hdcup_mod ([info]hdcup_mod) wrote in [info]hd_worldcup,
@ 2008-04-29 07:55:00
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Entry tags:fic, pg, prompt: the moon, round i, team canon

S. Morgenstern's 'Through the Looking Glass' (abridged) - Team Canon
Title: S. Morgenstern's Through the Looking Glass (abridged)
Team: Canon!
Author: [info]el_em_en_oh_pee
Prompt: Moon
Wordcount: 3,792
Rating: PG
Warnings: none. Thinly disguised meta, maybe, but really, none.
Summary: The moon Tarot card is associated with such things as "illusion. Escape into daydreams to avoid dealing with reality. Inability to discern reality from illusion". Herein lies S. Morgenstern's epic rendition of a man whose dreams and reality become increasingly blurred after a traumatic event, now abridged by editor Eloise Midgen.
Author's Note: Thanks, my beta extraordinaire(A) for checking this last-minute and for keeping me sane(All remaining mistakes=mine). Thanks B&E for keymashy conversations about worldcup&for calming me down the last few days. Love!



S. Morgenstern's Through the Looking Glass (abridged)



Poll #1179596
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None

Is the author/artist true to their team? Yes/No vote ("yes" is worth 2 points, "no" is worth 0)

How well did the author/artist use their Prompt? 1 to 9 (1 being the least)

How much did you like this story/art overall? 1 to 9 (1 being the least)



For a description of teams, please see our FAQ.

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[info]aayshah
2008-04-29 02:00 pm UTC (link)
I really enjoyed this fic. Wonderful job. Thanks.

(Reply to this)


[info]calanthe_fics
2008-04-29 02:04 pm UTC (link)
I had 2 people e-mail me within minutes and tell me to read this fic, so I did. To say I'm feeling shellshocked is probably an understatement. It's possible I might feel the same even if I read the story another few times. This fic is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. I'm going to admit what some possibly wouldn't - I don't understand it. I'm confused in my own mind as to whether my confusion is the result of an 'unreliable narrator', as your Eloise seems to be, or because of the switching between realities and not having a firm conviction of 'where' Harry truly is.

As with all such experimentally styled fics I imagine this will become something of a cult classic. I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait for someone to explain it to me, and I look forward to learning more about your fic.

I do, however, commend you heartily for posting so bravely and against the 'common' style.

A small footnote - It's Lewis Carroll, not Louis.

(Reply to this)


[info]misscake
2008-04-29 02:12 pm UTC (link)
I'm really intrigued by the back story of this fic -- the style in which it's written -- and look forward to the reveal so the author can talk about it.

As far as the story itself, I liked the idea of challenging what is reality and whose reality is true here. Well done.

(Reply to this)


(Anonymous)
2008-04-29 02:33 pm UTC (link)
What, we don't get even one ROUS? ;)

Seriously, this was just absolutely, completely brilliant. I loved it! I was fascinated all the way through.

Also:

There were about a thousand more words of Draco saying "Potter" in different tones of voices and Harry looking shocked and slightly amazed, so I took liberties with the cutting of that.

This completely cracked me up, as did several other parts. Great job!

(Reply to this)


[info]empress_jae
2008-04-29 02:33 pm UTC (link)
well, i've read this three times now, and i have to say i'm in the same boat with Cal. i'm quite confused with what's going on here. i guess i can say that i somewhat see where you were going...but i get lost at the breaks. i feel like there's a bit too much cut out for it to make sense and still stay in the format of literary nonsense (which i can only assume is what you were doing).

however, i applaud your writing style and taking a chance for going off the beaten path of typical fandom fics. it's a bold move and you have the utmost respect from me as a fellow writer in fandom. i don't think i'd be confident with doing something like this, and i admire you more for that. i too can't wait for the reveals and for the chance to discuss.

(Reply to this)


[info]tiger_iris
2008-04-29 03:08 pm UTC (link)
Sorry, I'm lost.

I think I grasp, at least, what was happening to Harry, and I managed to understand, after a while, what was real and what was not, and why.
Nevertheless, and I'm sure I'm having a kind of mental block here, I didn't understand what relates this fic to team canon. I comprehend this is some kind of meta, but in which way is this canon?

