Title: Defender
Fandom: Haven
Pairing: gen
Categories: friendship, kids, bittersweet, pre-canon, child pov
Length: Medium, 2,820 words
Warnings: Bullying (perpetrated by a teacher, no less) and prejudice, cruelty to animals, implied childhood abuse (physical or psychological) and implied neglect (pretty much canonical). Some blood.

Author on Livejournal: n/a?
Author Website: Kalliopeia on fanfiction.net

Summary: Nathan and Duke, age seven, shave their second grade teacher's cat. Come for the shenanigans, stay for the implications. Not intended as a fluff piece.

Review: Again I bring a fic that to all intents and purposes should be fluffy, and comedic, and cute, and in actuality definitely isn't. The adorable moments and the funny moments (there are a few) are far outweighed by the depths of Haven's history and vast divisions lurking in the background underneath. From a seven year old perspective of innocence, nothing is spelled out, so this fic rewards canon knowledge for what exactly is going on between the adult characters. There are some downright disturbing implications between the lines, to be honest. We know what happened to this relationship next, but not exactly what happened to degenerate things to the level of the Tacks Incident.

But everything is so simple and innocent here, in this snapshot of a childhood event between two friends supposed to be on opposite sides of the town's divide. The basic idea, of seven year old Duke deciding to be the defender of Nathan, is just too heartbreaking in context.

You may get another bonus Haven rec from me today or tomorrow, if I have chance, to celebrate this week's return of the show's (probable) final season.

Defender

Title: Sinking Ships
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Categories: Angst, AU,Slash, First Time, Drama, Hurt/comfort, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Super! Epic [106646 words]
Warnings: Racism, Non-Con Elements. Arranged Marriege, Slavery, Werewolves as the dominant class, Abuse, Exposure to Cold and Hunger, Sub-Human Life Conditions.

Author Website: standinginanicedress(on AO3)

Summary: Derek Hale has never met a human before.
Throughout his life, he's probably encountered, give or take, a hundred or so. A mere hundred human beings in his twenty-three years walking around on earth, compared to the millions of weres he's seen. And, even then, encountered them he might have, but met? Not even close.
He's had his dry cleaning handed off to him by a mousy looking human girl in a shirt three sizes too big for her with huge eyes and shaking hands while a beta werewolf yelled at her in the background for being too skittish (wonder why that could possibly be), he's walked past teenage humans cleaning windows and sweeping pebbles off of sidewalks, he's had the door opened up for him by older humans in pristine uniforms outside of restaurants – but never, never once, has he stuck his hand out to a human and said hi, my name is…
He could probably count on one hand the number of times he's even been made aware that a human within a hundred feet of him even had a name. [original summary]

Review: Oh, this fic is incredibly throat closing and hope to let that feeling die. It’s a hard fic to read, because is full of feelings and so realistic in portraying a classist society base on slavery, that almost cuts you heart. This AU shows us a world where the werewolves are known and the ruling class, and the humans are bred for their entertainment, becoming pets and slaves.

Stiles is still a human and also his father, Derek, his family, Scott, Allison and the Argents are all weres. In this context, I wish the fic showed more humans, because pretty much all canon characters are weres and we only see Stiles side. On the other hand, there is so much detail and variety in the sorrows he passed, we get an ample vision of what might happen to the other humans.

While the Argents are certainly opposition to the Hales, the true villain in this fic is Talia Hale, and I confess I had a hard time believing her character; the reason being, I always seen Talia as a good alpha, someone that cared for her children and someone that wanted them happy - she is not like this in the fic! The Hales are highly dysfunctional and there aren’t many fuzzy feelings of family.

Derek gets Stiles because of a maneuver in Talia’s career and he and Stiles start a relationship that is fake, but goes on to evolve to a careful friendship and later a romantic one. The highlights of this fic are confined mostly to Derek and Stiles, and one brief scene with the Sheriff, but there is plenty of interaction with the other characters.

This is a fic to be revolted by and at the same time to make you feel sad and make you think. Proceed with caution.


