Finally, the Yuletide recs
Dec. 29th, 2008 01:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragojustineThis is the recs post for everything except 1: really popular currently running shows, which will get enough love without me, 2. RPF, which I'm not in the mood for, and 3. Myth/fairy tale/Homer/Shakespeare/Bible/historical fiction, heavier stuff that I want to wait and tackle when I have more time.
The “Holy shit this makes me flail in SF-geeky glee” award:
Consider a Box, T, intersecting a Circle, O. (Heinlein’s world-as-mythiverse)
Math geekery! Snide sniping at Heinlein! Time travel wackiness! Dr. Who crossovers! Even if you have no knowledge of the canon (I have only the vaguest memories of “multiple timelines with time cops traveling between them”) or a poor opinion of Heinlein (“Juvenile sexist asshole…”) this is made of geeky win.
The “I really never though I’d read fic in THAT” award:
Out of the Dark. (Dr. Seuss - One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)
This is a brilliant, creepy, scary, awesome story told with absolutely perfect Seussian wordplay and rhyme all the way through, pulled off with flair and elan and perfect scansion.
The “I love this obscure fandom so much that my heart could burst with the joy of it” award:
Impudicite: A Christmas Tale (Jamie O'Neill - At Swim Two Boys)
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and this fic is an utterly heartbreaking look at the backstory of the most interesting, complex character in it, Anthony MacMurrough. It's a horribly cold story of family diasppointment and repression, cut with a beautiful, poignant little Anthony/OMC coming of age thing, with all the stark beauty of the original text.
The "Sob like a baby" award:
the sandwich story. (Calvin and Hobbes)
Yes, a Calvin and Hobbes fic just made me cry. Horrible and bittesweet and lovely all at once.
The "Best fix for problematic fandoms" award:
The Ballad Of Penny Peabody. (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)
If you immediately read that title and fandom and knew exactly what I mean by the problematic fandom needing fixing, then you will love this. (If you can't figure out why Dr Horrible needs fixing or why the Ballad of Penny might fix it, take a pass) Penny's life vignettes are very very true in here, and the commentary at the end is sharp and achy.
The "Crossover of unutterable awesomeness" award:
In Which Worlds Collide and Eeyore Investigates a Terrible Crime (A A Milne -Winnie the Pooh/Discworld)
Firstly, this WINS the crossover category. Secondly, every single character voice is utterly pitch perfect, in not one, but TWO fandoms with very distinctive and difficult character voices. Thirdly, the whole thing just sparkles with this low-key humor that tells me the writer truly loves both fandoms, and probably had a total blast writing this. *loves*
Other recs, by category
Books:
As Long Ago As Forever, There Lived a Prince. (Ursula LeGuin - Earthsea)
Ged/Arren is, in a completely non-sexual way, one of my longest-held, fiercest, most deeply cherished 'ships. The love and devotion and understanding between them is vast and intense and quiet, and somehow this author did what I was sure was impossible- she captured that, in all its terse, poetic beauty. I am in awe.
All Things Ancient and New. (Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow)
It's almost frightening how deeply I love this book, so much that I almost refused to read a fic for it. But this author has the characters perfectly, especially Sofia. All the possibility, tempered by the loss they've already seen and her pragmatism and our knowledge of what's to come- how beautiful and keenly bittersweet!
Anatomy Lesson. (Chaim Potok - My Name is Asher Lev)
The original book is inredibly moving and deals with difficult stuff, and I am stunned at how very respectful and true to it this manages to be. The issue of nudes looms large in the book, and is frieghted down with... interesting gender issues. This fic... speaks to that. That's the best I've got.
Yes, Virginia (Connie Willis - To Say Nothing of the Dog)
This is just wonderful. It wrings a ton of low-key, matter-of-fact humor out of time-lag, is full of slyly clever character moments and lovely practical observations about the life of a time-traveller, and ends with such transcendent beauty and peace and wonder and joy without verging over my own personal sappiness line (which, as you may know, is a very strict line indeed). Amazing.
Summer Without End (George RR Martin - Song of Ice and Fire)
Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon were fostered together in the Vale. This is lovely.
Euclidian Motion (Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon)
This... is NC-17 Rudy/Alan. With sexy math dialog. I KNOW. *hands* it's... really good, okay?
