Title: A Mile Away With Their Shoes

Fandom: Blake's 7
Pairing: gen
Categories: friendship, sad stories
Length: medium, 5956 words
Warnings: downbeat ending

Author on Livejournal: aralias
Author Website: Aralias on AO3

Summary: Gan and Orac are stuck together for a while.

Review: This is a sweet -- bittersweet -- fic and the oddest of odd friendship stories, focusing on two characters most often overlooked in fanfiction or on the show: Gan a strong man who couldn't fight in a world of spaceships and technology, and Orac the computer more normally used for punchlines and plot device than as a character. In this story, they form an unlikely rapport when they're forced to spend time in each other's company. And there's canon basis!

The idea of these two trying to converse and find any common ground is such a charming one, and the voices ring so true I can hear the actor's speaking the dialogue. The characterisation of Gan is particularly painfully resonant in context of where this is set in canon.

I also love the story behind the title, which is both hilarious and so fitting with B7ish philosophies on life.

A Mile Away With Their Shoes

Title: Walk a While With Me
Fandom: The Losers
Pairing: Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez/Jake Jensen
Categories/Genres: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Drama, Friendship, Fluff, Romance, Healing, Slow Burn
Length: Long (33841 words)
Warnings: Descriptions of assault and sexual assault

Author on LJ: ladyjanelly
Author Website: LadyJanelly

Summary:

Jake Jensen left the Army before he ever had a chance to be a Loser. Cougar meets him anyway.

Sometimes what a man needs to have a chance at happiness is losing the battle he’s been fighting his whole life.

Review:

Note: This fic contains descriptions of homophobic violence of both sexual and non-sexual nature committed against a gay character. The violence occurs off screen, but is frankly discussed by the characters.

I'm not quite sure where to begin, when it comes to Walk a While With Me. It's an incredible work that strikes an impeccable balance between a slowly developing romance and the realism of Cougar and Jake's respective mindsets and traumas. Between Cougar's deeply internalized homophobia and Jake's previous sexual assault, it's not by any means what I would consider an easy read, but the friendship that forms between the two men and the quiet weeks they spend together working on Jake's fixer-upper houses cushions the sharp edges. The result is a poignant fic that digs deep into the reader's emotions, but never quite cuts. It's about hurt and pain, but more importantly it's about healing.

Need is a prominent theme in Walk a While With Me. What Cougar needs. What Jake needs. What they need from each other. What they needed from others that they did, or didn't get. LadyJanelly explores the evolution of Cougar's needs as he comes to terms with his homosexuality and how they are affected by his deepening relationship with Jake. It's a stark contrast, looking at Cougar as he is introduced in the fic and then at his decisions at the end of the fic, but LadyJanelly writes his journey with such deftness that the change is fluid and inevitable.

The supporting characters range from the Losers to several original characters. Each is excellently written, particularly the OCs, who are quirky and interesting and stand out without removing the focus from Cougar's narration. They provide texture and richness to the story, interacting with and affecting Cougar and Jake's relationship even in absentia and helping the story move forward in a very organic way.

Walk a While With Me

Title: La Lune Joindre
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Scott McCall/Stiles Stilinski
Categories: AU, First-Time, Friendship, Romance
Length: Long (20k)
Warnings: dub-con

Author on LJ: pterawaters
Website: Ao3Tumblr

Summary: Scott isn't quite sure he's ready to move on after his relationship with Allison implodes, but he attends La Lune Joindre – a two-week retreat for single werewolves – anyway. As much as Stiles loves his dad (and alpha), he hopes by going to La Lune he'll find a mate from a faraway pack. Sitting next to each other on the bus to the retreat starts a fast friendship, and maybe more. When everyone at the retreat is pushing them apart, will Scott and Stiles be able to reconcile what they’re feeling in their hearts?

Review: This is a sweet and fast moving, first meeting fic for Stiles and Scott. I particularly liked the interplay between different packs, and the different ways they were run.

