Dark Shadows: Blood Levy by Susan Rains/Carey Kasdot
Fandom: Dark Shadows
Pairings/Characters: Barnabas Collins, Roger Collins, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Angelique Bouchard Collins, Elliot Stokes, Julia Hoffman, David Collins, Hallie Stokes, Maggie Evans, Willie Loomis
Fanwork Links:
Blood Levy (Dark Shadows 1971) Book 3 - Chapter 1 - Carey Kasdot (SusanRains) - Dark Shadows (1966) [Archive of Our Own]
Pairings/Characters: Barnabas Collins, Roger Collins, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Angelique Bouchard Collins, Elliot Stokes, Julia Hoffman, David Collins, Hallie Stokes, Maggie Evans, Willie Loomis
Theme: Mystery & Suspense
Summary: Four strangers converge on Collinsport. But maybe one of them is coming home.
The vicious killing of two young boys has Barnabas convinced that a vampire preys upon Collinsport. His suspects are four newcomers: three strangers, and an enemy from his own past, long believed dead.Summary: Four strangers converge on Collinsport. But maybe one of them is coming home.
Reccer's Notes: Though it may be read separately without much fuss, this fic follows Lunatic Yarn, recc'd a few days ago. Blood Levy details the goings on of the ever-put-upon Collins family as they struggle to maintain their reputation while wringing a little love and enjoyment out of ~Life. It's a fine mystery using all the familiar TV show performers, the main ones in their regular roles, while various supporting performers Author has envisioned as original characters. Beginning with sudden action, continuing in an eerie atmosphere, well, could we expect anything else?
Blood Levy (Dark Shadows 1971) Book 3 - Chapter 1 - Carey Kasdot (SusanRains) - Dark Shadows (1966) [Archive of Our Own]
kingstoken (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kingstoken) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fancake2025-11-01 08:47 pm
kingstoken) wrote in fancake2025-11-01 08:47 pmSherlock Holmes: Bad Dog by Unpainted Canvas
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (tagged both books and Granada)
Pairings/Characters: Holmes/Watson
Rating: T
Length: 11,539 words
Creator Links: Unpainted Canvas (RatTale)
Theme: mystery & suspense, casefic
Summary: During a hard case Holmes and Watson part ways after an argument, and now Holmes suddenly has more to worry about than missing children.
Reccer's Notes: After they have a terrible row, Watson is kidnapped by bad guys to prevent Holmes from pursuing a case. The entire story is from Holmes POV, and there is a lot of worry and tension as Holmes tries to solve the disappearance of his friend. It's a good casefic, as well as the circumstances leading to realization of feelings by Holmes.
Fanwork Links: AO3
Pairings/Characters: Holmes/Watson
Rating: T
Length: 11,539 words
Creator Links: Unpainted Canvas (RatTale)
Theme: mystery & suspense, casefic
Summary: During a hard case Holmes and Watson part ways after an argument, and now Holmes suddenly has more to worry about than missing children.
Reccer's Notes: After they have a terrible row, Watson is kidnapped by bad guys to prevent Holmes from pursuing a case. The entire story is from Holmes POV, and there is a lot of worry and tension as Holmes tries to solve the disappearance of his friend. It's a good casefic, as well as the circumstances leading to realization of feelings by Holmes.
Fanwork Links: AO3
Punk (runpunkrun) wrote in fancake2025-11-01 09:49 am
runpunkrun) wrote in fancake2025-11-01 09:49 amEntry tags:
Round 180: Mystery & Suspense
Spooky season's not over yet because our theme for November is mystery & suspense!
The tag for this round is: theme: mystery & suspense
If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.
( Rules! )
( Posting Template! )
( Promote this round! )
Dark Shadows: The Lunatic Yarn by Susan Rains/Carey Kasdot
Fandom: Dark Shadows
Pairings/Characters: Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, Elliot Stokes, David Collins, Elizabeth Collins, Roger Collins, Angelique Bouchard Collins, Harry Johnson, Willie Loomis, Maggie Evans
Rating: T
Length: 37,304
Creator Links: archiveofourown.org/users/SusanRains/pseuds/Carey%20Kasdot
Theme: Uncommon settings
Summary: A dumbwaiter system found in the house unleashes a baffling illness which turns pleasant friends into infatuated screwballs. Meanwhile, games with the dumbwaiter bring Hallie and David nights of terror. With the addition of an afghan that roams the house at will and a houseguest no one wants, Collinwood hits the height of mayhem.
