The Same Inside by Helen (R)
POPSLASH
Pairing:Chris/Male, Chris/Female, Chris/Joey
Author on LJ: helenish
Author Website: http://www.helenish.net/
Why this must be read: Because PopSlash is all about the illusions of celebrity, the power of transformation, and the specter of brotherhood lurking in the background. Plus, it's funny.

Popslash, as a genre tends to come in one of three flavors. N’Sync, the Backstreet Boys, and of course, everyone else who has ever had the fortune or misfortune to make an appearance on TRL. I am going to try to rec a few of each. My goal for the rec’s this month, is to focus on thematic stories. This week, it’s personal transformation.

And to start it off, Helenish's The Same Inside. In which Chris Kirkpatrick wakes up one day a woman. One of the boys turning into a woman is a fairly common AU scenario. Due South may want to be the fandom of magical realism, but I think that PopSlash owns the title. Odd and magical things happen to them, and are dealt with. After all, is waking up a woman any stranger than the discovery that one's choreographer is the Devil, or that your face is on the cover of a magazine, or that you are a shorthand for the decline of western civilization? Not so much.

There is an entire archive of Girl!Sync stories, titled JC & The Pussycats


This one, in which Chris Kirkpatrick turns into a girl, happens to be my personal favorite of them all. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's got some terrific dialogue.

An excerpt: ( The Same Inside )

The Same Inside

Fandom: THE MUMMY
Pairing: Jonathan/Ardeth (Jonathan/Rick UST, Ardeth/Rick UST)
Author Website: http://ssfdu.tripod.com/kay/journal.htm
Why this must be read:

It is one of my favorite Jonathan/Ardeth stories, set after the Trio leaves Hamunaptra with parts of the gold.

Jonathan dosn't look forward to travel for three weeks with the lovebirds that are Rick and Evy, to return to Cairo. But then he finds a note in his cloths, that changes things so far that in the end he is almost sad, that the travel isn't longer.

Unexpected Comfort
Expected Reunion - The sequel

It's me again! Yes, doing the double driver thing this month. You may also see me reccing The West Wing so don't get confused and start wondering why the fuck the President is in prison.

I'm new to Oz and it's on the small side as far as fandom scales go so I'm not sure what I'll be reccing that you haven't seen, but I came to Oz fandom via the recs on crack_van so I understand how important it is for newbies to have a good rec list to refer to.

Let's get on with it:

Fandom: Oz
Pairing: Beecher/ Keller
Author on LJ: fluffyllama
Author Website: Flesh and Beyond
Why this must be read:

The Llama is a newcomer to Oz fanfic. And BOY do we love newcomers. If you're thinking of visiting, we're the friendliest fandom online(and why *aren't* you writing Oz? We've got hot boys nekkid and kissing! Come on, does your fandom get naked?).

Anyway, this story was written for the Cuff 'em, vamp 'em or just make 'em come already kink challenge and the prompt was "non-corporeal sex". And BOY does Llama do things with this theme. Toby's on death row, Keller is dead and the rest is a little strange and a little creepy - everything we love about Oz writing.

And if you like, send the Llama some carrots. Keep her writing.

( Ghost stories )

Last Night on Earth

*By the way, all icons for my recs are provided by groaty who is on a mission to make 100 Oz icons. Be sure to check out the results.

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Snape
Author on LJ: couldn’t find one
Author website: http://hos.slashcity.com/ hasn’t been updated in years, and it hasn’t got their HP stuff either, but it's got some amazing other stories in other fandoms
Why this must be read:
Harry is made to spend the summer at Grimmauld Place with Snape – sounds contrived? Well yes, it is. But! This is good. It has Snape being cursed in the most imaginable way possible – I’m not going to say anything here, but wait till you get to it, you’re going to lough so much when you realize what it is! It has sneezing Dumbledore, migrating Hinkypunks, and diplomatic Harry, and that’s only in the first few minutes. And the best part is yet to come, as the sex is amazingly hot!

A Choriambic Progression

Hi there! I’m chibisophia and I’ll be a driver for the Star Wars fandom this month. This is my first time behind the wheel, but I’m a pretty fast learner so hopefully there won’t be any accidents. I'm going to try to offer up a little bit of everything this month, so hopefully there will be something for everybody.

