Title: Mulling
Author/ess: Pyrasaur
Series: Phoenix Wright
Length: 905 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Phoenix/Mia
Rating/warnings: T/PG-13, presumably pre-game
Summary: She didn't know what this was but it was beautiful.

Ah, Phoenix Wright. The series that gave me a pairing as soon as it started…and kinda took it away just as quickly, due to certain events. Me and those doomed/impossible pairings. And what with all of the slash or Phoenix/Maya out there, I didn’t really expect to find anything like this…so when I did, it was pretty awesome. Mia, Phoenix, and something softly comfortable and all right.

This fic has that fluttering, synesthetic quality to it that the writer uses, and it gives rise to a lot of imagery and word combinations that really suit the soft flow of it. That’s the fic’s real quality, how it just paints these pictures of not-quite-standard words and not-quite-standard images into a very nice whole. There’s really nothing more to say about it – it’s a great, different sort of way to tell a possible story of this pairing, and really, you might as well just go and read it right now instead.

Preview:
It happened by degrees, a thousand tiny motions and she took what remained of the stiff-forming couch. All the better to watch Phoenix shift, half-aware, and all the better to lay a hand on his arm and watch his eyelashes stir.

Chief, he called her, in a voice thick and far away. And confused at its edges, small the way he hadn't been for years.

She asked if this was all right. And smiled because it was Phoenix -- she knew his answer, saw it in his lake-dark eyes. That was all she needed.

Title: Six Dances
Author/ess: cadence_zero
Series: Ender’s Game
Length: 2,600 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Valentine, Peter, appearances and mentions of Ender, Graff, and various OCs
Rating/warnings: PG, spoilers for the end of Ender’s Game but goes AU with who’s on the first colony ship
Summary: Valentine had always hated formal functions, in the same way that she had always hated Peter. Not to the same degree, of course, but the universe seemed to have a way of working to change that. Valentine, Peter, dancing, and world domination.

I still like Ender’s Game (not its series), but the Ender’s Shadow series has definitely rubbed off more on me now. Which means I’ve ended up liking Peter a lot, what with all of his faults and strengths, and Valentine and Ender have been shoved to the back of my mind. So it’s nice to revisit with a fic like this. Following the first book’s chronology (though diverging later), six dances Valentine had to dance or attend, and Peter always in the wake.

I have to admit, with my favorite characters, I’m very picky about characterization. The first readthroughs I didn’t really think this, but only now do I think, eh, this isn’t Peter, he’s not a horrible guy. But then again, through the eyes of Ender and Valentine in Ender’s Game, he really was, so in that sense the fic gets it down. The calculating, sometimes mockingly jocular side of him does feel true to his young self, along with all of Valentine’s vacillating and how she ultimately stands by him anyway. The AU is subtle, but fits the theme of this much more than if it followed the book’s events. Overall, it’s a very piercing, honest look at the characters, a great Valentine POV, and oh so worth the read.

Preview:
She confronted Peter about it later.

"Why did you do that? You don't even know her."

"The color of her dress brought out my eyes," Peter said. She tried to summon anger at his offhandedness.

"And besides," he added with a grin, "It'll give her a story to tell when I'm ruling the world."

Valentine choked back a laugh at that. Then she stopped trying to be angry. It was hardly Peter's fault that ten-year-old girls were shallow, after all.

Title: By Any Other Name
Author/ess: chitsuki
Series: Detective Conan
Length: 513 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Conan/Ai
Rating/warnings: PG
Summary: (None given.) Written for 30_kisses, theme: gardenia.

Hey look, another one of those hopeless pairings that I’m prone to liking. But don’t worry, the fic’s a lot more lighthearted than that. Funny as I always equated Conan/Ai to more darker, convoluted things, but it does have the humorous side to it caused by the cynicism and sarcasm and general “hey, Kudo’s an idiot” sort of thing. That’s the centerpiece of this one. For some reason Haibara drags Conan to a flower shop, and yet again she manages to make him look like an idiot. Again.

I love the characterization and humor in this one. They’re spot on, which means great jabs from Haibara’s end and fitting embarrassed reactions from Conan’s. And for a short one-shot at 30_kisses, well, this fic took the idea in a direction that was more fitting for the two than the usual drippy romance-y sorts of things that some of the fics there have. But again, spot-on banter, and a nice, hilarious, light sort of piece that can be a bit hard to find; it makes it all the more enjoyable, really, and it doesn’t even need that boost.

Preview:
"Rose?"

It was just a guess. If there was one thing he knew less than music about, it was flowers.

She gave him a look as though when God gave out brains, he had obviously missed the line-up.

"It's a gardenia."

He shrugged. "Close enough."

"For a self-proclaimed meitantei, you sure can be clueless."

Need FE7 icons, urk.