Reccer's Notes: You'd be pretty hard put to discover a stranger, more unsettling setting than a dumbwaiter in which an intrepid soul or two ventures to travel. Add to this Halloween rec the inimitable spookiness of the great estate of Collinwood and you've discovered a delightful read with stellar characterizations and the usual undercurrent of Things Unseen in the fandom.
Fanwork Links: The Lunatic Yarn (Dark Shadows 1971) Book 2 - Carey Kasdot (SusanRains) - Dark Shadows (1966) [Archive of Our Own]
Pairings/Characters: Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, Elliot Stokes, David Collins, Elizabeth Collins, Roger Collins, Angelique Bouchard Collins, Harry Johnson, Willie Loomis, Maggie Evans
Rating: T
Length: 37,304
Creator Links: archiveofourown.org/users/SusanRains/pseuds/Carey%20Kasdot
Theme: Uncommon settings
Summary: A dumbwaiter system found in the house unleashes a baffling illness which turns pleasant friends into infatuated screwballs. Meanwhile, games with the dumbwaiter bring Hallie and David nights of terror. With the addition of an afghan that roams the house at will and a houseguest no one wants, Collinwood hits the height of mayhem.
Reccer's Notes: You'd be pretty hard put to discover a stranger, more unsettling setting than a dumbwaiter in which an intrepid soul or two ventures to travel. Add to this Halloween rec the inimitable spookiness of the great estate of Collinwood and you've discovered a delightful read with stellar characterizations and the usual undercurrent of Things Unseen in the fandom.
Fanwork Links: The Lunatic Yarn (Dark Shadows 1971) Book 2 - Carey Kasdot (SusanRains) - Dark Shadows (1966) [Archive of Our Own]
full_metal_ox (full_metal_ox) wrote in fancake2025-10-31 06:22 pm
full_metal_ox) wrote in fancake2025-10-31 06:22 pmEntry tags:
- fandom: chen qing ling (the untamed),
- fandom: mo dao zu shi,
- length: 80.000 & more words,
- theme: canon lgbtq+ characters,
- theme: casefic,
- theme: cops & crime,
- theme: fandom classics,
- theme: hurt/comfort,
- theme: mystery & suspense,
- theme: novel-length fic,
- theme: psychic powers,
- theme: uncommon settings,
- theme: urban fantasy,
- theme: worldbuilding
Mo Dao Zu Shi, Chen Qing Ling: medium blues, by darkterrible; art by Mojoflower.
Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: M/M; Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, Wen Qing, and others.
Rating: Explicit
Length: 193,252
Content Notes: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, animal death, body horror, bullying, conspiracy, domestic violence, Scenery Porn, Scenery Gorn, Smut
Creator Tags: Horror, Spooky, Opposites Attract, Fluff and Angst, Gore, Ghosts, Necromancy
Creator Links: (AO3)![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
darkterrible; (Threads) tucsonodd; (Twitter) ![[twitter.com profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
darkterrible666
Theme: Uncommon Settings, Casefic, Canon LGBTQ+ Characters, Cops & Crime, Fandom Classics, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery & Suspense, Novel-Length Fic, Psychic Powers, Uncommon Settings, Urban Fantasy, Worldbuilding
Summary: Wei Wuxian can see the dead. Weird happenings ensue.
Author’s Notes: I really struggled with putting this back up again (sorry I know I'm a flake) I have a love/hate relationship with it. But here it is.
This is a repost (it's all over the internet in various formats and languages) but it is mine.
I wrote this a looong time ago, before I really had a GREAT understanding of the naming conventions used in the untamed. Some of it might be incorrect.
Reccer's Notes:: Although November’s Mystery & Suspense theme would apply, I’m using Uncommon Settings to shoehorn in this beloved modern-with-magic paranoir fic in time for Halloween; the intrigue-haunted waterfront city of Lotus, patterned after Venice, is very much a character in its own right. (Note that, despite the geographical inspiration, nobody seems to have been whitewashed.)
medium blues has a history as cryptic and elusive as its subject matter: for various reasons (including having been targeted in the fandom’s 2020 cyberbullying scandal) the author—along with this fic—has periodically vanished and resurfaced under a succession of pseudonyms.
Here are the author’s original summary and tags:
( Continue. )
Fanwork Links: medium blues, bydarkterrible.
