#dramione fandom critical

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Personal Appeal of Dramione

Since reading comprehension among some HP fans is lacking, let me reiterate with some disclaimers:

I do not ship Dramione.

I do not like Dramione, especially as it is portrayed in fanworks.

I do not think Hermione should be with Draco because I dislike Romione. Unfortunately, Romione is the best ship for Hermione...Ron could have done better though.

If anyone makes any comments about the previous points, it is proof they did not read my post properly. Sick and tired of pro Romione people asking how I can ship Hermione with her bully when I merely bring up anti-Dramione arguments I observed.

Anyway, I keep seeing some common arguments for people's disdain for Dramione. I agree wholeheartedly with most of them. The Ron bashing in Dramione fics is 100% out of control and I find it laughable that someone will say Ron is toxic but then say Draco is better. I love Draco but I live in reality (plus I would never pair my baby with a girl like Hermione). Maybe Draco has the POTENTIAL to be better in a well-crafted AU but the canon as it stands does not support this. I have commented that even the enemy part of the enemies-to-lovers ship for Dramione is boring and lacklustre compared to Drarry. Despite all of this, a part of me does find Dramione as an appealing concept and I think some Dramione antis are deliberately being obtuse when wondering why Dramione is popular. I want to write my own response to some sentiments I have seen:

If you want an enemies-to-lovers ship, Romione is right there.

I hardly consider Romione an enemies to lovers ship. Can you even consider them enemies at the start? Ron didn't like Hermione because her personality rubbed him the wrong way. He made a few deriding comments about her that led to her crying. Hermione acted naggy and intellectually superior and maybe she saw Ron as a bit of a delinquent? YAWN! What enemies! Technically they fit the definition of the ship trope but in the tamest way possible. As far as I am concerned, the emphasis was more on their friendship (they are friends for basically most of the series) and their initial dislike was a minor hiccup. They were 'enemies' for like 5 chapters in one book and the switch from enemies to friends was lightning quick - like one sentence quick.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.

I think Romione is better suited as friends to lovers but that's just my take. Just look at Sukka from ATLA. Sokka and Suki started off on a rough note but you would not call them enemies to lovers. Most of Romione's 'enemy' moments boil down to Ron and Hermione being teenagers and going through normal, hormonal teenage drama.

Compare this to Dramione. Draco scorns Hermione's very being and Hermione dislikes him before even having dialogue with him. They are on opposing sides from the beginning: opposing houses, opposing sides of the war, opposing values and ideologies etc. And it would have been interesting to see how that disgust and conflicting worldviews could have morphed into respect and love.

Draco already has a redeeming love interest. You don't need Dramione when you have Drastoria.

Drastoria is a decent ship but I don't like it for a few reasons. First of all, Astoria is a character I know almost nothing about. If I want to know about her, I have to search Google. She and Draco have hardly any interesting history shown. She's basically a NPC - a blank slate. Maybe Cursed Child fans would like Drastoria more.

Secondly, while it is admirable that Draco married a sickly, blood-traitor girl who might not have been able to give him heirs, at the end of the day she is still a pureblood. She's still a relatively safe option. Marrying a muggleborne person like Hermione would make a way more concrete redemption/atonement story. Hermione challenges Draco's worldview more than Astoria ever could.

On Hermione's end, maybe being with Draco could challenge some misconceptions she has about pureblood culture or something. Maybe being with Draco could even challenge how she views her femininity when we consider how pureblood women don't tend to be career-driven in canon, except fanatics like Bellatrix who are childless and have unhappy marriages. Also, I think Hermione's flaw of being vindictive and aggressive could have been challenged more in Dramione. I despise how JKR lets Hermione get away with murder in Romione. Even when Hermione is wrong, it ends up being Ron's fault. Disgusting!

Draco and Hermione would never touch each other in canon.

That's so true...that's why fanfiction and fanon exist. To explore creative possibilities. It's always a bit amusing when I see canon shippers of ships like Kataang, Hinny and Romione complain about the lack of fan content. Like dude, you have canon as your content. Of course, fanon couples will have a tendency to have more fan works due to the lack of canon material.

While many Dramione fics are annoying and totally OOC, there are some concepts that can honor canon that I find intriguing:

Draco and Hermione are forced to be together. This way they have to find a way to reconcile whatever bad feelings they have so they are not miserable for eternity.

Draco and Hermione meet as kids. This allows their personality and impressions of each other to slightly change before canon starts.

Draco and Hermione meet again as grown adults. Maybe Romione and Drastoria did not work out for non bashing reasons and they form a tentative acquaintance as mature adults which blooms into something more.

Draco begins his redemption/awakening arc prior to starting Hogwarts. I like fics where Draco begins questioning his parents' beliefs due to some external factor (like his Aunt Andromeda). That way Draco starts Hogwarts with a lot of his awful bigotry gone. Not all of it but even a small portion of it, making Dramione more feasible.

Draco was Hermione's bully.

It's called enemies to lovers for a reason...you know because the people were enemies. Duh. I will argue that Draco's actions towards Hermione are not as devastating as most people think and are totally redeemable. I will die on that hill (not really lol). All of Draco's biggest offences against her are verbal in nature and he arguably harrassed her the least in the trio. If JKR showed Hermione being impacted by Draco's slurs, I would 100% feel differently. However, Hermione treats Draco like an annoying fly - Draco does not hurt her in any meaningful way to totally dismiss Dramione as a ship in my view.

Draco and Hermione are happy in their canon ships

I love when my fav character ends up in a happy, loving relationship. I hate that Draco lost his wife which is one minor reason I dislike Drastoria. But that's besides the point.

Part of the reason why I dislike the teen ships Romione and Hinny is that they don't really matter much in the narrative. If you take them out, nothing changes, especially Hinny.

For example, there's nothing profound or grand about Ron marrying Hermione. The Weasleys are pro-muggle (...at least in spirit...) so who cares about Romione getting together? I sure don't. The most profound thing about Romione is that Harmione did not happen with Harry and Hermione being the male and female leads. However, Romione still occurs within the friend circle. Same with Hinny. They are safe pairings that don't challenge the status quo. Safe pairings are cozy but most tend to be uninteresting.

