Old and New Project: 6 by what_alchemy

[tinturtle]

Fandoms in this post: Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Captain America (movies), Velvet Goldmine, The Breakfast Club

For this step of my project, I read the two fics by what_alchemy that I had previously collected into my Beloved Collection, followed by four of the author's other works.

The fics I had collected were:

Blame the Trees (Sherlock Holmes; 8,287 words; slash)
Sherlock Holmes was the first fandom in which I read a significant amount of fanfic, and this story was one of my earliest favorites. It is also one of several fics that helped me reevaluate the conflict between my sexuality and my religion. I'm not sure what I find so moving about it. The outline of the story is not an unusual one, and while the dialog is excellent, that is hardly unique. Whatever it is, though, it still has it. I enjoyed it very much.

Inked (The Breakfast Club; 4,561 words; slash)
I have no particular attachment to The Breakfast Club. I probably read this originally simply because what_alchemy wrote it. I might also have been intrigued by the pairing, John Bender/Brian Johnson. It doesn't sound as if it would work, but it does in this fic. I think what particularly speaks to me about this story is its depiction of Brian as an overachiever who fails to live up to expectations. That's an experience I am familiar with, though my reasons were different than his.

The new fics I read were:

Cameo (Sherlock Holmes; 8,323 words; slash)
This fic isn't quite new to me, as I think I did read it years ago. It was fun to revisit, though. It's a soulmate marks AU. I know some people think that trope is hopelessly adolescent, but I have enjoyed quite a few fics that use it. This one is an interesting casefic set in a world with soulmate identifying marks. It doesn't have any Holmesian deductions, but did have some interesting world building that examined how Victorian attitudes might interact with the existence of such marks.

Negative Space (Harry Potter; 1,685 words; other)
In this fic, Petunia Dursley and Severus Snape (who is alive for reasons not explained) meet after the Second War Against Voldemort. They discuss the past, especially Petunia's relationship to Lily. It is an odd and inconclusive fic, but very well written.

Raised by Wolves (Velvet Goldmine; 9,686 words; slash)
I actually went and rewatched Velvet Goldmine, which I had seen twice before, in preparation for reading this fic. I found the movie as mesmerizing as in the past. I loved the music. This fic takes place after the end of the movie's 1980s timeline. Arthur and Curt Wild have become a couple and are living together in New York. I liked this story a lot. The relationship between the two was very sweet, but there were enough of Curt's struggles woven in to keep the fic from being pure fluff. As in Inked, what_alchemy writes very compellingly about addiction.

It's an Adequate Life, Bucky Barnes (Captain America (movies); 10,260 words; slash)
I grew bored of the MCU quite a number of years ago, but I did enjoy Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so I read the odd fic based on those. This one is an It's a Wonderful Life rewrite featuring Bucky Barnes. It was good, and had a somewhat unusual twist on the concept.
Comments with spoilers:

In particular, the angel of the fic basically told Bucky that because he had suffered, other people were spared greater suffering. I suppose almost any application of this trope could be interpreted that way, but I have never before encountered one that articulated that message.

Another Captain America fic by what_alchemy, which I did not read, but which looks very cool, is Steve Rogers Might Wear Tights, but He's Not Your Pin-Up Girl. It is presented as a collection of realistic looking in-universe documents.