Fic meme day 5
Day 05. A fic you weren't sure you'd like but ended up loving
This happens to me a lot, particularly with epic fic. I love epic fic, like, novella/novel length epic fic, thousands and thousands of wonderful words long so that it feels like it'll never end. But I've been burned by the occasional epic lovely beautiful fic that ends with a whimper, or turns down some bad or squicky path three quarters of the way through and then I am SO SAD. It's like reading a Sherri Tepper novel, people. Who is awesome and a great writer and a feminist, but sometimes, somebody's doom hatches out of an egg or somebody turns into a block of wood and just why? why???? I want my happily ever after, and if I'm not going to get it, I want to be warned. Up front. And not just with a warning. Like the entire first paragraph of the story should be all about how this sad and awful thing happened or will happen and this story is ANGST 100% ANGST AND DARKNESS, EMBRACE IT, KIDS, BECAUSE LIFE IS SUFFERING. You know what I mean? I mean, I'd read that, totally, especially if it was epic post-apocalyptic BBC Sherlock fic in which Holmes and Watson must team up with MCR to fight zombies and a military-industrial complex gone awry. Just... hit me with some doom and gloom from the get go. Do not start the angsty darkness with Happy Spencer giving Happy Brendon a Happy Puppy. THE PUPPY CANNOT DIE, OK? THAT IS WRONG.
Er. Right.
So I tend to be wary of epic fic if a. I don't know the author or b. I don't know the reccer or c. it's not already doing something I love, aka all that stuff I listed on Day 2 and 3 as loving, aka epic crack. (I will always read epic crack.)
I'm especially wary when it comes to Merlin fic. I like my Merlin fic shmoopy with a side of meep, thank you very much. So I usually need to have a rec, and to love the author, and to have some crack involved before I'm willing to give a Merlin epic a shot. Which is why I'm so happy to endorse the following fics which I hesitated on at first but were lovely:
He'd made his break as his entourage had turned a corner, all the press running out ahead of them to capture heroically well-lit images of Arthur striding into the pediatrics ward of St. Bart's.
Drastically Redefining Protocol by
rageprufrock, in which Arthur is a prince and Merlin is a med student.
And the trailer.
(Merlin AU, Arthur/Merlin, 46,000 words of AWESOMENESS OMG MY HEART)
the runners up:
He had to find Arthur before Uther's men did.
In the Time of Trial by Shine
(Merlin, Arthur/Merlin, 37,000 words)
Arthur opened his eyes a minute later to the sight of seven magpies streaking across the top of the clearing, their shapes dark against the white clouds and the muted grey of the sky. He tried to remember what it was that seven magpies meant-he'd had a nurse who had sung the rhyme to him as a child-but couldn't.
Seven Magpies by
syllic
(Merlin AU-ish, Arthur/Merlin, 33,000 words)
the rest of the meme:
Day 01. A fic with a great opening
Day 02. A favorite new fic (posted in the last few weeks)
Day 03. A long-standing favorite fic
Day 04. A fic that you wish more people would read
Day 05. A fic you weren't sure you'd like but ended up loving
Day 06. A guilty pleasure fic
Day 07. A fic with a wonderful kiss
Day 08. A fic you plan on reading (old or new)
Day 09. A fic that makes you happy
Day 10. A fic that reminds you of someone
Day 11. A fic that changed your perceptions of the characters
Day 12. A fic with excellent banter
Day 13. A fic you liked when you were younger
Day 14. A fic that breaks your heart
Day 15. A fic you've read more than 5 times
Day 16. A fic people wouldn’t expect you to like
Day 17. A fic that holds a lot of meaning to you
Day 18. A remix fic you like
Day 19. A fic that makes you laugh
Day 20. A fic by one of your favorite authors
Day 21. A fic currently stuck in your head
Day 22. A fic you won't read late at night
Day 23. A favourite short fic (> 300 words)
Day 24. One of the first fanfics you read
Day 25. A fic you wish you'd never read
Day 26. A fic with a great OC
Day 27. A fic that spawned an inside joke
Day 28. A fic with a pairing you never thought you'd read
Day 29. A fic that turns you on
Day 30. A fic with a great ending
Cross-posted to Dreamwidth at http://inkjunket.dreamwidth.org/31143.html.
