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I'd hoped to get this post done before the reveal, but then I fell asleep around eight last night. My family woke me up at midnight to drink sparkling cider (my mother's on anti-depressants and can't have alcohol), and then I futzed around on lj for a bit and went back to bed. All of which is to say, Happy New Year! to everyone, and have some belated Yuletide recs:
Laying Thoughts to Rest by treneka (Antique Bakery: Ono/Tachibana) Sweet and a little fluffy, yet satisfying for all that. Tachibana thinks he might be having a midlife crisis.
Learning to Fly by afrai (Antique Bakery: Ono/Chikage) Ono knew he shouldn't kiss Chikage. This is one of my least favorite AB pairings, and I still loved the story. Ono is endearingly uncertain, Chikage is sweet and oblivious, and Tachibana's snarky yet sympathetic.
Second Verse, Not Exactly the Same as the First by Julad (Clerks: Dante/Randal) A lot of Askewniverse stories are a bit lacking in either the humor or the characterization, but this one nails both. Dante isn't supposed to come into work the next day, either.
Tempus by Ria (Demon Diary: Eclipse/Raenef V) Time, and Raenef IV, catch up to Eclipse. This is eerie and sad, and Eclipse is just lovely. I really like the characterization of Raenef IV, as well: he's not entirely unfeeling, but he's not nice either.
Hostage Negotiation by Marcelo (Isaac Asimov's Robot series) A Susan Calvin story very much in the spirit of Asimov's work. The ending made me tear up a bit (in the good way), but that's probably just because I have a very large soft spot for robots.
Nice Work If You Can Get It by shalott (Isaac Asimov's Robot series: Powell/Donovan) This is like Asimov+: it's got a plot that could have been lifted from an Asimov story, if Asimov had been a little more inclined to write gay romance, and the characterizations of Powell and Donovan are both pitch-perfect and more complex than Asimov's own. One bit that I especially enjoyed was that here, Powell is more Irish than Donovan; he's a native of Ireland while Donovan is Irish-American, with a few other nationalities tossed in. It's a really neat twist that you'd never find in an Asimov story, but that fits seamlessly into the Robot series mythos.
The Case of the Gay Shirt by Basingstoke (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) Awesome narrative voice, and the dialogue rocks, as well. Harry has to be gay for an assignment, and the result is hilarious and kind of brilliant.
The Case of the Very Gay Detectives by Michelle Christian (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Perry) The best recommendation I can give for this story is to quote a bit of it, so: "The thing you have to know about Perry is that while he doesn't seem all that stereotypically gay, every now and then he'll turn around and do something and I think, oh my God, Liberace would find that fucking embarrassing." Wonderful Harry voice, a pretty cool Harmony, and snarky banter that just doesn't stop.
Day 378: And Now, Tomorrow by Tzikeh (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Harmony/Perry) This is a threesome I never thought to want, but that's clearly due to an absence of imagination on my part. Harry, Harmony, and Perry are very hot together, and, even better, their characterizations never waver as they redefine the boundaries of their relationship.
Noir Enough by thefourthvine (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Perry) Yes, I am reccing all four stories written in this fandom, but what else am I to do when they're all so good? This one has a case that goes about as smoothly as you'd expect--which is to say, not at all--and some hot sex. And, again like the above three stories, great narrative voice, hilarious dialogue, etc.
At the Hands of the Wicked by Quasar (Melusine: Felix/Gideon, Felix/Mildmay) This long, satisfying story written in the style of Monette's books contains a beautiful depiction of Felix and Mildmay's half-intimate, half-uncomfortable relationship; a creepy mystery surrounding Ginevra's ghost; and a near perfect characterization of Gideon. (Anyone to whom I've blathered about the books knows that it's the last that really hooked me, but if you [inexplicably] find Gideon uninspiring, you should know that the first two points get a lot more attention in this story than the third.)
The man with a gift for finding things by Nestra (The Outlaws of Sherwood: Will/Much) This story is just beautiful: carefully polished scenes that show the evolution of Much and Will's relationship, and of Will's growing familiarity with the forest and Robin's band. Much is confident and intelligent and optimistic, and Will is the perfect complement to him as well as a strong character in his own right. I especially love the treatment of social issues in this story--of the socio-economic disparity between Much and Will, and of homosexuality in medieval England. Also, forest sex totally makes even a great story better. :)
since I am not a bird by sanyin (Samurai Champloo: Jin/Mugen) Gorgeous language, and I really like the characterizations of Jin and Mugen (and Fuu, as well). They're a little broken, but they're getting by, and leaning on each other probably helps more than they want to admit.
