snugglemint

So, if you haven't seen this already then you should be well and truly shamed! I jest, but seriously, this thing is kind of epic. And by kind of I mean seriously. 

It's been up for several hours now, but still has garnered over a THOUSAND comments. Yes, A THOUSAND!

Now tell me the HD fandom isn't mighty. Tell me it isn't great. Tell me it's a losing battle and that it'll never happen.

Clearly there are several of use that think it will and we'll take you on any time, any place.  The weapon of choice is Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock. And I have to warn you, we're DAMN good. 

There are several people that have deemed me worthy of some love and let me just tell you, I about squealed myself from all the comments I've received.

To those of you faceless lovelies that have shown me some love, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I can't begin to express just how EXCITED I was. 

(Also, it's my mission to start a new trend. Squealing yourself is the new thing. I almost squealed myself. Don't make me squeal myself. Are you squealing yourself? And my favorite; I squealed my pants.)

Oh, by the way... THIS is why today is so FREAKIN' awesome.

 So undeniably like Draco and Harry. The characterization was spot on, and I absolutely loved it from start to finish.

The idea is that Harry is a womanizer and he wants to get with Pansy, but the only way to do that is through Draco. 

I'm not feeling especially eloquent tonight, but the lack of singing praises does not mean this fic is lacking in the least. 

28k words.

The Next Best Thing by Emma Grant

 It's becoming more and more evident that I just need to make a rec journal. I like the idea of having the stories that I've read and liked on hand, and having my own personal thoughts attached to them instead of just having a gazillion bookmarks that I'll have no way of sifting through.

Unfortunately, I'm also terribly lazy and I would have to go back and forth with copying and pasting all my recs here as well as buffing the recs with actual facts, like summaries and such which could take quite a long time. Agh. 

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Alright then. This rec is one of those personal ads, they have a genre name, but I'm blanking. E-something-tory or... something. Hahaha.

Anyway! Harry sees an ad in the paper and of course it was written by our favorite snarky Slytherin.

There are a few correspondences through owl that are just... utterly delightful. The first chapter is so deliciously Draco that it's hard to get over. 

The writing is great, and there is the added bonus of a 3k word sequel and three smaller less than 1k fics.

I've never read anything by this author before, but I'm starting to understand that I've been seriously, seriously depraved in not having read anything by her sooner.

Also, Draco's owl, affectionately named Grumpy by Harry, is brilliant and damn near makes the whole story. I love him to pieces.

Desperately Seeking Someone by Alaana_Fair

This rec is alright, it's good, but I'm not going to be singing very many praises about it.

There is nothing wrong with the writing or the story, but for some reason I kept slipping away as if there was something a little less than engaging about it.

However, I read it straight through, all 69k words, so.... don't take my words too far too heart.

It's worth reading, just maybe not with the dedication of absorbing it in one sitting.

If you do read it, you should wipe everything about Harry and Draco that you previously knew from your mind. I was mildly confused until I realized that this isn't the Harry and Draco of Hogwarts. 

The story follows the idea that there was a second prophecy, and in the second one features Draco. Draco plays a big part in the end battle. And it also pits them together in a powerhouse light. They're stronger together type thing.

Draco never went to Hogwarts, so all that animosity never happened. However, they did still meet in Madam Malkin's, so that set a basis of mild familiarity.

Eislean Cuir Stad Air by Aquila_Star

Oh my god. I have an awesome rec for you guys.

I laughed so much while reading this it's borderline insane. Some parts had me cackling as if I were insane. No wait, scratch that. As if I were eccentric. ^ ~

God, how do I even start to describe this? Harry and Draco work for Kingsley who is a hurricane of humorous promise. He's so great. They're partnered together on an assignment to Venice where they're expected to solve the case of two bank robbers.

Of course the case has several unexpected twists and the two draw closer.

Draco's mannerisms are so incredibly endearing that I can't even get over it. His lapses in mentally are just.... adorable, really. And they offer a good many of the jokes.

From beginning to end (and oh man does the end leave you chuckling) it was great and definitely a fic that will leave you remembering a fondness.

It's nearly 26k words.

The Venice Job by Nishizono Shinji

 738 words, so it's a very short rec, but it's funny and worth the read.

It's by the lovely Jae whom of which I hold in the same high regard as Leo. 

