HouseNo Arg...

HouseNo Argument by SelfishlywarmHouse/ChaseI confess I found the narrative a little confusing - almost surreal at times but this is a very engaging story with an amazing Wilson voice.Wilson's panicked inner musings the morning after as he realises that he can't remember Chase's name are laugh out loud funny. Loved that he knew Julie would realise he was cheating on her by the mere fact that someone had rummaged through her cupboards. Chase and House's shared fondness for Pop Tarts was also adorable. Different but very good.Less Than a Fairytale by Acidic FlowerHouse/WilsonThis is House/Wilson as it should be. Sweet, sexy and angsty all at once. Fits wonderfully within the canon of the show. FireflyIn Stitches by KMSGenPre SerenitySweet, gentle look at the Firefly group dynamic through Simon's eyes. Sadly a grating and uttterly unnecessary pop culture reference middway through prevents this from being the classic it could have been. (Songs from The Sound of Music have no place in the Firefly 'verse - well not unless you putting the characters in a modern setting and the songs link to Simon having a moment of realisation that is!)Dangerous Cargo by NestraMal/SimonPre SerenityI think this has shown up on just about every Firefly rec list so who am I to be contrary? Personally I don't much go for Mal/Simon as I just did not see those undertones on the show. This would have worked just as wonderfully as a gen piece - but well a little smut never hurt anybody! Her Mal voice is perfect and several of the lines are laugh out loud funny. All of the crew are well characterised and the whole thing reads just like an episode of the show - well if it had aired on HBO that is! Cicatrix by HopeJayne/SimonPost SerenityJayne and Simon in the immediate aftermath of the events of the movie. Very sad and melancholy with some truly beautiful lines especially: "He's struck by a sudden surge of almost-grief for how things were, back when they all had people to pretend to be, roles to perform; back before all the masks got ripped off and everything had to be wrapped in bandages instead. "River's repetition of "All Better" is also perfect.I Told You So by LinaelynJayne/SimonPre SerenityI confess that when it comes to fanfic if the summary states that the fic is the author's first foray into a certain fandom I tend to avoid it. There's always something of a learning curve and an author's first piece in a new fandom is seldom good. This is the exception. I love the contrast in Simon and Jayne's letters to their mothers and how the author shows that the pair are grinly fascinated by each other straight away - even if they haven't quite worked out why. Lil Kaylee sobbing her heart out to Inara about Simon is also a lovely moment and the ending with River and Book is great.Bitter Like This by GoldatameraGen (Jayne/Simon if you really squint)Pre SerenitySimon considers his life and what he has lost. Beautiful, vivid, evocative, this is a truly stunning piece of Simon introspective. Daisy Daisy by GoldatameraGen - hints of River/SimonPre SerenitySet after Objects in Space with Simon recovering from being shot by Jubal Early this is a quite extraordinary story. On first read through its a beautifully written wonderful character study of Simon and his relationship with River (I'll be your bounty but she'd only ever been Simon's. It isn't until you read the last few lines however that you realise what a truly brilliant and nuanced piece it is. Needless to say your appreciation of it grows with a second reading. Stunning.SupernaturalWelcome to MemphisCaution:Falling RocksAltars of Stone and WindFor the Love of Mother NotWhisper to a ScreamAll by MaygraSam/Dean WincestThe Supernatural episode Skin was a fan favourite featuring as it did healthy doses of Sam/Dean angst and a kick ass fight between our boys. Maygra took up the central idea of a murderous shapeshifter and decided to run with it creating a superb story False Comforts (link in one of my previous entries) which I doubt will be bettered on the show. The above stories are all sequels to False Comforts with the later two stories being slight tangents showing things from the devil's perspective (so to speak!). Skin didn't really bother giving the central shapeshifter a personality relying instead on the fact that the audience would be too thrilled at watching Jensen Ackles play a raging sociopath to care. Maygra makes her shapeshifters genuinely terrifying and painfully human. Their motives are understandable - after all if someone killed one of your own wouldn't you hunt them to the ends of the earth?Poor Sam and Dean are haunted and emotionally battered in these stories and your heart bleeds for them. And the last line of Altars of Stone and Wind - utterly chilling!