Beholder Rec Roundup

I'd hoped to get 100% of the hp_beholder stories read before the reveals tomorrow, but I think I have to face the fact that it's not going to happen. I haven't managed all the m/m fics or all the Draco ones or the one with Charlie/Millicent. Still, I've read almost everything, and I'll get to the rest eventually.

It's been a great fest, as usual, with some totally new characters (Aunt Marge, Griselda Marchbanks, Bathilda Bagshot) as well as my various favorites (Minerva, Severus, etc.). Also as usual, it's pretty much the only fest to feed my Flitwick, Amelia Bones, and Sprout cravings. This year's standout stars have been Dudley, Petunia, Millicent, and Viktor Krum; Poppy made a good showing, too. And Umbridge! There were three excellent Umbridge fics!

You'll find my previous recs scattered throughout several earlier journal entries, but here's a final summary, with new recs indicated as such. (You'll notice a similar thematic thread; they're all rarepairs with wonderfully-imperfect characters and exquisite writing.)

I usually do a Top-Ten List, but this fest has too many good works, so you're getting a Baker's Dozen plus an art work.

( 13 + 1 )

( Honorable Mentions )

And now, on to the reveals! I've guessed all the art, I think. I'm 99% sure of the writers of three stories, and I've got less sure guesses on a couple of others, so by this time tomorrow, we'll see if I'm right.

I do hate that the Beholder fun is over for another year, but I'm looking forward to seeing who wrote what.

Wankfest Recs

My cousin is having a lie-in, so I'm doing a little catch-up on hp_wankfest reading. I know I won't get to everything before the reveals, but I've already read several rec-worthy fics. One of the fun parts of Wankfest is that most of the stories are short -- the best of them are quick, hot reads that do a lot to reveal character. Here are three:

Mind of Sight (Gellert Grindelwald)
Creepy and believable, with an IC Albus you'll almost feel sorry for.

Cherished Memories (Filius Flitwick)
Flitwick fic! And it's hot, charming, and delicious. He's a lovely kinky devil, our Filius.

The Listener (Argus Filch)
The idea of voyeur!Filch is more-or-less canon for me, and he's at his clueless, creepy, funny best here.

Yes, Another Post From Me

My cousin and I have returned to the city. The bus trip wasn't bad, but the aftermath -- god. We took the subway from Port Authority, which required about a half-a-mile underground walk to the right subway train -- which turned out to go only halfway to our stop (the rest of the usual route was cancelled due to construction on the tracks, something they often do on the weekends; evidently I hadn't been paying attention to the signs). Then we had to walk another half-mile (or so it seemed) to the replacement train, which took 20 minutes to arrive. My poor cousin is weak from her chemo and overheats easily, so the stairs were killing her, and when we finally got to our home station, the elevator was out of service. We got home at last, but as you might imagine, she's taking a nap now.

hp_beholder reveals have been posted. You may recall that I said I was 99% percent sure about the authorship of three stories (not counting the three I beta'd). And I was 100% right! So there, atdelphi, lash_larue, and miss_morland; I spotted you.

But I was totally wrong about the others I thought I might know. So my actual batting average is under .500.

The story I wrote is called Triptych, featuring Eileen/Tobias and Eileen/Sybill. It was a departure for me in terms of pairings; I always swore I would never write Sybill, since she's one of my least favorite canon characters. But I found that I enjoyed getting into her head and thinking my way into Eileen and Tobias, too. (I'll post the fic on my LJ/DW eventually; for now, the link goes to the Beholder Dreamwidth site.)

miss_morland gets the credit for my wonderful gift, "The Cat's Claws."

It was another absolutely stellar year for the fest, yielding several stories that are already on my all-time favorites list.

ETA: I forgot to say that before the fest started, I bet tetleythesecond a drabble that she would not be able to spot my story. Well, not only did she recognize it, but she did so within about fifteen minutes of its being posted, after reading probably five paragraphs. Damn, but she's good. She gave me a fabulous list of drabble pairings to choose from, so I look forward to writing one soon. Watch this space.