(Hrm. I need a three letter nickname or I won't be a successful slash fic writer! What about Snu? Min? Ugl? Nug? Lem? Int? Oh the lamentation!)

Haha. Anyway, it's based on the idea that Gred and Forge are trying to wheedle Harry into testing one of their more... ahem, adventurous products. 

Faith and Vigora by Enchanted_Jae

 This rec is brought to you with tears still cooling on my face. I know that I said that I have never really outright cried for a fic before, and that's true. The most one has been able to do is squeeze a few tears. But this one had me literally crying, and more than once. 

This fic is annoying and beautiful, it's agonizing and pure, it's all these things that Draco and Harry are melded into one.

Harry is portrayed so well that you want to smack him. He does his thing where he goes around in circles and never truly gets to what he's supposed to until it's almost too late. Several times this happens and you want to yell and scream and make him see reason, and it's truly a humbling experience to see someone portray Harry so well.

The story itself is... there just aren't words, really. It's the kind of story that burns a place on your heart, forcing you to carry it with you through the rest of your days. Even when the mind forgets and forces it back, it's still there just on the edges waiting to be remembered, waiting to bring a smile to your face. 

It also instills a longing, a desire to be able to produce something so amazingly perfect. You wish for the talent and mind to produce a story that can stand in the same field as this one and be neither better nor worse, but equal. 

It's a roller coaster and it has sent me on many ups and downs that will surely be with me the rest of the day. Other fics will pile on top of this one, but just like the first fic I ever read... this one will not be forgotten.

I recommend it with a ferocity that I'm almost scared to admit in having.

Read it. You'll forget where you are.

(Now, I will admit there are a few mistakes in the writing. Words that shouldn't have been there or were used with the wrong suffix and such. And there were a few parts where I had to stop and wonder if the author had really thought about what they were writing. This, however, is minimal and easily glossed over.

The writing is not perfect, but that is what makes it that more endearing. Literal perfection falls short in the face of metaphorical perfection. In the end, all that matters is the story, and this one is heartbreakingly good.)

Finite Incantatum by Alysian_Fields

 Okay, so this one is about the eighth year students. To tamp down on the misconception of Muggles and their worth, and to bypass another war, they send the eighth year students to America for six months to live as Muggles do without magic. America was chosen because it would also be a cultural shock for the muggle borns as well.

The group is divided into three and are spread out all over the country. Draco and Harry, of course, are in the same group and through the experience they find much more than an appreciation for muggle living.

The writing was great, as it always is with Leo, and I loved the story line immensely. I would have loved to have seen her play this out further, and it could have easily been done, but I also appreciate the sense of wonder that you get with the ending. It leaves room to make your own guesstimates on where their chosen path will take them.

Near 19k words, so it's fairly short and so worth the read.

Unfamiliar Territory by Leo_Draconis

This one is brought to you by one of my favorite authors because she's not only a great, talented writer, but also an amazing person.

This fic had me perfecting the art of casual and covert laughing. It was hilarious, and being at work behind the desk, I couldn't laugh as freely as my body would have liked.

It's based on a chat room experience, which those tend to be amazing for me because they're almost always funny.

Anyone who reads this, tell me who do you think of when you read FoxyFairy? I can't help but get a strong impression of Blaise.

And the one that kept talking in all caps kept making me almost get fired. Lmao.

Gotta love it, thanks Leo. <3

The Gay Wizards' Chat Room by Leo_Draconis

This is one is pure, utter win from the trophy case of Uber Win... or some...such rot.

No really, this fic was FANTASTIC! I should have guessed, but I didn't. It was great. The whole damn thing.

The way it was presented was great and ugh! I can't get over it enough to actually tell you about it eloquently.

The idea is that there is a deeper organization of do-gooders than the Aurors. Of course, calling them do-gooders is not exactly accurate. Darkstar is an organization dedicated to fighting against the Dark Arts by any means necessary. If you have to be a whore to infiltrate a case, then you find your fishnets and you get your ass in gear.

They are hard core to the point that they were pretty much obliviated. They know nothing of their life before, only that of Darkstar.

I would have loved to have read just a bit more into the story, but really it was perfect the way it was.

The writing was great, the plot was engaging... This is one of those stories where I felt like I was watching it more than actually reading it.

I don't know who the author is, but you'd be missing out if you didn't take the time to read...

Darkstar