Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Author on LJ: ciceqi
Author Website: Blood, Love & Rhetoric
Why this must be read:

Methos has said that he doesn't remember much of his life before he took his first head, that it's all a little "fuzzy" the further back he goes. Well, what if he started to remember? An old threat from Methos' past returns and there are things he must remember in order to fight it. That's the premise from which this story is based, but man that doesn't even begin to really describe it. That's like the over simplified version. This story takes Methos and Duncan on a very wild journey of discovery. Not just into Methos' past, but a journey towards discovering who they want to be to one another. This is another of those fics that I was really surprised no one else had rec'd yet. If I were going to give a person new to HL slash a list of fics I'd recommend checking out first this would be right at the top of the list. If you haven't checked this one out before you definitely should. If you've read it before it never hurts to read a good story again.


Still Heart

Title: Decisions, Revisions, and Reversal
Fandom: The OC
Pairing/Characters: Ryan/Seth
Author on LJ: ukgirl162
Author Website: none
Why this must be read:

( Swallowing and running a hand through his hair, he sat down on one of the deck chairs and stared out at the water. It was dark now, and the moon was reflected over the surface, sending beams of light splashing across the cement and the walls of the poolhouse. He was tempted to make a joke about the last time Ryan had slept with his blinds open--but there was no one to make it for. Solitude was nice when you wanted to think, but when all you wanted to do was joke around and forget and eat Chinese food, it made you wish to God that you hadn't fucked everything up so badly. )

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: none (gen)
Author on LJ: No.
Author website: http://www.loebelclark.com/FanfictionHub/FanFicHub.htm
Why this must be read:

Because her stories usually appear in print first and then are archived at her own website, Vicky Loebel’s work is not as well known around MFU fandom as it probably could or should be. That’s too bad because she’s a lot of fun to read. She has a quirky, playful sense of humor and her stories are always rich with incisive and occasionally unexpected details. If you want to get a real feel for what it must be like to work for U.N.C.L.E. --- the office politics, the competition among the field agents, the resentment and jealousies that swirl around Solo and Kuryakin’s luck and status, read Vicky.

Many of her stories are set before Solo becomes CEA, which means we also meet his predecessor, the gloomy, by-the-book Gordon Hutchinson, a wonderful character who, though he isn’t canon, should be. Vicky has a couple of other interesting OC’s, the snarky Australian, Paul Matthews chief among them, but she also does a great job giving the canon support staff their due. Most notably, she gets a lot of mileage out of the nebbish, bespectacled George Dennell (“The Waverly Ring Affair”) who has a rich inner fantasy life and fancies himself U.N.C.L.E.’s version of Clark Kent.

In this story, U.N.C.L.E.’s charity front is throwing a party on Christmas Eve for a group of orphans. It’s told from multiple viewpoints, which gives it a sort of Rashomon quality, with all the main characters observing and commenting on the situation and each other. For example, here’s Paul Matthews observations of Solo and Kuryakin putting up the tree:

( Read more... )

And here’s a sample of the story’s enjoyable good humor: George Dennell, who can’t locate a saw, decides to pare down the tree branches using another method:

( Read more... )

Pretty risky, indeed. And of course, Thrush isn’t going to allow this little public relations event to go on without a hitch. Soon, the agents have a lot more to worry about than who’s going to wear the Santa suit.
Small Kindness Affair

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Solo/Kuryakin (but AU)
Author on LJ: No.
Author website: This appears on www.file40.net, but also see: http://users.frii.com/wanderer/fanfic/reach.html
Why this must be read:

Taliesin needs no introduction. She’s not only a prolific writer, but she edits the popular, award-winning slash zine, Relative Secrecy.

Of all her many stories, however, this is my favorite and certainly one of the most memorable. It’s set in a bleak AU universe, a dystopian near-future (and considering our current state of politics, not so hard to imagine) and it’s narrated by an unnamed narrator who will become Illya Kuryakin. This narrator has had the misjudgment to ally himself with a politician of principle and ideals, and runs afoul of the new, oppressive regime ruling Russia.

A political prisoner, he manages to escape into an unforgiving wilderness where he’s picked up and taken to a secret hospital by a mysterious stranger:

( Read more... )

Fans will recognize this as Napoleon Solo, of course, but a canon Solo turned inside out --- darker, chillier, more dangerous than we’ve ever encountered before. Our narrator, now called Illya Kuryakin, is recruited into an underground version of U.N.C.L.E. in which the stakes are even higher and the job far more soul-killing than they are in the canon series.

The man named Solo takes Kuryakin under his wing and they become partners and eventually lovers, working together on murderous assignments (in every sense of the word) until Kuryakin decides he’s had enough violence and killing. But of course, as he makes us all too aware no one ever quits this U.N.C.L.E.

No one.

To Live In Interesting Times

Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Greg/Nick, Greg/Sara, Greg/Other
Author on LJ: carolinecrane
Author Website: http://www.carolinecrane.net

Why this must be read:

Aside from the fact that I just plain like this fic, there are several reasons why I chose to recommend "Four Things...":

1. The "Five Things That Never Happened" idea has spawned many wonderful fics across a wide variety of fandoms, so of course I wanted to recommend one during my turn at the wheel. Caroline Crane came up with five excellent scenarios for this fic, including one that took on a life of its own and grew into the excellent "All the Way to Paris."

