It's Crack Van Collision Day! :D

Fandom: TEEN WOLF/GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Boyd/Erica, Rudy Reyes/Pappy Patrick
Length: 9428 words
Author on LJ: dsudis
Author Website: AO3
Summary: "Uncle Rudy," Erica said. "It's me."

Why this must be read: Most Teen Wolf crossovers are written with Supernatural, which I can understand because it's a pretty easy jump to make. But I didn't want to go the easy route (plus, I've never read SPN fic), so I went with this story. I love Generation Kill so fucking much, and Rudy is such a great character so when I heard Erica's last name was Reyes, it immediately became my headcanon that they're somehow related.

Dira Sudis (as per usual) gets all the character's voices perfect, I love her Erica and Boyd and I love how she seamlessly inserts the guys from Generation Kill in the story. Even more so, I love the way she seamlessly puts the Marines in Beacon Hills. Teen Wolf/Generation Kill isn't really an obvious crossover choice, but it works, it works like burning! Also I am eagerly awaiting the sequel where the rest of Bravo 2 makes an appearance. Ray + Stiles = yes please.

Note: the story is written from Boyd's POV which makes it an excellent read for people who aren't familiar with Generation Kill because he doesn't know them either. :) Even if you don't know the show, I'd rec this fic for the excellent Erica/Boyd characterisation!



( Boyd knew he should take the phone from her, should spare her uncle from this and convince her to do something else, but... he'd been following Erica all night. He had no idea what else to do, and Erica was already pressing the phone to her ear. )



The Strenght of the Wolf is the Pack

Fandom: SGA & GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Gen
Length: 140k+
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Ao3
Why this must be read:
"You want to recruit me for what? You want me to go where?"
Sgt. Brad Colbert has been on a lot of strange missions, but this promises to be his most out there yet: Atlantis


Considering the tone of the two shows, this crossover seems like a strange and unlikely fit, but it manages to work if you look at it as borrowing one characters from one universe to better explore and explain another.

( Considering how long this fic is, it may need some explanation. )

Rock Happy

That wraps up my tour of duty. I hope you've enjoyed the stories. For my last rec, I leave you with a hackthis AU that still fills me with glee.

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 25,054
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

In this AU, Nate attends a Corps' recruitment event at which Brad speaks. And boy, does Brad make an impression. You know, the kind of impression that ends in bed and promises not to join the Marine Corps and ten years later, in Brad walking into Nate's community college class (English 203: The Fraternity of Men). And it is a thing of beauty. The whole platoon is here, following Brad around as they do, and hackthis captures them perfectly, Ray and Poke, especially. A fun, sexy, hilarious good time.

Nate blinks at the list and then back at the doorway. There have to be millions of Brad Colberts in the world. What's the likelihood of this Brad Colbert being that Brad Colbert?

And then the Brad in the doorway smiles. "Hello, Professor Fick," he says lightly.

The Road Not Taken

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 11,699
Author on LJ: noelia_g
Author Website: stop. look. listen.
Why this must be read:

This story reimagines Brad's relationship timeline a bit and gives us a Brad metaphorically stuck while everyone else moves forward in life. Naturally, that's when his life becomes Groundhog Day; Brad finds himself reliving the same day over and over and over. And hey, funny thing, it just so happens to be the day he goes to visit Nate. Awesomeness ensues.

Brad stares at the ceiling for a very long while before he gets up. His watch maintains it’s yesterday. Or the day before yesterday, actually. Still, or again, or whatever the fuck.

He doesn’t think he’s insane, but then again, how can a person tell? He calls up Ray, because insanity likes company, and there’s no insane company like Ray. “I think I’m stuck in a Bill Murray movie,” he says.

Ray doesn’t miss a beat. “I hope it’s Ghostbusters. Because if it’s that Sofia Coppola pretentious artsy Japanese dicksucking crap, then... well, at least you might have a chance to bang Scarlett Johansson.

