#snarry so much snarry

[consistentsquash]

2023 HP Slash Fic Recs (January to August)

My favorite slash fics written in 2023! Full disclosure everything is Snarry except one fic which is Sirius/Albus + Snape/Albus.

In the Margins of What We Know by Malora (January)

Snarry, 27700 words, epistolary fic

Snarry doesn't really get a lot of epistolary fic. So when I saw this one I was super excited. Love it. Really creative fic with a lot of scope/worldbuilding without a lot of words.

Magic and Botany: The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian (book excerpt) A bamboo forest is unusual compared to other forests in that its growth happens beneath the surface. The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian, in fact, could be considered one organism. There is a single root system for the entire forest. Two shoots of bamboo, seemingly distant, can be connected in ways that are not easily seen.

Check out the rest of the Snarry Adopt A Prompt Fest 2022.

  This Mirrored Perspective by @likelightinglass and zalil (February)

Snape/Harry/Tonks, 8000 words, PWP, Dirty bad hot wrong

Ok this is my OT3 and I don't really take questions. But this is my OT3 because of Likelightinglass writing An auror, a professor and a potioneer walk into a bar. This fic has a totally different vibe! It's intense, psychological, dirtybadhotwrong porn with peak self-indulgence. Definitely NSFW.

That nagging sense that he didn't deserve it.

  Night Skye by @titconao3 (March)

Snarry, 11500 words, OTP comfort food fic

Heartwarming OTP fic! It's the best Snarry comfort food fic I read this year. Good vibes, sexy high chemistry, loving/intimate feels, brilliantly characterized, beautiful settings.

“One day…” He shakes his head and looks up at Harry, his eyes like coal. “Today,” Harry says. “Today, Severus; that’s what matters.” This is how, finally, Harry gets Severus to agree.

  Coda to "Soft Touch" by @perverse-idyll (April)

Snarry, 3,300 words, Soft

Have recced before. Will rec again. Because everybody needs to read it for the soft tender vibes. Not really soft. But compared to the intense angsty fic this is a coda for, I feel like it's optimistic and soft and I just feel so happy for my OTP.

"Can a man not toss off in the privacy of his own room without being accused of sabotaging his bloody health? If you can't trust that I have a vested interest in my own recovery - "

Snape spotted Harry, and a flush raced from his collar up to his hairline, exquisitely pink beneath his unnaturally smooth skin. But although he swallowed his tirade, Snape didn't seem particularly put out by having practically shouted his masturbatory claims to the entire office.

Check out Soft Touch the perfect dysfunctional/dirtybadhotwrong massage fic which inspired this coda!

  Devotion by @danpuff-ao3 (May)

Snarry, 27000 words. Intense/dirty bad/hot/wrong.

Exactly what I want from my Snarry! Honestly Danpuff is bringing the oldschool vibes of Snarry back with a bang in their fics every single time and I am just super spoiled now. Snarry forever :D Also love to see Danpuff going into longer fics this year!

Though the worst crime of all is Potter’s. "Did you want to die?" Also The boy knows — he knows — he can take anything he wants. That bitter surrender is surrender all the same. That the force of Severus’ loathing is fed by his longing.

Pro tip - Read Contempt together with this fic. Check out other fics from Snarry-a-Thon 23

  Much Ado About Asmodeus by @ac1d6urn (June)

Snarry, 18100 words, Fluff

Fluff and crack! Really love the oldschool trope parody vibes of this fic. I actually haven't read something like this in a pretty long time. Going on my rereads! Also going on my holiday season reading list :D Also love to see Acid's insane prolific streak this year. I feel super spoiled as a reader! <3

Harry squinted against the rain and promptly attempted to expunge the phrase "Ventus Vultuosus, swish and flick when in a bind!" from his memory. Ugh. Curse you, Common Weather Weathering Spell #13! That'll be the last time I trust anything Witch Weekly puts out in fine print. (Except maybe that last fruitcake recipe.) Now that he thought about it, Auntie Annabelle's Advice Column on "Ten Ways of Bewitching and Beguiling Your Mr Right" didn't seem so reliable either, especially considering some of those later suggestions, and maybe even those in the middle too. Those were a bit wild.

  Promises, promises... by SerenaEW, @acydpop (July)

Snarry, 5000 words, Fluff

Aww!!! The Snarry Summer Fluff I was totally praying for and really needed! Perfect Snarry Bang opener for my reading <3 Also the art! <3

Severus was looking at him, telling him, with only a glance, to shut up before you say something utterly idiotic. The expression on Jamie's face looked nearly identical.

Check out the other fics from Snarry Bang 2023

  Brillig by eldritcher (August)

Dumbledore saying "You disgust me" to people in his life but also meaning "I disgust myself". The more he sees himself in the other person, the more disgusted he gets. Intense, intense beautiful fic. But also healing because he finally overcomes that.

He disgusts you. Ratty, bony, skulking, pleading, raging, raving, frightened of the shadows and frightened of the fog, frightened of you. "You did not save Lily!" he yells. "You did not save James!" he weeps. "You did not save me!" he whimpers, and huddles into himself and trembles as if the North Sea is in his very veins.

