( book fandoms )

( live-action fandoms )

( anime/manga/drama fandoms )

( RPF )

*I am told that it is a mark of growth as a writer if your old writings make you cringe. So that's a good sign, I suppose. Fics marked with WARNING: OLD were written in high school, and frankly are kind of awful, but the ones included here for some reason have sentimental value to me, such that I didn't want to leave them out. There are others that I'm pretending don't exist.

so normally you would probably do this at the end of the year or on your journal's birthday, but my journal's birthday is right around christmas so I'm going to do it on mine instead. whatever.

( end of year fic meme )

"...during an early round doubles match, Amelie Mauresmo whipped out a can of hairspray during one of the changeovers. While Svetlana Kuznetsova sprayed her hair with it, Amelie brushed it. As Alison of Amherest, N.Y., put it: 'It was a little odd watching two Grand Slam winners play beauty shop on court. But the umpire didn't seem to mind.'" IF THIS WERE A BETTER WORLD THIS WOULD BE ON YOUTUBE. (also, Jon Wertheim needs to straighten on his modifiers. who was brushing whose hair? inquiring minds want to know!)

(from Novak's presser after the Madrid semi-final) "Actually, right after the match, Carlos Moya… came up to me and said that it has been the best three‑set match that he watched on this surface ever. So I think that’s a big compliment from a big champion as he is." again - if only someone had YouTubed this. I wonder if Rafa was hovering in the background like an anxious teenager introducing his gf to his parents?

two awesome things in one!

I need for Nole's girl posse (Ana + JJ) to be real. for serious, I love that he's this obnoxious showoff boy and he manages to actually be friends with women. (Ana, JJ, Masha? HOT women.) but also? he needs to wear glasses all the time. like, to tennis matches. I would totally watch tennis matches if Nole wore glasses while he played.

more serious thoughts - I wonder if there's a tennis-related version of Stockholm Syndrome? where you love a person who repeatedly grinds your face in the dirt. because I honestly do think that Andy Roddick likes Federer better than he likes Nadal, and vice versa for Nole. but then again Rafa has ridiculous gooey eyes for Fed even when he destroys him, while Fed gets totally grumpy when Rafa wins too often, so maybe it's just that Andy likes Fed and Nole likes Rafa. (why is there no fic about Rafa slowly realizing that Nole isn't actually a douchebag, he's just a ridiculous kid with a great sense of humor and no sense of propriety? there was totally tension in earlier years, and now they're all giggly co-VP BFF. fandom, I am looking at you.)

wrap-up thoughts: Dinara Safina speaks fluent Spanish! that cutie. Nando better keep his mitts off, that's all I'm saying. I don't follow any of the female Spanish players, though, so it's kind of useless as far as tin-hatted shipping goes. (I would pay money to see her go on a date with David Ferrer, just for the height differential. she's such an adorable awkward giant!)

ok, bedtime, for serious. hopefully Torchwood tomorrow!

Top 10 Tennis Wishes For the Remaining Year

1) Rafa's knees get better. 'nuff said.
2) Rafa and Dina win US Open, hug onstage. levels of cuteness heretofore unknown to man are reached, threaten to destroy NYC in explosion of hearts and rainbows.
3) Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo play doubles, fall in love. (yes, with each other.)
4) Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic reunite to play doubles, face off with Marat Safin and Dinara Safina in the final. levels of sexy heretofore unknown to man are reached, threaten to destroy NYC in explosion of hormones and burning panties.
5) Fernando Verdasco defeats a series of players including Davydenko, Safin & Murray en route to a collision with Rafael Nadal, credits success to burning desire to avenge the virtue of Feliciano Lopez.
6) BabyFed is a girl. Mirka makes Fed change diapers.
7) Fernando Verdasco stops slutting it up with WTA, settles down with his boyfriend. Feliciano Lopez stops slutting it up with the ATP, settles down with his boyfriend. (ancillary wish: Feli tells Nando he refuses to be seen with him in public unless he stops gelling his hair.)
8) Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic get into a bitchfight over whether Federer or Nadal is a worthier No. 1. entire debate is preserved by the media and available for public consumption.
9) Nole invites Rafa and Xisca to come chill with him and Jelena in Monte Carlo for a week. double dates ensue. Jelena and Xisca become BFF.
10) Marat retires, becomes Mirka 2.0 in Dinara's entourage, complete with oversized sunglasses and crackberry. Dinara blossoms under light of crazy-eyed yet unconditional love.

this post is a reaction to Wimbledon 2009. fuck you, tennis. fuck you for making me care.

many other things I should be doing. like work. or writing the rest of the "drabbles" (I am working on them, promise! slowly). and yet, this wanted to be written. I'm still in mourning for Rafa's knees, okay?

title: set yourself on fire
fandom: tennis rps
pairing: rafael nadal/novak djokovic
rating: pg
word count: 2000
summary: "It hurts," Rafa said, defeated. "It hurts, no? And I no know - I no know if I can play no more."
contextual notes: takes place after Novak's loss in Roland Garros, right before Rafa's. Jelena is Novak's girlfriend; Marian is his coach. (Marian is a boy.)

