Late-Night Pros Recs
On Friday night, I stayed up late picking out favorite Professionals fics and vids to bring up during the BistoCon rec panel. I hoped that some preparation would keep my circuits from overloading when it was my turn. It sort of worked.
I prepared quite a few more recs than I needed; I wanted flexibility even if other people mentioned some of the works before I had the opportunity. In the end, my recs filled up the whole page of a spiral-bound notebook. I shared only three of them at BistoCon, though, and I'm not sure anyone could actually understand me when I did. Thus, not being one to let good recs go to waste, I've decided to post them all here.
(Lately I've felt shy about saying that I like anything, but hopefully this will be a good exercise to overcome that.)
Vids
The panel discussion never got around to vids, but I had chosen six that I thought I might recommend:
A Fire is Burning by Media Cannibals
This vid is the favorite of at least half the fandom, I think. krisserci5 included it in both of the BistoCon vid show line-ups. I fully expected that if we discussed vids, it would come up before it was my turn to share.
Live or Die by Angelfish45
I've said before that Angelfish45 is the vidder I want to be when I grow up. I'd have to do a lot of comparison watching to decide if that's still true; there are many other vidders I admire as well. I am very fond of this vid, though, and I have found it bracing during difficult times.
Stray Cat Strut by zzebeddy / sw33n3y
I admire this vid for its masterly use of effects and its overall technical excellence. It's also fun, with a song that matches the material well. (Media Cannibals made a vid using another recording of the same song.)
Superman by bistokidsfan
As far as I can determine, bistokidsfan was the first person to post Pros vids on YouTube (though this wasn't the first vid posted). This vid depends for some of its resonance on viewers recognizing the clips. That's an element of vidding style that appeals to me (as people who have seen my vids may have noticed).
The Prince Charming Tango by Sally Fell / londonronnie
This vid is hilarious and adorable (and slashy). It's the perfect thing to watch after too large a dose of angsty vids (of which there are many).
Only One Friend Left by Mary Van Deusen
I'd admired Mary Van Deusen's vids in other fandoms for years before I became interested in Pros. Her attention to detail always impressed me and is something I've tried to emulate. If all Pros vidders must eventually make a DIAG vid, this is Mary Van Deusen's. I think it's sweet.
Fics
I also prepared fic recs (mostly of short fics, since I didn't have time to go over very many longer ones). They fall into several groups, as described below:
Respectable Recs
These are fics I'd recommend, with a minimum of embarrassment, to anyone who reads fic in the relevant category.
Sighting by halotolerant (2673 words, slash)
This is a graceful fic mostly focused on Bodie's backstory. I like backstory fics in general; I enjoy the variety of pasts that authors have envisioned for the Lads. This fic offers one of my favorite versions of the part of Bodie's life that it covers.
The Last to Know by PR Zed / przed (3735 words, slash with het*)
This fic shows the Lads' relationship as it intersects the life of another character, and from that character's point of view. I'm always fascinated by the way it builds up the picture bit by bit. I've never read another fic quite like it.
A Hill of Beans by Fiorenza_a (4239 words, het*)
This is another excellent backstory fic, and beautifully written. It presents an episode in Bodie's relationship with Marikka and contains a lot of lifelike dialog.
Burning Bridges by PFL / msmoat (4626 words, slash)
This is a lovely fic that I have read quite a few times, even though it includes a theme that I usually avoid. It is full of emotion, but doesn't shy away from the real consequences that would accompany the story it tells.
The Devil and George Cowley by Anne Carr (3829 words, gen)
I don't want to describe this fic much for fear of spoilers, but it is a well executed story with good atmosphere and admirable attention to detail. It is gen, but it does have a short slash sequel. I find the sequel less interesting, but there's nothing wrong with it.
* (In this post, I've used "het" to mean that a heterosexual relationship is one of the focuses of the story, not that the story necessarily contains heterosexual sex.)
