Firefly/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth still flying for here:

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Firefly, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the 'fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be Zapped. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

Do warn when a fanfic may head into non-canon territory, and for shipping fics, please list the pairings involved - as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business. Also, due to the new content policy, no recs for porn or pedophilic content may be added.

Authors, and Websites
The Works of Mal4prez
 * Recommended by Zlurekim, Bytemite.
 * Synopsis: Characters are spot on and all in Original Flavor. Plot revolves around Mal, but everyone is here and used to great effect. Also, Mal/Inara heavy, but hey, if you like them, this is for you.

Still Flying
 * Recommended by Ryan Lohner, User:Rogue 7
 * Synopsis: Simply put, a continuation of the series based entirely on Joss Whedon's vision. The series is continued in script form and the occasional illustration past the point the actual show left off, with the remainder of season one and the first half of season two building to the film Serenity, and the second half of season two being the events of that film spread out over twelve hours instead of just two. Naturally, this allows for far greater depth and nuances than Whedon himself was able to do.
 * Comments: User:Rogue 7: Thanks. Been starved for Firefly ever since I finished the series. This is the stuff. Pure awesome.

The works of ScrewTheAlliance
 * Recommended by User:GG Crono, Double-recced by User:Jonn.
 * Synopsis: A number of Original Flavor fics. Two complete ones, Kaylee's Lament and The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu (the latter of which, if made in print form, would doubtlessly be a Doorstopper), and one still-in-progress, Unfinished Business. Superb stories with flawless characterization. A must-read for any browncoat worthy of the name.

Firefly The Virtual Sessions
 * Recommended by Ryan Wm, User:Azreal
 * Synopsis: Sadly not updated in a while, but what you find at The Virtual Sessions are really really great pieces of work. They fit almost perfectly, with a great blend of humour, drama, and easy plausability.

Death Or Glory by Hotpoint
 * Recommended by Kalaong
 * Synopsis: Started before the Big Damn Movie, this follows the crew as the group of True Companions grows by five; a Heroically Scarred tank commander, his loving yet dominant wife and their two-point-five children - the firstborn a semi-fascistic Badass-in-training named for the flying tank she was conceived in. They get into increasingly greater amounts of trouble, each catastrophe only averted by increasingly Magnificent Violence, applied mostly by River. After battles with cops, bandits and secret agents, the Alliance's hunt for River goes so hot that the crew is driven beyond the Rim Worlds, where they start slaughtering Reavers. Finally, they make an amazing discovery;
 * Comments: Hotpoint Genre Shifts Firefly from Space Western into Military Science Fiction. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in four years. Don't let that stop you, though; there are over a quarter million words worth of story, with repeated and extensive moments of Tear Jerking, Heart Warming and lots and lots of Awesome.

General Fics
''Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.''

My Own Kind of Freedom by Steven Brust
 * Recommended by User:Akatsuki Daybreak, User:Fast Eddie, User:Jonn
 * Synopsis:
 * Comments: My Own Kind of Freedom is a Firefly 'fic by troper and published author Steven Brust. Original Flavor.
 * Oh my god. I've been desperately in need of more Firefly and even reading the entire Vlad series in chronological order has not satisfied my wish to read more Steven Brust. I think I love you.

A Life Less Extraordinary (alternatively titled The Man With No Name) by Frostfyre7 (Crossover)
 * Recommended by Extraintrovert, User:Unclouded TJ, User:theladyisatiger, User:Jonn, Mr Gibberring Genius, Godborn
 * Synopsis: A crossover with Doctor Who that, aside from effectively capturing all of the characters perfectly, is replete with wonderful interactions between the Doctor and Serenity's crew, in particular Mal and River, surrounded by a tense and portentous plot.
 * Comments:
 * Highly recommended. The characters are spot on and the story itself, beautiful. A must read.
 * Mr Gibbering Genius: An excellent crossover with Doctor Who, with the Tenth Doctor in the Firefly 'verse. It's complete, and a whopping 32 chapters long, but it's very well written and worth every word.
 * mestizaa: It should be noted that this fic has a whopping 18 people recommending it on the Doctor Who fic rec page.

