Fic: I am silver and exact [Severus Snape, gen]

[amatara]

So, ever since seeing Deathly Hallows Part 2 it seems I've been on a bit of an Alan Rickman binge: I watched Sense and Sensibility and re-watched Galaxy Quest in quick succession (and realized, to my amusement, I find Rickman in a bald alien skullcap frighteningly attractive; talk about exposure to sci-fi warping one's standards! *g*) only to go

Comments

[mithen]

Eee, I'm happy to see this! One of the many wonderful things I didn't mention was Snape's contemplation about the different kinds of Crucio, and how the personality of the caster influences the pain--in some ways I would think Dumbledore's own agony at using it would add a different layer of pain on top of it all...as you say, an oddly reassuring kind of pain, but still pain. Oh, and Snape comparing Voldemort and Albus's approach to their "children" is fascinating as well! I didn't talk enough about how the Snape-Albus relationship infuses this story, even in the scenes Dumbledore doesn't appear. There's so much implied and revealed obliquely, which makes for really rewarding rereading!

As for crossposting, snape_fics seems a good fit! looks like a good general comm as well with a very wide mix of stories... I know I'd love to see more people get a look at this!

[amatara]

Aw, thanks again! *bounces* I tried snape_fic as well as genfic-hogwarts which still looks quite active as well. Here's to hoping this will catch at least a few people's attention; in fandoms as huge as HP (or Trek, for that matter) I'm always a bit worried that smaller, quieter fics like this one will simply vanish into the background.

I'll admit I have a little bit of a thing for Snape/Dumbledore - not in an explicitely slashy way (I have a pretty huge mentor/pupil squick, to be honest) but I do love seeing the dark, complicated, slightly-too-intimate-for-comfort sides of that relationship alluded to in fics: they share so many secrets between just the two of them, that I have a hard time not picturing their relationship as something a little less formal and a little more twisted than what the books show us. (Have you ever read All the Dreaded Cards Foretell? It's sort of the quintessential example of what I'm talking about, and I love it to pieces.) While I didn't go into much detail here about the nature of that relationship, those thoughts were

[mithen]

I'll admit I have a little bit of a thing for Snape/Dumbledore - not in an explicitely slashy way (I have a pretty huge mentor/pupil squick, to be honest) but I do love seeing the dark, complicated, slightly-too-intimate-for-comfort sides of that relationship alluded to in fics: they share so many secrets between just the two of them, that I have a hard time not picturing their relationship as something a little less formal and a little more twisted than what the books show us

I bookmarked the fic you recced, because I confess Snape/Dumbledore really gets me somehow (like you, mentor/student is a steelclad squick for me, but oh--there's so much there that can be explored in fascinating ways without ever getting actively sexual.) The way they're tied together in all their secrets and lies, I almost feel at times Snape is the only person in the world who has access to all that Dumbledore is, both the good and the bad and the very manipulative. I would definitely support you writing anything more about their relationship, actually! I

[amatara]

The way they're tied together in all their secrets and lies, I almost feel at times Snape is the only person in the world who has access to all that Dumbledore is, both the good and the bad and the very manipulative.

Yes - this, exactly. There's so much complexity there and so much history, and there's probably no one else at Hogwarts who knows more about the other than they do. I'd even go as far as to say that Dumbledore might be the only person Snape has ever truly loved besides Lily (and even with Lily, I've wondered if it was love rather than a crush or an obsession, if he wasn't in love with the idea of Lily more than with Lily herself.) But with Dumbledore, I can't help but believe it has to be love, there at the end, that instilled that kind of trust between them; a harsh, bitter, grudging love perhaps, but still, but still.

[luna_plath]

This was so great! I have to say that you nailed Snape's voice--his tone, inflection, word choice, everything. I'm impressed with how seamlessly this story fit together with canon and I really enjoyed the missing moment approach you took. It was interesting to see Snape talk about dark magic, and I liked the idea of him being oddly relieved that Voldemort was back. What a great piece. I'm adding this to my memories.

[amatara]

Thank you so much! I have to say I struggled quite a bit in getting Snape's voice right, and keeping it all formal (and British :) ) enough without having it come out as stilted, so I'm really happy to hear it worked for you.

(Love your icon, by the way!)

[luna_plath]

Thank you :D And trust me, the voice came across flawlessly.

[kellychambliss]

This is excellent! You've captured all the characters so well, and your Snape. . .ah. So many insights, uttered with just the right Snapian twists of bitter realism and humor. Here's just one example of a line I loved: Far easier if the memories could be coated with scorn, not longing.

Great job. I'll be reccing this on quibbler_report.

[amatara]

Thank you so much, both for the thoughtful comment and for the rec! I never wrote in this fandom before, which makes it even more wonderful to see this story appear in a recs journal! *beams*

sqee!

[firefoxerika]

Love it XD I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said, but I just have to say that I absolutely love it.

Re: sqee!

[amatara]

Thank you, so happy you enjoyed this!

[igrockspock]

This is amazing! I was going to pick out lines to quote, but I would have ended up copying and pasting the whole story. I absolutely loved how beautifully and strongly you concluded each section!

[amatara]

Thank you so much! I tried to make every section stand on itself while still fitting together as a whole, so I'm really glad to hear this worked for you!