Darkest Desires by Lupinswolfie

Harry Potter Fic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Darkest Desires by Lupinswolfie
GrangerEnchanted.com: Darkest Desires by Lupinswolfie

Story Rating:
M/NC-17

Story Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Hermione/Remus

Fanfiction.net Summary:
Moony growled suddenly. 'This is my only warning, mate. I will have you, whether the human likes it or not. You will give in to me because we are destined to be together and you’ll find you can’t deny me.' COMPLETE!

GrangerEnchanted.com Summary:
Moony growled suddenly.  "This is my only warning, mate. I will have you, whether the human likes it or not. You will give in to me because we are destined to be together and you’ll find you can’t deny me."   She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, Hermione couldn't deny the wolf...but what will happen to the man and his previously chosen mate?  And is she truly the connection between man and beast?

Review:
I love fics that involve the whole "mate" concept, whether it's Veela, vampires, or werewolves. In this story, the wolf is basically another personality separate from Remus, which I found fascinating. However, there was a small issue of infidelity, and Tonks wasn't painted in the best light. Despite all that, it was a great read!

Favorite Aspect:
The sort of split personality between the wolf and the man.

Rating:
9/10

When He Was Wicked by LadyStiff

Harry Potter Fic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: When He Was Wicked by LadyStiff
TheMapleBookshelf.com: When He Was Wicked by LadyStiff

Story Rating:
M/MA

Story Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Hermione/Draco, Dramione

Fanfiction.net Summary:
When Hermione mistakenly makes a wish for Draco Malfoy to love her, she never in a million years believed it would actually come true. But when the wish doesn't turn out as expected, will she lose Draco forever? COMPLETE

MapleBookshelf.com Summary:
When Hermione mistakenly makes a wish for Draco Malfoy to love her, she never in a million years believed it would actually come true. But when the wish doesn't turn out as expected, will she lose Draco forever?

Review:
I really liked the concept for this one, where Hermione winds up in a sort of alternate reality where many aspects of her life are different. Then she winds up back in her original life and uses her knowledge from the alternate reality to seduce Draco. There are some pretty hot and steamy scenes that pumped up my heart rate, too!

Favorite Aspect:
The entire idea of being careful what you wish for.

Rating:
9/10

The Dragon's Bride by Rizzle

Harry Potter Fic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: The Dragon's Bride by Rizzle
GrangerEnchanted.net: The Dragon's Bride by Rizzle

Story Rating:
M/NC-17

Story Pairing:
Hermione/Draco, Dramione

Fanfiction.net Summary:
7th year. Draco & Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation.

GrangerEnchanted.com Summary:
7th year. Draco and Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation. After all, who in their right mind would want to be married to Draco Malfoy? Surely not Hermione…

Review:
I just re-read this fic about a week ago. I liked the idea of Draco and Hermione suddenly finding themselves in a marriage, and the fact that the they had gotten marriage tattoos made the idea even more interesting. It was fun reading about how both of them were against the idea, but then coming around to it while having to deal with a Death Eater recruiter at the same time.

Something I appreciate now that I hadn't realized previously is that this it doesn't really strike me as being a Hogwarts fic. It's difficult to explain, but for me it felt more like the setting just happened to be Hogwarts, rather than making the story about the school experience.

Favorite Aspect:
The marriage tattoos were really cool, although I kind of wish there was a little bit more about them.

Rating:
8/10

NOVA by cupcakeriot

Twilight Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: NOVA by cupcakeriot

Story Rating:
M

Story Status:
In-Progress (as of June 7th, 2014)

Pairing:
Bella/Edward

Fanfiction.net Summary:
The early 27th century - a young omnilinguist gypsy girl who creates visions with her li'lute, an alien bio-weapon struggling with his control, the Federation starship Nova, and how their lives intertwine.

Review:
This story caught my eye because it's not often I come across a Twilight scifi fic. Then when I started reading, I was really interested in the way the author managed to turn all of the main characters into different species from different planets like a sort of Star Trek cast. It's a bit odd because Bella and Edward are called Astra and Khai, respectively, rather than any of the names typical in Twilight fanfiction. If you're both a Star Trek fan and a Twilight fan, then you'll probably enjoy this.

