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.

...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)

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.

****

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)

Because I'm in the mood for the classics...

Many, many years ago in the X-Files fandom, there was a slash challenge in which the two main characters were to go curtain shopping together.  Needless to say, this led to many disgustingly fluffy, horribly schmoopy fics that could easily have triggered the vomit reflex of a seasoned bulimic.

Curtains, by Sylvia, is not one of them. 

It's dark, it's funny, and it takes the challenge and twists it perfectly for the fandom.  This is one of my absolute favorite X-Files fics.  (M/K - vague slash)

***
Alex Krycek gave the corpse crumpled in front of him a solid kick to the groin, but the offender was past caring. A pity, that, because the predicament the geezer had gotten him into certainly called for an emphatic demonstration of displeasure. Alex had done this a dozen times and had grown used to people doing the decent thing, dying a drawn-out and horrible death quietly and without fuss. Who the hell had arteries practically on top of their windpipe? And besides, hadn't anybody told the guy that old men were supposed to have crusted-over arteries through which blood cells squeezed by turning sideways and sucking their stomach in, nicely complemented by feeble, fluttery hearts with little or no spraying power?

Not this one – no, he had to be special. Not only had he been some kind of mutant, but he'd sprayed like a fucking fountain, entirely missing the handy plastic sheet laid out on the floor for his convenience and instead decorating the tasseled velvet monstrosities framing the window with irregular splatters of ruby on aged ivory. Fat spatters clustered at chest-level on the left-hand curtain, thinning out picturesquely where they swerved to the right, crossing over to the companion drapery where they were nicely complemented by a fine spray of blood that Alex would have sworn was impossible to achieve by means of a common hunting knife.
***

Nolo Contendere, by Chris, is Highlander fic, a D/M first time that includes a competitive Amanda, an intelligent Duncan, and a manipulative, predatory Methos who ends up winning a great deal more than he thought he would.  This fic is worth mentioning simply for the ending, which is one of the most beautifully done in fandom.  (D/M slash)

Two crossovers, an AU, and an interlude...

Kyra Cullinan's The Soul of Wit is an Askewniverse/Buffy crossover.  Oz and Silent Bob.  Need I say more? (gen)

Then there's Nestra's lovely fic The Waiting Room, a Buffy/Sandman crossover set at the end of BtVS' Season One.  Beautiful writing, beautiful characterizations, and I love the interplay between Death and the early, hopeful version of Buffy. (gen)

***
"So...if I'm dead, what am I doing here? Shouldn't someone be judging me? Oh, god, I'm not going to hell, am I? I've slayed a lot of vampires. That's got to count for something."

"Relax," Death says. "Have a cookie."

Buffy looks to her left, and there on the end table is a plate of chocolate chip cookies, freshly-baked. She breaks one open, and the scent of melted chocolate and sugar wafts up. "I'm definitely going to miss cookies. Does Heaven have cookies?"
***

Hellblazer: Hogwarts, by Camwyn, is one of the most brilliant crossovers ever written.  I know that there have been a billion badly-written HP-crossover fics, but I kid you not when I tell you that this one is perfect.  PERFECT!!!  I cannot rave about it enough.  Nor should you read this story in public, or while eating or drinking.  The story, obviously, is a Hellblazer/Harry Potter crossover (the comic books, not the horrific travesty of a movie we were subjected to).  You should read it.  Now. (gen)

There is an addendum to this fic that you should read once you've finished -- John's List:  Things I Am Not Allowed To Do Any More At Hogwarts.  When you've finished reading that list, you should go and read THIS ONE, which was, as I understand it, the basis for John's List.

***

Finally, Alkari's lovely story, Independence, could almost be considered a missing scene from Harry Potter, though it takes place before the books start.  The story contains the reading of Alphard Black's will, and the characterizations and interplay between the Black family are both perfectly done, and not to be missed.  (gen)

 

That's all for now.  More later, when I have slept....

highlander recs....

(Highlander is probably my favourite fandom of them all.  Methos is certainly my favourite character.  When it comes to Highlander fic, Duncan/Methos is, without a doubt, my OTP.  (That doesn't mean I won't read and rec other pairings.)

I'm particularly picky about my Highlander recs.  I like long stories with a good, solid plot.  This is my fandom of choice for novel-length fic, and there is some incredibly good stuff out there.  Here are two of them.)

Breaking The Code, by Bone, is post-episode fic set directly after 'Chivalry'.  It's well-written and hot, with enough of an edge to keep it from being syrupy.  Bone has done a particularly wonderful job with the Methos characterization in this story.  Duncan's increasing awareness of the duality of Methos's everyday existence is another high point of this fic.  I love it when Highlander stories acknowledge just how dangerous Methos is; that five thousand years of life by the sword must have put a very sharp edge on the man, no matter how well he hides it.   (slash; Duncan/Methos)


Revenant, by MacGeorge and Rachael Sabotini, is one of those stories that is rec'd everywhere.  It's a long read, with an elaborate, beautifully conceived plot - and some very hot sex.  When an old sin of Duncan's comes back to haunt him, the fallout helps to drive him and Methos into one another's arms. 

MacGeorge and Rachael are two of the best-known authors in the Highlander fandom, and this story illustrates why that is.   (slash; Duncan/Methos)



i'm also fond of the west wing...


Waiting for the Big Boom, by Sabine, is pre-series sorta-slash.  Sam, still a student, is arrested at a protest on Capitol Hill.  He ends up in the same holding cell as Josh, who is working on the Hill and is arrested by mistake at the same protest.  The conversation between the two of them is beautifully written.  There's more than a touch of the Sorkinesque about it, but the best part is the communication between two brilliant, like-minded people.  It's the sort of thing that is particularly difficult to get right, and Sabine does it well enought that I can use the word 'sublime.'  This is how they should have met.  (slash implied; Josh/Sam)

Speranza's Seaborn For America is post-series sorta-slash.  Sam, currently serving as governor of California, gets a visit from his old friend Josh Lyman -- who has this crazy idea rattling around in his head.  The conversation here is pure Sorkin, from the days before the show got bogged down in its own dramatics.  My favourite thing about this fic is the near-flawless way that it echoes one of my absolute favourite scenes in the entire show.  This story is the perfect ending - or possibly beginning - a cocktail napkin, with 'Seaborn For America' scrawled on it.  (slash implied; Josh/Sam, Jed/Leo if you squint really really hard)

Punk and Sabine have co-written several brilliant stories in this fandom.   You and Me in a Rowboat to Rio is my favourite of their slash pieces.  It's Josh and Sam on vacation, away from the madness that is Washington, D.C. and alone with the insanity that is themselves.  This story is lovely.  There's a sort of delicious ache to it, the sort that you get at the end of the summer, or the end of a vacation - but there's also the new, hopeful feeling that fall brings.  Punk and Sabine are two of my favorite authors in fandom.  This story is why.  (Josh/Sam, slash) 

VC-25A is another fic by these talented authors.  This one is gen, and the dialogue is spot on.  This fic, like Seaborn For America, reminds me of the early days - in my opinion the glory days - of the show.  Put your drink down before you read it.  (gen; ensemble)

*if you find any broken links, let me know.

*also -- fanfic writers live for feedback.  please, if you like these stories, let the authors know.