Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: seti_drd
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

The journey from the Game Station to Earth...

Reading this one elicited a lot of Oh Jack... when I read it. He's just...yeah, seti_drd breaks him a few times and also throws in a clever near miss or two and you know how I am for clever near misses.

Five Ways Jack Harkness Died And One He Didn't

Fandom: NEWSIES
Pairing: Jack/David
Author on LJ: vampirespider
Author Website: An Ink Stain
Why this must be read:

If you ever wanted the story to keep going after the end of the movie, this is your fic. David's not sure how he feels about Jack's relationship with Sarah, or about his own relationship with Jack. The fragility and confusion of David's emotions stands out in perfect contrast to the solidity and sureness of the bond between the two boys.

"I don't know nothing about love, Dave. I mean...what's love? How do you know what love is?" Jack was staring up at the sky, as if the stars he couldn't see might have the answer to that.

"I suppose it's need. Trust. I...my parents, like that — trust in each other. Affection." David watched Jack's face, watched him stare at the sky, lips parted.

"Want," Jack added, looking at him without turning his head and David felt something bloom inside him, dark and rich and strange.

Having to Know to Understand

Fandom: The Pretender
Pairing: Jarod/Miss Parker
Author on LJ: anr
Author Website: angstnromance.net
Why this must be read:

The relationship between Jarod and Miss Parker is always fraught with possibilities; with the thrill of the chase and Miss Parker's knowledge that he could leave at any time, that he only allows her to follow him.

This is what happens when he stops.

An Excerpt:

"Things are different now," she says. "It's no longer just you run, and I chase. Raines and Lyle have changed that."

He is silent for too long; she can hear him pacing. Finally, he says, "I'm not worried."

She is.


Chasing Cars

This will be my last rec for Mutant X this month. I've had a lot of fun, and I hope you guys had too!

Fandom: MUTANT X
Character(s): all
Author's LJ: unknown
Author's website: unknown


This story is R rated for safety, copied from author's own rating. However, do not drink while reading this.

Looks can be deceiving is a fun loving fic, where the team is hanging around to unwind. Can't tell you more than that, don't want to spoil the twist.

( Excerpt: )

give the author some love with email.

Looks can be Deceiving

Fandom: TWIN PEAKS
Pairing: Cooper/Truman
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

Most fics focus on the outré aspects of life in Twin Peaks: the many illicit activities (drugs, adultery, prostitution), the outbursts of violence, the supernatural events. By contrast, this is a quiet, reflective story in which Harry Truman contemplates the price and possibilities of life in a small town. Brokeback Mountain fans, this one’s for you:

Harry can see himself twenty years on, when his lanky frame begins to collapse into itself. He'll be the one hunched over a fifth warm-up of coffee at the Double R, seat facing away from the window. The caffeine won't make him alert; instead it'll keep him drugged-up and slow, rattling through a life that's both more and less than he hoped it would be.

Life, Stilled

Fandom: TWIN PEAKS
Pairing: gen
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Warnings: refs to “The Grandmother,” Eraserhead, Blue Velvet
Why this must be read:

Although they were co-creators and collaborators on Twin Peaks, and Frost’s name precedes Lynch’s in the opening credits, Mark Frost is completely overshadowed by David Lynch in the minds of fans. There’s a good reason for that: Lynch has a very distinct aesthetic (which has spawned the adjective “Lynchian”), and certain motifs, themes, and ideas that appear throughout his oeuvre are highlighted on the show. In this 1994 story, the author combines images and dialogue from various Lynch works and presents them as parts of a whole—the Lynchverse, if you will.

The Seed (Note: You’ll have to download the file and then use a program like WordPad or Microsoft Word to open it.)

Fandom: BOY MEETS WORLD
Pairing: Eric/Jack

Why this must be read:
This is such a good story, that has a pairing in it, but helps you learn about the characters first. Eric's struggle to become a 'real adult' makes you root for the choices he makes, even the stupid ones.

A Matter of Finding One's Self

Well, this has been what I would call "a bad month", but I'm trying to get some of my favorite favorite recs in before the gun.
Fandom: BOY MEETS WORLD
Pairing: Eric/Jack, Shawn/Cory, Topanga/Angela
Author on LJ:queenofhell
Author Website:here

Why this must be read:
This was the reason I wanted to rec BMW, because this story manages to pair off six of the seven main characters with each other, and it works remarkably well. This is what I consider the ultimate BMW story.