Forward by Peptuck (AU)
 * Recommended by corin, User:Jonn
 * Pairings: Wash/Zoe, Simon/Kaylee, Mal/Inara UST
 * Synopsis: Doorstopper-length Original Flavor Continuation series set after the Big Damn Movie, divided into episode-like story arcs. Covers events after the Miranda broadwave, and how the crew fights against both the Alliance and other sundry enemies they've made thus far. Minor alternate universe elements in the form of Book and Wash having survived the events of the movie. Focuses primarily on River and Mal as characters, though everyone gets their own spotlight. Starts off relatively dark ( but gradually lightens.
 * Comments: Written by the same author behind Tiberium Wars. Strong characterization, believable character development, and a solid, compelling plot. The author uses intense description and action to make for vivid scenes, and captures the Firefly essence very well; a number of reviewers have said that it might as well have been written by Joss Whedon himself.

Pieces Tossed Aside by anagrrl
 * Recommended by User:brittanyw
 * Pairings: mostly gen, a touch of Mal/Simon and Jayne/Kaylee
 * Synopsis: Radio silence hits. Post-apocalyptic gen.
 * Comments:

Five Times Jayne Walked Away from Serenity and One Time He Didn't by rinalin
 * Recommended by User:brittanyw
 * Pairings: all gen, Jayne-centric
 * Synopsis: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
 * Comments: Great character study. Captures Jayne's voice really well.

The Whole of the Thing by Dyce
 * Recommended by User:brittanyw
 * Pairings: none really, gennish River/Jayne
 * Synopsis: Jayne admires River the way he admires a weapon.
 * Comments:

Lost in the Woods by Ardwolf.
 * Recommended by User:SAMAS, trimeta
 * Synopsis: Shortly after that business with Jubal Early, the crew of the Serenity is laying low on the edge of the 'Verse when River declares that a Dragon is coming, a Dragon called Enterprise...
 * No Good Deed Also by Ardwolf.
 * Also Recommended by User:SAMAS, trimeta.
 * Synopsis: Serenity's luck never goes well for long, and after that huge piece of luck running into the Enterpise, it comes back to bite him big time. Meanwhile, Picard has to answer for his actions in the 'Verse, and discovers the true meaning of Q's bringing him there.

Picture of Health by Jedi Buttercup
 * Recommended by User:Caysha, hummingbirdcakes
 * Synopsis: Some days it ain't so bad, this business of talking to things as don't keep their brains where he can see them.
 * Comments: At only 1000 words it is still one of the best Firefly fics I've ever read

Browncoat, Green Eyes by nonjon (Crossover with Harry Potter)
 * Recommended by User:Unclouded TJ
 * Synopsis: Two years have passed since the secret of the planet Miranda got broadcast across the whole 'verse in 2518. The crew of Serenity finally hires a new pilot, but he's a bit peculiar.
 * Comments: An interesting crossover with Harry Potter where it's believable that Harry existed in the same universe. The story works so well that sometimes it's hard to believe they're not meant to be in the same time much less canon. Other than that the character and plot development is top notch and at about 300k words it's a very well done fic.
 * This troper would like to add that Harry seemed very 'Mary Sue' like. He fixed everything, he had the plans, money, the abilities, etc, etc. Still it is a good read and the humor is top notch.
 * This troper would like to add that it's a great story, although it can be more than a little depressing seeing what happened to make Earth the Earth-That-Was and seeing what happened to the wizarding world. Read it, sure, and then go read something nice and fluffy. It's sort of a childhood killer, for those of you that grew up with Hogwarts. Excellent story, just fridge-depressing.

The Firefly Chronicles by Dayzejane (Crossover with Riddick)
 * Recommended by Kalaong
 * Synopsis: An average day on the Eavesdown Docks on Persephone. The mysterious stranger with a Dark and Troubled Past is looking at ships. An annoying barker starts bugging him. He grabs the guy's wrist and threatens to snap it like a twig. It's not our old friend Book. It's Richard B. Riddick.
 * Comments: This crossover is actually quite easy to swallow once you think about it. The far-flung anarchic worlds of Riddick mesh well with the half-terraformed sand traps of Firefly, and Mal's abandoned faith meshes him just as well with the god-hating Riddick. Sticking Vin Diesel's Chaotic Neutral Zen Survivor into the True Companions-bound environment of Serenity enables Dayzejane to show the character off, and have him interact with people on a level the movies don't. And Vin Diesel's Dystopian "slams" somehow fit well in the Alliance's 'verse of bright crystal spires hiding dark secrets. Riddick does come off as a bit of a Canon Sue, as he has the skills and reputation(not to mention the survival-focused ethics) to thrive in situations that normally torment the crew. However, the author does know how to write entertaining Badass dialogue and fight scenes.

