Fandom: HARD CORE LOGO
Pairing: Billy/Joe
Author on LJ: basingstoke
Author Website: http://www.ravenswing.com/~bas/slash/

Why this must be read:
A lot of Hard Core Logo fic are introspective, first-person vignettes, or monologues. Basically, everyone wants to get into Billy's head--or what's left of Joe's. Basingstoke describes this one as "the physics of Hard Core Logo," but really, it's the physics of Billy and Joe, in sharp, vivid prose.

You can put water together with regular hydrogen, or you can put it together with buddy hydrogen, and it's all water, but the buddies kind is heavy water. So that's Billy. Silent place. Heavy water. Deuterium.

Neutron

(I'm Ophelia, and I'm going to be driving the Hard Core Logo crack van this month. (And no, I didn't let Pipe bring his blanket along.)

I fell madly in love with HCL when I saw it. Specifically, with that particular obssessive, destructive, codependent, dysfuctional sort of love-hate thing Billy and Joe have going. HCL fic is pretty well all slash, by canon if nothing else. I don't like WeepyWoeIsPoorMePassiveVictim!Billy and AbusiveBoyfriendWhoCouldn'tCareLessAndNeverReallyLovedBilly!Joe. But I'm oddly fascinated with young and oh so stupid yet somehow oddly appealing and my god officer, I was sure they were eighteen, could you believe such young, innocent boys could use such language Billy and Joe.

Unfortunately, a lot of the older HCL fic was lost to the ages when the Ten Buck Fuck archive went away. It's been replaced by Touch My Stump, but not all of the original archive was duplicated. Of course, there's always groupsession, too.)

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ: roxymissrose
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

This fic is an historical AU that takes place in the 1900's, in Russia. What? The promise of Russian Clex is not enough to make you read it? Ok, then. Here's the story. When he crashed to Earth, Kal was adopted by Boris Mikhailov Voronkov, a heartless bastard. Fast forward a couple of years and you have Kirill (Kal), who's very aware of his difference. Especially when Voronkov decides to play with his favourite green toys. One day, Prince Felix and his associates (Duke Dmitri and, of course, Colonel Alex) come and take Kirril to the city, so that he can help them assassinate Rasputin. Clex ensue. More? Fire Bird And The Grey Wolf is one of the hottest, dirtiest thing you'll ever read. It's porn with plot. Very good porn, with equally good plot. It contains a lot of violence, so if it's not your thing, you know what to do. However, let me tell you something. I am not usually into violent stuff, plot-wise or porn-wise, but, see? I'm reccing it, which means that I loved it. It's hotter than a very hot thing.

Fire Bird And The Grey Wolf (link to memories)

Fandom: BTVS
Pairing: Xander/Faith, but I'd call this gen
Author on LJ: nwhepcat
Author Website: Fic by nwhepcat

Why this must be read:
Another post-"Chosen" Xander-centric story, "Lilac City" focuses on Xander and how he becomes a Watcher for a Slayer in Spokane, Washington. Faith comes to help, and that leads to a relationship, but this is not a romance, and action drives the plot. That's why I say this is really gen (because I believe that a story can contain a relationship and still be gen), so anyone who feels resistant to the pairing should give this a try. I think you'll be glad you did.

This is a long, plotty story, and a few other BtVS/AtS characters appear. I really liked the Xander/Giles friendship moments, found the characterization of Faith sound, and appreciated the original characters that nwhepcat created.

"Lilac City" has some angst and serious themes (substance abuse, self-knowledge, maturation, responsibility), but this isn't a dark story--it's more about healing. The dialog and humor also lighten the drama. I'll end by saying that this is one of the few WIPs I read faithfully in the fandom last year.

Lilac City 1: The Loner
Lilac City 2: The Artisan
Lilac City 3: The Watcher

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 2003
Pairing: Gen
Author on LJ: sabaceanbabe
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

I admit, I haven't read much Boomer centric fic, but I wanted to provide a nice bookend to Cylon Week so I went hunting for some. I shortly found Time to Kill the King and was initially pulled in by it's title. What I found was a perfectly unsentimental look at the immediate aftershocks at the end of "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II".

There is confusion and horror, shared by all in the CIC, Boomer included. sabaceanbabe provides lovely, effortless detail to this chaotic circumstance. I've never been able to quite wrap my brain around the whole Boomer Predicament, but this story made me pause and reconsider my previous notions. Personally, that's a very high mark in my book.


Time to Kill the King


And remember, feedback is love.

Fandom: BTVS
Pairing: Buffy/Faith
Author on LJ: mmmchelle
Author Website: chelle's Nightstand

Why this must be read:
I do read more than slash, although I think this is my first femslash rec. (Hmmm, I seem determined this time around to rec against type.) So, I like this story because the frank sexual content is so intertwined with the internal monologue as Buffy comes to terms with her conflicting feelings for Faith.

The last story I selected had a prominent role for Faith, and it made me want to see her through another character's eyes; logically that would be Buffy for BtVS. (I'd have picked Angel or Wesley if this were my turn to drive the Angel Crack Van.) Then a few days ago, I read a meta post by nifra_idril that made me look for this story. I hope my rec makes you think back on the Faith episodes with nostalgia.

Strawberry Road

Title: Snakeskin
Fandom: Stargate: SG1
Pairing: Jolinar/Rosha/Martouf/Lantash, Anise/Daniel UST, Freya/Jack UST.
Author On LJ:katie_m
Author Website: Katie's Stargate SG-1 Fiction
Why this must be read:

The Tok'ra have always been one of my favorite parts of Stargate. (Must be the Trek geek in me) Finding the really good stories about them is easier said than done. Finding the really great stories about them is damn near impossible. In a fairly short fic Katie gives us a downright fantastic look at them. At their queen, at her host, and the most recognizable of the Tok'ra. Rosha/Jolinar, Martouf/Lantash and Jacob/Selmak...not to mention, she even manages to pull off the impossible. She gives Anise/Freya a depth the show itself never managed. Finding this story on my flist absolutely made my night.


Snakeskin