Sinking Ships

Title: Amour

Fandom: Angel: the series
Pairing: ~gen, ~Holtz/Justine
Categories: dark, angst, drama, flashback, sad stories
Length: long, ~20,000 words
Warnings: abusive relationship, canon character death, written prior to season 4

Author on Livejournal: viola_dreamwalk
Author Website: Viola_dreamwalk on AO3 (not all her stories are archived here) | Viola on fanfiction.net

Summary: An un-love story, happily never after.

Review: She looks at him the way Sarah did. The way Caroline had, at least at first. As though he's a poet and a prophet and a pilgrim soul. As though he's the hero of the piece, as though he could do no wrong. She looks at him and sees exactly what she needs, exactly what he wants her to see. He sees this and knows just how to make her love him. He finds he likes it.

This is the story of the antagonists of Angel: the series' season 3; Holtz, the archaic vampire hunter adrift in time, and Justine, who fought vampires like a cut-price slayer and will be remembered by most for slitting Wesley's throat. It's also the story of Holtz' wife Caroline and Justine's twin sister Julia, and the losses that forge Holtz and Justine's single-minded quests.

Viola is the author of my previous rec Percy Weasley, Rogue Demon Hunter, but the two works couldn't be more different. There is no light-hearted humour and quirkiness here, only velvet darkness and damaged, deeply flawed people, hampered judgement and loss. The prose is very beautiful.

This is a fascinating, lyrical exploration, filling in the gaps of who Justine and Holtz were and the skewed relationship between them.

Amour

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: a bird in a gilded cage

Fandom: Haven
Pairing: Veronica (Audrey Parker)/original female character
Categories: drama, historical, pre-canon, femslash
Length: medium, 12,100 words
Warnings: None really, although I'd up the author's G rating to a PG13 for mentions of violence and minor character death. Downbeat ending.

Author on LJ: n/a?
Author Website: Othiara on AO3

Summary: "How many secrets can one town have?" The story of Veronica, Audrey's 1901 incarnation.

Review: This is an interesting one, and as far as fanfiction goes, it's probably not going to be the most-read story ever, not having any of the major characters in it as such, but I thought it was worth drawing a little attention to for being something rather different from anything else to be found in the fandom.

It's the tale of one past incarnation out of Audrey Parker's many lives fighting the Troubles: the canonically bisexual Veronica. And with the ancestor of Vicki Dutton (with the drawing Trouble), and a female Crocker heir, Veronica's time helping to fix Troubles in this story carves out a particularly female space in Haven's mythology.

It's sparsely detailed but well told, with many parallels drawn along the way to how things have clearly played out, over and over again, across the centuries, with Haven's guarded secrets and cagey townsfolk and Troubled cycle.

a bird in a gilded cage

Title: Scavenger Hunt
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Categories: AU, Hurt/Comfort, Sad Fic, Romance
Length: Epic (40k)
Warnings: Suicidal thoughts; Character Death

Author on Tumblr: Winterstar Tumblr
Author Website: Winterstar Ao3

Summary: In order to help Steve Rogers adjust to the 21st century the SHIELD psychologists decide the best thing to do is to hand him a list of ten things to find and experience. When Tony Stark happens on the list, well, things are changed and a different kind of list emerges. Tony decides that Captain No Clue needs a little help in getting to know the 21st century and Tony decides he's the best candidate to help him.

A list, a playboy/billionaire, and a man from the 40s - what could possibly go wrong?

Review: This is a more realistic version of what would happen when Steve woke up to find that everyone he knew was dead.

Tony is trying to fix him in his own idiotic, stupid way. The combo makes for an interesting dynamic. One that leads to a very interesting tale that leaves Steve and Tony’s romance feeling inevitable.

Scavenger Hunt

Title: last night's phrases, still writhing on my floor
Fandom: Shameless
Pairing: Ian/Mickey
Categories: Romance, AU
Length: Long (15,152)
Warnings: Unhappy Ending (that's more like regret and kind of missed opportunities but still makes you sad okay)

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Tumblr

Author's Summary:
something in that smile keeps fucking with his judgment.

