April is almost over and I haven't posted anything this month. Therefore, have a couple of long overdue recs:
The
HP Beholder is currently running, my favourite HP exchange of all times. And my gift fic is truly fabulous:
Author: ???
Title: No Charity
Rating: PG
Pairing: Aunt Marge/Rita Skeeter
Word Count: 3200
Warnings/Content: None
Summary: Rita sets out on a tough assignment – to interview Miss Marjorie Dursley.
To quote my own comment:
First and foremost, the pairing is inspired. I love the humour of the whole piece, I was grinning all the way through, despite the harsh mood swing brought about by the morning after confrontation. It might seem that their relationship is over even before it began, but this is not how it feels. It feels like the beginning of something, not the end.
The entire story is very Pratchett-esque in that it is a lighthearted humorous piece on the face of it. But just like in Pratchett's books, the humour mostly derives from your turn of phrase. Underneath, it is a poignant and melancholy character piece with a bittersweet ending, sketched very skilfully with only a few words. So much remains unsaid, lurking just outside our field of vision: the ongoing conflict between the magical and the Muggle world, Marjorie's deep trauma, Rita's attempt to leave herself behind and be somebody else.
This fic reads actually like a teaser, the prelude to a bigger story: you can tell that Rita and Marjorie would be a good match. They would fight constantly, but they would fight on equal terms.
Link to fic:
No CharityToday, I read a heartbreaking Aberforth/Severus fic, which pushes so many of my buttons it's unreal:
Author: ???
Title: A Lonely Road
Rating: R
Pairings: Severus Snape/Aberforth Dumbledore
Word Count: 4,800
Warnings/Content Information (Highlight to View): *
anal intercourse, age disparity, angst, alcohol, violence towards an animal, reference to a canon death (Albus Dumbledore's)*.
Summary: Two men. Dark times. Conversations which fail to communicate; communication through silence.
Again, quoting my own comment:
Oh, this is exquisite! Such a tense, atmospheric tale, so very dark yet with tiny specks of light interspersed throughout. I love the pairing; I don't think I've ever read it before, which is odd, because it makes a lot of sense. Aberforth and Severus are both torn between and tortured by the love and resentment they have for Albus. Aberforth would be the one to guess what his brother is putting Snape through. The way they understand each other without talking about what is going on, the way they both understand the necessity of secrecy, it all rings very true.
The slow, understated understanding, Severus despair and loneliness, their affection for each other and for Albus - it's all heartbreaking. And the last line is the killer.
Link to fic:
A Lonely RoadI also participated in this year's
Winter Companions exchange, and here, too, I was gifted with a fantastic fic:
Title: A vignette from the 2nd hour of Dark on an unnamed station orbiting a dead zone planet.
Author: anonymous
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Jack Harkness/Tenth Doctor
Spoilers/warnings: fetishistic self-harm, depression, knifeplay, mild drug use
Summary: Jack doesn't ask to go and the Doctor doesn't offer.
It's dark and needy and absolutely them. They are using the power of the vortex as their fetish, and it is exactly what I imagine Ten to get off on. And Jack, oh, desperate, damaged Jack. His need to feel good, whatever the cost, is palpable.
Link to fic:
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_hannelore
