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Heya there! I'm here for the winter wonderland! I've seen this story on the archive often, so I'm so excited that I've finally started.
I have the softest of all spots for Next-Gen. I also have the softest of spots of time travel. So I really liked that you managed to let us see a bit ahead of time in this chapter and not only introduce us to Lily, but also let us know a tiny bit of what we're up for next.
I already like Lily. She seems sassy, and it was fun seeing how she perceived the world around her and her family. I found her rant about the unoriginal names she and her brothers have especially entertaining. I also like that despite being overwhelmed by her massive family (and the unoriginal names), she would still would've liked to meet the 'real' James and Lily because she thought they're interesting.
It was really enjoyable to meet some of the Potters from Lily's point of view, and I can't wait to meet them 'properly' as the story progresses. I'm already hooked by this chapter and I'm looking forward to see where this goes.
Author's Response:Hi! Thanks so much for checking this out!
I'd never written any next gen before this story, so in a lot of ways this story was an experiment for me. I'm glad you liked the way it starts with a look into the future - considering it starts quite mundanely in Lily's day to day life and the sci fi elements don't actually show up for a bit despite being a sci fi story, it seemed necessary to put that in there so I'm really happy to hear that it worked! Thanks!
Thank you, it's great to hear that you already like Lily as well even after only one chapter, and that you enjoyed her thoughts about her family (both the good and the bad aspects of it haha).
I'm so happy to hearthat you enjoyed this first chapter! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
Hello dear! <3 What a great treat to find a new chapter of this, although I'm sorry it took me so long to discover it.
I cannot imagine how overwhelming this would all be. Poor Lily. I really enjoyed how the scene with lance paralleled her meeting with im in the alternate universe. Especially with the movie. hehe.
I think, all in all, everyone is taking the news of Lily's return quite well. Of course, it is a happy event - but I think it would also be very overwhelming. After four years, they would have all probably assumed she wasn't coming back, you know? Then again, maybe not, with lance's insider knowldge of the cube.
The family dynamic is reallyl lovely and made me having feelings. And I loved that you made Harry cry more than Ginny. I did not love that Molly and Arthur died. *muffled sobbing* but i suppose it makes sense.
Anyway, all in all, I think you've done a good job showing how important these relationship will be to Lily in the coming days.
I had not even thought about the press' reaction to her reappearance! Now maybe she'll have the opportunity to change things for the better, just like she and Celeste discussed. Although, she needs to get her memory back, and she needs to get her girl! They need to at least date. Right? Promise me this is coming! *puppy eyes*
Honestly, you've had so many twists and turns in this - I have no idea what's coming. I hope the next chapter becomes more cooperative, so that you can finish it up soon.
As always, you and this fic are fabulous!
xoxo Renee
p.s. forgive me if this review makes no sense. i'm still not feeling 100% and i think there might be a lot of typos :P
Author's Response:RENEEEEEEEEEEEEE ♥♥♥♥♥
I'm so glad you enjoyed that parallel! And yes, many things may have changed in the meantime but you can always count on Lance's rubbish taste in movies :P
You're right, it must have been pretty overwhelming for them as well as for Lily after she returned. Like, even more of a sobfest than it already was. Imagine if Lily had gone to see her parents immediately? it'd be so much haha. Lance's insider knowledge of the cube is classified, so even though some people may have seen it, not much could be said and yeah, people probably did imagine she wasn't coming back.
Aw thank you I'm so glad you liked the family dymamic here! And yeah. I totally see Harry as being the one who'd get far more emotional at Lily returning after having thought she was gone forever. And so even in the very end I'm still subverting gender stereotypes because I still have to make statements :P . And yeahhh sorry about Molly and Arthur :( I felt bad so writing that. But like... life is like that sometimes. And tbh I couldn't see one of them outliving the other by that much time, like if one had to go then they both did. :(
I make no promises, but you've also finished the fic by now so yeah. :P
THANK YOU FOR THIS REVIEW I LOVE YOUUUUU
I read the chapter before this one ages ago and never reviewed? What's with that? *hangs head in shame* Anyway, I read it and enjoyed it all over again. I loved that Lily met her not-grandparents, and that in the end she accepted that they weren't really the people they would have been in her world. But still, I think it was a beautiful experience and the characters were fantastic, and it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon if nothing else.
But now this! A spaceship! Outer space! Omg! Space travel! I'm so freaking pumped and excited for what's coming in the next chapters. Aliens?! Like I really can't guess and that's what's so exciting.
The flashbacks in this chapter and the last are so brilliant too. Marta and Lily are so funny in their seperate ways, and I love the dynamic of the group, even though poor Iris makes me a little sad. The flashbacks are also poignant, that little reminder of what's at stake if Lily doesn't return. A world without Voldemort may be great, but she's left so much behind.
Wonderful writing, K <3
Author's Response:Hehehehe this review made me smile so much. I'm really glad you're excited for what's coming up even if it's gotten so weird that you have no idea what to expect! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks so much for reading ♥♥♥
Hello!
So this story is like famous! I've heard a lot about it (all good things!) so I thought it was time that I checked it out so I'm here at the beginning. I like the beginning because straight away I'm questioning the 'captain log' and it's straight away captured my interest in your story and honestly I'm quite interested to where it's going!
I really like Lily, I like her thought process because it makes across really clearly and you already get the sense of the type of person she is. You manage to show her hang ups but also get her humour into this piece as well. She's quite sarcastic which I enjoy in a character tbh! Poor Albus and his plug collection! I kinda love that at least one of the children was interested in what grandpa weasley had to say! I know a lot of this first time is just set up but you manage to keep it interesting so we get a good sense the situation that Lily is in. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Lily because I really like what you've done with her so far. It seems really promising!
I thought the last few lines are such a cheeky tease of what's to come! I can't wait to get back to read a few more chapters soon! great start! :D
- Abbi xo
Author's Response:Famous?! Haha, this is the first I'm hearing about it! But however you've heard of it, I'm grateful that it resulted in you coming here to read and leave this marvelous review! ♥ I'm so glad to hear that the beginning is interesting, thank you!
