Fanfic Friday 22/01/21

[suncani]

The challenges for Snowflake made me determined I wanted to pick this back up so here are three fics I've enjoyed reading this week. Please share what you've been reading in the comments!


three teacups, empty (336 words) by twigofwillow
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jiāng Yànlí, Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng, Wēn Qíng
Additional Tags: just the simmering rage of caring about the female characters in CQL, small sharp knives
Summary: Jiang Yanli, Mianmian, and Wen Qing drink tea together in the Cloud Recesses.
"It smells and smoulders like a volcano buried so long and deadly it is just beginning to wonder if it can explode. " - James Tiptree Jr, to Joanna Russ

I still haven't finished The Untamed, but I loved this. It both captures the women's characters really well but also sits outside the story as a testament to the frustration and anger at their fates.

Change (513 words) by j_gabrielle
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020), A Discovery of Witches (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Matthew Clairmont, Diana Bishop/Matthew Clairmont, Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Background Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Characters: Andy | Andromache of Scythia, Matthew Clairmont
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Crossover, No Angst, Established Relationship
Summary: “Andromache.”
Andy allows the smooth syllables of her name to wash over her, feeling the frisson of warm summer nights spent in the company of immortal beings an entire lifetime ago. Just like that, she isn’t standing on a busy street in Oxford on her way to meeting her family where they have bought tickets to an exhibition of previously undiscovered letters from Christopher Marlowe. As she turns to meet the vampire’s gaze head-on, it is easy to know why.

This is not a crossover I'd imagined before, but it works. I want to know how these two met previously and what circumstances brought them together.

ceylon, assam, and darjeeling (20517 words) by Sciosa
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Elias Bouchard/Peter Lukas
Characters: Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood, Sasha James, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Basira Hussain, Melanie King, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Elias Bouchard, Peter Lukas, Annabelle Cane, Jude Perry
Additional Tags: the obsession of beholding, the isolation of the lonely, and the redemptive power of tea, jon being an absolute hot mess from day one, and only getting more dramatically on fire as time passes, jon “haha feelings what no i just like tea /sweats nervously” sims, martin deserving better but being hung up on this weirdo anyway, martin having his own infuriating blind spots, monsters being monsters, people being monsters, monsters being people, the literally mortifying ordeal of being Known, not so much hurt/comfort, as confusion/comfort/hurt/hurt/hurt/comfort, got two layers of lonelyeyes here, bc apparently i just ship beholding and forsaken together idk, the feelings i have about all these monster people simply cannot be borne, i have no doubt that johnny sims is gonna break my heart, i'm just here shouting LET THEM HAVE NICE THINGS into the void, watcher's crown, Canon Typical Weirdness, canon atypical kindness, i started writing this around MAG149 and it just took me this long to get here, so large swathes of this are probably already jossed in ways that haven't occurred to me yet, never written for an incomplete canon before it's kind of wild, Canon Asexual Character, jon's canonical lack of people skills also
Series: Part 1 of ceylon, Part 1 of many worlds interpretation
Summary: People do not bring Jonathon Sims tea. Martin Blackwood, newly-minted archival assistant, has apparently not received this memo.

I'm trash for long TMA fics. I don't have anything else to say.

Comments

6 Old Guard recs

[starwatcher]

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Hi! I'm so happy to see this comm open again. <g> I've been formatting my recs as I read stories I particularly enjoy, so I won't forget. I have a bunch, so today I'll limit it to just six.


Story: A Home (isn’t always the house we live in
By: Castalie
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: General
Warnings: None apply
Pairing(s): Joe/Nicky
Status: Complete
Length: 14,200 words

Author Summary:   Nile learns her away around her new life and her new companions. She is surprised to realise how ‘normal’ they are... except when they're not.

Other: I'm particularly drawn to “early Nile” stories. I think it's because, in that setting we learn more about her, and -- through her eyes -- more about the team. This story is particularly effective about that; it feels like we learn so much about everyone, unwrapping layers to find the treasure within. I especially like her developing insights about balancing the necessities and advantages of immortality. The whole thing is simply delightful.




Story: The Favored Son(s)
By: mutantleech
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None apply
Pairing(s): Nicky/Joe and Nicolò/Yusuf
Status: Complete
Length: 24,200 words

Author Summary:   Crusade!Era Nicolò and Yusuf are transported into the 21st century, and they meet their modern day counterparts.
      Yusuf struggles with the reality that his older self grew up to marry not only a man, but one of the invaders that killed his people.
      Joe can't stand how much of an asshole his past self is, and gets to be protective and coo over twice as many Nicolòs.
      Nicky has the patience of an absolute saint.
      And after two years travelling through the deserts with a man who won't speak to him, Nicolò is a quiet shadow of a person.

