[Recs: Yuletide] Batch 1: 16 recs in 9 fandoms
Recs! Somewhat random, because I haven't been taking fandoms alphabetically or anything, just reading what I feel like. All also posted at my del.icio.us reccing account.
First of all, the amazing story I received:
[Web Shifters] Our Hands Keep Building (Esen/Paul | PG | 1,119w)
There really aren't words for how much I love this. At all. It's like my author LOOKED INTO MY BRAIN and picked out EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF STORY I WANTED. It has all the gorgeous tension and longing and wistfulness that these two have in canon, but on top of that, it has beautiful prose and poignant vignettes and, ack, even the sub-heading sections give me great joy! As a huge Esen/Paul fan, I just couldn't be happier. My biggest regret is that there aren't more people who've read these books, because this story is sorely under-appreciated. *showers love on it*
She had explained her nature to him, over and again, but he couldn't help watching the lines of her body, wondering if he would be able to catch that telltale glimpse of blue.
[Dead Like Me] The Bitter End (George, Reggie, Ensemble | PG-13 | 3,604w)
George is a barista. The tone of this is so completely her, and I love the way we get to see layers of meaning in every exchange, and the language just, mmmm, so nice.
At this rate, she'll be Rube. She thinks of a coffee shop at the end of the world, the sky burning outside, reapers out on the street with their real faces, and everyone still clustered inside to get their last shot of caffeine.
[Drake & Josh] Gravitation (Craig/Eric | G | 1,899w)
Craig and Eric somehow actually manage to be gayer than Drake and Josh in the canon--truly, an astounding achievement--and this story about them just gives me a whole lotta glee. Dorks (orbiting) in love!
"Hey, where's Eric?"
Craig's heart sank. "We're traveling separately this evening," he said, trying for disinterested.
[The Fifth Element] Public Interest (Ensemble | PG-13 | 2,595w)
Post-film, written from a reporter's POV that works really well. Hilarious, full of snark and humor, great build-up, and the appearances of the side characters are awesome.
MR KIM: Once that presidential pardon comes through, things will work out for them. After every winter must come the spring.
NIKOLA: Does speaking like a fortune cookie come naturally to you, or do you have to work at it?
MR KIM: I took a course.
NIKOLA: Ah.
[The Fifth Element] Radiant Fire, to Things Ephemeral (Leeloo | PG | 1,062w)
The exploration of the Leeloo POV is wonderful, as is the cultural exploration of humans and Mondoshawan.
And while Leeloo has never given birth to a child of her own womb, she has given life; been the fountain of life that pours from the beginning of all things, and it does hurt. She screams to open up that rent in space and time in her own body, to be the vessel for the endless light, to fill up and spill over and burn with life.
[The Fifth Element] Senno Ekto Gamat (Leeloo | PG | 460w)
Another great Leeloo POV, and touches on some of the major themes of the canon nicely. It's wrong to think it, but she can't help the thought from flickering at the back of her mind: is Earth worth saving?
[The Fifth Element] Traces (Billy | G | 1,210w)
Billy character history, great expansion; lovely prose. What I really liked about this was how it tied Billy into the main story, gave him purpose and did it all in such a natural and organic way, just the way character expansion should be.
And yet of all the offerings of Egypt he records with his pencil, none stick in his mind quite like that simple carving of four elements gathered around a fifth, and the eruption of divine light.
[Hairspray] (And My Heart's) Keeping Time (Maybelle/Corny | PG | 1,459w)
This makes me smile hugely; just how I picture these two, perfect and sweet, complete with shy-yet-persevering Corny and slighty-amused-always-knew-Maybelle, and the two of them welcoming the new day together. *happy sigh*
And getting to hang around Maybelle--but then, Corny doesn't let himself think about that too much.
Otherwise, he'll be thinking about it all the time.
[Hairspray] Big, Blonde And Beautiful (Maybelle/Corny | R | 329w)
Mmmmmm, that just hits the spot. Tasty. It's the confidence that catches his eye, the way she walks into the studio like she owns the whole place and Velma's sour ice-queen glare be damned.
[Night at the Musem] Malak (Jedidiah/Octavius | PG-13 | 1,346w)
Hee, this whole set-up feels like it could be a scene out of the movie. I love the voices of Jedidiah and Octavius, in particular, and the adorable hilarity. Larry crept over to the display and, sure enough, hidden between the peaks, where the casual passer-by wouldn't spot it, was a tiny tent hidden within the mountains.
