mandolin | Friday morning fanfic recs

Here's some long-overdue fanfic recs, which - if I can get them done - will be going up with my mini-update this evening. I've expanded Conversations With Clueless Creativity Demons and am putting it up on my site for the next time someone either asks, "When are you going to finish (insert fic here)?" or, worse, "Why won't you finish (insert fic here) yet?" (If THIS doesn't get the message across that I can't arbitrarily decide when to be inspired and have the time to write, nothing will.)

Fox Commodore, by DragonLady
What: Pirates of the Caribbean, post-movie. Commodore Norrington takes in a neglected pet and suffers the consequences. Work-in-progress.
Why: Okay, I admit, like most viewers of the movie, I was naturally rooting for Will, not the Commodore. (Hey, I don't hate Elizabeth.) But what drives me nuts in some fic writing is that people seem to forget that Norrington was NOT a prig in the end - come on, he gave up Elizabeth to Will, figured out on his own that Will was the real craftsman, and let Sparrow get a head start, all in one scene and with a considerable amount of grace. DragonLady gives us a sympathetic Norrington without sacrificing wit or character, and the lack of character-bashing all around is refreshing to see. It's nice to see a PotC fanfic with such an original premise, too - and there's not a Sue to be found. Go. Read.

Minimum Age, by Beth
What: Power Rangers Ninja Storm. One of Lothor's spells turns Blake into a 6 year old.
Why: As I initially squealed to

tptigger when she first posted it: "Hee! Chibi Blake!" Seriously, the cute factor of this fic is incredibly appealing, mainly because it isn't drowning in sap. Beth also uses the situation as an opportunity to explore the Tori/Blake relationship better than a lot of Tori/Blake fics out there do, as well as some great bonding moments with Hunter. "Tori, they're ignoring me! Will you please beat them up?" Six-year-old Blake is too cute for his own good.

The Fifth Wheel, by SilvorMoon
What: Power Rangers - probably MMPR era. A story of the Rangers of Aquitar.
Why: Dude. This is probably one of the most underrated fics I've seen in a long time. (8 reviews? 8 REVIEWS? WTF?) I'm still shocked I took so long to find the story. Rarely do any of the Aquitian Rangers get much time in fanfic, and their history was never really delved into on the show.

silvormoon does an excellent job at world-building, filling in the gaps to create a great and believable picture of Aquitar while remaining fairly true to the silliness of PR. It's a well-told origin story that fleshes out the Aquitian Rangers, and for once, gives us a sympathetic and well-defined portrait of Cestria, who usually gets bashed because of Cestria/Billy hatred. "The Fifth Wheel" actually made my long-dead creativity demons for FF5 stir a bit, which is a feat in itself. PEOPLE, GO READ AND REVIEW. I'm still amazed this one was missed for so long.

Seven Summers, by Annakovsky
What: BtVS, all seasons. Seven summers of Xander's life, in short.
Why: It's a poignant, clever, beautiful series of vignettes that get us into Xander's head in the lull between and after seasons. Favorite passage: "As they lay together, sweaty, her curled up on his chest, he was more aware than ever that their skins were like barbed-wire fences, keeping each other out. That no matter how close you got to someone, you were always alone inside your own body."

More later...