warcorrespondence

[warcorrespondence]

You've probably seen that post that goes around, you know the one: It's all fun and games in hbowar until you want to see two women have a conversation.

Well, @mercurygray/mercurygray set out to fix that. The Darkening Sky is full of women having conversations about real things.

fandom: band of brothers

pairing: Dick Winters/OC

mature, 220612 words

This epic asks the question: what would it be like if women went to war with Easy Company? No, but really though?

There are a lot of OCs, and a personal challenge I have with reading OCs is that I already love the canon characters. So for me, OCs have more work to do in fanfic than they do in novels, because they have to shoulder aside my blorbos. (This is me - there are a lot of OC writers and readers in this fandom and bravo to you all! I’m simply explaining a barrier I have). 

But fairly quickly, they established themselves, and over not too long a time, I grew to love them.

The main relationship is between Joan Warren, niece of General Pershing and society gal of Nixon’s ilk, and Dick Winters - she’s flirtier than he is, and more outspoken, but just as driven and in essence just as private. It takes them A WHILE to get going, because it would - these are two serious people with serious things to do, and they take love seriously too.

And all right, I’m just going to put it out there - was it a challenge, as a card-carrying winnix girlie, to hop on board that train? 

…not really? 

It helps that Nix ships it (which, like everything here, is shown and not told, and with delightful subtlety). It helps that Joan is awesome, a fully-fleshed out character with flaws and frustrations, narrative drive as well as personal drive. It helps that this is just another world where the Nix-Dick friendship didn’t develop that way, from Toccoa onward. There is no "We'll go to Chicago, I’ll take you there." It’s not what happens. 

(This fic also doesn't straightwash - there's not a ton of focus on m/m or f/f relationships, but they're there).

But Joan and Dick, much as I love to read about them, are not the only focus of the story. POV shifts all the time, sometimes to Shifty, sometimes to minor characters like Aldbourne residents or land girls, and we get an idea of what the war is like for them, as well as their perspective on Easy Company in all its camaraderie and complexity. 

It probably goes without saying that in a fandom full of heavily researched fics, Merc’s stands out as being the most meticulous. She knows her shit, and I knew that going in. But there’s a difference between throwing in facts and details for the sake of it, and doing it to further the experience of the reader. I felt like I learned things, but never like I was being taken to school - when I learned something it was because I was gaining context about a beloved character or understanding more about how the world would work for women in these circumstances. And they don't all have the same experience! Life for Lieutenant Joan Warren, reluctant media darling, is very different than it is for Sergeants Billie Mitchell or Marj Gordon (just to name a couple of my favorites).

These women never stop being women, and being treated that way, for better or worse (often worse). And there's something heartbreakingly frustrating but also beautiful about that.

Marj’s new haircut looked good on her - Doris wasn’t proud of a whole lot, these days, but any time she caught sight of Marj with her helmet off she had to smile. I did that. And she looks damn good. Marj’s honey-colored pageboy was starting to get a little long at the edges, but only enough to make Doris regret not bringing her scissors so she could do everyone else’s. Her fellow sergeant looked…free, without the hair, released from some burden of responsibility to look like she belonged somewhere else and might well be there soon. Why didn’t we do that earlier? Doris wondered to herself. It’s a war, not a beauty pageant. We’re not winning awards.  Because we’re still women, and we still want beauty. Because it’s hard to change something like that.  Because we all want to go right back to the way it was when this is over - even if we know we can’t. The way it was. The phrase made Doris want to laugh. They weren’t those women and men any more, the kids who’d arrived at Toccoa, and it was foolish to think they might be. Look at any of them, bruised and scarred - look at Marj! And even if they hadn’t changed, the people at home would have. (Look at Marj, again - and fuck Allen, while they were looking.)

#band of brothers #nikkirecs #200-250k #dick/oc

[warcorrespondence]

@ceeturnalia/traveller wrote this fic called aftermath, usa. I read it a little while back, and then I proceeded to think about it for a long time. It's about love, and about trauma, and the ways we love and the ways we trauma, and how maybe none of them look great from the outside, but we are on the outside, so maybe we should all shut up.

