Whoops HPSA's alive-- and an idea

[icarus]

I have an idea.

The benefit of the HPSA was not that people picked the greatest Harry Potter stories ever, but that the HPSA collected, democraticly, a large number high-quality recs in various pairings and ratings.

Many of you know that I talked to Natalie of the HPSA about a complimentary contest, the details of which are not needed here as tinderblast pointed out some fundamental flaws in my idea (yeah, she was right).

A Nominations Page
Fool that I am, I'm creating a nominations page on my site.

Here's how it works:
1 - Give me a link, an author's name and email, pairing, rating & summary (and any warnings please).
2 - I'll post it in my LJ.
3 - If someone seconds the nomination, then I'll add the link to my site (with credit to the person who recommended it).

This is open to any pairing, any rating, Gen, Slash, Chan, Mpreg, Squidfic, Femmeslash -- whatever. It is not subject to my tastes, nor am I allowed to nominate or second anything myself. (Ah, democracy!) I only request (unenforceable of course) that people not nominate (or second) their own work.

Now I'm rather busy and an utter fool to do this, so links will be added on my availability of time and personal whim. But I'll try to get them up once a month or so. Without further ado...

The Nominations Are Now Open!

You can nominate anything, but if we need focus (or an idea scratcher) let's see some Fred/George.

Comments

Must. Stop. Rambling. They won't fit in one comment...

[rane-ab.livejournal.com]

Lukewarm (http://www.geocities.com/juxian1972/lukewarm.htm)/Mine (http://www.geocities.com/juxian1972/mine.htm)/Out of Darkness (http://www.geocities.com/juxian1972/outofdarkness.htm) by Juxian Tang (juxiantang) RL/SS, an overall NC-17
Ah, what to say. In Lukewarm, Remus finds out his accommodations have certain... advantages. Or disadvantages, as far as he is concerned. His room is next to Snape's and, with his sharp werewolf smell and good sense of hearing, he can pick up on certain... things. A very conflicted Remus Lupin here, and at least at the beginning, a bit harsher than we (think we) know him. And yet, his characterisation is fascinating, the writing designed to draw you into his mind. juxiantang does not describe a beautiful, perfect world, nor beautiful, perfect people, which is exactly what makes me love this fic. Remus still struggles with Sirius's death, and Snape is his usual cold, snarky self -- and yet, through Remus's POV, she manages to perfectly capture Snape's vulnerability, without once making him seem out of character. The writing flows perfectly and never becomes fluffy, and for me, at least, pushes all the right buttons. In Mine, the story switches to Snape's POV. Remus and Snape start an awkward relationship, while Snape still spies for the Order of the Phoenix. Again, a wonderful characterisation of Snape, surprisingly insecure yet cold and sometimes downright mean. But still caring very much about Remus. In Out of Darkness, the POV switches back to Remus. Snape suffers the consequences of some of the events in Mine, and Remus notices he behaves rather oddly. Snape, however, refuses to say what is wrong, and when Remus finally finds out, he's rather taken aback. Juxian has a good feel for detail, and knows just when to introduce a little bit of humour, balancing out the story. Beautiful writing and characterisations, and one of my favourite stories ever.
Quotes:
I hate it. It's so much more than I ever wanted to know about Snape.
And it's distracting. Here, in Hogwarts, I could've felt so comfortable, welcomed and at home - the only place where I feel at home. Why do I have to be aware of Snape's dirty pastime - secrets that should be hidden, never revealed to anyone?
[Lupin's] eyes have this ill, clouded look in them that always makes me want to hit him; and at the same time, hold him, and never let anyone else touch him.

Staffroom Seduction (www.angelfire.com/wizard/dovielr/stories/staffroom/Staffroom00.html) by DovieLR (dovielr) SS/RL, NC-17, BDSM
If you don't like BDSM, this is probably not your kind of story, as it handles things like bloodplay and collaring. I once read someone saying that this is one of the few 'meaningful' BDSM stories out there. I'll have to agree. If the BDSM is extreme (but then, Lupin is a werewolf with remarkable regenerative capabilities), the relationship between Lupin and Snape is layered, meaningful and at times even sweet, but in a credible way. Lupin is his usual gentle (but witty and humorous) self, and tries to convince Snape that he is not a bad nor an ugly person, and Snape slowly yields. The writing is good, and the scenes flow from harsh to light and humorous. The story, told entirely from Snape's POV, takes place during PoA (it perfectly integrates canon information), and we all know how that ends. Staffroom Seduction II is however being written, so there is no need to despair. :)

Um. Or even two...

[rane-ab.livejournal.com]

Truth (http://inkstain.slashcity.net/isf/archive/12/truth.html) by thisveryinstant (thisveryinstant) HP/SS, NC-17
This fic has more than once been called 'canon Snarry', and with good reason. Snape and Harry are perfectly in character, anger and righteous indignation driving each of them. When Snape has the class brew a Truth Potion, and makes Harry the test subject, things get a little out of hand. Anger and hatred crackle between them all through the fic, and lead to rather hot smut by the end of the story, leaving both characters rather confused.

Cordelictus (http://www.tittisrealm.com/thinline/main.html) by Fabula Rasa (fabularasa) SS/SB, NC-17
I'm not really into Snape/Black, but fabularasa 's writing is excellent, her stories credible and hot. In this story, Snape and Sirius are already in a relationship together. To prove how serious he is about their relationship, Sirius bonds them together using a Dark spell, with rather unexpected consequences. This story should definitely get a prize for the most Snape-ish declaration of love ever. You have to read it, if only for that, though the entire story is definitely more than worth reading.