Open for business again. :-) Please comment if you'd like to be mutual friends. If your only interest is in reading fics, please check out my website More Than Either Alone or my AO3 account where you will find my stories archived.

In your own space, post recs for at least three fanworks that you did not create.
As I've been reading and reccing Yuletide fics, I'll continue with that here.

1. The Clock Counts Down, by Kissoffools. She Loves Me, Georg/Amalia pairing.
In the musical during the Twelve Days of Christmas song, Georg asks Amalia if she'd like to have a cup of coffee with him, but we never get to see that scene. Kissoffools to the rescue. :-) This is a perfect little gap filler, with lovely characterizations.

2. six metamorphoses after Rutledge, by izzybeth. Mozart in the Jungle, Hailey/Rodrigo pairing. Really spot-on characterizations and I love the inspiration for the fic.

3. Yet I Resemble Him, by Synergic. Amelia Peabody, Amelia/Emerson pairing. Oh, if you love Crocodile on the Sandbank, but have always wished that Amelia was a little more forthcoming about how perfectly splendid certain things are with the right person, then this will fit the bill. The voices of Amelia and Emerson are absolutely spot-on. Here is one example (there are many others): I never wallow, literally or metaphorically.

Crossposted from Dreamwidth.

In your own space, share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life. Something that impacted on your consciousness in a way that left its mark on your soul.

I could go with the obvious here, but I'm not sure you need me to tell you yet again how LOTR changed my life.

So instead, I'll share a different fantasy work, the utterly amazing film by Jean Cocteau, La Belle et la Bete. If you have never seen this movie, you should. It was made in 1946 and long predates the era of digital special effects. And yet, even though the effects might seem crude by comparison to what can be done nowadays, they are stunningly effective and to my mind even preferable. The movie was shot in black and white and it is visually stunning. It also isn't a sickly sweet Disneyfied version of the fairy tale. It's definitely creepy and scary in places and the Beast *is* a beast and Beauty is not always kind to him. Yet at the same time it's a beautiful love story and utterly magical. I first saw it in the 1970s on the local PBS channel, and I was absolutely blown away. I loved fantasy, but I had never seen anything in movies that transported me the way books did. Until La Belle et la Bete. I have since seen the movie fifty times at least and its magic spell never fails to transport me. BTW, Cocteau published a wonderful diary that he kept during the filming that is worth a read if you can get your hands on it. He is a true poet.

Cocteau includes the following at the start of the movie:

Children believe what we tell them. They have complete faith in us. They believe that a rose plucked from a garden can plunge a family into conflict. They believe that the hands of a human beast will smoke when he slays a victim, and that this will cause him shame when a young maiden takes up residence in his home. They believe a thousand other simple things.

I ask of you a little of this childlike sympathy and, to bring us luck, let me speak four truly magic words, childhood's "Open Sesame":

Once upon a time...

If you bring to this movie that childlike sympathy, you will be amply rewarded.

Lastly, there is a famous, apparently *not* apocryphal, quote from Greta Garbo who, after seeing La Belle et la Bete is reputed to have said, "Give me back my Beast!" You may feel the same way; I know I did.

I'm a day behind, so I'll be posting Day 1 and Day 2 today.

First up, Day 1:
In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator.

Since I'm in the throes of reposting stuff at AO3, I'll go with three things I've reposted there.

1. A Loon by Any Other Name. Summary: A very different take on Frodo's awakening in Rivendell and the Council of Elrond scene... This is a personal favorite but I think it is also falls into the 'define you as a creator' category. I like to make people laugh and this seems to do it.

2. Martin's Day. (Cabin Pressure) Summary: A day in the life of 12 year-old Martin Crieff. I don't think many people saw this and of course if you aren't familiar with Cabin Pressure it won't make sense to you. But if you are, I think it's worth a read.

3. The Beacon-Keepers. Summary: While gathering wood for the ascent of Caradhras, Boromir tells Pippin about his time spent with the beacon-keepers of Eilenach. 'Cause I can't get enough Fellowship-on-the-road-to-Moria friendship fics.

Title: The Right Thing to Do
Character: Sam Gamgee
Words: 703
Rating: G
A/N: Inspired by Shirebound's beautiful story Giving Thanks. You advised me to write this on the plane home, and I did. :-)

( The Right Thing to DoCollapse )