Hi! I'm beanarie and I'll be driving the M7 van this month. I was pretty active in the fandom about eight or nine years ago, then I moved out West and I lost touch for a bit. My preferences lean towards Gen, and Ezra, but I'm slightly malleable. Gosh, hope I do a good job!

Fandom: MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: None
Length: approx 7k
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The author's stories listed on Lady Angel's Library
Why this must be read: Okay, okay *ducks flying tomatoes* I know the Little Britches/Little Ezra/Little Who-the-eff-ever trend of "kidding" one or more of the seven is somewhat controversial. That's because, imho, a lot of the time you get A) a youthful, often precious OC who shares a name with the character they're replacing and nothing more, B) a virtually identical version of the de-aged character, albeit one who's shorter and skatey-eight million times more likely to get hugged and cuddled by one of the other guys, and/or C) a severely skewed dynamic for the group as a whole, as in they're no longer The Seven, they're The Six, Plus One or The Five, Plus Two. I'll admit, I tend to enjoy the stories anyway in a guilty pleasure kind of fashion, but moving on!

Monica M., together with Debra M., sidestepped those pratfalls neatly with the Regents AU. The dynamic is preserved because all of the boys are, well, boys, students in the same prep school. They're also very believable as teenage boys and believable as themselves, which is just as important. Like Ezra. It's hard to get that guy right, whether he's thirty or thirteen. But they manage, in their series and especially in this little number. Monica's Ezra is smart, and quick, and an absolute, unrepentant pain in the ass. I love him. Chris is amazing, too. He's just so freaking male. The two of them have this fantastically sparky rapport that could conceivably erupt into blows at any moment. Ezra's just that much fun to be around.

( A sampling )

Sidenote: One of the biggest reasons why I adore this story is that it gave me insight into the appeal of baseball, something that being raised in Met-Yankee country did not accomplish.

Play ball!

Oh I am so relieved this isn't a stick shift! This is my first time behind the wheel of the surveillance crack_van, I will try very much not to get us lost. I am an unrepentant fan of the slash, but I am trying to expand my horiz make sure that there is something for everyone on this tour, so I am starting with a wonderful general piece I hope you all will enjoy...

Fandom: THE MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: no pairing, Illya and Napoleon present and accounted for
Length: a short sweet little general piece
Author on LJ: spikesgirl58
Author Website: you can find more of her work on Chrome&Gunmetal or FanFic.net
Why this must be read: This is a perfect view from outside, much as we only see parts of the lives of our boys in the show and colour that view with our own experiences or expectations, so too does the narrator of this perfect little gem of a story.

Benched

And please remember, if you enjoy this story, a comment to the author is all the payment they get! Show them some love!

Fandom: NCIS:LA
Pairing: None, Gen
Length: 1,300 words
Author on LJ: cjmarlowe
Author Website: cj's coffeehouse
Why this must be read: Written for femgenficathon, this story is an excellent peek into the weirdness that is the daily life of Hetty Lange. cjmarlowe nails Hetty's voice as well as the richness of her background and how she's not afraid to use it to the benefit of her people.

"Do you think I did not read the email before I sent it?" said Hetty. "Do you think I simply dashed something like that off thoughtlessly when it comes to Armani? You'll notice I did add a notation for an adjustment to the bust to accommodate falsies."

Read the whole story! San Diego, Saint Petersburg, Seville

Fandom: POWER RANGERS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 25k
Author on LJ: germankitty
Author Website: Dagmar on ff.net
Why this must be read: Starting off with a pre-series old school rec. :D

The original five Rangers were all best friends at the start of the series. Considering that they all were very different, (the geek, the jock, the cheerleader, etc) this fic provides a great explanation for how the five of them became so close, along with providing a lot of insight into the different characters. If you like the Breakfast Club, or just characters bonding, this is totally the fic for you.

Perfectly Good Reasons

Hello, I'm selu and I'll be driving the rec van for CW RPF this month. I tend toward the J2 (Jared/Jensen) pairing but there are a few other pairings that I also like quite a bit and may show up this month. I am aiming for a mix of drama and comedy, alternate universe and stories based in "canon," and long and short fic. I hope you find something you like among the recs this month. Thank you.

Fandom: CW RPF
Pairing: Jared/Jensen with non-graphic Jared/Sandy
Length: Book One → 65,000 words | Book Two → 121,000 words
Author on LJ: felisblanco
Author Website: Felis' master list at her Livejournal.

Why this must be read: This fic is one of the iconic alternate universe stories within the CW RPF library and it rightly deserves its place there. Felis creates a world that is very realistic while infused with magical realism similar to that found in Like Water for Chocolate and One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is a very layered love story. Book one is general fiction that lays the foundation for the epic book two, which continues the J2 love story yet explores how it has changed now that they are adults and unfettered by their parents, but it's still not an easy road to be together. Jared and Jensen star but the supporting characters are central to the story, and I can't image this fic without Chad and Chris, specifically. If you want a long, engrossing fic that won't let you go, this is the one. Felis has also written several excellent time-stamps that give us a glimpse into the characters' futures.

The Doors of Time

Hi there, I'm Nepthys and I've been given the keys to the Cortina van this month for the Life on Mars fandom. I'll confess from the outset that I'm a Sam/Gene gal, so there'll be plenty of slash in this month's offerings. So strap yourselves in, and while I'm fiddling about with the rear-view mirrors, here's the first rec to get you going...

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Sam/Gene
Length: 2171 words
Author on LJ: amy_wolf
Author Website: author's lj fic master list (scroll down for Life on Mars)
Why this must be read:

It's deceptively simple with a light touch and some lovely comic turns of phrase. It's also just a little bit raw, with enough rough edges to be a believable five first times for Sam and Gene.

Five First Times

Hi all, I'm bluflamingo and I'll be your Stargate Atlantis driver this month. Before you jump aboard, I should mention that this month there will be no John/Rodney recs - not that there's anything wrong with the pairing, but this will be the month of awesome gen and cool rare pairings.

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: background Rodney/OFC
Length: 145k
Author on LJ: dossier
Author Website: Zonezine

Why this must be read:
East/West is an au forking off during the season 2 episode Intruder; instead of making it safely home, the Daedalus ends up stranded on a strange world.

dossier builds a phenomenal world in this story, both for the stranded Atlantis characters and for the native population of the world they end up on. Although the story's very much about John - and his Ancient gene - all the characters shine in this, and they all get to be smart and competent and realistically flawed. It also features a lovely John/Rodney friendship, and a great John/Lorne friendship.

One word of warning: don't start reading this if you have to get up for work or school tomorrow morning - you will end up staying up all night reading 'just one chapter more!'

East of the Sun, West of the Moon