Slashy Nominations 128: Small Fandoms Well Pursued

[thefourthvine]

I have a feeling I'm going to regret this. But, see, recently liviapenn reminded me that I have been remiss in my duties as a fan. Specifically, I have neglected my Fannish Heritage. (Capitals inserted to make the topic seem more important. Also, I figure this way I'm enhancing the chances that soon a course called that will be offered for credit at universities. Ideally, I'm thinking a history elective. Ooo, and there should definitely be extra credit for porn.)

I do not want to be a Fannish Heritage Neglector. There would likely be shame involved.

So if anyone feels like making me a sampler for any of the following fandoms, with a focus on slashy moments and other topics of fannish interest, well, you would be doing me (and Our Heritage!) a great service.

• The Sentinel
• Star Trek: the Original Series (But I've already seen The Trouble with Tribbles. Um. Almost half of it, anyway.)
• Highlander (Ideally, with a focus on Methos, a character Best Beloved seems to find peculiarly appealing, although said appealingness took a slight hit tonight, when we found out his name is pronounced with a long E.)

You wouldn't have to send me all the episodes! Not even close. I'm just asking for, you know, a highlights reel. Like, if SGA appeared on that list, you'd only need to send me Sanctuary, The Defiant One, The Brotherhood, and Trinity, although of course if you felt like throwing in, for example, Rising or Underground or The Storm, that would be excellent, too. And if you wanted to explain why these were the critical episodes/scenes/vids/transcripts/insane theories posted on whatever fans used before they had the internet, well, I would love you forever and ever, and also, um. Be very grateful.

Sorry, haven't really got anything else to offer, unless you want a highlights reel for SGA, in which case I'd be happy to trade. (I doubt it, though. I think every fan in the universe has already been pimped into that fandom at least twice, and I suspect non-fans are starting to be sucked into the SGA Galactic Black Hole because of the sheer size of its Schwarzschild radius, and oh my god, now I have to write a story in which Rodney compliments John on the size of his Schwarzschild radius. It would make me giggle! And only me, probably, which is why I'm going to have to be the one to write it.) DVDs would be ideal, but we also have the technology to play VHS tapes, because we are very retro. Volunteers? Anyone? I stand ready to be educated.

And am I missing anything? If I know the canonical whys and wherefores of Kirk/Spock (is there canonical support for Kirk/Spock?), Jim/Blair, and Duncan/Methos, have I pretty much got my Fannish Heritage down? Will I be able to hold my head up if I am ever in a large gathering of fans? Will I be able to pass the undergraduate course? Keep in mind that I've already seen some of due South, SGA, SN, BtVS, and AtS. (And no one is allowed to make fun of me for being immensely proud of that. TV was an unknown country to me before fandom, people. I'm new there.)

And now that I've revealed my shameful lack of Fannish Heritage, let's move on to the service portion of this evening's programming, shall we? I'm requesting information on large fandoms, so it seems only right that I should be recommending from small ones.

Best FF That Shows Us That Travel Isn't Broadening and Love Has Nothing to Do with Never Saying You're Sorry. What Idiot Even Thought up That Whole Sorry Thing? That's the Wrongest Phrase Ever. Certain Dark Things, by jae_w. Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne/Marie Kreutz. (You should have seen at least the first movie to read this, and although I'm going to attempt to write the summary without spoiling the second, it's going to be tough.) Wow. I love this story. For me, the heart went out of the Bourne series (the movies, I mean; the books are a whole other deal) about fifteen minutes into the second movie, but it persists in stories like this one. This is just an astonishing look at the characters, at the way they lived between the first and the second movie, and the way they are. Neither of these people are perfect - um, and we're leaving out the whole assassin deal on Jason's charge sheet - and this shows that, and also shows why they belong together. Why they work together. This is basically a brilliant series of vignettes from Life on the Road with the Former Assassin and His Current Lover, and, frankly, I wish this had been the second movie. I would've loved it. The only thing I loved about the real second one was that I got popcorn. (The first one is fun, though. Things, you know, go boom, and also there is a pretty girl. I, uh, don't have high standards for movies; basically, if I'm sitting in a darkened theater, and I'm not crying at the end, and I didn't spend large periods of the movie reading in the hallway outside (Titanic, I am looking at you; I only sat through half of you, and my ass still hasn't recovered), I'm happy.) So. You know, just read this. It's amazing, and with an ending that just kills, and...did I already say wow?

