Fic recs

[salinea]

I'm not sure why I'm going this since I think most people on my flist are either unlikely to be interested in that pairing, or likely to have read those fics already, but, hell, I'll do it anyway. :p At worst, it'll be a useful place to come back to to find back fics I've loved.
Those are several fics I've absolutly loved recently and not so recently from the HP fandom and the SnapexLupin pairing.


Smoke instead of sunlight by musigneus
WIP, Snupin, non con, post HBP
Musigneus is the first writer of the HP i've added back when I was still ashamed and in denial about my interest in the HP fandom, that should give you hint about how much I adore her. I especially appreciate her characterization of Remus : one that can be ruthless and manipulative as well as friendly and practical.
This plays in the wonderful plot of this story when Remus takes leadership over the werewolves while Snape is present as representent Death Eater. Remus then captures Snape and to ensure that he will be properly tied up, he performs a magical bond over Snape... all this before Snape had the time to tell him about his real allegiances.
This story is updated in short but content filled chapters, ones that will always leave you on the edge of "OMG I can't believe this just happened". It extremely well plotted, and the characterizations of both Remus and Severus are excellent. Quite addictive.

R & D by busaikko
comedy and angst, Snupin, warning for non con, Pre HBP
This was written for one of the master and wolf feast and was the first busaikko fic I've read, who is another of my favourite author for this pairing. She also writes an amazing Remus that hits my ruthless kink and is wonderfully in character. This fic is also funny, in a sharp, clever way full of witty banter and amusing situations. Snape is stuck for the summer in Grimmauld Place to research a Potion immitating the Unforgivables for Voldemort. Moody is supposed to help him test the potion, but soon Remus (who has got a job for a very special branch of Fred & George Weasley's shop) join them.

R & D is also the start of a much longuer serie of fic, especially Waltz continues (scroll down to find the first chapter) which absolutly delightful and one of my all time favourite hurt/comfort fic.

For the SiriusxRemus inclined (I know there's at least a couple of you around ^^) she's also written for that pairing and she writes a kick ass Sirius. So check it out.

Variations on Harry and the Half Blood Prince by busaikko and schemingreader
serial AU, Snupin, post HBP
This is a very unique fic and one which I'd reccomend to anyone regardless of pairing of choice. It's a serie of drabble on the concept of "What if Hogwarts was..." with very wild and different alternatives, from Sesame Street to a 19th century Lithuanian yeshivah. Thematically it deals with guilt, forgiveness and freedom of action. It says everything that I keep not seeing in the HP fandom about Dumbledore's death.
small extract :

What if Severus Snape were Franz Kafka? He thinks perhaps he is. Kafka's family name means jackdaw, his father was domineering and cruel, he lived his life feeling trapped.

This fic is also the progenitor of two other longuer series by schemingreader which I'd like to also rec :

Snape's Escape is a crossover with the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patriack O'Brian (which I haven't read and didn't feel any less so in reading this fic) and has got a sequel in Maturin's Magic
Schemingreader repeatedly manage to make me like ssomething I'd never thought I'd like in SnapexLupin : situations genuinely romantic and emotionnal. She writes dialogues that makes me litteraly swoon without ever being overdramatic, OOC, or clichéed.

and as yet untitled Hogwarts-as-Yeshivah fic (WIP, Snupin, graphic sex)
Which is a pure A/U. Hogwarts is a 19th century Lithuanian Yeshivah (Jewish Talmudic school). Severus - or rather Shamnai - is a fatherless Talmud prodigy, and Remus - Zev Volf - is his study partner. And so on, most HP characters become Jews in 19th century Lithuania and Russia. And it works ! It works wonderfully. The characters are still very much recognizable as themselves, despite the exotic setting. The depth of the writing, both in term of characterization, themes and emotions is stirring. There were many times while reading where I was staring at line or a whole paragraph and thinking "Yes ! That's it, exactly !" I especially adore Severus' characterization in this story.

Power Play by islandsmoke
Snupin, graphic sex, BDSM, non graphic bestiality, pre HBP

Most writers who tackle a Sadomasochist relationship fall onto one trouble : either it's a fantasy feast for anykind of kink without any regard to realism or characterization, or it's a didactic exemplar relationship that shows that they did their homework and that SM relationship can be the most healthy and comfy relationships. Islandsmoke does neither, she hits the perfect tone, and pushes all my buttons about power play (no pun intended) in SM sex. The characterization are spotless and very well nuanced. I especially like how she shows the importance of control for Severus as sub. And, did I mention it ?, it's extremely HOT.

