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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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    Monday, December 1st, 2008
    branchandroot
         		3:52p
    Feed journals send no comments
    *waves to all her LJ friends* Hey, just wanted to make sure people knew, rss feed journals don't send comments.

    So, if anyone comments on branchandrootij, or similar, I won't see those comments unless I happen to go look at the feed journal in person (which I don't unless someone mentions it). Feeds aren't associated with anyone, so there are no notifications.

    Personally, I think LJ would do a lot better to see about sending notifications to the source of the feed, instead of uglifying the user info page, but that's just me. *grins*

    So if you want to comment so I can see it, click on the url at the top of the entry and leave the comment here on IJ. (See also OpenID commenting so you can get notifications of replies to your comments over here.)
    branchandroot
         		1:34p
    Hibari and Mukuro
    [Posted from my other fandom journal.]

    So, I was thinking about Hibari and Mukuro, and their philosophical or symbolic furniture, and figured I’d better scribble it all down before it got away.

    Poking at the way Hibari changes over time, it seems to me that he’s got two major influences in what we might call his philosophy or mind-set: Naturalist and Traditional. These are my own terms for them, of course.

    The Naturalist aspect is the ‘nature red in tooth and claw’, carnivore/herbivore, survival of the fittest or at least rule of the strongest gig that is his stronger influence earlier on. For a high-profile example of how this philosophy manifests in modern Japan, look up Fukuzawa Yukichi.

    The Traditional aspect shows up in his devotion to the school, tendency to wear his school uniform exclusively, and later in his design of his Foundation, and tendency to wear kimono at home. All of these suggest an investment in the values of form and conformity, and, as time goes on, in the aesthetics of wabi and iki.

    Pause for translation: Both of those are pretty broad concepts, and Hibari is nothing if not selective in how he adopts Traditional ideas, so let me gloss the aspect of wabi he seems most engaged with as “the beauty of imperfections that arise from a thing being what it is” (e.g. liking a corny anthem because, well, it’s the school anthem and those are pretty much supposed to be corny). I would not say he’s much into the “humility” aspect, for example. Iki is usually translated as “refinement”, which is fine as far as it goes. Getting into the further connotations, I’d say Hibari is most engaged with the aspects of simplicity and what we might call “perfection of manner”, witness the classically sparse arrangement of his future quarters.

    These things don’t actually contradict each other, provided we assume Hibari is at the top of the food chain, which Hibari clearly does assume.

    And then we have Mukuro. Mukuro draws on the concept of Samsara, Buddhist flavor, the cycle of reincarnation through the Six Realms. To have been through this cycle is not an unusual thing to claim, but remembering each life and being able to draw on the nature of each realm certainly is. Despite having all those strengths at his beck and call, of course, Mukuro is clearly not enlightened, has not escaped the cycle. Indeed, based on his current life’s emotions and actions, he’s probably bound straight for Hell again.

    The human state is, however, supposed to be the one from which enlightenment can be best achieved, and I find it very interesting that, after his fight with Tsuna, Mukuro starts using a new signature illusion: lotus flowers. Those are one of the prime symbols of enlightenment. An illusion of a lotus has some rather curious connotations, too. On the one hand, Buddhism does suggest that the world around us is, indeed, illusion, from a spiritual point of view. The illusion of the lotus could be the very purest expression of this, showing that all the symbols of this world we use to explain enlightenment are inadequate. It could just as well be the ultimate symbol of Mukuro’s denial of enlightenment.

    I suspect we won’t be able to resolve the ambiguity until we find out what Mukuro’s new agenda really is.

    Sunday, November 16th, 2008
    supernaturalfic
    [ ephemerall ]
         		5:01p
    [woodsmoke will always tell old stories], adult, sam/girl!dean & past sam/ruby
    [woodsmoke will always tell old stories]
    adult
    sam/girl dean, past sam/ruby
    4980 words

    notes: au. Dean is a girl and always has been.



