Emerald and Ebony, rantings and reviews
Jan. 16th, 2003 06:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbandruidI received this slightly odd review for 'Emerald and Ebony' yesterday:
This story immediately lost credibility for the gross error of ages. Minerva and Severus are NOT the same age. I don't know why the author felt it necessary to do that, the romance between them could have been just as sweet with the age difference. And I hardly think Snape is one to place great value for beauty and youth for their own sake.
It's anonymous, so I'm responding to it here. First of all, I won't get into my long drawn-out speal on why I don't believe Minerva is nearing my grandmother's age, but 1.) she is not described as old in the books, and 2.) movies take creative license with books all the time. (ie, I don't think she's as old as Maggie Smith, either.)
With that out of the way, I can't understand why it is people insist on telling me that things in my fics are wrong. A misspelled name is wrong. Screwing up canon (as opposed to screwing with it on purpose) is wrong. Stuff I change because I want to is not wrong. And excuse me for not feeling it necessary to add in my author's notes, "In this story Severus and Minerva went to Hogwarts together". It's totally obvious that my Severus and Minerva did go to school together; I believe it's in the first page. The first letter M. writes, anyway.
As to that last bit, about S. not placing great value on youth and beauty... what? I don't think I ever described E&E's Minerva as being really young and really pretty. Maybe there's a line in there to the effect of, Severus thinks she's beautiful. Is she? Hell if I know. If that's in there (and it may not be; I have two very long Severus/Minerva fics in the works now, and my memory's not perfect) he's probably not talking physical aspects anyway. Grr.
What I think really annoys me about this, though, is the HP fandom's stubborn, almost fanatical, inability to understand the concept of AU in fic. Their inability to understand the very idea that brought me to fanfic in the first place. You can change anything. Anything. And if you're not sure what the established canon is, you take it wherever you want it to go.
People's failure to grasp this wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that these are the same people who look at other speculation fics and adore them. You don't see many (okay, aside from rabid 'shippers, but never mind them) who tell authors that Harry is never going to marry Ginny, or Hermione, or whoever. Because we don't know if Harry will marry anybody, ever.
So why is that okay to play with, while I get told constantly that my fic is wrong?
I am now seriously considering a very sarcastic sort of note for my HP fic page. Something along the lines of, fuck you. It's supposed to be like that.
Cheers.
This story immediately lost credibility for the gross error of ages. Minerva and Severus are NOT the same age. I don't know why the author felt it necessary to do that, the romance between them could have been just as sweet with the age difference. And I hardly think Snape is one to place great value for beauty and youth for their own sake.
It's anonymous, so I'm responding to it here. First of all, I won't get into my long drawn-out speal on why I don't believe Minerva is nearing my grandmother's age, but 1.) she is not described as old in the books, and 2.) movies take creative license with books all the time. (ie, I don't think she's as old as Maggie Smith, either.)
With that out of the way, I can't understand why it is people insist on telling me that things in my fics are wrong. A misspelled name is wrong. Screwing up canon (as opposed to screwing with it on purpose) is wrong. Stuff I change because I want to is not wrong. And excuse me for not feeling it necessary to add in my author's notes, "In this story Severus and Minerva went to Hogwarts together". It's totally obvious that my Severus and Minerva did go to school together; I believe it's in the first page. The first letter M. writes, anyway.
As to that last bit, about S. not placing great value on youth and beauty... what? I don't think I ever described E&E's Minerva as being really young and really pretty. Maybe there's a line in there to the effect of, Severus thinks she's beautiful. Is she? Hell if I know. If that's in there (and it may not be; I have two very long Severus/Minerva fics in the works now, and my memory's not perfect) he's probably not talking physical aspects anyway. Grr.
What I think really annoys me about this, though, is the HP fandom's stubborn, almost fanatical, inability to understand the concept of AU in fic. Their inability to understand the very idea that brought me to fanfic in the first place. You can change anything. Anything. And if you're not sure what the established canon is, you take it wherever you want it to go.
People's failure to grasp this wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that these are the same people who look at other speculation fics and adore them. You don't see many (okay, aside from rabid 'shippers, but never mind them) who tell authors that Harry is never going to marry Ginny, or Hermione, or whoever. Because we don't know if Harry will marry anybody, ever.
So why is that okay to play with, while I get told constantly that my fic is wrong?
I am now seriously considering a very sarcastic sort of note for my HP fic page. Something along the lines of, fuck you. It's supposed to be like that.
Cheers.
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no subject
Date: 2003-01-16 08:45 am (UTC)It's true if you're just reading from the books and not using any of the information that comes out in chats that there is no reason to believe that Minerva is in her 70s. There's no information in canon itself that indicates that wizards live longer than Muggles.
Keep on doing what you're doing; if you're enjoying the writing, that's all that matters.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2003-01-16 01:46 pm (UTC)Way to tell them. Being the beta for E&E and all (and, yes, I promise I'll get around to betaing the new one someday!!!) I never noticed anything about Snape placing unnecessary emphasis on beauty and youth. I mean, sure, some people think he's too cold to see ANYthing about life or a person as being beautiful, but chuh! I say.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2003-01-17 07:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2003-01-17 07:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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