Fandom: Star Wars: Andor
Pairings/Characters: ensemble
Rating: T
Length: 4:27
Creator Links: Oblivionblade
Theme: not hosted on AO3, fanvids

Summary: "Or perhaps you find my politics to be a bit strong for your taste." An hour after the Andor finale episodes came out, I wanted to make something focusing on the people of the Rebellion.

Reccer's Notes: I absolutely love how the tension is built throughout the vid. It really captures the spirit of Andor and the Rebellion. Amazing tribute <3

Fanwork Links: Andor || The Rebellion || For something real.

Fandom: Marvel Comics
Pairings/Characters: Clint Barton & Kate Bishop
Rating: T
Length: 1:52
Creator Links: absternr
Theme: not hosted on AO3, fanvids

Summary: A vid focused on Clint and Kate

Reccer's Notes: I'm always impressed with vidders that can take only still images from the comics and make a vid. It really focuses on Clint and Kate from from the Matt Fraction run of the comics, and their friendship where they are always helping each other, and because they aren't "superheros" as in they don't have powers they get hurt a lot and need that support. Also the song choice is inspired for this pair, and I love the over all message it gives.

Fanwork Links: YouTube

Fandom: Master and Commander
Pairings/Characters: Aubrey/Maturin
Rating: Mature
Length: 19k words
Creator Links: astolat, astolat 
Theme: not posted on AO3, pre-AO3, old fandoms, AU, small fandoms, marriage of convenience, kidfic (accidental baby), genderfuck, friends with benefits, friends to lovers, crack, crack treated seriously, AU

Summary: Jack and Stephen get married and have a baby. No, really.

Reccer's Notes: This is such a great fic. I love the worldbuilding, the way "a third of the population randomly changing sex" would affect the Napoleonic wars in general and Jack and Stephen in particular. I love the way both of them handle it in a way that is so true to each of them.

Astolat classifies this as "Master and Commander" but uses a TON of details from the books. You don't need to have read the books to understand the story.

As a fashion history nerd, I do have to note that Astolat is wrong about corsets on several levels. (One of which she noted in an endnote.) First, as she learned after she posted the story, a corset would have been at least as comfy as a modern bra. Second, they weren't called corsets in the Regency, they were called stays. Third, they actually DID have a garment that looked a lot like a modern bra; they were called short stays. Fourth, a lot of men wore stays in the period; it wouldn't strike Jack as a necessarily feminine thing. Men didn't need to worry about bust support (obviously), but stays also smooth the figure and make your clothes look less rumpled, and they provide back support, both of which some men needed or wanted.

Fanwork Links: Five: The World Turned Upside Down on Astolat's site. On AO3. Podfic.

Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Characters/Pairings: Teal'c, Jack, OC
Rating: PG-13
Length: 5k words
Creator Links:  Elysium
Theme: not on AO3, pre-AO3, outside perspective, gen, old fandoms

Summary: A test pilot, Teal'c, and a death glider. Need I say more?

Reccer's Notes: Early in SG-1, the team captured a couple of Death Gliders (Goa'uld fighter spacecraft) that were used as the basis for designing Earth's own space-capable fighters, the F-302s. But before they got to that part, they had to thoroughly study the captured Death Gliders. This is the story of Gavilan (a test pilot who thinks the craft was captured from the Russians, or maybe the Chinese) and Teal'c, taking the Glider for a spin. They're just supposed to be testing things out, but of course it never works out that easily. Which leaves Gavilan wondering: just who is Teal'c, and where the hell did the craft come from, anyway?

Fanwork Links: Gavilan

Fandom: Stargate : Atlantis
Character: Rodney McKay
Length: 23,665
Author Links: synecdochic synecdochic 
Theme: fandom classic, pre-AO3, future fic, AU, not on AO3, trauma & recovery, old fandoms, mentors and proteges, going home, gen, 

Summary: Because the meaning of life is "do the next thing", and we all carry the seeds of the past into our future. Futurefic, Rodney-centric.

Reccer's Notes: A lovely fic about finding a new way to live after you lose everything you care about.  synecdochic really captured Rodney's voice, but with an interesting take on how he might grow and change after all the things he experienced in Atlantis.