On the other hand, Dramione offers the potential for a richer narrative. It could symbolize the potential for change in traditional pureblood families - the start of an era of unity. Between Slytherin and Gryffindor, purebloods and mugglebornes. Because JKR ended HP with the chasm still wide open. Nothing changed except who was on top. Draco is the face of the younger Slytherin generation and is the scion of two prestigious pureblood houses. His ending the story being romantically involved with Hermione would have been amazing to see. Instead of seeing everyone still stuck in their own corners in the epilogue. How disappointing. JKR even ruined Harry's moving speech to Albus with that line about choosing Gryffindor if being in Slytherin bothered him so much. But JKR seems to love the status quo, so what else is to be expected?

Characters being happy in their relationships is great but I also like seeing how a relationship contributes to the themes of a story. Dramione could have offered more to the HP narrative than Romione, and maybe Drastoria, in my view.

These are my opinions. I truly don't care about Hermione so that's a big reason why I can't stand Dramione. But I do see the potential of the ship if written well.

[rifari2037]

Antis : I wish Zutaran just accept the fact of the show that they're not canon!!

How boring it would be to just accept what the show shows. Isn't the reason why ATLA, TLOK and their universes still exist and talked about today because of that analysis and criticism?

Accepting canon for granted would just make the show stop being talked about decades ago after the season ended. Because, what else is there to discuss?

How boring!

I ship Ron and Hermione, they're canon and have two children!

But I still criticize the movie for not showing their relationship development as well as in the novel.

Geez, I'm Romione shipper, but I don't mind Dramione more popular than canon.

I've never yapping Dramione shippers like the ATLA fandom yapping Zutara shippers!

I've never go to their fanart and touting, "Romione is canon, accept that!!"

These two characters even have no relationship development in both the novel nor the movie, unlike Zutara! But, I still fine with that.

[darklinaforever]

I want to laugh when I see people criticizing Dramione ships, while shipping either Drarry or Pansmione...

I would like to point out that I have nothing against these ships, on the contrary I like them both a lot (Carry On, my beloved trilogy) !

But... at what time can you afford to make fun of Dramione shippers because Dramione would be too toxic, but on the other hand, ship equivalents such as Drarry or Pansmione ?

I hear some say that it is also because of the Dramione community in general that it is the most toxic ship. Because the community linked to Dramione would be too unbearable as well as a place of hatred (notably because of the treatment of Ron's character by some).

But in fact, every fandom has its share of toxicity and extremists. Not all fandom is like that. Generalizing a group is never good.

Not all Dramione stans hate Ron, nor spit on his character, and therefore hate Romione (for example, I don't hate the character of Ron or the Romione couple, even if I find that the relationship could have been better written, it works very well in the universe of the books).

Not to mention that apparently, we love creating a Draco that doesn't exist (or a Hermione), and that as a result, we are not real fans of the character(s) ; While I see tons of Dramione shippers, including myself, who enjoy reading fanfictions about them that is actually closest to the canon characters from the books and movies.

So, we need to stop with all this generality after a while.

[pacific-rimbaud]

i'm curious how do you feel about dramione community now?

i'm a new writer, long time reader and can't help but feel like the fandom and the ship changed so much and i wonder if i even have a place in it anymore.

there's so much demand for the writers from the readers (constant update demands, no willingness to engage with wips) and at the same time i've been in a couple of dramione writer communities where other writers are openly pressuring each other to either start tiktok or finish the fic before posting it (the new dramione writers society discord server specifically).

particularly upset when i see people advising each other to commission art to promote their fic for writing.

it seems like that space for writers to be just writers becomes smaller and smaller and readers are not interested in the fandom but rather the next hot fic that's getting traction.

and all that combined with the overall hatred toward dramione as a ship outside of dramione.

I've genuinely stopped writing because of this. and i'm sad that i lost that one hobby that made me feel good, as it now seems like a popularity contest more than just fandom fun.

you seem like you're able to balance your love for writing with the changed landscape of the fandom. at least from the outside posts :D

DHr grew exponentially in the short time I spent in the ship, and that growth will only accelerate as big name fandom writers continue to enter traditional publishing with seven-figure book and film deals.

Life is change. Change is death. It's okay to grieve what's gone and won't come back.

And I want to add: keep writing. No matter what. But that would be hypocritical. I haven't written in a year, and remain deeply uncertain about whether or not I'll take it up again. It's a real puzzle.

The relevant questions seem to be: why do I want to write? And: what spaces feel nurturing to me as a writer?

The first one's easy. I write because I like the films I see in my head. I like the way language sounds. I like to experience the past, and to be swept away by intense emotions. It's like having a Holodeck in my head. And sometimes, when everything clicks, I get to describe my little bespoke scenarios in words that make a nice sound when they rub up against one another.

I'm waiting on a good answer to the second question. All I know is that art, criticism and commerce have always been an incredibly awkward ménage à trois. No shade to folks seeking to work the fandom algorithm and secure the bag (posting already completed work on a schedule, writing popular tropes and characterizations, and using original art in social media marketing are all great ways to do that). Whether money changes hands or merely attention (which can be converted into money), that's commerce having its turn at the wheel.

I'm suspicious that my creative brain is commerce-repulsed. Maybe yours is, too. So it goes.

I'm certain that we shouldn't let that keep us off the Holodeck.

So. Make a deal with me. I promise to run some freaky little scenarios in the simulator this summer if you'll do the same. Then let's meet in the limestone cave and paint our blorbos by candlelight. Let's tell them around the campfire. Come draw them with me in the sand.

[yenleak]

My controversial opinions about Zutara fandom as a part of it:

1. This community should admit its mistakes as well as point out inadequate individuals here.

Fans who spread sexist and violent ideas on ship to please their delusions are not good fans and should not represent us. We are very supportive of each other in this fandom, but if a person is talking outright shit, then it's better for us to point something out. Let's normalize being critical in your own community.

2. Criticizing the characters is good. Expressing an opinion about their actions is just as good. Calling characters slurs and spreading hatred against them? People became too comfortable with it.

Aang and Mai are exactly the same imperfect characters as the rest. Mai is a victim of Bryke's writing as much as Katara. But if they wronged Katara in terms of her role as a character, Mai was not given this role at all. They didn't even plan to give her any development. She is not a piece of shit for being flat, and I actually love how some fics reveal her character from a new angle. Her demonization by people is caused only by the desire to make Katara look like the better partner for Zuko (southern lights is a good example). Which is kinda mysoginistic. Mai might not be great, but she's never been bad.

