Everyone knows the PWP, whether it be as Plot? What plot? Or Porn Without Plot, or even, for those whose characters get carried away, Porn With Plot. I'd like to introduce a new category, Porn With Personality. This is porn which, although it doesn't have plot, does manage to encapsulate the character of the players. Good porn should, in my opinion, always do this, otherwise it might as well be Tab A and Slot B and really that's not so much fun to read. Anyway, my second rec definitely falls into the Porn With Personality category. It's porn and it has acres of personality. Not that it could help it, given the people involved.


Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Genre: Het, humour, crack, PWP.
Length: About 2000 words
Author on LJ: sinemoras09
Warnings: Crack, explicit sex.
Author Websites: Deviant Art, Tumblr
Why this must be read: For those not in know, Minato and Kushina are Naruto's parents. This 'Five Times' fic takes a sideways look at their sex life and in the process beautifully illustrates precisely where Naruto gets some of his more baffling and sometimes irritating personality traits. It also shows the depth of the love his parents had for each other, and by implication therefore, for him. For crack, this is a lovely little work. Remember to give the author feedback if you enjoyed it.


The Sweet Spot

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Mikey/Spencer
Length: 35k~
Warnings: Rape
Author on LJ:arsenicjade
Author Website: Taste of Poison
Summary: There are things Mikey can't talk about. Spencer's pretty observant.

Why this must be read:

This is a heartbreaking story that details the long road back after rape. Even though it deals with something so devastating is also gives a sense of hope and shows that things do get better. It shows that rape doesn’t just affect the person that was violated but also the ones around, the ones that love this person and want to help more than anything but is unable to most of the time.

Mikey is the victim that refuses to be a victim, Spencer is the one who can help him, the band deals in their own ways.


Adaptable to Change on LJ or at authors website

I'm changing tack slightly for my third rec and branching out into more visual media. One of the things I want to do this month is show the breadth and depth of the talent within the Naruto fandom and, to that end, I am going to be reccing several pieces of artwork, as well as podfics and vids, alongside the fic itself. Just a note before I get into the detail of this rec: I am going to do my best to ensure that all the works I link to are properly credited and attributed to the original creator. If I make any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. I would also urge you to always gain permission before you use/borrow a piece of original work for your own purposes. Fanartists and vidders, like fanwriters, don't appreciate having their work stolen.

Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: None
Genre: Portrait.
Length: N/A
Author on LJ: Unknown
Warnings: None
Author Websites: Deviant Art.
Why this must be read: This is a piece of original art, specifically a rather stunning portrait of Uzumaki Naruto. Like fic, art is a very personal thing. Everyone is looking for something different and beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. One of the things that drew me to this is its realism. I often try and imagine how anime and manga characters - or actually any 2-D or animated character – would look if they were real people or creatures. Unfortunately not being an artist myself, I have to rely on others for product. This piece gives a hint, at least for me, of how Naruto could look were he a real boy.

Naruto by k-atrina

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Pairing: John Watson/Sherlock Holmes, more pairings I don't want to give away
Length: varying lengths (the total is long)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

In some fics Sherlock's violin is almost a character in own right and music is the way he expresses his feelings. "Guitar Man" is another series in which music plays a key role as a medium for emotions, connections, healing, and growth. Sherlock has his violin, but John is the guitar man - previously the lead singer and songwriter for an almost-famous band in his teenage years.

This series covers a span of 30 years - from a year after John moves into 221B Baker to their retirement in Sussex. It evokes laugh-out-loud merriment, sad tears, joyful tears, heart-in-throat anxiety, smiles of adorableness, and nods of insight. There are song lyrics. And glimpses into John's and Sherlock's childhoods. Guitar Man goes in unexpected directions but it always feels right, making full use of all the major canon characters. It even redeems Anderson!

I enjoy a good slash story as much as anyone, as many of my previous recs demonstrate, but I am disappointed when writers treat friendship as something less than sex/romance. Guitar Man beautifully conveys a friendship as profound and meaningful as any romance - as, in fact, a great love story.

I adore this series. You will too.

( Try a sample... )

Guitar Man series