Slashy Awards 149: The Bigness Which You See

[thefourthvine]

You all will be pleased to hear that nascent plans for the third consecutive Things That Never Happened set were scotched by a wedding, followed by a right bastard of a cold picked up at the wedding, like it was a very novel favor or something. I’ve now reached the stage where I’m no longer actively wanting to die just to spite the damned rhinovirus convention happening in my upper respiratory system (“Hah. Try making me miserable when I’m dead, you snotwads.”), and I can’t remember what stories the set was supposed to have had. TTNH haters, you are saved! Although it was through my suffering, so I hope you feel soul-crushingly guilty.

Instead of TTNH, today’s subject is - okay, I call this category “long,” but really the stories are somewhere between short stories and novellas in length. Basically, if it would take more than one LJ post to get the whole thing up, then it’s long. (If it would take more than five LJ posts, then it has moved into the territory of “very long.” I am so rigorous in my classification schemes that someday I will rule the world through quantitative analysis. Although there’s a major kink in this system - and notice, SGA fans, that I did not capitalize “major,” and thus I am not referring to first-season Sheppard’s well known fetish for long fiction - in that a lot of long stories don’t get posted to LJ. Researchers continue to study this problem round the clock at the famed TFV Fan Fiction Laboratory, so please view this as a merely interim story classification method.)

My point is, sometimes you need longer fiction. Today, I need longer fiction, and, well, as long as I was looking the stuff up anyway . . .

The One in Which We Learn Why Touya Akira Needed Shindou Hikaru: Because Every Almost Immoveable Object Needs an Irresistible Force. Inertia, by rageprufrock. Hikaru no Go, Akira/Other, Hikaru/Other, Akira/Hikaru.

Okay. Here’s the thing. I didn’t actually want to rec this until I’d uploaded all the manga, because this is a story set well after the canon and so it spoils almost all of it. Then it occurred to me that I could rec this and upload all the canon, because - well, here’s a long story by rageprufrock; what’s more tempting than that? So, first, here’s links for the complete scanned and translated manga: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Let me know if any of these time out or are broken or what have you.

So now my only problem is - what can I say about this story? Because, well. Okay. See, I’ve been reading Go websites. (It has nothing to do with my sudden interest in Hikaru no Go; I’m just, um . . . fine. I admit it. I’m obsessed. And, to be honest, I find it much scarier, as far as tragic proof of the kind of addiction that my loved ones should be scheduling an intervention for, that I’ve been reading stories blind at fanfiction.net.) And here’s the thing. Sometimes I get embarrassed for fandom, all, oh my god, people, please stop being on my side. Because we do have our moments of shame. So it makes me feel much better to note that Go fans are just like us: they too can get wank out of a stone. (Or, rather, out of 361 of them. Oh, I slay myself sometimes.) And Go wank is - um, special. (Like, there’s this one relatively recent wank that was instigated in large part by the Chinese press. Say what you will about our wank, at least it isn’t often started by New York Times headlines reading “For 41st Year in a Row, Fan Fiction Feedback Inadequate, Officials Say. Also, Real Person Slash ‘Totally Gross. Boyband Members Aren’t Gay!’”)

So I was going to write up this story talking about the yin/yang themes running all through this, and that’s totally appropriate to Go, of course, because . . . and then I thought I’d better make sure that I was right about the white and black stones having something to do with yin and yang. A short visit to Sensei’s Library later, I had learned that a) white was totally yin b) white was totally yang c) black was definitely female by default d) black was definitely male by default and, finally, e) Go players also obey the law of conservation of understanding. (“A debate continues until an equal distribution of understanding is achieved. Thus, given the general population of the internet, an open internet debate proceeds until no one understands anything.” And I just made that up, so I can’t source it for you, but you can’t deny that it’s true. Nor can you deny the corollary: “The introduction of one new person who believes he or she knows the right answer will begin the entire debate again, so that it can once again find understanding equilibrium (i.e., complete lack of understanding). This process can continue indefinitely. And almost certainly will. Thus, bringing up Nazis is really an act of mercy.”)

