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Ribbons (bronze_ribbons) wrote in lupin_snape,
@ 2007-11-28 11:17:00

Current mood:	embarrassed
Entry tags:	november 2007: meta month

Meta month: "Ten signs you are reading a fic by [your name here]"
As a hasty, almost-last-minute post for Meta Month (and a warm-up for Snupin Santa guessing games, if you dare), I thought it might be fun to revive the "Ten Signs" meme that went around many moons ago: what are the tropes, turns of phrase, themes, and other tip-offs that make a fic or illustration "typical" of your work? Serious (a la fanon manifestoes) and/or self-sporking versions encouraged!

(FWIW, this was prompted both by innerslytherin's recent posts and my current cringing consciousness of the things I do over and over again without realising it...)

For instance, here was my list back in January 2006. Here's version 2.0:

Ten Signs You Might Be Reading a Fic by bronze_ribbons/Mechaieh:

1. Harry may have vanquished Voldemort, but all is not well at the Ministry or among the Weasleys. Please.

2. Snape spends at least half of the fic believing Lupin is dead.

3. Snape frequently spends the other half of the fic trying to wrap his brain around Lupin's interest in him.

4. A no-nonsense female staff member of Hogwarts gets to tell Snape and/Lupin they're idiots. Sometimes because she's fed up with a lack of progress on #3, and sometimes because she's just tired of holding her peace regarding unsightly facial hair.

5. If no female staff members happen to be present, Tonks gets the job.

6. If a gift fic, there are often not-terribly-subtle in-jokes alluding to the recipient's interests or oeuvre, because I can't resist having fun with that.

7. Snape is not Muggle-illiterate -- at least, no more so than any other socially clueless guy in his late 30s.

8. There's a lot of staring, murmuring, muttering, raising of eyebrows, rolling of eyes, twisting of lips, and turning away from the other person to gaze meaningfully and pointlessly at something else instead of, saints forbid, saying what one thinks.

9. There is zero mention of chocolate or cardigans or visible scars. At least, not in relation to Lupin.

10. Lupin and Snape are both voracious readers of both magical and Muggle literature, which allows me both to imagine new books they might be reading and indulge in my love of quoting existing ones. They're not geniuses, though -- neither of them are as smart off the hoof as James or Sirius were, and they had to work to reach their current levels of competence and awareness. (Otherwise I'd have no plots...)

Your turn!

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mnemosyne_1
2007-11-28 07:06 pm UTC (link)

OK, this is fun. Except...

1. My main one... would probably be a tip-off to my SnuSa. Moving on...

2. If there is sex, there is probably rimming.

3. Percy is a Ministry spy. Severus trained him.

4. Severus has a lot more experience with sex than Remus.

5. But less experience with relationships.

6. Severus smirks. A lot. Just ask my betas. ("He's smirking for the third time in four paragraphs... don't you think that's a bit much?")

7. During sex, whether fucking or being fucked, Severus is physically on top of Remus. (Unless they're against the wall. And then Remus is between Severus and the wall.)

8. A physical description of Severus is usually given. I sincerely doubt anyone could figure out what Remus looks like just reading my fics.

9. Unless it's a non-magical AU, a potion (or two) typically plays an important role.

10. Remus always pursues Severus. Severus is never quite sure this is a good thing.

And now I'm curious if people think are other "giveaways" in my fics... feel free to point things out that show up again and again. *g*

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bronze_ribbons
2007-11-29 03:04 pm UTC (link)

I love scenarios with #3.

I wasn't thinking too clearly when I started this hare yesterday (as in, "Oooh, something for Meta Month!" was much more on my brain than "Er, painting targets on Anonymice, much?"). I can't decide whether to be flattered or horrified that some people think it was a deliberate effort to troll for clues (as if. I'll be lucky if I get to half of the fest fics before January. Not to mention a certain 219 pages currently in the "NOT UNTIL YOU FINISH ____, YOU DAFT HADDOCK" folder... *sigh*)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	aunty_marion 2007-11-28 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	The last phrase of your #4 made me giggle. But you knew that anyway. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bronze_ribbons 2007-11-29 03:07 pm UTC (link)
	And I still giggle whenever I remember a particular beta comment on "Face of Faith"... :-D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	zerdevi 2007-11-28 09:43 pm UTC (link)
	I especially appreciate #7 and #9. Snape is half-muggle after all and fics where he doesn't understand a telephone or a TV always irritate me. Also, there has been too much chocolate in Snupin fics. Give the boys a new drug! (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-11-28 09:43 pm UTC (link)

