November 21st, 2009 
09:49 am Forget Everything I Ever Said by hollycomb (R)
Fandom: BASEBALL RPF
Pairing: Brian McCann/Jeff Francoeur
Length: 12,331
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] hollycomb
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read: I have a list of bulletproof - not kinks, exactly - more like . . . plot points or storytelling devices, or what have you that I love seeing touched on in fic. One is the coming-of-age story. The other is internal religious conflict. Another is how the guys' relationship affects their wives/girlfriends and the relationships they have with them. Yet another is how the media and the league react to the players' relationship. Rarely are all four tackled in one story, but [livejournal.com profile] hollycomb does it here and she does it well. Brian's internal conflict, as well as the conflicts between Brian and Jeff, Brian and his wife Ashley, and Brian and Jeff's wife Catie give the story so many layers and dimensions. All the characters are sympathetic; there are no villains here. They're all well-rounded and emotionally complex. Another thing that has made me a fan is Forget Everything I Ever Said's "resolute lack of a resolution," as [Bad username or site: americanleaguer pointed out. So many authors try to tie things up in a neat little bow, with the heroes riding off together in the sunset, but nothing's ever that neat or easy, and <lj user=hollycomb @ livejournal.com] gets that.

Excerpt )

Forget Everything I Ever Said
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11:01 am here i dreamt i was a soldier by nullsechs (G)
Fandom: BAND OF BROTHERS
Pairing: gen - Blithe
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] nullsechs
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read: Albert Blithe has never been a fandom favorite, but this fic will make you wonder why on earth not. He's young and lost and not a warrior, but so very, very human and familiar. This fic will make you ache for Blithe, for everything he was and wasn't and could have been, and maybe there's a bit of you in Blithe and his impossible situation. A straightforward and beautiful character study.

“You’re too damn smart for your own damn good sometimes,” she says, “but you can’t just go thinking yourself through a war, Albert. You can’t just jump out of a plane and hope it’ll make you something you’re not. You’ve got to fight and get your hands dirty and claw your way through other men. Are you prepared to do that?” When she looks at you, her cheeks are wet and her eyes are dark and red, the makeup around them smudged and running in dirty streaks down her face. She grips you firmly at the shoulders, shaking you hard as she forces the words out between her teeth. “Because I am your mother, Albert, and I know that you haven’t got it in you.”

here i dreamt i was a soldier
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05:43 pm The Unspoken Rules by pen_name (NC17)
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: primarily Skikamaru/Neji but many more
Length: Epic = 15 chapters plus sequel
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] penname_please
Author Website: pen_name@adultfanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

With one story, [livejournal.com profile] penname_please has addicted me to a pairing I've never read. Heck, I've never really liked Neji. But The Unspoken Rules has given me a new appreciation for Skikamaru/Neji and the ANBU in general.

After a chance meeting on a deadly mission, Skikamaru and Neji find being friends help them survive the pressure of being ANBU. But other pressures they didn't count on - including clan Hyuugai's and their own expectations - could derail their new relationship. What's a lazy jounin just promoted to War Leader to do? Plan for every contingency, of course.

Fast, fun, and insightful, it's a delightful romp and if you can't get enough (like me), also enjoy the series of one-shots sequels (so far, 15) provided in More Unspoken Rules. But definitely, plan to spend a chunk of time and go discover The Unspoken Rules.

Please remember - authors work for feedback.
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