Exploding Poohsticks

The puppies: I believe it is Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero in this picture.

...what a Remus Lupin he would make, hein? (*adds him to my pile of reference images for Hold*)

The poetry: Greta Cabrel on challah and sushi at Clean Sheets

taradilien wished for fic: "I don't mind which fandom, it can established relationship or first time, it can be snupin, norribeth, sam and daniel (stargate) Criminal minds, due south etc. I like fluff and I like threesomes." So here's a bit of threesome fluff:

Covered

The freezing rain spat down as the thin man and the large dog raced toward the building they now called home. Neither of them were adequately clothed for the weather: the man’s black robes were threadbare, and the dog’s black fur had become thin with age.

The instant foot and paw touched the top step in front of their flat, the door swung open. Remus Lupin flung a thick towel at Severus Snape and threw another one at Sirius Black, rolling his eyes resignedly as the latter immediately shook it off, spraying hundreds of muddy droplets around the small room in the process.

“You’re lucky it’s easy to clean up your mess with magic,” Remus told the dog, his tone stern but his lips fighting off a grin.

Severus snatched up the towel Sirius had ignored and used it to mop up more of the water clinging to his hair and skin. “We’re lucky that no one believes that he’s alive.”

“It helps that no one would believe he’d be with you,” Remus murmured, Banishing soaked robes and kneeling down with yet another towel.

Severus said nothing, but smiled as both the towel and the dog rubbed against his legs.

To borrow Gramarye1971's articulation, I'm among those feeling like "December 2008 crept up behind them and coshed them on the back of the head," but much of it's my own darn fault, and the stuff that isn't can't be helped, so I will restock on dried squid tomorrow and brew buckets of tea all month, and all will eventually be well.

Plus, it seems churlish to wax anxious or fretful about anything when there's so much well with me already:

The new issue of flashquake is up, and it includes two of my poems: "The Sharpshooter Assembles A Relish Tray" and "A Stack of Cards."

I just got back from a week in the United Kingdom, where I got to meet up with aunty_marion at the Islington Slug and Lettuce, poked around Bletchley Park (which is in Buckinghamshire, and yes, there may eventually be TDiR fic from this), and meandered around Glasgow and Belfast with my sweetie. (And as with every trip, there were more people we would have liked to see than time to see them in, but we hope to be back (and for a longer holiday) in a couple of years...)

"Cthulhu" -- the BPAL scent, that is -- came to the rescue on our train ride from London to Glasgow, since I hadn't adequately anticipated the reek vs. sleep factor (i.e., sharing a very enclosed cabin after a long day sans showers).

Lots of anecdotal notes to self on differences between US and UK customs (what is(n't) comped in hotel rooms, etc.) and general climate (Belfast: lots of short skirts and high heeled boots in spite of the cold) and other things, which may show up here later either in fic or general natterings. I'll save it for January or later, though, since it's not like any of you lack things to read right now, and many of you are in the same boat as I am re: Stuff That Must Be Written Before Solstice. (All together now: EEK!) (And, deep breath: EEE!) (Who knows when they'll get written, but the plots, they are like the innards of intricately carved chesspieces...)

In Glasgow, there's a major road called Sauchiehall Street (pronounced "suckyhall"). It translates to "Way of the Willows."

In Glasgow's Museum of Transport, there's a Ford Anglia on display. There's a white owl perched inside...

After the Beautiful Young Man heard about Marion's plan to copyedit Book 7, he said, "You know how some dude edited Star Wars and got rid of Jar-Jar? Someone needs to phantom-edit HP and ditch Dobby."

Cedar, every time I saw the Odeon Leicester Square sign, I thought of you.

One of Belfast's most fashionable clothing stores (in the new, uber-fashionable Victoria Square complex) is called Remus Uomo. I've been telling you all for years that the shabby clothes were a front...

