My Fan Fiction Recommendations

Severitus (the challenge fics)

Sevitus (Snape-is-Harry's-biological-father fics that don't adhear to the challenge rules)

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I am no longer posting updates on this journal. Instead I will be using it for fic recommendations. I've started an Update Thread in my forum which is an esier and much more interactive option. http://z11.invisionfree.com/The_Come_And_Go_Room/index.php?showtopic=58

Ugh ... I hate prologues. I write a prologue when I have lots of background to a fic, and then inevitably find I change my mind over what material to put in it. State of Mind particularly has been through a lot of prologue drafts, and is still going through them after posting, and now I think I want to change ABW as well. But not yet. I'm trying to get a different beta, but EaGL is taking priority so it could be a while.

The Come & Go Room is open for members!

My personal website is up but not quite complete yet - I still have some work to do on the fanfiction pages, but so far so good. It can be found here and needs a proper title! Something that will fit in with this blog and my Yahoo group (Alexannah's Den), yet is a bit different at the same time.

I have made a very important personal discovery. I've often wondered why I get so many plot bunnies. (I have approximately 50 individual folders with material for different fics. Seriously. It drives me crazy.) That's not including the ones I've already started posting (but does include sequels to ones I've started posting). So th question is, why? Why do they all come to me?

I've realised the answer. It's actually quite simple. I'm an angst and hurt/comfort junkie. When I don't have anything better to do (which is pretty often, but more often than not I do when I should be doing something else) I just like to play out scenes in my head. Mostly it's HP scenes because I can't be bothered to invent characters just for daydreams and the HP characters I like (torturing) the most rather than other fandoms (althoug I've been known to torture the Doctor, Rose, Merry and Pippin a lot before). So, whenever I start playing out a scene, I begin to automatically start thinking "Okay, what's the background?/How did this begin?/What the hell has happened?" etc. And so it spirals into a fic idea.

Daydreaming, for me, is fatal. But unfortunately for me, it's natural and I can't stop. (I've tried.)

This is also the answer to why I tend to use the same characters in similar situations all the time - although I'll occasionally daydream something different, I almost always have Harry, Albus and/or Minerva in my scenes, in the same sort of comfort circumstances. So that's why writing anything different, for me, is unusual.

Now you know what I mean when I complain about the plot bunnies diving me insane.

Just in the last week I got several ideas. Quite original ones, I might add, and a couple I may need help with.

In no particular order, the first one is an AU where Harry's born with both Epilepsy and Asperger's Syndrome. I'm not entirely sure why I chose these, as I don't have experience of either, so that means a lot of reading on the web. I do know someone who has a son with Asperger's, and my brother's going to lend me his school book which is a story written from the point of view of someone with it, so that's not too bad. I'm confident in the fact that I managed to write Minerva/Athena's cancer quite convincingly in AaK, and I have no experience of that either, so hopefully I can do the same now.

In the story, when Harry starts primary school his teacher referrs him to the hospital after an epileptic fit and he ends up living long-term in a specialist private children's hospital after it's discovered the Dursleys were abusing him. Meanwhile Albus and Minerva are running around like headless chickens trying to find out where he's gone after the Dursleys move out of PD and no-one knows where they went.

The second I'm going to have to consult with two authors on, as it's like a cross (not crossover, just a cross) between their two fics: sweet as lemonz's "Black Phoenix" and Dreamfall's "Catechism". The idea is based on Catechism but with a similar background to BP. Basically instead of going after Frank and Alice, the Lestranges sought after Harry and raised him more cruelly than even the Dursleys did (which is saying something). If you haven't read Catechism, Harry has kind of the mentality of a house-elf.

The last one is not actually a recent plot idea, but one I had ages ago which I couldn't develop so turned it into a challege. Now I've got an idea for my own version. The challenge rules are basically that the story has to be set post-GoF with OotP elements. Sirius dies part the way through the year, Harry's mad at Albus for some reason, and they both have to go into hiding for seperate reasons and have to learn to co-operate to survive. My idea isn't very well developed. Harry is trapped somewhere (don't know where yet) and can't get out because he has really bad injuries, which includes blindness. Albus finds him, but can't get him out. Albus has injuries as well but minor ones with the exception of the fact that he can no longer talk. He communicates with Harry by tracing letters into his hand.

