Fandom: HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS
Author on LJ:ltlj
Author Website: The Less Than Legendary Journeys
Why this must be read:

This is my last rec for Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, and I'm going out with a bang.

After the fifth season broke my heart and I thought nobody was even writing Hercules fanfiction anymore, I discovered this fantastic story, and I fell in love with Hercules and Iolaus all over again.

Home Is Where The Heart Is begins after Iolaus' death in Sumeria, and then takes off into a storyline that effortlessly trumps anything that actually happened in the series' Dahak arc. This story works on all levels - as a thrilling fantasy adventure in a beautifully realized setting, as a portrait of an uprooted Hercules who has lost his other self, as a heartwrenching story of a love greater than death.

Also, as if that weren't enough, there is Kheper Djedi, one of the best original characters I've ever encountered in fanfic. If you want to know why I like him so much, just read the bit below. Then go read the whole story, and rejoice in the knowledge that when you're done, there are more stories waiting for you, set in the same universe.

I hope you have enjoyed these stories. And if you'd like more recs or more Hercules and Iolaus discussion, I hope you'll join us at the herc_iolaus LJ community.

( Excerpt )

Home Is Where The Heart Is

...and I'm behind again. I'll be doing just the teeniest bit of spamming to get myself caught up. My apologies, but the week-long thunderstorm warning up here did NOT help.

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: minim_calibre
Author Website: Recalibration
Why this must be read:

You'd expect that it would take some time for someone to find their feet in writing in a fandom, and that their first effort, while showing serious potential, wouldn't perfectly capture the character voices and tone of the series utterly. Especially when the author in question hasn't even finished her first viewing of the series at the time of writing.

In this case, you'd be wrong.

Set as an episode tag to "Dog With Two Bones", A Desilu Production takes us inside John Crichton's head, where he struggles with the terrifying reality of his situation - stuck in his module and running out of air after being abandoned by the woman he loves - by retreating into pure fantasy. Of course, he's not alone in there.

( Aeryn, you've got some 'splaining to do )

Go and catch this classic episode, and be sure to tell the network how much you liked it!

A Desilu Production

Vidder: linzee
Musical artist: OK Go
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Vidder on LJ: linzeems
Vidder's website: l i n z e e STYLE
Why this vid kicks ass:

In the vidder's words:

Remember back when you were in kidnergarten, and the boy behind you used to pull your pigtails and scare you with worms until you went home to your mother ready to bitch-slap him across the street? Remember how your mother told you those dreaded words, "it just means he likes you, sweety?" Take that and apply it to Xander and Spike.

Rather than jump cutting too quickly from scene to scene, linzee works with the style of the funny and simple OK Go song. She shows us well-matched canon clips demonstrating the inordinate amount of interest Spike and Xander seem to have in teasing each other, pushing each other around, getting into fights, and always appearing ready to say "But he's the one who started it!" Her editing and clip choices serve to highlight the subtext and silliness that the show used to build the on-screen relationship between Spike and Xander, and persuasively represent Buffy's response to Xander's list of Spike's attributes in s5 "Intervention": "I am not having sex with Spike! But I'm starting to think that you might be."

Visit to download: Tough to Have a Crush

E.T.A. As of 5/23/06, the link to the vid no longer works. I've contacted the vidder, and if I find another location for this vid, I will edit the post to point interested people in the right direction.

Vidder: Astarte
Musical artist: Muse
Pairing: Veronica/Logan
Vidder on LJ: astartexx
Vidder's website: http://digital-dreamers.net/wp/index.php?cat=7
Why this vid kicks ass:

Veronica/Logan is by far the most popular 'ship in the Veronica Mars fandom, and thus there have been a ton of vids focusing on the pairing. To put it delicately, 99% of the vids present the pairing in a way that makes no sense to me, that is almost directly opposite from the way I see Veronica and Logan in canon. This vid, on the other hand, hits the nail on the head as far as Veronica/Logan is concerned--it doesn't present the 'ship as fluffy or romantic; instead it focuses on Veronica's and Logan's shared experiences, how similar they are to each other, how fucked-up they both are, how they depend on each other because no one else is available that understands.

