[ DB, DQV, FFD, G00, Host Club, Okami, REBORN! SGA, ST:TOS, T:TSCC ]

[tomomichi]

SHARING TIME:
    Ugh, christ, you guys, that movie is going to be the death of me. Do you know how many ST:TOS sites I went through earlier? How many badly designed straight-out-of-the-90s Geocities sites I went through? And then I had to realize, shit, I'm an old-school TOS nerd, aren't I? IT WAS PART OF MY CHILDHOOD, OKAY. (Like, apparently, everything else nerdy that ever was.)

AND ONTO THE RECS:
    Okami - 1 Fanfic
    Star Trek: TOS - 1 Fanfic
    Stargate: Atlantis - 1 Fanfic
    Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - 4 Fanfics
    Dragon Quest V - 3 Fanart
    Dragonball - 4 Fanart
    Final Fantasy VII - 1 Fanart
    Final Fantasy Dissidia - 1 Fanart
    Gundam 00 - 3 Fanart
    Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - 2 Fanart
    Ouran Koukou Host Club - 2 Fanart
2009 GOAL: 222/1700


Okami: Territory by kunenk - This was a short little piece that I almost didn't read just because I tend to skip the shorter pieces on 31_days. But it was Okami fic and it's been ages. And of course I'm glad I stopped to read it because it's a beautiful little thing about Gekigami and Kabegami and the darkness that rolls over the land, the imagery is lovely in this piece and it's so easy to see something exactly like this happening. (No warnings/pairings.)

Star Trek: TOS: Message in a Bottle by DebbieB - So, not that I've seen it yet, but the new Star Trek movie being pretty much got into my brain and made me want to dive back into that old TOS nostalgia. And, since this was a show of my childhood, naturally I gravitated right back to Christine Chapel, who was one of my favorite characters from the original. (Well, I say that like they weren't all my favorite characters at some point, but the only thing I really felt the urge to fandomize was the Spock/Chapel pairing.) And so I hit up Google to attempt to find fic and stumbled over this one. It's fairly long and, while I was reluctant to start something so long, it was ultimately worth it because the characterization of this Christine sucked me in right away. The fic does a really marvelous job of having her get caught up in Spock's whirlwind yet again, even so many years after she'd last seen him, but giving her this strong, sensible, fully realized personality of her own. I love that she is her own character here, her choices are her own and that's what the fic's ultimate point was, to be about Christine Chapel. And that's why I loved the way this ended (and I loved the inclusion of the characters' fates from TNG being worked in there) and how Christine ended up. It was so much more satisfying a fic than I was expecting. ....and I realize how lame this rec was, but it was hard not to spoil anything, okay. :| (Implied Spock/Chapel.)

