lunabee34

Recs! But first, a lament.

I've been going through Painless J's HP recs, and I came across a story that sounded right up my alley--slavery, h/c, a little light bondage, the promise of angst. All my buttons. And then when I click on the story (which is Big Bang length, not one of those Repossession length double novels) it has been posted in 109 FRAKKING DISCRETE PARTS! Aaaand, the lj layout was created by somebody with magnifying glasses for eyeballs. Whyfore the teensy print? I have done with you story! Why do people post like that? It's maddening. It's like actually chewing each mouthful twenty times. Bah.

The Sinister Nature of Cul-de-sacs by iminurface; j2 Big Bang; Adult
In this story, Jared is a reclusive writer and Jensen the landscape artist that moves in next door to him. There's mystery at work here as well as delayed gratification since Jared refuses to leave his home or allow anyone inside to visit him. The romance is primarily conducted through technology--email and chatting and Skype--and I like that. It's a fun read.(Is it just me or is that plural incorrectly formed? I thought it was culs de sac.)

Odysseus's Last Days by amand_r; HP; Harry/Snape; PG-13; deathfic; shortish
Within the first few paragraphs of this fic, the reader is made aware that one half of Snarry has died. What isn't immediately apparent is *which* half. I'll admit that my reading comprehension may be to blame, but I think the author cleverly misdirects as to who the deceased party is so that it is a bit of a revelation in the second part to discover just who is mourning who. This is a weeper for sure. It's beautifully written--language evocative and lyrical, clever turns of phrase. And such a moving and perceptive examination of grief, of the way some of us settle slowly and pull it around us like a cloak, like a buffer, like anesthesia that pains as well as it numbs.

Star Trek Bohemian Rhapsody by rockandshock
This vid amuses the hell out of me. It's just what it says on the tin. Short and silly.

Brokeback M*A*S*H by Mrspocksbrain
Again, this is just what it says on the tin, but holy shit does this vid articulate so perfectly the Hawkeye/BJ ship. This gets the whole damn thing right--the despair and isolation and frustration of the war, the desperatation, the good times in the midst of such chaos and horror. And while this vid weaves together footage in such a way to give us a narrative very different from what canon shows, it feels so true, so very real and true. Hankies out, yo.

There are no words by battlestarchik
This Janet/Sam vid is also a weeper. Surprise! This is Sam after Janet's death trying to deal with her grief. I MISS YOU, JANET!!

Rain by Patty Griffin
This isn't a fanvid but rather a song I've been listening to and digging on lately. From what I gather on the recommended sidebar of Youtube, this song has been sung by a variety of artists, but I really like this version.

Harry Potter

Origins of Myth by Arsenic; Draco/Ron; Adult; depictions of prostitution
I almost never like first person fanfic, but this is a notable exception. Draco has been abandoned by his family and the Death Eaters in China, wandless and penniless, and left to shift for himself. Reading as Draco breaks and then finds strength and a kind of purpose in life again is satisfying enough, but then Arsenic lets Ron find Draco and bring him home and it's beyond satisfying.

Help Wanted: God and Executioner by pir8fancier; Snape/Harry; Adult
This seems to me a very plausible look at what the War might be like if it dragged on and on and Snape managed to play double agent for the duration. I love very much the cosmic game of chess that Harry bitterly plays, the prayers he sends up to a god he's certain isn't listening: At the next battle I promise to hex six Death Eaters. If I fail, you can have Seamus but not Hermione or Ron. If I only get five Death Eaters, then Ginny will be hurt, maybe blinded, but not killed, and Seamus still dies.

The Courtship of Harry Potter by Diana Williams; Snape/Harry; Harry is in his last year at Hogwarts; Adult
This is the best kind of ridiculous--the eat it up with a spoon and don't forget the cherry on top, please kind. The wizarding world apparently has a custom in which 17 year old boys are mentored by older wizards and expected to provide sexual favors in return. Naturally. Snape and a Lockheart knock-off both court Harry. Of course. Fun times.

Dance Partners by DementorDelta; Harry/Snape; Adult
This is a nice amnesia plot, nothing too heavy. Harry wakes up and believes he's still in school although many years have passed and he's in a relationship with Snape that he can't understand.