New York Makes You Gay

I’d like to take a moment to thank shaggirl and stopawhile for allowing me to share the love, everyone who gave feedback to my recs and the stories linked therein, the authors who provided me with a wealth of fic to choose from (Go forth and write more!), and David Lynch and Mark Frost for being talented and crazy enough to get Twin Peaks on the air.

*

Fandom: TWIN PEAKS
Pairing: gen
Author on LJ: xparrot
Author Website: http://www.xmagicalx.net/
Warnings: spoilers for series finale
Why this must be read:

For my last rec, I’ve chosen one of the newest stories of the fandom.

In 2005, after seeing the show for the first time, xparrot wondered, “For the love of cherry pie, why is no one writing me Twin Peaks fic?” And then—Hallelujah!—she wrote this. It’s a post-series extrapolation, and emphatically not a magical fix-it, but it’s beautiful and heartbreaking in a way that’s very true to the show.

“Good will always triumph over evil. That doesn't mean it's a happy ending.”

Victory

Fandom: LYMOND CHRONICLES
Pairing: Gen. Lymond, Will Scott.
Author on LJ: minnow1212
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read: If you'd asked me, I wouldn't have said it was possible. But this is Lymond crackfic, and it's good. Bizarre and funny and utterly in keeping with the original.

"Lymond himself settled into outlawry as if born to it, running his band with a firm hand and a sharp tongue--though admittedly his tongue would sometimes fall out in the middle of a multilingual diatribe. As his new follower Will Scott found out, a man picking up his own tongue off the ground isn’t intimidating, but the threat of brain-eating will keep even the roughest outlaw in check. Scott settled into the camp after an unnerving initial interview with Lymond, who cast an ironical cornflower blue gaze over him (one eye fell out in the middle of the inspection, and stared piercingly at Scott from the mud) and asked if Scott had perhaps confused his words-that-started-with-zed and was looking for the camp of a zealot, not a zombie, before accepting him."

Francis Crawford of Lymond, the (Zombie) Master of Culter

Fandom: LYMOND CHRONICLES
Pairing: Jerott/ Marthe
Author on LJ: nelladel
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read: A lovely look at a difficult relationship. It's sometimes hard to believe that these characters ever loved one another in canon, but Nelladel sells it absolutely.

"The past she would banish; the future was in the Dame's hands. As for the present, Marthe surrendered completely to the pleasure of being held, being loved, and of not, for once in her life, standing alone against the world."

Thirst for Pleasure

Fandom: BOY MEETS WORLD
Pairing: Shawn/Angela (Cory/Topanga background)
Author on LJ: no
Author Website: author's ff.net profile

Why this must be read:
This is one (maybe only) of the Shawn/Angela stories I can come back to. It's poetry in story form, and the details are so vivid.

Like a New York Rainfall...

Fandom: Ai no Kusabi
Pairings: Raoul/Katze, Iason/Riki
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read:
This is yet another version of what happened "after". I think it showcases the character reactions and thoughts without being OC.

Link: Eight-Ball

P.S.: This is the last recommendation I am sharing with you this month. It was nice to showcase the fandom that I love. Happy New Year!

Fandom: SUPERMAN
Pairing: Lois/Superman
Author on LJ: bijoux
Author Website: none
Why this must be read: This is a Lois Lane you can believe in: hardbitten reporter, madly in love, merciless on herself, blind to Clark (for the most part). The byplay between the lovers is wonderful, but it's the anchoring character of Lois Lane that makes this short story work its magic on the reader.

( Extract )

A Spade is a Spade

Fandom: REAL GHOSTBUSTERS
Pairing: none (gen)
Author on LJ: gilascave (fic journel) and zortified
Author Website: Gila's Cave
Why this must be read:
There are, surprisingly, not too very many AUs in RGB fan fiction; off the top of my head, I can only think of a couple (one of which is, to my deep regret, unfinished after several years. I would have loved to rec it otherwise). But James Walkswithwind comes through for us with this marvelous story, in which we find out Peter's been keeping a BIG secret from the guys.

What Are Friends For?

