Fandom: YAMI NO MATSUEI

Pairing: hints of Muraki/Oriya and Muraki/Ukyou

Length: 1,173

Author on LJ: Unknown (tell me if anyone knows??)

Author Website: Author's Page on Fanfiction.Net

Why this must be read: There's an old saying that no man is a hero to his butler, and this fic builds off that notion. Told from the viewpoint of Muraki's long-suffering manservant Sakaki (who gets a two-line cameo in the anime and a one-frame appearance in the manga), it answers the question "What happened after the firey climax of the Kyoto arc?". I love the tone of Sakaki's voice: it's at once scolding and put-upon, but at the same time very devoted and even paternal: this man clearly looks out for his master, looking askance at his crimes, yet painfully aware that his master's worst enemy is himself...

Preserving Whiteness

Fandom: WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
Pairing: Justin/Alex
Length: 575 words
Author on LJ: summertime_lies
Author Website:  none
Why this must be read:

Lots of fics in this fandom are very short and only few are able to convey so much feelings in so few words. This one-shot is special for me because it uses the catholic upbringing of Justin and Alex. Together with their feelings the fic shows us their fall into (their) sin.

At first, I must admit, the writing style is a little bit confusing but after I understood it... It's simply fitting. The author uses an unique mixture of texts which is maybe the most interesting thing of the fic and the reason that I chose to rec this fic! Try it, you will be surprised. :-)

Let us Pray (LJ)
--> Chooses happiness instead and hang the cost, the consequence, the outcome.

Fandom: Musical Theater / Company
Pairing: Bobby/various
Length: ~1K words
Author on LJ: nestra
Author Website: At AO3

Why this must be read: In this great take on the classic five-things meme, nestraconsiders the potential outcomes of Bobby's marrying Susan, Sarah, Jenny, Amy, or Joanne. Given the considerations of "Someone is Waiting," the author teases out short but detailed looks into lives unlived--not all of which are sad, but each of which has its own little tragedy hidden in there somewhere. As Amy reminded Bobby, "You need to marry somebody. Not some body." 

( Think what we can keep ignoring )

Marry Me a Little (Five Women That Bobby Never Married)

Welcome to the crack_van! I'm Lacey, and I'm taking the initial plunge into recs for the Inception fandom here. I got so caught up with the Fandom Overview, I almost forgot that I actually get to do recs! :-) Now comes the fun part.

Disclaimer: I'll state up front that I tend to read mainly Arthur/Eames stories, but I'm going to make a concentrated effort to add some other pairings here. (If you'd like to rec your favourite set of stories, sign up to rec! Anyone is welcome to volunteer. If enough people show an interest on an on-going basis, Inception could become a monthly full-time fandom.)

Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Gen - no pairings
Length: ~3503 words
Author on LJ: halcyon_shift; lithiumdoll on Dreamwidth
Author Website: Author Works on AO3
Why this must be read: This is a humourous piece to start us off. Dom has left the business to return to being a father, but the business won't quite leave him alone. He put together a great team for Inception, and ... well, it's not the same when you've had a great team and suddenly the team is left behind and has to make changes. The adjustment period can be hell.

One by one the members of the team reach out to Dom. Oh, they don't expect him to come back, of course. They understand his decision. (Uh-huh.) But maybe he could recommend someone?

This short story superbly showcases each individual character as well as the team dynamics as one after another the team rejects Dom's choices. All their reasons are extremely valid, naturally, and the story does a great job of showing why, when you have a shared history, it's possible to like people who drive you crazy, but it's not so easy to break in a replacement.

( 'Don't take this the wrong way, it's great to hear from you, but this is the longest we've talked for weeks - why are you really calling? I'm pretty sure you don't need me to tell you how to manage Arthur and Eames.' )

Read the story and don't forget to feedback the author: The Replacements

Fandom: BIG TIME RUSH
Pairings: Kendall/Jo, Carlos/OC, Camille/Logan and Camille/James
Length: one-shot (roughly 13,000 words)
Author on LJ: frogy
Author Website: AO3 profile
Why this must be read: This is one of the only fics in the fandom that follows the format of an episode. Every character has a subplot that's a variation on a theme, in this case, relationships. Complete with a snarky narrator and visual aids, the fic peeks into more grown up moments than the show can and does a fantastic job of tackling both Jo's desire to move her relationship along and Carlos' uncertain sexuality.