The same can be said about Aang. I love him as a separate character, but not as a partner for Katara, and I can think of at least seven reasons why, but calling him a nasty harasser is kinda too much. This is also Bryke's fault and how abruptly they decided to show us that Kataang is the final couple. They hurried and made something weird and messy out of their love line. I know that this is a popular topic in our fandom and, again, I love reading character analyses and anti kataang metas. I 100% admit that he made Katara feel uncomfortable throughout the third season. It's just that this constant villanization of him, the main character, sometimes looks forced.

3. Katara would never give up her body and freedom against her own will. Arranged marriage fics do not convey her character in any way!

This is my personal opinion, which you may disagree with, but these fanfictions are such bullshit. If the whole ship is about how they understand each other, how ! choose! to be with each other, then why making them fall in love in such conditions? We are the ones talking about how Zutara is definitely not colonized x colonizer ship, but these fics put them in such position. The only trope associated with arranged marriage that I like is when 1) Katara marries Zuko in her late 20s and after the war and both of them are friends at the beginning; 2) when it is agreed for the benefit of both sides

4. STOP WHITEWASHING THEM PLEASE!

5. Zuko and Katara will never be parallel to Dramione and other similar ships.

After all, if Dramione is all about from enemies to lovers, then Zutara is from enemies to friends to lovers which makes a huge difference.

6. Katara is not a sub...

7. There's nothing wrong with stating that Zutara is for the girls.

I've seen a lot of people shitting on this opinion, but the only male openly shipping them is Dante Basco. We often point out how Zutara is made through female gaze, so what is wrong about this statement?

((anyways. I love our community so so so much! You all are wonderful, from meta makers to writers and artists. Never listen to antis and never let them make you feel bad about your choices. After all it is their choice to spread negativity which immediately questions their mindset. ))

[liaredrose]

Hello everyone.

I think some of you have noticed I haven’t updated my stories in a while. They are not abandoned, I will finish them. I’ve been a silent reader of Dramione for something like 15 years. Before writing in English I wrote and shared fic in my mother tongue. I have always loved Harry Potter and I have always adored Dramione. It’s just that - and I have to confess I it with a heavy heart - it has become difficult to find joy in writing - and sharing - Dramione. To me writing has always been a way to escape reality and enter the fantasy world that reins in my mind. Well, that world has zero limits. Now whenever I write a Dramione I have to fathom how some people might twist what I write and be personally offended.

It has becoming annoying. I know that some might say: it’s on the internet; brace yourself for criticism. Yeah, you are right but that does not allow people I don’t even know to insult me. I have been told to cure my fat-phobia - I didn’t even know that was a thing - because I wrote Hermione didn’t like Dudley. The fact I wrote she also didn’t like him because he was a moron was apparently irrelevant. Some people were concerned by the fact Hermione believed herself to be a slut for her behaviour so they launched themselves into a campaign to accuse me. Again, the fact she had had a previous sexual relationship that had affected her way of thinking was not relevant. I have been accused of being a racist because in one of my stories Draco decided to go by MUDBLOOD as a muggle rockstar. There is a reason that I haven’t yet explained in the story so I won’t write it here. Besides, comparing muggle au to racism it’s such a ludicrous thought that I am honestly speechless. In a comment someone wrote and I’m quoting here “Careful not to make this into a smut without plot”. I also had to defend a story and waste time I could have been using to write to stop a stupid quarrel.

We don’t know each other, but I’m only patient with my son and with my students. This is a hobby, so I have zero patience here. My heart is broken because I love this fandom. I met wonderful people thanks to Dramione and I will be forever grateful. But enough is enough. I want to reassure my readers that I will finish Crimson Seeds and MUDBLOOD because I love those stories and I want them to have a closure. Then I’m done. I’m writing the next chapters, but - for all the reasons listed before and more - I’m doing it slower than before. I truly hope this fandom will get back to its former glory because it was a fantastic place to be.

I love you all.

Yours,

Lia

P.S. This was just meant to inform my readers so please don’t turn my words in something they are not. Thank you

[alexandra-emerson]

Some Thoughts

(For readers horrified by what’s been going on in fandom who want to help)

Twats

I’m sad that some authors have been pulling their works from AO3, though I totally get it. But I’m not going to add to the “don’t sell fanfics” commentary much. I’m working with a lawyer to get mine taken down from Etsy, and it sucks, but I think this is an opportunity to talk about the fandom community as a whole. Specifically, what you can do to keep it alive and healthy.

I think it’s easy to sit at home, read about this illegal fanbinding drama with interest, run to AO3 to mass download your favorite fics, pat yourself on the back for not buying or selling fics illegally or not adding them to Goodreads, then move on with your life. But I would argue this passive attitude is just as harmful to the community, in some ways.

The Criticism Ratio

You all have probably heard that you’re supposed to deliver compliments and criticism with a ratio of 5:1. This is because negative comments stick in our heads more, so even if you were balancing the good and bad, or giving twice as many good comments as bad ones, the bad ones carry so much weight, they still seem to be winning.

With writing, I would argue this ratio is probably more like 10:1. Because it’s so personal. And most of us are so new to it. And it’s so much freaking work. I timed it once, and one chapter typically takes me 12 hours to write. That doesn’t include editing, or the hours my beta puts into editing. Then, to float all that work out into the world and get negativity back … oof, it makes embarking on the next 12 hours, and the next and the next VERY difficult.

My Experience

I’ve been an author of some popular fics in both the Harmony and Dramione spaces. On the Harmony side, I’ve dealt with personalized attacks, not just against my stories but against me as a person. And when that was going down, there weren’t a ton of fans speaking up on my behalf. I got a lot of DMs telling me those bullies were just the “loud minority” but from my point of view, with my supporters sounding like crickets, they felt like a majority. 

(Quick note to my Harmony readers: No I’m never writing Harmony again, get over it, and stop following me to every work I write next to ask me when I’m writing Harmony again. You had your chance to support me, and you fucking missed the boat.)

