Guide to Completed SSHG Novellas (HBP Era - III)

[harmony_bites]

A friend had mentioned she hadn’t read a lengthy post-HBP SSHG story that matched the old classics, which left me to scurry to catch up on my reading I searched through FanfictionNet, AdultFanfiction, Restricted Section, Ashwinder, Petulant Poetess and OWLWithin three posts are listed every single completed SSHG story I could find of over 10,001+

Comments

[shiv5468]

Feminism never said the problem was men, it said the problem was society, and oh my god is fandom a fucked up place for woman hate. It's not surprising. RL is a fucked up place for woman hate.

I cannot bear to read about half of the stuff.

Also, on the DH front, there are a lot of people who are eager to solve the problem of that book, but I'm not sure that there will be the same impetus going forward. It'll be harder to think of new stories in some ways - less motication - and also easier - less contracted by having to solve that problem.

I think the next round of the exchange might have to deliberately address that issue, and exclude solving that problem as a prompt (or at least strongly suggest that other prompts be put forward) to generate some impetus into new stories.

[shiv5468]

Oooh and do you mind if the digest links to these and the other post on novel length fics?

[harmony_bites]

oh my god is fandom a fucked up place for woman hate.I just don't remember it being to this extent in Trek. Not in the Het. In the m/m slash, yes, the attitude toward women was horrible--as if they just couldn't be good enough for the heroes, often being bashed to get rid of the canon interest, just often their very absence. There's a character in Trek who is supposed to "hate her own womanhood" and I wondered to a friend how you depict that in a story since I was thinking of tackling the character. She told me "have her write m/m slash" which is why I came into HP and heard some call slash the more "liberated" genre it was one big HUH

[shiv5468]

SSHG has ronrapefic too. I actually find that worse in many ways, a deeper betrayal of friendship.

Yes, it can keep going, but I think it needs to be poked along a bit to help.

[duniazade]

SQUEE! More lists! Thank you so much for these. It's so interesting to know exactly how a story is situated in regard to canon chronology and canon compliance.

I'm not convinced either that we're a dying ship, and DH has certainly left us with plenty of open skies. Especially as it brought a spectacular non-resolution of the moral/societal problems the series had raised - and here is also the opportunity to correct that trend of women-hating fics.

[harmony_bites]

SQUEE! More lists! Thank you so much for these. It's so interesting to know exactly how a story is situated in regard to canon chronology and canon compliance.

Which is why I did it that way, rather than by say alphabetical order. Especially, since as I found, the non-canon compliant are by and large one huge wasteland...

Especially as it brought a spectacular non-resolution of the moral/societal problems the series had raised

And there's plenty. Huge amounts of fodder there, and hopefully people will latch on rather than writing MLC 10009...

[e_danae]

I just shiver when I imagine how many hours and energy had this digest devour. An excellent and exhaustive work. (And probably exhausting too.)

And thanks for the rant. Because I've always deliberately avoided the "dark side" of the ship (which, in my view, generally strips the ship of their characters and uniqueness, leaving just the average "dark man" and "vulnerable maiden" patterns), I've never realized how extensive it is. Now I'm even more thankful for each and every author who build their stories on other than the paperback-romance ground.

[harmony_bites]

It has exhausted me--to the point I think I won't be reading SSHG for a while - or at least not seeking it out, beyond say when I see a fav author has updated. Although the more you do this, the faster you can spot the duds and get out quickly.

The dark side of the ship consists more of rapefic or abusive Snape's though, for me it consists a great deal of a domesticated dumbed-down Hermione whose only concern is Snape.

Which is not to say love and loves ones aren't important, or a priority, or that I don't love fluffy romance as much as the next person (although when I read books, I like the romances you can find within sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, mainstream lit rather than the ones on the aisle of the heaving bosoms). It's hard to explain the difference at times I see, but read in a pile like this it's overwhelming.

[e_danae]

I'm sure you'll need some time to recover, I just hope this experience won't repel you from the ship for good.

The dark side of the ship consists more of rapefic or abusive Snape's though, for me it consists a great deal of a domesticated dumbed-down Hermione whose only concern is Snape.

Rape fics and such lie in the darkest corner of the dark side for me ;) It's like these fics - no matter if the raping feast type or the dumbed-down type - don't put to use what these two characters really offer and what can make their romance special. That's the main reason why I find them unreadable.
(And I think it was you who once said that the best romances are gen fics or fics with the strong gen story line. My reading experience - within or without ff - acknowledge your words. Another thing that the "dark side fics" usually lack for.)

[harmony_bites]

Just as I think romance and romantic partnerships are richer if it's not all you have, I think stories generally are richer if that's not the main focus.

Arguably, Austen's Pride and Prejudice is romance pure and simple--but it has a lot to say about human nature, prejudices, assumptions, class, gender roles, as well as sharp humor. I think the main thrust of the novel is right in the title--about how we judge people and how we can see them in new perspectives and grow from it

[sabrinafair2]

Thanks so much for doing this. I'm relatively new to the whole SS/HG ship and I haven't read most of these.

[harmony_bites]

Ah, glad I could be helpful--be sure to check out the part on epics and novels linked to above as well. Enjoy. (I hope)

[anonymous]

I don't have an LJ account so this post will be anonymous - and I guess that it will diminish its credibility.

I am very new to fanfiction and indeed up until August I had never read it. I started reading it out of curiosity and because it seemed strange to me that after all this time HP was over. Somehow I am stuck on SS/HG, probably because I find that Snape is impossible to ignore, despite his numerous faults. I was pleasantly surprised to find good stories among the general mediocrity and the ramblings of 14 year old girls (in body or mind)- and I am being polite here.

I decided to comment here because I enjoyed reading your lists and recommendations for HP and SS/HG in particular and I would like to thank you for providing them :) I also enjoy your story at FF and look forward to reading more chapters. I must also add that what bothers me in a lot of abuse themed SS/HG stories is the idea that one must suffer every imaginable terror so she (usually it's a she) can finally look forward to some happiness. It is as if one can achieve

[harmony_bites]

I admit I do like some angst. I once read a definition of plot as being "put your character up a tree--then throw rocks." Another one I once read is, "and then it gets worse." Bambu says she proudly calls herself an angst writer, and she's one of my favorite authors. I don't know that it's a matter of suffering for happiness, but I like seeing characters overcome difficulties and being happy in the end because they grow as a result

[anonymous]

I must admit that I have ventured only a little to other "ships" and fandoms and slash is not really my cup of tea (with very few exceptions). Angst is sometimes fine and I do enjoy reading characters that evolve and change, it is the simplistic and the "abuse -> love" that annoy me. Much like many others I guess! What I meant with suffering for happiness was more that some authors seem to need to have their characters enter relationships through abuse. Added with terrible writing, cliches etc. and well.. you get the idea. And I also read and like Bambu's stories :) In any case, I think that fanfiction is mostly an amateur's game but it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't good stories, in the same way that "proffesional" authors can write terrible books.

[harmony_bites]

What I meant with suffering for happiness was more that some authors seem to need to have their characters enter relationships through abuse.

Ah, there I'd agree.

In any case, I think that fanfiction is mostly an amateur's game but it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't good stories, in the same way that "proffesional" authors can write terrible books.

Some become professionals. I even know some people who have sold that occasionally still dabble in fanfic. And the other day I picked up a bestseller to read and honest to god though, "the fanfic I've been reading is better than this." And it is. But yeah, fanfic is pretty much by its nature stories written by amateurs and beginning writers, so you have to make allowances.

But honest to God, there have been SSHG I've read better written, more thoughtful, richer than Rowling's own HP. Blasphemous as it might be to say that.