Recs: May 23, 2010

[bethbethbeth]

Oh wow...a whole set of fic recs I'd forgotten about entirely!

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Doctor Who

Temaris (temaris on LJ): "Everything Changes (And you gotta be ready)" (Cross-recced in SGA/Doctor Who/Torchwood. McKay/Sheppard, technically, but reads like gen...in a very good way. "Sheppard goes missing and Rodney moves heaven and earth to find him." Smart, engaging, and treats all three canons - and all individual characters - honestly and fairly.)

Harry Potter

Aurette: "The Caretaker" (Snape/Hermione eventually, but other pairings including Hermione/Ron. Post-DH, but AU in that Snape has survived. "Ron saves Snape's life after the Battle of Hogwarts, invoking a new life debt, and something else" The author describes this as a "soap opera," and to a certain extent it is, with its love and infidelities and angst and passion, all within a magical context. But in the end, labels are irrelevant when a story is as engaging as this one is.)

chantefable (chantefable on LJ): "Discombobulation" (Albus Severus/Viktor Krum. "A man has passed away, and a man has come back. Distraught and confused, Al Potter reaches a new understanding of his life and himself." Written for the nextgen_fest, this is a sharp and wonderfully insightful look at celebrity, politics, and the almost impossible nature of communication.)

Delphi (atdelphi on LJ/DW): "The Boy Who Lived" (Gen. Snape, Harry, Dumbledore. Canon pairings and non-graphic Snape/Dumbledore. "A story of four boys" Beautiful and smart and heartbreaking.)

Nope (nopejr on LJ): "On Wrackspurts and Pumpkin Pies" (Gen. Luna, Goyle. "Scenes from the lives, diversions, and intersections of Gregory Goyle and Luna Lovegood, between the years of 1980 and 2008, covering various moments from where they began to where they ended up, showing how they got there (and what it had to do with Ginny Weasley) including first friends, first magic, wands, schooling, jobs, births, deaths, and relationships" A wonderful Luna, and a particularly fine portrayal of Goyle, who is both true to canon and yet ultimately sympathetic)

perverse_idyll (perverse_idyll on LJ): "No Room for the Weak" (Harry Potter, Eileen Prince, Severus Snape. Gen. " There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart." Post-DH, with a magnificent Eileen voice: harsh and bitter and hopeful, all at once.)

redskyatnight (redskyatnight76 on LJ): "Dear January" (Snape/Hermione. "In the silent, snowy 'dead days' between Christmas and New Year, Hermione finds herself blissfully alone in her new house... with only a shadowy figure at the window across the street for company." The author calls this a "pwp," and on one level, I suppose it is. However, it's also a story about two people who don't quite fit in - by choice - with most of their community, and yet somehow they do fit with each other.)

richardgloucester (dickgloucester or badgerfics on LJ): "The Janus Rose" (Snape/Pomona Sprout. "Pomona Sprout performs a melancholy duty in fulfillment of a promise she made to Severus years before he died." Is it a spoiler to say that despite some really lovely and even funny sections, I was moved to tears often during the reading of this story, and yet I could have done with it being even sadder, perhaps, which is rare for me. Lovely work.)

Stasia (stasia on LJ): "Fall From Grace" (Gen. Young!Snape, Eileen/Tobias, Others. "Severus has eleven birthdays before he goes to Hogwarts." A lovely - and non-acrimonious - alternate view of the family dynamics, viewed against the backdrop of a childhood's worth of birthdays.)

