inkie

Fandom: Neuromancer | Sprawl Trilogy - William Gibson
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Sally Shears | Molly Millions & Yanaka Kumiko
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 1,225
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply (but a character’s dark backstory is hinted at.)
Creator Tags: Cyberpunk, razor girl, Friendship, Mentors, Mentor & Protégé, Yakuza, Missing Scene, Female Friendship, Backstory, Fanon
Creator Links: (AO3)

LizzyChrome; (BlueSky):

lizzychrome; (DeviantArt)

lizzychrome; (Facebook)

LizzyChrome; (Instagram)

lizzy_chrome
Theme: Female Relationships, Backstory, Book Fandoms, Female Friendship, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Older Characters, Worldbuilding

Summary: How do Molly's claws and lenses actually work? Kumiko pries. (Missing scene from "Mona Lisa Overdrive.")

Author’s Notes: If you havne't read MLO yet, I won't spoil anything. I'll just set the scene, without giving anyway any important story elements: Molly is now middle-aged, goes by "Sally Shears," and is working as a body guard for a Japanese girl named Kumiko.

I do not own "Mona Lisa Overdrive."

This oldie was written probably over ten years ago. I originally posted it to Fanfiction.net, then took it down, feeling it was pointless. But in light of the new "Neuromancer" show coming out, I want to preserve this little ficlet, to see how my fanon explanation for how Molly's claws work compares to what (if anything) the show gives us regarding that explanation. After a quick re-read, I decided that no edit was needed. What you see here is what I originally posted ten or eleven years ago.

Reccer's Notes: This vignette expands upon an exchange in Mona Lisa Overdrive between aging cyborg mercenary Sally Shears (AKA Molly Millions, Cat Mother, Steppin’ Razor, Rose Kolodny, and Misty Steele—this lady’s got more names than a Wuxia hero) and her charge Yanaka Kumiko; Sally confides measured bits of her backstory to the crushstruck Kumiko, including stripping to bare a torso-long scar (from a near-fatal cagefighting injury, kept “to remind her of being stupid.”)

It’s a precious moment of trust, an elusive commodity in both women’s lives; LizzyChrome elaborates upon this to let Sally hold forth on how her prosthetics work—a question that Gibson chose to bury under Rule of Cool, and that’s challenged two generations’ worth of illustrators and cosplayers.

With the upcoming Neuromancer series on Apple+TV, Molly finally leaves the roster of visually iconic SFF characters not yet defined in the popular imagination by a screen adaptation (1). The Molly in my head admittedly didn’t resemble Briana Middleton, but I look forward to seeing her interpretation of the role (as well as how faithful to the spirit of the book the script gets to be, now that Hollywood has gotten their hands on

(A) a Beloved Property™,

(B) whose cyberpunk dystopia is feeling uncomfortably real in a number of respects—thanks in no small part to megacorporations like Apple.)

(1) Gully Foyle from The Stars My Destination and Elric of Melniboné also come to mind.

Fanwork Links: Shears, by

LizzyChrome.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: (attraction only) Teyla Emmagan/Sora, Teyla Emmagan/Elizabeth Weir, Laura Cadman/Teyla Emmagan, Teyla Emmagan/Kate Heightmeyer, Sam Carter/Teyla Emmagan
Rating: G
Length: 2928
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: tielan on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Female characters, Friendship, Ambiguous relationships

Summary: Desire is a fine line. Five women in Pegasus walk it with care.

Reccer's Notes: This is a well-written exploration of how five women on the Atlantis expedition or elsewhere in Pegasus feel about Teyla. As a twist on the title, they all do or did want Teyla, even if they can't pursue that attraction for a number of reasons. It's also unclear if Teyla reciprocates any of their feelings. Excellent character pieces that ring true.

Fanwork Links: Five Women Who Never Wanted Teyla Emmagan

sinesofinsanity posting in

fancake

Fandom: DC, technically the Justice League (2017) movie, but can reasonably fit with most DC timelines
Pairings/Characters: Martha Kent, Atlanna
Rating: T
Length: 2,909 words
Creator Links: susiecarter
Theme: Female Relationships, Female Friendship, Gen, Minor Characters, Superpowers

Summary: There's a very unusual woman on the train, when Martha boards just outside Metropolis.

