Title: Truth and Measure
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada
Pairing: Miranda Priestly/Andy Sachs
Categories: AU, Post-Canon, Romance, Drama, Kids
Length: 273,133 words
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: somniesperus
Author Website: The Rag and Bone Shop
Summary: Andy doesn't leave Miranda in Paris, and learns that a single decision can change your life. But the main thing about decisions? You don't get to stop with one.

Review: The last thing I ever expected was to read a fic in this fandom and like it. The truth is though, not only did I like it, I adored it, and have up to this day spent many a night up re-reading this. This fic stands for everything that I enjoy in fiction: an interesting plot, perfect characterization and it's paced in a way that will have you at the edge of your seat with that feeling of 'I need to know what happens next, right now'.

Telanu takes characters that were brushed off in canon as two-liners and gives them a depth that is just stunning, and with the main characters she does the same and takes them that step further that makes them practically come to live.

Even if you were not all that thrilled with the movie itself, and if you never even thought about shipping these two characters, you should give Truth and Measure a chance. It deserves it.


Truth and Measure in a single txt file | Truth and Measure in multiple installments on the author's website

Title: Five Places Cinna Came From
Fandom: The Hunger Games
Pairing: Cinna/Finnick, Finnick/Annie, Katniss/Peeta depending on the part you’re reading.
Categories: AU, Romance, Drama, Angst, Dark, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Prostitute/Slave, Sad Story
Length: 86,000 words
Warnings: Forced Prostitution, Rape, Mentions Of Child Abuse, Violent Character Death, Mostly Unhappy Endings (Pretty much all of them Canon-compliant)

Author on LJ: aimmyarrowshigh
Author Website: Masterlist on LJ
Summary: Cinna did not come from the Capitol. Five paths he took out of the Districts, and why he set a nation on fire.

Review:
The thing that made the Hunger Games books so very hard for me to put down was that all the characters, whether I liked them or not, felt very, very real in their behaviour and their actions. They were shaped by their Districts and the government-enforced hardships that they encountered in them, or by the Capitol and its fast paced lifestyle that whirled the citizens from one event to the next and made them forget all about the world beyond their clothes and make-up and mindless entertainment. These people were flawed, these people were twisted. They felt real. And aimmyarrowshigh takes that premise and spins five stories that show that no matter where someone grows up, and no matter who or what influences them and conditions them, deep down they’re still the same person. She describes how Cinna could have become the incendiary element that sparked off the revolution in the books.

Five Places Cinna Came From is a collection of beautiful, heartbreaking stories that to be honest made me cry more than pretty much anything I’ve ever read, be it published or fan-written fiction. It’s painful; it’s canon compliant, and of course if you’ve read the books you know how Cinna’s story ends. But in every part of this fic you discover a new thing that you love about him or about his families or about any of the other characters despite the way that Panem has corrupted them and you just won’t want to stop reading.

Each of the stories stands on its own and can be read without any knowledge of the others. You might want to take a break in between them, to make them easier to swallow. Be warned that in each and every one Finnick is a main character, and you should be prepared for disturbing or painful content simply because of that. This is Panem. And, to take it from the fic, not even Panem’s faerytales have very happy endings. But they're so damn worth it to be told.


Five Places Cinna Came From in the order the author means them to be read:

District Four: The Girl In The Water On FF.net | On Livejournal
District One: The Boy With The Trident: On FF.net | On Livejournal
District Five: The Boy On Fire On FF.net | On Livejournal
District Twelve: The Boy With The Girl On FF.net | On Livejournal
District Seven: The Moral in the Story On FF.net | On Livejournal

I know it's not small fandom week yet, but my laptop died last week and I honestly can't remember which fic I planned to rec this week. Have one of my all time favourite stories instead:

Title: Chosen and Defined Verse
Fandom: St. Trinian's
Pairing: Gen, Femmeslash, Het
Categories: Pre-Canon, Post-Canon, Friendship, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Threesome, Kids
Length: 221,913 words
Warnings: BDSM in one story, another addresses (non-graphic) rape and its aftermath, as well as racism and other kinds of bullying.
Author on DW: language_escapes
Author Website: Masterlist of Fics | On The AO3

Review: The Chosen and DefinedVerse is that special kind of fic that manages to make characters seem as if they were plucked right from life, which is no mean feat if you consider that St. Trinian’s is first and foremost a children’s movie meant for entertainment and not for delving deeply into the character’s backgrounds.

