Rat Creature's Journal

Harry Potter

House Colours, by Sarka. Slash, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. (ca. 12,800 words)
This is a Slytherin!Harry with Gryffindor!Draco AU, and I really enjoyed it, not least because it had a Ron who was first friends with Draco and then Harry, rather than the Ron-bashing that is so depressingly common in Slytherin!Harry stories.

Stargate: Atlantis

Snakeheads: A Love Story, by Leah. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard/OMC. (ca. 17,600 words)
I never really expected to read a John/Rodney/Goa'uld threesome, but this was written by Leah, so of course I gave it a try, and wasn't disappointed. This one was far more fun than you'd expect with this setup.

The Little Sister, by Martha. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. WIP
I like film noir AUs, and ever since Vegas I like seeing Sheppard as down on his luck detective even more, but what makes this AU great is that the alternate reality is still based on Stargate. The setup is really intriguing, and I like that in it the Goa'uld were smarter in their take over of earth, smart enough that the majority doesn't even think of them as bad guys.

Strange Aeon, by Slybrarian. Slash, Sheppard/Mitchell, Sheppard/Lorne. WIP (ca. 32,000 words so far)
How could anyone resist a mix of Lovecraftian space monsters and with Stargate? The series is still a WIP, and I'm really enjoy how this is subtly different from canon, and the world building and hints of mythology so far have me hooked. And I like Cam in Atlantis.

To the Wide Outposts (ca. 7,490 words) and The Known From the Unknown (ca. 12,000 words), by Vain_glorious. Gen, Ronon Dex, John Sheppard.
I've recced the other two stories in this series (Where the Ways Divide and In the Nights When I Am Lone) already, but in case you missed these two that have been posted since my last recs update, it doesn't hurt to point the 'verse out again. In it Sheppard has been made a runner by the Wraith and is found and taken in by Ronon and his Satedan squad.

Star Trek: Reboot

Open Up My Eager Eyes, by June. Slash and femslash, Kirk/Spock, Uhura/Gaila. (ca. 15,000 words)
This is a fusion with Pump Up the Volume that was written for reel_startrek. I really enjoyed this, even though I'm not particularly into high school AUs or into making Spock a human/loosing the SF elements in Trek fiction.

Lensflare Lover, by Leftarrow. Het, Pike/Enterprise, Pike/Number One. (ca. 7,300 words)
This has a cool premise in which the spaceships have avatars.

In Truth, by Mint_amaretto. Slash and het, Kirk/McCoy, Spock/Uhura. (ca. 3,570 words)
This is a really creepy, twisted AU, as any mix with the Dollhouse concept (not the series itself, more the basic premise) should be.

The Sky Was Made for Us Tonight, by Waketosleep. Slash, Kirk/Spock. (ca. 5,500 words)
In this AU Vulcans decided to supervise humanity more closely, and Kirk and Spock are delinquent rebels together after meeting in a holding cell and staging a prison break. I enjoyed this scenario a lot.

Supernatural

Untitled SPN Snippet, by Cofax. Gen. (ca. 1,300 words)
I wanted this to be longer and an apocafic epic rather than a snippet, but the world building was still interesting.

Teufelshunde, by July. Gen. WIP
In this AU Sam and Dean grow up with a foster parent after John has been arrested. I really like the OC and the structure with the flashbacks here works for me, even though flashbacks aren't my favorite things.

Rain Falling Down, by Maychorian. Gen, Bobby, Castiel, Jimmy, Dean, John. WIP (the series, individual stories are finished, ca. 20,000 words so far)
In this AU Castiel travels back in time to prevent the apocalyse, but things go wrong and he gets stuck in his host as a kid without his full powers, and lots of angst and h/c ensue.

And Burn the Long-liv'd Phoenix in her Blood, by Tabaqui. Gen. (ca. 6,800 words)
In this AU Mary survives, but they still hunt. I enjoyed the setup and look at their lives.

It's of course no secret that I love were-animal stories but the one just posted for the mcshep_match is awesome. So you should head over there and read:

Where the Brave Dare Not Go, by Anon. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 18,500 words)

I liked the sense of hinted backstories in the AU for the characters, and that the universe seems larger than what's in the story. And I liked that the Were mythology of this universe wasn't magical or really supernatural(at least not from what we learn of it), but seemed almost mundane (in a good way) in the way the society deals with this.

Stargate: Atlantis

Love Is a Long Long Road, by Hily and Telesilla. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 40,000 words)
If you like romance mixed with kink this AU is right for you. John and Rodney meet in college, get together and start a D/s relationship (with John as submissive). There are even two endings to choose from, one more fluffy, the other more angsty.

In the Nights When I am Lone, by Vain_glorious. Gen, John Sheppard, Ronon Dex. (2,768 words)
This is a sequel to the Where The Ways Divide, a short role reversal story in which Sheppard is a runner and found by Ronon and his Satedan squad, which I have recced previously. This story explores some more how Sheppard might fare on Sateda.

Black Mountainside, by Whizzy. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 66,000 words)
I've recced the Black Helicopters series before, but this new novel-length story has been posted since, so I thought I'd point it out again in case you missed it. In this AU Sheppard joined the SGC before Rodney, and then they meet when Sheppard crashes an alien craft in a test flight, and recruits Rodney.

Star Trek: Reboot

An Illogically Beautiful Mind, by Anonymous. Slash, Kirk/Spock. (ca. 5,100 words)
This is a fusion with Good Will Hunting.

A Little Left of Ordinary, by Anonymous. Slash, Kirk/Spock. WIP (ca. 6,300 words so far)
This one is a retelling of the movie in a vaguely steampunkish fantasy setting where magic also works. I really enjoy the worldbuilding so far.