I'd like to have the time I lost (give it back to you)

Vidder: be_cum
Musical artist: Florence and The Machine
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick, ensemble
Vidder on LJ: be_cum
Vidder's website: be_cum
Why this vid kicks ass:

"No Light, No Light" is a fantastic song choice for Brad/Nate and it's wildly impressive how much there is in this vid. It pulls in the ensemble and the setting, but ultimately, it's a vid about Nate - about his competence in the face of chaos, even as he's plagued by doubts. And there is chaos. While I wouldn't call Generation Kill particulaly graphic, this vid uses many of the more violent moments to really hit us with the source of Nate's doubt, even as it shows us Brad bolstering him through. Some great editing here, particularly the "kill on three" sequence and its perfect integration with the song. Same, too, at the end with "you are a revelation" landing on Brad looking up at Nate.

Most importantly, it captures the emotion of Nate's journey, through the war and his relationship with Brad. Which is everything, really.

what you want me to say: YouTube / LJ

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 12,828
Author on LJ: lunasky
Author Website: Perchance to Dream
Why this must be read:

Brad runs into the Fates; it goes about as well as you'd expect. lunasky rips your heart out with this one. For about 10k words I kept repeating, 'no, it can't go like this.' But in the best kind of way. It's wonderfully structured, intertwined with Brad's childhood fairytale anecdotes, all done in this perfect, bone-dry Brad narration. His internal monologue is gold: no-bullshit, hilarious, highly observant, while also being oblivious to the important things. Namely, Nate. But hey, that's what the Fates are for.

Brad whipped around, clutching his helmet in one hand, off-balance and confused. There were three old women, dressed in mismatched rags, sitting there cursing and swearing because he’d tripped over them. He could have sworn they weren’t there a moment ago.

All the King's Horses

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 1361
Author on LJ: kaneko
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

I freely admit that I am throwing in super-hot porn just because I can. Also, the porn in GK fandom is scorching and I feel this should be shared. Here we've got Brad, Nate, and light bondage, all wholly in character. kaneko paints them beautifully, each trying to live up to that unattainable Recon ideal of perfect endurance, perfect control. As applied to sex. I approve. As always, she says a lot in few words, crafting desperation so tangible it'll make you shake.

Brad makes a pleased noise against the back of Nate's neck. The vibration sends sparks all the way down Nate's spine. Nate grits his teeth and makes himself ride it out. The urge to shove himself forward is almost unbearable. He squeezes his eyes shut and sees his bunk at OCS. He needs to move. He doesn't need to move. The needs of the body can be overcome.

Brad's teeth graze his shoulder. "Focus," he says.

Patience

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: None, gen
Length: 2496
Author on LJ: sparky77
Author Website: Q's Fic
Why this must be read:

There's not a lot of fic about Rudy; he's another of those difficult characters to write. Here, sparky77 just nails the Rudy-Pappy dynamic. On the roadtrip that is the invasion, Rudy and Pappy play a game. Brad tries to figure it out. The banter is fantastic and the radio chatter still fills me with glee. A great look at the guys as a family, with all that entails.

“What about the thing with Brad? We’re trying to beat him,” Pappy says.

“No, we’re not,” Rudy says. “We’re trying to lead him to enlightenment, to soothe his troubled soul.”

“By beating him,” Pappy says.

Rudy's Guide to Auras and Fair Game Play

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 7368
Author on LJ: nightanddaze
Author Website: nightanddaze
Why this must be read:

Recon is an aggressively male culture; their MOS bestows on them the title of "Reconnaissance Man," no girls allowed. So genderswitch is an obvious, yet tricky, place for fans to go. Here, nightanddaze guts you with it. Nate gets turned into a woman and we feel the pain of losing one's entire identity as he continues on, in limbo. Nate and Brad talk around each other, with the same trust, as ever, but with wide swaths of things they just don't say. Like all her work, it's lyrical, with clever wit, profound silence, and imagery so vivid you can reach out and touch. This is genderswitch done right.

“I’ve got your girl’s six while you’re gone. Although she probably doesn’t know what that means. Hey, Natalie,” He leans back dramatically, still in Brad’s embrace, until he can catch Nate’s eye, “d’you know what someone’s six is?”

Nate’s got his hands in his pockets and his vaguely sad smile on, although Brad doesn’t know whether it’s because of him or the two-year lie he’s lived. It could be both. “Yes, Ray,” he says, “I know what that is.” He even rolls his eyes for effect. Brad aches for a second, for all the things Nate’s had to give up.

