Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper (Nightwing/Arsenal)
Author on LJ: notpoetry
Author Website: none
Why this must be read: Even though I haven't read a lot of the Outsiders or early Teen Titans, there's something about the dynamic between Roy Harper and Dick Grayson that appeals to me. This story picks up on recent comic canon (Nightwing 109/110), but the heart of the story is about how relationships change/stay the same. Dick's drifted away - literally and metaphorically - and Roy goes hunting for him. When he finds him, they can't talk about what's going on, but they still manage to connect -- with fists ... then other body parts. The whole story is edged with darkness and violence. With things held back. With the need to hang on to something, and the unsettling realization that sometimes you don't know a moment's passed until it's too late to do anything about it.

( Roy sees Dick's eyes widen suddenly ... )

Read the story: Knuckle Down, and let the author know if you enjoyed it.

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: marag
Author Website: Diversions & Digressions
Why this must be read: One of the things I like about the DC fandom is the sheer range of stories available. This one is just plain sweet and with all the pain and the angst the Bat-family endures, sometimes you just want them to have a good day. So, it's Bruce's birthday ... and Dick buys him a puppy (and, no, it's not Ace the Bathound - promise.) But that's only the beginning - because Bruce gives it the perfect name, and trains it (like it's a *Robin*), and ultimately there's a somewhat predictable plot/angst because it's Batman and there's got to be adventure and moral decisions, but you won't care because the schmoopy-ness of it all will get to you. You'll find yourself going "Awww!," probably hating yourself for it, but doing it anyway. This story will become your guilty sugary rush for the days when you need to know happiness really is a warm puppy.

( Read an excerpt )

Read the story: Everybody Has a Birthday, and let the author know if you enjoyed it. The story is in two parts, so don't forget to follow the link at the end of the first page.

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Legolas/Gimli
Author on LJ: None
Author Website: None
Why this must be read: This is a long, plotty (a rarity in this pairing) AU reincarnation story. No! Don't run away! Please don't let that put you off, because you'll be missing out on a thoroughly enjoyable and unusual take on the Legolas/Gimli relationship that just works and works. After all, immortality must be such a curse if the one you love is mortal, and this story evokes that with a light and lovely touch.

Back To the Beginning (Warning: death fic.)

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: julad
Author Website: Ambivalent Pleasures
Why this must be read: There are a lot of stories in TS fandom that deal with the fall-out of "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg." This story deals with a similar premise - the world finding out about Jim's senses through Blair's leaked dissertation - but in a different way from canon. It's a story about friendship and trust, about realizing what you've always had and deciding what to do about it. What really works in this story is the contrast--the battle over old cases that risk being thrown out of court because of Jim's Sentinel-induced "invasions of privacy" against the serenity of Jim and Blair's hide-away. Out of the country, out of the limelight, and with nothing to do but wait things out, the story shows the easy friendship that anchors the two men to each other even in the most trying times.

( Sandburg, what's going on? )

Read the story: Limbo, and let the author know you liked it.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair, Jim/OMC (minor)
Author on LJ: resonant8 and liviapenn
Author Website: in medias Res and Livia's Library
Why this must be read: Take two of the best writers in any fandom and put them together. Give them a year to work out plot and character and hot, sweaty first-time sex. Give Jim even more highly attuned senses - a sixth sense, where he's reading other people's thoughts and emotions - and see what happens. "Nuance" is what happens--it's epic, wonderfully-crafted, beautifully in character, and the first time scene ... will make you melt.

( You know the thing I can't figure out? )

Read the story: Nuance, and let the authors know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne (Superman/Batman)
Author on LJ: indian_skimmer
Author Website: The Cat's Miaow
Why this must be read: Batman has all the fancy gadgets, the money, the car. Yes, the CAR, with its still-warm hood and gleaming black armour-plating. But even Batman has bad days that don't involve almost certain death at the hands of The Joker or The Riddler. Sometimes he just needs a little help from a friend. So when the Batmobile breaks down, who's he going to call? And it's only right that he would be grateful for Superman's help, isn't it? Very, very grateful. Yes, I think you get the idea.

( You called me because... because your car broke down? )

Read the story: Breakdown, and let the author know if you enjoyed it.

Fandom: Sports Night
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Author on LJ: phoebesmum
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

You people are going to start thinking that Hilary is slipping me some cash under the table to rec her fic, but she really is so good that I can't help telling the rest of the world about her.

