If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you

[geoviki]

FYI: I uploaded some Afro-Celtic and African songs this week at audiography Right Here

On another note (F#), I'm convinced that platitudes are the answer to many of the recent LJ wanques du jour. So, here:

1. Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with.
2. There's a reason that piling on has a penalty of 15 yards.
3. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

I read all 46 H/D fics at The Eros Affair. What an impressive archive. It's one of those collections where I can say there wasn't a single bad one in the bunch. I will admit that based on my personal weird kinks tastes, some appeal to me highly. My two personal favorites:

Once Spoken by rurounihime

Hurt/comfort? In spades. He let himself be pulled from the cell, watching Harry's hands clenching until even his forearms were white, praying he would not move. Because there was one thing that was worse than seeing Harry return from the torture: watching them torture him right before Draco's eyes. Highly emotional and so is the resolution. What made it hard for us writers is that this was the first one posted, a couple of months ago, so the bar was set very high from the start. Well done, Ru!

Have You Near to Breathe a Sigh by miggy

Draco's on the run and Harry's concerned. Uses HPB canon in a perfect blend of new fact/new fanon. And the dialogue is utterly believable.

For one brief moment, Harry considers not telling them the truth. Katie, Ron... they could have died. They nearly did.

(For enemies.)

It's not because Malfoy had a similar brush with death. He feels sick over what happened when he ripped apart a living body with an untested spell, but not guilty. If Harry has guilt to carry around, there are plenty of other people to dole it out to before he'd put on the sackcloth and ashes for the sake of Draco Malfoy.

And my other favorites are by Aja, Amanuensis, Ashkitty, Azalais Malfoy, EmmaGrant, Marks, Mirabella, Naadi, Shikishi, and Zionsstarfish. But like I said, they're all worth reading.

Many of us wrote parts of the final scenario: I promise to marry you. This was mine (warning for fluff):


There was never a time when Harry had imagined saying what he was about to say, especially considering who he was about to say it to.

"Why not join us, Malfoy? There's no future for you with Voldemort. You have to see that!"

"Get bent, Potter! Why would I want to join you? We hate each other. You might as sodding well ask me to marry you--the answer's the same. Fuck you!"

Harry's eyes narrowed with anger. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
~~~~

Six days after Snape was killed, Malfoy appeared at the Burrow just long enough to drop a chased silver armband in Harry's startled hands. "Found this in our vaults. It belonged to Salazar Slytherin."

It also turned out to be the sixth horcrux.
~~~~

A fortnight after Harry sent Voldemort to well-earned oblivion, he noticed Malfoy edging along a group of boisterous wizards at one of the countless banquets held in his honor. For the first time ever, they exchanged genuine smiles before Malfoy melted away again into the crowd.
~~~~

Three weeks after scraping together enough of his friends' cast-off furniture and moving into his first flat, Harry sent Ron into fits of apoplexy when Draco showed up, wine in hand, as Harry's invited guest at the housewarming party.
~~~~

Four months went by before he found himself being lectured to by an amused Hermione, who had stopped laughing long enough to pump him full of first-date advice about exactly where he should take Draco for dinner.
~~~~

The year flew by in an orgy of celebration in the Wizarding world, which nonetheless was shocked silent when Witch Weekly sold out their exclusive edition announcing that Harry Potter, their beloved hero, and Draco Malfoy, his former nemesis, were living together.
~~~~

Both men knew exactly how much time had passed since Draco's flippant proposal--which evidently had been a promise and not a threat--but the Dutch magistrate standing before them never asked. After exchanging their simple vows, they checked in to the bridal suite of the Amsterdam Hilton, where they set about fulfilling the rest of Draco's promise.

The End
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Comments

[phreid.livejournal.com]

That's a very nice, pithy story.

I'm going to start using wanque now.

Also, thanks for the music.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I need to make a new "wanque" icon.

I added another Afro Celt Sound System song to that post just now.

Glad you liked my "2-3 line" story. Now I know why my short stories end up as novels.

[phreid.livejournal.com]

*pounces on new song*

A frilly icon with the outlook of Flora Poste (http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0112701/fcstil_0352-1.jpg), I hope.

((Whereas I rarely finish anything via planning novels and then spending weeks on the first paragraph.))

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I seem to be on a Lichtenstein and Haring kick for icons. But that's a lovely picture, too.

I can't seem to shut up sometimes. I'll bet that Delicate Sound of Thunder had 120,000 words written for it, and it clocked in at about 63,000 when completed. Because I need to tell you everything.

[phreid.livejournal.com]

Well, I certainly wouldn't submit that photo as a wanque icon candidate--but Robert Poste's child is certainly one of the first things that comes to mind (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112701/quotes) when contemplating the topic. "I try to bring people around to the higher common sense."

I'll write a couple pages, then delete them all in a fit of pique because it doesn't sound quite right. Lather, rinse, repeat until classes.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I haven't had a chance to read all the Eros Affair fics yet! And I still need to rec the ones I've liked so far. :-)

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I'm covering the fact I haven't left enough feedback for the authors. Did I tell you how much I loved your twist ending? I've seen that doen before, but not so well - caught me by surprise!

[arsenicjade.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the recs, particularly the h/c one. I've had "read viki's new fic" on my list of things to do for a week now (since you posted) and haven't had one moment to actually do it. I can't wait, though.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't worry. I had "write viki's new fic" on my to-do list for months, and scrambled during the final 3 days to finish it.

[arsenicjade.livejournal.com]

LOL, well of course. How could it be any other way?

[rurounihime.livejournal.com]

*blush* You are too sweet, dear. I don't know what else to say. Thank you so much.

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

I haven't had the chance to go read, but I had to tell you how much I love the title of this post.

hahaha.

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

I have had a chance to read, and all I can say is I wish it had been longer. I really liked the use of the daydream charm, and the descent into addiction, and aaaarghh the cold silver hand on the inner thigh. (yuk). So yes. Another couple of chapters would have been good.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to hone my skills at shorter stories, but I seem to devolve into trying to make novels out of everything. Hey, I did a third person present for the first time ever with this story, though. It was a distraction, because I'd write, then I'd have to go back and fix the tense all the damn time. But I tried something new anyway - something ravurian has been encouraging me to do.

[westchester-777.livejournal.com]

I liked your story very much, and thanks for the recs/suggestions too. I must get to that reading.