Hi, I'm singingsomethin and I'll be your CrackVan comics driver for September. I've really enjoyed reading the fics recced on this community, so thank you for the chance to contribute. I'm going to mostly rec X-men fics, but I'm going to try to do a weekly rec for fics set in some webcomics too, if that's ok.

Fandom: COMICS - X-Men
Pairing: Incidental Jean/Scott, Rogue/Iceman, Shadowcat/Colossus
Length: ~14,000 words
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author website: FanFiction.net
Author's summary: A college friend of Scott's shows up at the mansion, and all hell breaks loose.
Why this must be read:

This is an old one, but it's one of my favorites. I love how Troll Princess manages to paint the characters in a very fond light while simultaneously poking fun at them. It's short, funny, gen, crack-fic, with a fun OC. Plus it contains some elaborate smack-talk that I'd like to work into casual conversation more often.

Excerpt...( Excerpt... )

All Foam, No Beer

PSA: The comics fandom Crack Van needs more drivers! PLEASE go sign up here or it might go away as a Monthly Fandom.

Fandom: X-MEN (various movie canon bits and comics bits)
Pairing: Charles Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr
Length: 19,606 words
Author on LJ: acetamide
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read:
Because the end of X-Men: First Class is so very, very heartbreaking (EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WAS COMING). Seriously. Also, there is something of a disconnect... how did Erik and Charles get to be the people they have become by the time of the earlier X-Men movies (X-Men, X2, and The Last Stand)? This fanfic is a perfect melding of seemingly disparate movie canons and comics, with all the pathos and angst that a Professor X/Magneto pairing implies. It is, quite simply, divine.

Charles and Erik from First Class wake up in the future post-X2 with no memories of the intervening years. Second chance, or a lesson in destiny? Find out! Read and enjoy!

never too late to be who you might have been by acetamide

Fandom: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (with hints of Earth-616 universe canon)
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier (background Erik Lehnsherr/Sebastian Shaw, Charles Xavier/Scott Summers, Scott Summers/Logan, Raven Darkholm/Azazel, Moira MacTaggert/Sean Cassidy)
Length: 86,244 words
Author on LJ: nekosmuse, afrocurl
Author Website: nekosmuse.com, nekosmuse on AO3, afrocurl on AO3
Why this must be read:
Everyone loves an AU, right? This is a fantastic AU with a happy ending, full of misunderstandings and hijinks and angst and silliness with a well-developed story and good characterizations. I kinda really adore it. Also, sequels! :D

Author's Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a visiting professor at Columbia University, as well as an acclaimed and award winning poet. Charles Xavier is a lead researcher with the Genetics Department who is well on his way to tenure. But what happens when Charles has to cancel a class because half his students abandon him in favour of a mysterious new English Lit professor? Naturally he ends up sitting in in the class, where Professor Lehnsherr mistakes him for a student. It's really too bad Erik has such a strict policy against dating students. It's also too bad Erik doesn't seem to know how to use Google.

An Ideal of Grace by afrocurl and nekomuse

One of the chief joys of being a comics fan, I think, is that there's constantly something new on the horizon, and if something happens that you don't like, you only have to wait a little while for a retcon or a reboot. The unpleasant corollary, of course, is that sometimes it's something you do like that falls victim to the retcon/reboot. And of course, the whole thing can seem impenetrable and inaccessible to new fans.

My advice then to new fans: don't try to get entirely caught up, just dive in and start reading the fic! If there's a character you don't know who seems vaguely important, look them up on Wikipedia. That's what it's there for! (Jimmy Wales may disagree.) That's what I did, and it was enough to convert me from DC to Marvel in the real world as well as the fandom one.

( The single biggest change in Marvel waters this year, I think it would be hard to argue, has been the popularity of the new movies, and thus the increased exposure of characters who were not necessarily well known, or well-fanned, outside comics circles. )

( Fandom Overviews here at Crack Van )

(  Pairing Specific Introductions at Ship Manifesto )

The Cap/Iron Man Slashy Moments List (Illustrations from Forty Years of Comics)

(  Livejournal Communities )

(  Big Bangs )

( Kink Memes )

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS (specifically X-MEN: FIRST CLASS)
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Length: 117,000 words
Author on LJ: nekosmuse
Author Website: AO3 Account

Warning: None.

