Mog Recs

agentotter:
All the Effects of Intoxication [House/Wilson]
House says, "Sure. You're buying," and wonders about the differential diagnosis of selective amnesia. The dialogue in this, the thought processes, the shift from beginning to end, it's all exquisite, and I love it. It's men doing something they want to do but can't bring themselves to do without the pretence of alcohol and drunkeness, it's breaking up when you don't even realise that you're going out, it's being in love with someone and pretending not to be, and it's fantastic.
Leave This Harbor For The Sea [House/Wilson]
Such a lovely use of metaphor; this is worth it for the language alone. Plus, it's about one moment, one solitary evening in a house as Wilson packs up his things.
No Exchange of Payment [House/Wilson]
A moment in House and Wilson's friendship, with Wilson offering support to House for once. I really admire the way the writer uses language, the way she plays with words and extends the metaphors throughout the whole story. I especially like the way she doesn't feel the need to conclude every part of her story, and how things are left unsaid and even in the middle of something. Lovely.
A Momentary Lapse Of Reason [House/Wilson]
A fic that flits between different times and the same characters and yet doesn't confuse; excellent. Julie was House's personal masseur, until Wilson met her; Julie tells House before Wilson that she's filing for divorce. Great.

commodoresexual:
Diagnosis; Wilson, Patient Write-Up: Cameron, Chase, Foreman, Treatment; House [House/Wilson]
Unfortunately I was put off by the spelling mistakes in the header (not boding well for the rest of the fic) and some appalling formatting. I was also put off by the first three paragraphs or so, which were pretty baffling. However, I was wrong, because once you get past that, this is a funny, well thought out, thoroughly entertaining fic. There are dastardly doings involving paying various members of staff, eavesdropping, terrible plans and an underlying love story which is particularly nice.

DementedSiren:
Four Ways to Watch a Movie [House/Wilson]
One event, four possible outcomes. I love stories that play with ideas like this; I love that in most cases the outcome is the same. I love that in some cases it isn't. Really imaginative and terribly simple.

ducks_in_a_row:
Lost Causes [2] [3] [House/Wilson]
It took me a while to get into this as a House fic; the dialogue is perfectly acceptable but it seems to lack the bite of proverbial House. However, half way through the first part, it suddenly becomes completely unnoticeable because the relationship between House and Wilson - their long-standing, complicated, important friendship - becomes utterly riveting and a complete joy. This is a slow-shifting story, a change in their relationship that occurs over time. Of course, it has the inevitable (and still a favourite plot twist of mine) Wilson-ends-up-in-hospital part, and seeing hurt/comfort through the eyes of House and Wilson is both surprising and right. Lovely.
When The Fat Lady Sings [House/Wilson]
A particularly good fic; it's House and Wilson when they're both unsure, when they're contemplating the possibility of something more, something different. Wilson's marriage is on the rocks, big-time, and House is snarky and bitter and offering something different. A great ensemble fic too; Cuddy and Chase and the others all play a well-characterised role. Lovely.

elynross:
Gentle Implosion [House/Wilson]
Another Vogler-era fic, and it's great. House is snarky and Wilson isn't rising to it; they're both battlescarred and they've both got these feelings that they act on, and they might be playing with words but they're not playing with each other. Warm and lovely without ever detracting from the fact that these are grown men in an adult, masculine world.

flyingsquirrel_:
Somehow We Met [House/Wilson]
A ficlet which - in the words of one very astute commenter - shows "the idea that Wilson had House's number from day one". It's got non-verbal communication, the beginnings of something bigger and better, and is surprisingly astute for something so short.

Gigi Sinclair:
The Meaning of Marriage [House/Wilson]
This fic seems to turn the House/Wilson thing right on its head, and I'm not sure how it manages to do that. It's House who is in love with Wilson, although the way it is presented is so undeniably House-like, you hardly realise it. Wilson is staying with House whilst Julie is away, and House finds himself getting used to it. He wants it to be true, and that really comes across well in the last segment of the story. It really packs a punch for a relatively short story, and it's really well characterised.

greensilver:
An Object in Motion [House/Wilson]
Stunning fic with a dream-like quality pervading throughout. Wilson keeps dreaming. Set at the height of the Vogler invasion.

Kass:
Tipping Point [House/Wilson]
Filled a gap. House and Wilson finally stop beating around the bush. I would have like more of a build up, more back story, but this is really very nice. Possibly the House version of fluff.
Game Plan [House/Wilson]
Technically, this is merely porn-without-any-plot, but god, it's good. House and Wilson are watching old games on ESPN, and Wilson wants a beer. Fun.
In Gear [House/Wilson]
Hot. Did I mention that? House thinks his new car needs christening, and he's got just the plan. I particularly like the shift in emotion towards the end; what could have been nothing more than a pwp shifts into something else, something more, and it's actually quite touching.

Maya Tawi:
Safe From Harm [2] [Friendship fic, but hints of both Chase/House and House/Wilson]
I rarely read fics without a romantic pairing (what can I say, I'm in it for the relationships) but this is one of those gems that deservedly slip through the net. It's got a pitch-perfect House voice, is funny, snarky and involves House being - well, House-like to patients, the police and those around him. And this is one with a great storyline too, with an ill woman sneaking well out of her district to attend House's clinic, a man masquerading as her husband, and House being held up at gunpoint and having to rely on Chase for assistance. Not only that, but this has a Wilson who does things for House, and I love him for it. Entertaining, well written and all in all, a thoroughly good story.

Michelle Christian:
At The Bottom of a Glass [House/Wilson]
"Did it ever enter that genius head of yours that I'm here because you're the one person I don't have to take care of?" Just the kind of fic I enjoy, abject drunkeness and it's own take on the hurt/comfort genre. This fic isn't brilliant all the way through, but it *is* good and it's got a nice feeling all the way through.

Milkshake Butterfly:
Defensive Strategies [House/Wilson]
Ok, I'll admit it. I think this fic is stunning from beginning to end. Wilson's going through his divorce and he's sick of all the attention from the ladies, so House acts on the spur of the moment and pretends that they're together. And, theoretically, everything could go back to the way it was before that moment. Except it doesn't, and dear god, the realisations are beautiful and fantastic. That they've been flirting for years, that this has the potential to be so much more than just one kiss... it's gorgeous. And there's chocolate cake. And kissing. And apart from one possibly excrutiating use of the word 'liplock' (personal gripe), this is excellent from beginning to end.
Trivial Pursuits [House/Wilson]
Wilson still wasn't entirely sure if it had been the metaphorical carrot or the literal stick, but he'd gotten the point in either case. I read this fic in two broken halves, one at work and the other at home, and I think it lost something in being read seperately. It's good, it's got that same shared history that 'Defensive Strategies' has, and the same snarky, clever dialogue. It throws in another 'liplock' and more than one 'ravish' (personal gripe no.2) but the writing is good enough that that really doesn't matter. Mostly because House and Wilson are playing board games in bed, and who is going to argue with that?
Intellectual Properties [House/Wilson]
I'm not normally a fan of established relationships, being more of a first time kind of girl, but this is good. For a start, it's House being nervous about whether Wilson will cheat on him, and it's House acting on that nervousness in a particularly House-like manner. And, for good measure, this fic includes allusions to writing on skin, which is a not-so-secret kink of mine.
Five Days a Week [House/Wilson]
I have been searching and searching for a fic which had people finding out about House and Wilson. I don't know why, but the fandom seems to steer clear of such elements in the majority of stories, so to find this one - this fantastic, brilliant, perfect one - was just what I needed. It's a great concept for a start; five different reactions to the reality of House and Wilson seeing each other. It's funny, beautifully written, did I say funny? and so in character it hurts. Well, hurt wouldn't be the appropriate word since this fic is geared entirely towards entertainment. And entertain it does. One of the best fics in the fandom.

rageprufrock:
The Fine and Subtle Art of Cardiology
House hears rumours about Wilson's divorce-induced-gayness, and sets out to sabotage Wilson's relationship. As with all Pru's work, intelligently written and just a joy.

Shalott:
Maryland [House/Wilson]
My very first House fic, after only seeing one and a bit episodes. Cuddy tells House that Wilson's considering a job offer to go elsewhere, and House tries to figure out why so he can stop him. Good character voices (from the bit I've seen!) and a good atmosphere, storyline and ending. And it captures House's bite and dexterity as well.
Pathogenesis and Intervention [House/Wilson]
Despite the dark subject matter - the discovery of a smallpox outbreak with no discernable central dissemination point - this is actually a relatively light hearted fic. Although I understand that I'll probably want to retract that as soon as I'm able, because light hearted and people dying don't actually fit together that well. But it's true, Wilson and House's relationship is the most lighthearted part of this fic, and it works, the distinction between light and dark, if you like.

Summerfling:
Windsor [House/Wilson]
Ingenious and intelligent fic about a shift in perspectives and their actualisation through Wilson's ties. Yes, really. It's clever and it's smart and it's based on Wilson's actual ties. The ties seemed to say things House wasn't sure either of them wanted to hear: things about subtle changes, about the importance of perspective, about permeable boundaries. Sometimes a cigar was just a cigar, but a tie wasn't always just a tie.

Syal [bethfrish]:
Blow the Candles Out [House/Wilson, Julie/Wilson]
A bittersweet fic tempered by the excrutiatingly awful birthday meal organised by Julie for Wilson. It's the stale, dark end of their marriage, and Wilson finds support in an unlikely shift in his relationship with House. Thoroughly good, and even though I'm not normally one for adultery for the sake of adultery in fics, this is a marriage that's dead and buried and decaying before their very eyes, and Wilson and House are just changing alongside Julie and Wilson.
Four Blocks South of Eden [House/Wilson]
Now, if a writer can do it well, then I actually really like the second person perspective. This is one of those second person narratives that is done really well; there isn't a moment when the perspective blurs or confuses the reader. Plus, the dialogue is great, the movement from friendship to something more is slow, in character and just altogether great. My only gripe is one that's hitting me more and more with House fics - the dispensable Julie, with the throwaway lines 'she left me' and 'I never loved her', which is just too easy in my opinion. But that's a general fandom gripe, and not specific to this fic. All in all, this is a really lovely story.

Wintertime:
A Sense of Aesthetics [House/Wilson]
Funny, if not particularly deep ficlet. Cuddy finds Wilson in House's office, and Wilson is entertained by making Cuddy turn different shades of magenta and fuscia.

Back to Index

bea_nonymous:
A Day or Two, Maybe More
Brian watches as Justin gets more involved with the vigilantes. Based vaguely around the season 4 storyline, it's difficult to say whether I liked this or not. It's believable enough that Brian might feel like this, and the ending is fitting with Brian and Justin, but there's something about it that isn't quite there. Worth reading because it makes you think.

blacksatinrose:
Slowly Unstitching
Beautiful piece of writing that takes the events of mid-season 5 and runs with them, producing a rather lovely, touching, in-character piece about Justin and Brian's relationship.

burnitbackwards and susanderavish:
To Know the Difference, part 2 and epilogue
Really rather beautiful piece of writing, in which Justin creates art and Brian watches. That's a really lame summary compared to the actual fic, but it's well worth a read.

burnitbackwards
Oh, Inverted World
Every part of Brian's life has led him here. A lovely style, in which the author never verges on melodrama or overtly irritating angst, but instead writes about adult emotions and sometimes-stifling canon with sophistication and skill. Beautiful.
Raw
"Eventually," Justin announced the next morning, "We're going to have to do something other than work, sleep, and fuck." - Warning for sex without condoms. Very hot piece of writing, in which Justin and Brian live out a fantasy.
L'Allievo
How can it be that a fic about a threesome can reveal more about Brian and Justin than most other twosome fics? Brian insists on teaching Justin a thing or two, and they take home a trick for some lessons. This fic is hot, brilliantly written and captures something about the Brian and Justin dynamic that you don't find in many QAF; an understanding of why Brian and Justin fuck around - about how it isn't about them not finding love with each other, but because sex can mean different things and represent different things and it isn't actually them. Or something.
A Way to Fall
The obligatory high school AU. Justin's sent to boarding school after he gets expelled, and he meets Brian. This is the kind of quality writing I've been searching for in the QAF fandom, and it's great. Don't be put off by the incredibly weak final part, because parts 1-12 are really just beautifully written and are fantastic.

