Rec: The Sacrifices Arc by Lightning on the Wave; Fandom: Harry Potter
Okay, so this might be the most in depth recommendation I've ever written. But that's because of all the thousands of fics I've read, this is the only one I have ever cared about on such a deeply personal level. It will contain "spoilers" but hopefully vague enough that it won't ruin the story. Some people call this story a "rewrite" but it's more than that. It is a reimagining of the entire series. I love the original series, I do. But The Sacrifices Arc is burned so deeply into my soul that I couldn't get it out even if I wanted to. It would be a cop out to say that it's better than the original--for me, there's no comparison at all. When all is said and done, Harry Potter is a children's series--the Sacrifices Arc is decidedly not, and that makes all the difference to me. I've read the Harry Potter series all the way through exactly twice and never plan to again. I'll be going on my sixth time reading the Sacrifices Arc, here in a bit, and will probably continue to return to it for years to come.
To begin with, I'd like to address some of the issues people have with the Sacrifices Arc.
1. Repetitiveness--I admit, this is a problem Lightning has, but because the story is so huge (over 3 million words all told) and was written approx. 1 chapter per day, I can forgive this. It's really a very minor issue to me.
2. The Slash--The story is Harry/Draco, and does eventually involve a romantic and even later a sexual relationship. But the slash--that's not what this story is about. It's not secondary, because Harry's relationship with Draco is a very important aspect of the story, but it's not the main point either. I can understand some not reading it for the slash, but I literally have panic attacks when I think that I might not have ever found this if I hadn't found m/m slash. Or that, if it had been Harry/female, I might not have read it because of that. Seriously, the pairing isn't as important as the relationship, if that makes any sense.
3. Good!Snape--This is a blatant and vicious lie. The Snape in this story is not not not good. He's not nice, and there is no aspect of him that could remotely be considered soft--but he is the Snape that canon Snape could have been if JKR hadn't fucked every last one of the Slytherins over. (A point which I am still bitter about by the way.) He is a Snape who is capable of love, but it's a sharp, savage, and often mean love, which is somehow right. As it should be, in my humble opinion. I am, frankly, besotted with her characterization of Severus Snape because he is everything I ever wanted in the character, and...when I talk about the Snape in my head, this is the Snape I'm talking about. Always. I could have just killed Rowling for making him into some bitter, useless tool.
4. Evil!Dumbledore--Okay, firstly I like evil Dumbledore fics because I always thought he was a manipulative old coot and the sixth and seventh books did little to endear him to me. But, in defense of this for people who don't like it--I don't have to squint to see her Dumbledore turning out the way he did. He's not even evil exactly--it's more a matter of the path to hell being paved with good intentions. Dumbledore had scads of good intentions but he corrupted himself in his decisions to force his will on people. He is a man who values peace over progress; who believes the status quo is the best that can be hoped for. And his stagnation and stubborness takes him down a road that was very believeable to me. What if Harry had questioned or rebelled against Dumbledore in the original? Would he have been the benevolent guide then?
5. The "Twin" Cliche--one of the very first things in LW's authors notes was that she'd seen this cliche a thousand times before, and it frustrated her because it was never done well--so she was going to try her hand. Kids, I know you hate the cliche, but give this one a chance. Of all the possible reasons not to read this fic, that is the one you should not pay attention to at all.
6. And finally Emo!Harry--Okay, I'll admit: I get off on angst. Whump, to be precise. I know that's not for everyone, and this is probably the best and only reason I will readily accept for not reading this story. There are copious amounts of angst, and Harry is whumped on the whole time, emotionally and physically. Sometimes the tension from the seemingly-unending angst was so sharp I had to actually take a walk to clear my head and unclog my heart from my throat.
Okay, so I've gone over the reasons you might not like it. Now, to give you some reasons why you should love it!
1. Characterization--Let me tell you, this woman has a gift for characterization. Everything is believable (well, within the parameters of a magical world), and everyone is human. There are no caricatures here; every player is lushly fleshed out and three-dimensional. Whether they're the characters you know and love, know and hate, never had a chance to know, or even brand new OC's; they are all amazingly developed and life-like.
2. Going along with that, her OCs--This series has some of the best original characters I've ever read about. And there are quite a few of them. From Sylarana the beautiful but venemous locusta, to Dragonsbane Parkinson Pansy's necromancer father, to Tybalt Starrise the fun and impetuous heir to one of the most influential Light families. From Henrietta Bulstrode the infuriating and horrible, yet somehow compelling Dark witch; to Laura Gloryflower, a "lion" among the Light clans; to the enigmatic and uncomfortably in"sight"ful, Vera.
3. The history. If you are a history nerd like me, you will most definitely love her world. The depth and breadth of imagination in LW's "wizarding world" and it's past is something I envy. I could never have dreamed of some of this stuff, which is why it was and is always such a delight to me. The magical objects, the pureblood rituals, even the stories she makes up as background--all of it is so engrossing to me.
