six "Five Times" fic recs (Stargate: Atlantis, The Mentalist, Castle, Warehouse13)

[lone-pyramid.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: The Mentalist
Pairing: Teresa Lisbon/Patrick Jane
Fic Title: Five Times Jane Watched Lisbon Die (And One Time He Didn't)
Author: lady_of_scarlet
Link: LJ / AO3
Rating/Warning(s): M (violence); character death (x5)
Genre: angst, friendship, bits and pieces of case!fic, UST, and (oddly enough, given the title) moments of complete fluff
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: Okay, usually I don't read character death fics; I'm in it for the happy endings. The promise of "one time he didn't", though, was enough to lure me in and so I gave it a shot, and yeah, this is a very well-written fic. It's going to tug at your heartstrings all over the place, but it's definitely worth it (just make sure you're in the right kind of mood, or have fluffy fic standing by as a remedy!). No real spoilers, IIRC. ~10K words.


Fandom Category: Warehouse 13
Pairing: Myka Bering/Pete Lattimer
Fic Title: Four Times Pete and Myka Lied, and One Time the Truth Came Out
Author: irony_rocks
Link: LJ / AO3
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: friendship, UST, humour, some A/A/case!fic, romance
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: The characters' voices? Bang on. Seriously. You'll swear these scenes comes straight out of an episode, they're so accurate. Banter, artifacts, bonding, flirting... it's all here. (In the interests of fairness, I should point out that I betaed this one. But still, the quality stands on its own; give it a shot ASAP.) Low on spoilers and posted two years ago anyway, so. ~5K words.


( two Castle (Beckett/Castle) and two Stargate: Atlantis (Elizabeth/John) Five Times recs under the cut! )

(Mods, I don't know if it's worth adding a Kate Beckett/Josh Davidson tag for a fic that shares its 'ship with Beckett/Castle?)

Song of the Lioness, 2, Alanna the Lioness/Jonathan of Conte

[sugangel7.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Song of the Lioness
Pairing: Alanna the Lioness/Jonathan of Conte
Fic Title: Bittersweet: An Interlude
Author: Caitydid
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1238089/1/Bittersweet_An_Interlude
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: Romance, UST
WIP?: No; One-Shot

Special Rec: 4/21

Why This Must Be Read: If you ever read the Song of the Lioness books in your youth as I did, you might’ve wondered how it was that Alanna didn’t end up with Jon, the dreamy prince and (eventually) king! Ultimately, I believe Alanna was right in choosing George, but I still appreciate the attraction of Alanna/Jon. This fic illustrates beautifully the deep and abiding love that exists between the King and his Champion, but how -- despite all their potential -- they were never meant to be more than the best of friends.

Absently, he took her hand in both of his, turning from the railing to face her. He held her hand, so different from Thayet's smooth, white palms, and yet beautiful in its own right. Alanna's hands had known the bite of frost, the weight of steel, and the splinter of wood. Despite the scarred ridges, the stubby, torn nails, and the calloused fingertips, he thought them the most beautiful hands he'd ever seen.


( One more under the cut )

Four "Five Times" Recs for 24

[adrenalin211.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: 24
Pairing:Jack Bauer/Renee Walker
Fic Title: Four Times Five Things
Author:leigh57
Link: LJ / AO3
Rating/Warning(s): M (adult content/language), spoilers through S7.
Genre: drama, comedy, romance, AU
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: It's four "Five Things" ficlets, all in one convenient location. And they're by an author who astounds me every single time with her ability to master small details and pack all of a character's senses into one single punch. This is a post season 7 AU that explores a Jack and Renee relationship in realistic and well-characterized beauty. The mini collection is delightful and angsty and sexy and all things at once.

6 Inception Recs

[redinadress.livejournal.com]

( 5 fics Arthur/Ariadne, 1 fic Eames/Mal )

To the mods, it would seem that the pairing Eames/Mal is unavailable.

choosing our jagged truths, by abvj (m)

[irony-rocks.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Batman/The Dark Knight Rises
Pairing: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne
Fic Title: choosing our jagged truths
Author: abvj
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/480339
Rating/Warning(s): Mature
Genre: Post-film. Drama/Romance
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: Insta-rec. This is the best Selina voice I have come across, because it is brutal and honest about her nature, exploring her independence as well as her relationship with Bruce. I love it to pieces, and there are so many quotable lines where I pointed at it and said, "yes, that's it. That's exactly Selina." A lot of other fics, even ones I keep reading and enjoy, often gloss over Selina's antagonistic side. And it's to the detriment of the story, because Batman and Catwoman, any and all incarnations, will never just fall into "happily ever after." They will not be domesticated. It's one of the things that constantly tugs them together and pulls them apart. As much as I love some of the other fics which have them together, this fic gets their dynamic right precisely because it doesn't gloss over their individual hang ups with commitment.

( snippet )