Great Big RS GAMES Rec List
Go ahead and ignore this if you're not, you know, looking for massive amounts of fic to read. ;)
rs_games is over now and I have got to say, I was blown away by so many of the fics this year. Here is my list of recommendations - my favorites of the whole thing. Of course, if you know me, you know I cant ever make decisions so be warned: This list is LONG. Without further ado, I give you...
Heidi's Massive List of Recs from RS Games 2011
Team: Remus
Title: Leave My Body To Silence
Notes: A nice tale of overcoming differences to find each other.
Title: Can't Have One Without The Other
Notes: Of course, this artist's style is so distinct that it's easy as pie to know who it is but as usual, this set of pictures is flawless. The details (sweater, hair, fingers) and the expressions are so alive. I love the premise, as well. Flawless.
Title: Lostness
Notes: Another entry from my fave ~mystery~ artist. Honestly, this one blew my breath away. My favorite part, oddly, are the socks. I don't know why they are so endearing, but I love them.
Title: Follow Your Own Tracks
Notes: I especially love the picture in the middle on the right of the boys asleep with hands clasped. All these are beautiful and really tell Remus's story going against all advice and falling in love. Beautiful.
Title: Full Circle
Notes: Pirates!
Title: A Good Deed
Notes: I love stories about Christmas shopping anyways, and this was adorable.
Title: Anywhere But Nowhere
Notes: This fic is lovely; it follows a very familiar fandom trope but it is sweet and I did enjoy it a lot. They are so very clearly infatuated with each other and that gives me the warm fuzzies like very little else. Lovely.
Title: Some Things In Life Remain Constant
Notes: I have a slight fetish with smoking and cigarettes being used as motifs in stories and this is beautiful. There is a certain calm quietness to the events in this story that also appeals to me greatly. I especially love the scene of their first kiss, for instance. No grand gestures, just two friends smoking and revealing their thoughts. Very lovely.
Title: Just As Fair
Notes: I really enjoyed this portrayal of two different ways Remus's life could have gone, and how the one that lead to the most happiness also had the most trials. Very interesting portrayal of it, and excellent use of the prompt.
Title: A Place Only We Know
Notes: This fic is on my list mostly because it happens in my FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD aka Helsinki. I was not so fond of the religious aspects of the fic but that's a personal thing. For the most part this is a well executed and well flowing story and it definitely shows a character progression. By the end, though, I sort of wanted to knock everyone's heads together. But not in a bad way. ;)
Title: What I Deserve (Of You)
Notes: This is utterly heartbreaking. But in a delicious sort of way.
Title: Riding the Rails
Notes: Oh god. Let me count the ways in which I ADORE this fic. Oh wait, no, I can't, because there are FAR TOO MANY OF THEM. This is one of the most original AU's I've ever read and it is utterly fantastic. Remus and Sirius are homeless teenagers train hopping across America in the middle of the Great Depression. This is a story of friendship, trials, adventure, loving and living for the sake of living. Oh, it is SO FLAWLESS, I can't even begin to say how flawless it is. This might be my favorite story of the whole lot. When it ended I wanted to jump into the story and follow Remus and Sirius to the Yukon. Absolutely, ABSOLUTELY must read.
Title: Buttoned Up
Notes: Lovely story of Remus learning to let go and take what he wants, and to hell with the rules.
Title: flash/back
Notes: Really enjoyable little story. I love when Remus is depicted as being a bit of a badass, taking drugs and such. Very fun.
Title: From Moon to Moon
Notes: Favourable mention for merit of really creative AU idea and rich, unusual settings. I liked this a lot.
Team Sirius
Title: The Benefits of Being Openminded
Notes: Yum. Also, love the format. Gifs! They're very cute. Especially love the shaking bed. Made me laugh for ages.
Title: All the Way Home
Notes: As per usual, this particular artist has delivered a beautiful and poignant collection of pictures, and also a lovely storyline. Sirius really comes unlaced in the end, and Remus is just so beautiful. I didn't want this to end. Special mention for Remus's fantastic boots, and the piggyback ride at the end. Lovely.
