Recs by Jane Elliot

Title: When All of New York City Misses You by leupagus and sutlers
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Categories: angst, humor, hurt/comfort
Length: 15,400 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
When Steve and Danny finally have sex, the last thing Danny expects it to wake up alone. The call from the governor informing him that Steve has been recalled to the military just makes it worse.

I tend to think of this story as the Star Trek: Reboot Hawaii Five-0 fic. Which isn't to say that it's a fusion or an AU (it's neither), but it has the same feel as the vast majority of ST:R fics: wackiness, humor, a bit of angst here and there, and some more wackiness. And while that style of writing has been way overdone in the ST:R fandom, it's rather novel in the Hawaii Five-0 fandom and is a very enjoyable contrast to the endless hurt/comfort banter fics out there. The ending isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but that's more than made up for by very good writing, the most put-upon OC ever (seriously, I would never want to join Five-0 if this is how they treat people), some very smoking smut, and some very lovely Steve/Danny scenes.

When All of New York City Misses You

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: 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