[ Gravi, House, DCU/Bat-clan, Authority, Viewfinder, XXXholic, AnK, Furuba, DCU/Outsiders ]

[tomomichi]

Notes/Babbling: Everyone else has been going through the Yuletide archives to rec fic, I guess it's my turn now. Though, I got tired after only about reading a fifth of my stash and thus I'll have to break this up a bit. Which, dammit, I didn't want to do. I wanted it all in one, neat place. *stomps foot* Anyway, still slowly sliding back into comics fic--it's hard to find really good fic. (Also, the comics wank lately? Cracking my shit up all over the place. I know, I know. I'm a bad, bad person.)
Series:
    Gravitation - 1 Fanfic
    House - 1 Fanfic
    DCU/Batman - 1 Fanfic
    The Authority - 1 Fanfic
    Viewfinder - 1 Fanfic
    XXXholic - 1 Fanfic
    Ai no Kusabi - 1 Fanfic
    Fruits Basket - 1 Fanfic
    DCU/Outsiders - 1 Fanfic



- Gravitation - Man On A Mission by TheNeme - This fic just somehow... amused me. Yuki being cranky (from the lack of beer and cigarettes) and the trials he has to go through just to make it to the door, only to have Shuuichi show up at the end... it kinda felt a little like one of those random crazy batshit moments that the series has. Plus, Shuuichi is rather adorable here somehow and the opening paragraph was funny, so I couldn't help liking it. <3 (Yuki/Shuuichi, but it's sorta background to the fic.)

- House - Fides by Athenae - I don't know why I'm shooting myself in the foot by reading more House fic, because I don't really want to do the fandom thing for the show, but there hasn't been a new episode in awhile and I'd rather not go into withdrawal. Plus, this fic so perfectly captured the friendship (if you could call it that) between House and Cameron, that I could just see and hear it in my head, crystal clear. It was beautifully insightful and fantastically written, that quiet impact of "....ow." that the show itself has shone through amazingly here. It says so much without having to really say that much at all and it was a wonderful read for that. (No real warnings/pairings.)

- Batman/DCU - Libris Mortus by Phil Hartman - [ part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 - part 05 - part 06 - part 07 - part 08 ] - I'll grant that this story could have used a lot of strengthening; it's a really interesting idea and the plot part of the story isn't too badly thought out. The problem is that the writing is... less than stellar. It's not horrible, but it could use some polishing. It's... I wouldn't quite call it mediocre (it reads pretty well and not much jars me out of it), but it's not the polished writing I'd have preferred. And while I think the plot and the AU concept are worth reading the fic for, I felt it should be mentioned. */guilty* Anyway. I think I forgive a lot with this fic for a couple of reasons--for one, there's plot and I actually really like the way one little difference (Jim Gordon being in the apartment the night the Joker came knocking on Barbara's door) changed one character's fate, which in turn created a snowball effect of other differences in the Bat-universe. And I'll also forgive the tone because the story is tackling a time in the Batman comics where things were... well, it was decades ago, so the tone of the stories back then were different from what they are now. The tone of this story is indeed a lot closer to what the tone was like back around the time when Bane was breaking everyone out of Arkham (which is an event that comes to pass a little differently here, too), so it works a little better for me for that, I think.

The strong points to this story, though, are the concept and the character moments. The big-ish cast is well-balanced, all of the characters get their moments to shine (whether physically or on a character level) and it has a strong role (and plot!) for Barbara and other female characters (yet, without being at the expense of the male characters). It's interesting to watch the way the changes unfold, once things have started snowballing, it's interesting to watch the characters dealing with their issues (and I've always been a sucker for Bat-clan issues), and it's interesting to see all the little details that the author weaves in. (Dick's experiences with Brother Blood and the whole Kory thing were particularly note-worthy details, I thought.) Jason's characterization, that vague line between creepy/obnoxious and kid who's just learning to swim in this world were nicely done--I found him aggrivating at times and had sympathy for him at other times, which was the right balance to strike. All in all, this was a very interesting fic to read and I'd like to see more of it. :D (No warnings, any pairings are the canon ones and not really the point, I don't think.)

- The Authority - A Distant Utopia by shrift - I'll grant that this story seems to be trying a little too hard for my tastes, but it's got solid writing and captures the harder edges (that still have some sort of hope to them, if I may use so cliche/cheesy an analogy) of Apollo and Midnighter, there are a handful of really nice insight-like quotes to this story. Okay, and the bit about the crosswords made me laugh. A pleasant read to start off my Yuletide wanderings. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Viewfinder - Captured Prize by Gryvon - Holy crap, Viewfinder fic! I did not think such a thing could exist! But, I liked this story and was pleased to see that I could still follow the story, despite it being about a year and a half since I read the manga. I think my favorite part of the story was the sex, which was very nicely written despite not having to be graphic about it to convey the intensity of it. ....okay, that's not quite the word I want, but it's the best I can think of for now. ^_~ Anyway. Viewfinder fic, solidly written, and an enjoyable read. (Asami/Akihito, graphic content.)

