My first Recs Post since the fire.
So, yeah, this is pretty much what it says. I haven't posted any recs since well before our fire in January, and part of that was a lack of time to read things and part of that was a lack of time to post things. Those things combined to make this list much longer than I anticipated when I finally decided it would be a good time to give up on catching up and just post something.
In fact, it was so long, that I decided to split the Star Trek XI recs, of which I seem to have accumulated a lot in the last couple of weeks, in another post which I will probably put up tomorrow.
American Idol
House of the Living by astolat -- Not Rated, Adult, Zombies, Kris/Adam
Okay, so I don't usually read RPF at all. I especially don't usually read RPS that splits up a real life couple (straight or not) to put together some slash fantasy. This was different. I read it because my brain was just kind of marvelling at the very idea of American Idol and Zombies existing in the same space. So basically the concept was just so cracked I couldn't resist. I'm glad I read it, both because the zombie crisis was one of the more believeable I've ever seen, and because the aftermath was so very very well written. While I'm still not altogether pleased with the idea of breaking up a real couple, this was at least done in a way that didn't feel at all capricious. Seriously when you spend days depending on each other for survival while the world around you dissolves into madness, things are going to happen. Expecting anyone to be able to just turn that off and go back to their normal life with gratitude and a smile is ridiculous at best. So yeah, RPS on my recs list.
Bones
Stuck in the Middle with You Vid by humansrsuperior -- Not Rated, PGish, listed as Bones/Booth but I'd call it more genish
Mostly this is Booth and his continuing struggle to deal with the crazy that Brennan and the rest of her merry little band of geeks bring to his life. I'm always fond of seeing classic rock songs used with modern source material and while I was a little wary of this particular song being used it turned out brilliantly. Available as streaming video, but the download is so much better. I found the streaming video to jump from time to time and the downloaded video does not.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disarm Vid by xandra_ptv -- Not Rated, PG13ish, Willow/Giles
Not ordinarily a pairing that I care for. It's not really so much the age difference as it is the role that they played in one another's life. One notable similarity between Willow, Xander, and Buffy is their general lack of a father figure, and I really feel like Giles filled that role for all of them. But I've seen it work a few times in fic, and this once in vid. It highlights their similarities as a reason to draw them together, the people they've lost and those they've damaged and how magic has been a destructive force in their hands. It's not happy, but it does give them a particular kind of bond, and this vid extrapolates from that beautifully.
The Dead Zone
Tanglewood Tree Vid by butterfly -- PG-13ish, Johnny/Sarah/Walt
The song is by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. I wasn't familiar with them before, but I think I'm going to buy some of their music now, because I really enjoyed this song. It was perfect for the occasionally confusing, often messy, and always volatile relationship between these three. Beautifully done, with nearly perfect clip choices and an aesthetic that complements the show and the music. This one was definitely worth the download.
Doctor Who
Fear of the Dark by ariafic -- PG-13, Doctor/Master
I don't quite know how to quantify where in the timeline this fits. There are timeline jumps. Some of it is set pre-series, during the Doctor's youth. Some of it is Ten and Donna. It's a really lovely story involving the Gallifreyan language, signs, paradox, fairytales, and fear. I love it immensely.
dueSouth
The Mountie Song Vid by leony331 -- Not Rated, PGish, Gen, Fraser-centric
This is an absolutely hillarious use of The Arrogant Worms' song. Just really cute. My favorite bit is the part with the mountie and the tourist talking about guns. Of course that's my favorite part of the song too. This is a direct link to YouTube. I found it by way of ds_weekly.
Eureka
Curses, Foiled by omorka -- PG, Genish (canon pairings, and as the author puts it, some general slashy subtext), Fargo-centric
Warnings off the top, this story contains canon character-death from Season 3. This fic is basically a series of glimpses into Fargo's life starting pre-series with his initial job interview at GD and going through Season 3's, "I Do Over." I adore Fargo, screw-up that he is, and I think that this fic fits beautifully with what we do know about him. Better yet, it makes me want more of his story.
The Fast & The Furious franchise
Mmm Papi Vid by talitha78 -- Not Rated - PGish, Dom/Brian
So these films are not the world's best, but I think they're fun. The cars do more for me than either of the guys, but I am a little in love with the pairing. This vid gives me both car porn and a fun shippy vid. Nicely done, though I find the writing towards the end to be a little cutesy which doesn't really fit for me. I never would have thought that not one but two vids to Britney Spears songs would make my recs list, but they have. Great song choice and use of lyrics.
