Fandom: DOCTOR WHO 
Pairing: Doctor/Master
Length: 2087 words
Author on LJ: unfeathered 
Author's Website:unfeatheredfics 
Why this must be read: It's heartbreaking look at the Doctor after he has lost everyone who mattered to him. He makes one last trip to his own past to try to find hope for the future.

The Doctor skulks in the shadows a few doors down as they draw up in the Master's chauffeured Bentley. His heart is in his mouth as he watches the Master get out with Lucy, his first sight of the Master since he burned his body. It tears at the Doctor to see him now, whole and alive and actually looking a lot younger and happier now, near the start of his time on Earth, than he was on the Valiant, when the stresses of overseeing a complicated plan for universal domination had really begun to wear him down.

One Last Time

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Canon, gen
Length: Short story
Author on LJ: edoraslass
Author Website: Archived at Stories of Arda
Why this must be read:

The funniest LOTR crack I have ever tasted. Without a doubt, the best of the legal-LOTR fics. Doesn't actually require any knowledge of legal procedure, but does require a sense of humor. Is occasionally a bit wordy, but that's easily overlooked. With stuff like this, how can you go wrong? Come discover the reason there are so many lawyers!

( Excerpt )



Comes Now the Plaintiff, Frodo Baggins

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Gen
Length: Short Story
Author on LJ: tyellas
Author Website: Ansereg homepage
Why this must be read:

Tyellas' work is always beautifully detailed and gorgeous. The explanation of why certain parts of LOTR and the Silimarilion seem a little censored makes sense with what we know of MiddleEarth, Tolkien himself, and the characters in Lord of the Rings. Every time I read this I find something else to enjoy about the world Tolkien created and what Tyellas has done with it. Go forth and read.

Lost in the Translation

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Sauron/OC
Length: Short Story
Author on LJ: megpie71
Author Website: Archived at Henneth-Annun or at her website
Why this must be read:

Ever wondered what would really happen if an Earth girl fell into MiddleEarth? Ever wonder why anyone would want it to happen? Worry no more... Meg Thornton has the terrifying answer to your question.

Without a doubt, the most chilling LOTR fic I have ever read. This is horror, people. And oh so worth it.

Mary Morder Sue

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL
Pairing: Faith/Spike
Length: 1,344 words
Author on LJ: theohara
Author Website: just her LJ
Why this must be read: After the end of canon, Spike, Angel, Illyria, Gunn, and Faith are together in Cleaveland, still helping the helpless---and one day The Immortal turns up on their doorstep, helpless and begging for advice. theohara writes amazingly snappy, witty dialogue, and she's excellent at setting up good dramatic scenes with really effective emotional clout. This brief sketch of the Cleaveland team makes me want to see more of them together; she does a great job of choosing just the right tiny details to mention to make this vision seem fully fleshed even in such a short fic. Her sterling sense of humor is wonderful icing on the cake, too.

( read an excerpt )

Word of Advice

Fandom: U2 (RPS)
Pairing: Adam/Larry
Length: One-shot
Author on LJ: rhythmsextion
Author's Website: Love Is Blindness
Why this must be read:

This is the PWP that keeps me coming back for more. I tend to read this type of fic once or maybe twice, because usually once I've read the sex scene, that's it, I'm done, I don't need to read it again. But with Porta Bella, I've re-read it dozens of times, because it's hot in a way that's almost hard to define. I don't know what exactly makes it different from all the other porny fics in the fandom (and we have quite a few). Maybe it's the premise (Adam and Larry sneaking off in a restaurant to have sex in the bathroom - and no one wonders why they've left their food for so long!) or maybe it's that we have love as well as sex, in the tender way the two of them interact post-coital. Or maybe it's just that Joy knows how to write super duper hot sex, and it's never wrong to read about Adam pushing Larry against a wall and taking him.

The rhythm section as written by rhythmsextion (and imagined by everyone else) - Porta Bella

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Connor, Duncan(gen)
Length: about 5,200 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MacNair at Dair's Fanfic Refuge

Why this must be read: I couldn't let a month of recommendations go by without at least one story featuring Connor, who was my first love in this fandom. When I need a Connor fix, I often turn to MacNair, whose stories are always insightful and raw and show everything that I love about Connor and Duncan and their relationship as student and teacher, companions, friends. "Strong Enough" tells of a time in Duncan's life of great pain and hurt and how Connor was there to help, even if Duncan didn't want help. MacNair's style is gentle, leading you quietly through Duncan's pain to the healing on the other side. It is followed by two other stories, Bridges and Lost and Not Found, which are also worth a read.