Six Things You Never Knew About the Discworld (Discworld)
The absolute perfect mix of zaniness and utter truth. Covers a big swath of the verse, with an especially nice Carrot bit. Also (the true test of a Discworld fic) even the footnotes have footnotes!
TV:
Miles Fortunae (Rome)
Vorenus and Pullo of Rome are one of my all-time OTPs. This is a post-series AU that perfectly captures so much: the casual but deeply faithful relationship Pullo has to his Gods, the prickly, fraught relationships between the men and all the younger generation, Vorenus' weight of pain and history and self-loathing and inability to accept what Pullo gives him, Pullo's unique, irrepressible voice, Pullo's intensity of devotion and loyalty... *loves*
Hereditas Damnosa (Rome)
The flip side of Rome is, of course, the historical characters. This takes the unbelievably fucked-up, deeply Oedipal thing that happens between Antony and Octavian, and puts it brutally under the microscope. Octavian's character transformation- the way he became so hard-edged and brutal- is laid out so clearly here, and his internal voice as he dissects exactly what's going on with Antony is just perfect. And in my recent re-watch of the show, I've become ridiculously enamoured of Antony, and his captures his physicality and brutality perfectly.
Five Times Geoffrey Really Should Have Admitted That Darren is a Fucking Genius (Slings & Arrows)
I giggled, out loud, like an utter maniac all the way through this. This author has managed to perfectly capture that very particular species of utter insanity that is Darren Nichols, and drawn an excellent, head-butting, intertwined school relationship between him and Geoffrey. I feel like this was written just for me.
Lonely Hearts (Slings & Arrows)
This is one of the rare closed-canon fandoms where I adore post-show fic (normally it's not my thing). This is Geoffrey and Ellen and Anna putting together their next venture. The banter is perfect, and Geoffrey's passion, and slightly hangdog Anna getting some respect. And it ends with a hint of my personal secret favorite ship. I just absolutely adore this.
Dear Trapper (MASH)
There's a fair amount of MASH fic this year. This is the one that looks like it didn't get enough love (possibly cause it's gen). BUt it's got an absolutely great Hawkeye voice, with his absolutely compulsive constant stream of one-liners, even when drunk and cross-eyed with tiredness, and then hits with a solid gut-punch at the end.
Movies:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Cherry Bomb Red. (Ten Inch Hero)
This works great as a fix-it for the ending of that movie, and also as a fantastically good ensemble character voices and banter peice. Priestly/Tish.
Sarcasm. It's just one of the services Priestly offers. (Ten Inch Hero)
And this is an entirely different (and, to me, more satisfying) fix-it for the ending, with beautiful character exploration of Priestly -- getting right down into his head, and getting him -- and a truly beautiful friendship with Jen.
The Art of Vegan Mayonnaise (Ten Inch Hero)
And this is the best of the lot- a different, startlingly believable and well fleshed-out, backstory for Priestly, fantastically awesome inner monologue and awkwardness and insecurity and humor and closet romance (and, of course, a sneaky fix-it for the end of the movie). Priestly/Tish.
Jugglers (Mirrormask)
Helena/Valentine. This does a perfect job with the problems with their relationship post-movie, and ends on a gorgeous, playful, incredibly satisfying note.
Only one of us (The Prestige)
How did the Borden brothers get to be one man? A backstory I never would have thought of, topped off with some very hot twincest.
Loved In Full (The Prestige)
This story has gotten bafflingly little attention. It's a Borden brothers story that requires several readings, and pulls wonderful sleight of hand with identity and names and POV, and I love it all to pieces.
Some Call It a Mercy (3:10 to Yuma)
Ben Wade has a hard time moving on after Dan dies. I love this- love Ben, here, who seemed so unmoved and untouchable during the movie, and I love the man Wil turned into.
You Weren't Born a Killer (But You Can't Tell That No More) (3:10 to Yuma)
Charlie Prince character study, which I beleive absolutely and love all to peices.
Variations on a Friday Afternoon (Sweeney Todd)
This is a startlingly sharp, dark, disturbing set of vignettes that manages to do a pretty amazing and subtle bit of business with the character of Joanna.
