Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Romana I/Romana II
Author on LJ: nostalgia_lj
Author Website: A Teaspoon and an Open Mind profile

Why this must be read: I thought I'd finish my recs with a story that combines almost all my interests - rare (very rare) het, a bit of femslash, and timestream crossing - as well as being dark and twisted and insightful and very hot. The Doctor dreams, and even then he can't have everything he wants, the two women who are one really only reminding him of what he has done in the Time War and what he has lost. It's strange and complicated and sad, and goes to town with the weirdness inherent in the show's canon - continuity is for people who like things to be linear, the Doctor observes, and if that doesn't get at the heart of what you can do with fanfic for DW, I don't know what does.

Like Burning

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Author on LJ: lamardeuse
Author Website: where the world is puddle wonderful
Why this must be read: Lamardeuse entered A-Team fandom about the same time I did and in much the same way. We keep running into one another in various fandoms, and I'm always pleased with what she writes. She's got an easy style that moves the story along, but still packs a lot of emotional impact; she also doesn't pull punches when it comes to the hard stuff, especially the Vietnam stories. This one in particular goes back to a week in Saigon where Face and Murdock found some solace in one another. Eighteen years later, they're both still thinking about it, but as usual they've got regrets for all the wrong reasons. (Men!) This technically is part of a series of connected stories, but it can be read as a stand alone, although I certainly recommend reading anything this author writes.

( The rain pounded on the tin roof all week, not that it mattered since they rarely ventured outside the confines of the hotel room. )

Read the story: Broken Wing, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Murdock/Decker
Author on LJ: stealthlamb
Author Website: Stealthlamb's Slash
Why this must be read: Because I tend to be a Face/Murdock girl, it's sometimes hard for me to warm to other pairings, but I'm trying. This is one of the few that has Colonel Decker in a role where he's not either chasing the team or torturing them somehow. Although I have some quibbles with the characterization in the story, I find it strangely plausible in some way ... Decker is trying to woo Murdock and attracting the team's skepticism. Is it all part of an evil plan to catch the team, or is Roderick Decker just a man in love? It's a little over the top in places, but sometimes you want something not quite so dark, and this might be just the thing.

( Hannibal straightened up in his chair and turned completely around to face the captain. 'Let me get this straight. Decker--Colonel Roderick Decker, just stopped by on a whim to see how you were doing and take you out for pizza.' )

Read the fic: Where There Is Smoke, There's Fire, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: A-team Fan Fiction by Junkfoodmonkey
Why this must be read: In Season 5 of the show, everything changed with the introduction of General Hunt Stockwell and Frankie Santana. Fics that effectively use Stockwell as anything other than a somewhat one-dimensional puppet master are few and far between, but this one is intriguing. It's the second fic in a series, but I read it as a stand-alone. Stockwell's disappeared, and the team has to go after him. They've got their own issues with the man, but they're not about to leave him in the hands of the enemy. The story creates a complicated plot with an intriguing original character, and best of all has the team acting like a team, which was not always the case in season 5 show canon. It's a good solid read with cliff-hanger style short chapters that keep you interested to see what happens. Check out this author's other fiction as well!

( 'You know,' Face was using his 'long suffering' voice. 'It's at times like this, when I'm freezing my ass off in the mountains of Afghanistan, waiting to ambush crack Red Army troops, just to rescue a man I despise, that I begin to wish I'd never met any of you people.' )

Read the story: Sympathy for the Devil, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Author on LJ: emmastark
Author Website: Her A-Team fics can be found here and here
Why this must be read: I started this month's recs with emmastark and I'm going to end with her as well. Since we're a small fandom and we've only had a month, I've tried to introduce you to a number of resources and authors who will give you reading pleasure. That being said, there are definitely more good A-Team authors out there that I didn't have a chance to rec, but hopefully we'll get another crack at the van sometime. In the meantime, feel free to come and play with us in the fandom because: “Some people get mummies and daddies and teddies and puppies and white picket fences. Others get jazzed Colonels and angry mudsuckas and a big ugly black van with lots of guns in it. I think we’re lucky, myself.” Very lucky!

There are two things that I especially like about this story. First, it has a Face that's slightly on edge after the events of "Family Reunion" ... he's reckless, calculating, and overtly sexual. He's looking for trouble. The team may call it "the jazz", but sometimes they're all flirting with that need for a dangerous life, for excitement, adrenaline. Second, it gives us a glimpse into a private moment between Face and Murdock - a moment no one is meant to see, and what that reveals about both the observer and the observed is something that's at the heart of the A-Team. Above all else, the four men have always been a team, a family of sorts, and they protect one another no matter what. Frankie wants to be part of that, but at best, he'll only ever be on the outside looking in. It's a lovely portrayal of the interaction between the five men told in multiple POV, and even if you don't care for Frankie, you can't help but appreciate his position in this fic.

( Face had found what was probably the only shitkicker bar in Florida, but Frankie wasn’t really surprised. The guys were kind of old. But there was something reckless about them under everything else. Something dangerous, even. )

Read the fic: What Frankie Saw, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Thanks for riding in the van with me this month! It's been a blast.

