Fandom STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: 2800 words
Author on LJ: troyswann
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read: Salieri dazzles with her words, coming up with unique and incredible phrases that make me wish I could write half as well. I can always see her scenes so clearly, like technicolor movies. Here, it's the little things that matter when Hutch comes across a battered, shell-shocked girl and gets more than he bargained for. Luckily, Starsky is right beside him.

The Cease of Majesty Dies Not Alone

Fandom STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Length: 10,400 words
Author on LJ:pepper_ckua
Author Website: unknown

Why this must be read: I've read probably every single story Pepper has ever written since the very first one, and I've had the privilege of editing a large percentage of them. She has an amazing sense of detail, especially for the minor characters, although she doesn't neglect Starsky and Hutch--her characterization is spot on. Here, Starsky discovers the aftermath of Gunther's shooting has brought something more than just a slow recovery.

excerpt: Those two people may have even been strangers, but in the end, there was a need for human connection, a desire not to go it alone. The line they crossed was taken while gripping the hand of another, holding onto life if even just for a few more seconds.

Borderland

Title: Dominion: Reprise
Fandom: DBZ
Pairing: Canon pairings
Author on LJ: Trinsan/doortoriver
Author Website: Her website
Why this must be read:

Lovely, lengthy, plotty, with a mystery that will keep you guessing, and perfect charaicterizations. There are some fics that really fillin the blanks on the characterizations we are sometimes left with when it comes to the Z Warriors and this one is perfect.


Excerpt: There was an accident in Heaven, and Mr. Popo, who was usually a bastion of good sense and of even better advice, was at a complete loss for what to do. Mr. Popo loved his job, and even more so the people who administrated over him; but in all his hundreds of years as the earth-Kami's assistant, he had never seen the eighth dragon ball before.

Of course he had suggested to Dende that they leave the strange thing alone; that such odd items, hidden away in trunks buried deep within library vaults, were obviously there for a purpose and best handled by those qualified to deal with them – such as a Kaiou, for instance, or maybe even Enma-Daiou himself. But Dende had meddled – and now, Dende was no more.

At least, that was the way it came across.

Dende – and the extra dragonball along with him, for that matter – had disappeared completely from Kami's Tower. Exhaustive search had turned up nothing, and showed only that Dende and the ball which intrigued him were simply nowhere to be found at all.

Normally, an incident such as this would not have panicked Mr. Popo – he had, after all, been through recent events such as Buu and Cell, and seeing the earth destroyed and wished back, and before that momentous occasions like the taming of the dragon Shen-lon and the creation of the dragonballs. With the Z-Fighters down below and the dragonballs to help out - why, there was hardly an occasion that Popo didn't think could be handled calmly and efficiently.

Except, perhaps, for this one.

Dominion: Reprise

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Length: 864 words/499 words
Author on LJ: cynaravurzyn
Author Website: Cynara's Cabinet
Why this must be read:

Cynara has an original writing style, fragmented landscapes that surprise you with sudden insights into character. These two stories are sequential, together they're a "first time" story, from Napoleon's point of view and then from Illya's. There are no long conversations, she focusses on moments: a word, a gesture, a thought--and lets those moments build into a story as you get glimpses of both an inner and an outer landscape unfolding.

Small things become symbolic, a screen moves to cover a window, the press of a shoulder holster against a body, a hand that doesn't linger on an arm. You begin to understand the need and desire that brings Illya and Napoleon together, but also the limitations that constrain them; their knowledge of who and what they are. It's a fascinating and unusual look at their relationship.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" I've let most of the meal pass first, waiting until Illya is demolishing dessert. His fork barely clinked as he set it down. "I admit to being intrigued." I stretched out my open hand on the table. The seconds before he dropped his hand into mine and clutched my wrist were the longest I'd ever endured. Until he resumed eating his dessert. And mine.

The Just Desserts Affair

The Second Helping Affair

Title: Eternal
Fandom: Dragon Ball Z
Characters: Bulma, primarily, Vegeta, everyone else
Author on LJ: friendshipper
Author Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/29228/Sholio or http://friendshipper.laylalawlor.com
Why this must be read:

Because Bulma is really the glue that held them all together and that doesn't change just because she died. This is a great look at the afterlife in the DBZ world.

Excerpt: At last she stood in front of Enma-Daioh's desk.

"Bulma Briefs," he rumbled. "I've seen you before. Looks like ... pride, vanity, selfishness ... the usual human sins. Heaven." He reached for his stamp.

"Wait!" Bulma shouted up from the floor. "Aren't you going to ask me what I want?"

Enma-Daioh looked down at her. "No. You don't get a say in this. If I let souls decide for themselves where they want to go, how many do you think would choose hell?"

"Honestly," Bulma fumed, and crossed her arms. "Sorry, buddy. I'm not going anywhere."

"What are you rambling about? I don't normally have souls argue about going to heaven. Perhaps you're confused and think it's the other place."

Bulma shook her head. "I'm not confused. I'm just not leaving until you answer a question."

Enma-Daioh leaned his head in the palm of one hand. "Well, ask it, but hurry up, because I'm busy and don't like having my time wasted. If you don't answer quickly, I'll just send you to the place of my choosing."

"My question is this," Bulma said. "My husband, Vegeta. Is he destined for heaven or hell?"

Enma-Daioh shook his head. "I can't answer that sort of question. Client confidentiality."

"I refuse to go to heaven until I know if my husband will be there."

Eternal

Fandom: THE MIGHTY BOOSH
Pairings: Old Gregg/The Moon
Length: Approx. 7,100 words
Warnings: According to the author, “might scar you for life.”
Author on LJ: sparklebutch
Author Website: The Glitter Jungle
Why this must be read:

I picked this story to highlight two facts: (1) this fandom has one of the most cracked-out canons ever; (2) although Howard Moon/Vince Noir is clearly the OTP of The Mighty Boosh, there are other possibilities, and the pairing in this story, while so, so wrong, is weirdly right. I can’t decide if Noel Fielding, who plays both these characters, would find this hilarious or traumatizing.

( Can't be waitin' around for a fisherman all his life. )

“Full Moon Over Black Lake”

Fandom: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
Pairing: Troy/Ryan
Length: 443 words
Author on LJ: amory_vain
Author Website: Use the tags on her LJ
Why this must be read:

This is short for fic, but not for amory_vain, who creates awesomeness with drabbles. Her experience with drabbles serves her well here, as she paints a clear scene and characterization in only a few words. The Ryan she creates here is fascinatingly not a 'nice guy' (which may be why this is one of the very few times a second person POV has not sent me clicking the back button).

( Excerpt )

Go. Read. Love. Tell the author.


Best Laid Plans