'Klaus applauded. No one joined him. No matter. He beamed brightly.
“So. Who wants to kill me?”
His siblings’ horrified faces peered back at him.'
Warning: this post briefly discusses suicide, in relation to the content of the fanfiction discussed.
I love the way fandom creators use source material.
I love their interpretations of both characters and plot points. I love it when they write novel-length fics, and I love it when those novel-length fics are written well.
It's just... breath-taking, isn't it? How characters and stories have their own lives, away from the source material. How the interaction of fan and material can create something new and special.
...Sorry, I'm waxing lyrical over fanfiction again.
But I just love that life it has to it! You gotta have some passion in this world, dearest nerdlets.
When mankind manages to create something as beautiful and yet utterly random - utterly human - as fanfiction...
Well, I have to be all effusive about it from time to time, is all 😅
OK, so this week's fic is a The Umbrella Academy (TUA) novel-length continuation, picking up from the end of series 3.
There's a tonne of SPOILERS in this fic - and more than a few in this post, so consider this your SPOILER warning.
SPOILERS! OK? OK!
This fic picks up after the canon from series 3, and then obv. it's AU from that point.
And I love it.
I love the directions the fic author takes it in, I love the way they've clearly got a handle on the characterisation and the way each character speaks, I love the way they somehow logic all the weird sh** that happens in TUA.
(Not that I don't also love the vague 'just run with it' logic of the show - it's very much how I live my life, but I'm impressed someone was able to think all of this logic-stuff through, tbh.)
(Fandom notes:
Canon is the 'official' stuff from the source material - the TV show or whatever.
AU = Alternate Universe. A Universe that is Alternate, but not a Canon Alternate Universe/Timeline - which I only mention because TUA actually has several of those.)
The basic premise of this fic is that Klaus ends up for-real dying, and then regaining his powers in the Void.
This paints a giant target on his back for Reginald, and it turns out ol' Reggie's been up to some stuff as well (as per usual.)
Powers or no powers, the Umbrella kids (+ some Sparrows, + a very pregnant Lila,) have to keep Klaus safe. Which is nowhere near as easy as it should be with a guy who can literally come back from the dead.
Plus, in typical Hargreeves fashion, all of the family's other sh** keeps bubbling to the surface; oh, and saving the world. Damn, that just keeps following them.
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I love this fic, I love the direction it takes stuff in, and I love the ending (did not see that coming,) but there is a little caveat here -
This fic deals with suicide. A lot. Like a lot. It's a recurring theme/plot device/whatever function it's fulfilling here.
And while it never gets too graphic, and while a lot of it is superpowers-shenanigans-based (and, let's face it, I can see that happening in the actual show - arguably it already has,) it's really present in this fic.
And it does include some details which... I'm not against them, but neither was I expecting them. And if I had written this fic, I probably would've made a few different artistic choices.
I actually think it's done quite well - it's just not the way I would've done it.
I figured a little extra warning wouldn't go amiss, just because the... tone-shift, I guess...? The details...? - Anyway, I figured it might catch some people unawares, even with the author's tags etc.
Always better to be safe than sorry - so yeah, some of the details come in the form of an unexpected tone-shift, OK? OK.
Overall the tone of this fic is like the tone of the show - dark but light.
(I really hope that made sense. 😅)
It also has a pretty damn awesome plot - like I said, creative!
Content Warnings for this fic:
- suicide (BIG warning)
- injury and blood
- murder
- unauthorised medical procedures (I know, right?)
- alochol and drug abuse/addiction
- abduction and imprisonment
- police state
- family issues (b/c TUA)
- PTSD symptoms, including flashbacks
- general mental health problems
- affects of grief and trauma
References to:
- child abuse
- war
...I think that's everything, but like always, I might have missed something so please be careful!
This week's fic, then, is:
Trouble Child by ToriAnne
Do you agree that TUA is 'dark but light'? Or am I making zero sense?
Do you like continuation fics?
Talk to me! 😊💬
Related Reading:
Sharing and commenting is awesomely awesome!
This fic sounds really interesting especially since it picks up after season three. I'd definitely be curious to read and see what the author makes of the finale.
ReplyDeleteI was actually really impressed at how well thought-through it was! :)
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