DPP: Lasts

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Well, not really lasts per se, as that would imply something more definite...more like most recent.  I started this week talking about fandom firsts, and even though these DPPs were all pretty much unconnected, I like to have a nice set of bookends.  So today we are going to talk about lasts.

If you care to, you can talk about the last episode that you watched, or your final impressions of the show.  Personally, I'm just about all talked out when it comes to the finale, but you're welcome to discuss this to your heart's content. 

What about fandom lasts?  What's the last (read: most recent) fic you read?  Vid you watched?  Icon you snagged?  Community you started watching, or anything else of that ilk?

As for myself, I'm currently catching up on Crossing the Styx by kag523  (I'm getting there!).  And over on FFN, Until She Can't was just updated, to my great delight.  The most recent vid...well, I've been not really in a vid mood lately, so the latest one I saw was Honeythief (which is amazing!) many moons ago.  And I haven't uploaded any new icons in eons (too attached to my old ones).

But this post isn't just about whatever you happen to have read most recently.  I'd also like to take this opportunity to do a sort of mini 2010 recs list.  Often, when we're reccing stories we rec old favorites.  It makes sense--we've read them a million times and they are near and dear to our hearts.  But today I want to highlight current writers in our fandom, and new stories that may have gone more or less unremarked on.

A few stories that I have loved in the last few months:
Every Sense by rachelindeed  - They loved each other in every sense.  Five beautiful vignettes about pilots after Kara's death and return.
Needful Things by taragel  (remix of untitled ficlet by olaf47 ) - He thinks he can walk away.  He's wrong.  It's all about Lee and wanting things.  And it's gorgeous.

And then there's everything from pilotsbigbang .  Seriously.  I can't single out specific ones because I loved them all.  But here, have a round-up:
Rising Star by sci_fi_shipper  - Lee agrees to leave Dee for Kara, but there's one condition.
Not the Colonial Dream 3 by rayruz  - After an unexpected pregnancy, Kara and Lee attempt to make this whole... parenting thing work. But when the Cylons return to New Caprica, will their mission interfere with their family?
A Million Different Ways to Go by ez_as_pi - AU in which Kara and Lee get together in the beginning of the series.
We're Not Friends by ninety6tears  - When two soldiers in the middle of a war can't seem to like each other, baptism by fire is apparently the natural solution.
Though You Can Render No Reason by da_angel729  - Lee's mutiny and escape with Laura Roslin have repercussions he never could have imagined.
Till Your Dreams Hold Mine by ivanolix  - Kara and Lee lose Zak for good again, and Zak himself is lost, and the world will never be the same again. But how the world changes for Kara and Lee is going to affect the Cylons themselves.
The Cutting Edge by taragel  - She's fire.  He's ice.  They just might be the perfect match.
Tinbox by amaliak  (artfic) - "I want you to see how much you are loved."
The Breath Between by yours truly - Kara's return in Crossroads is not what it appears to be.
Did I miss any?  Let me know!

Bonus gen Kara recs:
Space Oddity (BSG/Lost) by aboutbunnies  - Mostly Kara and Kate.  But see, I'm not the only one who enjoys transplanting Kara to the island!
And okay this one's not exactly a Kara fic, but...Socrata Thrace and her Special Destiny by grey_sw  (remix) : This one blew me away.  It is now (along with two other excellent fics) one of my favorite stories about the complicated relationship between Kara and her mother.

What are your favorite Kara, Lee, or Kara/Lee stories from recent months?  Please feel free to rec vids or art as well--I would if I knew more about them!

Comments

[stripes13.livejournal.com]

Until She Can't was updated? *runs off*

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the recommendations, I'm always glad to hear about stories I haven't seen before! "Socrata Thrace and her Special Destiny" sounds like it has a lot of potential, I'll have to run check it out :)

My most recent discoveries are not actually new creations -- oftentimes I stumble across old stories or vids that I just missed because I wasn't in the fandom earlier on and they didn't make it onto the various rec lists I've seen elsewhere. So this is a mismash of old and new things, but all of them have impressed me recently:

