Title: Our Skin, Our Bones, Our Silent Poems
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Peter Hale
Categories: AU, Romance
Length: Medium (7k)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: username
Website: A03

Summary: Peter is a Deaf werewolf. Stiles is a CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult). They’re a kind of unlikely pair. But sometimes things you wouldn’t think of as a good combination, end up turning out to be the perfect combination, you know?

Review: A fic that actually uses ASL!!!!

The author includes a glossary of ways that they indicate for signs and uses them throughout the fic, instead of just indicating a sign was used.

The story is short and sweet, with nice, realistic character interactions. I particularly appreciated being able to see how Stile way of dealing with Peter changed over the course of the story so that his and Peters's eventual romance felt organic.

Our Skin, Our Bones, Our Silent Poems

Title: After The Storm
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Categories: Kidfic AU,Slash.
Length: Epic [41357 words]
Warnings: Mild Graphic Violence, Investigations and Cop persecution.

Author Website: matildajones(on AO3)

Summary: Derek's mind flits to Stiles’ face. It’s a hard face to forget and for some reason Stiles is one of the only things Derek can think about without feeling like he’s lost something.
Erica grins. “When are you going to see him next?”

“He’s a cop,” Derek says gruffly.

“So?”

Derek remembers being at the station, he remembers all those fucking people who thought he had killed his own sister. Laura. He hates all of them, and says as much aloud.

Erica hums. “Sounded like you didn’t hate him.”
--
Dealing with the death of his sister, Derek spends most of his time helping out his family. He meets Stiles and as soon as Derek's willing to admit his attraction towards him, he discovers that Stiles is dealing with his own problems at work. He needs help - help that Derek's all too willing to give. There's something about Derek with his strange, glowing eyes and quick ability to heal that makes Stiles trust him when maybe he shouldn't. [original summary]

Review: First of all: Stiles is a cop. Second: Kid Fic. And third and most important: impossible not to love this fic. I’m serious, it’s so good it will give you cavities - because sweetness is never too much. And at the same time, there is plenty of drama and action to put you in the tip of your seat, just wanting to know who is the bad guy.
Clearly this is an AU, where werewolves are still real, and selected members of the Hale family are still alive. Stiles slowly finds out about the supernatural, at the same time he lives a not so easy life as cop. Allison is more present than Scott in this fic, and she is Stiles’ super badass partner, which me makes me super happy! It rare for me to like Allison, and this fic totally gave me sneaky feels on her part.

The kid fic part I announced is super cute, and full of surprises. Derek is the sweetest taking care of the kids and Stiles is all marshmallow in seeing the big guy being soft. The only thing that may seem slightly off in this fic is how much Stiles trusts Derek so fast around the kids, but if you go feeling in the blanks, the experience isn’t too jarring.

In the end, this fic is a super good read and has some nice surprises or at least some nice touches, for those that are quicker in finding the end before it arrives.


After The Storm

Title: The ninth fold
Fandom: Prison Break
Pairing: Alex Mahone/Michael Schofield Categories/Genres: Romance, Angst
Length: 31323
Warnings:

Summary: Nine turns of Michael Scofield's life.

Review:
A sweet and simple story for a stressful week. I have been trying to find a fic that captures the intensity between Michael and Mahone but I've not found one yet.
This fic is well written and in character. Which I have found is rare with Michael since his character is so subtle many writers end up writing him as submissive without meaning to.
I love that in this fic Mahone gets some swans of his own. I always felt he would have appreciated them more than Sara who always seemed so annoyed with them.

The ninth fold

Title: Refugees

Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio
Categories: slash, breakup, post-canon, first time
Length: medium, ~12,000 words
Warnings: none

Author on Livejournal: china_shop
Author Website: china_shop on AO3

Summary: "What? No, Frannie. No! I am not with Kowalski! I am not gay! Jesus, could you concentrate on your own problems? Stella and me called it quits. I needed a place to stay."

Review: Ray looked around at stacks of newspapers and magazines, dirty cups and plates, scattered laundry. There was a half-played game of chess on the coffee table, with a beer bottle sitting in the middle surrounded by pawns. There was a bicycle half-in, half-out the open window, and Christ, there were novelty lights hanging in the kitchen. What was this, Santa's Little Grotto? But more importantly: "Where's Fraser?"