Of Sentinels and Anchors, by Corpus Invictus. Slash, Kirk/Spock. (ca. 13,000 words)
The premise of this one is that Sarek died when Spock was young, so Amanda raised him on Earth and he lacks Vulcan training. As a result Spock has also problems controlling his telepathy. I really liked the Spock-angst and h/c. If you mind the "special mental bond" trope you might want to skip, but in that case Kirk/Spock is probably not your pairing anyway. I however have a soft spot for the same.

Nothing Lay Between, by Dancing Mercury and Jantra. Slash, Kirk/Spock, Pike/Spock. WIP (ca. 43,300 words so far)
Spock is given to Kirk by the Vulcans as a reward. The premise sounds as if it could only work if the setup is in alignment with your kinks, but this one actually has good worldbuilding, gradually gives background for the differences and isn't all that over the top when it comes to changing the characters.

The Hounds of Morrigan, by Hounds_morrigan. Het and slash, Kirk/Spock/Uhura. (ca. 20,000 words)
In this AU Nero was smart enough to destroy Vulcan, Earth and the Federation right away rather than wait for Spock to be able to gloat. The resulting apocafic universe is not that close to canon, but who could resist Uhura, Kirk, and Spock ending up as badass and somewhat traumatized crazy space pirates? It has the additional benefit of working for my slavefic kink and some others. On the flipside, if you don't share my fondness for a variety of non-con and power inequality kinks, you might not enjoy this as much.

Only Good for Legends, by Leupagus. Het and slash, Spock/Uhura and Kirk/Spock. WIP (ca. 19,300 words so far)
This takes place in the Star Trek universe, but Spock has become a police detective on Earth rather than joining Starfleet. I'm enjoying the worldbuilding and the bits of character background that have been revealed so far to explain the changes. It has some angst (the whole cynical detective aspect and some of Spock's backstory) but is also quite lighthearted and funny without being crack or parody.

Time's Divergence, by Logical_stimuli. Gen, Kirk, Spock Prime. (ca. 6,600 words)
This is domestic kidfic fluff that will make you feel warm and fuzzy: Spock comes through the wormhole at the same time as Nero, and because both of Kirk's parents are killed Spock raises Kirk.

Of Pilots And Groundbreaking Inventions, by Misfit_fandoms. Gen, Sulu (though the author labelled it as pre-Chekov/Sulu). (ca. 4,900 words) WIP?
The premise here is the Enterprise as a steampunk ship with an oddball crew. This feels more like a setup rather than an entire story, and the author said there might be more in this universe, but even as it is the atmosphere of this AU is neat and I enjoyed it as it is.

Twice Shy, by Sarka. Slash, Kirk/McCoy, implied Spock/Uhura. (ca. 20,000 words)
Bones is a werewolf, pining after Kirk. I never knew I wanted a Star Trek werewolf fic before reading this, but this was a fun scenario. It's a bit inconvenient to read posted as it is in a comment thread, and I hope the author will repost it elsewhere eventually. (eta: now available in in more convenient format)

Faith Healing, by Aesc. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 11,300 words)
This AU has a really cool premise. John isn't in the military anymore, but has come across an ancient healing device. Rodney and Lorne track down rogue Ancient tech for the SGC.

Where the White Lilies Grow, by Anonymous. Gen. (ca. 44,400 words)
In this AU recently posted to the sga_genficathon two alternate realities collide via a Stargate malfunction: a Rodney from an Atlantis that has been cut off from Earth without a Sheppard joining the expedition gets stranded (unfortunately with Wraith too) on an post-apocalyptic version Earth, where he runs into that reality's John Sheppard.

Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves (part one, part two), by Auburn. Gen plot with mixed slash and het elements, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Vala, Daniel Jackson, Janet Fraiser, others. WIP
This is simply an awesome space pirates epic mixing both SGA and SG-1 characters, and what's even better is that it reveals us their backstory so that it makes sense that the familiar characters end up this way. It has a great action-adventure plot and I loved the whole atmosphere.

Diplomatic Immunity, by Sarah T. Het, John Sheppard/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 4,500 words)
I don't want to spoil this, but it is a creepy and disturbing AU premise in which the Athos the expedition encounters is quite different. But it's disturbing in a good way.

Black Helicopters at Dawn (ca. 64,000 words), its sequel Wrong End of the Rescue (ca. 7,000 words) as well as the rest of the Black Helicopters series, by Whizzy. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard.
Rodney has annoyed the US military too much to become a real part of the SGC, and now tries to prove te existence of aliens the hard way. Meanwhile Sheppard is part of the SGC and crashed an alien craft in a test flight in the Canadian wilderness, and Rodney catches his distress signal. Things unfold from there. I enjoyed this AU a lot, however I've seen several commenters who felt disappointed that there wasn't payoff for the attraction within the story. It really worked for me though.

Numb3rs

Breaking the Code, by jlm110108. Gen. WIP
This is still a WIP, but I'm really enjoying it so far, and it seems to get updated fairly regularly. I don't know the series it is a crossover with, Foyle's War, but I like the AU premise here that has Charlie as cryptographer during WWII and Don as American soldier.

Stargate: Atlantis

Born in the Barrens, by Eildon Rhymer. Gen. (ca. 60,000 words)
It's no secret that I have a slavefic kink and a soft spot for amnesia fic, and here both go together like chocolate and hazelnuts. Still, I think even readers not sharing these kinks will enjoy this story for its good mix of angst, h/c, world-building, adventure and later on team interaction.

Until Love Can Find Me, by Isagel. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 10,900 words)
This is another one in the growing genre of Vegas-verse AUs. I really liked this take on Vegas!John, and found it an interesting variant of possible futures there, because John survives but actually doesn't get recruited by the SGC.

A Narrow Bridge, by Kass. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 18,430 words)
I thought this was one of the more unusual SGA AU scenarios I've encountered, and only in part because it's a non-stargate AU that put them in a yeshiva instead, which is quite a step from SF soldier hero with geek sidekick, but even more because it's unusual that in an AU John and Rodney do more or less both the same thing, rather than meeting by chance. Still I enjoyed the AU, and I liked the glimpses we got of their backstories (I'd totally read a prequel to this giving me more of this John's history).

