Fanfic Recs
[EDIT: This is my pet project. I will update it when fic makes me squee.]
I have been keeping this private for ages on my Private Person lj but I thought the public (which never actually sees this journal so, yeah) would benefit from my painstakingly accumulated list of awesome. You will note--if you are there, which is already as unlikely as Jodie Foster being the representative of the human race to aliens but it's still an awesome imaginary scenario so I will stick with it--that I speak to myself a lot. I tend to do that. Especially because of the existential crisis that is speaking to a public thing you think the public isn't reading. I will warn (assuming the existence of) you that, like, 99.999% of this is slash. I think one or two women may have made it on but it was against my better angels.
GLEE
Cause You've Got An Awfully Long Way To Go by paperclipbitch
Kurt/Puck. This show fucking WISHES it was as much fun as this fic. Also, for shits and giggles [mostly giggles], see the sequel from Puck's POV.
Leave My Love Between The Stars by nokomis305
Kurt/Jesse. I KNOW. It shouldn't work but fandom makes Jesse SO GOOD. ANDAND this fic is Kurt revenge seducing Jesse andANDand there are fantabulous musical numbers. DON'T JUDGE JUST READ IT.
PSYCH
Are there sheep? by chash.
In case of certain-death situations, Gus agreed to sleep with Shawn. Only, it turns out that Juliet's there too.
Untitled SPN/Psych RPS Crossover by longsufferingly
Um. Yes. What my made up title says but more awesome. Maggie Lawson? I would vote her for president. Of Sweden. With Misha and Rosenbaum.
STAR TREK
you used to be able to fall off the edge of the world, here by raphaela667
Ahem. So you know how you became an adult, left fanfiction behind, and then fell back into your evil old ways because of Supernatural and Merlin? And you know how that eventually prompted you to find Harry Potter fics again too because you are insane and you know this and are still sometimes inclined to let yourself have your own way? Yes? Well. Star Trek. Really. Though--in my own defense (to me, which is already sollipsistically odd so NO COMMENT), this fic has the new trekkie favs (and the new Kirk is always gonna be MY fav) saving WHALES like PIRATES. But in a totally serious way. YES.
Dr. And Mrs. Princess Whitelaw by leupagus and screamlet
So the hook is that Chris left showbiz after getting paparazzi-noia (two parts rage, one part paranoia), got a PhD in English Lang&Lit, and is a professor at Berkeley. It gets more and more awesome with every chapter--climaxing, I do believe (though it ain't over till the fat lady sings), in Ch. 5's appearance of Brian Williams and Jon Stewart as hetero-lifemates--and is always good for a re-read. Also. I nearly texted someone about this guy and I so know better than to be that public about this exceedingly embarrassing streak in my makeup.
D: by leupagus and rageprufrock
The title comes from the face Zach keeps making at Chris. Has to do with silly interviews about three arms (?), milk-semen commercial, and apprentice gay sex. Aaaaand that is how I spend my time, folks.
Into the 21st Century by screamlet
It is honest-to-goodness Shatnoy. I am including Shatnoy on this list, like a crazy person. But IT WAS TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. TOO. CUTE.
Only Good For Legends by leupagus
An AU in which Spock is a detective for the IDD but Kirk is remarkably similar to 2009 canon. Also features fantabulous appearances by everyone and their mother. No, literally, also their mothers. Like Winona as-was-Kirk? She's too awesome for WORDS.
Some Victory [and two sequels] by waldorph
So it's Reboot!verse, yes, but also AU-- everyone's a musician and then suddenly they're in politics because Kirk/Spock '32 seems like a reeeeeally good idea to my head.
Vulcans are Fangirls Too by jouissant
Kirk has been leading a double life: youngest starship captain by day and reclusive genius by night. Spock sends Kirk2 fanmail. Adorable ensues.
Sleepless by Anonymous
RPS. Chris can't sleep and nobody can really figure out what's keeping him up until, you know, they do.
Chris, Nick, and the Nanny by dvs
RPF AU in which Zach is the manny. I don't usually dig kid!fic because it usually reminds me of George Eliot's complaints against Silly Women Writers in the nineteenth century and that makes me giggle a little behind my kimono sleeve. But, this guy is like for reals. Ten out of ten on all angles, especially crazy family.