Best FF That Perfectly Encapsulates the Outsider Perspective, Which Is Nice, Because It Means We Don't Have to Look at Flocked Velvet Elvis Paintings Anymore. Although I Suspect Some of Us Will Continue to Do So Anyway. Done, by elishavah. Boondock Saints, gen or I guess you could take it as Connor MacManus/Murphy MacManus*. But for me, this is gen; the incest won't be showing up until slightly later in this set. Yeah. (So, I bet you're really looking forward to the rest of this now, huh?) Here is another amazing character piece, and I love this because it shows what it must be like to be inside the head of a MacManus (ooo, that name) twin. Because, seriously? They speak their own language. (As well as, yes, eight others.) No, it's more than that; it's like they aren't even entirely separate entities, which is probably why they didn't ping me as slashy in the slightest when I saw the movie. (I know. I am branded with the Slasher's Shame: I saw the canon, and yet not the slash!) And I also love that this story fills in one of the many, um, plot lacunae (sounds much better than hole) in the movie, so perfectly it might as well have been in the movie. And, best of all, this has the kind of last line I dream about. sg_workshop was talking about opening lines this week, and although I never actually managed to post my comment (tragic browser crash; wit of the ages lost, except totally not), I had one, and it prominently featured my favorite opening line of all time: "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." (Which, in addition to its many other charms, is brilliantly poetic and nearly erotic when put through Lost in Translation.) But the thing is, compared to last lines, first lines are easy, which is why I am totally the slave of any piece of writing that closes brilliantly. And this story's last line - okay. You have to have seen the movie. But if you have, you read this, and it doesn't seem like much, and then...it echoes, is all I'm saying. Two minutes later (probably only thirty seconds for most people), it's just amazing. (Of course, two minutes after that, if you've been on LJ a while, you want to put it on a Boondock Saints icon. But it's best to focus on the first part of the reaction, I think.)

Best FF That Is Going to Make Me Happy Every Time I Mistype "Brian" As "Brain." For the Rest of My Life. Higher Education, by Resonant, resonant8. The Breakfast Club, John Bender/Brian Johnson, and, wow - that's a weird and probably unintended resonance in their names, isn't it? Didn't notice that until I typed them out. But all the more reason to slash these two, that's what I say. Although I don't think we need a reason beyond this story; this is the kind of FF that creates a fandom. Because, okay, my initial reaction to this concept was a hearty yawn. I did see this movie, yes, but I understood about .5% of it - all I really remember is that there were some desks. I mean, I had to dig up a plot summary to figure out who Brian and Bender were, even. So, obviously this didn't ping on my then-primitive (but now much enhanced and upgraded!) slash detector. I mean, it barely registered on my long-term memory. But I found myself actually remembering and understanding chunks of the movie as I read this story, and, even though Resonant never really describes either character, I started remembering what they looked like, how they moved, how they dressed. That's some impressive characterization, people. And the dynamic in this? Is just...perfect. I mean, absolutely, spot-on, dead-center...no. Here's the thing: the dynamic in this is the Platonic (only, you know, so not platonic, but work with me, here) ideal of a Resonant pairing. It's like she's been writing all this time because she was working up to these two. Now, I love and adore Res's work. And I rec it all the time. And I go into her stories with high expectations. And even so, I was stunned, because - well, look. Go read it, okay? You won't be sorry.