Hollow by Auctra Sinistra; Harry/Snape; Adult
Although parts of this aren't very plausible plotwise to me when closely examined, the writing is good and I very much buy the characterizations. Enjoyable read about the aftermath of a war in which Snape is presumed dead and a traitor. What happens when he shows up very much alive?

Consanguinity by Jay Tryfanstone; Harry/Snape; PG
Okay, so there are two drabble-ish pieces that precede this fic but OH DEAR GOD DON'T READ THEM. They are pretty awful and frankly I don't know why I clicked to the third installment after reading the first two. I'm glad I did though because this is one of the most clever and delightful fics I've ever read. All you need to know from the first parts is that the war is over and Death Eaters are being publicly executed. Harry interrupts Snape's execution and winds up with him as his ward. This fic is told entirely from outsider POV and it is pretty much a textbook example of how to do that perfectly. The observations these Muggle characters make about Snape and Harry and the wizarding world are amazing. I love that everything isn't spelled out for the reader. A lot of Snape and Harry's past is left in the dark and that makes the story even richer.

Vids

Hot n'Cold by Perkins127; SG-1; Daniel/Cameron
This is just fun. Nothing overly ambitious or earth-shattering but nice warm Camiel (ahahahahahahahah I slay myself) fuzzies.

Kissing You by Snuffle007; Brokeback Mountain
This song is just amazingly beautiful all on it's own, and it's application to this story is so achingly, hurtingly beautiful.

Johnny Depp Song by MiracleTear; Pirates of the Carribean
This is just so funny. The song is hilarious. I can't believe I'd never heard this before.

All These Things I've Done by cnstrikesback; Firefly

Harry Potter/Firefly Crossover video by badaudrey
The quality of the footage in this vid is not great, but I think you should give it a chance anyway. It really cleverly integrates these two worlds and makes me believe that River is at Hogwarts. Fascinating stuff.

IDK, my BFF Jensen by mediaville; J2; Adult
Jared and Jensen text each other and call each other; we've got the pictures. What do you think they're saying? *big big grin*

Your Brains are No Match for my Tractorbeam by with_a_kay; J2; Adult
Jensen has Rodneys McKay's job and Tara's introverted nature. Jared is, well, Jared. Excellent supporting cast and all around fun as the boys flounder towards a relationship in this AU.

Shadow is a Color by meredevachon; Jensen/ChadMM; Adult
Oh, the CMM! Never enough. And such an unusual pairing for him in this ficlet.

Contrary by indysaur; SPN; John/Mary; Adult
Oh, Mary. You never could stop being a hunter, could you? *cries* I wish I had written this. HARD.

Two Kinds of Light by Gekizetsu; SPN; Gen
What if Castiel was part of the team? Not an outsider, but somebody with shot-gun rights? Nice vision of how his character could evolve.

It's the End of the World by theladyscribe; SPN/Good Omens XOVER; gen
Adam is just this rocking! Best crossover under three hundred words ever.

the lost language of flowers by busaikko; SGA; Sheppard/Parrish; Adult
John screws up in a rather spectacular way in the aftermath of "Remnants" and when he apologizes to Parrish, Parrish discovers something the Lt. Col. has been keeping secret. I am such a fan of the rare pairings and this is about as rare (and as fine) as it gets.

Untitled bit of awesome by friendshipper; SGA; Gen
It's Rodney's birthday and people are looking at him funny. This is sweet.

Say Rather Farewell b teand; SG-1; gen (some Jack/Daniel, but really gen)
Team love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Srsly, if the SGC thinks they can keep SG-1 away from that Gate, they're off their gourds. *big big grin*

First off--INSTA REC! I have been so swamped with faculty orientation that I haven't even left her feedback yet, but you guys have to read executrix's My White Knight. The story is Mal/Simon, PG-13, and Firefly meets The Music Man. I know Exec has been really stoked about this story as she was writing it, and just a paragraph in, you see why. It's great reads.

( Emma started kindergarten. Have a picture. )

In other news, starting a career is tiring and confusing. LOL I sort of feel as if I've been thrown into the deep end of the pool to a certain extent. This is true of every new job, I know. I felt that way as a Grad Instructor and I certainly felt that way at Security Check (may their names be damned forever more!) and I know that the overwhelmed, "OMG! WHAT DO I DO? AAAAACK!" will pass. And probably more quickly than I think.

