By Lady Alchymia
Reviews
redjacobson posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 9:26am
always a pleasure to see a new chapter of this story; although I was sorry that Susan wasn't in the chapter, because I really like what you've done with the character.
Of course, we got a heeping helping of Frank, so that was a plus! *GRIN*
Looking forward to more
red
Lady Alchymia replied:
Thanks kindly, Red!
Frank? Right now, Frank is all twisted in knots around the banisters in number twelve, worrying that his boy will still be stuck with 'the swan' when he gets home from the Quidditch.
Cheers!
Lady A
Prongs1977 posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 9:42pm
Great chapter! So, just what will Mooney have to "pay" Harry?
Lady Alchymia replied:
Thank you kindly! What will Moony have to pay? lol I think Harry's revelling too much in the moment to want to cash it in.
Cheers,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 8:15pm
Just reading your reply to an earlier review:
>>>>>>>>>
When I originally dreamed up a HP plot featuring jealousy as having dark consequences, I'd only read the first five books, and so I'd only seen Rowling depicting jealousy in a negative way, and I (rather foolishly as it turned out lol) extrapolated on that idea, not realising that Rowling was just teasing me, that she would go on to actually wholeheartedly endorse ongoing jealousy as a normal way of conducting a happy-ending romance.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Do you actually *accept* the revised Rowling model of love? That "ongoing jealousy [is] a normal way of conducting a happy-ending romance"? 'Cause that's one of the things that blew canon for me and one of the reasons why I detest canon's H/G pairing. Compounded by Rowling's continual efforts in her interviews to brainwash her readers into accepting it :-(.
I can't see any way how 'ongoing jealousy' could be a component of a successful romance, particularly one between - pfah! - 'soul mates'. Jealousy implies a lack of trust, full stop. Or maybe you can condone the green monster's presence only in the intermediary stages of a 'happy-ending' romance, but not in the actual final end product itself? Just curious.
Anyway I'm far happier with your original interpretation of jealousy as a negative emotion, and I frankly can't see many people arguing with that. Cheers.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Do I accept jealousy as a good way of conducting a happy-ending romance? No, but I think it is realistic for people who are insecure to suffer from jealousy. But I don't think jealousy is love. I think if that's where characters start then they need to grow beyond that for me to buy into the idea that they actually fall in love with each other.
Rest assured, I don't look on jealousy favourably, and you can look forward to that not changing in V2.
Kindly,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 8:07pm
The 'Michael' here is Michael Corner, yes? A few chapters back Harry was concerned that he and Cho were still an item, but that thought seems to have fled his mind lately :-). I'm surprised Michael hasn't said something, or reacted in some way? Maybe I missed it.
More teenage fun with the chase around the kitchen, it's all good stuff.
I'm glad to have Elizabeth finally enter the picture; the teasing references to her before was getting me a little antsy. I'm keen to read of her reaction upon discovering that Harry had no idea as to her existence. Nice twist how Harry's impersonal letter is enough to allow her to initiate contact. And we have the entrance of Evil!! I love that name.
Great font you've used for Harry's letters, by the way; I don't think I've seen a fanfic ever go to that trouble before. Hmm. That's weird. Here on firefox I can't see any difference in fonts at all. But when I copy-and-paste into an OpenOffice document - which is what I did to print these chapters - they come out nicely different. Weird.
Looking forward to seeing this new addition to Harry's family!
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Regarding Michael Corner: yes, he's the one Ginny said Cho was dating at the end of OOTP. In the first version, I went to pains to document that Cho and Michael didn't last, and really, it was just me being timid, and feeling a need to rationalise every setup. When I looked at it again in V2, I realised that while readers might care to receive the rationalisation, Harry didn't. Cho was flirting with him and she didn't seem to be with Corner any more, and that was enough for him. (So, no, you didn't miss it.)
With V1, I didn't write with any real authority until I hit Black Island (with a setting and plot line that was completely mine). In writing V2, I made a conscious choice to turf things that were pure rationalisation. And this was most marked with Elizabeth, of course. In V2 she's just there, bam, no explanation until she is ready to come on stage and do something that advances the plot, which of course we get in this chapter when after Harry's nightmare we have Elizabeth revealing information about the risks associated with breaking Harry's sanctuary. I'm really pleased you liked how Harry's original letter to Madam Ramsay triggered the option to contact him. Not only was it way simpler and shorter than the first version, it was kind of fun getting her drunk.
