Fangirl stop: Must reads/ must sees
I'm so happy I got the chance to do this. Here are some of my recs - some things I fangirl. What I did was I tried to find the things that might have gotten overlooked, and a few older things that I think EVERYONE needs to read/look at. Especially for the art, I think there's enough here that there's a lot that everyone could enjoy.
I wanted to get a goodish amount of art in here, and I think I did pretty well. There are a couple of my own things I think I ought to have fangirled, but I stuck to other people's this time 'round. ^_^
~~FIC~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes and special guest fandom
Title: 1918
Author: rabidsamfan
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Two of my favorite fandoms put together. Also, I have a weak spot for Holmes/Watson gennish fic. And for wartime stories in general. *sigh* It's short and amazing! Everyone ought to give it a try.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: Four Minor Interludes for the Solo Violin
Author: katieforsythe
Rating: NC17
Why I fangirl this: It's so hard to pick one thing of Katie's to fangirl, so I just chose her latest. Seriously, I think any Sherlock Holmes fan ought to go through her journal, or the archive on liquidfic and read all of her stuff. She's an amazing writer, has the voice down pat, and spins the most believable tales!!
Fandom: Jeeves and Wooster
Title: Jeeves and the Artistic Verisimilitude
Author: purplefluffycat
Rating: eventually NC-17, although it begins at a "G" rating
Why I fangirl this: First off, it's written in Wodehouse voice. That must be difficult as hell. All of it is in first person - Wooster's POV, so she gets extra bonus points for that. And it's such a fantastic and fun tale! Like the long lost chapter of the Jeeves and Wooster books! Seriously, this is some of the best J&W that I've ever read.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Bond
Author: annafugazzi
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: It's hands down the best Harry/Draco fic I've ever read, and I've read a lot. It's just about perfect in every way, includes as many side characters as any given Harry Potter book, is novel-length, and you'll want to read it again when you finish. There are no loose ends, it all makes sense, the characters are all very much in character, and there's this incredibly satisfying feeling that this is the way things ought to be. Even those who are not H/D fans would love this one, it's just that good. I go back and read this every couple of months. It's my feel good story, it's the first thing I read that NEEDED spontaneous art NOW! and although I read it years ago, and I've read it dozens of times, I can still read it tomorrow and want to hug my computer when I'm done reading
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Snape, the Home Fries Nazi
Author: pir8fancier
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: Top notch writing, perfectly in-character characters, although in a completely AU setting. This is simply some of the best writing in HP fandom ever. Pairing is Snarry, but even those who are not Snarry fans love this one. It's amazing in so many respects, it ALSO needed spontaneous art. And it's another one that I go back and re-read every couple of months to remind me of what fanfic *could* be.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Stray
Author: brighty18
Rating: G
Why I fangirl this: There are some stories that can say so very much in so few words, and this is one of them. Remus' gentle nature, his desperate hope against all hopes, the way he reacts - it's all just amazing. Don't let the pairing listed there fool you. It's Remus and Sirius with some light LIGHT tones of Remus/Sirius. But for the most part, it's about a desperate man during desperate times, trying to cling to some memory that he knows cannot be real.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Hogwarts for the Holidays
Author: dracofiend
Rating: PG-13
Why I fangirl this: You've got to read it to believe it. It's short, sweet, and fun to read. Don't worry about the pairing or anything, no matter who you love/hate, if nothing else, you've got to read the first section of this. Seriously. I cannot tell you anything about it 'cause it's just that awesome, and if I mention it, you'll miss the experience of "OMG!HOWAWESOMEFANTASTICALLYCOOLANDYAYZ!!!"
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Death at the Manor, a mystery by Alasdair Head
Author: trubbleclef
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: It's a whodoneit Tommy&Tuppence style with slices of Peter Wimsey and various other British mysteries of the time. There's a fun mystery, Quidditch, some very interesting side pairings, and comedy galore! It's just a great read all around!
