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

I love the surreal opening, with Bodie on the edge of the cliff. And then there is the questioning, the past revealed, and some very earthy, loving sex.

Edge of the Sky

Edit 9 June 06. The Circuit Archive link is now:

Edge of the Sky
I've left the old link in place in case the domain is returned.

Fandom: BattleStar Galactica 2003
Pairing: various
Author: sloanesomething
Author's Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

Sloane is my very favourite writer in the whole world. In this fic, she takes the characters and molds them, moves them into situations you're glad you're not in. Takes speculation from early in season one, little indications as to where the series might have gone, and melds it with promotions and demotions (my favourite). And it's long and it's hot, and my words cannot do this fic justice. It's totally a great fic to be reading on a Sunday morning, so you should go and do that. Right now.

Due to events in the first and second seasons, this fic can be considered fairly AU.

Exerpt:

His father’s on the bridge. His father obviously never sleeps.

Then again, with Roslin at the helm of humanity, Lee wouldn’t sleep, either.

“Captain,” Adama greets him without really turning, and Lee flinches, sets his jaw. He can’t help it. He’ll never get used to the title. Adama won’t, either; there’s always the hesitation, the title he doesn’t say.

“Commander.”

“You should be resting.”

“The pilots should be resting. I have other responsibilities.”

Adama nods, looks out at the sky. Lee wishes he wouldn’t; it’s not like they’re going to find Earth.

And So I Woke, parts: one, two, three, four and five.

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Author on LJ: ?
Author Website: Lapsus Linguae: Stories by Listen-r
Why this story must be read:

As my last rec of the month I leave you with the classic and wonderful beginning to the Emory series written by Listen-r.

Discoveries and Developments starts with a spot on Methos and a creative, believable original character. The story continues with Emory's sudden and unexpected descent into the world of Immortals and how it effects her life in ways she never imagined. Discoveries and Developments is only the first story in Emory's adventures involving her association with Duncan, Methos, Joe, and others.

Listen-r's stories are very well written and quite entertaining. They follow as a written episode and effectively tell multiple original stories. While Discoveries and Developments starts out PG-13, the series does move into the NC-17 category with Duncan and Methos' relationship.

I have always enjoyed these stories and hope that this audience will as well. I've enjoyed being your driver for the month of July and I hope you have enjoyed the stories I've highlighted.

Discoveries and Developments

Vidder: International Princess
Musical artist: Alanis Morrissette
Pairing: CJ/Toby
Vidder on LJ: intl_princess
Vidder's website: www.internationalprincess.com
Why this vid kicks ass:

I was looking through the previous vid recs on crack_van archive and there's only one. Admittedly I don't recall a whole lot of vidding in this fandom, but it happened. It did!

Anyway, I found a good one to make up for it. It functions effectively as justification for the CJ/Toby relationship. A relationship that has arisen out of the way the actors play the characters - with long looks and meaningful glances. This vid captures those moments that made us jump up and go, 'hey, there's something going on here!'

It's also a good song that, oddly enough, suits them. If you know anything about the song you'll know the lyrics don't reflect the CJ/Toby relationship at all (didn't Alanis write it about her much older lover and what an arse he was?) but here's the thing: vids don't have to be completely literal. In fact, if you watch a lot of pop and rock vids (as I do) you'll know they are *rarely* literal. I've seen vidders go to to stupid lengths to be literal with the songs lyrics and I can't help wondering why? Why, when you could be constructing a far more effective story with images you *do* have. Also, there's a certain poetry in connecting two the story in the song and the story as shown by the vid. It's like riffing on a theme.

The song's refrain, "this could be messy" could be a refrain for so many relationships. Alanis's is one, CJ/ Toby is another. It's something many of us can indentify with.

Vid link: http://www.internationalprincess.com/stories3.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Jack/Kate/Sawyer
Author on LJ: cmere1
Author Website: none
Why this story must be read:

For my last rec of the month, I give you porn. Good, healthy porn. It's all about the Jack angst here, but if that gets in your way, you can just enjoy the smut. Because it's fabulous, fabulous smut.



Only Natural

For my last rec of the month, I give you the treasured Red Light Trilogy.

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch

Why this must be read: The trilogy, set after Sweet Revenge, that moves from gen to slash so very perfectly.
( Red Light Trilogy )


ALL THREE IN THE TRILOGY

One More Mountain

One More River

No Easy Answers

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: sunshinercj
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

Louder Than Words is another story about how John and Aeryn interact after her return from Talyn. What makes this story different, and why I read it so often, is because the author does a nice job at setting the scene and still making it all about the characters through lovely characterization and tension, had things gone this way between seasons three and four. Go forth and read.