2. There are a number of CSI episodes that have created scenarios that have not been explored nearly enough in later episodes. One of these was "Playing with Fire," aka "The One Where Greg Gets Blowed up Real Good." Other than one short scene involving shaky hands and a brief talk with Grissom, the show seems to have forgotten that the explosion--which caused third degree burns, hello!--ever happened. The fic writers, however, have not forgotten. There is a lot of post-explosion fic out there, some good, some bad. This is one of the good ones.

3. Nick/Greg is one of my favorite CSI pairings, and this fic has three plausible scenarios for how things might work out--one happy, one bitter, and one very sad indeed.

4. I don't see nearly enough Greg/Sara out there, so it's nice to have even a little snippet by a talented author.

5. There are a bazillion stories in practically every fandom that have been "jossed" when something happens on the show that instantly renders a story AU. Something like that has happened to the third scenario in this story, which is a crossover with CSI: Miami. In this case, what happened in this season's premier of CSI: Miami doesn't so much joss the scenario as add a layer of sadness that wasn't there when this story was first written. It's not often that changes to a show enhance a pre-existing fic.

Four Things That Never Happened to Greg Sanders (And One That Did)

Themes! I love themes:) This week, the theme is other-worldly events.

Fandom: Starsky/Hutch

Pairing: Starsky and Hutch

Fiction Website: http://cruellaboris.bravepages.com/FanFiction/gaslight1.html

Why this must be read: This is a gen story that takes the theme of gaslighting to a whole new level. "To gaslight" someone means that you deliberately drive someone insane by manipulating their environment. That's what someone or something is trying to do to Starsky. Long dead voices from his past keep calling, urging him to join them on the other side because it's the only way to keep Hutch safe. Slowly, little by little, the man's defenses wear down until he doesn't know what's real and what's not. The ending will leave you guessing.

Fandom: Starsky/Hutch

Pairing: Starsky/Hutch;)

Fiction Website: http://www.squidge.org/~flamingo/starskyhutchslash/classic/Rosemary/eclipse.htm

Why this must be read: Originally published in Crystal Blue Persuasion, this is seriously one of the most erotic sexual scenes I've ever read. Let's start at the beginning. Starsky's at Hutch's funeral. Now hold on a minute, don't assume things too quickly. Because not even death can keep these two apart. Hutch starts haunting Starsky. But is it haunting if he's not really dead? Well, kinda undead to be exact. He had been getting sick for a while, but it wasn't until he was buried and back that we learn the why and what fors. And it's not just Starsky who's suffering through this turn of events, Hutch is very confused himself. He's learning who he is and wondering if he can lay claim to the man he once was.

That single droplet's power flared through him, stronger than heroin, stronger than alcohol, stronger even than orgasm. But where those other things had soothed, this vitalized, energizing him with a tingling that was more than intoxicating, that was utterly addictive. He'd needed this, wanted more...

There is nothing Starsky would not do for his partner and he proves it. Hutch is reluctant at first, but Starsky can be very persuasive. What develops is the more erotic sexual turning scene you will ever read. It's so gradual, so delicate, the way they take this step towards something new because forever is something they long for.

Hutch didn't disappoint him. Starsky lost sight of his friend's face as a curtain of sweat-damp, golden hair cascaded forward when Hutch lowered his head to Starsky's neck again. Those full lips started skimming Starsky's throat, their touch soft and cool, amazingly sensual.

They love each other, they take care of each other, and the orange juice scene at the end is just so sweet. No matter what changes their lives have gone through, they're still them. Two partners, bound together for eternity.

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Josh/Kenny
Authors on LJ: Not that I know of.
Authors' Website: The Big Block of Cheese: The West Wing Slash Archive
Why this story must be read:

It's a Kenny fic! More importantly, it's a Kenny slash fic! Not much is written about Joey Lucas' interpreter, and this story, which combines great characterization and dialogue with a really broken Josh, is one of my new favorites. Pene and August give Kenny a convincing backstory and a compelling reason for Josh to turn to him. Besides, I couldn't go through the month recommending West Wing fic without at least one hurt/comfort story.

When We Weren't Speaking

Fandom: QUEER AS FOLK
Pairing: Brian/Justin
Author on LJ:don't know
Author Website:don't know
Why this must be read:

Because it fills the gap inside episode 410. How Justin and Brian deal with radiation therapy. This explores what might have happened after Justin goes back to Brian's place and cooks him chicken soup.

I liked the flow of the story, the dream atmosphere that the writer put in it. It's not a linear story and I liked that. I liked that it dealt with the non spoken love that Brian feels for Justin and Justin understanding that Brian loves him even if he doesn't say it.

I would have loved to have seen the bathroom scene on film.

Someone to lean on

Comments always welcome




On a personal note, sometimes I rec a story mainly for the plot even if the structure, grammar and spelling are sometimes not up to par. I'm not a native English speaking person and I tend to have a higher threshold for certain things but I can understand other people nit-picks. I will try remember to mention it in future recs. I'm back from vacations so I'll be posting more recs soon.