20 fic recs: Batman, Firefly/Serenity, Heroes, Invisible Man, Veronica Mars
I keep meaning to rec fics in this journal. I'm a procrastinator. But I figure today is as good a day to start as any, so here we go!
The fics listed below are all the fic recs I currently have in my delicious account. I save a lot of fan fiction to delicious (I use it the way I used to use my LJ memories, which also contains a lot of older stories), but these are the ones that particularly affected me in one way or another. I try to be a stickler about my fic recs tag. I describe the tag like this over at delicious:
For fics that particularly struck me, be they well-written, emotionally gripping, characterized well, innovative in some way--basically anything that made the story especially stand out to me. Most fics I save on this account are ones I enjoyed and praised, but the fic recs are the ones that really impressed me on some level.
So, by fandom:
Batman (Nolanverse)
Q & A {2986w, PG13} by medie. Vicki Vale, Bruce, Batman, Alfred. I find that I love stories in which Bruce/Batman is viewed from an outsider's perspective, and this fic does that quite well. Plus, the dialogue is wonderfully flirty. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | "There is something going on with Wayne, Vicki, and I want to know what. You said it yourself, the guy falls off the planet for almost a decade, gets declared dead, and then shows up with a story of whoring his way through Europe? Something stinks, Vick."
A Year in the Life {1264w, PG} by alchemine. Bruce, Alfred. A great character study of Bruce's double life. | Spring is the season for weddings, and everyone invites Bruce to theirs, whether from ambition or greed, or in the case of some of the brides, to show him what he missed out on.
Lodestone {2338w, PG13} by eyebrowofdoom. Jim, Batman, cameos by others. Another lovely character study, this time of Jim Gordon. I especially love the last few lines. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | Jim Gordon has been waiting since he was thirty-two, to go outside for some air one night, and find some lunatic on his fire escape.
The Kid from the Narrows {3944w, PG13} by littlerhymes. Batman, Bruce, Alfred, Rachel, and a narrator whose identity I won't spoil. A wonderful portrayal of how a certain comic book character could become part of the Nolanverse. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | You're ten years old when you see Batman for the first time. He's clinging to a wall in the rain, a shadow dripping mystery and danger. Inside the apartment Mom and Dad are screaming at one another but you could hardly care less.
Passions of a Man {1795w, PG} by brighidestone. Alfred/Lucius, Bruce. Alfred and Lucius's history together is explored through the past and the present. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | Lucius Fox is dreaming when the phone rings.
The Clues in Front of Us {WIP, G-R} by solaras. Bruce/Jim, Batman/Jim. The dialogue is just so awesome, the characters so palpable. The prose is weak in some parts, but that improves with each chapter, and the delicious character interaction makes up for any errors. Spoilers through The Dark Knight. | “You,” Gordon said as he dumped the water over the plant, “are a bad influence on my secretary.” // “On the contrary,” Bruce said with a winning smile, “I am an excellent influence on secretaries. I find they are always helpful around me.”
Firefly/Serenity
Companion {3687w, PG13} by saestina. Mal/Simon, Inara, cameos by others. From Inara's point of view; excellent characterizations and prose throughout. | Inara’s good at reading people. Whatever anyone else might say, she knows it’s the most important part of her job, to be able to take one look at someone and understand what it is they need and what it is they merely want.
Heroes
Letters from the Desert {5725w, not rated} by saestina. Nathan, Claire, Angela, Heidi, mentions of Peter. Lovely prose that conveys some very heartfelt emotion. Spoilers through 2.1. | Nathan and Claire deal with Peter’s absence in their own ways.
Face in the Crowd {3655w, not rated} by saestina. Claire, cameos by others. It's been recced many times on my flist before, and completely deserves it. A stunning, powerful look at Claire's immortality. Spoilers through 1.9. | She feels her father’s hands on her shoulders, but she’s numb to the real world, seeing instead the death of a hundred thousand dreams play out before her eyes.
Watch You Sparkle & Watch You Grow {1569w, PG13} by azuraangel05. Elle's mother, Elle, Bob. Written from Elle's mother's point of view; story follows an intriguing structure and reads a bit like poetry. Spoilers through s2. | I will leave you here in this building, in this bed, with this I.V. in your tiny arm, while you look up at me with your great, big, eyes, while you look up at me and say, “Mommy?”
Walking on Eggshells {2640w, R} by miss_vacant. Elle, Claire, cameos by others. Great Elle characterization, and a creative plotline. Spoilers through 2.11. | With her chin thrust up defiantly, Claire strode past, and Elle recognized the unsettlingly familiar look in the young girl's eyes, realizing that Claire's brave face was not unlike her own.
Ordinary Boy {3392w, PG} by saestina. Lyle, Claire, Nathan, Peter, Angela. Although the premise is sad, the story is hilarious and sweet with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Spoilers through s1. | Lyle Bennet, the world's most ordinary boy, has a ring-side seat for the Petrelli Family Circus.
