Elementary: A Lopsided Symmetry of Sin and Virtue by language_escapes

[beatrice_otter]

Fandom: Joan/Sherlock
Characters/Pairings:
Rating: teen
Length: 25k
Author Links:  language_escapes 
Theme: character of color

Summary: "Joan thinks she should be less surprised by his sudden, “Watson, we’re getting married!” and yet, here she is, cooking her egg and trying not to be astonished." Infants are vanishing, and Sherlock and Joan go undercover as a married couple to find their kidnappers.

Reccer's Notes:  I much prefer Joan and Sherlock as friends rather than lovers, but I have to rec this story anyway, because it sold me on the idea of them as a couple, at least for the duration of the fic.  The case isn't bad, but mostly, it's a darn good take on the "undercover married" trope.

Story Links: A Lopsided Symmetry of Sin and Virtue

Static Shock/Smallville: According to Plan by Xparrot

[beatrice_otter]

Fandom: Static Shock/Smallville
Characters/Pairings: Robert Hawkins, Lex Luthor
Rating: teen
Length: 22,783 words
Author Links:
Theme: character of color

Summary: Having the world's number one supervillain in his office doesn't exactly make Robert Hawkins's day. And that's before they both get kidnapped...

Reccer's Notes: I recced a couple other Static Shock fics this month, and here's another great one. If you don't know the series, Virgil "Static" Hawkins is a (black) teen superhero, his best friend Richie "Gear" Foley is his sidekick, and his dad Robert Hawkins runs a community center in a town overrun with supervillains. Well. Supervillain-ish? Compared to Lex Luthor, they're kinda second-rate. So when Lex Luthor visits the community center, of course they want to try to impress him ...

I love this story, the twist on Lex, the way Robert is given a chance to shine, all of it. Even if you know nothing about the characters it's a fun story.

Story Links: According to Plan

Arrow: A-Team (Pumped-Up Kicks) by eternallyfate

[dirty_diana]

Fandom: Arrow
Characters/Pairings: John Diggle & Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak
Rating: PG
Length: 2m3s
Vidder Links: YouTube, fatedxdestiny
Theme: characters of colour, competence, families of choice

Summary: All the best moments of Team Arrow. Contains fast cuts and jerky special effects, no spoilers past the end of season one.

Reccer's Notes: This is a talky vid, which I'm not always into. But the lines from the show are well balanced with the music, and the angsty moments are balanced with humour, action and general teaminess. Just a lovely 2 minute reminder of why Team Arrow is so awesome that doesn't skimp on the Diggle moments in favour of the USS Olicity. (No, I love Olicity. I'm just saying.)

Vid Links: A-Team (Pumped-Up Kicks)

Torchwood: classical mechanics (or: it's the fall that's gonna kill you) by hyacinthian

[merryghoul]

Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Toshiko, Toshiko/Owen
Rating: R
Length: 9694 words
Author Links: hyacinthian, hyacinthian
Theme: Characters of Color, Female Characters

Summary: the lessons collected over a lifetime of mistakes, and the ways she doesn't learn from them.

Reccer's Notes: At first, this fic seems like it's only rehashing Tosh's appearances during the first two seasons of Torchwood. But while the canon actually hints at some of Tosh's abilities, hyacinthian fleshes some of Tosh's abilities and feelings towards her relationships out with her own headcanon.

Story Links: Part I on LJ, Part II on LJ, AO3

Torchwood: This is my letter to the World that never wrote to Me by sariagray

[merryghoul]

Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Suzie Costello
Rating: PG
Length: 2929 words
Author Links: sariagray, sariagray
Theme: Characters of Color, Female Characters, Minor Characters

Summary: Like most women, Suzie Costello was once just a little girl. This is her story.

Reccer's Notes: Originally Suzie was going to be a reoccurring villain on Torchwood. However, her actress, Indira Varma, was cast for the American TV series 3 lbs. (That show was quickly canceled after a few episodes.) Then she got pregnant around the time the second series of Torchwood was filming. By the time Russell T Davies decided to take Torchwood in different directions (first Children of Earth, then Miracle Day), it was too late to bring Suzie back as a villain. A pre-Miracle Day tie-in book aside, Suzie's last appearance in Torchwood was "They Keep Killing Suzie."

Long story short, because Indira Varma wasn't available to film the second series of Torchwood, no one really knows anything about her history or what became of her after Torchwood Three was destroyed in Children of Earth.

sariagray's story weaves in what we do know about Suzie through show canon, such as her love for Emily Dickinson poems, along with her idea of Suzie's history before Torchwood, and does it well. She's also sensitive to Varma's Indian heritage, never sensationalizing it for the sake of the story.