Stiles and Scott are both kept very in character despite a completely different world. And Jackson actually is a good listener in this one. Which makes a nice change from the usual one dimensional explanations for his bad behavior.

The Dub-con is due to them both being high on magic, and full moon. Both of them are interested, but not in the right frame of mind to consent. So if that is triggering, please considering skipping this fic.
La Lune Joindre

Title: In All the Tongues of Men and Angels
Fandom: The Losers
Pairing: Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez/Jake Jensen
Categories/Genres: Post-Canon, Angst, Romance, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Domestic, Cooking, Misunderstanding
Length: Long (19304 words)
Warnings: Original character death, mercy killing

Author on LJ: coinin
Author Website: coinin

Summary:

In which Cougar goes home, goes on a road trip, and learns to cook.

Review:

Fair warning, the first chapter of this fic follows the declining health and eventual passing of an original character, Cougar's grandmother. It's not an easy thing to read, but the obvious love between Cougar and his grandmother, the easy, familiar relationship between them, and Cougar's devoted care during his grandmother's final few weeks makes it worth the pain of her passing.

The Losers holds tightly to the theme of families, both found and of blood. In All the Tongues of Men and Angels explores the latter when Cougar takes his slowly dying grandmother back to her father's home in Mexico to live the rest of her days in peace. Well, relative peace, considering that she insists that Cougar learn to cook, starting from the very basics of chopping vegetables and moving up through tortillas made from scratch, until he is cooking of his own volition, emotionally conning his ailing grandmother into eating just a little bit more in spite of her flagging appetite.

When Cougar makes his way back to Jensen, cooking becomes an act of expressing himself in lieu of words. What started out as obeisance to his grandmother becomes a labor of love that Jensen is largely bewildered by, never quite understanding what Cougar is saying without actually saying until Cougar's grief for his grandmother finally cracks him open enough for the words to spill out and for Jensen to finally understand.

Two short and delightfully fluffy epilogues, Unexpected Sweetness and No Home Complete Without a Cat round out the series, and are not to be missed.

In All the Tongues of Men and Angels

Title: Wee Doctor
Fandom: Sherlock(BBC)
Pairing: Gen
Categories/Genres: De-aged, Time Travel, Homeless
Length: 229,000
Warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Author/Artist on LJ: americanjedi

Summary: Dr. John Watson is turned into an eight year old child, dealing with Sherlock who doesn't know him in a world where he was never born. He's a little stressed out, but he's got his priorities straight.

Review:
This story will forever stick in my heart as my favourite Sherlock fanfic. I rarely read gen but the emotion in this story makes me wish that there was a completely separate label for fics that have the best kinds of family love even when there is no romance.

And John is so uniquely lovable you can't even blame Sherlock for loving the grumpy eight year old wrapped in a woolly jumpers.

I've read a lot of fics where John gets to go back in time and redo all the cases and impress Sherlock with his foresight. But this fic tops them all by making you forget it's copying the episodes.

It is it's own true story with original characters that will become special to you and a storyline that makes you fall for John and Sherlock like you never even knew them. You ache for Sherlock who is presented with a tantalising puzzle in the young John that can never be solved. And John, who keeps major pieces of the puzzle to himself so that he can keep Sherlock as his and keep him safe at the same time.

I thought as I was reading this that it would be one of those fics that would go on forever until the writer lost their way. I thought there could never be an ending that would satisfy the height on which it had been brought to. I was wrong on all accounts. The ending made so much sense and I would never have thought of it in a million years. While with a fic this good I would have wanted it to last forever, no one can deny it made sense to end it where it was.

Wee Doctor

Title: Farther Along

Fandom: Haven
Pairing: Audrey/Duke/Nathan
Categories: OT3, friendship, romance, angst
Length: media: vid, 2mins 49
Warnings: none standard; covers seasons 1-3 only, religious imagery in lyrics.

Author on LJ: ant3ka
Author Website: Ant3ka on YouTube

Summary: Farther along // we'll know all about it // farther along // we'll understand why. Nathan, Duke and Audrey realize that they're stronger together.