Also very glad to hear that you like Lily and that you can tell what kind of person she is just from the prologue. Hahaha, and Albus' plug collection - it really had to be, imagine how sad Arthur would be if no one else would share his enthusiasm about it :P
Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it so much. Thanks for your lovely review ♥♥♥
Good on you for getting an outline written! I know that can be intimidating, but I’m sure it helped a lot for this story.
Aww, Miriam’s hunger for answers about time travel and Lily’s inability to give them to ger.
Oh wow, this is quite a turn! Of course Miriam was going to bring a whole new perspective, but it was a sharper turn than I expected. Suddenly as we’re talking about Lily traveling in a spaceship the genre starts to feel different somehow. Which is kind of odd, as it’s been scifi all along and I new this was coming, but it still feels like a very strong change now.
Another flashback! Or is it a flash-sideways?
Ooph that was a really hard scene. Everyone is at least partially in the wrong there and I don’t want to spread blame, but I think that was well balanced, not making anyone look too right. At least it ended on a kinder note.
The end of this chapter felt like a bit of an emotional detour, though of course one that’s very significant to Lily. I wonder if any of the information from the flashback will be relevant later in the story.
It strikes me that Lily has spent every moment focusing on how to get home. I wonder if I was in that situation if I wouldn’t want to try giving it a shot to live in a new world with a blank slate.
That’s 8 chapters for now, but I’m looking forward to more!
Sam.
Author's Response:Outline was super helpful. 10/10 would recommend.
Hehehe I was not kidding about it being sci fi. It's all of the sci fi. But yeah, the space aspect of it does mark a pretty distinct change, I think.
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you thought that scene was well balanced. I did worry about that when I was writing it so it's good to hear that it was well done.
That's a good point, that once she got there and realized how different it was and that it wasn't everything she hoped for, she wanted to get back home. I think that's because at this point there is still a possibility of getting home, and so she holds on to that small chance. If there wasn't a way back at all, maybe she'd have tried to learn how to live in the new world. But yeah, I don't know what I'd do in that situation either :P
Thanks so much for your review! <3
Ooh, that’s an exciting title! Though, as with most things in this chapter, I’m not going to trust it to mean what it seems until I’m certain.
Yasss this is what I’m talking about. Not at all what I was expecting to read next, but I’m sure not complaining.
Baha Lily, that is the perfect answer to the experimentation question.
o.m.g. I called Lily naive, right? If she mentions her boyfriend one more time in response to a question that has nothing to do with him… >.> She’s a teenage girl. Relax, Sam.
Omg Marta was Lily’s sexual awakening??? I like. Just for that, I won’t insist on shipping them anymore. They can be whatever they want to be, I’m happy. Oh. Marta’s straight. I’m suddenly less happy.
Um. After all of that Lly runs into her family next to Lance’s apartment? And then gets hit by someone who seems way like someone from Iris’ past who promptly disappears? Riiiight. I don’t trust any of this.
Sirius! Oh my. I was hoping we’d be spared those feels.
Oh my, I briefly got very confused by Lily introducing Hyacinth. Other Lily. Right.
I wonder what everyone’s jobs are.
Oh, Peter. I have such mixed feelings, but I’m happy he’s there. He’s never betrayed them, and he doesn’t deserve to be punished or hated for something that never happened. Sure, he has the potential to do it. But lots of people have the potential to do horrible things in horrible situations, and he deserved a chance to grow up without war. I hope he’s had a good life.
I have to say, these marauders are far too heterosexual for my taste XD At least you didn't Snily it up. XD
Interesting and bemusing chapter!
Sam.
Author's Response:Haha, yeah Lily as a twenty-something is naive, so teenage Lily is a little too much :P To be honest, her comments in the DH epilogue inspired a lot of how I thought of her personality traits. Like how she thought that because Teddy kissed Victoire that they would get married. So yeah, as a teenager she shares all her food with her boyfriend and they're *totally* in love. :P
Yeah. Marta and Lily's relationship is complicated. But it sucks to fall for a straight girl, and as you've already seen Lily gets quite attached and has trouble letting go :P
I spared no one's feels.
Yes - I like your analysis of Peter. That's exactly why I included him, because everyone's hatred of him is just because of what he did during the war, but without the war - it's just as you said, he has the potential for horrible things and might still have done it, except he didn't. I especially like what you said about lots of people having that potential - that's so true. And because of that, here Peter is just an ordinary person.
I feel obliged to say that just because three of the marauders are in heterosexual relationships does not mean that they themselves are heterosexual. But yeah, I assume you mean the lack of wolfstar and for that I can only say I'm truly sorry :P (Melanie is a character from another story of mine that ended sadly so this was my way of writing a happy ending to that, just for my own amusement :P) Peter though, I've always had a headcanon that he was gay, and that his 'hero-worship' of his friends at Hogwarts was because he had a huge crush on one of them at the time and was too shy to say anything but also really obvious about it. :P
Thanks so much for the review!
Can I just say I love how vague your chapter summaries are? Like the one about Lily giving terrible hugs didn’t at all give away what was going to happen in the chapter, and gave me a happy little smile when I figured out what it did refer to. It gives each chapter more of a fun sense of the unknown.
Omg Lily’s government sass is on point.
Yes, Marta would have a plan. I miss Marta. We should have Marta.
“What I try not to think about is that I should have done all this thinking much earlier” is a great line.
For someone who didn’t think things through properly before getting into this mess, Lily is certainly doing a thorough job of thinking them through. I can respect someone who learns from mistakes. But I also respect that she doesn’t get too bogged down in that, and accepts that she doesn’t really have that much control.
“The real Lance - the one who already expects me to lie all the time and trusts me anyway” made me go awww. Even though I don’t like Lance. There’s nothing wrong with him, but he’s… a dude. I have a bias.
Oooh that’s a clever twist that because no battle at the Department of Mysteries there’s no magical time travel!
Poor Not-A-Ravenclaw Lily’s brain. Too much thinking.
Um. I think every bar should have a dude who writes poetry on a typewriter.
I asked for Marta and you delivered, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be happy with the results.
Lily is so consistently… naive? I’m not sure what the right word is. Whatever applies to her plan to “save” Marta by telling her to quit her job and be friends with her.
