Makoyi's Fanfic Recs and Other Stuff

Title: Wulver sketch
Author: defilerwyrm
Fandom: Folklore/mythology
Genre: art

Author's Summary:
Looking up Scottish mythological creatures and
Wulver: a werewolf in Shetland, that is said to have had the body of a man with a wolf’s head. It was reported to have left fish on the windowsills of poor families.
That is the nicest Werewolf legend I’ve ever heard of.

Review:
This quick sketch really put a smile on my face so I had to share.

Wulver sketch (on tumblr)

Title: Cover for "Wolf Whistle"
Author: Lienwyn
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Genre: Cover art, digital painting

Author's Summary:
This is a cover I drew for the awesome fanfic series Wolf Whistle by the awesome and oh so lovely Ashinan
(a Teen Wolf fanfic, in case you want to know, and this here is Stiles Stilinski - the awesomest of them all)

I honestly wasn't supposed to do this - it was just a random sketch that slowly but surely grew into this - but I like it a lot now that it's done.
And yeah, it's slightly similar to that other cover I drew a while back but SHUSH! They're both pretty!

Review:
I love the use of color and transparency in this cover to create the right magical horror atmosphere. The composition is also strong. For the sake of remembering the fic it goes with, I wish she'd added some of the rune papers into the background, but that's a minor thing and the work as it is is very good and also well matched to the story it represents.

Cover for "Wolf Whistle" (on dA)

Title: Northern Lights
Author: silver_sun
Fandom: Rivers of London, Shetland (no knowledge of Shetland, a British police procedural TV show, is required to read this fic)
Genre: Casefic, Crossover
Pairing: hints at future Peter/Nightingale
Length: Medium (48,026 words)

Author's Summary:
The theft of three Pictish stone carvings from a museum in London lead Peter and Nightingale to Shetland. The reason for the theft is clear: The stones are ancient storage devices for magical energy. Who took them and why is a lot less so. That Shetland has its own mythology and magics which are far closer to that of Scandinavia than London doesn't help matters.
Between the lack of information, the cold and wet January weather and Nightingale's cold, Peter can't help but wish they were back in London.

Crossover with Shetland. No knowledge of Shetland, which is a police drama set in Shetland, is needed. The story is from Peter's POV, and any information about the three detectives, DCI Jimmy Perez, DS Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh and DC Sandy Wilson, who make up the core cast of Shetland will be found out where needed as Peter does.

Set post Broken Homes for Rivers of London and after series one of Shetland.

Review:
I really enjoyed this fic. The case was interesting and perfectly suited to the canon universe. The way the investigation progressed was believable and well-paced. While I like Thomas/Peter shipping well enough, I still prefer genfic so that may be why I found that aspect of the story to be out-of-character - otherwise, the characterizations were pretty good. I do think this fic badly needed to be proofread (badly enough that I stopped reading it on my ereader after the first chapter and opened it up in my laptop in calibre's editor and fixed my epub as I read -- if you're a serious grammar nazi, message me and I can send you a copy because I really don't want people to avoid reading this fic because it wasn't beta read). It also suffered from the same flaw as Midnight Riot where it tells what was just said in description rather than just giving the dialogue. This makes for a lot of long paragraphs and, at times, a slow pace to what could have been a page turner.

Northern Lights (on AO3)
My cover art for this fic

Title: Art for “Eat It, Twilight”
Author: lightthesparks
Fandom: Criminal Minds, Supernatural
Genre: Art, Crossover, Casefic

Review:
Very nice digital art for a fic previously rec'd here: Eat It, Twilight. I especially love the Poster - it's high quality photomanipulation and makes a great cover too.

Art for “Eat It, Twilight” (on LJ)

Title: Cover: Skeletons
Author: January_Marlinquin
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Genre: Cover art, fusion

Review:
I've yet to read the fic this story illustrates but I added it to my reading list because of this cover art. There's some great design choices here and clearly the artist has strong technique and can manage lots of layers. The colors are vibrant and I love this artist's use of fandom icons - the little Sherlock head with the fandom text - that's very nicely done and helps show what to expect from the story. I love the use of the white moonlight to draw the eye from the moon at the top to the title and author to the grass at the bottom. I also LOVE the font - I wonder if it was hand drawn or downloaded from somewhere? The lighting between the layers of tree branches is done well too. My only slight criticism would be that its very busy and some great details like the bats and the jack-o-lattern get lost to the tree branches. Otherwise, I love it.

