multi-fandom fic recs

Push the Pedal Down, by wesleysgirl, is a tightly-plotted and nicely-characterized BtVS/Supernatural crossover, in which Xander and the Winchesters deal with a haunted playground.  The interactions between Sam, Dean, and Xander are particularly well handled.  (gen; BtVS/SPN)

People and Things, by karaokegal, is a Torchwood/House crossover that can perhaps be best summed up as follows:  What Who House did on his summer vacation.  There is actual plot; that tagline just entertains me.  It's a fun story, and both House and Captain Jack are their usual inimitable selves.  I would never have come up with this pairing, but it works.  (slash; House/Jack Harkness)

Rough Heals, by voleuse, is recommended everywhere, and with good reason.  This is Dawn in the FF-'verse -- a Dawn who never died, never grew old -- and it's every bit the tragedy it ought to be.  Beautiful and melancholy.  (gen; BtVS/Firefly)

Game Theory, by halcyon_shift, is a five-part Highlander/Numb3rs crossover.  I've been waiting to read one of these for a while, and this one gets bonus points for mentioning Matthew McCormick.  Well-plotted, well-written, and nicely characterized.  (gen; HL/Numb3rs; link is to the first part.)

The White Lights and the Blue, by giddygeek is a Hot Fuzz fic, with a surprise crossover at the end.  The relationship between Nick and Danny is nicely done here, and the mystery is light-hearted and fun.  (slash; Nick/Danny)

When Sam Met Sam (and Dean), by elayna88, is a Supernatural/Reaper crossover that is fairly well summed up by the title.  If you haven't watched Reaper yet, give it a try.  It's pretty entertaining - as is this story.  (gen)

...featured rec:

Life in Little Canada, by laytoncolt, is absolutely fucking hilarious.  It's a Stephanie Plum/SGA fusion-fic (yes, you read that correctly), and it's got the same special twist of lunacy as do the books -- but with an SGA flavoured twist.  Read it, if only to see Kavanaugh as Vinnie, and Rodney in the Stephanie Plum role.  (slash; John/Rodney)


My name is Rodney McKay, and I grew up in Little Canada. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking there's no such place. I promise you, it exists. I would not have made this place up. It's in Minnesota, just a little town by Minneapolis that you'd miss if you blinked.

The residents of Little Canada have so valiantly hung onto their heritage that they have become far more concerned with being Canadian than actual Canadians. The Canadian flag hung proudly at least at one house out of three, and little girls sold maple syrup on street corners instead of lemonade. The façade is all so complete that I had actually believed I was living in Canada until the age of six, when I learned that those crazy and mysterious Americans my father was always ranting about actually included myself.

The homes are well kempt and everyone always smiles and says thank you and offers to feed your cats when you're away. They love the idea of the nice guy Canadian stereotype, but the truth is they probably only want to feed your cats so they can go through your things when you're not around. They catch tourists off their guard, smiling bright and wide as they overcharge the unsuspecting morons under the guise of keeping their prices at the true Canada rate.

Cleopatra's Needle, by fuschia, is Addams Family fic, a scene  from the beginning of Gomez and Morticia's courtship.  I started reading it out of curiosity, and was absolutely blown away by the imagery, the writing style, the characterizations... I could go on and on.  It's a beautifully written piece; a lush, rich take on a world that has a great deal more to it than kooky jokes.


Morticia casually dropped her shears again as she watched her sister weave unsteadily towards the house, and breathed in the necrotic burn of the pruned lotus' pollen, practicing folding her arms in front of her, one nestled into the other. She had been used to folding her arms across her chest like a corpse, but her body wouldn't let her do that comfortably for long anymore, so she was trying to master crossing them across her waist, fingertips to elbow, neat as a bat.

***

The Bridal Path, by vyola, is Addams Family Values fic, in which the story of Joel and Wednesday's courtship is told with the absurdist, morbid sense of humour that characterised the original Charles Addams cartoons. 


Stop me if you've heard this before. Boy meets girl, boy and girl are torn apart by a turkey named brotherhood, boy and girl come together over the grave of a Barbie-deprived black widow. But that's just the beginning.

Seventh grade did, indeed, keep them apart, as did most of high school. But Joel Glicker was smart and persistent (witness his possession of the only complete set of `Schizos and Serial Killers' cards on record) and Wednesday Addams was... an Addams.

High school didn't stand a chance.


***

Finding Hell, by Maya Tawi, is a Supernatural/Hellblazer crossover, set pre-series for Supernatural and sometime after the All His Engines
storyline from Hellblazcer.  The pairing is Dean/Constantine, and the story itself is well-written, tightly plotted, scorchingly hot, and dirty in all of the right ways.  Her Dean is very well done, but her Constantine is absolutely perfect.  (slash - Dean/Constantine, NC-17.  Link to second part of fic is at the end of the page.)

So there he was, hurtling down I-55 in the dark, blasting some Creedence to get in the Louisiana mood and enjoying the rare opportunity to sing along without feeling like a dork, when his headlights flashed over a figure trudging along the side of the highway and some impulse he didn't quite recognize compelled him to slam on the brakes and back up.

The figure had stopped next to a sign that warned Picking up or discharging of passengers prohibited. He was little more than a silhouette, darker black against the night with only the glowing end of a cigarette to break up the monotony, but Dean couldn't shake the feeling that the man was watching him approach-- not his car, but him.

***

Tarry a Moment, My Charming Girl, by sionnan_fics, is a BtVS/Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter crossover that I absolutely adored.  This is perhaps the best portrayal of Edward I've yet to come across in fandom; in fact, sionnan gets further into his head than LKH ever bothered to even try.  (het, Faith/Edward, R.)


She steps back, further into the shadows, beckoning him to follow with fuck-me eyes and a promising sort of smile. Oh, if only she knew. When Edward followed things into the darkness, most of the time, he was the only thing that came back out.
]

...because somehow, I've accumulated a backlog of them.

First up is havocthecat's Bad Choice of Majors, because it made my day.  Seriously, this fic rules.  It's Xander and Willow in the Pegasus Galaxy just... being Xander and Willow.  The voices are *awesome* in this; it made me want to go and watch all the early seasons of BtVS all over again.  (Stargate: Atlantis/BtVS; gen)

***

"I told you not to major in archaeology," said the man. He rolled onto his side, pushed himself up, and went over to the Wraith. Bracing one foot on its side, he grabbed the axe haft and started tugging it out of the Wraith. "How many times have I shown you Raiders of the Lost Ark?"

"Xander!" The woman's eyes were wide. "That's fiction! Besides, we weren't on a dig for the Ark of the Covenant. For your information, Giles told me that he thought that temple was the site of some very ancient Goddess-worshippers--"

"Goddess-worshippers with freaky alien artifacts that transported us to a freaky alien planet," said the man, staring at the axe. "Great. Now my birthday present from Buffy is covered in alien blood."

***

Highly Classified and Very Hush Hush, by glitterati, is another SGA crossover,  (and why in the name of all that's holy am I getting into this fandom?  it's sucking me in, dammit.), this time with NCIS, in which Gibbs and his team have to deal with some misplaced Atlantis personnel.   Gibbs' reactions to Sheppard are made of win, as is the ending.  There's also a sequel -- Strictly on a Need to Know Basis -- that rocks just as much.  (sga/ncis)

***

Sheppard shrugs, helping himself to a free chair in the room and making himself comfortable, feet kicked up on the table. He’s loose in the shoulders and unconcerned, and Gibbs thinks that if he had to call this guy his CO, he might die a little on the inside.

***

Flamebyrd's Of Ancient Languages and Ancient Inventions is a Highlander/SGA crossover.  Methos and his dual reactions to everything are hilarious, as is the way he interacts with the Atlantis team, and his reason for bringing a sword to the Pegasus Galaxy.  (sga/highlander)

***

Methos had to admit that after spending all that time hanging around Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, Defender of Honour and Chivalry and Hero of the Highlands, he found Dr. Rodney McKay rather refreshing.

