Recs by Jane Elliot

Title: Anywhere on this Road by Sineala
Fandom: The Eagle
Pairing: Esca/Marcus
Categories: angst, drama, hurt/comfort, action, favorite
Length: ~31,000 words
Warnings: non-graphic mentions of pre-story rape

Review:
A retelling of the movie from Esca's POV, with some extra scenes (and, if possible, even more gayness).

So many Eagle stories brush over Esca's previous experience as a slave. This fic goes the other route, showing how all of Esca's behavior would be colored by his past as a body slave. As a result, the trust building that occurs between Esca and Marcus even more powerful, and their growing relationship even more laden with angst. The end result is a story that hits my trust and angst kinks *hard* and delivers a powerful emotional punch at the same time. A very potent read.

Anywhere on This Road

I'm heading out of town and may not have internet access. Thus, as an early Christmas present, I'm posting all of my remaining recs at once. Enjoy!

Title: Big Damn Zombies, Sir by shrift
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: gen
Categories: humor, crack, favorite
Length: ~3,500 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Jayne gets turned into a zombie. Hilarity ensues.

Sometimes you just want something that makes you smile and nothing is quite as smile-inducing as Jayne lumbering about the ship, gnawing on people's heads and plaintively asking for brains. Characterization is spot-on all around and as a special treat, you get a little Zombie!Jayne ditty at the end. Enjoy!

Big Damn Zombies, Sir

Title: The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Categories: AU, action, drama, humor, fantasy, favorite
Length: ~24,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
A troop of elves comes to Camelot to pick their next king. (Uther is not pleased.) Turns out Merlin is in the running. (Uther is really, really not pleased.) And Arthur is his champion. (...Uther? Uther!)

This story isn't quite as silly as my summary would lead you to believe -- in fact, it's a damn good old school fantasy, full of challenges and intrigues and the aphrodisiac qualities of magic. The beauty of the story, though, and what truly makes it worth reading over and over again, is the fact that astolat doesn't take her premise or her plot too seriously, which results in a lot of banter, a lot of humor, and a truly engaging tale of bravery, sacrifice, and magic.

Reminiscent of season 1 Merlin (with a less dickish Arthur), The Crown of the Summer Court is a fantastically fun way to while away a few hours.

The Crown of the Summer Court

Title: How to Learn Latin in 10 Days by demon rum
Fandom: The Eagle
Pairing: Gen
Categories: crack, humor, favorite
Length: ~8,000 words
Warnings: foul language (which I wouldn't normally warn for, but woah)

Review:
For reasons that don't need to be explained here, Marcus has to teach Esca how to speak Latin. Like, immediately. And, let's face it, the most memorable words are the dirty ones.

This is absolutely hysterical! My favorite part of the story may be the way that Marcus's broken British and Esca's broken Latin are distinctly different from each other in English (and that takes a hella amount of talent, so my hat's off to demon rum), but even folks who aren't grammar and language geeks should get a kick out of Marcus's increasingly desperate attempts to cram even the slightest bit of Latin into Esca's thick head (not to mention Esca's initial reluctance turned to gleeful enthusiasm as Marcus turns to obscenities to make conjugating verbs just a little more interesting. Also? Latin is a filthy, filthy language.)

If you love language or humor or just want some Eagle fic that *isn't* full of angst and drama, give this story a try. If you're anything like me, you'll be laughing out loud (and getting strange looks from your coworkers.)

How to Learn Latin in 10 Days

Title: Brokdown by OnYourMark
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: gen
Categories: angst, h/c, friendship, favorite
Length: ~6,100 words
Warnings: Depression (with a capital D)

Review:
Neal has a breakdown.

I'll admit this up front: I have a depression kink. Well, to be more precise, I have a getting-over-depression kink, which means that this story hits absolutely all of my buttons. It's hard, but Neal gets there in the end, in spite of Peter's (oh so awful) attempts at nurturing. Featuring a different (and IMO better) resolution to the whole Nazi treasure storyline, as well as most of the White Collar crew being awesome.

Brokedown

Title: Fellow Travelers by J. Brooks
Fandom: Magnificent 7
Pairing: gen
Categories: kid!fic, AU, drama, adventure, h/c, humor, friendship, favorite
Length: ~30,000 words
Warnings: mentions of slavery and child abuse

Review:
A historical AU in which Ezra is a child living with his abusive uncle and Nathan is a slave on the uncle's plantation. Together Ezra and Nathan go on the run, heading west for freedom and encountering all the rest of the seven on the way.

I've been going through the longest fanfic dry spell ever. Intellectually I know this streak of mediocre-to-bad fic can't last forever, but emotionally I needed a pick me up. Thus I turned to one of my absolute favorite feel-good stories of all time.

J. Brooks is far and away my favorite M7 author. Not only does she have a brilliant grasp of the characters and a phenomenal sense of humor, but she accomplishes does what very few other M7 authors even attempt, much less succeed at -- to make Nathan and Ezra *both* likable and, more often than not, great friends. That talent is never more apparent than in Fellow Travelers. While the rest of the seven's interactions are engaging and enjoyable, it's Nathan and Ezra's relationship that is the heart of the story, from Ezra's (adorably) conniving ways to Nathan's sweet and often amusing over-protectiveness. Mix in a lot of humor, an engaging plot, and plenty of opportunities for every one of the seven to shine and you have my absolute favorite Magnificent 7 fic of all time. A must-read for fans of the show or for anyone who likes great writing, sparkling wit, and engaging characters.