Lily’s complaints about her fame don’t generally carry a lot of weight for me, but the fact that she thinks that Marta only became her friend because she was famous does hurt. I also think this exchange shows Lily as kind of self absorbed - believing that it was her absence from Marta’s life that led her here, not any of the other changes. Believing that she could save Marta y being her friend however briefly. Believing that she needs saving in the first place. It doesn’t necessarily make me like her less, but I like that it keeps her a flawed and realistic person. For all of the talk of her growing up with fame, it makes sense that she would have some degree of a superiority complex.
This was an interesting chapter. I liked how things slowed down a bit and focused on the emotional undercurrent. I have no idea what will happen next and I’m excited to find out!
Sam.
Author's Response:Haha, writing the chapter summaries is always one of my favorite things and I dont think anyone has ever commented on them before. I love picking the most inconsequential moment of the chapter and using that as the summary, haha. I'm glad you enjoy finding those moments in the chapters!
XD your reason for not liking Lance haha. I will say, though, Lance plays an important role in the story. Tangent: In a lot of sci-fi, in my experience, there's like one (or few) woman, whose role is to offer emotional support and help the main character (a man) achieve his goal because the plot is about him. I'm tired of that being the formula in sci-fi (and action/thriller, and mystery, and, and, and. It's changing a bit nowadays, but there's still so much of this formula) So, you may have already noticed, but especially as the story goes on it becomes even more evident - Lance is really the only male character in this story of any consequence. That's very intentional. And he is supportive of Lily's plot, he kind of exists in the story just to help her, which is all very important, but the driving factors of the story are the women. Lance is kind of my answer to toxic masculinity. He has the role that's typcially given to women in this type of story and he's 100% cool with it (well, except for Lily forcing him to lie to Shirley).
Re: Lily being naive - YES. That's actually in my character notes. Also, are you really surprised she tries to save Marta? She totally inherited the 'saving people thing' that Harry always had :P
I'm glad you like Lily despite (or because of?) her flaws. This is a great analysis of her. I always appreciate when people take the time to really understand the characters so thoughtfully. I think at the moment Lily is still just starting to understand the full ripple effect and how many things might have influenced other things which influenced other things without the presence of Voldemort. Who knows what caused all the differences in Marta's life, but Lily not being there certainly would indeed have an impact - though of course, there's no way to know how much was her and what was something else. But yeah, being Marta's friend for a short time and then leaving again ultimately wouldn't help Marta at all, which points to what you said about Lily being a little selfish. She wants Marta to be her friend so she can have her old friends back.
I'm glad you thought the chapter was interesting! Thanks for the review!
I’m loving all these fire related chapter titles and how they tie in with the Icarus theme =)
That’s right, dull panic. But what did she think, she could just hop through universes without risk? She’s obviously new to the genre ;)
Welp this is a giant helping of “be careful what you wish for,” isn’t it?
Lol Lily runs out of the apartment to get away from the police and waits in the hall in front of the neighbor’s. She’s not the sharpest criminal mastermind. Then again she also underestimated the profound role Voldemort’s existence played in her family history? So okay, Lily’s not a Ravenclaw. We can still like her.
I feel Lily’s exasperation strongly.
Well, I wouldn’t rule out serial killer just yet, Lance. She does know way too much about you. The fact that he still works in the Department of Mysteries is very useful though.
Omg Colin! Heart eyes for living head of Aurors Colin!
Wow, no statute of secrecy? Interesting! I suppose wizard/muggle relations could have saved a lot from not being set back by Voldemort’s blood war. Or space ships. That’s good too.
“But then again, I see him trying to play with electricity and where does that keep it’s brain? No one knows.” Perfect line is perfect.
Fun fact, I have a time travel tabletop game called Chrononauts and my favorite thing is to kill and unkill Hitler and frustrate everyone with the ripple effects.
Thing majorly picked up in this chapter! I love that we’re really jumping into things now and I’m really excited to see how everything unfolds!
Sam.
Author's Response:Thank you, I'm glad you like the chapter titles! (at least the fire related ones)
Lily has clearly never read any sci-fi before.
Laughing so hard at your comment that Lily is not a Ravenclaw. Nope. she is not. And considering how impulsive both Harry and Ginny could be at times, I figured it would almost be expected for her to sometimes jump into things without thinking them through.
and yeah if I were Lance I'd be soooo weirded out. Lily is lucky Lance is so trusting haha
Fun fact: every time I tried to type statute of secrecy it always came out as Statue. What would a statue of secrecy look like? Things I thought about while writing this story.
That game sounds really cool. I can totally see you doing something like that though just to be competitive/frustrate everyone XD
Thanks for the review! ♥
Ah, so here’s the screen! Which means that Marta has probably done what Lily is doing now before, so things may not go totally crazy just yet.
Lance is a weird one. I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t think Spider Man II is meant to be someone’s favorite film. Oh. Okay. I don’t know if the Dolphin Tamer thing makes him more or less weird.
I’m a little surprised that Lily activated something that Marta hadn’t. It seemed like reckless Marta would haplessly push whichever buttons looked cool, especially if she got as far as the screen. Unless she’s in an alternate alternate world now? o.O Okay, let’s not make this extra complicated until it needs to be. Lily’s asking good questions though.
Hehe I like Lily’s annoyance with Lance for introducing parallel universes when he can’t answer all the questions
Your creativity really shines in little moments, like with offhand comments like “(maybe that’s another universe right there)” and the details about the screaming socks.
Alright, we have arrived at things going horribly wrong? Or at least starting to? That’s what I’m here for.
Sam.
Author's Response:Lol, I love that Spiderman II being Lance's favorite film was what alerted you to the fact that something is amiss. XD But hey, he still does have horrible taste in movies so the alternate universe isn't that far off :P
Your assessment of Marta is 100% correct. She would totally just press buttons, at least until she got bored. Lily lasted a bit longer of pressing buttons without getting bored, I guess.
Aw, thank you! I'm flattered to hear that you think the story is creative <3
I'm glad you're here for things going horribly wrong - you've come to the right story for that :P
Thanks for another lovely review!
