Fiction:
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (Author) and Jesse Kirkwood (Translator) is set in contemporary Japan and opens with a former tv scriptwriter whose career took a downward turn; she is now writing scripts for a dating game. The eponymous Full Moon Coffee Shop appears, as you might imagine, at the full moon; the waiters are talking cats who can read your birth chart and help you with your problems. I felt this was a mosaic novel; there are different narrators who all experience similar events, but their life experiences in the past have a link that is fully revealed at the end. The experience of reading it, from a narrative standpoint, is fairly static, an exploration of character rather than a plot that surges forward and up into a climax; it was very mindful, if that word can be applied to reading. I felt it could definitely fit into the “cozy vibe.”
Fanfiction:
K’diwa: A Steamy Novel of Interspecies Romance, by Jim Kirk by branwyn is a Reboot Star Trek AU, K/S slash, set at Starfleet Academy. On a bet, Jim Kirk has written a human/Vulcan romance novel; then his abusive ex-boyfriend Gary Mitchell posts it to everyone. Meanwhile, Spock is assigned to read the novel to see if there’s any speciesism in it…when he was already reading it with fascination. Fair warning that Kirk is a bit woobiefied in this story, but I love the meta commentary about Romance novels that’s happening throughout, and the characterization of the Orion cadet (Uhura’s roommate), Gaila. There’s also some good McCoy happening.
floating, sinking by shuofthewind is an AU sequel to Star Wars: Rogue One in which the characters survive and then must deal with their injuries, their traumas, and the politics of the Rebellion amid the events of A New Hope. Also of interest as the story casts Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor as greysexual demiromantics.
Ready for Love by idiopathicsmile is an adorable Singin’ in the Rain threesome followup. Cosmo Brown FTW! This is great.
Ekphugion by fourteenlines for Loligo is a really cool Vorkosiverse/Reboot Battlestar Galactica crossover, and oh how I wish it was longer.
you said love fills you up by napricot is an AU splitting off from Avengers: Endgame. When Steve Rogers goes back in time to dance with Peggy Carter, he creates a new universe and gives her all the information she needs to, first, rescue Bucky Barnes and second, hopefully stop Thanos. And also find his other self in the Arctic. I loved this. I loved the slow build between Peggy and Bucky; I loved non-traumatized Bucky; I loved the eventual threesome and the happy ending.
