This is my first time driving the van, so I'll try and obey all the traffic laws!

My initial rec this month is one I was surprised to find had never been rec'd before, but that it hadn't pleases me as well for I now get to start my tour with the van on such a high note.

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: None
Length: about 3600 words
Author on LJ: azdak
Author Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1256956/Victoria_M
Why this must be read:

I have to say straight off that I generally avoid death fics, but this one drew me in with no turning back. The author's grasp of Napoleon's inner sense of a "nothing is ever impossible" attitude is spot-on. And the exchange between our two guys in a final moment of truth is brilliantly done. For spies, life is in many ways like chess and, in the hands of this skilled author, the separate approach of each agent to a final game reveals who they are better than anything else could.

Zugzwang

Hey, SGA fans! It's been a few years since I drove the van for SGA, so I'm going to be rec'cing mostly older/classic fics (from when I was more active in the fandom) and maybe a few new gems. I'm a McKay/Sheppard girl, so most of the fare will be that pairing, and I thought we'd have some fun with tropes this time out.

This week: Amnesia! So maybe you don't like amnesia stories - or maybe you've just forgotten that you like them! Either way, this is a good chance to revisit, as if for the first time, these great examples of the trope.

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Length: ~ 4000 words
Author on LJ: cesperanza
Author Website: Speranza's fiction
Why this must be read: There's a reason that amnesia fics work. Imagine waking up without a clue who you are or what the circumstances of your life are, and then having to puzzle out all the subtleties of relationships with nothing more to go on than how other people react to you. If you're John Sheppard and you work in Atlantis, this process is far more fraught than it is for normal people.

( He's sure it will all come back to him any second now. )

Read the story / Feedback the author: Amnesiac

Hello! I'm fawsley and I'm going to be reversing down one-way streets and crashing into piles of boxes whilst driving the Crack Van for Life on Mars this month. So hold on to your horses, we're going back, back, back in time...

Not quite as far as 1973, but certainly back to the early days of the fandom as most of my picks come from 2006 and 2007, and I've gone for writers who on the whole have written very little - usually only one fic - but what they have done is very much worth revisiting. First stop, this from March 2006:


Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Annie Cartwright and Sam Tyler
Length: 1,420
Author on LJ: themonkeycabal
Author Website: LJ fics
Why this must be read: Canon Life on Mars is presented almost exclusively from Sam's point of view, but how do others see him? This is a lovely piece of writing that looks at Sam through Annie's eyes, and tells us as much about her as it does about the strange new DI who seems so totally out of place.

He was intriguing, is what he was. A genuine mystery right in the heart of the police. There was more going on in that head than in the rest of the coppers' in the CID put together.

Falling

Hi, I'm jouissant and I'll be reccing for Star Trek Reboot this month. I read a fairly wide variety of fic in the fandom, so I'll try to represent that in my recs here. Onward!

Fandom: STAR TREK: REBOOT
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Length: 150K
Author on LJ: rhaegal
Author Website: Fic Masterlist

Why this must be read: I waited with bated breath for this WIP to be completed, and it did not disappoint. Evolution was one of the first fics I started reading when I stumbled into the fandom, and rhaegal really sets the bar high for episodic missionfic. This is the first year of the Reboot crew's Five Year Mission, and really focuses on Kirk coming into his own as captain. rhaegal is a TOS fan, and that really shows here--there are some familiar scenarios here that will make fellow TOS lovers smile, but you don't need to get all the references to thoroughly enjoy the story. The Kirk/Spock relationship, er, evolves slowly and wends its way through its fair share of rocky ground before reaching a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Evolution is a wonderful ride, so settle in and enjoy.

Evolution (link to masterpost with multiple reading options)

 

 

( At midnight, all the agents... )
This overview was written by sandoz_iscariot  and posted with her permission.

I'm totally new at recs, so please excuse me if I drive into any pot holes. I promise I'll be careful!

Yesterday (31 October) was the anniversary of the death of one of the Watchmen characters, Nite Owl I aka Hollis Mason, murdered in his retirement after he opened the door to what he thought were trick or treaters. I thought it fitting, therefore, for my first stop to be a great fixit for BOTH Rorschach and Hollis Mason (and more), a beautifully-written piece for the Watchmen kinkmeme (and if you're the author, please pm/comment!).

