Jun. 21st, 2020 03:31 pm
BSG (2003) fic recs
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subjunctiveFinding BSG fics can be kind of tricky, since the fandom was very LJ-heavy at the time and much of it has been deleted without being archived anywhere else (as far as I can tell). Here are a few fics I really enjoyed, organized roughly by season:
Through the Gathering Haze by thesleepingsatellite
T, 6k, Kara/Lee pre-canon
Author's summary: The night of Zak's funeral, Kara and Lee go out drinking together to drown their sorrows, and Lee finds himself breaking all his self-imposed rules regarding Kara Thrace. It goes about as well as you'd expect.
Messy and heartbreaking.
Twelve by Rheanna
E, 85k, Kara/Lee alternate S1 canon
My summary: The one in which Lee Adama turns out to be a Cylon.
This fic is one of my top-five all-time favorites; it might even be number one. I don't think I've ever known a fic that stood up so well 10+ years after I first read it. There are a bunch of aspects (listed below) that I think are better than canon. "Twelve" goes AU after 1x11, "The Hand of God." Some specific (non-spoilery) things I especially love:
Five Deaths (Laura Roslin) by Rheanna
M, 20k, gen, five things format
Author's summary: "Laura Roslin: five ways of living, five ways of dying."
A very astute character study. And it ended up being pretty prescient in some ways (you'll see).
Calliope by Rheanna
G, 3k, gen, written for the Common People Challenge
Original character-centric. A really lovely look at what life might have been like for the civilian ships during the Cylon attack and the early days of the fleet, including an outsider POV on Lee.
Something Pretty by Kate Andrews
E, 9k, Kara/Lee PWP
Author's summary: "Lee's under deadline, Starbuck's being a brat, and the fate of the human race hangs in the balance."
Hot, sweet, funny, and yet also manages to keep Zak in the background effectively.
Small World by harpers_mirror
G, 500 words, Dee & Gaeta gen
Gaeta makes tatical models of the CIC crew. It's very cute.
Pythian Apollo by kaitlia777
G, 2.6k, Laura & Lee gen on Kobol
A brief piece about Lee being part of the mythology/scriptures, as discovered on Kobol.
Caravan of the Heavens by scifishipper
T, 9k, Laura/Lee on Kobol
Author's summary: "When Lee and Laura arrive on Kobol, they find their destinies irrevocably tied."
They get married because of a prophecy. It's very sweet.
Interlude by Selena
K, 1.4k, gen, S2 missing scene
Author's summary: "Shortly after Admiral Cain's arrival, Tom Zarek has a conversation with Laura Roslin. Set during Resurrection Ship."
Another character study of Roslin that I really enjoyed, especially her interactions with Zarek--such a juicy relationship.
Charade by word_play_sam
R, 900 words, Boomer/Tyrol on New Caprica
Author's summary: "In the early days of the resistance, Galen Tyrol reaches out to a possible ally."
Great callbacks to their early relationship; love the angst and the twist.
Beginnings by pyramidofdreams
PG-13, 2.2k, Kara/Sam on New Caprica
Author's summary: "Six mornings in the early Missing Year."
Sweet and sad. Killer last line.
The Rubble or Our Sins by ils_mutant
T, 6k, Boomer redemption on New Caprica
I love Boomer so much and I love this fic about her time on New Caprica.
Between the Dark and the Dream by thatfangirl
M, 5k, Laura/Lee S3 AU
Author's summary: "Three more civilian ships disappear as the Raptor corkscrews past them. When all of them are gone, Galactica will follow. They are going to leave him, leave Laura. AU after 3x05 'Collaborators.'"
I love them getting lost together in space and returning to New Caprica and surviving off what they can scrounge up. Laura's line about large-scale change killed me.
Bedtime Stories by wisteria_
PG, 1.7k, Kara-centric gen
Author's summary: "Five bedtime stories told by Kara Thrace while babysitting Hera Agathon."
Balances humor and poignancy really well.
Orpheus, Descending by queenofthorns
T, 5k, Kara/Lee, S3 AU
After Kara dies, Lee starts seeing visions of her urging him to find Earth.
Buying the Farm by Wordplaysam
T, 2k, Helo & Kara gen, end of S3
Author's summary: "Starbuck's viper explodes, the pilots hold an auction for her stuff, where Helo hopes to answer a question he's had for years."
Funny and sad.
The Quality of Mercy by Selena
K+, 4k, gen, S4 missing scenes
Author's summary: "Four conversations Laura Roslin has in the four weeks before her death."
