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Some recs for non-SGA stories
Surprisingly, I *do* read other sorts of things now and again. *grin* And I'm STILL trying to find gen, friendshippy Jack/Sawyer stories (from "Lost"). Has anyone seen ANY? ANYWHERE? Do such things exist?
Book fandom is a particularly frustrating area to search for fic, because unless it's Harry Potter or LOTR, most books simply don't have enough of a fan base to have good fic written for them -- particularly for me, since I'm usually not looking for romance or slash. (Though you'll notice that of the three recs under the cut, one is graphic het and two are slash. Go fig ...)
Arranged Marriage by Thermidor
Chronicles of Amber; Random/Vialle; fairly graphic het
There is fic you search everywhere for ... and then there is the fic you never knew you wanted 'till you stumble upon it. The idea that I might find a well-written Amber story featuring my two favorite characters in the series *and* one of my favorite pairings in all fantasy/SF literature ... it would never have occurred to me even to look for it, so I was ecstatic to stumble upon this little gem. I *adore* Vialle and Random. Vialle is blind and non-magical, surrounded by super-powerful magical beings, appears in like five scenes in the whole series AND she's written by an author who just doesn't do women all that well ... and yet she *still* kicks ass and ends up the queen of a fantasy kingdom where she gets to boss all these high-powered magical types around. You go, Vialle! This fic gives a wonderful unfolding of Vialle's viewpoint on Random, as she gets stuck in the unenviable position of being forcibly married to the most-hated guy in the kingdom as his sentence for causing a young woman's death ... and yet ultimately, the blind woman is the only one who sees past Random's reputation to the good man underneath. I wish canon had given us this, rather than having it happen mostly off-camera. Since this story takes place fairly early in the series, it's basically non-spoilerish for anything but the first book, and makes a lovely introduction to the (all too often ignored by canon) wonderfulness that is Random and Vialle.
Three Ways Aleksander/Seyonne Didn't Happen by Lasair
Carol Berg's Rai-Kirah trilogy; Aleksander/Seyonne; goofy slash
In order to "get" this one, you have to have read one of the most obscur fantasy series in all of genre fiction ("Transformation" and its sequels, by Carol Berg). The first book is fantastic, the sequels somewhat less so, though I loved the characters enough that I was willing to put up with the sequels' less-than-stellar plotting to enjoy Seyonne and Aleksander's company -- and, if you haven't read them, I do highly recommend them if you enjoy snarky affection, because the main characters have that in SPADES. If you *have* read the books, this short, rareslash story is an absolutely hilarious parody. "Eventually I could take no more and clasped myself to him, pressing our lips together in a searing kiss ... It was only then that I realised I’d neglected to shift out of the form of a pigeon."
The Murmuring of Bees Has Ceased by Grit Kitty
Aubrey-Maturin novels; Jack/Stephen; pre-slash
The first thing that struck me about this story is how the author does such a fantastic job of capturing Patrick O'Brien's very distinctive authorial "voice" -- the archaic language combined with a dry yet modern sense of humor is classic O'Brien. And s/he also has Jack and Stephen DOWN, from their verbal give-and-take to the utmost faith that they place in each other. Even though one assumes that O'Brien did not intend sexual attraction between his leads, the story slips into slash so deftly and gently and fully in character that you could entirely believe O'Brien wrote it this way.
Book fandom is a particularly frustrating area to search for fic, because unless it's Harry Potter or LOTR, most books simply don't have enough of a fan base to have good fic written for them -- particularly for me, since I'm usually not looking for romance or slash. (Though you'll notice that of the three recs under the cut, one is graphic het and two are slash. Go fig ...)
Arranged Marriage by Thermidor
Chronicles of Amber; Random/Vialle; fairly graphic het
There is fic you search everywhere for ... and then there is the fic you never knew you wanted 'till you stumble upon it. The idea that I might find a well-written Amber story featuring my two favorite characters in the series *and* one of my favorite pairings in all fantasy/SF literature ... it would never have occurred to me even to look for it, so I was ecstatic to stumble upon this little gem. I *adore* Vialle and Random. Vialle is blind and non-magical, surrounded by super-powerful magical beings, appears in like five scenes in the whole series AND she's written by an author who just doesn't do women all that well ... and yet she *still* kicks ass and ends up the queen of a fantasy kingdom where she gets to boss all these high-powered magical types around. You go, Vialle! This fic gives a wonderful unfolding of Vialle's viewpoint on Random, as she gets stuck in the unenviable position of being forcibly married to the most-hated guy in the kingdom as his sentence for causing a young woman's death ... and yet ultimately, the blind woman is the only one who sees past Random's reputation to the good man underneath. I wish canon had given us this, rather than having it happen mostly off-camera. Since this story takes place fairly early in the series, it's basically non-spoilerish for anything but the first book, and makes a lovely introduction to the (all too often ignored by canon) wonderfulness that is Random and Vialle.
Three Ways Aleksander/Seyonne Didn't Happen by Lasair
Carol Berg's Rai-Kirah trilogy; Aleksander/Seyonne; goofy slash
In order to "get" this one, you have to have read one of the most obscur fantasy series in all of genre fiction ("Transformation" and its sequels, by Carol Berg). The first book is fantastic, the sequels somewhat less so, though I loved the characters enough that I was willing to put up with the sequels' less-than-stellar plotting to enjoy Seyonne and Aleksander's company -- and, if you haven't read them, I do highly recommend them if you enjoy snarky affection, because the main characters have that in SPADES. If you *have* read the books, this short, rareslash story is an absolutely hilarious parody. "Eventually I could take no more and clasped myself to him, pressing our lips together in a searing kiss ... It was only then that I realised I’d neglected to shift out of the form of a pigeon."
The Murmuring of Bees Has Ceased by Grit Kitty
Aubrey-Maturin novels; Jack/Stephen; pre-slash
The first thing that struck me about this story is how the author does such a fantastic job of capturing Patrick O'Brien's very distinctive authorial "voice" -- the archaic language combined with a dry yet modern sense of humor is classic O'Brien. And s/he also has Jack and Stephen DOWN, from their verbal give-and-take to the utmost faith that they place in each other. Even though one assumes that O'Brien did not intend sexual attraction between his leads, the story slips into slash so deftly and gently and fully in character that you could entirely believe O'Brien wrote it this way.
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Also, I wish you luck with the Jack/Sawyer friendshippy gen search. I think I gave up on that about a year ago.
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Also, strange coincidence -- fellow Alaskan here too. *waves from Anchorage*
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(Anonymous) 2011-04-28 10:28 am (UTC)(link)I can't link to the story, is there anywhere else I might be able to find it? Thanks!
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The next two books in the series ... um. XD I did find them kind of disappointing compared to the first one, although I don't know if that's going to be everyone's experience. There's nothing in them that is going to be completely devastating or wreck your affection for the first book, though. They're just kind of flat compared to the original