~~ART~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: The Empty House
Author: elina_elsu
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: It's a re-telling of the actual story "The Empty House" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, only with slash-colored glasses, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek and visual humor. I fangirl this artist so hard, it hurts sometimes. She's really amazing, and you should definitely look at her other works. There's so much about this that's fantastic, I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps, we can start with the fact that it's perfectly canon, and all she's doing is illustrating what the book says with a few extra expressions added in here and there.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: Horizontal Argument
Artist: spacefall
Rating: PG-13
Why I fangirl this: Spacefall works with black, grays, and sometimes white on gray. She has this wonderful oway of drawing the human body so that it's illustrative, and yet so anatomically informative. Her characters are consistent and true, and there's something about her technique that matches this fandom perfectly. After you take a look at this one, you ought to peruse her other ones. She's really an amazing artist.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: The Twisted Mind of Severus Snape
Artist:xbloodsugarx
Rating:PG-13
Why I fangirl this: This artist has a way of taking fanart to a whole other level. She goes beyond illustration, beyond character studies, into fine art and does an amazing job of it. Her images are so visceral and so stunning on the artistic level alone, that when you look beyond appearance into content and find that it's just as rich, there's nothing else for it. I was completely blown away by her work, and the more I look at what she does, the more impressed I am.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: The Last Answer
Artist: kasche
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Nobody, NOBODY does emotion better than Kasche. She's got this way of drawing pure emotion on the boys faces that tells the viewer EXACTLY what they're feeling without saying a word. What she can accomplish in a silent comic, many people cannot achieve in a hundred lines of text. When you look through this, not only are the characters beautifully drawn, but you know EXACTLY what's going through their minds in every single panel. It's simply amazing.
~~VID~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: My Victorian Lifestyle
Vidder: polaris2000
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Seamless timing. Perfect choice of video. And somehow it's one of those things where it's so unlikely, so odd that it works! And how! Pure unadulterated crack, humor, but OMG it's so awesome. You can spare a couple of minutes for a great laugh! And I've watched this so many time, it's a good thing they don't keep track of how many times I've watched it!
I wanted to get a goodish amount of art in here, and I think I did pretty well. There are a couple of my own things I think I ought to have fangirled, but I stuck to other people's this time 'round. ^_^
~~FIC~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes and special guest fandom
Title: 1918
Author: rabidsamfan
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Two of my favorite fandoms put together. Also, I have a weak spot for Holmes/Watson gennish fic. And for wartime stories in general. *sigh* It's short and amazing! Everyone ought to give it a try.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: Four Minor Interludes for the Solo Violin
Author: katieforsythe
Rating: NC17
Why I fangirl this: It's so hard to pick one thing of Katie's to fangirl, so I just chose her latest. Seriously, I think any Sherlock Holmes fan ought to go through her journal, or the archive on liquidfic and read all of her stuff. She's an amazing writer, has the voice down pat, and spins the most believable tales!!