Crazy Fairy:
Made to be Broken
Brian's been dead for 4 years when he turns up on New York artist Justin's porch. Entertaining if particularly out of character AU. Riveting.

darksylvia:
Cold Within
Really rather nice Emmett pov fic, with a very hot kiss description. Brian's drunk in Woody's, and Emmett calls Justin.

eleveninches:
International Brian Kinney Day
I wasn't going to rec this for a variety of reasons, the main one being the fact that this is a wedding fic starring Brian and Justin. In fact, every other reason for not reccing this was that it was a wedding fic starring Brian and Justin, because, really. Just. No. This, however, is one of those fics that is actually quite enjoyable so long as you don't think about the real Brian and Justin. There are fics like this in every fandom, entertaining reads that you'd read again but are significantly out of character that you wouldn't want to associate them with the fandom. Without getting deep into the meta, this is an entertaining story in which one of the characters persuades the other into marriage by pointing out the fact that they'd be the centre of attention all day long. It isn't, however, Brian and Justin.
Brian Like Me [co-written with mlefay]
I bloody love this. Written post season 5 as part of the Coming Then Going challenge (write a perfect ending for the series) - this is gorgeous because (as the authors say) 'the perfect ending was not an ending at all, but rather a beginning.' Brian starts seeing visions and his destiny becomes clear. Gorgeous, beautiful and the first post series fic I could bring myself to read.
Growing Pains
Warning: Sex between an adult and a minor. I balked about reccing this because it's a future fic containing consensual sex between Michael and Gus, when Gus is only 14 and Michael is 43. The sex isn't described, it's just there, and there's a few uncomfortable truths hidden in this fic - like the fact that lots of people do lose their virginity at the age of 14, and its not always with someone the same age. That issue aside (which did make me a little uncomfortable, I have to admit) this fic has a lot to recommend it. It's intelligently written and the issues are dealt with with sophistication. Aside from that, the characterisation is really very well done. Recced with thought for the warnings.
The Pink Posse and I and part two
Beautifully funny fic in which Cody kidnaps Brian and its up to Justin to rescue him. Alternate s4 storyline, with Brian being his funny best and Justin being his fucked up post-Hobbes best. Thoroughly entertaining.

Eliza:
Fellatio Quintet: a romance in five emotions
A story about five separate blow jobs doesn't sound that appealing, but there's something about this particular fic which really captures something special. Over the course of five blow jobs, Justin and Brian's relationship changes and shifts. As Eliza's summary says: 'postcards from the backroom'. And it is, snapshots beautifully captured. Lovely.

Jane:
Winning
Funny, snarky, and ending with my secret Brian and Justin kink (but only if done well, which this is). Brian and Justin are arguing about where to go on holiday, and decide to bring Michael in as adjudicator. Ther terms of the deal, however, are more than Michael realises.

Josselin:
The Beginning of the End (aka Squicky)
AU, in which Brian's father and Justin's mother get married, and Brian meets Justin at the tender age of 13. There are giant warnings for incest, which I think may be a little overblown as they're merely stepbrothers, but yeah, there is underage sex. This is really very well written, although it's somewhere off the mark with perfect characterisation. There are echoes of both canon Justin and canon Brian here, but Brian's too nice and Justin's too... too something. The ending is weak compared to the sheer quality of the rest of the story, but the writing is excellent and the relationship really very well written up until the end. The subtle changes in their relationship is really the highlight of the story.

Julad:
Busy Week on the Fridge
A single photo of a shopping list, it's one of the best pieces of QAF fic (if you can call it that) that I've read. It's got Brian and Justin down perfectly, and their relationship is excellently told. A joy, and fucking hilarious too.
Like Having Sex
Oh god, I love this. It's short, there's no sex and yet it's one of the hottest descriptions of Brian and Justin I've read. I love it. Julad seems to be able to capture the characters in so few words, it's amazing. Nobody ever thought to tell Brian Kinney that being in love was like having sex. Because people are stupid, he had to figure that out on his own.
The Importance of Being Brian
I wasn't sure whether to rec this or not, because believe it or not, I just didn't get it. But the quality of the writing and the clever insights into both Justin and Brian make it worth reading.
The Unapocalypse
Brian wakes up naked in Michael's bed. Lovely.
The Sudden Stop
Nice, angsty melodrama that does reflect one way Brian's life could have gone. It shifts the perspective from Justin onto Brian, with Brian self-actualising and realising how he feels and what he could lose by piling his lot in with Justin. Still, it's a freefall of a fic, well written and breathtaking at points. Well worth it.


Kel [throughadoor]:
That's Great, It Starts With an Earthquake
Utterly beautiful, desperate, lost piece set in the immediate aftermath of episode 510. Stunning.
This is the moment after the moment.
Call it a Good Marriage
Set firmly in seasons 2 and 3 and with a lovely future tense ending, this is Brian realising that everyone else around him is getting married, and whilst he will never marry Justin, they're sort of already there. Really in character, funny, smart and sort of sweet without being even slightly saccharine.

Kiden [_kiden]:
To Build a Dream On
Absolutely stunning post 513 fic from Emmett's point of view. (But, once in a while, even Teddy notices Brian's fingers rubbing gentle circles on a hand that isn't there). Beautiful.

lardencelover:
Patterns of Play
Really rather beautiful snapshots of Brian and Justin.
Sex Is Not The Enemy
Nice Justin-centric piece about bravery, and it's ever so slightly sort of inspiring, which is pleasant.

maiaj:
After the Fact
Missing scene from 409. Justin makes soup for Brian. Short and fitting.

Mojokitten:
The New Black
Really a Brian and Jennifer friendship fic, but that doesn't encompass what this fic is and what it shows us about the characters. It is snapshots from Brian and Justin's relationship, but it's seen through Brian and Jennifer, and what's more, it works.

Msaramat:
Subterranean
Interesting, intelligent look at how Justin deals over time with the after effects of being the victim of a hate crime.

Myrna [myrna1_2_3]:
If You Needed Me, I Would Come To You, I'd Swim The Seas and For To Ease Your Pain
Every fandom has its fair share of hurt/comfort, and with a series like QAF with characters canonically being attacked and suffering from cancer, it's fair to say that QAF has more than its fair share of h/c. This is one such fic. Set post season 2, Justin is diagnosed with a brain tumour. Each piece has a different pov, starting with Ethan and moving through Michael to Brian and finally Justin. Each piece covers some of the same ground whilst bringing something new to the mix, and it's a well thought out, intelligently used concept. Because this is the Ethan of late season 2, there's support for the fact that Justin and Ethan are good friends despite not going out anymore. With a character like Brian, it's difficult to pin him down, because most people want to make him say 'I love you' - when he's never going to. This fic doesn't make him say it explicitly, which is good. Like canon!Brian, he shows he loves Justin in a variety of day to day ways. Yes, bits of this fic don't gel so well, it's horribly angsty for a start, but it's worth sticking through it because it's so very entertaining. And the Brian and Justin parts do work better than the earlier ones. [NB - the website hosting Myrna's fic is closing its doors on 31.05.06, and may take Myrna's fic with it for good]
Domesticity 2 3 4 5 6
Snapshots from Brian and Justin's life. Nice without being schmoopy.
Growing Up Kinney 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Let's get this straight, I hate kid fics. I also hate angst filled melodramas. Which is why I find it incredibly surprising that I was actually entertained by this future fic from Gus's point of view. He's graduating from high school and Justin's gone blind, and despite that premise, it's actually pretty good. It's certainly an entertaining read.

nightsister:
Soul Food
Set post-s4, Justin's in California and he's trying to exlain the experience to Brian. What I like about this fic is that it's not about sex. So much of the fic in this fandom is about sex and nothing else, so it's nice to find something that isn't, yet still captures the style and the flavour of the series. Plus, it's mostly about food and there's nothing I appreciate more than fiction about food.

Randall:
Deconstructing Brian and Between the Sessions
I couldn't decide whether or not to rec this fic or not. It's well written, and with nicely drawn characters, but it really isn't Brian and Justin. It is, however, a good story, even if it somehow misses the Brian and Justin I love from the series. It's an AU; Brian is living in New York after Justin leaves him, and he's struggling to cope with how things have turned out, and ends up seeing a shrink. This sort of fic can go horribly wrong, but the psychiatrist elements to this fic are undeniably good. OK, so there's a particularly annoying OMC and a long story about a very sick kid, but despite that side of this, it's worth reading as a story, whether or not it truly reflects how I see Brian and Justin. It took me about 5 and a half hours to get through this, just so you know.

Ranton1013:
Teacher
The one where Justin's the teacher and Brian's the student. Relatively entertaining, in the only way a fic in this fandom can be.

Severina:
Best Laid Plans
I normally avoid first person fics like the plague, but this one actually captures the characters really well and I like it. It's Valentines Day, season one, and Justin's attempting to spend it with Brian. There's something that rings quite true about Brian's characterisation, and it's sweet without being out of character for either Brian or Justin. I also like Justin's dialogue with Ted and Emmett in the first part. Good stuff.
Too Much
Perfect because after a particularly emotional afternoon involving (but not limited to) the end of season 5, this made me laugh. I have no idea what it is like if you haven't cried so much you look like a piglet. Possible season 5 spoilers. Justin accidentally uses Brian's petname in public.

Simon:
Company Picnic
I'm not reccing this because its particularly well written - it isn't, in fact - but because I quite like the idea of it. Vance persuades Brian to attend the company picnic, and he brings Justin. There's a moment when Brian smiles at Justin, and it's really rather nice.

Soundczech [fic journal at themagichour, website at Blatant Narcissism]:
Subject to Change 2
Thank God. I've been searching and searching for the top quality writing and fic that I've found in other fandoms, and here it is. This is a beautifully, exquisitely, magnificently written AU (Brian goes to New York at the end of season 1) set six years later. Justin and Brian meet in a club and become friends, and there isn't a single thing wrong with it. The whole thing is tinged with sadness, although perhaps that comes from my reading of it. They're both lonely - but it's so in character that it isn't the least bit contrived. Their relationship - their friendship - and their characterisation is perfect. Just... right.
A Presence
Subtle and understated and I love it. Justin finds a photo of himself at Brian's flat.
Like That
Post-prom, Michael goes to Brian. Not how I imagined Brian being, but beautifully written nonetheless.
Nuisance
Brian's high and bored and ends up making nuisance phone calls to Ethan.
A Diversion
Brian tends to make big emotional statements when he's pretending not to pay attention. Justin's noticed that if Brian wants to say something, really wants to say something, he'll stack the dishwasher or roll a joint. Start up the computer, check his email. Do anything to avoid looking into his lover's eyes.
Nearly There
Brian fucks Michael. Justin deals. Brian grows up. All in the space of a few paragraphs, and there aren't many writers who could pull that off.

Starla:
The Tick Tick Boom
I kind of like this one, although I'm not sure it's entirely canon in terms of Brian and Justin's reactions. That's not to say it's not realistic, just that the writers perhaps don't write Brian and Justin like this. Still. It's one year on from the Prom, and Justin's not the only one who can't forget.

Suz:
Sky of Blue and Sea of Green
It's Justin's birthday during season 3, and Brian is considering how to better his season 2 gift.

Tinkerbell [No Domestic Shit: Tinkerbell QAF archive]:
What They Do
Brian and Justin from Daphne's point of view, and it really is great. Short, sweet, spot-on and funny.
Easy Out
Set about a year after the end of season 3, this fic is actually pretty spoiler-less. Brian and Justin have split up again. This has a really credible attempt at a Brian voice - which I think is pretty hard for most people to get because quite frankly, the extent of Brian's arrogance and narcissism and no-apologies way of living is the complete antithesis to how most people choose to live. So, whilst this misses the spot every now and again, it is a good fic. Even Michael's friendship with Brian is well characterised.
Restraint
Great. I love bet fics, just for their sheer entertainment value. Emmett points out that Brian's addicted to sex, and Justin's stupid enough to agree. Cue Brian and Justin abstaining.

