I love novel-length fanfiction.
I am forever in awe of the dedication you have to show to something to write a full novel-length fanfic (especially if you're not planning on changing the names and selling it as an original novel like E. L. James 😅)
I gave a list (which you can see here,) about a year ago, of 5 of my favourite novel-length fanfics - and I figured it's time for another one! (Because I read a truly horrifying amount of fanfiction, lol.)
Remember to please check out the orginal rec'ing posts for Content Warnings and SPOILER status.
Some of these fics deal with difficult topics, so def. check the CWs!
I'll leave the link to those original rec. posts when I finish up talking about each fic.
'“How am I supposed to help if you’re off in the land of the God-Complex?”
Loki’s lips thinned, but any glare was lost on Stark who had his back to him.'
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Sharpen Your Teeth by STARSdidathing
Oh boy, oh boy.
This is an amazing FrostIron fic that comes in at over 1000 pages, and over 7 years of the fic author's presumed blood, sweat, and tears. Hopefully more the last two than the first one.
(Fandom notes:
FrostIron is a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Marvel's Tony Stark and Loki. It weirdly works, just trust me on this.)
So, the basic premise here is:
Tony's in his sad place because of an argument with the other Avengers and SHIELD.
Loki pops up in his tower, trying to convince him to Make Nice with the other heroic types on account of Thanos being a thing that will happen, and Loki very much not being in favour of Thanos being a thing that happens.
Tony doesn't want to make nice with his super-buddies - and instead suggests that Loki and he form an alliance, albeit an untrusting, bound-by-magical-contract one.
What follows is so much tropey fake-dating (to own the Homophobes, natch.) enemies-to-friends-to-lovers...
But it doesn't feel stale. Which is awesome.
And it kept my attention for one thousand pages - so that should say something.
'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 section briefly discusses suicide, in relation to the content of the fanfiction discussed.
There's also some SPOILERS, for The Umbrella Academy (TUA) series 3, ok? SPOILERS!
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Trouble Child by ToriAnne
This super-creative fic picks up after the canon from series 3, and then obv. it's AU from that point.
The basic premise of this fic is that Klaus ends up for-real dying, and then regaining his powers in the Void.
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.
It takes things in really interesting directions - and I just love it.
(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.)
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.
So please be aware of that.
'Maybe it’s the last many months catching up with him, or the fractured ribs, or the way Sam watches him like a damn hawk. Maybe it’s a peace offering. Maybe he’s trying to get Sam to let his guard down. Hard to tell, with a hundred year old assassin.'
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Never A Believer by LivingProof
This is based on - what else? - The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS).
It involves mission fic-ness, novel-length (150ish pages,) superhero shenanigans, and enough angst to keep my goblin emo spaghetti brain from protesting too much.
(Fandom notes:
A mission fic is a piece of fanfiction that's based around an episodic-style storyline - not dissimilar to a monster-of-the-week/murder-of-the-week style vibe.
They're usually (but not always) written about fandoms which involve a lot of action/adventure hijinks - especially if they contain characters who are in the military, or are military-adjacent.)
So, this is set after the TFATWS series, and involves Bucky being threatened by shady government people that his pardon could go bye-bye if he doesn't help them clean up a seriously shady mess.
They add in a fair amount of emotional manipulation, and before Sam knows it, Buck's in the wind, and he has to chase his cyborg butt around the USA.
(The author also manages to fit in some road-trip-style shenanigans, which are much appreciated.)
This is well-written, and not afraid to confdently play around with the PoV (points of view.)
...Which means I love it, obviously. I am but a simple fangirl, after all 😘
'Ed feels something in his chest, something resembling fondness. He doesn’t know why, he doesn’t even know this guy’s name. And yet, Ed had spent the better part of the last few days thinking of the rich man crying in the rage room, making up stories in his head to justify his presence, his anger, his sadness.'
This is an Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fic - but! Before we get there! The UK has no air date for series 2 as of yet, so please no SPOILERS! Thank you!
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The Art of (Smashing) Crockery by PhantomEllie
The basic schtick here is a modern AU where Ed runs a 'rage room' where people pay to break stuff for a set period of time - let off some steam, team bonding time, whatever.
It is - and this is genius, I love it - named Blackbeard's Breakery.
Anywho, one day this really rich-looking dude comes in - not the sort of dude that Ed is used to seeing.
And... there's something about him OK? His weird just seems to chime with Ed's weird.
But... he's just so sad.
Stede Bonnet is dealing with... a lot.
But... he's OK, right? He just needs... something.
So he wanders into Blackbeard's one day. And then another day. And another day...
Argh, the angst in this one is so good!
My emo spaghetti goblin brain was swimming in it!
Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of sweetness and light and bright vibrant flashes of hope in there but... argh! The angst!
Look, I read Angsty fanfiction as self-care.
I know a lot of people won't understand that, because they haven't been there.
But it works for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only nerd out there whose emo goblin spaghetti brain howls for some sweet, sweet, angst.
'His captain just looked sad, like he'd failed Izzy in some way.'
This is another OFMD fic, so, remember, the UK has no air date for series 2 as of yet, so please no SPOILERS.
Izzy Hands is being haunted.
Izzy knows - and Buttons, weirdly, knows - that there's something not... quite... human... aboard the Revenge. Maybe it was once, but now? Now it's pretty effing dangerous.
The horror is proper-tense, the plot is unexpected, the characterisation is complex, and it's novel-length.
...Marry me, fic, we'll be so happy together! (Lol.)
Have you read any of these?
Are you a fan of novel-length fics?
Talk to me! 😎💬
Previous Friday Fics Fix Posts:
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I didn't know the UK doesn't have OFMD yet! I mean I haven't watched season two yet anyways, but it should be out at the same time!
ReplyDeleteNope, nothing yet. Screening/streaming rights and contracts and all that take different times in different countries - sometimes we get movies at different times too, but that's less common lately.
DeleteIt always surprises me how much people in the US & Canada, US in particular, are unaware of this - really annoying with the spoilers, sometimes, when people are talking about things we're not gonna get for months, or people are talking about mid-series stuff when we're three or four weeks behind or whatever. *sigh*