{ you stated your case time and again. }
Jun. 15th, 2008 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
delgaBusy weekend! My eldest cousin brother and his family came to visit, and I finally met the new baby. She's lovely, as is her older brother who is totally into the Power Rangers right now. In. Sane. Also: marvellous. ♥
Now: the last of the top 5 replies. I know, I know, this is from aaaaages ago. To see the rest of the replies, hit the meme tag.
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fallapartagain asked me for my top 5 Mac/Stella fics and top 5 things in my room that I can't live without.
Difficult question, mostly because there are SO FEW and I don't know that I can find the ones that I like because I haven't read a good one in so long. Oh, if only I'd known about del.icio.us before!
Their friendship is, if anything, based on history, because they share decades of partnership. Their history is written on each other's body, some in visible scars, some in not-so-visible scars, but they are there and they bare them for one another to see.
natushka wrote this way back when at the dawn of this fandom, and she wrote it from a prompt I gave her. Naturally, I'm biased :) I think the age shows somewhat - I've seen her writing develop - but it's still a great read and Nat allowed me to beta it before she re-posted it so that I could rec it here. It's so detail-oriented! It's so them! Old fandom was pretty obsessed with tracking them from the beginning through to canon, and I love all those stories. But natushka managed to get the balance between the sad and the hopeful, which is what I really like about this fic in particular.04 I woke up, and one of us was crying by stellaluna_
Mac traces patterns on Stella's skin: hieroglyphics, once, or the root system of a tree, common road maps. One night he begins at her heel, meaning to inscribe I-95, all of it, on her from head to foot. He gets as far as Tennessee before he's sidetracked for good, and that evening her fingernails rake long red scratches into his back. He winces, later, when the shower drives hot needles into the tender cuts, but he's laughing, too; and he spends the rest of the week hoping he won't get a scene that will make it necessary for him to change into coveralls. He can only imagine what Danny would say if he spotted the scratches, or Hawkes. His luck holds and he gets away with it, and he thinks that one night he'll have to take up where he left off; but that Friday night, the next night they're together, is all about helixes and supernovas, instead, and he files the idea away for a future date.
stellaluna_ mostly writes well and sometimes writes wonderfully. I love the minutiae of detail in this story, and the way it builds to the climax. Mac's inscriptions are true to his character, and so representative of the two of them as a couple.03 the snow queen by stellaluna_
The thunder and lightning don't wake Stella when they start, at nearly half-past three in the morning, because she hasn't gone to sleep. When the first low rumble of thunder hits her ears, she's standing in front of her mirror, peering into its depths without much hope of actually finding any of the answers she's looking for. The thunder is nearly subaural at first, and then increases in sound until it's nearly rattling the windows in their frames, a deep bass roar that she feels in her chest as much as hears, the way the subway platform shakes beneath her feet when a train is coming. Moments later, her vision goes blue and white as lightning crackles, and a negative impression of the veins in her eyes dances in front of her gaze. She blinks a little and waits until it stops, then goes back to looking in the mirror.
I always felt that Stella's repair post-All Access was probably rougher than we ever saw, and this fic does so well at sketching her character. She's so tense, and Mac is so far away. I really love the buzz of irritated energy that runs through this, and I especially love how in character it is. (My next two choices aren't, really.) I feel like, yes, this is the Stella that we know, and the one that I love; this is the Mac that we're trying to reach past and into something - someone - less distant. There are no easy answers.
02 the beauty of breakdown by marginalia@ff.net
She is his city: Bronx toughness, Manhattan beauty, Brooklyn wit, and ambitions as high as sky-scrapers.
I have this thing about Stella Bonasera and the city of New York, mostly because I think the two are so suited. (It's the other love affair, and Stella really is the city in a lot of ways.) So that's the line that really sold me on this fic. But marginalia writes really well, and I like the non-linear style here, too; every one is trying so hard and no-one is making all that much progress.
01 red seas, gray skies, and the miles in between by marginalia@ff.net
"Aren't you going to finish your story?"
"No, because apparently you don't appreciate me as a brilliant raconteur."
