My apologies to S&H fans this month - I was kidnapped by Real Life and it took our two favourite police officers a little while to find me. I'm going to try to go out with a bang, though, so here's a rec that might open up a whole new world of reading for you! It did for me.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: not that I'm aware of
Author Website: The S&H Slash Virtual Seasons 5-8
Why this must be read: Virtual slash seasons can be tricky because they take a concentrated effort from a lot of people. This is the first story in Season 5 and is a Post-Sweet Revenge story about recovery and partnership. It deals with some of the harder realities of what the boys are facing - Starsky's inability to be the man he was before, Hutch putting his life on hold. And it shows the beginnings of a relationship with sparks of anger and jealousy when Hutch gets a new partner that he actually seems to like and trust. It's a solid start to the Virtual Seasons and definitely stands alone as a Post-Sweet Revenge fic.

( Excerpt from The Best Thing )

Read the story: The Best Thing

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: not that I'm aware of
Author Website: Starsky & Hutch Gen Archive
Why this must be read: I'm a sucker for long stories, and I like a good hurt/comfort fic as much as the next reader. This one's a classic. Sleepy and hungover, the boys are pulled in on their day off to pick up a witness and ferry him to the Feds. Simple, right? Except it never is. There's a secluded cabin, a chase through a blizzard, and choices that no one ever wants to make when someone they love is hurt. It's well-written, well-paced, and I particularly like Starsky's characterization as a man so determined that he'll do anything to make sure they all survive.

( Excerpt from Promises to Keep )

Read the story: Promises to Keep

Attn. Drivers: Sorry for the late notice, but tonight - the last Friday of the month - is, in fact, Friday Night Drive-In, a.k.a. Fan Vid Recs. Feel free to post your vid rec over the weekend, however.

Reccers may post 1 vid rec for their fandom, formatted as follows:

Subject Line: VID REC: Fandom - Song Title

Vidder:
Musical artist:
Pairing:
Vidder on LJ:
Vidder's website:
Why this vid kicks ass:


Because the vidder community has some unique ownership issues, it’s important that reccers be extra careful when making vid recs. Depending on the vidder’s preferences regarding public access to their work, please link your rec in the appropriate manner:

1. If the video is publicly accessible, direct link to the web page the vid is linked on, or if it’s the vidder’s request, to the HTML splash page of their site.

or…

2. Link to the site with instructions on acquiring the password, if the site is protected – do not reveal the password yourselves.

or…

3. Provide contact info for the vidder if their vids are only available privately (tapes, dvd-R’s, collections, etc.).


Do not:
Hotlink, i.e. link directly to the video file rather than the webpage.
Re-upload videos that a vidder has removed from the web.
Delay in removing a vid rec if requested to do so by the vidder.

Thank you!

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: lastrega
Author Website:Swords Kiss
Why this must be read:

There are stories, and then there is…literature. This story has more layers than a croissant. Every piece crosses back onto another bit, recalling to mind the title, the middle, the set-up, the dialogue, the description, the pacing. On the surface, Methos and Duncan are trapped in a dark elevator, having a sincere sort of talk about life, death, the Gathering. And below the surface? Locating the bottom gets awfully tough. It’s the sort of story that will have you making connections days later--while eating soup and thinking you should start a load of laundry, and suddenly things will click into place and you’ll wind up finding there was yet one more layer than before.


( 'The Gathering Dark' Sampler )

The Gathering Dark

Vidder: Mkitty3
Musical artist: Garbage
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Vidder on LJ: mkitty_03
Vidder's website: http://www.mkitty3.1accesshost.com/

Why this vid kicks ass:

Just as the Smallville fandom produces some fabulous alternate universe fanfiction, it also lends itself to wonderful AU vids, and this is one of the best. Mkitty3 chooses the perfect clips and special effects to construct her universe, which is predicated on the question: "What if Clark and Lex turned evil, and tried to take over the world together?" What ensues is a lush, epic, and most importantly sexy exploration of the Clexy path to world dominition. Looking as good as they do, Clark and Lex can dominate me any time they want. :)

The World Is Not Enough

The link above leads to the page where the vid can be found. Make sure to leave Mkitty some feedback if you enjoy the vid!

Vidder: Melina & Shalott
Musical artist: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: Shalott is astolat and I'm fairly certain Melina is melina123, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
Vidder's website: Shalott's vid website
Why this vid kicks ass: Okay, first of all, this vid is *gorgeous*. I'm something of a source snob when it comes to music videos, and the DivX encode on this means that the source is just lovely. Second, the song choice is divine-- I'd never heard it before I watched this vid, and now I can't associate it with anything except LotR. The clip choices are almost perfectly matched with the lyrics (with a few "talking head" exceptions that aren't really notable). The vid itself focuses on both Frodo and Aragorn and, through the metaphor of "the mountain," addresses how each character deals with the obstacles before him. Even though I don't usually enjoy vids with shifting POVs, this one works very well because the switch is made clear-- It's never left up to the viewer to "interpret" which character is being examined. There's even a transition in POV during a lyric-less section that works better for me than some lyric-based transitions in other vids. In short, I really just adore this vid and think it should be preliminary viewing for anyone who is just sticking their toes into the LotR fandom.

