Slashy Awards 150: Text Is the New Black

[thefourthvine]

Last night, Best Beloved said to me, "Hey, remember when you used to rec fic?"

Of course, I immediately snapped, "I still do rec fic." And I was entirely correct. But it seems that some actual recommending of actual fan fiction might go a long way toward proving that.

And, possibly because it's been long enough that I have forgotten a hard-earned lesson, I've decided to start with everyone's favorite thing: an extra-long set of shorter gen stories!

Um. I don't hear any actual cheers. Or even any polite clapping.

That's - no, that's perfectly all right. I'll settle for a "Well, it's better than nothing." Can I get one of those, at any rate?

Fine. See if I care. I'm going to do it anyway. Let me just see if I can ... hmm. You, um, press some buttons, right? It's kind of been a while. But I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle. Although, of course, I can't actually do that.

Ah, well; unlike riding a bike - which, seriously, I have never understood how you're supposed to learn that, since you have to be able to do it just to sit on the damn thing - it's probably best to learn by doing. Shall we begin?

The One That Reminds Us That Batman Is Not Just a Mysteriously Sexy and Seriously Broken Crimefighter in Need of Several Successive Lifetimes of Therapy. He's Also a Skilled Nurturer of Those Qualities in Others! Squandered My Resistance, by Petra, aka petronelle. DCU.

Perspective is a major kink of mine, and this story hits my kink just about as well as anything ever has. (Okay. Except An Instance of the Fingerpost, which hit my kink for something like 500 densely printed pages and still left me wanting more.) The perspective, in this case, is Jim Gordon's, and if you know anything about the Batman canon (and I do mean anything - like, if you know who the Robins are, and how the first two retired, that's enough), you know more than he does here - only a bit more, though, because the man's no idiot. So it's not like we're learning any new plot in this one; the change in perspective is the story. And it's amazing what that change can do.

Jim Gordon is a good man. But he accepts the unacceptable, or what should be unacceptable, because, see - Robins, whatever else they are, are kids. (Dick Greyson was age 12 when he started as Robin, as you'll know if you're even vaguely familiar with All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (and if you have a sense of humor at all, click on that link, people - you don't need to know anything about comics to marvel at this truly stunning train wreck), also known as Who the Fuck Are These People in the Batman and Robin Costumes and How Did They Get out of Arkham Asylum?) Hands up everyone who thinks that it's a good idea to put kids in spandex and send them out to fight vicious criminals and psychotics, often in the company of someone only marginally saner than said opponents. All right. Frank Miller, seriously, put that hand down. And, oh my god, do not even tell me where you have your other hand. Okay. Anyone else have a hand up? No. And Jim Gordon's hand wouldn't be up, either. But he still accepts it - and not only that; he uses it, uses the Robins. And this story explains that. Which you will grant is amazing.

The other amazing thing about this story is that it's interstitial. All the action takes place off the page; it's like this is the text that happens in the space between the panels of a comic book. So, really, all we see is a series of conversations. But you don't need to know a thing about the canon to understand what's happening all around these conversations. This is the written equivalent of the kind of play where you hear the shots and the body fall, but you never see anything on stage but the characters' reactions. Except that in this story, we don't hear the shots. But it's impossible not to hear the body fall.

No, wait, I was wrong. There's a third thing that's amazing about this story, and that thing is Jim Gordon himself. Because on the Worst Jobs in Fiction list, Police Commissioner of Gotham has to rank in the top 50. And Commissioner Gordon is just a guy, a decent guy in an awful job he does because he can. That, to my mind, makes him as interesting as Batman, but it's rare that anyone, canon or fan fiction, actually shows that. Petra does. And that? Is totally amazing, and I love her for it.

The One That May Actually Make You Grateful for Adolescence. Who Knew That Was Even Possible? Slouching, Forever, by Torch, aka flambeau. Good Omens.

And now let us speak briefly of Torch, who has evidently recently ascended to the next level in her mystical pursuit of fictional perfection; in fact, I suspect she may be close to achieving union with the fictional godhead. If you cruise by her house, I bet you'll find her all swathed in robes and sitting in a lotus position, meditating. And then, once in a while, she'll leap up and go over to her computer and type stories like this. She calls them snippets, but oh my god. In almost all of them, she's turned the canon inside out, shaken out its pockets, and found a whole new universe inside, and I - I'm kind of scared of her, actually. What if she has other powers? What if she can change the universe or something?

