One dumbass fangirl coming right up...
Recently, I was talking with a friend about negativity in fandom and how often we see posts and comments that refer to the negative aspects of fics, writing, authors, etc. Lord knows, there's always someone right there to point out grammatical mistakes, out of character moments, plot holes, etc. Overall, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Anyone who wants to improve as a writer has to have their mistakes pointed out so that they can change them, or so that they can stop repeating them. But the negativity in fandom all too often comes with a smirking or hateful undertone that has little to do with the quality of writing and everything to do with the personalities involved. After all, you can point out mistakes without being rude and without hurling epithets. The old excuse that's trotted out regularly within fandom to justify that sort of behavior (usually some variation of "Well, the author will get defensive and pitch a temper tantrum when I criticize her, so I have to strike first!") just doesn't cut it with me. We can't control someone else's behavior, but we can control our own; we just don't.
At any rate, my friend and I began discussing posting about the stories that we do like. However, we also agreed that anyone who made such a post would be immediately dismissed as being a "dumbass fangirl of the authors mentioned."
Oh, like that's going to stop me. ;)
I think some people hesitate to do posts like this because they're afraid of leaving someone out, of hurting feelings or egos, or of doing damage to tenuous relationships. Well, I'm admitting right now that I'm leaving stories out. I'm not doing it deliberately, but I guarantee that in a few days, I'll read this over and I'll slap my forehead and think, "Duh! How could I leave out (insert names of stories here)?"
I suspect the second reason that people don't usually do posts like this is because fangirling isn't fashionable. In general, it seems that fandom encourages the idea that it's so much more chic to sniff in disdain and turn our noses up at something. Well, let me tell you a secret. ~motions for you to lean closer~ I'm not fashionable or chic; I never was and I probably never will be. LiveJournal and fandom certainly aren't going to change that.
I fangirl the stories that I mention in this post for various reasons; I admire the style or the plot or the tone. Or maybe the story just hit the right note for me at the right time. At any rate, some of the authors are on my flist, some aren't. Some are personal friends, and some are people to whom I've never spoken, but I enjoy all of these stories. Besides, once you've set aside the egos and the fandom arguments, it's really all about the stories, isn't it?
Because there are so many links to be posted, I'm going to be breaking this up into a series of posts, a baker's dozen each day. The stories listed are in no particular order within the series, and they're not just the HP fandom, although I've indicated the fandom at the end of the rec.
So, with that caveat, let the fangirling begin...
A Fragile Destiny by mzsnaz - A very unique take on how a Human woman became the wife of a Vulcan, and I devoured this story. Her Amanda has flaws and foibles, and Sarek's struggles are suitably passionate, in a Vulcan sort of way, that is. ;) The link goes to a story list; I'd link you to the first part of the story, but it doesn't have a link to continue to the rest of it. (Star Trek TOS, complete, Sarek/Amanda)
Before the Dawn by snarkyroxy - How do you set up Snape and Hermione? Slowly, slowly, and with such delicious detail. She's built the relationship in a realistic fashion and that's rare enough in fandom. ;) (Harry Potter, WIP, Snape/Granger)
Big Name Death Eater by Shiv5468 - Oh, dear god, this is hilarious. A Hermione I adore, a Snape I understand, and Smudger. ~snerk~ Toss in a romance, a plot to overthrow Voldemort, and Lucius Malfoy, and it's damn near perfect. A wonderful fic from a woman who I adore. ;) (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/Granger)
Blood and Breath by Rivka T - Oh, post-Gethsemane X-files... Geez, that wait between seasons seemed to take forever. ~snerk~ A lot of wonderful fic came out of that episode, and this is one of the best. Dark and somewhat bitter, but ultimately very satisfying. Mmm, like chocolate... (X-files, complete, Skinner/Scully & Mulder/Scully)
Discrete by bubonicplague - Harry Potter - Beautifully written, this story has one of the most unique viewpoints of any HP fic that I've ever read, and it remains one of my favorites. (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/Granger)
