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thefourthvine) wrote2004-08-18 11:09 pm
thefourthvine) wrote2004-08-18 11:09 pm
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Slashy Nominations 78: Strange Fits of Passion I Have Known
Every fandom has its big pairings. And if you read this journal, you'll know I'm no opponent of Danny/Casey or Jim/Blair or Sirius/Remus. But I also have an abiding love for stories with rare pairings, or pairings no mortal ever dared to pair before. And I think I can safely say you'll find at least one of each of those in this set.
Best FF Featuring a Powerful Anti-Drug Message; Namely, That If We Spend All Our Time Stoned We Might Fail to Notice Critical Things in Our Environment, Like That One of Our Friends Is Actually Green. Kissable Fanatic, Unhinged Minim Artists, by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
basingstoke. Marvel, Toad/OMC. There are very few pairings involving an original character that I'd put in a rare pairings entry, but I have never before seen Toad in any pairing anywhere ever. He could do nothing but jerk off in a story and I'd consider it a borderline rare pairing, and it's safe to say he goes well beyond that in this one. I actually put off reading this one for weeks because the thought of Toad doing, you know, that - well, it made me want to file taxes early, let's put it that way. But eventually I'd done all the accountancy and scrubbing I could do, and my curiosity got the better of me - and you know what? This is a damn fine story. It isn't squicky, the original character is an actual character, there's a plot - really, what more could anyone want? And if you said, "Someone who isn't green and sticky and whose tongue is less than three feet long would be first on that list," shame on you. Rank prejudice is what that is, and I tell you freely: you'll be the first up against the wall when Magneto takes over. But if you read this now, perhaps they'll be kind to you. So, really, I'm recommending this for your own safety as much as anything.
Best FF That Shows Us What Hides in Your Bedroom Closet After You Learn That All the Demons and Monsters Are Real and Right Outside: Paying Attention, by Lar, aka![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
obsessedmuch. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander Harris/Larry (does Larry have a last name?). Xander/Larry is one of those pairings that should just happen a lot more often. I've actually seen the episode in which Larry outs himself to Xander, and there's definite slash potential in there. I mean, it happens in a locker room. And Xander and Larry have always hated each other, and they've engaged in the manly-yet-moronic art of fighting together, and, honestly, the whole situation is crying out to be slashed. And yet still this is a rare pairing. I guess it's more proof that there is no justice in bed*. Or in slash. But Lar is struggling to redress this tragic deficit. Read this in the name of Slash Equality, if nothing else. Plus, hey, it could well be the only pairing in this set that doesn't make your eyes roll back in your head from horror. That's got to be a plus.
Best FF That Is Totally Based on the Canon Author's Writing and Yet Would Cause Said Author to Burst into Flames Were He to Hear of It, and I Don't Mean the Gay Kind of Flames, Either: Peter in Love, by Tosca, akatoscas_kiss. The Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pevensie/Aslan. Really. Yes, I'm aware that this sounds even worse than the whole "That stag was a liar" bit in The Silver Chair. Please, don't run screaming yet. I wanted to stab my eyes out and spend decades wandering in the wilderness after I saw the pairing, too. But here's the thing: this story is great, and somehow Tosca manages to evade every single potential squick here, which must have been like doing an slalom. While stoned. And blindfolded. On a frictionless surface. Still not convinced? It isn't explicit, and that should help. So, really, give it a try. (Note: if you don't know how the last book in the Narnia series starts, I'm not sure this will make much sense to you. But, hey, if you don't know how that book starts, you are blessed beyond all measure, so be grateful. And I've never actually read The Last Battle, because I'm still bearing a grudge against C.S. Lewis for writing it, so you can be sure that don't need more than the bare plot outline.)
