| SPN: Dissecting the Ingrediants for a Perfect Slash Storm |
[Sep. 28th, 2007|07:49 pm] |
This was written for ![[info]](http://img.greatestjournal.com/userinfo.gif) meri_oddities, who celebrates her birthday today. And since she's the one who has patiently and persistently pushed me towards a multi-fannish perspective, I wanted to offer her my first attempt at SPN meta.
Happy birthday, dear heart.
( Why did it seem, last year, that SPN was the series that Ate Fandom's Brain? )
And also? I'd like to thank Beth H, who beta'ed this for me in the midst of personal adversity. She always stops me from making bad mistakes. |
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| Rec: "Conjure-Man," by Ishafel (Snape/Harry) |
[Sep. 12th, 2007|04:12 pm] |
By the time I was three paragraphs into this, I was pretty sure I would want to rec it.
But by the time I finished it, I knew. This is the sort of story that saves a ship from bad canon. For me.
Title: Conjure-Man
Author: ishafel
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: Not really
Summary:Where else would you look for a ghost but in the city of the dead?
Harry learns that Snape might be in New Orleans, post-Katrina, and seeks him there. Normally, I'd shy back from a fic that used a recent RL tragedy as a backdrop (I've seen some using 9/11, or worse, the Holocaust that made me wince). But here, the setting works wonderfully well, in a spare and unsentimental fashion. After all, Harry and Snape ended in canon in a damaged, postwar society, and this setting maps that feeling---of a story continued amidst the ruins---on to the devastated streets of New Orleans.
Characterzation of both of them is note-perfect here. This is one of the most canon-compliant renditions of Snape and of a Snape/Harry relationship that I've ever read. And the prose style is something to savor slowly and reread again: understated, smooth, and supple.
( excerpt is beneath the cut )
I'll admit that I've been reading mostly gen lately, and gen that assumes that Snape died in May 1998. But this story is the sort of imagined ending that can get me past the death of Snape. It carries such conviction, such plausibility and is so compelling that I simply surrendered to its view of things. And where that took me was a much, much better place than where DH left me.
This? Is, you will come to agree, what we need much, much more of. |
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| Rec: A poem by McTabby, "Afterlife! Snape" |
[Sep. 8th, 2007|01:07 pm] |
Most of my flist is has also friended McTabby, since she long predates me as an HP fan creator and commenter. But I wanted to make sure that none of you missed the poem she posted today.
The concept is clever, the execution is just perfect, and the cadence is light and bouncy. Like the best Dr. Seuss poems. And the ending made me smile.
McTabby's Afterlife! Snape |
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| Draco: Worth the Price? |
[Aug. 14th, 2007|07:14 pm] |
Man what a week. Many people on my flist spent hours setting up shop on a second platform (or third and fourth), which has been a huge time hole. And those who maintain hp fannish infrastructure have been working their tails off; when I read those terse, organized, focused posts by scribbulus_ink (who is working long hours to try to back up all the Snupin comms and infrastructure elsewhere) . . . my heart went out to her.
(I myself have set up shop on Insanejournal. Please do come and friend me there, OK?)
McKay's doing an amazing job for her ship. And so are others, like femmequixotic, whom I nominate to be fandom's ambassador to the U.N. When we're recognized as a separate nation, I mean.
So this piece is for all who are working hard this week to salvage and relocate our networks and communities. But most of all, it's for snakeling, who has become a technical Godsend for people relocating to IJ. She's helped to copy the layouts for the "Snape After DH" fest and the snarry_reader, and I asked her what I could do for her. She requested a Snarry drabble.
You'd think I could do a simple thing like that, wouldn't you? And honest to God, I plugged away at it yesterday evening. But all that would come out was a silly piece (which grew at an alarming rate) about Snape's dyspeptic and outraged reaction, if he were on LJ, and had to relocate elsewhere suddenly. I mean, real crackfic.
And worse yet, the porn, she wouldn't come. Disgust with LJ and 6A has blocked off my writing libido dammit.
But I'm damned if I will descend into a sour and ranting frame of mind. I'm going to write something fannish for Snakeling if it kills me.
And it may well cause her (and Femme, and Vicki) to keel over in surprise. Because it's about Draco. ( And I have something positive to say about him. Yes, what lies beneath the cut is an honest attempt to see what is valuable in Draco. Don't faint. ) |
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| Lest we forget |
[Aug. 11th, 2007|04:31 pm] |
I want to remind you that really? It's all about Snape.
Let's not lose sight of that all-important fact, eh?
Because he deserves so much more.
snape_after_dh
Claims for prompts for the Snape After DH Fest are now open. You can find batches of prompts here and here. |
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| Rec: "101 Uses for a Pensieve," by Emma Grant |
[Aug. 9th, 2007|08:01 pm] |
Yes, End Times are near, dear readers. Because emmagrant01, a widely-respected H/D writer, has written a Snarry. Of sorts.
I'd always heard that she was a very talented writer, but had never tested this assertion for myself, because . . . well, I think you all know how irrational and unreasonable I am on the subject of Draco. God only knows how my friends put up with this. So, I was taking it on trust, about how good she is.
