Hi, bluewolf458 back again for another spin through Cascade's streets.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Length: 27620 words
Author on LJ: alyburns
Author Website: http://asr3.slashzone.org/archive/viewuser.php?uid=14
http://alysbasement.livejournal.com
Why this must be read: - After the events of Four Point Shot, Blair has left Cascade, but he is needed to testify against Kincaid. Bev Sanchez sends Thomas Magnum to get Blair and bring him back to Cascade. However, although the story features Magnum, this isn't actually a crossover - he's used as part of the Sentinel universe.

This is a story full of misunderstandings, with Alyjude's trademark happy ending. It's a roller coaster of a ride, and has long been one of my favourite Alyjude stories.

This version has been revised from the one originally posted years ago.

Homeward Bound (in three parts)
Homeward Bound (in one part)

hi! i'm yeats. i know that football rpf has been recced here before, but i'm here to rec stories specifically about real madrid fc, aka the best team, aka hot butts fc. some stories about these players have already shown up (here, here, and here), but i'm going to add my favorites to the mix.

our first stop!

Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart
Fandom: Real Madrid RPF
Pairing: Cristiano Ronaldo/Ricardo “Kaká” Leite
Length: 31,000 words
Author on LJ: dorkorific
Author Website: ao3
Why this must be read: this is quite possibly the best fic i've read all year, in any fandom. it's a great story for people who don't know anything about football. it's especially perfect around halloween: there are demons and priests and good and evil, but it's also realistic and not full of itself. if i had to pick a genre, i would call it urban demonology fantasy? (aka a genre i just made up.)

this story is just the whole package: it's funny, it's well-paced, it's got believable characters and a love story that feels really genuine despite the supernatural trappings. it's a story with a mystery at the center, but it's really about faith: faith in god, faith in other people, faith in oneself. also i should mention that there is sex which is hot like burning. you don't have to know anything about the two main characters beforehand, but they are really cute together irl (link to a pairing primer i made with the fic author) and the story keeps a lot of their real life dynamics while applying them to a totally new context.

excerpt:
“I don’t know what you are,” Ricky says. His voice is even. “But I know you’re a good person.”

“Come on,” Cris says, somewhere between exhaustion and annoyance and despair. “Neither of those things. Don’t be a sucker.”

He grazes the side of Ricky’s face with his bandaged knuckles, rubbing his thumb compulsively over the velvet curve of Ricky’s ear. It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t help to touch him. The lonely distance between them -- between him and everyone, sure, but this is worse than ever -- is unbearable. Cris’s throat hurts.

Ricky takes his wrist in warm fingers. Gently but firmly he pulls Cris in so close that Cris’s mouth presses against his neck; he wraps his other arm around Cris’s back. Cris tries to tense away from him, but Ricky’s grip is sure and his heartbeat is steady through the threadbare t-shirt and Cris needs to be touched like this so badly, has needed it for so long.

Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart

Welcome to another round with the Merlin van. Strap in 'cause we got some good ficcage to follow. Hope you find something you enjoy. :)

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Length: ~32,000 words
Author on LJ: winterstorrm
Author Website: Masterlist on LJ; AO3
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: When widower Arthur Pendragon finds out that his three children have conspired to help him find 'someone to kiss' by placing an ad on an internet dating site, he allows his guilt to push him into agreeing to go on a succession of dates even though he's determined that he's not lonely and doesn't believe in 'love'. However, someone does set his heart racing, but it's not one of the endless parade of beautiful women he has to choose from, it's the children's new babysitter, Merlin.

I'm not often a fan of these straight forward romances, yet this fic is just so addictive I couldn't stop once I got started. I fell in love with the characters: Arthur in all his oblivious glory, Merlin all patient in the background, Morgana's devious and supportive sister-ly-ness, and Arthur's kids. Oh his kids! I loved the list of questions that of course had to be asked to all of Arthur's dates as he looked for a second chance at love. Of course it's important to know who's cooler, Superman or Spiderman. XD This fic is just full of the adorable, romantic, and heart. It'll bring a grin to your face for sure.

( Merlin Goodness )

Blue Would Still Be Blue

Hi! I'm turlough and I will be your bandom reccer this month. I read almost exclusively in the My Chemical Romance part of the fandom and Gerard is my OTC so you can expect to get a lot of Gerard-centric My Chem recs.

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Frank/Gerard, Gerard/Korse, Mikey/Ray, Dr Death Defying/Show Pony
Length: three stories with a total of 91,640 words
Author on LJ & DW: tuesdaysgone / tuesdaysgone
Author on AO3: tuesdaysgone

Why this must be read: I lack words to convey the impact this story has had on me. It's forever going to be THE Killjoys story for me. One of those milestone stories that will forever determine the way I look at a fandom. It gives us the whole story of the Killjoys, from the beginning in Battery City, through the 'Na Na Na' and 'SING' videos, and on to the suprising and immensely satisfying ending.

I love the way Gerard is written in this. His developmental arch is absolutely fascinating and very believable. His relationship with Korse is intense and complicated and ultimately doomed, his slowly developing relationship with Frank no less intense but so much warmer. The friendship between the four Killjoys and the way they interact with Show Pony and Dr D and the rest of the whole messy, diverse zonerunner culture is another of the hightligts of the story for me.

Something else I love about it is the way it managed to humanise Korse. In fact, I would say that the thing that probably gripped me hardest in the whole story, the thing that broke my heart into tiny little bits, was this enigmatic and terrifying man. His history and struggle and ultimate fate.

I no longer care that we didn't get a third video. The writing in this story is so visual and the take on what BLI is up to exactly as big and breathtaking and terrifying as any "official" version could ever have been. There isn't a false note or a jarring detail anywhere. It's a must read for anyone with even the faintest interest in the Killjoys universe.

( Excerpt from the story... )

Hold Your Heart Into This Darkness
Individual parts: The Kids from Yesterday & Bulletproof Heart & The Only Hope For Me Is You

Hello! I'm Kuruk, and I will be reccing Pokémon fanfiction for you this month! I am based as both a writer and reader in the gameverse canon fandom, but I will aim to provide recs from both the anime and manga fandoms as well. Without further ado, allow me to direct you toward our first stop....

--

Fandom: POKÉMON
Pairing: Gen
Length: 2000 words
Author on LJ: baticeer
Author on FFnet: faces sunward
Author Website: Fanfic Master List 
Why this must be read: Put simply, this piece hits hard. Baticeer's style is simple but breathtakingly insightful, and these qualities lend themselves seamlessly to the narrative. Whether you're more familiar with the games, anime, or manga, the author's depiction of an aging Pikachu and the manner in which he and his trainer learn to accept the inevitable is just heartrending.

( Excerpt: Pikachu rouses himself from the warm spot in the window seat with some difficulty. )

"affinity" (can also be read on FFnet)