Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: the little enough damage I do to you
Pairing: Saito/Arthur, Arthur/OC, past Arthur/Ariadne, hints of messy non-Arthur/Eames
Length: 4,162
Author on LJ: two_if_by_sea
Author Website: masterlist of fics on author's journal
Why this must be read: This is the final of 3 fics written as a sort of spontaneous back-and-forth between two_if_by_sea and weatherfront, who both rank among the most talented writers I know across all my fandoms. The three fics together give us an Arthur who lets himself get caught up in a dysfunctional power play of sex and codependency as Saito's kept man and "personal assistant." It's just as hot and awful and hurtful and brilliant and devastating as you might expect anything that pits these two against-and-with each other to be, and this, the finale of the trio of fics, is the tour de force.

two_if_by_sea's writing is the literary equivalent of a knife under your ribs. It's one long flawless cut, and you don't realize how badly you're wounded until you reach the end of the fic and discover you've bled out. Her Arthur is a confused defiant mess, and his need for Saito is perfectly balanced against his need to run from Saito and his ruthless control over Arthur's life. This fic is a study in beautiful chaos and the desire for your own destruction.

( 'To symbolize impermanence,' he says, laughing, and then pours more sake without looking at Saito. )

the little enough damage I do to you

A very short stop today - just long enough to grab a cup of tea or coffee *g*

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: 619 words
Author on LJ merentha13
Author website/archives merentha13
Why this must be read: Just in case you were beginning to think I wasn’t serious about explicitly slashy scenes, this is a short but incredibly hot internal dialogue during sex. The author said it was an experiment in response to a challenge (‘in the style of...’) and I think we just have to hope she goes on experimenting.


Thoughts Unvoiced

Fandom: Inception
Title: t on the timeline
Pairing: Arthur/Eames
Length: 13,000
Author on LJ: battleofhydaspe
Author Website: masterlist of fics on author's journal
Why this must be read: This quiet fic sneaks past you quickly because of its smooth writing style and near-vignette format, but it gradually spreads out into something heart-stopping and gorgeous and love-filled. Arthur and Eames have a dynamic that's almost effortless and unstated, with levels of understanding that get communicated here so effectively, in muted moments and unspoken mutual silences. And simultaneously, the two of them carry on being absolute total badasses who rely completely on one another's competency and expertise and basically being the most skilled and scary two motherfuckers in illegal international dreamshare.

This fic is also one of the better-handled instances of the ever-popular Rogue Projection trope. Battleofhydaspe subverts it by making the projection into a manifestation, not of unconscious desire, but rather unconscious trust, which is a whole different level of intimacy. The result is brilliant and beautiful. It's not often in fics you get chemistry this off-the-chart without sacrificing any of the subtlety and the slow burn of true love, but these two, Arthur and Eames, are 100% perfect for this type of portrayal. It all translates into Mutual BAMFery and Awkward Feelings and it's all so good I want to die.

( Eames’ skin is warm underneath Arthur’s touch and all Arthur wants to do is splay his fingers wide, wider, touch everywhere he can reach.  )

t on the timeline

Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Pairing: Rose/Kanaya, Kanaya/Vriska.
Length: 51k
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: On AO3 / On tumblr.
Why this must be read: Slavefic AUs are pretty trendy in nearly every fandom, and a lot of the time they’re pretty much just thinly veiled excuses for master-slave porn. Porn is great, but this story actually takes the time-- a year or two in-universe, and eight long chapters-- to examine the dynamics and the psychological ramifications of institutional slavery, and how some wounds just don’t heal, and how buying a slave to save her isn’t such an easy proposition. Even if you’re not a fan of femslash, give it a try.


The war with Earth has been over for sweeps, and as part of the numerous peace treaties, the trolls have returned many of the captured humans to their home world. But there are those who remain upon Alternia's surface, those who had nobody to ask for them by name, who are sold into slavery and worse still.
At the age of eighteen, Rose is finally given a placement: at the hive of one Kanaya Maryam.

Seam By Seam

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: none / gen
Length: short
Author on LJ: rinkle
Author website/archives: unknown
Why this must be read: We all loved "Frame Up", didn't we? And many a tag was written based on this amazing episode. But "Murder Will Speak" gives us a "what if?" scenario that will chill you to the bone and make you look at the entire episode in a different light. Brilliantly written and devastatingly twisted, yet scarily believable. You'll never see Tony in the same light again, trust me.

(Murder Will Speak)