Best FF That Proves That I Am Dead to Shame. Also Possibly to Several of You, by the Time You've Finished Reading This Rec. Only Your Brother Knows the Places You've Been, by annakovsky. Super Mario Brothers, Mario/Luigi**. Yeah, um. You read that right. I figure anyone who didn't blink several times at the fandom and pairing has already read the story, and thus is no longer with us in this particular paragraph. But I'm hoping the rest of you stayed, even though it's kind of icky to imagine sex between little mustache-intensive animated guys who jump and, um, fight...turtles and hammers? I don't know. I never played the game; I was always more the Sonic the Hedgehog kind of girl. And, of course, there's the added ick of incest. Plus, because I really think this needs mentioning twice, animated video game characters, and I don't mean the weirdly androgynous RPG hotties, because those people are clearly begging to fuck in any number of positions - we're talking about, you know. Mario. And Luigi. Can I get a hearty ewwwww? Yeah. That was my reaction. Until I actually read this gorgeous little story, which is oddly sweet and plays on the Mario Brothers back story and is just stunningly good. Really. And maybe you're thinking: "Um. Yeah, still giving that one a miss, and happy to be doing so." But, well, look. I'm sitting here seriously considering using phrases like "wistfully beautiful" and "touching and gentle" to describe incest between mustache-wearing, turtle-jumping, pixilated plumbers. In other words, I'm voluntarily sacrificing what remains of my dignity, my reputation, and my belief in my own morals to try to get you to read this story. I can't think of a heartier, firmer recommendation than that.

Best FF That Shows Us That to Everything, There Is a Season, and a Fan Fiction for Every Sexual Act Under Heaven. Pushover, by Shalott, aka astolat. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, John Smith/Jane Smith. (And, yeah, you'll definitely need to have seen the movie to read this. But it is a marital, martial good time, so, you know, no hardship there.) I'm ending this set with - well, with more movie-based het. But there's a difference! Because this is het based on a movie that does not begin with B! And every other thing about this story is different, too, except that it is also very, very good. And, okay. I don't want to describe and discuss the sex act central to this story, because that pretty much is the story. But I will say that it has never appealed to me in the slightest particular. It doesn't even squick me. It just leaves me indifferent and sort of vaguely looking around for something else to do. Maybe a snack or a comic book or something. But this sex act is so in character for that charming couple next door, the Smiths, that I love it in this story. In fact, in a very real sense, this is the characters: their entire dynamic and the entire movie, summed up in less than 800 words, so apparently we didn't need all the bullets and mayhem after all. Just one, um, assistive device. Plus Shalott. But, hey, that's probably true of The Godfather and Casablanca and Dr. Strangelove, too, although we'd probably need a different device. At least, I hope to god we would, because if you put Ilsa and Rick in the places of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this story, it suddenly becomes...surreal. To put it mildly. Oh my god, I'm sorry I ever even thought of it. Must go exorcise these images from my brain right now, or they will haunt me forever. Bye, y'all!

-Footnotes-

* Can someone more knowledgeable about Boondock Saints (I've seen the movie, but I don't remember this name appearing in the subtitles) confirm the spelling of the brothers' surname? This is how IMDb has it, but - these guys are Irish(-American). That's the whole point, that they're Irish. And yet this last name does not seem so Irish. So I'm confused, and I would welcome enlightenment.

** Do these guys even have last names? I honestly have no idea.

Comments

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

i wouldn't get too hung up on the spelling. Mc, Mac, tomato, tomahto, you know? i mean, ewan mcgregor is scottish, isn't he, and yet witness the lack of 'a'. just to take one example that leaps to mind.

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

I'd be more inclined to spell the name McManus, which is the normal Irish spelling. I haven't seen the film, though, so can't say how it's spelled there.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

well, star trek: tos is my one true fandom, and i have the dvd sets, but no way to rip dvds or anything, so i can't send you the episodes. however, i'm capping every episode as i get to it and making slashy moment recaps (although since the discovery of sga my watching has been on hiatus). the image links through 1x04 are currently broken, but there's still about half the first season's worth of recaplets and images, 16 posts' worth, under this tag here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/cimorene111/tag/star.trek.caps). (there's a lot of canonical support for k/s, yeah--mainly of the general buddy-show kind, but also of the flirting kind.)

