Picking a favourite fic is impossible, but here's a list

Today for the December talking meme, captainhillshipper asked me for my favourite fic and why I love it. Which is basically impossible to narrow down to just one fic, in the same way I can't pick just one book or movie (anyone who wants the rundown on those - I'm still taking topic suggestions!), so it has to come down to a list.

Most of these fics are ones I've read in the last five years or so, because my memory for fics I read further back than that is...hazy. Any older fics on this list stood out like woah. Sadly, that means fandoms I was active in for a long time (SG1, Buffy) are not represented well. Er, at all. Everything blurred into a mush.

Also, bookmarking and Kindling today makes remembering newer favourites so much easier than it used to be. There are fics that I remember loving at the time, enough to reread multiple times, but all I can remember is fandom, pairing, and maybe a vague premise. Maybe. The archives they were on are long gone, which makes them pretty much impossible to trace. Hence the bias towards newer fics.

The fics below are the ones that I've read a dozen or more times, the ones I open when I need a pick-me-up or a cosy afternoon with a cup of tea. I love them to little bitty pieces and keep going back to them. Bashing my favourite fics ain't gonna win you points here, is what I'm saying :-)

Launch Your Assault: I've lost count of how many times I've read this. It's a Clint/Coulson college AU by one of my favourite fic writers, and there's something about the mix of angst, porn, self-discovery, and porn, that really registers with me every time I read it. (No, it's just just the porn.)

Ordinary Workplace Hazards, Or SHIELD and OSHA Aren't On Speaking Terms: I might have read this one as many times as LYA, it's hard to tell. It's a Clint/Coulson fic that has one of the hottest non-sex scenes I've read, and it's the fic that launched this ship for me. I love it enough to have it on my Kindle and in two different podfic readings on my iPod.

Motion Practice: An Avengers lawyer AU sounds like it should be the most boring thing ever, but it really isn't. Loads of well-written, novel-length fics. My favourite pairings. Emotionally difficult but hugely satisfying stories. I've read the original fic multiple times and most of the others at least twice. They're gorgeous.

Men of Our Word: I read this so many times when I was Sparrington shipping hard. And then last year I got a craving, spent an evening tracking it down to reread, and I still love it to a ridiculous degree.

#435, The Atlantis Local Stitch'n'Bitch: I'm linking to the text of this, because I have no idea where I got the podfic version of it from. That's the version I've listened to fifty billion times, though. It's maybe my favourite McShep fic and I can't even articulate why.

Drastically Redefining Protocol: By the same author as the last fic, this is the Merlin Royalty AU of my heart. It's my favourite Merlin fic. It's ridiculous and awesome and I'm never, ever getting over it.

So there we go, this is my list, and in about five minutes I'm going to realise there were a dozen other fics that I wanted to list here as well, but never mind. This list is the fics that came immediately to mind when I was asked this question, which speaks to how much I love them.

Anyone else want to share some favourites?

Con pimping: Wincon

So, a good friend of mine is on the committee for this con and has spent the last two years extolling its virtues, which says a lot about a con if someone I like and respect is involved and loves it :-) If I can make my vacation time work out next year, I'm hoping to go to the 2015 edition.

I love fan run cons. They're fun, relaxed, and filled with really cool panels and awesome people. They're running some things right now with the aim of making the con an even better experience and opening it up for more people to participate in from next year. And thus, I'd like to let the Wincon folks tell you a bit more about the con, what they're doing, and how you can help (and get cool stuff for doing it, even if you can't actually go).

Wincon is a 'by the fans, for the fans' multi-fandom con. That means no guests, no celebrities, just the internet in real time with other fans. Wincon 2015 in Pittsburgh will be their 10th anniversary, but they need some help to make it happen.

In the past, they've been about a 100-person con. That's no longer sustainable, so they've decided to grow to 250-300 people. At this size, they can offer more programming, better events, etc. while cutting registration costs nearly in half. Registration for 2015 is just $55 for the weekend.

To make sure Wincon can be successful at this new size, they're running an Indiegogo campaign. You can buy your registration or choose from their other awesome perks. They have custom art from some truly awesome artists made just for the campaign, as well as donations of art commissions and custom fan crafts.

Please take a minute to visit the Indiegogo page and get to know what they're all about. You can also find more information at their tumblr or website.