OK, so, I do have other Avengers fics to rec, and also a couple of chapters of my own wipfic to post here in addition to AO3, but here's a rec I've been meaning to put up for a while, written for this year's cap_ironman Reverse Big Bang:

Incursion by scrtkpr
Universe: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, New Avengers (Comics), Avengers (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Warning(s): None
Summary: When Steve and Tony are taken down in the heart of Avengers Tower by alternate versions of themselves, their counterparts reveal a threat to both the foundations of the multiverse and to the foundations of Steve and Tony's friendship.
Excerpt: “So,” said Tony, drawing everyone’s attention. He made eye contact with the other two, but not with Steve. “Always a little awkward, trying to shift gears from nonconsensual bondage to science-themed playdate. But you do this all the time, is that right? Any suggestions for smoothing the transition?”

Squeee Rec: Yes, scrtkpr wrote again!!! And it's lovely! And, take it from a comics newbie, you don't have to know anything about what's going on in comicworld to adore the story. Though I'm told if you do, it's even more awesome :D :D


( rambling )

• The House That Cedric Built was nominated for three Draco awards (Best Long Fiction, Best Angst or Dramatic Fiction, Best Romance) over at Draco Awards! Unfortunately, the title is wrong. As in, the fic is not listed as The House That Cedric Built, by annafugazzi, but as Wrong by annafugazzi.
  
  Doh. I suck at naming things - I suspect my ancestry contains a lot of those folks who've given us place names like "Big River" and "Valley Town" and "Main Street" - so I was kinda proud of having finally made up a cool one. Ah well.
  
  
• Remember the History Song list that I asked for help with, about a million years ago? I was looking for songs that told a story about a historical event or person. My kids fiddled around with it for a long time, looking up links to sound or video files, lyrics, and sites explaining the events/persons. Learned some HTML, and finally ended up with this:
  
  Tell Me A Story
  
  Go! Take a look - and, where possible, a listen! There's 86 songs there, rock and folk and country and not-English, covering history from The Mesopotamians to 9/11.
  
  
• Ya know, I giggle at DH's Epilogue, and am far more likely to go EWE than Epi for both reading and writing, but I have a huge soft spot for it nonetheless, and (don't hit me) actually really like it. As a grownup it's a bit meh, but I think it's a fine end to a children's book series.
  
  I was glad when I found out they were going to film it.
  
  I was even gladder when I found out that they were going to keep the original actors for it in the movie.
  
  Thrilled when I heard that they were getting coaching on how to walk and move like they were older.
  
  A bit startled by how much closer to 50 than 37 Harry looked in the pictures that came out yesterday, but overall pretty optimistic about the whole thing. Couldn't wait to see Ron and Hermione and Draco.
  
  ( Cover your eyes if you are of the EWE persuasion )
  
  
  I was a happy girl this morning.
  
  I go out for the day, and come back to this:
  
  ( Cover your eyes if you like the books at all )
  
  
  Holy shit.
  
  ::scrubs eyes::
  
  No, that's got to be a joke.
  
  No, seriously.
  
  Seriously??!!
  
  This calls for either a massive drinking binge or a dose of fic.
  
  Damn, all I have are three sangria coolers.
  
  Fic it is, then:
  
  
• vanseedee's Lost In Reality is finished! Many many chapters of angsty/lovely/throat-achy George/Lee. I'm still unable to do much more than flail incoherently over this fic. The ending was one of those things that make you tear up and say "Oh... awwww..." out loud. Go read!
  
  
• And I'll Tell You No Lies and Ember to Ember are both in the new The NEW Most Read H/D Bookshelf! And so are a huge load of others - 285 fics in all. Am planning on plunging back into my original OTP H/D and reading until the godawful "Draco Grew Up To Become Filch" image has been scrubbed from my mind's eye. So I'll see y'all next summer, I think :(
  
  
• I hate to dwell on negativity, and I've never been pre-emptively upset by anything book or movie-related before, 'cause I always figure you never know what'll end up on the cutting room floor or what will, in context, end up perfectly fine despite disturbing sneak peeks. Also, I have pretty low standards.
  
  But. This. Ohgod.
  
  Does anyone think there's a chance in hell of convincing WB to refilm the Epilogue? So our last glimpse of the HP world can be fond and touching and satisfying, instead of horrifically embarrassing for everyone involved? Or are we doomed to have to watch this thing once and then pretend the last five minutes never happened, like the ending of The Abyss?

