Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in The Zangre's LiveJournal:

Saturday, September 10th, 2005
2:13 pm	Rurouni Kenshin For some reason, I only read het or gen in Rurouni Kenshin, which is unusual considering that the rest of the recommendations here will probably be slash. Just not this fandom, and not in Ranma 1/2 either. Mostly. And unless stated otherwise, all fics mentioned will be Kenshin/Karou Frozen Moonlight by Jane Drew Rated: T (according to fanfiction.net, whose new system I can't work out) Long WIP AU. Apart from the tension of the first few chapters, takes a while for this story to get anywhere. At chapter 29, she's only now getting to the background information. Of course, chapter 29 also takes it to 172251 words, so that's quite all right then. Fun characterisation, and hey, demons. I'm a sucker for supernatural fics. Hasn't been updated since May 05, but was updated regularly before then, so I haven't lost hope. Author's summary: In high school, Kaoru Kamiya escaped from a demon. Five years later, she meets a man who looks awfully familiar... Just A Knife by Chelsea Deanne Rated: K+ or PG 13 Short. Addresses whether or not an object is good or bad in and of itself, or if it's wielder has something to do with it. Well written, and it's one I keep coming back to. Author's summary: In a world where the general consensus is that swords are made to kill, how do you explain something so utterly different as Kamiya Kasshin Ryu? Grace by Dragon's Daughter Rated NC 17 Moderate length. Yes, another supernatural fic. Rurouni Kenshin lends itself really well to those. Kenshin is a werewolf. Karou is a vampire. Has a good backculture already developed. I followed this fairly avidly when it was being written, but haven't read it since. The authors other stories are of much the same quality. Author's summary: In the smoky streets of London, a battle is brewing. Kenshin is a former business man who has just discovered life in all its varied forms. Kaoru, a vampire, is running for her life when a certain red-head stumbles into it. Shatterglass by Ravyn R Like Dragon's Daughter, Ravyn has written quite a few Rurouni Kenshin fics, and it is hard to choose just one to recommend. I'll probably end up recommending them all over time. However, Shatterglass is a one-shot fic. Nothing supernatural for one. :D Needs some beta'ing. Shadowed Grey is also really good. Author's summary: Kamiya Kaoru is hiding from the only salvation she ever found. Her past stalks her fragmented shadows like broken glass, unwilling to leave her. To let her leave him. Nothing will change it. Checkmate: Royal Acquisition by Fireminx NC 17 Tokio/Saitou. WIP AU. Hasn't been updated for quite a while, but I remain hopeful. As always. It's written well. While Tokio is a fairly typical fantasy princess, she has been trained to the job and knows what she's doing. Her interactions with Saitou are rather neat, and because I haven't seen all of the anime yet, make me wonder about the woman Saitou married. And hey, it's about the politics and court, and I find that sort of stuff fun, yet rarely done well. Author's summary (with added commas): Princess Tokio thought she'd see the world before giving her life up for King, God & Country. King Saitou, her father's adversary, decides she is the perfect political tool for revenge, and he'll even seduce her to get it. Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: 405 - Bic Runga - Drive (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
10:41 pm	Three Smallville Recommendations I’m going to attempt to keep recommendations for different fandoms on separate pages for ease of location some other time. When possible, I’m going to attempt to link to a website, rather than a livejournal, since the links for the latter are more likely to give out on you. At least, that’s what I’ve found. The Field Where I Died G This is probably going to be the only ever death fic I ever recommend. I like it that much. It’s incredibly simple, I find the premise believable, and it’s very moving. I seldom cry over fiction, and only occasionally feel like I might cry, but don’t. This fic comes in the latter category. Short. The story is too short to give away any of the plot. I find Lex’s reactions melodramatically elegant, something I expect from Lex after all the fic I’ve read. Lois’ loyalty is lovely to watch, and my favourite lines come from that section. "Lois..." "I'm going." "I'm not coming back." Lois Lane looks at him with haunted brown eyes. "I know." Also, it fits into my favourite Lex-as-president category. Or Lex-as-former-president. Ad Astra Per Aspera by Kat Reitz and tzigane NC 17 Alternate universe. It appears I’m getting the angsty recommendations out of the way first. This is probably because these are the ones that stick in my head for ages after. I couldn’t concentrate on anything for a good twenty minutes after I finished reading this one, and it stuck in my head for days. This rarely happens to me. I haven’t reread it yet, because it had that much of an impact on me. I wasn’t totally satisfied with the ending, but the rest more than makes up for it. Very long. What if Lionel Luthor became interested enough in the meteor mutants to collect them. The story starts when Clark is about 13, and joins Lex and the others in the asylum. Despite the rough stuff, which is mostly off-screen, there is a remarkable amount of hope threaded through. Canon was woven in, but the thing that impressed me the most, was that despite everything, characters are true to their core personalities. Lex and Clark are very clearly Lex and Clark. Or Clark and Lex. Pyrrhic by Perryvic and Kat Reitz NC 17 Alternate univese. This is really two stories, set about eighteen months apart. The first is about Lex in pain, the second about Clark in pain. What the pain is made of differs, and effects/anticipation of either are felt throughout the story. I have to admit that I read this one for the JLA stuff at the end. Squicky at the beginning. I have to admit that I stopped reading it, pressed END, saw the last page or so, and decided to read it. Very long. Yes, it starts with Lionel dying in a limo crash as Lex gives him a blow job. Then there's some highly dubious business practices, with too much detail, but if you get past those two initial obstacles, it's well worth reading. Lex may be vulnerable, but he uses that vulnerability effectively. In the second half, the interesting part is Clark's interaction with the JLA. He is very much the new kid on the block, and comes with all of a newcomer's insecurities and the assumptions made about him. Besides, it's fun seeing the JLA criticised. Current Mood: satisfied Current Music: 39 - 1927 - Give The Kid A Break (Comment on this)