Review: A while back I did propose to occasionally rec media, and since I posted earlier than usual, I figured I'd post a media rec, too.

We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I have seen...

Vidded to a beautiful song by Josh Garrels, this vid begins slowly showing Audrey alone with her personal mysteries, but soon opens out into exploring her relationships with Duke and Nathan, separately and together, their own t(T)roubles and mysteries, and the connection between the three of them... And how very important they are to each other, together through thick and thin, arrayed against the backdrop of the Troubles and the other less supernatural tensions of the town of Haven.

It's a couple of years old now so it doesn't cover the recent seasons 4 and 5(a). In fact, I think it makes quite the taster for the show, skirting the mysteries without too many concrete spoilers (just confusing/unreliable ones), and yes, these people are beautiful together and, yes, this show has one of the most convincing potential OT3s on television. Definitely a favourite.

Farther Along

Title: Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Gen
Categories/Genres: Alternate Universe, Original Character, Pre-canon, Mentorship, Friendship
Length: Long (15113 words)
Warnings: Original Character Death, Canonical Character Death

Author on LJ: lazulisong
Author Website: lazulisong

Summary:

It really does take a village to raise a Jim.

The members of the Kelvin's crew watch over Jim as much as he lets them.

Review:

To be frank, lazulisong's summary of the story is misleading almost to the point of inaccuracy. Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit is not about a group of people raising Jim so much as it is the story of Jim's relationship with one particular Kelvin survivor, a Vulcan linguist by the name of Sakel.

The two first meet, as far as Jim is concerned, in the immediate wake of Tarsus IV, when the vessel Sakel is stationed on receives a group of survivors, the twelve year-old Jim Kirk among them. From then until Jim passes back into his mother's custody, Sakel mentors him in the Vulcan language as means to help Jim cope with, distract himself from, and heal from what he endured. Alternating between the two weeks Jim and Sakel spent together during Jim's childhood are pieces of Jim and Sakel's adult relationship after Jim enrolls in Star Fleet Academy, per movie canon.

Sakel is a peculiar sort of Vulcan, sentimental almost to the point of un-Vulcan-ly, but in that way he's an excellent match to the wounded, young-but-no-longer-a-child Jim Kirk who thrives on learning but also the unobtrusive warmth that a more rigidly disciplined Vulcan would likely not provide. They build a fond mentor-mentee relationship in the short time that they spend together in Jim's youth. Years later, that relationship picks up almost where it left off, unaffected by time and distance, beyond Sakel's acknowledgment of Jim's increased linguistic competence. It's truly a joy to read their interactions, particularly their final 'interaction', both from Sakel's perspective when Jim is young, and then through Jim's adult perspective while he attends the Academy and on past the events of the movie.


Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit

Title: In Focus
Fandom: Check, Please!
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Categories/Genres: First Time, Romance, Friendship, Fluff, Photography
Length: Medium (6097 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: sparklyslug

Summary:

Jack's just taking pictures whenever he sees something worth photographing, something that seems to fit what he's being told in class, about line and shape and color and beauty.

It's like the camera knew before Jack did.

Review:

When reading this fic in preparation to write a rec, I tried to think of words to describe it. Worship was one, voyeurism another. Both discarded; voyeurism was too sexual and worship too single minded. Eventually, I settled upon a word that I've never in my life had cause to use before now: exaltation.

Exaltation, noun: 1) a feeling or state of extreme happiness, (synonyms: bliss, elation, rapture), 2) the action of elevating someone in rank, power, or character, (also: the action of praising someone or something highly)

In Focus is an exploration of Jack's photography, a topic generally glossed over in canon, and what it comes to mean to him. Through the camera's lens he distills the aspects of his life at the Haus and all the people that make it truly a home. In the process, he gains a perspective that he hadn't been able to perceive with only his own two eyes, discovering truths about himself and Bitty that give him the courage to stand his ground and act in the face of his own uncertainty.

