Er, am I the only one...

[swiftsnowmane]

....who does NOT like fan fiction?:confused:

Maybe I am the only one. But the amount of Harry Potter fan fiction I have seen online disturbs me for some reason. (Especially the slash stuff) Now I'm not saying fan fiction should NEVER be written. If it is kept....well, private, its ok with me. Now, I'm not even talking about legal copyright stuff here, I'm merely stating my humble opinion on HP fan fiction. To me, fan fiction in general seems to undermine the actual story. *sigh* I know I am in the minority on this, but this is how I feel.

Perhaps people just get sick of waiting for the next book so they decide to write something themselves? There seems to be an overload of it right now. I just don't see the appeal. I have read decent fan fiction, but it is few and far between, and I just prefer to stay away from it. Most of it sickens me. Especially all the sexual stuff in the HP ones. *shudder* I'm sure some is heartfelt and well meaning, but....

I guess this is all just what happens on the internet (get used to it Swifty! :P)

Maybe I am generalizing and being prejudice. I don't know. But I just hear about fan fiction so much, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who doesn't read it....

I really have no say in what people do anyway, so nobody mind me.:rolleyes:

(Please do not be offended if you happen to write/read fan fiction. I am not attacking any specific example or anyone's work.)

This is probably in the wrong forum. I wasn't really sure where to put it. :o

~Swifty (Sorry about the rant)

[Kristin]

I think this can be an okay place for this... if you want to talk about fan fiction as it relates to the official books. (I think that a lot of fan fiction is at least partly based in speculation about what happens next.)

Personally, I've never been interested in fan fiction, even the good stuff. And I'm sure there's good fan fiction out there. Good fan fiction has one essential quality: It's true to the books and the characters. (If you don't like the books enough to stay true to them, are you really writing "fan" fiction?) I really don't like the stories that would have Malfoy falling in love with Harry (or even Malfoy falling in love with Hermione).

I completely agree with you swiftsnowmane. I don't enjoy fan fiction, and I find a lot of the stuff out there (especially the slash stuff) to be pretty disturbing.

[lithorose]

I don't like fan fiction either. Most of the time, that is. Most of it does undermine the story and the characters. I've only read one fanfic that was *good*, and it was surprisingly enough about Legolas.
I don't like fanfic for the same reason I don't like the more professional variety (like the Star Trek or Star Wars 'extra' or 'forgotten' tales). I don't like reading about the future lives of the characters. I prefer to imagine it myself. That goes for unwritten 'biographies' as well.
And often internet fanfic is poorly written and the writers have a poor grasp of character. This doesn't bother me too much because they are mostly young/inexperienced writers. It's good practice for them. Fanfic is a lot more fun to write than to read, I think.
And I don't like fanfic dealing with personal sexual fantasies of the writer. I just don't. As for HP, a lot of the fanfic (slash and otherwise) is really child-porn. The characters are not even teenagers in the movies! IMO nobody has any business writing it. But it is the internet and fanfic will exist.

But there is the occasional good fic, like this one: http://www.tolkienonline.com/docs/6599.html
As with all fanfic read at your own peril:)

p.s. this may get more responses in a different forum. The Pony, or Tales from Rivendell and Beyond, perhaps?

[Seriphus]

I really dislike HP fanfiction. I haven't read much of it, as I was put off early on. I don't really like to read about the characters when they're so far off the originals. I'd rather read about the authors own characters.

[Elfëa]

I read fanfiction, but I understand people who don't. I understand why people dislike it. But to me, it's fun to read. :)
But I do not think the characters as the book characters or the movie ones - they're characters of the fanfiction writer, who's borrowing the world of JKR. :)

But then again, I'm right now preparing for my CritLit exam and reading stuff and thinking that it's the reader who makes the text come alive. :) The reader creates the meaning to the text by interpretating it. And everyone interprets things differently, as we are all different. :p So every readers Harry is different => fanfiction writers image of Harry is different -> she/he may present him differently from her image -> we read about different Harry.

Loads of fanfiction bases on the speculations, but I think even more, especially of the good fics, are based on Alternetive Universe, as we do not know how the series will end.

Personally, I stay away from teacher/student fics, which really sound sick to me, but I don't mind smut IF the characters are post Hogwarts aka over 17!
Slash is a different thing, but if it goes to sexual relationships, the rule of +16/17 applies. And I go by the rules of my country, where over 16 years olds are allowed to have sexual relationships legally. :rolleyes: (I don't know better way to word this..)