Thanks about Harry's font! "Comic sans MS".
Many thanks for such detailed feedback!
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 7:48pm
I don't remember version one being quite this ... risque. Heh. I think you've got it right, of course; Harry *is* a sixteen year old boy. The Snaparrazzi 630 seeking photographs of unclad Changs and bare Bones makes perfect sense ... :-). Harry's series of entanglements with Cho startled me a bit too, particularly when they found their way onto HIS BED!?!?!?! Crikey.
Loved the quidditch game - the R/Viktor jealousy, the resurrection of Bruce and return of THE HIVE (I'd forgotten that a hex on Bruce would result in a bevy of blowflies, clever), "the look on Hermione's face was priceless to Harry", his protectiveness of her and so forth.
I know I'm biased towards Hermione - you know this by now, right? - but it's so nice to see her portrayed as a young girl who has a light side, who can giggle and so forth. In this chapter, flying away "lurching from side to side". Good on you.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Brad: I don't remember version one being quite this ... risque. Heh. I think you've got it right, of course; Harry *is* a sixteen year old boy. The Snaparrazzi 630 seeking photographs of unclad Changs and bare Bones makes perfect sense ... :-). Harry's series of entanglements with Cho startled me a bit too, particularly when they found their way onto HIS BED!?!?!?! Crikey.
LA: I don't know about risqué lol, nothing much actually happens (Lupin sees to that). Maybe it's just me, but my memories of teen romance mostly involved couples constantly finding ways to get lateral, whether it be on the TV couch in full view of annoying siblings, on a blanket at the beach, or sneaking away to bedrooms (with anything too interesting inevitably interrupted by a mother's sudden desire to vacuum, accompanied by an archly delivered, 'Oh, don't let me interrupt you').
Brad: Loved the quidditch game - the R/Viktor jealousy, the resurrection of Bruce and return of THE HIVE (I'd forgotten that a hex on Bruce would result in a bevy of blowflies, clever), "the look on Hermione's face was priceless to Harry", his protectiveness of her and so forth."
LA: Excellent! Thanks :). I grew rather fond of Bruce, so that was fun to keep in V2.
Brad: I know I'm biased towards Hermione - you know this by now, right? [LA: bias? what bias?] - but it's so nice to see her portrayed as a young girl who has a light side, who can giggle and so forth. In this chapter, flying away "lurching from side to side". Good on you.
LA: I did love writing such fun things for Hermione. You'll discover shortly that Hermione's bowling scene went, which was great fun to write, but complete filler. Since that went, I just couldn't also cut the 'Battle for Hermione' between our Quidditch boys.
Cheers :)
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 6:27pm
And so Potterfest-16 begins! I've been looking forward to reading this all over again. Like I keep saying, you capture the teenage humour and atmosphere beautifully ... something that's missing in most fanfics (which have the kids acting as too adult or serious) and the last two canon books.
Which makes the contrast with the 'serious' elements of your plot - Harry's labours in dredging through his memories, and everything else that's coming - all the more effective when they are presented. Like Harry's 'truth' dare with the wheel in this chapter. Good stuff.
"casually summoning contraband alcohol from disapointed boys' bags" - heh.
Trivial grammar mistake, I think - "he'd only drawn it a few of days ago".
I had to smile at the image of Harry's two pets meeting each other, extending claw and head. Nice.
Loved Hermione's protecting Harry with the wheel. As I did Harry's answer as to his feelings about her. You pushed a real button with that ... I got quite vexed with canon!Harry - particularly the lethargic, somewhat self-centred Harry of the last couple of books - in that he NEVER acknowledged what a good friend Hermione was. Hmmm. Well, I think in DH once or twice the boys might have congratulated her on being prepared, saving Harry from Lovegood. Still, I felt warm feelings when your Harry said all that.
Plus what came next was all the more sombre/dramatic in contrast with the fun and frivolity that had preceded it. Good show.
"Only when all its victims had been sufficiently mortified did the Wheel of Destruction voluntarily jmp off the wall and roll itself out the door" -- you know, never in a million years would I have the imagination to think of something like that. I really admire your ability to adapt to Rowling's world of magic so well and use it to generate so much fun and whimsy.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Brad: "And so Potterfest-16 begins! I've been looking forward to reading this all over again. Like I keep saying, you capture the teenage humour and atmosphere beautifully ... something that's missing in most fanfics (which have the kids acting as too adult or serious) and the last two canon books."