Rating:
8/10

Views on Merlin

That old guy?

No, not the old guy... well, not technically. The BBC TV show "Merlin" is great! I wasn't a huge fan of the last season, but I love the original take on the old story. It's the same as the love I have for remakes of fairy tale.

Unfortunately, at the moment (as of June 2014) I'm not really keeping up with this fandom, but I have several  completed fics that I'll probably add to the blog.

Which Characters?

Merlin and Arthur tend to be the main characters of the fics I read, mainly because they're so crucial to the show. I loved their interaction and bromance in the show. Gwen is great in the show, but I don't find her character interesting enough to read stories centered on her.

Out of the knights, Gwaine is my favorite because of his friendship with Merlin initially (it helps that he's pretty hot). Lancelot, Percival, and Leon all rank at pretty much the same level after that. I generally don't read fics centered on any of the knights unless the summary REALLY grabs my attention.

Pairings?

I tend to like stories that are like extra episodes, so as long as the pairings don't overshadow the story I tend not to care who's involved with who. I can understand the Merlin/Arthur "Merthur" pairing, but I prefer Arthur/Gwen. And since I find Gwen's character to be a bit too boring, I don't search out stories that are centered around Arthur/Gwen or Merlin/Arthur.

Mine by Curiositykils

Harry Potter Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Mine by Curiositykils

Story Rating:
M

Status:
In-Progress (as of June 7th, 2014)

Pairing:
Hermione/Draco, Dramione

Fanfiction.net Summary:
Veela Fic set Ten Years after the War. Draco is a Veela. Hermione isn't his Healer. She's just his.

Review:
This is quite possibly the most original Veela story I've ever read. Unfortunately, over the past few months the author hasn't been keeping a consistent update schedule, which sort of stinks. This is one of those stories that just hooked me right from the summary and didn't let go. I don't want to give too much away, but if you've ever enjoyed any kind of Veela story, you'll probably love this one!

Favorite Aspect:
It's originality, and how it's not set in their Hogwarts years.

Rating:
10/10

Restoration by Elise de Sallier

Twilight Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Restoration by Elise de Sallier

Story Rating:
M

Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Bella/Edward

Fanfiction.net Summary:
Resigned to her lonely fate, Bella risks her life to rescue a man left for dead by enemy soldiers. Edward turns out to be a little more than she bargained for, his presence awakening dangerous desires and inspiring dreams that could change her life—and the course of a Kingdom—forever. A Cinderbella tale.

Review:
I've always loved original spins on fairy tales, so this story immediately caught my eye. It was a bit predictable in terms of what angst was going to be thrown in, but there was enough originality that I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I'll ever re-read it, but if you like fairy tales as much as I do, then you'll probably enjoy this.

Favorite Aspect:
The fact that it wasn't in modern times.

Rating:
7/10

The Case of the Creature Kidnappings by frostykitten

Harry Potter Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: The Case of the Creature Kidnappings by frostykitten

Story Rating:
T/PG-13

Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Hermione/Draco, Dramione

Fanfiction.net Summary:
"What your puny mind doesn't understand, Potter, is that she does the paperwork I hate, and I do the dirty work that grates on her Gryffindor sensibilities." Hermione and Draco have been partners working in the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures for years, but their comfortable partnership is shaken up when creatures go missing and the Aurors get involved.

Review:
This was such a great combination of humor, action, and romance. I loved the build-up to the romance because it was far more realistic than many of the other Dramione romances I've read. This author is one of my favorite Dramione writers because of this, and also because of the humor thrown in. I love the banter between Draco and Hermione.

Favorite Aspect:
The way that the humor isn't completely ridiculous, but rather fitting for the story.

Rating:
8/10

Coincidental Major by m7707

Twilight Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Coincidental Major by m7707
Twilighted.net: Coincidental Major by m7707

Previous Story (BPOV of Coincidental Major):

Fanfiction.net: Major Misconduct by m7707
Twilighted.net: Major Misconduct by m7707
My review of Major Misconduct

Story Rating:
M/NC-17

Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Bella/Edward

Fanfiction.net Summary:
A tale about a hockey-playing boy who loves his girl. This is Edward's story from Major Misconduct.