Dream's Edge by hereswith - Hook/Wendy done in a whole new way. I hadn't really considered the Hook/Wendy pairing until I was linked to her stories and was then just blown away. Gorgeous prose and beautiful imagery. (Peter Pan, complete, Hook/Wendy)
Drive, He Said by Jennifer-Oksana - It's the end of the world and Scully is alone, but she follows Mulder to the very last. This story just astounds me every time that I read it. (X-Files, complete, Mulder/Scully)
I Want You, She Said by arachnes_child - There's no link to this story because she pulled it from the net. However, I know that she's considered reposting it, and I hope that she does. This is a disturbing story about rape and the darker nature of Severus Snape. It isn't the unrealistic version of rape that is so often presented in fanfic; it's harsh and chilling, and (in my opinion) should be required reading for anyone attempting a serious rapefic. (Harry Potter, completed, Snape/OFC)
One girl, human by Pat Foley - If you've ever wondered if a Vulcan can love, this story answers that question. Understated and elegant, Pat Foley sets the scene and mood perfectly in this piece. Once you've read that, go back and read her entire Holography series. It's marvelous. (Star Trek TOS, complete, Sarek/Amanda)
Photographic Evidence by Angharad - Any story that includes the sentence "My grandmother has a great rack!" deserves to be fangirled. ;) This tackles society's unrealistic demand for beauty and skewers it nicely. This story isn't complete, but I hold out hopes and it's worth the read just for the first two chapters and for the lovely drawing by shadowycat. (Harry Potter, WIP, no pairing yet)
Shock and Awe by Azazello - Funny one-shot about Snape's gray underpants and other, erm, startling revelations. (Harry Potter, complete, no pairing)
Tea with the Black Dragon by White Raven - By the time that I reach that last epilogue, I'm inevitably in tears. So much emotion so deftly wielded... I fangirl this story with all my heart. The author, whitemunin, is tough, smart and has more energy than any three mere humans combined. ;) I'm honored that she's my friend. (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/OFC)
Truth Beyond Memory by shadowycat - A mystery and a romance, it keeps you guessing right until the end, and there are lovely illustrations that add a great deal of impact to the fic. If you don't ship Snape/McGonagall when you start reading, you will by the time you finish the story. On top of that, shadowycat is a wonderful woman and I'm honored that she's also my friend. We even share a brain from time to time. ;) (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/McGonagall)
Okay, that's it until tomorrow. ~makes shooing motion~ Go and read. ~grin~
Edited to add links:
The Original Fangirl Tour Day One
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Two
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Three
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Four
At any rate, my friend and I began discussing posting about the stories that we do like. However, we also agreed that anyone who made such a post would be immediately dismissed as being a "dumbass fangirl of the authors mentioned."
Oh, like that's going to stop me. ;)
I think some people hesitate to do posts like this because they're afraid of leaving someone out, of hurting feelings or egos, or of doing damage to tenuous relationships. Well, I'm admitting right now that I'm leaving stories out. I'm not doing it deliberately, but I guarantee that in a few days, I'll read this over and I'll slap my forehead and think, "Duh! How could I leave out (insert names of stories here)?"
I suspect the second reason that people don't usually do posts like this is because fangirling isn't fashionable. In general, it seems that fandom encourages the idea that it's so much more chic to sniff in disdain and turn our noses up at something. Well, let me tell you a secret. ~motions for you to lean closer~ I'm not fashionable or chic; I never was and I probably never will be. LiveJournal and fandom certainly aren't going to change that.
I fangirl the stories that I mention in this post for various reasons; I admire the style or the plot or the tone. Or maybe the story just hit the right note for me at the right time. At any rate, some of the authors are on my flist, some aren't. Some are personal friends, and some are people to whom I've never spoken, but I enjoy all of these stories. Besides, once you've set aside the egos and the fandom arguments, it's really all about the stories, isn't it?
Because there are so many links to be posted, I'm going to be breaking this up into a series of posts, a baker's dozen each day. The stories listed are in no particular order within the series, and they're not just the HP fandom, although I've indicated the fandom at the end of the rec.
So, with that caveat, let the fangirling begin...