House M.D.
Meds Vid by scully1121 -- Not Rated-PG-13ish, Genish, House-centric
While this uses clips from the whole series, it's really about the short arc that has taken place over the last half of this season, with a lot of emphasis on the events of the finale. Really nicely edited and superb song choice. I think of House every time I hear Placebo's Meds, and I can't imagine it done better than this.
The Mentalist
Options by Glacis -- NC-17, Cho/Jane
So, this is the very first pairing to really click for me, and I don't know why. I'm glad I'm not the only one though. Beyond that, I adore Cho both on the show and in this fic. Patrick Jane is the draw to the show, but Cho is what keeps me there. Jane is sweet and funny and tragic, but without the team, and particularly Cho's outrageously controlled calm it would all be too much. I love this story. Not the best sex I've ever read, but not bad, and the situation is perfect.
Smallville
Marble by Julad -- Not Rated but I'd call it a PG-13, Clark/Lex
So, this was one of the sitting on the hard drive fics. I'm not sure when it was completed, but it's canon is based on the first season, though it pretty much starts with Clark going to college. Nice structure, interesting look at the reasons that Clark might end up going into Journalism, and the ways he might use his research that go well beyond writing a story for The Daily Planet.
Stargate: Atlantis
Compass Points Vid by newkidfan -- Not Rated, PGish, Rodney/John
Beautiful and dreamy, this is a story about John and Rodney's relationship to the stars told without words. newkidfan does some of the most interesting things with the source material; nothing is ever boring, but it's often a little surreal.
Language Vid by newkidfan -- PGish, Gennish or John/Everyone depending on your interpretation of subtext
One of the more lovely John-centric vids that I have ever come across. I'm not familiar with the song, at all, but it's perfect in this context. This is a slow, dreamy, and a little bit melancholy kind of vid. It's all the things that John has never been able to say to the people he cares about. In this particular context, I tend to see all of these relationships as vaguely familial whether it's real family (brief moment with his brother) or created family (Rodney, Elizabeth, Teyla, etc).
Paper Cranes by kriadydragon -- G, Gen, Miko Kusanagi
I've never really paid much attention, one way or the other to Miko, so it's certainly never occurred to me to write or seek out fic about her. Saw this recced recently, and more or less on a whim, I read it. It's really lovely, and not only fleshes out this one little character, but the expedition as a whole. They care for their own, even when they aren't close. Traditions are often similar and hold similar meaning even when the cultures are separated by galaxies.
The Price that Life Exacts by Cathalin -- NC-17, Rodney/John
This is from the 2008 SGA Big Bang, which I still have a ton of things on my reading list for. There are a lot of little plot points that I don't feel like I should give away, so this will be brief. This is not a happy story, or at least it has a lot of very unhappy parts. There's a child, and the trials of unexpected parenthood, and grief, and mental and physical trauma, and all manner of bad things. There's also hope, home, family, and love. While the McShep is important and integral to the story, there is a lot that is really about how the Atlanteans, Rodney in particular, have formed a family as real as anything forged by blood. Beautiful and heartwrenching.
Welcome to My Nightmare Vid by scarym1 -- PGish, Gen, Episode Related - Doppleganger
While it probably would have never occurred to me to pair any Alice Cooper song with SGA, this one works quite well. There was definitely a risk of getting a wee bit too literal with clip choice when using this song, but I think it avoids that for the most part. All in all, I find the vid much creepier than the actual episode, but still not quite as creepy as the concept for the episode. There's another vid announced in this post, and it's not bad either. I'm just still sick of the song.
Stargate: SG-1
Point of Intersection by notadate -- PG-13, Gen, Vala and Anise-Freya-centric
I love Vala, but I have very rarely enjoyed her in fanfiction. I honestly can't stand Anise. I like them both in this. It's largely told from Anise's point of view. It almost makes me like her. When we're in her head, we get a very different character from the little bit that we see, largely through the eyes of SG-1, on the show. She's interesting and very aware of her own faults, even if she doesn't always see them as faults. This is basically the story of what happened immediately after Quetesh was removed from Vala, and it is very very good.
