![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
If you stop in to read any of these
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rs_games entries, please remember to vote! Voting closes Nov 11.Title: Eclipse Season
Rating: Teen
Warnings: very slight allusion to an abusive situation
Word Count: 6500
Summary: Sirius was a disappointment, but he was other things, too. (Or: three snapshots.)
Why You Should Read It: This fic is just lovely. It's three glimpses into Sirius's Hogwarts life, but each moment is inexorably tied to his place in his family and eventual departure from the Blacks. I almost wanted it to be longer, but then the end was just perfect. ♥
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/170769.html
Title: Exile/Return
Rating: M
Warnings: HIV/AIDS, homophobia, illness, drug use, alcoholism, character death
Word Count: 5000
Summary: Sirius makes a road trip down to the Gower peninsula. Non-magic AU. 1980s-1990s.
Why You Should Read It: Whew, not gonna lie, this is a tough one, but the language is so beautiful and the world building is so specific that I couldn't not rec it. It's obvious that a lot of research and care went into this fic, two things which I very much appreciate in fiction.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/171380.html
If you stop in to read any of these
rs_games entries, please remember to vote! Thanks ever so much.Title: Obelus
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Canon Character Death (off-screen)
Word Count: 14,000
Summary: The lines dividing Sirius's life have always been clear—Gryffindors vs Slytherins, Death Eaters vs the Order, Sirius vs Blacks, Marauders vs Everyone Else. When Regulus comes to Sirius, the lines begin to blur, and even as his relationship with Remus deepens, he's never felt more alone.
Why You Should Read It: This fic broke my heart a little. I’ve given a lot of thought to how Remus and Sirius could suspect each other of being the spy and this fic explores exactly that topic. (Also this fic has Regulus and I will forever love his tiny, wrongly sorted face.)
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/167915.html
Title: the time when you were mine
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Mental health themes, ambiguous suicide attempt mention, frequent mild language, some sexual references, alcohol and drug references
Word Count: 9400
Summary: The walk from Grimmauld Place to Parliament Hill is just under an hour, but it’s easier going at four in the morning.
Why You Should Read It: I actually closed the tab on this one, thinking I wouldn’t rec it, but the story and premise stuck with me and nagged me enough the day after closing it that I knew I had to come back and rec it.
It’s a modern-day Muggle AU that involves group chat and a pre-dawn walk, leading up to Feelings and Admission of Feelings. The Remus here is one of the things I like the best because he’s awkward and reserved, but he knows himself. I really liked what we saw of his relationship with Sirius on the page, but this is one of those stories in which I want to know so much more about what happens next.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/156884.html
Title: A Fire Shared
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: alcohol mention, a single F-bomb, blink-and-you'll-miss it implied masturbation reference, far too much loneliness for any of our little hearts to bear
Word Count: 1600
Summary: The war is over, and Sirius has burnt down the life they had been building together in a single, terrible act of betrayal. As the smoke clears, Remus struggles to come to terms with this new loneliness.
Why You Should Read It: OOOOOW. Ow ow ow. If you (like me) like to wallow in the pain of your favorite characters, this is the fic for you. It's a beautiful exploration of Remus in the aftermath of Sirius being sent to Azakaban and trying to make sense of things.
Link:https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/170301.html
Title: The Word Lies at the Bottom of a Lake
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: allusions to drowning, one use of a homophobic slur, lake creatures, smoking
Word Count: 7900
Summary: Briefly he'd considered going to visit Remus, but Sirius has too many stacked up feelings about him to add any more, and he doesn't trust himself not to ruin their carefully patched situation in the wake of the incident – it's only been a year, after all, and there's no better way to shatter a barely recovered friendship than by doing something stupid like throwing out a declaration of love in the middle of explaining the myriad ways in which your family is deranged and terrible. So instead Sirius had hailed the Knight Bus and requested Bowness-on-Windermere.
Why You Should Read It: Hello, feelings. This fic is very much about atmosphere and it is entirely beautiful. The tension in Sirius as he is both disowned and trying to make things right with Remus (even a year after the prank) is just perfect. It's easy to feel the knife-edge on which Sirius's life sits. Also this has some A+ James and Sirius friendship in it.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/169682.html
If you stop in to read any of these
rs_games entries, please remember to vote! Thanks ever so much.Title: Retrial
Rating: Teen
Warnings: non-magic AU, mystery, angst, one very obscure racial slur uttered by a not good character
Word Count: 24,000
Summary: Remus Lupin, host of the popular podcast Retrial, decides to focus on the case of Sirius Black, a man convicted of murdering his high school best friend, for his upcoming season. Remus has gotten too close to his subjects in the past, so he promises himself that won't happen this time.
