gensplosion | Entries tagged with origin stories and heroes journeys

FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
FIC LINK: Sisters in Light
AUTHOR LINK:

LittleRaven
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete, 1120 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Kendra Young, Sineya

FIC SUMMARY: Life, death, and life again. Three looks at the Slayer.

RECCER'S NOTES: A wonderfully imaginative world building fic (I received as a part of the

worldbuildingex exchange), full of old myths explaining the origins of the Slayers. It's also a fascinating looks into Kendra's mind and the way analyzes and interacts with what she reads and learns about being a Slayer.

facethestrange

FANDOM: Labyrinth (1986)
FIC LINK: The Labyrinth of Time
AUTHOR LINK:

Serenade
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete, 1568 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sarah Williams

FIC SUMMARY: Life was a series of labyrinths. You had to figure out which path to take.

RECCER'S NOTES: A character meeting their younger self is one of my favorite tropes ever, and this story is such a beautiful example of it. ❤ Adult Sarah meets herself twice and each version of her helps the other versions in different ways. Everything is wonderfully connected and leads to a really touching conclusion.

This fic is a gift I received during the

past_imperfect exchange.

longlivehumour

FANDOM: Red Dwarf
FIC LINK: A Different Kind of Ace
AUTHOR LINK:

RowenaZahnrei
RATING/WARNING(S): G | mild body horror
WIP?/WORD COUNT: WIP (just updated) | 42000+
MAIN CHARACTERS: Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister, the Cat, Kryten, Kristine Kochanski, Frank Rimmer

FIC SUMMARY: Rimmer left Starbug to become someone he liked, but he always hated Ace. Now he feels he's trapped playing a part, a failure in a shiny costume. To become a hero in his own right, Rimmer must face up to his old crew, his family, and his self-loathing...

RECCER'S NOTES: One of my favourite genres of RD fanfiction is the one that addresses the Rimmer-as-Ace issue, because it seems sad somehow that our Rimmer, the neurotic arsewipe we know and love, could simply be subsumed into Generic Space Hero #1598719 (what a guy!) with no trace of the original remaining; and over the years there's been many stories written with different versions of What Happened Next. This one, as the title implies, aims to unite the two personas; its depiction of Rimmer's struggle with / acceptance of the role is excellent, it has a good ear for character voice and the plot moves at a good lick. But beyond all that, it's just... fun. To be read slowly - take a break between chapter and chapter, savour the twists in the road. If you've not read it before you're in for a treat, and if you have you're in for another, because it's just updated and the end is in sight. Go!

Current Mood: bouncy

longlivehumour

Given two W fics for the same fandom, I refuse to choose. Have both, and may they serve you well.

FANDOM: Attack on Titan
FIC LINK: wound deep in your chest, heartless
AUTHOR LINK:

100demons
RATING/WARNING(S): T | swearing, canon-typical violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 4,400
MAIN CHARACTERS: Levi, Hange Zoë, Erwin Smith

FIC SUMMARY: Be good or Levi will carve you up with his knives. Eat your greens or else Levi will come and cut your eyes out while you still breathe.

RECCER'S NOTES: A delightful, believable fic about Levi's early days in the Corps. (It also begins by quoting a Margaret Atwood poem, and how can you go wrong after that?) The language is vivid, precise, and humorous, and Levi and Hange's interactions are a thing of beauty.
Horse shit and sunrises.

FANDOM: Attack on Titan
FIC LINK: We Are The Lost, We Are The Hunters
AUTHOR LINK:

PresquePommes
RATING/WARNING(S): G | Mild spoiler for the first episode of Season 2 (ch. 35)
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2,700
MAIN CHARACTERS: Levi, Sasha Braus

FIC SUMMARY:
"He realizes very quickly that of all people he could have been lost in the forest with, Sasha Braus is, without a doubt, the most preferable."
Because if the 104th was a graduating class, Sasha is the one who'd be voted "Most Likely To Survive Under Extreme Circumstances," and everybody who writes this scenario seems to forget that the extent of Levi's wilderness survival skills is made evident by one simple statement:
"Look at all these big-ass trees."

RECCER'S NOTES: This fic made me crave more Sasha-and-Levi stories. There aren't any, of course, and this is hardly surprising since I'm not sure the two have even spoken in canon, but despite (or perhaps because of) how dissimilar they are, here they come together wonderfully. Sasha's voice in particular is a joy.

thady

FANDOM: Attack the Block
FIC LINK: A Flag That Bears the Name.
AUTHOR LINK:

Chash
RATING/WARNING(S): none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 2,200 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Moses, Pest, Biggz, Sam

FIC SUMMARY: Moses used to think about saving the world. Now that he's done it, he can't go back.

RECCER'S NOTES: This is such a great continuation of the movie. This is how it could have happened. Love the characters here, and how they are still themselves.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: The Flash with Arrow cameos
FIC LINK: Zero-Sum Game
AUTHOR LINK:

Rokesmith
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 67 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Barry Allen, Iris West, Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Joe West

FIC SUMMARY: Three months after the singularity, a wave of impossible robberies strikes Central City, and there is one obvious suspect: the Flash. But as Barry and his friends unite to track down the real culprit, they find themselves facing a dangerous new enemy in a pursuit that may cost them everything.

