#silk bbc

thank you! right?? idk honestly it was so strange! he's a barrister too, which makes the whole legal shambles of that trial even more strange! what was he thinking? also i hate to say it but that whole plot re:billy not being capable of sexual assault because he had cancer was just... weird. but yeah, honestly, i do see both sides of clive and martha. i don't know if harriet really wanted what was best for chambers or just wanted billy's head, but honestly, even if it was the latter, i kinda see her point.

and, idk. i feel like clive acted like one of these men who suddenly wake up after years of fucking around thinking: now, i want to commit and was unhappy that martha wouldn't simply run back to him at his beck and call. although, she did send him so fucking mixed signals, i'll give him that 🤣.

if you’re in need of something to read, welcome to the crème-de-la-crème rec list. this rec list is multi-fandom, and contains all of my all-time faves, the ogs that will always stay the closest to my heart. i will keep it linked and accessible and try to update it... whenever. for a more up-to-date version, please see my ao3 bookmarks here.

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BEST OF 2021 SUMMER 2022

BOY WITH A SCAR by @ink-splotch (SERIES) (MULTIPLE POVS) (AU) (<250K)

“This Ginny had never met a diary. But she had still died once, though in a flaming home and not a cold, damp castle basement. She had still been reborn into something her mother would always love and never fully understand.” this series by the same author explores canon through unbelievably well-written what-if AUs. i haven’t read all of them because they tend to give me a lot of feels and live in my head for days after that, so I’m taking my time. this being said, one of the ones i have read is the kids who choose themselves and i couldn’t recommend it enough. it might tear you up, though, consider yourself warned.

THE CHANGELING by @annerbhp (POV GINNY WEASLEY) (AU) (<200K)

if you gravitate anywhere close to hinny circles, chances are, you've already heard of this fic. i'm not quite sure what to add to what literally everyone else has said before me, aside from the fact that it is absolutely amazing and 100% deserves the hype. it honestly took me ages to get to because i initially couldn’t get behind the idea of ginny being sorted into slytherin and what a mistake! as soon as i started, i could not put this down. i think what i absolutely love with this fic, above the fact that the writing style is gorgeous, is the characterisation. particularly, the work put into developing ginny's character, and the way growing up in slytherin affects her. it really makes you question nature v. nurture. and, i think a lot of what-if-so-and-so-was-in-another-house fics tend to irk me because they tend to gloss over how that house and the friendships developed (v. those of canon) would affect the characters. this fic is definitely the opposite. it dives in to characterisation, and makes you think about people in ways you probably never have before. nothing is really ever black and white, and the character work is stellar. the following works in the series are great as well, but this is really the one that got me hooked. this instalment is generally gen but the ultimate endgame of the series is harry/ginny.

WE MUST UNITE INSIDE OUR WALLS OR WE WILL CRUMBLE WITHIN by @ink-splotch (SERIES) (MULTIPLE POVS) (CANON-COMPLIANT) (<50K)

"Annie, eleven, watched her mother come to the decision that Bella was someone you pointed at people." this series is one of the most beautiful things i've ever read. it's a collection of character studies themed around the four hogwarts houses. the writing style is very unusual and so poetic and beautiful. i'm an absolute stan.

THE SEAM BETWEEN by @copper-dust (POV HARRY POTTER) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<50K)

i fell in love with this story before making friends with the author, i swear. in fact, that's how we met haha. this is honestly one of the most beautiful things i have ever read. it's one of those beautifully nostalgic stories in which everything and nothing happens, and is my absolute ultimate headcanon for what happened during the summer of '95. it's beautiful, the style is flawless - go read it! i fell in love with this story before making friends with the author, i swear. in fact, that's how we met haha. this is honestly one of the most beautiful things i have ever read. it's one of those beautifully nostalgic stories in which everything and nothing happens, and is my absolute ultimate headcanon for what happened during the summer of '95. it's beautiful, the style is flawless - go read it!

WARM FRONT by @jiilys (POV HARRY POTTER) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<10K)

this is kind of fluff-with-a-plot post war fic that I adore. if you’re looking for a funny, well-written, feel-good and realistic fic to read, i would highly recommend this. additionally, it's another one of those fics where harry goes away/travelling directly after the war, which is a trope i definitely have a weakness for. the dialogue in this is impeccable and i love the presence of teddy and andromeda as well.

