[ ARASHI, Merlin, REBORN! ]

[tomomichi]

SHARING TIME:
    Oh, god, crying. Just. Crying. I don't know what's better, the look they all give together or Uther's final line from this. Just. Beautiful.

Also, the problem with taking a day off from recs to go read comic books for awhile is that I want to keep doing what I was doing, not switch gears in the middle. So, it took me awhile to get back to this (despite that I'm so asl;dfkjals;jk freaking close to done) and now all I want to do this morning is curl up in my chair, tuck a blanket around me for protection against the cold, and read Merlin fic all day.
AND ONTO THE RECS:
    ARASHI - 8 Fanfics
    Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - 4 Fanfics
    Merlin - 8 Fanfics
2008 GOAL: 1523/1602


ARASHI: Special kind of special by Circe - ....I have had this series of ficlets on my to-rec list for ages. I am finally making myself sit down to rec them properly (well, we'll see about how well I properly write the recs orz) and, of course, I get sucked into rereading them all over again because Circe's writing is just so fabulous for that. And, oh. Just. Oh, this is what I love about Arashi. And about Aiba/Jun and Aiba especially but also Jun because it's wonderful because Aiba is so very much himself, so adorable and silly and yet he knows what he's doing and he's so bright and he knows Jun is a big squishie for him and he plays on that but in the best possible way and Jun totally is a doormat for him in that way that you can just see on Jun's face every time he loves his bandmates so much he could just about explode from it. And this fic captures all of that so perfectly and then tops it off with Nino being the best little ferret-faced rat bastard ever. ♥ (Aiba/Jun.)

ARASHI: In absence of both booze and orgy by Circe - a;sldkfjasl;jk oh god crying with laughter and love for this one. Because Circe does some of the best descriptions of these guys--"That's true." Ohno said with a nod. He sort of wished the fans could see Aiba at moments like this: rather stupidly smart and so bright it almost hurt to look at him.--that get them across so well, but also because Aiba/Ohno is a pairing that can be difficult to get to work, because neither of them are really the dignity pinata (as Meg so beautifully coined) type, and yet. Yet that's exactly what made this one work, because they were both so laid back about it and yet evil little fuckers in their own way. Circe is brilliant with the endings to her fics and this one is no exception. as;dflkjasljk god I love her Ohno, too. (Aiba/Ohno.)

ARASHI: Too Long, Too Far by Circe - Any fic that starts out like this: Giving a key to Nino was like playing a game of Russian roulette with the future state of your apartment. is just DESTINED to be a winner. And it's just. Sho comes back from Beijing to find the giant chunk of meat the rest of his stupid bandmates got him for a souvenir and Nino in his apartment and the Sho/Nino is kind of really fabulous and it's hard to make that pairing work on its own sometimes without me thinking, "God, this time could be better spent with Nino traumatizing Sho! They have better things to do than makeouts!" but it totally works here because Nino is Sho's tiny little BFF and Nino may be a rat bastard but he misses his bandmates when they're not around and a;sldkjfals;kj the ending! With everyone! And Ohno being a little bastard, too! And the post-it notes of super adorableness! ALL OF IT. ♥ (Sho/Nino.)

ARASHI: Absorb by Circe - as;dlkfjaslkj I love Nino and I love the way Circe writes him so much that I could just. Just. Just explode from it because he's such a little rat bastard and yet he obviously loves his bandmates so very much, enough to cling to Sho and bitch about them the entire time. And I love this so much because it's perfect, it's Sho being resigned to Nino's clinginess, it's Ohno gently encouraging the whole thing along, it's Aiba being amused at the whole situation, and it's Jun being cranky and/or traumatized at the whole thing. It's an Ohno/Sho piece, but Nino totally steals the scene. As he usually does. ♥ (This is Sho/Ohno, but you could probably also read Sho/Nino into it.)

ARASHI: Buzzed by Circe - And and and! Sho's new haircut! God, I love when authors take something that happens with Arashi and write fic about it so that you can tell when it was anchored in the, uh, timeline, I guess, for some reason that really delights me. And this was a great fic about Sho's haircut in the fall of 2008, especially because it's just so easy to see the rest of Sho's bandmates crowding around him and saying exactly that and Sho just. Just lets them. Of course he does. It's easier this way. And a;sldfkalkjs I love them all and I love how much I love Arashi. (Arashi/Arashi, I'd say.)

ARASHI: It's the Relationship by Circe - If I didn't have other OTPs, I would swear that Nino/Jun was my favorite, mostly because I love these two bitches so, so much, but also because they're really versatile when they need to be. And this fic has a bit of a serious edge to it, something's obviously wrong with Nino's mood and Jun's not usually the type to get someone like Nino to open up about it, but somehow it works wonderfully here and one of the best things about their relationship, one of the things that's so spot on here, is the way they can bitch at each other, the way they can be total dicks to each other, and neither of them really mind, that's just the way they are. So much being said without having to say it, with just enough said that it's enough for them, the way Jun is such a total squishie even for Nino, it's just. I love them so much. *__* (Nino/Jun.)

