Okay, finally filling this out!
1. Romance"Cover Me With Dreams" by Heidi
http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=9184This fic has two dynamic characters who are as strongly-written individually as they are as a couple. It tells the story of their relationship and its journey from friendship to something more in an interesting way, by alternating between the past and present. In that way, it works in the back story while moving the characters forward, and the transitions are seamless. The writing is exceptional. Also, even though it's a Nick story, the other guys are in it a lot, as it sort of tells the story of the Backstreet Boys, too.
2. Drama"Something Beautiful" by Pengi
http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=10154This was the absolute hardest category for me to just pick one story, because it's my favorite genre, and I have so many favorites!! So I'm just gonna go with a more recent favorite. A lot of us experienced "Something Beautiful" last summer, as Hannah was writing it, and as everyone I talked to agreed, it really is "something beautiful." (LOL cheesy, I know.) I consider this a must-read for Frick/Frack girls like myself; it's a wonderful bromance about a special roadtrip Nick and Brian take together. There's a lot of humor in it, but at its heart, it's a drama, due to the reason for the road trip, the different characters' reactions to it, and the secrets they keep from each other. Wonderful story!!
3. Suspense"It Stays With You" by Mare
http://accidentalchaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=3154I had a hard time with this category, too, because there are a lot of great suspense fics I love, but the reason I picked this one is that it's not your average suspense. Most BSB suspense fics are either stalker stories or kidnapping stories; this one has the feel of both to an extent, but isn't really either. It starts with brutal attack on two of the Backstreet Boys, but a lot of the true suspense is psychological in nature. It's one of those stories that will keep you guessing, and the end will surprise you. Plus, it has some fantastic imagery - I can't think of this story without picturing lobster claw hands and the word "mine." Mwahaha!
4. Sci FiI couldn't think of a sci-fi that felt appropriate for this; I have read a few, but don't have any in my favorites. I think most of the ones I've read have involved aliens and other planets and that kind of stuff... which is what I think of first when I think sci-fi and, honestly, why I don't read much sci-fi. It's weird, because I do find outer space and aliens interesting and like movies about aliens, especially if they're scary, but I've never gotten into that kind of stuff as BSB fanfics. So for me to read a sci-fi, I think it would have to not be so "out there" and more grounded in science on earth.
5. Alternate Universe"Between the Lines" by Carrie
http://www.tinylittlerumors.net/storycart/btl/index.htmlI was not a fan of AU at all when I finally made myself read this story for Mare's old fanfic discussion group, but this is the one that changed my mind and made me more open to them, because everyone who ever told me this story was worth reading was right! It stars our Boys as professional baseball players. While the stage may be different, the players are the same - they're still our Boys, and Carrie does a great job with their different personalities and relationships with each other. Great bromance, lots of laughs, and oh yeah, tears too!! I always feel like rereading this story during baseball season; it's really something special.
6. Comedy"The Backstreet Baby Series" by Amanda
http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/dwlyn/bsbbaby.htmlI used to read a lot of humor stories, but almost all of them were spoofs making fun of BSB and other stuff - shows, movies, NSync. Pretty juvenile humor, but funny nonetheless. This trio of short stories stands out as being my favorite comedy fanfics that aren't parodies. They take place around when Baylee was born, but they're more about the guys than Baylee, and they're hilarious! Great for a fun, quick read.
7. VisualI've read visuals before, but none stands out in my mind enough to put here. I'm not a fan of the genre. If you want good sex scenes, "Cover Me With Dreams" has them, in the context of an actual story about a couple you actually come to know and care about.
8. SlashGot nothing here either. I don't know what it would take to get me to enjoy a slash. No sexual abuse or stupid nicknames is a good start, though!
9. Dramedy"Just One Kiss" by Pengi and Evergreenwrite
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http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=10411This story is the epitome of a dramedy: it's about Nick in a coma, yet it's HILARIOUS! Go figure LOL. What I loved about this story was the inherent drama/angst with the scenario of Nick on life support, mixed with the comedy of his spirit bugging the crap out of Kevin to keep him from letting them pull the plug. Any story that can make me laugh (a lot) and cry (a little) gets two thumbs up in my book!
10. A story that might not necessarily fit one of the categories above"Come Together" by Izzy and Cecilia
http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/dwlyn/cometogether.htmlThis is just an old fanfic that I think every BSB fan should read. It tells the story of how our Boys came together and does it beautifully. If you're looking for a fun, feel-good group story that will give you that warm and fuzzy feeling of Backstreet Pride, this is the fic for you! If you've never read it before, please do!!!
11. Action"Survivor" by Cecilia and J-Kat
http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/dwlyn/survivor.htmlI struggled a bit in finding a good one for this. I tend to lump action and suspense together, but none of my favorite suspense stories are really all that action-packed. This is a good, classic action/adventure story, though. I was thinking of it just yesterday because Steph's new story "Save a Prayer" reminded me of it. It's about BSB and *NSync competing on a celebrity edition of Survivor - it was written in 2000 or 2001, when all of that was still culturally relevant LOL. It's actually a really good story, especially if you like Survivor or similar shows. The game aspect of it is entertaining, but there's a lot of personal drama that comes into play, and it's pretty suspenseful, too.
12. Short story"Documentaries" by Izzy
http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/dwlyn/documentaries.htmlI don't rave about many short stories just because I don't usually have as strong an emotional connection to them as I do a novel I've invested more time into reading, but this is a good one. It was written during the hiatus between B&B and NG and fits our worries about the direction of the group at that time, but it also ends up being one of those feel-good, KTBSPA type group stories. It'll make you go "Aww..."
13. Fantasy"On Nightingale Hill" by FiliKlepto
http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=8279I think I first read this story on someone else's recommendation, and I got sucked right in! I've never been a big fantasy fan, with the exception of Harry Potter, but one thing I liked about this story was the fact that, even though it takes place in a different realm, it's not actually AU - Nick starts out as himself and ends up in this other world, with amnesia, and discovers it along with the reader. This story is exceptionally well-written and super creative. I just wish it were updated more often!
14. Series"Swollen Issues" by Carrie and Swenglish
http://absolutechaos.net/viewseries.php?seriesid=117I am not a big fan of series, I realized as I was looking through my favorites for suggestions LOL. I really only have two favorites, both by the same author, and since this is the only one that is completely posted, it wins by default. If you like angst, medical drama, and Nick torture, here are 228 fun-filled chapters of it! If you don't, stay far, far away from this series LOL. I love it, though, and was totally addicted to it as it was being written, and it provided me with a lot of inspiration, so there you have it.
15. best overall fanfic"Where Can We Go From Here" by Whitney
http://www.angelfire.com/ky3/perfect_fans/wcwgfhintro.htmlI posted about this one in the fanfic survey thread, but here goes again. Although it's a tough call, this is probably my favorite fanfic of all time because it's such a great group story (again, the Backstreet bromance factor), and it's definitely a drama, though it has some comic relief, too. It's an old story; I first read it in early 2000, and it brings me back to the Millennium era, when the Boys were on top of the world, and I was a teenybopper who had just discovered fanfic and spent every moment I could reading it. Despite the fact that its premise is the bus crash cliche (which is probably only a cliche because this story did it so well, it got copied) and it has some cheesy scenes (Chapter 11), I think it still holds up as a great story!
