paulamcg | Entries tagged with challenge

The seventh and last Sunshine prompt, Zephyrus made me look for fics set in spring. I've written one which includes some literally flowery descriptions of details in nature, and this story is also a sweet portrayal of my Remus and Sirius in the springtime of life, both of them vulnerable but hopeful.

If Not Brothers

There are two alternating first-person voices and 7780 words. In the opening scene you'd meet the other two Marauders, too, and learn something about my takes on the Animagus and the map projects, but in case it's all too much, you can just look at some wonders of spring from each perspective in a short excerpt
( right here )

My response to the sixth Sunshine prompt, Amphitrite is only another self-rec post. There is something about the sea in the following fics.

Truly Travelling Towards Someone
This fic is set in Brighton and Beachy Head, but there's no bathing. There's some focus on a sea view in the closing scene.

This Little Oyster
In this fic, the travelling towards "an island without name" takes even a lot more words before we get to see the sea. The name is revealed in the end notes.

Freedom They Can Reach
At the beginning of this story the characters are leaving Folkestone beach.

Dream Another Presence
This fic is short, only 650 words, and almost all of it is set at the seaside, and there's even some bathing. The resort is unnamed, as in 2009, when I wrote this, I didn't always do the research so as to include references to a particular place.

Come Up With Me
This is one of my early first-person fics (from 2005). The story is set in Thessaloniki, Greece, and in December. The sea is visible in later scenes, too, but we're closest to it at the beginning of the story.

There is not much for me to depict in a pencil sketch when I focus merely on the almost imperceptible line between the sea and the sky. ... No more gazing into that grey water, or it will call me to fall in. Fortunately it smells of rotten fish and toilets.

I just have to respond to the fourth prompt again, since

eldritcher has now published something that's a perfect fit for the bonus prompt Typhon.

Typhon by eldritcher (T, PG-13, no warnings apply, ~1.5K words, Charlie Weasley/Rubeus Hagrid)

In this amazing fic you'll find a gorgeous tale of love, and more – a lot more than you might expect on the basis of the unusual pairing and the summary, unless you know the brillliant writer's other work.

I haven't tried to plan any responses before seeing the description of each prompt at the Sunshine Challenge. Now I'm happy to realise that the fifth prompt, Pan gives me another chance to post about Remus Lupin and the Revolt of the Creatures.

I proudly present some original characters who are fauns! Yes, back in 2004, a few months after starting to share fanfic as WiP on a small Harry Potter forum, I (didn't know much about how other people wrote fanfic and) was proud to be creative enough to develop a lot of original characters, some of them part-human and non-human creatures, as well as original settings, also hidden areas inhabited by magical creatures beyond real places in Britain. I let my post-OotP Remus interact with goblins, half-goblins, half-giants, a half-veela, elves, hags etc. Even fauns and a half-faun! (And in some chapters, there are a lot of scenes where the only other canon character is Hedwig or Mundungus Fletcher).

Why not? I found it only natural to add fauns to the motley crowd of creatures from mythology and folklore that had been shown to us in the HP books by that time. My fauns were certainly not the first ones in stories written in English and set in the English landscape. I wonder if any other fauns have been spotted in this fandom, though.

The first excerpt is from a scene in which a theatre troupe takes Remus unawares by offering to join in his rebellion and asking him to join them in their performances. Here I introduce my least minor faun character, Peck, and his partner, half-faun Tumble.

The other two excerpts are from the chapter following the scene I shared for prompt three, the scene set in the werewolf village.

( a faun climbed onto the table )

For the fourth prompt, finally, I've made something new to be posted on AO3. I was inspired by the bonus prompt, Typhon and particularly by a painting of Zeus aiming his thunderbolt at a winged and snake-footed Typhon.

My bright watercolour version of the duelling scene is HP & Greek Mythology crossover: Harry Aiming at a Monster. :) (That link is to AO3.)

I've been awfully slow to react at the Sunshine Challenge.

My own, late response to prompt three is limited to my fanwork, and I haven't even written anything new based on this one either. Of course, I immediately thought of the one among my original characters in the HP world whom I'd named Hecate. The scene in which she first appears and her role in it perhaps fit well enough the crossroads aspect of the prompt.

I've hesitated to post an excerpt to show my Hecate, because she belongs to the long chaptered Remus-centric fic which was started soon after OotP and edited only a bit upon completion in 2010. Now

pauraque's fascinating thought that the writers of our old work are ghosts of ourselves has helped me almost make up my mind to finally start posting the fic as it is on AO3.

This excerpt, too, is a static snapshot of the best [I was] able to do ... at one particular time. These scenes were written in spring 2004 – at a time when we didn't know anything about Fenrir Greyback or Lyall and Hope Lupin. If I had heard that the letter J on Professor Lupin's briefcase should stand for John, I didn't care (and I still don't).

