Intro post and GK rec list
Hi there! This here is my ficcing journal. Well, it will be once I get some fics on it, which I am currently working on.
Until then, it's a place to follow the communities and fic authors who are Relevant To My Interests, and also to pimp them to anyone who might stumble upon this remote sector of the internet.
My fandoms are (at the moment), Generation Kill, Merlin (BBC series), the Jason Bourne series (movieverse), Inception, Supernatural (sometimes - I have a love/hate relationship with that one), SGA, and various others - but mostly, honestly, Generation Kill.
I'm not sure why this particular HBO miniseries grabbed me the way it did, but I absolutely loved the everlasting shit out of it when I first saw it, and it ended up being my introduction to fanfiction in general. And now I have no life. As happens.
And yes, I'm aware that this makes me VERY late to the party, but, well. Gotta start somewhere, right?
(Actually, this post sums up why Generation Kill is the bizzomb far better than I ever could. Also, there are screencaps for maximum pimpage and/or hotness. READ EEET.)
At the moment I have two fics in the works, one for the Jason Bourne series (post-trilogy Nicky Parsons POV), and another which is a kind of loose fusion of Generation Kill and Prison Break. Prison!AU, in other words. Whee!
In the meantime, here is a quick list of the fics I have read that you should absolutely also read, even if you are not in the fandom (even though you should totally be in GK fandom, because my God, why wouldn't you be?), and a short bit on why they are awesome. Links are all to public entries to my knowledge.
These are all GK fics, but I will probably post some separate rec lists for the other fandoms I'm interested in.
GENERATION KILL:
Well, seriously, your first stop for Gen Kill recs should be alethialia 's A Newbie's Guide or Even A Bitter Old Fandom Queen's Guide to what to read in Generation Kill fandom, which is about a good a primer for GK fic possible. (Now with a Part Two!)
Pretty much every story she recs in these posts is great, but here are a few particular favorites of mine from the two lists:
But that's not all! alethialia 's list is JUST THE BEGINNING.
Aaand it occurs to me that every fic I have listed so far is the Brad/Nate pairing. And while I love me some Brad/Nate, there are definitely some other pairings in this fandom which deserve some love. Like, for instance:
And there is so much more where all that came from, but this is more than enough to start with, I think. I may add more to this list as I think of it. Enjoy!
Until then, it's a place to follow the communities and fic authors who are Relevant To My Interests, and also to pimp them to anyone who might stumble upon this remote sector of the internet.
My fandoms are (at the moment), Generation Kill, Merlin (BBC series), the Jason Bourne series (movieverse), Inception, Supernatural (sometimes - I have a love/hate relationship with that one), SGA, and various others - but mostly, honestly, Generation Kill.
I'm not sure why this particular HBO miniseries grabbed me the way it did, but I absolutely loved the everlasting shit out of it when I first saw it, and it ended up being my introduction to fanfiction in general. And now I have no life. As happens.
And yes, I'm aware that this makes me VERY late to the party, but, well. Gotta start somewhere, right?
(Actually, this post sums up why Generation Kill is the bizzomb far better than I ever could. Also, there are screencaps for maximum pimpage and/or hotness. READ EEET.)
At the moment I have two fics in the works, one for the Jason Bourne series (post-trilogy Nicky Parsons POV), and another which is a kind of loose fusion of Generation Kill and Prison Break. Prison!AU, in other words. Whee!
In the meantime, here is a quick list of the fics I have read that you should absolutely also read, even if you are not in the fandom (even though you should totally be in GK fandom, because my God, why wouldn't you be?), and a short bit on why they are awesome. Links are all to public entries to my knowledge.
These are all GK fics, but I will probably post some separate rec lists for the other fandoms I'm interested in.
GENERATION KILL:
Well, seriously, your first stop for Gen Kill recs should be alethialia 's A Newbie's Guide or Even A Bitter Old Fandom Queen's Guide to what to read in Generation Kill fandom, which is about a good a primer for GK fic possible. (Now with a Part Two!)
