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snarrymod ([info]snarrymod) wrote in [info]snarry_games,
@ 2009-09-05 21:47:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:cauldron, fic

Team Cauldron Entry (FIC): "Anachronism" by Starcrossed
Title: Anachronism
Author: Starcrossed ([info]starcrossdkayla)
Team: Team Cauldron!
Genre(s): Alive and Kicking
Prompt(s): Seeking Knowledge and Doppelgänger
Rating/Warnings/Kinks: NC17, Highlight if you wish to see: *Abuse/Violence, Non-con, Non-Snarry pairings*
Word Count: ~96k total.
Author's Notes/Disclaimers/Betas: A huge thanks to [info]magic_helmet for doggedly convincing me to enter the Games as an Alternate. To [info]whitestar_alpha for cracking the whip and beating this story into shape. [info]joanwilder for her patience, help as my (previous) captain, and awesome French skills. To Lisa for keeping Severus and Harry in line. To [info]researchgirl and [info]gingertart50 for Brit-picking. To [info]yivel for picking up on all the tiny things. To all my fellow Snitches for being great (ex) team members. To everyone else who helped me crank this out in a month. And a lifetime of thanks and kisses to my own Harry who went above and beyond the call of duty in support.


Summary: Upon waking up, Severus finds himself not recovering from Nagini's bite, but healing after a long-term mysterious illness. Not only must he uncover the mystery of the cause of his affliction, but also deal with his lover, who is the very last person he wanted to ever see again: Harry Potter.





"Anachronism"



Don't forget to vote and review!



MOD NOTE: POLL IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE SNARRY GAMES.




Mod note: If you rec this story, please link this POST, not the story url, or the author will not get their proper vote tally. Thank you!

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spoilers
[info]nolagal
2009-09-07 08:09 pm UTC (link)
I couldn't sleep last night and started reading this and couldn't stop. I love the dynamics between Harry and Severus and the glimpses of the past years that we don't see. How they went into business together and formed their relationship and how obviously in love they were.

The magical theory (one of my favorite things in a story) was really well thought-out and worked so well. That Snape would be so foolish as to seek power (for whatever reason) and then in realizing his error, come up with such an elaborate and complex plan that he had to build a tower and gardens to make it work is so perfect. I love how it's our Snape but not our Harry and how the little things kept not quite adding up (Charlie, the twins, Remus) until we knew what happened. Our Snapes reactions, especially the way he reacted to Harry sexually at first were so believable and so horrible.

Really well done!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: spoilers - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:03 am UTC

(Anonymous)
2009-09-07 09:01 pm UTC (link)
This was so wonderfully complex and well plotted. Your Snape is pretty much exactly how I imagine Snape would be if he had survived that attack. So many fics start with the premise that something was resolved between Snape and Harry during book 7, and while I think Harry's opinions changed, I'm not so sure about Snape. I like that it was such a struggle here to get Snape to look at Harry differently, and so satisfying when he finally did. Very well done.

Kristin

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:01 am UTC

[info]ex_candygram652
2009-09-07 09:36 pm UTC (link)
Your fic is really captivating, balancing between a cop story and a fairytale. I like the way you drop some clues here and there, enough to let us have suspicions, even to guess. And Professor Potter in Blowjob 101? That made me laugh silly!!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:04 am UTC

[info]house_elf
2009-09-07 11:59 pm UTC (link)
Simply amazing! You broke my heart then put it back together again. I'm not at all scientifically minded but made perfect sense and that's due to the quality of your writing. Full marks!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:05 am UTC

[info]perverse_idyll
2009-09-08 12:13 am UTC (link)
I'm absolutely gobsmacked by how carefully designed and plotted this is. The writing flows, the plot is intricate and full of incidental pleasures and myriad riches, and even at this great length it hardly ever flags. You must have a fantastically well-organized mind, because you've kept tight control of information and clue placement and character development, and every bit of it contributes to the impeccable pacing. You also play fair and trust the reader's intelligence, which is something I demand of mystery fics and rarely find.