Best FF That Shows Us That Prison Showers Can Be Dangerous in Novel and Entirely Unanticipated Ways, As Well As the Old Boring Ones: The Color of Straw, by David Hines, akahradzka. D.C. Universe, Scarecrow/Harley Quinn. I know. As if I haven't disturbed you all enough as it is, now I'm recommending het. Again. It's like some horrible disease. But this - this is amazing het. It's got the best damn characterizations I've ever seen in DCU fic involving either of these two - admittedly, that sounds like damning with faint praise, but it's meant as an enthusiastic endorsement; it's just that I'm not so good at showing enthusiasm. And it's so, so right and probable and in canon. And it's even funny. It's also not very explicit, so if you just cannot bear the thought of male and female connectors interacting, so to speak, you can squint your eyes and think of England during that part. (Although you should probably try to avoid thinking about Peter Pevensie in England, especially if you're still feeling jittery about the whole Aslan thing.)
-Footnote-
* Anyone who said, "Well, not unless you're sleeping with a judge" is going to be punished. I mean that. Hell, if you so much as thought that, you should be making like Rev. Dimmesdale right now. Have you no shame?
Best FF Featuring a Powerful Anti-Drug Message; Namely, That If We Spend All Our Time Stoned We Might Fail to Notice Critical Things in Our Environment, Like That One of Our Friends Is Actually Green. Kissable Fanatic, Unhinged Minim Artists, by
basingstoke. Marvel, Toad/OMC. There are very few pairings involving an original character that I'd put in a rare pairings entry, but I have never before seen Toad in any pairing anywhere ever. He could do nothing but jerk off in a story and I'd consider it a borderline rare pairing, and it's safe to say he goes well beyond that in this one. I actually put off reading this one for weeks because the thought of Toad doing, you know, that - well, it made me want to file taxes early, let's put it that way. But eventually I'd done all the accountancy and scrubbing I could do, and my curiosity got the better of me - and you know what? This is a damn fine story. It isn't squicky, the original character is an actual character, there's a plot - really, what more could anyone want? And if you said, "Someone who isn't green and sticky and whose tongue is less than three feet long would be first on that list," shame on you. Rank prejudice is what that is, and I tell you freely: you'll be the first up against the wall when Magneto takes over. But if you read this now, perhaps they'll be kind to you. So, really, I'm recommending this for your own safety as much as anything.Best FF That Shows Us What Hides in Your Bedroom Closet After You Learn That All the Demons and Monsters Are Real and Right Outside: Paying Attention, by Lar, aka
obsessedmuch. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander Harris/Larry (does Larry have a last name?). Xander/Larry is one of those pairings that should just happen a lot more often. I've actually seen the episode in which Larry outs himself to Xander, and there's definite slash potential in there. I mean, it happens in a locker room. And Xander and Larry have always hated each other, and they've engaged in the manly-yet-moronic art of fighting together, and, honestly, the whole situation is crying out to be slashed. And yet still this is a rare pairing. I guess it's more proof that there is no justice in bed*. Or in slash. But Lar is struggling to redress this tragic deficit. Read this in the name of Slash Equality, if nothing else. Plus, hey, it could well be the only pairing in this set that doesn't make your eyes roll back in your head from horror. That's got to be a plus.Best FF That Is Totally Based on the Canon Author's Writing and Yet Would Cause Said Author to Burst into Flames Were He to Hear of It, and I Don't Mean the Gay Kind of Flames, Either: Peter in Love, by Tosca, aka
toscas_kiss. The Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pevensie/Aslan. Really. Yes, I'm aware that this sounds even worse than the whole "That stag was a liar" bit in The Silver Chair. Please, don't run screaming yet. I wanted to stab my eyes out and spend decades wandering in the wilderness after I saw the pairing, too. But here's the thing: this story is great, and somehow Tosca manages to evade every single potential squick here, which must have been like doing an slalom. While stoned. And blindfolded. On a frictionless surface. Still not convinced? It isn't explicit, and that should help. So, really, give it a try. (Note: if you don't know how the last book in the Narnia series starts, I'm not sure this will make much sense to you. But, hey, if you don't know how that book starts, you are blessed beyond all measure, so be grateful. And I've never actually read The Last Battle, because I'm still bearing a grudge against C.S. Lewis for writing it, so you can be sure that don't need more than the bare plot outline.)Best FF That Shows Us That Prison Showers Can Be Dangerous in Novel and Entirely Unanticipated Ways, As Well As the Old Boring Ones: The Color of Straw, by David Hines, aka
