Recs: 13 Fandoms, 18 Fic, 6 Vids
Not a huge recs post, but not tiny either. I should have some huge ones after the first of the year. I've still got about 1/2 of my NaNoWriMo backlog to work through, and I'm not reading anything else in December until after I've met all of my fic commitments. Some of my newer fandoms feature heavily in this post. Expect lots more Sherlock recs in the future.
BBC's Sherlock
On Lestrade's Flawed Heart, and Other Slightly Damaged Things by
thirdbird -- R, John/Lestrade, but it's more complicated than that.
I think I mentioned in my last post, that I don't really get Sherlock/Lestrade, and John/Lestrade never even crossed my mind. I couldn't even really tell you why I clicked on the link and went to read this, but I'm ever so glad that I did. It's Lestrade being made to see John past the dazzling brightness of Sherlock, and that's lovely, but far more perfect than that is the complication of John and Sherlock's frighteningly co-dependent relationship and the lengths that Sherlock is willing to go to in order to keep that relationship working for him. John and Lestrade are wonderful, and I love them in this, but it is Sherlock who is perfection. He is manipulative beyond belief, and utterly incapable of understanding why his "plans" aren't just accepted with good grace, but he does genuinely care about John and Lestrade.
The Velveteen Doctor by lantean_drift -- Author rated, Adult, but not graphic, Sherlock/John
This definitely gets into some of that co-dependency mentioned above, but it's a lot more gentle in its reach. The idea is that Sherlock learns to see John as real, but much of the subtext is that in so doing, John actually makes Sherlock more real. I love the emotional arc of this story, because it's not always easy or pretty, and the problems can be kind of huge. Even more than that, I love that the relationship changes things in their interactions with other people, most importantly Lestrade and his team. I've still got a ton of stories to wade through from the early days of this fandom, but this is one of my favorites that I've run across so far.
Words are Futile Devices Vid by lolachrome -- Unrated, John/Sherlock
Gorgeous song by Sufjan Stevens, made into a lovely vid. This is still a brand new fandom for me, and I'm not entirely set in how I see all of the characters, but this fits quite nicely into what I do feel I know about them.
Buffyverse
The Ballad of Charles Whitman by nwhepcat -- R, Xander
This is an AU set in Season 6/7 of Buffy, but crossing, at least briefly over into Angel. It's a remix, of Revelations by
liz_marcs, which is also worth reading, but I adored this. It's painful in it's intensity, in the sense of loss and betrayal that Xander feels, but the reactions of everyone else are what really make it work.
Lilac City by nwhepcat -- R, Xander
This is a spectacular piece, three long parts, and I read it in one sitting in the middle of the night. I swear I don't know how I missed out on all of these stories when they were new. This is about 5 years post-Chosen. Xander is working very hard to live a "normal" life. Things don't go quite as planned. There are lots of wonderfully rich and engaging original characters, which kind of make up the backbone of this fic along with Xander and Faith. We get some Willow, Giles, Dawn, Angel, and Buffy too, but they are more peripheral. I probably should have listed pairings up there, because there is some Xander/OFC, and Xander/Faith, and it's even important to the plot, but it isn't a relationship story in my opinion, it's a Xander story. I love the characterization in this, and it's written in a way that just kept pulling me along.
Castle
Hurricane Drunk by renrenren3 -- PG, Martha, Castle
This is a sweet and somewhat silly look at Castle in one of his angsty fits of jealousy over Beckett, and at Martha being a good mother the only way she really knows how. I adore them both, and honestly this feels like it could have been tagged onto an episode.
Criminal Minds
By It's Cover by buffyaddict13 -- R, Gen, Rossi, Reid
This simple little story tracks Rossi's impressions of Reid from their earliest meeting forward. It's really a pretty nice character study for both of them, because I think you learn a lot about what makes Rossi tick by how his opinions on Reid evolve, but he also the only member of the team able to give an objective view of Reid. Because he doesn't have years of history with Reid, he sees things that the others may not, or may misinterpret, or willfully ignore. I'm still not a huge fan of Rossi, but this fic was insightful.
Hawaii Five-0
It's Complicated (But Only from a Certain Point of View) by chiuonthat -- Unrated, PG-13ish, Steve/Danny
This is one of my favorite things written in the fandom to date. The people think we're married cliche is a favorite of mine in fanfic, so that's a good part of it, but I love the evolution of their relationship in this story. It's not sudden. It's so gradual that they don't even notice it's happening. You've got to be on the outside looking in to realize how far they've progressed. It's pretty much already been jossed all to hell and gone by canon, but I love it anyway.
