Story Title: For Blood and Wine are Red
Author: penknife
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Canon History, Romance
Pairing: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Length: One-shot
Source: Livejournal
Link: For Blood and Wine are Red

Summary:

Albus Dumbledore has finished school - he was planning on going away on a Great Tour until it became necessary for him to look after his brother and sister. It's a difficult life for a young, intelligent man. The only ray of sunshine is the arrival of Gellert Grindelwald.

My comments:

This is not a pairing I'd normally pick out to read. I wouldn't have opened this link at all if I hadn't wanted to be reminded where the title came from. Then I got to it and was tempted by the suggestion of Oscar Wilde quotes so I started reading. I'm very glad I did - this is a wonderful fic. And not just for the smut (surprising, perhaps, given that it comes from HP Springsmut), either.

The characterization of Albus, Ariana, Aberforth and Gellert is absolutely spot-on. The picture of the Dumbledores' home life is fantastic and fits beautifully with canon. It could easily be canon as far as I'm concerned. Maybe not the sex (though I'm not saying that's unrealistic or done badly) but everything else. The emotions, the relationships, everything.

Final opinion:

I'm really glad I moved out of my usual pairings and read this. It's something I need to do more often and I highly recommend this fic. To anyone who likes this pairing AND to people who haven't read it before or wouldn't normally read it.

Title: Fighting Panic
Author: Bizarity
Rating: G
Prompt: Overwhelmed
Word Count: 800
Summary: Events of the final battle from Oliver Wood's point of view.
Warnings: Character death. Fighting.
Notes: I wrote this for my Seamus/Oliver relationship table. And for bergann to whom all my Seamus/Oliver fic is automatically dedicated.
Disclaimer: As well as the usual borrowing of JKR's characters, setting and plot this time I have also borrowed some of her words. The first line and the song both belong to her.

( All he could do was try not to let the Death Eaters kill him )

See my table for this series here.

So, I too signed up for the HP Slash Superchallenge (which, by the way, you should go sign up for if you haven't already). And, yes, my pairings are all impossible. If by impossible you mean "miles from everything I've ever written". (And I do). My choices so far are:

1. Characters whose personalities would not mesh. Featuring Snape who I don't think I could write well if my reputation depended on it.

2. Incest...

3. Cross-generational featuring The Next Generation (about whom I have not even READ fic - let alone written any).

Any suggestions?

So far I'm thinking I could write a horribly OOC Snape and have everyone yell at me. I would then attempt to make up for this by writting fake!incest (wherein one of the brothers is actually a non-relative under the influence of polyjuice) which is iffy within the rules of the challenge but would at least be almost-IC.

...Help?

Twice in the last week I've noticed/been involved in fic searches. One was looking for a Harry/Ron where because Ron is so tall he lifts Harry off his feet while they're having sex. (Water if you're interested). The other was me searching for a Snarry fic I read goodness knows how long ago. I could only remember the barest of plot outlines plus one specific scenelet about Snape watching Harry and telling him what to do (This Boy's Life).

In both cases the details remembered of the fic were minimal and very specific. Nonetheless in both cases the fics were found accurately and fast. It amazes me and thrills me at the same time. I can't explain why really. Something about the generosity of the people who read fic searches, recognize the description and then go looking for a link. And that fandom contains these fics which have such brilliant memorable little details that they are recognizable.

I'm babbling, probably, but I just wanted to say that I love fandom.

I've never entered a challenge before. I'm not sure about the ettiquette so for the time being I'm not going to post it here. You can, however, have a link.

Decade of Peace (Bizarity's first challenge entry fic).

If you've got a second, go read? I could use some constructive feedback.

Woo. My fic for the ewe_dh Slashy Epilogue Challenge is done and beta-ed and very nearly ready for posting. I'm going to give it one more read through today/tomorrow and then it should be ready. I've never entered a challenge before. I'm still so excited.

Also thinking of signing up to badgerchallenge's "Seeds of Something" challenge. I have an idea. It involves Neville although I know he is not a Hufflepuff. I seem to be on something of a Neville kick.

