Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: Logan/Jean-Paul
Author on LJ: diva_lachesis
Author Website: http://www.smut-peddlers.net/
Why this must be read: This story takes place pre-X-Men, when Logan and Jean-Paul were members of Alpha Flight, and the Logan characterization is fantastic. Feral qualities restrained but still riding high, he's struggling to adapt and struggling to fit into the world around him. It's all done without resorting to cliches, and there's no feeling of heavy-handedness about it. And he's kind of funny, the snarky bastard.

Stuck alone in the house together for three weeks, Logan and Jean-Paul (AKA Northstar AKA Marvel's Canonically Gay X-Man) get off to a rocky start, and then there is nakedness. The sequel, "Scrabble," is from Jean-Paul's POV, and can also be found on the site.

Board Games

Fandom: Pop
Pairing: JC/Lance
Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: ~synchronik @ livejournal.com]
Author Website: Joe's Eats and Christian Bookshop

Why this must be read: JC sometimes strikes me a hardass, but I really like him as dreamy and internal. That's the JC here. He flows like water through life. I picked this because my favorite story by Synchronik is a lambsfic, and I'm trying not to recc all lambs. This is fabulous, believable JC. One of the wonderful aspects of Synchronik's writing is how each story is a whole, little world with all sorts of details dropped along the way that flesh out the place.

Hit

Fandom:BLAKES7
Pairing:None
Author on LJ:?
Author Website:?
Why this mustbe read:: This was a product of a mailing list challenge--stories about the "Seven Deadly Virtues." Wonderful characterization and spot-on dialogue as the Liberator crew talk about what really matters to them--the virtues of a rebel, an Auron (whether dealing with other Auronar or with Earthlings), a free-trader, a thief...or a computer required to deal with that bunch. It's very short (three pages)but contains far more to think about--and far more novel insights into the characters--than many a far longer story.

Virtuous Conversation

Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: a little Erik/Charles, otherwise none
Author on LJ: penknife
Author Website: http://penknife.freeservers.com/
Why this must be read: This is a gorgeous and quiet story about post-X1 Rogue and the various personalities in her head. No one in it, even the ghosts in her mind, comes across as one-dimensional or a caricature, just utterly real.

Gravity

Edited to re-do the whole rec and change all the freakin' links because I'm totally out of the loop.

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Angel/Spike (Spike/Giles)
Author Website: Love That Dares
Why this must be read:

Jenny Crighton is one of the more prolific writers in the Angel/Spike pairing, and though her stories may waver a bit in quality, they are always well worth the read. To my mind, Dead Men Walking is one of her very best fics, showcasing all her strengths in a wonderful way. There are few writers in this fandom with such a genuine grip on the British, and Jenny excels at scenes that put Spike and Giles and/or Wesley together; their dialogue is sharp and witty, raw emotions handled with verbal fencing and stiff upper lips. As always in Jenny's major stories, this is about love; true, deep, lasting-through-centuries passion. But this is the love of vampires, predator's with superhuman strength, and the sweetly romantic walks hand in hand with violence and rape. If you read Jenny, you're sure to get plenty of hurt and angst thrown in with your romance and your hot vampire sex.

Since this story was written when Spike was still on Buffy and Angel had his own show, there is a strong crossover factor to it, and we don't get to the LA of Angel: the Series till a few chapters in. I was a bit back and forth on whether this makes it unsuitable for reccing in this category, but in the end I decided that I like it too much not to rec it. It's thoughtful, painful, beautiful and full of humour, and you shouldn't miss it.

Dead Men Walking

Fandom: HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET
Pairing: n/a
Author on LJ: domarzione
Author Website: http://dmzfic.b0x.com/index.html
Why this must be read:

Here's another stunner from Saffron Bailey. Three Shots is a three part story: three internal monologues by three detectives over three drinks after three of the pivotal gunshots of Homicide -- the shots that killed Gordon Pratt, Luther Mahoney, and Luke Ryland. The tone of desperation and guilt in each is just pitch-perfect. This is one of my favorite depressing Homicide fics.

Three Shots

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Author on LJ: thenetwork
Author's Website: http://speedo.slashcity.com/Wildy.htm

Why this must be read: It's good. It's damn good -- raw and powerful and painful. It's a look inside the brain and heart of a man who's caught in an impossible situation. When I first read it (I was one of the betas) I was shocked -- nobody was writing stuff like this. Wildy's other stories are the same -- there's precious little schmoop to be found. There is, however, a dark kind of love.


The Threat

Fandom: Horatio Horblower
Pairing: Horatio/Pellew
Author's Website: Archived at Sailslash
Why this must be read:
Every fandom needs a story of mistaken identity (in this case, a gift) and how something rather, well, innocent, can sound rather risque when the item in reference is not what was intended ... it's just too fun.

The Gift

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: Horatio/Archie/Bush
Author on LJ: mzcalypso
Why this must be read:
Calypso makes me want to give up writing and take up gardening (because she's that darn good). The Hornblower fandom is ripe with phallic symbols and opportunities for innuendo, and Calypso takes advantage of that fact as Horatio and Lt. Bush discuss Archie's, er, naval abilities. As a fandom that is prone to be on the more serious side, lighthearted stories such as this -- especially ones that are filled with wit as the words take on multiple meanings -- are a joy to read. And the mental picture ain't bad, either *g*

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