[siria]

McManus is the normal spelling here - it's normally 'Mac' for a Scottish surname, 'Mc' for an Irish surname. But it's definitely Irish; the surname of one of my near neighbours, actually.

[rochefort.livejournal.com]

we found out his name is pronounced with a long E

I read this as, 'his name is preceded by a long E'. Which then translated in my head to "EeeeeeeeeMethos!!" Which is a pretty understandable reaction.

(And yes, my brain obviously alters prepositions where it sees fit.)

This is a worthy venture. Hopefully it'll reward you with new enthusiasms.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

EeeeeeeeeMethos

Which my brain instantly transformed into EmoMethos, or Emothos for short.

Which, I dunno. Is he emo? See, this is exactly why I need to embark on the Fannish Heritage Project! How can I not know if Methos is emo? Or woobie? He could be butch, for all I know!

*is ashamed*

liviapenn is clearly wise beyond her years. This Fannish Heritage thing is important. I see this now.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I just experienced a brief but excruciating moment in which my brain tried to combine Duncan Macleod, tomatoes, Conner and Murphy MacManus, Ewan McGregor, and your user name ("a list of things I don't normally lick in public") into one coherent entity. And then I got a fatal exception error. But I will tell you this about the conglomerate: it was juicy. And filled with Scots and Irishmen.

Um. Time for bed, I'm thinking. That comment made no sense at all.

But, yes, okay, I see your point with the McGregor. It's just - I have to look up his name every time I type it because my brain wants to make it MacGregor. (Overexposure to Peter Cottontail in my youth is probably the cause there, I'm thinking.) And now I've got the reverse problem with the Brothers [Disputed]Manus, damn them.

Perhaps I should just post a style sheet over my computer and do some extra pranayama tonight.

(Oh, and totally off-topic - do you know IPA? Or some local equivalent?)

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

first four grafs: hee!

fifth paragraph: [raises eyebrow] i will forbear to wave my credentials in your face, and simply say yes, i do know IPA. :-)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Things explode! Things are shot! Bad people are taken down with extreme prejudice and altarboy Latin! There is humor and plot holes and much action. And yet I'm strangely comfortable with it. I own it, even, and would gladly burn you a copy. Except I'm not sure it's your kind of movie, and also the Irish-American accents might make your brain explode. Still, let me know if you want one - we could solve this whole thing once and for all. By gum, unless I mean begorrah. Or hoots. Or, for all I know, barsteds. Damn. Where's a stereotypically, excessively ethnic exclamation when you need it?

(And thank you for the confirmation of the normal Irish spelling. These boys are...well, not normal by anyone's standards, but it's hard to picture them having an atypical spelling of their Irish last name.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_abulafia/]

(This is probably just because I spent my evening clicking through the archives of Savage Love, but I totally guessed the mysterious sex act of Mr. and Mrs. Smith story.)

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Hoots and begorrah, sure wouldn't I be lovin a copy of this fine pace o' cinematic drama? Thank yeh, thank yeh very much!

*tugs forelock while dancing a merry jig while quaffing a pint o plain and gnawing on a spud*

[penknife.livejournal.com]

If I know the canonical whys and wherefores of Kirk/Spock (is there canonical support for Kirk/Spock?)

Heh. There is plenty of canonical support for the fact that they love each other and would do absolutely anything for each other. The writers intend for this to be a love that is pure as the driven snow, but it's easy to take it otherwise. (So much so that Gene Roddenbery included a footnote in the novelization of the first movie saying "Kirk and Spock aren't lovers, really! See, Spock is using a Vulcan word in this scene to describe Kirk that can mean lover, but in this case it just means that they share a soul bond because they are like brothers, or something." Slash fandom being what it is, what K/S slashers took away from that was "ooh, shiny, now I know how to say 'soulmate' in Vulcan.")

Man, now I'm all nostalgic about K/S -- it was my very first slash fandom, back in the day.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

I mean, just for-example, there's the time in Shore Leave when Kirk has a cramp in his back and the pretty yeoman starts to rub it for him and he assumes that Spock is.

On the bridge.

