Our Private Universe

Our Private Universe by Busaikko

Summary: Watch Remus, Peter said, look for evidence; but what Sirius found was something different. Christmas 1979. Romance/Angst, 12,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is so much more than slash. This is the most beautiful story I think I have ever read: it gives Remus a history and a humanity, and it gives Sirius a beautiful naiveté which is so fitting. The search for the spy is such an intriguing part of the Marauder story and the author’s gentle handling of it makes the final inevitability of it all the sadder. Unlike so many fics about this particular era, Busaikko uses our prior knowledge to make this beautiful tragedy, rather than powering through as if it were new. The characterisation is lovely, as is the raw emotion carried through it, complimented by the sweetness of falling in love and some unexpected humour. Perfect.

Why You Might Not Care: Slash, yes, yes, and rated for one short section towards the end. Which may or may not be required, depends on your perspective. Enjoy, m’loves.

The Rules of Being a Godson

The Rules of Being a Godson by Copperbadge

Summary: Teddy Lupin never gets too close or feels too much; his godfather’s son never does anything else. Drama/Romance, 12,329 Words.

Why You Should Care: Whether you know him as Sam the Storyteller, SamVimes,or Copperbadge, there is no denying that this author is gold. Previously recced on Coffee and Chocolate for his humour masterpiece, Sublimation and the Snitch, he is perhaps better known for his excellent slash romances, and this piece does not disappoint. Action! Drama! Longing! All in Copperbadge’s wonderfully straightforward style. This is excellent, and the reason I ship Teddy/James about the same as Teddy/Victoire.

Why You Might Not Care: Beware, there are kissing boys in this fic. Also, it was written approximately twenty-four hours after the release of Deathly Hallows, and as such, might not adhere to all interview canon, though nothing leapt out at me during my re-read.

Awards: 2008 Hourglass Award, Best Slash Romance — First Place

This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours

This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours by Hackthis

Summary: “There’s only one story in the entire world and everything else is a variation thereof, so the idea that Sirius fell through the veil and died is just one potential ending out of hundreds of thousands. Remus doesn’t like that particular ending, so he’s going to choose another one.” Drabbles, 883 Words.

Why You Should Care: For the Remus/Sirius lover, this is six little connected snippets of heartbreaking AU gold. It’s straightforward, presenting each alternate scenario honestly and without frills instead of breaking into developed stories. Each one left me wishing it had happened that way instead, and they’re just so perfect. I’m finding it quite difficult to be eloquent about these. Just read them, you won’t be sorry.

Why You Might Not Care: There’s a brief moment of explicitness, and this is quite obviously slash. If you scoff at Remus/Sirius, this isn’t the story (or rather, stories) for you. Also, you might wish they had been longer: each one has the potential for a full-blown tale behind them. However, they work quite well as they are.

Tea Time

Tea Time by NovemberSnow

Summary: “Never knew werewolves were such fiends for tea.” Drabble Collection, 10 x 100 Words.

Why You Should Care: Ten beautifully interconnected 100 word drabbles about Remus, done just the way I like ’em: perfectly. The thread that strings these moments together is thin but strong, and while each of these drabbles could stand along perfectly well, together they are even better. Fine work from a fine fic author.

Why You Might Not Care: Remus/Sirius ahoy, mates. All G-rated, mind, but definitely there nonetheless.

Seven Things That Didn’t Happen On Valentine’s Day At Hogwarts, Or Maybe They Did

Seven Things That Didn’t Happen On Valentine’s Day At Hogwarts, Or Maybe They Did by Pru

Summary: “At seven thirty-six AM on February fourteenth, the giant squid climbed out of the Hogwarts lake, dragged itself in front of a nondescript part of the castle, and began to sing “Daisy”. Before the encore performance and right after a glorious vibrato finale, the squid dedicated the song to Severus Snape, who had appeared at one of the nondescript windows at twenty minutes ’till eight.” Valentine’s Day over seven years at Hogwarts. Humour/Romance, 25,256 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is so funny — and so Marauder. Of course they would have prank wars on Valentine’s Day. As ridiculous as it gets — trust me, the summary is only the start of things — you never stop believing that it could have happened. It’s equal parts romance and humour, with just a little bit of angst towards the end to keep the saccharine from becoming overwhelming. A perfect fic for today.

