Preferences in humor, humor in the series
The "train stomp" at the end of GoF and my dislike of the Twins. Examples of farcical humor in the books. Affection for Crouch Jr. and a brief analysis of his father's behavior towards him.
Discussion of Peter Pettigrew: his physical daring, his lack of stoicism, his likely motivations
Canonical plausibility and reading practice. How do readers form a mental map of the "Spirit of Canon" from which they evaluate a speculation's plausibility? What factors contribute to that model? Uses Redeemable Draco and the "Heir of Gryffindor" theory as illustrative examples. Part one of two.
Subversive readings and what drives them. "Fault lines" in the text which lead to reader anxiety. The question of why the fandom does not tend to subversion when contemplating the relationship between Snape and his old Slytherin housemates and DE colleagues. Part two of two.
Of what was Barty Jr. dying in Azkaban? Could it have been remorse? And more objections to the use of dementors as prison guards
Speculation on whether Neville or Hermione would ever betray Harry or his cause. My own reader desire for Neville's role in future canon, and my distaste for the spectre of "DE-butt-kicking Super-Neville."
Speculation on Snape's old Slytherin housemates, including a Redeemable!Avery defense. House Slytherin's apparent emphasis on in-group loyalty, and the effects this might have had on Snape. Discomfort with the depiction of the DEs in canon. Defense of the notion that Snape genuinely favors members of his own House. Snape's relationship with Karkaroff, Lucius Malfoy, and Barty Crouch Jr. And an analysis of Snape's Sudden Movement. Also, the introduction of S.Y.C.O.P.H.A.N.T.S.
An anti-prankster rant, and a brief discourse on envy as the primary spiritual killer of the Potterverse. Suggestion that Moaning Myrtle's unwillingness to forgive her schoolday tormentors is what keeps her as a ghost. British University library policies.
What constitutes a "canon-based" speculation?
Karkaroff as a variant on a classic character stock of the Golden Age detective story.
Genre conventions regarding coercion and how these may be reflected in canon. Speculation on how precisely the Fidelius Charm works, and why Pettigrew did not merely claim to have had the Potters' location wrested from him by force. The Dark Mark as a binding ritual compact, and the extent to which anyone could be said to bear it "unwillingly." The Death Eaters' likely feelings about Voldemort's reincorporation.
More on Pettigrew's character and motivations
Support for FLIRTIAC, some joshing around about anagrammatic name-play, and other such forgettable fluff. Notable mainly for the T.S. Eliot/SHIPping reference at the end, play on which was later to cause so much trouble.
Hints of darkness to Lupin's personality which, even apart from his lycanthropy and consequent social standing, might have contributed to his friends' suspecting him of being the spy during Voldemort's first rise.
Speculation about DE cells and bloody ambushes, followed by my explanation of Why Avery Is Very Important Really and proposal that he was that mysteriously unnamed Fourth Man in the Pensieve scene of Gof.
Limitations of the Killing Curse, how Imperius seems to work
Potential causes for reader anxiety in the HP books: lack of adult content, "genre soup," and poor craftsmanship in the writing itself, with particular emphasis on Draco's depiction. Discussion of "fannish" reading practice in general, and the extent to which it can be said to lead inevitably to subversion.
Elaboration on the Fourth Man theory, with a good deal of snarking about Avery's backstory. More speculation about DE cells and bloody ambushes (complete with jumping up and down on couches screaming "Yay!!! Bloody Ambush! Bloody Ambush! Bloody Ambush!"), a cheerful proposal of an utterly subversive "Neville owes a life-debt to Barty Crouch Jr." theory, and a lackadaisical attack on the Good Ship LOLLIPOPS with the suggestion that Snape loved Florence Wilkes.
Snape and his narrative function: his indeterminacy, his subverting role in the text. His character: the tension between his instincts and proclivites and his moral principles. His relationship to House Slytherin and specifically to the Malfoy family. Also contains some discussion of House Slytherin in general, and passing questions as to the nature of the Dark Arts.