Title: Shades
Author/ess: LittleGreenBudgie
Series: Fire Emblem 7: Blazing Sword / Rekka no Ken
Length: 2,376 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Priscilla, Raven (Raymond), Lucius
Rating/warnings: K+/PG, AU, spoilers for who Raven is from his various support convos? And lots of references to any of the Priscilla or Raven support convos, really.
Summary: Spring green, summer golden, fall red, winter white: life is change. Yet it's summer again, but her brother is not the same. A look into the relationship between Raymond, Priscilla, and Lucius.

Contrary to some people, I love how Fire Emblem games have large casts, even if the game obviously can’t give a lot of information or even screentime for each of them. Let your imagination take care of the rest, really, I say. I have to admit, though, I’d never have come up with an AU setting, but this one’s so incredibly close to the FE universe anyway that it’s almost inconsequential. Priscilla’s the happy one and Raymond’s withdrawn, but Lucius comes, and oh, how childhoods change.

Raven’s awesome because he’s the game’s only and best Mercenary/Hero class, and he could probably decimate a map on his own. But I always liked Priscilla more, and not just for her Troubadour/Valkyrie awesomeness. She has this sorrowful semi-fragility about her, and it’s illustrated quite well here. The fic’s an interesting setup – large chunks of paragraphs separated by large dividers, each chronicling another little moment over the years. It really captures what’s in the game well, with Priscilla and Raven’s eventual estrangement despite how they were close siblings, and Priscilla’s unhappiness with how close Lucius is to Raven instead. Only the place where this fic ends up seems so much bleaker than the game ever did, and it really hits home. It’s an excellent (AU!) character study, and I love it for its good, fair focus on Priscilla. A very interesting piece.

Preview:
Raymond has started talking to Lucius about the other’s unwillingness to leave the house for anything beyond school or church. Lucius deflects the questions as subtly as he can, protesting that he does have friends and switching Raymond’s words around so that the redhead never even notices that the subject was changed until the conversation is already over. He’s still so, so shy around other people, but Raymond’s never noticed, has only ever really seen how Lucius acts around him. Besides, Lucius sees his friends at school or at church, and even though they’re a mismatched bunch of misfits, Lucius is too.

Priscilla still doesn’t really have any friends, but Raymond doesn’t know that, doesn’t know because he doesn’t write and because she’s not sure she’s comfortable with telling him. She tries to pretend that she hasn’t even considered telling Lucius instead, but the knowledge sits heavily on her mind.

Title: Belief
Author/ess: audrarose
Series: Numb3rs
Length: approx. 1,464 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Charlie, Don
Rating/warnings: PG
Summary: Charlie. Don. Basketball. Faith.

Ah, Numb3rs. I love my boys. Is it a popular fandom thing to slash together once-semi-estranged brothers, or even minus the estranged part? And, er, there’s nothing I like more than gen for this fandom, hahaha. The basic premise is that Charlie’s playing basketball while Don’s concerned that he hasn’t been out of the house in probably months; the underlying one, how Charlie never believed in the magic of their childhood that Don did.

I mean, geh, this is great. ‘Just like it’s out of an episode’ is probably some of the greatest praise that can be given, and this one really does feel like it. It has just that right amount of attention to detail, gets the Charlie logical mind processes and the wistful hey-remember-when, and the way the fic references their past is exactly something that the series would do in one of its less life-endangering, adrenaline-rush moments. And haha, it’s just like Charlie to calculate how to throw a basketball perfectly while Don just goes for it. Just, yay sibling fic, nice subtle evaluations of the characters and who they are, and a great look into the present and the past.

Preview:
7.6 meters per second. An angle of 60 degrees. Nothing but net.

It didn’t work, of course. It turned out that the equation was correct but the application presented difficulties. Between nine and twenty-nine he’d realized that there were real-world variables that marred the simple elegance of mathematics on paper; things like wind, which could be measured, and the human element, which was far more difficult to describe. The exact angle couldn’t be measured by eye, and the application of force came through muscles that couldn’t be controlled perfectly every time. Even so, over the years he tried to account for the changing length of arm, the increased density of muscle. Fatigue. Backspin.

“It shouldn’t take this long to set up a free throw, Charlie.”

Distraction.

Title: Feels Like Dying Over Here
Author/ess: arrankaara
Series: Bleach
Length: 2,930 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Ichigo/Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, Kira
Rating/warnings: PG-15
Summary: Ichigo didn't know that dying could be so painful. Especially when one was already dead in the first place. A wedding proposal, and his life was turned upside down.

Hm, Bleach. I suppose it has been a while…maybe I’ll even get back into the series one day. Yeah, er. Well, I can still read pre-high school craziness fic, at least. And I still love my Ichigo/Rukia. The fic’s exactly what the summary says – Ichigo’s now a captain, life goes on, marriage proposal by someone else to Rukia makes him stop dead in his tracks and life grinds to a halt.