    In the backseat the leather is cold on her legs. It’s early November and she’s wondering where things went wrong. She remembers back in July, the way his fingers felt on her back, moving in tiny ticklish circles; her body aches for him in ways she’s never known before.
    Sunday, November 30th, 2008
    supernaturalfic
    [ seleneheart ]
         		3:11p
    Fic: Journey's End
    Title: Journey's End
    Author: [info]seleneheart
    Fandom: Supernatural
    Pairing: Dean/Sam
    Rating: PG
    Summary: Decades after the events of 'Stealing Home,' Sam takes Dean back to Georgia.
    Warnings: highlight - Major character death
    Word count: ~2,400
    Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, not for profit
    Feedback: Yes!
    Archive: Worlds Undreamed Of
    Author's Note: This is a sequel of sorts to Stealing Home, but set far into the future.

    Dawn broke as the plane descended over the coastal lowlands.
    lilyseyes
         		11:39p
    [info]adventdrabbles ~ Scrooge
    Title: Scrooge
    Fandom: Harry Potter
    Rating :PG
    Pairing: Snape-centric at the moment
    Author: [info]lilyseyes
    Word Count: 100
    Prompt: #1/Scrooge
    Warnings: *AU, Severus is about 5 years old*
    Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse – I just play in it. No money is made from these amateur works.
    Summary:

    ( Scrooge )

    Current Mood: bouncy
    lilyseyes
         		9:02p
    [info]snape100 ~ Whispers
    Title: Whispers
    Rating :PG
    Author: [info]lilyseyes
    Word Count: 100
    Challenge: [info]snape100 258: Truly Madly Deeply
    Warnings: *AU, prior canon character deaths mentions*
    Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse – I just play in it. No money is made from these amateur works.
    Summary: Severus hated meddlesome ghosts

    ( Whispers )

    Current Mood: busy
    spn_slash
    [ seleneheart ]
         		3:13p
    Fic: Journey's End
    Title: Journey's End
    Author: [info]seleneheart
    Fandom: Supernatural
    Pairing: Dean/Sam
    Rating: PG
    Summary: Decades after the events of 'Stealing Home,' Sam takes Dean back to Georgia.
    Warnings: highlight - Major character death
    Word count: ~2,400
    Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, not for profit
    Feedback: Yes!
    Archive: Worlds Undreamed Of
    Author's Note: This is a sequel of sorts to Stealing Home, but set far into the future.

    Dawn broke as the plane descended over the coastal lowlands.
    snupin_prophet
    [ scribbulus_ink ]
         		9:57a
    The Snupin Prophet: November 23-30, 2008
    The Snupin Prophet is posted on Livejournal and on Insanejournal.


    Random Rec:
    Triad, by Treemonisha.


    Announcements:
    There is important information for Snupin Santa readers and participants here and here.

    Updates to the Snupin Prophet newsletter and the Snupin Santa Fest will be announced via Twitter.


    Fan Art:
    Legilimens: part 5 and part 6, by julythirtyfirst. Comic.

    Twilight, the Snupin version, by karasu_hime.


    Drabbles (200 words or less):
    Defenceless, by drachenmina.

    Suspicious Nature, by alisanne. Rated R.


    Fanfiction (complete):
    Minutes to Midnight, by lulabelle72. Rated L.
    Summary: Lupin seeks his monthly potion from the ever-miserable Snape, but the dungeons hold more menace for the Potions master than the werewolf.

    Mustard Seeds, by lulabelle72. Rated L.
    Summary: Snape finds the price for trespassing to be a bit steep. Perhaps Lupin can soften the blow?


    Fanfiction (WIP):
    Angelinus: chapter 24, by Les Dowich. Rated T.
    Summary: Book 4 in the Snape Cycle. When Severus inherits the guardianship of a cousin’s twins, it sets off a chain of events that drag the Lupin-Snapes, Malfoys, Potters and Weasleys into a head-on clash with fanatics, drug dealers and babysitters.

    Honor: chapter 113, by morganlefay1958. Rated Adult.
    Summary: Severus and Remus learn about love together, but other forces try to interfere--and it isn't who you would suspect...

