Fandom: XMMF
Pairing: Charles/Erik
Author on LJ: ion_bond
Author Website: Memories
Why this must be read: ion_bond's writing reminds me very much of Shirley Jackson; she has this amazing ability to say a great deal without using too many words. Her writing is always very weighted, and her attention to word choice really makes her a fabulous writer. She writes wonderful Charles/Erik fic with the perfect amount of angst, that makes your heart hurt in that really good way. Fans of this pairing should absolutely devour every word she's written--you won't be sorry. This story is a past-fic, and talks about the initial meeting between Charles Xavier and the man who would one day become his greatest foe.

This is a three-part story. The link takes you to part one, "Inertia", which will then provide a link to the final two parts.


When the lesson is easy or the professor is wrong, Charles finds that his mind drifts along with everyone else’s. It makes him uncomfortable. He tries to think his own thoughts and not theirs.

In his literature classes, which are filled with rich boys like him who will probably never have to make a living, Charles distracts himself by calculating derivatives in his head. His science classes aren’t as saturated with other people’s daydreams. Occasionally he mentally runs through Donne’s Holy Sonnets, but most of the time, just staring at the backs of the heads of the students sitting in the row in front of him is enough to keep him from seeing what’s inside them.

Laws of Motion: Inertia

Fandom: XMMF
Pairing: Ensemble, references Scott/Jean
Author on LJ: likeadeuce
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read: Oh. My. God. I just read this last night, and I cried.
This is so wonderfully written that I can't imagine this *isn't* what happened immediately after the movie ended. The voices are perfect, and the characters interact completely and totally in character as they deal with the aftermath of Jean's death in X2. Her Scott is wonderful, but more importantly, she brings a voice to Storm, arguably a character very lacking in movieverse. Everything is very *real* in this fic, from the little moments of humor to the sadness, the touches of realism at the funeral, all of it. I think this is probably one of the best fics I've read, and certainly one of the best ensemble fics. There are no X3 spoilers in the fic, and it works perfectly in canon.


"I've got it," Storm says softly, putting a hand on Xavier's shoulder. "You go see about him." She doesn’t have to say who she means, and it isn't because the Professor can read her mind. Most of the kids are bawling by now; Artie started it, when he understood, and the sound has rippled through them like a shockwave. The different pitches and frequencies of their cries mingle like birdsong or the tuning of a symphony. But the first note still sounds loudest, the shuddering animal sob that hurts because of the raw undisguised pain, and hurts again – hurts more – because it is Scott.


The Busy Griefs

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/River
Author on LJ: jazzfic
Author Website: Fic tag on her LJ
Why this must be read:

Long, plotty story in which a job goes wrong, River runs into someone from the past, and has to deal with it, while Mal discovers he actually has feelings (and feelings for River). Poignant, in character, and engrossing, with good use of Zoe, and Simon/Kaylee in the background.

She knew deep down what it was, why the grip she had on her fork was making white streaks on her skin. It had absolutely nothing to do with Simon, or Kaylee. Or that they were laughing, and touching, and happy.

At least, it hadn't at first.

What she knew were facts simple and persistent. She took her medication (she hated, would always hate); she ate her meals (reconstituted protein--sometimes worse than the drugs); she flew the ship (better times, almost happy, if she ever really knew happiness); she helped on jobs (grumpy Simon, belligerent Mal, sinful River). What she knew were the cycles of the day, how she fared with the others, how she left her memories in the dark and always, always feared their origins. This is what River knew, because until now she hadn't had the chance to think any other way.

But these two--here was a tableau entirely new to a girl who had never really known childhood, or girlhood, or adolescence...and it made her wonder.

In Fortuna by jazzfic

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If you enjoy the story, please let the author know!

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Fandom: LotRiPS
Pairing: Dom/Billy
Author on LJ: dashery
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

I'll warn upfront that this fic was written for my birthday, so it's possible that I may be a little biased, but I honestly don't think so. It's pure, unadulterated smut, but it's so perfectly written - dashery has an amazing handle on Dom and Billy's voices, and everything they say sounds completely in character.

"Tell me something you’ve never told me before," Dom says as he shucks off his jeans and slides into Billy’s bed. "Something kinky."

"Hmm," Billy scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Sometimes, when you’ve gone a day or so without shaving, you remind me of my gran."

Working Out the Kinks

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: JC/Chris and Justin/Lance
Author on LJ: mickeym + nopseud
Author Website: Mickey's Musings + No Pseud Attached popslash archive
Why this must be read:
This story is long. Like 600,000 words long. It took me a couple of days to read it, slowly in patches, and it was kind of worth it.

There's a lot going on in this story, with two relationships forming (JC/Chris + Lance/Justin) and although we're focussed on the first the other filters through. It's really about JC's journey into accepting who he is and there's angst and hypocriticalness and conversations and sex. Like lots of sex, in lots of different ways, with different people and sex. There's also the concerns of living with people, the pressures of the industry, family and personal expectations and just a bit of everything.

It's a good story to read when you've got a bit of time and a willingness to read a porny-angsty story.
( quote here... )

Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Hal Jordan [Green Lantern]/Oliver Queen [Green Arrow]
Author on LJ: thete1
Author Website: Teland
Why this must be read: I'm more than a little biased on this one. Hal/Ollie happens to be my OTP, and there's precious few fic written about them--plus, this was written for me for Yuletide 2004.

Nonetheless, it's an excellent fic in its own right. Set just before Hal came back in the Rebirth mini, it gives us *Ollie*, his life and his loves and reflection on his past. It's somewhat non-linear and it does help to know at least the basics of Green Lantern/Green Arrow canon--but it covers most of the ground eventually: Hal and Ollie's shared past, Ollie's family, his life and regrets--with a touch of flashback slash. Against the truck they travelled America, back in their younger days.

And the Sea Rushes In is, at the same time, very much Te-fic and very much Ollie and Hal, and manages both beautifully.

And the Sea Rushes In

Fandom: STAR WARS PT
Pairing: Gen
Length: 9,000 words
Author on LJ: pyxelle
Author Website: Pyxelle, Pyxelle's Fanfiction.net Profile

Why this must be read:

Pyxelle is one of the best "undiscovered" writers in the Star Wars fandom. She's got a WIP that is a great Luke/Vader story, but I can't rec it since it's not finished yet. Instead, I will rec this absolutely hilarious fic that had me actually laughing out loud -- a rare occurrence indeed.

During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi came to be known as "The Negotiator." Because of that reputation, the Jedi Council decides to send him to a peculiar planet to negotiate a very sensitive and important treaty, one so important as to pull both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi from the front lines of the war.

The problem is, the inhabitants of the planet Canzonet can only hear and understand singing. If you speak to them without singing the words, they cannot understand what you are saying. In addition, since Obi-Wan is negotiating through a particularly delicate situation, it is important that all his singing be in rhyme.

Now I know that the premise of this fic sounds laughable, but it works! Trust me on this. Surely somewhere in the vast Star Wars galaxy, such a planet as Canzonet could exist. And if it did, Obi-Wan Kenobi (who, after all, possesses Ewan McGregor's singing voice) would surely be the one sent there by the Jedi.

This fic is a delightful gem, and I heartily encourage everyone to read it. It'll make you laugh; I can practically guarantee it. Highly recommended.

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( Excerpt )

Canzonet