Jul
25.
Not the story I was expecting, but amazing nonetheless. Gorgeous writing.
It’s a few years after the war, and Harry has difficulty remembering things. All kinds of things.
NC-17 // Rape // Romance // Top 100 // Underage Sex
Templum Bellonae » Top 100
Slash, het, and gen fanfiction recommendations // 929 stories in 44+ fandoms.
Slash, het, and gen fanfiction recommendations // 929 stories in 44+ fandoms.
May
05.
The link is to the first story in the series, Sport us while we may; it’s followed by Everything awakened and With fear and sweetness.
Also Dick/Tim, Tim/Stephanie, Tim/Barbara, Tim/Roy, Tim/Connor Hawke, Tim/Bart, Tim/Kon, and Tim/Clark.
Despite what the pairing list may lead you to think, this isn’t crack!fic, and it’s written with Tim entirely in character. It’s a story about what might have happened if Tim had been dosed with the Scarecrow’s no fear gas. As it turns out, quite a lot of sex–but quite a few other things, too, including a goodly amount of plot (especially in With fear and sweetness) and character development. And angst, of course.
And I almost forgot: Mildred Milton wrote the Tim/Roy scene from Sport us while we may from Roy’s point of view. Read the POV-Switch fic.
Action // NC-17 // Non-con // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
May
05.
I’ve recommended Te’s stuff before, and even though there are no words to express how awesome this story is, I still have to try. Because it’s just that good.
As always, Te gave me the story I would never have thought to want. I loved it madly all the way through. I was a little afraid, because I didn’t see how she would be able to deliver everything I wanted from the ending, but of course she did. In spades.
Any summary I could write would spoil the experience of figuring out what’s going on, which is part of the fun in the first few scenes.
I’ve actually read two more of Te’s stories lately that I loved as much as this one and which I’m going to recommend; I chose this one for my Top Ten pretty much by a hair, but you can consider The Young and the Battish and World Enough to be a joint entry with A way so familiar.
(And oh my god, this is just making me realize how many amazing, incredible stories Te’s written that I will never recommend because I don’t believe in recommending too many things by the same author. Like Neither stars nor gods and its sequel, As far as she desires, which are the two stories that really made me love Steph as a person and as Tim’s girlfriend.)
AU // Incest // NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100 // Top Ten
Apr
30.
Sad but gorgeous.
Character Death // PG // Romance // Top 100
Apr
29.
Followed by two short sequels, Not Seamus’s Fault and Anniversary.
AU after OotP. Draco and Harry are forced into a magical bond. Don’t worry, though–this is cliché-fic at its best. Long, delicious, somewhat angsty, with some very believable characterization. Definitely a new favourite.
Jan
10.
At the end of Promises, John lets Scorpius mess with his brain in the hope that it will rid him of Harvey. Here’s one way Harvey might have changed his mind.
“Am I supposed to have you in here forever, Harv? I’m never alone with you around. I never get any privacy, any space to myself.”
“You’re never lonely, either,” Harvey retorted. “You’re never standing alone against a threat, like you were the first time Scorpius put you in the Chair. I’ve always got your back, John. Even when I think it’s too dangerous and you shouldn’t be doing it, I’ve always tried to protect you. Doesn’t that make us friends? Buddies? Partners, at least?”
More than in any other fandom, good Farscape stories make me wish they were canon, and A Question of Trust is no exception. I’ve never been all that fond of Harvey, but I think the show passed up a great opportunity by keeping John’s relationship with him mainly antagonistic and confrontational.
Gen // PG // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
May
29.
This is a Spike/Xander story, continuing in Blue-Eyed Boy, with a Spike/Buffy epilogue, Some Scenes from the Later Life of Two Heroes (which continues in the in-progress Waiting Around.) I was just looking for some light, snarky, S/X fun when I stumbled across this, like fishing for trout and catching a shark instead.
