Templum Bellonae

AU where Daniel, rather than Sha’re, is taken as a host.

Diving to Drown by Tafkar

Followed by Obvious Place and Open Blade, all by Magus Minor.

There’s an equally good and somewhat lighter follow-up trilogy by Ellex, composed of Predator, Shiver, and Frenzy.

Presents a very disturbing picture of what might be lurking under John Sheppard’s affable charm.

But it’s only a question of time until he loses it again. Until the knife comes out and he - there’s a scream from the speaker. He jumps, sits up, stares at the screen. This is the best part.

This is - better than porn. And he supposes he should feel guilty. But he can’t quite manage it. Because it gets him so hard. It makes him come like nothing else he’s ever had, and in his more lucid moments he hates that about himself. That something where not even one of the participants takes their clothes off is better than the best ever blowjob.

Out of Sight by Magus Minor and Ellex

AU. What if Cordelia never started working for Angel after they met at the party in City Of?

Another Life by Rheanna

After Lex’s father dies, Clark comes back into his life. All the incest happens before the story begins.

Pyrrhic by Kat Reitz and Perryvic

Lex is kidnapped and tortured, and Superman saves him when his father won’t.

…Lex doubted that Jonathan had ever explained the intricacies of anal sex to his son.

There were certain days that Lex wished that his own father had never explained it to him.

Keep Your Head Down by Kat Reitz and Tzigane

When Clark loses control, Lex is there to protect him.

Undone by Hope

I’m in two minds about recommending this story. On the one hand, I don’t actually love it the way I do the other stories I’ve rec’d by the same author. On the other hand, too many Trek stories, particularly TOS-era stories, gloss over the huge differences between Vulcans and Humans. This one doesn’t.

An alternate way “The Menagerie” might have gone. What if Starfleet had refused to accept the Talosians’ testimony on Spock’s behalf?

Spock, on Earth, in prison. Even in the 23rd Century, prison is not a nice place to be.

Folsom Prison Blues by Greywolf the Wanderer

TOS

And its sequels, New Minglewood Blues and Morning Dew.

A fabulous, sprawling AU that splits off about three years into the first five-year mission. Some pretty awful things happen to Our Heroes; not for the faint of heart.

Deep Elem Blues by Greywolf the Wanderer

Good Duo backstory is hard to come by. This is the best I’ve read so far, and it’s pretty amazing. It’s not at all how I pictured it, but the story makes so much sense and has such emotional resonance that by the time finished it, I was completely convinced. And completely hooked.

This is the story of Duo, Solo, and the L2 plague, which is used so often to create Duo-angst but rarely explored in any depth. I love Duo’s narrative voice in this fic, especially the way he juxtaposes the story of his first weeks on the colony with the account of the early progress of the plague. Lovely, lovely writing.

That night is my last pure night; the first soft whisper of a greater shadow that hangs over the landscape of my life. The last time the rain really belonged to me.

I never met Mary Lenox. The history-books say she was twenty-three, that she was admitted to Wellspring Hospital on May 15, AC 186 and died two days later of respiratory complications. As I figure it, that was seven days after Solo warned me out of the rain.

Her death passed without comment; she was only the first faceless pebble in the landslide to come.

I hesitated for a long time before adding this story to my Top Ten list, not because the fic itself isn’t good enough to justify it, but because I had a sort of unofficial rule that only novel-length fiction would be added to the list. In fact, I still do, but Twilight deserves to be the exception.

Twilight by One Person

Borders of Infinity [story] is a short story that was originally published (along with two other short stories: The Labyrinth and The Mountains of Mourning) in Borders of Infinity [novel], which is part of the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I’m not sure how much sense this will make out of sequence, but it will still be excellent. Since Borders of Infinity [novel] is now out of print, at least in North America, it’s nice that it’s becoming available online.

“Thanks,” croaked Miles. A week ago, or in a previous lifetime, depending on how you counted time, Miles had dawdled over a selection of wines, dissatisfied with this or that nuance of flavor. His lips cracked as he grinned in memory. He drank. It was perfectly ordinary water, lukewarm, faintly redolent of chlorine and sulfur. A refined body, but the bouquet is a bit presumptuous….

Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold

Voyager

Another Voyager story by Ruth Devero; this is the last one I’ll recommend (at least for now), but it was really hard choosing only four stories to recommend.

This is - sort of - another Trek cliché-fic: Paris is captured and tortured by aliens, and Chakotay rescues him. Only it’s not that simple.

Collateral Damage by Ruth Devero

This story starts out as a PWP, but about halfway through it takes a very sudden turn and becomes rather dark. The writing is good, although I wish the author had used a better beta reader.

Jared is the son of the king, and he knows that nine of the men who wear the uniforms of his father’s guard are not what they seem to be.

ETA: Removed for eventual publication.

