It’s time for Crack Van Collisions!! This one's a real treat:

Title: Intelligent Designs by Auburn
Fandoms: White Collar, Chuck, Fringe
Pairing: Author notes none, but I’d call it Neal Caffrey/Bryce Larkin
Length: 117k
Author on AO3: auburn
Author Website: Auburn’s works on AO3
Why this must be read:

This fic is an epic merging of three fandoms so diverse I wouldn’t have thought it possible in a hundred years – in fact, when my pal winterstar95 recommended it to me I initially resisted it, citing the fact it couldn’t possibly work – yet it does! And very, very well.

The author’s premise is an amazingly imaginative one, particularly for fans of the actor Matt Bomer, who portrays Neal Caffrey on White Collarand Bryce Larkin on Chuck : imagine all of the characters Bomer has ever played (Neal, Bryce, Luc from Tru Calling, Jay Burchell from Traveler, and more) are all clones based on the same “stock,” an experiment overseen by Fringe’s Walter Bishop many years ago to produce super soldiers, and one that has failed mightily. Imagine also that rogue scientist David Robert Jones knows about the Intersect from Chuck and wants to use it to find the tech that made those clones. Imagine again that Bryce Larkin never died on Chuck, and he’s out to stop Jones at all costs. Now mash it all together. The result is part adventure/casefic, part horror show, part family relationship story, and 100% excellent.

The thing that resonates the most for me with this story – besides the sheer talent it took to write it – is the relationship between Neal and Bryce. They are brothers and yet not; they know each other with an intimacy only two beings raised within a hive-like cooperative can; and they are utterly devoted to each other in ways so touching and inspiring it will make your chest hurt. Theirs is a connection and love that almost defies description, really, and fascinates me to this day, over a year since I read the story.

Now, let me assuage the fears of any reader who might be intimidated by the fact they may not be familiar with one or two of these shows: the author takes pains to orient you in the narrative of each of them – you will not be lost. I guarantee, in fact, that you will be swept away. This is a work of genius.

Intelligent Designs

Title: "There Is No Seven" by Tesla
Pairing/Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Alex Krycek, Walter Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, Spike, Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Lilah Morgan, Willow Rosenberg. Hail, hail, the gang's all here.
Author on LJ: tesla321
Author Website: Author's page at Gossamer.
Why this must be read:

This is so good it should have already been recced, but I scrolled and scrolled and I couldn't find it. "There Is No Seven" is a witty, well-plotted, sexy (though not explicit), AU, crossover fic. Tesla explains it best: "There is no miracle pregnancy. It takes off where Mulder wasn't abducted by aliens, but by Wolfram & Hart, contracted out by the Consortium. Drusilla vamped him. Hijinks ensue." Mulder gets to hang out with Spike, while being pursued by Angel, who naturally plans to kill him. That's what Angel does. Scully gets to hang out with Krycek while she plots to get Mulder's soul re-installed so he doesn't get offed by Angel. Tesla writes the best dialogue for these characters—all of them. It's uncanny. If you have even a passing acquaintance with either of these fandoms, you will love this fic. Link is to her website, waybacked, but I think the plain text at Gossamer is easier to read by far.

Read There Is No Seven.

Title: Package Deal by Aurum
Pairing: Harvey/Mike, Eliot/Hardison
Length: 7,571
Author on LJ: not that I know of
Author Website: FF.net profile, AO3 profile

Why this must be read: Finding good Suits crossovers is a hard task. That said, I was amazed at how this fic didn't transplant Harvey and Mike into another fandom's environment without them interacting with it, or write them in a crossover that could feature any characters from any fandom. In this fic, Mike needs Hardison's help to hack into a Harvard alumni database (something maybe Mike really could use in the show right now). Hardison and Eliot don't feel out of place in Suits' New York in all, and this story could easily take place between any episode of Leverage.



"Mike, my man!" says the hugger, patting him on his back with rather more force than necessary. "Long time no see. Looking sharp!"

"Yeah," Mike responds weakly, trying to catch his breath. He smiles as soon as he's released from the embrace. "Thanks so much for coming to see me, Alec."

"Sure, man. Just let me get a coffee, I'm still half-asleep."

Mike remembers the time when he could afford to be half-asleep at noon with a certain amount of longing. He goes to find them a table in a secluded corner. Hardison joins him after a few minutes, holding a plastic cup filled mostly with whipped cream.

"You want to catch up first, or straight to business?"

"I... kind of have to be back at work soon. Sorry."

Alec waves a hand. "No problem. I managed to get two weeks of vacation, so we'll have time for that later. What do you need?"

"I need a hacker," says Mike.

The other man smiles widely and sprawls back in his chair. "Then you're lucky. You've got the best there is."



Package Deal: FF.net, AO3

Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Patrick Kane/Bobby Ryan, Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews UST, Bobby Ryan/ UST
Length: 3965 words
Author on LJ: anna_unfolding
Author Website: Author page on AO3
Why this must be read
It's a recovery from UST buddy fic, but there's some actual connection, real friendship. Go Team USA! I also appreciated that the angst wasn't over the top.

Good Luck With Anitta

Title: Ten Impossible Companions Before Breakfast by distaff exile
Pairing/Characters: Sleeping Beauty/Ten, Sleeping Beauty/Prince Phillip

Fairy Tales/Literary characters: Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice (in Wonderland), Tinkerbell (Peter Pan), Ariel (Little Mermaid), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Mulan, Rapunzel (Tangled), Merida (Brave), Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty).

