Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Andrew Shaw/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Length: 11,615 words
Author on LJ: lakeeffectgirl
Author Website: Author page on AO3
Why this must be read
This rare pairing bonding story was a fun surprise. When I read the story, I was glad the writer was inspired to fill her own fic needs. This was a pairing I didn't know I wanted.

move me or move right through me

Vidder: dayln03
Musical artist: Maggie Rogers
Pairing: Katniss Everdeen, ensemble
Vidder on LJ: gigglemonster
Vidder's website: lensflair_inc

Why this vid kicks ass: You always remember your first and boy was this one a doozy. This vid is absolutely gorgeous and the one that I measure all Hunger Games vids against. The music selection is flawless and especially poignant, while the editing is sharp and drives home the visual and emotional parallels throughout the movie. This is Katniss' story but it is through her that the world of Panem and people important to her are opened up. There are powerful moments peppered from start to finish--whether it's glimpses of Mrs. Everdeen, the juxtaposition of Prim and Rue, Capitol citizens trivializing death, the other tributes or the growing sparks of the rebellion--no story line is left unexplored. Even if you are unfamiliar with The Hunger Games, watch this vid. It's a perfect example of how strong song selection, editing, and the right source can evoke strong emotion.


embers: "if they die, i'll still remember"

Fandom: SUITS
Pairing: Gen (Harvey, Mike)
Length: 1879
Author on LJ: rebyl
Author Website: Fic lists on LJ and Dreamwidth, FF.net profile, AO3

Why this must be read: As far as h/c fics go, the hurt isn't very extreme: Mike gets a migraine while working a case with Harvey. But rebyl makes Mike's migraine extremely vivid to the point where you feel like you're having the migraine with Mike.

(Reccer's note: Although the LJ fic is rated T, since the other mirrors have the fic rated as "General Audiences" for their respective archives, I decided to go with the lower rating for this rec title. The fic has a bit of swearing in it, but nothing else that would be needed to be warned for.)



Mike didn’t know how long Harvey was in the meeting with the judge, and before long, he didn’t care. The pounding in his head was picking up momentum now. Even with his eyes screwed shut, and his palm pressed to his forehead, he could feel the pain radiating out from above his left eye, all the way down his jaw and to his neck now. If this migraine followed the usual pattern, he’d be too dizzy to walk pretty soon, and he’d lose all ability to be coherent shortly after that.

A door opening and shutting behind him sounded like a shotgun in the quiet hallway, and he gripped his head tighter and ground his teeth together.

“Shit, kid, it’s only been twelve minutes.”

Mike had nothing to say to that. He was beyond intelligent conversation and witty comebacks. He felt Harvey grab his elbow and tug him up off the bench.



Stop the Sun: LJ, FF.net, AO3

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon, with background Jenna/Cally and Dayna/Vila
Length: 6,811
Author on LJ: entropy_house
Author Website: b7fanfic_etc, on AO3 and on Hermit (as Willa Shakespeare and other pen names)
Why this must be read: Another fic from the writer I shall continue to call Willa Shakespeare, even though she'd abandoned that penname by this point - because she's one of the best, and so prolific! (hooray).

This fic (from 2007, so we're off the edge of the map of previous recs here) is one of my absolute favourites, although it's another slightly weird choice from the author's oeuvre. The premise is that, rather than finding himself on the Liberator in episode 2, Blake winds up on a ship controlled by the consciousness of the ex-Kerr Avon. In the vein of 'A New Machine', 'Ships' is a chance to compare Avon to an emotionless, logical machine and find him very human and very swayed by Blake's arguments. It does that very well. But what I particularly like about this fic (apart from the dialogue, the clever ways it re-works canon, and how much exasperated affection there always is between B & A in Willa's fics) is the ways that making Avon into a ship changes his relationship with Blake. The result sounds obvious, but in fact what's changed (and it's made clear by the fic summary) is that he's already got the things he claims he wants in the telly show - power, safety, wealth, independence. And so he meets Blake on very different terms, and so their relationship is different. In a way it's easier, actually, because Avon's got more to negotiate with, but how they interact is still based in who they are and the problems they had with each other in the show.

So 'Ships' is clever, and it's funny, and it makes me very happy.

( Excerpt )

Link: 'Ships That Pass in the Night

Fandom: Fairy Tales: Sleeping Beauty
Pairing/Characters: The Sleeping Beauty/The Bad Fairy; The Prince
Length: 3K words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: This is worth reading just for the dream descriptions, but it's altogether wonderful.

When you have a hundred years of uninterrupted sleep, chances are a lot of it is going to be REM. That means dreams; in Aurora's case they are long and complex. They not only help pass the time until her rescuer appears, they also facilitate her mental and emotional development. Randomeliza's descriptions are striking and the entire story unfolds beautifully.

And Smite the Sleeping World Awake

If you like this, take a moment to tell the author. Feedback is precious and appreciated!

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Length: 26,000
Author on LJ: rivkat
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

I really don't want to spoil this story. Reading it deeply affected me and "Fugue" is one of my favorite stories in this or any fandom. It attempts to answer this question: Who would you be if you weren't who you were?

I have this theory that this story was written as a response to the complaint that the show is a deeply sexist text, with Mulder being the one who drives the plot, and Scully as his sidekick. Well, it is just a theory. But there does seem to be a subtext to this fable, one that hinges on female identity, and how easily women still can submerge themselves in deference to their mates' ambition and passions.

Read Fugue.