Hi, I'm Meris, and I'll be your candyman this month! I came into MfU fandom early this year based on reading the books a long time ago and then discovering online fanfic this January. While many of the stories I would rec have already appeared in this list, there are still plenty of good things to come! Glad you can come along for the ride...have another piece of fanfic, little girl? (evil grin)

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Author on LJ: tgabrielle
Author Website: none. Has two other stories on Lyrebird, one of which, "Good Cop", is referred to in this story.
Why this must be read:

My first rec appears in the e-zine Incognito, whose theme is disguise. "Crossing Boundaries" is an outstanding example of fine, firmly canon-rooted writing that takes us into levels of masquerade to explore the relationship between Napoleon and Illya. The solid canon base anchors the story's situations and lends it much of the background power TGab uses to springboard the final non-canon situation and resolution. The characterization is strong in a multi-layered story about friendship and sex and where the two cross or end.

As always in TGab's stories, I feel there is more going on here than is described, that there are other levels eddying beneath the surface. Here, it's as though Napoleon keeps making up the person he wants Illya to be, even under the disguise, and then Illya shows his own person, but neither the reader nor Napoleon is sure it's real. The disguise theme overlays the deeper masquerade that lies between Napoleon and Illya in the first place. A beautiful piece of writing.

Crossing Boundaries

Fandom: SHERLOCK HOLMES
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Author on LJ: astolat
Author Website:http://www.intimations.org
Why this must be read:

Good afternoon. I’m laughingacademy, whom you may remember as the August SW:TPM reccer. It is an honor and a pleasure to drive the Hansom Cab of Crack on its inaugural voyage through the fog-shrouded streets of London.

For my very first Holmes recommendation I’ve chosen this charming first-time story, in which, as the author phrases it, Someone's getting taken for a ride. But is it the doctor, or, for once, the detective?

Shalott’s tale displays many traits common to the best stories in this fandom. It brilliantly mimics Conan Doyle/Watson’s voice and cheekily uses details from the Canon (such as the family name of Watson’s shipboard acquaintance). Most crucially, the dynamic between Holmes and Watson rings true, even as the characters do things that would probably set their creator to spinning in his grave. Plus, I love that the title is a hint to the reader who recalls her Greco-Roman mythology.

The Maiden Voyage of the Tiresias

Fandom: QAF US
Pairing: Ted/Blake
Author on LJ: anniemoon
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: This is one of my favorite QAF fics. It's short but oh so bittersweet. It's about one of my favorite couples on the show, even rivalling the exceptional dysfunction of the Brian/Justin relationship with the sheer fuckedup-ness of the relationship between tweaked-up twink and his enabler.

Anyway, did you ever wondered what happened to Blake after he left the rehab center in the Season 1 finale. In this story, Annie takes Blake's disappearance and creates a not-so-wonderful life for him, away from Ted. It is angst-ridden and hauntingly bleak, as seen by this short excerpt (which shows the author's wonderful command of language as well as character):

He sleeps in ice and dreams of muted colors.

He walks around the blocks during the short days and looks for kind brown eyes in every stranger who passes him by...

Shiver

Happy birthday, Crack Van! *breaks out champagne and toasts all the fab people who make it the addictive thing it is*

Talking of addictive, I'm Katie, and I'm on Sports Night this month. Apparently it really is that difficult to stop me geeking. Hope you enjoy.

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Author on LJ: don't think so
Author Website: don't think so
Why this must be read:

I thought I'd start off optimistically, and to me this fic just is that. It makes me smile. It's what might be called a Happy Ever After fic, except it's Sorkiny and snarky and just weirdly real, despite being so warm and fuzzy. It actually acknowledges that life has bad bits, even if it does end up declaiming the awesome power of t00by love. (Oh my god, I can't believe I just used the phrase "t00by love", but it's the only that fits.) That and the snark make the sweetness bearable, and add up to a fic that has moments that just make you hold your breath, moments where you think you're going to explode from the cuteness, and moments that - if you're me, anyway - make you go awwww and want to hug people. Stories like this are the sunshine on a rainy day. :)

Painting Shadows, Catching Light