Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: None, it's gen.
Author on LJ: periwinkle27
Author website: None, but this story can be found on muncle and at The Raven's Lair
Why this must be read:

periwinkle27 makes many contributions to this fandom, chief among them is serving as a frequent recc’er here on crack_van,

So, it’s about time that she receives a tip of the hat for one of her own stories.
The idea for this one made me laugh as soon as I heard it. So obvious and yet, never done before.

It’s a short piece demonstrating that the life of an U.N.C.L.E. agent is not always as glamorous as it’s cracked up to be. To tell you more would ruin the twist.

Hope it gives you a chuckle as it did me.

The Crummy Job Affair

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: viviana7
Author website: None, but this story can be found on The Chrome and Gunmetal Madhouse.
Why this must be read:

I have a fondness for stories in which one of the agents discusses the other. It not only expands our knowledge of the character in question from a more personal point of view, but also tells us something about the narrator as well.

In this short piece, Illya’s observations about Napoleon and what makes the Chief of Enforcement so attractive to the many women in his life are particularly insightful. For example:

They know who, if not what, he is. They can smell it on him. Adventure, but not for the sake of adventuring. Danger, not courted, but willingly endured. Passion, not for token conquest, but for its own sake. Duty, above them, above everything, including his own life.

He isn't respectable. He isn't nice. He isn't take-home material. In short, he is not A Good Prospect.

And not so incidentally, Illya's perspective is empathetic. Which only offers support for a pet theory of mine that it doesn’t really matter if the genre is gen, het, or slash: Solo is always recognizably Solo.

What Women Want

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Ainsley/Sam, Ainsley/Josh, Josh/Donna
Author on LJ: falseeeyelashes
Author Website: unknown

Why this must be read:

If you like Ainsley, you'll love this fic. If you don't like Ainsley, check it out anyway and perhaps you'll change your mind. I'm a sucker for backstory, particularly when it's so perfectly woven with canon events and real honest-to-God believable characterisation.

This is a realistic and human look at Ainsley, and it comes with a side order of unromanticised Josh/Donna, and a Sam that you kind of just want to hug.

( excerpt )

Fake Plastic Trees

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Angel/Buffy, Spike/Buffy, Angel/Spike
Author on LJ: redbrickrose
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

This is technically a BtVS/AtS piece, but it's so good I think we can make an exception. I love, love love love this piece because for me, it's the defining piece for the three of them/the three pairings in a non-threesome situation. Angel and Buffy are tragic and beautiful and utterly utterly in love, Spike and Buffy are raw and honest and true, and Angel and Spike are painful and deep and meaningful. Angel is alone and has lost everything, except not quite because he still has the both of them.

In general, I dislike Spike/Buffy a whole lot, but my favorite parts in this fic was the interaction between Spike and Buffy. They're friends, friends first before anything else, and devoted to each other in a way that's indescribably lovely.

( 'Did you love him?' )

All That's Best of Dark and Bright

We need October drivers for the Veronica Mars and West Wing fandoms!

For November and beyond, we need multiple drivers in the following fandoms: Angel, Buffy, Harry Potter, and X-Men.

Go here to sign up! And pimp it, people!

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN ~ Old West
Pairing: Chris/Vin
Author on LJ: black_bird_777
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

Wind Change addresses one of the most challenging aspects of writing for Old West characters in that people of that time had little to no references for being in love with another man or another woman. Biblical passages were contradictory and overstated while Native Americans who respected peoples differences were still considered savages. Men might “relieve” some sexual tension with another man on a long trail or maybe even during times of war and long separations from loved ones but there was no steadfast example to observe for people who were drawn to someone who lived outside the tight knot of society’s norm. At the same time they also seemed to possess a practical sensibility that saw nothing wrong with people pairing up in close quarters for survival as well as warmth.

In Wind Change Chris and Vin are making increasingly smaller, lazy circles around each other when a young married couple named Jesse and Sarah arrive in town. They are quickly and enthusiastically befriended by Ezra while the others wonder out loud what the scam is. It’s the dawning realization of why Ezra is so drawn to this couple that finally brings Chris and Vin’s intentions out into the light.

The story takes its time - which I love - and allows you to imagine just how aware Vin and Chris are about pursuing each other.

( ...the weight of Chris's gaze, which he knew was on his back. )

black_bird_777 has a nice way of showing Vin and Chris’s penchant for unspoken communication and also for how it’s not enough. At one point Vin runs his fingertips over the worn cover of a book that belongs to Chris as if trying to know him better without opening the cover.

Wind Change