Team Epilogue: 15. He who can, does. He who can't, teaches the Dark Arts.

[hdcup_mod]

Title: We Flood Empty Lakes
Team: Epilogue
Author: turningleft
Prompt: 15. He who can, does. He who can't, teaches the Dark Arts.
Wordcount: ~4700
Rating: R
Warnings: Angst, darkfic, dystopia, Epilogue-compliant, mindfuck, non-linear narrative, highly non-traditional/experimental structure, pretentious prose, postwar, profanity, references to canon

Comments

[joanwilder]

I think this is one of the Cup's outstanding fics. Personally, I know how hard second person POV is to pull off, and I also loved the non-linear set-up. The story itself--Harry's culpability, his obsessions with numerous things, and his history with Draco, all have a ring of real life to me--this is how people cope, this is how they remain highly functional, but terribly damaged at the same time.

You took a risk with the unusual formatting--although I liked the 'quotes' at the beginning of each section, I'm not in love with the bolding and enlarging font sizes--it was distracting and pulled me out of the story--at the point where I was--to look elsewhere on the page. The story itself is so strong that I don't think you need it. But then, realize that that's just me. :)

Your team should be proud--it's a great fic. One I'll have to save and reread.

[maja_li]

Hello, prompt twin! :D *waves*

Oh my goodness, but this fic hit me hard. You used the notorious second person to incredible effect, and your use of the space on the screen--left vs. right, italics, sizes, and most of all the fact that it's all just one long scroll, without pages or breaks--was absolute artistry. I had to read it a few times over before I really understood it, but I enjoyed every time!

Brava, lovely.

we flood empty lakes

[ravenpan]

Oh. M.. Yes. Fabulous. The INSTABILITY of it all is so well portrayed by jumping backward and forward. In and out and around and through and just... I love how itwas handled. So real but so dreamlike, and at the end I still can't say whether that was just another piece of the meanderment. I really loved htis. beautiful
!

[cloudicus]

Ah, loved this, it was both interesting and clever, a brilliant combination =]

[cloudicus]

Also, just want to say I love love love that title.

[bk7brokemybrain]

Wow. That was poetry and art and prose all blended together. It was very upsetting, and that's saying something. Awesome piece. I can't believe that was only 4700 words.