gensplosion | Entries tagged with world building

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: Firefly (+ Serenity) / Buffy the Vampire Slayer
FIC LINK: A Friend to the Spirit
AUTHOR LINK:

ChronicBookworm
RATING/WARNING(S): T
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete, 3190 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: River Tam, Buffy Summers

FIC SUMMARY: In her dreams, there was an angel, like in legends from Earth-that-Was, with blonde hair and a kind smile, and River knew that this angel meant her well; that she was here to protect her; that she was River’s sister.

RECCER'S NOTES: The entire idea of this story is such a fantastic way to make this crossover work - there are some brilliant reveals that I'm not going to spoil. It's a relatively dark fic (it deals with River's past abuse and current trauma) but ultimately it's full of hope. I love how elements from both canons and all the characters ring 100% true, which means that it can go from poignant to humorous and back again, often in the same paragraph, just like the source material does. Other than the central, touching relationship between Buffy and River, my favorite part of this story are quips between Buffy and Mal.

It's another exchange gift I got, this time at

x_ship. :)

facethestrange

FANDOM: Star Trek: Voyager
FIC LINK: Access Records
AUTHOR LINK:

openended
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete, 1008 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Naomi Wildman, Seven of Nine, Kathryn Janeway, B'Elanna Torres

FIC SUMMARY: Holodeck Access Records (Weekly History) - Wildman, Naomi

RECCER'S NOTES: One of my favorite things about Naomi is that, even though she's a kid, she gets to do her own thing and explore everything she's interested in, even if it could be considered "too mature for her age". And this fic is full of this freedom of playing, learning, researching, creating, making friends, making mistakes... It's perfect. I'm also in awe of the Author's creativity when coming up with all the different holodeck programs. And it's one of the cutest fics I've ever read in my life (and I'm not saying it just because I got it as a gift at

space_swap). ♥

doranwen

FANDOM: Worldweavers / Push
FIC LINK: Tangled Strands
AUTHOR LINK: Morbane
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1562
MAIN CHARACTERS: Thea Winthrop, Cassie Holmes, Nick Gant

FIC SUMMARY: Thea presses enter - and arrives somewhere unexpected.

RECCER'S NOTES: This was a gift for me a few years ago in Night On Fic Mountain (a fic exchange for rare fandoms), and I was absolutely delighted to receive a gen fic that crossed two of my favorite fandoms with attention to detail, logical interaction, and worldbuilding. A fan of either fandom would find this an interesting read (but you'll probably get more out of it if you know the awesome Worldweavers books by Alma Alexander).

thady

FANDOM: THE LORD OF THE RINGS
FIC LINK: The Master and the King.
AUTHOR LINK:

rhymer23
RATING/WARNING(S): G | none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 6,400 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Merry Brandybuck, Éomer

FIC SUMMARY: Meriadoc the Magnificent is a popular figure of folklore, but how many of the stories are true? What, for example, is to be made of the claim that he regularly corresponded with a king? After centuries of bitter debate, at last these questions can be answered. Thanks to an extraordinary discovery, Meriadoc and his king can speak to us in their own voices, clear across the gulf of years.

RECCER'S NOTES: I love the historical style of this, how a historian looks back on the start of the fourth age. Reading The Lord of the Rings everything feels immediate, but I often wonder how it would look like centuries later.
I love how Merry and Éomer's friendship shines through in their letters. I love the glimpses we see of them.

merryghoul

FANDOM: The Americans (TV)
FIC LINK: One day in the life
AUTHOR LINK:

gorseflower
RATING/WARNING(S): Not Rated/Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
WIP?/WORD COUNT: No/2630
MAIN CHARACTERS: Elizabeth Jennings, Elizabeth's Mother

FIC SUMMARY: Nadya's mother is sick, her classmates lack revolutionary commitment and the Communist future is still far from being built. But she struggles on.

RECCER'S NOTES: A glimpse at Elizabeth's life before she was a spy back in Russia, and how crapsack her life could have been at that time with an ailing mother, an awful neighbor, and no time to spend time as a child. (Although the fic is a pre-season fic, there is information revealed from the latest season of the show.)

merryghoul

FANDOM: Duel after a Masquerade Ball - Jean-Léon Gérôme (painting)
FIC LINK: L'Abécédaire d'un duel
AUTHOR LINK:

MmeBahorel
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: No/7002
MAIN CHARACTERS: Original characters inspired by the painting named above.

FIC SUMMARY:

Critic Edmond About suggested, "At forty years old, before one steps on the dueling ground, one might forget to make his will, to write to his wife, or to provide for his son's future, but one doesn't forget to put on real pants."

But About forgets the history that takes an affair from a general insult to blighted honour. Each participant, from beginning to end, lends his past to the careering force of history.