Symphony for the Stars by singingintime
They're in a symphony orchestra conducted by Pike. OMG the love. Extra perk: Uhura and Spock's friendship of WIN.
Beautiful Game by spdfg
Football AU. Kirk and Spock meet on opposing sides at the FIFA World Cup. I heart this fic like whoa.
SPN
Loud and Clear by astolat.
Maybe my favorite fic ever in the world except for those couple of Remus/Lupin ones by Pru or Ignipipes that I read five years ago. I'm not even kidding.
Kings and Queens and Jokers Too also by astolat.
I think the writers must have been mainlining Genius Juice when they came up with the Trickster but I don't know that I've ever seen him put to better use.
Asunder by rageprufrock
Dean/Castiel: Pru does Wedding Date like it's never been done before. I mean...for serious, here. (edit: NOW WITH ENDING!)
The Girlfriend Experience by rageprufrock
This Pru in another shining moment...which is when she writes at all, let's be serious. She is sorta really fucking magic. This one deals with Cas's sexual awakening, Sam's awkwardness, and the thing that I think Pru picks up on best out of all the SPN ficcers out there--Dean's fantastically self-destructive sense of duty towards others. It's gorgeous when the show does it--and it DOES all the TIME--but Pru really picks it apart and re-assembles it so that it's something delightfully new and full of awesome.
Dean Winchester's No Good, Very Bad Week and How it Actually Turns Out to Be Pretty Awesome, in the End by moonlettuce
Dean thinks Sam and Cas have hooked up. He gets jealous. OMG there is some adorable middle school logic in this fic.
J2 [RPF]
Numquam Iam Posthac Basia Surripiam by chash.
Jensen is the TA and Jared is the student, which has been done before but this time with LATIN. Too short, alas. With Chash, though, we can always hope for more.
When You Care Enough To Hit Send by chash.
A College AU, which I always love, but this is the one with a marriage in Vegas where the "bride" does actually wear a dress and there is an Elvis impersonator. It's also mad long and lovely. Starts when Jared is a senior in high school and Jensen is a senior in college. Titles come from someecards, which also feature prominently and charmingly.
Your Brains Are No Match For My Tractorbeam also by chash.
Wherein Jensen is a socially inept genius and Jared is his hot neighbor. Chash has been drabbling more ever since, which is why I love her.
Picture the Two of Us Alone Inside My Golden Submarine more chash. I think I might be a fan.
So there are some ideas that sooooo shouldn't work and then THEY DO. For example....Johnny Quest AU for J2. I don't know. I just adore it, wholeheartedly. I just do.
Keepsake by indysaur.
Speaking of the impobable topics...sooooo...this might be a Wall-E AU. I KNOW. BUT IT'S AWESOME. And don't think it's funny or crack!fic...somehow, this is one of the more poignant J2 fics out there.
Everyone Experiments in College by indysaur.
Another of the great College AUs. This is the one where Sophia and Sandy live down the hall from Jared and Chad and, shockingly, Jensen is a TA. I do love these. This is the one where (and why do I feel like I'm introducing an episode of Friends??) Jared is jealous of Tom (who is AWESOMEly done in this fic) and Jensen is filled with insecurity.
If You Care To Stay by hkath.
One of the whenboymeetsboy challenge fics. It adapts the movie The Night We Never Met (which I've never seen and now sortakindareally want to) with J2. Basically, they're sharing an apartment and fall in love over notes and leftovers without actually meeting. Misunderstandings, ex-boyfriends, cheese, and Chad all feature delightfully.
Food Porn by unreckless
So this is epic. I mean, it's HUGE, for one thing, and then it's also epic in the oh-sweet-jeezus-how-have-never-read-this-before-my-life-is-now-complete way. Basically, it's Jsquared set in a restaurant. Aaaaand GO!
Richardson, or Thereabouts by never_walk
Oh dear. Why do I love the RPS AUs so very much? And this one is so very nice. And I'm gonna say the Summary and then my fictional audience will be like, "No way!" and I'll have to get in touch with my inner 5th Grader and be all like, "Way!" and then that will repeat ad nauseum. So. Be prepared. Jensen is an alien (but a wuss one with no superpowers, according to Jared) and Jared is this guy who helps him elude the cops in a totally non-Mission Impossible way.
