Recs from the old year: Inception
Welcome to 2011, everyone! 2010 was a lousy year in a lot of ways, but it was a terrific year on a lot of pop-culture fronts. Lost concluded in a way that even I couldn't be completely pissed off about, Tim Kring finally got his ass handed to him on a plate, Dexter rocked beyond my wildest dreams, U2 rescheduled their concerts that they had to cancel because of Bono's injuries, Hollywood gave us Inception, Deathly Hallows was worth the ticket price just on the basis of the combined ten minutes that Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, and Bill Nighy were onscreen (and the rest of the movie was amazing too), the new Hawaii Five-0 turned out to be not only tolerable but actually a huge amount of fun, and Love, Actually was still around for Christmas! Also, this one RL friend of mine had a baby and another got married and it was all happy and stuff. Good times.
In honour of 2010, I thought I'd offer some recs for fandoms that emerged in the last year. You can also think of them as Christmas gifts, since we are technically on the tenth day of it, at least in my time zone.
Blighted Dreams, by aviss : A Mr. Charles/Robert fic that the author summarizes with "The man in Robert Fisher's dreams doesn't have a first name, doesn't really have a name at all. He's not real." Introspective and painful, but not unbearably so. Featuring Saito and actual plot. ~4,200 words; PG-13.
Endymion, by jibrailis: A beautiful envisioning of how Saito became lost in the dream world for so long, and what the consequences might be for both him and Dom after Dom brings him back. Fairly lengthy (~6,500 words) and a longing, intimate NC-17.
The First Rule, by amfiguree: In the film, Arthur says of Mal's intrusion, "It's getting worse, isn't it?" This is a history of his dealing with that aspect of Cobb's subconscious, and of Arthur's attempst to help control it. Angsty, emotion-denying Arthur/Cobb. Probably about 1,500 words; R.
Hello, Mr. Id, by ohwhimsy: "As a rule, Eames did not sleep with men." But an exception (Robert) occurs when he's infiltrating the Fisher conglomerate. This fic is very honest in its approach to Eames' amorality and self-interest, but it doesn't deny his humanity, either. And it's hot. ~3,500 words; NC-17.
High-Hearted, by recrudescence: One of a very few fics for the unjustly overlooked Eames/Yusuf pairing. The two men know each other, and trust each other, even before the action of the film. This fic explores their possible history. ~2,100 words; R. One of the other good fics for this pairing is by the same author, a longer (~3,800 [R-rated] words) piece called Réclame.
In Need of Vodka and Vicodin, by sadiesin13: Cobb/Eames. Cobb and Eames serve as Arthur's groomsmen when he marries Ariadne. Arthur and Ariadne want each other. Eames wants Arthur. Cobb wants Mal. They cope, kind of. Medium-length one-shot, NC-17.
A Labyrinthine Man, by sparkbyspark: Most of the fandom doesn't pay much notice to Ariadne's ethical position, and it's easy enough to understand why. She's a relative innocent, and she's keen to save the lives and promote the well-being of those around her. But for all that, her fundamental course of action is entirely amoral, and she seems unbothered by this. "A Labyrinthine Man" explores the consequences of this amorality as it unfolds in her future interactions with both Robert and Arthur. Ariadne's no monster, but she isn't an angel, either. Betrayal and decency vie constantly for the upper hand. 7,600 words; PG-13.
Ouroboros, by radishface : "It was a long time ago and yet all at once when Saito fell in love with [Robert] Fischer." Lush and angsty, atmospheric in its eroticism. 3,000 words, probably about an R. I also recommend her angry, angsty, dealing-with-Mal's-shade Arthur/Cobb piece, Autonomic (probably about 2,000 words; R).
Perfect Moment, by zoi_no_miko: "Cobb's not happy that Saito has insinuated himself into the team and subsequently put himself at risk of the dangers of shared dreaming. But he has to admit that letting off steam after a job well done almost makes it worth it." With Cobb on the bottom, hardcore. I think about 2,000 words of scorching NC-17.