LA: That's really kind of you to say, Brad. I think the kids in HBP act their age, but, yes, everything gets more intense in Deathly Hallows (but then look at what they're dealing with). Canon aside, I think you're right in that there is a woeful tendency for people to apply adult sensibilities to young teens in fanfic. And not just behaviours. I sometimes wonder if people really believe what they are writing, giving mid-adolescent kids twisted porn-star physiques and hyper-sexuality. Many mid-teens do experiment, but rarely with any amazing skill, confidence, or success. And no parental-figures in the vicinity are ever likely to encourage them. I remember watching, amused and impressed, as my country-based brother-in-law (father of two very beautiful teenage girls) carefully staked out separate girls and boys tents for a big party which involved a sleepover. Wisely distrustful, he felt that at least there was safety in numbers. He must have gone out to 'stoke the fires' outside the tents at least twenty times that night, and his bobbing lantern could be spotted patrolling the grounds well till dawn.
Brad: "Which makes the contrast with the 'serious' elements of your plot - Harry's labours in dredging through his memories, and everything else that's coming - all the more effective when they are presented. Like Harry's 'truth' dare with the wheel in this chapter. Good stuff."
LA: Thank you kindly! What I love best about Rowling's Harry is that he strives to apply good humour to his own tragic life, and he prizes that quality in others. And I don't just mean cracking jokes, I mean true good humour and empathy. Denied it all through his childhood, I think readers underestimate just how much it is behind his love of Ron and his choice to see past the more prickly aspects of Ron's personality (just as Ron chooses to see past Harry's moodiness). And this is what I think (in canon) attracted Harry to Lupin during Prisoner of Azkaban It's a very Australian sensibility, isn't it: finding ways to laugh no matter how grim the situation. (Not an exclusively Australian sensibility, of course, but very common with us.)
Brad: "casually summoning contraband alcohol from disappointed boys' bags" - heh.
LA: *smiles* I did like that line :). My brother-in-law would love to have a spell for that.
Brad: "Trivial grammar mistake, I think - "he'd only drawn it a few of days ago"."
LA: Cheers! Now fixed.
Brad: "I had to smile at the image of Harry's two pets meeting each other, extending claw and head. Nice.:
LA: Thank you :). It's not always about us, is it? It's fascinating watching different species deal with each other, with humans being quite irrelevant to the transaction.
Brad: "Loved Hermione's protecting Harry with the wheel. As I did Harry's answer as to his feelings about her. You pushed a real button with that ... I got quite vexed with canon!Harry - particularly the lethargic, somewhat self-centred Harry of the last couple of books - in that he NEVER acknowledged what a good friend Hermione was. Hmmm. Well, I think in DH once or twice the boys might have congratulated her on being prepared, saving Harry from Lovegood. Still, I felt warm feelings when your Harry said all that."
LA: *chuckles* Now, Brad, you know canon!Harry loves Hermione. But I'm glad you enjoyed that passage :).
Brad: "Plus what came next was all the more sombre/dramatic in contrast with the fun and frivolity that had preceded it. Good show."
LA: Thanks!!
Brad: ""Only when all its victims had been sufficiently mortified did the Wheel of Destruction voluntarily jump off the wall and roll itself out the door" -- you know, never in a million years would I have the imagination to think of something like that. I really admire your ability to adapt to Rowling's world of magic so well and use it to generate so much fun and whimsy."
LA: *blushing* what a really lovely thing to say! Thanks so much!
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 6:11pm
I think your description of the shop - George swimming an impromptu backstroke through pink bubbles - is easily a notch above Rowling's own attempt in HBP. It's a great imagination you have that makes this a delight to read - charmed charcoal, bubbles, Frank, mosaic fish and Bruce, of course.
Ah, the phone calls explained! I was wondering about that early on but had forgotten the mystery.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Aw, you're so sweet. Many thanks! The twins' shop was great fun to explore -- who but them could have found Bruce? The charcoals have been particularly useful, of course, and it would be a lot less fun without Frank, I think.
