Look! There is a thing!

 

Twenty years ago, I wrote a short challenge story -- The Honor of Friendship. I named one of the OCs "Lilianna" -- the daughter of one of Jim Ellison's men who died in Peru.

Today I'm writing a note for Aly's profile on AO3; we so seldom get word of "what happened to" the people behind our fave stories, and I thought other fans might like to know. Aly was a big promoter of Moonridge Zoo, which Garett donated to, and, to a lesser extent, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, which Richard donated to. But I had forgotten the name of the charity Richard was connected to, so I went searching. Found it, obviously, but while I was searching, I discovered that Richard's wife is (or was; I didn't check dates) named "Liliana."

*high-pitched spooky voice* Doo-doo, doo-doo; doo-doo, doo-doo...

 

 

One of my friends just got a new-to-her comment on AO3, and I realized that a lot of people don't know about this, and it's a real gut-punch to get one out of the blue. Since forewarned is forearmed, I'll share what I know in case it happens to you. Feel free to copy and/or share this post wherever you feel it could be useful.

I see daily complaints / questions about this on Reddit. AO3 is having a terrible influx of bots and/or scammers. A common variant is a comment that is thrilled with your story, such that they want to "create art" or "create comics" or "discuss ideas for improvement." If someone says 'yes', the next request is to talk off AO3, where they start discussing/demanding money.

There are various forms of hate!bots. "Your story started out so good, then you ruined it by doing X, Y, and Z, how could you let down your readers like that?" Or, "Oh my god, who told you could write? Your story is ordinary and boring, and your grammar and sentence structure are the pits! Go back to school and grow up before you try writing again." By reports, some of them are quite viciously savage. Or, "Your story would be so much better if you included transgender representation; please think of all the trans folks who need to see themselves in media and add a trans character to your story!"

Another is accusations of using AI to write your story, they'll report you immediately, how dare you cheat like that, and you should delete all your stories / account now before you get banned. (For the record, AI is allowed at AO3.)

In other words -- anything that seems outside the norms of fandom interaction is probably a bot or scammer. For example, you know I make art, but I don't approach the author before I start to "sell" them on the idea. I make the art because I want to, then post it, then give the writer the code to use or not, as they choose. There's no going off AO3 to "discuss" it.

(Although there have been a few email exchanges with authors I knew well, to ask their preferences about projects I'd already started. Like "this dress or that dress?" And, "tree A or tree B?" But the dress and tree would be there regardless. It's all about context.)

The recommended response to any of these bots/scammers is to report the comment, then let AO3 deal with and swat them.

So far -- knock on wood -- I haven't had one of these comments, but I've learned about them from Reddit. (That's where I got all my examples.) As I said, be on the lookout, and share where appropriate.

EDIT: raine reminds me that there have also been hacking bots, trying to get into AO3 accounts. Users get an email saying, "someone has requested a password reset for your account." They can be ignored; since it comes to your email, it shows that the bots didn't succeed. AO3's statement is:

“We've recently received a number of other reports from users who are receiving password reset emails that they did not request. We would like to reassure you that receiving these emails does not necessarily mean that someone is deliberately trying to harass you or gain access to ("hack") your account, nor does it mean that your account is at risk.

Password reset emails are automatic messages sent when someone enters either your username or email address into the 'Forgot Password?' form. The emails themselves are not a security threat, and can be safely ignored so long as the email address associated with your AO3 account is secure. Your password will not change unless you use the password reset link."

Peace.

 

 

For those who don't know, Quantum Bang is a super-sized version of Big Bang (fic productions, not the TV show). Stories are written in a variety of fandoms, and most are epic in length, with a number of art illustrations. Some will eventually appear on AO3, but some remain only on the QB site.

For the next two weeks, two (or sometimes three) stories will be posted each day. Here's a list of the titles, and what fandom is represented, that will be posted.

https://quantumbang.org/2025-posting-schedule/

Every year I tell myself to let people know, and every year I fritter away the time. This year, I'm finally taking a minute to actually make a post. And if you don't see anything that piques your interest, click on the Fiction Index to check out stories from the past six years.

Happy reading!

 

 
Over on Reddit, someone made a joking comment about wanting more fics by Orphan Account. Someone mentioned that Googling "orphan_account ao3" would bring up all the stories that had been orphaned.


I tried it and found 484,648 works (currently). How cool! (Note that the page takes several long seconds to open, which was mentioned at Reddit. Kind of strange; seems to work better when you put "orphan_account ao3" in a search engine.)

But... so many fandoms that I neither know or care about. How many pages would I have to go through to find NCIS or SGA?

Idea!

1. Start a Works search.

2. Author: orphan_account

3. Fandom: (whatever you like)

4. Completed fics only.

5. Language: English

Success!

I got 174 works in NCIS.

And 199 works in SGA.

Surprisingly, 99 works in Old Guard. (The fandom is so new, it seems a little incongruous to me.)


Input your fave fandom and have fun. Maybe you'll find some hidden gems that you've never seen before.

 

 
Well, the hard part's done; all the books are sorted and boxed. At a rough estimate, it's 1600 books -- 5 boxes 18" x 18" x 18" (est. 250 books per box) and 5 boxes 12" x 12" x 12" (est 70 books per box).

The small boxes are for my (great)niece and her two kids. I was saving the kid and/or youth-oriented books for the kids; I emailed my niece, asking if her daughter would be interested in the Swallows and Amazons series. Niece said, if her daughter wasn't interested, she'd read them. And I suddenly realized -- Duh! Niece would like some books, too! I blame tunnel-vision. I've been planning this book-purge for about 3 years -- before Niece moved to NM. It wouldn't have been practical to ship a worthwhile number of books to SC, so I didn't even plan on saving books for her, and then that pattern got solidified.

Fortunately, I realized before I was too far into the process. I went through the books already sorted and pulled the best of my old faves (of course!) for her, then separated the rest of the books into six piles -- 5 for the prison and senior citizens' centers, and 1 for Niece and her kids. The sorting wasn't too hard -- even back then, if I liked an author or a series, I bought as much of that author or series as I could find. So if I had one or two books by an author, I usually had a dozen or more -- so everyone gets a little of everything.

While I was sorting, I kept book series together, and used a Sharpie to mark their numerical order on the front cover, so the recipients can easily figure that out. In that process, I found this marvelous site --

Book Series In Order .com

The site owner/manager doesn't have all authors, but the ones that are there -- Under the author name are all their books listed by series (EG Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman), in the order they were published. And a complementary list of the series in chronological order, if that differs from publishing order. It's all very handy if you're a series completist (as I am), and I've bookmarked the site.


In similar news, I saw a notice from primeideal a few days ago; they suggest that FF.net seems to no longer be maintained, and that we should download/save any fic we don't want to lose, ours or others'. Unfortunately, I've lately discovered that my beloved Fanfiction Downloader can't get through the wall that Cloudflare (?) has thrown up around it. But primeideal gave a link to

FicHub.net

as a tool for downloading fic, and it works like a charm. I think it's a bit odd that HTML files (my preferred format) save in a zipped folder, which means a couple of more steps for me as I move files to my fic folders, but beggars can't be choosers. I'm just glad I don't have to go back to saving individual chapters to keep a long fic, as I did in the bad old days.

Edit 6/21/23: Here's an even better one, with a plain HTML output available --

FicLab.com


I still have to call around and see which S.C centers want the books; I am dumbfounded that some aren't interested. One woman told me today, "No, we have 7 shelves of books, and nobody much reads them anymore." I thanked her pleasantly and hung up, while thinking, Well, maybe they'd be interested in *different* books. Another woman explained apologetically that when they get book donations, they let their members take home and keep whatever books they want; was that okay? Well, yeah! Actually, that makes a lot of sense to me; I don't know why you'd want (or be able) to find space for an ever-growing but never-leaving collection of donated books. Well... except for us bibliophiles, of course. But even then, we don't usually acquire a couple of hundred new books at one time to deal with. 😉

 

 
I should have known the jelly-feeding would grow. Soon after they showed up in the spring, the birds were emptying the jelly bowl (6 ounces) in about 22 hours. I had to refill it earlier each day, and sometimes I wasn't home (visiting Cindy). So I put up a second one, and then a third. You should see the overhang of my porch -- three jelly-feeders and a nectar feeder... and they eat all the jelly in those 3 bowls (18 ounces) every day!!! Sometimes it's like a buffet bar out there -- two birds at each bowl, and three or four perched on the honeysuckle planters waiting their turn. At least having that many has cut down on the fussing; if one is crowded, the bird goes to the next. Although there are still spats; the other day, I saw two finches, each one at separate bowls. One finch switched to the bowl with the other finch, landing on the opposite side of the bowl -- and then they sparred open-beaked with each other for about 10 seconds before they settled down and ate peacefully across from each other.

