A Fan's Playground

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

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

I was having a conversation with some folks on mastodon a little while ago about the practice of reading fics for fandoms you're not familiar with, and why it works for some people and not others. I understand both approaches, but I am firmly in the camp of being happy to read a fic whether I know the fandom or not, as long as it looks interesting to me!

The particular pleasures are different, but both ways are good: fic about fandoms you know is pleasurably wallowing in an ongoing conversation about something you love (...or love to hate), whereas fic for unfamiliar fandoms is having fun eavesdropping on someone else's conversation and working out a puzzle while enjoying a good story.

But some fics work better than others for reading without canon to contextualize them, and although I'm up for some challenges, you don't actually have to play this game on hard-mode. So I'm here to provide a rec list of fics I have enjoyed without canon knowledge that I think are more broadly successful for that purpose. I hope you find some to enjoy here too!

Arranged alphabetically by fandom.


The Improbable Future, by marycontraire

6k words, not rated

The fandom: crossover between Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, which are presumably related to each other, though I don't even know what medium they are in.

The fic: A story about family, especially the relationship between a preteen girl and the surrogate father figure in her life. Extremely heartwarming!


Sentimental Reasons, by Frostfire

16k words, rated T

The fandom: Casablanca, one of those famous classic black and white movies, about war

The fic: focuses on the story of a character who is a minor character in the original movie, which allows you to follow the story easily without knowing the original. All Sam wants to do with his life is play music, but racism and war have a tendency to intervene. The story revolves around his relationship with another man, Richard. I love Sam, and I love his pov in this fic. It's an incredible read!


One More Time With Feeling (or, Charlie Brooker and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day), by marginaliana

50k words, rated E

The fandom: british comedians rpf, ft. comedians I've never heard of

The fic: Timeloop! The classic groundhog day experience! And this was a really impressively done timeloop fic. I was particularly impressed with how well the character arc for the protagonist went from totally-an-appalling-asshole to only-normal-level-sympathetic-asshole, and how it shows some of the ways that being in a timeloop can be really awful. And yet - happy ending! Impressive.


The Retirement of Gabriel Argent, by Sixthlight

5k words, rated T

The fandom: Daniel Blackland, which is, I believe, a book series?

The fic: is about two characters who are not Daniel Blackland. It's about finding a way to live a peaceful life that actually makes you happy, when you never thought such a thing would be possible. It's lovely!


go pick out a white dress, by novembersmith

1k words, rated G

The fandom: Deepwater Bride, by Tamsyn Muir, which I'm guessing is a short story.

The fic: a delightful uhhhh one-sided romance about an eldritch sea monster who is really into a human, much to the dismay of, well, everyone. But the eldritch being will not be disheartened! Such a charming voice.


Hesitation Waltz, by cranialaccessory

20k words, rated T

The fandom: From Eroica With Love, which I know literally nothing about

The fic: Two cold war era spies have to pretend to be married for a case. One of them is flamboyant and foppish, the other is grouchy and bad at acting. Together they learn things about teamwork and trust! (and that they're into each other.)


confirmation bias, by novembersmith

14k words, rated E

The fandom: Integrate, which I'm guessing is a book

The fic: This is the fic that instantly came to mind when I first thought of making this rec list. I love it. It's a totally adorable alien/human interspecies romance, from the pov of the alien, who of course finds the human the alien one. Every single thing in the fic is a delight.


Get Up, and Go Forth, by Frostfire

15k words, rated T

The fandom: the tv show Kings, which I once tried and failed to watch, but is loosely based on the biblical story of David and Jonathan

The fic: Hey, it works just fine as bible fanfic instead! (I'm afraid I don't know how it would read if you aren't familiar with the biblical story. My parents were rigorous about making sure I would be biblically literate.) The fic focuses on the Jonathan character, here called Jack, as he explores what it means to be on David's side instead of his father's. I have reread this fic so many times. It's just so well done!


A Divinely Attractive Arrangement, by Fahye

6k words, rated T

The fandom: the movie Love and Friendship. I've read the book Love and Freindship [sic] but the movie, despite the name, is not actually based on the book!