If this comment sounds a bit harsh, I apologize, because this is not my purpose. Anyway, I won't vote, because I don't feel I'm able to and therefore it would be unfair. However, I'll wait for any further discussion of this fic.

(Reply to this)


[info]vwalk
2008-04-29 03:28 pm UTC (link)
I've concluded that this is not my cup of tea. I never really understood which was the 'real' reality. There were some great lines in it, however at one point I found myself echoing a character (narrator?)saying "Get to the point!" I found myself hissing at the printed pages, with increasing frequency. "I want some resolution! I want some epic kissing scenes!"

I applaud you for posting though and I'm sure there are those who love/loved it.

(Reply to this)


[info]anthimaeria
2008-04-29 04:01 pm UTC (link)
This fic has really intrigued me, even though I'm still a bit puzzled as to what it's about (even after Googling for S. Morgenstern). My interpretation is that it's an AU re-imagining of DH by a minor HP character. Kudos to you for your boldness and originality! I may start a discussion in my LJ about your fic: will link here if I do.

EDIT: Here's the link to my post.

Edited at 2008-04-29 05:24 pm UTC

(Reply to this)


[info]karaz
2008-04-29 05:03 pm UTC (link)

At this point in my re-reading of the story, I began to feel as if it might just have been better for Morgenstern to write "Rocks fall. Everyone dies." or for him to kill the entire assembled characters by way of volcanic explosion, it was getting so drawn out. "Get to the point!" I found myself hissing at the printed pages, with increasing frequency. "I want some resolution! I want some epic kissing scenes!"

LOL. Yes! E.M. is a fangirl at heart, bless her, but I suspect her inbox will fill up quickly. She's a dreadful tease! Clever and fun use of the prompt.

It was my interpretation that Harry was having trouble accepting his reality and assumed JKR's canon (in it's perfection) indicated it was the dream world. Which explains Ginny and Draco's shock at Harry nattering on about being kissed by Draco in 'the real world'.

I'm a bit confused as to which was which though. Being that it was TEAM CANON, I assumed that canon was the actual reality. However when I went to vote I re-read the summary. "...a man whose dreams and reality become increasingly blurred after a traumatic event". I'm not sure if Draco's Death is to have been the catalyst for the disconnect because that isn't canon...? Unless it's just a general sort of post-tramatic war syndrome?



Edited at 2008-04-29 05:17 pm UTC

(Reply to this)


[info]romaine24
2008-04-29 05:41 pm UTC (link)
I understand the blurring of reality and dreams, what I'm failing to understand is which is which. I think you definitely fulfilled the prompt *g*.

However, setting the plot to the side for the moment and just dealing with the characterizations of h/d, that is what I didn't connect to.

I'm afraid I'm probably to literal of a person to really appreciate what you've done here. I either need the plot to be stable or the characterizations of h/d. Having neither to grasp onto I'm at a loss. I know someone's going to explain it to me and I'm going to fill stupid. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]empress_jae
2008-04-29 06:37 pm UTC (link)
I'm afraid I'm probably to literal of a person to really appreciate what you've done here.

that's my fear too...

when i said i was lost, it wasn't that i didn't get the story, i just didn't feel like i didn't had characterization or plot to hold on to. maybe i need to stop relying on that so much.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]clauclauclaudia
2008-04-29 06:45 pm UTC (link)
Anybody who doesn't recognize the style should go and read, not watch, The Princess Bride, which, as the lucky know, is abridged into the 'good parts' edition by William Goldman... from the original tome by S. Morgenstern. This is where Eloise Midgen's voice comes from, though not the 'is this reality?' aspect of the fic.

I loved it, myself. I don't require an answer regarding "which world was real". In my opinion, stories like this (there's a Buffy episode that works very similarly, and a much darker HP fic full of non-con, to name just two) are all about the main character, and posing questions about him or her. What reason does either Harry have for inventing the other? What critique does each reality give of the other? I think among other things this is a lovely indictment of the too-pat epilogue of DH. "It's too perfect... except it's not."

It's fun to see something so experimental in the world cup! Thank you for writing it.