Why this must be read: A wonderful AU where Erik's already the scary champion of mutantkind and Charles is already in a wheelchair. In the manner of OTPs everywhere, despite being diametrically opposed they meet and fall in love at pretty much first sight anyway. It's a slightly longer (and pleasingly respectful) journey to work out how to get from there to a happy ending though, given they go in with their eyes open, and every minute is worth the ride.

Tessellation

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS (specifically X-MEN: FIRST CLASS)
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Length: 35,000 words
Author on LJ: manic_intent
Author Website: AO3 Account

Warning: The author gives none, but in the interests of full disclosure, there's dub-con involving an incubus, though his main "victim" is very willing. (Incidental others are referred to briefly.)

Why this must be read: This is just the kind of AU I love -- change one thing and see what happens. In this case, Charles is a centuries old incubus passing as a mutant passing as human. Yes, you read that right. Erik's backstory remains unchanged, and when they cross paths he falls even harder than he did in canon. If that's possible. There's some wonderful world building here -- the author says she used Azazel's comics background as a primer, and it's beautifully done, giving just enough information about a supernatural conflict ages past that left the two of them the last of their kind. The sex is scorching, the characters sympathetic, and the story gripping.

The Geometry of Chance

Fandom: X-MEN (Marvel comicsverse, Earth-616/Astounding X-Men continuity)
Pairing: none
Length: 6,321 words
Author on LJ:
Author Website: (or a link to where more of their fic is archived)
Why this must be read:
Author's Summary: Hank McCoy has two problems -- everyone knows, and yet everyone doesn't. You see, once upon a time in continuity, Professor McCoy (aka - Beast) publicly outed himself as gay. In the comics, it was a publicity stunt. This story explores the ramifications if it wasn't... and if Hank had a secondary mutation where he put off "pet-me" pheremones. This is a gorgeous story about transformation, both of self and of expectations, and how friendship can be unwavering even in the face of the unexpected. Highly recommended!

Chemistry, Romance, and the Alchemy Thereof by neotoma

Fandom: FANDOM... ok, well, mostly MARVEL COMICS (specifically, Cable & Deadpool), but also FANDOM (also, this is kinda a crossover, but also really not, so I"m not really cheating)
Pairing: none
Length: 10,407 words
Author on LJ: hradzka
Author Website: David Hines on AO3
Why this must be read:
Raise your hand if you love Yuletide! It's been a fanfic tradtion for, what, a decade now? Well, this story was written in 2009 for Yuletide and it's about a story being written in 2009 for Yuletide... yeah. Deadpool is in it. Thus, the 4th Wall is not only broken, but OBLITERATED and then scattered beyond the fringes of the nastiest corners of the internet.

Deadpool and Cable make their way through the Yuletide archive, visiting a (rather infamous) story from each year in search of a perfect Christmas. It is not only meta, it's nostalgic meta and the end is very touching. This is on my HIGHLY recommended list for anyone, even people who are not really fans of Cable and Deadpool.

The Cable & Deadpool Yuletide Special by David Hines

Fandom: X-MEN & ALPHA FLIGHT (Ultimate Universe - aka multiverse Earth-1610 version)
Pairing: Scott "Cyclops" Summers/Jean-Paul "Northstar" Beaubier (mentions of Jean "Marvel Girl" Grey/Ororo "Storm" Munroe and Bobby "Iceman" Drake/Hank "Beast" McCoy)
Length: 28,959 words
Author on LJ: 3jane
Author Website: Jane St Clair on AO3
Why this must be read:
Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a fan of the Ultimateverse. It takes a special sort of story to make me enjoy Earth-1610, and this is that. A Dangerous Man is the last story extant in the Handbasket series which mainly focuses on Bobby/Hank, but this is a story about Scott and his issues. Let me take this opportunity to warn for implied sexual abuse, but don't let that put you off... Jane St Clair has crafted an excellent story about Jean-Paul carefully pealing back Scott's layers of hurt and protection and about Scott making the effort to overcome his fear and to make a friend. Also, hot sex.