Supernatural
Above & Below Vid by counteragent -- Not Rated-PG-13ish, Genish, Sam & Dean-centric
Beautifully edited study of the parallels between Sam & Dean's Season 4 character arcs. I haven't seen more than a handful of the episodes, but I know quite a bit about the season, so it's hard to say how well it works if you don't. The song is by The Bravery and it's perfect with just the right amount of too-stubborn determination and complete lack of hope or anything even vaguely resembling it.
Buildings and Bridges (The Rockabye Remix) by zooey_glass04 -- PG, Gennish
This story is a remix of gretazreta's, The Other Side of the Line. That story is Sam/Dean pre-series slash, and while it's really quite lovely, I don't like it nearly as well as I do this. This is a story about the importance of place in a child's life. It's a wonderful study of Sam & Dean and all the ways they haven't changed (and while there's still a pretty well-implied Sam/Dean relationship, it's mostly subtext). It's all the things about Bobby that I feel every time he's on screen. It's really just a wonderful little piece.
Evidence of Things Unseen by sophiap -- PG, Gen, Pastor Jim Murphy-centric
The flippant title would be something like, "A Day in the Life of Pastor Jim," but this is both more and less than that. It's less than a day, just a small piece of a typical Sunday. It's also more. It's how Pastor Jim continues to see God in the world despite the overwhelming evidence of Evil and the scarcity of evidence of Good. It's about how even a devoted man of God who has more proof than some, struggles to find the answers to what seem like simple questions. Very nicely done.
Families by peg22 -- PG-13, Gen, Bobby-centric
Short and sweet little story about Bobby looking out for the boys over the years. The end is a little bit heart-breaking.
Fistful of Rain by marinarusalka -- PG, Gen, Dean-centric
I'm not usually real fond of the whole five things that never happened to... thing, but I really really like this one. It's beautifully well done, and I love each and every part. I think the first two are my favorites though. It's interesting how much of our Dean I see in each of these incarnations, and yet in more than one he's fairly academically inclined, in one he is the brother to leave the family, and more often than not he gets a far more "normal" life than he has in the show. The first bit makes really nice use of Missouri, and that is always a selling point for me.
Perennial by roque-clasique -- PG-13ish, Sam/Jess pre-series
I love pre-series fic for this fandom. Actually, I pretty much love pre-series fic in any fandom. I'm all about the messy intricate backstories that give us these much loved characters. That said, I've not generally been terribly fond of Sam at Stanford fic, unless it was really more of a, 'What Dean does while Sam is at Stanford, up to and including, taking care of Sam without his knowledge." That might be because I'm not terribly fond of Sam, or at least Sam as he is in the beginning of the series. But this story really worked for me. It worked for me, because Sam's old life permeates his new life, no matter how much he wishes it didn't. It worked because Jess, while lovely, sweet, and innocent, is not perfect. And it worked for me because, as hard as he fights against it, hunting is almost an involuntry reflex for Sam. This Sam feels much more complicated, much more real, than the one I saw on screen in Season 1.
The Sign by dodger_winslow -- R (I'd say PG-13), Gen, Pastor Jim Murphy-centric, Dean-centric
This is incredible. A thirteen year old Dean Winchester calls up Pastor Jim in the dead of night to talk. I love the way Dean's conversation jumps back and forth between the real reason for his call and other topics, not because he lacks focus, just because he's afraid of it. I love the backstory that is seamlessly weaved into this, the knowledge of how Pastor Jim and John know each other. Most of all I absolutely adore the way lies are an essential part of it. Dean lies, John lies a lot (even though he isn't present for the vast majority of the story) and Jim lies enough. Chilling stuff, and it makes me really wish that Pastor Jim had been alive for an interesting conversation around the time of John's death.
You Know You're Right Vid by lierdumoa -- Not Rated but I'd call it PG or PG-13, Gen, Dean-centric
I think of all my fandoms, Supernatural might have the makers of the prettiest vids. Actually, I'm not sure that pretty is the adjective I should use here. There's a lot of blood, and it's pretty dark, but it's visually stunning. Basically, this is Dean's Season 2 character arc set to one of my very favorite Nirvana songs.
