@gorgeousundertow Nikki, writer, analyzes every form of eye contact
@z-ppy Zoe, writer, brad has two hands
Tagging System:
We'll tag by length, fandom, pairing, and which of us reviewed it. Every so often, one of us will read the same fic and want to chime in, so you'll get a variety of viewpoints...
We'll also give an extra shoutout to our VERY FAVORITE FICS BECAUSE WE LOVE THEM AND THEY ARE AMAZING AND BELOVED AND SHOULD BE READ BY ALL AND SUNDRY
Also, now and again we'll post a review of a non-HBOwar fic (gasp!), so Nikki and Bel can talk about Tom Hardy we can remember other fandoms exist, but don't worry, this will still be very soldiers-in-love.
And yes, we take recs! If you'd like us to review your fic or anyone else's, please send it to us in our inbox, with a link to either AO3 or Tumblr, along with why you think we should read it. We can't promise we'll get to it right away (and we reserve the right to not review any fic, without giving a reason) but we're always interested in reading what's out there!
-The Correspondents
*except OC fics. We don't read those. We're so sorry.
I'd love it if you're able to read and review my two ongoing HBO War fics. Honeysuckle Rose (James Douglass x OC) and It's Been A Long, Long Time (Harry Crosby x Jean Crosby)
I really feel as if I've brought something different with both. My oc, Olive in Honeysuckle Rose is a time traveler from 2021. I couldn't imagine our Croz with anyone else but Jean, so she is only the same in name, with differing fun events while she waits for her Bing to return home. Both fics tie in with my friend's (@blakelysco-pilot) who is also sending in theirs.
Both of my fics can be found by clicking here. I really hope you love them and I hope to hear from you soon :)
Winnie <3
This is so sweet of you to reach out, but we're not really reviewing fics anymore! We'll put you on the list if that ever changes, though <3
First of all, sorry it's been a minute since our last review! But thank you, dear Anon, because I've been meaning to read this for forever and your (long ago) request made me sit down at my laptop and do it.
fandom: Generation Kill
pairing: bradnate
explicit, idk how many words, but it's a goodly length
Readers, do you enjoy zombies? I do. I love a zombie, because there are stakes and destruction, but also because the whole world shifts. It's the end of everything, it's an emotional, physical apocalypse.
Nate and Bravo II are alone in Iraq for the apocalypse, and they deal with it as well as they can. They shoot the remains of Encino Man that crawls after them, they take out some of their own (I won't tell you who because spoilers, but it's heartwrenching in every possible way).
If you like zombies because they're fun, this may not be the fic for you. It isn't remotely fun; it's brutal and honest and harsh. It is an unflinching look at what this would really be like, what its many flavors of apocalypse would do to you. Is it apocalyptic to love someone you brought into the desert to die? To love someone you know you have to kill?
(It's not that bad. But you know. It's bad.)
“Home, sweet home,” Ray says when he ducks into the hut Nate’s in. “At least until we all get eaten. Shit. Those bitches in Dawn of the Dead got to live the high life in a mall. We’re stuck in a fucking Haji hamlet, shit.”
“Have a little faith, Ray.”
Ray holds his hands up, palms exposed. “LT, I know what I know. And I know zombie movies. It hardly ever works out, at least not without massive casualties.”
“Are you talking about movies or war, Ray? Because that sounds more like war.”
Ray shrugs, grinning. “Isn’t this both?”
u guys have a speirton icon w no speirton fics on ur blog! pls can we get some love for those guys
Dear anon, this is absolutely a very ironic situation that we found ourselves in. Worry not! Because we are reviewing a speirton fic. Right. Now.
Also double as the first WIP fic we have on our blog.
Till the magpie sings again
fandom: Bands of Brother
pairing: Speirton
Explicit, 71,592+ words, Ongoing
First thing first: this fic is so underrated. With 71k+ word count, this is a long fic in the making and I'm seated, I'm subscribed, I'm reading the newest chapter the moment it drops, and I'm telling everyone to read this fic.
A post-war fic that follow Lipton home as he navigated life in his hometown. And the fic took a very serious route to his characterization, examining how the horrors of war have affected him, his personality, and his view about the world. And his regret. Regret about Ronald Spiers.
The story unfold their relationship slowly, bits and pieces, all of which tore my heart apart. The emotion is so raw. The writing is detailed, the prose delivers one painful hit at a time until you are wrecked on your bed at 2am reading Lipton going through it.
Secondly, a great cast of OCs.
I don't want to spoiler it because it's a big plot point in the fic but the arc for one of the side characters is dark and harrowing. The fic delivers plenty of the tags it has. Which meant, if you love to be hurt, this is the fic for you.
So please read this fic!!!!
Now, it is where he writes to Ron. A slew of letters that will never see the inside of an envelope, nor feel the touch of Ron’s fingers. Carwood’s hope is that it’ll do the same trick, that slowly he’ll stop thinking of him so much, so often, because he does, everyday, every night, even in his dreams, Ron is there, a shadow, a feeling, a sound. Maybe, this will help Carwood let him go. If not that, then these unsent letters will just be the proof, that once, he loved.