( An Excerpt )


Strong Enough

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: GEN, NONE
Length: One-shot
Author on LJ:
Author Website: FF.Net
Why this must be read:

A fantastic look on why Gibbs might have really decided to stay after Escaped (4x02). It explores the relationship (gen) between Gibbs and Tony and presents a scenario in which Gibbs realizes something is not right with Tony and he doesn't trust Jenny enough to watch out for Tony.

What You See Is Not Always What You Get

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Chris/Buck
Length: 32,672 words
Author on LJ:
Author Website: http://assignations.org/chill/ and http://dnf.slashcity.org/viewuser.php?uid=2

Why this must be read:
Okay, I was really trying to keep most of my recs in the original Old West verse, but here we have a brand new story by Charlotte in a brand new AU. If you're a biking enthusiast or if you barely know what the Tour de France is I think you will love this story.

Spin

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: NONE
Length: one-shot (751 words)
Author on LJ: smithyfic
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

As anyone that knows me can tell I am a huge fan of of 'pre-series' fics, especially of the 'How Tony Got Hired' variety. And while I love all of the angsty crime fic out there that uses some gruesome case to bring Tony to Gibbs's attention it is nice to find a much more humorous look at how Tony might have met Gibbs.

Totally light-hearted and yet true to both Tony and Gibbs in the characterization.

Deposit

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: none; Tom Zarek and Hera Agathon
Length: 2800 words
Author on LJ: lls_mutant
Author Website: here
Why this must be read: I am in a mood today, so no tragedy or drama allowed. This makes for a somewhat limited selection in BSG fandom, but I found just the right story. Tom Zarek gets stuck babysitting Hera.

Do I need to say anything else to make you read it? Yes? How about: it's hilarious and lls_mutant has just the right voice for a child Hera's age.

Raptor Rides

Fandom: STAR WARS [PT]
Pairing: -
Length: 3,088
Author on LJ:-
Author's Website: Idrelle Miocovani @ ffn
Why this must be read: So, I've decided that we're going back to humour as the month draws to a close. Again, I'm going to rec some Anakin/Padmé genfic, of which there is precious little. There is also Anakin/Obi-Wan gen in here, and a general sense of friendship that is so rare in Star Wars fiction of late, and which as such makes it a joy to read.

Admittedly, this is at least 99% crackfic, and crackfic as such doesn't need to have a believeable premise. And the premise isn't believeable: after ignorantly insulting his wife's choice of footwear, Anakin rashly accepts Padmé's bet of swapping shoes for a day. Now, all logistics of height aside (Anakin would definitely have bigger feet than Padmé), you'd imagine that no Jedi would casually wear women's shoes and then parade around the temple in them. But the thing about the whole plot is just that: it's so mad it's funny.  Unlike most OOC humour masquerading as crack, the characters are actually IC: Obi-Wan does what he does best and takes the piss, Anakin ends up making a mountain out of a molehill and Padmé ends up coming out on top. Er, not literally. Note the rating.

So, I think after all of the angst I've been reccing of late, you guys need a laugh. So, I shall leave you with one of the most memorable exchanges in the whole fic, just to tempt you in:

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said firmly, “it’s a dare. It’s not important. Take the shoes off.”

“Yes. Master.” Anakin sat down again and bent to take off one of the shoes. He tugged on the pink pump, but for some reason his foot remained stuck inside it. Frowning, he tugged harder. No luck – the shoe stayed on his foot. Frowning, Anakin went to his other foot and tugged on the adorning shoe. It, too, stayed firmly glued to his foot ...

A Day In Your Shoes, Literally @ ffn

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Mohinder/Sylar, Mohinder/Peter, implied Peter/everyone
Length: 1400
Author on LJ: sitrow
Author Website: Sitrow’s journal
Why this must be read: This is crack, but contains enough tongue-in-cheek, real world references to keep it grounded. I love Mohinder’s POV in this. It explores his earnestness, his terrible communication skills, his nerdiness. It’s ostensibly supposed to be a Mohinder/Sylar fic, but in reality, most of the story is between Mohinder and Peter, and it’s loads of fun. Peter’s characterization is also great, highlighting how good he is with people, and also how flirty and slashy he is with everyone. The jokes here are not over-the-top, but rather sound like the kind of things that normal people would say. It also pokes gentle but hilarious fun at some meta aspects of the show.

Excerpt:
Mohinder Suresh felt stupid. Not oblivious, not negligent, just stupid. He didn’t know what had brought on this sudden wave of self-awareness, or why he suddenly wanted to sit down and read twenty volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica just to “catch up”.