Torchwood
Wild Hope Vid by butterfly -- Not Rated but I'd call it PG-13, Gen, Toshiko-centric
There isn't nearly enough Tosh love in the world. I adore her. The vid touches on some of the characters that she's been with in canon and the ever elusive Tosh/Owen ship, but doesn't really focus on them. There's a sort of subtext that involves Jack, but doesn't really feel shippy, more that he's her savior, the reason for her "wild hope." This is really well constructed with some interesting video to lyric choices. I'm not really familiar with the song; it's by Mandy Moore, but it works very well. Both song and video are lovely, dreamy, and more than a little bittersweet.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Twilight
Buffy vs Edward (Twilight Remixed) Vid by rebelliouspixels -- PG, Edward/Buffy unrequited
I have very little to say other than this is perfect, and Buffy would so kick Edward's ass. I don't usually embed video on my recs page, but I'm making an exception for this one.
Doctor Who/Torchwood
Affirmation Vid by butterfly -- PG-ish, multiple pairings
Lots and lots of hugging, dancing, and kissing set to one of my favorite Savage Garden songs. There are moments when it's a little too much of, "who is Jack or Ten kissing now," but there are a few truly inspired clip choices that forced me to include this vid. My personal favorite is for this line: "I believe that junkfood tastes so good because it's bad for you." The imbedded video doesn't seem to be available, but I thought it was worth the download.
The Eleventh Hour/The Mentalist
Parallels by cerebel -- PG, Patrick Jane/Jacob Hood, Teresa Lisbon/Rachel Young
Overall, I adore this. I've never quite gotten as into Eleventh Hour as I feel I should, but I've enjoyed every episode that I've watched. It would never have occured to me to seek out fic for it though. I wasn't sure how well Patrick/Jacob would work out, but I'm kind of in love with it now, and want more. The Lisbon/Rachel bit at the end felt a little out of place, maybe a little forced, but the rest is spot-on perfect.
Iron Man/The Mentalist
If It Could Be Held by cerebel -- R, Tony Stark/Patrick Jane
Interesting crossover. I actually love the first half of it, and I'm kind of thrilled with the very end, but when it first gets into the sex, something just seems off to me. I think there's not quite enough transition, but still worth the time to read.
Stargate: Atlantis/Stargate: SG-1
Eleven Moments by ladyflowdi -- R, Sam-centric with some Jack/Daniel, a teeny-tiny bit of John/Rodney, and mentions of Sam/Various Male Characters
This is lovely and has been sitting around on a series of hard drives waiting for me to check the link since sometime in 2007. I'm glad I finally got to it, and wish it had been sooner. There is a pretty major character death to open up the story, and while we're never really given the details, the result is that Sam and Daniel go to Atlantis. This is just a short sweet collection of moments beginning with the death.
Multi-Fandom
Climbing Up the Walls Vid by obsessive24 -- Firefly/Heroes/Supernatural, R, Simon/River, Nathan/Peter, Sam/Dean
This vid is as much commentary on sibling incest in fandom as it is a pairing oriented vid. Purely as a vid, it is gorgeously dark. I feel the intensity and depth of emotion that these characters have for one another, and all the ways that guilt, power, anger, and love twist together in their relationships. Frankly, while I was vaguely aware that Simon/River fic existed it never really clicked with me until I watched this vid and while the chemistry between Nathan and Peter is present enough that the non-fannish people in my life have commented on it, I've never really been sold on the idea of Sam/Dean either, but I believe it in the context of this vid. As commentary, it is masterfully done, illustrating everything that makes these pairings not only believable, but attractive without ever losing sight of how truly messed up they are.
I've Been to a Marvelous Party Vid by charmax -- Multiple period dramas, Not Rated, Rish, canon pairings
It would probably have never occurred to me to even want a vid for any period drama, much less a dozen of them all at once. This was perfection. The song is by The Divine Comedy, and it is certainly divine. I love how the slow talky bits contrast with the faster music. Beautifully edited.
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down Vid by kattahj -- Lots of fandoms, PG-13 (for a briefly exposed breast), Genish
Not the prettiest vid ever, but I enjoyed it immensely. This draws from source material that spans a good five decades (probably more) and every imaginable genre including some animation (of the Disney variety). It's a tribute to the older (though not always old) women of film and television. One of the things that I really like about it is that a huge percentage of them are on my internal list of strong female characters. I often think that list is tiny, but really it's not so small, not with all of these women on it.
