Recs by Jane Elliot

Title: A Cure for Boredom by emmagrant01 (very, very NC-17)
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/John (essentially)
Categories: BDSM, smut, drama, smut, angst, smut, smut, smut (can't really emphasize the smut too much), favorite
Length: ~81,000 words
Warnings: John has sex with a *lot* of other people (but it's really all about Sherlock)

Review:
Sherlock is bored and John is complaining about a lack of sex. So, Sherlock takes John to a sex club. As you do.

I can't believe I haven't recced this fic before, considering this is quite possibly the best BDSM fic I've read for people who (like me) rarely read BDSM. I'm deeply impressed with the way the author manages to build up an intense sextual relationship between Sherlock and John without actually involving any sexual contact between the two of them. Equally impressive is the way she writes John's gradual understanding of his own submissive desires, without altering his character or making hims suddenly want to be submissive 24/7 (at least no more so than he already is). And I can't forget to mention her skill in writing OCs -- John's sexual partners are an essential part of the story, but at the same time, they don't take the story over. That's a fine line that emmagrant01 handles beautifully.

The slow escalation of the Dom/sub relationship between Sherlock and John, the growing sexual attraction between the two of them, and the emotional impact as all of this drama comes to a head -- all of it comes together for one of the most satisfying fics I've read in years.

A Cure for Boredom

Title: A Clear View of the Sea by hesychasm
Fandom: The Eagle of the Ninth (books and movie)
Pairing: Mostly Esca/Marcus, with some slight progress towards future OT3
Categories: angst, post-canon, miscommunication
Length: ~17,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
In preparation for Marcus's marriage to Cottia, he and Esca go to Marcus's new land and start to build a farm.

I have to admit, I've never read The Eagle of a Ninth, so I have no experience with canon!Cottia. Based on how she's portrayed in fanfic, however, she must've been one fantastic character, because she's utterly awesome in everything I've read that featured her. Frankly, the main reason for all the angst and drama in this story is the lack of Cottia, because if she'd been around, she would've gotten everyone straightened out right off the bat.

Fortunately for my angst-loving soul, there is no Cottia to knock some sense into the boys and thus they spend lots of time building the barn and not communicating in any useful fashion. I really enjoyed the details of the building of the farm from scratch (though building the villa seemed to be an awfully easy task) and I loved the increasingly fraught relationship between Esca and Marcus.

If people behaving rationally and talking openly about their feelings is your kink -- well, this is not the story for you. But if you're in the mood for angst and miscommunication, give this fic a shot.

A Clear View of the Sea

Title: A Time to Forget by GatewayGirl
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Snape
Categories: post-canon, angst, amnesia
Length: ~25,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
While teaching at Hogwarts, Harry discovers a secret room. Inside that room is Snape, still alive but missing some very important memories.

I love how difficult it is to classify this story: on the one hand, Severus is younger than Harry and his mind is that of a teenager. On the other hand, there is no deaging involved -- Snape's just been in suspended animation for a couple of decades, while Harry caught up (and surpassed) him in age. And the mental deaging is a side effect of the amnesia, rather than him actually having the mind of a teeager.

All of this results in a story with some very unique moral and ethical implications as Harry and Severus interact with each other, especially as Severus's memory slowly starts to come back. You've also got some great interaction between Severus and the other students, as Snape's memories are no longer politically correct and he is, to some extent, still an adult.

I will admit that this story feels a little unbalanced -- the beginning (before Snape's awake) feels long, and the ending feels rushed. Compared to the sheer awesomeness that is a sorta-but-not-really teenage!Severus, however, that's a minor quibble. Mix in some great characterizations and fantastic writing, and you've got a wonderful Harry Potter fic for Snarry fans.

A Time to Forget

Title: If You're Gone by sahiya
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Elizabeth/Neal/Peter
Categories: angst, hurt/comfort
Length: ~31,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
When Elizabeth gets a great career opportunity in San Francisco, she and Peter leave. Meanwhile, Neal is reassigned to Diana.

This fic is chock full of the most lovely pining as Neal tries to cope with the departure of Elizabeth and Peter, while adapting to his new life with Diana as a handler. And while that pining is delightful to read, I have to admit what I love most about it is the friendship that develops between Neal and Diana. It's different than the one between him and Peter, but it's a great relationship and one that is a delight to read.

If you're a fan of Diana and/or of pining, this is the fic for you.

If You're Gone

Title: A Meeting of Equals
Fandom: The Sentinel
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Categories: canon divergence, angst, epistolary, favorite
Length: ~30,000 words
Warnings: Some of the formatting isn't quite right, which can make some of the e-mails hard to read.

Review:
After a nasty fight with Jim, Blair decides that it's time to learn how to stand on his own two feet.

I'm a total sucker for Blair Runs Away From Home fics, and this one is quite possibly my favorite of the entire genre. I love the fact that Blair isn't just running away to punish Jim, I love the fact that Blair and Jim correspond throughout the story, and I love the fact that the entire story is more about Blair growing as a person than it is about potential romance between Jim and Blair (though that's there, too). If you're a fan of epistolary fics or just are in the mood to follow along as two characters work out their issues over a long distance, you should find this a very satisfying read.