Post season 1.

RECCER'S NOTES: An epic, plotty imagining of what might have happened after the season one finale. If you spent the summer hoping Iris would finally get to be part of the gang, or wondering what DCU villains might make an appearance, this is the fic to scratch that itch. Plus: friendship and teamwork! So many feels.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe / Captain America / Avengers
FIC LINK: Source Code
AUTHOR LINK:

Closer
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete/10 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov

FIC SUMMARY: Steve finds himself in the unenviable position of having to either prove he's himself or listen to the news media continue to speculate that he's a robot, a clone, or a lunatic.
RECCER'S NOTES: I'm a sucker for stories about fame in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this is a great one as both the public and Steve wrestle with the return of Captain America. As well as the fact that his backstory is, well, kind of unbelievable.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe / Avengers, fusion with His Dark Materials
FIC LINK: Lacuna
AUTHOR LINK:

morpholomeg
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / as in notes
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 29 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Melinda May

FIC SUMMARY:

There were many rumours about the Black Widow, some of which might even have been true. The most reliable of these were presented to Clint in maybe the sketchiest mission briefing he'd ever received, full of words like 'allegedly' and 'probably' and 'although it seems unlikely' which seemed out of place in a SHIELD file. There was only one piece of information that truly surprised him.

"We seriously don't know what her dæmon is, sir?" he asked Coulson.

RECCER'S NOTES: This is definitely my favourite His Dark Materials AU, for how perfectly the daemons are integrated in both characterisation and plot. The author takes advantage of Pullman's worldbuilding to create a believable allegory of normality and disability - but underneath all that is a lovely tale of Natasha, Clint, and how they became friends.

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.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe / Avengers
FIC LINK: The Nine Lives of Natasha Romanoff
AUTHOR LINK:

starrika
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / canon-typical violence and general Red Room themed sketchiness
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 11 700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Phil Coulson

FIC SUMMARY:

She is Nataliya. She is Nathalie. She is Talia. She is Natasza. She is Natasha.

A story of how Natasha Romanoff found herself, with a little help from that annoying American with the bow.

RECCER'S NOTES: Lovely Natasha backstory, a beautiful sketch of how she fought to make herself, and the believable could-have-beens of her origins with SHIELD.

“Clint Barton,” he replied, perfunctorily shaking hands with LeClair. Natasha wondered if he always used Clint. She doubted Barton was his last name, but perhaps it was. The American had done nothing as he was supposed to; it was unexpected and refreshing. She rather hoped he would not be the next on her list, but if he kept turning up like this, the Red Room was bound to notice. The Red Room noticed everything.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Marvel / Captain Britain and MI:13
FIC LINK: Five Times Faiza Hussain Meets a Superhero
AUTHOR LINK:

muccamukk

Muccamukk
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 3700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Faiza Hussain

FIC SUMMARY: What it says on the tin. Featuring characters from Captain Britain, New Excalibur, Wisdom, and Captain Britain and MI:13.

RECCER'S NOTES: Faiza first appeared in the short-lived Captain Britain and MI:13, where the lifelong superhero fangirl turned into an Excablibur-wielding magic user. Working alongside some of her favs Faiza never lost that adorable giddyness, and this is a could-be-canon look at how she got there.

Faiza knows who she is, of course, everyone does. "No thank you, Captain Britain," she says, pleased with how grown up she sounds, even if her voice is high and shaking a little. "I can get back by myself."

Captain Britain's lips purse, and she hovers a little closer. "Are you sure?" she asks. "I can fly you right back to the window. Wouldn't you like to fly?"

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Star Trek TOS
FIC LINK: Expanding the Oecumene
AUTHOR LINK:

AAmuse
RATING/WARNING(S): none / K+
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 48 500 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Spock, Pike, Number One, OCs

FIC SUMMARY: The events taking place during Spock’s final year at Starfleet Academy continue to shape him into the person and officer he will become. A tale about friendship and adventure.

RECCER'S NOTES: A tale of Spock's first, dangerous trip on the Enterprise with mentor-to-be Captain Pike. Plotty character explorations are always great. However it is easy for an author who loves a character (as we all do) to fall into the trap of only exploring the positives, or of doing a little fannish revisionist history. This story of what Spock's Academy days might have looked like never loses sight of the fact that Spock of Vulcan, later saviour of the known world, could also be a bit of a rebellious brat.

The Espresso Addict

Diary & multifandom recs

gensplosion!

Entries tagged with origin stories and heroes journeys

BtVS: Sisters in Light, by LittleRaven

Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of Time, by Serenade

Red Dwarf: A Different Kind of Ace, by Rowena Zahnrei

Attack on Titan: wound deep in your chest, heartless, by 100demons (and one more for luck)

Attack the Block: A Flag That Bears the Name, by Chash.

The Flash: Zero-Sum Game by Rokesmith

MCU/Captain America/Avengers: Source Code by Closer

MCU/Avengers/His Dark Materials: Lacuna by morpholomeg

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

MCU/Avengers: The Nine Lives of Natasha Romanoff by Starrika

Marvel 616, Five Times Faiza Hussain Meets a Superhero , by muccamukk

Star Trek TOS: Expanding the Oecumene, by AAmuse

The Espresso Addict