Try/Fail? - False Binary (Wall E)
Aw! Lovely EVE point of view, with her evolution away from pure programming toward the character we see in the movie. Very poignant.
Names, Navigation, and Other Issues Arising on the Caspartine (Stardust)
I adore it when fic takes an incredibly over the top, slapsticky peice of canon, and does us all the favor of taking it seriously on its own terms. The result here is an incredibly good, believable, detailed peice about life as a pirate on a lightning-chasing ship, a well fleshed-out, sympathetic OMC, and a really appealing, complex characterization of Shakespeare.
Whole New World. (Aladdin)
This fic is amazing for the Genie characterization. The exuberance, the anachronisms, the pop-culture savvy, the way he talks right over the heads of the timeline-limited people around him but amuses himself to no end, the way he can't actually seem to control his reflexive slapstick comedy... It's genius.
When the Ground Falls Out from Underneath Your Feet (Indiana Jones)
Indy/Marion- It's got Indy! And Marion! And Mutt! And Sallah! And everybody's voice is perfect. Nice.
The Charm (Indiana Jones)
Three first times. Indy/Marion, NC-17. Astonishingly sweet and hot.
Really geeky miscellany:
The Amazing Adventures of Hat Guy and the Girl Who Stole His Hat. (xkcd)
Best characterization of characters with no names or faces EVER. Perfectly captures the zany forces-of-geeky-chaos plus quirky-romantic-superheroes vibe in the comic.
Pre-test Diagnostic Log #045216/F/4. (Portal)
Perfectly captures GLaDOS's particular brand of utter insanity.
The “Holy shit this makes me flail in SF-geeky glee” award:
Consider a Box, T, intersecting a Circle, O. (Heinlein’s world-as-mythiverse)
Math geekery! Snide sniping at Heinlein! Time travel wackiness! Dr. Who crossovers! Even if you have no knowledge of the canon (I have only the vaguest memories of “multiple timelines with time cops traveling between them”) or a poor opinion of Heinlein (“Juvenile sexist asshole…”) this is made of geeky win.
The “I really never though I’d read fic in THAT” award:
Out of the Dark. (Dr. Seuss - One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)
This is a brilliant, creepy, scary, awesome story told with absolutely perfect Seussian wordplay and rhyme all the way through, pulled off with flair and elan and perfect scansion.
The “I love this obscure fandom so much that my heart could burst with the joy of it” award:
Impudicite: A Christmas Tale (Jamie O'Neill - At Swim Two Boys)
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and this fic is an utterly heartbreaking look at the backstory of the most interesting, complex character in it, Anthony MacMurrough. It's a horribly cold story of family diasppointment and repression, cut with a beautiful, poignant little Anthony/OMC coming of age thing, with all the stark beauty of the original text.
The "Sob like a baby" award:
the sandwich story. (Calvin and Hobbes)
Yes, a Calvin and Hobbes fic just made me cry. Horrible and bittesweet and lovely all at once.
The "Best fix for problematic fandoms" award:
The Ballad Of Penny Peabody. (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)
If you immediately read that title and fandom and knew exactly what I mean by the problematic fandom needing fixing, then you will love this. (If you can't figure out why Dr Horrible needs fixing or why the Ballad of Penny might fix it, take a pass) Penny's life vignettes are very very true in here, and the commentary at the end is sharp and achy.
The "Crossover of unutterable awesomeness" award:
In Which Worlds Collide and Eeyore Investigates a Terrible Crime (A A Milne -Winnie the Pooh/Discworld)
Firstly, this WINS the crossover category. Secondly, every single character voice is utterly pitch perfect, in not one, but TWO fandoms with very distinctive and difficult character voices. Thirdly, the whole thing just sparkles with this low-key humor that tells me the writer truly loves both fandoms, and probably had a total blast writing this. *loves*
Other recs, by category
Books:
As Long Ago As Forever, There Lived a Prince. (Ursula LeGuin - Earthsea)
Ged/Arren is, in a completely non-sexual way, one of my longest-held, fiercest, most deeply cherished 'ships. The love and devotion and understanding between them is vast and intense and quiet, and somehow this author did what I was sure was impossible- she captured that, in all its terse, poetic beauty. I am in awe.
