Inevitable, Harry, Ginny, and the fandom

[mhalachai]

I think I've been spoiled a little, coming from a fandom like Anita Blake, where there doesn't seem to be any canon paring that people rabidly and loudly avoid. I'm not one chapter into the Hogwarts section of Inevitable, and someone has already told me they're done with the story because they don't like Harry/Ginny. (Who is unimportant, and this is not an attack. I suspect several of the non-commenting readers may have the same reaction. I'd like you to stick around, obviously.)

I was wondering if anyone would do this, and I have to say that I'm not shocked, given the nature of the Harry Potter fandom, but it's still a bit of a surprise.

Here's my opinion: It doesn't matter if this story will have aspects of Harry/Ginny. It doesn't matter if this story has aspects of Ron/Hermione, either, because that's not the point. This is a story about Harry and his friends, his enemies, his goals and aspirations. Ultimately, it's entirely about him.

We're 46 chapters in. Harry had one late-night conversation with a girl he's known since he was 12, and who has battled Voldemort since she was 11 years old. I will still continue to tell the story I created before HBP came out.

This isn't an angry, off-the-cuff rant, it's just my thoughts on my story, and HP fandom in general. I was wondering if this would happen after the die-Ginny-die calls started after HBP.

That's all I have to say.

Comments

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Word, word, and WORD.

[(Anonymous)]

Shippers in general can be very kooky ;) Myself included.

My opinions on H/G are neither here nor there. Ginny, as a character, doesn't really motivate me to like her or dislike her. What chapter are we up to? 46? To stop reading now just because they 'think' they know how the relationship game is going to be played is really just silly. I think you've established by now that this isn't going to be a ship centered story.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

If JKR had canonically linked Hermione and Snape, I'd have burned her in effigy as Hermione is SIXTEEN and that's not LEGAL.

I want to know what JKR's most squicky pairing is, of all the really popular ones. You know, Harry/Draco, Snape/Hermione, Snarry, Harmony, Wolfstar (all names I learned today, actually, except for Snarry).... what are the others. I'd put Lily/Snape in there, but that's past.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I think you've established by now that this isn't going to be a ship centered story.

I think you captured the thesis of my overhead ramble. Thanks for making that a bit more coherent :)

[rosefyre.livejournal.com]

...

It doesn't surprise me, I suppose, but...

I read all ships. I enjoy all ships. I don't get squicked anymore by pretty much anything.

And a nice, normal relationship involving a boy and girl of approximately the same age who have definite chemistry?

Is not a cause to go all crazy.

[eavling.livejournal.com]

It's been done before, just not very well nor particularly in a manner that captures interest nor the emotions of a reader sans lust and nausea, perhaps.

Such stories are usually categorized as 'crack fics' or General Lunacy as the plots and characters demonstrate little to no cohesion nor the desire to be cohesive.

In effect the authors(, usually suffering from loss of mental capacity due to lack of sleep, caffeine intake, the consumption of drogas or natural inclination,) of such fictional writings can and must only be described as loons as they demonstrate all the mannerisms of the class of birds during their mating dance in the presence of a full moon.

I propose that such a story, to be fully appreciated by a wider audience than lunatic aficionados must be written by a superior writer in possession of all the qualities and skills thereof.

A promiscuous Harry Potter must be carefully considered and engineered to create believable circumstances within the context of the story.

I believe this to be a difficult task and not one to be taken lightly except for in the pursuit of quick laughs and more quacking.

--I'm working on my lawyer speak. (I was called in for Jury duty, but luckily have the excuse of, 'I don't live there anymore.' It just got me thinking in a certain way, in an antique way.) Isn't it obvious?--

[az-anneliese.livejournal.com]

What really matters is the story and the quality of the author's work, not the pairings. For example, I generally do not like Dawn as a character but I love 'Mind the Gap'. You are that good of a storyteller. Period.

Now I, like your reviewer, am not fond of the Harry/Ginny thing but that will not stop me from reading this fic. In fact, I'd just like to say that the latest chapter has been my favorite one that I have read in awhile. I am in deep with this fic, I've read all 46 chapters of it. That one thing happens that I don't normally like does not offend me. You are not writing this fic to my or anyone elses specific preferences - you are writing it for yourself (I'm assuming at least).