The fic: featuring the pov of the most amiably oblivious person in the absolutely entire world as he settles into his recent marriage. He's so genuinely happy about everything in his life! Even as it is obvious to the reader how much the other characters in the story are manipulating him. I love him very much.


This Episode Brought To You By, by ryfkah

6k words, rated T

The fandom: a kdrama, Mr. Queen. Going in I did in fact know a very slim amount about the actual canon, which I believe is a useful starting point for reading the fic: it's a show about a modern chef who transmigrates into Korean history, into the body of a queen; the queen, meanwhile, ends up in the future in the chef's body.

The fic: is about both the chef and the queen, as they explore their identity and their desires through the medium of food, and it is a complete delight.


Sweet In the Gale Is Heard, by Toft

11k words, rated T

The fandom: Pegasus, by Robin McKinley, a novel I've never read despite generally being a McKinley fan because I heard it ends on a cliffhanger and the sequel was never published.

The fic: A fixit for the cliffhanger! Interspecies romance between a human and a pegasus, and absolutely lovely.


Things Which Catch the Eye, by petrichoral

3k words, rated G

The fandom: The Pillow Book, by Sei Shonagon, which is a book I have heard of often over the years but have never actually read.

The fic: ships Sei Shonagon with another woman who presumably appears in the book as well, showing the arc of their relationship in short snatches that come together skilfully. Truly excellent.


you wait and you wonder who'll take on your odds, by paperclipbitch

138k words, rated E

The fandom: The Queen's Gambit, a tv show which I gather is about chess

The fic: An "exes to friends to spouses to lovers" marriage of convenience story. I love how well balanced this is between all the different aspects of things going on: the feelings between Beth and Benny, the working out how to make a life together (separate from the feelings), the chess, the simmering sexual attraction, the other people in Beth's life who are important to her, and Beth's understanding of herself. Really good!


Lebenswerk, by Serena

10k words, rated T

The fandom: Sunset Boulevard, a classic movie about movie-making

The fic: A director's relationship with his star actor, and the things he does and doesn't choose to prioritize over the years. It is interesting, and also rather uncomfortable in places, in ways that are entirely fitting to the story. I was really captivated by it!


Moab, by Parhelion

13k words, rated G

The fandom: an old-school sci-fi book series called The People, by Zenna Henderson

The fic: reads like a lovely, quiet, thoughtful, and kind original scifi story itself, about a human-looking space alien orphan stranded on earth with supernatural powers he has to hide, raised by a woman he calls Aunt, as he finds his place in the world of the early 20th century.


Transformers Works, by astolat

331k words, ratings ranging from T to E

The fandom: Transformers. A tv show (or multiple?) and toys and possibly other media as well? About robot war.

The fic: this is actually a link to all of astolat's fics about transformers. Pretty much every transformers fic Astolat has written is basically: given different base assumptions about how the universe works, how to end the war. And I love all of it, omg, both the different choices of worldbuilding in each fic and also the commitment to ending the war. Pick and choose between the fics for what you want to read!


Variations on a Theme from Turandot, by Ada Hoffman

7k words, not rated

The fandom: Turandot, which I'm guessing is an opera, or maybe a ballet?

The fic: A professionally published story which also happens to be fanfic. Does what it says on the tin! I'm not quite sure I followed the ending, but somehow it works like that even so. I found it so interesting.


A Good Bargain, by Neery

11k words, rated E

The fandom: Word of Honor, a wuxia-genre tv show that I have heard goes as hard on gay themes as it possibly could within the censorship rules it was produced under.

The fic: Does the thing where someone enters a marriage of convenience, but takes their marriage vows seriously and is now firmly working on the side of their spouse. And in this case the spouse knows this about them and planned it on purpose! DELIGHTFUL. I adore it.

One of the things I've been doing lately is rewatching older vids, so I thought I'd take the time to share some of the ones that have hit the spot recently.

(This is not intentionally a themed rec set, except that the kinds of vids that have hit the spot recently do....tend to fall in one of a few specific categories. As you might notice.)

1. Landsailor, by Raven
multifandom
"We're gonna need a bigger boat." I only know one of the fandoms that goes into this vid, but it does a clear job telling the story/stories such that you don't actually need to be familiar. It's so beautiful and optimistic about the things people do together to make things happen.

