Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Evan Stafford/John Christeson
Length: 7251
Author on LJ: secondheartbeatWhy this must be read:

We're going to stick with a less-popular pairing for this rec: Stafford/Christeson. They're one of the cutest pairings in the fandom, and the fic is usually of the lighter variety (I say usually; there are also a couple of epics). Again, the fic is of excellent quality.

This is a fic in mostly letters between Evan and John, before and after the DADT Repeal - as the author says, they start with “Dear John” but end with “I love you”. DADT Repeal was a big thing in the GK fandom when it went through, and there was even a fic fest - but some of the best fic dealing with it was actually written in anticipation of the Repeal, and this is one of my favourites.

The voices are spot-on; you can hear the narration, full of slang and Marine acronyms and street-talk. It's cutely domestic (inasmuch as Marines get), slice-of-life - and it's hilariously funny!


( Excerpt... )


When You're Happy Like A Fool (let it take you over)

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/Tony
Length: 24,839 words
Author on LJ: slashscribe
Author Website: Masterlist on LJ
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: While investigating a double homicide that turns out to be a violent hate-crime, the NCIS team stumbles upon a God-loving, gay-hating group called Genesis.

Insightful self discovery, teamy goodness, a fascinating case fic with a twisty ending, and a get together that will just melt your heart, Boiling Point has it all. Slashscribe has written a tale straight off a executive script, I swear, everything plays out just like an episode. The character voices are all spot on and the development of the case was paced wonderfully. Tony finding himself, his home, and his man at the end was a cherry on the top of an already wonderful story. You'll love reading him discover himself and that his team is there for him through everything.

Boiling Point

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: general fiction
Length: 29,000 words
Author on LJ: dotfic
Author Website: master lists

Why this must be read: The summary: Having sold his soul to save Sam's life, Dean finds himself in Hell at the mercy of the demon Alastair, who is intent on breaking him. But all that Dean was and is, everyone who's had an impact on him, are still a part of Dean, and he won't break easily. As Dean takes refuge in his own mind to escape the torture, angels gather, ordered to undertake an unusual mission: rescue The Righteous Man from Hell. Castiel knows an invasion of Hell will be difficult, but he has no idea how much this mission will demand of him, how wrong the best-laid plans can go – and how much everything is about to change irrevocably. Meanwhile, Dean's defenses and his hope start to fail. He thinks no one is ever coming to save him. He's wrong. Here's a snippet:

( & )

The intensity of the story makes for a read that speeds along, but also keeps the reader engrossed in what the characters' motivations are and why they are such. The deft prose is perfect for the story in that it is moving and often tender, but it never gets dramatic or over the top. This is one of the few stories I find myself mulling over at the strangest times, and that's because it's unforgettable and lingers long after you've finished the read.


The Sharp Edge of Earth

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Length: 40,371 Ten stories in the series.
Author on LJ:castalie
Author's WebsiteCastalie's Page at AO3

Why this must be read

Picture a blighted urban landscape in a port town, odorous with the stink of dead fish, grimy, desolate, decrepit, and dangerous. Now look more closely. A patch of wildflowers managed to push through broken pavement, and is a small oasis of beauty.

That is what this AU series encapsulates. Blair is a sex worker, and goes to his knees in alleys and cheap motel rooms. It's all he knows how to do for a living, because his earlier life took him away from the path Blair traveled in canon. He never got an education, and being sexually abused as a child and young teen skewed how he values his body. But even though his experiences changed where he's ended up in life, he still has the essential core of his personality and interests. He still likes observing people, even if he mostly uses it to please his johns for a bigger tip. But trusting people? No way.

The series gives us snapshots of how Blair finds himself changing that attitude after he keeps running into Jim Ellison, a dock worker and ex-soldier, a capable man but one that can't keep a job for long due to the re-occurring strange health problems he has – combination of something like seizures, allergies, and out of control hyperactive senses.

This isn't a fantasy call-boy story. Jim doesn't take Blair away from the streets. Instead it is gritty, realistic, frequently heartbreaking and utterly beautiful as these two human beings take a fragile, tentative relationship and, despite their volatile moments, build a strong, caring partnership between them.

One of the things I like most about the stories are the passages where Blair turns his fertile imagination into building a safe space emotionally for the two of them. Another is how, despite the problems they face of no affordable health care and Blair's limited options for employment, they have found a safe harbor with each other.

( An excerpt from Prince Charming, number two in The Night series )

The Night series by Castalie

Tomorrow is the 15th of the month, which means Crack Van Collisions, a.k.a. cross-over day.

Drivers, you may rec one fic that crosses over your fandom with another (no, this does not count against your maximum). Please post crossovers in the following format:

Subject: Fandom/Fandom (Rating)

Title: Title by Author
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Author on LJ:
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

(link to story)

tags: fanfic, crossover, fandom, fandom, etc.



Thanks, all!

Fandom: Sherlock
Pairing: Mycroft, Sherlock/John
Length: 5K
Author on LJ: kantayra
Author Website: kantayra_fic
Why this must be read:

I love a lot of kantayra's work. I was really torn between reccing this and another fic of hers and it's just so hard to choose. I love Big Brother because it is funny and cracky and sweet. It's all about Mycroft being ludicrously overprotective which also happens to be one of my favorite tropes. Mycroft is a complicated man, the shadowy figure who runs the British government (and possibly some others), and at the same time the nagging older sibling who spies on you constantly through CCTV.


( Excerpt )

Big Brother