nia_kantorka: (I love Hugo)
nia_kantorka ([personal profile] nia_kantorka) wrote2016-11-30 05:00 pm

Rectober in November #5 - hp next gen recs

I chose these [livejournal.com profile] hp_nextgen_fest fics to rec before the reveals were up and didn't know two of them were written by the same author. Anyway, they were picked because they all are brilliant and got imo way too little attention.

Title: Villa Zabini
Author: favicon cabinetcaligari[livejournal.com profile] cabinetcaligari
Pairing(s): Blaise/Albus Severus
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,110
Content/Warnings: Cross-Generation Relationship, Harry Potter Next Generation, Non-Linear Narrative, First Time, Loss of Virginity, Anal Sex

Summary: Scorpius and Albus travel through Italy to celebrate leaving Hogwarts. They visit the Malfoy’s family friend, Blaise Zabini. However, when Scorpius leaves after only a day, Albus stays behind.

Why I loved it: This story. It's poetic and beautiful. It makes me want to write myself. Of days spend in shimmering heat at the sea, turquoise battling azure and verdigris water, and summer days that leave you detached from reality, like this dream too good to be true. I read it and reread it immediately. I'm still in awe about its imagenary. If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favour and read it. You might want to put on some music from Ludovico Einaudi, like Le onde (the waves), and will probably leave all thoughts of a cold, dark autumn day behind.

Excerpt:He tastes like salt and olive oil and the wine we drank. I can smell the searing summer on him, and the rippling sea below us, rolling against the rocks in the depth. I want to drink him in, to bottle the taste lingering on my lips, the smell of his warmth and the way his magic makes my head spin. I sigh against his body and close my eyes.

xoxoxo



Title: Dear Lily, Dear Hugo
Author: favicon Ely_baby[livejournal.com profile] ely_baby
Pairing(s) Lily/Hugo
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 6,548
Content/Warnings: Cousin Incest, Implied Sexual Content, Epistolary, Letters, Weddings

Summary: Lily and Hugo are getting married and Rose has thought up the best gift ever to give them.

Why I loved it: We all have been to weedings and maybe even had one were we were a lucky bride or groom. So you know about the tradition to create something special for the happy couple? Sometimes it's done in advance, sometimes on the weeding day itself. As a married person myself let me tell you such an individually created book/journal/picture book/whatever is the best thing to get. It doesn't matter if you look at such a gift days, months, or years later, it will always make you smile. You remember your wedding day and all the love you felt then and hopefully you're still feeling about your partner, family, and friends.

Now think about such a beautifully gift given to Lily and Hugo by all their relatives and friends participating. Believe me it's not cheesy (or only a little bit), it's mostly hilariously funny because of the people who write their letters to Lily and Hugo. The author did an amazing job portraing a developing relationship, family ties and love in every from. It's stunning. Don't miss a perfect little story just because it's about a het pairing or written in epistolary form.
PS—My favourite letters were from Charlie, Percy (yes, really), and this one from Ron.


Excerpt:

Hey guys,

So, all I have to say is that I knew you were in love before Hermione, Harry or Ginny even noticed that you held hands and cuddled all the time.

So, my fondest memory is that I win over the three of them; I'm awesome and I want the biggest slice of cake tomorrow.

And I'll share it only with my grandkids.

Cheers guys,

Ron x

PS—Apparently my wife and my daughter say that this is not a fond memory of you two – I hadn't realised that I would be given homework and it would be checked too before I handed it in.

Fondest memory is when you two decided to name all three of your kids after me. Oops, that never happened. Just joking, guys. Fondest memory is that time at the beach when you were five and there was that thunderstorm of the century and you both climbed up in bed with me and fell asleep only when I told you the tale of Harry Potter and the Mischievous Leprechaun Who Was Guarding the Pot of Gold Under the Rainbow.

By the way, I totally made up that story that night. Hope you can take the truth now that you are both 29.

