dustyryder's recs

Fandom: Firefly
Series: Glue
Author: Rebecca (blueraccoon)
Genre: Slash, Drama, Angst, First Time, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Rating: PG - NC17
Warnings: BCSM, Dom/sub, Fisting
Spoilers: None, really

Notes: I usually go looking for Mal/Jayne when I look at Firefly fic, but since this was Rebecca, I thought I'd read at least the first one, and see if I wanted to read more.  I finished the entire series that night, and was sad it was over.  Then I read it again.  And today, I decided to rec it, and re-read it again...just looking for warnings and such I might have forgotten...or something like that, yeah, that's it.... 

As usual with Rebecca, it's not an easy journey, but it works for me.  The main pairing in the series may be Mal and Simon, but pretty much all the characters are represented.  And they all fit.  If it weren't for the sex and stuff, this could be an episode - or several episodes, really.  It's all about how everyone fits into the crew, the way they fit together is like a jigsaw, according to River, and Mal and Simon are missing pieces that the other can fill.  The whole crew is like that, really, they just fit.  And Rebecca makes it work, and makes it enjoyable to read at the same time.


Excerpt:  From Letting Go



I rate this Series:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Title: Grounded
Author: Pares (kormantic)
Genre: Angst, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Slash, Humor
Pairing: Jack/Daniel
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Existential Angst
Spoilers: Slight mention of Season Seven, Episode One - Fallen

Notes: This is a short piece, but very enjoyable.  Daniel is going through a mid-life crisis (uh, which life he's not really sure...)   Jack realizes something is wrong when he finds Daniel's notebook, filled quotes from dead philosophers like Kierkegaard.  So he kidnaps Daniel to get him out of the mountain, and things get a little out of hand.  I love the fact that he quotes Sappho - uh, never mind...not going to spoil anything, just read it and enjoy.

Oh, yeah.  There was a website listed for Pares on her Live Journal, but I kept getting an error message.  It may be temporary, so try it again, if you'd like...it may show up later.

Excerpt:



I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

 

Fandom: SG-1
Title: Dare to Breathe
Author: The Grrrl, (thegrrrl2002)
Genre: Slash, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Daniel
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None

Notes: One of my favorite stories by The Grrrl.  They're trapped off world, and captured and abandoned by native soldiers, during wartime.  The way they care for each other, and find happiness together is beautiful.  It's not that simple, the way they're drawn is complex and intriguing, and the story holds your attention all the way through.  This story just makes me happy.


Excerpt:

I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

 

Fandom: SGA
Series: The Shark Trilogy, The Shiver Trilogy
Title: The Shark Trilogy: Out of Sight, Obvious Place, Open Blade
Author:  Magus Minor  (magus_minor)
Sequel Title: The Shiver Trilogy: Predator, Shiver, Frenzy
Sequel Author: Ellex (ellex42)
Genre: Slash, First Time, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Dark, BDSM, Violence
Spoilers: Season Two - general mentions of Ronon

Notes: Wow.  When the sga_flashfic's Shark Challenge came up, those of us who like our fic a little on the dark side got lucky.  Not only did magus_minor write an excellent trilogy but more than one person took her up on the opportunity to write their own fic based on hers.  They're all good, but ellex42's trilogy is just as good, if not better than the originals.  Okay, so my bias is showing...there are really only two problems with the first three: they're too short, and there's not enough sex.   You know me.  I always go for the sex - especially when it's kinky sex.  And it's definitely kinky sex.

In the first trilogy, Magus Minor sets up the premise:  John just happens to be a lot darker than people think...he's a sadist, and he enjoys it, although he tries hard to hide it, for obvious reasons.   I can't explain how because it would be a big time spoiler, but Rodney finds out.  The first trilogy leaves us there, without a real resolution - which is why, I'm sure, that Magus Minor threw out the invitation to others to write their own sequels.  And here's where Ellex comes in.  She takes that premise, and has Rodney turn the tables on John, and let me tell you - it's hot as hell.  I'm not going to say any more, you'll just have to read them and find out for yourself.