I liked a lot of things about this one. Seeing Renji as more sympathetic to Ichigo and not competing with him for Rukia was a nice change of pace. Seeing the two get horribly drunk and the aftermath was amusing, along with the descriptions of Byakuya and many more things – the humor’s spread out, subtly in some places, but always so good. And it’s like the author said; Ichigo’s a pretty dramatic guy, so the whole dying thing’s done dramatically too, but I like it. The way tension and various moods are written, and the way it’s all so painfully, wonderfully Ichigo…oh yeah, definitely a read. Give it a go.

Preview:
“I…” there was a feeling, close to dying but not really, when he saw how tense and rigid her posture was. He didn’t want to see her back; he wanted to see her face, just to make sure that he wasn’t imagining last night. Ichigo swallowed the lump (proverbial frog?) in his throat and let his hands to fall at his sides. “Nothing. See you later.”

With a nod, she was gone. Just like that.

“You’re an idiot.” Renji, limping inside right after Rukia’s departure, was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looked positively green, though definitely not with envy.

Ichigo’s shoulder slumped. “I know.”

Title: Try
Author/ess: akanekari-katamari
Series: Darker than BLACK
Length: 190 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Hei/Yin
Rating/warnings: K+/PG, set post-series, references to eps 13-14
Summary: Hei and Yin talk a little about their future together.

Oh, Darker than BLACK. Yeah, I fell hard for this series, what can I say. I love Hei, and I grew to love Yin…and, yeah, I kinda like them together. Even if the majority of fanfics seem to prefer other pairings, alas. Thus, I was pretty happy to find this little drabble among the rest of the fic at ff.net. Hei, Yin, after everything and without knowing where to go next.

First and foremost, this fic was in character. Which, you know, tricky. Most of the fics I’ve seen with Yin in them…oh, that was messy and a bit scary. And I sympathize, since Yin’s probably the hardest character to write in DtB – you never know if your characterization of her pushes the bar too much, or if you’re making her stoically boring, plus the series’ (season, I hope) finale gave her character room to grow…vaguely. Typically most writers go way over the bar, but this one stays well in the ‘that makes sense’ zone. And of course Hei’s very IC too, but characterization spiel aside. With very short pieces, every word counts, and I admit that I winced when the author talked about eyes with color adjectives and “orbs”. Orbs? Bad. Very bad. (I know, but…ask Dex and she’ll explain this one Naruto fic that we couldn’t stop laughing over, alas.) Otherwise, the rest of it was poignant, feeling as though each word was heavy with subtlety or meaning. A great drabble that gives the pairing just enough to be a pairing, and not too much so they’re still the Hei and Yin we know and love.

Preview:
“Love…?” She repeated.

Of course, she knew what it was. Scientifically, of course. She couldn’t remember any of her former feelings as Kirisi.

Hei turned to her, coughing and turning slightly pink.

“It’s when someone-”

“I know.” Yin cut him off. “…It won’t work.”

Title: Coffee at 12 AM
Author/ess: stillkneedeep
Series: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney / Gyakuten Saiban 4
Length: 1,101 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Klavier/Ema
Rating/warnings: T/PG-13
Summary: If coffee is god, then Klavier Gavin is the devil.

I probably should’ve just tagged all of the PW/AJ fics under “Gyakuten Saiban”…oops. So they’ll all be under Phoenix Wright in the mems and tags, even if the header has Apollo Justice. After all, a few of the characters overlap and it’s still the same universe. I’m not sure if I prefer the old cast more – I found myself missing Edgeworth and Franziska often – but older!Ema and people like Klavier still made the game more than worthwhile. Pair them together and you have utter hilarity and probably a wave of destruction in Ema’s wake. Ema’s stuck working late, and then Klavier comes with coffee…not that Ema will take charity from him or anything.

The whole thing is hilarious. I loved the reference to the third PW/GS game what with the big top case, and everything that Klavier does to raise Ema’s ire could be exactly like him. And ah, the end. Perfect setup. I’m not a fan of authors using bold, but there’s not a lot, and now I’m just being nitpicky. It’s a funny, short scene that does what it sets out to do very nicely. And besides, any fic where Klavier antagonizes Ema like this is worth the read alone.

Preview:
She sighs irritably as her thoughts drift back to the reason why she’s poring over case files at 11:43 pm on a Monday night, when she could be sleeping in her comfy bed in her snug little apartment.

“Well, if it isn’t my little working girl!”

Speak of the devil.

Ema rolls her chair backward in a swift motion (hee, rolly chairs: one of the few perks of being a detective) and glares at the intruder, who comes bearing two steaming cups bearing the logo of a local coffee shop. Granted, coffee sounds like nirvana right now, but Ema isn’t going to cave.

“Oh. Klavier. It’s you.”

Title: Chances.
Author/ess: fan_elune
Series: Alias
Length: approx. 2,915 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Jack-centric, Sydney, Sark, Isabelle and Jack (the son), mentions of pretty much everyone
Rating/warnings: PG-13, spoilers for the season finale
Summary: (Spoilers in the rec.) Written for the Dearly Departed Alias Ficathon, with a request of Jack, to write him interacting with Isabelle and Little Jack, to have Sydney be surprised at something, and Weiss with a mohawk.

