Rectober # 2: Recs from RS Games, part 1
banner by raitala
Like always, lots of wonderful fic and art being posted at rs_games!
I haven't caught up on everything yet, but here are some of my favourites of the ones I've read and viewed so far. All fics this time around.
Any Other Night by Currently Anonymous
Team: Star
Rating: R
Warnings: Some sex, some attention paid to the darker aspects of the R/S relationship
Word Count: 6,845
Summary: In 1977, Remus and Sirius set about trying to kill the moon, and years later, in Azkaban, Sirius reflects on this and on his damaged relationship with Remus.
Prompt: 51 "There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls." - George Carlin.
Why I loved it: The author has a way with words, there are some really powerful phrases full of beauty and tension. I also love the idea of killing the moon, and the inventive way this works as a theme throughout the story, showing us different sides to Remus and Sirius. The changing POVs work really well, the imagery is gorgeous, and there's a lot of sadness and darkness here, but also so much love that makes it a hopeful story despite the darkness. Great read!
Excerpt: Any other night, any other moment, any other state of mind and the answer is no, of course not. The moon is not responsible for what I am. It’s an allergen, an unfortunately unavoidable trigger. It is not the disease, it is not the teeth that bit me. It’s just a rock, reflecting light, as subservient to its nature as I am.
But tonight is tonight and this moment is this moment and the gillyweed has clutched Remus by the nape of his neck, it has dulled everything but that light, that awful white light.
If This Life Isn't Enough by Currently Anonymous
Team: Star
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Word Count: 3,916
Summary: Sirius' memory has become a strange thing. It's veiled in clouds, but he looks for sunshine anyway.
Prompt: 12 - short video of Florence + The Machine's "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"
Why I loved it: This fic is heartbreakingly beautiful, achingly sad, but surrounded by an airy, intangible hope (very much like the song in the prompt) that really got to me. The language creates the perfect atmosphere, and the portrayal of Peter is wonderfully done. Sirius' thoughts feel very true, some of them formulated in a way I haven't often seen before. This is one of my favourites of the ones I've read so far!
Excerpt: The turning point of his life is the moment when Hagrid says no, no, that he's supposed to take Harry. It is that moment that spells out Sirius Black's fate. He's condemned. Dumbledore's not going to stand by him.
The entire world keeps spinning, but Sirius' stops then.
For an instant, he does think of going to Remus. (Everyone wonders why he never tried to prove his innocence. What innocence, he wants to ask. Isn't he the one who suggested Peter? Isn't he the one who made sure to keep Remus at an arm's length, so confident that he was the spy?)
Remus and the Others by Currently Anonymous
Team: Moon
Rating: PG-13/R
Warnings: Hints of child abuse, self-harm, personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder.
Word Count: 10,929
Summary: Remus has never been alone. They have always been there. So when Sirius comes into their lives, they all have to adapt to the changes that he brings along.
Prompt: 37 - Calvin & Hobbes comic strip
Why I loved it: What I really enjoyed about this fic, is the very interesting premise and the way the author has managed to make the different personalities come to life. Remus in canon is a man who needs to play roles and hide who he is, and this is an intriguing way of translating his canon problems into a Muggle setting. Especially the Moony-personality felt very true to me.
Excerpt: If Remus had had any control left, he had lost it right at that moment. He could only watch as Moony seemed to be getting ready to do something, and Remus could feel himself recoil further and further into the back of his mind.
“I don’t like porridge either, but it’s good for you,” Sirius said, distracting Remus for a moment from what was going on in his mind. Moony let out a small snort, and it was only seconds later that he moved.