catching up & fic recs
Hope everyone had a great week. :) 
chazpure and I have been enjoying ourselves at her mom's place. I think we both seriously needed unwind time. Still coughing, but I'm feeling much more rested than I was on arrival. I don't know if it's the reduction of stress of all kinds or the wonderfully rainy weather that is doing me so much good, but I'll take what I can get. Net access has been spotty, but even so, the tranquility here is more than welcome.
Now, I've been saving these recs for some time. What better time to post them than a holiday weekend?
For those who don't know me, just fyi that, in general, I prefer to read well-written fics, but that I am one of those who can enjoy a story even if it's full of SP&G errors so long as the story is imaginative, the characters are interesting or insightful, and/or the plot is compelling. I do try to warn for any issues I run across. Just clarifying why I might read something that some people with a lower tolerance for errors will avoid. Note that I won't read something I cannot find interest in or that has serious errors in logic.
The way I see it is stories are like people - each is unique, each has faults and flaws and whether they are worth the investment of time and energy is entirely subjective. There is an audience for each, as well, even if it's others and not me, and that's fine.
So here are my recs, with apologies if any are repeats. I literally have thousands of fics now in various folders and sometimes one ends up being gathered and stored twice.
DIE HARD
Stealing Innocence and Gaining Freedom by Wendy Waddles. Tight little (probable Mary Sue) fic, but nicely done.
SEVERITUS
The Last Will and Testament of Lily Evans Potter by chrmisha. Frigging good, no-slash guardian Severitus! Now where's the sequel?
GEN
Petunia. 'All Those Empty Spaces' by JackieJLH. Fabulous. Utterly enjoyable.
Petunia. Filling In The Spaces, companion piece to 'All Those Empty Spaces' by JackieJLH. (wip) Fecking fabulous. Literally could not stop reading this, even knowing it was a wip, which normally I avoid.
If There is Peace to Be Found by jackiejlh is a lovely little unseen moments fic, which I tend to enjoy, especially when they give us glimpses of the faces our beloved characters wear when they're not in the spotlight. Minerva, here, is a starchy delight, and Severus. Oh, Severus...
Note that JackieJLH also wrote a compelling, ripping, frigging terrific Snape-centric au that has serious hurt (and not much comfort to speak of) that some might enjoy: To Make An End (adult, not gen)
Young Ms. Figg by H.L.B. Au with a very different characterisation of Arabella Figg than I've ever seen before. It's a very amusing tale without being untrue to the characters as the author depicts them.
SS/GinW
Take These Broken Wings by Sinister Spiders. SP&G errors, but lovely, slow, with great UST to RST. Note: those who like ouchie stories (not as in h/c, but as in leaving you feeling a bit raw) you might like the same author's Obliviate.
Snape's Room in the Basement by tbird1965. (Underage, dub-con. Mind the warnings) Set before & after DH. While staying at Grimmauld Place one summer, 16 yr old Ginny stumbles across her most mysterious professor in a very compromising position, which leads to some very adult discoveries, and quite possibly forbidden love.
SS/HG
The Seduction of Snape by tbird1965. Lightweight & totally au w/hard-to-ignore canon errors & a way too abrupt ending, but still a pleasant, and at times, amusing, read.
Wouldn't Know What To Do by FanFicLove101. Needs a beta, but other than that it's a classic Hermione discovers Snape is a virgin & offers to deflower him, with unabashedly raunchy smut.
Patrimony by Theolyn. Sparingly written, with touches of humour, this is a nice, sweet extrapolation of Severus as an expectant father and solicitious mate. Not too long and just long enough.
I Want That One by Teddy Radiator. Mind the warnings! This is harsh, but ruddy good -- snafu'd!Snape and captive Hermione, dark non-con followed up with some nice comfort.
I Need to Breathe by FirstYear. This was immersive, with an ooc, stubborn to the point of being unreasonable Hermione. Stays true to its own canon. Stays true to its characterizations. Contrived in places, but it keeps you reading. Great story for a long flight.
Dismantle the Sun by coffeeonthepatio. Very good but cliffy is cruel.
A Lap Dance for Snape by flickerphile. Something of a cliche fic but very well done. Yummy UST to RST.
SS/HP
Irrevocable Oath by Firesword. It has some tense issues (as in SP&G, not tension). A very different, but lovely h/c Snarry w/some terrific ust to rst.
