More praise for Beholder

hp_beholder wrapped up posting this week with an anonymous masterlist, bringing yet another wonderful round to a close. Something about this fest brings out the parts of fandom closest to my heart. It's not just the good writing--though there's a lot of very good writing here, every time--but the way the fest asks us to empathize with and reward characters who challenge easy assumptions and ficcish conventions.

A few last recs before Monday's reveals:

A Short Treatise on the Social Lives of Ghosts, Cuthbert Binns/Grey Lady, Cuthbert Binns/Horace Slughorn, Moaning Myrtle/Nearly Headless Nick, The Fat Friar/The Wailing Widow, rated PG, 3200 words
The social lives of ghosts are more complex than they’re credited for.
A feather-light, masterful touch on this one, both in its humor and its characterization.

Elegy for a Goat, Severus/Aberforth, background hint of Aberforth/Albus, rated PG-13, 17,500 words.
Ab has never been fond of his brother's protégés, but he's always had a weakness for goats. He's not sure what to make of Severus Snape.
Beautifully written.

ART: Untitled Andromeda/Sybill, NOT work-safe
Lovely in its use of a just a few character attributes to convey the specificity of the scene.

Be Here Now, Antonin/Narcissa, Antonin/Igor Karkaroff, Antonin/Bellatrix, rated PG-13, 5700 words
If Antonin has learned anything in his life, it is that trust is rarely deserved, and love does not follow reason.
A fic that reworks canon around a minor antagonist. As I said in comments, it's a clever distortion of the homilies of the books ("You are your choices," "Love redeems us") and a clear-eyed look at what the "child warrior" trope really means.

Truly, I could have recced most of the fanworks at this fest. I'm feeling as if this is a sorely incomplete list of fic and art that deserve your attention. Take a look at the list yourself for more ideas! You won't go wrong.

Guessing game: You know, I can never guess the author of a fic, but it seems as if many of you have a much stronger sense of individual styles and approaches. I'm curious: did anyone recognize mine? If you want to wager a guess, I'll screen comments and reward correct guesses with a drabble.