Weekend Recs. This week: NCIS, The Old Guard, SGA + SG-1
I've kind-of-accidentally discovered that I like making recs for fanworks -- mostly fic, but there may be occasional arts that make the list. I've joined two rec comms, and gleaned some great recs from both comms, but rarely participated... until The Old Guard came along. I'd made 2 rec posts in
fanfic_friday before The Old Guard. After the movie, I made 9 rec-posts, 4-6 fic-recs per post. Not all were The Old Guard, but about 80% were.
I never posted in
fancake because that comm has monthly 'themes' -- EG, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, etc -- and recs for the month have to fit the theme, however loosely. But I simply don't remember stories that way; my memory files fic as "The one where x did y and then z happened." BUT! In March, the theme was 'novel-length' (60,000 words or more). Yay! I can recognize -- and manage -- such an objective goal; I made 13 fic-recs (1 rec per post; it's the rule). Then in April, the theme was 'getting back together'. My second fandom was The Sentinel; it's tailor-made for that theme; there are a bunch of stories about Blair leaving after the dissertation mess and then coming back for one reason or another. Those led me to some NCIS fics (after Tony leaves for whatever reason), and several Old Guard fics (either Quynh or Booker coming back to the group). So I managed 10 recs on that theme.
The Fancake theme this month is 'Clones & Doppelgangers', and my mind is completely blank. I know I've read a couple of SGA stories along that line, as well as a couple of NCIS (Tony/Jason Bull mix-up), but I'm shit at recalling names or authors. There's the Sentinel story Two Faces, by Alyjude, but I already recc'd that for novel-length. Next month looks like the theme will be 'Platonic Life Partners', which... maybe I can think of some from The Sentinel, but it doesn't ring a bell. I mean, there's plenty of Jim-and-Blair gen stories, but I don't remember any 'life-partner' vibes. Some from Arianna might fit... Maybe when the mod explains it, I'll have some ideas.
One advantage about deciding to rec is that I've also learned to bookmark fics at AO3. I've never felt the need for bookmarks; if a story-summary interests me, I save it on my HD. (I may not get around to reading it for a few months -- or years -- but it's there.) But as I discussed the correct methods of recc'ing with Fancake's mod, they mentioned that they use AO3's bookmark system to keep track of what they've recc'd. A light-bulb went off in my brain -- if I like a story well enough to rec it, I can bookmark it on AO3 and tag it with the relevant themes from the list at Fancake (and a few that I've added to my own list). Fancake occasionally has 'amnesty rounds', in which we can rec anything from previous themes; I will be so ready!
Before The Old Guard, I had 3 bookmarks. Since Oct 2020, I've made 104 new bookmarks -- enough to make 3 recs a week for the next 9 months. I assume I'll have plenty more by that time; I just made a new one for a story I read during lunch, LOL! Actually, an October bookmark seems kind of late; I saw the movie in August. But I guess I was busy beta'ing for Castalie, and then transcribing the movie till Sept 1st 16th. (I posted on the 1st, but kept revising, and posting the revisions...) I made my first Old Guard rec at Fandom_Friday on Oct 9th; my first Old Guard bookmark was Oct 15th. Basically, I started bookmarking so that I could remember which stories I consider good enough to make a recommendation. To that end, I always write my own blurb about why I like it so much -- kind of like a mini book report from my elementary-school days. And if I'm looking for a 5-star re-read, it jogs my memory about what the story is, in a way that the mere title often doesn't.
I was very disappointed to discover that, in this as in so many other things, my methods are outside the mainstream, LOL! I've seen folks ask for recs in x fandom, and other folks link to their bookmarks. So there must be good information there, right? Not so much. I expected nuggets of gold when I visited bookmark-streams from various other fans, usually authors whose work I like. (If they write well, I figure that they probably rec well-written fics.) From what I've seen, hardly anyone writes blurbs for their bookmarks. The bookmark does show the AO3-supplied author summary, but those are often more 'teasers' than extolling why the story is so good. Ah, well, my method works for me, which is all that matters.
Circling back to me making recs in my own journal -- Fanfic_Friday hasn't opened a rec post since the end of March. Fancake gave me an outlet in April and May, but now I'm 3 weeks past my last rec and, as I said, the (proposed) July theme looks like it will also be a bust for me. In short, I'm suffering a bit of rec-withdrawal, LOL! But I have an open journal, in which I can make my own rules. So my plan is...
