fests and moving and fics OH MY

[inferiarecoming]

I've finally moved into my new house! It's small and cold but I love it to bits and pieces. Also, if I thought packing was hard, that's NOTHING compared to unpacking. Why do I have so much stuff?!

Forget that now, more important things to discuss. Like oh, I don't know, the LILYJAMES_FEST!!!

I am ridiculously excited about this, I cannot even begin to express how much. I checked through the prompt list, and people have claimed some really interesting ones - I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Who else is excited/ is participating/has thoughts on the fest?

And why aren't there more Lily/James fests? I know there's the marauder big bang (which I'm also thrilled about), but what about career fests for Lily/James? Or am I just blind and are they lurking around on lj?

Okay, so rs_career_fest . AMAZING. I admit to just getting around to properly reading through all of them. Thoughts and favourites under the cut:

I'm just over halfway through the fics, and so far, all I can say is WOW. The quality of writing is amazing, the prompts were fantastic, and I love that people are still writing and posting things after the fest has ended!

(*Starred fics were my absolute favourites)

Alone: Bad, Friend: Good! by eprime (Crazy!Sirius was a great way to start off the fest. I was honestly a bit creeped out by him and all the secret experiments and things, which was brilliant of course (after bemoaning the fact there was hardly any horror Remus/Sirius fic, reading this was fantastic.) I was so frustrated by Remus' ability to just keep quiet and be so PATIENT through all the testing and the threatening and the craziness. I would have blown my top by the end of it. And I completely forgot that in the timeline Walburga was still alive, so seeing her interact with Sirius was interesting)

*Not Just a Roll in the Hay by brighty18 (This one just made me smile. Farmer Sirius and Farmhand Remus were adorable. Severus the priest cracked me up, and I loved the back story explaining about Sirius the 'eco-terrorist'. And the chicks! Sirius and the chicks! So cute!)

*Sundays in E Minor  by rosivan ("Sirius is a mystery that somehow exists only on Sunday mornings" has probably become my favourite line ever. What a stunning way to start a story. I loved this one - short, but still effective. Remus making Sirius all those tea's and then always missing him was adorable. The idea of Lily and Sirius (and James?) in a band was brilliant. I just loved everything about this. The language, the phrasing, the imagery. Gorgeous, gorgeous writing.

Pannuchios by lmeden (Okay, I admit, this one got me a bit teary-eyed. I didn't expect her to kill off Sirius, and the helplessness she managed to convey from werewolf!Remus broke my heart)

*Synergy by remuslives23 (Another fic that I thought was just adorable. I think people should write Sirius as a kindergarten teacher more often. The little conversation between Teddy and Harry was fantastic)

*And A Star to Steer Her By by ceredwensirius (Probably my absolute favourite. I felt so, so sorry for Remus, and I loved the Greyback scene with Sirius - very powerful stuff. Remus' situation broke my heart, and when he accepted Lily's offer to be a whore, I was literally yelling at the screen "FOOL! GO WITH SIRIUS ON THE BOAT. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO." I also loved Lily as a Madam. And James and Sirius as pirates - probably the most brilliant thing EVER)

When Quaffle and Quill Collide by dogsunderfoot (The banter between the two were perfect. She really captured the "old married couple" thing down to a T. I felt so sorry for Sirius, and all his insecurities, and I loved how the two were raging mad at each other, screaming and whatnot, while the kids just went about their business. They were so blase! And the scene on the table = HOT)

Sing the Body Electric by gala_apples (Wasn't so into this one, for the sole reason that threesomes with James are kinda sorta just a a wee bit of a squick for me. But I still liked the fic. I thought the writing was gorgeous, and even though it pains me to think of James with anyone but Lily, the subtle hints at a relationship with Sirius were beautiful. And from the little I know about acid trips and drug users... well, gala did an excellent job of writing about them. Favourite line would have to be: "...sometimes Sirius wants to meet her, reeking, eyes blown, just to fuck with her." So Sirius. Oh, and this one, right afterwards: "Making James pick between himself and Lily isn't the sure bet it once was." That last one made me feel sorry for Sirius)

Time is Everythingby silenceberry (This fic was excellent. Sirius as a private eye? Adorable. Honestly, that's the only word for it. His utter cluelessness was brillant, and I cracked up at all the little notes he was making, especially after he figured out it was Remus. Oh, OH and the whole "Remus! How've you been?" cracked me up. I agree with the other comments - Sneaky!Remus is the best kind)

*****A Recipe In Four Parts by carmentakoshi (Okay, I lied before. This one was my absolute favourite. Angry!Sirius and Remus in tweed and Peter and his lemon tarts. And WEEMUS. God, I nearly died from the cute. I loved the relationship between Lily and James - so subtle, and secure, and just gah. (yes, I admit to being a lily/james shipper first and foremost, so the fics in this fest that featured the two as a pre-established couple made me squee with joy.) I love Remus' dream list - I laughed out loud, and then nearly cried when he ripped it up and threw it out. And then started laughing again at Peter's outburst. And Peter - PETER was amazing. The banter and the relationship between him and Remus was amazing. I'm so sick of Peter!hate. I kind of like him as a character *prepares to be stoned*. Also, Harry was just adorable. And James as the frazzled young dad just killed me. [yes, this really was my favourite out of the lot. Well, so far...])

*Our Hell is a Good Life by toujours_nigel (I sobbed reading this. The language and the story just flowed so perfectly together. Sirius' relationship with his mother was fantastic - I love fics that explore the dynamic between Sirius and Walburga. They really are quite similar, I think. And that part when Remus asked Sirius what was wrong, and Sirius said nothing while running through all those thoughts in his head made me just feel pathetically sorry for him)

Sunshine Been Keeping Me Up For Days by emilyia (I loved sneaky hacker Remus, and the banter between the guys at the newspaper was natural and very in keeping with their characters (I thought). The inclusion of Tonks was wonderful (I adore her, and I loved the mention of her being a lesbian, it fits into my idea of her character), and I loved the little interaction between her and Sirius when he realised she was working there. That last scene where he rings Remus was brilliant. Loved how it ended.)

*Who Framed Sirius Black by danikos_realms (Still in the process of reading this one, but I just had to post about it - it may very well be in my top three at the moment. I love noir fics, and Remus as the hardened detective was brilliant. And James. James the detective. I squee'd quite a bit over that. I'm loving the whole "Family" thing, and I think I'm going to go back and keep reading. Can't wait to see where it goes..)

Will post the rest when I get to them!