Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: Helo/Sharon, Hera
Author on LJ: chaletian 
Author Website: The Fanfictional Efforts of La Squeen
Why this must be read:

Lots of people don't like the series finale, so most fic relating to it goes heavily AU.  Not this series.  It is both unique and well-written.  It's about a modern archaeologist trying to make sense of things she finds.  And the twist at the ending is awesome.  Even if you don't like OCs, give this one a chance.

( snippet )

Spaceships and Cave Paintings
Killer Robots and Clones
Our Wings Will Burn

 Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: Leoben/Kara
Author on LJ: carnography
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read:

So, a while back The Gold and the Grey was recced, and I am reccing this remix because it is both an awesome fic in its own right and a textbook example of how changing a POV can change everything about a story, even when the plot stays the same.  The original was in Caprica's POV, this one is in Leoben's.  It's a short story about a gray day on New Caprica, and that sounds so simple, but it's a lot more than that.  It is a deft exploration of Leoben's character and thought process, and a filling-in-a-gap-in-canon, all at once.

( snippet )

The Gold and the Grey (Edge Hill Remix)

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: Socrata/Dreilide Thrace
Author on LJ: logopraxis 
Author Website: Fic tag
Why this must be read:

Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. -Tolstoy

This is a story about Kara's childhood, before her father left.  This is about a couple drifting apart who have no intention of meeting each other half-way, and the child caught between them.  It's a story that has no villains, but no heroes either, and it's painfully realistic.  At the same time, it's not horribly angsty, just quiet and well-written.  I don't normally like Kara but this got to me.

( snippet o' fic )

The Still Hour

And now, from angst we go to humor.

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Characters: Lee, Kara, Gaeta, Dee, Hot Dog, Tigh, Adama, Jaffee, D'Anna
Author on LJ: lls_mutant 
Author Website: Master List
Why this must be read:

This is one of the funniest BSG fics I've read, and I was pleased to have the honor to beta it.  It takes an element of the show and expands on it believably, with everyone in character the whole time, while being hysterical all the way through.  It's a scream.

That picture of Lee Adama was just too good to only use in the documentary that D'Anna Biers shot. And when Bell sold it to the Fleet-News magazine, it gave a whole new meaning to improving morale.

( snippet )

You Sexy Thing (Not-the-Angel Is a Centerfold Remix)

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing: Dee, Roslin
Author on LJ: jennyo 
Author Website: Fic tag
Why this must be read:

This short fic packs a punch.  Set after Sacrifices, it closes one of the more egregious holes in canon.  Billy Keikeya's two strongest relationships were with Laura Roslin and Anastasia Dualla.  So why did the two have almost no scenes together, particularly after he died?  This story explores what might have happened had they done so.  It's not just about Billy dying.  It's about Dee, and why she makes the choices she does (romantic and political) and the way Laura sees the women of the Fleet.  And it's about grief.  (And the last line, considering what Dee eventually does, will take your breath away.)  Well-written, it deserves to be read more.  Go, read and review.

Worth It

And now, on to the Cylons!

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Pairing: One-sided Leoben/Kara
Author on LJ: jeeshee 
Author Website: jeeshee's fic tag
Why this must be read:

How Leoben Conoy got his name, and why he keeps it.

Leoben is hard to write, and this short fic nails him perfectly.

( snippet o' fic )

 

Baptism

And now, from the beginning of the series we go to the end!

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Pairing: It's an ensemble story with canon pairings.  Seriously, it's long and has everyone in it somewhere.
Author on LJ: grey_sw 
Author Website: AO3, LJ Masterlist.
Why this must be read:

The second half of season four spawned a whole host of AUs.  Some were long, some were short.  This 2009 bsg_bigbang story is one of the best.  Sam Anders dies in the mutiny. He resurrects on the Colony, where Cavil is working to save his people. At the same time, Starbuck and Adama are trying to save the Fleet from his people... and Boomer, Baltar, and Tyrol are still trying to save everyone, each in their own strange way.  The plot has many satisfying twists and turns, and everyone gets their moment in the sun.  It's a great read, and more satisfying than what Ron Moore and Co. gave us.

( snippet o' fic )

Voice of Reason
(also, don't forget to comment about the awesome accompanying art.)

Hi!  I'm Beatrice Otter, I'm Beatrice Otter, and I'll be your reccer for Battlestar Galactica for the month of June.  I tend to favor Cylon stories, but I'll try to give you a good variety of what's out there, both older gems that have been overlooked and new stories. We'll start out by an old but good one.

