...quick post to do something that I've been thinking about for a while.
Call for new fandoms!
I'm looking to expand my reccing repertoire to new horizons. Only problem is, I don't know where to start and I'm hoping ya'll can help.
What I need from you: fandom suggestions! Let me know what fandoms you would like me to rec, along with a story to get me started. Keep in mind, however, that if I don't like the fic, you'll probably sour me on the fandom, so you'll probably want to go with your safest bet (long, first time, not too dark (no non-con), and happy ending). For comparison purposes, I started reading The Sentinel because someone suggested I read Out of Whack, which is pure fluff. I've read a lot of dark!fic in that fandom since, but I probably wouldn't have given the fandom a try if that had been the first thing I'd read. Now, of course, it's one of my top three fandoms of all time (and I *still* haven't seen any of the canon yet).
Also...
Call for community improvement suggestions!
It's hard to believe, but the number of recs on this community is approaching triple digits. While that's all well and good for reading purposes, it means any future modifications of the community are going to be very difficult to do, so I'm taking this opportunity to make one last effort to spiff this place up. Do you want more tags (maybe pairings and/or authors)? Would you like to see more information in the rec headers? What about how the memories are arranged? Heck, while we're at it, what do you think of the colors and/or layout? If you want to see any changes, now's the time to let me know -- after next week what you see is what's here to stay.
Back with more recs on Monday...

Comments
Since you asked, I know I would find it helpful if you had pairing tags (and/or, in the titles, you could include a brief pairing - just a simple McShep or JB or Seth/Ryan or whatever name style you like, or even just slash or gen or het... that way, going through memories for each fandom, we could scan down for our favorite folks or genre...)
If you're expanding fandoms.. let's see... since you've got Stargate Atlantis, it might not be too much of a jump to go for SG-1, and there's lots of awesome stories there. I can't help being a Lord of the Rings fan, and my very first fandoms were Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha. There's an archive for Saitou/Sanosuke fics (Kenshin), with some really nice ones, like Rogue of Tokyo. I also absolutely adore Magnificent 7 (lots of talent there!), and I'm just starting to get into Supernatural.
One thing that I'd find really, really useful is if you could make a tag for fics that do a good job of introducing you to the characters. Often, that's AU's, but sometimes really good canon stories either provide you with relevant canon details or create their own backgrounds, so you don't need to have seen the show (especially if they're set early in a TV series, etc). I've pretty much never seen an episode of stargate (atlantis or SG-1), the sentinel, or mag 7 - but I got introduced to each fandom by following my favorite writers, and learning the characters through their eyes. So if you had a tag for "stories very good for someone new to the fandom" (however you want to word it), that don't assume any prior knowledge - dude, you'd make me a deliriously happy fangirl! Then, no matter what new fandoms you decide to start reccing, I'd gladly follow! :)
As for the intro to fandom tags, I'd love to offer that, but it's not something that I'd be good at or able to maintain. However, there are great intros at crack_van and thefourthvine -- maybe I could use some judicious linking?
Thanks for the suggestions!
Here's an absolutely amazing Mag7 / Stargate SG-1 crossover (and there's a prequel and a sequel, both also by ZorroRojo)
http://m7slash.com/viewstory.php?sid=197
In the original Out West universe of Mag 7, there's a really amazing and long gen series, that focuses on the friendship of Vin and Ezra (and being the true slash fan I am, I sooooo read it as pre-slash).
http://www.nottasha.com/series.htm
Here's a link to my favorite Rurouni Kenshin fic - it's a vampire AU, really really well done, by Goldfish - scroll down to Rogue of Tokyo:
http://www.geocities.com/saitouinsidesano/authors-g.html
For Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite authors is Daw the Minstrel - she's a gen writer, and whenever I seriously, desperately need some warm fuzzies, I go to her. She's created her own world of Mirkwood, with a whole series of stories of young Legolas and his family (including some great ones focused on OC older brothers), with just the right mix of action and angst and fluff. Stories individually range from a few thousand to 50 or a 100 thousand words, and since they're all mostly a series, it's truly epic (and she lists stories in chronological order for the characters, right there on her author page): http://www.fanfiction.net/u/271521/
My two favorite slash fics for LOTR are actually pretty dark (which is rare for me, so you know they're incredibly talented writers, to hook me despite the darkness!). Cuil Eden is a much lighter BDSM sequel to the darker story Anestel - very, very hot if you can make it through Anestel to get to Cuil Eden: http://lotr.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=1638
The other is Feud, by erobey - it, too, starts out very dark, but gets much better if you can stick with it: http://www.shadowess.com/slashfiction/viewstory.php?sid=326
As for Supernatural - one of my favorite Harry Potter writers is Gillian Middleton (she also has some great Sentinel stories, so maybe you know of her)... I started reading Supernatural because of her, and I recommend any of her stories. Hmm... Here's a link to The Promise (a great one, if you're not opposed to incest - tastefully and sweetly written - between the brothers) - and from there you can get to her author page on fanfiction
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3197629/1/The_Promise
Oh my goodness, and because I'm an idiot and forgot to mention 2 fandoms (Harry Potter - I'm actually a Harry/Severus fan) and Anita Blake (that I mostly know only through crossovers) - here's an absolutely spectacular crossover for HP (it's Harry/Draco) and AB (there's a bit of threesome action with Nathaniel, I think). It's Black Magic By Moonlight, by beren_writes:
http://beren-writes.livejournal.com/93442.html
"Love is the Law" & "Black & White" by Melody, both found here (http://finmunch.fanfictiononthenet.com/melodyfm.html).
And if you like femslash, the SVU fandom is the place to be, since it has several very strong female leads.
Thanks for the story suggestions. I've downloaded them, but I can't promise they'll be recced (even if I love them) if they aren't going to be available in the future. Do you know why she's pulling them down?
Thanks again!
http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/bvsmdm/Jemma.html
Enjoy!
Heath was my very first TV crush when I was 13! :sniff:
;P
Thanks for the link!
Nightmare Realized (http://saulsfic.kol.co.nz/slash/index.htm) by Saul.
One of my favorite authors, named Vathara (http://www.fanfiction.net/u/77482/), tends to write long well written crossover stories; her latest reaching 136,199 words and is a Star Wars/Rurouni Kenshin fusion (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4031223/1/Shadows_in_Starlight). She does not write slash, but I thought you would enjoy a well-written story anyway. She has also written stories in Stargate: SG-1, Godzilla: The Series, Airwolf, Sentinel, Mutant X, Gargoyles, Yu-Gi-Oh, X-Men: Evolution, Rurouni Kenshin, Buffy X-overs, Danny Phantom, Final Fantasy VII, Star Wars and more.
Also, if you ever want more new fandoms and you don't mind a mixture of gen, het, and slash don't hesitate to ask.
As for slash/het/gen, I'm a little (okay, a lot) more laid back about such things than most folks. My original fandom pairings (X-Files, Buffy, La Femme Nikita), were all het and I tend to prefer het in small fandoms and/or fandoms where you have good female characters (insert appalled gasps from SGA fans). I'm mostly reccing slash these days because X-Files is a dying fandom, LFN was never very big, and by the end of Buffy, I loathed all of the characters except for Faith. And the hot principal (Robin?) And my more recent fandoms (Smallville, SGA (IMO, of course), Due South, Sentinel) are all lacking in female characters that are both interesting and well rounded (except for Chloe, of course, but really Clex has consumed SV *canon*, much less *fandom*).
Whew. All of which boils down to: bring it on! Until I find my OTP in a fandom, I'm open to all pairings:)