Recs: Star Trek Reboot AUs
Ever since fandom and I had our little falling out in August, I've been doing a lot more reading than writing. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the writing part of it (a new installment of the Richardson Vampire Series, coming soon!), I'm still doing a lot of reading in various fandoms. Recently I've gone back to one of my favorites, the Star Trek Reboot, and I've found a couple of great AU stories, one of which I reread for the third time, I enjoyed it that much.
So while I'm writing vamp!Jensen like crazy, have a trio of AO3 recs:
Papers in the Roadside by kianspo
Kirk/Spock | NC17 | 50,000 words
Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control.
I wouldn't be able to say enough about this story; it's just that good. This was my third go-around reading it, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time, possibly more so. AUs are the best when the characters lose none of their signature traits and attitudes, and yet still flourish in a new (and drastically different) setting, and this is a perfect example.
Unwritten by ayalesca
McCoy/Kirk | Adult | 40,000 words
Jim Kirk is a young hotshot YA sci-fi writer, author of the hit series "Captain Fine". Leonard McCoy was a celebrated author who vanished from the publishing world years ago. One day Jim finds McCoy's abandoned stories in Christopher Pike's library and becomes determined to find this mysterious writer ...
The summary might make the story sound like a silly!AU, but it's so much more than that, and delves quite deep into the writing process - all the feelings, emotion, and struggle behind it. I think that's something we can all appreciate. And I loved that Bones remained such a mystery throughout, we learned about him as Kirk did, in pieces, not lengthy narrative explanations.
Catching Fire by kel_1970
McCoy/Kirk | NC17 | 137,000 words
21st Century fire department AU. Paramedic Leonard McCoy flees a disastrous break-up in Savannah and ends up working at a fire department in Iowa.
Yep, you read that correctly - 137,000 words. Despite being such a long story, this sucks you in right off the bat with the relationship that forms between Bones and Jim. And the author allots the right amount of time to every stage in the relationship, friendship to flirting to UST and beyond. The read never felt rushed. But behind the relationship, it's a great AU, vividly descriptive (not for the faint of heart if you're squeamish about fire/descriptions of related injuries and trauma) and well-paced. Also a really unique take on Jocelyn (Bones' ex) that I'd never seen done before - surprising but VERY good. This was a great weekend read!
So while I'm writing vamp!Jensen like crazy, have a trio of AO3 recs:
Papers in the Roadside by kianspo
Kirk/Spock | NC17 | 50,000 words
Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control.
I wouldn't be able to say enough about this story; it's just that good. This was my third go-around reading it, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time, possibly more so. AUs are the best when the characters lose none of their signature traits and attitudes, and yet still flourish in a new (and drastically different) setting, and this is a perfect example.
Unwritten by ayalesca
McCoy/Kirk | Adult | 40,000 words
Jim Kirk is a young hotshot YA sci-fi writer, author of the hit series "Captain Fine". Leonard McCoy was a celebrated author who vanished from the publishing world years ago. One day Jim finds McCoy's abandoned stories in Christopher Pike's library and becomes determined to find this mysterious writer ...
The summary might make the story sound like a silly!AU, but it's so much more than that, and delves quite deep into the writing process - all the feelings, emotion, and struggle behind it. I think that's something we can all appreciate. And I loved that Bones remained such a mystery throughout, we learned about him as Kirk did, in pieces, not lengthy narrative explanations.
Catching Fire by kel_1970
McCoy/Kirk | NC17 | 137,000 words
21st Century fire department AU. Paramedic Leonard McCoy flees a disastrous break-up in Savannah and ends up working at a fire department in Iowa.
Yep, you read that correctly - 137,000 words. Despite being such a long story, this sucks you in right off the bat with the relationship that forms between Bones and Jim. And the author allots the right amount of time to every stage in the relationship, friendship to flirting to UST and beyond. The read never felt rushed. But behind the relationship, it's a great AU, vividly descriptive (not for the faint of heart if you're squeamish about fire/descriptions of related injuries and trauma) and well-paced. Also a really unique take on Jocelyn (Bones' ex) that I'd never seen done before - surprising but VERY good. This was a great weekend read!