Kinky Kristmas Recs

Almost all of my holiday fic fests have reached the end of posting, and I'm going to do my best to have a final recs post for each before the reveals.

This year marked my first time participating in Kinky Kristmas at daily_deviant. There were over 70 entries in this fine fest, representing a wide range of pairings and genres. Most of you will be pleased to hear that Minerva saw more action than Sirius Black, having seven different partners to SB's six.

My previous KK recs posts (with details) can be found here and here and here and here.

Today, I'm summing up those previous posts as well as adding a few never-before-seen recs. As usual, stories marked ** are ones that I consider exceptional.

New KK Recs

How Lavender Brown Learned to Hate Christmas (and Love George Weasley) in Just Twelve Days by luvscharlie (Lavender/George; NC-17, 9500 words)
Lavender's voice in this story is hilarious, and she's very well-characterized, as is the entire cast. I think you'll really enjoy how the author uses "The Twelve Days of Christmas," too.

Chromatic by purplefluffycat (Minerva/Luna, Minerva/Tom, mild hints of Minerva/Albus; R; 3100 words)
If you think it's not possible to find a believable Minerva/Luna, you'll think differently after you read this excellent story. It's one of my fest season favorites. The premise is an intriguing one: after the long war and the stress of battle and rebuilding, Minerva is experiencing "post-traumatic magic loss." Using a very effective color motif, the author tells how the magic is restored. The Luna section is beautiful and plausible; the Tom Riddle section is terrifying, yet equally plausible. A winner.

Previously-Recced KK Stories

**Touch My Skin to Keep Me Whole by leela_cat (Alastor Moody/Severus Snape; NC-17; 3000 words). Just breathtaking.
Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place by r_grayjoy (Severus Snape/Sirius Black, NC-17, 3600 words)
Take Two Drinks and Hex Me in the Morning by r_grayjoy (Severus Snape/Remus Lupin; NC-17; 3550 words).
Witches of a Certain Age by leela_cat (Minerva McGonagall/Andromeda Black; NC-17; 1350 words) (My gift).

Confession: I have to admit that I didn't read every single KK entry; I hit the m/m wall about three-quarters of the way through. So no doubt there are many excellent fics that I've ignored and thus cheated you of. But if you want to check them out, you still have time to hie yourselves over there before the reveals, which will happen on Monday, January 10. ETA: Reveals are up; authors' names are added.

HoggyWartyXmas Recs

Good News: The lovely mods at femmefest have agreed to post the current sign-ups (just without usernames and emails). It means extra work for them, but it's very helpful, and I'm grateful. I'm going to sign up.

More Good News: My favorite fest (aka hp_beholder) has announced its 2011 round! Read all about it here. Most of you on my flist will be very pleased to note that two new characters have been added to the list you can request: Andomeda Black Tonks AND. . .Amelia Bones!

If you're new to Beholder, don't be daunted by the apparent complexity of the instructions. It's really quite simple and well-explained. If you don't have time to write, be sure to sign up to watch; you won't be sorry. Some of my favorite HP stories of all time have come out of this fest, which is dedicated to those characters who are not the most popular, beautiful, or young.

Sign-ups begin January 27.

( Hoggywartyxmas Recs )

HoggyWarty reveals will take place on Sunday, January 9 (the Greasy Git's 51st birthday). Reveals have taken place; I've added the authors' names.