Home again. For now.

[valis2]

Good news and bad news on my fanfic front.

Good news? A Niffler wrote a review about TLS. Yay!! Super yay! For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a Niffler is a fanfic reader who recommends fics to other readers on Fictionalley.org. There are only a select few Nifflers. I would love it if my fic was Niffled. It would truly be an honor.

Bad news? The review pointed out that I haven't explained a long-running plot point, and that my Minerva McG is not canon. In defense? Well, the long-running plot point is a biggie, and I'd rather hold off and save it for a little while longer. The Minerva thing? To me it is logical. Sarah is a Sanguimagus. Minerva knows. Minerva really doesn't like anything she's heard about Sanguimagi, and was completely against Sarah coming to Hogwarts, and especially teaching young children. Minerva doesn't trust her at all, and only the will of Dumbledore keeps Sarah there. I think it is within McG's character to react this way to a character like Sarah. And the other teachers are coming around as well.

The review was definitely positive, though, and it was awesome that she/he spent so much time reviewing it. I really like long reviews. (Not that I don't appreciate short ones---all reviews are helpful, honestly.) I can only cross my fingers. He/she was only at chapter 31, so hopefully I'll hear more about what they think soon. Hope I don't lose them!

If I don't get Niffled that's okay, of course, really. It's just good to get such a pointed review. Makes me think about things and tests my mettle.

Glad to be home, though. Hopefully I'll write more tomorrow.

Comments

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I know so little about the Niffling process, so I'm probably just imagining this, but it doesn't seem like that many Snape/OC fics get Niffled. Nearly none, actually. I went through a long list and found some Snapefics, but not as many as I expected. Maybe I was looking at the wrong place, but I was surprised.

And about worst fics getting recognition...that burns me right up, it does. I once read the absolute worst Snape fic with not one, but TWO absolutely dreadful MS characters. It was completely awful on all accounts (spelling, grammar, punct.) and someone reviewed it saying "Are you SURE you're not JKR?!!" I nearly died right there. Ugh.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

Name of fic? For the incorrigible mocker and Deleterius hanger on?

And in any case it cannot be the absolute worse, that honour goes to the SS/HG fic, Tyger!Tyger!

You are dead right about Snape/OFC. As far as 90% of fandom is concerned, Darkness and Light trilogy is the only fic you'll evah need. I like it, too, but it's not the derniere cri of Snapefic.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

The fic is here http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1133252/1/

And it has 1000+ reviews from some extremely obsessed fans. I'm certain that deleterius or pottersues HAS to have skewered it at some point. Or there is no real justice in the world. I haven't searched to see if it's been done.

Oh yes, Darkness and Light is nearly always mentioned. It had some good moments, but I really ended up mostly skimming it. Probably because it is about Snape and a student. (At least, I assume that she was a student.) No offense, but that doesn't intrigue me as much as a full-grown woman and Snape. Yum. I love the series...hmmm...what is it called...the Other Side of Darkness, I believe, by...Abby? I am awful with names, sorry. But those are terrific. I normally avoid SS/HG, but if it involves a mature Hermione I sometimes give it a chance because usually in my (canon) mind there lingers the notion that wizards are a bit more long-lived and therefore it isn't so much a problem at that point. I just like Hermione to be out of school, preferably with some time and perspective.

I must check out Tyger! Tyger!. I assume it is on the Pit.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

I took a peek at the fic above and nearly fainted. Then I reminded myself as we all must do, all the time, of the great truth, that review numbers are no indicator of quality.

It is a truly abysmal fic, too, with its scene headings. Jeez.

One of the reasons I have a bit of a soft spot for Darkness and Light is that it is the first Snapefic I read that

a. Wasn't absolute crap, and

b. Was finished.

It's hugely overrated. There are far better stories out there. And I was hugely irritated by the "There is no rule against a teacher and a pupil having a relationship at Hogwarts" thing. What a cop out. The only point of writing a teacher/pupil thing is if there are ramifications around the rules. Let's see Snape either get sacked, or go into melt down over it.

I personally also think "The Other Side of Darkness" hugely overrated. Well written, well yes, albeit hugely pretentious. But the bit that pisses me off is Abby's daft depiction of England as some 17th Century theme park, yet another rip off of "The Beekeepers Apprentice" and finally, having your cake and eating it, in Virgin!Snape who also shags like a porn star. Writers can have Virgin!Snape, but please do not then write him as superstud.

Oh, and his walking around with a kitty on his shoulder was pretty stupid, too.

Otherwise agree with the out of school thing. SS/HG shippers argue that she is clever. Perhaps, she's not mature though, and she is not experience in life. And above all, he would not.

Take your sickbag in hand if you read T!T!. On affnet under the SS/HG section. The writing is enough to make the discerning reader violently ill, the content is worse.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

That fic is about the worst I've ever read. I actually even read some of the reviews starting from the beginning because I was so stunned by the sheer number of them. It seems as if they had at one time even started a website to talk about it or promote it. They spend a lot of time MST3King it as well.

I agree that OSoD has some probs. I completely agree about the cat thing. I absolutely have no desire to read about Snape with a pet. Anytime a pet shows up I get annoyed.

I have a friend who claims that Virgin!Snape would be seriously messed up, saying that at this age he'd be so used to...er...taking matters into his own hand that he'd be very uncomfortable with anyone sexually for some time. Also he thought that Snape might very well be impotent, considering his generally repressed and tightly controlled demeanor, not to mention his unhappy upbringing, etc.

Will check out T!T! this afternoon. Thanks for the tip!