Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Danny/Harry
Length: novel-length
Author on LJ: 5_inthemorning
Author Website: (5_inthemorning
Why this must be read:

Danny/Harry is the current trend in the fandom, championed brilliantly by Von and Ellie and their fab, novel-length AUs about the boys. In this one, Danny is a widowed single father crushing desperately on Harry. Tom floats around panicking over being a dad and Dougie is... Dougie.

More alcohol is drunk, more old stories dredged up and regaled to a now fully initiated Harry, and before long, Danny is beginning to lose feeling in his legs, something that makes him smile as he leans back in his chair, his hand itching towards Harry’s under the table.

“Why are you two sitting so far apart anyway?”

“Huh?”

Danny looks over at Dougie, who seems very far away, so he squints, leaning forwards onto the table a bit.

“It’s not like we don’t know you’re doing the dirty.”

Danny opens his mouth to reply when Harry gets there first.

“Because Danny’s a pussy.”

Somebody to Love

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Chris/JC
Author on LJ:samibee
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

This was written for the Dragon Challenge 2009, and is an AU in which Chris and Justin are hit men. They've just completed a job, and are instructed to lie low for a while.

The atmosphere really wins in this story. Chris and Justin have a beautifully characterised relationship, spiky but familiar. Then there's the crappy motel where they decide to stay, with a loopy manager called JC who offers them a free sample of pot as they move in.

And things get quite exciting.

( Read more... )
Us of Lesser Gods

Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Tom/Danny
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: imagination55
Author Website: imagination55
Why this must be read:

Tom/Danny is the original pairing in the fandom, having known each other for longer than the other two. Fics revolving around them have these amazing auras of comfort and familiarity, and Dani is amazing at capturing the relationship between the two lads in a perfect, perfect way. In this fic, a break in filming for a show provides an opportunity for changes in Danny and Tom's relationship, in an odd but entirely fitting way.

Tom finally looked up dazedly, aiming his brown eyes straight at Danny as the pair stared at one another. Then something happened. Something that didn’t seem to sit right. One minute Tom was insulting him (nothing unusual) and then the next; he’d shifted his weight up and had fallen with his lips on his best friend’s. OK, OK, so fallen was probably a really bad adjective but a) Danny suspected that he didn’t know what ‘adjective’ meant anyway and b) HEL-LO! Lips. Tom. Best Friend. On. His. Not exactly an activity that happened very often. In fact, it was the first time in Danny’s mind that it had. That he could remember. Maybe Tom was like one of those girls (fine, two…three…four? Meh!) that he’d slept with and then forgotten about…

A Whole 'Nother Level

Fandom: MCFLY
Pairing: Tom/Dougie, Harry
Length: 5.4k
Author on LJ: figletofvenice
Author Website: addandsubtract
Why this must be read:

Maddy's fics are brilliant and awesome, and I had such a difficult time choosing which to rec, I've gone for another of hers! Basically, just porn. This amazing, hot, wonderful wonderful fic features Tom and Dougie being kinky and Harry getting to watch. Breathless and brilliant and wonderfully voyeuristic as you're stuck there in a hotel room right alongside Harry, unable to tear your eyes away. Enjoy!

Plain, lined notebook paper, ripped at one edge where Tom had pulled it from his notebook. The card inside is a bland plastic rectangle, so obviously ordinary that even Harry almost can’t understand the anticipation and anxiety that builds in his stomach just looking at it.

On the paper is written, in Tom’s small, careful script, room 716, 11 pm. be there, if you still want.

And Harry does want.

sharing different heartbeats

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: None, Gen
Length: 2,261
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: ff.net
Why this must be read:

Hi. I'm skywise012000 and I'll be throwing the Cortina 'round a few corners this month so hang on tight but take that bloody seat belt off - you're a police officer not a vicar!

There is very little information, in canon, about Gene's back story. We get a few hazy hints but the only concrete information we are given is that, when he was a young copper, Gene shopped his mentor, Harry Althwaite, for taking bribes. Harry killed himself and a month later Gene took his first bribe.