Stargate: Atlantis: the nature of things unsaid by medie - How on earth I ended up reading an SGA fic, I don't even know. But it was Ronon and Teyla and it promised me smut, that was more than enough reason to read it. It's a short little thing, a piece about Ronon and Teyla and how they're just not like people from Earth and little things go over their heads and I really like the way they slowly understand bit by bit, but there's also this connection between them. Except it's not just that, there's a chemistry between them as well and then makeouts. Excellent! All things I like for in SGA fic. o/ (Ronon/Teyla, not quite SFW.)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: A Jack Knifed Juggernaut (I am born again) by arenotvalid - [Note; There are some spoilers for the first season finale.] ....wow. I almost closed the tab with this fic in it because it was about 7500 words, but I really wanted to read at least on TSCC fic and figured I'd at least read the opening lines. I was immediately sucked into the incredible Cameron point of view that just nailed the character and the world she's in. The author balances the stiltled narrative of a robotic character with the things she learns every day, the little touches that make up the way she goes through those days. The characters around her are pitch-perfect, Sarah's words to Cameron are especially easy to see and hear in my mind's eye. But it's Cameron herself who is the star of this piece, how chilling certain moments are because she is a robot from the future, how amusing other little attempts to fit into present day society are, and just... it's hard to talk about this fic without keyboard mashing over how much I loved it and how engrossing it was. It's everything that TSCC is, right down to the greater commentary on life in general, almost philosphic, all while Cameron fights other robots and watches Battlestar Galactica episodes. Brilliant. (No warnings/pairings.)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cinderella, Made of Steel by David Hines - As long as I was reading TSCC fic, well, I had to go back to Yuletide and read some of those. This is another Cameron point of view fic and it also really captures the dichotomy of what she looks like/tries to emulate and what she actually is. It's a handful of scenes that could take place just about anywhere, Cameron working on her infiltration of humanity, working to make the Connors trust her more, always on guard to protect John. The use of the fairy tale story and her interaction with Sarah (who was also brilliantly written her) and baking cookies and childhood, all of it was woven together in a brilliant story that was almost a slice of life, except not. Because it was creepy at all the right moments and that same undercurrent of something almost philosophical throughout the piece. ....to the point that I'm kind of worried this and the above fic are going to ruin me for the rest of the fandom, boo. (No warnings/pairings.)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Seven Sunday Mother-Daughter Mornings by David Hines - One of the best parts about TSCC is the interesting female characters and that includes Catherine and Savannah Weaver, whom this fic center on. It's a really gorgeous look that seems so simple on the surface, an almost normal life that unfolds for Savannah, despite everything that's going on underneath the surface. It nails the way Catherine interacts with other people, nails what Savannah seems to know without ever saying a word about it, and it captures this really amazing tone, that's something like happy and bittersweet at the same time. It's a fascinating look at the mother/daughter relationship, a little chilling and almost sort of heartwarming at the same time, something that really fits with the series. (No warnings/pairings.)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Reese Boys by indiefic - Well, goddammit. Apparently I can't stop reading TSCC fic today. So I hit up crack_van's links and stumbled over this one and just. It's this painful, harsh look at Derek Reese, forwards and then backwards, and it felt so right on for the character we were introduced to with this series. How he's a hardened soldier but also family, going from not knowing to figuring out who John Connor was to him, as a leader, as a savior, as a guy he couldn't stand, as a teenage kid who wasn't so bad, as family, all of it done brilliantly. It's almost rough around the edges, but in a way that's deliberate and works for the character, the ending sort of breathtaking for someone who was fascinated with this character and this relationship. This really does justice to the potential of Derek Reese's character. (No warnings/pairings.)

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- Dragon Quest V - nagomituki [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Admittedly, Hero/Bianca isn't my favorite pairing, but I know it's the default for the game or that it was at least sort of the original default pairing, so there's a lot of history there, but. I do like her and this site has some very cute art of her and the Hero and their kids. But I also love that there was a bunch of adorable little oekaki illustrations that were SUPER CUTE and just fun--like Sancho in Yuna's outfit from FFX? Kinda priceless. XD Also, the art of the Hero as a kid or Sancho with the two kids, all of it was really adorable and captured the spirit and fun of the game really well. <3 (Hero/Bianca.)

- Dragon Quest V - Precious Lair [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I'm still partial to Hero/Deborah in DQV, but, well, it's a rare pairing (outside of Pixiv, anyway), so I seek out other stuff and you know. I'm surprised there's not more slash with Hero and Henry, even if I understand that the marriage choice is pretty important to the plot of the game. And it's not like I crave Hero/Henry (or Henry/Hero? idk), but I find it interesting and wouldn't run away screaming, so this site intrigued me. It's sort of half Hero/Flora and half Hero/Henry and there's some really cute oekaki art with them in AU clothing and then adorable little chibis for Hero and Flora. Some of it's really pretty (Flora makes for a really lovely kimono illustration) and there's a fair amount tucked away on the log pages, too, so it's a satisfying little site. (Hero/Flora, Hero/Henry, maybe a smidge of Hero/Bianca.)

- Dragon Quest V - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is a really cute site, the illustrations are almost like paintings with something like oils or watercolors, a certain look to them that's really interesting. There's a lot of focus on the characters as kids, which I find adorable, but there's also some nice stuff of them as adults. Even I have to admit that the wedding illustration with Bianca was lovely. <3 And some of the doodles are even more adorable and the series of b&w sketches are really lovely. It's not a huge site, but it was a really fun one to go through and had some really nice stuff. <3 (Hero/Bianca.)

- Dragonball - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I wasn't even planning on looking for Dragonball art today, but somehow I wound up on this site anyway. Through idly looking for Vejiita art, then Bra art, then Trunks art, which is how I found myself... on a Tapion site. Right. Totally makes sense. But anyway I found this site through the handful of illustrations the artist did with Tapion and Trunks, the most recent of which look kind of amazing for how well they mimic an anime cel-style coloring and the lines of the series. You can tell the artist really liked the Tapion character and the couple of ones with Trunks are especially fantastic, worth the site just for those few alone. It's a decent sized site once you get into the doodles and comics, but mostly it was just a nice, light, fun site this afternoon. :D (No real warnings/pairings?)