Put Down All Your Weapons, by imogenedisease: I can and will rec everything she's written in this fandom, but this is the one that got my hooked. It's an Arthur/Eames series that starts from Christopher Nolan's comment that both Eames and Arthur had military background, and that the dream technologies' applications were originally military. A wonderful, well-plotted series with a very good take on both characters - and, yes, at least a little bit sexy. It's especially appreciated because, in my experience, fanfic in general has a hard time with any kind of extended plot, but this works it really brilliantly. Rated R.
Rapid Eye Movement, by dana_norram: A plausible, well-observed exploration of how Eames and Arthur might have come to know each other through Cobb. I do think there's an excessive bent toward Eames/Arthur in the fandom, but this one's definitely worth checking out. It's also rather hot, as the two move from professional partners/rivals to sexual partners/rivals. A longer fic (posted in five parts); NC-17.
Red, by toestastegood: Another author I'm happy to recommend across the board, particularly considering the excellent work that she does with the too-often-neglected Cobb/Eames pairing. I'll let the summary speak for itself: "Half-way through a scene, Cobb has to use their safe word." Kink!fic tends to ignore the fact that kinks aren't always explored in a responsible or satisfactory manner. This is an excellent look into what happens when things go (not fatally or anything) wrong. ~1,500 words; R.
Till Human Voices Wake Us, by alchemyalice. A post-film fic that the author summarizes as "'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' Arthur/Cobb style." A terse, evocative look at two men slowly coming to realize that they need to pick up the pieces and make what they can of them. ~1,500 words; PG.
Kink meme responses, by authormichals: But few of them are just porn. Obviously I like the style and approach (I wouldn't recommend the fics otherwise), but I'll let you pick what interests you most. My poison in this batch would be "angsty, soulless sex while Dom's totally thinking about Mal and Arthur totally knows it but is willing to take what he can get."
Various prompt-fill ficlets, by sorrynotsorry: Everything from cute 'n' fluffy to angsty to porn-tastic. There's a lot of Arthur/Eames, but she's also got a scenario for Dom and Mal's first date and a small, lovely Dom/Saito piece. Peruse and sample to your taste.
Various request-granting ficlets, by bookshop: Mostly post-film. These range from G-rated gen to NC-17; from blushing, tentative Ariadne/Arthur to introspective Cobb/Saito h/c to drunken Arthur/Eames PWP to a dirty-secretary AU bit. Lots of fun.
In honour of 2010, I thought I'd offer some recs for fandoms that emerged in the last year. You can also think of them as Christmas gifts, since we are technically on the tenth day of it, at least in my time zone.
Blighted Dreams, by aviss : A Mr. Charles/Robert fic that the author summarizes with "The man in Robert Fisher's dreams doesn't have a first name, doesn't really have a name at all. He's not real." Introspective and painful, but not unbearably so. Featuring Saito and actual plot. ~4,200 words; PG-13.
Endymion, by jibrailis: A beautiful envisioning of how Saito became lost in the dream world for so long, and what the consequences might be for both him and Dom after Dom brings him back. Fairly lengthy (~6,500 words) and a longing, intimate NC-17.
The First Rule, by amfiguree: In the film, Arthur says of Mal's intrusion, "It's getting worse, isn't it?" This is a history of his dealing with that aspect of Cobb's subconscious, and of Arthur's attempst to help control it. Angsty, emotion-denying Arthur/Cobb. Probably about 1,500 words; R.
Hello, Mr. Id, by ohwhimsy: "As a rule, Eames did not sleep with men." But an exception (Robert) occurs when he's infiltrating the Fisher conglomerate. This fic is very honest in its approach to Eames' amorality and self-interest, but it doesn't deny his humanity, either. And it's hot. ~3,500 words; NC-17.
High-Hearted, by recrudescence: One of a very few fics for the unjustly overlooked Eames/Yusuf pairing. The two men know each other, and trust each other, even before the action of the film. This fic explores their possible history. ~2,100 words; R. One of the other good fics for this pairing is by the same author, a longer (~3,800 [R-rated] words) piece called Réclame.