I'm especially impressed by your initial portrayal of Snape. In the first half, he's a brilliant extrapolation from canon, unpleasant, pessimistic, and deeply incapable of trust or charity. I love the insight into his mind; he thinks like a potions master, and like a man who's both inherently bright and emotionally limited. I also like the red herring presented by Endell, who's Snape's shadow-self, the worst and most pitiable of what Snape might have been, genius and power-madness destroying itself. In his competence and stubborn loyalty, Harry provides a sympathetic and persuasive balance. It was inspired to make him feel guilt over Charlie, thereby paralleling Snape's experience of Lily's death. It's one of the few things that might reach this particular Snape, beyond his own self-interest.

I also love the docking scene - it's an underutilized kink, and you saved it for just the right moment, creating a sense of sexual intimacy between the two men, of such intensity that I can believe it would be an overwhelming experience for Snape.

Still, for me the star of this fic is your amazing inventiveness, your carefully-researched, consistent, detailed embellishment on magic and its exhilarating possibilities. Your world-building is phenomenal. I love the descriptions, and I was enthralled by every bit of magical lore and spellcraft you included. I must also mention my envy and admiration of the way you incorporated magic into every area of the characters' lives, forming their habits and filling their homes with it. You seeded this story with flashes of science, metaphysics, and the occult, leading up to the great reveal, and laid the ground so carefully that the revelation is simultaneously a plot twist, a character insight, and a motivating force. That right there shows incredible skill.

Ultimately, not everything here is to my taste - not surprising in a fic of this length - but this is a seriously impressive, delicious piece of work. Add me to the list of those who stayed up reading until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Brava.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]perverse_idyll, 2009-09-08 06:47 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 02:54 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]perverse_idyll, 2009-09-12 06:18 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-12 06:12 pm UTC
Ran out of room on the first part - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-12 06:14 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 02:43 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]perverse_idyll, 2009-09-12 05:47 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-12 06:33 pm UTC
*helplessly flailing in flaily flailyness*
[info]hogwartshoney
2009-09-08 01:11 am UTC (link)
Oh, oh oh! OH! I need to marry you. Seriously. Right now - draw up the contracts. Yep, pre-nup, the whole thing, anything you want.
This fic has SLAIN me!!! SLAIN, I tell you. I was hesitant to try a fic of this size, but OMG I want more. I want you to write MOAR of this universe!

I liked that I was confused alongside Severus. The UST and angst ... well, yeah, was pretty much slain by that. The scene where Severus first drew blood with the book - I cannot even describe how that hurt me. It was visceral, that pain, that stab to the gut, and my heart ached for them both.

I liked that the plot kept on coming and coming, changing and shifting from what I thought I knew to something else entirely, and that I felt the frustration along with Severus at just. not. understanding. wth. happened! There are so many points of brilliance here but I'm being very incoherent in this review, and I'm sorry about that.

The garden! The clues that Severus left himself. Harry and Charlie O.M.G. Just.... no, it's really too big a thing to describe, but I wept and hurt and angsted and USTed and... the whole shebang was incredible. What a tale!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: *helplessly flailing in flaily flailyness* - [info]hogwartshoney, 2009-09-08 01:12 am UTC
Re: *helplessly flailing in flaily flailyness* - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:10 am UTC

[info]aislinnsdair
2009-09-08 01:13 am UTC (link)
I'm in awe of this story. It's hard to even know where to start with all the things I love about this. The plot is so incredibly intricate and layered, and the resolution of that plot was truly unique and creative. Your use of the prompts was exquisite. I absolutely loved the physical descriptions of the tower, the garden, and the various rooms in their home - they painted a very clear picture of this world without becoming too ponderous. The details of the potions making, the gems, the herbology, the physics and quantum mechanics added such depth and richness to the story.