Kowalski threw him a fake careless glance and picked up the beer bottle from the chess board. "He's in Canada. Where do you think he is? What are you doing here, Vecchio?"

Ray stepped over a pair of hiking boots and took the bottle from his hand. "You owe me fifteen hundred dollars. I've been paying your utilities, and I'm here to collect."

So I tend to read these on my e-reader, offline, removed from the fandom response like kudos and comments, and looking this one up now for the links and info, I'm startled to discover how little response this fic seems to have. All I can think is that maybe fics don't so easily win people over if their starting point is the disintegration of canon happy endings. Both Rays' post-Call of the Wild relationships have crashed and burned. Vecchio's split up from Stella, Kowalski's split up from Fraser, and they're back in Chicago and both a mess.

If you can get beyond that concept, I thought this was a delightfully lively, amusing fic that fairly jumped out at me from the many, many Due South fics I'd stuck on aforementioned e-reader to binge read. Ray (Vecchio) discovers that due to the identity confusion hangover from his undercover days, he's been paying for the utility bills of Ray (Kowakski)'s apartment, and figures that as Kowalski owes him the money he'll just move on in and crash there, since he can't face anyone he actually knows and likes or resuming his life in general after the disaster of his marriage.

Inevitably, slowly the enforced company does them each some good and they start to -- somewhat reluctantly -- bond. It's fun.

Refugees

Title: Howl
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman
Categories: Romance, Mpreg, Angst, Supernatural
Length: Epic [82633 words]
Warnings: Werewolves, Violence.

Author Website: ADHeaven(on AO3)

Summary:
Kurt Hummel is a young werewolf just trying to survive high school. As the son of the pack leader and a gifted male capable of bearing children, he is coveted by the other werewolf boys. However, it is the human bully, Puck, who is there in his time of need. Because it is taboo for a wolf to mate with a human, Kurt and Puck battle their attraction to one another until something neither of them expected draws them together again. [original summary]

Review:
This is a werewolf AU, where Kurt is a special snowflake! Kidding, or not so much. This story is a favorite of mine, mostly because we see a Kurt that is powerful and confident, and Puck that isn’t really sure what he is doing. So expect a refreshing take on Puck’s and Kurt’s relationship with themselves and each other.

Another characterization that is gold it’s Burt, he is even more badass in this fic and slightly harder than in the show, which is obviously a result of the plot and the background story of Burt as a leader of a pack. I really like that while Burt loves Kurt and gives him some leeway, he is always worried about the pack as a whole.

Besides the evolution of Puck’s and Kurt’s relationship, and the very hot smut, there is also an element of suspense, introducing Puck’s own constitution and family; this elements create tension into the story and soften the romance side of it. Be also prepared to see male pregnancy and discussion on a male carrier, not always savory, but there isn’t a birth, so it might be ok for people that don’t dig the trope.


Howl

Title: of the nature of the wound
Fandom: Check, Please!/Hockey RPF
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa “Lardo” Duan/Shitty Knight, Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews, Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Categories/Genres: Angst, AU, Drama, Epistolary, Established Relationship, First Time, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Length: Long (33936 words)
Warnings: Homophobic language by hockey players

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: buchanan

Summary:

His first year in the NHL isn't easy, but Jack has spent his entire life playing through the hurt.

Review:

Note: While Check, Please! doesn't require knowing anything about hockey beyond the fact that it's a team sport played on ice, of the nature of the wound does require a functional knowledge of professional hockey and how its seasons are scheduled. Being a hockey RPF crossover, this fic does incorporate real hockey players, and knowledge of those players provides useful context for their roles in the fic.

A lot of the Check, Please! fic I read tends to be of the lighter variety. Humorous and/or cute, and generally threaded through with the pervasive sense of, 'oh, you adorable boys'. Considering how light-hearted the canon is, it's probably not surprising that the fanfiction I choose to read follows in that direction.

of the nature of the wound is not one of those fics. It's also not an easy fic to get through, namely because it focuses on Jack's anxieties about being a closeted professional hockey player. You could, uncharitably if honestly, call it Jack's downward spiral of anxiety and loneliness.

buchanan's fic exemplifies the proverb “it is always darkest just before the dawn” in that it feels very much like the very beginning of a story that we are not (yet) privy to, not just in terms of Jack and Bitty's burgeoning relationship, but also the NHL as a whole upon the coming out of one of its most recognized hockey duos. Hopefully more of that will unfold in buchanan's expected sequel.

