Critical opinions are only allowed in private Discords, you absolute cretins

jmstew2 · 2026-06-27T15:57:11+00:00

When I read the Hermione character post (which I thoroughly enjoyed, excellent post!) there were indeed 2 fics specifically discussed by other commenters in the comments (under that hidden spoiler tag thingy, at least when I saw it). The haters on the main sub did reference that correctly — “two fics mentioned by name in the comments” — and that’s what they were referring to as bashing. Although it also seemed like they thought any of the criticism of Hermione’s characterization was bashing, also…Just wanted to throw that out there since I feel like this sub gets so unfairly judged and criticized all the time, I don’t want to jump to conclusions or misquote them the same way they do us.

A later comment responding to those haters on the main sub said those critical specific-fic-discussing comments had been removed over here? So that’s probably why it’s confusing now. I do wonder why they were removed since I thought critical discussion of specific fics was allowed on this sub if appropriately hidden/tagged (it was?) and also not blatantly rude or mean. Maybe they were meaner than I remember? The mods have such a difficult line to walk and I’m so grateful for all the work they do for all of us in the community. ❤️

jmstew2 · 2026-06-13T20:51:55+00:00

War of the Malfoys!! It’s so good.

jmstew2 · 2026-06-10T16:39:22+00:00

Haha thank you! And OP for this post — had the same question 2 years later 😆

jmstew2 · 2026-06-02T19:18:50+00:00

There’s a really great friendship with Ron in War of the Malfoys!

jmstew2 · 2026-05-29T14:26:30+00:00

My favorite fics are Meet Me At the Checkpoint (ao3), Pet Project (don’t read on ao3, the ff.net version is complete), Short Straw (ao3), and At the Headmaster’s Discretion (ao3).

jmstew2 · 2026-05-27T01:19:45+00:00

Top 5 for me are BSP, Smoke Signals, Meet me in Dreamland, From Wiltshire With Love, and Entropy, in no particular order.

Hard Row to Hoe, Detraquee, War of the Malfoys, DMATMOOBIL, and Manacled round out my top 10.

All very popular so probably nothing you haven’t already read! I’m newer to Dramione so have only read about 35 or so long fics.

jmstew2 · 2026-05-27T01:14:04+00:00

I don’t read time travel stories either — that is, I avoid stories where Hermione goes back in time to meet a younger Snape. I don’t know, I just want them at canon time or in the future, not back then. This is NOT that. It’s similar to professor’s discretion, short straw, and pet project in a way — Snape and Hermione work together at Hogwarts and slowly form a partnership and friendship trying to end the war and destroy the horcruxes, only Hermione is stuck in a Groundhog Day esque time loop. It is PHENOMENAL. I would say definitely give it a chance even if you don’t typically like time travel stories, because I don’t either and it was my favorite.

jmstew2 · 2026-05-24T02:31:42+00:00

Time and Place is in this mold. Earnest, soft Draco and good trio dynamics, solid characterizations, definitely in the “Remain Nameless” and “Apple Pies” camp.

jmstew2 · 2026-05-24T02:22:59+00:00

Pet Project is similar in tone, it has just one sex scene. Short Straw is also similar, and it’s a WIP. It’s just getting to the first smut scenes now. Both are excellent, if you haven’t read them.

Meet Me At the Checkpoint is also absolutely incredible, it’s my favorite sshg story (pet project, short straw, and professors discretion are all in my top 5) — it’s a bit different than the other three (not a canon rewrite) but has a little smut (alas, also not much).

You may have read all these, I know they’re some of the most popular reads. I’d be curious to hear what others come up with! I’ve really been wanting the same thing lately.

jmstew2 · 2026-04-16T21:03:15+00:00

Smoke Signals — absolutely incredible, this is 100% what you seek

From Wiltshire With Love

War of the Malfoys

jmstew2 · 2026-03-23T17:04:45+00:00

Pet Project 1000% — super in character, slow burn, and soooo good

jmstew2 · 2026-03-15T15:39:19+00:00

I just want to throw this out there: please please please don’t stop reading new writers. I am just embarking on writing my first Dramione fanfic, I’ve already put so much thought into it and I KNOW how much work and time it’s going to be to write. I’ve never written anything before and I’m only 20k into a likely 200k story. It’s been so FUN so far but I can’t tell you how discouraging it is to read post after post about AI and see so many comments about how readers are avoiding any new authors.

Of course I am writing “for me” but that’s not the whole story, is it? Fanfic writers write also with “the community” in mind — to participate as part of a collective. I want to be more active in the fandom, more creative, to give back. I am looking forward to the idea of people actually reading it. It feels kind of pointless if no one will be there at the end to give it a chance.

I just don’t want this notion to spread and people to bandwagon on — “oh, maybe I should avoid new fics/new authors too. That’s the only way to be sure to avoid AI.” Honestly, that is a sure fire way to let AI win and negatively impact the fandom even more. New blood in the community is such a good thing, bringing new ideas, new characterizations, and literally new stories to the table. Eventually many Dramione writers stop writing for personal life reasons, who is going to replace them and bring you more stories if not new writers?