On the Dramione side, the public spaces are more moderated (thank God) so I’m less likely to stumble upon downright bullying. But this space is overwhelming in how BIG it is and how much conversation goes on about my fics. I always feel like the last to know when there’s some big Tik-Tok boom happening with one of my stories, when a story gets added to Goodreads, when there’s a reddit thread discussing the flaws in ‘Timeless’, when it gets posted for sale on Etsy, when someone popular binds it. It’s very hard to keep up with this giant fandom and it’s too much to handle at times. Which means if people don't send us things directly, we don't see it.

I also get this thing in Dramione that I didn’t get as much in Harmony where people act afraid or embarrassed to reach out to me. They’ll say things like, “I’m so sorry to bother you…” or “I’m sure you hear this all the time, and I know you don’t need to hear it from me too, but your works are great…” I think in Dramione people assume because it’s so big, other people are taking care of things, but that’s not the case. There is a lot of activity, for sure, but not much of that is making it back to the author.

My Ask

So anyway, think about the role you play in fandom. Are you contributing to the compliment bank, or the criticism one? (Remember, abstentions go with the majority. And in this case, every negative experience holds x10 weight).

Good things can be as simple as sending a quick note like, “Just letting you know I thought about your story today” or “Here’s another kudos because I just reread this gem!” It can be correcting a negative comment or review you see out in the wild, so that if the author ever stumbles across it, they see that their people are out there, sticking up for them. Ten people can instantly negate a bad comment with ten positive ones. Then if the author ever finds it, no harm done.

We all know the bad things that harm fandom, so there’s no need for me to rehash them here. But don’t forget that the passive things can be just as harmful. Things like: Rating a fanfic on Goodreads, because it’s already there, and you really want it to count towards your goal. Downloading a story, loving it, and never letting the author know. Reading rude comments online, complimenting yourself for not being that mean, then scrolling to the next thing.

My challenge to fandom is this: Let’s fill that compliment and support bucket so full that when an author does encounter a negative experience with one of their fanfics, they have a giant, fluffy pillow of endless love to fall back on. Let’s make those rare moments of nastiness truly feel like a minority to our creators. It’s not a ton of work. Our fandom is so flipping large, it just takes a tiny comment from each person to keep our community feeling like a fun, positive place to play.

[mirireads]

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 • 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

general info

author: Misdemeanor1331 fandom: harry potter pairing: draco malfoy/hermione granger chapters: 10 (technically 9) rated: M/E potential triggers: death, violence, sex

𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃: 𝐲𝐞𝐬

While ferrying a message for the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger is caught by jaded Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Unlikely and unwilling allies, the pair begin a cross-country journey where their survival depends on learning when to stand strong against the elements’ fury, and when it’s acceptable to erode.

so, yes, i would absolutely, no questions asked, recommend Time and Tide. but this fic is not my typical dramione fic rec whatsoever. at 10 chapters and under 30k words, it is pretty short, so there's no slowburn there. their relationship builds pretty quickly, but not abruptly. hermione being a selkie is one of the biggest story points in this fic, which i loved. i don't feel like i see many creature!hermione fics, honestly. the most notable feature of this fic, though, is just the writing itself. i mean, it's beautiful. you can absolutely tell the author is a seasoned and talented writer. for a short fic, the characterization is great and the entire time i was practically screaming, "PLEASE WORK OUT PLEASE GET SAFE PLEASE BE HAPPY" at my kindle.

also, for the record, there are two endings to this fic. one is HEA, but one is not. both contain smut. i read both because of course i did. the non-HEA version felt a little rushed and...underbaked? i don't love criticizing the work that amazing fic authors do for free, but it is worth noting. if you are going to read one ending, i highly suggest the HEA one, not just for your own mental health, but also for the story. the HEA one isn't even totally HEA, so the edginess is still present!

[separatist-apologist]

Your response to my message about WNGOOS was so interesting, and I hope my excitement didn’t come across as pressure, above everything I support authors writing whatever and whenever they feel like!

But it’s enlightening to hear you talk about how gwynriel fans can get pigeon-holed, and it’s strange to think that elucien doesn’t have the same fanaticism attached when we arguably have more canon characterization for both Elian and Lucien than we do for gwyn and az. And maybe that’s why? They’re easier to project upon because they’re more malleable? But at the end of the day, they’re still fictional and I can guarantee that the same folks who disagree with your interpretation of them will likely be disappointed with SJM’s actual canon characterization of them when the time comes too. It’s a good reminder to take all of this less seriously and enjoy the fandom and the fiction and the plotless smut and the smutless plot! And thank you for writing both so prolifically!! I know for one I read every word you write 😂 and will support you whatever you choose to do!

I think this happens in most fandoms, to be fair. A couple VERY well written fanfictions get dropped that are wildly popular, coupled with just the way people view characters and it shapes the interpretation of a character.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this, just for the record. I come from Star Wars and this runs RAMPANT over there. I think even for well established characters (please no one bully me but like, Dramione comes to mind), people create new thoughts and storylines and attempt to stitch motivations together in a way that makes sense. Other people enjoy them, they build upon them, and it becomes very popular (for a reason!), and a lot of people enjoy it.

Again, I don't want to speak negatively about gwynriels because I like both the ship and the people who ship it- and even within ACOTAR I see this. I see interpretations of Elain ALL THE TIME I'm like, cite your SOURCES, but its popular because people like this interpretation of her motivations, her potential, etc etc.

I also want to say that I think gwynriel as a ship feels difficult to write when you consider all the pieces you need to stitch together. They have a LOT of combined trauma that, when I was working on LIBTM, I found really hard to like...give a voice to? I think there are tons of very talented authors who have done a beautiful job with their characters- far better than I ever managed to- and deserve every inch of attention they've gotten.

And with all that out of the way, I do think if you really love a specific vision of a ship, and a person you like who writes a different ship steps in, you might be hoping to see that vision of it, too. I think for gwynriel especially, there is a lot of pressure to make it loving that also once existed in the elucien ship because of the outside criticisms. So we can't make it vaguely toxic, or enemies to lovers, or even tense because folks come in and are like "SEE EVEN THEIR OWN SHIPPERS THINK-" and I want to say that because I think it adds nuance and layers to how some of this happens.