(Wayback Machine): https://web.archive.org/web/20220625040644/https://archiveofourown.org/works/39589791?view_adult=true&view_full_work=true
(Archive.today): https://archive.ph/cJARF
Frontispiece by![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
mojoflower, from her review on wangxianficrecs: https://wangxianficrecs.tumblr.com/post/643044937390325760/medium-blues-by-darkandterrible-e
Pairings/Characters: M/M; Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, Wen Qing, and others.
Rating: Explicit
Length: 193,252
Content Notes: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, animal death, body horror, bullying, conspiracy, domestic violence, Scenery Porn, Scenery Gorn, Smut
Creator Tags: Horror, Spooky, Opposites Attract, Fluff and Angst, Gore, Ghosts, Necromancy
Creator Links: (AO3)
Theme: Uncommon Settings, Casefic, Canon LGBTQ+ Characters, Cops & Crime, Fandom Classics, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery & Suspense, Novel-Length Fic, Psychic Powers, Uncommon Settings, Urban Fantasy, Worldbuilding
Summary: Wei Wuxian can see the dead. Weird happenings ensue.
Author’s Notes: I really struggled with putting this back up again (sorry I know I'm a flake) I have a love/hate relationship with it. But here it is.
This is a repost (it's all over the internet in various formats and languages) but it is mine.
I wrote this a looong time ago, before I really had a GREAT understanding of the naming conventions used in the untamed. Some of it might be incorrect.
Reccer's Notes:: Although November’s Mystery & Suspense theme would apply, I’m using Uncommon Settings to shoehorn in this beloved modern-with-magic paranoir fic in time for Halloween; the intrigue-haunted waterfront city of Lotus, patterned after Venice, is very much a character in its own right. (Note that, despite the geographical inspiration, nobody seems to have been whitewashed.)
medium blues has a history as cryptic and elusive as its subject matter: for various reasons (including having been targeted in the fandom’s 2020 cyberbullying scandal) the author—along with this fic—has periodically vanished and resurfaced under a succession of pseudonyms.
Here are the author’s original summary and tags:
( Continue. )
Fanwork Links: medium blues, by
(Wayback Machine): https://web.archive.org/web/20220625040644/https://archiveofourown.org/works/39589791?view_adult=true&view_full_work=true
(Archive.today): https://archive.ph/cJARF
Frontispiece by
due South: Academic Punk by thehoyden
Fandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Diefenbaker, Victoria Metcalfe, original characters
Rating: Explicit
Length: 19,093
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings
Creator Links: thehoyden on AO3, luzula on the Audiofic Archive
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friends to lovers, First time, Working together, Complete AU: academia
Summary: "What the hell is this, an Austen novel?"
Reccer's Notes: Complete AUs are unusual in due South, and this is that rarity, a dS AU set in academia. Fraser is a new professor, looked down on by his colleagues as he's from the University of Guelph, and only Ray Kowalski, a punky, nonconformist professor, befriends him. They both have offices on the unpopular top floor (Fraser as he's bottom of the pecking order, and Ray as he likes to get away from the rest of the department), which helps kickstart their friendship. The story is about the highs and lows of academic life and there are some great sections showing Ray's unconventional teaching style which the students love, and Fraser's more traditional, but solid, approach. There's academic politics and also drama with the return of Victoria, Fraser's ex and his academic rival. It's about character development, and about Fraser and Ray's friendship which blossoms gradually into much, much more. The fic's beautifully written, and an extremely good read - highly recommended.
Fanwork Links: Academic Punk on AO3, and the excellent podfic by luzula is here
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Diefenbaker, Victoria Metcalfe, original characters
Rating: Explicit
Length: 19,093
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings
Creator Links: thehoyden on AO3, luzula on the Audiofic Archive
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friends to lovers, First time, Working together, Complete AU: academia
Summary: "What the hell is this, an Austen novel?"
Reccer's Notes: Complete AUs are unusual in due South, and this is that rarity, a dS AU set in academia. Fraser is a new professor, looked down on by his colleagues as he's from the University of Guelph, and only Ray Kowalski, a punky, nonconformist professor, befriends him. They both have offices on the unpopular top floor (Fraser as he's bottom of the pecking order, and Ray as he likes to get away from the rest of the department), which helps kickstart their friendship. The story is about the highs and lows of academic life and there are some great sections showing Ray's unconventional teaching style which the students love, and Fraser's more traditional, but solid, approach. There's academic politics and also drama with the return of Victoria, Fraser's ex and his academic rival. It's about character development, and about Fraser and Ray's friendship which blossoms gradually into much, much more. The fic's beautifully written, and an extremely good read - highly recommended.