Gives some life back to Laura during season four. Love the complicated relationships she has with Baltar, Caprica Six, Tory, and Ellen.
Order of Succession by pellucid
PG, 2.6k, S4 Laura & Lee missing scene
Author's summary: "He never meant for his words to implicate him in these decisions he hates in his gut."
A really great Lee POV and look at Laura and Lee's political mentorship/relationship.
The Body Is a Myth by beccatoria
PG-13, 28k, S4 gen AU
Author's summary: "Laura dies and wakes up on a basestar, Natalie is alive, and D'Anna breaks Kara Thrace by telling her the name of the final cylon. Then, of course, they get to Earth. JUMP!"
Really enjoyed this alternate ending. It's just so WEIRD, in a great way. Lots of science fiction elements, employs the Kara's-dad-was-a-Cylon theory, and wrestles with concepts of fate and the cycle of time without resorting to deus ex machina. Very cool.
The Space Between Us by ils_mutant
M, 115k, S4 AU
Author's summary: "Raptor 718 wasn't lost randomly; an Eight on board was ready to switch sides in the Cylon civil war. With the passengers of Raptor 718 being held prisoner on the Colony, the events on Galactica unfurl differently. (Season 4.5 AU fic, and Kara-poof-free.)"
Heavy focus on secondary characters like Gaeta/Hoshi. An interesting look at how things might have gone differently.
Emissary from Another World: The Collected Diaries of Dr. Gaius Baltar by hw_campbell_jr
M, 109k, Baltar/Caprica Six + Lee post-canon on Earth
Author's summary: "These are, or were intended to be when I wrote them in 2009, Gaius' diaries written after the end of the series, on New Earth. He lives with Caprica, they farm and make babies together. However, they are not the characters, and nor are they in the political situation, to live happily ever after."
I think your ability to enjoy this fic may be contingent on how much you are capable of enjoying a hundred thousand words of Baltar's narcissistic ramblings, including his own attempted rape of another woman (not Six). Not, I suspect, for everyone, and barely for me. But an interesting fic nonetheless. The unexpected Lee and Baltar friendship was the highlight for me.
Through the Gathering Haze by thesleepingsatellite
T, 6k, Kara/Lee pre-canon
Author's summary: The night of Zak's funeral, Kara and Lee go out drinking together to drown their sorrows, and Lee finds himself breaking all his self-imposed rules regarding Kara Thrace. It goes about as well as you'd expect.
Messy and heartbreaking.
Twelve by Rheanna
E, 85k, Kara/Lee alternate S1 canon
My summary: The one in which Lee Adama turns out to be a Cylon.
This fic is one of my top-five all-time favorites; it might even be number one. I don't think I've ever known a fic that stood up so well 10+ years after I first read it. There are a bunch of aspects (listed below) that I think are better than canon. "Twelve" goes AU after 1x11, "The Hand of God." Some specific (non-spoilery) things I especially love:
- The way the Baltar/Kara subplot is rewritten/done differently from what we ended up getting in canon (ugh)
- It ditches the vague, frustrating mysticism of the canon in favor of being simply mythology-informed science fiction
- Baltar's storyline--A+
- Relationship between Lee and Bill--A+
- Kara's arc--A+
- The Cylons actually had a plan!
- Writing-wise, it's just very solid: tightly plotted, not a word out of place, feels very much like canon.
Five Deaths (Laura Roslin) by Rheanna
M, 20k, gen, five things format
Author's summary: "Laura Roslin: five ways of living, five ways of dying."
A very astute character study. And it ended up being pretty prescient in some ways (you'll see).
Calliope by Rheanna
G, 3k, gen, written for the Common People Challenge
Original character-centric. A really lovely look at what life might have been like for the civilian ships during the Cylon attack and the early days of the fleet, including an outsider POV on Lee.
Something Pretty by Kate Andrews
E, 9k, Kara/Lee PWP
Author's summary: "Lee's under deadline, Starbuck's being a brat, and the fate of the human race hangs in the balance."
Hot, sweet, funny, and yet also manages to keep Zak in the background effectively.
Small World by harpers_mirror
G, 500 words, Dee & Gaeta gen
Gaeta makes tatical models of the CIC crew. It's very cute.
Pythian Apollo by kaitlia777
G, 2.6k, Laura & Lee gen on Kobol
A brief piece about Lee being part of the mythology/scriptures, as discovered on Kobol.