Story Links: LiveJournal, AO3

Hana Kimi (live action drama): Mickey by bunniqula [vid]

[meretricula]

Fandom: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (aka Hana Kimi), live action drama edition
Characters/Pairings: Nakatsu-->Mizuki, Sano/Mizuki
Rating: some dudes in skimpy swimsuits so maybe NSFW?
Length: 2:53
Creator Links: redina on LJ | redina on YT
Theme: characters of color, minor characters

Summary: Sometimes, the boy doesn't get the girl dressed as a boy; sometimes, he gets the boy dressed as a girl.

Reccer's Notes: Hana Kimi is a charming but absolutely bat-crazy canon to start with, and this vid perfectly encapsulates one of the most charming but bat-crazy characters of all: Nakatsu, who falls in love with his classmate Mizuki without realizing that she's actually a girl. (Spoiler alert for those who haven't read/watched Hana Kimi: he doesn't get the girl.) I know some people had issues with the presence of subtitles in the vid, but I kind of like them! I've actually never watched the drama series for Hana Kimi (I read the manga) so it helps me figure out what scenes are being referenced. YMMV!

Vid Links: Hey Mickey!

Lucky Number Slevin: Recessional by Loki [vid]

[meretricula]

Fandom: Lucky Number Slevin
Characters/Pairings: Slevin/Lindsey
Rating: some violence, some tasteful sex scenes... maybe teen?
Length: 3:35
Creator Links: graphicinmotion
Theme: characters of color, female characters

Summary: "And I never thought I would find her here."

Reccer's Notes: Slevin Kelevra would definitely die on a battlefield for Lucy Liu. I loved this movie, especially the unexpected love story between Slevin and the intrepid girl coroner next door, and this is a really great encapsulation of that storyline. I don't normally go for slow vids, but something about Vienna Teng is perfect for Lindsey. <3

Vid Links: Recessional

The Sentinel: His Sentinel’s Spirit by Escargoat

[magician113]

Fandom: The Sentinel
Pairing: Incacha/Jim Jim/Blair
Length: 1570 words
Author Links: at ASR3 archive
Theme: characters of color, minor character

Summary: In the episode "Warriors", Incacha, a shaman of the Chopec tribe Jim spent 18 months with when he was in the Army, comes to Cascade on a mission. He dies at the end of the episode, but passes on his shamanic legacy to Blair. It’s a very powerful scene that has fueled much speculation and Shaman!Blair fanfic . But what if modern medicine allowed Incacha to survive? Written for TS Give and Take challenge.

Reccer's Notes: I’ve not read a take like this anywhere in the fandom. Although the story is short, it’s jam-packed with tantalizing information about Jim’s time with the Chopec, Incacha’s skills and perceptions, and Blair’s future. It screams for a sequel, but alas there is none. Previously recced for "fork in the road AU".

Story Link: His Sentinel’s Spirit

The Sentinel: That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It by Rimilod

[magician113]

Fandom: The Sentinel
Characters: Simon Banks, Major Crime staff, Blair Sandburg
Rating: G
Length: 3K words
Author Links: at Wolfpup's Den Also writes under the pseud Dolimir at AO3
Theme: characters of color, minor characters

Summary: A staff meeting reveals the secret to Simon's managerial success.

Reccer's Notes: Too short to give more of a summary than that.

Story Links: That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It

Podfic: SPN/Buffy: Truth, Not Destiny by Fire-Juggler

[argentumlupine]

Fandom: Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairings: Missouri Moseley, Dawn Summers
Rating: PG
Length: 9 minutes
Author Links: fire_juggler
Theme: characters of color

Summary: Missouri Moseley knew hunters. Missouri Moseley knew hunting. Most of all Missouri Moseley knew being hunted.

Reccer's Notes: I love the idea of Missouri being a Slayer candidate who ran from the Watchers' Council until she "aged out," and the fic makes me believe it. But I have to rec the podfic because this is how I found the story and how I've always experienced it. Fire-Juggler's reading is wonderfully warm and clear, and she brings out every nuance and makes the story shine.

Podfic Link: Truth, Not Destiny

The Sentinel: Goodbye to Forever by Carole

[magician113]

Fandom: The Sentinel
Characters/Pairings: Simon Banks/Joan Banks
Rating: G
Length: 1200 words
Author Links: at Wolfpup's Den
Theme: characters of color, minor characters

Summary: In the episode "Night Train", Simon receives his divorce papers. This story gives us the background leading up to it.

Reccer's Notes: So often with cops, it's the demands of the job that contribute to a divorce. There's no new territory here--just the poignancy we feel for Simon and Joan.

Story Links: Goodbye to Forever

Leverage: Stay Up Late by Wyomingnot

[green_grrl]

Fandom: Leverage
Characters/Pairings: Hardison
Rating: G
Length: 3:00
Vidder Links: LJ vid tag
Theme: Characters of Color

Summary: Music by Talking Heads. (I originally felt a Hall and Oates song would be perfect for Hardison... but I had forgotten that notion by the time this one seized me.)

