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#3: Cursed

Read It Here! 

Author: molossiamerica (afjakwrites).

Genre: Romance, fantasy. 

Rating: T+. 

(USUK/UKUS/USUKUS)

One-shot (3.693 words).

Summary: The Jones family is cursed, but Alfred doesn’t view his demon as much of a problem.This fic is based off of the comic Cursed by the lovely charminglyantiquated (tumblr), who gave me permission to post this. :) If you haven’t seen the comic or any of their other stuff, I highly recommend you check it out!

Drama level: All is rainbows/A small problem happens for like a second/Some conflicts and tense situations but you can handle it/You may shed some tears/NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY

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- Analysis -

The recommended story this time is not as long as the other ones. It is more like a tasty snack for the end of your day instead of a three-course meal. It is based on an original comic posted on tumblr that I really like, but it has enough variations in the story to be unique and enjoyable to read even for those who have already seen the comic.

Alfred's family members carry a curse that causes them to be tormented by personal demons (literally) from the age of seventeen. Fortunately, they have a ring that protects them, preventing the demons from being able to touch them.

The story begins when Alfred turns seventeen and his personal demon, Arthur, appears. Although Arthur clearly likes to annoy and tease Alfred, he doesn't really want to hurt him. After a year, they start becoming friends and began developing feelings for each other, but there is a hesitation on Alfred's part to take off the ring, which causes a physical barrier between them.

For anyone who likes to see Alfred and Arthur bantering, the dialogue here is gold. The romantic and sexual tension of having two characters who like each other, not being able to touch each other until they are sure that they completely trust each other is very good to read, which makes this premise very interesting. We definitively need more of the combo demon + fluffy. It is unusual but delightful. 

It’s also quite fun to see the evolution in Alfred and Arthur’s relationship from mutual disapproval to genuine affection. I think the author did a great job of summarizing a long period of time with significant marks of what happened in it. The progression of the characters' relationship seems very natural and genuine because of it. Here is a scene that shows this talent of the author: 

Because Alfred lives alone, they spend most of their time together. Alfred becomes accustomed to cooking enough for two, and they take turns watching TV. They start a list of movies they both want to see, and once a week Alfred rents one off the list for them to watch together. Arthur feeds Alfred’s cat, Hero, and tends to the plants Alfred purchased for him. When the American is too tired from work and school, Arthur tidies up the apartment for him. Alfred even buys a futon for Arthur when the Brit mentions the awkwardness of staying up all night while he sleeps and gives the spare room to Arthur.

See? The choice of what is being shown of their lives during this period of time is enough for us to not only to have a picture of their day-to-day lives but also see the building of mutual trust and affection. This almost feels like a movie scene. It’s very visual and subtle at the same time.

I won’t say how the story ends, so be sure to check it out to find out yourself! It is a very cute and fun one and I definitely recommend it!

—

Some of my favorite parts: 

- “Well, it’s your family’s fault some witch decided to curse your ancestors. Now a demon is randomly selected every time one of you idiots turns seventeen. You would think your family would simply stop reproducing, but apparently the primal urges of your nature far outweigh the emotional toll it takes on your offspring.” The man scowls.

“Hey, man, you won’t have to worry about that with me. Trust me, I wouldn’t ever subject a kid to the sight of eyebrows like that.”

-  Arthur resents that ring. The more time he spends with Alfred, the more he craves Alfred’s touch. The more he wishes he could run his hands through Alfred’s hair, down his body. He wants to explore Alfred’s gorgeous form; cup Alfred’s face in his hands, run his palms down the American’s muscular chest… He wants Alfred to touch him, too; to take him into his arms and kiss him roughly, hold him tight. He wants to kiss every inch of Alfred’s body, and he wants Alfred to do the same. He wants to feel Alfred everywhere, wants to feel the American pressing into him, ravishing him. Yes, he resents that ring.

-“You know we can’t touch each other, love.”

“Yeah, we fucking can,” Alfred growls out, looking annoyed.

