Hope: Red Seven

Um... guh?

Slow, lazy, *bluesy* tale, a tale of a hustle and wager and there are *no*
welshers here... just some old, familiar faces.

Goddamn.

Gimme some.

*

Rana Eros: Some Live Like Lazarus

I'm being blamed for this one, and I have no problem with that whatsoever.

Just a moment in time/out of time, with Lex musing on what it means to get
exactly what he wants with almost no pain at all.

Wonderful character shot here, even beyond the pure *heat*. This one made
me gurgle, y'all.

*

ingrid: Raze Out Troubles Written

Without a doubt, the best thing about the Smallville season premiere were the
performances from John Glover and Michael Rosenbaum as Lionel and Lex.
However I felt about the characterization choices made by the writers, these
two actors stepped up to the plate and hit a couple of doozies out of the park.

And ingrid is the clean-up man.

This story was an absolutely brilliant look at the Lex-Lionel relationship.You know,
the father-*son* one that has absolutely nothing to do with incest. That makes
incest look like the easy way out. Here, have a quote:

"It's a sword," said Lionel carefully.  "A sword I've been forging since the
day you were born.  It's the sword of intellect, of fearlessness, and yes, of
ruthlessness.  Because in order for you to survive after my death, you'll have
to wield every weapon at your disposal with utter impunity.  I know these
wolves want more than money; they want your blood -- whether it be for
vengeance or their own lust.   All I've ever done is make sure you don't go
down, at least not without a spectacular fight.  And to do that I had to become
a wolf, a make-believe wolf, so you can understand your enemy long before you
actually meet him. Do you understand a little better now?"

Lex stared at Lionel through narrowed eyes his father couldn't see. "Yes, I do.
But there's something you've failed to understand about all of this, Dad."

Lionel titled his head in confusion. "And that would be?"

"Once the sword was in my hand, no wolf was safe. Not even the make-believe
ones."  Deliberately, and Lex pulled away from his father's suddenly cold
grasp.  "Goodnight, Dad.  Sleep well."

~

Beautifully done, with a certain creepily sweet sadness that is pure Luthor,
inside and out.

And as a bonus? A perfectly Lexian look at Clark and his own interpersonal
relationships. Go. Read.

*

Kaliroi: "Tainted Love" (vid)

Okay, so the song has been used about fifty million times for slash vids. I mean, if
you've watched *any* Mulder/Krycek vids, you've probably seen one set to this song.

Still... there are times when no other song will do. There are *relationships* where
no other song will do.

And Lionel/Lex?

Yep. That's one of them.

Kaliroi uses every last *bit* of this song's dark perversity and uses it well, reminding
us all what a fucked up relationship our favorite woobie has with his Dad. *shiver*

Though if we're gonna whip out the Marilyn Manson covers, why not "I Put A Spell
On You?"
 
 

Calico: Absent Mind

We all know how much Lex loves to push, yes? So what would happen if
Clark let him win, just a little? What would happen if Clark fell right over
and gave in?

This short is deceptive, like a tarn pretending to be a pond. Funny, hot,
and knife-twisty fabulous. It's very, very nice to have Calico here.

*

Nestra: Early To Rise

Nnnnn. A lot of skin, she says.

Oh *yes*, I say.

This one was just warm and lazy and rowr and... yeah. Enough to get the
most dedicated night-owls out of bed in the morning.

*

Hope: Sixteenish

An incredibly astute look at what it means to be a teenager in a wholly
alien world. An alienated teenager, who knew? No, really. This story
actually *does* something with all the metaphors for the sturm and drang
of puberty that supernatural/sci-fi shows focused on teenagers drag up,
much like a good Buffy episode.

The kind of story that reminds you exactly why Clark and Lex belong
together, even if you fear they'll never figure it out.

And: Property of...

Eeeee. EEEEEEEEEEEE.

Paraphilia, Lex style, she says.

Oh my *god*, that's hot, I says.

Jesus. Just...

And the last line will *kill* you.
 

*

Morgan R.: Spare Change

I really, truly, madly, deeply love writers who can string pithy vignettes
together into a story. No, something *more* than a story, the way that a sum
of something can occasionally -- if you're lucky -- be so much more than its
parts.

This is one such offering.

Clark and Lex and the subtle, lovely, *sweet* ways they affect each other's
lives. Changing and growing and moving into each other. Organically,
even.

*happysigh*

*

Ladonna King: Bare

And Smallville continues to skim the cream from other fandoms, making this little
black duck very happy indeed.

Just a snippet here, but a lovely one, a *needed* one, because dammit, it's about
frelling time Clark spent some time thinking about the women in his life, and the
ways they behave around him. Argh. ARGH.