Handbasket Detour: A Dangerous Man by Jane St Clair

Fandom: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (Marvel movieverse fusion of First Class and the other X-Men movies)
Pairing: Charles Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr
Length: 19,606 words
Author on LJ: acetamide
Author Website: acetamide on AO3
Why this must be read:
Because X-Men: First Class was incredibly TRAGIC when Charles and Erik broke up on the beach, ok? Because they are Meant To Be Together (TM). Because Magneto's way didn't work, but then neither did Professor X's. This story is set mainly within the continuity of the first X-Men movie. Charles and Erik wake up without decades of memory. For them, it's the night before the Cuban Missile Crisis stand-off and they have no memory of what happened in between, or how they got to a time where Erik is locked within a metal-null cage and Charles is locked into a wheelchair in a house full of mutant students. This story deftly weaves the cannons of both movie franchises and plots from the comics to form a story about having a second chance to get things right. Good stuff here, highly recommended!

never too late to be who you might have been by acetamide

Fandom: X-MEN (early 90's cartoon universe continuity)
Pairing: Bobby Drake (Iceman)/Kevin Sydney (Morph)
Length: 7,052 words
Author on LJ: poilass
Author Website: Poi Lass on comicfic.net
Why this must be read:
I have to admit, this is a nostalgia rec for me. The X-Men Animated Series was what got me into fandom back in 1992. The very first fanfic that I wrote back in middle school involved Bobby Drake and was based on this iteration of the character and the un(frozen) archive holds many stories I cherish from this time in my life. Poi Lass has rightly been recced here before, too, but not this one. Morph was a favorite character of mine, along with Iceman, so of course this story that has Morph romantically pursuing Iceman in as over-the-top ways as possible is lovely for me. This is funny, but it also has deeper undercurrents as Bobby struggles with possibly feeling attracted to another man and Sydney makes everything harder by showing him every face but his own.

Changing Faces by Poi Lass

Fandom: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (Marvel movieverse fusion with Marvel comicsverse, AU)
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Length: 29,702 words
Author on LJ: waldorph
Author Website: waldorph on AO3
Why this must be read:
This story is a gritty take on X-men: First Class set in an Alternate Universe (or What if? universe, Marvel-style) modern day. The details of this story are gorgeous and the characterization is amazing. Erik Lehnsherr and Emma Frost (along with several other characters from the movie and from the comics) are part of Division X, the government response team that deals with mutant issues. Erik moves into a new home that is haunted by a "ghost" named Charles and we watch as a huge conspiracy unfolds from there. The plot of this story is amazing and the characters are recognizable from both the movie and the comics, but still somehow work in this AU. You seriously need to read this story.

Linger by waldorph

Title: Five Women Pepper Potts Has Shown To The Door by amazingly_me
Pairing: Tony/Pepper, with mentions of Tony/Cam, Tony/Kelly, Tony/Elle, and Tony/Jean
Length: 2,547
Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

It's very difficult to do multi-fandom crossovers well, but this author does an excellent job showing Pepper's interactions with each of these very different women. I loved how she saw aspects of herself as well as her fears in all of them and eventually decides to take the next step with Tony.

( Excerpt )

Five Women Pepper Potts Has Shown To The Door

Hi! I'm amonitrate and I'm excited to be here reccing Marvel Comics fic this month. I'll be posting a mix of comics and movieverse works, heavy on the Iron Man, and if I had a theme it might be dark Alternative Universes, because I love them, and experimental writing styles, because I love them too.

Starting with this first fic, which is both!