The problem is keeping enough jelly on hand; I'm going through 5-1/2 jars (24 oz each) per week, and Walmart didn't carry enough of the no-high-fructose style earlier this summer, so I had to special order twice. Walmart has had enough the past few weeks, so I keep stocked up. The top of the fridge will hold 16 jars (arranged where I can reach without a step-stool), so each shopping day, I buy enough to replace what I've used that week. When the birds start migrating and the jelly demand decreases, I'll keep a full 16 on hand to be ready next spring without having to worry running to the store.

Interestingly enough (at least to me), I saw one of my curved-billed thrashers enjoying a sugary snack last week. I have no idea if she was only sampling, or if I've just missed a bunch of visits. I really should set up my own bird cam so I can keep track of these things more easily...   Yeah, that falls under "maybe someday".

( For this day, have some fic recs. )

 

 
I discovered that I have... ANTS!!! In the kitchen (okay, I need to clean counters better after I make a mess instead of before I make another mess), and my couch (which is where I eat, so I need to vacuum crumbs more often) -- but why my footstool, with no crumb problem?!? -- and in the bathroom (well, there is that back door in the room). Fortunately, they're teeny-tiny black ants, and slightly larger brown ants, not the honkin' big red ants, so I'm not too freaked out. Unfortunately, with my poor eyesight and stone-patterned variegated floor, it's very difficult for me to see them in the bathroom so that I can take measures. Seriously, ugh! They showed up in the bathroom a couple of months ago; I concluded they must be coming in the back door, so I sprayed insecticide heavily on the footplate and the porch in front of the door, and put down a heavy layer of diatomaceous earth, and they stayed away. Then I found them on my kitchen "working" counter, so I cleaned it up real well, and sprayed insecticide all over the outside wall under and around the window, and that seemed to work there. But there was a big weather disturbance a couple of nights ago (lots of thunder and lightning, no rain for me, but Cindy got a deluge). The ants were all over the dishwasher, so I figured they were after the dirty dishes in there. I sprayed the ants with alcohol (stun/incapacitate them), wiped them up with tissue and tossed them in the toilet. (Didn't want to run the dishwasher, possible power outage.) The next day I ran the dishwasher so there wouldn't be the attractant of dirty dishes... and there were ants scurrying ALL AROUND!!! I went in and sprayed / wiped up a new batch about every 15 minutes, and reluctantly concluded that they're nesting around the sides of the dishwasher, between it and the cabinet walls, where I can't get in to spray them. So I've called the people that sold / installed the dishwasher; they're coming out Tuesday morning to pull the dishwasher out, let me spray heavily with insecticide (UGH!), and put it back. That may require uninstalling and reinstalling instead of just 'pulling out', but I don't see any other way to deal with the ants.

Anyway, I spent the evening after washing dishes and all day yesterday taking preemptive measures. Put a thick towel on the kitchen table, and put the dishwasher racks on the towel till the clean dishes dried, and am now putting the used dishes there -- hopefully far enough away from the source that the ants won't find them. Moved bag of crushed Pepsi cans from under the kitchen sink to the workroom, so that won't be a draw. Thoroughly vacuumed and sprayed with alcohol (hoping to break scent trails) the bathroom floor, bathmats, kitchen floor, living room in front of the couch, the couch cushions, footstool and its cushion, wiped down counters, sink, stove with lots of alcohol. (I've used over a quart in 2 days; literally.) And still I spray/wipe 8 - 10 every 15 minutes or so in the evening -- they're more active in the evening -- and the occasional individual finds me to crawl on my leg or arm, yuck! It's amazing how often our skin gives us a stray, low-grade 'tickle input'. I've always ignored them, other than an absent-minded scratch if necessary, but now there's about a 1-in-20 chance that it's an actual ant that I have to grab and squash, so I'm getting incredibly jumpy. Ugh! I really hope moving / spraying around the dishwasher will fix it; otherwise I'll have to call in an exterminator. But at least it's not roaches -- I freak out big-time about those.

On the other hand, my bathroom and kitchen haven't been so clean in years.

<sigh>

( Okay, on with this week's recs. )

 
Sometimes I'm a little lax about making sure the birds have food. I've hung up a second jelly-feeder; they empty two -- that's about 12 ounces -- in approximately 24 hours. And I dump two sacs of milo seed -- 100 pounds -- at a time. It's been so dry that there's not a lot else for them to eat; that 100 pounds lasts about 3 days.

So I looked out about 4:00 P.M; both jelly bowls were empty and there wasn't a single milo seed left on the feeding-carpet. One little finch was hopping around and around the nectar feeder -- pecking at the walls, trying to get into that sweet red goodness inside. It's odd -- most of them seem to find the drinking holes with no problem, but this little guy seemed not to figure it out; he kept poking at one side, then he'd hop about 90 degrees and poke at the next wall, then the next, then the next...

Well, I put out filled jelly bowls, then backed the truck down the drive (I had two bags in the back) and dumped them on the carpet. But while I did that -- about 16 or 18 of the neighbor's chickens were waiting for the seed, and they crowded close around. I'm a little nervous around chickens -- I worry that they'll peck my legs. Usually they don't hang so close, but that time of the day is "stock up before sunset / bedtime". To make it worse, there are some new pygmy (?) types running around -- they're barely twice the size of a chick, but have adult feathering -- and they were very close to my feet; I was afraid of them getting under the falling grain and being injured.

But I successfully dumped all the seed without injuring any of them, or being injured myself. Then I drove back to the 'parking' spot by the garage -- all of 100 feet -- and came into the house to let everyone eat in peace.

( Then I got sucked into skimming the stories I'm reccing this week -- that's the reason it takes me so long to write these up -- but here they are. )

 

 
THIS:   I'm settling in to my new laptop... and I have just learned that I can scroll the screen up/down/sideways (webpage or Word doc) with two fingers on the touchpad. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!?!? SO much easier than hitting the correct up/down/side arrow. Yep, I just checked on the old laptop; two fingers works on it, too. FIVE YEARS I've been making things harder for myself than I had to!!!

BUT! I'm having to train myself to go the right direction. Way back when I first started using a mouse, my subconscious was convinced that cursor-movement would be the opposite of mouse-movement. IE, if I wanted the cursor to move up, I moved the mouse down; if I wanted the cursor to move right, I moved the mouse left. I have no idea how that idea got so firmly entrenched in my psyche, but it took weeks to break that reflex.

So here I am again, doing the same damn thing. I move two fingers down, I expect the page to go up. I move two fingers left, I expect the page to go right. Hopefully, since I've been through this once, it won't take me so long to break the reflex this time. But still, I go the wrong way about 25% - 30% of the time. Brains are weird.

Also... I keep the spellchecker turned on when typing online or in Word to alert me when my fumble-fingers transpose letters. (It helps for things like Telya instead of Teyla, but does nothing for god instead of dog. <g>) But reading/writing in fandom as I do... there are so many names/terms that I have right-clicked and added to both dictionaries over the years. Think about the Stargate verses, Harry Potter, the Old Guard... even NCIS. LOL, without my help, the dictionary doesn't recognize stargate, or apparate, or habibi, or DiNozzo, or literally dozens of others. Over five years (since the last new computer) I've forgotten about it, and the Harry Potter and Old Guard words have been added piecemeal during that time, so I didn't really notice. Now they're hitting me all at once, and the numbers are astonishing as I right-click-add, right-click-add, right-click-add...


THAT:   My newest fixit -- and it only took me a day to figure it out!

Last year I bought a giant rain gauge so that I could read it from inside the house. It works; I can stand in the living room, about 30 feet away, and see how much rain has fallen. (Granted, given my eyesight -- and need for a new glasses prescription -- I need to use my binoculars, but I don't have to go outside.)

Unfortunately, those pretty yellow numbers fade with enough sun -- and we get approximately 300 days of sun per year. I thought about buying a new one, since it's not very expensive, but it hurts my frugal soul; you just don't throw away things that aren't broken or can't be fixed. So, how could I fix this? Easy! Mark over the faded yellow lines with black Sharpie.

