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Let us not talk falsely by lyras  (Harry Potter, gen, Arthur Weasley, Pansy Parkinson)
Arthur takes a reluctant trainee out into the field, and encounters an old friend who has not been treated well by the wizarding world.
Oh, this fic. It's not just the characterization, not just the amazing back story for Arthur, the way Pansy is treated but not excused or whitewashed, this fic's magic is in the portrait of the wizarding world and the not so sparkly bits in its history. Amazing.

Knowing is Half the Batter by romanticalgirl  (Harry Potter, Ron/Hermione)
Ron's thinking that this is a Very Bad Idea.
Short, cute glimpse of Ron and his silly boy brain in all its glory.

Intermezzo by fialka  (Castle, Castle/Beckett)
It's over now, not even any strength left for shouting.
A little missing scene for the finale that is perfect and so definitely missing.

The Things They Remember by bethv2004  (Castle, Castle/Beckett)
The things they remember, the things they try to forget.
A 'Knock-Out' Post-ep dealing with the fallout.

This Wide-Eyed Wanderer (Just to Be With You) by urban_stoop  (The West Wing, CJ/Danny)
four times Danny went to Africa, and one time he stayed home
Great Danny POV fic that not only brings the textures of Africa to life, but really nails the character voices.

Playing the Game: Rules Are Meant to be Broken by justanotherjen (SG-1, Sam/Jack)
Jack visits Sam on Atlantis after she takes command. (With the premise that they didn't get together after Threads.)
Short, sweet fic.

And because I can't stop looking back at this and laughing over and over again. And every time I go back THERE ARE MORE. (I'm sorry, but the Ashley and squirrel hunting one is the funniest one ever. NO LONGER BANGABLE.) Hahahahah.
Texts From Last Night (Sanctuary Style)

+Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes. I had a pretty good day packed with friends and food and some thought-provoking stuff (and brownies! Did I mention brownies?).

+You know, I've been thinking this for a long time, sort of wincing every time I see it used, but I have to finally just say this out loud: I really dislike the term 'pimp', particularly when used in the context of spreading word about fannish things (comms, ficathons, charity events, etc). I have been trying and trying to think of a better word for what we mean, because pimp is just...yeah. Not a great word to throw around, especially in the context of some of the really positive things people are trying to do when they use it. It's just one of those words that you can't escape the connotations of male dominance, sexual subjugation, and casual commodification of women. And I'm saying this as a fangirl who far too casually uses the term 'whore' to self-describe her obsessions with ship or angst or whump or whatever, which is something I also really need to stop doing. We can all argue that we know what I mean and that it's just a joke, but...that doesn't really excuse it. So. Yeah. In honor of International Woman's Day, lets try thinking of better words for what we mean. Because no matter how easy it is to dismiss as no big deal, words really do matter.

+And because I can't really post without reccing fic, and today is a day for awesome women:

Four Walls and a Blaster by holdouttrout  (Star Wars, Leia, Han, AU)
Han left, and Leia couldn't fault him. What might have happened if he never came back at the battle of Yavin.
This is a great little glimpse into an AU where things don't go so well for the Rebellion at the end of the first movie. Leia is left to fight her own battles in the only way she can. This is the Leia I love, discovering her potential one painful atom at a time.

Like a Leaf on the Water by penknife  (Pirates of the Caribbean, Mistress Cheng)
They were both different people, once, or maybe they weren't that different after all.
Even if you have never seen PotC, or have no memory of the later movies all that much, you still need to read this fic. It's the story of the life of Mistress Cheng and how she becomes a great pirate lord. This is one amazing, well textured woman. Warning for many adult themes and situations. See fic heading info.

Echo by vatrixsta (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander, Cordelia, Xander/Cordelia)
Today is Cordelia's favorite day.
Yes, this fic is in first person, which is usually not my cup of tea, but this is so wonderfully done, capturing all my nostalgia for the first show I was ever fannish about, and the sheer joy that was Xander and Cordelia in their early snarky glory. Definitely worth a read.

9.8ms² by delicfcd  (Harry Potter, Ginny, Ginny/Harry)
Ginny can't stop falling.
This is a cute little look into Ginny analyzing her feelings for Harry, and how sometimes boys are just like physics.

