Slash Guest Author Rec - ArcadianMaggie

Guest Rec by ArcadianMaggie

Anyone following me on Twitter knows that I’ve recently become completely obsessed (OBSESSED) with what’s been nicknamed Jewnicorn fic—fic based on The Social Network, primarily Jesse Eisenberg/Andrew Garfield or Mark Zuckerberg/Eduardo Saverin fic.

So today, my guest rec (which, by the way, I thank you so much for inviting me to make) will be all about RPF, otherwise known as Real Person Fiction.

Ewwww! You might say. That’s so intrusive… Or, it makes me feel icky. Luckily, I have no such qualms and love fic in all its forms. Judge me; I don’t care. I figure, if Aaron Sorkin can write his fancy RPF and win an Oscar for it, that’s good enough for me! If you’re still having trouble with the concept, think of it in the same way that Jesse and Andrew were told to think about it for the movie. Jesse was dissuaded from studying the actual real life Mark Zuckerberg (even though he absolutely did on his own anyway), but instead was directed to portray the fictionalized version that Sorkin created.

I blame my friend robpat (here or here) for my addiction. A voracious reader, she’s been a fantastic source for Harry/Draco recs. When she started to drift to a new fandom, I was very sad. Then out of curiosity, because she had never led me wrong, I clicked on one of her twitter links: a fan video of Jesse and Andrew (or as I like to call it, the gateway video). Watch it!

That’s Step 1 of the Jewnicorn Addiction Process. Is that not the cutest, slashiest vid you have ever seen? OMG!! Are they a couple in real life? That's what friends have asked after watching it. Are they gay (allegedly, they both have long term beards girlfriends)? Who cares?! It doesn’t matter that when you watch the rest of the clip of Andrew describing how he fell in love with Jesse’s face he was jokingly saying it was because it reminded him of his dog. No! That’s not important. What’s important is the beautifully edited narrative we can take from it: that Andrew and Jesse are totally gay for each other and make completely awesome fic characters.  

Step 2 of the addiction process is the gateway fic:

Carry It In My Heart by robin pulaski, a RPS (Real Person Slash) story.

Summary: How Jesse learned to stop worrying and love his costar.

If you weren’t in love with both Jesse and Andrew from watching the video, you will be by the end of this story.

Meet awkward and neurotic, self-conscious Jesse:

Jesse’s always felt a bit uncomfortable in his skin. Most of the time he walks around feeling sort of disjointed, like he’s got his body on backwards and the tag is showing. He wishes he could claim the whole twitchy awkwardness thing he has going as good acting, but if that’s the case, he’s been method since he hit puberty. Usually interacting with people makes him feel like some kind of displaced robot person or one of those kids who don’t develop social skills right so their parents have them set up on playdates with normal children as therapy. He doesn’t listen to the right music or watch the right things, and maybe that would be okay if he was into any of the things that awkward nerdy guys are supposed to be into, but he’s not. He’s never had a PlayStation and he doesn’t even know how to order Starbucks.  No, instead he collects old maps and listens to musical theater and lives inside this odd limbo between normal and the kind of weird that is normal to weird people.

And now here’s gregarious, effusive Andrew:

He expects Andrew to be dorky and charming and friendly, to deliver in every scene and have every woman on the set fluttering around him like he’s their child, and that maybe he’ll drink a lot of tea out of some vintage ceramic thermos and wear giant scarves and smile a lot in a way that, if held at gunpoint, Jesse will admit is kind of stupidly adorable. He probably owns about six pairs of TOMS, but because he actually cares about shoeless children or whatever, not because it’s trendy, and he probably spends his spare time hugging puppies or, fuck, memorizing Shakespearean sonnets or something.

And Andrew in the flesh, well—basically, he’s all of those things, plus affectionate and doting and slightly insane and maybe even a little genuinely wonderful….

But that’s the thing about Andrew. He has this way about him that convinces you he’s made entirely out of sunshine and daisies and big Bambi eyes and not even a speck of anything dirty, and then he’ll leave you reeling. It’s the set of his jaw sometimes, or the way he leaves marks with his fingernails, or the harsh hiss through his teeth when he leans in before a take and says you’re fucking disgusting in Jesse’s—Mark’s—ear. You think you’ve got him figured out, but there’s something about him that is dangerously unpredictable. 

You’ll follow them as they become roommates during the course of filming The Social Network; see them wrestle with the difficult and powerful story of best friends, betrayal, heartbreak, jealousy, and greed; and watch them as they slowly and inevitably fall head over heels for each other. *sigh*  It’s flawless.

Step 3 is finding a good rec list, or even just browsing the kink meme threads on Live Journal. I started with this one provided by the talented Lou-La (here or here), author of How To Turn A Straight Guy Gay and my personal favorite, Straight Edge.  She’s shifted her attention to the TSN fandom and has written several pieces. I encourage you to check out this story:

It All Meant Something by wordgasmic

Summary: Just a few small inches of lightly tanned skin revealed on Andrew’s back sent Jesse back into forever-questioning-everything mode.

