gensplosion | Entries tagged with bad things happening to good people

FANDOM: Voltron: Legendary Defender
FIC LINK: Routine Maintenance
AUTHOR LINK:

VelkynKarma
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Violence/Injury
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 50777
MAIN CHARACTERS: Shiro, Hunk, Lance, Pidge, Keith, Allura, Coran

FIC SUMMARY: Being an amputee with a prosthetic limb is difficult enough. Having a solid metal alien prosthetic forced on you by another species entirely is even worse.

OR:

Five times Shiro’s Galra arm caused him trouble in some way and another member of the team helped him out with it, and the one time the same arm is the only reason any of them survive.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This fic is incredible. Amazing character voices, a huge, huge amount of hurt/comfort, and incredible tension and emotion. Shiro learning to deal with his Galra arm, not just physically, but emotionally, and all the Paladins + Allura + Coran helping him as best they can (even when he's doing his best to ensure he battles on alone, goddamn it Shiro). I mean seriously, this fic is incredible.

longlivehumour

FANDOM: House, M.D.
FIC LINK: Connecting the Dots
AUTHOR LINK:

blackmare9 and

nightdog_barks
RATING/WARNING(S): PG | violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2,000
MAIN CHARACTERS: Greg House, James Wilson

FIC SUMMARY: After an act of senseless violence, House copes the only way he knows how.

RECCER'S NOTES: An eye for detail that brings every scene alive. The mood swings back and forth, dark and silly in turns without ever being jarring. Wilson suffers, as he must in fanfic. House is... House, an arsehole like no other ever could ever be, and it's fantastic.

(Be sure to look into the authors' other works when you're finished. The writing is top-notch, and the story always captivating. They run a fine line in House historical AUs and genre-benders, too.)

ozqueen

FANDOM: Voltron: Legendary Defender
FIC LINK: The Throne in the Hall
AUTHOR LINK:

buttered_onions
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 12844
MAIN CHARACTERS: Shiro, Hunk, Keith, Lance, Pidge, Allura

FIC SUMMARY: The only way to save this planet, and his friends, is to fight. It's not the same; it's close enough. Shiro doesn't have a choice.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Fantastic voices in this fic, and fantastic Shiro. This fic really plays with the possibilities of different plants and cultures and what the Galra's reach can do, and the canon reality of planets other than Earth and what might be possible there.

ozqueen

FANDOM: Voltron: Legendary Defender
FIC LINK: Boom Crash the Sound of My Ship
AUTHOR LINK:

maychorian
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 40,020
MAIN CHARACTERS: Shiro, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Keith, Allura, Coran

FIC SUMMARY: After a Galra attack splits Voltron, the blue lion is damaged and falls toward the jungle planet below. Shiro follows, and now he and Lance are stranded in hostile territory, fighting to survive. Lance is injured, Shiro is having flashbacks, and help is far away. And the Galra just...keep coming.

RECCER'S NOTES:

One of the most hurty/comforty hurt/comfort fics I've ever read. So much admiration and nurturing and cuddling in this and I love it so much. I think the relationship between Shiro and Lance is captured really well and the voices are great.

thady

FANDOM: Stargate: Atlantis
FIC LINK: 5 ways to go crazy without trying.
AUTHOR LINK:

bratfarrar
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13 | dark
WIP?/WORD COUNT: ficlet | ~ 590 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: team

FIC SUMMARY: see title.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Creepy and realistic, perhaps even more because it's easily imaginable. I could easily see this happening were SGA a darker show.

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Doctor Who
FIC LINK: The Spartans
AUTHOR LINK: JJPOR
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Violence, Slavery
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 69,883
MAIN CHARACTERS: Second Doctor, Polly Wright, Jamie McCrimmon, Ben Jackson

FIC SUMMARY: Greece, 480 BC: As the vast armies of the King of Kings prepare to battle the outnumbered defenders of the Hot Gates, the Doctor and his friends find themselves where they often find themselves at times like this – caught in the middle.

RECCER'S NOTES: As I’ve said, I have a weakness for Doctor Who historicals, and this is one of the very best. The author is amazing (consider this also an author rec: JJ is an incredible fanfic writer and pretty much never puts out a duff fic) and also has a clear love of history, which shines through. It’s an all-out action-adventure piece at novel length, although that’s not to say there’s not some great characterisation, with the TARDIS team being split up (as ever) but into two lesser-explored combinations, which allows for some lovely development between the still-new group, as Polly and the Doctor have to work together while Ben and Jamie find themselves in some surprising situations, not always easy for a 20th century English seaman and an 18th C Scottish Jacobite.