EDIT: I totally didn't mean to come across as condescending in the first line of the comment, but I can see how I did. I just think TPB is a fun book to read, so if you have, you're lucky! "Should" go read is definitely an overstatement--my bad.

If anyone is curious, I blathered at greater length in anthimaeria's thread about this story.

Edited at 2008-04-30 04:21 am UTC

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]snackbreak
2008-05-01 07:26 pm UTC (link)
Anybody who doesn't recognize the style should go and read, not watch, The Princess Bride, which, as the lucky know, is abridged into the 'good parts' edition by William Goldman... from the original tome by S. Morgenstern.

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing while scrolling through the comments :D I'm sure some people have read it and still don't really 'get' the style, but I'm sure some of the confusion can be attributed to a lack of familiarity with TPB.

I also think it works really well with canon because all of the characters are described as doing what they do in the "dream" world canonically and anything in the "real world" that doesn't fit makes perfect sense as it is both Harry's dream and Eloise's retelling of a story about that whole mess.

Anyway, I thought it was fun and interesting and different. Mostly fun. :D

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]zahavah
2008-04-29 07:04 pm UTC (link)
iiiiiinteresting.

Harry sent it off hopelessly, subconsciously admitting to himself that hopelessness wasn't something he was used to in this dream and maybe that made it real life, after all. Maybe not.

that just about sums it up, doesn't it?

(Reply to this)


[info]drgaellon
2008-04-29 07:10 pm UTC (link)
I, too, was very confused... (and I've *READ* The Princess Bride in Goldman's edition). Other than a certain stylistic resemblance, I fail to see how this is very much like that book, nor how it is very much like canon. Sorry, this went over my head.

(Reply to this)


[info]gina87
2008-04-29 07:37 pm UTC (link)
Oh, really liked it. I googled S. Morgenstern before I started reading and it helped me understand the structure of the story. I probably don't understand everything but that doesn't really bother me.
Soo much love for Eloise...loved her "voice".

Really enjoyed it! Thank you!

(Reply to this)


[info]differente
2008-04-29 08:04 pm UTC (link)
i feel a bit lost on the story itself (i don't quite mind, however) but i loved the concept and the "thinly disguised meta".

(Reply to this)


[info]melusinahp
2008-04-29 09:09 pm UTC (link)
Oh God, I loved this. LOVED IT.

It was so dreamy and fun, creative and clever! Such a fascinating way of looking at canon, as if through a veil of fan fiction. *grins*

I think this is one of the most interesting fics in the fest. I'm so happy to see it. I want to read it again and again and analyse it.

It's like you used Harry as a channel for H/D fandom's thoughts on canon-- it was too happy, too perfect and there wasn't enough H/D in it. ;) And I love how you illustrated the confusion between our fantasy world and the canon world, how sometimes it's hard to distinguish between them in our minds. I could be totally off base here, but that's what I got from it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]phoenixsong71
2008-04-30 03:00 am UTC (link)
I got the same feeling reading this fic. I remember reading Deathly Hallows and thinking, "who cares about Dumbledore's childhood? Feels like I've aged 150 years reading about it. Where is the part where Harry saves Draco and they ride off into the sunset?" Then I had to remind myself that that story was on Livejournal. :) I had to keep reminding myself that what I'm reading is what really happened (canon). That is the same sense I got from reading this story, that Harry couldn't distinguish between reality (our canon/his "Dreams") and fanfiction (our fandom/his "real life").
I'm glad to see that someone else had the same perception as I did.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]melusinahp, 2008-04-30 12:15 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]shoeboxer4life, 2008-04-30 09:40 pm UTC

[info]steren_212
2008-04-29 09:15 pm UTC (link)
*giggles madly*

Oh, this was fun. I love the nod to both William Goldman and to Lewis Carroll, and to fake William Goldman and "S. Morgenstern." This was clever on very many different levels, and it just thrilled the Hofstadter fan in me. Woohoo strange loops and meta-fiction!

Harry's confusion about which was the looking-glass world and which was the real one was fabulous, and I love Malfoy's reaction in the actual real world to Harry's insistence that the fake one is real. Wow I think I just lost myself, there.