Oh, yeah...I honestly can't tell you how happy it made me to have Magus Minor use Mac the Knife to tie her three fic together.  I love The Threepenny Opera.  And another thing: Ellex's Frenzy was written for the 2006 version of the Kink and Cliche Challenge.  Damn but that challenge has had some good shit come out of it!


Excerpt: from Out of Sight by Magus Minor



I rate these fic: Pretty Damn Good
 

Fandoms: Oz/Alias
Series: Cat and Mouse
Title: Cat and Mouse, With Teeth
Author: Sistersleep (visionofblue)
Genre: Slash, First Time, PWP, Angst, AU
Pairing: Keller/Sark
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Dark
Spoilers: None

Notes: I don't know a thing about Alias, except what Sistersleep and a few others have told me, but I love the character of Sark.  It's almost enough to get me into a new fandom, but I'm holding out, for the moment.  This AU is pure sex - hot, steamy and dangerous.  A perfect combination.  I love Keller, so real, so deadly, so in character, and I've been told that Sistersleep has captured Sark just as well.  I'm not surprised.  She's good like that.  So if you like your sex just shy of lethal, this is a good combination for you.  There are only the two right now, and she's said that there won't be more, but I keep my fingers crossed, 'cause I'd love to see another one, and besides, she has been known to give in to peer pressure...let her know if you like these, you never know.

Excerpt: From Cat and Mouse




I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: Oz
Title: Choirboy
Author: Mairead Triste
Genre: Slash, Angst, First Time
Pairing: Beecher/O'Reily
Rating: NC17
Warnings: NonCon
Spoilers: Through Season 1, Episode 6 - A Game of Checkers

Notes: Beecher and O'Reily share the POV here, and you get a good sense of the relationship between the two during that whole first season.  I was totally suprised by the turn in the end, not expecting it at all.  But it's actually in character for both of them, especially if you take into account O'Reily's Season Two "I'm not a fag" attitude. 


Excerpt:




I rate this fic: I Like This One
 

Fandom: Oz
Title: Close Up
Author: Mandy's Bitch (mandysbitch)
Genre: Slash, Angst
Pairing/Characters: Shillinger/Keller, Keller/Barlog, implied Beecher/Keller
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Rape, Noncon, Dark
Spoilers: Through Season 4, Episode 11 -  Revenge Is Sweet

Notes: This is another of last year's Kink and Cliche fic, using the prompt: Exhibitionism.  Not a real stretch for Oz, as Mandy's Bitch points out.  But she doesn't use the most obvious choice of sex behind the plexiglass walls of a pod.  She takes it in a different direction, and the result is disturbing and hot all at once, much like Keller - I could so see him doing something like this.  It's cruel, and even slightly against Ronnie's will (thus the noncon warning.)   It also gives us a bit of Keller and Schillinger's background - also disturbing - and very in character for them, as well.  I like the fact that Keller does't take his abuse lying down (oops, sorry - unintentional pun there.)  


Excerpt:




I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good
 

Fandom: Oz
Title: Abandoned
Author: Rustler  (rustler)
Genre: Slash, Angst, First Time
Pairing/Characters: Beecher/Mondo Brown, Keller
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Through Season 4, Episode 6 - A Word to the Wise

Notes: I don't know why, but I've always loved the scene between Beecher and Mondo in A Word to the Wise.  I love the way Beecher stares at Keller through the glass, the way he laughs at Mondo, and the way Mondo comes right back at him.  It's really a three way: Keller/Beecher/Brown, because despite the fact that they're in different rooms, Keller is very much a part of what happens.  This is a short piece, I kinda wish she'd done more, but it packs a punch, and just like  the rest of Rustler's fic, this one draws me in and makes me glad I read it.


