Rec: Labyrinth
Can you remember watching Labyrinth as a child? More to the point, can you remember the time when you focused more on Sarah's dress and less on Jareth's pants? I have it on good authority that it once existed. No, really.
For those of you who don't know Labyrinth, but should. And those of you who do know, but want to relive the nostalgia anyway, the following in the final scene between Sarah and Jareth. With a fair amount of, not undeserved, fame in the tiny (miniscule, even) Labyrinth fandom, this scene contains that wonderful declaration by Jareth: 'Just love me, fear me, do as I say. And I will be your slave'.
As I mentioned before the Labyrinth fandom is a little, shall we say, on the small side (and more than a little stagnant), but that doesn't mean it hasn't produced a gem or two in its time. The following is a rec for one of the better fics written for Labyrinth... no, wait, what am I saying. It's a rec for possibly the best fic written for Labyrinth.
Title: A Forfeit of Dreams
Author: K. L. Morgan
Fandom: Labyrinth
Pairing: Sarah/Jareth
Summary: In which Sarah returns to the Labyrinth, Jareth leaves, and together they might just find what they're looking for.
Sarah's fingers halted in their light tracing of the smooth, glass-like features, smile fading to a sickened expression. This close, she could... she could... Sarah took a step back, hand suspended, as if forgotten, in the air, emotions of disbelief and horror warring across her face. For a moment she simply stood there, breathing lightly though her mouth, gaze trained on the statue's immobile stance. Then, with the suddenness of a bird alighting, she stooped slightly, placing one hand on the statue's cold shoulder, pressing her own warm cheek against the statue's chill one. She looked, for all the world, like an older sister comforting the younger. Desperately, Sarah shut her eyes, and listened...
... to the soft, petulant crying of an abandoned child, echoing inside the statue's lifeless marble frame.
Sarah sprang back, almost falling over her own feet in her eagerness to gain a few steps of distance between herself and the statue. She was shaking, heartbeat loud in her ears. He wouldn't, she thought, mouth dry. He couldn't.
And a familiar voice inside her chuckled: Ah, Sarah. You are such a child.
This story has some of the things I consider absolutely indispensable when dealing with Labyrinth. It has good use of Sarah's friends from the Labyrinth; an older Sarah who is believable, and not just a Mary-Sue in disguise; and most important of all: a Jareth who is dangerous and inhuman, but through it all a sympathetic character - despite his alien nature. On top of this it is written beautifully, the prose is enchanting and captivating. There are some small pacing issues, but this story is long, and you can only see the author improve as it goes on. So, for anyone who ever watched Labyrinth and though, what if? This is the story for you.
For those of you who don't know Labyrinth, but should. And those of you who do know, but want to relive the nostalgia anyway, the following in the final scene between Sarah and Jareth. With a fair amount of, not undeserved, fame in the tiny (miniscule, even) Labyrinth fandom, this scene contains that wonderful declaration by Jareth: 'Just love me, fear me, do as I say. And I will be your slave'.
Click to viewAs I mentioned before the Labyrinth fandom is a little, shall we say, on the small side (and more than a little stagnant), but that doesn't mean it hasn't produced a gem or two in its time. The following is a rec for one of the better fics written for Labyrinth... no, wait, what am I saying. It's a rec for possibly the best fic written for Labyrinth.
Title: A Forfeit of Dreams
Author: K. L. Morgan
Fandom: Labyrinth
Pairing: Sarah/Jareth
Summary: In which Sarah returns to the Labyrinth, Jareth leaves, and together they might just find what they're looking for.
Sarah's fingers halted in their light tracing of the smooth, glass-like features, smile fading to a sickened expression. This close, she could... she could... Sarah took a step back, hand suspended, as if forgotten, in the air, emotions of disbelief and horror warring across her face. For a moment she simply stood there, breathing lightly though her mouth, gaze trained on the statue's immobile stance. Then, with the suddenness of a bird alighting, she stooped slightly, placing one hand on the statue's cold shoulder, pressing her own warm cheek against the statue's chill one. She looked, for all the world, like an older sister comforting the younger. Desperately, Sarah shut her eyes, and listened...
... to the soft, petulant crying of an abandoned child, echoing inside the statue's lifeless marble frame.
Sarah sprang back, almost falling over her own feet in her eagerness to gain a few steps of distance between herself and the statue. She was shaking, heartbeat loud in her ears. He wouldn't, she thought, mouth dry. He couldn't.
And a familiar voice inside her chuckled: Ah, Sarah. You are such a child.
This story has some of the things I consider absolutely indispensable when dealing with Labyrinth. It has good use of Sarah's friends from the Labyrinth; an older Sarah who is believable, and not just a Mary-Sue in disguise; and most important of all: a Jareth who is dangerous and inhuman, but through it all a sympathetic character - despite his alien nature. On top of this it is written beautifully, the prose is enchanting and captivating. There are some small pacing issues, but this story is long, and you can only see the author improve as it goes on. So, for anyone who ever watched Labyrinth and though, what if? This is the story for you.