Anyway, from what I understand you are trying to write according to cannon. I didn't stop reading HP book 6 because I don't like Harry/Ginny and I won't stop reading your fic either.

[child-labor.livejournal.com]

[tienriu.livejournal.com]

Here here [cheers]

Not because I ship any pairing in particular but because sometimes the story is about MORE than teeny-bopper love... (even if I am hoping quietly for Nathaniel/Harry =)

[whoyouinvent.livejournal.com]

it wasn't predictable in the 'i totally saw it coming three books ago' sort of way (it was pretty out of the blue on harry's part), but in a 'big happy weasley family' sort of way. too... tidy, i suppose.

I hope to take it in a non-predictable direction
i look forward to seeing what you do with it. i mean, you've got such an interesting situation to deal with, now, i don't think much could be predictable anymore.

Follish mortals!!!

[(Anonymous)]

Oh gosh, I cant stand people who only hold very strict ideas for couples in fanfiction. I mean isn't the whole point of fanfiction allowing one writer to create his own story in another mans setting. Always seemed silly when people mock certain couples as unrealistic, or unlikely to occur when real life just ain't like that. Good on you Mr Mhalachai, if you feel the story evolving to go the Luna route, or even the much hyped Ginny road go for it. Most of your fans will still be here patiently waiting the next read. Cheers :)

Shezmania

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest with you. I don't like Harry/Ginny. I don't like it at all. Mostly because I find Ginny an unpleasant character (at least the way JKR wrote her in HBP) and therefore she doesn't interest me much. This means I don't go looking for Harry/Ginny centric fics. I avoid them as much as I can.

Now, does this mean I'll stop reading your story just because you might throw in a bit of Harry/Ginny on the side? Hell no. I'm here for the story, not for any pairing that will or won't happen. Should you suddenly change this story into a Harry/Ginny centric fic (meaning that anything that happens from now on is centered around their relationship), I might eventually throw in the towel. But as long as it's a relationship on the side (much like we saw it in HBP), I'll happily continue reading, and I suspect that's the direction you're taking this story in.

I was very pleased that Harry also noticed how beautiful Luna was in chapter 46. That made me quite happy, since I adore Luna as a character. Perhaps I can hope for a little Harry/Luna on the side. Anyway, it's your story, meaning you can write it however you want, and I'm enjoying it far too much to give it up over one minor thing I'm not interested in. :-)

[whoyouinvent.livejournal.com]

i assume you don't mean the especially fandomy pairings, like twincest or draco/giant squid. (imho, can be done well fictionally and comical more than anything, in that order)
if i were to point out my own squicks, hagrid/madame maxime would have to top it. but i'll read just about anything.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Obviously, I've commented backwards to your entries. But...

I have no problem with Harry/Ginny. It seemed to be a natural progression to me, though I personally think he'd be a better fit with Luna. But Luna, right now, is more emotionally mature than Harry. Ginny is about his speed.

I would disagree with your assertion that there isn't canon pairing that people dislike in AB. Richard/Anita, still a valid pairing, isn't appreciated by many. Laurell, however, really doesn't care. She's writing the book she wants to write and there are times that Anita/Richard feel right.

You are writing the story that you want to write. Though it is AU HBP, it also felt right, felt true. It's hard when someone disagrees with something you've written. It's harder still when they are irrational about it. But you are not responsible for how someone else feels about a world that you are borrowing or a world that you've created.

The die-Ginny-die calls are no different from the die-Micah-die calls. I thought those were wrong too. But then, I liked Micah from his first appearance on stage. Everyone has a different take on what "should" happen. Most of them are frustrated writers who would rather rant than write.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about Harry being a better fit, emotionally, with Luna in many ways. But Luna's a bit of a wild card, to Harry, while Ginny comes from a familiar place, and has an edge of stability to her. I read an essay once that did a great job of explaining how it makes sense for Harry to be interested in Ginny, because with her comes a ready-made family who likes him. He has a place there.

I forgot about the Anita/Richard hate, as well as the die-Micah crowd, although I think some people are starting to warm up to the idea of Micah, judging by the "I'll read Miach, even if I hate it!" It's a start.

As always, thanks :)

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Actually, sixteen IS legal in the UK, so long as it's a hetero coupling. It's eighteen for gay men and lesbians, though they're working on changing that. (I was going to work in some sort of joke about Appalachia, but decided against it.) And Hermione was born September 19, 1979, so she's seventeen as of the end of Book Six.

