First of all, an apology. I meant to rec a vid on Drive-in Night which is the last Friday in every month. A vid can be recced then without counting towards the monthly quota. However, the van broke down... (I lost all access to LJ for almost 48 hours without any explanation. I couldn’t even load the general site, let alone log in to my account. The site came back this morning as mysteriously as it disappeared.) So no vid this time, as I still have two stories to rec.

I am celebrating being back on the road. There are still flickering images in the side mirrors and we seem to have taken a diversion to a remote Welsh holiday cottage but that means I’m heading for one of my favourite stopping places.


Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: 15,458 words
Author on LJ byslantedlight
Author website/archives Palely Loitering. The author runs this website which is a wonderful Pros resource and her own definitive list of fics is listed under her name on the Authors page.
Why this must be read: This is a seriously creepy story, set during a Christmas holiday in Wales but equally suitable for Halloween reading so read it now and keep it for re-reading for either Christmas or Halloween - or both! It all starts so conventionally... The lads take a couple of girls on holiday but the cottage is not as cosy as it seems and the lads have hidden agendas too. There is plenty of folklore research, there are frightening images (and sounds), and there is a rock-solid relationship between the partners underpinning it all. The author is quite brilliant at painting word pictures so expect to see the cottage decked out for Christmas, the village pub, and darker things - all vividly portrayed. Enjoy!


Pwnco

Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: Fashion is all about eventually becoming naked - R
Pairing: Arthur/Eames
Length: 5300
Author on LJ: tequilideas
Author Website: masterlist of fic on author's LJ
Why this must be read: I coul dn't do a whole month without talking about the clothes. Inception fandom loves the clothes. They love doing meta essays about what the clothes say about the characters. They love ogling Arthur's suits. And they love arguing over whether Eames' nebulous sense of fashion is tacky, deliberate, clueless, or genteel. tequilideas had the brilliant idea to go with the line of thought that Eames knows exactly what he's doing--almost. So when he decides to seduce Arthur by becoming the living embodiment of suit porn, the results are, um. Accidentally impressive. Hilarious, sexy, and full of fabulous visuals, this fic had me ogling the fall fashion galleries for weeks.


( Arthur is easily the most fuckable person Eames has ever worked with and Eames loves fucking people he works with. )

Fashion is all about eventually becoming naked

Fandom: WB/CW RPF
Pairing: Jensen/Jared pre-slash
Length: 5600 words
Author on LJ: kelleigh
Author Website: fic master list
Why this must be read:

This is the first of two fics (both totally worth reading) in “The incredibly gay and erotic adventures of Jenny Boy and Jay Ryder.” I love this not just because the idea of the boys as strippers (or as Jensen puts it, “exclusive performers,”) but because they are just too freaking adorable in this. Here, see what I mean:

( a sample of their hot adorableness below )

Full disclosure - this post may have been partially inspired by the fact that it is 95 degrees in mizland, and my A/C is on the fritz. So the idea of less clothing isincredibly appealing to me!

The Way You Move Ain’t Fair, You Know

Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Pairing: n/a
Length: 2k
Author on LJ: conceptofzero
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read: Conceptofzero does spectacular carapace fic, pulling astonishing amounts of nuance and poignancy out of the smallest things. This is a sweet, hopeful little look at the Wayward Vagabond settling into the newest phase of his very long, very strange life. Dave and Terezi shine in it, too. 

The first month after he wakes up on the meteor, WV spends most of his time alone.

Reconstruction

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin , past Uther/Ygraine
Length: 2,608 words
Author on LJ: pepperlandgirl4
Author Website: Legends of Merlin
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: Uther has never understood his son's relationship with his manservant and thinks it may just be a one-off fling, that is until one day when Merlin is found bloody and beaten and is fighting for his life. Uther finds his son huddled up in his chambers crying, and reminds him of how he felt when Ygraine was dying/ had died. Without saying a word he comforts his son and begins to understand their relationship

I really liked how this author portrayed Uther. In so many fics, he's simply a two-dimensional tyrant, only out to kill every magical person he finds and thwart Arthur in all the good things he tries to accomplish. And yet in canon even, there are moments where his deep love for his children are showcased and highlighted. It's that second part of his character that is brought into vivid light by Pepper's lovely characterizing hands. Uther's wisdom and deep abiding love for his son come forward when Merlin is severely injured and Arthur's deep devotion for his manservent comes to light. Even though he may not agree with this relationship, he still supports his son in this time of crisis and provides comfort where he can. I adored the glimpses we got of their father/son relationship, both in past and present. Pepper provides layers to Uther's character with these flashes into the lives of the Pendragons and their loved ones. With lyrical story-telling and emotional intensity, we are provided with an Uther who is both the hard monarch we know him as and the loving father we know he is capable of being.

A Pendragon's Heart (Is a Terrible Thing)

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Tony/Tim
Length: about 4,800
Author on LJ: my_young_friend
Author website/archives: AO3
Why this must be read: I love "how they got together" stories. And this one is so brilliant and funny and, well, realistic that it fills me with glee. The author got the boys' voices down pat, and the whole thing is just so true to the characters. I love that the whole story takes its sweet time before Tony and Tim actually end up together. It's almost as if we, the readers, are being courted throughout the fic.

And really, the very last line? Kills me every single time I read it. :)

(On We March)