Oh, Jack. Who doesn’t love Jack. Uhm, so yeah, stupid season finale even though it did finally give some characters a happy ending or a ‘life goes on’, but…dot dot dot. Therefore, I’ll just let the fic do it – besides, Rambaldi makes everything more than possible. Jack lives through dreams and dreams and dreams, despite what he believes is the impossibility; but eventually, one has to wake up to reality.

The dream sequences really make this fic. They’re just the right mix of lyrical and evocative, a state of matter that might be somewhere between liquid and not-solid; they have all the right not-quite-right transitions to resemble real dreams and nightmares, yet are still grounded just enough in some sort of reality. Some of them will really just get you. And ah, Sark’s involvement, and finally Sydney and her children – Isabelle in particular – everything’s just incredibly true to character, amusing or baffling in all the right ways. I only wish I knew enough to understand the mystery of who that man is in the middle part, but otherwise. The author just knows how to write those trippy dreams so, so well, and a Jack story like this can be my personal canon any day.

Preview:
Her eyes are everything. Soft and warm and he knows, with the certainty of one who has lived this dream before, of the cold, hard edges hidden under the velvet love.

There might be a toaster, or it might be another time. He sinks in her arms all the same, because he did, and will again, sinks in her arms and expects to drown, expects the love and the lies to stifle him, expects a pillow pressed on his face, expects a hand over his mouth and fingers pressing his nostrils closed, expects a slash across his windpipe.

Instead, he gets a lie. He gets the warmth, the softness, he gets words spun like silk and it's a web he'll always get caught in. He gets fate.

Title: Waiting for My Rocket
Author/ess: miiko_ashida (also here at ff.net)
Series: Loveless
Length: 618 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Kio, Yuiko, hints of Ritsuka/Yuiko, Soubi/Kio, and Soubi/Ritsuka
Rating/warnings: K+/PG; Kio makes some references about Seimei that won’t quite make sense if you don’t know those volume 4/5 spoilers, so.
Summary: Yuiko and Kio commiserate, and Aoyagi is not quite the tragedy it once seemed to be.

It’s no surprise that when I started Loveless, I absolutely could not stand Yuiko or Kio, respectively. Yuiko was just…clingy, pointless, so immature, and Kio was like a puppy dog trailing after a lost cause. Then both of them started to subtly or not so subtly change. Throw in their whole hopeless infatuations and all, and they’d suddenly become more layered and complex. Or maybe it just took me that long to notice. A tearful Yuiko comes to Soubi’s apartment, looking for Aoyagi – Ritsuka – and Kio’s there to pick up the pieces.

The first thing that grabs you when reading this is that, well, the fic’s centered around these two, and it definitely does justice to their characters. The second thing is the format. It’s a conversation done entirely without quotation marks, using italics instead, but it’s choosy about when italics are used. Sometimes the format and some pronouns/sentences are a bit too vague, but at the same time it allows for the two halves of the conversation to bleed together more in a way that reinforces how what one of them says could easily have come from the other’s mouth instead. It’s a great look at two often underappreciated characters whose depth aren’t always seen by many, and is definitely worth a go.

Preview:
He gives it another shot, putting his arm around her shaking shoulders. Wide, like a boy’s. Ritsuka doesn’t like boys. Ritsuka likes Soubi. I know how you feel, ya know.

You do?

Yup. But I can tell you, even though you won’t forget how you feel right now, love doesn’t just happen once. Everybody gets a second chance. Don’t be stupid like me. When those other boys come along, take another shot at it. I bet yours is right there and you don’t even know it!

Is Yuiko in love, Kio-san? I don’t know what to call it. Yuiko hurts, but love is happy, right?

Love is tough luck on the rocks. How comforting would the truth be? It’s a lot more than that. You have to love somebody an awful lot to hurt like this over them, don’t you think?

Title: Ribbon
Author/ess: FireEdge
Series: Fire Emblem 9: Path of Radiance / Souen no Kiseki
Length: 2,038 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Ranulf/Lethe
Rating/warnings: K+/PG, preseries, references to the Ranulf-Lethe FE9 support conversations
Summary: Convinced into buying a pretty green ribbon, Ranulf tries to give it to Lethe. But will she accept it?

To be honest, one of the things that I really disliked about FE10 was its lack of ambiguity compared to its predecessors. For example, FE7 had multiple paired epilogue endings depending on which supports you got; FE10 only has one possibility per person, if they get one. Some backstory and previously strongly-hinted stuff just seemed to end up on the cutting room floor. Ranulf and Lethe seem to be one of those pairings, really, though I disclaim any bias I have right now, haha. Simple story setup – a young Ranulf doesn’t know about the traditions of gift-giving from guys to girls, is suckered into getting a gift for Lethe by a shop owner, and this does not make Lethe pleased.

