Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Gen with implied Gabe/William and Amanda/Neil
Length: 19,788
Author on LJ: sweetnovicane
Author Website: repopinja
Why this must be read:

This is a fic about a girl wanting to break traditions and become a drag queen. It shows the journey of the character, growing into their own and making a few friends along the way. Because honestly, who wouldn't want a drag queen for a friend?

Especially if that drag queen is Butcher Walker. :D

Add in Amanda Palmer, a creepy British guy lurking in the corner and Greta Salepter, because there always needs to be more Greta, and you have one amazing fic!

( Excerpt Here )



Put The Bass In Your Walk

Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: Of Monsters
Pairing: Gen with nebulous Yusuf/Mal
Length: 7,787
Author on LJ: jibrailis
Author Website: author's works on AO3
Why this must be read: In my first rec, I talked about how I like to tell people how transformative Inception fandom is, how it reshapes the world of canon and does all kinds of incredible things with the moral themes of the story. This fic is one of the most amazing examples of how well Inception canon lends itself to the creation of something totally new and phenomenal while still building on the source material. Taking Inception canon, with its mythical and morally grey subject matter, Jibrailis weaves an alternative mythos about Yusuf, an ancient supernatural dream-eater, and Mal, a shade who is made entirely of dreams.

In this fic, Yusuf is truly a supernatural being; he's amoral and opportunistic, and nothing like the typical jovial sidekick fandom often likes to write him as. But he is completely fascinating and fully realized, and so is the story Jibrailis tells: how every dream tastes different, how Yusuf's canonical dream den is his personal buffet, how Yusuf knows what love is, but also knows so much more. The world through Yusuf's pov is detached and disturbing but always lonely; and when Mal disrupts his life, the results are electric and inevitable and unforgettable.

( 'You may well be the first of your kind,' Yusuf tells her. )

Of Monsters

Fandom: WB/CW RPF
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Length: 68,362
Author on LJ: bewaretheides15
Author Website: link to AO3
Why this must be read:

In honor of the fact that I am going to see The Avengers tomorrow night, I give you one of my favorite fics by someone I recced last time I drove. Here’s the author’s summary: Except for the fact that they were both born with remarkable superhuman abilities, and a seething mutual dislike, Jared and Jensen have nothing in common. Turns out, though, that they may also be the only ones who can save each other from themselves.

I love that both Jared and Jensen are broken in their own very different ways, and that they each both fight and need the connection they have. The author gives us great Jared and Jensen POV, and I adore the use of language – it feels very real and in-the-moment. Plus, there are super-powers, and a team put together by Jeff Morgan that includes Misha, Tom, Chad and Sandy.

Author’s warnings include: brief depictions of past abuse, self-harm and mild dubcon.

( a bit from the beginning )

This Hell We’ve Made

Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: Untitled A/A/E Regency AU (links to entire thread)
Pairing: Arthur/Eames/Ariadne
Length: 6,670
Author on LJ: Anonymous
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read: Previously I recced a fic where they build a scene out of a Regency AU; today I'm reccing an actual Regency AU. This was done for a prompt on inception_kink that requested Ariadne with either Eames as a rake or Arthur as a perfect gentleman. The author has gone even further and turned Ariadne into a delightfully mischievous and saucy minx who can more than hold her own against Eames' charming insouciance and Arthur's shy gallantry.

The kink meme threads make this slightly more work but this fic is SO, SO WORTH IT. Literally one of the hottest fics I've ever read, this fic achieves more sensual eroticism with just the touch of a hand against a glove than many fics do with pages of actual sex. And the threeway dynamic between Arthur/Eames/Ariadne is completely addictive.

( 'Though I cannot deny,' she continues, tilting her head and smiling up at him, 'that Mr. Eames is proving himself essential to my future happiness.' )

Untitled A/A/E Regency AU (links to each comment part): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7.

