Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: Sam/Dean
Author on LJ: balefully
Author Website: fic tag
Why this must be read:

This fic, I love it like a loving thing that loves a lot. It's an AU where Sam is, as Lucy notes in the summary, 'a little more fabulous' and lands a job at a posh fashion magazine as an assistant to the editor-in-chief, Miranda (yes, *that* Miranda). Dean shows up, much like in the pilot, to get Sam to help him look for their father, but the boys soon get sucked into another case. The characterizations are spot on (it may be an AU, but if Sam were canonically more fabulous? This would be him 100%), the storyline is tight and fast-paced and kind of brilliant, and, seriously? Two of the hottest, HOTTEST, sex scenes I've ever read. EVER. I re-read this fic all the time and it never ever gets old.

( excerpt )

The Devil Really Does Wear Prada

For my last rec of the month, I bring you DARKFIC! Muahahahahaha...

Fandom: STARGATE: ATLANTIS
Pairing: gen (hint of Sheppard/McKay)
Author on LJ: surreallis
Author Website: Mindrot
Why this must be read: It's zombie-fic! That alone is reason enough to read this gem! It's also well-written, in character and absolutely, devastatingly heartbreaking.

( Excerpt )

Sistinas

Vidder: LisaEdelsteinFan
Musical artist:
Pairing: Cuddy gen
Vidder on LJ: just_schtupp
Vidder's website:

Why this vid kicks ass: It's a really fun, lighthearted look at Cuddy with nice editing and good flow. It'll put a smile on your face. Also it makes me miss Cuddy's season 1 hair!

I'm a bitch

Vidder: Brihana25
Musical artist: Mark Jonathan Davis
Pairing: gen
Vidder on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Vidder's website:
Vidder at The Alpha Site (must be logged in)

Why this vid kicks ass:

Because Stargate isn't like Star Wars at all!

This video is expertly done and funny as hell. If this isn't enough to get you interested, here are are 6 more:

Jack as Han
Sam and Leia
Daniel as Luke
Teal'c as Chewie
Bra'tac as Obi-Wan
and other various minor characters as Star Wars personalities

Stargate Cantina Download Page At The Alpha Site

Vidder: frey
Musical artist: Bright Eyes
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Vidder on LJ: frey_at_last
Vidder's Website:
Why this vid kicks ass:

Because I can't really think of anything new to say, I'm going to reiterate my comment in Kristen's journal. This has to be one of the most moving, beautifully rendered, amazing things I've seen in a long time. It so perfectly encapsulates how these two people feel about each other, and how I feel about them. The starkness of the song and its slow build is startlingly perfect for the stripped down story she's telling here.

No One Would Riot for Less
(note: the download links are no longer valid, but the YouTube link is current.)

Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: Cuddy gen
Author on LJ: roga
Author's website: List of fic

Why this must be read: I thought I would leave y'all with a rec that is both timely and my favorite example of Cuddy genfic. roga creates a wonderful Cuddy backstory that is rich and believable. It is just all around very, very lovely. So this holiday season, go read this fic!


Eight Hanukkah Candles Lisa Cuddy Lit

(I have very much enjoyed reccing House this month, and I hope y'all enjoyed the recs as well! Apologies for not posting the maximum, but RL got in the way as it so frequently does!)

As this is my last rec of the month, I'd like to give one more plug for people to sign up to rec for Star Wars on crack_van. I am sure there are many SW fans out there who have fics aplenty to rec!

Fandom: STAR WARS EU
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Jedi-Princess-Solo's Fanfiction.net Profile

Why this must be read:

For this rec, I delve into the dreaded Expanded Universe. Yes, I know some of it is awful. I myself just pick and choose which aspects of the EU I like and completely disregard the rest. As background for this fic, in the EU, Leia and Han marry and have three children, the youngest of whom they name Anakin. This fic explains in quiet, poignant language exactly why Leia would name her son after a father she never knew. Indeed, the part of him she did know, she hated. At first glance, it seems inexplicable that she would give her son the name of her former enemy, but this fic explains it very well.

The story is completely from Leia's point of view. It's a quick read, but it's also a very memorable story. It's really a character study of how Leia came to accept her parentage. Highly recommended.