Instant Family by cruisedirector and dementordelta. Sweet, seriously hot and surprisingly mature. I enjoyed this one. :)
The Bite and the Cure by entrenous88. This was short but sweet - amusing, ic, hot and -ehem!- very satisfying. ;)
Of Teddy Bears and House-elves by fancypantsdylan. Sweet, smutty and Snape!bear is just too cuddly. :)
SS/MM
Fiendfyre by Teddy Radiator. Hurty, comforty, delicious dialogue you can hear in Snape's voice, brief and yes, exquisitely angsty. Mind the warnings.
Minerva McGonagall and the HalfBlood Prince by DailyProphetEditor. Ah, now this is a nice not-so-little au, with some UST and h/c and some great conversations between our two faves. Minerva is a touch ooc in parts and the love scenes are implied and not actually depicted, but overall I enjoyed it.
Much Less Innocence by heathersmoke. Yes. Go read.
SS/OFC
Velvet Silence by ARWoW. Very uneven story, but interesting and contains some hot limes.
The Arrangement by First Year. This is one of those fics that drags a bit, but oh, the angst! Plus it's a Marriage Law fic with dub-con (some would say thinly veiled non-con) and I enjoy reading both. In this one, Muggle-born are being forced out of the Wizarding World and one works out the aforementioned title with a certain cranky and overworked Potions Master.
In Shining Armour by coffeeonthepatio. This is a fantastic fic, but it very badly needs a beta. Still, if you can get past that, this is an intriguing concept whereby Severus rescues a Muggle in his neighbourhood and ends up with more problems (and blessings) than he can easily handle. The relationship builds gradually and the characterisations are spot on and his new ladyfriend is very credible and very common and altogether an amusingly plausible love interest. It's long, so you might save this for a rainy day read.
Indebted to a Hufflepuff by Melpomene Erato. This is an incredibly long fic, yet leaves you wanting more. It's patiently drawn out by the author, rich with detail and magic, interesting insight into Slytherin and Muggle culture. The love scenes are a delight, and there is one unforgettably erotic scene where Snape receives a very unorthodox medical treatment that leaves him and the reader with pulse racing. ;)
Wishing everyone a great weekend and looking forward to heading home & prepping for the holidays. :-)
chazpure and I have been enjoying ourselves at her mom's place. I think we both seriously needed unwind time. Still coughing, but I'm feeling much more rested than I was on arrival. I don't know if it's the reduction of stress of all kinds or the wonderfully rainy weather that is doing me so much good, but I'll take what I can get. Net access has been spotty, but even so, the tranquility here is more than welcome.
Now, I've been saving these recs for some time. What better time to post them than a holiday weekend?
For those who don't know me, just fyi that, in general, I prefer to read well-written fics, but that I am one of those who can enjoy a story even if it's full of SP&G errors so long as the story is imaginative, the characters are interesting or insightful, and/or the plot is compelling. I do try to warn for any issues I run across. Just clarifying why I might read something that some people with a lower tolerance for errors will avoid. Note that I won't read something I cannot find interest in or that has serious errors in logic.
The way I see it is stories are like people - each is unique, each has faults and flaws and whether they are worth the investment of time and energy is entirely subjective. There is an audience for each, as well, even if it's others and not me, and that's fine.
So here are my recs, with apologies if any are repeats. I literally have thousands of fics now in various folders and sometimes one ends up being gathered and stored twice.
DIE HARD
Stealing Innocence and Gaining Freedom by Wendy Waddles. Tight little (probable Mary Sue) fic, but nicely done.
SEVERITUS
The Last Will and Testament of Lily Evans Potter by chrmisha. Frigging good, no-slash guardian Severitus! Now where's the sequel?
GEN
Petunia. 'All Those Empty Spaces' by JackieJLH. Fabulous. Utterly enjoyable.
Petunia. Filling In The Spaces, companion piece to 'All Those Empty Spaces' by JackieJLH. (wip) Fecking fabulous. Literally could not stop reading this, even knowing it was a wip, which normally I avoid.
If There is Peace to Be Found by jackiejlh is a lovely little unseen moments fic, which I tend to enjoy, especially when they give us glimpses of the faces our beloved characters wear when they're not in the spotlight. Minerva, here, is a starchy delight, and Severus. Oh, Severus...