(Shocking no one, @ep6bastogne recommended it to me, but I'm stealing a march on writing the review)

fandom: generation kill

pairing: bradnate

explicit, 24616 words

I started this while sitting on a beach, a calm and idyllic setting if ever there was one, with my heart racing and my jaw clenched.

A month or two before, I said to @screwby, "I really just want an angsty road trip fic, is that so much to ask?"

And behold! The angsty road trip fic of my dreams! Only this particular road trip is precipitated by Nate getting shot.

He stops a couple of bullets intended for the President of the United States (no, he’s not Secret Service, just in the right place at the right time, standing there being Nate Fick). He recovers enough to call Brad to come pick him up from the hospital.

They drive across the country, from DC to San Diego, and it becomes clear that whatever their feelings for each other, they haven’t spoken in 10 years. And yet Brad dropped everything to come get him.

It’s a trip of recovery, of Nate’s health both emotional and physical, of their relationship, of what they meant and could mean, and what they decide they do and will mean to each other.

It's by turns rough and moving, gentle and brutal. It's sexy and sweet and funny all at once.

Is this a long quote? Yes. Yes it is. But it also, for me, fully encapsulates what this fic does, like a punch in the gut (or a weak, post-gunshot attempt at violence).

"I'm asking you for help," Nate says. "You fucking retard." Nate's weak left hand lands on Brad's arm, fist closed. "Was that… was that a punch?" Brad stares, swallowing the rest of the wash of emotion. "Because what I saw was the most limp-wristed pussy faggot attempt at violence since that time Person got in a catfight with a fucking Laker girl." "Fuck you," Nate says, hitting Brad again, a little harder this time, but the effort shows on his face. "Brad." Brad takes his hand, gives the fingers a squeeze. "You're serious." He looks back to the road, the white lines and the blue sky flying by. "Sooner or later, whether or not I want to go back will cease to be an issue." Nate's voice drops, shaking a little. "They'll fuck around for a while longer, probably months, maybe even years, but I'm going to have to. And I'm going to need. Help." Ten years where Nate didn't call, where the emails tapered off and finally stopped altogether. Nate graduated, Nate got married to some Back Bay princess, Nate wrote a book that barely mentioned Brad at all. Nate moved on. And Nate somehow knows, when Brad meets his eyes again, and he shakes his head. "I tried. But I missed you every fucking day," he husks. Brad bites down on the inside of his cheek. He's thirty-nine years old, he's a man, he's a Marine. He's not going to break down like some screaming teenage girl, pissing herself and crying at the latest Disney Channel dicksuck's concert. "You too," he says. Nate leans back in his seat, his whole body going slack. "Wake me when we hit Utah," he says, and closes his eyes.

#generation kill #20k 30k #nikkirecs #bradnate

[warcorrespondence]

Review: A Fire in Arkansas

By Muccamukk - review by @lamialamia

fandom: Band of Brothers

pairing: Bullmartin

T-rated, 9154 words

Let's go offbrand once again and read a rare pairing in BoB. I adore Bull and Johnny Martin, the classic Gentle Giant with the Grumpy Man. Hey, that height different, am I right?

A Fire in Arkansas is an American Civil War!AU that transported our main characters into a similar environment yet distinct from canon, a backdrop that turns out to be immensely interesting under the writing prowess from an author like Muc.

One of the craziest things about the HBOWar fandom is the level of research a lot of authors poured into their fic, no matter which show, or which pairing. Here in this fic, the insight into this time period and the commitment to historical accuracy shone brightly, without being a dry history lesson. I love how the settings are so vital to the story overall, where the intersection of conflict, loyalty, family, and race serves as an integral part of the story, besides the love story that draws me in.

There is something very distinct in Muc's writing when it comes to setting the landscape of her fics. Very grounded, and atmospheric in a distinct way, something I would consider to be realism and quite raw. That being said, the second thing I love about this fic is the love and gentleness between Bull and Johnny. Their well-worn domesticity portrays a love that is as easy as breathing, as lovely as a kiss, that runs along and props up this fic. Little things they do for each other, the unsaid, the banter that is so old-married. Love me that good stuff!

(yes I have a weakness for old-married-couple dynamics. sue me)

This fic is so underrated honestly. If you ever feel compelled by that long, lingering handshake between Bull and Johnny, this is a must-read!