Why You Should Read It: As soon as I read the summary, I was fairly confident I'd be reccing this. It has all the hallmarks of a non-magical AU I'm interested in: a specific real-world setting, an environment I'm interested in and haven't read a thousand times, and a different angle on my favorite pairing.
BOY HOWDY WAS THIS EVEN BETTER THAN I'D THOUGHT IT BE.
The AU elements take the story we know and massage them just the right way to fit this world. Characters are recast in fitting roles and the whole universe is reimagine in a way that feels utterly believable for this world. The chemistry and tension between Sirius and Remus is palpable from their first conversation. This kept me wanting to read and I definitely read this when I should have been doing other things—if that's not a high-quality recommendation, I don't know what is.
(This is quite possibly my favorite fic of RSG this year.)
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/158469.html
Title: Heart and Soul
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: reference to recreational drug use, friends with benefits (becoming more), set during first war, jealousy, possessiveness, werewolf tendencies, emotional intimacy, sex potions, sex compulsion, dirty talk, kink negotiation, sexual negotiation, scenting, scent marking, come marking, come play, masturbation, reference to watersports (but no actual watersports), anal fingering, anal sex, post sex fingering, consensual rough sex, enthusiastic consent, biting
Word Count: 13,000
Summary: The dumbest thing Remus ever did was ask Sirius what he wanted to do for his 21st birthday.
The smartest thing he ever did was agree to do it.
Why You Should Read It: You want to read a hot fic? Here is a hot fic. In addition to a hot fic are a bunch of emotions hovering just underneath the surface and two men too afraid to admit how they feel and too frustrated to not say anything. In short: this is good.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/165491.html
Title: Flesh Memories
Rating: Mature
Warnings: non-explicit nudity
Word Count: ART REC
Summary: The imprints of their bodies and fingerprints are left forever on one another like flesh memory.
Why You Should Read It: Wow, this is some gorgeous art. Remus’s face is particularly beautiful. I particularly like how he goes from being held to holding—there’s a story just in that.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/168048.html
If you stop in to read any of these
rs_games entries, please remember to vote! Thanks ever so much.Title: Among Mortal Men
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon character death (happy ending!) (ish), non-linear narrative, mental health issues, non-explicit sex, canon-typical themes, canon-compliant
Word Count: 9,300
Summary: Now, then, and always.
Why You Should Read It: I read the first 300 words and immediately opened my rec doc because I knew this fic was going to destroy me and rebuild me in the best ways. For me, Remus/Sirius fics should be about at least one of two things: the joy of love and the heartbreak of loss. This has both in a canon-candy shell and is one of the ways I most love to devour Remus/Sirius content.
Non-linear storytelling is the best in the right context, and this is entirely the right context. I'm kind of in love with this fic that spans the whole of Sirius's life and the one relationship most important to him. Make sure you read this one with some tissues (all tears are entirely worth it).
What are you waiting for? Read it!
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/158036.html
Title: In the Bed
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: language, scene of a sexual nature
Word Count: 12,000
Summary: Left to his own devices the summer after the prank, Sirius crafts an unusual gift to mend his relationship with Remus.
Why You Should Read It: Yeah, so Sirius decides the way to apologize to Remus for The Prank is to give him a book of art he can enter. Like. ♥ ♥ ♥ The description of the paint (specifically how Remus looks as painted by Van Gogh) is enough that you should read this fic. It's so clear how much Sirius loves him from the descriptions—such a well-written point of view—that you should read this fic. And the ending? The ending is so good that you should read this fic.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/157037.html
Title: Stargazing
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Word Count: ART REC
Summary: Sirius stargazing with Remus in the Gryffindor room window seat.
Why You Should Read It: It's a wholesome and lovely piece of art that makes up for some of the angst I just recced prior to it. ♥
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/164671.html
Title: Hiraeth
Rating: R
Warnings: violence, a reference to suicide (in the middle of battle), angst, AU
Word Count: 5,000
Summary: Hiraeth, noun. Welsh. A feeling of yearning to return to a place that may never have existed. An earnest desire. During the first rise of Voldemort, Remus gets into the spying game. No one told him it would be quite this difficult to lie for a living.
Why You Should Read It: This fic is swell, but I'll tell you I kept forgetting it was AU which made reading at times a little awkward. But you will know when you read it. It's AU. IT'S AU!
