Funny how fandom develops.

[valis2]

I'm reading a very interesting fic right now called Morning Has Broken, and in it there is this line:

He’d begun to purchase Re’em blood, which was an expensive and rare commodity. It was used in potent Strengthening Solutions...

In tLS I have this line...

He looked closer at the bottle...“Strengthening Solution,” he said, intrigued.

“Yes,” she said curtly.

“But it’s quite concentrated...Re’em blood, perhaps...”

“It is an entirely legal blend...”

I love this synergy, when two people find a canon detail and use it in a similar way independently of each other. There's a term for this in evolution that I suddenly can't seem to remember.

marginaliana has just reminded me of that terrific essay I read last week...Thank you!

It was extremely absorbing...it talked about the specific, and the general, as applied to fandom. Certain personal details/items/inventions are so tricky and personal that no one would be able to replicate them independently, while other facts can be extrapolated from canon and show up more often in fanon. The essay says it better than I ever could.

Comments

[mingbutterfly.livejournal.com]

convergent evolution?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thank you so very much.

[mingbutterfly.livejournal.com]

you're welcome :-)

[artystone.livejournal.com]

NO! It's called ZOMGPLAGIARISM!!!!!


;)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

bwahahaha! Of course, how could I have forgotten!

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Right, now get on those nasty emails right away! And don't forget to post endless rants spelling out the EXACT DETAILS of said ZOMGPLAGIARISM. Also, a friendly note to every publisher on earth would help and don't delay working on your b_p expose!

[aubrem.livejournal.com]

Interesting. It's possible she saw it in TLS and assumed it was canon that Re'em blood is used in strengthening solutions - or it might have crept into her subconscious. I think that fanon becomes assumed canon a lot.

Kinda cool really. : ) When I read her quote it made sense to me because yes, that's how re'em blood is used. I didn't think that I learned that in TLS where it's fanon until I read your quote. : )

And that evolution word ... yeah, I can't remember it either.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I think it's really fascinating, honestly. There was a terrific essay I read this week that basically talked about the same thing, I wish I could remember where it was. It talked about how some very detailed and unusual additions in fanfic are the invention of the author, and how the less specific and easier to extrapolate from canon the invention was, the more likely it would be in fanon.

The reason I'd used re'em blood in this manner is because of this passage from Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them:

Re'em
M.O.M. Classification: XXXX
Extremely rare giant oxen with golden hides, the Re'em are found both in the wilds of North America and the Far East. Re'em blood gives the drinker immense strength, though the difficulty in procuring it means that supplies are negligible and rarely for sale on the open market.

I needed something which would give Strengthening Solution a bit of an oomph, you see, and it had to be something hard to find, so this worked perfectly.

I was, of course, doing this based on the assumption that Strengthening Solution was something which would strengthen the drinker physically, though there are other possibilities, such as strengthening the effects of other potions.

I also was intrigued by it because Umbridge mentions in OotP that it might not be a good idea to have it on the syllabus, which made me think thoughts about addiction, hence Sarah's little problem. It all worked so well together that I was relieved (unless Strengthening Solution is a well known bolsterer of Cleaning Solutions, heh).

Obviously this author had the same need for a potion, and looked up the same passage. So totally cool! I'm excited.

[aubrem.livejournal.com]

wow, very neat and interesting. I don't know canon that well myself so it's interesting to hear how little tidbits are made into good fanfic. : )

[marginaliana]

I think that essay was probably this one... and I agree - it was really interesting.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

You totally rock! Yes, that was exactly the essay. *hugs*

[acerbicwit.livejournal.com]

I just stayed up until 3:30 am last night reading that story. I still can't get it out of my head.

[(Anonymous)]

I liked it, definitely, but I had a few issues with it, due to my own predilections. For example, I'm just not a hg/ss shipper. The pairing doesn't really speak to me on a personal level.

I absolutely adored the different magical inventions, and the logical applications. I loved the characters...they were so well-drawn and very interesting.

I was a little disappointed in Snape. Just a little, mind you. I think I would have preferred a bit more...Snapeyness. He was great in the beginning, but then at the very end he seemed to turn into a romance hero, just a bit. I know, I'm being ridiculously picky, and I feel badly about it.

There was a LOT to like about the story, though, and I enjoyed it very much.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Argh! That was me.