***

Darkly Dreaming, by 1001cranes, is a Dexter/Hannibal Lecter crossover that is both creepy and elegant, and remarkably in-character.  More a crossover of the books from which the series/films were spawned than anything else, but of course Hannibal would be interested in Dexter.  (hannibal/dexter)

***

Ulterior Motives, by astolat, crosses Smallville and Batman Begins.  The relationship between Clark and Lex is beautifully done, as is the reason that Batman gets involved in Metropolis' affairs.  astolat writes great fic -- I highly recommend checking out the rest of her work.

***

Finally, This Ain't a Scene, it's a Goddamned Arms Race, by hackthis, is a Burn Notice/Alias crossover.  Not only that, but it's Michael Westen/Julian Sark slash-fic that is perfectly in character.  There are *no words* to describe just how much I love this fic.  No words.  (burn notice/alias; slash)

Plus? There's sort of a sequel/tie in:  18 and 5 1/2 Lessons They Don't Teach You in Spy School.  Anyone who's watched Burn Notice knows that Michael Westen has a very distinctive 'voice' -- and this fic does it perfectly.

I've been in a Highlander mood lately, and so you all get to reap the benefits thereof.

Emergence, by killa, is a lovely Duncan/Methos piece set post-Messenger.  Like almost everything she's written in the Highlander fandom, it's brilliantly characterized and beautifully written.  There's a wonderful moment on trust, and on that moment under the bridge in Methos (you all know which one).  Plus? The slash is very, very hot.  (Duncan/Methos, slash)

He'd known since leaving Tibet what he meant to do; he'd made the necessary decisions weeks ago, in the quiet of a late summer afternoon at the roof of the world as he'd wandered the monastery gardens. He'd found no easy answers there in the two months since he'd left Paris, no earth-shattering revelations regarding the question of who and what he had become, or was becoming. That was no surprise, of course. He'd never found answers to the big questions of life in any divine strike of inspiration. Answers, when they came, were usually hard-won and ambiguous at best.
***

The Fourth Horseman, by Ishafel, is an intriguing, complex, and brilliant character-piece on Methos and the Horsemen.  I don't rec much Horsemen-fic, because so much of it is overblown angst, melodrama, and Methos-torture, but when it's done right, it's *good*.  Good Horsemen-fic makes it clear that there were layers to the Methos-Kronos dynamic that went far beyond pain and nihilism.  This story does that, and does it with a grace and brevity that surprised me.  (gen)

It's a common misconception that Methos was an unwilling conscript to the Horsemen, that he was somehow less at fault in what they did-or at least in their formation-than his brothers. In fact it was Methos who chose them, who banded them together and who gave them a purpose, a name. They were killers already but it was Methos who made them a legend.

***

I'm a sucker for Methos and Connor together, especially when Connor doesn't know who Methos is right away.  Get Well Soon, by Teresa C., is set just after Archangel.  Told mostly through Joe's perspective, the take on Methos and Connor is fascinating, especially as, since Connor has come looking for his missing kinsman, the meeting takes place without Duncan's potentially tempering influence.  The characterizations are brilliant, there's a unique k'Immie, and the story fits neatly into the gap in canon.  It also answers (albeit obliquely) the question: 'Where the hell was Methos during the Ahriman mess?'  (gen)

***
Two more lovely Connor-and-Methos stories are Rimau's Matchmaker and The Hunt, which are companion-pieces to one another.  Again, Duncan is missing -- but this time he's been kidnapped by crazed cultists.  The real joy in these stories (one of which is told from Connor's POV, the other from Methos') is the dance between the two of them.  Plus, watching Connor mistake 'Adam Pierson'  for a new Immortal is truly a joy.  (slash; Duncan/Methos)

***

Everyone and their cousin has rec'd Cate's Ignifer series.  Now it's my turn.  I'll admit, I avoided reading it for a while -- it's heavy on Quickening mythology, which is not usually my thing -- but once I started it, the Methos characterization sucked me in.  The story itself kept me there.  Yes, it's got a lot of Quickening mythology in it -- but it's done well, even brilliantly.  The story also has a fascinating collection of original characters, a fantastic Amanda appearance, a wonderfully malicious k'Immie, resolves relationship issues between Joe, Mac, and Methos, and all within a beautifully-detailed atmosphere.  I can't recommend it enough.  Really.  (slash; Duncan/Methos)

***

Sugar Daddy, by Tray, is a Methos/OMC fic, which normally I wouldn't approach with a barge pole.  But it was rec'd by someone I trust (can't remember whom at the moment) so I gave it a chance.  And I was glad I did.  'Adam Pierson' finds himself with a rich 'older' lover, and the complications that ensue range from romantic to comic to tragic, all written with a deft touch that keeps the story from getting bogged down in its own emotional weight.  The characterizations also get a thumbs-up from yours truly. (slash; Methos/OMC)

***

And Then Some, by Loch Ness, is a long, plotty AU that switches back and forth between Duncan and Methos' first meeting in the middle of WWII and their reunion in series-era Seacouver.  Nazis, crazed Immortals, reluctant attraction, complications with the Watchers, and a Methos who wasn't playing 'Adam' when he met Duncan all combine to make this a unique and enjoyable read.  There's some non-con, but not between Duncan and Methos, and it is a part of the story/plot, so it didn't bother me as much as it usually does. (slash; Duncan/Methos)

***

MacGeorge's Highlander fic is all brilliant, and I've rec'd her work before.  Somehow, I missed Playground.  It's bystander-fic, but with a dark twist.  It manages to etch out the difference between Mac and Methos in only a few sentences, which is always worth reading.  (gen)

***

Easy, by laura j. valentine, is a short Endgame-centric piece on Methos, retrieving Mac's sword from the Sanctuary.  Written from the point-of-view of one of the Watchers he retrieved it from, this story is concise, chilling, and beautiful all at once. (gen)

***

You all know of my fannish love for Rhiannon Shaw and all her works.  Doppelganger and Storm Crow are two brilliant Highlander/X-Files crossovers in which Alex Krycek and the conspiracy run into Matthew McCormick, the Immortal FBI agent from Manhunt.  I really can't say more without spoiling them; however, these are two of the best crossovers I've read in some time -- and I read a lot of crossovers.  (slash; Krycek/Matthew)

***

And another of Rhiannon's fics to finish things off -- It'll Never Work.  Best summarized thus:  The problem with waking Methos up at three in the morning is that he'll still be awake and thinking an hour later.  Includes Amanda, Connor, and a brilliant twisty plot.  Go.  Read.  Now.  (gen)

***

As always, please let me know if any of these links are broken -- and let the author(s) know how much you enjoyed their work!  Feedback is fandom's version of royalties, people!  

Waylaid, by killa, is a brilliantly written historical slash piece.  The two main characters, Connor MacLeod and Matthew McCormick, were peripheral to the series, (especially Matthew, who appeared in only one episode), but killa does a fantastic job with them.  (Connor MacLeod/Matthew McCormick, slash)

****

Biting Dust, by Nynaeve, is a short conversation between Methos and Connor MacLeod.  Again, the characterizations are brilliant.  (gen; Connor, Methos)

****

A Miracle Every Day, by Aristide, is Duncan/Methos slash, and it's brilliant.  The characterizations are particularly lovely in this one.  This is the sort of fic that got me into the Highlander fandom in the first place. (D/M slash)


***


Wotan's Day, by filenotch, is a Highlander/X-Files crossover.  The author's summary is as follows:  "The year is 2023. Methos, the oldest of the Immortals in Highlander, has been living as a corporate lawyer in Denver. Alexander Krycek, the double-dealing ratboy of the X-Files, has been living there as an art dealer, running a gallery in Aurora, Colorado. They are lovers, but they each know nothing about the other's past. All Hell is about to break loose."

