#annnsmith

Since Shameless is apparently gearing up for its 11th and final (!!) season, I have been going back and re-reading some of my favorite post s10 fics. There are a lot of great ones and I may continue to recommend some but I wanted to start with these three because I don’t think that they have nearly the amount of love and attention that they should have. 

Honestly if we got even a sliver of this kind of writing in season 11 I would be thrilled. The first is Ian Gallagher (and Other Works in Progress) by Ijustwannaread.  It takes place not long after the marriage and is a realistic portrait of them being happy but still struggling with poverty and chaos and being felons. It also allows these characters to acknowledge that they have a past and how that past still affects their present and their future.  And that is the ONE thing I want from season 11 above all else. It never fails to enrage me that the writers have this amazing, organic concept at their fingers that would require the bare minimum of work to reap the biggest rewards and then just.won’t.use.it. As always, thank god for fan fic writers!

For Better by ColdReign is a two-part series also focusing on the period after their marriage. The first part includes the real world pandemic and uses it in a way that is no doubt miles beyond what the show will do. It too is realistic and forward looking while acknowledging the way that the past inevitably bleeds into Ian and Mickey’s present. The second part is a non-linear set of...drabbles almost...showcasing their first few months as a married couple and sort of sets up the first part of the series. I just love it. 

Finally, there is Moonlight Sonata by AnnaNSmith, which is probably a little better known than the other two.. This is a multi-chapter that is probably the closest to what we will see in season 11 if we’re lucky. Its still miles better than what the writing has been, sadly, but there is funny dialogue and Gallagher family capers along with realistic plot lines and a lot of heart.