That girl who wrote that fic.

I know I've recced this before, but now that this fic is complete, I'm reccing it again. Because it needs to be read, possibly published, and definitely made into a film. (Preferably with the sex scenes intact and the original actors cast, but hey I'll take what I can get.)

Title: Roses of Picardy
Author: splix
Fandom: War Horse (But really? This is practically original fic. You don't have to have read the book or seen the film to read and enjoy this.)
Rating: Explicit (Y'all know what I like, right?)
Pairing: Jamie Stewart/Jim Nicholls
Length: 76,330 words
Links: On AO3 | On LJ (link goes to a tag with all posts, so scroll back to the first)

Why I fucking adore this fic: God, where do I begin? Splix takes two characters who have very little screen time and fleshes them out completely. The story picks up in the aftermath of an early ill-fated battle in WWI, then continues through the war and after, following the love story between these two men. It's so completely embedded in the time and place and culture of WWI Britain that I now have an insane fetish for anything I can get my hands on about that era. She deals with issues of being homosexual a century ago, living in fear of being discovered, the horrors of war, and the strength of love to pull people through hell. She takes us through the cultural changes that followed WWI and the way these two found a way to make a life together despite a gulf of class and entrenched homophobia. MY FEELS for these two, god, I can't even. The fic deserves its own fandom. If you haven't read it, go, now. It's brilliant.

Feel free to repost this:

I know some people hate reading WIPs for a variety of good reasons, but I LOVE them, OMG. I think I love them for the exact reasons many people hate them, actually. I adore getting the story in little chunks, eagerly awaiting the next part, that delicious feeling of excitement I get when the next chapter has been posted, and being part of the collective squee that is OMG, fic XYZ has been updated all the FEELZ YOU GAIZ. I love the way WIPs allow me as a reader to stop and think about the story and where it's going, to analyze it and give the writer a level of feedback that I find I don't give on finished works. It's also fun to read other people's comments on the latest chapter and see how others are responding as the story unfolds. The level of thought and conversation is sometimes truly inspiring.

Sometimes WIPs get abandoned, and that's sad, but that's okay with me. I can enjoy them for what they are and imagine my own ending. I prefer it when authors update regularly, but if the story is good I will hang on even if months go by with no updates.

The HP fandom back in the day was full of WIPs; everyone had one. And at some point it became a fandom of one-shots instead, perhaps because the fandom seemed to become so fest-driven around 2005. I can't remember the last time I read a WIP in HP. It's been ages.

In other fandoms I've been working and reading in lately, the WIP is alive and well, and oh how I missed it! Here are a few WIPs I'm following that I am loving and highly recommend.

The Fabric of Life by holyfant (Sherlock BBC, John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3 | On LJ
A gorgeously written post-Reichenbach fic with a fantastically angsty and damaged Sherlock and John who is trying to work Sherlock back into his life again. Another one I don't want to ever end.

The Quiet Man by ivyblossom (Sherlock BBC, John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3
Everyone is reading this one already, I know. Wah, so much love for this John. So much post-Reichenbach angst and UST and then the last two chapters OMFG. That is WIP gold, right there. And done in that glorious first person POV that no one pulls off as well as Ivy does. I don't really want this one to end.

Roses of Picardy by splix (War Horse, Jamie/Jim)
Links: On AO3 | On LJ
If you fangirl either or both of Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Hiddleston and watched War Horse for that reason, you need to read this fic. OMG, so angsty and period and good, and I can't wait to see where it's going. I can't get over the voice of this fic and the dialogue. Gorgeous!

A Study in Doubles by jupiter_ash (Sherlock BBC AU, John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3 | On LJ
Sequel to A Study in Winning, which should also be read. Glorious tennis AU! It sounds cracktastic, but it isn't. Even if tennis isn't something you find interesting, you'll get sucked in, I promise. I eagerly await more.

Overclocked by Abundantlyqueer (Sherlock BBC AU,John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3
Updated only sporadically, currently only 3 chapters, but oh what a fascinating premise for an AU. It's a sort of dystopian futuristic thing and honestly, I haven't quite worked out all the details yet because there are only 3 chapters. But the potential is fantastic. When it's updated, my squee will be epic.

Edit: I'm mortified that I forgot these amazing WIPs as well:

Long Ago and Far Away series by lotherington (Sherlock BBC AU, John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3 | On LJ
She had me at the summary: WWII AU in which John is an army doctor and Sherlock is a cryptographer at Bletchley Park. But what I really love is the way she's taken these particular incarnations of John and Sherlock and has transported them to WWII-era London -- a time when being gay was still something that could land one in prison. Oh, it's lovely, and she brings the time alive in such heartwrenching ways.

In Deed Accomplish our Designs by greywash (Sherlock BBC, John/Sherlock)
Links: On AO3
Sequel to the amazing post-Reichenbach The Sensation of Falling as You Hit Sleep (which OMG you should READ if you haven't yet). YUM. Just... yeah, yum. OMG.

I could swear there was a Cabin Pressure WIP I was following, but maybe not. What WIPs are you following that I should read too?

First, a rec: One of These Days (The Sky's Gonna Break) by starlitshore (Harry/Draco, NC-17, WIP).

I'm a beta for this fic so I've seen where it's going, and I'm incredibly excited about it. Her portrayals of Harry and Draco are so exactly what I adore, and her writing is in that smooth, straightforward style that I love and aspire to. Go, read! :-D

Second, bidding is now underway in the lubricus Support Our Slashing auction! There are lots of awesome items up for auction, including a fic by me and a chance to guest host a segment on slashcast. Please go check it out and bid, if you're so inclined. :-D

I'm now up to date on Sherlock canon, woot! And now I'm looking for fic. And by fic I mean porn.

Anyone have any recs? I've been cruising the kink meme and a few comms, but haven't yet found anything that really presses my buttons. Said buttons would be first-time John/Sherlock fic with both boys fairly IC. Surely such fics exist in a fandom that's been around a few years?

EDIT: Lots of amazing Sherlock recs in the comments!

I'm really finding myself wanting to write for this fandom. Things need to sink in a bit (and obviously there are two more episodes coming), but yeah, I think there will be fic. :-D

Two quick pimps:

1. snapecase is currently posting! I wrote a fic for this one, in case anyone is interested. This is the first fic I've ever written from Snape's POV, and only the 2nd or 3rd Snape-centric fic ever. So it may be easy to spot the n00b, LOL.

2. Y'all, I am so effing proud of the current episode of slashcast. It's our 5th episode since the reboot and I think it's our best one yet. If you haven't listened, I hope you'll give it a try and then comment to let us know what you think. :-)

I stayed up WAY too late last night watching video clips on YouTube. As a result, I have a hankering for some fics with certain pairings. These are fandoms I'm not very familiar with, but I'm sure that my flist knows all. :-)

Can anyone recommend:

• Torchwood: smutty, smutty Jack/Ianto (For some reason I want dirty little first-time PWPs here...)

• Dr. Who: Jack/Doctor (I'm thinking of David Tennant, but really any Doctor would do. And yes, I want this after seeing the little kiss between David and John at ComicCon in 2009.)

• TBBT: Penny/Sheldon (I'm SO starting to ship these two, OMG. I'm curious to see how people do this while keeping Sheldon IC.)

TIA for any recs you can give! :-D