The Potter family dynamic is cute. Not too cue to the point that it’s unrealistic though. I like that Harry and Ginny have some degree of annoyance, but I’m glad that they don’t take things seriously. They seem aware of how similar their children are to them.
Omg that review is horribly bad. So bad. I am cringing so hard but also laughing.
Albus/Scorpius exists, so we’re in the right universe. Good, good.
Mystery metallic humming cube from the department of mysteries? This can only end well.
Aww there’s something very sweet about Marta’s reaction when Lily scolds her. It shows that she wasn’t really trying to be inconsiderate but sometimes just genuinely doesn’t think things through without meaning harm.
I am intrigued by Marta’s creativity in smoking gillyweed. Why? Does it have a special high? Did she just have some lying around and figured it was worth a shot? I have many questions.
Sorry I can’t ship Marta/Lance. It’s Marta/Lily or Marta/Me.
“Platonic partners who cook and clean for each other in a couple-y way.” You have just named exactly what I want.
Aww, I love Marta and Lily’s “save Lily from rando stalkers” routine
“Cat Amongst the Owls” made me think of Poirot right away, I liked that. What I liked even more was googling the title to double check. I was very amused by what I found. I don’t think that’s what you had in mind though.
I think it’s interesting that Mystery Cube seems muggle in origin. I’m curious how it wound up in the Department of Mysteries, and if there is any magic in it, or if it’s purely muggle science. I’m also wondering how it was so easy for Marta to steal if she was just in the hallway.
Missing plates of suspense!
Welp here we go!
Sam.
Author's Response:Yeah I think Harry was probably quite forgiving of his children, given how he was treated as a child. And Ginny has probably seen all the possible types of mischief, growing up with Fred and George. So just mildly annoying things like this, they wouldn't take too seriously - yeah I think you're right, they see their children are similar to them.
Bahaha yes the truth is out, I missed writing Gilderoy Lockhart's POV so I brought him back for a second :P
I love that you determined we're in the right universe because of Albus/Scorpius. :D
Your analysis of Marta is spot on. She's not malicious, she's just a bit self-centered and didn't think that one through at all.
Um, yeah Marta just went for gillyweed because it was something to do. So yes, your second theory. :P
Re: Cat Amongst the Owls, ok, I googled it too and hahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahaha thank you for drawing my attention to that. That's hilarious XD (Also... the cat was pretty hard to find)
Thanks for your review!
Marta seems like the name of a girl I would fall in love with. And her personality seems to match.
We just met Iris and the first thing she does is criticize my girlfriend Marta about unladylike posture? We’re not friends.
Baha, I remember that game! I love that you had these characters know it, and it seems very appropriate for a time related story. =)
All of this banter is totally perfect. I am savoring it all, as I am sure it will not last and I will miss these lighter chapters. It feels very much like the calm before the storm. That said, you’ve done an excellent job of making these characters very distinct and likeable from the start!
Engagement excitement is something I really just Don’t Get, but I guess I’m happy for them being happy.
A+ Spiderman/Superman discourse
At least it was a sadly typical night, and not a typically sad night, amiright? Lol I’ve seen enough about this story that I’m quite nervous.
Time travel kitchen cube? Maybe?
See you soon.
Sam.
Author's Response:I love your instant love of Marta :D And your instant dislike of Iris based on her criticism of Marta's posture made me laugh.
Whatever gives you that idea, that all the fluffy banter will not last? ...You obviously know by now that you are correct, so I've got nothing more to say on this :P But it's great to hear that you think the characters are distinct and likeable this early on, thank you!
Haha, yeah I know what you mean about engagement excitement being not really all that exciting. I'm the same way. :P
Thanks for your review!
I am so glad I am finally getting to this story! I have heard so many great things about it and it is right up my alley! I love science fiction! And gay girls! And I guess Harry Potter fan fiction!
I’m really intrigued by the opening of the story. Who is this captain? What kind of ship is it? It seems like this log entry was written maybe after the events of the story? Like Lily’s going to come mess everything up and then once things get sorted they drop her off? Which is nice cause it gives an assurance that things will end okay. MAYBE. I know better than to trust a time travel story.
lol I love the little implication of weird incest between Lily and her brothers’ names.
The Weasleys and Potters “generally failing at being normally” feels about perfect for a normal representation of them XD
Baha the plug collection and associated snark lives on! This is all really fun so far.
The Lily stuff feels fairly standard for an intro to a next gen story, but the little captain’s log kept a sense of mystery and suspense alive. Lily is kind of whiney which could be annoying in a protagonist, but a ton of her personality shines through that makes me like her.
Looking forward to more!
Sam.
Author's Response:Sam! Hi! I'm so glad you're here to check out this story! And thank you for leaving all these reviews, honestly it means so much to get feedback on this and I appreciate it. ♥
I'm glad you like the chapter and the mix of standard next-gen sorts of things and the mystery of the opening. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Hey Kristin,
I'm here with your review for nominating for the monthly awards. Two other reviews should be coming soon, but I'm not sure who'll be the one to leave them. Anyway, thank you so much for nominating! We really appreciate it!
But enough about that. Let's talk about Icarus. So I know you know I've read this story before, because I interviewed you about it for the Hufflepuff newsletter last year I think (actually looking at the date it was back in January). I don't know if I ever reviewed it on HPFF, but if I did I don't remember the review anymore, so I'm just gonna leave a completely new review instead.
I LOVE this story. I've said it before, but I just had to repeat it. It's so creative and different from other stories I've read. I love the title of the story. Icarus is such a great metaphor: it's all about having the power to change something or do something, but you can't go too overboard with it (which as you know, is what Icarus did in the story). I'm guessing we'll see a little bit of that here too, and I'm really excited about it.
The first chapter is great. You do an amazing job of introducing us to Lily and her family, so much actually that I feel like I know them all already. I really like your characterisation of Lily; she seems to be really independent, which I always love to see in characters, but also a little bit depressed almost. I can understand her bitterness though, it can't be easy to be named after someone who everyone thinks of as this amazingly talented witch. I'd probably be a little bit resentful too tbh. And even the complaining about the name part: while I've seen that in many other stories too, it just felt more believable here because you actually show just how confusing it is when you're named after a relative. I had never even thought about that before, but you did a really good job of showing it.
