fic reclist: time loop/time travel
Jul. 30th, 2023 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hexmixbeen wanting to do some fic recs for a while but just haven't gotten around to it until today! when i am determined to at least start one!
and what better theme to start with than my favorite trope, right? so! here is a most-likely-to-be-updated list of time loop/groundhog day/time travel fics that i've read and enjoyed! and suggestions are VERY MUCH welcome, i love this shit and am always happy to read more of it c:
And I Alone Have Escaped To Tell You by astolat. [Transformers. Cyclonus/Megatron. Teen. 58k+ words.]
author's summary: "This is like some kinda bad dream," Ironhide said aloud.
"No," Cyclonus said, low and harsh. "But it will be."
have to start out by saying that this happens to be my absolute favorite fic. ever. it's incredibly well-written and ticks off just about everything on my list of "things i enjoy in fic." but it also involves time travel, specifically: Cyclonus attempting to avert a doomed timeline after accidentally being blasted back into the past (or, technically, into a parallel universe almost identical except for a slight delay in time. but technicalities, right?) it's a character-centric piece that focuses a lot on loyalty, and honestly it's a little hard for me to talk about it because i love it so much lmao. anyway just go read it, it's so good!!
Chaos by thedevilchicken. [Jurassic Park. Alan Grant/Ian Malcolm and Ian Malcolm/Ellie Sattler. Mature. 5k+ words.]
author's summary: Ian's life is chaos.
this is one of the few time loop AUs i've seen that has the person trapped in it living out entire lifetimes. it's also the only Jurassic Park fic i've ever read. well-written and a very nice exploration of the trope.
in the future, when we fell in love by homsantoft. [Dragon Age: Inquisition. Iron Bull/Dorian. Mature. 12k+ words.]
author's summary: Dorian and the Inquisitor spend a lot longer than a few hours displaced in time by Alexius' magic. Working through all of the consequences takes even longer.
this fic explores the premise of: how do you deal with the grief of losing someone you loved when you haven't yet lost them and it makes me cry every damn time i read it. it's beautifully written and weaves back and forth through time, with the author careful to delineate each period through tense and more subtle cues (the way Dorian refers to the Iron Bull, for example). very heavy on the angst (i mean it is primarily about grief, after all) but has a hopeful ending.
In The Realm of Ungrateful Cockroaches by BigSciencyBrain [MCU. Loki/Steve. Mature. 36k+ words.]
author's summary: Instead of returning to Asgard after the battle of New York, Loki finds himself in a time loop, repeating the events of the Avengers over and over again.
i truly, sincerely enjoy how many Loki-gets-stuck-in-a-time-loop fics there are. this one does a neat little thing i really like where knowledge of the time loop spreads gradually, like a side effect. that and the ending (which WOW OUCH OKAY) are the main reasons i'm reccing this one--it's not something i think i've seen very often, if at all tbh. otherwise the cause of the loop itself remains very vague, and Loki isn't as mean as i usually like him, but there's some very nice Steve/Loki moments, which is actually my preferred Loki ship, despite all the Tony/Loki on this list lmao. anyway, i've actually been haunted by a few scenes from this since i first read it years ago, it lingers. (i mean i think that's mostly the ending, it's definitely not a happy ending but it's also like. i am SO GLAD the author ended it like that, just absolute Grad A Prime Angst wowee.)
Rise From Ash by Mikkeneko. [MCU. Loki/Tony. Mature. 98k+ words.]
author's summary: Or:
Five Times Loki Didn't Save the World (And One Time He Did)
When Loki's world falls apart around him, he learns that sometimes you do get a second chance.
this is probably the best Loki fic that i have ever read, full stop. just a grindingly slow deconstruction of character & motives by means of time loop. it's honestly what i like to see fic doing most: taking inconsistencies or holes within canon and making sense out of them. it's not a 'happy ending' sort of fic, but once you pick up on what the author is doing and where they're going, it's a very deeply satisfying fic. likewise, the tony/loki is there, but it's just one minor part of everything else that is going on.
also: there's a little "after credits scene" following the author's notes in the final chapter which is SLIGHTLY less of a downer than the fic's actual ending, it does leave you wanting more though. (and alas, there isn't more :c)
Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop. [Harry Potter. Draco/Harry. Explicit. 70k words.]
author's summary: It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?
i think the thing i like the most about this one is that it's actually mostly a character piece. the relationship is very much centered, but most of the fic (and the loop) is about Draco as a character; about him (very gradually) unlearning some of his biases and facing things about himself that he's been avoiding. the author balances it very, very well, however, and there's this bittersweet note to the way that Draco is growing and changing and falling more in love while feeling increasingly trapped and despairing. i also just really like the way Harry is written in this one, sort of soft and quiet and yet hurting and longing and kind of painfully hopeful. but one of my favorite things might be how much Draco misses; love a protag that's this obtuse, always makes for a fun read c:
Tea with the Hatter (TGIF) by theorytale [MCU. Tony/Loki. Mature. 60k+ words.]
author's summary: It's seven a.m., Thursday fourteenth November, 2013.
