Ami

I saw this on facebook and wanted to share it with you guys because it resonated with me, especially at the moment :P

Call me easily pleased, but this really tickled me:



That's a little but very smutty 500 word Draco/Albus Severus, with a confident top!Al.

And Draco approves ^.^

So generally, I'm all for sticking to canon when it comes to potion, spell and creature lore etc. I may embellish, I may invent extras, but I will not fundamentally change or ignore what is there. For example, J.K says silver doesn't affect werewolves (other than being essential to seal the initial bite and prevent death). So in my HP fiction, silver doesn't affect werewolves. Even if it would have been convenient to my plot.

I've now come across a sticking point. Googling and wikia didn't satisfy me, so I went and got the books out for this one. I still wasn't happy with the answer!

So basically, I'm talking viewing other people's memories. Whether through Legilimency or by using a Pensieve. I'm just going to ignore the fact that, realistically, memories don't stay crisp, clear and precise over time, and do not always run chronologically.

In my opinion, memories should logically be viewed in first person. If we are viewing Harry's memory of his mother's murder, we would see it through the bars of his cot. We would not see Harry's face (unless there happened to be a mirror nearby) as Harry is unaware of what he looked like at that exact moment in time. It's his memory, therefore his perspective. We would be looking through his eyes. We would see what he saw and feel what he felt. Also, if we were to try and go downstairs in Harry's memory, we would not be able to, because he didn't.

Canon says otherwise. The first scene I reviewed is when Harry casts a Protego during Occlumency lessons and accidentally enters Snape's mind. It is described that Harry sees a 'small, dark-haired boy', a 'greasy-haired teenager' and a 'scrawny boy'. Okay, so definitely third person view.

That I can deal with. Not so much with the next bit.

Harry sneaks a peak into Snape's Pensieve, viewing Snape's memories. He is standing in front of Snape, who's got his nose stuck firmly in his exam paper. At this point, Harry wanders off, examining the expressions of students. Snape is not only not looking up throughout the exam, he wouldn't be able to see those expressions even if he did look up. Harry can even read what James is doodling on a spare bit of parchment. When they leave the exam, Harry walks between Snape and the Marauders to eavesdrop. They are discussing Remus's furry little problem, so they must be out of earshot of people in the memory, including Snape. So if Snape couldn't hear them, how the hell can Snape's memory show Harry what they were saying?!

I haven't got access to all of my books right now, so this is just based on the relevant scenes I remember in OotP. I can admit it was nice for Harry to get a proper look at James and Sirius when they were his age. It also gave us a chance to understand Severus a bit better, by seeing for ourselves that he was treated viciously out of sheer boredom.

However, I feel really sad to be restricted to a third person narrative with unrestricted detail when writing memories in fandom. By letting the viewer move freely around the memory, you take away the potential insight they could gain by seeing the memory through the owner's eyes. The viewer is missing out on all the smells, emotions and thoughts linked to that memory.

Does anyone have any examples from canon with a different take on viewing a memory?

Do you think that J.K missed a trick here, or that her chosen style added to the story? Or maybe it was just a lazy plot device that she didn't spend enough time thinking through.

I'm interested to read what you think =)

ETA:

A few comments have made me realise that I was remiss in not looking up Harry's first experience of a Pensieve and the explanation that came with it.
torino10154 reminded me:

Strictly speaking, the cool thing about viewing memories in a Pensieve (as opposed to during Legilimency) is that they are 3rd person, objective, and without bias.

smirkingcat made an interesting observation which expanded on this:

because we know we see way more than we realise, and we also hear more than we know, but our brains filter out what we deem important, so maybe we can say like the magic expands the field of awareness and the magic of the pensive enhances that and show all that the wizard missed...

Squeeing first.

I'm a ninja! Don't believe me? I can prove it.

llaeyro

SEE?! Isn't it awesome? Thank you digthewriter for sending it to me =D

Now the rec.

Christmas week was a successful one. First I nagged blackmailed convinced impishinklings into finally making an account! Which I can also thank digthewriter for, as it was her awesome Charlie/Sirius art that helped me persuade Impish. Then, I managed to drag catclaw back into writing, kicking and screaming, for the first time in like five years. And here's the result!

Title: This Christmas, I Gave You My Heart. (Then the very next day...)
Author: catclaw
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Rating: 12A/PG-13
Warnings: Implied bestiality.
Summary: Remus looks back on the last time there was a full moon at Christmas and hopes for more this time.