Chosen and Defined is first and foremost about a close-knit community of girls that are all in their own way different. The only thing that connects them is that they went to the same school, at the same time. The fic delves deeply into the character’s background, into their families, into their reasons for becoming who they are. Some of them become spies after leaving St. Trinian’s, some of them stay-at-home-moms, and again others become teachers at the very same school that they attendet, but the one thing that is true for each and every one of them is that they always stay St. Trinian’s girls.

The author draws on her own life-experiences to paint a picture of three-dimensional people, not just convenient shells to push her plot along, and she does it for every single character in her story, down to the minor-minor characters. Surprisingly, it never feels as if she puts too much information into it, but just enough to satisfy and make them relatable.

It’s a gem of a story even if you aren’t that familiar with the St. Trinian’s canon (and really, that alone speaks of the quality that this series has). If you don’t know the films, but are interested in reading about strong, real female characters, then this is the story for you.

I’ve have listed the stories below in the order they have been posted. If you wish to read them in a more or less chronological order, the author has a list here. I have also marked the stories with explicit or potentially trigger-y content; as each of the installments essentially stand on their own they can easily be skipped without losing the enjoyment.

On the AO3 the stories in the series are linked to each other; there's no need to refer to this listing.

Having Chosen, So Defined on the A03 | on DW | as a Podfic
In The Light, Remember on the A03 | on DW
(We Get On Like A) House On Fire on the A03 | on DW | as a Podfic
Five Secrets Peaches Never Told on the A03 | on DW
Bless God, We Went As Soldiers on the A03 | on DW
On String Theory, Bad Poetry, and Head Girl Badges on the A03 | on DW | as a Podfic
When Words Become Superflous on the A03 | on DW
Take No Prisoners on the A03 | on DW
i know and do not know what i am searching for on the A03 | on DW
The Rideable Art on the A03 | on DW
Mama Who Bore Me on the A03 | on DW
It Takes A Village, And All That on the A03 | on DW
A Country That Has No Language on the A03 | on DW | Deals with BDSM
Chelsea Parker, PHD, and the Mystery of the missing Manuscript on the A03 | on DW
we who are forgotten rejoice on the A03 | on DW
Through Us Also on the A03 | on DW
Pass The Time Between Wars on the A03 | on DW
Genealogies of Silence on the A03 | on DW | Contains mentions of Rape and deals with Bullying and Racism

Title: The Difference Between Absolution and Redemption (Has Always Been Where You End Up)
Fandom:  Leverage/Stargate:Atlantis/Stargate SG-1
Pairing: Eliot Spencer/John Sheppard/Jonas Quinn
Categories:  AU, Crossover, Hurt/Comfort
Length:  56.777 words
Warnings:  mentions of past abuse

Author on LJ:  race_the_ace
Author Website:  Masterlist of Fanfiction

Review:
I've got to be honest, I very nearly skipped this fic because of its summary, which is why I won't repeat it here. But hiding behind it is a wonderful, well-written fic, that's about three men who find each other and support each other in their extraordinary life-styles and that doesn't shirk the difficulties that arise if a third partner joins an already established relationship, especially one that has his own troubled past.

In the end it was the intriguing pairing that drew me in, but what kept me reading was the interesting characterization of the two characters I did know, and especially Leverage's Eliot.

It's definitely worth a read if you're into any of the featured fandoms.

The Difference Between Absolution and Redemption in one large file on the A03
The Difference Between Absolution and Redemption in multiple posts on LJ

Title: Truth & Clarity
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Jo Harvelle/Kathleen Hudak
Categories: AU, Supernatural, Drama, Casefic
Length:  46,000
Warnings:  mild D/s dynamic

Author on LJ:  lazy_daze
Author Website:  Masterlist of Fanfiction

Review: When Jo Harvelle, trying to escape the her mother's stifling concern, starts hunting by herself, she meets Kathleen Hudak, small town sherriff from Minnesota and after solving the case in her town, they hit the road together.

If you haven't seen the first Season of Supernatural, or just have a terrible memory even for more or less fleshed out side characters, Kathleen Hudak is, in fact, a canon character. That said, you don't need to know her at all to enjoy Truth & Clarity, because the author does a superb job of bringing her to life. But my main reason for reccing this story is the well crafted relationship between Jo and Kathleen that develops over the course of the plot.

Masterpost (All the Parts are linked at the end)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

Title: Moonrise
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Gen
Categories: Pre-series, Supernatural, Horror
Length:  25,386
Warnings:  Minor Character Death, Violence, Temporary Major Character Death

Author on LJ:  jadesfire2808
Author Website:  Masterlist of Fanfiction

Author Summary: 1969, Torchwood House, Scotland. When Jack is sent to investigate a series of thefts, he finds that the history of the House is not as past as he'd thought.

