It's my first Homicide rec! And this one's from someone who I know is actually on LJ and has a website! (Believe me, that will not always be the case)

Title of fic: The Awakening

Rating: NC-17

Fandom: Homicide: Life on the Street

Author: Beth (beth666ann)

Author's Website: unaware..beth
(Note: this is the site for Beth's *nsync slash, which is also awesome; her Homicide stuff is only available on Schism.)

Pairing: Tim Bayliss/Chris Rawls

Why this must be read: Well, first of all you have the whole canonical nature of the relationship. Then you have the incredible hotness of a super hot thing. Then you have Beth's wonderful writing style.

Example: He's flushed, and the blush has crept over the lovely bones of his face and down the length of his throat."

And that's just the first sentence. Don't even get me started on the third paragraph's description of Bayliss' hands. *Guh*.

Since I find myself in posession of a great many fanfics that I want to rec, I've decided to break each week up into themes. The first week, in order to introduce you to the characters, will highlight character-focused pieces: vignettes, POV pieces, etc.

Absolution and Quality
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairing: None.
Author on LJ: musesfool
Author website: Achromatic
Why these must be read: Victoria P. is a prolific, exacting writer, who you will likely see rec'ed again by myself or others for her work in HP and X-Men. She's famous for being a canon whore - though the stories and situations she writes may never have appeared on screen/page, every last drop of character motivation, "feel," and dialogue is based in What Was Written.

These two pieces, though they can be read separately, are best presented as a set. Two sons of Gondor, both tempted by the Ring, struggle with their fears for their home and the burden of expectations they strive to meet - Boromir in "Absolution," and Faramir in "Quality."

One particular benefit of "Qulity" is that it deals with a rather large issue that LotR fandom had some issue with: namely, movie!Faramir is an entirely different creature than book!Faramir. Vic uses book canon to rectify the difference.

There are 20 years and more worth of fiction and thousands of stories...it is difficult to know where to start from.
I will try to provide recs in order to give an idea of the many possibilities in this fandom, but obviously many titles and stories will escape me. Please do add your own recs in the comments!

Title of fiction: Wonderful Tonight

Fandom: The Professionals

Author: Sebastian

Author web site: none. Her stories can be found at:
Oblique Publications
The Circuit Archive
Hatstand Archive

Pairing: Bodie/Doyle

Why this must be read: for the final, emotional pay off, that makes all the angst-ridden and complex build-up worth reading. For the insights in the psyche of these two trained killers, and the tenderness that can be found in them were you willing to look deep enough and hard enough. For the very kinky, very hot sex :)
For the use of canonical characters in a canonical way, for making you believe this could have happened. For exploring sex and turn-ons but never hitting you over the head with it. For making you want more :)


NOTES ON the AUTHOR: Sebastian is considered one of the best writers in Pros. Chances are, if fans ask for authors' recs, Sebastian's name will turn up. At the moment she is not writing Pros, asaik.
Gryphon Press (address is Proslib's Files) has recently published Sebastian Collected 1 & 2.

Sebastian's stories always portray an intense relationship, full-rounded characters and plot.
Often, she extrapolates a canon trait of the characters and expand on it, and as a result her Bodie and Doyle are always believable. Oh, and she writes very hot but significant sex scenes - the sex in her stories is never gratuitous, but sustains the narrative. And it is hot ;) There is a melanconic, bittersweet feeling to most of her stories, but her style never fails to keep the reader involved with the characters and their emotions.

Among the many stories written by Sebastian, the following are my favourites, but there are many more:
Et in Italia Ego
November
Down to the Waterline

As a reminder, please post fic recs in the following format:

Subject Line: Title by Author (Rating)

Fandom: YOUR FANDOM
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Author on LJ: (if applicable)
Author Website: (author's fics, if available)
Why this must be read:

(Link to Fic)

Fandom info and html formatting (bolding, etc.) do not belong in the subject line. The reason for this should be clear if you check Memories to see how we are archiving fics. Also, this is why we'd like multiple recs to be posted in separate entries (this does not apply when a series is being rec'd).

This will greatly assist your mods in maintaining the site! Thanks, all!!