So It Goes by Nomad (The West Wing, Jed Bartlet/Abbey Bartlet)
Jed Bartlet. Abigail Barrington. 1967.
This is a great story about how Jed and Abbey may have met, become friends, and eventually fallen in love. I find the characters and their settings very plausible, and the cameos by Mrs. Landingham worth it alone. It's long, but quite a nice read. Warning for depictions of child abuse.

No Valentines by penknife  (SG-1, Sam/Jack)
Unschmoopy Valentine's fic! And there is just something about Sam's confliction in this that I find so true.

I am Joining All My Thoughts to You by tosca1390  (P&P, Lizzy/Darcy)
“You are pretty, my Lizzy, but you must not be so quick to speak your mind!”
Great little snippet of Lizzy and Darcy during their engagement.

Gravity by penknife  (X-Men, Rogue)
There are all kinds of weight. Rogue is learning that.
This is an awesome, awesome, awesome fic all about Rogue dealing with the voices left in her head, and the men she has touched. Love this.

We Have No Rodeo Clowns in Yell County by SarahT (True Grit, Mattie/LaBoeuf)
As I grew into a young lady, I was not much troubled with suitors.
Can't say I was all that certain about this pairing, but Mattie's voice is so well done I sort of didn't care.

Ginny Weasley and the Pillow of Doom by opalish (Harry Potter, Ginny, Fred, George, Ginny/Harry)
In which Ginny angsts over Harry's absence, Fred and George are complete prats, and weaponry is employed to fight brotherly oppression.
Because boys are idiots. Even when they're being sort of adorable.

The Day the Music Died by kaydeefalls (The West Wing)
Or, eight kinds of days it could have been. Eight possible outcomes post-1.22, "What Kind of Day Has It Been?"
Ouch, ouch, ouch. And I love it. Secondary character love! (The Gina one kills me dead.)

So, I've been watching a lot of CSI lately. Old CSI. You know, back when it was good. I swear I am falling in love with Sara/Grissom all over again. These two. Just. Eee! The angst! The competency porn! The way I've just realized that they rarely if ever actually touch, even when they are officially together, and how that gives the pairing that great high tension feeling, like reading Austen and nearly gasping when two characters share a lingering look or help someone up into a carriage. Man. Subtlety in my ship, how I love it. (In fact, the two times Sara and Grissom actually kiss on screen are probably the two most awkward moments between them ever. Lol. But the scene where he takes the camera from her and brushes his hand down her arm? I MELT. I could watch that on loop FOR ALL TIME.)

Anyway. I had a point. Yes. I have been searching yet again for that elusive, perfect GSR fic. And I may have found it. Though it is really more of a Grissom fic with bonus GSR.

The Wall by theohara  (CSI, Gil Grissom, Sara/Grissom, past Catherine/Grissom)
I just rec'd this over at het_reccers . An amazing character study of Grissom, with lovely portraits of his relationships with Sara, his parents, Catherine, Brass, Nick, the whole damn team. It really must be read. And even as a GSR fanatic myself, the Catherine/Grissom stuff not only didn't put me off, but makes so much damn sense. (I love, love, love, LOVE the Grissom POV of his first meetings with Catherine and Sara, the way he sees them. So beautiful, so true. Gah.) So, go read. Trust me.

Oh, and while I'm here, I've been meaning to rec this West Wing fic that a bunch of people have been reccing here and there.

Connection by lauriestein  (West Wing, Kate Harper, CJ Cregg, background Kate/Will)
This is that fic. The one about competent, powerful women being FRIENDS. And how Kate is surprised by it. Both by how cool CJ is and by having a genuine connection with a woman in an environment that might encourage competition and jealousies. I LOVE THIS FIC.

Don't know how much reading you guys have been doing over at the Awesome Ladies Ficathon, but I am in a mere 20 pages of 85(!!!!) and am already so floored by the awesomeness. I thought I would share my favorites so far. All comment length and amazing. I am sure I will be back with more.

