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Yuletide II
Dec. 27th, 2010 10:15 amMy recipient liked her story, and I got some nice feedback from other people as well. Colour me pleased. (I still think it's glaringly obvious I wrote it, so I shan't make people guess.) Now, as to the continuing wonders of the Yuletide ficathon, here's my second rec post:
Blade Runner:
Retirement: as opposed to, say, Terminators or Cylons, Replicants came with an in-built death sentence - they shut down after four years - and their fury at their creators for this together with the way they were used was all too understandable. This short, intense first person narration brings Zhora to life, one of the Replicants who make it back to Earth. Every line packs a punch. Awesome.
Dexter:
The Way: Frank Lundy finds a killer. AU from the end of s2 onwards, asking a good „what if?“ question, in this case: what if Lundy had remained in Miami at the end of s2 and had ended up putting all those clues together about Dexter? Great characterisation of everyone involved.
The Eagle of the Ninth:
Aedificare: in which Marcus, Cottia and Esca build a life together after the end of the novel. Has Sutcliff's eye for detail, and makes for lovely reading.
The Graveyard Book:
A Winter's Night: utterly charming missing scenes type of story, giving us a slice of Bod's life among the ghosts, capturing his various relationships.
Greek Mythology:
Young Agamemnon Sees It Through: if you'd ask me which mythological characters were the least suited candidates for a young adult adventures type of story, Agamemnon, Clytaimnestra and Menelaos would probably have come to mind. But the author actually pulls it off. Teenage Agamemnon and his younger brother Menelaos encounter teenage Clytaimnestra who is on her way to rescue her sister Helen (only twelve and just abducted for the first time, by Theseus, which btw is indeed part of the myths). Cue teenage bickering and team-up, road movie type adventures, infuriating encounters with Clytaimnestra’s older brothers, the Dioscures (also on the way to rescue Helen and basically the villains in the way Kiefer Sutherland’s character and his gang in Stand By Me are), and my mouth is still open in admiration that all of this not only works as a self contained story but actually as a prequel, too.
Love-lies-bleeding: Helen’s first abduction was part of a deal between Theseus and his friend Pirithous; in return, Theseus had pledged support for Pirithous’ hubristic scheme of abducting the Queen of the Underworld herself, Persephone. Big mistake, boys. Biiiiiiig mistake. This story takes its cue from Ovid and his urban Roman cynicism, and shares povs between Theseus and Persephone.
Five Futures Kassandra Saw, And One She Could Not: now we're on to Euripides fanfic (inspired by his play The Trojan Women); what I especially appreciate is that this take on Kassandra, Klytaimnestra, Andromache and Helen vilifies none of them (including Helen) and renders them all three dimensional.
Maurice:
Aurora Mundi: in which, after World War I, Clive and his wife Anne travel to Italy where they meet by chance Maurice and Alec. Talk about lack of vilification. No one is vilified in this one, either, and Anne in particular is so endearing she basically steals the story. I can’t tell you how refreshing this is when you think about how often female characters end up bashed, killed off or scorned for no other sin than coming between a popular slash pairing.
Sarah Jane Adventures:
Five Hundred and Twenty, or Thereabouts: Clyde, Rani and Luke are not a triangle. Lovely, lovely, OT3 fanfic, doing justice to their affection for each other. I was delighted to find so many SJA stories anyway, and love most, but this one is my favourite.
What to make out of snow: Adventure story using both our ensemble and other Whoverse characters, with Clyde/Rani subtext. In short, much like an episode of season 5. J
The Ongoing Relations of a Tin Dog and his BFFs: what it says on the label. Yes, some brilliant writer gave us K-9 fanfiction. Which leaves me with a wide grin on my face.
Pour, Rinse, Repeat: lovely portrait of Clyde's mother Carla and her reaction(s) to all the changes her son goes through.
Blade Runner:
Retirement: as opposed to, say, Terminators or Cylons, Replicants came with an in-built death sentence - they shut down after four years - and their fury at their creators for this together with the way they were used was all too understandable. This short, intense first person narration brings Zhora to life, one of the Replicants who make it back to Earth. Every line packs a punch. Awesome.
Dexter:
The Way: Frank Lundy finds a killer. AU from the end of s2 onwards, asking a good „what if?“ question, in this case: what if Lundy had remained in Miami at the end of s2 and had ended up putting all those clues together about Dexter? Great characterisation of everyone involved.
The Eagle of the Ninth:
Aedificare: in which Marcus, Cottia and Esca build a life together after the end of the novel. Has Sutcliff's eye for detail, and makes for lovely reading.
The Graveyard Book:
A Winter's Night: utterly charming missing scenes type of story, giving us a slice of Bod's life among the ghosts, capturing his various relationships.
Greek Mythology:
Young Agamemnon Sees It Through: if you'd ask me which mythological characters were the least suited candidates for a young adult adventures type of story, Agamemnon, Clytaimnestra and Menelaos would probably have come to mind. But the author actually pulls it off. Teenage Agamemnon and his younger brother Menelaos encounter teenage Clytaimnestra who is on her way to rescue her sister Helen (only twelve and just abducted for the first time, by Theseus, which btw is indeed part of the myths). Cue teenage bickering and team-up, road movie type adventures, infuriating encounters with Clytaimnestra’s older brothers, the Dioscures (also on the way to rescue Helen and basically the villains in the way Kiefer Sutherland’s character and his gang in Stand By Me are), and my mouth is still open in admiration that all of this not only works as a self contained story but actually as a prequel, too.
Love-lies-bleeding: Helen’s first abduction was part of a deal between Theseus and his friend Pirithous; in return, Theseus had pledged support for Pirithous’ hubristic scheme of abducting the Queen of the Underworld herself, Persephone. Big mistake, boys. Biiiiiiig mistake. This story takes its cue from Ovid and his urban Roman cynicism, and shares povs between Theseus and Persephone.
Five Futures Kassandra Saw, And One She Could Not: now we're on to Euripides fanfic (inspired by his play The Trojan Women); what I especially appreciate is that this take on Kassandra, Klytaimnestra, Andromache and Helen vilifies none of them (including Helen) and renders them all three dimensional.
Maurice:
Aurora Mundi: in which, after World War I, Clive and his wife Anne travel to Italy where they meet by chance Maurice and Alec. Talk about lack of vilification. No one is vilified in this one, either, and Anne in particular is so endearing she basically steals the story. I can’t tell you how refreshing this is when you think about how often female characters end up bashed, killed off or scorned for no other sin than coming between a popular slash pairing.
Sarah Jane Adventures:
Five Hundred and Twenty, or Thereabouts: Clyde, Rani and Luke are not a triangle. Lovely, lovely, OT3 fanfic, doing justice to their affection for each other. I was delighted to find so many SJA stories anyway, and love most, but this one is my favourite.
What to make out of snow: Adventure story using both our ensemble and other Whoverse characters, with Clyde/Rani subtext. In short, much like an episode of season 5. J
The Ongoing Relations of a Tin Dog and his BFFs: what it says on the label. Yes, some brilliant writer gave us K-9 fanfiction. Which leaves me with a wide grin on my face.
Pour, Rinse, Repeat: lovely portrait of Clyde's mother Carla and her reaction(s) to all the changes her son goes through.