In Focus

Title: For An Extra Bark Or An Extra Smile
Fandom: Hockey RPF
Pairing: Roman Josi/Shea Weber
Categories: AU, Domestic, Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Length: Medium (12k)
Warnings: N/a

Author on LJ: distorteddaytime
Website: DistortedDaytime's A03

Summary: Shea's new dog walker is great. Probably.

Review: This is a cute, fluffy, romantic comedy type story that manages to somehow avoid all the tropes that trigger my second-hand embarrassment.

It is far enough AU, that you can easily read this even if you aren't familiar with the hockey fandom.

For An Extra Bark Or An Extra Smile

Title: Datenights in the Stitching Ward
Fandom: Avengers MCU
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes
Categories: AU, Domestic, Friendship, Romance, Slow Build,
Length: Epic (65k)
Warnings: Offscreen Violence, Offscreen Hate Crimes, Injury and Illness

Author on LJ: nerakrose
Website: Nerakrose's Ao3

Summary: Steve and Bucky meet in the ER, and then keep meeting in the ER because they are both knuckleheads who keep getting beaten up by other people.

Review: I read this entire series over the course of two days. It was entertaining, sweet, and had a nice slow-building romance.

The world and all the characters in it are very well fleshed out. Everybody is similar enough to canon that you definitely know who they are, while still fitting seamlessly into a non-powered present day world. Yes, a lot of their edges are softened to fit civilian life, but it feels right for the lives they are living.

Also Queer Culture, Realistic representation of your 20/30s, present-day technology, Netflix binge-watching, and fandom are all included.

Datenights in the Stitching Ward

Title: Long Way for a Shortcut
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Gen
Genres: AU, Humour, Friendship, Fix-it
Length: Short (1,914 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: netgirl_y2k
Author Website: Netgirl_y2k @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"I'm a human being with the brain of a Time Lord and he's a Time Lord trapped in a human body. Which isn't nearly as kinky as it sounds."

Review:
Donna and the Ten clone steal the TARDIS and go on a romp around the universe together, conveniently fixing their biological problems along the way. Their banter is hilarious and I always love a Donna fix it.

Long Way for a Shortcut

Title: Of Sterner Stuff
Fandom: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Pairing: Roxy Morton/OFC
Categories/Genres: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Length: Medium (6391 words)
Warnings: Mentioned canonical character death

Author on LJ: schweinsty
Author Website: schweinsty

Summary:

In which Roxy Morton applies for a position, makes a good friend, is a good friend, has a pleasant affair with a very nice girl, doesn't take people's shit, spoils a poodle, and saves the world.

Review:

I love Kingsman. I love it to bits. But just because I love it doesn't mean I don't wish there was more of Roxy being awesome. Of Sterner Stuff is the fic every Roxy fan needs to read. Functionally, it's a retelling of the film from Roxy's point of view, from her first introduction to Kingsman via her godfather, the agent Percival, through to the end after all the bodies have dropped and the world is piecing itself back together. schweinsty fills in the gaps of the first half of the movie with an outstanding exploration of Roxy's rather undeveloped character.

In the movie, Eggsy makes a passing reference to Roxy being the top of the class. But in schweinsty's fic, we get to see what that really means from Roxy's perspective. We see her unflinching ambition and calm calculation in the face of all the trials that the Kingsman selection process throws at her. schweinsty portrays Roxy and Eggsy's friendship as a fraternal companionship of equals, but doesn't hesitate to lampshade the usual niche female characters fit into when the overwhelming majority of characters are male.

What I most deeply admire about schweinsty's Roxy is how incredibly dedicated she is to improving herself. She strategizes, barters her skill at karate to learn parkour from Eggsy, and doesn't flinch from the cruelty of the final test. And yet she never holds herself as superior to any of the others. Not even Eggsy, when she knows he will the final test. In many ways, she is the quintessential gentleman that the Kingsman organization demands that its members be.

In fact, all that's missing is Roxy's new Kingsman suit.

