Fic recs: CW RPS, Supernatural crossovers; also, a RL update
Been a while since I posted something that wasn't an ATPo Board Meet update (which, btw, if you haven't checked the comm lately, please go here). This will be half a ramble on RL, and half a fanfic rec post.
Weekend update: movies, money, politics
Friday: Movie night at home with my sister and a couple of friends. We watched Step Up, a perfect mix of uplifting and emo :) I don't have the same attachment to Fame that some folks do (never saw it until two years ago, can't remember much now) but for comparison's sake I much prefer Step Up to Center Stage. Overall, the actors were better, the dancing more interesting, the main plot a little more bitter and a lot more charming. Channing Tatum is a really good dancer. Also looks good in a beater. (Channing Tatum also starred in the Twelfth Night pastiche, She's the Man, with Amanda Bynes. And yes, I bought myself the DVD for Christmas.)
It's possible my love for cheesy teen flicks borders on inappropriate, at times.
Saturday: Mutual funds and RSPs at the bank. Fun! Then my sister and I watched another flick, the Brit comedy Kinky Boots, which was also uplifting and but not emo, since emo is generally a term applied solely to teen angst. There was also 110% more cross-dressing and 79.05% better acting. Chiwetel Ejiofor of Joss Whedon's Serenity is Lola, she of the steel shank stiletto boots.
Saturday late afternoon to very very late night: RPS omigod RPS. EAT MY BRAAAAIN.
Sunday: Guest preacher at church spoke a lot of nonsense about Christians and Israel. I believe in supporting Israel, but not the way this guy was talking about it. Christians can witness to Jews by praying, by providing financial and non-profit organisational support (orphanages, food banks = good stuff) -- but Christians have no business telling the Israeli government that they shouldn't give up land for peace just because God designated certain borders for Israel in the Bible. They're the ones who have to live with the bombs, not us. I talked to our pastor after service and he agreed this guy was stepping way, way over the line. I don't think he's gonna be invited back.
I just... I don't get people like that. He's a preacher, but what he delivered wasn't a sermon. It was a pep rally or a political speech. It wasn't Biblically founded. I'm sure he believed what he said, and it wasn't wholly without merit -- the historical stuff was eye-opening -- but it had no place being preached from a pulpit. A Sunday school class, sure. Not a sermon.
Sunday school was good. We talked about whether we should list church activities (serving as a counsellor, teacher, usher, etc) on our resumes. (Short answer: yes.) Next week is Christian ethics and workplace politics.
My family had dim sum with my dad's sister and her family after church, since we didn't see them last week for New Year's. Then my parents drove my brother and his buddies back to the 'loo. Sunday late afternoon to very very late night: more RPS. *facepalm* I just couldn't stop myself!
Monday: MORE FRIGGIN RPS!!!!! Oh yeah, and I also went to work.
Tuesday: Okay, even I have to stop reading sometime, right? Right?? (No, apparently not.)
Fic recs! Three CW RPS recs, because that's what I've been inhaling all weekend, but also three Supernatural crossovers -- one for each of Joss Whedon's TV shows ;)
CW RPS Alternate Universe (Jared/Jensen only because, man, the day I read Jensen/Chad is the day you guys need to put me down like a sick, sick dog)
1. in the brand new west by moveablehistory. Jensen Ackles flies transport all by his lonesome -- until the goddamn government agency that was supposed to find him Someone Special ends up finding him Jared Padalecki. IN SPACE.
Why you should read? In her own words: General Narrative Strangeness, "experimental" "writing", a Scene (or several) of Much Discomfort, dubious science and some Fluffy Voyeuristic Porn.
No really, why should you read this? Because it's not every day you get to read a pastiche of the mail-order bride romance novel cliche while the author takes a big ol' sledgehammer to that fourth wall. There are footnotes. And whole scenes that occur only as hypotheticals. And two dogs that are possibly the smartest dogs in human history. And two bumbling boys falling in love. And it all takes place IN SPACE.
2. Who We Were When by finn21. (Link goes to Part 13, the latest installment of this work-in-progress. ETA: Part 14) This -- THIS -- is the story that kept me up until three frickin thirty in the morning. Funny enough, I could argue this story is a case of fanfic being so close to original fic that it might as well be... Thankfully, I'm not the kind of person who would ever argue such a thing ;)
But high school senior Jared and college student Jensen could be almost any two regular guys in America. The draw of this story (for me) is Jared's slow coming out story. It's a coming out and a coming of age, with Jensen as that irresistible but emotionally unavailable older guy who guides the protagonist from boyhood to manhood.