Bye. x


xoxoxo


Title: Second Skin
Author: favicon cabinetcaligari[livejournal.com profile] cabinetcaligari
Pairing(s) Lorcan/Lysander
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,949
Content/Warnings: Pining, Jealousy, POV First Person, POV Alternating, Angst, Siblings, Background Relationships, Masturbation, Ambiguous/Open Ending

Summary: People always say we’re attached at the hip, Lorcan and I. He feels like home to me, and I trust him more than anyone. But there are things even Lorcan cannot know.

Why I loved it: This story is an absolute killer. It hooks itself into your heart and won't you let go. Not for hours, days ... weeks by now. I picked about five different parts for an excerpt and am still sure I didn't do it justice. Yes, it's a story about love between twins that are more to each other than 'just' brothers. But they don't know. Not Lysander, not Lorcan. It's beautiful and heartbreaking.

It ends open and we don't know what will happen afterwards, but it's perfect this way. You can make up your own ending. What will you choose? Bring them together? Keep them appart? It took me while to realise that it doesn't matter, because they are already each other's second skin, and yet it's so much fun to visualise fitting scenarios. As I said, it's perfect. Really wish I could leave more kudos and more love for this one...


Excerpt:I love to tell him about the things I’ve read, and the stories I daydream about. But most of all, I love to tell him about the adventures of two brothers on a Magisafari in rainforests, burning hot deserts, and the dark depths of the ocean. I tell him about their adventures, and he hangs on my every word, mouth hanging open and eyes shining. He searches out my hand, his fingers weaving around mine, and I tell my stories until his breathing evens out. I hold his hand until I fall asleep too, wishing life would always stay this way.

xoxoxo

[identity profile] candamira.livejournal.com 2016-11-30 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Wonderful rec post. I absolutely agree - these three are truly beautiful and touching, and belong to my highlights of the fest, too! :-)
gracerene: (HP: Glasses)

[personal profile] gracerene 2016-11-30 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Great picks! <3

LOL, CC really brought it, didn't she! Both her fics were just phenomenal!

[identity profile] cabinetcaligari.livejournal.com 2016-11-30 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Ohhhh, you wonderful thing!!!! I was already SO flattered by your amazing comments, and I am still a bit (okay, a very large bit) baffled you chose my two fic to rec. Thank you so much again for reading, and for your wonderful words <333

ETA: Oh and I forgot, but it's so nice to read your favourite parts, and your thoughts on both stories. I'm really glad the open ending works for you in Second Skin, I just couldn't decide because like you said, both would work and dependent on the mood you're in. I also have a track for Second Skin, I listened to Massive Attack ft. Tricky - Take It There (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSt_q7M3zI) while writing the angsty wanking scene, but that song is SO sad, the combination almost killed me haha. And writing Villa Zabini made me itch to go to Italy, I'm glad that worked for you, too :)
Edited 2016-11-30 19:20 (UTC)

[identity profile] ely-baby.livejournal.com 2016-11-30 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww! Thank you so very much for your rec! You completely and utterly made my day with this! And... I am so happy to hear that you didn't find it TOO cheesy - he he - because I usually can't control the cheesiness when it's up to my OTP. *g*

Thank you so so so much for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it and glad you had fun reading it! ❤️❤️❤️

[identity profile] ely-baby.livejournal.com 2016-12-01 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww. <333 x
my_thestral: (dragon)

[personal profile] my_thestral 2016-11-30 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Lovely recs, Nia, quite some rare pairings indeed and it is a bit disheartening that they didn't get more attention (and they totally should!) - but I'm glad at least you let the author's know what a great job they had done! :) For my part, I'm particularly partial to the Lily/Hugo one - such a lovely idea and execution! I confess I laughed myself silly on some of the letters (Ron and Scorp's in particular) and I already told the author that I'm definitely doing something like this if any of my sons is getting married, LOL! :) I'll probably be an old hag by then, and quite demented, given that I'm not the youngest cookie and my kids are quite small, but that should make *my* letter so much more fun. :)
Very nice recs, I hope your signal boosting helps them get the attention they deserve! :)