1. I'll make a rec post each weekend, either Saturday or Sunday.
2. Three recs, various fandoms, mostly fic, but the occasional art or vid may sneak in.
3. Recs will include the theme(s) they fit, as will as author summary and my bookmark-blurb to give you an idea of whether or not you'd be interested in reading.
So I now give you... *drumroll*
This Week's Recs
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1
Fanwork Links: Saving Captain Holland
Creator Links:
Daisy_May or Daisy May on Quantum Bang
Category: Slash
Rating: NC-17
Length: 78,500 words
Summary: When Major Sheppard saved Lyle Holland from certain death in Afghanistan, he had no idea of the impact it would have on his life. Barely twenty-four hours after the rescue, he was promoted and on a spaceship. He was promoted again after almost losing his life in the Battle of Antarctica, but where Goa’uld are concerned, sometimes friends turn out to be enemies.
Reccer's Notes: Instead of a black mark for saving a man, John gets a promotion and becomes Jack’s 2IC at SGC. He doesn't go with the expedition to Atlantis, and neither does Rodney. Gradually, Jack, John, and Rodney begin to realize that things are problematic in the upper echelons of politics and military command... and it's spreading. They can't know how bad things will get, but find friends -- and enemies -- in unexpected places as they begin to plan to gather people and evacuate if necessary.
This is the SGC we know, but from seemingly minor changes, they head in a completely different direction. This story is well-told, engrossing, and well worth the read.
Characters: John, Rodney, Radek, Jack, Daniel, Teal’c, Patrick Sheppard, other characters from SGA & SG1, OC’s.
Pairings: John/Rodney and Jack/Patrick Sheppard
Themes: action/adventure, drama, romance, fork in the road, novel-length, alternate beginnings
Warnings: Canon-level violence
Status: Complete
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: A Friend in Need
Creator Links:
ba_lailah
Category: Gen
Rating: Not rated (I’d call it Teen)
Length: 3,300 words
Summary: “My name is Nile, like the river. You helped my friend,” the woman says. “A woman with dark hair and a stab wound in her shoulder.” She does not sound unfamiliar with phrases such as ‘stab wound’.
“I did,” Celeste says cautiously. Is this retaliation of some kind? No, she'd said ‘friend’.
“She's gotten hurt again,” Nile says. “We could use your help.”
Reccer's Notes: Excellent outside/minor character POV. When the team needs medical help, Celeste cautiously agrees. The team works as a team in helping Celeste help Andy, making sure Andy will follow ‘doctor’s orders’, and deciding whether or not to tell Celeste what they are. Celeste is wonderful -- observant, accepting, non-judgmental, capable -- and her referenced background is perfect; we can believe that this woman can be thrown into something so much bigger than she ever could have guessed at, but still remain remarkably composed. We’re left with a hint of a future ‘more’ -- both professional and personal -- for a thoroughly satisfying story.
Characters: Nile, Celeste, Andy, Joe, Nicky.
Pairings: Joe/Nicky (background) and Andy/Celeste (hint of potential)
Themes: post-canon, team as family, POV outsider, character development, POV minor character
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Fandom: NCIS
Fanwork Links: Beyond All Boundaries
Creator Links:
LizabethSTucker
Category: Gen
Rating: Teen
Length: 41,300 words
Summary: When Gibbs goes missing in Iraq, Tony may be his only hope.
Reccer's Notes: When Gibbs disappears from an out-of-country mission, Tony refuses to accept the report that Gibbs is a traitor. He quits NCIS and goes undercover to find Gibbs and bring him back. Delving into the charges against Gibbs brings to light a far-reaching, long-term coverup. We see a competent!Tony that the series often ignored, who knows how to accomplish what he needs to, and demonstrates impressive skills to find Gibbs and bring him home. My muse even insisted that I make a cover for this wonderful story.
Characters: Tony, Gibbs, McGee, Abbey, Ziva, Vance, OC’s.
Pairings: None
Themes: getting back together, competency, friendship, case fic, false accusations
Warnings: Choose not to use (Canon-level hurt and violence)
Status: Complete
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