Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Buffy/Wesley
Author on LJ: minim_calibre
Author Website: Fiction Archive

Why this must be read:
Even though there's sex and a baby in this story, it's not a romance, so don't let the pairing determine whether you want to read this. Part 2 seems like gen to me, and plot-driven gen at that. The author did a great job of creating an OC who acts like a real teenager, and it was a pleasure to read a possible future for the characters in Buffy and Angel--I miss them a lot.

Absolution

Yes, yes. I'm back again. What can I say? I'm a chronic volunteer. This month I'm driving the Smallville van. Ah, Smallville. It's such a slashtacular fandom.

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ: seperis
Author Website: Indulgence
Why this must be read: Is a Smallville rec set complete without a story by Jenn? I don't think so. I've chosen "The Wasteland" because it's a wonderful, surreal futurefic, although darker and more world-weary than some of Jenn's other pieces. One of the things that makes Lex such a compelling character in this is that he's so obviously desperate for love, and so obviously unloved, and so obviously broken because of it. And there's no simple fix for that, especially in canon with a Clark that's fifteen and emotionally unready to give that kind of love. But what happens when everything in Lex's world turns upside down, and there's a Clark that's twenty-one? This story starts from that premise, and it's so heart-achingly good it makes me tingle every time I read it.

The Wasteland

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: implied Starsky/Hutch
Author Website: http://meandthee.shahrazad.net/author.php?authorid=6
Why this must be read:

Well, here I am, it's the month of June, and love is in the air. Unless of course you are me, than ambiguity is in the air. My recs will tend toward the gash/slen side of the spectrum, starting with today's. Debaran Revisited is so ambiguous, it's categorized as slash in one SH site, and gen in another. But really, category doesn't matter, with gorgeous writing like this:

"She watched as Hutchinson pulled his partner against him while one hand rearranged the pillows; then simply lifted the other man up and laid him back on the bed. Starsky must have been speaking, because the blond sank down on one knee and moved his face to within inches of the other's, listening intently. They were so completely absorbed in each other just then that Ross had the impression the rest of the world could collapse around their feet and neither man would have taken any notice. Whatever was being said made him smile: he gently reached up and brushed a wayward curl from his partner's forehead, hand lingering there as he replied. How could such a simple gesture be so? Intimate? Ross blushed, suddenly feeling like a voyeur. She turned without a sound and left."

It's post Sweet Revenge, it's awesome H/C, and it has an astounding sequel in Borders (also on the above author page).

Debaran Revisited

Whaddya know, it's my month for CSI. Most will probably be slash, mainly Nick/Greg, but I'll try and include some gen, maybe another pairing. Let's get this van moving, eh?

Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Author on LJ: kissingchaos9
Author Website: Memories here.
Why this must be read: Okay, this is one of my favorite post-Grave Danger pieces out there right now. It being Nick/Greg simply makes it better.

This one shows exactly how Greg is absolutely not dealing with Nick’s ordeal that sprung on them with no warning. He thinks he has to be strong for Nick, and hides his own problems with everything deep down inside. The way the author gives Greg reassurance is incredibly moving and the words she says it with are all just amazing. Enough? Yes? Okay. Why don’t you just go read it, huh? You’ll melt into a puddle of goo from the cuteness, I promise.

Nick holds on so tightly that Greg can’t move and buries his face in Greg’s neck. Greg rubs his back in long, soft strokes, reveling in the flex and relax of the muscles as Nick takes deep breaths to calm himself. He’s counted fifteen before he realizes he’s been counting and he frowns, kissing the soft skin where Nick’s neck becomes shoulder.

..and!

“When I was, um—when I was down there,” Nick pauses to take a breath and Greg tights his arms around Nick’s waist. “I had these really vivid, fucking awful hallucinations, and it took me a really long time to convince myself that the entire rescue wasn’t just another one, that I wasn’t going to snap out of it and be back down there, seconds closer to dying.” Greg winces and presses his face into Nick’s chest. “But I’m here. And I’m alive, and I’m a little fucked up, but I’m going to be fine. I am fine, considering, and I’m alive, and you’re here with me, and that’s all that really matters. I love you, and that’s it. Everything else, we’ll deal with.”

Breathing

Hey y’all! I’m back in the driver’s seat for X-Men again. I was just here in February, but I had such a good time that I just had to come back for more. I’m gonna skip the whole ‘theme-recommending’ thing this time and just try to scrounge up the best stories I can. It’s kind of tough, these days, as I’m sure a lot of you would agree. X-Men just ain’t the fandom it once was. However, there is still some pretty great stuff out there if you’re patient and know how to dig. I’ll do the best I can for y’all.

One more thing: I just had sinus surgery yesterday, so I’m on some pretty heavy painkillers and probably will be for the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty out of it, as a result. If my links are wrong or I forget something, just give me a poke so I can fix it.

Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: Logan/Rogue, Logan/Jean, Scott/Jean, Scott/Rogue
Author on LJ: cupiscent
Author Website: http://www.viscerate.com/
Why this must be read:

So, I have issues with reading comicverse stories that focus on Rogue. This is mostly because of the whole accent thing. Now, I get why she’s written all “Ah don’t know, shugah” in actual print comics. Comics are a visual medium and actual text is as much a part of that as the art itself. Prose fiction, however, is different. I’ve always had issues with writers who actually write in the accent, tracing back to a deep hatred of Mark Twain. (Ask me how!) So, I have problems with a lot of Rogue stories. If you write the character well enough, you don’t need to write the stupid accent phonetically, kthnx. I’ve found that movieverse writers are somewhat less inclined to write the accent in. I don’t know if that’s because The Paq’s accent was shit, or what. Whatever the reason, I’m totally grateful.

Poison Ivy is a story about the love-quadrangle that is so richly set up in the first film. It’s totally there. You know it is. More than this, though, it’s a story about Rogue. A good one. It explores the marked difference between Marie, the frightened girl who needs a hero, and Rogue, the badass fighter who says, “Fuck heroes; I’ll do it myself.”

Titaniafae takes these characters to a very weird place. And that’s what I like about reading fan fiction. There is such opportunity for an author to take risks and assassinate characters and twist situations. The freedom of anonymity is a beautiful thing.

( Excerpt )

Poison Ivy by Titaniafae