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Snowflake Challenge - Days 2 & 3
Yay, the next day of the Snowflake Challenge is upon us! I’ve decided to do the 2nd and 3rd challenge in one go, since I think they go very well together.
Snowflake Challenge - Day 2
Since I can think of so many fanworks I’d love to bring to everyone’s attention, I’ve decided to do three x three recs instead of just three in total :D
The first three are fics that everybody already knows I love, but I just wanted to mention them again for good measure. The second set are recs that I don’t normally bring up, since they’re quite unusual and don’t always fit into my fannish conversations. The last three recs in the list are for myself more than anyone else. These are fics that I’ve wanted to read for a while, but somehow never got around to do. I hope that calling myself out on that in public will make me get to them faster. Feel free to share your thoughts about them with me if you've read them!
Predictable recs
Light on the Dark Side of Me - Cocoa-snape (Snarry, 114k words, and has an unfinished sequel)
I actually don’t talk about this fic that often, but it's one of my gateway fics into Snarry. This one hit me hard when I read it. Although Harry is the protagonist, most of the fic revolves around Snape and how he deals with the horrific things he has to do as a Death-Eater. These horrific things don’t really include rape and torture; no, they are much more personal than that and therefore all the more painful. It’s not difficult to imagine what Snape is going through. Yet, despite all Snape’s sufferings, this fic is at its heart an exploration of the relationship between Snape, Harry and Dumbledore, done in a way that I haven’t really seen elsewhere. It’s moving, it’s intense, it’s often sad and very painful - Yes, I loved this fic a lot when I first read it, almost 5 years ago. I'm not sure I'll ever reread it though, because I doubt I’ll have the same emotional response to it and I don’t want to spoil the memory. I definitely remember this fic with fondness, however.
Morior Animus – Vain (Snape & Harry gen, 15k)
I have already mentioned this fic about a hundred times, on at least 20 different webpages, to everyone who was willing to listen, but I don’t care; I love this story and I'll gladly mention it a hundred times more. It’s short and restrained, yet still manages to be incredibly emotional. Even though Vain tells you almost from the start what’s going to happen, and slowly takes you through every step to get there, when the thing eventually happens, it still manages to pack a mighty punch. It’s darn impressive is what it is.
The characterisations are also fantastic. Harry is brave and resigned, but still has his human doubts and fears. Snape appears cold and aloof, but he’s fooling no one. Dumbledore hardly appears in the fic, but still manages to cast a large shadow over the proceedings anyway. It’s darn impressive and I love this fic to bits.
But It’s Better If You Do and it's sequel It’s Best If You Don’t – Dracofiend (Snarry, 10k in total)
I read these when I was feeling a bit tired of Snarry because I had read too many fluffy fics, but Dracofiend hit me right in the feels and pulled me back to the ship in no time. In this one, Harry goes into hiding after the war and everyone starts looking for him. Snape finds him first and he doesn’t care in the least, which may or may not be exactly what Harry wants. These fics are intense, very angsty and not a little dark. There isn’t a fluffy word to be found here :D. On top of all that goodness, the writing is absolutely gorgeous, so you get the best of all worlds with this one!
Not quite predictable recs
Needs Must – Delphi (Snape/ Filch, 2.4k)
This is the first Snilch I ever read. I’ve absolutely no idea what compelled me to click on it, but boy, is it a great fic! If I ever had any doubts about this ship, they were completely obliterated after reading this. All the reasons Delphi mentions in this fic for why these two men work together, make perfect sense and I’m a thoroughly converted Snilch shipper now.
T0il_n_Tr0uble -
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
acid and Sinick (Snarry gen, maybe about a 15 minute read)Toil ‘n Trouble is a webcomic by Acid and Sinick. It currently consists of about 15 little one-page stories that can be read separately and not necessarily in a particular order, though you’ll understand a little bit better what’s going on if you start at the bottom and work your way to the top. The short stories are beautifully drawn and usually very funny to read. I went through them all in one go when Acid first told me about them and still revisit them occasionally when the mood strikes. This webcomic is just delightful and I’m sure all of you will love it!
Thranduil cosplay music video – Thranduart (The Hobbit, gen)
For something completely different, a video from the Hobbit fandom created by a Thranduil cosplayer. The video is a parody of Lady Gaga’s song ‘Donatella’, which is about fashion and therefore suits Thranduil perfectly, right? Right! The beginning of the video is very funny and shows Thranduil being his own fab self in his home and other settings from the Hobbit movies. As the video continues, it becomes more a celebration of cosplaying, which is unfortunately lost on me since I’m not a cosplayer myself. However, I'm very impressed by the amount of time and effort all these people must have put into their costumes!