I had one last recent plot bunny where Dudley gets a letter from Hogwarts. And goes. I say no more.

I have a LOT to say and not much time to do it. Basically I've been neglecting this LJ in favour of other things. I have left school, gone through the entire summer holidays, been through a lot of emotional drama, and it's my first 1/2 term at college. So, yeah, I've been busy. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is an update of what I've been doing, writing-wise:

- Chapter Seven of EaGL has been split into 3 parts and the first 2 are posted on FF.Net. I'm in a hurry so I won't include a link, sorry. My beta, Kobe, seems to have vanished, taking the final draft of Chapter Two with her. I'm working on editing the rest of them so they're ready to send to her once Chapter Two is finalised.

- Due to a new resolution to post *something* every weekend, my FF.Net profile has totaled 20 fanfictions - most of which are drabbles. I have 2 drabbles in fandoms OTHER than HP *gasps* - Doctor Who and Lovejoy ...

- ... which is my new fandom, after HP and DW. I've been watching the show for less time than it's taken my mum to persuade me to watch it, but I'm hooked all the same. It's an old 80s-or-thereabouts TV drama about a slightly crooked antiques dealer (called, you guessed it, Lovejoy). It's incredibly witty and has good plots. I'm stuck choosing between Lovejoy/Charlotte or Lovejoy/Jane, but I'm more used to Charlotte so I'm writing that one at the moment. I have a plan for a chaptered fic but I'm still working on the characters before I start advertising it.

- My FF.Net profile has been revamped *again* because it was getting very long. It's much more organised and easier to read now. Notes and quotes are sorted by fandom, and the fic info is better set out.

- I've written my first femmslash fic (a Hermione/Susan drabble). According to Madam Hooch's Broom Cupboard, there is lots of good femmslash out there, it's just so difficult to find. I've planned a romance for the same ship to take place behind-the-scenes so to speak of OotP. Writing in the background of one of the books I've discovered is really tricky, because you've got to get all the events in the right order and everything, and plan when the drama happens. I'm looking forward to starting this. Hopefully it won't get very unrealistic, but being bisexual myself I think I can relate to the emotional side, it's the actual relationship I'm concerned about. But anyway ...

- I've stared watching Torchwood, the spin-off from Doctor Who. Jack is fantastic. The moment it finished I updated my FF.Net profile to re-label the fandom as Doctor Who / Torchwood, and added Jack/Gwen as a ship.

- I have an adult education Creative Writing class on Monday nights now. I started three weeks late, because I only got the place when two others dropped out, but I've settled in really well, and I've only been going 2 weeks. The first time I went home and the next day I wrote my first poem since primary school! My poetry and original creative writing pieces can be found on FictionPress, FF.Net's sister site, under my usual penname.

- My own website and forum are under maintenance. The forum is called "The Come and Go Room" and the URL is http://z11.invisionfree.com/The_Come_And_Go_Room/index.php?act=idx but at the moment if you go on it you'll just come across a "This board is under maintenance" message, or whatever it is I wrote in the text box. The website is on FreeWebs and I can't work out how to disable public view while it's in progress, so I won't post an address yet.

- AaK: Prelude Chapter One Part Two is up and Part Three is under way, but slowly. Chapter One of Foundations of Glass (FoG) is also in progress, which I'm hoping to post asap.

I can't think of any more, but I will try to keep this blog up to date from now on. Sorry if I forget, I have a bad memory.

AaK: Prelude Chapter One (Part One) is posted! Yay! The link is http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3042968/1/

I honestly could have posted it before, but I've been tied up with the bleeding computer. (Stupid thing.) The chapter isn't even complete, but I wanted to see what people think of it. Hopefully I'll get some positive feedback.

http://movies.nuncnox.com/magic/

The hinge on my computer is hanging on  by its proverbial fingertips, so I don't want to use it any more than necassary - I have printed out the EaGL chapters I am working on and intend to work on them by hand. My dad has a new laptop I can transfer all my stuff to, so *hopefully* it will be business as usual in a couple of days. But with my luck, who knows?

