Fandom: STAR WARS PT
Pairing: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan UST
Author on LJ: flambeau
Author Website: the flambeau factory
Why this must be read:

"Crystallize" is a quiet interlude in the lives of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan before TPM, set during a peaceful mission on the planet Remis, as they take turns guarding the hibernating people of the planet. Torch has created a fascinating world in stasis, frozen and serene, and so real you can almost see the blue-white snow blanketing the landscape and hear it crunch under their feet.

This cocoon world suits the introspective mood of the story, as Qui-Gon gradually becomes aware of the shift in his perceptions and feelings for his student, quietly and without fanfare, until the realisation is complete, just as the pieces of his dar puzzle finally fall into place.

As the entire story is told from Qui-Gon's limited point of view, Obi-Wan's own motivations and desires are hinted, but not entirely clear. As the reader I wondered if I could see more that Qui-Gon did or not, but far from being jarring, the effect creates a pleasant sense of unhurried ambiguity. Simple story, simple presentation, and yet underneath it layers upon layers of intelligence and feeling.

Crystallize

Fandom: VERONICA MARS
Pairing: None major. Maybe a tiny bit of Veronica/Duncan.
Author on LJ: yahtzee63
Author Website: Yahtzee's Fic
Why this must be read: Because it's a brilliant take on the possible fallout from the S1 finale, and will sicken you *and* amaze you at the same time with Yahtzee's evil genius. It's a cynical but plausible look at how the events of the season may be perceived by the mainstream media, entirely in keeping with the noir ethos of the show. The format of the story--one of those insufferably smug Vanity Fair celebrity profiles--is inspired, and Yahtzee nails their smarmy, self-satisfied tone.

( Excerpt )

The Comeback: The Vanity Fair Profile

Fandom: VERONICA MARS
Pairing: Veronica/Logan-ish
Author on LJ: boyfriendincoma
Author Website: N/A
Why this story must be read: This is a super-ouchy post-S1 finale fic, with a spot-on take on Logan--angry and self-pitying at one moment, then heartbreakingly vulnerable the next--told from an unusual POV. The story employs a risky conceit that works marvelously well, and the news-clipping inserts add an interesting flair.

( Excerpt )

The Past Is A Prologue

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Legolas/Gimli
Author on LJ: celli
Author Website: Page of Doom
Why this must be read: A sharp, sweet look inside Legolas's head. I love the way Celli writes Legolas in this.

Beautiful

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: None
Author Website: None
Why this must be read: Usually, first person stories don't work for me; I rarely "hear" the character's voice which can throw me out of a story faster than just about anything. But it works for me here. Anne has a light touch, so that even when Doyle says things I might not necesarily think he would, it doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. And with OC's who are believable and expand the story without taking from Bodie and Doyle, it makes for a very pleasurable read.



Katrin's Jigsaw

Fandom: TOUR OF DUTY
Pairing:Friendship: Lieutenant Johnny McKay -- Lieutenant Myron Goldman
Author on LJ: Spacebabe
Author Website: No personal website
Why this must be read:

Not much occurs on the surface in this story, and hardly any words are exchanged between the characters. After a mission, McKay sets his helicopter down in a river to wash the blood out of it. As he works, his crew chief plays upstream with some local children. Goldman stands on the riverbank with his back to them all.

I like the imagery in this story. The red water flowing across the deck of the Huey; a near-by dried-up rice paddy symbolizing a forcibly re-settled village; the air shimmering in the passage of a helicopter squadron; the warm wind carrying the smell of smoke. The children play obliviously as gunships fly overhead and bloody water drips into the river. The scene where Goldman climbs back into the Huey, and afterwards – I could see it in my head as easily as if I were watching it on TV.

The death of Alex Devlin has hit McKay hard. While never alone, he’s lonely. He wants, badly, to connect with Goldman, who keeps pushing him away. But as distant as Goldman is, he’s still the closest thing to a friend McKay has – “how pathetic is that?”

Goldman silently apologizes to McKay in the course of the story. McKay reaches out again to Goldman, not to take but to give. Goldman’s reaction is in keeping with his character.


The Depth of Sorrow

Fandom: LOTRIPS
Pairing: Viggo/Orli
Author on LJ: cynical_terror
Author Website: Fanfic Master Post
Why this must be read: This is one of the sweetest stories I've read. It's an AU where Orli has been diagosed with a skin condition that makes it impossible to touch anything without experiencing pain. Other LOTR cast members make their presence known, and a chance meeting on the NYC subway with a certain "restauranteur" changes things completely for the shy boy from Britain.