Long after he is gone, someone will rifle through his things, a historian, a curious relative, and they’ll find, fossilised between the war-scraped sediments of moleskin and paper, his tragedy, his confessions, his evidence that yes, yes, I loved, I loved wrong but I loved, here, the bones of my regret, my calcified heart, here, see the imprint of my love for him, a testament against time, everlasting.
I truly TRULY appreciate the kind response to my self-rec. I totally understand it’s not your cup of Vat-69 and grateful for the kind response. You guys are doing an awesome thing by reading and reccing fics and the hbo war community is better for it!
This is so sweet!! Thank YOU, especially since we know how hard it is to ask something like that! We so, so appreciate your understanding <3.
Hi There! Normally I'm not so brave as to openly ask for critique on my fics, but I'm working on being better about that.
I currently have two Masters of The Air WIPs that are regularly updated, that if you feel so inclined to read and rec, I'd be very grateful. If they're not your cup of tea, I completely understand as well!
Love Letters: Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal realizes he's in love with his best friend, Josephine Harris, on the heels of his departure for war.... – @blakelysco-pilot on Tumblr
Eight to The Bar: When Everett Blakely lands Just A Snappin on the hardstands of Thorpe Abbotts, the only thing on his mind is getting out of his... – @blakelysco-pilot on Tumblr
Both are companion pieces to @winniemaywebber and @sagesolsticewrites and their OC's. There is an eventual grouping together of all the OC women post-war but, we're not there yet.
Thanks for reading or simply reading this!
-Gina
Dear Gina,
We have discussed this in depth, and recognize that it is absolutely a failing on our parts, and represents a giant gap in the reviews we publish. The problem is this: none of us read OC fics. And thus, we don't plan on reviewing OC fics.
We would love to be able to support you (meaning you specifically Gina! But also the vast and delightful community of OC writers in hbowar). We are cheering you on...we're just not reading them. You know how certain types of fics just aren't your cup of tea? Alas, our cups of Vat 69-spiked Earl Grey are exclusively sweetened with canon characters only.
no pressure ofc! i know the mods have lives haha and i never would want this to become a chore for anyone! i was just curious :) i look forward to the return whenever it may be :)
OMG no worries!! It's just the kick in the collective arse we need <3
Anon. I'm late so late, but you would love to know that actually this fic was in our original line up to be review.
Let's dive into it shall we?
A zombie AU where our favorite bff Brad and Ray and a very cute doggie who goes by the name of Toni (after the great Toni Morrison, which you know the authors have amazing taste) try to survive a zombie apocalypse and keep their sanity in check. Written by two amazing writers @queerapostate and @nextraordinaire. Together, they made a masterpiece.
fandom: Generation Kill
pairing: BradRay
Explicit, 43859 words
This fic is one for the decade. And now, I shall try to dissect all the way that it's so awesome.
First, the attention to detail. What makes one AU fic stands out from the many of its own genre (you know, coffee shop AU, fantasy AU) is always in the details. This fic has that in spades. The turning of season, the changes from rural to urban landscapes, from one state to another, you can see the scenery our characters are seeing with all five senses.
I love how the world is so alive -- dead, since zombies and all, but alive. We see how life has stopped, how things have rotted, how the world had broken down. The contrast between the deads (the smell, the bodies) versus the undeads (which Ray and Brad have to fight against so many of them) and the alives (nature, all the survivors, Toni the little lovable critter that she is) is constant.
The authors put so much thoughts into how every little part of this dead world would affect Ray, our POV. And he feels and he observes and paints up a world that is both savage and so beautiful. I love the scene of the overrun garden, it's strangely romantic -- a little respite from the never-ending struggle to survive.
Two, surviving isn't easy. And this fic goes in depth as to all the things that must be maintain to survive. You need to protect yourself from the weather that is relentless in its quest to kill you. Then you have to go against the zombies that eat your brain without mercy. And then the survivors out there our in this world are just as ruthless. When Ray tries to help the two little kids and got his supplies stolen? It was such a gut-punch moment. It tells us a lot about what kind of person Ray is, and also tells us how hard being kind in this settings can be. Furthermore, we know how smart and resourceful Ray and Brad have to be to stay alive.
Third. The character voices. Holy shit.
You named your dog Tony?” Brad stares at him with a carefully calculated expression, but he lowers his rifle, clearly convinced that Ray is harmless. Sort of.
“Yeah, Toni, isn’t she great.” He bends down to scratch at her ear, getting a click of teeth for his efforts.
“Since when does Tony Soprano have a pussy?”
“What—No, the fuck, Toni with an I, you dipshit.”
“Like Toni Colette?”
“No, Toni Morrison.”
You need to understand that I am always in awe of all the writers in GK fandom who manage to capture this specific brand of early 2000s humor and dialogue. Here, every single sentence and inner monologue from Ray I can hear. I can hear him say it all: curse words and non-PC apocalypse-coping jokes and a specific Ray™️brand of introspection. Not just him, but Brad's voice and manners™️are also very on point. He's complement Ray perfectly, even if he doesn't see it (at first).
