War

War is not heroic,War is not exhilarating,Wall is full of Despair.It is dark. It is dreadful.It is a thing of sorrow and gloom.That is why people fear war.That is why people choose to avoid it.

(Kira - Bleach)

Lies and Truth

Isn’t it kind of ironic that you lie to everybody while you seek the truth?

 (Haibara Ai - Detective Conan)

Slave Child

Title: Slave Child
Author: Kristen Hudson
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry, Snape
Warning: PG-13, child neglect, adoption, suicidal thoughts
Length: Novel (250.000+)
Status: abandoned


A duel with Draco leads to drastic and permanent consequences for both Harry and Severus. AU from the end of OotP.


Slave Child at FF


One of those novel-length stories you just have to love. It's a pity there hasn't been an update in two years. Still, this does not make it a bad read. The main plot is already solved, there are only a few loose ends which are not that important.
Slave Child represents a different kind of Sevitus-Story. Snape being forced to take care of Harry due to a spell, then beginning to care. Is Snape out of character? Maybe. Later on, yes. In the beginning, I do not think so. This story is somewhat sappy, somewhat dramatic, somewhat emotional. So many somewhats... that's why it is a story many people enjoy.

Kristen Hudson is only known in the Harry Potter Fandom and focuses on Snape+Harry.

I hear those voices that will not be drowned

Titel: I Hear Those Voices That Will Not Be Drowned: 
           The Cold Song Series
Author: eldritchhorrors
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Warning: NC-17, slash, murder, mention of rape, BDSM, drug abuse
Length: Novella (60.000+)
Status: ongoing


Sherlock is bored. Bored with no cases, bored with life, bored with everything. But he promised John, promised, that drugs were off the table. And just because he is asking John for too much in return, doesn't mean that Sherlock isn't willing to give it. This is how broken people fall in love.


I Hear Those Voices That Will Not Be Drowned at FF 


Realistic BDSM with Johnlock? Sounds impossible? I was sceptical at first, too. That's just something I wouldn't consider canon-compliant. Yet here it is, a story featuring Sherlock realistically seeking out pain to keep his mind clear  - and John helping him to keep him off drugs. It's a well-written story, not about leather and what else one might associate with BDSM. Rather it's about finding trust, about finding relief in sceneing. And the case depicted is actually interesting, as well as Sherlock's background story.

Alea Iacta Est

Title: Alea Iacta Est
Author: EllaEleniel
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Harry
Warning: pg-13, illness (cancer)
Length: Novel (180.000+)
Status: Hiatus


When a bout of erratic magic delivers Harry into his professor's hands, the pair make a shocking discovery that forces Harry to face his toughest battle yet. Now, with Snape by his side Harry must fight to survive against a foe more deadly than Voldemort.



Alea Iacta Est at FF


Despite the fact that alea is a plural word and correctly it would be "alea iacta sunt", this fanfiction is plenty interesting. Okay, Snape's somewhat the healer-type and nice and caring. But that's not what this story is about. Sure, Harry is important. And Snape too. And maybe their shared past as well. But really important is how to cope when diagnosed with cancer. It's not some sappy fanfiction, it is about facts, about showing people what they usually do not experience in their life. The hardships, the new-found hope, bitter realisations, being deprived of months, of years of your life, the ineffectivity to fight when the fight is taking place inside of you, the helplessness when you can do no more and just wait.
That's what Alea Iacta Est is.
Harry and Snape thrown together is just a bonus.

Why Hiatus?
I don't want to believe that the author abandoned the story. Sure, the livejournal hasn't been updated either in recent months. But such a work speaks of personal involvement... you do not give up something like that. You don't. You may let it rest until it is shouting loudly to PLEASE be finished.

Personality

The circumstances of birth are irrelevant; It is how you make use of the gift of Life that makes you who you are.

(Mew - Pokemon)

Harry Potter and the Princes of Slytherin

Title: Harry Potter and the Princes of Slytherin
Author: Aethyr
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry, Snape
Warning: PG-13, child neglect
Length: Medium (40.000+)
Status: abandoned

Snape and Harry resume Occlumency lessons in book six, with significantly different results. Harry grieves for Sirius (rather than getting over his death impossibly quickly). Things... ensue... 


Harry Potter and the Princes of Slytherin at PS


Abandoned, so why reccing it?
Because it's well-written. Okay, there is not much plot, I have to agree. The drama part is quite interesting, though. Snape and Harry seem rather in character. Bonus: Occlumency lessons

Once More, With Feeling

Title: Once More, With Feeling
Author: redcarrigan
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Warning: PG-13, mention of slash
Length: Medium (20.000+)
Status: Completed


To put off his meddlesome, matchmaking mother, John convinces Sherlock to play the role of his significant other. Unparalleled awkwardness ensues.


Once More, With Feeling at AO3


Fluff, no kinks, no sexual content. It's a peaceful story full of romance. Stories like these are what makes people think "yes, that could be a nice pairing." Their fake relationship is so adorable.
Don't think this is mediocre slash, just because it's T and not NC-17. Short and sweet, sometimes these fictions are the best. (I love NC-17, don't get me wrong XD).
Author mainly writes T-Slash - won't look into the other stories but if somebody is a big fan of fluff... this would probably be a good source.

