Rare ship and rare fandom recs

[sophinisba]

Look you guys! fitz_y posted a gigantic Merlin Fic Rec Extravaganza Eleganza for slash, femslash, and multi ships other than Arthur/Merlin. This is a great resource (and I'm not just saying that because it includes a couple of my fics and a bunch by my friends)! There's a lot of great variety in Merlin fandom but the Arthur/Merlin stories do tend to be the most popular, and the rarepair stuff can be hard to find. I know when I've used Delicious or AO3 tags to try to find Gwen/Morgana fic, I mostly get Arthur/Merlin fic with Gwen/Morgana in the background. Fic tagged Lancelot/Merlin often turns out to be about Merlin starting out in a relationship with Lancelot but eventually realizing he really loves Arthur. Obviously there's nothing wrong with those kinds of stories, but Fitz's list points us right at the awesome fics where the rarepair is the main one. Hooray!

The epicness of that post puts me to shame - so much I haven't read, even for my favorite rare pairings! But here is my own humble rec list, just four more of my favorites from the Yuletide stories I've read.

Homemade (1574 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger, Not Rated
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Phoebe's waiting on Holden for a car ride home.

This was a real delight for me to read on Christmas morning because besides being very warm and lovely and true to the characters (but like a happy epilogue to the novel), it reminded me of my relationship with my older brother. (I feel bad that I forgot to include it in my first recs post, but it fell off my AO3 reading history because I'd read the static version.)

Gamol-léac (482 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Old Spice Guy (Commercials), Beowulf
Rating: General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Old Spice Guy
Summary: After Beowulf's death, the men of Geatland meet a strange and powerful warrior.

This made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

It's the Muppet Doctor Who Special, With Our Very Special Guest Star, Matt Smith! (6451 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Muppet Show, Doctor Who
Rating: General Audiences, Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Kermit the Frog, Matt Smith, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, Rizzo the Rat, Statler, Waldorf, Beaker
Summary: Tonight, the Muppet Theater is proud to present the Muppet Doctor Who Special, the Muppets' tribute to the long-running BBC television series! SPECIAL GUEST STAR: Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor! Admission reasonable. Concessions very reasonable. Budget marginal. Free parking.

This one was not making me laugh that much through most of it - I haven't seen much of The Muppet Show (though I watched The Muppet Movie many, many times) and I've barely seen any of classic Who. However, the section about the Tenth Doctor was totally great. I could not stop laughing. (I laugh because I still love him despite everything.)

Hymn (4886 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Major Character Death (Contains non-graphic violent death, including of children)
Characters: Serena Joy
Summary: The story of a Wife who hoped that Gilead might be a Paradise.

Most of the Yuletide fics I've recced and enjoyed this year are ones that made me happy to see beloved characters being awesome, and then there are some that have made me laugh, and some others that I've loved because they're so disturbing, and whether the source is a nice kids movie or already something dark or horrible, fans are able to find darker depths to it.

This is my favorite of that group of stories! The Handmaid's Tale is already a very disturbing story but the way I remember it (oh my gosh this was so long ago but it was FORMATIVE, I tell ya) there's a female protagonist you're meant to like and identify with and then it's got her friends who are okay and her enemies who are so evil it's hard to understand how any human being could do the things they do. This is a fic from the point of view of Serena Joy and it's SO frighteningly believable, the progression from her work as an evangelist and activist in a society like the present-day US, moving to things that are harder and harder to accept, ahhhh, but she stays real and surprises you with her own sacrifices.

I recommend this fic very highly and think it would make a good read even if you haven't read the novel.

Comments

[miarrow]

I'm loving all the yuletide recs on my flist, because there's so many amazing stories that pop up and I don't really have time to read them all. But Handmaid's Tale! I might have to check that one out. Atwood is a good writer, but she does have a terrible habit of demonizing one female character to make another look better.

(That Merlin rarepair rec list makes me nostalgic for fandom too. It's wonderful)

late comment is late

[sophinisba]

Yeah, I think the only books of hers I've read are The Handmaid's Tale (FORMATIVE) and The Blind Assassin, which, I don't remember the female characters, but I was disappointed that the one husband turned out to be so uncomplicatedly evil in a book and author from which I expected more subtlety.

Turns out Hymn is by rosehiptea.