Extremely Small Fandoms, Mark 2
Covered here: Avatar: the Last Airbender; InuYasha; Slayers; Spiderman; X-Men; Invisible Man; X-Files; Tamora Pierce's books. Occasionally crossed with Highlander, Stargate SG-1, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Smallville and Star Wars.
Avatar:
~ Perceiver, by Helium Lost. Read it at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3365792/1/. Mostly gen. Implied het, pairing up to reader (I thought it was Toph/Sokka, but hey). Not explicit.
Helium Lost has written a very touching and thought-provoking story, from the POV of Toph, that explores how a character who is blind interprets the world with her other senses. My favorite chapter was the one where the others try to explain color and other concepts that cannot be explained to someone, and Toph decides for herself how to assign colors to things, based on their explanations. Her logic is sound, and I kinda wish colors did work like that. It's a good story without being too schmoopy or waffy.
~Try Ardy1's fic. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1031218/. Het, not explicit. Zuko/OFC implied bribe!sex in one story, and future Sokka/one or several of the Fire-women.
Ardy1 is an adult, and she writes a bit slowly, but the fics are solid for all that. I especially like the long, adventurous plot-fics.
InuYasha:
~Ripe Wicked Plum's series, beginning with Inglorious and followed by Fraternal, Camaraderie and Devotion. Read at http://inu.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=1296770197. Warning: slash, explicit sex, incest. Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru.
Okay, so this warrants an explanation of the plot. Here goes: InuYasha and Sesshoumaru are both captured, and their female captor forces them to have sex w/her and each other. They kill her and escape in the first story, but not without some repercussions. Mainly, as the author explained in a note in one of the fics, the brothers conflated brotherly and sexual love, and as the repairing of their filial relationship was concurrent with/caused by the sexual torture, they both still want to have sex w/each other, as well as be openly overcoming their sibling rivalry. Shades of Stockholm! And you know what, that is a solid explanation for incest and slash that I can really support, as RWP writes it. The characters haven't really become the parodies of themselves that most of the fandom that writes matchup fic twists them into. Instead, they're coping with trauma, and developing a relationship that is healthy in context. In addition, there are some pretty good fights, lots of ensemble cast moments, adventure, and politics - the latter perhaps being enough for me to overcome any doubts.
~It Was Night, by Dr. Kat. Read it at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2595751/1/. Warning: mpreg. No sex or relationships, although the mpreg is Sesshoumaru by Naraku, and the sequels introduce a het pairing.
I like this one for the way Sesshoumaru and InuYasha form a new understanding of each other, as Sesshoumaru needs so much help during the pregnancy, and then is not equipped to deal with becoming a single mother/father. It's a story about family ties, not romance, and that's why I liked it. There's also some nice fantasy/mythological moments that I very much enjoyed (and a solid explanation for that ridiculous fur thing that Sesshoumaru drapes over his shoulder - so very selkie-myth!). I don't recommend the sequels, simply because I didn't read them; a het pairing that I found unnecessary and fairly implausible was put in, and I thought it missed the point of a *family* story.
Spiderman:
~Best Friends, by Glacis. Read it at http://www.castleskeep.net/Bestfriends.htm. Crossover with Smallville. Lex wants Clark wants Lex, Harry wants Peter wants Harry, but ultimately the fic only covers Peter/Clark. I know, right? Slash, explicit sex.
Ahahah. Glacis made me laugh a few times with one-liners. More, there was a nice bite of melodramatic wangst that I am sometimes in the mood for. The pairings give that away! See, Peter and Clark are so over the angst, and ready for one-night stands, but Harry and Lex are pining in character appropriate ways, and even have to pretend during sex that their partner is actually their best friend. Although, it looks like Lex is smart enough (again, in character!) to nail Clark when he comes home from his school trip. Poor Harry got the stupid genes in this pool - but he's going to try courting Peter, bless his dumb heart. SO SOAP OPERA. If you're not reading for the angst, come for the sex theory - soooo, Peter is part spider, eh? What kind of partner would a spider be looking for... and how would he get their attention? Ahahahhhh.