Fandom: Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy)
Pairing: Gen-ish, with a hint of Anakin/Padme
Author on LJ: garnettrees
Author Website: http://www.demando.net/
Why this must be read:

It's hard to find good fanfiction that focuses on Anakin and Padme in The Phantom Menace, especially good fanfiction that realistically deals with Anakin and Padme age and inexperience in The Phantom Menace. This fic, taking place just before they return to Theed - deals not only with Anakin and Padme's friendship, but also the thoughts going through their head as both prepare to go to Theed. Meredith Bronwen Mallory skillfully writes Anakin and Padme as the youths that they are, and there are several beautiful moments in the fic that remind the reader of this. Padme, in particular, is outstandingly written. There's a real sense of innocence and childhood exploration in this fic, but cut through with just enough tension and foreshadowing that it isn't syrupy sweet.

Excerpt: ( Mother, Mos Espa and everything he'd known were far away from him now, but at least he still knew they were there. Padme held onto her memories because maybe there might not be a Theed anymore... )

Pretty When You Cry

Hey, I'm Robyn and I'll be driving your LotRiPS van this July. Now, I don't claim to be an expert in this fandom, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope to spread the word about some gems that are definitely not getting their due.

Fandom: LOTRIPS
Pairing: Sean Bean/Viggo Mortensen
Author on LJ: bkm5191
Author Website:
Come around for tea
Why this must be read:

Bernie is the entire reason I started reading LotR fic: an overlap from hockey RPS, I suppose. Her writing has such a dreamy, erethral quality and her word choices are always perfect. It was hell trying to choose something from her memories (Hint, hint. It's all in Lotr/cast fics and actor slash 2005) but I passed up all the Viggo/Orlando for this, a gorgeous mood peice that says so much in so little time. Don't be distracted by the pretty words, there's always something lurking under the surface of Bernie's work that's just waiting to grab your ankles, drag you under, and break your heart. Sigh. It's almost too short for a clip, so I'll just leave you with the link:

The opposite of being psychic

(She also rounded up some of her favourites for me, so thank you!)

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Solo/Kuryakin
Author on LJ: kelliem
Author's Website: http://kellie.mrks.org/

Why this story must be read:
Kellie is well-known for her writing, and deservedly so. Her characters stay very true to canon and the dialog sounds just like the television show. Her stories have interesting plots and the language is witty and sophisticated.

This particular story traces the development of the relationship between Napoleon and Illya in a series of vignettes over the years of their partnership, beginning at the point where they are still addressing each other by last name and ending when they reunite after the 15 year separation.

And, of course, there are some fantastic sex scenes between the two men, both when they are young and when they are middle-aged. Even better is the depiction of the affection and friendship between the two men. Then there is Kellie’s treatment of Illya’s reaction to Napoleon’s leaving. It could be very angsty in the hands of another writer, but Kellie makes it more bittersweet and poignant.

( read an excerpt )

Story at Chrome and Gunmetal: http://www.chromeandgunmetal.com/chrome/archive/1/picturesat.html

Story on Kellie’s website: http://kellie.mrks.org/fic/mfu/pictures.htm

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ:
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

Hi, it’s Kiwisue again, driving “The Professionals" van for another 31 days. I am soooo going to monkey with your brains this month. Serves you right for not volunteering *g*!
( Read more... )
Now to the whys of this particular rec:

Because everyone should read at least one Pros elf story, even if they think the whole idea a little odd, or worse.

Because this is the grandmother of all “Professionals” elf stories, written by an established Pros author, with a good grasp of both language and storytelling.

Because I generally hate elf stories, but I enjoyed this one. I liked the way it wove the AU aspects into canon. I liked the physical description of Doyle’s change from elf to human, and his interaction with Bodie. And the ending is simply lovely.

The Descent To Humanity

Edit 9 June 06. The Circuit Archive link is now:
The Descent To Humanity
I've left the old link in place in case the domain is returned.

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Avon/Tarrant (mild)
Author on LJ: hafren
Author Website:
Hafren's Gloomy Patch of the Forest
Why this must be read:

[Hi. I'm Snowgrouse, and I've nicked the keys to the Crackmobile for the hot month of July. All sorts to come up, brace yourselves.]

Because it's Avon/Tarrant, a rare pairing, and I'm so glad that one of the most talented and brilliant writers in B7 fandom wrote this for a now out-of-print Tarrant zine (Angelfood).
It's based on a Beatles song, and yet, as a Finn myself, I can just *smell* the Nordic pine, the log cabin, and the atmosphere--it is perfectly created. Tarrant in his full youth, and Avon always wary, always running, yet resting for a little while... and yeah, it has Tarrant. I'm in favour of the rarely-liked/loved characters in this fandom, since I can't help but love them all.

But anyway, onto the story, let it speak for itself.

Norwegian Wood.