Pretty much every story she recs in these posts is great, but here are a few particular favorites of mine from the two lists:
- Itch in Your Veins (Brad/Nate, NC-17) by romanticalgirl .
Probably the quintessential in-canon fic for GK that I've seen, which tends to run heavily to AUs as a fandom. Not that there's anything wrong with that (quite the opposite, in fact), but this one is great for how it weaves in and out of canon to fill in the (possible) blanks between, and makes the relationship between Brad and Nate seem not only believable but inevitable.
And, you know, scorchingly hot, too.
It's also an example of the general quality of writing in this fandom, which is to say shockingly good.
- On How Sergeant Colbert is Nothing At All Like Winnie the Pooh, and Other Important Lessons That Can Be Learned While Observing the Sergeant Laying under a Jeep (B/N, R) by sparky77 .
One of the best things about the GK miniseries was how brilliantly funny it was, and the contrast between the humor and the characters' utterly unfunny situation only made their banter and wit that much more biting and brilliant. This fic captures the humor part of GK perfectly. Ray-Ray is love. If you don't at least crack a smile while reading this you may be dead inside.
- Get Some (B/N, NC-17) by hackthis .
Pretty much the ultimate GK high school AU. hackthis does angst+funny+hot like nobody's business. Pretty much everything she's written for GK is highly recommended, but start here.
If you like this (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't), you should also check out her other two masterpieces: Semper Fidelis Familia (B/N, NC-17), an amazing Mafia AU, and The Road Not Taken (B/N, NC-17), a truly epic examination of what would have happened if Nate had decided not to join the Marines at Dartmouth - and it was Brad's fault. So good.
- Oh, and this one, too: You Will Be For Me and I Will Fight For You (B/N, NC-17), which is a GK take on La Femme Nikita, and YES. Srsly.
- Sixteen Days in September (B/N, NC-17) by tevere .
Holy crap, talk about epic. It's Nate as a Peace Corps volunteer in East Timor during the revolution in 1999, and it's of publishable quality as far as I am concerned.
There's no need to know anything about the mini-series at all to enjoy this. The author clearly did her research, and it's heartbreaking and amazing and just beautifully written. Get a glass of wine and settle in and just enjoy.
- They Set Their Hearts Upon You (B/N, NC-17) by fourfreedoms .
fourfreedoms is one of my favorite authors in GK fandom, not least because she can take premises that should be utter total crack and make them awesome. And not crack! This is the perfect example, where she has the cast of GK as male models in New York City. This should so not work in a million years, and yet it is one of my favorite AUs ever. Brilliance.
Read this, and then go read everything else she's written in GK - in particular Unethical Behavior in the Workplace (B/N, NC-17), a Better Off Ted!AU (AWESOME), and Bright College Years (B/N, R), which is Bravo Company as a fraternity and is PERFECT. So much yay.
- Solid Soul (Godric/Eric, Eric/Nate, Nate/Brad, PG-13) by nightanddaze .
GK/True Blood crossover! Which was inevitable, of course, owing to one particular hotass Swede, but this one actually really works. The only word I can think of to describe it is elegiac.
Soft and sad and wistful, and yet strangely hopeful too. Fabulous Godric POV, and yet I don't think you need to know a thing about True Blood to make it work.
- Dark Winters Wear You Down (B/N, R), by goodbutfallen (storyofapainter at AO3).
Set after the events of the mini, it is a wonderfully wrenching portrayal of Nate learning to deal with being home after Iraq and all the ways in which he is slowly patching himself together, and how Brad helps him do that. As usual for this fandom, wonderfully written.
- And let's not forget alethialia herself, who has written two of my favorite AUs in GK: Noblesse Oblige (B/N, NC-17), a completely kickass AU with Nate as a politician and Brad as a muckraker reporter (with West Wing shoutouts!), and Impulse Control (B/N, NC-17), which is a vampire AU that is sort of a fusion with True Blood but not really, and is awesome either way. (Also, SMOKING HOT.) alethialia is another one of those who you should just read everything she's written.
