Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Characters: Vin, Buck
Length: 6,526 words
Author on lj: n/a
Author website: BMP's stories on AO3

Why this must be read:  Aside from the lovely writing and characterizations, I like this one for the early-series feel.  It's from Vin's pov, and Vin's pov on other members of the seven is always fascinating.  He's a character who knows what he thinks but doesn't go around saying it all the time, so it's often revealing to be inside his head.  In this case, he's been landed with accompanying Buck on a messenger mission he doesn't much appreciate, and just because he knows by now that he trusts his new compadres, it doesn't mean travelling in close proximity will be a pleasure.

It's a warm, humorous and insightful read; by the time we have followed Vin to Red Fork and back to Four Corners we have got to know Vin, Buck, and also Chris that little bit better.  And been treated to a wonderful slice of old west.

But just as Vin took hold of the reins to turn up the street, that crazy kind of smirk lit on Larabee's face.  He nodded once at Wilmington's back, heading toward the end of town.  "Have a good trip," Larabee said, and grinned a grin that seemed far more amused than was warranted.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Red Fork

Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 93,600 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Derbyshire Writers' Guild

Why this must be read:

A middle-aged Darcy is surprised in his study one day by the sudden appearance of an old man. This old man claims to have changed the past, and thus Darcy's future. Darcy was supposed to marry Elizabeth Bennet, but instead he married a rich heiress, and is now miserable. His wife is constantly and publicly unfaithful, and Darcy's estate is verging on bankruptcy. The old man offers him a chance to fix everything. But, the old man cautions, it will not be easy, for time is resilient and resists change.

Thus, Fitzwilliam Darcy embarks on a strange journey through time. His first companion is the old man, but he disappears when they set the first thing right. He then gains help from two others, but I will not spoil you as to who they are.

I stumbled across this wonderful story only recently, and I am so glad I did. It's sort of like a semi-steampunk Pride and Prejudice, with a time machine and everything! (For those of you who do not favor the genre, the steampunk is mostly limited to the time machine itself.) The reader knows how the story is supposed to end, but it's the getting there that is all the fun. Ultimately, Darcy must go through the same humbling changes in every incarnation of himself, whether as a young gentleman or as a middle-aged man who seeks to set right what once went wrong. Highly recommended.

* * *

( Excerpt )

The True Adventures of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Time Traveler

Fandom: MEN'S PROFESSIONAL TENNIS RPS
Pairing: Andy Murray/Novak Djokovic
Length:~ 8000 words
Author on LJ: greeniebach
Author Website: storyofameadow
Why this must be read: Alternate Reality fic is a rather fascinating kind of story in this fandom.  This particular fic examines what would happen if Andy (and later Novak) got injured before becoming an elite player.  Andy gets restless staying in Great Britain, throws a dart at a map and lands in Melbourne.  He is determined to avoid anything related to tennis - which includes a rather miffed Novak.  What I love about this story is how it looks into the mindset of what actually leaving the tour means, how the home you grew up in now can seem so different after seeing the world.

When You Grow Up

Fandom: BANDOM (MCR)

Pairing: Frank Iero/Mikeyway, past Frank/Jamia

Length: 6,938 words

Author on LJ: turps33

Author Website: Her Masterlist at LJ / DW / AO3

Warnings: Description of past deaths of main characters, mention of gory scenes, as this is set in the afterlife the main characters are dead.

Why this must be read: The next few recs will be all about non-Frank/Gerard fics. MCR is, like all Bandom bands, highly pairable, so I want to showcase other popular couples.

The Afterlife is both a familiar place and a prison for Frank. He's got a home, some of his dogs and all of eternity to do as he pleases. At the same time, he's cut off from everyone else on the Other Side and the constant rain outside his house strengthens his apathy to look past the windows. Things would've continued like so for him had it not been for the match-making that the Afterlife's dating service did on his behalf.

Mikeyway shows up, all bony angles and dry-humour, and Frank's world flips over as his self-imposed boundaries are pushed.

There's a bittersweet tang amid the banter between Frank and Mikeyway. But we also get hope soothing even the most tortured soul. This is a story that offers a great mix of laughter and heart-clenching.

I have to admit that deathfics are a definite squick of mine so I waffled on whether or not to read this one.

As mentioned in the warnings, the majority of the characters are dead, but, please, don't let that keep you way from reading it. Between Frank and Mikeyway not!dating (even though they actually are), their conversations (which go from funny to morbid to tender and back again) and the love both Mikeyway and Frank have for those they've left behind in the world of the living, "Imitating Yesterday" is the deathfic you didn't know you wanted to read.


( An excerpt )


Imitating Yesterday: LJ version and AO3 version

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