Keep Hoping Machine Running (
thefourthvine) wrote2004-07-02 05:09 pm
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Slashy Nominations 61: Smut's Winged Chariot Hurrying Near
And by "chariot," I mean "car." Because, let's face it, we live a lot of our lives in cars. We kiss in cars, and fight in cars, and snack in cars, and, especially in our teen years, have sex in cars. And as in life, so in fan fiction. (Stop laughing immediately. I didn't say fan fiction was realistic, did I? No, I did not. I merely said it reflects our obsessions. If you believe you can successfully argue with that, go right ahead; I stand ready to defend my statement.)
Best FF That Puts a Hair Care Product to a Use That Paul Mitchell Would Never Approve. I Think.: Cool in the Backseat, by witchbaby, aka
brooklinegirl. Due South, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski. Sex. In a car. Plus some other stuff. Really, when a story has a title like that, I don't think I should have to write a summary for you to know what's going to happen. But I do believe you'll be deeply impressed with what these guys manage to do in a car; I'm not sure how many couples aside from Fraser-the-perfect and Kowalski-the-graceful could have successful anal sex in the backseat of a Pontiac GTO. Trust me when I tell you that any kind of automotive engagement, never mind what happens here, requires skill and talent in some amount far greater than I possess. (There's a guy who is probably still limping and bruised who can testify that combining a backseat, a hardcover Biology textbook, and me is an act both unwise and very, very painful.) So be in awe, folks, of what Ben 'n' Ray manage to pull off in this story. Um, so to speak.
Best FF in Which Sex Is Prevented by the Untimely Intervention of a Car Alarm: Diversionary Tactics, by
shrift. Sports Night, Casey McCall/Danny Rydell. Why yes, I do intend to continue recommending Sports Night fic. The SN Cult has me in its clutches, and I will not rest until every single person on this earth is reading SN FF. And, see, this is what is both beautiful and terrible about the Cult: I'm doing this because I know you'll be happier when you've succumbed. (Unless you get hold of some of the depressing SN stories, because those are like a kick to the gut, or possibly even like a blow to the genitals from the pointy part of a hardcover Biology textbook. But I'm no sadist; I'll warn you when I'm linking to one of those.) This is a happy story, and it is absolutely chock full of cars. (Public Service Announcement: we residents of Los Angeles would prefer it if visitors to this fine city did not use their cellular phones on the 405. Trust me, it's scary enough watching you folks merge without the knowledge that three-quarters of your brain is back home, and half of what's left is trying to figure out if that's Ryan Seacrest on the radio. (It isn't. It's his clone. We think, although we are afraid to get close enough to check.) So, please, unless you're Danny Rydell, stay off the phone when you're in traffic. Thank you. Love, the Los Angeles troglodytes.)
Best FF in Which the Two Characters Argue about Whether They're Gay or Not, Pause to Have Gay Sex, and Then Return to the Argument, Apparently Somehow Unaware That Said Argument Has Been Definitely Overtaken by Events: Orange Crush, by Annie Sewell-Jennings, aka
anniesj. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike/Xander. This story is actually the second in a series that I think of as the Random Song Title Series. I don't know if it actually has a name. You might want to read the first story, A Lesson in Principles, before you read this one, although I do think that "Orange" could, despite references to what happened in "Lesson," stand alone. This story is based on an old tradition - sex in a crappy American car. I don't know why that's such a classic activity, but it is. Maybe people worry less about staining the upholstery when the car already sucks. (Get ready for a really impressive, top-notch, professional-quality transition here.) Sucks, in fact, like Spike does, only not in this story, which doesn't suck at all. (Yes, that was some excellent writing, there. Nothing quite like the knowledge of a job well done, is there?)