4. The writing. Her technical ability is astounding, expecially for being self-edited. She really has such a grasp of language and structure and how to use it to the greatest effect. There's nothing at all jarring about her writing--everything is smooth as eggs, which let me tell you is awesome.
5. This is the only portrayal of Slytherins I accept. Rowling FUCKED THEM (and her readers) OVER as surely as possible, and even after all this time it is the other BIG thing I am still so bitter about in regards to the original series. She made them the scapegoat and it was not only reprehensible but a fucking waste of a whole plotline to do so. Namely the running theme of "interhouse unity." Slytherin is a house of Hogwarts. They are a house. I refuse to accept that there is nothing redeeming in a whole house of people as JK seemed to imply in the last chapters. It fucking sucked, and made the epilogue creepy and horrific as hell and made me fucking angry because all the tests say I am Slytherin. Grrr, okay a bit OTT there, but Trust Me--for all of that, Lightning's Slytherins make up for it in spades. They're devious and cunning and clever--but also loyal to their own, and above all--they're still just kids, neither nefarious nor deeply inhumane.
6. It has some of the best action/battle sequences I've ever read about. Everything is so vivid, it's like you're watching it rather than reading it. I could say that about the whole story, but it is especially noticeable in the battles.
7. The magical creatures--they're so much more than they were allowed to be, from the unicorns to the centaurs to the dementors to the house elves. God the house elves, and especially Dobby. I'll let you discover the part the magical creatures play yourself, but let me just tell you--it's fantastic. Like the most amazing thing in the whole wide world, and it breaks my heart even as it swells.
8. The magic itself is just. God, I wish I had her way with words. The magic as she describes it is practically alive and I never get tired of marvelling over it whenever I chance to think about magic in her world.
9. And finally...Harry. I know before I said that Harry's personality might be a turnoff but to be honest? This is something like the Harry I expected Rowling's Harry to be. Maybe not personality wise, but as far as his impact on the wizarding world went? Yeah. I wanted this level. I wanted him to effect change, to be a leader not some incredibly lucky average Joe, which is what he was by the end. Original Harry didn't care that everything went back to being exactly the same, with the same prejudices and same bad feelings as before. Lightning's Harry wants to change thing. Wants to make them better. And I really love this Harry to a ridiculous and mind boggling degree..
So, I guess that's enough gushing huh? Either I've convinced you to give it a chance or I've convinced you it's just not for you. I really hope it's the former. It a slow start while Lightning finds her feet, but she hits her stride mid-No Mouth but Some Serpent's and boy does she hit it hard. I was hooked from then on and spent a good three weeks catching up. It's really just the most amazing thing I've ever read, like it came straight out of heart and soaked into my gut and bloomed out from my pores. It wasn't like reading a story--it was like being the story. Yeah, I'm lame and probably a little scary in my stanning, but when it comes to this story? I just don't care.
To begin with, I'd like to address some of the issues people have with the Sacrifices Arc.
1. Repetitiveness--I admit, this is a problem Lightning has, but because the story is so huge (over 3 million words all told) and was written approx. 1 chapter per day, I can forgive this. It's really a very minor issue to me.
2. The Slash--The story is Harry/Draco, and does eventually involve a romantic and even later a sexual relationship. But the slash--that's not what this story is about. It's not secondary, because Harry's relationship with Draco is a very important aspect of the story, but it's not the main point either. I can understand some not reading it for the slash, but I literally have panic attacks when I think that I might not have ever found this if I hadn't found m/m slash. Or that, if it had been Harry/female, I might not have read it because of that. Seriously, the pairing isn't as important as the relationship, if that makes any sense.
3. Good!Snape--This is a blatant and vicious lie. The Snape in this story is not not not good. He's not nice, and there is no aspect of him that could remotely be considered soft--but he is the Snape that canon Snape could have been if JKR hadn't fucked every last one of the Slytherins over. (A point which I am still bitter about by the way.) He is a Snape who is capable of love, but it's a sharp, savage, and often mean love, which is somehow right. As it should be, in my humble opinion. I am, frankly, besotted with her characterization of Severus Snape because he is everything I ever wanted in the character, and...when I talk about the Snape in my head, this is the Snape I'm talking about. Always. I could have just killed Rowling for making him into some bitter, useless tool.
4. Evil!Dumbledore--Okay, firstly I like evil Dumbledore fics because I always thought he was a manipulative old coot and the sixth and seventh books did little to endear him to me. But, in defense of this for people who don't like it--I don't have to squint to see her Dumbledore turning out the way he did. He's not even evil exactly--it's more a matter of the path to hell being paved with good intentions. Dumbledore had scads of good intentions but he corrupted himself in his decisions to force his will on people. He is a man who values peace over progress; who believes the status quo is the best that can be hoped for. And his stagnation and stubborness takes him down a road that was very believeable to me. What if Harry had questioned or rebelled against Dumbledore in the original? Would he have been the benevolent guide then?
