[Ms Irate & Grumpy yet Gentler than Average Reader at your service]

[reenka]

I think I'm experiencing a resurgence of... something. Or other. Fandomy. I blame MsScribe!!1 >:O!!
    But anyway, I think furiosity's Don't Like? Don't Read! a Tragedie in Five Acts pretty much sums up my life in fandom :D :D Hahaha, I too was Ms Gentle Reader once upon a time. And then I read too many questionable fics of the same questionably plausible pairing for a questionably long time, 'tis true. *wibble*

What I wanted to say was-- though I have no problem with headers/warnings etc. in theory, I've never seen them as useful in the 'don't like, don't read' fangirl philosophy of avoiding fics I wouldn't like...
    

Sometimes (if I trust the source), I've enjoyed pairings that make no sense in theory and which I would've avoided, normally, based on warning alone (like Draco/Dumbledore) or scenarios I generally find squicky (like Lucius/Draco chan). Basically, what warnings don't address (beyond the obvious usefulness of pairing labels for shippers) is the question of quality, which is overriding in terms of what makes a fic readable. Not only that, even given pure writing quality, it doesn't address fanon characterization issues-- I mean, even if you did warn for fanon!Draco, say, it would depend on the author as to what that means in practice. (Meaning, very different characterizations are still fanon stereotypes, some more palatable than others to a particular reader.)

I think for some people, it -would- be enough to know a fic doesn't include their worst squicks (like, for me it would be deathfic & rapefic + ice-prince!Draco) and/or included their biggest kinks (for me it'd probably be stuff no one ever warns for, like snark & cute plot-devices like detentions or potions and such). Myself, I'd just be a lot more careful with stuff that really squicks me, as in, I'm less likely to trust an author I don't know, and more likely if the unknown wrote a favorite cliche of mine, like Harry & Draco need to fuck or the world will END (no one does that anymore, man). I mean, to me, my squicks are really a fuzzy line, 'cause many of the best H/D fics have included death, like Olympia's and Amalin's and Maya's, and a lot of the sexiest scenes for me walk the edge of consent (and it's really a toss up whether you could call it rape from another person's pov).
    (And need I even say that ice-prince!Draco is in nearly all the well-written/classic H/D I myself loved?)

More detailed things like reviews aren't reliable either, 'cause so much depends on a reviewer's individual bias. Just yesterday, I came across a glowing review of a popular fic I absolutely hate, written by an apparently intelligent reader in articulate terms. If anything, often the more 'intelligent' and articulate reviewers seem to go easier on fics than I do 'cause they focus more on the writing itself & less on canonical plausibility or stuff that's particular to a ship (like, how a particular fic reflects or comments on the ship, which always concerns me).

So basically I don't care about the things people warn for one way or another (like I've never read a fic I'd say had a true Mary Sue, no matter how white-washed Draco gets), and never get warnings for what really annoys me (like flowery writing, stupid fanon excuses, shmoopy sex, Sex God!Draco, etc). Possibly warnings are meant for more 'standard' readers... whatever -those- are. I don't know, really. Are there really People Who'll Read Anything Well-written or People Who Read For Kink & that's it?
~~

So many people hatin' on H/D fanon cliches here made me a happy, happy (less alone!) fanpoodle! :X!

Comments

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it's like... not so straightforward as 'crap'. I think many people act like I'm talking about some awful ff.net travesty when I talk about fics I can't stand, but really many popular well-written fics seriously seem unpalatable to me 'cause of characterization issues. It's well-written, so that sort of makes it insiduous, too, y'know? You keep thinking it'll get better 'cause it can't just be THAT BAD and be so popular, but of course it is. -.- Seriously, I can't even believe the stuff some people hold up as a shining example of H/D or whatever. Well-written, sure, but some of these fics have never been *spat* on by canon!Draco, and not in a cute cracky way :/ I suspect it's because if you get an emotional connection with a nice/sensitive/intelligent character, it stops mattering whether it's 'Draco', which... it upsets me :/