Twilighted.net Summary:
A tale about a hockey-playing boy who loves his girl. This is Edward's story from Major Misconduct.

Review:
Pretty much all I said about Major Misconduct. Even though it's all the same events, your perspective changes slightly since Edward is the one telling the story. I loved seeing how Edward viewed all of their interactions- most of the time I had assumed something different from what was actually going through his head. I don't think it matters, but I would recommend reading Major Misconduct first. I think there are one or two references made that you might not fully understand if you read Coincidental Major first.

Favorite Aspect:
The way the insight into Edward's head was different from what I had imagined while reading Major Misconduct, but better.

Story Rating:
9/10

Major Misconduct by m7707

Twilight Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Major Misconduct by m7707
Twilighted.net: Major Misconduct by m7707

Companion Story (EPOV of Major Misconduct):
Fanfiction.net: Coincidental Major by m7707
Twilighted.net: Coincidental Major by m7707
My review of Coincidental Major

Story Rating:
M/NC-17

Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Bella/Edward

Fanfiction.net Summary:
Edward Cullen - hot high school hockey player. Bella Swan - shy high school student. They've admired each other from afar, so what happens when they finally meet? Will they be strong enough to handle a threat from his past? No good deed goes unpunished...

Twilighted.net Summary:
Edward - hot high school hockey player. Bella - shy high school student. They've admired each other from afar, so what happens when they finally meet? Are they strong enough to handle a threat from his past? No good deed goes unpunished...

Review:
One of the first Twilight fanfics I ever read, this definitely opened me up to the world of All-Human Twilight characters. I read this several years ago, when I was closer in age and mentality to the high school characters. Re-reading it now, I still enjoy it, but I don't think I would have developed quite the same attachment to it that I have. If you're not into high school fics, then I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're willing to give it a try, I would definitely tell you to go for it. It has a great combination of romance and angst/action.

The Bella and Edward of this story are definitely ones that I prefer over the traditional personalities. Bella is still shy and looks at Edward with awe, but she develops more of a backbone and doesn't question their relationship every other second. Edward is still sort of possessive, but in a way that I see as being more protective than controlling. And the sexual tension in this is INTENSE. This writer has a real way of making my heart pound in my chest while reading some of the make-out and sex scenes.

The rating on this story is definitely deserved. The sex scenes can get pretty explicit (typical of what you might expect from an M/NC-17 Twilight story), and there is a cringe-worthy fight scene.

If you like this story, I would highly recommend the companion piece in EPOV, Coincidental Major (links above, review found here). It's great to see how Edward perceived all of their interactions.

Favorite Aspect:
The personalities of Bella and Edward being similar enough to the originals that it's not like the author wasn't paying attention, but different enough in a very good way to make the story better.

Rating:
9/10

To Let You Go by CharloBlack/CharlotteBlack

Harry Potter Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: To Let You Go by CharloBlack
GrangerEnchanted.com: To Let You Go by CharlotteBlack

Story Rating:
M, NC-17

Story Status:
Complete

Pairing:
Hermione/Remus

Fanfiction.net Summary:
On the morning of Remus and Tonks wedding Hermione falls victim to one of the Weasley twins’ experiments and is accidentally thrown 20 years into the past. Only one thing remains certain, horrible things happen to those who meddle with time… RLHG

GrangerEnchanted.com Summary:
On the morning of Remus and Tonks wedding Hermione falls victim to one of the Weasley twins’ experimental inventions and is accidentally thrown 20 years into the past. Not knowing whether she will ever be able to go back to her own time she decides to start to make a new life for herself. But, what happens when she returns and her new life and old life must combine? How will she cope?

One thing is certain, horrible things happen to those who meddle with time…

Review:
Fantastic story. If you've read a million time travel fics like I have, then you know that they can get a bit repetitive, but this one definitely has its own twist (although I may be biased, since this is actually one of the very first time travel fics I ever read...). Hermione winds up becoming Remus' mate- a theme I wish I could find in more stories. Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess I wish that there was a little bit more action (of the Death Eater fighting variety), but it's still a great story. I've re-read this one several times- it's that good.

