my crazy, let me show you it
Mar. 10th, 2009 02:29 pmI promise that there is one person on my flist who wants to see this! the rest of you can just suffer for my passion. it can't be any worse than that two-year phase when I was really into Prince of Tennis.
so... tennis. basically this fandom floats along on the fact that many tennis players are attractive, and the unresolved sexual tension when they play each other really ought to set the net on fire. also sometimes they hug! (or kiss, if they're French. or jump on top of each other and roll around on the ground, if they're Spanish. I LOVE THE SPANISH TENNIS PLAYERS.)
here may be found a nice pictorial manifesto of the main ship (or at least, my main ship) in tennis slash, i.e. Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal. they are very pretty! I'll be upfront and admit that the tinhattedness of some of the fedal shippers freaks me out (and I am a fan of J^2, so I know from tin hats). I would love for Roger and Rafa to play doubles, win his-and-his matching Wimbledon trophies, come out at the awards ceremony and get married and have kids. but I also think that their relationship as it stands right now is mostly a big case of hero-worship on Rafa's part and mixed resentment and honest admiration on Roger's. but I'm cynical. they do seem to be friends, and okay, they smolder when they play each other. and the tummy-rubbing makes me giggle. go, look at the pictures, you'll see what I mean. and, um, so we're on the same page: I have an enormous girly crush on Rafa's idiotic looking face. go have a look and you can have a crush on dorktastic Rafa as well. (his FACE! when his hair is down and combed he looks like he's about TWELVE and then he gets all TENNIS IS SRS BZNS and he's a totally different-looking person, it's crazy. also, um, those arms. yeah. let's just contemplate his arms for a while.) this and this are nice general Rafa/Roger picspams, and this is a spam of their epic Australian Open final.
okay, you now know as much about men's tennis as I do! on to the fic. this fandom has a couple of really amazing authors, which is crazy considering its size. but yay for excellent fic!
Days Like These, I Miss You, by![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
buckle_berry. oh, oh, this one makes me flail like a demented penguin. Roger and Rafa are doing that ambiguous "we're hooking up but it's not like it counts as real sex or anything" thing, and then they start trying to fumble their way to a real relationship, and they're just so bad at it, bless their little souls. and they have serious conversations about Playstation and Rafa sucks at Guitar Hero and Rafa's Uncle Toni (who is his coach) is totally awesome and funny and tells Rafa not to stay out so late at discotheques.
Desert Places, byemungere. seriously epic. Roger is retired, Rafa is not, they're still best friends and Roger is sort of having a homosexual midlife crisis. so they go on a road trip (it makes sense at the time) and... I can't really explain what I love about this fic. Roger's POV is really amazingly well done (Days Like These, I Miss You is an incredible Rafa POV, for the sake of comparison) and it's all so - real-sounding, I guess. the blending of the mundane with the remarkable reality of love. Rafa buying things for Roger because he has money and he wants to spend it on somebody, and Roger not knowing how to cook. I love it. (also, Roger showing up at Rafa's final and sitting in his box and being nervous, it breaks my heart in the best possible way.)
Forever to Manacor, byniennah. some of you have probably read Prufrock's epic Merlin AU, Drastically Redefining Protocol. this is a little like that. I mean, not with magic or princes of Wales or anything. but it's a story partly told by the external world's reactions to the story - interviews, news stories, things like that - and I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH. because it's a story about how the external world affects Roger and Rafa's relationship, and the way it's set up is fabulous. and I think it's also kind of deeper than the usual sports slash story, you know? it's not just about Roger and Rafa, it's about what it means to be an athlete and gay and unable to tell the world you love somebody. there's a conversation with Stan Wawrinka that makes my heart go all squeezy with distressed love (do not worry! I didn't know who Stan was either!) and it just makes you think what life would be like for these people if we actually were right about their Destined Love (tm).
The Gay Beckhams, byaramley. speaking of life as a gay athlete... this is less epic and generally fluffier, but also just happy-making.
Obvious, byemungere. oh, bless. Rafa has a blatant schoolgirl crush on Roger, which is obvious to everyone but Rafa and Roger. Rafa is Roger's favorite, as everyone knows but Rafa. the Spanish tennis players tease Rafa about Roger! Rafa has a notebook of English phrases that the other players on the tour helped him put together (and it includes "oh rogi you're my hero")! Roger takes Rafa out for pizza! THEY COMMUNICATE BY TEXT MESSAGE, my heart is not strong enough for this. I giggled like an idiot all the way through.