Anyway, good job!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]clauclauclaudia
2008-04-30 04:13 am UTC (link)
I just want a moment of geeking out at every reference you made above.

Okay, done now. *grin*

(woo, G.E.B.!)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]steren_212, 2008-04-30 05:01 am UTC

[info]pornography
2008-04-29 10:05 pm UTC (link)
THIS IS SO WEIRD. i liked it. KEENONDISCO (Y)

(Reply to this)


[info]tsosh
2008-04-29 10:51 pm UTC (link)
Sorry, I couldn't connect with this story and the characters.
Originality is important, but IMHO, a story should provoke some emotion, to make the reader care for the characters or/and the plot. But I didn't
feel
anything. Maybe it's very clever and sophisticated and all that, but it was more like a math exercise...

I'm sorry if I'm harsh, that's just how I felt. I admit I never read Princess Bride, so maybe that's the reason (from other's comments, seems it was a big influence). I did read Through the Looking Glass, but couldn't see much of a connection to the fic, besides both telling of realistic dreams. It reminded me more of various TV shows that used that too (Smallville and Buffy i.e).

(Reply to this)


[info]biffes
2008-04-29 10:56 pm UTC (link)
Interesting. Is it right to feel a bit of sarcasm behind it all? Was it intentional? If so, I think you did brilliantly. The whole thing seemed like an AU, where canon fights against fanon, clichés against originality. Really controversial and innovative.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]tiger_iris
2008-04-29 11:17 pm UTC (link)
Am I getting mad or is this Ian Watkins as Harry??? *fans self*

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]biffes, 2008-04-30 02:18 pm UTC

[info]potteresque_ire
2008-04-30 12:17 am UTC (link)
Interesting, very interesting indeed. Thanks for writing and sharing this.

I googled for the background, and so I understood the reference of the title before going into the main portion of the text (please excuse my lack of literary background); what I like about this is the fact that this is a Team Canon submission, and I have been wondering when a fic exactly like this will appear ~ that the plot of the books is presented as a dream or alternate reality, and while the dream itself its real (and therefore canon) the reality in the dream isn't.... and adding to that that the interesting twist in the end... which reverses the two sides yet another time.

The atmosphere is dreamy, and the deliberate confusion between the sleep and wake terms (Harry yawned and woke up), the seemingly off reference to reality and dreams do exactly what this story intends - it confuses the readers. It reminds me of the movie A Beautiful Mind. I like Harry's logic and arguments throughout, especially this one:

Harry sent it off hopelessly, subconsciously admitting to himself that hopelessness wasn't something he was used to in this dream and maybe that made it real life, after all.

It is tender, melancholic. Nicely done.

What I do wish for in this fic is an even deeper exploration into the psyche of Harry, and perhaps, of Draco and Ginny as well; using Midgen's perspective to tell this story is a wonderful choice, but the almost equal length of her narration is causing disruptions to the flow of the story - her writing style is deliberately very realistic with a hint of sarcasmc (snarkily poking fun of canon?? :) ) to separate it from the wizard's world, from Harry's blissful ignorance (mentions of mundane quibbles with friends, use of web language) but exactly because of this it causes the the reader's attention to detour, making it harder for the emotions of the piece (which is actually very strong) to come through and for the readers to dissect the sequence of the story. I definitely think this has the potential to be a longer story, which I understand is not practical for fest fics.

All in all, a fun, brainy one. Definitely a worthwhile read :)


Edited at 2008-04-30 12:20 am UTC

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[info]ravenna_c_tan
2008-04-30 12:51 am UTC (link)
I guess I feel sorry for the people who are so accustomed to reading probably both fanfic and regular genre fiction where everything is spelled out that this just went over their heads. It's their loss, because this is a bloody brilliant piece of literature, both for its meta-aspects (as a commentary on what the H/D-lover questions in DH and as an homage/transformation of The Princess Bride) and for the strong writing overall.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]frantic_mice
2008-04-30 02:16 am UTC (link)
I liked this fic loads but the truth is that I liked it even as, I suspect, it flew way above my lowly, spelled out head. I have never felt more sympathetic to QuidditchLoser!Draco with the brilliant, slippery snitch. So am here to beg you (as part of the Fanfic and Regular Reader Association also known in certain circles as teh Plebes) to clear it all up for me. ♥ Yes, I am more than willing to use this overwhelming pity you have for me for my Slytherin benefit. I am Crabbe&Goyle-cunning!