( success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. you must set yourself on fire. )

supposed to be working. can't focus. big surprise there, oh well.

I've been listening to the live commentary on Wimbledon this past week or so, despite the tragic absence of my beloved Rafa. I've been getting more into women's tennis of late, actually, since my favorite girl is still around while my darling boy is home resting his knees in Mallorca. things that really piss me off: everyone, and I do mean everyone, calling out Dinara Safina as a bad number one for... what? gutting out wins despite the fact that she's playing what she herself would admit is bad tennis? having the humility to acknowledge that Venus and Serena Williams are much better favored than she is to win Wimbledon? she doesn't even like grass, and she's into the semifinals. I was listening to the post-match commentary ragging on the fact that she double-faulted 15 times in her last match, including three straight double faults at 40-love to hand deuce to Sabine Lisicki. you know what they didn't mention? with fifteen double faults and zero aces she managed to win. that game where she double-faulted her way from love to deuce? she won that too. she can play massively under her level and still win. other players have a bad day (including the Williams sisters, come on, how many matches did they win during the clay season) and get knocked out of the tournament. Safina has about five bad days and makes the semifinals. can we give the girl some credit here for having phenomenal potential if she ever manages to hold it together all the way through a final?

ugh, it makes me mad. Dina is so adorable. like a big lanky puppy. and I don't think she's ever had a presser where she didn't get asked a question about her brother. at some point I would totally snap, and she just goes with it: you can really see that she absolutely adores him, despite the fact that he's an even bigger headcase than she is, and it makes me want to give her an enormous hug.

other things that make me mad: people giving Roger Federer a free pass for total douchebaggery (he legit said he was glad his wife, who is nine months pregnant and still does all the supporting in their relationship, wasn't lying around going, "Oh, I'm pregnant, I can't do anything." YOU TRY BEING NINE MONTHS PREGNANT AND SHADOWING YOUR DIVA HUSBAND AROUND FOR A WHILE ASSHOLE. YOU DO NOT DESERVE THAT FABULOUS WOMAN), Momo and Sveta getting knocked out of doubles on Sveta's birthday (party in Marat's room afterwards!), people hating on Novak (INTO THE QUARTERS WHERE'S YOUR EARLY UPSET NOW HATERS?) and the fact that I am reluctantly gaining an appreciation for Andy Murray. I mean, his super-cute girlfriend! his adorable brother! his BAMF mom! plus I watched the BBC mini-documentary vidlet thing about his background and the Dunblane school shooting and I was sobbing my eyes out at like seven this morning. holy shit. I did not realize he had that in his life, jesus. I would have loved to see Stan Wawrinka pull it out last night (ok, I got back from lunch and saw that Mandy was down to Stan 4-0 and immediately thought, ok, brb, loling forever) but more for the lols than anything else, really: if Novak can't go all the way, I'm all right with Mandy doing it. just this once. not against Rafa, mind! but if Mandy wins Rafa keeps his No. 1, so. also Mandy says nice things about Rafa, like, all the time, and has an entertaining bitchfest going on with Fed in the media, and really all someone has to do to get on my good side is be nicer to Rafa than Fed is. EVERYBODY BETTER LOVE MY BB OK.

things that make me happy: Dina Safina's love affair with chocolate cake. she could not be cuter if she tried.

Rafa's out of Wimbledon, Dina lost her semi, and clearly the tennis gods hate me. obviously the only thing to do was write porn. third of the drabbles that are clearly not drabbles. kill me please.

title: you can do better than me (I can't do better than you)
fandom: tennis rps
pairing: rafael nadal/feliciano lopez/david ferrer, mentions of rafael nadal/roger federer and feliciano lopez/fernando verdasco
rating: nc-17
word count: 5000 (<-- NO SERIOUSLY WTF)
summary: a night of dares and Playstation gets a little out of hand.
contextual notes: this is the filthiest thing I have ever written, far outstripping the last benchmark (which was also tennis rps, for what it's worth). wtf, self. for bronze_ribbons, who asked for the Armada, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar. hope you like it! this takes place sometime in 2005, so Rafa is 19, David is 23 and Feli is 24 - all fine legal ages for the activities they're engaging in. (so going to hell.)

