Okay, clear the roads, I'm back at the wheel! *g* Hi, I'm Rowan F. and I'm commandeering this vehicle for another month. Just 'cause I'm like that. And this time... I'm going to be posting in twofers -- that is, pairs of stories I think read well together, either connected by character, or mood, or theme. Just 'cause... I'm like that too!

First up, a look at world not that many writers have worked themselves up to yet... Season 6.

Fandom: OZ
Pairing:  Beecher/Keller
Author on LJ: snarkhunt
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

If you're a Keller fan, this story will wreck you. But, you know, in the 'hurts so good' way. Eliza really nails three Keller essentials here: his obsession, his cockiness, and his mmmmmm sensuality as he tries to win Beecher back:

"You've had this conversation more times than you can count, and you're sick of it, you just want to move past it. When all else has left, the body still remains, and remembers, you're counting on that now as you corner him against the washer, one hand already reaching into his pants, the other gripping his arm so hard you know you'll leave bruises. Marking him like you used to, back when he was yours. You speak directly into his ear, and his answering shiver makes you gasp, you hadn't realized how damn badly you needed this, how much you'd missed it, missed hearing the hiss of breath as he fights arousal, missed feeling his cock harden in your grasp, missed smelling him so close. You missed him."

Eliza is one of those writers I dearly wish had more work out there. She has a rich, smooth use of language that's just a pleasure to read.

E, dude, settle your butt down in your new life and come back to us already!! ;-)

Where We Don't Belong

I'm guessing at the rating.

Fandom: OZ
Pairing:  Beecher (implied Beecher/Keller)
Author on LJ:actizera
Author Website: http://actizera.popullus.net
Why this must be read:

Another wrecking ball, this one for Beecher fans. (I try to be equal opportunity about these things. *g*) Actizera gets inside Beecher's head like nobody else, and this story delves so deeply, and so believably into his fragile psyche, post S6, at moments you'll hold your breath while reading it. And... I don't know that I've ever come across a better exploration of what it means to really be haunted by someone. Here's a taste:

"As he inclined his head to take a bite of food, he caught a glimpse of the sleeve of the person next to him. It was the sleeve of a gray sweatshirt, pushed slightly up a forearm. He turned away quickly, but it was too late, and his mind had already filled in the rest of the details: the pale skin that wanted to be olive but never saw the sun, the coarse black hair, the strong muscles, the bones of the wrist, the veins and tendons tracing paths to graceful, powerful fingers. A sharp longing took form in his gut and bloomed outward, spreading until it constricted his throat and he couldn’t swallow the food in his mouth. He waited, breathing deeply through his nose, until the feeling had passed — until he had successfully pushed it into a corner and replaced it with the usual feeling of apathy, reinforced with an instinctive drive toward self-preservation that kept him only as aware of his surroundings as he needed to be. Since returning to Oz after three months in Lardner, it was the only emotional state he could tolerate comfortably."

This unsparing story is bleak and unsettling, but so gorgeously crafted you'll curse Actizera for hurting you, then beg her to do it again.

Deprivation

A bit of introduction first.  Hi!  I'm WhiteLight, you're Farscape recc'er for the month of July.  I read just about anything so expect a nice mixture of stories this month.  Hope you enjoy these stories as much as I have.


FARSCAPE:
Pairing:John/Aeryn, John/D'Argo 
Author on LJ:themonkeycabal
Author's Website:Province of the Red
Why this must be read:

Because Red has one of the most imaginative, vivid minds in the Farscape fandom.  Her John is the John I remember from the show, the John with the smart mouth, Earthisms flying at every opportunity.  The John/D'Argo pairing is a buddy pairing here, almost reminding me of the Riggs/Murtaugh partnership in the Lethal Weapon series.  They snark and argue and disagree.  It's just so true to the show, it hurts.  The John/Aeryn relationship is one of my favorites, as it's one of love but it's more about the subtle indicators.  Quiet dialogue, glances, touches, everything done in a intimate way. 

This is first person, written from John's POV, a rarity in the FS fandom.  There are few first person stories because they are exceptionally hard to pull off.  Red does it and sets the bar high for any other writer. 

It's funny, action packed, with snappy dialogue, beautifully drawn original characters and interaction between the crew that could've been written by one of Farscape's own writers.  It's long, so settle in, and enjoy yourself. 

I Don't Like Mondays

After an extended crack_van hiatus, I'm back. It's just too much fun to resist for very long. I will be your friendly Angel reccer for the month. And though it would be nice if I could promise you a full spectrum of recommendations involving all sorts of pairings, it would be a big, huge lie. You are going to get Lindsey, Lindsey, and more Lindsey. And you're going to like it. And maybe if your good, you might get some Wes/Gunn and Wes/Lilah.

