Templum Bellonae

The Pretender

I’d forgotten how much I loved this show. Too much happens for me to give any kind of summary, but the stories are a lot like the show itself, with more focus on the relationship between Jarod and Miss Parker. The series is a WIP, but each of the stories is self-contained.

In Dreams by Julie Fortune

22 years after Bad Timing, a young woman finds out there’s a lot she never knew about her crazy father and her dead mother. I like the idea behind this series, although I find the execution a little rushed—it seems like a lot of important scenes were left out, leaving the character development a little sketchy. It’s still good, though, and I really hope it’s finished one day.

Finding Herself by Auna

Three months after NFA, TPTB bring Darla back for her shot at redemption.

Okay, so. romanyg came up with this cool idea of having “Darla: the Series,” gender swapping the key roles in A:tS. And it was a really, really cool idea. And it inspired me. So, if it *was* Darla’s TV show instead of Angel’s, and we didn’t AU but worked post-NFA, as a spinoff series, giving all my favorite dead characters screen time… what would we get?

Unfortunately a WIP, and not updated since the end of 2005.

Darla: the Series by Dess

Long, long WIP with a full ensemble cast, including some original characters. I found the beginning a little rocky, especially the first story, but the quality improves dramatically quite early on. Despite various major and minor alterations to canon, the series remains faithful to canon events.

Corner of the World by Serafina

I’m not quite sure how I missed reading this for so long, but I’m so glad I finally did read it, because it’s one of the best Smallville series out there.

When Lionel finally finds an heir he considers worthy, Lex gets help from Clark. So many of the stories in this series are long and wonderful, and there’s a great original character in Eli Cohen. Most of the really disturbing stuff is off-screen or only implied.

I think this is a WIP, although each story is pretty much complete in and of itself, so it’s not like it ends on a cliffhanger or anything.

The Identical series by Lanning Cook

This is the other Angel series continuation, also now in its second season. The episodes are written in script format, which puts a lot of people off, but give it a try, because it’s a good series. Connor’s been having more trouble with the return of his real memories than he anticipated, so he transfers to UCLA and gets his own apartment. Although he’s still trying to stay out of his old world, it just won’t leave him alone. Extra points for having Faith as one of the main characters.

The Destroyer: the series by Masquerade

In my quest to find good Connor fanfic, I’ve had not one but two series continuations starring the Destroyer. In The Nyazian Prophecies, Connor is still trying to live a normal life post-NFA (except for the occasional episode of vamp slayage) when his old life interferes. The series is made up of stories written in episodic format, and is now well into its second season.

The Nyazian Prophecies by Emcee

The Baby-sitters’ Club

I can honestly say I never expected to be recommending BSC slash. Unfortunately, this is a WIP, but it’s still being updated. If you need a refresher (or an introduction) to who Jeff Schafer and Byron Pike are, check out the summary at ship_manifesto. Some implied het.

So far it’s been written up to part eleven part twelve.

Blue by Mizz Marvel

(Link is to GWA main page)

This isn’t a story that’s easy to summarize, so I’ll let the author do it for me, as I so often do:

This story grew out of my wish to respond to the seemingly endless number of stories revolving around the topic of slavery, especially those that focus on breaking or torturing a person past their point of resistance. Sometimes reading those becomes excruciating, since so many seem to revel in a concept that I find personally abhorrent, when put into reality: removing all free will from a person, and destroying their spark of individuality. And worse, few investigate the process involved in surviving (let alone healing from) such an experience. So I decided I would.

Part of the bleakness will be as the back-story becomes clear. Expect physical abuse, violence, torture, and possible squick situations. Also expect gallows humor, surprising light-hearted moments, and behaviors that make no sense from a rational point of view.

It is not a pretty picture. And the simple fact is that I can’t necessarily promise a happy ending in the traditional sense, where everything ends up back to ‘normal,’ because I can’t find anything in the medical or psychological information that indicates that a person – after surviving such an intense psychological breakdown – will ever be truly ‘normal’ again. You’re also going to read a lot of questions raised by performing such a horror, and the two main characters will also be raising ethical questions about their own roles in the recreation of an individual. Some of their positions and conclusions may surprise you, and some may upset you.