Bare satisfies in that way.

Also?

Some nice Lex fetishization. Rowr.

And: Fermi Was An Optimist

Oh, *man*. Had I really thought I'd gotten tired of the sweet, schmoopy
stories where Clark and Lex just connect in some gently atmospheric way?

See, again I learn why I never say never, because Ladonna just showed me how
it's *done*.

This was funny and real and just plain *warm*. Left me with a pleasantly swelled
feeling in my chest and pricklies behind my eyes.

*snif*

Also reminds me of Laura Shapiro's vid for Rook, which I talk about more here.

AND: Simian Groove

You know, there's just something right with the world when I can ask for porn
and get something as ludicrously hot as this. Jesus. This thing made me forget
my *name*.

Hungry Lex and hungry Clark and eeee.

All with some lovely character grace notes scattered throughout.

*

Ingrid: Understanding

Oh, *purr*

A short, deceptively simple piece about Godzilla and the nature of war that
nonetheless manages to touch on all of the character issues of Pete, Clark, and
Lex as well as the looming terrible future.

Nice little bite to this one.

Tara O'Shea: Sky Blue

Why, yes, I *am* a sucker for a good Chloe story, and this is that and *then*
some.

*sigh*

This story takes a long, hard look at the nature of nostalgia, at the way
time changes all of us, no matter how much we might wish otherwise. Some
things get easier, some things don't. Hindsight gains that aching, terrible
clarity, and we all move on.

Excellent insights into Chloe here, of course, and, as a bonus, we get
wonderfully detailed looks into Lois, Lex, and Clark. Nicely bittersweet.

*

Lanning Cook: Common Ground

Mmm. This is part of Lanning's clone universe, and it's a doozy of a story.
Plotty, dramatic, action-packed, and just plain beautifully done, peopled
with all the characters you recognize and some wonderful original
characters as well.

And how much did I love the characterization? There's a lot of Jonathan hate
in this fandom, leaching into the stories like lead into the ground water. It
ruins a lot of otherwise perfectly good stories, because you know what?
Jonathan *isn't* a two-dimensional hee-hawing gap-toothed hick of a bigot.

He's a father with one hell of a hard row to hoe, if you'll pardon the expression,
and while he has his prejudices, he also has a *right* to them. So it's
*really* nice to see a story where he's presented fairly, both flaws and good
points on display.

And, of course, there's Lex and Clark being wonderfully themselves, falling
in love in the course of crackling dialogue and steamy hot UST. Mmm.

Dammit, Lanning, write some *porn*.

*

Jayne Leitch: Ignotum per Ignotius

SQUEEEEEEEEEEE! Doc Hamilton fic! *Good* Doc Hamilton fic! Smart,
sexy, *cool* Doc Hamilton fic!

BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

This little thing has all the bite it should, making it almost worth the long,
long, *long* wait. *sigh*

Yeah. What we know, what we think we know, and knowledge itself. *purr*

And: Memento Mori

This is the *first* Lana story that has worked for me. A lot of fabulous writers
have produced stories that are technically great, but you know what? I loathe
Lana as she's presented onscreen. I think the mistake a lot of writers make
is to attempt to find a way to squeeze the fairy princess into a role that's a bit
more palatable to the rest of us, instead of letting her be herself.

Her... really rather creepy self.

This story is fabulous. And made *me* laugh.

*

Basingstoke: The Stranger's Always You

There's nothing like an excessively long public debate on how writers "should"
write to make said writers find new and interesting ways to tell people to
fuck off.

Like, for example, a story told in second person, present tense. And told
*brilliantly*. This is one of the hardest styles to pull off, but Bas does it with
style, putting her readers in Lex's head and keeping them there for everything.

All the pain, all the uncertainty, all the rueful humor and excitement... God.

The best second person stories are nothing more nor less than a tempory
trip into MPD-land, and this is no different. Check it out.

*

Hope: Ten Sided

When is an AU not an AU?

Maybe when it makes you spew orange juice all over your keyboard. I refuse
to spoil a single thing about this story.

It's just fucking *funny*, and no one gets out of it un-dinged. *snicker*

Guaranteed to make you want to revisit the geekier aspects of your past.

*

Pearl-O: Rings and Sores

Creepy, creepy, *creepy*. And oh, *so* good. More than one way, indeed.
This is a story about love, the edged and angular kind, the selfish kind that
doesn't have room for anyone but the beloved.

Perhaps the most frightening thing about it is the fact that Clark remains
innocent throughout, even at his most technically knowing.

