gensplosion | Entries tagged with defying expectations

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
FIC LINK: Of Five Adventures That Occurred During The Reign Of The Raven Barista
AUTHOR LINK:

lannamichaels
RATING/WARNING(S): G | None
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1224
MAIN CHARACTERS: Gilbert Norrell, The Raven King, William of Lanchester, Catherine of Winchester, Jonathan Strange, John Childermass, Arabella Strange, Emma Pole, Martin Pale, Thomas of Dundale

FIC SUMMARY: Cracky coffee shop AU with magic!

RECCER'S NOTES: This is one of those AUs that you'd imagine couldn’t and shouldn’t be done - until someone pulls it off like this, and it’s completely brilliant. It shouldn't work, but it's clever and funny and wonderful, and it does. I don’t know where to start – Norrell coming early not to buy coffee, Jonathan’s Tumblr tags, the Raven Barista . . . just go read it!

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Captain America / Marvel Cinematic Universe
FIC LINK: Lucky
AUTHOR LINK:

TamrynEradani
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / as stated in author's notes
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 14 700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton

FIC SUMMARY: In 1941, Steve Rogers is willing to die for his country. Now in 2014, he has to learn how to live for it.

RECCER'S NOTES: A minor AU taking place after The First Avenger and Avengers, in which Steve struugles with the 21st century, but not for the reasons people expect. Thoughtful exploration of Steve's wartime traumas and how he might fit, or not, with the rest of his motley team. And a great incorporation of Sam as he tries to be a friend for another lost soldier who's come home.

He understands the importance of symbols, understands the importance of Captain America, but he hadn’t thought he’d have to be Captain America to SHIELD or to his teammates. It’s exhausting to have to be on all the time, and he’s not sure how long he can keep it up for.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Dudley Dursley and the New Normal (at DW) | Dudley Dursley and the New Normal (at FFN)
AUTHOR LINK:

straydog733 |

alikat522
RATING/WARNING(S): R
WIP?/WORD COUNT: novel | ~ 51,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Dudley Dursley; appearence of canon characters and OCs

FIC SUMMARY: Bad things happen. Life gets strange. Dudley tries to carve out a little bit of normality in a world that has gone mad around him.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This was posted at

dudley_redeemed, and it is still one of my favorite stories posted at this fest.

I love the plot, and how it unfolded. Both plot and characterization work together and are interwoven. I love how wizarding Britain is depicted, and how Dudley fits himself into it. I love watching him grow and make himself a new life.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Star Trek AOS
FIC LINK: Under the Shadow of This Red Rock
AUTHOR LINK: fictional-clue
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen/none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete/29 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: James T. Kirk, Spock, background Spock/Uhura

FIC SUMMARY: Only a few days have passed since Nero destroyed Vulcan and attacked Earth, but the world around Jen and Spock is already changing along strange new lines—and they are caught right in the middle. Neither of them really has their shit together, but between the two of them they’re making it work. The ship’s still running. They haven’t tried to kill each other again. It’s a start.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I'm going to try not start too many posts with epic definitions of gen? But since the author has tagged this one "pre-slash", I should probably mention that I am one of those pedants who doesn't believe there to be any such thing. (Especially in the historical context of Kirk&Spock fandom.) But ymmv. What this fic is, imo, is a great fill-in-the-blanks fic for the Enterprise's trip home at the end of Star Trek XI, as Jen Kirk and Spock struggle with a broken ship, traumatised Vulcans, and other challenges.

It is also a great genderswap fic, and as such salacious gossip blog rumours become one of the plot points. But no one finds that more ridiculous than Jen and Spock, quite frankly. Their reactions are hilarious, and the banter is lots of fun.

“Acting Captain Kirk has been performing her duties in a laudable manner,” Spock says, with no inflection whatsoever.

“No, I mean, how do you and Captain Kirk get along?” the guy pushes.

“Our interactions are satisfactory,” Spock replies, and his voice says whereas your question is stupid.

Jen affixes a smile to her face.

ozqueen

FANDOM: How to Train Your Dragon
FIC LINK: Blinded by the Sun
AUTHOR LINK:

akamine_chan
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1867
MAIN CHARACTERS: Hiccup, Toothless

FIC SUMMARY: He'd been offered the honor of killing a dragon, and it turned his stomach. He couldn't do it, and the only choice he had left was to leave his home.

At least he still had Toothless.

RECCER'S NOTES:

A feel-good road trip fic about a boy and his dragon. This isn't a very long fic, but it builds the world outside of Berk up beautifully, and the interwoven paragraphs from Hiccup's dragon manual are a great touch.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Cho Chang & the Jasmine Code
AUTHOR LINK:

xenokattz
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13 (for strong language & violence)
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 5,400 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Cho Chang

FIC SUMMARY: (Set between Half-Blood Prince & Deathly Hallows) Before returning to help her former schoolmates in the Battle of Hogwarts, Cho Chang fought against Voldemort & his follows in a more covert manner.

RECCER'S NOTES: Cho doesn't get much love in the books or in fandom, so it's always a great treat to find a Cho-centric story. Especially when it's so interesting and well-written as this one is.