MAPS TO THE STARS' HOME by lizbee (POV HARRY POTTER) (AU) (<10K)

out of all the fics on this list, this is probably in the top 3. it's another (i know, i know) one of those harry-fucks-off-after-the-war but it's just - the most beautiful thing in the world. the writing is so utterly brilliant and perfect. it’s poetic, realistic, funny, sad, and is incredibly canon-compliant considering it was written before book seven came out. plus, the non-linear timeline is just So Well Done. i'm speechless every time i read it. it’s everything i wish i could write if i was better at writing. the way it intermingles the muggle and wizarding worlds as well is incredible. honestly can’t recommend it enough.

WE ONLY MAKE TSUNAMIS by dis0rderly (POV OMNISCIENT) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<25K)

this is probably one of the best fics I have ever read, period. to me, it's the harry/hermione classic, in a its-romantic-because-it-never-happened kind of way. the writing is gorgeous. it is about fate, expectations and things that don’t happen (and sometimes, that’s okay). it will break your heart. it's honestly haunting. (and the title is fucking perfect).

‘TIL THE SIRENS COME CALLING by vexmybones (POV OMNISCIENT) (AU) (<25K)

same as the above. on my top ten favourite fics of all time, similar themes. will rip your heart out with a sense of the way that life happens. also, good smut.

DECAY OF YOUR GOLDEN CITY by soapboxblues (POV HERMIONE GRANGER) (CANON-COMPLIANT) (<3K)

this one is also incredibly sad, but beautifully written. it is a very dark take on post-war, with harry slowly slipping into alcoholism. it’s very subtle, very delicate, and one big heartbreak. tagged harmony, though honestly you could read it as gen. some of the lines in this are just heartwrenching and absolutely gorgeous. Hermione here is talking about her and Harry, romantically: "there was a time a time she thought about it. two, actually. (…) now she thinks about it all the time - wondering what she was thinking” it’s the slow and painful breakdown of the trio in this that gets me too in this. very dark but gorge.

IS THAT SUCH A STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION? by aceofdiamonds (HP/GOSSIP GIRL CROSSOVER) (BLAIR/HARRY) (POV SPLIT) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<100K)

so, look: have i ever watched gossip girl? nope. did i solely jump on this bandwagon because i stan the author? sure. is it fucking amazing? absolutely. this is so, so beautiful. it’s the harry-dating-a muggle-trope done so, bloody, fucking well. it’s poetic, heart-warming, realistic, incredibly well-written and i absolutely loved it. you can 100% read this if you haven’t watched gossip girl before, trust me it's brilliant. it also broadens the wizarding world, normalises muggle/wizard relationships and opens up so many doors - i so, so, love this.

THIRTY-FIVE OWLS by letterblade (GRINDELWALD/DUMBLEDORE) (POV SPLIT) (CANON COMPLIANT) (&lt;10K)

i named this as my favourite fic of 2022, which is a bit unlikely given that this is not a pairing i typically read, but i could not put this down. this fic is an exchange of letters between grindelwald and dumbledore that spreads over years, after grindelwald's arrest. the character's voices in this are incredible, the characterisation is on point -- i could not recommend this enough.

i'm placing these in a separate category because i know some people don't like WIPs, but in this house, we do, so here are a few recs for you.

THE SQUIB by @btelling (GEN) (POV MULTIPLE) (AU) (<25K)

this fic is also one of the best things i've ever read in my life. it lives in my head rent-free and is absolutely insanely brilliant. nargles' ability to say so much in such a small amount of words is absolutely unmatched. the basic pitch is: following the end of the second wizarding war, muggles found out about the existence of wizards and, seeking revenge for the hurt they suffered as a result of voldemort’s reign, they started to hunt wizards down. the fic takes place in this post-apocalyptic/dystopian post-DH world and centers on hermione, harry and ginny as they try to survive. the writing is absolutely stellar. it’s slightly harry/ginny and ron/hermione (as well as seamus/dean, whoop, whoop - funnily enough, it's partly what motivated to write the fault) but romance is not the main focus. it contains absolutely beautifully heartbreaking quotes like this:  Harry threw up and picked at the scar on his forehead until it bled. Like it’d ache again, and they’d have problems they knew how to solve. if you enjoy this fic would like to listen to nargles talk about her work, you can head over here!