Iron and Steel, by Leah. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 57,300 words)
I've recced all the other stories in this series with John and Cameron as AIs already, and continue to love the universe. In this installment they encounter an alternate universe robot!Cam from a more dystopian universe.

In a Grain of Sand, by Sarah T. Gen, John Sheppard. (ca. 540 words)
This is very short and I don't want to spoil it, but it's a cool, twisted premise, and posted as part of the "Skeevy Ancients" flashfic challenge for a reason.

you already know how this will end, by Sarah T. Het, John/Teyla, Teyla/Michael, Teyla/Kanaan. (ca. 15,000 words)
This is a sequel to Sequelae by The Spike which I have previously recced. And I really like this hopeful resolution to that story.

Reversals, by Sealie. Gen. (ca. 750 words)
I love stories in which a Pegasus expedition for Atlantis is mounted, and Atlantis then belongs to the Pegasus peoples rather than Earth finding it first. The only downside of this story is that it sets this up, but isn't actually an epic with this premise.

The Year That Was, by Bluflamingo. Slash, Cam Mitchell/John Sheppard (ca. 11,390 words)
Cam hooks up with Sheppard in the alternate reality of the SG movie Continuum.

The Hard Prayer, by Rheanna. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 30,500 words)
You probably have already read this, because everyone and their cat has recced this one, but it is a great apocafic. A plague wipes out most of humanity, and I like this story for showing how surviving the apocalypse damaged them.

The way we look to a distant constellation, by Sarah T. Gen, though with some Sheppard/Wraith non-con. (ca. 3,200 words)
This story takes an alternate route for Vegas!John's encounter with the Wraith.

when I came I was a stranger (part 2), by Sarah T. Het, John Sheppard/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 12,000 words)
Another Vegas AU (what can I say, I like them a lot), this one closer to canon events in that it is an episode tag. I enjoyed Vegas!John's POV here.

Stargate Atlantis

A new history of Captain John Sheppard, by Anonymous. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 16,440 words)
This is a fusion with Temeraire, and just all around awesome. It's set in 1811 and Sheppard has been exiled to the new world breeding grounds where he found his dragon.

Liminal, by Anonymous. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 56,500 words)
Elizabeth is building "Atlantis" as a community on earth, in the post WWII England. I liked the atmosphere of this story, and that despite the setting it is not an AU without the Stargate mythology, things just come together differently.

Stargazing, by Anonymous. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 4,200 words)
In this story earth fought a war against aliens, and to win it modified its soldiers, which is the AU background for bug!John here (a trope which I love), and also used androids, so we get an android!Rodney. This story is set post-war, and they meet each other after their decommissioning while they cope with a society that is less than welcoming. I really liked the world-building here, even though we only get glimpses of the universe.

Orpheus, by Domenika Marzione. Gen, John Sheppard. (ca. 53,000 words)
This story explores what might have happened had Sheppard been not allowed to return to Atlantis after the Seige.

Supernatural

Rising Storm, by Cofax and Hossgal. Gen. (ca. 11,000 words)
This is a fusion with the Finisterre universe. I haven't read those books, but they made for a cool AU scenario of settlers on a hostile planet with telepathic fauna.

DCU

Shards of Night, by Marcelo. Het, Lois/Clark. (ca. 830 words)
Clark in this story is more alien than in canon. The story is on the scary side, but I actually felt sorry for Clark, because he's still one of the good guys.

The Call, by Marcelo. Gen, Bruce Wayne. (ca. 450 words)
Another short, yet scary DC AU. The author describes it as "DC Comics meets Lovecraft" and I really like the creepy premise for Batman here.

Supernatural

Dromoscope, by Emily Brunson. Gen, Dean Winchester. WIP
It's a fusion with the novel "Jumper". I haven't read that, but still enjoyed the story so far. The premise is that Dean is able to teleport, and keeps this secret from his family.

The Heist, by Starrylizard. Gen.
This last one isn't a fic rec, but an AU vid. It is really fun though. Sam and Dean are bankrobbers.

Stargate: Atlantis

See No Evil, by Greyias. Gen. (89,048 words)
In this AU events in the past happened differently so that there is no SGC (finding out what exactly changed is part of why the story is fun). John and Rodney meet while working for the same company, John as a testpilot and Rodney as a scientist. The plot here is fast paced and had me completely hooked.

Imago: The Tao of John, by Kristen999. Gen. (49,759 words)
John gets caught in the ascension machine in Rodney's place, and this version was fun to read and I liked how the superpowers were handled.

Circle of the Sun, by LadyAmarra. Slash and het, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, John Sheppard/OFC. (ca. 42,300 words)
John ascends because of the Ancient machine in Tao of Rodney. The people with whom he ends up with when he eventually descends have been given an interesting background, and it was quite chilling to see John's loyalty brought to its final consequences here though I don't want to spoil the plot twists by being more specific.

The Fall of the House of Sheppard, by Martha. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, Rodney McKay/other. (40,150 words)
This horror AU, in which Rodney accompanies John to Earth during Outcast, was just somewhat creepy at first but also funny, and I was lulled into a false sense of security. Then the creepiness and violence got worse and worse, turning it into genuinely scary horror. A great story overall, that ties horror to the SGA SF elements neatly.

A Clear and Different Light, by Sholio and Naye. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 88,000 words)
I liked how fantasy and magic were mixed with the SGA mythology here, the plot had me hooked, and this version of Wraith was truly creepy as well.

Needs Salt, by Thetruebard. Gen. (ca. 2,650 words)
In this fusion the SGA team is put into the Avatar the Last Airbender universe in Aang's and his friends' place. This is a lot of fun and it has cute art by Pentapus.

