June is the month of dads and grads, so . . .

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Blair/Jim
Length: 36K
Author on LJ: kassrachel 
Author Website: http://www.trickster.org/kass/

Why this must be read:   Kass always fills her tales with lovely slice-of-life narrative and this is no different. The days flow by through Jim’s eyes. From the pain and guilt immediately following the press conference to Blair’s rocky start at the academy:  

 

I heard him padding out to the living room; I heard the sofa compress as he flopped down on it. I put the lid on the chili, surveyed the bowls of chopped onion and grated cheese, peeked at the cornbread in the oven and went to join Sandburg.

"So, how was it?"

He gave a small shrug. "Not bad."

"Care to expand on that?"

"Not the most intellectually challenging day of my life, but otherwise okay."

Damn it, he knew that wasn't the kind of answer I was looking for. "Any... details stand out?"

"There's some fascinating graffiti on my desk."

"Don't be cagey."

He took a long swig of his beer. "I'm not. I just don't have anything to report. This isn't an interrogation, Jim. You asked how my day was and I said it wasn't bad. End of story."

 

But of course it’s not *really* the end of the story. Along the way there are revelations and epiphanies and resolutions. Enjoy. 

Mutual Orbit

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, don't forget feedback! *g*

Fandom: DANNY PHANTOM
Pairing: Danny/Sam, Danny/Valerie, Tucker/Valerie, Jack/Maddie, Vlad/Maddie
Length: ~150,000
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read: Nonny’s written a number of really epic, wonderfully characterized stories. I’d rec them all if I could. Since I can’t, I’m choosing this one, half because she alternates narrators through the core cast and has them all pitch-perfect, and partly because I haven’t really recced a story with Vlad yet, and that’s a shame because he’s the main villain. (He’s also one of the hardest to really get right, and Nonny manages it.)

The story starts off with Danny almost dying after being attacked by Valerie, and then Vlad involves himself and things get ugly…

Disclosures

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Horace Slughorn/Severus Snape
Length: 9,980
Author on LJ: atdelphi
Author Website: Singing the Body Electric
Why this must be read:
This is the second fic I mentioned in an earlier rec, a fic that left me rhapsodizing up one side and down the other in readerly delight. Delphi's written an extraordinary portrait here, just ravishing and perfect, of Horace Slughorn, a character I admit to not caring two pins about - until I read this. The charm, the old-world manners, the moral slipperiness, the concisely chiseled observations, the bonhomie and tincture of loneliness - it's an unbelievably good incarnation of a character who's virtually a clown in the original canon. Delphi rescues him from the realm of farce and conjures up his Edwardian background, his Slytherin acuity and stratagems, awards him his courtliness and his pedophile tendencies, and then sets him upon Severus' trail.

The fic is a chess game of identities, and Slughorn's POV is mellow, aphoristic, sharp-eyed, and unwavering. He's surprisingly good company and no fool; his interest in Benjamin Jink is both warm-hearted and predatory, and the tease and tension of the narrative are deepened by Horace's reflections upon the past, little hints of melancholy and self-justification, as he ponders the ways in which he failed one particular Slytherin student. In the end this is a hopeful story, partly because Slughorn is an optimist at heart. But Delphi's insights into Snape are just as delicately wrought and oddly heartbreaking. It's a fic that casts a spell, breathes the air of another time, and creates two indelible characters. It gets as close to perfection as any fic I've ever read, and it accomplishes this small miracle quietly, without excess. I know it's not the sort of pairing that appeals to most readers; I'd say set the pairing aside and enjoy the cultivated wit and emotional subtlety and uncanny ventriloquism of this writer.

