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[ X, Mirage of Blaze, HP/TRC, Prince of Tennis, Full Metal Alchemist ]
Notes/Babbling: Who knows why I pick the series of the day to obsess over. Not I, that's certain. ....I know I read a lot more X than this, so I'm not sure why it's so under-represented on this list. *sigh* Also, being sick bites.
Series:
X - 3 Fanfics
X/Mirage of Blaze - 2 Fanfics
Mirage of Blaze - 6 Fanfics
Harry Potter/Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicles - 1 Fanfic
Prince of Tennis - 1 Fanfic
Full Metal Alchemist - 1 Fanfic
- X - The Stalker You Know by insaneidiot - I... have this strong, strong love of X crack/fluff, especially when it's about Seishirou and Subaru and is actually amusing. This author does exactly that--Subaru is getting strange phone calls and he's all alone in the Imonoyama mansion and... well... better the stalker you know, as the title says. It's one of those stories that I'd feel badly for Subaru and how embarassing his life is, but can't really bring myself to actually feel badly because... well, hey. Whatever drop-kicks him into Seishirou's arms, I'm game for. ^_~ Plus, the final scene with Karen is one of those that made me giggle like mad and clap in delight at the author's sense of comedic timing. >D (Seishirou/Subaru.)
- X - Sorata's Big Gay Adventure by insaneidiot - Sorata was having a nice NORMAL day, and then everyone got all gay on him. Ahhh, X crack is always fun when it's taking a shot at everyone and making their livesembarassing miserable amusing. Another one of those fics where the author writes genuine humor and comedic timing, this time about poor Sorata trying to escape the gay of the series he's in, never having quite realized just HOW much of it he's surrounded by and... well, good luck with that. It's a CLAMP series and all. Very fun and an amusing read to balance out so much of the angst out there. (Lots of gay, most of the usual suspects.)
- X - Red and Unexpected Discoveries by insaneidiot - Now, I probably read these two in the wrong order (I read Red first), but, despite the two fics being completely different tones, they go together--though, I do think I suggest reading Unpleasant Discoveried first. Which is the silly, fun, crack fic that made me laugh, while Red was the more serious, rather plausible one. Which... to be honest, is something I've been wanting to see done, because the idea of Seishirou/Karen has niggled at me for a long time. Yet, it doesn't completely ignore Seishirou/Subaru (which would have made it much more difficult for me to read), yet doesn't make it all about that pairing, either. It strides the line between the two beautifully--it's a fantastic little moment in time, but it's not OMG Tru Luv, either, it just... it is what it was. Plus, the aesthetics and tone were just the right pitch for this and I was just... eeee, this scratched the itch I had perfectly. (Seishirou/Subaru implied, some Seishirou/Karen.)
- Mirage of Blaze/X - Jealousy by insaneidiot - I have a thing about crossovers, I don't normally care for them (as I've said many a time), but because I was having such fun with the author's other X fic, I decided to go ahead and give this one a shot. Like her X fic, it's sort of the crack kind of humor that still lets me picture everything perfectly and still scratches the itches I have for these characters/pairings. Plus, the two series blend together well, I could see Subaru dashing into Naoe's hotel room to hide and things spiralling out of control from there and just... heeheehee, fun! Fun and kissing. <3 (Seishirou/Subaru, Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze/X - Out To Lunch by Corialis - Another X/Mirage of Blaze crossover that's just... hee, way too much fun for the beautiful crack. These two series really do go quite well together in the right author's hands and the idea of Naoe and Seishirou having lunch together (only to be interrupted by their respective--and quite unhappy--boyfriends) was great batshit fun. The humor was well-timed, it genuinely amused me and made me laugh, and was fun for the pairing stuff as well. Watching Takaya get pissy and/or jealous, watching Naoe want to put his head down on the table and ignore the world because everyone around him was insane, watching Seishirou get all scary whenever someone got too close to Subaru... it's one of those stories that maybe shouldn't have worked, but wound up being great fun and totally did. Hee. :D (Naoe/Takaya, Seishirou/Subaru.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Push by insaneidiot - I'd been happily and quietly enjoying the author's X fic, I was even back in a suitably CLAMP-ish mood after all the lovely, fun SxS writing and then I saw, oh, hey, look, Mirage of Blaze fic. I don't get to read nearly enough of that, so I'll just read a little bit of this and then go back to the shiny X-fic. Twenty minutes later, when I was finishing this story, I was promptly starry-eyed and determined to find every Mirage of Blaze fic I had not yet read and tear through them all because this story just... part of it is that the author is good, her writing is polished and smooth, so that when I start reading, nothing jars me or pulls me out of the story she's weaving. The writing is that clear, clean sort of writing that I pine to find more of. But even beyond that, she captured the characters so incredibly well--the painful sort of beauty they have, the harshness they put themselves through, the pain they cause each other and themselves, yet the gorgeousness of the series that attracted me in the first place. The intensity of Naoe and Takaya's relationship was almost a physical thing here, the way they're so screwed up in so many ways, and yet I loved that the author managed to drag them forwards, even if kicking and screaming the whole way. But it wasn't easy, it was anything but sweet, kind, gentle or easy, which is why I think I believed it so well. Loved this one, can't say enough good about it. ♥ (Naoe/Takaya, maybe a little content, mostly Takaya's language.