X-treme X-citement

Two ficathons come to fruition on the same weekend. Whose cuisine will reign supreme?

Oh, why make them fight? They're both great.

The 1602ficathon, organised by ion_bond is a little gem, with 20 or so participants, all lovingly adding to a very small, but magnificent, collection of stories. If you don't know the original series, it's by Neil Gaiman and is, basically, the 1960s Marvel Universe come to life in the year 1602.

The xmmficathon, organised by penknife and tartanshell is a larger proposition, and, correspondingly, has a much larger scope. There's a great collection of X3-related stories, which is terrific, because if ever a movie needed fans to make sense of it, that's the movie. Thanks, Brett Ratner. There's characters from comicsverse, underused movie characters like the Morlocks and Kitty Pryde, and all those people whose actions made absolutely no sense whatsoever (that's you, Jean, Erik and Dead!Scott).

Some 1602 recommendations, though you could really pick at random and have a good read on your hands:

The Last Unwedded Nights of Sir Robert Gadlen by newredshoes. I must confess that this was story was written for me, but it would still be top of my list. It's the world of 1602, told in the words of characters both noble and seedy, such as Fred the Duke's Man, Lady Elizabeth Braddock, and Hob Gadling. Remember him, from that other Neil Gaiman work, Sandman? He's the perfect observant eye through which to see this new world of marvels, and the comedy gives way only to draw a sympathetic tear from the reader. Wonderfully written, and a delight to read.

The Waterfall by revelininsanity. A wonderful look at Destiny and her visions, and how her difficult choices keep a family safe. I can't say much more without spoiling the story, but it's imaginings like this that keep drawing me back to reading AU stories, not the Great Apocalyptic Disasters of the What If? comics.

Book of Hours by penknife. I think this is being recommended everywhere, as it should be, but the reason I particularly enjoyed it was that Carlos (1602 Charles Xavier) and Enrique (1602 Magneto) are very much drawn as men of their time. Their sensibilities are not modern, and while Carlos struggles towards the idea of humans as masters of their fate, Enrique takes a darker path, deliberately choosing temporal power. Both utterly believe in their Church, as we would believe in, say, gravity, and yet they struggle onwards with temptation and disappointment growing ever stronger.

Katia's Journey by silver_apples. This was a wonderful adventure story, starring resilient teenager, secret Witchbreed and hidden Jew, Katia de Pryd. No matter her peril, she is resolute, intelligent and cunning; she is a delight to read and I never lost hope for her. This fic also has what is quite possibly the most wonderful cameo appearance in the whole ficathon.

A few X-Men Movieverse Ficathon recommendations, though I still haven't read everything:

...about the dead floating in the wind by thelasteuropean. Kwannon's terrifying (though poetic) descent into darkness. Kwannon finds it easy to live in the shadows and as a shadow, but the vicious people with whom she consorts are going to drag her into the light, eventually. Myth and memories are woven into the narrative, if only to make the reader wonder if there was ever any hope for the girl with the name of a goddess.

Comfort Zone by ion_bond. A story about the original X-Men (in movieverse, this is Jean, Scott, Henry and Ororo) and their complicated, uneasy, loving lives at the Xavier School. From Scott's recruitment of a really unpleasant student to Ororo sharing pudding with the Professor, and Jean and Hank finding out more about each other than they ever knew as teenagers, this story is full of both love and the awkwardness of a family that is not, in fact, happily homogeneous.

And again, the story written for me: Line in the Sand by redfiona99. This is a story about Callisto, Arclight and Kid Omega (aka Quills), the three tattooed, leather-clad kids who join Magneto's fight in X3. This story is about bravery, the need to not keep your head down and fit in, and some really solid ass-kicking. What touched me most, though, was that the reason for Quills to tattoo his neck, when the girls tattooed their faces, was so that he could work retail to make money for the Mutant Cause. Now, that's forward thinking!

Against the Dying of the Light by kaydeefalls. A wonderfully drawn portrait of Piotr throughout X3: what he thinks, how he acts and, most of all, what he keeps inside. This story raises some really uncomfortable questions about what Charles Xavier was doing with the students he recruited; who, exactly, gets to be on the team; and what happens when most of your leaders are dead, and the rest must fight. Parallels are drawn to the mindset of Communist Russia, and, when you are facing a telepath, how absolute your submission to the party line must be. A loving story of Piotr at the school, but at the same time a very real critique of the X-Men and how they choose to fight.

Last of all, for some dangerous fun that will get your fingers burnt, Soul on Fire by sionnain. Pyro, Juggernaut and Multiple Man are not very well-behaved henchmen, and their idea of fun can be terrifying and violent for everyone else. The really strange thing was how absolutely real and sympathetic the psychotic, uncertain Pyro is. Every action that he and his "security lighter" take are repulsive and dangerous, and yet I was completely drawn in to his world view.