Valerie Lewis:
Lucky
Set post season 4, Justin and Brian are living together when Justin gets a call to say that his father is sick. Brian and Justin get stoned, and that's basically what is so great about this fic. The obsessive need of the reader to get stoned.
Blissed
Brian tries a new job and ends up in the hospital. Funny, if not particularly deep fic. Certainly entertaining.

windtossed:
Tacit
Short future fic. It's Gus's 10th birthday, and Brian and Justin go to the party. Sweet.

wrenlet:
Dream of This
A nice change from angsty, heart wrenching 'Justin Remembers' fics, this is angrier and nice and real, and I love the memory of Brian and Justin's kiss. A new take on a tired fic storyline, and I like it.
Balm
The short, sweet, not-too-sentimental follow up to Dream of This. Nice.

xie_xie_xie:
Plans: 1, 2, Interlude and 3
Finally, the post-513 fic I've been searching for. In all honesty, this is one of the best QAF fics out there, and the fact that it works with how the writers left season 5 and makes it better is just another point in its favour, really. It's told from two points of view, Justin's and Melanie's, which may sound strange but actually works really well. Like I said, its set post-season 5. Without giving too much away, Justin figures out the best way to maintain some sort of status quo with regard to his relationship with Brian is to keep up radio silence about certain conversation topics. It's set at Christmas, and the writer explores how Brian and Justin's relationship changes with Justin's move. It's also a fantastic ensemble piece - Melanie is spot on, snarky and admitting that Brian isn't a dick all of the time. One thing this fic isn't, is a schmoopy, drippy Christmas fairytale, and that's what makes it so damn good. It makes reference to the Princess Bride, for a start, and any fic that can pull that off without turning soppy has to be pretty fantastic. It's got great sex, great characterisation, it's really well written and there's a sequel in the works. Possibly one of the top fics in this fandom, and that's high praise.

Back to Index

beizy:
Timing [Elijah/Sean Astin]
Moments of brilliance in this fic. Ages and ages ago, it was one of the very first lotrips pieces I ever read, and certainly the first Sean/Elijah. There is a measured quality to much of this fic, which fits in well with its extended time metaphor. Things shift slowly, regularly, and the change in Elijah and Sean's relationship - from the need to count every second to the measure longevity of a future relationship - is really rather lovely. And for some reason, the line that gets me the most is Sean calling Elijah 'kid'. Yes, I know, I don't understand me either.

traveller: [Website - lotrips, pirates, HP]
The King of New Orleans [Viggo/Orlando, Dom/Elijah/Billy, PG-R, AU]
...left me speechless. I was completely blown away by this; the writing, the description, the sheer breadth of the storyline. Cee doesn't put a foot wrong in her writing, this was utter perfection. AU where Viggo's a photographer, drawn into the secret underworld of Orlando and his friends.
The Small Hours [Orlando/Sean Bean]
A fic in three sections; the last section is stunning and exquisite. It's funny how moved I was by this - Orlando has nightmares dating back to the time of his accident, and his only respite is Sean. Beautiful. So Sean fucks him slowly, carefully, lets Orli's tossing head and choking whimpers guide him, hopes he's giving as much as he's taking.

Cimorene:
muertos de sed [Elijah/Daniel Radcliffe, PG]
Beautifully written piece that charters the changing nature of their relationship through the HP years. Stunning.

demelzagirl:
Under Sixteen Girls [Dom/Elijah]
Cresting on the wave of a line, this is a fic about Elijah's secret kink. Dom's teasing Elijah about his young fanbase, and makes a bet with Elijah that he won't respond to Dom pretending to be one of them. Cross dressing, pretend underage sex, mild violence, and it's great.

ingve9:
Dogpile [no link available at the moment] [Billy/Orlando, Elijah/Sean Astin]
Dogpile is what it is, and they’re content to let it be so: the privilege and prerogative of callow youth; charming, touching, even, but fundamentally immature. Gorgeous fic that deserves its reputation throughout fandom. Even though the idea of sleeping so close to someone else for the entire night is relatively alien to me (I like my own space after a bit, thank you very much) there is something about this story that makes me ache for both friends like this, and the closeness that pervads every moment of this story. A delight, and Meg is sadly missed.

kraken_wakes:
The Aphrodisiac Qualities of Ditches [Dom/Orlando]
Beautifully written, excellently captured, fantastically funny bit of NZ boy sex from Emma. Orlando looks forward to walking home from the pub with Dom; they're looking at the stars and Orlando falls in a ditch. One of my favourites.

lalejandra:
Even [Elijah/Hannah]
And Hannah is like, fuck you, you fucking fake-ass wannabe rock star, and Lij is like, fuck you too, you fucking hanger-on, and Hannah is like, I fucking hate you, and Lij is like, I hate you too, and then they have sex. - Captures the voices beautifully. Mindblowing.
Fill in the Blanks [Elijah/Hannah]
What she really misses is the knowing. He used to know her. Hannah used to know him. There were no secrets or lies, because there was no need for them. There were other people in their lives, but nothing and no one came between them. Then everything did. - Hannah paints her keyboard and thinks of what came before.
Like, Whatever [Elijah/Hannah, Hannah/Josh Hartnett, Elijah/Josh]
Hannah is so real in these stories; she's three dimensional in the space of a few paragraphs. Excellent.
Once: Blind. Now: See. [Elijah/Hannah, Elijah/Dom, Elijah/Billy, Dom/Hannah, Billy/Hannah]
The joy of lalejandra's writing is that they're all so fucked up. It's real and it's great and it's captured life in a few short paragraphs.

Lemur: [website]
Billy's Best...: Date, Kiss, Bleep, Bath, Snuggle, Break, Pull: [1], [2], [3], Devil. Impromptu Fish Party, Fight, Second Date: [1], [2], Best Friend [Billy/Orlando, incomplete]
My all-time favourite fic ever. Mind-blowingly hot sex, brilliant dialogue and thought processes - the story is told entirely from Billy's point of view and all the reader knows about Orlando is what Billy admits to knowing. This is warm and funny and hot and excrutiatingly addictive. A joy from beginning to incomplete end, although the latest chapter is by far the weakest.

minervacat:
you're great on the highway [Orlando]
Orlando drives across America, just him and his dog. Beautiful and lyrical.

pippinmctaggart:
Not Yet [Billy/OFC, incomplete]
Gorgeous, warm, lovely fic with one of the most warmly crafted original characters I've seen. It's incredibly easy to fall in love with both Billy and Grace in this. A joy.

vensre:
Panchromatic [Elijah/Sean A, poss. Billy/Dom]
Stunning piece of writing. Viggo holds a paint party, and Sean starts to paint Elijah. Beautiful.

Back to Index

annakovsky:
Everything's Not Lost. Just Most Things.
One of those fics which fits into the dark gap at the beginning of Dom's stay in LA. He's lying to Billy, and Billy's counting the truths. I love broken!Dom stories, and this is Dom falling apart in LA, and Billy coming to realise just how lost Dom is. Pre-slash, or gen perhaps. Depends on how you read it.

bibliotech:
Sleeping
Beautiful, short, and perfect from start to finish. A drabble that really packs a punch, Eve manages the virtually impossible in 100 words - she establishes a history, a relationship and love (whether accepted or not) in a really lovely and exceptionally well crafted drabble. I love this.

Cimorene:
Fantasy
Warm, gorgeous fic in which Dom's fantasies turn into reality. Lovely.

bungee:
Cups
One of those gorgeous short fics you can read over and over again and never tire of. It's one of those ever-so simple slice of life fics, a few moments from a relationship that's made all the more real because the whole fic is an argument over plastic cups, and it's lovely.

pippinmctaggart:
Autumn
I love the atmosphere in this fic. Pip captures autumn so beautifully that it's easy enough to imagine yourself out in the woods with the trees around you. It doesn't hurt that I love trees, either. And I can empathise with Dom's desperation to be out of the city and into the countryside, and the lack of satisfaction gleaned from city-tamed gardens.

puddle_took:
The Fates
Spectacularly creepy story that manages to pull off a crossover between Middle Earth and our world. Merry and Pippin have grown old and forgetful - mindful only of each other and that they don't want to be parted - and Gandalf offers them the chance to help cast Billy and Dom in LotR. Creepy and lyrical and overwhelmingly beautiful, this is a really lovely story.
Remember
Sequel to The Fates, this concentrates on Billy and Dom and the intense pull between them. Puddle uses such beautiful language and style in her writing - these pieces use a lot of bold text and rather than detracting from the story, it just adds another layer to the writing.

Back to Index

aflowerinrain
The Complete Book of Questions
Set post-season 2, this is Seth and Ryan dealing with the aftermath of the shooting, with Seth desperately trying to engage Ryan's attention. He ends up buying a copy of The Complete Book of Questions, and the fic centres around a series of questions. I love this, it's full of angst and pain and Seth and Ryan falling in love with each other. A joy.

amerella:
Greetings From Planet Seth
Set in that golden age of OC fic, after the season 1 finale. Ryan's working construction and trying to fix things between him and Theresa and him and Seth. Beautifully written.
Unwritten
Seth's 17 and he's confused and this is perhaps one of the best examples of that in fanfiction I've seen. Zach's confusing him and Summer's confusing him and Ryan's confusing him, and this is just really well written.
Ruin My Life
Sequel to Unwritten, Seth's just as confused and just as secretive. I love the ending and the whole fic is just brilliant.
The Pictures In Your Head
Early season 1 fic set after Luke's shooting. And he's thinking, I'm not going to let this happen, but he doesn't know exactly what he's not going to let happen anymore, and he thinks whatever it is might have already happened, anyway.
Always Take The Weather With You
God. Even in the fics with the happy endings you end up feeling like you've been through the emotional wringer. This is a fantastic future fic, Seth and Ryan going away to university. And Ryan doesn't seem to be speaking to Seth, and Seth finds Anna, and it's just great writing.
Be Brave, Clench Fists
Post season 2 fic, Ryan wants to hurt someone or something, and Seth wants to be let in. Painful.
You Pray For Blindness
Seth deals with the aftermath of Trey's shooting. Includes Seth/Luke. Painful and graceful all at the same time.

Amy [Website]
Do's and Donuts
It's Chrismukkah and Sandy, Kirsten and Ryan aren't feeling Seth's Chrismukkah vibe. Featuring a guest appearance by Santa. Not technically slash but with a great Seth voice.

Bound by Spells:
Lex Fucking Luthor
Cute story where Seth is caught by the parallels between Smallville's Clark and Lex, and his relationship with Ryan. Can't help but think the ending comes along a little quickly and a little too much from nowhere, however.

Candle Beck:
Salvage
Seth forgets his iPod, and calls Ryan to help through the long walk home without noise. Some gorgeous descriptions of Seth, and a genuinely lovely story.

