FANGIRL FRIDAY!!!!

I thought of many ways to structure this post, but I think the best way is from the perspective of my fangirl past. I’ve been reading fanfiction since I was a wee fanbrat of 14. (That was a long time ago. Reading fanfiction via dial-up was NOT a pleasant experience). So, without further ado, here is Vashka’s fangirlish evolution!



Sailor Moon
This was my first online fandom. I liked the TV show excessively (I was FOURTEEN), and so went online to find some pictures. Instead, I found a website that archived fanfiction. Most of it was horrid, but at that stage of my life, I really didn’t care. The only story that I find memorable nowadays is the fantastic storyAs We Were by VO1. It’s so very well written, fun, and the description of the college experience is hilarious and absolutely spot on.

As We Were by VO1 (complete)r
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/284470/1/As_We_Were

Oh, and I also love this new(er) AU story by Amber Penglass -A Vow of Serenity (complete)
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1598111/1/A_Vow_of_Serenity
Comments: In a world where Selene's descendants have built an immoral kingdom, one princess is born with the power to set things right. When her faked death is used as an excuse to start a war, Princess Serenity, disguised as a man, vows to change everything.


Ranma 1/2
This is the lesser-known series of the InuYasha creator Rumiko Takahashi. It’s warm, hilarious, silly, poignant, and was the real reason I started buying manga. This series was the first place I encountered violent ‘ship’ wars, and the first place I encountered real disdain for people who didn’t ship the popular pairings. I am pretty vanilla and ship the main pairing – Ranma & Akane, but there are lots of fun pairings and opportunities in this series. I used to have TONS of links for this fandom, but most of them got deleted when my computer crashed, so here are a few stories that I did have saved.

Tiger Claw by Madamhydra (WIP… le sigh)
Summary: A demon story with romantic interludes... or perhaps a love story with demonic complications. Ranma & Company discover an ominous aspect to the Neko-ken when a mysterious sorceress appears in Nerima and sets a complex series of plots into motion. At the same time, a young woman also arrives in the city intent on pursuing her own personal mission.
Old enemies return and long hidden secrets are revealed as Ranma soon finds himself exploring the shadow within his soul and its dark seductive power.
The obvious enemy is not necessarily the real enemy.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
Cats and serpents do not mix.
Relatives are HELL.
http://www.madamhydra.net/TC.html
Comments: This story breaks my heart. Why? Because it was my first introduction to the abandoned WIP. This story has so many possibilities, is so damn good, and is UNFINISHED. WHY?!? I love this premise like I love ice cream, but alas, its potential remains untapped forever.

Hearts of Ice by Krista Perry (WIP)
http://www.akane.org/heartsofice/story/
Comments: Akane always gets shafted/bashed/character-assassinated in Ranma fic, especially by shippers of other pairings. I love this fic because it give Akane a chance to shine without making her into a raging Mary Sue. BUT this is another unfinished, fantastic abandoned WIP. (just a warning)

Ranma’s Morning Confession by Ringmaster (complete)
Summary: Akane accidentally sees Ranma meeting someone in the morning. In desperation, Shampoo tries one last potion to win Ranma. What does it do, what went wrong with it? What the hell is Akane doing with Amazon potions? On herself?
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1975564/1/Ranmas_Morning_Confession
Comments: This one is great because it takes a cliché in the Ranma fandom – Shampoo using a love potion on Ranma- and does it incredibly well. There’s nothing better than a cliché story that transcends its trappings (in my mind, anyway).


Gundam Wing
I enjoyed this show immensely during its run on Cartoon Network back in my High School days. Cute boys, strong women, giant machines that beat the crap out of each other… what more could a girl want? I was also introduced to the concept of slash through this fandom, but after reading a lot of it, found that mostly it was not for me. So I mostly ship Heero X Relena with some others thrown in for good measure J

Missing by a Mile -The Black Rose (complete) (complete)
Summary: HYxRP. Romantic Comedy. A princess in love with a soldier. A soldier with no clue what love is. Helpful friends, a saboteur, and an enemy butler... For Heero Yuy, the rules of engagement have changed.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/207214/1/Missing_By_A_Mile
Comments: Everything this woman writes is fantastic. EVERYTHING. She writes comedy, historical drama, sci-fi, angst, HOT smut, you name it. And did I mention that she is prolific? I chose this story out of her huge list because it has a little of everything – it starts a comedy, takes a detour through angst, and ends up romance. But so yourself a favor and check out her backlist. You won’t be sorry!