    The Sultan and the Storyteller: chapters 26-34 (complete), by Arionrhod and McKay. Rated R. Content: Non-magical AU.
    Summary: Professor Remus Lupin finds himself a captive of the sultan of Slythistan, but what is really keeping him there? The bonds of coercion or the bonds of growing love?

    The Suspicious Truth: chapter 4, by Ming. Rated T.
    Summary: Without realizing, Remus loved Severus. After proving facts, James accepted the friends Lily has and they hit it off, leaving Severus heart broken. For reassurance, he turns to the 2nd person who made his life at Hogwarts easier, Lupin.


    Participate:
    Snupin100 has issued Challenge #184: Expelliarmus.

    Lupin100 has issued Prompt #223: Remus gets a pet.

    Snape100 has issued Challenge #258: Truly, Madly, Deeply.


    Search:
    Ednama is searching for stories involving knitting here.

    Jbfrancis2000 is looking for crossovers with Supernatural here.

    Tayefeth is looking for a couple of different types of story here.


    Update:
    The Moonshadow archive has been updated with 0 stories this week.



    Send your Snape/Lupin news to snupin.prophet@gmail.com.
    branchandroot
         		1:42a
    Character ages, omg
    [Posted from my other fandom journal.]

    *staring at the info book translations*

    Okay. So, when the KHR info book came out, the timeline set ‘current time’ in the middle of Our Hero’s second year of Namimori Middle school, and their ages are given as (for the most part) 14.  To be more precise, 13/14, given Kyoko’s age.

    This… actually does match up.  I kept seeing their ages set at 15, and was wondering how on earth they could be first and second years in middle school and still be 15; that’s the age for a high school first year.

    But, no, it looks like the times are not screwed up, and, indeed, these characters are middle school students.

    And, theoretically, Hibari’s age is unknown, but it doesn’t seem in character for him to stay in middle school when he should properly be in the high school range, so he’s probably only a year older than they are, if that, and this is going to make my futurefic for Dino/Hibari a bit more difficult to set.

    *makes small ‘argh’ sounds*

    Saturday, November 29th, 2008
    painless_j
         		9:41p
    HikaGo recs. Vol. 2: Arboretum and Aja
    A Resolution of Territory, by Arboretum (has a sequel, A Pretty Good Year, but it's unavailable ATM) #
    Akira/Hikaru, NC-17, ~10K words.

    Brilliant all the way through and very amusing. While being highly advanced in Go and renown in the official Go world, Hikaru finds that he's very much behind in the areas of life that interest 'normal' teenagers the most. Namely, sex. Hikaru's Life-Changing Discoveries and Steps on the Way are accompanied with lots and lots of Go and relationship counselling from the unwilling Waya. That's the kind of fic that gives you real pleasure while you're reading and puts a happy smile on your face when you remember it. Awesome!

    Quote: They fight so loudly all the time eventually three different guests from three different countries all suggest imposing a restraining order on Hikaru. "No way," Hikaru and Touya say at the same time. Well, Hikaru says, "No way," and Touya stiffens up and says, "Absolutely not." Same thing, whatever.


    Waterloo, by Aja (bookshop) #
    Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, 8000 words.

    This story shows us a very interesting situation: Touya Jr. is on the brink of a victory which would better (much better) be a loss. One victory he's not ready for. Think of him and you'll know which victory it is. The way it's shown to us is, while not unheard of, interesting. Aja reveals necessary details one by one so that we construct the whole picture from them gradually. It's not a puzzle though, nor is it an annoying formal trick. Instead, it lets us connect to the characters and their emotions slowly and the more inevitably the more we learn. Wonderful piece, masterfully written and very intense. It will make you love the pairing and Go even more: how they work, what things mean between them, what the game is for them, what secrets they harbour and how those affect them, everything. Wonderful!

    ( And dragons )
    Friday, November 28th, 2008
    branchandroot
         		1:28p
    ...
    Our house was just broken into. While I was here.

