Fanfiction Bingo

[wendelah1]

How about a game while I sort out what to say about Suture's fic and what to post next? This was posted at ropo and of course, Tumblr.

Some of the squares are easy: "Plotless Smut" and "Convenient Mistletoe." I can think of fics for those right off the top of my head. But you're going to have to help me out with a couple of them. What does "French" mean? Like, Mulder and Scully are...French? And how about, "Aah...ahhh!" Is that supposed to be a line of dialogue or what? I am assuming "Manhood" is a euphemism.



Leave your suggestions and/or bingos in the comments.

Comments

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

I think "ah-aaah" and "manhood" just mean their occurrence in the fic. I'm less annoyed by "ah-aaah" than I am by "hnggrhhh" or whatever, but I don't think phonetic dialogue ever works really well in sex scenes. I'm cool with "he moaned" instead.

I don't know what French means. But 500,000 words and they still haven't kissed sounds AWESOME. I've read a few 100,000 words and they still haven't kissed...

[wendelah1]

I don't know what French means. But 500,000 words and they still haven't kissed sounds AWESOME. I've read a few 100,000 words and they still haven't kissed...

Ha ha! I thought the same thing when I saw that square! I haven't read a story in XF that's half million words long, let alone one without a kiss. I think the longest story I've read is "Arizona Highways," which clocks in at around 350,000 words if the KB to Word conversion thingie is to be believed.

[wendelah1]

Okay, for stories we've read here:

Plotless Smut: "The Airport" by Jess Mabe.
Convenient Mistletoe: "Mistletoe Madness" by Syntax6.
Every Chapter Starts with Song Lyrics: "Diamonds and Rust" by MustangSally.
The Really Good 15 Chapter W.I.P. that hasn't been updated in 2 years: Until she finished it, I guess that would have been "Original Sin." Well, I'm still hoping dtg will finish "Footsteps of Angels." I think Anjou left a WIP still hanging but it's been more like ten years since she updated.
Manhood: I'm going to go with "Malus Genius." It has this funny scene where Mulder and an OMC discuss how sexual politics have changed.

"It's just..." Mr. Kopeck shifted his appeal to the only other man in the room. "It's just, women today -- " He shook his head in confusion.

"What about women today?" Scully asked, a little sharply.

"I wish I knew," Mr. Kopeck said, with a helpless gesture. "I grew up in this town. It used to take three dates just to get to second base, for God's sake. There used to be rules."

Scully wondered if Mulder was as baffled by all this as she was. "What does any of this have to do with you and Kandee, Mr. Kopeck?"

He shook his head. "Don't you see? This place is one of the most old-fashioned, traditional little towns you could ever hope to find -- and even so, there are sixteen-year-old young women with navel piercings jumping out at a person from behind every tree."

Scully was still in the dark, but she could see Mulder nodding sagely. "Sexual politics aren't what they used to be, even in small towns."

Scully found herself struggling to catch up. She frowned at Mr. Kopeck. "So you're saying that Kandee...made a pass at you?"

"I was out of the dating scene for thirteen years and, frankly, it scares me now," said Mr. Kopeck with a troubled expression. "I'm only thirty-seven, but it seems to me things used to be different. Women used to be different."

Scully waited for Mulder to set Mr. Kopeck straight and forge ahead with the interrogation. Instead he surprised her by nodding sympathetically. "The sexual dynamic has shifted," he said. "Women have always been in charge, but now they don't even bother to pretend otherwise."

Mr. Kopeck gave Mulder a grateful look. "That's right. I knew it wasn't just me."

Mulder stuffed his notepad back in his breast pocket. "It's unsettling, given that modern man evolved from hunter-gatherers."

Again Mr. Kopeck looked at him with gratitude. "Exactly! We're supposed to be the hunters."

"Of course, we're still better off than the male black widow spider. The female of the species kills him after they mate," Mulder observed, using the rapid monotone he usually employed when spinning theories. "Or the male praying mantis. The female mantis is initially passive throughout the mating dance, letting the male make all the moves. If he seems to hesitate, however, she seizes him in her mandibles and bites off his head, the source of his sexual inhibitions. Then, as his now-headless body reflexively proceeds to mate with her like there's no tomorrow, she continues to devour him. Finally there's nothing left except his still-twitching sexual organs."

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

But 500,000 words and they still haven't kissed sounds AWESOME. I've read a few 100,000 words and they still haven't kissed...