Story Link: Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose (on Synecdochic's website). Freedom's Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose (on AO3)

Fandom: La Femme Nikita
Pairings/Characters: Michael/Nikita
Rating: Explicit
Length: 10,552
Creator Links: Lila at the Split Personality Archive (Wayback Machine)
Theme: missing scene, not hosted on AO3, old fandoms, pre-ao3 works, small fandoms, snowed in

Summary: Michael and Nikita get stuck in a Norwegian cabin during white out blizzard conditions while returning from a mission. With Michael suffering a concussion and Nikita trying to maintain a distance, the weight of Nikita's future season 4 finale revelation looms menacingly as Michael makes an attempt to close the distance between them.

Reccer's Notes: This is one of my all time favorite stories. This is a late season 4 story so we are nearing the big reveal of the season 4 finale. The tension between Michael and Nikita is almost a third character. Michael knows that there's something wrong and Nikita is increasingly trying to minimize the hurt by pulling away from Michael. All this causes nothing but pain all around. Michael's attempt to connect with Nikita emotionally is heartbreaking in how useless it ultimately is. Everything has been set into motion and by submitting to Michael's sexual advances and his clear love for her, Nikita sinks further into self hatred. When I first started reading LFN fic this was exactly the type of season 4 story I was looking for. It checked off all the boxes. I cannot recommend this story enough. It's a wonderful piece of writing that I come back to again and again.

Fanwork Links:

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WORDS by LILA

Fandom: DC Comics
Pairings/Characters: ensemble
Rating: T
Length: 3:12
Creator Links: BeatriceEagle
Theme: not hosted on AO3, fanvids, multiverse people, canon alternate realities

Summary: "Are you going to age with grace?" The existential terror of DC's cosmic reboots.

Reccer's Notes: I imagine making a fanvid out of still images (comic panels) is incredibly difficult, and I think the creator does a wonderful job of it. The transitions, the fading images, the sequencing make the video feel very dynamic and fluid. I love how it all fits the lyrics, how every frame, panel, and combination of images feels intentional and purposeful, how it brings together so many different characters and storylines. Great fanvid <3

Fanwork Links: Oblivion Upon Us | DC Comics

Fandom: MCU
Pairings/Characters: Clint/Bucky
Rating: M
Length: 19:50 min
Creator Links: cookiemom6067 on the Internet Archive
Theme: not hosted on AO3, podfic, enemies to lovers 

Summary: Podfic of "remembrances ⊻ memoria", by jedusaur

The first time Clint gets assassinated by the Winter Soldier, he doesn't see it coming, which is quite a testament to the guy's skills. Clint dies all the time, but usually he's aware that it's happening. It's been decades since anyone caught him off-guard like this.

"Coward!" he yells down the dark alley he was ambushed from, as soon as his larynx is healed enough to function. "Get back here and murder me to my face!"

Reccer's Notes: Clint is immortal and Bucky, as the Winter Solider, keeps killing him over and over again.  I love how this story progresses.  In the beginning it's just Clint dying over and over again, being pissed about it, then trying to figure what is going on, but then it shifts, and by the end it is lovely.  The podficer does a good job with the reading, well worth the listen. 

Fanwork Links: Internet Archive

Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Potter Series
Pairings/Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Phineas Nigellus Black, Original Characters
Rating: K
Length: 27,071
Creator Links: Pavonis Mons
Theme: not hosted on ao3, pre-AO3 works, casefic, crossovers/fusions

Summary: A Sherlock Holmes mystery set in Victorian Hogwarts. A valuable artefact has been stolen from Hogwarts School, with a Muggle student the only suspect, and Headmaster Black summons Holmes to retrieve it. But the case is not as clear cut as it first appears

Reccer's Notes: This is definitely a story to be consumed in a toasty, comfortable spot, ideally with a pot of tea or a mug of strong coffee. From the beginning you feel as if you are beginning one of Doyle's canonical tales, which just happens to include a portrait of Hogwarts and its inhabitants during the late Victorian period. Without spoiling too much, human and wizard relations are addressed throughout. Includes delightful minor OCs, who are vibrant, even if they are onstage only for a moment.

Fanwork Links: Sherlock Holmes and the Ravenclaw Codex

Fandom: Agent Carter (TV)
Characters/Pairings: Peggy Carter & Jack Thompson
Rating: Teen
Length: 400 words
Creator Links: sholio on Dreamwidth, sholiofic on Tumblr, Sholio on Fanfiction dot net, Sholio on AO3
Theme: not hosted on ao3, humor, female characters, no canon required

Summary: Do you need one beyond Peggy Carter + Unconventional Weapons?