I really enjoyed the pants off this one. The bits with Remus spying are so well done, as is the tension between the Marauders. This also has one of best dueling scenes I've read in recent memory.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/163761.html
rs_games. (Also, you can vote, and you should.) I probably won't make it through everything, but I'm reading as much as I can and will be reccing in digest posts more or less each week.Since this is the Remus/Sirius Games, you can assume all fics have Remus/Sirius as the main pairing.
Title: Alone in Space
Rating: R
Warnings: some scenes of a sexual nature; Space AU
Word Count: 7,500
Summary: Sirius smiled but it was a sad smile. "You know I'm always late."
Why You Should Read It: It's a very subtle shift to a sci-fi setting, but once the story gets rolling, it's totally worth it. The hook and the ending are fantastic and I could totally read a beefed up version of this. (Like, I would read 50K of this story/world.)
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/158365.html
Title: You Were My Spring, My Summer Too
Rating: PG
Warnings: Grief
Word Count: 3,500
Summary: When Sirius receives news that things have gone very wrong on an assignment, he heads north to bring Remus home.
Why You Should Read It: Hot damn, for such a short fic, this one packs it all in. Not a word is wasted building this First War moment in which a grief-stricken Sirius goes in search of Remus. The prose is beautiful, the emotions visceral, and Sirius's search is gut-wrenching in the best way.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/159360.html
Title: THE SUN ALWAYS COMES
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Word Count: ART REC
Summary: Sometimes it is too much, but there are always reasons to keep on going.
Why You Should Read It: Okay, listen, the emotion here is stellar, but I can't get over the mischievous face given to James in the second picture. I live for this face. Also the third picture with Remus and Sirius is ♥ ♥ ♥
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/160714.html
Title: Just Smoke
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, suicidal thoughts implied, mild drug use
Word Count: 10,000
Summary: Two very different impromptu trips to Amsterdam. One before and one after.
Or: The boys do touristy things in Amsterdam while Sirius is mid-breakdown, Remus is very much Not in Love with Him, James is keen to get high, and Peter just wants to see some naked ladies.
Why You Should Read It: I AM HAVING SOME FEELINGS. Boys not talking about their feelings but still having to deal with their feelings is one of my very favorite things. This is such a Marauder story while still revolving almost entirely around Remus and Sirius's relationship (and one of my favorite bits of Sirius's backstory). It is beautiful and fun and dramatic and emotional and perfect. Yes. This is perfect.
Link: https://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/159750.html
I still have 10 tabs open in my browser, plus new fics going up every day, so expect another rec post in about a week!
Title: Mending Bridges
Rating: R
Warnings: swearing and some scenes of a sexual nature, excessive fighting; AU with fiddled timelines—most importantly: Tonks is the same age as her cousin, Sirius doesn't go after Peter right away and Teddy is older than Harry.
Word Count: 31,000
Summary: The story of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin started with a fight - and kept on going. It is mostly the story of two tempers colliding, but there is love to be found even amongst the most broken of bridges.
Why You Should Read It: Holy frijoles! If I was going to pick one story to be my very last rec of
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif){kind=small}
rs_games, I picked the very best one to end on. This story is FUCKING. AMAZING. The tension between Remus and Sirius in every single scene is amazing and it’s so easy to see all of the unsaid emotions vibrating under their skin. There is skilled control in this prose and in these characterizations and I am awed by it. Sirius is a powder keg of emotion in this fic and it's incredible to witness, especially through his eyes. I found myself re-reading several scenes and leaning forward with anticipation of what would happen next.If you want to curl up with a nice long fic—I highly recommend this one. The plot is engaging, the character play perfect, and nothing is easy. READ IT!
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/119257.html
Title: Under a Blue Moon
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Sexual content.
Word Count: 30,000
Summary: Remus was raised as Fenrir Greyback's son. During the first war, James and Sirius are sent to persuade the werewolves to join their side.
Why You Should Read It: Fenrir creeps me the fuck out so I was hesitant to read this. Thankfully it’s light on Fenrir and pretty much devoid of all the worst things my brain conjured for being raised as Fenrir’s son. Instead, the story primarily focuses on Remus as the leader of his own pack—the pack which mostly consists of children and is reliant on taking care of one another. James and Sirius are sent as Dumbledore’s emissaries to Remus’s pack, and I’m sure you can imagine that’s the best choice imaginable.