10:25 pm	Three Daredevil Recommendations It occurs to me that I should probably warn that a long fic for me is something that takes me nearly an hour or over to read. I read very fast, see, and something that length is probably 100k or over. I’m starting off with three Daredevil (yes, the movie) recommendations, since I haven’t been reading either Smallville or Stargate: Atlantis for very long. Also, I watched the movie for the second time last night, vaguely enjoyed it, and went and dug out the three fics that I’m rather fond of from this fandom to reread. There may be more around. If there is, I would like to read it. But these are the ones I know and go back to. And I definitely see why Daredevil could easily be one of the darker superheroes around, if he isn’t already. I like my superhero fic light and fluffy. Angst is for other fandoms. Faith by the Tenth Muse1 NC - 17 Faith is interesting. I don’t entirely agree with the characterisation, even from seeing the movie twice, several years apart. However, the story is well written, and I can forgive a great deal for this, especially when I don’t know the characters very well. Also, it’s of a reasonable length, and there is the hot sex. I think Matt is far more obsessed with Elektra than this fic shows, but it’s a good story none the length. Set a few months after the movie, Urich becomes more-than-friends interested in Matt, and attempts to put him back together after Elektra leaves. There is a little bit of internal angsting, but everything is resolved nicely in the end. Rooftops by Vathara G Crossover with Gargoyles. Now, I like Gargoyles, and I like Daredevil. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with the mentions of Demona, mainly because I haven’t seen those particular episodes, but you don’t really need to know in order to enjoy it. Short. Matt is joined on a rooftop (yes, that rooftop) on a foggy night, a few days after the lovely Elektra shoves her sai through his shoulder, by a gargoyle named Hudson, and the elder’s companion, Bronx. There is conversation and a day’s rest. Acquainted With The Night by Vathara G Crossover with Gargoyles and The Sentinel. Sequal of sorts to the one above. Again, I’m unsure about what’s going on with Demona, but again, it doesn’t really matter. I don’t care too much about the characterisation, but I enjoy the story. Four chapters, but they’re short. The plot is a little bit confusing when it comes to the mystery side of things, possibly because it doesn’t interest me enough to actually catch my attention. As they’re original characters, I don’t mind. I enjoy the characterisations and the culture clashes, East Coast to West Coast. Plus, I’m one of these people who like the idea of soul-bonds in theory, and it’s nice to see Matt linked with Urich. A few weeks after the end of the movie, Urich is, ah, requested to leave town by his editor, mainly so he’ll survive. Being Urich, he decides to go to Cascade, the city where one of his sources came from, and since she’s in trouble, where she’s probably gone back to. Talking very fast manages to convince Matt to come with him. And really, is Vathara the only author around who has noticed how similar Matt’s abilities are to Jim’s? Current Mood: content Current Music: 2878 - Earth, Wind and Fire - Boogie Wonderland (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 30th, 2005
5:58 pm	Welcome to the library Obviously, the theme for this recommendations page is based off the Zangre, the palace of the royas, capital of Chalion, from Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, The Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt, also known as the Five Gods universe. I can highly recommend all of these books. It's called the Five Gods universe for obvious reasons: Father Mother Son Daughter and the Bastard to balance them, as the god of the unseason. The first one, Chalion itself, is my favourite. I'm rather fond of Cazaril, the main character, and I like the plot. I won't attempt to summarise it here, but I will say that it has the most fascinating things to say on prayer and free will. I've probably read it about twenty times now. This book is the Daughter's. The Paladin of Souls is next. It's slightly more predictable than the first one, and it continues immediately in chronological order following Chalion, detailing the actions of Dowager-Royina Ista dy Chalion after her mother dies, and her daughter is the Royina of Chalion. The Bastard is the primary god in this one. The Hallowed Hunt takes place in a different century (two earlier), and a different country, but remains the same universe. It has more of a mystery aspect of it than the other two, and is the Son's book, even as the others were for other gods. Ingrey is an interesting character; physically imposing, as most of Bujold's main characters are not, and Ijada is a fair match for him. The book is stolen a little, by the minor characters, which are delightfully drawn, and very vivid. Both The Curse of Chalion (2001) and The Paladin of Souls (2003) are available in paperback, whereas The Hallowed Hunt was only released a couple of months ago (hardcover), and thus is not. My first-edition hardcover copies of all three of these are among the treasures of my personal library, along with the signed trade paperback copy of Chalion, which I eventually had to replace because it was falling apart. Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: Phantom of the Opera - The Point of No Return (Comment on this)