[usukusliterarygems]

#2: Lipstick.

Read It Here!

Author: Diurnal Days. @diurnaldays

Genre: Romance, drama.

Rating: Mature.

(USUK/UKUS/USUKUS)

One-shot (19.478 words). 

Summary: Sometimes, something as small as a tube of lipstick can mean so much.

Warnings: Depictions of homophobia, misgendering, use of a dead name and slurs.

Drama level: All is rainbows/A small problem happens for like a second/Some conflicts and tense situations but you can handle it/You may shed some tears/NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY

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- Analysis -

There are great USUKUS fics and there are USUKUS fics that you can really see being transformed into a published book or movie. This fic is definitely in the second category for me. It is an excellent coming of age story with realistic characters dealing with heartfelt dramas.

“Lipstick” is about Alyssa and Alice, two teenagers who are childhood friends, finding out about their identity and their true feelings for each other. The detail is that we see the story from the point of view of Alice who does not yet know that she is a lesbian and that her best friend, "Alfred", is a trans girl.

(By the way, I'll call "Alfred" by their chosen name, Alyssa, here, although in the story the name most used for the character is "Alfred" since she doesn’t come out as a trans girl until much later.)

Well, let's summarize the story. Alice and Alyssa are best friends who know each other since childhood. Alice is a strong, smart girl who enjoys British stuff and it’s a bit of a loner. Alyssa is a very sweet person, who likes "... football, cars, Nerf guns and everything else perfectly American and male.". Therefore, Alice is surprised when Alyssa asks her to borrow her lipstick so she can help with her makeup. However, she allows Alyssa to practice makeup on her without thinking much about it.

Over time, Alyssa continues to express her interest in makeup, even going with Alice to the mall, by her own will, to buy some more. This is yet another subtle scene of character development that becomes more important when we consider what Alice doesn't know yet about her best friend. Look how carefully this scene is written: 

“Though Alice expected Alfred to look tired by the time they reached the cashier -- as her mother once said all men at the mall eventually did --, Alfred still smiled widely at her when she gave him a glance. Oddly enough, he seemed happier now than when Alice had suggested they go to the arcade or the carousel, though Alice was sure that was just her imagination.”

After shopping at the mall, Alice realizes that Alyssa wants to keep some of the makeup they bought and ends up giving her a lipstick - yes, the fact that the story is named “Lipstick” shows how important this scene is. Yet, Alice doesn’t think much about the fact that Alyssa wants some makeup, just assuming that Alyssa wants to be a good friend and improve at helping her with her makeup.

For now, Alice's true drama lies in her discovery that she is a lesbian, something she realizes thanks to her lack of interest in the guys she dated, a few magazines with provocative images of women that she happens to see and also thanks to the good old internet. There is one particular line in this scene that really cracks me up:

“She typed into the search engine: Is it gay to look at boobs”

I don’t want to spoil the whole thing so I won’t go into detail about what happens in the plot after this discovery. In general, the two characters deal with dilemmas regarding their self-discovery and, amidst all that, they also have to confront their feelings for each other. 

From the beginning, it’s pretty obvious that they like each other, but Alice still doesn’t know that Alyssa is a girl and Alyssa doesn’t know that Alice is a lesbian, which leaves a veiled tension between them. Besides, there is the factor that they are best friends, which makes things even more complicated from a romantic point of view. 

When it comes to story writing, I would say that its main strong point would be what you can read between the lines. It’s amazing how the subtext of the gender identity and sexual orientation issues of the main characters adds tension and meaning to scenes that would be completely casual to cishet characters. Most scenes involving Alyssa are like this, but there's one in particular that really struck me.

 "Don't worry about it. Your friend and I are just having a man-to-man chat here."

"Ha ha," Alfred laughed awkwardly.”

Ouch, this one hurt. It’s very impressive how simply by choosing two key-words to add to this little piece of dialogue ("man-to-man", "awkwardly"), the author subtly shows us Alyssa's veiled suffering with the fact that she is constantly misgendered in everyday interactions. This scene really made me think a lot about what trans people have to deal with it before they come out. 

