Dreamwidth Fandom Snowflake Challenge - Day 13

[teddy_radiator]

In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing.

Gosh, there are so many amazing creators to chose from. Fandom people are, first and foremost, fans, and that should include not only the object of their affection but the people that continue to create and spark new ideas about said object.

I'm going to get serious for a moment. I am not trying to offend anyone in this next paragraph, but I may.

One of my pet peeves in fandom is this growing attitude of just sititng off in one's own corner, collecting fics and photo manips and tumblr gifs, and not contributing anything back to those creators who work so hard to produce fanworks. I am going to go out on a dangerous limb here and say it's lazy.

NOTE: In my original post, I wrote: Fandom isn't a chain of isolated islands that don't talk or communicate with one another past hitting the 'like' or 'share' or 'kudos' buttons.

However,as I was reliably informed this statement is absolutely incorrect, I would like to change this to: Fandom shouldn't be a chain of isolated islands that don't talk or communicate with one another past hitting the 'like' or 'share' or 'kudos' buttons. In a format that encourages transmission only, there is little to no communication. For fandoms to survive, it should be a community, and each section of that community should be its own family support system. Whether one writes, draws, crafts, reads, lurks or moderates for the fandom, one should support it. Don't just pin a drawing or hit the kudos button; leave a short word of appreciation. That simple "I really enjoyed that" is worth a million kudos. For every jpeg pinned on a board, leave a short note as to why it's being pinned.

Creativity should be shared, yes, but it also must be nurtured. Communities like this one and ones on LiveJournal will keep fandoms alive, not Tumblr and Facebook and Pinterest. Those are just modern day scrapbooks;  you have to show up and be there for those scraps to have any meaning, and you have to encourage and support that creativity for those scraps to continue to be created.

Okay, lecture over. Again, just my humble two cents, and that's all it's worth. Now, let's talk about something truly worthy of some airtime.

---

Do you know how flipping hard it was for me to decide who to talk about? Heck, you should see me trying to pick out a tomato.

But I think if there is a creator who encompasses the best of everything the entire realm of HP Fandom is about, it's kellychambliss.

kellychambliss is a legendary figure in HP Fandom; she is an author of impeccable integrity, and she champions so many worthy fandom pairs. She has a seemingly bottomless well of creativity, and writes with incredible skill, especially older and more unusual characters. She imbues them with strength and humour; they are well-rounded and 100% believable. I've never read a Kelly fic that didn't have at least six quote-worthy lines in it. She is also a master of The Voice, that essential element to any character. You hear her characters speaking in your head; they are as natural as breathing, and as real as a transcription.

Take, for instance, Argus Filch, speaking about Dolores Umbridge, and her feelings toward Severus Snape, in Kelly's awesome fic Right Nor Wrong. This one passage made my throat go dry, and I realised at that moment I felt exactly the same about Severus Snape as did Umbridge:

He certainly didn't think any the less of her for being interested in Severus. Not at all. Severus were a man what made people feel things -- strong things, dark things, needy things. The Headmistress weren't the first person to want him. To want to understand him or save him or join in his righteous darkness. To want to share the power of him. To have him want them.

The way Argus had once thought he might want the lad.

---

Kelly never walks gently into that dark night, either. In The Headmaster, she shows us a Severus who knows he cannot afford for Minerva to see him as a secret protective ally, so becomes an open, dangerous enemy. It is a rich, dark story that could so easily be canon, were JKR brave enough to peer into the darkness and see it. Kelly's chilling account shows us how Severus accepts the steep descent, away from thinking of himself as Severus Snape and into becoming 'The Headmaster':

... if Dumbledore's plan had even a remote chance of working, Professor McGonagall must not be permitted to jeopardize it.

The Headmaster would have to find a way to deal with her.

Accordingly, on the following evening, he took himself to her quarters at a few minutes after midnight, thinking that the late hour would disconcert her. He'd given considerable thought to the best way to approach the problem of McGonagall's interference. To control her, he would have to keep her uncertain and on edge; he would have to unsettle her, disrupt her mind.

The solution, he had decided, was to do exactly the opposite of what she expected.

If she expected the students to be in danger, then he would make her believe that they would be safe: but only if she cooperated.

If she thought that he was still working for Albus and the Order and expected that he would protect her, then he would cease to protect her.

And not only that, but he would deliberately hurt her.