And then the LOOK on his face when he realizes it's NOT Spock.

ah ha ha ha.

[meelie.livejournal.com]

From my dark and distant days of Nintendo addiction I recall that the last name of the Mario Bros. is, uh, Mario. Making them Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. But I could be wrong, it's been a very long time.

[laylah.livejournal.com]

Methos is admirably non-emo, really, except in the hands of badfic writers. Duncan has his share of emo moments, as befit the Hero With A Tragic Destiny (see under: There Can Be Only One), but Methos largely provides snark and practicality. He's a fannish darling because he's so incredibly experienced (he's the oldest living Immortal) and because he's obviously completely amoral and has some fascinating skeletons in his closet (the Horsemen of the Apocalypse; Lord Byron; etc)

...You probably don't really need to watch the show in order to get a decent sense for who he is, which is most likely a relief as the show requires a very high tolerance for plot holes and low-budget effects.* killabeez hosts a lot of HL vids on her website (http://seacouver.slashcity.net/vidland/vids.html), and just watching some of those might help you just fine. (Bonus helping points for me: there are also Star Trek vids on there, too.**)
"Opportunities" is an adorable little vid that introduces several characters in a rather, um, focused way -- Duncan's the one with the hair, Methos is the one with the nose, and Amanda is the one with the breasts.
"Mack the Knife" is mostly about Duncan, but it's fun, and Methos does make some slashy cameos.
"And As For You" probably takes a little canon knowledge -- it's based in two episodes in season 5 where Methos's past comes back to cause trouble for everyone -- but it works its theme quite well when you know what's going on.
"Don't Mind Me" gives you a lot of good slashy moments between them, including Methos and Duncan being domestic, having fights, and that one classic shot where Methos makes the orgasm face with Duncan's sword at his throat.
...There are bunches more on there that I haven't seen yet, quite a few of which probably would also help with Understanding The Methos Thing. But I think those will do for now. ^^

* In case you're feeling up to the challenge: Methos doesn't show up until late in season 3, and is then a recurring minor character after that -- I'm told that there's a lot of good stuff with him in season 4, which I've never bothered to watch. There are a few crucial Methos episodes in season 5, too, most notably (for the broken writers like me) "Revelations 6:8" and "Comes a Horseman," the two parts of a story about Methos's long-gone past. ...And he probably stays important after that, too, but again, I never bothered. The fandom didn't quite hook me hard enough.

** And other things! I recommend the comic vid "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder," which could be nicely summarized as "Goddamnit, Wolverine, knock that off!"

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

And am I missing anything? If I know the canonical whys and wherefores of Kirk/Spock (is there canonical support for Kirk/Spock?), Jim/Blair, and Duncan/Methos, have I pretty much got my Fannish Heritage down?

*looks shocked!* Er, how long have you--uh? wow. Right. Okay. No, there's more--I mean, at a minimum, I think, you need SH and Pros, just in terms of a core curriculum, you understand. Then there are your major pairings, and your electives...

[guede-mazaka.livejournal.com]

'Canonical' BDS spelling is MacManus, as enshrined by the script, the imdb.com listings and the credits on at least two of the four DVD versions. MacManus and McManus actually show up in both Scotland and Ireland--it's a matter of which one's more prevalent in a country. But most of us serious BDS people figure Troy Duffy (the director) was just being an idiot and never corrected it.

why, yes, i did do serious research on this topic. i even have a post. and i take this way too seriously:P

[pun.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that Mario's last name is Mario. Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Sir Pun and I were just talking about this the other day, and now I'm sitting here cracking up so I have to explain to him that this topic has come up once again.

Of the Fannish Herritage, I think Starsky and Hutch is another one that all the true BOFQs know and love. Oh, and I have been pimped into Wiseguy which is so utterly fantasticly slashy that you really should see it for yourself.

[fanofall.livejournal.com]

Do you have a DVD player? You do, right? Because the very kind and lovely and talented nestra sent me her ENTIRE RUN of Sentinel on video, and I have been DYING for a chance to try out my new VCR/DVD burner, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. I can burn them to DVD for you and send the DVDs to you and then you can watch The Sentinel and groan and write at its badness just like the rest of us, and marvel about how they are SO DOING IT just like the rest of us. Yes?