So hold on tight and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. We wouldn't want any chopped off hands, would we?

Fandom: Angel
Pairing: Angel/Lindsey/Xander
Author on LJ: Not Sure
Author Website: Not Sure

Why this must be read:

This is a story that I go back and read when I'm in a bad mood and it never fails to makes me laugh out loud. Xander runs away to LA after a traumatic experience in Sunnydale and ends up playing relationship counselor for Angel and Lindsey.

The plot, however, is not really the point. It's the hilarous dialogue between Angel, Lindsey, and Xander (especially Lindsey and Xander)that makes this story great. The plot does give the story some grounding and some emotional resonance, so that instead being just another silly story, it really sticks with you.

Best part: Angel trying to put a very drunk Lindsey and Xander to bed and Xander asks Lindsey the one question we've all been wondering about Angel: “How can you screw him… must be so hard to keep a straight face.” And then it gets even funnier...

You, Me, and 'im"

Good day fellow pervs, I'll be at the tiller of the "Hornblower" Crack-Jollyboat this month. Please keep your arms and legs in the boat and don't taunt the oarsmen. I tend to like damned near anything well-written, but I'm a shameless Archiefan. This month, I will do my best to branch out. I'm also going to try to give a good example of the various sorts of "Hornblower" stories out there, from farce to faux-academia, to the fixit, to the wallow. Now, let's get those oars in the water and get this Crack-Jolly moving!

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio/Archie/Edrington
Author on LJ: widget285
Author Website: http://www.widgeteria.co.uk/
Why this must be read: Horatio/Archie/Edrington three-way bedroom farce. What other reason do you need? Thankfully, you get lots of other reasons, like widget's articulate wit, typical ease with the writing of the period and the lifestyle, and demonstration of characterization through dialogue. Horatio is earnest, serious, and sweet, Archie is a charming libertine, and Edrington is his typical suave, overconfident self -- only this time he's got two lieutenants around who are only too eager to bring him down a peg or two.

Oh, and there's the sex. ;-9

Edrington invites the Indefatigable's two sexiest lieutenants to his family home during a protracted stay in England with an eye toward having a little surreptitious fun. Lts. Hornblower and Kennedy turn the tables, with incredibly hot, hilarious results.

This is an excellent example of "light and witty" flavor of "Hornblower" story, and it's got its pretty, bittersweet moments as well.

( Excerpt -- )

The Widgeteria -- follow the links to
"Hornblower Fiction" and "Satisfaction"

Fasten your seatbelts, please, and keep your hands and arms inside the van. Other appendages are, well, up to you.

The vicissitudes of fate – a fate with a sick sense of humor, I might add – have resulted in my being your (conscripted) Vergil through this, um, infernal month of popslash recs. And there are a few things I should say, first.

( Cards on the table…. )

Fandom: POPSLASH (STREETSLASH)
Pairing: None explicit: Nick protects Aaron from exploitation
Author on LJ: alexandriabrown
Author Website: Such a Pretty Boy
Why this must be read: Evocative, subtle, and affecting meditation on the price of fame and the nature of love. To say more would cheapen it.

Doppelganger.

(Please Note: This overview is, in effect, a spoiler for the original work. If you'd like to read the original or watch a film adaptation without being spoiled, read cautiously. This material contains a plot overview and character descriptions.)

Hi, everyone! My name is imacartwright and I'm excited to be driving the crack_van for one of the Small Fandoms this month.

Here is my overview for the Pride and Prejudice fandom. Enjoy!


( Our Friend Jane )


( Plot Overview )


( Fandom Introduction )


( Character Photos & Descriptions )


( Major Fic Archive Links )

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Buckingham
Why this must be read:

The X-Files was never one for the domestic life, and when Scully had a baby the domestic life was still avoided with Mulder off hiding somewhere in season nine. Buckingham gives Mulder and Scully a bit of that lost domestic life. But don't get the wrong idea -- this tale is not at all sappy or implausible for these two emotionally wounded people. Their story as told here is monumentally complicated, achingly romantic, and ultimately tragic yet hopeful. In other words, this story is a perfect example of what you might have wanted to see on the show even as you knew you never would.

As if that's not enough to make this story a must read, Buckingham writes with a lush, poetic style that is truly marvelous to read. It makes reading every one of her stories twice as time-consuming because you end up re-reading sentences and paragraphs multiple times so they can wash over you again and again, but that's really half the fun.

