recs and links

"Anya, I'm -- in love with you, too. So I only want you to see the parts of me that are good and strong and -- yeah." She puts a hand on Anya's shoulder and leans close. Anya swallows and says, through the tears streaming on her face. "How's that working for you?" "Maybe not as well as I thought," Rikki says softly, and sinks down to the mattress beside her. Oh my heart. This is lovely.

When Anya visits Gotham University, she ends up fighting giant ducks with Batgirl. Adorable.

There was a difference, he told himself the next afternoon, between stalking and doing reconnaissance. At least, he really hoped there was or else hiding in the perfectly manicured bushes on the east lawn of Gotham Academy and watching Barbara Gordon read was way weirder than he really wanted to be. Objectively speaking, it was important that he do his best to find out exactly how much time Babs was likely to be spending with Artemis and plan from there (Plan what, he wasn't exactly sure, but it seemed very important that he make a plan.) Barbara befriends Artemis at Gotham Academy. This wreaks some havoc with Dick's crush on her (Barbara, not Artemis). Wally, as usual, is no help at all. Hilarious and adorable. (animated!YJ; written before "Homefront" aired)

Sometimes Kon thinks that growing up in an over-sized test tube has left him at a bit of a social disadvantage. Not only is he missing numerous pop-culture references, but he never, ever knows what to say. Take tonight for example: instead of getting off on the buzz of flying, he's obsessing over what he's going to say to Tim. And what the hell can he say, anyway? 'So, it turns out that I want to fuck you--still friends?' Crap. Not even Aunt Martha's too freely given advice can help him out here. Not that he's ever going to tell her about this over a slice of wholesome apple-pie and a glass of milk. Oh, Tim. oh, Kon. Lovely, achy first time.

The true story of Hogwarts' founding, which explains SO MUCH about the things the school chooses to be.

For the first time since his astonishing resurrection, it occurs to Charles that because he is really in his own past, he has a chance to change the future. Does he understand what went wrong for him, for Raven, and beyond anything else, for Erik? Can he really undo so much devastation? He can try. He has to – for both of them, and for all the mutants and all the humans who otherwise will fall in the battles between them. And still, even now, above all, for Erik. There is no one else he wants to save more. If he can save Erik, he will save the world entire. X3 Charles goes back to 1962 and tries to fix Erik, thereby fixing the future. Achy and sad and hopeful all at once.

Erik's new team members all enjoy hanging out with Charles and it drives Erik crazy. Also, there are enticing baked goods. Adorable.

Billy's search for the perfect gift for Teddy doesn't go so well. Wackiness ensues. As hilarious and sweet as this story is, my favorite bit is Eli's brief appearance. ♥Eli♥

Kon doesn't let Tim go when Tim quits being Robin, and so there is an awkward and sweetly hilarious "meet the parents" family dinner. (so, slightly AU) "The two most important things to do on a first date," Ma told him, "are to be yourself, and bring a dessert." "I was myself," Pa said from the doorway. "She brought the dessert." *heart*

This is an AU where Kon is Lorelai Gilmore, Tim is Luke Danes, and Clark and Lex are Richard and Emily. HEARTS. HEARTS IN MY EYES.

What it says on the tin. Basically designed to make you say, "Oh, Steve" a lot.

Tony is banged up after a mission and things between him and Pepper come to a head (so to speak) when she tries to take care of him. I enjoyed this. (needs a beta)

You are a Cylon. Ellen Tigh tries to explain it to you, before she dies, coughing in the smoke of the campfire; weak as Laura Roslin was at the end. “The Five,” she says. “We were born. We grow old. We die. The replacement bodies we made for our own resurrection were just clones. When we made you, we had to start from scratch. Your cells never stop replenishing themselves. I thought I was doing you a favour.” She laughs. You look at her and don't know whether she is your mother. You say, “You named all the others. John and Leoben and D'Anna and Simon and Aaron and Daniel and Sharon. Why didn't you name me?” Ellen coughs in the smoke. “You asked us not to,” she says. You understand that. epic, heartbreaking story of Caprica and human history.

Steve somehow becomes Loki's phone buddy. This is adorable.

lets you find your delicious network on pinboard

The modern AU where Erik owns a kosher bakery and Charles is a professor at NYU. Warm and lovely and full of light and grace.

Supergirl discovers Superboy's existence, and decides that even if Clark isn't going to welcome him to the family, she will. Lovely. (could use a good beta) (YJ animated)

The Brooklyn Dodgers “California?” Bittersweet look at how Steve might adapt to life in the 21st century.

Danny accidentally hires the Leverage crew to get Steve out of jail. This is a lot of fun.

fanmade comic that gives Renee the homecoming and closure she never got in canon. Oh, heart.

This story starts, as many of the greatest stories in history do, with a talking frog. You could argue that it starts sometime before that, with a vampire that's been turned into a puppet. According to Eliot, the word again should be tagged onto the end of that sentence. Or you could argue that it starts with that said puppet walking into a bar. Hee! An absolutely wonderful Leverage/Muppets/Angel crossover.

"And it's Wayne Enterprises. I met Bruce Wayne once, he's creepy." Hardison's eyes grow really, really wide. He points his thumb at Parker, looking at Nate in fascination. "And if she thinks…" "I get it, Hardison," Nate mutters. Hee! Nate wants to do a job in Gotham. The team, having been there before, not so much. This is adorable.

in which Wonder Woman pwns all. I LOVE THIS A LOT OKAY?

The team covers for Eliot when he has an unexpected moment of vulnerability. Nicely done.

A few years down the road, Kate and Eli decide to elope. Needless to say, things don't go quite as planned. This is adorable and hilarious.

The Young Avengers try to bring Steve back. It doesn't go as planned. This starts out as a hilarious time travel gone wrong thing and then turns seriously poignant. Really well done.

Wonder Woman and Captain America team up and fall in love during WWII, but when Steve is lost, Diana keeps on going. I enjoyed this a lot.

Really lovely look at Natasha as she makes herself a new life in the US.

The Winter Soldier could only see the top of her head, but that distinctive shade of red combined with the familiarity of her laugh dragged a broken piece of memory into the present. Her name was Natalia, and she had been a trainee in the Black Widow program - he had sparred with her, on occasion, and he thought that he remembered her as the fastest and best of all of those stern-faced girls, but maybe she had been the worst, after all, her pretty face saving her from elimination, sent to him to improve her skills. There were so many possible stories to every memory, and sometimes the Winter Soldier wished that his brain would just settle on one - the most obvious, he didn't care - and stop trying to reconstruct what he couldn't know. Sharp, melancholy story set while Bucky is still the Winter Soldier.