Challenge 65

[peanutbutterer.livejournal.com]

In addition to any recs you wish to post at any time, the comm has bi-weekly rec challenges issued by the mods.

Challenge sixty-five:



Category: New Tags
Fandom: Any
Deadline: June 1
Challenge: Rec us your favorite het fics with a pairing that hasn't been recced here before. Check our current tags and share something new! Just c/p the text below and post it as a new entry:

<b>Fandom Category:</b> <b>Pairing:</b> <b>Fic Title:</b> <b>Author:</b> <b>Link:</b> <b>Rating/Warning(s):</b> <b>Genre:</b> <b>WIP?:</b> <b>Why This Must Be Read:</b>

You do not need to ask for posting rights. Just become a member and rec your favorites!

Feel free to pimp this comm to your friends so that we get more het fans!

"Ashes" by killing_rose (PG-13)

[stars-inthe-sky.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Harry Potter
Pairing: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Penelope Clearwater/Percy Weasley, Fleur Delacoeur/Bill Weasley, Ginny Weasley/Harry Potter, mentions of others
Fic Title: Ashes
Author: killing_rose
Link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9sOjdDb8HCwJ:killing-rose.livejournal.com/62373.html (It's a Google cache of the story--I could not find a current posting.)
Rating/Warning(s): Discussion of abortion and unwanted pregnancies.
Genre: Angst, futurefic
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Did anyone else think it was a little off that just about everyone in the Potterverse ends up married to, really, their middle school sweetheart? killing_rose takes that musing a step further and wonders why, by the (horrible for many reasons) epilogue, just about everyone we know who survived the war has kids the same age, and why not that much time has lapsed since the last chapter.  Told from Hermione's point of view but accounting for almost every other named female character, "Ashes" explores a a darker rendering of the future than I think JKR ever intended--but then again, she gave us a universe where these restrictions on contraception and birth control, and attitudes towards them, are believable. It's also a very different insight into the sisterhood of Hogwarts and the magical world, which is hardly touched on in the male-POV books but often (as here) expertly rendered in fic. 

For what it's worth, Penelope/Percy does not have a tag, but it's really not a fic about them, so I don't think it applies to the current challenge.

Challenge #65: 3 multi-chapter Witch Hunter Robin recs (Amon/Robin)

[peachychan.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Witch Hunter Robin
Pairing: Amon/Robin
Fic Title: The Disappearing Life
Author: intervigilum
Rating/Warning(s): M
Genre: Drama, post-series fic
WIP?: yes (22 chapters)

Why This Must Be Read:
Robin, Amon, and the trials and tribulations of trying to live invisibly. Post-series.

The author has a gift for description and realistic dialogue in this fic. Amon's and Robin's characters come brilliantly to life, and one of the best additions to the cast in this fic has been the inclusion of Amon's brother Nagira into the fray - the resulting interaction between the three of them is incredibly entertaining to watch.

Unfortunately this fic is currently unfinished, and it looks like abandoned as well (last update was 2005). Despite that, it is still quite a worthwhile read. (Who knows, a few more reviews/added pressure on the author might make her reconsider leaving it unfinished!)

( excerpt )

Fandom Category: Witch Hunter Robin
Pairing: Amon/Robin
Fic Title: The Burning Time
Author: misora
Rating/Warning(s): M (completely unedited version located at mediaminer.org)
Genre: Romance/Supernatural, post-series
WIP?: No (21 chapters completed - but warning, this fic is long!)

Why This Must Be Read:
Complete. AxR Post episode 26. Amidst this Burning Time, I see flashes of memory...a dream. This location calls to me, beckoning...bringing me back to the place I have called home.

Some fans have said that this is "the" definitive WHR fanfic. It was started very early on in the fandom's history (early 2004), just before WHR's airing on Cartoon Network, and because of that it gained a huge fan following early on off the bat - despite the fact that it took 3 years to complete. While some of the writing in the beginning is a bit clunky and awkward, the author really finds her voice somewhere in the middle of the story (chapters 8-10 or so) and coincidentally the plot really takes off. The prose near the end, at the penultimate chapter, is breathtaking. The story's other strengths are the wonderful immersion into rural Italian life and culture, complete with language, as well as the developing and ever-evolving relationship between Robin and her "warden". Highly recommended.