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS -- X-Men comicsverse
Pairing: various
Length: novella
Author on LJ: d_benway 
Author Website: http://home.att.net/~lubakmetyk/list.htm
Why this must be read:

This is a truly horrifying AU, and yet it works. As Dr. Benway writes in the notes, Just because someone is a hero or a villain in the real books doesn't mean that they are a hero or a villain in this story. If any fic has earned a warning this one has: be aware that just about anything you can think of that could be triggering is in this fic. The author's warning is: It is not for the young, the sensitive, or the easily perturbed, and has parts that should not be read after a heavy meal. She's He's not kidding.

It's bleak, and it's brilliant. The fic takes the form of one character watching a documentary that slowly fills the reader in on just what happened at Charles Xavier's school. It's hard to say more than that without giving it away. Just don't blame me if you can't sleep after reading!

I sold the house to the man who called himself Xavier in the spring of '68. I don't know where he came from. He had money, he paid in cash. Said he wanted to set up a school.

X-Manson

Pairing: gen (Hank McCoy)
Author on LJ: neotoma
Length: approx. 6000 words
Author Website: fix index
Why this must be read:

So I don't usually read this much gen, let alone *rec* this much gen, but I seem to be in the mood so I hope you are too. This is another one worth reading. (This was written for the lgbtfest last year, which is gearing up for another round if anyone is interested.) The prompt: Hank McCoy once told the world he was gay in a publicity stunt gets turned around in lovely, sweet ways as Hank deals with being gay, blue, fuzzy, his best friend Bobby, and X-Men science gone awry. As it does. Lovely, patient Hank voice.

Scott turned to look at Bobby, as if he hadn't realized that Bobby was right there. Which wasn't fair; yeah, the blue furry guy drew immediately attention, but Bobby wasn't invisible, or even iced-up and translucent at the moment.

"Hank put gay porn on the system."

Bobby turned to look at Hank. "Gay porn?"

"Yes, Bobby," Hank said, his ears pinned back and his ruff of fur beginning to bristle out. Bobby felt the sudden need to be elsewhere.

Chemistry, Romance, and the Alchemy Thereof

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS
Pairing: Jean Grey/Scott Summers/Emma Frost
Length: approx. 3000 words
Author on LJ: sionnain
Author Website: sionnain_fics
Why this must be read:

For Valentine's weekend, sort-of love stories. Due to their crazy tangled background in canon, most Jean/Emma/Scott fics are less like threesomes and more like intense love triangles, non-equilateral triangles with each corner battling hard for supremacy. In this story, the three lovers actually reach a mutually agreeable arrangement. Great characterization, Emma's sharp edges, Jean's edges (better hidden), Scott planning and taking charge, and the weight of all their histories. The author effortlessly manages to make this seem like the only logical outcome.

"That's not fair. I didn't do anything, never betrayed you." Her voice catches, and she looks away. Something is there that isn't quite the truth, but she won't share. That she has the luxury of hiding things bothers Scott, though he knows that is unfair. "Scott. I think--I think I have an idea."

When she starts talking, he wants to laugh. It's the most absurd thing he's ever heard. It'll never work.

Stinging Velvet

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS: Secret Invasion, Astonishing X-Men
Title: Face of the Enemy
Pairing: Abigail Brand/ Hank McCoy
Rating: PG 13
Length: One Shot
Author on LJ: selenak
Author Website: selenak
Why this must be read:

Author's summary: Alien mindgames. Should be understandable if all you know about Secret Invasion is that ( Cut for Spoilerphobes! )

I confess, I only knew what I had heard about the Marvel Secret Invasions stories. But, I follow Astonishing X-men and this was utterly brilliant. ( Cut for Spoilerphobes! )

Plus the Abigail Brand/ Hank McCoy relationship as mentioned here took my breath away. This is one of my absolute favorite Marvel fics and I'm so happy to be able to share it!