    I heard the doorbell ring, and figured it was a delivery and I'd get a few more winks before getting up to see. And then there was some noise from downstairs and I wondered if the cat was getting rowdy. And then I thought I heard some steps (old wood floor you know, it creaks) and turned over, wondering, so I saw a hand open the bedroom door. Quite abruptly. So I said "what?!" like any sensible person. And the hand vanished, and the steps booked it downstairs, and by the time I got my bathrobe on and my walking stick in hand, the burglar was gone.

    With my ipod nano and the dock. But nothing else.

    And I know how he got in. The cat door was opened, and I checked, it's possible to reach from there to the lock on the back door, which was open. If I take the key out of the deadbolt, that will fix the problem, which makes me feel better.

    But I'm still kind of freaking out bigtime here.
    painless_j
         		3:10a
    HP rec: Yearning, by Mandy (Snape/Harry, NC-17, EWE)
    Yearning, by Mandy (geneticallydead) #
    Snape/Harry (Harry/Ginny mentioned), NC-17, novella, EWE. Summary: Harry buries Snape at Godric's Hollow. As he was in life, so he would be in death. Alone. But not forgotten.

    When I saw this fic posted in the snape_potter comm, I immediately spammed my friends with squeeful emails. One would think that I should have read the fic first, right? But whether it was going to be wonderful or a disappointment, it was an event anyway because this is the Mandy who wrote Möbius 2.5 years ago, her first and only posted HP fic until now and the story that is still among my most favourite HP fics of any pairing, the riveting, highly original one (what? haven't read it? run, don't walk!).

    So was Yearning a disappointment? Not at all! I'd even say "Of course not" but that would lead me along the twisted path of babbling about writing in general which I'm unwilling to do at the moment.

    To avoid spoilers, let me put it like this: don't let the summary frighten you off. This is by no means a fluffy fic but it's not a tearjerker. It's serious and gritty or unpleasant sometimes -- don't forget who are the main characters here. Which main characters are written really, really wonderfully here. But what I like even more in this story is that it's full of small things that stick to your memory and that make you see very vivid images. To name a few: how Hermione nearly but not quite looks down to check if she leaks milk; how flakes of dead skin are suspended in the air after said skin is dried off with a towel; what grass under fingers feels like, etc. Lots and lots of them.

    Really wonderful story! Go read if you missed it!
    Thursday, November 27th, 2008
    lilyseyes
         		12:10a
    [info]harry100 ~ Hope ~ HP,SS PG
    Title: Hope
    Author: [info]lilyseyes
    Characters: Harry Potter
    Challenge: #8: The Room of Requirement
    Rating: PG
    Length: 100x2
    Warnings: *AU, Harry is 13, pre-slash if you squint, set during POA*
    Summary: Harry's exhausted as nightmares continue to plague his sleep.
    Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse – I just play in it. No money is made from these amateur works.
    My thanks to [info]alisanne for the once over - *smoochies*

    Happy Thanksgiving to all who live here in the United States – please remember that giving thanks and having hope go hand in hand – please, don't ever lose the hope!



    ( Hope )

    Current Mood: cranky
    Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
    lilyseyes
         		1:31a
    [info]snape100 ~ Seasons ~ SS/HP, PG
    Title: Seasons
    Rating :PG
    Author: [info]lilyseyes
    Word Count: 100
    Challenge: [info]snape100 257: The January Man
    Warnings: *AU, fluff*
    Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse – I just play in it. No money is made from these amateur works.
    Summary: Severus' favorite season .

    ( Seasons )

    Current Mood: sleepy
    painless_j
         		3:39a
    OMG this is bloody perfect!!!
    Gmail now offers you to pick a skin, and I chose the one with foxes, Tea House. Because, you know, foxes :) I couldn't resist. It changes depending on the time of the day. The fox character in the bottom left corner does various things.

    And OMFG, this is so, so perfect in the light of my new manga/anime love! Look!

    ( In the night, there are fox ghosts there that play Go! )

    Aww, too cute for words.