I'm just saying, maybe we should wonder if there's a reason that Lance Bass came out recently.

Anyway. This story is maybe, maybe my favorite of all the "snippets" she's done recently, although it's kind of locked in a three-way tie with Over the Hills and Far Away and Suburban Consumption Rituals. (Which was written for meeeeee! And that just proves that Torch has mystical powers, because, as anyone who has ever gotten one will tell you, I give the shittiest fic prompts in all the universe. Only a very few, highly cherished writers have ever managed to make one of mine work. And yet - Torch took one of my prompts - and did - well, this.)

Of course, I've spent all this time talking about Torch because I can't really tell you anything about Slouching, Forever, except that you need to have read Good Omens to get the story. (But, well, you need to have read Good Omens, period, no exceptions, so I'm hoping all of you have.) If you have, get clicking. (The other two snippets, by the way, are SGA, and I can't tell you anything but that about either, except that they are just fucking amazing, so if by some chance you haven't read Good Omens yet, head for the other ones. And then get your butt to a library or bookstore and do some light reading about Armageddon.)

The One That Proves (Yet Again) That the Ancients Are Not Our Friends. In Fact, Just As a General Rule, I Think It's Best Not to Trust Those Who Think That Superior Power Makes Them Superior Beings. Uncanny Valley, by Sarah T., aka harriet_spy. Stargate: Atlantis.

I. Here's the thing. I secretly kind of believe this story. I've seen dozens of fictional explanations for Why John Is Weird (But We Love Him Anyway), and many of them made me want to do highly intimate things with the author. And most of them really worked. But this one works maybe the most of all of them, and - well, it doesn't make me want to do highly intimate things with Sarah T. It makes me want to take her hostage until she writes a fix-it sequel to this. Because the fix is hinted at, and I believe it's coming, but I want more. I want an ending with puppies and sparkles and love and very probably some pie. In general, I need stories with explicit happy endings way more than I need or even want stories with explicit sex, and for this one - well. I want "And they lived happily ever after" in writing. Signed by the author. And notarized. (Doesn't have to be in her own blood or anything, though. I'm no fanatic.)

You know, I'm kind of amused that I'm writing this whole "This gutted me but in a good way" writeup for a story in which no one dies and no one is, like, raped or tortured or drained by the Wraith or just anything like that. All that really happens is that two people eat breakfast. But, you know, in fiction, especially when it comes to making people honestly ache for a character, less is more. You really want to turn the knife? Don't give me star-crossed lovers killing themselves because they each think the other's dead. Don't give me all the death, loss, torment, and abuse you can pack into 57 chapters. Give me one loss, one loss of something essential, and then make the characters - and me - live with it.

(I'm also amused that I didn't rec the other SGA gen story that seemed to fit in this set because I was like, "Nah. Don't want people to think all gen is depressing." But, really. It's not! Even this story isn't, actually! It's just - it hurts. But there's a happy ending on the far horizon, and - okay, screw it, that's never going to work. How's this: the last story in this set is the perfect antidote. I'm offering the pain and the cure, people. What more can I do?)

The One That Proves That You Really Can Get Used to Anything. But You Might Not Want To. All His Funerals (Back in Black Remix 2006), by Punk, aka runpunkrun. X-Files.

This is such a small story in terms of word count. And it's in a fandom that I, despite all my efforts, still don't understand at all. But it doesn't matter - you can read this no matter what you know about the canon, as long as you know something about serial fiction. Because this is, yes, a gorgeous story about how one person gets used to a very particular kind of loss, but it's also a great meta commentary, because we've all been through this, I think, in one canon or another.

(I realized this at the end of X2, which I saw with my mother and Best Beloved. My mother knows nothing about comic books and had never heard of the X-Men before the first movie. And my mother is, by the way, the queen of being spoiler-free. As in, she saw The Phantom Menace and had no idea that Anakin was going to grow up to be - spoiler warning, people! - Darth Vader. And that Darth was Luke's father. Anyway, at the end of X2, she was all upset, and Best Beloved and I were stunned that anyone could be upset by that ending. Because knowing comics mean you develop the same attitude that Scully has in this story.