Best FF That Features the Phrase "Mi Dildo Es Su Dildo," Which, Frankly, I Don't Think Should Ever Be Uttered by Anyone: Toy Story, by Alanna, aka
bayleaf. The Sentinel, Jim/Blair. Yes, it's an all-TV-show recommendations set! Apparently television characters are big on the car sex concept. Or maybe I'm just a helpless TV show fangirl. Whichever. This story wins two prizes from me. First, the Chutzpah Award, for portraying sex in a car parked in a police station's garage. How many people have done that? (Note that I said people, not fan fiction characters; I could assemble almost a complete nominations set built around this concept alone.) And, second, the Mysterious Lack of Chutzpah Award, because I think we can all enjoy the spectacle of Blair getting embarrassed in a sex toy shop. Evidently Blair never learned the girl decoy trick, where you give a girl the money and a detailed description of the dildo or vibrator you want and halfway through you realize this is actually worse than telling a stranger and you should've just shopped on the internet, because the girl is laughing so hard complete strangers keep wanting to give her seizure medication. At least she's laughing that hard when she's me. I'm sure those in the audience are much kinder to their male friends on these occasions.
Best FF That Puts a Hair Care Product to a Use That Paul Mitchell Would Never Approve. I Think.: Cool in the Backseat, by witchbaby, aka
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Best FF in Which Sex Is Prevented by the Untimely Intervention of a Car Alarm: Diversionary Tactics, by
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Best FF in Which the Two Characters Argue about Whether They're Gay or Not, Pause to Have Gay Sex, and Then Return to the Argument, Apparently Somehow Unaware That Said Argument Has Been Definitely Overtaken by Events: Orange Crush, by Annie Sewell-Jennings, aka
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Best FF That Features the Phrase "Mi Dildo Es Su Dildo," Which, Frankly, I Don't Think Should Ever Be Uttered by Anyone: Toy Story, by Alanna, aka
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Alanna is
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You know, 'toys' could be an award category that might be good. Uh, in a very distant, academic kind of interest way, of course.And I completely feel that it's wrong to mention AF in such surroundings, but how are you getting on with Marlows and the Traitor?
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*evil pondering of sexy stories*
And oh, god, I completely forgot to tell you about the Forrest book. Look for an email coming your way soon.
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And I have opened "Good Vibrations," but it may take me a while to work up to reading it, because...a Horatio Hornblower story called "Good Vibrations" is just...odd. But if it makes you drool, I must read it, so I will get there in time.
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More screencaps here: http://www.livejournal.com/community/article_xxix/29652.html
(along with Daragh O'Malley in a wig, and Stephen Fry in a wig, and Tim McInnerny inexplicably not in a wig at all)
Because we love the wigs. Oh yes we do.
Anyway, the droolishness of Good Vibrations is in the character portrayal. The premise is WRONG WRONG WRONG but the way Archie and Horatio deal with it is so very very right. Archie's such an adorable little slut. *pets him*
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And I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about iconage (all my icons are due to the amazing, wondrous, nigh-perfect
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But! Sam West! Inna wig! The fact that I find him irresistable even when he's dressed as the mutant love-child of a Q-Tip and a poodle, AND IS ALSO THE BAD GUY, gives you some idea of a) how utterly irresistable he is, and b) how utterly pathetic I am.
To be honest, Dava Sobel's book is better than the film. But if you have even the slightest inkling of the Sam love, or any enthusiasm for lovable moppet-like midshipmen, it will tip the balance. Just fast-forward through the 20th century subplot bits.
(points at icon for further evidence of Sam West sexitude, this time in uniform)
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Look, if you love one dork hat fandom, you must love them all! M&C, Hornblower, Sharpe... at minimum. Bonus points for Austen, Flashman, Heyer, and so forth.
But really... Hornblower makes the Big Gay Boat Movie look positively closeted. OK, so Jack Aubrey swims naked in book canon... but Hornblower gets naked IN MOVIE CANON. On the quarterdeck. With the entire crew present, hosing him down. And the other lieutenants LICK THEIR LIPS. I am not making this up.
The dork hats are just... well, they just are. Run with it, trust me, it's all good. The worse the uniforms, the more fun it is to take them off. Layer by layer. And eventually you get used to them, and start discussing the relative sexiness of hats worn athwart vs fore-and-aft, and laughing when someone shows up wearing one diagonally (as sometimes happens in Sharpe).