Astonishing Persistence Of Memory: Past Time, by Tielan. Het, John Sheppard/Teyla Emmagan, John Sheppard/OFC. (66,779 words)
In this AU events in Common Ground happen a bit differently, which leads to an amnesiac!Sheppard. I enjoyed to gradually discover what happened and why John lost his memory as John rediscovers himself, and pieces things together as an outsider to his life but also familiar with it. I liked his relationship with the OFC and the UST with Teyla.

Where the Ways Divide, by Vain_Glorious. Gen, John Sheppard, Ronon Dex. (971 words)
This is very short, but has still an interesting scenario: It's a role reversal story in which Sheppard is a runner and found by Ronon and his Satedan squad.

Blue Colorado Skies, by X-parrot. Gen. (ca. 11,400 words)
This is a steampunk western AU. Rodney is an inventor, Sheppard the son of a ruthless railway robber baron, who's trying to get away from his family, which is just a cool scenario all around.


Supernatural

A Thin Chain of Next Moments, by batyatoon and dotfic. Het, Sam/Ava, Dean/OFC, John. (ca. 22,000 words)
In this AU Dean makes a deal with the Crossroads Demon to free John from hell, and gets the standard ten years contract. On the one hand this AU is quite sad, on the other we get to see Dean live for a decade.

Art Therapy, by CaffieneKitty. Gen, Dean. (ca. 1,200 words)
In this AU Dean was the only survivor of the fire. What gives this story a great twist is that it is written from various outsider POVs of report cards and therapy notes.

Appointed Verse, by Irnan. Het, John/Mary. WIP
A Mary-centric AU verse. Mary survives, and she and John become hunters together.

Pathways Verse, by Irnan. Het, John/Mary. (ca. 36,000 words)
This is another Mary-centric AU verse (though Sam and Dean appear too), that gives her an interesting supernatural background of reincarnation and connects her to Samuel Colt as well as Ruby.


Multifandom

Flowers in Your Hair (Four Characters Who were Never Hippies, and One Harsh Reality Check), by Kokiri. Gen. (ca. 2,600 words)
I don't know Legend of Zelda, but the HP, DC and Avatar parts were all great fun. Also worth looking at are the illustrations.

Stargate: Atlantis

Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology, by Anonymous. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 24,100 words)
It's a magic AU, and I really liked how the magic works here, and how it was mixed with science and Stargate mythology bits.

Little By Little To the Truth; or a Narrative of the Atlantis Expedition, by Anonymous. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 5,800 words)
This is a Steampunk!SGA AU, and beyond the inherent coolness of that, I also really enjoyed the detail and glimpses of their backstories we got here.

Promises of Return (ca. 3,155 words), Reflections on Return (ca. 3,500 words) and This Mortal Coil (ca. 6,630 words), by Azure_Horizon. Het, John Sheppard/Teyla Emmagan.
In this series Teyla didn't join the expedition, but stayed with the Athosians, and just has intermittent contact with John though they are allies. It's a bit bleak, but I enjoyed the John/Teyla relationship here.

Engineering the Fall, by Layton Colt. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 4,300 words)
This is a sequel to Gods that Slumber, which I have recced before, an AU in which John is an Ancient.

Pegasus Ascendant (part two, three), by Tielan. Gen, Teyla Emmagan, John Sheppard. WIP
The Wraith never subjugated Pegasus, so the Atlantis expedition makes contact with a city that has been settled by various Pegasus cultures and has to try to fit in. I've actually recced this before when the first part was posted as a flashfic on its own, but now it has grown into a longer WIP and I thought it worth pointing out again in case you missed the second and third bit being posted (I linked all the parts because last I checked they were not interlinked from the first).

The Year of Jubilee, by vain_glorious. Gen, Ronon Dex, John Sheppard. (ca. 20,750 words)
Ronon never joins the expedition because the IOA objected, but helps to fight the Wraith on his own by trading weapons he builds from a base in the ruined Sateda. He crosses paths with them again when he rescues Sheppard from slavery by buying him, and tries to return him to Atlantis, and things go kind of downhill from there. Part of why I enjoyed this is that I have a slavefic as well as a humiliation and mindcontrol kink, all of which are quite prominent here even though it is a gen story and Ronon doesn't want Sheppard humiliated or enslaved. So I think if either of those squicks you, you might want to skip this, though probably the story will also work for you if you just like h/c and Sheppard whumping.

Supernatural

But Deadly series, by Bella Temple. Gen and het, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, some Sam/Jess. The individual stories are finished, but the universe is still a WIP.
So far I find the setup of this AU really intriguing. Here John was killed by the YED, Sam and Dean grow up with adoptive parents because Mary left their home right before the demon attacked for a reason that has not been revealed yet, though there are hints, and there is other stuff going on too... anyway, there's three stories so far and the universe has me hooked.

Steam, by Bella Temple. Gen, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, some Dean/Steampunk!Impala bonding. (ca. 30,000 words)
In a post-apocalyptic world Sam and Dean try to figure out what happened, to find other survivors and to make the impala run on steampower. I enjoyed the mystery and the plot twists here, and of course a Steampunk!Impala with Dean as its engineer is awesome.

And Won The Soul's Rest, by Concernedlily. Gen, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester. (ca. 31,000 words)
This is a medieval AU with Sam as a monk and Dean as a mercenary, and the plot parallels to canon with the demon worked very well. As a Big Bang story it also came with art by Glockgal and Reallycorking that complemented the story nicely.

Scheduled for Termination, by Dolimir. Gen, Mary, Dean, Sam. (ca. 20,945 words) This is a fusion between Supernatural and the Terminator universe. Here Mary survived the demon to become a hunter, which in turn equipped Dean to become part of the resistance. Then of course there's the Terminator kind of time travel, so in the end poor Mary has demons after her one son and robots after the other.

Older Than The Days He Had Seen, by Kellifer_fic. Gen, Dean Winchester. (ca. 3,700 words)
This AU is rather sad. It explores how the Winchester family would have been different and yet the same if Sam and Dean had had an older brother.

