Yay! I actually finished the story already.

It's 57434 according to my word processor. Whoot!

Yes!!! I'm done. I have 50k. It's not official, as the verifier isn't online until the 25th. But my wordprocessor says I'm done.

The story, however, is going to take another who knows how much to finish. all I have left to do is the wrap up.

But, YAY!! and WOOT!!

50000 / 50000 words. 100% done!

I dropped my PSP. I had it on the side table, charging up, and I caught my sketch book on the cord and pulled it off the table. It hit the floor rather hard. I picked it up and turned it on. It's ok.

But I lost all the progress I'd made on Disscordia. 40+ hours of game play, three characters at level 17 or above and I had all the dark characters open and Sephiroth was at level 12. I had the museum open. I'm so pissed. And I have no one to blame but myself. I should have put it on the floor between my chair and the table like I usually do.

*POUT*

The Piano Forest (Piano no Mori) (Perfect World of Kai) (2007) # Genres: drama, tournament. Themes: music, piano. Status: OVA (101 min) Anime Start/End Chapter: Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1. Ends at Vol 6, Chap 41. Director: Masayuki Kojima Summary: Amamiya Shuuhei transfers to Moriwaki elementary filled with hope and ambition. But it doesn't take long before he gets picked on by the class bullies, and gets involved in a dare to play the mysterious piano in the forest. Igniting his meeting with an equally enigmatic child that goes by the name of Ichinose Kai, who seems to be the only one capable getting sound out of the thought to be broken piano. Found: saw it shared in some anime comm and thought the summary looked intriguing. Manga BU page. Mangaka: Isshiki Makoto Genre: Comedy Drama Seinen Slice of Life Status: 17 Volumes (Ongoing), scanlation ongoing. Summary: from KEFI: A tranquil tale about two boys from very different upbringings. On one hand you have Kai, born as the son of a prostitute, who's been playing the abandoned piano in the forest near his home ever since he was young. And on the other you have Syuhei, practically breast-fed by the piano as the son of a family of prestigious pianists. Yet it is their common bond with the piano that eventually intertwines their paths in life. Download: I've watched it at Youtube.

My notes: I must say it at the very beginning that contrary to my usual way of getting familiar with a new animanga, I haven't read the manga this time. I only watched the anime, so please take into account that everything I'll be saying is only about the anime.

This is a pleasant story: while not action/adventure, it has enough plot to keep your attention, especially around the climax. The boys are likeable. Kai's pretty wild and brash but also kind and has this inner purity and honesty that sometimes accompany raw talent and that influence people around him. I liked his practical reasons for learning things. He can't read score; he plays what he has heard. Once he found that he couldn't reproduce a particular piece of Chopin's, he plays scales to learn to play this particular piece, not because one must learn scales first, nor to become a good pianist in general. And so on. I absolutely adored his literal-mindedness about Mozart. The crowd of Mozarts made me laugh every time they appeared. In other words, Kai is lovely and very refreshing. Shuuhei is a bit more boring because he's very straight-laced for a boy his age and he plays the piano for all the wrong reasons, but doesn't it often happen this way? The two boys meet and gradually change each other. The best about their relationship, as for me, was the ways it didn't go. I can't say much more here but I liked how the dramatic side of it was downplayed rather than milked for all it's worth. It makes Piano no Mori a soothing story.

I think animation and drawing are good. I hear that the main problem people have with the manga is the drawing style. Am not able to say anything about that yet but I can't see what's not to like in the anime, if to speak of the visual side. It's neither cheap nor banal, and it's the only anime so far where a character playing the piano didn't make me cringe.

This leads me to why I give it only one star if I like everything. Not quite everything, as it turns out. You see, it's piano this and piano that, piano this and piano that. In more coherent speak, the story is fine and lovely but, I don't know, very narrow. Not unlike Hikaru no Go. But HnG was much more emotionally affecting and the story was much bigger than just about Go in the end. It sort of turned me inside out, made me live it for months. Here somehow I didn't have the impression that the story is bigger than the main theme. Pleasant? Yes. Interesting? Yes, enough. Can I relate? Nope. Apart from that, I repeat, it's a lovely story. I doubt you'd regret spending 1.5 hours on it, so give it a try!