And I read loads of fanfiction. But stay away from badly written ones. :p If you read what good authors link, good writers link to good ones - they have no reason to link to bad ones, you find nice pieces of fiction.
For example Cassie Claire - well known in LotR internet fandom for her Very Secret Diaries - writes good Harry Potter fanfiction (:)) and stuff she links to is mostly good (I haven't read it all, yet :p). VSD are short, but her HP fic is a trilogy and all the parts are novel lenght... :D

[Melancthe]

I don't like HP fanfic much either. I don't feel that the characters bear any resemblance to the ones we know and love - there are also too many badly written fics out there to wade through to find the good ones. Although Cassandra Claire's Draco series is one of the good ones, as someone previously mentioned. If it's recommended to me, I'll read it, but other than that, I won't make any effort to seek it out.

[Ravenclaw]

I actually find it funny that Cassie Claire is more or less a celebretiy among HP fan ficers and even a little among the LotR crowd. Many authors/readers I've spoken to have told me they've either seen her story around at some site, or they've read it. Though there are many who haven't heard of her... I myself have never read her famous Draco Series :o... Perhaps I'm the only one who's noticed her fame.

Sometimes writers like that, I believe, should get out, write something original and creative, and publish it. I mean, all I hear about her is praise and that's got to mean something.

In defense of fan fiction and yet agreeing with you at the same time... (?) I would like to say (as been stated) that writing styles are like signatures. Everyone has a different style of writing (which goes with the Shakespear/Marlowe rumors... which are quite confusing which someone explains all the evidence on it...) And as Elfëa said, everyone interprets things differently.

There are billions of people who love fan fiction, like it, dislike, or hate it. It's like, I love to read anything I can get my hands on and write anything I can think of but my friend hates both. I know some people who don't like fan fiction (mainly mine... stuff I wrote in seventh grade that is absolutely horrible and am ashamed to admit it) and their reasons for it is because they had bad experiances with it in the past (ahem, again, my old OLD stuff). I don't think it was about HP though... tv show....

And the authors know they can not recreate JK Rowling's writing style or her ideas or plans. But... it's fun to try and make their OWN version. Kind of like... um, let's see... um... I don't know, Rembrant and a student of his. The student could never creat the masterpieces his teacher can paint, but he can try. And though it may be no Rembrant, it's a pretty dang good piece of work (most of the time.)

In my experiance with HP fan fic about 75% of it is gag-worthy. :barf:

But there is that 25% still out there that isn't. For instance, there's a series by, um... lethe medusa called Demons Amongst Us... Now, it's a slight AU, but it's incredibly well-written... You have to shuffle away the smut and unrealistic fan fiction to reach the gold. I wen panning for gold once... didn't find much... AHEM!

BUT, if you just don't like the idea of fan fiction in general, completely understood. It's actually a nice quality, I think. Not settling for anything less than the real thing... May sound picky, but it might help you in other things in life.

To those who are mostly against fan fiction, (mainly Swifty since she seemed nervous) From a writer of both fan fiction and non, your words were chosen thoughtfully and diplomatically and no offense was intended and none was taken.

I myself don't ever read, let alone WRITE, anything remotely sexual (beyone a little kiss or two as TEENAGERS do). I barely write romantic stuff at all and when I do, it's usually implied. I also used to avoid slash fan fics until a friend of mine forced me to read one. But to my surprise, it wasn't the kind that I had stumbled upon before.

A well-written, G-rated slash fic is OK by me. I'm not accusing anyone here of having a closed mine, really, but I have an open one. I think it's my TCK qualities coming in here... And my World Cultures class... I hate that teacher... ANYWAYS, what I mean is, generally, I don't read slash either. Except that one time that made me appreciate it a little more.

[Nandor Nymph]

I like parodies. Such as the VSD....things that are meant to be funny and completely unlike the character. If done right it's funny and silly. I tend to dislike the serious ones that are trying to make the characters be like 'themselves' but are clearly being changed to the author's liking. Then again everyone sees things differently.

Have never been a huge fan of slash myself, although haven't had much curiosty to check it out much.

Believe it's very true that it's usually more fun to write than read.

In general, I like the silly parodies.

[ValaSarah]

Just wanted to chime in that I agree with what Ravenclaw stated. I love the way you put into words what I've been thinking about for the past week or so.

Until last week, I hadn't read any HP fanfic. Then I stumbled upon the official Warner Bros. Harry Potter Site, and decided to read why all these fans think Harry would be good w/ Ginny.

To be honest, I found them hillarious. Not to insult anyone who has posted there (I haven't read too many), but I found myself laughing outloud at work about how unrealistic the fan's idea of romance and relationship building would be, not to mention how out of Character some of the Characters were, even while they were trying to make it seem "business as usual" in the JKR world.

I guess, to some, it might be a good way of imagining what an affectionate relationship might be like, if they haven't experienced it before. In that light, perhaps it's a good exercise to write out their feelings.


But I agree, reading it (unless you read it for it's camp value)is not as enjoyable.


