My name's Elspethdixon, and I'll be driving the van for Marvel this month. I'm primarily an Iron Man & Avengers fan myself, but Marvel is a huge and varied universe with a vast number of interesting characters, and I'm going to kick the week off with some recs from all over the Marvel U. Once upon a time, the Marvel-verse had more to offer than non-stop gloom and doom -- like pure, grade A crack and talking dinosaurs in smoking jackets. My first rec, in celebration of this, is one of the tiny, tiny handful of Nextwave fics on the internet. Because nothing brings the glorious crack like Nextwave.

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS
Pairing: Tabitha/Aaron Stack (kind of)
Length: ~1,000 words
Author on LJ: jayest

Why this must be read:

Because Nextwave + Anne McCaffrey-style brainships = 100% pure awesome

Nextwave, is/was a brilliantly warped parody miniseries by Warren Ellis, about a band of C-list superheroes joyriding in a stolen spaceship and fighting government and corporation-sponsored terrorists. Written for the brain_in_a_jar challenge, this fic manages to perfectly capture the feeling of the series, as well as having spot-on characterization on Tabitha (at least, the Nextwave version of her) and Machine Man.

Like the Tardis, Only More ####.

Hi! I'm Kathryn and I'll be driving the Van for Heroes this month. I thought I'd start out with my favorite pairing. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Sylar/Claire Bennet, Alex Woolsly/Claire Bennet
Length: Around 10K
Author on LJ: radiocakes
Author website: pinkceptional
Why this must be read: This fic makes the Sylar/Claire relationship believable. Forget declarations of love and evolutionary imperatives. This one takes everything we've seen, everything we know about the characters and makes it plausible. Like how it might have happened on the show. I don't usually like longer fics, but the fast pacing in this one leaves you breathless. You reach the end before you even realize it and want to read more.

( excerpt )

Alter States

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Length: 6, 442
Author on LJ: rageprufrock
Author Website: Archive Of Our Own page
Why this must be read:

The Dragon gives Merlin an egg to look after. Merlin (and Arthur) look after the egg. Shenanigans ensue.

For something that sounds like it would be kind of one note but there is so much depth in this fic! As always, rageprufrock's characterisation and pacing is fantastic and there are some serious LOL IRL moments.

( Keep The Excerpt Secret! (Or not . . .) )

Fostered

Hi all! I'm in charge of bandom recs this month and could not be more excited. I firmly believe in the talent that infuses this fandom and I'm always happy to share it with others. I am primarily a Panic at the Disco girl, so they'll be my focus, but I'm planning on bringing a wide variety of fics, pairings, and ratings to the table. There will be zombies and kittens and kink (but, you know, not all in the same story, although that could be pretty freakin' awesome . . .)

And so, without further ado!

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Pete Wentz/Patrick Stump
Length: 8,472 words
Author on LJ: iphignia939
Author Website: Gale's Pete/Patrick Fic
Why this must be read:

One of the handful of recs where PatD isn't the main pairing and, in this case, is not featured at all! This lovely little AU is all about Patrick Stump and what happens when he posts an ad to craigslist. This story is fabulous for so many reasons; the premise itself is deliciously crack-y and fun. But the actual fic is sweet and really encompasses not only Patrick's character (from his excited interest in one particular response to his self-consciousness when they agree to meet), but the kinds of human emotions and experiences that make fiction, and RPF in particular, so much more enjoyable to read. There are some really sweetly awkward scenes between Pete and Patrick, and a couple of hot ones; overall this story is fun, a little quirky, and perfect for a bunch of internet junkies to enjoy over and over again.

This fic is also an intro to Gale. She's a fabulous author in fandom, one of my faves and one who I think doesn't get nearly the recognition she should. A lot of her fic outside of this one is darker, a little more experimental, and sometimes downright creepy as fuck. But her risks pay off and she's mastered the art of telling the stories of believable people in unbelievable situations beautifully, so make sure to check out her other stuff. You should also definitely check out the porn-y alternate telling of this story, i like finger instruments and mouth organs - 18 (Glenview). And don't forget to tell the author how much you enjoyed it!


( excerpt )

we could make beautiful music together - 18 (Glenview)

I’m baaaack! June is a great month in the TS fandom; so many themes to celebrate. Dads and Grads -- always good fodder for fanfic. But June also means Moonridge. Garett Maggart hosts Sentinel Day every June at the Moonridge Animal Rescue in California. Our fandom supports GM by raising money  through an online auction, as well as showing up on the day to party. There’s still a bit of time left before this year’s auction closes, so expect at least a few Moonridge-related stories.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Blair/Jim
Length: 24,000 words
Author on LJ: snycock 
Author Website:  At the ASR3 archive  and at 852 prospect
Why this must be read:   Because I’ve always admired writers who can come up with stories “on demand” and make it their own. 

