Hello, hello! Not much to say about me, I guess; I'm a bored college student majoring in languages and history. I write stories when I don't want to write papers.I've always been really interested in the backstories of the Marauders and Lily, especially after Book 5. It seems like most fics start with them in year five or so, when Lily already hates James and it seems there's no way they can reconcile. But I think that it certainly wasn't always like that. So I wanted to explore the whole group dynamic, and what happend in all seven years at Hogwarts. That's how Of Cauldrons and Comrades came about. Of course, with all the new goodies we learned about in Book 7, I will be needing to do some tweaking to the story, so updates might be sparse, but I do hope you enjoy!
I've recently gotten into Challenges over at the Beta Boards, so you'll see new fics cropping up every now and again. Here's the (albeit short) list so far:The Beginning is a ballad written for the Poetry, Anyone? ballad challenge, and it's just a little "what if" story about one of Harry's ancestors. Update: "The Beginning" won first place in the challenge! I'm speechless! And it was so fun to write, too.
Remorse, Regret, Redemption was written for the New Year Challenge prompt on "Belief." What happens to a wizard who has stopped believing in his ability to do magic? Can he ever regain that power, that faith? This is from Gideon Prewett's POV--a totally random choice, I know, but very interesting to write. Definitely the darkest thing I've ever written, though. Update: "Remorse, Regret, Redemption" won second place in the challenge! Good job, Gideon. I knew you could do it! :)
He's Free is another challenge entry (I'm obsessed!), this time for the Character Sonnet Challenge. A Petrarchan about one of my favorite characters, Remus.
My Summer Challenge Triwizard Tournament Tale is called These Three Remain, after the ubiquitous Bible verse (1 Corinthians 13:13). It has very little to do with the actual verse, but the language of that verse is so pretty. The "three" that remain are the qualities faith, hope, and love. I've assigned a quality to each of the three central characters/narrators of the story, and now I'm chronicling their experience participating in and/or watching the Triwizard Tournament. Oh, and it's set in 1691-2, and deals not only with the Tournament but also with the imminent passage of the International Statute of Wizard Secrecy. Update: TTR tied for third place in the challenge! The fact that I haven't finished the final chapter is killing me, so I promise, promise, promise that it will be completed soon, lest I lose my mind!
I love to talk to readers/reviewers/fellow HP nuts, so if you have anything at all to say, please email or IM me!
What a wonderful story! I wish I had read it during Christmastime, instead of cold and boring January. I love the idea of the phoenix ornament, and--of course--Dumbledore's coveted woolen socks! And it's great to see this possible future where Snape really is a good guy and Dumbledore still believes in him. I can only hope that the real story turns out similarly!
Dumbledore was perfectly in character, as was Phineas Nigellus. And I loved "Santa's" comment about the tooth fairy--very sassy. A well-deserved win for the Challenge. :)
Author's Response: Thank you so much for the lovely review! You are too kind! I am so glad you liked this story. You are the first person to comment on the tooth fairy comment - yay! I liked writing that line, it opened up this little universe where all of our favorite characters - Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny - work together, staff meetings and all. ;) I am very glad you enjoyed the characterization, considering Dumbledore is dead it was a bit tricky. I too hope that Snape proves his loyalty in the end. Thank you again for the wonderful review!! ~Gina :)
This is excellent! It fits perfectly within the song. My favorite line was "Defiant thrice, now sacrificed, a charm within her blood." Or perhaps the whole verse about James...
Very well-written and moving. You definitely deserved to win the challenge! :)
Author's Response: thank you so much! i\'ve never written much about the Marauders or Lily, and hope i did them justice... thanks for the kind review!
Great ballad! It's such a creative subject matter, and I'm glad that it took a tragic turn, because Lockhart really is such a prat. :)
Good luck in the challenge!
Author's Response: Isn\'t he, though? Thank you so much for reading this poem! I\'m glad you enjoyed it, and really appreciate the lovely review!! ~Gina :)
Wow, I definitely thought I had reviewed this one already! Oh well, better late than never!
This ballad really is incredible. I know I'm just echoing everyone when I say that the last two lines are so moving, but they really touched me. The rest was excellent as well, of course. And the subject matter is so perfect for a ballad; it had great emotion. A well-deserved finish in the challenge! Congratulations!! :)
Author's Response: Thanks so much for reviewing, and congratulations to you, too!
Great ballad! It flows very well, for the most part. I think the meter was off in a few spots, but this meter is really hard to get a hang of! More important than the meter, though, is the tone, and I think you've captured Sirius's spirit very well, which can be a daunting task, so congratulations!
Good luck in the challenge! :)
Wow, this is beautiful. The language you've used, and really the syntax of the poem is so perfect for this type of sonnet (and I know nothing about poetry!!). And while Snape is not one of my favorite characters, I will grant that he is *so* fascinating, and you've definitely shown a different side of him here. A job well done! Very well done!
Good luck in the challenge from a fellow Gryffindor! Go Lions! :)
--LuthAn/Anna
Author's Response: Since University, I have rarely written poetry, choosing instead to use poetic devices in my prose. However, each year, I have my students attempt to write sonnets when they study Shakespeare. I always compose a new one every year as an example, and I show them my process from start to finish. Since I\'m in Japan teaching language rather than literature, I\'ve missed my yearly sonnet. Taking up this challenge has been a welcome entertainment. I\'m so happy you\'ve read it and that you liked it.
An excellent entry! The rhyme and rhythm were great, and the subject matter excellent (I mean, *anything* about Sirius is probably going to be excellent...)
The last two lines especially were so touching. It's really a treat that you were able to condense such a long span of time and so many emotions into a sonnet! Good luck in the challenge!!
--Anna
Author's Response: Hi there! Thanks so much for reading my entry, and for the wonderful review! I understand about the subject matter - certain characters really lend themselves to this challenge, and I think the Black family is one of them, along with other tortured characters like Remus Lupin.=) I\'m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the compliments on the last lines, I came up with the final line of the sestet first and had to craft the other five lines just to fit it, lol. Thanks again for the great review!! ~Gina :)