Touch and Go by Arsenic Jade
Snupin, HarryxDraco, graphic sex, prostitution, pre-HBP
Another fic written for a master and wolf feast. Whore!Remus is another of my odd kink. I especially like the attitude of this Remus regarding his occupation.
This fic starts as Remus is kept prisonner by DEs and regularly tortured for information. Soon George Weasley and Severus Snape join his cell. After the war is over, he gets another chance to get better aquainted with Snape.
Thankfully this is not one of those Fuck-or-Die scenario (not that I don't have the tiniest guilty pleasure for those, mind you) and the plotting of this one is very good and interesting. Arsenic's style is very elliptic and snappish, almost dry. Things are often not quite stated and you must decipher them from the text. It's a very good writing, though, and many lines stand out. The beginning paragraph is one of the best start of a fic ever :

Before he killed her, Tonks said, "Don't you say a bloody word, Remus John Lupin."

It had crossed his mind, of all things, to wonder how she knew his middle name. Then her hair turned black and spiky where it had been blue and lush. "Tonks-"
"Don't Tonks me. Not a word."
"I'm-"
"Not even that word," she said. The spikes became pointier.

Remus kept quiet then until the next morning, when he vomited up the parts of her that his human system, his human mind, weren't keen on keeping inside of him. He said it quietly then, I'm sorry, over and over and over. He said it quietly until the Death Eaters came again, came like they always did, when he stopped saying anything.

Not a word.

How Severus (Didn't) Kill Nymphadora Tonks by pixychelle
comedy, Lupin/Tonks, Snupin, turtledove, post HBP
One of the thing that annoyed me with a certain numbers of post HBP was mishandling of Tonks. Now, I might despise the idea of her with Lupin (becausez Tonks belongs with Moody, or Ginny, or Bellatrix, damnit !) but I've always liked her and it'd be nice to see her character treated fairly, for once. This fic does this, and does it wonderfully.
It's absolutly hysterically hillarious, for one.
After the war, Snape is innocented in great parts due to Tonks, who then decides to befriend him. Snape, meanwhile, makes a list of different manners to kill her, and try them out.

Some things are absolutely sacrosanct. Any alteration of one of these things will rip the very fabric of the universe and cause the curtains to close on the stage of human life. One of these immutable things is the fact that Severus Snape does not cry.

The fabric of the universe did not rip this day, much to the relief of everyone (except, that is, for Sirius Black, who had held out hope of not being the only one in this story to have died an ignoble death by curtains). However, it was a very near thing.

She would invite him to dinner again now. Clearly, she needed to die.

and that's all for tonight. Next time, I promise, I'll be in season and post recs about christmas exchange fics I've liked :p

Comments

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reccing my fics, and thanks especially for reccing them in such good company. Your favorite bits about Tonks in Arsenic Jade's and pixychelle's fics are mine too.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

You're welcome ! As I said I doubt it'll bring you new readers but one can hope ^^

It's so wonderful when Tonks is well characterized ! She can be such an interesting character. Then again, I'm biased towards all Blacks ^^

[fivestarlunatic.livejournal.com]

Oh, shiny recs. Not my usual pairing, but I'll certainly be reading. *glomps*

And I don't much like Lupin/Tonks either. I didn't hate it nearly so much before HBP, however. Then all the Tonks shippers went bloody nuts about their ship being cannon, and ergo so much better than wolfstar.

I keep wondering if I imagined the part where Lupin kept turning her down, and I was just traumatised into amnesia by them snogging over half the pages. >_<;;

But oh, Snape. How I love him.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Not my usual pairing, but I'll certainly be reading. *glomps*
whee !


And I don't much like Lupin/Tonks either. I didn't hate it nearly so much before HBP, however. Then all the Tonks shippers went bloody nuts about their ship being cannon, and ergo so much better than wolfstar.

Will you hate me if I say sometimes I get mad at puppyshipppers because they seem to think their ship is canon and thus much better than all the other slash pairings ? ^^
And, well, I didn't think much of it even before HBP actually.