#band of brothers #Bullmartin #Linhrecs #5-10k

[warcorrespondence]

review: hunting season

nogoaway wrote this lil ditty called hunting season and what happened was I started thinking about going backpacking again.

fandom: generation kill

pairing: bradnate

mature, 9124 words

Me, a week ago, loading up on porny fanfic for an airplane ride: I'm so SET, this is GREAT.

Actually reading said porny fanfic on the plane: Ohgodohgod please don't read over my shoulder I'm sorry i'm such a perv as I sit here with my knitting and my overalls I'm like a cottage core stealth pervert you had no idea what you were getting into when I sat down I'll just keep making the font smaller and hope for the best.

Which is to say, some fics are rated Explicit, and I say meh. Some, like this one, are rated a mild bodice-ripping Mature, and I need to fan myself.

Perhaps you'd like to know more about the actual fic? Very well.

Post OIF, Brad is a little antsy. He goes on a road trip to have his post-combat freakout alone in the desert with the coyotes, but his mom worries and calls Ray and Gina Espera, and...guess who comes looking for him?

Brad's not that happy to see Nate, as Nate is precisely who he's trying to get away from--because Nate is leaving the Corps. But maybe it's not really about that, and maybe Nate leaving the Corps doesn't have to mean leaving Brad.

The writing--and I cannot stress this enough--IS SO FUCKING GOOD. I had a hell of a time picking a quote because I kind of just wanted to paste the whole thing. It's told with precisely the right amount of inner emotional intelligence and awareness...which is to say, not a lot, but enough so the reader gets everything they need. I'd read this again and again.

Any time Fick was in eye-shot, Brad was looking. The cant of Fick's hips or the turn of his mouth contained reams of information. He was a font of good, if mostly unactionable, intelligence. Postings on four continents and various stints at sea, and Fick was the most interesting thing Brad had ever laid eyes on. Still was, even in jeans and t-shirt propped up against his prototypically unremarkable American-made truck, choking down gas station food. Like most things Brad found interesting (a category spanning rip current, motorcycles, and howitzers) Fick was eminently capable of fucking him up beyond all recognition.

#generation kill #nikkirecs #5k-10k #bradnate

[warcorrespondence]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50561467

when you needed it shouted

by LT_Aldo_Raine

Fic Rec because it was GOOD and also #writer envy. And it needs way more comments and kudos for how good it was.

@bleedingcoffee42 how right you are!! I said, "Winnix, you say?" and jumped in, and I'm so glad I did.

fandom: band of brothers

pairing: winnix

general audiences, 3663 words

This postwar story opens with Nix on a bender, Lost Weekend-style, and Dick coming to get him on his feet. It's not the very beginning of their relationship--it's clear something happened back in Austria, but it's also clear that Nix fucked it up, because of course he did.

It's a turning point. It's Dick showing up to say again, here I am. This is here, for you, if you want it.

The writing is outstanding; it's perfectly in character, but with little details of place and texture that make it feel grounded in more than just good dialogue.

“Your friends are worried about you, Lew.” “Haven’t you heard, Dick? I quit the friend business some time ago. We just couldn’t turn a profit.”

#band of brothers #nikkirecs #1k-5k words #winnix

[warcorrespondence]

review: jump into the fire

@yeats-infection/fluorescentgrey’s jump into the fire is one of the first webgott fics i ever read, and it permanently restructured my neurological pathways. it’s absolutely one of those stories that cleaved my life into two discrete eras, a Before and an After. this is THE premier webgott modern au to me.

fandom: band of brothers

pairing: webgott

teen and up, 9449 words

we’re in phoenix for this one, folks.

jump into the fire is based on the below youtube comment and it's such a strong execution on a good prompt:

web is doing an american literature phd, lieb is a geology student and also a rock climbing enthusiast (most of which serves the modern setting but all of which feels 100% canon). at a party one night they share what is deemed, and aptly described as, The Best Kiss Ever.

the author expertly handles side characters, which is so much fun in a fandom like band of brothers where there is such a multitude of characters (the baberoe b-plot, and the exploration of the babe/lieb friendship, are glorious. i will never, as long as i live, recover from the I lieb you text exchange). the writing is so rich and vivid that i wish i could make a home inside of it, par for the course in a fluorescentgrey fic. sensory detail and crisp character analysis and economy of language all come together in some kind of holy trinity of storytelling. here’s an excerpt that gives you some idea and, i hope, kicks your interest up to 100; the rest is simply unmissable.