( Excerpt )

Face of the Enemy

Title: The Perils of Prophecy Moppet (The Special Edition) by Jennifer-Oksana
Pairing: Wesley/Lilah, Spike/OFC, Connor/OFC, Jack/Irina... and some more, but those are the most important ones.
Length: long
Author on LJ: jennyo
Author Website: Jennifer Oksana's: new site, old site
Why this must be read: This is an awesomely cracktastic crossover fic of Epic Proportions and many capitalized words. Written in the style of "A Series of Unfortunate Events", jennyo tells the tragic tale of one Rachael Pryce, daughter of Wesley and Lilah, who is Extremely Fated ("That meant that when apocalypses, interesting events, et cetera, came about, they would often center on [her]"). Just how interesting, you'll have to read it to find out. Complete with True Love, Judge Judy-like courtcases, Lilah homeschooling, Sydney Bristow's multiple marriages, faux!incest, Bree and Lilah's garden warfare, flying houses and Friends: The Musical! It simply does not get better than this!

( excerpt )

The Perils of Prophecy Moppet (The Special Edition) and an alternate link

Vidder: Lim
Musical artist: Regina Spektor
Pairing: None
Vidder on LJ: lim
Vidder's website: some vids by lim
Why this vid kicks ass: When it was released, this songvid ate fandom. It's easy to see why: it's an anthem to fangirls and the way they love and invest in stories and pictures and characters -- all the things I've tried to encapsulate in this rec set. Saying anything else about "Us" would be hype for the sake of it; this vid speaks for itself.

Us (scroll down)

Title: Hellfire by resolute (PG-13)
Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 2003/ X-Men Crossover
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: resolute
Author Website: To the best I can tell, her fics are in her Memories here.
Why this must be read:

Because everyone, even Kara Thrace, was a child once, with childish dreams and childish heroes.

Because this fic is exquisitely written and hauntingly potent.

Because this fic crosses two of my favorite fandoms - BSG and X-Men and does it in a way that left me utterly breathless and very touched.

Because resolute captured Kara in this, and showed us her vulnerable side.

Because you really really should, or you'll kick yourself for missing out.

Author's Summary: Kara Thrace is a child on Caprica, and finds a comic book in the library.

( Excerpt )

Hellfire

Fandom: X-men Comicverse
Title: Kid Dynamo
Pairing: No main pairing, side of Magneto/Stevie Hunter
Author Website: None, author seems to have disappeared from the Internet
Why this must be read:

Kid Dynamo is set during the time of the New Mutants as a sort of What-If. It weaves the character of Jessica Drew into the "Fall of the Mutants" time-line, which seems like an odd setting for an OC fic, until you realize that Kid Dynamo was written in 1992. That said, don't get turned off by the OC or the age of the fic! Jessica Pierce is one of the most convincing and well-rounded OCs I've seen (I didn't realize that she was one until several Internet searches for her turned up empty). Her entry into the fic is believable, as are her history and mutant powers, and she's not involved in any major pairings, so don't worry about rabid fangirl self-insertion.

The plot of this story is well-constructed, mirroring the events of the time. However, Kid Dynamo is written in first-person, and Jessica is anything but a dull narrator. Her cutting wit and decidedly cynical view of things both brighten and strengthen the flow of the story. The characterization of the rest of the canon characters isn't sloppy either. Connie is good at writing the New Mutants as believable teenagers with emotions and faults. She also writes a pretty damn good Magneto, if I do say so myself, illustrating many of the oft-forgotten facets of his personality as they are revealed to Jessica. After all, Magneto hasn't been a 2-D throw-away villain for a long time now.

If you've been searching for New Mutants fic, for a well-characterized Magneto, or even just for a solid read, Kid Dynamo will be quite satisfactory.

( Excerpt )
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4a, 5, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

(or Days of Future Last Tuesday Evening, Just Before the Football)

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: No focus, but canon pairings mentioned
Author Website: None, but other works can be found at Fonts of Wisdom
Why this must be read:

I'm afraid I have a penchant for fic with really long titles. They're really worth the reading, though.

Apocalypse Soon-ish is a parody fic written as a re-telling of Marvel's "Days of Future Past" timeline with full knowledge of the over-done angst and the mind-melting plot twists inherent to Marvel, all the while poking fun at it all in a way that only a fanfic can. The whole thing is done in a Bible-ish testament style with chapters, verses, and more 'thee's and 'eth's and 'verily's than you can shake a stick at, but still has some very amusing references to current society.