ETA: Still working on the Canon!Draco thing. Suspect I will be All About Draco for the next little while, and possibly All About Ron as well, in a vain effort to compensate for the ruthless violence done to both characters by the WB makeup department :(

Think I started this post... about a month ago? Maybe? Adding on whenever I got more than five minutes online. December is a RL bitch.

• First off, my own hd_holidays fic!
  No, silly, not the one I wrote. That would be rather unrulerly unruly against the rules. The one that was written for me, by a lovely anonyperson!
  Title: Under the Influence
  Pairings: H/D
  Summary: When Harry is forced to take on a job that is far from what he is used to, he finds it an extra nuisance that he is being saddled with one Draco Malfoy; the one man in the whole wizarding world he most desperately wants to forget.
  Rating: R
  Warnings: DH-compliant but EWE, also not heeding any of JKR's interviews
  Length: ~12.500
  Author’s Notes: Dear Annafugazzi, I really, really hope you enjoy the fic - I definitely had a lot of fun writing it! Many thanks to my terrific betas M and P.
  Excerpt: "Harry! Please." Malfoy cocked his head and smiled his crooked smile at Harry, that particular smile that curled the left corner of his mouth and never failed to make Harry want to jump and strangle him, or kiss him, instantaneously.
  Rec: Well, it's hard to know what to say about a fic written especially for you, because of course it's gonna hit a lot of your kinks, but I think what I liked most about this were the unexpected bits of prose that just came outta nowhere and caused my kids to look at me funny every time I chortled, whether it was at Ron's reaction to Harry working with Draco, or Luna's abominable and unidentifiable pet, or the... unexpected soap.
  Oh, and the slowly darkening mystery in the background? Very nice :) :) :)
  
  
• Next, one I have been (mostly) patiently waiting for ever since miss_bowtruckle posted Green and said it had sidebars in ficlimbo.
  TITLE: Whispered Words
  PAIRING/CHARACTER/GENERAL SERIES: George Weasley/Hermione Granger
  GENRE: Het.
  PROMPT: 13 - Red
  RATING: Teen – suggestion of sex.
  WORD COUNT: 381
  SUMMARY: George and Hermione enjoy a dance at their wedding reception.
  NOTES: Set in the same universe as my 2009 hermionebigbang fic, Green.
  Rec: Can't quote it, as it's only 381 words long, but I will say this: aaawww!!!
  
  
• Then, Percy/Oliver! No, really!
  Title: Brilliant
  Author: Margot/midnight_birth
  Pairing: Oliver/Percy
  Rating: NC-17
  Warning: Alcohol abuse (one characrter gets smashed), scenes of explicit sexual nature. Info given by JKR in subsequent interviews about Percy’s future (wife and kids and all) is disregarded.
  Word Count: 4,098
  Summary: As far as Percy is concerned, Oliver hasn’t ever cared for anything beside Quidditch. When Oliver brings a date to Harry and Ginny’s wedding, however, Percy is resolved that if Oliver is capable of noticing other blokes romantically, he should be one of them. Unfortunately, Percy is very stale at wooing, and Oliver isn’t looking for what Percy is prepared to give.
  Excerpt: Ginny looks beautiful, and Harry looks like he slept with a coat hanger in his mouth.
  Rec: I ::heart:: Percy. So, so much. And drunk Percy is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold.
  
  
• Title: Four Weddings and a Funeral
  Author: ishafel
  Rated: PG
  Lenght: 501 words
  Pairings: Various Canon Pairings
  Summary: Five things that happened to the Blacks.
  Excerpt: Bellatrix is married in the spring, when war is still a game for children and a nightmare for old men.
  Rec: Um. Wow. Has a bit of a kick. A lovely kick, though, if kicks can be lovely.
  
