Fanfic recs (Angel, Dr. Who, Farscape, Harry Potter)
As I won't get my copy of the new HP (thank you, Amazon, for the notification) until next week, and am not in the States, thus unable to watch the new season of BSG, I have to get my fannish Friday thrills another way. To wit, fanfiction.
Angel: Well of Static is a short and sharp story about Connor and Angel post-Not Fade Away. Very well written, and packing a punch precisely for its lack of sentimentality.
(And speaking of Connor: as I wrote to karabair recently, it occured to me that the entire Holtz, Angel and Connor situation has a strong resemblance to the one with Heathcliff, Hindley and Hareton in Wuthering Heights. And this in turn reminded me that if someone wrote WH fanfic, the Heathcliff and Hareton relationship would be the only thing I'd want to read about, the rest being amply covered by the divine Emily.)
Dr. Who: It'll Be Alright picks a character we only know the name of, Trisha Delaney (Mickey's girlfriend post-Rose) and makes her come to life; it also offers a great portrait of Mickey and Rose's friend Shireen. Just the kind of story canon can't offer because of its different focus (on the goings-on in the Tardis, natch), but fanfic can.
Farscape: "Time's Needle" is that rare thing in fanfic, a long gen story with a plot. Focusing on John and Scorpius, it gets both characters right, gives them a common goal that makes it plausible they'd work together as well as invidual agendas that make for the inevitable Farscapian twist, and uses the time travel idea well.
And officially sponsored fanfic in honour of the impending HP release: the Guardian, speculating (anyone who is as spoilerphobic as me, don't worry, this isn't a spoiler, just a guess on their part) that Dumbledore is due for execution-by-author, challenged readers to write the death of Dumbledore in the style of their favourite authors. The Arthur Conan Doyle pastiche with Snape as Holmes and Harry as Watson is especially good, but there are are lot of other gems as well.
Angel: Well of Static is a short and sharp story about Connor and Angel post-Not Fade Away. Very well written, and packing a punch precisely for its lack of sentimentality.
(And speaking of Connor: as I wrote to karabair recently, it occured to me that the entire Holtz, Angel and Connor situation has a strong resemblance to the one with Heathcliff, Hindley and Hareton in Wuthering Heights. And this in turn reminded me that if someone wrote WH fanfic, the Heathcliff and Hareton relationship would be the only thing I'd want to read about, the rest being amply covered by the divine Emily.)
Dr. Who: It'll Be Alright picks a character we only know the name of, Trisha Delaney (Mickey's girlfriend post-Rose) and makes her come to life; it also offers a great portrait of Mickey and Rose's friend Shireen. Just the kind of story canon can't offer because of its different focus (on the goings-on in the Tardis, natch), but fanfic can.
Farscape: "Time's Needle" is that rare thing in fanfic, a long gen story with a plot. Focusing on John and Scorpius, it gets both characters right, gives them a common goal that makes it plausible they'd work together as well as invidual agendas that make for the inevitable Farscapian twist, and uses the time travel idea well.
And officially sponsored fanfic in honour of the impending HP release: the Guardian, speculating (anyone who is as spoilerphobic as me, don't worry, this isn't a spoiler, just a guess on their part) that Dumbledore is due for execution-by-author, challenged readers to write the death of Dumbledore in the style of their favourite authors. The Arthur Conan Doyle pastiche with Snape as Holmes and Harry as Watson is especially good, but there are are lot of other gems as well.