The Mountain (Second vid in the left-hand column.)

Vidder: Fialka
Musical artist: Tom McRae
Pairing: John Crichton/Aeryn Sun
Vidder on LJ: fialka
Vidder's website: n/a
Why this vid kicks ass:

Farscape fandom learned the hard way that nail-biting story arcs and agonizing season finale cliffhangers would become the rule rather than the exception; and no season-ender drove home the realization more forcefully than episode 2.22, Die Me Dichotomy. Fialka took the quintessential Farscapean story of fate and choice, tragedy and loss--and the devastating aftermath--and used Tom McRae's haunting melody and music to showcase it.

You Cut Her Hair

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John Crichton/Aeryn Sun
Author on LJ: lithium_doll
Author Website: Alter-Idem
Why this must be read:

Nothing ever goes exactly as planned on Farscape... usually, nowhere even in the general vicinity. Plans suck, there's always a mess, and people die. People really do die. Some of them stay dead, while others die a lot.

Instead of the typical angst!fic, however, Lith's approach is a kinder, gentler, more nostalgic look at what the dead leave behind. It's sweet without schmoop, and true to the characters and universal themes that Farscape explored in all their convoluted, warts-and-all glory.


The Long Walk

Vidder: Aimee
Musical artist: Michelle Branch
Pairing: Buffy/Faith, Tara/Willow
Vidder on LJ: I'm not aware of one.
Vidder's website: Aimee's Sanctuary
Why this vid kicks ass:

I often wish I had the talent and skill set to be a fan vidder, and the reason is this vid. It reminds me of what I love most about fandom: the way we can explore meaning through media other than essays. I mean, I love writing essays, but it's just not for everyone. For most, fan vids, along with fic, are what allow us to delve beneath the surface and point out connections that otherwise might not be made. "All You Wanted" explores the parallels in two relationships through a beautiful artistic medium.

Willow and Tara had a wonderful relationship (y'know, before that whole Lethe fiasco), and Buffy and Faith...well...didn't. It's the smallest, seemingly most insignificant acts, that separate the two paths--soulmate from arch nemesis. Where Tara opened up and trusted Willow, Faith refused any kindness Buffy offered her. And where Willow was willing to let go of her previous world-view (and boyfriend) for the love of a woman, Buffy ignored her red-hot subtextual lesbianism and clung ever more tightly to whatever 'normalcy' she could find with a souled two-hundred-year-old dead guy. (Yeah. I don't get that either.)

Aimee's vid shows us the choices made by the four characters...and how one set of decisions led to a lasting love, while the other led only to angst and destruction, and also to me imagining tons of really awesome off-screen angry sex.


All You Wanted

Fandom : Due South
Pairing : Fraser/Kowalski
Author on LJ: bethbethbeth
Author Website:Madwoman in the Basement
Why this must be read:

I absolutely love the imagery in the opening scene of this fic. Ray "shadow dancing" (as I call it) all alone in his apartment. We know from canon he does this and this fic gives us a peak at what he 'might' be thinking while doing it. Though in this story Ray's thoughts start to take a turn even he didn't anticipate.


A little farther into the story we take a side journey into a little bit of weirdness, but it's Due South's regular brand of weirdness. Ray take a step through the looking glass, so to speak, when he finds the office Fraser's dad built in Ben's closet. He thinks he's dreaming at first, but Fraser manages to convince him he's not. In some very interesting ways.

This is a great story with some wonderful images. Both the guys are in character and the 'voices' are true. Go ahead and give it a read. You know you want to.

Stranger Than Fiction

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John Crichton, the Ancients
Author on LJ: florastuart
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

The Ancients are directly responsible for implanting the knowledge in John Crichton's head that makes him the universe's most wanted man--preferably alive, but not necessarily worthless dead. At times it's difficult to be certain whether this knowledge was meant as a gift or cruel test; regardless, Crichton has to deal with the consequences of the power he unwillingly harbors.

Flora's fic, however, uses the Ancients' POV, as one in particular takes stock of the Human and his fitness as guardian of the very fabric of space-time. It's an emotionless assessment, a cold regard in more ways than those evidenced by the polar setting. One misstep, one selfish intent on John Crichton's part, and he will cease to exist.

Flora's weather comes alive in her fics. It's as much of a character as the hero and godlike alien, and the imagery adds a rich texture to the story.


( Excerpt )


Snowflakes