![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
My recs for the month of February! This month included festivids getting posted so there are a lot of small-fandom vids in this batch, as well as the usual run of various mxtx fanfic plus other stuff. The lineup:
Romeo+Juliet – 2 vids
Taskmaster UK – 1 vid
Jesus Christ Superstar – 1 vid
Catherine Called Birdy – 1 vid
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – 1 vid
Moby Dick – 1 vid
the Knives Out series – 1 vid
Shakespeare’s As You Like It – 1 vid
Hikaru No Go – 1 fic
SVSSS – 3 fics
MDZS/CQL – 4 fics
Trust+Fall, by sandalwoodbox
- it's festivids time!!! this is probably the first of SEVERAL vids I will be reccing today
- this one is for the film Romeo+Juliet, and focuses on the Romeo/Juliet relationship
- set to the song "Parachute" which I previously knew from an extremely cute Leverage vid, so it was fascinating to see how this vid pulled out very different themes from the song and made a much darker, more painful vid, though cut through with moments of cuteness and levity, as the tension ramped upwards towards Romeo and Juliet's inevitable end
- it was so good!
- 2:52 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
Magnetic, by sandalwoodbox
- another Romeo + Juliet vid, this one focusing on Mercutio
- it's about how magnetic a character and a person Mercutio is and like. YUP. AGREED.
- 0:58 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. Subtitles are available.
Blood in the Cut, by findmeinthealps
- Taskmaster UK vid focusing on Alex and the uhhhh dynamics in the show that he created
- I love the way the editing turns so many of the weird visuals into something that the camera has an erotic focus on. it's so effective! and the song really amplifies it.
- 3:13 in length. music only, not added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles available.
Hope on Fire, by aguntoaknifefight (swirlingvoid)
- a Jesus Christ Superstar vid which draws on many different productions of the musical, both stage and film, to look at Judas's relationship with Jesus
- I love how it gets across how intense and agonising a relationship it is, and the use of many different sources helps hammer home the inevitability of its tragedy too
- 3:45 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. subtitles are available.
Jackrabbit, by Tafadhali
- vid for the movie Catherine Called Birdy, about Birdy and her relationship with her parents
- I haven't actually seen the movie but I have loved the book for many years!
- and this vid felt like it exactly captured the feel and the mood of the story. It's lovely.
- 3:24 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles.
Disaster Party, by Scribe
- so I have not actually seen the dungeons and dragons movie yet but this vid about the adventuring party was just so fun and charming to watch
- upbeat and loving look at the characters and their various misfortunes as they make mistakes and keep going
- 3:12 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles.
Here it Goes Again, by eruthros
- Moby Dick vid featuring as many different adaptations and inspired-bys as the vidder could fit in
- here it goes again! the story keeps repeating itself! you can't escape it!
- so much fun and so impressive
- 3:01 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. Subtitles are available.
'Til You Hit A Nerve, by stardust_rain
- about the heroines of Knives Out and Glass Onion
- idk that I have anything insightful or interesting to say about this one but it's a good vid! I liked it!
- 2:27 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
Boys Keep Swinging, by Tafadhali
- a vid about Rosalind in many different productions of Shakespeare's As You Like It
- a vid that is just having SO much fun leaning into being as queer about gender as it can manage
- and I had just as much fun watching it!
- 2:00 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
Dragons and Other Metaphors, by esama
- canon divergence genfic about Akira's pov on Hikaru, and like, it's been SO long since I've been in this fandom that I've forgotten all the contextualization to recognize what the point of divergence is lol
- but it's a REALLY good fic about how large a figure Hikaru is in Akira's life, and the rivalry experience Akira is so committed to
- 3k words in length
- I saw this fic thanks to a rec from Rozzychan on fedi so thank you!
Small Fish in an Unsettled Pond, Violent_entertainment
- this is part of a series of unconnected works the author is writing, each one focusing on the relationship between Shang Qinghua and a different one of the various Cang Qiong peak lords
- today's is about Shang Qinghua and the Ku Xing Peak Lord! yes, one of the peak lords who doesn't even get a name in canon
- sqh and the kx peak lord are friends and unlikely allies in the effort to make sure lbh doesn't destroy the sect and mash the realms together
- I love how the author comes up with so many different backstories for sqh in the different fics
- and I love this vision of the kx peak lord! and what lbh would be like under this lord's tutelage!
