Fandom: SKIP BEAT!
Pairing: Kyoko/Ren
Length: 12 chapters, 38,658 words
Author on LJ: none that I know of
Author Website: FF.net profile page
Why this must be read: This fic starts off strong and is quite enjoyable! The author does turn rather vicious when two characters get their comeuppance. I like how she handled Sho and Kyoko at the end. Note this fic has a surprising number of spelling errors--including canon names--for one with this level of plotting and characterization, but the story overshadows them and kept me reading. [You definitely need to know who Natsu is to enjoy this one.]

Your Kyoko-chan

Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: None - general
Length: ~13,800 words
Author on LJ: winterlive
Author Website: winterlive's stories on AO3
Why this must be read: This story is really all about Arthur after inception, and who he's become. He takes the time to travel around the States, visiting places that used to be home, and places where there are people he's known before. It's an exploration of perspective, and how a key event in life tends to make a person think about their experiences and achievements, and to consider what the future might hold.

Arthur does eventually end up on Eames' doorstep, but it's not about romance, it's about trust. Arthur has a question he needs answered, and there's only one person he thinks he can believe. It's an intricate and thoughtful look into Arthur's character.

( The morning after inception, Arthur hurls his phone into the Mojave Desert. )

On AO3: Get Lost

If you enjoy the story, remember to feedback the author!

Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Arthur/Eames, Arthur/OFCs, Eames/Original Male Character, Dom Cobb/Mal, Ariadne/Arthur, Eames/Yusuf bromance
Length: ~19500 words
Author on LJ: matchsticks_p
Author Website: matchsticks_p's stories on AO3; matchsticks_p's fic tag on LJ
Why this must be read: I'm an OTP happy endings girl. I'm not particularly fond of stories where my two favourite guys don't get together, but sometimes there's a story that manages to have so many good things in it, it's worth the twinge of sadness it brings. For example, Eames here is afraid of marine mammals, which is absolutely priceless, and at one point he's asked to forge a parrot. It's just as hilarious as you can imagine.

And all the while, he's resigned to being in love with an Arthur who is straight and can't love him back. Eames tries his very best to hide his feelings from Arthur, but that's easier said than done, and the two of them are troubled about the strain it's putting on their friendship. What I really like about this story is that Arthur and Eames are friends, and genuinely care about each other, and Eames is understanding of the position he's putting Arthur in. It doesn't change how either of them feels, though, and what could be something unbearably sad turns out to have a hopeful ending.

( 'I'm afraid of marine mammals,' Eames says in a tiny voice. )

On LJ: dead birds fly again
On AO3: dead birds fly again

If you enjoy the story, remember to feedback the author!

Why this must be read:

When a serial killer strikes on an important allied world, the SGC calls on the BAU for help.

This is a great fic which captures both fandoms and makes it believable that they exist in the same world.  The characters are well-written and recognizable, and the twist--not in the case, but in the relations between Earth and the allied world--is both surprising and believable.  I didn't see it coming, and yet when I knew it it seemed inevitable.

Disclaimer: this fic was written for me for xover_exchange. 

Evening of the Empire