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Characters: Saul Tigh, Lee Adama
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight 
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read:

Remember back when things were relatively simple, before prophecies and politics and the fleet was torn apart again and again? This fic takes you back then. There's nothing flashy about this story, it's just a good character moment between two characters early on in the first season. This story takes place just after "33," and Saul Tigh is heading to his rack for some much needed sleep when he comes across Lee Adama trying to figure out his responsibilities as CAG. Both are exhausted, and neither really knows the other. What life will be like in the Fleet has yet to be seen. But for the first time, it seems like life might go on. In which case, the CAG and the XO had better get to know one another a little.

( snippet of fic )

Annotations

This is definitely my 12th and final rec. :) My inconsistent driving this month was a ton of fun!

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Characters/Pairings: Medic Ishay; also features Kara/Sam, minor Kara/Lee, Skulls, HotDog, Racetrack, Cottle, HotDog
Length: 4,000 words
Author on LJ: lyssie
Author Website: Lyss' Insanity Lair and more recent fic tags
Why this must be read:

This is a great, depressing minor-character fic that explores the season four mutiny (and its aftermath) from the perspective of medic Ishay -- a character who never officially took part in the uprising, but would likely sympathize with them at least a little. As a fan, I've been siding with the Cylon characters for a long time, and the indiscriminate backlash against them was a very ugly side of the mutiny arc. But I surprisingly enjoyed reading a strong, believable POV from a human character who has no reason to be as trusting or forgiving as the audience might be.

I love a fic that delves into the inner life of one of the many anonymous faces of the fleet, and this is a memorably grim portrayal of someone who witnesses pain and death on a daily basis, compartmentalizing her feelings and becoming more detached from them. Meanwhile there's fitting dialogue and characterization of the more major characters who float in and out of the story. This fic ends up in a very dark place without simply villifying her.

( excerpt )

Battle Scars

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Baltar/Gaeta/Caprica-Six
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: cerebel/cerebel_fics
Author Website: fic masterlist (in user info)
Why this must be read:

I have a thing for porny fic that's sexy but also extremely angsty; sex between characters who are aching, conflicted, and lonely. This fic made me a convert to Baltar/Gaeta/Caprica threesome shipping. cerebel is always great at writing evocative and character-driven sex scenes, more poetic than hardcore. The complex emotions and motivations of the people involved are the focus here, and the smallest gestures are meaningful and hot. This is another fic set on New Caprica (of course it is) and it's appropriately grey and loving and sad.

( excerpt )

Sooner Surrender

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Characters/Pairings: Hera, Sharon/Helo, Kara, Tyrol, Roslin, Cally, Baltar
Length: 2,800 words
Author on LJ: ana_grrl
Author Website: anafic
Why this must be read:

I'm a big fan of "Five Ways ____ Didn't Happen" style fic and also stories that are (partly) told from the perspective of children, so I was really happy to find this one combining both. :) The five episodes here speculate different ways Hera Agathon may have grown up -- in a cell with her mother, back on Caprica with Helo still unware of Sharon's real identity, and other variations on Galactica. Each AU is removed in some way from what happened in canon, but all are plausible and believable. In spite of BSG's dark subject matter, this is one of those fics that finds its hopeful and heartwarming side, while also having some bite and not becoming too sappy.

Multiplicity of Life

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Characters/Pairing: Caprica-Six, Leoben, Caprica/Baltar
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: sunshine_queen/olividarling
Author Website: fic journal
Why this must be read:

It's a small Caprica Six-centric story that is sympathetic, haunting, and beautifully written. The tone and characterization are great - Six is both adept at analyzing, setting and manipulating things, but has more and more deeply out of her control.

Her painfully strained and twisted relationship with Baltar is an important part of this fic, but I love that it also focuses on her completely apart from him, in her own early-morning routine which is disrupted by the appearance of a lost human child. It's a brilliant 'missing' scene with both sweetness and very dark undercurrents (if you've seen season 3), and totally captures the naive optimism/bleakness of New Caprica.

