PPC Rec Center/doctorlit's List

Suggested reading for your spare time.

Non-Crossovers
Nothing's Like Before by Fairy Godmoose (Kingdom Hearts) Summary: What if Kingdom Hearts was real? What if all your favorite movies and TV shows were real, too? And most importantly, what if each and every one of them was in danger of a Heartless attack?
 * rated T
 * incomplete/probably deadfic

Why I like it: This is an example of an author taking the concept from an earlier, Sueish story they had written (The Cheat Code) and redoing it with greater attention to detail, plot, characters and logic. A well-written trans-dimensional hopping OC story that still keeps the spirit of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Knowing Lost by Sam McPherson and occasional guests (Lost) Summary: Two fans of the television show Lost are on a plane back home after a Lost finale party. The plane crashes, but Kevin and Ryan find themselves in the wreckage of a very different airplane...
 * rated T-ish
 * incomplete/in progress
 * my warning: may not be enjoyable to people unfamiliar with Lost, as a knowledge of the show is necessary to understand a lot of what's going on
 * link goes to first chapter; must browse archives to get to others

Why I like it: This story is a deconstruction of the "fans find themselves in their favorite fiction" plot. Kevin and Ryan, both considering themselves true fans of the show, try to use their knowledge to change things for the better. Unfortunately, they forgot that the Lost universe is course-correcting; whatever happened, happened, and the OCs' changes inevitably snap back and leave things worse than they should have been in the first place. Eventually, things have changed so much that Ryan and Kevin are no longer otherworldly observers, but are trapped within the Island's mysteries just as much as the canon characters, with no idea what's going to happen next, nor how they're going to survive whatever it may be.

Crossovers
The White Tree of Hogwarts by atoz (Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings) Summaries:
 * part two:
 * both rated T
 * part one complete, part two incomplete/probably deadfic
 * part one: When Voldemort travels through a portal that leads to Middle-earth, Dumbledore, Harry, and his friends must embark with the Fellowship of the Ring on a quest of vengeance and rescue to seal the fate of two worlds.
 * part two: The Fellowship broken, its members now venture in different directions, conflicted by doubts about the trustworthiness of allies as well as the evil within themselves.

Why I like it: This is just a fun crossover. The wizards from the Potterverse (both the Hogwarts crew and the Death Eaters) discover their magic doesn't work in Middle-earth, and generally find it to be a much less forgiving world than the one they came from. Not everything is great; I find the Hermione/Legolas romance to be OOC and forced, but for the most part, everyone is in character, and the interactions between the canons of the two worlds are wonderful. My favorite is the subplot with Tonks getting stranded amongst the Haradrim, giving both her and the wild men much more screen time and characterization than either received in their original canons.