The word to best describe this fic?  Unexpected.  The author does not shy away from the darker aspects of the characters, and still manages to draw pictures of them that ring perfectly true.  Plus?  Plot.  Lots and lots and lots of it.  This fic made me incredibly happy.  (Methos/Krycek slash)

****

I'm not really a big fan of het fic, but Close Your Eyes and Think of England, by monimala, is sheer brilliance.  Plus?  It's hot.  (Casino Royale/Veronica Mars; James Bond/Veronica Mars)

****

Good Deeds, by sayin, is a Good Omens/Supernatural crossover that made me laugh like a mad thing.  The ending, in particular, is sheer genius.  (SPN/GO, gen)

****

This Deathly Hallows Parody by naill_renfro is absolutely wonderful crack.  Go read it, particularly if book 7 disappointed you as much as it did me.  (HP, gen)

****

Muse, by Mary Borsellino, is a character study of Azrael from the movie Dogma.  The only thing I really had to say once I'd finished it was 'holy jesus fuck'.  Chilling, and brilliantly written.  (gen, Dogma)

****

The Game, by Insanity Inside, is Discworld gen-fic; a game of Thud between two characters who never lose.  (gen; Granny Weatherwax, Lord Vetinari)

****

Outward Bound, by Hth, is an Angel/Stargate: Atlantis crossover, and it's genius.  Gunn, after the alley, far from home and finding a peace of sorts.  (AtS/SGA; Gunn/Ronon, slash)

Dead Man Blues, by Elsa Frohman, is one of the more interesting stories that I've come across recently.  It's a BtVS story, Spike-centric, and features an OFC who manages not to be a Mary Sue even when she really should be one.  I absolutely hate OFCs, so the fact that I finished reading this story, let alone am recommending it, should tell you a lot.  It goes back and forth in time between season 5 of BtVS and 1925, when Spike was managing a blues group and in a fight with the Council of Watchers.

This fic has a lot of elements that I love.  The author's use of the blues to augment and add to the story is inspired.  I adore historical!Spike.  I particularly like historical Spike fic that shows him as the complex, multi-layered vampire he was, rather than as a flat, anarchic villain.  I also love any fic in which pre-series Spike faces off with the Watchers.  This presses all of those buttons, and more besides -- although no real action takes place in s5, the relationships between the Scoobies -- and particularly between Giles and Spike -- are fantastically drawn, as Spike recounts his tale.  This is a well-characterized, well-written, enthralling story, and I highly recommend it.  (BtVS; Spike/other, historical)

***

"That's how it was in the summer '25. Dru'd been gone for weeks. I was on my own.

"But it wasn't so bad. I was doing all right. Jazz had just got London, and there were clubs everywhere and plenty of people out on the streets late at night. We may have imported the music, but we didn't bring Prohibition with it, so there was plenty of booze and plenty of tossers. Many a night I didn't even have to go into a club to get pissed -- just eat someone who was staggering his way home ..."

Willow made an "ewww" face.

"You asked, Red. Yeah, I was hunting and feeding regularly. The pickings were easy. Not like the Blitz. The blackout rules put a crimp in my diet, I'll tell you that for free. But that's another story.

"London in 1925 was a vampire's dream. And there were a good number of us around. Of course, the bloody Watchers were gearing up to fight what they thought was a plague ..."

***

Let Us Hope and Trust, by daughtersofisis, is another historical fic, this one from the Good Omens fandom.  Aziraphale and Crowley against the backdrop of King Leopold II's genocidal mania in the Congo.  This one is heartbreakingly *real*, the language spare and flawless, and the description of Aziraphale, waiting for the go-ahead from Heaven that never comes, packs an almost physical punch.  (Good Omens, gen, historical)

***

He stood in Leopoldville and watched humanity. He walked in the jungle and screamed. He waited for something, anything.

What he got was Crowley.

You know what? he said. Twain says Leopold will 'shame hell itself when he arrives there'.

Oh?

They don't want him, said Crowley. No one wants to be responsible for this.

***

...in honour of the Deathly Hallows release.  Anything with DH spoilers will be marked as such.

First up is If You've A Ready Mind, by Maya.  I adore this story!  It's a long and incredibly well-written/plotted/characterized AU in which Draco Malfoy is sorted into Ravenclaw, rather than Slytherin.  The best thing about this fic is that Maya doesn't immediately assume that Harry and Draco would become friends; in fact, the switch does little to affect their relationship, at least at first.  This fic goes through the first six books and changes them, while leaving every character very recognizable as themselves.  I particularly like Maya's Draco, who is a great deal more like his cousin Sirius than either he or Harry Potter recognizes; she also does a fantastic job of aging her characters as the story progresses.  (Harry/Draco, slash)

***
It all happened because Draco was a little distracted that day. Things had not been going well. Father had been very cutting about Draco's plan to smuggle a racing broom into Hogwarts, Crabbe had sat on his lunch on the train and Harry Potter had turned out to be a rude, insufferable gitface. It was not how Draco had pictured his first day.

It also happened because Draco had a tendency to babble when he was nervous.

So he sat in complete blackness, a stupid threadbare hat covering his eyes and its stupid voice ringing in his ears, and started to talk.

"Malfoy - that'll be Slytherin, then..."

"Yes, please," Draco said. "Or Ravenclaw, you know, that wouldn't be bad either. Not Hufflepuff though, because otherwise I shall instantly transfer to Durmstrang."

"Ravenclaw." The Hat paused. "Interesting. Haven't heard a Malfoy ask for another house for decades."

"Er," Draco said. "Actually, on second thoughts, scratch that, Slytherin, please. Just Slytherin, no also-rans, no second guessing. Slytherin!"

"Perhaps it's time for a little diversity. RAVENCLAW!"

"I changed my mind," Draco hissed, and then felt hands tugging at the hat brim. "Just a minute!" he said indignantly to the old woman in green. "I need to get something cleared up, this incompetent piece of haberdashery has entirely misunderstood me-"

"Mr Malfoy, it is time to join your new house!"

Draco blinked in the light, glared and held onto the hat. All the people at a table decked in blue were clapping, this could not be happening. He glared at them and the clapping faltered, at which point Professor McGorgon glared at him.

"Mr Malfoy!"

Draco got off the stool with extreme reluctance. "My father will hear about this," he informed her, and stomped to the stupid table in stupid blue.

***

Summer Colours, by ariafic, is a wonderful Marauders slice-of-life fic; just four boys, doing what boys do best.  (gen)
***
“I think,” Peter announces, and falls silent, as though expecting someone to deny this claim.

No one seems inclined to bother. The four boys are sitting beneath their favourite tree down by the lake, and are too exhausted by their last few exams and the sudden heat wave to muster up enough energy to do much of anything, let alone argue. James is lying flat on his face in the cool grass, though from the agitated way one of his hands is tearing at it, he isn’t grateful for the respite from the unrelenting heat of the day. Sirius is lying on his back next to James, staring absently at the branches above their heads. Remus is reading.

Sometimes, when none of the boys want to waste their breath talking about that one tree down by the lake, you know, it is referred to as Moony’s Reading Tree.
***

Also by ariafic is Veil, a short, humourous Harry Potter/Discworld crossover, featuring Sirius and DEATH behind the veil.  It should have been fixed this easily.  (Sirius/Remus-ish)

***

Fires of Bone, by ignipes, is one of the most stunningly beautiful fanfics I've ever read.  I'd put this one up there with The Shadow of his Wings and Adorn the Sky.  I can't describe it; just go read it.  (Sirius/Remus)

***

Parrot, by penknife, is a Harry Potter/Pirates of the Caribbean fusion-fic that I absolutely adored.   This is another one that I can't quite explain -- you'll just have to trust me when I tell you of its brilliance.  (gen)

***

Finally, With Sword and Head Held High by ushmushmeifa is the only good Harry Potter/Highlander crossover I have ever found.  Ever.  It's getting included here because I wanted to find a readable crossover of this nature for so long, and now I have; ha!  (This story gets bonus points because the two Immortals in it are Connor and Methos.  Which rocks.)  (gen)

Pushdragon's Estate of Sirius Black vs. the Ministry of Magic is quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read.  Shades of Monty Python, with a Harry Potter twist.  Enjoy.  Then, go read the sequel.  (humour; gen-ish)

I've been recommending a lot of Rhiannon Shaw's stories lately, and there's a good reason for that.  She writes great Highlander fic.  She does incredible things with minor characters from a multitude of fandoms, and she writes fantastic crossovers.  In my opinion, everything she's written is worth a look-see, but as she's not only gifted, but prolific as well, I don't have the time or space to list all of her stories here.  Instead, here are a few of my favourites.