*purr*

Have a quote:

"Really, all things considered, I've been a fucking amazing friend
to you.  You don't know how lucky you are."

Clark had mulled this over.  "I've saved your life twenty-seven
times."

"You keep count?"

"Well, yeah."  Clark had rolled his eyes.

"I've kept the biggest secret on earth for five years."

"I've never looked at you like you were a freak."

"I've never done that to you, either."

"Well, I never shot at you with an Uzi, then."

"That was below the belt," Lex had said, frowning.

"Sorry."

"And you have knocked me unconscious a few times."

"Hey, I apologized for those.  Like, a lot."  Clark had paused.  "Um.
I defended you to everybody."

"I gave you kick-ass presents."

"I never slept with your dad.  Or died on you."

"I was always a complete gentleman," Lex had said.  He'd made a
noise that was possibly a snicker.

"I..." Clark had trailed off thoughtfully.  "I always know the
difference between your 'angry, so stay the hell away' mood and your
'angry, so come over and be cute' mood."

"Nope."

"What are you talking about?  I totally do, too."

"Actually, Clark, you really don't."

"Fine.  I've never complained about any of the really boring plays
and museums you drag me to."

"I've supplied you with a glorious sexual education, the like of
which most men will only dream about."

Clark had laughed and rolled over on the bed to brace himself over
Lex.  "I'm still here."

Lex had looked amused.  "I let you in."

~

Well? Go read.

*

Kitty Fisher: Mint

Mmmmm. This was a lazy, gentle bit of gorgeous beauty and heat
that just made me warm all over. Such wonderful boys.

I believe, okay?

*

Shrift: Inevitable

Didn't we all have to do *something* with the punch in the gut that was
Leech? Something to ease the pain?

Or, perhaps, to share it?

This one made me bawl in Shrift's general direction. All that desperate
surrender. The kind that has nothing whatsoever to do with hope.

*

Beth Ann: Confidence

Mmm. Lovely bit of awkwardness and teen drama, the Smallville way. I
loved the Chloe in this, smart, aware, and still just blind enough to get
herself and the people around her in trouble for the sake of The Story.

And the Clark/Lex interaction... *rowr*. Hot and twisty.

I have some issues with the Gabe characterization, but I was willing to
let them slide. YMMV.

*

Sarah T. : There Will Be Time

Oh, yes. Yes.

One of the absolute best things about Smallville is Michael Rosenbaum, and
the way he can do all the acting a scene requires with just the rapidfire flickers
of expression that cross his face.

The final Lex/Lionel scene in Tempest was a brilliant example of that, and this
story takes marvelous advantage. Seconds, only seconds, and all the decisions
made.

All of their possible costs, all of the possible futures.

All in the flicker of Lex's eyes.

Gorgeous.

*

Jacquez H. Valentine: There Are Four Lights

Four short-shorts unrelated save in their utter coolness. Hell, she even
managed to write a Lionel/Victoria that I could read without having to curl
up afterward with my dog, and *that's* saying something.

Utter fabulosity all around, and that includes Pete!

Pete!

PETE!

::does the dance of excellent Petefic::
 
 

Ingrid: Red Is A Primary Color

Eee! Petefic! Excellent Petefic without a touch of inexplicable ebonics
or other latent racism!

EEEEEEEE!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*breathes*

Ingrid paints a gorgeous portrait of a future Pete, effortlessly weaving
comics and show canon until you're left with a tapestry of raw, bleeding
horror. The kind that has nothing whatsoever to do with mysterious
green rocks or superpowers -- just the snakepits that we all can cultivate
within our own souls.

Another Author To Watch.

*

Punk Maneuverability: Interstitial

*happysigh* Once again, Smallville fandom manages a coup,
skimming the cream of other fandoms off the top and hoarding it for
itself, not incidentally forcing me to mix my metaphors egregiously.

I've been a fan of Punk since my dim, dead days of Mulder/Krycek
obsession, so seeing this massive bit of loveliness land in my inbox
just made me squee.

Shamelessly.

There's just so much *here*. Mood and style and plot and canon from
both the comics and the show, hope and fear and heat and beauty
and...

*siiiiigh*

Punk manages to take a potentially melancholy (or downright
heartwrending) plot idea and go somewhere completely...

