dustyryder's recs

Fandom: NCIS
Title: Words
Author: Nix (crimsonquills)
Genre: Slash, PWP, Established Relationship
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Kink (blindfold)
Spoilers: None

Notes: I just love this fic.  Sorry, had to get that out before I said anything else.  I put PWP down under genre, but it's more than that.  Yes, it all happens in bed, and the sex is intense and hot as hell, but it's the revelations both Tony and Gibbs make while they're there that make this such a wonderful fic. And both characterizations just shine.  I can't really say too much more without spoiling it for you, but even if you don't read NCIS, you can read this one, and totally understand what's going on.  She puts it right out there for you, and I love her for it.


Excerpt:




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
 

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: 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: 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

Fandom:  Stargate SG-1
Title: An Echo of Freedom
Author: Quinn
Genre: Slash, Angst, AU, Hurt/Comfort
Pairing: Jack/Daniel
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Non-Con, Violence, Issues of Consent
Spoilers: None

Notes: This story takes place in an Alternate Universe where the military has a stronger presence both in life in general, and the Stargate in specific.  The military stuck around and estabilshed a base on Abydos, and when in a huge battle between the Goa'uld and the military, a good portion of the human population of the planet were destroyed or left homeless, Daniel opted to stay and help care for the surviors instead of return to Earth.  He was branded as a traitor, and is now the property of the man who turned him in - Colonel Jack O'Neill. 

Daniel struggles to keep his sanity and dignity in a world where his entire life is controled by the military, and his very survival is in the hands of those he hates and despises.  He's protected (in some ways) by O'Neill, but his status as a prisoner, leaves him open to abuse and mistreatment, accepted by all as his due for his "betrayal" of his own race.   Every night he dreams of his wife and freedom, only to wake to a world of despair from which he sees no chance of escape, except death.

I love this story.  It's bleak, and filled with horror, but Daniel's struggles to keep his dignity, and Jack's efforts to find a way to reach through to him, make this Universe real to me.  There really can be no truly happy ending, here, Daniel is always going to be a prisoner - no matter what happens.  But you hope all the way through that the two can at least find some balance that can keep them both alive and help them find some peace in their lives. 

For some reason, Quinn has taken her fiction off Area 52, but I found  this copy on The Angst Archive, thank goodness.  I saved a copy for myself.  I really don't want to lose this fic.  Quinn used to have more fic on Area 52.  If anyone knows of a website, or another archive where more of her fic is kept, please let me know!

Excerpt:

( Daniel rolled over and pushed himself up from the mattress. )



I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: The Man from UNCLE
Title: Pretender
Author: Ardent  (ardent_muses)
Genre: Slash, Angst
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None

Notes: Napoleon has a nice arrangement with his partner.   He's comfortable with the level of commitment, or lack thereof, but at the same time, he wants more from Illya.  But Illya is not happy with things the way they are, and he sends Napoleon packing, to find his "comfort" elsewhere.  But is that really what Napoleon wants? 

Poor Napoleon...he just doesn't know what he wants.  It's a simple story, straight-forward, and I find myself coming back to it time and again.  It's short enough to almost call it Smut.  But there's a lot of emotion and a rather large chunk of self-discovery going on here in this small fic, so it's not at all what it first seems.

Excerpt:

( He'd started it in a hotel room just as shabby as this one )


I rate this fic: Pretty Dann Good

Fandom:  Oz
Title: 23 Leroy Street
Author: Dorilon  (callmerizzo)
Genre: Slash, AU, Angst
Pairing: Beecher/Keller, Beecher/OC, Keller/OC
Rating: NC17 (most of the time)
Warnings: WIP, Rough Sex, Some Bondage
Spoilers: Dori tosses the canon out the window around Season Two, Episode 3  Great Men

Notes: In this version, Keller never got arrested.  Beecher and Schillinger continue trying to kill each other, and screwing up each other's lives, but eventually, Beecher gets paroled.  He finds it difficult dealing with life on the outside.  He finds his own unique ways to deal with the pressures of the Real World.  I love this Alternate Universe.  I think this is my favorite interpretation of Toby outside of canon.  He's real, raw, and full of pain, and looking for some way to ease it.  It just seems to work for me.

It is a WIP.  I don't like to rec WIPs, but I just love the first chapters of this so much.  I can just read them over and over, and I have, even before I knew she was still writing it, (although at a rather slow pace.)  I don't care.  I'll take what I can get.

Excerpt:

( A late Friday night in an early September )



I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Goood 

Fandom: NCIS 
Titles: Sight (60-Second Porn) &
            Watch and Learn
Author: Rebecca (blueraccoon)
Genre: PWP, Slash
Pairing/Characters: Gibbs/DiNozzo, Abby
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Voyeurism
Spoilers: None

Notes:  I told myself I wouldn't rec two fic by the same author in a row, and the last NCIS fic I rec'd?  By Rebecca.  But you know, I just can't help myself.  I really like her fic.  She's good at capturing something essential in the way the characters react to each other, their situation, just the way they are who they are.  And her fic are sizzling hot.  I mean sometimes - they singe me. 

These two fit so well together.  The first is just a quick writing challenge: 60-Second Porn.  Most of the challenges just use the name, but give you more like 4 or 5 minutes...it's just the idea of quick, off the cuff writing.  I don't know about her particular challenge, just that the prompt was Sight.  And wow.  She covered it brilliantly.  And then, the next day, inspired by an image from Sight, she wrote Watch and Learn.  Uh, did I mention the sizzling?  'Cause, yeah,  that's what's happening in this fic.  (Is it hot in here, or is it just me?)

Excerpt: (From Sight: 60 Second Porn)

( It's a rare person who doesn't have at least a little bit of voyeur in him or herself. )



I rate these fic:  Pretty Damn Good

Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Series: Revelations  
Author: Bone  (thisisbone)
Genre: First Time, Character Study, Slash
Pairing: Sheppard/Dex
Rating: PG to NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Through Season Two, Lost Boys (so far)

Notes: The first one (Acclimation: Eight Days) is more of a Character Study of Ronon Dex, on his first week in Atlantis (the only PG rated fic.)  But it does't take long before the series begins to explore the growing relationship between Sheppard and Dex.  (All the rest of the series is rated NC-17.)  Each fic is complete in and of itself, but hopefully there will be more once the show picks up again in January.  

BTW: John Sheppard/Ronon Dex?  My New OTP. 

Excerpt:  From Acclimation (Eight Days)

( By the fifth day )

I rate this fic: Pretty Damn Good

Fandom:  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Title: Midnight Cowboys
Author: Velvet Glove (velvetglove)
Genre:  Slash, Angst, Film
Pairing: Billy/George
Rating: NC17
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Through the end of both the book and the movie.

Notes: The story behind the friendship between Billy and his best friend George.  Very melancholy, but nice and hot, because you know if it's a story of Billy's, it's got to be hot, doesn't it?  

Excerpt:   (  A flat-black Camaro )

I rate this fic: I Like This One