    ( And dragons of course )
    painless_j
         		2:28a
    HikaGo recs. Vol. 1: Pru and Mirabella
    New fandom, new fandom, yay! I don't know how long I will spend reading HikaGo fiction or anything but I'm going to dip my toes in it, most definitely. Because I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters. Oh no, not ready at all! Expect a squeeful rec of Hikaru No Go manga and anime from me soon when I make the jumble of thoughts, emotions, and impressions in my head into some sort of a coherent whole. For now though, my first HikaGo recs.

    I've read only four fics so far and liked them all. What amazed me was that they had very different characterisation of the same characters, but all of them were absolutely believable. I loved it!

    The Relative Value of Things series, by rageprufrock #
    Ogata/Shindou, some Touya/Shindou, NC-17, series of short fics.

    It so happened that the first ever HikaGo fic I read was Ogata/Shindo. Not my first pairing of choice but I certainly don't object, and this is why I love Pru's writing. A writer like her can turn you to any pairing, tested and proved by pj. Because I loved Remus/Sirius fics of hers in HP fandom and I don't even like Remus/Sirius. The same happened here. The story grabs you, makes you see with Ogata's eyes (3d person), and just try not to like him -- or him paired with Shindou! Scorchingly hot, too. You feel the air charged with desires, covet glances sliding past you from one incredibly intense guy to another, rivalry, jealousy, and victories. Absolutely wonderful!


    Inertia, by rageprufrock #
    Touya/Shindou, Touya/OFC, NC-17, oneshot. Summary: Touya has always been a quiet, mature child.

    Touya Akira is married and has a baby. Can you imagine it? How do you see it? Myself, I now can see it only like in this fic! It's perfect. Yes, yes, I believe that this is exactly what Touya's adult life must look like. 'Cos come on, does he even know anything about life except Go? Is he even aware of anything besides Go, well, and Shindou. Or is it Shindou and Go? Anyway, the story is absolutely wonderful. Angsty and funny in turn, and moving. And the writing is better than Hikaru's Go <-- forgive me, I couldn't resist my first Go pun :)


    Issues, by Mirabella (or here, locked) #
    Shindou/Touya, PG-13, short. Summary: Five things about Shindou, Touya, and sex. By request.

    This is, IMO, what good writing is about. I don't like "five things" kind of stories but couldn't help liking this one. Hikaru is having a rather belated sexual identity crisis. The story, or five scenes more precisely, is/are built around it. Amusing, moving, spot-on in characterisation and the details chosen to speak instead of large blocks of text, and pushing all the right buttons. I can only call storytelling like this elegant.

    Quote: It actually takes Shindou a long time to realize that he has Issues. He's got Go and manga and the occasional pick-up basketball game and he jerks off in a sort of desultory way, and it takes Akari yelling at him to get him to realize that when you're eighteen years old, have a successful career, and live on your own, you're really a long way past the point in your life where you should be convinced that girls have cooties.


    The Art of New Games, by Mirabella #
    Touya/Shindou, PG-13, short. Summary: Touya really doesn't think his clothes are all that bad. Shindou and photographers disagree. Touya wouldn't really care, except that there are advantages to humoring Shindou once in a while.

    The story addresses Touya's fashion sense (lavender suit OMGDEAD). Amusing and so charged with teenage hormones (and awkwardness) that I was really surprised to recall after reading it that it hadn't been rated NC-17. Wonderful!

    Quote: "There is nothing wrong with that suit," Akira says between his teeth.

    Shindou gives him a Look and rummages in his backpack. "Touya, there are so many things wrong with that suit that finding them all should unlock a secret level. When I get the Honinbou title I'm going to burn it as a present to myself."


    Ah, now to find and read some fabulous Sai/Hikaru! And Isumi/Hai Yang or Isumi/Shindou. Thank you all for the recs, guys!
    Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
    lysapadin
         		2:55p
    [fic] KHR - Moriturus Te Saluto
    Title: Moriturus Te Saluto
    Characters: Tsuna, Kyoko, the Vongola Guardians
    Summary: TYL Tsuna prepares himself for an unpleasant meeting.
    Notes: Spoilers for ch219 of the manga; PG-13 for heavy themes. 2000 words.

    ( Hibari clearly disliked the idea a great deal. )
    branchandroot
         		2:47p
    The Beauty of Obligation

    Fic post from my archive.