In Need of Vodka and Vicodin, by sadiesin13: Cobb/Eames. Cobb and Eames serve as Arthur's groomsmen when he marries Ariadne. Arthur and Ariadne want each other. Eames wants Arthur. Cobb wants Mal. They cope, kind of. Medium-length one-shot, NC-17.
A Labyrinthine Man, by sparkbyspark: Most of the fandom doesn't pay much notice to Ariadne's ethical position, and it's easy enough to understand why. She's a relative innocent, and she's keen to save the lives and promote the well-being of those around her. But for all that, her fundamental course of action is entirely amoral, and she seems unbothered by this. "A Labyrinthine Man" explores the consequences of this amorality as it unfolds in her future interactions with both Robert and Arthur. Ariadne's no monster, but she isn't an angel, either. Betrayal and decency vie constantly for the upper hand. 7,600 words; PG-13.
Ouroboros, by radishface : "It was a long time ago and yet all at once when Saito fell in love with [Robert] Fischer." Lush and angsty, atmospheric in its eroticism. 3,000 words, probably about an R. I also recommend her angry, angsty, dealing-with-Mal's-shade Arthur/Cobb piece, Autonomic (probably about 2,000 words; R).
Perfect Moment, by zoi_no_miko: "Cobb's not happy that Saito has insinuated himself into the team and subsequently put himself at risk of the dangers of shared dreaming. But he has to admit that letting off steam after a job well done almost makes it worth it." With Cobb on the bottom, hardcore. I think about 2,000 words of scorching NC-17.
Put Down All Your Weapons, by imogenedisease: I can and will rec everything she's written in this fandom, but this is the one that got my hooked. It's an Arthur/Eames series that starts from Christopher Nolan's comment that both Eames and Arthur had military background, and that the dream technologies' applications were originally military. A wonderful, well-plotted series with a very good take on both characters - and, yes, at least a little bit sexy. It's especially appreciated because, in my experience, fanfic in general has a hard time with any kind of extended plot, but this works it really brilliantly. Rated R.
Rapid Eye Movement, by dana_norram: A plausible, well-observed exploration of how Eames and Arthur might have come to know each other through Cobb. I do think there's an excessive bent toward Eames/Arthur in the fandom, but this one's definitely worth checking out. It's also rather hot, as the two move from professional partners/rivals to sexual partners/rivals. A longer fic (posted in five parts); NC-17.
Red, by toestastegood: Another author I'm happy to recommend across the board, particularly considering the excellent work that she does with the too-often-neglected Cobb/Eames pairing. I'll let the summary speak for itself: "Half-way through a scene, Cobb has to use their safe word." Kink!fic tends to ignore the fact that kinks aren't always explored in a responsible or satisfactory manner. This is an excellent look into what happens when things go (not fatally or anything) wrong. ~1,500 words; R.
Till Human Voices Wake Us, by alchemyalice. A post-film fic that the author summarizes as "'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' Arthur/Cobb style." A terse, evocative look at two men slowly coming to realize that they need to pick up the pieces and make what they can of them. ~1,500 words; PG.
Kink meme responses, by authormichals: But few of them are just porn. Obviously I like the style and approach (I wouldn't recommend the fics otherwise), but I'll let you pick what interests you most. My poison in this batch would be "angsty, soulless sex while Dom's totally thinking about Mal and Arthur totally knows it but is willing to take what he can get."
Various prompt-fill ficlets, by sorrynotsorry: Everything from cute 'n' fluffy to angsty to porn-tastic. There's a lot of Arthur/Eames, but she's also got a scenario for Dom and Mal's first date and a small, lovely Dom/Saito piece. Peruse and sample to your taste.
Various request-granting ficlets, by bookshop: Mostly post-film. These range from G-rated gen to NC-17; from blushing, tentative Ariadne/Arthur to introspective Cobb/Saito h/c to drunken Arthur/Eames PWP to a dirty-secretary AU bit. Lots of fun.