The hds_beltane reveals are up!

[lomonaaeren]

First of all, thank you so much to the people who wrote stories for me! I received three (one shared with megyal, whom there is no one better to share a story with) and enjoyed them all:

The Messenger by sugareey (really liked the atmosphere and mood in this one)
Family Portrait by khateh (lovely and original use of magic here)
A Beltane Gift by juwel_fic, for me and megyal (a threesome between Harry, Draco, and Snape with strong dynamics and a good Harry POV)

I wrote two, one an original assignment and one a pinch-hit, which I'll probably repost here in a few days:

When In Flight for honorarymaraudr. This was a 17,000-word H/D, with Harry as the Hogwarts flying instructor and Draco as an inspector for the Ministry sent to Hogwarts because of the high proportion of accidents the Slytherin Quidditch players keep having. Beta-ed by ms_mindfunk, who helped especially in the clarification of long sentences and the taking down of italics that really needed to go down.

Kestrel for gingertart50. This is a 25,000-word Harry/Snape. Yes, Harry/Snape. I had a lot of fun writing it because the prompts were so plot-oriented and I liked my characterizations, but I was also writing it during a week when I was busy with work and very sick with sinusitis, and there was a voice in the back of my head all the time yelling, "You can't write Harry/Snape! You've never done it before!" I'm very pleased it turned out as well as it did. Beta-ed by Linda, an RL friend of mine who detests Harry Potter but is an excellent critical reader; I e-mailed her begging for a beta and she said "NO!", then sighed and said, "Send it on." She did an awesome job.

Thanks to everyone involved, especially twistedm, who handled a very difficult fest with grace and dignity.

Comments

[alexis-sd.livejournal.com]

I didn't keep up with reading hds_beltane, so I had missed both your stories. But I read them and they were delightful. And honestly only a few days ago, when you posted your last oneshot I was thinking that I'd love to see a Snarry by you. And then I discovered that you've braved that territory. That was just great to see.

Kestrel

I loved your Snape, his anger, his stuck up hatred for Harry, his infatuation with him. I just loved the wings. You turned a age-old human dream (I am sure there's not a single person who hasn't dreamt of flying) into a beautiful story. And once again you created an original and absolutely fantastic profession for a character of yours. I liked how Snape felt about his work and his creations, especially the Kestrel.

I loved your Harry in Kestrel. He had kept that spark of childish curiosity and love for life that made him so lively and full of energy. The way he enticed Snape was great.

When in Flight

I loved the plot. In the beginning I didn't expect that the childish prank (as I saw it) would grow into such stupidity and maliciousness on the students' part. It was sad that those kids destroyed their future and marked their housemates to be suspected of every Quidditch incident that would happen for some time.

But the Harry/Draco interaction was love. Draco's anger/public sex kinks and Harry's glasses kink felt great. And the sex was hot! Guh! Well done.

Those were lovely fics and I can only hope you'll write more Snarry (which is my OTP), or that maybe you'll even try a threesome, some lovely day :).

[lomonaaeren.livejournal.com]

Thank you! If you had asked for the Snarry, I probably would have held off replying to the comment until after the reveal, because I don't think I would have been able to contain myself otherwise. :)

I haven't written much Snape perspective, so I'm glad you thought he seemed IC. The artist side, whether as Potions master or Defense professor, isn't one we get to see explored much in canon, but it's the best way I can empathize with Snape- hence one reason it played such a part in the story.

Heh, Snape probably never would have realized what was building between them if not for Harry.

The plot of "When in Flight" did have some differences at first; I was going to write something other than "students are responsible for students falling off brooms." But hey, with the war done, the House rivalry would find something new to focus on, and it could very easily be the Quidditch Cup, and it could very easily get out of control.

I don't usually write kink fics, so I'm also glad you liked the way I worked those in.

I'm not sure I have the confidence for a threesome yet! But I'll be trying some femmeslash soon, and I do have another Snarry plot brewing in the back of my mind, if I can get it to come clear.