I have done the same thing. Remember Exile? I wasn't afraid of other eluciens coming in mad at me hahaha. I was afraid of the people who stalk this blog 24/7 so they can write another vague I don't care about (but two years ago I cared SO much) (time doesnt it give some perspective) in which they paint with EXTREMELY broad strokes, as if a fanfiction I wrote is somehow speaking on behalf of every single person in the ship. Sometimes you just want to explore a dynamic, you know?

Anyway- all of this to say that I don't blame the people who felt like that, nor am I trying to victimize myself. A lot of my problems exist inside my own head. It would be a lie to pretend I don't want people to like the things I read, but I also get SO nervous when things get popular in a large way because I feel like I can't deliver the things people want and I'm going to let everyone down.

[dhr-ao3]

Timeless

Timeless https://ift.tt/VyZMs6B by miryamdev It’s been six years since the battle of Hogwarts. Six years since Hermione Granger could hope for a better world. Wizarding War II, known as WW2 among wizardingkind, has left Europe and its allies divided. In an attempt to contribute to the war effort, Hermione puts her dreams of becoming a High Healer specialized in critical care on hold, to work in the Intensive Care Wards as a Healing Assistant (HA), in St. Mungos. Voldemort has laid waste to the wizarding community of London. In an efforts to right wrongs, she gets her hands on her old time turner to stop Voldemort from ever being born. Only she doesn’t make it to 1926 as planned, she winds up instead in 1644, without her time turner. Britain is on the brink of civil war. Charles I is on the throne. And Britain is about to embark on its bloodiest witch trials. Hermione is desperate to return to the modern day and embarks on a mission to find a time turner. But before she leaves, she wants to save British witches from their fate. She joins the hidden revolution of mideval British witches and wizards, only to find the resistance is being led by someone all too familiar. Someone a little too close for comfort. Draco Lucius Malfoy I. Words: 452, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Susan Bones, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy I | 16th Century Malfoy Ancestor Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: Time Turners (Harry Potter), dramione - Freeform, Witch Trials, Eventual Happy Ending, WIP, wip dramione via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/H8PGazl June 19, 2024 at 06:13AM

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Toxic Romione Shippers 🤝 Toxic Kataang Shippers

You make an anti canon ship post, and they question criticize why you ship the fanon couple even if the fanon couple was never mentioned in the post.

Their canon ship is perfect and if you ship the fanon couple you are delusional/mentally ill and doomed to abusive relationships.

Accuse you of wanting to self-insert so you can screw someone in the fanon ship. Despite a character in the canon ship being a creator self-insert.

They say their ship is canon to feel morally superior in fandom.

They hijack fanon ship posts to insult fanon shippers.

One person in their canon couple is entitled to the other character despite how badly said character treats the other. Because they have no one else 😭. Aang needs Katara to repopulate the Air Nomads! Hermione can't be with anyone other than Ron because poor Hermione!

They defend their canon ship by criticizing the fanon ship.

The fanon ship is for horny, teenage girls.

People hate their canon ship because they are salty towards the creators for not making the fanon ship canon.

Despite their ship being canon, they whine about the amount of fanon ship content despite bragging their ship is canon 24/7.

[myst867]

What do you HATE about Harmony?

I'm so glad you asked what I hate. Let me list all the ways in which I hate how those writers write free stuff for a pairing I like!

I hate how they don't write it the way I myself envision it!

I hate the way their character doesn't act exactly the way I want the character to act because ofcourse ANY other characterization is a GROSS GROSS mischaracterization!

You know what I really hate though? I hate how so many more people like Dramione! Or Wolfstar! How they have all those pesky rules in those groups that DON'T let me hate on the free work produced by those writers.

Like really how dare they not let me hate as much as I want to, and how dare those writers chose to write for fandoms that don't promote hate!

For those of ya'll that don't get the sarcasm. Some people have been really sucky today about some fanfics. It takes a lot of effort to have a life and write a novel on the side. A NOVEL THAT IS FREE TO READ. If an author is asking for constructive criticism, that is one thing. But most aren't. They are just sharing a story they love that they put effort into.

And ya'll are spitting on it, and being fucking disrespectful. If I wasn't in a place where my stories WERE FOR ME FIRST. I'd give them up and say fuck ya'll.

But I know it's not everyone. I've met some really lovely people being in the harmony community. Alot of people who have helped me personally, and who I regard highly. SMH. Today was just one of those days.

[dramionediscussion]

I would give anything to watch/read/head a comprehensive analysis of the dramione fandom. Like how/if famous fics influenced the fics that came after them. Trends through the years. The main differences between fics written before the HP books were completed and after the fact. Character arcs and how commenters reacted to them. Some other aspect I wouldn't even think to note... It would be so interesting!

I can't give you a proper analysis but I can't try to answer your questions.

Many authors will tell you if another fic specifically inspired them. There were a few that were inspired by "Manacled" by SenLinYu. A few people wrote sequels to "Master" by Akashathekitty, with her permission.

With regards to trends, whenever a new trope pops up, many people write about it. Marriage Law started in the Hermione/Snape fandom in the mid-00s, but somehow came across here and has been a very popular trope in the fandom since. In the early 00s, when Harry Potter fanfiction started, many Dramione fics were very OOC. They didn't include Voldemort. They had the Malfoys not being involved in the war. A lot of the stories were based in Hogwarts and were very "high school drama teen romance" types. You also have a lot of very AU fics popping up in the late 00s/early 10s. Like fics, where authors include their own magical systems, their own magic theory, and wandlore.

As the books and movies came out, authors started to change their themes to reflect canon. So you started to see more war Era fics, more darker themes, and what we will call true to character fics. Fics with Draco being a death eater, fics with Hermione being on the run, fics showing the war and battles and strategies and the horrors of war.

By the time the movies were completed, there were still a lot of war fics, but you started to see more post-war fics. Fics of what happens now. Year 8 fics, head boy and head girl fics, the character being working adults, Draco getting his redemption, etc. Of course, all these tropes mentioned were being written about since the beginning, but to me this is what I saw more of as time when on.

As for feedback/comments, I think as time went on, people got nicer in their comments and remarks to authors. If you look back at older stories, people didn't hold back when it came to the comment section. They were mean and insulting. As time went on, people became nicer and more careful with what they said. Also, more people were giving constructive criticism rather than "i love this!! <3".