( something i'll never do )

getting closer to the actual meaning of drabble. not there yet, though.

title: always better with someone you really love
fandom: star trek reboot
pairing: Kirk/McCoy. ish.
rating: pg
word count: 1450
summary: You know what the thing is? The thing is. What's the thing?
notes: for 6street, who requested any flavor of Star Trek. this was banged out in about two hours and is thoroughly unbetaed, and also shamefully full of semi-angsty schmoop, but I hope you like it, sweetie! ~hugs~

( always better with someone you really love )

so clearly I fail at knowing the definition of "drabble".

title: excerpts from sweetheart vs. spitfire, et al.
fandom: Temeraire, with new added tennis RPS flavor! (Temeraire tennis au)
pairing: mostly gen, hints of Tharkay/Granby(/Laurence) if you like to read between the lines
rating: pg
word count: 3500 (<-- DEAR GOD WHY)
summary: Kazilovic d. Eyre, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-4
contextual notes: oh, so many things to apologize for. this is the first of the drabbles I offered my flist (still a few slots open, if anyone's interested, and I promise I am getting to them! just, you know, slowly, and not in order), and obviously I know not the meaning of restraint. in my defense, aramley did technically ask for this insanity. I'm fairly certain she wanted tennis players with dragons rather than dragons playing tennis, but hey, you don't specify, you take your chances. sorry this travesty has your name on it, bb! (of all the things I have to apologize for in this fic, honestly the one that really bothers me is that Temeraire is a girl. this makes no sense, since I love pretty much all Temeraire genderswitch. oh, the lines we draw in the sand...)

I owe approximately 97 bazillion thanks to t_lyrical, who not only did not defriend me in revulsion, but also talked me off the ledge when I went flailing to her in despair over the ending, patiently pointed out my mistakes, helpfully suggested ways to tie everything together and then, because she is a goddess, drew Tammy and Iskierka for me! if you read all the way to the bottom you can have it as a prize. make sure to tell her how awesome she is! (but, uh, do not blame her my crazy. BLAME ONLY ME.)

Sweetheart vs. Spitfire is sort of loosely based on a real book called Strokes of Genius by Jon Wertheim, about the 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Forty Deuce is a real tennis blog which is especially notable for its use of obscure nicknames for players, although obviously the entry in the fic is fake, and I apologize to C Note for borrowing it without permission!

( excerpts from sweetheart vs. spitfire, et al. (temeraire, tennis au) )

in order to claim a drabble from aramley I must make an offering of my mad writing skillz. (the 'z' makes it ironic!) such is my love for aramley that I will make this sacrifice of my ego and offer myself up upon the altar of public opinion! and stuff.

The first ten people to comment in this post get to request a drabble of any pairing / character of their choosing from me. In return, they have to post this in their journal, regardless of their ability. (Or don't. I don't really care. These things are like those chain letters we used to do in second grade, honestly.)

any pairing or character I have written before is fair game! (if you aren't sure what I've written before, I do not blame you because I am a fandom slut, but a list of my fic can be found right here. the formatting took a while so do take advantage of the shiny new directory!) at the moment my fannish efforts have mostly been concentrated on Temeraire and tennis RPS, but don't feel obliged at all to stick with them. you can even ask for something I've never written before if you know I'm in the fandom. I really like writing to prompts: go wild!

ps: if you don't comment a lot, haven't commented recently, we don't really speak, whatever, it doesn't matter. if you want a drabble, please comment! most of the people who read this journal are here to listen to me bitch about my rl, not for the fic: if you want fic, seriously, ask for it. you are in a minority.

ETA: 6 "drabbles" claimed, 3 written, 4 claims still available! you know, if anyone's interested.

for aramley: excerpts from sweetheart vs. spitfire, et al. (Temeraire tennis AU)

for 6street: always better with someone you really love (Star Trek reboot)

for bronze_ribbons: you can do better than me (I can't do better than you) (tennis RPS)

wow. shame. I think I used to have it? anyway, this is very possibly an enormous ball of suck, and I apologize, but, um. restarting. this was going to be a "congratulations for finishing!" present for aramley upon completion of her finals. but then certain unfortunate events unfolded and I thought maybe she could use a little cheering-up ahead of schedule. I hope you like it despite the fact that it is utter nonsense and I am terrible at sex scenes, aramley! especially since I'm pretty sure you're the only person I know who would even read it.

title: the sporting life
fandom: tennis rps
pairing: rafael nadal/novak djokovic
rating: r
word count: 1900
summary: everyone knows rafa likes football. feli lopez knows rafa might like football a little too much.
contextual notes: in order to appreciate this fic, one must first appreciate the glory that is novak djokovic in footballer gear. go on, appreciate.

apparently he did some kind of fundraiser two weeks ago that involved playing football with a bunch of racecar drivers. I don't even care, I was just inspired by the outfit. also important to know is that Novak just had a birthday! happy birthday, bb.