(There’s a tiny bit of canon-typical Ben/Polly at the end, and a little bit of slightly more unexpected Ben/Jamie along the way because of plot, but nothing to render it non-gen.)

Anyway, it’s long, fabulous, enthralling, and novel-style (and length) enough to be read on its own strengths if you’re not all that familiar with this TARDIS team (who have after all been especially unfairly hit by burnination).

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Sapphire and Steel
FIC LINK: Daisy Bell
AUTHOR LINK:

usernamegoeshere
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Canon-typical horror, ghosts, death
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 32,278 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sapphire, Steel, Silver, Diamond, Radium, Original Characters

FIC SUMMARY: In 1979, Sapphire and Steel arrive at the Howard Street Hospital to investigate a time break. They have a chance encounter with the receptionist, Daisy. In 1999, Diamond, Radium, and Silver arrive at the Howard Street Hospital to investigate a time break. They have a chance encounter with the receptionist, Daisy.

RECCER'S NOTES: Sapphire and Steel is the most beautifully weird TV show I have ever encountered (as one TV guidebook described it: “There are many ways of holding a TV audience... Total lack of explanation is not supposed to be one of them.”) and also one of the most interesting fandoms for fic, as authors each try in their own way to interpret those mysteries and transpose that sense of otherness in the mundane to their writing, and nobody does it quite the same way, so I’m hoping to rec some more S&S before I’m done here.

Anyway, this fic one of the best examples - it’s marvellous, long, plotty, completely true to canon-weirdness (if you can say such a thing) and sharply characterised, with every bit of Sapphire-Steel-Silver interaction a delight. Plus – always a huge bonus for me – not only does it include Silver but it brings in some additional ‘operators’ from the opening credits, and explores just how strange they might be. And if you don’t know the series, but you like exploring the weirdness of time or enjoy ghost stories, why not give it a try? It’s a glorious fic and you really won’t know any less than those of us who have watched the canon, honest…

thady

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe
FIC LINK: Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail - series.
AUTHOR LINK:

owlet
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: series [two complete stories posted so far] | ~ 87,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Bucky Barnes; Steve Rogers, team

FIC SUMMARY: The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect.

RECCER'S NOTES:

There are two complete stories posted so far. You could read only one or the other, but it works better together. While there could be more, each story has an clear ending.

The first one depicts Bucky's reclamtion of himself from the Winter Soldier. I love how this is depicted, how it wars inside of him. Love also the humor that is spread throughout the story. It's hard work for him, so the humor is very much appreciated. He has some help though, the OCs are great!

The second story deals with Bucky's integration into the team. I love how he learns to connect with each of them, each in their own way.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Step Right Up.
AUTHOR LINK:

starfishstar
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 2,040 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Lee Jordan, Kingsley Shacklebolt

FIC SUMMARY: Lee Jordan has the best idea of his life. Now he just needs someone else to hear him out.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is how it could have happened. Love the vivid description, and the mix of brightness and darkness. Love Kingsley's view on Lee, and their interaction.

thady

FANDOM: Stargate: Atlantis
FIC LINK: Staring at the Sun
AUTHOR LINK:

sholio |

sholio
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13 | ( warnings )
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 4,700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Rodney McKay; John Sheppard

FIC SUMMARY: Rodney used to believe that death was the worst thing that could happen on a mission. He was wrong.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This one had me sobbing. I hardly ever cry reading fiction, but this felt very real and grounded. Some time in the future McKay visits a brain injured Sheppard. Dealing with what's left of his friend is hard, and McKay's reaction and his feelings are very believable portrayed. This could happen, and it does happen to soldiers all too often. If you like realistic fanfiction, this is as close as it gets.

ozqueen

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Heir to Nothing but Herself
AUTHOR LINK:

dirgewithoutmusic
RATING/WARNING(S): Not rated, I'd say T, with warnings for PTS/psychological trauma
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete | 3056
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ginny Weasley

FIC SUMMARY:

It was not Harry’s heroism, Ron’s desperation, her mother’s love, or her brothers’ toilet seat humor that brought her back (though the toilet seat helped). Ginny breathed deep at night. She wept. She remembered how to rage. She snuck out at night and stole each of her brothers’ brooms in turn. She took to the skies and brought herself back to life.

