.

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Sam Tyler/Gene Hunt
Length: 1859 & 3058 words.
Author on LJ: angeweeks
Author Website: List of stories posted to lifein1973

Why this must be read:

I thought I’d end my month of driving the Cortina van with another great example of how it’s possible to write PWP and keep everyone beautifully in character.

Gene is a difficult character to capture in stories. Not only is there the matter of his voice, the extraordinary way he has of expressing himself but also a matter of his sense of humour. Ange is amongst the handful of writers in our fandom who nails him every time. Ahem... *g*

Excerpt: “Look. I'm too bloody old to play silly beggars. I'm pretty sure I don't look like the Milk Tray man, so don't expect me to come swinging through yer window with a box of chocolates hanging out me arse. But one of the things I can pride myself on is being honest with my team. So you need to listen carefully to me, Tyler.” He removed a cigarette packet from his pocket, took one out, threw the packet on the kitchen table. He lit up; Sam briefly considered remonstrating with Gene but could see from his demeanour this was not the time to lecture him on health issues.



Rain

Heat


.

Here is the art I made for the kink_bigbang :D for the fic A Pale reflection of a Broken Soul by lovin_torture. tell me what you think :D

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Sylar/Luke Campbell
Length: 5,669
Author on LJ: perdiccas
Author Website: Fic List

Why this must be read: It's dark and angst and beautiful. The premise, Sylar taking Luke with him after he's been rescued from a government facility, let's two normally blood-thirsty and explosive individuals act tenderly towards each other while still remaining in character. As more and more of the past hurts unravels their devotion to one another shines through.

You'll definitely wince more than a few times while reading this, but that's exactly what gives one of the best looks into one of the most violent and gory relationships on the show.

Remember to read the warnings.


( Excerpt )


See How The Light Shines Through Him

*looks at the time*

Whoa, here we are at the end of my stint at the wheel for Torchwood, already. The month went by in a flash, didn't it? I swear, it's like someone has been fiddling about with the space-time continuum again. Just as well we're all used to that sensation!

I hope you've all had fun, because I sure have. It's been a delight to share some of my favourites with you -- and thank you to all those who left comments. It makes me happy to know I've spread fannish joy. :)

I'm just going to duck out the back now, rather like Superman into a phone box, and change reccing capes, as I'll be back again shortly, with some Songvid Oddities for your delectation during small fandom December. But in the meantime, I'm leaving you with one of my favourite post-Children-of-Earth stories. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you by now if I reveal that it's somewhat timey-wimey. Ah, the sweet smell of a paradox unravelling!


Fandom: TORCHWOOD
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa, various others
Length: novella
Author on LJ: nancybrown
Author Website: Torchwood tag
Why this must be read: One of the things I love most about this story is that it takes the hard lessons of Children of Earth, and turns them into something unexpected, life-affirming and completely convincing. This is about Jack, making one more sacrifice, and what comes to pass as a result. And it is, indeed, a wonderland. *happy sigh*

Wonderland: one, two, three, four, five

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Length: 2,100 words
Author on LJ: valtyr
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read: It's a couple of desperate, screwed-up people having sex. Really, really screwed-up. Steve's disguised as Bucky!Cap, and having sex with Tony. Tony, who doesn't know it's Steve!Cap, pretends he's having sex with Steve!Cap.

It's hot.

A Face To Meet The Faces That You Meet

Title: Metal Tears For The Tin Man (Part 9 of 27)
Series: The End is Where We Begin
Status: Story Complete but will be posting in parts as it is edited, Series is ongoing
Authors: Rina & Angyl rina_angyl
Rating(s): PG-13 to NC-17
Pairing(s): Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness/Jake Simmonds, Tom Milligan/Martha Jones, Rose Tyler/John 'Doc' Smith, Ianto Jones/Jake Simmonds (past)
Warning(s): Spoilers for everything up to and including Children of the Earth – which we deny. DENIED!!! Canon couples, slash, het.
Summary: When Captain Jack Harkness can no longer deal with the pain of his universe, the Doctor finds a way to give him another one and a new start.

Part 9
(cross-posted like crazy!)

So how was everybody's Turkey Day? Have we made a full recovery or are we still in the grips of a tryptophan coma? Or did you snap out of it and indulge your masochistic side by getting out into the Black Friday crush?

Turkey Day here was really, really nice. The sister-unit, her boyfriend and I got started early and put together a nice little spread while watching the football games. Turkey, stuffin', (I made a special batch of stuffin' because the sister-unit freakishly enjoys apples and raisins in her stuffin'), green bean casserole, brandy sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls... it was all good. Except for the fact that we somehow managed to forget to make the deviled eggs. Bummer. I love deviled eggs. For dessert, the sister-unit put together a tasty gingerbread and pumpkin treat. So it was the sister-unit, her boyfriend, his daughter, the niece-unit, our uncle and I for Turkey Day dinner... lots of laughs and a really good time. After we'd finished dinner and got the clean-up out of the way, the 6 of us played a game of Scattergories which brought on even more laughter and fun. All in all, it was a fantastic evening.