Maan... I wrote 2 (I can't believe it myself!) rapefics, both with full warnings 'cause they were PWPs & it wasn't like there was something -else- to read it for, y'know? So personally, I wouldn't warn for rape in a longfic, but in a PWP it seems like 'well, I don't wanna be flamed' or something, ahahah. It doesn't seem to be giving away plot-points in a PWP, anyway :> And the only deathfics I've written have -revolved- around the death, like-- the death was the point and the whole... subject, so that too would be obvious. Man, I should finish my Draco deathfic, I'm still prouder of that than most things. I probably would've had much more of an -audience- for it back when I wrote it (in like, 2003 or something!! jeez) but... anyway, getting off track ^^;;

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Neither can I. Then again, I've found it easier to stop resisting and just read the fics for what they are, especially if they're well-written. Just pretend it's not really them.

Yes, I can see you'd need a warning there -- I always think in terms of long/er fics, I guess. ♥

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

You know, if I was ballsy enough to actually use fic-names... okay, jeez, who cares :/ Hahah. Anyway, in a lot of ways Origins (ivyblossom's fic) is a great example of a fic where the Draco 'isn't really Draco', but it works for me because it really sets him up and focuses on his character. It's not a plot-centric fic at all. Maybe this used to be more common in the Good Old Days, 'cause Olympia's fics (with uber-fanon!Draco) were very character-centric as well. So while yes, they invited you to pretend it's 'not really them', they gave you the tools and means to do so.

Another example of a fic that works even though it's got iffy-canon characterizations is Underwater Light. I think it works because I can tell Maya really believes this is how it is-- it's her honest-to-god interpretation of canon. If people disagree with her Draco & call him uber-fanon (which they do), fine-- but to her, it's clear where he's coming from, which is canon. I'm totally fine with that-- and get very upset when a writer -tries- to tie the character with canon insincerely or weakly, while mostly just beating the fanon drum to the point of me thinking 'okay, this person's in -serious- denial about what fanon is'.

But. Then you come to the 'modern age' of H/D, with Transfigurations, Left My Heart, A Thousand Beautiful Things & Shadow of his Wings. Out of these, only Transfig really worked for me, and I believe it's because of its intenese personal focus on Harry. There was a plot, sure, but the fic really hung on Harry's issues & characterization in general in a way none of the others do. A lot of people whose taste I trust have knocked Transfig pretty hard, but it has that 'honest response to canon' thing in common with Underwater Light. I mean, the Draco actually -is- uber-fanon, but he seems sincere somehow. He seems -natural- and not transplanted.

I don't know if any of that makes sense. Maybe I'm just making up excuses for disliking all those fics :/

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

[taps pen on table]

Okay, forum here. I've read all this fics.

I read Origins at a very good time, because I was just into fandom, just into slash, and just into H/D. It really gelled with me. It was the first really full-on sex I'd ever read, too, which helped. At the time, the really big iffy thing was the godammn lists of smells. Everyone smelled of about ten thousand different things.

Maya's faith in all her characters is very clear, I see what you mean. Me, I'd write something one way to help the plot along but I don't really believe a word of it. That may be the main difference between she and I. :)

I don't think I finished Shadow because ... well, put it this way, I can't even remember what happened in it. Was it the one with the tents? Out of all of them though, I think I liked Transfig least. It wasn't Draco, because I could sorta buy that interpretation -- I just thought the author was a bit lazy and didn't want to make him as wanky as he really is, which is fine. Most people don't bother. It was Harry's characterisation I didn't like in that one. It all seemed so overplayed, that fic. I got to the end and just went 'Oh. Well.'

Then again, so few fics move me a lot these days. Left My Heart was okay, but I hated Hermione's children's names; I didn't fancy the sex scenes in ATBT. Then again, since Underwater Light, I've never expected to be wowed by anything. Even rereading that is a bit disappointing. The writing is still good, but my perception of it has changed.

