White Bees And Sunflowers by Velvetglove

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been pretty plain in my recs so far. Nothing fancy, little verbage. This week, though, I'm going to do something a little different.

Earlier today, I was struggling trying to decide what I wanted to rec for this week. There were several things that were troubling me about making some of the recs I wanted to make. Then I read these posts by rubywisp and thebratqueen about why people write in fandom, but they are also about why people read in fandom. These posts changed my mind about what I planned to rec today.

Specifically these quotes (cut to spare those who just don't care):

From thebratqueen:

Back when I first started getting involved in fanfic I remember one of the first things that annoyed me about it were the people who took it too seriously. Not that I have anything against trying to write well, but IMO there's a difference between "I'm going to give this my best effort" and "There is a standard of quality that all writers must do."

Fanfic is like anything else. There are those who are interested in it because of technical aspects, those who are interested in creating pieces of artwork, those who are interested in simply having fun, and more besides. It's like food. Not everything has to be a gourmet meal. Sometimes you just want an Oscar Meyer cut up into some Mac and Cheese. It's all good. We've got both gourmet food and day-glo orange pasta for a reason. One isn't "better" than the other. They fulfill different needs.

From rubywisp:

One man's hack is another man's Shakespeare: I've seen people trash authors whom I consider goddesses among us. I've seen other people drool and throw themselves prostrate at the metaphorical feet of fic that leaves me not only cold, but kind of squinty and doubtful, too.

For some people, the 'key' to a story is the way the author twists words and phrases, impressions and emotions, perceptions and beliefs. For others, the words go almost unnoticed while they skate from one emotional touchstone to the next, and it's all about the who and the what and the where and the why, and they could give a shit about the how.

Guess what? Either way's fine. Either way's good. Either way can produce good fic and crap fic and the kind of in-between stuff that leaves you going, "Man, if she'd only done [...]" when you're finished with it.

So, with that in mind, I've decided to rec several fics that were designed to meet various needs for both reader and author. And, to think that just earlier today I was complaining to shaggirl about people making rec posts with multiple fics. Well, I've never said I wasn't a hypocrite and contradictory. [Insert appropriate Whitman quote here. *smile*]

I started thinking about my favorite Smallville fanfic stories, the ones I come back to time and again, and they aren't all Shakespeare, man. But I'm pretty sure that they weren't all intended to be deep, meaning and profound.

Then again, some of them are pretty profound.

For example, my second rec, White Bees And Sunflowers by velvetglove, is a really layered piece. It takes the reader to a possible universe post Shattered and Asylum where love is obsession, and devotion is deadly. But not in the way one might think given canon. It has one of the single best dream sequences I've ever read in my life and that I still think about sometimes late at night. This is a piece that you don't necessarily read for fun, but you read because it is beautiful and it speaks to a deeper part of you than you realized when you started it.

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ: velvetglove
Author Website: Glovebox
Why this must be read: See above. But to summarize...dreamy, beautiful, intense, believable and smart.

WHITE BEES AND SUNFLOWERS

Comments

[alyt.livejournal.com]

Preach it! Fantastic post. I've read so many fics from a huge variety of writers, and I honestly have to say that I've enjoyed every one of them, in different ways. Just the fact that people are creative, talented and *brave* enough to write fic and then share it with the rest of us hungry readers is amazing to me.

Thanks for writing this excellent review & comments. :)

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed the post! :D And I'm glad to have made the recs! I enjoy a variety of things and others do, too, you know? Yay!

[twigged.livejournal.com]

I think this is jed's most accomplished fic since Kyoto Song. It's damned near flawless.

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

It is beautiful. I agree.