This Ain't Your Hallmark Cupid by aeroport-art
I kid you not, Jenson is a Cupid who accidentally falls in love with his target, Jared. OH GOODNESS. It is so much fun.
Sweet Dreams Remain by dark-reaction
OK, so I have a thing for cocktails and this is like a fanmix of cocktails with fic. Plus it's pretty fabulously well written. Jensen is a bartender, Jared is a married lawyer.
Like A Glass Half Empty by dark-reaction
A Band AU. Really melancholy with touches of humor and hope. Features Hayden Christensen and Ewan MacGregor, if you will believe it.
There's a Piece of the Puzzle Known As Life by keepaofthecheez
Geeeeez Louise, this was something kinda wonderful. Jared is the younger brother of Jensen's roommate in college who he meets and is irresistibly attracted to over Spring Break. Follows for a few years. Oh SO GOOD.
Let Us Compare Mythologies by cjmarlowe
So this is awesome. I'm not gonna lie, I might have done a little dance after reading this. With shimmying. Maybe even a lot of shimmying. Jensen is an author who overcomes writer's block by imagining the life of the hot bookshop owner across the street, not knowing that Jared's doing the same.
IDK My BFF Jensen by mediaville
You know how J2 talk about texting each other and late night phone calls and shit? Yeeeeeeah.
Can't Point The Way To Your Heart by belyste
Yeah. So. Um. This is. Um. MaybeSortaaHitchbasedAU. Yes. BUT SO DAMN YUMMY. It's the friggin' Oscar the Grouch kitten, that's what it is. I mean--I just...Yeah. I can't resist.
The Seahorse by memphis86
You'd think I actually liked MPREG by the number of times it turns up on this list but I really actually don't. Like, not at all. But...sometimes it's so GOOD. So. Jared is preggers and Jensen is his gay doc of love. In a not porn star way, no matter how that sounded. It's vaguely Juno-ish too.
Domestic Bliss and Other Oxymorons by winterweathered
Sigh. I'm beginning to be a bit ashamed of the length of the "J2" section of this list. And no one will ever read this but me. So I'm ashamed of myself knowing this about myself which is just....well, you know what it is because you're me, aren't you? Goodness, you lunatic. This STORY (which I am ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT not my innumerable crazy) is lovely. J&J don't get on as well as other fics in ficdom have a tendency of portraying them -- lost of love, just not as much hopeless adoration. Well, that too. But in moderation. And lotsa roomie squabbling which I LOVE.
Putting My Life On The Brink by lazy-daze
Jared and Jensen meet and get married in one crazy Vegas night. They end up having to "give it a try" for six months due to Judge JDM's ruling about effort and marriage and shit. It's AWESOME. It just is.
Topspin by lazy-daze
J2 and Wimbledon. How could this go wrong? Well, I mean besides the obvious. But think how right it could be and that's how good this fic is. It really is.
Business and Pleasure by belyste
Jared is a CEO playboy and Jensen is his secretary but, to prove Jared's monogamous worth to the powers that be, Jensen agrees to have a pretend longterm relationship with him. It's AWESOME and it was written for spn_harlequin which is awesome times fifty.
MERLIN AND MERLIN RPF
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock
Oh dear. How do I love this fic? Let me count the ways. 1) Merlin is a trainee doctor and all over worked and frazzled. 2) Gwen and her side-story is heartbreaking and she's AWESOME. 3) ARTHUR. 4) The bickering. Oh, the bickering. 5) THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
Untitled and Surprisingly Awesome MPreg Merlin and Part 2 by rageprufrock
I have never ever ever EVER liked MPreg before. It seems to me to be the sordid underbelly of the gay narrative porn I usually read. And that DOES make sense in my head. But this is kinda pure, undiluted candyfloss awesome.
Three Tasks by syllic
What ought to be crack (in the really geekish, fandom definition of something that you would read and giggle hysterically over in the middle of the night while covering your mouth so as not to alert your oh-so-normal housemates to your enormous crazy) is actually CRACK (like, ADDICTIVE and takes over your life and is OH SO GOOD going down)....Arthur fulfilling his role as arbiter of romantic castle disputes. GUESS WHERE THIS LEADS.
