![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbandruidI'm reading a thread on FictionAlley about fics and the new book; ie, what will become of the fics after the book is out? Trust the FAP gang to go jumping at shadows. It's not even an exploding dustbin, guys, get a grip. I mean, I guess the main worry is that OoP will 'invalidate' all these fics that are being written now, and all of the older ones...or that nobody will want to read them anymore with the new book out.
...Yeah.
It's a personal choice I suppose, but I can't help thinking that they are being ridiculous again. I know some of the events of my post-OoP work in progress aren't going to happen in canon. I knew that ages ago. That's why I'm writing the bloody thing. And the only reason I want to finish it before the book comes out is so that I can play with my own ideas of what the Order of the Phoenix is, what it does...
I am constantly amazed, and flat out frustrated, by the idea that bounces around HP fandom, that fics can be wrong. Nobody's fic is wrong, for Gods' sakes. I swear. Sometimes I want to beat people with a stick. Or a large picket sign that says "Shut up, it's meant to be like that."
Case in point. Emerald and Ebony. Emerald and Ebony is a year five fic. Why? Because I plotted it that way. And because 'Voldemort's back, now what?' is a hell of a plot device. I knew that it would be contradicted by later books in the series, because it's obvious that with three more books to go, J. K. Rowling couldn't off Voldemort just yet. I, however, had no such restrictions.
Maybe I'm weird to just not give a shit about following canon to the letter. Or maybe it's my fandom origins. My first online fandom was Star Wars. I watched the movies as a kid, the way that you do, pretended I was Princess Leia... read several of the books when I was in junior high, and got hooked again through them. I tried to write fic using all of the book 'canon', but quickly found I'd set myself an impossible task. SW profic canon contradicts itself constantly. (It's worse now, as they're trying to include all the old comic strips and comic books, and crap that was never meant to be part of an overall story...) So I gave up. I still read the books, used what I liked, ignored what I didn't. Sometimes I played in the parts of canon that worked for me, but when there were none of those acceptable bits, I didn't shy away from doing my own thing.
I am, in my own way, fearless. I killed Mara Jade, shipped Luke/Mara before it was as popular as it is now (and have rather run screaming away from it since then...) I have written slash, and NC-17 fic.
So. My post-OoP fic. It's post-seventh year, but I still want it to be what it is. Other fics will come from OoP, I'm sure. This one is something different.
I have realized I'm not going to finish the thing in- *glances at icon* twelve days. But I can finish the outline by then.
As for people thinking there's no room for fic with more canon coming along- *sigh* Doesn't anyone remember Goblet of Fire? A hundred thousand people in the HP fandom went, "Holy shit! Voldemort's back!" and hit the keyboards. Hit them hard. You guys think it's going to be different this time around? With 900 pages of new stuff? With the hints we've gotten about what some of that new stuff entails?
Get real.
...Yeah.
It's a personal choice I suppose, but I can't help thinking that they are being ridiculous again. I know some of the events of my post-OoP work in progress aren't going to happen in canon. I knew that ages ago. That's why I'm writing the bloody thing. And the only reason I want to finish it before the book comes out is so that I can play with my own ideas of what the Order of the Phoenix is, what it does...
I am constantly amazed, and flat out frustrated, by the idea that bounces around HP fandom, that fics can be wrong. Nobody's fic is wrong, for Gods' sakes. I swear. Sometimes I want to beat people with a stick. Or a large picket sign that says "Shut up, it's meant to be like that."
Case in point. Emerald and Ebony. Emerald and Ebony is a year five fic. Why? Because I plotted it that way. And because 'Voldemort's back, now what?' is a hell of a plot device. I knew that it would be contradicted by later books in the series, because it's obvious that with three more books to go, J. K. Rowling couldn't off Voldemort just yet. I, however, had no such restrictions.
Maybe I'm weird to just not give a shit about following canon to the letter. Or maybe it's my fandom origins. My first online fandom was Star Wars. I watched the movies as a kid, the way that you do, pretended I was Princess Leia... read several of the books when I was in junior high, and got hooked again through them. I tried to write fic using all of the book 'canon', but quickly found I'd set myself an impossible task. SW profic canon contradicts itself constantly. (It's worse now, as they're trying to include all the old comic strips and comic books, and crap that was never meant to be part of an overall story...) So I gave up. I still read the books, used what I liked, ignored what I didn't. Sometimes I played in the parts of canon that worked for me, but when there were none of those acceptable bits, I didn't shy away from doing my own thing.