  
• OK, I haven't read everything in hp_darkfest, but must say that despite some absolute gems, this one is by far my favourite. A feeling echoed by quite a few folks, so it's likely a lot of my flist has already read it. Oh well.
  I actually had a tinge of disappointment when I found out the author was someone I knew, because I'd sort of wanted it to be somebody I'd never heard of, so I could read everything she'd ever written. It was rickey_a, whose fic I already know and love well, but hey! An excuse to go re-read! Not a bad thing!
  Anyway, here it is:
  Title: His Father's Son
  Pairing(s): Scorpius/Albus Severus, Draco/Astoria (implied)
  Summary: Scorpius Malfoy tries to find his own way in the world.
  Rating: NC-17
  Word count: ~7,200
  Warnings/Spoilers: Last time I tried using the highlight-to-read trick, a reader got involuntarily spoiled anyway. So I'll just invite you to go and read it, highlighting over the warning on the fic itself, and keep in mind it's from darkfest please.
  Excerpt: "I didn't want to intrude on your time with Albus. You seem to enjoy it so much, that I didn't want you to miss out by having to worry about your old father watching over you. You deserve to have him to yourself."
  Rec: To be honest, part of why I loved this so much was that it wasn't as dark as I'd been dreading. It still hurt - a lot - but there was beauty and hope in there as well.
  
  
• Title: Voodoo Child
  Author: croatoan6000
  Rating: PG-13
  Pairing: H/D
  Words: 4,594
  Warnings: mild violence, sexual references. Crack!fic
  Summary: Draco suspects Harry of cheating, and will go to any lengths to find out if he’s right...
  Prompts: Romantic comedy, cats, guns, brains, voodoo chicken.
  Excerpt: “Ginny!” Draco forced his face into a smile that made him look like he had stomach cramps. “You’re looking especially lovely today. That shirt really brings out your... um... breasts.”
  Rec: Oh, wow, brilliant crackfic. A perfect counterbalance to thoughty-plotty angst.

...cause it's also from hermionebigbang, a community which, though I thought was great as a concept, did not interest me in the least, which made me sad 'cause I do like Hermione. Just not as a central character.

Though it's a bit like mpreg; I have absolutely no interest in it, except for the dozens of fics I adore that have mpreg in them. Wtf, brain?


Anyway, this one is Green, by miss_bowtruckle
Artists: acoustics1220 & glockgal
Pairing/Characters: George/Hermione, Fred/Angelina
Summary: George is finding that caring for his brother and running a business keep him too busy to look for love, but he finds it anyway.
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 36,408

OK, this one is... um. Well, it's wonderful. Well-written, often funny, touching, and a realistic portrayal of how George and Hermione could possibly end up together in a EWE/NotSoDeadFred post-DH world, and...

And it's also really stuck with me for the last few days. miss_bowtruckle says she's got a few short stories in this universe, and I'm sort of jittering a bit, waiting for her to put them up. It's struck a personal chord for me, and not just 'cause I like the twins.

See, in April 2001, my husband was in a motorcycle accident. He snapped his right femur, pulped his left wrist, and suffered brain damage. The leg healed after a few months; the wrist after a few surgeries. The brain was never the same.

It's hard, being close to someone who has suffered brain damage. ( OMFG, this turned out a lot longer than I'd planned, considering this is my mostly-fandom/not-so-personal blog )

I loved iamshadow's Indivisible By Two stories, because she touches on a lot of that; how the twin relationship changes, how a person changes after severe disability. Part of what iamshadow does very well (IMHO) is showing how both twins change even though Fred is, mentally, the same guy, just Fred learning to deal with pain and physical disability.

In this story... he's not. There's a lot that's the same, but he himself is not who he was, and that has to change all the people around him. Everyone has had to adjust to a new normal, and miss_bowtruckle shows it in a whole lot of brilliant ways, large and small (eg Fred's no longer "Mr. Weasley" to Verity... ouch). It's not always pretty, it's not an everybody lived happily ever after ending, but it's overall hopeful. Hermione is wonderful, and the relationship between her and George, taking place while George is dealing with his new role, is lovely.

Excerpts:

• "Hermione's fun."
  
  George nodded absently over the top of his book, a mug of coffee on his knee.
  
  "We played four games, and she didn't even care that I won three of them." Fred held up a green gingerbread counter before reaching to set it on a green square. "And I could remember all the colours except this one." He touched it with one finger.
  
  George glanced over. "Green."
  
  
• Sunday morning dawned clear and bright, and George was rudely awakened by an enormous something bouncing on the foot of his bed.
  
  "It's Sunday! Mum says we're having roast and potatoes and it's my favourite ever. Can we go now?"
  
  George glanced at the clock, then groaned and pulled the covers over his head. "Fred, it's only half-seven. Mum would kill us both if we went now. I may kill you, if you stay here. Please go find something to do..." He knew it would only be a matter of time before Fred was back, but he'd take another half-hour however he could get it.
  