Loss

Well, if you live long enough, you lose a lot. Just as long as you don’t throw them away. Whatever you loose, you’ll find again, but what you throw away you never get back.

(Oibore - Rurouni Kenshin )

Kindness

When people get hurt, they learn to hate… when people hurt others, they become hated and racked with guilt. But knowing that pain allows people to be kind.

(Jiraiya - Naruto)

Loneliness

Perhaps the company of an evil person is preferable to loneliness.

(Gaara - Naruto)

Can't Rewind Now We've Gone Too Far

Title: Can't Rewind Verse
Author: Basser
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Characters: Sherlock, Mycroft
Warning: NC-17, Drug Abuse, Mention of Slash, murder (Siger), suicidal (Sherlock)
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

At age nineteen, Sherlock Holmes dropped out of university to become a drug addict.


At AO3

I really enjoyed:

Pt 1: Internet Killed the Video Star
Pt 2: Can't Rewind Now We've Gone Too Far


Never heard of this author before. Mostly active in Detective Conan and Sherlock Fandom - as I've been out of the former for some time, and just getting into the latter, this is barely a surprise.
Writing style is rather promising - drug abuse stories often glorify the abuse, tend to become overkills. Here, the balance between Sherlock's downward spiral and his mood swings is described beautifully. I am rather critical of drug abuse stories because I don't like them oversimplifying things. Here, the author pays attention to the negative aspects, but also to what keeps addicts doing it (duh, the addiction, but also how they feel about it). Mycroft's meddling seems kind of canon as well, and I can imagine Sherlock as an angry teenager.

Related works:
The Smart One

A Case of Identity

Title: A Case of Identity
Author: jkay1980
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Warning: R, Mention of Slash
Length: Novel (90.000+)
Status: Completed

John and Sherlock have succeeded in rebuilding their friendship after Sherlock's fake suicide, but an unusual case puts their relationship to the test. They pretend to be engaged and attend a marriage counseling workshop. Under the pretext of the case, Sherlock turns out to be a master of seduction, and John finally learns he might like Sherlock more than he thought. Slowly, John discovers that he loves Sherlock not only in a friendly, brotherly way, but both men have to fight their own demons before they can think of taking their relationship to a new level.


A Case of Identity at AO3



Author has no other stories on this site, yet the name seems familiar. Checked it, also is on ff.net. and one of my other sites. No wonder it seemed familiar.

Love

Love is like a mine field. Every wrong step leads to a major explosion - either it's Game Over or you have to start over. It seems unlikely to ever reach the other side.

(Anonymous)

Deadly Slash

Topic not as funny as the title might indicate;
I was asked by one of my steady readers (from my works) in which countries Slash stories and homosexuality itself is persecuted. I had mentioned it in the passing as I know some authors that prefer not to leave too much of a track behind as their government isn't too keen on people writing, let alone reading slash stories.
Can you believe that even nowadays there are 93 countries in which homosexuality is a crime?
In seven of those it even is punished by death. Iran, Saudi-Arabia, Yemen, United Arabian Emirates, Sudan, Nigeria and Mauritania.

To me, this seems quite unbelievable. Maybe it's due to the liberal background I grew up with, but to me sexuality, gender, religion, appearance and origin simply do not matter. Everybody can do as they please - as long as what they do does not cause problems or oppresses others in their freedom of choice and way of living.

The Quiet Man

Following my newest "addiction", I decided to search for some good fanfictions explaining away how Sherlock survived.
One story that crossed my way impressed me a lot. It's actually Slash so not everybody's case. Still, here you go:

Title: The Quiet Man
Author: ivyblossom
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Warning: R; Slash, Het, 
Length: Novel (150k+)
Status: Completed

"Do you just carry on talking when I'm away?"

 The Quiet Man at AO3




What struck me first when seeing this was actually not the description or the rating - no, it was the author's name. I recognized it, I knew it from somewhere.
ivyblossom also wrote some fanfictions in the Harry Potter - Fandom, namely one called Blue Vase. I remember it fondly, there was a lot of undealt grief, a lot of insecurity and inner monologues. ivyblossom's wrinting style struck me as quite enjoyable.
Remarkable about it is the way action is handled. Mostly, her chapters are directed to the consciousness of the main characters. There's a slice of life tone in there, quite a bit of drama. The characters get more depth than in most fanfictions, it's ivyblossom's speciality. The Quiet Man is just like that. You virtually see ivyblossom, you can grasp the author through the writing. I consider this remarkable.
Even in this story which is mostly about John grieving, it doesn't drift into whining and whinging about how unfair life is - it's more like that. She shows the ambivalence in their minds, she doesn't force you to sympathize with the characters. They do not need sympathy.