Reccer’s Notes: Excellent use of “describe something that happened offstage and let the audience imagine how wild it was,” otherwise known as a Noodle Incident.

Content Notes: No actual violence described in the fic. Thompson is not a jerk to Peggy, only as exasperated as any superior officer would be.

Fanwork Links: Unconventional Weapons on Dreamwidth – Unconventional Weapons on Tumblr

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors, other Boston Raider team members, OCs
Rating: Explicit
Length: approx. 5 hours (fic is 52,765)
Content Notes: No AO3-type warnings apply. Post-apocalyptic: other than Ilya, all Shane's people have almost definitely died, and probably Svetlana.
Creator Links: idiopathicsmile on AO3, klb on Internet Archive
Themes: Not hosted on AO3, AU: fork in the road, Getting back together, Post apocalypse, Hurt/comfort, Angst with a happy ending, Pining, Worldbuilding, Canon LGBTQ+characters

Summary: The Boston Raiders are making decent time heading up into Michigan when one of the horses almost breaks an ankle on what’s left of the road.

A highly lethal—and highly contagious—virus has swept across the planet, taking down the power grid, toppling society, and leaving behind only a tiny fraction of the population. For a while, it seems like everything is over. This is not the case.

Or: The world ends. Shane Hollander starts playing for Boston. Yes, in that order.

Reccer's Notes: I've planned to rec this for a while and the final chapter of the podfic was posted today. This is a gripping, long, post-apocalyptic AU told from Ilya's POV and inspired by Station 11, i.e. it's post-apocalyptic after a flu-like pandemic. The Boston Raiders somehow survive and become a traveling troop of hockey players, entertaining scattered settlements with hockey matches in exchange for food and supplies. Near the fic's start, in heavily forested northern Michigan, they encounter Shane, half-starved, fevered, surviving alone with a hunting bow. There's not much space, so he moves into Ilya's trailer. The writing is excellent, and klb's reading is exceptional and adds to the experience. The story is both about the altered world itself, and about Shane and Ilya gradually coming back to each other despite old hurts, more recent traumas, and their fears. There are Dom/sub elements to their relationship as in canon, although that's not the main theme. Marvellous worldbuilding, and both fic and podfic are very much recommended - this is one I'll come back to again and again.

Fanwork Links:
Dawn in the Altered World (podfic)
Dawn in the Altered World (fic on AO3)

Fandom: MASH
Pairings/Characters: Hawkeye Pierce/Margaret Houlihan (eventual and minor), B.J. Hunnicutt, Sherman T. Potter, Sidney Freedman, Syn Paik
Rating: T
Length: 81,768
Creator Links: Mariole
Theme: not hosted on AO3, pre-AO3 works, friendship, just like canon, old fandoms

Summary: Hawkeye disappears after his aid station is overrun. Alternate ending to "Where There's a Will." Warning: Some intense situations.

Reccer's Notes: The voices of the characters as well as the balance of humour, drama, and tragedy reflect the TV series so well. Mariole's depiction of grief for a missing person is so honest and raw I cried during the memorial.

Content notes that are also spoilers:

Spoilers ahoy

Hawkeye is taken prisoner by members of the North Korean army, going through traumatic experiences. References to minor character rape, death, and injury. Canon-typical references to injuries and medical care. Depiction of life as a prisoner of war. Once the mystery surrounding Hawkeye's disappearance begins to unravel, the POV switches from BJ and Margaret to primarily Hawkeye.

Fanwork Links: Missing Hawk

Fandom: Original Work
Characters/Pairings: NASA Employee/Astronaut
Rating: PG
Length: 1,688 words
Creator Links: Moose, You're Not An Apple/dontlistentothemmoose on Tumblr
Theme: not hosted on ao3, first time

Summary: nasa employee: oh hey u guys are back early
astronaut: moon's stuck in a time loop.
nasa employee: what?
astronaut: *loading a pistol and getting back on the rocket-ship* moon’s stuck in a time loop.

Reccer's Notes:
I read this early after it came out in 2023, and was so enamored by it that I completely lost it in a refresh and spent days trying to find it again.

It's one of the most unique things that I've ever found on Tumblr, and I don't know how to explain it other than the moom is stuck in a timeloop, and an astronaut comes back to Earth to try and fix it. And makes a love connection on the way.

It's kind of silly, but it's amazing at the same time. And it's on Tumblr!

Fanwork Links: Fic on Tumblr.

