Kat’s Themed Vid Recs of Doom – Edition 1

[kat_lair]

Okay people, as promised here is the first of (hopefully) many vid rec sets to come. Thank you to everyone who gave me their opinions on what to rec. I was pleased with the spread of fandoms you wanted represented but frankly disturbed by the fact that everyone asked for angst, woe and sobbing (uh, seriously F-list? Are you quite okay? Is there perhaps something you want to talk about?).

I have two angst folders when it comes to my fanvids: One is for those heartbreakingly delicate vids that make you cry your eyes out and the other is full of hard-hitting raw angst that has you reaching for the nearest shotgun/wraith tazer/stake/sword/etc. rather than a tissue.

I’ve gone for the weep-your-heart-out kind here and have decided to do the other type later. I couldn’t quite include all the fandoms you asked for but don’t worry, they will crop up at some point. I’ve also restricted myself to five vids per set because I think that’s a maximum you can take at a time, especially considering the theme.

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Five Fanvids That Make Kat Cry

REMEMBER TO LEAVE FEEDBACK TO THE VIDDERS!

Vid: How to Save a Life
Vidder: obfreak
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Genre/pairing: Carson character study
Rambling reason why you should watch this vid: Oh Carson. I originally watched this before Sunday aired and had a wobbly bottom lip. And now that I’ve seen the episode, this video makes me cry into my pillow. One of the appeals of Beckett’s character was the fact that he wasn’t perfect; he had questionable medical ethics, made wrong decisions, and got scared. But his heart was in the right place, tied to his work and to the people around him. This video showcases Carson the doctor, and Carson the healer, in all the imperfect, broken glory, and does so with excellent editing and clip choices, leaving a smooth, professional looking finish.
Download link and info: From vidder's website here. Scroll down the page, the vid is sixth from the top.

Vid: Set the Fire to the Third Bar
Vidder: SE
Fandom: Torchwood
Genre/pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rambling reason why you should watch this vid: This may be heresy to some, but Jack/Ianto doesn’t really set my heart on fire. I mean, I like the pairing well enough, but… that’s it. No great OTP passion there, no real emotional attachment. And yet. Yet. This video hit me where it hurts and it made me just ache for them both. By the time I got to the we’d share each other like an island/until exhausted close our eyelids part I was struggling to breathe. The feelings of isolation and helplessness in the face of circumstances come through clear, and the matching of clips to the lyrics is nothing sort of genius. 
Download link and info: From vidder's website: On this page

Vid: Wake Up
Vidder: sacrilicious
Fandom: Supernatural
Genre/pairing: Episode-centric, Sam/Dean according to the vidder (though not explicit and could perhaps be interpreted as intense brotherly love)
Rambling reason why you should watch this vid: To my knowledge, In Your Time of Dying was an episode that left the whole SPN fandom feeling fragile and teary-eyed for weeks. I, being rather weak when it comes to spoilers, watched this before seeing the episode and promptly fell to pieces. Nothing delivers the angst quite like SPN. This video brings home just how close to losing everything that matters Sam came. Oh boys.
Download link and info: The original LJ post and d/l link here.

Vid: Cannonball
Vidder: ancastar
Fandom: The Professionals
Genre/pairing: Relationship-vid, Bodie/Doyle
Rambling reason why you should watch this vid: I should probably take this opportunity to tell you that I tend to like the more literal lyric-clip interpretation in videos. This means that when the lyrics life taught me to die are matched with a scene of Doyle being shot and lyrics your weakness are accompanied by a clip of Bodie giving the most wicked come hither smile to some woman, I’m so fucking sold that it’s not even funny. That said, this is a wonderfully delicate love-video in the truest meaning of the word. The vidder has managed to capture every significant look and smile and touch between the two men. This vid requires no canon-knowledge whatsoever and you should watch this for the sheer beauty of two men in love.
Download link and info: LJ post with d/l link here about half-way through the page