The editing is really wonderful, using the colored flash-backs of Veronica Mars better than any other VMars vid I've seen. The vid hits a nice balance between not hitting you over the head with the point, and making it clear that this is what the vid is about, that this is what these characters are about.

Vid contains spoilers for most of season one.


Feeling Good

Vidder: Yorkshire Wench
Musical artist: Sugababes
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/William Bush
Vidder on LJ: NA
Vidder's website: Music Videos by Claire
Why this vid kicks ass: Beautiful men in dashing Napoleonic uniforms during the Age of Sail. What more could you want?

This vid focuses on Horatio Hornblower and William Bush and the longing nature of their relationship, primarily from Hornblower's point of view. The clips span the range of the A&E movies and produce a terrific statement on the unrequited tension between the two and the wish, particularly intense at times, for something else. The loaded looks, the frustration, and the fear of acting on the attraction are drawn out perfectly until the end when resolution is at hand .... perhaps?

The vidder has also cleverly used clips with Archie Kennedy as a sort of pointer, directing the viewer's attention between the two men as they dance about each other. This features the ubiquitous Hornblower deck shower, so a naked arse warning applies.

Too Lost in You

Vidder: cynical_terror
Musical artist: Bush and Apoctalyptica
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando
Vidder on LJ: cynical_terror
Vidder's website: Cynical Terror
Why this vid kicks ass:

In the world of RPS, vidders often have to rely on photographs in order to compile a really clean, moving vid. Despite the exclusive use of photographs here, cynical_terror has done an astounding job introducing a sense of movement into the vid. She's also incorporated quite a bit of stock photography as well as some of Viggo's own work, which makes the vid visually appealing (of course, with Viggo and Orli, it'd be difficult not to be visually appealing), and bits of one of Viggo's poems, which gives the vid more emotional weight. The POV is crystal clear from the beginning and never wavers, the clip choice is spot-on (I love her selection for the lyrics "living a hell") and the song choice is divine. I love this vid.

Alone

Vidder: Lithium Doll and Doc Wyrm
Musical artist: Baz Lurman
Pairing: N/A – full ensemble
Vidder on LJ: lithium_doll, vidding LJ lithiumchic.
Vidder's website: Alter-Idem.com (password required for vids)
Why this vid kicks ass:

There are so many remarkable and amazing Vidders in farscape fandom producing remarkable and amazing Vids, that this was probably the toughest rec I’ve made yet. However, this won out over my other choices for one reason only – it was the one I simply could not believe hadn’t been rec’d yet.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99…” Baz Lurhman’s advice for life is funny, touching, and oh so true, which makes it a perfect fit for Farscape. While many of the references work best with an in-depth knowledge of the Farscape Universe, they also work for the casual viewer – it’s only watching it later after having seen all the episodes that you realized how much you missed, when at the time you didn’t feel like you were missing anything at all.

If you’ve been skimming these recs, still not sure if you want to bother with this fandom or not, watch this vid. I guarantee you’ll have made up your mind by the end of it. If this vid doesn’t make you a ‘scaper, nothing will.

