Multifandom recs - mainly fic, some meta and fanart.
It's long past time since I did this - it's months and months since I read (or looked at) most of this stuff. It's also interesting, for me, to have an indicator of what I've been reading over 'the summer' (if I'm being generous about the time frame)...
Okay, what do I need to say?
I rec stuff that I loved, basically. The fics recced are all sorts of lengths. I read mainly het and gen, there's also some meta - mainly character analysis) and fanart. I do this for a couple of reasons - one is that I use others' rec lists as a filter so that I can find 'the good stuff', and I thought this stuff was good and it works as a handy method for me to find things. If these links post you towards something you think is great, send feedback to let the creator know that, because I want them to feel good about what they did.
The recs are alphabetically ordered by fandom and then more or less chronologically as I read them, character/pairing info is provided and adult ratings are noted.
Alias
selenak's perceptive thoughts on the s4 finale and arc
I [...] loved it. In that Alias way (meaning one waves aside plot plausibilities and the like as long as the characters are treated well).
The Batverse
META: Insightful and detailed analysis of Selina/Catwoman in Batman Returns
Hello there
FIC: Children of the night: nos4a2no9 R
This (long) novel is worth setting aside time for. It's Bruce/Selina or Batman/Catwoman, but it's the way the love-story fits into the broader examination of Bruce and his created Batfamily, of families in general, plus the plot that's set into motion by the death of a girl on a train, that makes this such a satisfying read. I haven't ever read any Batman or Catwoman comics, and what I know of this world is from retellings in different forms and osmosis, but I positively lapped it up.
BtVS
FIC: Anniversary by helsinkibaby Post 'Chosen' AU Giles/Anya drabble.
META: Insightful Faith essay by nikitangel (concentrates on her journey and motivations in season 3)
part 1 part 2.
FIC: Of awkwardness by mosca S5 Giles and Anya friendship, and what a crisp (and in-character, joy!) meditation on friendship this is.
FIC: The Mystery of the Tourbus of the Undead: A Humorous Romance by Jenny-O Giles/Anya that's quirky and amusing like they should be and contains a neat commentary of season 7.
META: An old essay that I came across this summer by aycheb about transformation and changes in BtVS.
META: A collection of essays by superplin on Buffy as an expert in slayage:
Knowledge =/= knowing, how experience and her abilities feed into what she does.
Improvisation or bricolage as part of her expertise.
Situated knowing, knowing your context.
FIC: BtVS/X-men crossover drabble.
Under the Skin: vaznetti feat. Wolverine, Mrs McLay.
FIC: Way Beyond the Pale: Jenny-O Gorgeous post-Chosen Giles/Anya snapshot. Oh, Giles.
FIC: Three connected drabbles by headrush (Giles/Anya) PG-13/R. Summery, luscious sexiness.
META: femmenerd discusses Buffy as hero
BtVS/Supernatural crossovers:
FIC: Not in Kansas any more by femmenerd Dean/Faith NC-17 (post 'Chosen' pre SPN).
Dean POV ficlet in the same 'verse NC-17.
'Lost and Found' by femmenerd Faith POV ficlet Dean/Faith NC-17
I LOVE the way femmenerd writes the Faith/Dean dynamic.
META: Pandaurus goes meta on Faith/Dean as an OTP and how they could work:
Supernatural Season 1 thoughts (spoilers for SPN s1).
Backseat Lover: femmenerd Faith/Dean. Very NC-17 double drabble.
CSI-Jake 2.0 crossover
Night of the Living Dead by roseaveare. Dead-on captures all the characters. What would happen if the NSA's most unique agent was er, involved in a case the Las Vegas crime lab was working on? This filled me with so much glee.
E.R.
Click on ronniekins77 Ray/Neela picspam - if you want a brief recap of their relationship (spoilers for s11-12?).
