Fandom: RANMA 1/2
Pairing: Ranma Saotome/Akane Tendo, Ukyo Kuonji/Ranma Saotome, Kodachi Kuno/Ranma Saotome, Tatewaki Kuno/pig-tailed girl, Ryouga Hibiki/Akane Tendo, Ryouga Hibiki/Akari Unryu, Shampoo/Ranma Saotome, Mousse/Shampoo, Kasumi Tendo/Dr. Tofu
Authors on LJ: unknown
Authors Websites: Nightelf's Elysium
Why this must be read:

Ranma spends so much of his life trying to be a man among men... this compartmentalizes all of his feelings, empathy, tenderness and nurturing such that they can only be expressed when he is a girl. What if he realized that, and decided that some portion of his personality is female?

There's an amnesia story arc in canon, where Ranma spends a short time thinking she is a girl cursed to become a boy, but this fanfic takes that concept far beyond the comedic elements explored in canon... how would a manly man cope with a conscious desire not to simply dress up in women's clothing (a significant secret in it's own right) but also a desire to be a woman? That's a significant personality crisis right there, even without all of the resultant chaos of fiances and vendettas that surround Ranma in his daily life. But if that daily life becomes hers, everything shifts. Some problems solve themselves. Unexpected allies appear. Other problems get more complicated. Still other new problems appear.

According to the primary author, "Four hours in a school computer lab writing a 10k spamfic turned into a 380k, three-year, three-author project. Even now, I'm not sure what to think of all this."

I'm not entirely sure, either. For me, in some ways, this story creates more questions than it answers, not just about the Ranmaverse and character interpretations, but about gender roles and identity and sexuality in general, on every level from individual to societal, if I think about it for too long. I do know that if Na-chan could get me reservations at this story's club, I'd be there in an instant to meet those interesting folks.

There's a very intense little side story related to this fanfic, which I find most appropriately read as a prequel, called Revelations.

Clothes Make The...
chapter 1
chapter 2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12

Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: phoenixchilde
Author Website: purplebrickroad(dot)net
Why this must be read:

Make sure you've got some tissues on hand -- when this story was originally posted, a large portion of the xmmficathon readership ended up severely traumatised. ;)

In all seriousness, though... well, 'Acts of God' just blows me away. It's an alternate (and so very plausible) end for X2, and it manages to make even this cold-hearted cynic get a little sniffly.

There are so many reasons to read (and love) this fic. It's an AU that feels natural, rather than forced. The structure of the story is creative and unusual, but works to the story's advantage, rather than to its detriment. Every minor player is so perfectly in-character, even in their extremely short appearances (or lack thereof). The 'villains' of the piece will make you see red, even as you understand them and feel sympathy. And, Pyro... just, yes. He's not someone about whom I often read, given that I feel there aren't many people who can capture him all that well; but here, he's just spot-on. You can almost feel the barely-leashed anger radiating off him.

By far my favourite story about Bobby and John. Painful to read, but in the absolute best way possible.

Acts of God

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: River/Kaylee, Mal/Jayne, Mal/Zoe
Author on LJ: quercus
Author Website: Lemon Lashes

Why this must be read:
This is a tour through the POVs of everyone on the ship, and in the course of the action, certain things become crystal clear about each character, kind of like how it was on the show.

Powder Burns

Authors on lj: zortified and mpoetess
Author Websites: Pointy Stakes and Gila's Cave
Pairing: Angel/Wesley/Gunn, Spike/Xander
Rating: NC-17
Why this must be read:

Mad as a box of frogs (or alternatively, a tank of piranhas - thank you doyle_sb4 for that description!), this is a joyously outrageous romp through what can only be described as an AU. Although the series features Spike and Xander, it's set in the Hyperion with starring roles for a delicious threesome of Angel, Wesley and Gunn and is more Angel based than BtVS based.

Ahem.

This is a riot. Absolutely mind bogglingly funny with stunningly accurate characterization (I'm still not sure how they pull that off). Each chapter stands alone and they can quite happily be read out of sequence with the .5 classification concentrating on Angel, Wesley and Gunn and the normal numbering concentrating on Spike and Xander. These are funny and hot as hell but cunningly concealed within them are startling episodes of character investigation. Lost In Translation is one of the best Wesley character pieces I've read and Truth In Every Shepherd's Tongue is genuinely painful in places.

Read this if you're interested in Angel and Spike's back history; if you like the idea of Xander and Spike plaguing the life (unlife?) out of Angel; if a sharply observed Drusilla as aunty to a bunch of carnivorous fish is your kind of thing; if you like your humour mixed with angst. If you like slash and AtS, really. And Cordelia is a joy in these stories. She utterly rules the roost.

( Extract from Domestic Piranhas 8.5: And Truth In Every Shepherd’s Tongue )

Domestic Piranhas by James Walkswithwind and Mad Poetess

Fandom: LOTRIPS
Pairing: Elijah/Sean Bean
Author on LJ: baranduin
Author Website: Ithaca
Why this must be read: This is a very enjoyable au inspired by Lady Chatterley's Lover. Lady Chatterley's artistic brother Elijah is chucked out of Cambridge in disgrace and retreats to Wragby where he meets Bean, the rough but intriguing gamekeeper. It owes more to the movie than the book, but overall Baranduin creates an atmosphere all her own without (thankfully) imitating the writing style of either Ken Russell or D.H. Lawrence. The ending is ambiguous, but I have a strong feeling it can be considered a happy one.

( excerpt )

Into the Wood

Fandom: PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website:Unknown

I've enjoyed being your driver this month, here's my last rec for you. Enjoy!

Why this must be read: This story reads like an episode with an element of slash thrown in. Bodie and Doyle go undercover and through many mishaps discover their feelings for each other.

I originally read this story as a zine and was happy to see it had been put online. It won't disappoint.

Tea for Two

Fandom: LOTRIPS
Pairing: Elijah/Dom
Author on LJ: novanumbernine
Author Website: fable, fiction and lies
Why this must be read: Mmm...mpreg. Forget your prejudices, 'cause anything goes in lotrips (particularly when it comes to filling that ever-fertile and malleable vessel, Elijah Wood) and Nova's the sort of writer who can make the most deranged scenario seem plausible, moving, funny, sad and even prosaic, without actually losing the special tone that both exemplifies crack!fic and somehow stabilises and humanises it. Here, blooming Elijah is alluring and repellent in turn, and Dom is a delight as his baffled lover.

( excerpt )

Primigravidus

Fandom: Farscape/Firefly/Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Young Frankenstein/Babylon 5/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairings: n/a
Author on LJ: rubberneck
Author's Website: fanfic by feldman
Why this must be read:

Okay so I missed the Crossover Day when it happened so I am doing it now, besides it fits better here. Farscape is one of those shows that lends itself to the ridiculous very well. Things happen in the show that make you shake your head and laugh out loud. This fic/drabble is the perfect example of it. Each bit is more improbable then the previous but set in such a way that it all works. Yes this crosses Farscape with five other fandoms. You read right, five. feldman deserves dinner at Milliways for this one.

I would give you an excerpt except it's really just a drabble and too short to pull something out. So let me give you some visuals: Pilot sipping a gin-and-tonic, Zoe and tiramisu, D'Argo stacking demitasse cups, Bistro Math, Crais with Cuban heels, and dewy eyeshadow. Go read, laugh and marvel at the treasure this fandom has in feldman.

Mostly Harmless, My Eema