( excerpt )

Big Time Questions

Fandom: Wilby Wonderful
Pairings:  Duck/OCs, Duck/Dan pre-slash
Length: 1196 words
Author on LJ: magelight5
Website: on dreamwidth as marianas

Why this must be read:

Always Just Duck is one of the well-crafted character studies of Duck MacDonald.  This one captures the honesty and realism of the character.  Reading it, one gets the impression of sitting down with Duck himself.

Always Just Duck

Fandom: WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
Pairing: Gen
Length: 6.566 words
Author on LJ: digitalized_
Author Website: on her LJ, distorted_bytes, displaced_bytes (J-Pop), fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

In the show Max is the clown, the stupid kid, the idiot and sadly almost every fanfic author also uses this image of him. Why? Especially in the earlier episodes there are lots of moments which show a more serious Max but still... maybe it's the easiest way to write him. This is the reason that I was downright stunned as I found this fic.

digitalized_ shows us Max as a normal kid who loves his family and his special ability. Magic is the only thing who makes him different and helps him to find his own self. But is he still the same Max without magic? Who is Max Russo? Is he only Justins and Alexs Russos younger brother? The crazy kid of the sandwich shop? Or is he more?
The author shows us a kid who search for his place in the world and who wants to find out what he wants to do as an adult and who he is as an adult. It's a struggle which is familiar for everyone and maybe this is the reason why the fanfiction is so heartbreaking and touching.

This Max is a person like you and I, a kid who grows up and struggles against his feelings and the world around him till he finds the special place for himself. This is a Max which I could love like I love Justin and Alex. I really wish the TPTB would had given us such scenes with Max but thankfully there are fics like this to solve this problem.

After and Before a Wizard (LJ), FF.net
--> Max grows up, and the family wizard competition is held; after the competition, Max grows up some more.

The Social Network Overview

The Social Network is an award-winning 2010 film by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher starring Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg), Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) and Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker)...



...about the founding of Facebook. And more...

(  “Up until the end, Eduardo’s hoping at some point Mark’s going to go, ‘Look, I’m really, really sorry, man. I really messed up. I love you so much, and I just was jealous of you for this. And I acted out like this. Can we be friends again? I’ll give you back as much money as you want. Let’s move in together and we’ll play basketball every day, and we’ll cuddle at night and watch reality TV.’ Part of Eduardo in those depositions is just waiting for that moment.” Andrew Garfield. )

This story, I think, will appeal to anyone who's seen the movie and wanted more of an explanation; anyone who likes a well-constructed team story; or anyone who likes Arthur/Eames but is content to see them as friends who might one day (if they survive) be something else.

Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Gen - Mal and Dom are married, but apart the entire story; Arthur and Eames share one moment of recognizing their potential together, not even a kiss, at the end of the story
Length: ~18,244 words
Author on LJ: airgiodslv
Author Website: Master Inception Fic List
Why this must be read: This is one of the early fics written within a couple of months after the movie came out. It takes as its premise that the movie is a dream - that Mal and Dom have been dreaming together, gone too deep, and gotten lost. When Mal commits suicide, she actually wakes up to a reality where Dom is in a coma. He remains in a Limbo he believes is the real world - one where he's partly responsible for his wife's death and where he'll do anything to find a way back to his children.

I love this story because it takes the complexity of the film and adds even more layers to it. If you think you understood the movie, this brilliant construction challenges the reader to look at other possibilities. If you found the movie puzzling, perhaps this interpretation will guide you to a deeper understanding. I get something out of it, something I hadn't considered, whenever I read it.

All the characters are there, although they may be slightly different from the roles they play in the movie/dream. Still, they're all recognizable. What really sells the story for me is how this group of people - some who know Dom, some who don't - come together for a single purpose, risking their own lives to help bring Dom home.

( 'Cobb’s in a coma,' Arthur says. It’s the first time he’s said it out loud; the words feel strange in his mouth. 'He’s fallen into limbo. Mal and I can’t wake him up.' )

Read the story and don't forget to feedback the author: Amazing Grace, Part One
Amazing Grace, Part Two

Or read it in one file at AO3: Amazing Grace

There's also a set of two sequel ficlets that focus on Arthur and Eames: Two Amazing Grace Sequel Ficlets