Also the math works out!!! Snape/Dumbledore + Sirius/Dumbledore = Snack by proxy actually.

Check out the rest of the spectacularly beautiful Frabjous which contains some of my all time favorite fics.

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Translated almost 4k words today 🎉🎉

[thesnagabegins]

hello everyone, i have some prompts to do, thank you all so much!! and thank you to the person who asked about my OC, i genuinely appreciate it.

feel free to send more if you want but i gotta work on what i have. thanks again ♥♥♥

i also take graphic/gif requests 👀👀👀

[fleetingdesires]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💛

Danni ❤️ It's taken me way too long to do this, but I have some time now so let's get to it. In vaguely descending order:

Marching On | E | 10k | Snarry (and various background relationships)

Fifteen years into Severus and Harry's relationship, the status quo becomes untenable. Harry grapples with no longer being able to turn a blind eye towards Severus' bit on the side, while Severus finally realises that his best might not have been good enough for Harry. And Teddy? Well, he's just the catalyst that brought home the hard truths.

Why I love it: It's love in all its messy reality. Sometimes we make choices we come to regret. Sometimes we make choices we don't regret until someone makes us regret it. Sometimes that regret doesn't feel real or genuine except to the person who feels it. And sometimes, the thing that is sacrificed for love is a piece of your soul. Is that a valid tradeoff? Don't know. Ask yourself. I still am.

The Lover and the Boytoy | E | 10k | Snucius, Drucius, Draco/Lucius/Severus

Draco has been thirsty for his Daddy’s best friend, Severus Snape - and Lucius knows it. Of course he'll indulge his boy, even (or maybe, especially) if it means sharing his lover.

Why I love it: Yet another messy situation. I love them. Sudden emotional intrigue in the middle of a PWP? I didn't see it coming and neither will anyone else. Thanks for spawning brain rot, fic, I *appreciate* it. I guess.

All out of Sorts | E | 1.8k | Snarry

The Sorting Ceremony is for children. When adults attempt it, the results can be rather unexpected as Headmaster Snape, the most Slytherin of Slytherins, finds out. Bad-tempered huffing and puffing ensues.

Why I love it: I made Severus a Hufflepuff. It's fucking hilarious. That's all. 😂

Playing Games | E | 9k | Albus Severus Potter/James Sirius Potter

James thinks they’re just playing Truth or Dare. Al is playing a different game altogether.

Why I love it: Feels like the hottest thing I've ever written. May be influenced by @phenomenalasterisk's amazing podfic of it, which made me blush so hard while driving (my first mistake, really) I had to stop listening halfway through for fear of crashing. Just thinking about it makes me a little hot, ngl.

Settling/Unsettling | E | 29k | Mycroft Holmes/Sherlock Holmes

Mycroft loves the one man he cannot have - his brother. It doesn’t help that their relationship is tattered beyond recognition. When Gregory Lestrade enters his life, he is pleasantly surprised to find that the man is satisfactory, both in and out of bed. If he can't have the one man he wants, he may as well settle for second best. But what happens when events draw the brothers closer together, and the impossible becomes probable?

Why I love it: It is not my finest piece of work. A diamond in the rough is a more accurate description of it. But damn, I still love the plot and want to rewrite it someday.

[swallow-the-bird]

Snape & The Little Mermaid 🧜‍♂️

Finally, I can unveil my commissioned Snarry artwork, which was actually completed earlier this year!

This piece is an illustration for a delightful fairy tale “COEUR ECLATANT” written by my client, who requested a stained glass window style with an artistic touch of Art Nouveau, specifically inspired by Mucha’s style.

The experience has been truly enjoyable, as Mucha has always been one of my favorite artists, and Art Nouveau is one of my most beloved art periods. Not to mention, I’ve been a Snarry fan for a long time.

In this enchanting little story, Snarry the Hunter is a seemingly pragmatic character who struggles to acknowledge his deep affection for the little mermaid, Harry. In contrast, Harry is a frank and sincere mermaid, full of curiosity about life on land and completely unreserved in his unconditional love for the first—and only—human he has ever saved (although Snape cruelly denies ever needing help at the time! 🤣).

This is a tale of love between two characters who know so little yet so much about love. I’m still eagerly waiting for my client to reveal the ending!

My client has also created several related products based on this piece, which I’m excited to share with you all:

🔹An Acrylic Stand resembling a stained glass window (currently in its semi-final form)

🔹 An Acrylic Card (Also in its semi-final form)

I hope you all enjoy this piece as much as I do!

[consistentsquash]

5 Fandom things I am thankful for - 2022 edition!

HP fandom

@hpsaffics + their WLW Library. I have been reading so much femslash this year especially in the hopeful femslash shortfic category. This collection has a ton of curated femslash. Lots of older character femslash here which is my jam.

