Ooo! Neat meme. And I have all weekend to answer.

[icarus]

This is perfect timing, because I'm stepping back and examining my fics happily, the way I used to purr over my jewelry. (I had some very, very nice jewelry way back when.)

Gacked from cursive and copperbadge:

"If there is any question you would like to ask me about any one of my fics, then go ahead! What I meant by a particular line, why I chose that characterisation, what I was listening to as I wrote, what crack I was taking and where you can get some...anything. Anything you might like to know about how I wrote a fic, I shall do my best to answer."

Comments

A Deserving Man

[(Anonymous)]

Happy (belated, at this point) birthday, Icarus! :)

So, I have a question about "A Deserving Man." I absolutely loved it , by the way. You captured Snape's voice and his insecurities perfectly here. So, what made you think of this line of Filch's?

"There's a bet on how long you'll last. Minerva," Filch emphasized the first name, "gives you till Christmas."

I love that the teachers bet on how long Snape will last and that goads him into proving them wrong. It's perfect.

-Matilda Baggins

Re: A Deserving Man

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This grew out of the first scene of Snape Manor and the relationships portrayed there between the various teachers. It was heavily influenced by Blackletter's unfinished (ahem) Snape story Fade to Black (http://www.fanfiction.net/~blackletter) on the same subject, and, though I didn't realise it at the time it was also influenced by Dien Alcoyne's little piece about the snarking between teachers at staff meetings (darned if I can find it now).

Blackletter's take was that Snape started as a rather eager young teacher who grew gradually embittered by disinterested students. I had the idea lurking around in my mind when martianhouse, aka MartianHouseCat, lost her job and needed cheering up. My Dad liked the first part so much that I wrote the scene with Filch.

I feel that Snape and Minerva are such strong personalities they'd either respect each other immensely or despise each other - no middle ground. When you add the fact that most likely Snape was only 20 when he started teaching and therefore was likely to be a former student of Minerva's... well. It's hard for anyone to gain equal footing with former teachers. With the house rivalries, Snape's history, and her sympathetic attitude towards James and Sirius, the mutual dislike and distrust are complete.

If she were as starched in private as she is in her "teacher role" she would never have been sympathetic to her 'naughty' Marauders. So I imagine she's rather different in private, and that the house rivalries carry over (somewhat more lightly) among the adults.

Filch has very little power and it's clear that he grasps for every bit he can (whether it's Kwik-Spell courses or frightening small children). He's a bitter little gnome. A new teacher, especially one he used to have in detentions, is an easy target. He has only one weapon over Snape, and that's his inside knowledge. He'd definitely use it.

Icarus