Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: House/Wilson
Author on LJ: rubberbutton
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

The door of Wilson’s office was thrown open with a nerve-jangling bang. “Why don’t you admit that you’re desperately in love with me?” House demanded without preamble. Wilson sat at his desk; it wasn’t even nine in the morning and the man was already elbow-deep in paperwork.

If Wilson was surprised at the question, he didn’t show it. “And why don’t you admit you’re desperately in love with me?” He looked up from the computer monitor, midway through a memo.

This is another favorite rubberbutton story, although for very different reasons than my first rubberbutton rec. This one is much shorter, much fluffier, and absolutely hilarious. Again, the characterization is perfect, and the punchline is unforgettable.

A Classic Interrogation Technique

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Luke, Leia/Han
Author on LJ: none known
Author Website: fbishonenink)
Why this must be read:

I am a Jedi, like my father before me.

Forget the EU, this is what might have happened if the Temple had been left to stand, vacant and vandalized, during Palpatine's reign, and how Luke would have taken custody of it after Palpatine's death. It's about rebuilding, and learning from past mistakes, and going on. And it's about friendship.

( snippet of fic )

After the Last War is Won

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: yo_gert
Author's webpage: Author on ff.net

Why this must be read:
. . .And now for something completely different.

Ah, crack -- so, so bad for you; so, so delicious in fanfiction. This is a dryly hysterical take on a poor, beleagured set of supernatural beings who are getting a wee bit frustrated that one pesky human keeps messing up their attempts to do their job. Apparently, even Death isn't really equipped to deal with a flock of were-sheep.

Don't Fear the Reaper. No, Really.

Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe/Clark, Clark/Lois
Author on LJ paperbkryter
Author Website: Words
Why this must be read: I end this month with the way it probably will be. Another well written, stab you in the heart read from the queen of Chloe angst. Told from Chloe's point of view in minutes, hours and years as the outsider looking in on the two people she loves falling in love themselves.

Author's Synopsis - Chloe discovers she's not as out of love with Clark as she thought she was, and that maybe she shares those feelings with someone else.

( Excerpt )

Roses & Thorns

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: N/A
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author's Website: Any Road

Why this story must be read:
A glimpse into Jim's soul during TSbyBS. Perceptive and touchingly written.

...and did you think it would last forever?

Well, no not really. But then he hadn't thought about it much either. Sandburg was always so there. He'd gotten used to turning around and seeing him at his elbow, sensing his presence when he walked in a room, eating his stupid food, and listening to his rambling monologues. Damn, he was going to miss it.

Forward Movement

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Howie/Nick
Author on LJ: topaz119
Author Website: Just For Fun

Why this must be read: This one is rather short, but I've loved it for ages so I had to include it. The take Topaz has on Howie/Nick here is pretty different from the norm, but it rings very true to me. They're dysfunctional, they can't communicate worth a damn, and they don't see what's right in front of them. But Nick is willing to try. The language in this story is absolutely stunning and the voices really feel like they're down pat. I have nothing but the highest praise for this one.

( Excerpt )

SNAFU

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Brian/Nick
Author on LJ: jericho1
Author Website: Sweet & Low

Why this must be read: You may or may not have noticed that Brian has been featured a lot in my recs this month. I did that because he's my favorite and he doesn't get represented enough. So for my last rec, I wanted to find a story that focuses mainly on him. And this one fits the bill perfectly.

The story takes place around the time of Nick's 21st birthday and the following months up until AJ checked into rehab. Mostly it deals with Brian coming to terms with the fact that his friendship with Nick is changing, whether he likes it or not. The isolation he feels in this story is so palpable and so relatable. I love it for the simple message it has that things have to change sometimes, no matter how much you don't want them to. The story is about grief; grief of a friendship, and it's not all happy, but it's not all sad either. It just is. And I think it's gorgeous. So, with that I say thank you for letting me drive the popslash van this month! It's been a lot of fun. :)

( Excerpt )

Scar Tissue

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: Dean/Sam
Author on LJ: fatale (no longer active, but not deleted)
Author's website: loveparades

Why this must be read:
Written sparely but with bright threads of detail, "He says..." builds subtly, sketching the bare bones of a case while Sam and Dean stretch apart, tension and baggage pushing between them.