Reccer's Notes: I love depictions of Martha Kent where she is no-nonsense and kind, but ultimately human. She is out of her depth in the superhero shenanigans but perfectly suited to handle any and all human things before and after. I love how she immediately clocks Atlanna as "strange and possibly dangerous" and so decides to strike up a conversation. It's lovely to see these two women bond over their sons even before they really know who each other is. Also Alfred cameos at the end which is always fun.

Fanwork Links: not far from the apples on AO3

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Deadloch
Characters/Pairings: Eddie Redcliffe/Dulcie Collins
Rating: Teen
Length: 2518
Content Notes: Internalised homophobia, unreliable narrator, political correctness and Eddie aren't even in the same universe
Creator Links: pintpotjudas on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Backstory, Ambiguous relationships

Summary: Just Eddie, musing on hair. And lesbians. And herself, a bit. (She's meant to be thinking about the case.)
Set in a lull (???) in episode five, or thereabouts.

Reccer's Notes: The detective partnership of Eddie and Dulcie is central to Deadloch, and it's "enemies to friends" in canon, but with a tantalising hint of maybe-polyamory at the very end of the show. In this story, Eddie thinks about lesbians in general (Deadloch's full of lesbians), her odd fascination with Dulcie's long, thick, hair, and remembers a female friendship from her teens. It's a believable character study where we understand a bit more about Eddie and see the beginnings of her attraction to Dulcie, even if Eddie's still mostly in denial. Interesting, and well written, with great characterisation and Eddie's usual hilarious and colourful turns of phrase.

Fanwork Links: Horsehair

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

Poll #33259 round 176 theme poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 110

Pick the next theme of fancake:

Books & Writing
31 (28.2%)

Protest & Revolt
32 (29.1%)

Working Together
47 (42.7%)

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America, The Avengers
Characters/Pairings: Natasha Romanov/Maria Hill, James 'Bucky' Barnes/Steve Rogers, James 'Bucky' Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Nick Fury, Phil Coulsen, various MCU characters
Rating: Mature
Length: 04:21:03 (41,322 words)
Content Notes: Graphic depictions of violence, abuse of children by the Red Room, recollection of past pet death
Creator Links: Quietnight on the Audiofic Archive, Quietnight on AO3, notcaycepollard on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Families of choice, Time travel, Fix-it

Summary: The fall is longer than Natasha expects.

It’s tears cold on her face, teeth bitten all the way through her lip and the taste of copper in her mouth; she’s falling and falling and then, bracing for impact—she wakes up.

Reccer's Notes: This is one of my favourite podfics by one of my favourite podficcers, and it's a tour de force. It's a long story by notcaycepollard that puts right Natasha's death with the soul stone - instead of dying she's sent back in time to the moment in her Red Room training she most regrets, and from that moment lives her life anew and, with her knowledge of the first time around, is able to fix the worst, most tragic disasters and losses of canon. It starts with Natasha rescuing her sister trainee black widows from the Red Room, plus Bucky the Winter Soldier who's there as well. There's a lovely, slow-burn relationship with Maria Hill in the story, but the key relationships for Natasha are with her sisters, aged from a four-year-old to teenagers when they escape, and the podfic's centre is the found family they create. The fix-it aspects are enormously satisfying and Quietnight's reading is, as ever, nuanced and fluent, beautifully performed - including all the Russian names and words, and a pleasure to listen to. An epic story and a wonderful podfic, stirring and heartwarming, and infinitely better than canon.

Fanwork Links: when i die i’ll sacrifice (more than enough for the afterlife) on the Audiofic Archive, and on AO3
(the fic is the first in a series of three stories)

garryowen posting in

fancake

Fandom: Star Trek AOS (Reboot)
Pairings/Characters: Nyota Uhura
Rating: G
Length: 1866 words
Creator Links:

danahid
Theme: Female relationships

Summary:

I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map.

There are rules of diplomacy that you have been trained to follow. There are realities that you have been educated to expect. You are poised and dedicated and intelligent and professional, and there are horrors in the universe that you don’t want your sisters to know. There are false maps to terrible places that you don’t want your sisters to follow. You know that you can’t protect them from everything, but this you can protect them from for a little while longer.

