lunabee34

1. ( cut for straight-up whining about my health )

2. Shot #2 kicked our asses on Saturday. Twelve hours after the shot my arm hurt so badly that it is the worst physical pain I've had outside childbirth. Which is, ah, saying something. Fortunately, the pain responded to tylenol which kicked it back to a manageable level. Both of us had fevers, body aches, and general tiredness on Sunday; I also had a terrible headache. Today, I'm still tired but pretty much fine. I'm still having the heightened neuropathy in my leg that started after the shot, and my arm still hurts a little (I've got a big, hot rash over the injection site), but I'm mostly fine. Josh is mostly fine now, too, but it took him a little longer to get that way than I did.

3. In other random news, I forgot to post about when I had the MRI. I found it strangely soothing and trancelike. It did not sound at all like the MRIs I remember from 25 years ago. Instead of a hammer beating on a metal drum, it sounded more like music to me; there were definitely tonal shifts and varying rhythms. It was oddly hypnotic. If I hadn't been worried about being completely still, I think I would have fallen asleep.

3. Have some awesome stuff to look at.

Thanks to amejisuto, I now know that Star Trek perfumes exist. I don't even know what to say about these, y'all. I mean Red Shirt? Pon Farr? Somebody did not think through the marketing strategy. *dies laughing*

Cuckoo Clocks by executrix
Blake's 7
Blake/Gan
This is full of all the hallmarks of executrix's writing: humor, spot-on dialogue, dangerous wit; it's extremely funny in places, and then it's very much not. Highly recommended.

Selected Publications of Dr. Shannon L. Abbey
Newsflesh series by Mira Grant
This fic gives a very interesting backstory for one of the most interesting characters in the series. Very true to canon; excellent read.

Peaceable Kingdom
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Coll has always been my favorite of the series--the soldier who gave up his sword for a plow and must reluctantly fight again. This is Coll meeting Taran for the first time, and it is perfect.

White Line Fever
Archer
Pam/Archer
I really, really liked Pam and Archer together; she's probably my favorite character on the show because she's so confident and badass. This story has Archer realizing what he's been missing.

Aware
Archer
Lana/Archer
Archer and babies! This is very funny and very true to canon, so funny, disturbing and strangely heartwarming.

Hands Across the Void
Blake's 7
Avon/Blake, Avon/Anna, pre-series
Just how well did Avon and Blake know each other before the show begins? This is chilling and haunting.

And finally, have another of my top picks for this year.

The Kindness of Men
Black Beauty
Oh, my heart! My heart, my heart! I cried while reading this in my mother's living room, and everybody looked at me funny while they watched Castle reruns. LOL This is the happy ending Ginger so richly deserves, and it is glorious.

I was at conference in Atlanta this weekend delivering a presentation on teaching in learning communities, and for the week before that, I was running myself ragged preparing the presentation as well as writing my entry for maleslashminis which is why I have neglected until now to rec this wonderful story.

Unacknowledged Poets is executrix's fusion of the worlds of Blake's Seven and Firefly. Unfortunately, you do need a passing familiarity with Blake's Seven in order to appreciate just how truly brilliant this piece is, but hey. All that means is that you get to put another notch on your fandom bedpost, right?

Fusions are such interesting beasts and much more difficult to write than crossovers, IMHO. With a fusion, it's not so much that you have to marry the mechanics of each universe or invent scenarios in which the characters of each could plausibly interact as that you have to convince me that these worlds are THE SAME WORLD and always have been, which is sutbly different.

This story is a particularly fine example that hinges on the similarity of a major plot point from both universes. It's excellently characterized with the attention to rich detail that I've come to expect from executrix. And besides, what's not to love about a story where River and Orac are BFF or Servalan gets her much deserved comeuppance?

( Cut for Story Spoilers )

Go read, all. I think you'll enjoy this as much as I did.

I am behind on my recs that my bookmarks are getting way too full. So here's a multi-fandom dump for you guys.

B7
A Taste of Honey by executrix; Jenna, Avon, Blake; PG-13
Y'all already know I think Exec's pretty much the bees knees, but she has a very real gift for writing these characters. She has their voices down so impeccably that I often hear her dialogue in my head (which is unusual for me, even when I'm writing). She retains the inherent Blakeness bleakness of the serious while playing up the wonderful and acerbic wit and humor that sometimes shone through. If you aren't into B7, read this fic and I think you might change your mind.

SPN
Last Outpost of All That Is by b stearns; Sam/Dean; Adult
Okay, here's the thing. I LOOOOOOOOOVE apocafic. Love it. I adore watching people cope with the loss of not only life on a gigantic scale but the amenities we've come to take for granted like clean drinking water and electricity. I also have quite the narrative kink for moments of great joy and hope in the middle of overwhelming despair. And this story is an excellent example of both those things; it's well-written, it's suspenseful, it's full of genuine emotion that never feels cheap or forced. In short, it's a damn good story. And at the same time it unsettles me, disturbs me (in a good way, I think). SPOILERS FOR THE FIC: In this story, Sam and Dean are the sole survivors of the apocalypse; they don't know exactly what happened and why they are the only ones spared (which is an ambiguity I fully endorse). However, the thought of them being alone for the rest of their lives really makes me sad for them. I mean, I know they'll have each other, but it still just hurts my heart for some reason. It's the same way I felt when I read destina's wonderful Torment of Tantalus AU; at the very same time that I adore Jack and Daniel marooned forever and only leaning on each other, it also destroys me to think of the canon that can never happen, of all the experiences that they will never have as a result. It's good, this ache.

Die Hard
That Guy by utopiantrunks; McClane/Farrell; Adult
This link takes you to the final chapter in the fic; previous chapters are linked at the top of the post. This is a wonderfully lengthy look at one way that John and Matt's relationship might develop after the fire sale. I find a variety of different versions of these guys equally plausible and while I tend to like my Matt a little less woobie-fied than he is here, I certainly buy the characterization. This fic features a John who struggles with his urge to parent Matt, a Matt who's been abandoned and hurt by the people closest to him, and a nation that refuses to heal from the fire sale as quickly as either of them would like.

SGA
Fell in Love With a Girl by 01100100; Teyla/Kate; Adult
WHY ARE YOU ALL NOT READING THIS RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE? LOL I am besotted with this fic. We're discussing it currently in sga_talk and I don't think I would ever have found the story otherwise, but I'm so glad I did. The characterization is stellar, the humor warm and truly funny without being cracky, and the dialogue just zings. This is one of those fics that's just full of love--the love we as fans have for this show, the love of a writer for her work, and the love these characters feel for each other. I felt so good, so well happy after reading this piece and I think you will too.