Entry tags:

[rec theme: small fandoms], action, hitchhikers guide, shakespeare, urban legend

Small fandoms don't get enough love in this world. For one thing, there is no better kind of story with which to launch a career as a multifandom reader, or a non-canon reader (i.e., one who reads the FF without knowledge of the canon). And once you realize how many great stories there are in small fandoms, you'll want to be a non-canon reader; after all, if you actually tried to learn about all these canons, you'd never have time to read the FF. (Those who think this is circular logic are probably right, but I refuse to care.)

Best FF That Perfectly Reflects the Strange Mental Pathologies of Mostly Straight Boys: Dirge, by LaT. Urban Legend, Paul/Parker. The author says it'll help you understand the story if you've seen the movie, but I haven't seen it and I don't think I had any problems. I mean, I get the whole "we have a weird sexual attraction, or, god forbid, we fucked once, so we must hate each other forever" dynamic that seems to plague so many mostly straight boys (see also Y Tu Mama Tambien). So, really, I think anyone who has been to high school or college can get a lot out of this story; Lord knows it gave me flashbacks to any number of youthful misadventures.

Best FF That Sounds Like an Example of What Is Wrong with the World but Is Actually an Example of What Is Right and Good: Not Exactly the Galaxy's Greatest Romance, by daegaer. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent/Ford Prefect. I'd been reading fan fiction for months and months when I discovered the existence of HGtoG fan fiction. I was shocked, shocked. A few months later and a few hundred meters further down the slippery slope, I revisited the concept of HGtoG slash. It still seemed somehow wrong, but upon reflection I realized it was the chili-cheese-chutney-fried egg sandwich* of fan fiction; somehow, all the wrong ingredients combine to become right. And now that I have embraced the belief that a really good writer can find homoerotic subtext in anything, including a toaster warranty (I will be founding the Church of Slashy Goodness next week), I'm actually surprised HGtoG is a small fandom. Really, the series is perfect for slashing, and it has the added benefit of producing remarkably funny fan fiction. I realize I've got rather off topic here, so let me just say: read this story because I thought it was humorous and strangely sweet. Thank you.

Best FF That Denounces Romeo and Juliet for Not Being Nearly Sexy Enough, and If You Think on It, You'll Realize That Is Totally True : Servants with Torches, by Jane St. Clair. Romeo and Juliet (original Shakespearean play), Mercutio/Romeo. Yeah, this is a semi-squick pairing, but it has the benefit of making absolute sense. I mean, really, didn't you always know Mercutio was gay? Is there anyone on this earth who thinks he wasn't?** And I love the way Jane's elaborated the relationship between these two characters. You know, Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite of Shakespeare's plays, but it produces strangely good FF, so I'm glad my teachers made me read it.

Best FF That Will Forevermore Make AA Meetings Seem Vaguely BDSM-y and Fetish-Filled: The First Step Is the Hardest, by Debchan. Action, Peter/Holden. (I have no idea what this canon was, but according to Debchan it was a short-lived TV show. If you haven't seen it, don't worry.) I once worked with addicts, so this story has a special appeal for me. There's something so fundamentally unsexy about AA and NA meetings; really, recovering addicts everywhere should send Debchan a thank-you note for adding so much interest to the first half of the Steps. Please note that I'm not intending to deride AA or NA by nominating this story. I'm all for anything that helps people get their addictions under control. It's just that I'm also all for humorous slash that offers an entirely new perspective on recovery. And, really, who says kinky sex and addiction recovery don't go together? They sound like an ideal match to me.


* This footnote has been written for the benefit of people who have not seen Red Dwarf. I say unto to you, go thee and watch it at once, for it is funny, yea, and good. And once you have watched season two, you'll understand this reference. But, really, don't watch it for me - watch it for you.

** Please leave a comment or send an email if you do, in fact, believe Mercutio was straight. You will be immediately live-captured and put on display in the Zoo of Improbable Thought (located, of course, in Hollywood). Probably you'll be put somewhere between Man Who Thinks Earth Is Flat and Woman Who Argues Incessantly That Creationism Is a Science.