I have decided to let the public see a snippet of one of my unposted fics, Professional Pranksters: The Hogwarts Four. See previous entries for further info on the plot.

“Ahem,” a voice behind them said politely. The five whirled round to see Dumbledore standing behind them.

So ... comments, please?

To see how many of my readers would be put off reading AaK because of the slash, I did a poll on my Yahoo group, but so far only one person has voted. Come on, people, I'd like a realistic amount of opinions! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alexannahs_den/surveys?id=2000385

With Crystal Blue I just intended to have ABW and the two prequels, but I've decided to have a sequel to ABW as well, as I can't fit the entire story into one fic! (Well, I could, but it seems better off in two parts.) The sequel will be called The Lion and the Unicorn, and it's not about who you think! It won't be slash either, just for the record.

Tesco's have a brand of bath foam that I use a lot. It's a very nice scent. Anyway, it gave me the idea for a character. This is NOT a fanfiction, this is an ORIGINAL piece!

I had the idea for her name, first, then I started on her family, and a plotline just came to me. It's probably going to turn out as a typical teenage romance novel, but it's not a bad book to start with.

I have a title, but I don't know if I will stick with it, so I won't bother to post it. The story is about a girl called Wild Rose (yes, that's her real name) and her rather dysfunctional family. Her mum is named Honeysuckle and I haven't decided on her sister's name yet. BUT I have decided on their appearances, and what their house is like. Hey, it's a start!

Before you ask, the bath stuff I was referring to is Tesco's Wild Rose Bath Foam. Try it, it's nice.

ABW has been posted on ffnet! It's not on TQP yet, as I have to wait for the new uploading system.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2953280/1/

I accidentally came across another LJ, which categorizes every possible ship for HP. It was very interesting to read. I couldn't believe some of them. But there was a fic listed for every one, and my one-shot Famous Last Words was listed under AD/MM!!! With all the sweet fics I've read with that couple, it was MINE she chose!!
http://allhpships.livejournal.com/

I was exploring JKR's website (http://www.jkrowling.co.uk/) this morning. Before I've found the hidden areas behind the door (when you can open it), in the plant pot, and when you key the code into the mobile. But I've still got a list of clues I can't find anything to do with.

When you key 62442 (also the key to get into the Ministry of Magic!) into the mobile on JKR's desk and press the green key, it unlocks a scan of an old page from one of the original PS draft, revealing a plot point that would have changed everything.

In the 'Extra Stuff' (hairbrush), the radio broadcasts a show which tells you how to bring a dying plant back to life. Beside the plant by the door, there are two potion bottles. Just follow what the guy said on the radio. That one unlocks a scan of a list of the teacher's names.

In the 'Rubbish Bin' section, there are two biros. Click on the one by the paper, it breaks and the ink spells out a clue - three objects that you click on and then they dissapear. The eggshells are on the floor the other side of the bin. I still don't know what the rocks and the lines mean.

Back in the 'Extra Stuff', there's a pen hanging on a piece of string. If you click on it, it attaches onto the cursor. You can use it to draw on the piece of paper pinned up with a border. The ink lines dissapear like in Riddle's diary, but apart from that I can't find something else that happens. If you drag the rubber over the other piece of blank paper, it reveals another set of objects (four this time). The potions vial is on the shelf either in the 'Links' or 'Fansite Awards' room (can't remember which). It unlocks a box which has another secret area.

When the door loses its 'Do Not Disturb' sign, it means it's openable. There is a tiny part of a rock sticking out from behind the plant pot. Drag it over to the mirror and let go. The mirror will break. Behind the mirror is the key to the door and a riddle to fix the mirror. Drag the key to the lock. It will turn but not open. Open up the riddle. Type 'REPARO' into the keyboard, the mirror will repair. In the reflection is an open door. Click on it. The reflection door will close, and the one in front will open. If JKR's desk is revealed with a graduation hat-thing (whatever they're called) on it, it means there's a new WOMBAT test to take! I got 'Acceptable' in the last one. Drag the yellow 'hand' around 90 degrees. The hat will move away to reveal a WOMBAT test paper. Click on it and take the test!