“Lieb,” Webster said. His own voice echoing in the cavern of his skull. Echoing basically out of another place and time such that at first he did not quite realize it was himself that had said it. Liebgott cracked an eyelid. In the purplish light the redness in the white of his eye seemed a deep blue. He pressed his tongue against his canine tooth, as though he were going to let the characteristic smirk stretch across his face but had thought better of it at the last minute. It was immediately clear that he understood something that Webster realized later he had been trying to say, even if he himself wasn’t exactly sure what it was. The entire world sharpened like a pencil into this narrow point. The space between them which was shrinking. There was a kernel — an atom — of raw, pure truth at the center of this space and they each reached for it, towards each other. And the sun sank its last drop of light into the molten core of the world. Thence the best kiss ever.

if you’re, like me, a fluorescentgrey ride or die, stay tuned for forthcoming reviews of their other bob fics. i have lots to say!

x 🔔

#band of brothers #webgott #belrecs #5k-10k

[warcorrespondence]

Just wanted to pop in and say that this blog is a really sweet idea and it makes me more motivated to write because, well, nothing feeds a writer like potential engagement. Hope you all are having a lovely day! Thanks for positively contributing to an already positive fandom experience! ❤️

You just made our whole days! (And evenings...we're scattered...) We have been having a ton of fun with this project, but it's so wonderful to hear that it's a positive force for writing. We all struggle to find the time/urge/confidence to create and yes, positive feedback and knowing that somebody out there values what we do? It's the greatest boost there is. We love you, fandom!

-The Correspondents

[warcorrespondence]

review: it's all in print

Look! Nikki's reading about something besides Brad/Nate!

(I mean...it's winnix, so I'm not stretching too far...)

it's all in print by @prettypaprika/partypaprika

fandom: band of brothers

pairing: winnix

general audiences, 4494 words

If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for an epistolary story. Paprika did an exquisite job telling what was clearly a complex and challenging progression of the relationship between Dick and Nix through news reports, marriage certificates (to other people, sob), advertisements for honey, hotel registries, and more.

It's not an easy read, if I'm being honest. I wanted to understand - I wanted journals, letters between the two of them, I wanted to know who these other people in their lives were, why they kept circling toward each other and then away again?

And yet, for all that, we can fill in the blanks, the tenderness that exists between these sparse (and expertly formatted!) snippets.

OJAI VALLEY NEWS, March 12, 1956 Honey Days—Mrs. Belcher’s third grade class visits the Winters’ farm, learning about beekeeping and farming. Mr. Lewis Nixon, friend to Mr. Richard Winter, owner of the farm, demonstrates how to remove honeycomb from a hive.

#band of brothers #1k-5k words #winnix #nikkirecs

[warcorrespondence]

So I have a question, let's say I wish my fic would be reviewed by one of the staff? How does it work? Can I tag the blog in my fic? And I want to rec a fic should I send the link or something? 💕

Hi anon, thank you so much for your interest <3

So, you can let us know which fic you want us to read and review by dropping a link to the fic into our inbox with (optionally) a reason as to why you want us to read it. Anon request is cool!

We would prefer a link to Ao3 or tumblr post, rather than tagging us because your request might be lost in tumblr notifications, while an ask stay permanently in our inbox.

And lastly, we reserve the right to not review fics without clarification to why.

#ask

[warcorrespondence]

review: improvise, adapt, overcome

T'is I, @gorgeousundertow/Nikki, back to once more tell you about Brad/Nate (I promise you, we're not a Brad/Nate blog, it's just that Lenora and I and also Bel are having A Moment. As the Hot Priest says, it'll pass).

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome by @dsudis/Dira Sudis

fandom: generation kill

pairing: brad/nate

explicit, 4449 words

For a fic about erectile dysfunction set in the world of GK, this is shockingly sweet.

