Fandom: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: astrid_olivia
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

If there’s one thing this fandom has in spades it’s bondage, but it’s nice to see some that’s (almost) purely recreational for a change.

Mourning the loss of yet another suit as Illya takes a post-mission shower, Napoleon gripes, “Surely you could have gotten out of those ropes just a bit faster.”

Napoleon really ought to have known better.

Illya, who is as good at tying knots as he is at undoing them, trusses up his partner and challenges him to beat the Russian’s time of twenty-six-and-a-half minutes. And in order to make it a fair test, naturally he’ll have to provide Napoleon with some, ah, distractions…

A Little Bondage Between Friends

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: none Archie-centric
Author on LJ: berne
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

After two years as a prisoner of war, going back to life in the Royal Navy can't be easy. The series conveniently skips Archie's transition back to life on the Indy, but that's where fanfic writers come in. berne distills Archie's experience -- his capture, his failed escape attempts, his yearning for Horatio and for the abstract concept of "home", and finally his return to the Indy into a series of brief, but intensely evocative scenes. berne doesn't waste a word, each scene polished down to the spare essence of Archie's experience. An intense and beautifully crafted story.

Saudade

Direct Link: Lalique
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing/Character(s): Lex, Lionel, Martha
Rating: PG-13
Author on LJ: ingrid_m
Author Website: Ingrid's Things

Much focus is given in Smallville fandom to the Clark/Lex relationship, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at stories that are either told from another character's POV or deal with other relationships. This is the first of three such recommendations.

Why this must be read: Because Lex and his mother issues are just so fascinating, and this story is a sensitive, honest, beautifully written exploration of that theme. The story takes place while Martha is working for Lionel, and the premise is fairly simple: Lex notices that Mrs. Kent is wearing the same perfume his mother did. But the emotions, memories and conflicts that observation brings up are anything but simple.

The perfume is a touchstone that gives us a fascinating glimpse into what a fragile triangle Lex's family was:

( Excerpt )

We also get to see Martha through Lex's eyes, a Martha I've come to miss on the show, a woman who is capable and highly valued, who knows her own worth. And we see Lex and his tortured hope, that cynical, longing part of him that is so much the source of his appeal.

Bittersweet and moving, "Lalique" is for everyone who feels the poignancy of the connection between Martha and Lex.

Lalique

Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Jack/Sawyer
Author on LJ: foxxcub
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

I'm fascinated with Lost future fics. What will happen to the castaways -- a group of some of the most tortured, dysfunctional souls ever assembled -- when they return to the real world? Will whatever ties they've formed on the island be tossed aside? And what if we're talking about Jack and Sawyer, a fanon relationship so fraught with angst and denial that you just ache for both of them to let the other in.

Here foxxcub imagines them two years after being rescued; they've gone their separate ways, without a word in the meantime. And then, by chance, Jack sees Sawyer at a hotel bar. Will he just let Sawyer slip away again? I don't recall ever being so invested in a fic and whether it offered a ray of hope at the end.

Her writing is so haunting and her descriptions so gorgeous, as Jack tries to recall the scent and feel of the island, to try to return to what he and Sawyer had, if only for one night. One of my favorite Lost fics -- and one that stays with you for a long time.

( excerpt )

Bedshaped

Fandom:QAF:US
Pairing:None
Author on LJ:Not Known
Author Website:Mercury Rising

Why this must be read:I love the Justin/Daphne friendship, even though you don't see much of it on screen. I especially love Daphne fics, when authors take it upon themselves to fill in the blanks as Erin has done here. It's a lovely, short little piece from Daphne's pov. Set early in season 4, it's a sweet, poignant glimpse into their friendship through her eyes, and why it endures.




You Loved Pink

Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: trinalin
Author Website: Pagefillers
Why this must be read:

There is tomfoolery with umbrellas! What's not to love about 7 all earnestly saving the world and irritating the crap out of shopkeepers while in search of the perfect umbrella? Nothing, that's what.

The Doctor Saves the Universe Again

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos/Warren Cochrane
Author on LJ: thisisbone
Author Website: Coffee Slash
Why this must be read: Because it answers the questions of what happened after Richie's death: Where did Duncan go? Who handled Richie's funeral? Why did Duncan go? When Methos needs answers, who better to explain Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod than another Scottish immortal, almost the same age, who fought beside him, slept beside him, drank beside him?

( Snippet here )

Through Perplexing Ways

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Sam/Josh
Author on LJ: andrealyn
Author Website: Andrealyn's Archive
Why this must be read:

This story, or series of stories is really charming. andrealyn has real talent for dialogue and she balances it by detailing the fast-paced world of the West Wing perfectly. The series is long an plotty and each section story is told from a different point of view: first Josh, then Donna, and lastly, Sam.

( Monday started out as a good day.  )

All That's Fit to Print / The Bad Case of Loving You / Tomorrow No One Will Remember