Oops! Not quite. The plastic holder is black, and the tube is transparent; it's hard (darn near impossible) to see the black numbers against the black background. Ah! I have a roll of white contact paper in the house; cut a piece and cover the flat part of the holder. Mm... much better, can see the numbers against the white -- but the holder only goes halfway up the tube, and the top numbers are hard to see against the brushy, weedy background behind the gauge. (Of course, we rarely get anything close to 2.5 inches of rain, let alone more, but it's the principle of the thing.) So a couple of hours later, I brought the tube in again, cut a strip of white contact paper, and put it on the back half of the tube, top to bottom. Yay! All fixed, numbers are visible, and I'm puffed.

Don't I live an exciting life? <g>

( Four recs behind the cut. )

 

 
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Kurgan
Creator Links: rainbowagnes
Category: Gen
Rating: Teen
Length: 3,200 words

Summary: The last thing Teyfuq Mustafayev expects, as he puts the coffee on and slices bread and cheese for his still-sleeping wife Ayshe on a morning still with the promise of the Hot Season that will soon crackle his farm dry, is an American girl with a crumpled pile of hyrvina bills in her hands that he knows at a glance are worth more than his son Murat earns at his engineer’s job in Sevastopol, perfect Moscovite Russian in her mouth, and death in her eyes.   OR: The years pass, Nile speaks Russian, and they do their best to honour the the rites of Andy's people.

Reccer's Notes: Nile and the team honors and buries Andy. This hits me right in the feels; can't believe I haven't recc'd it here. It's beautiful and sweet, but sad; keep a tissue handy.

Characters: Nile, Joe, Nicky, Booker, Nile, OCs
Relationships: Friendship
Themes: Post-canon, Female friendship, Grief/mourning
Content Notes: Death offscreen; mentioned as a fact, no gross descriptions.
Warnings: Major Character death
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: You Have the Right to Lose Control
Creator Links: nevermindirah
Category: M/F
Rating: Explicit
Length: 37,100 words

Summary: Nile's undercover doing corporate espionage to stop climate change, and she's got to pack up her boss bitch suits and spike heels for the upcoming executive retreat — but she's expected to bring a partner. Booker, who's become her best friend since returning from exile, agrees to come with her. She's glad at least one person who appreciates her leadership will be there.
        Or, Nile "I can top the shit out of you lying flat on my back with my eyes closed" Freeman and Sébastien "I will give you whatever you ask of me" Le Livre star in There's Only One Bed in the Fake Relationship Mission Fic meets Domme/sub Friends to Lovers Porn With Feelings featuring a sexy playlist and TEN different kink scenes.

Reccer's Notes: Wonderful story. I love Nile all competent and in charge and doing what she has to do with long-term goals in mind, and Booker getting his shit together to make himself better able to support his team -- and especially Nile. I adore them working together to make sure each is taking care of the other's wants/needs sexually, while making sure their own wants/needs are met -- so HOT! This one's a keeper. This is another fic that inspired my muse to create cover art; nevermindirah graciously posted it on the story.

Characters: Nile, Booker, Andy, Quynh, Joe, Nicky, OCs.
Relationships: Nile/Booker
Themes: Friends to lovers, Fake/pretend relationship, Friendship, Future fic, Undercover as a couple, Undercover missions, Post-canon
Content Notes: Consensual kink domme/sub
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: A Slow Landslide
Creator Links: knoepfchen
Category: Multi
Rating: Mature
Length: 14,600 words

Summary: She watches Andy disappear into the night, half-expecting either Nicky or Joe to stop her or at least put up a fight, but they both do the same. And then they turn to her. “Nile.” Nicky’s voice is quiet, but it doesn’t sound as calm as it usually does. “Please tell us what happened last night.”
        When Nile's dreams about Quynh change shortly after they exile Booker, Andy takes her team up to a loch in Scotland and disappears to sit at the shore. As Nile works with Joe and Nicky to unpack what's going on, it becomes clear that she might be in way over her head - as if the immortality thing wasn't enough.

Reccer's Notes: Quynh seems to be out of the iron maiden -- but she's still trapped. It will need everyone facing off against strange forces, offering personal sacrifices, and working together to free her, so that they can all move forward toward finally healing. Engrossing, kind of scary/intense, but the mission succeeds most satisfactorily.

Characters: Nile, Andy, Joe, Nicky, Quynh, Booker, Copley
Relationships: Andy/Quynh, Nile/Booker, Joe/Nicky
Themes: Getting back together, Families of choice, Post-canon, Folklore, Mythical beings & creatures, Angst
Content Notes: Supernatural danger, Non-graphic child death, Canon-typical injuries & temporary death
Warnings: Choose not to use
Status: Complete
 

 
I seem to be devolving into every-other week... but at least I have a good excuse for missing last week:   Setting up my new iPad, yay! MORE MEMORY!!! YAAAYYY!!! I've had the old one for seven years (I think), and the battery doesn't stay charged very long anymore. I could deal with that -- no biggie -- but using it as an e-reader has become really frustrating. If I go off the page (say, to add an item to my grocery list in 'Reminders', or to play a game of solitaire, or if I've downloaded new books or fanfic), it takes -- literally -- four or five minutes for a book or fanfic to open when I go back to it. Quite likely, I'm taxing the memory; I have over 3500 books and 800 or so fanfics. (Some of the books are processed as "docs", so I don't have an exact count.)

I know I don't need to have all the books downloaded -- they can be "parked" at Amazon and I just download a half-dozen or so for a time so I'll never run out of something to read... but I can't do that, sensible though it would be. The books just don't feel like "mine" unless they're in my hot little hand.

Getting the books into the new iPad is no problem -- as soon as I made it my primary reading device at Amazon, it populated the pad with all my folders and available books. I just have to tap to download, which I'm doing when I visit Cindy -- they have broadband, which is [a] faster than my satellite version and [b] doesn't have a usage limit. (I already need to buy extra data every month; downloading 4,500+ books/fics would be irritatingly expensive.)

But, as always... the main two programs I use have fallen victim to "They take a good thing and improve it till it's worse" syndrome.

The Kindle app [a] used to toggle between dark and light background (user's choice); that option is no longer available. It's not a problem to look at a page of book-covers on a white background; the colored covers are easy to distinguish. But looking at white fanfic pages on a white background, with the edges fading into the background and only the minimal color of the titles showing the differentiation between one page and another is eye-watering. [b] AND we can no longer specify that the time shows permanently at the top left corner of the page. We can see the time by tapping the page... but I don't remember to tap. There's a big difference between an eye-flick -- almost unconscious -- and needing to choose to tap. I need that reminder that time is passing, dammit! Otherwise I get to bed even later than my usual too-late time. Again, having the time always showing used to be reader's choice. I don't understand why they decided that we no longer get access to choices we once had. It's very irritating.

The other changed app is solitaire. (Playing two or three games is my wind-down before bed.) I very deliberately bought the same "brand" I have in the old iPad, but [a] it no longer fills the page! Buh?!? Okay, maybe some people prefer a more compact view... but why the hell can't we toggle between, say, 2/3rds screen and full screen?

But the worse fault is [b] it no longer keeps game stats. The old version has a "High Scores" button; it shows number of games you've played, number you've won, and winning percentage. I always played to 100 games, then reset the stats; it's a fun challenge to see how high a percentage I can get "this time". That's completely absent from the new version.   <heavy sigh>   Fortunately, the old iPad works just fine for solitaire -- no lag at all -- so I'll keep using it; problem solved. But again -- why take away a functionality that was previously available? I'd call it a dark, dastardly plot... but to what purpose?

<shrug> Oh, well.

So anyway, I can download Amazon books when I'm at Cindy's... but I have to resend all my fanfic through Amazon to the iPad. And since I have to resend anyway, I might as well "fix" the formatting of the stories where I did a half-assed job last time. I have it standardized now, and have found a much quicker way to change the double-spaced block paragraphs to single-spaced indented paragraphs. (I may bore you with the technique some day.) But even though I've made the formatting quicker and easier and standardized, it still takes time... Ah well, it doesn't take much mental power, so I can format several during the evening news. (And all day yesterday because, why not? <g>)

( Now that I've nattered on so long, four recs behind the cut. )
 

 

I thought about making a post yesterday -- but I was getting info ready to visit a new doctor today. (A-OK; no worries.) So since I missed last week, I decided a day late is better than missing again. Four recs this week, because two are short.


Fandom: NCIS and SGA
Fanwork Links: End of His Rope
Creator Links: jane_x80
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 28,500 words

Summary: When Tony disappears without a trace, Fornell is the one charged to find him and bring him back safely. But there are no clues as to Tony's whereabouts, and Fornell has no choice but to retrace his final known steps and delve into a case file that Tony had squirreled away in a secret hiding place, that of a Marine murdered in an inexplicably mysterious way. The case itself had been unceremoniously yanked from the MCRT by those much higher than the SecNav and all evidence confiscated, but Tony had apparently been secretly obsessed with the case. Was his obsession with the case the reason he disappeared? Had he been 'disappeared' by someone, or had he just decided to walk away from his entire life? It is up to Fornell to figure out what happened to the missing NCIS agent.

