I couldn’t think of a way to better enjoy Hobbit Day than to pay a little tribute to just a small sample of some of the amazing stories this fandom is lucky enough to be gifted with. There are many fics I’ve left out and will be adding to this list many times over before I’m done with it. Please feel free to let me know of any of your favorites that you think I might’ve missed as well!
It would not be impertinent to say this is less of fic rec post and more a love letter to this fandom.
Summary: Bilbo Baggins led a rather peaceful life, thank you very much, until an old acquaintance decided to turn it upside down, and he found himself agreeing to take a job that’s… let’s say not exactly up his alley, and might eventually cost him a little more than his treasured cozy lifestyle. Who would have thought tutoring a slightly menacing monarch’s more than slightly overbearing nephew could prove to be such an adventure? Bagginshield. Modern AU. King and I overtones. Novel-Length.
Thoughts: This was either the second or third Hobbit fic I ever read, and I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read it. It was the first fic I ever added to my ebook reader just so I could read it whenever I wanted, and honestly, I could write an essay. The world building, the character study, the plot: it’s out of this world. I’ve read published novels that only had me a quarter as impressed as this story, and I wish I could pay money for it because I would buy multiple copies.
Summary:There’s a certain point where you can no longer ask someone what their name is. Thorin isn’t sure exactly when that point is, but he knows that it’s probably some time before the person in question saves your life. On the far side of the Misty Mountains, Thorin realizes that he never quite caught the first part of Mr. Baggins’ name, and he finds that it’s astonishingly harder to learn than he would have thought. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin are no help whatsoever. Bagginshield. Humor.
Thoughts: This is not a long drawn out romance, but rather a short humorous getting together story and honest to god it is unfathomable how many times I have read and re-read it at this point. I could almost quote it word for word.
My mom once walked in on me reading an amazing slow burn fic that was getting SO good, and she’s like ‘why are you smiling at your phone?’
Me: Uh….
Her: and you’re blushing… you’re smiling and blushing. Who are you talking to???
Me to me: Quick! She thinks we’re having a meaningful interaction with another human- say something! Wait! DONT LIE- she’ll know!!
Me: Uh…..two people… that I really care about… just got together after a really long time of denying their feelings…?
Her: oh that’s so nice! Do I know them?
Me: ….nope.
It was Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield. And I am pathetic, but I DIDN’T lie.
(The fic was @avelera ‘s WONDERFUL Prayers to Broken Stone. If you haven’t read it and you’re a fan of Bagginshield you should DEFINITELY check it out. So worth getting caught fangirling by my mom.)
I’ve seen this gorgeous art before, I’m probably one of the reblogs XD. It definitely wasn’t made FOR PTBS but I get really happy whenever I see anyone else doing a more literal take on dragon sickness! 😀
One of these days I will write a long fic that doesn’t include a physical transformation… (butitisnotthisday.gif) Thank you anon, I really appreciate this!
Oh gosh, thank you Anon! That really means a lot to me, it’s something I strive to put into my works. Sorry about the tears though! At least you were entertained….?
coloring scales was challenging, but I really liked the final result!
UMMM, HOW DID I MISS THIS????
WOW, thank you SO MUCH to @emsiecat for requesting this and to @rutobuka2 for the art??? I’m completely overwhelmed by the beauty of this seriously it’s like staring into the sun.
A few favorite parts (OF MANY):
– The COLORS, duke, the COLORS! The shading and lighting are just amazing, truly Ruto you’ve outdone yourself. I feel like I can see each tear in Bilbo’s clothes. They actually LOOK LIKE they’ve spent DAYS down in pit that is Erebor, properly travel stained as I could have only imagined and just wow I am in awe of your art.
– THE EXPRESSIONS – Bilbo looks PISSED and desperate which is how he’s supposed to look this is just so amazingly capturing the emotions and they look so perfect and in character I just LOVE IT.
– Thorin’s claws look properly horrifying and his face just makes my heart ache. Wow just everything, the colors the clothing the expressions, the lighting, I want to clutch this picture to my chest and never let go oh wow aoidjasoidjsad
Hey guys! I was wondering if I could get some recommendations for Hobbit fics. Lookin’ for some reading inspiration before nanowrimo. If you could recommend one of your own fics and a favorite by someone else that would be great. Share the love!
SCREAMS SO HARD i don’t really always get asked for bagginshield fics omggggggggg and yayyyyyyyyyyy more bagginshield pawns of pain shippers yasssssssss
lemme start by getting my own fics out of the way coz i’m vain and also coz one of them was written with a friend and i super love it in a vain way
On The Edge – Bilbo and Thorin talk and have feelings but they’re not quite “there” yet; Unrated.
If Tonight Is The Last Night – Modern AU, Thorin is a hitman, Bilbo was once his secret informer; E for smut and language.
Midday, Interrupted – In which all of Hobbiton almost always knows when King Thorin has come to visit his Hobbit love because of things, but it still doesn’t stop someone from knocking at Bag End’s door at a rather inopportune moment; M for smut. (THIS IS THE CO-WRITTEN ONE.)