The Bravest Man by @ac1d6urn. HP fandom Snarry Fancomic. Omg the art is beautiful, the emotions are intense and perfect and the story is just brilliant. It made me cry a ton because it was so moving. My heart just! I am a big fan of how Acid handles queer themes especially coming out and self acceptance. So beautiful. This is hands down my favorite fic/art/fanwork from HP fandom in 2022.

Other fandoms

Ossuarium by eldritcher. HOTD/ASOIAF fic that covers the full Dance. Absolutely stunning. The best series I have read in any fandom in my whole time in fandom. Yes it is technically a fic. But it's also a symphony. The stories line up like panels of art. This will make you cry. But it will also make you feel everything you can + things you didn't know you were capable of feeling. Somebody said that they met their literal soul reading this. This. So much this.

The Sign of the Four, the Comic @sign-of-four-comic by Itsasta. Book Sherlock Holmes based comic. It's brilliant, funny and has the same vibes of the book. Reblogging this is honestly the main reason I have Tumblr :D It's so good!

@alda-rana did Discworld Inktober. Honestly. This is everything. I am really in love with their art style. The "core" feel of Discworld is really hard to explain but their art does perfect justice to it. It's brilliant. Check out this amazing, amazing scene from Moving Pictures.

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Immense win for me today: I got sidetracked talking about fanfic to a friend from uni, and an hour and a half later I'd sold her so well on one of my favourite fics of all time she opened the tab right as we split up to go home

[memelovescaps]

LOVELYYYYYYYYY

Happy birthday Harry!

I tried my first chicken vindaloo today and I fell in love with its taste. I knew Indian food is going to be my favourite of all times. Yum ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ )

[saintsenara]

Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely love your metas! You’re not only clearly a very talented writer but also blessed with such great insight into these characters that my dopamine levels always jump to absolute heights with every new post. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and being a real gem in this fandom ❤️

Also, because I couldn’t find any post (or did I miss it?) about specifically Harry/Snape (without a third person added to the mix) I would love to read your thoughts on it. Either romantically or gen, after the war, where Snape lives. Thank you so much for indulging me :)

thank you very much for the [exceptionally lovely] ask, anon!

snarry is definitely a popular request...

... so let's get into it!

[and let's also get out of the way that i do not back snamione as a pairing. you can find out why here.]

while they're by no means my otp - and while i'll admit to preferring both snape and harry paired up with lord voldemort - i have long dabbled in a bit of snarry, particularly because it's a ship which attracts astonishingly talented writers. and - in particular - astonishingly talented writers who think really subtly, intelligently, and creatively about life and love and all the questions therein. i'm always really struck by the nuance with which both snape and harry are treated in so many snarry fics, and i much prefer that to the more one-note treatment each character gets elsewhere in the fandom.

and - of course - why snarry works so well as a ship is because it has such a solid justification in both harry and snape's canon characterisation - and because this compatibility is made all the more interesting by the layer of conflict caused by snape and harry's mutually antagonistic relationship. harry adores the half-blood prince - looks up to him so much, in fact, that he genuinely wonders if the man was his father - because they're intellectually compatible, have similar senses of humour, have similarly self-serving aspects to their moral codes, and have a shared reactivity and emotional volatility. the text emphasises this frequently, most explicitly when hermione tells harry in half-blood prince that he doth protest too much:

"He tried to jinx me, in case you didn’t notice!" fumed Harry. "I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn’t he use another guinea pig for a change? What’s Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defence? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that unfixed, indestructible stuff - " "Well," said Hermione, "I thought he sounded a bit like you."

harry is also willing to acknowledge these similarities himself, sometimes. he empathises with - and even, occasionally, respects - snape well before the conclusion of deathly hallows, and - crucially - does this on his own terms. him refusing to dismiss his disgust at his father's treatment of snape in snape's worst memory in order not to make sirius or lupin feel awkward is incredibly impressive - and is something i don't think he gets enough credit for.

and since one of the things which makes me a member of both tomarrymort and snapemort nation is harry's instinctive understanding of how voldemort's childhood affected him and voldemort's understanding of how snape's childhood affected him, this is something i think provides a fascinating seam for authors to mine when writing about snape and harry together.

similarly, post-war, i think snarry is one of the best pairings for exploring how both harry and snape come to terms with the realisation that - no matter how well it all worked out in the end - they were both pawns in a larger game. i think that snape is, really, the only person in harry's life who could ever come close to appreciating what it means to have dumbledore send you out to [nearly] die - and i also think, because the man is always at the forefront of my mind, that snape is one of the few people in harry's life who can appreciate the fact that harry, as much as he also hated and feared him, was impressed by, sympathised with, and wanted to help voldemort.

snarry is also an incredibly compelling ship for thinking about power, and how both harry and snape understand it. i wouldn't care about the age difference, or the fact that snape and harry's acquaintance is established while harry is a child and snape is his teacher, even if the dynamic between them could only ever be heavily unbalanced in snape's favour, because these are fictional people. but i'm often struck by how interestingly snarry writers deal with snape being someone who views himself, inherently, as a supplicant - and who therefore ends up offering harry the upper hand in their dynamic [whether this is platonic or otherwise] despite the fact that he is the younger partner. snape's capacity for destructive devotion and self-subordination is one of his most fascinating canon characteristics - and snarry is one of the best vehicles for exploring this.