*Sorry if you have seen some (a lot) of this post before. I accidentally posted the draft :/

Part 3 of my Japanese music favourites. Today's topic is J-Rock. As usual, some songs are more rocky than others and the range is from Speed Metal to Pop-rock to anything I've found similar enough or fitting, with a generous dash of anime music and some hip-hop. It just means that on the whole, today's selection is gloomier and heavier than the two before it. I've shared three of these songs with you already but not the rest of them.

Files are uploaded to Box.net, which means that you can listen to them before/as well as download(ing). Box.net tends to mess up the sequence of the uploaded files, so I've added links to each song as well as to the folder. I did make it with the proper sequence in mind, so that one song flows into the other smoothly. But in any case, hope you like a few of them! So, with thanks to lyssaphra and kyuuketsukirui for sharing music with me, on to the music!

*Nitemare and Nightmare is the same band. I just kept the song tags as they were :)

Song title Length Singer/Band Album (where it was already in the tags)

Crucify My Love 4:36 X Japan
Curtain Call 5:34 GLAY Beloved
Wind 3:40 Akeboshi STONED TOWN
Kenji 3:51 Fort Minor The Rising Tied
I.V. 4:55 X Japan Saw IV OST
Moshimo Piano ga Hiketa Nara 3:53 Plastic Tree Baka ni Nattanoni
Jisatsu Ganbou 4:39 Due le quartz Best of Due le Quartz
Eternally Beyond 4:25 Moi dix Mois Beyond the Gate
Brave Love: Galaxy Express 999 5:16 The Alfee
Dancing Yooderu Night (Leorio) 3:36 Gouda Hozumi Hunter X Hunter Singles Collection
The World 3:47 Nightmare Death note anime soundtrack
Haiiro no Hitomi 4:24 Shiina Ringo & Kusano Masamune Utahite myouri [disc 1]
Shangri-La 4:37 Angela Soukyuu no Fafner OP/ED Single
Again 4:15 YUI FMA:B 1st OP
D-tecnoLife 3:53 UVERworld D-tecnoLife
Monochrome no Kiss 4:00 SID Monochrome no Kiss (Kuroshitsuji OP)
Coming Closer 5:14 L'Arc~en~Ciel Smile
Kaze no Uta 3:40 Motoda Minako Hunter X Hunter Singles Collection
Kasou 5:09 L'Arc~en~Ciel
Bokutachi no Yukue 4:33 Takahashi Hitomi Bokutachi no Yukue
Alumina (Tv size) 1:13 Nitemare Death note anime Soundtrack
Desire 4:24 Luna Sea Style
Hologram ANIME Ver. 1:41 NICO Touches the Walls Hologram (FMA:B OP)
Talkin' 2 myself 4:53 Hamasaki Ayumi Talkin' 2 myself
MY LONELY TOWN 3:38 B'z
Drink It Down 2:51 L'Arc~en~Ciel Trailer Rip
Blessing 4:34 FictionJunction YUUKA Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Intro Theme - Koya Ruten OP/ED
Still Doll 3:20 Kanon Wakeshima Vampire Knight
Shinkai no Kodoku 3:58 Kuwashima Houko Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED DESTINY ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK II
God Knows... 4:38 Hirano Aya, Goto Yuhiko Oricon 2006-07-03 Single Weekly Best 30
Rolling star 3:09 YUI Rolling star
Kimi Dake wo 5:26 Spitz Crispy
Ain't Afraid to Die 7:15 Dir en Grey Ain't Afraid to Die
Kaze ni Fukarete 4:16 Elephant Kashimashi Ashita ni Mukatte Hashire -Tsukiyo no Uta-
Separation 4:49 Angela Soukyuu no Fafner OP/ED
Memorial Address 3:56 Hamasaki Ayumi Memorial Address
Forever Love (Acoustic Version) 7:54 X Japan X

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On the occasion of my best friend wieder's birthday, here's part 2 of my Japanese music favourites. Today's topic is J-Pop. Of course the selection can be called J-Pop only very approximately. It wouldn't be me if I didn't include some rock into a pop selection and some Chinese and Taiwanese music into a Japanese one. Consistency is overrated :) There are two songs that aren't Japanese, quite a few that has lots of English lyrics, and as for genres, well, genres are fluid things. It just means that on the whole, today's selection is more bouncy than the one that is to be posted tomorrow or the one from yesterday's. There's also a lot of fantabulous anime music here. One song title looks beyond weird but this is what was in the tags when I got it.

