Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Stonehaven
Why this must be read:

Have you ever been in a situation where everyone is trying hard to think of the other person first, but feelings get hurt anyway, just because of the fundamental natures of the people involved? 'Never Destroyed' is like that - sentimental, in a good way, giving us peeks into the souls of its protagonists. Vin asks Ezra for a favor that means a great deal to him, which leads to a spontaneous offer from Ezra. Chris disapproves because he fears Ezra has some ulterior motive that will ultimately cause Vin pain. The results are heartfelt and touching.

There are references to the lovely short story, 'The Good Book', by Linda. It's not necessary, but you might want to read it first.

( Try it )

Never Destroyed

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: lexie_b
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read: This is a really cute teamfic set while Gibbs has gone walkabout in Mexico. Abby's giving out gold stars and OD-ing on caffeine, Ziva's trying to keep her temper in check, McGee's a little green around the gills, Tony wants a jumping castle, and they all have to figure out why their dead Lieutenant Commander is bright pink. The writing is a little rough in spots, but it made me snort and giggle more than once.

They’d had six cases since Gibbs left.

fandom: Stargate Atlantis
pairing: Chuck Campbell/Dr. Lindsay
author on lj: general_jinjur
author website: http://jinjurly.com
why this must be read:

Don't be scared away by the odd title or the extremely obscure pairing, this is a really fabulous story, and one of the best movie to fic adaptions I've read. The pairing is Chuck the gate tech and Dr. Lindsey, the scientist who makes a brief but memorable appearance at the beginning of the episode Cout d'Etat. The movie is the Billy Wilder classic The Apartment, adapted perfectly to fit within the Atlantis universe.

Chuck steps into the Jack Lemmon role from the movie, as an unassuming man whose fortunes start to look up when he begins loaning his apartment out to co-workers looking for a safe place for secret romantic trysts. It's a plot conceit that translates remarkably well into the SGA universe; t's easy to see how in the fishbowl world of Atlantis secrecy and discretion could be rare and prized commodities. general_jinjur has a true gift for building characterizations. She takes a pair of marginal supporting characters and brings them fully to life and in doing so she reveals a breadth and complexity to life on Atlantis that is only hinted at in canon. Each character who shows up here -- whether a main character or a supporting character with only one or two scenes in canon -- is wonderfully real, complicated and imperfect and human. I highly, highly recommend this story to all SGA fans. And if you like the fic, go rent the original movie, which is equally fabulous.

4g.l17.t2se.b (residential)

There's also a sequel: 4g.l17.t2se.b (annex)

Fandon: GUNDAM WING (fandom summary)
Pairing: Heero/Duo
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: the turnip patch

Why this must be read: Because it has one of the most original premises of any GW story I've ever read. In the years since the war, Heero has made a new life for himself, and adapted to living among ordinary people. Still in contact with Une, although not with the other pilots, he sometimes takes on jobs for her. This time, it's more serious than any of his previous peacetime missions.

Axiomatic, besides being a long, plotty thriller, is also a sci-fi story that explores deeply into an oft-neglected aspect of GW canon. While preparing this rec, I discovered that Axiomatic now has a sequel, Additive Identity (which doesn't surprise me; the ending of Axiomatic kind of cries out for one.)

( Excerpt )

Axiomatic

Fandon: GUNDAM WING (fandom summary)
Pairing: Heero/Duo
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: the turnip patch

Why this must be read: Because it's long, well-written, and darkly funny. After a few uneventful, meaningless years of acquiescence to the new government's plan for his life, a couple of unexpected events propel Heero back into action.

Touch the World is one of the fandom's best-paced stories, and its plot fits well into GW canon, with various factions and individuals attempting to carry out their conflicting and labyrinthine agendas.

( Excerpt )

Touch the World

Fandon: GUNDAM WING (fandom summary)
Pairing: Zechs/Treize
Author on LJ: kestrelsan
Author Website: Fanfiction by Kest

Why this must be read: Because this is such a gentle, lyrical look at an encounter between Treize and Zechs during the war. Even though this is just a short piece, it sticks with you because the details are so perfect.

( Excerpt )

Visitations

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Gen, with references to James/Lily
Length: 11,500 words
Author on LJ: isis_uf
Author Website: Daydreams

Why this must be read:

It seems that I am cursed this month with fic titles that are too long to put in the subject line. The proper title of this fic is "Four Conversations That Could Have Saved the World (And One That Did)."

The five-things conceit has become a hallowed fandom tradition, and scarce is the writer who has not tried her (or his) hand at it. Isis has successfully taken this conceit and given us five illuminating insights into the HP world. Whether it's James and Lily choosing someone else as Harry's godfather or Regulus going to Sirius after he left the Death Eaters, Isis shows us four ways the wizarding world could have been a very different place had these conversations occurred. Each of the first four conversations has a bittersweet quality about them, aching for what might have been.

The last conversation, for which I shall not spoil you, may not be canon, strictly speaking, but I can certainly see it taking place. Though the participants could not have possibly imagined it, their conversation was vital to the future of the wizarding world.

So, before canon is changed forever with the release of Deathly Hallows, go and read this fic. You won't regret it.

* * *

( Excerpt )

Four Conversations That Could Have Saved the World (And One That Did)

fandom: Stargate Atlantis
pairing: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, John Sheppard/Kate Heightmeyer, John Sheppard/OFC
author on lj: toomuchplor
author website: Earth Boys are Easy
why this must be read:

In a clever subversion of the classic "woke up gay" plot, one day John Sheppard wakes up straight. John's sudden onset of straightness throws a curveball into his existing sexual relationship with Rodney and forces him to reevaluate both his feelings for Rodney and his conflicting feelings about his own sexuality. It's a meta-commentary on a classic slash trope, a compellidng exploration of the issues of sexuality and self-identity that are central to much slash and a remarkably plausible extrapolation of John Sheppard's personal history and internal struggles. And, oh yes, a rather fabulously unconventional romance too. toomuchplor ties them together into a fresh and intriguing story that is an absolute delight to read and will give you lots to think about when you're thru.

Straight as a Circle by toomuchplor

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Lance/Chris
Author on LJ: withdiamonds
Author Website: http://www.dirtystory.net/home.html
Why this must be read:

This was written for the D-Day (Dragons and Dwarves) Challenge 2007, and it makes me cry.

It's an Alternate Reality, in which Lance is forced out of the closet while *Nsync are still touring and mega-famous, by an obnoxious talk-show radio DJ. The reactions of family, friends, fans are followed through, and it's painful to read how hard things are for this Lance.
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Green Scales Fell Like Rain

Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Charlie-centric gen
Author on LJ: la_folle_allure
Author Website: Live Journal Memories
Why this must be read:

I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating that one of my favorite things about Heroes is its ability to create one-shot characters that are well developed and make the audience care about them. Charlie the waitress is one of my absolute favorites of all the secondary characters, and this backstory is just so wonderfully in tune with the character that we see developing on the screen.

( Short Excerpt )

Somewhere, Lost In Translation (Dead Before Born Remix)

Fandom: Highlander
Pairing: Duncan/Methos, Connor/Amanda
Author on LJ: Not known
Author Website: The Corner Table
Why this must be read: A tough concept for fan fiction writers in Highlander is the canon summarized by the oft repeated statement "There can only be one." Many authors have made heroic efforts to reconcile the close relationships between Duncan and his friends/ kinsman and the depressing view that immortals must kill one another. The first story that I read that offered a solution to this was Transcendence. Published almost ten years ago, it is still a great exploration of double quickenings and their possible impact.