Review: Moonrise is a plotty pre-series Torchwood fic, and it's as supernatural as the Whoniverse ever gets. It technically belongs in the author's Sic Transit Tempus series (which consists mostly of shorter fics and they don't have to be read to enjoy this story) that explore the change from 'Happy-go-flirty conman in Doctor Who to the brooding man-of-mystery in Torchwood' to quote the author. And that is exactly why this fic is so enjoyable: character growth that feels real.

Also it's a good Mystery story, and though for people who are avid Doctor Who watchers it's relatively easy to figure out where the story is going, it takes nothing away from the entertainment.


Moonrise in four large, linked parts on the TARDIS Big Bang Site.


The masterlist for the entire Sic Transit Tempus series can be found here, but it isn't a part of this rec because a) the theme is Supernatural/Horror this week and b) I haven't read all of them.

Title: Time Enough And Space
Fandom: Firefly/Doctor Who
Pairing: River/Simon
Categories: AU, Crossover, Hurt/Comfort, Action
Length:  25.570 words
Warnings: semi-happy ending
Author on LJ:  ashinae linden_jay
Author Website:  Fanfiction by Ashinae | linden_jay's AO3

Review: In this wonderful crossover, River isn't Simon's sister. She's a Time Lady whose mind was shattered when she used a Chameleon Arch (for those less familiar with Who-canon, a Chameleon Arch is part of a process for completely changing a Time Lord's genetic make-up, generally used for cross-species transformation) to hide herself away from the Time War.

There's no help in sight for her -- until the Doctor and Donna Noble enter a little shop on the edge of the System and find themselves confronted with ex-Time Lady and her companion and in true Doctor-like fashion set out to help them.

Every single character is brilliantly handled in this fic and it gets a huge bonus from me for not taking the easy way out in the end which is not your typical happily ever after and still is, in a way.


Time Enough And Space in one part on the A03.

Time Enough And Space in five linked parts on LJ.

Title: Faults For Fixing
Fandom:  X-men: First Class
Pairing:  Erik Lensherr/Charles Xavier
Categories:  au, bdsm, post canon
Length:  25,615 words
Warnings:  light bondage, power play

Author on LJ:  beren_writes
Author Website:  Her LJ Masterlist | Her DW Masterlist
Summary: Charles sees the events of the missile crisis and subsequent weeks when he uses Cerebro to touch the mind of a mutant with the power to see the near future. When he wakes up he is determined that he will not allow them to happen and he will not lose the people he loves.

Review: This is essentially a "what-if-Charles-knew-what-would-happen" fix-it, based on the latest X-men movie. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, it's essentially a reboot of the series (think Star Trek XI, made to breathe new life into ancient material) that tells the backstory of the X-men franchise from the very beginning.

Charles Xavier (aka Professor X, later leader of the X-men) and his group of mutants are originally recruited by the Government and in this fix Charles realizes that that is the exact moment where everything started to go terribly wrong and sets out to put things right.

I really enjoyed this story, and if you're not opposed to a bit of kink (and some ingenious mutant-power-related bondage) then you're in for a fun ride by one of the more prolific fic authors that I know of (you may have read her HP fics and Crossovers almost a decade ago).


Faults For Fixing in four linked parts on LJ | Faults For Fixing in four linked parts on DW

Title: Life As We Knew It
Fandom:  Torchwood
Pairing:  1940's Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, 1940's Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones/Cpt. Jack Harkness, a lot of secondary pairings
Categories:  AU, Romance, Drama, Time-Travel, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort
Length:  61.451 words
Warnings:  mentions of torture

Author on LJ:  kendermouse
Author Website:  N/A

Review:  Life As We Knew It deals with what happened to Torchwood Three during the time that Jack was absent between season one and two of Torchwood. It's about the team trying to fill the hole that he left behind, and in that exact situation, the original Jack Harkness falls through the rift and into their time and somehow they make it work together.

I really enjoy the way that the interaction between 1940s Jack (later re-named as John) and Ianto is described, especially the difficulty of dealing with having loved the same person and being left behind by them.

And the way kendermouse brings not only Jack Harkness, but all of the secondary characters to life is just beautiful -- especially as all kinds of different relationships are tastefully handled by the author.

But probably my favorite part of the fic starts when the Jack we know, Captain Jack Harkness, immortal conman, comes back from the possibly worst year of his life and expects everything to be the same, when it really isn't and he struggles to deal with the status quo in both his personal and professional life.

This is one of the stories from the older TARDIS Big Bangs that I periodically re-read. It's a different kind of story because there's not a lot of long post-"Jack Harkness" fic out there even though the situation is one of the most interesting ones in canon.