Fandom: STARGATE: SG-1
Pairing: Cam/Daniel
Author on LJ: laytoncolt
Author Website: fanfiction journal: nixa_jane
Why this must be read:

For the funny. Daniel and Cameron's relationship becomes general knowledge. Complications ensue.

"Jack is an extremely busy man," Daniel said, "and you're delusional."

"You say that now," Cameron said, "but you'll be sorry when I disappear without a trace."

"Not if it means I can get some work done," Daniel said.


The Perils of Dating Daniel Jackson

Fandom: STARGATE: SG-1
Pairing: mildly Cam/Teal'c
Author on LJ: ana_grrl
Author Website: anafic
Why this must be read:

For the funny. Stargate: SG-1 doesn't have a substantial and varied body of crack!fic, not like some other fandoms with the word "Stargate" in the title, but it totally should. Don't you think? Ana shows us how its done.

Now, Cameron had been looking for adventure for a while. Daniel would have preferred a life of intellectual challenge, but being a squire, he had little choice but to follow Cameron on his search for adventure.

(Back home, the discussion had gone like this:

"Daniel. Saddle up."

"Um. What?"

The Tale of Sleeping Brawny (and the Galactic Adventurer who woke him up)

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: batagur
Author Website: Soul Sistah Slash
Why this must be read:

Here's a most appropriate final rec for the month - not so much an end as a pointer toward the future.

When you got it – you got it. And Illya and Napoleon, despite their years, definitely still have it. Fast forward from 1965 to 2005, and while these UNCLE agents may have more than a little snow on the roof, their banter is still lethal and boy howdy can they kick ass!

This story is a riotous romp as Illya takes on a private army to rescue his partner – only to learn that Napoleon already has things under control. Woe to those who underestimate Grumpy Old Spies.


"You had better stop now, Napoleon, or you will aggravate your bursitis."

Napoleon frowned back at his partner. Without his wire frame glasses, Illya looked younger than his seventy-one years. However, even with his glasses, the Russian looked younger than any man his age. Napoleon remembered a time when Illya's youthful appearance had made their adversaries underestimate his competence. Now his youthful appearance does the opposite; the enemy is all too wary of Mr. Kuryakin. It is Napoleon Solo, the gruff, old-stuffed-shirt that they miscalculate these days.

"You're right," Napoleon sighed as he rubbed his shoulder. "Do you have some accelerant?"

Illya blinked once at him, then reached into the loose folds of his gi and pulled out a slim metal flask from the inner pocket. "I'm afraid our host confiscated my torch," Illya said as he held the flask out to Napoleon. "It was in the hilt of one of my blades."

"Never mind that." Napoleon smiled sweetly, looking for all the world like someone's kindly old grandfather-turned-barracuda. "He didn't take mine."


Respect Your Elders

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.

For those who are interested, the rest of the series is here: Grumpy Old Spies.

The author also has a "Paul and Yuri" page here: Man from UNCLE. I leave it to you to guess who Paul and Yuri really are.

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan - and a surprise
Author on LJ: cora_blue
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: Dan's in charge of the Sports Night staff Christmas party. And it's the best party ever. There are costumes (Natalie slid her legs apart and held her arms straight out from her sides. “I’m the star of Bethlehem!” she said, as though that should be obvious); there's dreadful music (Dana would have bet money that you couldn’t dance to Frosty the Snowman, but she would have been wrong); the booze is flowing like ... like booze at a really, really good party (Dana took a sip of the punch and promptly spat it back into the cup. There was enough vodka in there to kill a Russian horse). But who is Dana's Secret Santa? And who is kissing Santa Claus?

Also, how many fanfics do you see these days that reference Damon Runyan in their titles? Damn few, that's how many.

cora_blue has vanished from LJ now; she never used to post all that much, but I do miss her. Still, at least she left us with this before she went away.

Dancin' Dan's Christmas

This is my last rec for this month, and probably the last time Sports Night will be on crack_van for a while, so many thanks to the mods for the opportunity to pimp some of the wonderful fic the fandom's thrown up in the past 12 months. Lots more of it (speaking of pimping) can be found over at snarchive; popular rumour to the contrary, Sports Night fandom is alive, kicking, and writing like crazy. Go, read. And stick around.

The following small fandoms will be featured in December:

Ai no kusabi, by thornsilver
Anthropomorfic, by cupidsbow
Band of Brothers, by likethesun2
Boy Meets World, by wickedwonder1
Brokeback Mountain, by trascendenza
Chronicles of Lymond, by ishafel
The Equalizer, by ladyrogue79
GetBackers, by gisho
Mutant X, by toomuchfandom
Newsies, by mxfic
Numb3rs, by justabi
The Office (US), by kyrafic
The Pretender, by bantha_fodder
Real Ghostbusters, by rgbrobbie
Sandman, by ghost_lingering
Sky High, by ciaan
Superman movieverse, by ancarett
Torchwood, by medie
Twin Peaks, by laughingacademy
Wilby Wonderful, by sperrywink
Yu Yu Hakusho, by nightwalker

If you are a reccer whose fandom has not been bolded it's because you haven't confirmed you're ready to go with your fandom overview. You'll need to do that here before posting access will be granted.


crack_van will resume normal programming in the New Year. Enjoy!