Yuletide Recs I
I'm not nearly half through the archive, but here are some recs already.
The Americans
The show being over and the finale inspired a lot of great fanfiction this year. Honestly, I could rec the lot, but for now, here are some particular favourites, each imagining the aftermath of the finale and the choices the characters in question make somewhat differently, each feeling plausible:
Gifts Henry's and Paige's first Christmas after.
And you give yourself away: this one focuses on Paige and Philip in two timelines, post finale on the one hand, through her childhood and adolescence on the other.
Walk of Life: Stan and Henry in the immediate aftermath of the finale. Devastating.
Childish Things: sibling-focused story about Paige and Henry until the fall of the wall.
Better Call Saul:
Organized Lightning: how Howard experienced Chuck's backstory breakdown.
Call the Midwife
A way in the wilderness: Shelagh through the years.
The Charioteer
One for the Christmas card list: Reg was my favourite character in this novel, but he hardly shows up in fanfiction. I was delighted to discover this gem which gives us his pov and presents him (and various other of the novel characters) some years into the future. The Alec cameo in particular is great.
Class
Craptastic Beasts: April and Ram in their awkward, tender, PTDS-ridden glory. Loved it.
Historical Fiction
Ascension (There is no I in coup d'etat): Empresses Z'hian and Cixi, survival, and changing Chinese history.
We'll burn that barn when we come to it: this one is hilarious crack AU, Harold/William the Conquerer, and since it's present day a far less lethal ending.
The Lion in Winter:
Lion Rampant, Contourné: Eleanor and Richard. How she created her heir.
When the fall is all there is: this one single-handedly changed my mind about coffeeshop AUs. Eleanor the coffee empress is a hoot, the narrative voice has all of the play's elegant viciousness and affection in it ("One of Henry's sterling qualities is his ability to provide unstinting admiration, even when in the midst of a towering rage. He respects his enemies and his friends, and sometimes even his lovers"), and all the analogues (Henry installing a boutique café "Rosa Mundi" in Lyon!) are a riot. Simply divine.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1319733.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
The Americans
The show being over and the finale inspired a lot of great fanfiction this year. Honestly, I could rec the lot, but for now, here are some particular favourites, each imagining the aftermath of the finale and the choices the characters in question make somewhat differently, each feeling plausible:
Gifts Henry's and Paige's first Christmas after.
And you give yourself away: this one focuses on Paige and Philip in two timelines, post finale on the one hand, through her childhood and adolescence on the other.
Walk of Life: Stan and Henry in the immediate aftermath of the finale. Devastating.
Childish Things: sibling-focused story about Paige and Henry until the fall of the wall.
Better Call Saul:
Organized Lightning: how Howard experienced Chuck's backstory breakdown.
Call the Midwife
A way in the wilderness: Shelagh through the years.
The Charioteer
One for the Christmas card list: Reg was my favourite character in this novel, but he hardly shows up in fanfiction. I was delighted to discover this gem which gives us his pov and presents him (and various other of the novel characters) some years into the future. The Alec cameo in particular is great.
Class
Craptastic Beasts: April and Ram in their awkward, tender, PTDS-ridden glory. Loved it.
Historical Fiction
Ascension (There is no I in coup d'etat): Empresses Z'hian and Cixi, survival, and changing Chinese history.
We'll burn that barn when we come to it: this one is hilarious crack AU, Harold/William the Conquerer, and since it's present day a far less lethal ending.
The Lion in Winter:
Lion Rampant, Contourné: Eleanor and Richard. How she created her heir.
When the fall is all there is: this one single-handedly changed my mind about coffeeshop AUs. Eleanor the coffee empress is a hoot, the narrative voice has all of the play's elegant viciousness and affection in it ("One of Henry's sterling qualities is his ability to provide unstinting admiration, even when in the midst of a towering rage. He respects his enemies and his friends, and sometimes even his lovers"), and all the analogues (Henry installing a boutique café "Rosa Mundi" in Lyon!) are a riot. Simply divine.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1319733.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.