As for the maturity rating, some of the sex scenes are a bit explicit, but there aren't a huge number (only a handful). It's not overly violent or anything either.

Favorite Aspect:
The idea of Hermione being Remus' mate- that concept that people are bound on a magical level like that makes me all gooey inside.

Rating:
8/10

Stargate Aschen by Kimberley Jackson

Stargate SG-1 Fanfic

Links:
Fanfiction.net: Stargate Aschen by Kimberley Jackson (edited to comply with FFN's rating guidelines)
Author's Website: Stargate Aschen (A Romance Based on Stargate SG-1)
Archive of Our Own: Stargate Aschen by Kimberley Jackson

Story Rating:
M, NC-17

Status:
In-Progress (as of June 2nd, 2014)

Pairing:
Sam/Jack

Fanfiction.net Summary:
Jack/Sam AU. Earth is an Aschen colony under strict reign by an Aschen government. Only a very small percent of humans are still fertile. Samantha Carter is a young woman living in this world oppressed by Aschen. When her father arranges her marriage with his friend Jack O'Neill to protect Sam from the system, Sam runs away to join the resistance, determined to liberate Earth...

Author's Website Summary:
This is an AU (alternate universe) version of Stargate – a spin-off in writing. In the year 799 (Aschen calender), Earth is a colony under strict reign by an Aschen government. Humanity is at the brink of extinction – only a very small percent of humans are so-called gifted ones; people, who are able to still conceive/father children. Strict rules apply to the gifted ones, as the Aschen government wants to make sure that a certain number of population is being upheld.

Samantha Carter is a young woman living in this restrictive world. She is 25 years old, and that means she has just come of age and undergoes her first fertility tests. When her tests turn out positive, her life is about to change dramatically, leaving her to be forcefully married to a genetically compatible male. Unwilling to accept that, she runs away from home to find the resistance and fight for her own freedom. Finally a member of the resistance, she is stationed at a small camp in Antarctica where a second Stargate was found almost a century before and kept secret from the Aschen. Camp leader is Colonel Jack O’Neill. Unaware of the fact that a coincidence has caused them to be more than soldiers in a war for Earth’s freedom, they start to fight to liberate their world from Aschen oppression together…

Archive of Our Own Summary:
In the year 799 (Aschen calender), Earth is a colony under strict reign by an Aschen government. Humanity is at the brink of extinction – only a very small percent of humans are so-called gifted ones; people, who are able to still conceive/father children. Strict rules apply to the gifted ones, as the Aschen government wants to make sure that a certain number of population is being upheld.

Samantha Carter is a young woman living in this restrictive world. She is 25 years old, and that means she has just come of age and undergoes her first fertility tests. When her tests turn out positive, her life is about to change dramatically, leaving her to be forcefully married to a genetically compatible male.


Unwilling to accept that, she runs away from home to find the resistance and fight for her own freedom. When she meets Jack O’Neill, camp leader of resistance cell 4, neither of them realizes that they share more than the mutual goal to free Earth from Aschen reign. Side by side, they start fighting to liberate their world from Aschen oppression using a second, secret Stargate, which was found almost a century before in the Antarctica forests…

Review: 
When I first started reading this, I was a bit hesitant because it was the first truly AU Stargate SG-1 fic that I had read. However, I'm very grateful that I did! It's one of those stories that I get excited about whenever I get an alert in my inbox. I love the way that the author manages to include bits from different episodes and incorporate them into the storyline. I think she's managed to keep true to all of the characters personalities, both from SG-1 and Atlantis. There are certain story arcs that are taking a bit longer than I want to be resolved, but she's definitely filling the time with interesting stories.

In terms of the maturity rating, there hasn't really been anything yet (as of June 2nd, 2014) that justifies it in my opinion, just a few scenes charged with sexual tension.

