https://archiveofourown.org/works/38565903

Barad-Dûr neared its completion in SA 1600, and Sauron was pleased with the work of the Architect, a Numenorean from Umbar.

Once I got past its using the label drabble (it's a one-shot but not 100 words), I found this a really unique and horrific (in a good way) look at Sauron in the Second Age. Just the ( Read more... )

A really beautiful take on Bucky Barnes, with a strong enough shot of mythos to appeal to Tolkien fans I think. Knowing me, it was probably recommended by vaysh or cairistiona7 over at Tumblr; I'm happy to pass it along.

The Living and the Damned, by M_Leigh

It's nearly midnight and I need to finish up some stuff and get to bed. However, a post at a fandom comm looking for stories where John served as a spy reminded me of one of my favorite stories from the most recent acd_holmesfest exchange: huntingospray's " The Dancing ShivaThe premise is sraightforward enough. During his service in Afghanistan, Watson was called upon to " ( Read more... )

Let's talk about religion, and let's talk about the Sherlock fandom.

To be clear, we'll also be talking about the latest story I want to recommend: Schism, by tweedisgood, and we'll get there. But first I want to talk about religion and the way the BBC Sherlock fandom handles it, or often as not doesn't handle it.

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I'm as big a fan of Johnlock fic tropes as the next person (there really is no upper limit to how many times I need to see Mycroft's meddling nudge them in just the right direction, apparently),. Every now and then, though, I come across a truly original story of how the two finally get together, that paints a unique version of their dynamics and ( Read more... )

... and think you might enjoy, too.

(1) Vaccine as Metaphor by Mark O'Connell [Slate]

A really perceptive review of Eula Biss's "On Immunity." This looks at some comments Biss makes on why she was nervous about vaccinating her child, and why a lot of mothers might not. It's not excusing or defending or justifying that behavior, and that's what I ( Read more... )

When you read Johnlock fanfic, you read a lot of what I can only call variations on a theme. It seems everyone writing in that particular corner of fandom wants to write how they fell in love, how they actually realized they were in love (and romantic, sexual love) and got past their basic failure to communicate. So you end up enjoying subtle ( Read more... )

Tumblr has declared this month to be "Mow-vember," dedicated to gorgeous men with facial hair (and those that would be gorgeous if they'd just ditch it.) The whole thing's reminded me of one of the funnier ficlet series I eer read in the Tolkien fandom:

Eight Weeks, by dwimordene_2011. In which Boromir tries to grow a beard, and Denethor and Faramir join forces ( Read more... )

Fanfic rec time. Today I'd like to talk about what_alchemy's wonderful story "Keeping the Same Time.

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Usually when I write a fanfic recommendation I talk for some time about everything I love about all the things I love about it and the issues it raised. This time, though, it seems like anything I could say, any analysis I could give, would "break" this delightful story. So I'll just introduce it and get out of the way ( Read more... )