Warning: there's gay bashing, there's violence. There are teenage boys being stupid teenage boys, and older guys with emotional baggage. But oh man, I sat down and read all 13 parts of this WIP in one night, and I loved every minute of it. It feels true, emotionally true. But not sappy or emo. You know?
3. And The Rest, As They Say, Is History by raina_at. (Link goes to Part 1 of 4.) Struggling actor Jensen takes a job as big-shot movie star Jared Padalecki's dogsitter. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Dude. Never mind the premise. This fic is so beautifully written, I could cry. In fact, I may have actually cried. Or at least got really choked up. The author gives me the Jared and Jensen I love best -- Jared as sweet, loving, so open and friendly, all big laughs and big smiles. And Jensen as a bit off his game, off-balance and falling hard. Re-assessing his situation and wanting more. Beautiful and knowing it but not knowing it, you know?
Domesticity, two very happy dogs, Christian Kane and Steve Carlson (these aren't the two dogs, in case you don't know *g*), Hollywood parties and the paparazzi and MAYHEM (aka Chad Michael Murray). Actual consequences and a happy ending.
Supernatural/Firefly crossover, post-Serenity
1. Weight and Motion by sevenfists. (Spoilers for SPN S2 premiere.) The pairing is Dean Winchester/Malcolm Reynolds, but even if you don't read slash but you do read Firefly, I would highly recommend this story. Mal and his crew are working class, skirting the law type folks. The Winchesters are also working class, skirting the law type folks, and I love love love how the author highlights their differences and similarities. She makes the crossover genre work -- she lets the story evolve from the characters and not the other way around. She asks, "How would Dean react? How would Mal, how would Zoe?" Wonderful voices, brilliant dialogue, good use of dialect, and oh man, the Chinese!
There's also angst, danger, demons, and a bit of sex :) She also wrote a coda, Wild and Unwise, as well as a Five Things sequel, Core and Rind.
Supernatural/Angel crossover, post-"Not Fade Away"
1. Days Like This by killabeez. (Spoilers for SPN S2 premiere.) Post-Angel series finale, starring Angel and Dean, with Spike and Sam. I always love two-characters-stuck-in-a-broom-closet stories, but I love it even more when the broom closet is the Los Angeles sewer system, and there's a sea monster attacking tourists on the boardwalk. Here's another author who makes the most out of the crossover -- Dean hunts demons for a living, only this Angel guy doesn't seem like any creature of the night Dean's ever met. There's no doubt Dean is a "shoot first, ask questions later" guy, but that's why I love seeing him question his black-and-white understanding of the supernatural. And I love what Angel reveals about himself, and what the ending of the story does for him.
Two warriors, fighting the good fight and getting really sick and tired of how fighting means losing the ones they love. They're weary, but not quite beaten. Sad, but not hopeless. Trapped, but not helpless. Fantastic story.
God, I'd forgotten how much I love Angel... Not lj-cutting this because I'm hoping the ATPoers on my flist will give this one a chance :)
Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover
1. Looking For Grey by kellifer_fic. (Spoilers for SPN Season 2.) This story is fairly short (like Oz) compared to the others I've recced. But I think you'll like it. Like I keep saying, the best kind of crossover is the one that looks at the similarities and the differences, and says, "What would these characters think if? What are their motivations?" Crossovers shouldn't be gratuitious fight scenes or gratiutious sex scenes. (Or if not "should be", then at least "can be". Hope to be.) Crossovers are about characters who speak to each other, whose situations open up new possibilities, or reinforce the old ways, or cause even more chaos and confusion. Whatever happens, a crossover should say something. Well, I'd hope all stories would say something, but in particular I want crossovers to benefit from an outside perspective, to tell us something interesting. This crossover does exactly that.
There is Oz. There is Oz and Sam. There is Oz and Sam and Dean. There is Oz and Sam and Dean and an awesome original female character named Sally. There is Oz and Sam and Dean and Sally and a whole community of average Joes who don't judge you just because you get really hairy three days a month. There is Oz and Lenore, and in the killabeez's story there is Angel, and it's all about looking for grey.