So I will avoid the whole attempt at literary analysis. It was bound to end badly anyway. Instead, I will say that this story is excellent, and it shows Akira being acted upon and Hikaru acting upon him, and it is totally how I am now convinced they end up after the canon. Also, there is sex. You want to read this right now. And you also want to read Hikaru no Go; trust me on this. Seriously. Just by downloading and reading one of those files (for clarity’s sake, it should be the first one), you can make me happier than I’ve been in months.

Don’t make me bring out the Doe Eyes of Pining, people. Read the manga. And then read the story. And then everyone wins.

The One in Which Lex Shows Us the True Meaning of Multiculturalism, and Clark Shows Us the True Purpose of Harem Pants. Moving On, by astolat. Smallville fused with DCU to make a delightfully frothy confection. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor.

It’s an excellent idea to get Lex Luthor off the planet, am I right? I mean, why should earth have all the fun? This is the reasoning that a number of people apply in this story, only to realize much too late that they are a) stupid and, also, b) really really stupid. (Except Batman, who stands in the background, being grimly and mercilessly right. The only reason his fellow Justice League members haven’t killed him by now out of sheer irritation is that they know in their hearts that Batman would stop them and then shake his head, say, “I knew it,” and walk off exuding an aura of I’m Too Sexy to Be This Right All the Time, but by God I’ll Have to Until Someone Else with a Brain Shows Up. No, Tim, I Don’t Mean You.) Lex, meanwhile, gets to take the party to the whole universe. Given that this is Lex, the party involves a lot of deep strategy, a number of hostile mergers, and gay, gay outfits. (If Lex ruled earth, Wall Street would be just the same, except that traders would be required to wear fabulous purple outfits, and also they would routinely assassinate each other right there on the trading floor. I would so buy season tickets.)

Clark, of course, tries to save the universe from Lex. And now pause with me and say, “Oh, Clark. When will you just accept who you are and stop with all these superfights? Blowjobs are so much less damaging to the country’s [galaxy’s, universe’s] infrastructure.” Eventually, there is a happy ending. Plus, of course, more excellently weird costumes. Do not miss, by the way, the unspeakably wonderful Lex Paper Doll Set, by mutecornett. I mean, if Lex gets to wear fabulous outfits, shouldn’t you be able to take them off him?

The One in Which We Discover That It Does, in Fact, Take the Threat of Death to Get a Certain Cop to Clear His Paperwork. And We Totally Fail to Be Surprised. That Good Night, by Dira Sudis, aka dsudis. Due South, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski.

One of my major problems with recommending dS these days is that I’m not, um, always the most careful person in the world about marking what I’ve already recommended in my database, which is in any case a total mess thanks to del.icio.us (and also to my prize-winning laziness). So a lot of the stories I’ve loved forever I look at and say, “I’ve rec’d this, right? I mean, I’d be a fool not to have rec’d it. But, well, let’s just say foolishness isn’t totally out of character for me, so . . .” But I’ve decided not to get all obsessive about this crap, so I’m damn well recommending this one anyway. My promise to you: anyone who can point to the slashy set where I’ve already recommended a story gets - um. My thanks? I don’t really have a lot else to offer. But I will offer you another story recommendation. You can even pick the fandom, within the limits of what I’ve got to hand.

See, sometimes there are these little signs that, um, maybe we need to sit down and reassess our goals, our purposes, our lives. For example, if we spend a lot of nights getting drunk. Or if we cannot remember the last time we touched another human being. Or if we stay up late into the night solving tsumgeo (Go problems) solely because we know in our hearts that a fictional, two-dimensional ghost would approve. Or if a creepy old guy wearing a weird hat and carrying flowers keeps turning up and making eerie pronouncements about how we’re on the way out. Of the world.

