Secret Revealed

I think it’s time for me to come out of the closet. Yes people, I’m a secret fan fiction reader. I’ve read so much fan fiction that I could compile anthologies with titles like ‘Wonderful Wizardries: The Best of HP Fan Fic’ or ‘The Best Star Wars Fan Fic…in any Galaxy’. The titles suck; I know…but so does most fan fiction.

So why do I read fan fiction if most of it sucks? I don’t really know. I guess its because I’m jobless most of the time. Or maybe it’s because I really want to know what could happen in an Alternate Universe, as opposed to the Canonical Universe. Or I like to watch events unfold from a different point of view. Or maybe it’s because through all that copyright infringement, I really enjoy being able to spot genuine literary talent.

Fan fiction is actually a lot more complicated than it looks. Anyone can create an Original Character for the main character (who’s usually the fan fictioner’s main literary squeeze) to fall in love with. The OC will generally be closely modeled on what the fan fictioner imagines himself/herself to be. There will be lots of dirty, improbable and grammatically imperfect sex. There will be lots of action and adventure, and in the more angsty stories, deep soul searching and S&M.

It’s a quirk of the typical fan fictioner to like the most despicable canon character. Hence, in the HP fan fiction roster, you’ll find plenty of love stories featuring Snape, the Malfoys and the Dark Lord himself. In most of these stories, the villainous types find a way to redeem themselves…mostly through mutilation and such like, but also through discovering True Love.

But as I was saying, some people do manage to write good fiction, which just happens to be fan fiction. These are the people who don’t choose the easy way out by creating OCs. They stick to all canonical characters, which is difficult, because you have to make them behave as they do in canon, but in different settings and with different dialogues. My personal favourites are the ones that spoof the original or the other works of fan fic.

I’ll leave you with a short selection of some of my favourite pieces of HP fan fiction. I could mention spin-offs of some other books or movies, but I’ve read a lot of HP fan fiction and I guess I know more about these than others. (I shall not bow my head in shame!!)

P.S. There are homosexual elements in the second story. Homophobes Beware! But if you just care about reading a well-written and funny story, go ahead!

A Very Harry Cliche

First Quarter

Plugs and Outlets

For those who want to continue exploring this ‘genre’, I leave a glossary. For first timers it’s generally a safe option to start reading at The Sugar Quill

Glossary

HP – Harry Potter
AU – Alternate Universe
POV – Point of View
R/H – Ron and Hermione
H/H – Harry and Hermione
H/G – Harry and Ginny

Harry Potter and the anti-Satanists

I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter books by J K Rowling. They’re enjoyable and make for wonderful, escapist fun in a fantasy world where magic resides along with the mundane. Who wouldn’t enjoy that? J K Rowling obviously meant her fantasy world to be read about and enjoyed. She certainly didn’t have any hidden agenda while writing about it, something which should be obvious to the rational reader.

Which is why it annoys me when people read too much into the series. Many find the series incredibly stupid and childish and overhyped. I agree the books are overhyped, and I can even see why someone may think they are childish and stupid. I’m fine with that point of view. But what I can’t stand are self-righteous people who decry the series on the basis that it propagates withcraft and should be banned. They claim Rowling is leading children into a life of sin and sorcery where they will never know God and religion.

Utter rubbish, in my opinion! Sin?? One of the first things that strikes you about the books is the great emphasis on love, sacrifice and loyalty. Last I heard, these were virtues, and not sins. Of course, I may be wrong. You see I’m too busy being lured by withcraft and have lost touch with the real world like Gioia Bishop, 10, who said, “I was eager to get to Hogwarts first because I like what they learned there and I want to be a witch.”

I’ve met many Potter fans and not one of them has been tempted into sorcery. If any fan has been, then he/she need help. There is nothing wrong with the books.

Some religious critics say that Harry Potter leads children to Satanism. Says the editor of ESPMinistries in Harry Potter: The Truth Behind The Magic,

In some instances I have seen psychic phenomena performed in the Harry Potter movies and book. For example, the movie showed Harry looking into a mirror and seeing the future. This is known as “mirror mancy”, this is a form of divination (the art of obtaining information of the spirit world forbidden by God Deut. 18:10). It is interesting to note that Sirhan Sirahan, who assassinated Robert Kennedy, said he practiced this phenomena and saw himself in the mirror killing Robert Kennedy before he committed the act. His defense was the “devil made me do it”.

Obviously, Sirhan Sirahan had issues. I’m sure if a good psychiatrist had been consulted, he would have found out exactly what Sirahan’s problem was. But it certainly was not Satanism.

The editor also says

I was horrified as I saw another scene where there was a large glass cage with a huge snake slithering on the floor, apparently there was a boy being mean to Harry Potter. Harry then performed his magic and put the boy in the cage with the snake, who was terrifying the kid.
Eventually he cast a spell and took this humongous snake out of the glass cage and left the boy locked in there. But the thing that got my attention, was when the snake was freed, it spoke to Harry and as its fork tongue shot out of its mouth, it said “thank you” to Harry Potter.
Yes, Satan is saying “THANK YOU” to J.K. Rowling and publisher’s Scholastic inc. for introducing witchcraft to millions of children all over the world.

This is ridiculous! Satan?? As I mentioned before, the books revolve around the themes of love, sacrifice and loyalty. Harry’s greatest weapon against Lord Voldemort, his arch-enemy, is that he can feel love. He knows its powers and does not underestimate it, unlike Voldemort. And according to popular belief, Satan sows the seeds of discord among people. How then can he spread his message through Harry Potter?