Hmm. I seem to have commented on 7.6% of the archive. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface - people, go forth and comment! There's a lot of good stories in there which are low on comments, including some of those below, even though some of them aren't in super-obscure fandoms. Be brave, good readers! There's treasure in them there hills!

Recs in fandoms M-A, in reverse alphabetical order. 31 Recs in 20 fandoms.



First off, the one written for me - The Problem With Being An Older Brother and is a lovely look at Erskine and Venturus from Archer's Goon.


Hard is the Fall (Greek Mythology) - This metal arm, he perfected over the years so that by the time Minos came to his city, Daedalus was using a system of levers and pulleys to pull the arm this way and that, using it to clutch hot objects or to reach inside the forge. The life of Daedalus, centred around his friendship with Pasiphae and uneasy attitude to Apollo.

This is not a chick flick (Greek Mythology) - Hades, who had actually met the Fates before, was considerably less enthused at the idea of the old crones gossiping about his love life. And besides, "Since when are you an expert in love? Didn't that one nymph turn herself into a tree rather than -" - Hades/Persephone and it's hilarious. Hades seeks advice from the rest of his family on how to court Persephone.

Merlin, Arthur, and Sir Damas (Merlin) - And while Arthur might just accept mysterious fire burning the door down, he'd probably think it strange if Merlin tidied the cell in preparation. He would have to think of something else. - Merlin and Arthur get taken prisoner. A very clever allusion to Malory in here, but with the boys in perfect, dorky character for the show. Very cool.

Worrying the Thread (Merlin) - Arthur regarded him steadily from his chair. "There's a custom in Camelot," he said. "When people want to enter a room, they make a fist, like this" and he closed his gloved fist, holding it up for examination "and then they bang it against the door. We call it knocking." - Merlin tries hard to confess, but things get a little out of hand. Full of snark and hilarious misunderstandings.

Camlann (Merlin) - Didn't Geoffrey of Monmouth teach you any history? The end. Rich with foreboding and echoes of Arthurian legend, but what shines through is the continuing affection between Arthur and Merlin.

Final Moments (The Mariner's Revenge Song) - Inside the belly of a whale, just like Jonah. Only, Jonah emerged from the belly alive and whole, and I planned very differently for the darling captain. - Dark and twisted and awesome, just like the song.

Four Scrapes Rose Never Got Into (Although She Very Well Could Have) (Eight Cousins) - Rose glanced down at her sensible shoes and the thick, close branches of the tree before determinedly swinging herself up onto the first branch. - Sweet little snippets of Rose's life with the cousins. Gentle, funny and innocent in the right way.

Symphony No 3 ('Bracken') - A Romance in Three Movements (Lorna Hill - Sadlers Wells) - When his Symphony premiered, and was once more called 'balletic' by one of the critics, Sebastian smiled instead of growling. - Sebastian's development into a musician, while he and Veronica are estranged in Veronica at the Wells. I've always wondered what he was doing in those years when she was becoming a ballerina. This answers that perfectly.

jeté en avant (Lorna Hill - Sadlers Wells) - "If they go on like this, Veronica will end up throwing her engagement ring at Sebastian again," prophesied Caroline. This had its intended effect; cold water instantly quenched the kindling quarrel. - Veronica and Sebastian return to Northumberland for Christmas. Fiona is poisonous, Caroline is sane, and the Veronica/Sebastian banter is perfect and hilarious.

Turn and turn again (Homer - Odyssey) - She is slowly learning his face again, a face that, to her surprise and shame, she had barely recognized at first. - a wonderful Penelope-centric ghost story, exploring her life adjusting to Odysseus' return.

Lord Barham Contrives (Georgette Heyer - The Masqueraders) - "I daresay he believes himself to be providing his children with a delightful diversion for their honeymoon." - the title says it all. A delicious coda to the book, with Lord Barham concocting a delightfully complex scheme.

A Gentleman of Taste (Georgette Heyer - Cotillion) - "I don't like to say it," said Meg, not looking too sorry, "but this might be the only wedding of the year where the bridegroom outshone the bride." Perfect Freddy vignettes. Freddy is one of my favourite Heyer heroes, and this captures him beautifully.

Dancing Like The Living (Garth Nix - Abhorsen) - They are dancing in Belisaere across a moonlit floor, with Charter magic glowing in small lights around the room and reflecting in the hundred of eyes looking upon the new King and his Abhorsen Queen. An effective use of the seven bells to explore Sabriel's character and her relationships. Lovely and thoughtful.

How Does Your Garden Grow (Fairytales) - "You fool," she said. "No one dies from a lack of lettuce. You had no right to agree to this. Go. Bring back my child or don't come back to my house." The story of Rapunzel's parents. Simply told, and all the more powerful for it.