hradzka. D.C. Universe, Scarecrow/Harley Quinn. I know. As if I haven't disturbed you all enough as it is, now I'm recommending het. Again. It's like some horrible disease. But this - this is amazing het. It's got the best damn characterizations I've ever seen in DCU fic involving either of these two - admittedly, that sounds like damning with faint praise, but it's meant as an enthusiastic endorsement; it's just that I'm not so good at showing enthusiasm. And it's so, so right and probable and in canon. And it's even funny. It's also not very explicit, so if you just cannot bear the thought of male and female connectors interacting, so to speak, you can squint your eyes and think of England during that part. (Although you should probably try to avoid thinking about Peter Pevensie in England, especially if you're still feeling jittery about the whole Aslan thing.)-Footnote-
* Anyone who said, "Well, not unless you're sleeping with a judge" is going to be punished. I mean that. Hell, if you so much as thought that, you should be making like Rev. Dimmesdale right now. Have you no shame?
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Love. You.
No reason. Why do you ask?
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Jeez, pay attention! :-D
[Okay, I really liked the recs, and I MISSED YOU because I went on vacation and just got back and stuff. You've been busy, yes?]
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But you - you went on vacation? Do you realize that this is strictly forbidden? The Procurator General (aka Pimpmistress G) has important work to do! She can't just go wandering off like that. Plus, you know, we miss you.
But, you know, since you went - hope you had fun. And all.
Um. Actually, I need to email you. The rest of this will be coming under different cover, then.
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And who are those people in your icon?
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She knows all the secrets. I'm only allowed to stick around 'cause I give good snark. In other words, no clue; 'twas a gift from my OTP, and isn't it a lovely one?
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OMGTHEFOURTHVINEMMWDOTP!!!!!11!1!1!!!
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*none*
*sorry, still none*
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No, really. You can get it very cheaply at most secondhand stores; people everywhere are selling theirs off because they have no use for it anymore. So it's not like it would cost you a lot. Get you some shame, young lady.
(This message has been brought to you by the Council for a Return to Victorian Parenting. Instill some repressions today!)
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I know. I probably needed to be spanked more when I was young.
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Um. I meant that in an entirely non-sexual, disciplinarian, this-will-hurt-me-more-than-it-hurts-you kind of way.
(And while you're at the secondhand personality components store, could you ask around about my shame? It buggered off last month with my disbelief, and I have reason to believe it's turning tricks in downtown Austin, TX.)
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And of course I do.
I realy really do.
I'll ask
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I'm not defending her behavior; I think it's appalling. It's just, well, my shame and I went through a bad patch when we were teenagers, and I don't think she's ever completely recovered. She doesn't mean any harm, and she's very sweet, really, so please do ask
I mean that, of course, in an entirely non-sexual way.
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Well, except for the rash, but I'm quite confident that in that regard, at least, he can take care of himself quite well. Sensible young man, really.
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Also, she'd better say she wants the cuffs. I'm not in the habit of restraining women in compromising situations unless they really desire it.
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Oh oh oh, can I volunteer?
*is evil girlfriend*
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And, yeah, it really is awesome. Is it wrong that I want to hear way, way more about the original character? I mean, yes, it's partly just that I have this sick passion for anagrams, but...wanna know more. Wanna know what Neil's mutation is. Would read a whole series about Anagram, actually.
*sigh*
It's a wonderful story.
(Side note: interesting icon. Um. What is it?)
