snowgall

Oh man,

hd_erised continues to be the best HD fest of the year! The authors and artists all bring their A-game to this fest, making it so hard to narrow down the choices of which ones to rec. But I persevered, and bring you my favorite works of fic and art from HD-erised 2015 :)

Fic Recs:

Solder by oakstone730 ( NC-17 | 35,000 ) 29-Dec-2015
Summary: Seven years ago, Harry disappeared out of Draco and Scorpius's life without a trace after Harry's addictions destroyed his and Draco's marriage. Now, Harry’s back, and Draco wants to believe he’s changed. But Harry isn’t the only one haunted by the past.
( Review... )

Dear Uncle Plume by eidheann_writes ( NC-17 | 16,500 ) 17-Dec-2015
Summary: Life after war is nothing like Draco expected. He only hopes he'll survive it. Especially when his friends are less than sympathetic.
( Review... )

Any Instrument by dicta_contrion ( NC-17 | 130,000 ) 19-Dec-2015
Summary: Draco Malfoy wouldn't go back to England for anything less than an exceptional case. Being asked to figure out why Harry Potter can't control his magic might be exceptional enough to qualify.
( Review... )

The Deeper Symbolism Behind Golden Apples by oldenuf2nb ( R | 26,700 ) 16-Dec-2015
Summary: When the Wizengamot insists Chief Auror Harry Potter pose for a statue for the Ministry Atrium, why are his friends reluctant to tell him who the sculptor is?
( Review... )

Incongruent by agentmoppet ( NC-17 | 41,000 ) 28-Dec-2015
Summary: The war has left its mark on everyone. The Ministry, as usual, is only too happy to take advantage. But Harry won't let them destroy his home, no matter what he has to do to stop them. And no matter if a certain Draco Malfoy insists on getting him off track.
( Review... )

A Convenient Impracticality by firethesound ( NC-17 | 38,000 ) 1-Dec-2015
Summary: Somehow Harry ends up agreeing to a fake relationship with his ex-nemesis-turned-friendly-acquaintance-with-benefits, except for some reason it involves an awful lot of actual dating and, sadly, not much sex. Confused? Harry is too, but when has anything with Draco Malfoy ever been as straightforward as it seems?
( Review... )

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor by birdsofshore ( NC-17 | 28,000 ) 18-Dec-2015
Summary: Harry felt lit up from inside as soon as he entered the bar. There were blokes dancing together, their bodies close to one another, not keeping a wary distance as Harry was always careful to do when he was near another man. God, he wanted this – wanted it so much he could taste it, a metallic tang of heat and desire. He suspected nothing would ever be the same again – especially when he saw who else was in the room.
( Review... )

The Destiny You Sold by tryslora ( NC-17 | 59,000 ) 12-Dec-2015
Summary: In which Draco knits, Harry makes wands, and things get very tangled up between them.
( Review... )

Almost Like Song by melusinahp ( NC-17 | 7,000 ) 16-Dec-2015
Summary: They were once lovers, but Harry hasn't seen Draco in years, so it's a bit of a shock when he appears to warn Harry about an upcoming Auror mission.
( Review... )

Dirty Talk on Christmas Morning by amorette ( NC-17 | 1,700 ) 24-Dec-2015
Summary: Emotions run thick as the boys exchange gifts on their first Christmas morning together.
( Review... )

Art Recs:

A Night At The Leaky Cauldron by isinuyasha ( PG | Photoshop ) 10-Dec-2015
Summary: It took a while for Draco to notice that he didn't really mind that Potter kept dragging him along to these "cozy" after work get-togethers at the Leaky Cauldron.

This is so great. I love how the artist drew all of Harry and Draco's friends, and still kept the focus on the two of them. And the way Harry is leaning in to whisper to Draco just says so much about the closeness of their relationship. Everybody looks so great and the holiday lights in the background are so festive! Wonderful job all around :)

Snowy Snogfest by mybutterflower (mitsouparker) ( PG | Digital Painting ) 25-Dec-2015
Summary: Draco & Harry are snogging in the snow after shopping in Hogsmeade.

This is absolutely stunning! I love how absorbed in each other they are (evidenced by the spilled candies!), and the lovely color scheme and soft-focus background. The contrast between Draco's hair and Harry's hair is perfect too, and the whole scene is so amazingly holiday appropriate. A gorgeous and beautiful piece of art!

~~Note: Authors and artists are still anonymous. Names will be added after the reveals!~~

Eighth year is a popular era, so I'm doing more eighth year recs :) These are all drabbles and ficlets (less than 1000 words) which nevertheless manage to deliver great scenes and images.

( Read more... )

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capitu

I've seen rec requests for this trope before on other blogs, so I know people want to read these fics (and so do I!) The thing is, there aren't yet a whole lot of ABO fics written for the Harry/Draco pairing. Indeed, many of the ones I know of are werewolf fics (see yesterday's rec post). But these are my favorites of the non-werewolf ones I've read so far.