The emotions you wrenched from me during this tale ran the gamut - I loved Harry's patience and forbearance as he tried to deal with this wounded, wild animal. I wanted to kill Severus before he assaulted Harry, and when that happened, I could completely understand why it was a breaking point for Harry. It brought back the contempt I had for the canon Snape between HBP and DH, with his petty and cruel nature so evident. The angst was almost unbearable. And yet, there were flashes of why Harry had fallen in love with his Severus, with the memories Severus finally watched, and the conversations he had with others about Harry. I loved the conversations between Harry and Severus about potions making and their business. It was so satisfying to see them come together - Harry as sexy sex tutor was wicked and blazing hot. The grief Harry experienced at the realization of the loss he had suffered was excruciating, and his gradual emotional adjustment to his loss and readiness to move on was heartening. The epilogue was pure joy, with the love Harry and Severus felt for each other and for their new son, and it was so lovely to see the transformative nature of love on Severus, in the way that he derived joy from that which made Harry happy. This is a brilliant story - I'm so glad you shared it with all of us.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:16 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]aislinnsdair, 2009-09-08 03:22 am UTC

[info]accio_kilt
2009-09-08 02:05 am UTC (link)
this story was absolutely amazing with all it's intricate twists and turns--oh! and the outcome that was totally unexpected!! I'm so glad they found their own happiness! Well done!!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:11 am UTC

[info]black_star_neb
2009-09-08 02:12 am UTC (link)
Wow! such a great piece. I didn't see the parallel universe plot twist coming, so I give you props from that. Everything was amazing -from characterization, to story, pace, ect. Completely loved it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 02:17 am UTC

[info]stellamoon
2009-09-08 02:30 am UTC (link)
Wonderful story! I really enjoyed this. I just couldn't put it down. Usually, I like a much gentler, fluffier story, but this one was just so real and perfect that I forgive you the lack of fluff.

I enjoyed the mystery. I think it was perfect in that there were parts of it I was able to guess at and other parts that would never have occurred to me! The resolution wasn't all pat and pretty and tied with a bow - which I also appreciated. It was gritty, and emotional and just plain real!

Terrific!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-08 10:05 am UTC

[info]synn
2009-09-08 03:05 am UTC (link)
What an amazing story. Other comments have already outlined the reasons why far better than I can. For 96K, this reads very quickly/flows very well. Poor harry! I felt so bad for him every time Severus was mean to him. I love the complexity to this story - the multiple types of magic and science that you incorporated (without going into paragraphs of pure explanation, thank you) and the layers and complexities to their relationship. You kept me guessing with the plot, and the tension between Severus and Harry was excellent, changing just enough as the situation altered to keep it from becoming stale/feeling drawn out. Excellent story, thank you : )

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 02:56 am UTC

[info]wolfwillow
2009-09-08 04:48 am UTC (link)
Your Snape is so realistic! Things are so good in this universe, it's as if Snape really did die, and he went went to heaven. He has everything here: the potions lab of his dreams, fantastic gardens, good friends, hot sex, and someone who truly loves him. So what does he do? He fights against it with all his might, of course! The man just does not know how to be happy. His life has been devoid of happiness, except for a few short episodes during his childhood, and although the books and their author tell us that he "knew love," I think it's debatable whether anyone ever really loved him. So he can't recognize love, even when it's standing right in front of him and yelling in his face. I was so happy when he finally came around!

Your secondary characters are wonderful, too. I love your Paracelsus, Phineas, Narcissa, Lupin, Ginny, and Kreacher. "Master Harry is wasting his seed." :D Kreacher must have been happy at the end. I was too!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 02:58 am UTC

[info]ai_no_ame
2009-09-08 07:20 am UTC (link)
OMG, this was so good! It took me a span of a couple of days to finish it, but I loved every bit. I loved how Potter slowly transition into Harry and trying to figure out the mystery of everything. Severus was such a bastard, but I am so glad that Harry and Severus were able to work everything out. I thought that Harry was being too patient at times, but I am glad that he was able to express himself fully by the end. GREAT JOB! LOVED IT!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:01 am UTC

[info]dixiebell12
2009-09-08 07:30 am UTC (link)
OMG! Your writing never fails to amaze me. All the plot twists keep me at the edge of my seat. I can honestly say that there is only one author that does it better, and she's somewhere in Scotland counting all her money.