( Come here, Remus Jaws Lupin )

The second Sunshine Challenge prompt is here.

Since I've seen others, too, do self-recs, I can't resist posting an old 100-word drabble. This part of my series titled Sketches for a Portrait was written in 2006 and posted on AO3 here among those "self-portraits" of my Remus (who tries to be an artist besides a werewolf) that show him in his drifting years in the 1980s.

Her wrinkled hand lifts a cup full of warm milk to his lips. Now the hands are joined beside her cheek, and the sharp gaze of her beady eyes leaves him for a moment: she closes her lids to make sure he can understand the sign.

While her potions start nourishing his new skin, in his dream he is able…

I am able to hold a paint brush again. I don’t need parchment, paper or canvas. The figures are leaping across the walls. Dolphins. The Prince of Lilies. The monster turns a human face to me and builds the palace.

The first prompt at the Sunshine Challenge is Hades

I've never been very much interested in such stories which undo death's finality. The bonus prompt here gave me an idea about some interaction between Cerberus and Padfoot the dog, who's not happy about what I ended up doing to Sirius despite trying to avoid the Bring Back Black trope in my writing.

There's no new drabble (yet), but here's how Sirius experienced what had looked like a lovely conclusion of a subplot in a post-OotP Remus fic:

He's Come Back (1200 words)
After the veil's gone, Sirius realises that there's no way but back to the scene where he was once captured.

And here's a serious Severus/Minerva rec. This is an exceptional, significant, excellently-written small story dealing with what an age difference is eventually bound to mean in a long-term relationship.

Mind the Gap by Squibstress (1100 words)
Severus never thought he minded the gap. Until he did.

I've been struggling to find something violet in my fandom life.

Violet is a wizened, pale old witch in a portrait at Hogwarts, a friend of the Fat Lady's. And Yennefer of Vengerberg has violet eyes. Here's a scene from the video game Witcher The Wild Hunt: Geralt listens to Priscilla sing a song featuring the violet eyes - ( under the cut )

I've read all the Witcher books by Sapkowski and played that third Witcher game through twice (and it's the only video game I've ever played) and seen the first season of the show, but I still haven't got active in the Witcher fandom. And I think that besides Harry Potter, the Witcher is the only canon I'm truly familiar with among popular fandoms.

What could I offer as gifts? I wish I could share more of such things that you lovely Sunshine people enjoy.

Still hopelessly devoted to writing in a single "universe" – about one reality of some HP characters' lives – I'm not good at crafting fanworks as gifts. I have participated in some exchanges and recently written a tiny piece as a retirement present, but never asked for wishes. When signing up for a fest, I always check that there's a self-prompt option or a prompt fitting for such a fic which – while working separately – can be meaningful as part of the broader story.

On the other hand, I've realised – and repeatedly mentioned, too – that after returning to the fandom, I'm willing to read any fanfic: any characters, pairings, ratings, genres. I'm interested in writing comments on fic – and on any other type of fanwork, too – particularly when I know that the creator appreciates feedback. I guess I can simply assume that everyone likes comments, but I love getting self-recs. I've asked for some before, but perhaps through the Sunshine Challenge I'll get more.

Please tell me if you'd like me to read (or otherwise receive) and comment on a fanwork by you. It doesn't have to be in HP or in Witcher. I've already read and commented on some fic in fandoms where I don't know the canon at all. I'm a slow reader (and composer of comments), and it'll probably take several days before I comment in case I get several self-recs and/or recs of fics longer than 5000 words or so.

Like some other people at the Sunshine Challenge, I didn't expect indigo to be a prompt. My post is perhaps a bit too purple, but there's some magic here at least.

Firewhiskey Fic January 2020 Proud Participant Banner

Firewhiskey Fic January 2020 Proud Participant Banner

I'm proudly showing this banner so as to tempt you all to participate in the next edition of Firewhiskey Fic – this Saturday, the 25th!

Last time (my very first time) was for me (not too long after I'd returned from hiatus and offered my motorbike rides, as I mentioned in my previous post) one of the best experiences of community feel in fandom. For once I – an eternal Remus/Sirius writer – managed not to take writing fic too siriusly. I used all the prompts, one of which was Severus Snape, and surprised myself when while writing a piece full of tipsy typos, I ended up revealing a whole new dimension in my Remus's love life.

The beat for that lovely drunken January night was given to me by Sia in Cheap Thrills:

Watch on YouTube

I chose that version here first because of the colour, but there's another one with a fun video and featuring Sean Paul ( under the cut )

Come join in the cheap thrills offered by the fandom! And note, this event is open also for other than HP fic. Any (drunken) fanart is welcome, too.

Once again, The Sunshine Challenge makes me do something new. This is the first time ever I'm embedding a video. Before the prompt was posted – while I could see what the next colour would be – I'd already thought about sharing some music for a change. And the blue song that came to my my-fic-centred mind was Blue Motorbike by Moto Boy.