Easy There by syllic
Ongoing and AWESOME AU with all the awesomeness of a college AU (Oxford) mixed with sports (oh the BOATS of Love) and then there's passionate love affairs. OH YES. If ONLY SHE WOULD FINISH IT. [edit: now with ending]
Pavlov Penis by derryere
First: Derryere's titles are AWESOME always. Second: This all revolves around Merlin trying to catch some Z's in Arthur's bed due to it being mad soft and nice and stuff and the scent that lingers starts to drive Arthur up the wall, in a VERY good way.
RPS DOESN'T GET TO HAVE A TITLE by derryere
I do feel guilty about my love of RPS in the Merlin fandom but WHAT CAN YOU DO? This is a lovely schmoopy one too, full of fumbles and near misses and lovely.
A Thousand Different Skins by tarayith
Merlin decides to teach himself how to turn into birds and then finds he can't stop turning into animals. I love the playfulness of Arthur in this one, him discovering the magic is the least emo I've ever seen.
Centerporn Tower, Or, I Dare You (To Move) by mcgooglykins
RPS. The boys start a Truth or Dare (minus the Truth part because Bradley finds it boring) on a flight to Australia that starts to snowball until Colin is wracking his brain for the "ultimate dare."
Rad Bromance by rayslady
RPF in which Bradley displays an amazing inability to stop calling Colin on a night on the town. Colin? SUPER ADORABLE in this story. Just sayin'.
Keep Calm and Carry On by tongueincheeky
A beautifully done sort of British West Wing (the TV show, not the building) and Arthur and Merlin painfully edge towards love. My two being insufficient, infinite thumbs up. Gold stars all around. As Grouch Marx said, "Let joy be unconfined. Let there be necking in the parlor."
There's No Makebelieving by miafic
OMG. Just...just read it, OK? It's HUGE, like eight novels or whatever but OMG just read it.
Small Town Mechanics by fuzzytomato02
AU. Arthur's fantastic car fails him in mid-fury drive and Merlin is the town mechanic he gets towed to. OMG, the love. And, heartless though this may make me seem, it is nice to see Morganna as something other than a tough-as-nails-and-always-right type. Also, the bits about Gwen's diner...I am so hungry now it's not even funny.
Natural Selection by Anonymous
Arthur is set up on a series of increasingly bathshit blind dates by his friends and family and Merlin is his 100%, undiluted awesome waiter.
Favorite by astolat
Merlin and Arthur fuck like bunnies. The best part is Uther's tests later in the fic. He wants to know what Merlin's motives are.
Red Window Frames by magog-83
Summer holidays with hapless teen wizard Merlin and visiting posh-o Arthur.
Karaoke Gang!Series by magog-83
LOOK THERE ARE WOMEN ON THIS LIST NOW WOT. Typical University AU except done with such gorgeously light touches it's just...it just is, is what it is. BUT IT'S GWEN/MORGANNA. With background Arthur/Merlin BEING AWESOME.
Fit For A Prince by lisztful
Fashion!AU. Merlin is a bitchy but fabulous designer and Arthur is a model who can deal with him. Morganna/Gwen bg is made of lovely too.
Arthur and the Real Boy by franticsga
Modern AU in which Merlin is an arts student who works in an indie bookshop and Arthur plays football. Somehow, the whole idea seems new again when it's written this well.
HARRY POTTER
Magic Words, Vector, Levity, and And Still by rageprufrock
Oh, the love I have for this fic series. It beggars description. I find myself returning to it the same way I find myself returning to Middlemarch ... it just re-occurs to me every couple of years and I must find it and re-read.
The Worst Journey in the World by Ignipipes
SUCH a clever fic. Remus has found himself in Antarctica and conversing with a penguin. Better than that makes it sound, I promise.
A Creature Void of Form by Ignipipes
Set in 1994, after Prisoner of Azkaban. Basically, Remus + Sirius + cave + necessary catch-up = soooo good.
