10 in 10 for â20-Short Fic Rec List
A Pain of Our Choosing (E, 5.9k) - @lqtraintracksâ
This is a wildly compelling Eighth Year fic, and I think one of the things I found most fascinating was the way lqt captured a real sense of violence between them, without making it brutal or gratuitous. Instead, itâs part of the essential conflict of the narrative, and a delicious study in character growth and catharsis. Harry is fucked up in the most intriguing way, while still maintaining his essential Harry-ish good humour and swagger and spark. And Draco is so tenderly written, while still flawed. Itâs about them learning how to feel better, in the most delicious ways. I loved this one.
Breathe You In (M, 2.1k) - @shealwaysreadsâ
This is such a perfect slice-of-life fic. Every detail is so lovingly wrought, yet depicted with such gentleness and lightness of touch, that it feels like it seeps into your consciousness and envelops you. I love how subtle and restrained the writing is - such confidence! Such a sense of purpose! Itâs world-building at its finest, and all within the confines of Harryâs bath. Fall into this immersive little piece of heaven, and fall in love with it.
Litany (M, 7.1k) - @thistle-verseâ
Itâs a pandemic fic, but not as we know it. This is the most glorious look at lockdown, with all the building unease and claustrophobia of confinement. It captures that curious, unsettling mood of panic mingled with relentless tedium, and the device of the list-making is so clever and impactful that I want to just lie down and roll around in all the feelings it makes me feel. Itâs also, ultimately, an uplifting and lovely and very moving fic -Â the character development and playfulness of the format, plus the smooth, brisk pacing, whisk us through unscathed to the joyful, hopeful ending. Very much looking forward to author reveals!
Lucid (E, 4.7k) - @dracoladonâ
Every so often a writer comes along that makes me wish I was able to eat and drink every word they write, just swallow it down and pat my stomach in satisfaction, and dracoladon is one of them. Such exuberance of pace, such unexpected and delightful characterisation, such a joyous and affirming plot. This is deliciously hot, perfectly pitched in terms of its tone, and Harryâs narrative voice is one of the most charming things youâll read this year. An absolute treasure of a fic.
Matching Pair (T, 3.8k) - @the-starryknightâ
One of my favourite things about Starryâs writing is how vivid and rich her world-building is, and this is a perfect example of her proficiency in creating a whole mood out of a little pocket of space. We spend all 3.8k words of this fic in front of a talking portrait in the Tate Magique, but Starry takes us from Cornwall to Boston and through two lifetimes of parallel loves, all from our spot in the gallery. Magique indeed! This is a poignant, tender story about regret and forgiveness, and we get to see older, softer Drarry learning how to balance the ease of their interest in each other with the weight of their pasts. A treasure.
A Midsummer Affair (E, 5.2k) - @lazywonderlvndâ
The mood of this fic is so potent, so fervid, that it feels like youâre in it as you read. I love the languid prose of the flashbacks, the sharp, shocking contrast of the non-linear narrative, the epically good dialogue. I was sucked straight into this fic, and read it in one breathless, choked-up rush. Itâs so moving! So sweetly sad! Such a hopeful and confident ending! Read this then go and read everything else lazywonderland has written and you can thank me later.
oxygen (T, 4k) - @maesterchillâ
This is one of those fics I wish with all my heart I could have written. It feels like every word, every line, every bit of world-building and characterisation and dialogue, is so PERFECTLY chosen. I actually read it with my hand to my chest like a caricature of a swooning Victorian maiden, and ended with tears in my eyes. Maester says of it, âitâs heavy on smoking and light on plotâ because thatâs what sheâs like, but let me tell you, itâs immense in terms of its emotional impact. I could read 100k of this Draco (his weariness, his fortitude, his intense self-criticism) and this Harry (who I am in love with, crooked smile, trembling hands, kind heart and all), but equally this vignette is so perfectly satisfying in terms of how much it reveals, that it really is all we need. And thereâs stunning art too. Top-class, a perfect short, and it has my heart forever.
push and pull you down (E, 5.2k) - @bonesliketambourinesâ
This is the fic for you if you want to read something that effortlessly blends real pathos with a sort of blatant, unabashed, filthy heat. I think I actually made a little noise when we were introduced to louche, fucked out, fucked up Draco in his underpants. Heâs just endlessly compelling and distracting in this, and bonesliketambourines captures that so well (and makes us see exactly how Harry would feel the same), but does it in a really restrained, subtle way. I particularly loved the ending too. Thereâs a delicious ambiguity around whatâs a good idea and whatâs not - the concept of this being the best worst idea theyâve ever had, sort of thing? And thereâs no compromise on the mood of the piece - Lis carries it through to the end and weâre left breathless.
There is a place ( Chapter 22, T, 1.1k) - @cibeewastakenâ
Look, if you can think of anything more perfect for cibeeâs trademark blend of wry humour and devastating pathos than a found family fic about Slytherins and Gryffindors sharing Grimmauld and having a special room for them all to cry in, then you are incorrect because this is in fact the perfect cibee fic. Itâs funny and tragic and hopeful and moving all at once, and in one thousand words cibee creates a warhammer blow directly to the heart. Give me Draco and Hermione wrongly filling out crossword puzzles or give me death! This left me with a lump in my throat and a sense of peace.
To the Rhythm of the Waves (G, 2.7k) - @tsauergrassâ
Thereâs something so magical about tsauergrassâ writing, and really any of their fics could have appeared on this list, but I couldnât possibly not feature this tender domestic piece about the quest for a home. The mood is dreamlike, like weâre hearing a snatch of distant music or feeling a breeze spring up out of nowhere - that sense of something charming and uncanny. Tsauergrass writes tenderness so beautifully, and this whole fic feels like weâre getting a glimpse into something hopeful and special and private. A blissful cottagecore romance.
fermata (M, 6.5k) - @yoyointhegardenâ
This is technically cheating as this fic is from 2019 but it simply has to be included. We know that pianist!Draco is a fandom staple at this stage, but Iâve never come across a depiction quite like this one. Itâs a quietly devastating fic (though it happens to be about making noise), and deals with trauma and grief and coping mechanisms in the most lyrical yet unflinching way. A true beauty of a fic.
Our Little Life (M, 7.2k) - @tackytigerficâ
This is also cheating but itâs my list and I want in! I wrote this little time travel/ alternate timelines/ epic love across the ages story for one of my dearest fandom friends, and it took me a while to work out where to go with it. In the end, I decided on⌠everywhere. Harry keeps dreaming of versions of him and Draco through history, in thousands of different scenarios and thousands of different lives (donât worry, I only write about five of them). Itâs sort of a non-linear, meandering little story, but I tried to pack in a proper big love story into a small space. My favourite sort of short to write - indulgent in plot, pared back in style, and vivid in mood.
This is Part II of my short fic recs - read Part I here!Â
kianamaiart
pixelskylines
snowghoul
titsay
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
amandla
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