( Could she make him live? )


Louder Than Words

Title: Open Season
Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Wesley/Doyle, Angel/Cordelia
Author on LJ: wesleysgirl
Author Website: Adds Mystery

Why this must be read:
When I introduced myself earlier this month, I mentioned that I thought that Wesley having sex with anything is hot. I felt it would be remiss of me to finish my tenure as your Angel reccer without sharing a little of the lusty Wes love.

Throughout the series, two characters have been implicitly connected, though they never met. When Doyle died in "Hero," it opened the door for the addition of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, who had to fight typecasting as "Doyle's replacement" for the last half of Season 1 (something dealt with somewhat in "I've Got You Under My Skin").

In WesleysGirl's AU Season 3, the gang resurrect Doyle to save Cordelia from her potentially fatal visions. Shoved back into life, Doyle has to deal with the changes of two years, including the weighing guilt of having given Cordelia the visions in the first place. Wesley worries about how this revered member of the original Angel Investigations trio perceives him, wonders if he measures up. What happens after, though, is surprising as hell (and yet, as in all good fanfiction, makes perfect sense).

When I say 'surprising,' by the way, I mean 'hot.' The contrasts between Wesley and Doyle are excellent. You could some up each character neatly just by how Wesleysgirl has them approaching sex -- Doyle is impulsive, while Wes always has complete control of this situation. There's a brief Cordy/Angel subplot that goes exactly nowhere, but otherwise, this is quality Porn With Plot (and I usually don't like m/m slash).

Open Season

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Other, John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: derivative fiction by M
Why this must be read:

For my last rec of the month I bring you one of my favorites by Maayan. Her writing is always lyrical, and the style and structure of As I Lay Me Down brings each section of John's journey to life. This AU is harsh, fluid and sexy, and not to be missed.

( four )


As I Lay Me Down



It's been fun. *passes keys*

Fandom: Starsky and Hutch
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: No
Author Website:Starsky and Hutch Slash Archive
Why this must be read:Set three months after the events of Shootout, Crystal Blue Persuasion is Starsky's attempt to get Hutch to move past the shooting and on to "better" things. This means having Italian food at that restaurant. Of course, Hutch is resistant, but not just because of the memories of the shooting. It seems he's been harboring feelings of lust and love for his partner (and really, who wouldn't?), but the poor thing thinks it can never be. Hutch is nervous (especially with the blue mood lighting), and a bit on edge (especially with Starsky trying to re-create the painful events of that night). And Starsky doesn't make things any better by being charming, flirty, and thoroughly confusing to the hapless blond throughout the evening.

( It's who-do-you-trust time, Hutch )

Through a perfectly delicious dinner, a chance meeting with a grateful mobster, killer cannoli, and a rough ride to true love, this is a truly yummy read, and a great way to start the month. FYI, this is also Flamingo's first ever Starsky and Hutch story, and according to her note on the story, she wasn't sure if she got the characters down well enough. She did, and I think it's kinda cool to look at how far the author has come since then. The story is funny and sexy, and I think you'll like it. And you'll be singing the song all day.

Crystal Blue Persuasion

It's got Four parts... don't forget to read them all!!

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: uktechgirl
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

Warning: partner hurt.

I came across this as a recent addition to the Circuit Archive. I have a thing for fics that look at the dark side of being a CI5 agent, the possible cost, what happens if things go wrong. This one works for me because the author does a great job of portraying how Bodie & Doyle struggle to use both their training and gut instincts to escape their situation, not entirely successfully.

“Spots still danced in his eyes. He stuck a conspiratorial grin on, and thought of childhood, and looked as useless and harmless and pointless as he possibly could.”

Bad Luck

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

Title: If Only For A Moment
Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Weir/Teyla
Author on LJ: sarren
Author Website: not that I could see
Why this must be read:

Good f/f is so very hard to find sometimes and I just haven't seen a lot of it in Atlantis that's perked my interest but Sarren did it so very nicely with this one. Teyla & Elizabeth are characters very well suited to a match. Teyla's ability to revel in life against Elizabeth's tendency to be a little too serious... their respective struggles with leadership and distance from those beneath their command and just so many things...

Reading this...It was a nice, yummy treat. The voices were right, the setting fantastic, and the story?

Loved it.

If Only For A Moment

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Brainiac / Superboy
Author on LJ: beeblebabe
Author Website: Bacon Wafer
Why this must be read: This is my final rec. It's still July somewhere on the planet (though I'm cutting it close due to LJ being temperamental -_-). Since all rec lists for the DCU should include the Legion and sex pollen, I'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Brainiac is a green-skinned blond hottie from another planet who happens to be orders of magnitude smarter than humans and feels a great deal of frustration interacting with them, thus giving him a somewhat crabby disposition. His canon hobbies include collecting naked pictures of his fellow legionaires (of both sexes) and he met Superboy when Kon spent about a year with the Legion after being displaced in the future.

This snippet is untitled, but it's funny and hot and has been sitting in my favorites ever since, so I figured I'd share the joy. =)

Legion Porn