I love the glimpse we're allowed into her life during the seventh book. She's fully fledged out here, and I'd just love to meet this Cho.

thady

FANDOM: Captain America (Movies)
FIC LINK: The Personal (Assistant) Is Political
AUTHOR LINK:

hollimichele
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WORD COUNT: ~ 7,300
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, OC

FIC SUMMARY: "That’s an awfully tall pedestal to put a fellow on," Steve says. "Betcha it gets pretty windy up there."

RECCER'S NOTES: This was an intriguing character study. The outsider!pov is great, mostly because the OC is so believable.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Neighbours and Friends
AUTHOR LINK:

jean_doe_27
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: ~ 7,100 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Dudley Dursley, Arabella Figg

FIC SUMMARY: Dudley turns to his neighbour hoping to learn more about his cousin.

RECCER'S NOTES: At first it may seem like such an unlike friendship, but both characters are only on the fringes of Harry's story. I love the way they connect here, slowly and carefully. We can see Dudley growing up over the course of this story.

thady

FANDOM: Iron Man - movierverse
FIC LINK: Chloe Liked Olivia
AUTHOR LINK:

marinarusalka
RATING/WARNING(S): PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: ~ 6,400 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Pepper Potts, Christine Everhart

FIC SUMMARY: One is the personal assistant to a billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero. The other is an ambitious journalist with a political conscience. Together, they fight crime!

RECCER'S NOTES: This was such a great idea to let the characters meet again like they did here. Love how Pepper and Christine become friends, and how they bond over something other than men or their jobs.

sixbeforelunch

FANDOM: Disney Princesses
FIC LINK: Four Things that Weren't Adequately Covered in Mulan's R.A. Training
AUTHOR LINK:

NaomiK
RATING/WARNING(S): General audiences, possible trigger warning for stalking, kidnapping, and really bad parenting.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4,541 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Fa Mulan, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel, Belle, Merida, Cinderella, Jasmine

FIC SUMMARY: Mulan is a Resident Assistant on a dormitory floor at a college. Gosh, some of the students on her floor come from really screwed-up families.

RECCER'S NOTES: I had to double check the tags on this community to make sure that I hadn't rec'ed this before, because I intended to the moment I read it, and I was almost positive I had. Oh well, that means I get to do it now.

So, first off, please don't be put off by the fandom. If Disney Princesses aren't your thing, there is still a very good chance that you'll like this. I very much suggest giving it a shot, even if Disney gives you hives. Because these? These are not the princesses you're expecting. These princesses attend an all-girls liberal arts college with Mulan as their R.A. They're smart and funny and highly pragmatic, and not a single one of them has a woodland creature entourage.

Instead, Mulan is attending college after a stint in the army, Belle is dealing with her stalker by educating herself about rape culture, and the young women from truly messed up homes are creating a found family in each other.

It's a fantastic deconstruction of the Disney movies, but not a cruel one. It's just great satire, and also flat-out funny while being terribly sweet as well.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: If I Knew You Were Coming, I’d’ve Baked a Cake
AUTHOR LINK:

Pitry.
RATING/WARNING(S): PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot, ~ 8,500 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Dudley Dursley, Lavender Brown, George Weasley

FIC SUMMARY: It was funny to call it normal, but life can be funny sometimes: that was what Lavender had said, and Dudley, who knew he wasn’t very clever, was bound to agree with her.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I really love all the characters here, but Dudley especially was great. He's still the boy we met, but he grew up. Not all bullies stay bullies, and I love him realizing that, that he can change.
The characters interactions were wonderful too, all those little moments of friendship. How the war left scars, some more visible than others, and yet life can go on.

thady

FANDOM: The Chronicles of Narnia
FIC LINK: Mansuetus Gentilis Regina.
AUTHOR LINK:

tiabolt
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: ~ 2,900 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Susan Pevensie

FIC SUMMARY: Becoming Gentle is an uphill battle she didn’t expect. How does one become Gentle in Narnia when one does not even know what it means? A story of negotiations, politics, and midnight escapades in the Golden Age as Queen Susan learns to be Gentle.

RECCER'S NOTES: This is a great look on Susan, and how she struggles with the expectations of those meeting her, and of the expectations she thinks she has to meet. In the end her by-name "The Gentle" doesn't define her as much as she defines it.

The Espresso Addict

Diary & multifandom recs

gensplosion!

Entries tagged with defying expectations

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: Of Five Adventures That Occurred During The Reign Of The Raven Barist

Captain America/MCU: Lucky by TamrynEradani

HP: Dudley Dursley and the New Normal, by straydog733.

Star Trek AOS: Under the Shadow of this Red Rock, by fictional-clue

how to train your dragon: blinded by the sun, by akamine_chan

HP: Cho Chang & the Jasmine Code, by xenokattz.

Captain America: The Personal (Assistant) Is Political, by hollimichele.

HP: Neighbours and Friends, by jean_doe_27.

Iron Man-Movies: Chloe Liked Olivia, by marinarusalka.

disney princesses: Four Things that Weren't Adequately Covered in Mulan's R.A. Training by NaomiK

HP: If I Knew You Were Coming, I’d’ve Baked a Cake, by pitry.

Narnia: Mansuetus Gentilis Regina, by tiabolt.

The Espresso Addict