Favorite Aspect of Story (So far):
Difficult to say... I think it's probably the way she keeps tying in some of my favorite lines from the show into the story, especially since the setting is completely different.

Rating:
8/10

Views on Harry Potter

Harry Potter?

OF COURSE. It's Harry Potter! Need I say more?

Which characters?

Hermione! I related to her quite a bit, so I love reading stories about her. I've tried reading stories told from Harry's perspective, but most of the ones I've read were so OOC that I couldn't continue. I've read a handful that were told from other people's POV, but I don't seek them out. I mainly just read ones about Hermione.

Pairings?

Hermione/Draco

Yes, Draco was a whiny little brat for most of the series, but most of the fics I enjoy take place after the war. I think the combination of the war and just growing up in general would make it likely that he could have matured significantly in a short amount of time. I generally don't read fics that take place while they were going to Hogwarts, especially not ones where they're both Heads. I don't think he could have grown up that quickly. Unless he was a Veela, and I love those fics!

Hermione/Remus and Hermione/Sirius

For these two, it's time travel all the way! Well, most of the time... Hermione definitely has to be an adult if there's no time travel involved, preferably at least in her 20s. In this case, the fics I've read that I've liked have generally been Hermione/Remus, and happen to be ones that involve some type of werewolf-mate interaction. With time travel, I don't really have any preferences about the pairing or Hermione's intentions towards the timeline.

Hermione/Charlie, Hermione/Fred, and Hermione/George

Out of all the Weasley children, I like the idea of Charlie with Hermione the best. I never really thought that Ron and Hermione would make it as a couple, Percy is too annoying, and Bill is married. As for Fred, while he may have died in the last book, in the world of fanfiction he is often alive and well (which makes me happy!). I don't really think Fred or George are great fits for the Hermione in my mind's eye, but I have stumbled across a few fics that I liked.

Hermione/Harry or Hermione/Ron

When I first started reading fanfiction, I did read quite a bit of Hermione/Harry stories. However, as I got older I began to read them less and less because the ones that seemed interesting were too romanticized or they came up with ridiculous reasons to get them together. There are a few that I enjoy, but I don't keep up with Hermione/Harry stories as much as I do other pairings. As for Hermione/Ron, I just don't really see it. Their personalities seem to clash too much for them to make a real relationship work.

Hermione/Severus or Hermione/Women

I don't have an issue with Snape himself or with anything LGBT related, I just can't picture Hermione with Snape or with any women. I don't mind anything slash/femslash, but for the HP fandom they won't be the main focus.

Hermione/Others

There are a few other guys that I can see Hermione with, but these are rare since it depends entirely on the author's ability to create a good story.

Views on Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1?

I pretty much obsess over this show, despite a lot of the inconsistencies. I watched it religiously when it was on the air, loving the dynamic between the characters (and the humor!). Even when Richard Dean Anderson left the cast, I still continued to watch (even if it wasn't nearly as enjoyable). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Ben Browder (Cameron Mitchell), Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran), or Beau Bridges (General Landry). However, I think that the combination of the change in cast and the new enemy made the show less entertaining than it had been.

Pairings?

Sam/Jack all the way! It drove me insane that there was no resolution during the show. By the end, I would have been happy with an offhanded comment about people attending their wedding or something! *Sigh* Thankfully I have the world of fanfiction to fulfill my desire to see them together. I love the stories involving alternate realities or alternate timelines!

Other than Sam/Jack, I don't really have any strong feelings about any other pairings. I like the idea of Daniel/Janet, but I don't really read fics that focus on them.

Favorite characters/time period?

In terms of favorite main characters of fics, Sam and Jack (mainly because I love them together!). Daniel comes close behind them, since his character on the show was so entertaining, especially his interaction with Jack. I love Teal'c as a character, but I haven't really found any fics that I like where he's the protagonist. Same thing with General Hammond, Janet Frasier, Walter, Siler, etc.

As for the newer characters (Mitchell, Vala, Landry, etc.), like I said I have nothing against them. The problem is that I prefer fics that are based during the time when Jack was actively involved in the SGC, which happens to be the time when they weren't.

