7th of 100 Things...
First day back at work since having to be out all week because of a family emergency (my grandfather is very ill so my mother flew back to take care of him for a bit leaving me without childcare. He's a couple weeks from 90 and while he's sort of doing better for the moment, we pretty much know that this threw him for a loop and he won't ever really recover... If he'd eat enough food to survive on, that'd help a fair bit though...). Anyhow, this is not really about that. This is about me being at work and therefore not doing other things such as a) writing and b) posting my 100 things post for the day. (Note to self: Win lotto soon).
So, I'm doing a 100 Things post I had in my back pocket for a day where I had little time. Here ya go... and do remember that the 100 Things are "100 Fanfics I Have Loved" not necessarily "100 Fanfics I Would Rec..." because otherwise this might seem a bit self-centered...
Officially, it's not a fic; It's an RPG... or a collective writing project. Or whatever you want to call it. It never functioned like a true RPG. There was far too much detailed planning for that (*cough* ss_lexicon *cough*) and the "tags" were often more like drabbles or even ficlets. By far, BY FAR the greatest quantity of my writing (and likely the greatest quantity of my time from 2006-2008) took place in hp_sun_n_shadow (full links as ss_watchers). It also had some of the greatest quality of my writing, too. And it had some incredible work by andacus, celtmama,rj_lupins_kat, shygryf and kileaiya. It's a shame, quite honestly, that because of its very nature it was doomed to mostly go unread. We all grew as writers there. The differences from the earlier posts to the latest ones (and even some of the portions that went unposted) are kind of stunning when you go back and read it all (as I'll admit to having done a few times...).
Officially, the name of the thread in question was " Christmas Among the Pureblood." But to me it will always be the "Box of Brotherhood" thread. kileaiya wrote our James - an amazing James who managed to be arrogant but likeable and youthful and funny. andacus wrote our Sirius - my favorite interpretation of him ever. Regulus was one of mine. To be totally on the up-and-up, the whole thread is fantastic and any of kileaiya and andacus' is always worth writing, but the portion I'm referring to begins about halfway down (beginning with the post by Sirius immediately before Regulus' appearance at the Potters).
In this thread - in this story - Sirius breaks with his family and runs away to James' home. That much is canon, of course, though we provide the whens and hows and whys. The part that makes this thread stand out above many of the others is what happens when Regulus shows up at the Potter's home (without his parents' knowledge) to bring Sirius some of his things. What follows is a study of contrast and divergent world views. The brothers love each other, certainly, but they agree on next to nothing and each one wants so desperately to save the other from the future that looms in front of them and to reaffirm their fraternal bond. It's a tense conversation that's as much about what's not said as it is about what is.
Excerpt:
Regulus was weak in ways that no one else in his family was. Approval meant something. Acceptance meant something. And brotherhood... brotherhood meant something, too. Even when it shouldn't.
"I thought you'd like your things," Regulus said finally, feeling as weak and transparent as he knew he was.
He pulled a tiny box from his pocket and placed it on the mahogany table next to them, thinking of everything in it - the model of Hogwarts they'd built together six years ago, complete with a Quidditch Pitch; Sirius' old training broom that he once let Regulus nick to try out, even though father said he was too young; the leather jacket Regulus had bought his brother for Christmas last year.
A lump formed in Regulus' throat as he literally handed over his relationship with his brother to the older boy. There would be no more memories that would fit in this trunk. Not ever. And maybe... maybe that was the real reason Regulus had come. He wouldn't be allowed to carry around the bits of their shared past, wouldn't even be permitted to acknowledge he'd had a brother, but one of them should.
So, I'm doing a 100 Things post I had in my back pocket for a day where I had little time. Here ya go... and do remember that the 100 Things are "100 Fanfics I Have Loved" not necessarily "100 Fanfics I Would Rec..." because otherwise this might seem a bit self-centered...
Officially, it's not a fic; It's an RPG... or a collective writing project. Or whatever you want to call it. It never functioned like a true RPG. There was far too much detailed planning for that (*cough* ss_lexicon *cough*) and the "tags" were often more like drabbles or even ficlets. By far, BY FAR the greatest quantity of my writing (and likely the greatest quantity of my time from 2006-2008) took place in hp_sun_n_shadow (full links as ss_watchers). It also had some of the greatest quality of my writing, too. And it had some incredible work by andacus, celtmama,rj_lupins_kat, shygryf and kileaiya. It's a shame, quite honestly, that because of its very nature it was doomed to mostly go unread. We all grew as writers there. The differences from the earlier posts to the latest ones (and even some of the portions that went unposted) are kind of stunning when you go back and read it all (as I'll admit to having done a few times...).
Officially, the name of the thread in question was " Christmas Among the Pureblood." But to me it will always be the "Box of Brotherhood" thread. kileaiya wrote our James - an amazing James who managed to be arrogant but likeable and youthful and funny. andacus wrote our Sirius - my favorite interpretation of him ever. Regulus was one of mine. To be totally on the up-and-up, the whole thread is fantastic and any of kileaiya and andacus' is always worth writing, but the portion I'm referring to begins about halfway down (beginning with the post by Sirius immediately before Regulus' appearance at the Potters).
In this thread - in this story - Sirius breaks with his family and runs away to James' home. That much is canon, of course, though we provide the whens and hows and whys. The part that makes this thread stand out above many of the others is what happens when Regulus shows up at the Potter's home (without his parents' knowledge) to bring Sirius some of his things. What follows is a study of contrast and divergent world views. The brothers love each other, certainly, but they agree on next to nothing and each one wants so desperately to save the other from the future that looms in front of them and to reaffirm their fraternal bond. It's a tense conversation that's as much about what's not said as it is about what is.
Excerpt:
Regulus was weak in ways that no one else in his family was. Approval meant something. Acceptance meant something. And brotherhood... brotherhood meant something, too. Even when it shouldn't.
"I thought you'd like your things," Regulus said finally, feeling as weak and transparent as he knew he was.
He pulled a tiny box from his pocket and placed it on the mahogany table next to them, thinking of everything in it - the model of Hogwarts they'd built together six years ago, complete with a Quidditch Pitch; Sirius' old training broom that he once let Regulus nick to try out, even though father said he was too young; the leather jacket Regulus had bought his brother for Christmas last year.
A lump formed in Regulus' throat as he literally handed over his relationship with his brother to the older boy. There would be no more memories that would fit in this trunk. Not ever. And maybe... maybe that was the real reason Regulus had come. He wouldn't be allowed to carry around the bits of their shared past, wouldn't even be permitted to acknowledge he'd had a brother, but one of them should.