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Density by insane idiot - I think the thing that most impressed me, that most sticks out in my mind after having read this was the way it dealt with Naoe and Kagetora's relationship over the centuries, the way they treated each other, the way they hurt each other, despite their inability to let go, the way you got that sense of history there, while it still being Takaya, the way the story was so insightful without losing sight of any of the tangled messy pieces of their relationship. It was just... one of those little stories that eased the knot a little for me, that touched on these issues just enough to make an impression on me, to make me hurt for the characters all over again, and yet give me a little hope that things might not be so awful for them, despite it never being easy. (Kousaka/Takaya, Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Intoxication by insaneidiot - Normally, I don't do kink!fics, even when they're as light as this one (I wouldn't really call it a kink!fic, but Takaya does... err, well. It makes sense in the context of the fic, sort of.), but I've adored the author's take on the characters so much in her previous stories that I had to give this one a chance, too, and I wound up being pleasantly surprised. Once again, Naoe and Takaya are painfully in character, all the usual harsh words and hard edges there between them, yet the author feels like she managed to drag them forward again, at least get them somewhere, even if that place isn't particularily easy, either. The story really surprised me, for all that Takaya was in makeup and a skirt, it didn't feel like the usual type of kinkfic, it didn't feel completely lacking in terrific writing or insight into the characters. It wasn't badly done and I'm usually hyper-sensitive to these things, it... worked here. (It helped that half of the time I could practically forget about it, too, so.) Plus, the sex? So very hot. Some of the best intense!sex I've read in awhile, plus so painfully in tune with the characters. I strongly recommend this one, despite the warning. (Naoe/Takaya, R-rated content, maybe a little higher.)
- Mirage of Blaze - More Alive Than Silence by Corialis - Another nice Mirage of Blaze fic that continued to fill the lack of Naoe/Takaya fic out there and to do so with lovely writing and straddling that line between wanting to beat the characters with their own angst and still moving them forward and getting them to fucking deal with what they both know is between them. I'm pleased because it also has that sense of style the anime had for me, the beautiful characters, the attractive and dark colors (and that sense of being so very male, much like CLAMP does with the tall, dark, broad-shouldered characters it has, like Sakurazuka Seishirou or Aoki Seiichirou or Kinomoto Fujitaka), but without being pretentious about it. And, of course, the dynamic between Naoe and Takaya is that same hard-edged, furious, angry, yet still caring dynamic that fascinated me so much. *__* (Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Tantalus Redeemed by Cerise Tennyo - Another story that, I believe, picks up right where the anime left off, that instead of letting the characters slide back into their holding pattern, drags them forward a bit, even if they do so kicking and screaming. I really got a sense of the self-hate Naoe feels here, even through Takaya's POV, of the way both characters have so much hostility and attraction between them, and yet... Takaya is Takaya, hot-headed and overwhelmed and yet forging ahead, even through the turbulent relationship he has with Naoe. I just... I liked the intensity of the relationship between them here, I thought it quite well-done. Plus, hey, more kissing! <3 (Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Honesty by Helene - This was another absolutely lovely fic that was about a quiet moment in Takaya's increasingly hectic life that did a terrific and subtle job with his relationships with both his sister and Naoe, both very insightful and meaningful takes. The author is really good at not having to hit the reader over the head with a sledgehammer, yet I still feel vaguely like I've been hit with a two-by-four somehow or like it's coming. Something about the atmosphere struck me. But it's also the fantastic way Takaya and Naoe's dynamic is portrayed, the way Naoe treats him and how difficult that can be for Takaya and how he still retains a sense of being Takaya (which is tied nicely with his relationship with his sister here) even if it's an unimportant detail to others. ....argh, bad rec, just go read it now. (Faint, faint Naoe/Takaya.)