But that's not all! alethialia 's list is JUST THE BEGINNING.
- Speaking of vampire AUs: Patience (B/N, PG-13), by lickingbeads .
I've read this fic and its sequels ( here and here) about ten times, seriously. The story is (quite deliberately) every vampire cliche in the book, and that is exactly why it is like COTTON CANDY CRACK. The addictive kind of crack, I mean. That melts in your mouth. Yum yum nom moar plz. UberPossessive!Brad as a vampire, COME ON.
- Aprés Moi Le Deluge (B/N, PG-13), by Lake (beyond_belief) on AO3.
Soulbond!fic that manages to completely avoid all the cliches of that particular subgenre, and instead is meditative and contemplative and utterly believable. Amazing character voices. Amazing, period.
Lake's VP!Nate/SecretService!Brad fic, and my glory shall be love, is just as good.
- Crossed in the places that you never knew to get through (B/N, Ray/Walt, R), by noelia_g .
Angels/Demons AU! Every fandom needs one, and noelia_g has graciously provided. The quality of the writing is even more impressive once it becomes clear that English is not her first language. Quite awesome, it is.
noelia_g has written many other GK AUs as well, all of which are tons of fun. One of my favorites is her Superheroes AU, which starts with And I Can't Let Go (fabulous Ray voice), and continues with Can't Climb Until You're Ready to Fall.
And speaking of superheroes:
- Celer, Silens, Mortalis (B/N, NC-17), by emerald_mcl4r3n on AO3.
Batman AU.
BATMAN AU. WITH RAY AS ALFRED. THE END, I NEED SAY NO MORE. \o/
Aaand it occurs to me that every fic I have listed so far is the Brad/Nate pairing. And while I love me some Brad/Nate, there are definitely some other pairings in this fandom which deserve some love. Like, for instance:
- Carrying Dangerous Goods (Brad/Ray, NC-17), by novembersmith .
Um, OH EM GEE is the phrase here. Stupendously epic AU that is a crossover/fusion-ish thing with the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. Basically, the Napoleonic wars, except with dragons. And now, with the boys from GK. Whee!
That's really all you need to know, and while I highly recommend that you pick up the Temeraire books if you haven't already because they are fabulous, you can read this fic with no more knowledge of the series than the author gives in the master post. Quite simply one of the best fanfics I have ever read, in this fandom or any other.
- And if you're looking for what is kind of ridiculously hot threesome action, novembersmith ALSO has Take Two Marines (and call me in the morning) (Brad/Nate/Ray, NC-17), which is, uh, pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Have a cold shower standing by for afterwards.
- For Once I Could Go Off (Ray/Walt, R), by queeniegalore .
Of all the Ray/Walt fics out there, I think this one is my favorite. I'm not sure why, except that maybe the way the author gets them together just completely worked for me. Not to mention that they are insanely adorable while doing it, in that special, fucked-up, Recon Marine way.
Which is the attraction of the Ray/Walt pairing, really. Brad/Nate fics tend to be a lot of angsting and drama and epic star-crossed lovers shit, which is awesome, of course, but sometimes you just want something a little less complicated. A little... sunnier. Which is just about what these two are, bless them.
(It also has a sequel here.)
- ON THE CARE AND FEEDING OF MARINES, BY WALT, AGED 23 AND A HALF, AND RAY, AGED 25 (Ray/Walt, Nate/Brad, Nate/Brad/Ray/Walt, R), by puckling and Sharksdontsleep on AO3.
Speaking of the sunnier side, this is absolutely hilarious and tons of fun. And, despite the foursome pairing, not very porny at all. Which is a good thing in this case, as it gives us more time to experience the cracked-out wonder that is Ray's internal (and external) monologue. The bit with Jon Stewart is priceless.
And there is so much more where all that came from, but this is more than enough to start with, I think. I may add more to this list as I think of it. Enjoy!