But right now, it's a lot to deal with. Just filling out the paperwork (PPO or HMO? Do I need short term or long term disability insurance or both? Tax forms, dowhat?) is head-ache inducing.

Another thing that's interesting to me is how different this job seems from the faculty side of things. My mom has been a professor for nearly forty years. I grew up on a university campus and I've been at Ole Miss for seven years. I thought I knew academia. But it's surprising how different it feels on this side of the table, how much MORE is going on that I just wasn't aware of as a grad instructor, how many more facets to the job there are. I am psyched because this job is going to be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, but also a little anxious because, well, I'm me. Ha! I'm already worried about my professional development and performance evaluations and I haven't even performed. *g*

There's another thing that I'll post about later because I want to lock it. Not a big thing, just a thing you guys need to help me figure out. I have such success with flist intervention. You guys rock.

So, some recs? Yes?

thelastgoodname made some kick ass icons on the subject of reading. Check them out. executrix also made me an awesome TLGN bookclub one that I will be unveiling at our next joint read.

Target Practice by aurora_novarum; SG-1; Sam and Teal'c gen
This is early season fic, before the team was Team. It's hard to remember sometimes that there was once a time when they didn't all know each other like the backs of their own hands, when they were still learning about each other and each other's cultures. This fic is an excellent reminder.

Triangulation by Kres; Jack/Daniel, Daniel/OC; Adult
This is a really fascinating look at Daniel's headspace. I tend to favor fics where he is a little broken, a little damaged, over the ones where Daniel is heartbreakingly naive and good (although those are nice in moderation too) and this is a wonderful example of that kind of Daniel. In this story, Daniel is pretending to be something he's not, *who* he's not, but paradoxically he simultaneously reveals more about himself than the subterfuge would suggest. Also, if you have dog tags kink, this is the fic for you.

Once, or Maybe Never by Celia Deacon; Jack/Daniel; Adult
This is a kind of coda for the episode where SG-1 finds the original Milky Way Replicator. That episode is so fraught with tension. It's clear by its end that things between Jack and Daniel have unravelled so far from where they were in the early days; it hurts to watch on the screen and it hurts to read it here. This is what happens when absolutely nothing can fix what is broken. This is what happens when loving someone with your whole heart has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you can make a life with him. The final vignette here is exquisite.

Still Life with Decapitated Unicorn (or the Enchanted Forest) by brainofck; Jack/Daniel; Adult
This is the best kind of crack--silly as hell and somehow also really hot at the same time. If you really need to snort a beverage out your nose, this fic will certainly do the trick.

What Endures by Babs; Jack/Daniel; Adult
This is a h/c fic that features a permanently disabled Daniel and an established Jack/Daniel relationship. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed the realistic emotional and physical portrait and also the very plausible way an injury like this one might affect their lives and the team dynamic. Really, really lovely piece.

Please Hang Up and Try Again by abyssinia4077; Daniel-centric gen
This is a 5 Things Fic: five phone calls that Daniel never received and man are they all doozies. I love the way that the Five Things Meme allows us to play with a multiplicity of ideas, the way it allows us to explore a variety of different avenues all within the same fic. And I absolutely defy you not to read that last vignette without crying happy tears.

The Bright and Hollow Sky by helens78; Mitchell/various; Adult
Another Five Things fic, this one details the five things that will eventually break Cam in the end. And yeah, they break a Lorraine too. :) Although all these are well written, I think the vignette featuring the Cam that Sam finds in her alternate reality is particular fine.

SPN

Emptying the Bowl by angstslashhope; PG-13; Sam/Dean
This remix isn't so much a story as sharp little slices of sensory experience, each vignette very much like a poem. Sometimes it's difficult in fanfic to find heavily sense oriented writing that isn't overwrought or metaphor mixy--this, however, is just perfect. It's a bizarre mixture of the spare and the lush, and the first vignette is exquisitely done.

Tell Yourself the Truth by moveablehistory; J2; Adult
I haven't read a lot of SPN lately; this has been sitting in my bookmarks for ages, but re-reading it now, I remember why I love J2 so much. Jensen is shy and uncertain and unwilling to examine his feelings for Jared too closely in the event that scrutiny might screw things up. Really lovely piece.