Just my thoughts. I dont mean to insult anyone. I've been contemplating writing what I think might be realistic for someone who is 15, has had a completely unaffectionate life, and is constantly having attempts taken at his life...but then, perhaps I'll just wait until July *hope hope hope* and read how JKR thinks it should go.


~Vala

[Rivenlas]

Originally posted by Ravenclaw


Sometimes writers like that, I believe, should get out, write something original and creative, and publish it. I mean, all I hear about her is praise and that's got to mean something.



AMEN!

Alright, I happen to like some fanfiction (yours is good, Raven!). And I have even written a little. But for the most part, I feel a little like I'm wasting my time because I'd rather be working on a novel. Also I feel a little cheap, and uncreative, which is bad of me because some people who write the fanfic are amazingly creative.

However, for me to like it, fanfic has to be well-written and have a comprehendible plot.

[WillowFae]

I don't read much, because I haven't liked a lot of what I have read.

In order to write good fan fic I think you need to be a VERY good writer. You are using someone else's characters and in order to do it properly you need to be able to think like the author that created them and write as if in their shoes.

However, having said that I have done some - but only as a writing exercise and it will never see the light of day!

[Seriphus]

In order to write good fan fic I think you need to be a VERY good writer. You are using someone else's characters and in order to do it properly you need to be able to think like the author that created them and write as if in their shoes. I think that's my problem with HP fan fiction, the ones I have read haven't felt as if they've been written by JKR. Not even close. I'm sure there are good writers out there, but I've never read their work.
I like parodies. Such as the VSD....things that are meant to be funny and completely unlike the character. If done right it's funny and silly. I tend to dislike the serious ones that are trying to make the characters be like 'themselves' but are clearly being changed to the author's liking. Then again everyone sees things differently. I like parodies too, especially the VSDs and J-Girls Big Brother. For some reason the few pieces of LOTR fan fiction I have read have been very good and quite close to Tolkiens style. HP fan fiction doesn't seem to work in the same way.


Serphy

[Elfëa]

There is a difference writing original fiction and fanfiction (duh, of course, but that's not what I meant.)

There are reasons why pro-writers like Cassie C. write fanfiction, not only it's fun to write - especially parodies - but it also gives the writer freedom use quotes and situations from various sources and use them "as her/his own".

To write anything good, you have to be a good writer, it comes down not only in fanfiction but also in fiction general. :)

There's been articles lately of closing down HP slash sites, but I must say I'm against it. Because gay relationships aren't wrong. But after reading some of the articles, it feels that general public still thinks same sex relationships inferior... Which I do not understand.

I do not understand how could we see the fanfiction characters as the same as JKR's, because (as I've said before) the author of the fanfic uses the characters s/he sees in the book. Every reader sees the characters differently.
This, of course, doesn't include AU fics or fics where the characters are, according the author, OOC.

I started writing HP fic not so long ago and I was fighting with myself for long time while writing the begining could it be an original novel. Until I realised that it wasn't anything publish worthy, nothing but a love story, so I gave up to my wanting and wrote it as fanfiction.

And another case, not so long ago, it was opposite :p I started fanficlet and it became a nice short story, without being a fanfic at all :)

75% of all fanfiction is usually gag-worthy. :) I've read not only HP fanfiction but also when I was younger some band fanfictions... :eek: (That's actually scary, writing fanfiction about RL characters!) Then I learned ways how to find good fiction :) And even after my obsession with that certain band, which Remains Unnamed here, was over, I still kept reading the good fiction. Because it was nothing but good fiction. I did not think the fanfiction as stories of the RL characters, but as literary characters. They weren't the same thing.
That's same with HP fanfiction. However OOC the characters are it's okay, because they aren't the same characters. They share world, or alternative world.

For some reason, I can't read LotR fiction, except parodies... :confused:

[Kristin]

Does anybody remember this: On the old site, we had a poster who gave a link to some cartoons he had done. They were little Harry Potter comic strips -- so I think I'd put them in the same category as fan fiction (though they weren't your traditional fan fic). They were very well drawn and very true to the characters! :) (I remember one where a potion explodes and Hermione is nervously asking what the effect on Harry was... Boils? Scales? The response was "No, worse. Bunny ears!" and the last panel showed Harry with bunny ears.) All of the comics were very cute, intelligent and funny. (Does anybody happen to know where I could find those again?)

[Colli]

Most of the time, I don't like fanfiction. ESPECIALLY slash.. it's disgusting.

But Raven, your stories are entertaining... the HP fan fic that stays truest to the characters is very nice. I enjoy reading short fanfic stories every now and then in between books. The stuff Fleur and everyone posted on Imladris was fabulous.

But I don't usually read it... it's too hard for people to capture the true essence of the characters, and I mostly prefer JKR's writing style.

The exceptions, of course, are still there. I adore the Very Secret Diaries and the old Big Brother series. Parodies are cool. :) Ainsley's a good fanfiction writer, too, and her parodies are hilarious.