Review:
Let me just say that the fic isn't exactly unhappy in the end (well, it is, a bit, who am I kidding), but it's definitely of the tone of full of unspoken feelings that go on unfulfilled because of reasons. So if you want a perfectly neat, happy ending then, uh, steer clear (to be honest I like happy endings. I don't know what possessed me to read this [oh wait, I didn't know the ending, ha] but it was just really good).

What do I know about Shameless. Not much, I admit with absolutely no apologies. What I do know is good writing and dynamic characters and words that just tug at my heart and squeeze. In this fic Mickey and Ian have a one night stand that turns out to be not quite a one night stand. They continue to meet each other throughout the weekend; whatever it is that they're doing just falls in their laps and it's completely unexpected, but not unwelcome. It's just sometimes there are circumstances that kill the happy ending (that make me flail and grow a bit weepy). B-but hey, maybe in the future? Maybe?

Uh, in any case. This is just excellent. The romance is bumpy and not perfect, but just wonderful because of that. For all that the fic isn't too long and takes place over the span of a weekend, the relationship just unfolds beautifully. I loved it, even though it also made me sad in the end.

last night phrases, still writhing on my floor

Title: little lamb, stained in red
Fandom: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Pairing: Sebastian/Ciel
Categories: Angst, character study
Length: Long (about 19,500 words)
Warnings: Underage (13-year-old boy/ageless demon). References to previous sexual abuse. Occult and cult activity. References to opium use. Victorian-era hypocrisies and graphic/dark content.

Author on LJ:  obstinate_fate

Summary: The hands before, the hands now. The same stains. The same dirty smell, the same sick feeling in his gut. This was the shame of Ciel Phantomhive.

Review: If you're in the mood for something lighthearted and fluffy, you'll want to stay as far away from "little lamb, stained in red" as possible. But if you're in the mood for something dark and poetic, unsettling, yet strangely uplifting, do I have a story for you! Those who follow Kuroshitsuji know that Ciel Phantomhive is no ordinary 13-year-old. He's a keen businessman, a ruthless leader in the Victorian underworld, and the master of one hell of a butler. In "little lamb, stained in red," he also has a sexual relationship with said butler. Much of the story consists of Ciel comparing his relationship with Sebastian to his earlier abuse at the hands of the cultists who abducted him.

This story captures a lot of what unsettles me about the Sebastian/Ciel pairing. Yet paradoxically, it also highlights everything I love about their relationship. The lyrical, stream-of-consciousness prose positions the reader into Ciel's head, and that's never a comfortable place to be! Ciel skirts the edge of sanity in this story, as he does in canon. obstinate_fate also does not shy away from the problematic aspects of the age gap between Ciel and Sebastian. Though the sexual encounters are skimmed over with a few key details rather than a pornographic play-by-play, the constant references to Ciel's size remind us how young he is, and the story dwells on sexual abuse that occurred when he was even younger. And, as in canon, Sebastian himself is something of an enigma. Though we get the sense he cares for Ciel, we're never entirely sure of his feelings or his motivations. But this isn't Sebastian's story. It's Ciel's, and as such, it was entirely satisfying to me.

I first discovered this story through the podfic by rhea314, which does a beautiful job of conveying the stream-of-conscious prose. The podfic, like the story itself, demands the reader's attention. I was trying to do the dishes my first time listening to it, and I kept realizing I'd missed some key detail and needing to rewind. But if you can listen while giving it your full attention (it is a favorite of mine for driving), it really is a treat. Rhea's voice brings across Ciel's youth as well as his instability, and I loved that she sang the song lyrics that twine through his memories.