5. The "Twin" Cliche--one of the very first things in LW's authors notes was that she'd seen this cliche a thousand times before, and it frustrated her because it was never done well--so she was going to try her hand. Kids, I know you hate the cliche, but give this one a chance. Of all the possible reasons not to read this fic, that is the one you should not pay attention to at all.
6. And finally Emo!Harry--Okay, I'll admit: I get off on angst. Whump, to be precise. I know that's not for everyone, and this is probably the best and only reason I will readily accept for not reading this story. There are copious amounts of angst, and Harry is whumped on the whole time, emotionally and physically. Sometimes the tension from the seemingly-unending angst was so sharp I had to actually take a walk to clear my head and unclog my heart from my throat.
Okay, so I've gone over the reasons you might not like it. Now, to give you some reasons why you should love it!
1. Characterization--Let me tell you, this woman has a gift for characterization. Everything is believable (well, within the parameters of a magical world), and everyone is human. There are no caricatures here; every player is lushly fleshed out and three-dimensional. Whether they're the characters you know and love, know and hate, never had a chance to know, or even brand new OC's; they are all amazingly developed and life-like.
2. Going along with that, her OCs--This series has some of the best original characters I've ever read about. And there are quite a few of them. From Sylarana the beautiful but venemous locusta, to Dragonsbane Parkinson Pansy's necromancer father, to Tybalt Starrise the fun and impetuous heir to one of the most influential Light families. From Henrietta Bulstrode the infuriating and horrible, yet somehow compelling Dark witch; to Laura Gloryflower, a "lion" among the Light clans; to the enigmatic and uncomfortably in"sight"ful, Vera.
3. The history. If you are a history nerd like me, you will most definitely love her world. The depth and breadth of imagination in LW's "wizarding world" and it's past is something I envy. I could never have dreamed of some of this stuff, which is why it was and is always such a delight to me. The magical objects, the pureblood rituals, even the stories she makes up as background--all of it is so engrossing to me.
4. The writing. Her technical ability is astounding, expecially for being self-edited. She really has such a grasp of language and structure and how to use it to the greatest effect. There's nothing at all jarring about her writing--everything is smooth as eggs, which let me tell you is awesome.
5. This is the only portrayal of Slytherins I accept. Rowling FUCKED THEM (and her readers) OVER as surely as possible, and even after all this time it is the other BIG thing I am still so bitter about in regards to the original series. She made them the scapegoat and it was not only reprehensible but a fucking waste of a whole plotline to do so. Namely the running theme of "interhouse unity." Slytherin is a house of Hogwarts. They are a house. I refuse to accept that there is nothing redeeming in a whole house of people as JK seemed to imply in the last chapters. It fucking sucked, and made the epilogue creepy and horrific as hell and made me fucking angry because all the tests say I am Slytherin. Grrr, okay a bit OTT there, but Trust Me--for all of that, Lightning's Slytherins make up for it in spades. They're devious and cunning and clever--but also loyal to their own, and above all--they're still just kids, neither nefarious nor deeply inhumane.
6. It has some of the best action/battle sequences I've ever read about. Everything is so vivid, it's like you're watching it rather than reading it. I could say that about the whole story, but it is especially noticeable in the battles.
7. The magical creatures--they're so much more than they were allowed to be, from the unicorns to the centaurs to the dementors to the house elves. God the house elves, and especially Dobby. I'll let you discover the part the magical creatures play yourself, but let me just tell you--it's fantastic. Like the most amazing thing in the whole wide world, and it breaks my heart even as it swells.
8. The magic itself is just. God, I wish I had her way with words. The magic as she describes it is practically alive and I never get tired of marvelling over it whenever I chance to think about magic in her world.
9. And finally...Harry. I know before I said that Harry's personality might be a turnoff but to be honest? This is something like the Harry I expected Rowling's Harry to be. Maybe not personality wise, but as far as his impact on the wizarding world went? Yeah. I wanted this level. I wanted him to effect change, to be a leader not some incredibly lucky average Joe, which is what he was by the end. Original Harry didn't care that everything went back to being exactly the same, with the same prejudices and same bad feelings as before. Lightning's Harry wants to change thing. Wants to make them better. And I really love this Harry to a ridiculous and mind boggling degree..
So, I guess that's enough gushing huh? Either I've convinced you to give it a chance or I've convinced you it's just not for you. I really hope it's the former. It a slow start while Lightning finds her feet, but she hits her stride mid-No Mouth but Some Serpent's and boy does she hit it hard. I was hooked from then on and spent a good three weeks catching up. It's really just the most amazing thing I've ever read, like it came straight out of heart and soaked into my gut and bloomed out from my pores. It wasn't like reading a story--it was like being the story. Yeah, I'm lame and probably a little scary in my stanning, but when it comes to this story? I just don't care.