As in far too much of everything else in my life, I remain seriously (woefully, embarrassingly) behind in current TS reading, so this month's recs will most likely be of the Old School, Fic I Cut My TS Teeth On sort. Probably mostly -- or maybe solely -- slash. Since I'm in that kind of mood. :-) And probably -- or maybe solely -- fic that is less about Sentinel and Guide and more about Jim and Blair as Jim and Blair (since that's the way I roll. Usually. Although not always :-)).

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: (slash) J/B
Length: ~15,650 words
Author on LJ: polly_b
Author Website: Polly Bywater's The Sentinel Fanfiction on Dreamwidth
Why this must be read:

Polly Bywater has a gift for writing a William Ellison I like (a lot), and also for writing J/B angst I like a lot; this fic combines both of those things in a wonderful and satisfying mix of misunderstandings, family feeling (I'm talking extended family here, not just the Ellisons: there are several wonderful throwaway moments between Darryl and Blair, for example), protectiveness that pretty much covers the board, and all kinds of feel-good moments, spiked by insecurities and a touch of h/c and a delicious slow reveal of what actually happened.

If you haven't yet read this fic, I don't want to spoil the reveal, so I'm skipping an excerpt and will just say:
  Jim wakes up in the hospital.
  Things are confusing.
  Then they become less confusing, until he manages to confuse them all over again (if differently), in a typically Jim way...

I've read this story many times; it never lets me down. Off to a desert island and want some very pleasingly written feel-good fic with an excellent side of angst and a satisfyingly wry, if somewhat blindsided Jim? This fic is a perfect fit.

Crossing Nineveh
 
 

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: none / gen
Length: 4 short one-shots
Author on LJ: lyl_devil
Author website/archives: unknown
Why this must be read: This is a (much too short!) series of one-shots focusing on Ella, an amazingly written OC who works in the Starbucks Gibbs likes to frequent. The stories are obviously Gibbs-centric though the third story also features Tony and McGee. The fourth story hints at Gibbs/Hollis, so if you don't like that pairing, you can skip the final installment (it's subtle enough not to upset anyone really, just mentioning it for the sake of good order *g*).

The one-shots are funny as hell, Ella is, without a doubt, one of the best OCs ever written, and everyone is perfectly in character. I go back and read these one-shots whenever I need something to cheer me up, and I promise you, they'll make you smile, too.

(Fic 1: Gibbs' Barista)
(Fic 2: Hiatus Revisited)
(Fic 3: Late Night Coffee Run)
(Fic 4: The Other Woman)

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Gene Hunt/Harry Woolfe, Sam Tyler/Gene Hunt
Length: 1,100 words
Author on LJ: hambelandjemima
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read: Because it hits on a lot of character notes for Gene - his unconditional loyalty, even after having been betrayed, contrasting with his pride - and it's wonderfully angsty, while never straying into melodrama. There is a lot going on in this brief scene, and as is essential with Life on Mars, the things which are unspoken sound just as loudly as the dialogue.

Harry Woolfe laughed, and it turned into a cough, causing him to catch his breath. Hunt watched him for signs of distress, ready to call for a nurse, preferably the brunette with big tits and lovely bedside manner, but Harry calmed down, wheezing slightly and shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"You'll be the death of me, you will."

A raised eyebrow. "I rather think someone else got there first," was the dry response.

Doing the Right Thing

Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Pairing: John/Rose, John/Vriska, John/Dave, Dave/Terezi, Sollux/Aradia
Length: 67k
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: On AO3 / On Tumblr
Why this must be read: Strider’s Edge is a worldfusion that takes the beta kids and trolls and slots them perfectly into Oxford University. It’s pitch-perfect on tone, characterization, world-building, drama, and destroying your heart.

By noon on my first Saturday in Oxford, I had achieved two things of note. I had entirely failed to become an official member in full standing of the University; and I had got drunk with David Lalonde. The first of these was, as it turned out, to have absolutely no repercussions whatsoever. The second would be of much greater import in the long term.

Strider’s Edge