It's Nate, folks. Nate can't get it up, and it's not because of anything psychological - it's that he's found meds that work for his depression, but the side-effects Aren't Great.

He couldn't manage to explain all that to Brad while he was deployed, so Brad comes home and finds Nate is...apparently disinterested?

But that's not at all what this fic is about, actually. It's about how fantastic their communication is, because despite what is an objectively awkward and unmanful (in toxic masculinity terms, which I think we can all agree GK absolutely subscribes to) situation, Brad and Nate talk about it, get clear on the situation, and proceed to have Very Excellent Sex regardless.

Brad's hand closed on his dick, engulfing it easily in its totally limp state. Brad was looking down at his hand, at Nate's dick. The lack of eye contact, and the way Brad's sudden palpable calm felt like combat, made it paradoxically easier for Nate to sound calm when he spoke. "So when I told you that the new medication was working really well and I was feeling a lot better," Nate said lightly. "I neglected to mention a couple of side effects." Brad's eyes flicked up to his, but the carefully steady look didn't ease. "Occasional dizzy spells," Nate explained. "Until right this second, that was actually the most annoying one."

#generation kill #nikkirecs #bradnate #1k-5k words

[warcorrespondence]

free fandom friday review: if we only die once

ding-dong, i’m back! and this time i’m introducing a fun little segment called free fandom friday, where we review a fic from outside the hbowar universe. while today’s fandom is indeed not hbowar, it is tangentially related (jacob pitts in his pivot chord era, plus a whole panoply of hbowar actors in guest roles), and the author of the fic is none other than our beloved and most esteemed @almost-a-class-act (roaroftheninth). let’s get into it: if we only die once.

fandom: justified

pairing: givenson

mature, 4447 words

the world is coming to an end, and raylan is hell-bent on getting to florida to spend whatever precious time he has left with his daughter. tim has his truck and nothing better to do. i don’t know about you all, but to me that’s as good a reason as any to make what would on a good and normal day be a thirteen-plus hour drive down south. unfortunately for our guys (though they both knew this going in), this is not a good and normal day.

one of the many things i find so magnificent about this fic is that it does a tremendous job of setting up the unknown of the end of days, but the tone throughout is quiet. not only does that feel stunningly appropriate for the characters, who both generally burn pretty cool and low, but it also creates plenty of space for softer emotions like resignation, and acceptance, and also regret, and also peace. the end of the world, it turns out, is a really opportune time for discovering things, and the thematic repetition of next time around makes this feel so hopeful, despite.

“Nice to know there was a point.” Tim glances at him. “To what?” “All of it." Raylan use to have a thoughtful, borderline folksy slant to the topics he brought up before they ever got here, too, but there's a sense to it now like he's working through everything from the ground up, speedrunning whatever moral epiphanies are left for him to have. “The good fight. Whatever you want to call it. I had days – probably more days than not – where it felt like it was bad guys all the way down. Always another snake.” “I don’t know what that means,” Tim tells him. “But I understand what you’re saying.” Raylan watches the fields roll by outside the window. “Means maybe we made a difference. That’s all.” “Sure,” Tim says. “You gave Art every single one of his gray hairs. That’s a real accomplishment. You should be proud of that.” “I wouldn’t sell yourself short,” Raylan replies. “You gave me all of mine.”

x 🔔

#free fandom friday #justified #givenson #belrecs #1k-5k words

[warcorrespondence]

Review: the good things in life

By seabright - review by @lamialamia

fandom: The Pacific

Pairing: Hildane

Explicit, 8421 words

Hello lovelies, I hope I subvert your expectation by going offbrand and start my review series with a Hildane fic. You can't blame a girl for expanding herself into uncharted territory.

This is an oldie but a goodie, originally posted on Livejournal before cross-posting on Ao3 in 2011. 2011. That's a hecking decade and three years ago! But don't worry, this fic ages like fine wine.

(if anyone know seabright's tumblr or any equivalent, please tell me about it so I can tag the author as appropriate)

This fic is a modern AU that put our beloved Andy into the White House, and as the president of the United States no less, where the stake is the highest it has ever been. But as always, as required by nature and the divine beings above, he had Eddie Jones by his side as they "tag-team" the presidency. The fic starts off with a news article that dare to ask the question: wait, isn't Jones kinda, eh, The First Lady if not in name but in spirit? and that kind of question means political turmoil is looming on the horizon.