Title: The Singular Experience
Notes: I just loved Padfoot driving the car, and the fact that the road makes the shape of a dog/wolf - lovely.
Title: Quiet Comfort
Notes: This is beautifully drawn - and I think I must have a thing for socks cuz I just love Sirius's socked feet.
Title: Shadow of a Doubt
Notes: This is just really beautiful and I love the format, the way the artist combines two pictures each time, using shadows to tell stories. Lovely.
Title: Gentlemen of the Road
Notes: Sweet little scene of boys bickering, Sirius being impatient and antsy and then finding his own kind of peace.
Title: Tabula Rasa
Notes: Space AU!!!! SIRIUS AND REMUS - IN SPACE! Nuff said, really.
Title: Terrain of Cruelty
Notes: A poignant AU in which Sirius and Harry explore death and guilt, Sirius's path to acceptance of his actions and risks he took in order to inch quietly towards a happy ending with Remus. Very nice.
Title: A Bit of Borrowed Warmth
Notes: This is a classic Sirius freaking out tale, but I really enjoyed it. Sirius is an idiot, but he sorts himself out and he's a sweetheart while doing so. Lovely and heartwarming.
Title: Ernie Ecklestein and the Completely Useless Trip
Notes: This is one of the most wonderfully quirky fics I've read in a long time. Scottish!Remus sometimes squicks me but this is lovely, and the author gets so much credit for setting it in Ecclefechan. Brilliance. Seriously though, this is another one of my absolute favorites of the lot. Quirky, fun and heartwarming, it is a story of two boys who are uncertain in themselves and with each other, but eventually find their way to where they should be.
Title: Camp Rome
Notes: This comes with a warning: this story will break your heart. It is *not* happy - not in the slightest. It is twisted and ugly but it is really, really good. Very original and totally convincing.
Title: Written in the Stars
Notes: SPACE AU!!!!! SIRIUS AND REMUS - IN SPACE!!! I love that this is a thing now! This story is so original and fantastic. I love it so much. I can't recommend this enough.
Title: Seven
Notes: A lovely take on their story through the years.
Title: When You Wake Up You Will Find Me
Notes: This is a beautiful piece of writing. Sirius is really on a journey here, coming to terms with his past, his present and his future. He and Remus revolve around each other in a fascinating way that is both poignant and provoking. Love this.
Title: All Your Glory In Your Form
Notes: This is short, but beautifully written. Well worth the read.
Title: Monsters in the Box
Notes: This is SO GOOD. I was completely enraptured all the way through it, and it is not short. Sirius and Remus are drawn together from the beginning, but there is intrigue and guilt and love... a really riveting story that I can't recommend highly enough.
Title: Solace
Notes: This story does a wonderful job of being both heartwarming and heartwrenching; it is canon compliant and of course happy endings in canon are difficult, but there is a certain amount of comfort in this story. It is lovely.
Title: Golden Hours, Slipping By
Notes: If there is any justice, this fic will become an instant fandom classic. I wanted to just dive into this wonderfully rich, quirky world that the author has created and never ever leave it. I cannot express just how wonderful this AU is. I don't even want to describe the premise because it is so worth discovering it on your own. This is really, truly fantastic.
Title: 500 Miles (I'm Coming Home To You)
Notes: A lovely twist on the classic Band AU. Sirius is a rockstar, Remus is the lover he left behind to follow his career. This is written through Remus's eyes but we can really see Sirius's growth as a person, his realisation that without his love, his life is empty. There is music in this story; it is a beautiful piece of work.
Title: Mending Bridges
Notes: An epic AU tale of two people coming together; this is a journey of misunderstandings, stubbornness and anger. Bridges are built and bridges are broken - but eventually they are put back together again as two people grow up and allow themselves to love.
Title: King of the Road
Notes: More trainjumping AU! I really enjoyed this. Remus is delicious, though Sirius is also lovely. Worth the read, definitely.
Title: The Improbable Adventure of Being Alive
Notes: A heartwarming story about making the best of what you have left. AU in which Sirius lives through OOTP (which of course is my favorite kind of AU).
