ravenna_c_tan | Entries tagged with harry potter

I'm the special guest on this past Saturday's episode of "Harry Potter After 2020", the podcast where Lorrie Kim and Emma Grant (aka JC) are re-reading the entire series with the lens of ourselves as older, wiser readers post-TERFpocalypse. They just finished PoA and this episode is our chance to pause and reflect about HP fandom, how the fandom has changed in recent years, and how we've found ourselves still committed to that community:

https://hpafter2020.libsyn.com/81-cecilia-tan

I have committed fic for the first time in a while! I wrote a spooky scary Halloween story to read by the fire at Wizard Retreat Weekend and you will definitely recognize the setting and some of the secondary characters. :-)

The idea was kind of to write something like The Little Match Girl, except wizarding and halloween instead of muggle and Christmas, and then this terrifying tale came tumbling out:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42683277

I rarely write scary/spooky (because I get creeped out) but I'm so pleased with this one. I will probably try to record audio of it this weekend as well.

(In other fandom news, you've all seen the news about the MISTI-Con Reunion at the Margate? May 2023. I plan to be there! Here's hoping!)

Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae were gracious enough to invite me to write a guest blog at Avian 30. I originally met Racheline through Harry Potter fandom, and as those of you who were at my erotica reading at the Geeky Kink Event–or who saw the video of it on YouTube–know that I write Harry Potter fanfic for fun. So I tackled the subject of writing fanfic in my guest blog.

Racheline writes, “So often, when we talk about fanfiction I feel like that discussion is defensive, fearful, or defeatist — there are certainly incredibly good reasons in the history of fanfiction culture for this to be the case. Cecilia’s take is refreshing, because it’s not about that at all. It’s about different ways to tell stories and what it’s like when the world finally catches up with what you love.”

What, I wrote about love? Grin. Of course I did.

“Yep, these days fanfic is not just considered “cool,” it’s red-hot mainstream,” I wrote. “Which puts writers like me in the odd position of being like those hipsters who were doing something ‘before it got big.’ Unlike those hipsters, though, I don’t complain about people discovering our ‘secret.’ We weren’t TRYING to create an elitist cabal that others would long to join. Fanfic writers are the intersection of two of the nerdiest groups on Earth: writers and fans. I don’t think most of us thought of ourselves as ‘the cool kids,’ we were just doing something we love! But these days even nerddom is going mainstream: certainly fandom is.”

In the essay I talk about how fandom’s “arrival” at the same time as widespread acceptance of certain gay rights (a la marriage) and the sudden mainstreaming of BDSM (a la 50 Shades of Grey) is NOT A COINCIDENCE. They’re all part of my fight and my peers’ fight for the right to wear our hearts on our sleeves, to not hide what we love or how.

“Fandom is about love, intense intense love, with dashes of deep devotion and maybe even some obsessive need. Fanfic is about expressing that love–which results in some intense intense fiction, incredible emotional rollercoasters–and about satisfying that need. That sounds like exactly the recipe one should follow to cook up a bestselling romance novel, doesn’t it?”

Go on over to Avian30.com to read the whole thing and comment if you agree or disagree!

Confessions of a Fanfic Hipster

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Earlier today, J.K. Rowling got everyone’s knickers in a twist when the news broke that, in an interview conducted by Emma Watson (the actress who played Hermione in the Harry Potter movies) for Wonderland, Rowling said that Hermione should have married Harry instead of Ron. (See the story on Hypable.)

With that one statement, Rowling torpedoes not only the one love relationship in the series that she took time and care to really set up (Ron/Hermione), but sinks Harry/Ginny as well. I’ve always felt that the epilogue was forced onto the books. She says she wrote the epilogue first and kept it as a beacon to guide her through the whole series, knowing that the Jane Austen-esque double wedding was waiting at the end.

