origin recs - how i found my drug of choice

The single most effective thing I've done so far is wander into the bathroom about once an hour, soak a washcloth with hot water, get the menthol-camphor stuff out, and sit down with that over my face until the heat stops hurting, at which time back to the hot water. It's like the best thing ever. To say that menthol is my new favorite scent is to underestimate my love of it. It clears things like you have no idea.

You know, then it goes away, as things do. But man. very nice.

So, this set of recs is different. It's not usual I get a chance to really mull my fannish origin fic, or the fic that made the difference between a fandom being read-only or read/write (or nonficcish at all). For the first, Chuck, Supernatural, and Due South (with some writing, granted); for the second, those end up the fandoms I hang around for a while. I don't know specifically what works for me and what doesn't to this day, but in retrospect, it's usually fic that flips the switch between "this is an interesting show and interesting fic" and "I feel obsessive now, kthx".

So, for your consideration, my origin fic: the ones that flipped interest to fannishness.

Mount Badon by brown_betty, gen, read Dec 13, 2008 - the first thing that struck me about this one was the fact it was futurefic and that I hadn't yet seen the show, but I had no problem identifying both the Arthurian legend I recognized and the variations that I didn't. Basically, this is where I said oooh:

"I shall inform--" begins Arthur, in attempt to recapture their conversational thread, but this time interrupts himself. "Are you cutting it off?"

"Some great prat seems to have mashed the buckle, so yes I am," his servant informs him, and he does seem to be sawing at the leather strap with a knife. Then he looks up, and flashes a smile past Coveros, at Vedica. "That was you with the stasis spell, right? That was tremendously clever, I wish I could figure out how you did it."

Vedica freezes, and a moment later, as he realizes who this servant must be, so does Coveros. Vedica stutters, after a moment, "It's-- it's a slowing of certain, um, biological-- for difficult pregnancies, you see, sometimes, to stop her from bearing early, it's--" and he's heard her explain this dozens of times already, so he knows she's just clamped her mouth shut on "very useful in lambing time."

At the time, the dialogue between Arthur and Merlin completely fascinated me. I wanted to know more about this!

Onfindan by astolat, Merlin/Arthur, read January 10, 2009 - between brown_betty and this story was Christmas and Chuck, along with some faintly traumatizing Dean/Castiel (I cannot tell you how funny it is to me to see so many writers who were into Dean/Castiel showing up in Merlin; I check my log at the author list and just shake my head in wonder) and a couple of other things, but suffice to say I'd seen most of the eps by this point (I think) and went to read this one. This one I loved a lot for a variety of reasons, not least of which was Merlin tripping between places with magic, fighting legendary beasts until it becomes almost blase, and poor Merlin becoming a councilor and wondering why he's being punished with such a thing.

House of the Rising Sun by 01100100, Merlin/Arthur, read January 10, 2009 and just. Loved. There's a lot I could say about ghosts and coincidence and kingship, but mostly, it makes me laugh and that's what I love about it best.

And that's when I started having a window open to http://delicious.com/tag/merlin permanently.

In closing: God do I love menthol. I laso now have lotion/vicks tissue, so my life is almost complete.

Comments

[serrana.livejournal.com]

I have also spent all week sick in bed, and have been very much appreciating the supply of reading material. Thank you.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*bows* If it was the comfort to you that it was to me, I'm so glad. Basically, Merlin made my weekend bearable.