Fandom: WHITE COLLAR
Length: 2178
Author on LJ: sholio
Author Website: AO3

Why this must be read:

Peter decides that Neal needs some combat training. They go paintballing. It goes about as well as you can expect. :)

Full of humour and an unexpected BAMF Neal this fic made me laugh out loud when it appeared on my flist earlier this month. Sholio has captured Neal's voice perfectly.
If he's going to be forced to paintball he's doing on his own terms rules be damned.

Excerpt:

"...Agent Rice waved an arm wrapped in a red armband. "Ready to go down, Burke?"

Peter picked up his paintball gun and bared his teeth in a fiercely triumphant grin. "If we go down, we're taking you down with us."

Diana laughed.

Neal wondered how easy it would be to find a place to hide for the next couple of hours, until the crazy people got tired of trying to shoot each other."

Red vs. Blue by Sholio  Also on AO3

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Length: 6,000 words
Author on LJ: themegaloo
Author Website: Fanfic tag on LJ
Why this must be read:

Well, I almost didn’t rec it, because it seemed like a bit of a waste, because if you’ve been in Merlin for more than a week, surely you must have read it? But when I was checking the merlin tag on crack_van I discovered it mysteriously had not been rec’d before. Sorcery? Perhaps. But, lucky me, that means I get to do it.

It’s an older fic, working the classic fandom (and canon!) trope of Merlin trying to hide his magic. It’s difficult, though, because Merlin’s magic is in love with Arthur and doesn’t really want to hide. If only Merlin’s magic liked him as much as it likes Arthur. Merlin’s life. So hard.

Hit them with a Shoe

Fandom: MARVEL MOVIEVERSE (including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Avengers)
Pairing: none
Length: 10,776 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:
Normally, I try not to recommend kinkmeme fills, because they can be hard to read in that format, and normally I don't recommend anonymously-authored fics, because I like giving credit for greatness where it is due. With this rec, I'm breaking both rules, but this story is totally worth it.

Loki accidentally calls Steve Rogers (aka - Captain America) by mistake while mortally injured (he was trying to reach his brother). Much to Steve's confusion, he keeps calling. This story is hilarious, has wonderful characterization of everyone, but particularly Captain America, and is sweetly poignant in depicting the love/hate relationship of feuding siblings. The author-anon does a great job of subtly implying feelings and motivations. I really enjoyed this one.

Telephone by anonymous

(PS: Please let me know if this story has been posted in complete form by the author elsewhere, and I'll edit this rec.)

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Bob Fraser/Caroline Fraser, Benton Fraser/Victoria Metcalf, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: 27K total. Individual stories range from 1500 words to 10,000 words.
Author on LJ: luzula
Author Website: Luzula's master fic list on LJ
Why this must be read: Okay, so I goofed up and I already rec'd one Luzula story this month. But, (a) she's made of awesome and they're both great 'verses, and (b) Halloween is my favorite holiday and there is no way you guys can expect me to resist the whole theme-reccing thing when you let me drive for October. So. Let me tell you about the Shapeshifter series. It's a beautifully written, engrossing, and well thought out AU where Caroline Pinsent is a werewolf, and her son Benton Fraser inherits the shapeshifting gene. The stories span half a century, starting before Caroline meets Bob Fraser and takes us through to Benton Fraser and Ray Kowalski's post-series quest. The characterizations of Bob and Caroline Fraser and their friendships with Buck Frobisher in the early stories are wonderfully done and give depth to these lovely minor characters. The way Luzula reimagines the Benton Fraser/Victoria Metcalf arc is fantastic, and there is even an AU version of the AU version of their past. The last story, Shifting, is Fraser/Kowalski quest!fic. It was the first story written and it can be read as a standalone piece if you want a taste of this lovely 'verse for less than 4,000 words.

The Shapeshifter 'Verse by Luzula

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: long
Author on LJ: not known
Author Website: HERE and HERE!
Why this must be read: A Sweet Revenge story with Hutch being shot instead of Starsky.

Hutch was so damned independent, and so proud of it. And, as soft as his heart was, he hid it behind a tough exterior most of the time. Most people didn't get a chance to see that soft heart. He didn't ask for help. He didn't let on when he needed to talk.

Except Starsky was one of the few people – maybe the only person – who ever got to see that guard all the way down. And even then, it took a crisis like this one to get it down.

But if this was the way it was going to be, Hutch was going to need help for awhile, until he learned to compensate for what he could no longer do. He'd need to move to a place with no stairs. He'd need a specially equipped car. He'd need a friend who would put up with his outbursts of frustration.

Line of Fire

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: TonyDiNozzo/Tim McGee
Length: 3,570 words
Author on LJ: xparrot
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read: This is a wonderfully funny story about Tim McGee freaking out once he realizes that he kinda sorta accidentally slept with Tony DiNozzo. More than once. Even better (or, for poor McGee, worse...! LOL!), Abby and Ziva are now trying to...help. And find out sordid details, of course. The interaction between the characters is absolutely hilarious, the team banter very canon-like, and Tony...well, Tony's being Tony. You really do feel for McGee throughout this story, even though you're busy laughing at his predicament.

( Excerpt: )

These Things Do Happen

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo / Illya Kuryakin
Length: 5k
Author on LJ: zortified
Author Website: Gila's Cave
Why this must be read: This story is unrelenting, heartbreaking angst. Wanting what you know you can never have doesn't mean you stop wanting it, doesn't mean you stop thinking about it; doesn't mean the hurt goes away. James captures Napoleon's innermost thoughts gorgeously and you won't be able to stop yourself for aching for our CEA before it's over.

Times for Souls

You guys -

Wyn here, my first time flying this bucket of bolts, and I have so many abject apologies for starting my recs at the very end of the month. There are lots of reasons why October has been a complete disaster, but I feel sure you'd rather see recs than my excuses. As Obi-Wan would say, "Not to worry - we are still flying half a ship!" By which I mean: I had 4-5 recs picked out for October, and you will still get them all … they'll just be kind of closer together. Eeep!

[/shame]

But on to the rec ...

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: (a little bit Anakin/Padmé)
Length: (one-shot)
Author on LJ: selonbrody
Author Website: master list of fic
Why this must be read:

Because it was the fic that inspired my MA thesis, and it's still my go-to character study for Anakin. Because it's lyrical and beautiful and heartbreaking. Because it makes so much sense. And because it's really, really good.

thirteen steps to the end of the world

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/Lestrade
Length: 4652 words
Author on LJ: sarren
Author Website: works on AO3
Why this must be read:
This is one of the first Sherlock/Lestrade stories I read, and it's remained a favorite of mine. Undercover Lestrade has an early encounter with Sherlock (as anonymous informer) in a gay bar. A year later, they work together on a couple of cases. It's the sexy sequence in the bar that's stuck in my mind, and I recommend it heartily as leather-clad, testosterone fumed hotness. The deductions in the second part are well constructed, too. It's a change from Lestrade meeting and rescuing junkie Sherlock--not that there's anything wrong with that.


( an early taste )

E on AO3