Sapphire and Steel was a British TV series that ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network The series was created by PJ Hammond and stared Joanna Lumley as Sapphire and David McCallum as Steel. There were a total of six serials made before the show was canceled. In 2004 Big Finish secured the rights to Sapphire and Steel and began producing audio dramas. The third series of which are currently being released. Big Finish was forced to recast Sapphire and Steel though with Susannah Harker and David Warner.

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*waves* Hi, I'm Erika, and I'll be your Popslash driver for September. I'm going to be giving a lot of love to the, in my opinion, more neglected band of two. Therefore, all my recs this month will be Backstreet Boys related, because they're awesome like that and need more love. Lots more love.

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: AJ/Nick
Length: 1,409 words.
Author on LJ: justhitstatic
Author Website: Fic tag on LJ
Why this must be read: Okay, so I'll admit I'm a wee bit partial to this fic because I was one of Nina's betas for it (not that she needs any because she's totally awesome). But even if I wasn't, I'd still be reccing it. She has this way with words and characterization that just amazes me. You can feel your heart breaking alongside Nick and AJ's as you read.

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"Just Breathe and Stay"

One of the difficulties in recommending Jane Austen Fanfiction is that much of it is posted to communities that require membership. This month I've focussed on stories that are readily available to anyone, but if I've piqued your interest in reading more, you might like to investigate the following sites:

Hyacinth Gardens
A Happy Alternative
Firthness
Austen Underground
50 Miles of Good Road
All Love Austen

And last, but not least, the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index, which requires a username and password. If you are under 18, you can obtain one from the Derbyshire Writers Guild; or from the Hyacinth Gardens if you're over 18.


Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth/Darcy
Length: 40K
Author on LJ: elizabethfanfic
Author Website: see above
Why this must be read:

For my final rec this month, I bring you one of my favourite JAFF authors. Elizabeth has a remarkable insight both into the Regency period and the characters of Pride and Prejudice. In Season of Courtship, she populates the story landscape with Darcy’s extended family. The dialogue is so sparkling and witty, and the characters so richly textured, that we are given a new understanding of Darcy’s character – not so much through him, as through his family. The scenes between Lizzy and Jane are no less illuminating than the ones between Lizzy and Darcy. All in all, this is a wonderful amalgamation of novel canon and Elizabeth's own original canon.

Season of Courtship

Hi! I'm Katt, AKA xenokattz on LJ and I'll be driving the van for DC Comics this month which is kind of strange considering 2 years ago, I was a hard-core Marvel girl. Alas, I was partially seduced to the Dark Side. I love plotty fics and stories with family as the central theme. As such, most of my recs will be gen.

I'm slightly obsessed with the Supers, quickly followed by both the Arrows and the Bats. I firmly believe Kon-el will return, Lois and Clark as cute as rabid bunnies, Cissie King-Jones is Ollie's biological daughter, and one day Bruce will turn into this.

Speaking of the Bats, let's start with a nice, juicy plotty fic.

Fandom: DC COMICS
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Jim Gordon
Pairing: Dick/Barbara if you squint but it's not a shippy fic.
Length: ~ 30,000
Author on LJ: dragonbat2006
Author Website: FF.Net account
Why this must be read:

While on duty as Batman, Bruce loses two of very important people in his life resulting in severe injuries and a complete mental shutdown. Unfortunately, this all happens just as the Gotham City Police come around, the GCPD whose rule is to arrest the vigilante known as Batman on sight. While his identity is blown out of the water, the remnants of his family scramble to protect Gotham in Batman's name as well as search for Bruce's would-be murderer. Because while he's stuck in the hospital, there are more attempts on his life.

Esther-Channah seamlessly combines a detective story with a family drama. She shows how quickly and unquestioningly the Bat-family hold each other up especially in times of trouble. It's a perfectly working dysfunctional family dynamic which is somehow all the more poignant. I inhaled this in one sitting then had the sequel for dessert.

Locked Inside the Facade

The sequel: Lost to the Night.

Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: nopejr
Author Website: http://nopespace.com/allfics.htm
Why this must be read: My favorite type of Sapphire and Steel fic is fic set during an assignment. This fic is a brilliant look at a break in Time from the perspective of the person caught in the middle of it. Nope manages to capture the bizarre feel to a break while at the same time showing how everything looks just fine to the person stuck in the middle.

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Entitled

Hi everyone! I'm toast and I'm driving the Justice League Animatedverse van this month. The fandom overview's here if you need some background, and at the beginning of mtgat's run, there's some extra context here.

This month, I'll be trying to pick fic that's got a focus on characters/pairings that don't get quite as much love from the fandom, so maybe they'll get a little more attention sometime, mm?