Well, not necessarily unexpected, but not cliched, either. Beautifully
done:

When Clark said he'd run home, he meant it figuratively, but now
there's nothing he wants to do more. He starts out slow, just a guy
jogging home in yesterday's clothes, but the speed is still there, ready
for him, and he uses it. Zipping through a crowd of strutting pigeons
that don't even register his presence until he's gone. Practically flying
across the 12th Street Bridge, too fast for human eyes to see. He still
has this and if he ever loses it he'll remember this morning, remember
the wind against his body, remember the blur of the rest of the world,
remember what he had, but right now he's running, running so fast he
makes the metal grating on the bridge hum beneath him, running so fast
he leaves his fear and doubt behind him.

~

Go read.

And for something completely different: The Opposite of Chloe

Bright and zingy tang of a story for a bright and zingy tang of a
girl. I love Chloe to pieces, and punk lays out why with her usual divine
subtlety and power, all the while refusing to pull any punches:

Pete complains that her mood swings and subject changes make her a
fine candidate for Ritalin but considering how much he's been
repressing in the deep dark creamed-corn recesses of his soul he's
certainly no one to talk about needing professional help. Pete's hidden
desires scare the crap out of her. One moment he's telling her how
pretty she is and the next he's got a gun pointed at her. Those two
things will never be separate in her mind and even if Pete swears he
doesn't remember, she always will. There are good reasons why
hidden desires should *stay* hidden.

~

Damn, Punk. So good to have you here.

*

Pearl-O: Fell Down

Mmm. Pearl-O calls this a complete PWP, but I have my doubts about
that. There are all these hints and moments and dashes of *stuff* about
Lex and Clark scattered and woven through all the heat... well, of course
it makes it all hotter, but it also makes it more *real*.

It's also one of my favorite sub-sub-subgenres, in which one partner is
clearly falling in love no matter *what* he thinks he's doing.

Heh.

Lovely little thing here.

Valentine: Indelible

Valentine is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Bring The Pain writers.
For all the jokes about there needing to be a sub-genre marked on the
SV archives for all the "la la la, rain of blood and toads" fiction, very
few authors get it *right*.

I mean, let's face it -- when it comes to opera? The arias are pretty, but
the plots tend to leave something to be desired.

Valentine, however, knows exactly what she's doing. As Sarah points out
on her own rec page, there are no two-dimensional, one-note villains
in this piece, and the story itself deftly fills in spaces left behind after the
episode Crush aired.

Guaranteed to make you want to abscond with Lex, or perhaps write a few
letters of your own.

*

Thamiris: The Rules of Blue

Hot, sweet, funny and *rhythmic*. A futurefic full of hope, by God, and I sure
did need it. Reminded me of those old screwball comedies, all punch-punch-
punch, with no one ever *really* being hurt.

I especially loved the look at the way Lex obsesses. It felt especially real to
me, even with the story's general lightness of tone.

*

Debchan: Staying

Post-Jitters comfortfic.

*sigh* Another sub-sub-sub genre that needs its own place in the pantheon
of goodness. *siiigh*

Woobieness here. And one of my favorite Lexes.

His voice muffled, Lex said, "I really think you should go, Clark. I really,
really do." He closed his eyes, then he added, "I don't think I can be a
good friend to you tonight."

"Lex," Clark said, feeling out of his depth. "Let me help you. Let me-" Lex
opened his lips, then licked Clark's palm "-oh."

Without opening his eyes, Lex said, "Sweet. You taste sweet. Did you
know that Clark?"

"Lex, I don't-"

"I wondered, you know."

~

*happysigh*

Wooobiiieeee

*

Koi: Mercy

Dude. This story just *wrecked* me. We're talking crying, vowel sounds, nail-
biting, reading from behind my fingers... the whole nine. Long, wonderful story
with brief, vivid, *true* flashes of what it must've been like to grow up and into
Lex Luthor. And this:

"Why? Because given two possible answers, you always choose the dark
and assume the light is a lie."

It shifted then, moving closer, and the voice in his head spoke calmly.

"And the only victims who survived the Salem witch trials were the ones who
confessed."

~

Pretty much my only problem with the story was that I found Clark to be slightly
too forgiving... but then, he *is* a woobie.

This writer is One To Watch.

*

Sarah T.: The Small Assassin

Yet another bit of brilliance from Livia's Bradbury title challenge, this time
focusing on a morning with the Luthors.

Lily spooned cream over her peaches. "Dear! You're spoiling his fun!"

"Only you, Lily, would think of a bungled assassination attempt as fun."

"Isn't that why you're playing this game? Because it's...fun?"

Lionel sighed and said patiently, "If it had been a successful assassination
attempt, Lily, that would have been fun. As it is, young Lex has just bought
himself twenty-five years for attempted murder. And there's not much fun
about that."

~

*snerk* Warped in that happy, wholesome way Sarah T. seems to save for
her trips into Luthorland, with the sweetest of edges lurking beneath. I loved
this one enough to want to rec the draft of it she had on her lj, so I'm glad she
posted a finished version.