Why You Might Not Care: Some of the formatting is a bit off, but that’s a minor irritation. One of the seven sections runs quite longer than the rest, but it never stops being amusing. Also, this is quite decidedly Remus/Sirius, and though about half of the fic focuses on the actions of all four Marauders, the ship does take over at the end. If you’re not interested, don’t read it, but I highly recommend that you do; I love this fic.

Being An Historical Record of Events Surrounding the Unfortunate Truth-Or-Dare Game of February the Twenty-Second, and Consequences Thereof

Being An Historical Record of Events Surrounding the Unfortunate Truth-Or-Dare Game of February the Twenty-Second, and Consequences Thereof by MoonPants

Summary: “He was aware not only of James’s grin, but that Peter was smiling and sitting forward, too — and oh, God, so was Sirius. All of them grinning, laughing a little, waiting to hear the outcome of another good — if slightly cheap — joke of James’s. For a brief, terrifying moment, Remus found that he hated every last one of them. They were bastards and they had no idea and he hated them.” Mostly Humour, 26,905 Words.

Why You Should Care: While I don’t particularly adore slash, every once in a while I come across one I thoroughly enjoy and — as per usual — it’s a Remus/Sirius fic.  This one in particular is a nice read, with nice characterisations of each of the Marauders (we-ell… for the two-point-four seconds Peter’s in the story, he seems well characterised, anyway) and a nice build up into the steamy bits.  It kept my attention throughout, made me laugh regularly, and it was interesting to follow Sirius on his journey through this one.  MoonPants also gives us a reason for James and Co. being so damn comfortable with homosexuality, and while it’s a bit plot devicey it is still there, which is more than I can say for a lot of slash fic.  Also?  Props for the guts to give this fic the longest title I’ve ever seen.

Why You Might Not Care: Well, this is for the slash lovers here.  It’s also NC-17 slash, just so no one’s surprised, with a couple of Not-Work-Safe sections.  The author warns that a lot of the plot elements have been “stolen” from other stories — and there are a few cliches here, make no mistake — but she carries them off with good enough writing that you don’t really notice them so much. 

Love By Numbers

Love By Numbers by Dulcinea

Summary: Sometimes, one plus zero equals two. Drabble, 537 Words.

Why You Should Care: Okay, a word of advice, ignore all the femmeslash in the fic. It’s Luna/Hermione. It’ll bemuse and befuddle you. But aside from that, this fic is a wonderful work of art. Dulcinea weaves words into tapestry patterns — her symbolism here of enigma, maths and numbers is spot on. Luna is an enigma, a complex pattern to absorb and learn and this is so how Hermione tries to rationalize her.

Why You Might Not Care: Heed my advice about the femmeslash and there’s no reason not to care. Beautiful characterisation, marvelous symbolism, and a clever wordsmith. All in a day’s work.

One Bowl of Kisses

One Bowl of Kisses by Victoria P

Summary: Remus kisses him, a tender thing, all soft breath and chapped lips. Oneshot, 1,134 words.

Why You Should Care: It’s adorable! It’s Remus/Sirius and it’s fluffy with a little bit of angst and it’s so damned cute! I just want to gather this fic up in my arms and hug it, because it’s so damned lovely. The style’s nice too: Victoria P uses lots of different little twists of literary devices so that each mini-section feels fresh and individual, and yet it’s wonderfully cohesive. Ah. It’s just so wonderful.