RECCER'S NOTES:

MmeBahorel did an amazing job for this Yuletide fic; it's filled with meticulous research that tells the story of what lead up to the duel in the painting.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter, Real Person Fiction, Disney RPF, The Perfect American
FIC LINK: Nineteen Sixty-Six.
AUTHOR LINK:

PurpleFluffyCat
RATING/WARNING(S): G | none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 4,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Albus Dumbledore & Walt Disney

FIC SUMMARY: Albus likes Disney films. He decides to meet their creator.

RECCER'S NOTES: This is poignat and heartbreaking and sweet. Love their interactions, and how Walt Disney reacts to the wizarding world. Love the celebrations of two kinds of magic.

redsnake05

FANDOM: Chronicles of Narnia
FIC LINK: White Lady of the Eastern Sea
AUTHOR LINK:

edenfalling
RATING/WARNING(S): G/no warnings apply
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1722
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jadis, OFC

FIC SUMMARY: In the third year of her conquest, Jadis locked Aslan out of Narnia and plunged that country into endless winter. But there are other powers in the world, and not all of them are pleased at the sudden changes.

RECCER'S NOTES: I received this in the recent Narnia Fic Exchange. However, I'm not biased when recommending this. Jadis is fascinating: driven, violent, vindictive, and the way this fic looks at how she bent the magic of the land to her will is excellent.

thady

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe
FIC LINK: Closing the Circuit.
AUTHOR LINK:

AlchemyAlice
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: novelette | ~ 14,500 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: team, ensemble

FIC SUMMARY: SHIELD's down, Captain America's AWOL, and on the whole, things are kind of FUBAR. On the other hand, Tony might have some semblance of a plan.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This was a great and believable story, about team-building and beginning friendships. The characterization was spot-on for me, and the interactions between the characters build from this.

The plot is paced well, and I like how all the strands come together.

starwatcher

.
FANDOM: NCIS
FIC LINK: Cape Fear
AUTHOR LINK:

Emerald1
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen and Up / No warnings
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete / approx. 55,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: McGee, Gibbs, Hetty

FIC SUMMARY: Humans fear what they do not understand. A member of Team Gibbs faces that fear when he discovers the truth about himself. Angst and humor in equal parts in this study of what it means to be human, and what it means when others question your humanity.

RECCER'S NOTES: The summary doesn't do this story justice; I was blown away with the story and the world-building behind it. Because of a past incident (explained in the story; I won't spoil it), Superheros are tightly controlled and restricted by the government. When one of the team -- who never knew his heritage -- develops powers, the changes not only affect him, but also affect his team, the LA team, and eventually the government and the world.

The author makes note that the story developed from a plot-bunny because of a resemblance between Hetty (NCIS:LA) and Edna (The Incredibles). I have never seen The Incredibles, or any superhero film; I have no idea if the other Superheros who make appearances are characters original to the author, or based on some other source. It doesn't matter; the story is well-thought-out and engaging without any background knowledge. I particularly enjoyed how the whole NCIS teams rallies round to support their newly-"superfied" friend, both physically and emotionally, as he develops his new abilities. The addition of a mystery to solve -- how did Superheros go from "admired" to "despised and feared"? -- and finding the answers makes this a thoroughly good read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Mods: My apologies. I tried 3 times to make the name-link properly in HTML, and it's just not working.

Edited to fix username link. Thanks to Espresso_Addict for the help.
.

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Blake’s 7
FIC LINK: On the Far Shore
AUTHOR LINK:

Clocketpatch
RATING/WARNING(S): PG | References to death, the afterlife, spoilers
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4126
MAIN CHARACTERS: Oleg Gan, Zen, Slave, Jenna Stannis, Cally, Vila Restal, Roj Blake, Del Tarrant, Dayna Mellanby, Soolin, Servalan

FIC SUMMARY: Nothing is needed but good company

RECCER'S NOTES: This is a hauntingly unusual and beautiful post-series fic (so, if you don't know B7, beware, spoilers ahoy). The evocative descriptions of the setting, the way it slowly unfolds as to what this is, and the author’s characterisations, particularly of Zen and Slave in unfamiliar forms is wonderful. It does have some brief mentions of two marriages, but that’s not the focus of the fic at all, and it really is too good to omit.

thady

FANDOM: Protector of the Small
FIC LINK: the things you carry.
AUTHOR LINK:

dirgewithoutmusic
RATING/WARNING(S): PG | ( content notes )
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 6,300 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Keladry of Mindelan; ensemble

FIC SUMMARY: After Kel breaks orders and invades Scanra to rescue her Haven civilians in Lady Knight, she is found guilty of treason in wartime.
She escapes with the help of friends and does the only thing Kel could ever conceive of doing in that instance-- she keeps fighting Tortall's war.
This is Kel, however; she is always willing to fight her battles alone, but people will always rise up to fight alongside her.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is beautiful. I love the use of the language, descriptive and evocative. It captures the characters with few words, but they shine brightly.
Love Keladry here, never givin up. Learning and growing, and just so awesome.

thady

FANDOM: Torchwood
FIC LINK: The Face of God (or, Ianto Hears a Who)
AUTHOR LINK:

alex51324
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: oine-shot | ~ 2,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ianto Jones, team

FIC SUMMARY: "An entire intelligent civilization in a jam jar--It appears to be perfectly safe in there."