ARASHI: Little Miss Mister by Circe - a;lsdkfja;lskj god I love Circe. It's such a tough line to walk, trying to write about Arashi's families or their childhoods because they are pretty tight-lipped about it for the most part (as they damn well should be) and just making stuff up and trying to make it fit their personalities as well as give it a very Japanese type of feel, blending all of that isn't easy. Much less making it SUPER FUCKING AWESOME. But Circe manages these things and a;sldkfjasljk oh god Jun's childhood and his penchant for girly things is beautifully done, not too over the top to make him a cliche, but just enough that Jun really does love girly things and yet makes them look good. And it's all set from his sister's point of view and she is such a fabulous character and I love her and their mom so very, very much. And I. I love both Circe and this fic with a fierceness that's kind of ridiculous. (No real warnings/pairings.)

ARASHI: Off the Record by cupcake4mafia - Ho linked me to this the other night and a;sldkfjalskjs HOLY SHIT, NINO AND BRITNEY SPEARS. IT IS AWESOME. I love it because the cultural divide is there, but without getting too much in the way, instead it's just enough to feel spot on and there are some moments and certain lines in this that just. Had me practically in tears at how great it was. So great. (....sort of Nino/Britney?)

Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: Contradictions do not exist + …and a sky so blue that it’ll eat you alive. + The perfect knockout. + A history that threatens to repeat itself. + Miniature bridges, your mouth. by stitchedophelia - This is a series of several short ficlets bundled together and I love it when authors do that and the ficlets are all as long as they need to be, just little moments between various characters that are delightful. I like them all, they're fun or interesting, they all have pretty language, especially the Lal Mirch one, but my favorite is totally the first one. There's something kind of ridiculously hot about Yamamoto and Hibari's interacton there. *__* (Yamamoto/Hibari, Colonello/Lal Mirch, Yamamoto/Gokudera, Mukuro/Tsuna, and Spanner/Tsuna, in that order going down.)

Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: When all else fails. + Felony is a gift to men who have everything to lose. by stitchedophelia - This is another collection of short ficlets, just two of them this time, but a little longer, and they're really interesting, really well-written. The first one is a Spanner/Shouichi fic and it's writing like this that makes me kind of more and more interested in both characters and the idea of something between them or at least on Spanner's side. The way it ties into his reasons for helping the Vongola in his own way was really nice. The second is a series of four short scenes from various characters that all tie together with the theme of "knights" and it's a really great look and a;sklfjal;skj this is why I keep reading KHR fic. *__* (One-sided Spanner/Shouichi in the first, no real warnings/pairings in the second.)

Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: Alcohol + House of Cards + Up Against The Wall + Silence + Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex by kittyling - This is another collection of short KHR ficlets on various characters and pairings, which I thought were interesting. I was caught by the first one because it's Ryohei/Hibari and I just really like the way it opened with "Haha, whoa. You're extremely drunk!" because somehow that's just so very easy to see. But the fourth one was probably my favorite, with Hibari and the sakura petals that has some pretty imagery and is really kind of hot. *__* (Ryohei/Hibari, Yamamoto/Gokudera/Tsuna, Xanxus/Squalo, Mukuro/Hibari (I think), and Spanner/Shouichi, in that order going down.)

Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: Training by kittyling - As long as I was looking for REBORN! fic, there's no way I could pass up a chance at some D18 fic, especially not when it was all about the fight between them, the way Hibari is so dangerous and violent when Dino is training him before the Varia arc and there's a certain something there between them. A harsh tension that even Hibari can't escape and I really liked that the author did a good job of keeping the dangerous edge to both characters here. Not to mention the makeouts and the clawing at Dino's shirt and skin, the rough way they crashed together, was kind of very nice. (Dino/Hibari.)

Merlin: Just Lie Back and Think of Camelot by Lassiter - You know what never gets old? Fics where Merlin really is a terrible manservant, but Arthur kind of has fun at his expense, in a non-dickish way. ...for the most part. Arthur teasing Merlin in his own way is delightful and it's easy to see how much he likes Merlin here and I'm not explaining this very well, but it does have a really fun Arthur narrative and some great voices for the characters. Also, the final part of this one was, um. Very nice. *__* My favorite bit is the alternate title, though, and why I clicked pretty hard on this fic: Or, "Four Ways Merlin is a Crap Servant and One Way He Isn’t Oh, Who Are We Kidding. Five. Five Ways." (Arthur/Merlin.)

Merlin: Revenge of Oother by niceperson - It's difficult to explain the magic of this fic and why I loved it so much... possibly the only way to really give one context of why I liked it so much was that I found the link on the Merlin capslock comm, which ought to tell you a lot about what you're going to be reading right there. Just. a;lsdkjfa;lskj the reviews make it even better, it's so great. (No real warnings/pairings.)

