secretsolitaire, posts by tag: post-hogwarts - LiveJournal

I'm trying to ease my way back into LJ fandom, so...hi! Have some recs. :)

Star Trek fic: the ship in port is the safer one (but it's not the reason it was made) by KiaraSayre (Ensemble, background Spock/Uhura, R)
You wouldn't think a 43,000-word gen fic featuring a mundane mission and squabbles over toilet paper would be riveting reading, but this one absolutely is. It's a funny, smart story about Jim figuring out how to do this captain thing, with great appearances from the rest of the ensemble.

Hockey RPF fic: This Is How It Works series by sophia_helix (Jonathan Toews/Ben Smith, NC-17)
I don't read hockey fic anymore, but I couldn't resist finishing the last installment of this lovely series when the author posted it a few months ago. Jonny is just gorgeous through Ben's eyes, and the development of their relationship feels realistic and intimate.

HP fic: Adagio by lupinely (Remus/Sirius, R, light bondage)
This fic brought back all my angsty love for this pairing. It covers the first war through the "lie low at Lupin's" period, and all the times when Remus or Sirius could've said "I love you" but didn't.

Interesting links:

Some thoughts on hope: Increasingly, I'm convinced the critical choice (i.e. the crisis) we face as a species now is not hope/hopelessness so much as care/carelessness. Hope seems like an individualistic-- an essentially private -- balm. Care, on the other hand, is inherently relational, reciprocal (even self-care requires a kind of imaginative giver-and-receiver). But we have to be prepared to bump into pain -- our own and others' -- because that’s what care will touch when it's really needed.

The American City Is a Machine That Kills Fascism: Let's hope this is true. :)

Oh, holiday fest season, I heart you so! In all the fandoms I've been in, I've still never found one that does it like HP does, and as usual my HP mojo has come roaring back. :-)

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If you enjoy something, consider letting the author or artist know!

Okay, I think my brain is functional enough to post some recs now. :-)

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If you enjoy something, consider leaving a little appreciation for its creator!

I was going to do fic recs too, but I'm just too exhausted tonight. Fic recs take too much brain power. :-P Maybe later this week.

HP ART
Here and now, the moment by epithalamium (Remus/Sirius, PG)
Absolutely stunning art/story of those days before Sirius goes to Azkaban. It ripped my heart out in the best possible way.

Autumn is a second spring by isinuyasha (Harry/Draco, PG-ish)
Stunning autumn background and a tender pose between Harry and Draco.

Bromance and Flowers by Anonymous (Gryffindor/Slytherin, PG)
God, this is beautiful -- bright colors and such a pretty Godric. :-)

Love is... noticing nothing else but you by eyesemerald (Harry/Draco, PG-13)
A breathtakingly intimate kiss.

ST ART
Flowers by irrel (Spock/Uhura, G)
The colors in this are just exquisite!

Your Love Is My Drug by pouf (Kirk/McCoy, G)
Scroll down to see this adorable drawing of Bones chasing Jim with a hypospray. *loves*

Enjoy something? Leave the artist some love!

ETA: Forgot to mention that the kind folks over at rs_games gave me an award! *blush*

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First off: eeee! *glomps teary_eyed2* I was not expecting any fannish mail this Christmas, but your card arrived this afternoon and totally made my day. Thank you!! ♥

Happiest of birthdays to arlad (today) and 1297 (tomorrow) -- hope your birthdays are as special as you ladies are. *hugs*

Have some recs.

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In case I don't post again before Christmas, I hope those of you who celebrate have a wonderful holiday. *hugs flist*

*staggers home from SO's family Christmas party* That was...exhausting. Too many kids and too many cookies!

Recs are piling up around here to the point where they'd be overwhelming in one post, so I'm going to start with some Remus/Sirius. Hopefully I'll post some more from other pairings tomorrow. Enjoy! :-)

ART
Revelations by spacefragments (Remus/Sirius, PG)
This is so beautiful -- two boys walking together through the forest on a snowy day, and then Sirius stopping Remus because he has something important to tell him. The artist manages to capture so much story and emotion with no dialogue, just her exquisite watercolor drawings. *happy sigh*

Predatory by thanfiction (Remus/Sirius, NWS)
I seriously sat staring at this piece for a good ten minutes this morning. It's hardly explicit (though Remus and Sirius are shirtless), but to me it's incredibly erotic. I could point you to specific body parts -- Remus's crotch, Sirius's stubble, the delicious arm muscles on both of them -- but I think what makes this so hot for me is the raw need between them, which simply smolders off the screen.