Modern Romance

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 5759
Author on LJ: romanticalgirl
Author Website: A Multitude of Voices / LJ
Why this must be read:

Twink!Nate runs into Brad in a bar. Ridiculously hot porn ensues. Need I say more?

It should be harder for Nate to get into clubs given that he looks like he's twelve, but he’s found that certain clubs are more than willing to let him in because of how he looks. So when he wants to go out and have a good time, he dresses younger than he is in thin t-shirts, ratty jeans and hoodies a size too big, and he makes sure to rake his fingers through his hair so that it falls over his face.

21 Guns

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: None, gen
Length: 1468
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

Mike is one of those understated characters who doesn't get a lot of attention in fic. Here hackthis takes a lovely look at him, at his role and how he sees himself, there in the background, keeping things running smoothly. It's spare and no-bullshit and quietly competent, much like the man himself.

Mike Wynn knows who in his platoon is good at what, who has a weakness, who has to be left alone at this time and who needs somebody all up in their shit. Mike knows that relationships are all about give and take and pull and yank and you can't fucking walk away from me because we're all mired in this shit together.

My First Wife and Kids

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: ~4200
Author on LJ: bluflamingo
Author Website: The Tangle of my Mind
Why this must be read:

Here's an example of the striking yet quiet character work that makes GK fandom such a pleasure. The story looks at Nate, at the end of the war and just returning home, stuck in between what he has to do and what he wants to do, what he planned for and what he got. Nate is tangibly present - the sharp glints of humor, the crushing weight of command - even as he's not dealing well. It's a heavy read, insightful and beautifully done.

Two days, three days, up, run, briefing, patrol, home, paperwork. Nate feels like he’s swimming through the routine, or maybe drowning in it, and this isn’t how he thought this would go.

It isn’t how he thought it would end, and maybe it’s better than some of the endings he imagined, none of the dress uniforms and regret he thought he had coming to him, but that doesn’t make up for the rest of it.

Hold Still (Let The Earth Move You)

Title: And then it went all f***ing Stargate by indyhat
Pairing: None, gen
Length: ~3300
Author on LJ: indyhat
Author Website: indyhat
Why this must be read:

For today's Crack Van Collision...Bravo 2-1 Alpha somehow winds up on the Serenity. Hilarity ensues. It's told from Ray's POV, which is brilliant and profane and nine kinds of priceless. Not only does indyhat master Ray's voice and Brad's deadpan, but she also gives the Firefly characters their due. Generation Kill and Firefly have very specific linguistic palettes and this story manages to paint with both of them, effortlessly, while also being laugh-out-loud funny. An impressive feat. It's the kind of read that made me want another ten thousand words.

What planet? Ray hopes the captain is just being metaphorical. He starts wondering about the quantities of Ripped Fuel he's ingested over the last forty-eight hours. Fuck, maybe this was the really good shit and he should have strung it out a bit longer, or at least cut it with Nescafé.

Also, Reynolds seems to have some fucked-up Chinese version of Tourettes. Like, what's up with that.

"Earth," Brad says, with such a straight face that Ray sort of hopes one of the hatches will open and Klingons will come out and declare war or some shit like that.

And then it went all f***ing Stargate

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 6500
Author on LJ: __sine
Author Website: Master Fic List
Why this must be read:

It's a space travel/time dilation AU that's intriguing and melancholy and terrifically clever. It weaves canon into the year 2049 in surprising, yet inevitable ways, telling the story of the first manned mission outside our galaxy. __sine has crafted a gorgeous atmosphere here, evocative in its sparseness, full of the tough realities of space travel and the humanity of the bonds that hold the guys together. It left me wanting so much more.

On Earth, images of the darkness beyond the last planet and within the unexplored expanse of the local interstellar cloud are splashed across the front pages of every publication. NASA Administrator James Mattis gives a long and triumphant speech, as does the President of the United States, but it is a recording of an offhand remark by one of the crew members that truly captures the public's imagination.

Sergeant Brad Colbert's half awed, half ironic murmur of, "Yes, we are the conquering heroes," as they race past mankind's last space buoy (0983 ZHENG HE) is replayed over five billion times that day. It will go on to be immortalised in history books and novelty t-shirts alike.