****

Clair de Lune is a Highlander/BtVS crossover featuring Joe and Oz, and oh, man, the voices in it are just perfect, as is the interaction between the two of them.  (gen)

****

Fire in the Hole is a Highlander/X-Files/BtVS crossover, and it's just plain awesome.  I can't even really describe it; it's wonderfully surreal, action-filled, and well-characterized.  (gen; Mulder, Cory Raines, Carl Robinson, Giles, Oz, Robin Wood)

****

Reflections is the first in a series of beautifully written (and hot) slash pieces featuring Duncan MacLeod and Matthew McCormick.  This isn't a pairing I'd ever have thought of, but Rhiannon writes it beautifully.  Once you read this story, go and read the rest of the Southern Comfort series.  It is most excellent.  (slash)

****

Hot Pursuit is a Highlander/Due South crossover featuring Matthew McCormick.  In Rhiannon's hands, Matthew is rapidly becoming one of my favourite characters in fandom.  This story is wonderfully absurd, as well as beautifully characterized.  (gen; Matthew McCormick, Benton Fraser)

****

Cornered Rat is a Highlander/X-Files crossover featuring Connor MacLeod and Alex Krycek.  This one's fan-fucking-tastic, especially the careful maneuvering between two very dangerous men that Rhiannon manages wonderfully.  (gen/pre-slash)

As always, please tell me if any links on this page are broken -- and remember, writers live for feedback!  Send some!

Here are some Highlander recs for you to enjoy.

Closing In, by Chris, is a short, creepy little gem of a story.  Kronos is hunting Methos, and Methos knows he's coming.  (gen; Methos)

****

Did anyone else ever wonder why Cory Raines and Amanda finally stopped their five state crime spree from Money No Object?  Rhiannon Shaw did, and the result is Persona Non Grata, a fun, fast-paced fic that features Cory and Amanda, and makes reference to Matthew McCormick, one of my favorite minor characters from Highlander.  (gen; Cory, Amanda)

****

The Better Part of Valor, by Teresa C., is an older fic that's been rec'd everywhere, and with good reason.  This one contains 'missing scenes' from and after 'Indiscretions', and the interaction between Joe, Methos, and Amy is too good to miss.  (gen; Methos, Joe)

****

The Secret War, by keerawa, is one of the best Methos and Joe stories I've ever read.  I love fic that has those two in it.  When it's done right, the relationship between them is potentially more interesting than the one between Methos and Duncan.  And I'm not talking slash, either.  I'm firmly of the opinion that Joe don't do no slash.  Just - the way they relate to each other, and the way that Joe is very much the elder, despite the fact that Methos is a hundred times older.   In this long, well-plotted story, the two of them team up to go after a resurgence of the Hunters.  The story itself is cleverly woven into canon, with some nice foreshadowing of episodes that haven't happened yet.  Go.  Read it now.  Tell her how much you liked it.  (gen; Joe, Methos)

Methos stretched to his full height, filling the tiny office with his presence. “You see, I’ve been down that road you’re on, all the way to its bloody end. And I’m betting you won’t like where it takes you.”  I caught a glimpse of someone else in his eyes. It wasn’t the Adam Pierson I knew, or any version of Methos I’d seen before. It was someone who lived immersed in blood and vengeance like a deep cold ocean beyond the reach of the sun. I didn’t move a muscle. Methos stared down at me with a vicious twist to his lips....

...I sat trembling at my desk. So that’s what 5,000 year-old wisdom looks like. Imagine fucking up so spectacularly that for the rest of your Immortal life, all you have to do is let folks see a glimpse of it to scare them straight. Damn.

****

Jan Tryfanstone has one of the best Methos voices in fandom.  Misrule, a lovely Christmas story, is one of her best.  The difference between the Christmas traditions that Duncan and Methos remember and the ones that we observe today; Duncan coaxing Methos out of his shell; Duncan taking over Methos' life like a hurricane (and who says he never learned anything from Amanda), and of course, Methos' reactions to all of this - trust me, this one's good.  When you're done reading it, go and read the rest of her Highlander fic.  It's all brilliant.  (slash; Duncan/Methos)

On a cold morning in December (To be exact, Sunday, the 25th day of December, a morning that silvered the grass and skinned the duck pond with crackling ice) Methos answers the door. He has not been answering the door since the beginning of the month when the man from Lyon and Turnbull had delivered his recently purchased twelfth century copy of Juvenal's satires. Thus the action of leaving his comfortable chair by the fire is indicative of a caller beyond the usual. Indeed, were it not for the uncomfortable and often regretted fact that, for various reasons best left unstated, Methos knows only too well who is standing on his doorstep before he leaves his chair, this particular call would go as unheeded as every other.

****

This Set Down, by Jane St. Clair, is a wonderful short story on Methos, relationships, Duncan, and attitudes in general.  Enjoy it.  I did.  (implied slash; Duncan/Methos)

The irritating thing about Cassandra is that somewhere in his head, he's still married to her.  It wasn't, by any modern standard, a healthy marriage, but it was good enough at the time.  Food, sex, and occasionally he brought her home dead things.  They were both filthy all the time, and he liked his horse better.

****

Here are some of the more esoteric crossovers I've come across and enjoyed recently.

First up is butterflykiki's Long Way Around, a wonderfully done Highlander/Dr. Who crossover.  The dialogue is perfect -- long live the snark -- and Methos is particularly well written.  Also, bonus points for the ending, which manages to be not only touching and hopeful, but in-character and well thought out.  (gen; Highlander/Dr. Who)

"The face is different, the voice is different, but you're still the Doctor. And you still owe me a drink."

****

Amand-r's Up in the Valley, Down on the Mountain has been rec'd over and over again, and with good reason.  I've been avoiding it for years, because frankly, the idea of a Highlander/Chronicles of Narnia crossover didn't appeal.  I finally read it -- and I'm glad I did.  This fic is beautiful.  Writing, ideas, characterizations -- she even gets Aslan right, and that's damn near impossible.  Go and read this fic.  You'll be glad you did.  (gen; Highlander/Narnia)

Methos knew he was no longer on the property of the estate he and Mac had rented; he knew every inch of that land. He cast strange looks to the sky, which was a lovely shade of blue, and the grass that grew wild and tall about his feet.

****

You Only Live Forever, by MacGeorge, is a Highlander/James Bond crossover.  This is one of the few Highlander recs on this page for a story that does not feature Methos in any way.  Instead, this is all Duncan -- and MacGeorge does a fantastic job of writing him.  I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Duncan and Bond.  Both are such alpha males, and MacGeorge writes them both beautifully.   This is a plot-filled, action-filled story, and I highly recommend it.  (het; Highlander/James Bond - Duncan/Tessa, Tessa/other)

Bond had read MacLeod's file. It was all a little too pat, too neat. An orphan with an eclectic European education, no living relatives, no significant ties to any place or time or people. The man was too good at too many things -- martial arts of all kinds, covert operations, multiple languages, social awareness and flexibility that helped him blend into virtually any situation. He had amassed skills rarely seen in an agent with twice his experience. And there was an arrogant certainty and self-possession about the man that Bond found grating. His instincts were trying to tell him something about Duncan MacLeod, he just had not figured out what - yet.

