Hieroglyfics Recs

Kowalski and Vecchio get stuck in an elevator. I’ve found it hard to read Ray/Ray lately, because one Ray is always Ray and the other is Kowalski or Vecchio, which irritates and confuses me. But this story is in first person, and that neatly sidesteps the problem - plus, when POV-Ray thinks of himself, it is as ‘Vecchio’, and Kowalski calls him Vecchio, and, I dunno, it just works for me. Plus, slyly funny and hot like burning.

Sharpe/The Prophecy crossover, Lucifer/Sharpe. In India, Sharpe (and this is bookverse Sharpe, pre-movie-series) encounters a stranger. I have not seen The Prophecy, in which Lucifer is played by (as you might guess) Viggo Mortensen, but the Devil is recognizably enough the Devil that I didn’t need to. And I am entirely in love with this story, from the younger, more venial Sharpe (I recall reading somewhere a quote about Bean playing great villains, and that Sharpe is a villain that happens to be one of the heroes) to the casual and tiny reveals of the Devil’s identity that speak to the reader but that Sharpe doesn’t recognize. (I adore the unreliable narrator aspect of this, the complicity of the reader in the underlying truths of the story that are hidden from the narrator!) Fabulous.

A lovely, slow and stately portrait of Jack and Stephen growing old together. The language is beautiful, subtly weaving together the threads of their interactions with their families, old friends, and each other until the picture emerges.

Hot Fuzz, Nick/Danny. A sweet and hot little story in which Nick accidentally learns something about Danny - and then learns something about himself.

Aubrey and Maturin gen, crossover-fusion with Temeraire, short story. Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin meet Captain Laurence and Temeraire. I love the way this is written, which seems very true to both sources, although I suppose that in a true crossed-over world, Jack and Stephen would already be somewhat familiar with dragons and their riders.

Aubrey/Maturin: The aftermath of Stephen’s escape from prison and torture in H.M.S. Surprise. The one that started it all, for me! Gorgeous writing, hot and sweet.

Aubrey/Maturin, G to PG, can be read as slash or gen. Alas, my very favorite writer in this fandom vanished a few years ago. Her stories all begin with a short quote from canon, but were I left on my own I wouldn’t be able to tell where O’Brian’s words end and hers begin, so perfect is her voice. I adore her writing to tiny little bits. I especially love Sealegs, Unkindest Cut, At Dawn, and Blue Devils, but really, all these are wonderful.

Sharpe/Diego Alatriste, crossover-ish, NC17, short story. A wounded Sharpe takes refuge in a castle haunted by Viggo Mortensen a 17th-century Spanish captain. It’s a clever crossover idea, and hey, a little ghost rimming never goes amiss.

Sharpe/Aragorn, with a tiny bit of Aragorn/Boromir: Sharpe and Aragorn get lost in their respective forests and bump into each other. This is my favorite type of crossover, in which the actor-identity connects the characters, and it is beautifully written.

Sharpe/OMC. Sharpe brings some keepsakes from India to a jewelry buyer who is clearly modeled after Viggo Mortensen. Ahem. Okay, PWP-ish, but nicely written and hot. There is also a sequel.

Geoffrey/Ellen. Ellen returns to New Burbage, gets coaxed into doing Romeo and Juliet, and meets Geoffrey. What makes this work for me is the level of detail; it’s not just about the characters’ interactions, it is about their lives, and it all rings true, from the theatrical to the mundane. Ellen is totally spot on, and Geoffrey and Oliver ain’t bad either - I could hear them in my head while reading.

Faramir visits the tomb of the Stewards and has…an experience. This is a great gen ghost story, and although it makes more sense if you have read the historical appendices to LotR, that’s not altogether necessary. The ending made me a little weepy. I listened to the audiofic as excellently read by Greylin.

Gen. Faramir and Arwen play chess. I particularly liked the choices made for the names of the pieces in Middle-earth. I listened to the audiofic and the reader, Greylin, was a large part of my enjoyment.

Boromir gen (Boromir/OFC, but that’s not the point). Twenty years later, Gimli and Legolas uncover a secret. This is a “Boromir survives” story handled with grace and thoughtfulness, and with an interesting twist.