    The Beauty of Obligation

    Filling in missing scenes of Hibari's training with Dino, and how it might have convinced him to Tsuna's side. Drama, I-3

    And just who did Cavallone think he was, to judge Kyouya's skill? He wouldn't even fight properly, all avoidance and evasion.

    Still. The fact that he could evade and avoid spoke its own language, and a far more convincing one than the flowery nonsense about frogs and wells. As long as Cavallone showed up, Kyouya would fight him.

    Now if he could just make the man fight seriously.

    Monday, November 24th, 2008
    snarry_games
    [ djin7 ]
         		8:31p
    2008 Tribute Gift Art to Team Dragon and Team Phoenix
    We received this beautiful piece in the early part of the Art Games, from the lovely [info]sealcat.

    We didn't think it truly belonged with the Crack Art, so we held on to it for a year end tribute to the Teams of 2008.

    Unfortunately, [info]sealcat was unable to compete in this Games this year, but we thank her for this lovely art representing our 2008 Snarry Games Teams.


    *Dial up users: beware of large image under cut, Rated G












    ( When the dragon soars and the phoenix dances, the people will enjoy happiness for years, bringing peace and tranquility to all under heaven. )

    Thank you, [info]sealcat!



    Stay tuned later this week for closing comments and Walking The Plank news!
    branchandroot
         		3:35p
    KHR: winning and losing
    [Posted from my other fandom journal.]

    Another of the structural points that interests me is the way the characters win or lose. In the Mukuro arc, this is fairly straightforward, though there are some instances where losing is not a final thing, especially in Ken’s case. The ring battles start out looking equally simple and definitive but, after the Guardians’ matches are done with, takes a sharp left turn away from that built-up expectation. Once Xanxus’ overall plan is revealed, the structure of the previous fights breaks down into an impending free-for all, driven by passion and conviction and blood on the ground right then and there.

    And then Amano cuts it off, leaving audience expectation without sure direction.

    We appear to return to the strict (and rather sadistic) structure the Cervello have imparted to previous battles, for a time and, within that structure, Tsuna wins. Almost. The almost turns out to be critical and, despite having beaten Xanxus, having proven himself stronger, Tsuna and his side wind up losing by the numbers. Xanxus Guardians make it to the scene sooner, and the rings go to him.

    And then we get another twist.

    Xanxus’ prize rejects him and Tsuna wins by default. Only not, because, of course, he has already proven that he has the peculiarly Vongola strengths. It’s a marvelous tangle of mixed messages, and paves the way for the demi-redemption of the Varia. Audience expectation has been destabilized repeatedly, leaving Amano more elbow room to do unusual things without instant resistance–at least, not resistance because of her own narrative momentum. In this case, she uses that room to inject some sympathy for the previously quite unsympathetic Varia and Xanxus (see post re Villains) and, in the next arc, to rehabilitate them to an extent, presenting them as allies.

    Given Mukuro’s appearance as Tsuna’s Guardian, it’s pretty safe to say this is a maneuver Amano likes.

    The fact that she seems to be using the win-only-not/lose-only-not tactic again with Irie only increases my suspicion that it will wind up being used for Byakuran. But what most interests me about the whole pattern is that it allows for something we rarely see in the shounen-fight genre, which is the heros really losing–not just a motivational loss, but a “you lost the big stakes” loss. So far, this has not translated into an overall narrative loss, but only due to a personal failing in the winner, not any effort on the part of Tsuna and Family. That’s unusual enough to catch my attention, and pretty convincingly presents Tsuna as simultaneously increasing greatly in power and still in need of further build-up.

    It also supports her less redemptive than usual redemptions. It’s a classic genre move to have opponents be rehabilitated or enlightened or otherwise saved by losing to the hero. The characters are generally engaged in explicit trial by combat already, and the winner has demonstrated the superiority of his side’s philosophy, as well as fighting skills. Amano has done this once, with Mukuro, but the ring battles do not resolve by combat, which leaves Xanxus and the Varia in an ambiguous position, defeated but not vanquished and, to all appearances, not redeemed either. This marches well with her approach to villains in general, providing a wide enough spectrum of despicable-ness to make characters who act very dubiously still palatable to the audience. Already pre-conditioned to accept ambiguous behavior, we are less likely to kick when frankly psychotic killers are presented as viable allies.