FIC
A Flame in Two Cupped Hands by such_heights (Remus/Sirius, PG-13)
This whole fic is full of delightful things: Sirius pining for an oblivious Remus and therefore feeling grumpy about Christmas, a lovely conversation between Sirius and Lily, James going rather insane with Christmas traditions, and -- my absolute favorite part -- "the least platonic hug imaginable." In other words, this fic will make you happy. :-)

A Little Sincerity Is a Dangerous Thing by daphnea (Remus/Sirius, PG-13)
This starts out like a lot of R/S-getting-together-after-Hogwarts stories, but what made this fic stand out for me was the bittersweetness of it -- there's humor here, and awkward romance, and hurt/comfort, and many good things, but you can also see subtle hints of the trouble to come between them. I could totally imagine this fitting into canon.

Oversleeping by fullmoon_dreams (Remus/Sirius, PG-13, non-magical AU)
This is a sweet story about a non-magical Remus and Sirius meeting each morning on the train as they ride into work. It's the kind of story that makes you feel warm and happy. And do keep an eye out for a charming bit of innuendo involving a sausage. :-D

The Lionhearted by cindergal (Remus/Sirius, PG, AU)
And here's another AU, this time featuring Sirius as a Slytherin who gets to know Remus when they have to serve detention together. The author manages to keep the characterizations intact even though the Marauders are in different houses, and the love story is very sweet.

Enjoy something? Tell the author/artist!

*waves* Er, hello. I have been here but not here. For the past week my brain has been absolutely taken over by two gay boys from a German soap opera called Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love). I blame snegurochka_lee. *shakes fist in most loving way possible*

Just watch this clip and tell me it's not one of the most gorgeous on-screen kisses you've ever seen. *flails weakly*

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In other news, I haven't done any fic recs in ages! Some of these stories have been up for weeks at this point, but just in case there are some you haven't seen...

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And I have a couple of art recs as well:

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The nice thing about having two fandoms is that when one gets wanky and unpleasant, you can just hide out in the other one for a while. So, uh, let's turn our attention to HP, shall we? Have some recs.

HP Art: Quidditch Dreams by Anonymous (Percy, Harry/Percy/Oliver, NC-17, rimming)
*brain explodes* OMG, who knew mister strait-laced Percy had such HOT daydreams?? Picture him in a Quidditch-player sandwich, being worshiped by two sweaty, hunky men, and you'll get a good idea why this pic is so delicious. Nnngh. Go click!

HP Art: Fallen Grace by ponderosa121 (Draco, no rating, worksafe)
This is one of the most exquisite portraits I've ever seen of Draco. Just...the skin tones, the lush lips, and that look in his eyes...stunning.

HP Fic: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by nellie_darlin (Sirius/Lily, James/Lily, NC-17)
I have to thank snegurochka_lee for bringing this fic to my attention because I rarely read either of these pairings. And quite honestly, I may never need to read Sirius/Lily again -- this author has written the pairing so definitively, in such a real and believable way, that I can imagine this fitting right into canon. Sirius in particular is amazing here; I've always been a Remus girl myself, but I was seriously smitten by this Sirius. Even if you don't read these pairings, I highly recommend that you give this fic a try. :-)

HP Fic: A Matter of Routine by Anonymous (Remus/Sirius, PG-13)
What a charmer of a fic this is. It's funny as hell -- the banter between Remus and Sirius cracks me up -- but there's a little sadness underneath, just enough to make the story feel real.

As always, please leave the author or artist a comment if you enjoy their work!

This is a post I've considered making in the past, but I always sort of figured no one else would be as perverted interested in this particular topic as I am. However, I got a request the other day, and that was all the excuse I needed. ;-)

Without further ado, I bring you my all-time favorite spanking stories and art in the HP and QaF fandoms!

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Good grief, that took hours to put together! *wipes forehead* Now tell me: what did I miss? For the record, I will read a good spanking in just about any fandom. ;-)

ETA: Just added a Harry/Neville fic to the HP list. Thanks to emiime for the suggestion!