Watch on YouTube

I'd never heard about this singer before I picked the song among the prompts when signing up (almost too late) for my second fest after an eight-year hiatus from the (HP) fandom.

Countless times while listening I've been – instead of writing – staring at that blue picture. There's something eerie blue about it as well as about the singer's strange voice. Something so mesmerising about the music that I kept listening to the song after the fest was over, even though it's not the kind of music I thought I'd like very much. And now that I listen to it, I feel it's not only about the characters in my fest fic (Truly Travelling Towards Someone), but also about me trying to connect with people in the fandom.

I came to ask you out/ Been wanting to for days/ I know a secret place/ ... Will you go there with me tonight?/ ... I like the sense of you/ Maybe you like me, too.

Thanks to the Sunshine Challenge, I've added some lovely people. Whether you are just a visitor or one of those I've added and perhaps willing to to add me back, welcome! I've now decided to unsubscribe to some journals, which I realise I've ended up never commenting on. The reason must be that I want my DW life to be mainly fannish… Or since most of us are hardly actual fans of some creators (or rather a particular creator) of canon… let's say I want my DW life to be mainly related to transformative creative works. I still write (and occasionally draw, perhaps) only in the Harry Potter fandom, but I want to keep subscribing to some people regardless of lack of a fandom in common.

Now to the latest prompt. Green is always present in my life, my absolute favourite in my clothing as well as my environment. Perhaps that's why I find it hard to choose how to make an imaginative post about anything like … awakening, growth, renewal, productivity, intelligence, exuberance, prosperity, money, luck, envy, greed, survival, nature, spring, and birth … the fresh growth of spring plants after a long winter … the good fortune waiting for you around each corner.

I've decided to be my-fic-centred (like in most of my posts, I admit, if not in my previous Sunshine posts) and take this opportunity to share … fanworks that remind [me] of the color green or its related themes.

This one
If He's Got Any Strengths (Remus, Luna, mainly gen, 2200 words) – here on AO3
was written for the HP Lucky Fest.

And this one (not posted on DW before, and therefore now included in this post) is set in spring and in nature, and the youth and inexperience of the characters, too, makes me think of green.

Title: If Not Brothers
Author:

paulamcg
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Characters: Sirius, Remus, James, Peter, Amelia Bones
Word Count: 7800
Warnings: References to abuse
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Remus and Sirius and their friends won’t help me make any money.
Summary: In May of their fifth year at Hogwarts, Remus and Sirius learn more about touching each other.

Read here on AO3
or right here. ( I solemnly swear )

Prompt 3: Yellow
Yellow is a bright color that is associated with a variety of things including: joy, enlightenment, enthusiasm, alertness, danger, clarity, summer, expression, deceit, cowardice, confidence, satisfaction, and optimism.

When I saw the prompt, my first thought was that ever since I enjoyed seeing the 2017 film Tom of Finland at its premiere in Helsinki, I associate the colour yellow with Touko Laaksonen's courage.

“I’d like us to have an apartment together. Big windows with light-yellow curtains.”

“Only sissies like yellow,” Touko says.

“I’d like the curtains to be open when we dance with friends. I want you to hold my hand in broad daylight. I want the curtains to be open.”

“Nice idea, but totally unrealistic.”

Yes, yellow is for courage and for freedom to express your identity and your love.

These quotes are links to two articles about the film.

[Touko didn't] allow prejudice and discrimination to keep him down.

Tom of Finland is more than a history lesson about gay men who dressed up in leather and denim. It’s an invitation to continue fighting to express sexuality and love in whatever way one deems important.

To me, orange has always meant something extraordinary. The only orange pieces of clothing I have are these in the picture, and in my flock of sheep there's a single orange one.

An orange sheep among white sheep, orange pieces of clothing

An orange sheep among white sheep, orange pieces of clothing

I'd like to keep my journal related to fanfiction and fanart, and besides the Sunshine Challenge, here the only connection to fandom is that sheep became special to me due to my ex-beta, and they play some minor bleating roles in some of my fics. But I just couldn't resist making an orange post and using here the fitting icon I'd snagged from

oldtoadwoman for the event.

Prompt 1: Red
Red is a strong color that is associated with a variety of things including: courage, power, glory, love, passion, inner strength, romance, sensuality, defiance, tenacity, violence, life, pleasure, fire, and revolution.

This challenge has made me do something outside my comfort zone. I've never before posted a picture on DW. (EDIT Or on AO3, where I've managed to get this a day later./EDIT)

And I've never shared (or made) a piece of fanart. This is just a sketch based on a scene I've been composing when rewriting an old fic about Remus Lupin in Paris in 1984. My Remus is an artist, and just yesterday I wrote about him painting with red, wearing this red jumper borrowed from a lover.

A scruffy young Remus in a borrowed red jumper, starting to paint with red watercolour