RECCER'S NOTES:

There are mentions of Harry/Ginny here, but this is undoubtedly a Ginny character fic. It's heartbreaking in its exploration of Tom's possession of her in The Chamber of Secrets. It builds amazing detail in just a few words, and holds Ginny up as the hero of her own story.

isabelquinn

FANDOM: Lost, The West Wing
FIC LINK: Seven Tomorrows
AUTHOR LINK:

falseeyelashes
RATING/WARNING(S): R (character death, dark themes, brief sexual content). Spoilers through to the end of season 2 of Lost, no specific West Wing spoilers.
WORD COUNT: 7991
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jed Bartlet, Leo McGarry, Josh Lyman, CJ Cregg, Donna Moss, Toby Ziegler, Sam Seabourne, Jack Shepherd, Kate Austen, Ben Linus, James Ford, Mr Eko, Sayid Jarrah, John Locke… more, probably.

FIC SUMMARY: It took seven days to shape the world. There are seven seals of the apocalypse. And it takes seven, seven events, seven days, seven years, seven, to bring the world to its knees. Planes are meant to crash and nukes are meant to detonate. Men are meant to kill and buildings are meant to fall. Fate is real, fate is a religion and a man not named Henry Gale is its only prophet. He's counting to seven.

RECCER'S NOTES: This fic is very dark and very angsty and very, very well done. The writing style has a hypnotic sort of lilt to it, which feels appropriately dreamlike as the world becomes more and more nightmarish. The descent into darkness and despair is beautifully paced.

It was posted in August 2006, back when the bulk of Lost hadn't yet aired, so it goes 100% AU from the season 2 finale onwards. It also has some background het ships, but they are in absolutely no way a major part the fic.

isabelquinn

FANDOM: Gilmore Girls
FIC LINK: Strange Love
AUTHOR LINK:

fourteenlines
RATING/WARNING(S): PG13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete/4500
MAIN CHARACTERS: Lane Kim, Lorelai Gilmore, Luke Danes

FIC SUMMARY: Every day is like Sunday.

RECCER'S NOTES: I am an absolute sucker for AUs when the canon is realism/drama. I have a lot of love for these characters, and seeing them in extreme AU scenarios still being them is one of my favourite things. This is Gilmore Girls apocafic, and it's fantastic. The Lane POV is dead-on, Lorelai is amazing and competent but not to a point where it's unrealistic (ie exactly right!), and the atmosphere is heartbreaking. Absolutely love it <3

thady

FANDOM: Veronica Mars
FIC LINK: How to Harden Your Heart in Nineteen Days
AUTHOR LINK:

igrockspock |

igrockspock
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13 | ( content )
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 5,600 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Veronica Mars; Keith Mars, Lianne Mars, Madison Sinclair, Logan Echolls

FIC SUMMARY:

How does a sweet, naive member of the pep squad transform into the toughest girl in school? It takes a murder, a rape, Logan Echolls, Madison Sinclair, and nineteen days.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is a great character study of Veronica. I love seeing the transformation of her, and it seems very plausible.
The story hits the tone of the show, and Veronica's voice.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: A Tale Of Seasons
AUTHOR LINK:

lordhellebore
RATING/WARNING(S): R | ( content )
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 7,200 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Bellatrix Lestrange, Neville Longbottom, Kreacher

FIC SUMMARY: Her master’s victory is nothing like Bellatrix hoped for. She lost everything, and even the Dark Lord has no more use for her. The only thing that is left to her is one prisoner, who gets to know a completely different side to the woman who destroyed his parents, a side he wishes he had never seen.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I've always been fascinated by the relationship between Bellatrix and Neville since we've found out that she tortured his parents to death. So what if Voldemort had won and Neville was Bellatrix' prisoner?

This story was posted at is dark and sharp and haunting. I love this Neville here, still so very much himself but so broken. And Bellatrix is just as I imagine her to be, insane and crazy and utterly devoid of hope and joy.

This story isn't an easy read, but the tension builds and builds until in the end there's no way but to fall down.

ozqueen

FANDOM: The Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
FIC LINK: Biding Time
AUTHOR LINK:

genarti
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 5,917
MAIN CHARACTERS: Zelda, Impa, Sheik

FIC SUMMARY: Zelda grows up, with work to be done.

RECCER'S NOTES:

An amazing story of the seven years Zelda spent waiting for Link to awaken as the Hero of Time. I love the characters she becomes as she has to hide from Ganondorf, and I love that she becomes those characters so deeply. Each alias is a full character in its own right, and each leaves its own mark on Zelda.

ozqueen

FANDOM: Supernatural
FIC LINK: Red
AUTHOR LINK:

BigPink
RATING/WARNING(S): T | There are strong implications of noncon/underage sexual activity, but nothing explicit. Also, as someone who is easily squicked, injuries and gore had me squirming a few times...
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 82,000
MAIN CHARACTERS: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

FIC SUMMARY: Something evil is killing treeplanters in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, possibly the same predator that Dean narrowly escaped years before. How Grimm will things get before the brothers figure it out?

