No doubt you've seen this a few times already, but it's awesome so definitely participate. I've missed LJ being such an open and active community and perhaps this will help us come back to that, even in a small way.

I always welcome more friends on Tumblr and Twitter!



Also I miss using ALL of my icons, SPN or otherwise, so feel free to leave even the most random comments here and we'll have a good old icon spam :P

In this crazy experience of writing for fandom, I've taken away one very important lesson. Write It Down.

I don't care if you're half-asleep, convinced that if you repeat that perfect sentence two dozen times you'll remember it in the morning, or too lazy to reach over and grab a sheet of paper or your phone...WRITE IT DOWN.

If you're in the shower, and the most stunning turn of phrase hits you...get a towel and WRITE IT DOWN. Or, if you're in the middle of shampooing, repeat it over and over again out loud until you're done.

If you're driving, get to a red light and text it to yourself.

Because if you don't, you are never ever in a million turns of the earth going to remember and it will haunt you. FOREVER.

That might be a little dramatic, but OMFG you will be so pissed when you remember that you had a brilliant thought, but can't actually remember what it was.

/EPIC SIGH

It's really quite sad, the amount of fic I have not been able to read these past few weeks. And every time I feel like settling in for a nice, long evening read, I remind myself of how many fics I need to be working on, and how worthless I've been with writing lately. Anyway, here are a few recs of stories I have been able to rec over the last few weeks, hopefully one or two you haven't had the chance to get to. ♥ Enjoy!

FRIDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2010.

NONSENSE.

Legend of the Seeker: Cracky Recaps
Legend of the Seeker is one of those shows I love, but don't feel the need to be in the fandom for. But, I can assure you that it's a FUN fandom. The highlight of which are deej's Cracky Recaps, which combine screencaps, media, GIFs, polls, and a very special brand of crack to post these episode reviews. It also helps that she, along with a good part of fandom, don't squabble over the different ships. It's all ♥ for Cara/Kahlan, Cara/Richard/Kahlan, Cara/Richard, Cara/Everyone, Richard/Kahlan, and on and on. If you watch this show, even casually, they're worth taking a look at. If you don't watch, scan through anyway because this show has some serious eye-candy. And it should be noted that Bridget Regan, one of the stars, linked to the recaps from her Twitter, and made it clear that the cast totally approves of the crack and laughs everytime.

WORDS.

joans23 | Tokyo Nights
Jared/Jensen. Jared knows that flying all over the world to promote yourself is part of the business, but it doesn't mean he has to like it. One night in Tokyo, a hooker named Jensen and a favor from Chad later, he's ready to give it all up. 5,800 words. NC17.
Joan *swears* that she cannot write porn. But ladies and, um, ladies, SHE WRITES PORN. Fantastically well. Hooker!fic can be really hit or miss for me, since I have a huge aversion to one-sided affection or people being used for sex. Do Not Want. This story is scorching hot, and leaves you with a heart-warming payoff. Not to be missed.

tinalia | The Radio Wedding 'Verse
Jared/Jensen. Jensen's family attempt to find him a mystery bride as part of a radio contest. When Jared is the one that meets him at the altar, the two embark on a marriage that neither of them expected. Really quite long :). PG-NC17 by chapter.
I've kept up with it since tinalia first posted it, and it was a good, shmoopy, romantic, and friendshippy story. I know its not the most realistic idea for a story, but it takes you through friendship leading to more, and how J2 discover all kinds of intimacy, and learn that loving your best friend is easy, but really loving someone is a whole new game. Lots of happiness, a fair amount of angst, and a story to curl up with on a cold afternoon.

cirramin | I'm an artist, not a boar
Jared/Jensen. Jared has a massive college-epic crush on sandwich-maker Jensen, and no nerve to ask him out. Then there are condom issues. 1,600 words. R.
A cute little college AU with a "can't keep his thoughts to himself" Jared, and a clever Jensen - written for the TFLN meme.

paxlux | Crack the spine, let the words fall out
Dean/Sam. They read to the ticking of the clock. 9,100 words. PG13.
This is the kind of story that you read and smile, and later you think about it again and get the same warm feelings that you did when you finished it. The story is smart, Dean and Sam are smart in ways that are believably canon, and the story reads effortlessly.

elizah_jane | On the Shores of the Great Lake
Dean/Castiel. The problem with the war between Heaven and Hell is that it’s never actually over. The problem with being one of God’s chosen warriors is that you can always get called back into the fray. 11,000 words. NC17.
Even if you don't read Dean/Castiel, I encourage you to read this anyway for the story behind it all. Taking place in 3014, Castiel is still around and there's a divide between The Faithful and The Hunters. Lucifer isn't really dead, and there are two brothers, DJ and Caleb, who learn the story of Dean and Sam Winchester as relayed by their overly-religious teachers. It's just a GOOD story, with a lot of love between Dean and Sam, no matter where or when they are, and a couple of really sweet details about Sam's life that Dean never knew. In 3014, Castiel and some new hunters, have another chance to take on Lucifer. As I told the author: "Okay, I'm not normally a Dean/Castiel girl, but I can never resist a good story, and that's what this was! A great read, intriguing and letting us fill in the blanks you left for us."

kyliselle | How High The Moon
James Kirk/Spock [Star Trek - Abrams Universe]. After the destruction of Vulcan, Spock shielded his mind to protect it from his broken bond with T'Pring. Little did he know another bond had already formed in its place. Under 30,000 words. NC17.
Okay, so I *swore* I wasn't going to get into the new-Trek fandom, and I'm doing pretty well with that so far. However, every once in a while a story will catch my attention. This one, I've already read twice. Honestly, I'm not all that attracted to ANY version of Spock, but Chris Pine is FINE LIKE WHOA, and throw in some good angst and romance? Voila. The Jim-bonds-with-Spock trope is done over and over in this fandom, but I think this one did it well, though it's probably WAY more romantic and melodramatic to quite fit canon. STILL GOOD, and a fun read, and I promise you don't have to know much beyond a viewing of the latest Star Trek movie. Again, Chris Pine is HOT.

