Today, the Wingnut Bus is making another stop on the Leo McGarry Memorial Tour, but if you time it right, you might be able to squeeze in an unscheduled sidetrip. :) Hope everyone is enjoying the ride!

Fandom: WEST WING
Pairing: None, Leo gen
Author on LJ: winema
Author Website: http://fwf.healthyinterest.net/index.html
Why this must be read:

Ryo is certainly no stranger to this community; her work, both solo and with Jo March, is a collection of must-reads for any self-respecting Wingnut (who doesn't mind a littlelot of Josh/Donna). Far less well-known and -recced are the stories that focus on the other characters, like this one.

Sine Qua Non -- along with its Josh-centric companion -- takes us between the scenes of "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" and shows us Leo's struggle to nudge the then-Governor onto the path that will carry him to the White House. It's a wonderfully deft portrait of a man who takes action to change the world in which he lives and works.

A Cause of Action: Sine Qua Non

I'm going to start the January SH recs with a selection of stories about darkness.

Fandom: STARSKY/HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Why this must be read: Hutch has become overwhelmed with the horrors of his job. Dead children, all looking back at him during his waking hours, invading his dreams during his sleeping hours. He's lost, searching, needing some security in a world that's given him pain. He needs something to hold onto and know that it will never go away because everything always goes away.

“I never gave up, Starsk. I swear. I never gave up, but it didn’t matter. She died anyway. You died anyway, and there wasn’t anything I could do about any of it. I can’t do anything about it, now either. I can’t protect you, hell, I can’t protect anyone, but I can’t stop trying and I’m tired, Starsk. I’m so tired of the taste of blood.”

He needs to feel safe again because he's losing himself in the middle of all this pain. Starsky's there to help, trying to pull Hutch back from the edge, but it's a long struggle and there's no easy answers. They'll survive, they have to, but how long will it take for the shadows to go away?

Night Vision

Fandom: STARSKY/HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: cynatnite

Why this must be read: I'm all about Hutch's pain apparently. Hutch is arrested and falsely given a drug charge. But Starsky will save him, right? Not this time. As much as his partner tries, he can't save Hutch from prison and the pain of that experience will forever change the White Knight. And that's partially because of Starsky's new partner. Hutch realizes that as long as he holds onto Starsky, his former partner will never be truely free, so in typical Hutch fashion he pushes Starsky away for his own good. Detective Hutchinson is dead and Champ is now who he is.

“Hutch…”

“Hutch is dead!” Hutch yelled suddenly.

Starsky’s eyes were wide at the furious words coming from Hutch. “What?”

“Don’t you get it? The Hutch you knew before coming to this place is gone. He’s never coming back. The naïve farm boy you remember has been gone a hell of a long time now.”

But Starsky's never one for giving up and he's certainly not going to give up on Hutch. He fights, he searches, he commits himself to freeing his partner from the existence Hutch is now living in. Whether Hutch will be the same person or not once he's on the outside again, he's still Hutch underneath and Starsky still wants to do right by him.

And what many readers remember from this story is Hutch's tattoo. Golden skin forever marked by his time in prison. It's a very striking contrast and a reminder that Hutch is forever changed and whether he regains his life as before or not, his time during the darkness will stay with him.

Starting about five inches above Hutch’s right elbow snaking its way to his shoulder blade down to almost the middle of his back was a tattoo. Starsky’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of it and he was captivated by the darkness of it against Hutch’s golden skin. There were several things about Hutch which wrapped itself around Starsky’s body, heart, mind and soul.

The tattoo was geometric and winding both at the same time. It ended at small delicate points along Hutch’s back. The form was Celtic and tribal at the same time giving him the look of a golden leopard with the dark brand of a mysterious fantasy etched with mystical qualities.

Inmates

Fandom: STARSKY/HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch

Why this must be read: I remember getting this story in Dangerous Lives, Dangerous Visions 3 and I couldn't stop reading it. The story is dark, VERY dark. Make no mistake about that. But it's that darkness that keeps you enthralled and wanting to go on and see what will happen next. Starsky's dead, killed by Gunther. Hutch is, notably, not good. In fact, he's going insane. And his existence is fueled by one mission. He has to kill Gunther. It's the only thing he's living for. And he's willing to go to any lengths to do it. So, he goes to Las Vegas and meets up with Sonny Steelgrave (from Wiseguy). Hutch does a favor for Sonny, Sonny will do a favor for Hutch.

"Anything." Hutchinson smiled at him strangely. "I'll even start by killing Terranova for you."

The key to this story is that you're drawn into the darkness with Hutch. Readers often try to find the light in the darkness. Hutch has always been light, but not now. Now, Hutch's light is gone and you slowly realize that there's no coming back. He's lost, he's lost within himself and within his past. He's gone over the edge and nobody can save him. He has to complete his mission so that he can go and be with Starsky.

( Tell me what he's feeling )

The journey is well worth it. Hutch's descent into madness is one of the most powerful things you will ever read. He has to do right by Starsky. He has to make sure Gunther pays. After that, his life's not worth anything anymore. Until then, he will go on, fueled by vengeance. Gunther has to die and Hutch is going to make sure that happens one way or the other.

A View To Kill

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: kikkimax
Author Website: Kikki's Fan Fic
Why this must be read: One of the nice things about The Sentinel (TS) fandom is that even the gen has a lot of subtext. The guys just have an affectionate relationship - even when they don't know each other. This story's an AU, and although I'm not always that fond of AUs, I found this particularly compelling. Jim's a prison guard. Blair's on death row for murder. The circumstances of how Blair got there and what Jim is willing to do to help him are fascinating. You find yourself waiting breathlessly with Jim, longing for his moments when he can meet with Blair.

( Read an excerpt )

Read the story: The Long Good-Bye, and don't forget to let the author know you liked it.

There's also a slashy sequel/alternate ending by Nancy Taylor called Do Not Go Gentle (Into That Good Night) if you need more of this story.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: lyn_t
Author Website: The Sentinel Special Movie Project
Why this must be read: The Sentinel Special Movie Project is kind of like a virtual season that began in May 2005 and the most recent episode is Dec. 2005. It picks up at the end of the television series with Blair heading off to get his training to become a detective, but still concerned that he isn't doing the right thing. Jim and Blair have to deal with separation, developing feelings, suspicious/judgmental police, and the usual miscommunications because they're both trying so hard not to disappoint each other. This story is a good introduction to the series (written by various authors). They should be read in order because there are continuing characters and themes, but seriously ... not a hardship to read them all, although I found them more satisfying when read over a period of time rather than all at once. Hence the one-a-month format works well.

ETA: A second season is in the works.

( Read an Excerpt )

Read the story: The Right Path.

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: brown_betty
Author Website: Brown Betty's Page at The Archive at the End of the Universe
Why this must be read: Set during "No Man's Land", this fic is a great study in characterization. Tim's trying to stay warm and over the course of the story he crawls into bed with various members of his extended family. The descriptions of how the characters sleep are spot-on in revealing things about them, and the story is a wonderful example of how details can be used to convey character. An excellent short piece.

Bruce went to sleep almost immediately, and then thrashed the entire night. Tim woke up, it seemed, every twenty minutes, with an elbow in his kidney, or a foot in his gut. It was better than being cold. He woke up in the morning, huddled in a small protective ball in the space behind Bruce's knees. Bruce had, in the night, reached back and clamped one hand around Tim's wrist so hard that Tim had to wait for him to wake up to escape.

Read the story: Cold and let the author know you enjoyed it.