Fandom: REAL GHOSTBUSTERS
Pairing: none (gen)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Fan Fiction
Why this must be read:

Take the classic Starsky & Hutch episode, "The Fix", adapt it for Real Ghostbusters, with Peter being deliberately hooked on heroin by the bad guys, throw in a ghost to complicate matters, and you've got this marvelous nail-biter of a long, plotty friendship-fic by Mara. I love her stories for the elegant completeness of her writing style. Make sure you check out her other fic (gen and slash both) on her main fic page.

A Simple Class Four

Fandom: THE OFFICE
Pairing: Andy/Karen (ish)
Author on LJ: agate
Author Website: fic tag
Why this must be read:

To round out the month (it's been too short!) an absolutely genius fic about the Stamford crew, from this year's yankeeficswap holiday challenge. agate has both Andy and Karen down perfectly, and I was cracking up the whole way through this.

"Andy's excited to see that the new chick in sales is seriously, seriously hot, and he makes sure to introduce himself as soon as possible.

"Um," she says after a moment, "please let go of my hand.""

Five Highs and Lows in Andy and Karen's Rollercoastery Friendship

Fandom: REAL GHOSTBUSTERS
Pairing: none (gen)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown (other stories by Brenda are available via the Real Ghostbusters Fan Page)
Why this must be read:

I'm going to end my stint behind the wheel of the Ecto-crack_van with two stories that have the deepest emotional resonance for me - which is as good a reason as any for recommending something, don't you think?

Journey's End is the first RGB story I read when I returned to fandom in general after a four-year moratorium on any fanac. In it I first encountered the concept of "smarm" - that soul-deep buddy-bonding - and found that I liked it very much. Almost all of Brenda's stories have that same emotional satisfaction for me.

Hypothermia stories are virtually a cliche of smarm-fic, but that does not mean that they can't be done beautifully. And Brenda does it very well here, weaving a very nearly tragic, wonderfully introspective tale emphasizing the Peter and Egon bond.

Journey's End

Fandom: REAL GHOSTBUSTERS
Pairing: none (gen)
Author on LJ: xparrot
Author Website: Fan Fiction
Why this must be read:

As I mentioned in my previous rec, in late 2000 I returned to the world of fandom after a nearly-four-year absence, and in Real Ghostbusters, immediately found something immensely soul-fulfilling. The deep bonds of friendship so frequently portrayed in the fan fiction served to counterbalance the themes of pain and angst, creating an emotional whole.

"Descent" was the first zine (yes, Virginia, there was/is fan fiction in print, for sale!) I purchased when I returned to fandom; and, honestly, I bought it because from its description it sounded like a walloping hurt/comfort romp. ( (From the zine-shop synopsis: ) But when I read it, I saw that there was so much more.

In all her fandoms, XmagicalX (also known as xparrot) has the gift for telling a truly emotionally-resonant story in which plot and characterization are always well-balanced; and this story is no exception.

Descent

************************

And now, it's time to pull the Ecto-crack_van back into the firehouse, stow away the PKE meters, throw our slimed jumpsuits into the laundry, and empty the full traps into the Containment Unit. It's been a fun ride this month, and I hope you've enjoyed it. (And, er, after you've read all the fic and gone through everyone else's amazing websites, I wouldn't mind at all if you'd check out my own RGB fic - I'm especially proud of Tap.)

And remember, when something goes bump in the night, who ya gonna call? - (REAL) GHOSTBUSTERS!

Fandom: BAND OF BROTHERS
Pairing: Talbert/Shifty
Author on LJ: nullsechs
Author Website: bluegreengray
Why this must be read: I saved this fic for my last rec of the month for two reasons. One, it's an unusual pairing handled so convincingly it may change the way you view canon; and two, it's almost always mentioned when you survey other writers on their favorite Band of Brothers stories. Talbert is one of the mysteries of Easy Company: in the series he's visible but rarely featured, and in reality his fate was problematic and ambiguous. Untitled06 doesn't cut any corners in her version of his story--the narration is nonlinear, the relationships are fraught, and the issues she tackles are the big ones. Mostly, this is a story about the things that get left behind in war--innocence, hope, even meaningfulness itself--and the messages that people try to send to each other in the face of it all.

( An excerpt )

Letters from Kokomo

* * *
That's all, folks. I could only cover so many worthy authors and stories in a month, so if you're interested in reading more fic, the resources linked in the overview are a good place to start. I hope you've all had as much fun reading as I have reccing; and please, if you liked the stories, send the authors feedback!