You know what? If I keep writing, I'll spoil the fic for you. Go spend the 20 minutes or so and take a glance at the excerpt. I'll hazard a guess that even if you've got very little background with the fandom, you'll find this fic amusing.

( Excerpt )

1, 2, 3

Hi all! I'm dytabytes, although off LJ, most like to refer to me as Toast. Go figure. Anyhoo, I'll be driving your X-Men can for July! I've tried burying my way through reams of old fic in the dark pits of the Internet, so hopefully you'll either be seeing things that remind you of the 'good old days' or you'll find fic that you wouldn't have ever come across otherwise.

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: None, although some canon pairings are mentioned
Author Website: Insane Musings
Why this must be read:

As the title implies, in this fic, the Generation X team acts out the history of the X-Men using a whole bunch of artistic license and the snappy commentary a la Jubilee. When you're part of a fandom whose roots literally go back through decades of history, the details of the 'Early Years' can become a confusing mangle. Heck, this fic was written way back when Onslaught was still fresh (around a decade ago?) and it still spans 12 chapters-worth of material.

That said, Jaelle did an admirable job in keeping things relatively true to history but funny at the same time. Sometimes the writing is a little rough, but mostly, the parody style of the fic lends itself to its subject matter producing, in my opinion, an amusing and worth-while read.

Generation X Presents...

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE - ASTONISHING
Pairing: No pairing, Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy aka Beast
Author on LJ: c_elisa
Author Website: Intimate Structure
Why this must be read:

Putting aside the brilliance of this story for a moment (and it is brilliant!), this fic is a technical masterpiece. Told in the ever-so-difficult first person point of view, c_elisa manages to write the most pure, perfect and even more importantly, in character Hank McCoy that I've read. It honestly feels like we are in the head of the character in a way that will leave you utterly fascinated.

This fic is a character exploration piece and boils down to the question of how a man answers to his own conscience. Is it better to do the wrong thing for the right reason, the right thing for the wrong reason, or nothing at all? At the end of the day, what can you live with?

The story behind this fic will take your breath away. It deals with the "cure" for mutants in a way that X-3 utterly failed to do. The author weaves in complicated medical themes, religious persuasions, human foibles, and the compassion that is ever present in Dr. McCoy to tell a tale that made me sit back and have to take a deep breath. And then read it again and again and again. Go. Read. Love.

Author's Summary: Dr. Hank McCoy observes the cure.

( Excerpt )

For the Kingdom of Heaven

Fandom: X-MEN 616 COMICVERSE
Pairing: Rachel Grey/Nathaniel Essex (Rachel/Sinister)
Author on LJ: sionnain
Author Website: sionnain_fics
Why this must be read:

Because the writing is so good in this fic that it will make you not only like this unconventional pairing, but actually cheer them on! This is one of the most well written fics I've had the pleasure of coming across. But don't read this and expect warm fuzzies. This story tells the tale of two people who have serious issues/sociopathic tendencies and reveals that even for the psychos, misfits and guilt-ridden of the world, sometimes there is a chance at love, but there are no guarantees for a happy ending.

Sometimes, when two people get each other, all of the broken parts don't matter so much anymore.

This is a longer fic than any I've rec'd so far, and yet, it is over far too quickly. It has ten chapters, which can be found here: Links to the Entire Story

One final comment: this fic is most definitely a BDSM fic. And it is hot and so very good and actually looks into the reasons and justifications and emotions that go into such a relationship.

Author's Summary: In order to save her family and friends from Sinister's machinations, Rachel Grey decides to do something daring and agrees to stay with him for a month's time, in the hopes he'll finally leave her and her family alone for good.

The Unquiet Affair of Rachel Grey and Nathaniel Essex: Chapter One

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: marag
Author Website: Story found at Fonts of Wisdom
Why this must be read:

Scrubbing the house for Passover has given me a hankering for some good Jewish!fic, and Mara Greengrass delivers. Incorporated into the Passover liturgy is the instruction that every generation must view themselves as captives going out of Egypt, a line that sparks no end of passionate discussion around the table every year. On the eve of the first seder, a distress call from the mutant underground hits close to home for Shadowcat, Sabra, Iceman and the Thing.