( Read more... )

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capitu

Yesterday vaysh got everyone on a Trope Meme kick, which was tons of fun. And then in a comment thread, she went and said:

"It would actually be fun to make rec lists of fics to go with the trope. It would take ages, though. :)

So you know me. If Vaysh makes an off-hand comment, I'm tempted to go do the thing :) (see: Who Tops More?)

So I went through the original list of 28 tropes and tried to find a representative (and awesome) HD rec for each one, while also trying not to duplicate any fics. But I decided that the original list was inadequate.

Some tropes needed to be renamed to more clearly fit HP (e.g. "High School/Uni AU" --> "8th year")
Some tropes needed to have subcategories within the trope (e.g. "Vampires/Werewolves AU" --> "Creature!fic" --> Veela, Werewolf, Vampire, etc.)

Once I did that, however, I felt like too many good fics were not being represented, so I added a bunch of additional HP tropes (second list at the end). All in all, I've recced 66 fics from 56 authors!

And even after all of that, there are still 4 tropes from the list that I could not think of any recs for:

Coffee House AU/Food Service AU
Fake Out Make Out
Incest
Selfcest

"Incest" and "Selfcest" really don't make sense for HD, but if anyone has good recs for the other two, let me know! (Coffee House AU is just not my thing, and I couldn't think of any examples of Fake Out Make Out :)

And also let me know if you think I missed any important tropes or fics that should have been recced instead

Tropes from the Meme
( Read more... )

More Tropes that Should Have Been Listed ( Read more... )

Since

hd_familyfest was a relatively small fest this year, I decided to combine it with the recent

harrydracompreg and collect my recs for them both into one post. Some really terrific stories here!

HD-familyfest
Seizing Second Chances by momatu, NC-17, 28,300 words
Summary: Five years after Draco lost his infant son to complications following his premature birth, he sees a happy, healthy dark-haired child the same age his own little boy would have been playing on the swings in a Muggle play park. One year after the sudden loss of his wife, Harry sees Draco quietly watching children play in a Muggle play park. If they can put the past behind them, can they be each other's second chance at happiness?

This was such a lovely, lovely story, and so well told. Harry is raising three kids alone after Ginny's death, and Draco is still mostly keeping to himself and out of wizarding society after the war and his own loss five years prior. Once they meet up again, there are all these wonderful tentative and careful steps between the two of them as they each start to feel attraction and try oh-so-carefully to determine whether the other might be interested in men. Harry's bisexulaity is dealt with perfectly, as is the delicate subject matter of the recent death of a spouse and past loss of a newborn; everything is handled with great emotional sensitivity. The UST just builds and builds, along with the developing romantic relationship, and all leading to a most delicious and satisfying sex scene at the end. Highly recommend. (extended rec at hd-storyroom)

HarryDracoMpreg
The Green Vial by eidheann_writes, NC-17, 31,400 words
Summary: After months of seeing Harry Potter walk into his Apothecary disappointed and hopeless, Draco offers to carry the baby that Harry can't. Now he's just got to hide the fact that he's been half in love with Harry for years.

This was *such* a beautiful story. I loved how the author took the time to really let their relationship develop, and was realistic about how difficult it can be to get pregnant, even for people who are trying. And wow, the amazingness of the sex scenes! I love it when sex scenes are integrated into the story in a way that's crucial for plot and character development and are not only hot but give us so many feels. The whole fic just left me with a silly grin on my face and feeling like I'd just had a treat. (extended rec at hd-storyroom)

And Hope Says, Perhaps Today by this_bloody_cat, R, 10,300 words
Summary: It's for the best, Draco keeps telling himself — over and over like an endless mantra — but self-deception has never been that high on his list of coping techniques.

Beautifully written, with achingly deeply felt emotions on Draco's side. I liked that Draco needed time before agreeing to go back to Harry in the end. Gave me lots of lovely feels.

come with me into the light by tryslora, PG-13, 21,000 words
Summary: Everything has changed by the time Harry returns to Hogwarts for his second attempt at his final year. He no longer wears glasses, he mourns dead friends from the war, and Draco Malfoy walks the halls as if he is a ghost as well. When Pansy asks Harry to help snap Malfoy out of his silence, what else is he supposed to say? Malfoy needs to be saved, and that's just what Harry does.

Well-written, compelling story. Harry and Draco are both wonderfully characterized and make you care about what happens to them.

This year's

hd_erised fest has been terrific, with tons of great fics. I've tried to read as many as I could, though I haven't yet managed to read them all. Of those I have read, I'd rate these as the best:

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop, NC-17, 70,000 words
Summary: It’s Potter’s fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It’s been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco’s getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he’s falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

This was so unbelievably brilliant! It's just so very clever and well crafted and a great character study of Draco. It's like Groundhog Day in that even though the same day keeps repeating over and over, it never actually feels repetitive, or only in ways that make for a better story. And oh, the ways the confessions and revelations come out are so delicious. The conversations all feel natural and right and the emotional investment just builds and builds. And omigod the legilimency scene...there are no words! So much love for this fic! (extended rec at hd-storyroom)
Not only is this my pic for the single best fic of the fest, but it's also one of the very best Drarry fics I've ever read!