Stories about the actors themselves still a little too weird for you? Try them in this absolutely adorable AU story where they’re both fictional students at Harvard (a WIP lovingly referred to as Dork!Jesse):

Kiss By the Book by anonymous

I dare you to read this fic without ending up with hearts in your eyes. Shy Jesse leaves this message for Andrew on his white board outside his dorm room (squeee!):

When Andrew finally gets back from rehearsal, and from being interrogated about all things romantic in his life, there’s a new note scrawled on the whiteboard on his dorm room door. It’s written small, messy, squeezed into the lower corner under several messages from Armie’s friends and a Stoppard quote from Carey.

I would like to circumnavigate you, so that if there was a map of every inch of you I would run out of push-pins trying to mark: I was here, I was here, I was here. JE

Is angst more your scene? How about a Mark/Eduardo fic based on this prompt:

Eduardo has this thing, where whenever he's drunk drunk, he basically makes out with whoever's around. More often than not this turns out to be Mark. Eduardo never remembers this though, so he is rather shocked when C and D mention this to him one day.

Crept Out the Front Door Slowly by ymorton.

My stomach was in knots the entire way through. It’s sooo angsty, and sooo good, and incredibly hot. I’ve moved away from WIPs in general, but I jumped on each update the second they went up (it’s now complete).

Just a note: it’s completely unnecessary to see the movie to become addicted to the fic. But once you do, you’ll have an even greater appreciation for the stories, the players and the actors involved. The Social Network definitely lives up to the hype and is an absolutely brilliant piece of RPF cinematic work.

If a new fandom isn’t in your future, don’t worry! There’s plenty of RPF in the Twilight fandom too. I’ve read quite a bit. Most of it tends to be about Rob, the attractive and talented actor, falling in love with his PA, make-up artist, some random fan or just your average girl (*cough* self-insert *cough*). There are plenty that fictionalize Rob and Kristen’s relationship as well. My favorite Twilight RPF fic is this one:

Taking Chances by Evenstar.

Summary: Robert has two more days in London before he has to return to his hectic life in LA. He has no intention of letting himself anywhere near emotional attachment. Despite this, he finds himself unable to resist the brave invite of a beautiful girl at a nightclub in Soho, thinking it would be a one night thing only.

What I like about it is that both Rob and Miranda both actually sound British; Miranda has an actual interesting job, and it’s incredibly hot. Lots of angst and drunken hook-ups and separation via both their careers. You want these two to just get their shit together and make it work because it’s so obvious they’re both crazy about each other!

Is Rob a little young for you? Maybe you’d like to read a story about someone a little older, a little more dashing, a little more worldly. How about an Anderson Cooper fic? How about an Edward Cullen/Anderson Cooper slash fic? Did you just die? I know I did when I heard tuesdaymidnight (here or here) of Raw & Rosy and Wanderlust fame, among others, was writing this one. I heart her so hard.

Off the Record by tuesdaymidnight

Summary: Anderson Cooper is filming a segment in New Orleans. A mysterious stranger keeps appearing before him, and Anderson feels compelled to find out his secrets.

Your first thought might be that this story has got to be cracky as all get out, but it’s sensual and mysterious (and hot). Anderson is in New Orleans, reporting on the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He keeps encountering a mysterious stranger who seems to know all about him. In my mind, Anderson is a much better pairing for Edward than some nondescript high school girl. After reading this story, I’m sure you’ll agree! Here’s a taste of this lovely treat for you:

I spent most of my time working, which entailed talking to a lot of people who were directly involved in the rebuilding process. The goal for the piece was to show the resilient spirit of the city, to show exactly where the rebuilding was taking place, so we could directly compare it to its state five years ago. There were a lot of people still displaced, and my intent was also to show that even though progress was being made, there was still work to be done and preparations to be made to ensure the same catastrophe didn't happen to the area again.

The day was overcast and gloomy while we were doing rounds in the Lower Ninth Ward; it added to the bittersweet feeling.

That was where I saw him.

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but then I saw it again, a flash of pale flesh and a head of reddish hair. He had been following me and my crew for at least the past hour, but he did an almost masterful job at staying hidden. When we started filming, I put him out of my mind, and after we had wrapped for the day, he was no where to be found.

This is just a small sampling of the huge heaping piles of RPF on the web. If you can ship it, you can fic it. And more than likely, it’s been done, time and time before. Now someone go out and write me some good Robert Pattinson/Tom Sturridge fic! And with all the bandslash out there, isn’t there someone who will please write some 100 Monkeys Jackson/Jared for my friend rmhale?  

I know you secretly want more, so here are a few more RPF resource links for your entertainment:

TSN links
http://bea-recs.dreamwidth.org/29563.html?#cutid1\
http://community.livejournal.com/mark_eduardo/

Pinto fic! (Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto)

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_pinto/

Harry Potter Real Person Slash

http://community.livejournal.com/hp_rps/

Rob Pattinson RPF

http://www.robertpattinsonfiction.com/storyboard/index.php

Bandslash

http://littleofimportance.wordpress.com/resources/bandslash/
http://wistfuljane.livejournal.com/152533.html
http://community.livejournal.com/newbieguide/23364.html

Pundit RPF

http://punditfic.dreamwidth.org/profile
http://community.livejournal.com/punditslash/