I don't typically post in these threads, so forgive me if these have been recommended before. Here's a couple of relatively short (but multi-chapter) stories I've come across recently. Both are complete.
You Know My Name: A Tale of Gotham Nights (Batman)
You Know My Name is an AU take on the hunt for the Red Hood, a member of the Bat family that's seemingly back from the dead. Told from the point of view of Tim Drake. There's a twist, though. Granted, it's a pretty obvious twist if you pay attention. But the point here isn't the surprise, it's the execution. This story has a great exploration of underworld war between rival criminal factions, and an excellent take on Robin's thought processes. The ending's abrupt, but I think pretty satisfying. Link is to the fanfiction.net version, it's also been posted on the StarDestroyer.Net BBS.
Somebody to Love (Naruto)
Somebody to Love is by the author of Rogue Fox, an ongoing fic that's being tracked in the updates thread. Rogue Fox is one of those sprawling epic fanfics that ends up tripping over itself with too many ideas and elements. Somebody to Love is quite a different beast...it's a self-contained exploration of a single theme. An adult Naruto is an elite assassin and human weapon - and alone, for all his peer are dead, and those who aren't hate him. Until he meets...a girl. And falls in love. But let's be clear here - this is not a happy story. It's bittersweet at best, horrific at worst. Yet it's still a beautiful piece of writing. Chillingly beautiful. But beautiful all the same.
-- Acyl
You Know My Name: A Tale of Gotham Nights (Batman)
You Know My Name is an AU take on the hunt for the Red Hood, a member of the Bat family that's seemingly back from the dead. Told from the point of view of Tim Drake. There's a twist, though. Granted, it's a pretty obvious twist if you pay attention. But the point here isn't the surprise, it's the execution. This story has a great exploration of underworld war between rival criminal factions, and an excellent take on Robin's thought processes. The ending's abrupt, but I think pretty satisfying. Link is to the fanfiction.net version, it's also been posted on the StarDestroyer.Net BBS.
Somebody to Love (Naruto)
Somebody to Love is by the author of Rogue Fox, an ongoing fic that's being tracked in the updates thread. Rogue Fox is one of those sprawling epic fanfics that ends up tripping over itself with too many ideas and elements. Somebody to Love is quite a different beast...it's a self-contained exploration of a single theme. An adult Naruto is an elite assassin and human weapon - and alone, for all his peer are dead, and those who aren't hate him. Until he meets...a girl. And falls in love. But let's be clear here - this is not a happy story. It's bittersweet at best, horrific at worst. Yet it's still a beautiful piece of writing. Chillingly beautiful. But beautiful all the same.
-- Acyl