Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Length: 220 words
Author on LJ: none
Author Website: Iris Wilde's Sentinel FanFic
Why this must be read:

I was planning on recommending one of her more serious stories, but I felt like breaking up the serious theme I seem to have going here. JBTBG is a short and funny summation of a lot of TS episodes/case fics in a format that, in the author's words, makes for an "easy-to-read story", and since it's so short you have no reason not to check it out!

Jim, Blair, Truck, and The Bad Guy

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: none (Anakin/Padmé background)
Length: 785 words
Author on LJ: praiseofshadows
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

I have a weakness for any fanfic that adds plausible layers to Padmé’s character. We know so little of her background, really, and so little of what makes her tick – her beliefs, her ideals, and her traditions, particularly in tandem with Naboo cultural and familial norms. Here, we have a lovely little fic in which all of these are touched on; quite the feat for such a short piece. A very well-written addition to those few Padmé fics out there that involve her marriage to Anakin without making him and her feelings about him the main focus.

Making Her Marque

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Gen
Length: ~10,000 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction by K Hanna Korossy
Why this must be read:

I'm continually finding that some excellent authors have never been recommended here before. K Hanna Korossy is one - she's is a prolific author in several fandoms, and has a couple dozen M7 out.

This story is a sweet, introspective everyone-loves-Ezra, set in the universe of the show, in which Ezra comes to realize that the other six men aren't mere acquaintances, or, worse yet, liabilities, but friends he can count on.

( The story begins... )

Liabilities

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Gen
Length: novel
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Chris Gantt's fic on Blackraptor
Why this must be read:

Before I run out of gas and have to hand over the keys, I have one more story to recommend - a h/c extravaganza of the sort that makes slash fans think us gen lovers are seriously deluding ourselves. There's hugging and co-sleeping and a couple of kisses but they're all JUST FRIENDS, REALLY!

Chris Gantt faces a big challenge in this story - relaying the inner thoughts of Vin Tanner after he is robbed of the ability to understand spoken or written language. It's a nice, long, angsty read, set in Mog's ATF AU.

( A sample )

No More Words

Fandom: DRAKE’S VENTURE
Pairing: Thomas/Francis
Length: Multi-chapter novella
Author on LJ: alinewrites 
Author Website: DV fic by Alinewrites
Why this must be read: In the grand tradition of leaving the best for last, I present to you one of the most loved stories in the fandom. I’ve been reccing a lot by alinewrites , and there’s a good reason for it: if you want hot and angsty, you can’t do better. This story, known when a WIP only as “The Spanish AU” is presented here as it appeared in our fanzine, Fquie #4, as a fully developed novella. It is a true AU, where Thomas Doughtie is born a Spaniard, Tomas Valiente. Purporting to be an actual historical record, it is full of delightful details, including supposedly “found” correspondence between Drake and Valiente. Ironically, positioning Drake and Valiente as enemies on the political spectrum does nothing but improve their relationship, and although there is much, much angst on the road to happiness, this tale has one of the most satisfying endings in all of DV fiction. As always, Aline’s writing is rich and full of sensuous detail, as in this passage from the episode titled, “Solace,” which just happens to be one of the hottest scenes I’ve ever read:

( Hawtness under the cut... )

The Alternative History of Tomas Valiente de la Pena
A note from the editor
Chapter 1: E no nos trayas en temptacion
Chapter 2: Ô solitude
Chapter 3: Harvesting
Chapter 4: Say a prayer
Chapter 5: Solace
Chapter 6: Temptation
Insert: A recently discovered manuscript
Chapter 7: After all these years
Chapter 8: In the end, happiness?

Vidder: Obsessive24
Musical Artist: The Shins
Pairing: Tim Riggins/Lyla Garrity/Jason Street
Vidder on LJ: obsessive24
Vidder Website: tagged
Why this vid kicks ass: I didn't rec any Jason/Lyla/Tim fic because I knew at the end of the month I could point you to this vid. FNL gives us all the OT3 we could ever need and Obsessive24 puts it together beautifully.

New Slang, The Shins

Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent, various members of the Justice League
Pairing: Lois/Clark
Length: novel
Author on LJ: --
Author Website: --
Why this must be read:

When culling fics to rec, I knew I wanted you, the readers, to have a final taste of Smallville that lingered like an aged bouquet of wine. It was a toss up between Above Alt Else and this one. This won because it's more recognizably Smallville.

