Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: none
Length: 15 k
Author on LJ: melannen
Author Website: Author's page at Gossamer
Why this must be read:

This charming short story is about the role Mulder's red/green color-blindness may have played in shaping his personality, his talent for acute observation and his ability to think outside the box. I love writers who can create believable back-stories for the characters within established canon.

Although she does have a journal here, she is no longer posting in it, so to avoid a broken link in the future, I have taken the precaution of linking to her author's page at Gossamer.

The Rainbow Connection

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS
Pairing: Jean Grey/Emma Frost
Length: 2,660 words
Author on LJ: sionnain
Author Website: sionnain_fics
Why this must be read:

One last Jean Grey story before I move on. There's a nice group of fics about the Scott/Jean/Emma triangle, but relatively few that focus on the Jean/Emma relationship independent from Scott. This story by sionnain, set during the Morrison New X-Men period when Jean and Emma are teammates, acknowledges the love triangle they're involved in but makes clear that's not what it's all about. It's not even really about sex (although this very much a sexy story). Jean and Emma are two powerful women who are each in a position to understand the other better than either one can understand herself. Emma's viewpoint here provides some of the best insight I've read into a Jean who is at once powerful and dangerous, and tremendously conflicted about that power.

( Excerpt )

Read it all here.

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: 400k
Author on LJ: that_khyber
Author Website: khyberfic.net (way-backed) or his Authors Page at Gossamer.
Why this must be read: There are a handful of works in any fandom that are considered "must-reads," regardless of shipping preference. Sokol is definitely in that category, due to the high quality of its writing and the immense scope of its storyline. While it is technically a sequel to "Reach," it is not necessary to have read it first. Do go read it, though, as it is really good, too. No episodes after "The Red and the Black" have taken place, nor has Fight the Future, so this is an AU.

"Sokol" starts a couple of months after the events of "Reach," during the summer of 1998. Mulder and Scully are in bed in her apartment sleeping, when an unknown caller instructs them to investigate a mysterious plane crash in Washington State. What they find there convinces them that it is an X-file, so when Skinner orders them back home and effectively grounds them, they continue to investigate against his orders. What they find is shocking, horrifically violent and ultimately life-threatening, not just to themselves but to humanity as well.

( Read an excerpt )

This story has everything: great writing, the mytharc, Mulder/Scully romance, delightful dialogue, hot sex, a murder-mystery that actually stays mysterious and becomes more terrifying as the story progresses, and even moments of humor. You will love it. Because his website is currently down, the link is to Fugues Fiction Archive.

Sokol

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Morgana
Length: 1, 027
Author on LJ: blincolin
Author Website: the show about pretty boys with swords tag
Why this must be read:

This is short, porny and hot. Merlin/Morgana is one of my not-so-guilty pleasures in Merlin fandom. I challenge you to read this and not suddenly want a whole lot more fic for this pairing.

Tumble Blind