July 21st, 2010 
12:41 am An Actor Prepares by azdak (R)
Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: none
Length: 1348 words
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] azdak
Author Website: azdak's LJ fic archive

Why this must be read:

Another stop at an episode-related story. And one that fills in a crack in the unsettling "The Gurnius Affair". Illya, impersonating the sadistic Colonel Nexor, is forced to torture his partner to death* ; the fate of the world depends on it--literally. Talk about (cough, cough) fan service!
(*OK, pretty damn close to it)

Most writers focus on the aftermath, but [livejournal.com profile] azdak has another question: what allows Illya to step into Nexor's shoes? We know IK is good at disguises, but this is more than a disguise, he inhabits Nexor. Marshall Gurnius' HQ is a hothouse of evil, it's atmosphere so pernicious that the guards look over their shoulders and even the Thrush representative's bluster can't hide his fear. Illya walks in without a misstep and thrives. Gurnius not only accepts him, he adores him.

How does he do that? What does it take? An Actor Prepares has a fascinating, chilling, and perhaps even heartbreaking answer to that question.


Close up, he doesn't look that much like Illya. Oh, he's fair and blue-eyed all right, and he's got that overly large forehead and rather beaky nose, but the resemblance ends there. It was the uniform, Illya thinks, that made him look so freakishly similar. The cap, especially. Uniforms bleach out differences, they make everyone the same. That's the whole point. And when it comes down to it, a Nazi cap and a Soviet cap are almost identical, give or take a few badges. At one period of his life he saw a face like that, under a cap like that, every time he looked in the mirror.




An Actor Prepares
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09:52 am "Refraction" by Mackiedockie (R+)
Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos/Duncan, and other relationships intimated
Length: 18,771 words
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] mackiedockie
Author Website:stories posted at Highlander Fiction, although this story still needs to be posted there...

"Refraction" is really a Joe Dawson and Ceirdwyn tale of adventure in which they dabble in the old mystic ways Highlander sometimes hinted at. Amanda, Duncan and Methos also play key roles in the plot. In addition, the presence of Rebecca and Ramirez are felt in the historical reach of this well crafted story. Lovely language, humor and tension. One of the best stories of the 2009 [livejournal.com profile] hlh_shortcuts holiday exchange.

Refraction
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06:07 pm Bleeding Stones by everysecondtuesday (PG)
Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: The Doctor, Amy, Rory, River, Donna, Martha, Romana, Susan,
Length: short
Author on LJ: [personal profile] everysecondtuesday
Author Website: [personal profile] tuesdayficarchived (older fic), [community profile] tuesdayfic (newer fic), Delicious, AO3
Why this must be read:

This is very short, but packs a punch and has a lot to say.  Long-time Who fans will find it more rewarding, but new viewers should like it too.  It's another meta-disguised-as-fic piece.  Tuesday has taken several important, pivotal quotes from all throughout the decades--things the Doctor has said, things his companions have said--and stitches them together as a commentary on one another, and on the Doctor.  It sounds simple, and it is, but it made shivers go up my spine the first time I read it, and it highlights connections and similarities I hadn't realized.

very short snippet )

Bleeding Stones
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11:16 pm This is a Story That I Tell Myself (R) by spuffyduds
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Length: 3150 words
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] spuffyduds
Author Website: fic here
Why this must be read:

We go from a story that makes me happy to one that just hurts to read. I was going to pick something cheery to put here, maybe a Ray/Ray fic from [livejournal.com profile] ds_raysquared since I hadn’t driven us there yet, but I was recently reminded of this fic, and when I saw that it hadn’t been recced yet, I decided it was worth the detour.

This is a fic that breaks my heart every time I read it. And I don’t like having my heart broken, angsty fic usually isn’t my thing, but [livejournal.com profile] spuffyduds writes it so beautifully I can’t help but read it again and again.

and so it begins… )


This is a Story That I Tell Myself
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