Attn. Drivers: Today is the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for Friday Night Drive-In, a.k.a. Fan Vid Recs. Reccers may post 1 vid rec for their fandom, formatted as follows:

Subject Line: VID REC: Fandom - Song Title

Vidder:
Musical artist:
Pairing:
Vidder on LJ:
Vidder's website:
Why this vid kicks ass:


Because the vidder community has some unique ownership issues, it’s important that reccers be extra careful when making vid recs. Depending on the vidder’s preferences regarding public access to their work, please link your rec in the appropriate manner:

1. If the video is publicly accessible, direct link to the web page the vid is linked on, or if it’s the vidder’s request, to the HTML splash page of their site.

or…

2. Link to the site with instructions on acquiring the password, if the site is protected – do not reveal the password yourselves.

or…

3. Provide contact info for the vidder if their vids are only available privately (tapes, dvd-R’s, collections, etc.).


Do not:
Hotlink, i.e. link directly to the video file rather than the webpage.
Re-upload videos that a vidder has removed from the web.
Delay in removing a vid rec if requested to do so by the vidder.

Thank you!

Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing: Nick Stokes/Greg Sanders
Author on LJ: carolinecrane
Author Website: Desiderium Caritas
Why this must be read:

Caroline Crane's been recced like 5,000 times for CSI, but that's 'cause she deserves it. So you know what? I'm gonna do it again. This story is ridiculously sexy and almost the exact opposite of my last rec. In this one, it's Greg that's the nervous one. He spots Nick at a casino with a woman and proceeds to follow him around. In his head, he knows it's stalking and kind of pathetic, but he can't seem to stop himself. Nicky, on the other hand, utilizes some of the raw hotness that just exudes out of him and handily turns Greg into a panting, aching, desperate mess.

This was one of the very first stories I read in this fandom, and the one that really converted me to the Greg/Nick ship. I could see this happening, and it made sense, and Nick sounded like Nick, even if it's hard to imagine him being as aggressive as he is here. And in Greg we see the awkward Chemistry geek he must have been in high school, quietly lusting after the gorgeous, unattainable popular boy, and resigning himself to his fate.

( Greg's stalking career )


Torchlight on Red Faces

Fandom: THE OC
Pairing: Seth/Ryan
Author on LJ: maudgonne
Why this must be read:

I know I promised het this time, but it's suddenly the 30th I selfishly wanted to be the OC reccer that got to link y'all up with Temple Bar. It's a seven parter that started 6-7-04 and was finished 7-13-05, which is a long stretch, but it was worth it.

This fic is future fic, set in the summer between high school's end and college's beginning with Seth on study abroad. The story is about a surprise visit from Ryan and its aftermath.

What Maud portrays best, I think, is the ways that fear can affect us in all the small ways, the way we lie and avoid confrontation because we don't know what will happen. And that one of the hardest things about becoming an adult is understanding how to take responsibility for both what you do and what you don't do. And that relationships are a negotiation. Maud doesn't sentimentalize either character, she lets them be flawed and miserable and confused and happy. The perspective is Seth's, but he has an insight to Ryan (though it doesn't keep him from making mistakes).

( Excerpt: )

Temple Bar--link is to memories pages which has all seven chapters.

Fandom: BLAKES 7
Pairing: Avon/Blake (Blake/Avon? Semantics?)
Author on LJ: astrogirl2
Author Website: ?
Why this must be read:



bargaining stage

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Rodney McKay/Radek Zelenka
Author on LJ: julad
Author Website: ambivalent pleasures
Why this must be read:

Now for a change up in pairings -- just for today -- as I couldn't go a month without reccing one of Julad's stories and this is definitely my favourite. The premise makes me laugh every time, because and if there were ever two people who would make scientific lemonade out of the lemons thrown at them it would be Zelenka and McKay.

Cursed to quack and honk likes ducks? Not a problem. They'll come up with a reason why -- even if it's the most absurd thing in the universe.

