Swimming in Space

FYI: UPenn and the Midwest Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association have extended their deadline for paper proposal related to Harry Potter studies: http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/32870

According to the website, "The MPCA/MACA conference will be held Friday-Sunday, October 30-November 1, 2009 at the Book Cadillac Westin in Detroit Michigan."

Just thought you might like to know!

I really am a lucky girl: I just received my gift over at the SS/HG exchange! My prompt was "Hermione and Snape dueling," and I can't tell you how perfectly the picture captures the action of the prompt! Plus, the detail of the classroom in which the action takes place...it's just, wow! I'm grinning like a madwoman here! :-D

Seriously, go see! http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/163610.html You won't be sorry.

Oh, wow, I just finished reading the most beautiful story; if you like SS/HG, I highly recommend you take a look: http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/144591.html

Have you seen these great Snape mugs over at Potter Puppet Pals? http://www.potterpuppetpals.com/pppstore/index.htm ? How pathetic am I that I've just got to have one, lol!

...over the screen cap of Ron in front of the goal with the big....

*snerfle* :-D lololololololol

...and I hope you are, then check this out:

No surprises here.

( Read more... )

Squeeee! I received two banners from romancingwizard--one for Lockhart's comedic escape from St. Mungo's and the other for the memorable pairing of Tom/Minerva:





If you're interested, here's a link for all five drabbles.

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I just read the most amazing Snape-survives story, and it was only 100 words. Go, go check it out!

http://community.livejournal.com/snape100/861959.html

Honestly I feel like I've finally got to read the entire HP story (or anyway the story as it should have been).

Over the last two days, thanks to a recommendation over on Snapedom, I've been reading two of the most incredible stories--fanfiction or otherwise--that I've ever encountered. Posted over on FanFiction.net by Theowyn of HPG, these book-length stories cover Harry's last two years at Hogwarts (and he actually does spend them at Hogwarts). They're written from Harry's perspective as in canon, though a few well chosen passages take us elsewhere (generally to let us see things from Snape's perspective), and are true to the first five novels (and, to an extent, to the sixth novel as well) both in detail and in spirit. But so many elements that never came together in HBP or DH find resolution here, especially the conflict between Harry and Snape, the ambivalence Harry feels towards his dad after the actions he witnessed in Snape's pensieve, and even Harry's feelings of guilt over Sirius. It's a mentor fic, but there are no easy answers here (as in DH) and Snape doesn't go soft or suddenly morph into some lovesick puppy. Nor does Dumbledore suddenly become to cold hearted puppet master of whom Snape must ask, "And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?"

There is depth of character, depth of motivation, depth of emotion. Even the romances, which happen to follow canon, unfold so beautifully and realistically that I had no problem seeing Harry end up with Ginny or (more impressive for me) Hermione end up with Ron. The stories are fast paced and action packed, but also gorgeously developed and full of psychological and emotional exploration. In the end, they are believable tales about love, forgiveness, self-discovery, and hope, but ones that contain plenty of doubt, suspicion, and hurtfulness.

Oh, and the final battle? A billion times better than canon...but ultimately supported by canon prior to book 6. The way Harry defeats Voldemort--just wow! (As I said, I feel like I've finally read how it really happened.) I cannot recommend these stories enough:

Year 6: Harry Potter and the Enemy Within: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3417954/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Enemy_Within

Year 7: Harry Potter and the Chained Souls: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3490702/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Chained_Souls

If you were as disappointed with DH as I was (or even if you weren't!), I urge you to read them, and then to tell me what you think!

Oh, and here's the recommendation that sent me to find these stories: http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snapedom/133848.html

Looks like the Modern Language Association is making some major changes this time around. From what I've heard, according to the new MLA guide to citations / documentation, we no longer need URL's for websites and each citation will be followed by the type of media: e.g. print, audio, web. I hate change, but it's high time for more clarity for citing web sources, so yay!

Look what I just got from Amazon!

Yes, I really am still alive. Right after my spring semester, I started teaching a summer class. It's fairly undemanding, but it's scheduled at 7:30 in the morning, and I spend a lot of time here at school afterward. (Now that my mom's come to visit me, I'm less lonely, but I also have a lot less space to work.) I'm feeling better about Pullman and about myself as a Ph.D. student, but the update on that will have to wait. Back to class!

If you do, then watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3LiLH5vaEk . It's a HP tribute to the fallen set to "Into the West" (from the last LotR movie).

OMG! It snowed! The ground is covered with snow! And it's sticking!

In the dream he reaches out and touches my hand, lightly holds it and my heart swells the love and happiness it overpowers all sense of unreality I know it isn’t real I make it real shape it refuse to wake do you love me I love you show me I’ll show you do you see I do I do I do we do delight sunshine so bright so bright I bask in delight you love me you do you do I wake.

Continued from here.

Prompt 21: Friends

“What an exasperating man!”

Hermione had said this to herself probably a million times, but Snape kept giving her a reason to repeat it—at least hourly.

She counted herself lucky, of course, that he hadn’t hexed her lips off when she’d kissed him earlier in the day; however, she knew that he had enjoyed it. He hadn’t exactly melted under her touch, but he hadn’t pushed her away either. In fact, if she remembered correctly—and she was quite certain she did—she had felt his lips move quite eagerly in response.

Afterwards he’d pretended to be unmoved—nay, offended rather—by her lapse in decorum. The insufferable man couldn’t even admit that he’d enjoyed the damned kiss!

But she knew.

And she knew he knew she knew.

Once again glancing down the table to see him carefully ignoring her, Hermione wondered if he would ever truly let down his guard for her, even if only in friendship, as he seemed to have done for a few of his older colleagues. Surely he didn’t find her so offensive that they couldn’t even be friends.


Hermione shook her head to clear away the thought. There was no point dwelling on the impossible. She had no intention of forcing the matter.

However, when she lifted her eyes for one last glance in his direction, her heart leapt to her throat.

The dark gaze she’d been hoping to catch all day was directed towards her at last. Feeling suddenly shy, Hermione blushed and smiled.

~*~