Good morning, my name is pronker and I'll be driving the van for Star Wars once again. I am 'ecstatic' because a/the discovery of new Star Wars authors gifted with storytelling skills is a big lift and b/my laptop came back from the shop, just in time for July's reccing.

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Ahsoka Tano/Lux Bonteri
Length: 1013 words
Author on LJ: simply_shipping
Author's Website: Writing Journal
Why this must be read:

Written for last November's kink_bingo, this story plays upon the role of genderplay in the life of Padawan Ahsoka Tano. From the Clone Wars episode 3.10, "Heroes On Both Sides," the author has drawn a charming picture of Ahsoka's newest life lesson: bending to someone else's wishes is not going to break her. Brave Ahsoka charts her own way for one night of simple playacting. I especially liked how Ahsoka's tentative use of the Force in this most personal arena furthers her understanding of people and how sometimes someone is exactly what he seems. Reccer's note: the PG rating is given this unrated fic because Star Wars movies are PG.

Like A Lady

Hi folks! hardboiledbaby here, your driver for the Starsky and Hutch fandom this month. It’s my first time at the wheel, and I’m very excited. S&H has been a part of crack_van since the very beginning, and there’s been a ton of wonderful fic recced here over the years. However, there are still tons more that deserve recognition, a testament to the enduring appeal of the show and the devotion of the fen. I hope to bring a few of these to your attention, so let’s go for a ride down the streets and alleys of Bay City, shall we?

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: 100 words
Author on LJ: true_brit
Author Website: Nicola (britwizz) at http://shslash.kassidyrae.com/fiction.html (slash) and http://starskyhutch.kassidyrae.com/shgen_fiction.html (gen)

Why this must be read:
Yes, we’re starting off with a drabble. :) Man, I love ‘em. A good drabble tells a complete story in 100 words. An outstanding drabble? Packs an emotional wallop that can leave you reeling. And so it is with Mercy. Britwizz delivers a gut punch worthy of a heavyweight champion with this Survival-based piece. A VERY INTENSE fic that will take your breath away.

To quote any of it here would give away the show; just go and read:

Mercy

Then click on Britwizz’s author tag for the rest of her drabbles, because they’re like potato chips—you can’t stop with just one. :)

Hello, I'm Slantedlight, and I thought it was about time I took a turn at driving the van. I also thought the clutch looked a little slippy it was going to be difficult thinking of favourite fics that haven't been recced here before, but it turned out not to be a problem, because Pros is just so good! (If you've not come across The Professionals before, our fandom overview is here). I'm going to try and mix it up a bit this month, but I thought I'd start with a fab example of a case-fic - the lads doing what they do best - getting on with the job.

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: bodie/Doyle
Length: 16,575 words/90k
Author on LJ: magenta_blue
Author Website: Links to Magenta's Prosfic
Why this must be read: Tale of a Tail could easily be one of the Pros episodes we didn't see. Magenta writes the lads and CI5 and London with such a deft touch that reading her fic really is like watching an ep, right down to knowing that there's a little bit more to the lads than the directors let us see (*g*). Not only that, but we can hear and feel and almost touch the world the lads inhabit - we could meet her original characters in our own towns, she makes us feel straight away Oh I know someone just like that!, just as Pros did by including the kids kicking a football around, the nosy neighbour and the crowd at the bus stop applauding Bodie for his heroics.

As far as the story goes, there's a lovely foreboding for us as the audience, again echoing what we see in the eps where we know, but the lads don't - he's behind you! In this case the lads are needed to help with security for the Queen's Silver Jubilee parade, with all the action and potential mayhem you might expect. Finally, Magenta has the comedic touch just right: Pros isn't a cartoon or a comedy programme, we're not supposed to laugh at them, but there's a delicious sense of humour running through it, and Magenta has captured that beautifully - you'll find yourself smiling not only at the lads' usual teasing of all and sundry, and interaction with the other agents, but then again when you're least expecting it...

( Excerpt )

The link below takes you to the archived story, but I'm going to try and encourage feedback to some of our Pros authors by also linking to an original lj or author's post (where one exists!) - Feedback link for Tale of a Tale. Do let our authors know they're loved!

Tale of a Tail

Fandom: STAR WARS
Length: 15948 words
Pairings: Leia/Han, Leia/Boba
Author on LJ: I don't think she has one.
Author Website: FFN Profile
Why this must be read:

A woman in love is Princess Leia Organa, willing to do any act to effect her love's escape. Her ruthlessness even to her own self in this driving need leads to a story filled with mostly canon events and the rest 'missing moment' scenes, up to the story's hanging a left into an AU. Hugely readable and Star Wars-y, with its M rating entirely justified, this story also makes full use of the Fett family's Mandalorian background. This fic also has a goodly share of funny.