And now that I've given you a lot of reasons not to read the fic, I suppose I should mention why I am actually reccing it: buchanan does a fantastic job of weaving the fluffy and fictional Check, Please! microcosm into the much colder real world, where people change and move past who they were and sometimes grow apart, and where they succeed, fail, break, and struggle to mend what is broken. Jack Zimmermann does not feel like a fictional character as buchanan writes him. Nor does Eric Bittle, nor even Chowder, who is something of a caricature even in the comic's canon. It truly is a testament to buchanan's grasp of emotional complexity that I clung, riveted until the end, in spite of the fic's darker tone and truly annoying ten-line section breaks. (No, seriously, keep a finger on the space bar or page down key.)

of the nature of the wound

Title: A Different World
Fandom: Eureka
Pairing: Jack Carter/Nathan Stark
Categories/Genres: AU, Romance
Length: 24058
Warnings: Hurt/Comfort

Summary:
Okay, so Henry said that the timeline had changed and certain things could be different now but that in no way prepared Jack for a ghost showing up on his doorstep.
He felt he should've been better prepared for that.

Review: It's probably best if you are all caught up on Eureka before you read this fic. It's set's off after the group has changed the past and have returned to the new timeline. Except one difference to the series is that Nathan is alive when they come back. The reason why you should read this fic out of all the variations of it that exist is that this one leans more towards sweet and happy.

There is an especially cute moment where Jack and Jo are drunk and are absolutely adorable.

“I was jealous,” Jack said.

Jo scrunched her face up in confusion for a moment before realising that he was responding to her earlier question. “Ohhh! Wait, about Allison with Stark? I thought you’d decided that wasn’t a thing.”

Jack nodded violently. “We did...I had! I think it’s just because it’s Stark, you know? And all his...” he waved his hand in the air “...Starkishness!”

“He is very Starkish,” Jo agreed, “I think it’s the beard.”

A different World

Title: on the sidelines wishing for right now
Fandom: Check Please!
Pairing: Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Categories/Genres: Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, Humor, Post-canon
Length: Medium (2652 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: exampleusername
Author Website: defcontwo

Summary:

Bitty resists the urge to let out a hysterical laugh because apparently this is just his life now. He tries to call his boyfriend and winds up getting hockey advice from a living legend.

5 times Bitty bonded with Bad Bob + 1 time Jack tries to bond with Coach Bittle.

Review:

Ah, in-laws. There's really nothing quite like watching people get along, or fail to get along, with their SO's parents. There's also something particularly poignant about watching Eric Bittle get along so well with his boyfriend's parents, when his relationship with his own father is, shall we say, strained.

I've always been weak for fanfiction that fleshes out characters that seldom appear in canon. Particularly characters like Bad Bob Zimmermann, whose hockey career manages to be something of a lingering specter in a comic that honestly has nothing to do with the man himself. on the sidelines wishing for right now brings out the person and the father behind the specter while simultaneously giving Bitty a father figure who is welcoming and kind while his own father slowly learns to adapt.

on the sidelines wishing for right now

Title: Thrill as only we know how
Fandom: Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol
Pairing: William Brant/Ethan Hunt
Categories/Genres: Bonding, Romance, Oblivious!Will, Pining!Ethan, Pining!Will
Length: 28394
Warnings: Hurt/Comfort

Author/Artist on AO3: Inmyriadbits
Author/Artist on AO3: Spatz

Summary:

After their meeting on the pier in Seattle, the team goes their separate ways. But Ghost Protocol left the IMF in turmoil, so Will, Ethan, Jane, and Benji team up to take on the Syndicate, a mysterious and widespread criminal organization. Will has to adjust to being a field agent again, and learn how to work with his team when the world isn’t on the line -- all while dealing with attack cheetahs, unexpected amnesia, train robbery, master thieves, and more.

Falling in love was not part of his scenario.


Review:
What's lovely about this fic is how carefully it is built up. It's slow and neat and you get the sense of friendship and trust before you get to any romance at all. And even though it is from Will's point of view you can read between the lines how Ethan is falling for Will way before you ever guess it's returned.

