Reading outside my box - Snarry for H/D lovers

[geoviki]

Many cool stories have been written or updated this week.

ajhalluk posted a HP/Vorkosigan crossover, Count Piotr and the Vengeful Widow which means I've also updated the master list of all of her fics, here. I haven't read the V. books, but I still can follow the plot, so don't let that stop you. As always, it enchants.

Like Glass, penguin474's WIP is a WIP no more! This is a slow-building, poetic romance (H/D) that's really lovely.

Yeah, yeah, I've said my piece about WIPs, but I'm only human, too. I do follow some of them - how can I resist? And everyone reading this already knows that Maya's Underwater Light was updated this week, and Novembersnow's Tomorrow x3 was updated last week. Yum.

And I suspect everyone also knows that H/D is a preferred read of mine, followed by Draco/anyone-except-for-the-most-part-Lucius. But I spent quite a bit of this weekend reading a story that was not only not H/D but is also a WIP that's in hiatus - Isolde's - cursive's - Minor Arcana trilogy ( Declaro, Pervinco, and Consensio).

Snape/Harry is probably my least favorite major slash pairing (purely personal taste), and Snape/Harry-still-in-school ranks even a little below that general dislike. It only means that an author has to be a little more convincing to get me over that hump, and Isolde has definitely done that for me.


I'd describe this as a character-driven plot. The device used to drive the character's behavior is very carefully thought out and convinced me completely. But the characterizations just shine. The interplay between Snape, Harry, and Draco is so well crafted that I find myself stopping and rereading scenes just to experience again how she makes them have such depth. As I pondered this fic, I realized that most of the scenes are what I'd call "talking heads" - conversations. And each one builds a little more and a little more - there are no real "this is the culmination" scenes. The characters aren't predictable, or dull, or contrived. And I'm loath to say they're canon, because that implies that characters can't be drawn any other way without being OOC. What I will say is they don't fall far from the canon tree.

Isolde's Draco, especially, is one of the most fascinating portrayals I've come across. I can't say I'm rooting for him - he's far too manipulative and jaded for me to love him that way. But I think he's one of the bravest characters of all - he's clearly being controlled, has no choices at all, knows this beyond question, and still struggles to put one foot in front of the other every day. So far he is not getting anything he wants, is cruelly used by his father, whom he loves, is pining for Snape, whom he can't have, and yet he never surrenders.

And the Harry/Snape is so believable and painful. No, they aren't being controlled by outside spells or conditions. No, they aren't all happy and in love. It's wrenching. Outside forces control them, too.

I also enjoyed her Childe Harry to the Dark Tower Came, another Snape/Harry that overcame my resistance to school-age Harry.

lexin has another fascinating Snarry, Through A Glass, Darkly. (ETA: link fixed; thanks!). It's a rich, dark AU that has that strong British flavor I enjoy.

The other side of the coin is dementordelta whose fics are creative and happy. I resisted reading An Awfully Odd Adventure, the Peter-Pan-like fic, but now it's one of my favorite in this pairing.

Comments

[starkittyn.livejournal.com]

Ink stained fingers has a new site.

Try this one.

http://inkstain.inkquill.net/isf/archive/6/througha.html

http://inkstain.inkquill.net/

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I vaguely remember the switch but couldn't remember where to look, so thanks!

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

ISF is moving to a new server. This is their new address:

http://inkstain.inkquill.net/

And if you want to keep up with ISF, you can friend their update journal: inkstainfingers

Hope that helps!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

All fixed now, thanks!

[elfflame]

Have you read dementordelta's Parseltongue Smut? It's one of only two from that ship I ever recced, and I feel the same about the ship as you do.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's a great fic, too, but I was guessing that many readers already know that one, so I went for the lesser-known rec. In fact, Parseltongue Tied ought to be the most popular fic on Skyehawke if counts per fic were tallied rather than counts for each chapter added together. Her fics are great, don't you think?

[elfflame]

I actually haven't read too many of hers. But I thought that one was particularly excellent.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

I'm absolutely HAPPY that you liked them all! But "bwa-ha-ha" to WIPs :P You! You who laughed at me only several days ago :P

We'll make a Snarry lover of you, you'll see :)

[dementordelta.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words about An Awfully Odd Adventure as well as for the review you left for The Dreaming Spires.

I often wonder if I would ship Harry/Draco as strongly as I ship Snape/Harry if I'd read that pairing first. But it was a Snape/Harry story that saw the final installation of my Slash Detector 1.0.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

It goes without saying that your PTT is one of my favorites as well, and I still remain convinced you should be at the top of Skyehawke's "poll". I think I can say that you are their top-visited author, and for good reason - people come back to read all of your fics! I like to revisit them a lot. I'm not sure exactly what it is about AAOA that catches my attention so much, me being such a H/D girl, but there you go! I think it's the pure innocence of Harry.

[cursive.livejournal.com]

I'm so very flattered. See my journal. I'll get it to beta by the morning.