I love good guys

The 2014 rarewomen ficathon went live! It happened this weekend, when I was happily running after my brother's kids and unhappily unable to read many of the 170 stories in 186 fandoms (some of that difference comes from genuine crossovers; much comes from MCU-style multi-tagging, however). Still, I'd like to draw your attention to these so far:

• coralysendria took on my prompt slate! She wrote me "Ragtag" (10K words; G), a canon-sensitive Battlestar Galactica (1978) story starring Cassiopeia and Serina building a friendship as they work to rebuild their society, with spot-on supporting cameos for Adama, Apollo, Starbuck and Boxey. "Ragtag" weaves missing (civilian) scenes into the canonical (military) adventures of the multi-episode premiere, "Saga of a Star World" (and pre-emptively retcons better foundations onto some later absurdly 1970s incidents). Giving Carillon some consequences, and addressing them with teamwork, is my favorite bit; my second favorite is the the bereaved mother doling out her lost family's clothes in the Rising Star passenger compartment. What's on the other side of the end of the world? I do still so love this series of my early childhood; it is still so much bigger on the inside. Thank you, Malinaldarose!



• greerwatson bestowed a bonus on me! She wrote me "Raven by the Month" (1K words; PG13), a Forever Knight story featuring Janette in her capacity as a hands-on business manager; in this case, she's trying new blood... varietals? ...and placing orders. The piece explores a dark underlayer of the logistics enabling the vampire community (as revealed in "Francesca"). You can read it for the "dark" or for the canonicity; you know where I stand. Thank you, Greer!



• raspberryhunter, whom I don't know, wrote an engaging, clever, strong Aurthurian mythology complete AU: "The Company of Camelot" (5K words; PG). This Camelot is a biotech firm. Morgan, who should have inherited it, was roommates with Nimue, one of its officers, back when they were each earning their MBAs at Avalon Business School. If you enjoy Arthuriana, total AUs or contemporary dramas driven by interesting women, you'll be glad you read this.



• Lizzen, whom I also don't know, wrote an enthralling, dangerous, grim (but with hope in the end) Once Upon a Time left-turn-at-canon AU in which Mulan, Aurora and Philip were swept up in the first curse: "we're strangers till now" (3K words; NC17 for both violence and sex -- mind the rating!). The story has a refrain, "Maleficent made plans for every variation," and it pays off with your heart falling into your stomach. It impresses me. (The ravens!)



• The lovely people whom I do know in this year's game generally wrote in fandoms that I don't know at all (or, in Bujold's case, know very well but don't read fanfic for). Perhaps you do? Please let them know!
  • havocthecat wrote "Push Back" (Push).
  • falconhorus wrote "Kissed By Fire" (Stargate Atlantis).
  • LadySilver wrote "All the Little Background Noises" (The Tomorrow People (1973)).
  • greerwatson wrote "Red Over Green" (Vorkosigan Saga) and "Jean in the Forenoon" (Jean Robertson).
  • Twilight2000 wrote "The In-between Places" (Babylon 5).

With a special call-out to those of you who enjoy supporting f/f storytelling, I want to share that hearts_blood has written an innovative, intriguing FK piece for a prompt that I submitted in a meme game: "Tripping Over Mountains" (~700 words, PG; Cohen/OFC).  This is not the first personal Cohen story in the history of the fandom! But... it's unfortunately close. I know of precisely two others.

While I am making entirely informal recommendations (while falling yet further behind on the formal recommendations project), did I ever properly emphasize that all BSG'78 fans should check out "The Poet's Son" (~9K words, PG; Boomer, Nomen OMCs, Starbuck, Apollo), which malinaldarose wrote for one of my prompts in the last oldschoolfic game?  This is a brand-new, strong, plotty, themed, canon-aware, gen adventure starring Boomer!  Where else can yet get that kind of treat?

And if you're an adult whom the Big D wishes would Not Write Or Read Such Things, you might enjoy this Oh So Adult Tangled tale: "What You Don't Know" (~90K, NC-17; Eugene/Rapunzel, Pascal, Maximus, Queen, King, Snuggly Duckling Crew, etc.) by Airplane. Blame neonhummingbird, 'cause I usually don't go anywhere near... eep! (It's the themes and parallels, honest. And Eugene thinks he doesn't do backstory...)