Reccer's Notes: While working on a very strange double murder, orders come from SecNav to turn over all evidence and information to a group of military personnel and stop investigating. Tony continues the investigation in secret; the case particulars resonate with his pre-NCIS life. But when he's kidnapped by SGC and sent to Atlantis to investigate and solve the case, Tony finds more than one case that needs his attention, a comfortable place to work and belong, and a potential new love.

Characters: Tony DiNozzo, Gibbs, Ziva, Tim McGee, Tobias Fornell, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex
Pairings: Tony DiNozzo/Ronon Dex
Themes: Crossovers, Competency, Case fic, Falling in love
Content Notes: Dom/sub undertones
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Another Hundred People
Creator Links: AphroditesTummyRolls
Category: M/M
Rating: Not rated (I'd say Teen)
Length: 3,300 words

Summary: He still had a minuscule spatter of blood on his boot, he noticed while dropping his gaze for a moment to rest his eyes. His head was so heavy— did a little blood really matter? It had rusted to a brownish, dirt-like color. He could say it was dirt.
        This was New York, after all. Nobody looked at you, nobody saw, and even if they did, a bloodied shoe was far from the weirdest thing they’d seen. Nicky was too old, too tired to care.

Reccer's Notes: Sweetly beautiful, as a very tired Nicky takes care of and looks out for an even tireder Joe, with unexpected help from a kind stranger.

Characters: Joe, Nicky, OC
Pairings: Joe/Nicky
Themes: Comfort, Caring, Cuddling & snuggling, Slice of life
Content Notes: None
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Fanwork Links: The Neighborly Detective And The Tragic Woobie Widower
Creator Links: Elayna
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 49,600 words (plus several sequels)

Summary: Detective John Sheppard starts his new life in suburbia and becomes steadily captivated by his neighbor, Dr. Rodney McKay, and his son Timothy. This fic started because I wondered why Rodney never got to be the tragic woobie widower in fic.

Reccer's Notes: Rodney didn't go to Atlantis because his wife died and he had a son to care for. John didn't go to McMurdo because he basically told the Air Force 'Fuck you' and took a discharge. Now he's a detective who's moved into a fixer-upper next door to Rodney. After an inauspicious first meeting with the boy, John becomes friendly with Timothy, then Rodney, which eventually develops into a delightful more.
        This is basically an extended Slice-of-Life as John, Rodney, and Timothy get to know, and develop affection for, each other. Very sweet and comfortable, and delightful to read.

Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Katie Brown, OCs
Pairings: John/Rodney
Themes: Friends to lovers, Kid fic, Domestic, Slice of life
Content Notes: None
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Remember me for centuries
Creator Links: AsukaX
Category: Gen
Rating: Gen
Length: 2,700 words

Summary: “The cave is where Andy stores her treasures, and this is ours.”
        Nile discovers some of Joe and Nicky's presents to each other over the centuries, leading Nicky to tell her the story of what happened to the first few gifts they ever gave each other.

Reccer's Notes: This is absolutely beautiful. I love the empathy and connection between Nile and Nicky, and this story depicts it so well. This is another of my favorite trope -- "Nile learning about her new life with help from the others", and it's a wonderful example of that.

Characters: Nicky, Nile.
Pairings: Joe/Nicky background
Themes: Post-canon, Friendship, Memories
Content Notes: None
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

 

 
Fandom: Harry Potter and Stargate SG-1
Fanwork Links: Harry Potter and the Interfering Professor
Creator Links: Marzipan77
Category: Gen
Rating: Teen
Length: 13,600 words

Summary: Daniel Jackson has ascended - now what? The Others have agreed to allow Daniel to visit other realities, other universes, on a quest to balance his own soul. Daniel wants to make a difference - and there are plenty of people out there who could use his help. Thankfully, the Others are willing to come along for the ride.
        At St. Mungo's, Daniel dons his healer/psychologist robes to right a wrong, to heal a family. In Azkaban, there is more than one soul to be saved. At Number 4 Privet Drive, a child needs rescuing. And, at Hogwarts, two giants among men are changed.

Reccer's Notes: I loved this; of course fair-minded Daniel, the Daniel who wants to help everyone he meets, wouldn't just float around while ascended. If he was prevented from helping those in his own universe, why not help folks in other universes? It's a real feel-good story, even though I didn't quite catch all the references the first time because I knew so little of HP canon. Now that I know more, it's even more fun. Daniel visits everyone who's destined to interact with Harry; we can see that the ripples will spread and allow Harry to become the boy who lived a bright and happy life. Too bad we can't stay and observe... but Daniel is off to help other people in other universes.

Characters: Daniel Jackson, Rubeus Hagrid, Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Frank & Alice Longbottom, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, the Dursleys.
Pairings: None
Themes: Never met in canon, Fix-it, Crossovers & fandom fusions
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Sentinel and Magnificent 7 (ATF AU)
Fanwork Links: Refuge
Creator Links: Cindy Combs at Wolfpup's Den
Category: Gen
Rating: Teen
Length: 22,600 words

Summary: When an ATF agent is on the run and believes his teammates are dead, who else is he going to call but his former Ranger C.O. -- James Ellison. (modern-day M7 AU)

Reccer's Notes: A solid case fic that expertly weaves together these two fandoms. The shared history between Jim and Vin is realistic, with everyone nicely in character. It sticks in my mind for the friendship and teamwork on both sides that leaves us feeling good after the bad guys are (of course) dealt with.

Characters: Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg, Vin Tanner, Simon Banks, Chris Larabee, Ezra Standish, J.D Dunne, Buck Wilmington, Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson, Joel Taggart, Judge Orrin Travis, OCs.
Pairings: None
Themes: Never met in canon, Action/adventure, Friendship, Case fic, Crossovers/fusions, (Not really) character death, Hurt/comfort.
Warnings: None
Content Notes: Canon-typical violence. Grief for (presumed) death of teammates.
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: NCIS and The Sentinel and Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis
Fanwork Links: Four Military Men
Creator Links: LadyRa
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 44,600 words

Summary: Blair, Tony, Daniel and Rodney all meet in high school and become good friends. When their twenty year high school reunion comes around, Tony decides to get them all to attend -- with their significant others.

Reccer's Notes: Premise -- 3 geeks and a jock make friends in high school. Twenty years later, they've all fallen love with military (or ex-) men. When they try to get together for their high-school reunion, somehow they all end up on Atlantis -- where the geek and the jock who didn't know it are, of course, a surprisingly good fit. This story is mostly an excuse to get four favorite pairs from four fandoms together in a fairly reasonable, not-too-cracky way. But who cares? It works very well and is a lot of fun, way up on the list of "favorite stories to be reread multiple times." Go forth, read, and smile.

Characters: Tony DiNozzo, Jethro Gibbs, Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, George Hammond, Tom Morrow.
Pairings: Tony/Gibbs, Jack/Daniel, John/Rodney, Jim/Blair
Themes: Never met in canon, Getting back together, Friendship, Post-canon (TS and SGA)
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and NCIS
Fanwork Links: Trust Issues
Creator Links: Ellywinkle on their site.
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 78,100 words

Summary: While taking voice prints for a case, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo stumbles across a kidnapping. His trust in his team is shattered when his expected rescue never appears. Now he finds himself forced to use every skill he has to keep himself and his fellow victim alive as he is thrust into a universe that is much larger and deadlier than he ever imagined.

