Weekend Recs. This week: The Old Guard (3), Startate Atlantis.
Apologies for forgetting last week. I've been busy-busy, though not sure at what. I'm able to visit Cindy most afternoons for Lucifer fanfic-reading and episode-watching, which shortens the amount of time in the day I have to 'accomplish something'. (Not that I often actually accomplish more than the basic necessities of food, bathing, sleep, and fanfic-reading. )
Although yesterday afternoon and this afternoon, I broke down a big pile of tumbleweed and loaded it in the truck to take to the dump tomorrow. We had a BIG windstorm a few weeks ago; a bunch of tumbleweed was stopped by the neighbor's fence, and piled up in front of my wellhouse, in an area about 6 feet by 10 feet by almost 5 feet high, which meant that I couldn't get into the wellhouse. I need to go only occasionally, to change the filter, or to check that the heat lamp is working if it gets really cold, but waiting until I need to do one of those is not the time to start a 5-hour task.
For those who don't know, tumbleweed is a large ball of curved branches with lots of small spikes that love to break off in skin. It's actually very nutritious, and tumbleweed doesn't get big enough to tumble if it grows where animals are grazing; they eat it first. But it's a lot more romantic in song than reality. (Jimmy Rogers; I've known this version since I was about 12.)
And as long as you're here, give a listen to Someplace Green, also by Jimmy Rogers... which I can't find a digital copy to buy anywhere! grr...
ANYway, I figured out a painless way to compress that huge mass of brush to fit into my pickup bed. I have some old commercial truck mudflaps lying around -- 2 feet by 3 feet of heavy rubber; I bought them years ago to make walkways through the muddy barnyard. So I grabbed one. Then, take a couple of weeds to the driveway, drop the mudflap on it, and stomp all over it to flatten the weed. Then, as I put them in the truck-bed, repeat the process to compact them as much as possible. I think I did a pretty good job; I'll have to take my pitchfork tomorrow to make it easier to unload. But even with covering the weeds as I stomped, and wearing leather work-gloves, I still have three or four pokes and scratches on my arms and legs; tumbleweeds don't play nice. And yet... if a dried tumbleweed blows into an area with horses, cows, or goats, they'll eat it, stickers and all. No idea how they manage!
Such is the exciting life of a rural dweller. Aren't you impressed?
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Mixed Messages
Creator Links:
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 12,000 words
Summary: “Alright,” Yusuf said. “I will play your husband, for a day or two.”
Reccer’s Notes: Delightful Shakespearean-style comedy of errors with mutual fake identities, fake marriage, and various plots and shenanigans going 10 different directions at once. Nicky’s utter panicked grasping-at-straws plan (not plan) is nicely offset by Joe’s ability to just absolutely roll with whatever-the-hell is going on. Sweet, funny, and delightful.
Characters: Yusuf, Nicolò, Sébastien, Nile, Quyny, Andromache, OCs.
Pairings: Yusuf/Nicolò
Themes: Comedy of errors, Fake marriage, Strangers to lovers, Hijinks & shenanigans, Mistaken identity, Humor
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Fanwork Links: Outfoxed
Creator Links:
Category: M/M
Rating: Gen
Length: 11,000 words
Summary: “I guess it makes sense you’d be magical,” John said, enjoying the Fox’s exasperated growl and annoyed muttering about oversimplification. “Talking fox and all.”
“Yes, I’m just bursting with pixie dust,” said the Fox. “Shut up now.”
Reccer’s Notes: Join us in a lyrical tale as Prince John bumbles ever onward to complete a quest that becomes more complex the deeper he gets into it. Fortunately, talking fox Rodney is there to give him good advice -- if only Prince John could manage to follow the advice exactly, instead of just ‘mostly’. Of course our hero wins, the enchantments are broken, and everyone lives happily after (except the bad guys), but watching it happen is great good fun.
Characters: John, Rodney, Jeanie, Elizabeth, Radek, Ronon, Teyla, OCs.
Pairings: John/Rodney
Themes: AU - Fairy tale, Action/adventure, Humor Friends to lovers
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Open Up and See
Creator Links:
Category: Gen, M/M
Rating: Gen
Length: 3,000 words
Summary: They play a card game that reminds Nile of Uno, only they play it with regular cards, weak cups of milky coffee in front of them. Andy shuffles them as she explains the particular rules here, and tells her it’s called Macau, and stares off into the distance for a couple of seconds as she inevitably remembers various exciting adventures that involved the game. Nile likes to watch her face, all of their faces, as they recollect some instance so long ago that Nile knows few people alive today could have been around to witness it, if any. It’s comforting to know that however long she may live the memories will keep accumulating, like playing cards in an ever-rising stack, face down except for when Nile flips them when she wants a glimpse of the past.
Reccer’s Notes: A gentle, comfortable, smile-making story in my favorite trope of "team enfolding Nile into the family".
Characters: Joe, Nicky, Nile, Andy
Pairings: Joe/Nicky
Themes: Team as family, Food, Comfort, Friendship, Domestic, Post-canon, Humor
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Getting Sauced (series)
Creator Links:
Category: Humor, Family, Sleepwalking, Crack, Domestic
Rating: Gen to Teen
Length: 8,000 words in 4 stories
Summary: The adventures of sleepwalker Nicky. Technically a series but each fic can be read alone without needing the context of the other parts.
Reccer’s Notes: Author says, “This is pure, self-indulgent crack.” I’ll remember it as, “Nicky vs store-bought pasta sauce.” So much fun as Nicky defends his love and his home from this despicable intruder. Woe betide anyone who gets in his way; even Joe is not safe from collateral damage, and Booker... doesn’t learn his lesson.
Characters: Joe, Nicky, Booker, Nile, Andy, Quynh
Pairings: Joe/Nicky
Themes: Humor, Family, Sleepwalking, Crack, Domestic
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete
Originally posted at DW.