Dira Sudis [Website- Buffy, Due South, House, Stargate and Miscellany.]
In Loco
It's strange, I start off loving this fic, and then I start to hate it half way through. By the end I don't know whether I love it or hate it, but it's not often I have such a strong reaction to anything. I do, however, want to know how Seth and Ryan ended up where they did, how things got so scummy, how things got so black. There's a good Seth voice somewhere there in the dark, and it's harsh to read.
Seth is a junkie, and Seth is a hustler. He's failed even at that, even at selling his ass for smack. He was such a fuckup of a junkie that Ryan had to get him cleaned up, or maybe such a half-assed junkie that he let Ryan get him cleaned up. Either way he's nothing now but the mostly-clean mostly-ex junkie who gives cheap blowjobs in the park and sleeps in Ryan's room.

hackthis:
Telegraph Avenue [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Entertaining, well researched college fic. Ryan and Seth are at Berkeley when Seth starts seeing Jamie - a great original character - but he doesn't tell Ryan.

lalejandra:
No, For Real This Time, The Best Chrismukkah Ever
There is no questioning the fact that she is one hell of a writer, with a real talent for capturing characters in a few lines. Sometimes I can't help but think she writes a little more harshly than I normally like - and that's what I like about her. This fic is about actions with no verbal resolution - it's longer than her normal stories and it's great. Ryan and Seth don't talk about what they do, and they're surprising Anna in Pittsburgh for Chrismukkah. I love the bowling and the imagery and the fact that this fic has flashes of perfection. [save]

Laura Smith:
Circle
Seth muses on being a geek in Newport, and how things changed when Ryan arrived.

miss_begonia:
And So It Is and part 2
Entertaining future fic. Seth's 24 and working in a bookstore, and Summer persuadeshim to fight for Ryan. I love Ryan and Seth, I really do. They're such a great pairing.
College Universe: Like This
It's Seth's birthday and Ryan is taking him out for a meal. Lots of lovely angst as Seth meditates on his friendship with Ryan, and when it began to change for him. Loads of music references which really helps set the mood, and a great Seth voice. Also a gorgeous first kiss.
College Universe: Like That
Seth's birthday from Ryan's point of view. A particularly interesting piece purely because it uses a lot of the same dialogue - most switching pov stories are content to take it in turns to move the story forwards - this is a lot less common and its really well done.
College Universe: Everybody Was...
Ficlet. Seth's taken Ryan to the Pink Flamingo, and Ryan doesn't want to make a scene. Nice interlude.
College Universe: You Make Me Wanna
Seth and Ryan return to Newport to find an empty house and some whipped cream. Seth has the opportunity to use the phrase 'en flagrante delicto', and Ryan has to sit through a birds and the bees talk from Sandy. Fun. College Universe: Whatever Happens
It's Thanksgiving and Ryan and Seth decide to come out to Kirsten and Sandy. Fun.
Action Figures
Pre-slash? Lovely piece of Seth stream of consciousness, trying to get he and Ryan back on track after the demands of the first season and then Lindsay's departure. Seth wishes Ryan were pocket sized so that Seth could have him with him all the time, watching his back.
Lucky Girl
Future ficlet. A drunk girl tries to pick up Ryan in a bar, but he'd rather go home to Seth. Nice, short, fluff.
Subtext [Seth/Zach, Ryan]
He punches his pillow and throws Captain Oats across the room. Then he goes and picks him up and puts him back on his bedside table and leaves a Cheerio there for him to eat, because he so didn’t deserve that. Seth is out of control. - If there was nothing else good about this fic, this line would make it worthy of reccing. But it is good. It's Seth confusing the subtext and wanting Ryan. One of those fics which would have been great if longer, however.
Reason to Stay [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [Ryan/Seth, Seth/Summer]
Thoroughly entertaining angst-filled future fic. I'm not sure I like Summer's role that much, but that's mostly because I adore Summer. With any well-rounded OC fic you've got to have Seth being over Summer and under Ryan, however, so it's not a criticism of the fic as such. Ryan and Seth have a history, but Seth's married and Ryan's a long way away.
Shiver
Pre-slash ficlet. Seth's been having dreams about being a rock star, and suddenly Ryan's there in his dreams.
Songs about Rainbows
Pre-slash? Ficlet. Set at the end of season two, prior to the shooting, Ryan and Seth think about Kirsten.
The Same, But Different
Pre-slash? Set early season 2, Seth is trying to learn to speak Atwood again, because Ryan's even quieter than before and Seth can't get close enough to find out why.

missdeviant and MollyTM:
Here and There and Everywhere
Utterly stunning, fantastic example of crack!fic. Written mostly in dialogue (so it had a hurdle to overcome there as well, they're not my favourite genre of fic), Seth's re-enacting the battle of Helm's Deep on Ryan's futon using only gummi bears. Brilliant.

MissPamela:
Rent
Entertaining if not particularly realistic hooker fic. Seth gets jumped and Ryan steps in to help. Hooker Ryan. Who Seth then pays to stay for a week. Like I said, entertaining, but no real substance.

MollyTM
War Profit
Seth's got a bad feeling when things start to right in his English class. Then one day a substitute teacher turns up and Seth can't keep his mouth shut. Ryan offers up the odd protective gesture. Lovely and fun and just great.

sdlucly:
And I see you
I have a feeling that if you go into this story thinking it's anything other that an AU then you can't help but feel a slight sense of disappointment about half way through. I started it thinking that it was just an alternative way of getting to the start of the series; Ryan has seen the Cohens before and never mentions it. But it's more than that, it's different to that, it's another way entirely of Ryan getting to the Cohen's house, and it's just gorgeous - especially with the shift in Ryan and Seth's friendship, and the gentle way in which they come together. Lovely.

shelbecat:
Blame the Shirt
Seth's trying to pick a shirt out for his first date with Ryan, and everything's going wrong. Lovely and with a great Seth voice.

shoshannagold:
Meltdown Averted
Normally I'm not a fan of established relationships, especially when it comes to the OC, but this is just gorgeous from start to finish. He traces a hand over Seth's jaw, and thinks about how he didn't know until now that being in love means spending your life with someone who has the same escape plans as you.

snara:
Pulling Through
There aren't many AUs in OC fic, but I've managed to find a few. This is a great example of a good story. It's the late 1930s and Seth's parents are killed in a car crash, leaving Seth in the care of an orphanage a long way from home. He meets Ryan, who befriends him, and Luke, who is out to get him, and it's got all the ingredients for a good ol' piece of fanfic. Seth doesn't know much about falling for other boys, but it seems Ryan does, and they start to get closer and want more from their friendship. It's in ten parts, and the first kiss is just beautiful. Unfortunately, Snara's is an empty journal, and there seems to be no plans for a sequel - which is a damn shame as whilst complete in itself, this fic deserves a follow-up.

Svmadelyn:
Last Paper Bag Standing
Where you are at New Years is where you'll be for the rest of the year... Seth's locked in the pool house with Ryan.

tanizard:
Eventually
Seth has an epiphany... right in the middle of having sex with Summer. A fantastic Seth voice.

thinkpink20:
I'm going to kiss you now
Heartbreaking fic which sees Seth living his life whilst Ryan lives out his. Both married, Seth is still in love with Ryan. There's a reason that she is one of my favourite writers, it's because her writing is perfect and her voices exquisite. A painful joy.
Substitutes
He doesn’t know what Seth would do, how he would help the situation, because it’s usually Ryan doing the saving, but still, he needs someone to save right now. Painful and utterly beautiful.
Notes
Ever such a cute fic which has Seth seducing Ryan through a series of notes. Lovely.
Coming Home [1] [2]
Future fic. Seth and Ryan are both seeing other people, Seth a guy, Ryan a girl, despite the fact that there's still something between them.
Hallelujah
Another future fic. Seth calls on Ryan when he's stuck in Boston. Ryan contemplates coming home. There's something about the voices in these fics, something about the writing which just makes them perfect.
The Seth and Ryan Show
Seth's stuck in bed after Ryan left him alone with a set of weights (bad Ryan) and Seth's grumpy. Lovely.
At the Supermarket
“So I think it’s testimony to our relationship that I still want to have sex with you, even though you’re so strange you made me wait in the car for 30 minutes after telling me you could handle this on your own.” - Seth's trying to buy condoms.

wearemany:
The Difference Between Breaking the Bank and Just Breaking Even and its sequel Everybody's Looking Like the Color of Money [*]
Hustler AU, and quite frankly one of the best pieces of fiction out there, in any fandom. It's certainly the best second person piece of fiction I've ever read - the tone never slips, the pronouns and description and writing are exquisite from start to finish. To quote the author's notes: nothing like an AU to make you really ponder what are immutable characteristics. so seth never had ryan to make him cool, give him confidence, help him get the girl. ryan never had anyone tell him he was allowed to be a kid a while longer. punk also really got me thinking by pointing out that in many big and small ways, The OC is itself an AU -- it's one long series of vignettes of things that happened to ryan atwood because he didn't stay in chino. i tend to think the deciding factor had less to do with geography, and more to do with sandy. - and it's true. Yes, it's a cliche - hustler fics can be found in any fandom, but I've never seen one so beautifully written and so well done.
Unlucky at Pinochle
One of the few fics that came off the back of a video of two emo boys kissing, this is a great little ficlet. Seth's been making bets and losing, and he has to kiss Ryan for two minutes, whilst someone videos them. Great. Hot.

wistful_fever:
Cowardly Acts [2] [3a] [3b] [4]
Angst and first time falling in love - just what I needed. Slightly out of character in that some of their actions and dialogue doesn't entirely ring true, but this really doesn't matter because the story is great. Full of angst and desperation as Seth comes to realise what his feelings for Ryan are all about. Re-ignited my love of good OC fic.

Back to Index

Annie Sewell-Jennings:
A Lesson in Principles and its sequels (linked from the first chapter)
I love season 4 era Spike and Xander. It's all about the similarities, the loneliness, the basement and the snark. This is one of the best examples, an entertaining shift from hatred to love with confusion and sex in between. I've read this before, and I love it.

China_Shop:
This Year's Vamp
Body swap fic - Xander wakes up a vampire. Bloodplay, and it's fantastic.

Dira Sudis:
At a Glance
Sometime down the line, and Xander's looking older than Spike. Graceful.

Eliade:
A Week of Wrong
Xander's week takes a strange turn when he finds himself kissing Spike. Although the whole relationship moves perhaps too fast, that can be overlooked because this is confused and funny and has a lovely ending.
Throwing Shapes
All the cliches in the book, and it's well worth it. Xander and Spike end up in an alleyway with no memory of who they are or where they came from, except that they're finding each other attractive. Amnesia fic with hot sex and really entertaining voices. Fun.
Emerging
One of the most beautiful fics ever. Future fic set in London, this is Xander seducing Spike so quietly that Spike really has no idea. Pre-slash, really, but so lovely and quiet and warm I just love it. [*]
Involuntary Bodies
I like this, just the premise is great. Set at the end of season 5, post-Glory, Buffy, Giles, Willow and Angel are taken by the powers, leaving Xander, Spike, Dawn and a mad Tara to cope. Xander grows weary and Spike helps and it's really rather nice, except that the ending is really very abrupt and smacks of the author being sick of the writing process.

Shrift:
Loserville
Welcome to Loserville, population 2. Spike and Xander get it on. Good, well written, entertaining Spike/Xander fic.
Never-Ever Land
Drusilla sends Spike a package, and Xander happens to be there when Spike opens it. Sex in an alleyway ensues.

Webrain:
Night Watch
I thought I was over the pwp stage, but this piece brought me out of retirement. Hot, sexy and s4 Buffy. Can't beat it.

WesleysGirl:
Seeing Distant Things As If They Were Close
I was surprised to like this, but it's a really good example of the hurt/comfort genre. Set post-Xander's accident in series 7, Buffy asks Spike to stay with Xander to look after him. It's a slice of life for them both, with the author specifying that there will be no sequel. It's well written and slow, it doesn't take advantage of Xander's recuperation and the storyline works well.

Witling:
Little Shadow
I ummed and ahhed over whether to rec this or not, but I went with my better instincts, because this is bloody original. Set post-apolcalypse, Xander is probably the only human left, and he flickers between suicidal and desperate as he gets Spike off. Original, and with some great lines.
Land of the Lost
Particularly interesting and original AU in which Spike and Xander end up trapped in another world, one where Xander can't breathe properly because of the air, and Spike is turning feral and powerful. Fascinating.

Back to Index

Brenda Antrim:
Evil [Angel/Lindsey]
Lovely long story, set around Lindsey's evil hand transplant and includes him being licked by Angel.

Cody Nelson:
U Turn [Lindsey/Angel]
As Lindsey leaves LA, he asks Angel if he can kiss him. I tried this story a few times and didn't enjoy the beginning, but I saw it recced everywhere and thought I'd better give it another go. The beginning is weak, and there is some awkward formatting (text only, I remember it well from the yahoogroups days of old), and the characterisation really isn't perfect. Still, there's something about it. It's entertaining, and it's a nice story. Wolfram and Heart see Lindsey as a threat to Angel's soul, and therefore do all they can to ensure that he stays with Angel. I don't buy the bdsm aspect of the story - which isn't explicit all the time if you don't like that sort of thing - because I don't think the motivation is done well enough. That aside, this is a good little story - written at the height of the Angel fandom with a nice sideline in solving the curse issue without actually mentioning how at all. And I love a good Lindsey story.