    I will be very interested to see just how far Amano carries this, and whether the ambiguities will be resolved by the end or left as they are.

    painless_j
         		1:33p
    HP and PSOH rec: And Then It Bit Him, by who_la_hoop (Snape/Count D)
    And Then It Bit Him, by who_la_hoop #
    Snape/Count D, PG-13, ~10K words. HP/PSoH crossover. Warnings: Epilogue-compliant for HP, but with live!Snape; contains a massive spoiler for PSoH Volume 10. Summary: When Snape's first Animagus transformation doesn't go entirely as expected, he finds himself plagued by a mysterious being, who – in the company of a pet man-eating goat thing – proceeds to thoroughly turn his life upside down. A/N: painless_j's prompt asked for Snape's first Animagus transformation, and Snape and Count D discovering unexpected magical worlds and clashing personalities with gusto.

    I'm one happy fan now 'cos not only has my prompt from way back been picked but the story who_la_hoop made out of it is absolutely delightful! Severus in it is a bit less paranoid than how I see him but I think it's stylistic or genre requirement rather than characterisation issue. Which style is humorous: maybe it won't make you guffaw but it's hard not to smile or even chuckle. I want to quote it here almost line by line, especially dialogues. Like here:

    He was shorter than Severus by some inches, and when he looked up into Severus' face, Severus noticed that his eyes were different colours – neither of them natural looking in the slightest.

    "What are you?" Severus asked, tensing.

    "I am known as Count D," the man said, a half-smile on his lips. "What are you?"

    Severus felt marginally more certain that he was talking to a man. He also felt marginally more irritated. What sort of a way was that to answer a question? "I am Professor Snape," he said, scowling down at the enigma in front of him.     Legilimens he thought, focusing hard.

    For a moment he was pulled into a dazzling, incomprehensible slide-show of images – before a sharp, sudden pain on his cheek shoved him back out. He blinked, raising a hand to his face. He was bleeding.

    "My apologies," Count D said. Severus thought he didn't look very sorry. "Is it not normal to knock before entering?"

    Severus frowned at him. A Muggle would not have been able to detect Legilimency. He felt strongly though that this Count, or whatever he was, was no wizard. "You didn't answer my question," he said, finally. "What are you?"

    Count D licked delicately at one finger. Severus shuddered when he realised he was licking a drop of blood – Severus' own blood – from it. "I own a pet shop," he said. "What are you?"

    Severus reached for his wand again. "Tired of this," he said. "Oblivi—"

    Wonderful reading! If you are into PSOH at all, head there!
    Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
    scribbulus_ink
         		6:29p
    Twitter updates
    I've created a Twitter account, which I plan to use for announcing updates to my site, [info]snupin_prophet, and the Snupin Santa Fest archive, assuming I can train myself to get into the habit. So if you want to keep up with updates at those places (and others, if the need/occasion arises), feel free to check at Twitter.

    Current Mood: groggy
    Monday, November 24th, 2008
    painless_j
         		2:28a
    PSA: comments at my site disabled, effective immediately
    I'm very sorry to say it but starting from now, comments on my site have been disabled. I appreciate all the fics suggestions for the themed lists, all the broken links reports, and general feedback a lot. But I can't suffer spam 'bots anymore. Every day I have to erase hundreds of "make your penis huge"-like comments, and regretfully, I don't know of a filter that would be as effective as that of Gmail to install at my site. Just... it might sound selfish, but I'd rather the lists weren't updated than to keep doing this mindless of job of delete-delete-delete.

    If you want to contact me for any non-spammery purpose, you can drop me a line via email or anywhere on my LJ like "Suggestion for the Childhood of HP characters list: Title, author, link, anything else you want to add. LJ comments are forwarded to me, so I won't miss it (unless LJ fails, of course).