This story, like the best Sebastian/Ciel fics, does not fall into the common romantic tropes. There is no magical healing cock here. Yet there is healing, though perhaps of the sort that only Ciel would recognize. It reminds me of the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold to illuminate the beauty of the cracks. As in canon, Ciel has managed to turn his pain into a victory of sorts, and if his story is a tragedy, it his his tragedy, and he's walking into it with his head held high.

little lamb, stained in red
[podfic] little lamb, stained in red

Title: Mint In Box
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairing: Phil Coulson/Steve Rogers
Categories: Horror, Angst, Romance, Dark, Canon Divergence, Open Ending
Length: Medium (6465 words)
Warnings: Kidnapping, Imprisonment, Stockholm Syndrome, Canon Character Death, Drug Use (to inhibit the Supersoldier serum), Mental Illness, Physical Illness

Author on LJ: sabinetzin
Author Website: sabinelagrande

Author's Summary:

But the longer Steve spends in Coulson's hands, the more foxing appears.

Review:

An alternate but chillingly believable twist on the 'Coulson Lives' trope, where Phil comes back, but not quite right.

The Phil Coulson of Mint In Box exists in a peculiar limbo, physically alive but slowly succumbing to the lingering pall that death cast over him, a strange and twisted caricature of himself. In some ways he is magnified, such as his devotion to his collection of Captain America memorabilia, but the rest of him is muted and cold, frozen through like permafrost.

And so, devoted and obsessively so, he kidnaps Steve and imprisons him in a basement that seems less like a cell and more like a secure and climate-controlled case for a priceless collector's item. The world narrows to just the two of them, and within the confines of that basement in the house that no one knows about, the dynamic between them slowly shifts from kidnapper-kidnappee to tentative friends to something else that is both less and more, creeping along like a layer frost spreading over the ground.

But perhaps most chilling of all is the story's open yet tragic ending, because there is no truly hopeful future for them, just the illusion of one.

Mint In Box

Title: Memories Series
Fandom: Chronicles of Narnia
Pairing: Caspian/Edmund Pevensie
Categories: AU, Romance, Sad Stories
Length:Long (30,000)
Warnings:Underage (Sort of?), Slavery, Canon Typical Violence

Author on LJ: youcantseeus
Website: YouCantSeeUs's A03

Summary:Soon, all Edmund's memories of Narnia will blur together. For now, he remembers Caspian.

Edmund goes back to his own world, but Caspian must live the rest of his life with the pain of being in love with two people.

Review: It's always a joy when I find a good solid Chronicles of Narnia fic. And Memories is one of the best I've read in a long time. The characterization is superb and the unusual format does a great job of telling the story around the story that we find in the Narnia Books.

The second story in particular does an amazing job of reconciling the two portions of Caspian's life that we see in The Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair.

Memories Series

Title: Unthinkable
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern
Pairing: gen (with background OFC/OMC)
Categories: Angst, Drama, Family, Sad Story, Yuletide
Length: Medium (4,898 words)
Warnings: Suicide (both past Suicide by OC and Attempted Suicide by main character)

Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Kastaka

Summary:
Being left Standing - it gets easier, and it doesn't.

Review:
This yuletide story hit me right in the gut. It's a thoughtful exploration of Pern's society, and what it would mean for those who don't like dragons and/or don't make the 'cut' to get chosen. Told through the lens of three women: the main character who grows up in a Weir and despairs of never bonding with a dragon, her distant but well meaning mother, and her loving yet overwhelmed foster-mother. What would it be like to grow up with all your life geared toward training to be a dragonrider but not be picked. How do you pick up the pieces? How do you communicate with your mother, when her whole world revolves around something you're excluded from. How hard it must be for a woman acting as a foster-parent to child after child that is trained to ride and fight and likely die.

There are no easy answers for any of the three women and their heartbreaks, and it had me crying and crying. Great storytelling, but read only if you're ready for intense emotions and real and immediate references to suicide.

Unthinkable

Title: Unthinkable
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern
Pairing: gen (with background OFC/OMC)
Categories: Angst, Drama, Family, Sad Story, Yuletide
Length: Medium (4,898 words)
Warnings: Suicide (both past Suicide by OC and Attempted Suicide by main character)

Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Kastaka

Summary:
Being left Standing - it gets easier, and it doesn't.