indeed, the canonical snape clearly regards harry as someone who possesses power over him. his complaints about harry being rich, spoiled, and arrogant make clear that he considers harry to be the second coming of the dynamic he had with james [with it never seeming to occur to him that this is an absurd thing for an adult teacher to think about their pupil], while his complaints about harry's fame are because he views harry as an inherent insider [someone with a pureblood surname and the money to prove it] to the wizarding world while he himself is an outcast. this can cause some exquisite toxicity - especially when snape, who tends to view every interaction he has though a win-lose lens and who becomes incredibly nasty in both victory and defeat, is proven right, having insisted to harry that the wizarding world won't like its golden hero getting railed by a tenuously-acquitted death eater.

but it can also result in something surprisingly beautiful. harry likes to save people, after all, and snape would - deep down - very much to be saved.

and one way he can do this is by offering snape the forgiveness for his role in lily's death which it's clear the canonical snape refuses to accept he might be entitled to. and, in doing this, the pairing draws out a theme which i am obsessed with - that there is a lost generation, whose ghosts haunt the characters alive in the canon timeline. no matter how negative his opinion on james and sirius and so on is, by virtue of knowing them, snape provides harry with a connection to a world he would be a stranger to otherwise, while harry provides snape with a mooring in the present which makes dealing with the weight of the past - and processing the fact that he's virtually the only person he knew as a teenager who's still alive - easier.

i also think that fucking your enemy's nephew is iconic, and snape and petunia meeting again in a scenario in which he's harry's boyfriend is a concept that sustains me.

[foxconfessorandthewolf]

Okay, so I’m a bit wine drunk but I don’t think I’ve ever really articulated why I love Snarry together and I’m currently trying to finish a fic after taking a three-year-hiatus from writing these two, so this is probably a good exercise!

I’m a bit on the older side of fandom, having been a fanartist and fervent reader since 2003, so my connection was really sparked during that time between OOTP and HBP when Snape and Harry were at some of their most clashing and deeply vitriolic, forced together into hateful vulnerability by Occulmency lessons. Every scene between them was electric, laced with tension as we truly did not know how things would go, or even where Snape’s true loyalties lay. He was an unknown, tied up with Harry’s own family’s mysterious past, connected to Harry in a myriad of odd ways that few other characters were, and - as a rivals-to-lovers lover - I was fascinated by him. From that first moment when they lock eyes in the Great Hall and that frisson of pain shoots through Harry’s scar, I desperately wanted to know who the hell this man was and his story. I think a lot of Snarry shippers come to the ship with a special appreciation for Severus Snape’s character himself. He’s such an incredibly drawn character, rich with complexity, complicated and pretty fucked up, with clearly-held passions, hatreds, weaknesses, and motivations. He’s emotional in a way a lot of other characters aren’t, though I think he’d loathe to hear that. And his character voice! It’s unique and pitch-perfect. You always know exactly who is speaking with his lines. Honestly, the way he evolved from a spy/traitor stock character to become so multifaceted and enigmatic is a masterpiece of characterization, and it’s an aspect of why I’m drawn to him - there’s still so much about his origins and well, what his damage was, that we don’t know. Because of this, I especially love Snarry fics that delve into character studies of him, trying to explore all the shadows left behind. I also admit I have a preference for interpreting Snape as morally grey. I like him petty, sharp-tongued, ambitious, with an incredibly liquid definition of what is right and wrong. He’s self-interested, dripping with disdain, and really doesn’t see that as a problem. What happens to him when he deeply falls in love?

I love a ship that makes me work for it. There’s no obvious line of how Snape and Harry might wind up together, so each fic is a wealth of possibilities of bringing these two together despite their roadblocks. As I mentioned, I’m big fan of animosity in a ship. Give me rivals, give me enemies, give me the sparking passions, the sharp fury, the way they stoke each others’ emotions and seek to hurt, the racing hearts, the raised hackles, the intense emotional reaction to another person. Just throw it at me. I devour that shit. I love the messy and taboo nature of their relationship, the complications raising from their age difference, temperaments, and largely similar and shared traumas. There’s an interesting element of Snape being a foil to James Potter, and how that relates to Harry and their past. Basically, this shit is really good potting soil for incredible fucking fics, packed with nutrients.

The shared natures of their traumas, like Voldemort and each being forgotten and abused as children and how they might be able to understand each other and bond from it is also something that’s fascinating to explore. I love when a writer pushes on Snape’s bruises, looking to make them hurt, cracking his sardonic brain open and rooting around in there, and I love when they compare and contrast to Harry’s. There’s a seductiveness to how Snape is so obsessed with Harry, fixated on his Boy Who Lived heroic reputation, clearly dripping with envy. What, beyond jealousy, might draw Snape to Harry and what, other than hatred, might draw Harry to Snape?