And the phone calls! Yes, they provided a very different entry to the story than version 1. The piano was huge in improving Harry's state of mind in the first version, and so by the time Remus came to get him, Harry was emotionally ready to move on. Without that distraction (yes, evil me) he only sank deeper into himself. The V2 progression through the first few chapters, the first full moon conflict and so on, let matters come to a head before they started improving, so I feel like we all earned some fun bits :).
Thanks kindly,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Wednesday 11th June 2008 6:04pm
Ah. From the first paragraph with Hermione shouting instructions from a 'charmed megaphone' - in between chapters, mind you - I felt that the story had changed gears. All that sombre stuff left behind, here's the nice lightweight teenage fun and games that you do so well, with the deft touch and whimsy that makes your storytelling so unique in my mind.
You know, I think I might have started reading version 1 of the Emerald Tablet back before I evolved into the higher fandom lifeform (i.e. H/Hr fan) that I am today :-). I don't recall you having the bits of - oh dear - R/Hr that I read in this and the next few chapters. Hermione's possibility jealousy of Ron's attraction to Fleur. Ron with Viktor (although the latter is straight from canon). Ron's feelings towards Hermione, fine, that makes his dalliances with both her and the blonde beater later on in Psychomania all the more duplicitous, but I didn't recall any Hr -> Ron hints. Nuts.
Loved Susan's noticing Harry's "I will not tell lies" scar; good attention to canon detail, that.
Harry being trapped by stands of womens lingerie that require a 'firm' hand, heh; great fun.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Thank you for your lovely compliments :). I think I've evolved, too; though I'm not always sure if that's a good thing -- I often feel like it would be better to not know some things sometimes.
The Hermione / Ron / Viktor bits you mention were always there, but you've possibly developed a more finely tuned radar :).
Thanks on the "I will not tell lies" bit :). I do like making connections to canon whenever I can.
Glad you enjoyed the cringeworthy shopping trip :D.
Cheers,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Tuesday 10th June 2008 8:16pm
"In five years, Hermione had never let him down, had never ever given up on him" -- attaboy, Harry. Keeping thinking those thoughts. Cancel Chang. Belay Bones. Stick with your 'best girl'. Good lad.
Sigh. I'll stop the H/Hr bias now, I promise. It was the H/Hr *friendship* which sucked me into HP anyway, and that's good too, particularly the way you write it.
I found those paragraphs describing Harry's "paper family" to be very effective, for various reasons. It made his indecision about Remus's reliability and Harry's lack of current family all the more pronounced. Also I was again wondering why Remus had taken off both *after* Harry's third year but also why he had never made an appearance for the 12 years before his DADA teaching position.
"Full lips and a long freckled nose" - gak! You know, the one saving grace of your refusing to put Harry & Hermione together was that you didn't bundle Hermione with anyone. But "a long freckled nose" ... gah. Are you going to pair Hermione up with traitorous "bird in the hand and one in Canada" Ronald Weasley in version 2. Oh dear. I think I have to set my radar down off its most sensitive setting, maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there ...
<long freckled nose>
Nope. It's still there. :-( :-( :-(
I did say I was going to skip the H/Hr partisanship, didn't I? Sorry.
Nice clean ending to the chapter, Harry's started to share his burden and he's forged a new relationship with his new guardian. Lovely way to confirm all that with the new, happier Harry in his new self-portrait at the end of the chapter. Full steam ahead!
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Oh, I do feel your H/Hr torment, and I'm sorry!
Thank you for your comments on Harry's paper family. Something I do like about Rowling's Harry is that he does have a sentimental streak (being touched by a photo, his mother's handwriting, his father's cloak) but not morbidly so. He places value upon the photos on his mantel, but instead of clinging to the past he is even more determined to make things work with him and Remus.
Spot on about the sharing of the burden being what forges and defines their new relationship. And what's significant for me is that the relationship is paternal not fraternal. Harry isn't looking for another best friend; he's looking for a father.
Full steam ahead, indeed!!
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Tuesday 10th June 2008 6:01pm
Enter the bookworms!! Good to see them so early, too. Cute idea having them eat themselves, 'desperate to know what the other worms found out on the last page'. Heh.