In this story, Ray experiences more than one of the above. (Three guesses which, but here’s a hint: I am quite sure that Ray Kowalski has never in his life solved tsumego. Although Fraser probably has. He’d probably feel a real bond of sympathy with Hikaru, actually, all, “Yes, ghosts can indeed be a bit of a trial, but - no, Dad, I didn’t say anything. Yes, I’d be delighted to hear about the 81 uses for frozen beavers. Again. Even though I am already quite conversant with all - yes, Dad.”) And do you know what Ray learns? The solution to those little life crises involves lots of sex with Benton Fraser. (And a sun lamp.) Now that is what I call excellence in alternative medicine.

The One in Which We Learn That Rodney McKay, in Addition to His Many Other Fine Features, Is Also a Grammar Snob. And Thus My Happiness Is Made Complete. Cleave, by amireal. Stargate: Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay.

The first time I read this, I got partway into the first page and said, “Oh my god, so much yes.” Because one thing that John Sheppard and Rodney McKay definitely share is demand resistance; if you tell them they absolutely cannot do something - well, John smiles insincerely, swears he won’t, and then does it, whereas Rodney just basically does it. So, really, if you wanted the two of them to have sex - and I am not for a moment suggesting you might want any such thing, of course, but if you did - the fastest way to get them there would be to tell them they weren’t allowed to, and then put a lot of obstacles in their way. Make the obstacles totally, provably insurmountable and you’d probably have full-scale buttfucking before you entirely finished explaining the terms. (“And furthermore, if you defeat that barrier, a crack team of trained ninjas will emerge from the secret - damn. Miss Zygen, please send in a bucket of cold water and a crowbar; Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard are at it again. Hmmm. Maybe we should add some bioengineered cobras to level 7.”)

So, yeah, that appeals to me, and I don’t mean the sex. (Well. I don’t just mean the sex.) See, some people would tell you that I have, on occasion, been ever so slightly demand resistant myself, and I actually, um, admire it in other people. (We are the few. The proud. The very contrary.)

The other thing that appeals to me is allergies, and this is a total schadenfreude kind of thing. There’s a moment in this story where they think maybe John is allergic to water, and I just - when you have a bad cold, and also allergies on top of that, and you can’t get the shot that’s supposed to fix your allergies because your doctor has elected to go on vacation (Vacation! When there are people suffering here! With very unpleasant sniffles!), there’s nothing that cheers you up quite like imagining someone else being allergic to water. Really, this story gets me on all kinds of levels.

And did I mention the sex? Because the sex is excellent.

Comments

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

I am not sure I want to read HikaGo fic, because I have a very hard time with anime/manga fic in general as I read the source in Japanese and thus the fic is always just not quite right, simply by virtue of being in English.

But anyway, wanted to chime in with love for the series. It's one of my favorites.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I had a related problem; because I've only read the books in translation, I've had problems nailing down the characters' voices. For me, that's fairly important for evaluation fan fiction and really important if I'm going to write FF myself. I've sort of managed to work around this, but it's been weird.

Also - not that my recs would be useful to you with this, but I understand there's a lot of Japanese FF and particularly doujinshi for Hikaru no Go. So if you are interested in reading fanworks based on HnG, you probably could do it more easily in Japanese than English. (It's a pretty small fandom in English.)

And the love? Totally and for sure. It's rare for me to start with canon and then go on to fan fiction, but in this case I had to; I was done with the manga and anime and I wanted much, much more.

[cranberryink.livejournal.com]

(We are the few. The proud. The very contrary.)

hahahahah, we are the proud and the contrary, but I somehow doubt that we are few.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*thoughtful*

I honestly have no idea how common demand resistance is. I mean, everyone probably has some amount of it, but things like mass hysteria rely on the opposite - you could think of it sort of like demand compliance, and it works scarily well and often affects most people.

Maybe it's a percentile deal, and you aren't truly contrary until you're more in at least the 51st percentile and thus more demand resistant than the majority.

Or possibly I am investing way too much thought in this. Could very well be so.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

*wibbles*

*cherishes*

So. Shiney.

Thank you!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*beams*

You are entirely welcome!

