Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: Palm, Ditch, Steal ; Load, Misdirection, Switch
Pairing: Arthur/Eames, Ariadne/Saito
Length: 22,320
Author on LJ: imperfectcircle
Author Website: Author's fics at AO3; masterlist of fics on author's journal
Why this must be read: By turns funny, warm, calculating, cruel, and loving, this story never lets you forget the underlying uncertainty of Inception--or that we're dealing with amoral mind thieves. After the events of the film, the Inception team may be the best, but they still have enemies, and they each have their own demons. Told from the POV of Arthur and Ariadne respectively, "Palm, Ditch, Steal" and "Load, Misdirection, Switch" were written relatively early in the life of the fandom, and epitomize several classic tropes: Arthur and Eames doing practice runs in the dreamscape to test/play with Eames' abilities as a forger, the Inception team getting back together and working for Saito after canon, the repercussions of their takedown of Fischer-Morrow.

But as taut and intriguing as the plot is, what you'll remember later is the overpowering uncertainty of a life juggling reality and fantasy, and it's this that makes the emotions in this fic all the more deeply experienced. Arthur's longing for Eames is as intense as his distrust of what's real and what they have together, while Ariadne's calm certainty about what she feels for Saito can't quite quell the tricks dreamshare plays on her mind. Both relationships are written beautifully, as is the team as a whole and their group dynamic. This is a fic that will stay with you for a long, long time.

( Arthur does not lean back. Arthur does not want to lean back. Arthur is lying to himself, badly. )

Palm, Ditch, Steal ; Load, Misdirection, Switch

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Bob Fraser/Caroline Fraser
Length: 20,444 words
Author on LJ: bghost
Author Website: On Ao3.

Why this must be read: A relative newcomer to dS fandom, ButterflyGhost leaped right in with amazing casefics -- click on her link above and you can find something for anyone, from any era of Due South. But this, while a casefic in many ways, is also the story of the marriage, of an era in the RCMP, of an era in the life of an amazing woman who barely got any development in the series. ButterflyGhost takes Caroline Fraser and makes her real; she's a living, breathing woman in every sense of the word in this story, and there are moments you laugh, moments you bleed for her and many moments where you have to stop reading upon realizing what her future, inevitably, will be. She doesn't shy away from the reality of police work, sexism, racism or the flaws of the characters, and the story is all the better for it. As part of a longer series, there's more to come, but even just reading this first volume will make you look at the generation prior of Fraser (and those surrounding) in a more nuanced, clear, burning light.

In a Nutshell (Vol 1) by ButterflyGhost

Title: Eames the Liar
Fandom: Inception, Rocknrolla
Pairing: Arthur/Eames, past Eames/One-Two
Length: app 40k
Author on LJ: featherfish
Author Website: fic listing on author's journal
Why this must be read: It's Crossover Week on crack_van, so I'm going to be reccing a few of my favorite crossovers and fusions, because Inception fandom has some amazing examples in all kinds of other fandoms. And like Lacey before me, I'm starting with a RocknRolla AU.

This is an AMAZING RocknRolla x-over where Eames' past is Handsome Bob. I read this fic before I had seen RocknRolla, but I didn't need it to appreciate or understand what was happening. In addition to being totally 100% full of love for Arthur/Eames, and especially Eames' uncertainty and hesitation and total devotion to Arthur, it's a wild cinematic ride from start to finish: narrative jump cuts, non-linear omniscient POV, fab characterizations, BAMF!Yusuf, Arthur & Eames being so fucking in love, the movie references, the crazy plot-- it's all fabulous.

( This was the night Arthur became a stick in the mid, and Eames thinks he's wrecked his little window of opportunity. )

Eames the Liar

Today I bring you a series of fics. The Gatchaman/G-Force teams don’t really figure very heavily in these; they are mostly about the Spectrans, and Zoltar and his family.

In posting these stories, I’m gearing up for one heck of a Crack Van Collision tomorrow… believe me, you won’t want to miss it! ;)

Fandom: Gatchaman/Battle of The Planets
Characters: Dr. Nambu, Berg Katse, Leader X, Chief Anderson, Zoltar, The Great Spirit, G-Force, various Spectrans.
Pairing: None
Length: Various.
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Unpublished Writer on the Gatchaman Fanfic Archive
Why this must be read: This series begins with Berg Katse’s defeat at the hands of Gatchman and Leader X’s flight from Earth. The first story is the tale of how Gatchaman’s Leader X became The Great Spirit, aka The Luminous One in Battle of the Planets. The rest deal with the Spectran Royal Family, most specifically Zoltar, his parents, and his sister Mala.

