Fandom: HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS
Pairing: Hercules/Iolaus
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: The Less Than Legendary Journeys
Why this must be read:
Randi writes slash stories with Hercules and Iolaus not as exclusive lovers, but as bisexual and having sex with each other as warrior-companions-friends -- not something you see in the fanfic very often, though it fits in seamlessly with the canon. In "Imagos," Iolaus is accidentally transported to another world, where Hercules is a warlord who has conquered Rome and has now returned with his army to rule a devastated Greece. Iolaus has to find a way to get himself home before the alternate Hercules discovers him, while back in his own world Hercules, Salmoneus and Xena frantically try to open the portal again to rescue him. This is a longer story than the short NC17 pieces that Randi normally writes, and there are cameo appearances by Borias, Gabrielle and Joxer.

Imagos

FANDOM: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: st_crispins
Author Website: St. Crispin's Day Society

Why this must be read:

This gen story takes place in the fictional South American country of Querido, a setting that appeared in the Season 4 ep "Fiery Angel Affair." But don't worry if you haven't seen it, for the plot is comeplete in itself.

Napoleon and Illya have a microfilm that could change the course of the civil war. However, when they save the inhabitants of a mission church from ruthless guerillas they are obliged to take a priest, two nuns, and sixteen children through treacherous jungle to reach safety.

If you're thinking Sound of Music meets Romancing the Stone, forget it. This is less maudlin, more gritty and much more suspenseful. There's an engrossing mix of fast-paced espionage, a cast of likable innocents, and some fascinating insights into the mind of an UNCLE agent. Best of all, we see both agents acting as a seamless team, supporting and complementing each other in their working relationship.

C W Walker's fic has often been praised as setting the bar for MfU gen. Read this and discover why.

The St. Christopher Affair

Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: Bobby/John/Marie
Author on lj: monkeycrackmary
Author's website: Ink Stigmata
Why this must be read:

The Bobby-John-Marie triangle in X2 is a subtle one (at least compared to the fireworks between Scott, Logan, and Jean), and while John seems visibly jealous of Bobby and Marie's closeness, it's not at all clear which one of them he's jealous of. Various fan writers turn the triangle different ways, and one popular choice is to make it an uneasy threesome, tangled and shifting the way real high school relationships do.

This is one of the best of the Bobby/John/Marie stories, thoughtful and well-drawn and touched with regret, because we know these fragile moments of happiness won't last. It's also a nice portrait of Marie as not just a mutant but a teenager, trying to feel out the limits of her life and figure out who she wants to be.

Between oranges and apples

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Gray Area - Marguerite's Fiction
Why this must be read:

Marguerite hasn't written much Sports Night and I'd like to know why. She has the voices, the tone and the whole situation down pat. This fic is set just after the end of the second series. As seen through Casey's eyes, Dan finds that life isn't as rosy as he hoped it would be and all Casey can do is watch as his best friend slides further and further away. It's a supreme example of just how close these two me are. Even though it's not slash, Marguerite has captured their friendship and love they have for each other perfectly. And it's not just Dan and Casey who shine in this story. Isaac is so fine you want to hug him constantly. His speech toward the end of the story is on par with that of 'Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee' and she even gives us a bitter-sweet resolution to the Dana/Casey romance. Abby features heavily, plus there is a great cameo by Monica Brazleton, a very minor yet significant Sports Night character. You laugh, you cry, you smile. Please read.

Go Thy Way, Daniel

Fandom: HARD CORE LOGO
Genre: Humor
Author on LJ: cesperanza
Author's website: Speranza's Fiction

Why this must be read:

I've mentioned before that Hard Core Logo lends itself very well to humor. This very short story is another stellar example. I could just quote the whole thing here--it's that short--but I'll settle for telling you that it's from something called The Inappropriate Elf Challenge, that it's hysterical, and that it's by an author who does humor better than just about anyone else.

The Legend of Djo D'yk

For more elf stories (74 more by 65 writers in 55 fandoms, including a couple by yours truly), go to The Inappropriate Elf Challenge.

Fandom: Queer as Folk USA

Pairing: Brian/Justin

Author on L/J: cupcakemlpota

Author's Website: Sticky Fingers

Why this must be read: It's seductive piece that chronicles the somewhat complicated relationship between Brian and Justin through blow jobs. On the surface it seems like a pr0ny premise with no real merit, but the writing is eloquently layered with emotinal truisms that go beyond just sex.

The echo of Justin’s own movement sabotaged any strategy Brian might have had in his campaign.  Justin smiled, suddenly seeing his own path to conquest. He couldn’t use the straight forward assault Brian knew how to defend, but a slow, quiet insurgence, armed with the simple knowledge that sometimes Brian Kinney was so full of shit.

