[ BTVS/ANGEL ]

Five Traits of Lyncanthropy by Doyle
(Rated R)
Angel/Oz in five parts. While I'll admit that the pairing made me balk at first, it's a great character study of both Angel, and especially Oz's, darker halves; for something that's only a little over a thousand words, it packs quite a punch.

Last Rites by Rheanna
(Rated PG-13)
Angel makes some reconciliations in an apocalyptic future. A quiet fic that's beautifully rendered, with vivid images that draw you in from the first paragraph and an ending that left me in tears.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Mazatlan by Christina Kamnikar
(Unrated [PG-ish])
A post-"Grave" fic, told from Jonathan's POV. At the very least, it's an interesting look at what happened to him and Andrew after they ran for the border; far more than that, though, it's a story that has some of the best characterization I've seen in Buffyfic. If you didn't sympathize with these guys during S6 -- especially Jonathan -- you will now.

The Stranger's Portrait by Rowan
(Unrated [PG-ish])
If you hadn't seen your reflection in a hundred years, wouldn't you be a little curious? A haunting piece of work; the angst is subtle enough to eat away at your heart before you realize it.

Yesterday by Irena K
(Rated R)
Doyle celebrates his twenty-first birthday. Spot-on characterization of both Doyle and Harry, and it's made all the more heart-wrenching because of its "happy" ending. They may have thought they'd get through it together, but we all know they didn't.

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[ CROSSOVERS ]

Dust in the Wind by lyra_wing
(Rated PG-13)
One of the things I adore about Supernatural is how it can spawn hundreds of crossovers if you look at it the right way. Meanwhile, the thing I adored most about American Gods was how it so thoroughly hit on my bulletproof kink of belief: that thoughts can become manifest; that belief is power, and if enough people believe, something will come of it. This combines both into a story of how the Winchesters' mythology begins to grow, and it is fucking fantastic.

The Sound of Omens by Daegaer
(Rated PG)
....Well, it's a Good Omens crossover with The Sound of Music. I can't say much more than that, except that it's really, truly, alarmingly hilarious for something so *boggle*-worthy.

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[ DOCTOR WHO ]

18 Seconds by Katemonkey
(Unrated [PG-ish])
In "Rose," exactly eighteen seconds passed between when the Doctor departed and when he returned to Rose again. What did he do during that span? What were his reasons for coming back? Some of them are things you would expect; others, not at all. The fic's gone AU since the end of the 2006 series, but that doesn't make it any less -- as the Doctor himself would put it -- fantastic.

A Little Piece of Home by Tara LJC O'Shea
(Unrated [PG-ish])
This is another one of those "so seamless it may as well be canon" fics; it features Nine and Rose dealing, in their own ways -- and, most importantly, together -- with the aftermath of "Dalek." Moving and deftly handled, it glides through their shared grief with a touch that stays gentle, but never shies away from pulling the emotional punches it needs to pull.

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[ FIREFLY ]

Autumn by Wisdomeagle
(Rated PG)
A quiet, atmospheric ensemble piece set sometime after "The Message," this is how each of the crew faces autumn and the ghosts within on All Hallow's Eve. Deceptively simple, it lets its characterization unfold through reactions to a perfectly ordinary moment, creating a lovely snapshot of not just each person on Serenity, but the crew as a single entity.

Big Damn Zombies, Sir by Shrift
(Rated PG-13)
"Oh my God, Jayne's been zombiefied!" Like you do. Anyway, in addition to having crazily perfect characterization of every single crew member -- which can be pretty difficult when you're dealing with as large a cast as Firefly -- this is one damn funny fic. Plus, it has its own theme song! How can you go wrong with a fic that has its own theme song?

Broken Toys by Rummi
(Rated PG)
Zoe, Mal, and ramificaitons of events pre- and post-BDM. I love the Mal voice in this; it has all the lightness of Whedon's typical wry humor, but never to the point where it overwhelms the subject matter at hand. Zoe's characterization, too, walks a perfect line between one mourning and one still strong enough not to let that mourning utterly overwhelm her. And the entire fic is very real, quiet, and a lovely coda that plays with some post-BDM clichˇs without succumbing to them entirely.

By Æsculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea by Voleuse
(Rated PG)
When he first comes aboard the ship, Simon has to conduct preliminary physicals of its crew for his own records. Each examination he conducts locks in to create a tapestry of the whole crew as seen by a member still trying to find his footing; by turns funny, poignant, and upsetting, it ends up spinning around on itself to form not just a fantastic portrait of those on board Serenity, but of Simon himself.

Jayne's Magnificent Cock by Distraction
(Rated PG-13)
...Okay, yes, I am (not so) secretly twelve years old at heart, because this fic completely cracks my shit up. To quote the summary: "River has a secret. Jayne has a chicken. Hilarity ensues." This here's some good, twisted fun.

Pieces by Philomel
(Rated R)
Of the fics I've read dealing with the fallout of "War Stories," I think this is one of the best. It avoids the all-too-easy track of overly angsty hurt/comfort as it spins out from Wash's point of view, and the result is something that lands more than a few sucker punches before the end.

A Place to Be by Meridian
(Rated PG-13)
What comes after it all, in every sense of the phrase. After getting my heart ripped out by the deaths in the Big Damn Movie, reading this was like being wrapped in a giant fuzzy blanket and given a mug of cocoa. It is, as the author's note says, pure comfort fic, and it never fails to put a huge, stupid grin on my face even as it makes me tear up.

Simply Perfectest by Voleuse
(Rated PG-13)
Stories about Wash courting Zoe are everywhere you look, but this one is by far my favorite. Why? Because of the pitch-perfect voices (especially Wash's, which can be tricky to do right), the equally spot-on scenario, and the little moments that still make me dissolve into laughter on each re-read. And seriously, what kind of a Washfic would it be if it couldn't make you laugh? Even if you've sworn that you'll never read another fic about Wash/Zoe's beginnings, make an exception for this one. You won't regret it.

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[ GOOD OMENS ]

A Broken Hallelujah by Carmarthen
(Rated R)
You can't always have happy endings. Crowley/Aziraphale isn't usually my cup of tea -- I'm more fond of them as friends -- but it's carried off beautifully here. Who would have thought that a shattered pair of sunglasses could twist your heart like this?

All Better by Shati
(Unrated [PG-ish])
The opening lines say it best: "Hell breaks its traitors. Heaven fixes them. In the long run, there's not much of a difference." Absolutely chilling.

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[ HARRY POTTER ]

Call of the Wild by WolfieTwins
(Rated PG)
If JKR ever writes about what Lupin did during the "lost years" -- the time between Sirius' imprisonment and Remus' acceptance of his job at Hogwarts -- I will be incredibly disappointed. Why? Because this fic has become my own personal canon for Lupin. Even though it's overflowing with original characters, every single one rings true; Lamia, especially, got under my skin and stayed there for a long while.

Fall On Me by Mariner
(Rated PG)
After GoF, Sirius had to "lie low at Lupin's for a while;" this is what happened. Mariner never lets us forget that Sirius has yet to fully recover from his twelve years in Azkaban, and that he probably never will. Here, he is a frail man who's just barely able to hold himself together...and it's not out of character in the least.

Naked Quidditch Match by Anya
(Rated PG-13)
Thanks to the Weasley twins, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is forced to play its next match in the nude. If that doesn't entice you, maybe the promise of a Naked Quidditch Calendar and Harry taunting Lord Voldemort via e-mail will. *halo?*

Sisters by Rowan
(Rated G)
This takes a somewhat overused idea in HPfic -- how the rift between Lily and Petunia came to be -- and gives it a new spin: here, the two women were extremely close as children. It's incredibly well done, and in a way that made me feel sorry for both Lily and Petunia.

Sixteen Ways to Tell The Weasley Twins Apart by Kaydee Falls
(Unrated [G-ish])
Short, sweet, and by turns as funny and poignant as the twins themselves, this fic highlights their similarities -- in far more than a superficial sense -- just as well as it explains their differences. Just because they're an inseperable team doesn't mean they should ever be given short shrift as their own separate people.