Title: The Chosen Path
Notes: Creative, gripping AU in which Sirius steals Harry the first time they meet in PoA.
rs_games is over now and I have got to say, I was blown away by so many of the fics this year. Here is my list of recommendations - my favorites of the whole thing. Of course, if you know me, you know I cant ever make decisions so be warned: This list is LONG. Without further ado, I give you...
Heidi's Massive List of Recs from RS Games 2011
Team: Remus
Title: Leave My Body To Silence
Notes: A nice tale of overcoming differences to find each other.
Title: Can't Have One Without The Other
Notes: Of course, this artist's style is so distinct that it's easy as pie to know who it is but as usual, this set of pictures is flawless. The details (sweater, hair, fingers) and the expressions are so alive. I love the premise, as well. Flawless.
Title: Lostness
Notes: Another entry from my fave ~mystery~ artist. Honestly, this one blew my breath away. My favorite part, oddly, are the socks. I don't know why they are so endearing, but I love them.
Title: Follow Your Own Tracks
Notes: I especially love the picture in the middle on the right of the boys asleep with hands clasped. All these are beautiful and really tell Remus's story going against all advice and falling in love. Beautiful.
Title: Full Circle
Notes: Pirates!
Title: A Good Deed
Notes: I love stories about Christmas shopping anyways, and this was adorable.
Title: Anywhere But Nowhere
Notes: This fic is lovely; it follows a very familiar fandom trope but it is sweet and I did enjoy it a lot. They are so very clearly infatuated with each other and that gives me the warm fuzzies like very little else. Lovely.
Title: Some Things In Life Remain Constant
Notes: I have a slight fetish with smoking and cigarettes being used as motifs in stories and this is beautiful. There is a certain calm quietness to the events in this story that also appeals to me greatly. I especially love the scene of their first kiss, for instance. No grand gestures, just two friends smoking and revealing their thoughts. Very lovely.
Title: Just As Fair
Notes: I really enjoyed this portrayal of two different ways Remus's life could have gone, and how the one that lead to the most happiness also had the most trials. Very interesting portrayal of it, and excellent use of the prompt.
Title: A Place Only We Know
Notes: This fic is on my list mostly because it happens in my FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD aka Helsinki. I was not so fond of the religious aspects of the fic but that's a personal thing. For the most part this is a well executed and well flowing story and it definitely shows a character progression. By the end, though, I sort of wanted to knock everyone's heads together. But not in a bad way. ;)
Title: What I Deserve (Of You)
Notes: This is utterly heartbreaking. But in a delicious sort of way.
Title: Riding the Rails
Notes: Oh god. Let me count the ways in which I ADORE this fic. Oh wait, no, I can't, because there are FAR TOO MANY OF THEM. This is one of the most original AU's I've ever read and it is utterly fantastic. Remus and Sirius are homeless teenagers train hopping across America in the middle of the Great Depression. This is a story of friendship, trials, adventure, loving and living for the sake of living. Oh, it is SO FLAWLESS, I can't even begin to say how flawless it is. This might be my favorite story of the whole lot. When it ended I wanted to jump into the story and follow Remus and Sirius to the Yukon. Absolutely, ABSOLUTELY must read.
Title: Buttoned Up
Notes: Lovely story of Remus learning to let go and take what he wants, and to hell with the rules.
Title: flash/back
Notes: Really enjoyable little story. I love when Remus is depicted as being a bit of a badass, taking drugs and such. Very fun.
Title: From Moon to Moon
Notes: Favourable mention for merit of really creative AU idea and rich, unusual settings. I liked this a lot.
Team Sirius
Title: The Benefits of Being Openminded
Notes: Yum. Also, love the format. Gifs! They're very cute. Especially love the shaking bed. Made me laugh for ages.
Title: All the Way Home
Notes: As per usual, this particular artist has delivered a beautiful and poignant collection of pictures, and also a lovely storyline. Sirius really comes unlaced in the end, and Remus is just so beautiful. I didn't want this to end. Special mention for Remus's fantastic boots, and the piggyback ride at the end. Lovely.
Title: The Singular Experience
Notes: I just loved Padfoot driving the car, and the fact that the road makes the shape of a dog/wolf - lovely.