( the sporting life )

I am supposed to be writing a paper on Theocritus and Vergil's Eclogues. I am not supposed to be writing self-indulgent reactions to tennis matches. goddammit.

title: i think i heard that line once in a beatles song
fandom: tennis slash
pairing: roger/rafa, novak/rafa friendship
rating: totally harmless pg, for novak's filthy mouth. (I actually have no idea if he swears like this. I kind of feel like he should.)
word count: 1200
summary: Rafa is a little out-of-sorts after losing the Madrid Final. Novak gives him a call.

( i get by (with a little help from my friends) )

I, um. are there any tennis people in the audience? is this actually slashy enough to be posted anywhere? it's sort of... gen. and more Novak than Roger. (Novak haters, take it elsewhere. I think he's hilarious.) anyway, opinions welcome, positive or negative.

ugh, I knew the day would come when I wrote tennis slash. at least it isn't the hideous Prince of Tennis crossover still percolating in my brain.

eala and I have some weird convos when we're both trying to do work at hideous hours.

me: hmm
do you think in like 2000 years
people will be trying to decypher the dead language
of the internets
and will be frustrated by not being able to tell emoticons apart from netspeakisms
like ROFL
eala: hahah
maybe
me: IS IT A WORD PICTURE/
I DON'T UNDERSTAND
eala: but there'll be whole kinds of scholarship around like
the vernacular
me: WHAT IS ROFL SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE
eala: DID THEY TALK LIKE THIS?
me: hee
only if they were douches
eala: and people would be like "no, the spoken language of the internets was much less linguistically complex"
me: ahaha
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE =DDDDDDDD
eala: hahaha
me: SOmeONE WILL WRITE A PAPER
eala: WE THINK THAT ROFLMAO MAY HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM A RELATED COMMUNIST WORD
FOR "SMALL, HUMORLESS MAN"
me: LOL
eala: and there will be students
who will have to take a requisite two semesters
of Old Internet
to fulfill a distribution requirement
and they'll be like "Man, this is so stupid, this doesn't make any sense. Why do we have to take this?" and the professors will be all "It will help you understand modern Internet!"
me: haha yes!
Twitter is the Beowulf of the 4000s
eala: And there'll be only fragments of livejournals remaining
people will talk about like, cleolinda
me: oh god
what if they think Twilight is like this great work of literature
because everyone talks about it
but they have no extant copy
so it's all IF ONLY WE HAD TWILIGHT, WE WOULD KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THEIR CULTURE
eala: haha yes, exactly
and then they find fragments
and they're like
THIS CAN'T BE IT
IT MUST BE AN IMITATOR
THIS IS TERRIBLE
me: LOL
there will be fights in the scholarship
over whether they can make qualitative judgments
about the work of the ancients
eala: exactly!
and their cultural mores
"It was a different time, it was okay to make fun of vampires back then."
me: AHAHAHA OMG
VAMPIRES ARE PEOPLE TOO
eala: Someone will present a paper
me: IT'S NOT OKAY TO STIGMATIZE THEM
eala: at the future version of Kalamazoo
"Was Cleolinda Speciesist? Does It Matter?"
(I like the idea of Cleolinda as the Chaucer of today)
me: gleefacing so hard right now
eala: God, I wish I could live into the future

sometimes people who study dead languages have a slightly odd view of the present...

right. I am extremely ambivalent about Dreamwidth (not because of the ideology or anything, it seems like a very nice idea and all, I just don't deal so well with change and it's taken me years and years to get my LJ set up the way I like it) but here I am, trying. we'll see how it goes. if you know me on LJ and have a DW, feel free to "grant access" or "subscribe" or both or neither - I think my standard here will be the same as LJ, which is that "grant access" (which appears to be the equivalent of flock?) is reserved for people I know in real life or people from online that I have actually spoken to and have some legit reason to be interested in my personal life of academic woes, and "subscribe" is for both fannish people I am reading and rl people I want to keep up with (as well as fannish people who are kind enough to grant me access to read about their lives). rl babble and academia get locked, fannish things do not. (yes, I have tags and specialized icons for everything. I have a system, okay, don't mock my OCD.)

so... hi! if I know you, friend away! if I don't, say hi first!

occasionally Roger Federer is quite good-looking. I think he's a monumental prat most of the time (and kind of too... rounded for my tastes, even though paradoxically I really miss Rafa's baby fat from when he was about 17 and had an adorably chubby face), but... oh, look at the youtube clip for yourself.

there. not even I can hate on a guy who uses a tennis racquet to ROCK OUT.

ugh, so much Herodotus. it isn't even that it's hard at this point. there are just too many words.