Losing Your Way {8412w, R} by entangled_now. Peter, Nathan, Adam. A few grammar issues, but overall a dark, compelling story with fantastic dynamics between Nathan and Peter. Spoilers through s2. | There's only so long you can leave a man buried alive before your own nightmares started to eat at you.
Winter in Elysium {36932w, PG13-R} by saestina. Peter/Adam/Claire and all the pairings therein. A fantastic apocalyptic vision of a world in which the virus gets out; excellently written. Spoilers through 2.11. | Claire could later remember thinking to herself, as she watched the first few hours of news coverage, this is it. She wasn’t sure what she meant at the time, but it would become clear to her later.
He might succumb to what you haven't seen {5033w, PG13} by eonism. Mohinder/Peter, cameos by others. Gorgeous prose, and really stellar characterizations, particularly of Mohinder. Spoilers through s2. | Watching the warmth of sunrise chase away the blue-black shadows from his apartment walls, Peter neither slept nor dreamed.
Through a glass darkly {11658w, PG13} by selenak. Nathan, Peter, Niki, cameos by others. A great adventure story set in the 5YG!verse that's both fun and heart-wrenching. Spoilers through s1. | “You’re not dead,” Peter said, and reached out with his right hand, then pulled it back. Which was so utterly unlike his brother that Nathan gave up on his last-seconds-of-life-hallucination theory. He’d have imagined it differently.
Campaign Secrets {1565w, PG13} by selenak. Too many characters to list. An intern's hilarious take on Nathan's life. Spoilers through s1. | Little brother v. v. cute and also single, so would have volunteered for back rub, but Mr. P. went there first. Darn.
Five Ways Nathan Petrelli Saves New York (and Sometimes His Brother) {6184w, R} by scribblinlenore. Nathan, Peter, cameos by others. The characterizations of these two are slightly different from how I see them, but my goodness, the writing style for this is just exquisite. Spoilers for s1. | Nathan heads up to the porch the same way he walks to the podium when he's delivering a speech, almost lazily, as if there's no reason to hurry, the world already his.
Invisible Man
Fish and Game {1157w, PG} by tir. Bobby/Darien. Written almost completely in dialogue, all of which is true to character and hilarious. | "You sleeping, Fawkesy?"
Veronica Mars
On and On {3784w, R} by miss_vacant. Logan/Mac. A rare pairing told so believably and beautifully through lovely prose and terrific characterizations. Spoilers through s3. | And while she had no idea what had happened or who’s fault it was, she was pretty sure Veronica had broken him. He was like one of those murals at Venice Beach that had been tempered by the sun, and it made her stomach twist.
That took a really long time to code. O__O Anyway, I hope to continue posting batches of fic recs as I read them, but you can always find them first at the tag on my delicious account. :)
The fics listed below are all the fic recs I currently have in my delicious account. I save a lot of fan fiction to delicious (I use it the way I used to use my LJ memories, which also contains a lot of older stories), but these are the ones that particularly affected me in one way or another. I try to be a stickler about my fic recs tag. I describe the tag like this over at delicious:
For fics that particularly struck me, be they well-written, emotionally gripping, characterized well, innovative in some way--basically anything that made the story especially stand out to me. Most fics I save on this account are ones I enjoyed and praised, but the fic recs are the ones that really impressed me on some level.
So, by fandom:
Batman (Nolanverse)
Q & A {2986w, PG13} by medie. Vicki Vale, Bruce, Batman, Alfred. I find that I love stories in which Bruce/Batman is viewed from an outsider's perspective, and this fic does that quite well. Plus, the dialogue is wonderfully flirty. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | "There is something going on with Wayne, Vicki, and I want to know what. You said it yourself, the guy falls off the planet for almost a decade, gets declared dead, and then shows up with a story of whoring his way through Europe? Something stinks, Vick."
A Year in the Life {1264w, PG} by alchemine. Bruce, Alfred. A great character study of Bruce's double life. | Spring is the season for weddings, and everyone invites Bruce to theirs, whether from ambition or greed, or in the case of some of the brides, to show him what he missed out on.
Lodestone {2338w, PG13} by eyebrowofdoom. Jim, Batman, cameos by others. Another lovely character study, this time of Jim Gordon. I especially love the last few lines. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | Jim Gordon has been waiting since he was thirty-two, to go outside for some air one night, and find some lunatic on his fire escape.
The Kid from the Narrows {3944w, PG13} by littlerhymes. Batman, Bruce, Alfred, Rachel, and a narrator whose identity I won't spoil. A wonderful portrayal of how a certain comic book character could become part of the Nolanverse. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | You're ten years old when you see Batman for the first time. He's clinging to a wall in the rain, a shadow dripping mystery and danger. Inside the apartment Mom and Dad are screaming at one another but you could hardly care less.
Passions of a Man {1795w, PG} by brighidestone. Alfred/Lucius, Bruce. Alfred and Lucius's history together is explored through the past and the present. Spoilers through Batman Begins. | Lucius Fox is dreaming when the phone rings.
