Волков бояться – в лес не ходить

So, I can't decide if it's cool or not to point out these first two stories together. I hope the authors aren't offended, because obviously I enjoyed them both immensely but also couldn't help but notice that they are very similar in premise. I think many of you have already read one or the other, depending on your pairing preferences, in which case, you might just want to check out the other one, too, if you like this theme.

The Song of Surrender by Anon at bestmates_xmas (Harry/Ron, NC-17: rope bondage, EWE, 13K)
When Ron catches Harry in a compromising and confusing situation, he does the only thing he can—help Harry.

I love stories that explore kink from a psychological perspective, trying to get at what drives the characters to enjoy whatever it is they enjoy. This story does that beautifully. Two quiet, lovely scenes from Harry's POV bookend the fic, but apart from those, the reader follows Ron's POV as all of us, Ron included, try to understand why Harry has been tying himself up at night. I loved the pacing of this story as this new discovery between Harry and Ron affects their friendship (they aren't in a relationship when the story begins, btw). Hermione is also very real as a supporting character. Harry himself through Ron's eyes is just beautiful, but it's Ron who really shines in this fic. Gently coming to terms with feelings he'd never let himself have before, he anchors everything with the sentiment in the summary line: all he knows is that Harry needs his help, and he'll do anything for Harry. *swoon* A beautiful romance story filled with very real complications and just enough kink to ignite the screen in a slow burn.

Celle Qui Sais Vous Garrotter by Anon at hd_holidays (Harry/Draco, NC-17: rope bondage, EWE, 4K)
Two orgasms and Harry's hand resting tentatively on his hip and Draco still felt wound tight, aching somewhere too deep to rub away.

[First, the author is aware of the typo in the title, so please don't bother complaining about it; mistakes happen, and also, she can't exactly fix it right now. Thx. :) ] Unlike the one above, this story begins with Harry and Draco already in a relationship (although a tentative one, based solely on sex). Like the other, though, it also features one party unwittingly discovering the other in self-imposed bonds and flipping out a little bit. :) Reading them back to back, I couldn't help but compare the pairing dynamics, and because of the pairings, the two stories end up being quite different, I think, despite similar premises. As Harry's best friend in the story above, Ron can't imagine not helping him in any way he needs. In contrast in this story, we get Draco's POV, as the one doing the self-bondage, and his desperate need to keep it private and push Harry away is really heart-wrenching. As an antagonistic pairing rather than a BFF pairing, the tension here has to do with Harry and Draco still struggling to trust each other in the first place. I loved how Draco's vulnerability came across here; I could really feel his horror at having Harry discover and want to be a part of such a private thing for him.

Both these stories are excellent, and again, I hope the comparison doesn't annoy the authors. Maybe I'm the only pairing whore interested in reading both of them anyway, IDK. I couldn't rec one and not the other, though; they both delighted me in slightly different ways. ♥

And two more stories I loved this week -- humour this time!

The Contest by Anon at bestmates_xmas (Harry/Ron, NC-17, 7.5K)
A friendly little contest between friends. Are you master of your wand?

AHAHAHA. You North Americans of a certain age, at the very least, will all recall the infamous Seinfeld episode on which this fic is based. With flatmates Hermione and Neville in on it, too, Harry and Ron embark on a contest to see who can stay... well, master of their wand, so to speak, the longest. Ron's POV is delightful. This is one of those stories where I wanted to quote back a zillion one-liners to the author; it had me snorting into my coffee every three sentences. But underneath the humour, it's also got more depth to it than I would have thought, as Ron struggles with his feelings for Harry. A wonderful, light read if you need some humour this week. :)

Mad Wolves and Englishmen by Anon at snupin_santa (Snape/Lupin, NC-17, 17K)
When two quarreling Order members are sent on holiday together, they quickly discover that Albus Dumbledore is a strong believer in 'bonding through adversity.' In this case, 'adversity' is a town called Purgatory, Texas.

No, it's not AU. :) Following the events at the end of PoA, Dumbledore decides the two enemies need to make up a little bit. So he tricks them into touching a Portkey that sends them to a bed-and-breakfast in the middle of Texas... in the summer. WIN! Yeah, the scenario is a bit cracky (okay, a lot cracky), and this kind of setting isn't always my kind of thing, BUT, it's incredibly well executed here. There is wry humour, hijinks that somehow never go over the top, a Snape POV that had me cackling like mad, a Lupin who takes to cowboy life like a fish to water, and a couple of local OCs who almost steal the fic. The Wizarding/Muggle universe the author creates in this locale is also really cool and very well thought out. It might not be the most, um, plausible fic out there, but by the time you're into it, I dare you to care. It's tremendously good fun, with some steamy romance along the way. I loved it. (And I have a sneaking suspicion of the author, hee).

I know, many folks are very busy this week with the holidays, but if you do find time to do some reading or art viewing, try to leave a little comment for the author or artist! It's the gift that keeps on giving, and such. ♥

Things that are making me happy this week:

1. As much as I enjoy giving and receiving at fests, you know what I also love? Seeing a gift go up that is all, "A gift for ____!" wherein "____" is the name of someone you totally fangirl but haven't seen around for awhile and had no idea was in the fest, and then you squeal like a little girl and frantically go through every entry at the fest trying to find their contribution in order to flap your hands over it. AND THEN FIND IT! I love that.

2. Beta'ing a Yuletide story that made me go all *happy sigh* over super minor fandom that possibly only the author, recipient, and me are interested in. :)

3. Making huge progress and being excited about Writing Project that has been stalled and guilt-making for a loooong time. Woo!

4. marguerite_26. But that's every week, really.

5. Advent drabbles/ficlets many of you are doing. Short bursts of multi-pairing fic! I love opening my flist in the morning in December and inhaling little!fic. I'm trying my hardest to always comment, but even if you don't see me, I am probably totally reading and flailing over your advent drabbles.