Note that JackieJLH also wrote a compelling, ripping, frigging terrific Snape-centric au that has serious hurt (and not much comfort to speak of) that some might enjoy: To Make An End (adult, not gen)
Young Ms. Figg by H.L.B. Au with a very different characterisation of Arabella Figg than I've ever seen before. It's a very amusing tale without being untrue to the characters as the author depicts them.
SS/GinW
Take These Broken Wings by Sinister Spiders. SP&G errors, but lovely, slow, with great UST to RST. Note: those who like ouchie stories (not as in h/c, but as in leaving you feeling a bit raw) you might like the same author's Obliviate.
Snape's Room in the Basement by tbird1965. (Underage, dub-con. Mind the warnings) Set before & after DH. While staying at Grimmauld Place one summer, 16 yr old Ginny stumbles across her most mysterious professor in a very compromising position, which leads to some very adult discoveries, and quite possibly forbidden love.
SS/HG
The Seduction of Snape by tbird1965. Lightweight & totally au w/hard-to-ignore canon errors & a way too abrupt ending, but still a pleasant, and at times, amusing, read.
Wouldn't Know What To Do by FanFicLove101. Needs a beta, but other than that it's a classic Hermione discovers Snape is a virgin & offers to deflower him, with unabashedly raunchy smut.
Patrimony by Theolyn. Sparingly written, with touches of humour, this is a nice, sweet extrapolation of Severus as an expectant father and solicitious mate. Not too long and just long enough.
I Want That One by Teddy Radiator. Mind the warnings! This is harsh, but ruddy good -- snafu'd!Snape and captive Hermione, dark non-con followed up with some nice comfort.
I Need to Breathe by FirstYear. This was immersive, with an ooc, stubborn to the point of being unreasonable Hermione. Stays true to its own canon. Stays true to its characterizations. Contrived in places, but it keeps you reading. Great story for a long flight.
Dismantle the Sun by coffeeonthepatio. Very good but cliffy is cruel.
A Lap Dance for Snape by flickerphile. Something of a cliche fic but very well done. Yummy UST to RST.
SS/HP
Irrevocable Oath by Firesword. It has some tense issues (as in SP&G, not tension). A very different, but lovely h/c Snarry w/some terrific ust to rst.
Instant Family by cruisedirector and dementordelta. Sweet, seriously hot and surprisingly mature. I enjoyed this one. :)
The Bite and the Cure by entrenous88. This was short but sweet - amusing, ic, hot and -ehem!- very satisfying. ;)
Of Teddy Bears and House-elves by fancypantsdylan. Sweet, smutty and Snape!bear is just too cuddly. :)
SS/MM
Fiendfyre by Teddy Radiator. Hurty, comforty, delicious dialogue you can hear in Snape's voice, brief and yes, exquisitely angsty. Mind the warnings.
Minerva McGonagall and the HalfBlood Prince by DailyProphetEditor. Ah, now this is a nice not-so-little au, with some UST and h/c and some great conversations between our two faves. Minerva is a touch ooc in parts and the love scenes are implied and not actually depicted, but overall I enjoyed it.
Much Less Innocence by heathersmoke. Yes. Go read.
SS/OFC
Velvet Silence by ARWoW. Very uneven story, but interesting and contains some hot limes.
The Arrangement by First Year. This is one of those fics that drags a bit, but oh, the angst! Plus it's a Marriage Law fic with dub-con (some would say thinly veiled non-con) and I enjoy reading both. In this one, Muggle-born are being forced out of the Wizarding World and one works out the aforementioned title with a certain cranky and overworked Potions Master.
In Shining Armour by coffeeonthepatio. This is a fantastic fic, but it very badly needs a beta. Still, if you can get past that, this is an intriguing concept whereby Severus rescues a Muggle in his neighbourhood and ends up with more problems (and blessings) than he can easily handle. The relationship builds gradually and the characterisations are spot on and his new ladyfriend is very credible and very common and altogether an amusingly plausible love interest. It's long, so you might save this for a rainy day read.
Indebted to a Hufflepuff by Melpomene Erato. This is an incredibly long fic, yet leaves you wanting more. It's patiently drawn out by the author, rich with detail and magic, interesting insight into Slytherin and Muggle culture. The love scenes are a delight, and there is one unforgettably erotic scene where Snape receives a very unorthodox medical treatment that leaves him and the reader with pulse racing. ;)
Wishing everyone a great weekend and looking forward to heading home & prepping for the holidays. :-)