It would be unconscionable, of course, but how could he do otherwise? If he was to succeed in the path that had been laid out for him, he couldn't simply pretend to be a heartless bastard. The stakes were too high for playacting.

No, he had to be that heartless bastard.

For his own sanity, he had to be. Decent human beings couldn't or wouldn't do the things he was required to do -- ergo, he couldn't be decent. It was too much to ask, even from Albus, who was willing to force people to give their very souls. But for Dumbledore to expect the Headmaster to act the monster without being the monster. . .?

It was too much.

So the Headmaster had to be despicable, and he would start with Professor McGonagall. He needed to control her anyway, and he needed to prove to himself that he really was the person everyone thought him. He had no other choice. How else was he to do what he had to do?

---

But her true genius lies in writing Minerva McGonagall as a sharp, intelligent, powerful woman. Kelly gives her so much wry humour and heart and soul. I could fill up post after post with awesome McGonagall moments from her fic. One of my favourites is from Accomodations:

She'd done more than that -- she'd offered him her bed, too. He didn't know if she'd initially planned to, but as they'd finished their post-dinner brandy in her quarters, their desire had grown until the air seemed thick with it. Conversation had faltered, and when she'd turned towards her bedroom and held out her hand to him, he'd taken it.

But now, in the unforgiving light of day, with no brandy to use an excuse, he's filled with doubt and suspicion once more. "What do you really want from me? Tell me the truth," he repeats.

He's angered her: he can tell by the tightening of her shoulders and the pursing of those stern lips. She reaches for her dressing gown and holds it in front of her, cutting herself off from him with a wall of fabric.

"Tell you the truth?" she snaps. "So you think I've been lying heretofore? Tricking you? Seducing you into my bed so that I can. . .can what, exactly? Trap you in the dungeons as my personal sex slave and potions maker? Blackmail you into teaching by threatening to expose you to the ridicule of the world for fucking an old woman?"

Her use of "fuck" tells him just how livid she is. He doesn't think he's ever heard her say it before; he knows she finds it base and demeaning.

He expects her to leave the bed then, but she's not finished. "You've gone too far, Severus, and if you were anyone else, I'd ask you to leave. But you're a damaged man --"

"Don't you dare 'make allowances' for me," he interrupts fiercely. "I'm not some broken freak who needs accommodation. I won't be pitied -- "

"That's good," she interrupts in her turn, "because I don't pity you. You made bad choices, you faced them, you worked to hard to atone for the evil you'd done. There's nothing pitiable in that. You've earned some 'accommodation,' as you call it. To a point, that is. You're not entitled to endless offensive paranoia."

Severus looks at her, with her tumbled hair and set, angry jaw and bare shoulders, and somehow he doesn't want to fight any longer.

"How much?" he says.

"I beg your pardon?"

"How much offensive paranoia am I entitled to?"

Her glare fades, and slowly, she begins to smile.

"You've probably got one or two more shots," she says, reaching out to touch his hand. "But don't push it."

He folds her fingers in his. He's willing to believe her now: she invited him to Hogwarts because she wanted to see him. She doesn't hate him, hadn't tried to kill him. She even still wants him in her bed.

It's a vindication he needed, one that finally balances out their long-standing competition: because in knowing that she has genuinely wanted him, he no longer has to feel stupid for wanting her.

---

And this, in Vigil, a story she wrote for HP_Silencio based on my prompt. The ending is a breathtaking look at Minerva and Severus from Flitwick's point of view, and is one of the most moving moments in fandom I have ever read. The ending left me with the same haunted, heartbroken feeling I experienced the first time I saw Michealangelo's The Pieta:

His colleagues' secrets, however, he keeps to himself. He is no spy, no voyeur -- not in spirit, at least. In practice, though, his watchfulness means that he occasionally observes his colleagues in moments that are clearly intended to be private, and such a moment had occurred with Minerva and Severus.

It was just prior to the start of the autumn term, a year or two before Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts. Filius had been enjoying a post-prandial stroll around the castle grounds when the late-summer warmth tempted him to linger in the flower gardens near the greenhouses.

Probably it was the combination of the full seasonal foliage and his small stature that kept him invisible to Severus and Minerva as they, too, wandered the garden paths. Filius still isn't sure why he didn't alert them to his presence as soon as he heard them, but there had been something about their quiet voices that made him think they wanted privacy. Or perhaps he was just being curious.

When they came into view, Minerva had her hand in the crook of Severus's arm, which was mildly unusual but not without some precedent; she often took Albus's arm.