Mele Kalikimaka by
kitsune_tsuki -- PG, author labeled pre-slash Steve/Danny
I read a very good post, that I can in no way tell you who wrote it or direct you there now, some time back about why pre-slash is not a good label. I tend to agree with the points made in it, and am trying to stay away from using it myself. This is a story where there are feelings, but they aren't physically expressed, and in large part aren't even acknowledged by the boys, but their relationship is clearly already something more than friendship. Steve does crazy over-the-top things to show his appreciation and affection, that's pretty much already canon. This time he's making Christmas seem a little more like home for Danny (and for Grace). Grace is adorable. Chin and Kono are in the background, but perfectly themselves, and Steve and Danny are almost as cute as Grace.
Something's Gotta Give Vid by
lamardeuse -- Unrated, Steve/Danny
A Steve/Danny vid to a Frank Sinatra song, do I really have to add anything to make you watch this. If so, the editing is quite good. I'm always impressed with those who can successfully vid when less than a half the first season has aired, but then I suppose people do vid films and there's already more source material than that to work with.
Sometimes a Blue Macaw by
ariadnes -- PG-13, Danny, Steve
Gennish, hurt/comfort fic that could be read as fairly slashy, but I don't think it's any slashier than an actual episode. It's pretty much a classic of the hurt/comfort genre. Steve is sick. Danny takes care of him. It's got enough of the snark and bite of their usual conversations to make it feel true, but there's a softness to it, that we don't get to see much of from either character on the show.
Merlin
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock -- Explicit (Rish), Arthur/Merlin, Modern AU
I'm generally not a huge fan of the plop the characters into a different world AU sub-type, and I've found that I'm even less tolerable of the Modern AUs for this fandom than I am most. That said, this is incredibly well done, and I love pretty much every word. I think the key for me is that a lot more than usual stays the same. Arthur is still the prince (Prince of Wales, and next in line to the thrown). He's still the same strange mix of arrogant, overgrown, brat and deadly serious, dedicated, protector. Merlin is still far below him in social status, but completely lacking in any sort of acknowledgment of that fact most of the time, even if he does still have an odd sort of devotion to Arthur and his station, even before he actually likes him. They are themselves (with the possible exception of Uther, but the one small shift in his personality could easily be explained by the shift in the purpose and duties of the monarchy), just themselves having to deal with the papparazi and the internet rather than evil sorcerors and fantastic beasts. This first story is very long, and there are other stories set in the universe. My enjoyment of the other stories varied, but I didn't feel like any were a waste of my time and attention.
Seven Magpies by syllic -- Unrated, Rish, Arthur/Merlin
I've re-written this half a dozen times trying to convey just how very much I love this story without just gushing and simultaneously giving everything away right off the bat. So, if this recommendation seems a little spare, that's why. This is a story where, as often happens, Arthur has a brief period where he's unconscious. When he wakes up he's someplace completely different, but still oddly recognizable. It's somewhere that he both belongs and has no place in. And it's a place that teaches him incredible truths about his own world, the Camelot that he calls home. The characterization is magnificent, and the story is engaging. This may be my favorite thing I've read in the fandom so far.
Sports Night
Another Second Time Around by
alittlefaith -- PG, Dan/Casey
This is very nice. It's from Dan's point of view, which is always a plus in my world. It hints at an interesting past, but doesn't dwell on it, and creates the kind of easy relationship that I imagine for the boys. Very nicely done.
Star Trek: Reboot
Verb: That's What's Happening Vid by
lapillus -- Unrated, Jim Kirk
I'm apparently pretty much in love with the crackier side of Reboot vids. There's the one with The Lion King (I Just Can't Wait to be King, I think), and the High School Musical one, and at least one using the Glee soundtrack. Now here's one using a song from Schoolhouse Rock. The song works beautifully, and the editing is very nice. I'm actually pretty impressed with the streaming quality here. I downloaded the big file though, and it looks incredible.
Stargate: Atlantis
Five Times Rodney McKay Babysat the Athosians by cat_77 -- PG, Gen, Rodney, Athosian children
I don't know whose bright idea it was to leave the Athosian kids alone with Rodney once, much less a minimum of five times, but they certainly get what they deserve. This is really very cute. Rodney is very much himself, which means that he's often a bit awkward with the kids, overprotective, and totally fails to let the other adults have important information. The first and last bits are my favorite.
Supernatural
Cosmic Love Vid by affablyevil -- Unrated, labeled Dean, Castiel, I'd say ensemble
The song is Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine, not a song or band I'd ever heard of before, but it's utterly gorgeous. The vid itself is at least twice as gorgeous as the song on its own. Beautiful editing, and the story it tells holds together really well. Lots of Cas and the choices he makes. Subtexty, but not really much more than the show itself.