Another Mask Behind You by lettered, NC-17, 120,000 words
Summary: Draco is a high-end prostitute who hides his identity. Harry unknowingly hires him. And then there is porn, questions about identity, domestic bliss, more porn, and truth as seen through a web of lies. (And then more porn. Seriously, if you don’t want sex scene after sex scene you probably shouldn’t read this. And please read the warnings.)

The premise is fantastic. It's fascinating seeing how Draco viewed Potter in the beginning, versus how Harry really was; that Draco deluded himself consistently, over and over again. His resentment is reasonable given his treatment after the war, yet he's baffled by Potter and can't seem to figure it out. Until he does. And then we learn that Harry has his delusions too--how he thought the laws after the war made sense, and didn't understand how Draco could be a prostitute. And I loved that the story took the time to really delve into Draco's character and what shaped him and also to show how their relationship changed over time and even after Harry learned who Tristan/Draco was, how long it really took for him to trust Draco again. And all of this is illustrated through sex too, which is incredible. Wow. (extended rec at hd-storyroom)

(The Piece) I was Missing All Along by lauren3210, NC-17, 31,000 words
Summary: Draco and Harry have been flatmates and best friends for years, and Draco thinks life is just perfect that way. But when something comes along and threatens to take all that away, Draco has to decide what it is he really wants, and just how hard he's going to work to get it.

Lovely. Super hot and emotional and a great story. I loved how well both of their characters were developed and how real their interactions and relationship felt. So happy that the start of their friendship in 8th year was shown too. Such witty writing, and Draco's heartfelt speeches at the end were terrific, as was the way the readers *knew* Harry was pining for Draco all this time even though it was Draco's POV. Well done.

Love Comes Tumbling by taradiane, NC-17, 22,000 words
Summary: 'Harry's thoughts were of how much he would have done differently with Malfoy over the years, and of Dumbledore's final words to the other boy . . . "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now." Maybe, Harry wondered, he could find some mercy, too, and give Malfoy the second chance that Dumbledore had believed him worthy of.'

Very well written. I loved the scene where Draco admitted he was gay and couldn't be friends with Potter--it was so raw and real and full of anguish. And I felt that how Harry explained his confusion and epiphany about his orientation made so much sense too. The only thing I didn't like was how long it took Ron and Hermione to come around. They needed to see how much their disapproval was hurting Harry and get over it faster! But really, all the interactions between Harry and Draco were excellent and very realistic, and both their characters were beautifully drawn. Very very well done and lovely.

In Which Harry is Magnetic North and Draco Is An Idiot by bryoneybrynn, PG-13, 13,500 words
Summary: For as long as he can remember, Draco’s been bringing fake dates to his family’s annual Yuletide celebration in order to evade his mother’s matchmaking. This year, Potter’s posing as his pretend boyfriend. But as the party gets underway, it gets unclear who’s playing who, who’s pretending what, who’s not pretending at all, and what the game really is. Confused? Yeah, so is Draco…

Charming and sweet. I liked Potter's depiction in this story--confident and competent without being over-the-top. Draco's obliviousness was cute, though maybe a little less credible. But I liked how even though there were misunderstandings, they weren't of the drawn-out to death cliche type, and they were able to talk to each other like adults. Lovely story.

in the electricity of your touch by tryslora, NC-17, 25,000 words
Summary: After returning to Hogwarts after the war, Harry realizes he has nothing to do. There is nothing to chase, or to fight. Why, then does he feel as if there is something pricking under his skin? And why does it feel like he’s struck by lightning every time Draco Malfoy touches him? There’s only one explanation: Draco Malfoy is up to something, and Harry has to find out what it is and put a stop to it.

I'm a sucker for the ABO trope, and this was super hot and sexy and very fun. I liked that when Harry was hurt by thinking Draco wanted him as a brood mare that they talked about it like rational people and didn't go all cliche silent treatment. And I loved the dirty talk and the concept of soul mates and how it was done.

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snowgall

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Fest Recs from HD-erised 2015
8th year drabble recs
Mini-theme: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
Rec list for all the tropes :)
Fic recs from HD-familyfest and HarryDracoMpreg 2015
Fic recs from hd-erised 2014

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Fandom stats, meta, and rec lists

Entries tagged with author:tryslora

Fest Recs from HD-erised 2015

8th year drabble recs

Mini-theme: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics

Rec list for all the tropes :)

Fic recs from HD-familyfest and HarryDracoMpreg 2015

Fic recs from hd-erised 2014