And then go read more of her work. *g*

( An encounter )

The Courtship of Benjamin Jink

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: gen (Martha, Two)
Length: medium-ish?
Author on LJ: cesario
Author Website: Doctor Who fic (currently down; can also be found in the fic tag among other fandoms)
Why this must be read: I dig out-of-era stories, and I like stories about Martha's time during the Year That Never Was. I don't know anything about Two, but the characterization feels right, and it's lovely to see Martha being taken care of for a change when she does so much caring herself. I also like how cesario juxtaposes both incarnations of the Doctor and uses that to critique the treatment of and dynamics between Ten and Martha.

( excerpt )

A Moment's Grace

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Length: A bit more than 21.100 words
Author on LJ: tiranog
Author Website: Listed by author name at The Starsky and Hutch Archive
Why this must be read: This story happens after Gunther's shooting. Starsky is working again and things are at ease between them.
Until Hutch got some really bad news from home, and in a very Starsky-like way he's suddenly VERY aware about his feelings for Hutch.
This story show us Hutch's background story, it introduce to us his parents and one of his oldest friends, and let's us know how his childhood must have been in there.
We see Starsky's shock at all these discoveries, and his outraged answer to Mrs Hutchinson cold dismiss of his son.
So, yes: hurt!Hutch, protective!Starsky, first time, great characterization, stunning dialogs... I believe that's all :)
Except, of course, for a little taste to( the story itself )

So, now, go, read, and tell Rosemary how amazing her story is!
Home Front

Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Harry/Tom
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: galaxydazzle
Author Website: via the McFly Official Boards
Why this must be read: Malin is one of those people that *gets* the boys and their characteristics. She has a wonderful way with words, creating fictions that are lyrically beautiful and stunning to read. Like dreaming while you're awake. I'm reccing this one because its one of the ones I've persuaded Malin to put on lj, but she is also one of the only writers to get the balance of the relationship between Tom and Harry - alpha-y and tender and amazing. Check out the rest of her fics - she writes amazing long fictions that keep you up all night on the edge of your seat!


Earthquake. That was what came to me in my blurry world of colour dancing across darkness and a flurry of hands brushing my skin warm and tingly in my cold state. I was being pushed and nudged, pulled and thrust here and there, gusts of cold air fluttering across my naked chest and arms and then finally, as a broken cry and a mumble fell off my dry lips, I fell. I moaned in agony and confusion as the hard floor came up meet me and my eyelids felt heavy as I pried them open. There had been no earthquake of course but I’d been close enough.

“Oh god, Haz!” Dougie piped up, alarmed and already feeling a bit guilty. “I didn’t mean to… oh fuck fuck fuck…!”


Frozen Toes and Melting Hearts

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Brendon Urie/Spencer Smith (Panic at the Disco)
Length: 9,000 words
Author on LJ: boweryd
Author Website: Fic Tag
Why this must be read:

More kink for you, as promised! I cannot even tell you how many times I've read this story. When I first stumbled across it, I don't know what I was expecting. Probably something a little fun, a little cute, a little kinky, whatever. And yes, this fic is fun, strangely cute, and very kinky. It is also hot like effing burning.

Spencer has this ability to get Brendon to do pretty much anything he wants, and this fic is all about him discovering that it might be something more than just a handy tool to get Brendon to sit still. This realization happens in a way that flows inexorably to an amazingly satisfying end. Spencer is great here, not too much of a caricature of himself, and the other side of Brendon that he slowly uncovers doesn't feel jarring or out of place which can sometimes happen in kink situations. The power dynamics are handled wonderfully and did I mention the part where it's hot, hot, hot?

This is the perfect fic to read over and over if you're looking for something with a slow burn and an awesome payoff. And don't forget to tell the author how much you love it!

( excerpt )

Pull Your Tangles Out

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: n/a (gen)
Length: approx. 1,345 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: DevilC's Table of Contents
Why this must be read: I'm really fond of What If? fics. This story picks a specific scene from Identity Crisis and explores the possibilities of what might have happen if things had gone slightly differently when Owen Mercer arrived at the Drake home after his father's murder. It addresses the possibilities inherent in Flash finding out about Owen's speed, and his being there for Owen after his father's death, rather than the Rogues. The story does a great job of choosing a crossroads moment for a character and exploring it. The story gives me a strong sense of a beginning unfolding, without laying out exactly where this new path will ultimately take the character. I think that potentiality may be one of the things I enjoy most about this story.