The fore-and-aft hats, of course, were introduced into the naval uniform around 1800 as an anti-fraternization device. Try to suck cock in one of those things and the tip of it will poke them in the naval before you get within a foot of the action.
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CHECK YR FANDOM EMAIL HONEY! WE HAVE A WEB SITE!
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(YAY!)
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And they're all my fandoms! YAY! That's it; we were separated at birth, or something.
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And, yeah, no surprise they're all your fandoms, since you converted me to one and a half of them. The Procurator-General at work!
(Separated at birth? Really? Because if we are, and we're also LJ spouses, then...ew. I think they prosecute for that. But, hey, bright side: if we're separated at birth type persons, then you must also be a long-lost mystery relative of
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Hey, I take full responsibility for SportsNight, but are you laying BUFFY at my feet too? Because I didn't *convert* you so much as show you what the liturgy *meant* (in keeping with the religious theme). So I'm not sure I can take the blame, there. Also? YOU, my friend, are SOLELY, WHOLLY, and COMPLETELY responsible for my due South love. So there. :-P
And it wasn't even the stories that had me cracking up! It was the blurbs that you wrote!
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And if I got you into due South, that is a good thing, for it is a marvelous fandom, filled with friendly people and OTPs and sarcastic half-wolves. Really, can it get any better? Also, if I only got you into dS, then clearly I owe you half a fandom. So you should give me a list of all your fandoms, so that I know which one of mine to start pushing.
(I'm glad you liked the blurbs for the stories. And thank you for telling me. Validation is just such a wonderful thing, is it not? I'm all proud: I made
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Do you want that here or via e-mail?
And as for "half a fandom", I have clearly lost my mind, because I completely forgot about M&C, which is what brought us to this state in the first place.
I wish there were more Aubrey/Maturin fic. *sigh*
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There should indeed be more M&C fic (did I get you into M&C?). I have long considered kidnapping my favorite FF writers until they write stories in fandoms I consider to be woefully under-represented in fan fiction. Two of these fandoms are M&C and Sports Night. Now that you know that, do you want to help me? I will provide the elaborate plan and maniacal laughter if you provide the secret dungeon hideaway featuring a hideously complex security system, an extremely thorough library, an assortment of inspirational photos, and a computer driven by water-generated power.
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Okay, fandoms:
Very first fandom EVAH!: Angel (Cordelia/Angel. Shuddup.)
Followed shortly by: Buffy (initially Buffy/Spike, but then I was shown the light, i.e., slash, and now it's Xander/Spike, who are totally my OTP there)
And then I became, as
Smallville (have you SEEN Michael Rosenbaum?)
Master&Commander (and, yes, that's TOTALLY your fault)
The Sentinel (They're just. So. OMGtheirloveissopure!!!!11.111111.!!eleven1!!)
due South (Fraser/RayK, because I can't see Vecchio sleeping with a guy)
Lord of the Rings (I know how you feel about hobbits, so we'll just leave this alone)
SportsNight (Danny! Casey! SO IN LOVE!)
And the occasional foray into the fandoms of other shows I watch: Alias, Justice League, Star Trek (shuddup again), Highlander, West Wing, etc.
I'm going to burn in hell for all eternity, aren't I? *facepalm*
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I will remain quiet about the Cordelia/Angel. We all have our strange little weaknesses.
...but then I was shown the light, i.e., slash...
Am I the only person who started reading het long after she started reading slash? Slash was, like, the natural version of FF for me; het has always seemed, well, strangely perverted.
...have you SEEN Michael Rosenbaum?
No, actually, I have not seen Michael Rosenbaum. Who is Michael Rosenbaum? What is he? That all the fans commend him? (And don't think you're going to get me into Smallville, because I already have more TV fandoms than TV shows I've watched.)
I'm going to burn in hell for all eternity, aren't I?
Certainly not. (At least not until I add, um, a couple more fandoms to that list.)