The Crow on the Cradle, by Kroki_refur. Gen, some Sam/Jess. (ca. 98,200 words)
The starting point here is that one day Sam walks out on Jess, who then searches for him together with John and Dean, and learns about hunting. Not just has this story Jess as a hunter, but Sam is kind of broken in an interesting way that I don't want to spoil too much.

Berserker!verse, by Leonidaslion. Gen, Dean Winchester, John Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, also some het, Dean/Cassie. The individual stories are finished, but the universe is still a WIP.
During Sam's Stanford days Dean has an unfortunate encounter with a berserker (in the context of this universe someone sharing their body with an animal spirit which more or less grants various superpowers), which leads to a wolf spirit choosing Dean as a host. Much angst and complications follow. The series eventually progresses through the first season episodes. (The above link goes to the verse's tag, but you can also go right to the first story Heart of a Wolf, as all following stories are interlinked.)

There is also a rather epic slash continuation of this universe, Fetters of Fenrir (mostly Sam/Dean, ca. 200,300 words), and even though I'm not much into Sam/Dean as a pairing the universe interested me enough to want to read all stories in it. And I enjoyed that novel for the plot which had me hooked, for Dean being hurt in various ways, and also for the supernatural mythology bits about the demons and the berserkers here, even though incest soulbonds are not one of my kinks. However if you are squicked by that pairing, the author's notes mentioned that the regular Berserker!verse will be continued as gen, so you should be able to just skip the slash spin-off novel without being left hanging once the next story of the regular verse gets posted.

Revelations, by Marina Rusalka. Gen, Victor Hendricksen, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester. (ca. 24,200 words)
Here, Dean is an ATF agent who works with Victor Hendricksen on the serial arson case of the demonkids' ceiling fires. I enjoyed that we were led into this AU through Hendricksen's POV, and how Dean and Sam's backstory was revealed gradually. Also it has great art by Ileliberte.

Daylight Refracted, by Pix. Het, Sam/Jess, Dean. (ca. 7,585 words)
This is a really happy making AU in which Jess comes from a family of hunters, survives the YED's attack, and hunts together with Sam and Dean.

Show me a hero and I'll show you a tragedy, by Unperfectwolf. Gen, Dean Winchester. (ca. 2,575 words)
The premise here is the basic "what if Sam and Dean grew up 'normal'?" that is they haven't been raised by John but by other relatives, though John is alive. What it made it stand out to me was that the reality of the demon and John's hunting of supernatural monsters remains ambiguous throughout.

I've updated my AU recs page, and also split it into subpages, which based on my poll from earlier today seems to be the much favored option over one monster page. I hope I didn't mess up anything when I c&p'ed all the stuff into separate pages, but it looks okay to me. The main URL is the same and continues as an index page to the subpages, so no links to my AU recs page will be broken. That page now also lists the most recent updates, like these update posts, so that people won't have to click further than the main page for the just latest recs.

Stargate: Atlantis

A Hundred Happy Things, by busaikko. Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 30,000 words)
Non-Stargate AUs always have a harder time to get me interested, because I like the action and SF elements, but this sucked me in completely even though it is a domestic AU, and a kidfic too. It's an earthside romance between Sheppard and McKay, who takes care of Madison (his career having been somewhat tanked thanks to a sexual harassment lawsuit), while Jeannie is pursuing her own career. The characters were all very human and real (including Madison who was smart but not annoyingly precocious).

The Difference Engine , by Copperbadge. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 21,600 words)
This AU was creepy, yet also funny. The premise was that John dies in Afghanistan and gets resurrected as robot via experimental SGC tech. And okay, I totally have a soft spot for "Sheppard as a robot" stories (though not because I think Sheppard was somehow emotionally stunted, but because robots are awesome), but this was just a quick and fun read.

The Best Things in Life Are Free, by Kajikia. Slash and het, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay/Ronon Dex/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 3,800 words)
John and his team are con artists and have a run-in with his ex-wife, who works for the government.

Dreams Beneath Our Feet, by Neevebrody. Gen, team. (ca. 9,500 words)
This is an expansion of one of the scenarios from Sholio's Five ways they weren't pirates, which I recced previously. Ronon is captain of a space pirate ship and rescues Teyla and Rodney who managed to escape the Genii. I love this as possible background, and that we get an action-adventure in the an AU Pegasus galaxy.

Supernatural

Golden Lights Go Dark Tonight, by Pix. Gen, Sam Winchester, Ruby, Dean Winchester. (ca. 5,100 words)
I guess this AU is a take on the old theme of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. DarkSide!Sam is not normally my thing, but this story puts an awesome twist on this. It's a dark AU that sucker punches you with its brilliant premise.

Miles Before I Sleep, by Silverkit. Gen, Sam Winchester (there's a brief Sam/OFC sex scene but no relationship). (ca. 1,860 words)
It's a great, if painful, look at a Sam who decided not to go to Stanford, but to stay with his family.

Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis / Avatar: The Last Airbender Fusion
Characters/Pairings: Teyla as Waterbender
Media used: pencil, fine liner pen with waterproof indian ink, acrylic paint
Rating/warnings: G
Notes/comments: I did this for the prompt "SGA/Avatar the Last Airbender crossover" for the SGA fanart fest Painted Spires, as additional fanart for the Amnesty Week. This is more a fusion than a crossover, but I think it's still within the prompt's parameters. Originally this was supposed to be a series of portraits with each of the team matched with an element from Avatar (I thought after Teyla I'd do Rodney as Earthbender, Ronon as Firebender, and John as Airbender), but I only managed to finish Teyla in time to still post (just barely) during Amnesty Week.