The story is largely a romance, in which Sirius and Remus slowly and surely fall in love. The plot is amazing though, and when things start falling apart, I was aching for Remus, wishing he could go back to his familiar life.
This is definitely an AU to read and I would be pleased as punch if a sequel to this fic ever sprung up.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/124581.html
Title: Full Circle
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death
Word Count: 9,800
Summary: Remus wonders, a bit belatedly, if he shouldn't make life decisions while drunk – especially if they end up with him being a dubiously labeled 'cabin boy' for Captain Sirius Black on board The Grim. A not-very swashbuckling tale of swashbuckling, dragons, and walking the plank.
Why You Should Read It: Not quite as adventure-y as I was expecting, but if you’ve got Gay Pirates in your head, it kind of works like that. Remus and Sirius are utterly charming in this one and James and Peter both deserve fond slaps to the backs of their heads (which is to say that the camaraderie is excellent). The story surprised me and left me quite sad, to be honest, but it’s an excellent tale and I must recommend it.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/125409.html
Title: 500 Miles (I'm Coming Home to You)
Rating: R
Warnings: AU, strong language, sexual situations, past Remus/Tonks and present Remus/OMC, un-chronological flashbacks
Word Count: ~14,000
Summary: When Sirius Black left Manchester six years ago for a record deal, he also left behind Remus, his longtime boyfriend. Now they have a chance to be reunited, but Remus isn't sure he's willing to make amends with the man who sold their love for stardom.
Why You Should Read It: I kind of a sucker for AUs in which the Marauders are musicians. I’m also kind of a sucker for fics in which a couple breaks up and gets back together. I’m also kind of a sucker for slow burns. THIS IS ALL OF THAT WRAPPED IN A BOW OF EXCELLENT PROSE.
The story is perfectly paced with an excellent ending. The pull Remus feels throughout the whole thing is palpable and I can’t get over his ache. There’s an excellent twist to elements in the HP-universe that are brought into this AU that make it feel just right. It’s 14K and I’m pretty sure I’m going to read it again, you guys. You should, too.
"You could come with me, you know."
"Could, but can't."
"I love you," Sirius reiterates as if it will make a difference, staring up into the clouded sky.
"I love you, too."
His throat tightens quickly after the words escape him, and only because of the lingering question of just how many times he has left to say them. Instinctively, Remus reaches for the ring—Sirius' ring with his family crest—that rests on his ring finger. The weighty metal calms him, his guitar-calloused fingers twisting it as is routine when his thoughts rest heavy on Sirius. He's worn it for at least a year now, and the thought suddenly strikes him that he's going to have to give it back soon.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/118276.html
Title: A Place Only We Know
Rating: R
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~14,000
Summary: His mother always prayed for him, but he hasn’t prayed for anything since she passed away. At least, not until now, when a trip to Helsinki, Finland with the Marauders brings him in close contact with two things he has been avoiding: his feelings for Sirius and his faith.
Why You Should Read It: REMUS. and FAITH. Hello, Em’s buttons!
There is some excellent UST here between Remus and Sirius and it fills the cracks of the story in a very lovely way (the sexual tension and Remus’s frustration are amazing). The rest of the story is filled in with Marauderly camaraderie and Remus coming to terms with his faith (and his mother’s death, in a way).
The tension throughout—that threat of war about to break out—is just perfect and it culminates in an amazing scene between Remus and Peter. (OMG, that scene.)
All in all, I recommend this highly! The story has a very satisfying conclusion and is just perfect all around.
“This is nice, Wormtail. We’ll be communing with nature for a couple days. Besides there isn’t much more to see in Helsinki, unless you want to spend time in museums,” he said, relaxed. The windows to their small rented car were rolled down, blowing their hair around their faces.
“We better have beer. If I’m stuck three days away from civilisation, there better be lots and lots of beer,” Peter continued.
“Hey Moony, can I drive?” Sirius said excitedly.
“NO!” James, Peter and Remus answered in unison, the very idea of Sirius driving sending them in a fit of panic. Considering Sirius crashed Mr. Lupin’s car last summer, their panic wasn’t completely unfounded. They laughed at Sirius’s pout, though it was slightly manic at the thought of Sirius driving them anywhere.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/117941.html
rs_games which means we're coming up to the end of my recs. Voting goes through Friday so I'll read and rec as much as I can between now and then.Title: Those Who Wander
Rating: PG
Warnings: Implied canon character death. Language
Word Count: 3,000
Summary: He would go anywhere, do anything, and give up the world, if it meant getting him back.