It’s all this, the passionate, electric, dangerous nature of their relationship; the way their characters contrast each other yet have surprising connections; and the question of finding solace that keeps me here, 21 years later. I’ve had wines less complex than this ship. They’re fascinating. They’re messy. They’re everything.

[crossposted from a reddit comment I just left, and wanted to share with y’all]

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Character Analysis

I want to reorganize my pinned post a little, so this is one of the masterposts I'll be posting to link at the top of my blog and continuously edit.

Harry James Potter:

Harry Potter is Actually Really Clever

Should Harry have been in Slytherin?

Harry failing himself by overthinking

Harry was never really Dumbledore's man

Harry can be scary when he wants to

Harry is willing to kill when he deems it necessary

How much Harry trusts Sirius

DH reread: Harry, Home, and Godric's Hollow

DH reread: Harry, his wand, and the connection to Voldemort

Harry: fight or flight? Both

Harry, his trauma and PTSD

Harry and what it means to be good (and a little addition)

Harry & Grief

Harry's Intuition

Harry's Magic:

Harry Potter is Really Magically Powerful

Harry's unique outlook on magic (more of that)

How Harry feels the Killing Curse

Harry's Appearance:

Harry's height situation

Harry's facial features

Harry's height situation: the sequel

Harry's abuse:

Harry & his abuse

How bad were the Durleys actually?

More details & headcanons about Harry's life at the Dursleys

Harry's Romantic Misadventures:

Harry Potter is Probably Gay and Here's Why

Why I don't think Harry actually likes Ginny

What was going on with Cho Chang

Harry & Realising He's Gay

HJP Headcanons:

Harry James Potter Headcanons

What would Harry's Animagus form be?

Harry & Neurodivergence

The Rest of the Golden Trio:

Some rumbling about Hermione's character

Hermione's and Ron's Animagus forms

Ron Weasley's Mean Streak

Romione Thoughts

Hermione and her parents

Tom Riddle/Voldemort:

The Riddle of Tom Riddle:

The Death Tool of Voldemort's Wars

Voldemort Isn't Insane, At Least, Not in the Way You Think

Wool's Orphanage

Home Sweet Hogwarts

After Graduation

The Rise and Fall of Lord Voldemort (the first time)

The Rise and Fall of Lord Voldemort (the second coming)

Other Tom riddle/Voldemort Meta:

Voldemort and Harry's Horcrux

What would Tom Riddle's Hypothetical Patronus be?

Tom Riddle's Hogwarts Timeline

Tom Riddle and a Potential Redemption

Thoughts on Tommary/Harrymort

Regarding Voldemort's Sexuality

Tom Riddle is very Gryffindor for the Heir of Slytherin

Tom Riddle and his obsession with wands

Why Voldemort didn't kill many muggles

Various Voldemort ships and my opinions on them

Mauraders Era:

General Marauders + Snape Opinions

Sirius Black:

Sirius Black was a good godfather to Harry

I don't think Sirius saw Harry as a James stand-in

Harry and Sirius' dynamic

Sirius' Animagus form actually is the Grim

Sirius and Dumbledore's Dynamic

Barty Crouch Jr:

Justice for Barty Crouch Jr: Part 1/2

Justice for Barty Crouch Jr: Part 2/2

Severus Snape:

Snape, his abuse, and his dynamic with Lily

Snape and his treatment of his students + abuse in the Wizarding World

Thoughts on Snarry & Severitus

Regulus Arcturus Black: Character Overview

Lily Potter:

Sev, Lily and Petunia

Evans Sisters & Black Brothers Parallars

James Potter: Character Overview

Remus Lupin: Remus & Harry's dynamic

Black Sisters: General thoughts

Other:

Theodore Nott:

Character overview & Nottpott

Some other Headcanons

Luna Lovegood:

Character overview

Pandora Lovegood and her death

Why I don't like Linny

Neville Longbottom:

Harry & Neville's Friendship + Being a True Gryffindor

Draco Malfoy:

Some Draco and Drarry thoughts

About Dramione

Blaise Zabini: General thoughts

Weasley Family Dynamics:

The Weasleys Aren't Great Parents

Ginny and Quidditch

Is Ginny a pick-me girl? Yeah, kinda

General thoughts on Ginny's character

Thoughts on Linny

General Weasley family thoughts

Albus Dumbledore:

Did Dumbledore care for Harry?

How powerful was he?

Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and what makes a psychopath

The Dursleys:

My thoughts on the Horcrux made them evil theory

Harry & Dudley's Dynamic

Kingsley Shacklebolt: General thoughts

Misc:

Top characters I think have textual evidence for being not straight (other than Harry)

Assigning magical jobs to various characters

[lilbeanz]

Oh my goodness @lumosatnight thank you so much for the recommendation 🥹🫶✨️

Everyone should absolutely check out the rest of these amazing fics, I know I'll be perusing the selection 👀💖

23 Fic Recs 2023!

This year has definitely been a year. I've devoured so many wonderful fics by so many amazing authors. Thank you @hprecfest for the super fun rec categories and for some fic inspiration! Here are 23 fics that I read and loved in 2023 (although some are quite a few years older) ordered by ship.

