Multifandom Fic Bingo: M is for Masked Ball, L is for the last son...
T is for Third Sex and The Ties That Bind, A is for A is for Alpha
Fic bingo returns!
Masked Ball by Waid is a delightful Sherlock Holmes fic. Apparently it is not equally memorable, though, as it was only near the end of the story that I realized I had read it before. Oops. At any rate, I enjoyed it very much the second time around. It is mysterious and atmospheric with an unusual plot. If it has a flaw, it is that the ending feels a bit rushed, but that detracts only a little from the whole. 31,626 words. Holmes/Watson slash.
the last son is yet another Harry Potter AU by dirgewithoutmusic. In this one, Ron rather than Harry is the chosen one. It's a well thought out and engaging fic, though I didn't love it as much as the kids who chose themselves or the family evans by the same author. 13,051 words. Gen.
Late last week I watched an interesting video essay about A/B/O fic. I had never read any, but the essay's discussion of the ways the trope can be used to examine aspects of real-life society piqued my interest. I decided to try some, and have so far read four.
First I read Third Sex by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy. It is a fairly short Sherlock Holmes fic that turned out to be what people who dismiss the A/B/O genre imagine all of it to be: erotica with weird biology. I found that pretty boring, and while I read to the end, hoping for some ideas about how the weird biology would interact with Victorian society, that wasn't what this fic was about. 4,413 words. Holmes/Watson slash.
Next I read The A Squad by Sineala, a Professionals fic that is the only A/B/O fic in either of my major fandoms to be posted on AO3. This one had enough interesting world building and character interaction for me to enjoy it, and I'd recommend it to other Pros fans who want a taste of this trope. (I haven't added it to this bingo card, since it is a Pros fic.) 5,384 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
I then stumbled across The Ties That Bind by Odsbodkins, a Marvel Cinematic Universe story with a summary that reads, in part, "This fic is my attempt at a functioning A/B/O universe, since most stories with this premise leave me wondering how the society could have developed to modernity with all the issues raised by heats/bonding/male pregnancy." This is a satisfying romantic story with a lot of believable emotion. It contains imaginary quotes from books that exist in the story's universe, which is a nifty tool for world building. It is also the first mpreg story I've ever read (unless you count The Least Favorite Themes Drabble, a very funny little Pros fic by The Hag). I can't say I really see the appeal of that story element, but I wasn't squicked. 26,609 words. Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes slash.
Finally, I read the A-Team fic A is for Alpha by Brosedshield. This fic seems to take place in a universe where humans form packs similar to those of wolves, though the world building is minimal (possibly because this is an existing trope that the author expected readers to be familiar with). The fic gives some nice accounts of the first meetings between Hannibal and the other members of the team, and I enjoyed that aspect. I didn't feel as if the vague speculative fiction dimension really added anything to the story, though. It would have been almost the same and worked as well without it. 2,147 words. Gen.
That's all. If anyone has recommendations of thoughtful A/B/O stories, please do share them, especially if they are in any of the fandoms I dabble in.
A: A is for Alpha by Brosedshield (The A-Team; 2,147 words)
E: The Electric Fizzing Prick Pistols, or Whatever by whitmans_kiss (Harry Potter; 3,816 words)
F: Fawns and Snakelets by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 25,511 words)
L: the last son by dirgewithoutmusic (Harry Potter; 13,051 words)
M: Masked Ball by Waid (Sherlock Holmes; 31,626 words)
N: nuclear winter by almostannette (The Man from U.N.C.L.E (movie); 2,040 words)
P: Post-Script by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 1,286 words)
S: Scales by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 17,405 words)
T(1): Third Sex by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy (Sherlock Holmes; 4,413 words)
T(2): The Ties That Bind by Odsbodkins (MCU; 26,609 words)
Fic bingo returns!
Masked Ball by Waid is a delightful Sherlock Holmes fic. Apparently it is not equally memorable, though, as it was only near the end of the story that I realized I had read it before. Oops. At any rate, I enjoyed it very much the second time around. It is mysterious and atmospheric with an unusual plot. If it has a flaw, it is that the ending feels a bit rushed, but that detracts only a little from the whole. 31,626 words. Holmes/Watson slash.
the last son is yet another Harry Potter AU by dirgewithoutmusic. In this one, Ron rather than Harry is the chosen one. It's a well thought out and engaging fic, though I didn't love it as much as the kids who chose themselves or the family evans by the same author. 13,051 words. Gen.
Late last week I watched an interesting video essay about A/B/O fic. I had never read any, but the essay's discussion of the ways the trope can be used to examine aspects of real-life society piqued my interest. I decided to try some, and have so far read four.
First I read Third Sex by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy. It is a fairly short Sherlock Holmes fic that turned out to be what people who dismiss the A/B/O genre imagine all of it to be: erotica with weird biology. I found that pretty boring, and while I read to the end, hoping for some ideas about how the weird biology would interact with Victorian society, that wasn't what this fic was about. 4,413 words. Holmes/Watson slash.
Next I read The A Squad by Sineala, a Professionals fic that is the only A/B/O fic in either of my major fandoms to be posted on AO3. This one had enough interesting world building and character interaction for me to enjoy it, and I'd recommend it to other Pros fans who want a taste of this trope. (I haven't added it to this bingo card, since it is a Pros fic.) 5,384 words. Bodie/Doyle slash.
I then stumbled across The Ties That Bind by Odsbodkins, a Marvel Cinematic Universe story with a summary that reads, in part, "This fic is my attempt at a functioning A/B/O universe, since most stories with this premise leave me wondering how the society could have developed to modernity with all the issues raised by heats/bonding/male pregnancy." This is a satisfying romantic story with a lot of believable emotion. It contains imaginary quotes from books that exist in the story's universe, which is a nifty tool for world building. It is also the first mpreg story I've ever read (unless you count The Least Favorite Themes Drabble, a very funny little Pros fic by The Hag). I can't say I really see the appeal of that story element, but I wasn't squicked. 26,609 words. Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes slash.
Finally, I read the A-Team fic A is for Alpha by Brosedshield. This fic seems to take place in a universe where humans form packs similar to those of wolves, though the world building is minimal (possibly because this is an existing trope that the author expected readers to be familiar with). The fic gives some nice accounts of the first meetings between Hannibal and the other members of the team, and I enjoyed that aspect. I didn't feel as if the vague speculative fiction dimension really added anything to the story, though. It would have been almost the same and worked as well without it. 2,147 words. Gen.
That's all. If anyone has recommendations of thoughtful A/B/O stories, please do share them, especially if they are in any of the fandoms I dabble in.
A: A is for Alpha by Brosedshield (The A-Team; 2,147 words)
E: The Electric Fizzing Prick Pistols, or Whatever by whitmans_kiss (Harry Potter; 3,816 words)
F: Fawns and Snakelets by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 25,511 words)
L: the last son by dirgewithoutmusic (Harry Potter; 13,051 words)
M: Masked Ball by Waid (Sherlock Holmes; 31,626 words)
N: nuclear winter by almostannette (The Man from U.N.C.L.E (movie); 2,040 words)
P: Post-Script by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 1,286 words)
S: Scales by SpaceWall (Harry Potter; 17,405 words)
T(1): Third Sex by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy (Sherlock Holmes; 4,413 words)
T(2): The Ties That Bind by Odsbodkins (MCU; 26,609 words)