Fanwork Links: Academic Punk on AO3, and the excellent podfic by luzula is here
Hamlet: Rosemary for Remembrance by Gehayi
Fandom: Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
Pairings/Characters: Ophelia, Hamlet, Laertes, Polonious, Claudius (genderflipped to Claudia), Gertrude, Fortinbras, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (genderflipped to Rosie and Goldie), Claudia/Gertrude
Rating: Teen
Length: 11,174
Creator Links: AO3 profile.
Themes: Uncommon Settings, IN SPACE, Murder Mystery, Alternate Ending
Summary: Hamlet in space, starring sensible and heroic Ophelia, genderswapped Claudius, clones Rosencrantz and Guilderstern and alien Fortinbras. (Alas, there are no sharks in space riding motorcycles, nor is there a time machine.) (Taken from AO3)
Reccer's notes: This is just an extremely well-done sci-fi take on the classic play, with Ophelia as the protagonist. I really enjoy the species changes to certain characters, and the way the author plays with the well-known story beats to create something unique. The author's notes at the end also have some interesting insights into the writing choices they made.
Fanwork links: Rosemary for Remembrance
Pairings/Characters: Ophelia, Hamlet, Laertes, Polonious, Claudius (genderflipped to Claudia), Gertrude, Fortinbras, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (genderflipped to Rosie and Goldie), Claudia/Gertrude
Rating: Teen
Length: 11,174
Creator Links: AO3 profile.
Themes: Uncommon Settings, IN SPACE, Murder Mystery, Alternate Ending
Summary: Hamlet in space, starring sensible and heroic Ophelia, genderswapped Claudius, clones Rosencrantz and Guilderstern and alien Fortinbras. (Alas, there are no sharks in space riding motorcycles, nor is there a time machine.) (Taken from AO3)
Reccer's notes: This is just an extremely well-done sci-fi take on the classic play, with Ophelia as the protagonist. I really enjoy the species changes to certain characters, and the way the author plays with the well-known story beats to create something unique. The author's notes at the end also have some interesting insights into the writing choices they made.
Fanwork links: Rosemary for Remembrance
SGA: Living Will series by Toomuchplor
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: Gen
Length: 1133 & 700
Content Notes: No AO3 warnings apply. There are explicit details about a normal full-term delivery in Plus Ça Change.
Creator Links: toomuchplor on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friends to lovers, Complete AU: hospital, Humor
Summaries: Technically he *wasn’t* Dr. Sheppard, not for another two months, but it was standard for medical students to introduce themselves that way. It reassured the patients. It didn’t do anything for John’s sense of inner calm.
“Unh,” said McKay, and folded his arms under his face before flopping down again. The position pulled the sleeves of his scrubs top taut around his biceps. “If I hide here it’s harder for the interns to find me.”
Reccer's Notes: For a fandom rich in AUs, there are very few medical AUs in SGA. This is an excellent two-part series and I recommend reading it in reverse series order, as the second part is a prequel. In Plus Ça Change, John blunders into an unexpected ER situation as a 4th year medical student doing an ambulance ride-along, and meets Rodney, a medical resident. The other story, Living Will, is set 3 years later by which time they know each other well and John's an ER resident, Rodney now being chief medical resident. The stories are funny, with great characterisation and snark, and accurate medical details. Very much recommended!
Fanwork Links: Plus Ça Change, and Living Will
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: Gen
Length: 1133 & 700
Content Notes: No AO3 warnings apply. There are explicit details about a normal full-term delivery in Plus Ça Change.
Creator Links: toomuchplor on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friends to lovers, Complete AU: hospital, Humor
Summaries: Technically he *wasn’t* Dr. Sheppard, not for another two months, but it was standard for medical students to introduce themselves that way. It reassured the patients. It didn’t do anything for John’s sense of inner calm.
“Unh,” said McKay, and folded his arms under his face before flopping down again. The position pulled the sleeves of his scrubs top taut around his biceps. “If I hide here it’s harder for the interns to find me.”
