Fic Recs

Lost and Found by ELG; Buffyverse; Wesley-centric gen; Adult; warnings for rape and torture
I really, really love this story. It's been months since I read it, so my rec will likely not do the story justice. After Wesley loses Connor and Angel tries to kill him, he attempts a spell to send him back in time and stop himself from making that terrible mistake. Instead, he ends up in an alternate dimension where the people he cares about most torture him unspeakably. The story begins with a very pissed off Angel finding a half-dead Wesley on the steps of the Hyperion, and follows Wesley's journey back into the fold. Very, very emotionally satisfying read; wonderful h/c.

So What by LadyArachnea; Voyager vid; Janeway
The quality of the footage is not always great on this vid, but I adore its message. The song begins, "a thousand eyes are watching," set to footage of Kirk and Archer and Picard, and then the vidder shows us just exactly how Janeway flips the script around. Nice girl power vid.

Convergence by Nokomis; HP; Millicent Bulstrode/Neville; G
I really like that in this short fic, Millicent and Neville find a bit of common ground. If JKR had made the Slytherins actual people instead of evil caricatures, they might be a little like this Millicent.

Forget by cjmarlowe; HP; Snape/Neville; PG-13; mediumish
Snape/Neville is probably the least likely pairing to emerge from HP, but this is a Snape/Neville that I can believe. After the war is over, Neville is harder and angrier and just as bitter as Snape ever was, and Snape finds himself intrigued. I like fics that acknowledge that people, especially children, can't just kill and watch others be killed and tortured and come away from that experience unscathed.

What Separates Us by swtalmnd; HP; Draco/Harry; Adult; long; references to sexual abuse of children (all off-screen)
This is an Old Skool HP Draco/Harry romance. Harry makes a mistake in potions class that creates a kind of bond between him and Draco; romance ensues. The Slytherins here are also more finely and realistically drawn than in canon. They don't want to die or follow Voldemort, and Draco is their leader. This is essentially fluffy and fun with very little angst (despite the warning).

And Also Laughter by swtalmnd; HP; Remus/Weasley twins; Adult; long
I like the way this author writes the Weasley twins as a package deal. Here, they collectively want Remus, but are afraid that his discovery of the nature of their relationship has damaged even their friendship, much less destroyed any chance of a threesome. Much of this show takes place in the joke shop, and I really like this closer look at how the shop runs and the kind of items it sells.

Because It Is My Heart by magnetic_pole; HP; Petunia Dursley/Alice Longbottom; medium; PG-13
This is an intriguing little story. What if Petunia and Alice met while Lily was at school? What if they fell in love? This follows canon in some respects and diverges in others. The end of this story is completely and wonderfully ambiguous; I don't want to say too much and spoil the story, but I love that the author isn't really clear about what's going on. It's a strangely hopeful and liberating ending, considering.

The Death of Narcissa Black by massicot; HP; Gen; Adult for images of violence and sex
This is truly unique and beautifully done. It's the story of how Narcissa Black becomes Narcissa Malfoy, mostly told in gorgeous watercolor. I love that Narcissa Black is both exactly who we think she should be based on canon and also so so so much more. This is a harsh and painful story, and the end hurts.