Slayers:
~Slayers: Faces and sequels by Davner. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/175295/1/. Zel/Syphiel. So, het. Not explicit.
Okay, so the bulk of my Slayers reading is not actually worth recommending. Why: it's ridiculous, out of character slashy Z/X or Z/G. Which, if it's your cuppa tea, you could find in five seconds on Google. Plus, any of the plotty in-character ones I would actually recommend have disappeared from the webs, as this is a relatively old fandom. HOWEVER, that said, this story is great. I didn't even know who Syphiel was, and I may be spelling her name wrong, but Davner's description of the character was enough for me. The story is long and plotty, and reads like an episode (Wacky hiijinks! Xelloss being an evil but fun jerk! Zelgadiss wallowing for a while in his misfortune, but then putting on his big boy pants and saving a city! Naga being Naga!). If it were an episode, it would be the one in which Zelgadiss says, "Hey guys, this working together stuff isn't getting me a cure, so what say I go off for a while and look by myself? No hard feelings," and the others say "sure," but then all the second-string characters wander by and join him to star in their own adventures. Ooh, that was really ineloquent. Don't trust me, trust Davner.
X-Men:
~For Now (The Fuck Waiting Remix) by (unknown). Read it at http://remix.illuminatedtext.com/dbfiction.php?fiction_id=154. Logan/Rogue. Het, mostly implied. Long, and plotty, and by the end I really wanted those two crazy kids to work it out. ;) Not that one of them was a kid, and maybe that was the reason it took so long.
~Try Glacis' fic, at http://www.castleskeep.net/Xmen.html. Mostly Logan/Scott. Slash, explicit sex, a tinge of bestiality (but not really).
Not worth a full-blown rec, but nevertheless, I did really enjoy these, when I'm in the mood for some OOC sex. Sometimes Jean is belittled, and sometimes she's totally sidelined - once, I think she was okay with it; this isn't a pairing that is kind to the woman usually involved with one of the men.
~Try Ciceqi's fic. Find in my Author recs. Unfortunately, she appears to have gotten rid of most of her X-Men fic... although some survived in her misc./crossover stuff. I do believe there was a surprisingly in-character Logan helping Edward Scissorhands, and in another fic meeting Alex Krycek.
Invisible Man:
~Actualize This, by Helena Handbasket. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1264482/1/Actualize_This. No pairings. Crossover with Sentinel and Stargate SG-1.
Wheee! This fic hits a lot of my buttons, and satisfied a lot of people, judging by the number of recs for it I've stumbled across. When I first read it, I had only seen Invisible Man... and I totally thought Sam Carter was a man :D. Now that I'm familiar with SG-1, I can only assume that all three sets of partners (no, not like that) are equally well characterized. Plot summary: forced by work to go to a partner seminar in Canada, the various couples zone out during counseling, refuse to play along with the Friendship Circles, and manage to ferret out a crime before risking becoming totally bored. One reader described it as, and I paraphrase, "the geeks solve the crime intelligently, the policemen/soldiers use superior tactics and reasoning, and the nuts are nuts." As an Invisible Man fan, I love those nuts.
X-Files:
~Try Ciceqi's fic, found in my Author recs. She wrote about Alex Krycek, mostly, and the occasional crossover with Highlander, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Star Wars. Slash, explicit sex, the usual Ciceqi kink.
Alex Krycek, so far as Ciceqi writes him, seems to be the LBD (little black dress) of the X-Files fandom; he goes well with everything, everyone and every fandom. Adventurous, plotty but sometimes-silly slashfic.
Tamora Pierce's Circle series:
~Shifting Circles, by Qwi-Xux. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/969299/1/. Warning: relationships Jossed by later books. Het, non-explicit.
