Fleeting Fancies - Fanworks Recommendations

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Cold choices in the hot jungle by Matt - I admit, I clicked into this story not expecting much. (I find that when people don't capitalize much in their story titles, that more often than not, the fic isn't all that well-written. And the title....) But, I was pleasantly surprised, Midnighter felt very in character, the stats were woven in wonderfully, and it was just... good. The writing style was perfect, not overly crude, but not gushing 14-year-old girl; it felt... right for him, and I love that this was just a little snippet of the way he looks at things. (Apollo/Midnighter of course.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Iron Crown by DuAnn Cowart - Oooh, if you haven't read this fic yet, you should; it's an excellent Jack fic, taking place around the start of the new millenium, and DuAnn Cowart does a beautiful job weaving everything in--Jenny, the other Authority members, details about Jack's powers (sort of... you'll see what I mean), and it's funny in all the right places. Not a humor fic, but a gorgeous oneshot that's funny when it needs to be... a lot like the original series itself. (No warnings.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - No Night for Gin by DuAnn Cowart - I adore Angie. And I adore Jack. (Okay, okay, so I adore all of this. Rarely do I love a cast of characters in such a well-rounded way.) Another beautiful oneshot from DuAnn Cowart, this time about Angie's reactions to the events around issue #13 or so--and Jack's take on the whole thing, too. One of the things I love best about DuAnn's writing is that she does Jack so amazingly well, working in how he sees/feels things because of his power, and she played that off Angie amazingly well. Another fic I think you would really like if you haven't read it already. (No warnings.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - The Waning Dark by Grym - Oooh, and this may be my favorite Authority fic so far--a quiet night watch between the Midnighter and Jack Hawksmoor, after the events with Regis. The writing style was subtle, intelligent, and wonderful, just like the original series--the details with Midnighter's shadows and the city supporting Jack as he wandered around were gorgeous, and the characterizations were spot on. This is why I adore comic book fanfiction--these amazingly talented authors take two characters who don't really have that much in common and write a story like this that just flows so amazingly naturally, you think you're reading a page right out of the original material itself. I just... have no more to say than that. Absolute must read if you read Authority fic, imo. (No real warnings. If you're reading The Authority, you know what to expect.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Frozen by Jane St Clair - *grin* If you don't want to read about Apollo and Midnighter's sex lives, then this isn't the fic for you. I, however, don't mind. ^_^v Not that it really was about sex, but it contains sex, so... yeah. Anyway, this was a beautiful little piece about their relationship, just a quiet moment on The Carrier, drifting through the higher planes of reality--I loved the details of the plane they were travelling through, because they weren't the focus, but they added to the entire picture of the story, making it wonderfully illustrated. (Apollo/Midnighter, some graphic content.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Dickensian Moments by Alicia McKenzie - It's stories like this that make me wish I knew more about Cable. Alicia writes such wonderful, sharp, intelligent, clever, and readable fics that I would dearly, dearly love to be able to sink my teeth into her Cable fics. Until then, I adore reading her Authority fics, such wonderful little oneshots~! This one is pretty much what the title suggests--little Christmas-based moments with Apollo and Midnighter, and, wow, I don't think I could love her characters more. (Apollo/Midnigher, but pretty much only what you'd see in the books themselves.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Good Faith by Alicia McKenzie - Another beautiful little post-Regis story that deals with the characters reacting to what they had to do there, and how much trouble it causes them. Midnighter's conflict was beautifully written, and I adore her Apollo--a good man with strong morals, but with a gorgeously fun little mischievous streak running through him. It peeks its head out in this fic, reminding me of just why I adore the character so much and bouncing it perfectly off Midnigher's troubled state of mind. .....I'll attempt to stop gushing now. ^_~ (No real warnings.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Postmarked 10-09-99 by Falstaff - I'm not sure if this was part of a larger crossover, or just an adorable little oneshot, but it reads quite nicely either way. I love Apollo in this little oneshot, the way he writes the letter is great. The last line kills me every time. While knowing the characters he's writing to would help, it's not essential to enjoy the story--I'm only passingly familiar with them myself and I'm pretty sure I kept up okay. ^_~ (No real warnings.)