- 4k words in length
stuffed with fluff (and blood and bones and rage), by nyoomerr
- it's always a good day when nyoomerr posts a new svsss fic!
- this one is about original lbh, beginning in his abyss years, visiting shen yuan in his dreams
- lbh can't move or act or speak in these dreams but he gets to hear/read about everything sy says about lbh
- over years lbh gets more and more obsessed with sy (obvs)
- I love watching lbh's growing realizations of the nature of his frustrations, mediated through getting to hear sy express things that are so different from what anyone in his waking life ever says
- I love how much he craves someone who SEES him like sy does, and yet sy can't see all of lbh because the parts of lbh's life he gets to see are all mediated through the nature of what a stallion novel will focus on!
- and the ENDING. it is perfect! I'm feral at the thought of what will happen next
- 17k words in length
Help! My Ex-Boyfriend Transmigrated And Now He's My Shixiong! by kitschlet
- just reread this fic and it's as fun as it was the first time!
- in which sqq and sqh were exes back in the real world
- they figure out who each other are and immediately fall to bickering over what actually happened in their relationship
- these two are SO FUNNY and SO RIDICULOUS and my heart gave a pang anyway! truly the magic of cumplane
- I love them and they're the worst <3333
- 2k words in length
The light that he brings, by raitala
- mdzs/cql modern au where wwx reappears after many years and lwj wants to keep him in his life in whatever way he can
- I love! how much they care about each other, and how they try to navigate the new/old dynamics between them with the additional perspective that being older will bring
- though lwj still hasn't entirely figured out the framework to understand his attraction to wwx
- they're both trying so hard to not overstep boundaries between them but they can both agree that whatever is best for a-Yuan is worth doing
- watching them slide into intimacy and intertwined lives, and how lwj comes alive with wwx and a-yuan in his life! endless delight
- impeccable under-negotiated d/s vibes between them
- I love the glimpses into all the other people in their lives as well!
- ahhh there are so many things I could keep saying about this fic! it's so good
- 106k words in length
the beauty of maturity, by hisevilforest
- mdzs/cql
- look this is uhhh not a common ship so I just smooshed the names together for the hashtag and called it good
- Lan Jingyi and Xue Yang run into each other alone in all the fog of yi city
- their dynamics with each other are SO fun, neither of them trusting each other and yet both having a great time in their various ways
- jingyi's pov is GREAT
- I think the author's tags are a great look into what the fic is like: hostage situations, poisoning, making out, frottage, mind-games, mouthy jerks who escalate, sexy swordfighting, being walked in on by hanguang-jun specifically, blink and you miss it glimpses of xue yang's angst, but mostly humour
- this is a reread for me and it's just as worth it the second time (or third, or fourth, or --- )
- 6k words in length
moored, by fluffysocks
- mdzs/cql
- Because Of Reasons, wwx and jc are both married off to lwj after the destruction of lotus pier. wwx is blissfully happy about it; jc struggles with it on a NUMBER of fronts
- from jc's pov, about him figuring out how to have a successful relationship with his husband, with his place in his new sect, with his brother and co-spouse, with himself and his struggles in cultivation these days
- jc's pov obviously doesn't like to think about any of these things straightforwardly, he's too busy being tsundere about everything lol
- I love seeing him finding his own way, figuring out how to have a life that works for him even if it isn't what he would have chosen!
- 17k words in length
- (also: fuck jkr and all, but if you also fondly remember helenish's hp fic "theft of assets, destruction of property" then this is the fic for you!)
Lans Never Kiss and Tell, by FeelsForBreakfast
- mdzs/cql modern AU wangxian fic wherein wwx finds out that lwj has kissed all of their friends except him
- obviously he immediately goes insane about this
- I'm very charmed that this is a "mutual pining" trope fic wherein the two of them never doubt for even a moment that they are each other's most important person
- the writing is extremely funny. such good comedy bits overlapping with the genuine emotions in ways that make both parts better!
