Afterlife
You may be looking for the Blake's 7 tie-in book Afterlife.
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Synonym(s) | heaven, ascension |
| Related tropes/genres | deathfic, ghost |
| See also | presumed dead, religion |
 Suzan Lovett illustration for "Heaven Knows, Captain Kirk" | |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Afterlife fanworks focus on experiences after death in some form of afterlife. They can be a form of deathfic, although the character's death itself is not usually the focus of the story. Stories involving ghosts are usually considered a separate, though related, genre.
Afterlife works are particularly common for canons which include some form of supernatural element. Sometimes elements from types of afterlife, particularly Christian, Greek and Norse, are imposed upon a source in which they are not canonical. Sometimes the afterlife is invented.
Unlike many deathfics, afterlife stories are often comforting, even humorous. Death is perceived as the beginning of a new adventure. Often characters meet up with others, deceased lovers or people from whom they have been estranged in life. There's often an element of humour in the choice of guardians of the afterlife. Sometimes the story shows how much the character has changed during canon, either positively or negatively.
Stories set in the afterlife can also focus on rescuing a character from death.
Example Fanworks
- Custom by owenthurman. Wesley searches for Fred in heaven. Darker than many in this genre.
- Does It Have To Mean Anything? by evillawyer. Wes has died and the first person he meets is Lilah, who makes an unexpected offer.
- The Avatar Snare by jai-kun. Azula finds herself at the Avatar's mercy. Words: 48,259
- In My Hands by Hafren. Vila after Avon's death, with elements of a fairy tale.
- Into The Desert by Lizbeth Marcs. Buffy begins the task of starting her life over and rebuilding the Watchers Council without her two best friends at her side.
- Many stories are set after The Last Battle, in which a form of Narnia acts as an afterlife. A popular trope is stories in which Susan Pevensie is welcomed into Narnia after her death.
- Liquid Courage, by haplesshippo (Harry Potter/Assassin's Creed/Homestuck) - Harry is the sole employee of "Death’s Crossing", a limbo state in the form of a bar, where those who have died with unresolved issues can work through them before passing on to the Beyond. Desmond arrives and stays on for a while, utilizing his own bartender skills, until one day a strange man named Bro shows up and they have a confrontation.
- Reaping the Whirlwind (Boom Boom Ba Remix) by Lizbeth Marcs (Dead Like Me/Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again. George/Xander.
- In Darkest Light by Meljean Brook. Batman & Wonder Woman visit the Greek underworld to prevent the Joker from gaining powers.
- will end in fire by ghost lingering. Norse myth. Uses the popular trope that getting mixed up with mythological figures in life alters the afterlife for which a character is destined.
- Many stories rescue Sirius Black from beyond the veil (Bring Back Black!). Post HBP & DH, many bring back Remus Lupin, Tonks, Severus Snape and the others who died.
- End of the Line by Googlebrat. Post-Deathly Hallows series with the afterlife at Platform 9¾.
- The White Road by Perverse Idyll. Invented afterlife in which Lily watches and comments on a relationship developing between Snape & Harry
- Requiem at Dusk by Femmequixotic. Harry descends into the underworld to rescue his dead son Albus Severus, only to encounter his parents and, more importantly, Snape. The afterlife consists of a fascinating blend of real-world mythologies.
- Paths for the Dead by James Walkswithwind. Uses the afterlife to show how much Pippin has changed.
- Your Body Lost In Legends by nonisland. She knows, distantly, that it’s been over half a millennium, not just a few years, since they last saw Merlin. Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Freya/Merlin, Arthur/Freya
- Surviving Death by twoskeletons. Will and Nimueh in the afterlife.
- Pursuit of the House-Boat (1897) by John Kendrick Bangs. One of the earliest Holmes pastiches, written before the character was resurrected, has the ghosts of various real people, mythological figures and fictional characters mingling in the afterlife.
- Across Dark Waters by Zimraphel. Fusion of Greek myth into the Tolkien afterlife.
- Past Duties by shalott. Death is just the beginning for Picard.
- "Heaven Knows, Captain Kirk" (1984) is a humorous religious tale in R & R issue 20 by Cindy Deren & Diane Miskiewicz. In it, McCoy, Spock, and Kirk enter heaven and meet Saint Peter and the angel Michael.
Example Artwork
We say good bye, but they say hello … by veronikalovesthis, featuring the common western trope of a cloud like heaven (TWD)
