Vidder: Mamoru
Musical artist: Stefan Raab
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Vidder on LJ:
Vidder's website: The Cell
Why this vid kicks ass:

What could be bad about combining Stargate with a gay musical German "Star Trek" parody? No, really. Come for the hilarious hairdos, German pronunciation of hyperspeed, and fabulous camp aesthetic, stay for the improbable epilogue.

Space Taxi (German Version) - Stefan Raab

Fandom: STAR WARS: EXTENDED UNIVERSE
Pairing: Luke/Mara
Author on LJ: deaka
Author Website: ff.net profile and JC Forums profile
Why this must be read: This will be my last rec this month--last, but very certainly not least. "Odd Kind of Honeymoon" is a chaptered short story/novella about--surprise, surprise--Luke and Mara's honeymoon. This particular honeymoon would be bound to be odd given their propensity for finding trouble, but there's more to it--of all places to go, Luke takes her to Tatooine, and shows her many of the places that were important to him and shaped him into who he is. They do find trouble, but they find a lot more than that, and it ends up being just as much an emotional journey as a physical one, with two highly independent people growing into this new marriage thing.

This story has inspired some of my longest (meaning 1000+ words) reviews to date, and there's a good reason for that: there are so very many things to comment on. Details are both perfect for the characters and beautifully described, a single sentence can have multiple nuances, and rarely do I see portrayals of Luke and Mara even as good as this, much less better. There is just so much insight into Luke and Mara, and all the observations blend so seamlessly into the story that there's no clunkiness at all. K_A has one of the most lovely and eloquent writing styles I've had the pleasure of reading, and that combined with her ability to plot and characterize means that this story, along with everything else of hers, should definitely not be missed.

( Excerpt )

Odd Kind of Honeymoon

This is my last rec in the Women's Business set. I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have.

Vidder: Todd Haynes
Musical artist: The Carpenters
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: None
Vidder's website: None
Why this vid kicks ass: I've heard about this movie on the fannish grapevine for many, many years, and you probably have too. It's the biography of Karen Carpenter acted with barbie dolls. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I finally found this online, but it wasn't to be confronted with something so hard-hitting. The low budget origins of the movie are clear, the picture quality is blurry, but still, this is an extraordinary and genuinely moving piece of work. I can see why it's stayed in the fannish consciousness for so long. Anyone who is a fan of songvids should see this; it's our history, and it's amazing.

The link goes through a site devoted to archiving "illegal" art, and the bandwidth runs out after just a couple of hits, so be prepared to try for this over the next week or so. It's worth the effort.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

Fandom: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Pairing: James Norrington/Elizabeth Swann
Author on LJ: ashtonecks
Author Website: Fanfiction.net (Incomplete)
Why this must be read: “Love, or, The End of Fairytales” could easily be a scene from AWE--if Disney weren’t going for a PG-13 rating, of course.

At the end of the world, James Norrington and Elizabeth Swann unexpectedly discover each other again. Both have been rather screwed over by life and find a respite from their respective loneliness in each other. Neither is in love with anyone anymore, but there is a comfort in being with someone who already knows all your faults and failings.

( Story Excerpt )

ashtonecks (who is also writes under the name Wandering Child) weaves a poignant and brutal tale around “what-ifs” and “might-have-beens” and makes you realize that maybe—just maybe--in a world without carved-out hearts or hurricanes or cursed Aztec gold, the Commodore and the Governor’s Daughter could have had their fairytale.


Love, or, The End of Fairytales

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Chloe/Clark
Author on LJ: mssullivan
Author Website: LJ Fic Tag
Why this must be read:

One of the more interesting developments in Season Six of Smallville is the backstory on Chloe's mother, Moria Sullivan. We now know that she is a meteor freak; but we aren't given the whole story. "Lollipop" fills in the missing pieces, letting us see what the Sullivans were doing on the faithful day of the original meteor shower.

Having Baby!Clark and Chloe meet is adorable. The story leaves you with a wonderful fizzy feeling, and the belief that some things were just meant to be.

Lollipop

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Lois/Clark
Author on LJ: kdsch123
Author Website: Fan Fiction
Why this must be read:

I'm not a big fan of Smallville's incarnation of Lois Lane, by a long shot. Usually I will skim right past a story featuring her, but I did happen upon this one, and took a chance. I'm quite glad I did.

Within only a few words, kdsch123 creates a wonderful Lois. This Lois has guts and charm, and I just can't help but root for her. Give it a read, and I'm sure you'll be rooting for Lois as well.

But Now For Real