Thrill as only we know how

Title: The Book of Vices and Virtues series
Fandom: D. Gray-man
Pairing: Allen/Kanda, Kanda/Alma, Allen/OMC, Allen/OFC
Genres: AU, Romance, First-time, Adventure, Drama, Historical, Prostitution, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon
Length: Super-epic (214,460 words)
Warnings: Attempted rape, past and present child abuse, child prostitution, dub-con

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: MSylvatica @ AO3

Author's Summary:
Story 1: In which Allen travels from India to England in search of Black Order Headquarters.

Story 2: "Whenever there is hatred between two people, there is a bond of brotherhood of some kind" - Oscar Wilde, /De Profundis/

Review:
This lovely and long series contains two stories. The first is an AU version of Allen's journey from India to the Black Order headquarters in England. The second is a post-canon story about Kanda, Allen and Johnny being on the run.

The series has a pleasing circular nature. All the people that Allen meets or reunites with on his way to the Order are met again by Kanda on their way from the Order. While the first story is firmly a study of Allen, his character and his bisexuality, the second story is definitely Kanda's. As he asks around about Allen's character in an attempt to understand him better, he also gains much more knowledge of himself, both as he is now and as he was before he was reborn.

I did feel it got a little too philosophical in the middle, dragging the pace down, but I'm always impatient for the happy ending to happen. And it does, in a sweet, hot, and in character way. A great read.

The Book of Vices and Virtues series

Title: Endgame
Fandom: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Pairing: Michael Clifford/Luke Hemmings/Calum Hood/Ashton Irwin
Categories: Angst, First Time, Slash, Romance.
Length:Medium [10,396 words]
Warnings: Unsafe Sex, Sexual Orientation Issues, Coming Out, Minor Homophobia.

Author Website: cyclogenesis (addictedkitten)[on AO3]

Summary: Ashton’s bandmates are petting each other onstage again which is fine, it’s normal.[original summary]

Review: Endgame is a fic Ashton-centered fic, and something I haven’t read before. I usually read Calum’s or Luke’s pov, and to think about only once or twice a Michael pov. The whole fic focus in Ashton realizing his feelings about the other boys in the band and at the same time figuring himself out.

I think this fic is good because it draws out from a experience all of us have when we get into the 5 Seconds of Summer fandom: their affectioned nature, the touches, the glances and the way they speak about each other means something? Or are there units inside of the band, or are them all friends at the same level? We don’t need to discuss if they are or not in a relationship in real life, but what we would like to believe it happens or better, what we imagine it should.

Ashton doesn’t daydreams and berates himself on his thoughts about the boys and the relationship he has with them and how they behave with each other. He is very jealous in this fic and sounds a bit whiny, but it’s fun to see him angsting over the fact no one is touching him.

I highly recommend this fic, since it’s all kinds of bittersweet with a happy ending and you will get tons of shippy feelings, because while it is a OT4 fic, it mulls over all kind of pairings inside the band, including all of them together.

Endgame

Title: Lips
Fandom: She's the man
Pairing: Real Sebastian/Duke
Categories/Genres: AU, Canon Divergence
Length: 5000

Summary: AU She's the Man in Which Sebastian did go to Illyria from the beginning.

Review:
She's the man is one of the smartest and funnies movies I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

I love this fic because it adds a little side adventure where Sebastian actually becomes a real character rather than a plot device for Viola's story. Because the one point that bugged me in the film was how Sebastian and Olivia got placed together at the end as if they both hadn't learned anything about shallowness at all.

This fic will surprise you as its about a pairing that very few would even think of yet gives you all the butterflies.

Lips

Title: The Leonardo Effect
Fandom: Assassin's Creed
Pairing: Leonardo/Ezio, Ezio/OFCs, Leonardo/OMCs
Genres: AU, Romance, Drama, Pining, First-time, Mystery, Prostitution, Historical
Length: Epic (67,378 words)
Warnings: Dub-con, prostitution, period-appropriate homophobia

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: phoenike @ AO3

Author's Summary:
To Ezio’s best knowledge, Leonardo's idea of debauchery was staying up until morning with a bottle of wine and too many sketching supplies. But why would the gondolier have lied? It was a heavy accusation. In both Firenze and Venezia, mere allegations of unnatural conduct had condemned men to be pilloried or hanged.