But what nearly brought a startled squeak to Filius's lips was the fact that Severus reached over to cover her hand with his. And before Filius could recover his wits, Severus had slipped his arm around Minerva's waist and pulled her to him for a quick kiss.

Filius knew that his mouth was hanging open in astonishment, and for a moment he actually felt like toppling over backward in shock (a performance he often put on for students, taking comic tumbles off a stack of books or whatnot; it's his way of making himself less intimidating to first-years, who can sometimes find Hogwarts and its teachers a bit frightening).

Such a reaction seemed uncalled-for in this circumstance, however; plus, he very much wanted to see what happened next.

Minerva put her hands on her hips and fixed Severus with a mock glare. At least, Filius could see that that she was joking, for the corners of her lips were twitching as she tried not to smile.

Severus, on the other hand, seemed genuinely to believe that she was displeased. Mottled spots of crimson appeared on his pale cheeks, and his eyes took on that shuttered look that usually presaged a vicious remark. He'd worn that look often in his early days of teaching, when he had been mired in obvious misery and had felt threatened and judged by everyone and everything. He must have thought that Minerva was playing him for a fool or that she was ashamed of him or. . .

But Minerva recognised that look, too, and before Severus could spit out a biting comment or stalk away from her, she grabbed hold of him and kissed him firmly, her hand on the back of his neck and her body pressed close against his. Severus, after a moment of stiff resistance, gradually responded, sliding his arms around her and kissing her in return.

Filius had closed his eyes then, and distracted himself by casting a breeze charm, for the garden had suddenly become quite warm indeed.

He closes his eyes now as the memory assails him, and he feels anew all that they have lost in the last few days, the last few years. He thinks that he can hardly bear to open his eyes again, when it will mean looking upon a world in which his friends' vibrant passion has been replaced by death and hollow-eyed grief.

But open his eyes he must, of course; to hide would not only be impossible, but disrespectful to Severus's memory and Minerva's pain.

And so he returns to the candle-lit room and to the still figures in front of him, Minerva appearing as motionless as Severus. But as Filius watches, she rises from her chair and crosses to the bed.

He waits for her to adjust that blankets one more time, but instead, she takes Severus's hand in hers and threads her fingers through his. With her other hand, she traces one finger down his long nose and over his lips before touching his lifeless cheek.

It's an intimate gesture, far more so than that long-ago kiss. It is her goodbye, Filius realises, and not for anyone's eyes but her own. And Severus's, from wherever he's watching.

---

I could quote Kelly's work all day long, but instead I merely ask you to go and read her stories - they are wonderful tapestries made of words, each vivid word perfectly chosen and placed immaculately.

But even past all this amazing talent, Kelly is an intelligent, kind and giving person, who makes us laugh, who always has a word of encouragement, who always finds something of merit in every work. She is one of HP Fandom's heroes, and it's no stretch to understand why she took the image of McGonagall as her own - to me, she is HP Fandom's Minerva McGonagall.

Comments

[birdsofshore]

I love your thoughts about fandom! And I am blown away by your wonderful words about kellychambliss. What a fantastic tribute to her.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I do feel like fandom will sink or swim depending on how much we support one another.

[hbart.livejournal.com]

Very well said. I can't say how many times I've looked at a pairing or warning and thought, "Seriously? You want me to read this?" But it's Kelly, so I do, and afterwards it makes so much sense. If she said Slughorn was the sexiest man alive, or Voldemort did ballet in his spare time, or the whole house of Ravenclaw was getting it on with the giant squid, i would protest, but I'd be damned if by the end of her story, she hadn't convinced me of those things with her wonderful insight into the characters. There is so much still haven't read, but look forward to
doing so.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Kelly is Fandom's Allstate - you always know you're in good hands.

[akamine_chan]

Creativity should be shared, yes, but it also must be nurtured. Communities like this one and ones on LiveJournal will keep fandoms alive, not Tumblr and Facebook and Pinterest

I understand what you're saying, but I have to disagree. There is no right way to do fandom, and to say that LiveJournal communities (and journaling sites in general) will keep fandom alive is pretty self-centered.

Use of journals (both fannish and otherwise) are dying off - that's why LiveJournal keeps switching things up, trying to find a business model that will keep their revenue stream intact.

