The problem with maintaining a website about something you love is that there's always a temptation to do what you love instead of working on the website. The greater the enjoyment, the greater the temptation...and I'm not a particularly strong-willed person to begin with.
Hence, this section, which in its first incarnation was dubbed the Daily (HA!) Excuse section--the idea being that if my visitors couldn't get a timely updated site, they could at least get the stories that were keeping it from them. This is where I recommend specific fanfics. Some are good, some are great; basically, these are what I'm reading when I'm supposed to be updating the Clearinghouse.
I'd planned to have a message board up for readers to post their own recommendations, and I still may do so eventually; in the meantime, if you would like to publicly recommend a story, e-mail me with the heading "Story Recommendation." Include the name of the story, the URL where it can be found, what genre it is from, and your praise of it. I will post any recommendations I receive verbatim and credited (IOW, I'll quote what you said about it and stick your name afterwards) at the next update, along with my own.
Here are today's recommendations:
The Grey Maiden series by Chris Widger
Genre: Harry Potter
The guiding principle of this Harry-in-Slytherin AU seems to be that when barely-trained children go up against the most menacing dark wizards in recent memory, the results are not going to be as...one-sided...as they were in JK Rowling's novels. When the children go up against the adults in this series, it feels like children are going up against adults--and that makes what the children manage to accomplish all the more satisfying.
Shadows of the Future by stormqueen873
Genre: Star Wars
In their climactic battle at the end of Revenge of the Sith, it's Obi-Wan, not Anakin, who takes the fall...and who then somehow ends up over a decade in the past, with a chance to change everything. I don't think much of the prequels--whether it be the movies themselves or the various stories and fics surrounding them--but this one is good enough that it doesn't matter.
Crimson Edge by Case13/Fosfor
Genre: Naruto/Bleach
What's Naruto doing with his very own zanpakutou--and a zanpakutou Bleach fans will probably recognize, at that? It should be interesting to find out... (Please note that chapters 2 and 3 of this fic are rated NC-17--for violence, not for sex--and as such, Ficwad registration is required to access those chapters.)
Soul Voice by Avaryan
Genre: Naruto
Meet Haruno Sakura, vessel of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. A very different vessel, to be sure...
Butterfly Effect by Kiraya
Genre: Final Fantasy VII
This is what an AU should look like. A young Cloud accidentally stumbles onto Vincent's sleeping place and awakens the ex-Turk. And that changes everything.
Realms by Jeffrey Vasquez
Genre: Ah! My Goddess/Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2/Forgotten Realms
Today's important safety tip: Chocolate milkshakes and Yggdrasil machinery don't mix. Skuld has certainly learned her lesson--now three pivotal individuals, ripped from their homes and deposited in the unforgiving land of Faerun, will have to learn theirs.
The Fourth Sapling by brindani
Genre: Ranma/Noir
Falling into Jusenkyo, Ranma is about to learn, opened up a whole new world to him. A boy is not and cannot be a candidate for Noir. A boy who turns into a redhead with cold water, on the other hand...
The Road Less Travelled By by Fiona
Genre: Naruto
During the Chuunin Exams, Sasuke opens up--not a lot, just a little...and it ends up making a difference. Not a lot, just a little...but enough.
Child of Mine by Ambrant Arandel
Genre: Negima
Time travellers are a pain. Cleaining up after them can be an even bigger one--because before you can start, you have to figure out where they came from first. In Negi's case, he's got 30 or so possible futures to sort through...
Livewire by Case13/Fosfor
Genre: Naruto
Author's summary: "The difference between Love and True Love isn't much... except for that 'Even Unto Death' part. Naruto, caught between love, death and his team, can't decide which is the most vexing." Reincarnation fics are usually a pain, but this one really, really works. Great development of Naruto, and a rare Team 7 that's actually worth its salt, even before the Chuunin Exams.
Path of Vengeance, Academy Blues, and Academy Blues: Side Stories by Daishi Prime
Genre: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
An alternate continuation following the end of MGLN A's. Lots of new characters in this series, but the main characters are still dominant, so it works very well.
The Art of the Deal by Case13/Fosfor
Genre: Naruto
Burnt-out chakra pathways? No hope of ever becoming a ninja, let alone Hokage? No problem. Meet Uzumaki Naruto, budding merchant prince.
A Glint of Amber Stars by Rem-chan
Genre: Rurouni Kenshin/Star Trek: The Next Generation
Yes, a Kenshin/ST crossover. The Kenshin characters are past-life reincarnations--no time-travel involved, thankfully--and it works very, very well.
The Wild Horse Thesis by Calamity-Queen of Cordite
Genre: Neon Genesis Evangelion/Ranma 1/2
You've heard of self-insertion--now here's Ranma-insertion. Ranma is banished to the world of his favorite anime series. Now, his friends and fiancees watch on as he tries to use his foreknowledge to avert the Third Impact...
Spying no Jutsu by daniel gudman
Genre: Naruto
It's time for Naruto to put his patented "Sexy no Jutsu" to good use...and a few not-so-good-but-very-amusing uses, along the way.
Tokyo-3 Babysitters by Rakna
Genre: Neon Genesis Evangelion
The operation to extract Shinji Ikari from the entry plug of Unit-01 succeeds...kind of. They got Shinji back, but he's a bit...smaller...
A Different Life by crosseyedbutterfly
Genre: Love Hina
It says something, I think, that I can think of far more quality Keitaro/Motoko fics than I can Keitaro/Naru fics. (Whether that something is about LH fanfic or my reading habits, I'll leave to the reader to decide.) This AU is one of the best of the Keitaro/Motoko lot.
Stray Cat Strut by Case13/Fosfor and Griever
Genre: Bleach
An Ichigo/Yoruichi AU. What's not to like? :)
Bookworms and Booya! by mintbaby
Genre: Final Fantasy VIII
I have little use for FF VIII fic in general--and FF VIII romances in particular--but this is a very big exception. The definitive Zell/librarian fic...such as that is. :)
An Ounce of Prevention by Elizabeth Culmer
Genre: Naruto/Harry Potter
In the one corner, we have the ninjas of Konoha. In the other corner, we have a certain living, talking diary. "FIGHT!"
The Last Temptation of Alfred by David Hines
Genre: Batman
Short, to the point, and very, very funny. A spit-take advisory is in effect for the closing line.
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