I was quite startled at your bringing Elizabeth in so early and in this more impersonal manner. Harry of course hasn't connected 'Madam Ramsay' with the 'Elizabeth' that Remus briefly mentioned back in chapter 1. Harry might be surprised at his reaction on seeing the envelope, but *we're* not, heh. :-)
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Bookworms rock LoL. Elizabeth's intro was very different! Hermione, bless her, is just so darned handy, sending Harry things she thinks he needs, like the Wolfsbane Potion recipe in Potioneers' Monthly (or whatever I called it lol). Good spotting on all those clues :).
Cheers,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Tuesday 10th June 2008 5:55pm
The charmed charcoals showing Harry's tormented psyche - guilt over his part in Sirius's death? - works well; you describe them, and Harry's feelings, vividly. That and the general grim demeanour of Grimmauld Place are certainly setting the context of the start of this story, right after the close of OotP. Maybe Harry's going to start worrying more about himself - viz the prophecy - sooner or later, but I guess it's to his credit that he's primarily upset about his godfather at this point I guess.
The drawings, the broken mirror ... you gave Harry some good healing in this chapter. "Suddenly they were just clothes". Both of them starting to recover. Very good.
I liked the ruby pin and the introduction of the 'Animula' charm ... a harbinger of Harry's future present for his best girl?
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
Thank you for your comments about Harry's grim beginnings at #12. I always wanted both Harry and Remus to have some rough patches as they grew into their relationship. And Harry being given nothing to distract his mind has meant a more intense and uncertain period for him. Quite different from the first version, where Remus was more hands-on and they did things together from day one together. This time, I elected to exploit Remus's idea of what he finds self-comforting (which is to lash out and/or evade people and conflict). Him 'giving Harry space' is, of course, a terrible idea, and just led to more introspection on Harry's part.
I'm glad you liked the mirror scene; it's become more of a turning point for Remus and Harry than in the first version.
Glad you liked the Animula Charm ... a harbinger indeed :).
Kind regards,
Lady A
brad posted a comment on Tuesday 10th June 2008 5:46pm
I was going to wait until the re-write was over before re-reading your novel, but I've got a bit of spare time on my hands and just felt like reading your style again, so happily dug into version 2.
Only up to page 3 and you've got Harry thinking about his 'best girl'. Gah. You're going to kill me! You know Hermione is my weak spot, along the lines of who-do-I-have-to-kill-or-bribe-to-get-Lady-A-to-write-a-H/Hr-romance. Ah well. Loved your establishment of what the Trio means to Harry right at the beginning.
I guess we're going to see references to the final canon throughout your epic ... the 'Chosen One' thing woke me up a bit here. And we've got Sirius's bikini-clad babes later on :-)
Remus becoming Harry's guardian is cool, but I'm wondering - what stopped him from being such years ealier? While Sirius was in Azkaban? Was Sirius ever officially declared innocent? I know, it's canon that Harry inherited Sirius's property, but I don't recall canon actually saying anything about Sirius being exonerated. Anyway, while Sirius was incarcerated in Azkaban, why didn't Remus step up to the plate then?
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi Brad,
I was hoping you might re-read the story :). It's been lovely seeing your reactions; thank you for providing so much feedback. And onto the details :).
Harry's return to #12 in Deathly Hallows certainly provided me with some new sets and data to play with. I always wanted Harry to take Sirius's room, and for Remus to be next door, so the details about Regulus and Sirius having rooms side by side were most welcome.
I imagine Sirius's exoneration was on the same Epilogue to-do list that decided to name that poor child Albus Severus Potter.
Why didn't Remus become Harry's guardian in canon years earlier? Ah, well that would be terribly inconvenient for supporting the orphan-waif triumphing over adversity, now wouldn't it? Same reason Madam Pince was so forbidding: having helpful adults makes child-aged adventuring terribly problematic because all problems get solved in the first two chapters. I imagine the excuse for keeping him at a distance would be a combination of 'Dumbledore knows best' and 'Harry has his own family to take care of him' (Remus said this of Tonks and her being with her family at Christmastime in HBP, if you recall) and a general bag of 'I'm too poor and too unreliable and too sick and not good enough' self doubts.
When I wrote the first version (pre-HBP), I got such flack for Remus being indecisive and self-doubting and having to grow into the role of guardian and father to Harry, with people insisting he was this strong, confident man, and I just never saw that in the books. I was rather chuffed when I read HBP and Deathly Hallows when he turned out to be just as I thought he'd be: a hero that would need a good kick up the behind to make him believe in himself.