Why You Should Read It: I am a sucker for a good Bring Back Black fic and this is a good one! I love the story of Orpheus and this is an excellent version of the narrative, fitting perfectly to Remus. There’s some surprise cameos that have my heart clenched, but even with those, I can’t help loving this ending.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/120653.html
Title: Some Things in Life Remain Constant
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: smoking
Word Count: 3,000
Summary: London then, and London now.
Why You Should Read It: Um, GUH. The prose in this is bloody gorgeous. It’s all quiet moments between Remus and Sirius and I kind of just want to crawl inside this fic and live there for awhile. (Did I mention the prose? It’s gorgeous, okay?) There’s a scene in which Sirius visits Remus at home and the characterizations of everyone are just beautiful there. (I love the cameo with Remus’s parents!)
More than once, Sirius wakes up to see Remus sat on the windowsill, staring out of the window, usually with a fag in his hand but sometimes not. Remus watches the dawn break most days - Sirius soon realises he gets up to do this specifically and finds it hard not to notice how fucking interesting Remus looks in these moments, smoking in his dressing gown that hangs open revealing his scarred, slightly hairy chest, pyjama bottoms slung low on his waist, bare feet against the opposite wall, unblinking eyes that are sometimes sea-green and sometimes hazel trained on the horizon, the weak morning light just barely illuminating the flecks of silver in his hair and the wrinkles around his eyes.
You could fall in love with him, a part of Sirius says.
So read this one, I’m having ~Feelings about it.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/119583.html
Title: The Ends of the Earth
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 3,900
Summary: Having fled England for the African desert, Sirius takes to the nomadic life. But even in the remotest city on earth, he runs the risk of capture.
Why You Should Read It: A very different sort of fic, following Sirius to Africa after PoA. The sense of place is profound and I found myself immediately drawn into this world. Remus’s inclusion in the fic is just perfect as is the final scene. (The final scene gives me FEELINGS, but you should read it to understand. Spoilers: It involves wandlore.)
I desperately wish this fic was longer, though. It ends well, but I was invested enough in the world that I would have eagerly read another 10,000 words.
This one earns a read just for this passage (
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
myras_girls, LOOK!)Sirius muttered, ‘Mustachio’, producing a thick band of hair on his friend’s upper lip; but the sight was so alarming that he immediately Vanished it.
Link: http://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/89844.html
Title: Golden Hours, Slipping By
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: swearing, gratuitous Regulus
Word Count: 11,000
Summary: An AU in which Voldemort never rose to power, the Lupins moved to France after Remus was bitten, and Sirius restores magical artifacts for a living, when he's not being pestered by his family.
Why You Should Read It: OMG, this world is freaking fabulous and I cannot begin to describe the awesome of this take on a bookish, meticulous Sirius. There’s a lot going on here—a lot dealing with time, Sirius’s job, the Black family—and even though everything isn’t satisfactorily resolved by story’s end, there’s enough that is that makes the story pleasing to read (and enough going on in the story that makes it pleasing to read). It’s a very different take on Remus and Sirius and I think that was part of why it was so terribly appealing. Also: Regulus.
"So that was your brother."
"Yeah."
"He's kind of a bastard."
Sirius laughed, "It runs in the family."
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/117254.html
Title: All the Way Home
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language and violence, appalling lack of knowledge with regards to perspectives, streets and what a telephone box looks like.
Word Count: ART REC (comic)
Summary: Sirius gets a phone call in the middle of the night.
Why You Should Read It: I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL GAMES FOR THIS TO POST. I had the pleasure of seeing a few panels while it was just a draft, immediately fell in love, and have been on-and-off flailing at the artist ever since.
Okay, most people around here know I’m always in for a good whumping and this one delivers in spades. (Side note: the art is not horribly graphic, despite there being blood; it’s the emotional whump that’s making me super flaily.) The art of the whumping is gorgeous and even though Remus is acting tough through the whole thing, you can see the fear and surprise in his eyes (one panel in particular is giving me fits for how perfect it is). When Sirius arrives on scene to make things right there is another beautifully drawn sequence involving silhouettes that I kind of want to make the background wallpaper on my computer. Um... I have feelings about this comic?
We only get a glimpse of this AU world, but in a short time I know everything I need to know and I want to know so much more. (Including the story that seems to be peeking between the cracks of how Remus and Sirius even know each other.)
In closing, two words: Punk. Remus.
