Rec: New York Minute

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Hello, hello calufrax!! *Waves* My name is a_phoenixdragon (PhoenixDragon at Teaspoon) and I will be your reccer for the next two weeks.

Some of youse guise know me. This being said, you know I lean towards the darker fictions and my main Doctor meanderings are on Eleven (with smatterings of Eight, respectively). I try to keep my recs broader than that though (so much to love in Who Fandom!), and I will definitely try to share fictions that don't lean so hard into the realms of the bleak that I enjoy (probably more than I should). I'll have a few of those, yes - but I'll try to make sure to cover other areas as well. Like with tonight's rec. *Grins*

Story: New York Minute
Author: rutsky
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1086
Author's Summary: Neal Caffrey knows that New York contains a multitude of wonders. But the temptress with the neat ankles and the man with the suspect fashion sense were unexpected even in Central Park. (Crossover with White Collar)
Characters/Pairings: River Song
Warnings: Crossover, Humor, Vignette

Recced because: Humor. No seriously no pun intended. I love to laugh - and this story had me laughing harder than I have in a long while. Even if you don't really know White Collar at all, this is not a tale to give a miss based on that little factoid alone. Seeing River in such a...regular...setting just shows you how wild, beautiful, mysterious and apart she is. And yet, she is so very, very clever she gives you the notion she fits in nowhere else. The easy banter between her and Neal, the recognition of the 'from one witty con-man to another' type of give and take is worth a read. Seeing her from Neal's view is startling and she is definitely River. And as for the Doctor - well - that's when things get...odd. *Laughs*

I love my dark!fic. I love it with a mad, insatiable passion. But I'm very serious about my comedy again, no pun intended. I like it to be funny. I like it to be engaging, razor-witted and unself-conscious. This fic more than delivers. It's almost like it invented the concept. And who knows? Maybe it did.


“You know, McPherson’s not nearly as clever as he likes to think,” the voice purred in his ear. Neal started, then grabbed at the files as they slid from his lap.

“River, have you ever thought about announcing yourself like a civilized woman?” he grumbled, trying to retrieve the sheets before a breeze took them.

“I don’t believe I ever promised to be civilized,” the older woman replied, coming out from behind the bench and bending to help him.

She had a point, Neal thought, accepting the sheets of paper from her, and checking to see that she hadn’t pocketed anything from the file for herself. As little as he knew of her (solid archeologist, but completely false CV; killer smile and excellent social skills, but more than a hint of ruthlessness underneath; unnerving ability to be where Neal least expected her to be on the few occasions one of his jobs and her projects coincided), he knew enough not to trust her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”


Now go and tell the author how clever and awesome they are! I know they'll love to hear from you!

*HUGS*

Mandy

Comments

[eve11]

That was a fun little piece; thanks for sharing it!

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

You are quite welcome. I must admit, this one gave me visual delight in so many ways - but what cracked me were these lines:

“I thought I’d disabled that bloody manipulator,” the man complained, looking absolutely delighted.

“I’d take her advice if I were you. She’s brilliant you know,” the man said, bending down as if to impart great wisdom. He looked at Neal and grinned. He seemed quite genially insane.

I could hear and see that so, so well and it just...broke me for a few minutes. I still laugh out loud every time, but the first time I read it, I cackled so hard it took me half an hour to recover. I was gasping for breath, wiping my eyes and internally begging for mercy - only to have my treacherous eyes light on one of those sentences and set me off all over again. Good times, man.

*Grins*

So you could say (in the sharing sense), the pleasure was all mine. And if at least one person felt my personal 'pain' - I feel my mission was accomplished! :D

*SQUISH*