- 31k words in length
Romeo+Juliet – 2 vids
Taskmaster UK – 1 vid
Jesus Christ Superstar – 1 vid
Catherine Called Birdy – 1 vid
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – 1 vid
Moby Dick – 1 vid
the Knives Out series – 1 vid
Shakespeare’s As You Like It – 1 vid
Hikaru No Go – 1 fic
SVSSS – 3 fics
MDZS/CQL – 4 fics
Romeo+Juliet
Trust+Fall, by sandalwoodbox
- it's festivids time!!! this is probably the first of SEVERAL vids I will be reccing today
- this one is for the film Romeo+Juliet, and focuses on the Romeo/Juliet relationship
- set to the song "Parachute" which I previously knew from an extremely cute Leverage vid, so it was fascinating to see how this vid pulled out very different themes from the song and made a much darker, more painful vid, though cut through with moments of cuteness and levity, as the tension ramped upwards towards Romeo and Juliet's inevitable end
- it was so good!
- 2:52 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
Magnetic, by sandalwoodbox
- another Romeo + Juliet vid, this one focusing on Mercutio
- it's about how magnetic a character and a person Mercutio is and like. YUP. AGREED.
- 0:58 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. Subtitles are available.
Taskmaster
Blood in the Cut, by findmeinthealps
- Taskmaster UK vid focusing on Alex and the uhhhh dynamics in the show that he created
- I love the way the editing turns so many of the weird visuals into something that the camera has an erotic focus on. it's so effective! and the song really amplifies it.
- 3:13 in length. music only, not added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles available.
Jesus Christ Superstar
Hope on Fire, by aguntoaknifefight (swirlingvoid)
- a Jesus Christ Superstar vid which draws on many different productions of the musical, both stage and film, to look at Judas's relationship with Jesus
- I love how it gets across how intense and agonising a relationship it is, and the use of many different sources helps hammer home the inevitability of its tragedy too
- 3:45 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. subtitles are available.
Catherine Called Birdy
Jackrabbit, by Tafadhali
- vid for the movie Catherine Called Birdy, about Birdy and her relationship with her parents
- I haven't actually seen the movie but I have loved the book for many years!
- and this vid felt like it exactly captured the feel and the mood of the story. It's lovely.
- 3:24 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Disaster Party, by Scribe
- so I have not actually seen the dungeons and dragons movie yet but this vid about the adventuring party was just so fun and charming to watch
- upbeat and loving look at the characters and their various misfortunes as they make mistakes and keep going
- 3:12 in length. music only, no added sounds/dialogue. no subtitles.
Moby Dick
Here it Goes Again, by eruthros
- Moby Dick vid featuring as many different adaptations and inspired-bys as the vidder could fit in
- here it goes again! the story keeps repeating itself! you can't escape it!
- so much fun and so impressive
- 3:01 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. Subtitles are available.
Knives Out series
'Til You Hit A Nerve, by stardust_rain
- about the heroines of Knives Out and Glass Onion
- idk that I have anything insightful or interesting to say about this one but it's a good vid! I liked it!
- 2:27 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
As You Like It
Boys Keep Swinging, by Tafadhali
- a vid about Rosalind in many different productions of Shakespeare's As You Like It
- a vid that is just having SO much fun leaning into being as queer about gender as it can manage
- and I had just as much fun watching it!
- 2:00 in length. Music only, no added sounds/dialogue. No subtitles.
Hikaru No Go
Dragons and Other Metaphors, by esama
- canon divergence genfic about Akira's pov on Hikaru, and like, it's been SO long since I've been in this fandom that I've forgotten all the contextualization to recognize what the point of divergence is lol
- but it's a REALLY good fic about how large a figure Hikaru is in Akira's life, and the rivalry experience Akira is so committed to
- 3k words in length
- I saw this fic thanks to a rec from Rozzychan on fedi so thank you!
SVSSS
Small Fish in an Unsettled Pond, Violent_entertainment
- this is part of a series of unconnected works the author is writing, each one focusing on the relationship between Shang Qinghua and a different one of the various Cang Qiong peak lords
- today's is about Shang Qinghua and the Ku Xing Peak Lord! yes, one of the peak lords who doesn't even get a name in canon
- sqh and the kx peak lord are friends and unlikely allies in the effort to make sure lbh doesn't destroy the sect and mash the realms together
- I love how the author comes up with so many different backstories for sqh in the different fics
- and I love this vision of the kx peak lord! and what lbh would be like under this lord's tutelage!