The Philosopher by Framling
This is a nice short fic that ponders which Marauder is which kind of drunk.
I have been keeping this private for ages on my Private Person lj but I thought the public (which never actually sees this journal so, yeah) would benefit from my painstakingly accumulated list of awesome. You will note--if you are there, which is already as unlikely as Jodie Foster being the representative of the human race to aliens but it's still an awesome imaginary scenario so I will stick with it--that I speak to myself a lot. I tend to do that. Especially because of the existential crisis that is speaking to a public thing you think the public isn't reading. I will warn (assuming the existence of) you that, like, 99.999% of this is slash. I think one or two women may have made it on but it was against my better angels.
GLEE
Cause You've Got An Awfully Long Way To Go by paperclipbitch
Kurt/Puck. This show fucking WISHES it was as much fun as this fic. Also, for shits and giggles [mostly giggles], see the sequel from Puck's POV.
Leave My Love Between The Stars by nokomis305
Kurt/Jesse. I KNOW. It shouldn't work but fandom makes Jesse SO GOOD. ANDAND this fic is Kurt revenge seducing Jesse andANDand there are fantabulous musical numbers. DON'T JUDGE JUST READ IT.
PSYCH
Are there sheep? by chash.
In case of certain-death situations, Gus agreed to sleep with Shawn. Only, it turns out that Juliet's there too.
Untitled SPN/Psych RPS Crossover by longsufferingly
Um. Yes. What my made up title says but more awesome. Maggie Lawson? I would vote her for president. Of Sweden. With Misha and Rosenbaum.
STAR TREK
you used to be able to fall off the edge of the world, here by raphaela667
Ahem. So you know how you became an adult, left fanfiction behind, and then fell back into your evil old ways because of Supernatural and Merlin? And you know how that eventually prompted you to find Harry Potter fics again too because you are insane and you know this and are still sometimes inclined to let yourself have your own way? Yes? Well. Star Trek. Really. Though--in my own defense (to me, which is already sollipsistically odd so NO COMMENT), this fic has the new trekkie favs (and the new Kirk is always gonna be MY fav) saving WHALES like PIRATES. But in a totally serious way. YES.
Dr. And Mrs. Princess Whitelaw by leupagus and screamlet
So the hook is that Chris left showbiz after getting paparazzi-noia (two parts rage, one part paranoia), got a PhD in English Lang&Lit, and is a professor at Berkeley. It gets more and more awesome with every chapter--climaxing, I do believe (though it ain't over till the fat lady sings), in Ch. 5's appearance of Brian Williams and Jon Stewart as hetero-lifemates--and is always good for a re-read. Also. I nearly texted someone about this guy and I so know better than to be that public about this exceedingly embarrassing streak in my makeup.
D: by leupagus and rageprufrock
The title comes from the face Zach keeps making at Chris. Has to do with silly interviews about three arms (?), milk-semen commercial, and apprentice gay sex. Aaaaand that is how I spend my time, folks.
Into the 21st Century by screamlet
It is honest-to-goodness Shatnoy. I am including Shatnoy on this list, like a crazy person. But IT WAS TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. TOO. CUTE.
Only Good For Legends by leupagus
An AU in which Spock is a detective for the IDD but Kirk is remarkably similar to 2009 canon. Also features fantabulous appearances by everyone and their mother. No, literally, also their mothers. Like Winona as-was-Kirk? She's too awesome for WORDS.
Some Victory [and two sequels] by waldorph
So it's Reboot!verse, yes, but also AU-- everyone's a musician and then suddenly they're in politics because Kirk/Spock '32 seems like a reeeeeally good idea to my head.
Vulcans are Fangirls Too by jouissant
Kirk has been leading a double life: youngest starship captain by day and reclusive genius by night. Spock sends Kirk2 fanmail. Adorable ensues.
Sleepless by Anonymous
RPS. Chris can't sleep and nobody can really figure out what's keeping him up until, you know, they do.
Chris, Nick, and the Nanny by dvs
RPF AU in which Zach is the manny. I don't usually dig kid!fic because it usually reminds me of George Eliot's complaints against Silly Women Writers in the nineteenth century and that makes me giggle a little behind my kimono sleeve. But, this guy is like for reals. Ten out of ten on all angles, especially crazy family.