* * *

( Excerpt )

My Father's Eyes

Vidder: Mélanie
Musical artist: Chumbawamba
Character: Gibbs
Vidder on LJ: scully1121
Vidder's website: Something Hinky - NCIS Fan Art


Why this vid kicks ass:

I spent a long time on Mélanie's site, trying to decide between this vid and one about Abby Scuito. But in the end, Funny Gibbs won. It just really works. The music is perfect, the vid itself is sharp, and well in synch with the music. And the clips she used were excellent choices - I love Gibb' smile, and he does a lot of that in this vid. It all just flows together extremely well. I can say that about pretty much all the ones I saw there, but in this one the humor and her obvious love for the show just really shine out.

I spent a long time on her site - you might want to do the same. I was very impressed. The majority of the site is in French, but she manages to get the most important things translated into English, so you can easily figure out how to navigate the site, even if you don't speak French.

To find her vids, start at the main Page, and either click on Vids, or scroll down - it's the first section you'll come across. I can't link directly to the vid, but the first section on the left is Characters, and the fourth vid down is Funny Gibbs.

(In case you're interested, the Abby vid is directly above it - with music by LoBall, with Pauley Perrette singing vocals.)

Link to Mélanie's web page:  Something Hinky - NCIS Fan Art



Edited to Add:  I found a copy of it on YouTube - you can see it here :

Funny Gibbs

~

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: brown_betty
Author's Website: Betty's fic at the Archive at the End of the Universe
Why this story must be read:

Oh god, because it's wonderful and perfect and beautiful. Do you need more? ::flails:: This is one of those stories that can easily be ruined for the reader by too much talking, so I'm afraid to say too much. This story is a mystery and a character study and it's sad. It's the kind of fic that this fandom attracts if we're very very lucky.

( Read an excerpt )

A Time Ago

Four Ways Benton Fraser and Ray Kowalski Never Met, and One Way They Did by Lyra Sena (NC-17)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Author's Website: Lyra Sena's due South Fanfiction
Author on LJ: lyra_sena

Why this must be read:

I'm going to wrap up my tenure behind the crack_van wheel by reccing a story that, at the outset, probably doesn't seem all that extraordinary. The "five things" format is a bit of a staple among fic writers, and if you read one you've probably read a thousand. Lyra's subject matter is pretty self-evident: the title says it all. Fraser and Ray meet in a meat-packing plant, at the courthouse, in an alley, on the schoolyard, and at the airport. What I find so unique about this story is the way in which it presents a whole host of possibilities for Fraser and Ray. Entire universes collapse and expand in this fic: we see how very differently things might have gone for our Boys, and how their lives could have changed or been altered in some fundamental way by circumstance or the tiniest shift in individual choice. I love stories that offer a different perspective on the characters, and "Four Ways..." does exactly that.

We see Ray inheriting his father's role on the packing line, and two lonely children extending awkward offers of friendship; a tragic, pointless death sealed with a benediction, and finally a new relationship formed in a rather surprising twist of events. Each story offers wonderful, heartbreaking, funny and bittersweet moments that could sustain an epic. Instead, we're offered brief flashes of insight into different facets of Ray and Fraser's relationship, and a satisfying conclusion to these five could-have-beens.

( Try an excerpt )

Four Ways Benton Fraser and Ray Kowalski Never Met, and One Way They Did

Well, that's it from me this month. isiscolo is taking over things in Decemberin January (after "small fandoms" month), and as the lady takes her reccing seriously I know I'll be leaving the due South crack_van in good hands. Thank you kindly for reading and offering some feedback on the recs. I hope I've pointed you in the direction of a few good yarns. Stay frosty, kiddos!

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Author on LJ: crimsonquills
Author Website: CrimsonQuills.com


Why this must be read:

My last entry for the month - and I thought I'd end it with a bang.  This happens to be one of my favorite NCIS PWPs of all time.  Intensely sensual, overwhelmingly erotic, and although I do call it a PWP, it's so much more than that.  Yes, it all happens in bed, and the sex is hot as hell, but it's the revelations both Tony and Gibbs make while they're there that make this such a wonderful fic. And both characterizations just shine. 

I'm not gonna say anything more - I'll just let the fic speak for itself.  Read it - you won't regret it.

---

For most people being blindfolded during sex is about the sensory deprivation.

Words

~