Fandom: WATCHMEN
Pairing:  Rorschach/Nite Owl II but they are not central to this story--the main, non-slash, relationship is Rorschach and Nite Owl I. Other Watchmen characters also enter the picture
Length: 2000+ words
Author on LJ: anonymous contributor to kinkmeme
Author Website: unknown

Why this must be read:
This story brings together Rorschach (Walter Kovacs), known for his abysmal childhood and tragic end, and Hollis Mason (aka the first Nite Owl), beloved for his fatherly and traditional heroic qualities. The story very plausibly and sensitively realises the premise ('what if Hollis raised Walter instead') extremely well and draws upon what we know about the main characters in canon whilst taking them on a different path--in other words, they are still very recognisably 'them'. The story moves between touching, without being over-sentimental, and hilarious moments while weaving in canon events and encounters into the narrative.

Walter Kovacs as raised by Hollis Mason

(note: this is a continuation of this story: 
Hollis hires Sylvia Kovacs, and discovers baby Walter in her apartment)

Don't forget to feedback the author - it doesn't matter how old or new the story is. Authors love to hear from you! For this fic, comments have reached their limit on the meme but here's the link to where you can pop in a comment.

I'll be driving the crack-van for DC comics this week, and I'm looking forward bringing you some of my favorites. I mostly read Batman centered stuff, with the occasional foray into Teen Titans and the like.


Fandom: DCU
Pairing: Tim/Steph
Length: 8700 words
Author on LJ: iesika 
Author Website:  Here
Why this must be read:

This is the funniest and sweetest story involving Steph and Tim that I've managed to find in months of searching, and, even better, it's the first story in the "Tim and Steph Do The DCU" series. I highly recommend the next few stories as well, which consist of Tim/Steph/Dick, Tim/Steph/Cass, and Tim/Steph/Kon. They're excellent.

And, just in case you need some more temptation:

( One of my favorite parts. )

Learning by Doing

I'll be reccing Due South stories this month.

Fandom:  DUE SOUTH
Pairing:  Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length:  27,051 words
Author on LJ: prudence_dearly 

Why this must be read: 

The characters made Due South the great show that it was, particularly the hero mythos found in the trials and tribulations of its main characters.  This story puts an intriguing spin on that element, and the slash that follows grows naturally from the friendship of Ray Kowalski and Benton Fraser.


Walking Forward Back to You

Post a comment below to take a turn pimping the Watchmen fandoms!

A week in advance of your assigned month you will be notified with a reply to your comment. During that time, you agree to post a minimum of 1 fic per week in the following format:

Subject: Title by Author (Rating)

Fandom: YOUR FANDOM
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Author on LJ: (if applicable)
Author Website: (author's fics, if available)
Why this must be read:

Emphasis should be on fics that you feel are especially outstanding and accessible examples of your fandom, e.g. it plays on a repeated theme in the show, it's a fandom or a personal favourite, it was a controversial fic, it's good smut. Whatever.

Warnings are not required beyond what the author has posted on their own stories.

Thanks for playing and remember, kids! Without you, the crack_van will run out of gas!!

(snerk)

Hullo, I'm HutchyNStarsk, aka Allie. Starsky and Hutch is my fandom, and this month I'll be reccing some stories I love. :-) I'm new to this, hope I'll do okay!



Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: 4,600 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: http://www.partnersrmore.com/
Why this must be read:

This is a deliciously fun 'classic' Starsky and Hutch story. :D A woman meets Starsky and Hutch...who have been turned into cats.

excerpt:

Now, I've always had a few cats around. While I've seen them share anything from toys to litter-boxes, I haven't met a cat--especially a tom--who cares to share his food bowl, let alone his food. But not even the slightest objection from the smaller cat who'd had the food all to himself so far. He just shifted to make room for his mate, didn't even seem to mind that the gold cat kept picking through the choice bits and leaving him the rest.

I pointed at the dark cat who had started looking a little pregnant with the food he was packing in. "I suppose you wouldn't part with him, would you?" I asked Huggy Bear, with little hope.

"Nah, he's all right. It's blondie I can do without."

"GRRRRRRR..."

They were doing it again. The objection had come from the smaller cat.

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT