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Zero Escape and Volstovic Cycle because that's what I did over the hols.

Volstovic Cycle

( Volstovic Cycle recs )

Zero Escape

There's a lot for ZE because Yuletide and ZEcret Santa happened. Hurrah!

( Zero Escape recs )

Others

( Spoilers for AA6: Spirit of Justice and SMT4: Final )

And that's a wrap! How was your holidays guys? Read any good fics? :D

Some recs from hd_fan_fair, mostly short fics because I'm weak and can't read:

ART

Meet Me at 6 G Harry owns a food truck. Draco is a grudgingly regular customer. One day, Harry pushes an unsolicited cake pop in his hand; it comes with a little heart-shaped message attached to the stem: “Meet me on the roof at 6.”

I don't even know where to start. The way they look at each other, as if no one else exists--I mean, they're on top of the truck so I guess it's a private moment, but the way they look at each other!! And then the kiss with Harry's hat falling down! The colours are also great: the truck is wonderfully pastel and the lighting gives them a mellow but shining look. It's so romantic and cute!

Cafe, Custard, & Courting T+ After agreeing to this fake relationship scheme, the boys meet at a cafe to get their stories straight. Of course they can't help but push each other's buttons.

What's up with these amazing fanart with gorgeous colours and A++ expressions? There's almost a stained glass quality in this artwork, and the style reminds me of Leyendecker's work. Those beautiful profiles! But also lmao I'm cackling at their faces it's totally Draco going 'You did not' and Harry is 'What are you going to do about it?'

4-Ingredient Recipe for a Relationship T Because of his childhood with the Dursleys, Harry relationship with food is rocky at best. And then he meets Draco, who loves cooking.

Draco cooks! And Harry... smokes cigarettes. There are food recipes which are great. I don't cook so Idk if those actually work.

PODFIC

Pomegranate E More than a decade after the War, Draco makes a triumphant return to the wizarding world as the successful chef/owner of Pomegranate, only to have his world thrown into disorder when Harry arrives unexpectedly in the dining room. From Pomegrante by treacle_tartlet.

I don't really listen to a lot of podfics because I'm bad at listening to things, but this was so good! I haven't read the fic it was based on before, and this was a perfect way to find out about it. semperfiona's voice was so good at catching that snooty Draco voice/POV and I was living for it.

FIC

The Devil's Aphrodisiacs T+ Teddy learns a new word, Harry breaks his favourite coffee mug and Draco loves his little family. Not necessarily in that order.

Or, Squirt squirt squirt squirt. Squirtsquirtsquirtsquirtsquirtsquirtsquirt. Squirt??? SQUIRT!!!!!

Me: Okay how bad can it be?
Fic: SQUIRT
Fic: “Draco, love... why are there dicks in our sink?” Harry asked worriedly. Draco burst out laughing.
Fic: “What makes squirting geoducks different from normal geoducks? I know it’s you who makes my geoduck squirt.”
Me: OMFGGGGG

Seriously though, I was cackling and blushing this is so ridic but also very sweet and they're taking care of Teddy! And Draco is very passionate about cooking!

Feluna T+ As the owner of a new bakery, Draco can't afford to turn down business, even if it's with Loony Lovegood's cat cafe.

We need more fics where Luna has a cat cafe while Harry and Draco are proud owners of establishments called 'Quiche Me' and 'Cake-OH!' (Has anyone noticed how much I love these funny things?) Draco getting forced to adopt a cat by Luna is also great. But also:

"Quiche Me, Harry?" he sneered. Draco didn't even see Potter move, but he was aware when firm lips pressed against his own. He froze, but when Potter's warm tongue swept out to caress Draco's lower lip, he moaned and leaned in, deepening the kiss.

Potter sat back, and it was over. He licked his lips, smiled, and said, "I thought you'd never ask."

It was worth that pun name.

There Used to Be a Lightness T+ Down on his luck, Draco Malfoy is trying to find a job. It proves more than unsuccessful. Molly Weasley, with all kids now grown up, is trying to start a restaurant. That proves more successful, and makes them cross paths. Harry Potter, running away from memories of the war, returns to London three years later to discover exactly how things have changed.

Ngl this is probably my fave of the fics I've read and I'm kind of sad that it's over so soon! Author did say they might write a follow up if they get inspired tho! There's just so many things I love: Draco having to live with the consequences of the battle at Hogwarts, having to live with being a Death Eater, having his family ruined. And where he finds his second chances. And also gets a second chance at meeting Harry Potter again.

hd_fan_fair starts posting tomorrow and I'm so excite! We also have Wizarding Food teams for which we earn points by leaving comments and reccing! I have a shitload of fics to catch up on (I haven't forgotten your HDBB, K orz) but I'm defo looking forward to food fics!!!

Also, I'm team Pumpkin Pasties:



I hope I manage to earn our team some points :"D

Probably the last of the bunch, sorry folks but this month my other fest deadlines and the like are happening.

Flesh Memories M The imprints of their bodies and fingerprints are left forever on one another like flesh memory. Team Remus.

I love the intimacy of both these pieces, one set when the boys were younger and the other set sometime in the books. The texture the artist used for their scars look almost 3D, as if you could reach out and feel them. There's also the suggestion of aged murals, although I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.

the time you were mine T The walk from Grimmauld Place to Parliament Hill is just under an hour, but it’s easier going at four in the morning. Team Sirius.

