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snarrymod (snarrymod) wrote in snarry_games,
@ 2008-05-23 18:37:00

Entry tags:

bethbethbeth, entry, team phoenix

TEAM PHOENIX ENTRY: Beth H "Learning the Landscape "
Title: Learning the Landscape
Author: Beth H / bethbethbeth
Team: Phoenix
Genre(s): Alternate Reality *Hover/Click for Games Definition of Alternate Reality* & Romance
Prompt(s): Tabloid Headlines
Rating: NC-17
Warning/Kinks: * *Strong language, semi-public fellatio, anal sex, references to despicable political allegiances, hate crimes, and other criminal activities.**
Word Count: ~21,000
Summary: Second generation celebrity, pop sensation, rising movie star: Harry Potter is looking for something more meaningful in his life than mere fame. However, when he inexplicably decides to make ex-con Steven Snape part of that "something more meaningful," well...it's too much to expect the press to ignore it forever.
A/N: (a) Apart from setting this story in America in 2006, some additional liberties have been taken with the timeline: Harry's parents (and any other "Marauders" who might make an appearance), have the same birth dates they have in canon. The rest of the characters - including Harry and Snape - were all born approximately five years later than their canon birth dates...and Harry is just over 21 for those of you who care about that sort of thing.
(b) The footnotes, which are dotted throughout the story, are partly educational and partly inserted for my own amusement. If you're easily jolted out of the narrative flow of a story, don't bother clicking on them. I guarantee you won't miss anything too significant.
(c) Most importantly, though...shifting this story away from a magical world and back into the real world means that the story, of necessity, deals with some groups and ideologies that JKR was able to examine by way of metaphors in her novels. Believe me when I tell you I'm taking them very seriously.
Many thanks: to the very patient mods - and to Meri and Regan V for their speedy and exceedingly helpful betas!

"Learning the Landscape by Beth H"

Don't forget to review!

Mod note: POLLS ARE NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE SNARRY GAMES.

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telwyrd
2008-05-25 03:23 am UTC (link)

A non-magical alternate reality set in America…hmm… I had some reservations going into this story but they were quickly dispelled by the quality storytelling. All of the characters were still recognizably themselves while being slightly changed from canon. I must admit that I was not happy with Snape’s name change, understandable though it was. But other than that minor quibble, I found Learning the Landscape to be simply stellar.

There were so many great lines:

"Do I look like a fucking girl to you?"

::smirks:: Nnnooooo, not at all…

(for an encore performance of "The Education of Young Mr. Potter")

::snickers:: That sounds delightful.

It seemed inconceivable that anything could go wrong.

Oh dear, tempting fate. Bad things are gonna happen now.

"Had I known that dates with celebrities were so fucking glamorous, I'd have started pimping myself out years ago."

Bwaaahahahahahaha!

"Potter, I've never been cute in my life."

::snerk::

and she's a little...enthusiastic about doing research."

::rolls eyes:: Bit of an understatement there.

"I seem to recall someone once telling me that you and I have a connection."

::beams:: Yes, yes you do!

I enjoyed the flow of the story: Harry and Snape meeting, 'instruction lessons' ::hehehe::, Aunt Minerva ::wibbles::, things going spectacularly wrong ::worries::, Snape’s shadowy past ::sighs sadly::, the paparazzi ::urgh::, rescue and revelations ::hopeful::, Skeeter ::shakes fist:: and setbacks ::headdesk::, Harry’s speech ::sniffs::, and the wonderful ending ::happyhappyjoyjoy::.

This was a marvelous, richly detailed story with such vibrant characterizations. An extremely well-crafted and highly memorable tale. Fantastic work! Kudos!

	calico_sky 2008-05-25 05:44 am UTC (link)
	I quite enjoy non-magical AU/ARs and this one didn't disappoint! Lovely work - the characterizations were spot-on and I love the way you portrayed the small town of Woodstock. Good job! ;) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	keyairreem 2008-05-27 01:15 am UTC (link)
	Thank you for a unique look into the Snarry world. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dementordelta 2008-05-27 01:30 am UTC (link)
	Oh, I adored this story! A new Beth story, with an AU premise? How could I not adore it? Definitely one of my favorites of the Games! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	simons_flower 2008-05-27 04:33 am UTC (link)
	I liked how you "Americanized" Harry Potter -- even down to the name changes such as Lucas Silver. This story flowed very well and kept me in it the whole time (and I hope that makes sense). And, yeah, if Disney's going to be picky about it's star kissing men, well... Dreamworks is better in that case :) Great job! (Reply to this) (Thread)