A Fragile Destiny by mzsnaz - A very unique take on how a Human woman became the wife of a Vulcan, and I devoured this story. Her Amanda has flaws and foibles, and Sarek's struggles are suitably passionate, in a Vulcan sort of way, that is. ;) The link goes to a story list; I'd link you to the first part of the story, but it doesn't have a link to continue to the rest of it. (Star Trek TOS, complete, Sarek/Amanda)
Before the Dawn by snarkyroxy - How do you set up Snape and Hermione? Slowly, slowly, and with such delicious detail. She's built the relationship in a realistic fashion and that's rare enough in fandom. ;) (Harry Potter, WIP, Snape/Granger)
Big Name Death Eater by Shiv5468 - Oh, dear god, this is hilarious. A Hermione I adore, a Snape I understand, and Smudger. ~snerk~ Toss in a romance, a plot to overthrow Voldemort, and Lucius Malfoy, and it's damn near perfect. A wonderful fic from a woman who I adore. ;) (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/Granger)
Blood and Breath by Rivka T - Oh, post-Gethsemane X-files... Geez, that wait between seasons seemed to take forever. ~snerk~ A lot of wonderful fic came out of that episode, and this is one of the best. Dark and somewhat bitter, but ultimately very satisfying. Mmm, like chocolate... (X-files, complete, Skinner/Scully & Mulder/Scully)
Discrete by bubonicplague - Harry Potter - Beautifully written, this story has one of the most unique viewpoints of any HP fic that I've ever read, and it remains one of my favorites. (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/Granger)
Dream's Edge by hereswith - Hook/Wendy done in a whole new way. I hadn't really considered the Hook/Wendy pairing until I was linked to her stories and was then just blown away. Gorgeous prose and beautiful imagery. (Peter Pan, complete, Hook/Wendy)
Drive, He Said by Jennifer-Oksana - It's the end of the world and Scully is alone, but she follows Mulder to the very last. This story just astounds me every time that I read it. (X-Files, complete, Mulder/Scully)
I Want You, She Said by arachnes_child - There's no link to this story because she pulled it from the net. However, I know that she's considered reposting it, and I hope that she does. This is a disturbing story about rape and the darker nature of Severus Snape. It isn't the unrealistic version of rape that is so often presented in fanfic; it's harsh and chilling, and (in my opinion) should be required reading for anyone attempting a serious rapefic. (Harry Potter, completed, Snape/OFC)
One girl, human by Pat Foley - If you've ever wondered if a Vulcan can love, this story answers that question. Understated and elegant, Pat Foley sets the scene and mood perfectly in this piece. Once you've read that, go back and read her entire Holography series. It's marvelous. (Star Trek TOS, complete, Sarek/Amanda)
Photographic Evidence by Angharad - Any story that includes the sentence "My grandmother has a great rack!" deserves to be fangirled. ;) This tackles society's unrealistic demand for beauty and skewers it nicely. This story isn't complete, but I hold out hopes and it's worth the read just for the first two chapters and for the lovely drawing by shadowycat. (Harry Potter, WIP, no pairing yet)
Shock and Awe by Azazello - Funny one-shot about Snape's gray underpants and other, erm, startling revelations. (Harry Potter, complete, no pairing)
Tea with the Black Dragon by White Raven - By the time that I reach that last epilogue, I'm inevitably in tears. So much emotion so deftly wielded... I fangirl this story with all my heart. The author, whitemunin, is tough, smart and has more energy than any three mere humans combined. ;) I'm honored that she's my friend. (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/OFC)
Truth Beyond Memory by shadowycat - A mystery and a romance, it keeps you guessing right until the end, and there are lovely illustrations that add a great deal of impact to the fic. If you don't ship Snape/McGonagall when you start reading, you will by the time you finish the story. On top of that, shadowycat is a wonderful woman and I'm honored that she's also my friend. We even share a brain from time to time. ;) (Harry Potter, complete, Snape/McGonagall)
Okay, that's it until tomorrow. ~makes shooing motion~ Go and read. ~grin~
Edited to add links:
The Original Fangirl Tour Day One
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Two
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Three
The Original Fangirl Tour Day Four