Sharpe/Leroy, Harper/Sharpe. Sharpe is in Leroy’s tent, and Harper is jealous. This writer has a whole series of Sharpe/Harper, but oddly I like this one best, and choose to interpret the Harper/Sharpe as unrequited rather than as present but over; I think that although I love the idea of Sharpe/Harper I have a hard time making a requited, active relationship fit into the series.

Sharpe/Harper. Sharpe’s ill, and Harper tends to him; and if in a fever dream Sharpe happens to think the warm body against him is a woman’s, well, Harper will take what he can get.

3:10 to Yuma, Charlie Prince backstory and how he met Wade. I love the narrative voice, which fits the source so well. A splendid imagining of the most intriguing minor character in the film, and a great Wade as well.

One bit pinged me oddly: the use of the phrasing, “you’re not the boss of me” which — I thought — is contemporary usage. But according to Language Log it dates back to at least 1883, so it’s not a stretch to imagine it here!

due South/Good Omens. Fraser literally has a demon on his shoulder - Crowley. Fortunately Aziraphale is there as well. The writing is right out of Good Omens, but the device of Fraser talking to a supernal being and Ray thinking he’s talking to him is right out of due South (or at least dS fanfiction). Lovely dialogue and a sweet ending.

Perhaps this is AU, perhaps it just supposes that the narrator of the books (and movies; this is blond movie-Legolas) was led astray by certain assumptions. Whichever it is, I adore this Gimli, who also appears in the not-quite-as-good but still worthwhile Keeping Secrets (kind of a prequel, but both stories can be read independently). I will say no more so as to preserve your delight!

Original character slash. I know! Not even about the characters you know! And it’s in present tense, to boot. So the fact I’m reccing it must mean it’s extraordinary, and it is. It’s about the men charged with lighting the beacons to call for Rohan’s aid to Gondor: who they are, why they are there, and how the events of RotK affect them (and vice versa).

Sharpe/Harper, on watch at Christmastime; and you know, there were two similar stories in last year’s Yuletide, and I didn’t like either of them half as much as this gentle and understated story. The character voices are perfect and the language is so very evocative.

Faced with possible death, Gimli considers mortality. Movie canon, written with the elegance and beauty of the books. The sensuality of the language enhances the sensuality of the story.

It’s hard to summarize this without giving away too much (and unfortunately the author’s summary errs, I think, on the side of not saying anything at all), but: it’s about perception and reality, identity and appearance, which are themes that I love writing and reading about. This was a Team Whimsy entry for the second DS Match, so you can expect magical realism rather than conventional truth. This elegant story takes canon and turns it sideways; the language and the structure work together to create a very believable and compelling world. And I was a little teary at the end.

Fraser/RayK and Fraser/OMC. The author’s summary says it all: Fraser, growing old. This Fraser is retired from the RCMP, and his relationship with Ray is in the past; one of the things I like about this story is that it doesn’t explicitly detail what happened, whether Ray died or they broke up or what, but it clearly devastated Fraser at the time - and just as clearly he has moved on, and this is what he has moved on to. Gentle and luminous, and Luzula’s knowledge of the far north shows in her evocation of the landscape and the authentic details of life in the far north. Because Fraser is so much about the land, formed by it, maybe, this works beautifully to limn him from a different perspective than most stories.

Boromir and Pippin gen. Maybe I like this because I have Boromir’s tortured thoughts in my head from just watching the movie; he sees what is to come, and he wants to stand against it, but feels inadequate and lost, knowing its power. Or maybe it’s just because even with unwashed hair, Sean Bean is adorable, and the idea of him feeling all protective of the hobbits turns my insides to goo.

Aragorn/Legolas. A little vignette that reminds me, maybe, of the John and Ronon dynamic I wrote about in Alpha Males. Guys. You know.

Gen Gimli and Legolas, but you may be forgiven (at least by me) for thinking of this as pre-slash, la la la. Even if Gimli still has that crush on Galadriel.