Ha-ha! The Cunning Reader's Cheat Sheet! *bookmarks* This will be a useful Snupin Santa resource..... (Perhaps as a subset of number 8, there is often the ambience of an older, epic war movie: larger-than-life characters, sweeping events... and yes, gazing meaningfully into the distance....) I'll give it a go:

ten signs you might be reading a busaikko-fic
10. All the original characters are African or Asian. (And no one ever notices this....)

9. No one can resist a bad pun. They are rife.

8. If at all humanly possible, no one says 'I love you' (And again, no one ever notices this *g* --> the reason no one notices this is that it is obvious! (I hope!)).

7. Lupin kicks magical ass.

6. Snape has taken up some weird alternative employment: knitting shop owner, haiku poet, computer programmer, snake....

5. Snape is the one with the love of chocolate and sweets. Lupin prefers savoury to sweet.

4. Extremely bad things happen, but not on screen (i.e., there are no long graphic descriptions of the torture, rape, deaths, etc.). The story is not about angsting over the bad things, but about recovering from them. I am so squeamish about discussing the bad things that often people have to ask me in the comments: 'Er: so, Remus is blind?'

3. Even my worst endings have somehow been described as hopeful.

2. Voldemort gets killed in some weird-ass way. There may be pool tables or butterflies involved.

1. Fics that are intended as humour somehow end up with tragic endings and angst. Fics that are intended as angsty usually have the happiest endings. Fics that were meant as crack, it stands to reason, are regular heart-breakers. (This is not hard and fast, but if you've been laughing all along and suddenly find yourself weeping as everything all goes to hell, chances are!)

Whee!

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	(Anonymous) 2007-11-28 10:22 pm UTC (link)
	10. Brazilian! Remus is Brazilian and it's awesome ♥ 8. That's a rule to live by! 5. That always made a lot of sense to me. 1. Yet another reason I love your writing. ~Etrangere (Reply to this) (Parent)

	mnemosyne_1 2007-11-29 12:50 am UTC (link)
	Number 5 makes complete sense. Remus only carries chocolate in his pockets to tempt Severus near him. Chocolate soothes the sarcastic beast... (Reply to this) (Parent)

bronze_ribbons
2007-11-29 03:27 pm UTC (link)

This will be a useful Snupin Santa resource.....

With nearly 100 submissions in the queue? And some of us deliberately writing against type/genre? *sceptical*

Although, it's a thought. If someone really wanted to be thorough about it, they might could take

chazpure's fest-tracking spreadsheet and add links to (1) the participant lists in each fest, (2) links from those lists to the participants' "10 signs", etc.

(I can't even get my Hanukkah packets out on time, so no, I'm not being serious.)

Also? Each item on my list happens to be true of another Snupin writer. (My subconscious is more devious than I am yet again!) The tics that are actually unique to me -- well, we can discuss that in January. ;-)

I just took a look at last year's stats and the three most identified authors that round (at least among folks who answered the polls) were Ellid, me, and Lee (which is funny, because I still remember Lee telling you "You suck at Anonymous!" during SnuSa 2005 and nodding vigorously).

*hugs*
*rereads comment about larger-than-lifeness and wriggles with happiness*

(Reply to this) (Parent)

With comments from the peanut gallery

real_life_rosy
2007-11-29 02:29 am UTC (link)

Ten Signs You Are Reading A Fic By Rosy

In classic David Letterman Style...

#10. The consistent use of the phrase "regarded Remus" YAY alliteration! Snape: And the use of puns. Let us not forget that sophomoric habit.

#9. Snape's hair is long enough to be pulled into a sexy sexy sexy ponytail. But not a "HEY lookit ma beatnick" ponytail. Remus: The better to pull on, my dear.

#8. The AU is thick on the ground. Snape: ...librarian, mental patient, barkeep... now I'm a gunslinger?!

#7. Remus tends to be on top and very... *cough* alpha. Feral!Remus likes to make appearances. Remus: rowrl

#6. Severus tends to get the raw end of the deal. Snape: courtesan to the Dark Lord, suicidal mental patient, librarian...