Since I'm no longer doing episode reactions, I figured I could spend Thursday nights/Fridays gathering some of my favorite links for the week. Art, stories, meta, or awesome posts that just make me laugh or think.

As far as my tastes go, so you can get an idea - I write what I like. I love cleverly written porn, beautiful concepts, and fics that think outside the box. But I also adore romance and meant-to-be style fics, anything that makes my heart sing light and happy. No stranger to cheesy fics and concepts in my own writing, those make appearances too because they can be AWESOME. \o/

FRIDAY, 22 JANUARY 2010.

FANDOM.

2_perseph | On Fandom and Bohemia.
I've been in various fandoms with Perseph since the Troy and Black Hawk Down glory days (Hootsquee posse, anyone?). And over and over, she impressed me with just how clearly she was able to see fandom, not just the bad but the good as well. With all the "Remember that fandom can be great!" posts going around, I thought I'd add her recent one to the mix. It came at a time earlier this month when I was ready to set down my pen and leave SPN fandom permanently.

ART.

dauntdraws | Pony!Winchesters.
These drawings are my HAPPY HAPPY place right now. This one has been my desktop since she posted it, and every time I turn on my computer it makes me smile and *happysigh* all over again. Though this one I think is my favorite, with Dean getting all ridiculous in his horse shape! "Oooh a leash! Kinky!" Plus, if you haven't seen the rest of her art, it's amazing! Definitely check it out! I also won dauntdraws in the help_haiti auction, so I am BEYOND THRILLED to get a piece of art from her (as soon as I deposit my paycheck and donate, that is!).

WORDS.

rocknrollrodeo1 | The Subtle Build of Perfection
Jared/Jensen. Jared's a video store guy. Jensen's a new customer. Dating happens. 19,000 words. NC17.
As I told the author, the word that came to mind when I finished this, was FUN. Yes, there was some angst, but I love when misunderstandings cause angst and are then so wonderfully made up for. The interactions between Jared and Jensen, even on the phone, are so realistic if a little on the sappy side :). Plus, it's one of the few fics where I love what's done with Chad. The man's a genius here, really. :) A great read if you're looking for something light but fulfilling, with fun snark and dialogue.

ash_carpenter | Don't be fooled by the pretty packaging
Sam/Dean. Sam likes to tease Dean about the looks and offers that he gets sometimes on account of his pretty face, and it's no secret that he has a bit of an obedience kink. But Dean's not just gonna let his smug little brother think that he can own him. Under 5,000 words. NC17.
Absolutely 100% ridiculously, smoking, fantastically hot. Need I say more? Okay. I can never decide which I like better, toppy!Dean or toppy!Sam...well, this fic gives you BOTH and makes it work. I mean, I figured that out after the third read where I wasn't so sdfkjsdvunrg;jkn by the porn.

itskaylie | American Boys
Jensen/Jared. "You know what I love about virgins? How much you don't know. How much you want it, how nervous you are to get it, how you don't know what to do once it's given to you." 4,000 words. NC17.
Hopefully my comment will suffice: That was so utterly pornographic, but it was PERFECT and AWESOME at the same time. Basically, LOVED IT! You nailed virgin!Jared (heh) with the awkwardness and the defensiveness, but I loved how great Jensen was with him, and how connected they were. Another awesomely porny story that leaves your heart happy at the same time.

gretazreta | Flight Patterns
Dean/Sam. Dean’s secret changes everything, but not a great deal. 8,000 words. R.
I know it's been recommended before, but I think it's worth mentioning since it was one of my personal favorites! Beautifully done wing!fic, and the Dean/Sam relationship was amazing, real, and the story never shied away from the canon events we know. The things that were done to Dean in Hell...oh my, I actually teared up. Well worth a read or two! If you missed it the first time, definitely check it out.

matalinolukaret | Fill My Glass For Me
Jensen/Jared. New place, new job, new friends. Why not spend the night flirting with the cute bartender? 3,400 words. NC17.
All right, so I *did* ask for a lot of the elements in this fic - Aldis, bartender!Jensen and professor!Jared, but matalinolukaret's the one who put those three pieces together into something totally awesome, sexy as hell, and surprising! Another fun read you won't regret!

joans23 | Even Heroes Bleed
Sam/Dean. Sam's been hiding his feelings from his brother, but he's not the only one keeping secrets. 8,000 words. R. Underage!Sam.
This was an amazing story! Using few words, the author is able to draw out such emotion, make your heart flutter nervously, and you can't wait to read the next sentence so you can figure out just what's going on. I felt like I held my breath the entire time, only able to exhale when it was finished! I won't give anything away here, but do yourself a favor and read!


And as far as episode reactions go, I didn't get a whole lot of satisfaction writing them, and to be honest I don't get a lot reading them either. I like my own thoughts on the show, and I did skim through a few ep. reactions this morning, but as I've always done, I like keeping The Show separate from The Fandom in my head. Not that I don't like the reactions of others, it's just the way I roll. If you're new round these parts, I didn't want you expecting to see a reaction post from me. :)