After Not Fade Away, Spike is living with Illyria, mourning Angel and the rest of the gang, and isn’t really prepared when Xander, back from Africa and profoundly damaged, shows up in LA.
Over and above some really great writing, there are a few things I think this story does really well. Most S/X stories, profoundly as I love them, tend to gloss over Xander’s attitude toward demons in general and Spike in particular. This one doesn’t, while offering a plausible reason why Xander would get involved with him. I like that the story doesn’t take the easy way out, making Spike the answer to all of Xander’s problems. There’s also a certain amount of humour, even absurdity, which helps to lighten some of the darker moments.
The best thing about The Approved Mode of Payback and Blue-Eyed Boy is that they take a hard look at what the outcome of Chosen might have been, and sadly, their predictions seem all too plausible.
Darkfic // Future Dystopia // Het // NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
May
05.
Wow, it seems like such a long time since I’ve read any really good HP slash. And this story is awesome.
A plot by Voldemort’s forces leaves Harry without his magic, unable to defend himself from any attack. In an attempt to keep him safe, Dumbledore has him move into a London flat, with Snape as his only contact with the wizarding world.
I categorized this story as “humour”, even though it really isn’t, because I found Snape’s thoughts about Harry’s new neighbourhood hysterically funny.
Potter’s hallway resonated with the same rhythmic, primitive thumps he’d heard the week before. Perhaps it wasn’t music at all, but some sort of debased communication between the tenants. Snape stood outside the door and knocked.
There was a lengthy pause, during which he was able, to his chagrin, to make out a semblance of lyrics accompanying the din–an invitation to slump my hump, humpy hump, slump my dumpy hump, it seemed–and then, just as he was raising his hand to knock again, the door opened a crack. Potter stood behind it, eyeing him warily.
For the most part, though, the story is contemplative and a bit sad, but a wonderful read.
Apr
13.
(Link is to the first story in the series.)
This is one of my favourite Firefly fanfics. The whole cast is perfectly themselves. The plot goes AU sometime between Objects in Space and the Big Damn Movie. This story is a good example of how a few small changes can change everything, and it’s also total wish fulfilment for me, changing everything about Serenity that I didn’t love, and leaving all the parts I did. (Not that I would have preferred to see the movie happen this way, exactly, but I’m happy to see it explored in fic.) There are five stories in the series:
- Two Gorram Days: while the others go off on a rescue mission, Jayne, laid up with a broken leg, is left to look after River. He finds this less difficult and more enjoyable than he expects.
- Kinship: Simon and Inara become friends, River and Jayne get closer, and Mal is in a bad mood.
- Bank Job: an alternate version of Serenity: Those Left Behind, featuring a girls’ afternoon in and the end of the Hands of Blue guys (Say what you like about Joss Whedon, the man can create some seriously creepy villains. Note to self: never watch Hush alone late at night ever again.)
- Miranda: alternate version of the Big Damn Movie, with enough changes to keep you on the edge of your seat, even when you think you know what’s coming.
- Prodigal: after Miranda, they all get to meet the family Jayne left behind many years earlier.
I don’t like Prodigal as much as the others, and there’s some squabbling at the end of Miranda that kind of annoys me (but much less than it would in another fandom, because Joss Whedon’s characters totally would intrude on each other’s private lives in just this way), but overall it’s an awesome series, set in a fandom that doesn’t have nearly enough fic. Dyce hits the characters’ voices perfectly, too.
This goes AU after Season 3. Aeryn leaves Moya, and returns, but she’s a little fuzzy on what’s happened in the meantime. When they finally figure it out, she and John attempt to retrieve something from Grayza’s command carrier, with less-than-ideal results.