It always is.
ah, i think this one might be my all time fave time loop fic. it's certainly just about the only one i've read that spends a significant amount of time on the effects of the time loop once the person stuck is free, and it does so in a very considered and believable way. i really enjoy how this author writes both Tony and Loki, and they've also instilled such a great sense of humor into this fic, outright cackled at a few points. if there was one time loop fic i could recommend anyone to read, it would be this one, hands down.
The Difference Between What is Never to Be and What Never Was which is unfortunately orphaned. [The Magnificent Seven (2016). Faraday/Vasquez. Teen. 5k+ words.]
author's summary: Faraday wakes up. (Or the groundhog day!au that I couldn't stop thinking about.)
short and sweet fix-it fic by way of time loop. Faraday lives through a series of very bad days, picks up some Spanish, and has some classic "watching the person i love die" angst. no one dies/everyone lives happy ending.
those yesterdays bleeding through by wnnbdarklord. [MCU. Gen. Mature. 9.5k words.]
author's summary: Loki dies on the desolate plains of Svartalfheim, Thor's howls of grief ringing in his ears. He wakes up on his bed in his cell, where there is no sign of destruction.
--
A time loop fic where Loki gets the chance to fix things on the day the Dark Elves attack Asgard. And another. And another.
another Loki-gets-stuck-in-a-time-loop fic, clearly love those lmao. this one is a fix-it fic for Thor: The Dark World and features a unique Reason For Time Loop that i really appreciate; at least i haven't seen it used in any other MCU fic before. very solid writing and characterizations with all the usual time loop angst. because its scope is mostly limited to TDW this one probably isn't the best to read without knowledge of that film in particular, unless you just really enjoy Loki angst, in which case: there sure is plenty of that.
and what better theme to start with than my favorite trope, right? so! here is a most-likely-to-be-updated list of time loop/groundhog day/time travel fics that i've read and enjoyed! and suggestions are VERY MUCH welcome, i love this shit and am always happy to read more of it c:
And I Alone Have Escaped To Tell You by astolat. [Transformers. Cyclonus/Megatron. Teen. 58k+ words.]
author's summary: "This is like some kinda bad dream," Ironhide said aloud.
"No," Cyclonus said, low and harsh. "But it will be."
have to start out by saying that this happens to be my absolute favorite fic. ever. it's incredibly well-written and ticks off just about everything on my list of "things i enjoy in fic." but it also involves time travel, specifically: Cyclonus attempting to avert a doomed timeline after accidentally being blasted back into the past (or, technically, into a parallel universe almost identical except for a slight delay in time. but technicalities, right?) it's a character-centric piece that focuses a lot on loyalty, and honestly it's a little hard for me to talk about it because i love it so much lmao. anyway just go read it, it's so good!!
Chaos by thedevilchicken. [Jurassic Park. Alan Grant/Ian Malcolm and Ian Malcolm/Ellie Sattler. Mature. 5k+ words.]
author's summary: Ian's life is chaos.
this is one of the few time loop AUs i've seen that has the person trapped in it living out entire lifetimes. it's also the only Jurassic Park fic i've ever read. well-written and a very nice exploration of the trope.
in the future, when we fell in love by homsantoft. [Dragon Age: Inquisition. Iron Bull/Dorian. Mature. 12k+ words.]
author's summary: Dorian and the Inquisitor spend a lot longer than a few hours displaced in time by Alexius' magic. Working through all of the consequences takes even longer.
this fic explores the premise of: how do you deal with the grief of losing someone you loved when you haven't yet lost them and it makes me cry every damn time i read it. it's beautifully written and weaves back and forth through time, with the author careful to delineate each period through tense and more subtle cues (the way Dorian refers to the Iron Bull, for example). very heavy on the angst (i mean it is primarily about grief, after all) but has a hopeful ending.