[acerbicwit.livejournal.com]

Yes. I can agree about the characterization towards the end, but I can see that lonliness and sickness was probably taking it's toll on him. What I really enjoyed I think was the darkness of the abuse and the poisoning and how it affected him. Why he became addicted and his failed attempts to overcome it. I was in the mood for this story. I admit it. However, I did find that killing off just about everyone they knew was a bit excessive, but hey, it's fiction right?

The use of the bracelets was brilliant, but what I really hung my hat on was the baby book and the use of the Polyjuice. I was wondering how they were going to get out of that mess.

I also liked the spells she used while cleaning the house. I'm always facinated with regular Wizarding daily life. Such as how much magical energy does it draw from a wizard to keep a charm in place to keep the icebox cold? Is it a one time charm? Or is a gradual seeping of energy that you become accustomed to.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

What I really enjoyed I think was the darkness of the abuse and the poisoning and how it affected him. Why he became addicted and his failed attempts to overcome it. I was in the mood for this story.

Me too. I really loved the dark, hanging-by-a-thread vibe. It was terrific.

However, I did find that killing off just about everyone they knew was a bit excessive, but hey, it's fiction right?

Actually, I liked that part. I liked how all of the losses provoked Hermione to try to keep one more from happening.

I also liked the spells she used while cleaning the house. I'm always facinated with regular Wizarding daily life. Such as how much magical energy does it draw from a wizard to keep a charm in place to keep the icebox cold? Is it a one time charm? Or is a gradual seeping of energy that you become accustomed to.

I *love* this sort of thing. I'm eternally curious about things like this. I love little magical inventions, tiny details that really make the WW come alive for me.

As far as the icebox, I would imagine that the object is permanently enchanted, like a broom.

[ms-hecubus.livejournal.com]

Doesn't that fit the definition of meme?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...an interesting thought! Sort of a confined-to-fandom kind of meme...intriguing.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

I'm a little slow. What is Re'em blood and is it found in the books? If so where? I tend to be dense regarding these things.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It's in one of the two extra books that she wrote. here (http://valis2.livejournal.com/199715.html?thread=2548003#t2548003) is the title and the excerpt.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

cool. I have not read those as they didn't scan well. I should look and see if anyone has a better scan of what I got. Apparently they had writing in the margins and it screwed up the scans or something.

[whitemunin.livejournal.com]

This is a perfect example of how different folks arrive at similar scenarios without ever having crossed paths with each other. I have something similar in Tea with the Black Dragon (which I completed in 2004). I used (and cited) an idea from GURPS Bestiary:

He ignored her disapproval and tapped the wand against the box. "Patesco," he commanded. The paper peeled back, the box splitting open at the seams to reveal a plain glass bottle filled with a dark red, viscous liquid that looked remarkably like ordinary blood. He picked it up, peered closely at it and turned to her with a puzzled frown.

She smiled at his consternation. "Yes, it's blood, but don't turn your nose up yet. It's not just any blood. Ever heard of a jubjub snake?"

Snape shook his head, eyeing the bottle with renewed interest. He leaned forward for a closer look as the blood suddenly shifted in the bottle, sending a large bubble to the surface. He saw Grace's smile widen from the corner of his eye.

"The jubjub is a nasty piece of work. It looks like a cross between a king snake and a miniature jabberwocky."

He tried to picture such a combination, never having obtained a specimen or even heard of one until now. "Temperament of a jabberwocky?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah. It's a blessing they're small or they would be a real problem. The thing is, a jubjub snake is attracted to wizard folk. They feed off of the magic, like a vampire on blood. If they bite you, they stick like a leech, literally sucking magic out of the wound. It can take months to recover any magical ability if you're bitten bad enough."

His brows rose. This was quite interesting. He'd rather fancy getting his hands on a dead. . . what did she call it? A jubjub. Silly name for what seemed to be a rather dangerous creature. It sounded as if a small child had christened it with that title. "What is the significance of its blood?"

She sipped her beer, and he frowned at her for delaying. "Jubjub blood is like a juiced up battery. It's loaded with power. Put a few drops on your wand and your next Lumos spell will set the room on fire."

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Oooh...very, very cool!

So many ideas float about, and it's logical that, as we've all read the canon books, we might come to the same conclusions independently.

Just fascinating!

Of course, along with putting together these new things, we have to come up with new controls, such as scarcity of availability or side effects, in order to explain why they're not used often, or to limit their power/effects.