Title: Quiet Comfort
Notes: This is beautifully drawn - and I think I must have a thing for socks cuz I just love Sirius's socked feet.
Title: Shadow of a Doubt
Notes: This is just really beautiful and I love the format, the way the artist combines two pictures each time, using shadows to tell stories. Lovely.
Title: Gentlemen of the Road
Notes: Sweet little scene of boys bickering, Sirius being impatient and antsy and then finding his own kind of peace.
Title: Tabula Rasa
Notes: Space AU!!!! SIRIUS AND REMUS - IN SPACE! Nuff said, really.
Title: Terrain of Cruelty
Notes: A poignant AU in which Sirius and Harry explore death and guilt, Sirius's path to acceptance of his actions and risks he took in order to inch quietly towards a happy ending with Remus. Very nice.
Title: A Bit of Borrowed Warmth
Notes: This is a classic Sirius freaking out tale, but I really enjoyed it. Sirius is an idiot, but he sorts himself out and he's a sweetheart while doing so. Lovely and heartwarming.
Title: Ernie Ecklestein and the Completely Useless Trip
Notes: This is one of the most wonderfully quirky fics I've read in a long time. Scottish!Remus sometimes squicks me but this is lovely, and the author gets so much credit for setting it in Ecclefechan. Brilliance. Seriously though, this is another one of my absolute favorites of the lot. Quirky, fun and heartwarming, it is a story of two boys who are uncertain in themselves and with each other, but eventually find their way to where they should be.
Title: Camp Rome
Notes: This comes with a warning: this story will break your heart. It is *not* happy - not in the slightest. It is twisted and ugly but it is really, really good. Very original and totally convincing.
Title: Written in the Stars
Notes: SPACE AU!!!!! SIRIUS AND REMUS - IN SPACE!!! I love that this is a thing now! This story is so original and fantastic. I love it so much. I can't recommend this enough.
Title: Seven
Notes: A lovely take on their story through the years.
Title: When You Wake Up You Will Find Me
Notes: This is a beautiful piece of writing. Sirius is really on a journey here, coming to terms with his past, his present and his future. He and Remus revolve around each other in a fascinating way that is both poignant and provoking. Love this.
Title: All Your Glory In Your Form
Notes: This is short, but beautifully written. Well worth the read.
Title: Monsters in the Box
Notes: This is SO GOOD. I was completely enraptured all the way through it, and it is not short. Sirius and Remus are drawn together from the beginning, but there is intrigue and guilt and love... a really riveting story that I can't recommend highly enough.
Title: Solace
Notes: This story does a wonderful job of being both heartwarming and heartwrenching; it is canon compliant and of course happy endings in canon are difficult, but there is a certain amount of comfort in this story. It is lovely.
Title: Golden Hours, Slipping By
Notes: If there is any justice, this fic will become an instant fandom classic. I wanted to just dive into this wonderfully rich, quirky world that the author has created and never ever leave it. I cannot express just how wonderful this AU is. I don't even want to describe the premise because it is so worth discovering it on your own. This is really, truly fantastic.
Title: 500 Miles (I'm Coming Home To You)
Notes: A lovely twist on the classic Band AU. Sirius is a rockstar, Remus is the lover he left behind to follow his career. This is written through Remus's eyes but we can really see Sirius's growth as a person, his realisation that without his love, his life is empty. There is music in this story; it is a beautiful piece of work.
Title: Mending Bridges
Notes: An epic AU tale of two people coming together; this is a journey of misunderstandings, stubbornness and anger. Bridges are built and bridges are broken - but eventually they are put back together again as two people grow up and allow themselves to love.
Title: King of the Road
Notes: More trainjumping AU! I really enjoyed this. Remus is delicious, though Sirius is also lovely. Worth the read, definitely.
Title: The Improbable Adventure of Being Alive
Notes: A heartwarming story about making the best of what you have left. AU in which Sirius lives through OOTP (which of course is my favorite kind of AU).
Title: The Chosen Path
Notes: Creative, gripping AU in which Sirius steals Harry the first time they meet in PoA.