6. Recc'ers (and I don't mean, like, me, but rather, YOU). Authors and artists and readers/viewers/commenters are AWESOME, and so are this fest season's recc'ers. I appreciate it so much when someone takes the time to point at stuff I might like. *flappy hands*

Things that are making me sad this week:

1. My f***ing website. Can anyone with any expertise on these matters tell me what the hell is wrong with it? I don't think it's been working for months. Some good folks have pointed this out to me recently, but I figured it was just down for a few hours and thus didn't really try to do anything about it. But no, it seems to be down forever. For no reason. And slashcity just sent me the bill for 2010. Is this worth paying for? I notice from poking around at other people's sites who use slashcity that this is maybe just me. I cannot possibly be over bandwidth, I don't think, but then, I don't really know what bandwidth is or how it works. :/ And I can't even get into my admin console thing to check stats and maybe see what's wrong. Fail. I mean, all my fic is on LJ/IJ anyway, so maybe I can let the site lapse? I kind of liked having it all off LJ/IJ, too, though. Wah. HALP.

All right, off to do some more shopping. :D

I need to take another reading break and finish writing something if I want to post it before the end of the year. Which I really, really do. But reading is so much easier! :/ Well, anyway, reading has prevailed over writing this week. Ah, well. :) I've got a few of the longer smutty_claus stories bookmarked, but here are some one-shots I've loved so far.

Throwdown by Anon (Harry/Tonks, NC-17: Tonks-lives!AU, 5K)
Voldemort had been a piece of cake compared to fighting a pretty girl.

PAIRING WIN! I was just talking to a friend about how we slashers love to keep canonically dead women dead and resurrect the men (which I do all the time myself, so no judgement there), but it's lovely to see the reverse for a change. Tonks survived the war, and several years later, she's Harry's physical combat instructor in Auror training. Winning set-up before I even tell you another word, right? :D They are each wonderfully characterised, and I especially love Harry's narrative voice as he tries to talk himself out of a raging crush on this 30-something family friend, mother of his godson, training superior, and overall super hot, fit, awesomesauce woman.

Ride the Drafts in Empty Bedrooms by Anon (Snape/Narcissa, NC-17, canon character death, implied infidelity, 3K)
Severus is well aware that some of his housemates tend to turn to the liquid comfort of Firewhisky and gin after being so totally rejected; it is now his turn to turn to the sweet assurances of liquid luck.

This is one of the only Snape het ships I can handle, and when it's done well, I really like it. I mean, HI, Unbreakable Vow, anyone? a;lksjf. This short fic does a nice job of switching between a school-age timeline and an HBP-era timeline, and I really like how the author characterises both Snape and Narcissa and develops the chemistry between them. I also really like the style of writing here; I can't really explain what's different about it, but it has a nice, fresh feel, with some well-placed parenthetical asides and streamed-in dialogue and oh, IDEK what I'm talking about. It works, though. :)

A Little Sideways by Anon (Cedric/Luna, NC-17: Cedric-lives!AU, 9K)
Cedric was never as dead as everyone thought. All he needed was one person to see him.

This one had me at the summary. :) It's a lovely, romantic tale about a boy who died and might have become a ghost (or might have come back, except no one can see him but Muggles), and a girl he used to know a little bit who spots him one day and slowly brings him back to life. Sort of. It's a universe only a character like Luna could make work, and the way it unfolds is nothing short of beautiful. I also decided it's part-meta on minor characters like these in general in fic: all it takes is for someone to 'see' them. ;)

Upon the Midnight Clear by Anon (Draco/Hermione, NC-17, 4K)
Years after the war, things have changed. Hermione meets Draco at a Christmas party and goes home with him to make a little music.

This might be a horrible, back-handed sort of compliment to give, but it took me a few tries to get into this one. First of all, unless you're one of maybe two authors I can name off the top of my head who excel ridiculously at it, I probably won't be on board for your first-person narration right off the bat. Second, I, ah, had some trouble with Hermione in the first few paragraphs. BUT! But! I was intrigued enough to keep reading, and by the time Draco enters the scene, I was completely hooked. A bitter, broken-hearted Hermione is actually pretty kick-ass by the time she loops her arm into Draco's at a Christmas party and starts chatting him up just to make a philandering Ron jealous. I was rooting for her the whole way. Draco, meanwhile, is quiet, charming, and there is a passage about his relationship with his son that melted me into a puddle of goo. It's a great set-up and has a lovely follow-through. If you're wary of first-person the way I am, I recommend plunging in and letting yourself sink into the POV. It's really nicely done.

Er, no, there weren't supposed to be two parts to the Long-ish Weekend Recs of yesterday, because then you all get overwhelmed and angsty and start wringing your hands about how you don't have time to read long stories, and then you just start scrolling by my recs and flipping me a rude salute on your way past. I hear you. But people need to stop posting Awesomesauce Stuff I Like, okay. :/ I promise to go away for... at least a few days after this. :D

Darkstar by Anon at hd_holidays (Harry/Draco, NC-17: some warnings on fic that are all very, very mild, IMO, 23K)
After the Ministry of Magic decides that Harry's Auror position is a liability, they offer him an alternative: become part of an international covert operations initiative. Joining the project means Harry must forsake everything he cherishes and learn things he never wanted to know about himself.

Here is something about me you might not know: I adore the Jason Bourne series like crazy. CRAZY. This? Is HP meets Bourne. a;lskjdfl;sj. The action-adventure superspy plot of it had me totally riveted, and the universe the author develops is way cool and very well done. In one of the opening scenes, we see Harry's death reported in the Prophet. From there, he disappears underground in an unnamed city to take up his new training, back to basics, with an international special ops force that doesn't want Harry Potter, Expelliarmus expert with a conscience that can only get in the way; they want to create Harry Potter, gun-toting hit wizard who won't think twice about taking out the Minister for Magic if given the order. Hell yeah! Meanwhile, Draco has already been with this agency, Darkstar, for some time, and listen, every time he's onscreen the entire story pretty much ignites into giant flames of oh God, I don't even know -- sexual energy, assassin energy, authority energy, everything. Harry is amazing, the supporting cast is wonderful, but Draco not only completely steals the show, he gets it on its back, makes it beg, and then shoots it in the head.