It probably had some connection to Sylar. Ever since he saw Sylar in his apartment again, and felt that rush of adrenaline when he thinks Sylar’s about to do something sinister again, and got let down when he realized there was no way of winning, but felt utter relief that Sylar had not taken advantage of one of the million chances to kill him…again, Mohinder felt as though maybe something was going on in that deranged little mind of his that felt something for the Indian ex-taxi cab driver. And that’s when Mohinder realized he was stupid.

Will They Or Won’t They

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: 3,000 words
Author on LJ: rynne
Author Website: The Background Hum
Why this must be read: Rynne writes about Mulder during his alien abduction in S8. Not only does Mulder hear the screams and pain of those around him, but he can hear Scully as well. Touching and poignant, especially the scenes in the cemetary, by Samantha's empty grave.

It's strange, but he's never felt out-of-place in cemeteries. It's not that he feels dead, but so much of his life since he'd joined the Bureau has been bound up in death that he just grew accustomed. He's not Scully, can't imagine being a pathologist and intimately getting to know the empty shell of what had once been a person, but death has never made him squeamish. It's just a natural part of life, and though he may not like it, he's never been afraid of it.

People call him spooky for that, too.

All in the Waiting (The Silent Funeral Overture)

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: long
Author on LJ: penumbra23
Author Website: Penumbra's X-Files Fiction
Why this must be read: I'm thrilled to be the one reccing this fic on crack_van. Penumbra's a staple of the fandom, and this is her newest story. It's a Post-The Truth future fic with grown up William and company, and a twist about Scully that I don't want to ruin by giving it away too early. I love the writing style, the original characters, the highly detailed descriptions, and omg, the intro is disturbing as hell and I LOVED IT even though it had me confused for a while. A fantastic addition to the fandom.

"You know as well as I do that the baby was a miracle," he said.

She nodded, after a moment.

"And miracles always happen for a reason," he said.

Fathoms Five

Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Jayne/Inara
Length: 2393 words
Author on LJ: ladytalon1
Author's Website:her fic journal on LJ midnightatnoon

Why this must be read: Jayne/Inara is a difficult pairing for authors to sell; even if the reader, like me, is predisposed to like them. The author not only manages to achieve a believable tale; she also provides us with a picture of an established relationship between two very different people. The sex is hot, Jayne is his crude self, with some tantalising layers; and Inara is very much in character.

Bedtime stories

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Celebrimbor/Annatar
Length: 7 chapters
Author on LJ: tyellas
Author Website: Ansereg
Why this must be read:

Tyellas' award-winning series peeking into the lives of the elves of Eregion and Lothlorien during the time of the Ring-smiths. A wonderful tragedy in seven parts, full of the attention to character and culture that sets Tyellas apart from the crowd. The small hints we find in Lord of the Rings and Silimarilion are fleshed out into canon-compliant characters.

If you don't recognize either of the characters in the pairing, you don't need to worry - Tyellas doesn't leave anyone out in the cold. All the information you need to understand this story is skillfully contained in it, making this fic a rare prize in any fandom. One Ring to Bind Them is a part of Tyellas' Ansereg universe, but contains an explanation and can certainly be read on its own.

One Ring to Bind Them

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: None
Size: 100K
Author on LJ: ?
Author Website: ?
Why this must be read:

Everyone has that one fic that they read over and over again. Winds of Change, one of the fics I recc’ed earlier this month, is one of mine, but another one that I can’t get enough of is Cyndi’s Seven Minutes.

( An excerpt )

Hutch’s fear for his missing partner is palpable, which is only one of the reasons the story is so gripping. Captain Dobey, who innately realizes what the forced separation is doing to his best team, is a solid bedrock of support. I think it's one of the strongest characterizations of Captain Dobey I've ever read.

Seven Minutes

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Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: AJ/Nick
Length: short story
Author on LJ: visionshadows
Author Website: Sparkly Dance Boys.com
Why this must be read: Conventional wisdom says that youth is the time to try out new things, broaden our horizons. If you're a Backstreet Boy that probably includes a much broader range, but we're not getting into specifics here.

Told from AJ's point of view, this is an emotional look back at a human experiment, the results of which are still open to interpretation. Bittersweet memories blend with excellent dialogue and poignant self-realizations to make a wonderful narrative.

...I was his experiment. He was my first. And when his experiment was over, he moved on.

Sometimes I’ll catch myself watching him and I’ll remember little things; the way his eyelids fluttered when he slept, the fine blonde hair on his upper thighs, or the way his fingers plucked at the blankets when we would talk.

Then I’ll shake my head a little, blink, and force myself back to the present, force myself to see Nick now and remember that he’s not mine. He never really was. Even when we were together, he never gave himself to me really. Sure, he gave me his body but he never gave me his mind or his heart....

The Experiment