RECCER'S NOTES:

A mutated/dark take on Little Red Riding Hood and OH MAN so amazing. One of the best examples of 'did the research' ever, this fic just transports you to places and times and occupations in the best/worst ways. There are times where it's not an easy read - there's angst, and injuries, and dark content, but it's the boys hunting down a horrible creature and having to go through the daily, awful suffering that comes with Hunting sometimes.

It's long and it's plotty and it's a great/dark/disturbing/wonderful read.

isabelquinn

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: The Space Between
AUTHOR LINK:

carolinecrane
RATING/WARNING(S): G / references to canonical character death
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1385
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mr Creevey, Mrs Creevey, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Minerva McGonagall

FIC SUMMARY: Colin and Dennis Creevey grew up braver and stronger than their stature would ever have suggested, and their father wouldn't have traded them for the world.

RECCER'S NOTES: This was written for me as part of this season's

fandom_stocking. One of my regular requests is for fic that deals with the family dynamics of muggle-born wizards, and oh boy did this fic deliver <3 I love how it deals with sons going to Hogwarts and remaining valued members of their family, and the subsequent awfulness of the war.

ozqueen

FANDOM: Supernatural
FIC LINK: On Warm Summer Nights
AUTHOR LINK:

lyra_wing
RATING/WARNING(S): PG. No spoilers provided you've seen past the first episode.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 4021
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mary Winchester, John Winchester, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

FIC SUMMARY: Mary works the late shift at this diner, and John visits her. Sam and Dean also visit her.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is really beautiful. There are touches of John/Mary, but this is most definitely a gen fic. It's bittersweet and haunting in the best possible way.

( Another under the cut: Crossing the Line, by gekizetsu... )

ozqueen

FANDOM: Captain America/The Avengers
FIC LINK: Selective Service
AUTHOR LINK:

Kroki_Refur
RATING/WARNING(S): No rating provided, I'd call it G/PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 10,935
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton

FIC SUMMARY: The serum's given Steve a lot, but it hasn't taken anything away from him. Not even the things he never wanted in the first place.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I can't explain why, but for some reason, the idea of Steve not being 100% cured of all his ailments after the serum is one I really like. This fic is fantastic - some lovely hurt/comfort, great humour, and fantastic team dynamics. Steve's voice is wonderful, and Tony is definitely a star here too.

When Steve comes round, the first thing he realises is that he isn't dead. The second is that the bone-deep cold he'd felt before is now just a slight chill in his extremities, and his breath is moving easily in and out of his lungs, although his throat feels a little sore. For a second, he's reminded of waking up in a fake recovery room in New York, the same disorientation, the same sense memory of having recently been so cold.

Then he opens his eyes to find Stark glaring at him from way too close.

“You know that was a dick move, right?” says Stark. “Do you know how many extra bodyguards I would've had to hire before telling Fury I killed Captain America? I'm not talking for, like, a day, either. That guy plays the long game.”

The Espresso Addict

Diary & multifandom recs

gensplosion!

Entries tagged with bad things happening to good people

voltron: legendary defender - routine maintenance, by VelkynKarma

House, M.D.: Connecting the Dots, by blackmare and Nightdog_Barks

voltron: legendary defender - the throne in the hall by buttered_onions

voltron: legendary defender: boom crash the sound of my ship, by maychorian

SGA: 5 ways to go crazy without trying, by bratfarrar.

Doctor Who: The Spartans by JJPOR

Sapphire & Steel: Daisy Bell by nemo_the_everbeing

MCU: Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail - series, by owlet.

HP: Step Right Up, by starfishstar.

SGA: Staring at the Sun, by Sholio.

harry potter: heir to nothing but herself, by dirgewithoutmusic

Lost/The West Wing: Seven Tomorrows

Gilmore Girls: Strange Love, by fourteen lines

VM: How to Harden Your Heart in Nineteen Days, by igrockspock.

HP: A Tale Of Seasons, by lordhellebore.

the legend of zelda: biding time, by genarti

supernatural: red, by bigpink

Harry Potter: The Space Between by carolinecrane

two supernatural recs

Captain America/Avengers/Marvel: Selective Service, by Kroki_Refur

The Espresso Addict