Anyway, I read this article about HP slash yesterday from The Scotsman:

IT IS the type of conduct that would have him expelled from Hogwarts in a flash. Boy wizard Harry Potter is being cast as a gay porn star on the internet.

The craze, which has attracted the attention of author JK Rowling’s lawyers, features the schoolboy sorcerer in explicit gay sex stories for the benefit of heterosexual women.

The so-called ‘slash’ fiction portrays Potter in uncompromising scenarios with other male characters from the hugely-successful books. These include Draco Malfoy, his arch enemy, and the sinister potions teacher Professor Severus Snape.

Lawyers for Rowling have now written to the internet firms which provide the websites asking for them to be shut down because they fear the explicit material could be read by children.

While most of the young fans of the fictional wizard are eagerly awaiting the publication of the fifth book in series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a steady stream of risqué and sometimes obscene material aimed at adults is being published on the internet.

On one website, Potter’s detention turns out to be much more unorthodox than writing a hundred lines: "Snape rolled his stool to where his student was sitting. He leaned closer until their faces were a centimetre apart. ‘Still answering back, Mr Potter! I think I should teach you a lesson.’

"Harry couldn’t suppress the grin that spread on his face. ‘I’m sure I’ll enjoy your lessons,’ he said seductively."

Another reads: "To Harry’s surprise Draco leaned over and kissed him on the lips, firmly yet gently ...

"Before Harry had a chance to react, Draco pulled away and took a step back. He surveyed Harry’s dazed look and Ron’s dismayed expression with a detached amusement…"

Other examples are far more explicit and too bawdy to be reproduced here.

Potter and his Hogwarts companions have fast become the most popular focus of the genre with more than 1,000 web sites devoted to material involving the youngster with supernatural powers.

The Potter pornography is written by, and is mainly for, straight women. The term ‘slash’ refers to the internet convention of using a stroke or slash to signify a same-sex relationship between two characters, such as Potter/Snape or Potter/Malfoy.

The most popular pairings are between characters who dislike each other and whose relationships are characterised by tension and suspicion. The scenarios vary widely, from light-hearted romances to hardcore sadomasochism.

Louise Hale, founder of Writers University, a guide to internet fan fiction, defended the slash fiction websites, arguing that they give budding authors the opportunity to explore themes that would not feature in the original books.

She said: "Many people can see some subtext between characters like Harry Potter and Draco: ‘Look. They tend to obsess over each other. They are enemies. That must be sexual tension.’

"It is doubtful that JK Rowling sees it that way, but fan fiction gives fans a chance to explore the ‘what if’ scenario."

Explaining the appeal of the craze, Hale added: "Many of the people writing slash are younger and some are unsure of their sexuality. Fan fiction is a way to explore their sexuality in a setting that is familiar and comfortable to them."

One slash writer, known as Savidana, said: "Slashers are not bent on corrupting the human soul, nor are they writing pornography about little boys.

"Very few of the authors will write anything that involves underage boys ."

The author of works including Do as the Prefect Says added: "It gives fans something to fill their heads with while people sit waiting desperately for the all too elusive Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to show its face."

Most slash fiction carries a content warning and a disclaimer, explaining who holds the copyright to the original work it is based on.

Savidana insisted the warnings were "adequate enough to deter the majority of any young Harry Potter fans from happening upon something that may not be suitable for them".

But last night Neil Blair, a lawyer at Christopher Little, Rowling’s literary agent condemned the craze, warning that it could corrupt "innocent fans", most of whom are children.

He said: "It is almost like running a porno bookshop in Soho and encouraging kids to come in through advertising with sweets."

Blair added that both his firm and lawyers from Warner Brothers, which owns the film rights to the Harry Potter series, had written to internet service providers (ISPs) asking for the websites to be shut down. He said: "Both we and Warner Brothers have been proactive in respect to inappropriate sites, writing to all the ISPs alerting them to the issue even before any material is spotted."

Blair added that ISPs had a "social responsibility" to protect children from pornographic stories involving Potter.

A spokesman for the Internet Service Providers Association said: "The difficulty is the issue of whether it’s illegal material. ISPs can’t act as judge and jury. The people who take responsibility for this material are the publishers. The ISPs can’t possibly keep tabs on everything of this nature."

The spokesman advised parents to use computer filters to prevent children accessing inappropriate websites. He added: "They should also choose an ISP that offers safety controls and ‘walled gardens’ where the content has been reviewed. Also, parents should take an interest in what their child is looking at, and they should spend time surfing together."

Fiona Nicolson, intellectual property and technology expert with the Glasgow-based law firm MacLay, Murray and Spens, explained that it is often difficult to take legal action against websites carrying slash fiction. She said: "Individual website owners or producers are the obvious targets.