The Gold and the Grey

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: various (Roslin/Maya, Roslin/Lee, Adama/Roslin, Kara/Sam, Lee/Dualla, Baltar/Ellen/everyone, Cottle/snark)
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: jennyo
Author Website: Jennifer Oksana archive @wordpress
Why this must be read:

This crackfic just gives me ridiculous amounts of glee. Apparently inspired by a "Grey's Anatomy" episode (of all things), various characters react to the news of a widespread syphilis outbreak shortly after settling on New Caprica. Antibiotics and safe-sex education save the day, but not before some awkward conversations with Cottle, President Baltar (who is, naturally, Patient Zero) acting like a damn fool, and a variety of Shocking Revelations about who has been frakked by whom. STD-themed hilarity ensues!

( excerpt )

Who's Zoomin' Who

(Totally neglected my driver duties for more days than I wanted to, so now I'm in a race against the clock. *g*)

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Baltar/HeadSix, Baltar/Gina
Length: one-shot
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:

There are precious few fics written from the POV of HeadSix. This one is an old favorite of mine, a brief but lovely meditation on Baltar's feelings or perceived feelings for Gina, from someone who understands his subconscious mind better than he does; she lives there. Probably one of the things that originally drew me to this couple was the psychological aspect, and I love the way this author played with that and added her own fabulous answer to the question of where inner-Six goes when she and Gaius aren't speaking.

( excerpt )

Experiment #6 (Absent-Minded Transgression Remix)

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: various (every canon pairing and some non-canon)
Length: 5,000 words (50 drabbles)
Author on LJ: lls_mutant
Author Website: fic master list (Harry Potter, BSG)
Why this must be read:

It's a wonderfully creative fic with something for everyone! Each 100-word drabble is based on Lily's "50 reasons to have sex" list from How I Met Your Mother. Every reason is demonstrated by a different pairing, including het, slash, femslash, and a couple of threesomes and solos.

The reasons on the list range from generic prompts ("Curiosity", "Practice", "Love") to weirdly specific ones ("You're Already At Their Place and Don't Want to Move Your Car", "Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye is Playing on the Radio") -- all interpreted in very clever ways. Some of the results are hilarious, some sad, some sweet. Terrific idea and executed really well. :D

Lily's List

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Characters/Pairings: Baltar/Gaeta (mostly UST), female!Baltar/Tory; also features Roslin, Adama, Lee, Tyrol, Helo, Hera, Zarek, Six, Leoben
Length: 30,000 words
Warning: includes a scene of sexual violence, offensive language, and attempted rape
Author on LJ: demonqueen666
Author Website: LJ memories
Why this must be read:

It's a very original twist on a weird fanfic subgenre -- the genderswap. Yep, I'm going to say this sentence and demand you keep reading after it: This is a long, plotty fic where a mishap on the baseship transforms Gaius Baltar into a woman. Biologically, at least.

His mind and orientation stay the same, which leaves him in more than a few confusing situations. But there are also perks, like *not* being recognized as the most-hated man in the fleet... even by one of the people he hurt the most. Right from the beginning, the voices and characterization are great, and the surreal premise is taken in a believable (!) and meaningful direction.

This is a good example of something a friend of mine calls "deadly serious crack," an idea that is ridiculous and comical on the surface, but then hits you with unexpected sincerity and depth. The author had planned a more light-hearted genderfrak fic but this emerged instead -- a story that takes on serious themes about gender and identity, and even raises some feminist and trans issues, while also firmly set within the BSG universe and its characters. The scenes between Baltar and Roslin are especially great, and his complicated relationship with Gaeta gives the fic its emotional center.

From Whence She Began: Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four (conclusion)

Fandom: Supernatural/Battlestar Galactica crossover
Pairing: Dean/Helo, Kara/Helo, Dean/Kara, Dean/Kara/Helo
Author on LJ: ultraviolet9a
Author Website: Violet Fanfic
Why this must be read: This is one of those crossover stories that is just, simply, true. When you read it you know it happened, you can see it all right there in your head as if it was playing out on your TV screen. It’s sharp and bright, like the characters it portrays.

( Excerpt )

Baptism

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Kara/Lee, very brief mention of Kara/Sam
Length: 4,780 words
Author on LJ: dionusia
Author Website: fic tag (may be incomplete)
Why this must be read:

I'm not a big reader of Kara/Lee fic, but this one really stands out for me, probably because of its cool structure and focus on an interesting turning point for Lee and the show. It was written after the season 3 finale and deals with his reaction to Kara's resurrection and the doubts that she may or may not be a Cylon. Lee too becomes an object of suspicion, separated from her and questioned about what little he witnessed.