Fics:
** One of the WIP fics that I'm enjoying is igore's Everything that was will be again (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4731291/1/Everything_that_was_will_be_again), although it is updated *extremely slowly* so if it bothers you to wait around on a story then you probably want to avoid it for now. It's very Lee-centric (Kara hasn't yet appeared in person), but it focuses on her centrality in his life. It's extremely AU (Lee is a commando rather than a pilot and he is quite scary much of the time). But it's a fascinating character study and it has moments of great intensity and Lee retains a cynical, despairing, on-the-edge sense of decency about him. It's an interesting read, though it can be quite violent.
** I recently came across this BSG fic rec list (http://danahid.livejournal.com/tag/rec%20bsg) that was done a long time ago by danahid, and it had some very good stories listed that I hadn't seen before. They tend to be Kara/Lee centric, though there are a few other types of stories mixed in. I was also impressed by the fics danahid wrote herself (http://danahid.livejournal.com/tag/fic%20bsg), most of which focus on Kara, Lee, and Bill. I was particularly impressed by What Needs to be Said (http://danahid.livejournal.com/6996.html#cutid1), which is a gorgeous epilogue to her more frequently recommended Tales From the Reconstruction (http://danahid.livejournal.com/6258.html), both of which are early Season 2 speculative scenarios. Another utterly heartbreaking bit of early Season Two spec is her You and Me Were Never Meant To Be Part of the Future (http://danahid.livejournal.com/4389.html), which is an examination of Lee's grief over the loss of Kara and his father, written from Kat's point of view.
** I recently discovered QueenofThorns' lovely Bill and Lee study, Passacaglia and Fugue (http://queenofthorns.livejournal.com/186717.html#cutid1), and her crack!fairytale Kara Thrace and the Seven Cylons (http://queenofthorns.livejournal.com/440776.html) made me laugh out loud, though I have yet to find part two so it kind of stops in the middle of the story :(
** And speaking of fairytales, I trust no one needs my recommendation to read innibis's latest wonder, Aladdin (http://innibis.livejournal.com/58049.html). It's marvelous.

I would also second shah's recommendations above. I am particularly in love with Taragel's "Cutting Edge" fic, which is reaching its most endearing stages now. And ninety6tears' "We're Not Friends" was tough, original, deeply messed-up and very, very impressive.

Vids:

** I've been enjoying amitybaby's vids recently. Her tribute to Galactica's pilots, Let's Get it Started (http://www.youtube.com/user/amitybaby#p/u/22/2Rvzw6DL2Vc), is a masterpiece of editing and it really captures Kara and Lee and their cohort in the midst of their adrenalin-fuelled, fast-paced, deadly yet joyful comaraderie. I was also impressed by her fantastic episodic studies: her ensemble piece Mad World (http://www.youtube.com/user/amitybaby#p/u/21/8kPBNg0ZCjQ) takes a brilliant look at the Pegasus story arc, while Collide (http://www.youtube.com/user/amitybaby#p/u/52/9CD5Txc3CtY) does Unfinished Business justice. Plus she has a very nice Lee and Bill vid, A Simple Mistake (http://www.youtube.com/user/amitybaby#p/u/0/LaEo6Ec-w2s), although something seems to have gone wrong with the image tracking about halfway through the vid, so it's a bit hard to watch for the second half.

[damao2010.livejournal.com]

I second Shah_of_blah's recs. I've already read most of them and they're great . And pilotsbigbang's stories are all amazing. I particularly enjoyed "Rising Star", "We're not friends" and 'Though you can render no reason" (I'm really anxious for the sequel to this last one).

Thanks Rachel for your recs. I haven't read most of those. I really need to check them out.

Most of latest findings have already been mentioned and this leaves me only Sci_fi_shipper's WIP "Chasing the Dragon". It is a must read.

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb. *hugs*

[damao2010.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, dear. :)

In fact, I'm the one who should thank you for taking the time to create this story. Shouldn't we be getting an update, by the way? *nudges sheepishly*

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Hee. I have been typing furiously for two days. It's going to beta soon, so tomorrow night at the latest! Thank you so much for your support - I can't tell you how much your rec bolstered my flagging muse today. *hugs*

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Those are some good stories from the days of old, and I'm glad to see some of the less-recced stories being mentioned!

I'll have to check out amitybaby's vids--don't think I've seen them! (I'm pretty useless with vids. Can't be bothered to seek them out, and don't even watch them half the time they're right in front of me...)

I was reading (and enjoying) "Everything that was will be again" but I must say, the author lost me with the graphic descriptions of how Lee wanted to torture Sharon. *shudders* I know it's supposed to be all dark and angsty, but after that, I just could not root for him and had to stop reading.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

I'm anxious for the sequel to "Though You Can Render No Reason" too!

And Chasing the Dragon is definitely a must-read as well...only reason I didn't mention it above is that I generally try not to rec WIPs (just a personal guideline).

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I hear you! That torture chapter was horrific, even though it didn't actually get violent anywhere outside of Lee's head. But yes, I completely sympathize with checking out after that point. I soldiered on because thinking about crossing the point of no return isn't the same as actually doing so, and I think the closer Lee gets to the breaking point the more he will need his memories of Kara to serve as that internal line holding him back from inhumanity. But yes, bbrrrrr, very dark stuff. Not my usual cup of tea, honestly. I may check out of it eventually, too, but I'm remaining cautiously engaged for now. Always darkest before the dawn, as they say.

I hope you'll enjoy those vids, I think they're very well done. And thank you, by the way, for including "Every Sense" in your recs, that makes me happy :)