Additionally, there is a sequel fic ongoing, but this author's progress is notoriously slow. I'm hopeful it'll be updated soon.

( excerpt )

Fandom Category: Witch Hunter Robin
Pairing: Amon/Robin
Fic Title: Libera Me
Author: yellowdancer
Rating/Warning(s): T
Genre: Romance, Crossover, post-series
WIP?: yes (29 chapters)

Why This Must Be Read:
Crossover fic with Devil May Cry. The author expertly intermixes these two canons with serious drama and humorous interplay. Very entertaining AU, and even has a sequel fic as well (incomplete): Confutatis.

( excerpt )

Hobson's Choice by Nocturnias

[ember-reads.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Doctor Who
Pairing: Tegan/Doctor
Fic Title: Hobson's Choice
Author: Nocturnias
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1476270/1/
Rating/Warning(s): M  Sex/Dub-Con, Mild Violence
Genre: Romance/Angst
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read:  There aren't any Tegan/Doctor stories recced, so here is my favorite.  Tegan and the Doctor get stranded on a plant where all visitors are forced into slavery.  The slaves are paired off, so on the up side Tegan and the Doctor get to stay together, on the down side Tegan and the Doctor get to stay together.  Tegan and the Doctor always had a antagonistic friendship on the show and the author does a great job of keeping them in character as they have work together to get out of a bad situation.  Of course along the way feelings that neither have ever acknowledged come into play.   Enjoy!

for Challenge 65: Battlestar Galactica, 3 recs, Kara Thrace/Karl Agathon

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

Fic Title: Not Quite a Sucker
Author: lyssie
Link: click here to read
Rating/Warning(s): NC-17
Genre: friends with benefits
WIP?: complete

Why This Must Be Read:
In addition to drunken pilots-on-leave antics, this fic has some fabulous interaction, quite aside from the sex, between Starbuck and Helo that amplifies the best friends with benefits theme. It’s a fun and sexy fic, set pre-miniseries.


Fic Title: Forgetting
Author: nixa_jane, aka laytoncolt
Link: click here to read
Rating/Warning(s): NC-17
Genre: one-night stand
WIP?: complete

Why This Must Be Read:
He says "call me Helo" and that's enough for her; an hour later she'll be screaming it like she's shouting for the Gods, and for the first time in thirty days she won't think of Zak at all.

This one line has stuck with me for years, ever since I first read the fic. It’s not the only good line, either. The fic is just gorgeous and it informs so much of their later interaction in canon (even though I’m pretty sure TPTB never read the fic).


Fic Title: A Step to the Left
Author: summer_smile
Link: click here to read
Rating/Warning(s): PG
Genre: friends with benefits
WIP?: complete

Why This Must Be Read:
Again with the pre-series pilots-on-leave thing, the love and trust between Helo and Starbuck shines through every paragraph. It’s a very quiet fic, reminiscent of a late-night walk through deserted streets, with a UST that slowly builds until you know where the fic is headed, even though it doesn’t explicitly go there. It’s just that step to the left, where everything is the same, and yet everything has changed.

Donna's Happy Ending by Fates My Bitch

[violetrosesky.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Doctor Who
Pairing: Donna/Lee
Fic Title: Donna's Happy Ending
Author: Fates My Bitch
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4852725/1/Donnas_Happy_Ending
Rating/Warning(s): K+
Genre: Romance/General
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read:
Having watched the Doctor Who episodes Forest of the Dead/Silence in the Library, I was struck by how much I wanted Lee and Donna to have a happy ending together. I went looking for a fanfiction that satisfied my wish and was shocked not to find a single one. I had almost given up when I came across this little gem. It is truly a fantastic fic, and the characterization of Donna, Lee and the Doctor are spot on!