Cannot get "Together in Electric Dreams" out of my head. This is primarily from a late-night drink at the Stiff Kitten, where the DJ was playing what both the BYM and I think of as "80s comfort music" - which was all the more entertaining because two local, not-too-drunk lads periodically kept trying out breakdancing moves, with no one else in the bar paying them any mind. (We also stopped by the Morning Star, another pub where several tables of older people kept bursting into song. Some of it wasn't bad, but the multiple attempts at "New York, New York" were rather dire, and in spite of ordering a drink that came with its own plastic oar, I was not near tipsy enough to encourage them directly.)

There's more, but I need to tidy up and grab a quick bite before a meeting. Later, loves! *blows kisses and wafts warm studying/shopping/surviving/sketching/snoozing vibes at all y'all*

Title: Harried
Words: 200
Fandoms: FAKE and HP
Pairings: Dee/Ryo; reference to Snape/Harry
Rating: PG
Summary: Green eyes. Black hair. Forever breaking rules. Harry Potter? No, Dee Laytner.
Warning: Noncon involved, and I'm mean to Snape and Lupin. Please don't hate me -- that's just how the bunny hopped.

( So help me God, we are NEVER going to England again.... )

Title: Outskirting the Dark
Reason: It's valis2's birthday! ... and at Terminus, she mentioned being such a h/c junkie that she'd read h/c "even with Lupin in a fairy skirt," which is pretty much tantamount to waving a fat juicy cabbage in front of a plotbunny with my name on its hell-bound handbasket.... (Happy birthday, sweetie! *squeezes*)
Words: ~1600
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Rating: PG
Warning: I couldn't resist including a Valis Sue, a Gillian Sue, a marginaliana Sue, and a Ribbons Stu. *ducks barrage of flying vegetation*
Summary: Snape's in Chicago. Lupin's in a fairy skirt. Hurt-comfort ensues.

Fall 2008

( Severus Snape had fainted only once before in his life... )

[1] That would be Michael Jordan. After he left Chicago, he played for a team called the Wizards -- what, you thought that was just happenstance? ;-)

Woke up with a plotbunny. A vicious plotbunny. A plotbunny that's not going to leave me alone until I depict Remus Lupin collaborating with Sawa Nagisa on a script that then sends Iwaki and Katou to a drama festival in Kentucky --

*cries* snapelike, what have you done to me? *wails*


---

I have also just been molested by the most aggressively affectionate cafe cat I've ever met. Moggies do tend to like me, but I've never encountered one that climbed onto my chest and then repeatedly headbutted my chin as the BYM hastily rescued my Cubano. It can't be a BPAL reaction, I didn't put any on today...

But lo! there is fic. It's at pervy_werewolf, and it's NC-17 Remus/Tonks: The Truer Office of Their Eyes.

On an unrelated note, I stumbled across a Wold Newtonian list while trawling around for glimpses and mentions of Bunter. This is the part that made me sit up:

[BLYTHE,] James "Jem" Matthew (1893 - ?), son to Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe; father to Jeremy "Jem" Blythe by his wife Faith Meredith, and adoptive father to Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Assumed the name Atticus Finch out of respect for the death of his friend in action during WW1, as well as responsibility for his orphaned child.

And y'all think I come up with unlikely crossovers...

First, bestest birthday wishes to the incomparable and inspiring gmonkey42 -- may it be your most fabulous year yet! In your honor:

Title: A Type of Happy Return
Rating: G
Era: Post-DH
Characters: Lockhart, Lupin, and...
Words: 100


( Remus Lupin had never expected...  )

---

Quick recs:

"Ctorres" wrote a Whomping Willow/Mrs. Norris drabble for me earlier this year. I came across it tonight while hunting for something else and am delighted all over again.

pixychelle's The Scribbling Lark and the Blackthorn Tree [Neville/Luna, 13K -- I barely have attention for 130 words these days, but as with the rest of Chelle's oeuvre, this fic is so, so worth it. And while the whole blessed thing is wonderful, those of you familiar with my tastes will recognise the moment I shot from general "yay, Pixy-fic!" happiness into High Flail of Out of Left Field Glee. :-) ]

[Speaking of field and flail, the baseball playoffs are upon us and I fully expect the Cubs to come up with some new way to shred my heart into so many peanut-sized fragments spectacularly not make it to the World Series yet again. Chicago baseball teams constitute my anti-fluff fandom, come to think of it -- who needs fantasy angst when there's MLB standings?]