🌼 - fluff | 💔 - angst | 🔥 - smut

—

💫 DRARRY 💫

1. A post-canon fic

The Discreet Gentleman's Connection by pluto (gayrights420) [Drarry, E, 80.4k] 🌼🔥 I had the absolute pleasure of beta-ing for this fic, so when I say it is amazing, it truly is just that. Fast burn on the smut via Floo sex, slow burn on the in-person falling in love. Satisfying in all the best possible ways.

2. A fic that made me laugh

AITA for being "obsessed" with my childhood nemesis? by @rainstormradish [Drarry, M, 4.3k] 🌼📲 Draco on a reddit forum is hilarious just on its own, but the banter and formatting really bring this fic to life. Amazingly creative, had me in stitches!

3. A comfort fic

The Eighth Tale by @letteredlettered [Drarry, E, 12.0k] 💔⏳ An oldie but a goodie. I constantly find myself coming back to this fic and having my mind blown every single time. Time travel timey-wimey angst.

4. A fic with art

Dating Draco - A Visual Game by @itsphantasmagoria [Drarry, M, Video Game] 🌼🎮 This is a fic in video game form!! Amazing art and lovely story where YOU get to make the choices for Drarry's happily ever after.

5. A favorite series

The Journal of Dreadful Things by @lilbeanz [Drarry, G, 112k, WIP] 🌼📖 Hilarious, witty, AND COMES WITH ART!! Lilbeanz draws and writes a wonderfully delightful series starting from Draco's First Year. His characterization had me in hysterics. Book 4 is starting soon!

—

💫 COMMON SHIPS 💫

6. Fic with the hottest smut

Moonstruck by @prettyremus [Wolfstar, E, 3.8k] 🔥🐺 Found this gem while scrolling through the werewolf smut tag (don't judge me). I love the switch in dynamic with Sirius taming Remus's wolf through, ahem, rough sex.

7. An unreliable narrator fic

Sea of White by @dividawrites [Harrymort, E, 8.6k] 🔥🤍 Deliciously hot, creepy, and strangely sweet. Love their dynamic here, the unrestrained lust. Harrymort "die" and lose their memories, so, of course, then they bang.

8. A fic that made me cry

Far Apart, Far Away by @unmistakablyoatmeal [Hinny, minor Drarry, T, 1.6k] 💔💍 Infidelity angst has never been this good. I love the layers of emotion in this fic. Quick punchy sections that really pulled me in.

9. A Muggle(?) AU fic

Pleasant Hope by @ac1d6urn, @sinick [Snarry, E, 41.6k] 💔⛪️ Pastor Severus!! The angst, pining, and self-discovery in this fic is superb! I love the interwoven magic and detailed world-building of this little town.

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💫 RARE PAIRS 💫

10. A fav amongst faves

The Last Trial of Peter Pettigrew by @sleepstxtic [Prongstail, M, 20.8k] 💔 🐀 Holy moly, this fic!!!! Is this my new favorite fic?? Possibly. The concept is brilliant, so creative and nuanced. The Peter character study using outsider perspectives is genius. Seamlessly balances canon and new scenes.

11. A pre-canon fic

Careless by @tax-onomic [Luther, E, 1.5k] 🔥🪞 Lucius/Arthur my beloved rare pair!! I am captain of the Luther ship, and Tax's fic hits all the right spots. The pining, the sniping, the prickly personalities with emotional vulnerability underneath! And all in the middle of a hot smut scene. Perfect.

12. A canon-compliant fic

Scottish by thepadfoots [Chedric, G, 749] 💔🌟 Lovely Cho character study focused around her Asian identity and the boy she loved.

13. A fic rated G

Lion-Hearted Girl by MinnieQuill (odainath) [Minmione, G, 4.5k] 💔🦁 I know the large age gap might scare some, but their relationship feels very organic in this fic. The setting is grim, but there is always hope in the darkness!

14. A fic rated T

You're So Vane by @patriceavril [Romelina, T, 6.8k] 🌼💄Romilda is so delightfully characterized, I was smiling through the entire fic. Angelina is the perfect foil (and love interest) to Romilda's attentions.

15. A rare pair fic (less than 2000 fics on AO3)

Snakeskin by @cntrl15 [Bellastoria, E, 3.7k] 🔥👠 Talk about a rare pair! Astoria/Bellatrix only has 2 tagged fics on AO3: this fic and the drabble I wrote based on it. But read this fic, and you'll see why I felt the need to write more in this universe.

16. A fest fic

Master of None by @nanneramma [Snormac, G, 5.5k] 🌼🧘 Severus is so wonderfully cranky, and Cormac is fine AF. The surprise pairing of 2023 that I never knew I needed and now I'm obsessed with!

17. An under-rated fic

Sun, Shadow, Shade by @naomijameston [Snuna, G, 700] 🌼☀️ Post-war fluff. Sunshine Luna is the perfect match for sullen Snape. A short and sweet fic for this underrated ship.