 

A great example is one of our very talented authors, PsychGirl, aka snycock on Dreamwidth. A year ago, I recommended a story called “Every Purpose Under Heaven”. If you’ve read it, you probably liked it.  As a Moonridge offering, she wrote a story within the EPUH universe, this time going  back to the hectic days where Blair is struggling to balance a new career, a new love life and live up to the mantle of shaman placed on him by Incacha.  A serial killer shows up who tests all of Blair’s fledgling skills. 

 

 

 

( Here's a taste . . .  )

 

PsychGirl sustains a nice tension throughout and makes great use of minor canon characters, including one I've never seen in another story. I’ve already told her this begs for a follow-up, or even a prequel. This universe has got a lot of potential 

 

You don’t have to read “Every Purpose” first, but it’s here  if you wish. You also don’t need to belong to Dreamwidth to read *or* comment on the story. So if you like it, don’t forget that feedback always makes an author’s day. Enjoy!

Doppelganger

Hello all, I'm Veleda and I'll be your Yami no Matsuei driver this month.

There have been two excellent YnM overviews, so I'll link you to those here and here.

Let's get started.

Fandom: YAMI NO MATSUEI
Pairing: None, gen.
Length: 20 chapters, roughly 80,000 words
Author on LJ: vanilla_klise
Author Website: Experimental's fanfiction.net page.
Why this must be read:

Because it's quirky, delightfully strange, and different from anything else I have ever read in this fandom. Experimental plays with and twists cliches to her heart's content, but contrasts it with a healthy helping of the absurd. People sing enka, Watari dies (again), and Tsuzuki gets food poisoning. Perhaps it has something to do with the lunar eclipse?

The best part of the story is Hisoka, baffled, but determined to get to the bottom of the murky mystery.

Frequently funny, sometimes sentimental, and with just a dash of Noir, this is not a story to be missed.

( Excerpt: )

A Midsummer's Nightmare or Juuohcho no HardBoiled Wonderland and the Search for Spock-kun

Hi, perverse_idyll here, and I'll be driving the Harry Potter van this month. I make my home on the Snarry side of fandom, but Severus Snape is my One True Character and I'm a fairly omnivorous reader if the fic meets my Snape standards. All of my recs this month will feature him, sometimes peripherally, but for the most part front and center in all his bastardly, multi-layered, semi-tragic glory.

To prove it, let's kick off the month with a fic that takes no prisoners.

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Severus Snape/Albus Severus Potter
Length: ~19,000
Author on LJ: joanwilder
Author Website: Fanfiction by Rae Whit
Why this must be read:

Because it's brilliant. The soft-hearted among you take heed: this story will gut you. Its centerpiece is the absolutely spot-on portrait of Headmaster Snape, who for this fic's purposes was not done in by lethal snakebite and who is more than equal to meting out venom himself. In this interpretation, he's both canon-compliant and canon-transcendent. joanwilder is better known for her more sympathetic and reasonable versions of Snape, but this time around she captures the man Snape would likely be if he'd lived: cold, frighteningly intelligent, sharp-tongued, sexually intense, morally ambiguous, an iron-willed and sophisticated administrator, and Slytherin to the tips of his fingernails (take that, oh Headmaster "We Sort Too Soon"!). Last but not least, he's still entangled with the Potter family in ways that will inevitably drag his vulnerabilities through the mud.

The ending left me breathless (and arguing in my mind with the author, begging for it not to be so). Because Snape triumphs by crushing what is most precious in him and to him. Given his history and what happens here, he's helpless not to retaliate, not to take revenge - and readers are led to recoil from him at the same time that we writhe with him in this trap of consuming emotions. The other characters are equally memorable - you'll ache for Harry and simultaneously want to land a boot in his arse, while young Albus Severus will make your stomach flip-flop. It took me three read-throughs to come to terms with this fic, and on each pass my admiration for the author grew. Not a feel-good fic, but exhilarating in its complexity, subtlety, and sheer ballsiness. So buckle your seatbelts and hang on for the ride.

( It begins like this… )

Fallen Far from the Tree

Woooohoooo! <--- I feel this is an appropriate response to the original crew of the Enterprise making a come-back. After all, Kirk/Spock is the pairing that started the juggernaut that is slash fandom. And is it any wonder? This fandom has it all... The infuriatingly "lucky" Human! The logical half-Vulcan! Pon farr! Mind melds! Sex pollen Inhibition-lowering substances! Swordfights! BFF soulmates! Sarcastic Doctors! Dying for each other! AND IT'S ALL CANON. :)

And now, with the Reboot, there's the added bonus of the whole story going AU. Awesome. That means anything goes!

So, just in case there's some poor lonely soul out there who has no idea who the hell Kirk and Spock are or what I'm talking about, behind the cut is a quick run down on who's who in the Star Trek Reboot universe.