And, wait. Did I just spoil the story (or X2) or not? I can't tell. Um. If I did, someone let me know so I can cut-tag it; even if it is a spoiler, I don't think it'll have any effect on your enjoyment of either, but I aim to be polite. My mama - okay, she didn't give a shit about my manners, but my internet mama raised me right. Admittedly, my internet mama was Usenet, so she mostly did it via a constant stream of very clear examples of what not to do, but still.)

But here is the coolest part of this story - cooler even than the meta commentary. This is Punk remixing one of her own stories, and how insanely excellent is that? I would so love it if other folks who have been writing a while did this, because I've read the original of this story, and it is just. Um. Not the same. At all. Whereas the remix is brilliance. So the two stories together are the most perfect example in the world of how Punk has changed as a writer, and I would love to see that same demonstration for other people. So if any of y'all are, you know, bored or anything - well, just don't say I never give activity suggestions along with my recs.

The One That Gives a Whole New Meaning to the Phrase 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder.' The Kingdom of Heaven, by c_elisa. X-Men comicsverse.

This story contains spoilers for a certain development in at least one iteration of the X-Men, uh, "plotline," for lack of a better word. (Sorry, but I have no idea how many X-Men books/movies/universes/parallel dimensions/other assorted thingies have this development, and I lack the software equivalent of the TARDIS crossed with Hal, which is what it would take for me figure that out.) I'm not at all sure I can discuss the story without mentioning that same spoiler.

See, in some Marvel thingies, there's a cure for mutant - wait. I can't really say "mutation," since that doesn't really convey the right meaning. So is it mutantism? Mutancy? Oh, hell. Let me rephrase. In some X-Men thingies, mutants can be cured. I don't know if that actually counts as a major spoiler, because I know it and I haven't kept up with the X-Men since that one year when Wolverine appeared on the cover of every single comic book in the world, including - I swear - independent small-press romance manga and single-issue graphic novels about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, but, hey. No matter how common the knowledge is, it's a spoiler for someone; after all, my mother made it 1999 without knowing that Darth Vader was Luke's father.

In this story, Dr. Hank McCoy (Hank, by the way, is the Beast, and my favorite X-Person by many leagues - seriously, the man is intelligence, class, and kindness personified and turned blue and furry.) observes someone taking this cure. And it's not just anyone; it's someone like Hank, someone who is a visible mutant. Hank, see, he's blue and furry all the time. The first thing anyone who meets him knows is that he's a mutant; that's not true of your average X-Entity. (Which is part of what makes Hank so fascinating - see also Nightcrawler. Marvel does have a way with the blue folk.)

This story says everything there is to say about the cure on both sides of the debate, and it also says so much more about some much larger issues (that might even deserve to be Issues) that are very much a part of our reality. Seriously. I don't want to pretend to be a Great Cultural Analyst, nor do I want to spoil this story, but - you should read this. Even if you don't know the fandom, even if you don't like the fandom, even if you don't like the concept, this story is worth a read. And if you've ever participated in one of the fandom and disability/race/religion/etc. meta rounds, well, you certainly will not want to miss this. Oh, also - if you cannot stand stories in first person, read this. This story has to be in first person, can only work in first person, and for that alone - plus the sheer heady joy of being in Hank's head - it's worth a read.

So there's something here for every fan, basically. Except maybe those who are looking for a little light and giggle-inducing reading involving the undead; I would like to direct those people to move (please form an orderly line; no pushing, no shoving, plenty of story for all) to the last recommendation.

The One That Proves That, Looking at It from a Technical Perspective, the Wizard of Oz Should Have Been a Zombie Story. Big Damn Zombies, Sir, by shrift. Firefly.

This is another fandom I don't know from Adam, Eve, or in fact the entire garden of eden. I mean, Jayne - that's the guy with the hat, right? I see him in vids, acting dim or showing the ethics-free brand of cunning. He's generally comic relief in vids, except he also occasionally seems to do the thing that no one else could quite manage to, even though it really needed to be done. But, hey, I don't know him at all, so I could be totally wrong there.

My point is that obviously you don't need to know diddly-squat about Jayne or Firefly to enjoy this story. Because, see, what happens here is that Jayne turns into a zombie, and mirth ensues.