Reccer's Notes: When a hostage/kidnapping becomes even wilder and more unbelievable than usual -- seriously, aliens and spaceships?! -- Tony is determined to do whatever he can to protect the civilian. For his part, Rodney comes to realize that Tony is a type he's familiar with, who hides competency and intellect under fluffy hair and a disarming grin. They work together to rescue themselves and escape the bad guys, with -- eventually -- the help of the ship. But the danger isn't over when they return to Earth. By the time the dust clears, Gibbs and Tony have new careers -- and Tony a potential love waiting for him in a new galaxy.
Characters: Anthony DiNozzo, Rodney McKay, Jethro Gibbs, OMC (Alex - spaceship), Jack O'Neill, John Sheppard, Tom Morrow, Ronon Dex, Jimmy Palmer, Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Tim McGee, Ziva David, Leon Vance.
Pairings: John/Rodney, pre-Ronon/Tony
Themes: Never met in canon, Action/adventure, Competence, Crossovers/fusions, Novel-length fic
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

 

 
Apologies for forgetting last week. I've been busy-busy, though not sure at what. I'm able to visit Cindy most afternoons for Lucifer fanfic-reading and episode-watching, which shortens the amount of time in the day I have to 'accomplish something'. (Not that I often actually accomplish more than the basic necessities of food, bathing, sleep, and fanfic-reading. <g>)

Although yesterday afternoon and this afternoon, I broke down a big pile of tumbleweed and loaded it in the truck to take to the dump tomorrow. We had a BIG windstorm a few weeks ago; a bunch of tumbleweed was stopped by the neighbor's fence, and piled up in front of my wellhouse, in an area about 6 feet by 10 feet by almost 5 feet high, which meant that I couldn't get into the wellhouse. I need to go only occasionally, to change the filter, or to check that the heat lamp is working if it gets really cold, but waiting until I need to do one of those is not the time to start a 5-hour task. <g>

For those who don't know, tumbleweed is a large ball of curved branches with lots of small spikes that love to break off in skin. It's actually very nutritious, and tumbleweed doesn't get big enough to tumble if it grows where animals are grazing; they eat it first. But it's a lot more romantic in song than reality. (Jimmy Rogers; I've known this version since I was about 12.)

And as long as you're here, give a listen to Someplace Green, also by Jimmy Rogers... which I can't find a digital copy to buy anywhere! grr...

ANYway, I figured out a painless way to compress that huge mass of brush to fit into my pickup bed. I have some old commercial truck mudflaps lying around -- 2 feet by 3 feet of heavy rubber; I bought them years ago to make walkways through the muddy barnyard. So I grabbed one. Then, take a couple of weeds to the driveway, drop the mudflap on it, and stomp all over it to flatten the weed. Then, as I put them in the truck-bed, repeat the process to compact them as much as possible. I think I did a pretty good job; I'll have to take my pitchfork tomorrow to make it easier to unload. But even with covering the weeds as I stomped, and wearing leather work-gloves, I still have three or four pokes and scratches on my arms and legs; tumbleweeds don't play nice. And yet... if a dried tumbleweed blows into an area with horses, cows, or goats, they'll eat it, stickers and all. No idea how they manage!

Such is the exciting life of a rural dweller. Aren't you impressed? <g>

( Okay, on to this week's recs. Every story this week is lighthearted to downright funny; for some reason, it just feels appropriate today. )
 

 

So, stargateficrec is having "open reccer's month" -- any member can post recs. You see where this is going right? It's like dangling feathers on a string in front of a cat -- I just have to pounce. <g> Consequently, I've been refreshing my memory of old Stargate fics (mostly SGA-flavored) and dipping into them to make competent recs. So many good stories, so little time. So I've been reading and formatting all day, and the next few weeks, I'll be reccing more Stargate. My urge to rec crashes into my essential laziness so, if I rec at one place, might as well rec the same story at the other, right? (Although not necessarily the same week.) I repeat -- so much fic, so little time.

( Behind the cut, so my reading page won't look like ALL the fic-recs are coming from me. )
 

 

I’ve been discussing AU’s with a friend from the Sentinel fandom -- specifically, stories in The Old Guard fandom where the characters are ordinary mortals. I thoroughly enjoy them; she’s wary of them in general, though she’s enjoyed a few I rec’d to her. She feels like The Sentinel would lack something important if Jim didn’t have his enhanced senses, and there’s a similar lack if TOG are not immortal.

I agree about point 1, but not point 2. I feel there’s a major difference between Jim’s enhanced senses and The Old Guards’ immortality --

The enhanced senses changes Jim’s relationship to the world, and the senses are a part of him; he’d be a very different person if he never developed them. Actually, no he wouldn’t, but he would react to and interact with the world in a very different way. BUT! Jim can be a sentinel any time, any place, in ancient Rome, or the jungle, or a spaceship, or a 16-year-old at a riding stable. He could work as a cop, or search and rescue, or similar ‘protective’ professions and still be Jim. But it’s true; without the senses, he wouldn’t be ‘Jim’.

But an extra (extra, extra, extra...) long life doesn’t change the Old Guard characters; they’re still ‘ordinary’ people -- the sum of their lived life, with beliefs and attitudes built on their experiences, just like the rest of us. It’s just that their lived life stretches back waaaayyyy longer than most of us, with far more experiences. But they draw on those experiences to inform their decisions and live the best life they can, just as we non-immortals do. If we decide that a few extra centuries of experiences makes them intrinsically different from us ordinary mortals, we’d have to extrapolate that and decide that a 75-year-old is intrinsically different than a 21-year-old, and that just doesn’t make sense to me. They even know that they’ll eventually have a final death, and they don’t know when or how it will happen -- exactly like the rest of us. Them being immortal doesn’t make huge changes in them as people

But for story-telling purposes, the immortality changes the Old Guard characters in an intrinsic way. If they've already been alive for a few hundred years, it's impossible to have a setup like coerced marriage to prevent feuding between families. The ‘eternal husbands’ (as they’re called around some circles of the fandom) are a lot of fun, and sweet, and I love seeing how they keep that fresh and make it work within their long lives and within the larger family dynamics. But if we want stories about ‘new love’, or ‘getting to know each other’, the stories must either [a] be set in the early 1100’s, or [b] we have to remove immortality from the equation. If we want them to be something other than constantly on the move, helping where they can and then disappearing before their secret is discovered, we need to delete the ‘immortal’ part of the equation.

Personally, I love AUs, and I’m not terribly picky about them, as long as they include my favorite characters. However, I can separate what I like from how effective the AU actually is. (I’m capable of enjoying a story that I wouldn’t rec because it’s just not that well done.) I judge the success of an AU by how well the author keeps the characterizations true to what the movie showed, or what we can extrapolate from that and the graphic novels. And some of the characterization I expect comes from fanon, I think, but I don’t care; it works for me. Basically --

I expect to see a Joe who is rather expansive in his speech and body-language, with a large amount of joi de vivre and an underlying bedrock of kindness, who is a gifted artist and a poet (or at least enjoys poetry), who is deeply, fervently in love with Nicky. If the author gives me that kind of Joe, I don’t care if he’s a witch in the forest, or a baker in Malta, or a court bard on a quest, or a widower with six-year-old twins. And actually -- points 1, 2, or 3 are fairly minor points in the ‘witch in the forest story’... but there’s such an essential Joeness in the characterization, even though I can’t put my finger on exactly what that is, that it doesn’t matter.

I expect a Nicky who is more reserved in speech and body-language, who is fairly quiet and rather self-effacing, but with a similar underlying bedrock of kindness as we see in Joe, and a passionate commitment to helping others. It’s a bonus if he shows that with his Italian-grandmother style of talented cooking to feed everyone within his circle. And of course, he’s gotta be just as deeply, fervently in love with Joe. Given that kind of Nicky, I don’t care if he’s a furniture restoration specialist, or a doctor on respite leave, or a tattoo artist (in that one, Joe’s creativity comes out in growing plants), or working part-time as a volunteer fireman.

I could expound on the characterizations I want to see in Andy, Nile, and Booker, but I’ve spent two days (off and on) pulling my thoughts together and putting them in coherent form. And I figure there’s no need -- you’ll most likely be looking for different aspects than I will anyway; it’s the nature of the beast.

What inspired this ramble was my email conversation with my friend, and the realization that a lot of my Old Guard recs seem to be AUs. Ah, well, that’s how I groove; I’m not twisting anyone’s arm to read them. (Although I’m trying to twist my friend’s arm to read the ‘Joe has kids and hires Nicky as their babysitter’ story; it’s stupendous!) It’s not that I avoid Old Guard stories that are canon-compliant (or at least canon-adjacent); it’s just that if, when I’m choosing the next story to read, I’ll frequently pick the AU first, and save the canon-adjacent for later.

So, after all this, I’ve decided that today’s recs will be all Old Guard, and two of them will be AUs. I was planning to make it three, but the canon-compliant story is just too delightful not to rec. <g>

( The ramble is long enough; recs behind the cut. )

 

Fandom: Harry Potter
Fanwork Links: Birth of the Serpent King
Creator Links: Keira Marcos on her own site.
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 105,000 words

Summary: What if Lucius Malfoy had interfered and saved Harry Potter’s life during the third task? The Harry that returns to Hogwarts after the resurrection of Voldemort has been tempered by fire, the Potter Family legacy, and a relationship he couldn’t have ever expected. In the wake of his father’s redemption -- Draco Malfoy finds everything he could have ever wanted in the man that was once his enemy.