[Night at the Musem] Playing Nice (Jedidiah/Octavius | PG | 2,712w)
Octavius is so perfect here; we really get to see more of his character, and the slow unfolding of these with each other is just love. Most nights, Octavius heard Jedediah's voice long before he caught sight of the man.
[Neverwhere] Last Dance (Hunter | PG-13 | 2,642w)
Must-read for any Hunter fan, or for any Neverwhere fan, if you ask me. Beautifully written; the prose is straightforward but dream-like, and this story really explores Hunter and her hunter's ethos, which is fascinating and framed perfectly by the introduction.
The point in being a hunter is that you live only in those short moments when you are inhaling someone else's life. Hunters live and die, they aren't supposed to linger on, be it in ink or in flesh.
[Neverwhere] Utterly Professional (Croup & Vandemar | PG-13 | 1,302w)
Wow. Talk about incredible character history. This follows the threads of Croup and Vandemar back in time, through different cultures and names, back to the very beginning. It's utterly, perfectly chilling.
"It feels good to have a home, doesn't it, Mr. Vandemar?"
Mr. Vandemar had finished dismembering a cat and was sucking on its intestines. "Just like old times, Mr. Croup."
[Singin' in the Rain] Lucky Star (Kathy/Don, Cosmo | PG | 1,271w)
The voices slay me, especially Cosmo's; it captures his fast-paced, double-talking style and the almost-joking that's his signature, but also hits on the profound truths of their business, their relationships, the way the story went. The observations on Don's and Kathy's characters are so very spot-on.
How long is it exactly till the stars grow cold? For Lockwood and Selden, those glistening meatballs in the celestial stew, it was five years or nine pictures, depending on where you put the thermometer.
[Singin' in the Rain] Lina Lamont's Big Revenge (Lina, Kathy | G | 1,399w)
Haha, Lina kills me in this. A perfect illustration of the rivalry and Kathy would doubtless carry on post-film. She seemed uncomfortable with the subject. Then she added, "Anyway, I'm her mentor. It says so in all the papers. I'm supposed to look after her, aren't I?"
[Wonderfalls] Urban Maneuvers and Mountain Escapes (Mahandra/Sharon | G | 4,464w)
Snark! Trapped in a closet with alcohol! Jaye behind it all! Heeee. She's Tyler-sexual. It's the only explanation. First Aaron, now Sharon. Tyler pheromones, drawing her in, making her want them.
First of all, the amazing story I received:
[Web Shifters] Our Hands Keep Building (Esen/Paul | PG | 1,119w)
There really aren't words for how much I love this. At all. It's like my author LOOKED INTO MY BRAIN and picked out EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF STORY I WANTED. It has all the gorgeous tension and longing and wistfulness that these two have in canon, but on top of that, it has beautiful prose and poignant vignettes and, ack, even the sub-heading sections give me great joy! As a huge Esen/Paul fan, I just couldn't be happier. My biggest regret is that there aren't more people who've read these books, because this story is sorely under-appreciated. *showers love on it*
She had explained her nature to him, over and again, but he couldn't help watching the lines of her body, wondering if he would be able to catch that telltale glimpse of blue.
[Dead Like Me] The Bitter End (George, Reggie, Ensemble | PG-13 | 3,604w)
George is a barista. The tone of this is so completely her, and I love the way we get to see layers of meaning in every exchange, and the language just, mmmm, so nice.
At this rate, she'll be Rube. She thinks of a coffee shop at the end of the world, the sky burning outside, reapers out on the street with their real faces, and everyone still clustered inside to get their last shot of caffeine.
[Drake & Josh] Gravitation (Craig/Eric | G | 1,899w)
Craig and Eric somehow actually manage to be gayer than Drake and Josh in the canon--truly, an astounding achievement--and this story about them just gives me a whole lotta glee. Dorks (orbiting) in love!
"Hey, where's Eric?"
Craig's heart sank. "We're traveling separately this evening," he said, trying for disinterested.
[The Fifth Element] Public Interest (Ensemble | PG-13 | 2,595w)
Post-film, written from a reporter's POV that works really well. Hilarious, full of snark and humor, great build-up, and the appearances of the side characters are awesome.
MR KIM: Once that presidential pardon comes through, things will work out for them. After every winter must come the spring.
NIKOLA: Does speaking like a fortune cookie come naturally to you, or do you have to work at it?
MR KIM: I took a course.
NIKOLA: Ah.
[The Fifth Element] Radiant Fire, to Things Ephemeral (Leeloo | PG | 1,062w)
The exploration of the Leeloo POV is wonderful, as is the cultural exploration of humans and Mondoshawan.
