-trauma care, which has one of the best hospital visits I’ve read in fanfic. And some great characterization and narration of a worried and guilty Douglas. Despite the trauma, this story left me with a lovely fuzzy feeling. Rather romantic. Quote: Only Martin would have a story so redolent of piteous failure that it shot past the unlikely and landed solidly in the realm of the truly preposterous, and yet, knowing Martin, was totally plausible.

Miami by thirdbird_fic
Douglas/Martin. Martin gets food poisoning, and Douglas offers his expertise. Cute, hot, and in-character. The best part about this is the character’s voices; this really reads like an episode (albeit a rather sexier one than usual). Mild medfet, woobie!Martin, and the genuine concern Douglas hopes Martin won’t notice.

The Runway of True Love Never Did Go Smooth by Enigel
Douglas/Martin. Carolyn bets Douglas the Camembert for a year that he can’t get Martin laid. Douglas ends up discovering that if you want something done right, you have to do him yourself. I love the bit where Martin needs to be rescued from the cold and “defrosted” by Douglas. (Hi, hypothermia hurt/comfort kink!) Douglas and Carolyn’s voices are particularly perfect here. Plus, it’s very sexy and fun.

::: Arthur/Martin :::

Contents May Have Shifted by thirdbird_fic
Arthur/Martin. Summary: Martin gets stuck in the flight deck locker with Arthur. More than once. Martin makes lists and then sexy times ensue. This story makes me, like, delightfully happy, and the characterizations had me in stitches. I was so dubious about this pairing before reading this, but now I’m completely convinced that Arthur could make Martin very happy and just want more of what Douglas says will be “intolerably cheery.” Martin deserves it.

::: Other Pairings :::

Thistle and Weeds series by chess_ka
Martin/OC, warnings for non-con. MJN Air deals with the fallout after Martin leaves an abusive relationship. I really like the characterizations in this one, with Martin assuming that he is the problem instead of his abuser. I also very much like that Douglas becomes a badass and Carolyn becomes an “Alpha dog” when dealing with the crisis; it’s exactly what she would do to protect her pilot and airline (her pack).

Treason and Plot series by unsentimentalf
Eventual Douglas/Herc. This story fills in the gap of why Douglas left his old job at Air England. Years later, some his ex-colleagues are still less than happy with him, and Herc and Douglas have a battle of power and manipulation. This is a rather dark viewing on some of the characters, but at the same time it’s perfectly spot on (at a party, Douglas puts his water in a whiskey tumbler, for example). And now that I feel I know more of Douglas’s backstory (which is fast becoming my headcanon here), it makes their little MJN Air family even more important. Warnings for non-sexual non-con elements in the first story, BDSM themes in the second.

::: Sherlock Crossovers :::

Domestic Economy by branwyn
Gen. Author’s summary: Every week, when Martin checks his bank account, there's an extra fifty quid that shouldn't be there. A very sweet and in-character story in which Martin is the youngest Holmes brother (I love it!).

Holding Patterns by daasgrrl
Mycroft/Martin, implied Mycroft/Sherlock and Douglas/Martin. Post-Reichenbach, Sherlock’s abroad, and Mycroft misses him, so he kidnaps a look-alike Sherlock (Martin) and offers to pay him money to sleep with him. This story is a very mischievous one with a plot that slowly but inexorably escalates. I love the wicked characterizations, too, with Martin fantasizing about Douglas as Mycroft is wistful for Sherlock.

Hunger Pangs by keelywolfe
John/Martin, post-Reichenbach. John pays Martin for a blowjob, but it’s so much more complicated than that. I doubt I’ve ever read a story with a more appropriate title than this. The author’s characterizations are kind and discerning for both these characters while accomplishing something I thought was impossible—perfectly describing Sherlock and John’s relationship without words and without Sherlock being there. I’m tearing up here, this was so great.

Nome (or, Weren’t You In Here Last Week?) by evansentranced
Implied offscreen John/Sherlock. While on a trip post-Reichenbach, Sherlock shows up unexpectedly on GERTI and surprises his half-brother Martin. Mycroft, predictably, also meddles. I really enjoyed the Holmes family dynamics here, particularly when Mycroft, Sherlock, and Martin were all talking together with Douglas there, and everyone is very in-character. Arthur’s reaction to Sherlock was totally priceless, as was Sherlock playing an on-board game with Douglas (and Martin, kind of, hee). Lots of fun.

On His Brother-in-law’s Secret Service series by EASchechter/ladysmith
John/Sherlock(/Moriarty later!!), Mycroft/Lestrade, Moriarty/Moran, Martin/OC, Molly/Arthur (isn’t that sweet?!), other minor pairings, BSDM elements. This epic series is a plotty and extremely fun action/adventure. After Sherlock is put into grave danger and Moriarty gets back in touch with them, John decides to start working for Mycroft in order to root out Moriarty and better protect Sherlock. They deal with stalkers, kidnappings, terrifying villains, moles, aliens, magic, demons, vampires, time-travelers, Mycroft’s badass daughter (an amazing OC), and eventually working with Moriarty instead of against him. Oh my God, I love the relationship dynamics here with John/Sherlock/Moriarty (smoking hot sex) and Lestrade/Mycroft, and all the hurt/comfort elements and details of Sherlock’s backstory we get to enjoy. Delicious. I very much appreciate the more nuanced portrayals of Donovan, Anderson, Moran, and of course Moriarty in particular. And it’s wonderful when Martin becomes one of the major characters. Crossovers with Cabin Pressure (of course), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Torchwood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, The Avengers, though no knowledge of these is necessary; the characters are all explained in the verse. Warnings for references to a rape attempt, a past rape, cannibalism, graphic violence, a miscarriage, and minor character deaths. There are also more stories in the related series Off the Main Sequence.

::: Fanvids :::

Fly With Me by TheKaskProject
An amazing Douglas/Martin fanvid that does a superb job at putting faces to voices and crafting a compelling storyline out of Roger Allam and Benedict Cumberbatch’s past work. I would have never thought to put Wreckers and The Last Enemy footage together to make Martin's little attic room, but it worked so well! And a sex scene to cap it off. (Thanks to daasgrrl for the link!)

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