Piper (Fairytales) - Pietro "Piper" Hamilton is what I'd had them scratch into my poorly windowed door. Private Eye and Odd Jobs isn't exactly glamorous, but it keeps me in hooch and keeps the landlady at bay. The Pied Piper, noir style. Awesome.

The Songs of the Nightingale (Fairytales) - Although she now had many who would listen to her singing, the nightingale found that she had lost the things of which she sang, and this made her sad. The Nightingale's side of the story. Beautiful.

Even (Fairytales) - He wanted to yell at her, but he couldn't. He had wanted to tame her after all. He finished his dinner and left the table in disgust, with her or himself, he wasn't sure. - King Thrushbeard is having second thoughts. Good fun.

What Makes an Angel (Malory Towers) - "She was my only friend," she said at last, helplessly. "I just wish she wasn't so awful." - a sweet little snippet of Bill/Clarissa.

Herr Doktor SilberneKlinge und Der Herr der Ringe (Elizabeth Peters - Vicky Bliss) - I didn't have anything against hobbits, but I drew the line at the notion of editing sex scenes written by my boss. - Schmidt writes Hobbit!slash. Hilarious and perfectly in character.

Growing Together (The Ogre Downstairs) - Gwinny looked in amazement at them, and dared a glance towards Johnny, who was just pulling out a sword from the bushes. - There's something very strange about the garden. More crazy magic, very much in the tone of the book. Really fun and rather sweet as well.

The Prisoner's Dilemma (Dalemark) - Navis knew that he would make a far more effective tyrant than any of the other members of his family, if he were to put his mind to it. - A detailed look at Navis in Holand, precise and careful and intelligent, and all the time thinking ahead. Brilliant.

The Last Free Soul of Dalemark (Dalemark) - Generally positively received by reviewers, with particular praise for Ham Amilson's mesmeric Hobin – proud, brilliant, savage and ultimately self-destructive – the show attracted criticism from academics for playing fast and loose with history. - Awesome multimedia Dalemark fic concerned with Hobin and the start of Amil's reign. There's a lot in here about history and perspectives and there's definitely some Undying appearing in unexpected places as well. Worth several reads.

Travel Time (Honor Harrington) - One of his engineering techs, passing by, met his grin with an uncertain smile of her own, and Alistair tamped down what he suspected was a distinctly manic expression. McKeon, on the way home from Hell. A thoughtful little character piece.

Four Lessons on the Alcione Order - Bevier took a long moment to think that through and then sighed. "For some reason I find theology a far more complicated topic than I was once taught," he admitted with a slight smile. Ulath/Tynian, and delightful.

Are We There Yet (or, Fear and Loathing in Kent) (Canterbury Tales) - "Look you, sir Summoner," Harry Bailly interrupted, "and you, sir Pardoner, don't make me separate the two of you!" - the bits that didn't make it into the official version. So many sly and hilarious references to medieval poetry. Brilliant.

Wearing the Sod Cloth (Laputa/Castle in the Sky) - Sheeta was almost shocked at how easy it was to fall back into the rhythms of the Dola Gang. She cooked enormous meals several times a day, and stood her watch in the nights, and talked to Pazu in the dark through the golden curtain, and listened to the boys' not-that-witty adventure stories. Lovely Sheeta-centric story about growing up and working out your own identity. Everyone is perfectly in character and the world comes to life.

What Is And What Seems To Be (Arthurian Legends) - Cyneswith smiles still, and accepts the new name. Names have a different kind of power than magic and a British name paves the way for her acceptance as a British queen. Powerful Guinevere fic, with a very interesting take on the character.

Their Finest Hour (Swallows and Amazons) - It had been Susan Walker who finally answered the call, taking the train from a teacher training college in Bedfordshire to meet Nancy on the Sheerness docks in the early hours of the morning. Susan and Nancy at Dunkirk. Absolutely perfect.

Whole New World (Aladdin) - He'll find the postcard thirteen hundred (or so) years later, a crumbling sheet of paper exposed by a strong gust of wind, on a sandy dune that no one but him knows marks the place where Agrabah once stood. This is a story about the genie travelling back and forth through time, but it's also about loss and family and war. I would never have thought a story about the genie in Aladdin would make me dry, but this one did.

In Which Worlds Collide and Eeyore Investigates a Terrible Crime (Winnie the Pooh) - "Hustle," Eeyore said morosely, "and bustle." He put his hoof down again. "That is the problem. No one thinks. No one listens." - Best crossover ever. Read the footnotes ;)

Recs Z-M
Fairytales Index - still taking suggestions for fics from other fandoms with strong fairytale elements.