I'm still trying to figure out what a lot of the stuff on the website means. I've discovered it's like the books - everything is there for a reason.

I'm in a good mood! A later EaGL scene I wrote about five different versions of and wasn't happy with any of them, I've finally done. Well, not completely - as I haven't got all the scenes up until that point written, it's likely to change a bit to flow better. But I've got the basic outline done.

The first two chapters of A Butterfly's Wings are finally beta'd. They're not yet posted, but I'll put in a link when they are. Once they're posted on TQP (http://www.thequidditchpitch.org), I'll post them on ffnet. I had the original prologue (which I eventually decided I wasn't happy with and changed a lot before I sent it to my beta) on ffnet for a couple of weeks. I didn't get any reviews for it then, but I know at least one person who read it and mentioned it in a PM.

ABW is the original in a series of three. None take HBP into account. The other two are different versions of the prequel - one is a lot darker than the others, so I did two versions, one for the less squeamish.

Funny how I always seem to end up with an odd number in a series. I decided long ago that Chameleon would be a five-parter, and ABW's series, Crystal Blue, is three, as is another series I'm rather proud of - About a Kitten. No-one knows much about that series (er, with the exception of my brother), but I'm very proud of it. All three fics are AUs to each other, but they have the same background. The basic fact is, I got an idea, then kept thinking of different places to start the story off and couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I ended up using all three.

For those who don't know me as well as others, almost all my fics centre around Harry and McGonagall, Harry and Dumbledore, or both. What can I say? I love those three. Snape seems to creep into it occasionally as well.

I still don't have a summary for SoM, but I do have a ice short one for ffnet, as anyone who knows that site will realize that they only allow VERY short summaries. I'm the sort of person who likes long ones. I tend to enclose the longer version in the first chapter.

I had a vague idea for a new fic last night, but now I've forgotten it. Argh. Me and my memory!

School's out for me! Today was my official Leaver's Day. The exams start next week - good luck to all my friends! I was planning on dedicating my next EaGL chapter to them. Now I've been inspired to write a one-shot of Harry's last day at primary school (which we don't know much about), and I'll post it on the day the exams start as a little good-luck prezzie.

I'm not actually sitting the exams (long story), but the Boards are giving me grades based on my coursework. So I don't really have to worry about school stuff for a while! I'm hoping to start an English Language/Literature course at college in September, but I've been having some health issues for a while - we'll have to see how things turn out.

I'm having a bad case of Emeralds and Green Light writer's block, and can't seem to write anything on it at all. Chapter 2 is still with my beta, Kobe. I don't really have to worry about having chapter 7 finished tillI'm ready to repost the rest, but I'd like to have that chapter done so it's out the way, and I can concentrate on other things. Tomorrow I plan to write up my one-shot, and then turn to EaGL when it's done.

I've had ideas for two companion one-shots to EaGL. One's from Sirius' POV when he's (attempting to) write up his will, and one from Severus' POV, which one of my reviewers inspired when they commented on him getting Harry a biirthday present.

But it's late *yawning* and I was up early this morning, so ... *turns off lights, yelps, turns them back on again so can see to shut computer down*

What is it with me and angst? I've had a plot bunny I've been playing with for ages. When I began planning it, it was supposed to be a funny fic, but now it's turned into a serious angst-fest. There's nothing wrong with angst - I love it - but it seems I can't write anything but. Hmm.

The fic in question I've named 'State of Mind'. Its set after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and starts on Halloween. I got the idea for the prologue last night, and have just written most up on my laptop. As usual with my fics, it focuses mainly on the relationship(s) between Harry and either McGonagall or Dumbledore - in this case the latter. Also typical of me, the plot is a little mind-boggling.

I still need a summary. When I have one, I'll post it. The one I had before doesn't fit anymore, considering it's no longer as humourous.

I've finished all my GCSE coursework! *celebrates* That means more time for writing (hopefully)!