In fact, it was so long, that I decided to split the Star Trek XI recs, of which I seem to have accumulated a lot in the last couple of weeks, in another post which I will probably put up tomorrow.
American Idol
House of the Living by astolat -- Not Rated, Adult, Zombies, Kris/Adam
Okay, so I don't usually read RPF at all. I especially don't usually read RPS that splits up a real life couple (straight or not) to put together some slash fantasy. This was different. I read it because my brain was just kind of marvelling at the very idea of American Idol and Zombies existing in the same space. So basically the concept was just so cracked I couldn't resist. I'm glad I read it, both because the zombie crisis was one of the more believeable I've ever seen, and because the aftermath was so very very well written. While I'm still not altogether pleased with the idea of breaking up a real couple, this was at least done in a way that didn't feel at all capricious. Seriously when you spend days depending on each other for survival while the world around you dissolves into madness, things are going to happen. Expecting anyone to be able to just turn that off and go back to their normal life with gratitude and a smile is ridiculous at best. So yeah, RPS on my recs list.
Bones
Stuck in the Middle with You Vid by humansrsuperior -- Not Rated, PGish, listed as Bones/Booth but I'd call it more genish
Mostly this is Booth and his continuing struggle to deal with the crazy that Brennan and the rest of her merry little band of geeks bring to his life. I'm always fond of seeing classic rock songs used with modern source material and while I was a little wary of this particular song being used it turned out brilliantly. Available as streaming video, but the download is so much better. I found the streaming video to jump from time to time and the downloaded video does not.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disarm Vid by xandra_ptv -- Not Rated, PG13ish, Willow/Giles
Not ordinarily a pairing that I care for. It's not really so much the age difference as it is the role that they played in one another's life. One notable similarity between Willow, Xander, and Buffy is their general lack of a father figure, and I really feel like Giles filled that role for all of them. But I've seen it work a few times in fic, and this once in vid. It highlights their similarities as a reason to draw them together, the people they've lost and those they've damaged and how magic has been a destructive force in their hands. It's not happy, but it does give them a particular kind of bond, and this vid extrapolates from that beautifully.
The Dead Zone
Tanglewood Tree Vid by butterfly -- PG-13ish, Johnny/Sarah/Walt
The song is by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. I wasn't familiar with them before, but I think I'm going to buy some of their music now, because I really enjoyed this song. It was perfect for the occasionally confusing, often messy, and always volatile relationship between these three. Beautifully done, with nearly perfect clip choices and an aesthetic that complements the show and the music. This one was definitely worth the download.
Doctor Who
Fear of the Dark by ariafic -- PG-13, Doctor/Master
I don't quite know how to quantify where in the timeline this fits. There are timeline jumps. Some of it is set pre-series, during the Doctor's youth. Some of it is Ten and Donna. It's a really lovely story involving the Gallifreyan language, signs, paradox, fairytales, and fear. I love it immensely.
dueSouth
The Mountie Song Vid by leony331 -- Not Rated, PGish, Gen, Fraser-centric
This is an absolutely hillarious use of The Arrogant Worms' song. Just really cute. My favorite bit is the part with the mountie and the tourist talking about guns. Of course that's my favorite part of the song too. This is a direct link to YouTube. I found it by way of ds_weekly.
Eureka
Curses, Foiled by omorka -- PG, Genish (canon pairings, and as the author puts it, some general slashy subtext), Fargo-centric
Warnings off the top, this story contains canon character-death from Season 3. This fic is basically a series of glimpses into Fargo's life starting pre-series with his initial job interview at GD and going through Season 3's, "I Do Over." I adore Fargo, screw-up that he is, and I think that this fic fits beautifully with what we do know about him. Better yet, it makes me want more of his story.
The Fast & The Furious franchise
Mmm Papi Vid by talitha78 -- Not Rated - PGish, Dom/Brian
So these films are not the world's best, but I think they're fun. The cars do more for me than either of the guys, but I am a little in love with the pairing. This vid gives me both car porn and a fun shippy vid. Nicely done, though I find the writing towards the end to be a little cutesy which doesn't really fit for me. I never would have thought that not one but two vids to Britney Spears songs would make my recs list, but they have. Great song choice and use of lyrics.