( Excerpt )



Read it!

Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Tom/Dougie/Danny
Length: 3.6k
Author on LJ:kawaii_tenshi27
Author Website: kawaii_tenshi27
Why this must be read:

And now, now would be the perfect time for Tom to beat a hasty retreat. To go lock himself in his bedroom and get himself off fast and hard – which would be nothing like a problem right now, and who the hell invented fucking skinny jeans, anyway, they are clearly a menace to society – and then pretend none of this happened. But Dougie groans again, and Tom must make some kind of sound in response, because Dougie and Danny jerk apart, and suddenly. Suddenly there are two pairs of eyes, dark with dilated pupils, staring at Tom. Danny’s still got his hand down Dougie’s pants and both their lips are red and wet and swollen. They should be fucking illegal.

OT3/OT4 fics are a big thing in this fandom, simply because the boys all love each other such a ridiculous amount that the lines between individual relationships get blurred and moved around. This fic illustrates the 'oh, they're doing it, time to join in!' mentality that is a wonderful constant of the McFly fandom. Brilliantly hot and funny, this is a gem of a fic that needs to be adored.


A Better Blend

Fandom: YAMI NO MATSUEI
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Length: 804 words
Author on LJ: wordsofstory
Author Website: Fic archive
Why this must be read:

Because it's all about Tsubaki-hime, who is a fascinating character despite being largely ignored by fandom. Brigdh really get's into her head here, making her understandable. This was the fic that started my Tsubaki love. Not to mention that it's simply beautifully written. You can almost feel the rhythm of the ocean in it.

( Excerpt )

A Sway And A Roll

Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Tom/Dougie
Length: 9k
Author on LJ: kawaii_tenshi27
Author Website: kawaii_tenshi27
Why this must be read:

I love Emma's fics, so have no problem reccing her twice! Tom and Dougie are brilliantly awkward and any relationship between them that doesn't involve Star Wars marathons and home baking is going to involve panic and insecurity. Awkward and tender first-time story, this is a lovely and hot fic that you'll love.


The wooden-metallic slam and the sound of someone-not-him gasping registers in delayed reaction. It’s several heartbeats before the noise breaks through the fog in Tom’s brain, and several more before it sinks in enough for his body to respond, going completely still, eyes dragging open, and.

Oh god, oh god, oh god. The words trail like a broken record through Tom’s head, staticky and faint. Petrified.

Tom can’t move, can’t do anything but stare at Dougie, breath frozen in his lungs. And Dougie – Dougie is staring right back, eyes wide and lips parted, barely two steps into the room, keycard still in his hand. The silence is deafening, broken only by the soft hiss of Dougie’s breath. Tom can’t breathe. His heart is slamming in his chest, and – he’d always thought it was just some fancy turn of phrase to say it felt like your heart was going to beat its way out, but this, this really fucking hurts. And he can’t breathe.

“Tom,” Dougie says, his voice slightly choked, and, “Oh God,” he says, and, “Can I fuck you?”

Butterflies All Tied Up

Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Pairing: Ezra, Buck,, Vin, the rest-Gen ATF
Length: 13,768 words
Author on LJ: winks7985 
Author's web site: Story also on Fanfiction.net under jinx7985
Why this must be read: This is the terrific sequel to "Gone Wrong" and shows just how difficult it is to recover from torture, both for the victim and his team mates. The guilt, fear and sympathy really ring true. Nice reminder that it takes time to recover and not everything is all better the next week. It's not a depressing fic, lots of nice touches of humor are sprinkled in. This is a great followup to a wonderful H/C fic so if you liked "Gone Wrong" this is just as good.


www.fanfiction.net/s/5171937/1/After

or

winks7985.livejournal.com/49692.html