I keep wondering if I imagined the part where Lupin kept turning her down, and I was just traumatised into amnesia by them snogging over half the pages. >_<;;
Yeah, it was very bothering the way it happened, he kept trying to find a way out and he was almost bullied by everyone to get with her XD

But oh, Snape. How I love him.
Don't we all ♥
I love many Snape pairings, but SnapexLupin is one of my favourite because they have amazing interraction together whne well characterized. Remus' the only character that can look totally unmoved and calm when Snape baits him, while teasing with his own sneaky sense of humour, it can be very funny ^^

[fivestarlunatic.livejournal.com]

It's not that I think the puppy shippers are that much better as a whole. To be honest, I wish everybody would just drop the damn petense of even careing about whther the ships are cannon. XD Its just the attitude that's been bothering me lately. *shrugs*

Yeah, it was very bothering the way it happened, he kept trying to find a way out and he was almost bullied by everyone to get with her XD

Aheh, yeah. That's alot of what my problem is. *shrugs* I mean, it's not that I necessarily hate the pairing (I even wrote a brief thing involving RL/NT at one point) it's just... that whole thing. The tendancy of wolfstar to declare itself cannon annoyed me too, just not as much. And after the whole weepy Tonks in HBP, I've been having trouble working up the stomach to actualy read fics between the two any more.

Snape is snarky love. And I agree that Remus makes a good character to pair him with. I like fics focusing on him. XD

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I wish everybody would just drop the damn petense of even careing about whther the ships are cannon.

Oh absolutly ! For fanfics it's really pointless ^_^

it's just... that whole thing
yeap, it was very fishy and ungraceful, and both of them deserved better.

Snape is snarky love. And I agree that Remus makes a good character to pair him with. I like fics focusing on him. XD
come to the Snupin side of the force *tempts tempts*

[fivestarlunatic.livejournal.com]

*giggles* It's not just pointless for fanfics; really, it's riddiculous. XD

Hmm... if I come to the Snupin side of the force can I still dabble in Snarry? *gobbles like a turkey*

Fic is so yummy. XD

[pixychelle.livejournal.com]

I think that all of the non-Lupin/Tonks shippers would discover a new appreciation for Tonks if they'd all just embrace their inner Tonks and use her as a handy dandy premade self-insert. She slices, she dices, she gets your pairing of choice together/brings half of your pairing of choice back from the dead/is half of your pairing of choice back from the dead!

Not that I would know anything about that from personal experience or anything. Er.

P.S. No, you didn't imagine the whole refusing her for a year thing. And I find the most disturbing part of canon Lupin/Tonks the fact that we never see the slightest hint that Remus returns Tonks' feelings. I mean, "I've told you a million times, I love you but I'm too old etc etc whinge whinge" would have made me feel 110% better about the pairing.

Then again, it'd make my SS/RL even harder, so I guess I'll shut up before JKR hears me.

[fivestarlunatic.livejournal.com]

*giggles* I suppose. I wouldn't have so much of a problem reading Lupin/Tonks if she hadn't gone all... weepy and odd in HBP. She was a really cool, strong character in OotP, and I liked her. I just... her characterisation in HBP just annoyed me. The literally "love-sick" archetype has always annoyed me. *shrugs* Then again, I didn't really like any of the romance in HBP. I'm still a bit traumatised by Harry's "inner beast" thing. *shudders*

I guess that's why I read fanfiction though. XDXDXD

(BTW, your potter-puffs icon is teh love. XD)

[pixychelle.livejournal.com]

Eee, you recced me! (Of course, the part you quoted makes me wince in retrospect. Maybe I could have stopped torturing the metaphor before it started crying emo tears of blood, ya think?

Hopefully, the fact that you and others like it just means I'm being too hard on myself there.)

More importantly, you linked to the sequel to Snape's Escape, which I haven't read yet! *zomg bookmarks for later*

Though I'm wondering when we're going to get Bert/Ernie AU out of "Variations..." from one of them. *taps foot impatiently*

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Haha ! Torture by rec ! *waves her pitchfork*

Well, I wanted a quote with "Clearly she needed to die" and the funniers. And Sirius ♥
'tis all.

HAHA ! My recs are useful to one person YAY ! schemingreader is amazing ^^

Though I'm wondering when we're going to get Bert/Ernie AU out of "Variations..." from one of them. *taps foot impatiently
*sporfle* I'm waiting for the Kafka or the Bushido one myself (that last should likely be made by busaikko)

[wingblossom.livejournal.com]

The one by busaikko and schemingreader looks super-fascinating: I'll have to check it out. :D

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

it's also the shortest ^^ I hope you enjoy !