Files are uploaded to Box.net, which means that you can listen to them before/as well as download(ing). Box.net tends to mess up the sequence of the uploaded files, so I've added links to each song as well as to the folder. I did make it with the proper sequence in mind, so that one song flows into the other smoothly. But in any case, hope you like some of them! So, with thanks to lyssaphra and kyuuketsukirui for sharing music with me, and with best wishes to wieder, on to the music!

Song title Length Singer Album (where it was already in the tags)

Get Over 5:16 dream BEST OF HIKARU NO GO
Bokura no Bouken 3:55 Kids Alive BEST OF HIKARU NO GO
Byakuya ~True Light~ (Full Version) 4:16 Miyamoto Shunichi D.N. ANGEL Vocal Collection
Duty 5:15 Ayumi Hamasaki Ayumi Hamasaki
Can You Keep a Secret? 5:08 Utada Hikaru Distance
Navy Blue 4:20 Aiuchi Rina Power of Words
Sincerely 5:09 dream BEST OF HIKARU NO GO
Emotionally 4:53 Makoto Suehiro, Isao Kasai, Saori Yamada Fullmetal Alchemist ~Wingless Angel~ Game Original Soundtrack
Futatsu no kodou to akai tsumi 4:36 OnOff
Kuon no kawa 4:34 alan
Chesspiece 4:35 Faye Wong
Koi no uta 4:38 Tomatsu Haruka Koi no uta
Daia no Hana 3:37 Yoriko HIKARI / Daia no Hana
Cherry Girl 3:59 Koda Kumi
~Asterisk~ (OST Ver.) 2:02 ORANGE RANGE BLEACH Original Soundtrack I
Hateshinaku Tooi Sora Ni 3:35 THE STAND UP Kyou Kara Maou! Original Soundtrack
Uso 3:28 SID FMA Brotherhood
D-tecnoLife 3:53 UVERworld D-tecnoLife
Koya Ruten 4:54 FictionJunction YUUKA Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Intro Theme - Koya Ruten
Intro 4:13 Yonekura Chihiro Mononoke Hime OST
EXEC_HYMME_LUMINOUS_DEF 3:38 Ishibashi Yuko Ar Tonelico OST
The End of the World 4:50 Angela
Hitomi no Chikara 4:31 Mizuki Arisa BEST OF HIKARU NO GO
Days 4:27 shela BEST OF HIKARU NO GO
Desert Rose 5:25 Sakaki Tarou Shousha no Theory
Genki de show 4:41 Hiroshi Hashimoto
Yakusoku 4:17 KinKi Kids
I believe 4:55 Ayaka
Spiral 4:38 Angela Spiral
MagicRoom 3:17 183 club
Saga ~ This is my road 4:40 Kanon My Road ~ Songs from Guin Saga
Akatsuki no Kuruma 5:04 FictionJunction YUUKA
Shiki no uta 5:00 Minmi Samurai Champloo OST
Rays of hope 4:36 Hitomi Last Exile OST 2

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42707 / 50000 words. 85% done!

On the occasion of my best friend wieder's upcoming birthday, here's some music. Today's topic is Enka. I love Enka. Well, not all of it. Not even most of it, but what I love, I love to bits and pieces. Box.net tends to mess up the sequence of the uploaded files, so I've added links to each song as well as to the folder. I did make it with the proper sequence in mind, so that one song flows into the other smoothly. But in any case, hope you like a few of them!

It wouldn't be me if I didn't include something non-Enka in the Enka selection. There are three four (but three are more obvious then the 4th) songs like that here; see if you can find them :) Also, the very first song can be a bit overwhelming because of it's very slow and wailing beginning but just wait until it becomes rhythmic! Kiyoshi's voice is amazing, trust me. On the whole, today's post can be called a post with amazing voices. I've shared two of these songs with you already but not the rest of them.

Files are uploaded to Box.net, which means that you can listen to them before/as well as download(ing). So, with thanks tolyssaphra for giving me music and with best wishes to wieder, on to the music!