Tattered Lotus by Tangerine (Yellow: Goh/Taki) Another long, satisfying story centered around an involving mystery. Goh and Taki are very much in love without being too schmoopy, and I really like seeing Goh being insecure.
Laying Thoughts to Rest by treneka (Antique Bakery: Ono/Tachibana) Sweet and a little fluffy, yet satisfying for all that. Tachibana thinks he might be having a midlife crisis.
Learning to Fly by afrai (Antique Bakery: Ono/Chikage) Ono knew he shouldn't kiss Chikage. This is one of my least favorite AB pairings, and I still loved the story. Ono is endearingly uncertain, Chikage is sweet and oblivious, and Tachibana's snarky yet sympathetic.
Second Verse, Not Exactly the Same as the First by Julad (Clerks: Dante/Randal) A lot of Askewniverse stories are a bit lacking in either the humor or the characterization, but this one nails both. Dante isn't supposed to come into work the next day, either.
Tempus by Ria (Demon Diary: Eclipse/Raenef V) Time, and Raenef IV, catch up to Eclipse. This is eerie and sad, and Eclipse is just lovely. I really like the characterization of Raenef IV, as well: he's not entirely unfeeling, but he's not nice either.
Hostage Negotiation by Marcelo (Isaac Asimov's Robot series) A Susan Calvin story very much in the spirit of Asimov's work. The ending made me tear up a bit (in the good way), but that's probably just because I have a very large soft spot for robots.
Nice Work If You Can Get It by shalott (Isaac Asimov's Robot series: Powell/Donovan) This is like Asimov+: it's got a plot that could have been lifted from an Asimov story, if Asimov had been a little more inclined to write gay romance, and the characterizations of Powell and Donovan are both pitch-perfect and more complex than Asimov's own. One bit that I especially enjoyed was that here, Powell is more Irish than Donovan; he's a native of Ireland while Donovan is Irish-American, with a few other nationalities tossed in. It's a really neat twist that you'd never find in an Asimov story, but that fits seamlessly into the Robot series mythos.
The Case of the Gay Shirt by Basingstoke (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) Awesome narrative voice, and the dialogue rocks, as well. Harry has to be gay for an assignment, and the result is hilarious and kind of brilliant.
The Case of the Very Gay Detectives by Michelle Christian (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Perry) The best recommendation I can give for this story is to quote a bit of it, so: "The thing you have to know about Perry is that while he doesn't seem all that stereotypically gay, every now and then he'll turn around and do something and I think, oh my God, Liberace would find that fucking embarrassing." Wonderful Harry voice, a pretty cool Harmony, and snarky banter that just doesn't stop.
Day 378: And Now, Tomorrow by Tzikeh (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Harmony/Perry) This is a threesome I never thought to want, but that's clearly due to an absence of imagination on my part. Harry, Harmony, and Perry are very hot together, and, even better, their characterizations never waver as they redefine the boundaries of their relationship.
Noir Enough by thefourthvine (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Harry/Perry) Yes, I am reccing all four stories written in this fandom, but what else am I to do when they're all so good? This one has a case that goes about as smoothly as you'd expect--which is to say, not at all--and some hot sex. And, again like the above three stories, great narrative voice, hilarious dialogue, etc.
At the Hands of the Wicked by Quasar (Melusine: Felix/Gideon, Felix/Mildmay) This long, satisfying story written in the style of Monette's books contains a beautiful depiction of Felix and Mildmay's half-intimate, half-uncomfortable relationship; a creepy mystery surrounding Ginevra's ghost; and a near perfect characterization of Gideon. (Anyone to whom I've blathered about the books knows that it's the last that really hooked me, but if you [inexplicably] find Gideon uninspiring, you should know that the first two points get a lot more attention in this story than the third.)
The man with a gift for finding things by Nestra (The Outlaws of Sherwood: Will/Much) This story is just beautiful: carefully polished scenes that show the evolution of Much and Will's relationship, and of Will's growing familiarity with the forest and Robin's band. Much is confident and intelligent and optimistic, and Will is the perfect complement to him as well as a strong character in his own right. I especially love the treatment of social issues in this story--of the socio-economic disparity between Much and Will, and of homosexuality in medieval England. Also, forest sex totally makes even a great story better. :)
since I am not a bird by sanyin (Samurai Champloo: Jin/Mugen) Gorgeous language, and I really like the characterizations of Jin and Mugen (and Fuu, as well). They're a little broken, but they're getting by, and leaning on each other probably helps more than they want to admit.
Tattered Lotus by Tangerine (Yellow: Goh/Taki) Another long, satisfying story centered around an involving mystery. Goh and Taki are very much in love without being too schmoopy, and I really like seeing Goh being insecure.
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