Excerpt:



I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good
 

Fandom: NCIS
Series: Applied Psychology
Author: Rebecca (blueraccoon)
Genre: Slash, Het, Angst, Drama, Smut, First Time, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Gibbs/Abby, Gibbs/Abby/Tony, Gibbs/Tony
Rating: NC17
Warnings: BDSM, Dom/sub, bondage
Spoilers: At least through Frame Up, Season 3, Episode 9

Notes: There may be those of you out there wondering why I'm rec'ing a series that (for the first three parts, at least) is exclusively Het.  Yeah, I'm wondering that myself.  Well, no, I'm not really wondering - there are a bunch of good reasons: Rebecca wrote it; it's BDSM, with a heavy dose of Dom/sub; it's not only got Gibbs in it, but it's got Abby, too.  Those are all pretty damn good reasons on their own.  And then, she brings Tony into the mix in Control Theory and okay, I'm hooked.   I tried to fight it.  I didn't read any of them for the longest time, but I finally sucumbed, and here I am, the very next week, rec'ing it for the second week in a row.  (I rec'd it last Wednesday, in my Smut Day post, so some of you may have seen this already.  Sorry.)

This rec has taken forever to write.  Why, you ask?  Because as I added each fic to the listing above, I re-read it.  Yeah.  I couldn't help myself.  Well, that just means it really must belong here, right?  Since I only rec fic I'm willing to read more than once.  It definitely belongs here.  There's a very strong D/s theme, and you know by now how I feel about that.   And I absolutely adore Abby, so this series really makes me happy all the way around.  When she added Tony into the mix, Rebecca added a good dollop of angst and a plot line that extends past the bedroom.  Not essential for me, but it makes things interesting.  I love fic that are focused around Tony; I find his character fascinating, so that's even a bigger plus.

Jeez - I can't thing of anything about these fic that I don't like (well, except for that icky het thing, but hey, for Abby, I can even go for some het - I can deal with that.)  So I suggest you try them for yourself, and Enjoy!

ETA: The link at the top of the page is to the tag to the Applied Psychology Series on Rebecca's Journal. She has recently aquired a website and has added more fic to this series, but for some reason, I can't link to the page that has all of her Applied Psychology fic listed. So here's a link to the first one (Pavlovian Response), and they are linked together after that. Or you can go to her main NCIS page and on the right at the bottom, right above the link to the "60 Seconds" pieces is the link to the Applied Psychology Series.



Excerpt: 

( The buckle was new, and stiff )


I rate these fic:  Pretty Damn Good

 

Fandom: X-Files 
Title: The Adversary
Author: Xanthe (xanthelj)
Genre: Slash, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, AU, Novel Length 
Pairing: Mulder/OMC, Mulder/Others, Mulder/Skinner
Rating: NC17
Warnings: NonCon, Rape, Torture - Physical and Psychological, BDSM, Bondage, Extreme Violence
Spoilers: Don't remember any.

Notes:  This is an extremely intense story. It was the first fic I'd read by Xanthe, and one of the earliest X-Files stories I'd ever read.  It pretty much defined Mulder Bashing for me. But as hard as it was to read, I couldn't stop.  I'd pretty much figured out the whole deal about Mulder's lover from grad school, so that wasn't a big deal to reveal, but hey.  What's just one more step on the way to Mulder's eventual capitulation.  And from the way he was treated, I couldn't see it going down any other way. 

Even so, I kept telling myself how smart Mulder was, and how he could manage to keep his sanity throughout this whole breaking down process; and the fact that he managed to continue to work his way into his Adversary's mind at the same time gave me hope...albeit a very small amount.  By the time it's over, you'll be blinking your eyes and shaking your head, too.  I know I was.  It's the case of the car accident that you just can't look away from as you drive past.  So you back up and park, get out of the car and go poking around.  You just can't help yourself.

