The Gray Gale

Story: Hustling
Author: jestana
Rating: G
Author's summary: Just how would they have earned 20 platinums to pay Airofday?
Characters: Team; emphasis on Glitch and Cain
Recced because: This is a lighthearted (and G-rated) answer to the question asked in the summary. It's not slash, but Glitch and Cain have a delightful partners-in-shadiness chemistry. Glitch's scientific dorkiness is also adorable.

Story: Hard Work
Author: aldebaran8423
Rating: M
Author's summary: None given. Glitch struggles to integrate his current and former selves, a process that generates some uncomfortable side effects.
Characters: Glitch, Raw, mention of Az, DG, Cain.
Recced because: The story is humorous and hot, but most of all, thoughtful--an irresistible combination!

Story: Gloves (remix of "Another Lifetime")
Author: naturalbluicons
Rating: PG-13
Author's summary: Glitch wonders at things that were.
Characters/pairing: Glitch/Cain, Ambrose/Cain
Recced because: Y'all might suspect that I'm reccing this simply as payback to blu, who rec'd the original some time ago. But that would be unfair to those who actually read this community for recommendations of excellent stories! No, I'm reccing this remix because it is exquisitely done.

Blu takes what was originally a straightforwardly-told flashback and turns it into a flickering collage of swirling images that tantalize the edges of Glitch's mind (and the reader's), generating a sense of loss that would be painful if it weren't also so beautiful. Her final twist made me wibble helplessly.

Story: Far the Snowflake Falls
Author: koslorollo, written for uh_oh_shuffle for the DeMilos' Wagon Yuletide fic exchange.
Rating: PG
Author's summary: None provided. I would say that Kalm muses on his place in the world and offers insights into the other characters.
Characters/pairing: Kalm, Cain/Ambrose (background), with just a hint of Raw/Az.
Warnings: None

Recced because: First-person narration is generally rare in fanfic in general, and extremely scarce in Tin Man fanfic. This is the first story I've read that uses it. The tale is told by Kalm, and he brings an unusual perspective to everything he sees; we get a chance to look at this universe through fresh eyes. It's not a story in which a lot of events take place; the action is primarily internal. It's like looking into a snowglobe and cherishing the view.

Story: Release
Author: diabolicalfiend, written for oddsbobs for the DeMilos' Wagon Yuletide fic exchange.
Rating: PG-13
Author's summary: Author does not provide one; here's mine: “The Suit… pulls the good out of you, that’s why it’s so effective. Hope, love, piece by piece, each memory fades, leaving only pain and despair and hate.” Azkadellia offers to help Cain retrieve lost memories and emotions, while DG struggles to understand a message from the Mystic Man.
Characters/pairing: [from the author] Adora/Cain, brief and embarrassing Ahamo/Lavender, Azkadellia/Jeb flirtation, DG, Glitch, Raw, Mystic Man and Zero shoved himself in there too. Oh and one OC who snuck up on me.
Warnings: None

Recced because: The basic plotline is dead serious, but diabolicalfiend builds a story around it that is not only sad and touching but also strangely hilarious. Adora appears. She pwns.

Story: Room with a View
Author: candacestls and lionille
Rating: PG
Author's summary: There’s a lot around the old place in need of repair..
Characters/pairing: Glitch/Cain, OFC
Warnings: None

Recced because: According to the authors' note, "This story is comprised of 100 word drabbles that candacestls and lionille wrote back and forth as a round robin." Believe me, you would never guess. The plot, the characterization, even the tone and the style blend seamlessly into a continuous heart-lifting narrative full of gentle humor, reciprocal kindness, and mutual discovery.

Story: Nightmares
Author: entangled_now
Rating: PG-13
Author's summary: Darkness can be shared
Characters/pairing: Cain/Glitch
Warnings: None

Recced because: This story is exquisitely told, with subtle layers and parallels that invite and reward careful rereading. Inspired my favorite Tin Man icon. (*points*) The author is able to make the characters vulnerable yet mature, a tricky balance.

Story: Best Laid Schemes
Author: tingunslinger
Rating: PG
Author's summary: Cain makes Valentine's plans, but Glitch is a little clueless.
Characters/pairing: Cain/Glitch
Warnings: None

Recced because: You'll find this sweet and semi-fluffy, savoring of mild angst with lingering afternotes of warmth and fuzz. I have great admiration for a story in which the Queen gets one of the very funniest lines!

Story: Breakthrough
Author: greenspine
Rating: NC-17
Author's summary: If Cain didn't want to talk, they'd sort it out another way.
Characters/pairing: Glitch/Cain
Warnings: None

Recced because: It's a carefully-balanced mixture of tenderness and eroticism, with a gentle leavening of humor that arises naturally from the interaction between the characters.