... so to speak. :D I do have some minor quibbles with this story, such as a glut of exposition at the beginning that I wanted to slice out with a sharp scalpel, and a few lingering questions about the universe as a whole and how it works. But overall it is so insanely cool and well characterised and erotic as hell and so very, very memorable, that I find I can't dwell too much on a few little things. Persevere past the opening sequences and it becomes very awesome, very quickly. :)

Theft of Assets, Destruction of Property by helenish (Neville/Draco, NC-17, 23K)
Surely it is a mistake to allow a single youthful indiscretion to cloud an already promising career.

Grah, I've been meaning to rec this since I first read it about six weeks ago now. Many of you have probably already seen it by now; if not, I highly recommend setting aside some time for it. It's like nothing I've ever read before. It was conceived several years ago, the author says, and only finished this fall, but it definitely reads like pre-closed-canon fic. Both Neville and Draco are a little bit different than one might expect, but still entirely themselves. Well, perhaps I should amend that: for the fic to work, Draco is necessarily a bit lighter than I usually see him, but there are also reasons for that. In the end, it worked for me just fine. Neville is wonderful, and the world Helen creates surrounding Auror training as a mirror of graduate school, in a way, with Neville having to study his head off just to keep up, was a fascinating take on the training.

This is part forced marriage fic, part hurt/comfort, and part meta, to me -- on what, though, I'm still unsure. There is commentary on the possibilities involved in arranged marriages, I think, on the social currency attached to virginity, and definitely commentary on domesticity and gender roles. Helen beautifully captures a strained relationship in which one partner works outside the home and the other feels lonely, isolated, and unable (or unworthy) of his/her own work, and does it all from the vantage point of an m/m relationship. It's refreshing and nicely subversive, I thought, although I also found it a bit unnerving at times, because, does it only reproduce heteronormative gender roles? IDK, maybe I'm overthinking it. It's a fascinating study of all these issues, though, as well as just a beautifully told love story. It's hard to pin it down, but I love how it transcends genres. It's a story that will stick in your head for a long, long time.

All right, long!fic, begone with you! I'll focus on one-shots for the rest of the week. Maybe. ;)

Unf. *raises head blearily* So, the S.O. and I went to a holiday party last night. You know the kind: too many people you don't know; too little energy to make chit-chat with them; too many warmed-red-wine-and-cinnamon (?) concoctions freely flowing that make it all more bearable... And so I woke up this morning with a teeensy bit of a hangover, methinks. Fortunately! Had nothing planned, so I gathered the warmest blanket in the house, headed to the couch with the laptop and coffee, and clicked on the first thing on my f-list. Which happened to be AWESOME. Here:

Portrait of a Headmaster by Anon at hd_holidays (Harry/Draco, NC-17, 21K)
When Death Eaters find their way into the Hogwarts portrait collection, the Headmaster is forced to work with the Head Auror to find a way to protect the castle, including their own children.

First of all, what, is this the deliciousness of hd_career_fair all over again? Draco is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, okay, and that drew me in right off the bat. It's a great characterisation of him: quietly authoritative but also inwardly uncertain at times: just as I imagine he'd be. The second thing that drew me into this story is the tremendously inventive and magically-creative plot about portraits. If you like your HP fic to get all creative with the magic of the canon 'verse, I think you'll like this story. The magic is fabulous, including a wonderful sequence that gives the reader a sense of what it's actually like inside the portrait world, and how it actually feels to move between portraits. So cool! And the third thing I liked about this story? Ooh, Harry Potter, you goddamned god of sex and Auror-ness and magic, you. GODDAMN. The chemistry between Harry and Draco just sizzles, both in and out of the bedroom. A wonderful Saturday afternoon hangover fic. :D And, you know, a wonderful fic all 'round, for other occasions, too.

A Romance by Anon at Snupin Santa on lupin_snape (Snape/Lupin, NC-17: non-magic AU, 35K)
Prompt: a non-magical AU, supermarket-aisle paperback romance with unusual careers.

This is the story I mentioned last month that I'd got a sneak-peek on, and which had made me fall in love with Snape/Lupin all over again. Eeee! Although -- *stern glare at author* -- the title and "summary" aren't as enticing as perhaps they could be, trust me that this story is worth its weight in gold. It's a non-magic AU with Lupin working in the train yards of a dusty American town when Snape, the more upper-crust new guy, arrives to join the team. The chemistry between them instantly ignites, but that's only the beginning of a long journey they have to undergo before they might be able to be together. Along the way, they have to get over some issues in both their pasts, a series of headdesky misunderstandings, issues regarding being out as a gay man in a small town and a working class community, and... a cat (named Hairy) who isn't quite ready to give up his share of the attention in the house. :) It's a beautiful, easy-to-read tale that will suck you into its 'verse right from the opening scene. The train yard setting just blossoms around you until you come to love the job as much as Lupin does. If you like non-magic AUs in which the canon characters appear in unexpected ways, I think you'll also like what the author has done with several familiar characters in this story. Another wonderful tale to sink into on a lazy winter weekend. :)

Off to catch up on comments, oi. :) We're getting around that time of the month when comments drop off a bit at fests, so if you read something you like, be sure to drop a line to the author to put their anon mind at ease. :)

Gah, it's already so hard to keep up with recs! Damn you, December. :) I keep reading awesome stuff and compiling these sort of thematic-based recs lists in my head, rather than fest-based; like, I've read a couple of good infidelity fics, and a couple of good non-magic AU fics, etc. But before I can code them up, I get distracted by more new and shiny. Heh. Well, the month is still young, I suppose... Here are three that I fell in love with just yesterday, two of which aren't even for fests! What? People are just posting regular non-fest fic this month? Who knew? :)

someday you'll get your happy ending by angeldylan628 (Harry/Luna, PG-13: EWE, 3K)
summers were always miserable, but she's teaching him that things can change.

I stumbled across this yesterday and instantly fell in love with it. It follows Harry out of the Battle of Hogwarts and into his new life where, as one might expect, he's having trouble adjusting. Luna is the only one who understands. Well, that's just canon, right there, and exactly why I like this pairing in general. :) I called this fic quiet in my comment to the author, and that's what makes it so successful, to me: it's fairly angsty but remains just this side of overly-emo. The language is beautifully sparse, the action tightly contained, and much of it is left between the lines for the reader to infer. A very different piece than much of what I've read lately, and I adored the originality of it as well as its pretty prose.

