Yuletide, II
More rare fandom recs:
I, Claudius:
Mater Patriae: because Livia remains one of the best villains ever, and this look at her as presented in I, Claudius captures so very well why. Poison is queen, indeed.
History without novels to interpret it:
The Seventh Circle: Sandro Botticelli and Lorenzo de' Medici in the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy. Great take on both.
The Arrow: there are several stories about Anne Boleyn in this Yuletide, using Wyatt's poem about her as a prompt, but only one, this one, responds to it with a poem of its own, and to my mind is also the one which really captures Anne, who in historical fiction tends to get either demonized into evil other woman or softened into dull romantic heroine.
Sandman:
Pieces of Time: an excellent Delirium point of view, set during Brief Lives.
Sherlock Holmes:
Common Places: great portrait of Irene Adler, and one that pulls off Irene/Holmes in a credible fashion, no mean feat. The woman in post-Doyle versions often suffers by being transformed into a damsel in distress - when Holmes' fascination was awakened by her cleverness and resourcefulness in A Scandal in Bohemia -, and the fact she ends the story she shows up in happily married gets ignored (or poor Geoffrey killed off). Not so here. As for Holmes, he doesn't suddenly end up a romantic hero, either (and Holmes/Watson fans can be reassured his complete attachment to Watson isn't forgotten); they are truly themselves, and I love it.
Deadwood:
The Enemy of my Enemy: Al Swearangen in the late first season, along with Bullock, Cy Tolliver, Jewel and Trixie. Captures Al fantastically well.
I, Claudius:
Mater Patriae: because Livia remains one of the best villains ever, and this look at her as presented in I, Claudius captures so very well why. Poison is queen, indeed.
History without novels to interpret it:
The Seventh Circle: Sandro Botticelli and Lorenzo de' Medici in the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy. Great take on both.
The Arrow: there are several stories about Anne Boleyn in this Yuletide, using Wyatt's poem about her as a prompt, but only one, this one, responds to it with a poem of its own, and to my mind is also the one which really captures Anne, who in historical fiction tends to get either demonized into evil other woman or softened into dull romantic heroine.
Sandman:
Pieces of Time: an excellent Delirium point of view, set during Brief Lives.
Sherlock Holmes:
Common Places: great portrait of Irene Adler, and one that pulls off Irene/Holmes in a credible fashion, no mean feat. The woman in post-Doyle versions often suffers by being transformed into a damsel in distress - when Holmes' fascination was awakened by her cleverness and resourcefulness in A Scandal in Bohemia -, and the fact she ends the story she shows up in happily married gets ignored (or poor Geoffrey killed off). Not so here. As for Holmes, he doesn't suddenly end up a romantic hero, either (and Holmes/Watson fans can be reassured his complete attachment to Watson isn't forgotten); they are truly themselves, and I love it.
Deadwood:
The Enemy of my Enemy: Al Swearangen in the late first season, along with Bullock, Cy Tolliver, Jewel and Trixie. Captures Al fantastically well.