Harry Potter: The Mysterious Miss Granger by Duniazade

[kerravonsen]

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger
Rating: PG
Length: 11281 words
Author Links: duniazade
Theme: Amnesia

Summary: It was a good enough life, until this strange girl turned up.

Reccer's Notes: I hadn't expected to like this, but this is so well written (the science, the point-of-view, the mystery) that it drew me in. I like how the author resists the urge to explain, while still giving enough hints for us not to be totally confused. And then, at the end, a happy ending.

Story Links: The Mysterious Miss Granger

Harry Potter: The Power of Suggestion by Leandra713

[kerravonsen]

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Rating: Teen
Length: 9056 words
Author Links: leandra713
Theme: Amnesia

Summary: Hermione suffers an accident and Severus must come to her rescue.

Reccer's Notes: Amnesia with a twist. Hermione wakes up in St. Mungos after an accident, but not everything is as it appears. This had very good characterisation of both Snape and Hermione. I really liked how plausibly this was constructed, and how the consequences worked out.

Story Links: The Power of Suggestion

Harry Potter: There Where I Can Never Find You by Shefa

[kerravonsen]

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Rating: Mature
Length: 28912 words
Author Links: shefa
Theme: Amnesia

Summary: You disappear into a moon lit night, and I imagine I might have seen you go if only I'd been paying attention.

Reccer's Notes: This is so well written. The present-tense gives it an immediacy as well as an uncertainty about how it will end. Sorrow and loss permeates this story like cold soaks through a rainy week. The images and words that begin each section are visual poetry. Yes, this is full of angst, but hope and love shine through like breaks in the cloud - and then the author pulls the rug from underneath us again. Sunlight and Moonlight, clouds and storms, the imagery weaves its way through the story. The characterisation of Snape and Hermione is what makes this even better; they are far from simple, and that complexity shines through even when memory is missing. The complexity and the love. This is a must-read.

Story Links: There Where I Can Never Find You

Vorkosigan series: Handle It, by valentinite

[stardreamer]

Fandom: Vorkosigan series
Characters/Pairings: Taura
Rating: Gen
Length: 1,411
Author Links: valentinite
Theme: Minor characters, Female characters

Summary: Taura has learned to improvise.

Reccer's Notes:
A rare look at Sgt. Taura as mission leader, with excellent characterization.

Story Links: On AO3

Bandom: Mostly Dead by tempore

[turlough]

Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Frank/Gerard/Mikey
Rating: R
Length: 22,850 words
Author Links: tempore / tempore / tempore
Theme: Mythical Creatures (vampires, zombies), Polyamory, Complete AUs (vampires & vampire hunters)

Summary: Frank and Mikey get turned into vampires and Frank's not sure he can deal with being a monster.

Reccer's Notes: A fun and entertaining Sixteen Candles 'verse AU with enough seriousness to make it a rewarding read. And the Frank characterisation is very nice.

Story Links: Mostly Dead (DW)

Bandom: Everyone's a Junkie by rivers_bend

[turlough]

Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Frank/Gerard
Rating: Explicit
Length: 3,010 words
Author Links: rivers_bend / rivers_bend
Theme: Etablished Relationship

Summary: Bondage, ball gags, and waxplay, oh my.

Reccer's Notes: The way Frank and Gerard's d/s relationship is written in this story is exactly the way I like it - mostly informal and with lots of love and caretaking. It really shows us how comfortable they are in their relationship. The Frank characterisation is also very nice. I love the way we're shown how the responsibility of being in charge is both scary and exhilarating to Frank.

Story Links: Everyone's a Junkie (AO3) or here (LJ)

Criminal Minds: Criminal Minds Opening, Friends Style, by externalthesis

[hagar_972]

Fandom: Criminal Minds
Characters/Pairings: all regulars (after Gideon, before Seaver), gen
Rating: unrated (G)
Length: 00:50
Author Links: externalthesis
Theme: fusion, comfortfic

Summary: Criminal Minds reimagined like the Friends opening title sequence

Reccer's Notes: "My show, done like Friends" is pretty much a meme. This is one of the more successful instances, in my opinion. Dark-and-gritty Criminal Minds is remarkably convincing as a sweet-and-goofy comedy, here.