Fellatio Quintet: A Romance in Five Emotions

 

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: DK/John
Author on LJ: whitelight1
Author Website: Stories of the Gap

Why this must be read: Because it's John/DK, damnit! Oh, you want more reason than that? It's not "John's held against his will and forced to have sex with some horrible male alien, which Aeryn then destroys, and John and Aeryn live happily ever after". In other words, it's believable. It doesn't make the usual claim that "John Crichton would never have sex with a man without it being some sort of hideous non-consensual affair!". This is a John and DK I can believe; and John's reaction, in my opinion, is spot-on, veering towards neither insane disgust nor Twu Wuv.

Still not convinced? Fine. It's hot. It's got a wonderful DK POV. It doesn't paint DK as a total arsehole, which is a nice change for this particular DK fan. And it'll make you laugh at the right places.

Did I mention that it's hot?

Worth a Beer

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

First, let me say that this story originally appeared in the 'zine "It's Love, Captain", which is still in print. Now, having said that...

Meet Mr. Hartman, the foolish mortal who's been hired by a man with an axe to grind to hurt, maim, and/or kill Starsky. He's got a role to play, and here's his motivation:

The success of his campaign would depend upon his knowing both their schedules intimately. And it was to be a campaign...a campaign of surveillance, a campaign of terror; a stalking, a preying, a hunting. A gradual realization on the part of the victim that someone was after him and would hurt him when he was caught.

You've gotta love a man with a plan.

So, Mr. Hartman starts his campaign. He's very good at what he does, and I was a bit in awe of some of his Gaslight-esque tactics.

However, we are talking about Starsky and Hutch. They should wear shirts that say "Never mess with a man's partner".

To his credit, Mr. Hartman realized that messing with Starsky would unleash "I Will Not Rest Until I Kill You" Hutch, but he failed to factor in just why Hutch is so protective of Starsky. (All the slashy girls in the house nod knowingly.)

This story intrigued me because it's told from Mr. Hartman's perspective, and it packs a punch. Seeing the guys through the eyes of someone not intimately acquainted with them makes for damned good reading. Descry, indeed. I loved the slightly voyeuristic feel to this story, and hated when it ended.

And what an ending! I won't spoil it, but since it is a slash story, let me leave you with this tidbit from Mr. Hartman when he realizes he's made a big mistake:

Stupid. Hartman was stupid. This was much more dangerous than he'd expected... If Hartman had been afraid of Hutchinson before, he was panicked now. It was one thing to mess with a man's partner. It was another to mess with a man's - lover.

Repent in leisure, Mr. Hartman!


Read and enjoy!

DESCRY!

Fandom: HARD CORE LOGO/BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Genre: Slash, crossover
Pairing: Joe/Oz, Billy/Oz
Author on LJ: bettyp and also hth_the_first
Author website: Sweet Dreams for Hth stuff, here for Betty Plotnick stuff (popslash and Sentinel).

Why this must be read:

Buffy and Hard Core Logo aren't really what immediately comes to mind when you think of good crossover material, and Oz/Joe isn't the first pairing you'd necessarily think of, either. But sometimes the best crossovers are the ones you wouldn't think would work, and this one is no exception. Because, when you think about it, Oz and Devon, Billy and Joe, and, yeah, you can even extend that in some small way to popslash, if you're inclined that way, sex and drugs and rock n roll, baby.

Hth/Betty's writing is tight, it's solid, and she sells her characterizations like the best dealer there is, so you believe it, you're in, you're ready for that next hit.

( Some lines from the first part, Hard Core Hotel Hell, to suck you in. )

Cruel, Cruel Phase

Part One: Hard Core Hotel Hell

Part Two: Steal This Book

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/multiple
Author on LJ: velvetglove
Author Website: Glovebox
Why this must be read:

How to say this… Okay, this is not a "must-read"; not for everyone, anyway. In the author’s own words, this fic is "not nice". But if dirty-spacewhore!Clark, sexually-degraded!Clark, and/or hurt-but-not-really-comforted!Clark sound hot and intriguing, then you are indeed the target audience. And living in my brain.

In the interest of full disclosure, this fic was written for me by special request - Clark, Luthors, gangbang – not an easy order to fill and still remain true to canon and characterizations, but jed managed it as skillfully as it ever could have been done. ‘The Prize’ has surprising and dark psychological undertones. Lionel and Dominic, especially, are spot-on in Lionel’s disingenuous concern for Clark, and in his eager-to-please minion’s rabid need to hurt his rival, Lex. The original character, James, is wholly necessary. Each character’s role here is both archetypal and uniquely recognizable.

( Excerpt )

~~~

FYI, in comics canon, Red Kryptonite has a different effect each time Clark Kent comes into contact with it. Every time it’s surfaced in Smallville, it’s just made Clark act varying degrees of slutty (while TPTB continue to insist he’s a virgin).

Sentimentalists and the easily-squicked, proceed with caution. Shameless pervs, read on: The Prize (68 K)