Felt by annundriel -- G, Dean/Castiel
A short and gorgeous, introspective, Cas-centric piece centered around 4.22. There are layers and layers of meaning and symbolism here, and the end is a little hurty, but made better by what we know comes after.
Untitled - CommentFic by
gypsydancergirl -- PGish, gen, Dean, Sam, Castiel, Gabriel
This is adorably cute. Conversation turns to Buffy the Vampire Slayer after Team Free Will spends an evening killing vampires in a high school. Dean is given an important lesson in not taunting an angel. Light and fun.
Wrong Vid by ash48 -- Unrated, Sam, Dean, Castiel
The song is by Depeche Mode, and seems to fit the Winchesters (and to a slightly lesser extent, Cas) perfectly. This is a really beautiful vid that touches on some of the major themes of the first 5 seasons. Very nicely done.
Watchmen
I'm Afraid of Americans Vid by bionic -- Unrated, Rish, Ensemble
I still have mixed feelings about the movie. I think it got a lot of things right, but I also think it got just as many wrong. One thing I always felt it got right was the visual feel. The movie is stunningly gorgeous, and absolutely captures the sense of decayed decadence that permeates the source. Take that beauty and pair it up with one of my top ten David Bowie songs (who is one of my top 5 favorite all-time artists) and I'm a happy girl. Before I watched it, I wasn't sure if the lyric was going to match up very well with the story, but it works a lot better than I was expecting. The streaming sources are okay, but the download looks amazing.
White Collar
Untitled - CommentFic by littlemissgriff -- PGish, Neal/Peter/Elizabeth
It's short, of course, because it's CommentFic, but it captures one of the biggest issues standing between Neal and Peter in terms of a relationship, and no, I don't mean Elizabeth, not exactly anyway. It gets to the core of what makes them very different sorts of men, and how, for Peter, Neal might not just be willing to change, but might be doing it automatically, without conscious effort or thought. Lovely.
American Gods/Supernatural
Dust in the Wind by lyra_wing -- PG-13, Gen, Sam & Dean
This ended up being a much more natural crossover than I ever expected. It's been rendered AU by the last couple of seasons, but then it was written more than three years ago, so that explains it. Sam and Dean kill the YED and then things start to change. Much more than that, and I give away the whole plot. The writing is lovely, melding the style of American Gods with the voices of Sam and Dean. That said, you can probably still get a lot out of this fic, even if you've never read American Gods.
BBC's Sherlock
On Lestrade's Flawed Heart, and Other Slightly Damaged Things by
thirdbird -- R, John/Lestrade, but it's more complicated than that.
I think I mentioned in my last post, that I don't really get Sherlock/Lestrade, and John/Lestrade never even crossed my mind. I couldn't even really tell you why I clicked on the link and went to read this, but I'm ever so glad that I did. It's Lestrade being made to see John past the dazzling brightness of Sherlock, and that's lovely, but far more perfect than that is the complication of John and Sherlock's frighteningly co-dependent relationship and the lengths that Sherlock is willing to go to in order to keep that relationship working for him. John and Lestrade are wonderful, and I love them in this, but it is Sherlock who is perfection. He is manipulative beyond belief, and utterly incapable of understanding why his "plans" aren't just accepted with good grace, but he does genuinely care about John and Lestrade.
The Velveteen Doctor by lantean_drift -- Author rated, Adult, but not graphic, Sherlock/John
This definitely gets into some of that co-dependency mentioned above, but it's a lot more gentle in its reach. The idea is that Sherlock learns to see John as real, but much of the subtext is that in so doing, John actually makes Sherlock more real. I love the emotional arc of this story, because it's not always easy or pretty, and the problems can be kind of huge. Even more than that, I love that the relationship changes things in their interactions with other people, most importantly Lestrade and his team. I've still got a ton of stories to wade through from the early days of this fandom, but this is one of my favorites that I've run across so far.
Words are Futile Devices Vid by lolachrome -- Unrated, John/Sherlock
Gorgeous song by Sufjan Stevens, made into a lovely vid. This is still a brand new fandom for me, and I'm not entirely set in how I see all of the characters, but this fits quite nicely into what I do feel I know about them.
Buffyverse
The Ballad of Charles Whitman by nwhepcat -- R, Xander
This is an AU set in Season 6/7 of Buffy, but crossing, at least briefly over into Angel. It's a remix, of Revelations by
liz_marcs, which is also worth reading, but I adored this. It's painful in it's intensity, in the sense of loss and betrayal that Xander feels, but the reactions of everyone else are what really make it work.
