January 28th, 2008 
10:42 am All Things in Common by LithiumDoll (PG13)
Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan, Methos, OCs
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] halcyon_shift
Author Website: Alter-idem
Why this must be read:
Long and plotty. A glimpse into what being immortal – living for those kinds of timespans and culture-spans – might really mean. With ravens and relics.

A Taste: )

All Things in Common
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12:15 pm The Puzzle by Sharpiesgal (PG)
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] sharpiesgal
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read:

The end of Season Three double episode Hiatus spawned a vast amount of stories and this is another beautiful, poignant, moving one. Chris gets inside Gibbs's head incredibly well and explains why he had to leave: the job, the team and Ducky. He is in Mexico and he sends a cry for help to Abby, knowing that she will share it with Ducky - he is, of course correct.

It's a short story, very bitter-sweet and painful in parts, but incredibly tender and full of love. Not just the love Gibbs and Ducky have for one another, but the love that Abby, who plays a role in the story has for both men. Despite it's shortness, Chris nonetheless manages to pack a considerable amount of emotion and depth into the story. Yes, the premise is simple on one level, but Leroy Jethro Gibbs is far from being a simple man, and Chris shows this. It packs a real punch and can make me smile and sniff hard at the same time. It is very moving and touching and full of the love and affection Gibbs and Ducky share.

Extract )




The Puzzle
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04:07 pm Transitions by Nataliya (PG-13)
Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin (mild)
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] cousinnat
Author Website: some of her stories can be found at File 40 here and others at The Chrome and Gunmetal Madhouse here.

Why this must be read:

This post-series story does a superb job with the familiar theme of Napoleon’s promotion out of the field and behind a desk. All of the formal traditions and informal gestures marking this change feel like they could have happened in canon. With gentle humour and understated grace, Nataliya explores how even the most positive changes bring regrets, especially when it means two close people no longer move in the same world. Transitions always leaves me smiling, for while Napoleon learns that he can’t turn back the clock, he also becomes aware of what really matters to him.

Transitions

And that's it for me this month, I had a great time pushing MfU. (subliminal message "Buy the DVDs!") Thanks for tuning in!
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05:16 pm The Battle of the Letters by Skylar (PG)
Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth Darcy née Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 3,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Skylar's FFN Profile

Why this must be read:

This hilarious short story is told in epistolary form and details a series of letters between Elizabeth and her new husband Fitzwilliam Darcy while he is away on business. Elizabeth challenges her husband to write her a love letter, but she imposes certain stipulations on said letter. He dutifully replies, but she then declares that his love letter does not fit within the parameters she originally laid down. They banter back and forth through the letters as to what constitutes a love letter and about their relationship.

I have to admit I laughed out loud several times reading this story. We know Elizabeth is witty, but Fitzwilliam is also shown to possess a sly humor. Though the author is no Jane Austen (who is, after all?) the character voices are spot-on and the humor is nigh perfect. Highly recommended.

Note that I include a link to the sequel, entitled "Mr. Darcy's Homecoming." It is quite humorous as well and brings about a satisfying conclusion to "The Battle of the Letters." Also, check out Skylar's other P&P fics, for they are all excellent.

* * *

Excerpt )

The Battle of the Letters

Mr. Darcy's Homecoming


Update January 2012 )
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07:04 pm The Supply of Time by Giddygeek (R)
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] giddygeek
Author Website: The Geekdom
Why this must be read:

This story takes us through the possible development of Jack's and Ianto's relationship throughout Ianto;s life. Simply it is beautifully written and totally believable outcome for these two. There are general spoilers for season one.

The Supply of Time
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10:35 pm The One We Loved and Left Behind by Signe (PG)
Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Gen.
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] oxoniensis
Author Website: grooves as spirals
Why this must be read: Another great author who hasn't appeared on the rec list here yet, and I'm doubly happy I can rec this just as her birthday approaches. It's a beautiful story about love and loss - about the team's love for Atlantis, how she changes them, and what leaving her behind would mean.

Many of the themes in the story have been explored before: an almost sentient Atlantis with a connection to John Sheppard; how the team would cope with leaving Atlantis behind. However, I don't think anyone's done it with quite this elegance. It's believable, and told with a certain distance, so that the story carries a sense of inevitability, which is perhaps what makes the story so profoundly sad. There is seemingly nothing the characters can do to change the outcome, and yet they have to try until all possibilities are exhausted. Until they themselves are exhausted.

The story's not completely without hope, but it is a moving comment on how the exploration of other worlds is not without cost. Definitely a story that deserves a much wider audience.

It starts, like bad things often do, so gradually that no one notices. )

Read the Story / Feedback the Author: The One We Loved and Left Behind
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