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http://www.livejournal.com/users/basingstoke/155970.html
Maybe you knew that.
I had the same reaction to the original characters. Originally, I was convinced they were cannon characters I was unfamiliar with.
I might not have been into Toad fic if it weren't for Movie!Toad, 'cause, come on, Ray Park is hot.
http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0661917/HH/0661917/ray2.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Park,%20Ray%20(I)
The icon's from Milligan and Allred's X-Force (New Beginnings, I think). The new X-Force is a group of sell-out mutants who have their own merchandise including little stuffed Doops. Doop's one of the members, he's some kind of green mutant alien. Anyway, Wolverine disapproves of the commercialization of mutant super teams.
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And he has such a safe and healthy way of expressing his discomfort with this and, at the same time, channeling his negative feelings. That's the stable, balanced, emotionally open Wolverine I know and love.
I agree with him. But I'm also suffering from what we might term Disneyland Syndrome: I know that the merchandise is excessively commercial, overpriced, and repugnant, and yet it's so adorable that I find myself wanting a stuffed Doop. Probably just as well they don't actually exist, then.
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"The Color of Straw" is also up on my archive at fanfiction.net (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1880876/1/).
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Well, y'know, you're this weird, twisted, freakish gen writer, who when he does incorporate sex incorporates het sex, which is such a shocking perversion that I believe it's against the law in nine states, but for some strange reason I love you anyway. In other words: no problem. Always glad to rec your work.
"The Color of Straw" is also up on my archive at fanfiction.net.
Oh, good. I didn't even think of looking there, 'cause you seemed just the teeniest bit dismissive of your random pairing generator ones - I mean, I had to harass you for a title for this one - so I didn't think you'd archive it. I'm glad you did. Would you rather I changed the link to the ff.net version?
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(Well, actually, I do sort of fear het, because in my experience it's less likely to be well-written and more likely to suffer from the dreaded Romance Novel Language Syndrome, which can cause fatal cranial hemorrhage in inexperienced or vulnerable readers. There'd be thousands fewer computer-related deaths in this country if the government would only intervene to prevent the use of phrases such as "moist valley" and "throbbing, glistening manroot." Plus, if you avoid het, you've avoided 85% of Mary Sues, too. And Mary Sues make me itchy.)
But what fandom really lacks is femslash. There should just be way more femslash in this world.
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*grin*
Would you rather I changed the link to the ff.net version?
That'd be great, thanks!
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In other words, I'm pointing 'em over to ffn now.
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I am both excited and terrified by this. Thank you for telling me about it, because that's just too neat. And I will eventually be brave enough to read it. It's just...Toad-fic. Lovely, yes, but it takes some working up to.
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It's a Toad/Rogue/Logan triad if you're feeling adventurous, and is written from Toad's POV. *grin*
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LOL! Thank you! That's a lovely (as well as hilarious and unique) compliment. Thanks for the recommendation and I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
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I'm not actually sure if it's cleverly squickless, or if I've been corrupted enough that I'm just unsquickable any more. Btw, I didn't comment then, but omg, Mario/Luigi? Wtf? It should have had a squickfactor attached, & somehow didn't.
There should defn be more fantasy slash, even if the slashed characters weren't necessarily human. Someday, I'm sure I'll find Tamora Pierce or David Eddings slash. It's probably already out there.
Ever read the Tripods trilogy by John Christopher? Gawd, if ever a fantasy story deserved a slash fandom, it's those books. Three 15 year olds run away from home because the aliens that all the adults believe are wonderful rulers were going to brainwash them too & make them
straightboring and take away theirhomosexual desire for each otherfree will. & then they meet free men like them, & it's so written like a farmboy running away to Greenwich Village, & together they try to fight back & infiltrate the alien city, & the main character's master (alien with tentacles) fondles him a lot. He was initially uncomfortable, but coped by thinking about the other boy who infiltrated with him, who was probably right now having fun little sadomasochistic games with his own master.No, really.