This doesn't really warrant more explanation. It was cute, at the time, and I have no idea if anyone who read past the 2nd Circle series would still like it, as characters' sexualities don't align with later canon. Still! Perhaps someone who just started reading the Circle books would like it.
Avatar:
~ Perceiver, by Helium Lost. Read it at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3365792/1/. Mostly gen. Implied het, pairing up to reader (I thought it was Toph/Sokka, but hey). Not explicit.
Helium Lost has written a very touching and thought-provoking story, from the POV of Toph, that explores how a character who is blind interprets the world with her other senses. My favorite chapter was the one where the others try to explain color and other concepts that cannot be explained to someone, and Toph decides for herself how to assign colors to things, based on their explanations. Her logic is sound, and I kinda wish colors did work like that. It's a good story without being too schmoopy or waffy.
~Try Ardy1's fic. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1031218/. Het, not explicit. Zuko/OFC implied bribe!sex in one story, and future Sokka/one or several of the Fire-women.
Ardy1 is an adult, and she writes a bit slowly, but the fics are solid for all that. I especially like the long, adventurous plot-fics.
InuYasha:
~Ripe Wicked Plum's series, beginning with Inglorious and followed by Fraternal, Camaraderie and Devotion. Read at http://inu.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=1296770197. Warning: slash, explicit sex, incest. Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru.
Okay, so this warrants an explanation of the plot. Here goes: InuYasha and Sesshoumaru are both captured, and their female captor forces them to have sex w/her and each other. They kill her and escape in the first story, but not without some repercussions. Mainly, as the author explained in a note in one of the fics, the brothers conflated brotherly and sexual love, and as the repairing of their filial relationship was concurrent with/caused by the sexual torture, they both still want to have sex w/each other, as well as be openly overcoming their sibling rivalry. Shades of Stockholm! And you know what, that is a solid explanation for incest and slash that I can really support, as RWP writes it. The characters haven't really become the parodies of themselves that most of the fandom that writes matchup fic twists them into. Instead, they're coping with trauma, and developing a relationship that is healthy in context. In addition, there are some pretty good fights, lots of ensemble cast moments, adventure, and politics - the latter perhaps being enough for me to overcome any doubts.
~It Was Night, by Dr. Kat. Read it at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2595751/1/. Warning: mpreg. No sex or relationships, although the mpreg is Sesshoumaru by Naraku, and the sequels introduce a het pairing.
I like this one for the way Sesshoumaru and InuYasha form a new understanding of each other, as Sesshoumaru needs so much help during the pregnancy, and then is not equipped to deal with becoming a single mother/father. It's a story about family ties, not romance, and that's why I liked it. There's also some nice fantasy/mythological moments that I very much enjoyed (and a solid explanation for that ridiculous fur thing that Sesshoumaru drapes over his shoulder - so very selkie-myth!). I don't recommend the sequels, simply because I didn't read them; a het pairing that I found unnecessary and fairly implausible was put in, and I thought it missed the point of a *family* story.
Spiderman:
~Best Friends, by Glacis. Read it at http://www.castleskeep.net/Bestfriends.htm. Crossover with Smallville. Lex wants Clark wants Lex, Harry wants Peter wants Harry, but ultimately the fic only covers Peter/Clark. I know, right? Slash, explicit sex.
Ahahah. Glacis made me laugh a few times with one-liners. More, there was a nice bite of melodramatic wangst that I am sometimes in the mood for. The pairings give that away! See, Peter and Clark are so over the angst, and ready for one-night stands, but Harry and Lex are pining in character appropriate ways, and even have to pretend during sex that their partner is actually their best friend. Although, it looks like Lex is smart enough (again, in character!) to nail Clark when he comes home from his school trip. Poor Harry got the stupid genes in this pool - but he's going to try courting Peter, bless his dumb heart. SO SOAP OPERA. If you're not reading for the angst, come for the sex theory - soooo, Peter is part spider, eh? What kind of partner would a spider be looking for... and how would he get their attention? Ahahahhhh.