I love the author's voice in this as we switch back-and-forth between the various news clippings, emails, texts, and social media posts (including Tweets on Twitter™️!) and the third-person POVs surrounding Ack-Ack and Hillbilly. As someone who has tackled multiple POVs before, this is no small task, and here, the author had done an excellent job. The voices are clear, everyone's incredibly distinct. It's funny and never too serious, yet can have hard-hitting emotional punches.

The way the characters integrate into the modern world is seamless, Ack-Ack remains a charming, if idealistic, and practical, capable leader. And Hillbilly's his person, who gets his back in every which way.

Besides that, I love the side characters' voices too. Especially Addy. Young OCs are tough, yo. Addy speaks her age, but she's thoughtful like her father, and wickedly smart. She's very endearing from the start to the end of the fic.

As the story unfolds and our characters are once more faced with the choice between duty and personal happiness, I can't help but admire their strength to do the right thing. The author shows how big a price it is to do the right thing. Yet the love remains strong. The story never loses hope.

A funny thing that showing the fic's age is how some of the handmade photoshop pics is broken. Trust me I have tried the Wayback Machine to find them and it didn't work.

All in all, a great treat in just under 10k word for The Pacific War Dads.

#the pacific #hildane #Linhrecs #5-10k

[warcorrespondence]

Review: Born Ready

Born Ready by makeit_takeit / @makeit-takeit (whose complete works I, Nikki / @gorgeousundertow will now be reading, thank you)

fandom: generation kill

pairing: bradnate

explicit, 98199 words

I have literal pages of notes on this fic - that's how much I loved it. It's an unusual approach, but such a wonderful one, and it's helped me understand these two characters (about whom I had already given a great deal of thought) so much more deeply. Like this is basically canon for me now. It's the long road of how they got to be the people they are before OIF, how they (eventually) come together, and how they stay together.

Spoiler I really do feel you should know before going in: Brad and Nate don’t have so much as a conversation until you’re fully one-third of the way in. (The first one they have with actual dialogue tags, Nate is half naked though so DON’T WORRY THIS FIC WILL DELIVER).

This is actually a spoiler - heavy review, so if you’re not into that, leave now, knowing only this: this fic is incredible, read it immediately.

Born Ready genuinely is a character study, of both of them, the deepest I’ve ever encountered. It explores their (very different) paths to uncovering their sexualities which (another spoiler) they do before they meet. This is not a Brad meets Nate or vice versa and discovers whoops! I’m gay! (The guy I lost my virginity to said he lost his “accidentally" like he tripped over something, and I always think of that….anyhoo).

So there’s a lot of sex with people who aren’t each other, for the first 1/3. But it’s all for a reason, as my favorite kind of sex-in-a-fic is (whether it’s exploring a developing relationship, emotional state, stakes, etc). In this case, it’s character study and if you don’t think a BJ can be character study well you just haven’t read makeit-takeit yet. (And again, DON'T WORRY WHEN THEY DO BANG THEY BANG VERY WELL, IT'S EXTREMELY GOOD YES)

It also skips OIF entirely which I’ll confess I was sad about, because with this level of character study I actually wanted to get makeit-takeit's take on every single scene at least some crucial scenes at least the final unreadable look okay??? But the show is treated as canon we already know rather than something the author needs to fill us in on and contextualize…which, fair! And respect!

Even after they take the first steps they take a long time - A LONG TIME - to really make it work. Which, having understood these characters and their individual fears and hesitations so well, felt absolutely true and right. Frustrating? Yes. But right.

But they do make it work, and it's entirely in character and just the right kind of sweetness - because it's earned.