You really should just go read it. Now, I mean.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/121158.html
Title: Riding the Rails
Rating: PG
Warnings: Mild violence, allusions to sexual situations, nudity (not graphic), swearing, Cowboys.
Word Count: 26,000
Summary: During the Great Depression, more than a quarter of a million teenagers left their homes and hopped freight trains looking for work or adventure…
Why You Should Read It: I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. The world-building here is pretty fantastic and I never questioned the AU roles in which our characters were placed. All of the Marauders were given fair treatment (yes, even Peter) and there was a general sense of camaraderie throughout. The dialogue and characterization are brilliant. (Plus Sirius and James have cowboy hats! ♥)
There are bolded excerpts for real-life accounts from this time period that I think slow down the fic a bit, but for the most part they contain interesting information about the time period. (Also they’re brief so while they slow things down, it’s only for a moment.)
The relationship between Sirius and Remus evolves so naturally and is pretty much exactly perfect for a slow burn. Even though this is an AU of a time period I’m not predisposed to love, I actually really recommend this fic!
“You cold?”
Remus shrugged.
“’M always cold.”
Sirius tossed another stick on the fire, then stood. Remus watched him walk over to his pack, feeling a little disappointed, though he wasn’t sure why. He turned back to the flames, telling himself that it was better if Sirius went to bed… A warm weight fell across his shoulders and Remus looked up to see Sirius settling a warm, faded poncho over him.
“Thanks,” Remus said, unable to keep the surprise and gratitude out of his voice. Sirius shrugged, plainly uncomfortable.
“Yeah, well, you’re too skinny.”
He sat down again, this time a little closer, and went back to poking the fire. They sat like that for a long time, neither one of them speaking, just watching the play of the fire and the logs.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/112174.html
Title: Of Dragons, Love and Compromises
Rating: PG
Warnings: Anachronisms, netspeak, a few curse words, UST and no sex. (I am utterly ashamed of myself.)
Word Count: 11,000
Summary: Sirius Black is a dragon slayer on a mission. Remus Lupin is a man on a conservationist crusade to save dragons. It's a relationship doomed to fail before it even begins. Can a compromise be found?
Why You Should Read It: I wasn’t really digging this story and then Sirius stated talking about the depreciating value of a horse as soon as it leaves the paddock and suddenly I totally got the fic. It’s deliciously tongue-in-cheek satire and pretty brilliant at that. The narrator is not my preference, but for the most part it works for the fic to support the satirical narrative. The banter between the characters is utterly brilliant and Sirius’s determination is adorable. It you have trouble at the start like I did—push through! because the story really does pay off in the end.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/115045.html
Title: Lostness
Rating: PG
Warnings: Pjs & general comfyness
Word Count: ART REC
Summary: Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness." ~ Ray Bradbury
Why You Should See It: *whimpers* The hands alone are gorgeous, but the emotion captured in the piece (particularly Sirius’s tilted little face and the way he’s totally letting go) is beautiful. There’s a certain amount of nervousness and confidence in Remus that I also find endearing and powerful.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/119543.html
Title: Roar
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language
Word Count: 1,600
Summary: After he makes a huge mistake, Sirius doesn’t think, he just acts
Why You Should Read It: A fairly sweet look at the aftermath of The Prank. I love Sirius’s desperation and his realization of his knack for being overly dramatic. The moments between Remus and Sirius are lovely and easy as friendship.
Sirius had leaned closer, smelling apples and fresh air and the faintest waft of aftershave. ‘You’re a hard man to woo, Remus Lupin.’
Remus’ voice was low and his eyes trained on Sirius’ lips. ‘Am I indeed?’
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/121026.html
Title: Solace
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language
Word Count: 4,000
Summary: Sirius always finds solace in one place.
Why You Should Read It: There’s something slightly unpolished about this story, but the individual scenes are perfect, crafting a beautiful look at Sirius’s life starting mid-war. I love this look at Remus and Sirius because even with all their secrets stretched between them, there is a closeness that can’t be broken. (The scene involving Caradoc and the Prewetts is freaking perfect.)
And Remus grins, uncertainly, at him, and for a moment they’re both sixteen again and staring at each other in the dim winter light, gearing up for the contact that will forever change the War for them, for all four of them.
They go.
They don’t kiss. There are no goodbyes.
Link: http://rs-games.dreamwidth.org/86768.html
Title: When You Wake Up You Will Find Me
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Bad language and vagueness.
