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astriiformes · 3 years

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Genfic Reclist!

Hi! So in honor of @genuary-fic-event this year (which is a cool event you also might want to check out!) I decided to put together a list of some of my own favorite gen stories.

It’s multi-fandom, as this is just a collection of stories I have enjoyed reading, and the exact definition of gen might be a little wibbly for some (a couple stories include canon couples, even if none of them focus on romance), but I love coming across good gen stories, and thought this would be a nice way to showcase the work of some writers who have contributed some great work to the body of genfic out there.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of stories I like, but it’s a list of some that have really stuck with me. As a note, I’ve included author’s tumblr handles where I know them (otherwise I have just shared their Ao3 username), but if there’s a writer I was unable to pinpoint one for who wants credit on here, just let me know!

Without further ado, here they are:

Pan Pacific Voices: 10 Years, 5 Interviews by Neotoma

Fandom: Pacific Rim, Words: 7,678

An unconventional style for fic but it’s so good! I adore the conceit, which is that the text is a series of transcripts of interviews with characters for the Library of Congress’ Storycorps project looking at life after the Shatterdome. And the worldbuilding, characterization, and writing are all fantastic. It’s even got art! One of my absolute favorite fics of all-time.

As far as gen goes, two of the interviews are with novelization-canon couples (Hermann and his wife, and Tendo and his), but no new relationships are introduced, and there’s no real romance -- just characters talking about the lives they’ve built together after the war. I would still call it very gen.

No Heroes on the High Seas by @spell-cleaver

Fandom: Star Wars, Words: 74,651

Two words: Pirate AU. Big, multi-chapter, vaguely fantasy, Pirate AU that re-imagines the Original Trilogy with more than a few touches of its own, as well as the inclusion of loads more Rebellion (and some Prequel!) Era characters than the movies. Just a ton of fun conceptually, and really well-done.

The Anakin/Padmé and Han/Leia relationships exist similar to canon, but I would still call this one solidly gen. It feels similar to the movies to me and focuses much more on the familial relationships amongst the characters than anything else.

Only the Nightingale Sings by @mithrilwren

Fandom: Critical Role (Campaign 2), Words: 170,518

We love to see big epic-scale genfic! This one is a canon divergence story where the party go to Rexxentrum immediately after Felderwin and have to deal with So Much Empire Nonsense. It’s pretty dark as a result, but so, so worth it. (And at least has a happy ending!)

This story is very long and wholly gen, and one thing I love about is that as a result, no matter which member of the main party is your favorite, they all have really interesting plots going on, so it’s very worth reading as a fan of any of the characters (and for their relationships with each other!)

With Hope and Without Hope by monica4567

Fandom: Lord of the Rings, Words: 109,969

On the heels of my last rec here’s another “canon divergence that gets very darn dark but oh man is it worth it” story for a different fandom. (Can you tell that’s a type of story I’m into?) The story follows the majority of the Fellowship through an alternate version of The Two Towers in which Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli ended up being captured alongside Merry and Pippin in their efforts to rescue them.

I think this one explores some really interesting ideas and, similar to my last rec, also does a great job of giving significant plots of one kind or another to all the main characters. The Ao3 tags don’t offer too many warnings, so heads up that it includes a fair amount of both physical violence and mindfuckery inflicted on some of the characters, but it does ultimately swing hopeful in a very LotR fashion.

Speak, Friend, and Enter by Thevina

Fandom: Lord of the Rings, Words: 10,865

A story that mingles together two stories, one with Legolas and Gimli in the “present” and one with Celebrimbor and Narvi in the past, just to stir up all the emotions about Elf & Dwarf friendships. It also plays around some with what we know of Tolkien dwarves being very private about gender and makes Narvi a woman, which is an idea I really like.

#augh i feel like i could totally give people more but the mortifying ideal of being known is really getting me on that front #maybe some other time if i get better about bookmarking things myself #either way! i love these stories! you might too!#fic recs

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