het_reccers | Challenge 85: 6 AU Multi-Fandom Recs (HIMYM, Inception, Grey's Anatomy, etc) (Reply)

6 AU multi-fandom recs!

Fandom Category: How I Met Your Mother
Pairing: Barney Stinson/Lily Erickson
Fic Title: Not Breathing
Author: divine one
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4769010/1/Not_Breathing
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13 - Hard R/NC-17
Genre: Angst Angst Angst
WIP?: Not technically, though the author now has at least 9 parts/sequels (all oneshots)
Why This Must Be Read: This is the start of the author's "marshalldeadverse", which is how the first one starts. Marshall dies, and somehow Lily has to move on. The tragedy and heart-break is SO palpable, and some of the parts in this series have made me cry *like anywhere from tight-chested choking up to full on sobbing). Some involve some pretty graphic sex scenes, so warning there, but mostly everything is incredibly well written - and totally depressing, but in such a good way. The evolution of Lily and Barney's relationship is so well done, and so in character. I can't say enough good things about this series, it's mind-blowing and so, so sad but so, so freaking good.

Fandom Category: Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog
Pairing: Billy (Dr. Horrible)/Penny
Fic Title: Five Things That Did Not Happen to Penny
Author: moon maiden of time
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4751885/1/Five_Things_That_Did_Not_Happen_To_Penny
Rating/Warning(s): PG
Genre: Romance
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read: The title basically says it all, but it's five things that did not happen to Penny, and by extension, five times Penny and Billy did not get together. It's sweet and funny, and makes your heart hurt with the if-onlys.

Fandom Category: Grey's Anatomy
Pairing: Mark Sloan/Izzie Stevens
Fic Title: An Unexpected Love
Author: BloomingViolets
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4882104/1/An_Unexpected_Love
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13 to be safe, but a very light PG-13
Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor/Angsty Angst
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read: The title could probably not be more generic, but this story certainly is not generic. If season 3-4 had taken a different avenue, it could have gone this way. I found this at a time when I was exploring all kinds of new pairings, and I'm so glad I did. It's adorable and original in how Izzie and Mark develop. It builds off of the pair of them being alone and heart-broken in S3 after their respective "big mistakes", and they begin to develop an unlikely dynamic and friendship. It sort of borrows from the show's timeline and plots here and there, but it fits within the fabric of an entirely new thread of story, it works really well.There's the odd typo here and there in the span of the 19 chapters, but the quality of the storytelling more than makes up for it.

Fandom Category: Inception
Pairing: Arthur/Ariadne
Fic Title: Mistaken For Strangers
Author: Metarie
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6225138/1/Mistaken_For_Strangers
Rating/Warning(s): PG
Genre: Romance/Drama(ish?)
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read: Anything and everything by Metarie is basically flawless and breathtaking so really, I shouldn't have to say much more than that. ;) This is "5 ways Arthur and Ariadne didn't meet" and it's brilliantly done. Each part within is self-contained, insanely in character and wondefully AU. And if you ahven't already, go read everything she's ever written, because she's mind-blowingly good.

Fandom Category: Grey's Anatomy
Pairing: Derek Shepherd/Callie Torres
Fic Title: Sunlight in Winter
Author: divine one
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6652139/1/Sunlight_In_Winter
Rating/Warning(s): R for language and some sex
Genre: Humor/Angst/Romance
WIP?: No
Why This Must Be Read: Yup, Callie and Derek. The author does such a good job weaving those two together post-Mer (off-again) and post-Arizona (leaving for Africa) that it suddenly becomes hard not to ship them by the time you're done. And even better, divine one has a few other Callie/Derek stories to whet your appetite when you've devoured this. The humor is so perfect in this - Mark and Addison in particular. My only complaint is that Cristina is perhaps a little too buddy-buddy with Callie at times, but it's easy to overlook when everything else is so well done!!

Fandom Category: Minesweeper
Pairing: um... Smiley/Smiley ? (I don't think you need to tag this one, haha!)
Fic Title: Sunglasses
Author: Anakin McFly
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1106180/1/Sunglasses
Rating/Warning(s): G
Genre: Humor/Angst
WIP? No
Why This Must Be Read: It's not really technically romance, and I know most of your are like, "Minesweeper? WTF?" And so was I. I don't remember why or how I found this (probably a morbid, stunned curiosity that something like this existed) but it's actually so clever and oddly hilarious and weirdly heart-breaking. I don't think I could rec this at any other time than "AU" because I frankly have no idea how it fits into anything, anywhere. But it's so well written, and just so... completely different and original, it's very, very much worth your time. As the summary states, "It's the life of the Smiley. Go into The Room. Play The Game. Die. At least, that's how things were... until one Smiley decided to change it all." (And for those of you who are still confused, this fic is for that little smiley at the top of your Minesweeper game on your computer - you know, the one that gets X's for eyes when you trip a mine. Ya. Somebody write a freaking fic for it - and good one.)

These recs are all more in the vein of What If scenarios than full on alternate universes I think, but they're all AU to some extent. Enjoy!

(Mods, may I have some taggage? Thanks a million!)