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This is my last rec and I will shortly be switching off posting access for the last time. Thank you, everyone, for all of your lovely comments over the past month. crack_van has been a labor of love these many years, and it's really gratifying to know that it has meant so much to so many people. ♥Fandoms: ONE DIRECTION / HARRY POTTERPairing: Harry Styles/Nick Grimshaw, OT5 Friendship Length: ~99,000 words Author on LJ: waspabiAuthor on AO3: waspabiWhy this must be read:I spent a good few years in Harry Potter fandom, and have read a lot of crossovers since then, but very few have been as fully-fleshed and whimsical as the best of the fics written in that fandom. This is an exception. It's 2010, twelve years after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, and the biggest problems in Harry's life (that's Styles, not Potter) are the fact that he's apparently hooked up with his new DADA professor (Mega Fit Nick From the Club), and Louis' seeming determination to drive Gryffindor's rivalry with Slytherin over the cliff of no return. Includes appearances by many of the Harry Potter characters, and a backstory that makes the 1D/Radio 1 characters' presence feel organic. In which Harry makes too many Care of Magical Creatures similes, Liam is a facsimile of a sham of a lie of a Prefect, Zayn is handy with the hexes, Louis thinks petty rivalry is for winners, and Niall divines the future (and the future is chaos). | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Zayn Length: ~73,700 words Author on LJ: unknown Author on AO3: writeivywriteWhy this must be read:This is a gorgeously written AU in which Zayn is a professional footballer and Harry is a high end escort, and they're each a fucking mess. The mood and style of this fic feels quite unique, with slowly developed characters, and emotional reveals. Nothing here is quite as is seems, and it's all as much a surprise to the characters as the readers. Keep the Car Running | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Liam/Louis, Harry/Nick, Zayn/Perrie Length: ~ 85,000 words Author on LJ: sunsetmogAuthor on AO3: sunsetmogWhy this must be read:In this sixth form AU, Louis and Liam keep hooking up while drunk, not talking about it, and having two very different sexuality crises in alternating POV's: Liam's lo-fi and short-lived freakout vs. Louis' complete fucking meltdown. Another long, angsty, and highly amusing ensemble piece from one of my favorite authors. If no one knows you're having a sexuality crisis, that means it isn't happening, right? | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Louis, Harry/Nick, Harry/Louis/Nick Length: ~48,500 words Author on AO3: becka & mediavilleWhy this must be read:Harry and Louis used to have a thing, but Louis ended it and their friendship's been on unstable ground for years; after Louis breaks up with Eleanore and gets pulled back into a physical relationship with Harry - thanks to Harry's boyfriend - things get really shaky. Lots of gorgeous pining, misunderstandings, slightly kinky sex, and boys failing to talk about their feelings. Promise Not To Stop When I Say When | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Liam/Zayn, Harry/Louis Length: ~18,500 words Author on LJ: pukecrypukecryAuthor on AO3: pukeandcryWhy this must be read:Liam rents an attic room from quirky couple Harry and Louis and finds it already occupied by Zayn's broody ghost. Obviously includes major character death, but heartwarming and optimistic, and written with a lovely, dreamlike quality. Once For Everybody Who Got Left Behind | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Louis, Harry/OFC Length: ~28,300 words Author on LJ: littlemouslingAuthor on AO3: littlemouslingWhy this must be read:I'm a sucker for non-famous/celebrity AU's, and this one gets reread pretty regularly. Popstar Harry finds sanctuary in Louis' out-of-the-way little coffee shop and they strike up a friendship which quickly turns to more. The only problem is Louis's clearly the boyfriend type, and that's not what Harry's looking for. Cue misunderstandings, failure to communicate, and boys being kind of dumb and in love. Hiding Out in the Kitchen | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry Styles/Nick Grimshaw Length: ~7,600 words Author on LJ: aideomaiAuthor on AO3: aideomaiWhy this must be read:After the Teen Awards Nick is challenged to a card game by One Direction, and Harry Styles becomes the spoils. I mean, this is admittedly a bit of a bulletproof kink for me, but aideomai executes really well. Nick's nearly certain that's it's all a joke (it's not), and Harry's got the world's best poker face. Harry Styles wins a card game. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Liam/Louis Length: ~28,200 words Author on LJ: harriet_vaneAuthor on AO3: harriet_vaneWhy this must be read:A Groundhog Day AU in which Louis wakes up in the same awful day over and over again. Louis can be an unrepentant little shit when his actions have actual consequences, but he hates being on the outs with his bandmates and he can't stop fucking everything up. Harriet_vane writes Louis really well, and his evolution through this fic is a lot of fun to read. "Basically, I'm a superhero," says Louis. "But only today." | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Niall, Liam/Louis, Perrie/Zayn Length: ~9,800 words Author on LJ: harriet_vaneAuthor on AO3: harriet_vaneWhy this must be read:The boys' school holds an American style prom and Harry wants nothing more than a lads night out. But with Louis planning an epic night for his boyfriend Liam, and Zayn taking Perrie, he and Niall decide to go together instead - just as friends. Really adorable bros-turned-accidental-boyfriends fic. Just Smile | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Liam/Zayn Length: ~20,000 words Author on LJ: luxoverAuthor on AO3: luxoverWhy this must be read:“They say I’m in a band,” Liam tells his mom. He squeezes his eyes shut, his phone pressed tight against his ear. “I don’t even remember any of it.”Amnesia!fic isn't usually my thing, but I really love Liam in this one. Where canon!Liam had weeks to acclimate to being part of an overly touchy boypile, and even longer to achieve superstardom, this Liam wakes up to a future where he's achieved his all his wildest dreams, but not in any way he ever imagined. It takes some getting used to. In which Liam gets temporary amnesia and forgets things even more important than the fact that he's in a band. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Louis Length: ~54,000 words Author on LJ: sunsetmogAuthor on AO3: sunsetmogWhy this must be read:Because sometimes there's nothing more satisfying than a long, angsty wallow. In this sixth form AU, Harry auditions for The X-Factor without his best mates; he returns the conquering hero, headlining his own tour, and hoping to make amends. The boys' friendships are written wonderfully, and Louis' pain and anger is so palpable you ache to read it. The first Louis had heard of Harry auditioning for X Factor was the night he'd turned up on Louis' doorstep the day before leaving for Boot Camp, with a DVD and an illicit bottle of vodka. Thing was, Louis hated secrets, and he really hated being made a fool of, and he really, really hated Harry Styles. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: OT5 (Harry/Liam/Louis/Niall/Zayn) Length: ~19,700 words Author on LJ: disarm_dAuthor on AO3: disarm_dWhy this must be read:And then Louis says, “I bet £10,000 I could go longer without wanking than all of you,” which was probably his first mistake.Louis steps on a used condom on the bus, calls a band meeting, and a competition that literally no one wants to be a part of spirals quickly out of control as the boys take increasingly desperate measures to wind each other up. (Spoiler alert for happy endings all around.) In which Louis has some regrets, Liam isn’t worried, Niall wants to help, Harry tries to forfeit, and Zayn may or may not be bothered. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Vidder: Mark ParsonsLength: 18:12 Why this vid kicks ass:My video rec isn't a fanvid in the traditional sense; it's a full-length fanfic flawlessly animated and voiced by creator-fanboy Mark Parsons. Evil Lord Faptaguise has kidnapped all the pussycats (...catnapped? ...catnipped?), and only Earth's most, er, capable superheros can save them. The Adventerous Adventures of One Direction is chock full of 1D in-jokes, of course, but also enough fandom meta and fic cliches to have broader appeal. It's been viewed over 30 million times, including by the 1D boys, who loved it enough to meet Mark and consider voicing a sequel. The Adventurous Adventures of One Direction | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry Styles/Nick Grimshaw Length: ~30,000 words Author on LJ: junkshop_discoAuthor on AO3: junkshopdiscoWhy