I'm really curious to see where the story goes. I remember there was a parallel universe involved here, but I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't remember much else. That just makes this a whole lot more interesting for me though. I get to enjoy the story all over again. I'm gonna bookmark it now and try to get back in hopeful not too long, because remember I really loved the story a lot. I don't usually like Sci-fi stories, but this one I really love so I'll just have to find time to come back again soon.
Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. Thank you so much for sharing! And again, thanks for nominating for the monthly awards!
- Lotte
Author's Response:Hi Lotte! I'm so sorry I've taken ages to respond to this - the snowball fight started up and then all my spare time was devoted to reviewing instead of responding :P And thank you so much for leaving a review - that was so kind of you to offer a review for nominating things!
Omg, thank you! I'm honestly so thrilled to hear that you love this story <3 I'm glad you like all the metaphorical suggestsions of the title as well :P And yes, you've picked up on all the ideas that I set out to explore with this story and I''m excited that you're excited :P
Thank you! I'm so glad you like the introduction to Lily and her family - it's wonderful to hear that you feel like you know them after just one rather short chapter. And I'm glad to hear you like the portrayal of Lily as well and that she is understandable. The name confusion is real. Too many Lilys. Thank you, it's great to hear that it was shown in a believable way!
The fact that you love this story despite not generally liking sci-fi means a lot to me, because I really dug deep into science fiction in this story and I'm so glad that the story itself is enjoyable enough to not put you off the story.
Thanks so much for this wonderful review! You're amazing! <3
Hello, lovely! I'm here for the November Review Swaps, and of course I'm going to take another chapter of Icarus!
Oooh, Lily. Have I told you how relatable she is? I love her remarks about things like moving up in the world by waking up before 9am and making pancakes, and sending out job applications. It's one of the (many) things I love about this story-- how relatable your characters are, and they don't seem to fit the mold when it comes to typical Next Gen kids.
Also, kudos to you for explaining the multi-verse! I know whenever they talk about time travel in The Flash, I tend to get confused, but this explanation made sense to me. And Lance seemed pretty willing to give out some vague information, so I'm wondering if there's any motive behind that? Or if he just didn't see anything wrong with Lily's question?
I love how you showed us a universe where things weren't entirely different to start, to make it less confusing. And it's interesting to think about how one decision can change your entire life - such as Lily and Anna staying together versus breaking up. Do we know why they broke up yet? I'm pretty curious, especially since poor Lily doesn't seem too willing to entirely move on. I'm just gonna squish her.That Potter curiosity, though! IT'S GOING TO GET HER IN TROUBLE, KRISTIN. Which you probably planned on when you started writing this story. I really want to know who the woman in the doorway is, and how people are going to react to seeing Lily in this new universe. And I'm super curious to see where you go in a universe where Voldemort doesn't exist. Is it brighter? Is there a new Big Bad?
As always, your pacing, characters, description, and dialogue are all fantastic. I love your writing so much, thanks for another great chapter!!!
Author's Response:Jiiiiiiilllllllllll! Hi! Thanks for choosing this story for the swap!
Thank you so much, it's wonderful to hear that Lily is relatable. As much as she is a famous person with celebrity war-hero parents, she still has refreshingly low expectations for her own life, like any struggling twentysomething :P Is there a mold for typical Next Gen kids? Because I seem to have missed the memo. I didn't know what it was when I started this fic and I still don't know. Believe it or not, but next-gen was never really my cup of tea XD
Wow thanks! I'm so glad that the explanation of really sci-fi concepts actually makes sense here, that's honestly so great to hear. (I do often wonder, because this story gets kinda... out there at times.) As for Lily's questions, objectively there is nothing wrong with it, especially to someone like Lance who has no reason not to trust her.
The reason for Lily and Anna's breakup is never actually revealed, but it's not that important in the long run. But you're right, she does have trouble moving on from some things haha.
What would possibly make you think that Potter curiosity would get Lily in trouble? ........... Bahahaha, yeah of course it will. Oh man, I had so much fun with a universe where Voldemort never existed. There are infinite possibilities for bizarre things to happen and for it to be totally acceptable, and I can't wait to see what you think of it XD
Thanks so much for reading and for your review!! ♥♥♥♥♥
KRISTIN!!!
Hello, my love! Here I am for your new chapter, and sorry it took me a bit long...
Oh, my Merlin! I love the Potters (and the Weasleys, of course) Did I mention I love the Potters? :D
Poor Lily, how confusing it must all be... but at least she's surrounded by people who love her, it's so nice to see all the family together and hear all the good news! But... Arthur and Molly... so sad... :'(
I also loved seeing Lance again, even if it made me a bit sad that he was a bit wary with Lily (or was it just her impression?) It's so sad, but understandable, too. After all, what she did wasn't exactly correct... but it was nice that they saw a movie together like old times. And I wonder why she had a deja-vu waking up on Lance's couch? :P
So, Louis moved to Germany... wonder if he kept in touch with Alex and Celeste... (You know why I'm wondering this...)
And, oh my god, Percy "entertaining" the reporter! I love it! Ahahah!
I'm sure there's something else I wanted to mention, but I'm almost at work now so I have to leave you. But great job as always and I can't wait for more!
Love you always!
Chiara
Author's Response:CHIARA HI ♥ ♥
I love the Potters too. I just love writing Harry with the family that's everything he wanted as a kid. If anyone deserves the best family ever, it's him.
I'm glad you liked the whole family all together. And I know, I felt really bad about Arthur and Molly. They are perfect and I wanted them to live forever. But no one does :( (They'd be in their late 80's by this point, and none of my grandparents lived that long.. but also I forgot that wizards live longer than Muggles.)
I think Lance might have been wary at first, just because so much happened that it's hard to pick up their friendship where it left off. Tehehe... maybe some memory retained after all?
Er... Hugo moved to Germany. Louis is still around. Worry not! ;) (I can see how someone can get mixed up though. I can't keep track of all of the cousins either)
Percy saving the day with his cauldron talk was the highlight of writing this chapter. XD
Thank you so much! You are the best and I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the chapter! Love you forever!