Other: Modern Joe & Nicky help early Yusuf & Nicolò come to terms with their shared lifestyle much earlier than happened for the men we know, and it has far-reaching positive effects on the team we know. I'm impressed by the author's fairness with which she treated all four characters, understanding the hate and anger and guilt, and giving everyone a chance to face it, accept it, deal with it, forgive, and come through it all better and stronger.




Story: All This Time, I’ve Been Hiding
By nataliaa
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Choose not to use.
(my insert) Canon levels of violence, to each other and assorted bad guys.
Pairing(s): Yusuf/Nicolò
Status: Complete
Length: 18,200 words

Author Summary:   Yusuf sighs. “Allah forgive me, but I do not want to kill you again,” he says to the Frank. “Please, no more death. It’s enough.” He slowly spreads his arms, palms up, hoping that his meaning will be clear.

Other: This is a slowly-unfolding ‘enemies to friends to lovers’ story, encompassing several years after the fall of Jerusalem, as seen through Yusuf’s eyes. The author has a marvelous eye for details, stitching them together in deepening layers to form a beautiful tapestry. It feels ‘quiet’, and meandering, but is totally absorbing.




Story: you know i dreamed about you (before i saw you)
By: BeeLove
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None apply
Pairing(s): Yusuf/Nicolò
Status: Complete
Length: 20,900 words

Author Summary:   In which Yusuf is a witch, striking out on his own and looking to make his way in the world -- what he finds instead is a very peculiar rabbit, desperately in need of his help. Destiny might have brought them together, for reasons not entirely clear, but Yusuf isn't going to abandon a soul in distress -- especially if he has the ability to do something about it. (And if he happens to fall in love along the way, well... who is he to deny his own heart?)

Other: Mostly just *flails* at the beauty of this story. The author tags it as AU Fantasy; it’s all that and more. (No other phrase fits.) There’s a lovely dreamlike, otherworldly quality as Yusuf finds a new home, then waits for the land and nearby forest to allow and accept his presence. In this Yusuf we see the depths of his soul-caring and life-poetry that the movie hasn’t time to express fully -- and then it ramps up even higher when he finds an injured rabbit, realizes the rabbit is actually a cursed being, and sets out to break the curse and free whoever is trapped. Give yourself time to read this in one go; you won’t want to put it down to finish later.




Story: Dispatches From the Data Stream
By donutsweeper
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: Gen
Warnings: None apply
Pairing(s): Joe/Nicky background
Status: Complete
Length: 875 words

Author Summary:   The news holovids have begun to claim that the tide of war has begun to turn. The reason why might be one of myth and legend.

Other: First impression -- “Wait! Huh? I don’t see any Old Guard in this.” Later -- (in low, drawn-out tones of discovery) “Ohhhh...” Finally -- This story hits me right in the feels, just thinking of our team fighting the good fight for uncounted centuries, as and where they're needed. This outsider POV story packs an amazing punch for its compact length.




Story: The Opposite of Love
By Morvith
Fandom: The Old Guard
Rating: Gen
Warnings: None apply
Pairing(s): Joe/Nicky background
Status: Complete
Length: 5,000 words

Author Summary:   Nicky and Joe always had each other, they are destined to be together. It couldn't possibly be any other way, right? Wrong. The immortals are destined to meet each other, but the relationships they build are entirely up to them. All relationships require work.

Nicky and Joe are in love. Yusuf and Nicolò are most definitely not. Somehow, the four of them have just traded places...

Other: An intriguing -- and unsettling -- glimpse of a universe where Nicolò and Yusuf never even became friends, much less lovers and soulmates. It’s even more unsettling for the pair -- and the not-pair -- to learn how their other selves live. Lots of food for thought as the characters discuss their choices and circumstances; I think this story will haunt me for a while.

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Re: 6 Old Guard recs

[suncani]

*weeps with joy at that many Old Guard fics and swoops them all onto the TBR list.

Hehe well, January is the month of fresh starts and all, glad you remembered :D I love the idea of a fic that really prods the idea of soulmates in such a short amount of words

Re: 6 Old Guard recs

[starwatcher]

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I have this comm tracked, so when a new post goes up, I get a notice by email. When I saw it, I leaped into action. (Figuratively; I'm sitting on my couch.)

Old Guard is wonderful, isn't it? It's the fandom that keeps on giving. But then, any fandom we're interested in does that. I've spent all day reading a Harry Potter AU where the crossover characters are MCU comics-verse... and it's unfinished and likely to stay that way. Hasn't been updated in two years, but it's just so damn intriguing that I can't put it down. I'm waffling about reccing it next time... but it's so innovative and so much fun. I'll probably do so with a bold, unmistakable note that it is incomplete.

Basically... I've discovered that I like reccing, and this is the best place to do so. THANK YOU!
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Re: 6 Old Guard recs

[suncani]

But that's the best kind of action! *grin

ooo yes do! That sounds very fun, and iirc we didn't say anything about it needing to be completed because ofc it's personal preference whether they want to take a chance.

You're welcome, I'm glad you've discovered a new love! <3