astridv

urban climbing vid: Buildering in Montreal
Some very nice climbing on the underside of a concrete bridge.

And, a crossover of White Collar and The Americans that's actually not as cracky as it sounds...
The Case of the Super Secret Spy Message by Treon
Gen; Mozzie & Philip Jennings; crossover/humor; teen; 1065 words
Summary: Mozzie was sure his parents would contact him one day.

Deep Space 9:
Collaborators by Selena
Gen; Odo & Quark, plus Dukat; backstory/character study; teen; 6559 words
Summary: Investigating Ferengi, getting blackmailed by the Bajoran resistance, and working for Cardassians: how Odo's assignment to investigate a murder on Terok Nor became a permanent job. Naturally, it was all Quark's fault.

Backstory with spot-on voices. Odo finds a purpose and meets a shifty Ferengi. We all know this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. (Even if they don't.)

Avengers/Thor:
Witness by puffabilly
Darcy/Clint and others; action/romance; mature; 21870 words
Summary: Darcy is called to be a witness at the State Armed Services Committee's investigation of the Avengers. All Clint has to do is keep her out of trouble...

White Collar:
Thursday's Child by Sholio
AU, Gen-ish, Peter and Neal/El; heist fic/friendship; teen; 20186 words
Summary: Peter acquires a couple of unorthodox guardian angels. This is a sequel to Monday's Child, in which Elizabeth meets Neal before she meets Peter, and embarks on a life of crime.

I'm not in the fandom but I find Sholio's AUs generally very compelling and I like the vibe of this one.
(No knowledge of the show necessary beyond a basic idea who the characters are in canon. This story works on its own (I actually haven't read the prequel myself.)

Role Models by storiesfortravellers
Gen; Neal, Mozzie, Peter, El, OC; humor/kidfic; rated G; 3670 words
Summary: Peter and El get busy at work and need Neal (and Mozzie since they're a package deal) to baby-sit Peter's visiting 12-year-old nephew. Peter regrets it.

I don't remember how I found that fic because I don't read a lot in White Collar, but I'm happy I stumbled across it... really funny and cute.

Without a Clue by sholio (White Collar)
Gen; Neal&Peter; humor; 323 words

"Neal, what are you doing? You can't get into the library that way. There's no door."
"I went over the wall."
"You can't do that."
"I used the rope. See?"

untitled #1 (couple with dog) by Sholio (White Collar)
4536 words, Gen; Rating: G;
Summary: Neal asks Peter and El to do a portrait of them.

This story really appeals to the artist in me, for one... the way it takes its time, shows the process of creating a painting instead of just handwaving the whole process the way it's usually done in media. But even more I love what insight emerges about the characters, their personalities and relationships. An excellent character study.

"I'd like to draw you," Neal says, out of nowhere.
"Haven't you?" Peter asks, genuinely curious.
"Not really. From a distance, maybe. 'FBI agent under lamppost.'" Neal flashes a grin, and Peter wonders if Neal is serious, if somewhere out there are paintings of him, the anonymous FBI agent in pursuit of a suspect, paintings that he's never seen. It does seem like Neal's style.

(rec snagged from Sholio)
Yang by therienne (Leverage & White Collar)
6013 words; gen; Parker, Hardison & Eliot; heist/humor
Summary: "Just don't get into trouble while we're gone," Nate said.

to be read in tandem with
Yin
6009 words; Gen, Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Clinton Jones, Lauren Cruz

in which the White Collar team stake out the same shady art auction that Parker, Hardison, and Eliot happen to have picked for a little side job.
Each fic can be read separately but when read together all the little pieces fall into place.

Courier by sholio (White Collar)
gen; PG-13; friendship/casefic/h/c; 10,690 words
Summary: 10-year-old Grace is being used as a courier to smuggle a priceless diamond necklace through airport security. When everything goes sideways, Grace has to trust an injured FBI agent and a bad guy who's not as bad as he appears.

That was a lot of fun to read. A plotfic with an interesting OC as a main character, one who carries the story with ease and also happens to provide a neat outsider POV of the friendship between Neal and Peter.

Green Thumb by Sholio (White Collar)
Gen; G; characters: Neal, Peter, El, June; friendship and a dash of h/c; 2767 words
From a prompt by Kriadydragon at CollarCorner: something that Neal isn't good at.

Funny, warm... this fic totally made me smile.

Four Cups of Tea (and a waffle iron) by LithiumDoll (White Collar)
Summary: Mozzie and Elizabeth bond over tea whilst Peter, Neal and Hughes find themselves in the middle of the worst timed robbery ~ever~.
...
yeah, I still haven't watched the show but I'm reccing the fic, apparently. :D LithiumDoll is a fabulous writer.

As readers of this LJ may have noticed, I've discovered Leverage andIlovethisshow♥. I love how these five messed up people found each other and formed a strangely functional family. And what I really like is - that annoying thing in fiction where the characters act stupidly even though they should know better, because that particular act of stupidity is required to advance the plot... those guys don't do that! They're smart, highly capable people, and the script allows them to act accordingly. Their plans don't always work out, but they can improvise, and they have contingency plans. That's such a turn on.( Read more... )
So, yeah. I have no idea if anyone on my flist actually reads in this fandom but I'm reccing anyway, you never know...

vid rec
Imma Be by talitha78
Wow, one of the best-cut vids I've seen. The timing is amazing... not just of the clips themselves, even beats within the clips. I want to watch this over and over.
Characters: Parker, Hardison, some Eliot. (My summary would be "Hardison and Parker, how are you so awesome?!")

fic recs
I Lie, I Cheat, I Steal (and I Just Don't Get Any Respect) by fiercelydreamed (Leverage/White Collar)
gen-ish with a lot of subtext every which way; Characters: ensemble x 2; genre: hijinks, heist, humor; 6767 words
"All right," Nate says, and smacks his hands together. "Let's go steal a con artist."

Two ensembles, and no character gets short-changed when it comes to personality and characterization (well, I can only guess as to the WC characters as I haven't seen the show, but they feel no less three-dimensional than the Leverage gang.)

Star Crossed Allies by Lear's Daughter
gen; Nate&Eliot backstory; action; 6,578 words

Being Sophie by Lear's Daughter
She's twenty-seven when she decides to become Sophie Devereaux. She's not sure exactly who this Sophie character is—at first she thinks she's blonde, so she dyes her hair, takes one look in the mirror, and decides otherwise—but she knows she's going to like her better than she likes the person she's been. 1,638 words