Five Small Victories for Professor Remus J. Lupin, by magnetic_pole. Maggie writes wise, witty fics with sly humor and sometimes hints of Snupin. This paragraph in particular is a gem:

Victory the second: His boggart had not turned into an entire classroom full of skeptical, reluctant students, as he feared, but a harmless silver orb he could vanish with a flick of his wand. Remus Lupin has conquered silver orbs every month of his life for as long as he can remember, and he's relieved to discover that even his subconscious agrees that the students are less threatening.

And now it's time for me to finish my shot of sake and slide into my own bed, even though a part of me wants to continue cooking my Howl-o-ween bunny, which seems to have grown a third ear. Which is also true of the two fics actually ahead of it in the queue. *flummoxed*

"Moonlightnrain" demanded a kiss. So I gave her 200 words. G. Title nicked from Robbie Burns.

[Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, Deathly Hallows is not out until Saturday and I am treating everything currently circulating on the Internet as speculation and/or apocrypha until confirmed by the bonafide dead-tree copy released to me by Borders. So, there will be no DH spoilers in this or anything else I might happen to post before Monday.]

[Yes, Monday. Because this weekend I have one memorial service to attend, two regular services to preach, and a four-hour Monday meeting for which I must prep. Whee!]


Ae Fond Kiss

For almost two years, Snape had known he would have to face this moment someday, but he was nonetheless surprised at how shocked he felt when the Death Eater cadets dumped Lupin's lifeless body at his feet. However, his years upon years of masking his true emotions continued to serve him well.

"Thank you, gentlemen," he said gravely, dismissing them. He waited a full hour after their departure before scooping Lupin up and Apparating into a garret in Camden Town. Even though he was half-giddy with anxiety, he couldn't help but roll his eyes as Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks hastily broke apart from their clinch.

"You've got him!" Potter exclaimed, rushing forward to help him.

"I knew you'd manage it!" Tonks hurried forward as well and saluted him gently on the cheek. He remained astounded at how a woman so clumsy could kiss so delicately, though he'd gathered from earlier visits to the garret that her liaison with Potter was... energetic.

Visits he'd made with Lupin. Who was still limp in his arms.

"Remus," he hissed, "if you managed to screw this up, I'll kill you myself."

Not opening his eyes, Lupin weakly pressed his lips against Snape's palm.

Title: "Red"
Artist: aleoninc
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Snape, Moony
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/lupin_snape/1115223.html

Why: Thoughtful choices of color and composition. Fabric and snow and fur that look real enough to touch.

Stasia's "A Peculiar Virtue" and Pixychelle's "Whilst Kicking and Biting"

( The new: )

( Then, to mosaic your heart back together, an older fic: )

Feedback is encouragement, so do please consider leaving some for these authors if you feel so moved!

Title: Just Like Strangers Here (part 2 of 2)
Author: bronze ribbons
For: ymfaery, for the 2006 Fantasy Fest at lupin_snape
The prompt: "Post-War. S had fled UK to live in ancestral non-English speaking home country w/o knowing AD left behind findable evidence of S acting under orders. R finds him some unspecified time later--how/why up to author. Asian home country a plus. Smut optional."
Also for: sor_bet, whose response to "Stoppered" got me thinking...
Betas: aunty_marion and Gramarye
Primary pairing: Lupin/Snape
Words: This part 5K (around 9K total)
Rating: R
Warning: rape
Disclaimer: No malice intended, no profit expected.
ETA: Soundtrack



Prequel

Part 1

( Fourteen months after his arrival in Japan, Snape secretly began to study magic again. )

Title: Electricity
Author: bronze ribbons
Rating: R
Wordcount: 200 + 100
Reason: A belated birthday present for karasu hime, who gave me Snape/Tonks/Lupin and "electric blue" as the prompt.