(Seriously I'd love a fresh outlook of it and if you're willing I'd be sincerely grateful.)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]ravenna_c_tan, 2008-04-30 03:10 am UTC

(Deleted post)
(no subject) - [info]ravenna_c_tan, 2008-04-30 11:23 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]frantic_mice, 2008-04-30 09:09 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]shoeboxer4life, 2008-04-30 09:27 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]frantic_mice, 2008-04-30 10:03 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ravenna_c_tan, 2008-04-30 11:19 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ms_sdak, 2008-06-02 10:37 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ravenna_c_tan, 2008-06-02 04:04 pm UTC

[info]tray_la_la
2008-04-30 03:05 am UTC (link)
i really, really enjoyed this, and i think you've accomplished something incredibly complex and interesting.

so i am going to comment based on how i understood the story (and god knows i may very well be way off the mark). the title's reference to carroll's book by the same name already nicely plays on the prompt's association with illusion and daydreams, and i think is a fitting choice in relation to hp as magical children's books.

the reference to S. Morgenstern i think achieves a couple of different things. first, it lends a narrative voice that is distinct and unique in relation to the story being told. that the narrator is an outsider to the story already calls into question whether or not the story is fiction, even as we the readers try to decide which of harry's worlds is in fact the "real" one. secondly, i sense that you're making some kind of comment on hp canon, its interpretations, and its relationship to fanfiction, while the narrator's ongoing commentary on the process of editing also makes some sort of statement about the process of fanfiction writing and reading. (i may very well be looking into it too much, but as you warned for meta, this is what i came away with). that aspect of the fic was one of it's most intriguing elements for me, as i tried to parse out what you were saying about these various relationships between canon and fanfiction, while you were at the same time parodying and duplicating those relationships yourself.

i think that the narrative of the fic separate from the narrator comments was both a very novel and clever use of the prompt, as well as a brilliant way to recast canon. the most compelling part for me was the causal interplay between fantasy and reality that harry assumes exists between the dream world and the real world, such as when he contacts draco in the world he considers to be fake in order to ask about the kiss that took place in the world he considers real. at the end of the story when harry rejects the real world that was a dream all along because in it draco dies, i think the story makes a powerful statement about the extent to which fantasy and reality exist only insofar as we avow or disavow their existence.

even if i'm way off base in my interpretation, you really got me to think and i'm sure this is a fic i will return to again and again and walk away from with richer readings and interpretations each and every time. amazing job.

Edited at 2008-04-30 03:08 am UTC

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]kloudydayz
2008-04-30 05:01 am UTC (link)
I offered a similar interpretation to this one! We might both be wrong, but what a fun story, yes?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]tray_la_la, 2008-04-30 05:29 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]shoeboxer4life, 2008-04-30 09:29 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]shoeboxer4life, 2008-04-30 09:33 pm UTC

[info]scorpla
2008-04-30 03:28 am UTC (link)
Very well done! And one of my all time favorite books, that sadly I haven't read in years. But you brought it all back, lol..I loved all the details. Of course I just wanted more, but I'm greedy that way. The ending was perfect and I always wanted to write just to see if you would get a scene. Really can't say enough how great this was!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]clauclauclaudia
2008-04-30 07:46 am UTC (link)
Hee. When I first got online, the reply you'd get was available on Usenet. You can read it here. It may also be in the 25th anniversary edition of TPB, I'm not sure. That edition definitely does have a chapter of "Buttercup's Baby", mentioned in the letter. It's simply dreadful. :)

I do remember haunting the M shelves of my local library in search of more Morgenstern....

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]scorpla, 2008-04-30 01:07 pm UTC

[info]oncloud999
2008-04-30 04:11 am UTC (link)
this was very very interesting. i think i can relate so well to Harry in this story, like how he thinks that if real life is too wonderful, it must be a dream. and i really like how you integrated the DH plot into the story so it feels like this story could be like an alternative to the real book. thanks for writing!

(Reply to this)

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