Preview:

( the image and a high resolution detail are behind the cut )

Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard & Steampunk!Puddlejumper
Media used: pencil, fine liner pen with waterproof indian ink, acrylic paint
Rating/warnings: G
Notes/comments: I did this for the prompt "Victorian steampunk AU" for the SGA fanart fest Painted Spires. Admittedly mechanical pterodactyls aren't the most efficient way for a flying machine, Steampunk or otherwise, and not a very likely or even possible path technology would take from an SF standpoint, but this way was much cooler visually than merely changing the puddlejumpers with pipes or gauges or whatever. I mean, they more or less look like flying lunch boxes. Not really realistic technology, but this is Stargate after all, and I'm pretty sure John would think that mechanical, flying dinosaurs were cool.

The original is 30x40cm, so unfortunately I had to scan it in two parts, and you can see a slight line where I merged, because I fail at digital manipulation and didn't know how to make the two parts fit completely seamless.

Preview:
( The image and a higher resolution detail are behind the cut. )

To My Destiny, by Kodiak Bear. Gen. (ca. 8,800 words)
In this AU Janus convinced the Ancients to allow the use of his time travelling technology and they took Atlantis into the future, to present day Earth, when they continue the fight. It's an interesting premise and the Ancients here are just the right mix of ruthless and creepy but not actually bad guys.

Guardians of a rare thing, by Livia Penn. Het, Ronon Dex/Samantha Carter. (ca. 6,200 words)
This goes AU from Return I: Ronon comes to Earth rather than stay in Pegasus. Ireally like this take on Ronon at the SGC, and his perspective of Earth.

The Great Pegasus Train Robbery, by Sholio. Gen, team. (ca. 10,500 words)
This humor story casts the team as train robbers in the Old West, and they aren't very good at being bandits, but their efforts are very entertaining.

Knights Errant, by Sholio. Gen. (ca. 5,300 words)
So this is a Knight Rider fusion, with Rodney as the car, John as the driver. And okay, the story doesn't really have much of a plot beyond the setup of John meeting the car, but well, I think the scenario is awesome. (Don't judge me, okay? I liked the series as a kid...)

Bright Wings, by Snarkydame. Gen. (ca. 7,000 words)
In this AU Pegasus cultures are squatting in Atlantis, rather than it lying abandoned. It goes further AU than that because the expedition members are among the residents too, with the team running a salvaging operation looking for bits of Ancient tech in the older, submerged parts of the city, but the story still mixes in enough elements from canon Pegasus cultures and Ancient and Atlantis tech that the scenario isn't just some generic fantasy type of city.

Mona Lisa Box, by Tzzz. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard. (ca. 14,000 words).
This is a fusion between Terminator: The Sarah Conor Chronicles and SGA, and it is a rather creepy love story, with a great twist on the origin of Skynet. I was a bit bothered by the implications the ending had for Rodney's characterization (I don't want to spoil it by being more specific), but apart from that I enjoyed it.

Almost All Grown Up, by Xparrot. Gen, team. (ca. 5,900 words)
I really like AUs with John as a Pegasus native, and making John a Genii, but tell the story from Teyla's Athosian POV, when we as readers know there is more to the Genii, was a narrative ploy I really enjoyed.

AUs

Dearest, by Lavvyan. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 4,200 words)
The people with the ATA gene are regarded as pets in this AU, though then it turned somewhat atypical for slave/mindcontrol fic (and has a sad ending), but it still worked for my kinks.

After Such Knowledge, by Sarah T. Het, Michael/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 7,500 words)
This is an AU of Michael's storyline, with the premise that Michael chose to remain human because Teyla was more honest with him.

Sequelae, by The Spike. Gen, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Jennifer Keller. (ca. 26,000 words)
It's a futurefic that goes AU during Adrift, though the past of how Atlantis was lost and the cause of the rift in John and Rodney's friendship is only gradually revealed, as John suddenly shows up at Rodney's doorstep, having a retrovirus relapse.

Pegasus Ascendant, by Tielan. Gen, Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 1,830 words)
Pegasus is without Wraith and various Pegasus people share control over Atlantis as the Earth expedition makes contact. I find the premise here very cool, though I wished there was more than this opening. I'm definitely hoping for a sequel.

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crossovers

Only Someone Running, by busaikko. Slash, Rodney McKay/Brendan Dean. (ca. 7,800 words)
Stargate: Atlantis/Thoughtcrimes
This crossover has awesome plot twists, and meshes the two universes well. It is rather sad though.

On the Use of Weapons, by Cofax. Gen, Ellen Harvelle. (ca. 1,600 words)
Supernatural/Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
In this snippet Ellen observes Sarah, John and Cameron at a gun show, and it gives a great outsider POV of the three.

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Also when I asked on the SGA genrefinder comm for stories with Sheppard as an Ancient or Sheppard ascending, I compiled a list of stories in that genre I had already come across, so I thought I might just as well repost that list on my website as reference. Here's a link collection with stories featuring John Sheppard as Ancient, Ori or Ascended. If you come across any I missed, let me know.

An Unlikely Meeting, by Cofax. Gen, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Chiana, Rygel, John Crichton. (ca. 1,030 words)
Farscape/Supernatural
This just a snippet, more an opening into a universe than a full story, but what we get is such a cool crossover setup that it's worth pointing out regardless.

Nor Hell A Fury, by Lucy Gillam. Gen, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Dennis Guilder, Christine. (ca. 14,800 words)
Stephen King's Christine/Supernatural
I haven't read Christine, but this was still a very enjoyable casefile type of story with neat twists in the the car's background. So if you like to read about the Winchesters hunting monsters or evil cars in this case, you should give this a try.

Untaken Roads, by Tassos. Gen, Dean Winchester, John Crichton. (ca. 4,500 words)
Farscape/Stargate: Atlantis/Supernatural
This gives us another glimpse at Crichton as Runner, like in the previous FS/SGA crossover by Tassos that I've also recced. And seeing him interact with Dean is just fun.

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Also, I forgot to c&p one of my SGA AU recs in the recs post yesterday, so I decided to tack it onto this one:

Choice of Duty, by Kyrdwyn. Gen, John Sheppard, Radek Zelenka. (ca. 4,680 words)
The premise here is that John is ex-military, and didn't join the Atlantis mission as military, but as a scientist. After Sumner's death, which happens later here than in canon, he's drafted back into active duty by Elizabeth. I'm not sure I see Elizabeth quite this way, but the interaction between John and Radek made this a nice read.