Though, the Neville kick does not even come close to rivalling my Seamus kick at the moment. I had yet another Seamus/Oliver idea last night. bergann will be pleased. At least my restlessness will count for something. And I still have a Seamus/Dean kink fic sitting around not going anywhere. I do not know why. I have got to the sex and seem to have stalled. I shall have to take another crack at it because it really is over half-done.

I am amazed at my own productivity. I just hope it sticks around.

Still need a beta

If no one on my flist is willing to beta my fic will someone please advise me where I can find a beta? I did a community search but only found 2 HP communities. One isn't open yet and the other hasn't had a post in 13 weeks. Practically everyone in the HP fandom goes on about having a good beta - surely it can't be this difficult to find one?

Sadness

Two people on my flist have locked down their LJs and are fully moving to IJ. It's really happening this time, isn't it?

In other news, I have a cold and had a really odd HP dream last night. There were 2 Fred Weasleys and 1 George Weasley plus my ex boyfriend and the guy I had a crush on.... Very very strange.

Dear Flist,

I need a beta. I've written a ficlet for the ewe_dh Slashy Epilogue Challenge that I'd like to have beta-read. It's not actually that slashy - there's no kissing or anything else in it. Just a mention of an established relationship. It includes Harry/Neville, Ron/Hermione, Hannah/Ernie (kinda) and George/Lee (if you squint a bit). It's written from Dennis Creevey's point of view and is a little over 1600 words. The final version is due on the 31st of August. This is the first time I'll have used a beta so someone who could maybe sugar-coat it just a little bit would be appreciated.

Anyone willing to read this fic for me please comment.

Thank you.

Title: Summer Flare
Author: Bizarity
Rating: PG
Word Count: 791
Summary: It seems like an idyllic summer day at the Creevey household until unvoice resentment rears its ugly head.
Warnings: None
Notes: For Colin Creevey.

( It was the perfect summer's day )

I just attended JK Rowling's Live Web Chat. To be honest it was a bit of a disappointment. Lots of the questions she was asked and chose to answer were things that were already answered in the book.

( More (and spoilers) here )

If you want to see the full transcript of the chat, go here. Admittedly, it has Ron/Hermine bolding but it's complete.

There's one totally awesome thing floating around my flist today which I want to direct your attention to:

Harry Potter and The Crack That Follows by Fourth_Rose. It is genius and hysterically funny. Contains massive DH spoilers.

Another thing I want to call attention to:

Talk about your favourite bits from DH. Ella_bane wants to know about your favourite bits of Book 7. Also contains massive DH spoilers.

Title: Celebrate Good Times
Author: Bizarity
Pairing: Seamus/Oliver
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,300
Summary: Seamus attends a Puddlemere United Quidditch party where they announce Oliver Wood as their new captain.
Warnings: Slash + Adult content
Notes: For bergann for giving me the plotbunny and for fandom for making the Harry Potter books a much bigger experience for me than they otherwise would have been. One, minor spoiler for DH

( The world of professional Quidditch was frigteningly heterosexual )

This is the second of at LEAST three posts on my reaction to Deathly Hallows. These are basically the notes I made as I read, chapter by chapter. It also tracks all the times I thought "Omg fandom!" or wondered about my friends reactions. These are thoughts literally as I went along so some of them while they might have made sense in chapter five get cancelled out by events in chapter fifteen etc.

( SPOILERS WITHIN )

I finished Deathly Hallows, literally, about ten minutes ago. I read it as slowly as I could. I've recorded all my thoughts, Chapter by Chapter (in order to slow it down as much as anything) and they'll go up soon. But first, my effusion and it's-over-ness. Spoilers ahoy!

( I contain spoilers )

I wrote a poem yesterday thinking about book seven. I present it here as a tribute to Harry Potter and the fandom.

Ten Years Over

Ten years of magic.
Hopping chocolate; flying cars;
Magic maps and moving models;
Wizard wheezes, golden luck.
Discovering the world together.

