Live from HP Fandom

Wow, once school starts, I get pulled into a black hole of time sucks -- classes, prep, meetings, meetings, meetings -- that leave me with no time to do the real work of life, namely, pursue my hobbies. It's been weeks since I posted.

But I have clawed my way (temporarily) out of that black hole in order to bring you some fun fandom news.

First and most wildly-exciting: Sign-ups are open at hoggywartyxmas! That's right -- one of the only older-character* fests still active in HP, and it's going to run again this year. It's always one of the total highlights of my holiday season (not just in fandom terms, but in general. Sign-ups are limited to 30 participants, but there are still a few slots open. (*Note -- young characters can find a place to play there, too.) Some of my favorite HP writers and artists will be taking part; you could be one of them. What are you waiting for?

And guess what else will be running again? If you said, hp_halloween, you're right! I love this quick, low-pressure fest; it's how I've spent my Halloweens for at least the last five years. You have to write only a 200-word drabble, and you get one in return. Everything is posted on Halloween day/night. All characters, pairings, and ratings welcome. I've written my usuals, of course -- Minerva, Severus, Minerva/Severus, Minerva/Rolanda -- and I've also enjoyed the chance to work outside my typical characters: I've written Bellatrix, the Grey Lady, Luna, Neville/Hannah, Septima Vector. Great fun. Sign-ups haven't started yet, but I'm looking forward to them.

Then there's the holiday-themed mini_fest, which I have a soft spot for, since a) it was one of the first few fests I did in the fandom, and b) several very nice fics have been written there either for me or to my prompts. You can write very short pieces, so no pressure. I'm going to try to do something for it again this year.

And claiming is still open at sirius_black. I was siriusly (haha -- see what I did there?) tempted by a couple of the prompts, but I had to resist (I have a bad habit of over-extending myself in fests during school time).

Finally, here's a rec for you from severosmerta, a new fest that's a lot of fun. I've "caught up" (not!) only to the first day of posting, but that first story is a winner:

A Bit of All Right by Anonymous (Severus/Rosmerta)

A well-written take on the "sexy-mother Rosmerta" trope, with a great drunken, callow young Severus.

Other news -- I got my copy of Cursed Child, though I haven't had a chance to open it yet. I'm neutral about it: good or bad, I don't think it will have too much effect on my overall feelings toward HP. So bring it on, JKR. (These may be famous last words, of course. For all I know, I'll be ranting and raging like mad once I've read it.)