Later-than-belated Happy birthday to entrenous!
Well, age must be getting to me, because I’m sure not bouncing back from end-of-quarter grading and report-writing as quickly as I used to! So I offer many, many apologies to entrenous88 for being even more belated with her tribute than I’d told her I would be. That said-getting to delve into her stories has done quite a lot to restore my sense of humor, which I badly needed at this point. And, as I suspected, I’d managed to miss out on some rewarding reading, since I only friended her LJ fairly recently despite having enjoyed examples of her work in other venues over the past few months, so I’m glad I gave myself an extension. Thus, while her birthday was this past Monday, April 3, I’ve been having myself an entire entrenous88 week! Since I started with the Spander (yes, I also tunnel into the Haagen-Das to eat all the Vanilla Swiss Almonds first-you are surprised?), these will dominate my recs; there are obviously many, many more stories with other pairings that I’m going to get to explore later on.
What makes it so refreshing to read her work and why is it a pleasure to recommend it to others? entrenous88 shows her talent in two moods in particular, both done with a deft and delicate touch. She has a gift for light humor and banter, and there can never be enough of that. She also can go tender and poignant. The very first story I read by her, which (after rereading twice) I immediately saved, is “For the Count”, found in her Memories, here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/161503.html. (I learned about this story via a rec, so it pleases me to be passing that good deed on.) She gets the ache-iness exactly right here . . . and after you have savored it emotionally, enjoy it intellectually by reading through the comments by nwhepcat and others to gain insights into how effectively and cleverly it was constructed. Another story where she shows she can do emotional pain really, really well without descending into despair is “The Reason,” at http://community.livejournal.com/summer_of_spike/147233.html. In her other, much lighter, fluffier, funnier mood, she’s given us “A Few Changes Here and There,” where Xander is bemused as Spike begins nesting in a rather energetic way; find it here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/179447.html. There is a sweet and cozy sequel, “A Day at Home,” at http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/209558.html. I’d be a happy person if I could put my name as author to any of these four stories, much less all of them! New to me this week were “Waste of Breath” and its sequel “Goodnight Kiss”-I found these angsty and troubling and sexy and good. I know many folks don’t like WIPs, but you still might want to amuse yourself with the three parts currently completed of the adorable “Cuddly Predators,” wherein Xander finds himself unexpectedly with a kitten and is surprised to find that Spike’s knowledge of felines is not limited to poker. She also has posted seven of a promised nine parts of “Temporary,” written for fall_for_sx. Where it pauses is good; you won’t feel unbearably frustrated. This story offers a twist on Spike recorporealizing out of the amulet, with Xander in reluctant (and always appealing) caretaker mode. All of these pieces are Spander, and they are under the Spike/Xander section of the “Memories.” I haven’t yet had the chance to check out all the other pairings she’s got listed; go for your own favorites!
One of the many interesting things about going back and reading through an author’s work which has been written over a spread of years is that you can see changes in interests, in style, in subject, and in skill-and you can also start to identify key characteristics which shine through all those changes. I have to say that I think entrenous88 is a writer who just keeps getting better. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have favorites among her earlier stories, found on her website, “Just Between Us,” at http://www.geocities.com/entrenous88/, because I most certainly do! When you go there, check both “fiction” by title (both pages) and “updates.” Here's just a short list:
“A House, A Home.” Although there’s a logic to Xander/Andrew, it normally doesn’t do it for me. But this is a charming little relationship moment-fun.
“Favorite Things.” Lindsey plays mindgames on Angel.
“Shacking Up.” This longer series is a humorous, endearing tale of Spike and Xander as unselfconscious roommates who start thinking differently about each other after well-meaning friends start to meddle with their living situation.
“Expecting.” Okay, yes, MPREG-but fun banter, and no bad guys among the Scoobies.
“Something Blue, Something Slashy.” This verges on parody and should be read with tongue firmly in cheek. (Hey, demon wedding chapel in Vegas-what can I say?)
“Ministrations.” This is really, truly wonderfully bad badfic, and it is also a crossover with “The Sentinel.” You’ll either find it a wicked delight or just plain mean. Cliches abound!
While she’s consistently a slash writer, there are many different pairings on the website. She appears to be focusing on Spander in her more recent work, but that could be a mistaken impression on my part. The bulk of her works start with canon (i.e., are set in the Sunnydale or L.A. of the shows, but of course are not-so-canon in being slash). She’s also written what I truly consider AU: with the characters as human rather than vampire, and/or with the settings not being consistent with the series. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed reading her canon stories so much that I haven’t yet gotten to, and thus can’t comment on, the others. She’s clear about labeling stories by pairing and by rating, and she gives accurate warnings; lengths are listed, but you’ll know you have encountered a longer story when there are multiple chapters listed on the story’s title page, and the majority are shorter works. Do try reading something that’s unusual for you, either here or in her “Memories” or by browsing back through her LJ; that’s how I found the delightful piece “The Hidden Significance Of Stake Whittling” (http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/354796.html#cutid1), which left me warm and smiling, despite the fact that Giles/Xander doesn’t normally grab me. Wonderful Xanderbabble and a sweetly scheming Andrew-just plain fun.