Symphony for the Stars by singingintime
They're in a symphony orchestra conducted by Pike. OMG the love. Extra perk: Uhura and Spock's friendship of WIN.
Beautiful Game by spdfg
Football AU. Kirk and Spock meet on opposing sides at the FIFA World Cup. I heart this fic like whoa.
SPN
Loud and Clear by astolat.
Maybe my favorite fic ever in the world except for those couple of Remus/Lupin ones by Pru or Ignipipes that I read five years ago. I'm not even kidding.
Kings and Queens and Jokers Too also by astolat.
I think the writers must have been mainlining Genius Juice when they came up with the Trickster but I don't know that I've ever seen him put to better use.
Asunder by rageprufrock
Dean/Castiel: Pru does Wedding Date like it's never been done before. I mean...for serious, here. (edit: NOW WITH ENDING!)
The Girlfriend Experience by rageprufrock
This Pru in another shining moment...which is when she writes at all, let's be serious. She is sorta really fucking magic. This one deals with Cas's sexual awakening, Sam's awkwardness, and the thing that I think Pru picks up on best out of all the SPN ficcers out there--Dean's fantastically self-destructive sense of duty towards others. It's gorgeous when the show does it--and it DOES all the TIME--but Pru really picks it apart and re-assembles it so that it's something delightfully new and full of awesome.
Dean Winchester's No Good, Very Bad Week and How it Actually Turns Out to Be Pretty Awesome, in the End by moonlettuce
Dean thinks Sam and Cas have hooked up. He gets jealous. OMG there is some adorable middle school logic in this fic.
J2 [RPF]
Numquam Iam Posthac Basia Surripiam by chash.
Jensen is the TA and Jared is the student, which has been done before but this time with LATIN. Too short, alas. With Chash, though, we can always hope for more.
When You Care Enough To Hit Send by chash.
A College AU, which I always love, but this is the one with a marriage in Vegas where the "bride" does actually wear a dress and there is an Elvis impersonator. It's also mad long and lovely. Starts when Jared is a senior in high school and Jensen is a senior in college. Titles come from someecards, which also feature prominently and charmingly.
Your Brains Are No Match For My Tractorbeam also by chash.
Wherein Jensen is a socially inept genius and Jared is his hot neighbor. Chash has been drabbling more ever since, which is why I love her.
Picture the Two of Us Alone Inside My Golden Submarine more chash. I think I might be a fan.
So there are some ideas that sooooo shouldn't work and then THEY DO. For example....Johnny Quest AU for J2. I don't know. I just adore it, wholeheartedly. I just do.
Keepsake by indysaur.
Speaking of the impobable topics...sooooo...this might be a Wall-E AU. I KNOW. BUT IT'S AWESOME. And don't think it's funny or crack!fic...somehow, this is one of the more poignant J2 fics out there.
Everyone Experiments in College by indysaur.
Another of the great College AUs. This is the one where Sophia and Sandy live down the hall from Jared and Chad and, shockingly, Jensen is a TA. I do love these. This is the one where (and why do I feel like I'm introducing an episode of Friends??) Jared is jealous of Tom (who is AWESOMEly done in this fic) and Jensen is filled with insecurity.
If You Care To Stay by hkath.
One of the whenboymeetsboy challenge fics. It adapts the movie The Night We Never Met (which I've never seen and now sortakindareally want to) with J2. Basically, they're sharing an apartment and fall in love over notes and leftovers without actually meeting. Misunderstandings, ex-boyfriends, cheese, and Chad all feature delightfully.
Food Porn by unreckless
So this is epic. I mean, it's HUGE, for one thing, and then it's also epic in the oh-sweet-jeezus-how-have-never-read-this-before-my-life-is-now-complete way. Basically, it's Jsquared set in a restaurant. Aaaaand GO!
Richardson, or Thereabouts by never_walk
Oh dear. Why do I love the RPS AUs so very much? And this one is so very nice. And I'm gonna say the Summary and then my fictional audience will be like, "No way!" and I'll have to get in touch with my inner 5th Grader and be all like, "Way!" and then that will repeat ad nauseum. So. Be prepared. Jensen is an alien (but a wuss one with no superpowers, according to Jared) and Jared is this guy who helps him elude the cops in a totally non-Mission Impossible way.