"Yeah," Ben said, "I coulda sworn your invitation said 'Passover seder' and not 'fly to Virginia and free mutants from some megalomaniacal corporation.'"

"It's the life of a superhero," Bobby said. "I *knew* I should have gone to Los Angeles with Warren instead. But you lured me with talk of your mother's recipe for brisket, you evil woman."

B'chol Dor Vador (In Every Generation)

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: Kitty Pryde/Piotr Rasputin
Author Website: Fonts of Wisdom
Why this must be read:

There was a time, early in the comics, when Colossus was Kitty's whole world, the first boy who ever called her pretty, the first boy she fell in love with. Despite the times he broke her heart, the way she let him take her for granted, it really seemed like he was going to be "the one." Here, building a life together gets complicated when both people are flawed in ways that never really got mended.

Emma's never bought any of Peter's pictures -- although she has come to showings, once or twice, when I asked her to as a personal favor... She says she'll buy a picture as soon as he paints one she wants, but she won't tell him what that might be. She told me, once, the only picture she'd ever considered buying was that old painting of Illyana. She knew he wouldn't sell it, but she said that she'd buy another as soon as he did one as good -- no matter what the subject, or technique, or price. But she didn't think any of his current work came anywhere close...

Peter suggested once she commission him to paint her -- that way, even if she didn't appreciate fine art, she could at least make up for all of my time she was taking. Emma just raised one eyebrow in that icily haughty way only she can manage, and told him that he should sell his pictures based on his own talents and skills, not on mine. He was absolutely *furious*, Logan -- I don't know when I've seen him so angry. He told Emma it was easy for me, I was a certified genius -- whatever I did, it might have been hard for other people, but not for me. Emma just looked down her nose at him and told him she'd heard he considered himself a genius too, an artistic genius, so the same should be true for him. And I told you already how hard he works at his painting, how he agonizes over every canvas, struggles with every brushstroke...

Sheol

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: Kitty/Magneto
Author on LJ: alara_r
Author Website: Alara.net
Why this must be read:

I love, love, love Kitty/Magneto any way I can get them. I also love Alara's fic, and am still eagerly waiting for her to finish her Body Snatcher story so I can rec it here. A Kitty/Magneto story by Alara is like chocolate and peanut butter.

It's 4 AM and I have to be up at 7, to begin the work I came here for, the work of saving a country. Almost no point in going to sleep at all. I stare out the window, just barely beginning to lighten with false dawn.

4:00 AM

Title: Shack #63 by Pares
Pairing: Wolverine/Oz
Author on LJ: kormantic
Author Website: The Ska Lab
Why this must be read:

"Uh. Yeah. Oz. Me werewolf." He actually held his mittened hand out, and Logan just scowled at him until he dropped it. "I came here to hide out for a while. Stay out of the way. Of people."

"I'd ask you to join the club, but there's a membership cap of one. Go squat somewhere else, Rover. I've got things to do."

"But it's gonna be nightfall soon." The kid shifted, the only sign of unease he'd shown since he'd turned up.

"Uh huh. Shove off, kid."

"You don't want me out there. In fact, you don't want to be here so much, either."

"Don't tell me what I want. Just clear out. Or should I throw a stick first?"

"Look. The moon's full tonight. And I'm...a werewolf? It's. Kind of a heavy scene."

Shack #63

Fandom: X-MEN COMICVERSE
Pairing: Psylocke/Wolverine
Author Website: Fonts of Wisdom
Why this must be read:

I can't say enough good things about Luba Kmetyk, as a writer or as the maintainer of one of the largest and richest fic archives in the fandom. While she usually focuses on the great dynamic between Kitty Pryde and Pete Wisdom, here she branches out into the wider X-Universe. Betsy Braddock wants a child, and asks Logan for help. But Jubilee has a hard time accepting that there are certain parts of Wolvie's life that just aren't open to her.

Consenting Adults