The plot is minimal and character-driven, returning to a couple of major scenes-- Lee's stiff and conflicted Q&A with his own interrogator, and his eventual reunion with Kara in a cell under surveillance. (And Kara is quite fierce in this fic, even while in the brig!) It's a tense, sad, and reassuring fic that foresaw pretty well the distrust that would surround S4 Kara, and Lee's confused but unbroken desire to believe in her.

( excerpt )

The Visible World

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Baltar/Caprica-Six
Length: 2,389 words
Author on LJ: dollsome
Author Website: fic master list
Why this must be read:

I consider this *essential* reading for anyone who ships Gaius/Six, and worthwhile for anyone else who at least finds their relationship compelling and wonders what it was like prior to all the betrayal and accidental genocide. Through five scenes, it traces their early relationship on the Colonies and explores the captivating mystery she must have seemed from Gaius' point of view. His voice and observations are very in-character, and so is the witty and delicate banter between them. Caprica-Six's own happiness and longing also come through really well, through his eyes and the blanks we fill in. It's gorgeously written and so utterly them, and the ending is a killer.

( excerpt )

Keep You So

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Characters: Centurions, Natalie; Scar, the Hybrid
Length: one-shots
Author on LJ: grey_sw
Author Website: fic master list
Why these must be read:

Because they're funny, creepy, and thought-provoking all at once. These two separate fics offer a possible answer to what's going on inside the minds of the mechanical­ Cylons -- the Centurions and raiders -- who spent most of the series as faceless robot soldiers, under control of the prettier skinjobs. Grey's take on their artificial consciousness is great: equally childlike and knowing, rational and spiritual, sympathetic and scary.

"Semantics" takes place in season four, just as the Centurions regain their free will and take revenge on their humanoid masters, and tells that story from *their* point of view, as newly awakened machines who are re-learning how to act and think in their own words. In "10001" (binary code for "33"), the same treatment is given to a zippy Cylon raider, as he heads out again and again to fly and shoot at the command of a loving and mysterious Voice from the baseship. Both are really cool, and appropriate for a show that often gave us the POV of Cylon characters but never went this far. :)

( excerpt )

Semantics

100001

Hello crack van! I'm Nicole Anell and I'll be your May 2010 driver for Battlestar Galactica. Which means, I should warn you, you're about to endure the MONTH WHERE WE HAVE A MONTH OF GAIUS/SIX RECS. But I promise I'll insert some non-Gaius/Six variety too. :D

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Baltar/OFCs, Baltar/Six, Baltar/Kara; references Roslin/Adar and Kara/Lee
Length: 8,041 words
Author on LJ: mercurial_wit
Author Website: fic master list
Why this must be read:

Speaking as an official Fangirl Authority on Gaius Baltar, I can tell you this is my all-time favorite fic about him. And just an excellent fic in general if you like beautiful prose, great dialogue, and seeing characters in totally different but canon-supported situations. It's a series of glimpses into Gaius' life and relationships with women, mostly pre-series. (Including his alluded-to meeting with Roslin at the Caprica City Symposium prior to the miniseries! Which is awesome in itself!)

( more raving under cut )

Seven conversations in the life of a genius

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: implied Kara/Leoben
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: alissabobissa
Author Website: Here
Why this must be read:

This crack fic takes everything that is odd and creepy about Leoben, amps it up to an extreme-yet-logical conclusion...and we have all the Twos in a religion that worships Kara Thrace. It's almost heartwarming, in a psychotic kind of way. The style of the fic is wry, the obsession treated with serious hilarity, and the result is just crazily perfect for BSG crackfic.

( Excerpt from fic )

A Two is a Two is a Two

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Sam/Jean (slight Kara/Sam)
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: anythingbutgreyAuthor Website: Here
Why this must be read:

This fic is a sparse but brutal look at the resistance on Caprica. The author leaves so much out, the way all uncomfortable stories are told—but you can feel the weight between every line. But despite the despair, there's a beauty in Jean's perspective and the closeness she has with Sam. It's a war-buddy bond, and something more, but that something more isn't overwhelming. This was written before "The Plan" came out, but it could fit in almost perfectly; it makes you wish we'd gotten more in-depth focus on this storyline.

The Remnants of Our Shaking Ghosts

Title: Rising Sign by ninety6tears 
Pairing: (Kirk)/Kara/McCoy
Author on LJ: ninety6tears 
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

This fic has some of the best dialogue and relationship development I've seen for Kara...and it's her completely separate from her normal universe! You'd think that all her baggage would be distracting, especially in the shiny Star Trek world, but it's not; you fully believe that this is what could happen when Kara went through that maelstrom. The language of this story is rich with character description, the dialogue is spot-on for the characters, and the characters themselves are always realistic. (While there is some shippiness, most of the story is gen.) The author manages to tell a story that's funny, gritty, heart-breaking, and epic all at once. A perfect fit for Kara Thrace in any crossover.