This Ain't Your Hallmark Cupid by aeroport-art
I kid you not, Jenson is a Cupid who accidentally falls in love with his target, Jared. OH GOODNESS. It is so much fun.
Sweet Dreams Remain by dark-reaction
OK, so I have a thing for cocktails and this is like a fanmix of cocktails with fic. Plus it's pretty fabulously well written. Jensen is a bartender, Jared is a married lawyer.
Like A Glass Half Empty by dark-reaction
A Band AU. Really melancholy with touches of humor and hope. Features Hayden Christensen and Ewan MacGregor, if you will believe it.
There's a Piece of the Puzzle Known As Life by keepaofthecheez
Geeeeez Louise, this was something kinda wonderful. Jared is the younger brother of Jensen's roommate in college who he meets and is irresistibly attracted to over Spring Break. Follows for a few years. Oh SO GOOD.
Let Us Compare Mythologies by cjmarlowe
So this is awesome. I'm not gonna lie, I might have done a little dance after reading this. With shimmying. Maybe even a lot of shimmying. Jensen is an author who overcomes writer's block by imagining the life of the hot bookshop owner across the street, not knowing that Jared's doing the same.
IDK My BFF Jensen by mediaville
You know how J2 talk about texting each other and late night phone calls and shit? Yeeeeeeah.
Can't Point The Way To Your Heart by belyste
Yeah. So. Um. This is. Um. MaybeSortaaHitchbasedAU. Yes. BUT SO DAMN YUMMY. It's the friggin' Oscar the Grouch kitten, that's what it is. I mean--I just...Yeah. I can't resist.
The Seahorse by memphis86
You'd think I actually liked MPREG by the number of times it turns up on this list but I really actually don't. Like, not at all. But...sometimes it's so GOOD. So. Jared is preggers and Jensen is his gay doc of love. In a not porn star way, no matter how that sounded. It's vaguely Juno-ish too.
Domestic Bliss and Other Oxymorons by winterweathered
Sigh. I'm beginning to be a bit ashamed of the length of the "J2" section of this list. And no one will ever read this but me. So I'm ashamed of myself knowing this about myself which is just....well, you know what it is because you're me, aren't you? Goodness, you lunatic. This STORY (which I am ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT not my innumerable crazy) is lovely. J&J don't get on as well as other fics in ficdom have a tendency of portraying them -- lost of love, just not as much hopeless adoration. Well, that too. But in moderation. And lotsa roomie squabbling which I LOVE.
Putting My Life On The Brink by lazy-daze
Jared and Jensen meet and get married in one crazy Vegas night. They end up having to "give it a try" for six months due to Judge JDM's ruling about effort and marriage and shit. It's AWESOME. It just is.
Topspin by lazy-daze
J2 and Wimbledon. How could this go wrong? Well, I mean besides the obvious. But think how right it could be and that's how good this fic is. It really is.
Business and Pleasure by belyste
Jared is a CEO playboy and Jensen is his secretary but, to prove Jared's monogamous worth to the powers that be, Jensen agrees to have a pretend longterm relationship with him. It's AWESOME and it was written for spn_harlequin which is awesome times fifty.
MERLIN AND MERLIN RPF
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock
Oh dear. How do I love this fic? Let me count the ways. 1) Merlin is a trainee doctor and all over worked and frazzled. 2) Gwen and her side-story is heartbreaking and she's AWESOME. 3) ARTHUR. 4) The bickering. Oh, the bickering. 5) THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
Untitled and Surprisingly Awesome MPreg Merlin and Part 2 by rageprufrock
I have never ever ever EVER liked MPreg before. It seems to me to be the sordid underbelly of the gay narrative porn I usually read. And that DOES make sense in my head. But this is kinda pure, undiluted candyfloss awesome.
Three Tasks by syllic
What ought to be crack (in the really geekish, fandom definition of something that you would read and giggle hysterically over in the middle of the night while covering your mouth so as not to alert your oh-so-normal housemates to your enormous crazy) is actually CRACK (like, ADDICTIVE and takes over your life and is OH SO GOOD going down)....Arthur fulfilling his role as arbiter of romantic castle disputes. GUESS WHERE THIS LEADS.
