| |
Title: The Waiting Room Pairing: Gen Length: 2,068 words Author on LJ: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif) amonitrateAuthor Website: Palpable ObscureWhy this must be read: Sending Jo Harvelle (an unfairly neglected character in canon and fanon), so like and unlike Laura Palmer or Annie Blackburn, to Glastonberry Grove is a brilliant move. Supernatural and Twin Peaks share some elements -- a blue-collar aesthetic; the darkness in the woods; blondes who comes to bad ends -- yet are very different in terms of atmosphere and ethos. So far, the puzzles and threats of Supernatural have all proved explicable, whereas the mysteries of Twin Peaks are infamously unsolved and insoluble. amonitrate does justice both to Jo's feistiness and the intractably alien nature of the place on the other side of the curtain. Deep in the woods, Washington state, night, and Jo isn't afraid of the dark.
She isn't. Not even when she stumbles into a clearing ringed with saplings, like something out of some stupid ass Grimm's fairy tale. Not even when light had flickered and strobed out of no where on the other side of the ring and she'd seen the glassy black pool in the center, reflecting only the trees. Not even when the air had shimmered and changed and a hum drifted back to her and between one blink and the next red curtains appeared, moving lightly in the breeze. Red curtains, hanging in the middle of the woods.
Maybe she wasn't afraid of the dark, but that was a mite unnerving. "The Waiting Room" | | |
|
Title: Full of Secrets by Jennifer-Oksana Pairing: Mulder/Scully Author on LJ: n/a Author Website: web archived or Gossamer listingWhy this must be read:This fantastic crossover follows Mulder and Scully after their first case together in 1992. They are assigned to a murder case in Twin Peaks, WA, that may relate to the 1989 Laura Palmer case. Even Dale Cooper is a suspect. In tone, this is more "Twin Peaks" than "The X-Files" - or it's "The X-Files" on one of Darin Morgan's really good days. Hilarious and even sexy, this is definitely worth your time, even if you're only familiar with one show or the other. Full of Secrets (or alternative Gossamer links, part one and two) | | |
|
I’d like to take a moment to thank shaggirl and stopawhile for allowing me to share the love, everyone who gave feedback to my recs and the stories linked therein, the authors who provided me with a wealth of fic to choose from (Go forth and write more!), and David Lynch and Mark Frost for being talented and crazy enough to get Twin Peaks on the air. * Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: gen Author on LJ: xparrotAuthor Website: http://www.xmagicalx.net/Warnings: spoilers for series finale Why this must be read:For my last rec, I’ve chosen one of the newest stories of the fandom. In 2005, after seeing the show for the first time, xparrot wondered, “For the love of cherry pie, why is no one writing me Twin Peaks fic?” And then—Hallelujah!—she wrote this. It’s a post-series extrapolation, and emphatically not a magical fix-it, but it’s beautiful and heartbreaking in a way that’s very true to the show. “Good will always triumph over evil. That doesn't mean it's a happy ending.”Victory | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: gen Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: unknown Warnings: refs to “The Grandmother,” Eraserhead, Blue VelvetWhy this must be read:Although they were co-creators and collaborators on Twin Peaks, and Frost’s name precedes Lynch’s in the opening credits, Mark Frost is completely overshadowed by David Lynch in the minds of fans. There’s a good reason for that: Lynch has a very distinct aesthetic (which has spawned the adjective “Lynchian”), and certain motifs, themes, and ideas that appear throughout his oeuvre are highlighted on the show. In this 1994 story, the author combines images and dialogue from various Lynch works and presents them as parts of a whole—the Lynchverse, if you will. The Seed ( Note: You’ll have to download the file and then use a program like WordPad or Microsoft Word to open it.) | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Truman Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: unknown Why this must be read:Most fics focus on the outré aspects of life in Twin Peaks: the many illicit activities (drugs, adultery, prostitution), the outbursts of violence, the supernatural events. By contrast, this is a quiet, reflective story in which Harry Truman contemplates the price and possibilities of life in a small town. Brokeback Mountain fans, this one’s for you: Harry can see himself twenty years on, when his lanky frame begins to collapse into itself. He'll be the one hunched over a fifth warm-up of coffee at the Double R, seat facing away from the window. The caffeine won't make him alert; instead it'll keep him drugged-up and slow, rattling through a life that's both more and less than he hoped it would be. Life, Stilled | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Rosenfield Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: unknown Why this must be read:I have a weakness for stories whose author’s notes include phrases like “flu-induced silliness,” and this one is too cute for words. It’s got wacky tabloid articles, motel-room domesticity, and dialogue like: "So once again, what begins as an empirical investigation moves into the realm of ontology."