House M.D.
Meds Vid by scully1121 -- Not Rated-PG-13ish, Genish, House-centric
While this uses clips from the whole series, it's really about the short arc that has taken place over the last half of this season, with a lot of emphasis on the events of the finale. Really nicely edited and superb song choice. I think of House every time I hear Placebo's Meds, and I can't imagine it done better than this.
The Mentalist
Options by Glacis -- NC-17, Cho/Jane
So, this is the very first pairing to really click for me, and I don't know why. I'm glad I'm not the only one though. Beyond that, I adore Cho both on the show and in this fic. Patrick Jane is the draw to the show, but Cho is what keeps me there. Jane is sweet and funny and tragic, but without the team, and particularly Cho's outrageously controlled calm it would all be too much. I love this story. Not the best sex I've ever read, but not bad, and the situation is perfect.
Smallville
Marble by Julad -- Not Rated but I'd call it a PG-13, Clark/Lex
So, this was one of the sitting on the hard drive fics. I'm not sure when it was completed, but it's canon is based on the first season, though it pretty much starts with Clark going to college. Nice structure, interesting look at the reasons that Clark might end up going into Journalism, and the ways he might use his research that go well beyond writing a story for The Daily Planet.
Stargate: Atlantis
Compass Points Vid by newkidfan -- Not Rated, PGish, Rodney/John
Beautiful and dreamy, this is a story about John and Rodney's relationship to the stars told without words. newkidfan does some of the most interesting things with the source material; nothing is ever boring, but it's often a little surreal.
Language Vid by newkidfan -- PGish, Gennish or John/Everyone depending on your interpretation of subtext
One of the more lovely John-centric vids that I have ever come across. I'm not familiar with the song, at all, but it's perfect in this context. This is a slow, dreamy, and a little bit melancholy kind of vid. It's all the things that John has never been able to say to the people he cares about. In this particular context, I tend to see all of these relationships as vaguely familial whether it's real family (brief moment with his brother) or created family (Rodney, Elizabeth, Teyla, etc).
Paper Cranes by kriadydragon -- G, Gen, Miko Kusanagi
I've never really paid much attention, one way or the other to Miko, so it's certainly never occurred to me to write or seek out fic about her. Saw this recced recently, and more or less on a whim, I read it. It's really lovely, and not only fleshes out this one little character, but the expedition as a whole. They care for their own, even when they aren't close. Traditions are often similar and hold similar meaning even when the cultures are separated by galaxies.
The Price that Life Exacts by Cathalin -- NC-17, Rodney/John
This is from the 2008 SGA Big Bang, which I still have a ton of things on my reading list for. There are a lot of little plot points that I don't feel like I should give away, so this will be brief. This is not a happy story, or at least it has a lot of very unhappy parts. There's a child, and the trials of unexpected parenthood, and grief, and mental and physical trauma, and all manner of bad things. There's also hope, home, family, and love. While the McShep is important and integral to the story, there is a lot that is really about how the Atlanteans, Rodney in particular, have formed a family as real as anything forged by blood. Beautiful and heartwrenching.
Welcome to My Nightmare Vid by scarym1 -- PGish, Gen, Episode Related - Doppleganger
While it probably would have never occurred to me to pair any Alice Cooper song with SGA, this one works quite well. There was definitely a risk of getting a wee bit too literal with clip choice when using this song, but I think it avoids that for the most part. All in all, I find the vid much creepier than the actual episode, but still not quite as creepy as the concept for the episode. There's another vid announced in this post, and it's not bad either. I'm just still sick of the song.
Stargate: SG-1
Point of Intersection by notadate -- PG-13, Gen, Vala and Anise-Freya-centric
I love Vala, but I have very rarely enjoyed her in fanfiction. I honestly can't stand Anise. I like them both in this. It's largely told from Anise's point of view. It almost makes me like her. When we're in her head, we get a very different character from the little bit that we see, largely through the eyes of SG-1, on the show. She's interesting and very aware of her own faults, even if she doesn't always see them as faults. This is basically the story of what happened immediately after Quetesh was removed from Vala, and it is very very good.