Ansible, ansible

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: None, gen
Length: 1956
Author on LJ: sparky77
Author Website: Q's Fic
Why this must be read:

Ray is a special snowflake and sparky77 is consistently brilliant at capturing that. Here, Ray does exactly what the title says: he analyzes Dr. Seuss. The experience will leave you in stitches, in awe, or in disbelief. Possibly all three. So worth a read, even if you know nothing of canon.

Let’s take a moment to consider the fact that Dr. Seuss was challenged by his editor to write a story only using 50 words and one of the words he chose to use was goat. I’m not saying that Dr. Seuss was a kinky commie bastard who fucked goats, I’m just presenting the evidence for you to judge.

Ray Person's Analysis of Green Eggs and Ham

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 9152
Author on LJ: nightanddaze
Author Website: nightanddaze
Why this must be read:

Here's a WWII AU that places Nate as a young soldier patrolling Algiers, with Brad as an enticing, shady shop owner. That description doesn't do it justice because nightanddaze has created a whole world here, so different from other WWII AUs and full of her gorgeously sensuous writing. She's written a series of interconnected snippets, of which this is the longest part, here telling the story of Nate's leave. It gives us a younger Nate than usual, but nightanddaze does right by him. Links to the other pieces are at the bottom; I'd suggest reading them all. Just gorgeous.

His chest feels odd without the little weight of being a good soldier on it, but Nate doesn’t want to be a good soldier today.

“Can you take these?” Nate asks, already dropping the tags into Colbert’s outstretched palm.

Colbert looks at them for a moment, swiping over the information like he could learn it by touch, and then carefully coils them on the beside table next to the clock and his watch.

Sea Change

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 22,629
Author on LJ: romanticalgirl
Author Website: A Multitude of Voices / LJ
Why this must be read:

It's epic kidfic and it's brilliant. romanticalgirl confronts us with the tough reality of having a kid you didn't know about and how that changes your relationship. She puts the boys through their paces while introducing us to some fantastic OCs (especially Brad's mom). The result is wrenching and painful and hilarious, much like canon itself. You feel the emotions of it, even as the dialogue sparkles; she's masterful at eliciting laughter and dread simultaneously. Well worth a read, even for those wary of kidfic.

“That’s a kid.”

“Yes.” His mom nods calmly, bouncing the thing on her knee. Brad knows nothing about kids, but the ribbon pinned in the wisps of hair makes him suspect it’s a girl, though he’s not sure why she’s here or how she got here. “More specifically, Bradley, she’s your kid.”

Nate’s silent and Brad’s behind him, so he can’t actually see his expression, which he thinks might be a good thing. “I don’t have a kid.”

The Easy Part's Over Now

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 3806
Author on LJ: shoshannagold
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

One of Brad's clandestine missions goes sideways and a reporter asks Nate about it. The structure and perspective of this story are great. You see the reporter make his case - as Nate gives him nothing - which is intertwined with the fallout of what happened. An intriguing look at a less idealistic Nate and how he approaches the realities of today's war.

"It doesn't matter if you see the picture or not. You know that plane landed. You know that because you met it, Captain Fick." He looks at Nate intently. "Three hours after your own flight landed at John Wayne airport, sixteen hours after you gave a speech in West Virginia, a day before you cancelled an appearance on The Situation Room."

A Thousand Words

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 2930
Author on LJ: d_i_
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

Nate's often portrayed as unfailingly earnest, which he is, but he's also got a wicked deadpan and doesn't take shit from anyone. So I love it when writers let him mess with people, as he does here in pretending to be a virgin. Brad is appropriately dubious. Porn - and dirty talk! - ensues. And it's awesome.

"Corporal, as I was dedicated to the service of St. George at the age of nine and am as pure now as I was that day, I have no such tale to share. Briefing tomorrow morning at 0800. Good night, Gents." He put the empty cup back into Rudy's slack hand, and walked away.

"So that's it," Ray said after three seconds of bewildered silence. "He's the only officer who hasn't been fucked stupid yet."

