HoggyWartyXmas Recs #2

I'm almost caught up on my reading in that best of fests, hoggywartyxmas (but not completely caught up, because I want to save a few things to look forward to).

Here are just a few of my new favorite entries. (I'll probably have a separate "Garrick Ollivander" post later; he's been the star of this year's show.)

ART
Four Mixed Media Artworks by Anonymous jodel_from_aol
Featuring Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, various House Elves, Augusta Longbottom, Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbott, Hagrid, Aberforth Dumbledore, Pomona Sprout
A wonderfully-varied group of holiday scenes. The level of detail is exquisite. Hard to pick a favorite, but I'll have to go with the fab Wise Witches.

My Charlie Weasley Christmas by Anonymous shadowycat
Neville Longbottom/Charlie Weasley
Beautiful colors for a tender moment. Love Neville's expression.

FIC
A Hedgewitch's Receipt Book by Anonymous rednsnake05
Madam Rosmerta, her grandmother (OC)
I am just so taken with this magical, heartwarming, bittersweet story and its effective premise of charting the women of a family through their recipes (handwritten!) The Mystery Author gives us a nuanced, believable portrait of Rosmerta by connecting her to magical natural ingredients. This is exactly the sort of story I read Hoggywarty for; love it.

With Friends Like These by Anonymous hiddenhibernian
Severus Snape/Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Augusta Longbottom, Minerva McGonagall
No, I haven't turned into an SSHG fan! But this story is so wickedly witty, so full of quotable, wry, hilarious fantastic lines, that I could maybe become one.

1997 by Anonymous milotzi
Irma Pince, Augusta Longbottom, Severus Snape/Madam Rosmerta
I'm always ready to say that there are no new twists to take with HP fic, and I'm always proven wrong. This thought-provoking, powerful story makes sense in the wizarding world, and sadly, serves as a metaphor for our own.

2020 Snowflake Challenge -- Day 1

I make no promises about finishing the challenge this year; I always swear to do so, and I always fail. So I'm just going to own my shortcomings and plow ahead in my flawed-human way.



Day 1 -- Introduce Yourself

Name (for the purposes of LJ/DW): Kelly Chambliss

Occupation: Professor of English, university-level

Age: pretty old, certainly older than I ever imagined being (to the point that I'm now like my ancient relatives, who used to talk about how surprised they were when they caught glimpses of themselves in mirrors and thought, "who is that old bag?" Yeah, I'm there. The old "me" I see in the mirror looks nothing like the 30-something "me" that is my standard sense of myself. Still, being old is better than the alternative (for now, anyway).

Family: I've been with Partner for twenty years now. We met when her "Child" was four; the "Young Man" is now 24. (!) In my immediate family, I'm the oldest of four, with one sister and two brothers.

Interests: HP, writing, reading in general, history in general and women's/queer history in particular, politics, film and film history (I've been a movie buff for decades, especially silents), amateur acting. I love visiting libraries and museums and supermarkets. I love cheese, good bread, butter, coffee, tea, and flower-flavored foods. I collect books and have a lot of them. Like over a thousand.

Personal Traits: I talk a lot, I procrastinate a lot, I'm generally a pessimist (no, I don't see the glass half-empty; I see the glass with barely any dregs in it at all), I'm borderline OCD, I'm lazy, I prefer couch-sitting to any sort of physical or outdoor activity (the outdoors is what I pass through on my way to various indoors), I'm a picky eater.