Some Rain Must Fall by Trismegistus (PG)

[apathocles.livejournal.com]

Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: vagabond_sal
Author Website: Wordsmithy
Why this must be read:

This story achieves the absolute impossible: it makes movieverse!Storm likeable. And interesting. And fun, damnit. (It also parts seas in its lunch breaks, and, if you ask really nicely, will turn your water to wine.)

Amongst its many achievements (as if giving movieverse!Storm a personality weren't enough), this fic also resists the temptation to bash any character -- a temptation to which all too many writers succumb. I'm particularly fond of this story's Jean. Sure, she's a little uptight in places, but she's basically a good person with a sense of humour just under the surface. In other words, she's Jean Grey, and not some Evil Bitch Queen of DOOM! who exists solely to get in the way of a particular pairing and generally make people's lives miserable. Her burgeoning friendship here with Storm is somewhat reminiscent of the Scott-Logan interaction in the first film, albeit less slashy although the tension comes from other (and, to my mind, more interesting) factors.

Yes, the Storm of this story doesn't have a whole lot in common with the one we saw in the movies. But: a) people can change a lot in a decade or so, and we weren't given any of her backstory, so this fic is perfectly possible, and b) I can guarantee you that this Storm is much more entertaining, anyhow.

If you're a Storm fan who screamed abuse at the screen felt homicidal was disappointed with her portrayal in the movies, I cannot recommend this story highly enough. Hell, I recommend it to everyone else, too. Great characterisation, some wonderful touches of humour (the '90s references are a blast), and there's a little Hank and Warren in there, too. What's not to love?

Some Rain Must Fall