Rueful Recs
One of the things the panel blurb asked was whether there were any fics about which participants thought, "I can't believe I love this fic." During the panel, quite a few people shared fics that they were slightly embarrassed or ashamed to like. I had prepared some of those, too.
Dark Death Fics:
I am one of those people who likes fics in which certain types of awful things happen to the characters, up to and including tragic death. While I am by no means alone in this, it's always unsettled me a bit. Thus, these recs are not so much fics that I can't believe I like-I've always liked this sort of thing-as fics that I am somewhat uncomfortable likeing.
[Spoiler (click to open)]As You Now Are in Your Blood by Morgan_Stewart (950 words, gen)
This is as short but intense death fic that I read near the beginning of my interest in Pros. Some people, I'm sure, will dismiss it as overwrought, but I love it and read it regularly.
Endgame by Chris_Quinton / chrisquinton / Tarot (13782 words, slash)
This fic is dark, violent, and sometimes disturbing. Yet it is oddly beautiful when taken as a whole, without actually becoming any less dark, violent, or disturbing. I recommend it highly if such things float your boat.
Happily Ever After (Already?):
Just When You Least Expect It (Just What You Least Expect) by Stew (10520 words, slash)
This is a fic about which I can more accurately say, "I can't believe I love this fic," or at least, "I can't believe I love this fic as much as I do." For one thing, I often dislike ageing-Lads stories, of which this is one. For another, the ending seems a little too quick and neat, which I think makes the main issue of the story feel less serious than it is. Finally, as far as I can tell, neither Doyle nor Bodie is supposed to have been attracted to men before falling in love with his partner. That always strikes me as implausible-one or the other I can believe, but both?^
Yet I really do love this fic. I find it very romantic (YMMV), and I enjoy its variation on one of my favorite slash story elements^^, even if the resolution seems somewhat too easy to be wholly realistic.
^ (I realize that pattern was common in early-90s fic. And to its credit, this story does devote some space to rejecting a true WNGWJLEO interpretation of the Lads' relationship.)
^^ [Spoiler (click to open)](Namely, the overcoming-internalized-homophobia arc, ever dear to my heart.)
Note: Please let me know if I have missed tagging any LiveJournal users whose works I recommended.
I prepared quite a few more recs than I needed; I wanted flexibility even if other people mentioned some of the works before I had the opportunity. In the end, my recs filled up the whole page of a spiral-bound notebook. I shared only three of them at BistoCon, though, and I'm not sure anyone could actually understand me when I did. Thus, not being one to let good recs go to waste, I've decided to post them all here.
(Lately I've felt shy about saying that I like anything, but hopefully this will be a good exercise to overcome that.)
Vids
The panel discussion never got around to vids, but I had chosen six that I thought I might recommend:
A Fire is Burning by Media Cannibals
This vid is the favorite of at least half the fandom, I think. krisserci5 included it in both of the BistoCon vid show line-ups. I fully expected that if we discussed vids, it would come up before it was my turn to share.
Live or Die by Angelfish45
I've said before that Angelfish45 is the vidder I want to be when I grow up. I'd have to do a lot of comparison watching to decide if that's still true; there are many other vidders I admire as well. I am very fond of this vid, though, and I have found it bracing during difficult times.
Stray Cat Strut by zzebeddy / sw33n3y
I admire this vid for its masterly use of effects and its overall technical excellence. It's also fun, with a song that matches the material well. (Media Cannibals made a vid using another recording of the same song.)
Superman by bistokidsfan
As far as I can determine, bistokidsfan was the first person to post Pros vids on YouTube (though this wasn't the first vid posted). This vid depends for some of its resonance on viewers recognizing the clips. That's an element of vidding style that appeals to me (as people who have seen my vids may have noticed).
The Prince Charming Tango by Sally Fell / londonronnie
This vid is hilarious and adorable (and slashy). It's the perfect thing to watch after too large a dose of angsty vids (of which there are many).
Only One Friend Left by Mary Van Deusen
I'd admired Mary Van Deusen's vids in other fandoms for years before I became interested in Pros. Her attention to detail always impressed me and is something I've tried to emulate. If all Pros vidders must eventually make a DIAG vid, this is Mary Van Deusen's. I think it's sweet.
