Recs
I've been very remiss in pointing out some gift fics I've received recently, so here they are. First of all my 
hp_beholder gift is a beautiful story of Arthur and the entire Weasley family coming to terms with their loss just after Deathly Hallows: Burrowing, 3,000 words, rated PG/Teen. It's such a convincing look at how they all might react. Just lovely.
Then there was Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect at springtime_gen, which has one of the best first lines I've read in ages: Over a month had passed, but Hogwarts still smelled of blood and dust and smoke. It's a fabulous look at the rebuilding of Hogwarts, focusing on Minerva McGonagall's point of view, but with appearances from many other staff and pupils.
Unfortunately I haven't had a huge amount of time to read at either fest, but while I'm here, have a few more recs for stories I've enjoyed:
The Bucket List of one Hermione Granger is a warm, ostensibly light-hearted look at post-war Hermione with some serious undertones. Hermione is trying to plan her future life - while also dealing with what she's done to her parents in the past.
Primrose Path brings to life the world of the Death Eaters without ever glorifying their choices. Each character brings a different point of view, until the story winds up with a chilling look inside Bellatrix's mind. It's short, sharp and perfectly executed.
Homecoming is another Minerva-and-Neville story, which seems pretty popular this year, a development I am completely in favour of. I particularly liked this one because it's short but very full, with lots of interesting insights into both characters.
The Bow That Is Stable is one of those treats of a story that sheds light on various characters, in this case through the lens of parenthood. While Ron, Fleur, Angelina, Draco and Harry and others deal with their children (and in the case of Teddy, his parents), the author paints a full picture of life in the next-generation wizarding world. The story is gorgeous, detailed, occasionally heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful.
Chosen and Accepted, Andromeda Tonks/Augusta Longbottom, rated PG. This story draws on parallels I'd never really considered between the two women's lives and dresses it up beautifully in a moving, understated story.
One More for the Road, Sirius/Rosmerta, rated R. A lovely story that plunges us straight into the hectic atmosphere of the first war against Voldemort, with Sirius discovering unexpected benefits of doing a favour for his mate.
Fire in the Deep, Grey Lady/Bloody Baron, rated PG-13. I am a tiny bit ambivalent about reccing this, because, well, nothing can excuse the Bloody Baron's crime. This story does not do that, but it does provide a context and a possible explanation, which is something that I feel needs to be done with care. It also contains some of the most beautiful writing I've come across recently; I could roll around in the prose (and maybe if I did that for long enough I'd assimilate some of the author's writing ability).
I'll finish with a gorgeous piece of art that made me grin: Time Traveler, in which Arthur Weasley travels back in time and encounters Helga Hufflepuff. It's G-rated and so very pretty!
If you enjoyed any of these, please do let the writers and artist know. <3
This entry was originally posted at http://lyras.dreamwidth.org/68676.html. You can comment there using Open ID.
hp_beholder gift is a beautiful story of Arthur and the entire Weasley family coming to terms with their loss just after Deathly Hallows: Burrowing, 3,000 words, rated PG/Teen. It's such a convincing look at how they all might react. Just lovely.
Then there was Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect at springtime_gen, which has one of the best first lines I've read in ages: Over a month had passed, but Hogwarts still smelled of blood and dust and smoke. It's a fabulous look at the rebuilding of Hogwarts, focusing on Minerva McGonagall's point of view, but with appearances from many other staff and pupils.
Unfortunately I haven't had a huge amount of time to read at either fest, but while I'm here, have a few more recs for stories I've enjoyed:
The Bucket List of one Hermione Granger is a warm, ostensibly light-hearted look at post-war Hermione with some serious undertones. Hermione is trying to plan her future life - while also dealing with what she's done to her parents in the past.
Primrose Path brings to life the world of the Death Eaters without ever glorifying their choices. Each character brings a different point of view, until the story winds up with a chilling look inside Bellatrix's mind. It's short, sharp and perfectly executed.
Homecoming is another Minerva-and-Neville story, which seems pretty popular this year, a development I am completely in favour of. I particularly liked this one because it's short but very full, with lots of interesting insights into both characters.
The Bow That Is Stable is one of those treats of a story that sheds light on various characters, in this case through the lens of parenthood. While Ron, Fleur, Angelina, Draco and Harry and others deal with their children (and in the case of Teddy, his parents), the author paints a full picture of life in the next-generation wizarding world. The story is gorgeous, detailed, occasionally heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful.
Chosen and Accepted, Andromeda Tonks/Augusta Longbottom, rated PG. This story draws on parallels I'd never really considered between the two women's lives and dresses it up beautifully in a moving, understated story.
One More for the Road, Sirius/Rosmerta, rated R. A lovely story that plunges us straight into the hectic atmosphere of the first war against Voldemort, with Sirius discovering unexpected benefits of doing a favour for his mate.
Fire in the Deep, Grey Lady/Bloody Baron, rated PG-13. I am a tiny bit ambivalent about reccing this, because, well, nothing can excuse the Bloody Baron's crime. This story does not do that, but it does provide a context and a possible explanation, which is something that I feel needs to be done with care. It also contains some of the most beautiful writing I've come across recently; I could roll around in the prose (and maybe if I did that for long enough I'd assimilate some of the author's writing ability).
I'll finish with a gorgeous piece of art that made me grin: Time Traveler, in which Arthur Weasley travels back in time and encounters Helga Hufflepuff. It's G-rated and so very pretty!
If you enjoyed any of these, please do let the writers and artist know. <3
This entry was originally posted at http://lyras.dreamwidth.org/68676.html. You can comment there using Open ID.