Frodo/Sam. Frodo’s a virgin, and the Ring plans to exploit this - so Sam is pressed into duty to, er, educate Mr. Frodo. Yeah. Written deftly and lightly, with great good humor and quite a bit of affection. Even if hobbitsex doesn’t appeal to you, this is worth reading for the amusement value.

Hot Fuzz, Nicholas/Danny. This story walks the perfect line between tentative awkwardness and outright silliness, and it’s sweet and gentle and has awesome characterization through dialogue.

Wiseguy, Sonny/Vinnie. Vinnie’s mother keeps inviting them over for Sunday dinner! AU, sexy and sweet.

Big Eden, Henry/Pike. Henry’s POV on the penultimate scenes of the film - what happens at the store while Pike’s driving to the airport. I want to draw big sparkly hearts around this story. Yay! I love the way all the townspeople are looking out for Pike.

A first-time realization fic from Dief’s POV - with a fresh and clever Dief-voice I adored.

Firefly/Jane Eyre fusion-pastiche-parody, Jayne/Rochester (and really, Jayne/lots of other characters). The great novel Jayne Eyre comes to life before your gorram eyes. A fourth-wall-optional story in which Jayne from Firefly grumpily assumes the title role. Jayne is spot-on perfect, the Bronte characters adapt well, and the narrator is perhaps my favorite character of all.

Don’t be dismayed by the seven chapters - they’re all very short. Read the first two, at least, and I promise you’ll be hooked. Not to mention laughing out loud. You probably do need to have at least a passing acquaintance with both Firefly (or Serenity) and Jane Eyre (book or movie) to fully enjoy the story.

Oh, fine, have an excerpt:

“I have decided to send you away,” Aunt Reed said imperiously. “You are going to school.”

“School?” Jayne replied as though someone had trodden upon his toes. “What you tryin’ to do? Kill me?”

“Yes, actually,” Aunt Reed muttered under her breath. “You shall repair at once to Lowood, from whence I hope I shall never have the undesirious result of seeing you more, young Jayne Eyre.”

“You people sure do like speechifying with the big words,” Jayne said, stomping up the stairs to pack his simple bag of effects, including his dresses, his pantalettes, and his doll.

“I ain’t got no doll!”

It says you do in the book.

“Hell with the book!”

Fine. No doll. The next morning, his cheek unkissed and his kinspeople still happily asleep in their finely draped beds, Jayne boarded a carriage to be transported away to Lowood school, a place renowned for its rampaging bouts of typhus, consumption, and chillblains.

“Does my coach get robbed by a gang of desperate outlaws?”

It’s not that sort of coach.

“Well, it woulda been more interestin’ if it were.”

Sorry, dearheart. Jayne’s coach sped through the misty countryside of England, off to unknown places, where he should be faced with new trials and tribulations to make him prove the goodness within his heart was paramount to all obstacles.

“Narrator, I think you’re gonna be right unhappy with the outcome of that sentence.”

Being Human: George/Mitchell. And after my complaints about understanding the actors’ accents, you can laugh at me, but what I like best about this story is how utterly British it reads. When I was in HP fandom, you could tell the Americans who were really trying from the Americans who didn’t give a damn, but then something like A.J. Hall’s stories stood out as something entirely different. The deadpan humo(u)r is very much like the show’s, and the story continues the theme of monsters and humanity, of what it is that separates Mitchell in particular from his fellows.

Temeraire, Laurence/Temeraire. During the voyage to China in Throne of Jade, Laurence and Temeraire discuss a Chinese story, about a man who swallowed a magical pearl and became a dragon - and a dragon that swallowed one and became a man. And that night, they dream…. It’s an utterly fantastic (in all senses of the word!) story; Temeraire’s voice throughout Laurence’s dream was perfect, a wonderful combination of naivete and charm. Then comes Temeraire’s dream, and it’s got to be read to be believed. Funny and sweet and adorable, and hot like, um, fire-breathing. Yay!

Heroes, Molly gen. A brilliant set of fairy-tale pastiches in a plausibly canonical frame story; beautiful and clever and kind of chilling, and kind of sad ,and kind of hopeful.