Reccer's Notes: Hardison is just … my One True Character. Cooler than everybody, okay? And this video makes me fall in love with him all over again. Every. Single. Time.

Story Links: Stay Up Late

Batman (Nolan movies): Backstage by yahtzee63

[green_grrl]

Fandom: Batman (Nolan movies)
Characters/Pairings: Lucius/Alfred
Rating: PG
Length: 4K words
Author Links: yahtzee63, Yahtzee's fic archive
Theme: Characters of Color

Summary: It's Alfred/Lucius! It's spoilery for the movie, and the backstory used for Alfred is the one Michael Caine invented for his character, which may or may not comport with any Bat-canon.

Reccer's Notes: I loved the Nolan Batman movies, but when it came to shipping, nothing onscreen grabbed me the way Lucius Fox and Alfred Pennyworth did. Wise, older gentlemen who had obviously seen and done a lot in their day. Their backstory was 95% implied in the movies, but Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine—they just radiated competence. Backstage is a lovely and very believable filling in of some of the details.

Story Links: Backstage

Losers: He Makes My Arm Strong by TheCyborgThatCould

[green_grrl]

Fandom: The Losers
Characters/Pairings: Cougar/Jensen pre-slash
Rating: R
Length: 8,086 words
Author Links: AO3
Theme: Characters of Color

Summary: This is a story about how a boy with a laugh like a meadowlark finds himself a sniper in the east end of nowhere, listening to the enemy break the brush line behind him and thinking that this might be the end.

And this is not a love story. But it could be.

Reccer's Notes: This is a rich portrait of Carlos "Cougar" Alvarez, who found a peace in violence that was a little too much for the small town Oklahoma he grew up in, and learned that the military was almost a place where he could channel it completely.

Story Links: He Makes My Arm Strong

Fanart: Pacific Rim: Tiny Mako by sakubow

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Pacific Rim
Pairings: Mako & Stacker
Rating: SFW
Artist Links: sakubow // sakubows
Theme: Characters of Color, Kidfic

Preview:

Reccer's Notes: The tags on the original post... *sob*

Art Links: @ Tumblr (reblog)

Fanart: Teen Wolf: They say it runs in the family by kendrawcandraw

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings: Deaton & Morrell
Rating: SFW
Artist Links: kendrawcandraw
Theme: Characters of Color, Minor Characters

Preview:

Reccer's Notes: I really like the style here. Magical and badass, just like the emissaries.

Art Links: @ Tumblr (reblog)

Fanart: Elementary: Clyde & Joan by chirravutever

[jerakeen]

Fandom: Elementary
Pairings: Joan, Clyde, Sherlock
Rating: SFW
Artist Links: chirravutever
Theme: Characters of Color

Preview:

Reccer's Notes: Not enough time left for me to rec any more of it, but you should totally check out the rest of chirravutever's Elementary fanart. It's the cutest.

Art Links: @ Tumblr (reblog)

Torchwood: Room to Breathe by _lullabelle_

[beatrice_otter]

Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Toshiko Sato
Rating: PG-13
Length: 3k
Author Links:  _lullabelle_ 
Theme: character of color, female characters

Summary: After her time in a UNIT cell, the world is Tosh's cage.

Reccer's Notes: Jack recruited Toshiko out of a nasty prison cell. This is rarely explored in fic, but this is the exception. This is a moving portrait of Tosh dealing with her issues and getting on with her life with Torchwood.

Story Links: Room to Breathe

Torchwood: They Still Write Poetry in the Fifty-First Century by golden_d

[beatrice_otter]

Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Toshiko Sato
Rating: G
Length: 2k
Author Links:  golden_d 
Theme: character of color, female character

Summary: “Today I looked out,” she reads, “and I saw my name among the stars.”

Reccer's Notes: After the last rec, I wanted a happier Tosh story. So here's one about Tosh picking up a side project just for fun. It's not really her area, but she enjoys it just the same. I like the insight about the way her mind works and it's great to see the Torchwood crew when the fate of the universe (or at least Cardiff) isn't resting on their shoulders.

Story Links:  They Still Write Poetry in the Fifty-First Century

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Neverland, by m'lyn

[beatrice_otter]

Fandom: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Characters/Pairings: Jen Yu
Rating: R-ish? Same as the movie
Length: 2:19
Author Links:  none known
Theme: character of color, female character

Summary: Jen Yu, her life and relationships.

Reccer's Notes: This is everything I loved about the movie, packed into a little over two minutes. The music is perfect and the clips are well chosen.

Vid Links: Neverland