(no subject)
Okay, so I'm behind. A lot. But here are my yuletide recs thus far.
Recs:
Black Books
The Breakup
Summary: Manny quits his job at Black Books and needs employment. Fortunately, a certain female acquaintance happens to run a gift shop next door. Rated PG
zomg it was like having a new episode of the series. Gorgeous job with the dialogue and relationships, and everyone sounds exactly like them. And it's novel, seeing everything from Fran's POV, something the series never quite managed. I read it through twice, and then called my Judy over from the Christmas Dinner to read it too, and she adored it. So it not only has the LJC seal of approval, but passed the Mum Inspection as well.
Cupid
When Claire Met Trevor
Summary: Friendship is no less an interesting emotion than romantic love; it's just different. Rated PG
This just NAILS Claire, to me. The argument she makes is 100% pure her, and I think it may be the best fanfic representation of the complex relationship we saw on screen between Claire and Trevor. ALso, excellent use of the singles group (Mike! I love Mike! Even when he's evil on Prison Break...). Just fantastic dialogue all the way through.
Ninety Nine Point Five
Summary: Coffee, delusions and the importance of bearing witness to love. Rated PG
The dialogue is spot on, and it's fluffy without being sappy. And reminds me that I desperately need good copies of this series, cos now I want to watch it all over again.
Here is Greenwood
Happiness Through Good Works
Summary: Mitsuru/Shinobu. Mitsuru demonstrates his affections for Hasukawa. Shun protests. Shinobu does laundry. Rated PG-13
I howled. I adored it. And I was waiting for Shinobu's reaction to Mitsuru's little game, and I was so not disappointed.
Odyssey 5
This Is Me Breathing
Summary: Angela had been missing for over three years when she walked into the diner one late September afternoon. Rated R
How to Save the World
Summary: "When all is over, we bequeath the world to its rightful death." Rated R
What I love about both these stories is how they tackle similar plots and ideas with completely different character arcs and moments that BOTH still manage to ring true. I particularly love the inter-group dynamics, especially between the Taggerts, and Kurt and Sarah, as well as Kurt and Angela.
Patricia C Wrede - Mairelon the Magician series
Chess with a Turkish Gentleman
Summary: With some gifts, it is the principle behind the thing that matters. Rated G
I absolutely adore this. It was the first MtM/TMW fan story I'd ever read, and I was terribly impressed with how well the author caught the voices--Kim is hard (you can go a bit overboard with the thieves cant), as is the Regency setting. And I love the subtle relationship bits between Mairelon and Kim.
Magicians Married
Summary: Mairelon and Kim's marriage is far from the end of their adventures. Rated PG-13
And everything I said about the story above? Multiply it by 12 here. Absolutely nailed the universe and the characters dead on, and I love the almost Jane Austen approach towards the Merrill's married life...
Remington Steele
six ans de mer
He takes her to the movies. Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Warner Bros., 1942. She pretends to follow the story, about a love that conquered everything, and nothing. He buys her popcorn. Rated PG
This is just a gorgeous introspective little piece which really captures the relationship between Laura and Steele in the first series (which Is till think was actually the sexiest, despite later eps which were a lot more explicit). Beautiful use of the movies as metaphor.
Strange Days
Sweating It Out
Summary: This takes place in the days following New Year's Eve. Warnings for language and possible sap. Mace/Lenny Rated R
I am a MASSIVE Strange Days fan. MASSIVE. And I firmly believe that Kathryn Bigelow should give ALL her ex-husband's scripts an edit, cos she's brilliant at finding personal relationships that actually feel real adn work, rather than beinmade fo cardboard and are empty adn hollow. ANd what I loevd about the film (Mac & Lenny) is all on display here. It's real, and it hurts because it's real, but it's also beautiful becasue it's real.
Honourable Mentions:
Spider Robinson - Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Many Hands Make Light Work
Summary: A newcomer to Callahan's Place leaves a little more lighthearted than she came. Rated G
Fun with the regulars, the puns are awful (which is required), and as a one-gag story, it's a fun gag. Ends a bit too abruptly, and unfortunately it feels a bit less like a story and more like a "wink wink nudge nudge" meta-fandom gag. But it's always nice to see these characters again.
Mirrormask
Beyond the Looking Glass
Summary: Helena hasn't felt right since the night her mother collapsed. Rated PG
Lovely little look at the characters post-movie. I know once the DVD is released there will be a nice little fic explosion, but this was a lovely first story to read in the fandom.
