Fandom: SUITS
Pairing: Donna/Rachel
Length: 2053
Author on LJ: not that I know of
Author Website: AO3

Why this must be read: This fic reverses the current fortunes of Donna and Rachel: while Rachel's a successful lawyer in this fic, Donna's a middling secretary. But they're able to hang out with each other and find a common ground. And it's all written in a way that makes you sympathize for both women.

Written for femslash12 (the last of the femslashXX annual exchanges).



"So, this is what spending ninety hours a week at your job buys you," Donna said with a grin. She pulled off her scarf and her wool pea coat to reveal a white V-neck sweater over her dark wash jeans. She always looked so effortlessly classy, and Rachel, who obsessed over whether or not she was wearing the right clothes for the right meeting or event, was sometimes in awe of her.

"If I'm only going to get four hours of sleep a night, I might as well do it surrounded by the best things," Rachel replied. She took Donna's coat and draped it over an armchair. She was already planning suggestive cuddling on the couch, moving quickly to the bedroom. She had a brand new, king sized bed, after all. A bed that large could be lonely all by yourself.



Everything You've Ever Wanted

Happy 2014! Whether you woke up a little hungover or bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, there's no reason not to keep the good times rolling. A resolution to read and enjoy great fanfic sounds like an excellent way to start, eh? Cheers, one and all.

Fandom: Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Beast
Pairing/Characters: Beauty/Beast; OCs
Length: 4K words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: It's smart, funny, tender--it's Beauty and the Beast written as urban fantasy!

In this case our protagonist is a young, black, magic-wielding gay man named Uzuri. His name is Swahili in origin, but most people ended up calling him by its English translation: Beauty.  Through Beauty's eyes, we learn about his life growing up, his mom and two brothers, and their fall from well-to-do city dwellers to scraping by in the 'burbs. That's when he first turns his magic to growing things, especially roses.

The story is part of two series. I haven't had a chance to read either series yet, although I plan to. "Queer" can be enjoyed independently, and I hope you do because it's delightful.

Queer as the Fork when the Knife ran away with the Spoon

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

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon
Length: 4981 words
Author on LJ: kindkit
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read: Happy New Year! Here is some amazing and wonderful porn from 2008, which is unfortunately (I think it's fair to say) about the time that B7 fandom began winding down. Interestingly this fic that is not really like any of the others in the fandom, partly because of the period it was written in and the medium it was written for, uses a set-up that was relatively popular back in the fandom's heyday i.e. our heroes take some time off on a pleasure planet.

I don't think I've said that any of the fics I've recced so far are hot, which is something of an oversight on my behalf because many of them are, but this one is, in my opinion, the hottest B7 fic that I've recced ever. One of the things that's particularly interesting about it is how surprisingly honest the depiction of these men having sex is. It's not fantasy sex: both Blake and Avon are described realistically and occasionally unflatteringly, physical things they do to each other don't necessarily go as intended, things they say to each other are misinterpreted - or not (some of Avon's barbs hit home), Avon's not sure what he feels (obviously), and there's a nice bit where the light catches 'Blake mercilessly, with one sock on and his underwear around his knees'. Lots of other things go right. Cumulatively it is, as I say, incredibly hot.

The writing's excellent, the dialogue is very in character, and the relationship is realistically, subtly... and not (ultimately) unhopefully depicted. I think if script editor Chris Boucher read B/A porn (and who knows? Maybe he does), he would particularly like this one.

( Excerpt )

Link: Simulacrum

Still celebrating? How about a drabble appetizer? Bon appetit.

Fandom: Fairy Tales: Little Mermaid, Cthulhu Mythos (HP Lovecraft)
Pairing: Ursula/Cthulhu
Length: 100 words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: Just a little cracky drabble that cracked me up. Enjoy.

Squidipus Rex

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

If you've been following my entries, you've realized most of my recs come from past Yuletide offerings. It's where I first explored fairy tale fanfic and it's still my primary gateway to discover rare fandoms and the talented authors who write in them. It's kind of amazing that both Crack Van and Yuletide started in 2003, so I feel my turn pays homage to both.

All this to say that every January 1, the anonymous authors of the most recent Yuletide are revealed, so I thought I'd share some of the newest fairy tale transformations. This is hot off the press.