Another thing that changed over the 2 decades of dramione is the quality of the stories in terms of planning, writing, spelling and grammar, and length. Before no one had a beta, now it is seen as a requirement. Some even have multiple betas. People will definitely call you out if you have plot holes, if something doesn't make sense, etc. Authors put in a lot of work into writing their fics, planning in advance about what is happening in their stories and their characters. Some even take weeks of planning before even writing something.

How a person advertises their stories have also changed. With social media being very prominent in our society, a lot of authors use it to promote their stories, give readers sneak peaks of new chapters, make moodboards to give readers a better idea of their characters, the moods, the setting. They commission artwork for their stories, and someone might even do it for free. They are able to reach out to their fans and directly talk to them. Before, you just posted a story online, and that was it.

The hate and negativity of the fandom have also changed. Before, no one cared for fanfiction in general. People thought it was weird, and those who read or wrote it were also weird. But as time we on, nerd/geek culture became more popular, and people expressed it more. People got a better idea of what fanfiction actually is and started to get into it. So, more people were exposed to non-canon ships, which led to people not liking it and more hate to anyone who did.

Social media also allowed fans to have a community where they can talk about fics, critique it, and help each other out. But of course, this led to bullying someone for liking one fic over another. It led to insulting authors for writing about a particular topic, and it led to people getting together to make sure someone who they didn't like didn't get readers. It led to people just up and leaving the fandom because people just constantly picked on them.

For the character of Draco, as time went in, his characterization went from "normal" school bully to indoctrinated racist young boy. Authors gave a better background to his character, which explained why he did what he did. They humanized him and started to write realistic ways in which a person like him can change. Also, as people in the fandom grew up, people started to understand the themes and characters of the original books better, so we too saw that it's not black and white when it comes to Draco. So we have a lot of support to authors who wrote a Draco the we saw him, which led to newer tropes in the fandom popping up, like Draco going to Azkaban for a few years, Draco becoming an Auror, Draco being involved in chariry work.

That characterization of Hermione to me hasn't really changed. She was always a fan favourite. Older stories were a bit of a self-insert. They also had her character being very "Mary Sue" like. You still see that now sometimes. I think authors have also done a good job in keeping her very much like her character in canon.

Of course, this is just what I observed over the years. I started to read Dramione fanfiction around 2008-2009, so we'll over a decade in the fandom, I've seen a lot. But this is just my experience and my POV.

- Lisa

[neonscandal]

Hello, again, Neon...How are you? Sorry I have not log in tumblr for almost 2 month. I'm surprised you got quite a lot of interesting asks when I read your blog....

So, first thing first, now I'm in the middle of watching "Fushigi Yuugi", thanks to you. Now, I'm not really interested in the romance but I really love the story and worldbuilding. It's isekai but so good....Thanks for your rec, Neon....🌻🤩

I always love sorting characters to Hogwarts Houses, and because you said you don't mind, can I ask for : Miaka/Tamahome (classic trope done great), Narumi/Nifuji (cute couple), and Vash/Wolfwood (I'm depress after reading their story), Reki/Langa (just read BL that remind me of them)?

Last question (sorry for this long ask, feel free if you don't want to answer all), because you love Hermione, do you ship Hermione/Ron or Hermione/Draco or other? Why?

Hope you have a wonderful day, Neon. And sorry for late in saying this : Happy Belated Birthday, wish you all the good things in life 💐😄

Hello old friend, welcome back 🌻💛 Never a need to apologize! I dare say you and your many questions may have emboldened others to reach out haha so I suppose I should say thank you for that. And for your kind words always! 🥺❤️

For it to be an older series, I'm glad to hear the worldbuilding holds up! I always loved Tamahome, Chichiri and Nuriko because they were so funny to me when I was younger. I feel like I should revisit the series with you!

Of COURSE I'm gonna address your whole ask in one go. Just remember, fuck TERFs!

ROMIONE vs DRAMIONE

As a smooth brained child, I didn't really ship Hermione until there was more obvious signaling that she and Ron were end game. The books were coming out when I was literally the age of the characters and kids are easily influenced and don't think critically. Not even going into comphet shipping at that age. I also loved redheads or maybe just the Weasleys? As an adult, Ron kinda sucked as a partner for Hermione. He took Hermione for granted, wasn't really supportive of things that meant a lot to her (SPEW, though clearly she changed his mind based on his later concern for the elves), was generally harsh with his words regarding her until the cruft of their adolescence was really broken away but, in my opinion, Hermione outclassed Ron and Harry in a lot of ways. In this pairing, it feels like Hermione made Ron better but Ron didn't reciprocate that improvement where Hermione was concerned. We can say he made her more approachable but that was him and Harry and just general socialization. It's been awhile since I've read the books so I may be selling my boy Ron short here. But also, as an adult, I see brilliant, amazing women end up with mediocre (but somewhat earnest) men all the time so I guess we were adequately prepared in our childhood.

As an adult, I'm not going to say I ship Dramione but I definitely see the appeal more. Especially where fandom fills in the gap because, contextually, we see them at odds and how Hermione is bold enough to challenge Draco. She (similar to Ron in the above), isn't the only reason the Draco undergoes his necessary character development we see through the story but her audacity, I think, humbles him in a way that's different from Harry. This dynamic is also more aligned with ships I tend to gravitate toward where they're a little antagonistic with a soft underbelly. I'm not saying this question justifies sharing this beautiful animation by @lyrablack1883 but… an excuse is an excuse. 👀

Onto the neon Sorting Hat, I guess!

Bear in mind, I'm largely of the mind that where the other houses are fixed, Gryffindor is open to anyone brave enough to ask/insist so, if you don't agree, that's cool, too. I give the primary i think they'd be in otherwise.

Miaka Yuki (Fushigi Yuugi) - Gryffindor with Hufflepuff underpinnings. It's important to note that the tenderness that Miaka exhibits is not without an edge. She may not be strong but she isn't powerless. She is kind and accepting of others and fair with a sense of purpose when chosen to be a priestess and rises to the occasion. She's still stubborn and, in fact, the flaws that more prominently make her a Gryffindor is what endears her to others (and sets her at odds with Tamahome because she's a brat, let's be serious). Still, with the whole world on its head, Miaka doesn't shy away from her duty and grows a lot along the way.