The Tough Guide to Harry Potter by Rugi and Gwena
(Unrated [G-ish])
If you've ever read Diana Wynne Jones' The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, then you know exactly what to expect from this fic: a glossary of nearly every single clichˇ in HP fanfiction, told in the style of a tour guide. Not only is it very funny, but it's also a handy reference guide to stop you from falling into the pitfalls of fandom.

The Very Secret Diary by Arabella
(Rated PG-13)
The story of Ginny and her diary. The real standout in this fic is the characterization of Riddle; his slow, steady, and careful manipulation of Ginny made me shudder. At the same time, though, there are flashes here and there (quite literally) of a character who deserves true sympathy. Well worth taking the time to read.

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[ HEROES ]

Company Girls by Selena
(Rated PG)
I love Heroes like crazy, but let's be honest: it's often got issues-with-a-capital-I when it comes to writing its female characters in strong, believable ways. Set during "Cautionary Tales," this focuses in on two daughters and the fathers that raised them, adding so much depth as it effortlessly, and gorgeously, parallels their respective lives and situations. The ending, especially, is incredible in how it says so much with so few lines.

Eleven Songs that Mohinder And "Zane" Had On a Mixtape and One They Didn't by Maudlina
(Rated G)
I'm a sucker for anything that plays with the concept of found objects, letting actions like writing a letter, taking a photograph, or (in this case) making a mix tape hint at the larger story instead of telling that story outright. This does a bit of both; it's fluff, but it's great and giddy-making fluff that makes me giggle every time I read it.

Five Games Sylar Never Played by Hope
(Rated R)
It can be hard to strike a balance when writing Sylar: he's someone who revels in showing off, but his creepiness is also the kind that works best when it insinuates itself, little by little, until you're jumping at shadows without even realizing it. In this fic -- five AUs, some tightly linked to canon, others deviating wildly -- not only does Hope nail that balance, but she provies some fantastically satisfying moments of revenge and villainy along the way.

Laugh? I Nearly Died by hackthis
(Rated R) Fics that portray Sylar as having multiple personalities are becoming a dime a dozen these days, but this was one of the earliest -- and because the concept's as much a structural device for the story as it is a way to break down how Sylar works, it flows extraordinarily well. The interplay between the three -- Sylar, Gabriel, and Zane -- is fantastic, and it perfectly accentuates just how unstable Sylar is no matter who he may be pretending to be.

Memento by Alice
(Rated R)
Okay, this is just cool. It came out of a quasi-crossover challenge to take the basic plot of a movie and graft it onto the Heroesverse; in this case, as per the title, it's Memento. How would Mohinder's hunt for Sylar have gone if he hadn't been able to form new memories? Even more eerily than it did in canon, with a structure that perfectly echoes the film as it merrily playing havoc with the reader's own perceptions.

Stolen Virtues of Lesser Men by them0rgue
(Rated R)
Sylar/Mohinder is probably my biggest guilty pleasure in Heroes fic. "Five Years Gone" was just as easily one of my favorite episodes of S1. Two great tastes, plus amazing characterization that roots itself in a subtle and deeply, deeply unsettling retelling of "Nathan"'s early years as president? I am SOLD.

Untitled by Becca
(Unrated [PG-ish])
Sandra Bennet receives a visit from the Haitian between "Cautionary Tales" and "Truth and Consequences." Two characters, so often given serious short shrift in canon and fleshed out wonderfully here, dealing with their anger and finding their common ground...I dearly wish the show could be more like this sometimes.

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[ LOST ]

Asking the Wrong Questions by Troll Princess
(Unrated [PG-ish])
Claire, Charlie, and Claire's son fifteen years down the line. "Tell people your name is Andrew Pace, and all they want to hear about is the love story." This is a funny little piece that exemplifies "awww!" without ever venturing into complete sappiness.

