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Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Akane Tendo/Ranma Saotome
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Nightelf's Elysium
Why this must be read:

( It's short, introspective, and beautifully angsty. )

A Man I'll Never Be

Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Tatewaki Kuno/pig-tailed girl, Tatewaki Kuno/Akane Tendo
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: John Walter Biles' Fanfiction
Why this must be read:

I can't describe this unique story any more clearly than its author does...

So you think Kunou is an idiot? Let's see you put your money where your mouth is! You control the horizontal! You control the vertical! You control the biggest fool in Nerima in this Choose Your Own Adventure, as you try to survive a typical day in the life of Tatewaki Kunou.

The original text of the story is by John Biles, and it's presented in HTML by J.M. Steadman.

Kunou's Excellent Adventure

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn and other assorted pairings
Author on LJ: scrubschick
Author Website: Bunny Board
Why this must be read:

Farscape is not your father's scifi show. It shows real characters acting and reacting to situations. It shows character growth and change and most of all it does not skimp on pain it inflicts on its characters. When you have actors this good, doing pain do well, is it no wonder writers like to torture the characters. It's canon folks.

This story takes place near the end of S4 and has assorted spoilers for things that happened before, so I will put the rest of this review/recc behind a cut tag for those new to the fandom.

( Read more... )

Crucible

Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Akane Tendo/Ranma Saotome, Akane Tendo/Ryoga Hibiki
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Gary Kleppe's Comics and Manga Page
Why this must be read:

No one seems to be able to explain why Akane remains oblivious to the fact that her pet P-Chan is really Ryoga, so of course, it's a source of speculative fanfic. In this story, Ranma himself ponders a worst-case scenario: that Akane has been playing dumb all this time.

She Knows? (part 1/2)
She Knows? (part 2/2)

Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Akane Tendo/Ranma Saotome
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Jan's Anime Pages
Why this must be read:

You didn't think I'd only be rec'ing PG stuff, did you? ;-)

( First-time story, Akane/girl-type Ranma, alone in a chilly wet tent. )

Autumn Rain

Fandom: POPSLASH - *NSLASH
Pairing: Justin/JC, Chris/Lance
Author on LJ: bitterchick
Author Website: Diva Hips

Why this must be read:

(  JC came out in Houston, Texas... )



The Coming Out Fic

Fandom: STAR WARS: TPM
Pairing: Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon
Author on LJ: truwest
Author Website: none, but can be reached at truwestomlette@yahoo.com
Why this must be read:

Here are two more passes at what the writer calls "this tired plot device": one of our heroes saves the other from amnesiac servitude. According to Trudy's notes, she wrote "Forgotten: Roles Reversed" as a companion piece to "Forgotten" in response to readers' feedback asking that she retell that story with one difference, the nature of which should be obvious from the second piece's title. Smart readers.

Either tale is enjoyable on its own, but their juxtaposition, and the resulting illumination of Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's personality, is what makes them memorable. For example: in both stories the buyer is unable to tell his purchase who they are because doing so before the mind wipe is reversed may cause damage (this idea, whether canon or fanon, is a godsend for slash writers) but assures him that they're going home and everything will be all right, and both times the slave doesn't fully believe what he's told. However, the reasons for their reservations, and the steps they take as a result, are quite different and completely in keeping with who they are.

So, if you like character-driven stories, check these out. If you don't, then just read them for the vividly described action, angst, and sex.

[Edited to fix the link for "Forgotten: Roles Reversed."]

Forgotten and Forgotten: Roles Reversed

Fandom: POPSLASH - *NSLASH
Pairing: Chris/Joey
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Linda's Passions

Why this must be read:

( Read more... )

Mysterious Ways.

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Author on LJ: nestra
Author Website: Nestra's Pantheon

Why this must be read:
This is a fairly new story that made a big splash (if I noticed it being recced, quite a few people had to be talking it up *g*), and I wondered if it would live up to the buzz. I thought Nestra did a fabulous job with the dialog and plot, and the light-hearted tone is a refreshing change of pace in this fandom.

( The opening lines will drag you right into the story )

Dangerous Cargo

Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: none, but in the fic-within-a-fic, too many to mention.
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: SKJAM!'s Fanfic Page
Why this must be read:

Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo, fathers who've been utterly ineffective at convincing their children to actually get married, decide to write a fixit fic for their own world... with their usual degree of success.

"Tendou, precisely what is a `self-insert character' anyway?"
"I'm not sure, Saotome. Some sort of American perversion even the Master disdains."
"Oh."

Genma & Souun Write A Fic

Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Akane Tendo/Ranma Saotome, Ukyo Kuonji/Ranma Saotome, Shampoo/Ranma Saotome
Warning: Character death(s)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Angus McSpon's Fan Fiction
Why this must be read:

The author's own teaser-summary: An eighty-five year old Ranma is mourning the death of his wife, when a figure from his past reappears and draws him into a final confrontation with an enemy he thought he'd never have to face again.

( A longer story, where horrific darkness lurks hidden for decades. )

Autumn and Spring