Fandom: JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED
Pairing/Characters: J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter), Wally West (The Flash)
Length: One-Shot
Author on LJ: Personal Journal: voleuse, Fic Journal: moodfic
Author Website: Here (It's not up at the moment, though)

Author Summary: Air fills the lungs with laughter and sharp salt.

Why this must be read: So you know who Batman and Wonderwoman and Superman are, right? And maybe you also know about the Flash and the Green Lantern, cultural symbols that they are ("The fastest man alive" ring any bells for you?). But the Martian Manhunter gets shafted just a little bit, possibly due to his lack of an identifying symbol (even Aquaman has one!)

In any case, this is a little introspective piece looking into J'onn's head as he takes a break from his duties in the League. Voleuse gives us a peek into the mind of a man who has lost his home and who can't quite seem to find his place in the new world that stands before him. It could have been frightfully angsty, but underneath the loneliness, there's a hope and an inkling of joy.

Read it here

Hi, I'm Nikki and I am once again driving the NCIS van. I have two OTPs: Gibbs/Ducky and Abby/McGee and generally I don't read outside of these pairings. The last two rounds of recs I have done have been pretty much only Gibbs/Ducky with a few Abby/McGee stories. However, this time there will be a greater diversity.

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Length: 1,986
Author on LJ: adriannacoylho
Author Website: None of which I am aware

Why this must be read:

Adrianna is a relatively new NCIS writer, but she already has displayed both quality and quantity - and I for one am hoping she's around for a long time to come.

Unwind is, what is fairly rare for a Gibbs/Ducky story, rated NC-17, but don't let the rating make you think it is purely about sex. It isn't. It is a very hot story, most of which takes place in a bath tub in Ducky's hotel room after Gibbs turns up to surprise him at a Medical Examiners' conference and in more ways than one takes away Ducky's aches and pains.

However, what is far more important than just hot sex is the tenderness, the deep love and affection that matters so much to both men. It's a very intimate story, and as with all of Adrianna's stories it is a love story between two men who might be older, but who most certainly aren't dead, and whose deep friendship, respect, love and affection for one another is clear in every word.

Adrianna takes the characters we see on the screen and portrays them extremely well; she keeps them in character, shows us their deep friendship, their banter they so often share, the touches of humour, the deep caring and simply adds lovemaking to the mix. We might never have seen them like this on the show, but this could so very easily be them. Nothing jars in the story, it simply flows perfectly and the whole story is so very easy to visualise ::coughs::

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Unwind

Hi. I'm Beth H / bethbethbeth - and I'll be steering the magical Harry Potter crack van for the month of September. For those of you who don't know me, my HP fic interests are very much centered on Severus Snape, but I'm not much of a One True Pairing gal. That being the case, you'll see stories featuring almost a dozen different Snape-centric pairings recced before the month ends. And...fair warning: some of the stories I'm going to be reccing are longer than the first of the HP books.

The first story I'm going to be reccing, however, is also the shortest:

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Snape/Aberforth Dumbledore
Length: 4200 words
Author on LJ: atdelphi
Author Website: Singing the Body Electric
Why this must be read: This isn't the first time Delphi has been recced here, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Amongst her many writing strengths is her ability to find [believably] attractive and loving qualities in those characters who are usually considered too old or too ugly to be featured in anything even approaching a romance.

In "Goat Song," the character who is both "too old" and "too ugly" is Aberforth Dumbledore, brother of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, proprietor of the Hogs Head pub, and possible goat fancier. And the object of his blunt, un-sentimental, and occasionally dubious affection is Severus Snape, who's known Aberforth since Snape was barely more than a boy.

Despite the subtitle of this wonderfully-written tale - (A Tragedy in Five Parts) - "Goat Song" is a tale imbued with hope...particularly for those of us who wished for a slightly different ending to Snape's story in Deathly Hallows.

Read "Goat Song"!

Hi! I'm Erin, and I'll be driving the Firefly van this month. I was very excited to be invited to do this; I've recently discovered a new fandom myself, and spent several weeks going through all of the wonderful recs here for it. So now it's my turn to contribute!

Firefly was my first fandom. I'm mainly a slasher, so that's mostly what I will be reccing, though I do read some gen as well. But this isn't about me, so let's get to it.

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Length: 10k
Author on LJ: thunder_nari
Author Website: just her LJ
Why this must be read: We don't seem to get AU's in this fandom as much as in, say, BtVS or the Sentinel (my other fandoms *g*), but this could possibly fit canon if you squinted. Mal becomes a rent-boy after the war ends to make enough money to buy his ship, and gets hired by Simon just prior to his receiving the first disturbing letter from his sister.