The Clues in Front of Us {WIP, G-R} by solaras. Bruce/Jim, Batman/Jim. The dialogue is just so awesome, the characters so palpable. The prose is weak in some parts, but that improves with each chapter, and the delicious character interaction makes up for any errors. Spoilers through The Dark Knight. | “You,” Gordon said as he dumped the water over the plant, “are a bad influence on my secretary.” // “On the contrary,” Bruce said with a winning smile, “I am an excellent influence on secretaries. I find they are always helpful around me.”
Firefly/Serenity
Companion {3687w, PG13} by saestina. Mal/Simon, Inara, cameos by others. From Inara's point of view; excellent characterizations and prose throughout. | Inara’s good at reading people. Whatever anyone else might say, she knows it’s the most important part of her job, to be able to take one look at someone and understand what it is they need and what it is they merely want.
Heroes
Letters from the Desert {5725w, not rated} by saestina. Nathan, Claire, Angela, Heidi, mentions of Peter. Lovely prose that conveys some very heartfelt emotion. Spoilers through 2.1. | Nathan and Claire deal with Peter’s absence in their own ways.
Face in the Crowd {3655w, not rated} by saestina. Claire, cameos by others. It's been recced many times on my flist before, and completely deserves it. A stunning, powerful look at Claire's immortality. Spoilers through 1.9. | She feels her father’s hands on her shoulders, but she’s numb to the real world, seeing instead the death of a hundred thousand dreams play out before her eyes.
Watch You Sparkle & Watch You Grow {1569w, PG13} by azuraangel05. Elle's mother, Elle, Bob. Written from Elle's mother's point of view; story follows an intriguing structure and reads a bit like poetry. Spoilers through s2. | I will leave you here in this building, in this bed, with this I.V. in your tiny arm, while you look up at me with your great, big, eyes, while you look up at me and say, “Mommy?”
Walking on Eggshells {2640w, R} by miss_vacant. Elle, Claire, cameos by others. Great Elle characterization, and a creative plotline. Spoilers through 2.11. | With her chin thrust up defiantly, Claire strode past, and Elle recognized the unsettlingly familiar look in the young girl's eyes, realizing that Claire's brave face was not unlike her own.
Ordinary Boy {3392w, PG} by saestina. Lyle, Claire, Nathan, Peter, Angela. Although the premise is sad, the story is hilarious and sweet with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Spoilers through s1. | Lyle Bennet, the world's most ordinary boy, has a ring-side seat for the Petrelli Family Circus.
Losing Your Way {8412w, R} by entangled_now. Peter, Nathan, Adam. A few grammar issues, but overall a dark, compelling story with fantastic dynamics between Nathan and Peter. Spoilers through s2. | There's only so long you can leave a man buried alive before your own nightmares started to eat at you.
Winter in Elysium {36932w, PG13-R} by saestina. Peter/Adam/Claire and all the pairings therein. A fantastic apocalyptic vision of a world in which the virus gets out; excellently written. Spoilers through 2.11. | Claire could later remember thinking to herself, as she watched the first few hours of news coverage, this is it. She wasn’t sure what she meant at the time, but it would become clear to her later.
He might succumb to what you haven't seen {5033w, PG13} by eonism. Mohinder/Peter, cameos by others. Gorgeous prose, and really stellar characterizations, particularly of Mohinder. Spoilers through s2. | Watching the warmth of sunrise chase away the blue-black shadows from his apartment walls, Peter neither slept nor dreamed.
Through a glass darkly {11658w, PG13} by selenak. Nathan, Peter, Niki, cameos by others. A great adventure story set in the 5YG!verse that's both fun and heart-wrenching. Spoilers through s1. | “You’re not dead,” Peter said, and reached out with his right hand, then pulled it back. Which was so utterly unlike his brother that Nathan gave up on his last-seconds-of-life-hallucination theory. He’d have imagined it differently.
Campaign Secrets {1565w, PG13} by selenak. Too many characters to list. An intern's hilarious take on Nathan's life. Spoilers through s1. | Little brother v. v. cute and also single, so would have volunteered for back rub, but Mr. P. went there first. Darn.
Five Ways Nathan Petrelli Saves New York (and Sometimes His Brother) {6184w, R} by scribblinlenore. Nathan, Peter, cameos by others. The characterizations of these two are slightly different from how I see them, but my goodness, the writing style for this is just exquisite. Spoilers for s1. | Nathan heads up to the porch the same way he walks to the podium when he's delivering a speech, almost lazily, as if there's no reason to hurry, the world already his.
Invisible Man
Fish and Game {1157w, PG} by tir. Bobby/Darien. Written almost completely in dialogue, all of which is true to character and hilarious. | "You sleeping, Fawkesy?"
Veronica Mars
On and On {3784w, R} by miss_vacant. Logan/Mac. A rare pairing told so believably and beautifully through lovely prose and terrific characterizations. Spoilers through s3. | And while she had no idea what had happened or who’s fault it was, she was pretty sure Veronica had broken him. He was like one of those murals at Venice Beach that had been tempered by the sun, and it made her stomach twist.
That took a really long time to code. O__O Anyway, I hope to continue posting batches of fic recs as I read them, but you can always find them first at the tag on my delicious account. :)