Star Trek
Language Like Rain by raphaela667  (Star Trek, Amanda)
and keep your powder dry by penknife  (Star Trek, Gaila)
til i wake your ghost by walksbyherself  (Star Trek, Winona Kirk)

West Wing
This is Not a Short History of Feminism (it isn't over yet) by black_eyedgirl  (West Wing, CJ)
Home by tosca1390  (West Wing, Ellie Bartlett)
neighbors throwing stones by martyr4mylove4u  (West Wing, Amy Gardner)

Lord of the Rings
Hail The Queen by snowyofthenight  (Lord of the Rings, Eowyn)

Firefly
from the place it occurred by heylittleriver  (Firefly, Zoe)
your absence has gone through me by last_snowfall  (Firefly, Inara, Nandi)

Glee
What It Means To Me by bluerosefairy  (Glee, Mercedes)
Basic Equations by ts_soliloquy  (Glee, Brittany)
sometimes the american dream is written in spanglish by littledust  (Glee, Santana)
carry on, carry on by cynthia_arrow  (Glee, Rachel, Quinn, Mercedes)

Sanctuary
Jack the Ripper's Lady by velvet_midnight  (Sanctuary, Helen)

Leverage
Sync by alicamel  (Leverage, Parker)

Harry Potter
Gryffindor by uptheapples  (Harry Potter, Ginny)
On the nature of hatred and its uses by aplenacalle  (Harry Potter, Hermoine)

CSI
see, the luck i have by weatheredlaw  (CSI, Catherine)

Inglorious Basterds
smoke in the blood by lesaut  (Inglorious Basterds, Shoshanna)
the stars are made of fire by penny_lane_42  (Inglorious Basterds, Shoshanna)

One for the ship_whores:

I’ve been doing a lot more broad fannish reading lately, skimming my way through various fandoms and pairings (mostly thanks to the awesomeness that is het_reccers ). Now, usually the thought of trying to read in a new fandom blind is enough to make me lie down until the impulse goes away, because facing The Pit or some such with no recs or point of reference can be a scary, scary thing. So I thought about writing a sort of a meme, to make it way less painful. Mainly, I just want to know everyone's absolute single favorite fic for all the pairings they've spent time reading. So, here we go.

The Meme: If someone was only ever going to read one fic for a particular pairing, which one would you want it to be? List your pairings and fandoms and pick one fic that you think could sell someone on the awesomesauce of your pairing. Then, list the pairings you would be curious/interested/eager to read a fic about that you just don’t know where to even start reading, and hopefully someone on your trusted flist will be able to provide a rec.

(Yes, I picked one Sam/Jack fic. And let me tell you, it was HARD. Plus, I had to, you know, read a bunch of my old favorites to choose. It is almost physically killing me to only put one. Lol. But in the end I picked one that had the angst, the stupid cute, and the resolution all tied into one.)

( My Ships and Fics Picks ) *     *     *
( Looking for fic...help a fangirl out. )

Boy, my vacation from writing has led me in some strange directions!  I am still mainlining LOCI like whoa, but am also slowly working through my insanely long 'To Read' bookmark file that's been sitting around for ages.  Here is the best of the bunch so far. (And yes, my brain is this schizo right now.)  Look at me, being all multi-fannish.

The Bourne Series
Easier by medie  (Nicky/Jason)
Jason Bourne is one of my fictional boyfriends, because, hot and tragic, duh. But this fic is great because it's a Nicky fic about not quite knowing what the hell she is doing, with a dash of ship for flavor.

Dollhouse
Identity Crisis 101 by irony_rocks  (Sierra/Victor)
No matter my issues with Dollhouse, I still love Sierra and Victor, and this fic is a great look at the fragmenting of identity, the brokeness of these liberated dolls, and what in their lives may actually anchor them.

West Wing
25 Hours by thisiszircon  (CJ/Danny, smidge of Zoey/Charlie, Josh/Donna)
This is a rewrite of the second half of the 'Zoey gets kidnapped' plot line from season 4. It is looooong, and gets all of the major players' voices right in my opinion, but definitely focuses on CJ and Danny. More of an USTy fic than a nice big shippy resolution though, just to warn you.

Castle
Bodice Ripper by romanticalgirl 
This is an amusing little jaunt.  Mysteries are not the only kind of novels Castle has written in his career.
Here's the Thing About Mornings by fialka  (maybe a smidge of canon Castle/Beckett UST)
Lovely, lovely, lovely fic that definitely captures everything I love about Castle. Evocative and a bit angsty and full of atmosphere.

Glee
so no one told you life was gonna be this way by hyacinthian  (Rachel/Finn)
I know, I know. There's only been one episode of Glee for God's sake. But this is lovely and quirky and captures all the potential of Glee.

Buffy
Bunny, Bunny, Oxen Free by lowercase k (?)
I have a soft spot for Anya. This is post series finale, Buffy investigating when Anya unexpectedly shows up. It's short and quirky and is so the Anya I love. Gen.