I am, in my own way, fearless. I killed Mara Jade, shipped Luke/Mara before it was as popular as it is now (and have rather run screaming away from it since then...) I have written slash, and NC-17 fic.
So. My post-OoP fic. It's post-seventh year, but I still want it to be what it is. Other fics will come from OoP, I'm sure. This one is something different.
I have realized I'm not going to finish the thing in- *glances at icon* twelve days. But I can finish the outline by then.
As for people thinking there's no room for fic with more canon coming along- *sigh* Doesn't anyone remember Goblet of Fire? A hundred thousand people in the HP fandom went, "Holy shit! Voldemort's back!" and hit the keyboards. Hit them hard. You guys think it's going to be different this time around? With 900 pages of new stuff? With the hints we've gotten about what some of that new stuff entails?
Get real.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-06-09 03:10 pm (UTC)First of all, good points. It's all about the what-if factor, people!
Secondly, with about 2 months until OotP, I got this great idea for a schnoogle length post GoF McG/Snape fic, and now, with less than 2 weeks left, I'm rewriting the beginning, and nowhere near to posting it. I curse my terrible, terrible timing.
I think it's a somewhat valid worry, that new GoF stuff will get lost in the deluge of OotP-based fics. After all, with all that yummy new canon, who will want to read old canon speculation? I confess I do worry about this a bit with my fic, but I've decided to plunge ahead with it, see what's in OotP, and go from there as to whether I abort it, keep going but don't post it, or post it as an AU later. There must be *someone* who would be interested in a post GoF NonSpy!Snape/Spy!McGonagall AU fic, yes?
And after all, one of the things I like about fanfiction is reading different writers' speculation about what will happen, and that won't end with OotP. I suspect I am not alone in this. If it turns out I am, yes, lovely new OotP based fics.
As long as JKR doesn't kill the McGonagall/Snape ship. That deserves worry, in my opinion.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-10 11:07 pm (UTC)Pesky ideas... never come when it's convenient, do they?
Well, I'll want to read your post GoF. I'll read most anything with that pairing, particularly if it's written by people (like you) who I think do a decent job of writing it. I'm getting a bit snobby in my McGonagall/Snape reading lately. Have read a little too much really bad fic.
I'm intrigued by your NonSpy!Snape / Spy!McGonagall. If you write this and don't post it, I'll- well, I'm sure we'd be missing out on something good, that's for sure. I have kind of a similar-but-not novel length fic going, where Minerva gets involved in Snape's spying on Voldemort back in the 'old days'...but I digress.
Yes, exactly- it's all about the speculation, the missing moments... and there's so much room for that, especally if your main character is anyone other than Harry Potter... You know this already, I'm sure. And I don't think you'll be alone in your attitude towards fic, because I agree with you. Worst case, we can always toss GoF era fics back and forth to each other. :)
I can only think of two ways JKR could kill the McGonagall/Snape ship- pairing up one of them with somebody else, or killing Snape. And I have serious worries about Snape surviving the series. I think the poor man's got "martyr" written all over him, damnit all. That does concern me, too, but what happens happens. We can always write around it one way or the other.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-09 03:59 pm (UTC)I might muse, but I write nothing down and READ NOTHING.
I'm anal like that, I can't jump into a fandom other than skirt edges until I see EVERYTHING.
Purely because of people like you mention who take fictional worlds far too seriously.
And I wish my book would get here. I've had it on Order for MONTHS
Mom and I flipped a coin who gets to read it first.
I won!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom gets it 2 days after I devour 900 pages of gold.
I can read 900 pages in 24 hours if I like don't sleep or eat.
~_^
so give me 2 days and I can do it all. Muwhhahahahahahaha
no subject
Date: 2003-06-10 11:18 pm (UTC)Even if lately I've been trying and failing to avoid aquiring new fandoms. No! I don't need more works in progress!
Hasn't worked yet.
Book's almost here, yay! Elevan days and two hours or some such... The Barns & Noble here in town is doing a big midnight thing, and for the amusement alone, I'm going. I missed the last craze- very quietly bought Goblet of Fire at Sam's Club. Oh, I can't wait to have that book in my hands!
Congrats on winning the coin toss. My mother didn't even feel like fighting me for it, probably because I've been going a little Potter crazy lately, bouncing around the house rewatching the movies and rereading the books... :)
2 days? I haven't made any promises on when I'm handing the book over, myself. Try not to pass out over your copy if you do skip food and sleep- it'll take longer to get to the end that way. ;)