Tamahome (Fushigi Yuugi) - okay this is a bit of a toss up but only because it's been so long since I've seen Fushigi Yuugi that I'm torn between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, for obvious reasons. Tamahome is loyal to a cause and is subsequently very logical about the means to satisfy that end. Character wise, I just can't determine (or recall, rather), whether he could justify any means to that end. I'm leaning toward Ravenclaw with the loyalty to his family and then the Suzaku Warriors but I'm open to your interpretation as someone who may have seen it more recently.

Narumi Momose (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Ravenclaw. Intuitively, Narumi had a goal in mind and creatively deduced camouflage would be the best means to be successful socially and at work. It's a little dishonest but with earnest intentions. But Narumi is a Ravenclaw in the daffy way the Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw. That's not to suggest neither lack intelligence but their focus tends to be elsewhere. Whatever the special interest, they know it all, you know? Good luck trying to be a normie, Narumi.

Hirotaka Nifuji (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Bear in mind I have one season of Wotakoi under my belt. But the biggest indicator for my determination is that Hirotaka managed to hide his crush on Narumi for the full duration of the season. Cool, and nonchalant but the frenzy when his brother almost blew his cover? Slytherin. Mans had a goal all along and while Narumi seemed to fall in line with that out of convenience, it suited his purposes all along and we only see an aberration in his behavior when that was potentially jeopardized. Harmless as the circumstances were, it's giving Slytherin.

Vash the Stampede (Trigun) - Hufflepuff to a fault with sympathy for the devil. He will do what is right, damn the consequences and the risk of personal injury to himself. He was given a life and seeks to protect the lives of others at all cost. This sunshine boy isn't without shadow, driven to offset his brothers' misdeeds, for sure. But Rem, I think, is a stronger guide in how Vash lives his life. He doesn't do it for the glory, it's simply what must be done. He certainly doesn't go looking for trouble the way a Gryffindor might. It just finds him and he tries to resolve it as amicably as possible with a moral compass always pointing due North.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun) - SLYTHERIN. Hat's barely rested upon his head and definitively we know that Nicky D will do whatever's needed to get his desired end. Not saying Vash won't make him question himself but, ultimately, Nicholas will do what Vash can't. His morality rests upon a razor's edge and he's learned that the only way to protect the people he love's are by doing the dirty work necessary. With Vash's influence, he may be tortured about it, though.

Reki Kyan (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a strong Hufflepuff alignment (is this why Miya warms up to him?). Not only is he earnestly hardworking and kind, the glue that brings everyone together. But he's also brave, punching well above his weight class to stand up to Adam and protect Miya and, ultimately, to triumph over him because of his own brilliance and ingenuity.

Langa Hasegawa (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a spice of Ravenclaw. ✨ Naturally skilled and adept skater (after some serious hard work as a boarder), I think Langa wouldn't have wound up pursuing skating at all had he not gotten swept up into it through the series of events as outlined. But, in the new environment, he's able to leverage his previous expertise critically and playfully and ascend to awe inspiring heights. Doesn't mean he's not still a bit of a himbo. Affectionately, Reki and Langa at their core are idiot 🤝 idiot and we love them for it.

Anon, a BL that reminds you of Reki and Langa!? Drop the rec, bestie! How could you not include? Do I need to make a rules page? Pay the troll toll, guys!

[pacific-rimbaud]

i was reading your thoughts on how fans felt about l&oha and while i concur it is a perfect piece of work in my head and have reread it 5x, i wonder if you think fans tend to be harsher/more critical of hermione and let draco slide? i see it a lot in fics where he's more of an alphahole type

Oh, man. Okay. The can is open, the worms are loose. Rant under the cut.

I'm actually going to set men aside entirely. Just. To the side with you. I desperately need more realistically complicated men, too, but that's a whole separate discussion. Right now: women.

There must be whole dissertations out there on the phenomenon of readers hating female characters with negative traits. I'm a fandom old, so I didn't grow up identifying with Hermione, and wouldn't have even if I'd been young enough to. I did that "which character are you" test just now and my top three matches were Janis Ian from Mean Girls, Jughead from Riverdale and April from Parks and Rec, which, massive grain of salt, etc. BUT gives you an idea. I am not a Hermione and never was, so she's never been a comfort character or self-insert for me. Some of my favorite fictional women are Sophie Hatter (mean, irrational, petty, old and mostly loving it), Harrowhark Nonagesimus (evil stick), Phryne Fisher (zero fucks to give). What I like about Hermione is how imperfect she is. I'm a "cleverest witch of your age I've ever met" truther (book!Lupin is absolutely saying "you're the canniest 14 year-old child I have personally met, saying this as a guy who doesn't get out much," not "you are a once-in-a-century genius"), and from my perspective, she's often wrong and often a dick, and not in a fun and fiesty burn-down-the-world BAMF way. Which. Good for her! Be human.

And that's the thing. I personally don't want Hermione to be perfect, I want her to be what I think she is, textually, which is intelligent, hardworking, loyal, competitive, compassionate, controlling, belittling, rude, petty, insecure, vindictive, volatile. She has the right to be that way, because she's human. The desire for perfected women (or unapologetically and unstoppably awful ones, another brand of female power fantasy) is not limited to Dramione fandom. I think it's amplified in DHr by many readers who DO identify as former gifted children, books-as-coping-mechanism kids and Strong Female Personalities who felt marginalized in childhood and want to see Hermione have it all: she's slim, she's tiny, she's fragile as a bird, she'll break your neck, she'll step on your throat, she'll tear down the system, she'll heal all wounds, she does not need help, she holds all the knowledge, she holds all the cards, she is forever wronged, she can do no wrong, her vagina is tight, her nipples are hard, her hair is on point, her waist is tiny, her tits are bouncing, her ass is in the style of Now. And like. This isn't at all unique to DHr and Hermione. It's pervasive in fiction written by and for women. Female power fantasies are obviously feeding a massive hunger. It's just not what I personally want. Personally, I find it alienating and uncomfortable, which I know equates to, "That is wrong and shouldn't exist" to a lot of people, but that's its own tale as old as time.

