Fandom: Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood
Pairing/Characters: Cinderella/Prince Charming; Beauty/Beast; Snow White/Huntsman, Snow White/Prince; Rapunzel/Prince; Red/Wolf; Red/Wolf; Red/Wolf; Beau/Beast
Length: 15K in eight stories
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: If you're in the mood for fairy tales that are written as bodice-rippers, look here. Each of the eight stories has a M/F pairing (or two) who engage in a lot of explicit, steamy sex. There are warnings in some of them for non-con and underage although because they follow the formula, they don't come across as dire. However, read the warnings and decide for yourself.

Some of these take place in situ, some take place in a different place and time in history and there's one future fic. Although there are two Beauty and the Beast and three Little Red Riding Hood stories, each is a standalone and unrelated to the others. But it's really more a collection than a series, there are no cliff hangers, so I'd call it done. Enjoy.

Reimagining Fairy Tales

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Fandom: SUITS
Pairing: Mike/Rachel
Length: 5192
Author on LJ: cjmarlowe
Author Website: here; there's also a LJ fic masterlist and an AO3 profile

Why this must be read: This fic has a lot of things I've never seen in Suits fandom: a canon AU where Mike and Rachel meet before Mike joins Pearson Hardman, a Rachel desperate to pass the LSATS, and a really good focus on the kink this was written for at kink_bingo, oral fixation. And it's really hot.



She pauses a moment, looks him up and down. "You seem reasonably trustworthy," she says, and doesn't add 'for a cheater' even though he's sure she's thinking it. Everyone always does, and no one ever says it because if it's true about him, it's true about them too. "Now, about that ice cream...."

"Creamsicle?" he says. "Or are you more of a drumstick girl?"

"I'm a big fan of nuts," she says, then presses her hand to her face. "I can't believe I just said that. Forget I said that."

"I never forget anything," he says.



One For The Road

Fandom: STAR WARS
Characters: Mas Amedda, OC
Length: 2745 words
Author on LJ: oqidaun
Author Website: FFN Profile
Why this must be read:

Parents in any galaxy are a special case; we know that they knew us before we could possibly know them, and they have the lifelong advantage over us. What about when their lives dwindle to needing us, and only us, to relate to? Join the prominent statesman Mas Amedda's youngest son, as he tries to figure out his place in the galaxy far, far away, and discovers that it is not so simple and easy as it used to be before this particular Thursday. Join Mas Amedda as he tries to leave a better legacy.

Thursdays With My Father

Fandom: THE OFFICE
Pairing: Pam Beesley/Jim Halpert
Length: 7,722 words
Author on LJ: Unkwown
Author Website: MTT
Why this must be read: A sequel to yesterday's rec, "A Better Version of me," this is a generally canon-compliant look into the early days of Jim and Pam as Jim-and-Pam, complete with first-times, meeting parents, and the bits of laughter and awkwardness we've come to expect from these two crazy kids.

( He describes her simple necklaces, but does not mention her last engagement ring. He wonders if she still has it. )

Week’s End

Fandom: PUSHING DAISIES
Pairing: Ned/Chuck
Length: 306
Author on LJ: fireworkfiasco
Author Website: fireworkfics
Why this must be read:

This is a lovely, heartachey glance into Ned's dreams. It's so short it's hard to say much more than that about it, except that it's beautifully written and very painful in a quiet way. Also, definitely check out the author's other fics in this fandom--they're one of the few with more than just one or two, and they're all gorgeous.

