A few Flight of the Heron recs

[regshoe]

I do love the robin and brambling! snowflake_challenge #13 is to rec three fanworks...

Flight of the Heron fandom now has almost 100 works in the AO3 tag, which is fantastic, and I thought for this challenge I'd go back and rec some of my favourite fics from the early days of the fandom. We do have some pretty good stuff in this fandom, and these are always worth a re-read. :)

An Ally Better than the Sidhe by hyarrowen. Ewen/Keith, T, 12,939 words. I love the supernatural aspects of FotH, and this fic develops the worldbuilding in a brilliant and very fitting way. It's a canon divergence branching off during Part V of the book, and introduces some folkloric elements which provide, between them, an opportunity for Ewen and Keith to work together against a common enemy, some excellent hurt/comfort and some emotional revelations and relationship development. The writing is beautiful and the coastal West Highland scenery highly memorable, and the shippiness is amazing—the getting-together scene has an emotional sharpness and vividness to it which has stayed with me ever since I first read the fic.

Crossing the Arkaig by luzula. Ewen/Keith UST, T, 3,649 words. Another Part V canon divergence, this one branching off immediately after Fort Augustus and giving Ewen and Keith another meeting at what's one of the most interesting points in their relationship. It takes several of the most enjoyable things about Broster's writing and develops them just that bit further: we have another conflict between duty and love, some excellent huddling for warmth beneath a plaid in the heather and lovely scenery description. This fic is the prequel to/first part of a longfic which is itself now the first in a series—the whole thing is well worth reading, but this fic stands on its own and is highly recommended with or without the rest.

When the Fighting is Over by garonne. Ewen/Keith, M, 4,750 words. This one is post-canon-divergence, starting with Keith's survival at Morar and then following Ewen's life over the next several years of exile in France, return home and finally reunion with Keith. I love how it builds an atmosphere out of detail—there's a beautiful sense of the time passing and the emotional weight of it, with some interesting historical detail about the post-'45 years in France and lovely descriptions of longing. The scene in which Ewen and Keith finally get together has an amazing feeling of peaceful, restful homecoming.

Comments

[spikedluv]

I'm not familiar with the fandom, but I love that you went back to the early days to rec!

[regshoe]

:D It was a good chance to remember my faves!

[luzula]

Yay, recs! Aww, my first fic in the fandom--I just went straight for the tropeyness. : )

the getting-together scene has an emotional sharpness and vividness to it which has stayed with me ever since I first read the fic
Yes, I agree.

[regshoe]

Hee, you certainly did :D

[sanguinity]

Well, now you've suckered me into re-reading all of The Good Faith, damnit. (Not that it's not worth re-reading! But I had other things to do!)

[regshoe]

An excellent decision, other things or no :D