This is EXACTLY what I though as well. Which fics have you read where it too them 100,000 words to kiss? 'Cause I'm either seriously forgetful or seriously missing out!

Did they not kiss unto near the end of Arizona Highways, or was it closer to the middle. I seem to vaguely remember an angsty scene in a motel room, nearer to the middle, but I could be thinking of a scene from another fic.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure some of these straight up don't exist in the XF fandom (e.g. The coffee shop AU, the teacher/student AU, the chem lab partners AU) And yeah, "French," WTF? There's a pretty epic Sherlock fic in which Sherlock is a French tennis player, but in the XF fandom? Hmm, let's go with La Belle Dame Sans Merci by MustangSally, because it has a french title, and it was the only french fic title I could think of. (I haven't read the fic though.)

The One Fic that's So Sad Even the Title Makes You Cry: For me, it's I'm Damaged as I'm Sure You Know by crookedhalt, though For The Weary by threeguesses has also been known to bring the waterworks. But the fic that takes the top spot is definitely a Sherlock fic, Make Whole What Has Been Smashed by Charlie J.

Which fic is it for you?


Convenient Mistletoe: Woot! Mistletoe Madness by Syntax6. Is that the one you were thinking of? (I bet it was.)

500,000 Words and They Still Haven't Kissed: The closest I can think of (unless we count gen fic) is Universal Invariants, which took maybe 60,000 words for them to kiss (and. it. was. AWESOME).

Dramatic Car Accident Scene: Didn't Bonetree do a fic like this? ...Goshen?

The High School AU: Well...there's Friends Even in Childhood by Penny Daza, but I don't think any of it takes place at school. I don't really remember the fic much.

The Entire Fandom Has Read This AU: I find this question interesting because the XF fandom has a very different definition of AU than a lot of fandoms have, especially more recent ones. Most newer fandoms only really consider a fic an AU if the characters meet under entirely different circumstances and a lot of other things are different. Whereas in the XF fandom AUs were pretty much anything that deviated from canon in a definite way. So by XF fandom standards, the most popular answer to this would probably be Iolokus. Whereas by greater fandom's standards it might be something liiike...Paracelsus? Or Pru's baseball one maybe?

Of Course You Have Lube in Your Pocket: This is so very specific to slash fandoms, I think. I can't think of a single fic at the moment in which M&S even use lube (which, granted, is not a particularly realistic portrayal of het sex, from what I gather, but that's neither here nor there).

Platonically Sleeping in the Same Bed: Does a tent count? Because if so then Parabiosis! In which they keep to their respective sides of the sleeping bag, "like octopi in jars." *cuddles fic*

ETA: Oops, sorry, I didn't notice that you'd posted this to the XF book club. I thought it was in your journal. (I was scrolling my flist like a zombie. t's 4AM here, which accounts for my not realizing the obvious.) If I'd realized, I wouldn't have been talking about Sherlock fics, since obviously this is an XF discussion.

[tri-sbr.livejournal.com]

Which fic is it for you?

I haven't read the sad ones you mentioned, so they are added to my list for when I would like to cry. ha. Mine is 7 Days in May. I feel like I should re-read it, but I haven't been able to make myself do it. It made me sad for weeks the first time I read it. Maybe at this point, I have built it up more in my head than is merited, though. Paracelsus definitely made me cry the first time through, as did Water's Edge, but I have re-read them without any tissues.

Dramatic Car Accident Scene: Didn't Bonetree do a fic like this? ...Goshen?

Yes, Goshen, which was then followed by several long stories in a "secret world" universe (I think that's what it was called). Pretty good. (Also long.)

I agree, the AU categorization covers a wide range of "alternative-ness" but I guess for bingo purposes that is a good thing - more to choose from.

[wendelah1]

ETA: Oops, sorry, I didn't notice that you'd posted this to the XF book club. I thought it was in your journal. (I was scrolling my flist like a zombie. t's 4AM here, which accounts for my not realizing the obvious.) If I'd realized, I wouldn't have been talking about Sherlock fics, since obviously this is an XF discussion.

That's not a problem. I didn't post any rules for this discussion.

WTF? There's a pretty epic Sherlock fic in which Sherlock is a French tennis player, but in the XF fandom?

LOL. A French tennis player--Sherlock? That's amazing! I am certain there is no French tennis player AU in X-Files fanfic, although it wouldn't surprise me to find one in X-Men or SPN-RPF.