Supernatural
Above & Below Vid by counteragent -- Not Rated-PG-13ish, Genish, Sam & Dean-centric
Beautifully edited study of the parallels between Sam & Dean's Season 4 character arcs. I haven't seen more than a handful of the episodes, but I know quite a bit about the season, so it's hard to say how well it works if you don't. The song is by The Bravery and it's perfect with just the right amount of too-stubborn determination and complete lack of hope or anything even vaguely resembling it.
Buildings and Bridges (The Rockabye Remix) by zooey_glass04 -- PG, Gennish
This story is a remix of gretazreta's, The Other Side of the Line. That story is Sam/Dean pre-series slash, and while it's really quite lovely, I don't like it nearly as well as I do this. This is a story about the importance of place in a child's life. It's a wonderful study of Sam & Dean and all the ways they haven't changed (and while there's still a pretty well-implied Sam/Dean relationship, it's mostly subtext). It's all the things about Bobby that I feel every time he's on screen. It's really just a wonderful little piece.
Evidence of Things Unseen by sophiap -- PG, Gen, Pastor Jim Murphy-centric
The flippant title would be something like, "A Day in the Life of Pastor Jim," but this is both more and less than that. It's less than a day, just a small piece of a typical Sunday. It's also more. It's how Pastor Jim continues to see God in the world despite the overwhelming evidence of Evil and the scarcity of evidence of Good. It's about how even a devoted man of God who has more proof than some, struggles to find the answers to what seem like simple questions. Very nicely done.
Families by peg22 -- PG-13, Gen, Bobby-centric
Short and sweet little story about Bobby looking out for the boys over the years. The end is a little bit heart-breaking.
Fistful of Rain by marinarusalka -- PG, Gen, Dean-centric
I'm not usually real fond of the whole five things that never happened to... thing, but I really really like this one. It's beautifully well done, and I love each and every part. I think the first two are my favorites though. It's interesting how much of our Dean I see in each of these incarnations, and yet in more than one he's fairly academically inclined, in one he is the brother to leave the family, and more often than not he gets a far more "normal" life than he has in the show. The first bit makes really nice use of Missouri, and that is always a selling point for me.
Perennial by roque-clasique -- PG-13ish, Sam/Jess pre-series
I love pre-series fic for this fandom. Actually, I pretty much love pre-series fic in any fandom. I'm all about the messy intricate backstories that give us these much loved characters. That said, I've not generally been terribly fond of Sam at Stanford fic, unless it was really more of a, 'What Dean does while Sam is at Stanford, up to and including, taking care of Sam without his knowledge." That might be because I'm not terribly fond of Sam, or at least Sam as he is in the beginning of the series. But this story really worked for me. It worked for me, because Sam's old life permeates his new life, no matter how much he wishes it didn't. It worked because Jess, while lovely, sweet, and innocent, is not perfect. And it worked for me because, as hard as he fights against it, hunting is almost an involuntry reflex for Sam. This Sam feels much more complicated, much more real, than the one I saw on screen in Season 1.
The Sign by dodger_winslow -- R (I'd say PG-13), Gen, Pastor Jim Murphy-centric, Dean-centric
This is incredible. A thirteen year old Dean Winchester calls up Pastor Jim in the dead of night to talk. I love the way Dean's conversation jumps back and forth between the real reason for his call and other topics, not because he lacks focus, just because he's afraid of it. I love the backstory that is seamlessly weaved into this, the knowledge of how Pastor Jim and John know each other. Most of all I absolutely adore the way lies are an essential part of it. Dean lies, John lies a lot (even though he isn't present for the vast majority of the story) and Jim lies enough. Chilling stuff, and it makes me really wish that Pastor Jim had been alive for an interesting conversation around the time of John's death.
You Know You're Right Vid by lierdumoa -- Not Rated but I'd call it PG or PG-13, Gen, Dean-centric
I think of all my fandoms, Supernatural might have the makers of the prettiest vids. Actually, I'm not sure that pretty is the adjective I should use here. There's a lot of blood, and it's pretty dark, but it's visually stunning. Basically, this is Dean's Season 2 character arc set to one of my very favorite Nirvana songs.