Hugs,
Dix

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 02:59 am UTC

[info]ciraarana
2009-09-08 08:26 am UTC (link)
Oh, wow. This was stunning. One of the most brilliant fics I've ever read. With one of the most in character Severuses I've ever come across. My god, he started out as such a sadistic bastard, but that's so him! So canon! All of his prejudices and blindnesses with regards to Harry coming into play. It hurt so much how he treated Harry, how he deliberately hit all of Harry's weak points or treated him like shit, and was proud of what he was doing! Totally canon bastard Severus, and I just wanted to hit him over the head - a desire canon Severus and Harry both often inspire in me. Wonderful charaterisation. Have I mentioned that before? ;)

I found Severus's jealousy and possessiveness - way before he came to truly care for Harry - fascinating. After all, it wasn't some kind of instinctual reaction. He'd never had an intimate relationship with Harry that he was, on some level, protective of. Though I think those emotions are part of the connection that always existed between Severus and Harry. And I loved how this fic shows that, although Severus despised him, Harry has been the most important thing in his life.

The moment Severus realised that Harry is the most important thing in any universe? A moment of pure (meta) happiness for this humble reader. Because it's canon! Looking at the events from Severus's point of view, he lived over half of his life for Harry.

And your Severus kind of realised that. With his task over, after he had given everything to Harry he had to give him, he was happy to die. I think that was the moment I fell in love with your story. :) No, not story. Epic. *hearts*

Honestly, I was in reader-heaven throughout. You hit all of my non-sexual kinks so hard: well-done characters, a clever plot with unexpected twists, an original take on a cliché (the Severus-has-amnesia one), a slowly developing relationship with lots of bumps on the way that result from the boys being human, and worldbuilding.

OMG, the worldbuilding! The theory of parellel universes, with just enough explanations thrown in to seem credible (quantum mechanics, how does I love thee! ^__^). Original characters that were rounded characters; and that little tidbit about how "haning out" with fifth years had changed Paracelsus, OMG, past character development and a little portrait lore thrown in together. And all the potions knowledge details just blew my mind.

Not to forget the wonderful end to the relationship development. I loved how Harry went from "my Severus" to "the other Severus", how he learnt to differentiate between the two versions and to accept the present Severus as the same-but-different man. Loved how they travelled together and how it brought them closer. Wasn't that part of how Harry and the other Severus got together, too? And Severus wearing his hair in a ponytail because he liked Harry's reaction to it! I haven't forgotten that "hair in a ponytail" was one of Harry's fifty reasons. Guh.

Okay, shutting up now. I'll go and stand in that corner over there and quietly fangirl some more. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-10 03:40 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ciraarana, 2009-09-10 06:31 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-11 03:24 am UTC

[info]polpolaris
2009-09-08 11:34 am UTC (link)
This was unbelievable. You've written a truly amazing story. The story is really quite long but absolutely nothing felt unnecessary and it was all a complete joy to read.

I have to agree with the other that every time I thought I had it solved I was immediately proven wrong (in a great way!). It's actually extremely refreshing to not have the mystery solved by pointing out the great villain but to have it be mistake, albeit a big one, by Severus himself. All the characters were particularly fantastic. The fact that this was a different Severus seems so obvious now but you managed to insert it so subtly that I really had no idea.

I also love the way that Harry and the new Severus managed to find each other again in a way that was realistic. And the epilogue was great, loved the opening line. I'm really looking forward to rereading this and picking up more, it's going to make a delightful reread I know already. Cheers for the fantastic story!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:26 am UTC

[info]eriador117
2009-09-08 02:31 pm UTC (link)
"I don't want a new Severus! I want my Severus!" - this brought tears to my eyes too. Such a haunting, poetic fic.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:27 am UTC

[info]1taintedsoul
2009-09-08 03:00 pm UTC (link)
Wow! Where to start with the praise....?
I think your Snape is as perfect as he could ever be ; snarky,bitter,paranoid as fuck,twisted,nasty and just downright delusional.
Your Harry is an example of pure humaness - trying to cope,making excuses,waiting for things to right themselves,and all those human things we do to manage a bad or worsening situation.
What a fantastic novel you have written here,definitely one to come back to again and again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:27 am UTC

