LM fic rec post.

[tenlittlebullets]

It occurred to me in a comment thread to a post I recently made in fanficrants, that unlike the rest of the internet, the Les Mis fandom does not follow the "95% of everything is crap" rule. In fact, it's more of a bell curve--lots and lots of mediocre fic, with plenty that tends toward "not amazing but pretty good" or "I must be really damn bored to bother reading this," a limited amount of engaging and enjoyable fic and fic that makes you want to bonk the author over the head with a 1500-page hardcover... and then the outliers, the rare fic that makes you squee out loud and the (surprisingly) equally rare fic that just makes you stare at your computer screen in horror. The latter I tend to spork mercilessly on fanficrants, but the former just gets IM'd to a friend or two or maybe a nice review if I can be arsed. And the lack of attention is a shame, really, which is the reason for this post.

This is a completely random list of fics that have tickled my fancy--it's not exhaustive or anything, and I'm sure there are worthy fics that I've missed. And I'm not even going to bother posting anything from Frenchboys.net, because I know most of the people who give a damn about this post have already been over that site with a fine-tooth comb. ;) In fact, this is heavily slanted towards fanfiction.net, both because there's a higher volume of fic and because I know most of you don't bother trawling through the Pit of Voles. (It's not that bad, honestly--even if it's not that good either; see bell curve explanation above.) Feel free to comment with suggested reading, too.

• Pretty much everything by TheHighestPie, who writes gleefully nerdy stories that tend to center on Combeferre. Particularly:
  - Playing Pygmalion: In which Combeferre tries to give Eponine an education--and you just have to love a fic where they almost get arrested for flying a hot-air balloon in the Luxembourg.
  - Chrestien at Chanvrerie: A one-shot crossover with Lost Illusions, familiarity with Balzac not required.
  - The Saint-Simonian: Summary says it all, really: "Contains multiple Saint-Simons, Chenier, Charles Jeanne, Louis-Philippe, Hugo, and a 'Saint-Simonian' poet that may or may not've existed."
  - An Education: Delicious Ami banter with a nice sharp conclusion.



• By Juxtaposition by Kim Who Knows: A multi-chapter exploration of the various Amis' relationships with Enjolras, centered around Grantaire. Wonderfully written, well thought out, fanon-free, non-slash, and lamentably unfinished.



• Residuals by Petit Parapluie: "Offbeat" doesn't even begin to describe it. Javert's ghost haunts a batty widow who picks up his greatcoat, and together they fight crime do battle with ghostly revolutionaries. The author's cheerful and lunatic enthusiasm in slinging around historical details more than makes up for the occasional mild anachronism--this fic is on the good crack.



• The Seamstress of Montreuil-sur-Mer by mmebahorel: A cute--and sad--little Christmas fairy tale about Fantine. I swear there is no bias here! ;)



• Invitation by lady_iphigeneia (Part Two; Part Three): Okay, maybe there's a little bit of bias. But the sheer epicness of 13,000 words of pure Enjolras/Courfeyrac porn just cannot be disputed. Seriously, the fandom needs more porn like this.



• Idyll in the Parking Lot & Epic in the Food Court by LLQM: A modern rewrite that works because it's perfectly aware of the silliness of the premise. Or at least, it made me LOL.



• Through a Wall by LLQM: Three chance encounters between Marius and Cosette before they even thought about falling in love.



• Lymantria dispar by Margit: Only Combeferre would be more interested in sketching the moth that landed on Courfeyrac's naked body than in Courfeyrac's naked body itself. Slash, of course, and I want this Combeferre in my bed now.



• Two Hearts in Love by Mongie: A lovely series of Marius/Cosette drabbles that captures the utter adorableness of the pairing really well, with enough detours into angst and other genres to keep it from getting monotonous.



• Epic in the Alley by lesmisloony: Montparnasse jumps Enjolras in a dark alley: who will win? (Get your minds out of the gutter--it's humor, not smut.)



• I Am Rose by GizmoBunny: Cosette runs away from the Thénardiers' inn and falls in with some young Amis. Could stand to be a bit more tightly written, but it's cute and definitely gets points for originality.



• The Miserable Diaries by Framboise: Because it's a fucking classic. Do not attempt to eat or drink anything while reading this, or it will get sprayed all over your monitor from the fits of hysterical laughter.



• Reinvention by K. Telfer: All right, I'm a filthy liar and posted something from frenchboys.net, but only because it's one of my favorite slash fics in this fandom--specifically because it's almost un-slashy in the way it turns audience expectation on its head. Enjolras/Combeferre.