Cynehelme by kmf (complete)
Summary: Relena is a novice unhappy with her quiet life in the nunnery. However, when she is abducted by slavers and discovers that she is the heir to the High King's throne she begins to think that yearning for excitement was a mistake after all....
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1145035/1/Cynehelme
Comments: Another of my favorite authors, kmf is prolific and engrossing. I had a hard time picking my favorite story, but I finally shoes this one – a fantastic medieval AU using the GW characters. Again, check out her backlist for more great canon work.

For other great stories in this fandom, check out:

Goldberry (especially All Along the Watchtower, Eternity In His Hand and Autumn Leaving)
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/33253/Goldberry

Smarty Cat (especially Executive Orders and Practice Makes Perfect)
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/122462/Smarty_Cat

Rurouni Kenshin
I love this fandom – the fanfiction writing is generally wonderful, the plot of the story is great, and the hero is absolutely drool-worthy. This fandom really cultivated my love of the AU. There are almost too many fantastic AU stories to pick from! A few people have already mentioned stories in this fandom, so I’ll go with what has not been mentioned yet. It was a hard decision, but here is what I’ve come up with.

The Slumbering City by Indygodusk (complete)
SummaryWhen Kaoru takes a museum tour she doesn't expect to get lost. Nor does she expect to bleed on a dry fountain or awaken a dead garden. However getting claimed by the Battousai estate, and its master, is a consequence she comes to both dread and long for.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2776919/1/The_Slumbering_City
Comments: This is a intoxicating mix of magic, fantasy, fairy tale and RK. I love the premise, and the execution is perfect. Savor it.

My friend Ravyn (quoth_the_ravyn) has already been mentioned, but her work is so wonderful I feel compelled to mention it again. She writes a mean RK AU, and it is hard for me to choose a favorite. So I’ll have to pick at random, because they are all so fun and so different.
Twisted by Ravyn (complete)
Summary: A dark promise is completed when Kenshin leaves for China. Kaoru, broken and numb, neither intends to hamper his journey, or too unleash his dark half. But the Battousai is free, untamed, raw, and possessive. BK Darkfic.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2056188/1/Twisted


Harry Potter
I had always followed canon pairings until I entered this fandom. Then Dramione ate my brain. Draco and Hermione. Who would have thought? Maybe the canon pairings were just too boring for me :P There are many things in this fandom that annoy me (actually I started writing in it because of a cliché I couldn’t stand) but many things I love. There is a LOT of crappy fic to wade through, but the best fic can really touch your heart.

The Dragon’s Bride by Rizzle (ALMOST DONE!!! WHOO-HOO!)
Summary:Draco and Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation. After all, who in their right mind would want to be married to Draco Malfoy? Surely not Hermione…
http://colouredgrey.contraveritas.com/viewstory.php?sid=336&ageconsent=ok&warning=10
Comments:This fic is a beast. A beast that will steal your days and nights and compel you to read it. A Looong WIP that is almost finished, it is another cliché story that transcends its premise.

Valentine Encounter by Kyra4 (complete)
Summary:Draco and Hermione are Head Boy & Girl, but do NOT share a common room and see as little of each other as possible til a fateful encounter on Valentine's night leads to a gradual, reluctant romance. Starts 7th year goes postHogwarts.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1729481/1/Valentine_Encounter
Comments:This story is so very, very good. There are scenes in it that I still think about to this day. Do yourself a favor and read it as quickly as possible.

Lions of December by Gravidy (complete)
Summary: She calls me Goliath and I wear the David mask. I'd like to believe we could reconcile the past. Resurrect those bridges with an ancient glance. But my old stone face can't seem to break her down. She remembers bridges and burns them to the ground.
http://hp.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=544172391
Comments</b>: The only fic that has ever made me cry. Enough said. (Okay, I lied. Check out all of her work. It’s spectacular.)