  
• "Ha," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "My brother, alone at the bar, keeping an eye on me. That's cool..." He shook his head. "No way. If you're going, at least take someone along, yeah? So it's not completely pathetic."

So yeah. Now that I've blathered on, go read Green. Enjoy. Send miss_bowtruckle love. Tell her you'll cry if she doesn't post the other stories in this universe soon no pressure re. those other stories in this universe, you'll be happy to read them whenever she does post them especially if she does so right now.

Title: Lost in Reality
Characters: George, Lee
Rating: PG-13 for this part
Summary: Reality is the state or quality of being real. But what is real? And more importantly, what is not real?

Can't believe I didn't see this when she first started posting! It's up to part 3 so far. Yes, it's a WiP, but totally worth the read so far!

Not as catchy as The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, but also less likely to leave you with nightmares for a while afterwards. ::shudder::

1. Except for maybe this item. This is one of the ouchiest things I have read in a long, long time. Must check out more of nextgendarkfest.
   
   Hm... is is wrong to read something, hurt down to your soul, and not only want to share it but immediately feel the need to track down more hurty stuff? Hope not.
   
   A Bite that Never Heals
   Rating: NC-17
   Word Count: ~12,700
   Pairing(s): James/Teddy
   Warnings: mention of chan (James is 16, Teddy is 22), explicit sex, violence, very strong language, mental health issues, implied drug use, BDSM, biting, bondage, blood-play, use of sex toys, perceived spousal abuse, perceived infidelity, mention of minor character death. ( SPOILERS )
   
   Summary: People assume that James Potter has everything. But what he really has is a father who won’t get out of bed, an unhelpfully reclusive brother, and the Wizarding World’s answer to Peaches Geldof for a sister. When Teddy Lupin, the only good thing in James’ life, goes missing, how will James cope? And how is his Aunt Hermione involved in Teddy’s disappearance?
   
   
2. I have this quote in my mind, and I think it's from canon, of (I think) one of the twins, saying something like, "A brutal double murder by the groom's mother might put a dent in the festivities." But I can't find it in Deathly Hallows. Does anyone know who says it, and where? Or am I thinking of something from sarahtales?
   
   
3. I've finally gone and made a list of various translations people have done for my fics (mostly Bond). I think I've got them all. Any multi-tongued folks want to take a look and let me know if I'm missing any?
   
   ( Translations )
   
   
   
4. I've been singing this to myself off and on for days. Thought I'd share the pain joy :)
   
   

Happy Easter, to those of you who celebrate it, and Happy Sunday, to those who don't! (And Happy Monday to Australians, New Zealanders, and time warp dwellers.)

Once again, a set of links that defy classification.

• First off, another Ravenous Romance book review by Jane, for Making a Scene, by Trudy Doyle. This is the same woman who did the review of the book with the squeebing lady-softness and straining codpiece. And she does have more good things to say about this book than she did the previous one. Then again, I think I have more good things to say about Pit of Voles fanfic than she did about the codpiece book. My hypocrisy, let me show you it: every single one of my fics is up on ff.n ;)
  
  Anyway, here's two excerpts: one from the review and one from the novel itself:
  
  
  • Warning - this is an epic review. And by epic, I mean long. And also full of terms like "joy juice" "muff" and "spunk."
    
  • "Above the semi-wall of my laptop screen, I can see she looks not only at the downslide of her hottiness"
  
  
  
• Courtesy of fish_echo, found an absolute treasure trove of weird stuff, including this fic. Am not usually terribly fond of AUs, but this one has sucked me in:
  
  Title: Switch
  Author: corvidae9
  Rating: G
  Length: 1900 words
  Author's Summary: The Sorting Hat has sorted thousands of students in the course of its life. If it makes a mistake or two, who's to say it's wrong? Certainly not Fred or George Weasley.
  
  Excerpt: Ron sat next to a weeping girl named Parvati and a clearly unimpressed girl named Pansy, for the most part pole-axed as to how the bloody hell he'd turned out a Ravenclaw.
  
  "M-m-mum says Ravenclaws don't have time for silly things like nail polish and-and-and giiiirl magazines," she blubbered. "I like girly magazines! I don't want to die alone in a library with a hundred cats! That's Padma's job!"
  
