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Holy crap, that's why I read fanfiction.
So I have spent the last couple days reading Harry Potter fic, and swimming around in the fandom and the mood that the fandom gives me. I still cannot believe that the fandom was buzzing around 2003, and that was, like, seven years ago, that just blows my mind. I was really only tangentially into the fandom at the time, hanging around places like The Sugar Qull before it was a huge repository of lots of fic, like when it was just a golden html background with really primitive gifs. And, anyway, the part of fandom I never really found was the Harry/Draco part of fandom. In the past couple days, thanks to a post that ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bookshop made about Draco, I've read a crapload of really good fic, and I think I'll make a recs post in a few days, but the one fic I really want to talk about while we're here is the Sacrifices Arc a.k.a., the Connor Potter stories.
OH MY GOD.
I am only halfway through the second book. I really want to write this big paragraphy review-like thing, but I am tired, I have work tomorrow and I still want to start this discussion (if anyone is willing to have it with me), so I am gonna record this shit in bullet-form:
ANYWAY BACK TO THE STORY, :DDDDD
bookshop made about Draco, I've read a crapload of really good fic, and I think I'll make a recs post in a few days, but the one fic I really want to talk about while we're here is the Sacrifices Arc a.k.a., the Connor Potter stories. OH MY GOD.
I am only halfway through the second book. I really want to write this big paragraphy review-like thing, but I am tired, I have work tomorrow and I still want to start this discussion (if anyone is willing to have it with me), so I am gonna record this shit in bullet-form:
- I hate mind control, manipulation and stifling of free will, so I am already trying to look past those automatic 'back-button' triggers so fucking hard because I really hope that there are going to be Consequences for Harry being programmed so thoroughly. I seriously fucking cannot take mind control. Like, I hate it. I also hate when people squash their intelligence or competency for the sake of others. I hate that in real life, and it is really bothering me to see it in fic, because fic is my escape world, you know? I don't need to see things I hate being done by characters I want to love in my escape time. But I have enough faith in the story to hope that someone's going to open Harry's mind up to what happened to him and that things are going to change. They need to. I am keeping the faith and I hope it happens.
- This Draco is not my Draco. He's too childish. I mean, I am trying to remember that Draco is twelve and that he actually has a friend in this series, but he's still immature and super optimistic and I don't really get it. I'm hoping Draco gets a little more hard-edged as the series progresses, because I am having a difficult time believing him. That said:
- Oh my gosh, Draco is giving me little heart swells in this story. Oh, gees. I think the "dance" thing is cheesy, but I am willing to look over it because I think that all pureblood ritual/tradition things are stupid and fucking cheesy anyway, so it doesn't surprise me that it would be referred to as a "dance." And that Draco would be good at it. And use it to help Harry. Oh, wibble.
- Oh! I think I just put my finger on what bothers me about the Draco in this series! So far he has no bite. He has done nothing super clever. In fact, he's been willing to play a second fiddle, which is so not like Draco. He's... tamed? Defanged. I don't like it. I like a Draco with bite. I also have faith that the story will give Draco his bite back. That is my hope.
- I love that Harry and Hermione are still extremely well-matched and that they have an incredible connection of equality and understanding. OH MY GOSH I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. I am also excited to see them interact in the future, because I have to believe that the author would not world-build to create those hints that Hermione and Harry are still just as equally smart as the other without the intention of doing something with it in the end.
- I have a theory that Harry and Connor were meant to be the same person and that they were split somehow or something. Connor acts exactly like Harry did in the books a lot of the time, with his rashness and stuff, and that is the vibe I'm getting, that they are two peas of the same pod that weren't supposed to be two peas.
- Have I mentioned how much I hate Harry's programming? Holy fuck, I hate it.
- I also dislike how emotional Sirius is being right now in the second book. WTF. I also really don't like Harry's distrust of Dumbledore, but this is probably because I loved Dumbledore fiercely in the books, and I really want him to be super good here.
- Oh my gosh, I love McGonagall so much, no matter where she is, in any fic, no matter what she is doing. I think it is impossible to write her in a way that is not flattering. She is amazing. And she is super super fantastically amazing here.
- The world-building with all of these formalities and pureblood scripts and everything is insane. All of the proper codes and addresses Harry's learned, all of the traditions, they are ridiculously thought-through. They feel a little silly, but again I think it's because I personally think that's all a bit silly.
- On another note: LUNA! NEVILLE! JUSTIN!!!! OH WHICH REMINDS ME:
- OH MY GOSH, THE REASON I CAME HERE TO WRITE THIS, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE HUFFLEPUFFS! HOLY CRAP holy crap, I LOVE the way that the author is respecting the Huffs. HOLY SHIT they are actualfax one of my favorite Houses, just because I imagine that they are all way more clever and awesome than anyone really gives them credit for, and that they are totally comfortable with that and stuff. Like, fuck that "Helga took all the rest" shit. The Huffs are pretty special, clever people who get it on a really important level, a personal level, a respectful level. That is amazing and awesome.