Recs:
Black Books
The Breakup
Summary: Manny quits his job at Black Books and needs employment. Fortunately, a certain female acquaintance happens to run a gift shop next door. Rated PG
zomg it was like having a new episode of the series. Gorgeous job with the dialogue and relationships, and everyone sounds exactly like them. And it's novel, seeing everything from Fran's POV, something the series never quite managed. I read it through twice, and then called my Judy over from the Christmas Dinner to read it too, and she adored it. So it not only has the LJC seal of approval, but passed the Mum Inspection as well.
Cupid
When Claire Met Trevor
Summary: Friendship is no less an interesting emotion than romantic love; it's just different. Rated PG
This just NAILS Claire, to me. The argument she makes is 100% pure her, and I think it may be the best fanfic representation of the complex relationship we saw on screen between Claire and Trevor. ALso, excellent use of the singles group (Mike! I love Mike! Even when he's evil on Prison Break...). Just fantastic dialogue all the way through.
Ninety Nine Point Five
Summary: Coffee, delusions and the importance of bearing witness to love. Rated PG
The dialogue is spot on, and it's fluffy without being sappy. And reminds me that I desperately need good copies of this series, cos now I want to watch it all over again.
Here is Greenwood
Happiness Through Good Works
Summary: Mitsuru/Shinobu. Mitsuru demonstrates his affections for Hasukawa. Shun protests. Shinobu does laundry. Rated PG-13
I howled. I adored it. And I was waiting for Shinobu's reaction to Mitsuru's little game, and I was so not disappointed.
Odyssey 5
This Is Me Breathing
Summary: Angela had been missing for over three years when she walked into the diner one late September afternoon. Rated R
How to Save the World
Summary: "When all is over, we bequeath the world to its rightful death." Rated R
What I love about both these stories is how they tackle similar plots and ideas with completely different character arcs and moments that BOTH still manage to ring true. I particularly love the inter-group dynamics, especially between the Taggerts, and Kurt and Sarah, as well as Kurt and Angela.
Patricia C Wrede - Mairelon the Magician series
Chess with a Turkish Gentleman
Summary: With some gifts, it is the principle behind the thing that matters. Rated G
I absolutely adore this. It was the first MtM/TMW fan story I'd ever read, and I was terribly impressed with how well the author caught the voices--Kim is hard (you can go a bit overboard with the thieves cant), as is the Regency setting. And I love the subtle relationship bits between Mairelon and Kim.
Magicians Married
Summary: Mairelon and Kim's marriage is far from the end of their adventures. Rated PG-13
And everything I said about the story above? Multiply it by 12 here. Absolutely nailed the universe and the characters dead on, and I love the almost Jane Austen approach towards the Merrill's married life...
Remington Steele
six ans de mer
He takes her to the movies. Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Warner Bros., 1942. She pretends to follow the story, about a love that conquered everything, and nothing. He buys her popcorn. Rated PG
This is just a gorgeous introspective little piece which really captures the relationship between Laura and Steele in the first series (which Is till think was actually the sexiest, despite later eps which were a lot more explicit). Beautiful use of the movies as metaphor.
Strange Days
Sweating It Out
Summary: This takes place in the days following New Year's Eve. Warnings for language and possible sap. Mace/Lenny Rated R
I am a MASSIVE Strange Days fan. MASSIVE. And I firmly believe that Kathryn Bigelow should give ALL her ex-husband's scripts an edit, cos she's brilliant at finding personal relationships that actually feel real adn work, rather than beinmade fo cardboard and are empty adn hollow. ANd what I loevd about the film (Mac & Lenny) is all on display here. It's real, and it hurts because it's real, but it's also beautiful becasue it's real.
Honourable Mentions:
Spider Robinson - Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Many Hands Make Light Work
Summary: A newcomer to Callahan's Place leaves a little more lighthearted than she came. Rated G
Fun with the regulars, the puns are awful (which is required), and as a one-gag story, it's a fun gag. Ends a bit too abruptly, and unfortunately it feels a bit less like a story and more like a "wink wink nudge nudge" meta-fandom gag. But it's always nice to see these characters again.
Mirrormask
Beyond the Looking Glass
Summary: Helena hasn't felt right since the night her mother collapsed. Rated PG
Lovely little look at the characters post-movie. I know once the DVD is released there will be a nice little fic explosion, but this was a lovely first story to read in the fandom.