This fic took my breath away and made me feel new-found respect for fics with groupchats. I love modern AUs where the characters are allowed to use and have fun with technology and this fic didn't disappoint. (Despite groupchat fics having a bad rep in fandom nowadays, forget about that. This is nothing like that.) Spanning just an hour with various flashbacks and an almost frenetic exchange via chat and calls, this fic is hella tight. It would have made Aristotle weep in happiness. Kudos also to themes of change and how scary it is when you're young and at the cusp of adulthood.

The Importance of Being Sirius PG. Remus Lupin, a simple Literature teacher has to deal with Sirius Black, a History teacher with an unorthodox (and noisy) teaching style. Team Sirius.

One of my favourite movies of all time (I've never seen the play but I do have the script) is History Boys and part of that has to do with the witty dialogue but also because it was a paean to teaching/learning. This fic hits both of those buttons for me: the banter is A+ (in case the pun in the title hasn't clued you in already) and the boys teaching kids in a way that makes them actually pay attention and (in the more exciting cases of shouting and noise) actually want to join in. This one also has Remus and Sirius exchanging notes and texts and you now see there's a pattern in the stuff I like.

I hope everyone had a happy hallowe'en!

From rs_games:

Hope & Legacy: Black Brothers Edition R A few weeks before the start of the next figure skating season, Sirius receives word that his parents have kicked the bucket. He promptly travels back to England for no good reason at all, exasperated husband in tow. Team Sirius.

There's art with the fic and magical skating! But also there's the Black brothers who are trying to fix a relationship that's fallen on the wayside after Sirius ran away from the family. And also an asexual Sirius who has the best supportive husband. The exploration of asexuality is very good here, I think. Having an asexual character who is quite happy to sleep with his husband (whom he loves) despite forgetting to have the sexy times because he doesn't really have those urges. It's good to have different kinds of representation and I like having non-sex repulsed asexuals in fics too.

Colours NC-17 Today is their wedding anniversary. It’s the first time Sirius has remembered it, since Azkaban. He decides to mark the occasion. Team Sirius.

Sirius and Remus get married during the first war! And then things go to shit and Sirius has to deal with that. The descriptions of Sirius getting himself back, just the good moments where he can actually remember the past and it's not all an Azkaban haze is so good. Plus I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but I'm actually not a big fan of Sirius's tattoos in the movies? But author makes very VERY good use of them in this fic and I'm sold.

A Day Like Any Other R The one where Sirius keeps receiving unwanted mail, Remus drinks a lot of tea, Peter's out on a hot date, and James is offering unwanted make overs.
(Or the answer to the question of exactly how many cursed letters can you flush down the loo). Team Sirius.

So I'm sure lots of you are waiting for this artist's entry for the games and as usual they don't disappoint! This is Sirius and Remus after Sirius has left the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and while there's a lot of cuddles and cosiness going on there's also a bunch of letters from Walburga that Sirius keeps flushing in the toilet. The thread that ties Sirius to his house and his beginnings are strong, but there is the warm and solidity of Remus's presence by his side and that's all that matters. Very warm and charming!

The sun always comes G Sometimes it is too much, but there are always reasons to keep on going. Team Remus.

Very cute series of snapshots from Remus's life, with his friends and with Sirius. The colours are amazing, I especially love the last one with the sunrise, it does evoke a gentle kind of light aside from a new beginning. The boys' expressions are great too!

And have some Bungou Stray Dogs stuff because why not!

Build Upon the Ruins by izanyas. E The famous and all-winning Double Black gets put aside to gather dust after a battle against a kaiju leaves one of its pilots badly injured. Four years later, the threat against humanity is too dire to afford not to use a fully functional jaeger. Ozaki Kouyou orders Dazai to find a new copilot and fight again.

Chuuya is all for it. Dazai is not. Kunikida finds himself trying to understand the gap full of unsaid things that stands between them both.

Pacific Rim crossover, Soukoku, and all the other ships that I like. I love this fic to pieces even if it sometimes tears my heart. Very good fight scenes with the kaiju as well, and all around good world building. Granted these are already created worlds, but actually adjusting two different canons to make the crossover work is a delicate balance and I love it when it happens like this.

in the park by TheGreatCatsby. T+ Oda goes to the park to write, and finds that he enjoys the company of the man who takes a nap under a nearby tree every day.

I didn't know I wanted this fic until I actually read it. Oda is alive and finally doing what he's always wanted to do. His kids are also alive. Chuuya is still with Port Mafia, but also he's tired because his former partner has left and now they need a new executive. They meet sometimes in the park, and after a while Oda decided to talk to the guy. It's a quiet little fic, with a lot more details left unsaid, but it's powerful exactly because of that. This is the Oda we deserve. ;;;

Because I have a sieve-like memory let's have these all listed down so I won't forget:

October:

02 - rs_games start posting. Time to start reading and reccing!
02 - Port Mafia week starts. [No idea what to do for this, but I want to do Chuuya/Akutagawa.]
08 - Fractured Fairy Tales start announcing participants. (I won't get in but lol.)
09 - ZEcret Santa open for sign-ups. (Will have to ask Jinger about this. Also need to check the FAQs and rules so I can ask ficcers to have an AO3 ready.)
10 - Souyo Zine start shipping. Idk if any of my flisters care, but SouYo is one of my fave ships in the Megaten franchise sorry. And also all profits go to charity.

November:

09 - ZEcret Santa sign-ups close.
11 - ZEcret Santa assignments handed out.
14 - [This might not happen but last year this was the deadline for the Festive Bastion sign-ups so I'm marking that.]
25 - mini-fest deadline of submission.

December:

01 - mini-fest posting starts.
20 - ZEcret Santa posting starts.

This sounds like an excellent idea and a way to spread some fic love!! (Now I just need to read more stuff and maybe I can sign up for reccing too.)