Multi-Fandom Recs

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

I'm bringing recs focusing on some of my favourite female characters (mostly femgen, with a dash of het and femslash) from various fandoms. All of these stories were written since the last halfamoon fangirling fest. Maybe you know most of them already; but maybe there's also one or two you missed out on. Many of these fics were taken from this year's femgenficathon and the first LJ galpalficathon, which you should check out too!


Battlestar Galactica:

Into the Underworld by rose_griffes: Maybe Maggie's in Hades already.

A great look at Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson, one of Galactica's tertiary characters, her family background, her bitterness and her strength in the face of destruction.

The Kindly Ones by eye_of_a_cat: Laura Roslin, she needs to know the answers, all the answers

This fic about Laura and Leoben with its clever use of all the mythology references is truly mind-blowing.

Latter Days by pellucid: Laura Roslin and Anastasia Dualla / intersections.

Dee's subtle impact on many of the characters, her unwavering belief in Roslin, and her longing for family are touching to read about, and the changes of perspective where we can see how much all these characters long, but fail, to connect are heart-breaking.

Still Life by rivrea: If she’d been more like Starbuck, she could have been loud and angry and looking for a fight; but she was a follower of Hestia and Hebe, a quiet onlooker trying to keep the home-fires burning.

I admit that this is a case of SSP, but especially after the events of 4.11, I'm clinging even harder to my version of Dee's story.

Doctor Who:

The Lady and the Temp by altariel: A riot of remarkable redheads: Cordelia Naismith-Vorkosigan, Donna Noble and the Doctor. (X-over with L.M.Bujold's Vorkosiverse)

The voices, dialogue lines and speech patterns of both Donna and the Doctor are perfect, and the clash of civilizations between the Whoniverse and the bloody wars of early Barrayar seems flawless, the serious background issues seamlessly integrated with the humourous passages. -- And I would probably start taking hostages at the BBC if this meant to get Cordelia Naismith-Vorkosigan in the TARDIS. Altogether delightful, from the punny title to the sniffy ending.

Things Kept by aris_writing: Harriet Jones has always had her reasons, and always had her pride.

Okay, so I'm biased, because this remixed one of my DW drabbles for the remixredux08, but what this did with it is simply smashing. Harriet Jones was one of my favourite minor characters on the show, and I love the way in which the story showcases her determination, her stubbornness and her final reconciliation with the Doctor.

Unfamiliar Places by livii:Three times Romana and Jenny (drunkenly, sort of, then finally properly) got married.

Another story in whose favour I'm utterly biased since it was written by one of my favourite DW writers for my participation in the livelongnmarry charity auction, but I ADORE this story so much and it didn't get nearly enough feedback in my opinion. :(

Farscape:

With Bitter Joy, the Sound of Wings by rivrea: Ten fixed-length ficlets about spaceships and Officer Aeryn Sun.

This is more shameless self-promotion; however, I only discovered FS last summer and fell in love with Aeryn at once. This is my tribute to this great heroine.

Gosford Park:

Trouble by shadow_truths: Elsie and Isobel - keeping secrets.

I'd be tempted to say this is a lovely story, but lovely is perhaps the wrong word for such heavy topics as the unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and the class divide. However, it is well-characterized, sadly plausible and strangely moving in the way it interprets the concept of female friendship.

Harry Potter:

Being True (to Yourself) by sabethea: Luna is Luna from the first moment she boards the Hogwarts Express.

Luna is one of my favourite characters from Harry Potter, but I find her very hard to pin down nonetheless. This story, however, captures her perfectly; she is not just kooky, distracted and uncaring; she's principled when it comes to her individuality.

How the Dementors Came into Being by catsintheattic: She was a young Veela who only wanted to be beautiful. When her body failed her, she started looking for inner beauty. Alas, her own soul wasn’t enough to make up for what she couldn’t achieve.

A wonderfully dark and twisted fairy-tale set in the HP universe.

Indiana Jones:

Of Lost Souls by romanticalgirl: The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits.

The best thing about Indy IV? Seeing Karen Allen again, duh! Indy/Marion was one of my first OTPs before I even knew what an OTP was, and I also adore the backstory as an obsessed archaeologist's neglected kid that this story comes up with.

Lord of the Rings:

The Fathoms, They Abide by rivrea: 50 sentences about Éowyn.

And yet even more SSP! I wanted to write this for halfamoon 2008, but didn't finish it till May. So, here it is instead.

The Matrix:

never cared much for moonlit skies by liminalliz: Trinity resents the prophecy given to her.

What should have been said in the movies (instead of turning Trinity from a soldier into the love interest).

Narnia:

Fragments by miss_morland: She is nine, twelve, fourteen, twenty; she is a little girl and she is a woman.

How must Lucy Pevensie feel, being both an English schoolgirl and a Queen of Narnia, an adult woman trapped in a child's body? This fic tries to offer an answer to that question.

Once and Always (the Story to Tell) by misscam: Once a Queen of Narnia, forgotten a Queen of Narnia; Susan Pevensie's story to tell.

One of my favourite takes on the Problem of Susam (TM).

Shakespeare:

Circles in the Water by lareinenoire: 'Long die thy happy days before thy death, / And, after many length'ned hours of grief, / Die neither mother, wife, nor England's Queen!' (R3 I.iii.206-8) The curse was not meant for the Duchess of York, but Fortune's wheel cared not for intentions.

It is such an intriguing, well-researched and in-depth view at the Wars of the Roses and the character of Richard III from Cecily Neville's POV. And it's fanfic with footnotes! *glee*

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Cemetary Side Road by cherryice:
This house is not the place where Riley lives.

Another child, another girl, another soldier in the war against the machines. Fabulous Riley backstory.

Cinderella, Made of Steel by hradzka: Cameron is a Terminator working on being human. Sarah Connor is a warrior working on being a mother. Sometimes their learning curves intersect.

A sort of family Christmas story fitting for this fandom, and one of the best Cameron POV fics I have come across so far.

Deluge by maharet83: Sarah, Cameron, a broken figure of speech

This is an excellent take on both characters -- Sarah, who is trying so hard to be the perfect, practical and pragmatic soldier instead of a human being; Cameron the machine, who begins to understand more about the human condition than Sarah suspects...

A Jack-Knifed Juggernaut (I Am Born Again) by arenotvalid: Cameron watches Battlestar Galactica, paints her nails, puts on her sunglasses, and successfully executes the protection of John Connor.

One of the two essential Cameron character pieces. Plus, she watches BSG! What's not to love?!

The X-Files:

The Keeping of Secrets by amalnahurriyeh: The thing about Dana is she knows how to keep a secret. (Scully & Ellen, BFFs)

This fic takes that minor character from one episode only and runs with this concept, giving Ellen a personality and a backstory and a touching relationship with Dana. Brilliant!