Springfic: "Where My Thought's Escaping (2/2)" for kereia

[springmod]

Title: Where My Thought's Escaping (2/2)
Author: Snorkackcatcher
Recipient: kereia
Character(s): Cho Chang, her family, Michael Corner, Marietta Edgecombe, Su Li, assorted OCs and canon cameos
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 19,750 words approx
Warnings (highlight to view): Character deaths (mostly canon)
Summary: Cho had enjoyed her visits to Guangzhou. She wasn't at all

Comments

[snegurochka_lee]

What a wonderful story!! You've captured so many big themes here, of second-generation immigrant children trying to belong in two worlds; of a society at war and whether one should flee or fight; of family responsibility vs setting one's own path as a young person; of, of... so many things! And to do all of that through Cho -- such a minor character and one who (I hope you will forgive me for saying) fandom generally does not look kindly on... well. It is a great feat indeed

[snorkackcatcher]

Thank you very much. Oddly enough, I've always rather liked Cho -- and also I tend to find myself being much more sympathetic towards characters who get pointlessly bashed for no better reason than that people see them as getting in the way of their ship. :) (See also: Ron, Ginny, Tonks ...)

I'm glad the various strands and characterisations worked. As for the detail of wizarding China -- hmm. I'm always a bit ambivalent about stories that emphasise the exoticness of a non-European wizarding culture, partly on general 'othering' grounds and partly because I tend to feel it doesn't mesh well with the source material. So I probably ended up going a bit too much the other way, but I'm pleased what I did come up with sounded interesting. :)

[troubleinchina]

I just want to second everything snegurochka_lee said. I am blown away by this story. Thank you so much for writing and sharing it!

[snorkackcatcher]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[vegablack62]

This is a very impressive story. You have such an excellent command of description. The scenes of the battle, especially the collapse of the front castle gate were compelling, exciting and clear. I loved the glimpses we had of Lee Jordan. The Franklin character, his grief and his confusion was a great addition to the story. I really felt for him and all those who stayed and fought despite perhaps lacking real defense skill or experience.

You handled the final battle without going over familiar ground which also impressed.

Cho's father showing up at the end was a fine surprise.

This was a beautifully handled story, which was very original and fresh.

[snorkackcatcher]

Thank you! I tried to keep the final section linked to the canon events but not rehashing them unduly, so I'm glad that the sequence worked. Lee just happened to be there when Cho arrived in DH, so he got a walk-on when I needed someone for her to meet when she got back to the castle. :)

[woldy]

This is wonderful! I love the way Cho grows & the complexity of her feelings about 'home', her friends, family & Michael. I enjoyed your description of the journey, which shows what a struggle & achievement it is for Cho to get back in time for the battle, & then how she learns to turn the dual languages to her advantage when fighting. The emotional dimensions of the story seemed so real & I agree that it was wonderful to see the battle told from her perspective. An epic & beautifully-written story - very well done!

[snorkackcatcher]

Thank you very much -- I'm pleased you liked it. Having mentioned the spell-language idea early on just on general principles, I decided it really ought to turn out to matter to her later on. And it was lucky for me that the timeline gave me just about enough time to let Cho get back for the battle. :)

[shiiki]

I do love the way you introduced us to Cho and her background in this fic. Bit by bit you reveal pieces of the wider magical world, so that it's well-integrated into the story and not too overwhelming. I particularly enjoyed your explanation of the use of language in spellcasting:

A spell and its incantation become as two parts of one whole, tied together and gaining in power by use; where everyone says the same words, the repetition smoothes and strengthens the flow of magic. It is like a river cutting its course through the earth, at once carving out and being guided by the path it has formed.

I was fascinated by the idea, which made sense since it seems so unlikely that the entire world would cast spells in exactly the same language considering there are so many different cultures which shape the multitude of languages around the world.

You tied everything into Cho's return to Hogwarts for the battle so neatly that the canon line, "I got the message," she said, holding up her Galleon, and went over to sit with Michael. was

[snorkackcatcher]

Thank you -- I was trying to get a feel of chaos and terror in the battle scene, so it's good to know it seemed right. The different spell-languages idea was just something I'd always vaguely thought would have to be the case but which was never relevant to a story before. Once I'd mentioned it, I kind of had to follow it through a bit. :)