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm not going to do the whole year in review thing because while it was a perfectly good year, it actually wasn't that interesting to anyone other than me. :-)

In other news, I think I've finally decided to make a change in the way I'm handling the LJ/IJ split. I know there are folks who only watch me over at IJ, but I haven't been crossposting there because that can get a little annoying for folks who read multiple flists, and especially because I don't really like having comments scattered all over the place. So what I'm going to start doing is to post over there once a week or so to point to anything I've posted over here. That way people who only watch me there will get to see what's going on, but I won't be spamming folks who follow me in both places with the exact same entries. Comments will always be open over there if people would really prefer not to comment here for whatever reason, but I'm hoping that most of the discussion will still go on over here.

So, I'll give that a try and see how it works. On a related note, does anyone know if there's a program that will let you back up your IJ the way ljArchive backs up your LJ?

And now a few recs before I go back to frantically trying to read all the fest fics before the great reveals. All HP today.

HP ART

Which One, Sir? by kasche (Remus/Sirius, G)
Is there anything more charming than a flirty Remus with an adorable little bum? *gropes him* Sirius certainly doesn't think so...

Unrequited by Anonymous (Harry/Draco, PG-13, reference to psychedelics, extramarital sex)
This is gorgeous and angsty and beautifully drawn. I love Draco's eyes, and the way the artist uses water/rain images.

An Affair by Anonymous (Charlie/Fleur, Bill, Victoire, NC-17)
*gibbers incoherently* It doesn't get much hotter than this -- Charlie frantically taking Fleur up against a wall while poor Bill plays with his daughter outside the window. Charlie especially is sexy as all hell here.

Sirius watches Remus by crystal_cow (Remus/Sirius, not rated but worksafe)
Eee, what a pretty Sirius! And I love the way he's gazing at Remus, who's all hard at work on his homework. ♥

HP FIC

Map of the Problematique by lorax (Remus/Sirius, NC-17)
This is one of the most brilliant portrayals I've ever read of the Marauders post-Hogwarts. The author imagines that they all shared a flat before James married Lily, and that naturally they drew up a few "house rules" to keep everything in line. What's cool is that the rules are actual graphics in this fic, complete with different handwriting for each character, and lots of banter back and forth. As the rules progress you can see the way the group slowly falls apart. Angsty but amazingly well done.

Lessons by entrenous88 (Charlie/Draco, NC-17, see fic for warnings)
Just five little drabbles, this ficlet somehow manages to be one of the hottest things I've read in weeks. This is the Charlie/Draco I've always wanted to read. To say more would give it away -- just go read. Thanks to snegurochka_lee for bringing this gem to my attention. *blows kiss*

Between the Lines by dementordelta (Severus/Harry, adult, AU)
What if somehow Harry had been able to talk with the half-blood prince through his potions textbook -- how differently might HBP have turned out? That's the premise of this fic, and it's a wonderful ride.

Like something? Make someone's day and leave a little feedback!

I had a really busy week and am now incredibly behind in my fest reading, but I figured I'd better empty my "to rec" folders before I try to catch up tonight. All HP today...

ART

Longing by Anonymous (Harry/Draco, G)
The title perfectly captures the wistful mood of this one. Gorgeous composition (and gorgeous Harry! *licks*).

Pieta by hazyshade (Remus/Sirius, probably NWS)
Beautiful pose, and lovely tenderness between them.

The Kiss by maria_abagnale (Ron/Hermione, PG)
This has already been recced all over the internetz, but it made me flail and so I must pass it along. Exquisite details and such joy!

Naga's Pool by Anonymous (Severus/Harry, adult)
Guhhh. Look at the strength in Harry's pose, and the utter abandon on Snape's face!

Hold On by Anonymous (Remus/Sirius, NC-17)
And another that's already been recced everywhere. This artist fails a bit at anonymity, but that's okay when she draws art this amazing. Such intensity in the boys' kisses! *flails*

FIC

I Waited Till I Saw the Sun by mewling (Severus/Draco, PG-13)
This piece is short, told in sparsely written vignettes, but there's not a word wasted. Draco's loneliness, his longing, is absolutely palpable here. Such gorgeous writing -- have a sample: Draco is only five years old, but he knows somehow, somehow this man is wonderful. He is not beautiful, but he is proud. He wears his tatters like Draco's father might wear his furs.

I want, Draco thinks, I want to be like that.

No Man's Land by ladyblack888 (Remus/Sirius, hard R/NC-17)
Raw and real and crackling with all the tensions of the first war. Oh, and HOT.

