Fandom: The West Wing
Pairing: Donna/Amy
Author on LJ: charlotteu
Author Website: charlottesweb
Why this must be read:

I'm reccing these fics together not just because they are companion pieces, but because reading them together is the best way to experience them. One is told from Donna's POV, the other from Amy's, and both are sexy, angsty, and confused. (Just the way my girls ought to be.)

What There Is.
The Essence of Meaning.

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Spike/Lorne
Author on LJ: rune_vampyr
Author Website: Elusive Soul
Why this must be read:
I first knew Rune as a writer of dark S/X, so reading this story was a surprise. Read it because it's so very amusing, even if the pairing doesn't appeal. You should also read this story for the wonderful Lorne voice. There just isn't enough Lorne fic out there, and this is one of the best.
Fuck You and Your Cat!

Fandom: QaF USA
Pairing: Brian/Justin
Author on LJ:  valereix

Why this must be read:

I've always been intrigued by the Justin/Joanie dynamic. This fic explores their relationship without making it seem contrived.

Also, sick!Brian is always funny.

Quote:

He thought about mothers who didn't understand, no matter how much they promised to and appeared to. He thought about their patient, pitying looks and gay pride t-shirts and hugs that should be more comforting than they were. He thought about places with hot food and big bedrooms, places that were supposed to be home but always felt temporary, even when he stayed there for longer than his memory went back.

The Night You Were Born

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Aragorn/Faramir
Author on LJ: aesc
Author Website: on the qt

Why this must be read:

This isn't a story about what happens; it's a story about how people feel, and how they long for what can never be, and find themselves and each other in the process. It's beautifully written, expressive but never self-indulgent, in a style that suits this pairing perfectly:

Tearing his gaze away from the sea-girt cliffs of Dol Amroth, Faramir looked back to where Imrahil and the King stood, near the pilot. Imrahil was gesturing toward the distant curve of Langstrand and the watchtowers ordered along the coast, but the wind picked up his words and carried them away before Faramir could hear what he was saying. Not that he would have heard the words, for his eyes were now fixed upon the King.

Aragorn, dressed in the loose clothes favored by seamen, stood confidently on the tossing deck, rocking with the motion of the ship. The confidence brought back quick memories of old soldiers' tales – now confirmed – concerning their king's role in the naval battles against Umbar, and Faramir spun a swift image of a younger man with battle-fierce grey eyes standing on this same deck, surrounded by smoke and the cries of men. Yet the violence of the fantasy melded with the suppressed energy in the King's stance, and the alert gaze that swept over the deck – and touched on Faramir, and in that moment imagination faded away in the face of the reality.

Fabulous, sexy, thought-provoking stuff.

The Straight Way and Envinyatar

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Harry/Charlie
Author's Website: NA
Author on LJ: NA

Why this must be read: I hardly stray from OTP, which is Remus/Sirius, but this one called out to me. And it's an unexpected pairing but the writer was excellent in the way that the s/he made it work, made it probable for me. I like it even if it is kind of a bleak futurefic.

And as short as this story is, it is so full of emotion. Of sadness and regret. Of death and despair. There is so much pain in it, that you can't help but be happy that Harry and Charlie try to find a semblance of happiness with each other.

It's not exactly happy ever after, but deep down inside, you wish and hope for it.

Patterns

Fandom: THE O.C.
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: ? I don’t know if Xerus is on LJ
Author Website: Author Page on Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: I don’t want to say too much, or I’ll spoil this story – I loved the progression of mornings, and the way the details of the character's life built. By the end, I was entranced at how choices barely thought about at the time could make such a difference.

An excerpt:

She loved mornings, waking up in her soft pink bedroom that was infused with all things feminine. Delicate porcelain dolls sat on her shelves, frozen in positions that accentuated their frailty. She said good morning to her Chatty Patty doll, her latest birthday present. She hugged Marigold, her favourite bear as she moved him off the bed and straightened the blankets. The pillows were fluffed. Chatty Patty and Marigold held the place of honour on her bed.


A New Day Is Dawning

Fandom: X-MEN COMICS
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: None that I could find.
Author Website: None that I could find.
Why this must be read:

In the X-men comics, characters are regularly put through absolute hell: if they're not being blown up, they're being cloned or mind-controlled; if they've managed to avoid cloning or mind-control, they get possessed by interstellar beings or mortally wounded by the enemy. And if they somehow manage to get through their hellish missions unscathed, they still run the risk of being dumped at any point, for no reason, by girlfriends or boyfriends.

Such is the fate of Pete Wisdom and Remy Lebeau: they've both been dumped by their teams and the women they loved, and in this story they coincidentally meet up in a Moroccan bar. The premise is simple--two scorned men meet up by chance and bitch to each other about their lives--but Dandelion turns it into a fic that's funny, bittersweet and somehow manages to leave you with a happy feeling at the end of it, despite the somewhat depressing premise. I love seeing Pete Wisdom and Remy Lebeau interact, because they're so alike in many ways but I can see how they would completely hate each other if they were to actually meet. Dandelion's dialogue is spot-on here, and this is also a perfect introduction to both of these characters if you're new to the fandom.

( excerpt )

Love Affairs are Horrible

And its sequel, Destination Central