I liked the characterization the most in this one. The author’s young, mischievous Ranulf garners a lot of smiles, as does Lethe’s “hey, I’m a tough girl, I don’t need your stupid ribbon” demeanor. The shopkeeper leading a naïve Ranulf into buying the ribbon without fully explaining the ‘special gift-giving’ tradition is amusing as well. All in all, it’s a light, probably somewhat fluffy piece, and a nice bit of humorous preseries extrapolation as to why Lethe does have that ribbon.

Preview:
“Maybe… Maybe Lyre will like it better, I’m pretty sure that she likes stuff like this!”

Lethe’s ears twitched at the mention of her sister’s name. Ranulf knew that she was a bit sensitive about that subject. She and her sister were quite different and they never got along. They were constantly arguing, and the only thing that they had in common was their pride as Gallians. Lyre also had a fondness for Ranulf, which bothered Lethe somewhat. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t like Lyre being so close to one of her friends.

“Oh! Lethe, why the sour look?” Ranulf questioned innocently, his eyes wide with surprise. The orange-haired cat glared at him and he grinned. “Well then, you look like you’d rather be alone. I have to head home soon, so I don’t have time to find Lyre. Could you give the ribbon to her? Unless… you want to keep it for yourself?”

Title: Something Pretty
Author/ess: svilleficrecs
Series: Battlestar Galactica
Length: 8780 words, oneshot.
Character/pairing: Lee/Kara, brief mentions of the crew.
Rating/warnings: NC-17 for very hot kind-of-smexings. You'll see. AU after the first ep, so if you've seen the mini, you're cool.
Summary: Lee's under deadline, Starbuck's being a brat, and the fate of the human race hangs in the balance.

I started watching BSG a couple of months ago because quite a few people on the flist were quite fond of it (read: rabid fans) and it sounded okay. I'm not a huge sci-fi nerd because I get confused easily in unfamiliar situations, but I was drawn in by the solid story and amazingly flawed cast of characters. I still haven't finished season three, but I'm still loving the tragic love story of Lee and Kara, and I hope there's a happy ending out there for them somewhere down the line.

This isn't that happy ending, but it is an amazing character study cunningly disguised as some harmless smut. It's time for the tally to go up, so the Fleet is starting a breeding program and the crew are expected to donate. The deadline is today and Lee needs inspiration, so Starbuck takes it upon herself to help a brother out.

This fic is brilliant. Smut has to be good to reel me in - I skip the sexy bits in romance novels - but this had me entranced. There's no actual sex but it's so darn hot that there might as well have been. I also loved the innate understanding they had of each other, that Starbuck could identify Lee's problem and then work towards solving it, in a very Starbuck-ish way. :P Great plot, fantastic writing and an altogether electrifying interlude make this fic much much more than just a piece of smut. Go read, now.

Preview: The circles under his eyes were darker than usual today, and he was a day and a half past clean-shaven. As he rubbed his eyes, then his face again, she remembered what stubble felt like. Unlike Zak, who'd had a 3'oclock shadow, Lee's beard didn't grow especially fast. And he was so much fairer than his brother, his scruff wasn't prominent, but he just kept rubbing his face and her palms itched to touch the rough, prickly skin.

"You need a distraction."

"What I need is a little inspiration. And that's in serious short supply." He let his gaze slide down her body, and suddenly she was very aware that she was wearing nothing but a towel. "No offense."

"None taken."

"You're…," he hesitated on the way back up, then dragged himself back to eye contact. "You're fairly attractive."

"Stop, I'm blushing."

"No really, you're decent looking."

"The ladies must be all over you, with that silver tongue."

Title: Dumb and Tragic
Author/ess: aliaspiral
Series: Gokusen
Length: 806 words, oneshot.
Character/pairing: Shin/Yankumi.
Rating/warnings: Rated PG, and I got a j-drama vibe from it, so it's probably best if you've seen the series.
Summary: There is something about Yankumi that makes a deeply hidden, very nicely buried part of Sawada Shin want to well up and spill all over everything.

I'd like to thank Sawada Shin for being the first male character to put a crack in my nicely constructed model of the perfect hero. I grew up reading anything I could get my hands on, and when I was about 10 my aunt left a box of Harlequin romances at our house. Since then, my ideal man has been ruggedly handsome, at least ten years older than the heroine/me and a man of the world. Those books precipitated my love for teacher-student relationships, and while Shin and Yankumi are teacher and student, they're the wrong way around! The guy has to be older than the girl...but that standard is for normal guys and girls, and Shin and Yankumi are anything but.

In this story, Shin ruminates on the changes he's noticed in himself since Yankumi came along. Things are different - he's different - and he's a tad concerned that since meeting Yankumi, he's turned into a gigantic dork.

