Snowflake Challenge 2021 - Challenge #6
Last year, I recommended a baker's dozen (read: thirteen) stories and authors that I love and have read time and time again. If you're interested, click here to read that post. This year, I thought I'd do something a little different.
Instead of going back and finding more stories that I love, and authors I reliably read, I thought I'd point you in the direction of one of my new favorite challenges: The Quantum Bang.
This is a relatively new big bang challenge, having only completed their second cycle in 2020. The challenge is a fix-it story of no less than fifty thousand words, for any fandom and any genre. There have been many great stories posted to the archive, but I'm going to highlight several of my favorites (ones I've read multiple times) from both years currently posted on the archive.
Note: these stories are persistent, meaning they'll be posted here until the internet ends, or the author decides to remove it. So, little worry that the story won't be there when you stumble on this post years from now. Some of these stories might be familiar to you if you've encountered the author on another archive, as they're allowed to post elsewhere once the story has gone up on the QB site.
Below, listed in alphabetical order (because I had to put them in some kind of order), are the stories I most enjoyed reading and have read multiple times over the last couple of years.
A Certain Level of Society
This is a Harry Potter AU, where Harry's relationship with his family is repaired early on, and that changes literally everything about the future that's in store for him when he arrives at Hogwarts. The world-building in this one is first-rate, taking some concepts and expanding them while ditching what didn't work about the original canon. The author recast the story with entirely new actors, some I find easier to imagine in those roles than others. Overall, it's a wonderful story that will draw you in from the beginning and spit you out hours later feeling much better about the HP fandom.
Alchemical Currents
This is one of two MCU stories on this list. It takes place post-Avengers and features a Steve Rogers/Logan Howlett (Wolverine) pairing. This isn't my usual pairing in the MCU-matter of fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen this pairing anywhere else-but I enjoyed the story immensely. There's backstory on Steve and Logan, some great interactions between characters we don't normally see together on the big screen, and a big ol' gay romance for our favorite Capsicle. What more could you ask for?
In a Vacuum
Stargate has been a favorite fandom for me from years back. I'm not as into Atlantis as I am the OG, but there are certain writers that have a good handle on the show and characters, and Sunfire is definitely one of them. This story goes on a journey that asks important questions: what was Weir's purpose on the Expedition, and what would have changed had she… departed sooner? I don't want to give too much away here but suffice it to say that the outcome is a fantastic fix for all that was wrong with the original canon. Also, for those who love NCIS, Tony DiNozzo joins the story and THAT'S what I love most about it.
Janus Two Step
Another Stargate: Atlantis story, this one by the lovely Ladyholder, who loves to bring Janus to the party, just to see what would happen. For those who don't know Stargate, Janus was an Ancient with an unhealthy fascination with time travel. So, yeah… I bet you can guess what happens next. Our intrepid explorers get the chance at a do-over, to fix what went wrong the first time and maybe save some lives along the way. Well thought out and executed from a reliable writer, you won't be sorry you read it.
Meant to Live
Teen Wolf fic can sometimes be a hit-or-miss prospect, but I liked this one precisely because it fixed a lot that was wrong with the original canon. The hook is time travel, and it's told from multiple POVs, including Allison Argent, who gets a second chance to save some folks and make things right that her family did wrong. There's some crossover with Leverage and Numb3rs as well, but it's not necessary to know either of those fandoms to enjoy the story.
The Absence of War
This is Keira Marcos and Harry Potter, so what more could you ask for? This story starts with the premise that, had Sirius Black gotten out of prison sooner (instead of breaking out), things might have been radically different for Harry. There are lots of great original characters here-and if you've read Keira's stories at all, you know that's something she's known for-and some fantastic comeuppance for certain characters (if you're a Dumbledore fan, maybe best to give this a pass).
Tomorrow's Yesterday
Another Teen Wolf story, this time from Derek Hale's POV. What if he'd been given a chance to go back to the beginning and do it all over? What would he do differently? That's the central question for this story, and it's all well-thought-out. Lots of great twists and turns, and some fantastic original characters that add color and flavor to the story. Mostly it's Derek realizing that he was just as much a victim as everyone else, and how much he learns and grows from his second chance.
Unleash Your Demons
Keira again, this time in the MCU. The starting point is post-Infinity War. Tony uses the Time Stone to travel back in time-way back-in order to fix everything that went wrong and save a lot of people along the way. There's plenty of angst and introspection, plus a healthy serving of Tony/Loki, which is far hotter than it has a right to be. As the story rolls on, things happen in surprising ways, but the end game (pardon the pun) is the same: how to prevent The Snap from ever happening. It's the ultimate MCU fix-it.
Unobstructed Views
Jilly James is one of my favorite writers, and the self-appointed Brand Ambassador for Tony DiNozzo. Whenever she writes stories in other fandoms, she usually writes Tony into the story as sort-of an outside perspective on canon. This time, there's no Tony, but don't think for a minute that the story even needs him to work. She gets what's wrong with Teen Wolf canon and sets out to fix the hell out of it. This is family, pure and simple. What should have happened if Stiles had trusted his father with the knowledge of everything that was going on in Beacon Hills. Found families are sometimes more powerful than the kind you're born into, so that by the end of this story you're rooting for the family that forms around the pack. Oh, and there's a teeny-tiny hint of future-Derek/Stiles in here. But really, the story doesn't need it to work, so you could ignore it and you'd be fine.