Fandom: Sports Night
Characters/Pairings: Dan Rydell/Casey McCall, Dana Whitaker, Kim, Elliot, Dave, Chris, Isaac Jaffe, Natalie Hurley, Jeremy Goodwin
Rating: Mature
Length: 20,839
Creator Links: Not Available/Unknown
Theme: not hosted on ao3, first time

Summary: Casey McCall was never going to get his damned script finished if
people didn't leave him the hell alone.

It never failed. He could make it unscathed from the elevator,
through the maelstrom, into the sanctum he shared with his best
friend Dan Rydell, and no one would need his attention for anything
more complicated than a 'hi'. Until the instant he sat down and
started writing.

Reccer's Notes:
Do you remember your first fic that you read and your mind kind of exploded with the possibilities? Well this is mine.

While I was into X-Files and The Sentinel, I got into Sports Night about a decade after it went off the air. And when I joined LiveJournal and found the Sports Night/Aaron Sorkin community, someone kindly passed me what's called "The Sports Night ZIP File" which, as the name implies, was a zip file that people used to send back and forth to new people back in the day.

Well, back in 2010, that ZIP file made its home on SquidgeWorld and stories were archived on to SqWA because DropBox, who hosted the zip file could not guarantee that the original file wouldn't be lost.

This fic is part of tha ZIP file. And it tells the story - mostly via dialogue, because Sports Night is a very heavy dialogue series - of how Casey McCall told Dan the wrong information about his flight home, and narrowly avoided being in a plane crash thanks to the wrong information. And Dan and Casey's relationship just goes from there.

I will admit, I haven't read this fic in probably a couple of yeas. But just the memories of it bring me joy. I hope it brings others joy as well.

Fanwork Links: Fic on SquidgeWorld.

Fandom: The Pitt
Characters/Pairings: Michael "Robby" Robinavitch/Dennis Whitaker, Trinity Santos
Rating: Mature
Length: 0 words (it's all images)
Creator Links: audentes on SqWA
Theme: not hosted on ao3, first time

Summary: In the ER, it's a common joke that not even HR has Robby's phone number. Before he goes on sabbatical, Robby hands Dennis 10 digits scrawled on a post-it note. For emergencies.

Reccer's Notes:
I know that I originally read this on AO3, but a lot of authors have crossposted their works to SquidgeWorld - like this author. And while this isn't a traditional fic, being 0 words and all images, it still packs a bit of a punch! You get to watch Dennis being shy at first, unsure about contacting Robby during his sabbatical, and then watch as the two become close the more they chat. The Mature rating is mostly for language, though there is a suggestive picture at the end of the work.

I've read a few "texting" based fics, and this is one of my favorites. As for the true length, it can't more than 1,000 words.

Fanwork Links: Fic on SquidgeWorld.

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Harry, Harry’s adoptive mum and dad (OCs), Sirius, Remus, usual cast of characters once Harry goes to Hogwarts; some Sirius/Remus
Rating: Teen
Length: Main (not!)fic is 48k words, plus a bunch of snippets in response to tumblr asks
Creator Links: nonasuch on tumblr, hollimichele on AO3
Theme: not hosted on AO3, comfort fic, humor, just plain fun

Summary: “I’m not a reverse werewolf either,” says the man. “I’m your godfather.”

Reccer’s Notes: AU of Philosopher’s Stone where the Dursleys give Harry up for adoption, so he grows up happy and loved and with a magical godfather disguised as a weirdly clever dog.

I love this so much.

Harry grows up loved and not abused. Sirius and Remus get to start healing from their trauma in 1986-7, instead of never. Ron gets to visit Harry’s family for Christmas. People write each other letters talking about the books they’re reading.

This is a comfort fic for me because, while the Voldemort/Death Eaters situation is still bad, the characters are loving and taking care of each other and doing as well as possible. (And isn’t that a little on the nose.)

Also, the bit when Harry learns his dog can transform into a human is hilarious while conveying exactly how astonished Harry is:

“Padfoot, who is now a human person”
“The man, who was very recently a dog”
“Just sits down at Harry’s kitchen table like he wasn’t a dog a minute ago”

:D

___

Published in not!fic format on Tumblr, then in fic format with very few changes on AO3.