"I'm just proud we made it through that without any reference to anal probes." Your Coworker Could Be a Space Alien | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Audrey; refs to various m/f and f/f pairs Author on LJ: croupierAuthor Website: unknown; stories at SilverlakeWarnings: spoilers for season two, including the finale Why this must be read:Like my last rec, this story is set post-Talk; in fact it’s post-series, and addresses some of the loose ends left dangling by the show’s cancellation. Multiple points of view come into play, and although the shifts in perspective are a little wonky every voice rings true. Take Audrey’s reaction to Cooper, “the white hum that engulfed her when she saw his smile,” or Cooper’s equally dazzled perception of her: Audrey was too bright, too blinding...He could feel her intensity, her burning, could practically feel her going supernova under his palms, palms that sweated when she was near and itched when she was away. She was, she was going to be...amazing. He wondered what she would be like at twenty, at thirty. He wanted to be there to see it. In the end there is comfort, and joy, and the knowledge that “Their hearts would beat for the rest of their lives.” Supernova | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Audrey Author on LJ: treewishesAuthor Website: unknown Warnings: spoilers for early season two Why this must be read:Anyone who writes Cooper/Audrey has to deal with the fact that he gently but firmly turns her down in season one. The most popular option is to go AU and have him say “yes” instead. Some authors, however, tackle the challenge of pairing them after that conversation, which means coming up with a plausible motive for them to disregard the Cooper’s objections. Treewishes manages it by setting her story early in season two, at a moment when both of them are shaken—Audrey by unwanted knowledge, Cooper by the echoes of past tragedies. I especially like the subtle use of fire and ice imagery: Cooper “checking [his room] with cold proficiency for any signs of intrusion,” Audrey having “nothing but ice in her eyes” one moment. And then, inevitably... And he let go, let his body find the hottest places in hers, and let the storm in his heart rage, holding her against him. He could hear her gasp as they came together, and her cries as it overwhelmed them both. The fire pulsed through him, into her, burning them both. But fire is not something you can play with safely in Twin Peaks. Firestorm | | |
|
Vidder: Michael Laufert Music: “Vicarious,” by Tool Pairing: none Vidder on LJ: unknown Vidder's website: On YouTube Warnings: Major series spoilers, including WKLP and the finale Why this vid kicks ass: First of all, because it exists. Aside from a FWWM/Enya fanvid I saw on a bootleg DVD of the pilot, I didn’t think there were any vids for this fandom. I’d resigned* myself to reccing P.R. Zed’s multifandom opus set to the Electric Six song “Gay Bar” (which contains a three-second clip of Denise Bryson’s first appearance) when a final search through YouTube revealed this almost-eight-minute gem. The music in David Lynch projects tends to fall into three categories: dreamy, sometimes threatening jazzy/loungey/atmospheric tracks from composer/collaborator Angelo Badalamenti; pop songs from the fifties and sixties; and barn burners from the likes of Trent Reznor and Rammstein. The song used for this vid fits the third category, and the vidder did a fantastic job assembling and editing clips that both fit the tune and sum up the darker, stranger elements of the show. Finally, I think there’s a meta element: the vid can also be read as a sly dig at Twin Peaks fans, who are, after all, enjoying a story predicated on the torture and murder of a teenage girl. Vicariously* Actually, “resigned” is the wrong word because this is awesome. I particularly love the clips chosen to accompany the line “I’ve got something to put in you!” | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Truman/Hawk, Truman/Cooper (sorta), refs to various het pairs Author on LJ: tirAuthor Website: Tiriel’s Treats Warnings: Spoiler for season two Why this must be read:Damned good phone sex, and hot! He wasn't sure how Hawk, man of few words, would manage this. He settled in and got comfortable, waiting.
The first words Hawk said shocked him to his core.
"Agent Cooper has a beautiful mouth, doesn't he, Harry?" Last Words | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Refs to various het & slash pairs Author on LJ: charliequinnAuthor Website: unknown Warnings: Spoilers for season two Why this must be read:When David Lynch and Mark Frost pitched their show to ABC, they opened with the image of a body by a lake. Laura Palmer’s death was meant to be a MacGuffin, an excuse to draw Agent Cooper and the audience into the life of her hometown, but even after the murderer was revealed and the investigation closed, she never ceded her central place in the show (a reality reflected by the fact that in almost every episode the end credits ran over a close-up of Laura’s homecoming queen portrait). Charlie Quinn’s story vividly portrays Twin Peaks as a small community, tightly bound by memory and feeling, but threatening to splinter under the weight of the darkness from within and outside. There's not a part of Twin Peaks that Laura doesn't scramble into. From the Double R Diner, to the Great Northern, she's more a part of the town now in death than she ever was alive, stronger and fixed in everyone's memories. Pete Martell thinks that maybe Laura's death took the last of Twin Peaks' innocence, shattering it like a cheap china ornament. Laura herself knew better — Twin Peaks was never innocent. Shadows | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Rosenfield Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: Polly Hammer’s Bedtime StoriesWhy this must be read:The local meteorologists are predicting rain on Christmas, which reminded me of this pre-series story set in Seattle. Cooper and Rosenfield are in town on a serial-killer case, and the weather is the least of their problems. Despite Rosenfield’s prickliness (as he says in this story, he goes “From zero to Sarcastic Bastard in nothing flat”), there is a canonical hurt/comfort aspect to his relationship with Cooper that’s highlighted in this fic. ( _Somebody_ had to watch over this guy ) Healing the Living | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Truman (refs to Truman/Josie and Cooper/Annie) Author on LJ: tirAuthor Website: Tiriel’s TreatsWarning: Major spoilers for season two, including WKLP and the finale Why this must be read:On vacation with time to kill? Desperate to escape your family for a stretch? What you need is a good, multichapter epic. Luckily, Tiriel, keeper of The Bookhouse Boys Archive and arguably the grande dame of Twin Peaks online fanfic, has obliged with this retelling of season two from Harry Truman’s perspective (though Cooper gets the first and last words). Tiriel does a great job spotlighting slashy moments from the series, such as this one: I patted Harry on the shoulder--not an unusual gesture, although, now that I think about it, he and I do seem to touch far more frequently than is strictly necessary, and the boundaries of my personal space seem to be nearly nonexistent where he is concerned...and then--how odd--I can feel myself blushing as I say this, Diane--I tweaked his nose. I am a grown man. Harry is a grown man. I tweaked his nose and made a funny little sound, as if he were a cute child, and I have no idea where the impulse to do it came from. I do know that the next impulse I had, which I did manage to suppress, was the impulse to kiss him. Best of all, she’s created a plausible and satisfying fix-it for the show’s sucker-punch ending. The Fall Series (This leads to the story’s index page, which has a link for each chapter and the one-chapter sequel, “Bedtime Story.”) | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Audrey Author on LJ: yahtzee63Author Website: http://www.thechicagoloop.net/yahtzee/Why this must be read: I’ve been seeing Yuletide icons all over my friends list today, so it seems like an appropriate time to spotlight a story from the Yuletide archive. This story incorporates many of the show’s recurring visual motifs: red draperies, velvet, the contrast of white against black. It also captures some of the dreaminess of life in Twin Peaks. Agent Cooper, for one, finds himself subject to extremely vivid and enlightening dreams during the Laura Palmer investigation. This one, however, concerns a very different matter... ( ‘I have a clue for you,’ she promised. Slowly, Audrey uncrossed her legs... ) Black and White and Red All Over | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Truman/Rosenfield Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: unknown Why this must be read:Sheriff Truman and Agent Rosenfield have an interesting (and wildly entertaining) relationship on the show, one that encompasses cutting remarks (see icon), a solid right to the jaw, and the completely sincere declaration, “I love you.” With that much latitiude to work with, it’s not inconceivable that a late-night phonecall between the two could veer into unexpected territory... "What was I saying?"
"Something about strippers and a hot tub."
"The strippers say, 'hi.'" Albert improvised, a congenial little note of humor and congratulation creeping into his voice, "They asked me if you were cute. I told them you were beautiful but dumb. Now they think you should come over." Way Ahead of You | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: gen (or pre-Truman/Bryson) Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: unknown Warnings: Spoilers for TP s2 Why this must be read:This story, the only gen fic featuring winsome DEA Agent Denise/Dennis Bryson that I know of, originally appeared in the December 1994 issue of Power Star: The Imagination Anthology, a print and BBS fanzine. It’s a couple of missing scenes from episode 2.13, in which Sheriff Truman and Bryson hatch a plan to rescue Agent Cooper from a hostage situation. Television viewers only saw the execution, but its creation probably went something like this... "Now, what exactly did you have in mind?"
"Come over here and lift your skirt."
Denise put a hand on his hip. "I don't know what you've heard about me, Sheriff, but I'm not that kind of girl." Uniformity (Note: scroll down or do a Ctrl-F search for the title to read the story.) | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Cooper/Rosenfield Author on LJ: mousekateAuthor Website: The DBKate Fanfic Collection ProjectWhy this must be read: Special Agent Dale Cooper…in black leather. … Yeah, that’s pretty much how Albert reacted, too. "Somehow I don't think this outfit would fit into the Bureau dress code, Albert." Impish look. "I can ask Gordon if you'd like."
Rosenfield grimaced. "No thanks. I don't want to spend three hours explaining why on earth you'd want to come every day wearing ‘slack weather chants.’" This story was inspired by Cooper’s stint undercover in gay bars, as described in The Autobiography…My Life, My Tapes. Last Dance | | |
|
Title: The Blue Rose Project, by Michael S. Lucart (AKA GlitterRock) Pairing: none (gen/horror) Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: The Lair of GlitterRockWarnings: Spoilers for TP s2, Fire Walk with Me, and The Blair Witch ProjectWhy this must be read:In FWWM, it’s implied that the FBI’s awareness of the preternatural entities who Agent Cooper encounters in Twin Peaks predates Laura Palmer’s death. Apparently, Gordon Cole occasionally sends trusted and uniquely qualified agents, like Cooper, to investigate what are known as “blue rose cases.” Inspired by the pre-release speculation about The Blair Witch Project, GlitterRock suggests that more blue roses sprouted after Twin Peaks. Perhaps one appeared in Maryland, where three student filmmakers vanished while they were making a documentary about a local legend... I'm in Burkittsville. Looks like a nice quiet little town. But it's the quiet ones we have to be careful of, right, Gordon? The Blue Rose Project and the author’s spoiler-laden “behind the scenes” commentary (including unexpurgated versions of the story’s edited passages), The Secrets of the Blue Rose Project. | | |
|
Title: The Bureau, by Hth Pairing: Dale Cooper/Fox Mulder; refs to Cooper/Rosenfield, Cooper/Annie, Mulder/Scully, Mulder/Krycek Author on LJ: hth_the_firstAuthor Website: Sweet DreamsWarnings: Spoilers for Twin Peaks season two, w/ post-series extrapolations; spoilers for The X-Files through season four Why this must be read:This was one of the earliest TP/XF fics I read and it remains a favorite, even though Hth claims, “It was the first full-length slash story I ever wrote, and it's just. Not what I wish it were.” The story does have its flaws — apparently Albert’s changed his last name to Rosenthal — but Hth treats all of the characters with sympathy, understanding, and no small amount of wit. ( ‘‘I happen to know some fine agents in