I like this story, but I’m not sure I’d have bothered to recommend it if it weren’t for the awesome follow-up fics, all of which I liked better. Here are all the stories in the series:
- The Future or Something Like It by Officersun524
- Future’s End by Kernezelda
- Future Interruptus by Kernezelda
- Days of Future Past by Officersun524
- A Shared Future by Kernezelda
Future’s End recounts the beginning and end of John’s time with Grayza. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say that I like the original characters, especially the most important one, and I like getting to see a bit of Braca’s point of view and feelings about Crichton, something that will continue in the other stories.
Days of Future Past and A Shared Future are alternate versions of the same basic events, both set after John’s rescue from Grayza.
Future Interruptus is a companion to Future’s End, filling in the details of the time John was with Grayza, from her point of view. I suggest that this be read last, even though chronologically it takes place earlier, for a couple of reasons. The most important is that it’s simply a better story than any of the others, and I think the later stories suffer a bit in comparison. Unlike the others, Future Interruptus is a character piece; although it has a plot, the real focus is on Grayza and the relationship she (thinks she) has with John. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ll take a good character-driven story over an equally good plot-driven one any day, and as an exploration of Grayza’s character, Future Interruptus is more than good; it’s superb.
(I’ve come to have more of an appreciation for her since I watched Rebecca Riggs, the actress who plays her, talk about Mele-On Grayza in clips from the Season 4 DVD on Youtube.)
Action // Darkfic // Het // NC-17 // Non-con // Romance // Top 100 // Underage Sex
Apr
11.
This is a multi-part, in-progress AU spinoff from Unrealized Realities, exploring how John Crichton might have come to be a Peacekeeper Captain. Although it’s unfortunately not finished yet, the first two seasons (up until When the Chips are Down) are complete, and the latest update (The Devil You Know) was posted March 22, 2008, so it’s still being updated!
In Unrealized Peacekeeper, Tauvo Crais manages to avoid a collison with John’s module, so the escaping prisoners on Moya don’t bother to recapture John and Aeryn. Instead, John is put to work on wormhole tech by Captain Crais.
I love this story so much. The characterizations are wonderful, and so is the plot. It manages to be faithful to the big events of Farscape canon, while still telling its own story. If it’s ever complete, it may rival In the Company of Ghosts as my favourite Farscape story.
AU // Action // Gen // Het // R // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
Jan
29.
A long, sprawling AU, and definitely one of the best Farscape fics ever written. The prowler that collides with John’s module in the pilot is Aeryn Sun’s, and Tauvo Crais is the one swept along on Moya’s starburst. A Moment to Ourselves is the NC-17 coda.
KoddiakkeMax does such a clever job of re-imagining Farscape canon. All the details are perfect; everyone is so perfectly in character, because we can watch how different events change them from their canon selves. There are lots of well-drawn original characters, too, and a brilliant plot.
In the Company of Ghosts makes my top ten list, because it does what the very best fanfic always does to me: makes me wish it was canon.
AU // Action // Het // PG // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100 // Top Ten
Jan
27.
An alternate ending for Out of Their Minds. John, Aeryn, and Rygel don’t get switched back right away, so John has time to do some (more) exploring. On his own, and with a partner.
His laugh is hollow and nervous. When did he become such a tittering virgin? Oh yeah, about the same time Aeryn Sun got a dick and started sniffing for his cherry.
Het // NC-17 // PWP // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
Dec
26.
In late Season 3, sometime after Fractures, an old acquaintance of Crichton’s meets up with the crew of Moya and tries to pursue her own agenda. Despite her Disruptor training, Jenavian Chatto is not as successful as she anticipates.
Aeryn Sun – now she was subtle. An outsider would be hard-pressed to tell whether she was even aware that Crichton was on the same transport. But I remembered her protectiveness of him on the Royal Planet. Then, she’d cared enough about him to openly assault two members of the ruling family. Now, she hardly spoke to him, barely looked at him, mostly kept her back to him, but her movements were an eerie parallel to his, moving away as he moved closer, always keeping the same distance between them. To mirror your target that perfectly, I knew from experience, you have to know where it is at all times.