[kalpurna.livejournal.com]

Oh my GOD. *looks afraid* Someone is watching my laptop! OK, I swear this is ABSOLUTELY TRUE: Today at about 11:00 PM, I was clearing out my inbox, and I found your reply to some comment I made a while back, in which you said, basically, "since you trusted me about SGA and DS, and I was TOTALLY RIGHT, you better trust me about Hikaru No Go!" This led me to two thoughts. First, I thought, "huh! I miss TFV's rec sets. She hasn't done one in a while." Then I thought, "I should really go read those manga volumes I downloaded after her last couple posts. They've been sitting untouched on my desktop forever."

So, I did.

I get through the entire first volume, and I'm starting into the second, when I notice that it's 12:45 AM and decide to go check my flist. And hello! You've updated. With an HnG rec.

I think Sai WANTS me to get hooked on this fandom.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Clearly, it is Destiny or Fate or some other nebulous but irresistable force deserving of a capital letter. It's very unwise to argue with the Capital Letter Crew; just look at Greek mythology. Hubris is obviously extreme defiance of the Capital Letter Crew.

Plus, your laptop is obviously already on board with the scheme and is acting as a mole for the CLC (HnG Division). And, seriously, do you want to go against your laptop? Could get very ugly.

But - you're reading it! Yay! What do you think so far?

[destina.livejournal.com]

You know...reading your recs just makes me happy. It's not even the stories you rec, actually. Sometimes I don't even click the links; I'm not into some of these fandoms. But it's the way you talk about the stories, and the love you feel for them, which comes across clearly. :)

*happy*

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you. I adore the stories I rec, and I'm glad that shows. (Well, hence the recommending - I want everyone in the world to read the stories I love because they are just so wonderful OMG. I'm a fan fiction fangirl, basically.)

*very happy now*

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure you've never recced the DS before, otherwise I would have read it...

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Good to know. Although it sort of leaves me wondering what I was thinking, but that's the great thing about dS - there are so many wonderful stories that's it's possible to forget to rec a classic. Or a bunch of classics, actually.

Glad I rectified that with this one, at least.

And now I'm thinking about just how many unrec'd dS stories I have and wincing; at the rate of one per set, I could rec basically forever and not run out, because dS writers are just that wonderful.

dS: the fandom that will ruin you for all other fandoms. (And give you an intense and lasting love of Canada, but that's just natural.)

[delurker.livejournal.com]

(“A debate continues until an equal distribution of understanding is achieved. Thus, given the general population of the internet, an open internet debate proceeds until no one understands anything.” And I just made that up, so I can’t source it for you, but you can’t deny that it’s true. Nor can you deny the corollary: “The introduction of one new person who believes he or she knows the right answer will begin the entire debate again, so that it can once again find understanding equilibrium (i.e., complete lack of understanding). This process can continue indefinitely. And almost certainly will. Thus, bringing up Nazis is really an act of mercy.”)

This made me laugh. But it's so true!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*nods*

For many communities, it would be more expedient to have a list of Frequently Repeated Debates than Frequently Asked Questions. ("Man really did land on the moon. No, we don't want to discuss it. End of chat." or "One more debate on the use of crates for puppy training and I will turn this listserv around." I'm afraid even to type fandom's list of FReDs, though; it's a speak of the devil situation. *looks around nervously*)

[polaris-starz.livejournal.com]

I kind of love this set. A lot. Especially the Lex-conquers-the-galaxy one, because dude. Lex makes an awesome dad.

Also, re: demand resistant Sheppard/McKay, have you read Teamwork (http://www.wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=3562)? It's an SGA au where Rodney is a Mountie, John is a mathematician with leadership issues, and they're on one of the offworld teams with Beckett and Cadman. It's kind of awesome.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Lex makes an awesome dad.

And an equally awesome Intergalactic Overlord. Lex just goes well with anything, basically.

Also, re: demand resistant Sheppard/McKay, have you read Teamwork?

Oh, hey! I thought that one was gone - as I recall, I started reading it on LJ and went off to do some actual work, and then the next day I couldn't get into it anymore. But apparently it was just that my brain was malfunctioning. Thank you!