Ten years of danger.
Hidden faces; giant snakes;
Rat-faced traitors; escaped prisoners;
Mind invasion; living corpses.
Sprialing deeper into darkness.

Ten years of love.
Mother's sacrifice; family rescue;
Friends reunited; first crushes;
Bonds of friendship; sunny romance.
Growing up to see new possibility.

Ten years of wondering.
How did he live? What powers transfered?
Why spare the girl? Why triumphant?
What powers unknown? Good or Evil?
Questions soon to be answered.

The wondering will end.
Loose love ends will tie.
Danger will be defeated.
But magic outlasts everything.
And fandom will survive.

By Bizarity

Well, I don't like the end too much but I wanted to post it.

shocolate asked her flist for their five day-dreams about Deathly Hallows and I figured I'd post my responses here for posterity:

1. Neville to survive and be recognised as some sort of war-hero. I don't want him to kill Bellatrix (though I could cope with it) - I'd rather he caught her and she winds up in Azkaban reliving over and over the moment Lord Voldemort died. I don't need to be told who he gets together with, either because I trust that eventually at some stage in his life he'll wind up with someone who deserves him.

2. Draco to run away and hide from the war. This is my one real DH theory and I would like for it to be proved right. Also, this way I can continue to believe in the version of Draco's character that lives in my head and he won't die. Bonus points if Theodore Nott also doesn't die.

3(a). The Hufflepuffs to do something awesomly loyal and brave. They don't get mentioned enough in the books or the fanfic world and I love them. They're not just "the rest", they aren't stupid and they should do something which proves it.

3(b). If I can't have the House of Hufflepuff be valued and respected I'll settle for Luna being so. She's wonderful and I want her to be happy.

4. The Weasley twins to survive or die together. Preferably survive, of course, but I can cope if they both die. What I can't cope with is if one of them has to live without the other. My heart will break. Despite the fact I think it would be extremely powerful in the book if only one of them survives I love them both too much.

5. Lupin to survive. He's so important to Harry and Harry's so important to him that I want him alive at the end of the book. I don't particullarly want him with Tonks but I'll endure it. I kind of want him to have a kid but I'm not sure it's plausible. He'd make such a good father, though. Also, I want him to be able to teach again.

Passing on a message to my flist about crack_broom. The following pairings are lacking in reccers and are thus in danger of moving from the regular pairings list to the rare pairs list:

Harry/Ginny
Ron/Hermione
Draco/Hermione
Harry/Ron/Hermione
Ron/Draco
Remus/Tonks
Threesomes

I know a lot of people on my flist wouldn't want to see Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny as rarepairs so I thought I'd pass along the message that they're in danger. If you want to save any of the above pairings and feel you are up to some reccing sign up to fly via the gateway. Or, if you know anyone not on my flist who'd want to fly let them know too.

Thank you!

I don't think I've ever done an art rec before but there's a first time for everything and this piece of art can't be passed over.

Artist: caladan_dd
Rating: G
Genre: Humour, Gen,
Source: Livejournal
Link: Agent Potter & Crew

My comments:

This piece is kick-ass. It rocks and there's really no other way to describe it. The artist says it's one of those things everyone's done but if they have I haven't seen them. All the characters look amazing and there detail is great. Just go look at it and be amazed.

Because I've been kind of gone recently (I do this sometimes, it doesn't mean I'm abandoning the fandom - just that one of my other interests has got slightly out of control) and also not writing fandomly things I figured I'd do this meme.

You post a topic, list, category, whatever, in my comments section. (examples: "Five Reasons Dean Hates Poltergeists," or "Neville's First Five Kisses," or "Five Reasons Bella Likes Blood"). Then, in a separate post, I'll post the answers to your Top 5 ideas, according to me. Serious or fun!

Hopefully this will help ease me back in - so please reply!

Also, I haven't abandoned my WIP(s) - just being lazy. I promise that Freedom to Enjoy, at least, will get finished!