- Stormwatch/The Authority - Brothers in Arms by Tangerine - Normally, I'm not crazy about pre-Authority Apollo/Midnighter stories--I've never been as crazy about 'first time' stories as I am about couples who've established themselves a bit more. Though, there are always exceptions, and this story is definitely one of them. I love Tangerine's take on how Apollo and Midnighter went from teammates to more, I could believe this was exactly how it happened. The night/day parallels were lovely (and could have so easily been pretentious, but were done just right), and the writing also as lovely as always with Tangerine. ^_^v (Apollo/Midnighter, some graphic content.)

- Stormwatch/The Authority - You and Me and Rainbows by Basingstoke - Mmm, sometimes I just want Apollo/Midnighter sex. Nothing more, just something to counter the not-quite-there of the series itself and the fanfic available. Especially when it's good sex, with that little bit of not-so-nice edge to it. (Not too much, just enough to keep a fangirl like me happy. ^_^) Good, solid, readable writing as well. I liked a lot. (Apollo/Midnighter, graphic content.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - The Gift by Paradoqz - Ooh, nice little Jack-centric story that's not really about him as an Authority member, just a man who can feel the soul of a city and a little bit of insight into how that might work. Great writing, great little oneshot illustrating Jack, and a nice addition to the Authority fic out there, which I've found to mostly be extremely high-quality. ^_^v

- Wildstorm/The Authority - All Too Human by Mack Knopf - Surprisingly, the Doctor hasn't turned out to be one of my favorite characters, I actually find myself more interested in Jack and the Midnighter, but this story did a lot to change that. It was a fantastic POV from when the Doctor went to rescue baby Jenny and what he was going through at that time, why he reacted the way he did. I loved that the story didn't pull its punches, didn't try to make him more admirable, just presented the situation the way it was, the Doctor's not-so-admirable traits and all. Throw in a couple of really funny lines and we have a fic that Becky just adores. (No warnings beyond the usual Authority stuff.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - The Cold Equations by Alara Rogers - The Midnighter is not an easy character to crawl inside the head of, which is probably a large part of the reason I'm fascinated by him. Alara does a fantastic job of showing how he thinks, how he looks at what they're doing and the potential dangers of it. I think my favorite thing about this story was the constant stats running through his head, practically bombarding the reader--much the way I imagine it is like for the Midnighter. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Conspicuous Consumption by C. - I should have disliked this story. Apollo. Midnighter. Shopping. But it was really well-written and funny as hell and I couldn't help loving the hell out of it. I'd quote, but you really have to read it, because the funny lines flow from one thing to the next. I suspect this is going to be one of those fics I pull out whenever I need a giggle and a nice little WAFF that isn't hideously out of character. *hearts* (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/Authority - Eclipse by Alicia McKenzie - *purrrr* This is what I covet from Authority fic--a quiet little moment between two characters (Apollo and Midnighter), showing little insights into them (post-Kaizen Gamorra arc) and what they're going through, all written very nicely with just that little bit of humor. I *heart* Alicia's Apollo. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/Authority - A Heroes Work Is Never Done by K9 - The single problem I had with this story is that the characters' voices were a little off... the speech pattners weren't quite 'dark' enough, they were just a little too 'chipper'. Something like that. But the reactions/characterizations were great, and the writing was very readable, and I had a great time reading the story--my favorite bit, after Apollo's lost yet another costume: "Quit ogling and get me some clean clothes while I shower," Apollo threw the tattered rags at his partners face.
"I'm not 'ogling' I'm 'appreciating'."

"You're ogling, hell you even have the seedy raincoat..." *laughs* (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/Authority - Firsts and Lasts by J.C. - Okay, I'm sure it's quite obvious by now that I like Apollo and Midnighter. So, I'll give any fic about them a chance, which is good because it leads me to stories like these. A nice, warm, (if a little too fluffy) Apollo/Midnighter piece that's just... yeah, warm. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/Authority - Irreplaceable by Gabriel O'Ryan - This take on the way the Midnighter thinks is a little different from a lot of the other stories I've read lately, in that it's not so much about percentages and statistics, but more... observations, the little things Midnighter notices about those around him, especially Apollo. I kind of miss the stats, but at the same time, I'm very glad to see something like this as well, because I imagine he does know these things, too. Getting away from that particular angle, another damned good fic, with a great Midnighter 'voice' and a just-elegant-enough (which translates from Becky-speak into "Good Writin'") style to fit with the source material. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- Wildstorm/Authority - 'Til The Midnight Hour by Indigo - Getting my 'problem' with this fic out of the way first... the Midnighter/Apollo stuff was a bit too much on the fluffy side for my personal liking... but, it wasn't anywhere near enough to dent my enjoyment of this story. I admit, a lot of times, in stories that spread the focus over all the characters equally, I tend to focus on the Apollo/Midnighter stuff more than the others, but with this story, I read it from start to finish, enjoying that diversity. That's actually my favorite thing about this story, it wasn't that I was left clamoring for more after each scene, but that I was happy to be taken to the next one in the flow of the story and it left me with a very... satisfied feeling. That doesn't happen nearly enough. (No real warnings.)

