Fandom Comes in Rainbows

Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Shishido/Ootori, Atobe/Jirou, Hyoutei, plus a prominent OC
Length/Type: Multi-chapter (21 chapters, approx. 92,000 words)

Summary: Sometimes you don't appreciate the value of what you've got, until you don't have it any more.

♥♥ I discovered Miko's fics rather late, which could be a good thing because it came at a time when I felt like I had burned through all the good Silver Pair fics in existence and needed MOAR. And boy did she provide it. To date, this particular fic may be the ultimate one that put me through some very major Silver Pair emotional wringer. It yanked me across pretty much the entire range of oh my gods, oh noes, and oh yesses. I can't even begin to describe the hurt and the squee I felt through various stages of the story. It was just one big intense reading fest for me, leading right up to the feeling of bliss and satisfaction at the ending.

Emotional wringing aside, I especially like how human she made Shishido and Ootori in this - and how she covers the dynamics (and hardships) of their friendship/relationship in all aspects (from personal to tennis partners) and to discovering one's feelings (not a light thing). It also feels believable the way she told it, which is probably why it managed to throw me into fits of OMG - which are all marks of good storytelling, me thinks.

Story: Jealousy [Rating: NC-17] - by Miko (miko_no_da on LJ)
(note: rated for explicit sexual content)

Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Shishido/Ootori, Hyoutei regulars
Length/Type: Multi-chapter (3 parts, approx. 23,000 words)

Summary: First loves are notoriously difficult. For Shishido Ryou, it is the end of the world.

♥♥ When I think of Shishido/Ootori, I automatically think of everlind first - because she, more than anyone else in my mind, was the author that established (and then defined) my Silver Pair love. Hers weren't the first Silver Pair fics I had read, but they were the ones that made me really really fall in love with the pair. To date, even after all the numerous Silver Pair fics I've read, this specific one still stands as one of my top favorites, especially in the "discovering love" or "get-together" genre.

It has everything I could possibly hope for - boy angst, friendship, awkwardness, first loves, boy hormones, good characterization, the right dose of fluff, and awesome Hyoutei regulars with more of a role than just background noise.

Story: Love is Noise [Rating: PG-13, skirting R in some areas] - by everlind