Now, wait. You need to understand just how weird it is that I am recommending a story about zombies as comic relief. Because, okay, I admit it - I'm afraid of zombies. I was not the happiest person in all of fandom when zombie stories got popular for a while there, because I'd be reading a story quite happily and then suddenly Daniel Jackson would be lurching around calling for brains. (But I never did see, say, zombie Aragorn, so I have much to be thankful for. Believe me, I'm quite aware of it.) And I would have to flee the story, or possibly the room, for a while.

But this story is funny even to a certified zombiephobe, because - I just, I can't explain it. It just is. I avoided it, for obvious title reasons, for quite a while, and I so should not have, because Shrift proves that zombies can, in fact, be entertaining to have around, providing they are made from the right sort of character. Or, more specifically, providing that the right sort of characters are standing around commenting on the zombie, because it is the dialog that makes this story. And that includes, but is not limited to, the dialog that goes, "Braaaaaaaains."

(I do feel the need to state, just for the record, that there is nothing amusing about zombies. They are a major imaginary scourge against which our planet has no defenses. Garlic does not work on zombies, people. Think about it. And in the next election, make yours a vote against the zombie menace. And don't forget to ask your politician of choice what he's doing to prevent the zombie takeover!)

Comments

[starfishchick]

Fic! Gen! Recs!!

I am especially looking foward to the Firefly zombie story!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

The Firefly zombie story is very much fun.

Oh, and since I have you here - you said in the vid watcher poll that there's a great vid for The Shield, but the information is in your now-dead computer. If it's the vid I think it is, no dead computer should separate you from it, so I wanted to tell you how to find it.

I'm guessing it's melina123's vid Bawitdaba. killabeez hosts Melina's vids, and because of a recent bout of massive unpleasantness, they've gone password-protected. You can email melina123 at livejournal dot com and she'll give you the password, and then you'll be able to redownload Bawitdaba if you like.

It really is a fabulous vid.

[starfishchick]

Oh, thanks!! You truly rock!

[ainaria.livejournal.com]

Couldn't agree with you more about Uncanny Valley. I read the story months ago and still every now and then I found myself thinking about them sitting there and I ache.
I hope she writes a sequel.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

She sort of did! liviapenn pointed me to it; it's in chatlog form. You can find it here (http://harriet-spy.livejournal.com/342768.html?thread=1460976#t1460976) (scroll down to nearly the end).

*snuffles*

Oh, John.

[ainaria.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I read it. And I still ache, though I suppose it's a little bit better - he's little bit better.

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

Sarah doesn't usually write sequels, but she did offer to write happy commentfic a while back, and posted a chatlog version of a happy resolution for "Uncanny Valley..."

It is here (http://harriet-spy.livejournal.com/342768.html), the very last one.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oooo! Thank you so much for pointing me to that; it's not quite the happy ending of my dreams, but it really works. (And I love having Spike's encouraging interlinear comments - she's, like, coaching Sarah T. and John through it at the same time.)

[maygra.livejournal.com]

...is amused and entertained as always with your rec sets, and yet still sad.


plots to convert you via vids...at least to the gen side.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh, I watch the vids, believe you me. I feel like you did when SGA was the Big Thing: I stare at the vids like the kid staring in at the party she's not invited to, and I think, Make me get it. Make me get it. Let me in! So far, no luck in the "getting it" department, but I've seen some wonderful vids. (SPN has a really dark palette, doesn't it? Everything seems to have dark blue tones in the vids. I love that.)

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Huh. After just having said I read you for the funny commentary and not the recs themselves, I've gone and put four out of six here in my "to read" bookmarks folder. :)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Exceptions are totally allowed, and I'm delighted either way. I'm happy you read me for the entertainment, and I'm thrilled that I sold you on these stories, because these are great. (Although if you read them all at one sitting (and you're a total endings wimp like me), you'll really need that Firefly story.)

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Oh no, I love ambiguous and unhappy endings. :)

[rheanna27.livejournal.com]

Um. I don't hear any actual cheers. Or even any polite clapping.