Other stories of ivyblossom that struck me as recommendable (still going through the others):
Blue Vase at AO3 - HP, Drarry

Living Transparently

Have you ever wondered what the life of another person looks like?
And is the difference of experiences, of hobbies and origin really noticeable?
I sometimes do. Movies like putting people into another person's shoes and show how hard it is to walk, especially when the shoe is no instant fit.
Could somebody just take over another's life? And how would you gather enough information about a person to imitate them? Talk with friends, family, associates? Check possessions?
Actually this thought kind of scares me - wouldn't you really get to know a person by tracing everything on one's computer(s)? One's mobile phone?
The amount of data we inevitably enter over years, over decades is - even when going mostly anonymous - vast. How often did you go by the same nickname? Or use the same password, how often did you enter your true birthday, your email adress? Hobbies - how much information did you give away by writing in forums, writing mails to friends, colleagues, family?
And what about all those photos, notes and videos on your computer?

In a way, everything you do shows part of yourself.
People complain about google collecting data, about facebook not being too keen on giving privacy...
Still, isn't it rather the realization how careless we handle personal information that fuels us to condemn them? Because they show us that everything about us is already there?
I really mean 'we' - I am one of those which like anonymity quite much.

Just a thought. Maybe I should stop complaining about the data collectors - or rather, do it more rationally. They can only collect what we give them. I still don't like it, and never will - but what does it say about a person if one does not see the other side of the coin, the origin of the problem. You cannot condemn the effect, the data collecting, without admitting that the careless dealing with internet made just that possible.

BBC Sherlock

I never counted myself as a fan of Doyle's works. I respect them, I respect Doyle, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Not that I never tried getting my head around the idea; I watched some episodes of Elementary ( US crime series loosely based on Sherlock Holmes), I began one of the books, I watched one of the old movies, the new movies. Some weren't bad, some where. Yet it never made me a fan. They were lacking in some ways - but you probably know that feeling that says that something just isn't right but you can't put your finger on it.
Now I stumbled across BBC Sherlock. And honestly, it didn't sound great to me. Why should a british short film series get me hooked on the idea when some of the big American versions didn't do just that?
The answer after watching those six short films is clear to me: because it is British. It is original.

BBC Sherlock puts the entire setting into society nowadays, in the London of 2010/2012. The cases are modified, the characters aren't. They are true to their innermost core, they do have quirks. I didn't anticipate the next murder case when I waited for the next episode to load, I wanted to see more of Sherlock, more of John. And that's what amazed me as well: John and Sherlock are truly equal. Any movie I saw, any series I began to watch: in each of them Sherlock was depicted as superior. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sherlock, but a good director needs two characters to act as counterparts, to add dynamic to their relationship. In Sherlock, both were friends, you felt the connection between them - John was Sherlock's equal, Sherlock put him there and Sherlock's quirks were effectively used to counter his intelectual superiorness.
I've talked a lot about those two, I know. To me, characters make a setting interesting. The cases weren't boring and that helped too, but the dynamic relationship between Sherlock and John is the main ingredient which makes this adaption second to none I've seen so far.
I now count me a fan of Sherlock. It made me fall in love with the characters. Don't get me wrong: I don't think you can compare it with blockbusters, with those big Hollywood box-office successes. And these short films don't ask you to do that. They are not made for you to enjoy the action or to get sappy over the end. They are made to show a part of British culture, to make the people fall in love with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson once again, to love them not only in the last millenium, but in this as well.
To me, BBC Sherlock was an eye-opener.

And a bonus, too: Cumberbatch (actor of Sherlock) has a great voice. It took me some seconds to realize tthat no, he wasn't voiced by Alan Rickman, it truly is his own voice. Whenever he is angry and stresses his words, the differences in their voices get even more unnoticeable.
To me, Cumberbatch would have been a great young Severus Snape.
And he's a great Sherlock as well. I look forward to the next season - I sooo hate to wait for it.

A small reward for reading until here: It was damn hard to find this online from a reliable source. But here you go:
 http://www.dailymotion.com/moffatholmes#video=xnqfr6
If this becomes available in my country, I SO will buy the DVDs. Have to be on alert for it.

First Post

The first is always the worst.

Today was by no means a strange day - just one of many. I can't offer a nice and exciting story about how I got it in my head that the world needs another blog by an anonymous, unknown writer like me.
Let's be honest: it doesn't. It didn't need even the last few thousands.
I don't have had a bad break-up, don't suffer from PTSD, have no cat I can take pictures from, don't play many computer games and I have no ripped movies I can upload for you.
So, nothing a blog would be worth reading for.

Why take important internet space, then?
Because I kind of find myself wanting a place to rant, to write down thoughts and maybe somebody will like them. If not, no harm's done.

This would be the great transition to introduce myself. But what to say?
I actually like being anonymous. Or at least, I like the idea of being just that. Trackers, data collectors and fellow enemies be damned.
The only thing I'll say is that I write, I translate, I play games, watch TV and - yes, in modern times, this hobby still exists - read!
Since I can't write about what I don't know ( or at least, can't do that well ), I'll stick with what I know. Most posts will be English, some might be German/Frech/Spanish - depending on what I do. Game playthroughs will probably never be English as that would be pretty boring. Especially since Games have most often been released in the US for some time before coming to the EU. Ah, the problems of modern society... so dire.

That said, first rant finished.