( excerpt )

Absurdity Theory

Vidder: mkitty_03
Musical artist: Nine Inch Nails
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Vidder on LJ: mkitty_03
Vidder's website: Infatuation
Why this vid kicks ass: This was the first video I saw that made me really sit up and go, "Wow." It's as close to porn as you can get without including (naked) footage from other shows, but this video is all Smallville. What makes it work so well is a combination of a great beat with explicit lyrics, well-chosen moments, and vidding techniques. For example, in the middle of the vid, the scenes shift into black-and-white, slow down, and you can really believe that Lex and Clark are getting it on. You'll find yourself replaying it over and over, and asking "what episode was THAT from?!" It's all in how it's put together, and mkitty_03 does it just right. However, since she's never satisfied, she's also done a Remix incorporating newer footage - and it's just as hot. *fans self* Enjoy!

You can download both vids from her website. Go to this page, then please right-click and save to your hard drive to spare the vidder's bandwidth. While you're at it, send the vidder some feedback. I know she'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for riding with me this month! I'm parking Lex's car in the garage and picking up Bodie and Doyle's Capri for the next month. See you in The Professionals recs!

Vidder: mgal
Musical artist: James Marsters
Pairing: Billy/Dom
Vidder on LJ: mgal
Vidder's website: None
Why this vid kicks ass:

I have to admit to a tiny bit of bias here, because mgal created this vid for my birthday (I love having super-talented friends!). I'm not normally a huge fan of James Marsters as a musician, but this song is surprisingly stripped down and totally perfect for the vid. The vid itself always manages to evoke in me a bittersweet feeling-- Yes, filming is over, but they had some amazing years and they're never going to lose that. There are parts of this vid that are hysterical (Dom fighting the polar bear, hee!) and parts that are sad, but overall it really encompasses what I think the Billy/Dom relationship is at its most basic.

This Town

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Sirius Black/Severus Snape
Author on LJ: Just a Baker Street Muse
Author Website: Low-Graphics Version, or The SoulGarden
Why this must be read:

What do dementors leave you with? Storming into a strange scene between Sirius Black and a metamorphmangus impersonating him, Snape is about to find out. No one does gritty better than Sirius and Severus. No matter how much time passes, these two will always be under each other's skin - too alike in all the ways they don't want to think about, too different in so many ways that matter. And putting the two of them together in a room with their battling multiple neuroses is inevitably explosive - in canon for ill, but perhaps their passionate antagonism could shift, just so, to create a different kind of passion entirely. In "Morte O Merce" Sirius finds himself utterly depleted of everything he once loved - leaving Snape a giant specter of intense emotion in his otherwise muted existence. Snape here is a mass of contradictions - brutal and comforting in turns, there's something undeniably attractive to him about Sirius and what Sirius symbolized, but at the same time he can't forget what Sirius did to him, and Snape never but never forgives. Snape has some strange secrets of his own, and perhaps they can help lead each other back to the hope that someday the blank pieces of their souls will return. Until then, they'll get by, by any means necessary. Dark, painful, and twisted with just a glimmering shred of hope.


Morte O Merce, or Here

Fandom: QUEER AS FOLK US
Author on LJ: bigboobedcanuck
Author's Website: None, but fic is listed in her memories.
Pairing: Brian/Justin
Warnings: Character Death
Why this must be read:

Keira's fic has been recced here before and for good reason. She's an amazing writer who has a way with Brian and Justin that makes them impossible not to love. This story (which she says is her last in this fandom, sadly) is set post-513 and while it is very angsty, it's still lovely and true to the characters.

Out From Inside




*hands Brian the Corvette keys* I had a great time reccing this month and I hope you all enjoyed the stories. If you want more excellent QaF recs, be sure to check out goodqafrecs.

Late crossover rec!

I think I am the kind of driver that snoozes in the back of the van until they wake her up and tell her it's her turn to drive. Then she sits behind the wheel blinking sleepily and saying, "Where are we, now?"

