Feb. 14th, 2012

art rec: you disgust me

[livejournal.com profile] dysfuncentine has just begun posting, and the first entry is quite literally SUBLIME. The artist (one of my favourite Snape and Dumbledore artists, to be sure) has brilliantly, inventively, gorgeously and subversively interpreted Dumbledore's words to Snape on the hillside: "You disgust me". Admittedly, this happens to have been my own prompt, but that is not the reason I am so taken with this piece. It is complex, intense, and a gateway to numerous and fascinating re-readings of that traumatic Urszene. The artist creates mirrored parallels and differences -- slanted rhymes of sorts -- between Dumbledore and Snape, and all with the barest of linguistic clues and the most extraordinary and sensitive combination of perspectives, framings, gazes, inking styles and colourings.

Enough babble. Go take a look at You Disgust Me, and please remember to tell the artist what you think.

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Jan. 15th, 2012

snapely recs from assorted fests

- [personal profile] pale_moonlite wrote Black Queen, Dark Pawn (NC-17; Bellatrix Black/Severus Snape, past Bellatrix/Narcissa). You may wish to read the warnings beforehand. A fascinating sojurn through Bellatrix's head that, through clear, cutting prose, illustrates the fine line between madness and rationality. It's only fitting that a master Legilmens be brought into the fray, and -- if Bellatrix is interesting, Snape is the true piece de resistance. The author's portrayal of Snape -- ugly and awkward and rude -- is just delicious. Best of all, she cleverly brings out his strengths and weaknesses at once, foreshadowing the Spinner's End argument in HBP, where Snape is coldly able to outmanipulate Bellatrix even when she thinks she's got him cornered.

Excerpt )

- Anonymous at Snarry Swap wrote The Winter Out There (NC-17; Snarry). You may wish to read the warnings beforehand. This is a fic that could give you nightmares, especially if you associate bagged human hair with more than its use in Polyjuice. Nonetheless, in only a few thousand words, it captures something essential about Harry and something monstrous and pitiful and desperate about Snape. I won't give an excerpt, as I don't wish to spoil the horrible twist here more than I already have . . .

- [livejournal.com profile] igrockspock wrote The Journey of a Thousand Miles (Gen; Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood). What a beautifully told story! The shades here are never very bright; in this post-war world, Luna is isolated even from her father, whom she can't bring herself to forgive for betraying her friends. Seeking a connection to her mother, she tries to recreate the experiment that killed her and ends up taking up an apprenticeship with an even more isolated and estranged Snape, who runs a struggling potions business. Luna is a marvel here, never ridiculous or exaggeratedly silly, but a troubled, searching human being who brings a unique perspective to all she sees, who is strong and unexpected and interesting. Snape is wonderfully bitter. And Xenophilius is troubling and heartbreaking at once, a moral and emotional puzzle for the reader and Luna to solve.

Excerpt )

[personal profile] schemingreader wrote At the Scramble Crossing (NC-17; Snarry). Alright, I know I've recced this before, but I love it so much, this fic means so much to me personally, has made me cry several times -- that I helplessly offer it up to you again, in case you missed it the first time. Severus and Harry exude a palpable loneliness; in Tokyo, of all places, they find each other and, in their own awkward, impulsive, personal ways, begin to discover, in that surprising yet perfectly natural way [personal profile] schemingreader has, essential things about themselves. This is a love story to Tokyo as much as to Severus and Harry; every word is like a fruit, sweet and complex and like a jolt to the senses. I think this reads well together with the story [personal profile] schemingreader and [personal profile] green wrote together earlier last year, Wild Thyme Honey. Both have a similar premise -- Harry finds Snape hidden away in another country after the war, and they recover and heal together in this magical place away from home -- and yet are complementary, in that WTH is told from Harry's perspective, and ASC from Severus'.

[personal profile] schemingreader also wrote Moonlight Saving Time (NC-17; Snupin), a very unusual and interesting alternate universe with a lot of wonderful humour and mystery and snark and the unforgettable appearances of Sirius Black and Lucius Malfoy.