Debchan:
Deliverance [Connor/Wesley]
Dark and painful fic about Wesley, post-season 3. Connor turns up at his door.

doyle_sb4:
Light of the World [Lindsey/Wesley, AU]
A what-if fic from Lindsey's point of view. What if Fred had never been able to alert the others to the reality of Jasmine? Lindsey's playing guitar in small-town-USA, when he feels the need to go and worship Jasmine close-up. Overshadowed by the cultish-nature of the feverish devotion to Jasmine, the relationship between Lindsey and Wesley is subtley played out as they slowly lose themselves in Jasmine.

Jennifer Oksana:
The Complication of Memory [Lilah/Wesley. Crossover with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]
Beautifully written piece of fiction about Wesley erasing his memories of Lilah, six years afterwards. Exquisite in tone.

Nestra and Shrift:
Say Bibliotheque Again, Baby [Gunn/Wesley]
Wesley talks dirty to Gunn. Includes gratuitous references to dewey decimal systems and stroking of book spines. Shortish, basically a pwp (which I don't tend to read anymore) but as it was so beautifully library-set, I couldn't help but rec it.

rageprufrock:
Sincerely [Angel/Cordelia, Gunn/Wesley, Fred]
Really very beautiful story which captures Angel and the others post-series. It concentrates on the main characters, with nodding references to Harmony, Spike and Eve. Fred links everybody together; Angel and Cordelia are conversing across the ether via email, and Gunn and Wesley are falling in love with each other. Lovely.

Shrift:
A Triangle in Nature [Lindsey/Wesley]
Lindsey - like all those who have been given a second chance by Angel - arrives back in LA to see if the rumours are true about his death. He finds Wesley in a bar. Great, but I would have liked this to be the beginning of something more.

wesleysgirl:
Unwanted Gifts, Disjunction, Different Sight [Angel/Wesley]
I wanted more anger in this fic, less forgiveness on both sides. Set post season-3 but before season 4 aired, this is the reconciliation of Angel and Wesley via Wesley inheriting Cordelia's visions.

Yahtzee:
Sea Change, part 2 [Angel/Lindsey]
Lindsey's taking a trip on a freight ship, and is shocked when he sees Angel on deck. He starts off playing Angel, and then things change. Lovely characterisation and development.

Back to Index

Eliade:
One Night [Lindsey/Xander]
I love this. Xander's confused, cue Lindsey's "What are you, an idiot? I've been making meaningful eye contact for a month now. We went to dinner together. I played my guitar for you. What the hell did you think was going on?" It's got great voices and brilliant sex and funny, spot-on descriptions, and considering it's not very long, it really packs a punch. Fab.

Lar:
Rainmakers, [2] Southwest of Nowhere, [Interlude] Silence like Water, [3] Spindrift [Lindsey/Riley]
Whilst Riley never interested me that much when he was in Buffy, his closing storyline with his vampire bite addiction paved the way for more than one angsty, broken post-Buffy Riley fic. Add in a scarred Lindsey and two like minds in Cowboy country, and you've got a lovely fic.

Perri Smith:
Techsupport@demon.com [gen]
Told entirely in emails, Angel Investigations joins forces with the Scoobies to stop a demon attack. Interesting premise makes for an interesting story.

rubywisp:
Letting Go Series: Letting Go, Flow, I Don't Like Mondays, Click, This, Boys Night Out, Grief Comes In The Mourning [Lindsey/Xander]
I love Lindsey fics, I really do, and this is great.
Crystal City [Lindsey/Xander]
Xander needs some time away from the scoobies after the destruction of Sunnydale.

Yahtzee:
The Quality of Mercy [Angel/Riley]
Riley's broken, and Angel's broken, and then Angel rescues Riley from Drusilla. Lovely.

Back to Index

jenoofer:
The Dirt And Dust of Countless Ages
Series 7 through Xander's eyes (and later, eye) - Xander starts to keep an eye on Andrew when no one else seems to notice him. Sweet, nice fic chronicling Xander's changing feelings.

kraken_wakes:
Patience
One thing about reading Emma's earlier stuff is that you can see how much her writing style has changed over the years. Over time she's got better and better and better (and considering her earlier stuff is still good enough to make my rec list, suggests her current skill is incredible), so whilst some of the conversation in this doesn't flow as well as her newer stuff, this is a lovely piece of AU-ey goodness. What if Andrew had been part of the Scooby gang all along? S2.

Victoria P:
Film Theory
Good precisely because it isn't. Xander doesn't hear what Andrew is saying, and Andrew is geeky and stronger than we imagined.

Whiskey Meteor:
All Tied Up
Whilst the writing in this is sometimes off, this is a sweet story with really good dialogue - especially Anya and Andrew. Like I said, the writing is a little rough at times, but the story at its core is really nice.

Back to Index

Amand-r:
The Great Cereal MasterMind [Andrew]
Don't let the fact this is on ff.net put you off. This is a great character study, a really nice little fic about Andrew's mindset during series seven. He's in charge of the cereal, and he takes it very seriously. A gem, really.

doyle_sb4:
Zen and the Art of Joe McMeaty's [Riley/Xander]
I have to admit it, I love Riley fics. I don't know where the love came from because I certainly wasn't a huge fan of the character, but with time - like a fine wine - my tastes have matured to the extent that I really rather like him. This is a bit of pre-slash; a conversation between Riley and Xander that held the promise of being so much more. Never continued (a fact that continues to traumatise me), this is lovely, capturing Riley's voice perfectly when he talks about his early relationship with Buffy, and it's spot-on Xander as well, trapped in a life when a free mcmeaty burger is the highlight of his working shift.

kindkit:
Unaccommodated Man [Giles/Oz]
Much as I would like this pairing to work, it's very difficult to find fics which really and truly explore the relationship between two such different people. This fic doesn't really answer my problems, but it's an interesting idea - Oz bites Giles, and the two of them come together over their shared werewolf status. It's a well written fic but it misses out on the exploration I'm desperate to find with this pairing.
The Official "Willow's Ex-Boyfriends" Club, Membership 2
Oh, I like this. It's set mid season 4, I think, because Willow's just started dating girls. Xander thinks he might turn people gay. Sweet and quiet and actually really well characterised.

Lar:
Bruised [2] [3] [4] [Angelus/Xander]
Whilst I can't help but say this is somewhat unbelievable, it's also unbelievably hot. Angelus corners Xander; events occur. Bruising occurs. Xander comes back for more. Angelus isn't evil enough in this, nonetheless it's very good.

musesfool:
The Night Is Young and There Are Umbrellas In Our Drinks [Xander/Oz/Willow]
Whilst I don't exactly buy the jump from friends to lovers, you have to admit that the idea of Xander, Oz and Willow is pretty hot. And I really like the description of the shift for Xander and Oz, and Oz being monosyllabic. Not my best review, but a good fic nonetheless.

RealMitzvah:
[*NEW] Stay a Spell [Giles/Xander]
Pre-slash. First in a series of three. Nicely written, nicely characterised with an interested (if expected) insight into Xander's homelife. I like Giles trying to find a niche in post s5 Buffy.
[*NEW] Hands Clean [Giles/Xander]
Sequel to Stay a Spell. Xander finds he can't stop thinking about Giles' hands. Nice story.
[*NEW] Hands on DIY [Giles/Xander]
Sequel to Stay a Spell and Hands Clean. Possibly the weakest of the trilogy, as the last half is devoted to Giles and Xander having sex. Really nice trilogy with a nice herat though.

stoptocheer:
In a Blue Moon [Giles/Xander]
Set at some point between series 4 and series 5, the girls depart for a weekend of female bonding, leaving Giles and Xander in charge of the hellmouth. Giles wants to catalogue some demon activity, and via a beautifully obvious plot twist, Giles and Xander end up in bed. Funny, entertaining ficlet.

Back to Index

hackthis:
Pugilist
There's something very endearing about the Ron/Draco pairing, mostly because the author usually has to really strive to make it work. Which makes it all the better, therefore, when something like this comes along, when you see how and where and when and why it happens. Short, great, and with a last paragraph that leaves you wondering quite what was going on in the rest of the fic.

Back to Index

Amanuensis:
Fifty-three Stories About Snape and Black
Hilarious attempt to answer all fifty-three prompts on an Intimate Enemies Snape and Black FQF. Laugh out loud funny.
And Just Plain Wrong [Harry/Snape, Harry/Lucius, Harry/Draco]
Utterly fucked up piece about how low Hogwarts has fallen after Voldemort won.

Bec:
Easily [Ron/Seamus, Dean/Seamus, Dean/Julian, Harry/Ron]
Oh, I love the smaller pairings and the occasional gems you find in amongst the more typical pairings. This is just one of those fics, described by the author as a backwards romance, which is apt. It's well written and undeniably teenage, and just lovely.

Helenish:
Close Enough [Harry/Ron]
"There is fucking nothing I wouldn't do for you," he said. "In this world or the next. I'm trying to make you happy, I—" - I'm not a huge Harry/Ron fan, but if it's done well then occasionally I fall for its charms. This is set post war, and it's a world where the characters are getting on with their lives, but they're all a bit broken, and Harry is especially fucked up. There are a few lines in this which don't quite work, punctuation-wise, but it's a beautiful and adult story of people trying to establish just what relationships are.

Kyra Cullinan:
Like a Good Book [Ginny/Hermione]
Excellent, because this is really bad, wrong sex. Told from a second person viewpoint, it tells of Ginny and Hermione having sex for the first time, about how sex is supposed to bring you closer but sometimes just takes you further apart; about how sex can bring intimacy to a relationship but sometimes just makes you feel like strangers sharing a moment of space and time.

Mairead Triste and Aristide
A Choriambic Progression [Harry/Snape]
I'll say this again, just for entertainment's sake. I don't like Harry/Snape stories. Usually. There's something about abuse of power stories that really turn me off, actually, but this story really succeeds where others don't. It's incredibly long, for a start, and avoids the issue of teacher/student relationships by taking Harry and Snape out of Hogwarts and having to survive entirely on their own. That's not to say that the issue of the age gap doesn't come up - it does and it's handled very well. Harry is older than his years, yet only just going through puberty. Snape is bitter and miserable and a little desperate. It's very well written, even though it does buy into the cliche that Harry is the most powerful wizard of his generation, which doesn't tend to sit well with me. It also slides sideways into the more typical fantasy genre rather than staying entirely in the Potter-Verse. Nonetheless, this is engaging, very well written and just great.

Predatrix and Fuschia:
Occasional Table [Harry/Snape]
I'm not usually one for Harry/Snape fics, because I just don't see the pairing at all, but I'll make an exception for this one. It's bloody original; Snape won't let McGonagall do magic that he can't do, so he looks into becoming an animagus. Things don't go the way he planned however, and Snape finds himself changing into a series of inanimate objects. It's also very well written, if pushing at my HP boundaries a little. I really don't tend to like Snape fics, I really don't.

Resonant:
Four and a Half Minutes [Harry/Ron]
Oh, just lovely. And it gets better every time I read it. It's so simple, just a ficlet about a potion that goes wrong and ends up with Harry in the hospital wing needing to be touched. I don't know why I love this fic so much, but it's probably got a lot to do with the perfect characterisations, the gentle descriptions of touch from the most unlikely of people, and the fact that the whole thing is beautifully understated. A gem. [*]
Home [Harry/Ron]
Sometimes Harry thinks it's the Burrow itself that he loves. - Warm, lovely, and undeniably comforting. Harry arrives at the Burrow, and wonders what it is he loves about being there.

Rhoddlet:
Aphasia [Harry/Ron]
What I particularly like about this story is just how good it is. Because I've worked with people with aphasia, it's very accurate in its portrayal of Ron as an aphasic amnesiac. It sounds ridiculous, but it's not. Ron can remember how to play chess and he can remember how to fly, but he can't remember that he's poor and he can't remember how to find the words he needs all the time.
Waterworld [Harry/Ron]
Being in love with your best friend is excruciating; you can't imagine what it would be like if he loved you back. Painful and accurate and probably very like Harry.

shrift:
Confrontation in Greenhouse Two [Draco/Neville]
There's something very addictive about this pairing. Something about the quality of the good fics that makes it stand out. Because no, this pairing can't work with the canon we're given in the books. So the author has to either throw in a heavy dose of angst or something about the two of them that we're not aware of. Here Shrift throws in the latter. Neville remembers Draco from St Mungos. Draco finally sees that Neville isn't the person he was before the end of their fifth year. Lovely.

switchknife:
A Journey in Ten Lies [Bill/Remus]
It is a heaviness that feels a lot like grief, a lot like anger, because he never wanted this, he never wanted Bill, but that's what he has, that's all he has, and he made this mistake, and now they'll both pay for it, and he wants to tell Bill, just like he had that first time in the kitchen, Get out, get out, but he can't, so he doesn't, and leans down to kiss the sweat off Bill's mouth instead. - Switchknife has such a way with words, she makes them twist and turn in your gut. Warnings for character death.