*off to read*

[vampirespider.livejournal.com]

Yay! Your recs are amazing and amusing. Thank you for sharing ♥

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*beams*

Thank you!

[marici.livejournal.com]

I was looking everywhere for that DS story, but you'd be suprised at just how much nothing google gives you when you combine DS keywords with "sun lamp". Thanks!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience with it. Twice. The first time, I remembered the Canada coda as a separate story, so I was looking for stories about Ray and severe seasonal affective disorder. And, yes. I too have known the heartbreak of googling "due south" and "sun lamp." *bonds*

But then I did it again, with the line about the looser pants.

There are very few stories I've lost twice. (And then there are stories I've lost half a dozen times or more; only, like, three, but it's frustrating enough that I have a special tag for them now.) Thank god I re-read this one on a regular basis, or I'd still be looking for both the sun lamp story and the pants story. *shudders*

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

I thought, I should finally tell you how much I enjoy your rec sets. Even the ones for fandoms I don't know anything about. Or the ones for stories, that I already know, because while there might be no new shiny story for me to try out, I know what you are talking about and that makes the rec even better. So, thanks for the great recs.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*bursting with happiness*

Thank you so much!

Also, you have the cutest icon in the whole world. I have been staring at it for the past ten minutes, and it just never ever gets less adorable. It should be available by prescription for depressed people.

*admires some more*

[phineasjones.livejournal.com]

this is what i get for skimming. man. i'm so obsessed right now that when i saw your post just before heading off to bed, i scanned for "due south," saw it, printed it and carried it off to bed with me.

and, right, the theme is long. meaning i did not finish reading before i had to sleep. meaning i was left in the UTTER DESPAIR of that story. i mean, it's really amazing. so it was effective in producing said sense of despair. i literally woke up this morning thinking about ray putting a gun in his mouth.

all this is to say that i swear to pay full attention to your posts before taking any rash action in the future.

:)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*nods*

The sleep you save may be your own.

Although, interesting; I don't think of this story as having an utter despair point, and I think it's because I've read it so many times. (After I've seen things get better a few dozen times, the bad parts are less hurty.) I'm trying to remember what my initial reaction was to it, and, well, I can't. Too long ago. But I think it was a lot more disturbed; I do remember clicking away from it for a couple days at one point, which isn't common for me with Dira's stories but is my standard defense against distressing or overwhelming fic.

*thoughtful*

I wish I did a better job of recording my initial reactions to stories.

*sighs*

And while I'm at it, I'd like a pony.

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

Heeeeeee. So much hee. Your recs are always hilarious! :)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

*happy*

[califmole.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Due South rec. Somehow I'd missed this amazing story, so I'm glad you thought to post it.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. I'm glad you liked it, and I'm even more glad there are people who found the rec useful; I tend to worry that the stories I rec are ones that everyone in the whole world has already read.

[anenko.livejournal.com]

And you also want to read Hikaru no Go; trust me on this.

OMG, *yes.* I'm only on volume seven (as I must purchase my manga, being unable to concentrate enough to even *understand* manga online), but I'm *hooked.* You wouldn't think a series about a board game could be so compelling, and yet, *wow.*

And total agreement as to the story rec, as well. At first, I was: "no way! no sex for Hikaru and Akira! They're sweet little boys--look at their pudgy faces!" But their mutual obession,--and a few excellent pieces of fanfic--won me over, and now I can't even bring myself to feel guilty about 'shipping them.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

When I first started reading, I was all, "But they're so little! And adorable! They're too cute to slash!" But one of the things I really truly love about the series (and Obata's art) is that they visibly grow up. Makes shipping them even easier, 'cause they're still just as obsessed with each other when they look almost like grownups.

Also, I hear that somewhere out there there's official artwork of them post-canon. I wish I could find it - I've been looking to no avail - but I hear they get even more slashable, which is a giant yay in my opinion.

[jcase.livejournal.com]

law of conservation of understanding

I love you. I really really do. I am SO printing that out & putting it up on my wall.