And if you have a little more time, check out the work of Margot Le Fey. She’s new to the D/Hr community and her stories are still unfinished but damn that lady can write!
http://colouredgrey.contraveritas.com/viewuser.php?uid=1231


Star Wars
One could say this was my first fandom. My uncle gave me the Star Wars “Extended Universe” books when I was 13, because I loved the series so much. I read all of them that were available at the time but grew disenchanted with them. I couldn’t really understand why at the time, but with more fandom experience I can easily spot the rampant Mary Sues (Mara Jade, Corran, etc) and the canon character assassination (Poor Leia. She’s like the Ron of Star Wars EU) that led to my eventual dislike. So when I recently decided to read actual Star Wars fanfic, I decided to stick with Fanfic about the Prequel Trilogy or about the Original Trilogy with NO EU characters. It’s worked out pretty well.

Disco Shop Girl – Hidden, Caught, Define a Galaxy
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/852289/Disco_Shop_Girl
Comments: I love Disco’s fiction because I felt so very badly for Anakin in Episode III. Yes, he was a dumbass that was easily manipulated. She writes the best AU where Anakin is slightly less of a dumbass, and you actually believe it :P

Force Bond Series by KittandChips (Complete individual stories. Start with Force Bond 1: Orphan)
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/56197/KittandChips
Comments: Kitt has written a ridiculously long series about Luke losing his aunt and uncle and growing up with Vader. The first story is about how he comes to live with Vader, and the rest of the stories span subjects like getting a driver’s lisence, meeting his mother’s family, and growing up hating the empire. Very well written and enjoyable.

The Father by Frodogenic (a regularly updated WIP)
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3092590/1/The_Father
Summary:Ten years after the events of ROTS, Darth Vader is unable to avoid tormenting visions of his unborn child. But hope might still exist for him somewhere in the farthest flung regions of the galaxy...
Comments:This is truly a fantastic story. I love the description, the humor, the premise is extremely well executed, and it possibly has the best characterization of any Star Wars fic I’ve ever read.


Pride and Prejudice

A Singular Proposition by Tanya (complete)
http://tanya3.mrsdarcy.com/asp1.html#ASP1
SummaryAs far as Elizabeth was concerned, her sister Jane deserved the Moon and Prince Charming on bended knee. But, as her circumstances went, Jane, the oldest daughter of an impoverished gentry family was forced to marry a man of mean circumstances and a meaner character; a man so wholly unworthy of her it made her favorite younger sister shudder and shake with fury. All to help the family and to save their estate of Longbourn, entailed, through the malevolence of some long-deceased uncle, away from the family of five daughters...
Comments If you are in any way a P&P fan READ THIS NOW. It is possibly the BEST fanfiction I have EVER read, not just the best P&P one. HAWT, Angsty, Emotional, ye gods this put me through a ride. But DAMN was it worth it. My absolute favorite thus far.

A Touch of Night - Sarah Hoyt & Sofie (complete)
http://www.austen.com/derby/saso1a.htm
Summary: A world in which neither Bennets nor Darcys are quite what they seem to be. Secrets long hidden cast long shadows.
Comments: freaking cool story about were-beasts in the Regency times. Darcy is a Dragon! You know how I feel about dragons…

Disenchanted by Kara (complete)
Summary: A tale of wizardry, enchantment, disenchantment and the good and the bad, all thrown in with the characters of Pride and Prejudice.
http://www.austen.com/derby/kara8.htm
Comments: A truly fantastic romp of an AU. I enjoyed every minute of this well-written story.

The Great Game by Ayden (complete)
Summary: Based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, "The Great Game" is a romantic historical adventure spiced with a dash of mystery. Set in India and England in the 1830's, it attempts to explore the pretense and essence of the times. Follow our beloved couple on their journey to ever lasting love and happiness...
http://ayden.mrsdarcy.com/page1.html
Comments: Possibly the most erotic P&P story I have ever read, this story is utterly engrossing in its lushness.


I have dabbled in a lot of other fandoms as well – Red Eye, InuYasha (my two favorite fics were already recommended – The Lucky Ones and Turnabout is Fair Play), Fruits Basket, Dragon Ball Z, and Escaflowne. Oh, and of course Labyrinth, which I more that dabble in, but most of what I would rec has already been mentioned.

Wow. I went waaaay over the fic limit. I hope no one minds… If you want any more recs for any of these fandoms, please feel free to contact me.