Fics
I also prepared fic recs (mostly of short fics, since I didn't have time to go over very many longer ones). They fall into several groups, as described below:
Respectable Recs
These are fics I'd recommend, with a minimum of embarrassment, to anyone who reads fic in the relevant category.
Sighting by halotolerant (2673 words, slash)
This is a graceful fic mostly focused on Bodie's backstory. I like backstory fics in general; I enjoy the variety of pasts that authors have envisioned for the Lads. This fic offers one of my favorite versions of the part of Bodie's life that it covers.
The Last to Know by PR Zed / przed (3735 words, slash with het*)
This fic shows the Lads' relationship as it intersects the life of another character, and from that character's point of view. I'm always fascinated by the way it builds up the picture bit by bit. I've never read another fic quite like it.
A Hill of Beans by Fiorenza_a (4239 words, het*)
This is another excellent backstory fic, and beautifully written. It presents an episode in Bodie's relationship with Marikka and contains a lot of lifelike dialog.
Burning Bridges by PFL / msmoat (4626 words, slash)
This is a lovely fic that I have read quite a few times, even though it includes a theme that I usually avoid. It is full of emotion, but doesn't shy away from the real consequences that would accompany the story it tells.
The Devil and George Cowley by Anne Carr (3829 words, gen)
I don't want to describe this fic much for fear of spoilers, but it is a well executed story with good atmosphere and admirable attention to detail. It is gen, but it does have a short slash sequel. I find the sequel less interesting, but there's nothing wrong with it.
* (In this post, I've used "het" to mean that a heterosexual relationship is one of the focuses of the story, not that the story necessarily contains heterosexual sex.)
Rueful Recs
One of the things the panel blurb asked was whether there were any fics about which participants thought, "I can't believe I love this fic." During the panel, quite a few people shared fics that they were slightly embarrassed or ashamed to like. I had prepared some of those, too.
Dark Death Fics:
I am one of those people who likes fics in which certain types of awful things happen to the characters, up to and including tragic death. While I am by no means alone in this, it's always unsettled me a bit. Thus, these recs are not so much fics that I can't believe I like-I've always liked this sort of thing-as fics that I am somewhat uncomfortable likeing.
[Spoiler (click to open)]As You Now Are in Your Blood by Morgan_Stewart (950 words, gen)
This is as short but intense death fic that I read near the beginning of my interest in Pros. Some people, I'm sure, will dismiss it as overwrought, but I love it and read it regularly.
Endgame by Chris_Quinton / chrisquinton / Tarot (13782 words, slash)
This fic is dark, violent, and sometimes disturbing. Yet it is oddly beautiful when taken as a whole, without actually becoming any less dark, violent, or disturbing. I recommend it highly if such things float your boat.
Happily Ever After (Already?):
Just When You Least Expect It (Just What You Least Expect) by Stew (10520 words, slash)
This is a fic about which I can more accurately say, "I can't believe I love this fic," or at least, "I can't believe I love this fic as much as I do." For one thing, I often dislike ageing-Lads stories, of which this is one. For another, the ending seems a little too quick and neat, which I think makes the main issue of the story feel less serious than it is. Finally, as far as I can tell, neither Doyle nor Bodie is supposed to have been attracted to men before falling in love with his partner. That always strikes me as implausible-one or the other I can believe, but both?^
Yet I really do love this fic. I find it very romantic (YMMV), and I enjoy its variation on one of my favorite slash story elements^^, even if the resolution seems somewhat too easy to be wholly realistic.
^ (I realize that pattern was common in early-90s fic. And to its credit, this story does devote some space to rejecting a true WNGWJLEO interpretation of the Lads' relationship.)
^^ [Spoiler (click to open)](Namely, the overcoming-internalized-homophobia arc, ever dear to my heart.)
Note: Please let me know if I have missed tagging any LiveJournal users whose works I recommended.