Wear Sunscreen

Vidder: WTF Productions
Musical artist: Gravity of Love by Enigma
Pairing: Muraki/Tsuzuki, Tsuzuki/Hisoka
Vidder on LJ: starherd and kasra_c
Vidder's website: Wingboys & Two Fangirls
Why this vid kicks ass: The Yami no Matsuei anime is gorgeous, tragic and so stuffed with iconic imagery that it's made for vidding. Descent, by the same crew who made the previously recommended Possession, is a beautiful, blood-splattered synopsis of the series from Muraki's point of view. The story begins with juxtaposed images of the hunter's moon (o Fortuna, velut Luna) with a naked Tsuzuki, Muraki's hand on a doll, and a falling rose, and proceeds to unfold like a demented love letter to Tsuzuki from Muraki, 'the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice'. Like Possession, Gravity of Love is an evocative and appropriately stalkerish song, and its bracing, almost militaristic beat and strong, ethereal vocals are paired perfectly with a series of well-edited clips that show just what a crazy, sexy fucker Muraki is. Moments of peace with Hisoka are contrasted with scenes of passion with Muraki as if to demonstrate the real wisdom of 'the path of excess'. The idea of defying gravity steals through the vid - images of feathers, wings and explosively propelled bodies culminate in the vision of Muraki rising into the sky with Tsuzuki in his arms, even as his hands hold him down - but eventually they are both laid low beneath Touda's flame as Muraki claws at the ground.

Descent

Vidder: Di
Musical artist: Sarah McLachlan
Pairing: None - Obi-Wan character vid
Vidder on LJ: di_br
Vidder's website: Return of innocence
Why this vid kicks ass:

Obi-Wan is one of only four characters to appear throughout both trilogies - despite being dead for two and a half movies. And while he doesn't personally suffer slavery, burning alive, or a dead wife this vid does an excellent job of performing experimental heart surgery on its audience. Yet despite the sadness it captures - particularly in the chorus - it gives an impression of strength and endurance to Obi-Wan, as well as a possibly happy ending - if not in this life.

The linkage between the vocals and footage fit well together - especially the inclusion of baby Luke - helping to portay a sympathetic look at Obi-Wan's trials and his relationships with Qui-Gon, Anakin and Luke.

This vid contains spoilery scenes from Revenge of the Sith.

I remain firmly convinced that this vid did not make me cry. Really. This is not denial. Okay, maybe it did. Once.

Now, go watch Angel and comment.

Vidder: Shallot
Musical artist: Dave Matthews Band
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Vidder on LJ: astolat
Vidder's website: Intimations

Why this vid kicks ass: I'm going for an oldie but a goodie this time, because this is my all-time favourite Highlander vid ever and I can't believe it's never been recced before. It's Duncan and Methos during the Horsemen episodes, skilfully edited into a song with lyrics that match the feel of the scenes perfectly. It's not a happy vid, but it's an angsty time in the series, so it's entirely fitting. It's technically very impressive, with every cut folding neatly and seamlessly into the next and all working to create a beautifully polished and effective production.

The closing scenes are particularly powerful, right down to that final, "Will I hold you again?"

Gorgeous.

Vidder: Sisabet
Musical artist: Placebo
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Vidder on LJ: sisabet
Vidder's website: Headtilt
Why this vid kicks ass:

This vid is my favorite in any fandom, not just Smallville. Before viewing this, I never really got the appeal of vids. Every now and again, I'd think huh, okay, that was kind of cool, but this vid? This vid was, and remains to this day for me, unparalleled. It's sisabet's first vid in Smallville.

The images she used are so fantastic, and it's all about how Clark and Lex are in each other's orbits. The music lines up *perfectly* with the clips; and the clips themselves are among some of the best, highest, and most traumatic moments in the show-- Clark saving Lex, Lex's complete obsessiveness in regards to Clark, and then it heads into a section where the cuts are from different flashbacks to Lex's time in the Institution and back again.

I'll say again what I said back when she posted it: the blending of the electroshock, and the lyrics and the crescendos and pauses in the music interspersed with the footage of Lex in "Hourglass" (otherwise known as the episode where Lex kind of....you know, blows up the world) is so beautiful and just dripping with Smallville's whole aura and mystique of destiny.

And oh God, the ending.

For the uninitiated, why yes, that is Lex standing in the middle of a field surrounded by skeletons as blood rains down on him, why yes, yes it is.

There's doom! And it's so hot. And aching! Bring on the doom! This vid can blow you away even if you're not in the fandom, and that's why I'm reccing it here.

Without You I am Nothing