Fandom News

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Sign-ups are open at hp_beholder! Even if you can't write for any other fest this year, consider doing this one.

If you're new to my flist and aren't familiar with this fest, it's an older-character paradise, one of the very few in the Potterverse where you'll see more than one sign-up asking for an oldster. (Even the fests dedicated to rarepairs rarely include older folks -- look at the current hprarefest, for instance -- over 200 prompts, and only two of them asked for older characters [one request for Poppy, one for Hooch]). So if you have any interest in characters who are often overlooked in fests due to age, size, or appearance, hp_beholder is for you. The overall quality of the stories and art is very, very high.

Sign up here. Can't wait!

Calling All Reccers!
A lot of the categories at crack_broom are low on reccers again. If you're interested in sharing your favorite fics with other readers, consider signing up. In addition to the usual-suspect pairings, you'll find categories for Gen, Femmeslash, Threesomes, and "Rarest Reccer" -- for those rarepairs that don't fit any other slot. You can also propose a "Featured Character" or "Featured Pairing" -- in the past, I've done Flitwick/open, McGonagall/Snape, McGonagall/open, and others. I just finished a femmeslash month and will be taking up "Gen" for February.

Art Recs
I'm completely behind on reading the stories at snapecase, but I've been enjoying the art, of which there's been much. Check these out:

Into Darkness by Anonymous (Severus Snape, portrat!Albus Dumbledore; G)
Great execution and coloring, and it features smokin'!Snape (one of my favorite guilty pleasures). I love this.

Ingredients Collecting (Severus Snape; G)
The black-and-white palette suits this character perfectly; I love the composition and the muted chiaroscuro (if I can use that term with "muted").

Poison by Anonymous (Severus Snape; PG)
More smokin!Snape, yay! I like the minimalist graphics.

Snapecase Fic Recs

In the past, the snapecase reveals have been posted at the same time as the final entry. Since both could happen any time (the fest has been running for several weeks), I thought I'd better offer my fic recs now while things are still anonymous. I haven't quite finished everything, but here are some choice reads:

Catching the Wind by Anonymous (Severus, Eileen, Tobias; PG)
An excellent rendering of Severus's childhood voice, with poignant and nuanced depictions of all the Snapes. I particularly like the magical details. A well-written story, one of my fest favorites.

Alfie Prendergast's Lucky Day by Anonymous (Severus, Minerva, Harry, OC; G)
Clever, funny, well-characterized, with an edge of snarky humor that I really enjoy. Here's my favorite line: "A problem?" [McGonagall] said, as if it was a new concept, and one she didn't plan to have any truck with. "What do you mean there's a problem?"

Lex Talionis by Anonymous (Severus, Rose Weasley, Hermione; G)
I like this story for its engaging characterization of Rose, its dry-as-dust Severus, and its intriguing suggestions of portrait!lore.

Fear of Flying by Anonymous (Severus, Irma; PG-13)
A well-rendered, bleak story, one of the few Severus/Irma fics I can recall reading.

Wormwood and Gall by Anonymous (Severus, Albus, cameos by Lucius and Minerva; G)
This story offers an interesting twist, one I don't think I've seen before: a Severus who doesn't immediately and automatically hate teaching. Albus is very well-portrayed, too, particularly in his first dialogue with Severus.

(See previous post for snapecase art recs.)