Content Notes: past character death (similar to canon), adoptive family, South Asian-British Harry Potter, not!fic format on Tumblr, minor references to Harry’s adoptive mum Caro being estranged from her family due to reality-typical racism/politics

Fanwork Links: the dogfather master post on Tumblr – the dogfather on AO3

Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairings/Characters: Boromir, Original Characters, Denethor, Faramir, Gandalf, Eowyn, Aragorn
Rating: T
Length: 522,949
Creator Links: Osheen Nevoy
Theme: not hosted on AO3, fix-it, friendship, family, cultural differences, going home, mythical creatures, minor characters, action/adventure, courtship

Summary: Boromir awakens from his death and finds himself in an unexpected situation. Basically book universe with some AU bits, but inspired by Sean Bean.

Reccer's Notes: Epic fix-it on the evergreen theme of "Boromir Lives" with the added bonus of a terrific main original character and well-drawn minor OCs. This reckons with the political challenges of Bormoir's return and demonstrates how people can be on the same side and respect each other without necessarily liking each other.

Content notes that are also spoilers: (skip) One major canonical character dies, but the death is much different than it was in canon. Most of this work can be considered gen, but there is a pair of simultaneous het courtships closer to the end that do not succeed. Canon-typical violence, illness, and injury.

Fanwork Links: Boromir's Return

Fandom: The Hunger Games (films)
Pairings/Characters: Katniss/Peeta
Rating: T
Length: 4:28
Creator Links: dylanb
Theme: not hosted on AO3, fanvids

Summary: Vidder's summary: just a girl with a dusty film degree, digital copies of the hunger games movies, and a dream.

Peeta & Katniss + Francesca by Hozier

the people want a full song fanvid for these two so who am I to deny them?

Reccer's Notes: First off the song choice for this pairing is inspired! Also, the choice of clips and how they are put together is fantastic. The first part of the vid seems like Peeta's POV and then we switch to Katniss. It really shows the parallels between the scenes in all four films. It is wonderfully put together, and will remind you of the beauty and the pain that is the original Hunger Games.

Fanwork Links: YouTube

Fandom: Persona 5
Pairings/Characters: Polythieves (including Goro and Sumi), Shiho, Newspaper Club Member, Sae
Rating: Teen
Length: 145,875 words
Creator Links: minkhollow on SquidgeWorld, minkhowllow on AO3
Theme: not hosted on ao3, battle couple, character development, characters of color, competence, enemies to friends (to lovers), enemies to lovers, epic works, families of choice, female characters, female relationships, femslash, fix-it, happy endings, heists & capers, minor characters, novel-length fic, plotty fic, polyamory, rare pairings, secret identities, teams, time travel, time travel fix-it, trauma & recovery, women being awesome, working together

Summary: After reaching the Holy Grail and being kicked out of Mementos, the Phantom Thieves find themselves back in April, starting the game anew. Of course, they're not going to just sit there and do the exact same things over again.

Reccer's Notes: A really, really good Persona 5 Time Travel/New Game Plus fic with the twist that the characters are going from the vanilla game to Royal, which eventually leads to some major deviations from Royal's storyline. It also takes the newspaper club member - a really minor NPC from the original game - and makes her an interesting and fleshed-out character

Content notes are at the start of each chapter

Fanwork Links:
we're not the same (we're different tonight) on SquidgeWorld,
we're not the same (we're different tonight) on AO3

(need a fandom: persona 5 tag, please!)

Fandom: La Femme Nikita
Pairings/Characters: Michael/Nikita
Rating: PG
Length: 2,211
Creator Links: Kadyn at the Split Personality Archive (Wayback Machine)
Theme: backstory, character development, friendship, missing scene, not hosted on AO3, old fandoms, pre-ao3 works, small fandoms

Summary: Michael and Nikita go for coffee; post 'Gates of Hell

Reccer's Notes: This story captures Michael at such a raw time, and it does such a wonderful job at creating a sense of quiet resignation mixed in with Nikita's steadfast compassion. When the 'Gates of Hell' ends, Michael is functional but he's not healed, not by a long shot. Here, Nikita is determined to connect with Michael and offer him her support in his time of need. However, even she realizes that the mystery that is Michael can make that difficult. The show's most compelling themes are showcased so effectively. It weaves between the sublimated desire between Michael and Nikita, the oppressive control that Section wields over its operatives, and the price of hope against a bleak backdrop. There isn't a single extraneous line in this story. Every sentence serves an important purpose. Read this story. You won't regret it.

Fanwork Links:

COFFEE BREAK by KADYN