In The Realm of Ungrateful Cockroaches by BigSciencyBrain [MCU. Loki/Steve. Mature. 36k+ words.]
author's summary: Instead of returning to Asgard after the battle of New York, Loki finds himself in a time loop, repeating the events of the Avengers over and over again.
i truly, sincerely enjoy how many Loki-gets-stuck-in-a-time-loop fics there are. this one does a neat little thing i really like where knowledge of the time loop spreads gradually, like a side effect. that and the ending (which WOW OUCH OKAY) are the main reasons i'm reccing this one--it's not something i think i've seen very often, if at all tbh. otherwise the cause of the loop itself remains very vague, and Loki isn't as mean as i usually like him, but there's some very nice Steve/Loki moments, which is actually my preferred Loki ship, despite all the Tony/Loki on this list lmao. anyway, i've actually been haunted by a few scenes from this since i first read it years ago, it lingers. (i mean i think that's mostly the ending, it's definitely not a happy ending but it's also like. i am SO GLAD the author ended it like that, just absolute Grad A Prime Angst wowee.)
Rise From Ash by Mikkeneko. [MCU. Loki/Tony. Mature. 98k+ words.]
author's summary: Or:
Five Times Loki Didn't Save the World (And One Time He Did)
When Loki's world falls apart around him, he learns that sometimes you do get a second chance.
this is probably the best Loki fic that i have ever read, full stop. just a grindingly slow deconstruction of character & motives by means of time loop. it's honestly what i like to see fic doing most: taking inconsistencies or holes within canon and making sense out of them. it's not a 'happy ending' sort of fic, but once you pick up on what the author is doing and where they're going, it's a very deeply satisfying fic. likewise, the tony/loki is there, but it's just one minor part of everything else that is going on.
also: there's a little "after credits scene" following the author's notes in the final chapter which is SLIGHTLY less of a downer than the fic's actual ending, it does leave you wanting more though. (and alas, there isn't more :c)
Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop. [Harry Potter. Draco/Harry. Explicit. 70k words.]
author's summary: It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?
i think the thing i like the most about this one is that it's actually mostly a character piece. the relationship is very much centered, but most of the fic (and the loop) is about Draco as a character; about him (very gradually) unlearning some of his biases and facing things about himself that he's been avoiding. the author balances it very, very well, however, and there's this bittersweet note to the way that Draco is growing and changing and falling more in love while feeling increasingly trapped and despairing. i also just really like the way Harry is written in this one, sort of soft and quiet and yet hurting and longing and kind of painfully hopeful. but one of my favorite things might be how much Draco misses; love a protag that's this obtuse, always makes for a fun read c:
Tea with the Hatter (TGIF) by theorytale [MCU. Tony/Loki. Mature. 60k+ words.]
author's summary: It's seven a.m., Thursday fourteenth November, 2013.
It always is.
ah, i think this one might be my all time fave time loop fic. it's certainly just about the only one i've read that spends a significant amount of time on the effects of the time loop once the person stuck is free, and it does so in a very considered and believable way. i really enjoy how this author writes both Tony and Loki, and they've also instilled such a great sense of humor into this fic, outright cackled at a few points. if there was one time loop fic i could recommend anyone to read, it would be this one, hands down.
The Difference Between What is Never to Be and What Never Was which is unfortunately orphaned. [The Magnificent Seven (2016). Faraday/Vasquez. Teen. 5k+ words.]
author's summary: Faraday wakes up. (Or the groundhog day!au that I couldn't stop thinking about.)
short and sweet fix-it fic by way of time loop. Faraday lives through a series of very bad days, picks up some Spanish, and has some classic "watching the person i love die" angst. no one dies/everyone lives happy ending.
those yesterdays bleeding through by wnnbdarklord. [MCU. Gen. Mature. 9.5k words.]
author's summary: Loki dies on the desolate plains of Svartalfheim, Thor's howls of grief ringing in his ears. He wakes up on his bed in his cell, where there is no sign of destruction.
--
A time loop fic where Loki gets the chance to fix things on the day the Dark Elves attack Asgard. And another. And another.
another Loki-gets-stuck-in-a-time-loop fic, clearly love those lmao. this one is a fix-it fic for Thor: The Dark World and features a unique Reason For Time Loop that i really appreciate; at least i haven't seen it used in any other MCU fic before. very solid writing and characterizations with all the usual time loop angst. because its scope is mostly limited to TDW this one probably isn't the best to read without knowledge of that film in particular, unless you just really enjoy Loki angst, in which case: there sure is plenty of that.