Champagne and Business Cards by leashy_bebes (Teddy/Scorpius, NC-17: distant cousin-cest, if that bothers you, 7K)
Yet another high-society dinner, another boring night of showing his face and talking to the right people, but Scorpius is about to learn that these things don't have to be all champagne and business cards.

If you like next-gen fic, hopefully you already know never to miss any of this author's posts. If you don't generally go for next-gen... well, it's not up to me to convince you. You might read this as almost original-character fic, in that case, but it's some damn fine erotica either way. It actually gave me a bit of a Charlie/Draco vibe, which is not meant to be an insult to the characterisation -- I like Teddy and Scorpius just fine -- but I do think this fic succeeds on many levels, one of which is in broad appeal regardless of who the characters are. If that makes sense. *reaches for more coffee* Anyway, umm, what I mean is, you start with two bored 20-somethings at a Ministry function their families have forced them to attend, and this is what you get when they sneak off to do naughty things together. A simple premise, probably a PWP at heart, but also so much more. The chemistry between them just ignited not only my computer screen but my entire house, okay. Pardon me while I go reread this like a million times until I figure out how she did it. :)

Fix by Anon at hp_cestfest (Draco/Bellatrix, NC-17: incest, 1.5K)
How do you fix magic?

Ohhhh, this one is just exquisite. Gorgeous prose, a series of moments slotted beautifully into HBP canon, a very eerie and perfectly IC Bellatrix, a dream-like quality that leaves you a little bit unsure if any of it really happened, and just, a;lksj. Short and punchy, this fic draws you in right from the beginning and doesn't let go. I adored the originality of it, and did I mention the pretty, punchy prose? Everything she touches has a pulse until she stops it. a;klsjdf. Utterly love this!

See something you like? Even if LJ is hoarding the notifications, go on and leave a comment anyway! The authors (and artists, of course) will appreciate it. I feel like after a couple of years of us all wringing our hands over comment-declines during December fest season, this year has actually been quite good -- at least from my vantage point. I see a tonne of people commenting and recc'ing again this year, which is wonderful. *clings to HP fandom* See? We're still not going anywhere! :)

Moar recs. For those keeping track, these two completely blew my mind and are both going on my list of stories to put in the vault to be stored for all time. Yes, really. They are that good.

His Father's Son by rickey_a (Albus Severus/Scorpius, Draco, NC-17, 7K)
Scorpius Malfoy tries to find his own way in the world.

Okay, so, first of all, you can't tell a single thing from that header, really, which is not the author's fault. I sympathise, to which any of you who might have read my Albus genfic last month could attest. "Al wakes up and has a nice day," or whatever the summary was, doesn't tell you a goddamned thing. But in that case, I hope it was evident by the end why the summary couldn't really be any more specific. Same applies here. It's nearly impossible to review this story without giving away the farm. At heart, it's a lovely teenage romance story between Al and Scorpius. Underneath a few layers, it's also a slightly unsettling Malfoy family drama. Underneath a few more, it's an incredibly clever play on all the elements that make the Potterverse so compelling in the first place: the magic, and all that entails. This story eventually takes one crucial scene from canon and flips it completely on its head. You will never read that scene the same way again. You might not ever read these characters in any other fic the same way again. I don't think I will. This universe is now the only one I can see for them. It's astonishing how Rickey did it, really. Absolutely stunning, in terms of narrative construction, in terms of characterisation, and in terms of a plot that could not be more brilliant. I'm being vague, I know, but trust me. It's an unbelievably well-crafted story. Damn, I can't even use one of the tags I want, without spoiling it! :)

(edit: Ah, I see I should clarify: this was originally written for hp_darkfest, so it has some dark themes, but I didn't mention that originally because tbh, assumptions about what might be in it are what kept me from reading it for the past 6 weeks since it went up. It's maybe a shade darker than anything that happens in canon, but not much, IMO. There are spoiler warnings on the fic, if you need them, but I beg you to try it without reading them. It's not about sexual abuse or gore or anything. But, of course, YMMV, and I don't want to lead you into blindly reading something outside your comfort zone. :)

Give Chase by Anon at hd_holidays (Harry/Draco, NC-17: EWE, some D/s, bondage, 6K)
All Draco knows is that he can’t stop running.

I just. I can't even. *flail* The sheer originality of this fic is amazing in itself. I've never seen anything like it. It plays on every Potter/Malfoy rivalry you can think of, especially Auror/suspect, and crafts an ongoing game of CHASE as the basis for a slowly evolving D/s relationship. Like, running through the streets kind of chase. Maggie mentioned her running kink in reviewing this fic, and yeah. Seriously. The action sequences are incredibly well written, and that cannot be easy. By the time you finish it, you'll be panting yourself, charged with adrenaline and ready to take off down that alley once more to try to get away. It's exhilarating. Both men are wonderfully characterised, but the way we see Harry from Draco's POV especially got under my skin and tugged hard. “Malfoy.” The hairs on the back of Draco’s neck stood on end. “Why the fuck do you run when you know I’ll catch you?” al;ksjdfl;askdfjl;askdf. Fresh and original and hot like burning and tense and adrenaline-fuelled, and just, wow. Amazing story.

Read? Liked? Think I'm on crack but read and liked something else instead? Either way, go on and leave a bit of feedback for a hard-working author or artist today!

Savage by Anon at hd_holidays (Harry/Draco, NC-17: some violence, 19K)
In a post-war world that lives in fear and ignorance of werewolves, Draco Malfoy has taken every step to keep his condition hidden. When the delicate balance of his life shatters in a single moment, it is Harry Potter alone standing in his defence.

ALERT: H/D HAS WEREWOLF FIC. NO ONE TOLD ME THIS. a;lskdjf. Remus fen all over my flist, if you don't actively hate H/D, head on over and check out this fic. (Er- and everyone else, too). :) It does all the things I love about werewolf fic and then some, and it does it with Draco as the werewolf. It's canon-compliant, completely plausible in the universe it establishes (oh hi, Greyback skulking around Malfoy Manor during the war, RIGHT?), and the sex scenes are hot as hell. There is also a wonderful scene between Draco and 10-year-old Teddy, who is also a werewolf (which is very nicely explained), a fantastic OC in the Ministry, and one Harry freaking Potter who works for werewolf rights and is all about saving the world again, and just, a;slkdjf. Fantastic story.