Excerpt )

And now for three contributions from the wonderful [livejournal.com profile] snapecase:

- Anonymous wrote That Time of Year (R; Severus, Eileen, Remus, Albus, some Snape/Remus). Severus' father is dead. The repercussions of this, of having to go "home" for the funeral, of trying not to think about it and thinking about it and trying not to cry and trying to think about what to teach -- the hysteria and depression and raw pain of fresh grief are convincingly portrayed here, thanks to the beautiful prose and a repetitive structure that just hammers you with Severus' pain.

Excerpt )

- Anonymous wrote Memories, Dreams, Reflections (PG-13; Snape, Remus, Poppy). The incredible suffering of recovery -- of recovering from a cursed gigantic snake bite -- are unflinchingly portrayed here. Severus' courage shines throughout his pain, and though he can barely speak, his actions and expressions speak volumes. A sobering and yet rewarding tale.

Excerpt )

- Anonymous drew Defence Against the Dark Arts. Severus is just wonderful here -- arrogant and supremely focused and calculating and dangerous and yet isolated, inwardly sad. You can read almost everything about his character in this face, he is so multilayered and interesting.

. . . Let me know if I'm reccing too much or too often or not enough. I have a femmeslash rec post planned with some more [livejournal.com profile] hoggywartyxmas favourites that I loved so much I haven't been able to overcome my shyness and comment, but can wait to post it for a few days if you need a break. :-)

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Jan. 3rd, 2012

more recs, part two

Sorry for spamming you of late. I have to go offline for the next two days, so I wanted to get at least one more rec post in before then:

- Anonymous at [livejournal.com profile] hoggywartyxmas drew and wrote From Severus' Journal, December 24th (Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, G). This clever panel by one of the foremost artists in HP fandom will brighten your day with its witty plot and beautiful illustrations. A page from Severus' journal, it captures his sneakiness and sarcasm right down to the the prickly lines of his handwriting.

- Anonymous at [livejournal.com profile] hoggywartyxmas wrote All That is Mine to Give (Sprout/Moody, PG-13). I had never given much thought to this pairing, but this story has not only made me believe in its plausibility and rightness, it has also convinced me that this is how canon should have been. A masterful character study with sharp-edged, gritty, honest dialogue that suits these two characters perfectly. Here's an excerpt:

“Come right on through, Alastor,” she called, and a moment later he stood on her hearth rug brushing off the soot, that absurd eye of his giving her the once over. Merlin, but the look in his normal eye was making her blush, even if she hadn’t suspected that magical eye of being able to see right through her robes.

“Your Floo connection ought to be more secure, Pomona,” he said gruffly. “I could have come right through without your permission, so it’s a good sight that I remembered my manners. The Death Eaters won’t be so refined.”

“I’m glad to see you, too, Alastor,” said she, as she stepped forward to kiss his cheek and help him with his coat. “I had the connection open specifically for you, you great goose, keyed to your voice. Not even foolable by Polyjuice. We do learn from our mistakes, dear.”


- Anonymous at [info]snapelyholidays wrote Tensile Strength (Snape/Neville, NC-17). This story was quite nearly too much for me. Like Neville, I was practically raised by a grandparent, and devastated when she began to deteriorate towards the end of her life. Neville's anguish at losing yet another family member to mental illness is palpable and oppressive and masterfully evoked. His situation in a post-DH world is a grim one; this is not a world of happy endings and flowers, but depressing reality. That Snape, a natural inhabitant of such a world, flickers into his life only seems natural. Battered and bruised, pitiless and overconfident, Snape is paid by Neville to develop a cure for his family . . . But I have no wish to spoil the story. Suffice it to say that it is incredible how much this author accomplishes in 5000 words. An excerpt:

"All of these plants are potions-grade." Neville said nothing to that; Snape was simply stating a fact, and he'd learned through seven years of classes with the man not to speak when it was unnecessary. "I'll need a sample of each plant for testing purposes. With luck, I'll have a recipe for a treatment within the next few days."

Neville sighed and rubbed his eyes, applying so much pressure that a sharp pain shot through his skull. "And then likely a month to brew the treatment."

"Don't be ungrateful."

Dropping his hands, he attempted a smile. "I'm not, really. Just thinking of the mountains of paperwork this will require, not to mention how closely I'll need to monitor the other plants." And the loss of income. Then there was Gran and her appointments to consider... He had no time for this.


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