Debriefing by Elektra3 (T)

Fandom: Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
Pairings/Characters: Surreal
Rating: T
Warnings: mentions of torture and death
Author: elektra3
Website: Elektra3 on Ff.net
Summary: "Here's how it ends: Blood, pain, and a hole in the gut. I don't normally stick around for the messy end, but you...Oh, sugar, you've earned it."
Why: Surreal at work, and in perfect voice. Elektra3 really does a superb job of capturing Surreal in this story. She's just the right combination of sweet and scary that makes her such an interesting character. This is one of those stories that you don't realize the fandom needs until it is there.

Debriefing by Elektra3

Alleinwolf by aloislanz (K+)

Fandom: 10th Kingdom
Pairings/Characters: Wendell/Wolf
Rating: K+
Author: aloislanz
Website: None (?)
Summary: Wolves mate for live, but that doesn't mean Virginia's do. The aftermath of abandonment.
Why: Interesting that I keep reccing slash for the 10th Kingdom, considering what a rare beast it is. There was just something so lyrical about the voice that this story was written in that I couldn't help but be drawn in. Aloislanz does a wonderful job of conveying Wolf's feelings: his sadness, his hopelessness, his pain. Then once that's all there, in comes Wendell, changed and yet not, and somehow the bond that develops is just the right thing to have happened.

Alleinwolf by aloislanz

Party Aliens by Daegaer (MA)

Fandom: Hitchhiker's Guide
Pairings/Characters: Ford/Arthur
Rating: MA
Author: daegaer
Website: None?
Summary: Ford and Arthur go to the Guide party. ;)
Why: Is there a better reason to read Hitchhiker's Guide fic than for the simple fun of it? I know there isn't for me. The fact that it convinced me of the Ford/Arthur (because I'm always willing to be convinced, but fics that actually do it are pretty rare) is just an added bonus. There's nothing deep about this story. It's silly. It may offend certain straight-laced people. You're certainly not going to see amazing plot and character development. But if you're in search of a silly, sexy moment between the boys, this should be right up your alley.

Party Aliens by Daegaer

Slayer of Nightmares by L. Mouse (T)

Fandom: Inuyasha/Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Pairings/Characters: Inuyasha/Kagome, mild Spike/Buffy
Rating: T
Spoilers for: end of series for Buffy and Angel
Author: L. Mouse
Website: L. Mouse on Ff.net
Summary: The modern world's Inuyasha has run into serious trouble with Buffy, and it's up to Kagome, now a Slayer, to save him.
Why: I caught this over at rec_a_day and it definitely made my day while I was reading it. This may sound like nothing but a weird premise, but L. Mouse totally pulls it off. I don't read a lot of Inuyasha fic because, to be quite honest, I'm a bit afraid of the fandom as a whole. It's a scary world out there. This story has made me reconsider that stance just a little. It's great, honestly. The premise is pulled off flawlessly, and the characters are portrayed with both depth and thought. In particular, I really enjoyed the portrayal of Inuyasha. It would be so easy to mess him up in the sort of situation that this story deals with, but I really was impressed by the way he was handled. L. Mouse really writes with a clear understanding of all the characters, and it shows. Also, the plot is really well-paced and interesting. I never felt a moment of boredom with this story. This story is really nothing but enjoyable.

Slayer of Nightmares by L. Mouse

The Right Moves by Aphrael (MA)

Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Pairings/Characters: Akira/Hikaru
Rating: MA
Author: silverthunder
Website: Hidden Legacy
Summary: Hikaru realizes that Akira is playing a game with him. One that isn't Go.
Why: I just finished watching the Hikaru no Go anime the other day, and this was one of the first fics I read following it. I'll admit, I was a bit upset that the anime was over. It's always so painful letting things like that go, especially when you've been watching for 75 episodes. This story, however, cheered me right up. It really captured what makes the Akira/Hikaru pairing so much fun for me. In other words, it nailed the characterizations, didn't neglect Go as a major part of their lives, and had the perfect amount of humor: just enough to make me giggle, but not enough to devalue the story or characters in any way. I really enjoyed this story a lot, and I think that you will too. ^^

The Right Moves by Aphrael

The L.A. Patient by Flurblewig (M)

Fandom: House/Angel
Pairings/Characters: ensemble
Rating: M
Author: flurblewig
Website: Flurblefic
Summary: When Nina gets attacked by a demon while in New Jersey, she ends up under House's care.
Why: I really like crossovers that have people from different fandoms showing up under House's care. I imagine that, given enough time, this will become a bit of a theme in my crossovers. In this one, Nina ends up getting attacked by a demon while in New Jersey. This leads to various things, which includes most of the gang from Angel ending up in New Jersey as well. Since half the joy of crossovers for me is watching characters from the different fandoms interact, this made me very happy. Along with that, however, is the plot of finding out how to cure Nina and finding that demon in order to stop its evil-doings, which makes the story doubly fun. Add in some really interesting (although not entirely implausible pairings), and you have a story that is definitely worth reading.

The L.A. Patient by Flurblewig