Why You Might Not Care: Look away now if you don’t like slash. This is a bit of Remus/Sirius slash and if you don’t like it then there’s really nothing here for you at all. But if you can bear slash, this fic is perfection.

The Shortest Distance Between Two People

The Shortest Distance Between Two People by Riko

Summary: In which Sirius learns that growing up isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. Oneshot, 8,054 Words.

Why You Should Care: If The Shoebox Project was only text, told entirely from Sirius’ POV, and around 100,000 words shorter, this is probably what it would be. I love the way this has been structured as a series of brief moments, conversations, and events in Sirius’ life. The major things are there, but they fall into the background because when you’re a teenager the big things are less the point than the smaller, day-to-day things. This is a very believable story about a boy growing up and growing into himself, and the slash is done very well. Sirius and Remus are entirely boys to whom the concept is vaguely terrifying and wrong, but can’t quite help themselves. I like the lingering sense of unease this fic ends on, as if the author has left it up to us to decide whether or not Sirius and Remus ever do make a real go of it after The Prank, and I wonder if maybe it’s too far out of the realm of possibility to think maybe they didn’t — that maybe some things and some betrayals are too big to get over. The writing is fabulous, and though the framework is entirely Sirius, you get a feeling for each of the Marauders as Sirius sees them, and the language is brilliant. Fantastic all the way around.

Why You Might Not Care: There’s a steamy little scene in an abandoned classroom people who don’t do slash won’t enjoy, but there’s more here than just the slash, and I heartily suggest all readers give it a read. It’s very, very good, and captures the transitional teenage years amazingly well.

Awards: 2008 Hourglass Award, Admins’ Choice — Drama

25 Stories Penknife Never Wrote About the Marauders

25 Stories Penknife Never Wrote About the Marauders by Penknife

Summary: In which Penknife successfully avoids signing up to write 100 stories about the Marauders, and merely sums up instead. All prompts taken from the fanfic100 table. Humor, Drabble Collection, 1,284 Words.

Why You Should Care: Penknife not only pokes fun at the Marauder genre fiction in this one, but at her own fiction as well.  Remus/Sirius are most particularly highlighted in this little parody, and the concept of fanfic100 is also made canon fodder by in this good-natured comedy of cliches.

Why You Might Not Care: If you’re not a parody person, or dislike slash so much you can’t even read about it when it’s being mocked.  This is like a little commentary on a Remu/Sirius fic you can’t remember the name of but are sure you read.

The Shoebox Project

The Shoebox Project by Dorkorific and LadyJaida

NOTE: The Shoebox Project LJ community has been hacked. The link that purportedly points to a “new” archive actually points to a keystroke-logging virus. Until the community has been restored, I’ve pointed the link to a place where you can download Shoebox chapters in PDF format.

Summary: A multi-media Remus/Sirius extravaganze, with plenty of James, Lily and Peter thrown in to make things extra-fun. Novel Length, Probably over 100,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is… this is the Remus/Sirius fanfic, people. There is no other better, no other more in depth, and no other that is more realistic. If it was canon, this is how it would have been. Dorkorific and LadyJaida never forget that these are teenagers in the 70s to whom the idea of homosexuality is not an entirely comfortable one, and the coming together of Remus and Sirius is achingly slow; at some places, they almost move backwards. But every section of this fic is so fantastically well written — like a huge collection of smaller stories that link together — that it probably wouldn’t matter if Remus and Sirius never figured it out, because there are plenty of other reasons to stay and read this. It is romantic, completely comical, but 100% real and I adore it. The characters are all fantastically written, and each has their own distinctive personality (which is often a difficult thing to find in Marauder fics) and I love it. Love, love, love it. There are notes between friends, diary entires, and dozens of fantastically drawn “photos” of the golden age of the Marauders. I love it.