Song title Length Singer

Hakkun no shiro 6:17 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Tsugaru No Furusato 3:18 Misora Hibari
Finale- Desire 6:39 Various Artists Sailor Moon - Complete Vocal Collection Vol. 1
Sen no Kaze ni Natte 4:33 Akikawa Masafumi
Northern Lights ~Aurora~ 3:48 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Omatsuri Mambo 3:22 Misora Hibari
Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi 3:40 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Kage wo Shitaite 4:35 Shimazu Aya
Ano Oka Koete 3:18 Misora Hibari
Tassha de Na 3:37 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Yukisudare 4:39 Shinno Mika
Desert Rose 5:25 Sakaki Tarou
Echigo Shishi No Uta 3:27 Misora Hibari
Ano ko wa Icchatta 4:41 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Jousento-San 3:24 Misora Hibari
Kojyou 2:37 Hikawa Kiyoshi
Otokomichi 4:39 Kitajima Saburo
Koori No Emperor ~ Keigo Solo Edition 2:48 Katoh Kazuki

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a href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank" title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets"></a>39711 / 50000 words. 79% done!


Can I just say ... Whoot!!!

MANGA: Loveless (since 2002) [] Mangaka: Kouga Yun Groups Scanlating: Kamibana Scanlations, Obsession, Shoku-dan, Raburesu lj Status: 9 Volumes (ongoing), licensed; scanlation ongoing Genre: Drama Fantasy Mystery School Life Shounen Ai Supernatural Found: was recced by lots of people and has been languishing on my HD for about a year. Summary: From Tokyopop: Aoyagi Ritsuka is one troubled 6th grader. Two years ago, he mysteriously lost his memory and developed an alternate personality. His mother constantly berates (and occasionally beats) him, asking what happened to the "real" Ritsuka, and his only defender and friend, his older brother Seimei, was recently killed. Suddenly, Seimei's apparent "friend," Soubi, appears. Soubi tells him that Ritsuka's true name is "Loveless," and that Soubi was assigned by Seimei to take care of Ritsuka and protect him. Ritsuka soon gets sucked into a bizarre underground society where teams of people, a "Fighter" and a "Sacrifice," battle using elaborate and beautifully-phrased spells. He seeks both acceptance of himself and the answer to the mystery of who killed his brother and why. Download: at the groups' sites. ANIME (2005) Starts at Vol 1, Ch 1. Ends at Vol 4, Ch 9. Director: Yuu Kou *summary at Animenews is rather misleading. Status: Prologue + 12 ep x 23 min.

My notes: now this is some seriously weird stuff! I mean seriously weird. Weird main characters, not to say fucked-up, very strange relationships between them, things being turned upside down again and again as the story goes on, elements of various genres used, - this all creates a very strange whole.

I fell into a complex love/hate with this universe from the very first look. You see, kids have cat's ears and tails there. On the one hand, the worst kind of Yaoi I ever read was one with cat's ears in it: pointless, cliched, drawn so-so, and catering to readers' kinks at the expense of everything else. On the other, if I ever see it done well, I'll fall in love with it because I love cats and their ears, when they ever allow you to pet them, are awesome. I don't mind Furries. So I was prepared to hate it but hoping to love it, but in the end, it turned out to be neither. Because cat's ears in this universe ( Read more... )

I think I will continue following this manga when more chapters get published and scanlated. Hope it doesn't disappoint.

I don't have any advise on what to begin with if you want to try it, anime or manga. I started with the anime, following on to the manga in hope that it would clear some confusion. It did but confused me in other things all the more :) I don't really think the order of getting acquainted with the two media matters. Pick the one you like better and give it a try. At the very least it will entertain you.

And a request, for the ending: most amazing, fantastic, wonderful, really well-written Ritsuka/Soubi fics. Those that don't reproduce yaoi cliches. Know them? Bring them on!

PS: While I tried to avoid big spoilers, I can't guarantee that there will be no spoilers in comments. Tread with caution :)

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36032 / 50000 words. 72% done!


Bad day today. Not much done. Oh, well, I'm still way ahead of the game

My ATV broke down a bit, the injectors need adjusting. And that sucks.

now for the RANT!!!

Look dummy, if the black top only extends ten feet from the roadway, don't go down that road. It's been raining!! You know, that water that falls from the sky? Especially if you drive a two-wheel drive luxury sedan. Where's your brain?

So, here comes this dripping wet, muddy man, walking into the shop looking for a tow. Himself is busy putting the water pump back on his bulldozer so he just points to the tractor and says, "Go drag his stupid damn ass out of what ever swamp he fell into." I head for the Voltra but dumb ass said, "I don't want a woman messing with my car." I just shrugged and sat back down. I told him, "Ok, then stay stuck. We're busy."

