Fests and Recs

[kelly_chambliss]

I have a fic-writing weekend ahead of me (along with ten papers to grade, a student contest to judge, and a job candidate to take to dinner). Yes, the first-draft agonies will be hellish, but in a good way. And for the first time in days, there's no snow in the forecast. So all in all, I'm pretty satisfied with my little world.

I don't know whether it's the water or what, but lately, I have read just one excellent HP story after another. At least two of them have gone onto my "Best Fanfics I've Ever Read" list, and several more are in the upper 10% at least. So in case you have a bit of free time, here are some recs. . .

Why Must I Chase the Cat? (Minerva/Sirius)
Ordinarily, Minerva/Sirius is not a pairing I find believable. But in the able hands of ozma_katiebell, it works. Yes, you'll have to suspend a bit of disbelief, but suspense can be good for you /g/. It's not PWP: Ozma_Katie sets up the scene and the characters very well, with some nicely-understated character development and backstory. Plus, the fic features a well-turned ankle (a kink of mine)and a Rapunzel moment (another kink of mine: one of those scenes where Minerva lets down her long hair, and it tumbles in lovely waves around her shoulders). Nor does Ozma_K ignore the age issue. And if that's not enough, the sex is hot. (And so is the featured kink -- literally -- but you'll have to go look at it to find out what it is.) Other good news, from my pov, at least: there are no scenes of them nestled cozily together in dog and cat forms. I think you'll enjoy it; I did (and left my usual insane amounts of squee).

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this one yet, but if you haven't already read atdelphi's breath-taking story The Boy Who Lived, go directly to do so now. It's a masterpiece of deftly-handled point-of-view, with portraits of Harry, Snape, and Dumbledore that cut to the bone. It has so many of the things I love: a) a perfect structure, where the ending, excellent in its own right, gains so much from all that has come before. b) Attention to meta -- it's a story about telling stories, which is a topic that has informed much of my own writing of late. c) And the issue of names: their sources, their powers, the way they are in some sense arbitrary and yet come to define us and construct us. d) Expert characterization. e) Finally, of course, there's Delphi's language, which will be to your mind what the most exquisite and vivid of flavors are to your tongue. (How's that for metaphor?)


I am reaching panic mode about my fest assignments -- springtime_gen (for which I have no plot yet); femmefest (for which I have no draft yet); hp_beholder, for which I have chosen no pairing yet. Let me utter the first of what will no doubt be many iterations of this basic thought: "Why did I sign up for all of these fests with deadlines so close together???"

And speaking of fests: I will be strong and not sign up for dark_fest, but it looks interesting. It's what the name suggests: a showcase for dark stories, from multiple fandoms. I love dark fic as a rule, especially when it's well-written and explores complex and painful and revealing psychological hoo-ha.

hp_kinkfest is winding down. I have several interesting-looking stories bookmarked, but I haven't read much over there yet. So far, I've seen nothing that features the older-gen folks, and there's not much femmeslash. Younger-gen and m/m stories aren't usually at the top of my reading list, but I get to them eventually; there are always things I'm very glad not to have missed.