The one bummer (aside from the no deviled eggs thing) was that as we sat down to eat, the parentals called the sister-unit. Because they go up to the step-father's family's house every year, she assumed that they were just calling to say Happy Turkey Day and said that she'd call them back after dinner. Apparently though, pops got sick and at the last minute, they decided to stay home instead of heading up north. We felt absolutely awful that they spent the holiday alone. And that awful feeling was only compounded when we cruised over to their house the next day and found out that they'd enjoyed a Turkey Day "feast" which included canned yams and Stove Top stuffing. We seriously felt terrible that their Turkey Day dinner was spent alone and included such craptacular food. We of course brought over a ton of the leftovers so they could at least have some proper Turkey Day fare, even if a day late. It would have been nice to have had them there with us though.

Well... Here's hoping everybody had a wonderful Turkey Day... and if you were out in that Black Friday madness, here's hoping that you're alive and intact.

So... on with your Gluttonyfest 2009 Edition of the Weird News....

From the "Oh, You Shouldn't Have" files... Wondering what to get that special somebody for the holidays? Well look no further than the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois where they are offering shiny, sparkly jewelry made from... reindeer dung. Yes, surprise your loved one with the "Magical Reindeer Gem" necklaces. I mean, who doesn't like wearing dried crap around their necks?

From the "House of 1,000 Corpses" files... A real estate agent in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana got a nasty surprise while showing a house to prospective buyers. In the basement of the house, they discovered a pile containing roughly 100 human bones. Apparently, the previous residents would occasionally discover the bones in their yard and simply toss them into the basement. Adding to the creep factor of the house, it was apparently built on top of a circular mound which parish officials believe is an Indian burial mound. Nice... didn't anybody involved in the building of the home ever see Poltergeist? You just don't build houses on Indian burial mounds!

From the "Mr. Mom" files... An 18-year old in Indianapolis was recently pulled out of his high school classroom and arrested on charges of burglary, robbery, criminal confinement and pointing a firearm. Detectives said that the 18-year old was one of two suspects that forced their way into a home and began ransacking it. However, when a baby began crying, he warmed a bottle in the microwave and gave it to the infant. So take note ladies... he may be a thieving scumbag but at least he's good with kids! Or at least he will be once he gets out of prison.

From the "Super, Super Freak" files... 39-year old Charles Hersel of Thousand Oaks, California has been arrested and charged with "misdemeanor child annoyance" after contacting teens on MySpace and paying them to perform... certain acts. According to several students from Westlake High School in Ventura County, Hersel paid them to slap him and yell profanities at him. He offered cash to the teens to urinate and defecate on him. He was finally arrested after paying a teen the whopping sum of $31 to spit in his face. $31? How in the world did they arrive at that figure? Police said Hersel's motive "wasn't clear." Wasn't clear? How about the motive is... Hersel is a sick and disgusting FREAK?

From the "Til Death Do Us Part" files... 39-year old John Gerholt of Bedford County, Pennsylvania has been charged with forging documents to "steal" a cemetery plot next to his wife... a wife that he allegedly shot and killed in November 2008. Gerholt claims that he "accidentally" shot his 24-year old wife Karen with a sawed-off shotgun... twice. Gerholt's attorney Thomas Dickey said, "This is just another sign of his true love and devotion to his wife, albeit deceased." Wow... he makes cold-blooded murder seem almost romantic, doesn't he?

From the "Special Place in Hell" files... 24-year old Trista Joy Lathern of Waco, Texas recently held a benefit that netted some $10,000 that was to go for her cancer treatment. Unfortunately for all of the folks that donated to Trista's cause though, it seems that all of the hard-earned cash they so willingly gave was actually going to pay for her... breast enlargement. Trista has been charged with "theft by deception" but I think there's a real special spot in hell waiting for her.

From the "Sick Day" files... 29-year old Aaron Siebers of Edgewater, Colorado was recently arrested and charged with filing a false report and obstructing a police investigation after staging an attack on himself all in a ploy to miss his shift at the video store. Siebers apparently stabbed himself in the leg and superficially cut various other places on his body and then told police that he was assaulted by 3 men dressed in black who were either Hispanic or skinheads. Seriously dude... next time you want a day off, I'd suggest throwing yourself in front of a small car or maybe just doing what everybody else does and just fake a cough!