Fics that I've yet to read
Long Summer Series – ellen_fremedon (Snarry, 53k)
I’ve actually already started on this fic. It’s a three-part series and I’ve read the first. I thought it was incredibly well-written. The characterisations really spoke to me, the storytelling was engaging and I was very curious to see how it would unfold. However, the other parts of the series are a lot longer than the first and I didn’t have the time for them at that moment, so I took a break. Since then I’ve found it quite difficult to get back into the fic, even though I really want to because I know I’ll thoroughly enjoy it.
Yearning – Mandy/ geneticallydead (Snarry, 22k)
I loved another fic by this fanfic writer and have been meaning to start on this for ages. If the other fic is any indication, I’ll enjoy this one a lot. The summary definitely sounds very promising. Yet I haven’t yet been able to sit down and really go for it, even though the fic isn’t all that long.
Anything by
perverse_idyllI’ve wanted to read something from this writer for ages. I have a very similar taste to her and her meta always really speaks to me, so I’ve no doubt I’ll enjoy her fic as well. Yet there’s always something holding me back from giving it a go. Even when I sit down, open one of her fics and fully intend to read it, I find myself becoming strangely nervous and click the fic away again. It’s bloody annoying to be so intimidated by a few words on a screen. I wish I knew why, so I can finally enjoy these fics the way I’m sure they deserve.
Snowflake Challenge - Day 3
Rec a piece of original canon and explain why you love it so much.
For this challenge I've chosen to share a soundtrack, from the 3rd HP movie, namely Double Trouble (composed by John Williams, lyrics from Macbeth, by Shakespeare).
I enjoy listening to soundtracks in general, since they make for great background music. The HP movies especially have some fantastic tracks and there are quite a few that I love to listen to. However, if I had to pick a favourite, it would definitely be Double Trouble, since this song encapsulates the 'Harry Potter feeling' to me. It's magical, it sounds happy on the surface, but has an undertone of sadness to it. There's somthing melancholic and wistful about it, which the HP series as a whole also has (at least to me). I also love how the songs ends with a loud 'something wicked this way comes!', as a clear indicator for what is to come, both in the 3rd movie and the later ones. To me, this is the perfect HP song and it's my personal theme song for the whole series.
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Thank you for sharing this and for sharing the recs!
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Btw, I just took a look at your profile and I love your taste in music! David Bowie and Dead Can Dance are also favourites of mine. In fact, I mentioned a Brendan Perry song in my response to the first day of the Snowflake Challenge ;).
Thanks again for stopping by and you're very welcome for the recs!
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I'm embarrassed to admit, I still haven't read Morior Animus! I kind of stopped reading over the past 6 months because writing was taking up all of my time. I'm considering taking a bit of a break from writing in the first half of this year, in part because my to-read list is getting ridiculously long.
Other thoughts: that Thranduil cosplay music video is amazing! Seeing fans put so much hard work into expressing their love for a character is really inspiring.
I'd never seen Toil ‘n Trouble before! Thanks for reccing it :)
Don't be too hard on yourself re. PI's fics. I probably haven't helped, talking them up so much and making them sound like The Greatest Stories Ever! I love them, but everyone's tastes are different (yes, I'm sure even our tastes must be a bit different in some ways!) So if I've added to any pressure you might feel when it comes to reading them, I apologise! There's nothing wrong with waiting until the time feels right to give them a try. And if you do eventually decide to read one, I'd recommend Rose & Fire first, because it has a lot of characteristics you enjoy in Snarry. It was PI's first fic, and she's said she doesn't think it's perfect, but there's a lot about it I love. Anyway, I'll stop rambling on your page now :D
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No worries, Morior Animus will still be there once you have the time for it! But if you're going to take a break from writing, does that mean you're not going to participate in the Thon? I'd be sorry not to see you there, though I'd understand. Life is busy enough as it is without all these fandom deadlines attached to it.
You're welcome for Toil 'n Trouble! Acid told me about it a little offhandedly shortly after we first started working together. I ended up enjoying it a lot and I hope it will get some new readers now, even just a couple. The comic deserves more than to slowly gather dust in a hidden corner of LJ. Maybe Acid will even be persuaded to add more pages if people show interest in it again :D
Agreed on the cosplay video! I saw it shortly after it first posted, but still find myself going back to it every now and then because it's such a lovely project! Truly a labour of love.
Thank you so much re. PI's fics! I think it's indeed that I've put too much ressure on myself when it comes to liking them (which already started long before I met you, so don't worry about having added to it!). For me, 2018 was definitely the year of 'being told to read PI's work by pretty much everyone I've interacted with'. In a way, that's a good thing, because it means that the fics are probably very much my cuppa. However, there's a small part of me that is afraid that I won't enjoy them as much. Which is silly, because it's not a big deal if that's the case. I've certainly never worried about it with any other fic before. Ugh, I feel so stupid for feeling this way >_<. I'm definitely going to do something about it. Maybe the Snowflake Challenge can even help me with it :D. I'm sure there'll be a challenge that I can use for that purpose. If so, I think my first PI fic will be 'The Lost World', because it's quite short and I'm intrigued by the description. I mean, it has the words 'garden' and 'fairytale' in it, 'nuff said ;)
Anyway, sorry for my rambling. I was thinking with my fingers for a bit there. You're free to ramble on my page whenever you want btw. I don't like to have the monopoly on it :p. Besides, I always enjoy reading anything you have to say. <3 Thank you so much for your comment!
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Unfortunately I might miss the Thon :( I wrote 4 fics last year, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it felt like a lot to me! I find writing a bit stressful sometimes, especially when the words aren't coming easily, and I was struggling with my Thon idea so I might just think about it some more and maybe enter it next year. Work is also going to be especially busy in the first half of the year and my focus really needs to be there. Australia has an election coming up in May, so everyone who works in the media is going to have a craaazy few months. My 8hr/day job usually morphs into me being on call day and night during an election year. If I'm going to write a Snarry fic, I want to be able to give it the attention it'll no doubt need.
Gosh I love Toil 'n Trouble! I took a little peek at it and ended up reading quite a few pages. It's adorable ♥ Really looking forward to reading the rest!
I suspect that is indeed the problem with PI's fics. Especially because people aren't just reccing them to you, they're telling you you'll love them! So it's understandable that you must be thinking... 'but what if I don't?' It's totally fine if you don't, of course. I remember us discussing another hugely popular fic that we both didn't love as much as other people, and there's nothing wrong with that ♥ Great idea to start with The Lost World though! I didn't think to rec that one because I haven't read it, but it sounds fantastic. I looked at it briefly last year when I saw the original post over at Snapecase, and it did seem beautifully dark and fairytale-like!
Speaking of 'beautifully dark and fairytale-like', this is a bit random but, did you ever watch the TV show Hannibal? Considering your interest in dark fic, it might be something you'd like :)
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I agree that writing can be very stressful, so I understand. As I said earlier, I think 4 fics in a year is very impressive and you should be very proud of having written them! Still sorry to hear you're not going to participate in the Thon, but I completely understand why. I hope you'll still find some time to relax in the coming few months!
So happy to hear you loved Toil 'n Trouble! Hope you enjoy the rest of it too, because the comic is worth it!
Re. PI's fics. Yeah, I remember our conversation about .... fic :p. Other than that mystery fic, I've read a couple other hugely popular ones last year that I also didn't enjoy as much as everyone else, which I feel strangely guilty about. I think that also plays a role in making me feel somewhat weary of committing to other well-known fics, so reading a more obscure one by PI seems like the best course of action now. 'Dark' and 'Fairytale-like' are pretty much the magic words when you want me to read something, so The Lost World is making its way to the top my TBR :D
Nope, I haven't seen Hannibal. If you hadn't guessed yet, I'm not much of a tv show watcher . I have heard a lot about Hannibal though and I knew it was dark, but if it's also fairytale-like, then it definitely sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks for the rec!
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The imagery and cinematography is probably the best I've ever seen on television. Every murder/crime scene is constructed like a work of art. Basically the show depicts violence & death as a monstrous sort of elegance and beauty. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, which made me think it had a sort of fairytale quality, but it's more accurate to describe it as dreamlike or nightmarish. And entirely psychologically driven. Will's gift for empathy allows him to put himself in the mind of killers – to the point where he starts feeling like one. His boss is worried about him, so he orders him to see a therapist. The therapist... is Dr Hannibal Lecter, who is secretly a serial killer. He sees a kindred spirit in Will, and instead of helping him, sets out to drive him mad, break him and remake him in his own image. It's very dark, and if you're uncomfortable with graphic violence or gore I'm not sure I'd recommend it. But it's really quite extraordinary. They are the only two people who can possibly understand each other; they cannot coexist, but also cannot survive without each other. It's very Snarry-like in that way. And the ship is all completely there on screen, in canon. Eventually, Will asks another character with total seriousness: "Is Hannibal in love with me?"
Oops, look at me rambling like a crazy Hannibal fangirl. I'm going to start a new comment to reply to the rest of yours because this is already way too long! (Please don't feel like you have to reply to all these comments by the way. I totally won't mind if you skip or ignore any of them!) <3
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Thank you as always for your kind words about my writing. I am strangely proud to have written 4 fics, even if I look at them now and want to change so much about them! Even my Snapecase one that I thought I quite liked... now that I have a bit of distance from it, I'm freaking out because I can see so many flaws and am questioning whether it's even good! :D People seemed to respond well though, so I should probably stop being so hard on myself.