There's a disconnect that happens too often where a reader wants one (1) thing from their fiction, and receives something else, even when the contents are clearly labeled on the tin. In this case, wanting a female power fantasy and encountering a woman who's written with flaws makes people upset. And maybe if we could be more honest with ourselves about what we're looking for when we read, work to accept that not everyone wants the same experience, and learn to close a book when it's not working for us and say, "No shade, this isn't for me," it would be less upsetting when we encounter a character who isn't written to meet our personal expectations. I will open a book, realize the FMC is a female power fantasy archetype and close it, because that's not what I show up for. I like my women gritty and weird and foolish and vulnerable and liable to hurt people and feel terrible about it. Give me all the exhausting chatterers and evil sticks and jocks with swords and their hearts on their sleeves (their hearts ripped out), give me shy Anne Elliot and her suitcase full of regrets and the ugly fuckup who never has a glow up, give me dirtbag stoners and Fleabag and Alicent Hightower apologetics and every role Natasha Lyon has ever played. It's not a moral high ground, it's about a preference for seeing actual, demeritus flaws on the page and on the screen. Blame that woman. It's her fault. She has so many faults. Then show me how to forgive her so I can figure out how to forgive myself.

The thing is, I love women. I love women so fucking much. I want to be around them, to get to know them, to read about them, to watch them on TV and see them in films. And personally, I like them ugly. Physically. Spiritually. Morally. Give a woman a Bad Personality and watch her succeed in the most self-injurious way possible, fuck you. Give her a gaping chest wound and line it with teeth. Stick a piece of grit in that girl's tightly sealed shell so that a pearl is her only option. Make her love other women, make her fuck it up, make her have to earn them back.

Thankfully I do feel like we're getting more ugly women in fiction, especially BIPOC, queer and marginalized women who deserve gross, weird, nasty representation and not just didactic moralism, patronization and misguided sainthood. Some readers won't want that, and that's fine. Again, personally (it's all so personal, please, please remember that when you hit that comment button), I'm here for it. If you write about women like this, know that you have a thirsty reader here. I'm swallowing them up. I'm smacking my lips. I'm smashing my mug on the cafeteria floor and calling for another.

[ruinedruminations]

Answer the questions and tag the fanfiction authors you know:

Thank you @mathiwrites for the tag! I decided to do this on my writing focused blog. @tamlinfairchild

How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I started out writing for fandoms almost sixteen years ago during one of my family’s last vacations together. I remember specifically hauling our very chunky and dependable laptop around the resort and curling up on various benches at age twelve to type out sentences. The work that I completed that week, as embarrassing as it is, I keep in my memory box as a dedication to what has become such a huge part of my life.

How many fandoms have you written in?

Glory. Officially on Archive of Our Own, I have written things for A Court of Thorns & Roses, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Supergirl.

The Chronicles of Narnia is what drew me into the depth of world building, characters, and writing in general. I will always have a special place for it in my heart. The original character whom I created sixteen years ago for that story still accompanies me to this day. I know her better now, as one gets to know a friend. She will likely find a home in my original works as that fantasy world expands.

Supergirl had my heart for multiple years and is what got me into working on one project for an extended amount of time. I was writing a long haul with @fangirlintheforest. We met and had a strong laugh over the fact that we have the same name. We are still friends to this day.

I believe I only wrote around 20k words to that story in a year, which I have now proven I am capable of doing in a month; but it was the first time I sat down and shared my ideas with someone in the way I do today.

How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

15 going on 16 years. I started original work four or five years ago.

Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I certainly write more than I read. Often, I can’t stop writing. Occasionally, I’ve written a sentence or two at a stoplight. I definitely have skipped dinner or stayed in from gatherings in order to let the words in my brain flow from my own. Writing is a core function of who I am.

I love to read fanfiction. My favorites of all time are definitely in the Dramione fandom. Some of their works have been very influential on me.

However, when I am writing fanfiction, I tend to avoid reading anything about the characters I am currently working with unless asked.

What is one way you've improved as a writer?

I could go on and on; but the three biggest things I’ve learned in the past two years are:

One — be your own biggest fan. especially when writing original content, you will not always have readers there by your side during creation. reread your own writing more often with excitement and love than you do with criticism. the kinder you are to your mistakes, the easier they are to correct.

Two — write for you. why did you begin this story? deep inside you know the reason why. you may lack the words for it (funny, right?) but the flame is there. start it for you, finish it to make yourself proud.

Three — just write. write it badly; but don’t let anything stop you from not writing it at all.

Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

Perfectionism and avoidance. I struggle ending stories even when I know scene by scene how it goes. I think it’s important to realize that writing your conclusion is not a death, especially for the first book of many, but an opportunity.

What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Probably things on Psychopaths, Criminals, and truly dark details about death.

What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Honestly, I’m used to not getting many. So seeing them is still a bit surreal. However, I love when people point out that something truly touched their heart or made them notice something new. My emotions bleed into my words and so has the healing and trauma recovery that I have experienced in the last five years. Being able to share my grief, healing, and hope with others in ways that makes them feel seen and heard is truly what calls to my heart as a writer.

What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

I’m not super fringe. I think the plot that I enjoy which I’ve heard is unpopular is a pregnancy trope. I have always enjoyed writing them, I’m not entirely sure why. I have health conditions that prevent me from having children of my own and I think incorporating that into my fiction is probably a very good outlet for me.

What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

I am still learning how to write good action scenes and humor. Humor is still probably what I would consider my biggest challenge.

What is the easiest type?

Lyrical, emotional prose

Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

I currently use GoogleDocs and am hoping to switch platforms soon. I want to start doing things with this blog as well. I’ve considered making a YouTube Channels about learning how to write.

What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I approach a lot of different topics, because I believe that even if I haven’t experienced something — if you step into someone else’s shoes with empathy — your own pain will translate.

But, the one thing that does intimidate me is cancel culture. I am still working through my fear of publishing because of the recent changes to fandom and reading. Authors get devoured and critiqued down to the most intimate details of their lives. Critique is important and I am probably one of the biggest free speech advocates out there, but it still scares me.

Working with beta readers and listening to people who have outside experiences helps me look at my own work new ways; but I’ve also had to accept and acknowledge that no book can ever be perfect for everyone. That is part of why we write fanfiction. As an hopeful future author, I hope that I could embrace that.

What made you choose your username?

My main blog is positivelyruined, which is a line from one of my favorite books of last year: Assistant to the Villain. I decided I wanted something that matched and this fit the bill.