''[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1769513/Thescarredman A Man of ... ]'' by TheScarredMan
 * Recommended by Stormbringer951
 * Snyopsis: A series of semi-connected stories with an extensive and slow-burning Myth Arc, A Man of Honor and A Man of Action examines Jayne Cobb's character and a pre-Rayne River/Jayne friendship. The story is continued in Campfire Story, a set of one-to-one conversations between the crew; A Man of Principle, following Badger's life on Persephone and the upcoming A Man of Conscience, which focuses on Shepherd Book.
 * Comments: TheScarredMan's Firefly universe is rich and vibrant, realistically fleshing out a lot more of the day-to-day happenings of the 'Verse. The Alliance isn't a monolithic evil empire, but filled with distinct people with their own goals, Mal and his crew not getting their preferred sort of work (because they're earning the wrong sort of rep after their attack on Niska's skyplex) and the exploitative policies of the Core World elite are all explored. His work is detailed and little touches, like the references to a currency war between the Border World platinum and the Alliance credit or the politics of keeping indentured servants in Persephone society, show that he's really thought things out.

Notes on a Fridge (on a spaceship) Vol. 1, Vol. 2 & Vol. 3 by Arwen Bijker
 * Recommended by User:Pistis Sophia
 * Synopsis: A fancomic depicting notes on the fridge on the Serenity
 * Comments: River's notes in particular are very disturbing/amusing. A very funny read.

Testing By Ariastar
 * Recommended by Mimey
 * Synopsis: There is no getting better. There is only getting different.
 * Comments: This is an amazing One-shot from Rivers point of view, it grabs the nuances of River's personality and really makes them shine. It even has a delightful take on how River views all of the other crew members. This story is just utterly beautiful.

Take Me Where I Cannot Stand and its companion sequel Destiny by WastelandRose
 * Recommended by MidsummerNiteDreamer
 * Synopsis: Two beautifully written continuation fics centering around the lives of the offspring of the current Serenity crew. The first, Take Me Where I Cannot Stand focuses on Wash and Zoey's daughter, Louisa Agnes Serenity Washburne. Destinty continues her story while zooming out to include the rest of Serenity kids.
 * Comments: Many many OCs. And the best part? They are almost all brilliant. The story is beautiful, dark at times, funny at others. The wide wide 'verse is also expanded upon well fleshing out the fic.

Tell Them I Ain't Comin' Back by sudipal
 * Recommended by Agent Beats
 * Synopsis: Firefly/Castle Crossover - Mal is captured by the Alliance and banished back to Earth That Was. Having no way to return, and under the watchful eye of the Alliance Officer Martha Rodgers, Mal must cope with the reality that he may never get back. As time passes, Mal learns to cope and adopts the persona of the now famously known novelist Richard Castle. Years later, after he has a daughter and has moved on, his crew finds a way back to him. But now that he has a chance to get home, does he want to?
 * Comments: It's an entertaining take on a crossover that actually works. It's a fun story that I recommend to others.

Presets by analogarhythmagic
 * Recommended by Absynthe
 * Synopsis: Three months after Miranda, the crew of Serenity is struggling to get by. But when they take on a pair of passengers that turn out to be more than they bargained for, the ties of family are tested and River finally must confront her inner demons...
 * Comments: It's entertaining to say the least. The author knows the characters inside and out and has a very unusual way of looking at River's differences.

Jigsawed by velvetandlace
 * Recommended by luckylucky
 * Synopsis: The pieces are there, but they just don't seem to *fit*. (River-centric.)
 * Comments: This is seven hundred extremely powerful words. River's thoughts during her torture and confinement are scrambled and nonsensical, but just conscious enough to be chilling. I didn't know whether to want more or want less (simply because it was so poignant it's scary) when I finished i.

Insensate by dandeliondreams
 * Recommended by User:Progeny Ex Machina
 * Synopsis: The view through a Miranda colonist's eyes as the world dies around him. A skillfully composed and thoroughly haunting take on the Reavers' beginnings.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