Coming Clean by Anonymous (Teddy/James Jr., NC-17, rimming)
Oh holy mother of guhhhhh. This is one of the hottest fics I've read in ages. If you like rimming, don't miss this one. ;-)

Kings Among Runaways by Anonymous (Harry/Draco, PG)
Dreamy and quiet and beautifully written, this one is all about recovering from the war. The Harry/Draco is lovely, but I was just as moved (if not more so) by the parts of the fic that feature the trio.

By Candlelight by such_heights (Remus/Sirius, PG)
Gahhh. This sort of fic is the reason I adore this pairing, particularly post-Azkaban. So many terrible things have happened to both of these characters, but together they manage to find some measure of peace and happiness, even if it's just for a moment.

Kiss A Boy In London Town (And Other Intimate Misadventures of A Society Whore) by Anonymous (Harry/Draco, NC-17, prostitution)
Normally I can take or leave rentboy fics (the ridiculously addictive Whore in a Hoody* notwithstanding), but this one is written so well that it sucked me in from the very first paragraph. Draco's first-person POV is pitch-perfect, and all of the characterizations are multifaceted and believable. Fabulous storytelling!

*QaF, Brian/Justin, WiP

The holiday fest season has officially begun! Woo! I will be following merry_smutmas and rs_small_gifts, and hopefully hd_holidays as well. And I think/hope there will be a QaF gift exchange too? *crosses fingers*

I really need to actually get some things done today (like go to the DMV, BOOOOOO), but I wanted to post a few recs first!

HP Fic: Undercover by trailingoff (Remus/Sirius, R)
Whenever I start to stray from R/S, some amazing writer brings me back, and in this case it's the very talented trailingoff. There are many, many things I loved about this -- the realistic dialogue, the vivid details, Remus as a world traveler, LILY -- but what drew me into this story was Sirius's personal struggle with his own sexuality. I love fics that don't gloss over the difficulty of not only coming out to one's friends but also acknowledging who you are to yourself. I found it believable and very moving.

HP Art: These Nineteen Years by anonymous (Harry/Draco, R, non-explicit m/m sex, partial nudity, infidelity)
Gorgeous series of eight images interspersed with perfectly chosen lines of poetry. Many of the drawings are quite stark, but together they convey a clear story of Harry and Draco's lives, together and apart.

QaF Fic: Into My Arms by rhiannonhero (Brian/Justin, hard R, character death but not B or J)
I want to thank firehead30 for bringing this one to my attention because otherwise I would have had no clue that one of my favorite QaF authors was writing again! And this fic didn't disappoint (though I do feel like it flayed me open and left me bleeding on the floor in a few parts). It's AU, set ten years after S4, and while of course it's a Brian/Justin story, it's also a story about the whole QaF family, and especially about Brian himself -- finally, finally learning to be happy. This fic hurt like hell to read in some places, but there's a lot of joy here as well. AND...there may be a sequel!

QaF Fic: Emotional Land Mines by brianswalk (Brian/Justin, not rated)
This is one of the more effective drabbles I've read in a long time. Can't say much more without spoiling it, but I found it quite powerful.

See something you like? Please leave some feedback for the author/artist!

This One's for You by thistlerose
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Rating: R
Warnings: None
Summary: The baffled queen king composing hallelujah.

My Comments:
I've read this one, oh, eight million times? I chose this fic for today because it's romantic without being schmoopy, and because it captures so many of the things I love about Remus/Sirius -- the gentle banter, their deep affection for each other, and a healthy dollop of angst. Plus, it features Sirius trying to learn to play the guitar so that he can write a song for Remus, which is just adorable (no matter how much he mentally asserts to himself how manly and unromantic he is).

thistlerose writes lovely, natural dialogue, and I adore the way she captures the inside of Sirius's head (it's an interesting place!). But my favorite part is the song that Sirius finally manages to write -- not just for its delightful silliness but because it's exactly what Remus needs to hear. ♥

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1. I am still not getting all my LJ notifications (such as people friending me) via email or even in my message center. WTF, LJ? Am I the only one?

2. After a long, hard afternoon of fic reading (*wipes brow*), I have managed to catch myself up on merry_smutmas and rs_small_gifts. Have some recs!

Art: The Art of Giving and Receiving (Remus/Sirius, NC-17)
Gorgeous, multi-panel art featuring matching Gryffindor collars and a truly amazing kiss. Yum.