Review:
This yuletide story hit me right in the gut. It's a thoughtful exploration of Pern's society, and what it would mean for those who don't like dragons and/or don't make the 'cut' to get chosen. Told through the lens of three women: the main character who grows up in a Weir and despairs of never bonding with a dragon, her distant but well meaning mother, and her loving yet overwhelmed foster-mother. What would it be like to grow up with all your life geared toward training to be a dragonrider but not be picked. How do you pick up the pieces? How do you communicate with your mother, when her whole world revolves around something you're excluded from. How hard it must be for a woman acting as a foster-parent to child after child that is trained to ride and fight and likely die.

There are no easy answers for any of the three women and their heartbreaks, and it had me crying and crying. Great storytelling, but read only if you're ready for intense emotions and real and immediate references to suicide.

Unthinkable

Title: Bait & Switch
Fandom: Criminal Minds-Oz Crossover
Pairing: Implied Christopher Keller/Spencer Reid
Categories: Angst, Case File, Crossover, Dark, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Sad Story
Length: Long (~39,954)
Warnings: Character Death, Dubious Consent, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Non-Consensual Drug-Use, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, Dark Themes but despite that, it's very beautiful.

Author on LJ: lapenserosa
Author Website: ArchiveofOurOwn

Author's Summary: Bait and Switch..
Spencer Reid is a young FBI profiler tasked with interviewing Christopher Keller, a Death Row inmate with many secrets and a very dangerous appetite.

Sequel's Summary.. The Restored Life
After the events of Bait and Switch, Reid on a college recruitment tour with David Rossi. During their last stop in San Francisco, CA, Reid meets an interesting stranger that seems genuinely interested in helping him heal from his interactions with Keller. Then when bodies of young men begin turning up in heavily toured areas the rest of the team flies out to San Francisco to help investigate and their discoveries could l just be all Reid needs to fully come undone.

Review:
While I had doubts about reading this fic after seeing the warnings, I decided to take a chance and read it. And while I regret reading it after bawling for a good hour, I loved it so very much. The author has managed to mesmerize and make something so dark be so beautiful.

It's an unconventional love story wherein you can't really decide if it's really a love story. But it's so beautiful. Lapenserosa manages to tell a story of the past, of the present and make it merge beautifully. Keller is wonderfully characterized, you see him as a hardened criminal with a difficult past but hints of a good man shines through. Spencer Reid is also in character, the endearing awkwardness he has that makes you love him. You see what could have been, what might have been and it's so painfully beautiful that you can't stop wondering what-if.

Best thing is, Lapenserosa has a sequel up, while still ongoing, is just one chapter to the end. Read it, you won't regret it. :)

Bait and Switch
And it's sequel....
The Restored Life

Title: Bait & Switch
Fandom: Criminal Minds-Oz Crossover
Pairing: Implied Christopher Keller/Spencer Reid
Categories: Angst, Case File, Crossover, Dark, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Sad Story
Length: Long (~39,954)
Warnings: Character Death, Dubious Consent, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Non-Consensual Drug-Use, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, Dark Themes but despite that, it's very beautiful.

Author on LJ: lapenserosa
Author Website: ArchiveofOurOwn

Author's Summary: Bait and Switch..
Spencer Reid is a young FBI profiler tasked with interviewing Christopher Keller, a Death Row inmate with many secrets and a very dangerous appetite.

Sequel's Summary.. The Restored Life
After the events of Bait and Switch, Reid on a college recruitment tour with David Rossi. During their last stop in San Francisco, CA, Reid meets an interesting stranger that seems genuinely interested in helping him heal from his interactions with Keller. Then when bodies of young men begin turning up in heavily toured areas the rest of the team flies out to San Francisco to help investigate and their discoveries could l just be all Reid needs to fully come undone.

Review:
While I had doubts about reading this fic after seeing the warnings, I decided to take a chance and read it. And while I regret reading it after bawling for a good hour, I loved it so very much. The author has managed to mesmerize and make something so dark be so beautiful.

