Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: The author's work is archived at the Henneth Annun Story Archive
Why this must be read: Far too little LotR fanfiction focuses on Elves, other than the ubiquitous Legolas. In this magical vignette, Forodwaith takes a few meagre sentences from (book) canon and unpacks them to cast fresh light on the enigma that is Arwen -- her strengths, her loves, and her sacrifices. This is a story that I re-read over & over, and find something fresh each time.

Thread of Fate

Fandom: The Professionals

Author: Gil Hale

Author web site: Gil Hale's Literary Leaflets

Pairing: None

And now for something completely different!

Or, at least, mostly different.

Although the Hatstand and the Circuit Archive are the best and most fruitful sources of Professionals fic online, the fact remains that many great stories are out there, waiting, lurking in cyberspace, unattached to any Professionals archive and unknown by the vast majority of readers. Obviously, Crackvan is the place to rectify this as much as possible!

As my tastes are eclectic and highly eccentric, I wager I've stumbled over more of these than most. Thus I have taken upon myself to do my level best this month to ensure that as many of the recs as possible originate outside of the well known archives of Pros fandom.

Why this must be read:

I love Cowley's Irregulars for managing to skillfully draw an original AU for the boys to fight for, while at the same time getting the voices and emotions of all three protagonists pitch perfect.

Here's an AU where Ray and Bodie aren't indolent sex fiends or possessed of Curious Social Rituals! Not that that type of AU is bad... but variety is the spice of life. Gil Hale brings that in this fic, and does it well.

Cowley's Irregulars is set in an alternate history where modern day society, while not quite fascistic, has even less in the way of civil rights, rule of law or social conscience than the nation that CI-5 strove to clean up in the television show. Yet deeply flawed as their world may be, Cowley and Doyle are just as ready to make things better, and their situation is hardly hopeless.

This story covers a lot of emotional ground, but because it's written from Bodie's matter of fact point of view, the depth of feeling expressed sneaks up on you. Gil Hale has a light touch on a story that could easily have turned to pruple prose, and that makes all the difference.

I like the plot, I like the style, and I like the very language of the thing.

Is this a novel-length epic? No, worse luck. I could certainly do with more tales of Cowley's Irregulars, but this is a story of average length and it stands entirely alone.

True, this story isn't slash. Much like some of the best episodes of the show, however, I hardly noticed that until five or ten very satisfied minutes later. Don't miss this story, it won't disappoint.


Cowley's Irregulars

Fandom: WITHOUT A TRACE
Pairing: Danny/Martin
Author on LJ: perpet (I don't think Julian Lee's on LJ, but I could be wrong)
Author Website: The Thwarted Invasion for Julian Lee's fic, or Motion in Two Parts for Perpetual Motion's fic
Why this must be read:

The nice thing about small fandoms is that often one doesn't really have to worry much about BNFs and fandom politics. WAT is a nice little fandom in that there's a good amount of fic of all varieties, but there aren't a lot of egos to be stroked. I can't point to any one writer and say 'this is the name everyone associates with this pairing', which is kind of refreshing in a way. Having said that, this particular series is one that probably everyone in the WAT slash community has read. It's one of the first Danny/Martin fics that came out of the fandom, and on a personal note, it was my introduction into the fandom.

I have some problems with the later parts, but I won't spoil you by telling you what those problems are. Still, problems aside, it's an interesting look at the genesis and culmination of Danny and Martin's relationship, and it was written in the early part of season one, when the subtext was still shiny and new and canon hadn't choked the life out of Danny and Martin's potential yet. That's not to say they don't still have potential, you just have to work harder for it now. Back in the beginning the writers just sort of handed it to us on a silver platter, and this series really reflects that.

It looks like a long series, but each part is actually quite short. It's a nice, angst-free bit of weekend reading. Perpetual Motion wrote the Just series, then Julian filled in the gaps with the Keeping trilogy.

Just Danny
Keeping Counsel
Just Friends
Just Sex
Keeping Tabs
Just Martin
Keeping Honest
Just Them

Fandom: STARGATE SG-1
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: azarsuerte
Author Website: Probable Impossibilities

Why this must be read: It's about Jonas. Frankly, in a fandom so lacking in good Jonas stories, that's reason enough for me. But just in case you need more, I'll give it to you. *g* This short character study packs a lot of meaning. It's a story about change and about coming to terms with that fact that "home is a place of belonging and, like a puzzle piece that's been re-cut, a man can't belong any longer to a place where the new shape of his soul no longer fits."

Where the Heart Is