Rafa lost his quarterfinal, sadface. I was upset for a split second and then remembered that I am in this fandom for the slash, not the actual tennis. my faith in Rafa's invincibility has been a little shaken, though, I admit. ~shrug~ whatever, he's still pretty. I kind of want the Davis Cup boypiles back. nothing can be upsetting when full-grown professional tennis players are bouncing up and down singing about how much they love Rafa.

in a strange convergence of fandoms, I have been thinking about threesome dynamics. (for those of you going: uh, what is she talking about, the threesomes I have been pondering are Tharkay/Laurence/Granby from Temeraire and Rafa/Feli/Nando from tennis slash.) perhaps this is because I have never quite been able to wrap my brain around polyamory, but I see them both (and they are both very different dynamics) as starting from two people in love with the same third person. however, I would fully buy Tharkay and Granby, both of whom are sort of hopelessly in love with Laurence the epically oblivious in canon, as getting with each other independent of Laurence, and I sort of rank that scenario as more probable than either of them getting with Laurence independently, just because Laurence is so deeply bound up with Temeraire that he would probably fail to notice sizzling sexual tension if it set his coat on fire. once Tharkay and Granby are involved with each other, they gain confidence and stability (which I think neither has had in, let's see, ever) and would be more comfortable approaching Laurence from the secure position of an established couple. rejection is scary! but less scary if you already know someone loves you. (thinky thoughts on Temeraire prompted by novembersmith's deliciously hot OT3 fic, which is through no fault of its own not really compatible with my personal canon. I love it to pieces! but it's not how I see it going down.)

by contrast, I think the Spanish OT3 absolutely cannot exist without Feli Lopez. I'd buy him with either Rafa or Nando and pulling the other one in, but Rafa/Nando? absolutely not. no spark. (and I say that having seen many Davis Cup pics where Rafa and Nando are snuggling shirtless or rolling around on the ground on top of each other. really. no relationship spark.)

as I try to analyze these findings, I'm wondering if it's based on how I see the... I don't know how to describe it, the balance of effort in the relationships? Laurence is a lot of work, and dearly as I love him, he doesn't give it back. he's too invested in doing his duty. he loves Temeraire, and so much of his energy is spent on looking after Temeraire that he really doesn't do a lot of caretaking for other people. (being a responsible commander is not caretaking as I'm defining it here. I mean looking after someone because of an emotional investment in their wellbeing.) Tharkay and Granby are following him to freaking Australia. that is some serious emotional investment. and they both, throughout the books, really do spend an increasing amount of time trying to take care of Laurence. (Laurence appreciates this irregularly.) unless Laurence changes somehow during the trip to Australia, I think he would destroy a lover who was in love with him. he wouldn't understand that he was doing it and he would be very sorry afterwards, but it wouldn't change the result. which is why Jane is awesome for him: she's not down with that nonsense! but seriously, Laurence is an absolute sink for energy, affection, and worry. two people making a concerted effort and also making sure to take care of each other could manage him, but... yeah. (Laurence, I still love you, bb!)

I see Feliciano as being the caretaker for both Rafa and Nando. a fun caretaker, someone who will tease and act like a friend, not a parent, but still, he's the one making the effort. he's part of Rafa's entourage, not the other way around, and I think Verdasco needs a lot of affection and reassurance. that's maybe unfair to Rafa; I don't know. based on pictorial evidence of him hugging everyone on the planet he's very comfortable giving physical affection, and absent any work on an author's part to convince me otherwise, I see him as the caretaker in the Roger/Rafa relationship. but I don't see him as willing to be the giver with Nando, which I guess is the relevant point, and I just don't see Lopez as needing the kind of effort and energy that would require him to be.

...I think my conception of the threesome dynamic is alarmingly co-dependent. will contemplate this further.

rambling meta brought to you by procrastination! whatever, I'm not sleeping anyway.

still obsessed with men's tennis. beginning to get a bit concerned. suspect some of you are as well! but have no fears! I may not be getting over Rafael Nadal anytime soon, but I'll do the next best thing: get you all in love with him too, so at least my continual babbling doesn't grate. have some youtube videos of Rafa being adorkable!

cute press conference. oh, Rafa. he just gets this look on his face, like "I have no idea what you're saying" and it makes me want to cuddle him. also, so modest!

"my English is still, well, is almost perfect, but can improve a little, no?"

pffffft!

"my body is perfect, no?... physically speaking..."

aww, Rafa was so freaking cute when he was younger! and had such an embarrassing schoolgirl crush on Roger Federer.

(wow, his accent was really strong back then. lol, sportivity!)

I love this clip! Rafa tries to do things other than tennis with his left hand (he's right-handed but plays lefty) and fails miserably.