It's an unconventional love story wherein you can't really decide if it's really a love story. But it's so beautiful. Lapenserosa manages to tell a story of the past, of the present and make it merge beautifully. Keller is wonderfully characterized, you see him as a hardened criminal with a difficult past but hints of a good man shines through. Spencer Reid is also in character, the endearing awkwardness he has that makes you love him. You see what could have been, what might have been and it's so painfully beautiful that you can't stop wondering what-if.

Best thing is, Lapenserosa has a sequel up, while still ongoing, is just one chapter to the end. Read it, you won't regret it. :)

Bait and Switch
And it's sequel....
The Restored Life

Title: Bait & Switch
Fandom: Criminal Minds-Oz Crossover
Pairing: Implied Christopher Keller/Spencer Reid
Categories: Angst, Case File, Crossover, Dark, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Sad Story
Length: Long (~39,954)
Warnings: Character Death, Dubious Consent, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Non-Consensual Drug-Use, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, Dark Themes but despite that, it's very beautiful.

Author on LJ: lapenserosa
Author Website: ArchiveofOurOwn

Review:
While I had doubts about reading this fic after seeing the warnings, I decided to take a chance and read it. And while I regret reading it after bawling for a good hour, I loved it so very much. The author has managed to mesmerize and make something so dark be so beautiful.

It's an unconventional love story wherein you can't really decide if it's really a love story. But it's so beautiful. Lapenserosa manages to tell a story of the past, of the present and make it merge beautifully. Keller is wonderfully characterized, you see him as a hardened criminal with a difficult past but hints of a good man shines through. Spencer Reid is also in character, the endearing awkwardness he has that makes you love him. You see what could have been, what might have been and it's so painfully beautiful that you can't stop wondering what-if.

Best thing is, Lapenserosa has a sequel up, while still ongoing, is just one chapter to the end. Read it, you won't regret it. :)

Bait and Switch
And it's sequel....
The Restored Life

Title : Eden
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Lucius/Hermione
Categories: Angst, Dark, Sad Stories* - See Review
Length: Super!Epic (327,636 words)
Warnings: Torture, Attempted Suicide, Attempted Rape, Dub-Con, Stockholm Syndrome, Character Death

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Obsessmuch

Summary:
An obsession that destroys everything it touches.

Review:
(This story is set in the Trio's seventh year of Hogwarts, when Harry, Ron and Hermione are seventeen/eighteen. Pretend Deathly Hallows never happened while reading for simplicity's sake.)

I started reading this fic with the thought of using it for this months theme week. While reading I waffled back and forth as to whether I was actually going to use it or not. By the time I got to the end I knew I had to, not reccing this story is just not possible. Dark!fic usually isn't something I'm willing to read, especially if there is a sad ending, but this story is so well written I'm extremely glad I gave it a chance. The plot is amazing as is the characterization, it's Stockholm Syndrome written perfectly. It's an extremely dark story, but at the same time beautiful and heart-breaking. The story ends with what should be a happy ending, but because of everything that has happened to Hermione she's left feeling empty and heartbroken.

There are some spelling and grammar issues, most of them are in the first few chapters however and can easily be overlooked.


Eden

Title : Eden
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Lucius/Hermione
Categories: Angst, Dark, Sad Stories* - See Review
Length: Super!Epic (327,636 words)
Warnings: Torture, Attempted Suicide, Attempted Rape, Dub-Con, Stockholm Syndrome, Character Death

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Obsessmuch

Summary:
An obsession that destroys everything it touches.

Review:
(This story is set in the Trio's seventh year of Hogwarts, when Harry, Ron and Hermione are seventeen/eighteen. Pretend Deathly Hallows never happened while reading for simplicity's sake.)

I started reading this fic with the thought of using it for this months theme week. While reading I waffled back and forth as to whether I was actually going to use it or not. By the time I got to the end I knew I had to, not reccing this story is just not possible. Dark!fic usually isn't something I'm willing to read, especially if there is a sad ending, but this story is so well written I'm extremely glad I gave it a chance. The plot is amazing as is the characterization, it's Stockholm Syndrome written perfectly. It's an extremely dark story, but at the same time beautiful and heart-breaking. The story ends with what should be a happy ending, but because of everything that has happened to Hermione she's left feeling empty and heartbroken.