"However, such individuals or organisations are often extremely difficult to trace and can move their sites quickly and easily. The problem is compounded somewhat by the fact that worldwide regulation varies from countries with rigid codes of practice or trust schemes to countries with no protections at all."

[Elfëa]

The thing is as long as the writers stay with book characters and not with movie, Time-Warner can't do anything... at least so was said on the few ficlists I'm lurking...

And it really sounds homofobic and against only slash. And that really makes me ANGRY :mad: cause I believe, (one of the things I really do believe) that your sexuality shouldn't matter. I mean that gay/lesbian couples should be as accepted as hetero. *shrugs*
Somethings in the world are just so hatefull :(

edit: if they were end all the explict scenes they should do it to both het and slash...

edit: reading a fine piece, PG-13 or G, slash... It really doesn't matter. Not to me anyway. It's not about two boys, even if its in a way, but it's about relationship. Companionship. Love sometimes, but true love is hard to find... Het or gay. *determined smiley*

Edit: HP fandom is not the first one to write slash - nor it won't be the last. How could anyone end fanfic writing? I mean, fanfic writers have been around since the Star Wars and Star Trek fandoms beging... or long, that I know of :).
Somehow I couldn't imagine myself reading Spock/Kirk... but anyhow... :p Okay. I'll shut up here and wait someone to post.

And please people, who don't like fanfic, I don't mean to offend you, but somehow this thing has grown near my heart. :) I do understand people are different. - again, everyone reads everything differently... (sheesh, I keep repeating that even when the exam is finally over... :rolleyes: )

[Fleurdelacour]

I remember that Kristin! :d So long ago, but they were hilarious! It was the first thing that intoduced me to fanfiction/art :)


JKR told me that she loved people writing fan fiction (well she told me on a webchat a few years ago!) she said she thought it was wonderful that her little stories have inspired others :D So I doubt she'd take legal action anyway! There's nothing wrong with slash, same as different sex couples as far as I'm concered... It's just more interesting. Ron and Draco would never happen in the books!

I love fan fiction. I wrote tonnes Christmas 2000, good ones too, I kept on getting emails from people asking me where I get my ideas from, and when am I gonna put the next bit up. I loved reading reviews, people saying they couldn't stop laughing, or couldnt stop crying (that was worrying.... ;) ) I write for pleasure, or I used too...

They're all gone for good, my fan fics... The computer fixer bloke said the harddrive deleted itself and the files cant be retrived!!

Anyway. I read them for discovering what other people think or want to happen, they're so entertaining, but yeah 75% of fan fic is crap... Some people dont even bother TO PARAGRAPH! SENSELESS! :eek: ;)

[Elfëa]

Originally posted by Fleurdelacour
JKR told me that she loved people writing fan fiction (well she told me on a webchat a few years ago!) she said she thought it was wonderful that her little stories have inspired others :D So I doubt she'd take legal action anyway! There's nothing wrong with slash, same as different sex couples as far as I'm concered... It's just more interesting. Ron and Draco would never happen in the books!

GOOD! GOOD!

Oh, Ron/Draco... that's scary.. :eek: somehow I've been stuck only with Harry/Draco... I just can't imagine Ron/Draco happening... Harry and Draco... well, there's the tension (as mentioned in the article :D)

[Fleurdelacour]

lol!

I read one with Ron and Draco years ago, it was amazing, so well written, true to the characters, etc, I cant remember what happened, but everyone made fun of them Harry stopped talking to Ron, when he found out, it was sad :(

[Elfëa]

It's weird how certain authors grow to be idols among the fandom - like Cassie Claire. Yet there are other good authors. (But the good thing about good authors is that they know who are good and link to them :)) There is an actual fandom for CC's DT... :)

In D/H fics often Ron's not talking to Harry anymore... or he goes ballistic when he finds out and such... There's one ship I just can't read, teacher/student... especially Harry/Snape... somehow it just feel weird. But then again, I'm not interested in Snape fics at all :p

One that I'm reading is about love potion gone awfully wrong... :( :) It's WiP, but good :) Missing only epilogue. :) It doesn't only deal with the relationship issues, but also what it might be like for 17 year boy to find out that he might be gay... And how to deal with it.