****

pentapus has written three lovely Highlander/Stargate: Atlantis crossover snippets.  The characterization of Methos is absolutely spot on; word perfect in every way.  Go and read them - and pester her to write more of them!  (one) (two) (three)  (gen; Highlander/SGA)

"And with Wraith regenerative abilities and a similar," Rodney hestiated, finishing awkwardly, "use of energy -- which is ridiculous because if this is true? There should be a race of near immortal humanoids running around and possibly eating people or sucking the life out of them or something equally, I don't know, conspicuous."

"Wow," said Pierson from linguistics, sitting across from the scientists with the rest of the language team, translations spread out around them, "that sounds dreadful."

****

Spin the Bottle, by amberleewriter, is a Highlander/Holby City crossover, though you don't need to know anything about Holby City to understand and enjoy this fic.  amberleewriter has a particularly deft touch with the relationship between Methos and Joe, and that is primarily what this story is about.  (gen; Highlander/Holby City.  Methos, Joe)

Any misgivings Joe had were outweighed by curiosity. He took the bottle and placed it on its side in the center of the table. He could read some of the stickers now. One said, "Used Car Salesman." Another said, "Lawyer." Still another read, "Computer Programmer."

****

Death Takes a Roman Holiday, by Nestra, is a Buffy/Angel/Highlander crossover that deals with Buffy's first encounter with The Immortal.  This fic is beautifully done.  The characterizations are strong, the writing is good -- all in all, this one's a keeper.  (gen/het - BtVS/AtS/Highlander - Buffy/Methos)

When she'd moved to Italy, Buffy had expected a lot of things to be different. And she was okay with that. She wanted different. She was learning Italian by watching dubbed reruns of Sex and the City. She'd started to enjoy drinking soda without ice. The vamps in Italy used all sorts of new moves, none of the kung fu stuff the Sunnydale vamps had been so fond of. And she really, really didn't miss the drama that came from dating guys who weren't human.

So overall, she wasn't pleased that the undead guy was hitting on her. Even if his accent was really sexy.

****

There is No Seven, by Tesla, is one of the best fics I've come across recently.  A Buffy/Angel/X-Files crossover, it goes AU from Mulder's abduction in the woods.  Instead of being taken by aliens, he is instead taken by Wolfram & Hart, at which point he is turned into a vampire by Drusilla.  He goes to L.A. in search of her, and runs into Spike instead.  Meanwhile, Scully and a handcuffed and unhappy Alex Krycek are on their way to L.A. as well, to talk to a certain vampire detective about the spell that restored his soul...  Well-plotted, well-characterized and well-written, this is a thoroughly enjoyable story.   Spike and Alex Krycek are particularly well done.  (gen - XF/BtVS/AtS)

"I wouldn't torture her, either," Mulder said, "but you tortured Angel." He took the cigarette out of Spike's slack hand, and took a drag.  Jeeze, it was true. Cigarette smoking was an evil habit.

"Oh, that was just a bit of fun to make him give me something back.  Besides," and here Spike grew gloomy again, "Dru'd like being tortured. Odd girl." He glanced up at the television. "Hey! Where's Man U?"

Mulder sighed, and hit the recall button on the remote. Spike was too old and too violent to argue with.

****

Jennifer Oksana's Zombies Are a Girl's Best Friend is an absolutely hilarious Angel/Arrested Development crossover, in which Lilah and Lindsey are old school friends and Lilah's return from the dead causes some... issues in the Bluth household.  The entire cast of Arrested Development is perfectly written, and Lilah is wonderfully enjoyable.  (gen - AtS/Arrested Development)

Lindsay's best friend was a high-powered corporate attorney named Lilah Morgan. They'd become best friends in college, when Lindsay had caught Lilah adding a special ingredient (LSD) to the punch at the Delta Delta Zeta sorority mixer. Lindsay had broken out her stock of Percocet for the cause, and the resulting party had cemented their friendship forever when Lilah and Lindsay's archrival Dana Robertson had been caught doing a striptease for several university trustees...without any of the punch.

A beautiful friendship born that night had lasted well over a decade, through late-night drunken experimentation, marriages, scandals, and both Lilah and Lindsay trying and failing to date Johnny Depp's publicist. Unfortunately, it had ended the year before when Lilah had apparently died in a freak beheading accident involving an axe, her two-timing British boyfriend, and a great deal of happenings that reminded Gob never to use actual axes when cutting people in half.

****

Enigmatic Absurdities by eponine is a House/Angel/Buffy crossover in which Angel is struck by a car and ends up in House's 'tender care'.  House, for his part, is fascinated by a conscious, coherent patient with no pulse or heartbeat.  This one is brilliant.  Everyone is in character, the story is well-written, and House and Angel in particular are letter-perfect.  (gen - House/Angel/Buffy - post Chosen, NFA)

"I was wondering when you were going to get around to stating the obvious," House said as he got to his feet and began pacing. "As I'm sure you're all aware, a great many of our cases are abnormal. That's why they get assigned to us instead of being diagnosed at, say, the clinic. Generally what we see goes a bit beyond the average flu and food poisoning cases. We end up with the more challenging cases, rare diseases or uncommon presentations of more ordinary pathogens. This case, however, is a little further up the ladder of unusual than even we're accustomed to. I'd even go as far as to label the man's symptoms as impossible, if it weren't for the fact that he is actually suffering from them."

****

Minimal Grounds for Disaster, by Raven, is a Harry Potter/Discworld crossover in which Remus ends up on the Disc, is arrested by the Watch, and meets Sgt. Angua, as well as some very strange wizards.  This is wonderfully done, and very funny.  (gen; HP/Discworld)

They brought him by way of Treacle Mine Road, past Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler ("Sausages! Inna bun!") and into the Watch House. They tried to place him before Commander Vimes, but hit an insurmountable obstacle in the fact there was no Commander Vimes for him to be placed before, unless they wanted to place him before the commander being placed before the Patrician, which would only have been possible had the Oblong Office been inside the Watch House.*

- - - - - -
* Or had Remus, Vimes or Vetinari (or some combination of the three) been capable of being in two places at once. Which, to clarify, they weren't, although in the case of Vetinari, Leonard of Quirm was working on it.

Never in a million years would I have thought of crossing Supernatural with American Gods, but the following two stories did just that, and did it beautifully.  (If you haven't read American Gods, go and buy it.  Neil Gaiman is brilliant.)

***

The first story is iseult_variante's The Gods Might Offer Gifts.  Dean, Sam, Czernobog, and the three Zoryas.  This is a gorgeous, lyrical story that very much captures the spirit of the book.  (gen, Supernatural/American Gods)

(America is a bad land for gods. They take root well enough, but grow stunted or crooked, pale distortions on the glass of distant immigrant memory.

America is a bad land for gods; it is a cruel land for heroes. When people have forgotten the divine, they like to live in ignorance of the other things that lurk in the dark closets of the mind. Those who would guard the door are unpleasant reminders – in their hearts, when sheep look at the dogs that guard the flock, they see too much of the wolf for comfort.)

****

Dust in the Wind, by lyra_wing, is another incredible story; this one I don't really have words for.  The concept alone - yeah.  Just go read it.  You'll be glad you did.  (gen, Supernatural/American Gods)

(They remember things they've never seen. They remember the hammer strikes of the first railroad – the precursor to Route 66, drawing together the high-collar east and the dusty wild west. They remember the first time Ford's engine roared to life. They remember the paving of the first highway, the invention of the drive-through, the first time an electric guitar sang and wailed. Everything that makes them who they are, makes America what it is. They know it all like they know their own names.)

****

The wonderful dreya_uberwald has written an untitled Harry Potter/Discworld crossover that is not only brilliantly funny, but gives Dumbledore a happier ending than JKR did.  Plus, Ridcully.  (gen, Harry Potter/Discworld)

(“Azrael?” said Dumbledore’s spirit with a small smile.

AN ASPECT OF AZRAEL, YES. IF I RECALL WE’VE MET BEFORE.

“Well, Fawkes does tend to die quite a lot.”

INDEED.)