( I knew you were going to ask for something shocking )

Title: The Roar of Pebbles
Words: four drabbles, 100 words each
Pairing: RL/SS
Rating: PG
Note: A quartet inspired by John Brehm's "Sea of Faith," Anthony Hecht's "The Dover Bitch," Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach," and LJ:pixychelle, the last for whom this was written (October 2006, for her birthday).

LJ:almost_clara created a marvelous illustration of Snape in response to this story. You can view it here.

( The first half-dozen times Remus discovered Severus teaching in his sleep... )

Title: Just Like Strangers Here (part 1 of 2)
By: bronze_ribbons
For: ymfaery and sor_bet
Words: this chapter ~ 4000
Summary: Severus Snape had never wanted to live in Japan, or to miss Remus Lupin.
Disclaimer: No malice intended, no profit expected.
Warning: References to domestic violence and character deaths.
Rating: PG
Betas: aunty_marion and busaikko
Originally posted to LJ:lupin_snape for Fantasy Fest April 2006.

Ymfaery's prompt: "Post-War. S had fled UK to live in ancestral non-English speaking home country w/o knowing AD left behind findable evidence of S acting under orders. R finds him some unspecified time later--how/why up to author. Asian home country a plus. Smut optional."

Prequel: Stoppered

( Severus Snape had never wanted to live in Japan. )

Part 2

Title: Stoppered
Author: bronze_ribbons
Rating: PG
Warnings: Angst.
Originally posted to LJ:lupin_snape, 18 September 2005.
Sequel: Just Like Strangers Here (part 1).

( stoppered )

The Giant Squid
Never did
Quite understand Ginny
Or her penchant for dipping skinny.

The Whomping Willow
Surmised that a pillow
Might have helped the Potions master
As he yelled, "Lupin! Faster!"

Bestest birthday wishes to you, _lore!

When AUs collide: a note from placet!Paola to trio_snape, accompanying a Ravenclaw prefect and two enormous hampers, all delivered via a Kitty-chan portkey:

Caro Severus,

I know you didn't think so, but I was in fact listening when you lectured me yet again on the reduced efficacy of certain ingredients when miniaturized or otherwise unduly stressed -- that, and I really have no desire to pack your squid beaks, spider flosses, sea-urchin squirt-paks, twenty varieties of Fukushima fungi, and other unholy, ungodly, and otherwise unlovely requests with my silks and brocades. Hence, I'm sending them ahead with Miss Kandeko (who is a most sensible child, and this was truly the best field excursion ever. I can't wait to show you the data we collected in Aizu). She is also bringing some chocolate confections from Kanazawa Station for that long-suffering partner of yours -- who knew there were so many good patisseries this side of Paris? -- and a bottle of sake from Hashiguchi-san. That you remember her fondly is no mystery whatsoever; why she remembers you with affection would be far more baffling had she not seized her first available opportunity to show off a certain set of thoroughly annotated notebooks from your last sojourn here, gabbling your praises at two hundred kilometres an hour. Honestly, Severus, your neverceasing compulsion to improve things is ... adorable (as I know Remus tells you constantly, and I somehow suspect you still don't believe). Yes, yes, I realize you're scowling at me now (as if you ever stopped); I shall Apparate home shortly so that you can indulge in the satisfaction of doing so in person -- and, of course, to address whatever traumas you'll claim to have inflicted on my classes during my absence. If you haven't assigned at least seven double-detentions to the Wimseys I shall know that you are truly becoming a softie.

Con affetto,
Paola

[Postscript - charmed for Snape's eyes only:

Yes, I also picked up the specially charmed haori you requested for Remus, and I can't wait to see him in it. Have I told you lately how much better he looks since you became a couple? (Of course I have -- but it pleases me to keep reminding you. It is far too much fun watching you attempt to accept compliments and plan vengeance on me simultaneously. Isn't it a pity that I really am the best Astronomy instructor you know?) Millione baci! P.]