#5. If there be werewolves, there be use of the monicker S**** C***** for the Voldemort*. Remus: Oh very good, petty thievery AND being deliberately vague for the sake of SnuSa protection

#4. The attempt at very visceral imagery. Snape: Showing off our vocabulary? Can't just say 'I Like Describing Things' now can we?

#3. If there be sex, the sex be visceral. Remus: I have absolutely NO complaints about the use of the big word.

#2. WIPs abound. Snape: mmmm the Trojan War. ...oh wait. You meant Works In Progress.

#1. It's coffee with a little sugar. Remus: So angst and some witty banter. Again, no complaints. So long as there is visceral sex. And lots of it.

*The phrase was coined by a friend of mine during our various Snupin RPs... however since I use it in my Snupin Santa, I can't divulge it quite yet without giving the game away.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: With comments from the peanut gallery bronze_ribbons 2007-11-29 03:28 pm UTC (link)
	busts a gut laughing The gallery comments are priceless! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	scribbulus_ink 2007-11-29 04:33 am UTC (link)
	I posted my list here. :D (Reply to this)

geri_chan
2007-11-29 04:58 am UTC (link)

Oh, this sounds like fun! ^_^

Ten signs you are reading a fic by Geri-chan:

1. There are song lyrics for chapter headings.

2. Snape and Lupin go to Japan and/or...

3. There is a Japanese character in the story.

4. Said Japanese character is a beautiful/handsome shapeshifter.

5. Lupin "bares his teeth" a lot, in a sexy sort of way.

6. Lupin likes being "claimed by his mate," i.e. bitten on the neck by Snape.

7. Lupin claims that Snape is the alpha in their relationship, but Snape isn't so sure.

8. There's a scene with Snape scratching Lupin-in-wolf-form behind the ears.

9. Also a scene where wolf-Lupin licks Snape on the face and slobbers all over him.

10. It has a happy ending.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	busaikko 2007-12-13 12:57 pm UTC (link)
	totally random drive-by comment: You don't live in Japan, by any chance, do you? looks hopeful (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	geri_chan 2007-12-13 07:52 pm UTC (link)
	Alas, no, though I would love to visit there someday. ^_^ I just have a love of all things Japanese: manga, anime, tv dramas (especially the annual NHK Taiga dramas), J-Pop, and J-Rock. So I tend to combine my love of Snupin with my love of Japanese culture sometimes. I also write a bit in the Petshop of Horrors (a manga/anime series) fandom. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	busaikko 2007-12-13 09:41 pm UTC (link)
	Well, give me a holler if you ever do make it over. I've been in the Osaka suburbs for the past 15 years (kind of was hoping to have a neighbour, oh well g). My spawn are big anime/manga fans, though more of the Keroro Gunso, Pokemon variety gg (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lore 2007-11-29 05:06 am UTC (link)
	And mine's here. stealz from McKay love, lore (Reply to this)

innerslytherin
2007-11-29 05:42 am UTC (link)

I want to play! I got a bit of help from

_lore.

1. It's Snupin. Doesn't matter if I'm trying to write gen, Snupin will still creep in.

2. Remus will have facial hair. For some reason that's become a big thing with me lately.

3. It's over 20k. LOL I can't seem to write anything short anymore.

4. A shower is involved in some fashion. I have an abiding love for showers, whether it's in a sex scene or just a hurt/comfort scene.

5. Remus wears reading glasses. There's something very sexy about a man in glasses, and if he's looking at Severus over the tops of those glasses...rowr.

6. One of them has a long-standing desire for the other. Might be Severus, might be Remus, might be both of them, actually, but if I'm writing fics set during the canon years, I like fics where their 25-year history comes into play.

7. Happy ending.

8. Remus isn't quite as mild-mannered as he seems. He uses his politeness as a mask to keep people at a distance. But he's also a competent Defence professor and a werewolf, and he has a temper, he just suppresses it.

9. Remus travelled during the years between 1981 and 1993, usually over much of the world, gaining his Defence Against the Dark Arts knowledge through first-hand experience.