****

Conversations, by priya, is a House/West Wing crossover that captures both House and Bartlett brilliantly.  The dialogue is particularly enjoyable, as is the tete-a-tete between Wilson and Leo.  (hints of slash; House/West Wing)

("So," House said, eyeing the patient. "What's wrong with your leg?"

President Bartlet sized him up just as coldly. "What's wrong with yours?"

"Liberals give me awful cramps," he said. "Like Buffy with vampires, but only in the movie.")

****

In the Shadow of Two Canes is a sort-of crossover between House and The West Wing.  It's also beautifully conceived and executed.  They both wish the other one was real. (gen, House, West Wing)

Mirror, Mirror, by houses, is a Harry Potter/BtVS crossover written for the '20 minutes with Andrew' challenge.  It's short, amusing, and great fun -- because Andrew would drive Snape nuts.  (gen, humour - Snape, Andrew, Neville)

(“You must desist. You must go home.” Snape’s eyelid was beginning to twitch. Whoever this boy was, he was ten times worse than Longbottom. At least Longbottom shut up occasionally.)

***

The Dark Side, by astolat (I rec a lot of astolat's work, and with good reason) is a Stargate: Atlantis/Star Wars fusion fic.  At first, I thought the premise a dubious one -- and then I read the story.  It works.  It works beautifully.  The characters stay true to themselves, and astolat fits them seamlessly into the Star Wars universe.  I could rave about this fic for pages, but shall instead say only:  Go.  Read it now.  (slash - McKay/Sheppard)

("You're not a very good Jedi, are you?" the Sith Lord said.

"Oh, excuse me, I am an excellent Jedi," Rodney said.)

***

Rotational Invariance, by idyll,is an Angel/Stargate: Atlantis crossover featuring Sheppard and his cousin Fred from Texas.  This is a well-written story with some truly beautiful use of language; I also enjoyed seeing Fred from a new perspective.  She often gets short shrift in fanfiction, or is so badly written as to lose everything that made her character so attractive in the first place.  With this story, idyll does Fred justice.  (gen; Fred, Sheppard, ensemble)

(Before John pulls away another car pulls up in front of the house. Three guys climb out, bickering with the ease and familiarity of people who've known each other for years, through many things large and small, and John watches Fred slide seamlessly into their midst as they walk--four abreast--up the walkway to her house.)

***

Constants, by Rhiannon Shaw, is the best Firefly/Highlander crossover I've read yet, and I've read several.  This is one of those rare stories that makes absolute, certain sense to me; I can believe that this is the way things were.  (gen; Amanda)

(There are Companions who know how to kill, thanks to her, and how to live, thanks to her, and how to endure when they'd rather die, and how to die if they must not live... all thanks to her.  They never speak her name outside the chapter-houses, even amongst themselves.  They never speak of where they learned such skill with a blade, or such timing with explosives, or the fine art of knowing silence...

Her name has always been Amanda, and no Companion would ever betray her.)

***

The Made-Up Things, by fire_and_a_rose, is an exquisite Harry Potter/Narnia crossover.  To describe it would ruin it; the author's summary is below.  (gen; Susan, Lily, Petunia)

(Once upon a time, there were four children, whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.  And then all that was left was Susan, who had two daughters.  One was named Petunia, and one was named Lily.)

***

My Space Adventure, by skoosie, is a brilliant Stargate: Atlantis/Scrubs fusion fic.  Everyone is perfectly in character, and the whole story has the 'feel' of a particularly good Scrubs episode - right down to J.D.'s unrequited crush on Dr. Cox.  (slash; Cox/JD UST)

(There are two things on Atlantis that I'm not allowed to touch...

One: I’m not allowed anywhere near Dr. McKay with my ‘holistic hippie herbal hoo-hah that’s even less of a science than botany, if that’s even possible;’ and two: I’m not allowed to even look in the direction of anything that resembles a weapon, since guns + JD = missing fingers for everyone. Thank the sweet baby Jesus for surgical re-attachments. Turk always has my back.)

***

Eight Crazy Pilots Serenity Didn't Keep, by tassosss, is a story along the lines of the 'Five Things' challenges; all parts but the last one are crossovers.  This story is well-written and enjoyable; some of the lines in it are laugh-out-loud funny.  (gen; Firefly, Farscape, SGA, SG1, Star Wars, BSG)

(Jayne found Han Solo in a bar looking for a mechanic to help him fix his ship. He’d given up by the time he landed himself at Jayne’s table – the only one left with a chair empty at this hour – poured himself a drink and said, “I hate this mudball.” Jayne figured he’d hit the guy up for a few drinks only to learn that that’s what his new friend was up to and being broke was his whole problem with finding a mechanic in the first place. They bonded over not being able to pay their tab and being too drunk to not get in a fight about it.)

***

Remember -- everyone loves feedback, so if you enjoy a story, let the author know.

(If there are any broken links, let me know)

Earlier, I rec'd everything that sam_storyteller had ever written.  Today, it's two ladies of quality's turn.

Career Change is, hands down, the best BtVS AU that I have ever read.  Period. 

It diverges from canon at the end of Crush; before Drusilla leaves town, she stops at the Magic Box and turns Giles, then leaves him on Spike's doorstep.  There are a great many fics out there in which one of the Scoobies gets vamped, and this one is head and shoulders above the lot of them.  The characterizations are flawless, the writing is elegant and descriptive, and the alternate unfolding of events not only makes sense, but is (in my opinion) a far better ending for Season Five than we were given. 

The sequel, Career Advancement, can be found on the same page, and is just as good.  (BtVS AU; slash and het UST - Spike/Giles, Spike/Xander UST, Spike/Buffy UST, Spike and Dawn friendship; Giles and Willow friendship)

While you're at her website, read everything she's written.  I particularly recommend Nessuno, which is not only an AU, but a human AU at that - and I liked it nearly as much as I liked Career Change.  (Nessuno is both slash and het - Spike/Xander (primary pairing), Giles and Xander friendship)

Today's recs?  Smallville/Justice League/Superman-related fic.

First up is The Short Heroic Career of Kal-El by Marcus L. Rowland.  This one's short, but it's funny.  (Smallville/Men in Black crossover - gen)

("Try this hero crap again and your residency permit's revoked," said K.)

***

Revenge, by astolat, is Clark/Lex future-fic with a twist.  The Joker's kidnapped President Luthor, and when Superman comes to the rescue, the Joker administered a drug that will destroy Superman's inhibitions.  Needless to say, he doesn't get the violent response he was hoping for.  It's dark and funny at the same time, and I love her portrayal of Lex.  The Batman parts are a lovely bonus, and the Jon Stewart cameo -- just, yeah.  This story rocks.  (slash - Clark/Lex.  Smallville/Justice League crossover).

("Oh, don't worry, Lexie," Joker said. "The big red S here is going to be doing lots, any second now." He cupped a hand around his mouth to stage-whisper towards the cameras. "Here's the surprise, boys and girls. We're here at the four-star Casa del Joker, where we've secretly replaced all of Superman's inhibitions with Folger's Crystals. Let's see if the President can tell the difference!")

***

Moving On, also by astolat, is Justice League fic that adheres to the Smallville backstory.  It's also absolutely brilliant.  The author's summary is:  'Lex conquers the galaxy.  In style.'  And boy, does he.  This story is brimming with gorgeous details, and astolat is a gifted writer with a sense of both humour and drama.  (Clark/Lex slash - Justice League)

("I'm not going to be able to do that much conquering with just the population of Almerac," Lex said. "Besides, smaller systems won't put up much resistance if they know being conquered by me basically means entry into a massive free-trade zone and protection by the most successful fleet in the galaxy. In fact, I've got a few offers of surrender from ones I haven't even invaded yet."

Clark sat down and put his head in his hands.

"I am actually good at this, you know," Lex said.)

