Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3,833 words
Author on LJ: marlex
Author Website: None.
Why this must be read:

In a small bar in a port city on a random planet in the vast universe, a young human female takes a seat. From the moment she walks through the door, the bartender knows she brings with her a story, and it's not a happy one. Her name is Nita. And he's right.

This fic only came out about two weeks ago, but if it doesn't become a fandom favorite, I'll eat my keyboard. It takes a look at a potential future Nita Callahan through the eyes of a spaceport bartender, and what we see isn't pleasant, but it is powerful. marlex creates not one, but two compelling original characters: the bartender, who's awesome without being at all Sueish, and the bar, whose Rust-Belt-beaten-down atmosphere plays a big part in setting us up to look at a Nita whom life has kicked around a little. Or a lot. This fic isn't happy, but it's hopeful, and you must read it.

Bar Talk

Hello! I'll be your driver for Diane Duane's Young Wizards series this month. If you want a refresher on the fandom, the overview is here. Since then, there has been one book published:

( A Wizard of Mars )

On to the rec!

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Carl Romeo/Tom Swale, Kit Rodriguez/Nita Callahan
Length: 8,478 words
Author on LJ: ariastar
Author Website: ariafic
Why this must be read:

"RING RING!" yelled Peach, who was obviously in one of her moods. "The future is calling!"

I'm kicking off the month with a fandom favorite. Terminus balances an engaging and well-researched multi-decade errantry plot (think "casefile fic") with two how-they-got-together subplots. It also talks about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and how to choose the right college. The disparate elements don't seem like they'd work, but they do, showing the past and present of an intervention that has all the trappings of Diane Duane's writing, including intense research, oracular animals, and some very odd objects. The characters are likable and true to their canon personalities, but they also act like real people getting into relationships; they have doubts, freak out, run away, come back, and talk things through. Even if you're not a YW fan, consider giving this a read; the dry humor, clear characterization, and urgent plot will tell you everything you need to know, making this a joy to read regardless of canon familiarity.

Terminus

Fandom: Young Wizards
Pairing: Nita/Lone Power
Author: Reana (not on LJ, afaik)
Author's FFN.net profile: here
Note: M is a FFN.net rating, I have no idea what they want it to mean.
Why this fic must be read: Okay, this fic is sort of flawed, but IMO it is required reading for the fandom: one of the earliest (if not the earliest) and most interesting takes on Nita/LP; really set the standard for a pairing that is really popular to talk about but rarely written.

Cacoethes

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Nita/Kit, Tom/Carl
Author: ashkitty
Author Website: Arcadia
Why this MUST be read: This fic is a total classic - I think so, anyway. It was written before Alone came out, and one of my favourite things about it is how well it anticipates - you know that scene in Alone where Kit bitches to Tom and Carl about fighting with Nita? This fic is basically that scene with the delicious het and slashy subtext put into the actual text. It's an ollllld favourite of mine, and I adore the way it positions Tom and Carl, and Nita and Kit.

Spoilers for A Wizard's Dilemma.

Jump

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Tom/Carl
Author on LJ: ariastar
Fic Journal: ariafic

why this must be read: Remember that bit with Tom in Wizards at War? (I'm trying to be oblique to avoid spoiling people.) But remember how it was so damned painful and so full of another story? War (and, to an extent, Holiday) really finally provided us with a Tom and Carl who have their own stories, and Aria tells the story of Tom and Carl's W@W in truly fantastic style.

Not Enough

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Gen; Nita-centric, full cast of secondary characters.
Author Website: myriadwords category; FFN.net profile. Also, I recommend checking out her YW stuff at deviantart, if that's your bag.
Author-on-LJ: semiramis_mei

Why this MUST be read: Because it fulfills some of the grim possibilities for Nita that Dilemma only began to explore; because it deals with pretty much the saddest thing I can imagine happening in the books, but is still hopeful; because it is AMAZING.

The Stars Will Still Remain

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing/Characters: Harry-centric. IMO, this is a gen piece, but the author suggests Tom/Carl, implied.
Author on LJ: astraevirgo
Author Website: Profile @ FFN.net
Warning: Spoilers for A Wizard's Dilemma.

Why this must be read: Because there just isn't enough Harry fic around, or enough parent fic at all; and this features Carl in an extremely appealing and appropriate way, demonstrating what is, for me, one more facet of wizards' work. A conversation between Carl and Harry, post-Dilemma/Abroad. Hurty, hopeful.


Ordinary and Extraordinary.

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Nita/Kit, secondary Dairine/Roshaun
Author on LJ: rhap_chan
Author's Website: Fic journal: i_bleed_words
Rating/Warnings: G; kissing, some character death (but it's happy character death!)
why this fic must be read: This is a recent favourite of mine, a short, sweet little piece of futurefic about Nita and her family. I really enjoyed it.

For Life's Sake.

Fandom: YOUNG WIZARDS
Pairing: Tom/Carl
Author on LJ: cyphomandra
Author Website: None, as far as I know.
Why this must be read: It's a long, plotty, Tom/Carl first-time fic set in NYC in the 1970's. While we get a bit of present-day, domestic T/C, first-time stuff of this calibre is rare and a real delight, and this particular fic is imersed in wizardry and in DD's world; loving attention has also been paid to the time period as well.

An Unwilling Heart

Hi, guys! I'll be reccing Diane Duane's Young Wizard series for Small Fandom month. Here, have an overview.

Not to be confused with That Other Series about wizards, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series commenced way back in 1983 with So You Want To Be A Wizard. If you haven't read it, if you haven't heard of it, skip the rest of this and go here to read the first chapter. If you still want to know more, go ahead and click on the cut for my novella-length overview.

( So, you want to know more. A lot more. )