The High School AU: Well...there's Friends Even in Childhood by Penny Daza, but I don't think any of it takes place at school. I don't really remember the fic much.


Ha ha! Someone on my flist actually wrote one of these--it's short, too, thank God, well-written, and not at all explicit. High school kids having sex isn't terribly sexy imho, so that works for me, too. She does a good job of recreating their friendship and co-dependency, I think.

Two Out of Three (Ain't Bad) (3026 words) by sarken
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully
Additional Tags: High School AU
Summary:

"He said, and I quote, 'I don't date good girls, freshmen, or virgins. And, face it, Danes, you're all three.' Does that satisfy your curiosity, Mulder?"

Dramatic Car Accident Scene: Didn't Bonetree do a fic like this? ...Goshen?
Maybe? I honestly don't recall the fic though the name is familiar. There is a car accident scene in "Laws of Motion."

The Entire Fandom Has Read This AU: I find this question interesting because the XF fandom has a very different definition of AU than a lot of fandoms have, especially more recent ones. Most newer fandoms only really consider a fic an AU if the characters meet under entirely different circumstances and a lot of other things are different.

This is interesting: Alternative Universe - Fanlore. I love the Fanlore article because it has a taxonomy of AUs! God, I love fandom.

Whereas in the XF fandom AUs were pretty much anything that deviated from canon in a definite way. So by XF fandom standards, the most popular answer to this would probably be Iolokus. Whereas by greater fandom's standards it might be something liiike...Paracelsus? Or Pru's baseball one maybe?


I might go as far as saying that in XF fandom, what's AU is in the eye of the beholder. Because by the strictest definition, any story in which Mulder and Scully become a couple before season seven is an AU. And I don't think that's most shipper's definition. Certainly any fanfic in which Mulder and Krycek walk off into the sunset together and live happily ever after is an AU in my eyes but I doubt that the M/K slash community would see it that way.

But Iolokus works best for that square because it's an alternative characterization AU (even Rivkat and Mustang Sally concur), that is in the taxonomy, and everyone has read it and/or has an opinion about it. There are people who haven't read any historical AUs so I don't think Paracelsus would work for XF fanfic.

[wendelah1]

I had to divide my comment into two parts it got so long-winded. Part the Second:

Of Course You Have Lube in Your Pocket: This is so very specific to slash fandoms, I think. I can't think of a single fic at the moment in which M&S even use lube (which, granted, is not a particularly realistic portrayal of het sex, from what I gather, but that's neither here nor there).

This is primarily a het fandom now, but we do have a small slash writing and reading contingent and TXF was once a big slash fandom. Not all, but many people who started out writing het ended up writing slash and then moved on to slash fandoms.

Heh. I wrote a story in which M&S use lube for the first or second XF Porn Battle, but I would agree they are exceedingly rare. I haven't read enough slash in XF fandom to know of a fic for that slot. For slash sex outside the bedroom, the go-to sex act appears to be blow-jobs in the XF fanfic I've read. It's certainly a lot easier to clean-up, but I doubt that's a consideration to many readers or writers of slash (or het for that matter!).:D

Platonically Sleeping in the Same Bed: Does a tent count? Because if so then Parabiosis! In which they keep to their respective sides of the sleeping bag, "like octopi in jars." *cuddles fic*

Ha ha! I had forgotten that scene. Yes, I would say that totally counts. We really should discuss that fic here.

The One Fic that's So Sad Even the Title Makes You Cry: For me, it's I'm Damaged as I'm Sure You Know by crookedhalt, though For The Weary by threeguesses has also been known to bring the waterworks. But the fic that takes the top spot is definitely a Sherlock fic, Make Whole What Has Been Smashed by Charlie J.

Which fic is it for you?

It's not "I'm Damaged As I'm Sure You Know" 'cause I don't remember reading it. Crookedhalt is veils? Or is this someone else? "For the Weary" is a very fine fic and certainly sad enough although "If I Make My Bed In Sheol" is a truer tragedy--to me. A death and a living death.

Maybe "One and Only, First and Last" by onpaperfirst? "Telephones" by cucumberspy was pretty devastating, too. And I thought "From Carthage Then I Came" was incredibly sad. I burst into tears the first time I read it and obsessed about it for an entire night and day. The second time we discussed it I wasn't much better off.

The saddest story in any fandom for me is still "Fireflies" by Ali Snow. Stargate SG-1. It's a wonderful story but man, the angst level is high in that one. Just thinking about it makes me weepy, so that fits my personal square.