Yay! New chapter! :D
Oh, my Merlin! This is so crazy! Marta, what have you done this time?
I'm wondering how this all connects to everything else. Also, I'm wondering if Marta has just changed history, somehow causing Voldemort to be born, or maybe she travelled to a different universe, not just a different time? At first, when she met Tom (I guessed it was him almost immediately, I'm quite proud of myself :P) I thought she was going to prevent him from marrying Merone somehow. But then she introduced herself as Cecilia... I don't know... I'm confused...
Anyway, this was such a great chapter, as always! And I need more, like right now! I need to know what happened to Lily and to the crew and how Marta's jump into the past has affected everything else.
Love you!
Chiara
Author's Response:Ehehehe yeah it a little crazy I guess :P Everyone's favourite agent of chaos had been absent for a little while and it was just about time to mix things up :P
Haha, yes! Gold star for you, I love that you guessed it. I was wondering if it was going to be obvious and at what point people would catch on ;) Ooh, and I love your theories. I can see how you're confused though and I wonder if I should go back and edit this chapter because maybe I got myself in over my head :P but I'll just say this: 'Cecilia' is actually a canon character, so what Marta did was essentially make sure that events from HBP did end up happening.
Um, anyway, the next chapter is about half written and *hopefully* it will be up soon-ish!
Thanks so much for your review! ♥♥
KRISTIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So first... thank you so, so, so much for the dedication! It really means a lot to me and you are the best and most supportive friend (and most talented writer) ever! I love you, darling! *big snowball hug*
Second... wait! What's happening?! Why is everything/everyone disappearing?! What's going on?! What will be of Balthazar?! What will be of the crew?! What will be of Lily?! (I'm confident that Lily will be safe, but I'm scared for everyone else...)
Third. This was so wonderful! Oh, my Merlin, I loved it! Like, every little bit of it! But especially that Lily/Celeste moment. Their kiss was so perfect, and I so, so loved the perpetual sunset. How can you use science to create such a beautiful, romantic image? Have I ever told you that you are a genius? Also, your descriptions are so incredibly beautiful!
This was just great and I know I should say much more than I have, but just... this is one of the best things I've ever read and I'm so happy you've updated this and I can't wait for more and I adore you!
Chiara
Author's Response:You are so very welcome! Your feedback on this story has meant so much to me. Gah, thank you! You are a very talented writer yourself!!
Secondly, ehehehehe. That's all I will say about it here, but the next chapter is up and may answer some questions... Kinda. :P
Third: Yay! I'm so glad that you liked it! Aw, and I love the way you described that sunset as science creating a beautiful romantic image! I'd not thought of it quite like that and I love that :P Thank you so much!
Aww! I'm so glad you liked this chapter! Thanks for such a wonderful review! ♥♥♥♥
REVIEW SWAP!
Hello, lovely! It's been so great to see you around, and I'm so happy I got another chance to read Icarus! I love this story, and I really love Lily and your take on the Potter family. Seeing them at a meal felt so true to their characters - I love that Albus collects plugs, and that James is a writer, and Harry and Ginny seem both more than a little amused at their kids' antics. It's so wonderful to see them spending quality time as a family <33
OOh, Marta is always up to shenanigans, isn't she? I feel like we've all had a friend or two like Marta in the past, and I totally relate to Iris and Lily in that they want to stay home and read and not go out. I loved the non-verbal conversation they had; it spoke volumes about their relationship and how well they read each other, but it's so true about roommates! I love that Lily has that strong relationship in her life.
She is really good at keeping up with Lily, though, I'll give that to her. Like, she's a little out there, but she knows what's important (mostly, not stealing from the Ministry!) and I'm so glad she and Lily have this routine down pat. I'm very curious about this Conor person and wonder if he will stick around for a few more chapters??
Man, your characters crack me up. I love how everyone has their own sense of humor.
The cube came to life?! What sort of ending is that?! UGH, KRISTIN. Also, is this the same cube as the one that Lily found in the kitchen?
Also, I want to snuggle Lily. I can sort of relate to having feelings for someone and knowing it's going to be impossible, so I just want to huggle her. And I want to know what happened between her and Anna. And. I want to know ALL THE THINGS, which means I guess I better start reading this again soon :P
Thanks for the swap and another excellent chapter!!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Author's Response: Yay, hi! Thank you! Omg, I loved writing the Potter family. Given that Harry's home life was never that happy when he was growing up, I always felt that he'd be pretty lenient as a father as a result, which would undoubtedly lead to the kids misbehaving :P Even if they're in their twenties :P Yes, Marta is ALWAYS up to something haha. I am so glad you relate to Iris and Lily and that you like their friendship! It's also interesting that you mentioned both of the character interaction routines in this chapter - the nonverbal conversation between Lily and Iris, and then the acting routine Lily and Marta have developed at pubs - they're both so wildly opposite, but as you pointed out, both are indicative of how strong their friendships are and I guess I'd never really realized that that comparison existed until you pointed out your reactions to each of them :P So that's pretty cool :P Yay, thank you! I'm so glad you like the characters. Yeahhh you'll just have to read on to find out. It does eventually get explained. ;) It is the same cube though (that's not a spoiler) Poor Lily, yeah those aren't ever convenient feelings :( Anna's presence in the story is mostly just in asides, and her full history with Lily isn't ever really explored, but it's not essential to the story. But, you'll see more of her (sorta). Thank you so much!!
Hello, my beautiful Kristin!
Sorry if I'm a tiny bit late with this... I haven't felt review-y these past few days and then yesterday I left for the holidays... well, I'm here now! ;)
I loved this chapter! Not that this is surprising but I really did!
First of all, I loved that you interspersed this with the logs. I loved the contrast between the technical and impersonal tone of those and what the true life on the ship is. Plus, I love that it sort of links back to the beginning and the way it helped showing the passage of time.
I felt so envious of Lily in the beginning of the chapter... floating in space... how awesome must it be? :D
I felt a bit less envious as she thought about the misterious portal... what she's about to do is absolutely foolish! Who would actually enter a cave inhabited by dangerous alien monsters to jump into a portal that could lead you home as well as in any other possible alternative reality?! It's absolutely, 100% crazy! I don't want to know how this is going to end. (Actually, I do...)