***

Reconcilable Differences is another JL/Smallville fusion-fic by astolat, and again, it's brilliant.  This one involves Kon, a.k.a. Superboy - who is canonically (and I swear I am not making this up) the test-tube-baby son of Lex Luthor and Superman.  Despite the crack-tastic premise, this is a wonderful story -- plot-filled, well-characterized, and well-written.  (Clark/Lex slash; Smallville/JL/crossover)

(Lex Luthor glanced around the room, one quick flicker of eyes that seemed to take everything in: Radson, the bed, the bare antiseptic walls, the thin pale blue quilt on the bed, the smoking TV, and then came to rest on Kon. Kon gulped. He wasn't about to yell for Clark, but he kind of felt like it. Visions of scalpels and vivisection were dancing in his head, and he really hadn't wanted to find out just how much worse things could get than this.

Luthor studied him a few moments, and then said, "Nice. I'm going to kick Clark's ass."

Kon was still boggling at that when Luthor turned to Radson. "I'd like to see the doctors in charge of Kon's case."

She was staring at him. "They've, they've gone home—"

"I'm sorry, maybe I'm not making myself clear," he said. "I want everyone who's been involved with this case here in," he looked at his watch, "fifteen minutes, unless they want to be looking for a new job tomorrow. And get me the files."

"Those are confidential!" she said. "I don't know what you're used to, Mr. Luthor, but—"

"Nurse Radson," Luthor said, "do you have a sense of the typical court awards for treating a minor without notification or consent of his parent or guardian? If not, I suggest you go look them up. And bring me my son's records. Now."

Oh, shit.)

***

Conflicts of Interest, by rageprufrock, and its sequel, Visiting Hours, are two long, lovely stories that deal with the aforementioned Superboy.  In these stories, though, he's Conner Luthor, son of the richest man in Metropolis.  Conner narrates both of these fics, and the voice is original and charming, and in the first one, so very nine-years-old.  They're both lengthy and enjoyable, and the host of well-fleshed out minor characters adds another dimension to the pleasure of reading these stories.  I really can't recommend them enough.  Arc is the continuation of these two stories, and though it's not finished, it's still worth reading.. (Clark/Lex slash; Smallville/JL crossover)

(When Conner was three, Superman had slammed into their front window, shattering all the bulletproof glass in the living room.  He remembered how he smelled blood and broken things and how his father had grabbed him and handed him over to Mrs. Banner.  She had started screaming when she saw something dark and green out of the corner of the window and dragged Conner into the panic room.  She'd curled around him, holding him tight, and he'd only been able to see snatches of what was happening over her shoulder as the seconds ticked by. 

When the metal-slick door had slid shut, Conner remembered that outside, his father had been leaning against a wall, standing with his back to Conner like a protector.  There had been blood running down the side of his arm and Superman had just pushed himself back up to his feet and Conner remembered that both of them looked like heroes.)

***

Your Next Bold Move, by Sterling Dragonfly, is future-fic in which Lex decides to stop with the whole enemies thing and woo Clark.  Publicly.  This is crack-fic, but it's brilliant for all of that.  The Justice League cameos are an added bonus.  (Clark/Lex slash)

("Superman, this relationship between you and Luthor, it's not what I would call appropriate," Batman began.

"You're one to cast stones," Flash interjected, and man, Clark really loved Wally.

"Really," Robin muttered somewhere off to the side.

Flash, Batman and Clark all looked in the direction of the voice.

"Oh, *now* you all believe he molested me. Fuck you, guys."

Clark hung up .)


***

I know it's been a while since I posted.  I'm bad.  I know this.   RL has been more swamp-like than usual lately, and has been sucking me in with a vengeance.

Still, I have tons of new recs for you all. 

'Cause that's how I roll.

Yeah.

I'm going to have to post them in multiples, just because I don't have the uninterrupted time to sit down and write them all at once.  So today, I will start with:


good omens crossover recs. 

And All the Kingdoms Thereof, by afrai, is a short Good Omens/Smallville crossover piece that is just brilliant.  The idea behind this story is funny and original, and the writing itself is sharp, eloquent, and well done.  (gen - Lionel, Hastur, Ligur)

(I jus' offered the Earth and all the kingdoms thereof," Hastur babbled.  "I never said anything about here!  I dunt know what happened!")

***

Angel of Death, also by afrai, (she rules) is a Good Omens/Highlander crossover that's just as good as the previous story.  I personally like it even better, but then, Methos is my favourite. (implied slash - Methos/Aziraphale, Crowley)

("Why didn't you just keep your mouth shut?" said Crowley much later.  "You were on a field of rotting corpses.  How bad could he be?

"But that's it," said Aziraphale.   "They couldn't help being a bit iffy, poor souls.  It wasn't their fault.  Their hearts were pure -- well, fairly pure," he amended.  "His odour was simple obstinate lack of hygiene.  And anyway, he was evil.  His stench was the stench of evil -- it's not funny!")

***

I've rec'd daegar's fic before, and will repeat my claim that she writes the best Good Omens fic in existence.  Arrangements of the Carribean is proof.  Go.  Read it now.  (gen -- Jack Sparrow, Aziraphale, Crowley)

(" . . . impersonating a cleric of the Church of England . . . "

Captain Jack Sparrow gave a little laugh.

"Oh, yeah."

"You shouldn't have done that, you know.")

***

But For the Grace, by amberdiceless, is a Good Omens/Hellblazer fic that starts out as comedy and develops a beautifully melancholy twist.  The end is particularly inspired.  (slash, Crowley/Aziraphale, John Constantine)

("Well, you see what happens when you go drinking with strangers," Aziraphael said, mildly reproving, but he patted the demon's shoulder comfortingly as he passed by on his way to fetch the teapot.

"I do that all the time," Crowley protested weakly. "How was I supposed to know he was number one on Hell's Most Wanted list? The drawing they sent 'round looks nothing like him!")

***


On a Blessed Plane, by memlu, is a Good Omens/Snakes on a Plane crossover.  Stop looking at me like that.  Go read the story.  I promise it's worth it.  (gen - Crowley, Aziraphale, and a lot of motherfuckin' snakes)

("--had it with these snakes!" a rather intimidating fellow to the fore shouted. There was a faint click and then a flash of silver as he brandished a gun, and Aziraphale said, "Oh, dear."

"This is much better than the in-flight movie," said Crowley, with deep satisfaction.)

***

This Untitled Good Omens/Sandman crossover by odditycollector is brilliant and beautiful and very much more a Sandman piece than a Good Omens one.  I can practically see this in comic form as I read it.  (implied slash -- Crowley/Aziraphale, Desire)

(There are enough people in London with pale skin and black hair and good cheekbones, but Aziraphale’s more unnerved by the cut of the clothes and the practised, arrogant stance. No sunglasses, but the eyes that return his stare are a gold that could pass for honey instead of yellow.

Aziraphale crosses his arms and looks at the sky. “I had thought your kind deals in humans,” he says. “In creatures that can dream and want.”)

***

...because he is quite possibly the best fic writer out there.

I've rec'd fic by this author before.  Stealing Harry and its sequels comprise my favourite AU of all time.  I have, however, failed to pay adequate tribute to the wonder that is Sam Starbuck. 

He writes in a whole spate of fandoms.  His characterizations are always spot-on.  I have a particular yen for AUs and crossovers -- and Sam is an expert at both types of story. 

I could rec everything he's written, but it would take me all night.   What I've done is select a few of his stories to give you some idea of what I'm talking about.  The rest of Sam's fic can be found here.

and now on to the fic...

I do not read Real Person fic.  Ever.  I do, however, read everything that Sam Starbuck writes, because he is brilliant.  So I read One Two Three Rest, which is Real Person fic featuring Dre and Eminem.  There's no slash here, just Dre looking at the raw, burning talent that is Eminem and really seeing it.  I won't go into more detail -- there is an excerpt below, and the quality of Sam's writing speaks for itself.

***
Dre remembers the first time he saw Mathers because you don't fuckin forget, do you? This little dude, not even that big, standing out like an albino at the fuckin Apollo. This little white dude with the squint around his blue eyes.

