#my life has come full circle so. back to my beloved url

[earthandsunandmoon]

acrossthisantheap -> earthandsunandmoon

[mia-cooper]

2018 Fanfic Year in Review: October

(Obviously, fictober2018 made it super hard to choose the standout fics from this month, so I’m just going to advise you to read ALL the fictober efforts, and list some additional fine pieces of work published in October that may have got lost among the crowd.)

Shattering Glass (T) | @devoverest | ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 453 words

An alternate reading of the Prologue to Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer.

*Warning: Spoilers if you haven’t read Full Circle*

Chakotay’s pain in this ficlet is palpable and his descent into alcoholism completely believable. And the story makes sense of – or rather, deconstructs the assumptions in – Beyer’s odd narrative decision to depict Mark Johnson as the person who broke the news of Janeway’s death to Chakotay while he waited for her in a restaurant in Venice. Dramatic as that is, it never made sense to me. Mark isn’t Starfleet; why would he be the one to bring the news of one Starfleet officer to another? Now if you can just fix the Bonding Box contrivance and make Isabo’s Shirt readable, devo, I’ll be even further in your debt.

Deal (T) | @muldyfi | ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 1,498 words

'Instinct made her reach out to touch his shoulder, to comfort him, as she had back on the planet – but it was to no avail. No matter how much she willed herself to be able to interact with people she was nothing more than a ghost.'

Oh, how I love the angst, and muldy always delivers. A beautifully tender, heartrending Coda coda (see what I did there?) that resolves nothing but speaks so much, just like the entire J/C relationship. There’s such a delicacy of touch to this story. It leaves me feeling melancholy yet satisfied.

Dearly Beloved (G) | lindsey_grissom | ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 2,063 words

Five times the fates (and the Delta Quadrant) conspired to see Janeway and Chakotay play-pretend, and the one inevitable time it was real.

This fic starts out sprinkled with humour at the Delta quadrant wedding rituals the command team is forced to undergo for supplies, and meanders into angst territory as time, and feelings, march on. Sections 4 are 5 are particularly lovely. And it has a happy ending!

Maquis Heart: The Scars of Hell (T) | @quidblr | ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 4,353 words

… I kinda hated that Year of Hell just disappeared at the end of the episode without any consequences or evidence that it had happened... and I wanted a different ending.

A Year of Hell story! And it’s fantastic: just like the episodes, we get short flashes of life during that timeline, the crew’s bravery and the moments when they break down and shore each other up. The emotion of it is so spare and so strong, and the format is unique. I love that the crew retain the echoes of their experience physically and mentally, and I can’t wait for the next part in this series.

Beginnings (G) | northernexposure | ST:VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 2,283 words

Early in their journey, Chakotay becomes aware of a significant date.

I mean, if northernexposure writes a J/C fic, there’s no possible way it could escape being included on my ‘best of’ list. And this one does not disappoint. As always, it’s the small touches that make this missing-scene moment come alive: things hinted at and barely seen, complications, things half-said. All I can say is, I hope this isn’t the last J/C we see from this writer.

Honourable mention: Second Mesa (E) | @lameraextranjera | ST: VOY | Janeway x Chakotay | 69, 547 words

Chakotay runs a health clinic in rural Arizona. Janeway is sent as the new medical director.

Okay, I admit it – I haven’t read the entire fic yet. But what I have read is thoughtful, meticulously researched and the interactions between Janeway and Chakotay feel authentic. And I’m a sucker for a good modern AU.

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2018 fic year in review: the MiaCooper edition