One of the reasons this particular announcement is causing so much uproar, though, I feel, is that the romantic elements of the Harry Potter books were among the weakest and most ripe for criticism. Reasons below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

My photos from my BookExpo America are compiled below the cut. Yes, I met the actual Grumpy Cat (aka Tardar Sauce) and R2D2, and got a Smaug “The Hobbit” tote bag (because Harcourt/Houghton is on Tumblr and they had pre-announced what times they’d be giving them out!), and got a signed print of new Harry Potter art by Kazu Kibuishi. Yes, all the fannish things, because my professional obligations this BEA were small, so when I wasn’t in sessions on digital marketing or having meetings, I let my inner fangirl take over. :-)

Speaking of fangirling, I also met Sylvia Day, who is awesome, not just for writing BARED TO YOU but also the great work she does with RWA.

I went to some BEA parties, too, including a reading at Happy Endings Lounge where Laura Antoniou, Molly Weatherfield, and DL King all read BDSM fiction and there were very delicious cocktails, a Kobo party where there were glowing things galore and an open bar(! classy!), and the BenBella Books 10th anniversary party at a bowling alley in Brooklyn. (I did not bowl—I don’t think my RSI would appreciate it.)

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Crossposts: http://ravenna-c-tan.insanejournal.com/167402.html

I find I’m too tired tonight to write a long screed. MISTI-Con was fantastic and I decided to boil it down to my favorite moments, in no particular order:

That moment when Voldemort and a procession of Death Eaters entered the Masquerade Ball… and 50 or 60 people all drew their wands spontaneously from their dress robes, ball gowns, costumes, etc. (I’ll be looking for my wand for a few days post-con, the way you look for your glasses while wearing contacts…)

The fact that Voldemort was there to have the equivalent of a “first dance” with… Harry Potter. (Grin. Welcome to the new age of magical cooperation!)

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Archived at Ravenna's Quill.

Wow. What an amazing con this has been. I’m crying as I write this because I’m back in my room after the masquerade ball and I’m suddenly struck with the fear that this will be the last “real” Harry Potter con. I’m probably being silly, because this one was by all accounts so fantastic, so successful, so creative… why wouldn’t there be more? I don’t want all there to be left is massive celebrity cons like Leaky.

MISTI-Con was a bit like Burning Man–everyone here was a participant, really, there was no major division between “audience” and speakers/teachers/performers. Everyone was here to be here with each other.

Before I get into details, here are links to two photosets of Ball Costumes:

Set #1 and Set #2.

I started the day with a good breakfast at the Union Diner, which is right across the highway from the resort and which gives a “Wizard Discount” of 10% off. No, really, it said right on the receipt “Wizard Discount.” Yes, I went in full robes.

Oh God. That sad moment when you pack your wand away at the end of a con. It’s coming too fast. I don’t want it to end.

Sorry. Where was I? Right. Breakfast,

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Archived at Ravenna's Quill.

I’ve never had so many costume changes in one day at a con before.

I started the day dressed as Draco. I haven’t done the full on student Draco cosplay, wig and all, since the night of the release party of Book 7, when I appeared as a witness in the Trial of Severus Snape. My face is older-looking than it was then, and I’ve put on weight, so I can’t quite pass as a 16-year-old boy anymore. (I did still manage to get a few doubletakes from friends who took a while to recognize me.)

Oh, Tumblr Photoset of just a smattering from today is here: http://tmblr.co/ZkkBQxknRfA4. My favorite is Fawkes the Phoenix photobombing a portrait (Josee LeBlanc and Meka).

I decided to do Draco so I could present Leanna Renee Hieber with a gift. She arranged all the literary guest programming and I wanted to thank her, so I did a piece of calligraphy art that is meant to look like something Draco would have given to his mother after practicing his quill work. I doubt the Malfoy’s have a refrigerator to magnet it to, but you get the idea.

I forgot to take a photo of the piece, but it says “Sanguis Supra Omnia”, which means “Blood above all.” In my Malfoy family imagination, Lucius taught this motto to Draco meaning “blood purity equals superiority,” but I have little doubt that Narcissa would teach a different interpretation: “Family first.”

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Archived at Ravenna's Quill.

Second day of MISTI-Con almost over! Last thing on the agenda today is “hang out” which I’ll go to do as soon as I finish posting.

