A list of the fic I come back to...

[caz963]

OK, so I lied before about going off to make a list of e-mail addresses. I got sidetracked having a clear out of my "memories", which then got me to thinking about something skywaterblue said yesterday, which was basically that there's not much good WW fic out there at the moment.

She's not wrong. There is some very good stuff, but it's pretty thin on the ground, amongst the massive pile of other stuff which ranges from "average" to "utter crap". Anyone who knows me knows that one of my pet peeves is bad spelling, grammar etc. (shut up, ozzyols!*g*) which is enough to turn me off a fic immediately. Luckily, however, the good authors can all spell and punctuate! so that's never a problem!
Anyway, so I got to thinking about the stuff I return to - the stuff I read when there's nothing new fic-wise and I need a Josh & Donna fix; and bearing in mind that I'm in "list mode" at the moment, here's a list of the stuff I like to read. It's not in any particular order, and I'm not sayin' it's a list of the best fic ever (or even that it's comprehensive, 'cos it's not!) - just the stuff I come back to because it's fab.

So, without further ado -


A Van, a Car, a Plane and a Bus by Speranza - and whilst you're there, check out The Age of Aquarius, too.
All her Josh and Donna stuff is utterly fabulous - characterisation, dialogue (yes, and grammar!) is all spot on.
Blame it on the Casanova by dianora2
Again, all her stuff is excellent - check out the New York stories if you've never read them (and then pester her to write some more!)
In Silence and All We Are by salr323. Her other stuff is great too - romantic, angsty, but she brings the funny and the snark, too. There's some more recent stuff at her LJ, (usually posted to josh_and_donna as well.)
Galatea by Pix. An oldie, but still fabulous, and the writing is amazing. There's not a lot of her stuff still around now - she stopped writing around the end of S2, I think, which is a shame. There's stuff around but you have to hunt for it. If you're a member of the Yahoo State of the Union list, there's some still there.
Bearing in mind what I said in my last post about the whole Beatrice & Benedick/Josh and Donna thing, if you like a good laugh (and don't mind mangled Shakespeare) then this is for you - Much Ado About Politix. I came across it by accident ages ago - its an oldie, so maybe some of you haven't seen it before. There's a sequel too, sending up A Midsummer Night's Dream but I can't find the link right now!
Burning Bridges, Burning Buildings by CazQ again, an oldie, but goodie!
Coffeeplease, known on LJ as akalettucehead made a list of her greatest hits the other day, and I'm not gonna argue with her (!) but if you only have time to read one or two, go for Josh's Holiday Carol; part 2 and part 3. OK, so it's a Christmas fic, but it's a fabulous pastiche of Dickens, and a nice tribute to John Spencer, who died shortly before she finished it.

And if you want some smut - here's Yana's Finesse which I love, and also, her bubblefic entry, The Bomb Drop was fab!
And thestickywicket's An Occasion Worthy of Baked Goods, or The After Party - older stories, but no less hot for that!

So... there's a few things for you to be getting on with over half-term! Have fun!

Comments

[caz963.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to have been useful! And there's more where they all came from, so let me know if you want any more! As to the grammar and spelling thing - I really, REALLY hate reading stuff with lots of mistakes - in fact if something starts out that way, then I don't usually finish it (and it's often not very good anyway). I think being Tobyesque about punctuation and grammar is a good thing, don't you? *g*

[gatsbyfan.livejournal.com]

Caz, more please. There's a lot of bad stuff out there so I would definitely appreciate more recommendations. I love Sally's stuff and coffeeplease too.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

I'll definitely get another list together soon - there were, of course, a few that I thought of after I'd posted, so I'll try to remember to include them, this time. I'm glad you've found the recs useful!

[mindness.livejournal.com]

I just read Galatea-- and oh my! If that isn't amazing and beautifully written, I don't know what is. And if those are the kinds of recs you have, bring 'em on!

I think being Tobyesque is a very good thing. At least I hope it is. ;) I used to be really into a fandom with only a few writers, so I felt forced to read some of the bad stuff. (It was either that or nothing, sometimes.) I'm ashamed to admit that I would read the stories and edit them as I went along; that way, I could read them a second time and not have to wince at every misuse of the word "their". ::grin::

Thankfully, there exists a much larger world of WW fic, and I don't have to do that anymore. ;-D

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Galatea is right up there in my top three every time I make a list! It's a shame Pix left the fandom and took down her site, because her stuff is wonderful. I have tracked some more down though so watch this space!
And the people I beta for know I'm obsessive about the nitty gritty - but then that's the whole point, isn't it?
I'm ashamed to admit that I would read the stories and edit them as I went along; that way, I could read them a second time and not have to wince at every misuse of the word "their". ::grin::
Thank God it's not just me...!

[(Anonymous)]

First post ever. Because when you find someone who is JUST AS INSANE AS YOU ARE and in the EXACT SAME WAY...well, you can't let that go unrecognized.

I have a whole Word doc of excellent fic that I've edited for they're/their, you're/your, etc., just so I could read it again. And hello, but I never even knew there were people who didn't know the diff between than and then until I started reading fan fiction. Something new every day...

Plus, if I were to make a list of all-time faves? It would be the one you just made. So thank you! I'd add some Bramble though - maybe the Edibles series. And "Trying to Fight Gravity", by emily'slist. And the first two chapters of The Joshua Monologues (spitzthecat) are fantastic.

Thanks again.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'm honoured! *g* And I haven't finished yet - more here (http://caz963.livejournal.com/29612.html) and here (http://caz963.livejournal.com/30451.html#cutid1), and there will be more coming (and I agree with you about Bramble and the other stuff - it's just that the posts would be interminably long if I included everything at one go!)
And yes, the spelling and stuff is a big thing for me - I beta read and the writers I work with know what I'm like for stuff like that - their and they're, and the really BIG NO-NO - your and you're drive me to distraction! (and I'm a teacher, so I see it ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME!!! *ahem* Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.