Multifandom Het Recs

Fandom Category: Chuck
Pairing: Anna Wu/Morgan Grimes, Anna Wu/Chuck Bartowski
Fic Title: Anna saves the world. A lot.
Author: omfgsh
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/killthefreshmen/7804.html
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Written for an "awesome ladies ficathon," this little fic does everything in its power to prove that Anna Wu is every bit as awesome as you think she is.  And that there's a reason she's so good with a camera tripod.  Bonus points to the author for calling the obviousness of Operation Bartowk

Special Rec: 32/35

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Fandom Category: Chuck
Pairing: Sarah Walker/Chuck Bartowski, Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb/Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb
Fic Title: Twas the Night
Author: GoldenGirl
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5594793/1/Twas_the_Night
Rating/Warning(s): PG
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Set in the nebulous post-Season 2/pre-Season 3 time, Devon and Sarah chat while the Bartowski siblings engage in their annual Christmas screening of The Twilight Zone.   They also drink eggnog, which results in possibly the most hilarious back-and-forth I've read in a while.  You don't really have to read past "1 am," to be honest, but it is well, well worth your time to go up to that point.  I'd also be totally up for filling in some of the blanks in their conversation...you'll see why.

Special Rec: 33/35

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Fandom Category: Chuck
Pairing: Diane Beckman / Roan Montgomery
Fic Title: Three Times Diane Beckman Met Roan Montgomery (and One Time She Didn't)
Author: misura
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/143116
Rating/Warning(s): General Audiences
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: For what it's worth, this fic was written *before* "Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible" aired and proved the author right. It gives a glimpse into Beckman's life pre-Chuck--her motivations and goals and independence. As we later see in the show, she certainly doesn't need a man, but a sweetly characterized Roan doesn't hurt.

Special Rec: 34/35

Fandom Category: White Collar
Pairing: Elizabeth Burke / Peter Burke, Kate Moreau / Neal Caffery
Fic Title: Stories of Progress
Author: BlackEyedGirl
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/70939
Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so it's not explicitly het--the author even categorizes it as gen.  But I disagree--the unique and deep interpersonal relationships are what make White Collar stand out from many other police-y procedural shows.  This fic follows Neal, mourning Kate post-Season 1, and the people in his life (Peter, El, June, Mozzie, Diana and Jones) helping him through the grief in their own ways.  As on television, the Burkes' relationship is smartly rendered as a partnership between equals and as something Neal might realize he wants for himself.  June's missives about her husband make me want to learn more about who the author thinks he was.  And Neal's relationship with Kate feels as cut-off and mysterious as it does on the show (even with what more we learned about her in Season 2, which admittedly came after this was written).  In all, even if "Stories of Progress" lacks the conventional trappings of a het fic, it's worth a read through that lens.

Special Rec: 27/35

Fandom Category: TV Commercials
Pairing: Flo/OMC
Fic Title: Electric Sheep
Author: Ceares
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/collections/yuletide2009/works/31795
Rating/Warning(s): G
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Um, because some wrote fic about Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials?  It's sweet and sincere for all its crackiness, and the author sets up a sensible, bright little universe that should make you smile.  (There are actually a few other Flo fics on AO3 that are entirely readable, but this one is definitely my favorite.)

Special Rec: 22/35

Not sure how to tag this one, sorry.

EDIT: Yay! Thanks, mods!

Fandom Category: Bones
Pairing: Angela Montenegro / Jack Hodgins
Fic Title: let us be lovely
Author: torigates 
Link: http://torigates.livejournal.com/231726.html
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Because there are few things better than actual shipper payoff, and Hodgela are going to make awesome parents.  Because Hodgins is the kind of dad to bring his kid plush creepy-crawlies, and Angela is the kind of mom who is secretly okay with that.  The Brennan bits here are sweet, but the Hodgela bits are sweeter.

