Update

[ein_myria]

Happy reading.

Reading
"News" / Signal-boosting

Post-colonial speculative fictions

There is often a conscious effort by writers to "write against" something. This particular genre is interesting in that it uses alternative realities as a vehicle to erase certain events, to carve out nativist spaces, and realign power relationships. The rewriting of those relationships often point to unease and discontent with the present modern. (jhameia's doing a dissertation on steampunk and post-colonialism, I think.)

Beyond Victoriana
"Beyond Victoriana is a blog about multicultural steampunk and retro-futurism--that is, steampunk outside of a Western-dominant, Eurocentric framework. All of the steampunkery here focuses on non-Western cultures, underrepresented minorities in Western histories (Asian / Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, First Nation, Hispanic, black / African), and the cultural intersection between the West and the non-West."

steampunk_nusantara: Fragments of Chronicles from South East Asia as It Might Have Been

(also of possible interest: futuregenerations112: Narratives of Reproductive Speculation)

Other
fangasmic: [delicious] Going Once, Going Twice- Sold! To the Lowest Bidder
Last we heard of the Delicious debacle, Yahoo was going to sunset the service due to a lack of profits. Apparently StumbleUpon is one of the services that may acquire it.

sps: Ebook reviews from around the internet
"It's intended to focus on indie and self-published ebooks, rather than the mainstream ones that get plenty of reviews for the print versions that (mostly) work for the ebook versions."

Recs

Fringe
Most Valuable Player by tcbg77 (Alt!Livia)
"Olivia Dunham was a jock."

This was an interesting character study, although the premise is slightly dated given recent plot events.

Glee
Confused themselves within dreams/Here’s to you, your wonderful self. by letscall_l (Brittany/Santana)
There are times when Santana blacks out and finds herself wearing strange clothes, at the back of her own closet, with no idea as to how she got there.

This is the one where Santana has Multiple Personality Disorder. I remember reading another one where Quinn was the one that had it but this one had a much better balance between condition and storyline.

Road Map to You by sulkygeek (Quinn/Rachel)
"Even after Rachel left Lima, Quinn kept her ‘enemy’ close."

The Queen of Angst has toned down her angstfest to share this heartwarming story about connecting, fears, and regrets.

LotS
I haven't been reading this genre lately but I've come across some good recs by hibernate, so credit goes him/her. :)

All the Days by tcbg77 (Cara/Kahlan)
When the heir of D'Hara and the Midlands is kidnapped by Darken Rahl, Cara and Kahlan picks up the trail to try and rescue her in an epic undertaking.

A very nice action/adventure, quite self-contained. Originally written for the lotsbigbang but did not finish in time; you can certainly see the care put into it in terms of the quality of the piece.

All This Running Around by hibernate (Cara/Kahlan)
"In which Cara has two very different Kahlans on her hands and fails spectacularly at handling it."

What if Zedd's spell to recombine the two Kahlans failed? An interesting premise that made me go, "ooh..."

Ante by tcbg77 (Cara/Kahlan, modern AU)
"Kahlan and Cara are high-stakes card players."

This was an interesting premise for a modern AU.

Confession, and Other Trouble a Mord'Sith Can Get Into by hibernate (Kahlan/Cara)
"In which powerful magic gives Cara a Confessor problem, and Kahlan a Cara problem. Also, feelings."

An interesting plot-filled read.

The Band by tcbg77 (Cara/Kahlan, modern AU)
"Kahlan needs a new guitarist. Cara needs a new band. Richard needs to learn to keep his shirt on. It's not exactly Spinal Tap."

This fic genre harks back to a long and honored tradition of (rock) musicians and femslash *dryly*. Some alt/uber/original classics I can name off the top of my head are Sharon Smith's Into the Dark (and it's sequel Learning to Climb) and D Jordan Redhawk's Warlord Metal. The fic in particular is noteworthy in that it has somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek commentary that pokes fun at various tropes.

The Sword of Something Other Than Truth by ijemanja (Cara/Kahlan)
Cara buys Kahlan a dagger.

It's about the dagger, and yet...not about the dagger. *amused*

Undercovers by shimmeryshine (Cara/Kahlan)
"In which Cara and Kahlan infiltrate a Mord'Sith temple to try and retrieve a very ~powerful~ amulet. Will they be able to fool Cara's former sisters long enough to complete their mission and get out unscathed?"

I think I can use this fic to cross off that "Undercover as lovers" section of my lesbian cliches list. *LOL* This one's a fun read.

Warning Labels mini-series by shimmeryshine (Cara/Kahlan)
A theme-linked series of one-shots that center around theme of "warning labels."

Notable for the inventiveness in showing a girl that you care for her. *amused*

HP
Air Heart by magnetic_pole (Minerva McGonagall/Rolanda Hooch (background Minerva McGonagall/Walburga Black))
"A young Minerva McGonagall takes flight."

Strong writing, intriguing storyline.

Mermaid Manipulation by cranky_crocus (Amelia Bones/Tonks)
Amelia was training Tonks' animagus skills in an unconventional manner when she goes one step too far...

I really like the layering in this one, the narrative is a tad subtle though.

Rainstorms by such_heights (Padma/Luna)
"The first time Padma noticed Luna Lovegood, really noticed her, she was standing outside in the pouring rain."

A very sweet and fluffy story.

RPF
Sweet Nymph and Open Sea by robotjen (Gossip Girl RPF; Pirate Elseworlds AU)
"Leighton has escaped from a convent in Hispaniola. Can the pirate Captain Lively assist her in her journey?"

Lesbian pirates. Enough said.

Oh, and we need more femslash about Isabela the pirate (from Dragon Age 2).

Sherlock
Of Chocolate Éclairs and Riding Crops by turante (Anthea/other, Mycroft voyeurism)
There's a reason why Mycroft lets Anthea take extended lunch hours.

Unf, hotttt...