Ironman
That Time with the Dobermans (and the Hole in the Wall) by mspotts  (Tony/Pepper)
I never got quite as sucked up by Ironman as everyone else, but I love this fic. This is a Tony/Pepper I could easily get into. Hilarious Pepper voice that reads true.


Oh, and about the rise of Star Trek Reboot boy!actor swooning and such: I TOLD YOU SO.
No, I still haven't seen it. So sue me.

Couldn't resist picking this up at the bookstore today:
( GIP )
While we are waiting for the next round of apocalyptothon stories, here are a few of my favorite apocafics. :)

Till We Run Out of Road by holdouttrout  (SG-1, Sam/Jack)

Wings of the Apocalypse by sharim  (SG-1, Sam/Jack)

Our Lost Skies Reborn by surreallis  (SG-1, Sam/Daniel)

Sistinas by surreallis  (SGA, supposedly 'pre-ship', but I just see friendship)

the sonny & cher comedy hour ended in 1974 by falseeeyelashes  (Gilmore Girls)

The Last BBQ by kellifer_fi  (West Wing)

And walked the night alone by elohvee  (Firefly)

And now back to writing my post-apocalyptic opus.

I'm amused that something as simple as coming up with a title for my apocalypse_kree fic makes finishing it so much more doable.  Sometimes it feels like a good title is half the battle.  :)  Of course, now that my fic is finally taking shape, I realized that there is no way it can seem even remotely related to the prompt I chose.  But lucky me, there is a prompt on the list that seems made for my story.  (I realize that is totally backwards to pick a prompt to fit your story, but at this point I've just got to take what I can get.)  Once this fic is done (and my sjficathon one), I do hope to go back to that other prompt if it is still there.  But for now, I am too focused on the looming deadline.

And....can I just say how filled with glee I am to find so many shiny stories from the apocalyptothon popping up on my flist?  I'm like, YAY,  end of the world!  Some of my personal favorites so far:

the sonny & cher comedy hour ended in 1974 by falseeeyelashes (Gilmore Girls)

The Last BBQ by kellifer_fic (West Wing)

And walked the night alone by elohvee (Firefly)

I'm sure I'll have more to add and I dig through more and more of the entires.

Gen

This is Not a Short History of Feminism (it isn't over yet) by black_eyedgirl  (West Wing, CJ)

Home by tosca1390  (West Wing, Ellie Bartlett)

neighbors throwing stones by martyr4mylove4u  (West Wing, Amy Gardner)

The Last BBQ by annerbhp  (West Wing, CJ)
Amy Gardner's the one who first puts the idea out there
CJ runs for president!!!

The Day the Music Died by kaydeefalls (The West Wing)
Or, eight kinds of days it could have been. Eight possible outcomes post-1.22, "What Kind of Day Has It Been?"
Ouch, ouch, ouch. And I love it. Secondary character love! (The Gina one kills me dead.)

Connection by damelola  (West Wing, Kate Harper, CJ Cregg, background Kate/Will)
This is that fic. The one about competent, powerful women being FRIENDS. And how Kate is surprised by it. Both by how cool CJ is and by having a genuine connection with a woman in an environment that might encourage competition and jealousies. I LOVE THIS FIC.


Ship Fic

So It Goes by Nomad (The West Wing, Jed Bartlet/Abbey Bartlet)
Jed Bartlet. Abigail Barrington. 1967.
This is a great story about how Jed and Abbey may have met, become friends, and eventually fallen in love. I find the characters and their settings very plausible, and the cameos by Mrs. Landingham worth it alone. It's long, but quite a nice read. Warning for depictions of child abuse.

In the Sun by urban_stoop (CJ/Danny)

This Wide-Eyed Wanderer (Just to Be With You) by urban_stoop  (The West Wing, CJ/Danny)
four times Danny went to Africa, and one time he stayed home
Great Danny POV fic that not only brings the textures of Africa to life, but really nails the character voices.

25 Hours by thisiszircon  (CJ/Danny, smidge of Zoey/Charlie, Josh/Donna)
This is a rewrite of the second half of the 'Zoey gets kidnapped' plot line from season 4. It is looooong, and gets all of the major players' voices right in my opinion, but definitely focuses on CJ and Danny. More of an USTy fic than a nice big shippy resolution though, just to warn you.