14 Years in St. George's Service

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick, Brad Colbert/f
Length: 36,000
Author on LJ: aeroport_art
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

In the mini, Brad states, "there are no cowboys." In this story, aeroport_art makes them actual cowboys. And the result is brilliant. She builds a while world here: Reno, NV, year 1888, with Brad as our trusty Sheriff. Nate shows up after a grisly shoot-out, piquing Brad's interest. Their interaction is wonderfully prickly, befitting the lawmen they both are. The rest of Bravo 2 is also here, all fully themselves as Brad's deputies, Nate's coworkers, or residents of the town. This story uses so many elements from canon, skillfully weaving them into the Old West. The result is gorgeous and tactile and so much fun:

"And I know you know already, but proper introduction: you're in Washoe County's one-and-only Reno. Population four thousand, and home to the dullest lot of lawmen west of the Mississippi.” Ray makes a wounded noise from somewhere.

The stranger tilts his head back and drains the rest of his water. Brad's eyes slide down, following the bobbing up-and-down motion of his Adam's apple. When the stranger resurfaces, the bright red of his moist lips contrasts with the dusty film that covers the rest of his face, his clothes. "I'm Nathaniel Fick," he says as Brad's eyes snap back up, "but call me Nate." He extends a hand.

The West Coast Two-Step

Hello! I'm reporting for duty, driving the Generation Kill Humvee this month. If you need a refresher on our badass Marines, here's the handy fandom overview to help.

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 21,975
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

One of my favorites and a fandom classic - a hot, hilarious, badass mob!AU where Nate is a mobster's son (Godfather!) and Brad is his new bodyguard. Most of the guys are here and they sparkle in roles big and small, especially Ray as Nate's driver and Patterson as his cousin. Canon showed us the difficulty of command, a concept this story takes and reimagines in a completely different context. The result is brilliant and creative and so much fun.

There is no temp agency for the Mob. You can't just call up an employment office and say, "Hi, I'm a captain in one of the four families, and I need a bodyguard because I blew up the competition's warehouse, and in return someone left a dozen gutted fish outside the front door of my apartment building this morning, which probably means my days are numbered. So, if you could send me a temp to take a bullet or six, that would be great."

Well, you can say that, but you don't say things like that to people who aren't in the family. At least not in Baltimore.

Semper Fidelis Familia

I hope you've enjoyed the stories this month. I've very much enjoyed rereading them. For the final rec it seemed fitting to go with hackthis' final work in the fandom.

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 37,383
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

hackthis marries superb concept with exquisite execution; it's why she's recced so often. This story is no exception, a La Femme Nikita-style AU where we see Brad plucked from his life by Nate and trained as an assassin. The result is tremendous: epic and detailed and utterly magnificent. The competence!porn is off-the-charts. As is the actual porn. The story is full of the mini's dark humor, with a gorgeously badass, inscrutable Nate and a Brad just itching to figure him out. The rest of our guys are here, too, as trainers and law enforcement and Management, all wholly themselves and perfect. In a word, it's glorious.

There's a series of rights and lefts and ups and downs and stairs and doors. Every now and then they even see another human being, mostly armed guards, and every last one of them gives Brad a very wide clearance.

"Your reputation precedes you," Ray explains. "You are the Iceman. The one. You are motherfucking Neo and this is your Matrix."

You Will Be For Me and I Will Fight For You

A little late, since I wanted to get permission...

Vidder: SpySyd
Musical artist: Coldplay
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Vidder on LJ: iwillrememberu
Vidder's website: iwillrememberu
Why this vid kicks ass:

This vid starts off with a perfect depiction of Nate at the end of the mini, despairing at what they've wrought. It then shows us why - pulling from all the shit that went down during the war and interspersing it with lovely quiet moments of Brad and Nate trying to fix each other. Great use of the song and dialogue, with a fantastic inclusion of the rest of the guys. An inspired piece.

Fix You (password: iceman)

Vidder: lunasky
Musical artist: The Weakerthans
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Vidder on LJ: lunasky
Vidder's website: lunasky
Why this vid kicks ass:

It's a quiet song, which works beautifully with Brad/Nate, who are often defined by the things they do not say. Luna perfectly captures Nate in this, showing us how he reacts to the shit rolling down on him and how those quiet moments with Brad help him cope. I found it striking that so many of the clips are taken from night scenes; the eyefucking between these two is so epic you can cast aside half the footage and still do a vid of long, lingering looks. Just lovely.

