Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Nate Fick/Brad Colbert, Ray Person/Walt Hasser
Length: 40841
Author on LJ: cala_jane, noelia_g
Why this must be read:

For the first of the AUs, we're going to go with one of the epics of the fandom - a time-travel AU with concepts from the Terminator Series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse. For me, it really helped define the fandom and its relation to AUs, and it remains one of my longterm favourites for how the characters remain true despite the very different situations.

This fic is, on the surface of it, an 'action flick' premise - a small team having to time travel to destroy a vital item being sought by the evil robot force - but it's full of subtleties that you don't get until the second (sometimes third) read-through. The voices are spot-on, and a lot of the interactions - especially between Brad, Ray, and Poke - feel as if they could be straight out the mini. Nate, too, is very recognisably himself, despite the different situation.


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The Second Of Our Reign

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: none
Length: 1,020 words
Author on LJ: lillian_raven
Author Website: Masterlist on LJ
Warnings: self-harm
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: Sometimes it's enough to simply know that you are not alone with your problems.

It's amazing the subjects and themes that I find explored in ficcage, the power of emotion and subtlety of writing. Butterfly brings all of these to the table, a painfully moving subject, the theme and emotions of healing with friendship, and the quiet power of subtle phrases that pack a powerful punch.

Self cutting is a painful subject to explore, even for me who doesn't know anyone personally who does this. And yet, bringing light to a movement that is out there to help these individuals know they're not alone is an inspiring idea for a fic. And incorporating that movement so well into NCIS canon while keeping everyone in-character takes some serious characterization chops. I felt my heart clench at the pure love the reader can feel in this fic, the love of family, friendship, and the healing that can come of it. Even though the tears, I had a wobbly smile plastered across my face.

Butterfly

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: B/D
Length: Novel
Author on LJ: ankh_lj
Author Website: Bunnyfic
Why this must be read: This story - all 94,000+ words of it - has been around since 2000 but previously only in zine form, from Gryphon Press. Last year Cherilyn put it online, to great squeeing and joy from Pros fans, because it really is a great Pros story. It follows the lads from their first meeting, its' well-written, it's in character, and it's beautifully, gorgeously long. Oh, and Doyle's mum makes an appearance too. What more could a B/D fan want?

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Fruit of the Spirit

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Length: 74k
Author on LJ: She doesn't have one
Author's Website: Her blog is here
Why this must be read: Kari's writing is nearly flawless, so that in itself is enough reason to check it out. The subtitle of this story is "A DH Subplot" and quite obviously, takes an AU detour through the events of Deathly Hallows. The premise is that the consequence of Ron and Hermione discovering their closeness a little sooner affects the trio during their jaunt for Horcruxes and during the final battle.


Hallowed Hearts: A DH Subplot

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Mikey/Ray, Frank/Gerard
Length: 20,990 words
Author on LJ & DW: snarkydame & theladysnarkydame
Author on AO3: snarkydame

Why this must be read: Ray and Frank are the only survivors of the Jersey Queen, an independent freighter hit by pirates. In the chaos, the doomed ship took a blind jump through the hyperways, leaving them stranded in a dark and lonely quadrant of space. Mikey and Gerard are the last remaining crew of a legendary "ghost" ship, the Ravenkroft, which has been lost for the fifty years since the War that Broke the Stations.

I have a big weakness for space AUs and this is one of the best I've read in a very long time. It's got absolutely fantastic worldbuilding - you believe in this universe. Believe that it has a coherent structure and history, you just don't know them yet. It also has excellent characterisations - I particularly like the way Mikey and Gerard's relationship is written.

What really stands out for me in this story however, is the mood and atmosphere. There's a bittersweet, almost lyrical quality to large parts of the story. It's heartbreaking but not tragic and at the end you feel that there's real hope for them all.

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Catching Pieces of a Falling Sky (on AO3) or here (on DW) or here (on LJ)

Hi, everybody, sorry for the late start – I'm Gwinna and I'll be reccing Star Wars for (what's left of) February. I'm mostly a genfic fan, so that is what you will be getting from me, possibly with some canon pairings thrown in. Now, onto the fic.

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Gen – mainly OCs, with appearances by Darth Vader and General Veers
Length: 5 chapters/~11,280 words
Author on LJ: not on LJ as far as I can tell
Author Website: fanfiction.net profile
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: Governmental contracts usually go to the lowest bidder. Even in galaxies far, far away. And, here or there, you get what you pay for.

This story does something I have rarely seen and shows the Galactic Empire dealing with a relatively mundane problem: contaminated food supply. When a low-ranking scientific officer aboard the Executor discovers a harmful chemical in the meal provisions for the troops, she has to cut through red tape before anything gets done about it; eventually Lord Vader finds out, and reacts as one might expect. The story continues with an Imperial raid on the facilities of the food supplier, in which our protagonist, Lt. Malan, is tasked with uncovering who's responsible for the crime.

Even if you don't think food contamination sounds all that exciting compared to the usual Star Wars fare, don't let that stop you from reading this fic – it's more interesting than you might think. Moreover this story is one of the best I've read at depicting what life is like for ordinary Imperials, full of detail that rings true, like the sometimes friendly, sometimes not-so-friendly rivalry between the Army and the Navy. The main (original) character is smart and competent, but not unrealistically so, and the canon characters, though not present for long, are treated in a very satisfying manner. In conclusion, you should read this because it's a well-written story with an engaging plot, which also manages to humanize a group of people who are nothing but cannon fodder in the original movies.

Food Scandal