I'm kind of interested in which other popular fics you didn't enjoy as much as other people! Although, I do wonder whether your lack of enjoyment was at least in part because of your 'Snarry fatigue'. Maybe if you had read them at another time, you might have felt differently? Either way, you definitely shouldn't feel guilty about whatever reaction you had.
Ok, I'll stop spamming you with comments now <3
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I wish they'd made more use of the choir, I have to admit, because Double Trouble is such a well-done little element of the movie that really STICKS with you.
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That reminds me, they actually did use the choir again, in the 6th movie. The scene didn´t make it to the final cut though. It´s a shame, because it´s a beautiful, emotional scene, but I suppose it lays on the sense of foreboding a bit too thickly (if you haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB1yNFFYEig).
Oh yes, that deleted Hoggy Warty song is great too!
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FIRE BURN AND CAULDRON BUBBLE~
I was so happy to see you bring up Double Trouble. I hadn't heard that song in a while, but it's always been one of my favourites along with Harry in Winter and Dumbledore's Farewell. The only difference is that it's a lot more cheerful than the other two! And I love the choir in general! And my god, that HBP video you linked in the comments... In Noctem... My heart is breaking and singing at the same time, and of course it's Harry Potter of all fandoms causing this!
Of the fics you mentioned, I already know Morior Animus (it's somewhere on the first page of my AO3 TRL), but I opened But It's Better If You Do thinking I'd read it, and it turns out I haven't and it just pulled me in, just like that! Now I have to read that one too on top of every other Snarry fic I've been hoarding to enjoy this winter.
What have you done? :P
No but, I'm actually glad you shared these fics. Your recs were so well-written, I could definitely see your enjoyment of the stories.
The Thranduil video killed me. Also reminded me of this. Wasn't LP himself amazed with Thranduart's cosplay? I remember seeing him for the first time and my jaw dropped. He's really good at capturing Thranduil's sheer presence.
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Good choices for your fave HP songs! The 3rd, 6th and 8th movie were my favourite, music-wise. I love Window to the Past, from the 3rd movie. When Ginny Kissed Harry, from HBP, is also lovely and Lily's theme, from the last movie, is a winner. Yeah, and don't even get me started on In Noctem/ Dumbledore's forboding. Your 'it makes my heart break and sing' is a very good description of what I'm feeling when that song comes on :'(
Haha, I've recced Morior Animus to both you and Half-Light numerous times in the past few months and neither of you have read it yet. Apparently my recs have not been convincing enough :p. But I'm glad you opened Dracofiend's work. Hope you enjoy it! Her fics are fantastic. Most of it is actually also on Walking the Plank, but the LJ versions received a lot more comments, so that's why I linked those. And also because it makes me very happy to dig up LJ gems ^^.
The Thranduil video is fantastic, isn't it? I didn't know LP had seen it, but I'm sure he enjoyed it. Btw, the artwork you shared is super funny! The first time I ended up on a fanfic site, more than 5 years ago, I actually started reading LOTR/ the Hobbit fics first, because I wanted to know more about the elves, and Thranduil exspecially. Unfortunately, neither of those fics were good, so I decided to check out HP, accidentally found a Snarry and the rest is history. However, with all our recent LP talk, I'm becoming more and more curious about Hobbit fanfic again. Maybe I should see if I can find some reclists so that I can avoid the bad stufff this time. Damn, you might be turning me into a multi-shipper after all :p
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(Acid, if you ever read this, forgive me!)but I'm learning so much by reading all the snowflake challenge posts!Super sorry I haven't read Morior Animus yet; it's definitely not the rec quality because remember when you talked me into checking out The Boy Who Died A Lot and I read it in a matter of days? I respect your recs a lot, I just haven't been in the mood for Snarry for a bit longer than I like to admit. It started some time before SSS, but I read some of the fics then so I could support the fest... and I'm aware I don't have to justify all of this to you, but I feel a little lighter after talking about it. Anyway, MA is definitely among my priority reads, and you'll surely know of it when I do read it! :D
You know, it's never bad to explore fic and meta involving blond hommes fatales~ I fully support this! I actually have a friend who used to write Thorin/Thranduil. Not my preferred ship, but they were interesting, the stories. A little tragic, if I remember correctly. Apart from that, I can't say I've read any Hobbit or LOTR-related fics... if you stumble upon good ones, share them please!
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Haha, I knew you would support me branching out! I doubt I'd be into Thorin/ Thranduil either. In fact, not sure if I'd be into any Hobbit/ LOTR pairing. I think I might prefer reading about friendships in that fandom, but we'll see. I'll take a look at what's going on there and will let you know if I come across anything noteworthy.