Deception, byniennah. this is one of my absolute favorite Rafa POVs. it never quite goes the way you're expecting, and while the main plot point is Rafa having a freakout, I think it's over something much more interesting and universal than the ordinary homosexual cold feet. I can't say much more without spoiling, but the end really just moves me so much with a single sentence. come back when you've read it and ask me which one.
This Is Different, You and Me, byniennah. I sort of think of this as the companion to Deception, because that one is about Rafa freaking out and screwing up, and this time it's Roger having the homosexual panic. it's cool to read them together and look at how their POVs differ. (mostly off-topic, but the ladies are awesome in this.)
Breathe Out, bylouiselux. I don't think this is blindingly hot the way some fedal fic is, but it's really lyrical and moving. Roger goes to Mallorca to visit Rafa and not-say all the things that can't be said.
I hesitate on reccing The Long Experience of Love, because it's a WIP that doesn't look like it's ever getting finished, but what there is of it is a really fascinating AU. (you can find it atthebrightday.) it's apparently based on The Time Traveler's Wife; Roger involuntarily travels through time to various point in his own past and future, resulting in a very complicated relationship with Rafa, whom he visits in the past from the future before they meet in the present. the writing is phenomenal and both POVs are outstanding. also, their text messages read like actual text messages! this is a pet peeve of mine, ignore me. XD (also, you'll have to join fedal_slash to see this, but Beautiful Secret Lives is an astonishing one-shot by the same author, basically detailing eight different ways Roger and Rafa could have gone. some are happy, some aren't, but they're all gorgeous.)
One Foot in the Stage Door, bybuckle_berry. oh, come on, it isn't a real fandom until it has wingfic. astoundingly good wingfic at that!
Media Vita, byaramley. GLADIATOR AU. no, seriously! and it's well-researched and amazing and I want to grab Rafa and hug him just as much as I do in canon! go, read, you will love it!
New Clothes, bylouiselux and emungere. Olympic uniforms! blowjobs! there's no bad here.
You Said Something, bybuckle_berry. uh. scorching hot rimming PWP? I got nothing.
Perfect 10, byemungere. this almost trips my embarrassment squick, but in the end Rafa just goes with it so gracefully that I can't help but love the whole thing for leading up to his epiphany. and I do think, sadly, that this is a little closer to the situation in reality than most fic: Rafa's continual Roger love-fest in the news has to be kind of embarrassing for both of them at times. but there are a lot of amazing, hilarious lines in here, too.
Seeing Other People, bylouiselux. man, I want to see the results of this photoshoot. Rafa's commentary on all the ridiculous things they make him wear is awesome.
Victory, Defeat, And Other Moments For Roger Federer's Private Wimbledon Scrapbook, byelizayabanci. hot little one-shot, post-Wimbledon.
The Beauty of It, bylouiselux. hot and kind of sad PWP in which Rafa and Roger have sex in a closet. the irony is rather lost on them. set in the present-day situation, meaning that Roger is married and Rafa has a serious girlfriend.
Roger Rafa Dubai Mallorca, bytsamm. the lone tennis fic on yuletide! it represents its fellows proudly. I think this fic does a really great job illustrating some of the differences between Rafa and Roger, one of which is that Rafa is infinitely better-adjusted. but there are a lot of interesting points being made. also, hot sex!
You've No Clue, Have You?, bybuckle_berry. featuring a threesome with Feliciano Lopez, who is one of Rafa's ridiculously pretty fellow Spaniards (they've played doubles a couple of times, I think, but really all you need to know is: ridiculously pretty) and also adorkable. can someone explain to me how this can be a threesome and yet the most OTP fic I have ever read? I don't even understand. major, major bonus points for including all the truly awkward details of sex with three people on a hotel bed. and Rafa's POV is made of win.
Estrangement, byniennah. saving the best for last. this is everything I want in tennis slash, all wrapped up in a bow. if you read only one tennis fic, it should be this one. ~flails~ just - just go read it, okay? it makes me want to cry, and hug Roger, and hug Rafa, and hug every single person in the stands who cheered.
special bonus feature! I'd Do Anything To Catch You Falling, bybuckle_berry, which is Feli/Rafa (and Roger/Rafa in passing). I am developing such a soft spot for the Armada! the boys are such boys in this - they never talk about their feelings, they get things wrong because they don't really know what's going on, but hey, the sex is good! also, oh, Feli.
extra special bonus feature, in case anyone into tennis slash also used to like Prince of Tennis - Everything That Falls, bybookshop is not about Rafa and Roger (it's about Ryoma and Tezuka, actually), but it is about tennis, and love, and includes guest appearances by Roger and Andre Agassi, and I think it is very much worth checking out, if only to see the crossover done well!