[info]regan_v
2009-09-08 03:10 pm UTC (link)
A friend rec'ed this to me, and I'm so glad she did. What a PERFECT bastard! Snape characterization; you write him in a way that is completely persuasive, using DH Snape as your starting point. Voice and character development for both of them is wonderful, and the plot is complex and really pulled me in. This is very fine work; thank you!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:28 am UTC

[info]torino10154
2009-09-08 04:26 pm UTC (link)
I wasn't sure at first about this TBH-obviously it's long and then the warnings. But I have to say it's marvelous. Keeping a (this) reader's attention with a meaty, detailed fic like this is quite impressive. There were so many twists and turns along the way, and yet it always made sense. I definitely wasn't anticipating what situation with Severus ended up being. Very original idea and execution. I can't imagine how Harry felt-always torn, so close and yet so far, happy and yet heart broken all at once sometimes. And our Severus having to find and accept his place in Harry's world. Amazing work.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:30 am UTC

[info]npetrenko
2009-09-08 04:39 pm UTC (link)
Beautiful. Excellent work.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:29 am UTC

[info]magialuna
2009-09-08 09:38 pm UTC (link)
I really don't have words to express how cool this story was. I am a huge fan of any story that I cannot guess the ending 10 minutes into reading it... and this definitely surprised me! Also it made sense what the past Sev had done and all the manipulations he implemented to ensure that Harry and the other Sev would get together. Such a truly unique idea!!!

I am in awe of the intricacy and depth of this story. All the research and detail made it so much more believable. This is just really incredible. I especially liked the comment Harry made in the middle about how to treat a wounded animal and how that tied in with the 7 pm two hour dinners... just wow. I really liked this!

Clare

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 03:33 am UTC

[info]leni_jess
2009-09-09 05:46 am UTC (link)
Complex, fascinating characters and story!

How awful Severus is, for so long – and eventually it's explained, and more understandable and forgivable, however wrong his behaviour and reprehensible his wishes. Grown-up Harry is convincing, still with the same abandonment issues as the Hogwarts student, but with a much healthier estimate of his worth as a person, though his desire for Severus, and his openness in saying what he wants, sometimes makes it hard to see that.

Harry's original Severus was a dolt, but unfortunate as well. His eventual Severus is a pig, but able to profit, at last, from the chance the original didn't have, to correct mistakes.

I admire so much the fascinating magic and the plot you used it in!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 01:52 pm UTC

[info]necromanticnoir
2009-09-09 01:18 pm UTC (link)
I'm not sure how to comment on your stunning story with words that can do it justice... *still crying*

I thought it was incredible. I've been reading it for several days, just bits at a time, as my own computer's broken, and every time I had to stop, the story was ALL I could think about until I had another chance to read more...

Your characterisation of Severus was, to me, perfectly beautiful. He was so suspicious, and flawed, and morose, but the way he grew to love and be tamed by Harry's infectious appeal seemed so plausible. I was so terrified Harry would reject him when he found out the truth, and so happy that Harry finally fell in love with him just as he was. :-)

I thought that Severus wanted more power in order to give Harry a baby of their own, without Ginny's help, but it did make sense that he should be after power... At least he gave Harry another chance to be happy. The mystery was great, I puzzled over it for days! :-)

Thank you for this wonderful story - sometimes I read things that I feel change me a little (in a good way!) and this will always be one I recommend most strongly when people ask 'Why Snarry?'

Incredible. xxx

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-09 04:18 pm UTC

[info]alisanne
2009-09-10 02:31 am UTC (link)
Wow. I finally managed to get through this and I'm glad I risked it, despite the scary warnings. :)
What an original idea! The slow unfolding of the plot was perfect. Poor Harry and Severus, you really put them through their paces. *sigh* Such angst, although with these two it's par for the course, isn't it?
Congratulations on the lovely story!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]starcrossdkayla, 2009-09-10 02:52 am UTC

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