18. A canon-divergent fic

but somebody's gotta do it by nocturn [Pangulus, T, 920] 😄🧟‍♂️ This fic will make you say WTF but also huh, okay that totally works. The concept is WILD but Lyra executes it wonderfully. Pansy drags Regulus out of the inferni lake and they flirt a little while he gets de-corpsified lol.

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💫 POLY SHIPS 💫

19. A dark fic

In his embrace by @loneamaryllis [fem!Snarrymort, fem!Snarry, E, 48k] ⚡️👀 Dark and dirty but so so good. A Voldemort Wins AU where fem!Harry is taken as prisoner. Snape's mindset as he tries to save her (and is forced to rape her) is so twisted and mesmerizing. Mind the tags!

20. A thought-provoking fic

Icarus by @thistlecatfics [Millvansy, M, 20.0k] 💔🍾 War trauma, addiction, codependency! This fic is messy with emotions but has a strong, beating heart underneath. I am in love with Parvati as she deals with Pansy's addiction and Millicent's denial — three beautiful, imperfect girls.

21. A holiday fic

A Time, Dark and Divine by @moonflower-rose [Dronarry, E, 17.0k] 🔥⛱ HOLY FREAKING FUCK!! The sexual tension in this fic is off the freaking charts. Drarry seducing Ron while on vacation in Portugal. Sign me the fuck up!

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💫 GEN 💫

22. A favorite fic under 5k

The Scrunchie by @saintsenara [Lightning Era Girls, G, 4.5k] 💖👭 Such a lovely look into some of the female background characters, all following the path of a single scrunchie. Lisa, Padma, Parvati, Hannah, Sally-Anne.

23. A fic with an ending I can't stop thinking about

Through the Middlegame by @sandervansunshine [Astoria & Peter, T, 6.6k] 💔♜ Devastating, heart-wrenching, tragic. 10000% would recommend. Kylee has already heard me screaming in the servers about this fic. If I could get a fic tattooed straight onto my brain, this would be it.

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💫 BONUS RECS! 💫

A podfic

Plenitude by @wilfriede, written by eldritcher [Amelmione, M, 14 min] 💔🥀 Amazing voices, amazing music, amazing ambience. Wilfriede really brings one of my fav Hermione/Amelia Bones fics to life in this podfic!

A comic

War Prize by @mrviran [Snegulus, Reggiemort, M, Comic, WIP] ☠️🐍 The panels are awe-inspiring. I am HOOKED on this comic. The murder and the TENSION. Ughhhhh so good. I am so invested in Severus's arc!!

A self-rec (completely self-indulgent)

For I Have Found Salvation by @lumosatnight [Snarry, E, 7.1k] 🔥✝ My first time writing Snarry! Priest Kink, church sex, and blasphemous religious imagery. Priest Severus is oh-so-tempted by Teen Harry. So fun to write and even more fun to go back and read as a guilty pleasure.

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⚡️ Want more fics to read? ⚡️

Try my rec tag: #lumosinthelibrary

Year in Reading, b-day oneshots, WLW Library

[toorumlk]

what are your other fav ships from harry potter aside from romione! love love your art so much!

thank you friend!!!! ehehe i have a few ships i enjoy but let it known that im a full fledged canon enjoyer and some of these ships can be deemed “”problematic”” but please know i have the wherewithal to understand when its fiction and i just love a good story

- grindledore (!!!!!! huge old man yaoi enjoyer but also, the greatest wizard of his era had a torrid love affair when they were 17-18 with his generation’s most notorious dark wizard? they were next door neighbours but still sent letters to each other at night bc they couldn’t stop talking?? this horrible dark wizard is the great dumbledore’s one true love and his achilles heel and the reason for all his grief and suffering? SIGN ME TF UP)

- tedromeda (i find them so heartbreaking, the sunny muggleborn hufflepuff boy who stole the heart of the slytherin girl who comes from the most infamous blood supremacist family, i looovee andromeda she’s one of the few slytherins who deserves rights in my book)

- snily (i like them mostly platonically but i don’t mind them romantically either)

- tomarrymort *starts breakdancing*

i actually enjoy a lot of the snape ships bc i really like snapes character so, snupin (like what do you MEAN snape was making monthly wolfsbane potion for lupin in poa), snack, and… snarry (DONT WHACK ME there’s something i find titillating about a 30 year old harry with a 51 year old sev)

- LINNY

- i love ronarry but mostly as a tortured bi harry who has an unrequited crush on his clueless best friend

- wolfstar but only the middle-aged, life has beat them up, gary oldman/david thewlis version of them (i actually don’t find the fanon young version of them all that interesting…)

- jily (but within reason…. i think james potter is a dickhead and i don’t like him very much)

- oh!!! this is the one marauders ship i like i think the kids call it quillkiller which is bellatrix and rita skeeter ohhh hell yeah that sounds so good

- i also fw bellamort a little bit but only in an abstract messed-up concept way

that’s all i can think of, i know that some of these are unpopular and my reasonings behind a lot of them certainly are in the fandom but I’m speaking my truth.. romione still on top forever though

[ravenclawloverofseverussnape]

What are your opinions on snarry?