"Sure, I do." He sidled up along side her. "Come on, Stel, tell me how it ends."
"No."
"Tell me, please."
"No, and you're buying me a hot dog right now."
"It's ten in the morning. And we're supposed to meet Pete for a brunch-lunch thing in an hour after his class gets finished."
"Yeah, so?"
"I was promised French Toast." There was a slight pout in his voice, and Stella had to blink to be certain of the fact that she had identified that bit of childishness correctly. "Pete said that place down the street had the best French Toast that money can buy –"
She rolled her eyes blatantly. "How old are you – twelve? You'll get your French Toast, but right now I want a hot dog. You're buyin'."
"You want a hot dog now? At ten in the morning?"
"It's the best time to get 'em, Mac."
"Why?"
"Fresh batch, Genius. Welcome to New York City."
I get sad reading this again because the beginning is quite obviously ripped from one the best West Wing stories of all time. Oddly, though, it's fitting because as I said before, Mac and Stella were originally my CJ/Toby v2.0. This Stella is not the genial Stella that I now love. This Stella is young, snappy, rough around the edges. This Mac isn't distant or remote. This Mac is still shy; he's young, charming, accessible. And they're both still running into each other, upsetting the balance, and coming back round again. I love this idea that Stella decides to make the trip, to try and get away from the things that press in on her in the city, and Mac just says okay, and goes with her. They're different enough for you to notice, but similar enough for you to recognise them. And the whole progress of their journey makes me ache a little. I love them.
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A new addition, but I take it everywhere. It helps me maintain my pace when I'm walking, it doesn't interfere with my thinky thoughts, and it helps time pass in the library without distracting me. Also, it's tiny and cute, and its keychain case should arrive today or tomorrow, huzz.
These are only one-third of my overall 'collection'; currently only two work, and one needs a new strap. But, yeah. Watches. I always need to know the time. I used to have a lot of clocks, too, but they're all in D, and I find that they make me quite anxious.
So. The pens in the pot are the ones I use in the house. The ones on the desk are the ones that I keep in my handbag; the coloured ones that I've tied together with a spare hair bobble are the ones I've been using for my dissertation notes. I buy a pack of 20 pens at the start of every academic year and still end up buying singles as the year goes on. I always need pens. I take a ridiculous number into the exam hall because I'm always scared the ink's going to run out. I'm a little neurotic about them. Obviously.
Rusty is my toy dog; I was 2 when I got him and I've slept with him ever since. These days I don't need to have him (that stopped 10 years ago) but I do find that it takes me much, much longer to fall asleep if I have the duvet in the crook of my arm and not my dog. It's kind of a ridiculous habit, and I also talk to him all the freaking time (no, really - I need to be institutionalised, obviously) and I'm fairly certain that I would have a severe mental breakdown if anything happened to him. Yeah.
Well, duh. I use the damn thing for everything. EVERY THING.
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inflightdata asked me for the top 5 reasons why Gibbs is awesome; the top (? haha) 5 worst ways to die; and the top 5 things I'd do with a hundred dollars. $100 actually comes to about £50 (100 Australian dollars is about £47) so I'm going with what I'd do with £100 sterling.
05: He's BUILDING a BOAT. Without power tools! It's so tactile! It's such a strange way to record a history and whether or not he realises, that's exactly what he's doing. Something to work on, something to show for, something to distract him or to let him think. And ultimately, something beautiful.
04: He's not a bullshitter. There is NO CRAP from him. I love this in characters, the lack of run around, and Gibbs has to be one of the best at it.
03: THE GIBBS-SLAP. NEED I SAY MORE? I think NOT. (Haha: this came about because Weatherly was mucking around and Harmon wanted him to pay attention. And now it's in canon, lols.) I love how the Gibbs-slap is what Ziva uses to trigger Jethro's memories at the end of Hiatus pt.II. Hearts!
02: He has an honour code that makes sense. What I really like about him is that he exists in a sort of grey area, a sort of an eye-for-an-eye mentality. His ideas of right and wrong aren't always in line with the work he does. He's not perfect, he's damn human, and that makes him so much more interesting than a lot of 'lead' characters out there.