Cheers :)
Lady A
PhoenixAnkaa posted a comment on Tuesday 10th June 2008 4:14pm
I have wanted to read your fic for a while, but sadly time just did not cooperate. Fortunately I told time to go pound sand and put off doing what I should have been doing in favor of a little reading. Little did I know I would be greatly rewarded with a wonderfully written and enticing storyline. Thank you so much for this! Life has been a little rough as of late and I needed to lose myself for a bit and just enjoy my time. Your story provided me with exactly that. I cannot wait to see where you lead Harry next.
And if I may, I totally agree with Frank (the snake, not Longbottom). Cho is a bit of a jealous bint and completely not what Harry needs... Susan on the otherhand... :)
Thank you again!
PA
Lady Alchymia replied:
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear life has been unkind of late, and I'm delighted if my story has provided some cheer. Thank you for your lovely compliments, and I hope you enjoy the rest of summer :).
Kindly,
Lady Alchymia
beauty01021 posted a comment on Monday 9th June 2008 8:30pm
yeah great chapter can't wait for more so please upate agian and soon.
Lady Alchymia replied:
Thank you.
Lady Alchymia
morriganscrow posted a comment on Monday 9th June 2008 12:01pm
Another lovely chapter. You have a real flair for description and dialogue,
Lady Alchymia replied:
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you very much :).
Lady A
Candyman posted a comment on Monday 9th June 2008 2:46am
It seems to me that Harry's relationship with cho seems to be bordering on extreme obsession. I don't know, but this seems like the effect that would occur by the result of a love potion of some sort.
It just seems that Harry is slightly over obsessed over a girl who's best friend totally screwed him over...
You probably should have gone slower with the relationship, right now, one day, harry doesn't even think about her, and the next, he is rabidly fanboyish
Anyway, apart from that I like the story :P
Lady Alchymia replied:
Is Harry under a love potion at the party? I'm afraid to say he is not.
I think we saw in HBP how Harry can be oblivious to a girl one day and then WHAM be monster-in-the-chest obsessed the next. And I think this is more or less realistic for teenage romance. Not a lot of cool and calm thoughts running through young heads when it comes to crushes.
As for *Cho* being the object of his crush ... I know readers feel passionately angry with Marietta, and with Cho for defending her, but Harry (even in canon) never exhibited any lingering hatred for Cho. As much as readers might have relished seeing him leap from his seat in the train at the end of OOTP and hex Cho to Hades, the reality is that he wasn't feeling a lot one way or another. Naturally, I messed with his head by having them intersect in Diagon Alley a few weeks later, and gave them an opportunity to make peace, and for Cho to try to flirt with him. After that, it's just about reviving a crush that consumed Harry's romantic thoughts for two long years. If that meeting hadn't happened, he would have not given her any more thought. So it's all about what circumstances I placed him in. For telling a story about jealousy, there wasn't any other canon girl I considered as anywhere near as good an option for Harry to be so 'instantly' jealous over, since he had already been attracted to Cho and had been plenty jealous over her and Cedric.
Thank you for your feedback; I'm glad you're enjoying the rest of the story.
Lady A
Jimbocous posted a comment on Sunday 8th June 2008 11:32pm
Nice one! Thanks for the update
Lady Alchymia replied:
You're very welcome.
Thanks :)
Lady A
Layne Rich posted a comment on Saturday 7th June 2008 8:35am
I want more!! It's excellent. I can't wait. ;)
Lady Alchymia replied:
Thank you kindly, Layne!
Lady A
bookaholic_au posted a comment on Friday 6th June 2008 8:30pm
It's interesting to see Cicero thrown in with Circe. I know he was a lawyer, but they're not all demonspawn.
Lady Alchymia replied:
After his beloved daughter Tullia died, Cicero retired from public life and turned to more philosophical pursuits, including writing some most affecting treatises on death as a blessing and the importance of fortitude and courage in dealing with life's ills. Around this time he also wrote on the nature of gods, among whom was, you guessed it, Circe. He conceded her a goddess for she was worshiped in Circæum but he was really rather jaded about the whole process of having so many gods and goddesses all over the place.
I like to think that my busts of Cicero and Circe in the Oratoria have been chatting energetically on the topic for many years :).
Kokopelli posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 9:27am
Lady Alchymia replied: