Delicious fanfic and awesome covers

[enemyofperfect]

READ

I finished Call It Intelligence by talkingtothesky! It's such an interesting S3 fix-it. I'm ambivalent about how its happier ending was achieved -- I'm enough like Harold to hate the idea of cold-blooded killing even if it's to prevent something terrible, although I can admit that Greer is a tenacious enough villain to make gentler methods difficult -- but it was so good to see all of Team Machine happy and alive and together.

I've enjoyed several DA:I fics of Stonestrewn's lately, most notably Glass Cabinet (Tama Bull, gen, 1k, agonizing) and Writing love all over, in which Cassandra and Josephine are fangirls together and, over the course of 8k, fall gradually in love. It's such a gorgeous depiction of fannish feeling as well as romance, and I especially loved that this particular version of Cassandra is trans.

Long-distance call by LadyGwenllian is an adorable Yuri on Ice fic in which Phichit helpfully explains a few things to Yuuri before the whole Victor-in-Hasetsu situation can get too out of hand. I especially appreciate that it gently pushes back against the fat-shaming that struck me as YOI's biggest (only?) flaw.

Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) by Delphi is exactly 8k of original romance between one Benny Zalman, who serves gin and occasionally breaks bones at a mediocre speakeasy, and Abe Hirsch, the strangely mesmerizing new piano player classing up the joint. Very well written and incredibly charming.

The Axiom by pauraque is ~1.5k exploring Data's perspective in an episode of Star Trek: TNG I never saw, but I love it to pieces despite my ignorance, because it's just so heartbreakingly thoughtful in what it says about what it's like to be an android who, axiomatically, cannot feel. Do mind the warnings in the tags.

Finally, I've been perusing some of susiecarter fics after enjoying their Witcher fic last week, and I think this song is about you is my favorite so far: 11k of Cullen POV as he and Dorian pine over each other like beautiful fools. The use of roleplay and storytelling towards the end as a way to share painful and delicate truths is particularly well done.

WATCHED

Stumptown episode 1x15, "At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles". What a title, oof. But the episode is good fun, as Stumptown tends to be.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine through episode 7x03, "Pimemento". It's a fun episode! I just don't seem to have much to say about either it or "Captain Kim".

LISTENED TO

Now that Chocolate Box is done, I can admit to being super into this MS MR cover of "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow without risking giving anything away! Note that the lead vocalist changes the lyrics so she's singing to a boy rather than a girl, but I love her delivery and the moody feel their performance gives the song.

Also fun: Chvrches' cover of "Do I Wanna Know" by the Arctic Monkeys. It's less of an emotional departure from its original, but it's still doing its own thing in such a cool way.

One last cover, while I'm remembering that music is a thing: Davina Michelle singing Hozier's "Take Me to Church" with some gorgeous piano accompaniment. As much as I love the other covers for being something beautifully different and new, I love this one for being very much the same, except sung (brilliantly) by a cis woman.

Comments

[oracne]

I would like to check out Stumptown one of these days.

[enemyofperfect]

I've really been enjoying it! The combination of lighthearted antics and humor with real emotion is just right for something I can care about without feeling overwhelmed by, and it turns out that's something I really appreciate right now.

[pauraque]

Aw, thank you for the rec! I'm glad you liked the fic so much. ♥

(And I second the rec for delphi's original work, but it looks like you mis-pasted the link. It's here.)

[enemyofperfect]

Oh, thank you for the heads up! I used to be so good at links before I started putting ten of them in one post.

(I am always up for an excellent fic about AI, and your fic is definitely that!)