HP fanfic pet peeve

[gatewaygirl]

Lately, I have found myself reading (okay, starting to read) fics in which Harry is weepy. Harry should not be weepy.

This is not to say he cannot cry ever. I am perfectly okay with Harry crying -- eventually -- if someone, for example, dies. Or if he has been tortured extensively, with some thought given to psychological impact. Or if he rages

Comments

[reikokatsura]

I really agree. I mean, how many times did Harry actually cry in the series? Not many at all. If it takes someone close to him dying to get a tear out of that boy, I highly doubt he'll ever be the type to start bawling over every little thing. Like you said, though, there are circumstances where him being particularly emotional is plausible. Sometimes, however, people just go way overboard with that.

I feel the same way about Draco. That boy has been through hell and back and yet some writers have him sobbing over a broken nail (that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you should get my drift). I find him a lot more likely to cry about "things" than Harry, but even then it's only to an extent. He's a bit of a wimp, sure, and definitely a brat, but I think he has far too much pride to let himself succumb to tears for every little thing.

I find emotional guys to be hot. Guys that start crying all the time, however, just aren't.

[gatewaygirl]

Right. I can see Draco bawling when alone fairly easily, but doing so in front of people would mean that either he is playing for sympathy (okay if he's thirteen, more of a stretch if he's sixteen, but it depends on the audience) or he has given up hope. On the other hand, I might have him cry in front of a single person he is close to if, for example, someone destroyed his bedroom at home and everything in it, whereas that sort of thing would just make Harry grim. I think of it as more appearance with Draco. He's more vulnerable than Harry, but also more afraid of appearing vulnerable. Does that make sense?

[sinick]

THIS. Weepy!Harry (or, hell, weepy any HP guy) makes me CRAZY.

[gatewaygirl]

Snape definitely throws tantrums all through the series, and lacks control over his anger or frustrations. On the other hand, I think all the times we see him cry as an adult all involve Lily. I kind of think of that as having burned that out of him. I can see him crying from anger or frustration much more easily than depression or affection.

I admit that this complaint was mostly triggered by reading stories on Potions and Snitches, a Harry-Snape gen site. I like the Snape-as-Harry's-father subgenre -- I wouldn't have written Blood Magic if I didn't -- but I think this site has more stories written by teenage girls than I'm used to. I think we're in a sort of odd subculture when reading smut gives me a better chance at a mature depiction of emotions. ;-)

[gatewaygirl]

Agreed -- Harry does not cry when it would be psychologically normal for him to do so. I feel like he doesn't cry because it never worked for him -- and while that may seem like a good thing, it's not. And definitely, some writers (including me) write fanfic to fix that sort of issue. I'm not trying to put down the teenagers; I just think younger writers (including me at that age, considering things I wrote as a teen) are more likely to overcompensate. It's easier for writers in their thirties or forties (which much of the smut crowd seems to be) to be more restrained, and I'm kind of use to that subtlety. Therefore, I am ranting over here rather than giving giving bad reviews to writers who are probably doing a good job for their age.

My perception that the majority of the smut crowd is older may be skewed; it's possible that it's just that the older ones are more likely to go to conventions, so I've met more of them. :-) I've met very few writers under thirty (although there do seem to be a bunch of younger artists).

[la_mariane]

I agree with you, weepy!Harry is so OOC that the writer should change the character's name. The Dursleys abused Harry and denied him the right to express himself : he can't show his emotions (good or bad), or express his thoughts. So, canon!Harry is so contained it's unhealthy. I can't really imagine that Harry would ever cry often.

[deathjunke]

I think after his 5th year meltdown everyone though he was being a whiner. Though he does have more to cry about than anyone else