Under a sheen of misting rain, she looks pale and tired, faded in a way he doesn't remember since the days of nosebleeds and radiation treatments. Her hair, brushing past her shoulders, the ends curling with dampness, is the one thing that makes him smile. It's almost as long as when they first met, he thinks, a half dozen lifetimes ago, and it makes him want to start all over again.

He feels the earth tilt until he skids to a stop at her feet.

To Disclosures or Crescendos

[Also, hello. I'm driving the XF crack van this month. I will try my best not to be reckless or speed off on the run a'la Mulder and Scully. Speaking of those two crazy conspiracy kids, fic about them will no doubt be dealt in large doses with big shots of angst, romance, and/or danger because that's my kind of good crack. Other characters will also hop off the van from time to time. Hope everybody enjoys the ride.]

(Hi! I'll be your friendly Buffyfic pusher for the month of July, which I find very exciting. You might know me in fannish circles as Kyra Cullinan; I've been active in online fandom for, like, a decade now but none has stolen my heart like BtVS. I tend to like [& thus rec] fic that echoes what I feel are the show's strongest qualities: character-driven, atmospheric, creepy or sexy. Hopefully you will, too.)

Fandom: BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Dawn&Spike (non-'shippy)
Author on LJ: amerella
Author Website: without gravity
Why this must be read: Joss himself has said that there's subtext between every possible pairing of characters on the show, which is maybe why 'shippy fic is so prevalent in Buffy fandom -- and why really well-written non-'shippy friendship fic like this is such a delight, when it comes along. Set in season seven, this is an honest, unflinching look at the relationship between Dawn and Spike, both in the show's final year and their earlier closeness. Plus it's some really gorgeous writing and an incredibly well-crafted story. Excellent characterization of Dawn, Spike and Buffy throughout. I can't praise it highly enough.


a sorta fairytale

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon
Author on LJ: (not sure)
Author Website: Calico's Lair
Why this must be read:

This particular story is a fresh take on the Blake/Avon first time concept. (I say "fresh" because to me this story feels more modern than most of the old-school writing we see in a lot of the webbed B7 fic.) It's realistic, complete with a strong story to carry it, every crew member recogniseable. The writing flows well and there are nice little details that stick in your mind and make you really feel you're *there* when things happen. I like the coffee especially:).

Souls of Discretion

[Hiya. The Grouse is your B7 dealer for the month. She likes her stuff lyrical and with a strong emotional kick. Bucketloads of kinky porn are a bonus. Before you say it, she even likes some old-school slash. *Hem*.]

Fandom: POPSLASH (SYNCSLASH)
Pairing: Wait for the payoff, people. Chris-centric
Author on LJ: tallories
Author Website: Tallories Fic (LJ repository)
Why this must be read: Jen came to us from a purely gen background. A gen, Streetfic background, at that. Then she Saw The Light. She was always insightful and technically accomplished. Once she turned her talents to, as here, ‘the Chris Kirkpatrick no-girls-allowed mental bordello,’ well….

A convincing look into a confused and weary mind, and a powerful take on the same Group Dynamics theme she works so well in Street-gen. It’s all about the families we choose for ourselves.

READ … ‘The Wonderful World of Chris Kirkpatrick.’

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Justin / Howie
Author on LJ: arsenicjade
Author Website: Arsenic Jade’s Fanfiction (Every Rose Has a Thorn)
Why this must be read: Arsenic has the rare ability to make me believe in whatever pairing she chooses to write. Why? Detail, including those day to day details that make you say, ‘but of course, it HAS to be exactly like that,’ at least for the duration of the story. Detail, and characterization: the details fit so well, like a mosaic, that even if she were to bust canon – which, in the essentials, she never does – the characterizations would follow inevitably, and never ever seem OOC. Anything on her site is worthwhile. I chose this one because anyone who can make me suspend, not only my disbelief, but my Serious Justin Issues, deserves props in excelsis. And besides, it’s utterly lovely, with her usual quiet lyricism well to the fore.

READ … ‘Like Sweden.’

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Nick / Lance
Author on LJ: coreopsis
Author Website: *Nsnicker
Why this must be read: Hot. Smart. Snarky. And, as always with this writer, one of the most estimable factors: it’s about Actual Gay Men (‘Yeah, hey, how are you, long time no see –’ the words poured out of Nick’s mouth breathless and staccato, his eyes almost all pupil – ‘can we fuck now?’), not Chicks-With-Dicks.

READ … ‘Three Dollar Bill.’