Once in a while, I read a fic and I feel very discouraged. Not because the fic was bad, but because the author wrote a story arc that I wanted to do but s/he does it SO DARN WELL that I don't know if my version will hold up. Capacity For Good is a three-part story which started out as Lois/Clark drabbles of the pure fluff variety; the kind of things you read with a bucket of ice cream and a flannel blanket. They were great fluff. Then he moved into plottiness without losing the intense yet fun sort of characterisation

El Duderino (or Dude-el or Evan) basically wrote out the Superman mythos onto Smallvilleverse in this arc, from his move to Metropolis to the legendary Death of Superman of the late-90's plus he threw in a few Superman-movieverse moments. He did it and stayed true to the storylines and character developments of the show (up until Season 6 I believe). He did this so seamlessly that I could totally see the show going this way. It just felt so true.

I don't even know where to start quoting so I'll just leave you with the links.

Capacity for Good: Light That Shows the Way
Capacity for Good: The Second Emissary
Capacity for Good: The End Of Days

Even though it's Hallowe'en and movie night here at crack_van, tonight's House feature isn't the least bit scary.

Vidder: schismuse on YouTube
Musical artist: Barenaked Ladies
Pairing: House-Wilson (can be viewed as friendship or slash)
Vidder on LJ: cryptictac
Vidder's Website: Cryptictac's Fanvids
Why this vid kicks ass: Because schismuse (cryptictac) makes gorgeous vids. Also, I’m a sucker for things done well in black and white and this one has that in spades. The story of Wilson looking back on his friendship with House is beautifully framed and edited, and I love the use of multi-screens and the song choice. And the gentle fade-out at the end on Wilson’s smile just gets me every time.

Call and Answer

Thanks to all who read/viewed/left comments and to all the very talented people in this fandom. And now I'm putting the van into park here at the drive-in and handing off the keys to the next driver. It's been great fun!

Vidder: millylicious
Musical artist: Duran Duran
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: millylicious
Vidder's website: Website
Why this vid kicks ass:

I'm going to shock you by not reccing something Xander-focused, but it's for a good reason. The thing that draws me most to Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn't the witty dialogue or the ass-kicking or the clever use of horror tropes as metaphors for life issues. It's the Scoobies. They love each other, support each other, take one another for granted. At times, each and every one of them has been foolish or selfish, but they forgive one another and come back together. They're a family and a team, and I love that about them. This video captures all of that by looking at Buffy's burden and how it is shared by Giles, Willow, and Xander. I think it's lovely.

Go. Watch. Love. Tell the vidder.

I'll Be There

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none (gen)
Length: 2700 words
Author on LJ: kimonkey7
Author Website: her fic tag
Why this must be read:

Since it's Halloween, it seemed that an spn_halloween rec might be in order. :) In which Sam and Dean get drunk, set up shop for trick-or-treaters in their motel parking lot, and then set things on fire. How is that not a great SPN fic? Some great banter and brotherly love, and a sweet and achy and perfect ending.

( An excerpt: )

Find the story here:

Two for Flinching and One for the Road

Vidder: sweetestdrain
Musical artist: Arcade Fire
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: sweetestdrain
Vidder's website: her vid roundup
Why this vid kicks ass:

Because SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM. Ahem. Sorry. But especially with the emotional storyline focusing so much on Dean in the past season or so, a vid like this, which does such a beautiful job of showing us everything Sam's been through, and everything he's struggling with, and everything he's lost, and how hard he's trying anyway, pretty much reduces me to SAAAAAAAAAM. (With some bonus DEEEEEEAN and JOOOOOHN on the side.) And it is, of course, gorgeously made—we showed this last year at a con to a room full of mostly non-SPN fans, and a lot of them commented afterward on being moved by it. Just a brilliant, brilliant vid.

Find it here:

Windowsill

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: JC/Lance
Length: serial
Author on LJ: glassapple
Author Website: apples and oranges
Why this must be read:

So back in the day, this fic caused something of a kerfuffle in popfandom due to the ol' debate over what people "should" be putting warnings for. Not being a warnings kind of gal, I didn't care much and dived right into this ghoulish, creepy, savoury bit of thriller-fic. I love when people take the conceit where each character individually possesses something special/wrong/whatever and do a spin on that, whether it's mutant powers or best features or anything at all along those lines. In this fic, glassapple takes that idea and makes it the focal point *and* a liability at the same time, which is perfect in time for Halloween!

souvenir

Enjoy!

Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth Darcy née Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 2,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Derbyshire Writers' Guild

Why this must be read:

This short and sweet story tells the tale of an old cottage that sits on the grounds of Pemberley. Shortly after her marriage, Elizabeth discovers it on one of her walks. She and Darcy--together and separately--begin to enjoy the quiet and solitude to be found there. Darcy fondly remembers how he found it as a boy and played within it.

The story goes on to tell how both adults and children of previous (and future) generations treasure the cottage, and how each generation turns it over to the next. Elizabeth and Darcy are both in character, and their voices and humor ring true. This fic is quite fluffy, but it is also an excellent short story. Highly recommended.

* * *

( Excerpt )

Treasures Lost Then Found Again

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Length: 15,622 words
Author on LJ: kikkimax
Author Website: Fanfic by Kikkimax
Why this must be read:

Because I couldn't resist a gory, vampirish horror story on Halloween. When ordinary people start behaving like vampires, the gang has to figure out how to stop it before it's too late. Thanks for letting me have a turn at the wheel this month, it's been great!

Blood Borne

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Length: 3,771 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Tate's Sentinel Fanfiction
Why this must be read:

In TS fandom, the majority of stories are written from either Jim or Blair's perspective, so it's always a pleasant surprise to find a story that focuses on one of the minor characters. The Necessary Precautions is a missing scene from Vendetta, told from Simon's POV. It offers a rare insight into what might be going through Simon's mind when Jim and Blair pull their usual stunts during a case.

The Necessary Precautions

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Severus Snape/Kingsley Shacklebolt
Length: c. 85.000 words
Author on LJ: josanpq (josan at IJ) kaiz (kaiz on IJ)
Author Website: Josan's Tales and The Zone (Kai)
Why everyone should read this: Have you seen the pairing? Oh yeah....

Anyways, let me not be so shallow *snerk* This is Severus and Kingsley in the middle of the war, Sirius is still here and poor Severus why must he suffer so? I love the back story of Kingsley's life in this fic and how it's used to bring something good into Severus' life. Snape is Snape, as we know him and love him. Stoic, snappish and full of scorn. He is suffering as a Death Easter spy and he's not faring any better as a member of the Order, who I think turn a blind eye to how much he is suffering just because he's Snape. It is maybe about time that someone should make his life better, go Kinglsley!

And of course it's Josan's and Kai's fault that I LOVE this pairing and wish I could find more fics with it *g*

( Excerpt )

Read the story here!

Fandom: STAR WARS
Vidder: Mya Scarlet
Musical Artist: David Gray
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan
Vidder on LJ: calmer_sky
Vidder Website: n/a
Why this vid kicks ass:

I’ll admit right up front that I’m not big on fanvids. No offense meant to those who create them – they’re just not my personal cup of tea, regardless of the characters/pairing involved.

That said, it takes something rather special and/or highly recommended for me to take a look. And that’s exactly what this vid rec is. The things I especially liked about this were all the cross-cuts and fades, beautifully blended with the music. The vidder also chose a song that really, really works well with the scenes she uses. I also appreciate that as someone who quite enjoys Anakin/Obi-Wan but does not primarily ship them, the vid can be viewed through both a slash and a gen point of view.

Please Forgive Me

It's been a pleasure driving the van this month; thanks for riding along!

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none (gen)
Length: 6400 words
Author on LJ: onelittlesleep
Author Website: her LJ Memories
Why this must be read:

This author's But I Never Could Sharpen No Blade (Quite the Way He Say) has already been recced here, and I wholeheartedly second that—one of the first fics I read in this fandom, and still one of my favorites. This fic is a prequel of sorts to that, and it's also one of my very favorites.