I'm cheering! Oh, don't get me wrong - the sizzling hot m/m-m/f-f/f-m/f/anything sex is great, but some of us (whisper it) really like the gen. So huzzah for gen recs!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I am, obviously, a great big fan of the hot sex (in any assortment of parts, as long as none of them is, like, a donkey), but I have a strong gen love myself. We are the few! The proud! The...gennies. Okay, no; obviously gen is not conducive to cute nicknames. But gen_fen works just fine.

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

I'm just saying, maybe we should wonder if there's a reason that Lance Bass came out recently.

*chokes on lunch* Oh my GOD you're RIGHT! HEE.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*nods*

These things happen for a reason. And I'm just saying, maybe flambeau is the reason. It's worth looking into.

(Although, hey, if she's going to use her superpowers to make gay celebrities come out, I fully support her new regime. I'll even take up a collection to bribe her to get Tom Cruise out. That would be worth his weight - or even a normal human's weight - in entertainment gold.)

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Wow, excellent thought! I would so pay for that.

*drops coins in your feathered hat*

Or maybe we could bribe flambeau into thinking him into the cornfield. *cough*

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

You know, Iolaus gives great Paul Gross arms. I am profoundly impressed.

Or maybe we could bribe flambeau into thinking him into the cornfield. *cough*

*tempted*

But, no, wait, no. I want him to have a truly spectacular flame-out, something that would put every fandom flame-out ever to shame. Damn it, the man owes us some entertainment.

*nods wisely*

Yes. High, wide, and plentiful is the way to go there. I must inform Torch of my decision.

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

Oh, dude, that would be worth... like, the population of New York's weight in gold. Oh, crazy Tom Cruise. I was worrying, recently, what with Tom and with Mel, whether we could still count on Bruce Willis to stay pretty sane-seeming. Oh, childhood idols, why so crazy?

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

like, the population of New York's weight in gold.

*nods*

I would laugh until I died, and then I would come back to life so I could laugh some more.

Oh, childhood idols, why so crazy?

I don't know, but with Crazy Tom and Crazy Mel - I'm just saying, if I was a short-named large-paychecked male movie star, I'd be lining up my therapy team now.

(Also: your childhood idols were Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson? Wow. How did you turn out this well?

*pats sympathetically*)

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

Heh - maybe "childhood idols" is a bit strong, but my mother likes action movies, so I was exposed from a young age to Top Gun/the Lethal Weapons/Bird on a Wire/the Die Hards. ;) *puts self between Bruce and the creeping insanity* No, not this one, too!

[miss-porcupine.livejournal.com]

Um. I don't hear any actual cheers. Or even any polite clapping.

My hands were full of tangible proof that man (in the form of library employees who nominally went to school for this sort of job) really is that dumb. But now that they're free and I've washed them, you should get at least polite clapping out of me.

(I'm even curious enough to ask which other SGA Gen story you were going with. Because there's always Minnow for SGA Gen With Happy Endings. And ltlj, although you have to pitstop in Angst first. And other people. And... I'm going to stop now before I defeat myself.)

"Big Damn Zombies, Sir" is a classic wacky Firefly story. I haven't reread it in a while, so I'm glad to see it again. (And, really, Firefly? Is a fandom you should know from Adam and Eve. Because the cultists are right. The source material is that good.)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

My hands were full of tangible proof that man (in the form of library employees who nominally went to school for this sort of job) really is that dumb.

Okay, now I'm curious. Did I miss a post? Because I live with a librarian, so I'm always interested in tales of library woe. (And delight, of course.)

I'm even curious enough to ask which other SGA Gen story you were going with. Because there's always Minnow for SGA Gen With Happy Endings. And ltlj, although you have to pitstop in Angst first. And other people. And... I'm going to stop now before I defeat myself.

Well, hell, there's always you for SGA gen with reasonably happy endings (and a fabulously accurate, realistic tone that I often wish the show would emulate). But I was going for a sort of thematic set, here, and Minnow and LTLJ and you and all the other fine purveyors of Excellent and Not That Sad SGA Gen didn't fit.

The other story I thought fit, and considered long and hard (but decided against, on the grounds that, really, I didn't want to make it look like gen was all that painful) was in_wintertime's gorgeous The Moon Still Be As Bright (http://in-wintertime.livejournal.com/5642.html). This is a story that is strongly associated in my mind with Uncanny Valley, even though they're not actually that similar. But they're both about John losing something, and it's a related something, and they both fit my owie definition of forcing the character (and me) to live with the loss. They're even about similar losses. But, to my mind, Uncanny Valley is the happier story.

