Ingrid, Lalique

Lionel finds a new way to connect with Lex, and in an only slightly sick and wrong way. Ingrid writes a believable, insightful Lionel, and this story in particular draws on her gift for the perfectly revelatory detail. It's also a tasty dish of Lex-angst, the food everyone loves.

Basingstoke, Psyche's Candle

Lex slowly, slowly returns to the human race after the events of "Vortex," with some intentional and unintentional help from the Kents. Post-eps are hard to do--they're exciting in the moment but tend to date fast--but I think this gentle tale will last. This story is different from much of Bas's work, less humor and gimmickry, more understated insight. I enjoy the humor and gimmickry, but I appreciate this more self-effacing style, too.

Jack, Greenlit

Clark and Lex: an ordinary day, but a special one. Short, polished, elegant, with lovely creepy echoes. I love stories where the disturbing material isn't explicit, nor even carefully kept right off-screen where you can see it if you turn your head, but simply the bone-chilling ghost of context.

Te, Just As Foxy As Foxy Can Be

To celebrate the opening of Remember Us?, the characters of color fanfic archive, we have this retrorec, Te's hilarious answer to the Mary Sue challenge. What would happen if the Sunnydale crew called on the power of souuuuuuuuuul?