[cimness.livejournal.com]

that scene's in my recaps. i think the exact dialogue is "push. push harder. dig it in there, mr-- ... --thank you, yeoman, that's sufficient."

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Regarding last names -- Ireland and Scotland have quite a lot of bleed-through, really. I've got Irish for sure, but there's a very probable Scotland connection as well (both on my dad's side -- my mom is English with a hint of Welsh).

Seriously, it wouldn't be the most common spelling for Ireland, but it wouldn't be unheard of. Someone else brought up the case of Ewan McGregor (and I had a devil of a time trying to convince a friend of mine of the right way to say 'Ewan' -- eventually, I had to track down a clip of him saying his own name to prove that I was right), who is very much a Scot, indeed, despite the lack of a 'mac' in his name. Plus, the sheer variety of spellings available for any number of names is mindboggling at times.

Regarding Kirk/Spock, there are always these lines from the third movie:

Kirk: "But if there's even a chance that Spock has an eternal soul, then it's my responsibility."
Star Fleet Admiral: "Yours?"
Kirk: "As surely as if it were my very own."

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

I mean, I *heart* S/Mc, too, but damn is K/S just sitting there on the screen all "hello. by the way, we are having mad sex0r all over the place. ignore the skirt-chasing of the human one."

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

It's worth noting that a lot of people think Duncan is a jerk to Methos, and for the most part, I don't see it. Duncan is actually markedly more tolerant of parts of Methos's past/personality at certain points than he is in general, and it's hard to know that without seeing big chunks of the rest of the series.

Though - compare and contrast his treatment of Ingrid in The Valkyrie with his treatment of Methos in the Horsemen arc and afterwards. I think you'll see what I mean.

Duncan has the moral fiber of fifty men, and Methos has the morals of your average hyena. This does, upon occasion, cause friction. Lots of it. And also deliciousness. :)

To run off on a tangent, I've just read Deep Survival, which is a book about the psychology of the quick and the dead - who survives in extreme situations, and why, and how. And it's interesting to apply it to Methos, because one of the things that turns out to be very important in survival is the ability to stay connected to reality and to change your plans quickly as reality changes. I'm kind of astonished at how right the writers got that part of Methos's personality, sometimes: he is always perfectly clear on reality. Some people think he's really manipulative, and I think he's less manipulative than just an opportunist - survivors, it turns out, are opportunists of the highest order.

OK, enough rambling at you. :)

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

Borrowing computer access, so only a few links. The best sources you could ever want for canon support for Kirk/Spock can be found neatly wrapped up in Killa's superlative essay "Where No One Had Slashed Before" found at Ship Manifesto. It's also a sterling example of fannish love.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/ship_manifesto/39288.html

And once you succumb to the power of K/S, Killa also maintains a site containing some of the best recpages and linkpages around. Her primary rec focus is on ST-TOS and Highlander, but she also has a large section of other fandom recs. Killa has fantastic linkpages for ST-TOS, Highlander, Starsky & Hutch, and Jeremiah, and a misc fandom linkpage.
http://seacouver.slashcity.net/killa/linkpage.html

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

See, okay. I clicked, and then I reeled away in astonishment and had to lie down for a bit, because wow. That is a lot of pictorial documentation, there.

And I'm really glad I didn't reply to this last night, because I was going to sound seriously uneducated, in the fannish sense. But...no, you know what? I still have to ask.

Isn't Spock supposed to be unemotional, except when he's in pon farr? The rest of the time, isn't he 100% emotion-free logic with extra logic on the side? Because I'm sure K/S fans have worked out many ways to get from the logic to the true forever love and hot wild monkey sex, but I'm, you know. Out of the loop. So I don't know what those ways might be.

(And there was no point in waiting to respond if I was going to ask anyway. Dammit. Eventually, I'm going to learn how not to ask questions, and the world will rejoice.)