The Moon Still Be As Bright is just as wonderful, though.

And, really, Firefly? Is a fandom you should know from Adam and Eve. Because the cultists are right. The source material is that good.

Gotta take that one up with Best Beloved; I can't get through any live-action TV source without extensive coaching, and BB is the coach. Which means she has to watch everything at least twice, the second time with extensive pausings and rewindings, and provide a lot of helpful narration. And so far BB has been wildly uninterested in Firefly. Who knows, though - perhaps the zombies will sway her.

(Although for me I must admit that the early cancellation kind of adds some appeal - I mean, for once I could probably watch the whole canon! And it'd probably only take me a year or so! I could see every episode, just like the cool kids!)

[miss-porcupine.livejournal.com]

I will admit that I'm not big on Firefly as a fandom. I don't really read the fic -- the characters have such specific, unique voices that it makes it very easy for the whole thing to become a dissonant mass of errant notes and cliches and lines lifted directly from episodes. Plus one of the characters is officially crazy and underaged and I just squick a little at River having sex with anyone. Especially her brother. (Good thing I'm not down with Supernatural.) But I do pick at some of it and, like the one you recced, when it's good, it is very good.

That said, I recommend Firefly highly as something to just watch for its own pleasure. I've gotten people who are not even in the same universe as fandom (any fandom, the concept of fandom) interested. There's not much of it, so you can handle it without feeling overwhelmed.

Minnow's Flying Blind is what I was thinking about with the John-losing-something (although he gets it back and then I got turned around in my thought process). I hadn't read "The Moon Still Be As Bright" and now I have and... very scary. In the way that's good because it really isn't. So thank you for the second rec.

Library griping... you didn't miss anything. I tend not to post about work in LJ anymore. But I work for a large university library and the poop is forever being flung my way. Today's plan may involve kidnapping the Indic cataloger and doing unspeakable things until she agrees to at least pretend to follow the written-for-dyslexic-toddlers (no, really, I wrote them) directions.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

I keep reminding myself to go back and *tell* you about my reactions to the things you rec once I've, you know, read your post and snickered and clicked on various links. So, trying that out right now.

'Uncanny Valley' made me think, but I don't quite buy it, so I didn't really feel it; I don't think Elizabeth would flinch away from John like that, for example, or that they would let him go that easily. Also, weirdly, the whole 'John is a construct' thing comes much too close, for me, to 'He's an actor! He just says the lines weirdly!' which I have to not remember when I'm watching the show. Does that even make sense?

Or I could just say that I like torch's explanation in 'Over The Hills And Far Away' better. Heh. (And yes, word, all those snippets are fabulous. And they're complete short stories, really, snippets just isn't the word...)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I keep reminding myself to go back and *tell* you about my reactions to the things you rec once I've, you know, read your post and snickered and clicked on various links. So, trying that out right now.

Ooo! Thank you. This is an excellent experiment, and I whole-heartedly support it.

*enthusiastic*

'Uncanny Valley' made me think, but I don't quite buy it, so I didn't really feel it; I don't think Elizabeth would flinch away from John like that, for example, or that they would let him go that easily.

See, for me all of that works because we're seeing it through the eyes of someone who has been pithed. John's a tough PoV in any case, because he underplays most emotion so much, but this John? Yikes. Talk about a restricted emotional range - he's kind of the poster child for it.

So, like, Elizabeth, who sucks at hiding her emotions and who has been known to confuse things like feeling and thinking (at least, that's how I see her), probably would flinch from a friend who had been destroyed like that - just because she'd hurt for him, but that's not a connection that this John could make.

And I doubt they let him go easily; they're obviously still clinging like mad. But once John himself stops fighting, stops caring - well, I could see how eventually they might think that maybe he'd be better, he'd be able to put the parts back together some place besides Atlantis. And the SGC would want his ass back on earth and out of the military in a hurry, so...

Also, weirdly, the whole 'John is a construct' thing comes much too close, for me, to 'He's an actor! He just says the lines weirdly!' which I have to not remember when I'm watching the show. Does that even make sense?