About the AU.  Something in Mulder's past is changed, but it does not effect the present day of the fic.  Mulder still works for Skinner and his partner is still Scully.  The Cigarette Smoking Man is there turning the screws as usual, and the Rat Bastard is hanging out, being totally unpredictable - also as usual.   If you don't mind a bit of torture, you've got a solid stomach, and you like a lot of Mulder Torture - this is the fic for you.  And no, I don't know what it says about me, that I've read this one more than once...well, more than twice, okay?

Excerpt:

(  He had to accept, for now at least, that he was at someone else’s mercy )


I rate this fic:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom:  Batman (Comic)
Title:  Seizin
Author:  elynross  (elynross)
Genre:  First Time, Slash, Angst
Pairing:  Dick/Other, Bruce/Dick
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Voyeurism
Spoilers: No clue.

Notes:  So I have to admit, I'm a bit uncertain as to exactly where this fic is based...it could belong to the Comic or there was a Graphic Novel series, too, wasn't there?  I just don't know enough about them.  I'm much more familiar with the early (campy)  tv series and the films, but I'm positive this doesn't belong to those.  This is a fairly dark piece, with lots of angst, so you tell me where it fits, I don't know.  But I can tell you this.  It's pretty damn hot.  And I like the pictures it draws of Bruce and Dick.  Dick is 19, rebellious and passionate, and Bruce is angry - at Dick and at his own hunger for what he considers forbidden.  They're complex characters - things aren't black and white, good and bad - there are all sorts of shades in this fic, and it just struck me hard.  Well done.


Excerpt:

( As he raised his hand to pound on Dick's door, he saw that it was ajar )


I rate this fic:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: Firefly 
Title: Like Describing The Alphabet
Author: Mosca (mosca)
Genre: Slash, (Non-Explicit) FemSlash, (Non-Explicit) Het, Friendship, Angst, First Time, Romance, Humor, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort
Pairings/Characters: Mal/Jayne, Kaylee/Inara, Zoe/Wash, the crew of Serenity
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers:  Very minor spoilers for parts of the series.

Notes: So I was trying to get into the mood for writing my slashfest Firefly fic, by reading some Mal/Jayne.  I figured it would be an easy way to work my way into the characterizations - that and watching a few episodes.  A form of painless mood adjustment.  (I'd just finished an NCIS fic and an X-Files fic, so I thought I could use a chance to get into the right mindset.)  I almost didn't read this one, because I recognized it when I started it, and thought I'd put it in the wrong favorites folder - Firefly Fics To Be Read vs Firefly Fics I've Already Read.  But I noticed Mosca mentioned that she'd written one version of the first scene for a ficathon, but that this was the fic that really needed to be written instead of that first version, so I kept reading.  Boy, am I glad I did.

It's not a short fic - took me most of the night to read - but it was well worth it.  This is much more than just a Mal/Jayne fic with sex...although there is a lot of nice, hot sex - no doubt about that.  But this is a story of the whole crew, revolving around Mal and Jayne, it's true, but they are all represented, and well done.  Every character is examined in their own way, and Mosca offers insight into each character with the same care she affords the two main characters.  And there is much insight, there.  I kept finding myself saying things like: "Now, why didn't I think of that?" and "Oooh, that's such a fascinating way of looking at this character's behavior."

And the feel of the series is kept intact.  The narrative style is similar to Mal and Jayne's cadences and inflections, but each character (and his/her voice) is well rounded, and they are all represented accurately, and with much care.  It's not an easy story - there are bumps and roadblocks and the story winds it's way along through them, until it finds it's resolution in the end, and despite the fact that things aren't perfect - you're satisfied that it works, and it all makes sense in the end.  There's not really much chance for a happily-ever-after in the Firefly 'verse, but this fic comes mighty close for me. 

Although I've only read this one once, so far, I am so positive that this one's a keeper, that I'm willing to rec it with only one reading under my belt.  If I wasn't so tired, and didn't really, really need to work on my fic today, I'd probably start reading this one again, right now.  I figure it will have to wait until the New Year, since I've still got about 6 holiday fic to write in the next 3 or 4 weeks, but I'll be reading this one again in January.  And I'll be glad of it.


