The Harry Potter Starter Kit

[icarus]

What would you recommend for the dewy-eyed, fresh slash reader, who has just stepped off the train into this wonderous world of Harry Potter slash? (Gen of course is acceptable, too. Het... do we even read het? *Icarus looks puzzled at the mere idea.*)

This hypothetical (actual) reader has no idea what they like or what they want. They've read all the books, and love them. They enjoy slash.

Naturally we would want to start them off with the best available, but gently. (amanuensis1's And Just Plain Wrong is probably not the first item on the list.)

Criteria:

- They would need to be completed fics. We can introduce them to the frustration and joys of the WiP later.

- We need a "sampler" cross-section of various pairings.
Student/Student mixes (Harry/Draco, Harry/Ron, Ron/Draco, Percy/Harry etc.), Student/Adult mixes (Harry/Snape, Harry/Lucius, Percy/Lucius etc.), Adult/Adult mixes (Snape/Lucius, Sirius/Remus, Sirius/Snape etc.) This like a box of chocolates, with many varieties. :D

- We need a mix from PG-13 to NC-17 PWP.

- We need to start with stories that have good solid plots.

- We want humour to start, then angst, then a PWP, etc.

- One-shots and epics welcome.

- Rare pairings are welcome, but since this is an intro, it's probably best to have more than one story in that pairing.

- We're looking for specific recs rather than rec-lists.

- We'll probably avoid the major squicks in the beginning: Incest, Non-Con, Chan, MPreg, Heavy Kink.

What would you recommend?

I'll consolidate this down to a, oh, top 20 or something later in the week, or at least put it in some semblance of an order.



In no particular order (yet) and still missing those fics that I haven't read or don't know the author, since I'll have to read those first to rec them to my friend-of-friend. Bear in mind that I threw away the "must be tame" requirement, and the "stick to popular pairings" requirement as well.

The Lodger - mad_martha, Harry/Draco
Art of War - kennahijja, Gen, Ron, Draco
The Lecture - Grindylowe, Gen, Snape
Call Of The Wild - WolfieTwins, Gen, Remus
A Bittersweet Poison - alchemia and Bugland, Harry/Snape
The Tea Series - Telanu, Harry/Snape
Sytherin Sky - kay_taylor, Snape/Lucius
In A Dream - Nope, Snape/Draco
Transfigurations - resonant8, Harry/Draco
The Familiar - resonant8, Harry/Snape
Circles of Power - mad_martha, Harry/Ron
Irresistible Poison - Rysenn, Harry/Draco
Slowly But Exceeding Fine - ellen_fremedon, Snape/Sirius
Stone Cold Sober - fabularasa, Sirus/Snape
Aftermath - josanpq, Snape/Ron
Civil War - wikdsushi, Harry/Snape
Consequences Of A Weary Mind - wikdsushi, Harry/Snape
Hallelujah series - dien, Snape/Dumbledore
Walking 'Round In Women's Underwear - dkwilliams
Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover - mad_maudlin, Ron/Draco
Beg Me For It - Icarus (cringes - two people included it - cringes some more), Ron/Draco
Minor Arcana - cursive, Harry/Draco, Remus/Draco, Harry/Snape...
Stealing Harry - copperbadge
Lust Over Pendle - ajhalluk, Draco/Neville
Double Or Nothing - ukcalico, Fred/George
The Badger Series - mistful, Draco/Zacharias
Door To the River - miraminx, Sirius/Remus
Discretion Required - ruhgozler, Harry/Lucius
The Way Of The World - scribbulus_ink, Snape/Lupin
A Nick In Time - tiranog
Just Add Water - cybelesan, Harry/Bill
Quill And Ink - cybelesan, Harry/Snape

Later in the list:
If You Are Prepared - cybelesan, Harry/Snape
A World Not So Black And White - amanuensis1

Het Fics.
Apparently The Draco Trilogy is more het than gen. Who knew? So...