Just got back from the Crafte Faire/Author’s Alley, which worked out very nicely. I caught up with lots of people who passed by my table! This is the big advantage of being tied to one spot for three hours: anyone who needed to find me, could. Saw Nic ramblingnic, Lynn, and many others. However it meant I didn’t get around to see all the other crafts! (I did sneak out to at least chat with Logospilgrim logospilgrim, Rachel, Fox, and a few others.)

I put up a photoset on Tumblr of more decorations from today, including the Ministry bulletin board. http://tmblr.co/ZkkBQxkiFdDC

I wanted very much to catch the gender cosplay workshop being put on by Droxy droxy but I thought it started at three… and it ended at three. Whoops.

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Archived at Ravenna's Quill.

The online reservation system is open for hotel reservations for Ascendio!

Details are here: http://ascendio2012.dreamwidth.org/1041.html

The con hotel is the Loews Portofino Bay at Universal, home of the Harry Potter theme park.
The con is July 12-15, 2012 in Orlando, FL.

In fact, join the Ascendio Dreamwidth community here: ascendio2012

Heidi says online registration for the con is already almost at 200 people — and the first 200 to register get the $25 off “early bird” discount. So to register for the con visit here: http://hp2012.org/?page_id=131

There are single-day passes as well as full packages and the “Merlin’s Circle” packages. Details are forthcoming later about Night of A Thousand Wizards (inside theme park) and other events to add on, I believe.

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

For those who haven’t been following my tweetstream, I’m gearing up for a trip to England for the Diacon Alley Harry Potter convention in Canterbury at University of Kent. On the way back to the US I’ll be spending two nights in Iceland. I’m gathering tips and advice from you all. Specifics below…

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Just thought I’d share this news!

So, I went to a party on Saturday night that happened to be populated by most of the board of directors of HPEF, the folks who have been bringing you fabulous Harry Potter conventions for many years now, a-a-a-a-a-a-nd..

I got roped into being in charge of organizing fanfic readings at Ascendio.

Ascendio will be July 12-15, 2012 (that’s NEXT summer, not this coming one…) and registration isn’t even open yet. But you can get on an email newsletter list here: http://www.hp2012.org/

We’ll be welcoming fic readings in all genres, ratings, and pairings. (Underage wizards will not be allowed to attend program items rated above their age.)

More details when we get closer to the time. I anticipate we might have more readers hoping for slots than we have slots, but we shall cross that Quidditch pitch when we come to it!

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Just thought I’d share this news!

I got roped into being in charge of organizing fanfic readings at Ascendio.

Ascendio will be July 12-15, 2012 (that’s NEXT summer, not this coming one…) and registration isn’t even open yet. But you can get on an email newsletter list here: http://www.hp2012.org/

We’ll be welcoming fic readings in all genres, ratings, and pairings. (Underage wizards will not be allowed to attend program items rated above their age.)

More details when we get closer to the time. I anticipate we might have more readers hoping for slots than we have slots, but we shall cross that Quidditch pitch when we come to it!

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Well, it’s official! I just received word I will be teaching a wizarding class at Aeternitas (the Harry Potter fan convention April 28-May 1 in Laconia, NH http://www.aeternitas2011.org/).

I’ll be teaching a Divination class in basic Tarot, but simultaneously teaching a writers workshop in how to use the Tarot as a writing tool. Because it’s a wizarding class, I get to have two bios, one of myself and one of the professor character I will be role playing. Of course my character is a visiting professor of Poetry and Prophecy from Veritas.

Hm, I wonder if I shall have to gussy up my robes in proper Veritas fashion, then…?

(class description under the cut if you missed my earlier posts talking about it…)

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Well, it’s official! I just received word I will be teaching a wizarding class at Aeternitas (the Harry Potter fan convention April 28-May 1 in Laconia, NH http://www.aeternitas2011.org/).

Hm, I wonder if I shall have to gussy up my robes in proper Veritas fashion, then…?

(class description under the cut if you missed my earlier posts talking about it…)

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.