01: Believe it or not, he gives a damn. Saving Tony's life, picking McGee up, giving Kate a job and mourning for her death, looking out for Abby, staying level with Ducky - his concern for Jenny, his kindness towards Mann, his words to Cassidy. Oy, oy, oy. He's big on tough love, sure, but there are tiny moments when he's a buoy, when he's more human than people sometimes realise. Gah. I love him a lot, obviously.
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05: defenestration. You'd see it coming and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That's HORRIFYING.
04: fire. This is a pretty basic one, yes? I know it's the smoke inhalation that would kill you but BURNING. To DEATH. UGH.
03: dismemberment. Really, who wants to be hacked to pieces? Add to that evisceration, and, oh god, I can barely breathe to think about it.
02: drowning. Sometimes I can imaging what that would do to my lungs and... yeah, no thanks.
01: in a vat of frying oil. Spooks, you have SCARRED me. FOR LIFE.
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Obvs, #6 would be "buy the rest of the X-Files and then other boxsets".
05: buy new clothes. I like looking at clothes, but I only really buy them once every few years, and all of my stuff is Very Very functional. Mostly I own blouses and plain t-shirts. If I was going to go shopping I'd buy: new shoes, new jeans, something to wear out, a decent t-shirt or two and a new bag.
04: buy an external harddrive. I've been looking at one for ages but I just don't have the cash.
03: put down a deposit on an apartment. I mean, I'd need to find a job first to pay for the rent but yeah. Get some place to live, yo.
02: make a trip. I'd go to Europe. (Well, actually, I'd go to NYC if £100 covered it, but it doesn't, sigh.) France, The Netherlands, Finland. Somewhere. Anywhere.
01: go to Newcastle. And spend time with my bff xanitia who I don't see nearly enough of. We'd go out! I'd be convinced that we're lost! She'd drag me through the underbush! SMASHING.
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razorxrosary also asked me for my top 5 fandomgasm moments and I FAIL because I've yet to finish my answers. I think, though, that I'm going to just cheat and post loads of appropriate picspams, and then be totally verbose about them. \o/
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Am trying to decide what to talk about when I go to see those year 12s tomorrow. Aie.
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Date: 2008-06-15 11:38 am (UTC)Um, um, oh my God. Did this actually happen!? Now I'm slightly scared of tracking down past seasons of Spooks and watching them! GOD THAT'S A CREATIVE (AND AWFUL) WAY TO DIE.
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Date: 2008-06-15 11:59 am (UTC)Which is exactly why you SHOULD go back and watch because it is smashing.
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Date: 2008-06-15 11:46 am (UTC)And you've pretty much nailed everything that I love about Gibbs - although I didn't know that about the headslap, and now it's doubly awesome!
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Date: 2008-06-15 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 03:22 pm (UTC)Anyway, random hugs =)
*hugs*
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Date: 2008-06-15 10:04 pm (UTC)!!! *hugs*
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Date: 2008-06-15 04:24 pm (UTC)You know what's an awful way to die? Buried alive. THANKS, HEROES.
Also: it's fine if you want to cheat on fandomgasm moments. I only asked you because you were cruel and asked me first. :p
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Date: 2008-06-15 10:07 pm (UTC)and wince and apologise when I have to wedge him into a suitcase for whatever reason
!!! OMG ME TOO. No, really! I had to pack him in the laundry bag on the way back from Soton and I felt really, really mean. I was all, "Sorry!" *squishes rump into place. "!!! SORRY!"
Ugh, yes. In fact, any kind of death where you can see it coming. Buried/drowning is on the same par. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Haha, I know! And I failed my own challenge (=like always)! It would help if (a) I didn't have such a stupid number of fandoms and (b) if I was less fickle. But here I am. FICKLE TO THE LAST, AHOY.
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Date: 2008-06-15 10:07 pm (UTC)Yeah! Where be thou? *hugs*
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Date: 2008-06-15 10:09 pm (UTC)