Slayers:
~Slayers: Faces and sequels by Davner. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/175295/1/. Zel/Syphiel. So, het. Not explicit.
Okay, so the bulk of my Slayers reading is not actually worth recommending. Why: it's ridiculous, out of character slashy Z/X or Z/G. Which, if it's your cuppa tea, you could find in five seconds on Google. Plus, any of the plotty in-character ones I would actually recommend have disappeared from the webs, as this is a relatively old fandom. HOWEVER, that said, this story is great. I didn't even know who Syphiel was, and I may be spelling her name wrong, but Davner's description of the character was enough for me. The story is long and plotty, and reads like an episode (Wacky hiijinks! Xelloss being an evil but fun jerk! Zelgadiss wallowing for a while in his misfortune, but then putting on his big boy pants and saving a city! Naga being Naga!). If it were an episode, it would be the one in which Zelgadiss says, "Hey guys, this working together stuff isn't getting me a cure, so what say I go off for a while and look by myself? No hard feelings," and the others say "sure," but then all the second-string characters wander by and join him to star in their own adventures. Ooh, that was really ineloquent. Don't trust me, trust Davner.
X-Men:
~For Now (The Fuck Waiting Remix) by (unknown). Read it at http://remix.illuminatedtext.com/dbfiction.php?fiction_id=154. Logan/Rogue. Het, mostly implied. Long, and plotty, and by the end I really wanted those two crazy kids to work it out. ;) Not that one of them was a kid, and maybe that was the reason it took so long.
~Try Glacis' fic, at http://www.castleskeep.net/Xmen.html. Mostly Logan/Scott. Slash, explicit sex, a tinge of bestiality (but not really).
Not worth a full-blown rec, but nevertheless, I did really enjoy these, when I'm in the mood for some OOC sex. Sometimes Jean is belittled, and sometimes she's totally sidelined - once, I think she was okay with it; this isn't a pairing that is kind to the woman usually involved with one of the men.
~Try Ciceqi's fic. Find in my Author recs. Unfortunately, she appears to have gotten rid of most of her X-Men fic... although some survived in her misc./crossover stuff. I do believe there was a surprisingly in-character Logan helping Edward Scissorhands, and in another fic meeting Alex Krycek.
Invisible Man:
~Actualize This, by Helena Handbasket. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1264482/1/Actualize_This. No pairings. Crossover with Sentinel and Stargate SG-1.
Wheee! This fic hits a lot of my buttons, and satisfied a lot of people, judging by the number of recs for it I've stumbled across. When I first read it, I had only seen Invisible Man... and I totally thought Sam Carter was a man :D. Now that I'm familiar with SG-1, I can only assume that all three sets of partners (no, not like that) are equally well characterized. Plot summary: forced by work to go to a partner seminar in Canada, the various couples zone out during counseling, refuse to play along with the Friendship Circles, and manage to ferret out a crime before risking becoming totally bored. One reader described it as, and I paraphrase, "the geeks solve the crime intelligently, the policemen/soldiers use superior tactics and reasoning, and the nuts are nuts." As an Invisible Man fan, I love those nuts.
X-Files:
~Try Ciceqi's fic, found in my Author recs. She wrote about Alex Krycek, mostly, and the occasional crossover with Highlander, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Star Wars. Slash, explicit sex, the usual Ciceqi kink.
Alex Krycek, so far as Ciceqi writes him, seems to be the LBD (little black dress) of the X-Files fandom; he goes well with everything, everyone and every fandom. Adventurous, plotty but sometimes-silly slashfic.
Tamora Pierce's Circle series:
~Shifting Circles, by Qwi-Xux. Read at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/969299/1/. Warning: relationships Jossed by later books. Het, non-explicit.
This doesn't really warrant more explanation. It was cute, at the time, and I have no idea if anyone who read past the 2nd Circle series would still like it, as characters' sexualities don't align with later canon. Still! Perhaps someone who just started reading the Circle books would like it.