RECCER'S NOTES:

Oh, absolutely gorgeous. It's a fascinating story, and an interesting view on Ianto and on the possibilities of life. It reminds more of Doctor Who than of Torchwood but that isn't a bad thing. My ultimate non-schmoopy feel-good story of Torchwood.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Though I Speak With the Tongues of Men and Angels.
AUTHOR LINK:

lls_mutant |

lls_mutant
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 6,130 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sirius Black

FIC SUMMARY: Sirius has always been a strong person, but what's the force that makes someone strong?

RECCER'S NOTES:

While there might be religious tones to Harry Potter there are no overt religious scenes. The author manages to weave christian faith and religion into their story. When I first came upon this story, I was surprised how neatly it fit into canon.

I believe in this Sirius here. His faith (and his struggles with it) is never preachy or heavy handed. It is but a part of him.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Star Trek TOS
FIC LINK: Equilibrium
AUTHOR LINK:

PSW
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / adult themes (prison camps, riots, etc)
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 158 700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Leonard McCoy, Spock, James T Kirk, OCs

FIC SUMMARY: McCoy's transport is destroyed in what is thought to be an accidental containment field explosion. No major character deaths.

RECCER'S NOTES: I try to always be honest about who a rec is meant for, so I will admit that if you feel like there is never a reason for a story to be over 100 000 words? This is not the fic that is going to change your mind. If, on the other hand, you love a good rollicking space adventure? Vulcans, Romulans, intergalactic politics, daring escapes, and the crew of the Enterprise being good at what they're good at? Then this is the fic for you. Fascinating examination of some of the Big Themes that come with Roddenberry's take on space exploration, and lovely characterisation of the classic triumvirate.

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.

ozqueen

FANDOM: The Incredibles
FIC LINK: The Greater Good
AUTHOR LINK:

dudski
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete | 2425
MAIN CHARACTERS: Helen "Elastigirl" Parr, Bob "Mr. Incredible" Parr, Dash Parr, Violet Parr

FIC SUMMARY: God must have one hell of a sense of humor, her mother says, to give the gift of elasticity to someone so stubborn.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is completely beautiful and heart-wrenching in all the right ways. It's such a great exploration of the rules and boundaries of the Superhero World; what having to hide their powers was like. I love fics that build up beautiful details of a fictional world in such a subtle and clever way.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Dudley Dursley and the New Normal (fanfiction.net) | Dudley Dursley and the New Normal (dreamwidth)
AUTHOR LINK:

alikat522 |

straydog733
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13/R ( warnings under this cut )
WIP?/WORD COUNT: novel | ~ 53,200 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Dudley Dursley; canon character, 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 is a wonderful character and plot driven story. Both character development and plot and finely balanced and complement each other. Love all the supporting characters too.

thady

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Raven's Honour (at AO3: Raven's Honour)
AUTHOR LINK:

kellychambliss |

kellychambliss
RATING/WARNING(S): PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 10,800 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Minerva McGonagall, Rolanda Hooch, Pomona Sprout, OFC; assorted HP-Universe cameos

FIC SUMMARY: From the prompt: "In the 1920s, three close friends open a school for girls in the Scottish Highlands. Non-magical AU."

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is a wonderful charming story of friendship and growing up. I really love the OFC here, from whose point we see the other characters. They are all so very well thought up and fleshed out.

The tone is just right, and it fits so well the time and place.

The Espresso Addict

Diary & multifandom recs

gensplosion!

Entries tagged with world building

BtVS: Sisters in Light, by LittleRaven

Firefly/BtVS: A Friend to the Spirit, by ChronicBookworm

Star Trek: Voyager: Access Records, by openended

Worldweavers & Push: Tangled Strands, by Morbane

Lord of the Rings: The Master and the King, by rhymer23.

One day in the life by gorseflower

L'Abécédaire d'un duel by MmeBahorel

Harry Potter: Nineteen Sixty-Six, by purplefluffycat.

Narnia: White Lady of the Eastern Sea

MCU: Closing the Circuit, by AlchemyAlice.

NCIS / NCIS:LA / Incredibles(?): Cape Fear, by Emerald1

Blake's 7: On the Far Shore by Clocketpatch

Protector of the Small: the things you carry, by dirgewithoutmusic.

TW: The Face of God (or, Ianto Hears a Who), by alex51324.

HP: Though I Speak With the Tongues of Men and Angels, by lls_mutant.

Star Trek TOS: Equilibrium, by PSW

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

the incredibles: the greatest good, by dudski

HP: Dudley Dursley and the New Normal , by alikat522.

HP: Raven's Honour, by kellychambliss.

The Espresso Addict