Fandom: STARGATE SG-1
Pairing: Sam/ Jack (peripherally)
Author on LJ: nandamai
Author Website: Nanda's Lament
Why this must be read: My experience in SG fanfic may be limited, but it just seems like good character studies of side characers are non-existent. And then there's this. Nanda does a great story whether she's writing truly credible smut or heart breaking angst, but I choose this story as my favourite of hers because of the humanity she brings to the oft-neglected Cassie. She answers all the questions you might have about the character and then creates a believable, complex character that is a delight to get to know. She develops Cassie against the backdrop of the SGC and all that happens to the main characters in the future (partly based on spoilers) and in the process manages to say something about them at the same time. It's a gorgeous story and you should read it because a complex and well rounded character is a treasure in any fandom.

Tether

Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Pairing: Data/Lore
Author on LJ: n/a
Author's Website: n/a

Why this must be read:
I have this little triumvirate of favorite characters in the TNG universe: Picard, Q, and Data. I'm still searching for a fic that has the three of them in compromising positions, but in my search I stumbled across this story.

This is such a lovely little story, that also left me a bit sniffly. One thing I've always wondered about the Trek universe is this - is incest still the same kind of taboo that it is in our time, and is it really incest if the two beings involved are biomechanical constructs from the same creator? The story is set after First Contact and Data's encounter with the Borg Queen. Data may have all the stored knowledge of the Enterprise computer with the ability to interpret and postulate and interpret the information he receives, but when it comes to his emotions and learning how to deal with them, he truly is an innocent. In this story, he's in need of some healing, and he's alone in the universe with one exception.

I think this is a wonderful look at the newly emotional side of Data, set in the aftermath of yet another encounter with the Borg. After all, Picard wasn't the only one to suffer at the hands of the Queen. And the author provides a surprising and thoughtful interpretation of Lore that I really enjoyed.

And so, without further delay, I give you The Answer, by The Celt.

I finish with exams Tuesday, so I'll be getting to these recs with a lot more energy next week. Til then, I offer ...

Title: The Art of Jedi by MJ Mink
Fandom: Star Wars Trilogy
Pairings: none
Author's Website: http://members.tripod.com/lyn-m/index.htm
Author on LJ:

Why this must be read: After the Battle of Endor, the Alliance needs Jedi. Luke makes an informercial. Hi. Lar. I. Ous. This story simultaneously parodies Star Wars, bad fanfiction, and latenight t.v.

Luke paused in front of the full-length mirror that had been thoughtfully placed in the center of the long empty corridor. He stared at his image. It was black, like his dead father's. He tossed the black hood back over his shoulders. His hair was storm-tossed and blond again, its tousled strands cut in the latest style which his stylist said was called a 'faucet'. Luke ran his slim fingers through his tossed and tousled locks and smiled with satisfaction as they made satisfying clicking sounds. Then he tossed one wing of his black cape over his shoulder, then he tossed the other wing of his black cape over his other shoulder, conscious of the significance of his actions. He stood arms akimbo, hands on his waist. The cape was black velvet like his dead father's, soft to the touch of anyone who dared to touch it, lined with black silk that clung to his body like thousands of inquisitive digits, all questing for one goal--his body. Or was it his fragile soul?

And so on. If you ever come across a serious Star Wars fanfic written like this-- and they're out there ... oh, are they out there-- RUN.

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Author on LJ: cupiscent
Author Website: Extra Curriculum
Why this must be read: There is a lot of Harry/Draco fic where they hate each other, but not really. All well and good in my eyes, but what if Draco doesn't secretly love Harry? This fic manipulates a common plot premise in HP and tells us a dark, ruthlessly story where Draco discovers that Harry wants him, and decides to use it to his advantage because that's how he is.

The aspect that struck me most about this fic, is the lack of feeling. And told from Draco's POV, that's how it should be. Yet, don't let that put you off. It's so very cold, but it packs a powerful punch. Brilliant. And Dee matches Draco's coldness in her writing style, which is minimalistic and clean, in contrast to the complicated power games and conflicts she conveys.

Quality, quality angst.

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