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isiscolo's recent thread about unforgivable new-canon-induced 'AU's, reminded me of my reaction to some of the pre-OotP fics I've read over the last couple of years, most memorably when reading Sirius/Narcissa, which used to be quite a fanon staple.
I reckon there will still be fics that are read and recommended, even if later canon contradicts them. But they will have to be very good fics for most readers to put up with the inadvertent AU-ness.
So that started me wondering: I remember a few debates over on FictionAlley about what were the new classic fics, or what defined a classic fic. I came to the personal conclusion that 'classics' were largely a staple of the early fandom, which has now grown so large that it's entirely possible for people to stay in their own ship or genre corner and still find enough well-written stories to read: good stories with a startlingly original premise (such ascopperbadge's Stealing Harry) get a lot of attention, but I doubt they're as universally famous as the Draco trilogy. Hmmm. I doubt anything is as universally famous as the Draco trilogy; I'm not sure how Stealing Harry compares in the recognition-factor stakes with, say, Irresistable Poison or Pawn to Queen. But then even mctabby's Two Worlds and In Between isn't universally known. Perhaps the most a fic can hope for now is 'cult' status.
But if, of the fics that are overtaken by new canon, only the best or most seminal continue to be read, perhaps the progression of canon will itself help identify the (not so) new 'classics'? It'll be interesting to see, in a year or so, which post-OotP-and-pre-HBP stories are most recced. Time would give perspective too, of course, but the new canon will make the focus clearer, imo.
isiscolo also posed the question of what fanfiction staples might 'get irretrievably ruined' by HBP, but that seems to have been overlooked on that thread in the debate about AUs. I'd be interested to know what people think, though. So:
What new information would affect the assumptions you make in your writing (or reading)?
A major one for me is the relationship between Lucius and Narcissa - the revelation of her heritage as a Black lessens the probability of a forced or abusive relationship, imo, but it remains to be seen whether the relationship is warm, cold or hot. I'm not sure whether HBP will resolve that - I seem to remember JKR saying that we'd be seeing more of Narcissa, so hopefully we'll get more insight into her character, but I'm guessing we'll only ever be able to interpret her relationship with Lucius from dropped hints.
Another is the Malfoys' background - do they have the high status they think they have (or should have), or are they relative newcomers/lower status than the Blacks? Not such a significant question for me - and one that I think is unlikely to be answered definitively - but it would change aspects of what I write.
Hermione: how much do her parents know about the wizarding world? And by extension, how do families of Muggleborns in general interact with it? Could possibly shed get some hints about this, if the security situation spills over, or we get more about Petunia.
I'd also love to know more about McGonagall's background, though it's a while since I've written her.
And two more obvious questions about Lucius:
What is the nature of his relationship with Voldemort?
Actually, I think this will have the most impact on me, as for 2 1/2 years I've built my interpretation of his character on the idea that he's primarily out for himself rather than a creeping toady. I am expecting - with some apprehension - HPB to have something to say about this, even if it's just inferred by what happens in Azkaban.
Will he live or die?
Well, let's not think about that one yet. ;)
I'm not sure how I'll react to the new information: will I be able to keep my Lucius characterisation in my head if JKR contradicts it? Given the scorn some people express for fanficcers who are writing Sirius-didn't-die AU, I'm not sure if I could go that way with Lucius; probably I'll eventually accept whatever fate JKR has in store for him and go back to writing backstory.
isiscolo's recent thread about unforgivable new-canon-induced 'AU's, reminded me of my reaction to some of the pre-OotP fics I've read over the last couple of years, most memorably when reading Sirius/Narcissa, which used to be quite a fanon staple.I reckon there will still be fics that are read and recommended, even if later canon contradicts them. But they will have to be very good fics for most readers to put up with the inadvertent AU-ness.
So that started me wondering: I remember a few debates over on FictionAlley about what were the new classic fics, or what defined a classic fic. I came to the personal conclusion that 'classics' were largely a staple of the early fandom, which has now grown so large that it's entirely possible for people to stay in their own ship or genre corner and still find enough well-written stories to read: good stories with a startlingly original premise (such as
copperbadge's Stealing Harry) get a lot of attention, but I doubt they're as universally famous as the Draco trilogy. Hmmm. I doubt anything is as universally famous as the Draco trilogy; I'm not sure how Stealing Harry compares in the recognition-factor stakes with, say, Irresistable Poison or Pawn to Queen. But then even mctabby's Two Worlds and In Between isn't universally known. Perhaps the most a fic can hope for now is 'cult' status.But if, of the fics that are overtaken by new canon, only the best or most seminal continue to be read, perhaps the progression of canon will itself help identify the (not so) new 'classics'? It'll be interesting to see, in a year or so, which post-OotP-and-pre-HBP stories are most recced. Time would give perspective too, of course, but the new canon will make the focus clearer, imo.
isiscolo also posed the question of what fanfiction staples might 'get irretrievably ruined' by HBP, but that seems to have been overlooked on that thread in the debate about AUs. I'd be interested to know what people think, though. So:What new information would affect the assumptions you make in your writing (or reading)?
A major one for me is the relationship between Lucius and Narcissa - the revelation of her heritage as a Black lessens the probability of a forced or abusive relationship, imo, but it remains to be seen whether the relationship is warm, cold or hot. I'm not sure whether HBP will resolve that - I seem to remember JKR saying that we'd be seeing more of Narcissa, so hopefully we'll get more insight into her character, but I'm guessing we'll only ever be able to interpret her relationship with Lucius from dropped hints.
Another is the Malfoys' background - do they have the high status they think they have (or should have), or are they relative newcomers/lower status than the Blacks? Not such a significant question for me - and one that I think is unlikely to be answered definitively - but it would change aspects of what I write.
Hermione: how much do her parents know about the wizarding world? And by extension, how do families of Muggleborns in general interact with it? Could possibly shed get some hints about this, if the security situation spills over, or we get more about Petunia.
I'd also love to know more about McGonagall's background, though it's a while since I've written her.
And two more obvious questions about Lucius:
What is the nature of his relationship with Voldemort?
Actually, I think this will have the most impact on me, as for 2 1/2 years I've built my interpretation of his character on the idea that he's primarily out for himself rather than a creeping toady. I am expecting - with some apprehension - HPB to have something to say about this, even if it's just inferred by what happens in Azkaban.
Will he live or die?
Well, let's not think about that one yet. ;)
I'm not sure how I'll react to the new information: will I be able to keep my Lucius characterisation in my head if JKR contradicts it? Given the scorn some people express for fanficcers who are writing Sirius-didn't-die AU, I'm not sure if I could go that way with Lucius; probably I'll eventually accept whatever fate JKR has in store for him and go back to writing backstory.