The Distraction of Attraction by Anon at bestmates_xmas (Harry/Ron, NC-17, 6K or so)
Harry discovers the perfection of Ron's derriere.

Looking for some lighter fare? Oh my God, I was stuffing my fist into my mouth to keep from laughing out loud at this one. Wonderful characterisations of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they try to complete an Auror-training assignment that features one irritating catch, courtesy their instructor: they all have been hexed with a distraction to keep them from completing the task. Harry's is... Ron's arse. *dying* This is a terrifically well-constructed fic, plot-wise, in addition to just being funny and cute and awesome. :)

Winter's Day by Anon at ficadron (Ron/Draco, PG-13, 2K)
Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.

Short and incredibly lovely, this fic gives us a brief glimpse of one cold winter day as Ron and Draco work through an unnamed problem in their relationship. Not really a conversion fic, if you don't believe they'd ever be together in the first place, but an incredibly touching look at what must be a difficult relationship, if you do. :)

One Step by Anon at ficadron (Ron/Draco, NC-17: AU, past abuse that is heavily implied as sexual as well as physical, 13K)
My summary: Bill and Fleur both turned to look sharply at him. "It's all right," Ron said quickly, not wanting his brother to think that he had put him and Fleur - or their home - purposefully in danger. "He's not armed. He hasn't got a wand. He… he's defected. I think. At least, that's what he told me."

Gah, I didn't even know about this fest until yesterday, and then was doing recsletter stuff and fell in love with two stories from it. a;lksj. :) This is completely different from the fic above, but just as well-written and compelling. It's a bit AU from DH, but also fits very well into canon. Set after Ron leaves Harry and Hermione, it supposes that he finds a recently-escaped Draco in the forest and brings him to Shell Cottage to recover. The banter between them is some of the best I've seen for this pairing, tbh: harsh, horrible insults, but also a shared sense of camaraderie, and just, yeah. Incredibly well done. The ending is terrific, too.

Also! Remember how I was talking about Kinky Kristmas at daily_deviant the other day, and how I'd put prompts in and stuff? I've already got two fics out of it! *dances*

Give Her What She Wants by Anon at daily_deviant (Draco/Hermione, NC-17: BDSM, 4K)
Hermione missed out on the dinner party because she was otherwise occupied, since Draco gave her exactly what she wanted and more.

So, I was writing for hd_career_fair and fell a bit in love with the idea of Dom!Draco, and then this prompt happened. :D I have a soft spot for filthy Draco het, what can I say. Don't judge! :) Smoking hot fic, this is, with some great work with exhibitionism and voyeurism and nnnrf, the relationship between Draco and Hermione is amazing. And the ending melted my little heart. :)

What is Right by Anon at daily_deviant (Harry/Scorpius, NC-17: infidelity, 5K)
While looking for Albus, Harry learns something about his son’s best friend he was probably better off not knowing.

Infidelity!fic win! I love this pairing for that theme, I really do. Here, Harry and Scorpius are on a road trip together, locked in small motel rooms, and really, they're only human. What do you expect to happen?! :) *swats Harry* Don't look so surprised. The kid is fit, okay? :D But it's not all PWP; there is a nice bit of angst to it, and Scorpius, bless him, will surprise you a little bit. Wonderful story.

Thank you, my mystery authors! Remember for all of these, or anything else you read/view and enjoy, a little comment telling the creator you liked it is the best gift this holiday season. :)

I am off to put up my Christmas tree now!!!! ♥

*comes up for air*

OH GOD, FLIST. Is there any better feeling in the world than finishing a deadlined-fic and sitting back, cracking a beverage of your choice, and just, like, not writing fic for at least 24 hours? a;lskjdf. I like writing fic, don't get me wrong. But that feeling you get after finally finishing something you've been sort of chewing on for awhile? Yeah. That's a damn good feeling. :D

Fic-writing binge included making a pot of coffee and writing several thousand words on my birthday last week, which, aaaaaah, how awesome is that?! It was a great day overall, for several reasons, and thanks so much to everyone who wished me well or got me awesome v-gifts and things like that. ♥ ♥ ♥ ! I really appreciated it. Fic-writing in pyjamas with coffee and chocolate! Nothing better.

I have fic recs from like a hundred years ago that I need to write up, and how on earth is it already December 1 tomorrow?! Well, better do it tomorrow, or you'll all be distracted with shiny holiday fests starting. :)

Speaking of which... you're all posting about which ones you'll be watching, so, sure, here goes: my one real commitment is smutty_claus, because that's the only one I'm in, but I'm also going to keep an eye on snupin_santa, naturally, and probably hp_yule_balls and/or hd_holidays a little bit.

And! r_grayjoy kindly reminded me this morning that I have potential gifts coming from prompts I submitted to daily_deviant's Kinky Kristmas fest! Not that I'd forgotten it was happening, but I did forget I'd left prompts a few months ago. *headdesk* I just went back and checked my prompts and THEY ARE AWESOME and got claimed and stuff so I'm super excited to see them. :) By the way, listen: I tend to run around the internet leaving prompts wherever they're solicited, so if you've ever claimed one that is meant to have names attached (I always assume they're just sort of going in an anon pile) and written something for me and I haven't seen it because I fail, point it out to me PLEASE. :)

Random: smutty_claus and Kinky Kristmas have my favourite banners and icons so far, though. Hiiiiii, sexy women in lingerie and boots and stuff. ♥

No matter what fests you're following, though, be sure to take a second and leave a few words of feedback if you see something you like. It doesn't have to be long, and it doesn't have to take much of your time, but OH MY GOD it means the world to an author or artist to know you saw and liked their stuff. :)

Signing off with a teenyfic!rec: The Old School Tie by hereticalvision (Harry/Scorpius, PG-13, 300 words). This was the winning entry in last week's Harry/Scorpius Last Drabble Writer Standing contest, for the theme of 'detention,' and it was this wonderful, creative take on the theme. Totally made me smile.