Because of that, I tend to read fics that take place during seasons 1-8, or alternate timelines around that time period, or alternate realities during that time period, etc. While I prefer ones where Sam and Jack get together, I don't read them exclusively.

Favorite episodes?

SO. MANY. Instead, I break it up into my favorite categories: time travel/distortion, alternate realities/timelines, and episodes with great lines. I'm more than willing to go into more detail if anyone's interested, but for right now I feel like that would take too long.

Views on Twilight and Background

You've got to be kidding me. Twilight?

Ok, first off, please don't hold the fact that I read Twilight fanfiction against me. I read the Twilight Saga when I was much younger. It was a guilty pleasure, even if it felt like my brain was coming out of my ears at times. I've always loved stories that involved a regular person becoming involved in something extraordinary (for whatever reason, like Cinderella, Mulan, etc.), so I found the concept intriguing.

What type of Twilight Fanfiction?

I discovered the fanfiction world soon after I finished reading the saga, and at the time was more into the stories than I am now (essentially, I've grown up). Back then, I was immediately drawn to stories that didn't actually include the ridiculousness of cold, sparkly vampires. In fact, I generally don't read fics that have any vampires or involve the supernatural (although with the latter, it has more to do with the fact that most of the fics I've found that involve the supernatural aren't written particularly well... no offense to any authors intended).

POV?

Not being a man, I find it difficult to get into the mind of men, so I prefer fics written from BPOV rather than EPOV (although I have found a handful of really fantastic EPOV fics or ones that include EPOV with the BPOV). Ones with EPOV are generally ones with a really romantic Edward. I'm a bit of a romantic, I guess...

Why Bella? She's annoying!

Yes, in my opinion she is. I have nothing against people who feel otherwise, but I find Bella's character to be too Mary Sue-like in certain aspects and completely lacking in self-esteem for no particular reason. Fics where Bella has some self-esteem issues due to weight/other personal appearance issues or emotional abuse are far better than ones where a girl has been so "dazzled" that she considers her significant other to be on a pedestal so high it's on the moon. I believe in equality in relationships, and while there may have been a certain balance in some areas, the fact that it was written from BPOV and Bella didn't see Edward as an equal bothered me.

That being said, most of the stories I've read portray a slightly different Bella from the one in the original story, and she is usually one I can relate to much better than Meyers'.

As for the other women in the Twilight universe, I've read way too many stories that were written with horrible grammar or butchered the characters' personalities to pursue stories where anyone other than Bella and Edward are the main characters.

Which brings us to... Why Edward?

*Sigh* I don't really have a good answer to this one. I guess because I like reading stories with at least a little bit of romance, and I can't really picture anyone else with Bella. Also, I find a lot of the descriptions of the different Edward portrayals to be so intensely attractive in personality and appearance...

Anything else?

Canon couples. This has more to do with the fact that in my mind I imagine Jasper and Rosalie to be siblings, as well as Alice, Emmett, and Edward. I also think of Carlisle and Esme as being parents to some of them, so any switching of couples makes me feel squeamish due to the thoughts of incest. I know that they aren't actually related, and there are a lot of stories where none of them have any familial ties, but that doesn't stop me from being weirded out.

Oh, and from what I've read, most of the really well-written Bella/Edward stories are rated M or NC-17, so this is where most of the explicit sex scenes will be from.

Bottom line?

And so, virtually all of the Twilight fics I read are ones where all the characters are human (AH), written from BPOV, and are Bella/Edward.

Introduction

So, I don't really expect anyone to read this... I'm making this blog more for me than anything else. I've felt like I've needed to do something I feel passionate about, and the closest thing to that is Fanfiction. I'm a horrible writer, so I decided to post reviews of the fics I'm reading/I've read.

Honestly, I have a feeling this is going to turn into a sort of diary, and will probably have the same success as the times in the past I've tried to keep a diary... as in fail after a few entries. But who knows?

Note: I've found that most of the well-written fics I read tend to have some pretty explicit sex scenes in them. I won't being going into more detail in this blog, but if you get squeamish at the mere mention of sex, then this isn't the blog for you.