500,000 Words and They Still Haven't Kissed: The closest I can think of (unless we count gen fic) is Universal Invariants, which took maybe 60,000 words for them to kiss (and. it. was. AWESOME).

Very awesome indeed. There has to be a longer-slow burn story out there but I don't know what it would be.

"Mistletoe Madness" was it for me, too. No one has done that trope better in any fandom as far as I'm concerned.

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

Which fic is it for you?

The Absence of Memory by Narida Law still reverberates in my mind, more than ten years after I first read it. I can now read it without the punch in the gut feeling I got at the time, but it still makes me sad.

wendelah1 said Telephones, which was also very sad. Stories about despair are usually more upsetting to me than outright tragedy. Keeping with the phone theme, Cellphone by Marasmus is also very upsetting. I never even read Fathoms Five because just the spoiler warning upset me. Yellow Balloon by Zyllah is devastating.

Other fandoms: there's a Lie to Me* story called The place that you cannot yet know by blank, that is one of the saddest things I have ever read, fanfiction or not.

[discordantwords.livejournal.com]

Saddest story for me is Night Giving off Flames by Jesemie's Evil Twin. That story gutted me. I couldn't get it out of my head for a long time after I first read it.

[tri-sbr.livejournal.com]

I love this discussion (can you tell?)!!

High School AU: ok, these are not exact fits (and I'm not necessarily recommending them), but there is a historical au (set in 1812) where they are not in school but are the right age at any rate (You and Me by lolabeegood) and there is a pre-xf fic where I think they are high school age but it's summer (15 Years by Laura Sprys). Also, isn't part of Kel and Trelawney's Seminal Events set in Mulder's high school days (but no Scully, so minus half a bingo square, but plus a gold star because it's Kel and it's funny)? Oh, I almost forgot David S's I'm Rubber, You're Glue can probably be jammed into this category, and I admit, I like it.

Plotless Smut: Too much to pick from. Sense Memory by Tesla

The Coffeeshop AU: again, kind of fitting square pegs into a round hole, here, but Physics 101 by Lysandra has a fairly significant coffeeshop scene. Also, at the other end of the emotional spectrum, Kipler's narrator in Strangers and the Strange Dead works in a coffeeshop.

WIP (ignoring the specifics of the category): Alphas by wintersong (in The Lost series), High Tide (sequel of sorts to Water's Edge) by Elizabeth Rowandale, and JET's sequel to Small Lives Awake (there are snippets, which I am content to fashion into a story, but as far as I know, that's it). I'm happy to be corrected on any of these.

Convenient Mistletoe: Yes, Mistletoe Madness was my first thought, too. But I also thought of Having a Happy X-Mas by Ten - the writing doesn't remotely compare with syntax6 but there is something about the plot idea that I can't help liking.

The Entire Fandom Has Read This AU: as a newer person, I am interested in hearing what people have to say for this (AU or not). I am sure there are probably stories that were really big at some point in time that I have completely missed.

Chemistry Lab Partners: um, maybe Class Project - they are partners for a final exam at quantico. And, I take it back, there is some chemistry ;)

[wendelah1]

I love this discussion (can you tell?)!!

Me, too. Of course, I've never met a fanfic discussion I didn't love, even if I completely disagree with the OP. I love to argue, too.

High School AU: ok, these are not exact fits (and I'm not necessarily recommending them), but there is a historical au (set in 1812) where they are not in school but are the right age at any rate (You and Me by lolabeegood) and there is a pre-xf fic where I think they are high school age but it's summer (15 Years by Laura Sprys). Also, isn't part of Kel and Trelawney's Seminal Events set in Mulder's high school days (but no Scully, so minus half a bingo square, but plus a gold star because it's Kel and it's funny)? Oh, I almost forgot David S's I'm Rubber, You're Glue can probably be jammed into this category, and I admit, I like it.

"Seminal Events" might be the only Kel fic I'm not crazy about. It hits my character humiliation squick hard. I'm pretty sure I haven't read the others.

Ha ha, with tropes like these, I think it goes without saying that these are not necessarily recs...

I have never seen a Coffee Shop AU, but I noticed a Blockbuster Video AU on David S.'s page at Gossamer.

Summary : The alternate universe NOBODY demanded... What if our favorite X-Files characters were younger and worked at Blockbuster? I think I sense some fic MAGIC coming on! (Special note: this is all pure cotton candy fluff. If you even recognize the characters, I'll be surprised.)