No more. Now, I know for myself.
Title: 101 Uses for a Pensieve
Author: emmagrant01
Pairing Oh, the one that tastes best, my dears. Plus Lupin. SS/RL/HP and SS/RL. Sort of.
Rating: That would be NC 17, and oh, how that has been missing from my life the last few days.
Warnings: Nope
I'd say it's a sure bet that Snape left behind a helluva lot of memories for Harry. Far too many to look at in Book 7, I mean. But Emma has some marvelous ideas about what Harry might find, if he looks through what's in there, later on.
Any Snape-centric reader has read a lot of pensieve sex stories. But this one? Is one of the most creative and inventive examples I've seen. God yes, this is surely how wizards use pensieves. I mean, they have to be miles better than DVDs. As Harry discovers.
Go read. This is erotic, well-constructed, and original. And just what we needed, right now. |
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| Locking and moving content |
[Aug. 7th, 2007|11:15 pm] |
LJ has responded to the queries (some of them, anyway) over at this post. Art that depicts characters whom LJ Abuse thinks are underage is now verboten, and the journals posting such content can be permanently suspended with no warning (and no refunds, for paid customers). Whether the art was locked or not makes no difference.
Their response to questions about whether fics that depict underaged characters in sexual activity were also prohibited was so vague that you could drive a truck through that loophole. And given their recent history, I'd guess it's only a matter of time before they start applying this rule to fiction, as well.
I had two stories that showed characters who were (or could be interpreted as) underage. I've edited one of them to clarify the age, and the other has been moved to GJ, and the post here links to that other post. But so far, LJ is not responding to repeated queries about whether "prohibited" content can be linked to, if posted elsewhere. Who knows?
With this new "clarification," I'd say that almost every HP pairing is shafted (except perhaps Dumbledore/Minerva or Dumbledore/Grindelwald, assuming that the story doesn't take them back to their teenage years in an AU setting). Because substantial numbers of the stories and art created for almost every other HP pairing do fall into that underage category, for at least one of the people involved.
They're trying to limit us to either gen, or post-Hogwarts stories.
We need to move somewhere else, my dears. In the meantime, I'd consider posting R or NC 17 art or stories elsewhere, and linking to them from your LJ. |
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| Rec: "The Dead Bird" by Maggiehoneybite |
[Aug. 6th, 2007|09:23 pm] |
Home from Prophecy, and it will take days to work through my flist's posts, I know. But I came across this, and immediately, had to stop and rec this.
Title: The Dead Bird
Author: maggiehoneybite
Pairing Snape/others
Rating: a hard R, I'd say
Warnings: angst
Snape loved Lily, yes. But he was still pretty awful, when he was younger. And surely you didn't think that he died a virgin, eh?
This is an intelligent, textured, beautifully-written exploration of Snape's personal history. Not a wasted word here, and it shows how unpleasant (but still decent, in some respects) Snape really could be. God, what a bastard. And oh, poor Severus.
If you have a happy ending, then pass this by. But canon itself didn't end all happy, you know. And this? Is a first-rate DH-inspired character study. Edgy, succinct, and powerful. Lovely. |
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| Rec: "Cambiare Podentes: Madurare" (Snape/Harry) |
[Jul. 29th, 2007|05:52 pm] |
The last chapter of this was posted just a day before DH came out, and I've been waiting to rec it until all the DH-related meta and wank died down a bit. Because the fact that I'd rec this was always a foregone conclusion. It is, beyond question, one of the major Snarry novels, and it's now complete.
She pulled it off, in other words.
Title: Cambiare Podentes: Madurare (link is to the author's list of chapters for this volume)
Author: jordangrant
Pairing Snape/Harry
Rating NC 17
Warnings Hmm. Nothing terribly dark. There's partner betrayal, but I don't think even very hardcore romance lovers will be put off by how it's done. The novels are AU by definition, since they were begun before the publication of HBP.
Summary: The second volume and conclusion to jordangrant's award-winning Cambiare Podentes: Invocare. Snape and Harry must cross powers, within the framework of an enslavement bond, in order to defeat Voldemort.
She's done it. jordangrant has completed what will surely be ranked as one of the most important Snape/Harry novels, Cambiare Podentes. And the second volume is as smoothly-written, clever, and engaging as the writer's earlier novel.
CP is a huge accomplishment in the world of fanfic. She starts with a very canon-compliant rendering of Snape and Harry, post OoTP (and God, they loathed each other) and slowly but relentlessly brings them to a very different place. I am not going to spoil you for this, but I will say that the second volume is creative, and takes its time to build to a conclusion that most readers will find utterly persuasive.
Many of you will already have read this, since I know that large numbers of Snape/Harry fans pounced on this eagerly. But if you haven't read it yet, you have a real treat ahead of you.