- Wildstorm/The Authority - Momento Mori by Anne Marsh - I was really surprised to see this fic pop up on OtL, because I didn't think too many people were still writing Authority fic, but I'm very glad to see that they are. This was a wonderful little oneshot that was both touching and funny and kick ass--just like the characters themselves. Which was my favorite thing about this piece--that even in such a short little thing, the spirit (and atmosphere) of the characters came through. (No real warnings.)

- The Authority - Scotchgard & Negotation by Lachesis - I love stories that capture the subtle sense of humor The Authority had, tinged with the darker, more realistic take on such violent characters. This fic wasn't a laugh-a-minute riot, it wasn't supposed to be, but it was sharp and clever and amused me greatly, just like the source material does. The more serious bits were wonderful and the sex was nice, too. All around excellent, satisfying Authority fic. (Apollo/Midnighter, graphic content.)

- The Authority - Every Now and Then by Anne Marsh - I don't normally read songfics for the reason most people don't read songfics, but with a fandom as small as The Authority's, I'll give a lot more fics a chance than I might otherwise have. And I'm glad that's true, because I would have missed this nice little fic that... was just right for my mood. I've been lightly flirting with comicdom again lately and this was just the right length and tone to help that along. That and I just liked the lines: Maybe a night of being more than held. And why not? The chemicals released to the brain after sex helped to combat depression, and sex with Apollo beat 60 mg of Prozac any day. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- The Authority - The Waiting Room by Andraste - For some reason... the last few paragraphs of this fic hit me especially hard, though, I'm not sure why. The entire fic is well-written and I adore a good Midnighter POV, and I really liked the feel of this little scene set just before they become Apollo and Midnighter. It... feels right, like this could very well be what really happened just before, the way they used to be before becoming super-heroes. I also liked the little bit of light, funny conversation they got in, and the writing is wonderful. All in all, a great little addition to the fandom for such a great little series. (Some slight Apollo/Midnighter.)

- The Authority - A Distant Utopia by shrift - I'll grant that this story seems to be trying a little too hard for my tastes, but it's got solid writing and captures the harder edges (that still have some sort of hope to them, if I may use so cliche/cheesy an analogy) of Apollo and Midnighter, there are a handful of really nice insight-like quotes to this story. Okay, and the bit about the crosswords made me laugh. A pleasant read to start off my Yuletide wanderings. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- The Authority - Safe Sex by ladysisyphus - Oh, man, I haven't read Authority fic in probably years now (partially because that first thrush of love has faded and partially because the fandom vaguely scares me) but when I saw ladysisyphus had written for it, I had to wander over and read. Even if it was about Midnighter having AIDS. Except she totally makes it brilliant and I absolutely believe this is how it happened and how it was dealt with and now I'm still laughing because... it wasn't parodyfic, it was just really amusing and kinda hot! (Apollo/Midnighter, not quite an R rating.)

- The Authority - GNARGH Means I Love You by azarias - This title was familiar to me, but I don't see it on my list of recs and I don't remember reading it. So, well. Either it slipped through my fingers or I really am going senile. (Either is possible!) But it's a hilariously delightful Wildstorm fic--and, as one commentor say, now that is how you do Wildstorm romance--with Apollo and Midnighter (and the rest of the group of superheroes who are most definitely not The Authority again, no really) in the middle of one of the usual crazy, crazy situations they find themselves in. The constant stream of comments about the things around them, sometimes wry and sometimes super wry, is a fantastic read, the author did a fantastic job with them. (Apollo/Midnighter.)

- The Authority - untitled by coloredink - This is a short fic, but the author's take on Midnighter's voice when he first wakes up is awesome, there's something genuinely creepy and overwhelming here, the glimpses you get of the background around him are just spot on for the world in which the story takes place, and the ending is kind of killer. It's a short fic, but it accomplishes everything it needs to with this scene. (No warnings/pairings.)