( Star Trek: Reboot )

Hello, my name is Creed and I will be reccing Torchwood this June, 2009. What do you have to look forward to? All slash, all the time! Ianto Jones is my favourite character, so my recs will most likely reflect that. Oh, yes, most likely a liberal dose of darkness and humour.


Fandom:Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Author on LJ: indiefairy 
Author's Website: Unknown

Why this must be read:

Jack left and it changed his relationship with Ianto. This fic, along with a whole sub-genre in the fandom, explore how those dynamics might have changed. What I like about this fic and the show is that you see how much this one action can affect Ianto. Will he take Jack back? Is he able to say 'no'? If yes, under what circumstances? As the author summorizes, "When Jack left, Ianto decided that if he ever came back things would be different. Jack wouldn't be the one to set the terms of their relationship. But where Jack is involved nothing is ever easy."

( Excerpt )


WE NEED TO TALK

Fandom: STAR TREK: REBOOT
Pairing: none
Length: 2,800 words
Author on LJ: sparky77
Author Website: Q's Fic
Why this must be read: To kick things off, I'm going with this delightful comedy, in which Jim must discipline Chekov, and finds his own Kirkian way of doing so. Hahaha.

How to Avoid Kicking Puppies and Other Valuable Lessons in Leadership

Hello! I'll be driving the Starsky's stripped tomato Starsky & Hutch CrackVan this month, and I hope we'll have some fun together.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: a bit of Hutch/OMC but mostly Starsky/Hutch
Length: A little bit more than 205.300 words
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author Website: The Starsky & Hutch Archive
Why this must be read: Well, first I must say I was really surprised this story hadn't been recced before. Seriously, is one of the best stories in fandom! Is long, angsty, with a cleaver plot and a perfect characterization, and you just can't stop reading it. It deals with homophobia, police brutality, gay rights activism and, oh, yes!, Starsky and Hutch relationship *w*
The thing is this is a hell of a ride: intricate plot, emotional and so, so beautifully wrote, and Suzan Lovett art, lots and lots of very NSFW art. So, yes you should read this one, even if this is the only Starsky & Hutch story you will ever read. Or re-read it if you had already done.
Don't believe me? Well, then, have a taste ( here )

Still here? C'mon, go, go! Have a good time reading!

Total Eclipse of the Heart

*waves sheepishly*

Yeah, so I was tapped for both Star Trek: Reboot and Stargate: Atlantis this month (try saying that three times fast :). Hopefully that won't get too confusing for any of us. And now, on with the show...


Fandom: STARGATE: ATLANTIS
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard friendship
Length: 6,200 words
Author on LJ: mad_maudlin
Author Website: fanfic tag
Why this must be read: This is one of the best friendship fics I've ever had the pleasure to read. You see, due to a typical Atlantis incident, Rodney can't communicate. Fortunately for him, Sheppard knows morse code. Much hand-holding ensues.

Isn't that the most delightful premise ever?

-.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - .. --- -.

Wait, didn't I just do this? What, ten months ago, you say? It seems much less! I'm Julia, I'll be driving the dueSouth crack fan for June, and let the circumstances of my first story be fair warning that my course may be erratic and my driving style a little hard on the clutch. Fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy ride.

Fandom:DUE SOUTH
Pairing:Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Length:4960 words
Author on LJ: ariastar
Author Website: (or a link to where more of their fic is archived)Aria's fic in memories
Why this must be read: Poetry, literal and figurative, breathes life into this story- Ray's poetic soul, Fraser's mental library of fine literature and sad memories, the stern rhymes of storm winds and iron cold, the demanding rhythms of survival in the face of bad odds.

( And Ray got that, Ray got it. One of the things he liked best about this adventure thing they were doing was the way it seemed like, the more layers of cloth and fur and warm they bundled up in, the more got stripped away. )

The Love Song of S. Raymond Kowalski

Well hello there. I'm sonatine and I'll be your driver for the month. I haven't had time to get into Old Who (beyond reading about it), and I apologize to those hankering for classic-era fic. I am unabashedly pro-Martha and TARDIS, but I will try for an even mix of characters and pairings. All right then. Let's get this show on the road.

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Nine/Rose
Length: 800 words
Author on LJ: dune_drd
Author Website: Fic masterlist
Why this must be read: I have always been interested in the way the Matrix preserves cultural memory for the Time Lords, and this fic explores what happens when Nine doesn't have that anymore. Sharp and heartbreaking, but hopeful too.

"I can't remember it right," he says, with a tinge of desperation in his voice, flicking the helpless flower through his fingers, his fist suddenly and almost viciously closing around it, crushing it.

Crushing until his fingernails break the skin of his palm, the pain helping him to focus. He had to remember.

Memento Mori