the DEA. Actually, one of them reminds me a great deal of you.’’ )If nothing else, read it for the spectacle of two attractive, haunted men attempting to prove “that when the human body is invoked, the human soul has remarkable powers of recuperation.”“The Bureau” is at gatefiction.com, The Basement, and the Bookhouse Boys Archive. | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Laura Palmer/Josie Packard Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: http://jennyo.imjustsayin.net/Why this must be read: A snapshot of Laura Palmer. Sometimes, an outsider can see what the locals miss. Josie teaches Laura sex; Laura teaches Josie English. An exchange of tongues, Laura says, laughing.Bonus: this is the fourth of thirteen short fics collectively titled “Thirteen Conservations About Teh Gay II: Girlie Sex!” Scroll up or down for snippets set in fandoms including BtVS, Teen Titans, Firefly, and Christina Aguilera/Avril Lavigne.Eaten Alive | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Dale Cooper/Audrey Horne Author on LJ: o_chibi_chanAuthor Website: unknown Why this must be read:Back when I was watching Twin Peaks during its original broadcast, long before I had ever heard of slash, or even fanfiction, I was a confirmed Cooper/Audrey ’shipper. I wanted them to have beautiful, brilliant, b@tsh!t crazy babies together. In this story, Cooper and Audrey take the opportunity they passed up in the show, yet stay in character. Gabihime does a particularly fine job with Audrey, who appears here in all her cracked-yet-luminous season one glory: "You know, I lost my hymen when I was ten?" she shrugged noncommittally, "Bicycle accident. I feel cheated. I didn't even get a pony. Do you think I'd look good with a derringer, or some other kind of snub nosed pistol? I've decided I'm not going to join the F.B.I. I'm not so good with rules," she stopped as if lost in thought and some moments passed before she continued, running the pucker of her full bottom lip underneath her small white teeth, "And remembering to follow them. I'm going to be self-employed. An expert on everything," she explained. Blue Velvet to Moon River | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Dale Cooper/Harry Truman Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: Rrain’s CoffeehouseWhy this must be read:The relationship between Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman is, for me, one of the most appealing aspects of the show. The professionalism and mutual respect of their initial meeting quickly warms into friendliness, even playfulness. Rrain’s story catches the boys in a relaxed moment when they’re off the clock: "There is nothing," said Truman, casting his line, "quite so good for the soul as an afternoon of fishing."
"Amen, Sheriff. Amen." Otis Redmund’s Great Whopper | | |
|
Fandom: TWIN PEAKS Pairing: Dale Cooper/Albert Rosenfield Author on LJ: unknown; e-mail link at bottom of story Author Website: unknown Warning: “No actual bondage. Get over it.” Why this must be read:I’ve decided to begin our tour of Twin Peaks fanfic in the spoiler-free neighborhoods and gradually work toward more canon-heavy areas. So, for my first rec (and in celebration of the recent reboot of the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale) I bring you this delicious pre-series story, in which Agents Cooper and Rosenfield attend a masquerade party as 007 and…well, you’ll see. I particularly like this fic because (1) it provides an explanation for Albert’s amusement in episode 2.03 when he tells Cooper that the gun used in an attack was a Walther PPK, and (2) both characters’ voices are excellent, especially Albert’s: “On behalf of the sovereign disenfranchised, on behalf of the racially marked and the politically suspect, on behalf of the queer, on behalf of the freakish, on behalf of all the angry geniuses and noncompliant Others — I am forced to concede that for a tool of the establishment you are very, very hot.” Bondage | | |
|
*sigh* So, there have been visiting relatives, and formatting issues, and now I appear to have lost portions of this overview, but I should be able to recover or rewrite them soon. In the meantime... Done! Please enjoy this...