Cover: Skeletons (on AO3) (on tumblr)

Title: Dies Irae
Author: plumedy 
Fandom: Rivers of London
Genre: Casefic
Length: Medium (22,789 words)
Admin: rec'd on tvtropes

Author's Summary:
"We have a bit of a problem," said Nightingale. "With the town of Cricklade."

Review:
This casefic revolves around a purely magical problem that The Nightingale and His Apprentice have to solve (as opposed to a crime for DCI Nightingale and Constable Grant).  This leads it down the path to a really delightful plot twist :)  or is it a characterization twist?  Well anyways, I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it to other Rivers fans.

Dies Irae (on AO3)


Also: I made a cover for this one...

Title: There is Another Sky
Author: Shana_Storyteller
Fandom: Torchwood, Doctor Who
Genre: Romance, Time Travel, Psychic Abilities, Sci Fi, AU, Competence
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, John/Jack, John/Ianto, John/Ianto/Jack
Length: Long (78,182 words)

Author's Summary:
Ianto has some secrets, and some talents, and he is more than meets the eye. He was a Junior Researcher at Torchwood One, but that's not the whole story. This is.

Review:
Creative and evocative story. AU where Ianto is different (some of the differences are explained but there's also foreshadowing that never gets as far as the reveal) and repeatedly makes very different decisions but still very much the canon universe, just filled out a lot more with detail. Ianto is pretty awesome in this one and so are both Jack and John. Tosh and Owen are also very likable and clearly competent in their own rights. This fic hasn't been updated in awhile which makes me very sad because it's fantastic but even what is there so far really deserves a read.

There is Another Sky (on AO3)
Now with cover art

Title: The Most Elementary of Errors
Author: Metal-Potato-Alex
Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre: Fan Art, Romance
Pairing: Vastra/Jenny

Author's Summary:
"I was not initially keen on the society of apes, but I made the most elementary of errors - I fell in love."

Only in Doctor Who could you have a Victorian Crime-Fighting Interspecies Lesbian Married Couple and call it canon.

Review:
A beautiful digital painting for one of my favorite canon ships (and two of my favorite canon characters). Be sure to peruse the rest of the artist's gallery too - there's more beautiful shipping fan art for several other popular fandoms and pairings.

The Most Elementary of Errors (on dA)

Title: Shade and Shackles
Author: dracox_serdriel
Fandom: Grimm, Sherlock BBC
Genre: Crossover, Casefic
Pairing: Mary/John, Juliette/Nick, Monroe/Rosalee
Length: Medium (35,748 words)
Admin Note: rec'd on fancake

Author's Summary:
Detectives Nick Burkhardt and Hank Griffin investigate a series of incidents when Portland becomes host to a series of dangerous, unprovoked riots and an international serial killer. In London, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have their own string of odd cases that eventually create a rift between Lestrade and Sherlock.

But when a double homicide attracts international attention, the consulting detectives collide with an American who seems to have incredible insight into not only the current case, but their recent oddities. Unfortunately, his odd secrecy makes him more enigmatic than helpful, and his presence seems to attract an undue level of violence.

National and investigative rivalries, hidden knowledge, and a dangerous political movement cloud the work of an American Grimm and the consulting detectives.

Review:
This is a really twisted casefic written for the Case Story Big Bang and it keeps you guessing, even if you do know both fandoms well. It's written in the converging plotlines format so the two fandoms start out fairly separate and slowly converge. I sometimes felt like it was a little disjointed or not quite fully thought through, but it's overall a good fic. The art for the fic, by mella68 , is also fantastic and captures the mood of the fic well.

Shade and Shackles (on AO3)

I also made one for Sam's "Paper Chase" (Sherlock BBC/White Collar), one for ya-fic's Love Bug (X-files), and one for cutebutpsycho's "The Lester Rule" (Sherlock BBC).  As always, PM me an email address and which covers you want if you're interested in any of the unposted covers.