And I blame you completely for the fact that I have not only now read all of HnG but am working (slowly) through the anime that I downloaded obtained.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

And I blame you completely for the fact that I have not only now read all of HnG but am working (slowly) through the anime that I downloaded obtained.

*wriggles with glee*

Yay! I will gladly and proudly accept the credit for this, for it is a Very Good Thing.

Eeee Sai Hikaru Akira eeeeee!

(Um, sorry. Joy tends to make me incoherent.)

[lorem_ipsum]

Your law of conservation of understanding, and especially its corollary, *totally explain* 90% of everything that I have ever seen on the internet. (The other 10% is msscribe.)

And, OMG, you recced That Good Night! It's excellent, but it *destroys* me every time, worse than End of the Road.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Your law of conservation of understanding, and especially its corollary, *totally explain* 90% of everything that I have ever seen on the internet. (The other 10% is msscribe.)

My god, that's genius! I think you've discovered the Fandom Corollary to Sturgeon's law: 90% of everything is crap. And the other 10% is msscribe.

But, yeah, I've done my research (I still have the scars, too, and if you don't believe me, know that I was on alt.scientology in the '90s), and the only reasonable conclusion is that understanding is conserved. So, for example, as a few people grow more and more expert, most people have to know less and less. (This is why almost no one in the US can remember how to solve for X.) And, of course, the internet, perhaps the ultimate example of conservation of understanding, in which nearly everyone knows almost nothing.

*nods sadly*

And, OMG, you recced That Good Night! It's excellent, but it *destroys* me every time, worse than End of the Road.

Wow. I don't think anything has ever destroyed me like End of the Road. I knew what was coming, I was warned, I went into it with my eyes open, and I was still utterly devastated. I mean, I'm glad I read it, but oh the pain. Kat can twist the knife like no one else I've ever read, because she never goes over the top, never wanders into the territory of angst, never does anything even slightly gratuitous or unnecessary, just - totally documents and explores honest human pain. I love and admire her for it, but ow.

[nessreader.livejournal.com]

wheee! I was reading the clex about emporor Lex and his dominion over the entire galaxy, with coordinated outfits, the other day, and it is such a brilliant story - which your rec puts across so much better than anyone else possibly could.

And the dueSouth story is complete news to me. I love that canon so much am nervous of reading fanfic that might sour it for me, so was thrilled to see a rec. But, God, that one needs a warning. It made me cry in public, all wiping tears off furtively in public netcafe. V shaming.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I was reading the clex about emporor Lex and his dominion over the entire galaxy, with coordinated outfits

Oh, Lex. Only you could rule the galaxy through fashion.

And I said this in the rec, but - really. Don't miss the paper dolls. OMG.

I love that canon so much am nervous of reading fanfic that might sour it for me, so was thrilled to see a rec.

I hear you. The good news there is that a) there's a better good stuff:crap ratio in dS than in most fandoms - or most writing - and b) there are many, many good recs sources. (I did a post cataloging them for ds_recs last month, and if you're interested, I'll dig up the link for you.)

But, God, that one needs a warning. It made me cry in public, all wiping tears off furtively in public netcafe.

Um. Sorry. I generally aim more to make people laugh in humiliatingly public places, but that story? So worth it. Well, in my opinion, anyway, but I've read it so much that all the pain is gone for me.

[aurora]

I just love your recs. They're bouncy and gleeful and they make me smile. So, yes, thank you!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Hearing stuff like this totally makes my day.

*beams*

[qe2.livejournal.com]

(“And furthermore, if you defeat that barrier, a crack team of trained ninjas will emerge from the secret - damn. Miss Zygen, please send in a bucket of cold water and a crowbar; Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard are at it again. Hmmm. Maybe we should add some bioengineered cobras to level 7.”)

I love you SO much. I just thought you should know that.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*loves right back, with extra just because*

*also spares some love for the bioengineered cobras, who are sadly under-appreciated*

OMG with the YAYness.