Welcome to Twin Peaks
She’s dead. Wrapped in plastic.
—Pete MartellBefore Lost, Veronica Mars, or The X-Files, there was Twin Peaks. The brainchild of television writer/editor Mark Frost and film director/screenwriter David Lynch, the series was like nothing else on the air at the time: a mix of murder mystery, soap opera, slapstick, surrealism, science fiction, and horror that celebrated and subverted genre clichés. The music and cinematography were distinctive. The scripts were packed with references and non sequiturs. The cast was a mix of Lynch regulars, newcomers, and veterans emerging from “Where Are They Now?” obscurity. If ever a show was made to attract a cult following, it was this one. Twin Peaks debuted in 1990 on ABC to incredible media coverage and strong ratings. For a while, it seemed like everyone in the country was asking, “Who killed Laura Palmer?” Unfortunately, the show lost momentum in the second season — Lynch and Frost were preoccupied with other projects, and the premature revelation of the murderer’s identity (at the network’s insistence) left writers scrambling to fill the gap. Many fans would argue that the series was rallying toward the end, but it was too little, too late. Although a write-in campaign spearheaded by an organization called Citizens Opposing the Offing of Peaks, or C.O.O.P, persuaded the network to air all of the completed episodes, it couldn’t save the show from the ax. Fortunately, it’s not in the nature of fandom to let a little thing like cancellation stop it.
( It’s about secrets. — David Lynch ) | | |
|
Title: “Cold Heart” by Dorothy Marley Pairing: Fraser/Vecchio, Fraser/Cooper Author on LJ: dmarleyAuthor Website: http://dmarley.mattachine.com Why this must be read: I must confess that the major attraction this story holds for me is the presence of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper from the short-lived but beloved series Twin Peaks (***SUBTLE HINT*** a show which I hope to write up for crack_van someday ***SUBTLE HINT***). But as the author says in her notes, “This is primarily a Due South story, and refers only obliquely to events in Twin Peaks,” so it can be read and enjoyed by people who have no idea who Laura Palmer is and don’t give a damn who killed her. A few weeks after Fraser and Vecchio’s first meeting, the Mountie is taking questionable steps to combat his growing feelings of homesickness: ( This was what he needed. ) Meanwhile, Dale Cooper has come to Chicago for two purposes: to review an old case of Vecchio’s in the hope of finding a lead on a killer; and to look up Benton Fraser, a former lover. Cooper once kept Fraser from literally freezing to death, but could not save him from the creeping chill of loneliness. As Fraser tells Ray, describing what it’s like to recover from hypothermia, “there comes a moment when it's actually far more painful to live, to be warm again--to feel again--than it is to die in the cold...Dale and I could never get past that moment.” Dorothy Marley vividly evokes both cold (the way it can cut and sting, the seductiveness of its false warmth and lulling torpor) and heat (which also has its pains and pleasures). She also does a great job depicting Vecchio’s reactions: his growing worry for Benny; astonishment when he barrels into Fraser’s apartment and finds Cooper; curiosity and jealous anger after hearing about their ill-fated relationship; grudging sympathy when faced with Cooper’s genuine concern and remorse. And once Ray applies himself to thawing out Benny, it’s enough to steam up the windows. “Cold Heart”ETA: Since Dorothy’s page seens to be down at the moment, here is another link for the story:
http://www.squidge.org/dsa/cgi-bin/convert.cgi?filename=romance/coldheart.html&wraplen=75 | | |
|
|
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