Rising Sign

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Baltar/Caprica/D'Anna
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: cynthia_arrow
Author Website: Here
Why this must be read:

In this deliciously earnest crackfic, Baltar is still on his quest to find how he fits in with the Cylons...this time, using some dubious mathematical skills. The results are fantastically amusing, taken to every extreme, and the accompanying inner thoughts and sidenotes only add to the gleeful atmosphere.

( Excerpt from fic )

Cylon Math on Baltar's Basestar

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Kara/Sam
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: sabaceanbabe
Author Website: Here
Why this must be read:

Some pairings become less interesting when commitment's involved, when UST becomes RST...not this one, not by any stretch. And sabaceanbabe 's fic is a perfect example of just how fun married-sex can be when well written. There are groupies, mysteriously appearing limes, teasing, drunken romping, turnaround, and a sense for dialogue and body language that is spot on for the characters.

“Hey, honey,” she greeted Sam, again smiling sweetly, offering him the drink in her hand and nearly laughing out load as the groupie noticed the mirror-image of Sam’s tattoo gracing Kara’s arm.

“Hey, baby.” Sam’s grin broadened and he slipped out from under the groupie’s grasp, fully aware that Kara was going to make him pay dearly for “baby.”

They Travel In Packs

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: N/A
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: rayruz
Author Website: Fanfic master list
Why this must be read:

Kara and Helo have an incredibly understated relationship on the show, with only a few scenes and lines given that are meant to show their friendship—and yet it's strong enough that every portion of fandom recognizes what they have. It's something special, a deep friendship that doesn't take over their lives but is just there. And this fic goes into, not only the beginnings of that friendship, but implicitly why it stayed in place through the entire series.

( Excerpt from fic )

Bad Reputation

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: N/A (gen fic, ensemble)
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: demonqueen666
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

One of the most endearing things about Baltar is his talent at being a reluctant leader, and this crackfic explores one of the incredible directions that the show could have taken this talent. Starting from Gaius' strange talent for having women attach themselves to him--in this case, one of the Greek Muses. The summary is quintessential crackfic, and the story only improves upon it. This is the sub-genre of crack where the characters act like it's serious business, despite the ridiculousness of the setting, and it's a superb example of it. There's vivid characterization as well as cheeky in-jokes, and the ensemble of characters works together extremely well—and were it not so long, I would quote the band-naming scene as example. An incredibly memorable fic.

( Excerpt from fic )

Euterpe and the Seven Wonders of the World

HI! I'm ivanolix  and I'll be your BSG driver for this month.

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Pairing: Kara/Leoben (vaguely)
Length: oneshot
Author on LJ: ariastar
Author Website: Fic archived here
Why this must be read:

Kara and Leoben's relationship was one that was terrifyingly fascinating on the show, but never explored to its fullest up till the end. It was both tied and separate to Kara's journey as a character, and so Leoben was both important and unimportant to her life—and that was a good thing. In this fic, we see an achingly visceral look at how Kara related to Leoben, how she could hate him and be grateful at the same time, and how he failed but the power of her journey was enough to overcome any hindrance he provided. And how, in the end, Kara could transcend to a place where she could find peace with that. This doesn't need to be a ship fic because romance was never the point of their relationship—it was about faith and destiny and the frightening power that Kara needed to wield in order for her to lead humanity to its end.

( Excerpt from the fic )

Patterns in the Blood

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (NEW)
Character: Ellen Tigh
Length: 3400 + words
Author on LJ: gotatheory/manydimensions
Why this must be read:

Ellen Tigh is a character who evolved from the caricatured wife, straight from a drawing-room farce, into a tragic and an enigmatic figure. This story provides us with the backstory we see only the very end of in canon, reconciling all the previous facets of her characterization with the revelations that were to come later: Its Ellen is multi-layered, intelligent, determined, and, above all, a creator.

It was a few years after that that you discovered art. Your first real picture was a landscape, the park just down the street from your friend’s house. Your mother hung it in the parlor, though it was barely worth framing. Still, she showed it to everyone.

“My Ellen did that,” she would say, and you would beam with pride.

What's Past Is Prologue