Word Count: 10,000
Summary: Why are some moments in life never recorded? The moments where we sit and think and speak very little with those around us; those are not the moments we would have written down, yet they are perhaps the most telling. Three days in a year; two memories from the past; two moments in a future. These things tell us a little about Sirius Black.
Why You Should Read It: This story is gorgeous. It’s a slow burn, slow paced conversations between Remus and Sirius in which their story is strung out between them like a slack thread until it’s pulled taut and things finally come together. It’s almost an angst fic, but only in that way that the emotion heats every conversation and keeps Sirius moving towards his ultimate goal. This is pretty much everything I love about Remus and Sirius being stupid boys who are shite at feelings but feel so very much.
'I can imagine you'd want something simple. Something very different to me,' Sirius added, smiling wryly and Remus shrugged, but didn't disagree.
'I don't want what you want, if that's what you mean. I want ... I want to live through the next full moon. I want to feel like I've felt something before I die. Something other than monotony.'
Sirius watched the light glance off of the silver tag around Remus's neck and nodded slowly.
'How do you know you've felt anything? No one can know that what they're feeling is any stronger or more emotional than the next person.'
'That's very existential of you, Sirius.'
'Just saying.'
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/113957.html
Title: Reflections of My Warped Mind
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, canon character death, torture, sexual situations, mirror AU
Word Count: 2,200
Summary: Remus considers what got him to where he is and how the right road just wasn't the right road for him.
Why You Should Read It: When I started reading this, I didn’t exactly expect to like it, but seeing a dark Remus was actually kind of amazing and even though the evilness is a little over the top at the end, there’s a delicious undercurrent of the mirror!AU that is very appealing. It’s the Marauders tipped to the side and taken to a very dark place and it’s a very compelling exploration of that. (Plus I could totally see Sirius getting off on violence the way it’s described here and I love things that deal with that inherent darkness in both Sirius and Remus.) I warn you though, if you can’t handle your favorite characters going dark, you shouldn’t read this one.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/114795.html
Title: All Your Glory in Your Form
Rating: G
Warnings: Deals with scenes of familial discontent, which I know can be hard for some people. Otherwise nothing at all.
Word Count: 1,700
Summary: In the aftermath of Sirius leaving the Noble and Most Ancient Mausoleum of Black, things go a little sideways, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter think the beach will cure all ills.
Why You Should Read It: I love stories about Sirius leaving Grimmauld Place and this one feels entirely authentic. I love that there’s grief mixed with his anger and that there’s only a hint at the real reason Sirius left (which is the reason I tend to like best). I love Remus as Sirius’s quiet support and he fills that role so nicely here. Perfect for a lazy morning read—and not angsty!
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/115771.html
Title: Where the Heart Is
Rating: PG
Warnings: Remus was dead: to begin with, Brief and Random Next Gen Shipping
Word Count: 1,600
Summary: Teddy moves out, discovers a letter from his father, and comes to a realisation.
Why You Should Read It: TEDDY. LUPIN.
I’m tempted to leave the rec just at that. ;) This is a short fic and is very much about Teddy finding inspiration from his long-dead father, a trope which I tend to hold quite dear. I love the descriptions at the start in which Teddy is just sitting in his flat and the letter from Remus is just so perfectly wistful.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/117235.html
Title: Buttoned Up
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Sexual situations
Word Count: 2,200
Summary: A willingness to follow gives Remus a chance to lead.
Why You Should Read It: A quick first time fic that left me grinning. Sirius and Remus are quite Marauderly here and I love the idea of Sirius aimlessly leading Remus around the castle just because. (Also there’s this lovely bit of sex that’s well worth the price of admission.)
"Where's your sense of adventure, Moony?"
"In my trunk, stuffed between my socks and my last clean pair of pants. I brought along my self-preservation instead."
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/111698.html
Title: Ernie Ecklestein and the Completely Useless Trip
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: sex
Word Count: 8,000
Summary: This isn’t exactly the morning after of Sirius’ fantasies or the first Order assignment he'd hoped for, but then one thing he’s learned is that very little is what you expect. Sometimes it might even be better, if you let it.
Why You Should Read It: Sirius and Remus navigating firsts—their first time and their first Order mission—is delightful and amusing. They’re kind of insatiable in a hilarious way (and adorable in an adorable way). The plot is meandering in the best way and just a jolly jaunt into their world. Plus there is sex and it is delicious.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/110998.html
Title: Camp Rome
Rating: R
Warnings: Hard drug use, Major character illness, Major character death, Suicide, Noncon (off-screen)
Word Count: 13,000
Summary: AU: Remus kills Severus and is sent to an internment camp in his fourth year at Hogwarts. James never forgives Sirius, and Sirius transfers to Durmstrang. At the end of the war, Sirius and Remus strike up an unlikely friendship that rapidly becomes something much more.