Special Rec: 18/35

Fandom Category: Dirty Dancing
Pairing: Frances Houseman/Johnny Castle
Fic Title: A Real Grown-Up Name
Author: fairy_tale_echo
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/34065
Rating/Warning(s): G
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: This wonderful one-shot follows Baby into adulthood, through college and beyond.  Johnny stays in the picture, which always seemed unlikely to me at the film's end but is believable and nicely rendered here.  The author tells her story through the benchmarks of definitive (and progressive) court cases in U.S. history, which jive nicely with Francis and her determination to become a lawyer and change the world.  There's also a strong case made for a true partnership between our lead couple, which is no small thing in this fandom or its era.

Special Rec: 15/35

Fandom Category: Star Wars (original trilogy)
Pairing: Princess Leia Organa / Captain Han Solo
Fic Title: Double Twist of Fate Or a Melody
Author: Thistlerose
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/96315
Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: The author's summary, "A sketch of their relationship, post-Jedi," captures the gist of this fic perfectly.  It's no more than that, a series of outlines of different aspects of their new lives, but the whole thing is beautifully rendered and so totally in character you can just about hear Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford speaking the lines.  The image of Leia's impossibly long hair flows throughout the piece, which is a lovely trope, and Thistlerose also finds the clearest characterization of Padmé Amidala I think I've ever read.

Special Rec: 13/35

Fandom Category: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? / Where's Waldo?
Pairing: Carmen Sandiego / Waldo
Fic Title: We Froze But For a Moment
Author: aboutbunnies 
Link: http://aboutbunnies.livejournal.com/28557.html
Rating/Warning(s): Per the author, "PG-13, because beloved children's characters are doing things they aren't allowed to do on television."
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Waldo and Carmen meet in a bar and click.  Short, sweet, and just a little sexy.

Special Rec: 10/35

Fandom Category: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? / Where's Waldo?
Pairing: Carmen Sandiego / Waldo
Fic Title: Track
Author: gaiafaye 
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/where_inthewrld/2198.html
Rating/Warning(s): PG
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Carmen/Waldo is probably the greatest crack pairing ever (and yes, I've read a Snape/Jesus slashfic, thank you), and where_inthewrld is a fun little community that celebrates this.  As a result, I'm taking it upon myself to promote several awesome fics featuring this pairing.  In "Track," the two encounter each other as strangers on a train--Carmen bold and flirtatious, Waldo friendly and a little bit awkward.  It's a short little snapshot, but a fun one that leaves you wanting to know more about both mysterious travelers.

Special Rec: 8/35

Fandom Category: Disney's The Little Mermaid
Pairing: Ariel/Eric
Fic Title: Bright Things
Author: Penknife
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/142539
Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: A happier take on "after happily ever after" than the gorgeous but tragic Seeing Your World From The Outside, this fic takes note of the things Ariel missed from under the sea but also remembers her joy surrounding the human world.  The author weaves the conflicting desires together beautifully, and Eric's perspective contextualizes her new life within an interesting broader picture.

Special Rec: 6/35

Fandom Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel: The Series
Pairing: Cordelia Chase / Xander Harris
Fic Title: Echo
Authors: Vatrixsta
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/25701
Rating/Warning(s):Unrated by author, but PGish
WIP?: No.

Why This Must Be Read: Another entry into the canon-Xander-pairings file. Cordelia/Xander was a delightfully unlikely pairing and (unlike most from either series) exist pretty much outside of the supernatural world. Instead, the pairing plays strongly on the high school themes in which "Buffy" was rooted, and it does so with wit, a heap of chemistry, and a strong dose of emotions that anyone who's survived high school can relate to.

Vatrixsta's fics are always worthwhile in my experience, but in this one, she really shows where and how Cordelia and Xander shine together--the clever little barbs, the emotional confusion and raging hormones, and the underlying sense that they could've really been something if Angel hadn't needed a sidekick in L.A. I always wished that the older and wise Cordy and Xander we knew in the last seasons of "Angel" and "Buffy" had had the chance to meet again--and here, we get a taste of that.

Special Rec: 4/35