Return of the King has re-sparked my interest in the fandom. I was a little put out by the movie's treatment of the Faramir/Éowyn relationship *koff* so I went searching for a story I'd once read in the hopes it would provide a nice, satisfying fix. What I didn't remember about A Game of Chess by Altariel is that it isn't actually a nice story. Rather, it's realistic. It proposes a what-if that's true to the characters as they were before their meeting (although it takes place after their marriage), which means it deals with a host of issues I hadn't really considered once Tolkien pulled a fairy tale veil over the couple. It is intense, thoughtful and thought-provoking, deeply sad, impeccably written. And its quietly powerful ending is breathtaking.
Jan. 2nd, 2004
Blood and Warm Blankets by Kielle is a complete about-face from the angsty LOTR fic I've rec'd before, but I have to recommend it because it made me laugh out loud. This is "metaslash": Faramir and Éomer stuck in a cave with the usual two-characters-stuck-in-a-cave clichés, comparing all the gossip they've heard about each other.
Curiosities by Penknife (Harry Potter/X-Men) is deeply, utterly cool. The concept: Tom Riddle meets Erik Lehnsherr. At first I was a bit wary -- the Riddle characterization wasn't quite clicking with me, but as I read on, there was such a tenseness, a feeling of malice and danger and possibility slithering all through the story, that I found myself fascinated. And the end is a bit of brilliance that kicks the whole thing into the realm of the sublime. Crossovers bring out the big geek in me anyway, but this is so very, very well-done.
HP: What He Wants by Debchan (Snape/Harry)
Jan. 2nd, 2004 12:42 amI wish there were more stories dealing with Harry's dark side post-Order of the Phoenix, because I think the last chapters of the book have some really far-reaching implications for him in terms of just how far he's willing to go -- or how far events can drive him. For now, though, I'm satisfied with Debchan's What He Wants. Snape spends some time with Harry over the summer at 12 Grimmauld Place, and finds that Harry is much changed. Though the Snape perspective is excellent, I was actually unsure what the story was building toward, thinking that perhaps something was missing (especially once the pairing aspect of things got going). Then I hit the end and realized what the story was really about -- namely, making me Debchan's bitch for life. This is good, good stuff.
And in Arcadia by Catja Mikhailovic (Fred/George, George/Ginny). I don't think I've ever quoted lines from the stories I've rec'd, but the first two of this one are too good of a hook not to:
Fred and George would say that each is something separate from the other; the difference is that Fred actually believed it. It was easier for him, since he came first and could be considered the template. George was an afterthought, a part of Fred that simply happened not to be permanently attached to his body.And really, it just gets better from there.
HP: A Sweet Reversion by Amy (Ron/Draco)
Jan. 2nd, 2004 12:44 amA Sweet Reversion by Amy is very clever. It is really an unbelievable treat to find clever HP stories, stories that show the author can shake out interesting things from the Potterverse just as well as J.K. Rowling herself. In this one, Ron drinks a potion which Hermione means for Harry, and then gets himself into a little trouble with Draco. I was pleasantly surprised at how hot their encounters were -- but then, smart is sexy.
Vicarious by squeakyclean goes something like this: Draco/Hermione, Draco/Harry, Harry/Hermione. I'm not quite sure I agree with the ending, but I like how it gets there. The prose is vivid, the glimpses of backstory are tantalizing, and really, I just like this story's idea of Hermione: mysterious and inexplicable and desirable.
As of this date I don't know who wrote The Home for Wayward Elves -- it was written for the Dear Santa challenge, and the author is supposed to be revealed later (eta: the author is E. E. Beck). Again, I'm not sure I like the ending (what is it about the Draco/Hermione/Harry triangle that is so challenging to resolve?) but in the tangle of relationships between these characters there is a deeply satisfying feeling in how this story doesn't quite...satisfy, if that makes any sense.
nightfalltwen wrote The Very Best Tree for the Dear Santa challenge, a bit of Christmas-themed Triosmut that I recommend to you simply because it makes me happy.
ETA: As of January 2012, this story appears to be locked down.
ETA: As of January 2012, this story appears to be locked down.
Lotrips: Shut Up by Dee (Viggo/Sean B)
Jan. 2nd, 2004 12:54 amShut Up by Dee is a scorchingly hot Sean/Viggo story in which sexual frustration is dealt with quite handily.
As flame to smoke by shrift takes place during "Five by Five." Wesley gets tortured by Faith, and that's hard enough, but then Angel comes to the rescue, and that's even harder -- because really, who is Angel there to save? I sometimes wonder at authors who write happy Angel/Wes, as if their relationship isn't one of the most mutually destructive on television -- even more so because of the familial bond ostensibly created between them. But as always, shrift knows what she's doing: this is the inside of Wesley's head, and what the episode should have given us in the first place.
A Faith story that I want to make all aspiring Faith fic writers read: Sealed With A Kiss by Mad Poetess. Brilliant from start to finish. And while the Faith characterization is fantastic, it's the perfect, perfect Buffy part at the end that makes this story damn near canon to me.