Lilac City by nwhepcat -- R, Xander
This is a spectacular piece, three long parts, and I read it in one sitting in the middle of the night. I swear I don't know how I missed out on all of these stories when they were new. This is about 5 years post-Chosen. Xander is working very hard to live a "normal" life. Things don't go quite as planned. There are lots of wonderfully rich and engaging original characters, which kind of make up the backbone of this fic along with Xander and Faith. We get some Willow, Giles, Dawn, Angel, and Buffy too, but they are more peripheral. I probably should have listed pairings up there, because there is some Xander/OFC, and Xander/Faith, and it's even important to the plot, but it isn't a relationship story in my opinion, it's a Xander story. I love the characterization in this, and it's written in a way that just kept pulling me along.
Castle
Hurricane Drunk by renrenren3 -- PG, Martha, Castle
This is a sweet and somewhat silly look at Castle in one of his angsty fits of jealousy over Beckett, and at Martha being a good mother the only way she really knows how. I adore them both, and honestly this feels like it could have been tagged onto an episode.
Criminal Minds
By It's Cover by buffyaddict13 -- R, Gen, Rossi, Reid
This simple little story tracks Rossi's impressions of Reid from their earliest meeting forward. It's really a pretty nice character study for both of them, because I think you learn a lot about what makes Rossi tick by how his opinions on Reid evolve, but he also the only member of the team able to give an objective view of Reid. Because he doesn't have years of history with Reid, he sees things that the others may not, or may misinterpret, or willfully ignore. I'm still not a huge fan of Rossi, but this fic was insightful.
Hawaii Five-0
It's Complicated (But Only from a Certain Point of View) by chiuonthat -- Unrated, PG-13ish, Steve/Danny
This is one of my favorite things written in the fandom to date. The people think we're married cliche is a favorite of mine in fanfic, so that's a good part of it, but I love the evolution of their relationship in this story. It's not sudden. It's so gradual that they don't even notice it's happening. You've got to be on the outside looking in to realize how far they've progressed. It's pretty much already been jossed all to hell and gone by canon, but I love it anyway.
Mele Kalikimaka by
kitsune_tsuki -- PG, author labeled pre-slash Steve/Danny
I read a very good post, that I can in no way tell you who wrote it or direct you there now, some time back about why pre-slash is not a good label. I tend to agree with the points made in it, and am trying to stay away from using it myself. This is a story where there are feelings, but they aren't physically expressed, and in large part aren't even acknowledged by the boys, but their relationship is clearly already something more than friendship. Steve does crazy over-the-top things to show his appreciation and affection, that's pretty much already canon. This time he's making Christmas seem a little more like home for Danny (and for Grace). Grace is adorable. Chin and Kono are in the background, but perfectly themselves, and Steve and Danny are almost as cute as Grace.
Something's Gotta Give Vid by
lamardeuse -- Unrated, Steve/Danny
A Steve/Danny vid to a Frank Sinatra song, do I really have to add anything to make you watch this. If so, the editing is quite good. I'm always impressed with those who can successfully vid when less than a half the first season has aired, but then I suppose people do vid films and there's already more source material than that to work with.
Sometimes a Blue Macaw by
ariadnes -- PG-13, Danny, Steve
Gennish, hurt/comfort fic that could be read as fairly slashy, but I don't think it's any slashier than an actual episode. It's pretty much a classic of the hurt/comfort genre. Steve is sick. Danny takes care of him. It's got enough of the snark and bite of their usual conversations to make it feel true, but there's a softness to it, that we don't get to see much of from either character on the show.
Merlin
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock -- Explicit (Rish), Arthur/Merlin, Modern AU
I'm generally not a huge fan of the plop the characters into a different world AU sub-type, and I've found that I'm even less tolerable of the Modern AUs for this fandom than I am most. That said, this is incredibly well done, and I love pretty much every word. I think the key for me is that a lot more than usual stays the same. Arthur is still the prince (Prince of Wales, and next in line to the thrown). He's still the same strange mix of arrogant, overgrown, brat and deadly serious, dedicated, protector. Merlin is still far below him in social status, but completely lacking in any sort of acknowledgment of that fact most of the time, even if he does still have an odd sort of devotion to Arthur and his station, even before he actually likes him. They are themselves (with the possible exception of Uther, but the one small shift in his personality could easily be explained by the shift in the purpose and duties of the monarchy), just themselves having to deal with the papparazi and the internet rather than evil sorcerors and fantastic beasts. This first story is very long, and there are other stories set in the universe. My enjoyment of the other stories varied, but I didn't feel like any were a waste of my time and attention.