  Rec: I love watching the events of the books unfold with the main characters in different houses, but I'm even more fascinated by how she takes their canon personalities and... tweaks them, a bit, to show how the kids would act if they believed they were Sorted where they were for a good reason. Cannot decide who I'm loving the most: Slytherin!Hermione or Gryffindor!Crabbe and Goyle.
  
  
• And from hd_worldcup, which I was kinda bummed to have to miss this year, here's a totally brilliant fic:
  
  Team AU: 20. Close your eyes and think of Hogwarts.
  Title: primum mobile, or ten forgotten things
  Team: AU, baby!
  Author: kirinin
  Prompt: 20. Close your eyes and think of Hogwarts.
  Wordcount: just over 4,000
  Rating: PG
  Warnings: None, really.
  Summary: The truth: logic isn't in the lump in his throat, in his stuttering pulse. He needs the certainty of his name on someone else's lips, which means he needs Malfoy...
  
  Excerpt: When Harry's gaze swings up to Hogwarts Castle, there's nothing there.
  Rec: OMG CREEPY!! Left me all shivery/shuddery afterwards. Brilliant.
  
  
• And! from yay_potterkids! A little!Draco ficlet:
  Title: Sweet Smile
  Author: softly_sweetly
  Characters: Lucius, Draco
  Length: ~430
  Rating: G
  Warnings: Kid!Fluff. I suppose this is also OOC, but I always thought Lucius had a soft spot for Draco :)
  Summary: Draco can get away with anything
  
  Excerpt: Parchment was strewn everywhere. And not everywhere in Narcissa's language, when he'd left a few coffee cups around the Manor and she made him sleep in one of the guest rooms for a night. Everywhere in the literal sense. Over every surface, every piece of furniture, and somehow stuck to one of the windows with a green substance Lucius would not be investigating any time soon.
  Rec: Aaaawwww...

Feeling a little guilty as I dally with other pairings, but H/D and I have a loving open relationship, so I'm sure they won't mind.

• So anyway, OMG, happy birthday to me: not one, but two new George/Lee fics were posted on to glee_hp on the same day this week:
  
  Title: A Dirty Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste
  Author: ozma_katiebell
  Rating: NC17
  Kinks Chosen: Pornography, masturbation
  Summary: How Lee Jordan learned to relax and embrace his inner pervert.
  Warnings: Multiple kinks referenced
  Word Count: 5476
  Excerpt: "Go on, then." George said. "Paint me a filthy picture, writer boy. Just make sure it doesn't include goats, because the smell is about to kill me down here."
  
  
• Title: And In Six Years
  Author: neversleeps
  Rating: NC-17
  Word Count: ~7400
  Notes/Summary: It takes a few years, but George finally realises something. Written for ozma_katiebell @ hpvalensmut
  Excerpt: But then, Lee was just one of those guys that even another bloke could appreciate and notice. Anyone, George told himself, would find the sight of Lee having sex – even with another man – sexy.
  
  
• Title: Brothers and Lovers
  Author: Hijja
  Pairing: James Potter jr./Scorpius Malfoy (of sorts...)
  Rating: R
  Length: ~ 1600 words
  Summary: James finds himself all tied up and at the mercy of his school nemesis – for a reason...
  Excerpt: I've got eyes," Malfoy said.
  "And hands," James pointed out sweetly, "which you should keep off other people's brothers."
  
  
• Title: Stakeout
  Rating: NC-17
  Pairing(s): Harry/Teddy (with mentions of Harry/Ginny, Albus Severus/OMC, Teddy/Victoire, and assorted other innuendo)
  Warnings: Voyeurism, innuendo between Albus Severus and Victoire (who are cousins, which is not incestuous in Britain), gentle coercion.
  Word Count: 4,372
  Summary: It's funny what a bloke can find out if he just keeps his eyes open. Funny, and disturbingly hot, too.
  Excerpt: Plus, I mostly watched Teddy, who, there was nothing wrong with watching him anyway, since he's not even my cousin, even if he sort of is halfway my semi-brother and also he used to be practically engaged to you until he worked out how it was going to be a problem, you not having a cock. Speaking of, by the way, I bet the two of you made a seriously, seriously hot picture.
  
  
• Also, I'm done part 3 of the A Little Unhealthy... any chance one or more folks might want to beta?