V:
Quiproquo [Marcus/Oliver]
Oh, beautifully written piece about misunderstanding of loyalties and the inevitability of betrayal if you have to fight on different sides.
True but not Nice [Marcus/Oliver]
Good because of the obvious problems of being at school and having the house divide, and the discrepancies between what you're supposed to feel and what you actually do feel.

zionsstarfish:
Indelible Ink [Draco/Neville]
Completely not what I expected. This is a Draco who doesn't want to eliminate the past, only build on it. He doesn't even remember who Neville was at school. He arrives at Neville's tattoo parlour wanting to incorporate the dark mark into something new. Beautiful.

Back to Index

Canis M.:
One Toke
Kings Cross, half an hour before the Hogwarts Express is about to leave, and Sirius and James are waiting for the respective other halves. Fun, warm Marauders fic.

KaybeyK:
The Dating Disasters of Sirius Black
If there were words for how much I love this fic... hang on, I'm supposed to be finding the words. This is the kind of marauders fic that a lot of people are trying to write now; it's a similar era to Shoebox Project and the characterisation is similar. Peter is likeable yet bearing a striking resemblance to the shell of his former self we meet in the books - so are Remus and Sirius and James. Sirius is impetuous and the boys adore each other and yet are naughty and fight all the time and do pranks and talk about girls. What's great about this fic (other than the brilliant writing and the adorable relationship) is that it's so undeniably teenage. They lie about their exploits and pretend they've slept with loads of people, and indulge in stupid boy-related thinking about how to get a girl to go out with them. This fic is so much fun, yet at it's heart it's serious and grown up and like all good marauders fic, a tragic echo of what comes later. [*]

loneraven:
Hunter's Moon
Talk about the echoes of tragedy echoing through a piece; this is stunning, beautiful and painful - not because of what it is, but because of what it inevitably precedes. Set mid-war, shortly after Harry's birth, Sirius is coming to terms with how he feels about Remus, and the others are just trying to struggle through. She considered for a moment. “Maybe the war will be over,” she continued. “Maybe you’ll be at Hogwarts, doing your OWLs. Maybe Sirius will have finally got rid of that stupid motorbike.” She laughed guiltily. “Maybe not. Maybe he’ll have realised the love of his life is right in front of his eyes. Maybe you’ll have a girlfriend… yeah, and I’ll get to embarrass you. Maybe you’ll decide you hate Quidditch and want to take up ballroom dancing.” She found herself smiling at what James would say to that, and went on, “Maybe we’ll all live happily ever after.” [pre-slash]

musesfool:
A Wolf in Girl's Underwear
Peter reckons he knows how to unhook a bra, and James is up for stealing Lily's, (if he can only enlist the help of a willing house-elf) and Sirius is up for learning, which basically means that Remus is left being the girl when they all want a go at undoing it. Lovely kiss.

rageprufrock:
Levity Part of a series comprising [Magic Words] [Vector] [Levity] and [And Still.]
It was all he had promised and the only thing he could give, because Sirius was unpredictable like the weather and Remus was stubborn like a rock. -Gorgeous if occasionally heavily americanised piece. Remus and Sirius are living together, and Sirius is going through a few changes - straight to gay - and Remus gets drunk. Shifts in time and place and is beautifully lyrical at times. I like it because it's one of the only pieces I've read where Remus says no - not because he's scared or unsure, but because it's ok to be friends with a Sirius who's occasionally cruel and heartless and selfish, but he can't be more than that. Gorgeous.

Back to Index

Abby [Fic, abbycadabra]:
Paris
Beautifully written, angst-filled end of the world-type fic. What if Voldemort's death wasn't the end of things, but only the beginning? What if the Death Eaters didn't stop coming, and all that was left of the other side were a few desperate people, running and hiding and knowing that it was only a matter of time? [Character death]
And Malfoy was all that he had left in this world, a world that was crumbling and falling away by the wayside.

achiasa:
Waiting For Darkness
Cute short fic where Harry finds a white ferret and takes him home as a pet. Slightly dubious as Harry clearly falls for Draco whilst he's still in ferret form, but still... cute.

Aja:
Present
Three christmases, three different stages in Harry and Draco's relationship. Cute and sweet if not particularly in character.

Angelgazing:
And We Are At Our Apogee
There are a lot of things Harry says now that he never did before; Mother fucker and Christ, I love your hands and God fucking damn it and pass the coffee and good morning and Draco. - Harry doesn't remember, and Draco's terrified he might. Draco wanted revenge, but is it his revenge, or Harry's? Beautiful and sad and painful.

carylic:
99 Things
Drabble, but like no other. There probably isn't a genre for list fics, and this is so undeniably original that it deserves recognition. Plus, it conveys an awful lot in a very short space of time.

Cassandra Claire [thegraybook]:
Something Impossible
For a multitude of reasons I wasn't going to rec any Cassie Claire, but it came to my attention that I actually enjoy this story, so decided to put aside my previous soap box and just hide it somewhere. This is crack!fic, with a blissfully unaware and funny Draco, a desperate-for-Draco Harry and a Crabbe and Goyle who enjoy reading books in the original French and doing the crossword. Thoroughly entertaining.

Duinn Fionn [geoviki]:
A Thousand Beautiful Things
Deservedly a fandom classic, this is Harry and Draco heading towards its best. True, it hasn't got the beautiful snarkiness of Maya's Draco, nor the obsessive backbiting that thwarts the canon relationship. It has its weak points - the opening, perhaps, and the fanon au revoir from Hogwarts which isn't really backed up by the text, and some glaring americanisms. Overall though, this is brilliant stuff. It's got a lovely storyline - the pull of roots and wings, if you like, and selfishness and selflessness and where the line actually ends. It's simple enough that the relationship works particularly well, and deep enough that you really are interested in the lives of all the secondary characters - even though I don't necessarily agree with that characterisation. It also has a sympathetically canon-like Snape, which is hard to find in fic. The quality of Geoviki's work is that the writing is such that even if we don't agree over canon interpretation, I can't help but love this fic.

ivyblossom
Sodomite [Harry/Cho/Draco]
I really like this. It's unbetaed and at points obviously so, but the characterisation is great. Set post-war, Harry and Cho are having sex. She invites Malfoy to join them. I don't like the description of London and where Cho lives, but that's my only gripe. I love the intricacies of threesomes, the nature of the relationship, and this is really interesting.

ladyvader:
Friend Like Me
Haunting but slightly cliched in parts. Second person fics done well are few and far between, and this is a great example of the genre. There is never a moment of confusion as to the voice or the designated you/he. This is Draco considering a what-if, what if Harry had accepted the hand of friendship and the hat's choice of Slytherin? There are cliches, however, with sex charms and boys crying, and I'm never sure if I believe the 'Hogwarts shag around' thesis that pervades so many fics. Anyway, this is excellent writing, despite a couple of ill-chosen phrases, and an excellent example of second person done very well indeed.

lunarennui:
Decemberween
Entertaining crack!fic with Draco and Harry both desperate to escape their own romantic entanglements (with the Giant Squid, Dobby, Ginny and Millicent Bulstrode) and having to marry to do that. With guest appearances from Dumbledore and Snape, this is funny and stupid.

Mad Martha:
The Lodger
Whilst this may have some flaws (americanisms, its preoccupation with guns, some overly-simple characterisation) this is great comfort fic. Hurt/Comfort, actually, as Harry is depressed and so is Draco. It's a lot about friendship, this fic, and a lot about home, and whilst not incredibly written it is enjoyable.

Maya [sarahtales]:
Dancing Queen
Maya has the ability to tap right into what I find funny. I love this, it's great and funny and it has the little details which snap the fic right into your reality. Harry maintains he's straight, even when Dudley (clad in skin-tight leather trousers) drags him to a local gay bar. Harry's stuck drinking bacardi breezers and trying not to find Draco pretty, even though Draco's drugged up and desperate to do a rendition of Abba on stage. Fab. Hilarious.
Underwater Light
It took me the best part of two days at work to read this all the way through again, and I was dedicated to the task (as if there was something better to be doing, huh?). And I still love it just as much as I ever did. The second Triwizard Tournament is upon Hogwarts, and its fallen to Harry to be the Hogwarts champion for the second time. Instead of finding Ron or Hermione at the bottom of the lake, however, he finds Draco, and so starts a snarky, stubborn, funny, beautifully written friendship between two sworn enemies. The storyline is long (very long) and involved, and whilst it flags a little in places, never to the extent that I was bored. I'd say the weakest part would be the opening chapter, when Harry is depressed and Maya doesn't get as much humour in. Because this is funny, and beside that, it's actually pretty fantastically characterised, apart from Sirius, who isn't that endearing. Draco is a gem, a beautifully written, bratty, snobby alabastor idol (Maya's words, not mine!) whilst Harry is charmingly self-involved. The Slytherins act exactly like Slytherins and exactly contrary to the books, and that's the power of this story. And the love story, the relationship between Draco and Harry is utterly stunning. Delicious.
Your Every Wish
Dark, dark Harry/Draco fic. It's funny that Maya can do comedy and serious darkness so well. She covers the spectrum so broadly! This is dark, probably with a capital 'd'. Taking down Voldemort means taking down Draco as well, and Harry can't help but take advantage as the years pass. Poor Harry, he's consumed by Draco, and Draco's got no chance.

Resonant:
Transfigurations
A fandom classic, and rightly so. Deliciously long, incredibly and wonderfully complicated, with an intricate storyline and a cast of characters with spot-on voices. Yeah, so some of what happens in Transfigurations doesn't fit with the storylines of the later books, but the joy of this story is that you almost wish that this was how it all ended up. And there are echoes of JK Rowling here too, with the battle of Hogwarts. Draco isn't rendered black or white, he's still shades of gray even though he's all good. Harry is still dealing with the aftermath of the last battle with Voldemort and he's far too quick to judge and even quicker to blame. The storyline with the wards and the mines is really fantastic, and I'm afraid to say that some of the detail passed me by - I came out of reading this wanting to know more about her reasoning and her basis for her storyline. A joy from beginning to end.

sadieko:
Protective Bonds [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [end]
I'm not reccing this because it's particularly well written - in fact, there are occasional errors, americanisms, wrong words, irritating ways of denoting thoughts and an overly simplistic style at times. Neither is the storyline particularly clever, nor the characters particularly well sketched. It is, however, a great piece of comfort-fic. Hermione comes across an old protection spell, and they decide to try it out on Draco, with unforeseen bonding consequences.

switchknife:
Hate [character death]
Hate was the only thing that kept Draco alive. He knew its contours so well--he knew it almost as though he held it in his hands, a sharp, bright, small flower, burning like acid and eating his skin away. Fucking stunning from start to finish, this is one of those fics which could actually happen, if circumstances in the HP verse let it. Harry and Draco are so caught up in their hatred for each other that nothing else seems to matter. Incredibly dark, wonderfully lyrical and beautifully written.

