Halloween in Fandom

[kelly_chambliss]

Well, HP fandom, anyway.

Yesterday was hp_halloween's yearly posting of Halloween drabbles. There were nearly 60 entries, with a huge range of characters, pairings, and tones, from dark to fluffy, from gen to NC-17, from humor to heartbreak.

They came at just the right time: I was wiped out yesterday after having been at school from 7:30 am until nearly 9:00 p.m. So when I came home, I was fit for nothing but drabble-reading. I commented on every last one and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

(I got home so late that I didn't even get to hand out my Halloween candy. Now I am going to have to suffer through eating an entire bag of mini Almond Joys [though I will probably save myself from myself by taking them to school.])

Here are links to all the old-lady drabbles:

My gift! Clever Costumes by dragyn_42 (Minerva/Poppy)

A Holiday for the Young by dexstarr (Minerva/Irma; background Minerva/Amelia and Irma/Aurora)

Genetic Anomaly by inamac (Minerva, Augusta, Arabella, Harry, Hermione, Crookshanks)

And my own entry -- see below.

Other Flisties' Entries:

Members of my flist were well-represented with fine works. I've mentioned inamac and dexstarr; we also received treats from...

teddyradiator, whose It's My Party and I'll Go If I Feel Like It (Severus/Hermione) was the first drabble posted.

traintracks777, who wrote A Beastly Pity (Severus/Remus/Sirius)

magnetic_pole, who wrote Cold Front (Remus, Peter)

ragdoll, who wrote No Tricks, All Treats (Ginny/Harry/Luna)

Here's my own entry, written for dexstarr. I was pleased with the drabble when I sent it in to the fest, but when I read it after posting, I was less satisfied. It didn't flow as well as I'd hoped -- too abstract, I think; drabbles need to be more image-based. Still, it was fun to write, and I enjoyed characterizing Septima.

Title: Determination
Pairing: Septima Vector/Minerva McGonagall
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: age gap, hints of D/s and light bondage
Summary: On Samhain night, it's not just the universe that is disordered.
Notes: The prompt asked for "forbidden love, professors, cross-gen, femmeslash, D/s." Many thanks to my lovely beta, therealsnape. If the drabble is not perfect, it's not her fault!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On Samhain night, the Veil of the universe parts, and the truths we think we know dismantle themselves. On Samhain, the dead can become the living, and the living can be reborn. Each change changes another. Samhain is the Uncertainty Principle embodied, the night the universe determinedly proves its indeterminacy.

Septima Vector lives for it.

She lives for universal Samhain because it brings the world to her doorstep; her arithmancer's heart is tied to these ancient rituals that shape and break reality.

And she lives for her particular Samhain because it brings her beloved to her arms; her woman's heart is tied as firmly to the Headmistress as the Headmistress will soon let herself be tied to Septima's bedposts.

They come together rarely, for Headmistress McGonagall is as predictable as Isaac Newton wrongly believed the world to be, and so she worries about the irregularities: about sleeping with someone on her staff, about the forty years that lie between her and her Arithmancy Mistress.

But on Samhain, the immutable laws shift, the Veil folds in upon itself, and the Headmistress becomes Minerva, a woman warm and wanting, her hair disordered, her rules broken, her eternity bound by Septima's determined hands.


Other fannish things:

--My thanks to therealsnape and entrenous88 for the tasty pumpkin cookie gifts.

--wrisomifu has begun!

--And so has hp_darkfest. I have such a soft spot for this fest; it was one of the first I participated in where I actually understood how fests work. My memory is that virtually every story posted that year (2009) was excellent. This final fest will be smaller, but with melusinahp as mod, I know it will be a good one. I'm behind on reading already, but I hope to catch up this weekend.

--minerva_fest is still going strong with some fantastic entries this week. Check them out.

Before I say goodbye to Halloween 2012, I'll use my personalized icon one more time.

Hope you're all well, warm, safe, and dry. (I know some of you are still dark, unfortunately. My sympathies.)