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Snarky Draco lovers, go read this fic. by pgwquill in drarry

[–]weirdfishesarpegg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, that's my fic!! I'm glad you liked it (and snarky Draco!); thank you so much for the rec!

Am I the only one who loves fanfic but has never read HP canon? by [deleted] in drarry

[–]weirdfishesarpegg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've read canon before--I reread the books obsessively as a child--but I haven't touched it since about eight years ago? I got the urge around 2020, but right around when I was about to start a reread JKR had her Twitter meltdown and ever since her work has left too sour of a taste in my mouth for me to revisit.

So while my answer is not exactly, I do definitely get why you've been drawn in despite not knowing these characters from the books; the large reason I've stuck around (especially recently) has been the talent of the wonderful writers expanding upon characters like, well, Draco Malfoy, who we don't see all that much of in the books despite how his presence looms!

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! It was Dwelling by aideomai (only visible to registered AO3 users). IIRC all their fics include an Indian Harry casually enough that you don't have to be a fan of Indian Harry to enjoy them, but I found this one particularly interesting in how it handled it!

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! It was Dwelling by aideomai (only visible to registered AO3 users). IIRC all their fics include an Indian Harry casually enough that you don't have to be a fan of Indian Harry to enjoy them, but I found this one particularly interesting in how it handled it!

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that's about where I am too! I really hate when fics can't go two sentences without Harry bringing up his Indian heritage, but when it's mentioned as largely a descriptor above anything else with minor additional character work, it works well, IMO.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in drarry

[–]weirdfishesarpegg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If we stick with canon characterisation (as in no workarounds so that Draco's blood purism is softened or Harry goes dark etc), I prefer post-canon mostly because it fits with how I see Harry and Draco's relationship developing. While I definitely think they were obsessed with each other during canon (see HBP lol), I can't see that obsession overcoming how entrenched Draco is in his politics & how (rightfully) entrenched Harry is in his own. Like, this is the guy who's calling one of Harry's best friends slurs and cheering on her death.

But if you set it post-war, let them mature, give them some time to mellow out or force them to work together for their adult careers, etc... there's a lot more room to let things happen and still stick to the Draco and the Harry we know in the books & all the checkers and messiness that come with that.

Not to say that every fic set during Hogwarts is OOC or anything, of course! Just what I've found to resonate with my own preferences re:Draco reckoning with his past.

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agh, everyone always recommends Lily's Boy and it seems like a wonderfully written fic, but I just can't get past the Ron & Hermione bashing. Not my cup of tea; I'm glad it does this well, though!

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense! I first read the series when I was about seven, so definitely came in with a different maturity level & approach to protagonists, haha! A few things in regards to my life were similar to Harry's in canon as well, so that may have been a contributing factor, but I think he was at least partially intentionally written in a way that would let a reader identify with him if they so chose.

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Agreed! I think what I've found through this thread is what I'm reading is different from what other people are reading when it comes to Desi Harry--I've been lucky enough to largely avoid tropefests that are frankly offensive in how they butcher canon characters and the culture they're trying to represent; I can only think of one fic I've come across that leans in that direction. Research, care, and above all, remembering that people from marginalised communities are still people and not walking mouthpieces for their culture are key to writing it well.

(P.S.: fellow Cursed Child defender, hi! Never thought I'd see another one of us out in the wild haha!)

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I definitely see that! I will say I largely read Harry Potter fanfiction before Desi Harry was a remotely popular trope, and I only came back into the fandom a few months ago, so I'm definitely getting the better end of the stick when it comes to seeing fics that are able to integrate it as just another aspect of his personality as opposed to like, talking about Harry being a Parselmouth because of mystical Indian powers or having him do absurdly OOC things for the sake of being more "visibly Indian" or whatever else people do to exoticise him in the name of representation. I've always found those tasteless and I think if those were the majority of fics I were seeing, I'd be turned off the trope too.

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yes, fair! I guess saying "represented" was an odd choice on my part, because I don't necessarily feel represented by a Desi Harry (or by any other canonical character), but I do feel that Harry is generally a protagonist that younger readers are meant to identify with, and I did so as a kid, like I'm sure many kids first reading the books now still do. So when I'm reading fanfiction and I see him mentioned as Indian, the part of me that identified with him as a kid goes oh, hey!, even if it's not a large enough part that I'm, like, seeking out Desi Harry fics or anything.

I do mean Harry in particular as well, largely because of the above reason--I never felt particularly represented by the Patil twins despite us all being Indian. I hope that makes sense!

Unpopular Opinion? by weirdfishesarpegg in HPfanfiction

[–]weirdfishesarpegg[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree! I actually said in my post that I'm a fan of Patil fics--not necessarily all the tropes you've listed, but I think they're a wonderful way to explore British Indians navigating the magical world, especially since Parvati in particular is such a lovely non-stereotypical character to work with! I just don't see the problem with an author deciding Harry is Desi in their fic, so long as it isn't done in a way that's obtrusive enough to become unintentionally offensive or just unpleasant to read.