The Draco Trilogy - epicyclical
Flame And Shadow - mistful, Ron/Pansy
Roman Holiday - Anna, Hermione/Draco, Hermione/Snape



ETA: I'll kick this off with Mad Martha's The Lodger Harry/Draco, which has an excellent plot, many funny moments, and a "canon" feel.

Then, A Bittersweet Poison, Harry/Snape, which has the most accurate rendering of Harry as a cat and a very convincing Snape.

I'll bend the rules (since part is complete) and recommend Telanu's Tea Series, too. It builds beautifully from being being fairly innocent to extremely steamy. I'll toss in the Coffee Series for good measure, because it's funnier than heck.

Let's see... next... mad_maudlin. Ron/Draco. Hmm... cross-dressing is kind of a mild kink, but Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover stands on the line between ruthless and fun. I'll probably put it further down the list though.

ETA2: Of course, everyone has to read epicyclical's Draco Trilogy (apologies to those who hate it, it is a must ;), and my personal favourite After The Flood.

In the Gen category, Call of the Wild by the Wolfie Twins.

Does anyone know any good Lucius slash?

ETA3: Okay, I've completely given up the ghost on keeping it tame. Some very valid points have been made about what has actually drawn people in to fandom. Most people have been drawn in by "heavy" fics.

So does anyone know any good GredNForge fics? Slash and Gen? I have Calico's incredibly hot Double Or Nothing. Anything else out there?

Comments

[titti]

I started, reached the middle of the 2nd paragraph and ran away. Through the years, I've rea bits and pieces mostly when the plagiarism accusations started.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It was one of the first stories I read, had no clue it was a "big deal" story.

I got to the part where Draco starts to feel sympathetic towards the Gryffindors and dropped it, just because I thought it was too abrupt a change in Draco.

Then I went back, about six months later after hearing a lot about it, pro and con. I'd refused to read it for a while, but then I saw a great quote from Draco Veritas. So I read the whole thing beginning to end.

I thought it was fun.

The change in Draco was explained well enough by the end of Draco Dormiens. I've never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so the cuts from the show wash right over me. Especially in Draco Sinister she got me completely caught up in the story, devouring it as fast as I could.

I'm glad I read it. I think her real strength as a storyteller is her sense of pacing, and that's something you can't plagiarise (well, unless you steal the whole thing).

Icarus

[titti]

I came into the HP fandom as a slasher, so my first fics were The Tea Series and Wicked Games by scribbulus_ink, some of Reggibar's Sev/Weasleys. I was hooked on Severus immediately and I think I've read about 4-5 het fics, mostly the Lucius-Narcissa fics by xandria and recently some Ron-Pansy. I really had no interest in the trilogy.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Yeah, I came into the fandom looking for Harry/Ron fics, then had trouble finding many good ones. So I was scoping out Diagon Alley, where I read a lot of Gen, and then I found Walking The Plank. The Tea Series, Cybele's fics and Minx's Harry/Snape were my favourites. The fic that hooked me into Harry Potter has never been finished. It's a Gen Snapefic (but was leaning towards Het, with something of Mary Sue on the horizon), The Long Road To Damascus. Incredible, truly angry Snape. Well done.

I finally gave up the ghost on looking for Harry/Ron fics and started writing my own. But my Harry/Ron epic, Primer to the Dark Arts, turned into Harry/Snape. I blame the Tea Series. *smiles*

Should Wicked Games be included on this starter kit? There is 'The Way of the World' but that doesn't sound like one of her major ones. My favourite's still that Snape MPreg. Heh.

Icarus

[titti]

Oh yes, all three parts of Wicked Games should be there.

You know if I have some free time, I'll think up of more fics that the old timers like me remember, but aren't as known to the new generations. ;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That would be wonderful. For example, no one thought of Grindylowe's fics, but of course they're ideal. :D

Icarus