And that's why this fic is so awesome, because Shin is a gigantic dork! We get to hear his thoughts on Yankumi and his deep-seated fear of anyone discovering his inner dork, and it's all so very Shin that it's a pleasure to read. In fact, I can almost hear his exasperated sigh! Light and fun, you should definitely check this one out.

Preview: He sighed in frustration. This woman was going to be the death of him.

He groaned as he realized he had just admitted that to the plant she had forced him to take back to his place (Water it, Sawada! And talk to it! It's very important to talk to it. This one likes to watch television on Tuesdays!).

He was so deeply, horribly, tragically uncool.

Uni is EATING ME ALIVE. Expect recs to be sporadic, sorry guys. ;__________;

Title: Hell Week
Author/ess: icybright
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Length: 1300 words, oneshot.
Character/pairing: GLORIOUS GEN! I didn't think such a thing existed in the pairing-wanktastic world of Avatar~!
Rating/warnings: Set after...um...I think it's The Western Air Temple. Midway through season three, anyway. Rated G.
Summary: None given. Toph decides to add to Zuko's scars.

Ahhh, Avatar. It only just ended and I already miss it. I loved every second I spent with those characters as they changed and grew through the months of their journey, and in particular, I loved the way Zuko changed and grew over time. I don't think I made any secret of my initial dislike of him, but as things happened and he made choices I came to almost respect him, and by the end of the third season it was out and out love. One of the things that endeared him to me was the trials he put himself through to become part of the gaang, and it's touched upon very nicely in this story as he struggles to win Toph's approval. Plus I think Zuko and Toph should be BFFs.

It's a simple story, and it's quite short, but I really liked Zuko's voice and the way he just keeps on going, despite Toph's...treatment of him is very in-character. Because it is short, a couple of places were somewhat unclear as to who was speaking/what was happening, but for the most part it's a very enjoyable romp through what definitely isn't the best week in Zuko's life. But every story has an ending, and Zuko might even get a happy one...if he can make it to the end of the week, that is.

Preview: The first night, he finds a frog in his sleeping bag.

The revelation is followed by the sound of a tiny Earthbender cackling maniacally as it drips slowly down the front of him, leaving a shiny trail against his bare chest.

Before he can say anything she is gone, and going back to sleep is not an option. There could be other things he doesn't yet suspect.

Title: Heaven and Hell
Author/ess: Amaranth Adanae
Series: Ghost Hunt
Length: 554 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Naru, Mai, mentions of ensemble, hints of Naru/Mai
Rating/warnings: K/PG, novel spoilers. Basically, past the anime and past the manga; Naru’s true identity.
Summary: What would heaven be? What about hell? What could have been a deep, existential conversation degenerates into NaruMai banter.

Ghost Hunt would be one of Dex’s more successful attempts to get me into a series of her liking. Now I’m just surprised that I rec’d it first. What can I say – I haven’t watched a good new mystery-themed show in a while, and the way the novels panned out and how the author really thought everything out from the very beginning just really impresses me. And did I mention I love Naru, and like Mai a lot more than I’d have expected at the beginning? Therefore, banter between the two like in this fic is some of my favorite.

Okay, I have to admit, another reason why I like banter in fic more is that more authors manage to pull that off rather than actual Naru/Mai pairingness or romance, the successful attempts of which probably number only...well, anyway. I liked how Mai’s (quite humorous) thoughts ran off on what must have seemed like a runaway train to Naru, and his fitting reactions. The end line is a little bit clichéd, but with a discussion on heaven, I guess it was to be expected. Overall, it’s a nice snippet with solid dialogue and characterization that can be seen clearly in its short length.

Preview:
Naru frowned slightly, and crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest. “I’m not sure I believe in some happy afterlife, some sort of cheerful heaven. I haven’t seen any hard evidence of one. But if there is a heaven, I’m sure it has excellently equipped laboratories and competent assistants. Not to mention interesting cases to keep me occupied.”

“Really, Naru, do you honestly think that you’ve been that virtuous? Heaven is for the meek and humble, isn’t it? I can’t see you fitting in. Besides, you can’t be a ghost hunter in heaven—everyone is a spirit, and no one would be unkind or vengeful. What would you do, hunt for mislaid harps? That would be more like hell for you.”

“I need to get John to sit you down for a lecture on Christian philosophy. Your grasp of the doctrine is pitiful,” murmured Naru absently.

Title: Stars in a Private Movie
Author/ess: Luna
Series: CSI
Length: approx. 5,626 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Catherine-centric, some Eddie/Catherine and Grissom/Catherine, Lindsey, various OCs
Rating/warnings: R, reference to…ermmm, the season finale with that one serial killer…yes, I know I’m being funny. Oh, oops, only 1x23. Might be another reference to an ep that I can’t remember in the fifth part.
Summary: Five things that never happened to Catherine.