Firefly-Serenity
From Horizon to Horizon by musesfool Kaylee/Simon, Kaylee/Mal. Set post-Serenity. A really rewarding read, with a well-drawn Kaylee thinking about compatibility and navigation.
Find Serenity by lusmeitli
This is a great meditation on Mal's relationship with Serenity, as we follow him Mal through 'Out of Gas'. (I had a contribution as kind of a beta reader to this.)
Untitled Mal/Kaylee drabble by alixtii that gets at why I love this pairing.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
A hilarious fanart parody of the waterwheel swordfight by honorat.
Lovely piece of Will/Elizabeth fanart by pseudoblu.
The O.C.
Being Ghosts by buffyx Ryan/Anna. Adult.
I love the strong Anna voice here. Post break-up with Seth, she's walking through Newport, thinking that its seedy is nowhere near Pittsburgh's seedy...
Anima Solo by lalejandra NC-17, Ryan/Anna. AU.
Again, I really like Anna here, her mind whirring, but more mixed up than she wants to admit, even before a hot encounter with Ryan. She's very in character, even if canon never paid her this much attention. Also, there is verbal sparring.
The Office (UK)
labingi has written a series of great, insightful essays about the characters of The Office:
Ruminations on Tim
Dawn "Gotta Dream the Dream" Tinsley
And on why Tim/Dawn would pass the Broccoli text work.
Star Trek: The Original Series
A rare rec for a manip - but imagine Nichelle Nicholls as a Vulcan...(coolness!).
Supernatural
cereta on story archetypes, POV and SPN.
X-Men
Crossroads series: Mojo Crossroads, Cause and Effect, On Instinct (the last story is rated NC-17). Wolverine/Rogue. Set post X1.
‘That was the problem he had with Marie and it had nothing to do with age or mutations or even common sense. From the moment he met her in that bar in Laughlin City, the bond was there.’
I really like the take on Logan and Marie’s connection in this triptych, and the new-to-me elements of the story, which felt like a natural progression from canon with the added ‘shipper perspective, rather than depending on fanon. The characterisation really rings true too.
(Older recs posts can be found by clicking on the 'recs' tag.)
Okay, what do I need to say?
I rec stuff that I loved, basically. The fics recced are all sorts of lengths. I read mainly het and gen, there's also some meta - mainly character analysis) and fanart. I do this for a couple of reasons - one is that I use others' rec lists as a filter so that I can find 'the good stuff', and I thought this stuff was good and it works as a handy method for me to find things. If these links post you towards something you think is great, send feedback to let the creator know that, because I want them to feel good about what they did.
The recs are alphabetically ordered by fandom and then more or less chronologically as I read them, character/pairing info is provided and adult ratings are noted.
Alias
selenak's perceptive thoughts on the s4 finale and arc
I [...] loved it. In that Alias way (meaning one waves aside plot plausibilities and the like as long as the characters are treated well).
The Batverse
META: Insightful and detailed analysis of Selina/Catwoman in Batman Returns
Hello there
FIC: Children of the night: nos4a2no9 R
This (long) novel is worth setting aside time for. It's Bruce/Selina or Batman/Catwoman, but it's the way the love-story fits into the broader examination of Bruce and his created Batfamily, of families in general, plus the plot that's set into motion by the death of a girl on a train, that makes this such a satisfying read. I haven't ever read any Batman or Catwoman comics, and what I know of this world is from retellings in different forms and osmosis, but I positively lapped it up.
BtVS
FIC: Anniversary by helsinkibaby Post 'Chosen' AU Giles/Anya drabble.
META: Insightful Faith essay by nikitangel (concentrates on her journey and motivations in season 3)
part 1 part 2.
FIC: Of awkwardness by mosca S5 Giles and Anya friendship, and what a crisp (and in-character, joy!) meditation on friendship this is.
FIC: The Mystery of the Tourbus of the Undead: A Humorous Romance by Jenny-O Giles/Anya that's quirky and amusing like they should be and contains a neat commentary of season 7.
