Fics and Fests

The hp_darkfest reveals have been posted here. I have several new favorite authors! I didn't know any of these writers well enough to guess who had written what, but it's interesting that the people who write the most perceptive comments also tend to be the people who write the best stories. Now there's a surprise, eh? There are still a couple of longer fics that I'd like to read at some point.

I sometimes speculate about what it would be like to have one of the super-popular pairings or characters as one's OTP or OTC -- what fun it must be when just about every other fest post features one of your faves. I've had something close to this experience only once (last year, when so many hp_beholder entries were Minerva-centric), and it was downright exciting to check my flist every day, especially since the quality of the writing was so high.

On the other hand, having less-popular OTCs has its perks, too: the pleasures are more intense, and you need not worry about the law of diminishing returns. When the Minerva and/or older-women fics do show up, they're like a fine, rich dessert, something to linger over and savor. (Speaking of which: therealsnape's gift has just been posted to hp_yule_balls -- it's Minerva/Hooch!!)

On the writing front, I managed to finish my short entry for mini_fest (two weeks late, I'm sorry to say). No matter how much I procrastinate (and that would be muchly), I'm a person who never misses deadlines, so I am quite chagrined at this mighty fail. But the mods were kind and accepted the story despite my moral lapse.

And I signed up for the Winter Fic Exchange at rarepair_shorts. No, this does not count as one of my three spring fests! For one thing, it's a WINTER fest, which makes a difference, see? For another, the fic can be a maximum of only 2000 words, which is practically nothing after the several 6-10K fics I've written recently. Now go over there and sign up, will you? I need your fun pairings to save me from being assigned some next gen m/m.

I'm enjoying this weekend to spend on fannish things, since over 40 term papers will be coming my way next week, to say nothing of final exams after that. But I actually don't mind this end-of-semester rush, despite the pressures. You simply have to get things done, and I like the sense of completion that comes when it's all over. And it's so concentrated that it frees you from other RL worries. I mean, I can't possibly worry about cleaning out closets or doing holiday shopping when I have grading deadlines to meet, can I? (Total geek that I am, I used to love finals weeks when I was a student, too; exams allowed me to synthesize and reinforce the material in ways I never would have done otherwise.)