Fandom: Jeeves and Wooster
Title: Jeeves and the Artistic Verisimilitude
Author: purplefluffycat
Rating: eventually NC-17, although it begins at a "G" rating
Why I fangirl this: First off, it's written in Wodehouse voice. That must be difficult as hell. All of it is in first person - Wooster's POV, so she gets extra bonus points for that. And it's such a fantastic and fun tale! Like the long lost chapter of the Jeeves and Wooster books! Seriously, this is some of the best J&W that I've ever read.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Bond
Author: annafugazzi
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: It's hands down the best Harry/Draco fic I've ever read, and I've read a lot. It's just about perfect in every way, includes as many side characters as any given Harry Potter book, is novel-length, and you'll want to read it again when you finish. There are no loose ends, it all makes sense, the characters are all very much in character, and there's this incredibly satisfying feeling that this is the way things ought to be. Even those who are not H/D fans would love this one, it's just that good. I go back and read this every couple of months. It's my feel good story, it's the first thing I read that NEEDED spontaneous art NOW! and although I read it years ago, and I've read it dozens of times, I can still read it tomorrow and want to hug my computer when I'm done reading
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Snape, the Home Fries Nazi
Author: pir8fancier
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: Top notch writing, perfectly in-character characters, although in a completely AU setting. This is simply some of the best writing in HP fandom ever. Pairing is Snarry, but even those who are not Snarry fans love this one. It's amazing in so many respects, it ALSO needed spontaneous art. And it's another one that I go back and re-read every couple of months to remind me of what fanfic *could* be.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Stray
Author: brighty18
Rating: G
Why I fangirl this: There are some stories that can say so very much in so few words, and this is one of them. Remus' gentle nature, his desperate hope against all hopes, the way he reacts - it's all just amazing. Don't let the pairing listed there fool you. It's Remus and Sirius with some light LIGHT tones of Remus/Sirius. But for the most part, it's about a desperate man during desperate times, trying to cling to some memory that he knows cannot be real.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Hogwarts for the Holidays
Author: dracofiend
Rating: PG-13
Why I fangirl this: You've got to read it to believe it. It's short, sweet, and fun to read. Don't worry about the pairing or anything, no matter who you love/hate, if nothing else, you've got to read the first section of this. Seriously. I cannot tell you anything about it 'cause it's just that awesome, and if I mention it, you'll miss the experience of "OMG!HOWAWESOMEFANTASTICALLYCOOLANDYAYZ!!!"
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: Death at the Manor, a mystery by Alasdair Head
Author: trubbleclef
Rating: NC-17
Why I fangirl this: It's a whodoneit Tommy&Tuppence style with slices of Peter Wimsey and various other British mysteries of the time. There's a fun mystery, Quidditch, some very interesting side pairings, and comedy galore! It's just a great read all around!
~~ART~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: The Empty House
Author: elina_elsu
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: It's a re-telling of the actual story "The Empty House" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, only with slash-colored glasses, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek and visual humor. I fangirl this artist so hard, it hurts sometimes. She's really amazing, and you should definitely look at her other works. There's so much about this that's fantastic, I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps, we can start with the fact that it's perfectly canon, and all she's doing is illustrating what the book says with a few extra expressions added in here and there.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: Horizontal Argument
Artist: spacefall
Rating: PG-13
Why I fangirl this: Spacefall works with black, grays, and sometimes white on gray. She has this wonderful oway of drawing the human body so that it's illustrative, and yet so anatomically informative. Her characters are consistent and true, and there's something about her technique that matches this fandom perfectly. After you take a look at this one, you ought to peruse her other ones. She's really an amazing artist.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: The Twisted Mind of Severus Snape
Artist:xbloodsugarx
Rating:PG-13
Why I fangirl this: This artist has a way of taking fanart to a whole other level. She goes beyond illustration, beyond character studies, into fine art and does an amazing job of it. Her images are so visceral and so stunning on the artistic level alone, that when you look beyond appearance into content and find that it's just as rich, there's nothing else for it. I was completely blown away by her work, and the more I look at what she does, the more impressed I am.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: The Last Answer
Artist: kasche
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Nobody, NOBODY does emotion better than Kasche. She's got this way of drawing pure emotion on the boys faces that tells the viewer EXACTLY what they're feeling without saying a word. What she can accomplish in a silent comic, many people cannot achieve in a hundred lines of text. When you look through this, not only are the characters beautifully drawn, but you know EXACTLY what's going through their minds in every single panel. It's simply amazing.
~~VID~~
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Title: My Victorian Lifestyle
Vidder: polaris2000
Rating: PG
Why I fangirl this: Seamless timing. Perfect choice of video. And somehow it's one of those things where it's so unlikely, so odd that it works! And how! Pure unadulterated crack, humor, but OMG it's so awesome. You can spare a couple of minutes for a great laugh! And I've watched this so many time, it's a good thing they don't keep track of how many times I've watched it!