From the "Grassy Knoll" files... Well, we've heard of the Twinkie Defense now get ready for the Jabba Defense. 62-year old Edward Ates is on trial, having been charged with killing his son-in-law and is using a rather unique defense... he was too fat to have committed the crime. Testifying for the defense, a doctor claimed that even though Ates is an expert marksman, he simply could not have made the shot that killed his former son-in-law, Paul Duncsak. The doctor claims that Ates' weight would have prevented him from racing up a flight of stairs and making the accurate shot prosecutors allege because the exertion would have left him short of breath and shaking. Just when you think you've heard everything...

From the "Good Parenting" files... 37-year old Jackie Knott recently pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and will spend 5 days in jail after letting her 13-year old daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of her van. Knott's defense was that the box wouldn't fit inside the van so her daughter was simply weighing it down while she drove. I suppose that's better than using the "too fat" defense.

From the "Persistence Pays" files... 68-year old Cha Sa-soon of South Korea recently passed her written drivers test... on the 950th time she took it. Sa-soon has been attempting to pass the test since 2005 but until that magic number 950, had failed to hit the required 60 out of 100 necessary to pass the test. But now that she's passed the written exam, she must take the actual driving test... yikes. Here's hoping the residents of Seoul keep their children indoors and keep themselves away from streets and sidewalks while Sa-soon is testing. This could be a very long few years for the people of South Korea.

And finally... a bonus clip for ya'll. This is an actual customer complaint call that is just hilarious. Especially at the very end when this good ol' boy thought he'd hung up the phone. Enjoy!

Fandom: NARUTO
Pairing: Kakashi/Iruka
Author on LJ: unknown
Length: Epic - 100,000 +
Author website: PrincessTyler Briefs
Why this should be read:

When Tsunade bets Asuma that Kakashi can teach Iruka to be a jonin in two months, Iruka's life is thrown into chaos. But along the way, the Leaf Village's favorite teacher discovers a new way of seeing the Copy-Cat Ninja.

An old-fashioned love story with romance and danger that just happens to take place btw ninjas, this will make you grin. PrincessTyler Briefs makes these two characters play off each other so well. Swoon!!! ;-) And while All The Broken Pieces is the largest part of the series, don't miss the delightful one-shots that follow.

All The Broken Pieces
1:47 in the Morning
Holding Fast
Can, Can't and Won't
Snow Day
Strength

Please leave the author feedback. Maybe we'll get more.

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Frank/Gerard
Length: about 43000 words
Author on LJ: jjtaylor
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:
In this AU, Frank is a vampire and Gerard is a detective. That may sound silly, but it works remarkably well. The fic is wonderfully engrossing.

( Excerpt )


Gerard Way's (Vampire) Detective Agency

Hello all, I've created a new Torchwood community http://community.livejournal.com/tw_ficrequests/, feel free to join, pass the word (or ignore completely).
As I have no idea how to run a comm, advice would be greatly appreciated

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-secrets_29.html

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.








HopeLine Fundraiser on twitter this Thursday. Tell
your friends & follow @postsecret for more details.








-----Email Message-----

As much as I hate that i cant help myself right now, i look forward to never sitting alone for the next month or so.













-----Email Message-----

Dear Frank,

Sunday I was with my boyfriend (we are both young Christians). I grabbed his laptop to go to the postsecret website. As I typed in the postsecret address the computer filled in the url with a pornography website.

I used my boyfriend's laptop again to look up postsecret and the computer filled in the url with recently visited sites about pre and post nuptial agreements.

In my attempts to read other people's secrets, I discovered his.








-----Email Message-----

I'm a lesbian in the United States and I'm afraid my dad will die before I'm legally able to walk down an aisle.











Order Your Copy Today




-----Email Message-----

To the person who thinks couple-dom is a big secret. It isn't. Too scared to be alone, I was in a couple in some way for 16 years and I always felt like I was faking. I was jealous of my single friends who had the strength not to settle like I did.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2009/11/postsecret-events-incomplete.html

Article or Video preview of PostSecret Event.


11-30-90
DeNaples Center
Scranton, PA
--Sold-Out--

12-4-09
Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, MI
RSVP on Facebook | Buy Tickets Online

1-10-10
New World Stage (just added)
Manhattan, NY
--Sold-Out--


Become a PostSecret "Fan" on Facebook
for PostSecret Event updates (dates & schools).