Excerpt:
( Turning in early, Jayne said. Don't wanna miss the show. )


I rate this fic:  Pretty Damn Good
 

Original Fiction

Fandom:  Original Fiction
Series: The Administration Series 
Author: Manna  (ms_manna)
Genre:  SciFi, Mostly Slash, Some Het, Angst, Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, First Time
Pairing: Val Toreth/Keir Warrick
Rating: G through NC17
Warnings: BDSM, Non-Con, "Issues of Consent", Violence, Torture, mention of Child Abuse

Notes:  This is a large series, with 3 novels, 3 novelas and 27 short stories. If that seems a bit daunting, I don't blame you.  Do what I did and take the author's advice:  The first six chapters of the first  novel (Mind Fuck), make a great short story called Virtual.  It introduces you to the characters, gives you some time with them, and if you aren't into them enough to keep reading, you can stop there.  If you are, there's a link to Chapter Seven at the end of Virtual.  You don't have to miss a beat, just keep reading. 

The world Manna has created is dark and disturbing, but at the same time, fascinating.  The characters are intriguing, and a complex mix of good and bad.  You love Val Toreth, even though sometimes you just want to smack him  a good one upside the head, and you root for Keir, even while you know he's going to make the wrong move, fall in love with the wrong guy...  As crazy as it is, you want those two to be together.  The plots are complicated and fascinating, the short pieces great glimpses into their lives, and the lives of their friends and families.  I avoided this series for a long time, thinking it was too big a project to take on - but believe me, once you've started, you'll want to read more.


Excerpt:  (From Mind Fuck)

(  Now... he said, pulling the pause out -  )


I rate this Series: Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: NCIS
Series: Myths and Revelations
Author: Nix  (crimsonquills)
Genre: AU, Slash, First Time, Angst, some Crossover, Humor, PWP, Drama, Established Relationship
Pairing/Characters:  Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating:  PG through NC17  (each fic rated individually)
Warnings:  Guilty Secret - here there be Centaurs
Spoilers:  I don't think so.

Notes: Before I write anything else, I have to state a disclaimer, here:  the reason this is listed as a Guilty Secret has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, or the ingenuity of the author.  Nothing whatsoever.  It all has to do with the fact that I'm about to rec a series of fic about Centaurs.  Centaurs, dammit.  I had no intention to read this series in the first place, but I liked Nix' other work, and I just kept hearing about them, and one day, I just cracked.  I decided to read just one, just so I knew what it was all about.  Well, that wasn't enough.  So I read another.  And another.   And here I am.  Rec'ing a series about Centaurs.

First off, I had never really thought about the habits of Centaur.  It just wasn't something I ever comtemplated.  But, it makes perfect sense that every creature, human or otherwise, is to some extent, ruled by their nature.  So the nature of a Centaur is in some ways dictated by the fact of his equine ancestry.   That means that every herd is ruled by a Head Stallion, which by his very nature is aggressive, dominant, and always in charge.  Sound like someone you know?  Oh, yes.  We are indeed talking about Gibbs.

And if you know me well, at one point in the last paragraph you probably said, "Oh, so that's why Dusty is so into this."  And you would be right.  The operative word in the last paragraph?  Dominant.  Heh.  You know me too well.  And watching Tony deal with the Dominant/submissive issues that come along with a relationship with Gibbs is fascinating in and of itself.  But that's not all there is to these fic.  There's much more to it than that.

The search of a man for a place in this world to call his own; the search of someone, while being forced to hide his very nature from the rest of the world, to find a people to belong to and which belong to him:  these things are universal.  The fact that they happen to a mythological creature in a present day world not known for it's acceptance of the unusual, let alone the inexplicable, just adds to the difficulties he has to face.  And finding someone to share this burden with?  Not easy under the best of circumstances.  In a Law Enforcement agency affiliated with the  Military?   You might as well forget about it. 