He finally says he really needs pulled out so would I do it. So, I fire up the tractor and head out to pull this idiot out of a ditch. Only he's not in a ditch. He'd driven down a dirt road and right into a veritable sink hole. Roads around here come in, Interstate, state, county, dirt and cow path. This was a cow path. He'd seen the black top that the county lays down on their right of way and assumed that it was safe. He just drove right into a soft spot and sank up to the axle.

So I flopped down on my back, in the mud, hooked him up and towed him out. Now, I'm wet, muddy, cold and pissed. does he thank me? Offer to pay? No, he says, "I'll send you some money as soon as your husband sends me a bill." Then drives off. ???? Rude? yes Stupid? You betcha.

Found out that he's our new neighbor through the back way. Wonderful.

In my long rant of my life and why I suck, I mentioned I was having issues with my degree program plan.

Here is my letter to the the director of the Publishing Program and currently my boss (Independent Study/Internship in publishing).

( reasons why I should be allowed into the Master of Science in Publishing program )

So do you think I made my case?

Mom thinks that I should be a writer writing novels because of how good this and other papers I've written are.

BUZZ: Daniel Radcliffe Plays a Pothead?

Under the headline "Harry Pothead", Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe's mug is splashed across Friday's front page of a British tabloid – showing him in what can only be described as high-spirited party mode.

In the blurry photo, the actor is smoking what the Daily Mirror describes as a "spliff."

But Radcliffe's rep insists he's not smoking what the paper says he's smoking. "We categorically deny the allegations regarding Daniel Radcliffe published in today's Daily Mirror," the rep tells PEOPLE. "Daniel does smoke the occasional roll-up cigarette, but he was not doing anything more than this. We are considering our position and will be taking all necessary action in relation to such allegations."

The photo of the bleary-eyed Radcliffe, 20, also show him with an elaborate, elongated mustache painted on his face.

Party pal Wadia Tazi, 26, tells the Mirror: "Daniel was laughing and seemed to find it funny. But he didn't really look like he knew what was going on."

The paper says the party took place in a North London high-rise and was hosted by a friend of Radcliffe's sometimes girlfriend, actress Laura O'Toole.

Daily Mirror's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stoned

31944 / 50000 words. 64% done!


YAY!!!

If I should have read something, I'm sorry. I have tabs open like OMG!

I think I have all the envelopes from last year, but if you want a card from me, let me know.

This years card is hand drawn watercolor and a stamped missive.

My car is trying to kill me.

My car is an oldsmobile alero and unlike the Toyotas there is no recall on it.

However, yesterday my mom was driving it and the accelerator got stuck. She put it into neutral and pulled off to the side and was able to drive it home.

I got in it and the fucker revved up to 2rpm while I was in PARK and then when I slammed on the brake it didn't get below 1rpm. I was luckily still in park and thus hadn't crashed into anything.

I turned off the car and came in and told my mom. She test drove it. It was fine. I got into the van (that still has the desk I went to College Station and picked up in August) the shocks are shot on the fan so I have to take it easy. As I got in I noticed that the top to the desk is falling apart and as I was driving it down the driveway it got worse.

This on top off all the other shit going on (i.e. my mental break down and virtual cry a few hours earlier) and the fact I can't take the truck because the inside lights don't work and you don't know how fast you are going, I decided 'fuck it' this this is an omen.

All this bad shit.

I'm not going to go class in which all we are doing is work I can do from home. Fuck it.

So I sent off an e-mail informing my professor of what happened. I might have a used a bit of hyperbole in order to make the situation sound a little more worse.

Oh btw, my car is still smelling like gas. So we know I have a leak somewhere but we can't find out where! In addition to my cruise control and various shorts in my car.

In other words, my car is trying to kill me.

p.s. Mom informs me it did not happen when she was driving but when she was moving the car from drive to neutral to park in the driveway as she was parking it.

Oh well.

I still think my car is trying to kill me.

And thus, tomorrow, on my great 26th birthday, I will driving my car to the mechanic's.

This is real life stuff and for those of who read this or care to read this journal anymore, I thought I should just let you know.

So I'm cutting this.

( cut )

Numbered post.

