Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair (implied)
Author on LJ: lanning
Author Website: Lanning Cook's Fiction
Why this must be read: Too often readers dismiss stories that feature original characters. Not every not-in-canon character is a Mary/Marty Sue, and often writers need to create other characters (villains, friends, co-workers) to make a story seem more realistic. So, it's always a risk to let an original character have a prominent role in a story, and an even greater risk to let that character tell the story. But Lanning pulls it off beautifully. "Call Him a Dog" is a first-person POV from a detective who's been given his chance in the Major Crimes unit - partnered with Jim Ellison (after "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg" fiasco). Corbin doesn't know Ellison except by reputation. He sees a good cop screwed over by an outsider, and he doesn't understand why everyone's still so protective of Sandburg's reputation when the guy's no longer in the picture. Corbin captures the frustration that people not in the loop feel when dealing with the Jim/Blair phenomenon, and it's utterly believable. Plus I love the way Corbin's character comes through his point of view. His expletive-laced, colourful phraseology goes a long way in creating a fully-developed character, and that's why the story works so well even though the focus isn't exactly on the main characters we're used to seeing.

( Read an Excerpt )

Read the story: Call Him A Dog, and don't forget to let the author know you enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is the 15th of the month, which means Crack Van Collisions, a.k.a. cross-over day.

Drivers, you may rec one fic that crosses over your fandom with another (no, this does not count against your maximum). Please post crossovers in the following format:

Subject: Fandom/Fandom (Rating)

Title: Title by Author
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Author on LJ:
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

(link to story)

Thanks, all!

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd (Batman/Robin II)
Author on LJ: harriet_spy
Author Website: Sometimes You Need a Story
Why this must be read: Initially I wasn't a fan of Jason Todd. Didn't know much about him, didn't really want to. Dick Grayson was my Robin and always would be. But the concept of "Robin" is an interesting one, and one this story explores in a way that reveals the utter humanity of the characters involved: flawed, fallible men desperate to make the world a little bit better. Batman needs a Robin, but what does the job cost the boys who live in that bright-coloured suit? It cost Jason Todd his life--or was that a flaw in Jason's personality? His training? The story doesn't necessarily answer these questions, but it does provide a deeply emotional and disturbing glimpse into what happens when something you've lost is returned to you. Sometimes it's better to leave things buried.

( 'I want to be Robin again.' )

Read the story: The Boy in the Red and Green Suit, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: sori1773
Author Website: Slash by Sori
Why this must be read: So many stories deal with the aftermath of the show's final episode, "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg" (or TSbyBS, as it's known in fandom), but this one doesn't focus on the big life-changing decisions. Blair's become a cop, he's earning a living, and he's happy. The story plays with Blair's attempts to pay Jim back and Blair's realization that he's still living in Jim's space, despite the changes he's made. So he moves out. But it isn't angsty and fraught - it's just a necessary step in the two of them realizing what they've always had. Friendship, comfort, love. That underlying sense of being at home with someone that doesn't change when your address changes. It's a lovely, quiet story with accurate characterizations.

( Read an Excerpt )

Read the story: Finding Home, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Author on LJ: kestrelsan
Author Website: Fanfiction by Kest
Why this must be read:

Sirius and Remus collect Regulus's body. This is a beautiful story, with vivid and precise descriptions that create a strong sense of place and time. It has an appropriately somber and quiet mood, but while it is sad, it also feels matter-of-fact, not at all melodramatic. The relationships in the story are realistic and memorable.

A Thousand Doors

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Simon/Mal
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: KMSpider's Lair
Why this must be read:

Imagine if, instead of Simon picking up a cryo box with his sister frozen inside, he himself was captured on Persephone and loaded onto Serenity in the box, bound for parts unknown. This fic, set two years after Simon's attempt to rescue River, finds Mal and crew on Whitefall. Mal and Jayne meet one of Patience's favorite boy whores, who also moonlights (daylights) as the local doctor... KMSpider explores this in a wonderfully-plotted AU, complete with a great twist at the end.

Note: not for the squicked! There is mention of rape and torture.

The Boy in the Box

Fandom:  BUFFY
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Author on LJ: in_stead and mcee
Author Website: dv8 and mcee 's memories
Why this must be read: 

Xander has some things he wants to say.  He decides Spike's body makes a perfect canvas.

"Are you... are you writing on me?"
"Yes."
Spike was about to protest hotly when it occurred to him that it was a pretty cool thing to do. He tried to crane his neck back to see without moving the rest of his body. "What are you writing? Better be vulgar."

Adorned