Recs by Jane Elliot

Title: The Last Will and Testament of Lily Evans Potter by chrmisha
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: gen
Categories: drama, angst, hurt/comfort
Length: 40,000 words
Warnings: references to pre-story child abuse

Review:
When the Dursleys find Lily's will and learn that she named Snape as a guardian for Harry, they waste no time in dumping Harry at Snape's door.

Fair warning: this fic only covers about a week of time and thus, while it is complete and does have an ending, it doesn't really feel like a full story. A sequel is theoretically coming, but I have to admit that I'm not holding my breath.

That said: this is one of the most enjoyable, non-stressful Snape mentors/adopts Harry fic that I've ever read. Most of these stories start off with weeks or even months of Snape being a right bastard and Harry being a total brat, which is pretty IC canonically speaking, but which has very little to do with how people would behave in the real world. Chrmisha goes a different route, with Snape not being at all oblivious to Harry's condition and with Harry not being utterly blind to how much better Snape is as a guardian than the Dursleys. The end result is two people learning to trust one another in a reasonable, organic fashion, with hints of possible familial feelings at some point in time in the future but without any hint at insta!family. Mix in a healthy dose of hurt/comfort (focus on the comfort) and some extremely good writing and you have a fic that is perfect for anyone wanting a Snape-adopts-Harry story without having to tunnel through the mountain of heart-wrenching angst that usually accompanies the genre.

The Last Will and Testament of Lily Evans Potter

Title: Kauoha ("to order or command") by ember_firedrake
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Categories: AUish, angst, drama
Length: 30,200 words
Warnings: a bit of (completely consensual) powerplay during sex

Review:
All his life, Danny's been cursed with obedience: he literally has no choice but to follow orders. And if there is anyone on the planet who gives more orders than Steve McGarrett, Danny has yet to meet him. (The author calls this a fusion with Ella Enchanted, but other than the bare premise of an obedience curse they don't really have anything in common.)

I'm still having a tough time getting into H50 fics; unless there's some sort of AU aspect to them, they all seem to sound the same to me. This one, however, takes a unique premise that changes very little in the way of canon events, but puts a whole new spin on Danny's character. It's an interesting exploration of power dynamics and of why Danny might be the way that he is and it's quite fascinating. I also really like the way that other characters handle finding out about Danny's curse; not everyone is a saint, but you also don't have too many complete assholes. My favorite might be Rachel: she isn't perfect, but she's a good person and she tries her best. It's very easy to see why Danny married her (and there's clear reason for them to get divorced, which is more than we got in canon.)

My only quibble is that ember_firedrake uses quite a bit of canon dialogue in the fic. I understand that she's doing so to demonstrate the plausibility of her premise, but the downside is that it highlights just how awful canon H50 dialogue can be (at times it's positively painful to read). The author's original dialogue is vastly better written.

If you're a fan of fics that play with power dynamics or just a big fan of Danny, this is a fic for you.

Kauoha ("to order or command")

Title: Making a Living Out of Hope by casspeach
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Pairing: McCoy/Chekov
Categories: angst, (pre-story) slavery, hurt/comfort, AU, favorite
Length: 37,000 words
Warnings: dubcon, (pre-story) underage rape, (mostly implied) torture

Review:
While on shore leave, Leonard wins big in a poker tournament. His prize? Chekov.

I've had a tough time with Star Trek Reboot fics of late, so I figured it was time to break out a story that I know I like. Making a Living Out of Hope is an emotionally powerful hurt/comfort story about Chekov recovering from several years in slavery and Leonard struggling to overcome his own past (read: divorce) and open up enough to love another person. It's a story that's heavy on the comfort, but with enough implied hurt for all of the payoffs to be deeply potent; the end result is one of the most consistently stirring fics I've read in a long time. As a bonus, you also have a crew that is at least as professional as in canon (which is to say: not very, but compared to fanon they are the epitome of professionalism) and the characterizations are universally excellent (especially Jim, who is charming and breezy, but still very good at his job).