( Excerpt )

Dreamland

Fandom: CRIMINAL MINDS
Characters/Pairing: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia, J.J. Jareau
Length: 3600 words
Rating: Unrated by author on LJ but I'd give it a PG or FRT rating for one suggestive scene
Author on LJ: bittereternity
Author Website: Author on AO3

Why this must be read: It was really difficult to choose one story to rec by bittereternity - that's how much I love her stuff. Considering that I think "cling to love like a skidding car" is one of her stronger pieces - and that I do not 'ship Morgan/Reid at all - should give you an idea of how convincing her writing can be. She tends to write in vignettes rather than complete scenes, and much like the minimalist rec that I made yesterday, invites the reader to fill in a lot of the blanks between words. I love that level of trust placed in a reader's hands. The strength and pathos of Reid and Morgan in this piece lies in what both men do not say to one another. Morgan's love is based on an erroneous perception of Reid's frailty, and Reid's strength comes from "try[ing] to live by playing with death", which makes him a poor choice as a romantic partner. Their relationship is touching and unequal, and both men come off as infinitely more complicated than the show has let us believe. bittereternity's stories are the essence of sadness but they are crafted in such a beautiful way that you won't mind if your favorite pairing doesn't get a happily ever after.

cling to love like a skidding car by bittereternity on LJ

cling to love like a skidding car on AO3

OMG!OMG!OMG! Did you love this? If so, pass on your squee to the author, would ya?

Fandom: THE OFFICE
Pairing: Pam Beesley/Jim Halpert
Length: 1,839 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MTT
Why this must be read: This fic’s long since been jossed, but it’s a sweet and eloquent take on what might have been on a snow day with our favorite couple, set during Season 5.

( You looked beautiful in that dress. )

snow carefully everywhere descending

Fandom: Fairy Tales: Jack and the Beanstalk
Characters: The Giantess, OCs
Length: 1489 words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: It's a retelling from the other side of the beanstalk. We listen in as Mrs. Bore, the Giant's wife, tells of her husband's disappearance after he chases Jack at the end of canon.

As I read Mrs. Bore's dialogue, I kept hearing the voice of the wife in "Men in Black" talking about a man wearing an "Edgar suit"; weird but true. The poor dear tries to explain the circumstances leading up to the vanishing and you can feel how she's having trouble believing her own story. Mrs. Bore is clueless and hapless and I wish her well. Enjoy.

The mysterious vanishing Mr Bore

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Fandom: THE HUNGER GAMES
Pairing: Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne
Length: 4113 words
Author on LJ: lit_chick08
Author Website: Fic journal
Why this must be read: Katniss and Gale hunt in the woods. Sometimes it's easy to forget that they in fact have not known each other their whole lives but only first crossed paths after the deaths of the fathers. That being said I love that this story insinuates that of course they would have a least known about each other before they officially met. What this story beautifully presents is Katniss and Gale's world before the 74th Hunger Games with all its struggles and small victories.  It's a young Gale and Katniss learning from each other and learning to trust that they have each other's backs.


( Excerpt )

Four Times Katniss Wasn't Reaped (And One Time She Was) by lit_chick08

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Length: 84 K
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Livia's Inkspot
Why this must be read:

This story is one of my favorites, a fanfic I can read again and again with pleasure. Livia Balaban's metafic is an unusual blend of humor, laced with sorrow and loss. It's sweet, slyly funny, and wise to the ways of fandom. It fills me with longing for what I never got to experience firsthand: being a Phile, back during the heyday of The X-Files.

Read M. Luder, King of 'SETI Troopers' Fanfic

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Chloe Frazer/Harry Flynn
Length: 2200 words
Author on LJ: spiralunbound
Author Website: on DreamWidth
Why this must be read:

Not only is this a good look into aspects of Chloe's life, but it has a nice mix of her feelings as you'd expect under the circumstances it presents post UC2. The path the fic takes unfolds slowly but surely, gathering a sense of how she deals with the situation making it feel well considered, if more than a little heart breaking at times.

Fixed

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elene Fisher, Chloe Frazer
Length: 1781 words
Author on LJ: emtardis
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

In this we get a fic showing internally what Nate was going through at the rather dramatic almost end of UC2, keeping very much in character with what we saw there, and one that also explains nicely a plot point that got hazed over in canon - making it a pretty good missing scene fic for anyone who wanted more of what the game had there.

Won't Let Her Go