I think Rafa and his uncle/coach are really sweet!

hmm, nowhere else to say this, so... I read an interesting article about Fernando Verdasco today (about how he seems to really need encouragement in order to play well) which included some quotes from him. he mentioned that while Rafa was an inspiration to him, they aren't really close. they just know each other because they're both Spanish and they're both very good friends with Feli Lopez. now I'm sort of wondering if the relative coolness between Nadal and Verdasco is at all prompted by Lopez, in that he's basically both Rafa and Nando's best friend on the tour (Nando has said as much in interviews; Rafa hangs out with Lopez and Moya, but Moya isn't around as much lately), and they resent having to share his attention - especially since Lopez is very much a lower-tier player, he's not a threat to either of them, so he's a safe friend to have. it's an interesting dynamic. oh well, taking off my tin hat and going to bed!

I promise that there is one person on my flist who wants to see this! the rest of you can just suffer for my passion. it can't be any worse than that two-year phase when I was really into Prince of Tennis.

so... tennis. basically this fandom floats along on the fact that many tennis players are attractive, and the unresolved sexual tension when they play each other really ought to set the net on fire. also sometimes they hug! (or kiss, if they're French. or jump on top of each other and roll around on the ground, if they're Spanish. I LOVE THE SPANISH TENNIS PLAYERS.)

here may be found a nice pictorial manifesto of the main ship (or at least, my main ship) in tennis slash, i.e. Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal. they are very pretty! I'll be upfront and admit that the tinhattedness of some of the fedal shippers freaks me out (and I am a fan of J^2, so I know from tin hats). I would love for Roger and Rafa to play doubles, win his-and-his matching Wimbledon trophies, come out at the awards ceremony and get married and have kids. but I also think that their relationship as it stands right now is mostly a big case of hero-worship on Rafa's part and mixed resentment and honest admiration on Roger's. but I'm cynical. they do seem to be friends, and okay, they smolder when they play each other. and the tummy-rubbing makes me giggle. go, look at the pictures, you'll see what I mean. and, um, so we're on the same page: I have an enormous girly crush on Rafa's idiotic looking face. go have a look and you can have a crush on dorktastic Rafa as well. (his FACE! when his hair is down and combed he looks like he's about TWELVE and then he gets all TENNIS IS SRS BZNS and he's a totally different-looking person, it's crazy. also, um, those arms. yeah. let's just contemplate his arms for a while.) this and this are nice general Rafa/Roger picspams, and this is a spam of their epic Australian Open final.

okay, you now know as much about men's tennis as I do! on to the fic. this fandom has a couple of really amazing authors, which is crazy considering its size. but yay for excellent fic!

Days Like These, I Miss You, by buckle_berry. oh, oh, this one makes me flail like a demented penguin. Roger and Rafa are doing that ambiguous "we're hooking up but it's not like it counts as real sex or anything" thing, and then they start trying to fumble their way to a real relationship, and they're just so bad at it, bless their little souls. and they have serious conversations about Playstation and Rafa sucks at Guitar Hero and Rafa's Uncle Toni (who is his coach) is totally awesome and funny and tells Rafa not to stay out so late at discotheques.

Desert Places, by emungere. seriously epic. Roger is retired, Rafa is not, they're still best friends and Roger is sort of having a homosexual midlife crisis. so they go on a road trip (it makes sense at the time) and... I can't really explain what I love about this fic. Roger's POV is really amazingly well done (Days Like These, I Miss You is an incredible Rafa POV, for the sake of comparison) and it's all so - real-sounding, I guess. the blending of the mundane with the remarkable reality of love. Rafa buying things for Roger because he has money and he wants to spend it on somebody, and Roger not knowing how to cook. I love it. (also, Roger showing up at Rafa's final and sitting in his box and being nervous, it breaks my heart in the best possible way.)

Forever to Manacor, by niennah. some of you have probably read Prufrock's epic Merlin AU, Drastically Redefining Protocol. this is a little like that. I mean, not with magic or princes of Wales or anything. but it's a story partly told by the external world's reactions to the story - interviews, news stories, things like that - and I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH. because it's a story about how the external world affects Roger and Rafa's relationship, and the way it's set up is fabulous. and I think it's also kind of deeper than the usual sports slash story, you know? it's not just about Roger and Rafa, it's about what it means to be an athlete and gay and unable to tell the world you love somebody. there's a conversation with Stan Wawrinka that makes my heart go all squeezy with distressed love (do not worry! I didn't know who Stan was either!) and it just makes you think what life would be like for these people if we actually were right about their Destined Love (tm).

The Gay Beckhams, by aramley. speaking of life as a gay athlete... this is less epic and generally fluffier, but also just happy-making.