So, like I say, I read for the sake of it now. I never felt as strongly about getting the characterisation 'IC' as you or Furiosity -- I just wanted to believe it. It takes very little to get me to believe. Hell, I was even stuck on that one where Draco skies and they get dressed up in period costume to go to Austenish dances -- what was it called? Meh. I don't know what else to say but that the power of someone's writing and their own belief in 'this is how it should go' are really the only things that count, in the end.

And also, you don't need a reason to hate something, same as you don't need a reason to like it!

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

*these fics

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Origins was my first 'real' H/D, 'cause Durendal's fics don't really count, ahahahahaha. Actually you should totally read 'How Harry Potter Got His Groove Back' if you haven't, because it may or may not be like, the funniest fic of ALL TIME. Heh. Ahhh, first impressions. I shall never get over the 'Draco Malfoy hated Tuesdays' thing. Why is that still funny??? I dunno, IT JUST IS. Also, have I recced you silviakundera's stuff?? Because she's seriously a genius (SNARKIEST CUTEST WIDDLE DRACO EVAR!!1), but everyone who knows my fic tastes on this knows I'm biased. I pretty much -worship- (the art of) people whose fics I really really like, I just... get really fangirly. It's embarrassing but I'm just... uh... enthusiastic, y'know :> Also, you'd probably like addictedkitten & stellabelle's fics, also with the snarky cuteness. And also Aspen (cute!) but don't tell her I said that :>

Um. Where was I...
Yes. I can actually see the over-the-topness of the Harry in Transfig, but taken in context-- he was grumpy and broody and whiny & resentful when most people were writing him all uber-adjusted & ridiculously forgiving and stuff. No one made him grumpy. It was really annoying. And then Resonant came along :))

And! See, I know I don't -need- reasons, I just -have- them, really. It's not even that I'm so ICness-obsessed like furiosity, I just... I have pet peeves. A lot of them. And bland, smooth-operator, sensible & unruffled Dracos like in ATBT and Shadow... it's... it's sort of like watching a bad remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers over and over again. And the sex in ATBT really -was- bad (I skipped to the end! Have only actually read a chapter). I didn't even read -that- much of Shadow, just saw how horrid its Draco was at first glance & could tell where it was going with the H/D (Harry's just so... starry-eyed and Draco's so cool-mysterious-Slytherin-sex-machine I want to HIT something... repeatedly).

I may remember the Austenish dances, but it's a reflection on H/D fandom that there are several like that. One is 'Facade', I believe, which I barely skimmed because it's worse than a Harlequin, and another is a rewrite of an Austen novel, I forget which one. Uh. I sorta liked that one, but then I sorta liked a lot of things when I first came to fandom. And! If just liking ICness was enough, I'd probably like furiosity's fics more than I do. Though I still like them more than ATBT, but then no fic gets me riled up like that one so I shouldn't compare... ^^;; I actually really like it when she does angry!dom-Harry!and-violent-sex!H/D... :>

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Oh, and didn't Aspen write a 90-chapter gen fic?

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHAH NOLAfaldkfjalsj;lfkdj She's never written anything longer than maybe 10 chapters, for that Muggle-dream AU with Krissy (as Mister Bear) :)) She writes short hot things like 'Quicksilver' (they're all at her locked comm, privetdrive now) and... other also really hot and also snarky and IC and cute yet not too cute yet also nostalgically-Hogwartsy with a nice Ron & Hermione & Ginny and... .....lhjfslakjfsalkf :))

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm thinking of Aspeninthesunlight on SH. Who is possibly cursescar? Oh, so confused. What is the point of having a locked comm, though? Or is she the one who pulled all her stuff off after something bad happened? ... O.o

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Nah, cursescar was always just Aspen, basically. And before that she was chiriko, but you probably don't remember that :> Hahah, she just wanted to control who read her fics without having to friend them all... I'm sure there's more than one person who pulled their fics after real life got too close-- but yeah, she totally fits that mold ^^;;

