Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur (preslash)
Length: approx. 13,000 words
Author on LJ: the_moonmoth
Author Website: Story Index

Why this must be read:

The aftermath of the final episode of season one is another popular theme in Merlin fic. I love the way that this story starts a little earlier, letting us see some of the action from off-screen including what Arthur, Merlin's mother, Morgana and Gwen get up to while Merlin's on the Isle of the Blessed. The writing is deft enough that the characters interactions are fascinating to watch while the anticipation of Merlin's return builds.

This story is also a must read because it's more of an Arthur figures it out than an Arthur finds out story, and we get to follow along with him as his brain works over the problem in a way that feels real and perfectly in character. A completely lovely read overall.


Night and Light and the Half Light

Fandom: THE MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Length: 11k
Author on LJ: gilda_elise 
Author Website: archived at Chrome and Gunmetal Madhouse
Why this must be read:  Here's another short and gorgeously written piece that touches on the tender side of our boys relationship. Napoleon wakes up to find himself alone in bed. Wandering out to the living room he finds Illya curled up on the floor wrapped in a comforter watching a Titan II rocket launch on television. Napoleon learns a lot about his aloof partner in this quiet moment in the morning. The warmth and devotion shared between an American and a Russian during the height of the Cold War and the frantic days of the space race is so sweet and so realistic and so tender, it will make your own heart ache.

Heroes

Hi! I'm driving the TORCHWOOD Van this month!

Apologies for being so behind, Grad School Exams have eaten my brain. And my free time. In order to make up for my tardiness, please expect multiple posts in this comm through the end of the month.

A cornucopia of recs! All for you.

Enjoy!

Fandom: TORCHWOOD
Pairing/Info.: Ianto/Everyone: Five Shags, Five Pieces, Approx. 5000 words
Author: kita0610
Website: AlmightyGAH!

WHY THIS IS A MUST READ:

"She thinks of the way he holds his gun, and she wonders for a moment who taught him how to shoot. She already knows who taught him how to kill."

One of the hallmarks of an excellent story is that it will make a reader expand her notions of what is possible in a pairing or a situation or a complex series of choices. This fic, a collection of vignettes in which Ianto beds, in turn, Tosh, Gwen, John, Owen, and Jack, will expand your mind to a degree that it might just blow it into little pieces. Kita is a miracle worker; she makes words sing in tongues, turns drabbles into epics of characterization in the spaces between each perfectly crafted sentence. Punchy, powerful, lyrical -- these are all words that can be used to describe this story, but all you need to know is that it's damn fine writing.


Of All Trades

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo friendship
Length: ~ 6.800
Author on LJ: kaylashay81
Author Website: http://www.kaylashay.com/
Why this must be read:

Another fic about how Gibbs and Tony could have met, just with a small but significant difference: it doesn't stop at the meeting, it also depicts the growing respect and fondness for each other without straying into slash territory. It also puts a few scenes we saw on TV into a new perspective, gives us an insight from Gibbs' POV. All in all a very well written story.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like DiNozzo?

Fandom: HEROES
Characters: Molly, Ensemble
Length: ~4100 words
Author on LJ: selenak
Author Website: @ FF.Net
Why this must be read: "Dreaming" is a fairy tale. Set in season two, when Molly was trapped in the nightmare space Maury created for her, this is the story of her travels, trying to escape. It's eerie and otherworldly in places - part fantasy, part horror story, part Grimm's fairy tale (this isn't the Disney version) - sometimes genuinely frightening, and in others laugh-out-loud funny. In the style of Neil Gaiman, Molly travels through the nightmares of the other heroes we know and love (or don't), and each of their own "nightmare spaces" is different, creative, and fitting. A lovely story, and a very unique one at that.

( Excerpt. )

Dreaming