Nov
26.
I am not a fan of most pregnancy stories, even the ones that aren’t mpreg. Luckily, Little Acorns isn’t so much about Aeryn’s pregnancy as it is about her and John’s relationship. It’s long, well-plotted, and really, really good. I don’t know enough about the fandom to know if it’s in-character, but I liked it a lot.
And yes, I have succumbed to yet another fandom. This time, I actually saw the show first! I’m working my way through Farscape Season 1 as fast as I can download the episodes, and I am totally in love with Aeryn Sun. She’s so awesome. I can’t see this becoming one of my favourite fandoms, but I love the show and I’ll recommend a few John/Aeryn stories I’ve enjoyed.
Nov
10.
Okay, it has become apparent that SGA genderfuck fics are my favourite stories ever, so it’s no surprise that this long (the first part rings in at 668k), two-part WIP exploring the consequences of an inadvertant sex-change is going straight onto my Top 100 list. Don’t be put off by its in-progress status, because it doesn’t end on a cliff-hanger and would be well worth anyone’s time even if it were never finished.
Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon accidentally volunteer for sex-reassignment in an attempt to gain valuable technology from an advanced Pegasus world. Although Rodney isn’t directly affected, all four struggle to find some kind of balance. Meanwhile, they still have to deal with the challenges presented by the Pegasus world they visit.
Although the story is technically slash, there isn’t actually any male/male sex at all so far, and the sexual relationships, although important to the plot, don’t dominate it.
(And if you’re anything like me, girl!Sheppard will be enough to convince you.)
Action // Femmeslash // Het // NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100
Atlantis
I have a long queue of other stories waiting to be recommended, but sometimes a story comes along, so wonderful that it sweeps you away, and this is one of those.
A selection of passages from scholarly works treating the events following Atlantis’s break from the SGC and Earth, interspersed with the story of those same events. My mind boggles at the amount of work that must have gone into this, over and above the work of conceiving and creating such a marvellous tale.
“Yeah, I like it,” John said, sitting back.
Rodney jerked a sharp look at him. “You mean, I actually get to name something?”
“Just this one thing.”
“Oh, well, fine. So an electronic identity card that serves as a provisional IDC, situates its owner within a trust network, and can be used to effect trades in units of Mars Bars?”
“Exactly,” John said. “It beats the fuck out of Amex.”
Although there’s McShep, it’s really mostly a gen story.
Action // Gen // Historical // NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100 // Top Ten
Containing an assessment of the intellectual and moral advancement of Master Connor Angel, late of Quartoth, in various subjects appropriate for the refinement of a gentleman; in seven parts
Best Connor fic ever. I mean that.
“This is so goddamn boring,” Justine says.
Connor doesn’t agree. Hunting is the principal pleasure in life, at least so far as he has yet discovered, and waiting is an inseparable part of hunting. However, arguing with Justine is as useless as discussing history with her. “You don’t have to wait, if you don’t want to. I can take care of it.”
Justine looks over at him, and he can see the battle very plainly in her eyes. She wants to leave, to go do something else — most likely, hunt something else, something that will be quicker and easier to kill, put up more of a fight. So far as that goes, Connor can sympathize.
On the other hand, Justine feels that she should stay with him. For whatever unfathomable reason — Connor knows it has to do with Holtz, but still hasn’t tied together the connection — Justine seems to think it’s her job to take care of him.
Connor doesn’t think he needs much taking care of.
You know, I so rarely have this kind of love for a character, in any fandom. I don’t know that I’ve ever actually wanted to read genfic before. I mean, I read it when I find it, and sometimes it’s amazing, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone looking for it before now. Even among my Top Ten favourite fics (of which there are eight, at the moment), there’s only one genfic, and only two other stories that would be just as good if they were gen (Freeport and Talking Stick/Circle, if you’re curious.) Love, love, love Connor. Why don’t more authors write him?