The Seven Deadly Sins of Harry Potter Slash
...and our pledge to avoid them like the plague (just like we avoid clichés).
In an effort to keep our joint Harry/Draco slashfic from falling into the many trappings of the genre, we've decided to draw up a list of the things we plan to avoid. We will keep these in mind as we write, and we promise our faithful readers that we will not dupe them into reading smut or fluff cleverly disguised as fiction. We will provide the perfect mix of angst, tension, and romance, and we promise to make you laugh as well as cry. We promise not to be temped by the following deadly sins:
1. Draco is NOT a veela, Harry is NOT an incubus, and Snape is NOT a vampire.
2. Repeat after me: Fred and George are brothers, not lovers (you sick, sick people!). Now, that said, let's allow ourselves a minute to indulge in the thought of twins...*beat* Alright, now that that's done, let's move on, shall we?
3. There is no good reason to put Snape in leather. Let me re-phrase that...there is no reason to write that into our story. Reasons to put Snape in leather outside the context of our story will be discussed at length in our next entry.
4. Instant love is not a possibility. Even if magically bonded by a potion gone wrong, a backfiring spell, or a strange phenomena created by us, Draco and Harry have been rivals for years. There's not a chance, even inside our wildest fantasies, that they will suddenly fall madly in love with each other. Besides, where's the fun in that?
5. Draco is not brave, nor is he a complete coward. He is not nice, nor is he a complete sap. He is proud but can be humbled. He is both loyal and backstabbing. He is a lover and a fighter. He is snobby, cruel, ambitious, and bigoted, and yet, none of his faults were deep enough to allow him commit murder. Love him and show the love in the writing. It is only natural that Harry, and the readers, will soon follow suit.
6. Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape are not secretly big softies at heart. And neither have a thing for Harry...or Draco. (Again, you sick, sick people!)
7. Harry and Draco cannot be stunningly, strikingly gorgeous and beautiful at all times. No matter how much we want to put them in suits, tuxes, dress robes, boxer briefs, chain mail, tight t-shirts and jeans and, erm, nothing at all, they cannot be perfect every minute of the story. Hairs must be out of place at some point. Clothes are not always tailored. And even though both of them could kill an innocent woman with one carefully aimed smirk, they cannot be completely irresistible 24/7. Added to that, Snape hasn't had an extreme makeover. His hair is still greasy, his face has more pits than a bowl full of cherries, and he's got a big honkin' nose. He is not suddenly a sex god. Lucius, however, is perfect. That gorgeous man can do whatever he wants to do.
This came about from too much time spent on AIM with moosatcows and an overwhelming dose of HP slash. We will be further discussing the phenomena that is Harry Potter Slash in future entries.
In an effort to keep our joint Harry/Draco slashfic from falling into the many trappings of the genre, we've decided to draw up a list of the things we plan to avoid. We will keep these in mind as we write, and we promise our faithful readers that we will not dupe them into reading smut or fluff cleverly disguised as fiction. We will provide the perfect mix of angst, tension, and romance, and we promise to make you laugh as well as cry. We promise not to be temped by the following deadly sins:
1. Draco is NOT a veela, Harry is NOT an incubus, and Snape is NOT a vampire.
2. Repeat after me: Fred and George are brothers, not lovers (you sick, sick people!). Now, that said, let's allow ourselves a minute to indulge in the thought of twins...*beat* Alright, now that that's done, let's move on, shall we?
3. There is no good reason to put Snape in leather. Let me re-phrase that...there is no reason to write that into our story. Reasons to put Snape in leather outside the context of our story will be discussed at length in our next entry.
4. Instant love is not a possibility. Even if magically bonded by a potion gone wrong, a backfiring spell, or a strange phenomena created by us, Draco and Harry have been rivals for years. There's not a chance, even inside our wildest fantasies, that they will suddenly fall madly in love with each other. Besides, where's the fun in that?
5. Draco is not brave, nor is he a complete coward. He is not nice, nor is he a complete sap. He is proud but can be humbled. He is both loyal and backstabbing. He is a lover and a fighter. He is snobby, cruel, ambitious, and bigoted, and yet, none of his faults were deep enough to allow him commit murder. Love him and show the love in the writing. It is only natural that Harry, and the readers, will soon follow suit.
6. Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape are not secretly big softies at heart. And neither have a thing for Harry...or Draco. (Again, you sick, sick people!)
7. Harry and Draco cannot be stunningly, strikingly gorgeous and beautiful at all times. No matter how much we want to put them in suits, tuxes, dress robes, boxer briefs, chain mail, tight t-shirts and jeans and, erm, nothing at all, they cannot be perfect every minute of the story. Hairs must be out of place at some point. Clothes are not always tailored. And even though both of them could kill an innocent woman with one carefully aimed smirk, they cannot be completely irresistible 24/7. Added to that, Snape hasn't had an extreme makeover. His hair is still greasy, his face has more pits than a bowl full of cherries, and he's got a big honkin' nose. He is not suddenly a sex god. Lucius, however, is perfect. That gorgeous man can do whatever he wants to do.
This came about from too much time spent on AIM with moosatcows and an overwhelming dose of HP slash. We will be further discussing the phenomena that is Harry Potter Slash in future entries.