Obvious, by emungere. oh, bless. Rafa has a blatant schoolgirl crush on Roger, which is obvious to everyone but Rafa and Roger. Rafa is Roger's favorite, as everyone knows but Rafa. the Spanish tennis players tease Rafa about Roger! Rafa has a notebook of English phrases that the other players on the tour helped him put together (and it includes "oh rogi you're my hero")! Roger takes Rafa out for pizza! THEY COMMUNICATE BY TEXT MESSAGE, my heart is not strong enough for this. I giggled like an idiot all the way through.

Deception, by niennah. this is one of my absolute favorite Rafa POVs. it never quite goes the way you're expecting, and while the main plot point is Rafa having a freakout, I think it's over something much more interesting and universal than the ordinary homosexual cold feet. I can't say much more without spoiling, but the end really just moves me so much with a single sentence. come back when you've read it and ask me which one.

This Is Different, You and Me, by niennah. I sort of think of this as the companion to Deception, because that one is about Rafa freaking out and screwing up, and this time it's Roger having the homosexual panic. it's cool to read them together and look at how their POVs differ. (mostly off-topic, but the ladies are awesome in this.)

Breathe Out, by louiselux. I don't think this is blindingly hot the way some fedal fic is, but it's really lyrical and moving. Roger goes to Mallorca to visit Rafa and not-say all the things that can't be said.

Mallorca, by aramley. I love aramley's Roger. he's so fumbling and awkward and perfect, and he has no idea what to do with Rafa, but he loves him anyway. the little details absolutely make this fic: Roger wants to kiss Rafa in a hotel lobby! Rafa's iron self-control even though he wants to kiss back! Rafa has a Kia instead of a Mercedes and he's a nervous driver, oh, sweetie. I am not a big fan of Roger but aramley makes me want to be!

I hesitate on reccing The Long Experience of Love, because it's a WIP that doesn't look like it's ever getting finished, but what there is of it is a really fascinating AU. (you can find it at thebrightday.) it's apparently based on The Time Traveler's Wife; Roger involuntarily travels through time to various point in his own past and future, resulting in a very complicated relationship with Rafa, whom he visits in the past from the future before they meet in the present. the writing is phenomenal and both POVs are outstanding. also, their text messages read like actual text messages! this is a pet peeve of mine, ignore me. XD (also, you'll have to join fedal_slash to see this, but Beautiful Secret Lives is an astonishing one-shot by the same author, basically detailing eight different ways Roger and Rafa could have gone. some are happy, some aren't, but they're all gorgeous.)

One Foot in the Stage Door, by buckle_berry. oh, come on, it isn't a real fandom until it has wingfic. astoundingly good wingfic at that!

Underneath Your Clothes, by louiselux. Rafa in extremely reluctant drag: unexpectedly hot. rest of the Armada taunting him and then, after a few drinks, finding Rafa-in-a-dress strangely attractive: pricelessly funny. Rafa's internal monologue upon running into Roger while wearing drag: go read it, I cannot do it justice here.

Media Vita, by aramley. GLADIATOR AU. no, seriously! and it's well-researched and amazing and I want to grab Rafa and hug him just as much as I do in canon! go, read, you will love it!

New Clothes, by louiselux and emungere. Olympic uniforms! blowjobs! there's no bad here.

You Said Something, by buckle_berry. uh. scorching hot rimming PWP? I got nothing.

Perfect 10, by emungere. this almost trips my embarrassment squick, but in the end Rafa just goes with it so gracefully that I can't help but love the whole thing for leading up to his epiphany. and I do think, sadly, that this is a little closer to the situation in reality than most fic: Rafa's continual Roger love-fest in the news has to be kind of embarrassing for both of them at times. but there are a lot of amazing, hilarious lines in here, too.

Seeing Other People, by louiselux. man, I want to see the results of this photoshoot. Rafa's commentary on all the ridiculous things they make him wear is awesome.

Victory, Defeat, And Other Moments For Roger Federer's Private Wimbledon Scrapbook, by elizayabanci. hot little one-shot, post-Wimbledon.

A Bruise You Thought Had Healed, by johnnypurple. really wonderful Rafa POV on winning the Australian Open (gift to slashers everywhere), and Roger, and then one of those formal events where he has to get dressed up and pretend to be a grown-up. the physical parts are lovely, as is the dialogue: Rafa and Roger talk at cross-purposes, and sort of understand each other anyway.

Tennis Is Not a Game You Play Alone, by meteordust. Roger POV on losing Australia, and a beautiful semi-drunk conversation with Rafa. there's a line here that will stab you through the heart; you'll know it when you see it. oh, Rafa.

The Beauty of It, by louiselux. hot and kind of sad PWP in which Rafa and Roger have sex in a closet. the irony is rather lost on them. set in the present-day situation, meaning that Roger is married and Rafa has a serious girlfriend.