This subtlety in the writing style is also well used in the construction of the story’s romance. Throughout the narrative, we can see that Alyssa and Alice know each other very well, have small traditions together, are comfortable together and are physically attracted to each other. Alice is also jealous about the idea of Alyssa dating someone else. With all this, even before the characters realize it themselves, the readers can already see what a great couple they would be.

Another point I would like to highlight is the dialogues. Generally in this story, what is described during a dialogue is always very meaningful. Each reaction of the characters suggests a lot about their feelings and this is very important given that all we know from Alice's perspective is the visual cues. I will show some examples here:

1. “Thank you,” he murmured, uncharacteristically soft. 

2. “How do I look?” Alice blushed and glanced to the side at the feeling of Alfred’s gaze burning into her face.

“Uh...uhm. Really good,” Alfred blurted. “Are you buying any of it?”

3. “You’re so hot,” Alice breathed. Alfred shot her a look.

The dialogues are really effective in making us understand the tone of the scene and make us see the reaction of the characters.

In short, this is a truly moving fic, with great characters that go great together as a couple. It shows the adolescence as the complicated but also exciting period of self-discovery that it is. There is a drama in the middle of all this, but the ending is happy, don't worry.

I strongly recommend that you check this one-shot and leave a review on it. It truly doesn’t have as many reviews as it deserves. 

---

Some of my favorite lines (apart from the ones I've already mentioned):

1. Something about his quiet confidence in driving his car made Alice wonder -- with a knot in her gut -- whether or not he had that same sort of confidence when seeking out one of the many admirers he surely had.

2. Whether her reticence was really for Alfred’s sake or her own, Alice didn’t know.

3. “I sincerely doubt that my parents would ever let me sleep over with you without at least ten other friends participating, fourth grade or not.”

4. The awkwardness of the sort-of-argument between herself and Alfred quickly faded away when she returned to her room and saw that Alfred had forgotten his laptop on her nightstand. She remembered the cute cat videos they'd watched together and their escapade onto the roof -- and suddenly she found herself imagining Alfred wrapping his arm around her waist, and drawing her close, and looking deep into her soul with his eyes, and then leaning in for a kiss-- 

Oh. Alice sucked in a breath. She let herself fall back onto her mattress. That's new. Maybe I should think about that. 

---

Extra points: 

1. Lesbian and trans representation. 

2. Alice learns about the LGBT+ community mostly by researching the internet. Relatable af.  

3. Alice and Alyssa are one of the couples with the healthiest and most natural relationship that I ever had the pleasure to see in a story. I can’t emphasize enough how much they feel like a couple before even becoming one.

[usukusliterarygems]

#1: The Thief of Spades - Season One.

Read It Here!

Author:  alifeasvivid - @alifeasvivid

Genre: Romance, comedy, heist.

Rating: Mature

(USUK/UKUS/USUKUS)

Number of chapters: 25. 

Summary: Alfred F. Jones is a notoriously elusive, brazenly cheeky, high-end jewel and art thief known to most only as the Thief of Spades. Many have tried to catch him, but only straight-laced Inspector Arthur Kirkland of New Scotland Yard has ever had any success, mainly because he is a thief himself... that is, he stole Alfred's heart.

Drama level: All is rainbows/A small problem happens for like a second/Some conflicts and tense situations but you can handle it/You may shed some tears/NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY

- - -

- Analysis - 

With reasonably short chapters and a very pleasant writing, The Thief of Spades is definitely one of the readings I would recommend to anyone at any time. If you need a reading you can do even when you are stressed with your exams or work, this is a great option for you.

The story begins very casually. In the first chapters, we are introduced to Alfred and Arthur through small scenes of their encounters, connected in a vague timeline. It's a bit like a cartoon where you don't have to watch every episode to understand what's going on. This, of course, is not a problem. The universe is fun and the characters are charming so this format was already good enough for me. 