- XXXholic - Tea and Sympathy by sexybee - XXXholic/CCS is such a difficult series to work out all the little magical details for (which I mention, because I'm not sure how much this story fits with my view of the CLAMP magic, especially re: other worlds--also, I pretty strongly believe that XXXholic and CCS are in the same universe), which can often trip me up in a story, but... well, the reason I point this out is because I wanted to say that the story is one of those that's so well-written, so perfectly characterized, all these fantastic, perfect little details, that I found it not mattering much at all. Watanuki is brilliantly written here, right down to his interaction with Touya, Touya and Yuuko's roles in the backgrounds were also just fantastic, all of this story just so... right for XXXholic. And those little twin things? Hi-lar-ious. ♥ (No warnings/pairings.)

- Ai no Kusabi - Small Freedoms by Fuyu - I try to never have high hopes for any Ai no Kusabi fic when I read them, because it's not a series I click with very well, even with the fic. However, this fic... it wasn't just about the Iason/Riki groping, there was a beautiful parallel with really good insights (about small freedoms they both cling to) to go with the marvellous writing. It's one of those stories that had an idea and came up with a perfect little way to illustrate it and fit so damn well with the series--Riki's and Iason's thoughts/reactions/feelings just slid together with the movie so well, I thought. (Iason/Riki.)

- Fruits Basket - Simple as Black and White by seshat - It hadn't even been about sex, as much as it had been about touch. About feeling the warmth and softness of another life up close, without having to worry about traumatising them for life. I don't normally read Haru/Yuki fics, but I was browsing the list of Yuletide stories and saw that this one wasn't too long and wanted to give it a shot. It's a nicely written fic, I thought it did well with the characters, the smut was lovely, and the sense of connection and intimacy between Hatsuharu and Yuki a nice balance between the usual Sohma disfunction and something actually rather nice. (Hatsuharu/Yuki, NC-17-ish content.)

- DCU/Outsiders - Raised Up by Basingstoke - I admit, I sat here and stared at this fic for the longest time, trying to put my finger on it and not quite being able to. Something felt off. And yet... there were enough funny lines and enough interaction between Dick and Roy that I couldn't help but be kinda won over, despite the lack of resolution. Especially since there was also Ollie in the story and I have a big weakness for him. The writing was solid and there were some genuinely really good lines, so I give this one a thumbs up. (No real warnings/pairings.)

Comments

[absenceofmind.livejournal.com]

if you're looking for more viewfinder fic, i sort of have to nudge you over in rageprufrock's direction. for her post-xmas countdown she wrote viewfinder, and since it's her, it's fantastic and should be recced. ^_^ scroll down 'til you see it, but the rest of them are DEFINITELY worth a read too.

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

*smooshes happily* You're always such a darling to recommend fics/think of me to shove more fic my way. *skips off happily*

[reinvent-love.livejournal.com]

hiya. I wanted to rec. 2 Sayuki fics for you. I really enjoy this authors work. "Snow" (http://lazuli.wishing-blue.net/fics/snow.htm) and "Quiet" (http://lazuli.wishing-blue.net/fics/quiet.htm)

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

Hi! <3 Thank you very much for the recs--I've been reading them and they're quite nice, very insightful Goku pieces that do really well with the character, I thought. And I always appreciate someone taking the time to link me to shiny fic! :D

[sexybee.livejournal.com]

Wow. I got recced. Wow. Um, thank you very, very, very much for all the nice things you said. ^____^ This was my first XXXholic fic, and I'd never even read any CCS until my recipient requested crossover fic, so I was very nervous about how it all came out. (Actually, that's one reason why I decided to make this non-CCS Touya, so that if he came off sounding out-of-character, it could be explained away.) I've read this blog off and on for several months now, but never thought I'd be recced here. Thanks!

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

You'd never read CCS? Huh. Well, you did a terrific enough job that I wouldn't have picked up on that if you hadn't told me. <3 (I'm fairly well convinced that CCS and XXXholic take place in the same universe, but the frustrating thing about CLAMP is that they can hardly be bothered to line all this stuff out, much less explain it all to the fans. So we're just sort of left trying to put the pieces together ourselves. ^_~ I can understand your reasoning for making this non-CCS Touya and probably would have done the same in your position, even if I don't think you have anything to worry about, he was the Touya I recognized from CCS just fine. :D) #^_^# And I'm glad that you're happy/don't mind! *g* I always get a little nervous when new authors find me, worrying that I'll come across as a complete spaz. ^_~

[sexybee.livejournal.com]

Well, you did a terrific enough job that I wouldn't have picked up on that if you hadn't told me

Er. Wow. That really made my day. #^_^# Interestingly enough, several of the stories I read for Touya-research came from your site recs. So, you know, it's a small world and all that.

And don't worry, as a complete spaz myself, I am well aware of what one looks like, and you are not it. ^____^