Merlin: The Handmaids of Fate by Lassiter - asl;dkfjal;ksj AHAHAHAHA, the dragon from merlin meets Aslan from Narnia and just. YES. Beautiful, so much beautiful in just a short little thing and it never gets old how much I fucking love that dragon. This plays wonderfully on everything I love about him and is just. I could read Aslan and the dragon trying to out-vague each other all day. (No warnings/pairings.)

Merlin: No Idea Why by doomcanary - Meg pointed this link out the other day and do you know what I love about Merlin fandom? That there are stories with opening lines like The annoying thing about Merlin being drunk, reflects Arthur, is that he tends to start thinking magic is really, really funny. and Merlin gives himself a tail and the best part, the best part is that neither I nor Meg had to drag anyone into this! The fandom volunteers for stuff like this! It's kind of amazing, like England is single-handedly making up for all of Japan's slack in this. This fic was very amusing and a very cute read this morning, I adored it. (Arthur/Merlin, some implied Morgana/Gwen.)

Merlin: Sleep by doomcanary - [Note: There are spoilers up through 1x11 in this fic and this rec.] This is just a really pretty little piece set post-1x11 with some really lovely imagery to it, some lovely writing, and a quiet sort of intimacy with all the emotions that are running high after Arthur drank from the goblet. I've read a few fics post-1x11 and I always like them, this one being no exception, I really loved how much magic you could feel around them in that place on the beach, even if Merlin wasn't using any himself. <3 (Arthur/Merlin.)

Merlin: When Daylight Fades, We'll Still Be Us by rah_rah_ramen - This fic is rather vague, it's difficult to get a sense of what's going on or what's happened or why they're where they are, but that's not really what the fic is about, it's about a complicated future and the moment Arthur and Merlin share and how it's just them here, which the author does a very nice job of. I liked the Merlin pov, the almost bittersweetness of it when he thinks of how much less complicated things used to be, and it created a nice, pretty little piece. (Arthur/Merlin.)

Merlin: Stones That Aren’t Stones by jade_dragoness - [Note: There may be spoilers up through 1x11 in this fic.] ;alksdjfl;akjsl;kj oh my god Merlin fandom. Why, why, why are you so good to us? This is another fic Meg linked and it's all about Merlin adopting dragon babies and it's like. It's like. It's like Merlin fandom loves us and wants us to be happy. This was delightful, I don't think I stopped grinning and/or laughing the entire way through because it was adorable and light-hearted and wonderful and satisfying for all the old-school slash fanfic buttons it pushed. And the joke of the dragons calling Merlin mommy? Never got old. The whole thing was just. Absolutely everything it needed to be and made me happy in my heart. (Arthur/Merlin.)

Merlin: The Dragon was a Babble-mouth by jade_dragoness - [Note: There may be spoilers up through 1x11 in this fic.] After reading the author's previous fic, I wanted to give more of her stuff a shot and al;sdkfjals;kj I am so glad I did because this is another one of those fics that's just. Deeply satisfying to me and all about the old-school-esque slash fanfic button-hitting that I love so very much--Arthur gets it into his head, through a series of trains of thought crossing each other, that he'll know the person who's right for him when he kisses that person. And he goes around kissing everyone in Albion except the one we most want him to kiss and as;dlfkjaslkjs it's so fabulous. It's light-hearted and funny and utterly delightful and charming, the fic has some really great characterization and the build-up just makes the ending so, so much more satisfactory. *happy sigh* I could be happy in this fandom forever with fic like this. (Arthur/Merlin, Arthur/everyone.)

Comments

[homelight.livejournal.com]

Re: Revenge of Oother

I think the line "Merlin started to cry and Arthur shackled him up to guilotine. :(" was a personal favorite. The emoticon conveys the tone of the story perfectly, and the misspellings draw the reader into realizing the imperfections of the world, as represented by Merlin.

saidjoasdjaosdjasoijdasd I LOVE THIS FANDOM, GODDAMN

[homelight.livejournal.com]

Also, there's a merlin capslock comm?

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

YES. I haven't explored it that much yet, but! capslock_merlin just it's existence makes me delighted. XD

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

It's like this fandom's one mission in life is to MAKE US HAPPY or at least make up for the hundred previous fandoms that were filled with the kind of fans you want to punch in the face a lot and damn if it's not succeeding.

[slashedsilver.livejournal.com]

I actually followed a link here from your recs page at Fleeting Fancies :) Have just realised that I've been using your recs page as reference for years, maybe, ever since I was into Slam Dunk -- and that was a long time ago. In any case, just wanted to thank you for the Arashi recs as well -- you really pick out the best in fandom.

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

....oh, man, I need to update the website. And I'm working on it, but there's just so much to do. orz orz orz But! I'm glad to be able to be useful for all that time and EEEEE MORE ARASHI FANS, EXCELLENT. ♥ (And you're very welcome!)