seriousfic

All Around Is Wonderful - Doctor/Donna, NC-17. Leave the epic love affairs for Rose and Martha and the Master. The Doctor and Donna are just good friends... and the sex is fantastic. Warm and naughty.

Bowing To The Inevitable - Doctor/Donna, NC-17. Donna and the Doctor have an argument over how to introduce themselves without bringing sex into the equation... with sexy results. Good clean fun.

For those of who you are interested, the fic in question. The rot doesn't really begin to set in until Page 123, so proceed with caution.

Usually, I’m the kind of person who values confrontation over passive-aggressive bitchiness (because really, is there anything worse than “You know what sucks? That guy who does X. No, I’m not saying which one… but you know the one I mean”?). If I think – if it’s my opinion -- that a story could accomplish what its set out to accomplish more effectively, I’ll say so and how to the author’s face. Now, there are exceptions. If I think that the problem is at my end, if I know the author wouldn’t like concrit, or whatever… I’ll hold my tongue. I’ll feel like a coward, but I’ll do it.

That said, the Journ-El has not only jumped the shark, but pole-vaulted over it. It has paved over the shark and turned it into a speed bump so that every day on the way to work, the Journ-El can “jump” the shark.

Let me pause for a moment to explain to you what the Journ-El is. After the release of Superman Returns, and the unlikelihood of a sequel in the near-future, one fan wrote a satire based on the premise of Clark’s blog thoughts during the events of the movie. It struck a chord with fandom, and over time the satire grew to include more conventional drama elements instead of just remaining whacky parody.

Incredibly, this worked. In retrospect, it was something like throwing a chainsaw at a juggler and then them catching the chainsaw and incorporating it into the act. The story went beyond Superman Returns to resolve the quasi-cliffhanger ending, including a climactic battle between Luthor and Superman, the revelation of Clark’s secret identity, and generally all the things you would want to see in a sequel. And they were all handled very well, with a literally astounding balance of angst, comedy, and heartwarming triumph.

And now that I’ve praised Caesar, I suppose it’s time to bury him.

( Cut for spoilers to said story, with squicky details not for the faint-hearted. )

R.I.P. Journ-El. I will remember you for the story you were, rather than the travesty you became.

Solid Time - Batman, Booster Gold and Barbara Gordon. After TKJ's long-standing controversy, it's no wonder that Geoff Jones revisiting the crippling of Barbara Gordon in Booster Gold #5 would get the same reaction. Basically, since issues have been raised about it (even by the writer himself), shouldn't a recap of TKJ be the place to address those concerns? Geoff Johns instead satisfied for his own timey-wimey ball handwave technobabble, so bluefall wrote this to let Batgirl go out as a hero. In skeleton, it's cliche, but it's in the flesh of the story that it really works. Barbara Gordon, who she is and who she becomes, and with Booster Gold as a surprisingly effective audience identification figure.

After Hours - Harry Potter, Bellatrix/Andromeda. Don't ask me why (as the warning header puts it) Blackcest, magic cocks, and breath-play manage to be hot. Part of it is that fembuck is a good writer, with a good feel for the all-important split between characterization and drrrrrty smex. So while still maintaining the hotness, it owns the "these are messed-up people doing messed-up things", which I like a lot more than pretending everything is lovey-dovey in a hotly unhealthy relationship.

Impulsive Buy - BART/CAROL! (That is to say, the complete neglect of Bart's girlfriend, his mentor, and his personality after the demise of both his own series and Young Justice is just more evidence of DC's tyrannical valuing of plot over character. Thankfully, fanfic is a more leisurely and attentive connoisseur of story, allowing you pieces like this that DC just doesn't provide a market for.)

Aspects of Justice - OH, JIM!

The Perfect Choice - THANKS FOR RETCONNING THIS OUT OF EXISTENCE, QUESADA!

To come: Smut, Barbara Gordon character worship, probably more smut.