Keeper of the Superfluous Es!

1.) reversathon sign-ups have started.

Kickin' it old-school. Reversathon is a multi-pairing HP exchange fest. Sign-ups are hosted on LJ, IJ, and DW.

2.) blamebrampton has posted interesting meta on writing character death.

3.) oldenuf2nb is posting 100 of her art pieces for the '100 Days of Blogging Challenge.' Lots of beautiful pieces I hadn't seen before! She's on day 19.

4.) SPN ART REC! Pie on the Side - Sam/Castiel [WS] by lustmordred.

5.) asoiafkinkmeme is live! First prompting post is thirty-one pages long. Wowsers <3

6.) White Collar/Downton Abbey fic rec! The American Guest - Neal Caffrey/Thomas Barrow [NC-17 - 2,000 words] by embroiderama.

Many thanks to snegurochka_lee for the point in direction ♥

Cora's cousin steals more than just hearts and sharp glances. Nifty and seemless crossover!

7.) HP ART REC! Auror Potter [WS] by Baronsabbath on Deviant Art.

BAMF!Harry kink hit HARD. Smoking kink hit HARDER ♥

8.) COMMUNITY PIMP! hp_masterlists, FTW. Looking for a specific fest fic from 2007? Find it here!

--P

Belle Epoque - Marcus/Esca, various DA characters, Violet Crawley narration [author given GA (general audiences) rating - 11,000 words] by Songbird.

Many thanks to cobweb_diamond for linking to this in her journal. This fic fills my heart with unspeakable joy. One, because it's so beautifully and so subtlely Marcus/Esca. And two, because it's at the core (literally and figuratively) of everything I love about Downton Abbey.

Admittedly, in my hands, I would have reversed Esca and Marcus's roles. Marcus is the Grantham's new chauffeur and Esca plays a distant relative of the Crawleys/Granthams. He's a favourite of Violet's, and she dotes on him in turn, even encourages his amorous inclinations. And yes, this is from her POV wherein her weapons of word and wit dwarf Cupid's bow and arrow justly. Nobody delivers better lines than Violet Crawley, I tell you.

Neatly tucked into the folds of DA canon are Oxford scholar Esca and French Foreign Legionnaire Marcus. Shortly after they first meet, they go butterfly hunting together. BUTTERFLY HUNTING ♥ Their paths cross here and there over the years and a great fondness develops for the other. Aided, of course, by Violet's own memory of a past paramour and what could have been and never was. The tone, the setting, the voices are all wonderfully spot on. There are a few Americanisms, fair warning, but nothing that personally gave me pause long enough. This is a delightful read for fans of one or both fandoms. Just lovingly told and voiced ♥

Enjoy all!

--P