However, over time, the plot begins to develop and, as a result, the story, besides being fun, becomes engaging and really moving at certain points.

Let’s talk a bit about said plot. Arthur is a policeman who has been trying for some time to capture Alfred, a thief of precious artifacts. Alfred recognizes Arthur as a worthy opponent (and a major hottie) and likes to purposely press his buttons with every crime he commits, which always annoys the shit out of Arthur. Despite all that, it’s clear that there is a mixture of sexual tension and mutual admiration between the two, and the situation is clearly a “will-they-won’t-they”. While reading it, I bet at some point you will think: JUST KISS ALREADY, YOU DORKS.

Anyway, going back to the story, over time, Arthur learns more about Alfred and vice versa and the two develop feelings for each other that go beyond sexual attraction. However, during that same period, pressure for Alfred to be captured increases and the case goes into the CIA's hands, intensifying Arthur's internal conflict over what he wants to do about Alfred. Especially given that Alfred, despite being a criminal, is a good person, a kind of modern Robin Hood, and is basically the definition of chaotic good.

This fic would be already great even if it stayed in the format of the first few chapters, but the development it goes through really adds a special touch to it. Because the characters are so charismatic and the development of a relationship between them is built with such a sense of anticipation, we end up really rooting for them when they face obstacles. 

Digging a bit in the author’s style, the author writes in the present tense, which I think really fits this story. It creates a sense of immediate action that fits the narrative. Moreover, there is a perfect balance between action and introspection in the writing of this fic that makes it especially good. Here is a part that exemplifies this:

“Emeralds are soft. The Thief of Spades has worked with them before and they are sort of a pain in the ass. They’re high enough on the Mohs scale, but since they often have a lot of imperfections, they break pretty easily and they don’t like heat.

It’s normally not a problem. Alfred F. Jones shoves his hands into his pockets as he admires the vibrant green stone on the pedestal in front of him. The heat thing is normally not a problem unless a thief’s best bet is to free the stone from its twenty thousand dollar display case using a laser.”

See? We start by simply seeing Alfred's thoughts, catching a glimpse of what's going on in his mind, and then we have a quick and smooth transition to the action that's happening right now. This ability to combine introspection and action by the author makes the story very pleasant and easy to read, without losing its depth.

Another great scene that uses this writing technique:

“Everyone has stolen something from someone. Many of the things he takes have already been stolen at one point or another. Someone's blood stains every beautiful thing in the world.

His head still conjures images of plans and contingencies, of meticulous execution and perfect escape. His heart spins philosophies of anti-imperialism and a world where everyone realizes that no one truly owns anything—all structured around a compulsive love of beauty.

Alfred reclines comfortably in his chair, staring at the ring. This is who he has become: a person his eighteen year old self hadn't even known could exist in that moment--someone truly free.”

Amazing, right?

Another thing important to note is that the dialogues are pure gold. They made me have a huuge smirk on my face so many times. The author's sense of humor is really great and their ability to write interactions that have rivalry and seduction at the same time is amazing.

In short, this is a great story that I really recommend. The second season is being written now, so try to leave reviews there to encourage the author so we can have more of this lovely work! Please, please do!

- - -

Here are some of the lines that I really liked:

- “He is not a child, Gil, but yes, this is… oh, what do you call yourself again? The Bandit of Shovels?”

-  “Don’t have the stamina to keep up with me, Inspector?”

Arthur huffs. “Rather, I don’t have the patience.”

- “I’m, like, so sorry,” he says in a ditzy accent. “But does this smell like chloroform to you?” He smothers the guard’s nose with a cloth and uses his surprise to slip a very potent sleeping pill into his mouth. The man goes limp and drops to the floor with a thud. The Thief of Spades chuckles darkly. “That line never gets old.”

- - -

Extra points:

- The use of “♠︎” as a line breaker is a nice touch.

- The author is just really good at describing jewels. 

- Alfred and Arthur have fantasies about each other and they are delightful to read.