Fandom: Fairy Tales: The Snow Queen
Characters: The Robber Girl, OCs
Length: 4K
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: It spins off a minor character from The Snow Queen and rightfully gives her a show of her own.

We find the robber girl making her fearless way in the world when she stops for the night. Being resourceful, she hunts rabbits and is just sitting down to dinner when she's confronted by the King's hunting party They accuse her of poaching and plan to execute her. But the robber girl is clever and capable, so she overcomes them all. Being a robber by trade, she naturally makes off with everything of value, including a hooded hawk attached to the King's saddle by a golden chain. When she takes the hood off the bird, she gets the first of many surprises.

I really liked this robber girl. For some reason, I just kept thinking of the early Clint Eastwood movies, where he goes his own way, happy to live and let live unless someone gets in his way, Then he stops long enough to make them sorry they crossed his path. Enjoy.

The Enchanted Hawk

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

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake & Victor Sullivan
Length: 933 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

Short but well focused, this fic deals with one of the things the game leaves hanging at the end of UC3, just how affected Nate is by what he sees in Ubar. It's a lovely show of hurt/comfort and friendship, how well Sully knows Nate to know something is subtly wrong. Painful as it is to be reminded of Nate's anguish, it's also quite heart warming too.

Just to See You Smile

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Length: novella
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Zuffy's X-Files Homepage

Why this must be read:

Let's face it: The X-Files ended badly. Given how many loose ends there were to tie up, maybe it was impossible to end it well. One of the things that loose canon gave us was plenty of material for fanfiction fix-its. Zuffy does a great job providing us with an alternative to the problematic season eight (and Mulder-less season nine), with a story that balances reason and mysticism like the very best of the series itself. Her Scully characterization is perfect. I cried at the ending. No, really, I did.

Synopsis: Mulder didn't forget his sister, Scully knows whose baby it is, Maggie still cares about her daughter, and the brain disease makes sense after all. This story is for anyone who has gnashed their teeth at the inexplicable holes in Season 8.

Read Hieroglyphs of Meaning.

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Harry Flynn/Chloe Frazer, Charlie Cutter
Length: 1114 words
Author on LJ: starshone_storm
Author Website: on Ao3
Why this must be read:

There are a good number of fics dealing with what happens to Harry Flynn post-UC2. This is not the most action packed or the longest one of those I've read but the most believable of them hence the recommendation. It has the added bonus of both parties who are accidentally meeting in it behaving more maturely than a lot of the other fics portray - managing a good dose of tension and anger without delving into purely vengeful reactions, ending up more mellow with some angst which feels suitable after the time passed from it all here.

Queen Street

Fandoms: UNCHARTED
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher, Nathan Drake/Chloe Frazer
Length: ~9700 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: on FanFiction.net
Why this must be read:

A series of 11 ficlets set over the course of the first two games, what I liked about this was it traversed the ups and downs of their relationship, filling in gaps in canon, without either drawing out the angst too much nor oversimplifying it. A lot of the time troubles with Nate/Elena as written in fic boil down to a notion she'd ask him to give up his dangerous escapades, ignoring the taste of adventure she clearly seemed up for in UC1. Here it recognises Elena doesn't shy away from danger either, with the reverse of him worrying over her getting herself in a tricky situation as one of their issues, alongside a different complication from his profession causing a rift.

One Foot behind the Other

Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Zach Parise/Ryan Suter
Length: 17,098 words
Author on LJ: bestliars
Author Website: Author page on AO3
Why this must be read
It's not like any other hockey story I've read, and that's refreshing. I like how the alternate path Zach takes in this story is cohesive, and it feels like it could have happened on some alternate Earth.

RAP WON'T SAVE YOU (neither will hockey)

Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Ryan Whitney/Various, Ryan Whitney/Taylor Hall, offscreen Maxime Talbot/Various
Length: 25,550 words
Author on LJ: s0ckahtoa
Author Website: Author page on AO3
Why this must be read
This story is hugely entertaining. It starts out with a cracky premise (a bet gone way out of control), and it becomes a story of real depth and characterization. Folks who don't like hockey can enjoy it as original M/M fiction--the hockey is not central; the friendships are.

It's Just a Thing