Speaking of the UK, did you know that prostitution is legal over there? It's strictly controlled, but legal. They're even allowing small brothels now.

As for squicky pairings, I've actually read an attempt at Hermione/Dumbledore (where even the SS/HGers fear to tread).

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

And then there's the crowd that stopped reading after the last AB book because it was too smutty.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Well, duh. Sex is bad and Anita's a slut. Anyone who reads about sex will burn.

Etc.

I could never figure out if those people just didn't like the sex in the book, or they thought that smut in general was bad on principal.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I tend to get squicked by twincest, but that's about it.

Nice normal relationship for Harry... can you tell things will go boom?

Your icon's really neat. I'm a huge fan of teh_indy's work.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm not trying to write to canon, per say, at the expense of other things, but I'm trying to do something specific with Harry's character. It fits with the Harry/Ginny angle, but that's not all that will be happening.

It might interest you to know that I really didn't like Dawn either until I began writing my first Dawn-Centric fic, Any Given Tuesday. Having to focus on her character really helped me change my perspective and realize why I wasn't a fan of her in season 7. It helped me realize something about the way I view media, as well, which was a bit of a revelation :)

[(Anonymous)]

I lurk a little--I'm Mari at TTH, and sorry to intrude, but, well, here goes. I'm not quite one of those "Anita's a slut and I will no longer read her because sex is bad" people. I don't mind a little smut in my reading. I do feel a little cheated, though. I want more plot. If given a choice between a book with a really interesting, tight plot, and graphic descriptions of someone's sex life, I'll go with the plot. The last couple books have felt like LKH has had a mental conversation that went "Wrap up that plot or have more sex? Plot? Sex? Plot? Sex? Don't be silly! Of course it's sex!" I just wish that she'd gone "Plot" more often. It would make for a better story.
Mari

[(Anonymous)]

Stop me before I write Anita/Arthur Weasley smut!

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

That last anonymous was me, BTW.

(It works better if I sign in, right? Ooops!)

[rosefyre.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to admit, twincest comes nowhere near squicking me anymore, at least not in the Harry Potter fandom. Three years ago? Snape/Hermione was squicky. Now? Ron/Giant Squid...is normal. Sometimes, I fear the fandom.

And of course things will go boom, but I simply don't understand the hatred for relationships like H/G or R/H or H/H.

teh_indy = great.

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not much of a Harry/Ginny fan .. don't hate it outright, but I don't quite see the chemistry either . . and you know I'm sticking with Inevitable regardless. At this point in the story, if you made it Harry/Giant Squid, I'd probably keep reading just to see if you could pull it off.

But I can sympathize with someone being bothered by a 'ship, or absence of a 'ship, or their OTP being broken up, whatever. I did stop reading a friend's fic once because the relationships portrayed (which heavily influenced the plot, btw, it wasn't necessarily just the pairings it was how they were written) just *bothered* me. It wasn't badly written, it was in fact very well-written, very in-character and very believable. The person in question did nothing "wrong" as a writer - no OOC, no implausibility, etc. It was just that I identify with certain characters in certain ways, and what was happening in the story was genuinely getting to me in a making-me-depressed sort of way. And real life does a good enough job of that, so, yeah, didn't finish the story. I felt badly, as I know this person put a great deal of effort into the story (and is probably reading this, so I hope they're not bothered by my using the example). But, it just bugged me too much.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that while I do get your protestations that it's just not *about* that and it's vaguely silly to stop reading a story you've invested 46 chapters worth of reading time in 'cause you don't like this one little bitty aspect .. on the other hand people are involved in fandom at all in the first place because they're highly emotionally invested in the characters. If they didn't care, they wouldn't be here. What exactly that means in terms of how they view the characters, is going to vary. A lot.

You may know your story isn't all about Harry's love life, but you don't know what Harry represents in your reader's head, or Ginny. So, I wouldn't take it too personally or get too offended (or think that you could possibly write it well enough to convince folks of the 'ship, or even that the 'ship doesn't matter - because odds are their leaving has nothing whatsoever to do with your story, and a whole hell of a lot to do with their own lives and what they're getting, or looking for, out of fanfic).

-Sonya