Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author's Website:  http://www.shoshanna.ca/
Author on LJ: the_shoshanna

Why this must be read:

In Quiet Efforts, Doyle has become uncomfortably self-conscious over the fact that Bodie is always unnaturally quiet during their lovemaking, which is otherwise good.  He makes it his goal to make Bodie lose control, to cry out, to talk during sex.  In the face of Ray's expectations, though, Bodie feels pressured and awkward and is unable to do what Ray wants, until Ray finally realizes his error and takes a different approach entirely.

This is one of Shoshanna's earliest Pros fics.  I love her writing; she captures the characters and their voices exceptionally well and manages to convey depth of affection without saying too much, or making the characters say too much.  This is a modest, unassuming little story, but it's gorgeous and sweet and deeply loving and incredibly sexy. 

Quiet Efforts

Fandom: Oz
Pairing: Beecher/Keller
Author on LJ: cheights
Author website: Cat's Lair

Why this must be read: Because no one does angst like CatHeights, and this is an amazing trip inside Keller's head during a life-or-death crisis. It's canon, his shooting at the start of S4, in "A Cock and Ball's Story," and starts immediately after Toby drags him to safety inside their pod.

( a tasty tidbit )

This is one of my particularly favorite moments in the series, and this fic is one of the best explorations of what may have happened. Go, read, comment.

Brimstone

Fandom: THE OC
Pairing: Summer/Seth Summer/Ryan
Author on LJ: lalejandra
Author Website: FanFic
Why this must be read: On screen we rarely see Ryan and Summer alone. It has become more and more obvious over time that the pairing could be interesting if explored in the right way.

This fanfic takes the pairing and blends them together beautifully in well detailed writing of how not so different the characters are. They both come from very different backgrounds but are capable of finding a common ground. The story delves into each of their pasts while explaining why it affects their present.

Beautifully written with burning kisses and clawing passion.

( Excerpt )

Oh my god. Whatever. Fuck this shit

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH

Pairing: Starsky/Hutch

Author on LJ/website: No

Why this must be read: Originally published in the mixed-media zine Red Hot Lovers. They are best friends, partners, and the department knows that they can pass, so they send them undercover in a gay bar to catch a crook. The problem starts when the guy gets out on a technicality and Hutch swears that he will never let anyone exploit what they are to one another ever again.

"They used us," said Hutch finally. "They used us, who we were, how we work . . . "

"The fact that we're friends?" prompted Starsky.

"More than that." Hutch was shaking his head now, as if he'd already explained everything and Starsky was now disagreeing with him. "We have a bond, a special bond, I.A. knows it, Dobey knows it, Special Investigations knows it. A bond that looks like love."

They are taken through trials and tribulations, from kidnapping to the Blue Sky motel, and many points in between. They push each other, they fight and yell and try to work out what exactly it all means. To move forward, you have to forgive. You have to let go of the past in order to focus on the future. They both have to learn that and accept it. And then they must learn to accept something that they both feel, but couldn't really put into words. They learn to quantify what they really mean to one another. It's an extension of who they are, one more step into the future.

Sky Blue and Black

Fandom: WEISS KREUZ
Pairing: Youji/Omi/Schuldig (in various combinations)
Author on LJ: dhaunea
Author Website: none that I know if, but there's an alternative LJ (file_five) that seems to contain all writings. An overview post with links to all the stories is here

Why this must be read:

Having Schuldig, Youji and Omi end up on a tropical island in a threesome is probably not the most realistic of plot lines, but it's an entertaining read - and one of the very few stories that feature Omi that don't make run away screaming. *g*

I've been staring at this entry several times over the last couple of hours, wondering what else to say about the story, but it really boils down to the fact that I like it, that it makes me smile, and that I think that people should read it. Anything else I might force out of myself is going to sound awkward, so I'll leave it at that and point you to the story.

Three Hour Tour (pressing the 'Next Entry' button seems to skip part 4, so I'm putting in direct links to the other parts: 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7)

***

There are some stories set later in the same universe, but they aren't finished. Truth has also written both a number of other WK stories, and quite a few stories in other fandoms. Check out the overview post linked above for details. Her current project, a WK story called "Something Missing", is centered on Aya and Schwarz, and while not much has been released yet, it's looking interesting so far.

Fandom: STARGATE SG-1
Pairing: Daniel and Sam
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: These Stories Pages
Why this must be read: All things being equal, I normally wouldn't rec a Daniel and Sam fic. But then again, as far as their friendship goes, I rather enjoy reading fics about it. This one is also atypical of what I read given that it is written in first person. But honestly, it didn't deter from my enjoyment of it at all.

It's set early in the series, after 'Brief Candle', and the team is still really getting to know one another. I love the interaction between Jack, Daniel, and Sam at the beginning of this fic. Daniel reaches out to Sam to share his love of academics, and Jack is right in there being his usual self in regards to what 'smart' people enjoy doing. I also appreciate the moment with Sam and Daniel and her 'appreciation' of him. At that point in the show, I wasn't honestly sure how Sam 'saw' her teammates. This story is an interesting little possibility.

But what I enjoy most about it is the 'friendship' aspect. It's perhaps my favorite genre in Stargate SG-1 fic outside of fics that focus solely on Daniel.


Lasting Impressions

Fandom: STARGATE SG-1
Pairing: Jack and Daniel (Friendship)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Tablet
Why this must be read: Oh wow! Okay, besides the fact that Jb has to be one of my favorite Daniel authors, this story is simply fantastic.

I always believe that no matter how good of friends Jack and Daniel are, their basic differences still cause rifts. Jack is a military man, a man of action. Daniel is an eternal scholar, a man given to learning. But Daniel also has the tendency to let that quest for knowledge overwhelm him and that's when he gets himself, and often others, in trouble.

This fic takes place after 'Torment of Tantalus'. The team is once again in trouble, only indirectly caused by Daniel this time. Jack is still harboring some confused feelings towards Daniel and the choices he made when they found Ernest Littlefield. It's a very true reaction on Jack's part to not being able to understand exactly what makes Daniel 'tick'. Jack reacts in the only way he knows how. The results are wonderfully illustrated in this fic.

Jb has a talent for describing a scene and making it 'come to life' for the reader. It's not a 'happy' story. In fact it's very angst-driven, but in the end, there is hope. Just a very well-written story of friendship.

Hanging By a Thread