RPF - Misc (American Idol)

just_jes (just_jes on DW): Untitled Comment Fic (American Idol. Simon/Ryan. No more than a ficlet, really. A kid!fic response to a prompt, and surprisingly true to life...plus quite sweet)

Sherlock Holmes

Katie Forsythe (katieforsythe on LJ): "Four Minor Interludes for the Solo Violin" (part one, part two, and part three. Holmes/Watson. At the very start of their partnership, with Watson far more affected by his time in Afghanistan than is generally shown. A wonderful look at the development of their relationship, both professional and otherwise. The story as a whole is rated NC-17, but if you are of a no-Sex-for-Holmes persuasion, part one can be read as a lower-rated standalone. Note: a direct sequel to this story - "Hallowed Be Thy Name" [also recommended!] - starts here) and continues through four parts and an epilogue, which you can access by clicking on 'next entry' at the top of each post)

Star Trek: Reboot!Verse

Deastar (captanddeastar on LJ): "So Wise We Grow"; alternate link link at AO3 (Kirk/Spock. "Commander Spock, we have located your son,” the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock’s face that he’s never heard of this kid before in his life. “If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week." An excellent look at family dynamics of all kinds and pefectly in character. Even if you don't generally read kid!fic. this is well worth your time, but do heed the warnings if you're a warnings sort of fic reader)

seperis (seperis on LJ/DW): "You'll Get There in the End (It Just Takes a While)" (Spock/Kirk. "Spock. Just say 'I don't trust Starfleet not to mess up the only captain in the fleet who I can train up to my expectations and enjoys running into danger wearing a blindfold as much as I do'." A really smart coming together of two men with a complicated history - further complicated by Kirk's initial interactions with Spock Prime)

Stargate: Atlantis

busaikko (also busaikko on LJ/DW): "Dulce Domum" (McKay/Keller/John. "Jennifer would be the first to admit that she'd never planned on a life that looked like this, but it worked." Polyamory and Asexuality, and I'll let you read this unexpected and quietly sweet to see how the pairings play out.)

Temaris (temaris on LJ): "Everything Changes (And you gotta be ready)" (Cross-recced in SGA/Doctor Who/Torchwood. McKay/Sheppard, technically, but reads like gen...in a very good way. "Sheppard goes missing and Rodney moves heaven and earth to find him." Smart, engaging, and treats all three canons - and all individual characters - honestly and fairly.)

Supernatural

liadan (liadan14 on LJ): "Veteran" (Dean/Castiel, Sam, Bobby, various angels. "Dean's been thinking about changing things much more often recently, what with Cas being around the way he is now, and with what Ellen left him in her will. " Post-apocalypse. Castiel is human, at least for a while - and the time has come for everybody to adjust to a new world. Quiet and sweet and just the sort of ending I'd like to see)

Torchwood

Temaris (temaris on LJ): "Everything Changes (And you gotta be ready)" (Cross-recced in SGA/Doctor Who/Torchwood. McKay/Sheppard, technically, but reads like gen...in a very good way. "Sheppard goes missing and Rodney moves heaven and earth to find him." Smart, engaging, and treats all three canons - and all individual characters - honestly and fairly.)

White Collar

busaikko (busaikko on LJ): "Game Theory" (Mozzie, Peter, Neal. "Everyone has Neal's best interests at heart." No more than a ficlet, but a smart look at the way trust issues are being sorted out in season one.)

China Shop (china_shop on LJ): "Never Happened" (Neal/Peter. "A drunken first kiss" An exercise in selective denial, and an episode tag for "All In," followed by the much longer sequel "Never Happened Next" (Peter/Elizabeth, Peter/Neal, Peter/Elizabeth/Neal, Neal/Kate, Neal/Ray Kowalski. Three possible futures. Cleverly done...and often very moving.)

Livia (liviapenn on LJ): "And anyone who's ever had a heart"" (Neal/Peter/Elizabeth, eventually. "Before seeing the picture, she'd just slotted Neal Caffrey in as one more thing Peter's brain couldn't let go of, and amusing yourself while your spouse hunted down the greatest international art thief of the age was certainly classier than being a football widow." A story that starts before canon, ends after canon, and looks as if it might very well stand firm against multiple jossing attempts *g*)

Zvi (zvi_likes_tv on LJ/DW): "Leave Taking, Party Taking, Pleasure Taking " (June/Neal. "June smiled serenely. "I require an escort, and you are required to be he."" Absolutely charming, and seriously...look how quickly June and Neal took to each other in the pilot? Surely they have more than just a little in common.)