Fandom: Buffy
Pairing: Willow/Xander, others
Author on LJ: moonwhip
Author website: http://www.geocities.com/moonwhip/
Why this story must be read: Wishverse fic. Every fandom has popular AU themes. This one is probably, hands-down the most widely used in Buffy. (The Wish was an episode of BTVS wherein Cordelia made a wish and in the reality that created, Xander and Willow were vampires (t's the one I reference in my summary of the fandom for this community). Also, Vamp!Willow in general is a favorite character amongst Btvs writers, and I think this is a superlative example of her.


Beginning to See the Light

Roswell has a rather large archive of awesome and not so great fics. Although not as active as in their hay day, there are still pretty active.

I am presenting for your enjoyment fics from the major pairings a Dreamer and a Candy fic, with and a little slash fic thrown in for fun.


Dreamer

Between the Sand and Stone by Kath7 (R)
Fandom: Roswell
Pairing: Max/Liz
Author Website:?
Why this must be read:It is one of the best Dreamer fics I have ever read, lol and I'm not a Dreamer. It comes highly recommended and is worth the read. It is an angsty post Control. Future Fic.

Roswell has a rather large archive of awesome and not so great fics. Although not as active as in their hay day, there are still pretty active.

I am presenting for your enjoyment fics from the major pairings a Dreamer and a Candy fic, with and a little slash fic thrown in for fun.

Candy

Routines by Chicky (NC-17)
Fandom: Roswell
Pairing: Michael/Maria, with various other uc/cc pairings
Author Website: Chicky's Incubator
Why this must be read: It is one of the best Candy fics, ever. An AU fic, simply a romance novel for any candy lover. A must read. One of my all time favorites.

Roswell has a rather large archive of awesome and not so great fics. Although not as active as in their hay day, there are still pretty active.

I am presenting for your enjoyment fics from the major pairings a Dreamer and a Candy fic, with and a little slash fic thrown in for fun.

Slash

Within by Icalynn & Nehal (NC-17)
Fandom: Roswell
Pairing: Michael/Kyle, Michael/Maria
Author Website: Vesper's Seed
Why this must be read:It is one of my favorite slash fics that I have written. Co-authored with Nehal, this is a unique look at a slash pairing. Warning, this fic does contain sexual violence.

That's all for the week, until next time.

Title of fiction: Sacred Trust

Fandom: Highlander

Author: Lanning Cook

Author web site: Lanning Cook's Fiction

Author on LJ: lanning

Pairing: Methos/Duncan

Why this must be read: Let me start by saying that this is the single best piece of fanfiction that I have ever read. (Okay, well, it ties with another story in another fandom.) Sacred Trust is an AU (Alternative Universe) that takes Highlander canon and essentially corrects the television show's mistakes. It makes the show exactly what it should, and could, have been.

It is a long story, fourteen chapters in length, and worth every single second that you will spend reading it. It has a slash relationship, but this story is about so much more than slash or romance. This is an adventure that also looks at the philosophical truths of time, history and forgiveness.

The story takes place after the Double Quickening that Methos and Duncan share--and after Duncan learns of Methos' dark past.

The historical flashbacks are completely on par with the best historical fiction writers that I've read. I completely forgot that I was reading fanfiction. This story is amazing. I can't praise it enough.

I wrote a kind of review of it in my live journal, HERE, but it is full of spoilers, so don't read it unless you are okay with being spoiled for the story.

Essentially, I can't recommend a better weekend plan than reading this amazing work of fiction by Lanning Cook. You don't even have to be a big Highlander fan to enjoy it. Read! Send feedback! Feedback is love! *g* Wheeee!

I love Highlander!

Repairs by Isabeau of Greenlea
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairing: none
Author's website: at ff.net
why this must be read:
In stories, Gimli is frequently short-changed. Even in the books, he isn't one of the more well-developed characters, and in The Two Towers, the movie, he's essentially reduced to comic relief (I guess because the hobbits got their own plotline). Isabeau overlooks all that, and digs through what we are given about Gimli to come up with a brief vignette that is pure dwarf.

Like the best character vignettes, Repairs is deceptively simple: after the battle at Helm's Deep, Gimli's axe is notched and needs repairing. Isabeau conjures a forge, the deep connection between dwarves and their crafting, and John Rhys-Davies' deep rumbling voice is ever-present. Gimli and Legolas' friendship is also showcased, in the same quiet, simple fashion as the rest of the fic.

Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: Luke Skywalker/Han Solo
Author on LJ: irene_heron
Author Website: http://www.luminousbeings.net

Why this must be read:
This is one of the few humorous fic in the fandom. Irene has the boys dealing with the cult of personality, unexpected fame and a couple of surprises. The Boys are in top form here, and there's a bonus: a pushy, toppish Luke, which is not a common trope in the fandom.

http://www.luminousbeings.net/SWfiction/Blessing.html

Fandom: Blakes7
Pairing: Blake/Avon
Site: http://www.liberated.org.uk/1022cab.htm
Why It Must Be Read: Also one of my first slash reads. The story starts post-modernly enough with Vila’s musings about the impracticality of barbarian trousers in low-quality rapefics. From there, the story perfectly encapsulates the dynamic of insane competition between Blake and Avon, with much attention devoted to a Flight Deck j/o contest. Predatrix accurately describes her work as “sex comedy,” and while I’m not sure if one can identify any B7 writer as the flat-out filthiest, Predatrix is certainly in the race. Most of her B7 work is in paperzines, rather than online; her zine work include some powerful and psychologically, errrm, penetrating stories.

Every fandom has to have stories with aphrodisiacs, yeah? Pred’s not-entirely-solemn take on this trope is “Automatic Reactions” (Vila steals Jenna’s expensive aphrodisiac, but the doctored cognac ends up inside Avon, as for that matter does Blake: http://www.liberated.org.uk/1021auto.htm. ) The title comes from a crucial slash moment in canon: Avon throws himself in front of a bomb menacing Blake. Blake asks why; Avon says “Automatic reaction. I’m as surprised as you are.” Blake says, “I’m NOT surprised.” Make of that what you will.

(On the subject of B/A Flight Deck hanky-panky, see also Calico’s “Souls of Discretion,” http://www.liberated.org.uk/1059souls.htm which has some nice crew dynamics as well as a deliciously toppy Blake.)

Fandom: Blakes7
Pairing: Blake/Avon
Site:URL: http://www.liberated.org.uk/1014five.htm

Why This Must be Read: This is one of the first slash stories I ever read. Maybe I’m imprinted on it, but it’s a wonderful place to start--a loving fillip at B7 slash clichés, from one of the brand names in B7 slash. Nova is the ultimate B/A shipper; she genuinely loves them both and writes a basically sunny-but-never-soppy romance. In “Five Easy Pieces” Blake and Avon proceed through a series of obligatory slash scenarios, bonking their way toward emotional engagement. Nova is one of the doyennes of HEX (Happy Ending Expeditors)--a B7 practice of rewriting another author’s story (with her permission!) to make it a bit less grim.

NOTE: I’m not including LJ addresses, because some of the authors don’t have them, and others have respectable employment that might not be slash-friendly. The URLs are for sites where you can find the stories rec’ced herein, most of which are archives rather than authors’ sites.Later on, I’ll be recommending some stories that use B7 canon daringly, or that offer new perspectives, which can be pretty dodgy if you have only the vaguest idea of the canonical version of events. I thought that a good way to dip a toe into B7 fanfic would be to start with some quality smut.

The Liberated archive is back up, which gives me a chance to recommend it to all and sundry. The Index page is http://www.liberated.org.uk/index2.html.

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author Website(s): Maayan and Fialka
Why this must be read: These stories absolutely break me. I'll go so far as to say that "Sleep While I Drive" has been my favorite Farscape fic since it was first posted; Maayan uses the concept of "unrealized realities" - universes branching off as a result of wormhole travel - and takes it to the next level. She describes it as "The one where John and Aeryn live happily ever after. Really." Somehow it manages to be both heartbraking and true. "Two is Swinging" is a prequel to "Sleep While I Drive," but read it second. Then Fialka wrote a lovely (and equally poignant) sequel, "Worlds Enough, and Time."

If you like time travel, wormholes, black holes, collapsing universes, epic romance, sacrifice, catharsis...you'll love these stories.

Sleep While I Drive by Maayan (42 K)
Two is Swinging by Maayan (20 K)
Worlds Enough, and Time by Fialka (12 K)