One of the reasons I love this fic is because of the language. Nari writes gorgeous, image-heavy prose; Mal's resigned desperation comes through beautifully, as do the developing feelings between Mal and his 'client', Simon. It's lovely and angsty, and you should really check it out.

Into the Woods

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Very slight hint at slash (Ethan Rayne/Rupert Giles). Mentions of Tara in a het relationship.
Length: 8 K
Author on LJ: jukleskicks (I think)
Author Website: Account at the Buffy Fiction Archive
Why this must be read: Tara haunts Giles, and they find out they've got things and people in common. This fic is my all time favorite Tara story, and, honestly, another one of my Top Ten favorite Buffyverse fan fics.

Terror

Howdy y'all! I'm Maidenjedi, and I'm back for another round of X-Files recs this month.

What to expect from me? Well, I'm a fan of all kinds of XF stories, from the obscure to the popular, from rare pairings to MSR. Our fandom has felt a resurgence in popularity of late, and many writers who had left the fandom are returning - but there have been a lot of new writers weighing in as well, and I hope to give you a taste of both.

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: 3357 words
Rating: PG-13
Author on LJ: marigoldbalcony
Author Website: see author's LJ
Why this must be read: Marigold has written some wonderful fanfiction related to the recent film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, but in this piece she takes us back to the era of seasons 7 & 8. Her Scully is written as strong and just a tad sentimental; fans of the show will appreciate the "artifacts" that appear as they read this beautiful look into Mulder and Scully's shared history. Skinner and Maggie Scully make brief appearances, too.

Plus, Scully gets to sparkle. Which she so totally deserves more of!

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Artifact by Marigold

I've noticed that people introduce themselves over here now. Well, hello! I'm K and I've taken a couple turns over here in the past in whatever fandom was most obsessing me at the time. Currently that would be bandom, so ta da, I will rec you some stories, cool?

My first one will surprise anyone who knows me.


Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Brendon/Ryan
Length: ~25K words
Author on LJ: wearemany
Author Website: wearemany

Why this must be read:

When I first got into this fandom (like most people) I wasn't stalking the bands, so I didn't know every single fact about them (unlike now). I especially knew very little about the Panic kids. I can't even remember how I stumbled across this story, but when I read it my entire interaction with Panic changed. This isn't a story about a Brendon w/ a sugar addiction and ADD. This is a story about a Mormon kid from Las Vegas coming to terms with the non-Mormon world and the fact that his life trajectory isn't going to meld with how he was raised (and the expectations his family and community have for his future). This is a work of literature as happens with fanfic sometimes.

To sum up: this is the first fic I rec to people when I'm trying to lure them to the kool-aid and tin hat free-for-all we call bandom, so I think it's only appropriate it's the first fic I rec to the world at large.

If all that's not enough: it's Brendon/Ryan and I refuse to read that pairing and this is still my favorite bandom story (I will hook you with community standards if not with the quality of the story).

Give Me More

Hello! I'm back for a third spin of the Van for Doctor Who. I'll be bringing a mix of new, classic, and audio-verse stories this month.

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing/Characters: Ace McShane/Hex Schofield
Author on LJ: doyle_sb4
Author Website: exit seraphim

Why this must be read: This absolutely gorgeous story goes AU after the Big Finish audio The Settling, but knowledge of that story isn't particularly required (though it gives some context). After trying holidays to get Hex to stay, and adventures where he realizes that this isn't who he wants to be, he leaves the TARDIS to go and help the world – so utterly in character. The whole story is incredibly sweet without being the tiniest bit sappy – exactly as romantic as Ace/Hex could ever be, and completely satisfying. Add in fabulous details about the TARDIS, Ace trying to pick up girls for Hex at a bar, and drunken almost-kisses, and overall it's a heart-wrenchingly perfect slice of fic for a very underrepresented character and pairing. I can't recommend it enough.

The World, The Universe

Hey all, I'm Jen and I'll be driving the Highlander van for this month. I read mainly Duncan/Methos stories, but there may be a few gen thrown in here as well.

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing/Characters: Duncan/Methos
Length: ~4,600 words
Author on LJ: dkwilliams 
Author Website: Spiral into the World of: Diana's Fiction
Why this fic must be read:

I love Diana's fiction in every fandom she writes, she always manages to get the personalities of her characters perfect. And her Methos is no exception.  Ever heard the old expression, 'Eavesdroppers rarely like what they hear'? And Methos being....well himself, doesn't react well to what he hears.


Methos's Lapse