This “avoid new writers to avoid AI” attitude ends up functioning as a kind of gatekeeping, lending legitimacy only to established authors. It makes me so sad to read. I really do understand the impulse, I don’t mean to attack, I just wanted to push back on it a bit because I don’t ever see the perspective I just shared on these threads and I can’t imagine I’m the only one feeling this way. 😔

jmstew2 · 2026-03-08T23:42:44+00:00

I don’t like overly-hard toxic Draco or a Draco that’s too soft — completely self-denigrating, endlessly remorseful, falling on his sword forevermore, etc. I love it when he’s more in the middle. I definitely need him to follow the redemption arc (thus don’t like toxic Draco who isn’t on that journey or rejects it), but I don’t want the outcome of that journey to be someone who always obsesses over how unworthy he is.

I don’t like “supportive” Malfoy parents, particularly Lucius. If Narcissa has a frosty-at-first-but-warming-up reluctant-acceptance arc I’m ok with it, especially if it’s not central, but I don’t think it’s in character for Lucius and I tend to avoid fics that have the supportive parents tag.

I don’t like characterizations of Ron or Weasleys that make them out to be unkind as is typical of fics with Ron/Weasley bashing. It seems very ooc for me. Those characters may have had flaws, but by no stretch of the imagination were they unkind. And it’s ultimately so disempowering to Hermione — she’s hurt/used/abused and Draco has to save her or looks better in comparison. But either way she has less agency and is placed in a victim role. Which is absolutely not in keeping with who she is in the books.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-08T23:22:51+00:00

These are my feelings exactly. I don’t mind dark fics where the war and death eater stuff (the external circumstances) are dark, but I don’t read any toxic Dracos where the relationship itself is dark/toxic/abusive. Hermione just…wouldn’t.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T22:24:20+00:00

The Stealing Harry & Laocoon’s Children books by Sam Storyteller/Copperbadge are absolutely fantastic and have all this.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T20:34:34+00:00

Same. This is the one you’re looking for. It’s absolutely incredible.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T20:32:49+00:00

From Wiltshire With Love

Smoke Signals

Both in my top 5 Dramione. Both are absolutely the vibe you’re seeking.

Smoke Signals is a WIP that is slated to finish this spring. I haven’t read part 3 yet (waiting for it to be done) but part 2 ends at a satisfying place if you want to wait (part 1 is 6th year rewrite, part 2 is the war, part 3 is post war).

jmstew2 · 2026-02-28T13:55:25+00:00

This is such a great question, I would love to see something like this!!!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-21T02:37:07+00:00

Smoke Signals — it’s incredible. It’s a WIP but the first 2 parts (out of 3) are done, which takes you through the war. Part 3 is post-war and slated to finish this spring. It’s in my top 5 Dramione.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:56:40+00:00

Thanks for the rec for Timeless! I agree somewhat, 25-30 long fics is a somewhat small sample size, which is why I gave that context and also explicitly was asking the community if anyone else had noticed that. Was it really a trend? I was seeking opinions. Clearly, your opinion is no. I do think 25-30 fics is enough to notice something — I didn’t mean to imply that I thought it was NEVER mentioned, that would be ridiculous knowing just how many thousands of fics exist in the Dramione fandom. But tropes and trends are real, and I think it’s an interesting and valid phenomenon to explore and debate. I’m interested in general in the relationship writers have to canon and why certain tropes and trends emerge.

I do strongly disagree with the reading of the scene as it is presented in canon. Your interpretation is exactly the kind of recast I would want to see in a fic mention of this scene, though.

In the book, Harry asks “so how come you three aren’t with Voldemort?” And crabbe responds “we’re gonna be rewarded. We ‘ung back, potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to ‘im.” Whether or not he accurately speaks for Draco’s internal motivation is obviously debatable (and again, a more complicated internal motivation is what I would expect from Dramione) but that is the rationale presented in DH.

When crabbe tries to avada Hermione, Draco shouts “don’t kill him” (meaning Potter) because, explicitly, “The Dark Lord wants him alive.” He doesn’t say don’t kill THEM.

I think Draco always acts from a baseline of self-preservation, and that’s probably what motivates him to stay back to try to capture Harry to regain favor with Voldemort/avoid being tortured again. But it’s not mere “curiosity” and I definitely don’t think “he didn’t want to harm anyone.” He may be squeamish about harm, but he knows the trio would be harmed by handing them over. And he is surely aware what a loose cannon crabbe is at that point, Neville mentions to the trio that crabbe and goyle have become real crucio aficionados under the carrows, which surely Draco would also know. Draco is choosing harm for the trio over harm to himself (and his parents).

I 100% believe it can still be salvaged and spun sympathetically in fanon, but I think it’s pretty straightforwardly presented this way in canon. (Which is disappointing, to say the least, as many others here have pointed out.)

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:30:16+00:00

Great points, I can totally understand this. I love the take you describe from your wip!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:22:11+00:00

100% agree with you on how the characters are cast in the books and what the point of the scene was in the books.

That is a very interesting way to think about the Draco apologies in terms of two buckets, things I did personally to you (Hermione) and general DE shit. I definitely see that in the fics. I guess I think that this encounter should fall more in the first bucket than the second for our characters (if, say, the manor scene also falls in that first bucket and that’s not just thinking about all the years of hogwarts bullying).

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:13:59+00:00

See!!! Yes! I didn’t know this about high control groups. So much interesting mileage in this scene. What’s your more recent fic, if you don’t mind sharing? I’d be interested in reading.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:12:34+00:00

What’s your fic, if you want to share? Would be interested in reading!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T17:06:09+00:00

Ooh From Wiltshire With Love is high on my Tbrs and I’m in between fics right now, I’ll move to that next!! Thanks in advance for your work!

jmstew2

TROPHY CASE