[Mithrildin]

The only good fanfic on HP I've ever seen is the Draco Trilogy by Casseie Claire. Draco Dormiens is a wee-bit over the top, but Draco Sinister and Draco Veritas are actually very, very good, to the point that will a little polish they might go into print. I'd by them straight away ! ;) I know it's not true to the characters, but I find it's working out all the underlying sentiments, passions and friendships which JKR doesn't do. Plus, there's super-beautiful descriptions of Hermione :swoon: and Ginny :swoon: aged 17 and 16. And I love that part about blue snow and hooting baby-owls when Harry first kisses Hermione. :D

[Elfëa]

I just re-read the print outs I have for DT last night... well, DD at least, half way through DS... :)

Other authors that I can recommend are
Lori and her Paradigm of Uncertainty series - include that the other authors who also play with the PoU universe.. :) Lori has her third PoU fic going - all novel lenght, plus there's one finished prequel to her works and another "prequel" on going dealing with her minor characters :)
And AngieJ/Ebony who's Paradise Lost is going on fairly well :)
Slash fic, I must warn those who don't want to read about slash, by Rhysenn is great. (The fic that I've been talking about... :)) Her fic was also mentioned in one article about HP slash I read recently, but I cannot remember where was the article from. :)
BTW, CC links to Rhysenn and shares a yahoo group with her.. ;)

What I love in DT are friendships that are even stronger than the love... :) And Ginny... I just want to ship for G/D... they kinda understand eachother so cruelly well...
And not to mention D's lovely sarcastic humour :p

[Kristin]

Originally posted by Fleurdelacour
I read one with Ron and Draco years ago, it was amazing, so well written, true to the characters, etc.

I'm sorry. But any fanfic with Ron and Draco in a relationship is NOT true to the characters. :mad:

I even think a romantic, G-rated relationship between Draco and Hermione would be wrong (without even any issues of explicit scenes or sexual orientation).

As for the slash stuff that's out there: I am shocked that they say this stuff is geared toward heterosexual adult women! :eek: Yuck! I don't enjoy reading about pre-pubescent boys in anything more than G-rated situations. I don't care which characters are involved, sexually explicit Harry Potter stories are wrong for so many reasons.

[Moxie]

Originally posted by Kristin
Does anybody remember this: On the old site, we had a poster who gave a link to some cartoons...(Does anybody happen to know where I could find those again?)

Sounds like you're talking about the link in BlackHorntail's sig many months ago... I recall it linked to a site called Diagon Alley, which we can't post links to anymore because some of the fics on there are far, far from G-rated. I've grown rather fond of fanfic myself; I'd argue that at least 95% of it stinks like a badly run water treatment plant, but there other 5% helps me stay sane until the real next book comes out ;) so if you'll excuse me, I need to go find me another Snape fix :D

[Kristin]

I seem to remember it being an individual poster (perhaps named Pixie?) who posted a link to a personal Web site. And nothing was beyond a G rating. They were such wonderful comics! :)

Edit: You're right Moxie. I tracked down what I was thinking of... and found them on a site with R-rated stuff. So I can't post them or link to them. :( Too bad. The comics themselves had nothing objectionable.

[Colli]

Originally posted by Kristin
I'm sorry. But any fanfic with Ron and Draco in a relationship is NOT true to the characters. :mad:

:clap: Don't be sorry... I just hate how the world is turning into a place that if you're not tolerant of things you find seriously wrong, you're a bad person. :rolleyes: :)

Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance.

Turning Harry Potter: delightful, thought-provoking stories for adults as well as children into these sexually explicit, slash stories is just wrong. If that's the kind of thing you like to read/write, if that's what gets you up in the morning, fine. Just please leave Harry Potter out of it. There's plenty of other romance stories and novels out there.

[Elfëa]

True to the characters? But we cannot know how the characters will turn out - people change, characters change. :confused:
Yes, we can talk about being true to the characters we know, but not to the characters JKR knows - she'll always know more than us... :D

*dances*

OotP coming SOOOOOOOON!

Kristin, Moxie - I think I've come by those comics too... :)

and other things I shut up cause I disagree and certainly don't want to make war :) :p
:rolleyes:

*keeps on dancing... until she's spinning too hard and falls over her legs...*

It hurts :( ;)

[Fleurdelacour]

Stuff fan fiction! We're getting the real thing! :D

[Elfëa]

Yeah, but wonder how many things in the book have been written before? :D :p

I bet it'll be combination of thousands fics... ;)

[ElfTBD]

Personally, with fan fic, I only really like it if it's stories from tv shows or movie series (ie: star trek, star wars, etc)...Doing fan fic for a book series seems a little odd to me, mostly because there's tons more detail to have to wrap one's brain around...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it just seems easier to write about something you see (tv/movies) than to write from something that's already written...*shrug*

[Ravenclaw]

Kristen, FleurD, Moxie and whoever else is interested...

I remember that comic from years ago (about two or three years at least) and I had the intelligence to bookmark it! :D! Lucky for you all, it's not Diagon Alley, it's a geocities site the artist built. Totally G-rated, I checked it myself. So here's your link (http://www.geocities.com/mana_overboard/index.html)

Yeah, Kristen, your right, I think it was Pixi... That's how s/he signs her work too.

[Elfëa]

That's hilarius... :lol:

and not the same I've come by to over Diagon Alley... :)

bunny ears... :D

[Kristin]

Hooray! :clap: Thanks Ravenclaw! :)

I love the bunny ears! And it's so like Snape to make Harry wait until class is over.