Storyteller by Troll Princess
(Rated PG)
Aside from Sayid and Charlie, Hurley is my favourite of the castaways, and this is precisely why: because he's a big, loveable nerd. Each of the survivors has their own way of coping; Hurley's way, as Troll Princess sees it, is a hell of a lot like mine (and ours, I'm sure) would be. Plus, looking at it another way, it's a veeery interesting theory about just what's going on with the island.

The Unknown by Mnemosyne
(Rated PG-13)
Charlie goes missing. Skin-crawling creepiness ensues. Depending on your tolerance for all things spooky, this might not be the best thing to read alone in the dark.

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[ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ]

882 Ways to Appease the Heathen Gods by way, way more people than I can count
(Unrated [ranges from G-ish to R-ish]
Oh, man. This was a fandom project unlike any other: an open forum to write eight hundred and eighty-two drabbles about how each of the eight hundred and eighty-two pieces of Aztec gold were recovered. Hundreds of authors, almost a thousand ficlets -- years later, I'm still in awe of the collaboration and sheer awesome this produced.

Death of the Pearl by Lady BD
(Rated PG)
For me, I've always thought of the Pearl and Jack as two immortal, mythological, and larger-than-life creatures; the thought of either one dying is pretty much inconceivable. However...if the end must come, I'm glad that, even if it's just in the confines of fic, it comes like this. It seems like the only way it could happen, really.

Do You Remember by Ruu
(Rated G)
Besides Jack-centric gen, my biggest lure is anything Pintel/Ragetti. What happened to them after the curse was lifted? Short, sweet, and sad without descending into sap or melodrama. Sniffle.

First Warning by Rave
(Rated PG-13)
Two things are often hard to come by in PotC fandom: a truly in-character Jack Sparrow and Jack/Will slash that works. This fic has both, and Rave makes it look so freakin' easy that it's astounding.

Fortune and Favor by Firesignwriter
(Rated PG-13)
When the Pearl goes down, only two are left to tell the tale. A pitch-perfect Anamaria and Jack -- complete with the best rendering of their relationship I've seen to date -- a sympathetic yet in-character Norrington, and the return of Officer "That's Got To Be The Best Pirate I've Ever Seen" Groves. What more could you want?

Mysticism by Gileonnen
(Rated PG)
Every man has his beliefs, even Jack. Possibly the most original PotC fic I've ever read, with beautifully-rendered imagery that elicited shivers and stuck in my mind for days. "Come after your treasure, lad...."

The Repercussions of Captain Jack Sparrow's Death by Ash Night
(Rated PG)
As you'd expect from the title, this starts with Jack Sparrow's death -- set in an alternate universe where he was successfully hanged at the end of the first movie -- and goes from there. Told through what the author describes as "snapshots" of the surviving characters, it's at turns sad, sweet, and always remarkable in the many shades and layers it creates; so many tiny details work together to speak volumes about how each character was affected by both Jack's life and his untimely end.

Strike by Pogrebin
(Unrated [PG-13ish])
This is an odd one, but in the best way possible. It's Jack/Barbossa told in flashes of memory that loop and fold over themselves in one tight, weird tapestry -- I'm not sure if it'll appeal to everyone, but it certainly appealed to me. Go ahead and take a look.

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[ SUPERNATURAL ]

Desperately in Need of a Hobby by Troll Princess
(Rated R)
Dean signs up for NaNoWriMo! Hilarity ensues! The premise alone would be reason enough to rec, but it also combines the kind of flawless characterization and voices that Troll Princess always manages to pull off in her writing. I still break into snickers every November just thinking about this.

Devil's Trap by Seanan
(Unrated [PG-ish])
This is fan poetry, not fanfic, but holy crap what poetry. It's a chained sonnet redouble, and that alone would make it impressive even without the spot-on tone, voices, and emotional resonance as it relates the first two seasons through an ever-shifting cast of faces; the end result is something that truly has to be read to be believed.

Killing Time in Detention by Troll Princess
(Rated PG)
Oh, the things you do for the job, even when you're a pair of preteens. Stylistically, this has been described as The Shoebox Project meets SPN -- it's based around Dean and Sam exchanging notes in detention, complete with copies of the notes themselves, and it is brilliantly hilarious in all of its little details and sheer insanity.