Merry [Insert appropriate festivities here]!

I hope everyone's having a great day. Just wanted to share some HP awesomeness I received today.

( Read more... )

We ate late so that the OH could join us after work, opened prezzies while recovering for pudding and watching Home Alone 2. Now it's time for games and more wine!

Love you all, you wonderful sexy people =D

So tomorrow my Dad's having an operation. It's only key-hole surgery, so he'll be out a couple of hours later. I'm not freaking out or anything, but it's there in the back of my mind. That's the bad reason I want to skip to Tuesday.

ETA: Dad came out of hospital fine, but like 10 hours after his surgery he went all red and puffy, with a high temperature and blood pressure. He had an allergic reaction to something they gave him intravenously. Three hours in A&E later and he was finally on his way home with antihistamines.

Then, there's a load of good reasons. All these amazing fests start posting on the 1st!

rs_small_gifts <---I'll be making an appearance here!
snape_potter
mini_fest
hd_erised
hd_owlpost
charlieficathon (technically it's prompting and posting opening, no need to claim as it's a Comment Drabble Fest) <--- I'll be throwing my hat in the ring here too.

Prompting for hp_kinkfest opens on the 28th Dec.
I've also got my eye on rs_collab which starts with sign-ups Jan 27th-Feb 2nd.

And claiming is open at:

severus_snape <--- One submission done, considering a second.
hprare_cliche <--- One submission done, second prompt taken.
hp_goldenage <--- I've started on my plan for this one.
ron_draco_fest (claiming starts 1st Dec)

So much going on, I'M SO EXCITED!

Characters I love: Sirius, Severus, Remus, Draco, Harry, Neville, Charlie
Characters I love to hate: Severus (I love it when he's snarky, esp to Sirius)
Favourite character to write: Severus (I like him to turn up in my fics, if only briefly, if it works with the storyline)
Favourite type of fic: Smutty, a little hint of D/s doesn't hurt, snarky comic lines a bonus
Favourite trope: enemies to lovers, pretending certain characters didn't die
Trope I hate: Wouldn't say hate but not too keen on Mpreg or bonding fics
The Sorting Hat would shout: RAVENCLAW!
My favourite Hogwarts classes would be: Divination and Ancient Runes
Character I am most like: Remus. Quiet, thinks of others, fiercely loyal, feels he has to hide his true self from the world.
Currently writing: One for hp_goldenage, a second one for hprare_cliche and one for hp_kinkfest, because I have no self restraint.
When I write I listen to: ideally, silence. Usually, the OH playing Fifa/Battlefront/Battlefield/CoD/What Lies Beneath
Favourite fics of others: Power Play because when I first saw a link for it, it didn't have the bestiality warning on it, and I re-read it anyway because the rest of it is worth it! The Dirty Series because it is deliciously dirty. The Need because yum. Sirius Black and the Blasted Moral Dilema by dracogotgame because HAHA smut =)
Favourite fic of my own: The hp_goldenage fic that I'm currently working on. But in leiu of that, Wanna Bet? which is just a little Charlie/Scorpius bondage fic I wrote for a comment drabble fest.
Favourite art of others: akatnamedeaster

I realise the irony of posting this here, where only my friends are likely to see it, but hear the method in my madness! You guys go do it, re-post it, then your friends become my friends =D Everybody wins, yaaaaaay!


Banner by kjmom1

In other news, my rs_small_gifts fic is all ready to send, my fic for severus_snape's Birthday Fest 2016 is sent, I have a Sirius/Harry first draft nearly done and 4 prompts I can't choose between for hp_goldenage's Salt and Pepper Fest! Oh and a Christmas fic, for no reason other than I had a plot bunny. It's all going on, watch this space.

Yup.. so I signed up for the bottom!draco Adaptations fic fest, where all the prompts are based around books/films/songs and I stole a prompt to write a fic about. Loved the prompt, the problem is how the hell am I supposed to keep quiet about it until February?! >.< Also, I really want a BETA who knows the book/film in my prompt but I can't post asking who's read/seen it cause it could give away which fic is mine :/ If it were a song prompt they could just listen to it but with a book/film it's not so easy. They take time to read/watch and you've gotta get your hands on a copy first. Oh well, it should be fun...! >.<

Oh well, I'm gonna get writing my mystery fic =O

Love and strawberries x