[Colli]

hehehe.... She's (He's?.. I'm assuming there aren't many guys out there who'd choose the name "Pixi") really good!

:clap: :)

[Elfëa]

I can't see the last page (nro 6...) :(

[Fleurdelacour]

Why did I think the cartoonist's name was something to do with Frogs... Like Frog's Legs for Frog's lips... I have lost it...

They're hilarious! :D

[swiftsnowmane]

Erm....not to be a party pooper, but I made this thread to discuss why I don't like to read HP fan fiction. So at the risk of sounding mean, can we stay on topic? I just feel like I opened the proverbial can of worms. But it just HAD to be said.

[Kristin]

Um.... what's the topic supposed to be? :confused:

You (and anybody else) are welcome to talk about why you don't like fan fiction. I think it's also appropriate for people to talk about why they do like fan fiction. And we can all discuss the bad things and good things about it.

:)

[swiftsnowmane]

ok....nevermind. I don't know what I meant by that.:p

[Elfëa]

I think I've expressed my opinion and view on the matter... :o

And now to confess, I wrote something myself - here (http://www.council-of-elrond.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=136076#post136076) and even if I've used the characters, you cannot really say that I've changed them can you? ;)

And yes, I use conciously fanfiction as a way to practise my writing now - I'd really really much need practising in writing dialogue... (but if you read my fic you see I just avoid it :p)...

[Kristin]

Kristin emerges from void-diving.

I was thinking about this thread because I remembered talking about how I didn't like fan fiction....

And things have changed. :D

Now I like three kinds of fanfiction:

1. Bad fanfic (especially Mary Sues).
Why? Because it's so fun to laugh at! I'm a big fan of the so-bad-it's-funny-genre.

2. Parodies of bad fanfic (especially of Mary Sues).
It's the type of fanfic I write (*hint hint* ;)) and I also really enjoy reading it when it's well-done and funny.

3. Fics by Fernwithy. :notworthy
Has anybody read her stuff? She's not as famous as Cassie Claire (whose stuff I don't like). But she's somewhat well-read. She posts stuff on a couple fanfic archives.

Her fics are absolutely amazing! And all PG (it's too bad I can't link to them because other fics on the archives aren't). Her stories are so true to the characters and the books. I've never read anything like them.

I never understood the point of serious fanfiction until I read her stuff. And that's because most fanfic is not good enough, so it doesn't fill my need for more Harry Potter stories. But Fernwithy's stuff is as good as JKR's. The stories really read like JKR wrote them.

[lithorose]

Boy, was I surprised to see my first post in this thread. Things do change.:eek:

There is some good fanfic out there, but is extremely hard to find, and even harder to find within PG limits, as (with Harry Potter) I think it should be.

I also find that I can only handle fanfic in certain genres, like Harry Potter. I won't touch POTC fics, except for the titles and summaries, because if you run across a particularly bad fic it seems to rub off on the character, and they lose something. Pretty much the same with LOTR. Tolkien had a style that seems to be nearly impossible to copy.

But intentional badfic can be very fun.:devil: I'll have to check out Fernwithy. Not that it really matters, but are they pre-OOTP?

And this thread seems like it would fit better in the fanfic forum.

[Kristin]

I've never been sure where this thread belongs because at some level it is about fanfic as it relates to the books. I guess it depends whether the fanfic forum is for fanfic or for fanfic and discussions about fanfic. (I've never figured that one out.) But I can move it if we want it moved.

Fernwithy does a great couple fics about Tonks when she was a little girl. She also has a series of short stories about different people being sorted (from Dumbledore to Lucius to the Marauders to Tonks and some other characters, too). So most of it is pre-OotP but takes OotP canon into account (well, duh, if she's writing about Tonks). She doesn't try to write the next book; she tries to write the untold stories. And all her stuff is PG.

[~BH]

I like fanfiction. I read fanfiction. I hate Cassandra Claire with the heat of a thousand suns because of her intense plagerism and complete inability to write halfway decent characterisation. Her influence in the fandom is absurd, someone even bought her an iPod because she mentioned in her LiveJournal that she didn't own one.

But I know what you mean when it comes to a lot of fanfiction being terrible. Reading HP fanfiction is like searching for a speck of gold in a lake of mud. But there is some very good stuff out there. And certainly none of it makes me physically sick. There are far worse fandoms (Lord of the Rings anyone?).

In short, if you don't like it and believe that it undermines the literary worth of the books themselves, then absolutely nobody is forcing you to read any of it.

[Kristin]

I completely agree! She does not deserve the following she has. (Someone bought her an iPod?! :eek: ) Fernwithy has a small following and is a million times more deserving of it than Cassie Claire. I'm with you BH, I hate Cassie Claire, too. (And sometimes I've felt like I'm the only one.)


