How do you prefer your Daphnes?

Do you like them fanon-flavoured? I.e. pure-blood, prestigious family/aristocratic, politically neutral?

Or do you prefer something more original, each fic taking her in a different direction? E.g. there's a few healer!Daphne fics out there.

Personally, although I can often be found railing against fanon, I prefer Daphne to be somewhat familiar rather than taken in a new direction. This is because I have something of a pre-established image of her in my head and other directions give me cognitive dissonance. I'm not a fan of the "ice queen" characterisation, but that's not really the same thing as her background, which I prefer to keep aristocratic/neutral.

And obviously, she must be blonde.

 

Rich as hell, aristocratic, a total bitch. Something like Sesc's Unattoned, but maybe not so extreme. "Ice Queen" characterisations are invariably boring; you can be a cunt without being unnaproachable.

 

I like her in a way that is more "canon" from my perspective, meaning a rather generic Pureblood Slytherin mean girl in Harry's year(as in the ones Harry charitably calls "Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls"), which he often notes for making fun of him and Hermione. I dont see her standing out in any real way, as in being overly attractive or talented.

Otherwise I'd prefer original version as I dislike fanon in general, and fanon Daphne seems way too similar to Fanon Draco.

 

She's just posh in my mind. Not overtly a cunt, but just so in a way that her upbringing, intellect and beauty just makes her think she's better than everyone around her (because she obviously is).

She's also bemused when the rabble try talking to her.

 

I think of her as the beta bitch to Pansy's alpha. Nothing particularly noteworthy about her, in apperance or talent of wealth. She's an average follower, not an unapproachable loner with hidden depths.

 

Daphne Greengrass should be as scottish, and red headed, and freckled, and scotch swilling, and foul mouthed as possible. When not in robes it’s jodhpurs and highland castles and stalking magical prey animals, and so her aristocracy is preserved. If you want to do a good Harry Daphne story might as well make her a Ginny with more charisma and more money.

 

Can I get some fucking dislike buttons in this bitch?

 

Blor is fundamentally correct, although I don't think I've ever seen an Anglo-Norse take on Daphne whereby she comes from a family that traces their roots back to the Danelaw in and around York. That's something I think I'd like to see, if one were working on a story where that would be relevant. Perhaps a treasure hunt for the ancient hoard of a long buried Anglo-Saxon or Norse chieftain?

 

The "Ice Queen" shtick doesn't really hold my interest anymore - I'm sure it can be done well, but at this point I've waded my way through too many really shitty Ice Queen depictions that it's largely ruined for me. I think the key aspects of "fanon" Daphne that I like include being in a family with some degree of political or business relevance, being rich as hell (though this and the first one sort of go hand in hand), and being posh/snooty - though not like Draco-level.

And honestly, even those things aren't a requirement. Any characterization of Best Girl that isn't complete shit has my love.

 

This is a bizarre question I think. "Do you prefer a character in this exact very specific way, or literally any other way possible?"

I suppose this might help figure out if the prueblood stereotype Daphne is the most favorite one, but not much beyond that.

 

Well, in the context of the fandom, the "exact very specific way" represents 99% of the fics in which she is featured prominently.

 

I’m guilty of liking ice queen Daphne. If not her, who else would be the frost empress of Hogwarts?

Most “ice queen” Daphnes I’ve seen aren’t actually ice queens though. They only parade as such. So maybe, by liking true ice queens, my taste is actually original?

 

My issue with 'ice queen' starts and ends at the author describing her as an ice queen. It's a phrase full of cringe for me at this point, kind of like a woman being described as 'badass.'

I've infinite more tolerance of both characteristics when the characters in question are shown to be such, not just described.

I find attractive, posh girls that are cool and aloof sexy. But the second you call her an ice queen I cringe. Ditto with a shredded girl that kills a dragon. Sexy, but call her 'badass' and I just lose interest.

I've no idea why. Probably just a quirk picked up from too much fantasy reading.

 

I like the fanon background and the "ice queen" archetype, since I'm a sucker for the whole "mean girl meets good boy and learns to be better, cause luuuuuv", but 99% of fics don't give Daphne the character flaws that should be accompanying this type of character, instead going for every YA female protag flaws, that aren't actual flaws, like being shy, sensitive, reading too much, thinking too much, etc., so in most cases, instead of a flawed, but redeemable character, you get a Mary Sue and instead of a queen, you get an outsider.

 

Can't say I really have a preference, though that comes with some qualifying statements.

As has been pointed out by others, 'classic' Ice Queen Daphne is often incredibly lazy. The authors throws the words 'cold', 'icy', 'smirk', and, of course 'the ice queen' into their first chapter, calls it a day, then writes their preferred brand of fluffy romance. This is boring, but I don't think it's an inherent problem of the... lets call it 'aloof' Daphne characterisation.

A problem a lot of fanfic has (and it's something I do too), is that it relies heavily on implicit reference to out of text sources, which tends to result in very lazy character establishment. If someone was to go out with the intention to build a posh, aloof Daphne from the ground up, then I'd probably be interested.

On the other hand, I really dislike the cooling effect fanon often has on creativity. I'd love to see a foul-mouthed Scottish landed-gentry Daphne, or an incomprehensibly Geordie one. For a character whose greatest asset is the fact that she's a blank canvas, it seems a real waste to lock her into a single role. Bizarrely, she probably has less variation in her fanfic character than actual characters do. Open it up a bit, I say. Explore the possibilities.

No scouse though. World can live without a scouse Daphne.

 

The ideal would be some sort of amalgamation of fanon, just not in the way that it’s presented in fanfics. Fanon is mostly just poor people writing about what they think rich people are like, so it doesn’t quite capture the right energy. There needs to be a certain sense of absurdity to make the characterisation and tone right.

I like the idea of Daphne Greengrass in fanfiction because, in my mind (and after years of cutting-edge research in the Haphne subreddit and Discord server), there’s a certain tone that it presents. Does this tone ever actually manifest in any fanfics I’ve read? Not at all. But it’s fun to imagine.

Maybe I’m just projecting the types of people I’ve been surrounded with onto the idea of Ice Queen Daphne. It’s weird. To me, Ice Queen Daphne feels like the more self-inserty character, because I imagine it as some sort of extension of my own personality — which is obviously not the case in fanfics because other people aren’t me. It’s the manic energy that I imagine she represents that interests me, even if it’s entirely a construct of my own imagination.

The idea of Haphne in my mind is like if Romy Schneider movies didn’t have so much misogyny. It’s just an entirely unrealised aesthetic that makes me happy with the conception of it in itself.

 

Unatoned has spoiled me for all other 'Ice Queen' stories. So for me either she's an utter bitch and remains one, or you go for another characterization. Preferably not a characterization you just forget the second she meets Harry because 'love at first sight'. Urk.

 

Fuck you to the seventh circle of hell for even IMPLYING Geordie Daphne.

I'm... I'm getting irrationally angry rn.

I blame my sister for putting on fucking Love Island whenever I go to see my niece and nephew. Pure cancer.

 

And the fact he's OK with a Geordie, but not Scouse? Weird specificity.

I wouldn't have really thought of the violently Scottish version, but I really want it now. Otherwise I'm of the "mix it up" opinion - it got to the point a few years ago where if I saw Daphne was one of the MCs, I'd just skip the story unless someone here wrote it, because I knew what was coming.