I'd never considered a Chekov/McCoy pairing before this fic, but casspeach has thoroughly converted me with this wonderful story of overcoming obstacles and finding love. One of my most frequently reread of all of my favorites.

Making a Living Out of Hope

Title: Stay by Ferd
Musical Artist: Shakespeare's Sister
Fandom: Batman Universe/Smallville
Pairing: Bruce Wayne/Lois Lane
Categories: fanvid, crossover, angst, favorite
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Bruce and Lois have the perfect relationship, until Selina Kyle steps in and tries to take Lois out.

First I should note that this is quite likely the only vid I'll ever rec at this comm; after several attempts to get into the genre, I've concluded that fanvids are just not for me. That said, Stay has haunted me since the day I first watched it and is the only vid I've ever had in my rereadwatch folder.

So what makes Stay so special? Simply put, it tells a story. From Bruce and Lois's romance, to the conflict with Selina, to the clash between Lois and Selina, to the final battle between Bruce and Selina, this is a fully fleshed tale told in just over four minutes. Mix in the fact that Ferd managed to convincingly edit together three actors who never shared a screen, some positively inspired editing choices that blend the story seamlessly into the song, as well as the brilliant choice of song in the first place and you have a beautiful, classic fanvid.

Unfortunately the download version is no longer available, but it can still be found on YouTube.

Note

NOTE: this vid appears to be one of a whole universe of fanvids. However, as they are currently only available on YouTube and as several of them are only available if you have a YouTube account, I'm not reccing or linking to the rest. I should also note that the vids (including Stay) frequently draw from a very small number of clips; the resulting repetition can detract from your enjoyment of individual vids if you choose to watch more than one.

Title: The Magic of Deduction by TheShoelessOne
Fandom: Sherlock BBC (with a dash of canonical Harry Potter characters)
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Categories: angst, drama, friendship, suspense, crossover (sort of)
Length: 65,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
In a world where John and Sherlock are wizards, there is still a Moriarty and the Game is still on. AKA John and Sherlock Do Hogwarts.

First, I want to note that this fic is tough to categorize, because while it's technically a crossover with the Harry Potter universe, the only Harry Potter characters to make an appearance are the teachers (and they get dramatically less face time than in the books). Thus I'm calling this a fusion with cameos.

Second, I want to announce that, after reading this fic and The Best Revenge, I want more Hufflepuff fic. (Recs welcome.)

Preliminaries out of the way -- this was a great fic! I loved the way that John and Sherlock's relationship developed organically throughout their seven years of school, I loved the large cast of Sherlock characters who were used in unexpected but ultimately perfect ways, I loved Mycroft and Mummy, I loved that Irene and Moran were significant to the plot, and most of all I loved that John is a Hufflepuff, because Hufflepuffs rock.

There are a couple of issues in the fic: you know going in that Moriarty is the bad guy (hence the 'suspense' tag rather than the 'casefile' one) and the POV does drift a bit in places. Still, those are very minor quibbles with a fic that not only has a great plot and great characters, it also has one of the best friends-to-lovers romances I've ever read. Very entertaining and wonderfully satisfying.

The Magic of Deduction

Title: These Tracks Stretch Out Before by ciaan
Fandom: Supernatural/Sky High
Pairing: Sam Winchester/Warren Peace
Categories: AU, crossover, action, angst, drama, crossover
Length: 25,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
In an AU crossover world where demons have been replaced by supervillains, Sam's psychic visions are flagged as a superpower. And where do people with superpowers go to school? Sky High, of course!

This is a very clever crossover, one that manages to keep Sam, Dean, and John perfectly in character while transporting them to the world of Sky High. Along for the ride is the Sky High crew, who are all a little more fleshed out than they were in canon (especially Warren's mom, who is awesome) and whose interactions with Sam are fascinating. Mix in some original (and very intriguing) superpower politics, daddy issues left right and center, and loads of very entertaining "Save the Citizen" competitions and you have a fun, albeit a bit angsty (John Winchester and Baron Battle: world's worst dads), fic.