2. Soon Love Soon, by usuallyhats
Master and Commander
"To be a part is to be truly whole." I mean. That. And it does an amazing job of building the song and visuals together to create something really moving.

3.  Change You Like a Remix, by bessyboo
The Lego Movie and lego of all types and fandom as a whole
"No, I think it looked a little better on me." A fascinating vid that starts out looking like a vid about the Lego Movie, then moves into being about Lego media in general and then into, like, fandom. About creativity and creation and being inspired to do things.

4. Work This Body, by cherryice
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
"Maybe the real Jumanji was the friends we made along the way." IDEK I just am endlessly charmed by this vid, which I watched well before I ever saw the movie. It's fun and upbeat and great, and I watched it an unconscionable number of times even before I ever saw the movie.

5. Do You Dance?, by AurumCalendula
Pride & Prejudice
"Do you dance, Mr. Darcy?" Rare for me in that it's a lyric-less vid that I nonetheless really enjoy.I love the mirroring of their movements in the dance to the movements of their relationship throughout the movie, as the two are interwoven.

6. All In Together, by odessie
The Great British Bake Off
"Celebrate your oddities, your art, your own insanity." This vid was delightful when I first watched it, before I'd ever seen GBBO, and now that I've obsessively watched many seasons' worth it's even more delightful. The vid manages to capture in just a few minutes so much of what's lovely about the show.

7. Parachute, by thingswithwings
Leverage
"I don't need a parachute, baby, if I've got you." I love this ot3 a lot (Hardison/Parker/Elliot) and this vid is wonderfully them. So lovely. I love how much of the focus of the vid is on them being there for each other and supporting each other.

8. C'mon, by rhoboat
Inside Out
"What would my head be like?" Many feelings. Very yes.

9. Even If It Hurts, by pollyrepeat
Star Wars sequel trilogy
"It's darkest before the dawn." Focuses on Poe, Paige, Rose, Finn, Rey, and Leia, facing the hard things as they do what needs to be done.

10. Show Me your Teeth, by Dogstar
Hieronymous Bosch
"Tell me something that'll save me." Look, it's a vid about the weirdness of Hieronymous Bosch's art. It's weird and amazing.

I watched It's A Wonderful Life for the first time this year. Induction into Important Christmas Tradition, accomplished!

It was an unexpectedly good movie. I had FEELINGS over it and everything! ( Cut for spoilers, even though you've probably been spoilered for this one a million times already. )

Jack Layton is dead. I can't even.

Other people are saying far more eloquent things than I could, so I will leave it there.

Here, have a recs-set of HAPPY THINGS:

every aching old machine, by longtime_lurker. Bandom; Pete/Patrick. OLD MEN IN LOVE.

Dolphin-Borne, by carmarthen. The Eagle/Dinotopia; Esca, Cottia, Marcus. DINOTOPIA FUSION.

The Adventures of Lily and Severus (BEST BUDS), by theopteryx. Harry Potter; Lily, Severus. ADORBS WEE COMIC.

Public Displays of Affection, by philomytha. Vorkosigan; Cordelia/Aral, Alys/Simon. MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IN LOVE.

untitled, by dakotaaaa. Doctor Who; Amy/Rory. ADORBS DRAWING OF KISSING AND BUNKBEDS.

Choice of Broadsides. NAPOLEONIC WAR CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE, WHERE BEING QUEER IS AN OPTION. ALSO IT IS RIDICULOUSLY FUN.

Lose My Breath, by deirdre_c. White Nights; Kolya/Ray. Vid, to a source you don't need to be familiar with (and it's not just me saying this). TWO DUDES. DANCING. IT IS AMAZING.

I am not catching myself up on my flist and rlist from being gone for an extended Easter weekend. SO MUCH TO DO IN MY REAL LIFE. SO BUSY. AHHHHH. (I hate moving. Why do I own so much clothing? Why do I own so many books? And why does there have to be MOLD on a bunch of my books? DO NOT WANT!) But! I cannot resist posting more about Doctor Who. Because let's face it, when can I ever resist ANYTHING to do with Doctor Who's awesomeness?

( So here is a bunch of spoilery discussion of The Impossible Astronaut. )