Review:
After overhearing gossip about Leonardo having apparently been on trial for sodomy, Ezio is tormented by the revelation and determined to find the truth. It's a familiar plot, and this is a well-written and historically minded version of it. It's well-paced, with their budding romance a very slow burn as Ezio struggles to make sense of what he's feeling while trying to uncover Leonardo's past. His preconceived notions of Leonardo as wholly bookish and naive are challenged, leaving us with a much more three dimensional character that is an awesome read to slowly find out about. This is also a fic about Ezio's own horizons being broadened as he gains some maturity.

This fic is a series, accompanied by some equally well-written flashbacks. They contain spoilers for the main fic though, so are best left till after it.

The Leonardo Effect

Title: From That Moment On
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark
Categories: AU, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Romance
Length: Long (22k)
Warnings: torture, brain washing

Author on LJ:
Website: Ao3

Summary: The Winter Soldier and Tony Stark have run into each other many times over the years and, despite the brainwashing and the memory wipes, something about the genius just seems so familiar. It kind of makes the Soldier want to keep him safe.

Review: This is a fast moving alternate origin story for Iron Man that includes a multitude of great concepts.

I love protective Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos, and the chance to see how things would changed if the Iron Man movie had been created taking the events of Captain America into consideration.

Also Tony meeting Bucky for the first time and informing him that he is being followed around by baby ducks.

From That Moment On

Title: Louder than Words
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles
Categories/Genres: Deaf!Character, Angst, Romance
Length: 45,934
Warnings: Cheating, Seizures, Medical condition

Author/Artist Website: Splash Pink

Summary: Jared throws a party for his best friend, looking forward to meeting the girl in his life. Jensen wasn't quite what he was expecting.

Review:
This is quite a brutal story for someone like me who always likes to see the best in people. Everyone in this fic is a piece of work. Even Jensen who is deaf. In a lot of stories people with disabilities are seen of as sweet victims. Yet here Jensen doesn't even consider pulling any punches and is downright cruel at times. It makes you hurt to see how they treat each other but it certainly makes you sit up and respect at the same time.

Yet this also adds to the deliciousness of some moments that are just heartbreakingly funny. My favourite being when Jared falls through Jensen's window drunk. I am also a sucker for stories that treasure someone who clearly doesn't think they deserve it.

This isn't Splash Pink's original website. I miss the days I followed her/his dreamwidth so I hope it's okay to point towards this tribute site someone has set up with all their work.

"He's really deaf?"
"Yep." David almost sounded proud.
"He's kinda…I dunno…pretty. For a guy."
Across the yard, Jensen flipped him the finger.
David grinned and hid a laugh behind his bottle. "And he's real good at lip reading."
"Fuck." Jared sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. He needed a haircut. And a hangover kit.

Louder than words

Title:Hold my Bones
Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Gabe Saporta/Pete Wentz
Categories: Angst, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Length: Long (22k)
Warnings: Past Sexual Assault, Past Child Abuse, Homophobia, PTSD, Anxiety, Panic Attacks

Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Website: inlovewithnight

Summary: After Pete's summer at boot camp, Pete's parents move their family to New Jersey, where Pete meets Gabe Saporta and Gabe's dad. Contains on-screen panic attacks, discussion and descriptions of child abuse, references to child sexual abuse, dysfunctional family dynamics, teenagers exploring their sexuality (mentally and emotionally, not sexually). Upbeat ending with the implication of happy lives. Co-authored with lalejandra.

Review: This fic is primarily comfort, following Pete's period in Bootcamp. Still make sure you read the warnings first.

This is a touching take on highschool AUs. Pete is the new student at Gabe's school and Gabe finds himself helping Pete not only with school, but with dealing with his trauma.

InlovewithNight does a great job fully fleshing out ever character in the story, even the side characters. Despite its serious premise the story is ultimately very sweet.