So now you know why I kept delaying wishing her a happy birthday: I kept finding more enjoyable fiction to take up my time. Thanks for lots of much-needed stress relief this week and the promise more fine reading to come. Happy very belated birthday, entrenous88. I wish you lots and lots of pie!
What makes it so refreshing to read her work and why is it a pleasure to recommend it to others? entrenous88 shows her talent in two moods in particular, both done with a deft and delicate touch. She has a gift for light humor and banter, and there can never be enough of that. She also can go tender and poignant. The very first story I read by her, which (after rereading twice) I immediately saved, is “For the Count”, found in her Memories, here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/161503.html. (I learned about this story via a rec, so it pleases me to be passing that good deed on.) She gets the ache-iness exactly right here . . . and after you have savored it emotionally, enjoy it intellectually by reading through the comments by nwhepcat and others to gain insights into how effectively and cleverly it was constructed. Another story where she shows she can do emotional pain really, really well without descending into despair is “The Reason,” at http://community.livejournal.com/summer_of_spike/147233.html. In her other, much lighter, fluffier, funnier mood, she’s given us “A Few Changes Here and There,” where Xander is bemused as Spike begins nesting in a rather energetic way; find it here: http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/179447.html. There is a sweet and cozy sequel, “A Day at Home,” at http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/209558.html. I’d be a happy person if I could put my name as author to any of these four stories, much less all of them! New to me this week were “Waste of Breath” and its sequel “Goodnight Kiss”-I found these angsty and troubling and sexy and good. I know many folks don’t like WIPs, but you still might want to amuse yourself with the three parts currently completed of the adorable “Cuddly Predators,” wherein Xander finds himself unexpectedly with a kitten and is surprised to find that Spike’s knowledge of felines is not limited to poker. She also has posted seven of a promised nine parts of “Temporary,” written for fall_for_sx. Where it pauses is good; you won’t feel unbearably frustrated. This story offers a twist on Spike recorporealizing out of the amulet, with Xander in reluctant (and always appealing) caretaker mode. All of these pieces are Spander, and they are under the Spike/Xander section of the “Memories.” I haven’t yet had the chance to check out all the other pairings she’s got listed; go for your own favorites!
One of the many interesting things about going back and reading through an author’s work which has been written over a spread of years is that you can see changes in interests, in style, in subject, and in skill-and you can also start to identify key characteristics which shine through all those changes. I have to say that I think entrenous88 is a writer who just keeps getting better. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have favorites among her earlier stories, found on her website, “Just Between Us,” at http://www.geocities.com/entrenous88/, because I most certainly do! When you go there, check both “fiction” by title (both pages) and “updates.” Here's just a short list:
“A House, A Home.” Although there’s a logic to Xander/Andrew, it normally doesn’t do it for me. But this is a charming little relationship moment-fun.
“Favorite Things.” Lindsey plays mindgames on Angel.
“Shacking Up.” This longer series is a humorous, endearing tale of Spike and Xander as unselfconscious roommates who start thinking differently about each other after well-meaning friends start to meddle with their living situation.
“Expecting.” Okay, yes, MPREG-but fun banter, and no bad guys among the Scoobies.
“Something Blue, Something Slashy.” This verges on parody and should be read with tongue firmly in cheek. (Hey, demon wedding chapel in Vegas-what can I say?)
“Ministrations.” This is really, truly wonderfully bad badfic, and it is also a crossover with “The Sentinel.” You’ll either find it a wicked delight or just plain mean. Cliches abound!
While she’s consistently a slash writer, there are many different pairings on the website. She appears to be focusing on Spander in her more recent work, but that could be a mistaken impression on my part. The bulk of her works start with canon (i.e., are set in the Sunnydale or L.A. of the shows, but of course are not-so-canon in being slash). She’s also written what I truly consider AU: with the characters as human rather than vampire, and/or with the settings not being consistent with the series. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed reading her canon stories so much that I haven’t yet gotten to, and thus can’t comment on, the others. She’s clear about labeling stories by pairing and by rating, and she gives accurate warnings; lengths are listed, but you’ll know you have encountered a longer story when there are multiple chapters listed on the story’s title page, and the majority are shorter works. Do try reading something that’s unusual for you, either here or in her “Memories” or by browsing back through her LJ; that’s how I found the delightful piece “The Hidden Significance Of Stake Whittling” (http://entrenous88.livejournal.com/354796.html#cutid1), which left me warm and smiling, despite the fact that Giles/Xander doesn’t normally grab me. Wonderful Xanderbabble and a sweetly scheming Andrew-just plain fun.
So now you know why I kept delaying wishing her a happy birthday: I kept finding more enjoyable fiction to take up my time. Thanks for lots of much-needed stress relief this week and the promise more fine reading to come. Happy very belated birthday, entrenous88. I wish you lots and lots of pie!