Ah, Lily and Celeste! Yes! Yes! Yes! How do you call them? Lileste? Celestly? Erm, don't mind me... but I loved to see them flirting, as unprofessional as it might be. ;)
Lily's birthday was so adorable! They made such a sweet surprise for her! :) Also, I love the idea of her making a scrapbook for the crew! It's so nice and I so love the familiar atmosphere on the Daedalus (I think I've already commented on that but it's something that I really love so much!)
Oh my god, we are almost there... I'm scared and excited at the same time! I really hope everything will turn out to be alright for Lily! Also I'm so proud of how much she's changed and the fact that she really wants to use her fame to make the world better!
I'm leaving you now! Thank you for another awesome chapter! Let me know when you updated again!
Huge snowball hug rolling your way, darling!
Chiara
Author's Response:Chiara! Once again you are the best person ever! Thanks so much for reviewing so quickly! ♥
Thank you! I know it was kind of a departure from the way the rest of the story has been structured, but I felt it was the best way to show the passage of time without just skipping huge sections of it. I'm glad you liked the balance between the logs and the narration!
I know, I'm really jealous too :P
Yeah, she's known all along that it's going to be dangerous and that it might not work, but reading the logs all the time that reinforce *how* it might not work is pretty scary. So it's either that or stick around on a version of Earth where she doesn't belong and waits years for them to invent technology or maybe never goes home. But yeah... sounds pretty terrifying what she's headed up against. I think the uncertainty is the worst part!
Haha, I never gave much thought to what their couple name would be. You can call them whatever you like :P
I'm glad you liked her birthday, and her ideas about making a scrapbook! And thanks, I'm so glad the familiar atmosphere comes across - especially after only three chapters of knowing them - that close feeling is one I felt was really important to how the crew works and I'm so glad it came through in the writing. It's modeled on my own experience with my shipmates working on tallships. :)
She really has changed! I'm so proud of her :)
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long - I've reached the point where a lot of the story has been written for years so it's just filling in the gaps now.
Snowball hug and all my love! ♥
*Transferred from HPFF*
I love the unusual starting approach to this story, with the Captain's Log; it makes me think of Star Trek or something similar. I'm rather intrigued by what the log is referencing - Lily, trying to change history? Based on the date of the log, I'm going to guess at the Lily in question being Lily Potter II. Mysterious ending to the log entry, that it's possibly being erased? I'm looking forward to reading more!
There's a jump back in time of 5 months, to Wizarding Remembrance Day, and the protagonist is confirmed as Lily Luna Potter. Who seems to be unemployed, quite bored and rather sarcastic; I love her already! I'm very glad to hear that she's determined not to rely on her family's fame to get somewhere in life.
Haha! I adore the name digs. I'd never really thought about the fact that Lily is named after her older brother's wife, nor was her namesake the object of her middle brother's middle-namesake's desire. Gosh. That must be weird for her. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with Lily and think that Hyacinth is a hideous name.
Had to laugh at Albus' plug collection!
Lily certainly sounds bored and a little depressed and quite unfulfilled at present: I hope as this story develops, we see her getting more out of life than she is at present.
This is a fabulous start to what I expect is going to be an absolutely brilliant story. I look forward to reading more!
Brax X
Author's Response:I'm so glad you like the way this story starts! It was pretty different for me, since I'd never done a prologue before, much less one that jumps back in time, so I'm glad to hear it's intriguing. Haha, and yeah I think a few other reviewers have mentioned it reminds them of Star Trek :P
Thank you, it's great to hear that you like Lily. I've had a lot of fun writing her and it means a lot to me that you like her voice and character after so soon of 'meeting' her in the story.
Hehehe yeah the names are like, my #1 peeve about the series. Naturally, it translated into sarcasm in the form of a character, but yeah, that's some clear author bias coming through XD. BUT YES, isn't it weird? Harry did not think it out. And yeah, Hyacinth is a bit much :P
Someone had to continue Arthur's tradition!
Yeah, Lily is definitely unhappy with aspects of her life right now. A story's got to start somewhere!
I'm so happy that you like this start to the story! Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely review!
And now we have a chapter dedicated to Julie! It's so lovely to see how many people love and helped you on this story, it makes me all the more glad to finally be here.
Ooh the Ministry lets in Muggles now. This is a universe I totally want to live in, one where there's no Statute of Secrecey...*dreamy sigh*
Reading about the receptionist trying to spin her wand on its tip made me think instantly of fidget spinners. Dammit. What even are those things.
There's a wand shop in Australia?! Baby I am so there.
There's just so many things that could happen in this universe and so many possibilities and they all have me on the edge of my seat, and now I see how this story is called addicting all the time D:
Excellent pun. I approve. Also the 'Lance a lot.' Excellent.
But oh no, poor Marta :( What has this universe done to her?
Author's Response:Yay! I'm glad that you're here too!
A world with no Statute of Secrecy sounds kind of amazing. Magic everywhere! Sidenote, every time I try to type that it comes out as "Statue" of Secrecy and I always woncder what such a statue would look like. Or would it be so secret that you can never see the statue? Help.
I have no idea what a fidget spinner is. Literally, I have never even heard of them before. Just Googled it though. Does it spin on its own? I was always a fan of the low-tech spinning a pen in your hand :p
Ehehehe, I'm glad you enjoy all the possibilities of what can happen in the parallel universe and that you find the story exciting, thanks! :D
yeah, for all the cool changes in this universe, there are others who haven't fared too well. :(
Thanks so much for your review!
Happy Kristin appreciation month! ♥
I'm happy to have a chance to be back to this story! I haven't forgotten about it, I promise.
I really love Lily as a narrator. I think I mentioned this in my previous review, but she's so relatable and her inner monologue cracks me up. I love that she's procrastinating on her job hunt, that's definitely so realistic. I love even more that she's not looking to use her father's name to get a job, but I can understand what Lance is saying; she'd be a great influence in any community.
LOL, Marta! She cracks me up. She comes on a bit strong, but there are absolutely people like that in real life, and it's nice to see them represented in fic. It's hilarious that she's got a crush on Harry and her general personality is fantastic. I think she's going to do a lot to break Lily out of her head/her shell, especially once Iris gets married.