Hold my Bones

Title: Cinnamon, Mint, and Smoke
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Duo/Heero, Duo/Trowa, Quatre/OMC, Wufei/OMC
Genres: AU, Romance, Drama, Virgin, Supernatural
Length: Long (18,818 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: kaigou
Author Website: Sol1056 @ FF.net

Author's Summary:
I was twenty years old, and I’d never been kissed. Well, that’s an exaggeration, I suppose. I’d never kissed someone that I actually -wanted- to be kissing. I was also a virgin. My life sucked.

Review:
This AU is a beautifully written exploration of lonely Duo's search for acceptance. As in canon he is an orphan, though this time in a modern AU. The newest member of a gay fraternity at his university, his struggle to fit in and his sense of being an outsider are poignantly written and very relatable. It takes a deal with the devil - who is, in this case, Heero - for him to finally see that his isolation was in fact all in his head and more a product of his own insecurity rather than anything tangible.

Duo's feelings are so well explored and explained that it's easy to see him taking these extreme measures for companionship. Being a lonely orphan for most of his life who has never had his romantic needs fulfilled, I didn't actually find it very far fetched that he would make a deal with Heero. Despite the potentially angsty subject matter this is a mostly gentle fic that's more of a character study, and I found the more subtle and ordinary issues Duo was dealing with very easy to empathise with. All in all this is a slow and thoughtful fic with a lovely payoff.

Cinnamon, Mint, and Smoke

Title: All You Have To Do Is Open Your Eyes
Fandom: The Losers
Pairing: Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez/Jake Jensen
Categories/Genres: Pre-Canon, Friendship, Romance, Humor, Fluff
Length: Medium (5054 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: torakowalski
Author Website: torakowalski

Summary:

“Okay, no,” Pooch says, holding up his hands, “there is no way I’m gambling for money against you and Cougar.”

Jensen frowns, leaning across the table to make wide, concerned eyes at Pooch. “Is it because we’re just that fucking good?” he asks.

“No.” Pooch knocks the edge of the pack once, twice against the table. “It’s because I’m pretty sure you can read each other’s damn minds.”

Review:

There's a lot of things I like about this fic. The characterizations, the instinctive way Jensen just gets Cougar, the amusing (if brief) additions from the rest of the cast. I love how concise the fic is and how colorfully the characters are written; they pop out of the text in full 24-bit color, bright and enchanting. The overall tone of the fic is light and cheerful, but shaded with just enough of The Losers' canonically characteristic darkness to give it a bit of heft.

But mostly I just want to rec this because of the third to last sentence, in which Cougar tells Jensen that he loves him in such a natural and Cougar-ish way that I literally read this fic repeatedly just to get to that one sentence.

All You Have To Do Is Open Your Eyes

Title: Your Highness
Fandom: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Pairing: Harry/Eggsy
Categories/Genres: Royalty AU
Length: 40077
Warnings:

Author/Artist AO3: Galahard

Summary:


Review:

I love royalty AU's that stay away from the angst. We have all fantasized about being royalty and finding our knight in shining armour. You need this childish lightheartedness in your life, trust me. And with Eggsy in the spotlight you can it's live vicariously as someone who has only ever recieved negative attention slowly starts to realise there is a lot about him that makes him unique.

Your Highness

Title: Under Wicked Sky
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: Sokka/Zuko
Genres: AU, Angst, Adventure, Romance
Length: Epic (60,310 words)
Warnings: Rape

Author on LJ: N/A (There is an LJ with the same username but I can't tell if they're the same person.)
Author Website: suge @ FF.net

Author's Summary:
During a raid Zhao captures Zuko and Sokka. They escape with dificulty, but surviving the uncharted earthebender territory and each other is the real challenge.

Review:
In this AU of season one a Zuko captured and raped by Zhao after their battle escapes with Sokka, who is cuffed to him. Forced to co-operate with each other, their relationship is just as rocky as you would expect, with romance blooming very gradually between the hurt and distrustful boys. Zhao is believable as the villain; you can image that the man who thought nothing of killing the moon could be as cruel as this. It's kind of like seeing a more realistic Avatar, the behind the scenes of the more kid-friendly main story. The darker places this fic goes, as well as the politics it explores, feel like different facets of the same canon.

This story isn't without its flaws. Spelling and grammar mistakes are rife, and the comma usage makes some of the sentence structure a bit jarring. Overall though, the great characterisation and plot are more than enough to make up for these little irritations.

Under Wicked Sky