    Thank you again for all your help!
    Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
    snupin_prophet
    [ scribbulus_ink ]
         		8:41a
    The Snupin Prophet: November 16-23, 2008
    The Snupin Prophet is posted on Livejournal and on Insanejournal.


    Random Rec:
    Stumbling, by Cori.


    Fan Art:
    Autumnal Snupin, by skitty_kat. NWS.

    Legilimens: part 4, by julythirtyfirst. Comic.

    The Red Chaise, by zephre. Mildly NWS.


    Drabbles (200 words or less):
    Cheer Up, Buttercup, by hp4freek.

    Just Breakfast, by alisanne.

    Language of Love, by zephyre_macabee.

    Only You, by torino10154.


    Fanfiction (complete):
    Page 394, by Book7BrokeMyBrain. Rated PG.
    Summary: The day after the full moon and Snape's stint at substitute teaching.


    Fanfiction (WIP):
    The Amethyst Necklace: chapters 2-8, by hikari-kasumi. Rated T. Content: Remus/Severus/OC.
    Summary: Heather Carlson is an auror who's also on probation. Now she's got a peculiar mission from Fudge, where she has to work with Umbridge at Hogwarts. But Hogwarts has a lot of bad memories for her, and they all come flooding back while she's there.

    Angelinus: chapter 23, by Les Dowich. Rated T.
    Summary: Book 4 in the Snape Cycle. When Severus inherits the guardianship of a cousin’s twins, it sets off a chain of events that drag the Lupin-Snapes, Malfoys, Potters and Weasleys into a head-on clash with fanatics, drug dealers and babysitters.

    Of Padraigs, Werewolves, and Incubi: chapter 27. by Ange Noir. Rated MV. Content: Harry/Draco, mpreg, non-con, under 18, incest, self-harm.
    Summary: War is approaching over Harry's sixteenth summer, and when he disappears from his relatives' house, rumors spread. Severus is charged with keeping an ear out on the Death Eater side, but why isn't he told to do something more? What is Remus Lupin to Severus? How does Draco fit into all of this? And just what does it mean when young people start inheriting powers based off of magical creatures and finding soul-mates?

    The Sultan and the Storyteller: chapters 19-25, by Arionrhod and McKay. Rated R. Content: Non-magical AU.
    Summary: Professor Remus Lupin finds himself a captive of the sultan of Slythistan, but what is really keeping him there? The bonds of coercion or the bonds of growing love?

    The Suspicious Truce: chapter 3, by Ming. Rated T.
    Summary: Without realizing, Remus loved Severus. After proving facts, James accepted the friends Lily has and they hit it off, leaving Severus heart broken. For reassurance, he turns to the 2nd person who made his life at Hogwarts easier, Lupin.

    Vampires and Werewolves Don't Breed: chapter 4, by Ming. Rated T.
    Summary: Finally together, Remus and Severus find some obstacles that complicate what the couple have as one. How would they face these complications and will they still be together at the end?


    Participate:
    Lupin_Snape has a discussion topic: countdown distractions.

    Snupin100 has issued Challenge #183: Breakfast in Bed.

    Lupin100 has issued Prompt #222: Craft project.


    Icons:
    Fan art icons, by skitty_kat.


    Search:
    Shikurai17 has questions about Slytherins here.


    Update:
    The Moonshadow archive has been updated with 0 stories this week.



    Send your Snape/Lupin news to snupin.prophet@gmail.com.
    Friday, November 21st, 2008
    lilyseyes
         		9:23p
    [info]harry100 ~ Special Magic HP, SS ~ PG
    Title: Special Magic
    Author: [info]lilyseyes
    Characters: Harry Potter
    Challenge: #7: Nox
    Rating: PG
    Length: 100
    Warnings: *AU, Harry is 13, pre-slash if you squint, set during POA*
    Summary:
    Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse – I just play in it. No money is made from these amateur works.
    Thanks to my favorite slash ladies for the once-over! *smoochies*


    ( Special Magic )

    Current Mood: grumpy
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