We've reached 700 readers! Yay! Unfortunately we aren't going to be doing anything to celebrate this time around (the comm is growing faster than our ability to come up with ways to celebrate:), but we're going to aim for something very special when we hit 1,000. (Suggestions welcome.)

Also, it's television week over at real_world_recs! I'm kicking things off with a rec for the 2004 BBC mini-series North and South, which recently replaced Pride and Prejudice as my favorite mini-series of all time. (Plus, you know, Colin Firth has nothing on Richard Armitage.  *woof*). Enjoy!

Finally, it's Small Fandom week here at Epic Recs. As we have several small fandom reader's rec posts already, we won't be creating a new one this time around, but if you have a rec, please feel free to submit it at one of our previous posts. The latest one is here.

Now, on to the rec!

Title: Notes on a High School Scandal by Jaina (PG-13)
Fandom: Bleach
Pairing: Ichigo/Rukia
Categories: humor, fluff
Length: Medium (~12,000 words)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: herdedcats 
Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/4467/Jaina

Review:
Someone starts a rumor that Ichigo and Rukia are having sex. Ichigo is not amused.

Ever since I first discovered Fanfiction Downloader (check out the side bar for the most current link), I've been reading stories cold from fanfiction.net. In some fandoms this turns up an unexpected treasure trove of fabulous fic (Disney's Beauty and the Beast) and in other fandoms I have yet to find a good story (um, I'm not going to specify which, but there are several). Usually, however, I slog through a lot of crap and sometimes it seems like I'm wasting my time. Then I stumble across a gem.

Notes on a High School Scandal is one such gem. The first section alone is one of the funniest pieces of writing I've ever read in my life, and what follows is in turns hilarious, sweet, and occasionally violent (hey, this is Bleach. You can't avoid the hollows entirely). The best part of this story, however, are the absolutely *perfect* characterizations. Ichigo is so spot-on that it's almost like reading a chapter of the manga (but better), but the real stunner is Rukia. Most authors forget that Rukia is a) not human, and b) a couple of hundred years old. In fact, my main problem with the Bleach fandom is that Rukia is too often written as a teenager. Jaina does not make that mistake. Her Rukia is intelligent, practical, frustrated and frustrating, a little odd and an utter delight to read as she takes care of business, be that business hollows, school gossip, or a Ichigo who suddenly has *ideas*. Sheer brilliance.

I will warn you that the ending is not what I was hoping for (I'm a rabid romantic), but it's open enough that you can imagine what you want to happen next. Considering how utterly wonderful the rest of the story is, I'm not going to complain. Easily the best Bleach fic I've read to date.

Notes on a High School Scandal (ff.net)