INVISIBLE MAN

Kim: 'Thanks For All the Fish' - when Fawkes almost gets shot, Bobby Hobbes does not react well. Hobbes/Fawkes Lucy Hale: Lucy Hale has written some great IM slash - though it's a show I really like (even to the extent of making me forget how much Vincent Ventresca annoyed me in Prey), I still can't quite see it as being all that slashy, but Lucy convinces me. I'm fond of all of them, but especially recommend 'Hu Roi va Trong'. Hobbes/Fawkes. Miriam Heddy: In 'Typology', Miriam Heddy does a great job of channelling Bobby Hobbes as he considers just who and what might be Darien's 'type'. Hobbes/Fawkes.

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL

Cycnus: 'At Odds and Evens' - back from Arizona, Bud White is causing trouble. So what's new about that? And it has a sequel: 'Levelling the Playing Field'. Both Ed/Bud. Dira Sudis: 'Two Heroes' - Bisbee turns out to just be a stop along the way for Bud White. Ed/Bud. Shalott: 'Collaboration' - after the Glory Motel, the three of them fell into an odd relationship... Ed/Bud and Ed/Lynn. In 'Listening In', an eavesdropper looking for leverage to use against Exley discovers what lies between the two men. Ed/Bud. victoria p.: 'Strange Bedfellows (Rhapsody in Blue)' - a 'remixed' version of another story in the same fandom, and in this case one which in my opinion far outstrips the original. Bud is getting itchy feet in Bisbee and makes a decision. Ed/Bud

MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Brenda Antrim: 'The Plausible Deniability Affair', Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin are doused with a powder by THRUSH, causing them to speak their minds ... with interesting results. Slash. Kellie Matthews: 'Safe Harbor' by Kellie Matthews - after a disagreement, Illya disappears and Napoleon tracks him down, only to witness something he wasn't expecting with equally unexpected results for himself. Slash. Lee the T: 'Half Truths' is an excellent example of the first time story. It takes time to build, as good stories in this sub-genre should, and has an excellent take on both Illya and Napoleon as their fledgling relationship is put to a severe test because of Waverly's machinations and UNCLE. Slash. Meanwhile, in 'Small Distances', Illya has to re-learn who and what he is after a close encounter with a bullet. Slash. Lil: Napoleon sees a very familiar person in a very compromising position in the 'Behind Door Number Three Affair'. Slash. Nyssa: Napoleon goes out with an old military buddy. Illya gets drunk. Napoleon comes back to the hotel... 'Veritas'. Slash. What happens when someone finds out and everything begins to fall apart? The Safety of Distance. Slash. 'Complete Control' - it takes a lot for Illya to trust anyone the way he trusts Napoleon. Slash. P.R. Zed: P.R. Zed becomes the latest author to acquire the not-so-coveted 'just go read everything' award - she writes excellent Man from UNCLE fic (both gen and slash). I particularly recommend her slash series which starts with 'The Baltic Affair', moves on to 'The See Lubyanka and Die Affair' and concludes with 'The Virus Affair' - masterful portraits of Napoleon and Illya in the cold war Baltic states and the Soviet Union. RAC: I've been waiting for this one to come online just so I could rec it. Anyone who's read my recs pages knows I'm a sucker for 'how they met' stories, so this one was already on the road to success the moment I started reading it - 'The Better Gadget Affair'. Napoleon is with Section 2, Illya is in the lab making those nifty gadgets both he and UNCLE seem to like so much, and the rest is history! Slash. And another one I've been waiting for! 'The Dreams of Vampires Affair' is a follow-up to the episode The Batcave Affair, with Illya struggling to deal with his experiences as inexplicable things happen around him. Slash. Taliesin: To my mind, Taliesin is one of the best writers in UNCLE fandom. Her stories are always worth checking out and you can find them here; scroll down for Man from UNCLE. Picking favourites is tricky, but I highly recommend 'The Family Affair', 'The 'To Thine Own Self Be True' Affair' and 'Each Our Own Devil', but it's all good! Veronica: 'The Hong Kong Affair' is a classy first-time story which captures the mood of the series without turning Illya into a little boy who needs rescuing. Slash, but sadly still a WiP. While you're there, if you love AU stories, you might want to check out 'The Case of the Missing Spy Affair', co-written with Aithine - an AU where Illya is a down-on-his-luck private eye in 1940's Los Angeles, and Napoleon is a playboy who wants someone found. Slash, also a WiP. 'The Best is Yet to Come Affair' - nobody would be surprised that their first date went just as might be expected. Slash.

MASTER AND COMMANDER

alcyone: 'The Return of Ulysses' by alcyone - after scaring the pants off the midshipmen, Stephen disappears on shore in Malta, but that doesn't mean he's very far away from Jack Aubrey regardless. Gen. Fabula Rasa: 'A Slender Knowing' - after his rescue from the prison cell on Minorca, Stephen has a lot to come to terms with. Jack/Stephen. toft: 'On Solitude' - "The doctor 'as tellypathised 'im. Which as 'e 'as hentered into a mens communis" - Killick laboriously pronounced the phrases with absolute incomprehension, the sounds acquired only by dint of the number of times he had heard Stephen repeat them through the door - "in consequence of a wicked fish what they ate in Portsmouth." Jack/Stephen. This unexpectedly turned out to be my favourite of the Yuletide fic this year, a charming story where Stephen is unexpectedly turned into a penguin but still remains very much himself - 'Birds of a Feather'. Jack/Stephen.