- Harry Potter/Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicle - And Then There Were Two by Shi-Lin - Speaking of stories that shouldn't have worked... Harry Potter and Tsubasa. It shouldn't have worked and yet... Shi-Lin took the right track with the story, making it mostly sweet/cute, but with touches of seriouesness here and there. What she got out of it was something that melted together shockingly well, but also was a genuinely GOOD story that left me with just the right feelings. After reading this, I wanted to give all of them hugs (especially Syaoran and Remus), I had the best WAFFy feelings, but without it being too sugary. Plus, all those little details of the culture clash? Of Sirius and Remus' friendship? Of the idea of Syaoran going home to tell Sakura-hime stories about his time at Hogwarts? Eeeeee, SO GOOD. I still can't believe how wonderfully the two series went together. (Faint Sirius/Remus, if you're looking for it.)
- Prince of Tennis - On The Care & Feeding Of Wild Animals by squidlet - I believe I picked up this link from Shi-chan, so I steal the rec from her--and I'm glad to do so because, eeeeee, oh, how I wish for more authors like this in the fandom. I couldn't even tell you why, it's just something about the smoothness of the writing, of the lack of pushing the pairing, yet its still there, the line between the two perfectly walked. Inui and Kaidoh's interaction was lovely, meaningful yet not too obvious, and Kaidoh caring for an about-to-hatch-egg? Adorable. Such a great idea for the character and something I wish had been followed through on because it's such a charming little story. (No warnings/pairings, not really even InuKai.)
- Full Metal Alchemist - Sweet Dreams by girl_starfish - [ part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 - part 05 - part 06 - part 07 - part 08 - part 09 - part 10 - part 11 ] - Apparently, I was in just the right mood for this story tonight, something that was a bit angsty and sad, but also sweet and hopeful, something that wasn't pure fluff, but left me feeling happy by the end of it. A post-episode-51 story (no major spoilers, but I doubt you'd get the most out of it if you aren't aware of how the series ends) that does a tremendous job of telling a wonderfully faceted story through Ed's hazy point of view. What impressed me most (besides the ability to tred that line between dramatic and overly dramatic) was the pure emotion I felt right along with the characters--my little fangirl heart was right there along with Ed, especially in the second to last chapter. It's a story where... not a ton happens that you can specifically point to but is one of the best to read because of the smooth, clean writing style and the smashing characterization. ....blah, horrible rec yet again, but really lovely story. Go read. (Some very vague Roy/Ed in the background, but totally not the point of the story, if you squint, it could probably be gen.)
Series:
X - 3 Fanfics
X/Mirage of Blaze - 2 Fanfics
Mirage of Blaze - 6 Fanfics
Harry Potter/Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicles - 1 Fanfic
Prince of Tennis - 1 Fanfic
Full Metal Alchemist - 1 Fanfic
- X - The Stalker You Know by insaneidiot - I... have this strong, strong love of X crack/fluff, especially when it's about Seishirou and Subaru and is actually amusing. This author does exactly that--Subaru is getting strange phone calls and he's all alone in the Imonoyama mansion and... well... better the stalker you know, as the title says. It's one of those stories that I'd feel badly for Subaru and how embarassing his life is, but can't really bring myself to actually feel badly because... well, hey. Whatever drop-kicks him into Seishirou's arms, I'm game for. ^_~ Plus, the final scene with Karen is one of those that made me giggle like mad and clap in delight at the author's sense of comedic timing. >D (Seishirou/Subaru.)
- X - Sorata's Big Gay Adventure by insaneidiot - Sorata was having a nice NORMAL day, and then everyone got all gay on him. Ahhh, X crack is always fun when it's taking a shot at everyone and making their lives
- X - Red and Unexpected Discoveries by insaneidiot - Now, I probably read these two in the wrong order (I read Red first), but, despite the two fics being completely different tones, they go together--though, I do think I suggest reading Unpleasant Discoveried first. Which is the silly, fun, crack fic that made me laugh, while Red was the more serious, rather plausible one. Which... to be honest, is something I've been wanting to see done, because the idea of Seishirou/Karen has niggled at me for a long time. Yet, it doesn't completely ignore Seishirou/Subaru (which would have made it much more difficult for me to read), yet doesn't make it all about that pairing, either. It strides the line between the two beautifully--it's a fantastic little moment in time, but it's not OMG Tru Luv, either, it just... it is what it was. Plus, the aesthetics and tone were just the right pitch for this and I was just... eeee, this scratched the itch I had perfectly. (Seishirou/Subaru implied, some Seishirou/Karen.)