Caravan of the Heavens by scifishipper
T, 9k, Laura/Lee on Kobol
Author's summary: "When Lee and Laura arrive on Kobol, they find their destinies irrevocably tied."
They get married because of a prophecy. It's very sweet.
Interlude by Selena
K, 1.4k, gen, S2 missing scene
Author's summary: "Shortly after Admiral Cain's arrival, Tom Zarek has a conversation with Laura Roslin. Set during Resurrection Ship."
Another character study of Roslin that I really enjoyed, especially her interactions with Zarek--such a juicy relationship.
Charade by word_play_sam
R, 900 words, Boomer/Tyrol on New Caprica
Author's summary: "In the early days of the resistance, Galen Tyrol reaches out to a possible ally."
Great callbacks to their early relationship; love the angst and the twist.
Beginnings by pyramidofdreams
PG-13, 2.2k, Kara/Sam on New Caprica
Author's summary: "Six mornings in the early Missing Year."
Sweet and sad. Killer last line.
The Rubble or Our Sins by ils_mutant
T, 6k, Boomer redemption on New Caprica
I love Boomer so much and I love this fic about her time on New Caprica.
Between the Dark and the Dream by thatfangirl
M, 5k, Laura/Lee S3 AU
Author's summary: "Three more civilian ships disappear as the Raptor corkscrews past them. When all of them are gone, Galactica will follow. They are going to leave him, leave Laura. AU after 3x05 'Collaborators.'"
I love them getting lost together in space and returning to New Caprica and surviving off what they can scrounge up. Laura's line about large-scale change killed me.
Bedtime Stories by wisteria_
PG, 1.7k, Kara-centric gen
Author's summary: "Five bedtime stories told by Kara Thrace while babysitting Hera Agathon."
Balances humor and poignancy really well.
Orpheus, Descending by queenofthorns
T, 5k, Kara/Lee, S3 AU
After Kara dies, Lee starts seeing visions of her urging him to find Earth.
Buying the Farm by Wordplaysam
T, 2k, Helo & Kara gen, end of S3
Author's summary: "Starbuck's viper explodes, the pilots hold an auction for her stuff, where Helo hopes to answer a question he's had for years."
Funny and sad.
The Quality of Mercy by Selena
K+, 4k, gen, S4 missing scenes
Author's summary: "Four conversations Laura Roslin has in the four weeks before her death."
Gives some life back to Laura during season four. Love the complicated relationships she has with Baltar, Caprica Six, Tory, and Ellen.
Order of Succession by pellucid
PG, 2.6k, S4 Laura & Lee missing scene
Author's summary: "He never meant for his words to implicate him in these decisions he hates in his gut."
A really great Lee POV and look at Laura and Lee's political mentorship/relationship.
The Body Is a Myth by beccatoria
PG-13, 28k, S4 gen AU
Author's summary: "Laura dies and wakes up on a basestar, Natalie is alive, and D'Anna breaks Kara Thrace by telling her the name of the final cylon. Then, of course, they get to Earth. JUMP!"
Really enjoyed this alternate ending. It's just so WEIRD, in a great way. Lots of science fiction elements, employs the Kara's-dad-was-a-Cylon theory, and wrestles with concepts of fate and the cycle of time without resorting to deus ex machina. Very cool.
The Space Between Us by ils_mutant
M, 115k, S4 AU
Author's summary: "Raptor 718 wasn't lost randomly; an Eight on board was ready to switch sides in the Cylon civil war. With the passengers of Raptor 718 being held prisoner on the Colony, the events on Galactica unfurl differently. (Season 4.5 AU fic, and Kara-poof-free.)"
Heavy focus on secondary characters like Gaeta/Hoshi. An interesting look at how things might have gone differently.
Emissary from Another World: The Collected Diaries of Dr. Gaius Baltar by hw_campbell_jr
M, 109k, Baltar/Caprica Six + Lee post-canon on Earth
Author's summary: "These are, or were intended to be when I wrote them in 2009, Gaius' diaries written after the end of the series, on New Earth. He lives with Caprica, they farm and make babies together. However, they are not the characters, and nor are they in the political situation, to live happily ever after."
I think your ability to enjoy this fic may be contingent on how much you are capable of enjoying a hundred thousand words of Baltar's narcissistic ramblings, including his own attempted rape of another woman (not Six). Not, I suspect, for everyone, and barely for me. But an interesting fic nonetheless. The unexpected Lee and Baltar friendship was the highlight for me.
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