Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Jon/Ryan
Length: 7211 words
Author on LJ: marksykins
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read:
This is a college AU that's very funny and very sweet.

( Excerpt )


In Like Flynn

Hi! I'm dbkate, your late X-Files Van Driver!

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully partnership
Length: 6K
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Jill Selby on Wayback
Why this must be read: Hilarious, much needed look at Scully's never-shown frustration with Mulder's beaucratic rebellions and how insane their field reports must have looked in the end.

( excerpt )

Aspirations of Closure by Jill Selby

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: 65K
Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Author Website: Speranza's dS Fiction
Why this must be read: I think that this must be read for two reason. One it's more of a Dief and Fraser story more then anything else. It starts with right after they meet and goes on from there. Two 'Mangy Dog' is wonderfully written, the voices are spot on and the author is very good at keeping the character in character. Also the story manages to make the reader laugh and worry at the same time. This is a flashback story.

( Excerpt from 'Mangy Dog' )

Mangy Dog

Fandom: BASEBALL RPF
Pairing: Josh Beckett/Jon Lester
Length: 21,536
Author on LJ: americanleaguer
Author Website: americanleaguer's masterlist of fic
Why this must be read: One of the reasons I love reading americanleaguer's stuff is her knack for storytelling, her attention to details, her sharp, realistic dialogue, and the way she uses her "ensemble cast". That's certainly the case here, in "Alternate Spellings Accepted". americanleaguer has an understanding of the inner workings of baseball and the culture of baseball that infuses her writing with a sense of realism. I can read any story of americanleaguer's and believe that's how it could have gone down. In "Alternate Spellings Accepted," she has the characters' voices down so well, in the case of David Wells, it's almost worrisome. americanleaguer's Wells is one of the many highlights of this story, and without him, it would definitely be a different tale. Beckett's characterization is different than most; here he's portrayed as asexual. With the audience tied so tightly to Lester's POV, so we sympathize with him because of Beckett's lack of interest in Lester sexually. Even with that being said, the way Lester and Beckett fit together, however unconventionally, is emotionally satisfying.

In the end, this is a story about personal growth as much as it is about love or companionship or baseball. It's a rich story full of relatable, likable characters, snappy dialogue, and the right mix of humor and pathos. You won't be disappointed. Unless you're a Yankees fan, but, hey, you might surprise yourself by enjoying it.

( Excerpt )

Alternate Spellings Accepted

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Faith/Dawn
Length: ~6,000
Author on LJ: queenzulu
Author Website: here
Why this must be read: I've already recced one fic by Zulu but I can't resist another. She is the author who got me into Faith/Dawn (a fixation that threatens to break my brain) and this fic is a perfect example of why it works so well. It is, as with all her fics, extremely well written. You'll see the characters pop out of the page, they're written so vividly. I especially love how she writes Dawn as the veteran of the demon war; damaged and alone but still fighting.

This fic contemplates what would happen if Buffy died for good and the key was no longer needed. It's haunting and beautiful and a little creepy in places. What more could you want?

Dawn fell asleep and woke up the next morning all puffy-eyed and headachey and pissed off at the whole world for forgetting her. She promised herself she wasn't going to think about it, she was just going to go class and forget them right back, so she did, and it was working just fine until she stopped to get her mail.

There were three letters addressed to Xander in her box. They'd come back stamped Return To Sender, with puzzled little question marks doodled around her name on the envelope.

Never Brought To Mind

Fandom: BAND OF BROTHERS
Pairing: Winters/Nixon
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: apiphile
Author Website: Fic index on LJ
Why this must be read: In a fandom that is quite understandably full of angst, apiphile's fics are thoroughly refreshing -- quick, clever, and very, very funny. Lest we forget, Lewis Nixon is an alcoholic, and this author captures his sardonic sense of humor perfectly in rambling interior monologues, without losing the darker edges of his character. This ficlet has two sequels (rated PG-13), which follow Nix as he tries to figure out what exactly he did in Paris and why Winters is so damn disappointed in him. Light, fun, and unabashedly shippy.

When Lewis "What Do You Mean I Drank All The Scotch, There Was A Fucking Crate Of It" Nixon woke he was a little surprised to find himself back in familiar barracks. He'd been certain he was going back to Aldbourne, and he wasn't quite sure which day it was or whether he'd been. There was a troublesome gap in his memory that could have been one evening or a week, and his head felt like a whole company had used it for doing jumping jacks on.

You Don't Remember Paris, Hon, But It Remembers You
Sequels: Five Different Approaches to the Same Problem and Kiss Me Like You Mean It