Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Grace/Roy
Author on LJ: liviapenn
Author Website: Livia's Library (currently down)
Why this must be read:

This story is a great look at Grace Choi in the early days of the new Outsiders team. The Grace/Roy relationship is well-drawn, with some hot and in-character sex, and I love getting to see Grace and Dick trying to figure each other out.

Rolling with the Punches

Fandom: LOTR
Pairing: Merry/Pippin (Pippin/Diamond and Merry/Estella mentioned)
Author on LJ: the_danamark
Author Website: http://danachan.livejournal.com/
Why this must be read:

Frodo's departure from the Shire is often seen as a tragedy, specifically for Sam, and there is much joy over the idea that Sam rejoins Frodo after the end. However, what about Merry and Pippin? What if they too might see their beloved cousin again one day? Danachan took this wonderful premise and brought it to full fruition, crafted in her lovely, flowing prose. This story will make you cry with happiness, it's a story that needed to exist, and above all else that's why I am reccing it here.

( Excerpt: )

Years After and a Sea Between

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Kaylee/Simon, Kaylee/Mal
Author on LJ: luzdeestrellas
Author Website: luzdeestrellas
Why this must be read:

Because I love this story. More than just a story about romances, this is a story about relationships both romantic and not, spun out of a sweet ficlet about Kaylee and Mal and some swings (Symbiosis by danawoods). I love the Kaylee voice and characterization here, how she slowly figures out that what she has and what she wants aren't necessarily the same thing, and I adore the friendship between Kaylee and Wash as it’s drawn here. I also really like how the Kaylee/Simon is handled, and I love this characterization of Mal – slightly wiser and more accepting of the good things that come his way in the wake of the movie.

This story is warm and comforting and true, sweet without being cloying, and it gets at the heart of who Kaylee is, and how she loves.

( an excerpt )

Learning To Fly (Is Like Falling remix) by luzdeestrellas

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Please let the author know if you enjoy the story.

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Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairings: many (Duncan/OFC, Duncan/Methos, others)
Authors on LJ: maygra and macgeorge1
Author Websites: Maygra's Musings: http://wordsmiths.net/Maygra/
MacGeorge's Madness: http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/index.html

Why this must be read:
The idea of what makes a classic fanfiction story varies greatly between readers, and certainly we can never hope to reach consensus. But I'd venture to say that this grand saga would stand out for a great many Highlander fans.

Based on the wonderfully original concepts MacGeorge put forth in her Endgame Trilogy, borrowing a compelling character from Eng's Chaos Chronicles and inventing several of their own, Maygra and MacGeorge set out to tell an epic story about how life for Immortals might go on after Duncan, Methos, and Darius found a way to end the Game, and mortal man turned his own societies on end. Set in a semi-postapocalyptic landscape, Immortal Nations is a story about how the love and devotion between a handful of Immortals, and two Immortals in particular, might just hold the key to redemption not only for the two men at its center but for the world itself.

It doesn't really get any more ambitious than that, and the team of Maygra and MacGeorge is eminently well-suited to pull it off. Powerful emotion, complex relationships, edge-of-your-seat drama, and a whole cast of powerfully drawn characters whose blind spots are sometimes as vast as their courage and love for each other -- these are the elements that stand out for me in this unforgettable series. (Before proceeding, be aware that these stories do contain graphic violence and scenes of torture.)

( excerpt )

The Endgame Trilogy (prequels, by MacGeorge)
Immortal Nations

Please let the authors know if you enjoy these stories.

Very few people can hold a candle to Kellie Matthews. She is an amazingly talented writer who handles canon and fanon beautifully, is a master at capturing Napoleon and Illya’s voices, is great at characterization, and wholly inhabits whatever genre she’s writing in to the extent that you can easily imagine her stories as actual episodes. Plus, she writes incredibly hot sex scenes.

I was a big fan of her “Due South” stories, and was thrilled when I discovered that she also wrote “Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Author on LJ: kelliem
Author Website: Home Page for Kellie Matthews
Why this must be read:

It’s nice to get to rec a light-hearted romp on such a nice spring day! “Footwork” presents us with unique undercover assignments for Illya and Napoleon: a ballet dancer and an I.R.S. agent, respectively. This amusing premise also gives us a great turnabout in regard to the roles they normally play undercover (Illya gets to be the one salivated over, and Napoleon’s makes him less noticeable). It also gives us a rarity in any fandom: a well-handled previously established relationship between our favorite guys. Although this story is done with a light touch, a little poignancy near the end balances it, giving it depth and emotional resonance, and really makes it a perfect read.

What makes this story so good? The writing (crisp and beautiful), the dialogue (Kellie’s got Napoleon and Illya’s witty banter down brilliantly), the set-up, the sex (*fans self*), and Illya in tights (really, need I say more?)

( Read more... )


Footwork

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Gen
Length: 2,300 words
Author on LJ: lyras
Author Website: Unknown

Why this must be read:

This short story depicts certain pivotal scenes (both seen and unseen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) from Albus Dumbledore's point of view. The language of the fic is sparse, but it eloquently conveys Dumbledore's mindset. His time is running out and he knows it, but he still has much to do and to prepare. The fic does not attempt to tell the reader what to think. It is up to the reader to decide whether the inevitable ending is sad or simply bittersweet.