Torchwood
Wild Hope Vid by butterfly -- Not Rated but I'd call it PG-13, Gen, Toshiko-centric
There isn't nearly enough Tosh love in the world. I adore her. The vid touches on some of the characters that she's been with in canon and the ever elusive Tosh/Owen ship, but doesn't really focus on them. There's a sort of subtext that involves Jack, but doesn't really feel shippy, more that he's her savior, the reason for her "wild hope." This is really well constructed with some interesting video to lyric choices. I'm not really familiar with the song; it's by Mandy Moore, but it works very well. Both song and video are lovely, dreamy, and more than a little bittersweet.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Twilight
Buffy vs Edward (Twilight Remixed) Vid by rebelliouspixels -- PG, Edward/Buffy unrequited
I have very little to say other than this is perfect, and Buffy would so kick Edward's ass. I don't usually embed video on my recs page, but I'm making an exception for this one.
Click to viewDoctor Who/Torchwood
Affirmation Vid by butterfly -- PG-ish, multiple pairings
Lots and lots of hugging, dancing, and kissing set to one of my favorite Savage Garden songs. There are moments when it's a little too much of, "who is Jack or Ten kissing now," but there are a few truly inspired clip choices that forced me to include this vid. My personal favorite is for this line: "I believe that junkfood tastes so good because it's bad for you." The imbedded video doesn't seem to be available, but I thought it was worth the download.
The Eleventh Hour/The Mentalist
Parallels by cerebel -- PG, Patrick Jane/Jacob Hood, Teresa Lisbon/Rachel Young
Overall, I adore this. I've never quite gotten as into Eleventh Hour as I feel I should, but I've enjoyed every episode that I've watched. It would never have occured to me to seek out fic for it though. I wasn't sure how well Patrick/Jacob would work out, but I'm kind of in love with it now, and want more. The Lisbon/Rachel bit at the end felt a little out of place, maybe a little forced, but the rest is spot-on perfect.
Iron Man/The Mentalist
If It Could Be Held by cerebel -- R, Tony Stark/Patrick Jane
Interesting crossover. I actually love the first half of it, and I'm kind of thrilled with the very end, but when it first gets into the sex, something just seems off to me. I think there's not quite enough transition, but still worth the time to read.
Stargate: Atlantis/Stargate: SG-1
Eleven Moments by ladyflowdi -- R, Sam-centric with some Jack/Daniel, a teeny-tiny bit of John/Rodney, and mentions of Sam/Various Male Characters
This is lovely and has been sitting around on a series of hard drives waiting for me to check the link since sometime in 2007. I'm glad I finally got to it, and wish it had been sooner. There is a pretty major character death to open up the story, and while we're never really given the details, the result is that Sam and Daniel go to Atlantis. This is just a short sweet collection of moments beginning with the death.
Multi-Fandom
Climbing Up the Walls Vid by obsessive24 -- Firefly/Heroes/Supernatural, R, Simon/River, Nathan/Peter, Sam/Dean
This vid is as much commentary on sibling incest in fandom as it is a pairing oriented vid. Purely as a vid, it is gorgeously dark. I feel the intensity and depth of emotion that these characters have for one another, and all the ways that guilt, power, anger, and love twist together in their relationships. Frankly, while I was vaguely aware that Simon/River fic existed it never really clicked with me until I watched this vid and while the chemistry between Nathan and Peter is present enough that the non-fannish people in my life have commented on it, I've never really been sold on the idea of Sam/Dean either, but I believe it in the context of this vid. As commentary, it is masterfully done, illustrating everything that makes these pairings not only believable, but attractive without ever losing sight of how truly messed up they are.
I've Been to a Marvelous Party Vid by charmax -- Multiple period dramas, Not Rated, Rish, canon pairings
It would probably have never occurred to me to even want a vid for any period drama, much less a dozen of them all at once. This was perfection. The song is by The Divine Comedy, and it is certainly divine. I love how the slow talky bits contrast with the faster music. Beautifully edited.
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down Vid by kattahj -- Lots of fandoms, PG-13 (for a briefly exposed breast), Genish
Not the prettiest vid ever, but I enjoyed it immensely. This draws from source material that spans a good five decades (probably more) and every imaginable genre including some animation (of the Disney variety). It's a tribute to the older (though not always old) women of film and television. One of the things that I really like about it is that a huge percentage of them are on my internal list of strong female characters. I often think that list is tiny, but really it's not so small, not with all of these women on it.