A Meeting of Equals

This is the last one of this batch. Hopefully it won't be so long until my next one! If you're impatient, I occasionally post recs on my Twitter account: @IMJaneElliot.

Title: Trust by Neery
Fandom: Avengers
Pairing: Clint/Bruce
Categories: angst, drama
Length: ~13,500 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
After the events of the movie, The Powers That Be decide that someone needs to keep an eye on Bruce. Fury decides to assign Clint to the job.

Gah. This hits my trust kink so hard it hurts (but in a good way). Not only do Bruce and Clint have to learn to trust each other, but they also have trust issues with themselves, thanks to the Hulk (for Bruce) and Loki's magic scepter (for Clint). My favorite part is probably Bruce coming to terms with the Hulk during weekly "playtime" sessions in the desert -- lots of fun (especially with the Thor cameo).

I will admit that the ending is a bit spare (which is the only reason why this fic doesn't have a favorites tag), but overall this is a lovely, well-written, and highly enjoyable story of trust and growing affection.

Trust

Title: Behavior Modification by bendingsignpost
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Categories: angst, romance (sort of), hurt/comfort(ish)
Length: ~23,700 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
"Never theorize before possessing the facts. One inevitably twists the facts to suit the theory rather than the theory to suit the facts." Sherlock theorizes that he and John are dating, and starts ambushing John with handjobs. John is really, really confused. Whoops?

Fair warning, my summary makes this story seem a lot more fluffy and lighthearted than it really is. The reality is, Sherlock is a very messed up individual with absolutely no idea how human beings really interact. Since this story is from his POV, the end result is absolutely fascinating to read. I also love how the author portrays John through Sherlock's eyes -- his reactions all make sense, but you have to work your way backwards through Sherlock's filter before you really get what's going on.

There are a ton of asexual!Sherlock and sexual!John making it work stories out there, but this is one of the best (and not only because the story doesn't end on the ridiculous idea that John will okay with never having sex again). If you like stories that feature complicated relationship dynamics and/or negotiations, this is definitely the fic for you.

Behavior Modification

Title: Darkness, Flooded in Light by galaxysoup
Fandom: Thor
Pairing: gen
Categories: friendship, family, fix-it, angst, humor, hurt/comfort
Length: 42,000+ words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Loki falls from the Bifrost down to a small town on Earth. Redemption, self-discovery, and friendship ensues.

I find that there are two types of stories that rely heavily on OCs - those that completely suck and those that are incredibly awesome. Fortunately this fic is one of the latter, with Loki landing in a town full of richly drawn, realistic, and wonderfully entertaining OCs. They are the framework that makes this story possible, giving Loki the space he needs to realistically grow from the erratic, sorta evil villain of Thor into an interesting, fully three-denominational person. I do wish more time had been spent on Loki's inevitable meeting with Thor (actually, the ending as a whole feels abrupt) but that is a minor quibble next to my overwhelming love of his new town, his new friends, and the brilliant backstory that not only makes this story shine, but which puts a fascinating new spin on canon.

For anyone who enjoys small town stories and/or found family fics, this is definitely the story for you.

Darkness, Flooded in Light

Title: Everything's Better with Bunnies by khilari and Persephone_Kore
Fandom: Thor
Pairing: gen
Categories: crack, humor, angst
Length: 12,700 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Authors' summary: "When frightened or stressed, Loki transforms into a bunny and sometimes he needs to be cuddled to calm down enough to turn back. Unfortunately, the events of the movie are extremely stressful."

I passed on reccing this the first time I read it, because... well, because it features a Loki who turns into a bunny. Besides, I figured that if the Thor fandom is churning out well-written and interesting Loki is a bunny fics, the non-cracky fics must be phenomenal.

Since then, however, I've found that well-written and interesting Thor fics are not quite as plentiful as I'd hoped and none of the fics I've read so far are anything near as entertaining and engaging as this story. Khilari and Persephone_Kore have done a brilliant job of taking a premise that should, by all accounts, be pure crack and giving it a gravitas and sincere realism that manages to surpass the movie. If anything, having Loki randomly turn into a rabbit gives him more reason for the actions of the movie, because unlike in the movie (where he doesn't find out about his origins until part of the way through), in this story he has a reason going in for feeling outcast and different.

I will say that this story does hinge a little too much on the movie's plot, but it makes up for it with its latter half which takes place after the end of the movie and which explores how Loki might've felt if he'd survived to face the consequences of what he'd done. Even better, nearly every single Asgard character makes an appearance so you get to see Loki truly owning up to his mistakes.

All in all, if you're looking for a serious, interesting, and entertaining Loki character study (and can either overlook the bunny thing or, even better, embrace it), this is the fic for you.

Everything's Better with Bunnies

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)