Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ: scribblinlenore
Author Website: Lenore's Stories
Why this must be read: When I tripped and fell into SV fandom, I was fortunate enough to land on one of Lenore's stories. I fell in love with Clex at that moment, and Lenore has been one of my favorite SV writers ever since.
I love AU stories! In this one, College!Clark goes to work for a company that provides "private fantasy fulfillment" in order to earn some quick & easy college money. He has one client - a man he can't see beyond the lights. He can only hear the silken voice talking to him, telling him what to do. Telling him what the man wants to do to him. It's unbelievably hot. Wildly erotic, and kinky, and just...hot! Did I mention the hot? ;)

Passionate Productions

Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: Wilson/Julie, with undertones of Wilson/House, if you want to see them
Author on LJ: moonlash_cc
Why this must be read:

James Wilson is a nice man. He is friendly and kind where House is hostile and scathing, ordinary where House is excentric, a simple Watson to the flamboyant genius of his friend's Holmes. Except, of course, that none of this is strictly true. The more we see of him on the show, the closer we look, the harder it is to get a grip on his character, and the more obvious it becomes that perhaps "nice" isn't the word to describe him at all. Moonlash is a writer who understands this intimately, and who likes to explore what may lie beneath the surface of Wilson's well-adjusted exterior. Tonight, I've got two of her stories lined up for you.

The first one, Anger Management, is set in the wake of the episode "Detox" and its explosive confrontation between Wilson and House over House's drug problem. It's a close look at the anger and frustration Wilson harbours, not only towards the best friend who so stubbornly refuses to see his own good, but towards his wife, towards himself, towards his life as a whole. It's a dark story - disturbing, even - and with its deeply sensual attention to detail, it slips beneath the skin. You might not agree with this take on Wilson, but I can almost promise it will haunt you. And if you're anything like me, the intensely physical descriptions will leave you breathless. This is complex, raw, heartbreaking and chilling, and, at least to my mind, as shatteringly erotic as writing can get without actually being porn. Simply put, this story is extraordinary.

Anger Management

Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: Wilson/various females
Author on LJ: moonlash_cc
Why this must be read:

The second of Moonlash's studies in Wilson that I've chosen for you tonight delves into one of the least attractive things about the character - his adulteries. Wilson has cheated on his wives in the past and is likely to do so again, this much is canonical fact, and no matter what mitigating twists we might put on it as fan writers, infidelity is not a pretty trait. Which is why I find this look at Wilson's marital indescretions so fascinating.

Moonlash doesn't make excuses for Wilson's behaviour, nor does she place the blame anywhere but squarely on his own shoulders. Unlike many writers in the fandom, she fully acknowledges that the reasons for his inability to stay faithful are to be found not in the surrounding circumstances, but within himself, and in four brief scenarios she lets us glimpse what those reasons might be. The result is an intelligent, sensitive portrait of an intelligent, sensitive man who despite his successes is completely and utterly lost. The second part in particular rings so true that it still makes me reel.

Four Ways to Cheat on Mrs. Wilson

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Author on LJ: sdraevn
Author Website: Untitled
Why this must be read:

"Over the Edge" is the story of Rodney trying desperately to keep it together while John is imprisoned another planet, his mind going into overdrive as he realizes just what John means to him. It's funny and heartbreaking all at the same time, and I adore Rodney's voice in this. "Under the Skin" is the story of their pain and their healing. It's hard for me to express just how much I love this fic. I go back to it again and again--the writing amazes me, and John is so beautifully drawn. He's closed off and hurting, yet unable to reach out, and the way Rodney manages to get through to him him is lovely beyond words. I love all of sdraevn's writings, but this one is just stunning.

( Excerpt from Under the Skin  )

Read:

Over the Edge

Under the Skin

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay (and an OFC, almost)
Author on LJ: trinityofone
Author Website: Control Freaks in Love
Why this must be read:

This story has everything I love in a fic, and it has it in spades--humor, affection, smut, fabulous characterization, and sharp, on-target dialogue. The author describes this fic as a comedy of errors, and it truly is. It makes me giggle every time I read it. It's also a very romantic story, in a Sheppard/McKay kind of way. It's so very them.

( Read an excerpt )

Read Sliding Scale.

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: The Cast
Author on LJ:clotho123
Author Website:Clotho's Fanfic
Why this must be read:

The events of the Napoleonic War that surround the Horatio Hornblower fandom don't generally lend themselves to humor. But sometimes the fandom itself does. clotho123's aim is true. She has speared dead-on with her biting wit every fanfiction cliche that appears in the fandom. While admittedly this is a bit of an inside joke, the badfic cliches are broad enough that you might just recognize them in your own fandom as well. *G*

The Bureau of Complaints