Yuletide Recs
I was holding off on a post, because frankly, I have not read even a quarter of what I've intended to read yet. It'll probably take me until March to catch up, so this may be the first of several posts. BUT I wanted to get a few of my favorites out of the way before the reveal. Everything I've read is quite impressive; these have stuck with me most.
The Kid From the Narrows (Batman Begins) - This was a fic I read on a whim because someone else recommended it, and I was blown away. The premise of taking a memorable vignette from the movie and expanding it into the fandom's future is just so skillful and clever. The author really gets the brooding, claustrophobic air of Gotham, and especially the Narrows, just right. Instead of melodrama, we watch the protagonist harden before our eyes. Chilling, yet hopeful - just like the fandom. Excellent.
Now and Then (Jekyll) - I will have to stalk everyone who wrote in this fandom, because there are no words for how much I love it. Among a stellar little group of fics, however, this one stood out. It's a very penetrating look into Katherine's psyche, and broods over the little dark corners. I think one of Jekyll's strengths is how everyone, in some way, is a monster... and Katherine should be no exception. Creepy and haunting.
Once Upon a Bird (Princess Tutu) - On a totally different note, "Once Upon a Bird" is an epilogue-y little fic that nicely captures both Fakir as a character and the format of the series. It reads like an episode, with a nice blend of continuing the meta-plot and a fairy tale esque focus. Complete as a piece, and yet a fitting coda for the anime. The fic leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
Where the Air Is Clear (Mary Poppins) - I would have never, ever read this if someone hadn't recommended it, and now I feel the need to pass it on. It's a fic set well beyond the story's end, during the Blitz. Bert and St. Paul's watch the bombs fall. This story is beautiful and haunting and totally unexpected.
and never without sacrifice (Greek Mythology) - Aretmis and Apollo, Artemis' point of view. The author very deftly traces them in and out of several myths, and does an excellent, uncompromising job of painting a complex, unpleasant, yet inescapable bond between the twins. The ending caught me emotionally by surprise, even though I knew the particular myth.
Lights and Night (Dracula) - This made my skin crawl. The way things are taken for granted, and the way the author allows the reader to fill in the blanks, are just wicked. And the ending is claustrophobic but perfect. A really intriguing voice in this fandom; I will have to start stalking them after the reveal.
Susan Sto Helit's Day Off (Discworld) - I love Susan. A lot. And this was an utterly spot-on character portrait. Also? Footnotes. Hee.
People Without Guns (V for Vendetta) - And, of course, the fic that was written for me. I linked to it without explanation in my last entry, but a bit more here. The reader literally watches Finch getting jaded before their eyes in a subtle, tricky, detail-oriented series of vignettes. It has the narrative freedom of third person, with the psychological insight more characteristic of first. Set pre-movie. Read it, and enjoy.
The Kid From the Narrows (Batman Begins) - This was a fic I read on a whim because someone else recommended it, and I was blown away. The premise of taking a memorable vignette from the movie and expanding it into the fandom's future is just so skillful and clever. The author really gets the brooding, claustrophobic air of Gotham, and especially the Narrows, just right. Instead of melodrama, we watch the protagonist harden before our eyes. Chilling, yet hopeful - just like the fandom. Excellent.
Now and Then (Jekyll) - I will have to stalk everyone who wrote in this fandom, because there are no words for how much I love it. Among a stellar little group of fics, however, this one stood out. It's a very penetrating look into Katherine's psyche, and broods over the little dark corners. I think one of Jekyll's strengths is how everyone, in some way, is a monster... and Katherine should be no exception. Creepy and haunting.
Once Upon a Bird (Princess Tutu) - On a totally different note, "Once Upon a Bird" is an epilogue-y little fic that nicely captures both Fakir as a character and the format of the series. It reads like an episode, with a nice blend of continuing the meta-plot and a fairy tale esque focus. Complete as a piece, and yet a fitting coda for the anime. The fic leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
Where the Air Is Clear (Mary Poppins) - I would have never, ever read this if someone hadn't recommended it, and now I feel the need to pass it on. It's a fic set well beyond the story's end, during the Blitz. Bert and St. Paul's watch the bombs fall. This story is beautiful and haunting and totally unexpected.
and never without sacrifice (Greek Mythology) - Aretmis and Apollo, Artemis' point of view. The author very deftly traces them in and out of several myths, and does an excellent, uncompromising job of painting a complex, unpleasant, yet inescapable bond between the twins. The ending caught me emotionally by surprise, even though I knew the particular myth.
Lights and Night (Dracula) - This made my skin crawl. The way things are taken for granted, and the way the author allows the reader to fill in the blanks, are just wicked. And the ending is claustrophobic but perfect. A really intriguing voice in this fandom; I will have to start stalking them after the reveal.
Susan Sto Helit's Day Off (Discworld) - I love Susan. A lot. And this was an utterly spot-on character portrait. Also? Footnotes. Hee.
People Without Guns (V for Vendetta) - And, of course, the fic that was written for me. I linked to it without explanation in my last entry, but a bit more here. The reader literally watches Finch getting jaded before their eyes in a subtle, tricky, detail-oriented series of vignettes. It has the narrative freedom of third person, with the psychological insight more characteristic of first. Set pre-movie. Read it, and enjoy.