This sweet little piece was recently written for the picfor1000 challenge and is a gorgeous insight into Casey's past. We never learned a lot about Casey's childhood, side from the fact that his dad may have been rather stern, so fanfic writers have a lot of blanks in which to play with. In A Sweet Disorder, we are given a glimpse into why Casey is the way he is, as well as a perfectly wonderful solution to his often pedantic ways.

A Sweet Disorder

Fandom: STAR WARS PT
Pairing: Obi-Wan/Anakin
Author on LJ: cupiscent
Author Website: Furtive Scribblings
Why this must be read:

The main idea behind this AU fic is that though the world is fluid with possibilities, some things are certain, unchanged by circumstance. Taking on the premise that Anakin never left Tatooine and remained a slave, this is a lovely 'what if' first encounter between a teenage Anakin and Obi-Wan, when Obi-Wan is forced to land on Tatooine and commissions a young slave with engineering skills to repair his ship quickly.

It's a short interlude that can't affect the future of either one, but at the same time seems to bear life-altering gravity for both. Despite the changes, this universe is not much different than the canon, the Clone Wars are still happening, and Anakin and Obi-Wan personalities are also clearly recognisable, as the people they could have become. The way they relate and connect is the same, but now, minus the anger and bitterness, it's made simpler, easier, a merciful little escape from the canon bleakness, but not lacking in depth.

Some Things are Certain

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: (Methos/Kronos)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Kitty's Fandoms
Why this must be read:

Highlander fan fiction isn't complete without its Horsemen stories - and this one is a real doozie. At the outset Methos has run away from home, and now his dear brothers have found him. What follows is a whole lot of hurt, and not much comfort. The ending packs a real emotional punch.


Sarcophagus

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: marinarusalka
Author Website: marinafrants.com
Why this must be read:

This is a story that can be enjoyed by almost any Harry Potter fan, including those who don't usually read HP fanfiction. I have successfully recommended it to HP fans from the ages of 5 to 95. It's a chapter story, and a school adventure, and in many ways it's similar to the earlier HP books (but much shorter.) Though it includes action and danger, overall it has a light tone and is quite amusing. Set and written after Goblet of Fire, and therefore AU.

"Summary: Harry Potter discovers why polka dots are evil. Snape discovers why it's a bad idea to forge your medical records. Lucius Malfoy discovers why you shouldn't give suprise presents to your boss."

Harry Potter and the Polka Dot Plague

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Dan/Dana implied
Author on LJ: circusgirl
Author Website: Hotel Gypsy
Why this must be read:

One of the most frustrating things about reccing Sports Night is the fact that a lot of the really good fic that came out of the fandom's heyday about six years ago is trapped in the basement of the now defunct trickster website. I've got a whole bunch of fics saved to my hard drive that I cannot find anywhere online any more, and even the Wayback Machine is of little use when all I've got is an author and title and no URL.

This then leads me to my latest rec. I started out scouring the internet for a couple of fics that I know are posted to the yahoo group slashsn, but of little use to anyone who isn't a member. Having failed in that particular quest I moved on to another story that I've always loved, but was despairing of ever finding a link for. But fate does sometimes smile upon the weary internet trawler, and not only have I found the story I wanted to rec in the first place, I have also stumbled across an even better one by the same author, which I now present to you.

Danny, as always, does such good angst, and Sandy (who previously wrote as Jess) allows us a little glimpse inside his mind as he tries to make sense of what life has given him and the people he meets along the way. It's short and, well, melancholy, and a very wonderful read.

Beautiful Sorta

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon, Blake/Inga, hints at other stuff
Author on LJ: toft_froggy
Author Website: The Rope Coil
Why this must be read:

Toft is probably the best new writer B7 fandom has gained in the best few years. This recent fic is a good example of her gorgeous, evocative writing style--the otherworldly setting really makes her work shine. It's a series of visions and dreams in the possible afterlife, but true to the spirit of B7, certain characters manage to make a heaven into hell and vice versa. And yet, this haven of dream-logic and poetry is not either. Hope and desperation both dwell here and time bends back on itself. I particularily like the subtle changes in writing style between different incarnations of the same characters, but to give you more detail would be spoiling. And yeah, the characters are just right--Blake being his stubborn self and hoping against all odds, Avon as cynical as ever, and Jenna and Vila ring true as well. This is really the fanfic form of chocolate, best savoured slowly and indulgently.

Haven