The loveliest detail is how the story doesn't really end, but it does resolve in its own way, leaving a quiet, peaceful ache behind.

He thinks that for Dean, Tennessee has become another place he’ll never find peace. -- He says the highway dust is over all

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 2003
Characters: Helo, Apollo, Six (OFC)
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Author Website: Exaggeration and Blank Verse
Why this must be read:

According to the author, this fic goes AU post “The Eye of Jupiter.” And yes, it’s definitely AU, but it’s also oh, so plausible within the framework of the BSG ‘verse. Ear Tuned to the Roar explores what it is to be human, through the eyes of three very different people, and in their search for the answer to that question, not one of them remains unchanged.

On the surface, Helo is the most changed of them all, and yet inside, he remains Helo – an average kind of guy, just making his way as best he can. Without even trying, he is the catalyst for the changes in outlook, viewpoint, whatever you want to call it, for both Apollo and Vox (a new incarnation of Cylon Number Six), bringing them to a better understanding of each other and of their respective… species? Races? Peoples?

I don’t want to say too much about this fic, because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s premise is unique within this fandom and opens up so many possibilities that it might make your head spin. As far as I’m concerned, the only flaw in this beautiful work is that it ends.

So. Grab yourself a beverage and something to munch on, if you’d like (at over 10,000 words, it’s a bit longer than most of the others I’ve recced), but make sure you grab some tissues, too. You may need ‘em.

Ear Tuned to the Roar

Gods, I love this fic!

Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Title: Course of Study
Pairing: Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner, Hector Barbossa
Author on LJ: penknife
Author Website: Penknife to Paper
Why this must be read: One last rec for July. It's a long long way from the Caribbean to Sinagpore, and Elizabeth has a lot to learn about pirating.

( Excerpt )
penknife's work is always worth reading, and this example is exceptional, an exploration of some really fascinating character dynamics. It's a perfect gap-filler for the time between Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, the story of how Elizabeth moves from shocked realization of her true nature, to acceptance and mastery of it under Barbossa's mentorship.

Course of Study

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Joe
Author Website: You Shine Where You Stand
Why this must be read:

This is a pairing I normally shy away from, but Dasha handles it so deftly I was drawn in despite myself. Here, Richie is baffled, and it's up to Joe to explain certain facts of (eternal) life.

Richie jumped to his feet and began to pace. "No. No. No. No. Mac's friends did not proposition me."

Joe cleared his throat. "Ah, Richie? How much has Mac told you about how immortals organize their lives?"

"What do you mean? I can forge identity documents, I understand how to juggle international banking, and I can lose my watcher when I need to..."

The Birds and the Bees

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: None
Author Website: Story found at The Seventh-Dimension Highlander Fanfic Archive
Why this must be read:

This story has one of the best flows of flashbacks I've seen in the fandom. After One Minute to Midnight, Methos gets mugged. And hunted. And finds a self he can live with.

Both Ways

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: None
Author Website: Story found at The Seventh-Dimension Highlander Fanfic Archive
Why this must be read:

I couldn't do a Richie-centric month without tipping my hat to how fandom has handled his death, so I'm ending my run of recs with two stories, one angsty, the other more hopeful. First, into the dark, as Richie tries to be the friend Mac needs while Ahriman closes in...

Powerless

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: None
Author Website: Story found at The Seventh-Dimension Highlander Fanfic Archive
Why this must be read:

And now, out of the darkness and into the light...

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, Mac. Just like that."

Neither made a move. "You were a good kid you know."

"You weren't so bad yourself."

Among Untrodden Ways

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: author says Sam/Dean, reads equally as gen
Author on LJ: whereupon
Author's website: none

Why this must be read:
For my last rec, I wanted to end on a hopeful note, a triumphal, boys-riding-off-into-the-sunset note. And so here you have it: short, sweet, and kick-ass, forever and ever, amen. Is there such a thing as a short epic? This is it.

Apart, it's strong enough for them to get by, but together -- together, they're the stuff of legend. And the thing is, they're just beginning. -- untitled


It's been grand, folks -- happy crack-reading!