I've always wanted to be a minion!
You are not a minion. You are the Procurator-General, and don't you forget it.
But, yeah, let's get right to work on that evil plan thing, only not here where our victims can see us. To the email! Charge!
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You will also need to provide:
* DVD player
* grog ration (2 pints per day, more for good behaviour)
* shower (I find that plot bunnies crawl up the drain and nibble my toes while I get clean)
* 36 hours in every day
When you say "extremely thorough library", I presume you wouldn't mind if I brought my own?
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Grog: check. But I'll have you know I dock for failure to behave licentiously.
Shower: check. However, our shower may not be on the bunny route, as I have spent significant time in there and never been bitten even once. By bunnies, that is.
36 hours in every day: um, sorry, no. But the Evil Plan will require you to quit your job. That's bound to free up some time.
And of course you may bring your own library to add to the collection. The more the merrier, I say, although frankly we are running out of wall space for bookshelves in this house. So if you know something about carpentry, that would be a very good thing; we could have built in floor-to-ceiling shelves everywhere, and that might help a bit.
Wait.
Now get cracking on the M&C and SN. I'll have you know that we have whips, and we are not afraid to use them.
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Uhhh. I'm not sure my library is really set up for SN. *stares at shelves of books on Nelson's Navy, Georgian London, 18th and 19th century culture, etc* You really *don't* want me to attempt that, do you?
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I am Not Good at television. As in, really bad at it. Which is doubly pathetic when you consider that it is essentially our major national hobby; I live in fear that they will revoke my citizenship because I've never seen...well, anything, really.
As a result of this sad infirmity, I do not watch television, which leaves me out of the loop as far as popular culture goes. Hence, a week and a half ago, I had not even heard of Sports Night. And yet here I am, hip-deep in the fandom, already whining about insufficient fan fiction. Trust me: join the SN cult. Join, and you will live in joy; resist, and you will sink in sorrow.
Once you've assimilated, we'll talk about the FF writing. Say, in a week or so.
In the meantime, I will happily accept M&C fic, especially if it features wombats. Or sloths.
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*nods earnestly*
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So I hope you do not mind becoming the third entry on the list of LJ People I Love, and Will Have to Marry to Avoid Scandal, Provided They Are Not My Long-Lost Relatives, Which They Probably Are.
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Wombats are always funny. So are sheep. I am working on a Banjo/Clancy (erm, historical Australian poet and Australian folk legend) quasi-RPS which contains sheep references galore. Well, you can't really avoid it when canon dictates that Banjo knew Clancy when he was a shearer. I might have to see if I can work in a wombat just for you, though. How do you feel about kangaroos? Goannas? Cockatoos? Quokkas? Witchetty grubs?
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Wombats are NOT funny. They are the essence of all that is right with the world, as are dogs and red pandas, and if there was any justice at all I would have one with me now. Admittedly, it would probably be chewing through my walls, but still.
And I very much resent the implication that I wouldn't know who Banjo Paterson was, or have heard of "Clancy of the Overflow." (Although I went back and re-read it when you mentioned Banjo/Clancy - I read it many years ago, when I was innocent and had not yet discovered the Magic of Subtext - and my god. That is a seriously slashy poem, there; even my Best Beloved agrees. I'm not normally one for the RPS, but, well, let's just say that poet RPS is my Achilles heel, and I totally see the Banjo/Clancy now.)
Sheep are indeed funny, but you can't beat wombats for raising the moral and aesthetic tone of a piece. My feelings about other Australian fauna, as requested:
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Did you know that there are candy witchetty grubs?
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I assume that everyone raised in one of Britain's offshoots or relatives (Canada, NZ, etc.) has heard of Banjo Paterson. Right? Which, by extension, suggests that they would also have heard of Clancy, since if you're going to discuss Paterson at all there's two other names that will come ineluctably to mind: Clancy (because that was the start of his poetic career, wasn't it?) and Matilda (for obvious reasons). Are these people who do the tentacle look not native speakers of English?
