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 recommendations - november 2005
go forth and read

"They did say I have a terribly sophisticated prose style."
-the Fourth Doctor, The Keeper of Traken

Harry Potter

(all these recs are HBP-spoiler-safe)

Registration by samvimes
Apparently, you have to queue up to register your child at Hogwarts before he or she is born, and James enlists Sirius and Remus for this purpose. Plotless, frothy, lots and lots of fun.

The Past Is Mine by Cenori
Remus and Harry and a lot of old photographs, after Sirius's death. Fics with this plot are my especial kink, but I'm not biased; this is a particularly good and underrated example of the genre.

The Facts of Life by Moony
As Hermione is aware, no-one has ever really told Harry about... well, you know. And Sirius and Remus appear to put things right. I'm never sure if I want to die laughing or die of embarrassment, reading this fic.

The Secret Language of Cats by thistlerose
Six-year-old Remus is learning to talk to cats. A beautiful fic with a lot to say about prejudice.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

I'm Not One by Kita
Ignore the dreadful summary, this is a wonderful fic. Dark, dark, and dark again, it tells us a lot about Angel and a frightening little about Doyle, and it's not really slash, not really. More in the vein of freaky-scary not-quite-non-con gen. Certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Ten Weddings Planned by katemonkey
Ten drabbles about how Willow and Tara could have got married. In-character, fluffy and terribly sweet.

Undone by Minim Calibre
Four snapshots about Cordelia and Doyle, which fit perfectly into canon and are as terribly sad as you would expect. There is a cameo from Phantom Dennis. This is a good, good thing. 

Umad Learns Sumerian by Annakovsky
Dawn asks Giles to help her learn Sumerian, because he and Willow will be gone for the summer. This is a story with such simplicity and structure that it's hard to put a finger on why it works so well, save that it does.


Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis

Tether by Nanda
Cassandra, as everything falls apart. I adore the version of Cassie drawn here; she's grown up, but she still remembers where she came from, and her reaction to the loss of her adoptive family is painfully good.

How Daniel Got His Groove Back by Nel
Daniel is drunk. He was drinking to forget something, but now he can't remember what it was. Very funny and romantic.

Naked Patrol by zillah
People keep sending Daniel comic strips, and Teal'c keeps giving him things from Disneyland. Too funny.

A Jack Tale by SEF
On their last mission together as a team, Daniel tells the rest of SG-1 a fairy-tale. A classically good "old-school" story.

The Secret Life of Scientists by Julad
A strange story concerning Rodney and Zelenka. The slash is secondary; this story is remarkable for how beautiful and realistic its portrayal of life on Atlantis is like.

Necessary Things by minnow
Rodney is desperate for music, and Kavanaugh won't lend him his iPod. I love this story because it makes Rodney very human and vulnerable whilst remaining a snarky bastard. Lovely.


Doctor Who

Culture Crash by Seanan McGuire
[Ninth Doctor] Jack wanders off and is nearly gutted by a girl in a fur bikini. The Doctor and Rose are too busy bickering to notice. Shamefully underrated story.

Bathtubs And Bananas by Boji
[Ninth Doctor] Less smutty than the title would have you belive. That said, the Doctor and Jack end up sharing a bath whilst the former is fully dressed. I love it.

The Terminus of Prayer by Seanan McGuire
[Ninth Doctor] "How can she live here, in a world painted with all the bitter, washed-out colours of 'before', where no one dances?" Rose, the Doctor and Jack, parting. I don't have words for the beauty of this.

Salt Water by Rhi
[Tenth Doctor] Rose remembers the frozen oceans. The Doctor listens to Eighties music. They get reacquainted. Funny and poignant.

I Speak For Gallifrey by calapine
[First Doctor, sort of] The Doctor must be stopped, and someone's on a mission. This story haunted me for days after I read it.

Of Eros And Of Dust by Gwynnega
[Fourth Doctor] "Like him, she was brilliant and knew it. And like him, she didn't want to go home." A ficlet about the Fourth Doctor and Romana II, who find it so easy to fall in love. A bittersweet and evocative story. 

Complete Strangers by Andraste
[Fourth Doctor] In Paris in 1979, Romana thinks it might be a nice idea to kiss the Doctor. He demands an explanation. Oh, you know it's good.

Bohemian Rhapsody by wishfulaces
[Fifth Doctor] Tegan and Turlough go out dancing. The Doctor drinks screwdrivers without orange juice. Then the Master turns up. I nearly cried laughing. 

Dreaming of England by Kitty Fisher
[Fifth Doctor] I only recently read this, after having had it repeatedly recced to me. I cautiously second the recs, but I should warn that this is a dark, horrible story where the Master does his level best to break the Doctor, using Turlough. Well written and worth reading, just... dark.