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

[blinks] Control ... who read your fics? Okay, I suppose in an RL context that matters ... meh, I've never got to that point. I'm too gratified when someone even reads my stuff. I don't think I've ever read her; probably because I mixed her up with Aspen and sunlight and I didn't like the look of that one. Gen fic does NOT bloat my stoat.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Well, most people don't get to that point... probably 'cause if they do, we don't hear about them & they 'disappear', most of the time ><;;;; Heh. But! You have to read Quicksilver (http://web.archive.org/web/20040730124457/http://papermoon.velveteen.net/quicksilver.html) <3<3<3<3 SWORDS + H/D = OTP <3<3 *sigh*

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Have it open now ... [glee]

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

I trust you got the email notification for that last one? ;)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Yes, haha, though I may as well repost here? Um, this entry is locked, which is why I was talking about this in the first place, and I definitely don't have people friended if I don't like their Draco :)) I KNOW I'M BAD :(( I seriously... it's a thing :))

I think Durendal continued that fic, actually! Though I don't think it was as good, so maybe it's almost better that she didn't? Er. But. I just really like her style of humor ^^;; I'm helpless before her. It's sad :/ I don't think most parody works for me either if it's stuff like Little Britain, but Durendal's stuff never came across that way-- it's more... sekritly serious??! I dunno, it's got that undercurrent of seriousness in there, which can be as interesting as serious-fic-that's-funny. I think when you're seriously funny (ummm) you can't help but touch upon 'real' issues, or something, y'know? Whereas compared to that, parody is shallow because it doesn't have its -own- content or something ^^;;

Oh, I don't find ATBT 'terribly bad', I just hate the Draco characterization (in the first chapter... which is all I read, but). It's all in what you focus on, I suppose :> I'm totally unaware of anything longish dragon_charmer wrote besides Resolutions, which... that's whole 'nother... um... bag... *cough*

...it's true that F's aren't always IC, but she usually labels the crack :))

In terms of blanking out flaws... I think there are short fics that are absolutely brilliant enough to blank out any flaws-- I mean, biased as I am, etc. Like, weatherby's 'Red' is OMG YES (3rd-year H/D... seriously, man). I really love and adore Silvia's 'Butter and Pigtails', so I'm probably REALLY BIASED, but it just doesn't hit a wrong note, and neither does 'And I Get By', which is a more serious fic of hers. Then there's Aja's 'Atrophy' and 'Twelfth Night', which I have a ridiculous (and unpopular) amount of affection for, but neither missed a note. There are definitely nearly-flawless H/D fics by Aspen (cursescar, mistress of boys-acting-like-boys and uber-hot-porn besides), Amalin (her mood pieces are just so... well-sustained), and I've always thought Maya's longish darker pieces were dead-on, especially 'Dark Side of Light', which sort of blew my mind. And before she got really bitter about Harry & H/D, hackthis used to write -really- tight, killer short pieces and series like this one (http://www.obsessedmuch.net/dysfunctional/table.html). She really had a tendency to nail whatever mood/characterization/situation she wrote about, it was uncanny, and her angst was just... DUDE. It killed me. Man, I used to love so many writers :/

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Resolutions! That's the one I was totally hooked to! That's my problem. I can read a story as happy as a clam, and then get to the end and realise 'Man. That was fucked up.' I wholeheartedly endorse each and every writer's view of the characters while I'm reading their stories. Mostly that's enough to get me hooked and to ignore the canon betrayal. If I don't like the writing ... that's when the trouble starts.

Amalin, Amalin. You mention her a lot. Is she gone from fandom?

"Your Every Desire" chilled me to the bone. I still have nightmares about it. Me, I am not a horror and gore sort of girl. I like romcoms. But still, I'm glad I read that one.

Must check that one out ...

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hahah, I remember when -I- liked Resolution, dude ^^;;; Well, at some point it just got too much for me, but okay, I thought the porn was hot ><;; I MEAN, that was the first... um... thigh!sex I read, okay, ahahahalkfjsadl;kjfadlkj *coughs* ANYWAY. Yeah, I read a lot of fics in my early days (aka my first 2 years in fandom) which now... seem embarrassing, but I can also see the good in them. I'd probably still find the thigh!sex hot ><;; I AM SORRY, GOD :( Basically, it's not so much with the 'canon betrayal' and more with the WTF CRACK IS THIS? (evil!Ron... need I say more) which goes beyond that somehow...

