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: Lord of the Tansy Cakes by thesexbots
Fandom: A Knight's Tale
Pairing: Chaucer/Wat
Categories: humor, smut, crack
Length: ~3,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Chaucer, Wat, and Roland undertake a challenge of gastrointestinal fortitude to win the right to be Will's best man. Somehow, this leads to smut.

This fic is as light and lively as a tansy cake. (For the record, I have no idea what a tansy cake is.) As cracky as the movie and just as much fun, this is an entertaining morsel for anyone needing a smile.

Lord of the Tansy Cakes

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: 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: Perfect Beautiful Good by OnYourMark
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Neal/Peter/Elizabeth
Categories: romance, drama
Length: ~16,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
From the author: "Neal Caffrey doesn't know it, but he's probably the best thing that ever happened to Peter and Elizabeth's sex life."

Sometimes you just want a straight-up, well-written story where three people figure out that they love each other, and then figure out how to make it happen (though, strictly speaking, most of the latter work is done by Elizabeth). If you are in the mood for a slow burn romance with a dash of trust issues and some rather smoking sex scens, give this one a shot.

Perfect Beautiful Good

Title: A Slight Misunderstanding and Dangerous Assumptions by Coragyps
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Categories: angst, humor, hurt/comfort, drama, action, casefile, virgin (to gay sex), favorite
Length: ~64,000 words (combined)
Warnings: In A Slight Misunderstanding, there are three instances where John thinks of Sherlock as *Sher*. (*shudder* -- that was almost bad enough to turn this rec into a rant.) Fortunately it's all in one scene in Chapter 9. Unfortunately it kind of ruins the climactic relationship scene.

Review:
In which John accidentally convinces Sherlock that he's in love with him. Or, from Sherlock's POV in the sequel, how his plan to turn John from his Assistant into his Lover goes horribly awry.

These are both highly entertaining stories that cover essentially the same time frame, but from John and Sherlock's POV respectively (though the author says that they both stand alone, I strongly suggest reading Misunderstanding first). My personal favorite of the two is A Slight Misunderstanding, because it has one of the most interesting and engrossing plots I've ever read in Sherlock fic, namely how Sherlock Holmes would commit and cover up the perfect murder (the victim in this case is Moriarty). I found the entire process fascinating to read, even more so than John's baffled and winding journey from friendly mates to physical love with Sherlock. While John's journey is hugely enjoyable as well and is laced with plenty of humor to cut the angst, the plot is what earned this fic its 'favorites' tag.

Dangerous Assumptions is more of a character study of Sherlock than a true retelling of Misunderstanding. Coragyps has given an intriguing backstory to Sherlock that's a lot of fun to read, and Mycroft is hysterical as he tries to give Sherlock advice in the most vague and unhelpful way ever.

In the end, these two stories have the best of both worlds. If you're in the mood for a plotty fic with a silly (but entertaining) romantic subplot, A Slight Misunderstanding is perfect for you. If, on the other hand, you want an in-depth character study, check out Dangerous Assumptions. Either way, you're in for a great read.

A Slight Misunderstanding
Dangerous Assumptions

Title: Higher Education by Resonant
Fandom: Breakfast Club
Pairing: John Bender/Brian Johnson
Categories: post-canon, drama, favorite
Length: 15,200 words (story and coda)
Warnings: n/a

Review:
After dropping out of high school, John Bender has a whole lot of growing up to do. Just when he's finally gotten his feet firmly under him, Brian Johnson makes a surprise reappearance in his life.

This is one of my absolute favorite fanfics of all time and has inspired pretty much all of the Bender/Brian fic out there (of which there can never be enough). I'd never even considered the pairing (hell, I'd never even considered the fandom) till I stumbled on this fic and ever since I've been totally hooked. Resonant does a brilliant job of mapping the change from asshole!teenage!Bender to adult!John, using a sparse writing style that never gets bogged down in the incidentals, but which still spends just the right amount of time on all of the really good bits (read: any scene with Brian and John together). Mix in some interesting OCs, the wrapping up of just enough loose ends, and some really smoking hot sex, and you have an absolute must-read fic for anyone who likes good writing and brilliant characterization. Highly recommended.

Higher Education
Bare (coda)

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by JoeLawson
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Categories: AU, angst, hurt/comfort, bonding (!), creature!fic
Length: 39,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
In a world where humans and mermaids live side-by-side in a mostly-easy truce, Danny's a mermaid.

First, a reassurance: it's not as cheesy as it sounds. The mer-world is surprisingly layered and complex, considering the length of the story, and JoeLawson takes it seriously. The end result is a fascinating exploration of how Danny-the-mermaid (and why is it always Danny who is the mermaid/sea creature/cursed one/mafia guy/otherwise-AU-altered? Is it because he's just that much more interesting than Steve?) may be physically different than his canon counterpart, but there's nothing on earth that can change the essentials of his personality. Well-written, with intriguing customs and rituals, a fantastic Chin and Kono, and Rachel being utterly awesome, and you have a great fic for fans of Steve/Danny, AUs, or just Hawaii Five-0 in general.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Title: Ordinary Life by Shalott and Speranza
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Categories: action, drama
Length: 20,200 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
On their first trip back to Earth, Rodney picks up a cushy consulting gig and John tails along for the free perks. Pity things don't go quite to plan.

I don't read much SGA fic these days, but I'm making my way through my old possible recs folder and came up with this fun first-time fic, full of action and humor and John in a speedo. It's a joint venture by Shalott (aka astolat) and Speranza, so you know it's well-written and the characters are vividly drawn. Mix in some some light-hearted relationship sorta-angst (seriously, I almost gave this a 'fluff' tag), John and Rodney being treated to lots of exotic and upscale goodies, and an action-packed climax and you have a light but very enjoyable and satisfying read.

Ordinary Life

Title: Switch: A Comedy of Terrors by RivkaT
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Categories: humor, friendship, bodyswap, fluff
Length: 35,400 words
Warnings: underage (Clark is 16), super!creepy!handsy!Lionel

Review:
After getting electrocuted while surrounded by meteor-rock infested Christmas trees, Clark and Lex find they've switched bodies.

Ah, the halcyon days of early Smallville fic, where everything was either light and fun or black as pitch. Fortunately, this is an example of the former, where Secrets Are Revealed, Lust Is Assuaged, and Friendships Are Destiny. Funny, light-hearted, well-written, and very much in character for early seasons of the show, this is a great fic for anyone who wants a piece of Smallville fluff.

Switch: A Comedy of Terrors