- Dragonball - Cheap Shot [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I didn't really intend to get sucked into Dragonball art after the previous site, but, well. I'm weak to cute looking art. And this site has a clean, simple style that works well with the bright colors and I'm sort of in love with the artist's chibi Goku illustrations. But. Well. Also, Bulma making Vejiita dress up as Santa for the kids is pretty hilarious, too. But there's also stuff like Trunks and baby Bra or Trunks and Goten off having adventures and chibi versions of the Son family. It's a light, easy site to go through, but it was really fun. ♥ And, yeah, okay, I enjoyed the focus on Trunks and the Briefs family. XD (No real warnings/pairings.)

- Dragonball - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - asdl;fkjaslkj I really didn't mean to find my way onto yet another Dragonball art site, it's just. I can't resist giving sites a peek at least. And then I find this really adorable stuff and I want to share it! This site might not be for everyone, it's pretty much pure oekaki art with a focus on the Son family, but I kind of fell in love with it for how well it captured the feel and tone of Toriyama's manga, the deceptively simple style that's just so much fun and all about adventure. Plus, okay, a good Goku/Chichi (with art of just Chichi on her own fairly often even!) always puts a smile on my face, especially when the artist captures their dynamic so well. I just... fell in love with the characters all over again. ♥ (Half gen, half Goku/Chichi.)

- Dragonball - KYDD [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I sat on the fence with this site briefly because it's very cute, very simple art, but... there's so much of it and some if it is just so great that I eventually had to cave. The artist has some really bright, solid colors that work with a style that's reminiscent of Toriyama's work and, hell, some of them look like they could have been official art at times! And, yeah, okay, there's a healthy dose of Vejiita/Bulma that drew me in, but the art is really solid no matter what your character preferences are and I don't want to meet the person that doesn't enjoy making Vejiita's life full of difficulty. Or Bulma being awesome and getting in Vejiita's face. Or just being awesome on her own. There's a lot of art here and it covers a good variety of characters and is all bright and clean and it's a site where... afterwards, I felt really happy with this fandom again. ♥ (Vejiita/Bulma, some gen.)

- Final Fantasy VII - [ Chinese Fanart Site ] - I feel like I've been here before. I'm sort of starting to feel that way about a lof of FF sites and maybe that's just a byproduct of having seen so much art for them in the past week or so, maybe I'm just finally hitting them when they have enough art to justify the rec, maybe I'm just in the right mood today. Who knows. But this site kind of slowly won me over, it's not necessarily traditionally pretty, there's a very harsh edge to Sephiroth here (which is what makes me think I've been here before), but well. There's a nicely done Sephiroth/Cloud illustration--that's not really a pairing, just that they're kind of really in each other's faces--and a bunch of Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud art and some fun holiday-based stuff and eventually I just. Kinda really liked the site. Also, the oekaki art was super pretty at times. *__* Also also also. Sephiroth/Cloud DOLL MAKEOUTS. God, I love it when fandom does that. (Some Sephiroth pairings like Sephiroth/Rufus or Sephiroth/Cloud, but it's mostly a gen site.)

- Final Fantasy Dissidia - CKH [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Yet another site where there's not as much art as I'd like and I wish the artist had more fully finished pieces, because what's here is so pretty that I instantly fell in love with it. There are a couple of pieces that look really, really nice--there's one of WOL and Garland posing that's kind of incredible--but it's also hard to complain about the sketches or the mini comics style when the artist makes fun of the horns on his helmet. XDDD And his outfit. XD So, it's a nice little site that started off my day's fanart trawling really well. <3 (Some Garland/Warrior of Light, some gen.)

- Gundam 00 - moira [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I feel like I've probably been to this site before and probably recommended it. And will probably repeat what I thought of it back then. Eh. Eh. Either way, it's worth a re-rec if I have been here before, because it's some really cool CG style that the artist gets really good at by the end of the gallery. It starts off really interesting and really detailed, but it's the more recent ones that get really gorgeous--all these soft, pretty pastel colors that work on a character like Tieria. It's about the time you get to the crossdressing ones that the art gets super, super pretty and after that it's just... tons of pretty. *__* (No warnings/pairings.)