Learning to Serve by Delilah deSora

The Iliad/Greek myth

My other favourite Iliad story, because Gloria Mundi is just so talented.

“I will avenge you, when you’re dead,” he’d said to Achilles once.

“You think even Death can part us?” Achilles had murmured, pretending surprise. “Surely I will find my way back to your arms.”

“And leave me waiting for you?” Patroclus had said, laughing. “No! I’ll come to Hades, and bring you out with me.” He’d sealed the vow with a kiss.

Achilles had kissed him back, and let the kiss seal his lips. That was not the fame he had been promised.

The death of Hector, and Achilles sends a message to Patroclus.

Messenger by Gloria Mundi

The Iliad/Greek myth

My favourite Iliad story. Gloria Mundi writes with such an amazing and unique voice, perfect for the tone of the Iliad:

Neither of them will ever surrender to anyone else. Once Patroclus — in Achilles’ armour, a perfect fit at last — has fallen to Hector’s hand, Achilles will have to find other ways to love.

Like a girl, like a dog, like a ghost.

Follower by Gloria Mundi

When humans are seen only in terms of profit and loss, what happens to humanity?

Set in a slave state where corporations rule. Four interconnected stories (the last one by a guest writer); I like Redemption the best.

Take the darkfic warning seriously. This isn’t the kind of story that uses slavery as a plot device; the slave society is real, oppressive, unrelenting and inescapable.

ETA: Northern Corporate Dominion is now available only on livejournal. The first three stories are: Pride, Expulsion, and Redemption.

Northern Corporate Dominion by Remy

Finding this story might be a bit confusing for some readers, since the only place that it’s posted is a friends-locked livejournal. Trust me, the story is worth it.

If you don’t have a livejournal, go get one. Log into your livejournal account. Go to Kouri and Karasu’s Ficlog. Post a comment on a recent entry asking to be friended. Within a day or two, they’ll add you to their list of friends and you’ll be able to read friends-locked posts. Then, just click on the link above!

For a few months, Fast Falls the Eventide was gone from the internet. Because of plagiarism, Kouri and Karasu took down all the original fiction from their website and weren’t sure they would ever post original fiction again. Luckily, they decided to post their original fic (minus the novels they’re submitting for publishing) on their friends-locked livejournal.

I’m grateful that Fast Falls the Eventide is finally back up, because it’s one of my favourite original fics on the net. It’s a slash romance, but it’s also an effectively creepy ghost story. Also, one of the main characters is a realistically mentally ill teenager, and I’m such a sucker for that.

The writing is emjoyable, the plot skillfully handled, and the story is intriguing. Oh, and Neil and Rowan are awfully cute together. What more can you ask for?

Fast Falls the Eventide by Kouri

Haldir is captured by Men. Mostly pre-Lord of the Rings, but a younger Aragorn does appear in the sequel, Love and Duty.

The link is actually to Implacida’s main Tolkien-fic page, because Heart and Body has several parts and is the first in a series. I particularly like the banter with Legolas in Love and Duty. Although the Elvish warriors in that story always remind me of the Theban Sacred Band.

And Figwit (a.k.a. Melpomaen) has a starring role in The Moon and the Night Sky, which could actually stand alone but is far better if you read it as part of the series. (Don’t know who Figwit is? Go here - it’s hilarious!)

Haldir and his brothers have some slightly incesty moments, but they don’t really lead anywhere. Unfortunately?

Heart and Body by Implacida

WIP, although until I saw that on the website I thought it was finished. Hasn’t been updated since 14 July 2004, but don’t let that stop you. Oh, and, umm…violence. Be warned.

Void by Wax Jism

X-Files

Also Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four

Yes, it’s X-Files het. But it’s an actual case (although not an X-File). A few weeks into their partnership, Mulder and Scully track a serial killer. I used to read Mulder/Scully fic on Gossamer. I got annoyed and stopped reading when I noticed that almost every sex scene had Scully in a front-close bra. To this day I don’t know if this is canon or fanon or just a coincidence of X-Files proportions, but it annoyed me so much I had to stop reading Mulder/Scully.

This fic doesn’t have any sex in at all, and I don’t believe Scully’s bra is ever mentioned. It’s the beginning of an eight-part series, Revelations.

Revelations: Dawn by Sue Esty

I’ve been in two minds about whether to rec this or not. On the one hand, it’s so well written—the plot sucks you in and won’t let you go. On the other hand, I’m not sure that I really like the story. I wasn’t entirely happy with the second half of the plot, and the resolution left some threads dangling for me. But I’ve decided that, even if I’m not completely happy about this story, there are a lot of people who will probably love it—it’s just that kind of story.

Xander moves to L.A. and ends up getting involved with Spike. And then they’re both in trouble. The dream sequences in this fic are appropriately, and effectively, creepy. And it’s a very dark, depressing read. So you’ve been warned.

Modus Vivendi by Wiseacress