"I'm flattered, Nate." He looks at Nate resolutely. "But I"m not the guy you want, or-or the guy you should have. If you're honest with yourself, I think you know that." It sounds so final, like the Iceman has fucking spoken, and that's that. Nate can't keep the sneer off his face. "Fuck you." Brad's head snaps up. "Are you fucking-" "No, Fuck. You. Fuck you for not believing you're worth anyone's time - my time - just because some shitty people did a shitty thing to you, once. And fuck you for not trusting me to stick with you even when it's hard. Fuck you for treating me like I'm too fucking fragile to be burdened with any of the shit you carry around with you every day. And mostly, Brad? Fuck you for acting like you're doing this to protect me, when you're just trying to protect yourself."

#generation kill #bradnate #nikkirecs #90k-100k

[warcorrespondence]

it's just me and my gay fanfics against the world

[warcorrespondence]

can i ask you a dumb question how do you classify a 'classic' winnix fic i am so curious

I am so glad someone asked! I am so passionate about the “classic” style of winnix. “Classic” doesn’t refer to when the fic was written (it doesn’t matter if it’s old or not) or its popularity (it doesn’t have to be super popular). It's not a super common term or anything, but I found a pattern in many winnix fics bc I read so much and started thinking of these elements as part of a "genre."

Here are the musts of a “classic winnix” fic:

Not an AU. events line up closely to the progression of the events in the series, no huge divergences. diehard writers even line events up with the real Dick Winter’s book/other Band of Brothers books

If the plot includes time immediately post-war, it often takes place in NJ and involves Dick working at Nixon Nitration

Kathy, Nix’s sister, Nix’s father, and Dick’s family members are part of the plot if there’s any post-war plot

Lewis’s alcoholism is an issue in the plot and in Dick and Nix’s relationship. Nix struggles with some sort of mental health issue: alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, etc

Nix and Dick both have issues related to their sexuality because of the homophobia of the period. Even if one or both of them have fully accepted themselves, this was a process they had to go through. Almost always, Dick has spiritually reconciled his sexual attraction with his Christianity. Internalized homophobia and societal homophobia are issues that they have to face. 

There are other elements that are definitely not “required” but are super common in the “classic” winnix fic style. Most of the classic style fics will have a few of these elements:

Depending how long the post-war plot of the fic is, Dick and Nix almost always end up farming in the end. Chicken farming, grain farming, and producing animal feed are popular choices. If they end up farming, they always end up in rural Pennsylvania 

Stanhope Nixon is an antagonist and blocks Dick and Nix’s ultimate goals of happiness and peace. He’s an alcoholic, and “gave” Nix the disease through childhood trauma, or even just genetics

Nix struggles to be a father to his daughter, and struggles with this issue. 

Harry and Kitty are Nix and Dick’s closest friends that remain from their time in the war. They’re not explicitly homophobic and accept Dick and Lew as a couple (especially if they’re not outwardly affectionate in front of Kitty and Harry)

Lewis often does not feel deserving of Dick and struggles to accept Dick’s love. Sometimes he thinks that Dick should move on from him and marry a woman, and that he stands in the way of Dick’s “true” happiness and progress in life. Dick has to convince Nix that he’s the one for him, and that making a life with Lewis would make him happiest. 

Bastogne foxhole activities (iykyk)

Some writers pay attention to the speech patterns and slang of the time, and incorporate 1940s language into their writing 

I never get enough of this style! Even though the fics within this “genre” have so many similarities with each other, each writer also brings something new to the style and plot. The longer fics within the classic style also feel the most reminiscent of published novels. Maybe I’ll make a list of my favorites in the classic style (although many are in both of my winnix fic rec posts). The peak of classic winnix is the “What Things We Have Heard Together” series by joissant in my opinion. Some other greats are Fiorediloto’s "The Earth Below My Feet" series and the shorter “Give Me Light, Give Me Life” by an orphan account. But I also find more fics that fit into the "classic" style every day!

#fic meta #Winnix #Band of Brothers

[warcorrespondence]

Review: Book of hours

Book of hours - Anonymous (We know who wrote this filth and we are not afraid to reveal it … if Anonymous permits us.) :)

fandom: generation kill

pairing: bradnate

explicit, 34334 words

Alright, friends. It is Lenora @screwby speaking. This fic right here is my future wife. If I could make sweet sweet love to a fic it would be this one. I mean, holy smokes, where do I even begin?

The sheer emotional rollercoaster it took me on is hard to describe. From the intense longing between Brad and Nate to the heart-wrenching moments of vulnerability, every word just hit me right in the gut.