Even Toni, our little dog, has so much personality 🥰
Fourth (yes I'm still yapping, i love this fic, gimme a break). The slow burn between Brad and Ray is so good, I wanna eat it.
Ray and Brad get closer and develop a healthy amount of respect to each other. We immediately get their chemistry even if Brad is ever the cagey and emotionally stunted fucker that we know and love. Their rapport is both easy and hard, and it fits perfectly to this settings where trust isn't so readily available. From friendship comes the romance, THE ROMANCE. Ray and his big heart and how he sees through Brad makes me all gooey inside.
AND the scene where Ray comes down with the blister infection and Brad has to leave him to find some anti-biotic so Ray, in his ferish delirium, keep calling out to him fruitlessly? Ahjfkdshjdfshjkfds
That scene got me good. I'm not alrigh; that imagery is so heart-wrenching oh my god.
Fifth, the many twists and turns their journey take. There is so much ups and downs and quiet moment and tense action scenes. I love how this story ends with bittersweetness, so fitting to the theme and the vibe of it.
All in all, a masterpiece. If you read this review all the way to this part, you should probably run to read this fic, or reread it once more ;)
can you believe that we have fanfiction. that we have websites dedicated to fanfiction. that there is a place that you can go and read tens, hundreds, thousands and thousands of pieces of writing that strangers have made. people who are not "writers". people who come home at the end of the day and have feelings and say, i am going to put that into words. i am going to share those words. short, long, sweet, sad, horny, funny, wonderful words. we are all just human and we all love to make and remake and share that with others. can you believe that.
For Free Fandom Friday, I present to you: arthureames
The fault lies entirely with my fellow Correspondents, who sent me on this journey back to five minutes of screentime in 2010, and Toxic by witling pushed me all the way over the edge into a ship that I was only mildly interested in by the special trick of being exquisitely written and characterized.
fandom: Inception
pairing: arthureames
explicit, 22,141 words
When I say it's well characterized, I mean it goes Far Beyond what's onscreen which frankly isn't very much because the movie is so freaking obsessed with Cobb and Mal - as do most fics in this fandom, as I've grown aware since that's now pretty much all I read.
After the job, Eames gets an unexpected - and worrying - call from Arthur. Arthur would never call him. And yet, he did.
And so Eames tracks him down, finding Arthur holed up at the Wilshire absolutely brain-addled. He keeps fainting and waking up in a panic, losing time, losing memory, losing himself.
It's not Eames' problem...and yet he stays. He stays and learns that Arthur hasn't been losing himself at all, and they are more genuine with each other than they've ever been.
Orner’s still staring at him, looking exasperated. “Does he have a girlfriend? Or…a boyfriend, or whatever?” He sounds impatient with the idea. “Some kind of family?”
Eames shakes his head.
“Well that’s fucking pathetic,” Orner says, looking over at the car. Eames experiences a strange moment of doubled emotion. On the one hand, he feels a rueful recognition that it is sort of pathetic, to be so alone. At the same time, he feels an irritated indignation on Arthur’s behalf. Arthur is many things—precise, literal, obstinate, occasionally so unbelievably dull and pragmatic that teasing him feels obligatory—but he’s not pathetic.
Also, Orner is a colossal prick.
“You could hire someone, I guess,” Orner says. “He has money?”
“And what if he gets violent again?”
“Hire a ninja nursemaid, then. It’s L.A., for Christ’s sake, there are probably dozens of them out there. This is not my problem.” Orner’s phone buzzes again and he checks it with gritted teeth. “Just tell him to keep his phone turned on, so I can call him when I have the results.”
He pulls out, leaving Eames standing under the hot sun, sweating into his collar and the armpits of his shirt.
Arthur says nothing when Eames gets back into the car. The engine’s on, the air conditioning’s running full blast. It’s blessedly cool.
“Just drop me at the hotel,” Arthur says after a minute. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Not fucking likely,” says Eames, putting it in drive.
Getting a comment on AO3 is such a magical experience. “Oh you liked what I wrote? You read the whole thing start to finish? YOU SHARED YOUR IMPUT WITH ME?”
Now I want to take you somewhere to get a nice warm drink and tell you about ever little detail I wrote in the fic, my crippling fear of mischaracterization, and also if you want to get married.
Not sure if you'll know the answer but maybe you'll know the czar fic that can point me in the right direction.
I'm looking for a Gen Kil fic I read a whiiiiile ago, and I can't remember the whole thing, but the gist is Brad/Nate and Nate is out of the marines, can't remember if Brad is, but there is a scene, they're at Brad's parents I think and his ex is there with ex BFF and they're making kind of backhanded, sort of sparky comments about Brad and Nate steps the fuck up and defends him with his catty self.
Does that sound at all familiar?
Hey there!
I went to The Experts over at the Maintain Dispersion discord and received these:
Some Stay by Alethia - not super catty I would say, but I mean. It's Alethia so it's worth the read anyway.
With You, Until the Sky Falls Down on Me by Seeking_Xanadu - it's a short fic, just 800 words, but boy does it meet your description.
Exit Strategy by Shoshanna Gold - Olivia the ex-fiancee gets a smackdown.