*

Jenn: Syzygy

Mmm. God, *yes*. I've been trying to convince Jenn to polish this up and post
it for ages now, and she finally has. It's a twisty little thing, a challenge to the
mind -- not to mention the heart, but it's worth every reread.

You don't want to miss a single nuance, I promise you.

Two men in the desert, and one of *those* conversations. You know the kind.

Where the connections don't come easily, and neither of you are willing to try
harder to make it work.

Where the things left unsaid could fill volumes.

And, to veer wonderfully to the left, Sleep While I Drive.

Jenn calls this one a Clark/Lex fairy tale, and it is. And isn't. It has all the depth
and richness of a true fairy story, all the emotion and lurking edges that one who
knows What Came Before Disney will recognize. There's a lovely, dark, deep
forest in here, you know?

But it's also... not a fairy tale. Sleep While I Drive is far more forgiving than any
of those old German tales, restful even. This is a story you could sleep on and
dream sweetly, you know?

Everyone needs one of those, now and again.

Valentine: Interval in Sunlight

Gorgeous mood piece that left me sniveling helplessly. Meh. Wah. WAH.
I, of course, choose to view this as *strictly* AU, but then I *am* on
medication for a reason...

In *any* event... beautifully written, beautifully done. So much love, with just
enough bitter to make it real.

*

Morgan R.: Stress Relief

AHAHAHAHAA.

God, I needed this one. Just... fucking hilarious. Someone had to
go there. Morgan did.

Poor Clark.

Evil Lex.

Heh heh. Hehhh.

*

Brenda Antrim: Live Wire

*fans self*

Oh, my. This was.

It was. With the. And the.

Well. Yes. Very, very hot little number of a PWP. There are a couple
of plot bumps here and there, but hey, that's not what *I* read this
for.

Er... yes.

Zap.

*

The Spike: Apres le Deluge

Mmm... this is the first post-Tempest story I've read that's really felt
*satisfying*.

I mean, working with a cliffhanger has more than its share of challenges,
not least of which is coming up with something that's both reasonably
canonical for an ending *and* interesting enough to grab the reader's
attention.

And yet, the Spike is more than up to it.

She calls this a PCR.

She's wrong.

It's a vignette that takes Tempest into account, takes *Lex* into account.
All the threads of the plot and all of his hopes and dreams and beliefs and
yes, his *youth*. It's so easy to forget the man is only twenty-one, after
all.

It's a gorgeous thing to read, moody and insinuating, grasping and
*lingering*, with more good lines than Spike has any right to. Great stuff.

Read.

*

Wendi: A Picture Of Home

Mmm. So, Wendi's not the first person to take a picture of an actor and
write a story about one of the actor's characters inspired by it, and she
certainly won't be the last. Heh. Not in *this* fandom.

The difference, however, is that *Wendi* makes it work.

No, I'm not going to tell you what picture it is.

I *will* tell you that the story is funny, and warm, and more funny, and sweet,
and *hot*, and in character, and that I loved it to pieces.

A Wendific day is a happyTe day.

Pearl-O: Drowning In Syrup

Pearl-O just gets better and better, and this one... man. Punches all the
right buttons for me.

There are a lot of different ways to be homesick, after all.

And a lot of good, good reasons to be on the outside, looking in only
when you can stand it.

*

JC Sun: May, June, July

Squeeee! JC Sun is in a fandom of mine again! God, I'd just about given
*up*. Snapshots of lovely boys, with darknesses lingering in the shadows.
Just the way I like them. Some typos, but I stopped caring about her typos
back when XF was a *good* show.

Killer last line.

*siiiigh* Go forth and read.

*

Brighid: The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit

Oh, *Christ*. Another gorgeous entry for the Bradbury title challenge, a
vicious, sibilant whisper of a dream I don't want to have. So many layers
to this. Lex's fatal flaw, Lionel's echoing presence, and oh, such
*breaking*...

Read this many times.

*

Zahra: The Terrible Conflagration Up At The Place

Ahahahaha.

Yes, *another* Bradbury offering, and wow, this could be the most
successful challenge *ever* in terms of producing cool fic. Hilariously
snarkyfun and in character Lex, complete with flinging things at Clark's
head.

*happysigh*

*

Beth: Absinthe

Eeek. Well, there are all sorts of ways to consider a slate clean, I
suppose.

Or at least so blackened that it's a whole new surface to write on.

Lovely bit of darkness, though perhaps calmer than I would've written.
Hmm. It suited the story.