I completely missed the call for crossover recs two weeks ago, and am only now getting caught up.

Title: Ye Merry Gentlemen by Sleeps With Coyotes
Pairing: Jack/Ichabod
Author on LJ: (ETA) ciceqi
Author Website:http://ciceqi.slashcity.com/PotC.htm
Why this must be read:

If the essence of slash is two hawt guys getting it on, then two characters played by Johnny Depp is just double the fun. The story is by Sleeps With Coyotes, which is enough of a testimony to its quality, and it's a Christmas ghost story, to boot. If you're thinking, wait, the time frame is wrong for those two movies to overlap, never fear. Jack Sparrow is the victim of his own personal curse, and he lives on into Ichabod's century. And, after all, who is more qualified than Ichabod Crane to investigate a ghost ship in the Sound?

( excerpt )

Ye Merry Gentlemen

Vidder: Smutcutter
Musical artist: Paula Abdul
Pairing: Jack/Norrington
Vidder on LJ: smutcutter
Vidder's website: http://ancalime.slashcity.net/SmutCutter.html
Why this vid kicks ass:

It's funny. I appreciate fics and vids that preserve the tone of the original work, and I find I smile all the way through this vid, rather like I do at watching the movie. See it. You'll like it.

It's 13 MB in Quicktime format. Please download it from her site before watching.

Fandom: STARGATE SG-1
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Author on LJ: nandamai
Author Website: nanda's lament
Why this must be read:

I'm breaking my own rule with this, my last rec. I said I wasn't going to rec the same author twice. However, Nanda has just posted a sequel to her fic 'Salvage', which I recced earlier this month, and I would be remiss if I failed to draw your attention to it.

There's action, adventure, snarky Jacob, and a great portrayal of Sam and Jack as the bickering, irritable, and yet adorable couple they would almost certainly be.

( excerpt )

The Furies Wept

Vidder: LauraJo
Musical artist: Alisha's Attic
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Vidder on LJ: laurajo
Vidder's website: LauraJo.net
Why this vid kicks ass:

Sam and Jack have a bunch of well known, blatantly 'shippy scenes. They've kissed, they've hugged, they've angsted beautifully. However, they have many, many more little scenes that you may not notice, or pay much attention to. Those little scenes add up, and laurajo uses this gorgeous song to show just how important 'incidental' moments can be.

Sam/Jack videos (around 2/3rds down the page)

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Author on LJ: Your Face Shines in this Dim Light Like a Lamp
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

The war was hard and in the last days everything was put on hold - they each lived only to defeat Voldemort. But what if after their victory, it became difficult to remember how to live for anything else - how to live rather than exist? At Inferno's opening Voldemort is gone, and Hermione has magically aimed Lucius Malfoy, leaving him a muggle for all intents and purposes. When the aftermath of battle leaves Hermione and Lucius dependant upon each other and stranded together in a country house with an old muggle woman, Hermione's injuries prevent her from immediately returning to the magical world and turning Lucius in to the proper authorities. Yet, as she recovers the momentum of routine and a disturbing intimacy with Lucius hold her in place. Lucius threatens and menaces as well as a large, physically imposing man with no magical powers can, but it's clear that Hermione finds him much less frightening than the thought of relearning how to live after Voldemort. An unsettling picture of two people trapped in intertwined, symbiotic metal prisons.

Inferno

No, it's not a crossover with Harry Potter. :-)

Fandom: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
Pairing: Jack/OFC
Author on LJ: no
Author Website: fanfiction.net profile
Why this must be read:

Geek Mama's stories are all a joy to read because of her amazing period research and her command of appropriate dialogue for the time. And that's not even mentioning that she can tell a whopper of a sprawling epic, and keep it all under control, with a fully satisfying wrap-up at the end. "Harry" is Henrietta, Elizabeth's aunt, whose kidnapping sparks this first "Harry" tale. It's a long and jucy tale, with at least three sequels. Yes, on the surface it has elements of the dreaded Mary Sue, but trust me, please. I would never direct you to such a thing.