I very much rec this fic to everyone who enjoys the perfect blend of canon and fleshed out original characters.


Life As We Knew It in two large, linked parts on the TARDIS Big Bang Site

Title: Hangman
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Jack Harkness/Rose Tyler/female!Ninth Doctor
Categories:  Adventure, AU, Hurt/Comfort
Length:  29.892 words
Warnings:  some gory imagery in one part

Author on LJ:  joking
Author Website:  Masterlist on LJ
Author Summary: When Jack is arrested by the Time Agency for a deed that he can't remember, the Doctor and Rose are left behind to try and find out what really happened in those two years missing from Jack's timeline.

Review: There's something hauntingly beautiful about this fic. Poetry brings Beta Aquarii, sister planet to Jack's home, to life with her vivid descriptions and her spot-on characterization of both canon and original characters, and her relationships are almost painfully real.

This is technically the second part of a series titled simply 'fem!Doctor', in which the Doctor is (and always has been) a woman up to and including her ninth regeneration. I've included every part of this series below, though they do not need to be read to understand and enjoy Hangman (though they are thoroughly enjoyable as well and as a bonus they bring the series up to 50,000 words). In fact, Hangman falls somewhere in the middle of Mad Girl's Love Song which is the first installation of the series.

Hangman in one file on A03 | Hangman in multiple posts on LJ:
Part I | Part II |Part III |Part IV |Part V

The rest of the fem!Doctor series in order:
Mad Girl's Love Song
Hangman
Beholder
The Invention Of Rain
Five Time's The Doctor's Gender Mattered (And One TIme It Didn't)
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

Title: The Emerald City Job
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing:  Parker/Eliot
Categories:  Humor, Crack
Length:  19,196 words
Warnings:  violence, character death (in a hallucination)

Author on LJ:  canadiangoddess
Author Website:  Livejournal Masterlist

Summary: Once upon a time there was a young woman who did not believe in the impossible. She ate fortune cookies for breakfast and Doritos for dinner, she picked locks for the hell of it, and she often wondered if she would ever truly fit in anywhere. Then something very strange happened, and this young woman was forced to face the unbelievable, the fantastic, the extreme. Alice fell down a rabbit hole, Parker…well, she fell somewhere else entirely.

Review: This is a hilarious not-quite-fusion of Leverage and The Wizard Of Oz in which Parker finds herself in Oz and she has to make her way to Emerald City. It plays fast and loose with Oz-canon, and in my opinion that just makes it better.


The Emerald City Job in one file on A03 | The Emerald City Job in multiple posts on LJ

Title: Full Circle
Fandom: Leverage/Psych/Stargate:Atlantis
Pairing:  Eliot Spencer/Shawn Spencer, various background pairings
Categories:  Crossover, Angst, Humor, Adventure, close to the end a bit of kid!fic
Length: 62,004 words
Warnings: Violence

Author on LJ:  neensz
Author Website:  N/A

Review: The Leverage Team takes a job in Santa Barbara and of course Shawn Spencer gets drawn in. He and Eliot get closer too each other, but then Eliot has to skip town when the job goes south. When Shawn disappears from Santa Barbara, Eliot is pulled out of hiding.

This is a fast-paced crossover, capturing both the humor and the action of Leverage and Psych. Throw in a more or less unexpected dash of Stargate and you've got a long read full of adventure and relationships and character-building that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Full Circle in one file on AO3 | Full Circle in multiple posts on LJ (according to the author the version on AO3 is a revised and edited one, this LJ one is unbeta'd)

Hello, I'm Veronica and I'll be reccing here from now on. I'm very pleased to meet you all.


Title: The Tin Man
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing:  Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer
Categories:  AU, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort
Length:  21.070 words
Warnings: dubious treatment of humans in the back story

Author on LJ:  gilascave
Author Website:  Gila's Cave
Summary: Eliot was created in a lab, a cybernetic soldier. Now he's trying to learn how to be human, finding a family and falling in love along the way.

Review: There's not a lot of long Leverage fic out there, and even less well written AUs but The Tin Man manages to capture what we've seen of Eliot in canon and takes it that little step further, so that you've got a captivating, beautiful story that is just long enough to satisfy you even though you wish it were longer.

And while the characterization of Eliot was what drew me into the story, the rest of the cast is also handled very well. There are a thousand little details - Hardison's almost stalker-ish behaviour towards his team mates, Parker's general weirdness and Sophie's and Nate's relationship - and that is what makes this one of my favorite fics in this fandom.


The Tin Man in one file on A03 | The Tin Man in multiple posts on LJ