Trin:
Les Oiseaux
I don't know how to describe this story - to call it surreal would be to describe the wrong mood. Basically, everyone's dying, and it's less a story about Draco and Harry than a really rather beautiful game with words.

zionsstarfish:
Open Doors
Draco will try to explain about the seizures, and his life, and the cat, when Harry asks. And Harry will ask. I love this. The first time I read it, I couldn't see what the fuss was about, and it took me a couple of re-reads to capture the magic of this. It's set post-war, and Draco's all alone when a green-eyed scarred cat turns up on his doorstep. The shift in tenses throughout doesn't quite read as smoothly as I would like, but this is gorgeous from beginning to end.
Verge
Draco is dressed in black, despite the lingering heat of the day. Harry thinks that Draco is perpetually cold. Sometimes he likes to think that he could be the one to strike a match against Draco’s hip, or plunge his hands into Draco’s chest to lend him heat. But Harry isn’t sure he has much of his own warmth to share anymore. Understated, simple and beautiful, Draco buys Harry a cake for his birthday, and tries to persuade him to stop missing out on living.
A Name For It On Horses
Absolutely perfect comfort fic. At the same time this fic seems to turn a lot of fandom standards on its head; Draco has a steady job at Gringotts, Harry flits from job to job and - get this - no explanation is given and none is needed. Draco's attention is brought to a promise he made Harry some time before the opening of the story, and he fulfils it at Harry's request. Lovely. [save]

Back to Index

cursescar:
Game On [Draco/Hermione]
Each one of the commenters on this fic is exactly the same. I can't believe you got me to read that, and woah, that was hot. Paraphrased, of course, but I echo the sentiment. This is powerplay at its most potent, a fiesty, strong relationship with neither of them wanting to lose.

Hannelore [Website; _hannelore]
A Thousand Wishes [Neville]
- One of my favourite pieces of fanfic of all time, this is a beautifully written piece which finds Neville desperately trying to fold a thousand paper cranes sp that his wish will come true.

Magdellin:
Puppy Girl [Percy/Pansy]
Lots of kink. Read the warnings.

Maya [sarahtales]:
Draco Malfoy, Ruler of the Universe [Draco]
Bloody hilarious fic where Draco realises he was the subject of the prophecy, not Harry. Draco is fantastic, his voice perfect and stinkingly funny, the Slytherins fantastic and Harry desperately trying to keep a hand on his sanity. Includes Harry's classic line I'm at one with the universe, you fucker! whilst indulging in a little Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

thetreacletart:
Dense Takes a Holiday [Percy/Tonks]
No, I never thought it either. But this is brilliant, really enjoyable stuff. Tonks turns up in Percy's office one terrible no-good day, to inform him that he's been framed by the ministry. Cue quick smart removal to the honeymoon suite on a holiday island. Lovely.

Back to Index

Dale Edmonds:
Parallel Connections Over Symmetric Spaces [Charlie/Don]
I've never seen an episode of this programme. I've never even heard anything about it, but on the basis of two incredible recs I settled down to read this fic, and read a paragraph on the official website about what the programme was all about. And frankly, it's one of the best fics I've ever, ever read. It's beautifully written, - scrap that, exquisitely written - and it's so long, so fantastic. Honestly, I'm just lobbing adjectives at it. I'll go simple. It's incest, but don't let that put you off. It's an adult, grown up relationship between two (very well-drawn) characters. It's got maths, and lots of it. It's got pain, angst, desperation, sex and I can't even think of a descriptor good enough to outline just how good this fic is. It's a love story, essentially, and it isn't just sex for the sake of sex between two good looking actors, because frankly I don't know what they look like or even if they're good looking or not. It's just really well written and I don't even have the words to say how well written, and what a great experience reading this was. [*]

Dira Sudis:
What Happens in Vegas [Charlie/Don]
One of the problems in reading what must be the best fic in the fandom first (Parallel Connections) is that whatever follows - even if it is particularly good - is necessarily going to pale in comparison. Intelligent fics that aren't just about the sexual element of incestuous relationships are few and far between, and this fic treads the line between pwp and fic-with-a-storyline. Charlie's drunk in a bar in Vegas, and Don employs the 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas mantra'. Well written, hot, and clever - it's not quite Parallel Connections but it's a great fic nonetheless.
Something Stupid [Charlie/Don]
He knows Charlie needs to talk, even if it's in multiplication. - Short fic demonstrating the type of relationship Charlie and Don have before it turns into something else. Great.

julad:
How Not To Be Brothers [Charlie/Don; incest]
"When I get like that, Don, I'm not thinking. I write pages of formulae based on the wrong axioms. I don't check if the pieces are going to fit together. I lose sight of the problem. I forget the reason I started working on it in the first place."

Alanna, Starfish and Kass:
Parental Guidance [Fraser/Kowalski]
There are so many reasons why I love this fic. Firstly, it's fun. It's got Fraser and Ray dating when they don't even realise it. It has a starring role for Ray's parents, who are brilliant at engineering a role for Fraser in their family when neither Fraser nor Ray realise his parents believe they're dating. It is also warm - Ray comes to terms with his own feelings after Fraser makes an offhand comment, and they're nervous and unsure, and it's really well done. My one gripe is that they jump from realisation to bed too darn quickly, but it's done so well it's really only a little problem. Such a feel-good story.

Ardent:
First
If it hadn't been for the mug of tea cooling on the side table and the relaxed and tingly feeling in Ray's groin -- not to mention the newspaper stuck to his ass -- it might have all been a dream. A sticky, minty dream. With giraffes. Lovely, angst-free, sweet-without-being-saccharine fic about Ray and Fraser's burgeoning relationship. Apart from the almost-sappy last line, this was just plain lovely.

Beth H:
Unplanned
Oh, sometimes this is just the kind of fic that I love to read. Ray accidentally forgets himself and kisses Fraser in public. Which leads to some interesting revelations for Ray and then for Ray and Fraser.

estrella30:
Stay
Short and sweet. Set post the series finale, Ray's contemplating coming home. Fraser asks him to stay.
Springfield
Phone sex and first time sex, and Ray's 200 miles away and he keeps phoning Fraser. Nice.

etben:
[*NEW] Freaky Tuesday
Bodyswap. Really nicely characterised and Ray's experience in Fraser's body is really well done. And there's sex.

Kat Allison:
Executor
Death fic, of the best kind. This is the lieutenant going through Ray and Fraser's paperwork after their death, and realising that there was much more to their relationship than met the eye. Tugs at the heartstrings yet remains in character throughout, and is all the better for it.
Roots Rain
Introspective piece about Fraser. Nice, quiet, intellectual, painful.

kindkit:
An Incident Along a Poorly Guarded Border
I liked this. Stuck in the middle of a blizzard, hypothermia kicks in and Ray and Fraser have to make the decision whether to live or die.

lalejandra and serialkarma:
D R A W N
What Ray really wants to do, though, is to write all over Fraser. He wants to take a black felt-tip pen and scribble up the inside of his pale arms and in the hollows at the backs of his knees. He'd be tempted to draw wings over Fraser's shoulder blades but that would probably be a little obvious. Not to mention he can't really draw.
If I could say everything I wanted to say about this fic, it would be longer than the whole damn fic. This is... perfect. My not-so-secret kink involves writing on skin, and because of that this is perhaps one of the best, hottest things I've ever read. And it's only a PG. It's beautifully written, exquisite even, and I love it. [*]

lalejandra:
Surviving
Long and ever-so slightly too-complicated story about Vecchio dying only not-dying and being set-up and Kowalski missing Fraser, and Fraser having left him and Kowalski smoking too much and dying and not-dying. Lalejandra's writing is as sophisticated as ever and I think my slight confusion may possibly have stemmed from never seeing an episode of Due South post-actual-Vecchio. Or something.

Laura J. Valentine:
Baresark
This piece has a really wonderful voice, and I reckon that with each re-read you'd pick up something different from it. It's from Ray's point of view, and I think it picks up something really quite special about him and his understanding of his relationship with Fraser, and Fraser himself. Really rather special.

lyra_sena:
(Insert Your Own Title Here)
Entertaining multimedia-type AU fic in which Fraser, Vecchio and Kowalski are all at school together.
A Reverse Country Song, in D Minor
Established relationship ficlet, which is actually a lot better than it sounds, considering I'm not a fan of established relationships all that much. Ray's pissed off and he misses working with Fraser on an everyday basis, even though he has Fraser every day at home. The argumenet between the two of them is great, really quite realistic since you don't get bickering and stress-related arguments in fic all that often.

Mia:
Fall
Something's wrong with Fraser, but Ray has no idea its him.

Nemi:
Iqaqpaa
Ray wakes up in the hospital and he can't remember anything. There are always plenty of amnesia fics in any fandom, and this is a good one. Ray can't read the look on Fraser's face. My only significant problem is that the ending sucks. It just stops. So much left unsaid.

Pearl O:
The Outline of a Circle
Nice piece about Fraser returning to Chicago for Vecchio and Stella's wedding, and resolving to do something about his own relationship with Ray. Too short, however, it stops just when it should have been getting started.

Resonant:
Reference [Fraser/Kowalski]
Guaranteed to make me smile, it's a fic entirely about libraries. Ray tells Fraser that he doesn't like them, and then explains why. Fraser does his best to change Ray's mind. There's always something good about a fic that makes you yearn to be there, right there, and anything to do with books is likely to do that for me.
Adorned [Fraser/Kowalski]
I love the mood in this fic - it's relatively gentle and slow, a shift from Ray being worried about Fraser never needing him or wanting him and Ray being scared for the future to something more subtle, more secure and safe and warm. Lovely.
American Way
The top quality writing that I've come to expect from Resonant. Ray and Fraser are stumbling across an anti-Canadian feeling amongst their suspects, and this can only mean one thing - Fraser has to stop being Canadian and start being American. Some funny, wry acknowledgements of Americanism and some incredibly hot sex means that this is well worth a read.
The Teeth of the Hydra and the short sequel Display
This is probably one of my favourite Due South stories. It combines two story arcs, Ray's relationship with Stella as a teenager and then as an adult, and parallels this with Ray's gradual epiphany about his own feelings and what this means for him and Fraser. It's a great story, not least because the relationships are very real, and because I actually cared about Ray and Stella as well as about Ray and Fraser. The search for a serial "ink rapist" was a fascinating storyline and the ending was spot-on.
Tilt
Elongated pwp, but well written and with some lovely moments.

Rhi Marzano:
The Little Box
AU. Ray is a professional hockey player, and he comes across Fraser as he's coming to the end of his career. Nice and entertaining, for a fandom with not many AU pieces.

SA [sathinks]:
Out of Range
Ray has a bad day, the kind I seem to have a lot, and then right at the last minute it's saved. Pick-me-up fic, guaranteed to raise a smile and make you feel better.

Shrift:
Refraction [Fraser/Kowalski]
Ok, so it's very unlikely that I will ever be able to resist a fic which has my favourite characters justifiably and realistically (ok, that might be going a little far) wearing eyeliner. In this we have a baffled Fraser who has just returned back to Chicago to find Kowalski in leather trousers, a smattering of glitter and more than a sweep of eyeliner for the sake of a case, and we have Kowalski hitting on Fraser in a very guy-like fashion, over curry and naan bread and a bloody fantastic phone conversation with Kowalski's mother. But there's still eyeliner, so my life is now complete.

Sihaya Black:
[*NEW] Pas de Deux
One of the most enjoyable Due South fics I've ever read; it's an AU with Kowalski as a dance teacher and Fraser as his student. I love Ray in this; I love his changing relationship with Fraser and Diefenbaker and even Vecchio - it's a great fic.