Seven Magpies by syllic -- Unrated, Rish, Arthur/Merlin
I've re-written this half a dozen times trying to convey just how very much I love this story without just gushing and simultaneously giving everything away right off the bat. So, if this recommendation seems a little spare, that's why. This is a story where, as often happens, Arthur has a brief period where he's unconscious. When he wakes up he's someplace completely different, but still oddly recognizable. It's somewhere that he both belongs and has no place in. And it's a place that teaches him incredible truths about his own world, the Camelot that he calls home. The characterization is magnificent, and the story is engaging. This may be my favorite thing I've read in the fandom so far.
Sports Night
Another Second Time Around by
alittlefaith -- PG, Dan/Casey
This is very nice. It's from Dan's point of view, which is always a plus in my world. It hints at an interesting past, but doesn't dwell on it, and creates the kind of easy relationship that I imagine for the boys. Very nicely done.
Star Trek: Reboot
Verb: That's What's Happening Vid by
lapillus -- Unrated, Jim Kirk
I'm apparently pretty much in love with the crackier side of Reboot vids. There's the one with The Lion King (I Just Can't Wait to be King, I think), and the High School Musical one, and at least one using the Glee soundtrack. Now here's one using a song from Schoolhouse Rock. The song works beautifully, and the editing is very nice. I'm actually pretty impressed with the streaming quality here. I downloaded the big file though, and it looks incredible.
Stargate: Atlantis
Five Times Rodney McKay Babysat the Athosians by cat_77 -- PG, Gen, Rodney, Athosian children
I don't know whose bright idea it was to leave the Athosian kids alone with Rodney once, much less a minimum of five times, but they certainly get what they deserve. This is really very cute. Rodney is very much himself, which means that he's often a bit awkward with the kids, overprotective, and totally fails to let the other adults have important information. The first and last bits are my favorite.
Supernatural
Cosmic Love Vid by affablyevil -- Unrated, labeled Dean, Castiel, I'd say ensemble
The song is Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine, not a song or band I'd ever heard of before, but it's utterly gorgeous. The vid itself is at least twice as gorgeous as the song on its own. Beautiful editing, and the story it tells holds together really well. Lots of Cas and the choices he makes. Subtexty, but not really much more than the show itself.
Felt by annundriel -- G, Dean/Castiel
A short and gorgeous, introspective, Cas-centric piece centered around 4.22. There are layers and layers of meaning and symbolism here, and the end is a little hurty, but made better by what we know comes after.
Untitled - CommentFic by
gypsydancergirl -- PGish, gen, Dean, Sam, Castiel, Gabriel
This is adorably cute. Conversation turns to Buffy the Vampire Slayer after Team Free Will spends an evening killing vampires in a high school. Dean is given an important lesson in not taunting an angel. Light and fun.
Wrong Vid by ash48 -- Unrated, Sam, Dean, Castiel
The song is by Depeche Mode, and seems to fit the Winchesters (and to a slightly lesser extent, Cas) perfectly. This is a really beautiful vid that touches on some of the major themes of the first 5 seasons. Very nicely done.
Watchmen
I'm Afraid of Americans Vid by bionic -- Unrated, Rish, Ensemble
I still have mixed feelings about the movie. I think it got a lot of things right, but I also think it got just as many wrong. One thing I always felt it got right was the visual feel. The movie is stunningly gorgeous, and absolutely captures the sense of decayed decadence that permeates the source. Take that beauty and pair it up with one of my top ten David Bowie songs (who is one of my top 5 favorite all-time artists) and I'm a happy girl. Before I watched it, I wasn't sure if the lyric was going to match up very well with the story, but it works a lot better than I was expecting. The streaming sources are okay, but the download looks amazing.
White Collar
Untitled - CommentFic by littlemissgriff -- PGish, Neal/Peter/Elizabeth
It's short, of course, because it's CommentFic, but it captures one of the biggest issues standing between Neal and Peter in terms of a relationship, and no, I don't mean Elizabeth, not exactly anyway. It gets to the core of what makes them very different sorts of men, and how, for Peter, Neal might not just be willing to change, but might be doing it automatically, without conscious effort or thought. Lovely.
American Gods/Supernatural
Dust in the Wind by lyra_wing -- PG-13, Gen, Sam & Dean
This ended up being a much more natural crossover than I ever expected. It's been rendered AU by the last couple of seasons, but then it was written more than three years ago, so that explains it. Sam and Dean kill the YED and then things start to change. Much more than that, and I give away the whole plot. The writing is lovely, melding the style of American Gods with the voices of Sam and Dean. That said, you can probably still get a lot out of this fic, even if you've never read American Gods.