Stargate: Atlantis

Honor and Country, by Bluflamingo. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 25,000 words)
This is a fusion with a series called E-Ring, which I have never seen. Basically it is a non-Stargate earthside AU, in which the SGA and SG-1 characters are military intelligence operatives. Rodney is in the CIA, John in the Army, and there is a tense conspiracy plot involving Kolya.

we don't need roads, by Crimsonclad. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 1,750 words)
It's a short story that fuses SGA with Back to the Future in a surprising way that I don't want to spoil for you, however it gives Back to the Future a more sinister twist.

Si Muovo by Kass and Sihaya Black. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, John Sheppard/OMC. (ca. 39,400 words)
This has been widely recced already, so if you're inclined to give a somewhat unusual premise -- Rodney is a Jesuit priest and John a bush pilot, and they meet in Alaska -- a try at all you probably have already read this. Anyway it really pulled off a genuinely religious Rodney well, has an engaging plot (if slightly contrived, but it is Stargate after all) and a nice mix of angst, romance and quirky background atmosphere.

No Matter Where you Go, There you Are, by Kriadydragon. Gen, team. (ca. 6,600 words)
This is an apocafic with Goa'uld in the Pegasus galaxy and John arriving there by a different route than in canon. I found the worldbuilding premise really intriguing and would love to see a longer exploration, rather than just the initial meeting of John and the others, but I still enjoyed this.

Male Enhancement (The Soul and the Company Store Remix), by Leah. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Carson Beckett, Radek Zelenka. (ca. 46,500 words)
I've already recced this right after it was posted because I couldn't contain my squee long enough to wait for my next regular AU recs update, but if you haven't read it already you definitely should, because it is an awesome story with John as an AI, that is heart-breaking at times, but also funny in places, and just great reading all around. Don't miss the gen prequel/companion story Muscle and Blood and Skin and Bones, also by Leah, featuring Evan Lorne, John Sheppard, Cameron Mitchell, Radek Zelenka, and Bill Lee. (ca. 18,100 words)

Tainted, by Madison. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 23,000 words)
It's a post-Common Ground story with the premise that the reverse feeding was addictive. I liked this for the angst and the kink, though I found it a bit hard to follow how the timeline of the episodes was shifted around in this AU.

Raiders of the Seven Systems, by Martha Wilson. Gen. (ca. 33,250 words)
I've recced this before when it was still a WIP, but I like it so much that I decided to point you in its direction again, now that it is finished. It's a space pirate AU, with a very cool premise for the Pegasus cultures, and lots of action and suspense. It hooked me right from the start.

Ascension, by Soraya. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 11,650 words)
This Star Wars fusion with John and Rodney as Sith was simply a lot of fun to read, and how could you not like them plotting to take over the galaxy together after their attempts to assassinate each other failed?

Blue, by Sorrel. Slash, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard/Ronon Dex. WIP
And yet another post-Conversion Bug!John AU (what can I say, I like the genre), also Atlantis is cut off from Earth for a while, which is another trope I like. This story is older, only somehow I missed reading it before, and still a WIP that unfortunately hasn't been updated in a while, but the parts stand well enough on their own.

Fly The Stars, by Tielan. Gen, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, some John Sheppard. (ca. 8,000 words)
This is a very cool fusion with the Firefly universe, with a focus on Ronon and Teyla, that made the SGA characters fit seamlessly in the other universe.

Living With It, by Tielan. Gen, John Sheppard, Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill. (ca. 3,730 words)
This AU has Bug!John (which I love), however not as the aftermath of Conversion, but because it fuses SGA with the Marvel mutant concept.

Nexus, by Tielan. Het, John Sheppard/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 4,300 words)
I like John/Teyla and I like post-Conversion Bug!John, so really this story is an ideal combination. The author labeled it as "porn with a little plot" but the AU worldbuilding still comes through nicely.

Supernatural

Five Families John Winchester Never Had, by Cofax. Gen, John Winchester. (ca. 4,500 words)
In this "five things" story I especially liked the last one, a "Mary survived" AU, but the others had interesting premises as well.

The Boy Who Walked On Stilts (part 2), by Kellifer_fic. Gen, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, Pastor Jim. (ca. 6,640 words)
The premise of this is that John died early, and Sam and Dean are raised separately by Bobby and Pastor Jim for reasons that become clear over the course of the story.

A Heartbeat At My Feet, by Kellifer_fic. Gen, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, John, Winchester, Bobby Singer. (ca.7,400 words)
This is a fusion of Supernatural with His Dark Materials, i.e. Sam and Dean have dæmons.

To Catch a Thief, by Lyra Wing. Gen, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester. (ca. 8,600 words)
A while back Lyra Wing wrote an AU with Sam and Dean as FBI agents (Paradigm Shift), this is the prequel giving the background how they ended up that way. It splits from canon before the season two finale.

So, I'm going to include this in my next AU recs update too, but you should read it right away, because it is an awesome story with John as an AI, that is heart-breaking at times, but also funny in places, and just great reading all around: Male Enhancement (The Soul and the Company Store Remix), by Leah. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Carson Beckett, Radek Zelenka. (ca. 46,500 words)

Stargate: Atlantis

Everything But Love, by Cottontail. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 24,200 words)
This story adapts the plot of the movie The Lake House. I have never seen that, but the crux of it is that John and Rodney get each others' mail, but are living two years apart. The time travel paradoxes in this one made my head hurt a bit, but then the time travel here is more a vehicle for their romance than the point of the story, and the romance was a lot of fun to read.