Heroes/SGA crossover, gen. When Micah grows up, he joins the SGC and is sent to Atlantis. It’s a really nifty take on the ’sentient Atlantis’ trope, and a perfect meshing of the universes. Written for the picfor1000 challenge.

Mostly gen with reference to Geoffrey/Ellen and Cyril/Frank. The backstory of Geoffrey’s going mad during Hamlet is such a fact of canon that it could have been a dull story, but telling it through Cyril’s eyes gives it a fresh twist. Plus, yay for a Cyril story, with hints of his own drama and life.

Anna-centric mostly gen with a bit of Anna/Nahum. This was my absolutely favorite Yuletide story this year, and is my favorite S&A story ever. Anna returns from Bolivia to the “Theotre sons Argent,” as typed with Geoffrey’s old typewriter that turns a’s into “circular blobs,” and takes charge. The dialogue is fabulous, the details wonderful, and every character voice absolutely perfect. Quirky and charming, and as those who were in S&A chat with me know, Anna/Nahum is my seekrit OTP.

Bon Cop, Bad Cop, gen. Another wacky Canadian casefic, in which Martin and David are assigned to investigate bootlegged Mountie dolls. Hee!

Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Martin/David (with implied Martin/Suzie). Martin and David investigate an art vandal. This was written for ME for Yuletide, so naturally I adore it! Crazy bilingual casefic chock full of Canadiana.

Gen with references to unrequited Vecchio/Fraser and Vecchio’s canon het relationships. I am a sucker for stories told from an outsider perspective, and this one, narrated by the Vecchio family priest, is wonderful. Father Behan is a fully-realized character, sensitive and perceptive, and he brings another dimension to the canon events we know, from Ray’s childhood conflicts with Frank Zuko to his acts as Armando Langoustini. I got weepy at the end.

Bwah-ha-ha! This is a clever little story, and it’s got dead!Bob in it, which is always a plus in my book. Crossover with a television show that I’ve only seen a few episodes of, but recognized anyway, and you probably will, too. Part of the fun (as well as the plot) is discovering exactly what it’s crossed with, so I won’t spoil it here.

Ray catches a clue. I love the Kowalski voice, and the conceit about the clues. Sexy and fun.

Geoffrey/Ellen, Oliver/Geoffrey. Both hysterically funny and achingly sad: Geoffrey and Ellen have a literal ghost in bed with them as they rekindle their old flame.

Sophie/Clarissa, PG. Clarissa comes calling on Sophie. The story is gorgeous, understated and gentle. The language is perfect, and the echoes of Jack off at sea in Sophie’s solitude are so nice. Maybe my favorite parts are the hints of Diana, and how the others see her. You don’t need to have read the whole series or even to have gotten to the books with Clarissa to enjoy this delicate femslash.

Donald E Westlake - The Dortmunder Series, gen, PG, short story. Westlake has long been one of my favorite writers, and this pitch-perfect Christmas caper story is an absolute gem that makes me wonder if he’s writing his own fanfiction. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ve probably already clicked; if you’re not, let me try to convince you, because this story stands alone and makes a great short introduction to the books. The Dortmunder stories are about a hapless gang of New York criminals who somehow always seem to kidnap the wrong victim, steal the wrong loot, or stumble into something that turns their planned crime on its head. The humor is rich and full without being overdone. The novels are fabulous, and this fic is fabulous, too.

RPF, Hugh Dillon/Callum Keith Rennie, set during the period before Hard Core Logo filming. Hugh struts around and acts like a jerk until he realizes that the reason Callum won’t have casual sex with him is that Callum’s not casual about Hugh. The sex is nngh hot, and the emotion is just as raw and urgent.

A post-CotW discovery fic, mmm. The voices worked really well for me, and I particularly love the aching yearning in Fraser, that he wants Ray and cannot bring himself to act. The choices in metaphor and description are lovely, with lots of realistic cold-climate detail.

Northern Exposure, various characters and pairings both het and slash. Fifty teeny snippets (written for a series of challenge prompts) which add up to a picture of life in Cicely.