I just watched the BBC adaptation of North & South and am currently being consumed with emotions. if you have not seen it yet, it's a delightful period drama which one might describe as "Pride and Prejudice set during the Industrial Revolution". the heroine is fantastic, the hero is a borderline-abusive jackass who puts Darcy to shame (seriously, at least Darcy just insulted Elizabeth's family before asking her to marry him; Thornton tells Margaret that her friends deserve to starve and be beaten by the police, and then goes ahead with the proposal like it's no big deal) but manages to have a convincing redemption arc, and the cinematography is gorgeous. the last scene. I just. ALL MY FEELINGS.
anyway, I then went looking for fic! and was severely disappointed because there was almost none! come be disappointed with me, guys. and write me all of the post-reconciliation fic ever.
Sick of Shadows by
lettered is an abandoned WIP, but if I have to cry myself to sleep over how THERE'S NO FUCKING MORE OF IT WHYYYYYYY you guys do too! it's an AU where Margaret is persuaded to marry Thornton to save her reputation after she rescues him from the rioting mill workers, and slow burn does not even begin to describe the chemistry the author builds between John and Margaret. read it. also definitely read the final porn outtake, it almost makes up for the THERE'S NO FUCKING MORE OF IT WHYYYYYYY at the end.
Age of Evolution by SummerRed is the best of the pickings on the AO3 (WHERE IS ALL THE YULETIDE FIC? WHERE ARE THE FESTIVIDS VIDS? THIS IS NOT NEW SOURCE MATERIAL, FANDOM, I AM DISAPPOINT), and it's a really charming story about the Thorntons getting married and going on their honeymoon. and also talking about ethical business practice and Charles Darwin, of course.
and since I finally solved the mystery of WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST OF THE FIC, I thought I would share my discovery with you! North & South appears to have evolved as some sort of offshoot from Austen fandom, which has its own special corner of the internet. long story short, there's almost no fic on the AO3, but there is quite a bit on the forums at
C19. you have to get an account before you can read anything, which is a bit awkward, but I'm burning my way through completed fics as fast as I can find them and if anything exceptionally delightful turns up I will certainly let you all know!
I will now return to crying about how I have homework and don't have time for a new fandom, goddamn it. like that has ever actually worked.