From Here We Go Sublime by stellabelle; J2; Adult
The voices here are impeccable. Stella creates a version of Jensen that's interesting and funny and compelling and lets us right inside his head. The bare bones of the story are that Jensen's aunt dies and he goes home for the funeral. You will love Jensen's family and how he interacts with them, particularly cousin Josh, and there's a scene in a McDonald's that is all the things good writing should be--really fucking funny and heartbreaking all at once.

SGA

Charting the Motion of Planets by Dasha; PG-13; John/Rodney
The John/Rodney is superfluous here and really confined to about the last couple lines (and honestly I'd have rathered this piece stay gen), so don't read if that's all your looking for. What it is, however, is an excellent and realistic look at what Rodney might do if he were captured. The premise here is that Rodney knows he can't stand up to torture and that he's likely to give away Atlantis's secrets if he is. I think this is an important idea that the series truly glosses over. Most of the expedition is civilians; they're not trained to withstand torture. What would they do instead? How far would they go? This is pretty dark but not unremittingly so.

The Pegasus Tinies by argosy and kiden
I know y'all have seen these already; they've been recced to high heavens, but just in case, check 'em out. Lorraine says, Bless their hearts. :)

SG-1

5 Things Answers by minnow1212; PG-13
The first of these vignettes is not SG-1, but all the remaining vignettes of the post are, so scroll down. There are several five things lists here and all of them contain really excellent and insightful (and at times poignant) character work.

Recall by CGB; Daniel/Jonas; Adult
This is set in that short period of time when Daniel and Jonas are both on Sg-1, when Daniel is regaining his memories and everything is like a dream. It's really wonderful watching Daniel decide how Jonas will slot into this life he's reclaimed.

Descant by destina; Jack/Daniel; Adult
This hurts. It hurts a lot. It hurts because everyone makes the wrong choices. It hurts because the team suffers. It hurts because it takes so long to make everything right. There is a moment in this fic when Daniel thinks of keys; it is a beautiful, perfectly written moment and worth the price of admission alone.

MISC

Hung by the Chimney by executrix; Firefly; PG
Another shortie but goodie from Exec that in my mind is based on those supposedly doctored images of Oscar de la Hoya in drag.

We Walk a Thousand Stairs by ana_grrl; PG; Zoe-centric gen
This is a fic that follows Zoe's relationship with Mal from their days in the war on through Serenity. We all know Ana's a good writer, but man. She really raises the bar with this one. The first section of this is absolutely amazingly written.

Cast Me Gently Into Morning by noelia_g; BtVS; Giles/Tara; G
I like very much the quietness of this, how Tara and Giles understand each other in ways the other Scoobies do not. This is honestly not a pairing that occurred to me before, but this author makes me believe it.

You all were not forthcoming with the Jack/Maybourne slash. Tsk, tsk. I had to venture to the PIT OF VOLES to find some for myself. LOL And while I was there I found some other stuff too.

Seige by Sage; PG-13; Jack and Harry gen
Man, oh man. This is perfect. Exactly perfectly in character for them both and so freaking bleak. *shivers* Delicious. This is very short and every sentence like a punch to the gut.

Trial Balance by Catspaw; O'Neill/Maybourne; Adult
This takes place during the epiosde in which Harry and Jack are marooned in "paradise," but largely consists of flashbacks to a previous relationship in their youth. An enjoyable read, especially considering that it's one of only ten or so examples of the pairing that I was able to locate. *sad face*

Moving On by kylielee1000; Daniel/Jonas; Adult
This fic is told from Jack's perspective and this author does wonderful justice to his character. In my opinion (yes, I will continue to beat this dead horse any time I feel like it), it is very very very very hard to write Jack O'Neill in a way that rings true to the character's many and often contradictory facets. KylieLee does an amazing job of that here. I think what I love best about this fic is that it hurts so much. LOL Y'all shoulda seen that one coming. :) Sam hosts a party with Pete and Jack watches how happy and carefree and *loved* she is and then he discovers something about Daniel and Jonas that just devastates him.

Buoyancy by Keiko Kirin; Jack/Daniel; Adult
Jack assumes that Daniel is in a relationship with someone and that realization forces him to confront his own feelings for Daniel. The easy banter between them, the way they fit so neatly into each other's lives without even realizing it at first....yeah. This is a goodie.

Ritually Speaking by janedavitt; Jack/Daniel; Adult
Wonderful little kinky bit of PWP. Jack gets his nipples pierced by natives on a mission. I must admit that piercing is one of my kinks and oh boy does this deliver. *fans face* This is about five hundred words of pure, unadulterated, makes Lorraine all squirmy kinda goodness.