Story Links: Criminal Minds Opening, Friends Style

Nikita (CW): She Walks Softly, But She Carries A Big Gun, by readthesubtext

[hagar_972]

Fandom: Nikita (CW)
Characters/Pairings: Nikita
Rating: unrated (probably T - nonstop violence, but no graphical injury depicted)
Length: 03:37
Author Links: readthesubtext
Theme: female characters

Summary: Nikita being a BAMF extraordinaire - yet another reason why this show is vying for co-ownership of my heart. Words cannot convey how much I adore Maggie Q. She does all of her own stunts and her hand-to-hand combat skills are awe-inspiring. Nikita's the Xena of our generation, and easily the most kick-ass female character on TV right now.

Reccer's Notes: From the first second of this video to the last, this is Maggie Q's Nikita kicking ass - empty handed, with knives, with improvised weapons and, yes, with guns. Including big guns. This is a whole lot of fun assuming you don't find the nonstop violence disturbing, and the editing is superb.

Story Links: She walks softly, but she carries a big gun.

Power Rangers: Revolution, by jenndubya

[hagar_972]

Fandom: Power Rangers
Characters/Pairings: Kat Hillard, Alyssa Enrile, Tori Hansen, Summer Landsdown
Rating: unrated (G or PG)
Length: 03:11
Author Links: jenndubya
Theme: female characters

Summary: What's better than one renaissance girl? Four renaissance girls!

Reccer's Notes: One of the lovely things about Power Rangers is that you are pretty much guaranteed at least one female character who is allowed to be girly (or just not defined by her fighting ability) while kicking ass per season; the four depicted in this vid are far from being the only ones. Watch as PR girls dance, surf, ride dirt bikes and go to college when they're not busy saving the world.

Story Links: Revolution on YouTube or AO3

Teen Wolf: Our Memories Are Numbered by rufflefeather

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings: Derek/Stiles
Rating: Explicit
Length: 23,100 words
Author Links: rufflefeather
Theme: Amnesia, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Stiles’ Jeep grinds to a halt, he sees someone running through the rain, he's not expecting it to be Derek. He's not expecting a Derek without any memories either, or an Alpha pack that's coming for all of them. He probably should've, because lately nothing goes the way he expects.

Reccer's Notes: There are a lot of fics where Derek gets amnesia, probably because his life has been so horrible until now and we want to give him a fresh start. This is a new one (posted yesterday!) and I really enjoyed the way it handled amnesiac!Derek. He wasn't completely OOC, but he didn't act like himself either. It's a more open Derek, driven by his instincts - and you can probably guess what they drive him towards?

Also, nice use of the alpha pack and Peter; and some brilliant artwork to go with the story.

Story Links: @ AO3

Teen Wolf: Winter of the Fall by asocialfauxpas (fuzzytomato)

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings: Derek/Stiles
Rating: Explicit
Length: 12,780 words
Author Links: fuzzytomato
Theme: Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Of course it couldn't be an ordinary cold snap. Of course there was something supernatural to it. That was just how things worked in Beacon Hills. (or five times Stiles was cold and one time he wasn’t.)

Reccer's Notes: This is a beautiful cuddling-for-warmth + monster-of-the-week fic. It's really delightful to read and you want it to go on forever.

Story Links: @ AO3

Sherlock (BBC): There's A First Time For Everything by Kate_Lear

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Pairings: John/Sherlock
Rating: Explicit
Length: 21,160 words
Author Links: kate_lear
Theme: Hurt/Comfort

Summary: A series of 'firsts' in Sherlock's life.

Reccer's Notes: John and Sherlock start sleeping together, and that should be that, but Sherlock is clueless about the most important things and they manage to get their wires crossed.

Story Links: @ AO3