DW characters: One, Four, Seven, Nine, Ten, Eleven, 8 1/2 (The War Doctor), Ace McShane, Romana II, Susan Foreman, Rose Tyler, Clara Oswin Oswald

Length: 809 words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: It's a series of vignettes showing the intersection between the lives of The Doctor with those of ten Disney heroines. Appropriately, the story bounces around in The Doctor's timeline rather than linearly. Written just a few weeks ago, it also includes The War Doctor (played by John Hurt), called Eight and a Half. Ranging from light to dark; there is a non-con warning for one.

Since this was inspired by artwork, you get a twofer today!

Ten Impossible Companions Before Breakfast

If you like this, take a moment to tell the author. You will absolutely make her day!

Title: electus by cathedralhearts
Pairing: Jeff Carter/Mike Richards, Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews
Length: 18,757 words
Author on LJ: cathedralhearts
Author Website: Author page on AO3
Why this must be read:
I was amused by this BtVS fusion story, even with the general lack of hockey. I hope you like it, too. In this fandom, there's a lot of magical/fantasy stories, but not so many actual crossovers.

electus

I admit I have not thought about this fairy tale since hearing Danny Kaye sing about it in the movie "Hans Christian Andersen" when I was a kid. After reading this story, I haven't been able to stop.

Fandom: Fairy Tales: The Ugly Duckling
Pairing/Characters: original characters, characters of color
Length: 5K words
Author Website: at AO3

Why this must be read: This is the powerful tale of Jordan, a young woman of color, adopted by a white couple when she was a toddler. They may love Jordan but they are woefully inadequate parents, insensitively calling her "Duckling" after one of the earliest fairy tales she read. They later have a baby of their own, which only accentuates how different Jordan is in the family and in their social circles. Jordan lets us in on her life through vignettes interspersed with lines from the fairy tale.

Jordan is so beautifully realized here; all the more so because the people around her pale in comparison as they lead their self-important lives that turn out to be quite ordinary. I ached and cheered for Jordan in turns. Enjoy.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Duckling

If you like this, take a moment to tell the author. You will absolutely make her day!

Title: dust and pies by margottenenbaum
Pairing: gen (Ned-centric, with background Xander/Cordelia and Willow/Oz)
Length: 2733
Author on LJ: margottenenbaum
Author Website: her fic tag at LJ
Why this must be read:

Fresh out on his own for the first time, Ned sets up shop in Sunnydale (he chooses it for its low real estate prices), and proves himself to be at once the person best and worst suited for life there. The tone of this story is absolutely perfect for both shows, with rock-solid characterization for all involved. Ned is the only Pushing Daisies character to appear, but he's the main focus of the story, and the author makes excellent use of him.

( Excerpt )

dust and pies

Title: Lost Travellers
Length: ~2000 words
Rating: PG
Characters: Chewbacca, Hephaistion Amyntoros
Author on LJ: daegaer
Author Website: Fic Mems
Why this must be read:

You'll think your critical faculties are skewed, because the prose is like poetry, rich and metered. Really, this remarkable piece weaves two places far, far away into a mesh of in character events. Sorry not to be more eloquent, but the crossover visits my two favorite places and it's hard to be dispassionate. Just read it.

Lost Travellers

Fandom: THE OFFICE/HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Pairing: Pam Beesley/Ted Mosby
Length: 4636 words
Author on LJ: care_says
Author Website: Dreamwidth
Why this must be read: Believe me when I say that it takes a LOT for me to rec a story that goes against my OTP...and even more when the story goes against two! But I love me a good crossover—and I *really* love fics that show Pam coming into her own without having that evolution be in relation to Jim (or Roy). This fic has both, and it's more about Pam and her new friends and life than the shippy stuff anyway. And wow, Pam fits right in with the McLaren’s gang like you wouldn’t believe.

( Becky puts her in touch with her cousin, who gives her the phone number of her ex-boyfriend, who refers her to his grandmother's second husband's grandniece, and finally she gets to this woman named Robin. )

Red Letter Day

Fandom: ONE DIRECTION
Pairing: Harry Styles/Marcel the Marketing Guy
Length: ~8,600 words
Author on LJ: threeturn
Author on AO3: threeturn
Why this must be read:

When One Direction released their music video for Best Song Ever, the fandom exploded with fic featuring Harry's alter-ego, the uber-dorky superfan Marcel the Marketing Guy. I may have read all of it, and this is by far my favorite of the bunch.

This story is set immediately following the video; the other boys are riding the high of trashing a Hollywood studio, but Harry is starting to feel a bit bad about it honestly. He returns to help tidy up, and ends up comforting a devastated Marcel instead. It turns out they are the exact same weirdo.

"Fuck me," Marcel whispers, and then, with more conviction, "Ah, god, please fuck me."

(And here's the music video for Best Song Ever. Zayn's turn as sexy assistant Veronica makes it worth a watch as well.)

Fandom: THE HUNGER GAMES/THE LITTLE MERMAID (HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN)
Pairing: Lavinia (Avox), Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark (Everlark)
Length: 4829 words
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Author on AO3 | Author  on FFN | Author on Tumblr
Why this must be read: When I first read this story I instantly fell in love. Author Mejhiren has a beautiful prose style and it lends itself perfectly to this Hunger Games story by way of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Avox Lavinia stands in for our mermaid, who trades her tongue to the witch-king for human legs. Anyone familiar with the original story knows where this one is going but there's enough deviation to make this one extra special.


( Excerpt )



Sea Child by Mejhiren