A Parker Family Christmas

A Parker Family Christmas by Orangesky


This fic is fun, funny, light, entertaining and pleasant. It is a thankfully angst free zone. Don't let the fact that it has Christmas in the title put you off reading it now that it's not Christmas. In fact this fic has spanned two Christmas's and is still going strong.Orangesky is a talented writer, there's no doubt about that. She knows how to set a scene, write good dialogue and has a well thought out plot developed.

So far so good, right? I do have a criticism though.

Don't read it all at the one go because you'll overdose on saccharine and fall into a sugar coma. There are a few scenes that are so over the top sweet and cloying that it's hard to stomach.

The Parker family, namely twins Kyle and Michael and twins Liz and Alex and their widowed father Jeff, are so absolutely perfect. They can do everything, everybody loves them, they have no faults.

It's so annoying to see a writer with genuine talent and not just a good fanfic writer, fall into the trap of making her main protagonists total Mary Sue's. That's right. Mary Sue alert.

Mary Sue Alert: Mary Sue Alert: Mary Sue Alert:

Take Liz for example. She is a black belt, has a beautiful singing voice, can play the guitar and piano, is a talented photographer, everybody adores her, she never makes a mistake, never does anything wrong, always knows everything, always knows what's wrong with somebody and exactly how to handle it. Sigh.

The whole family is like that. And they talk like people from seventh heaven. Sometimes I want to tell them to shut up and be real people.

Anyway in the course of the fic all four siblings have met their anam cara - that's soul mate to you and I. The Parkers couldn't be normal and use the term soul mate. Did I mention that three of them are male? Hetero males? Because they talk and act like girls.

So where was I? Oh yeah, the soulmates. Liz's three brother have met three lovely young women and fallen in love with them. Which is funny because it's quiet clear that all three brothers are in love with their sister. Seriously they are like infatuated with her. Those poor girls are supposed to measure up to Liz and take her place as the most important girl in the guys life?

I'd love to see a little more of the non Parkers now and then to see if everybody is this annoyingly perfect or it's just those four plus their Dad. Who by the way has psychic powers!! Not really in the fic but yeah, he's like psychic. He's a very cool dad though.

But, it is actually very will written and because Orangesky is just starting out and will learn and progress to become a really awesome writer. I can forgive her for the Mary Sue's. Also she's a very funny writer and her whole story is infused with warmth and joy. Even an old mean cynic like me can't help fall in love with it. Perfect for Christmas. Perfect for anytime you need to be cheered up.

Burning question: Is there anything that the Parkers aren't great at?

Drinking game you can play: Take a swig everytime the Parkers reveal another hidden talent. Down a shot every time one of them starts preaching.