*re-uploads holiday icons, whee!*

FACT: When you are used to writing antagonistic pairings, writing friendship pairings is hard. And features way too many OOC fights before the sex. :/

FACT: I heard some old Heart song on... IDK, a bathroom cleaner commercial or something the other day, and now I can't get it out of my head. Also, it has now become the soundtrack for my smutty_claus story. I... don't know if this is a good thing or not.

... but man, those chicks could rock, riiiight? *air guitar*

FACT: The S.O. and I just heroically got out, by exploiting a technicality, of a horrible Thanksgiving dinner we were supposed to go to tomorrow, hosted by the distant relations of a pseudo-acquaintance. Yes! *fist pump* Pyjamas and bacon sandwiches on the couch by ourselves, here we come. Thank God. Americans, I love you and appreciate that you love Thanksgiving so much, but honestly, I usually have better things to do on my birthday or close to than hang out with other people's families who invite the foreigners out of pity. I appreciate the gesture, but, no. Just, no. :)

FACT: Fabulous art recs are fabulous! Before I head back into writing lockdown, here, have some art!

Till Death Do Us Part by Anon at hp_darkfest (Harry/Ginny, Harry/Draco, R: blood, character death [Ginny])
Mind the warnings, please: this is a very dark piece, thematically. It stunned the breath right out of me with its implications. It made me super uncomfortable and want to weep for humanity, in a way, but it's also an astonishing piece, both artistically and conceptually. Very highly recommended, but not easy to take in.

Pensive by stellamoon (Draco, G)
Utterly stunning. a;lskdjf. I cannot even put into words how gorgeous and erotic this portrait is.

As You Witch by Anon at radish_love (Harry/Luna, PG)
Yeah, ANON. *coughcough* Just about as anon as the first piece up there. :D There is no reason in the universe for this piece not having about 8 times as many comments as it currently does. It's fabulous.

Teddy and Victoire by ericahpfa (both PG)
Erica is drawing next-gen portraits!!! *runs around flailing*

"Looking for these, Potter?" by tbranch (Harry/Pansy, R)
Because I never, ever get tired of tbranch's Pansy, or Harry/Pansy. *purr*

Lily/Lorcan/Lysander by _aurora_sky_ (NWS LIKE WHOA OKAY. Also, incest)
Because this post did not have nearly enough porn in it. :D Well, this isn't just porn. It's actually really gorgeous, with the positioning and the lighting and things like that. *nod* It's also hot like burning, okay, and I don't even care what you think of the next-gen characters or who Lorcan and Lysander are or whatever. HOT LIKE BURNING.

See something you like? Leave a bit of feedback for a talented artist today!

*runs back to writing*

Title: Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl
Author: snegurochka_lee
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~13,800
Warnings: Dom/sub. Bondage. EWE.
Summary: The owner of the elite BDSM club M. had not gained his reputation as the most coveted Dominant on the scene by taking on just any riff-raff submissive who asked. It would take an unexpected letter to convince him to accept a new client, but it might turn out to be the biggest mistake he ever made.
Notes: Written for hd_career_fair last month for this prompt. "Thank you" does not begin to cover my gratitude to the divine marguerite_26, whose handholding, beta work and modly prodding went well beyond the call of duty. When I was tempted to make Harry Minister for Magic, she also gets the credit for very wisely suggesting the position he has here instead. Thank you also to everyone who read, commented on, and recc'ed it at the fest. ♥ ! Originally posted anonymously here, where you can still read it in one file, if you prefer.

( Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl ) - over at LJ

Feedback is always appreciated, either here or at LJ. :)

Urf. I am in writing lockdown until smutty_claus is done, because *draws hearts around story* but also *stabs it with a fork* a;slkjdfs.

But! Had to reappear for a moment to point out that the first-ever Harry/Scorpius Last Drabble Writer Standing competition at harryscorp100 just started. Yes, I have a soft spot for Harry/Scorpius, although no, I'm not in this competition. Just an interested observer. I only recently figured out a.) what LDWS things are, and b.) how they work, so now I want everyone to do them. :)

So, there are 15 writers in it, and each week they get a prompt, and then they write a drabble (defined here as under 500 words or so, I think or, in any case, not 100 on the dot), send it in, and they are all posted anonymously mid-week. Then readers vote for their favourite, reveals happen on Sunday, and a new weekly round begins, with one less person. Fifteen weeks later, we have a winner. Fun, yes?

Maybe I'm just addicted to reality TV shows wherein voting for favourites occurs? Hm.

Anyway, I point out this week's Week One drabbles because they are all super good. The first prompt was 'Age Disparity,' so all entries have something to do with the age difference. Scorpius is underage in some but not in others, so read the warnings and go with whatever floats your boat. I had a great time over coffee the other day reading through them and trying to decide on a favourite. No, I'm not always in favour of competitive stuff in fandom, and yeah, it sucks that someone has to be eliminated every week, but hopefully all the participants are okay with that and know not to take it personally. Anyway, if it appeals to you, go have a read through over there and vote!

In other news, I just read through a super awesome story for snupin_santa this morning that made me fall in love with Snupin all over again. Swoon!

*runs back to smutty_claus* Hope all your holiday fest stuff is in and you lot are having a relaxing weekend!

Title: Mr Potter Lives for a Day
Author: snegurochka_lee
Characters: Albus Severus-centric, with a bit of implied Albus Severus/Scorpius and cameos by James, Lily, and portrait!Snape.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,800
Warnings: Dark themes, but nothing tangible enough to be its own warning. Next-gen Sorting might be slightly AU, depending on your point of view.
Summary: Albus wakes up on his seventeenth birthday determined to make the most of it.
Notes: Written for angelofcaffeine at ownficfest, out of an idea I originally had while working on last spring's nextgendarkfest. The lovely recipient for that fest wanted more overt pairing-ness and this wanted to be mostly gen, so I set it aside and wrote something else. It was nice to have the chance to revisit this idea, though. Many thanks to kennahijja for the fest idea and encouragement, and to florahart for the read-through. Thanks also to everyone who read, commented on, and recc'ed it at the fest. ♥ ! Originally posted anonymously here.