Just make sure that you had nothing planned in RL for a couple of days, eh? Because this is hard to put down. |
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| Snape After Deathly Hallows Fest |
[Jul. 25th, 2007|04:26 pm] |
As you know, I could have wished for a bit more for Severus Snape in Deathly Hallows. But that's what fandom is for.
Therefore, I am organizing---along with bethbethbeth, femmequixotic, and meri_oddities---a fest that seeks a different future for Severus Snape.
Because he deserves so much more.
snape_after_dh
Please pimp this widely, and feel free to grab the banner on the comm's userid page to use in your own posts. |
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| Still Simmering Nicely, you know |
[Jul. 23rd, 2007|03:55 pm] |
Not surprisingly, I have never made a post that has drawn as many comments as the last two I did on "Justice for Severus Snape" and "Fanfic after DH." I think that the "Justice for Snape" one has been linked widely, and I just can't keep up with responding to the comments, to be honest. So, if you commented and I didn't answer (normally, I do try to answer almost every comment), please forgive me. We live in extraordinary times, this month.
But the many of comments have been brilliant, cutting, funny, and insightful. It's been a treat to read the threads that have developed.
But one of the best was a discussion that spun off of a comment by cmwinters, who raised an issue that had troubled me, as well. It concerns Snape, of course, as all the best discussions do.
( spoilers regarding Snape and DH under the cut, naturally ) |
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| Rec: "Lowcountry" by anon. (HG/SS/HP) |
[Jul. 16th, 2007|11:30 am] |
We must be nearing the end of an era, or it's a blue moon or something. Because I'm rec'ing something with het in it.
Title: Lowcountry
Author: Anon (Reversathon)
Pairings: Hermione/Harry, Harry/Snape/Hermione
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: Nope
Summary: "Believe me, he's better off missing with Potter and Granger." Famous last words?
Harry and Hermione go on the run, taking Snape (who didn't really want to go) with them to America. Snape was taken along to train Harry for his final confrontation with Voldemort, but it slowly develops into more than that. The details here, about the wizarding culture of the American South, are charmingly done.
And the characterizations of all three are dead-on, full of texture and depth. Oh, yes, this really is Snape: bitter, realistic, and emotionally isolated. And yes, this is Harry. And Hermione. The story takes its time developing all three characters and their relationships, and the POV voice for each one is perfect.
And as erotica? Well, I'm rec'ing it, and did you ever see me rec anything with het before? It's very well done. If you're looking for something compelling and engaging, to while away the tedious countdown, you'll love this. |
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[Jul. 3rd, 2007|09:43 pm] |
One more day left to cast a vote in the Quills to Parchment competition.
And wouldn't you want to participate in a competition that was so astute and all-inclusive as to incorporate an award for Best Beta?
I thought so. |
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| Rec: "The Ridiculousness of the Situation Cannot Be Overlooked" by Anon (Snape/Harry) |
[Jun. 30th, 2007|08:03 pm] |
My. Two recs in one day. I can't remember the last time that happened. But Reversathon yielded a second fine story today. In the best flavor of all.
Title: The Ridiculousness of the Situation Cannot Be Overlooked
Author: Unknown
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: R
Summary: Severus is aware of the difference between despair and realism.
Or does he really grasp that difference?
This is a clever, clever story. It acknowledges something that most stories in this pairing gloss over: that a man in his 40s is going to feel a bit ridiculous, on occasion, if he's involved with someone twenty years younger. And he might occasionally have cause for jealousy.
Someone of Snape's disposition and thin-skinned nature is certainly going to be jealous occasionally, regardless of whether there are rational grounds for insecurity. This story plays with those aspects of Snape's personality, in a tale that kept me guessing all the way through. Should Snape be jealous? And in the process, you get a marvelous character study of Snape.
This isn't heart-filling, no, although the ending is . . . hopeful, in an understated fashion. But it's really intelligently done, and offers wry insights into Snape's thinking. And in the process, I found it very entertaining. |
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| Rec: "Yond Snape," by anonymous |
[Jun. 30th, 2007|10:23 am] |
I almost didn't read this, even after I saw two enthusiastic recs on my flist. I mean . . . the pairing. But I'm glad I did.
Because this? Is perfectly crafted. And incredibly persuasive.
Title: Yond Snape
Author: Unknown, at present. But my God, can s/he write.
Pairing Snape/Slughorn
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: Well, rimming.
Summary: Slughorn pursues Snape, against the backdrop of the events of HBP.
One of the recs I read warned for dub con in this story. No, not really. The author doesn't include that warning, and I don't think that there is any dub con here. They're both adults, and this Snape is in full possession of his faculties. Rather, this is what I will call "Slytherin con."
Please, I'm begging: don't be put off by the pairing. Because this is, hands down, the most persuasive, compelling characterization of Slughorn that I've ever read. He's painted in lovely shades of gray here. And he adores Snape. Wants him. And Snape? Has his own vulnerabilities.
The relationship that develops here is compelling, nuanced, and (and I can't believe I'm writing this, of a story that includes Slughorn) erotic. The ending is just note perfect. Yes. This is how it had to end.
This story is a very impressive accomplishment. Don't miss it. |
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