Of Sterner Stuff

Title: Come with Me and Walk the Longest Mile
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hales
Categories: AU, Apocalypse, Friendship, Romance
Length: 40k
Warnings: Zombies, Gore, Attempted Rape

Author on LJ: devildoll
Website: Devildoll's Ao3

Summary: "Stiles shouldn't accept rides from werewolves he meets behind abandoned convenience stores." In which the zombie apocalypse is just one of their worries.

Review: This is a fast action packed read that mixes together a roadtrip, zombies, and werewolves.

Despite the change of Universe and circumstance, both Stiles and Derek are very in character.

It's interesting to see how the zombie apocalypse would differ, when you introduce a sub-species of humanity (Werewolves) into the mix, and I particularly enjoyed Devildolls' world-building details that build on the situation.

Come with Me and walk The Longest Mile

Title: Of Sterner Stuff
Fandom: Kingsman: Secret Service
Pairing: Gen
Categories: Friendship, Pre-Canon
Length: 6.4k
Warnings: Spoilers for Movie

Author on LJ: schweinsty
Website: schweinsty Ao3

Summary: In which Roxy Morton applies for a position, makes a good friend, is a good friend, has a pleasant affair with a very nice girl, doesn't take people's shit, spoils a poodle, and saves the world.

Review: WARNING FOR SPOILERS in the story

When I went to see Kingsman in theaters, I really enjoyed it, but came out wishing that Roxy could have been the main character.

So imagine my delight when I found out that somebody had written a fic addressing this exact premise.

It's short, and won't make much sense unless you've seen the movie, but it is a great alternate POV of a kick-ass woman.


Of Sterner Stuff

Title: Men of Legend
Fandom: Merlin/Supernatural
Pairing: Gen
Genres: Crossover, Action, Friendship, Casefic
Length: Long (33,957 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: hells_half_acre
Author Website: hells_half_acre @ AO3

Author's Summary:
When a sorcerer summons monsters from another world, Merlin must summon heroes from another world to help save Camelot. Meanwhile, Dean and Sam Winchester didn't even know they were summon-able.

Review:
A gen fic full of great characterisation and realistic interaction between the two groups. The rapport between the main four and the knights of Camelot is all great, with no greater emphasis on either fandom - though obviously the setting does lean towards Merlin. All characters strengths and weaknesses are portrayed equally, with neither fandom being 'stronger' than the other, all wrapped up in a case fic and supernatural drama. Pretty much everything you'd want in a gen crossover.

Men of Legend

Title:[that's] my oppurtunity, to feel brave
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Gen (Derek/Stiles)
Categories: AU, Asexual, Domestic, Friendship, Romance
Length: Medium (15k)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: sa_kun
Website: Sa-kun's Ao3

Summary: After the events of season 1, Derek tries to come to grips with himself and where he stands. Basically, it's 15k of asexy fluff, with self-discovery and coming to terms with yourself and growing and stuff thrown in for good measure.

or: the one where Derek is an asexual potterymaker.

Review: This is a little bit shorter than my usual recs, but it is so rare to find an asexual romance of any length.

The story is an AU starting at the end of the first season where Derek walks away from werewolves and craziness and finds himself again.

Quiet, and sweet, the romance sneaks up on you, but never overwhelms the central theme of Derek's healing and growth.
[that's] my oppurtunity, to feel brave

Title: Whisper Your Name Into the Sky

Fandom: Daredevil / Fantastic Four
Pairing: gen
Categories: character study, friendship, crossover
Length: medium, 3,653 words
Warnings: none, unrated by the author but I'd put it around PG13

Author on LJ: tartanshell
Author Website: Tartanshell on AO3

Summary: The Thing and Daredevil walk into a bar...

Review: Ben...Ben reminds him of his dad. All rough edges and warm, beery breath; sandpaper voice, broad shoulders, heavy fists. He's a literal mountain of a man, the way Battlin' Jack was when Matt was a kid. Still is, in his memories.