And while Leeloo has never given birth to a child of her own womb, she has given life; been the fountain of life that pours from the beginning of all things, and it does hurt. She screams to open up that rent in space and time in her own body, to be the vessel for the endless light, to fill up and spill over and burn with life.
[The Fifth Element] Senno Ekto Gamat (Leeloo | PG | 460w)
Another great Leeloo POV, and touches on some of the major themes of the canon nicely. It's wrong to think it, but she can't help the thought from flickering at the back of her mind: is Earth worth saving?
[The Fifth Element] Traces (Billy | G | 1,210w)
Billy character history, great expansion; lovely prose. What I really liked about this was how it tied Billy into the main story, gave him purpose and did it all in such a natural and organic way, just the way character expansion should be.
And yet of all the offerings of Egypt he records with his pencil, none stick in his mind quite like that simple carving of four elements gathered around a fifth, and the eruption of divine light.
[Hairspray] (And My Heart's) Keeping Time (Maybelle/Corny | PG | 1,459w)
This makes me smile hugely; just how I picture these two, perfect and sweet, complete with shy-yet-persevering Corny and slighty-amused-always-knew-Maybelle, and the two of them welcoming the new day together. *happy sigh*
And getting to hang around Maybelle--but then, Corny doesn't let himself think about that too much.
Otherwise, he'll be thinking about it all the time.
[Hairspray] Big, Blonde And Beautiful (Maybelle/Corny | R | 329w)
Mmmmmm, that just hits the spot. Tasty. It's the confidence that catches his eye, the way she walks into the studio like she owns the whole place and Velma's sour ice-queen glare be damned.
[Night at the Musem] Malak (Jedidiah/Octavius | PG-13 | 1,346w)
Hee, this whole set-up feels like it could be a scene out of the movie. I love the voices of Jedidiah and Octavius, in particular, and the adorable hilarity. Larry crept over to the display and, sure enough, hidden between the peaks, where the casual passer-by wouldn't spot it, was a tiny tent hidden within the mountains.
[Night at the Musem] Playing Nice (Jedidiah/Octavius | PG | 2,712w)
Octavius is so perfect here; we really get to see more of his character, and the slow unfolding of these with each other is just love. Most nights, Octavius heard Jedediah's voice long before he caught sight of the man.
[Neverwhere] Last Dance (Hunter | PG-13 | 2,642w)
Must-read for any Hunter fan, or for any Neverwhere fan, if you ask me. Beautifully written; the prose is straightforward but dream-like, and this story really explores Hunter and her hunter's ethos, which is fascinating and framed perfectly by the introduction.
The point in being a hunter is that you live only in those short moments when you are inhaling someone else's life. Hunters live and die, they aren't supposed to linger on, be it in ink or in flesh.
[Neverwhere] Utterly Professional (Croup & Vandemar | PG-13 | 1,302w)
Wow. Talk about incredible character history. This follows the threads of Croup and Vandemar back in time, through different cultures and names, back to the very beginning. It's utterly, perfectly chilling.
"It feels good to have a home, doesn't it, Mr. Vandemar?"
Mr. Vandemar had finished dismembering a cat and was sucking on its intestines. "Just like old times, Mr. Croup."
[Singin' in the Rain] Lucky Star (Kathy/Don, Cosmo | PG | 1,271w)
The voices slay me, especially Cosmo's; it captures his fast-paced, double-talking style and the almost-joking that's his signature, but also hits on the profound truths of their business, their relationships, the way the story went. The observations on Don's and Kathy's characters are so very spot-on.
How long is it exactly till the stars grow cold? For Lockwood and Selden, those glistening meatballs in the celestial stew, it was five years or nine pictures, depending on where you put the thermometer.
[Singin' in the Rain] Lina Lamont's Big Revenge (Lina, Kathy | G | 1,399w)
Haha, Lina kills me in this. A perfect illustration of the rivalry and Kathy would doubtless carry on post-film. She seemed uncomfortable with the subject. Then she added, "Anyway, I'm her mentor. It says so in all the papers. I'm supposed to look after her, aren't I?"
[Wonderfalls] Urban Maneuvers and Mountain Escapes (Mahandra/Sharon | G | 4,464w)
Snark! Trapped in a closet with alcohol! Jaye behind it all! Heeee. She's Tyler-sexual. It's the only explanation. First Aaron, now Sharon. Tyler pheromones, drawing her in, making her want them.