Sounds Familiar

Vidder: hippowithnoodles444
Musical artist: Massive Attack, Craig Armstrong, Sigur Rós
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: hippowithnoodles444 on youtube
Why this vid kicks ass:

It's an HBO war miniseries mash-up of awesome! Band of Brothers is the fandom most analogous to Generation Kill - a fictionalized account of real military guys who didn't ask to be written about, etc - and the vidder here seamlessly moves between 1944 and 2003, between the Army and the Marines, between two vastly different wars, showing us how war has changed. And how it really hasn't. A fantastic take on the bonds of brotherhood, then and now.

Band of Brothers/Generation Kill Super Trailer

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 6290
Author on LJ: sparky77
Author Website: Q's Fic
Why this must be read:

A fairytale in which Nate's a prince who's been cast aside, raised by Ray on stories of the Fairy King (aka Brad). Creepy in the vein of classic fairytales, with great cameos by many of the guys and a priceless Ray-Ray. Magical and delightful and so much fun.

According to Ray, the Fairy King was 8 feet tall. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he could turn water to ice just by looking at it. His wings were blue too and everywhere they touched, they left a trail of frost. He was in charge of the first frost and of icing over all the ponds.

"I want to meet him," Screwby demanded one day after hearing the story.

Screwby: A Fairytale

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: ~32,000
Author on LJ: chlorate
Author Website: chlorate
Why this must be read:

This epic 19th century farmhand AU builds a world far from canon, populates it with all our guys, and manages to be every bit as real and painful as the mini. It's not a light story, by any means, but it's a great one, full of rich detail and unbelievable UST. Gorgeous and haunting.

Nate arrives in Mathilda in late August. The harvest is in full swing and farmers are too busy to think about the school or the schoolmaster they hired to come all the way from Boston. Apparently Schwetje's wife doesn't want him in the house in town after all. They tell him he'll have to board with Brad Colbert out on his farm, since Brad has built a house and it's grand enough for a Harvard man.

A Crowd Is Not Company

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 1903
Author on LJ: sparky77
Author Website: Q's Fic
Why this must be read:

I've gone through canon and post-canon stories, so now I turn to AUs and crack. Many excellent AUs have already been recced, but when speaking of crack, one writer comes immediately to mind: sparky77. She takes Ray's joke that Brad joined the Corps because of the dragon-slaying commercial and turns Brad into an actual dragon slayer. As you do. And it is brilliant, laugh-out-loud hilarious, featuring the perfect squire!Ray and much insane badassery all around. Including Nate as the virgin sacrifice. Just awesome.

Brad’s eyes lit up and he smiled for the first since he slew the legendary three-headed dragon of Ur with only a rusty nail and a pillow as his weapons. “I can rescue a virgin? It’s been years since I got to do that!”

Sir Brad the Dragon Slayer

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 6967
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: LJ
Why this must be read:

Five years post-canon, Brad gets an email. The set-up of this story is delightful; it feels both novel and inevitable. And of course hackthis writes the hell out of it, with Brad as stuck in his protective posture as ever and both guys experiencing a broad range of emotions in a short time. The characterization is rock-solid: these are the men of the mini plus a few years, but the more things change... Even brief cameos by Ray and Poke sparkle; she is that good with characterization. A deliciously human story well-told.

Of the 73 emails, Brad can identify the contents of 72 without opening the message.

There's one, however, that stops Brad cold.

To: Brad Colbert
From: Tom Ricks
Subject: COIN Symposium

It May Be Heart and Fist and Human Voice

Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Length: 15,987
Author on LJ: templemarker
Author Website: fiction archive
Why this must be read:

Brad is the quintessential Marine, so here templemarker takes us through the actuality of him deciding to retire. It acknowledges the difficulty of the decision, shows the pros and cons and how Brad evaluates them, and it's just a satisfying, believable read all the way around. And it includes some laugh-out-loud moments with Ray and Brad's mom, among others, in the fleshed-out life they've built, perhaps without Brad noticing. Both a wonderful established-relationship story and a fantastic leaving-the-Corps story.

“Wait,” Nate cut him off. “You’re saying that you got your retirement papers, and instead of throwing them out the window you waited to talk to me about it?”

Combination of States