Rec I would like to preface this rec by announcing that I turned my
snupin_santa story in on time this year, and that this is, I do believe, the first time I have
ever turned
any fest fic in by the original deadline. Now, to keep that stellar record up for
smutty_claus. And... something else with a deadline that I can't tell you about. Heh.
No, none of that actually had anything to do with this rec. :) Onward!
As the Gentle Rain by
joanwilder (Snape/Bill, NC-17: BDSM and related warnings, 30K)
For Snape and Bill, obsession is only the beginning. This story was first posted back in August as part of
thematic_hp's BDSM round, and I read the first half of it, enjoyed it immensely, and for some reason wandered off
intending to go back to it when I had time... and then promptly forgot to do so. :( But! I was thinking about it last week, wondering why I couldn't recall how it had ended, and then realised I'd never read the ending. Anyway, I've now read it all, and I have to share it with you because it really is a treasure of a story.
Where to start... Well. It's a whopper of a rarepair, that's for certain, although one thing I've learned in HP fandom is that Snape fen aren't always that particular about their Snape pairings. If there is Snape, there will be readers. *g* So I would certainly hope that Snape fen would give this story a shot. Same goes for the Bill Weasley fen. If you don't, on first glance, believe this pairing is possible, that's okay. The whole arc of the story in intended to show us that it
is possible, and how. Nothing is taken for granted here in terms of the pairing. Beginning with Bill's first year at Hogwarts and following canon through to GoF (canon-compliant! yes, really!), the author shows us exactly how a relationship with Snape could have formed - and flourished. If this weren't such a rarepair, I'm quite sure the story would be called a classic of the ship. It still could be, for all the Snape/Bill there is out there. :)
As many of you will already know from reading
joanwilder's Snarry stories, she excels at Snape characterisations, at plot, and at long, slow, perfectly-paced storytelling that lets you just sink into her universe and absorb all the lovely little details. There is a dual universe here which eventually merges into one: the world Snape inhabits at Hogwarts, where he slowly, over the course of Bill's seven years there, falls in love with a student, and the world outside Hogwarts, where Snape gradually discovers, accepts and begins to actively practice his identity as a submissive in the Wizarding BDSM scene.
The BDSM scenes are intense; I won't lie to you. It's not "BDSM-lite," as seems to be a popular fic label lately. But it's also so nicely tied to the character development and Snape's growth as a person that the sex is never gratuitous or out of place. Both Snape and Bill are drawn with such depth as characters, so fully formed, that I can't get them out of my head. As I said to the author, I'll have trouble reading about either of them in other pairings for some time to come, I think. That's how convinced I am that their relationship in this story is
right for both of them.
Enjoy! And if you do, be sure to leave a comment for the hardworking author. My own rambling comment is over at her locked LJ, if you're wondering why it looks like I didn't leave one, heh. :)
Current Mood:
impressed