Ah, with a show like CSI, it’s hard to catch all of the eps that might’ve been references in the fic…anyway. I’ve probably said this before, but Catherine’s my favorite character. Out of all the CSIs, she’s the one that’s been in the tepid, shadow-dark parts of Las Vegas, worked the work, lived the life, and though she came out of it with someone like Eddie, she still managed to get out. And she just has this tough as nails and savvy quality about her that just grabs you. Of course, that same quality could have gotten her into trouble way too many times, like in some of the five nevers here.

I guess the thing with Catherine is that her life always could have turned out much differently, and each of the scenarios here – running away from home, having been this close to being a CSI, having used drugs, being too late to save someone's life, actually staying with Eddie – were written so vividly and in-character that it hurt. There’s a flowing sort of feel to the words, almost lyrical in some places, very subtle when needed and very brutal when required. This one just gnaws at you and leaves you with a sort of ache, because Catherine, if anyone, deserves a happy ending, and you keep wondering when she’ll get one. An excellent Catherine-centric fic in the nevers format that'll stay with you for a while.

Preview:
She did not actually flinch. She had that much presence of mind. "Listen," she said, and instantly hated her throat, for the little wet catch she knew he'd heard. "Are you trying to keep me on lab duty, or--"

"They're up for promotion." He fussed with the gloves, keeping his eyes downcast. "They need the time in the field."

"And it's not that you have a problem with me?" She put her chin up and her hands on her hips, tough girl pose. Almost a come-on.

His eyes ran over her again. Silence flowed around them, filled up the room. Drowning out everything else.

"No."

Until then she hadn't known he could look at her and tell a lie.

Title: Pawn and Knight
Author/ess: Ryna-chan
Series: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Length: 1,689 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Edgeworth, Phoenix, Ema, Gregory Edgeworth (Edgeworth's father), mentions of Larry
Rating/warnings: K/PG, no blatant spoilers but it’ll be hard to understand if you haven’t gotten past the first game. And young!Ema’s from the extra case 1-5.
Summary: Young Edgeworth listens to a story that his father tells, but what does that exactly have to do with the present?

It’s hard to find Phoenix-Edgeworth interaction fics compared to ones where they get slashed up. Okay, I have to admit, I see where the slash fans are coming from for this series, but I’m just not interested in P/E. Maybe it was overly drippy, I dunno. Eiiiiiither way, so yes, finding something gen like this made me happy. And it has young!Ema, which felt like a bonus. In short, this story’s made up of two parts: first, young Edgeworth is told a story about knights and justice by his father, and second, Phoenix and Ema wander into Edgeworth’s office when he’s not there and notice a particular chess board.

I have to admit, I wasn’t too interested in the first half – maybe because I don’t like kids and Edgeworth was acting like a typical kid, or maybe because the justice story was the setup to the big stuff, I dunno. The second half was what made it. I loved Ema’s characterization, and the big chess metaphors weren’t overbearing – elegantly done, actually. Phoenix’s last thought got a smile out of me, and you can never have too many spiky-haired jokes. This fic manages to subtly get its points across while still being lighthearted; give it a go.

Preview:
“I'm not too up on my chess but it looks like Blue's in a bit of a tight spot.” Phoenix almost sounded proud of himself as he gave his conclusion, but the scientific-investigator-in-training was already calculating.

“The Red Knights have surrounded the Blue Pawn...”

“Huh?” Did he feel ever stupid; why was he always being degraded by children?

Ema didn’t seem to mind Phoenix’s obliviousness though. “Those horses are mounted knights,” She elaborated, pointing at one of the red pieces. “Their swords have really sharp ‘edges!’” She then turned her attention to the lone blue piece among the red. “And check out that poor pawn, his head is kind of spiky... Kind of reminds me of you.”

I'm going to hazard a guess that Dex's uni work is beating her silly, so I'll just fill in because falling behind again after that last two-rec streak would suck.

Title: 5 Shades of White
Author/ess: anime_babble
Series: Gundam SEED/DESTINY
Length: approx. 593 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Athrun/Cagalli, mentions of Kira, Lacus, Jona
Rating/warnings: PG, set between the end of SEED and the beginning of DESTINY, so many, many spoilers for SEED
Summary: (None given.) He does not tell her some wounds go too deep to heal. He should know.

Oh, Gundam S/D. I can’t say enough how much I love the characters and how amazing they are. Though Dex and I may differ on the amount of love each of us have for certain characters because you have to love Athrun, have to, this is one of those fandoms where we do actually like the exact same pairings. Unfortunately, Athrun/Cagalli fics of good quality seem to be hard to come by, but…sob. This one, however, made the searching worthwhile. Five moments focusing on Athrun and the lies that he tells Cagalli, and perhaps the ones that he tells himself.

Sure, the two of them can be a bit more pairingesque than their counterparts, but they’re both obviously incredibly multifaceted – and thankfully, this fic really hits that, and wonderfully so. The writing’s both subtle and blunt, and I was surprised when I did the word count, as I really thought this fic was a bit longer. These moments ease the transition between the two series nicely, such as the small appearance of Jona. But overall, I’m still marveling at the characterization here. Just seeing justice done to these two made me so incredibly happy, and with writing like this, you’ll definitely enjoy it just as much.