Or is the tentacle look because of the idea of Banjo/Clancy slash? I could understand that, because not everyone has yet awakened to the Force of Slash (and, really, such people deserve our pity rather than our censure). Slashers, though, I think would get it the instant they read that poem. It should actually come with a label: subtext ahoy! (Said label would also be useful with M&C. Or, really, any canon involving the British Navy. And most books for boys written before 1955.)
Did you know that there are candy witchetty grubs?
Well, no, but I can't say I'm surprised. Australians seem prone to food perversions.
Actually, it makes sense. I mean, we've got Gummi worms; why shouldn't you have Gummi grubs? (Are they, in fact, Gummi-type candy? Or are they, like, a hard crunchy candy, which would be infinitely worse?)
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The candy witchetty grubs are not Gummi[tm] nor are they quite like that. They are whitish/yellowish and not transparent/translucent, but they are chewy. Crunchy would, indeed, be awful. Shades of "crunchy frog" perhaps?
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I'm almost afraid to ask this, but what flavor are they? Please tell me they aren't grub flavored. Any flavor, including banana, would be better than that. Even bogong flavor would have to be a slight improvement.
I just an awful thought. Are there candy bogong moths? It could be part of the horrible but supposedly edible Australian insect candy variety pack!
(P.S. Am also much depressed by your report that knowledge of good ol' Banjo isn't as widespread as I thought it was. Need good news now. Like news that you have finished your Banjo/Clancy, or that you have posted a new M&C, or that the inventor of the candy witchetty grub has been confined for his safety and the safety of others.)
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I haven't posted new M&C, but I posted new Hornblower fic (http://www.livejournal.com/community/article_xxix/30718.html). It's getting good responses from non-hornblower-indoctrinated readers, so you probably don't need lots of background to enjoy it. And it's somewhat kinky, in a manly men playing rough kind of way, just to fit your latest round of recs ;)
Banjo/Clancy is back on the front burner, btw, but it'll probably still be a while til it all comes together.
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I must have looked a right city swell, in my neat gaiters and starched
collar, sitting in the public bar of the Booligal Hotel nursing a glass
of gin and water. He walked in like he lived there, greeted the
bartender by name, and swallowed his beer in one long draught, wiping
his mouth with the back of his hand when he was done. He turned to me
then, and with a sardonic twist at the corner of his mouth, said, "New
in town?"
You think you know how the story goes now, of course. You think you
know because you've read it before. It's always the Cuff and Collar
Club getting a thrashing from the Geebung, or it's the reverse, where
Mulga Bill or the Man From Ironbark are embarrassed to find that they
can't quite survive the hurly-burly of the modern world. Nothing could
be more straightforward: the young chap in the starched collar is about
to get his comeuppance, in some dreadfully amusing fashion, possibly
involving a horse.
I set down my gin and water, and smiled disarmingly. Or at least I
would have liked to think it was disarming. "The very latest thing," I
told him, "Fresh from Sydney this afternoon. Paterson." I held out my
hand, and he shook it with a laugh.
"Clancy."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister Clancy."
"Just Clancy."
"Clancy. You must be a shearer."
He cocked an eyebrow. I reckon he couldn't figure out how a city boy
would know that, but I wasn't born a city boy. I grew up at Illalong,
up along the Murrumbidgee, and I knew a shearer when I saw one standing
in the public bar of the main street hotel in a town built on wool.
Besides, the hand that had shook my own was calloused but not at all
rough; a shearer's hands were always smooth.
"Yeah, for now. Out at the Overflow." He gestured to the barman, who
pulled two more glasses of beer and handed them over the bar. Clancy
passed me one, ignoring my half-finished gin and water. "So, what
brings a bloke like you to the back of beyond?"
"An ardent desire to become better acquainted with sheep."
"Reckon you've come to the right place then." He finished his beer,
stood up, and tipped the barman a wink. "Come on out to the Overflow
tomorrow and I'll show you a few." With that he put on his battered old
hat and left.
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