- I am also SO EXCITED to see all this talk of uniting the houses and wanting unity and peace and cooperation. I know it will take a while but I also have faith that we're gonna see it. Holy crap this is gonna be so epic and so fun. UGH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
ANYWAY BACK TO THE STORY, :DDDDD
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Biggest theme of the series is free will, so, IT GETS BETTER. AND THEN WORSE (AAAAAAAH). BUT THEN BETTER!
Also, it may help to know that the author apparently started the story as an experiment in whether certain cliches could actually be done well (Slytherin Harry, Harry has a twin, manipulative Dumbledore, etc.)
Re: Sirius, his characterization drove me nuts, too, especially in Book 3, but there is a REASON, HOLY CRAP. This is...not an AU that forked at Harry's birth. It goes much, MUCH farther than that.
no subject
CAN I JUST CAPSLOCK ABOUT THE HUFFLEPUFFS RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE EEEEEEEEE I LOVE THE HUFFLEPUFFS SO MUCH, AND I AM SO FLIPPING EXCITED BY THEM IN THIS BOOK THEY ARE SO AMAZING I AM ACTUALLY BEAMING ALL OVER THE PLACE OVER THEM YAY YAY YAY
I think the experiment's successful so far, although I am still peeved about Draco's passivity. I'm going to cautiously flip through your tagged entries (so as to not be spoiled), is that okay? I just -- this is seriously pretty amazing right now. I don't think there are very many other people who are chomping at the bit to talk about the fic. Seeing as how it's from, like, a million years ago in fandom time.
I'm nervous about all of the Big Magic that's being trotted out, and it's only the second book. I can't imagine the kind of escalation we're going to get later on. How much farther can you go? IDK. And I seriously believe Snape -- I think Harry is still the BWL. I do!
Oh my gosh, I want to talk about this fic, but I don't want to get spoiled.
This is...not an AU that forked at Harry's birth. It goes much, MUCH farther than that.
Oh MAN. Oh gees. I am EXCITED. It's not every day that fanfic writers go through this much trouble to write this much askdfjhasdklfj I am so excited. I cannot wait. I am so hoping that the little things get repaired along the way.
Non-spoilery Stuff From My SA Tag:
"It's just so wonderful. The OCs rock; they're so complex and three-dimensional. I love Adalrico Bulstrode and Dionysus Hornblower, for example, and oh! The puellaris witches! They win for "interesting magical concept". Not that they're lacking in competition, and they're not particularly integral to the plot, like the webs, or the wild Dark, or the absorbere gift, but they're just so damn cool and different. Also, I kind of desperately want a way for Indigena Yaxley to join Harry instead of Voldemort, she's that awesome, although, wow, is that ever unlikely, what with the Red Death and her righteous vengeance waiting in the wings. And hey! Hawthorn! Favorite werewolf ever!
And the canonically minor characters! After the attack on Woodhouse? Lucius/Narcissa = OTP! And Percy is such a ridiculous Gryffindor that I cannot but love him, and Moody is crazy-awesome, and Justin Finch-Fletchley is a rock star, and Zacharias Smith [SPOILER] is the most romantic thing ever, omg. And oh, [SPOILER]; I kind of adore him, not least for having the fortitude to befriend Snape in his Death Eater days. And finally, I desperately admire Scrimgeour, even if most recently (as of [SPOILER]) he's being kind of dumb.
Also, Minerva McGonagall is my beloved. She's all honorable and Gryffindorish and badass. One of my favorite bits is where she threatens Narcissa with the name of somebody she fought, and Narcissa thinks about how they never could transfigure that guy back and eventually, his wife had to smother "it" in the night. Love.
Plus I love Harry and I love Draco and I triple mega-heart their relationship so much that I cannot even coherently give reasons why, it's just babbling about things like Draco outdancing Lucius and the bottles and the Room of Requirement that time with the pendulum and Silver-Mirror and fuck, Woodhouse, actually, every time they're at Woodhouse together there's awesomeness and oh god, the bit, after [SPOILER]'s attack, oh god, HEART.
The fact that it's quite possibly the most massively epic story I've ever seen (350+ chapters and counting) just makes life win that much harder."
"I enjoy the stories about abused!Harry where the purebloods are all confused at the abuse. You don't abuse a magical child! They could kill you! By accident! Or you could stunt their magic and then you would have brought SHAME upon your family. So you just don't do it.
I mean, it's awesome from my perspective as a fan who enjoys clear delineation between wizarding/muggle culture and as someone who enjoys unexpected logical leaps. Because wow, accidental magic = very effective deterrant when you know what can happen with controlled magic.
Basically, scenario WINS."
"You know, the Sacrifices Arc is the only story I've ever read where I had to stop reading because the joy was LITERALLY too much for me. And I had to do it more than once. It just. It hits so many of my buttons and does it so well and it's so beautiful and three-dimensional and oh, the details and the continuity and the bazillion different plot threads and the intertwined prophecies and oh the good lord, the characters and the relationships among them are some of the best I have EVER SEEN.
SACRIFICES ARC = 100% PURE LOVE."
