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

[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*