Fandom: JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED
Pairing/Characters: Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Batman, Superman
Length: One-Shot
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: ff.net account

Author Summary: Lex Luthor would only be the first of many villains whose lives were changed forever by the Justice Lords. This is the story of how Poison Ivy became the woman the Flash saw on the grounds of Arkham.

Why this must be read: The Justice Lords canon is a pretty simple canon!AU. It's a dark universe that diverges when the Flash is killed by Lex Luthor. The rest of the JLA fall from heroes to ruthless dictator lords of the country (world?).

This fic is set in Gotham, at the beginning of the Justice Lords divergence. It's set in Poison Ivy's POV, and is an explanation for the way the Lords universe is set up. I'm reccing it because it makes Ivy more than just 'that slutty plant girl', and because there are parts that shake me, though I'm not quite sure why. Possibly it's because of the way that the title ties in to the plot. Quoth the Author's Note: "Lotus Eaters" is a reference to the people in the Odyssey who ate the lotus blossoms and lost all interest in home and family, wanting only to go on eating for the rest of their lives.

It's here.

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard (Abigail Sciuto/Timothy McGee & Anthony DiNozzo/Ziva David are also mentioned)
Length: 1,792
Author on LJ: toomuchfandom
Author Website:

Why this must be read:

Anita is one of the original Gibbs/Ducky writers and whilst she, sadly, isn't writing as many Gibbs/Ducky stories these days, when she does she nonetheless comes up with a superb story. For some reason I have a penchant for death stories, both writing them and reading them (well as long as they end 'happily') so it won't surprise people to see yet another death story recc'd.

This is an incredible painful and poignant story that really does need tissues, yet it is also a beautiful, moving, intense story, chock full of love, affection, tenderness, emotion - but not just the love and affection between Gibbs and Ducky, but that shown by the 'children' too.

Anita takes an incredibly difficult subject - dementia - and deals with it in such an amazing way, with a maturity and respect that is not easy to achieve. It is poignant and painful and also so very real and believable. It was not an easy story to write, I know that. It shows us inside the head of someone suffering from dementia and how things are real and yet not real. It's story for which I cannot truly find the words to do it justice - it really does need reading.

Perhaps it is best summed up by a person who commented on the story at the time of posting: ' Dare I say I loved it and hated it at the same time?' Please read it, but go armed with tissues.

( Extract )

---

Nothing Is Impossible

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Anakin Skywalker/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Length: Approximately 3,500 words
Authors on LJ: oninobara and shoiryu
Website: Shoiryu's LJ Fic Links and Oninobara and Shoiryu's collab LJ fics
Why this fic must be read:

Deathfics are a repeated theme in Star Wars or any fanfiction efforts, really, but Star Wars has magnificent deaths to expound upon: Anakin's redemptive death in Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's passing into the Force, and then there is Padmé's and Shmi's poignant passings. Oninobara and her writing partner, Shoiryu, came up with two Clone Wars stories and two AU deaths in them: The Chosen One's and his Master's. Due to a glitch in the mystery that is AIM, Anakin's story was lost to the ether, but Obi-Wan's deathfic ... survives. Pathos much more effective because it is restrained, an unusual setting, you won't be sorry that you read this, but you will feel pity for poor put-upon-by-canon Obi-Wan and his noble teammate Anakin.

Untitled Vignette

Hi, I'm bitchygrrl and I'll be driving the Supernatural van this month. *imagines Andy's cool tricked out van* I will try to rec a wide variety of fics here, crack!, gen, het, and the always controversial wincest. *lol* In fact my first rec today is wincest.

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: Sam/Dean
Length: 6094 glorious words
Author on LJ:leonidaslion
Author Website: Author doesn't have a website that I know of but this a link to her master fic list Master List
Why this must be read: In addition to this fic being gloriously hot, the author manages to pull off a rare feat, She actually uses sex between Sam and Dean to explore the characters' relationship and what's going on in their heads. This fic actually packs a surprising emotional punch. Go. Read. Enjoy.

Phthonus in Lethe

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,598 words
Author on LJ: h_m_huskies
Author Website: FanFiction.Net Account
Why this must be read: Giles was my favorite character on Buffy, and this is one of my favorite Giles fics. (What? My reasons for reccing aren't always deep.) It's from Spike's POV, as he's chained up in Giles's bathtub.