( Mr Potter Lives for a Day ) - over at LJ

Feedback is always appreciated, either here or at LJ. :)

Reveals are up for hd_career_fair and ownficfest, and it turns out (to some surprise? heh) that I wrote this one and this one. That was my September. I'm pretty happy with both of them, but there is some tweaking needed before re-posting, which will happen... not now.

Because now, I am off for the weekend to an annual conference for work. Every November around this time I go to this conference... and every time I go, I spend much of it in a hotel room writing my smutty_claus fic. Heh. Actually, there was one memorable year when I finished snupin_santa, merry_smutmas and smutty_claus from that hotel room, but this year I won't have quite that much time. Or that variety of assignments. Just the one this year.

Am drawing a giant heart around this year's fic, though, because ahahahahaahaha and I can't tell you more than that. :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Title: Office Boy
Author: snegurochka_lee
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~2,500
Warnings: EWE, probably. Also, see theme.
Summary: Harry watched the single bead of sweat slide down the side of Malfoy's face, slipping behind his ear and disappearing into his hair, and Harry's body gave a shiver at the thought of what was causing Malfoy's tension.
Notes: Written for the November theme of 'nipple clamps' at daily_deviant. Also, this is for marguerite_26, who was the most insanely tireless cheerleader and beta for my hd_career_fair story last month when I turned into a whinging snowflake of epic proportions and was wringing my hands over ever having been mad enough to sign up for an H/D fest. :) She suggested Harry/Teddy, actually, when I insisted on writing her a reward, but that shall have to wait for another day, because lo, now it seems my brain is all LET'S WRITE MOAR H/D OKAY. :/

( Office Boy ) - over at daily_deviant

First of all, happy-making thing of the day (so far): There is a guy in my building who I often see walking his two dogs that look just like him. Heh. They're all sort of burly and stuff but the dogs look really nice. I like seeing them because they seem like a happy family. Lately, I've only seen him with one of the dogs, though, which made me assume... bad things about the other. :( But! This morning I saw both of them again! It just made me super happy that the second dog was okay and back and they were all strutting down the street together again. All is right with the universe. :)

Second of all, recs! So, back in the summer, my co-mod, dracofiend, had this cool idea of doing a Remix mini-fest at our infidelity comm, hp_unfaithful. So we did. :) Anyone who signed up had to offer two of their fics for remixing, and then the other participants could go through that post and just pick anything from the links that they wanted to remix. Not everyone's stories got remixed under this format, alas, but it was a nice, low-stress way to do it.

At any rate, we're all done now, and the masterlist is up, if you're interested in perusing. The remixes are all short and easy to digest over a coffee break. :) I posted my own remix last week, and then when I checked back at the comm over the weekend, I saw that both my proposed stories had been remixed by others! *dancey* And they are both super cool:

The Wedding Bell Blue Balls Remix by gryffindor_j (Remus/James, NC-17, 3,600 words)
While Sirius is off on an errand for the groom, Remus does his best to help the groom out in other ways.

*cackles with glee* This is a remix of my old Sirius/Lily fic, Nice Day for a White Wedding, which features blatant wedding day infidelity. gryffindor_j turned it around to show us just what the groom and his other groomsman might have been getting up to while the best man was having a turn with the bride. *glee* Sexy and funny and a wonderful complement to the original.

To Love, in Six Words (the Slow Drown Remix) by dracofiend (Remus/Bill, PG-13, 1,100 words)
Remus oughtn't be awake, but he is—because of Bill. Always because of Bill.

*clutches heart* This is a remix of my post-DH, angst-trainwreck of a Remus/Bill fic, Fifty Words Unspoken. dracofiend did amazing things not only with Remus's POV and the emotions of all the characters, but also with the weird structure I had in the original. I love how she's chosen six of the title words from each segment and woven them into a new form. Really beautiful and haunting.

Thank you so much, both of you! It was wonderful to read such cool remixes of my stuff. Eeee! If you read and enjoy, be sure to leave a few words of feedback for my lovely remixers. :)

OH HI, SNUPIN MUSE. HOW NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

Title: White Shades, Black Morning (the In-Between Place Remix)
Author: snegurochka_lee
Pairings: Remus/Severus, with implied Remus/James/Sirius
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~750
Warnings: Infidelity, but you might also view it as simply non-exclusivity, depending on your goggles.
Summary: You get him in the shadowed times, those precious, hidden hours between dawn and eternity when the castle sleeps, or the Quidditch pitch roars, or the sweet, gummy stains of Honeydukes drip from fingers too far away to care where he is.
Notes: Written for the All (Re)Mixed Up Challenge at hp_unfaithful, this is a remix of purple_chalk's enchanting fic, five shades of white. It will help an awful lot to read that before this one; it won't take you long. :) I turned it around to Snape's POV and made it more overtly an infidelity ficlet (as per the challenge). Also, just so I might one day finish the damn thing, let's say it also fits my 100quills table, for prompt #25, "Black." The rest of my table is here.

White Shades, Black Morning (the In-Between Place Remix) - over at LJ

I just realised I hadn't yet posted the round-up of recs I did at crack_broom last month, whoops. I had the pleasure of reccing Threesomes, which actually is harder than it looks. I realised after looking through my tags that I'm more likely to read stuff with multiple pairings (or even love-triads) or moresomes than a strict threesome. Heh. At any rate, links go to the more detailed rec at CB, which then has links to the actual stories/art. Some of these I've already recc'ed here at my journal, but others are new for CB. I'm sort of addicted to CB recc'ing every few months; see my crack_broom tag for other sets of recs, if you are so inclined. :)

FIC:

Adrenaline Chasers by marguerite_26 (Draco/Albus/Scorpius, NC-17, 8K. Non-con, drama, angst)
Al and Scorpius take their dares to the next level.

What Happened to Percy by islandsmoke (Snape/Lupin/Percy, NC-17, 10K. AU, humour, romance)
Percy was staring, and Percy got caught.