I really really really love fanfic. Can you tell? *g*
Weekend update: movies, money, politics
Friday: Movie night at home with my sister and a couple of friends. We watched Step Up, a perfect mix of uplifting and emo :) I don't have the same attachment to Fame that some folks do (never saw it until two years ago, can't remember much now) but for comparison's sake I much prefer Step Up to Center Stage. Overall, the actors were better, the dancing more interesting, the main plot a little more bitter and a lot more charming. Channing Tatum is a really good dancer. Also looks good in a beater. (Channing Tatum also starred in the Twelfth Night pastiche, She's the Man, with Amanda Bynes. And yes, I bought myself the DVD for Christmas.)
It's possible my love for cheesy teen flicks borders on inappropriate, at times.
Saturday: Mutual funds and RSPs at the bank. Fun! Then my sister and I watched another flick, the Brit comedy Kinky Boots, which was also uplifting and but not emo, since emo is generally a term applied solely to teen angst. There was also 110% more cross-dressing and 79.05% better acting. Chiwetel Ejiofor of Joss Whedon's Serenity is Lola, she of the steel shank stiletto boots.
Saturday late afternoon to very very late night: RPS omigod RPS. EAT MY BRAAAAIN.
Sunday: Guest preacher at church spoke a lot of nonsense about Christians and Israel. I believe in supporting Israel, but not the way this guy was talking about it. Christians can witness to Jews by praying, by providing financial and non-profit organisational support (orphanages, food banks = good stuff) -- but Christians have no business telling the Israeli government that they shouldn't give up land for peace just because God designated certain borders for Israel in the Bible. They're the ones who have to live with the bombs, not us. I talked to our pastor after service and he agreed this guy was stepping way, way over the line. I don't think he's gonna be invited back.
I just... I don't get people like that. He's a preacher, but what he delivered wasn't a sermon. It was a pep rally or a political speech. It wasn't Biblically founded. I'm sure he believed what he said, and it wasn't wholly without merit -- the historical stuff was eye-opening -- but it had no place being preached from a pulpit. A Sunday school class, sure. Not a sermon.
Sunday school was good. We talked about whether we should list church activities (serving as a counsellor, teacher, usher, etc) on our resumes. (Short answer: yes.) Next week is Christian ethics and workplace politics.
My family had dim sum with my dad's sister and her family after church, since we didn't see them last week for New Year's. Then my parents drove my brother and his buddies back to the 'loo. Sunday late afternoon to very very late night: more RPS. *facepalm* I just couldn't stop myself!
Monday: MORE FRIGGIN RPS!!!!! Oh yeah, and I also went to work.
Tuesday: Okay, even I have to stop reading sometime, right? Right?? (No, apparently not.)
Fic recs! Three CW RPS recs, because that's what I've been inhaling all weekend, but also three Supernatural crossovers -- one for each of Joss Whedon's TV shows ;)
CW RPS Alternate Universe (Jared/Jensen only because, man, the day I read Jensen/Chad is the day you guys need to put me down like a sick, sick dog)
1. in the brand new west by moveablehistory. Jensen Ackles flies transport all by his lonesome -- until the goddamn government agency that was supposed to find him Someone Special ends up finding him Jared Padalecki. IN SPACE.
Why you should read? In her own words: General Narrative Strangeness, "experimental" "writing", a Scene (or several) of Much Discomfort, dubious science and some Fluffy Voyeuristic Porn.
No really, why should you read this? Because it's not every day you get to read a pastiche of the mail-order bride romance novel cliche while the author takes a big ol' sledgehammer to that fourth wall. There are footnotes. And whole scenes that occur only as hypotheticals. And two dogs that are possibly the smartest dogs in human history. And two bumbling boys falling in love. And it all takes place IN SPACE.
2. Who We Were When by finn21. (Link goes to Part 13, the latest installment of this work-in-progress. ETA: Part 14) This -- THIS -- is the story that kept me up until three frickin thirty in the morning. Funny enough, I could argue this story is a case of fanfic being so close to original fic that it might as well be... Thankfully, I'm not the kind of person who would ever argue such a thing ;)
But high school senior Jared and college student Jensen could be almost any two regular guys in America. The draw of this story (for me) is Jared's slow coming out story. It's a coming out and a coming of age, with Jensen as that irresistible but emotionally unavailable older guy who guides the protagonist from boyhood to manhood.