In Twilight and Shadows

Fandom: DC COMICS
Characters: Kon-el, Clark
Pairing: Only if you really try really, really hard to find subtext.
Length: ~700
Author on LJ: brown_betty
Author Website: Author Archive at Archive at the End of the Universe
Why this must be read:

Brown Betty has been recced a frillion times but she deserves every single one. I've always been frustrated with DC's depiction of the non-relationship between Clark and Kon-el which is why in my corner of reality, beyond the River Denial, those two have father-son bonding picnics off-panel. In this little gem, Brown Betty shows Kon's not-so-hidden hero worship for Clark. He's got mighty big shoes to fill, he knows it and he's his own biggest critic.

( An excerpt )

Untitled Kon-el snippet

Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: doreyg
Author Website: None that I know of
Why this must be read: One of the great things about Sapphire and Steel is that there is the potential to add so many original characters. Jet is only mentioned in passing in Assignment #1 but Dorey creates a fully fleshed out character that I love to read about. The Jet shown here is different from the characters that Sapphire and Steel gave us, but could quite easily fit into an assignment.

Mirror, mirror don’t you dare break yourself again…

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Length: altogether 365k
Author on LJ: emungere
Author Website: Consequence Free
Why this must be read: This is probably my favorite Firefly series ever. It's terrifically in character, with just enough snark to balance out the enormous angst of the whole thing. The boys are in love but they're not talking, of course; but fortunately events conspire against them. Niska is even in it, which is great because I always liked him. And the second to last chapter has some of the most gorgeous M/S pr0n I've ever read.

I know this has been recc'd here probably more than once, but it's definitely some of the best slash ever written in this fandom.

Things that Haunt Us

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Length: ~7k
Author on LJ: zelempa
Author Website: can be found here
Why this must be read:

This was written for the latest round of ts_ficathons, an annual slash ficathon for TS that's been going for the last four years, and it's a wonderfully funny, occasionally poignant take on that oldest of tropes, the First Time. But zelempa gives it new energy, in large part because she has such a fantastic grasp of Blair's voice. If you're not laughing by the time Blair's freaking out in the car, well, you might need to have your sense of humor realigned.

Go Down Gamblin'

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Length: long
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Tiranog's Website
Why this must be read:
This was orginally part of a zine that Tiranog put out in 2002.  It's the first of seven great stories, which can be found at her website. I love this story, the whole series really, but this story in particular. It takes place after Byron shows up, so Methos' past has already been made known. But this time he stands up for himself and sticks around, even with the issues with Duncan and Joe. And standing up for himself makes Duncan truely see Methos-starting a relationship that is both wonderful and heartbreaking.  The series as a whole is a very long read, but it is definitely worth the time.

“You lied to me with words only once, “ MacLeod corrected. “How often did you misrepresent yourself?”

“Never. I have been nothing but a friend to you since the day we met,” Methos hotly swore, certain of that, if nothing else in his checkered past.

MacLeod had the grace to look guilty. They both knew that was the bottom line between Immortals. When you outlived nations, history had to be kept where it belonged – dead and buried. Between most of their kind, it didn’t matter who or what each other had been in the past, so long as their swords stayed sheathed and they could turn their backs on each other in the present and keep their heads.

Appearing painfully uncertain, MacLeod attempted to explain himself, “Methos, when we first met, you came across as a meek academic….”

“And so I’ve been for the past five or six hundred years. You are judging me on events that happened more than three-thousand years ago. Are you the same man you were at your true death in Scotland? The same man you were after Culloden or before you met Darius? Everybody changes, MacLeod.”

“Some more than others,” Mac still couldn’t seem to pass up the opportunity to get a jibe in.

Methos took the words at face value, storing their hurt away where he stored all the rest of his pain. “You’re right. Some men don’t change. I could still be Death. I could have spent the last three millennia marauding with Kronos and his like, but I didn’t. I stopped--”

“You got bored,” MacLeod pointed out.

“Yes, I got bored with it. I’m sorry if that offends your sensibilities, but that is the truth you so wanted to hear. I made a conscious choice to walk away from the only life I’d ever known and I paid for that choice, MacLeod. Kronos’ Quickening probably gave you some idea of the immediate consequences of that decision. If it makes you feel any better, his torments were the easiest part of the whole thing. I’ve paid for my sins, MacLeod. Believe me, I’ve paid.”

Quality of Mercy