A Passing Glimmer

My back is killing me... I just got a pain in my left ear... it took me forever to fall asleep last night so I'm exhausted... and my right ankle is sore. :( 

So yeah, I never update. I know I need to but I go through spurts of wanting to update and wanting to not. A while back I deleted all of my posts in a fit of boredom and annoyance at myself. I'm not writing and when I'm not writing, I don't journalize, either. Meh. I'm in a weird mood. Guess because of all that's going on (not going to itemize the suckitude of my life right now). Whatever. I'll try to start updating here once in a while and perhaps that will kickstart something in my gray cells to make me want to return to fiction. Or not.

Okay... here's the link to my ff.n favorites list: 

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/625110/FaeriesMidwife

I'm going to choose three of my very favorites (a difficult feat!) and write a little bit about why each of them is particularly good. I'll start from the bottom and work my way up, and the three that grab my attention and tempt me to read them *yet again* are the ones I'll list here. 

             42. Prisoner Of Love » by Fraggin'Aardvark reviews

A more traditional J/S romance, with a few surprises. The R rating is for the final chapter - which I have re-worked slightly.
Labyrinth - Fiction Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Chapters: 30 - Words: 62,941 - Reviews: 464 - Updated: 12-23-01 - Published: 7-10-01

I've probably read this story at least five times over the years; it was one of the first Laby fics I read. The formatting at ff.n is a bit wonky, though. However, it's just so well-written. I love the idea of Jareth coming and stealing Sarah away from her own wedding. It's one of the few instances in Labyrinth fan fiction where I think Sarah's angry and indignant reaction is completely justified and reasonable. I also love the side characters in this one... Jareth's wife (yes, wife) in particular is a wonderful OC.

37. The Enticement » by Scattered Logic reviews

In exchange for returning to the Labyrinth, Sarah is offered what she desires most... She's about to learn there is a huge difference between fantasy and reality.
Labyrinth - Fiction Rated: M - English - Romance/Angst - Chapters: 16 - Words: 76,964 - Reviews: 736 - Updated: 6-14-03 - Published: 2-28-03

Oh my goodness. The Enticement is just... it's perfection, is what it is. I can't praise SL enough. The characterization is so spot-on. I love the predicament that Sarah finds herself in, and Jareth's misunderstanding of what it is she wants and his hurt/ire is completely realistic. As is his panic when the Labyrinth decides to take matters into her own hands. 

11. The Lower Labyrinth » by Lampwicke reviews

“I?” he replied, drawing himself up to his full height. “Who am I? I am the Dreamtempter. The Seducer. The Shapeshifter. The Fantasy and the Nightmare. The Keeper of the Great Labyrinth: I am the Goblin King.” A/U S/J- Sarah age 17-18 Dark Content
Labyrinth - Fiction Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Chapters: 27 - Words: 100,582 - Reviews: 416 - Updated: 11-30-08 - Published: 8-10-08 - Complete

 This is a darker fic that I'm used to reading, but I completely enjoyed it. Lampwicke is a master storyteller. This story just kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The danger, suspense, and drama are superb.

As I looked over my favorites, I wanted to do a list of ten rather than just three. I feel bad for leaving out my faves by ohyouprettythings, jackhawksmoor and lixxle... masterful writers all! Naturally any story on my list lives up to really, really high standards.

So... obviously I favor S/J pairings. I don't mind S/OC or J/OC as long as that changes as the story goes on... in fact it can help incite a bit of jealousy so it's a good thing! I'm a romantic and I like fluff. I also love angst, as long as the romance comes together in the end (or sooner). There's no other acceptable pairing in Labyrinth for me (even though I wrote a Sarah/Hoggle story once -- it's not what you think!) unless it's Karen/Robert, and I just don't care to read about them! 

I intensely dislike non-con, slash, bdsm, torture, rape, extremely cruel Jareth or extremely idiotic Sarah. I like her strong, and if she calls Jareth I want her to own it, and not scream at him asking why he's there (good lord that's the most asinine plot device ever -- "I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away right now." *POOF! Jareth appears* "OMGWTHBBQ what are you DOING here? I didn't call you!"). I don't like Sarah or any other female character to simper. I despise the very word 'simper'.

I actually prefer Jareth to, after a good number of years, have actually CHANGED his hair and fashion sense. Yeah, he can still be Jareth, but does he have to remain trapped in the 80's hair-band glittery mode for all eternity? I think NOT! Ooh. I love the DB earthling look for the GK... short, spiky hair with a goatee. YUM.

Gosh, I can't think of anything else. If I do, I'll add a follow-up post addendum thingy.