wow. ~sweatdrops~ that was... comprehensive. hopefully someone will be tempted into my new obsession! it's a lot of fun!
so... tennis. basically this fandom floats along on the fact that many tennis players are attractive, and the unresolved sexual tension when they play each other really ought to set the net on fire. also sometimes they hug! (or kiss, if they're French. or jump on top of each other and roll around on the ground, if they're Spanish. I LOVE THE SPANISH TENNIS PLAYERS.)
here may be found a nice pictorial manifesto of the main ship (or at least, my main ship) in tennis slash, i.e. Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal. they are very pretty! I'll be upfront and admit that the tinhattedness of some of the fedal shippers freaks me out (and I am a fan of J^2, so I know from tin hats). I would love for Roger and Rafa to play doubles, win his-and-his matching Wimbledon trophies, come out at the awards ceremony and get married and have kids. but I also think that their relationship as it stands right now is mostly a big case of hero-worship on Rafa's part and mixed resentment and honest admiration on Roger's. but I'm cynical. they do seem to be friends, and okay, they smolder when they play each other. and the tummy-rubbing makes me giggle. go, look at the pictures, you'll see what I mean. and, um, so we're on the same page: I have an enormous girly crush on Rafa's idiotic looking face. go have a look and you can have a crush on dorktastic Rafa as well. (his FACE! when his hair is down and combed he looks like he's about TWELVE and then he gets all TENNIS IS SRS BZNS and he's a totally different-looking person, it's crazy. also, um, those arms. yeah. let's just contemplate his arms for a while.) this and this are nice general Rafa/Roger picspams, and this is a spam of their epic Australian Open final.
okay, you now know as much about men's tennis as I do! on to the fic. this fandom has a couple of really amazing authors, which is crazy considering its size. but yay for excellent fic!
Days Like These, I Miss You, by
buckle_berry. oh, oh, this one makes me flail like a demented penguin. Roger and Rafa are doing that ambiguous "we're hooking up but it's not like it counts as real sex or anything" thing, and then they start trying to fumble their way to a real relationship, and they're just so bad at it, bless their little souls. and they have serious conversations about Playstation and Rafa sucks at Guitar Hero and Rafa's Uncle Toni (who is his coach) is totally awesome and funny and tells Rafa not to stay out so late at discotheques. Desert Places, by
emungere. seriously epic. Roger is retired, Rafa is not, they're still best friends and Roger is sort of having a homosexual midlife crisis. so they go on a road trip (it makes sense at the time) and... I can't really explain what I love about this fic. Roger's POV is really amazingly well done (Days Like These, I Miss You is an incredible Rafa POV, for the sake of comparison) and it's all so - real-sounding, I guess. the blending of the mundane with the remarkable reality of love. Rafa buying things for Roger because he has money and he wants to spend it on somebody, and Roger not knowing how to cook. I love it. (also, Roger showing up at Rafa's final and sitting in his box and being nervous, it breaks my heart in the best possible way.)Forever to Manacor, by
niennah. some of you have probably read Prufrock's epic Merlin AU, Drastically Redefining Protocol. this is a little like that. I mean, not with magic or princes of Wales or anything. but it's a story partly told by the external world's reactions to the story - interviews, news stories, things like that - and I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH. because it's a story about how the external world affects Roger and Rafa's relationship, and the way it's set up is fabulous. and I think it's also kind of deeper than the usual sports slash story, you know? it's not just about Roger and Rafa, it's about what it means to be an athlete and gay and unable to tell the world you love somebody. there's a conversation with Stan Wawrinka that makes my heart go all squeezy with distressed love (do not worry! I didn't know who Stan was either!) and it just makes you think what life would be like for these people if we actually were right about their Destined Love (tm). The Gay Beckhams, by
aramley. speaking of life as a gay athlete... this is less epic and generally fluffier, but also just happy-making. Obvious, by
emungere. oh, bless. Rafa has a blatant schoolgirl crush on Roger, which is obvious to everyone but Rafa and Roger. Rafa is Roger's favorite, as everyone knows but Rafa. the Spanish tennis players tease Rafa about Roger! Rafa has a notebook of English phrases that the other players on the tour helped him put together (and it includes "oh rogi you're my hero")! Roger takes Rafa out for pizza! THEY COMMUNICATE BY TEXT MESSAGE, my heart is not strong enough for this. I giggled like an idiot all the way through. Deception, by