1. pj: When I see something like this in KKM fic headers, it always makes me WTF: "Pairing: Both of Yuuram & Wolfyuu".
pj: As if they were different pairings. Honestly.
lyssaphra: I'm guessing it stands for uke/seme dynamics. Common in lots of anime fandom.
pj: Yes, clearly does but honestly, it's not like it's carved in stone. Especially if you intend them to switch.
lyssaphra: But some people only read one variation and are seriously squicked by the other. Really common. Like, I refuse to read Duo x Heero, but can read Heero x Duo without problems.
lyssaphra: For me, it has less to do with the sex thing and more to do that depending on the seme/uke dynamics, the characters are written differently out of sex.
pj: Yes, I've seen some like this but still Wolfyuu and Yuuram look stupid. Say "Wolfram and Yuuri; they switch roles" or something.
lyssaphra: I'm sure the Japanese has better short forms. Western fangirls tend to have no clue how to form them really.
pj: "That depending on the seme/uke dynamics, the characters are written differently out of sex" -- this annoys me too. I mean, a character is the same character regardless of whether he likes it up his arse or buggering somebody else. Really. They stay the same person.
lyssaphra: Hey, I'm not protesting. I think it's stupid that Heero is written like a weepy weepy thing in Duo x Heero fic while Duo and Heero both get written strong in Heero x Duo fic.
pj: lol

2. Nobody is writing Scar slash still. Or even Scar het. WTF people?

3. I'm watching a Naruto fandom newsletter but still not reading or even clicking any fics from there. WTF self? Illogical much?

4. Should write reviews of Loveless, Ouran, Kuroshitsuji, and a dozen yaoi manga. Self, quit procrastinating.

I was going to post this Monday but got sidetracked lek woa. So here it is. Title: Runaway Wizard

Chapter: /?

Word count:

Rating: Mature

Disclaimer: Except for the few original characters, all characters in this story are the property of J. K. Rowlings, who has kindly allowed me to play with them.

Warnings: Probably a little of everything. Fighting, Living on the streets with everything that entails, Spanking, Bondage, Blood, Gore, Bad Language, and Pissy Snape.

Parings: H/D eventually

Beta: 50ftqueenie Brit picker: purpledodah

( Read more... )

Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl, by Snegurochka_Lee #
Harry/Draco, NC-17, ~14K words. Summary: The owner of the elite BDSM club M had not gained his reputation as the most coveted Dominant on the scene by taking on just any riff-raff submissive who asked. It would take an unexpected letter to convince him to accept a new client, but it might turn out to be the biggest mistake he ever made. Warnings: BDSM. EWE.

Look, BDSM isn't my kink. S/M part of it is closer to my squick even but I admit I find D/s dynamics interesting, and trust Snegurochka to write D/s in a way that would keep me on tenterhooks all the way and get so intrigued as to feel it almost as if it were my kink. It's awfully, scorchingly hot and the pairing and power dynamics is to die for! Snegurochka, please be writing more H/D!


Black Coffee on a Lonely Night, by Femmequixotic #
Hary/Draco, past Draco/Astoria, NC-17, ~21,600 words. Summary: Draco owns a café in the city. Harry's an MP who comes in every morning, newspapers in one hand, BlackBerry in the other, and orders a triple espresso macchiato. Warnings: non-magical AU.

The fic is utterly charming! I don't think this Harry or Draco have much to do with their canon counterparts but I do advice you to give it a try because the story is absolutely magical, as only some of non-magical AUs happen to be sometimes. Lovely and delightful and written really wonderfully! I'll be rereading it when I want to feel good -- not because of fluff (there isn't any... or much; there's quite a bit of angst actually) but because of the sheer comfort and, again, charm of it.


Stay, by gypsyflame #
Sirius/Draco, NC-17, ~23K words, AU. Summary: War is coming, and Narcissa is scared for Draco. So she turns to the only person she can think of – Sirius Black. Warnings: Dubious consent; may be considered underage (Draco is 16).

My favourite rare pairing has got a new longish fic! The very fact is wonderful but the fic is wonderful in its own right too. It's hot and in character and plotty; it's a forced marriage fic with all the angst and tension the plot asks for. Draco is wonderfully helpless but still a scheming bastard, not without humanity or feelings though. Sirius who is forced into the position of a responsible adult is wonderfully torn between responsibility and his less admirable character traits. Harry -- we can't bypass Harry in a fic set post OotP, right? -- is also very Harry. But what I loved best about this story is that among the currently more trendy post-Hogwarts fics, this one reads as if it were written a few years back, only with the full canon knowledge making it seamlessly written into canon, not jossed.