[HPFGU-OTChatter] "Tainting the canon"; one author's philosophy offanfic

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

Rebecca --

I enjoyed your fanfic musings!  :--)  Are your stories on ff.net or
elsewhere?  I'd be interested in reading them (well, HP ones that is ...
I know nothing of Dr. Who or X-Files).


> I have been thinking about compiling a "Fanfiction for People who Hate
>
> Fanfiction" archive of stories that are not only excellently written
> in
> terms of spelling, grammar, style, plot and dialogue, but which really
> seem to me to capture the spirit of JKR's universe, stay true to the
> canonical characters as we know them, and don't explicitly contradict
> anything we know from the books.  I'll take recommendations, if
> anybody's got 'em.

Since you asked  -- I would put the following stories in the above
category:

Paradigm of Uncertainty -- Lori Summers
The Show that Never Ends -- Lori Summers
A Sirius Affair -- Carole Estes & Penny Linsenmayer (shameless self-plug
but part of the PoU universe)

Draco Dormiens & Draco Sinister -- Cassandra Claire
Trouble in Paradise -- Ebony Thomas
Surfeit of Curses -- Heidi Tandy

Now, people have argued (and you might agree) that the characters in
*all* of the above stories are not true to their canonical selves.  It's
a subjective judgment though.  I think Lori did an outstanding job of
extrapolating traits & characteristics of the canon characters for her
adult characters.  I know others disagree (apparently with respect to
Hermione in particular), but I don't think they're OOC at all.  When
you've aged the characters by over 10 years, they aren't necessarily
going to meet everyone's expectations -- it's a very subjective matter.
It's easier to use your strict "do they adhere to their canon selves"
standard when you're evaluating fanfics set during the Hogwarts years.

Draco -- he's definitely different in the works of Cassie & Heidi than
he is in canon.  He is *not* his canonical self.  He *is* though a
*possible* canon self.  I don't think the Draco created by either of
these authors is implausible at all.

In any case, all of my recommendations clearly meet all your criteria
IMO, with the only category for some argument being whether the
characters are true to their canon selves.

I know there are some other excellent authors on the HP_Paradise site,
and I apologize that I can't include their works in my above list
because I simply haven't had time to read them.  I do *intend* to read
them!  :--)

Penny

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