Why You Should Read It: I kind of can’t believe I’m reccing this (based off the list of warnings, I mean), but once I got past the mentions of drugs and the noncon (which was entirely off screen and in context easier to stomach), I actually really enjoyed this angst fest—and what an angst fest it is! If you want a happy ending, you should read one of the above recs, but if you enjoy angst, oh wow is this the place for you. Every time Sirius seems to catch a break, something else is there to knock everything down. The truly remarkable thing about this story, though, is there’s a serenity to the angst, an acceptance of the situations that makes it okay to cry and to feel. Definitely recommending this to other angst-lovers.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/112101.html
Title: A Bridge, Burning (in Six Parts)
Rating: R
Warnings: Angst, 1981, sexual situations, language
Word Count: 1,500
Summary: They built the bridge between them in silence and dismantled it much the same.
Why You Should Read It: Another angsty fic and this one is a delicious feast of pain. Everything unravels in nonversations as Sirius and Remus slowly fall apart in 1981. The minimalist approach is perfect here, just letting the emotions push through from the descriptions. The last section is heartbreaking and perfect and I can absolutely imagine that this is how Sirius and Remus lost their faith in each other.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/112743.html
When you are done reading any of these excellent fics, please make sure you vote for them as I cannot, being a writer this year, and I want to vote for them!!!
rs_games stories, expect quite a few recs along the way. I'll be compiling the recs into digest posts with 3–4 recs per post. ENJOY!Title: Covered in Snow
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: grief, past character death
Word Count: 5680
Summary: Forced to take a short holiday between Order missions in February 1997, Remus travels to the Lake District, where he long ago came with Sirius.
Why You Should Read It: While it’s a story entirely about Remus grieving for Sirius, it’s remarkably controlled, never once straying into strictly maudlin territory (plus there is a flashback sequence that is utterly heartwarming). The ending is just as good as the beginning and even though there is some stilted dialogue coming out of the Weasleys, Remus’s voice is so consistent and excellent that it makes up for any weaknesses.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/114656.html
Title: Motorways
Rating: G
Warnings: Sirius’s poor hair
Word Count: 3,900
Summary: Sirius is given a lift by a friendly lorry driver after escaping Azkaban.
Why You Should Read It: This is Sirius right out of Azkaban and watching his struggle is just amazing. This is an odd little fic, since it’s primarily Sirius and an OC who doesn’t even get a name, but it’s an amazing character study at one of the most interesting times of Sirius’s life.
It didn't look anything like the paper cranes of his youth. This one was made of flimsy newspaper, grey and smudged, with black lettering all over it. In a way, it reminded Sirius of himself. He wasn't anything like his youthful self, either. He, too, was grey and fragile. Smudged.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/109688.html
Title: A Bit of Borrowed Warmth
Rating: R
Warnings: language, non-graphic sex
Word Count: 4,600
Summary: In the middle of a war, Sirius grounds himself in certainties, in battles, in friends, in himself. But when Remus kisses Sirius, things start changing too fast.
Why You Should Read It: The opening fight scene alone is pretty epic, but as the story unfolds it’s all about Sirius and his uncertainty. Juxtaposed to Remus’s certainty (and James’s certainty), this fic paints Sirius as an outsider in an unfamiliar time and his struggle to come to terms with change.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/110594.html
Title: From Moon to Moon
Rating: T
Warnings: AU
Word Count: 11,000
Summary: It's 1426 AD. Sirius travels East along the Silk Road and meets a wolf.
Why You Should Read It: AUs, even ones in which the characters are just displaced in time, aren’t normally my thing... but this fic is EPIC. The descriptions of the caravans and Samarkand are vivid and alive (oh, wow, it felt like SG fic for a bit there), and the author quite expertly explores language barriers as Sirius and Remus navigate broken Greek as their only common language. The plot was engaging, interesting, and I just about couldn’t stop reading (also I want MOOOOOOOOOORE). I cannot rec this fic strongly enough.
No seriously, stop what you're doing and go read this fic.
Link: http://rs-games.livejournal.com/108158.html
When you are done reading any of these excellent fics, please make sure you vote for them as I cannot, being a writer this year, and I want to vote for them!!!
