All of us

[resonant]

blnchflr pointed out to me that Transfigurations is ten years old this month. (I don't think I've ever stuck with any other hobby for ten years, despite all those piano lessons.)

At this distance, the main thing I see in the story is a triumph of collaboration. The kind of shared creation that goes on in fandom is something I've never seen anywhere else, and it's unspeakably precious.

Comments

[panisdead]

Ten years, really. Wow.

There are whole swaths of Harry Potter canon in my head that might be traced back to JKR's books or to "Transfigurations." I really don't know which. That's a great story.

[resonant]

That's a flattering comment! I think fandom did better by JKR's characters than she did, in the end, but life is a matter of priorities.

[thingswithwings]

Happy birthday, Transfigurations! I still adore that story, and read it about once a year (so it's possible I've read it ten times?), and I always think about it as the perfect exemplar of all the great HP post-war stories, as the kind of fanfic that got the Harry Potter story right. Whereas, in my opinion, HP7 got it quite wrong. And what Transfigurations got so right, what I've always loved about it, was exactly that triumph of collaboration, the sense that everyone is needed and necessary and a part of a bigger whole.

<3

[resonant]

> Whereas, in my opinion, HP7 got it quite wrong.

Fandom did so much better by JKR's characters than JKR did! Snape's very much not the only example, but he's my favorite.

[myalexandria]

Congratulations! :-) I sometimes tell people that Transfigurations is my favorite fanfic of all time. That's not, I have to confess, true every single day. But it would always be in the top five for sure!

[eleanorjane]

This, absolutely this. If it weren't 3am and time for bed, I'd reread it now for kicks. :)

[resonant]

[hugging you]

[resonant]

I love this because it's true, isn't it -- no one story can be anybody's favorite all the time.

[metaphortunate]

Happy fandomversary, of a sort. That fic is one of the greats.

[resonant]

Part of me thinks we should celebrate more fandomversaries, and part of me is totally in sympathy with fandom's eyes eternally on the next thing that hasn't happened yet!

[sanj]

I just reread it (again), and I'm pleasantly surprised to recognize the lines that have become parts of my vocabulary, such as "an unsticking spell AND a butterknife," or "... fall in with good people and trust them," as well as (of course) "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing exquisitely."

And I have read this thing like at least once a year for ten years, and I have never not cried when Harry realizes he can't make it right, not ever. Slays me every time. Genius.

[resonant]

Aww! I'm hugging you right now, can you feel it?

[lady81bird]

Oh my god!
I remember reading it when it was new! More that ten years of reading fanfiction for me...

Loved Transfigurations then, remember it foundly now. Thanks!

[resonant]

I can time my reading of fanfiction to being pregnant with the kidlet, who's now almost old enough to drive ... [gulp] Time does pass, doesn't it?

[sineala]

Yay!

I remember bugging my Russian professor about goblin names for you. (Oh man, that means college was ten years ago. Ack.)

[resonant]

Ha, somehow I had it in my head that you just knew this stuff! So many brains were involved in that story; I was so lucky!

[copracat]

Happy storyversary!

[resonant]

Why, thank you!

[aunty_marion]

Happy Transfiguversary! It's still one of my favourite HP fanfics. I have it on my Palm so I can reread it whenever I want. (Ulp, Palm-tech now obsolete. Wonder if I can port it to the phone?)

[jelazakazone]

She's got it on AO3. You could dl it to your phone from there:D

[resonant]

Platforms come and go, but fandom is ... maybe forever?

[jelazakazone]

Wow. I know I didn't read it 10 years ago, but maybe 8? I'm so glad you've got it up on AO3 and still feel good about it!

[resonant]

There are definitely things I would change about it (oh, lord, the Americanisms are painful despite how very hard I tried), but it's the most monumental thing I've ever done, and I was so lucky to have the fandom mosh pit to land in instead of just falling on the floor!

[lalaith_niniel]

Transfigurations was the story that brought me into HP fandom. First and only story I ever printed out because I wasn't able to keep reading in front of a computer and I couldn't wait to finish it. Oh how I wish I'd had an e-reader in those days!

[resonant]

HP fandom was amazing in those days, wasn't it? So much creativity.

[funkyreunion]

I made a .pdb of it for my Palm back in 2004, and that pdb is currently in my iBooks. It's a total comfort read for me. I've always loved the concept of calligromancy!

[resonant]

One of the things I loved about JKR's world was the sense that there could be all these thousands of things hiding in the corners that she just hadn't gotten around to mentioning.

By book 7 there were some things I was pretty pissed off about, but I still remember a moment when Harry and Hermione are hiding in the Department of Mysteries and someone goes by talking about the affair with the carnivorous ducks. Just a throwaway line from a character we never even see -- just a tiny hint of the largeness of that world. What a great sandbox that was to play in.

[laurenthemself]

Happy birthday to my favourite ever HP fic!

[resonant]

To be celebrated with kissing badgers!

just dropping by to say

[psyfic]

Re: just dropping by to say

[resonant]

Aww! Thank you! I've had an excellent birthday, except that I neglected to schedule any cake-eating. Will have to remedy that!