Fellow Travelers (links to all four parts)

Title: Everingham by Katharine T
Fandom: Mansfield Park
Pairing: Henry Crawford/Fanny Price (side pairing of Edmund Bertram/Mary Crawford)
Categories: AU, romance, drama, angst, favorite
Length: 46,500 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
When Henry decides to skip the dinner party that, in canon, was the first step in the path that led to his elopement with Maria, it changes the entire course of his relationship with Fanny. An extremely clever what-if that takes a tiny decision on Henry's part and shows how it could have a far-reaching impact on the entire cast of Mansfield Park.

I have to be honest: for a long time, I really, really didn't like Henry Crawford, which meant this fic was a very tough sell. However, I'm one of those rare folks who doesn't care for canon pairings in Austen fanfic and this fic came highly recommended, so I decided to give it a shot.

Man am I glad I did. Everingham completely sold me on the pairing of Henry/Fanny (to the point that I don't really ship Edmund and Fanny anymore) and has become one of my absolute favorite and most reread fanfics of all time. Both Fanny and Henry grow enormously as people in this fic (far more so than they did in canon, in fact), resulting in a very slow-burn romance that somehow manages to take the antagonistic relationship Henry and Fanny shared in canon and realistically turn it into affection and romance. There are no shortcuts, either, and definitely no "hate turns into lust" moments. Every step of the romance is hard-earned and plausible, resulting in a very powerful story.

Of course, none of the above would be possible without superlative writing. Katharine does a brilliant job in that regard with the same light but formal language that Austen herself used and the same fluid POV (though, despite the summary, the story is most often told in Fanny's POV). Her dialogue is especially impressive; she has the same knack Austen did for taking formal language and occasional monologues and somehow making it sound like something people would naturally say. Mix in spot-on characterizations for absolutely everyone and a surprising (and, it must be said, brilliant) bit of character byplay in the final chapters of the fic and you have one of the best Jane Austen fanfics of all time. Very highly recommended.

Everingham (pt. 1) (pt. 2) (pt. 3)

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: Jeeves and the Lessons on Love by triedunture
Fandom: Jeeves and Wooster
Pairing: Jeeves/Wooster
Categories: angst, angst, angst, and more angst.  Virgin with a capital V.  Favorite.
Length: 24,600 words
Warnings: Jeeves is very much In Character (i.e., at times he can be a jerk)

Review:
After getting mocked by the Drones for his complete and utter lack of any sort of sexual knowledge, Bertie informs Jeeves that he's thinking of getting educated in a brothel. Jeeves has an alternate solution.

I have no less than six Jeeves and Wooster fics in my favorites folder and of them all this one is the one I reread the most often. It's shamelessly angsty and just a touch melodramatic, with both Jeeves and Bertie getting their own share of suffering. At the same time, all of that emotional hurt makes the payoff at the end enormously potent. Not for anyone looking for the usual J&W fluff, but perfect if you're in the mood for a hard-fought, emotionally charged, deeply satisfying story.

Jeeves and the Lessons on Love

Title: Horseshoe Nails series by Dyce
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: River/Jayne
Categories: AU, angst, romance, action, hurt/comfort, humor, virgin, favorite
Length: 200,000 words
Warnings: amputation

Review:
Thanks to a couple of mishaps, everyone is gone from Serenity for two days except for River and Jayne. Shocking everyone (including themselves), they bond. The resulting friendship subtly but significantly alters everything that follows, most especially everything to do with Miranda.

At one point in this series, Inara explains why she likes the idea of River and Jayne being friends: "There's something about a man who really believes that what an attractive, vulnerable young girl really needs is to learn to shoot everyone who tries to hurt her in the head." This statement neatly sums up why this series is far and away my favorite Firefly story and why I come back to read it over and over again. I love the fact that, while Jayne will protect River if she needs it, both of them agree that the best thing for River is for her to be strong enough and prepared enough to protect herself. It's beautifully in character for both of them, and while the path to self-sufficiency for River is a long and at times bloody one, it's also immensely satisfying.

Making things even better is Dyce's characterization, which is nothing short of brilliant. Every canon character, from Firefly crew down to the Operative are pitch-perfect, both in their actions, their thoughts, and (most impressively) their dialogue. Her River is especially good; she juggles River's coherence and craziness with a deft hand and never falls into the trap of making her speak actual nonsense. Mix in phenomenal writing, slow-building romance, fast-paced action scenes, and a perfect balance of humor and drama and you have one of the most engrossing, satisfying series I've ever read.

Two Gorram Days
Kinship
Bank Job
Miranda

NOTE: there appears to be a fifth story in the series, but as it's not finished and (as it hasn't been updated in three years) likely never will be, I haven't read it and won't be listing it here. You can find it easily enough on Dyce's FF.net profile page (accessible from the top of the page on all of the stories linked above)