I’ve done a great deal of research for this story, and I’m trying to stick to as realistic an extrapolation as possible. Now that you’re braced for impact, I will assure you that I believe in the strength of a human being to come up with a way to fight even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. To paraphrase Trowa’s words in the first chapter, none of the characters in this story are going to go gently into any damn night.

This story is less romantic or sexual than psychological, but it’s none the worse for that.

Broken Jade by Sol 1056

Voyager.

Set before, during and after The Killing Game. Bobby and Brigitte’s story. Hasn’t been updated in some time, but what’s there is still worth reading.

The Memory of You by Maryann Hopson

Follow-up to my recommendation of The Administration.

The following is part of another Administration novel, Good Citizens. This is set in the Administration, but has an entirely new cast of characters, taking the spotlight away from the corporate world, and the offices and I&I, and turning it onto citizens at the other end of the Administration’s social scale. There is no guarantee it will be finished, and may be revised or removed at any time—read at your own risk. At the moment I’m not working on any Administration stories, so Good Citizens is unlikely to be finished in the forseeable future.

Even though it isn’t and may never be finished, Good Citizens is an incredible read. When I read The Administration, I had a hard time really feeling the resister point of view. I understood it intellectually, but not viscerally.

But now I get it.

I fervently wish to see this story finished, although I’m afraid it probably won’t be. It hasn’t been updated since late 2003, anyway, so don’t look forward to new material anytime soon.

ETA: Seems to have been removed from Manna’s site, although I couldn’t find anything there saying why.

Good Citizens by Manna

Parhelion introduces the paranormal to the brownstone. Good like everything she writes. Unfortunately unfinished; it’s at 15 chapters right now and I don’t know if it’s still being updated or not. Oh, and don’t worry too much about the character death.

And don’t read this at night if you’re home alone and scare easily. Chapter 2 is especially creepy.

Ash and Iron by Parhelion

The link is to her main Tolkien fic page, just scroll down. Quite a few of the links have been down for months, so I’ve also linked to them directly below.

At the end of the Second Age, Elrond and Isildur are friends, but that friendship is strained by the politics of tha day. Not to mention the coming war.

The main part of this series is a multi-part WIP called Shieldmates:

1. Prologue
2. Chapter One: The Gathering
3. Chapter Two: Dagorlad
4. Chapter Three: Siege Planning
5. Chapter Four: At the Morannon
6. Chapter Five: Môriul and Dreams
7. Chapter Six: Trial of Faith
8. Chapter Seven: Alienated Nations
9. Chapter Eight: Choice of Targets
10. Chapter Nine: Crossing the Line
11. Chapter Ten: Neri Alveru
12. Chapter Eleven: Drowning on Dry Land

(Chapters nine through eleven don’t seem to have been posted yet, despite being listed on the Shieldmates index page.)

There are also three related stories: Agaranna, A Day by the River, and Dark Surpassing Sun

Promises to Keep by Jacynthe Demorae

Ghosts and gay romance in Victorian Cornwall.

According to the Forbidden Fruit Magazine site, there will be no more intalments in this series, so read at your own risk.

Update: This story has been removed at the request of the author. As far as I know it is no longer available online.

03 Jan 07: This story (as a Professionals fanfic rather than original fiction) is available at The Circuit Archive, as AA Birdwatcher’s Guide to Cornish Ghosts. I have no idea how these two versions came to exist, but thanks to Lynda once again for pointing this out to me.

A Tale of Cornish Ghosts by

WIP, although until I saw that on the website I thought it was finished. Hasn’t been updated since 14 July 2004, but don’t let that stop you. Oh, and, umm…violence. Be warned.

Void by Wax Jism

Greek myth/Troy

Before the Trojan War, before Helen, before Andromache, there was Paris and Hector. And lots of hot sex. The summary for Chapter 7 is, “Pouty Paris and Hector Hairshirt”, which I think sums them up nicely.

This series is still a WIP, with chapters 1-13 posted so far.

Princes of Troy series by Montmorency