It totally makes sense. I tend to go at it from the other route, though; I don't think about the actor at all, so I take all of John's weirdness (aka Joe Flanigan's weird line deliveries and reactions, but I just don't ever think about that) as an inherent part of the character. So, really, it works perfectly for me for the same reason it doesn't work for you. And that makes sense. Just, I love explanations for John's canonical behavior, even if the real explanation is probably that he's an actor who is, um, let's see how I can put it - working outside his comfort zone.

Or I could just say that I like torch's explanation in 'Over The Hills And Far Away' better. Heh.

OMG YES. I love that explanation so, so, so much, because - well. You know.

(And yes, word, all those snippets are fabulous. And they're complete short stories, really, snippets just isn't the word...)

I know. Short masterpieces is what I'd call them. I want to remind her that snippets generally don't contain, for example, complete and perfectly realized universes. But, hey, she can call them anything she likes as long as she keeps writing them.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Good, I shall continue the experiment! (And get back to you on that last vid rec post, at least. :-)

I see your point about your view of John, and how that helps with this particular story. In a way, the uncanny valley effect is working on me here; I'm made uncomfortable by the too-close gap between actor/meta and character, and harriet_spy commented to me that that was part of her intent.

I know. Short masterpieces is what I'd call them.

Yes! And I think Suburban Consumption Rituals is my favorite, because it's such a wonderful SF story, with the worldbuilding and the...*flails* What you said.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

>i>Good, I shall continue the experiment! (And get back to you on that last vid rec post, at least.

Yay!

*looks foward to it*

Yes! And I think Suburban Consumption Rituals is my favorite, because it's such a wonderful SF story, with the worldbuilding and the...*flails*

Precisely! Plus, okay, there is this, like, special secret cookie that seems to be lurking in there just for me, because it brings to mind a specific sequence in Knight's Castle (by Edward Eager), a book I loved when I was little. (I actually loved all seven of his books, but Knight's Castle was my second favorite of them - and, yes, I totally had a list and a careful ranking system. These things are important! The first, for the record, was Half-Magic, which is where there series starts. If, um, you happen to have an intense interest in children's fantasy.) It's this bitty resonance, but it feels like it was put there just for meeeeeee, even though there's no way Torch could've known.

*loves it*

Great. You just made me argue myself into liking a whole different one of the "Snippets? Not hardly." best. Truly, this debate will continue forever.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool! Yes, I am interested in fantasy, children's, YA, adult, what have you, and I haven't heard of these books. *makes notes*

One of my own favorites is Diana Wynne Jones, whom you probably know, but if not - worth finding. I think Howl's Moving Castle and Charmed Life are among her best, but she doesn't really write a bad book.

there's no way Torch could've known.

You're forgetting the part where she has sekrit powers OMG! You can't trust those Swedes, say I.

[cofax7]

YAY GEN!

Thank you.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

YAY GEN!

Seconded! (Well, obviously.) But, really, I adore gen even though it so often comes with a sting in the tail, and given my need for happy endings, that is quite some love.

[harriet-spy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec! Can I trouble you, though, to link to the version on my site (http://www.aliencorn.net/stories/uncanny.html) rather than the LJ version?

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yup! All changed.

[corinna-5.livejournal.com]

I still consider having come up with the theme song for "Big Damn Zombies, Sir" to be a highlight of my fannishness. Fanitude? Fannishosity.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*nods admiringly*

I can see why. That is the sort of achievement that should be commemorated on, at minimum, an icon. (I'd actually probably want it on my resume and in my eulogy, too, but I've got this tendency to be excessively proud of myself sometimes.)

I like fanitude, for the record - it's got that nice "attitude" overtone. ("Girl's got fanitude, all up in your face with her slash.")

Firefly vid rec

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

Much thinking still going on re vids and anime and emails are in various stages, but I will reply soon (or at least by next weekend as offline stuff continues to pile on). But I had to stop briefly and recommend a Firefly vid after your comment here.

This is another fandom I don't know from Adam, Eve, or in fact the entire garden of eden. I mean, Jayne - that's the guy with the hat, right? I see him in vids, acting dim or showing the ethics-free brand of cunning. He's generally comic relief in vids, except he also occasionally seems to do the thing that no one else could quite manage to, even though it really needed to be done. But, hey, I don't know him at all, so I could be totally wrong there.

