Disney Descendants - Fic Recs
The Darkest Hours by Storygirlooo - An AU in which the Villain Kids are corrupted by the talismans. Evil has reigned over Auradon for years now.
There's a heap of VK-turn-evil fics, but this is definitively my favourite. It's told by an anonymous character that veers between snarky and maudlin, so 'unreliable narrator' is very much in play. Its violence occasionally verges on gratuitous, so expect to see awful things happen to characters you like. Even the villains don't escape their commupence. However it's compelling reading and kind of satisfying to see the VK's take out their pain and rage on the world that turned its back on them.
Incomplete.
Heroes and Villains: So Much More by Cloud_Nine - A re-write of the first movie from Lonnie's perspective.
This fic doesn't cling perfectly to canon - several events are changed by the inclusion of other characters. However, it's a very interesting sketching-out of the politics/history that led to Auradon being formed. Not all the various Disney kingdoms were happy to be absorbed and beneath the sweet sugar-coating, the strategies of imperialism are very much at work. The first fic is complete, but the ending suggests that their problems are only just begginning.
Complete (ish?)
no killer instinct by daredoll - Evie seeks out her father on the Isle. It doesn't go well.
This didn't quite go how I expected it. Quite enjoyable nonetheless and just begs for a follow up.
in the end will you sink or swim by daredoll - Harriet Hook isn't good at being a sister or a daughter.
Heartbreaking. And fits in eerily well with Sweetbriar15's series below, so I'm headcanoning away.
let the shadows fall behind you by Sweetbriar15 - Mal loses her confrontation with Maleficent. Now Mal and her friends must flee and find a way to take down the villains ruling Auradon.
I've mentioned this one before, but it bears mentioning again. It's beautifully written, expands the world-building in plausible ways (while patching up of the few more egrerious logic holes), and does justice to every character. Maleficent is actually terrifying, the older generation heroes are actually heroic, and the kids kill me with every chapter. Whether it's a traumatised Mal holding onto her composure with her fingernails, Ben's desperate worry over the people he's failed, or Evie quietly plotting to be brave, they all break my heart. The author also finds ways to weave not-quite-canon characters into the background, like CJ from the cartoon, or Diego from the novels, or even Melody from the Little Mermaid sequel. This is a world that feels connected.
Also? We get to see the VKs be badass. They might have been fish out of water in the pastels and musical numbers of Auradon, but drop them into crisis and they rise magnficently to the occasion while Ben and his ilk are still playing catch-up. Can't praise it enough.
Now has prequels or midquels (?) below:
sleight of hand (twist of fate) - Coach intervenes during Family Day and lays some home truths on Auradon's royalty (also Coach's identity is totally my headcanon now and forever).
what's wrong (never sold my soul) - Backstory on the kids that never left the Isle. (Discussion of abuse, addiction, rape, the works. But also strangely uplifting as they figure out things like love and loyalty despite the Isle's best efforts to crush it out of them).
There's a heap of VK-turn-evil fics, but this is definitively my favourite. It's told by an anonymous character that veers between snarky and maudlin, so 'unreliable narrator' is very much in play. Its violence occasionally verges on gratuitous, so expect to see awful things happen to characters you like. Even the villains don't escape their commupence. However it's compelling reading and kind of satisfying to see the VK's take out their pain and rage on the world that turned its back on them.
Incomplete.
Heroes and Villains: So Much More by Cloud_Nine - A re-write of the first movie from Lonnie's perspective.
This fic doesn't cling perfectly to canon - several events are changed by the inclusion of other characters. However, it's a very interesting sketching-out of the politics/history that led to Auradon being formed. Not all the various Disney kingdoms were happy to be absorbed and beneath the sweet sugar-coating, the strategies of imperialism are very much at work. The first fic is complete, but the ending suggests that their problems are only just begginning.
Complete (ish?)
no killer instinct by daredoll - Evie seeks out her father on the Isle. It doesn't go well.
This didn't quite go how I expected it. Quite enjoyable nonetheless and just begs for a follow up.
in the end will you sink or swim by daredoll - Harriet Hook isn't good at being a sister or a daughter.
Heartbreaking. And fits in eerily well with Sweetbriar15's series below, so I'm headcanoning away.
let the shadows fall behind you by Sweetbriar15 - Mal loses her confrontation with Maleficent. Now Mal and her friends must flee and find a way to take down the villains ruling Auradon.
I've mentioned this one before, but it bears mentioning again. It's beautifully written, expands the world-building in plausible ways (while patching up of the few more egrerious logic holes), and does justice to every character. Maleficent is actually terrifying, the older generation heroes are actually heroic, and the kids kill me with every chapter. Whether it's a traumatised Mal holding onto her composure with her fingernails, Ben's desperate worry over the people he's failed, or Evie quietly plotting to be brave, they all break my heart. The author also finds ways to weave not-quite-canon characters into the background, like CJ from the cartoon, or Diego from the novels, or even Melody from the Little Mermaid sequel. This is a world that feels connected.
Also? We get to see the VKs be badass. They might have been fish out of water in the pastels and musical numbers of Auradon, but drop them into crisis and they rise magnficently to the occasion while Ben and his ilk are still playing catch-up. Can't praise it enough.
Now has prequels or midquels (?) below:
sleight of hand (twist of fate) - Coach intervenes during Family Day and lays some home truths on Auradon's royalty (also Coach's identity is totally my headcanon now and forever).
what's wrong (never sold my soul) - Backstory on the kids that never left the Isle. (Discussion of abuse, addiction, rape, the works. But also strangely uplifting as they figure out things like love and loyalty despite the Isle's best efforts to crush it out of them).