That's the definition of slash, dumbass.

 

It's a definition. And really not a very good one. There are many stories with gay people in that I wouldn't call slash. In fact, to expect every character in a cast to be straight is almost as retarded as making them all gay. Gay people exist, deal with it.

Many people take slash to refer only to stories where the main character is gay.

For others slash refers to a certain type of writing. I have sometimes described het stories as being rather "slashy" because of the prose. You can just feel the emotional melodrama and hurt/comfort dripping off the words.

 

I just don't get it. Neither the Weasley rat or the Sirius/Pettigrew divergence. If it is inconsequential to the plot, then it's OK. Stupid and unlikely maybe, but not rage-inducing. But if LW is trying to circumvent the canon secret-keeper plot, then I just don't get it. The rat thing was worse because it was mocking and insulting. This is just....needless. Will stay tuned to see if there is a method to this madness, but my hopes are few.

 

The latest update was big and, in my opinion, excellent. I continue to enjoy this fic.

Also interesting was this chapter's AN, which appears to reference this thread:

 

He has something of a point, but I don't think as much a point as he thinks he has. While valuing all sorts of art forms is all well and good, I do think there's something of an objective element to it as well. Stories written in leet-speak simply are not good writing. Nor are those with bad spelling and grammar. And yes, a good fanfiction is not as artistically admirable as a good original fiction, because it is less of an achievement. Original fiction requires not just technical writing skill, but significant creativity.

 

No, slash cannot be taken seriously until proven otherwise. It's a good point, but it didn't need to be made in the first place.

 

Wasn't this thread originally locked for discussing the author and his rants and not the story itself?

 

Also locked for discussing whether or not it was a story.

 

On the topic of the A/N, it refrences Calvin and Hobbes, therefore I approve.

So, to get back to that story. Must say, I like the take on Dementors. Really good arc - has anyone her figured out the riddle Quirell gives? I have a feeling I should see the answer, but I just don't.

The plot's picking up. I'm hoping to see a more central conflict to it soon, rather than all these mini-plots, though. The big picture (past 'rationality') still doesn't seem to be too solid. There are lots of continuing ones (Quirell and his horcruxes/motives, teaching Draco etc) but none that the whole fic builds around.

 

I was rather apprehensive about this fic when Harry killed a dementor. I mean, it's so cliche. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how he went about it, and I like that the fear that the dementors inspire is not their nature but a by product of it.

 

I liked the dementor treatment, despite its cliche'-ness. He highlighted the inherent dumbness of the dementor's definition in canon. I mean, they supposedly eat happy thoughts, but their victims are assaulted by BAD memories. Just doesn't jibe, imho. However, LW's description probably more closely described a lethifold than a dementor. I still liked it though.

The best thing about this fic continues to be the riddle posed by both Dumbledore and Riddle, as well as their interactions. Some of the rest is interesting and some is just dross. Still, it's original enough to continue to capture my interest.

 

Exactly, except the opposite.

If a story contains a gay character or characters, it doesn't make it slash. Slash is a sub-genre of the Romance genre; i.e., whereas the main focus of Romance is the development of a romantic relationship between two characters, the main focus of Slash is the development of a homosexual relationship between two gay characters.

Mentioning two gay characters in passing or even featuring them heavily in the story doesn't make it Slash. If the story does not specifically focus on their homosexual relationship as the main point of the story, it is, by definition, not Slash.

 

Why did Dumbledore, Quirrelmort and Harry Potter all immediately decide they can't let anybody know that Harry killed a Dementor? He earned the bragging rights on that one "fair and square".

I wonder how the author intends to conclude this if Voldemort is going to hide (or re-hide) the hurcruxes that well. By Potter making everyone immortal and thus fulfilling all of Voldemort's wishes so he never reveals himself?

 

Basically, if it mentions men regarding each other's parts lustily or has men tongue-kissing men, it's slash.

 

Because Harry realized that when you learned "Patronus 2.0" you lost the ability to use Patronus 1.0, i.e., you lost yer animal. It seemed to me that there was no guarantee you'd even be able to do the second, but you'd still lose your ability to do the first.

Yeah . . . no.

 

No, that is why Harry didn't tell Dumbledore how he did what he did. But before Dumbledore knew Harry wasn't going to tell him how, before even Harry knew he wasn't going to tell Dumbledore how, they all agreed the three aurors needed to be stunned and memory charmed so they wouldn't know that Harry killed a Dementor. Not how, but that he did it at all.

If all competent wizards know that if a wizard tells you you are not ready for a spell then you don't learn the spell, then it should be safe to tell the aurors that Harry killed a dementor and he is not teaching how because of a good reason. They were taught to accept such answers for powerful magic.

Also, how many wizards of Professor Quirrel's apparent caliber are there? The wizarding population is very small. You can't miss a powerhouse like that. Quirinius wasn't that powerful when he was a student. Dumbledore couldn't have not noticed how much more competent this guy is than he remembers. He is not even trying to be in-character like Crouch playing Moody. What is Dumbledore playing at?

 

This should be pretty obvious. This is a basic strategic decision. Dumbledore and Riddle both knew how strategically advantageous it is for people NOT to know he can fuck up a dementor's shit.

 

So Dumbledore wanted to keep it as a surprise weapon against Voldemort. Ok. I can imagine two scenarios where people not knowing might be to Harry's advantage:

1. Harry goes "dark"/anti-ministry, gets sent to Azkaban, escapes using this trick (if he can pull it off wandlessly). But now that Dumbledore knows, he will make sure this can't happen by warning Azkaban guards/aurors/whatever.
2. Voldemort plans attack that relies on Dementors, Harry thwarts it using this trick. But now that Voldemort knows, he will always plan to use the Dementors far away from Harry and people Harry personally taught like Hermione Granger.

So we'll probably never see this "surprise" utilized.