Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Beru Whitesun Lars
Length: ~2000 words
Author on LJ: I don't know that she has one.
Author's website: FFN Profile
Why this fic must be read:

The van's next stop is a site devoted to the pairing of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Beru Whitesun Lars. Yes. The Sepia Side of the Force. Sands in the Hourglass by Aeshna hails from the years of hot and heavy speculation about the prequels, its plot springing from then-canon that Owen was Obi-Wan's brother. Beru, therefore, is Obi-Wan's sister-in-law and her marriage is in trouble. Two years after Order 66, Obi-Wan lives alone in his hut, heavily assaulted in the Force by the still-ongoing deaths of Jedi. He suffers, she comforts, they soothe each other in a very basic way. The sex is hot and heavy as well; Beru comes to life in a manner that you'd not thought before. It's a finely characterized adulterous soap opera, as its title suggests.

Sands In The Hourglass

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/OFC, pre-slash
Length: 3,100 words
Author on LJ: xparrot
Author Website: Xparrot on AO3
Why this must be read:

Before you go eewww, Napoleon/OFC--look at the title again. You'll like this story!

Xparrot has been writing MFU for about a year now and I could have picked just about any of her stories to recommend. She has an easy, fluid writing style and a knack for letting you see that deep feelings run beneath the bright surface of Illya and Napoleon's banter and squabbling. I decided to rec Sublimierung because, well, because who can resist a combination of MFU and, um, Nietzsche?

Napoleon going on a date and thinking of Illya is almost a trope in MFU fiction. This is a very clever take on that. Napoleon is on a date and doesn't need to think about Illya, Illya is already so much a part of his psyche that he's just....there. The story is charming and funny, Xparrot takes full advantage of the mix of absurdity and drama that MFU canon allows its writers; but underneath it all is a poignant yearning, Napoleon reaching for something that isn't quite clear to him yet.

It was Illya's turn to write up the mission report, and with usual Russian efficiency he tended to mentally compose those during free moments on the mission itself, typing them up later from memory. So Napoleon wasn't surprised when after a half hour of meditative silence, Illya finally asked, "What is the psychological term for the successful defense mechanism? The transformation of energies towards an alternative goal?"

"Like, say, world domination?" Napoleon eyed his partner suspiciously. "Are you psychoanalyzing THRUSH kingpins again?" Illya had recently been rereading Freud, and applying it to their foes with unsettling conclusions. A THRUSH-man's Oedipal complex was not something Napoleon cared to contemplate in detail, especially not when he had met some of the mothers in question.

"Vytesnenie," Illya muttered to himself. "Displacement? No, that's not quite it. I know there's a word for it..."

"It might come to you faster if you weren't hanging upside down by your ankles."

The effect of Illya's arched eyebrow was scarcely diminished for being inverted. "Napoleon, if I couldn't think hanging upside down, I'd hardly have time to think at all."

Sublimierung

Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Length: short
Author on LJ: lamardeuse
Author Website: when the world is puddle-wonderful
Why this must be read: lamardeuse rarely writes Due South any more which makes me very sad, but luckily she wrote a lot of them before she moved on to other fandoms. She is one of favorite authors, and when I don't have a specific story in mind, I often go to her website and just start reading. Most of lamardeuse's stories were written for ds_flashfiction (a community I will be referencing again this month) so they are realively short and easy to jump into. What I love about lamardeuse's writing is how she puts you right in the scene. From the first sentence you are part of the story. He characterization and dialogue are wonderful. Fall From Grace is fabulous example of how in a fairly short story, she paints a complete picture of Fraser and Ray's life together. It is a wonderful piece that exemplifies showing rather than telling. The first paragraph is behind the cut. Once you read that, I know you'll want to read the rest.

( Excerpt )


Fall From Grace

Title: Three Times Under
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Sarah Jane
Author on LJ: orbythesea
Author Website: orbythesea
Why this must be read:

Although this does include spoilers for Sarah Jane, this is fundamentally a story about Jack Harkness and it's not the glowing look at him that many fans have. I think it's a rather more honest look at him, though, and shows his faults as clearly as his virtues.

Plus the relationship here is heartbreaking and painfully true.

Excerpt: It started years ago, with an ancient, timelessly beautiful man who told a story that was both achingly familiar and completely new. It was simple, then: two abandoned souls meeting by chance, sharing memories, loneliness, a few pints, and, when the pub shut down, a bed. It should have ended there: a single transgression she could look back on as little more than a moment of weakness.

She wasn't prepared for him to call two years later as she tried desperately to meet her deadline.

"I just missed him," he tells her, voice a mixture of excitement and heartbreak. "That school that blew up, he was there--"

For a moment, she considers lying to him as he prattles on, telling her all the details of what's already been documented in neat black type in front of her. She doesn't want to share this with him; she doesn't want his voice in her ear. She wants merely to finish her story and give herself time to reflect. "Jack," she interrupts, finally. "I'm on a deadline. I know. I-- " She swallows, forcing the words from her throat. "I was there."

For long moments there is silence on the other end of the line. When he does speak, his voice is choked, strangled. "Good for you."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, setting the phone back in its cradle. "I'm so sorry."

Three Times Under

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: none
Length: ~1500 words
Author on LJ: istne_pieklo
Author's website: FFN profile
Why this fic must be read:

This story layers the Dark Times Intertrilogy Era with remarkable characterization regarding Asajj Ventress and her savior Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Sith's assassin is unable to completely sever her ties to the one Jedi Master who she had obsessed over so long. Ventress' own story after her abdication from the Clone Wars comes through in a cohesive manner, almost in an undertone, as she follows through on her impulse to find out the whereabouts of Kenobi. Her discovery of his plain bed on Tatooine is not to be missed.

Head Down

Fandom: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
Pairing: Chad/Ryan, Kelsi/Martha
Length: about 6,000 words
Author on LJ: bribitribbit
Author Website: Fic Tag on LJ
Why this must be read:

Despite its enormous plotholes, High School Musical 3 did give us some good things, and one of the best, in my opinion, is the friendship between Ryan and Kelsi. Since the film, Ryan and Kelsi's BFF-ness has popped up in several fics, and this is one of the most charming examples. Kelsi isn't present in this fic just to observe and support Chad and Ryan's relationship (although she does that); she's a character in her own right, with her own crush and worries. This is a warm, fun fic full of engaging little details.

( Excerpt )

Go. Read. Love. Tell the author.

The Mandy Thing