The Arousal of Suspicion by eeyore9990 (Bill/Tonks/Kingsley, NC-17, 7K. GoF-based, drama)
With everything else going wrong in the world, she'd finally found something very, very right.

Knight Bus Adventures as Told by Ernie Prang, Driver Extraordinaire by luvscharlie (Rodolphus/Rabastan/Rita Skeeter, with commentary by Ernie and Stan, NC-17, 2K. Humour, PWP)
The things that happen on the Knight Bus are what some might consider shocking. Ernie Prang has seen it all.

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered by ginny___weasley (Lucius/Hermione/Draco, NC-17, 20K. Non-con, postwar dystopian enslavement)
Luna is curious, and Hermione is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A Glass of Warm Milk by inell (Charlie/Hermione/Fred, NC-17, 6K. PWP)
Cold sheets and restless nights --- all he'd wanted was a glass of warm milk.

ART:

The New Headmaster's Office by ponderosa121 (Snape/Lucius/Harry, NWS)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by ghot (Hermione/Ginny/Tonks, NWS)

Bisexuality by ericahpfa (Sirius/Remus/Lily, NWS)

If you read/see something you like, go ahead and leave a few words of feedback! Even on older stories and art, people always appreciate it.

So, against all odds, I seem to find myself in the middle of writing not one, not two, but three... romantic comedies. :/ No, IDEK. My last two stories (that you don't know about yet, ahaha) were fairly angsty, though, so maybe there is now balance? IDK. Every idea I come up with lately involves banter and hijinks, though. Well, let's go with the flow. One is for a holiday fest, but the other two will be up under my very own non-anon name (gasp! I know) in November. If I can rein in their tendency to veer towards the ridiculous, that is.

In other news, I GOT MISTAKEN FOR PREGNANT BY A SHOP ASSISTANT THE OTHER DAY. :((((( Just, who says that to people??? Okay, maybe there was bad posture and thus bulge? But, just, what. Even if you're thinking it, do you need to say it out loud? DO YOU? The ironic bit is, I'm not terribly overweight or anything to start with, but I've actually lost a bit in the past few months, and loose blouse was looser than usual. I guess that was it? Combined with weird-fitting jacket? I don't know a circumstance in which that's not cringe-inducing, right? I mean, either you wish you were pregnant but aren't, thus there is sadface, or you maybe have a bit of bulge and are sensitive about it, thus there is sadface, or you are happily childfree (*flings hand in the air; well, that and #2*) and thus there is notamusedface.

IDK. What. Fail.

[/random post] :)

So much for my plan of starting back at the beginning of hd_career_fair and working my way forward. The headers for these two that were posted only in the last few days caught my eye, and man oh man, were they ever worth it. :)

Public Affairs by Anon hereticalvision at hd_career_fair (Harry/Draco, background Draco/Astoria and Harry/Ginny, R, 17K)
Harry never could have foreseen what would happen when he teamed up with Draco Malfoy to improve the public perception of Slytherin House.

Dammit, it's just about impossible to properly review this one without giving spoilers, but trust me that although the heading and even the summary might make it sound rather hum-drum, it is not. Set during Albus and Scorpius's first year at Hogwarts, this fic plays very cleverly with the prejudice against Slytherin House that JKR gave us in canon (and carried right through to the Epilogue, with Al's concern over being Sorted there). In this fic, he is indeed Sorted there, and he ends up caught in a culture of viciousness at Hogwarts against Slytherins that mirrors postwar society's viciousness against former Slytherins or Death Eaters in general, no matter how many years have passed since the war. Draco has been working through legal channels to fight this open and sanctioned discrimination, with little success. When Al reports to Harry about being bullied, however, Harry takes on the cause as well.

Here are just a few of the ways in which this fic is extremely clever: it takes an element of canon and runs away with it, developing it so much more than JKR ever did and creating a scarily plausible postwar universe in which anti-Slytherin discrimination defines the Wizarding world. It also treats the actual Slytherins of the story as real people, not caricatures, and exposes them with all their devotion and perseverance but also their flaws. Draco, Pansy, and in a brilliant cameo, Andromeda of all people, all steal the show as the main Slytherins, while Harry gets drawn further and further into their cause and their passion for their House. The attraction between Harry and Draco, I should add, is utterly electric, but never crosses too far out of the realm of the believable. This is a very intelligent fic, full of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes -- to say the least. I loved it.

In the Same Boat by Anon tomatoe18 at hd_career_fair (Harry/Draco, background Blaise/Ginny and Albus/Scorpius, NC-17, 21K)
Officially, Draco just wants Hogsmeade to have a bookstore. Unofficially, his son is giving him heart palpitations, so he has to resort to a drastic measure. Unfortunately, Draco's drastic measure is also Harry Potter's.

And in the category of Completely Different from the first one, here is a sweet, funny, hot and romantic story. If the first one on this page made me think big thinky thoughts, this one just made me grin a mile wide. It's not overly fluffy or anything, but it's very funny and features a great Draco POV whose observations about the world around him made me laugh out loud. It opens with a wonderful scene in which poor Draco witnesses a bit of shy wrestling/groping between his son and Albus Potter, both age 12, that is just about the cutest thing ever, but which prompts Draco to decide he needs to spend more time in Hogsmeade to keep an eye on this budding relationship. Which leads him to wonder why on earth a village like Hogsmeade does not have a bleeding bookstore. Which he decides to remedy. The rest of the fic involves a series of hijinks as Draco attempts to open a bookstore, and as Harry (ahaha) attempts to open a competing one. Their dynamic is perfect, especially Draco's inner voice as he tries to behave himself around Harry, and the resolution of their bickering and fighting over bookstore locations and staff and what not works wonderfully.

Off you go, then! They're both lengthy, I know, but well worth the read. Sorry to the non-H/D folks around here; I'm on a bit of a kick with them lately because of career_fair, but I haven't abandoned my other pairings, I promise. Although, remember that I'm not the world's biggest H/D fan either, and yet these stories appealed to me a great deal. If you haven't read much of the pairing, I encourage you to give them a shot! And if you do read and enjoy, be sure to leave a few words of feedback for an anxious anon author today. :)