They say that confession is good for the soul
In the light-hearted spirit of this community, I bring you a list of clichés that I have been guilty of in the nearly two years I've been writing in the Harry Potter fandom. Buckle in...
Snape calling Harry "beautiful"
Usually, it's just in Snape's thoughts that he things of Harry's eyes as beautiful. Or the delicate, Etheopian form that seems to attract everyone from Snape to Hagrid to the Giant Squid. Or the way that Harry's hair defies all logic and will not behave -- a condition I'm rather familiar with, and it is not a pretty sight, kids.
But I, in my newbie glory, once had Snape call Harry a... drumroll please...
"beautiful virgin"
*facepalm* I even remember cringing when I wrote it. For the life of me, though, I don't know why I left it in. Or why my beta didn't attempt to beat some sense into me. Ah well, at least the rest of the story makes up for that one painful line.
Harry gives Snape a makeover
Okay, so this one wasn't nearly so painful as the first. In fact, I had fun writing it. And keeping it in character for the both of them. After all, if you were Snape and faced with the choice between having Harry-in-your-head singing Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall over and over and letting him attack you with shampoo, conditioner, body wash and moisturizer... well, after the first few verses, I'm sure you'd give in too.
The big thing about this cliché that makes Canon!Snape fans run screaming, is that this is just his exterior. A bottle of Panteen and a loufa are not going to help the man realize that he's an unpleasant bastard and that he should mend his ways. Snape knows people don't like him, and I think the feeling is mutual. Soft, manageable hair is not going to make him into the poster boy for Amnesty International.
But at least it makes shagging a much more pleasant experience.
Snape goes to a (gay) dance club
I swear, every single fandom has a variation of this cliché. And it makes sense why; the pounding music, the crush of bare flesh, the grinding hips, the alcohol. Heck, even when I was not looking my best, I still had guys all over me in the clubs. The whole atmosphere just seems to make people want to get nekkid and get busy.
Besides, I wanted an excuse to put Harry in eyeliner and lipstick. And Snape in leather.
*innocent whistling*
Kinky student!sex involving props
Okay, so the likelihood of two teenagers in a boarding school being able to find enough privacy for a shag is slim enough as it is... though I know it must happen. I went to a perfectly normal day school in the middle of the suburbs, and I knew people who managed to have sex in the building while school was in session. Hormonal teenagers will find a way, baby. And then, often, they'll have babies, but that's aside the point. And since I primarily write slash, not really a concern of mine.
The cliché is that they would A) have sex toys like leather restraints in a place where your stuff would never be safe from prying eyes and B) have the inventiveness to even want them in the first place.
But still... it was nice to have Ron tie Terry to the bed for an evening.
. . .
I'm sure there are more, but that's good for now.
What about the rest of the writers here? Why don't you all post about your sins? It's kind of liberating, really. *grin*