Fandom:Harry Potter
Title:How bitter a thing..
Author's Website:Unfit for society.
Author on LJ:musesfool
Pairing:Sirius/Remus
Rating: R


Why this must be read: Well, I could just say, "Because it's by Victoria P." and wait for the name to kick in. However, I won't.
This story should be read because it's one of the Sirius/Remus stories that does not simply wash over the antagonism that would be bound to the both of them. Instead, the story weaves lust and anger and sorrow together in a very, very cool way.

Fandom: Farscape
Pairing: John/Aeryn - though it may be closer to a John/Aeryn/John triangle (dude, it's canon, okay?)
Author on LJ: suelac
Author's Website: Alchemy, Mouldiwarps and Copraphagy
Why this must be read: Simply put, it's one of the most daring stories in the Farscape fandom.

The Farscape PTB did a daring thing by creating an exact double of John Crichton - so much so that we are forced to believe that both are, in fact, "equal and original," as we were told. But that was a hard concept for John to wrap his mind around - that neither of them was the copy. A lot of angst went into pondering over that paradox on the show.

What the Farscape PTB didn't do is bring both John Crichtons back together again after they went their separate ways in the middle of the third season. What would have happened? How would the John who got stuck on Moya react to the fact that Aeryn and the other John had "gotten together," for lack of a better term? Could it possibly be messier than what happened on the show?

The answers? A lot of crap, not well, and hell yes.

Cofax forces both Johns to make some very difficult decisions. Some of the things they have to do to survive are truly horrifying. And before we even knew of Grayza, Cofax created a kick-ass female Peacekeeper commander of her own. Sometimes I wish we could have gotten Supay instead of Grayza. She's no less evil in her own way, and at least Supay never tried to save the world with her breasts.

Written on a Thumbnail by Cofax

Fandom: Farscape
Pairing: John/Crais/Furlow. Seriously, dude.
Author on LJ: rubberneck
Why this must be read: It's kind of hard to explain. It's an unusual story, both in subject matter and in the kind of nightmarish narration we get from an injured John. It's like your deepest, darkest secret dream, where you're kind of terrified and you're kind of turned on. And you're not sure which is worse.

Submitted for Your Consideration by feldman (NC-17)

Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Sara/Greg
Author on LJ: helsinkibaby
Author's website: The Band Gazebo
Why this fic must be read:

This is a post-ep for "Play With Fire". I'm of the opinion that Sara and Greg couldn't work (although I have written them once), so normally Sara/Greg fic wouldn't appeal, but they went through the same traumatic experience in "Play With Fire", and it was barely dealt with onscreen. This fic brings them together and lets them share the aftermath in a very quiet way, without a lot of over-emoting regarding what's happened to them. It's more of a friendship fic than anything, but the implication of something more is there if that's what you want to see. The characterization is good as well, and that's something I don't often find myself saying about Greg fic.

Jeanine's generally a Sara/Warrick shipper, I believe, so this is an aberration for her. It's definitely worth a look as a characterization piece, though, or even as a coda for season three.

Not Alone

Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: None (Gen fic)
URL: http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/golledge/stories/ladyluck.txt

Why this fic must be read:

ZP Florian wrote a fabulous Han. English was not her native language, yet she consistantly turned out high quality stories. In this, Han has come up short of docking fees, again. He has Chewbacca sell him to raise the money, with the idea Chewie will buy him back. Unfortunately, all does not go according to plan.

Must be read, if only for this quote:
"Fellow Taxzans and honored offworlders," said the barker, "number 5757, young
male, Standard Human, sturdy, herbivore, clean, housebroken, trainable, only one
previous owner, five year warranty, lifts four and a half toris, ten nimble
fingers to operate Standard controls, compact body size fits into any Standard
equipment a must for the modern merchant or farmer. I have a bid for three
thousand one hundred, can I have more?"

Also, Han's unique method of escape sticks in the mind, long after the story is read. ZP is a master of this: creating an image that lingers.

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: None.
Author on LJ: Not that I know of.
Author Website: Bobby's World
Why this must be read: This is my Halloween rec (a fews days early, so I don't forget): a fantastic, Lovecraftian re-imagining of the X-Men's origins. Oh, it may start off seeming lighthearted -- even silly -- but just you wait. Kerrie captures beautifully the cheerful, 'golly-gee!' atmosphere of the early comics, and infuses it with a creeping, crawling sense of horror, until you just want to hide under the bed. (If, when you're done, you find you need to read something less ... well. evil, I recommend Just the Two of Us, in which Bobby accidentally create a duplicate of himself ... 1/8th his size!
Or, indeed, any of Kerrie's other stories.)

Shadow Over Westchester, by Kerrie Smith.