Taken, by adorerdollylux. hot and very sad fic in which Rafa and Roger have sex in a men's bathroom. infidelity and unhappy ending: you've been warned. you'll have to join fedal_slash to see it, for which I apologize; I couldn't find an unlocked version.

Like a Punch in the Head and Sea Legs, by johnnypurple. two little snippets based on pictures, both nice moments of Roger looking at Rafa.

Roger Rafa Dubai Mallorca, by tsamm. the lone tennis fic on yuletide! it represents its fellows proudly. I think this fic does a really great job illustrating some of the differences between Rafa and Roger, one of which is that Rafa is infinitely better-adjusted. but there are a lot of interesting points being made. also, hot sex!

You've No Clue, Have You?, by buckle_berry. featuring a threesome with Feliciano Lopez, who is one of Rafa's ridiculously pretty fellow Spaniards (they've played doubles a couple of times, I think, but really all you need to know is: ridiculously pretty) and also adorkable. can someone explain to me how this can be a threesome and yet the most OTP fic I have ever read? I don't even understand. major, major bonus points for including all the truly awkward details of sex with three people on a hotel bed. and Rafa's POV is made of win.

Estrangement, by niennah. saving the best for last. this is everything I want in tennis slash, all wrapped up in a bow. if you read only one tennis fic, it should be this one. ~flails~ just - just go read it, okay? it makes me want to cry, and hug Roger, and hug Rafa, and hug every single person in the stands who cheered.

special bonus feature! I'd Do Anything To Catch You Falling, by buckle_berry, which is Feli/Rafa (and Roger/Rafa in passing). I am developing such a soft spot for the Armada! the boys are such boys in this - they never talk about their feelings, they get things wrong because they don't really know what's going on, but hey, the sex is good! also, oh, Feli.

extra special bonus feature, in case anyone into tennis slash also used to like Prince of Tennis - Everything That Falls, by bookshop is not about Rafa and Roger (it's about Ryoma and Tezuka, actually), but it is about tennis, and love, and includes guest appearances by Roger and Andre Agassi, and I think it is very much worth checking out, if only to see the crossover done well!

wow. ~sweatdrops~ that was... comprehensive. hopefully someone will be tempted into my new obsession! it's a lot of fun!

ganked from basically everyone ever. I think it's a pretty cool idea!

Post a single sentence from each WIP you have (or as many as you want to pick). No context, no explanations. No more than one sentence!

1) Glorfindel saw double as he fought, the Nazgul and the Balrog flickering in and out of his vision, but he could not see, as his soldiers did, the steady glow of his skin growing stronger and stronger, until the entire clearing, dim in the twilight, shone bright as day, and the Nazgul's freakish mount screamed in protest.

2) "I'm sure you both have valid points, and that a consultation with the work in question will reveal that," he replied smoothly.

3) Erestor walked straight up to Glorfindel and shoved the piece of parchment at him, then turned and left, at a pace faster than a walk but more dignified than a run.

4) Yuuko was pretty sure that at some point in the near future, Akiko was going to realize that she was, in fact, a girl, and she liked Kaname the way girls frequently liked boys, and when it happened, Shio was not going to be at all happy about it.

5) Hazuki's brow furrowed, giving Sadako a chance to notice that Kaidoh's little sister had also inherited her rather awe-inspiring eyebrows.

6) "If fear of hanging is to part us," Tharkay said savagely, "then by God I will have deserved it ere I go."

7) Everything about him screamed of old money and good breeding, from his posture to his well-polished boots, and Tharkay, well accustomed to the foibles of the British upper class, lowered his expectations accordingly.

8) Zack looked down at his breasts, which might or might not have been size 32-B, and curled up with his arms around his knees.

9) However, Captain Riley had left strict instructions in the event of Laurence’s falling into one of his sulks, or whatever the term was for an honorably moody temper, and Tharkay, conceding the greater acquaintance with Laurence’s disposition to Riley, felt obliged to obey.

10) Kira Izuru, Madarame's painfully shy mistress, crept in and immediately knelt down, his hair falling forward to obscure his face.

no, really, it's been awesome! I did well on a quiz I nearly slept through and had free time and took a teensy nap and went out to dinner with several lovely ladies. now I'm feeling a bit contemplative, and I kind of want to do a rec list. I'm not quite sure what to rec, though. it's down to Firefly vids or tennis slash fic. does anyone have a preference?

I have drifted so far away from Firefly fandom that I can't even remember a single author I like, which is weird because I know I read some very nice Mal/Simon fics back in the day. if you know any nice Mal/Simon fics please leave me a link! I'm feeling nostalgic.