Reccer's Notes: For a fandom rich in AUs, there are very few medical AUs in SGA. This is an excellent two-part series and I recommend reading it in reverse series order, as the second part is a prequel. In Plus Ça Change, John blunders into an unexpected ER situation as a 4th year medical student doing an ambulance ride-along, and meets Rodney, a medical resident. The other story, Living Will, is set 3 years later by which time they know each other well and John's an ER resident, Rodney now being chief medical resident. The stories are funny, with great characterisation and snark, and accurate medical details. Very much recommended!
Fanwork Links: Plus Ça Change, and Living Will
Mark Smith (![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png)
mark) wrote in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_maintenance2025-10-25 08:42 am
mark) wrote in dw_maintenance2025-10-25 08:42 amDatabase maintenance
Good morning, afternoon, and evening!
We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)
I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.
Ta for now!
Entry tags:
SGA: When the City Wakes by esteefee
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka, Elizabeth Weir, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Evan Lorne, Aiden Ford, Bates, Laura Cadman, Jack O'Neill, Harry Maybourne, Jeannie Miller, Original Non-Human Characters, Imaginary Creatures from Story and Song, Atlantis.
Rating: Mature
Length: 30,758
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. The author warns for kidnapping and children in peril. "They aren't injured, and they are rescued. One of their kidnappers is kidnapped in the process and then returned to her friends." There's also a warning for passages with creepy clowns - see the endnote.
Creator Links: esteefee on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Worldbuilding, AU: apocalypse/dystopia, AU: fantasy/magic, Friends to lovers, First time, Humor, Action/adventure
Summary: Major John Sheppard was starving, delirious, chased by monsters to the edge of the world, when he raised the City from the sea.
Ten years later, Dr. Rodney McKay comes to the peaceful City, bringing war in his back pocket.
Reccer's Notes:
This fits the "unusual settings" category as the world depicted in this fic is extremely strange, surreal, and quirky. I've reccd it before but in a different category, and it's a story that's well worth re-reading. Despite the tags for fantasy and dystopia, it isn't traditional fantasy/magic at all, and it mostly isn't a straightforward dystopia. Yes, it's post-apocalyptic and the rest of the world's very dystopic, but Atlantis herself is a solarpunk refuge in the chaos. The story is set after the detonation of a quantum unreality bomb which plunged Earth into fantastical chaos where very few laws apply consistently - certainly not those of physics, or normality. Weird monsters, fantasy creatures, and dangerous improbabilities now abound, although much reduced in Atlantis. The worldbuilding's terrific, and woven into this new world is a story where John and Rodney meet and become friends, and more. There's also plenty of plot, including a daring rescue. It's an excellent read, and highly recommended!
Fanwork Links: When the City Wakes
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka, Elizabeth Weir, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Evan Lorne, Aiden Ford, Bates, Laura Cadman, Jack O'Neill, Harry Maybourne, Jeannie Miller, Original Non-Human Characters, Imaginary Creatures from Story and Song, Atlantis.
Rating: Mature
Length: 30,758
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. The author warns for kidnapping and children in peril. "They aren't injured, and they are rescued. One of their kidnappers is kidnapped in the process and then returned to her friends." There's also a warning for passages with creepy clowns - see the endnote.
Creator Links: esteefee on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Worldbuilding, AU: apocalypse/dystopia, AU: fantasy/magic, Friends to lovers, First time, Humor, Action/adventure
Summary: Major John Sheppard was starving, delirious, chased by monsters to the edge of the world, when he raised the City from the sea.
Ten years later, Dr. Rodney McKay comes to the peaceful City, bringing war in his back pocket.
Reccer's Notes:
This fits the "unusual settings" category as the world depicted in this fic is extremely strange, surreal, and quirky. I've reccd it before but in a different category, and it's a story that's well worth re-reading. Despite the tags for fantasy and dystopia, it isn't traditional fantasy/magic at all, and it mostly isn't a straightforward dystopia. Yes, it's post-apocalyptic and the rest of the world's very dystopic, but Atlantis herself is a solarpunk refuge in the chaos. The story is set after the detonation of a quantum unreality bomb which plunged Earth into fantastical chaos where very few laws apply consistently - certainly not those of physics, or normality. Weird monsters, fantasy creatures, and dangerous improbabilities now abound, although much reduced in Atlantis. The worldbuilding's terrific, and woven into this new world is a story where John and Rodney meet and become friends, and more. There's also plenty of plot, including a daring rescue. It's an excellent read, and highly recommended!
Fanwork Links: When the City Wakes