East of The Sun, West of The Moon, by Dossier. Gen, John Sheppard, ensemble (there are some het relationships though they aren't the focus). (ca. 150,000 words)
This is simply an awesome SGA novel. The premise is that they don't quite have as much luck in the episode The Intruder, and the Daedalus is shipwrecked on a planet. It is John-centric in its POV, though it is very much an ensemble story, and the worldbuilding is fantastic. The alien culture is interesting and complex, the original characters are real people without taking away too much attention from our heroes, and it features Pegasus galaxy history and Ancient tech as background to the plot of the stranded Daedalus too.

At The Hour When We Are Trembling, by Frostfire. Slash, John Sheppard/Daniel Jackson. (ca. 36,000 words)
In this post-apocalyptic AU the Wraith make it to Earth, and John and Daniel lead a resistance cell. It's very griping, I couldn't put the story down once I started.

Not in the Stars, by greenconverses. Gen, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 3,900 words)
In this AU John is an Athosian and Teyla earth military. The story is mostly set pre-series, explores both their lives, and then ends with their first meeting.

Second Best, by Madison. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 29,800 words)
It's a quantum mirror story in which Rodney, after John's death, tries to fetch a John from another universe, who happens to be a down on his luck gambler. This was a solid action-adventure, with some angst thrown in, as Rodney and the team still miss the "old" Sheppard while getting to know his alternate universe version, while John has to cope with being a replacement.

The Protection Racket, by Pares. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 14,000 words)
This story is great comedy, and made me laugh a lot. Things are set in motion when Jack surprises Rodney as he plays strip poker with Sam, causing Rodney to flee, freak out, and fear for his life, and then to hire John as his bodyguard to protect him from Jack. Only professional bodyguards are harder to find on short notice than Rodney had hoped, so he hires John based on an ad in miscellaneous "Any Job. Sliding scale." Hilarious hijinks ensue.

A Rough Road Leads to the Stars, by Sonadorita. Slash and het, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex/Teyla Emmagan. (ca. 7,240 words)
It's an SGA version of the Apollo 13 mission, called Atlantis 13 here: Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla are the crew and Rodney coaches them from the ground. I found the choice to set it in 1967 instead of in the year of the actual mission a bit odd, but apparently the prompt it was written for asked for the 1960s, hence the random seeming timeline shift. But I enjoyed it otherwise.

City on the Edge of Forever by synecdochic. Gen, Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Aiden Ford. (ca. 6,650 words)
I have no idea why I haven't recced this previously, since I first read it some time ago, but recently I reread it, and noticed that it wasn't on my AU recs page. So it's quite likely you've already read it as well, but if not, it's an AU retelling of the pilot Rising, close to canon but with a more cunning expedition, who come prepared for the worst, and make smarter, more tactical decisions. It's also a cool take on how Elizabeth could have been given more room as an expedition leader.

The Lonely Sea, by Tarlan. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Jack O'Neill. (ca. 26,500 words)
This is a fusion between the Stargate universe (both SGA and SG-1) and Waterworld, i.e. an Ori attack caused the polar caps to melt. I loved the worldbuilding and the way the two were merged. I cared a bit less about the John/Rodney romance relationship here, but the worldbuilding and rather cool action-adventure plot made more than up for it.

Supernatural

This Wheel's On Fire, by Marin Rusalka. Gen, Dean, Bobby, Sam, Jess. (ca. 27,800 words)
This is a fusion with the movie Ghostrider. I haven't watched that, and don't think familiarity is necessary as the basic explanations of the Ghostrider premise were covered and merged with SPN mythology too. In any case the image of the flaming Impala leaving blazing tire tracks is better than a flaming motorcycle, and I loved Dean's conflicted reaction to being a Ghostrider.

Rain Fall Down, by Nilchance. Gen, Dean, Bobby. (ca. 2,185 words)
It's the third part in Nilchance's series, and I've already recced the previous stories in this universe, but I thought I'd point it out again, in case you missed it, since it's been a while since the last part. This is a rather bleak AU scenario that explores what might have happened had Mike Gunther called Child Protective Services.

DCU

Mobius Paths, by Marcelo. Gen. (ca. 300 words)
This is short, but with a very neat though somewhat creepy premise: What if Alfred Pennyworth was really J'onn?

Stargate: Atlantis

None Can Quite Extinguish, by Cate. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 45,300 words)
This is a look at how things might have gone if there had been more survivors of Sateda, who then stayed on the planet. It has great world-building, and the internal politics of Sateda and the Genii in this story are interesting.

Curiouser and Curiouser, by Gaia. Gen. (ca. 4,300 words)
I wished this AU had been longer to really explore this world, but even as a short story the premise is great. In a reversal of the show's setup the Pegasus galaxy sends an interplanetary expedition led by Teyla Emmagan to search for the lost world of Earth, where the Ancestors are said to have gone, only to find Earth overrun by the Ori. The expedition, with Genii and Satedan forces find remnants of the SGC and set out to help their resistance against the Ori. I would have liked getting an epic chronicling their adventures, and seeing the conflict of the Pegasus expedition's goal to find weapons against the Wraith and Asurans, with the Milky Way priority of fighting the Ori, but this time with the Pegasus cultures at an advantage, and this story is too short to mor than tease with that, but very intriguing with its shift nevertheless.

Cage for Gods, by Kat Reitz and Perryvic. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Carson Beckett/Rodney McKay. (ca. 63,950 words)
In this AU Rodney has ascended in Tao of Rodney. I liked the story for its interesting view of the Ancients and ascension.

Raiders of the Seven Systems, by Martha Wilson. Gen. (ca. 9,150 words so far) WIP
It's a space pirate AU, with what seems so far like a very cool premise for the Pegasus cultures, and lots of action and suspense. I'm definitely hooked.

Good Guys Don't Always Wear White, by Nel. Slash, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay. (ca. 31,000 words)
This is a fusion with the first X-Men movie. I liked how the mutant powers were distributed among the SGA characters and their histories adapted (casting Michael as Magneto was especially awesome), and it was a good action adventure, that changed enough from the movie to keep the plot interesting too.