All Things Ancient and New. (Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow)
It's almost frightening how deeply I love this book, so much that I almost refused to read a fic for it. But this author has the characters perfectly, especially Sofia. All the possibility, tempered by the loss they've already seen and her pragmatism and our knowledge of what's to come- how beautiful and keenly bittersweet!
Anatomy Lesson. (Chaim Potok - My Name is Asher Lev)
The original book is inredibly moving and deals with difficult stuff, and I am stunned at how very respectful and true to it this manages to be. The issue of nudes looms large in the book, and is frieghted down with... interesting gender issues. This fic... speaks to that. That's the best I've got.
Yes, Virginia (Connie Willis - To Say Nothing of the Dog)
This is just wonderful. It wrings a ton of low-key, matter-of-fact humor out of time-lag, is full of slyly clever character moments and lovely practical observations about the life of a time-traveller, and ends with such transcendent beauty and peace and wonder and joy without verging over my own personal sappiness line (which, as you may know, is a very strict line indeed). Amazing.
Summer Without End (George RR Martin - Song of Ice and Fire)
Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon were fostered together in the Vale. This is lovely.
Euclidian Motion (Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon)
This... is NC-17 Rudy/Alan. With sexy math dialog. I KNOW. *hands* it's... really good, okay?
Six Things You Never Knew About the Discworld (Discworld)
The absolute perfect mix of zaniness and utter truth. Covers a big swath of the verse, with an especially nice Carrot bit. Also (the true test of a Discworld fic) even the footnotes have footnotes!
TV:
Miles Fortunae (Rome)
Vorenus and Pullo of Rome are one of my all-time OTPs. This is a post-series AU that perfectly captures so much: the casual but deeply faithful relationship Pullo has to his Gods, the prickly, fraught relationships between the men and all the younger generation, Vorenus' weight of pain and history and self-loathing and inability to accept what Pullo gives him, Pullo's unique, irrepressible voice, Pullo's intensity of devotion and loyalty... *loves*
Hereditas Damnosa (Rome)
The flip side of Rome is, of course, the historical characters. This takes the unbelievably fucked-up, deeply Oedipal thing that happens between Antony and Octavian, and puts it brutally under the microscope. Octavian's character transformation- the way he became so hard-edged and brutal- is laid out so clearly here, and his internal voice as he dissects exactly what's going on with Antony is just perfect. And in my recent re-watch of the show, I've become ridiculously enamoured of Antony, and his captures his physicality and brutality perfectly.
Five Times Geoffrey Really Should Have Admitted That Darren is a Fucking Genius (Slings & Arrows)
I giggled, out loud, like an utter maniac all the way through this. This author has managed to perfectly capture that very particular species of utter insanity that is Darren Nichols, and drawn an excellent, head-butting, intertwined school relationship between him and Geoffrey. I feel like this was written just for me.
Lonely Hearts (Slings & Arrows)
This is one of the rare closed-canon fandoms where I adore post-show fic (normally it's not my thing). This is Geoffrey and Ellen and Anna putting together their next venture. The banter is perfect, and Geoffrey's passion, and slightly hangdog Anna getting some respect. And it ends with a hint of my personal secret favorite ship. I just absolutely adore this.
Dear Trapper (MASH)
There's a fair amount of MASH fic this year. This is the one that looks like it didn't get enough love (possibly cause it's gen). BUt it's got an absolutely great Hawkeye voice, with his absolutely compulsive constant stream of one-liners, even when drunk and cross-eyed with tiredness, and then hits with a solid gut-punch at the end.
Movies:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Cherry Bomb Red. (Ten Inch Hero)
This works great as a fix-it for the ending of that movie, and also as a fantastically good ensemble character voices and banter peice. Priestly/Tish.
Sarcasm. It's just one of the services Priestly offers. (Ten Inch Hero)
And this is an entirely different (and, to me, more satisfying) fix-it for the ending, with beautiful character exploration of Priestly -- getting right down into his head, and getting him -- and a truly beautiful friendship with Jen.
The Art of Vegan Mayonnaise (Ten Inch Hero)
And this is the best of the lot- a different, startlingly believable and well fleshed-out, backstory for Priestly, fantastically awesome inner monologue and awkwardness and insecurity and humor and closet romance (and, of course, a sneaky fix-it for the end of the movie). Priestly/Tish.