( Excerpt. )

Chalk Butterfly

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Alex Krycek/Walter Skinner
Author on LJ: jimpage363
Author Website: Coffeeslash
Why this must be read: Because JiM writes lovely stories that perfectly combine edges, angst and domesticity and are just the thing to curl up with on a cold winter's evening.  Trying to choose which of hers to recommend was quite a struggle since I have so many favorites.  I went with this one because it's a little harder edged than most of hers. Also,  I love watching Skinner deal with something he can't beat and because watching Krycek shift from cool professional to something more over the several month period of the story is delicious.

When you think you have nothing left to live for, how do you fill your time?
( Here's how. )

Enjoy Skinner's Descent. Oh, and there's an epilogue from Alex's POV, Formerly Unsuspected.

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Jayne/River
Author on LJ: lady_cleo2001
Author Website: currently down for updating
Why this must be read:

I didn't really grok the whole Rayne thing until I read this fic. Lady Cleo creates a wonderful cast of secondary characters in the form of Jayne's family, giving them all memorable personalities that explain perfectly well why Jayne turned out the way he did. And the angst and love between Jayne and River is so perfectly plausible here, especially in the way that they have to build a life for themselves out of false memories. Even if you don't really like River and Jayne together, this is a wonderful look at how the two could pair up, given the right circumstances. And if I had parents like Jayne's, I'm not sure I would've ever left home.

Never a Normal Relationship

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: sullensiren
Author Website: Fics at Skyhawke’s Archive
Why this must be read:

Summary: Illyria has more than Fred's memories - she has her fantasies too.

Do you need more prompt than just hot-Illyria-as-Fred sex? :-)

For Your Hot Heart

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Alex Kryeck/Well Manicured Man (no, come back here! Don't run screaming...)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MJ's can be found here, I don't know of any current one for Merri-Todd Webster.
Why this must be read: It does what good fan fiction ought to; it fills in gaps and fleshes out characters who are at best two dimensional in canon. Both Krycek and the Well Manicured Man are wonderfully 3D in this. As the authors alternate sections and POV's (and more than just Kryeck and WMM, but also WMM"s wife and others) we get new and novel looks at the characters and watch as Krycek grows as a person from the time he breaks with Spender through the movie and a bit beyond.  Also, it deals honestly and movingly with geriatric sexuality and sex (well, semi-geriatric; Kryeck is still a hot young thing) something usually completely avoided in fan fiction.  For that alone, this is a must read.

( Here's an intro. )

Cornerstone

I am back after a week of absence. As I had supposed, the very limited access to Internet I could get where I was staying didn't allow me to send any rec during my vacation. I intend to catch up on my planning before the end of the month.

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: tiranog
Author Website: Unknown

Why this must be read:

This is a first time story of a decidedly non-romantic type, at least in its premises: Napoleon and Illya are assigned to take in charge the training of a bunch of rookies in a secret U.N.C.L.E. base, located "five degrees above the arctic circle". In such an isolated environment, the nervous tension is growing fast; the more so for Napoleon that, unfortunately, there is not a single sample of the female genre in the group. To say the truth, our infamous womanizer and U.N.C.L.E. resident stud is getting more and more horny as the days and weeks are passing, with all the imaginable consequences his quickly worsening mood may have on the job.

You can easily guess the next move; what are partners made for? Not that Napoleon appeared to welcome the proposition with much enthusiasm, or that Illya had set it out in a very enticing way; his formulation seriously lacks poetry or delicacy:

"Why would you want to do something so...repugnant?"

Illya sighed. "Repugnant is hardly an adjective that applies to you. As to why? I imagine I offered for much the same reason that you cleaned the vomit and excrement off me when you found me chained in that THRUSH cell two months ago)to ease discomfort. Six weeks is a long time to suffer, Napoleon."

Solo seemed to digest the comparison for a moment. "It's not quite the same thing," he said at last.

Indeed! Don't fret; the subsequent developments are going to duly put things right between the two friends-would be lovers, through all the expectable hesitations, tentativeness, scruples, embarrassment and second thoughts, so that the outcome would be as satisfying as any romantic reader could wish. The psychological evolution is smoothly and cleverly presented and made believable by the author's skillful writing devices.

The Arctic Nights Affair

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

It has been a few years since the Season 4 aired, but I know that there are new folks to the fandom, so I will place my comments behind a cut tag for S4 spoilers. ( Read more... )


The Other Sister