- 4k words in length
stuffed with fluff (and blood and bones and rage), by nyoomerr
- it's always a good day when nyoomerr posts a new svsss fic!
- this one is about original lbh, beginning in his abyss years, visiting shen yuan in his dreams
- lbh can't move or act or speak in these dreams but he gets to hear/read about everything sy says about lbh
- over years lbh gets more and more obsessed with sy (obvs)
- I love watching lbh's growing realizations of the nature of his frustrations, mediated through getting to hear sy express things that are so different from what anyone in his waking life ever says
- I love how much he craves someone who SEES him like sy does, and yet sy can't see all of lbh because the parts of lbh's life he gets to see are all mediated through the nature of what a stallion novel will focus on!
- and the ENDING. it is perfect! I'm feral at the thought of what will happen next
- 17k words in length
Help! My Ex-Boyfriend Transmigrated And Now He's My Shixiong! by kitschlet
- just reread this fic and it's as fun as it was the first time!
- in which sqq and sqh were exes back in the real world
- they figure out who each other are and immediately fall to bickering over what actually happened in their relationship
- these two are SO FUNNY and SO RIDICULOUS and my heart gave a pang anyway! truly the magic of cumplane
- I love them and they're the worst <3333
- 2k words in length
MDZS/CQL
The light that he brings, by raitala
- mdzs/cql modern au where wwx reappears after many years and lwj wants to keep him in his life in whatever way he can
- I love! how much they care about each other, and how they try to navigate the new/old dynamics between them with the additional perspective that being older will bring
- though lwj still hasn't entirely figured out the framework to understand his attraction to wwx
- they're both trying so hard to not overstep boundaries between them but they can both agree that whatever is best for a-Yuan is worth doing
- watching them slide into intimacy and intertwined lives, and how lwj comes alive with wwx and a-yuan in his life! endless delight
- impeccable under-negotiated d/s vibes between them
- I love the glimpses into all the other people in their lives as well!
- ahhh there are so many things I could keep saying about this fic! it's so good
- 106k words in length
the beauty of maturity, by hisevilforest
- mdzs/cql
- look this is uhhh not a common ship so I just smooshed the names together for the hashtag and called it good
- Lan Jingyi and Xue Yang run into each other alone in all the fog of yi city
- their dynamics with each other are SO fun, neither of them trusting each other and yet both having a great time in their various ways
- jingyi's pov is GREAT
- I think the author's tags are a great look into what the fic is like: hostage situations, poisoning, making out, frottage, mind-games, mouthy jerks who escalate, sexy swordfighting, being walked in on by hanguang-jun specifically, blink and you miss it glimpses of xue yang's angst, but mostly humour
- this is a reread for me and it's just as worth it the second time (or third, or fourth, or --- )
- 6k words in length
moored, by fluffysocks
- mdzs/cql
- Because Of Reasons, wwx and jc are both married off to lwj after the destruction of lotus pier. wwx is blissfully happy about it; jc struggles with it on a NUMBER of fronts
- from jc's pov, about him figuring out how to have a successful relationship with his husband, with his place in his new sect, with his brother and co-spouse, with himself and his struggles in cultivation these days
- jc's pov obviously doesn't like to think about any of these things straightforwardly, he's too busy being tsundere about everything lol
- I love seeing him finding his own way, figuring out how to have a life that works for him even if it isn't what he would have chosen!
- 17k words in length
- (also: fuck jkr and all, but if you also fondly remember helenish's hp fic "theft of assets, destruction of property" then this is the fic for you!)
Lans Never Kiss and Tell, by FeelsForBreakfast
- mdzs/cql modern AU wangxian fic wherein wwx finds out that lwj has kissed all of their friends except him
- obviously he immediately goes insane about this
- I'm very charmed that this is a "mutual pining" trope fic wherein the two of them never doubt for even a moment that they are each other's most important person
- the writing is extremely funny. such good comedy bits overlapping with the genuine emotions in ways that make both parts better!
- 31k words in length