Vid: Not Only Human
Vidders: killabeez and laurashapiro
Fandom: The X-Files
Genre/pairing: Scully character study, includes some Mulder/Scully moments (but really, the show was one long Mulder/Scully moment anyway)
Rambling reason why you should watch this vid: As well as being in my will-make-you-weep folder, I’d also classified this video into the folder titled “Larger Than Life” which is for vids so wide-reaching and deep that they leave you awed from the sheer scope of them. Not Only Human traces Scully’s character-arch through the seasons, tying it into the mythology of the show. Scully was many things, but she was a scientists first. And yet, one the central themes of The X-Files was how science and faith, science and supernatural, did not cancel each other out, but when brought together formed something even more powerful. In Scully it was a credo made flesh in the most literal sense possible, and the video shows the strength, fragility and dedication that made her arguably the most interesting female character in recent TV history. While the video is beautiful in its own right, knowledge of canon and X-Files mythology are required for the full impact.
Download link and info: Killa’s vids are unfortunately no longer online. Laura’s can be found here. The site is password protected but that is easy to get, just e-mail Laura according to the instructions on the page.

REMEMBER TO LEAVE FEEDBACK TO THE VIDDERS!

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*wipes brow, blows nose*

Darling F-list, you do realise that to write these recs I had to watch all these videos repeatedly, over and over again, until I was a quivering, weepy mess of broken emotions? You understand that, right? Right? *rocks back and forth whilst clutching a pillow*

So uh, you’ll get more angst later but the next set is going to be themed Humour and Crack, and all vids will come from my “The Funneh” folder, okay? This is to save my own sanity. And, by proxy, yours.

Comments

[claudia-writes.livejournal.com]

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to do this, I'm inheretly so lazy that finding good vods just seems beyond me. And secondly this is completely beside the point:

Jack/Ianto doesn’t really set my heart on fire. I mean, I like the pairing well enough, but… that’s it. No great OTP passion there, no real emotional attachment.

I'll have to agree with you on that. Maybe it's too easy. Ive been reading some misslucyjane's fic of late, and I just keep thinking "well that's cannon right, why do I need to get exited." and then I need to continuously remind myself that "no, not cannon". It's all fun and yay but no fire.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

You are very welcome, I am happy to enable fandom obsessions of my F-list.

I haven't read much TW fic at all, mostly stuffed that's been recced or written by people I know so that the quality is guaranteed. I absolutely love the show but pairing-wise it leaves me a bit cold. All the innuendo and man-kissing is hot and highly entertaining but I don't feel like championing the cause of any one pairing in particular.

[claudia-writes.livejournal.com]

Well as far as recs go, I can pretty much recommend everything on lucyjanesparlor, especially the series: Lover in Dangerose Time. I'm pretty much thinking that as cannon now.

[inkblot-fiend.livejournal.com]

The Carson one... I - I may not recover... *whimpers*

Also, I have no idea what The Professionals is, but I now have a very, very strong desire to watch it.

Thank you for the angst. I will now go have to go and curl up in a ball in my bed and cuddle my stuffed elephant until the tears stop. :D

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

I am still to fragile to talk about Carson in any length. I am however, writing (slowly!) fic.

I have no idea what The Professionals is - tut, tut. Know your slash history miss! And it's a British series too! Excellent overview with fic archive links at crack_van here: http://community.livejournal.com/crack_van/15260.html (too lazy to do tags)

You are very welcome, I'm glad (?!) that the angst has been suitably emotional and that you enjoyed the vids. Stay tuned for more in a week or so.

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

Firstly, thank you for your vid recs of doom!

I totally agree with you about Ianto/Jack but the vid definitely makes the best of the strange variations of interaction that we got throughout the series.

The Carson video is just love, all the fabulous bits, and they make him look so very, very good. It all totally makes me go '...ok, not fair, in no way fair,' all over again.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

You are welcome, I live to serve (if by "serve", you mean "point toward fandom pretties").

The Jack/Ianto vid worked for me precisely I think because it was not fluffy twuu luuv affair. See this version (Jack leaving Ianto behind) I can buy.

I think I'm still mourning for Beckett. Haven't seen another episode since Sunday either (although that's for practical reasons rather than anything else).

[bloodrebel333.livejournal.com]

Dude. Also: the music on Laura's website is nice too, I'm not sure if you've checked that out yet.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

I know. I've had a quick look of her tunes, but haven't had time to investigate properly yet so thanks for the nudge.