Rec: Winter Where You Are

[kaffy_r]

Hello one last time (at least for now), since my time recommending has come to a close. To make up for a number of days' absence, I will be recommending two stories today. The second will be in a separate post; I hope you enjoy both of them!

Story: Winter Where You Are
Author: st_aurafina
Rating: all ages
Word Count: 1,810
Author's Summary: Clyde has helped Luke sort out some confusing issues, but even he can't explain why the universe is named River. (SJA/Firefly crossover)
Characters/Pairings: Clyde Langer, Luke Smith
Warnings: None
Recced because: You can probably tell from my other recommendations that  I have an amazingly large soft spot for crossovers; when they’re done well, they expand the universe in which we read. More than that, they also are proof that we’re reading an author whose sense of wonder is even more strong and flexible than the norm in the already creatively flexible universe that fanfiction is. This story by st_aurafina is a beautiful example of that. This story is remarkable for the cut glass purity of the conversations between River and Luke, the different ways that Luke interacts with the people he loves, and the brilliant way the author has drawn the similarities between Luke and River. (By the way, if you know the world of Firefly, you won’t be confused by the name “River.” If you don’t, all you need to know is that this River is not a curly-haired archaeologist.)
A taste:
( The Bane had gifted their Archetype )

Rec: Strings Attached

[kaffy_r]

Story: Strings Attached
Author: beshter
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 80,918 (and counting)
Author's Summary: Pete Tyler thought he was agreeing to making his entire life better. Sometimes gifts come with strings attached. When his entire life is turned upside down, fate gives him a second chance at pulling it together.
Characters/Pairings: Jackie Tyler (both universes), Pete Tyler (Pete’s world), Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler, the Tenth Doctor
Warnings: None by author (character death mentioned)
Recced because: I’m taking a chance by rec’ing this,  because it’s unfinished. However, there are 22 chapters, which gives you plenty to chew on until the final chapters come — and the author appears to have a schedule, which means this fascinating story should be completed. I certainly hope so, because this tackles one of the fascinating untold stories in the Whoniverse; how did the Pete Tyler of Pete’s World come to be so different from the lovable, but unsuccessful Pete Tyler of our world? beshter has a knack I love in writers: they build a believable world, they create characters who act believably, and they act only on the information they know. We, as readers, know what’s happening and why, but the writer’s skill is such that we want to watch this Pete (always one of my favorite characters) think his way through his good fortune, through invasion, through losing one Jackie and into loving a new Jackie.

A taste:
( This was not the life that Pete Tyler had signed up for )