The author's own summary: "Jack gets far more adventure than he bargained for when he sets out with Elizabeth and Will to save the Governor's sister, the Dowager Duchess of Wyndham, from A Fate Worse Than Death!(tm)"

Harry and the Pirate

Vidder: Jo
Musical artist: Cemelot, The Musical
Pairing: Gilderoy/Gilderoy
Vidder on LJ: Jotropolis
Vidder's website: Apocalypse Inc.
Why this vid kicks ass:

Because the song choice is perfect. "C'est Moi" is an ode to Gilderoy Lockhart. It opens with a fairly predictable verse setting up Harry as Our Hero, given he's the title character and all, then takes a bit of a turn. Like any good PR rep Gilderoy knows that although broad assertions may not win physical battles, they often do win the battle for public opinion. Some wonderfully ironic pairings between lyrics and images and fabulous reaction shots.

Whimsical, clever, and very shiny - just like Lockhart.

Magical Moi, "C'est Moi"

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Harry Potter
Author on LJ: keikokin, and Keikokinsfics, LJ Community
Author Website: Kinky Kind of Magic
Why this must be read:

There are few things in the Harry Potter series as frightening as Dementors - scarier than Voldemort, according to Harry, and he ought to know. While I have trouble buying stories where Lucius is changed or redeemed, or where he can possibly be forgiven for any ounce of his past crimes, in "Buy a Prisoner" long-term exposure to the Dementors with no convenient animangus form to shield him may just be enough to plausibly break Lucius, and truly punish him. Years after the war, when a new ministry law paroles criminals in the complete control of a civilian owner, Harry Potter takes in the ravaged shell of Lucius Malfoy. Initially determined to press the weight of his crimes as heavily upon Lucius as possible, Harry eventually begins to understand the level of inhumane suffering caused by constant Dementor feedings. Warning for references to MPREG and a perhaps unrealistically happy but thoroughly satisfying conclusion. An interesting look at a very unusual pairing.

Buy a Prisoner

Vidder: Merry
Musical artist: Poe
Vidder on LJ: merryish
Vidder's website: Merry's vids at anyroad.org
Why this vid kicks ass:

SGA is a great show for vids because it has such a good combination of action and drama. Merry has pulled all that into an amazing vid. Hello is primarily a Sheppard vid, one that's visually stunning with brilliant timing and clip choices and a wonderful song choice to go with it all.

Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Charlie/Shannon
Author on LJ: foxxcub
Author Website: LJ Memories
Why this must be read:

How could I end my reccing term of office without a final Charlie fic? It's an unusual one too, I think - Foxxcub is one of Lost's best writers, in my opinion, but her normal bag is Jack/Sawyer, or Foxshy (all hot, and tasty - go read :) So to find this little piece was unusual, but very welcome. Charlie and Shannon are so perfectly themselves in this fic, a prequel set before the crash in France, and for those of us who love an in-joke or two, there's even a tongue in cheek reference to a hobbit. Liam has bet Charlie he can't get a kiss from a random girl, and Charlie picks... Shannon. Spoilers through to The Moth, I suppose.

“So what the hell is it gonna take to get you out of my face, huh?”

“All I ask is something to let my brother know he didn’t win.” He pushed his luck and invaded her space a little more, turning his face just so to where his cheek coasted along hers as he whispered in her ear, “You don’t want to see me naked and reciting scenes from King Lear, do you?”

English in French

Vidder: Scape Sisters
Musical artist: Alice Coopr
Pairing: Scorpius/John Crichton/Harvey
Vidder's website: http://www.anduranova.de/scapesisters/
Why this vid kicks ass:

This is the perfect illustration of the relationship between them, creepy, twisted, intense – disturbing and compelling in equal measure.

Poison

Please right-click and save, to protect site’s bandwidth.

Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing: Sara Sidle/Warrick Brown
Author on LJ: helsinkibaby
Author Website: The Band Gazebo
Why this must be read:

I promised at the beginning of the month that I would rec a Jeanine Sara/Warrick story, so I'm doing it now. Jeanine's the most prolific S/W writer out there, and all of it is fantastic, evident by the fact that she's been recced like five million times already.

This particular story makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's the ultimate comfort fic, and one that I go back to again and again. I love the image of Warrick's long fingers gliding across the piano (canon, by the way, or at least semi), and Sara stubbornly trying to fight off sleep as the music lulls her. It's pretty short, but it's one of those fics that makes you feel happy afterwards. Happy for Warrick for finding Sara, and happy for Sara for finally being...well...happy (because god knows that's not canon).

( Sara's insomnia )

Lullaby for an Insomniac

FANDOM: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: not known
Author Website: not known


Why this must be read:

This is nothing at all like the other stories I've chosen to recommend this month, and be warned that it will not be to everyone's taste. Napoleon has apparently defected to THRUSH; his reward for selling out U.N.C.L.E.'s secrets is... Illya. In fact, both men are playing a deadly game. But how far does Napoleon have to go to convince his new paymasters of his loyalty and can he ever retrieve his working relationship with Illya when it's all over? Telling the story from Napoleon's POV, Cord Smithee uses Illya's enigmatic nature to great effect - it's all but impossible to tell what Illya is thinking. A terrific story, with a wonderful closing line - but do heed the warning at the top of the web page.

( Excerpt )


Professionals

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Pits Archive
Why this must be read:

Ever wonder what Starsky and Hutch's ohsoclose friendship looks like to other people within *their* world? This is a short, sweet post-SR story that never fails to make me giggle. It's got one of the most adorable OFCs (have no fear! not a romantic interest) I've ever met, and shows that learning how you are seen by others can sometimes inspire change in how you see yourself. It's also got one of my favorite lines in all of fic, describing what *I* personally love about the pairing, but to quote it here and now would spill the beans a little too quickly ;)

Sexual Revelation

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Vidder: Black Hound
Musical artist: The Von Trapp Family Singers
Vidder's website: The Scriptorium

Why this vid kicks ass:

I went back and forth about this rec; it uses a lot of non-Hornblower footage. In fact, it is almost all non-Hornblower, but as most Hornblower fans seem to be fans of the era in general, I hope it will be found of value and I may be forgiven.

Besides, it's a vid that to me belongs squarely on any recs list in Hornblower fandom -- because it is a vid about one of the central preoccupations of Hornblower and Hornblower fandom, both book and movie-verse: what does it mean to become a man in the middle of a world at war? A war that lasted so long that many men saw their sons grow up and go to fight in it?

Hornblower vids tend to follow the lead of the series, and concentrate on the personal, the specific, the eyewitness view of the Napoleonic Wars.

Rejoice does not contradict that view, but it balances it out beautifully, by pulling back the focus to show us that there were millions more stories like Hornblowers, most of which will never be told.

Heed the warning -- this vid is hard to watch. But it's worth it.

Make safe the way that leads on high/And close the path to misery...

Fandom: BUFFY
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: none
Author Website: Warriors and Watchers
Why this must be read:

This is why I signed up to rec Buffy fics this month. This is what made it all worth it. Yes it did, the precious.

Sometimes, when you read a fic, reality seems to fade away. You are sucked into the fiction world and then suddenly, you look up, and wham! It’s three hours later and you’re crying, but you’re not sure if it’s because of staring at the screen for so long or because the story just ripped you to shreds.

This is that story, people.

Giles is lost, but where you’ll never guess.