The stories here range from the simple familiarity of a conversation between lovers, to PWP's, to complicated plots involving cases and family trauma on both sides, to dealing with fellow Stallions and aggressive humans.  They're always entertaining and well written, and I've yet to be disappointed by one.  Nix is actually borrowing the Universe these stories are based in from the Horses of Different Colors series by James Walkswithwind (zortified) and wolfling.   However, you don't need to have read that Series before starting Myths and Revelations; Nix has made them all self-explanatory. That series is actually a Huston Knights AU, but I have to admit, having never seen the show, I wasn't all that interested in the fic.  But don't worry, there'll be more about this Universe at a later point.  Heh heh heh heh...

Just so you know, Parts 1 & 2 are dependant on each other. They're both fairly short, though, so that's no real problem. All the rest of the Series can be read separately. I suggest you read them in order, thought; I think they're more enjoyable that way. Nix is currently writing story # 9 in the series, and I'm awaiting it anxiously, but I decided to go ahead and post this, since the link I'm giving you here should link-up to the new one when it's added to the NCIS Fanfic Archive.  Enjoy them, I know I do!



Excerpt:  From Part #3: Visited and Voiced

( Gibbs, however, was not gone. )


I rate this series:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom:  Stargate SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis  Crossover 
Title: East of Eden
Author: dirty diana (dirty_diana)
Genre: Slash, Angst, Crossover, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Daniel, John Sheppard
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Stargate SG-1 Season 4, Episode 17 -  Absolute Power

Notes:  I have a thing for good Absolute Daniel fic.  The problem is, this is the first one I ever read, and it spoiled me.  I love the mood of this piece.  Kind of...I don't really know how to describe it.  It doesn't move really fast, there's a kind of relaxed air to it that's hard to reconcile with the fact that it's a story about Jack being a captive of the Daniel that Shifu describes in his "teaching dream."   But the fic moves at it's own pace, and I love the glimpses we see of Jack and Daniel together, of Jack's escape attempts and recaptures and of Jack watching football with his guard Major John Sheppard splitting his attention between the game and Jack.  I like the way dirty diana leaves so much of the action to our imaginations, and just gives us glimpses that fill in the gaps. 


Excerpt:

( The day guard has a name )

I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

 

Fandom: Stargate SG-1 
Title: Congealed
Author: Kres  (kres)
Genre: Slash, Angst, Hurt/Comfort?
Pairing: Jack/Daniel
Rating: NC17
Warnings: BDSM, Dark, Very Intense Consensual Violence
Spoilers: None

Notes: This is one of the hardest fics to describe - it's quite short, which is good, I think, because if it were longer, it might be too much to deal with.  But it gets the point across in a minimum of words.  No whips and chains involved, here, but the violence is shockingly real, and intense, and the first time I read this fic, I had to sit there and digest it for a bit.  Then I had to read it again.   Then I went and friended Kres, so I didn't miss anything else.  This one still blows me away, everytime I read it.


Excerpt:

( ...and yes, he is sure Jack is going to hit him now. )



I rate this fic:  Pretty Damn Good
The Dusty Seal of Approval for Just Plain Old Blowing My Shit Away

 

Fandom:  Stargate: Atlantis
Titles: Over The Edge & Under The Skin
Author: Danvers  sdraevn
Genre: Slash, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Pairing: John/Rodney
Rating: PG & NC17
Warnings: Mention of torture
Spoilers:  Nothing specific, but Ronon is on the team, so it's got to be Season Two 

Notes: I really like Danvers' work - she was one of the reasons I started reading SGA fic in the first place.  (I'd read her SG-1 fic, and when she started writing SGA, I was tempted to read it.)   She wrote Under The Skin first, and I liked it a lot.  Well written, as usual, and I always enjoy the way she writes her characters - very insightful.  Then, she wrote a prequel (Over The Edge), so now we know a little more about how they got to where they are in Under The Skin.  I really love Over The Edge.  There's not a bit of Smut in it (yes, I know it's hard to believe that I read something without Smut, but hey, every once in a while, I can manage.)  But it's just so funny.  It really makes me laugh, out loud.  Not too many fic can do that.