"Or if I'm just skewed by coming from fandoms that are very much about the whumping. The Sacrifices Arc remains my perfect piece of fiction and it's pretty hardcore. Move out of HP fandom and it looks really fucking harcore.
Mmmm, Sacrifices Arc. God, I love that fic. I mean, Saving Connor, not that great, but then you hit No Mouth But Some Serpent's and that story owns me. Everything that bothered me about canon got fixed. And huge angst - character death, torture, mind control, abuse, [SPOILER] - but also epic comfort, from lovers and friends and family and even respected enemies.
I want every fandom to have something like that, basically, something that epic and intricate and dense."
"Oh my god, I love this story so much. I just finished Comes Out of Darkness Morn and I am sitting here like BRING ON THE REVOLUTION. Like seriously, [SPOILER]. YOUR STATUS QUO SUCKS OR HE WOULDN'T BE TRYING TO CHANGE IT.
Also, how so OTP, Harry and Draco? I had totally forgotten about it, but Draco's little scene after the Owlery, where he's pouting and deciding how best to get back at Harry and then Harry comes in and he's so happy and apologizes and Draco just breaks out "I would forgive you for anything right now"? I was flailing. God, it's so much more romantic to me when characters hurt each other and fail and work at it than when they just fall into some meant-to-be always-and-forever.
Also, MINERVA MCGONAGALL, you guys. I love her SO HARD. Honestly, she could not be more awesome without giving me, like, actual heart failure."
"Oh, y'all knew I was going to throw this one in there. So! This 'verse explains why there were no international efforts to stop Voldemort, gives us interesting and well-drawn systems of magic that include the awesomeness of something called "puellaris witches" - women who, through circumscribing their behavior in public and submitting to their husbands, gain the ability to turn into fucking lionesses when their children are threatened, aaaand shows us once again that humans rule the world because they are assholes. Um. I also don't feel comfortable sending people off to read this without mentioning that this shit is HARDCORE. Like, I read something that had a bunch of dire warnings for what ending up being an apocalypse, some violence, and some implied sex slavery (all of which got reversed and wiped from the characters' memories, so, weeeeeak). This is not like that. There is torture of main characters, including [SPOILER]. There is death, lots of it, major and minor characters, including [SPOILER]. There is rape, not of major characters, but there's an unrepentant (female) rapist who's one of the "good guys" and somebody [SPOILER], so. There is child abuse, physical, emotional and magical. I'm forgetting some stuff. Okay, cannibalism! There is cannibalism, by bad guys and also by [SPOILER]. ...Read it anyway! It is totally my favoritest story in all the worlds."
Re: Non-spoilery Stuff From My SA Tag:
I can't read all of this, because even though it doesn't look spoilery, it kind of is to me, because I really like going into a story blind, but OH MY GOD Lily just ADMITTED in this 2nd book to having doubts about the interpretation of the prophecy and OH MY GOD Harry might still be the BWL and OH MY GOD THIS STORY IS SO FUCKING GOOD
And I am SO GLAD that McGonagall keeps being the most AWESOME THING EVER and I am looking forward to meeting these OCs and the rest of the minor characters and REMUS!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH REMUS IS AMAZING HE IS SO AMAZING I LOVE THIS SO MUCH EEEEEEEEEEEE
Re: Non-spoilery Stuff From My SA Tag:
Oh my god, this is fucking terrifying. The level of mind control and abuse of those powers. Holy fuck.
Re: Non-spoilery Stuff From My SA Tag:
no subject
It is SO HUGE. You hit Book 6 and you go, wait, so Saving Connor was her novella?
OH, OH. Somtheing to be prepared for: Characters make mistakes, regret them/try to fix things/swear not to do it again, and then they...make the same kind of mistake. Just like real people! But usually fiction has a person's Issues resolved once and not as an ongoing Thing, so it was a little weird for me until I realized why she was doing it.
no subject
The books get LONGER after this? This one is 271 pages! WHAT THE HELL SO AWESOME
they...make the same kind of mistake. Just like real people!
That is actually going to be hard to read, I think. I am definitely used to issues not being an ongoing struggle in fictional characters, that's going to be hard to overcome. But I accept the challenge!
Man, but Connor really is a prat. A PRAT. At least here and now.
no subject
So, here's my question: Does the description ease up? Because I'm gonna have a hard time with this otherwise. :/
no subject
I finished reading the fourth book and
HOLY FUCK THEY CHOPPED OFF HARRY'S HAND WTF WTF WTFFFFFFF AND THE EYEBALL THING UGHASDKLJHASFKLJ THIS IS SO GROSS AND VIOLENT UGH UGH OMG
OH MY GOD Draco's little request after the goblin's web broke, "Could we keep this? I wouldn't mind." OMG GAH I JUST. HIGH-PITCHED NOISES
Harry in THE MAZE! Oh my gosh LUX AETERNA IN GENERAL. I just, oh shit, I just want Harry to have more experiences with light magic. They always make him SO HAPPY. And to find out that he's been conditioned to resist happiness -- SO FUCKING DISTURBING.
AAAHH THE TRUCE DANCE. SO ROCKING
OH MY GODDDDDDDD THIS SERIES