( Read more... )


All Mimsy Were The Borogoves

Vidder: Milly
Musical artist: A Perfect Circle
Pairing: Angel & Conner & Darla (it's complicated, yo - you can see this however you want to)
Vidder on LJ: millylicious
Vidder's Website: inner-demons.org
Why this vid kicks ass:

This vid got a lot of attention (at least in the little corner of Angel fandom I inhabit) when it was first posted but I hope those of you who haven't seen it will check it out. I still have this one saved on my hard drive and watch it regularly because it's JUST. THAT. GOOD. The use of color alone! My dear sweet lord. Color and lack thereof play a major role in what makes this vid so evocative.

There are vids that just WORK. They just Do It. The song is perfectly chosen. The clips are perfectly attune with the rhythms in the music and lyrics. The choices are just so visceral and beautifully realized that you find yourself *blink*ing and *flail*ing like you've never seen those scenes before. Yeah. This vid's like that.

Counting Bodies

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: leethet
Author Website: not known

Why this must be read:

Napoleon and Illya are sent to Bruges to retrieve a defector from THRUSH, a scientist who wants to come in from the cold. The scientist, however, turns out to be an old friend of Illya's, and not everything is quite as it appears. Against this backdrop, Napoleon is struggling with a revelation that threatens to destroy everything that he and Illya have built up together.

I love plot, I love a good Illya and I love a bit of angst. This story has all three in spades. I came across this story at a very early point in my discovery of the online fandom: I'd read a few of Lee's stories and liked them, and was working my way through the rest systematically. I'll never forget coming to the end of this one, because I actually shouted out loud at the computer. And that's why you should read this story - because moments like that are moments to cherish.

This is my last rec for the month. Thanks for reading, and I hope there's been something for everybody.

( Excerpt )

The Rainbow Affair

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Author on LJ: destina
Author Website: Lyrical Magic
Why this must be read:

The Futures Without End FanZines produced a bunch of rich, flavored stories that even now, years later, resonate deep in the fans’ hearts. I may be a newcomer to this ten-years-and-counting fandom, but reading stories such as this one made me fall irrevocably in love with Highlander.

So this last rec of the month is for this story, the very first one I read of this truly wonderful zines. Make your way across them, and like me, be swept away by these characters and the beautiful fanart contained within.

Risk

Well, it's been real you guys! This is my last rec this month - hope you've enjoyed them.

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Harmony-centric. Harmony & Angel (note the ampersand), specifically.
Author on LJ: voleuse
Author Website: A Work in Progress
Why this must be read:

Because Harmony really tried to be the best secretary...sorry, *assistant* she could be. And no one ever really appreciated that because she was so, well, evil. I'm not a huge Harmony fan, though I've always thought she was the sort of pitiable kind of hilarious that one never really sees done well outside of Shakespeare, but this fic made me love her and feel for her.

~~~

Every second Tuesday of the month, Harmony makes sure Angel's afternoon is clear of appointments. After his noon meeting with Non-Human Resources is done, he pulls on his coat, nods at her, and together, they descend to the garage.

They drive in silence to the hospital, and walk, similarly untalkative, to Cordelia's room.

Administrative Leavening

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: veronicaluv
Author Website: ooooh, shiny
Why this must be read:

It's quite some time after SR, Starsky's back on the force, and things are fine. Right? Wrong. Starsky's gone to New York for a short trip to take care of Ma, and in the interim of his absence, our favorite hair shirt-wearing detective decides he's gonna quit again. Seems things have gone rotten in Hutchmark, and Starsky is confused as hell when he comes back home to find a different Bay City than that he left. Hutch is keeping a heckuva secret under his hat, and the trip to its unveiling is one crazy ride. In the meantime, Starsky's gonna do everything in his power to make sure they two stick like glue, with or without the job.

Veronica's story is, quite simply, a great read, blending tons of plot (yay, plot!) with the exploration of S&H's relationship, which is played out in a delicate, unrushed dance to discovering that they're still on the same wavelength as ever, even in this.

( Excerpt )

Learning to Breathe


Thus concludes Moon's foray into the wilderness of crack_van. Thanks, guys, it's been a fun September! (quiet, it's still September in...Alaska. Yeah, Alaska.)