There are some spelling and grammar issues, most of them are in the first few chapters however and can easily be overlooked.


Eden

Title : Eden
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Lucius/Hermione
Categories: Angst, Dark, Sad Stories* - See Review
Length: Super!Epic (327,636 words)
Warnings: Torture, Attempted Suicide, Attempted Rape, Dub-Con, Stockholm Syndrome, Character Death

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Obsessmuch

Summary:
An obsession that destroys everything it touches.

Review:
(This story is set in the Trio's seventh year of Hogwarts, when Harry, Ron and Hermione are seventeen/eighteen. Pretend Deathly Hallows never happened while reading for simplicity's sake.)

I started reading this fic with the thought of using it for this months theme week. While reading I waffled back and forth as to whether I was actually going to use it or not. By the time I got to the end I knew I had to, not reccing this story is just not possible. Dark!fic usually isn't something I'm willing to read, especially if there is a sad ending, but this story is so well written I'm extremely glad I gave it a chance. The plot is amazing as is the characterization, it's Stockholm Syndrome written perfectly. It's an extremely dark story, but at the same time beautiful and heart-breaking. The story ends with what should be a happy ending, but because of everything that has happened to Hermione she's left feeling empty and heartbroken.

There are some spelling and grammar issues, most of them are in the first few chapters however and can easily be overlooked.


Eden

Title: Carried in Swarm of Bees
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing: Gen with past Regina/Emma
Categories: Angst, AU, Future fic, post-canon, what if
Length: Medium (6,109 words)
Warnings: Major character deaths

Author on LJ: icicleair
Author Website: loaded_fantasy Author’s writing journal @ LJ / Author’s profile @ AO3

Summary:
After living for years in New York to escape the tragedy that haunts his hometown, Henry returns to Storybrooke to confront his demons and reconcile with his past.

Review:
Every now and again I get in a mood where I want to read fic that guts me and makes my heart hurt, and this story fits the bill perfectly. What I like most about Once Upon a Time are the complicated relationships, none more so than Henry and Regina and how their relationship compares to his relationship with Emma, his other maternal figure. This story diverges from canon and sets up the premise that everything was in Henry’s imagination, that the fairy tale roles he cast people in were how he dealt with his life as a child and now, this is how he reconciles with that past.

I enjoyed the quiet way in which this story is told, it’s muted and different from the vibrancy of the fairy tale world. It makes it a little more sad, sure, but also more realistic. The imagined future for Henry at the end fits in perfectly with this story and characterization. The memories of interactions with Emma are easy to picture as the dialogue and mannerisms are in character. The author also does a terrific job with Regina and her very presence.

Carried In a Swarm of Bees

Title: Carried in Swarm of Bees
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing: Gen with past Regina/Emma
Categories: Angst, AU, Future fic, post-canon, what if
Length: Medium (6,109 words)
Warnings: Major character deaths

Author on LJ: icicleair
Author Website: loaded_fantasy Author’s writing journal @ LJ / Author’s profile @ AO3

Summary:
After living for years in New York to escape the tragedy that haunts his hometown, Henry returns to Storybrooke to confront his demons and reconcile with his past.

Review:
Every now and again I get in a mood where I want to read fic that guts me and makes my heart hurt, and this story fits the bill perfectly. What I like most about Once Upon a Time are the complicated relationships, none more so than Henry and Regina and how their relationship compares to his relationship with Emma, his other maternal figure. This story diverges from canon and sets up the premise that everything was in Henry’s imagination, that the fairy tale roles he cast people in were how he dealt with his life as a child and now, this is how he reconciles with that past.

I enjoyed the quiet way in which this story is told, it’s muted and different from the vibrancy of the fairy tale world. It makes it a little more sad, sure, but also more realistic. The imagined future for Henry at the end fits in perfectly with this story and characterization. The memories of interactions with Emma are easy to picture as the dialogue and mannerisms are in character. The author also does a terrific job with Regina and her very presence.

Carried In a Swarm of Bees