Origin of the Luminous One Word Count: 7297 Rating: PG

Among the Servants Word Count: 1477. Rating: PG-13

Presentation Day Word Count: 1279 Rating: PG

Three-Day Word Count: 7272 Rating: PG

Saving Spectra Word Count: 1845 Rating: PG-13

Enjoy! :D

Fandom: STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE
Pairing: Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Length: 26k
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website:   Nansi & Annie's Fiction Page
Why this must be read: After the events of TPM, Obi-Wan was knighted and he and Qui-Gon went their separate ways. Six years later, they meet again. This is what I like to call simple, classic feel-good fic.


Excerpt:
He'd never meant to quite so completely lose touch with this man. The dozen years of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship hadn't been trouble free - how boring that would have been - but Qui-Gon had come to love his Padawan with fierce protectiveness and he'd been equally proud of his apprentice's accomplishments as Obi-Wan grew from a rather reserved, shy boy into a confident, well-centered man.

And then had come the mission to Naboo - their last together as master and apprentice, as it turned out. In the aftermath, Obi-Wan was knighted, his braid cut, his feet firmly placed upon the path they'd both worked toward so single-mindedly. Absorbed in their work, not sent on missions that overlapped, they drifted apart. A similar ending to a similar story lived by thousands of Jedi every year.

With the exception that Qui-Gon was curiously uninterested in training another Padawan. Instead, he'd opted for the Jedi- equivalent of a high-wire act: complex and delicate negotiations, frequently moving behind the scenes as the Chancellor's special envoy. He'd tracked his former apprentice's career, always expecting him to team up with another Jedi, though Obi-Wan had not done so. Nor had he yet taken a Padawan of his own.

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Gwaine/Elena, Morgana/Leon, Gwen/Lancelot
Length: ~38,000 words
Author on LJ: anna_zee
Author Website: Fanfiction tag on LJ
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: Modern AU with magic. Arthur is a professional footballer on the verge of making history. Merlin is a medical student with special powers who's just been hired to work for Arthur's club. You know the rest.

Modern AUs are usually a hard sell for me; even with magic involved, I usually find the situations and characters not right so far removed from their natural environment. Not so with anna_zee's masterpiece! Even in the world of soccer/football and sports medicine (+ magic), every character voice is surprisingly on key and the world is as firmly grounded in canon details as well as modern twists. Arthur's and Merlin's relationship develops over months so there's lots of time for rich details to emerge and obstacles to overcome. All coming to a glorious end that is guaranteed to make you smile and want to start the journey all over again!

Champagne from a paper cup (is never quite the same)

Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Pairing: Rose/Kanaya, John/Vriska
Length: 11.5k
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: On AO3 / On Tumblr
Why this must be read: Lanta is a versatile and talented writer, and all her works are both inventive and incisive. This is a story about Dave trying to survive on his own without his brother, and it's absolutely gripping. It's got just the right amount of pain and fear to ring true and keep you glued to the screen without descending into overwrought angst, and the ending's crisp and perfect. 

The game remakes the world when they win. It forgets one thing.

Hold Your Colour

Fandom: WB/CW RPF
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Length: ~5500
Author on LJ: tryfanstone
Author Website: jay tryfanstone’s fics
Why this must be read:

There are lots of reasons to read this. You get to see Jared as a shy monk, who cares more about the illuminated text he’s working on than his own safety. Then there's Jensen, who is, as the title suggests, a very friendly Viking who steals Jared away. And of course, there's Pangur Ban, Jared’s beloved cat. This is written so beautifully – I could easily see each and every scene. I adore the little details the author added; bits about how the colors used in the manuscript were created made the artist in me especially happy.

Originally from a blindfold_spn prompt, with the request of no non-con (and despite the premise, there’s no dubcon either), this is a sweet tale that will charm you and put a smile on your face.

( a bit from the beginning )

Pangur Ban and the Very Friendly Viking

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: gen
Length: 400
Author on LJ: ami_ven
Author website/archives: unknown
Why this must be read: This ficlet is short and yet tells us so much--about the team, their closeness, their friendship. It will break your heart and make you go "aww" and then you realize that this is exactly how you want it to happen in canon...preferably sometime in the far, far future. *sniffles*

(The Last Scene)