Some Cliches About Potterverse Mpreg

May 23, 2005 11:53

This is expanded from a comment of mine over at fanficrants.

Rantage, cut for those who have dial-up )

wizarding customs, potentially nsfw

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cordelia_v May 23 2005, 15:52:39 UTC
This was a very fine rant, and you make some good points. I enjoyed reading it very much.

But it would be a courtesy to others (esp. those with dial-ups) if you could hide most of a longer post behind an lj cut. Thanks.

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gehayi May 23 2005, 15:56:43 UTC
I don't think it's that long--you posted almost the instant that it went up--but it's been LJ-cut.

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tiferet May 23 2005, 16:29:43 UTC
Hrm. As one of the perpetrators of the 'Malfoys are not completely human' meme (though I never said Veelas or house-elves), I'd like to point out that we didn't know pureblood meant 'pure human' until Book 5--until then, we only knew that it meant 'all wizarding/magick-using and no Muggle blood'.

The name 'Malfoy' is similar in structure to at least one other name of Norman origin I know, 'Leffoy'. My friend who had her genealogy done was told that the name 'Leffoy' was derived from 'la fée'. Given the appearance (pale, blond, pointy, thin) of the Malfoys, an alternative derivation of the name from 'mal fée' doesn't seem entirely unbelievable prior to Book 5, especially when you consider Draco's habit of always seeming to be out of place, backwards and turned around, of saying unpleasant truths in an offensive way but nonetheless being right (anything having to do with Hagrid leaps to mind here ( ... )

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PS: tiferet May 23 2005, 16:31:21 UTC
And yes, I know the genealogy may very well ultimately be incorrect. At the time, I was just playing around and I liked the results. As I had NO IDEA that Book 5 was going to include the 'pure human' stuff.

I'd do more rigorous research for original fiction, but then, in original fiction I wouldn't be risking having someone else invalidate all my work as far as canon is concerned. :)

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reasdream May 23 2005, 17:38:26 UTC
Actually, I've always thought of Malfoy as a form of Mal Fait, badly made. Which makes equal sense, if you think about it.

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gehayi May 23 2005, 17:41:48 UTC
I've always thought of "Malfoy" as being similar to a couple of names in Spenser's The Faerie Queene. Their names are Sansfoy and Sansloy--"without faith" and "without loyalty." Based on that, I just always assumed that "Malfoy" meant "bad or ill faith."

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penny_dreadful_ May 23 2005, 16:29:47 UTC
wow! It makes me wonder about what kind of fics you've been reading! ^_^ Hermaphrodites abound, apparently! Good rant!

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gehayi May 23 2005, 17:04:44 UTC
Unlabelled mpreg, in most cases. My GOD, how I hate that. Perfectly good story and then in Chapter 5, a male character gets pregnant and emotionally transforms into a female from a 1950s sitcom. Grrr.

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penny_dreadful_ May 23 2005, 17:07:17 UTC
Bleah, that's the worst! That really sucks, it's not so bad if it's labelled very clearly and you can pass it up, or if it's not labelled on it happens on Chapter 1. By Chapter 5 you're already getting into it. Bad fanfic writers! Bad bad bad!

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tiferet May 23 2005, 17:48:58 UTC
I hate that so mcuh.

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divinereverie May 23 2005, 16:45:09 UTC
Ok, first off, MPreg is something left to the masters, like Lexin.

All this MPreg is fandom's way of unconciously or conciously, if you think about it, forcing the gay relationship into the stereotypical Butch/Femme heterosexual based roles. It's not about who tops being the "man" and it's not about who bottoms being the "woman." Stop trying to place people into those roles!

Another thing about MPreg. If two men want to have a baby, don't you think they do it like a couple of normal gay men in our world do it? HELLO -- Surrogate parents!

Or even magical wombs. You'd think that if magical child could grow in a man's stomach, one could concievably grow in a magical -- though artificial -- womb in a ward at St. Mungos.

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gehayi May 23 2005, 17:02:04 UTC
I agree. I could see two guys adopting, or hiring a surrogate mother, but...well, it's clear from the books that magic can't do everything. Ron gets stuck with lousy dress robes that even his parents can't transfigure into the latest wizarding fashion. Remus can't take a potion that gives him instant good health--he remains thin and sickly. St. Mungo's Healers can't restore Mad-Eye Moody's missing leg, and his artifical eye is very obviously artifical.

There is magic in the Potterverse, yes. But it's not a solution to everything. And there are obviously limitations.

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divinereverie May 23 2005, 17:17:18 UTC
Yes, you'd think that if they could grow a magically fertile womb, vagina, ovaries and etc, they'd be able to grow back a leg.

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julian_black May 23 2005, 16:48:02 UTC
* STOP TREATING BABIES AS A FASHION ACCESSORY. BABIES ARE NOT NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE "OMG SO PERFECT RELATIONSHIP" KIT. EVERYONE DOES NOT WANT OR LIKE CHILDREN. DEAL WITH THIS.

Amen, to this.

What chaffs me is when fanbrats present Severus Snape as a doting father. Uh, no. If there is a childfree character in the Potterverse, Severus is it. He does not like children. With his knowledge of potions, you can bet he would brew up any contraceptives and abortifacients he might need, and with his cunning you can bet he would find ways to administer them. He will not be trapped into fatherhood.

While Severus may fall in love--yes, it's possible--he would not have some romantic ideal of children completing that relationship. If he falls in love with a man, he will not desire children so badly that he is willing to bear them himself. If you find yourself writing a scene where Severus even contemplates this, it is time to turn off your computer, go outside, and get some fresh air. Lots of fresh air.

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