- Gundam 00 - Chicory [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - It took me a bit to get into this site, but I'm really glad I stuck with it because the artist gets really good after awhile. Sharp lines and smooth colors, the kind of polished stuff that I really like, to the point that... well, I originally came here for Setsuna/Marina art, but was won over by everything on the site instead, even the b&w lineart which is surprisingly strong. But I have to admit. Once I got to the pairing stuff? Yeah, I was totally weak to it. Everything is gorgeous, it's worth a look through if you like any of the main characters (Lockon especially gets some nice standalone stuff), but well. Fangirl heart wants what it wants today, I guess I'm just in the mood for pretty pairing stuff. And Marina is lovely and Setsuna gets some amazing stuff. *___* ....though, really, don't let that turn you away from some amazing Lockon art if you don't like the pairing. (Some Setsuna/Marina, some gen.)

- Gundam 00 - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Another site that took me a bit to warm up to, but once I did, I was really charmed by the adorableness of the art here. The basic lines of it are very cute right from the beginning, but it's the light, airy colors that really make it for me, Marina's light blue eyes are especially pretty. Though, it's not just about her and Setsuna, it's a site that's also often focused on the Innovators, which is some pretty art. Toss in some adorable chibis here and there, have the artist remain solid, and you've got a site that was a nice, fun little diversion this morning. :D (Some Setsuna/Marina, some gen.)

- Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - moira [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - What I said about this site for it's Gundam 00 art (especially that I suspect it might be a re-rec) also holds true here. Soft, pretty colors, especially the lighter and darker tones of purple, work well for the characters, especially Mukuro. Which is why, despite that there's not really much more than a handful of art here, I had to recommend it. The artist really does a stunning Mukuro that's worth visiting the site just for him. *__* (No warnings/pairings.)

- Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was actually browsing around for Host Club art and wound up stumbling over this site. I almost skipped over the KHR art simply because I wasn't in the mood and it didn't immediately strike me. But, well. It's Dino. I'm weak to Dino art. So I kept going and I'm really glad I did. Some of the early art is a little shakey, but when you get into the b&w sketches and really look at the artist's lines, she has a really pretty style--to the point that I think I wound up preferring the b&w sketches and comics more than the colored art. ...well, except for the one where Dino's using his jacket to shelter him and Hibari from the rain and Hibari is totally thrilled by it, really, that one was pretty great. But the comics are adorable and some of the recent stuff got to be really pretty and that's all I ask out of a site. <3 (Some Dino/Hibari, mostly gen, though.)

- Ouran Koukou Host Club - Vidro [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was honestly not expecting to find a lot of Host Club art on this site, I'm not entirely sure why. Host Club sites tend to be small, I guess, doubly so for Kyouya/Tamaki art sites, maybe. But then I got here and there was kind of a lot and some of it is really kind of stunningly gorgeous. When the artist really puts her mind to it, she does these really vivid colors and sharp lines for their hair and eyes and that's the kind of thing I'm so weak to. But when you get into the sketches and stuff, you can see that her work is really solid and she's especially awesome at drawing Tamaki. *___* There are some illustrations where he's just... really beautiful, with amazing blue blue blue eyes. The most recent stuff is the really awesome art, but even the older stuff is worth a visit if you like the pairing. ♥ The whole site just delighted me, especially so because I wasn't expecting much more from Host Club fandom! (Kyouya/Tamaki.)

- Ouran Koukou Host Club - retry [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - More gorgeous Host Club art. *___* This time it's focused on Kaoru and Hikaru and the art is really, really nicely done. All fine lines and soft, pretty colors that suit the style of a shoujo manga like this. And I love that it's not just one or two illustrations here, that there's a whole bunch of them, all of them with so much detail to them and so many different poses and concepts, so many different clothes. *___* There's even a page of illustrations for the other characters (and omg it's Honey/Mori, holy crap I didn't think anyone in Japan shipped it that way! plus a really pretty Kyouya/Tamaki image and adorable Honey and Haruhi and and and--!) but you're really going here for the twins. It was a real delight to find myself here today. ♥ (Hikaru/Kaoru, a little other.)

Comments

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

I'm really debating because I don't want fic on the new movie (at least not until I've properly seen it) but I also kind of don't want to wade through the morass of TOS fic looking for gen or het. (It was a childhood fandom, I pretty much only saw the het back then. *throws hands up*) I know it'd make my eyes bleed. orz

[disordered-mess.livejournal.com]

New movie is GOOD. My inner fangirl is quite pleased. XD Be aware that watching it will likely suck you in.

And god yes, on Host Club! Yet another excellent series that doesn't get enough love.

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

I suspect, for me, the far worse thing will be it sucking me back into TOS and the books. I already have the horrifying urge to go dig out all my novels again.

Host Club is one of those rare series where it seems like the English-speaking side gave it a way bigger fandom, didn't it? Always odd when that happens.