10. Severus had a hand in the Wolfsbane Potion somehow, because of his fascination with/desire for/hatred of Lupin.

Also, which stuff inspired this? I'm all curious now!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

bronze_ribbons
2007-11-29 02:56 pm UTC (link)

#1 tends to be my default position when reading, regardless of the author's OTP or focus: as far as I'm concerned, Snape and Lupin were/are together unless the author tells me otherwise. And maybe not even then. ;-)

That said, I tend to read everything (including canon) through either a personal fanon lens or with my "let's make mayhem" gear on. (To be clear, I don't see this as a case of fannish entitlement, since I do not expect authors or other readers to accommodate this in any way -- it's just my private game, and I don't bring it into discussion anywhere unless I'm with folks on the same canon-as-a-playground wavelength.)

What inspired this: I'd skimmed your posts yesterday on self-sporking and "Love equality" (but not commented upon yet, because like every other damned thing these days, I need to go back and really read them when work/holidays aren't squeezing me). So I was working out and walking the dog and thinking about what it would be like if I were to self-spork one of my own fics, and it struck me that there would be a lot of this:

Lupin: Woman, you seriously have a ____ fetish. That's the second fic you've done that in.
Snape: And an issue with ________. That's the third fic in which you've had me say that.
Ribbons: Every preacher has the one sermon they preach over and over again in different forms. :-p
Lupin: Oh God, that again? Could you be any more like a Yorkshire terrier with that device?
Snape [sotto voce]: I've spelled it to cause a diversion in ten minutes. Then we can sneak off into another fic where we actually have sex.

But seriously - I have some of the same preferences about Snape and equality as you do -- and, actually, across the board, which is a main reason why I'm not into cross-gen fics as a whole: I prefer my lover-adversaries to be worthy of each other (or equally terrible) - which does happen often in cross-gen, don't get me wrong, but the negotiations between, say, a smart youth and a stunted adult, just don't fascinate me as much as the dynamics possible between two dangerous, canny adults. (There's also the lived-it, not-escapism-for-me aspect of it - I once dated someone who was 20 years older than me, and he did try to play the age card a little too often...)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

innerslytherin
2007-11-30 12:12 am UTC (link)

*G* I need to clean up my thing about Snupin and equality and post it over here. It was definitely interesting to me to go through and try to do this - a lot of times I can see trends in other people's fics before I see any in my own.

And as far as the default position--a while back, I read a fabulous Draco/Charlie fic, and there was just enough in there that I envisioned Snape sending Draco to the Order with a letter to Remus asking him to teach the boy to behave. I went so far as to comment to that effect while praising the fic to the author, and she came back with a "Yes, I think that's probably what happened" or something like that. It made me realize that that's how I read fics, too. If there's no mention of ships for the two men, then in my head they're automatically shipped together.

(And on a marginally-related note, are you as tired as I am of having to put entitlement disclaimers on things? *grin*)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bronze_ribbons 2007-12-06 12:17 am UTC (link)
	(And on a marginally-related note, are you as tired as I am of having to put entitlement disclaimers on things? grin) ZOMG YES. Also, how did I miss commenting on #5 earlier? I love #5! (And I just saw your manip, and yum. :-D) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	innerslytherin 2007-12-06 12:29 am UTC (link)
	grin Men in glasses, rowr. ^_~ (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bronze_ribbons 2007-11-29 02:31 pm UTC (link)
	Noted for posterity/procrastinainment/lurkers/newbies/etc.: other public posts on this meme include lysa1 (includes comment threads on attitudes toward Malfoys/state of Snucius fic) snegurochka_lee (includes comment thread on adultery fics. V. amused by xylodemon's lament) ellid bitterfic summerborn blpaintchart Etrangere on LJ valis2 on LJ (Reply to this)

anglo_don_juan
2007-11-29 10:28 pm UTC (link)

I couldn't come up with more than 3 yesterday, then I woke up with a list in my head today.

