Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby
Length: 4,000
Author on LJ thehoyden twentysomething on DW
Author Website: thehoyden on AO3 twentysomething on AO3
Why this must be read:

Let's talk about tropes. Hockey RPF is full of them, and I'll touch on a few in later posts. One of the most delightful is the 'Russian Knitting Circle' trope, wherein the Russian hockey players in the NHL interfere in the love life of one of the other Russians, most usually Evgeni Malkin. Most of the fic to be found concerns the Russians in the Eastern Conference -- apparently the ones in the Western Conference aren't as interesting.

If you find a fic where Geno Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Semin, or sometimes Ilya Bryzgalov are involved, and possibly they call in someone's mother, then you have a Russian Knitting Circle fic, even if it isn't tagged as such. (The original fic to use this trope actually has it in its name, but I think every writer on AO3 should go back and tag their fic with it).

This story concerns Alex Ovechkin basically trolling Sidney Crosby via text and cell phone. If you pay any attention to some of the things that Ovie says to the press (the toilet one was particularly awesome), you realize that this characterization is spot on. His trolling in this instance has a purpose though -- to hook up Sid and Geno. It is definitely good for a laugh, if you have need of one.

Flip Shut, Hang Up

Fandom: NARUTO
Pairing: Sai/Yamato
Length: 3 chapters, 14,181 words
Author on LJ: tj_dragonblade
Author Website: Their LJ profile has a convenient index of all the various sites and what can be found on them.
Why this must be read: This pairing never occurred to me before reading this fic. I must salute the author, because they made me believe it! Sai is very much his direct and unknowingly awkward self as he goes after Yamato, who does his best to be responsible even as he progressively isn't. ^^ This fic could easily have turned squicky or trite, but I quite like how the author handled it, and wrote one of my fave first-time fics ever. Nice! Warning: graphic sex. [set after a fanon ending to the war]

Intentions and Intoxications by TJ_Dragonblade

Fandom: FRINGE
Characters/Pairings: Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop/Olivia Dunham
Length: 1473 words
Author on LJ: alamo_girl80
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Because this is a good piece for Olivia introspection after the game-changing episode "Ability" that sets what she knows against what she'd thought and helps make sense of what she must be feeling about it all. The fic also has the kind of Peter/Olivia bent to it that is fitting with canon events and doesn't distract from the focus on Olivia here but adds to it nicely.

Convictions

Fandom: HAWAII FIVE-0 (2010)
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Length: 39K
Author on LJ: kristen999
Author Website: A03
Why this must be read: This must be read because it's such a rollercoaster of action and emotion and perfect characterisation.

Author's Summary:Falling is never easy, nor is standing back up again.

Kristen has done it again. This fic is no less outstanding then any of the others she has had recced here. This is so real and visceral, Steve's pain, confusion and self doubt, Danny's need to hide within his job to be able to get through it. It's wonderfully researched and grippingly told. Her work is always a pleasure to read and this is yet another fic that you'll want to hold and snuggle into on cold winter nights.

No Way Out But Through