Jugglers (Mirrormask)
Helena/Valentine. This does a perfect job with the problems with their relationship post-movie, and ends on a gorgeous, playful, incredibly satisfying note.
Only one of us (The Prestige)
How did the Borden brothers get to be one man? A backstory I never would have thought of, topped off with some very hot twincest.
Loved In Full (The Prestige)
This story has gotten bafflingly little attention. It's a Borden brothers story that requires several readings, and pulls wonderful sleight of hand with identity and names and POV, and I love it all to pieces.
Some Call It a Mercy (3:10 to Yuma)
Ben Wade has a hard time moving on after Dan dies. I love this- love Ben, here, who seemed so unmoved and untouchable during the movie, and I love the man Wil turned into.
You Weren't Born a Killer (But You Can't Tell That No More) (3:10 to Yuma)
Charlie Prince character study, which I beleive absolutely and love all to peices.
Variations on a Friday Afternoon (Sweeney Todd)
This is a startlingly sharp, dark, disturbing set of vignettes that manages to do a pretty amazing and subtle bit of business with the character of Joanna.
Try/Fail? - False Binary (Wall E)
Aw! Lovely EVE point of view, with her evolution away from pure programming toward the character we see in the movie. Very poignant.
Names, Navigation, and Other Issues Arising on the Caspartine (Stardust)
I adore it when fic takes an incredibly over the top, slapsticky peice of canon, and does us all the favor of taking it seriously on its own terms. The result here is an incredibly good, believable, detailed peice about life as a pirate on a lightning-chasing ship, a well fleshed-out, sympathetic OMC, and a really appealing, complex characterization of Shakespeare.
Whole New World. (Aladdin)
This fic is amazing for the Genie characterization. The exuberance, the anachronisms, the pop-culture savvy, the way he talks right over the heads of the timeline-limited people around him but amuses himself to no end, the way he can't actually seem to control his reflexive slapstick comedy... It's genius.
When the Ground Falls Out from Underneath Your Feet (Indiana Jones)
Indy/Marion- It's got Indy! And Marion! And Mutt! And Sallah! And everybody's voice is perfect. Nice.
The Charm (Indiana Jones)
Three first times. Indy/Marion, NC-17. Astonishingly sweet and hot.
Really geeky miscellany:
The Amazing Adventures of Hat Guy and the Girl Who Stole His Hat. (xkcd)
Best characterization of characters with no names or faces EVER. Perfectly captures the zany forces-of-geeky-chaos plus quirky-romantic-superheroes vibe in the comic.
Pre-test Diagnostic Log #045216/F/4. (Portal)
Perfectly captures GLaDOS's particular brand of utter insanity.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-12-29 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-29 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-29 09:12 pm (UTC)*jealous*
I am going to stalk them like a maniac, post-reveal. I know barely ANYBODY who read that book!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-01 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-01 09:00 pm (UTC)(I do not know what you mean by History with this book, but I read it at a pretty fragile time in my life, when I'd just come back from Dublin, and have reread it often since, and it makes me cry like a baby and I think MacMurrough is one of the best characters there is)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-03 03:37 pm (UTC)And, basically, I became Obsessed with it, and pimped it to EVERYONE I KNEW, who then pimped it to everyone THEY knew, and I became known as "The One Who Spread The At Swim Love" there for a while. Which I would consider sad and pathetic, except for how it's AT SWIM! I will totally spread the love! (I read it at a pretty fragile time in my life, too, and it basically broke me, but then I kept re-reading it and coming back for more. It's an incredible book, and it just has such POWER, you know?)
MacMurrough is my favorite literary character bar none, and I'm always so glad to see others appreciating him, too. I love everyone in the book, but he really struck a cord with me, and I find him SO compelling, and SO fascinating. *happy sigh* So, yay for MacEmm love!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-08 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-08 04:47 pm (UTC):P
no subject
Date: 2009-01-08 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-08 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-29 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-29 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-02 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-03 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-07 05:36 am (UTC)*waves to Justine* you always have such good ideas *g* ::runs off to read more recs::
no subject
Date: 2009-01-07 09:52 pm (UTC)Thank you for your comment.