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

You pimp fandoms like Sai plays Go. Or something. Me no word good today. But! Inertia *insert incoherent wibbling here* And seriously, if I weren't already reading in the other three, your recs alone would have me curious enough to click. But what's thrilling me to bits is reading all the people who are sloooowly being drawn into Hikago by your wonderful self, to which I can only say YES. SO MUCH YES.

Also, thanks for the uploadingness! But in case you get tired of refreshing the links, there is a chapter-by-chapter dl available here (http://www.mangaspot.com/hikaru.php). It's a little tedious, but might save you a world of trouble down the road.

Also also... Did you know about the two tiny little sequels to 189? Because I just found out about them not so long ago. The first one is Akira's second game with Sai, from Sai's pov and the second is an utterly delightful look at Hikaru and Akira at their third Young Lions' Tournament. I've uploaded them here (http://www.sendspace.com/file/f8sb3w) and here (http://www.sendspace.com/file/xf77uh). Please let me know if they don't work!

Lastly... uh, wanna point me at the Go wank? Because it's wank. About Go. And really, what other excuse does one need?

Re: OMG with the YAYness.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Everyone must love the Hikaru no Go. It is necessary.

*nods seriously*

And the thing is, I'm persistent. Of course, it'd be easier to persist if there was more fic to recommend - I forced some people into Sports Night through sheer merciless recommending - but there's enough to throw at people for quite a while, and I am dedicated. People should just give up now and succumb. They will be happy they did. Well, except right around a Certain Chapter or Episode, but it's possible to recover from that, I find.

*further nods*

But in case you get tired of refreshing the links, there is a chapter-by-chapter dl available here. It's a little tedious, but might save you a world of trouble down the road.

Ooo. Excellent.

Did you know about the two tiny little sequels to 189? Because I just found out about them not so long ago.

I did indeed, and OMG. The one with the new insei? Dead. From. Love. And Akira and Hikaru look so grown up, and they kick so much ass, and furthermore they are so totally in love, and nothing anyone can say will make me believe otherwise. Plus, OMG, Hikaru and Akira fangirls and boys!

wanna point me at the Go wank?

There's wank all over Sensei's Library - check out the link to player gender above for the dignified, thoughtful discussion of that topic which essentially proves that black is white - but the one I mentioned that was started by the Chinese press is the Samsung Cup 2004 Dispute (http://senseis.xmp.net/?Samsung2004Dispute). It has all the hallmarks of classic fandom wank - minor misunderstanding exacerbated by miscommunication, exacerbated again by a third party's attempt to be helpful, and then the masses get into it and suddenly it's all blood and tears and character assassination. Except, you know, on a different scale, given that the masses in this case were a substantial fraction of the Chinese and Korean population, and these guys were involved in wank about what they do for a living. (They couldn't just delete or friends lock their games and go home, you know?)

[dsudis.livejournal.com]

squeeeeeee!

Thank you so much for the rec! I, uh, had a completely and utterly miserable time writing (and re-writing) That Good Night - that Ray is not one you want to spend three months with - so I always forget that anyone else liked it. Thanks much for the reminder!

[qe2.livejournal.com]

*raises hand as liking it*

Though I can certainly see not wanting to live with that Ray for too long. Perhaps a frozen beaverpop would have helped?

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Although there’s a major kink in this system - and notice, SGA fans, that I did not capitalize “major,” and thus I am not referring to first-season Sheppard’s well known fetish for long fiction -

*giggles forever* And this is why you remain on my FList -- even though these days I barely have time to read the recs let alone the stories themselves -- because you make me laugh like a loon.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*beams*

Well, if I can't get you to read quality fan fiction (although I would remind you that the links will still be here when you have a sane schedule again), at least I can amuse you. This is a good thing.

(Although I would point out that many of us solve this problem by choosing to forego sleep. All sleep deprivation does is make you, you know, irrational. And cranky. And prone to crying fits. And really, really bad at work. But, bonus: you can use that time for reading!

Fandom: The Old Kentucky Home of People with Very Screwy Priorities. Also, Insomnia.)