Note: this is a complete story, but it's part of a series that appears to have been abandoned. Thus while most of the internal plotlines are tied up, the ending is a bit open.

These Tracks Stretch Out Before

Title: Jeeves and the Literary Gifts by triedunture
Fandom: Jeeves and Wooster
Pairing: Bertie/Jeeves
Categories: angst
Length: 13,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Jeeves stumbles across a bit of Victorian slash and becomes obsessed with finding the author. Hm. Who do we know in the J&W universe who is a writer?

I'll warn you in advance that this fic has a slightly bittersweet ending; technically it's happy, but the last scene is emotional and a bit painful and that's the feeling I took away from the story. At the same time, that's the reason why I'm reccing this fic: as much as I like the happy-go-lucky world of Bertie Wooster, I also enjoy stories that acknowledge the challenges for gay men (and women) of that time period. The end result is a fic that is a bit more intense than most J&W stories, and that's what makes it so satisfying.

Jeeves and the Literary Gifts (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: The Spirit and the Letter series by lightgetsin
Fandom: Dresden Files
Pairing: Harry/Marcone
Categories: genderswap, angst, hurt/comfort
Length: 47,000 words as a series
Warnings: n/a

Review:
When Harry pisses off Mab one too many times, his fairy godmother turns him into a woman in retaliation. Johnny Marcone finds this development *very* interesting.

I'm not a huge fan of genderswap fics in general, mainly because one of the reasons why I read slash in the first place is to avoid gender tropes. As such, the fact that I'm reccing this series despite the fact that it's a genderswap fic should tell you just how good it is.

I appreciate that lightgetsin doesn't spend much time in this fic going into the differences between men and women and at no point in the story does Harry turn into a different person just because he got a new set of equipment. He's just as snarky, difficult, and as inexplicably endearing as always; in fact, the only real difference is that the change allows him to do some things that he wouldn't normally allow himself to do, treating his temporary sex change as a time out from life. It's a clever conceit, one that wouldn't work in just any fandom, but which is so perfectly Harry Dresden that I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the books someday.

If you're in the mood for a genderswap full of hormonally induced personality changes and/or a treatise on how men and women are inherently different, this probably isn't the fic for you. However, if you like reading about Harry Dresden, his friends and allies, clever magic, and difficult but ultimately workable semi-romantic relationships, this will be a very satisfying read.

The Spirit and the Letter
A New Covenant
Symbology

Introducing the '*favorites' tag. Stories with this tag not be the best written or most lauded fics that I recommend (though many of them are both), but they the fics that I come back to again and again, either as comfort reads or if I've hit too many crappy fics in a row and just need something that I know I'll enjoy. Most of these fics have already been recced at Epic Recs, but I'll be posting them here as well, because no recs collection of mine can be complete without my favorite stories. Each one will be getting a whole new review; if you'd like to see what I originally said about them check out the memories section of Epic Recs on LJ.

Title: Cambiare Podentes by Jordan Grant
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Snape
Categories: angst, bonding, romance, action, au, hurt/comfort, virgin, marriage of convenience (sort of), slavery (technically), BDSM (technically), favorite
Length: 600,000 words
Warnings: graphic rape, dubcon (the author adds about a zillion others, but these are the only ones that are actually present enough in the story for me to warn about)

Review:
Another prophecy comes out, this time stating that Voldemort's going to kill Harry on his first post-Hogwarts birthday. The only way to prevent his death is an arcane ritual known as Cambiare Podentes, which will exponentially increase Harry's power. The downside? It would mean becoming Severus Snape's (sex) slave.