FLIRTIAC defense: an explanation of why a transfigured human Mrs. Norris' first name might not show up on the Marauder's Map.
"Cupid's Snitch," a fanspec parody. The mysterious Florence from the Penseive scene was the future Mrs. Lestrange, and Sirius was the one kissing her behind the greenhouses.
The FEATHERBOAS post. Contains some joking around over Fourth Man Avery's backstory and bloody ambushes, and a good long wrangle over the timing of the Longbottom Incident. Also a bit on Memory Charmed (or, in this case, Reverse Memory Charmed) Neville.
Pranks, pranksters and the Twins. Charismatic bullies and Ex-Victims-Turned-Bully. Reader identification with these character types and how it affects interpretations of the Twins, Sirius and Snape.
Fluff piece answering question "who is your favorite non-wizarding character?"
Musings on Lucius Malfoy's motivations and his (and other DEs') likely feelings about Voldemort.
Snape as a principled sadist and sympathetic character. Analysis of both "The Egg and the Eye" and the end of PoA in terms of reader sympathy for Snape. Snape's divided loyalties in regard to House Slytherin.
Discussion of the Serpensortia scene in CoS and whether or not it indicates that Snape was trying to smoke out Harry's Parseltongue abilities from the very start, followed by a discussion on the nature of the Dark Arts and of Divination. I suggest that all of the truly effective forms of Divination available to humans in the Potterverse may be considered Dark magic.
Attempt to pin down precisely what the Snapetheory known as "George" stands for. Mainly focussed on those two perennial questions: "Why did Snape join the DEs?" and "What made him change his mind?"
A post that caused a good deal of trouble. Raised the question of why, given its not only blatantly but even explicitly subversive nature, so many people claimed to find the "Cupid's Snitch" speculation so...compelling? plausible? appealing?, and then proposed as a somewhat more in-character alternative CUPIDSQUAFFLE, a fanspec parody all about Florence-the-future-Mrs.-Lestrange kissing Sirius Black behind the greenhouses. Quite deliberately broke the "rules of the game" in an attempt to draw attention to them, and in doing so, royally pissed people off.
Correction to error made in previous post.
Discussion of fanfic, fanspec, and fanspec parody. Also contains a brief exchange about Lucius Malfoy.
Discussion of "Edge," followed by one of the Twins' harrassment of Percy.
Yet more objections to the WW's use of dementors as prison guards. Evaluation of Peter's state of mind just post-Shrieking Shack.
Answers to the questions "Which character do you most envy?" (Professor Flitwick), and "Which character do you most pity?" (Amos Diggory).
Complaint that the "Reverse Memory Charmed As An Infant Neville" theory utterly lacks Bang.
Defense of Sadist!Snape and some suggestions as to how his moral principles might have led him to leave the Death Eaters in spite of a visceral appreciation for cruelty.
Flitwick and the other Heads of House; Amos Diggory and his possible role in future canon.
Speculation on the nature of life debts and a suggestion that the consequences of Barty Jr's violation of his own life-debt to his father might well have affected the end-game of GoF. Also, my first defense of the claim that Barty Jr. did not really want to commit parricide.
An elaborate Fanspec Parody, posted on the OT-Chatter list as it had become clear that some people were most definitively Not Amused by this sort of thing. This one involves OC romantic interests for the Marauders, a Lupin/Lunch Trolley Witch SHIP, speculation about Voldemort's wand, centaur/human relations, and Damaged Sues galore. All backed up with irreproachable canonical evidence, of course.
More fanspec silliness, this one focussed on "Neville Owes A Life-Debt To Barty Crouch." Also repeats my insistence on a later date than 1981 for the Longbottom Incident.
Tongue-in-cheek speculation about Neville and the Longbottom Incident, with more timeline wrangling, as well as a "Memory Retrieval Potion" theory.