Reccer's Notes: Keira's long stories are beautifully layered and complex, and this one totally fits that description. Harry feels it only right to write to Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, extending his sympathy at the death of Lucius, and explaining how he helped Harry before he was killed. The Malfoys respond to that kindness, and a cautious friendship develops as they help Harry navigate his position in the Wizarding world. As Harry and Draco work together to establish their new places as Lord of their Houses, their personal relationship grows even deeper.

Characters: Harry, Draco, Narcissa, everyone else at Hogwarts
Pairings: Harry/Draco   and   Sirius/Severus (hinted at)
Themes: Enemies to friends to lovers, Novel, Canon divergence, Competency
Warnings: Underage? Harry & Draco are 15, but everything (handjobs, frottage) is consensual.
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Time Passed, Maybe Too Long
Creator Links: Castalie
Category: M/M
Rating: Gen
Length: 8,400 words

Summary:

Reccer's Notes: “Nile integrating into the team” as they recover in a secluded safe-house and deal with the changes in their lives after the movie. It’s a gentle slice-of-life from Joe’s POV that meanders through history, art, philosophy, humor, and general team-bonding. I’m a little biased (note below), but it’s well worth a read -- or a re-read, as I’ve just discovered. Once I saw the movie, I noticed a couple of in-jokes, very snicker-worthy, and a few lines that I thought were ‘casual’ resonate from the movie and have a lot more depth.
        This story was my intro to TOG fandom. Castalie and I go way back; I beta’d her stories in The Sentinel fandom. When she asked me to beta a story for a movie I hadn’t seen, I had no concerns. Castalie writes with so much heart and empathy, and remains so true to the characters, that all I need to do is help with the language. But -- re: ‘heart and empathy’ -- this single story made me fall in love with The Old Guard. I’ve since watched the movie “many times” (<g>), produced the transcript, and I’m still trying to read All. The. Fic! But even after a couple of hundred now under my belt, this story still shines.

Characters: Nile, Joe, Nicky, Andy
Pairings: Joe/Nicky (background)
Themes: Post-canon, Families of choice, Domestic, Character development, Comfort
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: NCIS x Stargate SG-1
Fanwork Links: A House Divided
Creator Links: shadeshifter
Category: M/M
Rating: Gen
Length: 22,800 words

Summary: Just after coming back from Israel, Tony is sent on a secret undercover mission with little preparation and some serious doubts. He uncovers a lot more than he could have ever anticipated, but it may just be everything he's ever wanted.

Reccer's Notes: What an intriguing concept -- people who have some aspects of both guide and sentinel. Tony becomes suspicious that his undercover op is not what it should be -- again! -- and takes steps to address the problem. During the investigation Tony the not-quite sentinel meets Daniel the not-quite guide, and things change dramatically.

Characters: Tony, Vance, Morrow, Hammond, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Sam, various others, mostly from SG-1
Pairings: Tony DiNozzo/Daniel Jackson
Themes: Undercover, Competency, Developing relationship, Sentinels and Guides are known, Canon divergence
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

 

 

Hi, folks. Sorry I forgot about last weekend. I've been absolutely riveted by a 300+ page Old Guard story. But I can't just read it, oh no! I'm absolutely compelled to pretty it up with fancy divider bars, add pictures of all the foods mentioned (each of which has to be searched, selected, cleaned, and cut for the page), and edit the SPaG -- which is actually pretty good. But some common writing habits irritate me, and things I can ignore in an average-length story really start to grate after 50 or 60 pages. <shrug> The things we do for fandom.

Also, Cindy is slowly but surely dragging me into Lucifer fandom. Every visit, we watch an episode or two, then read a fic or two -- in between chatting and just plain visiting, of course. I'm not feeling super fannish about the show, but I figure it's just a matter of time; it's cute and fun, and I can definitely see the draw. (*rolls eyes* Like I need another fandom to follow.) When I asked for recs a couple of weeks ago, firecat linked to a story by Antarctic_Echoes. We read that, and then another one, and more on the next visits. If you're a Lucifer fan and don't know this author, check them out; their stories are lots of fun, and very much in snarky, humorous character. One of their stories is in my rec lineup today; I guess the 'new fandom' line has already been crossed? So far I haven't read any Lucifer fic except to Cindy... but that might change after I actually finish my current obsession.


But before I get to the fic recs, how about a comics rec, passed on from thewayne -- a collection of all the Foxtrot Halloween strips. <g> Chuckling good fun; enjoy.

( Here are the fic recs, cut to save your reading page. )
 

 


Fandom: NCIS x Hawaii Five-0 x The Sentinel
Fanwork Links: The Subtle Body
Creator Links: Keira Marcos on her site
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 27,800 words

Summary: Steve McGarrett’s unwitting rejection of a guide he’s never met in the week that he comes online leads him to a cursed path that is unspeakable for a sentinel. He can do nothing but endure and protect the guide meant to be his the best way he can -- no matter what form his body takes.

Reccer's Notes: A Ladyhawke-based Sentinel fusion crossed with Hawaii 5-0 and NCIS, starring Tony DiNozzo and Steve McGarrett. They bonded at first sight, but were hit by a curse; each is their spirit animal (hawk and wolf) part time while the other is human; they see each other as human only for the few seconds of transition twice a day. With the help of the 5-0 team, they've made it work for two years, but things are getting worse. They have to find the curse-caster and force him to free them or they'll never have a normal life. All ends well, of course, after a thoroughly satisfying read.

Characters: Tony DiNozzo, Steve McGarrett, Blair Sandburg, Jim Ellison, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua
Pairings: Tony/Steve   and   Blair/Jim
Themes: AU: sentinels & guides are known, Spells and enchantments, Shapeshifters, Crossovers/fusions.
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Lustrum
Creator Links: Squintern
Category: M/M   and   F/F (background)
Rating: Explicit
Length: 57,000 Words

Summary: Five years since Joe had gotten down on one knee, the beaten silver ring he’d had made special held out, the perfect size for his finger. Five years since he had looked Joe in the eye, his own wide and terrified, and said no. Five fucking years since he’d fled the party and disappeared with nothing more than a note left on their counter saying he was sorry.

Reccer's Notes: Boy loves boy, boy proposes marriage, boy says 'no' and leaves... then returns 5 years later. Can boys get back together? Should boys get back together? What do you listen to when your head says it's a bad idea, but your heart cries, "YES!"?
        Told from Joe's POV, this story details his angsty push-pull evaluation when Nicky returns after 5 years -- they still love each other, they still want each other... but Joe doesn't know if he can overcome the deep-seated mistrust he still feels: since Nicky left once, he might leave again. While he's debating -- with the help/interference of all his friends -- Joe and Nicky have lots of delicious, smokin'-hot sex, which doesn't help his decision at all. This long, well-told, lovingly-crafted story keeps them -- and us! -- wondering until the very last scene.

Characters: Joe, Nicky, Nile, Andy, Quynh, Booker, Lykon
Pairings: Joe/Nicky   and   Andy/Quynh (background)
Themes: Getting back together, AU: no powers, POV character of color, Angst, Emotional hurt/comfort
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: Harry Potter
Fanwork Links: Bond
Creator Links: Anna Fugazzi on FF.net
Category: M/M
Rating: M (according to author, but there is explicit sex)
Length: 204,000 words

Summary: Yet another one of those Harry And Draco Are Forced To Be Together By Something Beyond Their Control And Then Stuff Happens Leading To Twoo Wuv stories. Because every HD writer has to write at least one.

Reccer's Notes: This story is an exploration of what happens when two young men who can’t stand each other are forced into living and working together by a magical bond and, eventually, into a physical relationship. Neither accepts this willingly, and they have to deal with the added hassle of associating with each other’s houses, but gradually, eventually, they begin to accept and enjoy their new relationship. It’s not smooth sailing by any means -- just when you think, “Okay, finally we’re ready for ‘happily ever after’!” the author tosses another obstacle into their path. It’s not easy, but Harry and Draco -- and their friends in both houses -- finally reach a realistic (for magical values of ‘realistic’) and amicable status quo.

I also made art for this story, but I suppose it won’t post on that site. You can see it on my art page.

Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Original Female Character
Pairings: Harry/Draco
Themes: Spells & enchantments, Enemies to friends to lovers, First time, Forced relationship, Forced marriage, Novel
Warnings: None apply. But note: Harry and Draco are both seventeen, and it could be considered non-con in that the bond forces them to want a relationship. But Draco (already sexually experienced) specifically assures Harry that Harry can set the pace and keeps that promise; he does nothing to force sex with Harry.
Status: Complete


 

 

Before the recs this week, I need to burble a bit.

In case you don't know them, let me introduce you to two excellent fandom authors -- Jilly James and Keira Marcos.

Jilly writes in the following fandoms:
9-1-1,   Criminal Minds,   Hannibal,   Harry Potter,   Hawaii Five-0,   The Hobbit,   Leverage,   Marvel Cinematic Universe,   MacGyver,   The Magnificent Seven,   Magnum PI,   NCIS,   Numb3rs,   Stargate Atlantis,   Stargate SG-1,   The Sentinel,   and   Teen Wolf

Keira writes in similar fandoms:
9-1-1,   Aliens,   Criminal Minds,   Hannibal,   Harry Potter,   Hawaii Five-0,   Inception,   Live Free or Die Hard,   MacGyver 2016,   Madam Secretary,   Marvel MCU,   NCIS,   Numb3rs,   Sherlock Holmes,   Star Trek,   Star Wars,   Stargate Atlantis,   The Hobbit,   The Mandalorian,   The Sentinel,   and   The Terminator.


Their styles are not really similar, but I can't help connecting them in my mind.

1. Partly, perhaps because they both maintain their own websites rather than using AO3, and they're mutual friends, and often beta each other.

2. More, it's the sheer scope of their writing. They both write / have written in such a variety of fandoms; I read 8 or 10 from each list. They both write almost as many crossovers as single-fandom stories, as well as a fair number of AUs and/or canon-alternates, all of which I personally groove on.

3. But mostly, they're both excellent, very talented authors. Their short stories (under 3,000 words) are delightful, easily capturing the feel and heart of the characters with a few well-chosen words and phrases, and usually leaving me with a little happy smile on my face. But their long stories (or series) are phenomenal -- complex, multi-layered, tightly-plotted, thoroughly engaging, and beautifully satisfying.


~ahem~ Maybe a wee bit of hyperbole there... but not much. Both of these authors have led me to read in fandoms for which I have only the tiniest knowledge. Well, tiny when I began (usually via a crossover), but they dragged me deeper and deeper -- not that I protested, you understand. I did some more research to understand background and characters, and I now read in 4 fandoms that I didn't before they opened the door. I've also progressed from wanting them to be crossed with a fandom I know well, to reading 'new'-fandom-only stories... sometimes even by other authors.

So if you don't know them -- which is unlikely, but you never know -- and you read in any of those fandoms, head on over to their pages and sign on to their email lists, so you'll know when they post a new story.

As to what brought this on -- my first rec tonight is Jilly's latest story, but just recc'ing it wasn't enough; I needed to burble. I almost recc'd it last week, when I was only two chapters in, but I restrained myself so that I could give a full evaluation... but I guess sitting on the excitement that the story produced had to come gushing out somewhere. <g>

For the record -- despite the time-stamp, it's still the weekend because I haven't gone to bed yet. I started early enough to post this in a more timely manner, but the Star Trek (reboot) movie was on TV tonight. I've been reading some Star Trek reboot (thanks Keira!), but had never seen the movie. I thought I could format a post while watching -- I rarely give more than half of my attention to a movie or TV -- but nope; it dragged me in. At least now I have faces and voices in my memory for when I read more Star Trek.

Now on to the recs -- behind the cut, because I've already taken up enough of your reading page.

( Read more... )

 

 

Over on Quora, someone asked, "How bad can a first manuscript be?" Mercedes Lackey answered, Well, this is the classic first manuscript that made the rounds of editors in the 1980s that was so bad it was done in round-robin midnight readings. You could read until you broke up laughing, then you had to pass it to the next in line.


Her answer included a link to The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis. The transcriber's note claims, "all effort has been made to retain the full and correct text, preserving even mis-spellings and dropped spaces."

I started giggling halfway through the second sentence, and quit after about half a page -- funny as hell, in a groaning, disbelieving way, but I have better things to do with my time... one of which is to share with all of you.

After you give at least a glance at this story -- it really has to be seen to be believed -- check out some of the comments under Ms. Lackey's answer, such as...

That was amazing! My hare prickled yawkishly the hole weigh threw!

and --


I...

have no words!

He abused every last one of them.



Farther down, someone asked, Wasn’t the expression purple prose coined for that work?


To which someone else answered, Yes, although, that seems to generate its own category of “even purpler purple prose.”

Or “extremely purple prose.”

Yeesh.

So purple it's black and blue.


( Here's the first half-dozen paragraphs. Don't eat or drink anything while reading. )


Amazing, isn't it? I gotta say... Mary Sues, Marty Stus, and self-inserts can't hold a candle to this; it makes the worst fanfic I've ever seen compare favorable with Shakespeare. (OTOH, I don't go trawling for bad fanfic.)


But I can't help it; this just has to be shared. I'm especially looking at you, sallymn. Words used this badly are a reminder that we need to celebrate words that are used correctly, and well. Let us never forget.

 

 

I almost forgot. I knew it was the weekend, but I didn't connect it to "The Weekend". I think I need to set an alert on my phone. When it got too hot to work on Project 1 (clearing weeds and dirt in front of the garage to put down rubber mats), I followed Project 2 down the rabbit hole -- organizing my divider bars, formatting them all to a standard size, and playing with colors via my new paint chart. Neither is finished, but I've made considerable progress on both -- maybe two more days to finish each... unless I start on another project in the meantime; I have several calling my name.



Fandom: NCIS
Fanwork Links: Bourbon & Aspirin
Creator Links: geminiangel
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 118,000 words

Summary: Gift request: Green card wedding: Gibbs is forced to marry Tony (who was born in Italy and due to a clerical mistake never became a US citizen) in order for Tony to retain his position at NCIS.

Reccer's Notes: This very long story is a rose-colored-glasses view of what happens after Gibbs and Tony marry for convenience. This story is packed with crimes solved, a developing relationship between Gibbs and Tony, an unexpected inheritance, Jackson joining the family, Tony getting a puppy, a honeymoon in Italy combined with discovering Tony's true background, and more I'm forgetting. We see a generous, openhearted Tony learning to deal with his new circumstances while falling in love with Gibbs in a way that occasionally verges on sappiness, but never quite crosses the line -- though I don't think I'd mind if it did. Very satisfying all around. Oh, and this another entrant where my muse insisted I make cover art; the author has posted it on the story.

Characters: Tony, Gibbs, Abby, Tim, Ducky, OC's
Pairings: Tony/Gibbs
Themes: Friends to Lovers, First Time, Families of Choice, Novel, Marriage of Convenience, Developing Relationship
Warnings: Choose not to use (I don't remember anything)
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: due South
Fanwork Links: No Such Thing As Coincidence
Creator Links: musegaarid
Category: M/M
Rating: Teen
Length: 3,200 words

Summary: While working with Vecchio, a lonely Fraser puts a personal ad in the Chicago Tribune. Kowalski answers.

Reccer's Notes: Engaging letters between Fraser and Ray K, with pitch-perfect voices and a delightful non-twist at the end.

Characters: Fraser, Ray K
Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Themes: Epistolary, Getting to Know Each Other, Developing Relationship
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: not my boyfriend
Creator Links: 2manyboys
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 20,800 words

Summary: When Joe is invited to an artist’s retreat weekend with his roommate Nicky listed as his +1, they decide to go along with it and pretend they’re dating.

Reccer's Notes: It’s a well-used idea -- each in love with the other, can’t believe the other loves them -- but it’s well-used because it can give us stories like this that are so good! Nothing hurried, here; it’s a gentle, feel-good story with excellent characterization, sweet and engaging, just the thing to fill a lazy afternoon.

Characters: Joe, Nicky, Andy, Quynh, Nile, Booker, Lykon, OC's
Pairings: Joe/Nicky and Andy/Quynh
Themes: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Angst and Romance, Friends to Lovers, First Time
Warnings: None apply
Status: Complete

   

 

Sorry, folks. My muse has been driving me, and today I finished!

An extra 6,000 words for the transcript, and a complete revision of the floorplan.

So today, I...

[a] Finished the revised floorplan and posted it.

[b] Adjusted all 11 versions for my fic-journal (red names, black names, bold, not bold, small font, italics font, blue font) and posted them. In the course of that, all those extra words -- and the coding that goes with them -- put me over the character limit for a single post for 8 of the versions.

Get that! DW allows 300,000 characters per post. And the revised versions went over -- not by a measly 7,000 or 8,000 characters, but by 25,000 to 32,000 characters. Oof! That meant that...

[c] I had to make 8 separate "Part 2" posts, and go back and forth linking them. And THEN --

[d] My statcounter didn't recognize the revised pages, even though I pasted the new material above the counter code. ???? Weird. So I had to spend time reinstalling and checking all the codes.

(I know it doesn't sound like such a big deal, but I have a slow internet; waiting for those pages to open takes time.)

[e] Went out to do an hour of weed-trimming. I need to go to the barn, and the path out there has overgrown from all our our rain. I got it trimmed halfway there. The next half... the weeds have stalks literally as thick as my thumb. So tomorrow I'll get out with my loppers. The neighbor's livestock will enjoy my work -- most of the weeds are of two edible varieties; I toss them over the face and they dispose of them for me.

So now I need to do one more paste -- put the revised transcript at AO3 -- and eat my evening apple, and get to bed early so I can get up early tomorrow and cut weeds while it's cool.

Isn't my life exciting?

 

 

Well, it's still the weekend for another hour. I've been buried in revising my Old Guard transcript. I 'finished' this evening, with an added 7,400 words. (Surely my subconscious will be satisfied this time! Maybe?) Quotes around 'finished' because I need to do a little formatting cleanup... and then make all the changes to the 10 alternate-format versions at my DW fic account. So it'll be several days before the new versions go live -- gotta fix all the Word copies, then post them all in one day.

My sense of vindication comes from visiting my niece this past week. When I tell other friends that I feel the urge to describe and add every little action and reaction, they chalk it up to one of Linda's strange but harmless enthusiasms. When I told my niece -- who majored in Teaching and Theatre, and ran the Theatre department for 10 or 12 years at her school -- she said, "Of course!" <g>

I checked the past versions (I save everything).
Dialogue + song lyrics = 7,550 words   (IE, not my work; it was given to me.)
Aug 30, 2020 transcript = 21,680 words   (14,130 words of my work. *buffs fingernails*)
Sept 15, 2020 transcript = 24,450 words   (+2,770 words)
Aug 15, 2021 transcript = 32,150 words   (+7,700 more words)

Well... I'm impressed.


Okay, enough crowing. On to this week's recs --

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: the 5 times Nicky made food for his new neighbor & the 1 time Joe returned the favor
Creator Links: okapi
Category: M/M
Rating: Gen
Length: 6,200 words

Summary: Nicky is horrified by his new neighbor's Ramen and Monster breakfast. Meet Cute AU. Fluff.

Reccer's Notes: I read the whole story with a happy little smile on my face. It's "just" two guys who are cautious about getting closer, but continue to find themselves drawn to the other, unintentionally wooing them with delicious food and beautiful art. With the teeniest bit of angst for spice, this story is as comfortable as a favorite pair of slippers.

Characters: Joe, Nicky
Pairings: Joe/Nicky
Themes: Getting to Know Each Other, AU: No Powers, Slow Burn, Developing Friendships, AU: Different First Meeting, Sweet
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: NCIS x Harry Potter
Fanwork Links: Spider Legs
Creator Links: gin_tonic
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 17,400 words

Summary: A crime committed in the US disrupts Harry's quiet life in Scotland. Tony and Gibbs come all the way to Edinburgh to catch the killer, but will Harry and his newfound companions find a way to save them all?

Reccer's Notes: Tony and Gibbs know and understand crime, but they need magical help to find this killer. Gibbs and Snape have seen this M.O before. Snape isn’t happy to have Muggles interfering, Gibbs isn’t happy that he needs magical help, and Harry and Draco get pulled in to a right complicated mess. It’s an interesting, complex story, with a little lovers-discovering-each-other for flavoring.

Characters: Harry, Draco, Tony, Gibbs, Snape
Pairings: Harry/Draco and Tony/Gibbs
Themes: Case Fic, Competency, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

This is another story for which I made a cover.

---

Fandom: The Sentinel
Fanwork Links: Everything's Jake
Creator Links: alyjude_sideburns
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 69,200 words

Summary: Post-series, Blair has become a detective and decides to move out of the loft. That decision changes his life forever.

Reccer's Notes: Thoroughly satisfying post-series story. When Blair becomes an official detective, it comes along with changes -- his own place, only seeing Jim at work, having a young child "adopt" him, and, finally -- a new relationship with Jim. They have to overcome a few bumps in the road, of course, but it's a wonderful, slice-of-life domestic fic in the very best way.

Characters: Jim, Blair, Simon, OC's, Megan, H, Rafe
Pairings: Jim/Blair
Themes: Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, First Time, Novel, Post-Canon, Domestic
Warnings: Death of Original Character
Status: Complete

   

 

Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: Driving Lessons
Creator Links: PastyPirate at AO3
Category: Gen
Rating: Teen
Length: 11,600 words

Summary: “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Nile said, the stab of guilt at ruining the night coming a little harder. Joe had been so excited when he saw the bunk beds, grinning widely as Nicky said don’t let me fall off this time.
        Nicky nodded but made no motion to stand up, to return to his husband’s arms. Instead he said, “I’m awake now. Do you want to go for a drive?”
        “A drive?” She looked at her watch, it wasn’t anywhere close to morning. Although the idea of getting out of their windowless room is an attractive one, she can’t deny it, “Are you sure?”
        In which: Nile is having trouble sleeping, and Nicky likes to drive.


Reccer's Notes: When new immortal life gives Nile nightmares a pattern develops; Nicky takes her driving and they talk whether or not it’s relevant to anything... except it is. Stunningly beautiful character study. I love the relationship that develops between Nile and Nicky; she -- and we -- are another beneficiary of the kindness of which this world is not worthy.

Characters: Nile, Nicky, Joe, Andy
Pairings: Nicky/Joe and Nile & Nicky friendship
Themes: Found Family, Fitting In, Family Feels, Post-Canon, Character Development, Friendship, Slice of Life
Warnings: Rape/Non-con (mention, not actual)
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Fanwork Links: A Bug in Your Ear
Creator Links: sgamadison
Category: M/M
Rating: Mature
Length: 15,700 words

Summary: It's his worst nightmare. John's about to watch Rodney die trying to rescue him--and he's powerless to do anything to stop it.

Reccer's Notes: John's in a pickle, and Rodney throws himself forward -- buck naked -- to rescue him. At every bump in the road, Rodney has a plan, and all John can do is go along with it. Then afterward... it's said that great adversity can bring people closer together -- and John and Rodney both realize they want to become really close. This is an all-round, fun, good read. It's also another story that inspired me to create a cover; the author has added it to the story.

Characters: John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Radek Zelenka, Evan Lorne, Richard Woolsey
Pairings: John/Rodney
Themes: Competency, Rescue, Facing Fears, Friends to Lovers
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

---

Fandom: Star Trek:TOS
Fanwork Links: Sha Ka Ree
Creator Links: ThereBeWhalesHere
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 180,500 words

Summary: The year is 2258. Jim Kirk is a Lieutenant on the U.S.S. Farragut, Spock the science officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. When the ships come together for a priority landing party, these two strangers find themselves fighting against the odds for a chance at life in an alien world, and the only way they'll make it through is by relying on each other.

Reccer's Notes: This. Is. INCREDIBLE!!! When I started reading, it grabbed me and didn't let go -- I was swept away and surrounded by the beautiful imagery and the sheer empathy the author created for these young men. I did nothing but read, eat, and sleep for two days; thank goodness for retirement. Jim and Spock's relationship is created from scratch, and it's wonderful seeing the way their friendship builds, the shared yearning for more, all of Spock's slow emotional work as he tries to incorporate these new feelings into the rest of him, and Jim's best attempts at being patient with him. I love the way they work together for survival, and then forge a deep friendship, each supporting the other, until it becomes more. It was a wrench to put it down for mundane things like sleep; plan to read this over a long weekend when you don't have much else to drag you away from it.

I made a cover for it, but it is very minimal -- just a title pasted on a found picture -- and suddenly, my muse is insisting on something better. *facepalm* I need to eat lunch first, but I see where my afternoon will go.

Characters: Kirk, Spock, Christopher Pike, OC's
Pairings: Kirk/Spock
Themes: Strangers to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Time Travel, First Time, Alternate Beginning, Friendship/Love, Friendship, Novel
Warnings: None
Status: Complete


Oh. I told myself I wouldn't rec two stories that inspired me to create a cover in one week... but by the time my eye hit Sha Ka Ree, I forgot I already had "Bug in My Ear" on this weeks list. I don't want to choose / input info for a different story, so c'est la vie.