Archive: You just archive your heart out. Just ask yourself "Why the hell am I doing this? Isn't there a repeat of 'Fraiser' I could be watching?"

Dedicated to: The soulless fuckers at Blockbuster. And Charles Grodin. I raise me glass to ye.

Spoilers: The Host, Space, Patient X, Max, Piper Maru, Paper Clip, awww, I'm kidding... no spoilers.

Feedback: I await your polite and fawning responses at: nakedmanatee@yahoo.com. But I'll also settle for thinly-veiled death threats. I'm really not picky.

Okay, this guy and Jesse Mabe tie for best author's notes.

WIP (ignoring the specifics of the category): Alphas by wintersong (in The Lost series), High Tide (sequel of sorts to Water's Edge) by Elizabeth Rowandale, and JET's sequel to Small Lives Awake (there are snippets, which I am content to fashion into a story, but as far as I know, that's it). I'm happy to be corrected on any of these.

Specifics ignored by all. Those are all dead in the water, I'm sorry to say. I think JET is actually writing in another fandom under another name now. No, I can't remember for what or who. Not a fandom I read fic in or I'd remember.

[wendelah1]

I disagree that "Sense Memory" is plotless smut. It even has an X-File!

[wendelah1]

A Question. What is "Dead Parents" about, exactly? Is that a story where the characters are orphaned and living on their own, like a The X-Files/Boxcar Children fusion or something?


Alternate choice, not discussed here. For "Manhood": Okay, ran into this at Musea's old recs page: The Cause of the Effect by Lara Means. It's not a bad first time story actually, if a little overwrought for my taste. This is the passage in question:

You want this to be good for her. Not just some desperate act of lust or need, but *good*. From the way she's moaning and whispering your name, she's enjoying it, but you want her to *really* enjoy it. Your manhood is at stake here.

MANHOOD. See. He said it.

I must continue the search for French, a lube story that isn't mine, a story with author's notes in the goddamned middle.

And a generic canon!verse fic that isn't mine.

[tri-sbr.livejournal.com]

A Question. What is "Dead Parents" about, exactly? Is that a story where the characters are orphaned and living on their own, like a The X-Files/Boxcar Children fusion or something?

I don't know what the bingo people mean by "dead parents," but would Life During Wartime technically fit? If there is a pre-xf kid-dana and kid-fox solving mysteries from a box car, I would definitely read that.

[maybe-amanda.livejournal.com]

I love this thing. It's so very very.

Lube seems to be elusive. Cyanide and Astroglide (http://tooms.gossamer.org/display.php?CyanideAndAstroglide) fits the bill (the title kinda gives it away...)

P.S. When I saw 'French' I thought Morticia and Gomez. Of course I did.

[wendelah1]

OMIGOD. That story is perfect. Mulder really does have lube in his jacket pocket--travel-sized lube, yet. LOL.

[badforthefish.livejournal.com]

Aww, why do I see this thread just before bedtime? I will do my best to catch up with the comments this week. I was busy rec'ing this place- among others - on the new Previously TV X-Files forum (http://forums.previously.tv/forum/568-the-x-files/) actually. The TWOP folks have moved there.

The One Fic that's So Sad Even the Title Makes You Cry:
Grace Realized by Michaela.
I.Cry.Every.Damn.Time.

Dramatic Car Accident
Yep. Goshen.

French
Beats me too.
As in "kissing"?
As in "rude like the"?
As in "written by a French person?" *shit eating grin*

The Entire Fandom Has Read This AU
I guess The Magician series is the closest one to fit the bill.

Plotless Smut
I don't even know which name to give, there are so many. Hell we even had to coin the term PWP for them.

[wendelah1]

This is the response I got at DW from sarken:

"French" in fic bingo definitely means just that -- random French! Or, for that matter, random any language other than the one the author and characters share. It's more romantic if your character starts speaking in French or Italian or what have you, and even the dullest title is more exciting if it's translated into another language. It's a thing, and a thing 14-year-old me was definitely guilty of, no less.

It was easy to find TXF fic with French titles, also German and Latin. Yes, I think written by a Frenchwoman should count!

Are you still interested in doing "Syntax and Measure"?

Is the "Mulder She Wrote" forum being run by the same person? Because I cannot abide her attitude.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Very true. And Jess M deserves constant mention because she made no secret of the "can't they just have sex?" pov.

