Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Ray K., Ray K./OMC (briefly)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Grey's Corner

Why this must be read: I've been reading Grey's fiction since The Sentinel fandom and while some of those stories were a bit too dark for my tastes, all of her stories so far in due South fandom have been dead on wonderful.

My own favorite kink is Jealous!Fraser or Jealous!Ray stories and this one has all of those elements. The premise is that Ray and Fraser have to 'bodyguard' a rock star (think Hugh Dillon from Hard Core Logo) from a psycho stalker and much to Fraser's dismay Ray and the rock star hit it off. They hit it off so well, that Ray considers sleeping with the guy and the rock star is hot and heavy for Ray. Fraser is jealous as all get out and so our little tale of lust and jealously begins.

(For those of you who are OTP'ers like myself, do not worry, all things come out right in the end. Would I rec anything else? *g*)

Star Struck

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Jayne/Mal; Inara/Kaylee; Zoe/Wash
Author on LJ: mosca
Author Website: homoneurotica
Why this must be read: Fanfiction usually ends with the happily ever after. The characters realize they love each other. The end. But this story deals with Jayne and Mal realizing they have more than just lust—so where do they go from there? I think what I'm trying to say is that this story gives us a first time and an established relationship. Very cool.

Jolene faked giving Mal the once-over. "Don't see your name on him," she said.

Jayne went over to Mal, pretended like he was checking for a mark under his collar. "Musta rubbed off," Jayne said. He set about putting a mark where there wasn't none, but Mal grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a very possessive kiss.

"Well, ain't that a pretty sight," Jolene said.

Mmm...I'd pay good money to see that sight


Like Describing the Alphabet

Fandom: STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
Pairing: Garak/OC
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: H. Wotton's Garak Fanfic
Why this must be read:

Another story from Garak’s early life, this time as a bright and rebellious student, learning from an eccentric schoolmate that the pleasures of the flesh and service to the state are not easily aligned. More clever world-building, insights into Cardassian physiology, and a vivid and unforgettable OC.

"You do accept willingly the authority of the Cardassian state, don't you, Elim?"

"Of course I do, but why does it make me an enemy of the state to point out that there's a better way to solve a geometry problem than it says in the book?" he had protested in frustration.

"Authority is authority, Elim. Question one form, you're likely to question all."

Flowering

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Author on LJ: runpunkrun
Author Website: The Underground
Why this must be read:

Apparently Casey can count on a few things in life and one of those is that at least once a day, Dan will do something to make him stare in awe. So on a day when Dan is living in borrowed shorts and is acting crazier than usual, Casey tries to maintain a calm exterior while waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Punk presents us with a day in the life of Sports Night and it is the sort of story you could almost imagine Sorkin would have written (without the blatant slash of course) if the show had survived. Everyone is at their zany best and poor old Casey is somewhere in the middle, trying to do his job while his partner flip-flops around, Dana gets a little too enthusiastic at a baby shower and no one leaves him any egg rolls.

The banter is superb, the set-up ridiculous and the ending pure schmoop. I couldn't recommend it more highly!

Tin Men

Fandom: Lotrps
Pairing: Billy/Dom
Author on LJ: kaydee_falls
Author Website: lasciatemi cantare
Why this must be read:

Funny was written for last year's slashababy exchange and features Billy and Dom in a sort of classic romantic comedy set up: love thwarted by silly miscommunication and misunderstanding. While it's a formula that can make you want to rip your eyes out when it's splayed across the big screen and features Julia Roberts singing or whatever, it's actually the set up for a very fun and endearing lotrps fic. That's saying quite a bit, too, considering that it features an entire section on the fine art of the knock knock joke.

Well written and full of great dialogue between poor, exasperated Dom and chipper, needling Billy. I'm trying so hard right here to not give in to my worst Ebert-esque impulses and end this little rec with a truly bad pun...like, say, Funny, indeed! Just go, read, and enjoy.

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: mandragora1
Author Website: http://www.angelfire.com/home/pandoemonium/
Why this must be read:

"Caravans" takes place almost entirely in a car, as Bodie and Doyle drive from London to and then back from the home of a "former" IRA member to question him about some current goings-on. The purpose of their trip is fairly irrelevant, though, except as a backdrop, because really this story is a voyage through the workings of Doyle's mind as he attempts to understand and come to terms with some important truths about himself and Bodie. The author takes us along on this inner journey while not neglecting the outer one - it's very internal, which makes it all the more remarkable that the author manages so unobtrusively to paint an evocative and lovely picture of the external environment in which it's taking place, and to make it clear how the external and internal are so inextricably linked - Bodie and Doyle are the products of their environment. She's incredibly effective at capturing Britishness, or perhaps Englishness, and the story has a very authentic feel.

The characterization also feels quite authentic - I can very much buy into her portrayal of Doyle's thought processes and Bodie's reactions, and the interaction between the two of them. They snark realistically, but Doyle's confusion and Bodie's pain and feeling of betrayal, and their deep connection to each other, are never far from the surface. I love how they never stop being guys - blokes!; their difficulty saying what they actually feel, and their obliqueness when they do, the way seemingly throw-away comments are actually imbued with meaning, ring true and are a testament to the author's ability to "show not tell." And the resolution, while perhaps a trifle abrupt, is satisfying and uplifting (this will become a theme with me - I like good, happy endings), with even a nice bit of fairly hot smut (also a favorite of mine! *g*) thrown in for good measure. This is an understated and yet moving and effective story, one that bears up to repeated re-reading.

This is Mandragora's only story, which is a shame, because it's lovely.

Caravans (or in pdf format)

(originally published in The Bisto Kids, Infinity Press, 2001, which can be found on the Infinity Press website)

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Josh/Donna
Author on LJ: michellek
Author website: http://glimmershine.tripod.com

Why this must be read: Josh/Donna fics make up a major chunk of the West Wing fandom, but I especially love this one because it seems like something that probably occurred somewhere off camera. michellek sets this story right after "20 Hours in LA" in Season One, where Josh has just come off of an embarrassing encounter with Joey Lucas. She gives us Sorkin-perfect dialogue, a perfect Donna voice, and one of the few drunken sex scenes that approaches realism (unfortunately for Josh).

michellek is one of the reigning queens of West Wing femslash, writing some truly fabulous Donna/Amy, and her recent exploration into Josh/Donna should be encouraged.

Of Fragility and Rosebuds

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Haresh Clay/Carter Wellan
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The Speculations of DevilChild
Why this must be read:

You might have glanced at the pairing and went, "Who?" Well, Haresh and Carter are two characters that appeared in the episode "The End of Innocence". The two men had been "friends" for over 900 years. While watching the ep and seeing how utterly devastated Haresh was over Carter's death not for a minute did I think these two men had been "just friends" for all those years. I longed for more of a glimps into their relationship. Even thought of writing a story featuring them myself. Then I found this fic. It was so perfectly what I had wanted to express that I didn't feel the need to write one anymore. It gives a nice backstory to how they met and eventually became lovers. It left me wanting more fics featuring these two.



Hayloft