Why You Might Not Care: It’s addictive. When you start, it’s very difficult not to stop. It’s also still a work in progress, and sometimes there are significant lags in between updates. But it the end it is all worth it, because this is easily one of the top five Marauder fics I have ever read. If you are one of the very, very few people who hasn’t already found this, make some time and get over there and read it for God sakes, in case the internet collapses in on itself and The Shoebox Project disappears forever. Go. NOW.

Awards: 2007 Hourglass Award, Best Overall — First Place.

Redeeming Time

Redeeming Time by Minx (Thanks to gomita23 for the new link!)

Summary: In the year after Sirius plays his trick on Snape, James and his friends confront changes in themselves, in their relationships, and in those around them. Novel Length, Oneshot, 45,725 Words.

Why You Should Care: Another author tackles the impossible task of the Marauders during their last couple of years at school. What she does not do is give us every excruciating detail, but rather writes four stories that connect into one larger one. This is most assuredly a Remus/Sirius and a James/Lily, but it’s all told from James’ POV, which is an unusual choice for a slash fic. It makes the slash much more palatable for those of us who don’t usually read it, and what’s really well done is that James has to do some mental adjustments as he finds out the truth about Sirius, and later Remus, which is what any young man would have to do when confronted about this by two of his best friends. James has trouble adjusting, and while it might not be as much as real life, it is there where usual slash just sort of bypasses the awkwardness of the situation without a word. Also, I adore James’ parents in this fic, and for the rest of my life I will always believe that his mother was a painter and had just such a room full of paintings of James, canon be damned.

Why You Might Not Care: The slash is all above board, and while it only just scrapes the delicate chastity of a kiss, it’s most definitely there and dominates the story. The boys seem a little too young throughout, like fourteen or fifteen year-old versions of themselves instead of sixteen and seventeen, and Peter is conspicuously and often absent, but in the end I enjoyed it despite all that, so good on Minx. Me and slash don’t typically get along so well.

Misanthropy, Lycanthropy, And The Pursuit of Knowledge

Misanthropy, Lycanthropy, And The Pursuit of Knowledge by Halrloprillalar

Summary: Snape is making progress with the Wolfsbane potion, but to continue working on it he must have 24/7 access to Lupin to observe and record subtle changes. Slash, 6,437 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s all in the dialogue, this rec. There are precious few authors who can slip so easily into Snape’s voice, then slip just as easily out of it to find Remus’. The verbal exchanges between these two characters have just the right quality. Also?  Props for a fantastic title.  This is a Remus/Snape with some undertones of Remus/Sirius.

Why You Might Not Care: I should not like this piece. Did you see that pairing up there– Remus/Snape? Everything in me rails at it: the slash tones that are unashamedly uncanon and completely, impossibly fantasy, the motivations of the characters, the strained, often awkward narration all make this fic slightly frustrating. If I were to be completely honest, this fic needs a good twice over from a couple of critical Betas. But, in the end, the dialogue is just that good and I can’t help myself from liking it anyway, despite all of the things that don’t work for me. I seriously debated whether or not to add it here, but the truth is other fic writers could learn something from this about how to write fantastic dialogue — which tends to be the area most people have trouble with — and so I’ve included it primarily for that reason. Sometimes I surprise myself.

The Taste of Apples

The Taste of Apples by Setissma

Summary: Remus is in love with someone she isn’t, Tonks has the wrong eyes, and Harry Potter smiles. Implied Slash, 3,750 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s just… an interesting idea that doesn’t make any sense at all, yet makes a lot of sense at the same time. I don’t know how this fic does it, but it manages to be Remus/Sirius and Remus/Tonks almost in the exact same moments. It’s just very original, and while I’m not typically a huge slash fan, this fic just drew me right in. The author does a great job making you sympathetic to Remus while at the same time hating him just a little bit for using Tonks.

Why You Might Not Care: Those who don’t like slash, probably not your best bet. It’s transitional, and there is no actual slash shown, but it’s not under the radar either. The style of this may not appeal to everyone: it feels almost poetic in places, and the author likes to play with language. It’s also just a little bit… strange.