Fic: Mother of Pearl (Harry/Draco, R)
Moving, intricately plotted H/D about memory and trauma. The ending is deliciously ambiguous.

Art: Naughty Yule (Sirius/Regulus, Adult)
SO not my pairing, but OMG the felching!! Nnnggh.

Art: Shallow Wounds (Severus/Lucius, NC-17)
Again, hate the pairing, not a fan of bloodplay, etc., but I am reccing this solely on the strength of Snape's bum. ;-) (There are plenty of other wonderful things about this pic, but that's what pushed me over the edge.)

Fic: What Seemed Like Ages (Seamus/Dean with other pairings, NC-17)
Lovely, very believable Seamus/Dean -- believable because it's rooted in their friendship, which feels easy and right.

Fic: The Tyranny of Petty Things by rian219 (Remus/Sirius, PG-13)
This beautifully written fic captures the bittersweet relationship of Remus and Sirius during OOTP -- when they're clinging to every bit of joy they can find with each other despite their circumstances.

Art: Back Alley by kasche (Remus/Sirius, PG-13)
Okay, this is some of the hottest PG-13 art I've ever seen. Remus doesn't get too much more gorgeous than this. Love the urgency here.

Fic: Sparkles and Sugar Plums by lls_mutant (Remus/Sirius, PG to PG-13)
Remus and Sirius take little Nymphadora to see The Nutcracker. It might sound like a bit of a crack-y premise, but while there is humor here, it's also surprisingly touching. My favorite part was the simple, everyday affection between Remus and Sirius.

Fic: Three Ways They Didn't Talk About the War by eudaimon (Remus/Sirius, NC-17)
This one takes place pre-Azkaban, when Remus and Sirius are starting to fall apart, and is painful and beautifully written.

Still to go: harry_holidays, hd_holidays and possibly lupin_snape. So much fic!! Good thing I'm off work tomorrow. ;-)

3. Speaking of recs, penknife has an interesting post on why she recs certain stories and not others. Since I rec a lot, this made me think about why, for example, I chose the fics above and not some of the million other holiday fics. It's not really easy to articulate, but I think the major thing is emotional impact -- if I'm moved by the characters, if the author makes me care deeply about them, if they're walking around in my head even after the story is over, I'll be inclined to rec. (fabularasa is especially good at making me care about her characters; I've read stuff of hers in fandoms I know nothing about, but after a few paragraphs her characters get me hooked. It's something about how intensely her characters care about each other.)

Also, I'll rec if I'm blown away by the sheer quality of the writing -- poetic images, sparkling dialogue, or (very important) a fabulous last line. I have my favorite pairings and kinks, of course, but I'll read just about anything if it's well written.

That said, here are a few fic elements that I especially love: hurt/comfort, relationships that develop slowly and naturally, friendships that turn into love (especially if one person has been secretly pining for the other for a while), and a happy/hopeful ending. Oh, and slash, of course. But that's probably obvious by now. ;-)

Finally, I don't usually rec things that I wouldn't want to reread (possibly several times) in the future. If it's just a fun read the first time through that I doubt I'd ever come back to, I most likely won't rec. Other things that might prevent me from reccing: a glaring weakness somewhere (someone out of character, a plot element that doesn't ring true, etc.), a lame last line, a narrative that runs out of steam. Oh -- and if something's already been recced on a major comm like hogwarts_today or daily_snitch , I probably won't bother unless I'm really head over heels for a fic, since I figure most of my flist will have already seen it.

What about you guys? How do you decide what to rec?

Wow, haven't posted in a while. Hope all the Americans on my flist had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! I'm on my way to another Thanksgiving family hoo-ha, but I wanted to pop in and rec a couple of short ficlets by busaikko.

It's Time and Years (both G, borderline gen) are two loosely linked Remus/Sirius stories, one taking place the night Harry is born and the other taking place during the Lie Low at Lupin's time period. What I loved about these is that the atmosphere is so quiet, but there are deep emotions running beneath the surface of the words (particularly in the second one). And the language is gorgeous. A sample:

There's more than one way to connect to our essential humanity, you know. The lantern light flashed against the lazy arc of the spoon: Sirius found it easier to watch than Remus' eyes, which were watching him. All those years, Remus said, quietly, softly. All those years weren't nothing. They are... what you define them to be.

Go read!