* * *

( Excerpt )

Into the Good Night

Vidder: Halo
Musical artist: Jason Mraz
Pairing: none
Vidder on LJ: jchalo
Vidder's website: Idol Hands
Why this vid kicks ass:

JC Chasez is a man who likes to wear pink. JC Chasez is also a man unafraid to let his geeky side shine. Just by those two perfect matches to the title alone makes this a great vid concept. But the vid delivers on this promise beautifully by combining solo footage- interview, promotional, and performance- with some old school NSYNC shots, capturing the hot, dorky spirit of JC in all his glory. This vid helps highlight how JC manages to make all his contradictions work in his public image by including both goofy and pretty-boy footage and takes you on a meandering journey through the life and times of JC. Also, although the vid doesn't follow up on them literally all the time, I find the lyrics perfectly, wryly fitting to JC's recent celebrity life and dating (see: Eva Longoria) which is the subtle icing on the cake.

But, probably the best inducement to watch a JC video set to The Geek in the Pink is JC himself. In pink.

( Real men wear pink. )

The vidder was nice enough to re-upload this vid when I asked her permission to rec it, so please follow her instructions and feedback if you like it (jchalo at livejournal . com ):

all I ask is that people right-click, save-as, and do not direct link. I think that's about it--I'll keep an eye on bandwidth, and it should all be fine.



*This is the direct link to the vid. Please right click, save as.*

The Geek in the Pink by Halo

Vidder: Melina
Musical artist: Simon & Garfunkel
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Vidder on LJ: melina123
Vidder's Websites:
vids: http://seacouver.slashcity.net/vidland/vids.html#melina_hl
fic: http://mediafans.org/melina/
Why this vid kicks ass:
"Good friend you have there," says Rachel MacLeod, in "Deliverance." "Yeah," says Duncan, "one of the best."

Unashamedly romantic, and beautifully executed, the best part of this vid is that it makes a powerfully convincing case regarding Methos' love for Duncan, and doesn't take a single clip out of context to do it. Whatever complexities may complicate their relationship, this vid makes it clear that Duncan and Methos need each other. Perfect for a rainy afternoon when you just want a straight shot of the love between these two characters.

Bridge over Troubled Water

(Link takes you to Melina's Highlander vids)

Fandom: LotRiPS
Pairing: Viggo gen
Author on LJ: lalejandra
Author Website: apostatize
Why this must be read:

This is a lovely take on Viggo. Often in fic, he's characterized as the crazy artiste, the kind of guy who can spend several hours watching raindrops dripping from an overhang and composing mental poetry about the droplets. lalejandra gives that characterization some merit by presenting not only Viggo's thoughts and actions, but the reasoning behind them. And, god love her, she makes crazy!Viggo make perfect sense.

It could all be really simple, but he's been in his house for a long time, or for a couple of days. He doesn't remember the last time he saw sunlight, but he remembers what it feels like, so he thinks he's doing okay. And he sees people, because they deliver him food.

Maybe he could use some complicating, though.

Love Travels in No Known Pattern

Vidder: here's luck
Musical artist: Benefits of Being Paranoid
Pairing: none
Vidder on LJ: heresluck
Vidder's Website: http://www.heresluck.net/
Why this vid kicks ass:

Because it's a very shiny extravaganza featuring Mal, River, and guns, which makes it the kind of thing I want to watch All The Time.

Seriously, though. All the clips come from the movie, and, like the movie, it's Mal's story, filtered through River's experience, and it's visually stunning. I don't really have the vocabulary to talk about vids, but I do know when something works even if I can't say why, and this vid works. It's about the violence in Mal, in River, in the Reavers, and how it all stems from the same source, and how it can be terrifying - especially when tampered with to create a false serenity, the pax of Miranda - but it can also be used to fight for freedom, for what's right, and how Mal remembers that that's what he fought for once, and in River, with River, it's what he's fighting for again.

New Frontier by here's luck
(link goes to the front page of the site)

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That's it from me this month. I hope you enjoyed the recs - I surely enjoyed sharing them with you.

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Vidder: Talitha
Musical artist: Toni Basil
Pairing: Clark and Chloe friendship
Vidder on LJ: talitha78
Vidder's Website: none that I'm aware of, but vids can be found through her memories
Why this vid kicks ass: Sometimes between the head trauma and the Lex-Turns-Evil drama, between the freaks of the week and the creepy Luthor touches, we forget that Smallville's a fun show. Oh, yes, it is! It makes us laugh (sometimes unintentionally), and who can sit there and not smile when Clark turns on that 1000-watt grin? This vid takes a look at the lighter side - Chloe as a cheerleader, Chloe being super-sleuth side-kick to the super future hero, Chloe being his friend through it all. It's irreverent and upbeat and maybe a little poignant in spots (yeah, she never does get her man), but the song and the vid both capture that nostalgic sense of the fun, happier days in fandom. This video was done for mkitty_03's 80s vid challenge.

Journal entry with video link: Hey Mickey

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Lex/Clark
Author on LJ: rivkat
Author Website: RivkaT's Site
Why this must be read: The "five things that never happened" concept has been around a long time, but that's because it works really well. It gives an author the chance to explore possibilities in a unique format. The five stories - and each really is a separate story - are at times heart-breaking, disturbing and insightful. The lovely thing about these stories is we get to see five different versions of Lex, yet each is still recognizable. More than just what he could've been, we also get to see what he could never have been in canon, and that's a very large part of the attraction. And the zebra bit in section four gets me everytime. (How's that for a tease?!)

( Read an excerpt )

Read the story: Five Things That Never Happened to Lex Luthor , and let the author know what you thought.