Speranza:
With 6 You Get Eggroll [Fraser/Kowalski]
I used to have this rule, this rule where I never read kid!fics. I would never touch an mpreg, not even in crack!fic territory, and the idea of my favourite characters adopting mountains of children and turning into house husbands used to make me wince in pain. So when I say that this story stars Benton, RayK, Stella, RayV, Sarah, Holly, Sam, Andy, Eddie, and Robbie, I say it with great pain in my heart. Because I really like it. Its Fraser and Kowalski living up in the arctic circle with six adopted disfunctional kids, and it's great. Funny and well written and it works. Much though it pains me to say it.
Believe You Me [Fraser/Kowalski]
In the midst of my own personal job-related crisis, this fic filled a gap I didn't even realise was there. Kowalski, Fraser and a few others are in a bar when - all of a sudden - Fraser comes out with this fantastic, horrible speech about how this wasn't how he wanted to live his life. The whole dialogue style in this is just perfect - they both say no when they mean yes, they say things with their bodies and with their hands that they can't say with words, and I wish that I had this sort of culmination when I have bar-related soliliquies about my own lack of job satisfaction.
Passion [Fraser/Kowalski]
I have a secret thing (which perhaps, in the bastardised words of Doris Day, is no secret any more) for fics which have flashbacks to the characters much younger teenage selves, and their first forays into the experimentation stages of love and life. This is one of those fics that fills that gap with not space for anything else. It's Fraser's history, his childhood and his movements into adulthood - the ghosts of his past and the troubled relationships that take him right up into Chicago, when he sees Kowalski being stabbed. Fraser and Kowalski are brilliantly written, Fraser's history is heartbreakingly good and the relationship impeccable. The changing characterisation as their relationship becomes more established is perfect. A joy.
Enduring Distance
It's not often I read first person fics and genuinely enjoy them. And I've never read a Due South fic with a credible Fraser voice, either, so this fic was a really great find. It's long, with a storyline going on in the background, and the main story concentrates on the simple relationship between Ray, Fraser, Ray and Stella, and how it becomes more complicated. It's all tied up with the nature of what's home. A good way to spend an hour.
Broadway Hotel
Fraser turned a hollow-eyed face on him. "Ray," he said, and then he didn't say anything else, and a second later they were kissing, harsh open-mouthed kisses like if they pushed as hard as they could they'd be able to push right through the distance between them. Or like they knew they couldn't. Gorgeous piece where Ray wants to be normal, and he can only be normal if he isn't shacked up with Fraser. Some absolutely stunning lines, really effective description and one hell of a relationship for a relatively short piece.
Interrogation
Fraser's been receiving death threats, and Ray goes off the deep end. He doesn't, however, want to be a cliche.
The Bodyguard
Vaguely surreal piece in which Fraser's stuck acting as a bodyguard for a frisky ex-Russian Canadian ballerina, and Kowalski's along for the ride.
Hanged Man
Oh, I love it when they're fucked up. Fraser and Ray start a hidden relationship that revolves around a particular room at a hotel. As they get more and more desperate, everything starts to fall apart around them, leading them to try and patch up their relationship as best they can. I'm not sure I liked the epilogue as much as the fic in general, but it deals with the problems of coming out in Chicago, and the difference between Canada and the USA.
Kowalski is Bleeding
Vecchio's pulled out of his undercover role after Kowalski is murdered, but Fraser doesn't believe that Kowalski's dead. Includes RayV/Stella.
Eight Sessions
One of my favourite Due South fics, and I don't know why I haven't recced it before. It's got everything I love in a Due South story - Fraser and Kowalski realising they like each other, realising they love each other, and then acting upon it and coming to a satisfactory conclusion. It's also got a really great back story - sometimes an indepth crime storyline can detract from the characterisations, but this story is about dealing with the aftermath of the fallout from a bust, and the psychiatrist sessions make for excellent reading. Long and really rather excellent.
Chicago's Most Wanted
Possibly the strangest Due South fic I've ever read. Fraser's undercover in prison when he ends up suffering from amnesia as a result of an overenthusiastic ballgame. Cue Fraser escaping from prison in the company of one of Chicago's most wanted criminals, upon which he becomes Chicago's very own Robin Hood. Quite possibly the most fun you can have in front of a computer.
Some Strange Prophecy
Not my favourite Speranza fic, but containing some rather marvellous conversation between Vecchio and Kowalski, and between Kowalski and Fraser himself. Vecchio gets in contact after Victoria Metcalf turns up having shot a cop, and someone needs to stop Fraser going off the walls.
Juggling Act
So this whole mess begins with Frannie and her goddamned masturbating parrot. The one where Ray and Fraser go undercover at the circus. That should be enough to sell any fic, and to be fair it's what does sell this fic. It's thoroughly entertaining mostly because of the setting, so it hardly matters that the crime storyline isn't very developed. It's hardly necessary in fact.
A Dare's a Dare
Ray finds a dress in Fraser's closet and dares him to wear it. Fraser counters by daring Ray to take him out for dinner in it. Enjoyable fun.

Wax Jism:
When She Walks Into The Room
Ouch. Angst; deep, dark angst. Victoria is back in Fraser's life, and Ray's not above begging Fraser to stay.

Back to Index

It would be fair to say I started to read Supernatural fics because I quite liked Jared Padalecki in Gilmore Girls, and because my not-so secret kink is a good incest fic. No, I never thought I'd say those words either. Oh, and I can't warn for spoilers because I haven't seen a single episode and therefore I couldn't recognise a spoiler if it came up and waved at me. [edit: March 2007 - silverweave lent me the box set so I've seen season 1 now. Even more reason to read the fic now]

Cee [traveller; Fic Website]:
Any Which Way You Can
Cee, as usual, manages to write something that is truly beautiful, truly stunning, and writes most other writers straight off the page. She has a way with words that most other people don't come close to, and this is a beautiful piece. Dean's making money fighting, and Sam helps him with the comedown. It's all about the fight.

Destina:
Higher Learning
Set pre-series, it's Sam's 21st birthday and Dean turns up to wish him a happy birthday and to take him out drinking. Angst, hot sex and even hotter emotions, and all in 5000 words.

esorlehcar:
Guardians of a Rare Thing, The World About to Come, Prayers to Summon the Destroying Angel, The Sky Will Fall, We Will Rise, Stumbling Across Its Bleak Ending and Practical Men of the World [Sam/Dean]
The kind of Supernatural fic I've been searching for. Eso doesn't put a foot wrong in this series of fics all set in the same universe. The fics are paired, one from Dean's POV, the other from Sam's, except it isn't cliched. They work together, the pairs, and the relationship is exquisite. There is suitable amounts of angst, wonderful grief reactions and beautifully written sex. Can't recommend these fics highly enough.

estrella30:
Landmarks
The subtle differences between Dean and Sam, and how they end up in the same place. Really rather nice.
A Little Superstitious Now
Bodyswap fic, and damn, it's good. It's all about how fucked up it is, how fucked up they are, how they're in each other's bodies and how they react to outside stimuli and to each other.
I Put a Spell on You (Because You're Mine)
Total crack. Includes mpreg, wings, tentacles, genderfuckage and I woke up gay. Thoroughly entertaining.

layered:
Strangers
Basically, hot. Sam likes watching Dean get it on with strangers, and Dean likes getting it on in front of Sam. Appeals to my Supernatural Wincest needs.

kellifer_fic:
Doll House
Gen crack fic that's really funny. Sam wakes up to find Dean's turned into a doll.

Maygra:
Room and Board
Sam turns to hustling again to pay off Dean's bail and fine, and Dean finds out. I like this because Sam is unapologetic and refuses to be goaded about what he does. It's not the best story ever, but it is a good length, the storyline keeps you reading and I like the angle.

meadowmines:
The Internet is for Porn
Although it's not entirely clear from the outset, this is Sam and Dean right in the middle of an established relationship. It's also really very funny, without detracting from the mood of the typical Supernatural piece. I'd say from canon, but as I still haven't seen the canon, I can't really say. Needless to say, this is funny, this is brotherly banter with inherent geekery and more than anything else, it's hot.

stone_princess:
Down From Here
Entertaining humour piece. Dean and Sam find themselves trapped in the trunk of their car, and find a way to pass the time.

Raven [sxeraven]:
Untitled Ficlet
Very short (214 words) ficlet with a dom/sub feel. Not normally my cup of tea, but there's a single line about Dean drawing his brother’s hair gently over the leather that really swung it for me.

apocalypsos:
With a Poodle Under One Arm, and a Two Foot Salami Under the Other [Dean/Sam/OFC]
As the summary words it: Bad language, incest, genderswap, bodyswap, threesome (It's called "overkill." Heh.). Entertaingly wonderful, Dean and Sam meet a girl in a bar, and it all goes downhill from there. Lovely style.
I'm Not Touching You (And Other Annoying Games Little Brothers Play)
I like the style of her writing. Sam's coming to terms with his telekinesis when they investigate a haunted house which kills frustrated lovers at the height of their passion. Hot.
This One Time, In a Michelle Pfeiffer Movie
Again, such a lovely style. Sam and Dean suffer the effects of a curse - Sam is a girl by day and Dean a girl by night, and they both succeed in turning the other on. Lovely and hot and she's a great writer.
About To Get Too Far Gone
Sam rationalises why the only person he should be fucking is Dean.

wolfling and James Walkswithwind:
Heart's Desire
Beautifully written, long and plotty with excellent (and hot) sex scenes. Sam wakes up aged 18 with the strange feeling he'd been here before, that he had strange memories of future echoes. This time he's determined not to mess things up with Dean. Truly great series.

wrenscribbles:
Crystal Blue Persuasion
I loved this. Time was, you couldn't get me near a wing fic if you tried. And many tried, and many failed. And then I wrote one, just for fun, and now I love the things. Dean's got wings and he's pissing off Sam by taking up too much room and being too noisy in the motel room. Sam's stuck trying to figure out whether Dean's a siren or not, and Dean accidentally lures Sam to his doom and Dean's. I'll say it again - I loved it.

Shalott:
Reveille
Jack and Daniel wake up one morning - in the same bed - to find that they are sharing each other's thoughts. Generally fun but with a slightly unclear ending.
Objectives
Daniel and Jack blanch over the fact they've got to have sex to satisfy the alien voyeurs. Unashamedly lacking in any other storyline, this is the kind of fic you wish was much, much longer.

Xochiquetzl with Dionysus:
I Never
One of those classic drinking game fics, except this one is clever and in character and the first half is just long enough that you think the author really cares about storyline over porn. Which, it has to be said, is exactly what I want from my stargate fiction. My problem with this fic is that the second half doesn't really fit as well with the storyline. It's incredibly quick; realisations and epiphanies and moves occur with amazing regularity and not enough mulling, in my opinion. Nonetheless, the first half is great.

Back to Index

aleathiel:
Fishing
Ben doesn't like fishing, per se, he just likes watching Matt.

Brenda:
Eye-Opener
Ben and Matt end up at a gay bar in Germany. Wickedly funny conversation in a short piece.

fran_de_sales:
The Other End of the Line
Lovely, lovely, lovely remix piece about Matt trying to get in touch with Ben.

la_joconde:
Rome, Italy 2004
Ben stays with Matt for a couple of days during the filming of Oceans 12. I love stories where one of them is fucked up, and the trend tends to follow Ben for obvious reasons. Here, Ben is drunk and he's embarrassing and Matt still doesn't say no. Lovely.

lardencelover:
Five Things That Never Happened to Matt Damon
Another one of the five things... fics. Some of these work slightly better than others, but even if they were the worst things I'd ever read (which they're not, they're bloody brilliant) the sheer existence of this paragraph would be enough for me to rec this: The simple things - like eating, and living, and buying gas and groceries, and finding a job - are the hardest, and all the difficult things - loyalty, friendship, support, consideration, love, (and God, there was always so much love, whether they understood what it was about or not, it was there, the foundation of fucking everything) - come so easily, like breathing. The press of Ben's forehead to Matt's, the common accident of wearing one another's clothes, the mistake of getting drunk/depressed/lonely enough to turn to each other, even if it was embarrassing and semi-incestuous and so fucking instinctive and intense that they never got very far for fear of liking it too much-- those dangerous things were the easiest yet. Gorgeous.

lux__aeterna:
the mechanics of keeping score [Casey/Matt, Ben/Casey]
Absolutely stunning piece which was the first Ben/Casey I read and is just... brilliant. Beautifully written, especially the last section.
Receding Horizon
Second person fic, done pretty darn well. Ben rings Matt at 3 in the morning.

Rsadelle:
Bachelor Party
Short, ever so short, but the final couple of lines really blow me away.

shoshannagold
Lucky at Cards
The last time he was going to watch his best friend, his love, his goddamn soul mate piss away his youth and his talent because of some fucking chick whose musical career rested solely on the way she shook her ass. - Gorgeous and painful ficlet which has Matt dropping everything to go and bail Ben out.

special_trille:
Your Special Friend
Another one of those fics that tends towards hurt/comfort, with Ben drunk and out of control and Matt having to look after him. This is lovely.

veronamay:
The Last Resort
Matt deals with the closing of their joint bank account, and then gets a phone call from Ben.