Easy There by syllic
Ongoing and AWESOME AU with all the awesomeness of a college AU (Oxford) mixed with sports (oh the BOATS of Love) and then there's passionate love affairs. OH YES. If ONLY SHE WOULD FINISH IT. [edit: now with ending]
Pavlov Penis by derryere
First: Derryere's titles are AWESOME always. Second: This all revolves around Merlin trying to catch some Z's in Arthur's bed due to it being mad soft and nice and stuff and the scent that lingers starts to drive Arthur up the wall, in a VERY good way.
RPS DOESN'T GET TO HAVE A TITLE by derryere
I do feel guilty about my love of RPS in the Merlin fandom but WHAT CAN YOU DO? This is a lovely schmoopy one too, full of fumbles and near misses and lovely.
A Thousand Different Skins by tarayith
Merlin decides to teach himself how to turn into birds and then finds he can't stop turning into animals. I love the playfulness of Arthur in this one, him discovering the magic is the least emo I've ever seen.
Centerporn Tower, Or, I Dare You (To Move) by mcgooglykins
RPS. The boys start a Truth or Dare (minus the Truth part because Bradley finds it boring) on a flight to Australia that starts to snowball until Colin is wracking his brain for the "ultimate dare."
Rad Bromance by rayslady
RPF in which Bradley displays an amazing inability to stop calling Colin on a night on the town. Colin? SUPER ADORABLE in this story. Just sayin'.
Keep Calm and Carry On by tongueincheeky
A beautifully done sort of British West Wing (the TV show, not the building) and Arthur and Merlin painfully edge towards love. My two being insufficient, infinite thumbs up. Gold stars all around. As Grouch Marx said, "Let joy be unconfined. Let there be necking in the parlor."
There's No Makebelieving by miafic
OMG. Just...just read it, OK? It's HUGE, like eight novels or whatever but OMG just read it.
Small Town Mechanics by fuzzytomato02
AU. Arthur's fantastic car fails him in mid-fury drive and Merlin is the town mechanic he gets towed to. OMG, the love. And, heartless though this may make me seem, it is nice to see Morganna as something other than a tough-as-nails-and-always-right type. Also, the bits about Gwen's diner...I am so hungry now it's not even funny.
Natural Selection by Anonymous
Arthur is set up on a series of increasingly bathshit blind dates by his friends and family and Merlin is his 100%, undiluted awesome waiter.
Favorite by astolat
Merlin and Arthur fuck like bunnies. The best part is Uther's tests later in the fic. He wants to know what Merlin's motives are.
Red Window Frames by magog-83
Summer holidays with hapless teen wizard Merlin and visiting posh-o Arthur.
Karaoke Gang!Series by magog-83
LOOK THERE ARE WOMEN ON THIS LIST NOW WOT. Typical University AU except done with such gorgeously light touches it's just...it just is, is what it is. BUT IT'S GWEN/MORGANNA. With background Arthur/Merlin BEING AWESOME.
Fit For A Prince by lisztful
Fashion!AU. Merlin is a bitchy but fabulous designer and Arthur is a model who can deal with him. Morganna/Gwen bg is made of lovely too.
Arthur and the Real Boy by franticsga
Modern AU in which Merlin is an arts student who works in an indie bookshop and Arthur plays football. Somehow, the whole idea seems new again when it's written this well.
HARRY POTTER
Magic Words, Vector, Levity, and And Still by rageprufrock
Oh, the love I have for this fic series. It beggars description. I find myself returning to it the same way I find myself returning to Middlemarch ... it just re-occurs to me every couple of years and I must find it and re-read.
The Worst Journey in the World by Ignipipes
SUCH a clever fic. Remus has found himself in Antarctica and conversing with a penguin. Better than that makes it sound, I promise.
A Creature Void of Form by Ignipipes
Set in 1994, after Prisoner of Azkaban. Basically, Remus + Sirius + cave + necessary catch-up = soooo good.
The Philosopher by Framling
This is a nice short fic that ponders which Marauder is which kind of drunk.