Recs and Woes
First, the woes: my computer at school was attacked by some sort of Russian virus and had to be carted off by the IT healers, and no, I haven't kept the back-ups up-to-date. So if everything is gone, I not only will have lost two semesters' worth of class files and other necessary admin stuff, but I will have only myself to blame. Luckily I have all my fanfic, personal writing, and professional research saved elsewhere. I will learn tomorrow whether any data can be saved.
To console myself, I spent the evening reading fanfic. (Well, I would have done so anyway, but computer fail is a good excuse.) Specifically, I caught up on severus_shorts, a birthday-themed comm in honor of Snape's 50th. I thought they'd probably be unable to top last week's rec, The Janus Rose, that Severus/Pomona story I so enjoyed. But lo -- they have. Today's entry is another genuinely exceptional fic --
A Rowan in Winter. Set on Snape's 11th birthday in Spinner's End, it's a beautifully-realized story, shadowy and precise at the same time. I'm so impressed by the author's sharp, powerful descriptions and by her unique versions of Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince. I love stories that make full use of the mysteries and fearsomeness of magic (ie, don't just use it as a backdrop) the way this one does. Really -- it's an absolute triumph.
Other good reads from the fest:
Masters and Friends -- On his 37th birthday, Severus is given a party by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eater friends. This story doesn't excuse the DEs, but it lets us see them (and Severus's relationship to them) in a much greyer, more nuanced and complex light than canon ever offers, particularly as juxtaposed to the way Snape's birthday is celebrated (or more accurately, not celebrated) at Hogwarts.
On a much lighter note, try An Accounting, a brief but fun look at Snape's birthdays as he chronicles them in his journals. The journal entries alone are worth reading for their spot-on Snape voice and their revealing details of his gift-givers.
AND...the wonderful therealsnape has posted her excellent story based on a line from my recent "Five Creatures. . ." fic. Hers is called Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and it features a fine characterization of Auntie Muriel Weasley. I love women-centered HP fics, and this story is a perfect example of why. It's sharp, funny, poignant, and perceptive. You'll enjoy the wizarding-world cameos and the twist at the end. [NB -- I had typed out a long explanation of the character Dorothea, who makes people's flesh creep, but damned LJ ate it. So I will just note that therealsnape's Dorothea is a witty take on Dorothea Brooke of the novel Middlemarch]
Fest News: I have received my assignment for springtime_gen, and it's a winner. Now all I need is a non-sexual plot...
To console myself, I spent the evening reading fanfic. (Well, I would have done so anyway, but computer fail is a good excuse.) Specifically, I caught up on severus_shorts, a birthday-themed comm in honor of Snape's 50th. I thought they'd probably be unable to top last week's rec, The Janus Rose, that Severus/Pomona story I so enjoyed. But lo -- they have. Today's entry is another genuinely exceptional fic --
A Rowan in Winter. Set on Snape's 11th birthday in Spinner's End, it's a beautifully-realized story, shadowy and precise at the same time. I'm so impressed by the author's sharp, powerful descriptions and by her unique versions of Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince. I love stories that make full use of the mysteries and fearsomeness of magic (ie, don't just use it as a backdrop) the way this one does. Really -- it's an absolute triumph.
Other good reads from the fest:
Masters and Friends -- On his 37th birthday, Severus is given a party by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eater friends. This story doesn't excuse the DEs, but it lets us see them (and Severus's relationship to them) in a much greyer, more nuanced and complex light than canon ever offers, particularly as juxtaposed to the way Snape's birthday is celebrated (or more accurately, not celebrated) at Hogwarts.
On a much lighter note, try An Accounting, a brief but fun look at Snape's birthdays as he chronicles them in his journals. The journal entries alone are worth reading for their spot-on Snape voice and their revealing details of his gift-givers.
AND...the wonderful therealsnape has posted her excellent story based on a line from my recent "Five Creatures. . ." fic. Hers is called Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and it features a fine characterization of Auntie Muriel Weasley. I love women-centered HP fics, and this story is a perfect example of why. It's sharp, funny, poignant, and perceptive. You'll enjoy the wizarding-world cameos and the twist at the end. [NB -- I had typed out a long explanation of the character Dorothea, who makes people's flesh creep, but damned LJ ate it. So I will just note that therealsnape's Dorothea is a witty take on Dorothea Brooke of the novel Middlemarch]
Fest News: I have received my assignment for springtime_gen, and it's a winner. Now all I need is a non-sexual plot...