"Horseshoe Nails" series by Dyce (AU)
 * Recommended by User:Tabby, User:Much Good Little Time, Reason, Genki Girl
 * Pairing: River/Jayne
 * Synopsis: As the title suggests, it's about one small change that changes everything, leading to plot twists and character growth that are unexpected but made completely plausible. Gradually develops into River/Jayne.
 * Comments: I barely tolerate Firefly, but I cannot recommend Dyce's "Horseshoe Nails" series enough. Dyce manages to capture the distinct voice of each character in turn, both in dialogue and in prose. The last story in the series is a Dead Fic, but the penultimate story is a staisfactory ending in its own right.
 * User:Much Good Little Time: This troper was very pleasantly surprised by how well the River/Jayne pairing developed, while still keeping the essential personalities very much canon based. Two bad things: one, that Firefly was canceled, and two, that Dyce was never a writer on the show.
 * Reason: This troper can't stand Rayne, personally, but it was done well enough here for me to not only finish but generally enjoy this fic. Although I still think the two characters are completely incompatible.
 * Genki Girl: This is what solidified my love of Rayne. I had considered it before but told myself it wasn't canon and wouldn't work . . . and then I read, and I understood why I love Rayne. The gradual development is the tastiest I've read in a long while. Jayne and River are very in character, but they also develop in a way I find plausible and awesome at once. Other relationships (not necessarily romantic, mind you) are developed (Mal/Inara, Simon/Inara, Anyone/River and Anyone/Jayne most notably) and while the main relationship does take a bit more precedence than it would on the show, it's an enjoyable precedence to Rayne shippers, so I don't care. It's sweet, then sexy, but without losing the sweet, something many PUBLISHED authors have trouble with. A great find for any Firefly fan, Rayne shipper or not.
 * Godborn: The Horseshoe Nails series is a perfect example of how you can write perfectly engaging and wonderful stories without the characters being absolute idiots. The plot is fantastically well thought out and very good and maintaining the Firefly flavour.
 * Individual links:
 * Two Gorram Days
 * Kinship
 * Bank Job
 * Miranda
 * Prodigal (Dead Fic)

Wish I Was Somebody Else by Nauticalgal
 * Recommended by Indigo, User:theladyisatiger
 * Pairings: Wash/Zoe with hints of Inara/Mal.
 * Synopsis: An extremely well-done and believable retconning of in Serenity.
 * Comments: Rather than just ignoring or creating an AU universe the author, as stated about, provides a way out, great new characters and a hell of a story.

Water in One Hand by anagrrl
 * recommended by User:brittanyw
 * Pairings: Mal/Simon (slash)
 * Synopsis: The terraformed planets begin drying up, and our gang follows the water. Post-apocalyptic in tone.
 * Comments:

In The Cold Cold Night by Edenfalls81
 * Recommended by HG131, corin
 * Parings: Maliver (Mal/River)
 * Synopsis: First of a trilogy of fanfics dealing with River and Mal developing a relationship following  and the two working their way through the trauma.
 * Comments: Best. Maliver . Firefly. Fanfic. Series. Ever. Be forewarned, the story starts off dark. Don't let the spoiler above taint you, though, because the plot and character development are very well-done.
 * Reluctantly seconded by corin. Though the series has some problems with grammar, and some of the prose is a bit dull (along with some flat dialogue here and there) the story more than makes up for it with an excellent exploration of River and Mal dealing with the aftermath of the opening chapter and their feelings for each other. There is some iffy stuff in the later parts of the series, but the character development for River and Mal is nonetheless top-notch.

Should've Known Better by TheShoelessOne
 * Recommended by corin
 * Pairings: River/Jayne
 * Synopsis: River is drunk. Jayne is drunker. Hilarity Ensues when Mal and Simon walk in the morning after.
 * Comments: A hilarious and heartwarming one-shot that captures the characters perfectly, particularly the Bedmate Reveal when the pair wake up and how they deal with it. One of the best Rayne one-shots I've ever read.

Begin the Beguine by N. L. Rummi
 * Recommended by Mandichaos, Bytemite
 * Pairings: Wash/Zoe
 * Synopsis: Pre-series. The crew of Serenity is offered a very lucrative job by a wealthy aristocrat. But when Mal is prevented from accompanying Zoe to the negotiations, there's only one man suitable for the job...
 * Comments: This is my favorite "how-Zoe-warmed-up-to-Wash" fanfic. It's not only believable and adorable, but the romance ties in directly to the action (rather than have the job just be ancillary to the main plot).

Reflex by goddessofbirth
 * Recommended by Zaptech
 * Pairings: River/Jayne
 * Synopsis: Set a few years after Serenity and a brief but intense relationship between River and Jayne that ended on a very bad note. Jayne reunites with his old crew in the midst of gunfire, and finds both an angry, bitter River and a child he didn't know he had. Things get more complicated when others discover the child exists as well....
 * Comments: The word I'd use to describe this one is "realistic." The relationship between River and Jayne is complex and painful for both of them, and handled with an impressive degree of finesse and respect. They both feel like realistic people with realistic flaws, and shift their personalities (Jayne softening and becoming a tired and regretful man, and River hardening and becoming more cynical and bitter) feels true to the events and history between them. And despite their flaws, disagreements, and anger, one can't help but hope for them to get back together. Also, a stealth crossover with