THE WANDSMITH'S APPRENTICE by @marycontraire (SEAMUS/DEAN) (POV DEAN THOMAS) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<50K)

this fic was in my summer 2022 wrapped but i could not fail to include it in the massive rec list as well. it’s a post-war story (and, we all know i love post-war) told from dean’s pov. the premise of this story is that dean takes on an apprenticeship with ollivander and, i suppose, life ensues. i cannot stress enough how much i truly adore this work. first of all, the writing is stellar. i totally fell in love with dean’s characterisation in this, which is so on point - i love the world the author has built around his family, his sisters, his parents (his mum!), their lives, ect. so many OCs that feel real. the fic also really explores what life looks like for muggleborns, existing with a foot in both worlds, especially after the war, and the impact magic can have (positively or negatively on muggles' lives). the worldbuilding around wandmaking is also frankly mindblowing and the amount of detail marycontraire has put into the creating and crafting of wands, as well as ollivander, his mind, his work, his shop, etc. is truly next level. the deamus is also the loveliest. i love seamus in this. i was in absolute awe. 

KNOWING WHERE TO LOOK by @ala-baguette (GEN) (POV GAWAIN ROBARDS) (CANON COMPLIANT) (<250K)

i like to think of knowing as castles' sister from another mister. it is a post-war, canon-compliant, adult continuation of the books, and literally everything i've ever wanted and loved in a post-war fic. the outsider's pov is absolutely incredible, the worldbuilding and wizarding politics are stellar, as well as the characterisation. the fic is regularly updated and honestly, every time i get an email notifying me, i get the brightest smile all day. also, @ala-baguette is one of the nicest people i've met in fandom, and interviewing her on the podcast was an absolute joy. if you fancy a listen, it's here.

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UNDEFINED by orbythesea (GEORGETOWN) (POV ALICIA FLORRICK) (WILLICIA) (<10K)

i re-read this recently and i don't think i've ever read a fic so perfect. it is the top-tier of the top-tier, the canon for georgetown era willicia and will shatter your heart into a thousand pieces. i would highly recommend reading the entire series (and anything by orbythesea for that matter) but this one is the ultimate gold. it really made me think of one of the key themes of the good wife, a dissertation on the decisions you make as a "kid" which then shape the direction of the rest of your life. both will and alicia are so in character in this, and the entire cast of recurring orbythesea OCs is lovely.

A BETTER GRACE by @tessiete (WILL GARDNER CENTRIC) (POST 5X15-ISH) (<5K)

when i interviewed tess on the podcast and she told me this was based off the myth of narcissus i was like "mmmh" and in my head "omgofcoursehowdidinotseethisbefore?!" despite what the author herself claims about it not being "legal" enough, this is a very good fic, which i would highly recommend. it's an interesting take on will/his own reflection, and is written absolutely beautifully. it has that heartbreaking tone all post-5x15 fics have, and no, i'm still not over it.

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SPOOKS

LIFE DURING WARTIME by likeyourefuse (POV ADAM CARTER) (AU) (<3K)

i'm sorry. how can such a short story in fandom i've barely ever been in fucking HAUNT me this much?? it's an AU set in a world where the coup at the end of s4 isn't stopped, and the uk falls into a dictatorship. i don't want to quote it cause it's at the very end but the last three paragraphs are all i can think about when i can't sleep at three o'clock in the morning. swear to god.

PEAKY BLINDERS

FIVE FEVERS by ariadness_string (POV TOMMY SHELBY) (AU) (&lt;5K)

Aw, anon, you're so sweet. I'm glad I could fix it!

And, OMG will you believe me when I say I had not clocked on that Harriet and Jo were played by the same person 😱🤣. How many times have I watched these shows???? I'm so shocked. I mean, kudos to her for the acting work in fairness. I think it's the iconic 00s Jo dark eyeliner make-up that threw me off.

Clive/Harriet is just ugh. Keep-it-in-your-pants-for-once type of 'ugh.' I'm starting to rewatch s2 at the moment and am not looking forward to S3 past the first ep (sigh). That whole series was a mess.

Adam/Jo is like, idk. I'm not sure if I like them as friends or lovers, I don't mind either. It was So Short-Lived 😭. I pretty much like Adam with everyone he was paired with, I don't have a hard opinion. Poor bloke just needed a lot of therapy 😆.

If you're interested, I did write a Spooks fic last year which has a hint of Adam/Jo if you squint.