Because, you see, Firefly isn't a fandom of mine either even though I've seen all the episodes (not the movie yet) and have browsed some fiction, meta, etc. But I have a profound love for one of the very few (perhaps only?) Jayne character study vids that treats him seriously - while still acknowledging his goofy side - and it's a revelation. Plus, the music was new-to-me and I absolutely adore it. Adore as in putting the song on endless loop for imprinting kind of love. Not surprisingly, it's by a vidder who's a favorite of mine, Gwyn aka Gwyneth who also vids with Jo under the name L'Abattoir.

The vid is Black Soul Choir, and it can be found on Gwyn's vid page. (I know you know the following info, but it's for your readers.) Her site is usually password protected, but she temporarily open posted the password info after VVC because she's been dealing with offline stuff and didn't want to delay responding to password requests. The post may be locked eventually, but right now it is open, so anyone who doesn't have Gwyn's site info and might have been afraid to email for the password (or who have some other issues about getting a password) - here's your chance. Do drop her a quick note though, if you download the vid and like it.

Gwyn's vid page:
http://www.gwynethr.net/

LJ post with open password info - maybe locked later on, but open for now
http://gwyn-r.livejournal.com/179881.html

Re: Firefly vid rec

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. I'm going to have to watch the vid a lot more times before I can parse it - it's subtle, and surprisingly deep, given that Jayne is a character I've usually seen used solely as comic relief, but I already know that one's a keeper.

(And, hey, Gwyn's been sick lately - some feedback might be especially nice right now. *makes mental note* Although, given my usual rate of absorption of Firefly vids, it's going to be 2008 before the feedback is done. But I can start it, anyway.)

Re: Firefly vid rec

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

Just read about Gwyn; sounds like a thoroughly miserable time. One of the many things that I like about Gwyn's vids is how they repay reapeated viewings, and Black Soul Choir has multiple layers. And while you're working on more detailed feedback, why not just send her your first paragraph - it's something she'd be pleased to hear, especially since she still thinks there is little audience for a serious vid about Jayne.

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

Yay recs! Yay! :)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

*beams*

Thank you. (As a side note - that icon. Um. What is that, precisely? Something scary with a sword is what I'm getting. *eyes it tensely*)

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

You should; it's the last emperor of a dying race (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elric) and his soul-drinking sword. Why? Because of...um...Excalibur, and... look, lots of other people's icons don't make sense, either.

How did you get to be so delightful?

[kormantic.livejournal.com]

Man, you are just my very favorite. (g)

Mmmm, delicious gen...

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

c_elisa's story is one of the best things I read in X-Men this year. It is so good.

Yay X-Files - I haven't read any for ages.

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

*changes the universe*

Oh, wow. I am going to come and live in this rec post, at least on dull and awful days (when that lotus thing just isn't working). Seriously, thank you so much. This is the best coming-home-from-vacation present ever. :)

And I'll see what I can do about Tom.

[imaginarydear.livejournal.com]

Surprisingly, short (medium would have been just as well) gen - stories was *exactly* what I craved - so HEY! CLAPPING FROM HERE! AND CHEERS!

And it was an excellent set. thx.

Beware of ego

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

This is possibly Not Done, but I'm going out on a whim and doing it anyway. :)

I know you are a big fan of Hank McCoy. It's one of the things we have in common! Well, once upon a time some 10-12 years back, I started writing up a little storyline I had in my head, where Hank meets a nice romance writing girl and, uh, romance ensues. A moderate percentage of the comics fic people back then liked it moderately well, and I kept going for 40 chapters until I hit a health snag and kind of quit.

But not for good. I've finally gotten to a point where I'm writing steadily again on this and that, and I've decided to use JaNoWriMo this year to finally finish Chapter 41 and then move into the next story arc. To this end, I'm going over the old chapters, adding annotations just for the fun of it, and reposting them in a new LJ, neonfic, as well as to their own page on my website.

So I thought in case you hadn't run across Neon Hearts before (it's a big fic universe, after all) and on the off chance you might like it, I would tootle my own horn and tell you about it. No pressure, of course!