But yeah, 'Your Every Desire' is scary as fuck. Hard to find a flaw in it other than that though, isn't it :> :>

You should also read 'Red (http://bloom.velveteen.net/red.html)' by Miss Breed, or that wanking fic that's also on her site, though the wankfic is less with the classic!H/D and more with the IC wanking. Heh. Amalin... yeah, was like one of the first 5 H/D writers I found, and there's a list of her stuff here (http://monochromal.livejournal.com/67726.html), though most of what -I- read, she links at the bottom at her website. I dunno how it holds up characterization-wise (her longfic-- the one at the top-- that one does, but the other old H/D ficlets are just REALLY well-written. uh. *cough*)

I'm really a style-whore who got burned too many times :/

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Yes. Evil!Ron -- even I was a bit 'Dude, whoa, I don't want to think of Ron being a nasty pureblood kthanx'.

Very hard. Very very hard.

Ah yes, monochromal! I remember her very last longfic coming out (I did not read it). I'm a bit bored with the H/D dynamic nowadays, frankly. Everyone is so keen to write worthy, non leather pants wearing or sex gods that ... well ... it's a bit dull.

Or maybe I just want more spin the bottle fics. I think they're so cute.

I'm really a style-whore who got burned too many times

Hehehe. (I don't know why that's funny.)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, I actually think most people's idea of post-HBP!H/D is boring also ^^;; I'm not for being upright & 'proper', just less cracky and badly done :P I think, actually, my favorite H/D fic-writers (Silvia Kundera, Aspen, Breed, Aja, Sara, Maya & Trin & Ivy too I guess)... anyway, they mostly wrote cute, funny/porny snarky things that still managed to be... connected with what I thought of as reality, though I may have been wrong. Aspen and Sara especially mostly just write (really good!) porn :))

...See, see, people TRY to be better but really they just get worse :/ Like, seriously, they may talk the talk (and they don't really talk -my- talk anyway), but no one walks the walk. HBP isn't the best soil for cute H/D, but then no one agreed with me about the wonderousness about OoTP!H/D anyway... but yes. Aspen & Sara/addictedkitten = good porn, that's really what's important.

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Where would we be without the porn?

Probably in some grotty little newsagents, but I digress.

Really, I just wish kabeyk would write more anything.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Me too! Except by 'anything', I really mean 'R/S', 'cause I'm picky and OTPish like that ^^; And also 'cause James is straight in my head even though I liked that James/Snape she did a lot... I actually like the idea of James/Snape & wish more people wrote it :( But then I liked James/Lucius ones upon a time (Amalin wrote it!). I sort of hate other people liking Remus and him liking them back, that's what it comes down to. BAD REMUS, BAD! NO BISCUIT!

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

I'm all about the James/Sirius, babe! (So was K, initially, but there's not a big market for those fics.) The problem with James is always Lily. Unless it's AU. MORE AU I SAY.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Well, it's better than Remus/James, I dunno why, hehe. I don't mind the idea-- they're certainly close enough!-- but it's hard to picture James without Lily being -James-, somehow, since he did like her since 2nd year or whatever. It would just be weird, like... it would change a -lot- of things. Plus if Sirius didn't like-like Remus (which is probably canon... er..) it's kind of depressing, y'know. I mean, it -is- depressing, but less depressing with S/R, 'cause... I just feel like it's hard to both focus on J/S and have Remus be important and not become another Peter, even though Remus -did- distrust Sirius in the end. Argh, my head... -.-;;

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

[pets] All Marauder era fic is a dead end anyway. What this fandom needs is ... multicoloured werewolf babies!!!

[scoradh.livejournal.com]

Hackthis is Zahra! God, I remember reading just about every fic on her site before veelainc closed. My only problem was that none of her fics were long enough.