META: An old essay that I came across this summer by aycheb about transformation and changes in BtVS.
META: A collection of essays by superplin on Buffy as an expert in slayage:
Knowledge =/= knowing, how experience and her abilities feed into what she does.
Improvisation or bricolage as part of her expertise.
Situated knowing, knowing your context.
FIC: BtVS/X-men crossover drabble.
Under the Skin: vaznetti feat. Wolverine, Mrs McLay.
FIC: Way Beyond the Pale: Jenny-O Gorgeous post-Chosen Giles/Anya snapshot. Oh, Giles.
FIC: Three connected drabbles by headrush (Giles/Anya) PG-13/R. Summery, luscious sexiness.
META: femmenerd discusses Buffy as hero
BtVS/Supernatural crossovers:
FIC: Not in Kansas any more by femmenerd Dean/Faith NC-17 (post 'Chosen' pre SPN).
Dean POV ficlet in the same 'verse NC-17.
'Lost and Found' by femmenerd Faith POV ficlet Dean/Faith NC-17
I LOVE the way femmenerd writes the Faith/Dean dynamic.
META: Pandaurus goes meta on Faith/Dean as an OTP and how they could work:
Supernatural Season 1 thoughts (spoilers for SPN s1).
Backseat Lover: femmenerd Faith/Dean. Very NC-17 double drabble.
CSI-Jake 2.0 crossover
Night of the Living Dead by roseaveare. Dead-on captures all the characters. What would happen if the NSA's most unique agent was er, involved in a case the Las Vegas crime lab was working on? This filled me with so much glee.
E.R.
Click on ronniekins77 Ray/Neela picspam - if you want a brief recap of their relationship (spoilers for s11-12?).
Firefly-Serenity
From Horizon to Horizon by musesfool Kaylee/Simon, Kaylee/Mal. Set post-Serenity. A really rewarding read, with a well-drawn Kaylee thinking about compatibility and navigation.
Find Serenity by lusmeitli
This is a great meditation on Mal's relationship with Serenity, as we follow him Mal through 'Out of Gas'. (I had a contribution as kind of a beta reader to this.)
Untitled Mal/Kaylee drabble by alixtii that gets at why I love this pairing.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
A hilarious fanart parody of the waterwheel swordfight by honorat.
Lovely piece of Will/Elizabeth fanart by pseudoblu.
The O.C.
Being Ghosts by buffyx Ryan/Anna. Adult.
I love the strong Anna voice here. Post break-up with Seth, she's walking through Newport, thinking that its seedy is nowhere near Pittsburgh's seedy...
Anima Solo by lalejandra NC-17, Ryan/Anna. AU.
Again, I really like Anna here, her mind whirring, but more mixed up than she wants to admit, even before a hot encounter with Ryan. She's very in character, even if canon never paid her this much attention. Also, there is verbal sparring.
The Office (UK)
labingi has written a series of great, insightful essays about the characters of The Office:
Ruminations on Tim
Dawn "Gotta Dream the Dream" Tinsley
And on why Tim/Dawn would pass the Broccoli text work.
Star Trek: The Original Series
A rare rec for a manip - but imagine Nichelle Nicholls as a Vulcan...(coolness!).
Supernatural
cereta on story archetypes, POV and SPN.
X-Men
Crossroads series: Mojo Crossroads, Cause and Effect, On Instinct (the last story is rated NC-17). Wolverine/Rogue. Set post X1.
‘That was the problem he had with Marie and it had nothing to do with age or mutations or even common sense. From the moment he met her in that bar in Laughlin City, the bond was there.’
I really like the take on Logan and Marie’s connection in this triptych, and the new-to-me elements of the story, which felt like a natural progression from canon with the added ‘shipper perspective, rather than depending on fanon. The characterisation really rings true too.
(Older recs posts can be found by clicking on the 'recs' tag.)