Preview:
II:
One day, Cagalli tries to bake him a cake; either Lacus suggested it, or Kira dared her, he’s forgotten exactly why. He finds her crying in the kitchen, hours later. She added salt instead of sugar and left it in the oven too long.

He takes one look at the burnt mess, and breaks off a piece. Chewing it slowly, he tells her it was delicious, and he’s really happy she did this for him (he appreciates the thought, that much is true).

She makes him a cake each month after that. Thankfully, her culinary skills improve, and so does his digestion.

Yay we're back at last 8D We'll see how long we can keep it up this time.

Title: Watching Them
Author/ess: wonderful_words (also Kitten Kisses at ff.net)
Series: Fire Emblem 7: Rekka no Ken/Blazing Sword
Length: 1,228 words, one shot
Character/pairing: Kent/Lyn, Hausen
Rating/warnings: PG/K+, spoilers for…eh, it’s Lyn’s story, you should know this stuff
Summary: Kent and Lyndis, as told by Lord Hausen. The fact that Kent's eyes were always on her had not escaped his notice.

When I searched for FE9 fic I was always annoyed that 1) ff.net didn’t give FE different sections like what Final Fantasy has, and 2) there were way, way, way too many fics for FE7 and FE8. Haven’t tried FE8 yet, but I did play FE7. I’ve since found that I must have a thing for pairings involving nobility and those of other classes who can’t marry said nobility, because those seem to be all my favorite FE pairings. Hm. Well, at least it gets a happy ending here. Hausen, on observing Kent and Lyn, and after he has learned from the mistakes he had made.

Yeah, I normally don’t like 1st person POV, but it works here. Probably because there’s a good amount of focus on Hausen’s introspection, comparing the current situation with Kent and Lyn with that of his daughter and her non-nobility suitor. Characterization is excellent, as well as how the writing shows much larger things with small, subtle motions. It’s a good, happy piece that’s easy to enjoy - and you know FE fics and how this kind of thing can be hard to find.

Preview:
I silence his stuttered apologies and turn him towards my granddaughter, one hand resting on his shoulder. I cannot tell if he is trembling or not, but his nervousness is apparent to me. “You follow her here every day,” I start to say, but I pause when I notice his façade crack slightly, perhaps with fear. I try again, my words gentle, “Why does she come here?”

He watches her for a moment, and I can almost see the internal battle he is fighting to keep his emotions at bay. “She misses her home,” he tells me after a few moments of silence. “When she speaks of it…m’lord, I…”

He trails off, but he does not need to finish his sentence; I already know what he is thinking. “You are afraid to lose her?” I ask, turning to look at him.

He does not look away from her as he answers, “She is not mine to lose.”

I know I suck, I'm so sorry ;_;

Title: Some Kind of Fairytale
Author/ess: erinya
Series: Tin Man
Length: 3555 words, oneshot.
Character/pairing: Cain/DG, with Glitch, Az and a random OC.
Rating/warnings: Set post-series. Rated PG-13.
Summary: A princess, a ball, a handsome prince, and the faithful lieutenant by the princess's side. We all know how this story goes, right? Unfortunately, DG has a tendency to go off script. A little angst, but not nearly so bad as usual.

To be honest, I'd completely forgotten about this mini-series. I watched it when it aired because I have a girlcrush on Zooey Deschanel and promptly moved on so I need to thank the recent spate of Tin Man secrets at fandomsecrets for making me want to watch it again. I liked the interaction between Cain and DG in the series and that seems to be the majority pairing for stories, though I think I'll be hard-pressed to find anything as well-written and in-character for any pairing as in this fic.

DG's a princess now - she's always been a princess, of course, but now she has to act like one. She's not entirely comfortable in her new role, but she gets by with a little help from her friends, and in particular, the recently promoted Captain of the Guard. She and Cain are dancing (literally, figuratively) around a very important issue, and something is going to have to give.

This story is wonderful. Not only is the language rich and evocative, the voices are all spot-on and there are splashes of humour where I wasn't expecting anything of the sort. Cain's situation is described honestly, without avoiding the complexities that any relationship between the two would be bound to have, and I loved the interplay between all the characters. Az was particularly brilliant, but everyone shone. A worthy introduction to the fandom.

Preview: "Cain," she says from the top of the staircase, and he turns.

Her gown is cornflower blue, like her eyes, and her eyes are bright as the sky. There's a jewel winking at the hollow of her throat, and in each earlobe; her hair is piled in a complicated structure atop her head, woven through with more tiny jewels and topped with a jeweled coronet.

It's the evening of the ball, and he wonders how she could possibly think that her sister is a prettier girl. DG shines.

"Do I look really bad?" she says anxiously. "I can never tell what you're thinking."

"You look..." But words fail him. "You look like a princess."