The premise of this fic is memory loss and it is written in the most realistic and believable way. The way Brad and Nate dance around each other, denying their feelings until they can't anymore... It's like a masterclass in emotional tension. The raw emotion, the palpable longing... I was practically in tears. That moment when Nate offers to cook dinner for Brad for the first time but Brad walks away? Chills. Absolute chills.

From the sunset streaking through the windshield to the visceral description of Nate's emotional landscape, it's like poetry in prose. I swear, I could practically taste the emotions jumping off the page.

In short, this fic is an instant favorite, a masterpiece of emotion and storytelling.

“How do you—” How do you like it? Nate almost blurts, but that would give the game away, and he’s tired. He’s tired, a little scared, and overwhelmingly frustrated at the loss of four fucking years. And he’s got a guy under him, a guy who’s funny, careful, and wields a delightfully mean streak. Devastatingly hot. Fucks Nate the way he likes. There’s no way he isn’t in love with Brad, toothbrush or no. (...) Brad’s breathing slows, his body slackened, but his heart rate’s going too fast for him to be asleep. Nate skims a hand over his flank, aiming for soothing but probably coming off self-satisfied. “You think too much,” he mumbles, already dropping off. “Someone’s gotta make up for the officers, sir.” Nate buries his smile into the muscle of Brad’s shoulder, shutting his eyes and curling his hand over the bony jut of Brad’s hip. “Incredible insight, as always,” he yawns, and his last thought is how fucking lucky he is to have this. How domestic everything is, how he can’t even bother to be nauseated at the sappiness of it all. In the scalding-white light of the morning, Nate remembers everything.

#generation kill #bradnate #lenorarecs #30k-40k

[warcorrespondence]

review: come and make the hymns of you

alert the press, everyone! bel ep6bastogne is come and make the hymns of youposting again 🚨🚨🚨 if you've been around for a second you know i'm categorically incapable of shutting up about this fic by yourblues / @msmargaretmurry. a portion of my brain is i think permanently devoted to it. there's like an altar in there and everything. this fic is my gospel. i've recommended it to many, many friends, hbowar affiliation or not, so it seems on-brand and only right to formally recommend it to you all now, once again.

fandom: band of brothers

pairing: webgott

mature, 24610 words

we find web back at harvard after the war, having A Bit Of A Time readjusting to civilian life. he goes to his classes, goes to the corner deli, goes home, and our man can't stop strategizing and looking for cover every step of the way. he sends lieb a letter in some attempt at, to borrow a phrase from the fic, exorcising one particular demon from the war. when lieb unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep about it, web's forced to answer for it.

yourblues absolutely masters voice here--the fic is from web's pov, and his inner monologue is filled with a kind of romanticism and sensory awareness/descriptiveness that feels so true. plus, the numerous excerpts of web's writing throughout feel incredibly faithful to that hyperconscious, self-censoring, well-read character we all know and love. but lieb is also beautifully written, funny and sharp and mean, and with such a striking tenderness swimming just underneath it all. these two spar throughout but also handle one another so incredibly gently, and the richness of language here plays in fabulous contrast to the fact that so much remains unsaid. have one of my favorite snippets, as an amuse-bouche, that cuts such a deep insight about lieb that i permanently associate it with him as a character:

One secret that David keeps safely tucked away is that Joe can be an arrestingly gentle person. It is not something Joe particularly tries to hide; it’s just so at odds with the louder parts of him that people seem to miss it, and so it feels like precious knowledge. It is something that caught David’s interest, even when they were mere acquaintances existing in the same battalion and then company, the way Joe’s hands went soft and precise on the men’s heads when he cut their hair, the way his sharpness shifted when handling wounded comrades. This is what David thinks about, now, as he measures coffee grounds into the percolator on his stove. He thinks about how even as the Krauts hammered Joe harder and sharper every day, that softness stayed intact, curled up tight inside him. That’s where his anger lives. Not in the hard outer shell. In the softness.

if you read this fic, or you have read it and just need someone to gush with, you have an open invitation to hit my line so we can emote about it together.

x 🔔

#band of brothers #webgott #belrecs #20k-30k