AND NOW RECS FOR EVERYBODY ELSE’S MORE BRILLIANT FICS
Love-In-Idleness – Modern AU, in which new talent Bilbo and respected but old-fashioned Thorin are thrown together and unwittingly fall in love off-stage while doing Shakespeare; T, WIP
Undress Me – Modern AU, Bella (Bilbo) Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield are cast by their mutual friend in a video experiment and get more than they bargain for; M, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
To Share In Your Perils – Time-travel AU (of sorts), Thorin’s been given a second chance, and he’s determined to get it right this time, thankfully Bilbo’s being surprisingly more cooperative; E for smut.
Hush – Erebor AU, Bilbo wakens in the middle of the night only to find he’s not the only one awake; G for cuteness omg
Till Durin Wakes Again From Sleep– Reincarnation AU, in which Thorin wakes up alone and wonders about Bilbo; G, canonical character death, ambiguously happy ending
Take From Me My Lace – Modern AU; Bilba (Bilbo) is a famous lingerie model which has a lot less personal perks than it sounds; E, WIP, het!bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
Prayers To Broken Stone – Dragon Sickness AU, in which Bilbo must save Thorin from himself; T, WIP
Restless Move – Erebor AU; in which Thorin and his wife-consort Bilba (Bilbo) explore new ways to, er, move; E, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
Nothing Gold Can Stay – Modern AU; Bilbo is hired to become the tutor to the nephews of King Thorin, which turns out to not be as simple as it sounds; T, Complete (probably my fave bagginshield fic to date tbh)
Love Makes Monsters Of Us All – Smaugless AU, where Thorin’s gold sickness reaches a pinnacle that it may never come down from; M, some major warnings (dubcon/noncon, implied horrible deaths, somnophilia, etc.), dark!Thorin
Bless Your Soles – In which Bilbo has bare feet and Thorin never expected to react to them the way he’s reacting to them now; E for smut
Feast – Erebor AU, in which Bilba (Bilbo) is pregnant and has needs, Thorin, neeeeeds; E, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
Almost – In which Thorin is overthinking things, and Bilbo turns out to be the buffer he needs (as usual); G
Sansukh – Reincarnation AU (kind of but not really), in which Thorin can only watch from the sidelines as the history of Middle-Earth moves on without him (with bonus Gigolas!); T, WIP
Stay – because Bagginses never not keep promises made, or Dammit Thorin You Were Stubborn When I Didn’t Need You To Be Why Can’t You Be Stubborn NOW Curse You And Your Grimy Steel-Toed Boots; G
The Road Delivered Us Home – Thorin Lives AU, but Bilbo has returned to the Shire and has rebuilt his life around his nephew and Absolutely Does Not Think About Thorin Or Being With Thorin Or Needing Thorin At All Ever Again No Sirree Bob Not At All; M, Complete
Perennial – Little Bilba (Bilbo) Baggins helps nurse a wounded Dwarf back to health and makes him promise he’ll marry her when she’s grown, but oh look at that she’s all grown up, what now?; T, WIP, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
To Kiss A Stranger – in which a video experiment sees Bilbo/Bilba and Thorin meeting randomly to make-out for cameras; TWO versions – T for het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo version, M for male slash version
Dinner At Eight – Thorin and Bilbo end dinner with a bang (winkwonk wordplay); E for smut, also Bottom!Thorin
Bed, Breakfast and Blood – Vampire AU, in which well-meaning Bilbo buys a gorgeous mansion that just happens to come complete with a broody vampire; unrated, WIP
And So To Bed – In which Thorin suggestively suggests a suggestion about Bella (Bilbo) going to bed; E, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
She Walks In Beauty – Thorin is a very srs bznz Architect who gives almost a little too much of himself to his family, friends and work, but then Bella (Bilbo); M, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
The Vicar of Erebor – Modern AU, where Miss Bilbo only came to Laketown to head a parish, dash it all; M, WIP, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
Touch My Mouth And Hold My Tongue – in which Bilbo and Thorin finally do the do, and Bilbo is a boss about it; E for smut, Bottom!Thorin
In The Morning and Amazing – Bilbo and Thorin got some sleep at Beorn’s, so we know what that means; E for smut
Only Her Sonorous Jewels – Thorin is King, but where is Bella (Bilbo)?; E, plus major warnings (somnophilia, dubcon/noncon), dark!Thorin, het!Bagginshield/fem!Bilbo
those are just some of my faves, if i keep going this post will be too damn long omg but i literally have like 36 pages of AO3 history (WEAK, I KNOW) and i only got up to 15 or sth with this one coz i still have to work, so HEY maybe in future i can rec you some more 😀
(PS – had to bold the het!bagginshield/fem!bilbo thing coz it’s a bit unpopular/not very much liked in the fandom, had to make sure that other people looking at the recs will know not to click on the fem!bilbo fics)
Bless my socks, Mango, thanks for the recs! @ ledamemangociana ❤ ❤ ❤
This must be a pretty old list if “Prayers” is listed as a WIP lol but there’s a lot of great fics on here so don’t mind if I share!
Avelera 