Hi, thank you very much for asking, I hope more people ask what I think about other ships, Snarry in particular..... I don't like it and I have several reasons for this.

the age difference

veran Severus is 20 years older than him, oh 21? I don't remember, the point is that the age difference is huge for me.

He is the son of James Potter

Harry is James Potter's son, which in itself leaves me conflicted. I have no opinion of Harry, but I do of James. I hate him for being a bully and practically cheating on his wife about how he "grew up," demeaned Vernon and Petunia, and intimidated muggle police officers when he's supposed to be locked up because of the prophecy.

Oh, and don't get me started on Snape's worst memory, damn, that was UNFORGETTABLE AT ALL.

He is the son of Lily Evans Potter

you see, I don't like this character very much, I've already explained why but I'll say it in summary: the fandom, J.K Rowling's writing etc paint her as "the good popular girl who wants to be with the bully even though she knows he's a bastard and falls into the clutches of that bastard (James)" it is said that she is a good friend.... but she doesn't want Snape to defend himself, despite the fact that she knows that , although the marauders DO NOT use dark arts, she continues to defend them just because of that fact and calls Snape "obsessed with the marauders" uff That's a low blow for me.

He then doesn't ask Snape about the werewolf prank, doesn't question him if it's okay, just claims that "he should be grateful to James for saving him" and claims that's what happened, doesn't bother to ask any further questions, indicating that he doesn't really care.

Let's not talk about her lack of intervention in Severus' worst memory, she spent the whole time talking to him instead of asking if Severus was okay, Lily is a popular girl who could have tried to call someone to help her or if she's so smart she could have freed him or called a teacher if she was afraid that Sirius or Peter would attack her, she could even call Remus since he's a prefect! So many things wrong with her

Harry is the product of one of HP's most toxic couples

I don't think that Jily is a good couple, James made fun of Vernon Dursley, the fiancé of Petunia Evans, the sister of his wife Lily, bragging about riches that they do not understand being muggles, Lily does not intervene in that probably, which makes his relationship with Petunia break even more, with this point also James put Lily's life at risk by running away from home knowing that Voldemort is looking for him, he being hidden in an invisibility cloak and I firmly believe that Lily was making excuses for the (childish) behavior of her husband James Potter.

For me it seems like double standards when they say that using magic on muggles is horrible, but when James shows off his wealth to Vernon and Petunia it's okay (if these characters are detestable but they are still muggles, whether we like it or not)

Lily (even though I don't like her) deserves better than James Potter.

Why did you mention Jily in a post about giving my opinion of Snarry?

Simple, the mere creation of Harry would be a trigger for Severus, yes as a fan of Severus I am aware that Harry is not to blame for having been conceived by one of the most toxic couples in the Harry Potter series, but Harry himself would be a trauma trigger for Severus when remembering the face of James Potter, a character who... until now we do not know if he redeemed himself since he died at 21, but we have seen that Severus has a trauma when seeing Harry.

Severus would need a lot of therapy to be able to have Harry as a couple.

It would take a lot of therapy to heal his past traumas, to cope with them and not see Harry as an extension of James Potter but as an individual being.

Entiendo por qué a algunas personas les gusta Snarry: la dinámica de enemigos a amantes es muy interesante, tengo que admitirlo (como alguien a quien le gusta Snirius), pero no me gusta Snarry por estas razones, creo que Severus merece alejarse de la fuente del trauma (Hogwarts, spinner ends, etc.).

[swallow-the-bird]

“Closing the Gap”

Here’s the commissioned piece I’ve been working on! And, yes, it’s Snarry!🙌 (I wonder if anyone guessed it right XD.)

This scene is from a client’s pro-war Snarry fiction. After years of navigating an ambiguous relationship, Snape and Harry finally find themselves together. It captures that intense moment when Harry grapples with whether or not to confess his love and kiss Snape.

I hope you all enjoy this drawing as much as I did creating it! The background and perspective posed some challenges, but I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

P.S. If you’ve seen my previous post, you’ll know this is a deliberately “beautified” Snape XD. I genuinely wrestled with how to portray his face.

For those interested in seeing the evolution of Snape’s face throughout the process, feel free to check out the link 👇🏻

[lilydoesdrawsometimes]

WAILS SO LOUD

GOD LOOK AT THEM THEY'RE SO GAY THEY'RE SO PRECOIUS I LOVE THIS

I GENUINELY DONT KNOW WHAT I DID TO DESERVE ALL THIS ART FROM YOU VAL I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS YOU MAKE THEM LOOK SO LOVELY

THE DAPPLED SUNLIGHT ON THEM THEIR CONTENT LITTLE FACES, JUST LOOK AT THEM! LOOK! THEYRE HUSBANDS YOUR HONOR THEY'RE SO GAY <3333

Forgor to post this

@lilydoesdrawsometimes