Meeting Like This

Hi! I'm desfinado and I'm VERY excited about getting to share my favourite bandom fics with you this month! I'm especially interested in stories that push boundaries - both with the things they write and with the ways they write them. I hope you'll find something interesting to read :D

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Brendon/Ryan
Length: 8,600 words
Author on LJ: jukeboxghost
Author Website: Author's masterlist
Why this must be read: I wanted to start the month with this story because if there is one thing bandom knows how to do, it's high school AUs about going to see bands play music. There are so many fantastic ones out there, but this one stands out because it really does something different. The author creates such rhythm and poetry with her words, but uses them to write about the gritty, unglamorous realities of adolescence and live music in such a unique way.

We all know what it feels like to be a teenager and to feel so sure of yourself and yet so horrifically unsure at the same time; the characters here reflect that so beautifully. Ryan tries really hard to impress, and Brendon shakes it all apart with how self-deprecating and honest he can be - you can just feel how much Ryan wants and admires him, without it ever being spelled out. Add that to bitingly funny dialogue and vivid descriptions and it makes for one incredible read.

( Excerpt )

Raise Around Your Bones

Hey, everybody! I’m super excited to be reccing Bones fic this month. And awaaaay we go!

Fandom: BONES
Pairing: Sweets/Daisy
Length: 1,134
Author on LJ: sotto_voice
Author Website: sotto_voice’s Bones fic index
Why this must be read:

Author’s summary: The conversation at the end of "The Man in the Outhouse," and what came after. Short and silly, with no real point except that this makes me happy.

Here’s the thing: I am not the world’s biggest fan of Daisy. Nor, for that matter, am I any sort of fan of Sweets. But this fic. This fic. sotto_voice nails their voices so well it’s scary, and her take on the evolution of their relationship is basically head-canon for me at this point. This fic makes me smile no matter how many times I read it. Also make sure to check out the sequel, Don't Get the References You Refer To, which is just as awesome as the first one.

She’s Wordy and Verbose

Hello, everyone! I'll be driving The Vampire Diaries van this month and I am very excited about getting to share some of my favorite fics. I ship Stefan/Elena more than I breathe, but I tried for an even spread in characters and ships. There should be something for everyone.

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Caroline (Stefan, Matt, Damon, Elena, Liz)
Length 3700 words
Author on LJ: unoshot
Author Website fic masterlist
Why this must be read:

Caroline Forbes was undeniably the break-out star of second season and this story captures all the many pieces of her -- the neurotic control freak, the bloodthirsty killer, the insecure teenage girl. It gives great insight into Caroline's life and friendships in the latter half of second season (when, sadly, the narrative left her behind a bit). All the voices are pitch-perfect and each relationship (particularly the Caroline-Elena and Caroline-Damon) feels so utterly real.

( an excerpt )

Life in Plastic

Hi there everyone! I'm bookaddict43 and I'm driving the Star Trek Reboot van this month and hope to give you a nice selection of fics to go along with.

Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Pairing: Chekov/Cupcake
Length: 4779
Author on LJ mcstories
Why this fic must be read: The author takes a character, Cupcake, who only appeared for a few minutes in the movie and makes him come alive. This fic is the start of the linked Grischa series and traces the beginnings of a relationship between a, at first, unlikely pairing.

I love how the author shows how the two men move from friends to something a lot more special. Greg Matthews, Cupcake, is a wonderful character and how he learns to trust and love Pavel Chekov is a great story. Of course, when Chekov's shipmates find out about the pair there's doubts and questions and I like how realistic the misconceptions are drawn.

If you want to read something a bit different, check out

Cupcake

Hello, everyone! Watch the roads, 'cause there's a new crack_van driver in town! I'm cosmosmariner and I am pleased to drive the van for The Man From UNCLE. I will be focusing on newer works for my leisurely drive this month, but hopefully I can shine a light on some authors who maybe aren't too well known, or works by better known writers that don't have a lot of mentions. BTW, I am a total Illya/Napoleon slasher, but I will read gen fic if it's awesome, like my first rec here:

Fandom: THE MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Gen; no pairing
Length: One-Shot
Author on LJ: svetlanacat4
Author Website: Her journal
Why this must be read:

Our favorite characters from Man from UNCLE find out that the end of the world is nigh! Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail because it will ruin the story, but just trust me…

Svet’s got a unique view of things that is refreshing to read. She’s got a wicked sense of humor and most of her stories are incredible. She writes a lot of slash and long format gen, but this fluffy, hilarious one-shot is perfect for anyone who likes quirky fic, and loves the Man from UNCLE universe without any sort of romantic flavor.

Apocalypse Tomorrow