Quantum Leap was a science fiction tv series that ran from 1989 to 1993, or roughly five seasons (I say roughly because the first season was very short and the fifth season was very strange). It followed the adventures of Doctor Samuel Beckett (no relation) as he travelled through time, and his best friend Admiral Albert Calavicci who could communicate from the future in the form of a hologram. Together they solved crime, and fought evil, and were instrumental to Buddy Holly writing "Peggy Sue," for which we are all grateful.



( Oh Boy... )

Justified, really best described as a modern day western, is based on a short story by the great Elmore Leonard.  It follows Raylan Givens, a Deputy US Marshal who spent most of his life trying to get out of his home state of Kentucky but has now been sent back there, as he tries to do his job while dealing strange friends and dangerous enemies, old and new.

It's a bit late in this complex and layered series for me to do it- um- justice- in anything less than a novel, so I'm going to keep this pretty bare bones.  Spoilers for Seasons 1-3, but most espcially the pilot.

( I see them long hard times to come )
      

Hi, all!  I'm potentiality_26 and I'll be your first Justified driver.  Though I love most things Justified, I favor Boyd, Ava and Raylan (mostly in that order), the Ava/Boyd/Raylan OT3, and most gen, het, and slash permutations therein.  Since I'm first, I've been trying to branch out a bit, but my preferences will still probably be reflected in my recs.  

Fandom: JUSTIFIED
Characters: Raylan Givens, Boyd and Ava Crowder
Length: 5,675 words
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: It's a great place to start, in my opinion, because it's the first Justified fic I ever read, and it's still one of my favorites.  It's fairly old, so some of the details are no longer valid.  Nevertheless, it remains the happy ending for the series that I actually believe could happen, and I still like to cradle it close whenever I feel down.  Though never overly fluffy or sugary, it sells that one day there might actually be peace.

Raylan gets shot and decides to transfer into Witness Protection, figuring he might live longer.  Boyd and Ava offer to give up all their criminal contacts- including the Dixie Mafia- as long as Raylan is the marshal assigned to them.  All the characters are well drawn here, but the observations on Boyd and Raylan's dynamic are some of the best I've seen.  It's sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always wonderful.

I Have Always Lived in the Moment
 

Hi, dear fen. I'm back reccing for Fringe again this month and I hope you enjoy the recs I have for you. :) First up, something a bit unusual.

Fandom: FRINGE
Pairing: September/Original Male Character
Length: 6227 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Observer based fic isn't that common for the fandom surprisingly, and hasn't really come up much past the first season airing, but this fic comes based off one of the interesting changes in Season 5 regarding the character September. It manages to be both insightful into the differences in habits/mental state of Observer being and also into the peculiarities of humanity as seen from someone with another perspective, with a side of smut and slash worked in there too.

men fell with apples, and with apples rose

Hello, Internet! I'm Deputychairman, your crack_van driver for the month, and slightly overexcited to have been handed the keys to such an illustrious vehicle without a very stern driving test - brace yourselves for drink-driving, damage to the paintwork and too much capslock. I mainly flail hang out on Tumblr where such behaviour is tolerated if not encouraged, so if I breach any LJ etiquette, someone should totally tell me. I've been in love with Fraser since 1995 (yes I AM that old) and those of you who know me from Tumblr know what to expect. To everybody else, I apologise in advance.

Right. Enough foreplay, on with the recs.

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: 7,445 words
Author on LJ: http://pearl-o.livejournal.com/
Author Website: Pearl_o on AO3
Why this must be read: Because it's the most perfect due South story ever written? The Brokeback Mountain of fanfic? That aching blend of angst and hope and not-talking-about-it and hotness. Every time I read it I wish it had a happy ending and at the same time I don't, because every word is right and it would be a different story if the ending was different.

( An excerpt )

You and I Are _____

Hi, I'm kernel and I'm glad to be at the wheel again. I'm planning to end the month with some lighter, holiday season stories but first, in the interest of a balanced diet I am going to kick off with some angst.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Length: 21,9700 words
Author on LJ: Not Known
Author's website: http://www.wf.net/~gofboats/TSindex.htm
and on AO3
(but this one isn't up there)

Why this must be read: I just love "what if's?" What if Blair never got the message from his nurse friend in the pilot? This AU starts a few years after Jim's senses have come online. He has had to give up his job and uses drugs to control his senses. He is barely able to leave the loft and depends on Simon for his survival. At this low point he encounters Blair in a gay bar. There is rough sex and some non con elements but all ends happily.

Back Room Blues