But you don't forget Mathers because you see this pasty little white kid get up onstage with a black mixer and a black boom boxer and a houseful of niggaz laughing at his white ass and you hear the beat and then you hear this cracker start to freestyle and it's all fuckin over, man. This isn't some Ice wannabe, this kid is thug and he knows he's thug and the fuck-you look in his eyes is the stuff of fuckin nightmares. Dre's only ever seen that look once before on a white man and that was the time he shot a skinhead who thought he could fuck with Dre.

The kid is pissed off at something, it's not hard to tell that [....] Dre sees him watching everything that goes on, taking it all in, processing it in that head that spits out some badass rhyme. Kid doesn't even fuckin know the meaning of the phrase "internal rhyme" and he spits it as good as Dre himself does. Not that Dre'd admit it, but he thinks maybe the kid knows it.

***
The Rational Mind is pg-rated Holmes/Watson.  This is another one of those fandoms that I usually wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, but was in this case totally captivated by Sam's writing.  This fic is a rarity in that it focuses mainly on Watson and lets the insights about Holmes be drawn subtly from his reactions.  The portraits of both characters are beautifully conceived and expertly written, but I particularly enjoy the portrayal of Watson.  Sam deals here with the damage that the war in Afghanistan must have caused such a man, and deals with it wonderfully.  (Holmes/Watson slash)

The Uncle is a Potter-verse AU on the best sort of crack, in which Remus, abandoned at the age of ten, becomes a crime boss and takes Harry from the Dursleys.  This is a must-read, just as everything Sam writes is.  (Remus/Sirius slash, AU - pg13)

Cartographer's Craft is another Potter-verse AU, this time without the crack.  It's still incredibly addictive, however.  Sam's summary for the fic is below; however, I would like to note here that this is a particularly beautiful story with perfect characterizations.

Summary: In the summer after Harry's sixth year, Harry and Remus uncover a section of the Marauder's Map which has been hidden for the past twenty years, releasing a carbon copy of sixteen-year-old Sirius Black from its depths. As they prepare for the impending war, Sirius must find a place for himself in this new world, Harry must find a way to destroy Voldemort, and Remus must face his own past while trying to build a tenuous future with Tonks. RL/NT, RW/HG, HP/SB.

Baubles is a piece of Captain Jack Sparrow's history.  Haven't you ever wondered about the things Jack keeps woven into his hair?  Sam did, and the result was, as always, a beautifully-written story.  Spoilers only for the first movies.  (PotC, implied slash - Jack/Will)


***

That should give you an idea as to Sam's brilliance.  Go now and read.

no, i haven't forgotten you...

Daemons Luminati, by Kalima, is one of the most interesting Buffy AU's I have ever read.  It's redemption-fic, but with a twist -- and without a soul in sight.  I'm a fan of Evil!Spike.  I especially love fic that explores just how far he can go without becoming an Angel-clone.  This is that fic.  (B/S - het)

Emerging, by eliade, (livejournal) is post NFA fic.  It's also Spike/Xander, which I read but rarely rec, as it's too damned hard to find believable fic in this pairing.  This story is believable.  It's sad and beautiful and hopeful by degrees, and it almost managed to resign me to Spike's soul.  (Spike/Xander, slash)

Since I'm reccing post-NFA fic, here's another.  Nevertime, by anaross, (livejournal) is another beautiful story in which Angel finds the sort of bitter peace he can accept, and Spike just finds peace.  (Buffy/Spike, Angel(us)/Spike)

Senterprise-D, by inlovewithnight is one of the best Firefly crossovers out there.  This is total crackfic -- but it's the good kind.  (gen - Firefly/Star Trek: TNG crossover)

Kristen Murphy's Storms in the Desert is Firefly/Highlander fic.  It's a brief intersection of lives - River and Methos and Simon - and one of the best done crossovers I've read in ages.  The characterizations are phenomenal, and I'm terribly sad that this author has no more Highlander fic posted.  (gen - Highlander/Firefly crossover)

so here's a bunch of recs for you....

Darling Boy, by Teresa C., is a beautifully written Highlander gen-fic that easily rivals any of the better episodes.  Features a wonderfully-done everybody, but I was particularly fond of her version of Methos.  This is set before CaH/Rev6:8, but there's a bit at the end that previews those episodes, and sends a chill up my spine.  (HL; gen, Methos, Duncan, Joe)

New York August, by Europanya, is pre-series Buffy-fic, featuring Spike loose in New York in the summer of 1977.  You can practically see Spike while reading this, evil and unrepentant and -- yeah.  Let's say I have a thing for pre-series Spike and leave it at that, shall we?  The brief encounter with Robin Wood is lovely, as is this entire story.  (BtVS - gen, rated M)

***

jennuine has written a letter from James to Remus and Sirius that is too bloody funny for words.  I shall only include James's introduction, as that tells you all you need to know.

"All Hail James Potter, or Why You Should Both Take A Minute From Your Incessant Shagging To THANK Me, You Ungrateful Gits: A Letter to Mssrs. Sirius O. Black and Remus J. Lupin, from M. James D. Potter."

And then sazlette wrote a sequel.  And life was good.

We, Messrs S. O. Black and R. J. Lupin, do hereby declare (I'm sorry Prongs, Moony's making me write it like this. Ow ow and now he's pinching me stop that Moony you great girl!), do hereby declare that you, Mr J. D. Potter, are an enormous prat. With stupid hair.

(Harry Potter.  R/S slash)

***

and now more buffy recs for you....

Booster's I Really Don't Like Mondays is a wonderfully light-hearted s5 Angel fic, written from the Great Brooding Git's own POV.  Eve is annoyed with him, the mail room guys keep attempting assassination, and Spike has been mysteriously absent all day.... (angel, gen, humour)

Card Sharp, by Caro, made me laugh like a demented thing.  Parker Abrams, meet Harmony Kendall.  It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  And Harmony's business cards -- yeah.  This one's funny.  (BtVS, gen, humour)

There are some incredible Buffy/Sandman crossovers out there, and Doyle has written one of the best.  A Girl Made of Sky is a beautiful, surreal gem of a story.  Featuring Dawn and the Cheeseman, this fic makes sense of the latter character in a way that fits perfectly into the Joss-verse.  You don't need to know Sandman to get this story, but if you don't, what are you waiting for?   Go buy the books.  (Dawn, gen)

And while I'm on a Dawn kick, Green's Best Friends 4-Ever is a heartbreaking little ficlet.  Dawn isn't normal, she never existed, and the end of this story is like a kick to the chest.  (Dawn, gen)

France is That Way?, by Harry Lime, is the story of how Spike met Harmony, and the two of them turned London by its heels.  The sheer chaos the two of them spawn in this story is delightful, and I could just see the Watcher's Council panicking.  (BtVS, gen, Spike/Harmony)


Luna's Chiarascuro is one of the most interesting pieces of fanfic I have ever read.  Anya through the centuries, through the eyes of great artists.  Read this fic now.  (pre-series.  Anya)

Just a few recs today....

First up is Tryfanstone's Postcards.  This is a Highlander/X2 crossover on some serious crack.  But it's good crack.  I won't give a summary here, as that would completely spoil it.   Just the first line --  'Duncan MacLeod spilled his popcorn.' 

Go.  Read it.  (Put your drink down first.)  (gen -- Methos, Duncan, Joe, others)

Next is Shaggydogstail's Teenage Kicks, in which Sirius has an unrequited crush on Stubby Boardman.  This is already rec'd in several places, but I couldn't resist adding it here.  Well-written, and very cute without being nauseating, this story made me remember what it was like to be a teenager myself.  The ending made me grin.  (slash implied)

Finally, Christwise has posted Better Left Unheard, a series of shorts on the Marauders' thoughts at various times in their lives.  This is a beautifully-written, powerful piece.  Go and read it.  Tell her you like it.  (WARNING -- CHARACTER DEATH.  slash implied)