For pure-sex-with-no-excuse-whatsoever I nominate "Souls Embracing" by Chez Burgess. It is fabulously arousing, but so full of love that it's not fair to call it smut.

Oddly, Jess is also author of my saddest nominee.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I just saw that awkward student-teacher one. Jess Mabe's "University" has Mulder undercover as a professor with a lovely antique home and Scully as a student. He revels in his role and she of course does the actual investigating. Such fun. You can criticize Jess, if that's your thing, but you can't not like her fantasy-building. She had a rowdy shamelessness.

[wendelah1]

OMIGOD. You've done it! Wonderful work!

NOW: Can you find a fic with author's notes in the middle?

I love Jess Mabe. I don't think I've read this one.

He revels in his role and she of course does the actual investigating.

I think we will need to read this at some point. It sounds so bad it might be good.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

"Compromising Positions:" somebody wrote a pretty funny story about Mulder and Scully being locked into a coffin. Maybe I'll try to trace it later, but probably not. I remember that Mulder makes some crack about "Nights in White Satin."

Author's notes in the Middle of the fic: Jackpot!

[wendelah1]

Okay, then. This is a funny coincidence. I found author's notes in the middle of Water's Edge, the newest posted story. Well, not exactly the middle, that would be after chapter 16, 17 or possibly 18.

End Chapter 3

(continued in Chapter 4...)
Feed Me.
elizabeth@tranfamily.net

NOTE TO READERS: Just to be clear...this story was conceived and outlined before "Requiem" aired in the U.S. (Yes, I'm that slow a writer...) I realize that the coming chapters share themes here and there with the currently unfolding US Season 8. This is NOT meant to be an AU exploration of those dynamics. This is an entirely separate story. The character of Agent Gannon Michaels (soon to be appearing in coming chapters) is NOT Doggett...never was, never will be (not that I don't like Doggett, mind you:)). It was all just very unfortunate timing...

Yay! More middle-of-the-fic author's notes in "Water's Edge"!

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Parts of this chapter are very NC-17. If you're
too young to be here, please go home now.


"Water's Edge"
by
Elizabeth Rowandale <bstrbabs@earthlink.net>
Copyright (c) 2003


Chapter 12b


"The more that I learn, the less that I know.
Never thought I would want to slow down.
Just focus on clouds in blue skies,
Above all the rain, the sun shines.

It's just an ordinary day.
I'm much too strange for this ordinary world"
"Ordinary" -- Greg Jones
And more author's notes...

AUTHOR'S NOTE WITH MINOR SPOILER: I know you guys are dying for
Mulder.:) I know the Daniel thing is slowly killing you.:) And
I know that until recently, this WIP has been written so
incredibly slowly that it seems like she's been with Daniel
forever (do you realize, that in the timeline of the story it's
only been a little over a week since Scully first phoned
Daniel?;-)). But you're sooooo close to Mulder. Bear with me,
people. We're almost home.:) And a million thanks to everyone
who has stuck with me through those long dry spells without
posting. Life's a little smoother now, so I hope to never do
that to you again.:) And if you need more reassurance, my
mailbox is always open.

I think you get the picture.

[rainatlas.livejournal.com]

Oh man, this thread has me grinning from ear to ear. I even came out of anon and lurker status and finally created a LJ account just so I can start actively participating in these discussions.

I'm not new to the XF, but fairly new to fanfic and have been devouring it for the past nine months or so. It's fun to discover there's a place on the internet where people are getting excited about the same things I do. Nuts. Thank goodness for this reading group.

Anyway, I came to say that I Iove that this bingo game has pointed me towards some fics and authors I hadn't hear of before, and ignited discussion of some fics I'd been mulling over in my head. I'm so delighted by all of your comments! I love each and every one of you.

[wendelah1]

Welcome, rainatlas. I lurked for years myself before making a livejournal. Lurking is great, but participating is even better.

This is a great place to find recs. I like crack_van, too. Also het_reccers.

If you want to be a member, just go to the home section and look at the communities section, then at your invites. If you click on it, there should be an invitation to the book club waiting.

[melissaisdown.livejournal.com]

Hello everybody. I'm not new the lj or the xf but I am new to this community and I have to say I'm enjoying it greatly. It's been a long time since I've read much xf ff and the recs here are very much appreciated and this bingo thread is super fun to watch. Just wanted to say thank you.

[wendelah1]

Welcome! Please join in whenever you like, here or in the regular discussions.

I am still hoping for a few more suggestions to fill out the rest of the squares. So close, and yet so far...