Julian Thomas. Any relation to Dean, I wonder? :D
I like how low-key her evening was, and Lance seems a bit interested in her! Or perhaps I'm just off-base and they're just friendly neighborhs/friends. I also think it's hilarious that they call him Neighbour Lance. So true to what my friends and I would do.
Hmm, a mysterious cube... you probably shouldn't have touched that, Lily!
Another great chapter! Hopefully I'll be back to leave you at least another review or two♥
Author's Response:Thank youuuu!
I'm so glad you like Lily as a narrator! It's been kind of an interesting experience writing a science fiction story from the POV of a character you normally wouldn't find in sci-fi. And haha, yeah, procrastinating on the job hunt had a lot to do with the author projecting onto her characters :P I'm glad Lily is relatable!
Marta definitely comes on strong, yeah :P I'm very glad you like her though! And let's be real, so many people would probably have celebrity crushes on Harry after he saved the wizarding world.
Julian Thomas is indeed related to Dean. He is Dean and Seamus' son. ;)
Low key evenings are the type of evening Lily likes best, which is why she and Iris are such good flatmates as they're both such introverts! :P As for who likes who, I'll give you another few chapters to decide :P I'm glad you appreciated their nickname for Lance though :D
No, she definitely shouldn't have touched it... But then there would be no story!
Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely review!
Kristin! Tag! ♥
Okay, so I don't normally read time travel fics, BUT I've heard so much about this that when I caught you in tag, I knew I had to give this a shot. (I'm not even sure if it's technically time travel, but I'm curious enough anyway!)
I love this prologue. It gives us a great sense of not just Lily's character, but also the Wotter clan as a whole. I love her narration and she's the sort of person I'd love to hang out with. It's amazing to me (although it shouldn't be) how much life you've breathed into these characters just by this prologue. I chuckled at Albus collecting plugs, and Lily's comments about her parents choosing the worst names ever (because LET'S BE REAL, she's right). I loved this line in particular: Yep, that's me - Lily Luna Potter... because my parents, who are brilliant enough to save the wizarding world, were apparently not creative enough to think of original names for any of their three children.
So I loved the humor in this and I absolutely love the idea behind Remembrance Day. It's definitely a thing that would happen, and I love that to Lily, it's just a normal day because she's unemployed, but she's still very much thinking about the war and the impact it had on her life. I like that she doesn't enjoy her fame and doesn't want to live off of it, but she's not like, super mopey about it. Does that make sense? I hope so!
Anyway, I loved this intro (I don't know if you could count by the amount of times I used the phrase "I love this" :P) and can't wait to see where this story goes. I'm going to add it to my bookmarks, though I'll warn you I'm the WORST at following through, but I am super super intrigued by this.
♥
Author's Response:Jill you wonderful person! ♥ Thank you so much! Wow, I don't know how you would have heard so much about it, considering I only manage to write new chapters like once every two months :P But I really appreciate you even choosing to read this despite the genre not really being your cup of tea. (And yeah as you said, it's not time travel, not really. I guess the best term for it is just 'alternate universe', in a literal sense :P . Or more generally, sci-fi.)
I'm so glad you liked the prologue and the character introductions. That's so great to hear that you like Lily's narration, and I really appreciate what you said about how much life is breathed into the characters - thank you! That means a lot to me, as I think characterization is really important (especially in sci-fi, because that genre naturally lends itself to weird, unrealistic things happening and it's always much easier to get into when the characters at least are believable :P) Okay and yes, it is no secret that I think the next gen Potter/Weasley names are uninspired at best, and at worst terrible :p ALBUS SEVERUS? he was probably teased for years. anyway, I'm glad you appreciated that :P
Thank you, I'm glad you like Remembrance Day as well! Since we have all sorts of those days in the Muggle world, commemorating the end of wars etc, it felt perfectly natural to me that wizards would have one too for what was a pretty huge event in their history. And, like in real life as well, those who didn't live through it can be a bit disconnected from what it all represents, which is why it's mostly just a normal day for Lily until she sees the picture and starts to think about it.
Thank you so much for your review! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this prologue :)
Omg she lost the cube!!! How is she going to get home?! Is she going to want to go home at all?!
"I'm not usually like this." Well, I should hope not Lily, or you'd be awfully rude.
WAIT, Lance is Cho Chang's son? Did I miss that earlier or are we just finding out now? Either way, I love it! Yay he's a Hufflepuff! At least he's a wizard so he knows that this sort of thing could be possible. Oh, and he's in the Department of Mysteries still. Cool! Maybe he can help her figure out how to get home!
OH MY THOR Colin made it to head of Aurors! GO COLIN I LOVE YOU! Wow, everyone is doing much better in this world, since they're, you know, alive and everything.
Ooh this is so amazing, I wonder what else has changed! I'm absolutely loving this, K! Very addicting! <3
Author's Response:Those are good questions. Obviously I'm not going to answer them here though :P
Yeah- that's the first time it's mentioned that Lance is Cho Chang's son. Originally I didn't intend him to be a main character and then he suddenly was, which is why that wasn't mentioned before. Also because it wasn't relevant before. :P Yay for Puffs!
Colin :'( Yeah there are a lot more people alive in this world. My way of letting everyone live without changing canon!
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story ♥
Aw how lovely that this chapter is dedicated to Chi <3
What the heck is that dolphin tamer movie hahaha!
"A strange cube full of fantasies" - otherwise known as fanfiction on Bianca's phone. How cool to think that the cube has similar properties to a Pensieve.
Where is Lily indeed?! Only one way to find out! *scurries to next chapter*
Author's Response:I don't even know what that dolphin tamer movie is XD. I cannot explain its existence in this story except I was probably tired when I wrote that bit. But I'd probably watch it if it were real!
yesss haha what a great analogy! although since you compared your phone to a cube I'm now hoping it's one of those early cell phones from the 90s that were like bricks, aka ACTUAL cubes.
And yeah, I imagine the technology/magic involved in the cube probably built on Pensieve magic. Pensieve: The Next Generation, if you will.
Thanks for another awesome review!
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