- Mirage of Blaze/X - Jealousy by insaneidiot - I have a thing about crossovers, I don't normally care for them (as I've said many a time), but because I was having such fun with the author's other X fic, I decided to go ahead and give this one a shot. Like her X fic, it's sort of the crack kind of humor that still lets me picture everything perfectly and still scratches the itches I have for these characters/pairings. Plus, the two series blend together well, I could see Subaru dashing into Naoe's hotel room to hide and things spiralling out of control from there and just... heeheehee, fun! Fun and kissing. <3 (Seishirou/Subaru, Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze/X - Out To Lunch by Corialis - Another X/Mirage of Blaze crossover that's just... hee, way too much fun for the beautiful crack. These two series really do go quite well together in the right author's hands and the idea of Naoe and Seishirou having lunch together (only to be interrupted by their respective--and quite unhappy--boyfriends) was great batshit fun. The humor was well-timed, it genuinely amused me and made me laugh, and was fun for the pairing stuff as well. Watching Takaya get pissy and/or jealous, watching Naoe want to put his head down on the table and ignore the world because everyone around him was insane, watching Seishirou get all scary whenever someone got too close to Subaru... it's one of those stories that maybe shouldn't have worked, but wound up being great fun and totally did. Hee. :D (Naoe/Takaya, Seishirou/Subaru.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Push by insaneidiot - I'd been happily and quietly enjoying the author's X fic, I was even back in a suitably CLAMP-ish mood after all the lovely, fun SxS writing and then I saw, oh, hey, look, Mirage of Blaze fic. I don't get to read nearly enough of that, so I'll just read a little bit of this and then go back to the shiny X-fic. Twenty minutes later, when I was finishing this story, I was promptly starry-eyed and determined to find every Mirage of Blaze fic I had not yet read and tear through them all because this story just... part of it is that the author is good, her writing is polished and smooth, so that when I start reading, nothing jars me or pulls me out of the story she's weaving. The writing is that clear, clean sort of writing that I pine to find more of. But even beyond that, she captured the characters so incredibly well--the painful sort of beauty they have, the harshness they put themselves through, the pain they cause each other and themselves, yet the gorgeousness of the series that attracted me in the first place. The intensity of Naoe and Takaya's relationship was almost a physical thing here, the way they're so screwed up in so many ways, and yet I loved that the author managed to drag them forwards, even if kicking and screaming the whole way. But it wasn't easy, it was anything but sweet, kind, gentle or easy, which is why I think I believed it so well. Loved this one, can't say enough good about it. ♥ (Naoe/Takaya, maybe a little content, mostly Takaya's language.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Density by insane idiot - I think the thing that most impressed me, that most sticks out in my mind after having read this was the way it dealt with Naoe and Kagetora's relationship over the centuries, the way they treated each other, the way they hurt each other, despite their inability to let go, the way you got that sense of history there, while it still being Takaya, the way the story was so insightful without losing sight of any of the tangled messy pieces of their relationship. It was just... one of those little stories that eased the knot a little for me, that touched on these issues just enough to make an impression on me, to make me hurt for the characters all over again, and yet give me a little hope that things might not be so awful for them, despite it never being easy. (Kousaka/Takaya, Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Intoxication by insaneidiot - Normally, I don't do kink!fics, even when they're as light as this one (I wouldn't really call it a kink!fic, but Takaya does... err, well. It makes sense in the context of the fic, sort of.), but I've adored the author's take on the characters so much in her previous stories that I had to give this one a chance, too, and I wound up being pleasantly surprised. Once again, Naoe and Takaya are painfully in character, all the usual harsh words and hard edges there between them, yet the author feels like she managed to drag them forward again, at least get them somewhere, even if that place isn't particularily easy, either. The story really surprised me, for all that Takaya was in makeup and a skirt, it didn't feel like the usual type of kinkfic, it didn't feel completely lacking in terrific writing or insight into the characters. It wasn't badly done and I'm usually hyper-sensitive to these things, it... worked here. (It helped that half of the time I could practically forget about it, too, so.) Plus, the sex? So very hot. Some of the best intense!sex I've read in awhile, plus so painfully in tune with the characters. I strongly recommend this one, despite the warning. (Naoe/Takaya, R-rated content, maybe a little higher.)
