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

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

Any thing to take me away from the NaNo:

That Arthur/Percy fic ( and yes, my brain is fried; I cannot remember the title)What were you thinking. It makes me cry, remembering it, and that one line in particular: "Had they not praised him enough as a child?" which was in reference to Percy's looks. Ugh. What went through your mind with that?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh what was the name of that? Yes, Here Again (http://www.home.earthlink.net/~dinkbird/stories/hereagain.html).

I was thinking of an ex-boyfriend of mine, my first boyfriend in fact, who was being molested by his mother (though to watch it you would really call it 'in a relationship with' his mother). How people think of incest as an innocent child being tied down against their will and abused by a leering, uncaring evil person. When the reality is the loss of innocence, by a parent who really means well, strangely enough. The real problem was the erosion of boundaries and forcing a child into an adult role, too soon, and the inherent inequality of it. She'd praise him adoringly, then remind him to do his homework and take out the trash. So strange.

I really wanted to portray that, the confusion.

That line was at the point where Arthur veered, left-right, back and forth over weird parent/lover distinction, without seeing the inappropriateness of his thought given what he was doing.

As for Percy, I see it that this physical relationship with Arthur is proof to him of his own appeal. Arthur did praise him enough: actions speak louder than words. But Percy doesn't get this kind of physical approval from anyone else, not in such an unconditional way. So he's hungry for it, the way he's hungry for everyone's approval.

That's a very good catch on your part. This unadulterated praise from Arthur is what's keeping it going on Percy's end.

Icarus

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.

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]

Thank you. That's a story for my dad, though I'm waiting to see if he wants more of it. :)

Icarus

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

[cheshyre]

[Rereading "Sex, Drugs"]
What happened to Crabbe & Goyle? Did Draco get his revenge upon them or did somebody else get there first? [On the one hand, DM deserves his revenge, but just as I agree with Ron about being glad D didn't actually have to kill his father, I'd hate to imagine the monster he'd become committing premeditated murder.]

Good Question

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I had hoped to answer this in Celebrate Life, but it wasn't possible.

In fact, Ron was never able to track down Crabbe and Goyle and have them assigned anywhere near any danger.

It was a hopeless dream. The two never worked for the Ministry, they worked for Avery, and then were sent off to the fighting as the battle to recapture England intensified.

They've disappeared and no one knows if they're both dead, or if they're among those who escaped to Europe.

It's suspected that they're dead however, since they'd've had to escape with someone else. The two are just too stupid to be able to successfully smuggle themselves out of the country.

Icarus