1. There is no sex. They might run off to the bedroom but then it's curtains closed moving onto the next morning.
2. Remus and Severus cry. More than any other men on earth would ever do.
3. The angst is off the charts. Severus spends more time worrying about what 'getting that close to Lupin' is going to do to his heart and pride than he does breathing.
4. The passive voice drowns out all others.
5. Remus is the shorter one and his eyes are always amber-coloured. Severus' hair is always long enough to pull up into a bun and he hates wearing shoes. Severus is always the cross-dressing one also.
6. The only other characters who usually show up are the Trio and McGonagall. Sirius will be mentioned but always past tense.
7. Ron and Hermione are always married and Harry is usually gay.
8. Lupin is usually sick, hurt, or pregnant and Severus has to take care of him...and he's never happy about it.
9. The heading information will be longer than the fic itself.
10.There will be almost no comments on it. :)

(Reply to this)

irena_candy
2007-11-29 10:58 pm UTC (link)

Ten Signs You Might Be Reading a Fic by [info]irena_candy:

1. It's supposed to be funny. (Sometimes that works; other times... well, at least I tried.)

2. It tries to fit into canon.

3. If it's slash, it's Severus/Remus, if it's het it's Severus/Hermione. (Darn, I'm going to have to branch out!)

4. There's more affection and love than sex.

5. Snape snarks a LOT.

6. Ron and Harry are idiots.

7. Snape is suave, intelligent, heroic, and determined. He'll go to hell and back to keep his word. (Do I see my Perfect Man here?)

8. Nobody gets maimed or disfigured. (Yeah, I've got a thing about that).

9. Severus is much more cynical about life than any of his partners, and he is a very private man who values his interior life.

10. His partners always make the first move. Deep down, he's a rather shy guy but when it comes to love he's in it for the long haul.

(Reply to this)

shanti_writes
2007-12-02 06:54 pm UTC (link)

I posted mine here but I'll repeat. :)

I have not written very much fanfic to feel I have an absolute style, I think I know enough of the characters in my head to play the game:

Ten signs you are reading one of my fanfic:

1. Severus is a main character. I've mostly written Snupin, though I have one Severus/OFC, and am presently dabbling with a Snarry.

2. Regardless of pairing, Severus is a virgin. I just can't see/write him any other way.

3. If a Snupin, Remus is the one who must make the first overtures toward a relationship, though Severus is often the one to first recognise that he wants Remus to make a move.

4. If Sirius Black is mentioned, Severus will not let go of life-long hatred. Absolutely NO mention of 'puppy love'. *shudder* Sirius is unwaiveringly heterosexual.

5. Minerva is Headmistress of Hogwarts after the war/reconstruction. (Someone please explain how JKR can think Minerva is "too old" for the job when she is clearly decades - at least- younger than Albus? I think our beloved author is letting movie-visual contaminate her characterisations in later books.)

6. Severus' first love and passion is Potions. The desire for the Defence job was another part of the over-all ruse. He supports himself by his Potions expertise in some way.

7. Severus is close to the Malfoy family in a platonic but very familial way. He views Draco as the closest thing he knows to a son, and while not blindly trusting Lucius or Narcissa, they are still closer to him than anyone else on either side of the war. Lucius might claim to consider him 'like a brother'.

8. Severus can and will say the 'L' word, but only if/when he is absolutely certain his feelings are returned.

9. Severus is uncircumcised (as is his male partner if a slash story). The United States and bits of Canada are the last "developed countries" who routinely lop off the foreskin of their infant boys for non-religious, non-medically necessary reasons. I'm a nurse in the U.S. and a huge, vocal advocate of those groups trying to stop this practise of routine genital mutilation. I have an enormous soap-box rant on the issue and could go on forever. Fanfiction allows me to "show the world" what a normal, natural, functioning part of the male anatomy should be like in a fun and non-confrontational way.

I'm not always good at the non-confrontational. heh

/- as an aside: Fellow U.S. ladies: Did you know the glans of the penis is supposed to be a mucous membrane, just like the female labia? The secretions for both sexes are meant to serve the same purpose - they are both anti-microbial and protective, as well as providing lubrication for more lascivious activities. It is no more 'dirty' or 'gross' than a woman's labia. The foreskin is also erectile tissue, which means that on average, the uncircumcised male has slightly more length than his circumcised counter-part. Additionally 'bendy' erections are almost unheard of in the intact-male population. A 'bendy' erection is caused by a botched circumcision where the doctor removed too much skin from one side compared to the other, which does not allow the erectile tissue to expand fully. I could go on and on . . . Did I mention this is my own personal soap-box issue? -/ end of digression.

10. Happy Ending.

This was fun, thanks for posting this. :)

(Reply to this)

troychappelle
2012-04-10 01:01 pm UTC (link)

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