- Mirage of Blaze - More Alive Than Silence by Corialis - Another nice Mirage of Blaze fic that continued to fill the lack of Naoe/Takaya fic out there and to do so with lovely writing and straddling that line between wanting to beat the characters with their own angst and still moving them forward and getting them to fucking deal with what they both know is between them. I'm pleased because it also has that sense of style the anime had for me, the beautiful characters, the attractive and dark colors (and that sense of being so very male, much like CLAMP does with the tall, dark, broad-shouldered characters it has, like Sakurazuka Seishirou or Aoki Seiichirou or Kinomoto Fujitaka), but without being pretentious about it. And, of course, the dynamic between Naoe and Takaya is that same hard-edged, furious, angry, yet still caring dynamic that fascinated me so much. *__* (Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Tantalus Redeemed by Cerise Tennyo - Another story that, I believe, picks up right where the anime left off, that instead of letting the characters slide back into their holding pattern, drags them forward a bit, even if they do so kicking and screaming. I really got a sense of the self-hate Naoe feels here, even through Takaya's POV, of the way both characters have so much hostility and attraction between them, and yet... Takaya is Takaya, hot-headed and overwhelmed and yet forging ahead, even through the turbulent relationship he has with Naoe. I just... I liked the intensity of the relationship between them here, I thought it quite well-done. Plus, hey, more kissing! <3 (Naoe/Takaya.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Honesty by Helene - This was another absolutely lovely fic that was about a quiet moment in Takaya's increasingly hectic life that did a terrific and subtle job with his relationships with both his sister and Naoe, both very insightful and meaningful takes. The author is really good at not having to hit the reader over the head with a sledgehammer, yet I still feel vaguely like I've been hit with a two-by-four somehow or like it's coming. Something about the atmosphere struck me. But it's also the fantastic way Takaya and Naoe's dynamic is portrayed, the way Naoe treats him and how difficult that can be for Takaya and how he still retains a sense of being Takaya (which is tied nicely with his relationship with his sister here) even if it's an unimportant detail to others. ....argh, bad rec, just go read it now. (Faint, faint Naoe/Takaya.)
- Harry Potter/Tsubasa RESERVoir Chronicle - And Then There Were Two by Shi-Lin - Speaking of stories that shouldn't have worked... Harry Potter and Tsubasa. It shouldn't have worked and yet... Shi-Lin took the right track with the story, making it mostly sweet/cute, but with touches of seriouesness here and there. What she got out of it was something that melted together shockingly well, but also was a genuinely GOOD story that left me with just the right feelings. After reading this, I wanted to give all of them hugs (especially Syaoran and Remus), I had the best WAFFy feelings, but without it being too sugary. Plus, all those little details of the culture clash? Of Sirius and Remus' friendship? Of the idea of Syaoran going home to tell Sakura-hime stories about his time at Hogwarts? Eeeeee, SO GOOD. I still can't believe how wonderfully the two series went together. (Faint Sirius/Remus, if you're looking for it.)
- Prince of Tennis - On The Care & Feeding Of Wild Animals by squidlet - I believe I picked up this link from Shi-chan, so I steal the rec from her--and I'm glad to do so because, eeeeee, oh, how I wish for more authors like this in the fandom. I couldn't even tell you why, it's just something about the smoothness of the writing, of the lack of pushing the pairing, yet its still there, the line between the two perfectly walked. Inui and Kaidoh's interaction was lovely, meaningful yet not too obvious, and Kaidoh caring for an about-to-hatch-egg? Adorable. Such a great idea for the character and something I wish had been followed through on because it's such a charming little story. (No warnings/pairings, not really even InuKai.)
- Full Metal Alchemist - Sweet Dreams by girl_starfish - [ part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 - part 05 - part 06 - part 07 - part 08 - part 09 - part 10 - part 11 ] - Apparently, I was in just the right mood for this story tonight, something that was a bit angsty and sad, but also sweet and hopeful, something that wasn't pure fluff, but left me feeling happy by the end of it. A post-episode-51 story (no major spoilers, but I doubt you'd get the most out of it if you aren't aware of how the series ends) that does a tremendous job of telling a wonderfully faceted story through Ed's hazy point of view. What impressed me most (besides the ability to tred that line between dramatic and overly dramatic) was the pure emotion I felt right along with the characters--my little fangirl heart was right there along with Ed, especially in the second to last chapter. It's a story where... not a ton happens that you can specifically point to but is one of the best to read because of the smooth, clean writing style and the smashing characterization. ....blah, horrible rec yet again, but really lovely story. Go read. (Some very vague Roy/Ed in the background, but totally not the point of the story, if you squint, it could probably be gen.)
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And you have ConYuu fanart linked on your site, which is enough to leave me lighting incense at your feet for some time.
*steals the Mirage recs and wibbles away*
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