Matt Murdock and Ben Grimm... probably everyone else is less dim than I was, going into this story the first time with a sort of perplexed interest, wondering "what would they have to talk about?"

But it quickly moves to deeper places than Ben simply seeking Matt's advice about dating a blind girl. This is all about ways of seeing, appearances, anxieties, and what lies beneath the surface, the odd foundations of the friendship it builds up between these two very different men.

There's the nod to certain not-very-secret identities, and the author does fantastically with the details of Matt's senses and unique view of the world -- particularly I love the aspects of how he does perceive Ben -- but most of all it's just a lovely, warm fic with some gorgeous lines that doesn't go entirely where you expect it and feels like it's just kicking back and letting the characters talk. I can hear their voices in this.

Whisper Your Name Into the Sky

Title: Fix You
Musical Artist: Coldplay
Fandom: Person of Interest
Pairing: Root/Sameen Shaw, Joss Carter/Cal Beecher, Joss Carter/John Reese, Grace Hendricks/Harold Finch
Categories/Genres: Drama, Action/Adventure, Angst, Friendship, Romance
Warnings: Canonical Character Deaths

Author on LJ: exampleusername
Author Website: Zurik 23M


Review:

So the other day, I was looking at the tvtropes page for Person of Interest, namely the Analysis page, and I was struck by how Zurik 23M's video characterizes almost all the major themes of the show. The vid showcases the cameraderie that forms between the members, witting and unwitting alike, of Team Machine. But while it demonstrates how the Machine's mission has healed and/or empowered the characters, it doesn't hesitate on the theme of loss, and how even as they've done so much good, they have all lost people important to them both in the past and along the way. Zurik 23M also captures the tone of the show with the choice of song, the lyrics hitting home without fail.

If you don't already watch Person of Interest, and you don't mind some pretty serious spoilers, I would definitely recommend this as an introduction to what the show is about and the remarkable cast of characters you'll get to know.

Fix You

Title: Twice Shy
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Genres: AU, Angst, Romance, Soulmates, Creature, Supernatural, Pining, Friendship, Bonding
Length: Long (20k words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: sarkasticfics
Author Website: N/A

Author's Summary:
Written for the following prompt, over at part eight of the StarTrek XI Kinkmeme:

Bones is a werewolf.

The moment he meant James Kirk, got a good whiff of his scent, he knew he was fucked.

He had thought those stories about werewolves scenting their mate were all bullshit.

But the stories about mating for life have got to be fake, right? Right?

Review:
Werewolf!Bones, his species a secret, finds out Jim is his soulmate the first time they meet during their training. Cue angst and pining, as Bones has to deal with the fact that his mate is a slutty commitment-phobe who has no idea werewolves exist. The dynamics between the rest of the crew are also a feature here, giving more depth to a familiar trope. The friendship between Bones and fellow werewolf Uhura is lovely, as is the rallying of the crew as a whole around their non-human members. This is first and foremost a great romance fic that doesn't fall too deep into melodrama, as well as a great retelling of the growth of friendship between all crew members.

Twice Shy

Title: Club Wales series
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto
Genres: AU, Friendship, Humour, Action/Adventure, Bonding
Length: Epic (69,530 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: pocky_slash
Author Website: pocky_slash @ AO3

Author's Summary:
In the wake of Jack's disappearance, Gwen finds comfort in a new friendship with Ianto. Gossip, bonding, and other hijinks of understanding ensue.

Review:
Pretty much what it says on the tin; Gwen and Ianto become kickass BFFs. This fic did what the show itself failed to, making me actually like Gwen. In this fic she's a much more fully fleshed out character, rather than the ordinary-yet-somehow-special-because-reasons one I felt she was in canon. She and Ianto bond over their Welshness, their mutual love/exasperation for Jack Harkness, and the sheer weirdness of working for Torchwood. They pick each other up when they get down, they kick ass together, they have in jokes; they're simply awesome, and it's so satisfying to read.

Club Wales series