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.
Boromir gen - well, actually this vignette-y story is Boromir/The One Ring, I guess. Beautiful and poignant and exactly as long as it needs to be.
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).
Jack/Stephen. This is my favorite type of story in this fandom: a missing scene which expands on the innuendo of the text (in this case, a discussion about the Sultan and his “Ganymede” in The Thirteen Gun Salute) but never takes it too far. Excellent character voices.
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.
Sean/Viggo, serial novella. [The link goes to her fic list in lj memories] I guess this is a slow WIP, but I would consider it complete at part 11, with everything after that lagniappe or sequel - at least, in its current form. During the filming, the whole cast is touchy-feely except for Sean, who here is borderline homophobic and uncomfortable with the flying innuendo; gradually he realizes that Viggo is coming on to him, and even more gradually he realizes that he’s wanted that all along. I am a big fan of the slow build of sexual tension, and this story delivers. Sean’s slow transformation from denial to open desire is delicious and very, very sexy. A few missteps grated on me, but they were overwhelmed by the consistent, entertaining ensemble characterization (I love Ian in particular), the men that never failed to be manly (except for Orlando, who makes an adorable 14-year-old girl), and the exceptional HOT.
Legolas comes to terms with his desire. Book canon, so we have dark-haired Legolas, and the Fellowship’s visit to Lothlorien in exquisite, luminous detail. I think it’s always a challenge for an author to convincingly show a character’s growing desire for a character who is not conventionally attractive; it’s easier to imagine the dwarf falling for the elf than the other way around. This story, with its subtle and gentle tension, makes a believer of me.
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.
Orlando/everybody. This story takes the “fandom slut” cliche and turns it on its head. Orlando serenely moves throughout the cast, using his unique gift - his ability to love, and to inspire love - to make each person more whole and complete, to heal their wounds both physical and psychological. It’s not so much an “Orlando fucks everybody” story as an “Orlando loves everybody” story, and that emotional dimension is what elevates it above other stories of this type.
Viggo/Sean Bean. I wasn’t particularly interested in Orlando Bloom when I started reading in the fandom; this story, told from his perspective (and oh, how I love stories about relationships told from a third-party POV!) is one of the things that has changed my mind. Slowly, bit by bit, Orlando puts the pieces together and sees the strong, deep feelings that run between Viggo and Sean. It’s subtle and well-paced, and the external POV allows the men’s motives and feelings to remain obscure, only hinted at, which is what I crave for this particular relationship. Best of all are the Tempest references scattered throughout, never gratuitous, always perfectly fitting.
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.