Tumblr and Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest all provide places for fannish conversations and interactions to happen, and they do. The podfic fandom is almost exclusively clumped on Twitter. The Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom was pretty exclusively on AO3 until they migrated outward to Tumblr. I know people who make fannish friends, have discussions and interact with other fans on both Facebook and Pinterest. Facebook is become popular again, especially, since they're having a major shift in demographics.

Fandom is a living thing, it evolves, it's found in a multitude of places, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

You personally are more comfortable with journal-type interactions, and that's fine. But it's not for everyone, and the joy of fandom is that there are a multitude of ways to fandom, and all of them are great.

Fandom isn't a chain of isolated islands that don't talk or communicate with one another past hitting the 'like' or 'share' or 'kudos' buttons.

Fandom has always been a chain of isolated islands that didn't talk or communicate with each other at all. The forum users don't talk to the journalers, the journalers don't talk to the people who Tumblr, the mailing list people (and the are still around) don't talk to people on Twitter...etc

It was one of the motivations behind starting Snowflake, because there were these groups of fans who were unaware of each other, They were isolated from each other by platform...

I love thinky thoughts about fandom, but I just happen to disagree with you in this case. <3

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Well, as you say, there are many ways to look at it, and this is mine. We will have to agree to disagree, because I stand by what I say - especially for writers. I don't think I'm being self-centred at all; I think I'm community minded, and I believe that certain platforms not only don't foster a sense of community, they discourage it.

I said in the beginning I would probably offend, and there you go. My entire point was that without that sense of community and feedback and the group ethic I wouldn't have had the chance to meet such an awesome person like Kelly. Perhaps I should change my sentence to "Fandom shouldn't be a chain of isolated islands..."

And while I agree there is no right or wrong way to do it, I think writing and art in fandom works best when people interact and support one another and provide feedback in order to help us develop and excel.

[akamine_chan]

Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were self-centered; I meant that in general, the different fannish communities tend to be self-centered and isolated. And I'm not using self-centered in the sense of selfishness.

And I'm not at all offending; discussion is always good, even if you don't agree.

[akatnamedeaster.livejournal.com]

Kelly is one of the bright lights and pillars of HP fandom and if anyone is deserving of adulation and all the props in the world, it's her. She's not only a fantastic writer, she's a wonderful person both online and off (I've had the pleasure of her company a couple of times during meet-ups.)and I'm so grateful that she's still here and still contributing regularly.

And yes, she is -our- Minerva McGonagall, no doubt and we wouldn't trade her for the world.

[elmyraemilie.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

♥♥♥

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Thank you, dear Kat! Such a lovely comment. I hope we can get together again soonish.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

My dear Teddy -- I'm nearly overcome with gratitude for this unexpected and lovely tribute. How kind and thoughtful of you. I know how long it takes to craft a careful, quotation-filled comment like this one, and it was so good of you to take the time and trouble and to say such considerate things. I'm thrilled to think that my work has given you pleasure. I'm just so chuffed. . .you have made my day, my week, my month. Thank you, thank you. Times 100. And 100 hugs for good measure.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I'll happily take each and every one of those hugs and send them right back to you. Thank YOU for all that you do, for all the encouragement and the acceptance you've given me since day one. I respect you so much as a person, as an author, as a member of the great cosmic family.

[venturous1.livejournal.com]

yes, yes, yes!

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

You know... I have never read a Kelly Chambliss story. But after reading the excerpts that you provided, I am hooked! Wow! If that's a sample of what her writing is like, she is REALLY good! I will have to friend her and read her stories... fanfiction is something I have not read in a very long time. I guess I'm kind of losing momentum with the Potterverse. But who knows -- these stories may change that. Thank you for bringimg them to my attention.

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

Fandom shouldn't be a chain of isolated islands that don't talk or communicate with one another past hitting the 'like' or 'share' or 'kudos' buttons. In a format that encourages transmission only, there is little to no communication. For fandoms to survive, it should be a community, and each section of that community should be its own family support system. Whether one writes, draws, crafts, reads, lurks or moderates for the fandom, one should support it. Don't just pin a drawing or hit the kudos button; leave a short word of appreciation. That simple "I really enjoyed that" is worth a million kudos.

This. So very much.
I think in order to survive, fandom - any fandom needs communication, appreciation and discussion. Neither of which can be had by simply clicking a button. Even though, many consider lj a dying platform there is still a lot more communication here than I've seen on tumblr.

Also, I totally agree about Kelly :)

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your support! ♥