In a lot of ways, this is a fandom based on road stories. Road stories with a rockin' soundtrack. :) And this story uses that better than pretty much any fic I've ever read; it's written with the author's clear understanding of what life on the road can be like, all the exhilaration and fear and possibility and isolation. And beyond that, it's a fantastic Sam portrait, with Dean—as always—not far behind, both literally and metaphorically, and their relationship always at the heart of the story. I can't imagine it was easy for Sam to leave Dean, back in the day; here, both the need to leave and the cost of leaving are crystal-clear, and it's perfect.

( An excerpt: )

Find the story here:

Pray to God I See Headlights

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: none (Anakin/Obi-Wan and Anakin/Padmé are mentioned)
Length: 1,271 words
Author on LJ: imadra_blue
Author Website: Fic archive on skyehawke.com
Why this must be read:

Another great Palpatine fic (he’s so much fun to read and write – the most evil characters usually are) that demonstrates just how damn good Palpatine was at manipulating Anakin. The latter never stood a chance, did he?

I love the inclusion of a bit of a back story for Palpatine, nicely demonstrating the parallels between his past relationship with his wife and Anakin’s with his own wife. Add in the Anakin/Obi-Wan angle and it’s so easy to see how Palpatine didn’t have to reach far for ammunition in aiding his seduction of Anakin to the dark side.

Irony

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Joe/Spencer (Fall Out Boy/Panic at the Disco)
Length: ~ 8 000
Author on LJ: sinsense
Author Website: List of sinsense's work on delicious
Why this must be read:

What makes bandom so much fun is that it permits, even encourages, authors to be as creative and ridiculous as they can manage. Band members who spontaneously morph into kittens? Sure. Supernatural powers and wingfic? Easy as pie. An office place AU sounds almost tame in comparison. But sinsense applies a remarkably sharp sense of humor throughout this piece to maintain banter that has me hiccuping with laughter every time I read it through. Joe is priceless as the central character, chatting with his coworker Patrick, taking victory laps, trying to disturb PC Bob Bryar, and ultimately, crushing on the new guy in the office, Spencer.

Sharp characterization, hilarious interactions, and terrific application of bandom members really make this story sing. There is one brief section that is only sketched out in brackets, but I didn't notice it until my second read through the piece. Even if you usually tend to avoid "crack fic", please give this a try. We, as readers, should be so lucky that all crack fic was of this quality.



New Kid Makes A Rule

Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth Darcy née Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 1,600 words
Author on LJ: jane_elliot
Author Website: Fiction by Jane Elliot

Why this must be read:

I come to the end of my fic recs this month and so bid adieu once again to crack_van. I have decided to close out my recs with this gem of a fic. I originally found it through Yuletide, and I am very glad I did. The portrait of the Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy painted in this story is very true to the characters themselves.

The fic is told from Elizabeth's point of view. When Jane despairs that Charles does not love her any more because he neglected to tell her so before departing for a trip, this causes Elizabeth to consider her own relationship with her husband. She muses on how different Darcy is from Bingley and how different their relationship is from Jane and Bingley's. Darcy has only told her he loved her a handful of times, but she does not doubt that he does.

The fic is a quick read, but a lovely one too. Highly recommended.

* * *

( Excerpt )

The End of the Honeymoon

Happy Halloween everyone!
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: slight Gibbs/DiNozzo
Author on LJ: slashy_me 
Author Website: The TenthMuse1 Fanfiction
Why this must be read:

In honor of Halloween, I give you of course, a halloween story. Tony gets a scare...but payback is a bitch :) 

Trick or Treat

Fandom: PET SHOP OF HORRORS
Pairing: Leon/D
Length: chaptered
Author on LJ: somniesperus
Author Website: http://telanu.thirteenblackbirds.net/
Why this must be read:

This is my final rec because it is one of my favourite stories. Ever. It is beatiful and magical and so utterly amazing. You must read this story because in it is all things great.

In the pale-lit gloom, two mismatched eyes glittered down at him.

Leon's heart stopped and his mouth dropped open. Next thing he knew he was stumbling to his feet, swaying from the sudden use of exhausted limbs, and collapsing down on the bed beside D with a thump. He was too tired, too discombobulated to form coherent speech, but his muscle memory was as good as ever. He reached out and seized D by the lapels of the satiny pajama top he was wearing -- Leon thought it must be Eileen's -- and shook hard, once. Twice. D flopped back and forth for a moment, before reaching out and touching Leon's face with both hands, whispering, "Detective. Please stop."

Unwilling Sleep