Excerpt:  From Over The Edge

( This is what it must be like to be a widow. )

I rate these fic: Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: X-Files 
Title: Joined At The Soul
Author: Diana Williams
Genre: Slash, Case File, Angst, AU, First Time, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Skinner/Mulder
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Murder and Multilation of Children - Non-Graphic
Spoilers:  Not that I'm aware of...

Notes: This AU takes place while Mulder is still in DC's Violent Crimes Unit, before the X-Files.  When his subordinates screw up the case of a suddenly high-profile Serial Killer, Skinner takes over, and meets the infamous Profiler Fox Mulder, who has been sent to help clear up the case.  As Mulder gets closer to the killer, he and Skinner begin to form a relationship built on mutual need, and respect.  The fic is built to dove-tail with canon - the author's idea is that Skinner and his wife were separated more than once before their divorce, and that this case file takes place during one of those times.

Don't be alarmed that on Diana Williams' site, she actually advertises the fic as Part One of a series.  Obviously, she changed her mind about that, because there is no Part Two that I can find.  But it doesn't matter.  This fic stands on it's own.  No sequel is needed.  It would have been nice, just because I like this world, and Mulder and Skinner's interaction in it.  But you don't need to worry about missing anything.   It is complete in and of itself.

One thing that threw me all the way through - the name of one of the Serial Killer's last victims?  Miguel Alvarez.  Which won't mean a thing, unless you happen to watch HBO's Oz.  Which you may have noticed from my recs, I do.  And not only that , but on Oz?  Miguel Alvarez is one of my favorite characters...so everytime they mention him, it kind of throws me right out of the story, for just a second or two, you know?  It's weird.  But still, I really enjoy this fic, every time I read it...


Excerpt:

( Skinner picked up the phone. )

I rate this fic:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Series: Alpha Centauri 
Author: Hth   hth_the_first
Genre: Slash, Angst, First Time, Hurt/Comfort
Pairings: John/Rodney, Rodney/Ronon, John/Ronon, John/Rodney/Ronon
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: Through Season 2, Episode ? (It's an ongoing series, so just assume it's what ever is current.)

Notes: Okay, it's another ongoing Series.  But it's a really good one. If I had an OT3 in SGA...well hell, maybe I do have an OT3 in SGA, because I really never expected to like Rodney/Ronon as much as I do, but I really do.  Especially in Hth's series.  I like the way she portrays all three characters.  And that's the thing.  There's lots of really hot sex in this series, but that's not all of it.  She gets into the characters, and exposes them; their fears and insecurities, their confusion and frustration over misunderstandings and cultural differences, their needs and lust and passions.  It's all there, and you feel very strongly for all the characters involved.

ETA: Hth just added these to her website, so that's what I linked to. If she gets behind on updating her site, I'll try to remember to come back and put links to her journal for the newest parts.

ETA2 - I think this excerpt earns the title of the single longest excerpt in this journal. But it just had so many good (and funny) things in it, that I couldn't decide where to edit it. So you get the whole section, and a really good glimpse into why you should be reading this series. So, enjoy.


Excerpt:

( Rodney put his hand over his face and groaned )



I rate this Series: Pretty Damn Good 

Fandom: NCIS 
Title: Promises
Author: kelly_girl
Genre: Slash, Angst
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
 
Notes: Gibbs forces DiNozzo to face the truth about their relationship - causing Tony some angst.  But Gibbs helps him deal with it.  Oh, and there's some nice, hot sex, too.  I could, actually call this Smut, because there is plenty of Smut in the fic.  But it's just as much about their relationship, and how Tony sees himself and the two of them together, so it's not really a PWP. 


Excerpt:

( He promises himself this is the last time. )


I rate this fic: I Like This Fic