Another Word for Optimism

[rachael-recs.livejournal.com]

My Sheppard/McKay rec50 table.

Claim: Stargate Atlantis: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Title: Another Word for Optimism
Author:Celli celli
Characters: Sheppard, McKay
Prompt: 04 - Fluff
Rating: Teen
Length: About 1000 words
Brief summary: Adorable. Rodney starts the day in an upbeat and happy mood, and that's something we get to see rarely in canon. (Though the moment when he is bouncing around in Hide and Seek saying 'invulnerable' is one of the best of those moments.) And that is the Rodney of this story, sweetly happy with the world, except when he's not.

So why is Rodney being such an optimist?

( excerpt )

Link to the story: Another Word for Optimism

"Covenant" and "A Couple of Head Cases"

[azarsuerte.livejournal.com]

My table

Claim: The X-Files: General Series
Title: Covenant
Author: Rhondda Lake
Characters: Dana Scully/Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Margaret Scully, others
Prompt: 26. Death
Rating: NC-17
Length: four chapters
Brief Summary: Mulder is killed in a relatively mundane car accident after promising never to ditch her again, and Scully struggles to go on without him. But because death is never really the end on The X-Files, Mulder's not nearly as far away as she thinks and he's determined to keep his promise. But doing so will require the one thing Scully finds most difficult to do--believing in the impossible.
Link to the story: Covenant

---

Claim: The X-Files: General Series
Title: A Couple of Head Cases
Author: Anne Hedonia (ahedonia)
Characters: Dana Scully/John Doggett
Prompt: 05. Sex
Rating: R
Length: shortish one-parter
Brief Summary: This probably more appropriately belongs with the humor prompt, but I never read a whole lot of PWPs in this fandom (what? can I help it that the smutty stuff in XF-dom seems to mostly come with plot?), so this is it. *grin* Basically, John and Dana get a little...distracted during a morning routine and wind up late to work. Combines Anne's two strengths--sex and humor--with enormously entertaining results.
Link to the story: A Couple of Head Cases

Pesach, Playing For Position

[catalase.livejournal.com]

My table

Claim: House: general series
Title: Pesach
Author: PWCorgigirl
Characters: House, Wilson, Wilson's family
Prompt: 36:Family
Rating: K/G
Length: Medium
Brief summary: Stories where Wilson's brother turns up dead are common as dandelions in House fandom, but this is the best take on it I've read yet. The author's prose is simply lovely, and it manages to do sorrow and hope without going over the top into angsty glurge or out-of-character hurt/comfort. No pairings.
Link to story: Pesach


Claim: House: general series
Title: Playing for Position
Author: npkedit
Characters: Chase, House
Prompt: 11:Character Study
Rating: PG
Length: Medium
Brief summary: Chase gen, and it's good, which is something I've been waiting to say a long time. A look back at the early days of Chase's fellowship, before any of his playmates arrived. Second person but it works, which is something I NEVER thought I'd say.
Link to story: Playing for Position

Walls

[jain]

My table

Claim: Stargate Atlantis: Ronon Dex
Title: Walls
Author: Bone (thisisbone)
Characters: Ronon, John, Atlantis
Prompt: 11 - Character study
Rating: G
Length: short
Brief summary: Atlantis as sentient city is one of my least favorite tropes within SG:A fic, but here, from the POV of Ronon-the-outsider, it works amazingly well. This story is beautifully written: short yet evocative. It also provides a perspective of Ronon that's only hinted at in canon, of a man whose stoicism and impressive combat skills developed as a result of necessity, and don't define his entire personality.

Link to the story: Walls

Flying Blind, Family Portrait

[justbreathe80.livejournal.com]

My table

Claim: due South, Fraser/Kowalski
Title: Flying Blind
Author: Speranza, on LJ cesperanza
Characters: Fraser, Kowalski, Canada
Prompt: 10. Fandom Cliché
Rating: PG-13ish, maybe
Length: medium
Brief summary: To reduce this to fandom cliché seems so wrong to me, but it does contain the “Fraser and Ray in a sleeping bag in Arctic Canada” bit, so it fit. Speranza as a writer is so much more than that, and this story is subtle and gorgeous. Ray is thinking about his relationship with Fraser, and he realizes just how much Fraser means to him when they go on their Quest. Speranza is the queen of the dS fandom, in my humble opinion, and this story is just one lovely example. I can’t believe she’s only in my 50 about 7 times, because it could have been way more.

( An excerpt )

Link to the story: Flying Blind


Claim: due South, Fraser/Kowalski
Title: Family Portrait
Author: Journey
Characters: Fraser, Kowalski, Stevie and Katie Kowalski, Stella, Ray’s parents, etc.
Prompt: 36. Family
Rating: NC-17
Length: epic
Brief summary: This is a lovely AU, where Ray and Fraser work together as partners, but Ray is not undercover as Vecchio. Ray also has two children from his marriage to Stella, who died in a drunk driving accident. Fraser starts to slowly become a part of the children’s lives, and Ray’s as well. I’ve become a bit of an AU whore, after some very serious resistance, as you will see, and this is an AU that really works. Fraser finding his family, and Ray rebuilding his family come through, and what could be hopelessly cheesy is absolutely genuine and heartbreaking.

( An excerpt )

Link to the story: Family Portrait