I'll be honest, this particular post is about 25% of the reason why I started this community. Cambiare Podentes was originally recommended by meishali over in Epic Recs a few years ago and while I'd resisted the Harry Potter fandom up to that point, her recommendation was good enough for me to give these fics a try.  I was simply blown away. The intricacy of the plot, the depth of the character development and interactions, the sheer *size* of the story (at the time, this fic was about six times longer than my previous long-story record) -- all of them were so much more than I'd ever thought I'd find in the Harry Potter fandom. The novel was an instant favorite for me and I have since reread it more than any other fic. Unfortunately, because it had already been recced at Epic Recs I never had the opportunity to post my own review of the story, which is something I've always regretted. Now's my chance.

First, the premise, which I was hesitant about when I first started reading, but which completely won me over very quickly thanks to the author's deft handling of the matter. The idea of Harry becoming a slave to save the world isn't a unique one, but Jordan does a brilliant job of delving deep into how that slavery would actually play out, without ever skipping past potential emotional minefields or glossing over the unpleasant bits. In the end, I consider this fic to be less of a story of slavery and more of a story about how two people do everything they can to *subvert* that slavery; to me the most fascinating aspect of this fic is how much time and effort Severus (and, to a lesser extent Harry) puts into meeting the technical definition of slavery while at the same time working so very hard to ensure that Harry never actually feels like a slave.

Which brings me to the characterization of Snape, one the most vital parts of the fic. Turning Snape into a decent human being while still keeping him in character is a challenge for any Snape-centric HP story and I think Jordan's Snape is one of the best. On the one hand, he's still acerbic, poor with people, and often cruel. At the same time, he's not a monster and, in the name of enlightened self-interest, can sometimes even be kind. It's a thin line to walk, but is handled so subtly and deftly in this fic that it looks easy.

It helps that Harry's characterization is equally well done. He's still brash and impulsive and at times immature, but at the same time he's someone who has lived a life under siege and who has many times had to behave older than his years. The end result is a consistently inconsistent character who reads very much like a teenager stuck in a crappy position and while there are times that I want to smack him (especially during a section of the novel that cleverly draws a comparison between Harry and Snape's behavior in a specific circumstance), in the end he's deeply sympathetic and his personal growth is fascinating to watch.

It's the relationship between Harry and Severus that is what makes this book so compelling. The plot has enough unexpected twists and turns to keep you reading, but the awkward dance of Harry and Severus learning to cope with each other and with their unwanted bonding is what kept me glued to the page. If you like marriage of convenience type fics with slow building romance, plenty of moments of intense emotion, action and angst, and the occasional flash of melodrama, you should check this one out. If you're like me, you'll find Cambiare Podentes one of the most epic, involved, entertaining stories you've ever read.

Cambiare Podentes: Invocare
Cambiare Podentes: Madurare

Title: Home Improvement by imkalena and JiM
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Danny/Steve, Danny/OMC
Categories: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff
Length: 32,000 words
Warnings: homophobia

Review:
After Danny is held hostage for a couple of days, he and Steve make out. Which leads to all sorts of awkwardness, primarily in the form of Steve being a dick. Tired of pining after Steve, Danny picks up a sugar daddy (just go with it) and Steve? Is not happy.

I gotta be honest here -- the vast majority of Hawaii Five-0 fic I've read has been the exact same story, with the exact same canon references, with the exact same banter, and the exact same Steve and Danny Kiss moment. It's gotten so bad that I've actually started seeking out AUs, which is pretty much the exact opposite of my behavior in other fandoms.

Which is what makes this fic such a gem -- it's canon universe, it's unique and interesting enough to separate itself from other H50 fics, and it's completely awesome. The character interactions are great (Chin and Kono are especially good), the angsty relationship bits are wonderfully potent, and the puppy that Steve adopts is quite possibly the most adorable fic pet ever (she's the reason for the fluff tag). If you're in the mood for an angst-fest driven by one deeply screwed up character (hi, Steve!) and/or are just in the mood for some well developed relationship drama that is handled in an interesting and unusual way, this is the fic for you.

Home Improvement