This little hidden jewel gives a reason why Gene might have gone from righteous young police constable to bent copper in the space of a month. It's sensitively written and has Gene's inner voice down pat as he finally comes to realise the way things work in the real world.

It's well worth the few minutes it will take you to read it.

( Tin Star )

Hi! I'm Aurilly, and it's my pleasure to be driving the Heroes van this month. With only a few exceptions, these will be mostly feel-good, fun times recs---not too much angst for the summer, but a lot of Mohinder. :)

Fandom: HEROES
Characters: Mohinder, with Elle, Niki, Bennet, and Sylar (gen)
Length: 3150
Author on LJ: barhaven
Author Website: Fic Masterlist
Why this must be read: The amazing snark. Mohinder’s POV voice is a perfect blend of dry sarcasm and resignation as he fights monsters alongside Elle and Niki. Needless to say, he isn’t nearly as good at it as they are and they all poke gentle fun at him. The Bennet and Sylar cameos take the story to a whole other level of amazingness. The monsters were apparently inspired by Cloverfield, but I understood this fic even without having seen that movie.

Excerpt: (no excerpt can do justice to this brilliance, but I’ll try)

"Nice job, Suresh," Niki says as she joins them, dripping with sarcasm and monster blood. "Running away like that? Next time, stick with the people who are supposed to protect you from being eviscerated by-"

"They were swarming you," Mohinder interrupts indignantly. "Maybe you missed me throwing a chair at the three that were about to jump you from behind."

"I saw," Elle says. "At least you were bravely running away."

Infestation

Hi! I'm back to drive the van for M7 this month. I'm not denying I have some favorite authors and pairings but I will definitely try to find something for everyone this month. So I'm starting us off with an Old West fic that is truly intriguing as well as being well written.

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Chris/Buck/Vin
Length: 5,000+ words
Author on LJ: http://ms_artisan.livejournal.com
Author Website: http://dnf.slashcity.org/index.php
Why this must be read:
This is an excellent look into the future of the 7. In the author's own words "In response to the DnF Geezerfic challenge. Everyone ages -- people and places change over time." I think it is a really bright and lovely OW fic full of excellent characterization.


Who'd Have Thought

(Sorry for all the editing! I thought I remembered how to post here, but obviously I didn't. ;) )

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: NONE Buck with a touch of Chris
Length: Short story
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: http://megtipper.tripod.com/fanfiction.htm
Why this must be read:
In honor of Dale Midkiff's birthday I give you an all Buck fic. This one is funny and the author really does a great job of capturing Buck's thoughts. While it is not an AU I've read a lot in this story sticks pretty close to the way comedy Buck is in cannon. It was also recced by the Death Dogs so I think I'm safe in saying it is very well written. So, prepare to laugh and enjoy.

From the Files of Buck Wilmington, PI

 Welcome, Masters and Padawans, I'm  albumsontheside and I'll be piloting the crack_van for you this month! My recs are going to focus on the much neglected areas of the Galaxy Far Far Away: gen, het and humour, because, frankly, I think this comm has enough Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan angst to last any self-respecting Jedi a lifetime.

Fandom: STAR WARS (AU)
Pairing: -
Author on LJ: siamesa 
Author Website: siamesa @ ffn
Why this must be read: My good friend siamesa is possibly the queen of humorous AUs starring Luke Skywalker, the Lars family, the cast of the OT and copious amounts of time travel, and this fic is possibly one of the best examples of that. In Wrong Number, the Lars family move to Dagobah. Yes, you read that right. (Yes, Owen Lars did, actually agree to this.)

Don't be fooled: Ben, Yoda, Biggs and Vader (and many nameless, long-suffering Imperial  phone workers) are also along for the ride. It's got desert hermits in a jungle, an eight-year-old's spying skills, sarcasm, wit, copious amounts of Force persuasion, fake Transylvanian accents and -- of course -- a holophone. What more could anyone want?

Wrong Number @ ffn

Hi, I’m Amberle, and my hands will be on the wheel of the van for July. This is my first time driving the van, so please be patient with me! I’m also warning you that I am slasher at heart, so please don’t be surprised if all of my recs are slash fics (although one or two gen fics may sneak in).


Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Size: 6K
Author on LJ: cbtreks
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

I’m a long time fan of Japanese yaoi anime and manga (for those who don’t know, “yaoi” is a male & male relationship), but about two years ago, I was getting sick of reading about the same characters all the time, so I decided to stroll around the internet for something new. That’s when I came across First Dance. It was the fic that introduced me to the Starsky/Hutch slash fandom, and I’ve barely read any yaoi fics since then. It seems that I find reading stories about one of my old favorite tv shows so much more satisfying. It’s post-SR, and it’s short, sweet, and lovely, and was a wonderful introduction to the love story that is Starsky and Hutch; therefore, it has to be the first rec I do.

( An excerpt )

Please don’t forget to send feedback to the author!


First Dance

Hi everyone! I'm citruslover and I will be driving the Popslash van for July! The stories that I will be reccing this month have all been around awhile, but they are some of my favorites and the ones that I keep coming back to. So I guess a theme might be oldies-but-goodies, perhaps? Also, I freely admit that I have read much more Backstreet fanfic than NSync, so there will be a noticeable bias. Which I think is alright, because there's a lot of good BSB material, and they seem like a neglected stepchild here! So, please buckle up, keep all limbs inside the vehicle, and enjoy the popslash!

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: Kevin/Nick from Brian's POV
Length: short story
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Private Indulgences
Why this must be read: Bry was the first slash author that I ever read, and it was her writing that really pulled me into the fandom. I would rec everything of hers if I could. Not only does she write sex, really hot sex, but it's set amongst intriguing, spot-on characterizations, making it so much more.

This story explores the paternal aspect of Kevin and Nick's relationship, through Brian's observations. Kevin is the mature older brother comforting a needy Nick; squint a little, and it's almost believable. Using Brian as the lens gives it a voyeuristic feel, viewing the relationship from an outside perspective almost at the level that we as fans view it. It's an approach that Bry truly excels at, and makes for some provocative reading.

If Kevin Hadn't

Hello again! Did you miss me? :)

This month, I'm driving the van for Merlin. Ah, Merlin. How many amazing epics there are! In this rec set, not every story is a long, plotty epic (shorter fics need love too!), but I've definitely picked out several of my favourites. Enjoy!


Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur friendship
Length: Novella
Author on LJ: magog_83
Author Website: fanfiction tag
Why this must be read: This? Cracks me up every time. It stars the hapless Sir Percival, who is just trying to make good in Camelot and not getting very far... at least, not until Merlin takes him under his wing. Hahahaha. Yes, it is just as hilarious as you are now imagining.

The Route to Advancement: one, two, three, four

Hello there! I'll be delivering Xena:Warrior Princess recs for this month. And you'll get to read some of my absolute favorite stories in this fandom.
So, battle on! :D


Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess
Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Length: A little over 14,000 words
Author On LJ: n/a
Author Website: http://www.academyofbards.org/authors/fialka.html

Why This Must Be Read:

This fic is such a wonderful subtext-to-maintext view of Season One, where Xena is still raw and Gabrielle is still so innocent. It plays on the themes that the show set up early in the first season (Xena's lack of self-worth; Gabrielle's naivete), diving underneath each pivotal moment and giving the reader more to chew on.
Plus, it doesn't sugarcoat their involvement - as many fics love to do. They are drawn to one another and, yet, cannot get completely beyond the walls of the past and of youth within each other.
It is a fic with depth and it is so simply written - it is as if the author did this in their sleep, for it comes off so effortlessly.
This story is loving and sweet and revealing - and in all the best ways.
Ooh, and it is from Xena's perspective and it is pitch perfect.


( a bit of the story )



A Waltz 'Round My Subtext by Fialka

Back for another turn!

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: none; characters include Cavil (One), Simon (Four) and Doral (Five)
Length: around 2500
Author on LJ: grey_sw
Author Website: here
Why this must be read: I never thought I'd enjoy a story about the "bad" cylons trying to survive, after all that happened in BSG's fourth and final season. This is written with such humor that I found myself won over by the whole idea and sort of wishing for a few of those Ones, Fours and Fives to make it... and replace their gelatinous orbs and get gun arms, too!

All About Mathematics