And showing how this discussion still pertains to lit...
I think HP fanfiction is much more doable than LotR fanfic or fanfic based on movies. It's really hard to mirror Tolkien's style, and it's almost impossible to do it well. That archaic style, which sounds so good in LotR sounds ridiculous when used by fanfic writers.

But Harry Potter's style is simple enough that it's a lot easier to adopt and be able to pull it off.

Also, JKR leaves us lots of holes and untold stories that can be filled in by good fanfic writers. In contrast, Tolkien's world was so developed that there are almost no gaps, and it's harder for fanfic writers to write "untold stories" without contradicting canon.

[lithorose]

Fernwithy does a great couple fics about Tonks when she was a little girl. I hope there's no hint of Remus/Tonks... can't stand it.
Also, JKR leaves us lots of holes and untold stories that can be filled in by good fanfic writers. The only problem is that she's still writing the books, so every time a book comes out, a lot of fics get 'cancelled out' in a sense. That is one advantage Tolkien has. But I agree that her style is much easier to write than his.

There are far worse fandoms (Lord of the Rings anyone?).
Could you explain this more? I'm just curious to know what you mean. It's been my experience that LOTR fans on the net are generally more intelligent and courteous than most fandoms (like the Matrix or Star Wars).

I wonder if JKR's style has had an influence on the sheer number of fics? It has far and away the largest number of fics on a certain FF archive. And I haven't seen anything to compare with FA in other genres in terms of organization and thoroughness of the fics.

[Kristin]

Originally posted by lithorose
I hope there's no hint of Remus/Tonks... can't stand it.
No. :) I don't like Remus/Tonks, either.

The only problem is that she's still writing the books, so every time a book comes out, a lot of fics get 'cancelled out' in a sense. That is one advantage Tolkien has. But I agree that her style is much easier to write than his.


That's true... but only to an extent. In the HP-verse most fanfic writers have read all the books. But in LotR fanfic, you have authors who have only read LotR and not The Silmarillion or The Hobbit. So some LotR fics contradict canon as much as pre-OotP fifth-year fics do.

[~BH]

The problem with Lord of the Rings fanfiction is that it seems to be far more susceptible to fangirly writings about a mysterious half elf girl who holds the key to Sauron's destruction and who Legolas falls in love with blah blah blah... pass me a sick bag.

[ChianaWeasley]

The part that bugs me the most about those kind of fanfictions, are that, the girl write themselves in and have Orlando Bloom fall in love with them. Not Legolas. I think the teen population needs to define the line between Legolas the character and Orlando the Actor.
:rolleyes: Teenagers
:p

[Kristin]

Or, as JKR pointed out: between Draco the character and Tom Felton the actor. Same thing, too, for Snape the character and Alan Rickman the actor.

Oh, and who am I kidding... between Lucius the character and Jason Isaacs the actor. (I hated Lucius until Jason Isaacs played him. :swoon: )

I know people like Snape's tortured soul and nasty-with-good-buried-deep-inside personality. But did anybody ever write Sues about him before the movies? Let's face it: greasy hair, a sallow complexion and a hooked nose aren't very attractive.

[lithorose]

The problem with Lord of the Rings fanfiction is that it seems to be far more susceptible to fangirly writings about a mysterious half elf girl who holds the key to Sauron's destruction and who Legolas falls in love with blah blah blah... pass me a sick bag.But is that really any worse than Hogwart's exchange students? I guess it's a matter of taste.

But did anybody ever write Sues about him before the movies?This is something I wonder about too. It seems movies sparked a lot of fan fiction in both LOTR and HP. It makes me wonder about the majority of people.:rolleyes: Of course, I didn't venture into HP at all until I saw the movies myself. I wonder if there are any Redeemed!Draco fics before the movies came out, either.

Superfluous :swoon: for Jason Isaacs.

[evereven]

I love fanfiction. I think HP-fandom fics are generally the best only because Hp isnt 'resolved' yet. The fic can speculate and all that. They're fun. A good fanfic with a well-rounded fic with proper grammar and everything can end up being a great story. I adore H/Hr and Dark!Harry. Haha I'm such a loser.

I dont understand a lot of HP slash, only bc it seems out of character to me. Although i've never read much slash, I'm a sucker for Legolas/Aragorn angst. *hides* I :trout: myself to save you all from the trouble.

I havent read many LOTR fics. Far too many fics are written by fourteen year-old fangirls who havent a clue what the Silmarillion even is, let alone use the history of it to write a good fic. I absolutely hate Legolas fics though. Grrr. I have read only one Legolas/OC fic that didnt end up having some teenage girl transported magically to Middle-Earth because she was the 'Chosen One' to help save Legolas from peril then they fall in love and live happily ever after. They make me want to puke.


*runs off to read* hehe

<333