niennah. this is one of my absolute favorite Rafa POVs. it never quite goes the way you're expecting, and while the main plot point is Rafa having a freakout, I think it's over something much more interesting and universal than the ordinary homosexual cold feet. I can't say much more without spoiling, but the end really just moves me so much with a single sentence. come back when you've read it and ask me which one. This Is Different, You and Me, by
niennah. I sort of think of this as the companion to Deception, because that one is about Rafa freaking out and screwing up, and this time it's Roger having the homosexual panic. it's cool to read them together and look at how their POVs differ. (mostly off-topic, but the ladies are awesome in this.)Breathe Out, by
louiselux. I don't think this is blindingly hot the way some fedal fic is, but it's really lyrical and moving. Roger goes to Mallorca to visit Rafa and not-say all the things that can't be said. I hesitate on reccing The Long Experience of Love, because it's a WIP that doesn't look like it's ever getting finished, but what there is of it is a really fascinating AU. (you can find it at
thebrightday.) it's apparently based on The Time Traveler's Wife; Roger involuntarily travels through time to various point in his own past and future, resulting in a very complicated relationship with Rafa, whom he visits in the past from the future before they meet in the present. the writing is phenomenal and both POVs are outstanding. also, their text messages read like actual text messages! this is a pet peeve of mine, ignore me. XD (also, you'll have to join fedal_slash to see this, but Beautiful Secret Lives is an astonishing one-shot by the same author, basically detailing eight different ways Roger and Rafa could have gone. some are happy, some aren't, but they're all gorgeous.)One Foot in the Stage Door, by
buckle_berry. oh, come on, it isn't a real fandom until it has wingfic. astoundingly good wingfic at that! Media Vita, by
aramley. GLADIATOR AU. no, seriously! and it's well-researched and amazing and I want to grab Rafa and hug him just as much as I do in canon! go, read, you will love it! New Clothes, by
louiselux and emungere. Olympic uniforms! blowjobs! there's no bad here. You Said Something, by
buckle_berry. uh. scorching hot rimming PWP? I got nothing. Perfect 10, by
emungere. this almost trips my embarrassment squick, but in the end Rafa just goes with it so gracefully that I can't help but love the whole thing for leading up to his epiphany. and I do think, sadly, that this is a little closer to the situation in reality than most fic: Rafa's continual Roger love-fest in the news has to be kind of embarrassing for both of them at times. but there are a lot of amazing, hilarious lines in here, too. Seeing Other People, by
louiselux. man, I want to see the results of this photoshoot. Rafa's commentary on all the ridiculous things they make him wear is awesome. Victory, Defeat, And Other Moments For Roger Federer's Private Wimbledon Scrapbook, by
elizayabanci. hot little one-shot, post-Wimbledon. The Beauty of It, by
louiselux. hot and kind of sad PWP in which Rafa and Roger have sex in a closet. the irony is rather lost on them. set in the present-day situation, meaning that Roger is married and Rafa has a serious girlfriend. Roger Rafa Dubai Mallorca, by
tsamm. the lone tennis fic on yuletide! it represents its fellows proudly. I think this fic does a really great job illustrating some of the differences between Rafa and Roger, one of which is that Rafa is infinitely better-adjusted. but there are a lot of interesting points being made. also, hot sex! You've No Clue, Have You?, by
buckle_berry. featuring a threesome with Feliciano Lopez, who is one of Rafa's ridiculously pretty fellow Spaniards (they've played doubles a couple of times, I think, but really all you need to know is: ridiculously pretty) and also adorkable. can someone explain to me how this can be a threesome and yet the most OTP fic I have ever read? I don't even understand. major, major bonus points for including all the truly awkward details of sex with three people on a hotel bed. and Rafa's POV is made of win. Estrangement, by
niennah. saving the best for last. this is everything I want in tennis slash, all wrapped up in a bow. if you read only one tennis fic, it should be this one. ~flails~ just - just go read it, okay? it makes me want to cry, and hug Roger, and hug Rafa, and hug every single person in the stands who cheered. special bonus feature! I'd Do Anything To Catch You Falling, by
buckle_berry, which is Feli/Rafa (and Roger/Rafa in passing). I am developing such a soft spot for the Armada! the boys are such boys in this - they never talk about their feelings, they get things wrong because they don't really know what's going on, but hey, the sex is good! also, oh, Feli. extra special bonus feature, in case anyone into tennis slash also used to like Prince of Tennis - Everything That Falls, by
bookshop is not about Rafa and Roger (it's about Ryoma and Tezuka, actually), but it is about tennis, and love, and includes guest appearances by Roger and Andre Agassi, and I think it is very much worth checking out, if only to see the crossover done well! wow. ~sweatdrops~ that was... comprehensive. hopefully someone will be tempted into my new obsession! it's a lot of fun!