Guest Reviewer: Roslyn

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Length: 9388 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: http://truthtrek.com/lky/wendy.html

Why this must be read: Nothing brings out key elements of a buddy-genre story like a case and action tale combined with a holiday theme. “So This is Christmas” is a prime example of the traits which allowed this show to retain its loyal and long-running following into fan fiction . Saoirse illustrates the natural intensity of a true friendship and imbues it with that fraught quality which exemplifies the interdependence of sentinel and guide. In the following excerpt, the partners argue about the danger involved in Jim acting as bait for a 'Santa' killer trolling the malls:

"I'm going with you." Sandburg jabbed a finger into Ellison's chest. "And don't even say it's too dangerous! No one's going to go after you in a crowded mall. The others were all attacked when they were leaving. Not while they were actually playing Santa. So there's no reason I can't be there while you're..." His eyes narrowed and then he relaxed suddenly, the tension draining from him as if he'd suddenly had his prayers answered. "Look man, I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel like he's taking advantage of you, without thinking about the consequences." He held his hands out in acquiescence. "But it's your job. I get that, man. I shouldn't have sounded off like that. So, we good here?"

"I'm good if you're good," Ellison said, shaking his head at Sandburg's ability to have an argument with him, apologize and make up afterward, all without Ellison managing to get in a single word. He supposed it saved time at least, but somehow it was every bit as exhausting as if they'd both been shouting.

All the favorite elements of fan fic are represented here so enjoy it – and then visit her other stories.

So This is Christmas

Vidder Sue_chose_this
Musical Artist: Katie Melua/Ewan McGregor
Vidder on LJ: sue_chose_this
Vidder's Website: on her live journal
Pairing: Qui-Gon JInn/Obi-Wan Kenobi

Why this vid kicks ass:
Sue_chose_this makes awesome vids and this one is no exception. The images she uses go beautifully with the words of the music and together they show Obi-Wan remembering Qui-Gon and what Qui-Gon's guidance still means to him throughout his life after Qui-Gon's death. And the vid goes even beyond that....

You can see the vid on her lj page, but I recommand you use the generous opportunity she offers to download it to your computer and set it to big screen.


You taught me - let me teach you

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Matt/Travis, (Matt/OMC, Katy/Travis)
Length: about 850 words
Author on LJ: icanbreakthesky
Author Website: n/a
Why this must be read:
There is never enough Gym Class Heroes fic, IMO, and this one is excellent. Melancholy and beautiful and a little bit painful.

( Excerpt )


booze on my breath, salt on your skin

Title: Wish You Were Here 10/10
Author: Ennee Gray (graylair )
Rating: PG13
Word count: 2 600 ish
Ships: Jack/Ianto (eventually, working on it, close.)
Summary: Ianto has to accept that she's gone before he can grieve. Jack is not ready to let Ianto go, but he still offers. Everything ends eventually, but at every end there's a new beginning. They weren't even friends. Yet.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or Doom or Doctor Who - the characters, idea, situations, etc. - nothing really. Rednex song isn't mine either.
A/N - WYWH is over. Ianto's okay and he's back and now we all know that it was Owen who gave Jack his split lip at the end of 'Cyberwoman'. ;) There is going to be a sequel, because just like Jack thinks - the journey is just beginning. However the earliest I'll post the first part of the next story arch will be at Christmas. Enjoy ;)

Fandom: MARVEL COMICS
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Length: 42,000 words
Author on LJ: muccamukk
Author Website: Fanfiction by Muccamukk on Dreamwidth; Fanfiction by Muccamukk on Archive Of Our Own; Fanfiction by Muccamukk on LiveJournal.
Why this must be read: This summer, there was a Big Bang fest for the Captain America/Iron Man pairing (see capiron_bigbang). Eleven stories were posted, with artwork. I would happily rec more than half of them on Crack Van. However, Crack Van drivers must observe the speed limit. Therefore, I have picked one Big Bang story to rec, and I picked the story that made me cry. (It does have a happy ending, in case you're worried about that.)

Sea Stars is long and plotty, with wonderful pacing, satisfying character interaction, and a never-before-seen tactic for achieving global domination. Also: amnesia, resurrection, lots of fish, the horror of finding one's expensive, imported coffee grinder is not working, and the origin of the Undead Avengers.

Sea Stars

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Arthur Linderman/Luke Campbell, Luke Campbell/Sylar
Length: 9078
Author on LJ: hangthemj
Author Website: over at lukexsylar

Why this must be read: This is pretty much epic. It's a story told from Luke's POV that takes place in a post-apocalypse AU where the norms of society has fallen apart - it's all about surviving and the powerful vs the powerless, and although Luke ends up as a sex slave he does not do all that bad for himself. The way his POV is written is convincing and his pragmatism and his attraction to power shines through. And the smut, my God, the smut... it's amazing! This is some terrifyingly good bdsm with Luke as a wonderfully greedy bottom. hangthemj really nails the utter worship that most Luke/Sylar shippers live for.

And the opening scene alone... It's angsty and tragic and striking.


( Excerpt )


Recalibration