[Fic] Claymore: Pretty Monsters

Spoilers: Through Claymore chapter 80 or so
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Ugly manners, her mother would say, pretty is as pretty does, but she never told her pretty girl that monsters ate pretty and ugly girls alike.
Notes: Written for woodburner for Yuletide 2008. Many thanks to magicnoire for the quick beta!

Read Pretty Monsters

Series information

Claymore is a shounen manga series by Yagi Norihiro about half-human half-yoma women called Claymores who go around killing yoma with giant swords. There is a lot of blood, which I do not like so much, and a whole lot of stoic icy warriors, interesting backstory, worldbuilding, and awesome relationships among the many warriors, which I like A LOT. The story is pretty spoilery for the series, and I have no idea how well it stands alone.

( Some commentary )

[Fic] Monster: The Mathematics of Worth

Spoilers: For the entire series
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Every morning, Eva pours herself a glass of Scotch, sniffs and lets the alcohol vapors tempt her, then upends the contents in the kitchen sink.
Notes: Written for Influxes for Yuletide 2008.

Read The Mathematics of Worth

Series information

Monster is an 18-volume manga series by Urasawa Naoki (also an anime series, though I've never seen it) which is nominally a thriller, but really about the line between what makes us human and what makes us monsters. I suspect all my stories this year could be summarized in that manner. My fic stars Eva Heinemann, who's the rich, often rude, often unkind socialite engaged to Dr. Kenzo Tenma in the very beginning of the series. When I first read it, I hated her and the whole trope of the bitter spurned woman, but as the series went on, she developed interesting depths while never losing the bite that made her Eva.

The fic is spoilery for the fates of characters post-series and briefly mentions some events of the series, though it doesn't really ruin any of the main revelations of the series.

( Some commentary )

[Fic] The Queen and the Soldier: Cruel Hope and Gray Despair

Spoilers: For the entire song
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Hell's queen is its ruler and its most enslaved soul.
Notes: Written for Avendya for Yuletide 2008.

Read Cruel Hope and Gray Despair

Series information

"The Queen and the Soldier" is a song by Suzanne Vega (lyrics), but my favorite version is the cover by Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts. coffeeandink introduced me to it, and I love it to pieces and keep almost requesting it for Yuletide and then not. The fandom as far as I know has one other story, edonohana's lovely The Queen Knew She'd Seen His Face Some Place Before.

( Some commentary )

[Fic] LJ Smith, Night World: How to Save the Day (sort of)

Spoilers: For the soulmate pair in Daughters of Darkness
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: The Trials and Tribulations of Ash Redfern: one. Ash: zero. The road to redemption is lined with potholes.
Notes: Written for Ziho for Yuletide 2008

Read How to Save the Day (sort of)

Series information

Night World is a yet unfinished (argh!) series of young adult Gothic fantasy crack by LJ Smith; I devoured them when I was a teenager and pleasantly discovered that they are cracktastically rereadable recently. The premise is that there's a Night World populated by witches, vampires, werewolves, and other such creatures, and the world soon evolves to encompass soulmates and the good Night Worlders who don't despise humans and/or toy with them and/or eat them. Daughters of Darkness is the second book in the series and the best: it has a lovely sense of humor about the many tropes Smith uses, along with one incredibly self-absorbed, fatuous, and mostly evil vampire and one human girl who loves astronomy and kicking people. Unsurprisingly, they're soulmates, but more surprisingly, neither of them falls swooningly in love.

( Some commentary )