this must be read:This might be one you've already heard of - it was recced pretty far outside of fandom circles when it was first posted, and for good reason. Grimmy's made a career on his wit and humor, and when an author writes him well the results are always lulzy; junkshopdisco writes him really well. The Miseducation of Harry Styles explores Nick and Harry's relationship from their first meeting, and Nick's subsequent descent into batshit-levels of self-doubt and longing: ( Excerpt )Nick makes Harry a mix tape, falls in love with him, and has a nervous breakdown (not necessarily in that order). ( AO3) | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Niall/Zayn Length: ~15,000 words Author on LJ: unknown Author on AO3: murkyaWhy this must be read:Breakups are an inevitability for almost any band, and even more so for boybands. In this less-bitter-than-sweet exploration of 1D's future breakup, the boys learn to adjust to life outside a co-dependent puppy pile. This is just a deeply satisfying read. Zayn goes solo and Niall goes home. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Liam/Zayn Length: ~11,800 words Author on LJ: blackwayfarersAuthor on AO3: blackwayfarersWhy this must be read:This is just a delightful combination of two of my favorite genres - accidental boyfriends and holiday fic. The boys get very little downtime, so when Zayn invites Liam home for the holidays, his family get the wrong idea - or maybe not. "Oh," Liam says like he's been hit in the sternum, turning to Zayn with his eyes wide and running his hands back through his hair. "Oh my God, that's it. Your family, they must have thought – like, because you invited me back home for Christmas and, oh, God – they think we're boyfriends." | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson Length: ~35,000 words Author on LJ: unknown Author on AO3: 100percentsassyWhy this must be read:"In which Harry is a promising amateur golfer making his debut at the PGA Championship, and Louis is a Sky Sports anchor who would really rather be commentating on footie." This is just an incredibly fun read. The best AU's play off canon dynamics, and while Louis' instant obsession with Harry is spot-on, it's the relationship between incorrigible-Louis-who-cannot-help-himself and his please-just-let's-be-professional co-anchor Liam that kind of steals the show. ( excerpt )Be My Little Good Luck Charm | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry Styles/Marcel the Marketing Guy Length: ~8,600 words Author on LJ: threeturnAuthor on AO3: threeturnWhy 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.) | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Zayn, Liam/Louis Length: ~27,500 Author on LJ: harriet_vaneAuthor on AO3: harriet_vaneWhy this must be read:Because the inside of Harry Styles' head must be a strange and fascinating place. In this lulzy college AU – as in life – Harry's never really had to work for someone's attention. So what's a boy to do when he meets someone who's actually better looking than himself, and who doesn't respond to his flop seduction skills? Throw an epic tantrum, of course! Features a confused and beleaguered Liam trying to navigate a new relationship with Louis and his live-in soulmate-in-crisis, Harry. Harry always kisses everyone, until he starts something he can't finish. | |
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Fandom: ONE DIRECTION Pairing: Harry/Louis Length: ~17,500 Author on LJ: blackwayfarersAuthor on AO3: blackwayfarersWhy this must be read:Between The X-Factor and the release of their first album, Harry and Louis attended Leeds Festival together. They spent three days tromping through mud, sharing clothes and a tent, and enjoying relative anonymity for one of the last times in their lives. When it was over, Harry wore his Leeds Fest entry bracelet for months afterwards, until it was falling apart. take me to the riot is a lovely, atmospheric story which imagines how this weekend might have gone: a celebration of family, music, lost weekends, and young love. Louis can feel the morning stiffness fade away as the excitement in his gut starts to get him wild and rowdy, this short trip up to Leeds Fest reminding him that it can't possibly get better than this: a bottle of vodka in his bag, a boy by his side, a tent over his shoulders, and the promise of a truly glorious disaster he has been craving for months. | |
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