Reccer's Notes: I am partial to stories that explore why people join Starfleet, and this is an excellent example. While the story talks about Uhura's motivations, it also explores her relationship with her younger sisters. She is both inspiration and protector to them, and she's very aware of her role.

This story takes on both the promise and sacrifice of going beyond traditional roles. Yes, Uhura accomplishes so much, but those accomplishments come at a cost, a cost she doesn't want her sisters to know about because she wants them to find their own way.

Danahid's writing is always exact and meticulous and beautiful, and this story is no exception. There's so much in these 1800 words, including a beautiful ending.

Fanwork Links: How to Write Letters Home to Your Sisters

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: Gen. Teyla Emmagan & Sam Carter, Evan Lorne
Rating: Teen
Length: 8824
Content Notes: canon-typical violence, minor character death
Creator Links: Rachel500 on AO3, ArwenLune on AO3, ArwenLune on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Friendship, Women being awesome

Summary: When a diplomatic mission is interrupted by the Wraith, Sam and Teyla wrestle their personal demons to work together and find a way back to Atlantis.

Reccer's Notes:
This is set soon after Sam Carter comes to Atlantis to replace Elizabeth, and both she and Teyla initially grapple with her new role. Teyla, unlike John and Rodney, had no prior knowledge of Sam Carter and can't help missing Elizabeth and not fully trusting Carter. Then a mission goes badly wrong and they're thrown together, and have to find a way through their feelings as they deal with the dangerous situation. It's a gripping read with interesting character explorations and a satisfying ending. There's also a podfic version, excellently read by ArwenLune.

Fanwork Links: Walk Beside Me on AO3
And the Podfic, read by ArwenLune

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Fixing a Flat (Norman Rockwell illustration)
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda; three Norman Rockwell characters, two female and one male.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,356
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, women solving their own problems
Creator Tags: magazine illustrations, Norman Rockwell - Freeform, Fluff, Plot
Creator Links: (AO3)

moon_custafer; (DeviantArt)

mooncustafer; (Dreamwidth)

moon_custafer; (Instagram)

mooncustafer; (LiveJournal)

moon_custafer; (Tumblr)

mooncustafer
Theme: Female Relationships, Crossovers/Fusions, Female Friendship, Gen, Heists & Capers, Old Fandoms, Small Fandoms, Stranded

Summary: Hilda’s fishing trip is struck by rain and then by two new acquaintances in need of assistance.

Author’s Notes: For moonlight69.

I needed to introduce a few additional characters to Hilda’s mainly single-panel world, so I did a mash-up with Norman Rockwell’s “Fixing a Flat.” Think of it as the Illustrationverse.

Reccer's Notes: A rec posted in honor of the U.S. Full Strawberry Moon, for reasons that will be apparent in the fic.

Moon Custafer constructs a story from several Hilda panels (plus a special guest Norman Rockwell work), in which Duane Bryers’ zaftig hillbilly wood nymph comes to the aid of two travelers stranded in the boondocks—a predicament complicated by a less friendly local. (A temporary problem-solving alliance (particularly against a common enemy) can count as a relationship, right?)

Hilda as portrayed in Bryers’ artworks seems to embrace solitude, and the scant fanfic I’ve seen doesn’t tend to show her interacting face-to-face with much of anyone but her animal friends and the odd Authorial Proxy; it’s fun to watch her socializing, and to see her given family, friends, enemies, and a history. (As well as actual clothing that she presumably wears now and then to pick up her crackers, trashy novels, and repurposable-as-clothing floursacks.)

Fanwork Links: Fixing a Flat by

moon_custafer for

moonlight69, for Yuletide 2018.

Neuromancer; Sprawl Trilogy (William Gibson): Shears, by LizzyChrome.

SGA: Five Women Who Never Wanted Teyla Emmagan by tielan

DCU: not far from the apples by susiecarter

Deadloch: Horsehair by pint pot Judas

Theme Reminder: Female Relationships

Round 176 Theme Poll

MCU: when i die i’ll sacrifice (more than enough for the afterlife) - podfic by Quietnight

Star Trek AOS: How to Write Letters Home to Your Sisters by Danahid

SGA: Walk Beside Me by Rachel500

Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Norman Rockwell: Fixing a Flat, by moon_custafer.

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