They Put Me In a Cage Full of Lions by Amerella
(Unrated [PG-ish])
This may be one of the most downright literary fanfics I've ever read. Told from a very young Dean's point of view, it's spare, gorgeous, and incredibly evocative, full of the imagination of a child and the damage this particular child has sustained. The way Amerella renders Dean's relationship with Sam is especially vivid in how it captures all the annoyances, frustration, and ultimately love inherent in being an older sibling. Seriously, I cannot recommend this one enough.

We Were Breathing Fogs in the Cold Night Air by Britomart
(Rated PG)
SPN puts plenty of focus on the hardships of hunting demons for a "living" (if it can even be called such), but what it doesn't focus on quite as often is how hard the simple act of living on the road can be -- especially when you're a single father with two young boys and no steady income. This is one bad night when Dean was nine, a moment when it crystallizes that parents are as fallible as anyone else, and a vividly painful story that I've come to count as part my own personal canon for the Winchesters.

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[ VERONICA MARS ]

Cassidy Casablancas, This Is (Not) Your Life by Proserpina
(Rated R)
Like a lot of people, I came away from the end of Veronica Mars' second season feeling like I'd just been punched in the stomach. This is what was and what could have been, weaving in and out of each other, twisting around and spiraling tighter until they reach the inevitable, devastating conclusion. Because in a way, it was inevitable. Not everything -- or everyone -- can be fixed.

Ghost World by alixnoorchis
(Rated R)
Dick/Mac isn't something I usually go for, but I love the way this builds up their friendship and (possibly) eventual relationship: it's sweet, innocuous, and something where they're both fully aware of just how weird it is that they're getting along so well. Weird, but, with how it unfolds, not so unexpected after all. Plus, the voices of every single character are so spot-on that it's stunning.

Requiem for the Uncomplicated by amelia_kay
(Unrated [R-ish])
Dick Casbalancas isn't the sort of character who lends himself to deep thoughts by a mile. How, then, do you tackle the issue of his grief between S2 and S3? Exactly like this. It gives the situation all of the weight it deserves, yet, even as it moves through his sorrow and rage, keeps Dick as straightforward and, well, uncomplicated as he's meant to be. Perfect.

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[ X-MEN ]

Anabrasmos by BrieflyDel
(Unrated [PG-ish])
As the Old Man makes his way across the desert, he encounters two wayward travelers with some unusual gifts. The 1602 subset of X-Men fandom is the size of a pinhead, so any time a piece of 1602fic surfaces, it's a welcome treat -- but it's even more welcome when it's something as intriguing, intelligent, and richly-done as this.

How the Leopard Changed Her Spots by Minisinoo
(Unrated [PG-13ish])
It's Scott, it's Jean, but not as you know them. I'm a sucker for AUs, and this novella-length fic, one of the first and best of what's becoming an entire powerswap genre, is enormously satisfying. It's always tricky in AUs to change a character this drastically without making them unrecognizeable...and for me, it's even trickier to write something that actually makes me like Scott. *g* This one does both effortlessly. Highly recommended.

Letters and Papers from Prison by Minisinoo
(Unrated [PG-13ish])
Rogue didn't just absorb Magneto's powers on Liberty Island: she absorbed every one of his memories as well. Anything dealing with the Holocaust is on inherently shaky ground just because of the subject matter, but Min handles it with an easy grace. Make no mistake: this is dark, dark stuff, to the point where reading some parts of it is almost a physical ache...but it's some truly powerful and moving stuff as well, and possibly the only fanfic where I've felt like I've been thankful to read it when I'm done.

Sugar and Spice and.... by Te
(Rated PG)
Remember Xavier's little threat to Logan in X2? Well...yes. This takes the phrase "fucking hilarious" to a whole new level; it starts with a bang (quite literally) and doesn't let up until the last line. It might be best to keep the drinks away from your keyboard until you're done reading. ;)

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