Warning: there's gay bashing, there's violence. There are teenage boys being stupid teenage boys, and older guys with emotional baggage. But oh man, I sat down and read all 13 parts of this WIP in one night, and I loved every minute of it. It feels true, emotionally true. But not sappy or emo. You know?
3. And The Rest, As They Say, Is History by raina_at. (Link goes to Part 1 of 4.) Struggling actor Jensen takes a job as big-shot movie star Jared Padalecki's dogsitter. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Dude. Never mind the premise. This fic is so beautifully written, I could cry. In fact, I may have actually cried. Or at least got really choked up. The author gives me the Jared and Jensen I love best -- Jared as sweet, loving, so open and friendly, all big laughs and big smiles. And Jensen as a bit off his game, off-balance and falling hard. Re-assessing his situation and wanting more. Beautiful and knowing it but not knowing it, you know?
Domesticity, two very happy dogs, Christian Kane and Steve Carlson (these aren't the two dogs, in case you don't know *g*), Hollywood parties and the paparazzi and MAYHEM (aka Chad Michael Murray). Actual consequences and a happy ending.
Supernatural/Firefly crossover, post-Serenity
1. Weight and Motion by sevenfists. (Spoilers for SPN S2 premiere.) The pairing is Dean Winchester/Malcolm Reynolds, but even if you don't read slash but you do read Firefly, I would highly recommend this story. Mal and his crew are working class, skirting the law type folks. The Winchesters are also working class, skirting the law type folks, and I love love love how the author highlights their differences and similarities. She makes the crossover genre work -- she lets the story evolve from the characters and not the other way around. She asks, "How would Dean react? How would Mal, how would Zoe?" Wonderful voices, brilliant dialogue, good use of dialect, and oh man, the Chinese!
There's also angst, danger, demons, and a bit of sex :) She also wrote a coda, Wild and Unwise, as well as a Five Things sequel, Core and Rind.
Supernatural/Angel crossover, post-"Not Fade Away"
1. Days Like This by killabeez. (Spoilers for SPN S2 premiere.) Post-Angel series finale, starring Angel and Dean, with Spike and Sam. I always love two-characters-stuck-in-a-broom-closet stories, but I love it even more when the broom closet is the Los Angeles sewer system, and there's a sea monster attacking tourists on the boardwalk. Here's another author who makes the most out of the crossover -- Dean hunts demons for a living, only this Angel guy doesn't seem like any creature of the night Dean's ever met. There's no doubt Dean is a "shoot first, ask questions later" guy, but that's why I love seeing him question his black-and-white understanding of the supernatural. And I love what Angel reveals about himself, and what the ending of the story does for him.
Two warriors, fighting the good fight and getting really sick and tired of how fighting means losing the ones they love. They're weary, but not quite beaten. Sad, but not hopeless. Trapped, but not helpless. Fantastic story.
God, I'd forgotten how much I love Angel... Not lj-cutting this because I'm hoping the ATPoers on my flist will give this one a chance :)
Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover
1. Looking For Grey by kellifer_fic. (Spoilers for SPN Season 2.) This story is fairly short (like Oz) compared to the others I've recced. But I think you'll like it. Like I keep saying, the best kind of crossover is the one that looks at the similarities and the differences, and says, "What would these characters think if? What are their motivations?" Crossovers shouldn't be gratuitious fight scenes or gratiutious sex scenes. (Or if not "should be", then at least "can be". Hope to be.) Crossovers are about characters who speak to each other, whose situations open up new possibilities, or reinforce the old ways, or cause even more chaos and confusion. Whatever happens, a crossover should say something. Well, I'd hope all stories would say something, but in particular I want crossovers to benefit from an outside perspective, to tell us something interesting. This crossover does exactly that.
There is Oz. There is Oz and Sam. There is Oz and Sam and Dean. There is Oz and Sam and Dean and an awesome original female character named Sally. There is Oz and Sam and Dean and Sally and a whole community of average Joes who don't judge you just because you get really hairy three days a month. There is Oz and Lenore, and in the killabeez's story there is Angel, and it's all about looking for grey.
I really really really love fanfic. Can you tell? *g*