by Gabi (link)
Genre cest, drama, romance
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate, Zaylor
Length 29 chapters
Status Unfinished
Calling this story “cest” doesn’t quite explain everything. If the title isn’t a bit of a giveaway, Lady Madonna is one of just a few fics I’ve seen with a transgender Hanson. Not surprisingly, it’s Taylor. While I’m not myself trans (and neither is the author of this fic), it’s hard for me to judge how accurate and believable any of that is, but I’ll try to review the rest of the story anyway.
It all begins just after Taylor has begun coming out to his family, which allows us to skip over a lot of potential drama. His parents are fairly unsurprised, and neither is his wonderfully supportive wife, Natalie. The two make a great pair right up until Taylor’s surgery, and I have to say I’m disappointed to see how quickly that ends.
But it does end, and presumably to make way for Zac and Taylor to reconcile a relationship that isn’t even hinted at until after Zac’s overdose. Even then, Zac is still inconstant, which makes me wish even more that Natalie and Taylor could have remained close, if not married. Taylor doesn’t at all deserve the way Zac treats her, running off and getting into a bit of trouble that remains unresolved since the story is unfinished.
While Lady Madonna is too brief to be the most nuanced portrayal of trans Taylor possible, it does show a variety of reactions–perhaps too many–to her transition. It fills a gap in this fandom, I suppose, but only makes me wish for even more, and longer, fics that could portray the trans experience even better.
Review by Bethany (website)