This happens to me a lot, particularly with epic fic. I love epic fic, like, novella/novel length epic fic, thousands and thousands of wonderful words long so that it feels like it'll never end. But I've been burned by the occasional epic lovely beautiful fic that ends with a whimper, or turns down some bad or squicky path three quarters of the way through and then I am SO SAD. It's like reading a Sherri Tepper novel, people. Who is awesome and a great writer and a feminist, but sometimes, somebody's doom hatches out of an egg or somebody turns into a block of wood and just why? why???? I want my happily ever after, and if I'm not going to get it, I want to be warned. Up front. And not just with a warning. Like the entire first paragraph of the story should be all about how this sad and awful thing happened or will happen and this story is ANGST 100% ANGST AND DARKNESS, EMBRACE IT, KIDS, BECAUSE LIFE IS SUFFERING. You know what I mean? I mean, I'd read that, totally, especially if it was epic post-apocalyptic BBC Sherlock fic in which Holmes and Watson must team up with MCR to fight zombies and a military-industrial complex gone awry. Just... hit me with some doom and gloom from the get go. Do not start the angsty darkness with Happy Spencer giving Happy Brendon a Happy Puppy. THE PUPPY CANNOT DIE, OK? THAT IS WRONG.
Er. Right.
So I tend to be wary of epic fic if a. I don't know the author or b. I don't know the reccer or c. it's not already doing something I love, aka all that stuff I listed on Day 2 and 3 as loving, aka epic crack. (I will always read epic crack.)
I'm especially wary when it comes to Merlin fic. I like my Merlin fic shmoopy with a side of meep, thank you very much. So I usually need to have a rec, and to love the author, and to have some crack involved before I'm willing to give a Merlin epic a shot. Which is why I'm so happy to endorse the following fics which I hesitated on at first but were lovely:
He'd made his break as his entourage had turned a corner, all the press running out ahead of them to capture heroically well-lit images of Arthur striding into the pediatrics ward of St. Bart's.
Drastically Redefining Protocol by
rageprufrock, in which Arthur is a prince and Merlin is a med student.
And the trailer.
(Merlin AU, Arthur/Merlin, 46,000 words of AWESOMENESS OMG MY HEART)
the runners up:
He had to find Arthur before Uther's men did.
In the Time of Trial by Shine
(Merlin, Arthur/Merlin, 37,000 words)
Arthur opened his eyes a minute later to the sight of seven magpies streaking across the top of the clearing, their shapes dark against the white clouds and the muted grey of the sky. He tried to remember what it was that seven magpies meant-he'd had a nurse who had sung the rhyme to him as a child-but couldn't.
Seven Magpies by
syllic
(Merlin AU-ish, Arthur/Merlin, 33,000 words)
the rest of the meme:
Day 01. A fic with a great opening
Day 02. A favorite new fic (posted in the last few weeks)
Day 03. A long-standing favorite fic
Day 04. A fic that you wish more people would read
Day 05. A fic you weren't sure you'd like but ended up loving
Day 06. A guilty pleasure fic
Day 07. A fic with a wonderful kiss
Day 08. A fic you plan on reading (old or new)
Day 09. A fic that makes you happy
Day 10. A fic that reminds you of someone
Day 11. A fic that changed your perceptions of the characters
Day 12. A fic with excellent banter
Day 13. A fic you liked when you were younger
Day 14. A fic that breaks your heart
Day 15. A fic you've read more than 5 times
Day 16. A fic people wouldn’t expect you to like
Day 17. A fic that holds a lot of meaning to you
Day 18. A remix fic you like
Day 19. A fic that makes you laugh
Day 20. A fic by one of your favorite authors
Day 21. A fic currently stuck in your head
Day 22. A fic you won't read late at night
Day 23. A favourite short fic (> 300 words)
Day 24. One of the first fanfics you read
Day 25. A fic you wish you'd never read
Day 26. A fic with a great OC
Day 27. A fic that spawned an inside joke
Day 28. A fic with a pairing you never thought you'd read
Day 29. A fic that turns you on
Day 30. A fic with a great ending
Cross-posted to Dreamwidth at http://inkjunket.dreamwidth.org/31143.html.