1. We are now the proud owners (thank you, Cousin Joey) of this signed and numbered H. R. Geiger print: li II. It's freaking huge! Like 5' X 4' huge.

2. My colleagues and I had our panel proposoal for the Mississippi Philological Association accepted! "Social Flux in the Victorian Period: Stoker, Wilde, and Ouida"

Rec with reservations:

First Prime by Lady Ra; Teal'c/Daniel; Adult
The basic premise of this fic is that SG-1 discovers that not all Goa'uld symbiotes are destined to become evil and as a result forges a new and interesting relationship with these fledgling Goa'uld. Reservations first. Daniel is way too Stranger in a Strange Land in this fic for my taste. And I don't think the SGC would respond to the situation in the way it does in this fic; I think these Goa'uld would be considered dubious allies for a long, long, long time before they were ever allowed the kind of access and privilege they're afforded here. (Remember, Jonas and Teal'c can't leave the SGC without escorts and they save the world like every five minutes). That being said, the world building here is nothing short of amazing. This author has thought long and hard about Goa'uld culture and physiology and offered some really interesting and plausible explanations for things we see in canon that aren't explained (everybody remember the System Lords inexplicably eating Goa'ulds?). This is one of those stories I could not stop reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and thankfully for me, it's really long and there's a sequel linked at the end. Although Daniel and Teal'c have a relationship, this story is not so much about the sex as the plot, which (though at times a bit far fetched) is unfailingly interesting and certainly addresses many of the questions about the Goa'uld that have occurred to me as I've been watching SG-1.

Willemakee by Mary Jane; Jack/Daniel; Adult
This is a death fic. It begins with Jack's death and then follows Daniel as he comes to terms with his grief. What's so incredibly lovely about this piece is that it seems incredibly plausible. It explains the tension between the two characters in later seasons in terms of their inability to act on their feelings for each other and then shows us the beautiful vision Jack had of a future for them that will never be. *cries*

The Weight of Things by troyswann; Jack/Daniel; Adult
The narrative structure of this piece is really interesting--interlocking vignettes titled seemingly randomly (I think the titles were all words her flist suggested for prompts) that fit together to form a really compelling version of this relationship. This fic is not afraid of the angst by any means because let's face it. These men have a lot of angst to overcome as the series progresses. But it ends in such a wonderful, happy place. So full of joy this ending.

For Each Ecstatic Instant by dith; Jack/Daniel; Adult
I almost didn't rec this fic because it hurts so damn much I don't think I can read it again. But on the chance that you guys haven't seen it, I decided to rec it because the writing is absolutely stellar. I think writing a fic like this, where the main pairing is deeply in love with other but never manages to make a relationship, is deeply gutsy. Remember how I was having trouble finding a Jack in fic that I believe in? I believe in this Jack. This version of Jack is very real to me, and the decisions he and Daniel make are very plausible and those things combine to make this hurt me even more. Y'all have seriously got to read this. It will just kill you dead.

Sometimes We're Laconic by entwashian; BtVS/SGA Crossover; G
This is incredibly short and incredibly spare, but very rich despite its brevity. Oz is driving cross country and picks up Ronon on the side of the road. We don't know how Ronon got there, but the fic hints at this amazing backstory and there's a suprising amount of emotion engendered in so few words. I think this is an amazing piece and definitely worth a read. (This fic has three comments, including mine, which I find horribly remiss. So, you know, go feedback)

Two Sides of the Coin by dith; Jack/Daniel; Adult
I almost never like first person fic, and this one switches back and forth from first person Daniel to first person Jack, but somehow it works. I've had a hard time finding fics that feature Jack to my satisfaction, and this one isn't perfect, but it's very much enjoyable. I think Daniel's characterization in this fic is really intriguing. If you like long, plotty "they're stuck on an alien world with only each other" fics, this is one for you.

Five Times Cameron Regretted Being On SG-1" by lyrstzha; R
Another shortie, but a goodie. Lyr is one of the best writers I've encountered anywhere. She has such a gift for getting inside characters' heads in new and surprising ways. Reading her is like opening a gift, peeling back all the layers of tissue paper and finding something wonderfully shocking inside. I love this look at what makes Cameron tick.