Since the current challenge is for recs of un-tagged pairings, here is a new one -

Ship: Donna Noble/Lee McAvoy

BESIDE YOUR MOUTH THAT SMILES NOW BY ODAINATH

[kyra-gm.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: The Good Wife
Pairing: Alicia Florrick/Will Gardner
Fic Title: Beside Your Mouth That Smiles Now
Author: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1547855/Odainath
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6337842/1/Beside_your_mouth_that_smiles_now
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: Angst, Romance
WIP?: No
Special Rec: 18 of 31

Why This Must Be Read: 
Ok, so I love this couple. I really really do. And since last night season finale blew my mind, I thought I'd honor them today. The author writes them beautifully, especially Will.
It's a post season 1 story and it's wonderful and sweet and a little bit angsty, and all in all, one of the best TGW fics out there.

Jack Bauer/Sydney Bristow

[maridee42.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: 24/Alias
Pairing: Jack Bauer/Sydney Bristow
Fic Title: Sublime
Author: Jena Bartley
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/160263
Rating/Warning(s): Teen
Genre: Crossover, oneshot
WIP?: No.
Why This Must Be Read: Aside from pairing up two of the greatest badasses of the last decade? It's how perfectly you can see this happening for both canons. The CIA would totally send Syd in for Jack, and Jack would be in that sort of danger.

( Further recs )

For Challenge #65: Castle- "Adagio" by JillianCasey

[wingsss.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Castle
Pairing: Kate Beckett/Michael Royce
Fic Title: Adagio
Author: JillianCasey
Link: Here, at ff.net
Rating/Warning(s): T
Genre: Romance/Angst
WIP?: One-shot

Why This Must Be Read: JillianCasey is one of my favorite authors in the Castle fandom, and this particular story might be my favorite of all time. I am a total Caskett shipper all the way, but ever since "Under the Gun" I had the sneaking suspicion that Beckett and Royce were more than rookie cop/training officer to each other, and this fic gives their relationship and romance a voice. Besides that, "younger Beckett" is really true to character. It's part romance, part origin story, and I think there's a lot to enjoy in this fic, even for the die-hard Caskett shippers. :) Happy reading!

oh, but we all have our histories (Nate Archibald/Caroline Forbes)

[earnmysong.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Gossip Girl & The Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Nate Archibald/Caroline Forbes
Fic Title: oh, but we all have our histories
Author: jada_jasmine 
Link: http://jada-jasmine.livejournal.com/3642.html
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: Romance
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read: Never thought this pairing would work, but it really, really does. Wonderfully written.

Challenge #65: Farewell; Evil Dead Trilogy by ashurbadaktu

[rise-your-dead.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Evil Dead Trilogy/Army of Darkness
Pairing: Ash Williams/Sheila
Fic Title: Farewell
Author: ashurbadaktu
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/35128
Rating/Warning(s): G; None to speak of
Genre: Romance/Drama/Character Study
WIP?: Nope

Why This Must Be Read: I didn't know if it's okay to rec fics that don't have a fandom tag yet, but this is one of my favorite. Ash/Sheila is a rather rare pairing as a whole, and this is a bittersweet piece that's nearly. It's surprisingly heartwrenching without making Ash OOC in the least; and, for someone who 'ships them as hard as I do, it's a bittersweet exploration of how love never dies, it just changes into something new and different and graceful. Romantic in the best of sense of the word.

Challenge 65: Underworld - "Prelude" by Rushwriter

[thisoldhighway.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Underworld
Pairing: OFC/Lucian
Fic Title: Prelude
Author: Rushwriter
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4096866/1/
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: Romance/Horror
WIP?: Yes

Why This Must Be Read: Budapest 1899. While bartering with Lucian, Tanis comes out on the wrong end of a ruthless deal. Desperate, he barters away the only thing he has left. A love story b/w Lucian & an unknown woman...

Written with so much care and detail.  I normally shy away from original characters and I wasn't very intrigued by Lucian after seeing the movie, but happened upon this and was so glad to find it.  Rushwriter is completely brilliant, so much research goes into every chapter (i would think).  You'll find Lucian formidable, intelligent, and completely frightening.  It's a hundred years before the Underworld story unfolds, so we see Lucian hiding under an alias while leading the packs and laying the foundation for his war against the vampires.  The OFC is an intelligent creature with a mysterious history and a special gift of her own, a gift Lucian wants control of.  She finds herself trapped by him and the tension between them is delicious.  READ!  READ!  It's very long though, so you might want to save it for the weekend.  :)