After reading through the "Moments in Fanfiction" thread, I started thinking about the fanfics that helped shaped the way I viewed a character beyond canon, and wondered what stories may have influenced characterization for everyone else.

For me, the first characters that were really sharpened by a fanfic were the Creevey brothers in "Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness." They were pretty much blank slates for me before that. But after, I started seeing Colin as a tough little bugger once he grew up, and his little brother as someone who, if he ever lived through the BoH (depending on which fanfic you read), you wouldn't want to piss off.

The fic affected my views of Seamus and Neville as well, but not like it did the Creeveys.

---------- Post automerged at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 PM ----------

Damn - didn't finish editing the title. It should be "Fanfics that helped shape your view of a character."

If a mod is reading this, could I get a little editing help on the title please? Thanks.

 

Well, I guess the biggest target is Daphne Greengrass, since her existence is solely based off one mention in book 5 and JKR's student list from ~2000 (with a different first name). I still haven't really found a fic where she is characterized exceptionally well, since she is a blank slate after all. The first ones I read were "The Grass is Always Greener" and "HP and the Marriage Contracts" to name a few from the 07-08 era.

 

Anarchy: Daphne Greengrass' 'ice queen' characterization was basically ported from female!Blaise, mostly when it was confirmed that 'she' was a 'he' canonically.

There's a big thing about someone called Daphne spurning Apollo's advances in Greek mythology, and since JKR researched names/made names relevant and she changed Daphne's name to that from 'Queenie' later on, someone made a link between the two.

That, combined with Apollo's Daphne, helped shaped the fanon view of her today. Which, unfortunately, knowing Pottermore, will be her canon characterization from now on.

 

Traitorious (I think that's the name of the story) was the first Harry/Daphne story I read, and is still the best Daphne I've read; she's manipulative, smart, logical, seductive; the complete opposite of that Ice Queen bullshit that authors portray her as 90% of the time.

EDIT: After reading the above it makes sense, still don't like it.

 

I'd say the story Shifts by Fernwithy, although fluffier than I normally like to read, did pretty well with the Lupin/Tonks relationship. But what really made it memorable is the characterization of Dudley. Probably the best canon compliant Dudley I've ever read that manages to be more than a 1 dimensional bully without getting ridiculous. Especially good considering it was written in 2005 or so.

 

For me, Shezza's work with the Denarian Trilogy seriously changed how I thought about Dumbledore and Voldemort. Shezza's Dumbledore, especially, is just incredible.

Right now I'm trying to stay away from it so that when I reread it a couple months from now, I'll enjoy it more.

Another fic that changed my view of a character was Nullifier. Don't remember who the author is, but that fic seriously impacted the way I view the Founders now. I think that the author got their characterizations exactly right.

 

Jbern's Bungle and sequel pretty much became the model for Bill Weasley.

Jeconais's Perfect Situations, which essentially originated the IceQueen!Daphne trope.

 

I just read that about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. "Letters" put Daphne on my radar as a character, but that's the first one I think, that gave me a good insight to her.

Not sure I completely like the IceQueen trope, but I did enjoy how he used it.

 

I've tried not to let some stories influence how I look at others because I want to enjoy them for their individual merits, but it happens anyway.

A Warrior's Philosophy showed me that the best Bellatrix isn't insane, under compulsions, or in any way completely enamored with her master. Bellatrix at her best is clinical, determined, and above all else a survivalist. I think I've compared every Bellatrix I've read since that and found them lacking in some way.

Contemplating Clouds didn't 'change' so much as 'define' my view of Luna. Before that, she was always seemed to be in some senile/stoked haze. After that, it was happy randomness just because that's how she is.

Until The Lie I've Lived, I didn't even consider the Sorting Hat a character. And what a character it became. No other Hat will ever compare.

More jokingly, In Essence Divided made me realize that the best Ginny is one that isn't currently inhabiting her body.

 

Echoes of Power really put together Dumbledore for me.

 

I think the best Voldemort I read was in the Sacrifice Arc. He's so insane, but brilliant at the same time. This Voldemort I could understand why no one would dare mention his name.

 

Bungle in the Jungle - Bill Weasley

Contemplating Clouds - Luna Lovegood

The Lie I've Lived/Forests of Valbone - Sorting Hat

Fictional/Wizard for Hire/Awaken Sleeper - Post-series Harry potter

In Light of Silver Memories/Denarian Series - Dumbledore

Lessons - Angelina Johnson

Ice Princess - Daphne Greengrass

Wastelands of Time/The Lie I've Lived - Fleur Delacour

What Would Slytherin Harry Do - Tracey Davis/Blaise

The Other Side of the Coin - Tom Riddle

Forging the Sword - Ron Weasley/Harry Potter

Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness - Neville Longbottom/Seamus

 

Denarian Series/Renegade Cause/Criminal Limit - Dumbledore & Voldemort
Prisoner's Cipher - Hermione
Renegade Cause - Alastor Moody

 

Alexandra Potter by Taure is one of the few stories that doesn't make me hate the entire fanon.

It defined how I will see most of the characters from now on, regardless if they are only mentioned or fully fleshed out.

 

I really enjoyed Dumbledore in the Lie I lived and I think that is one of his best characterizations

 

As mentioned numerous times here already, Shezza's Dumbledore really had an impact on how I see him. Order of the Phoenix had already made it clear that he was awesome, but the Denarian Trilogy somehow managed to make him even moreso in my mind -- probably because Shezza brought him out to his full potential, where canon sort of kept him on a leash outside of the fight with Voldemort in OotP and the Inferi scene in HBP. He also managed to keep him in character while doing it, which is impressive.

I think it was Lordwar who wrote The Summer of Change, which despite having not aged well in certain areas (though I view it as a product of its time) did leave me with a lasting imprint for how he portrayed Tonks.

Outside of Harry Potter, the Mass Effect fic Interstitium really made me appreciate the entire Normandy crew more than I did before, particularly Mordin Solus. Mass Effect: Interregnum did similar with Garrus.

 

Fleur/Dumbledore/Cedric Diggory/Sorting Hat -- The Lie I've Lived

Weasley Twins -- The Lie I've Lived. I thought I'd mention this one separately because I don't think I've seen anybody try and duplicate what Jbern did. Every other author on the planet has Fred and George as fun loving, understanding, double-speak talking, pranksters. Jbern turned them into bullies, and did it in a believable fashion, and I really haven't liked them since.

Viktor Krum-- Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived

Voldemort -- To Fight The Coming Darkness. I think this was the first fic I read (way, way back in the day) that had Voldemort as a competent leader with clearly defined goals. I don't know if anybody remembers, but until this story the majority of authors had Voldemort literally hissing, killing/torturing for no reason, and having no goals what so ever. Since then I won't consider a story to be truly great unless Voldemort lives up to my expectations.

Hannah Abbott -- To Fight The Coming Darkness.

The Marauders -- I can't remember the name of the story, but it was a one-shot by Baja B where the Marauders sought revenge on the Death Eaters. It was violent, gruesome, and brilliant.

Astoria Greengrass - Incorruptible: The Demontor's Stigma

Padma Patil -- Sixth Year: Steps Towards the End

Katie Bell -- We'll All Fall after the Yule Ball

Tonks -- Half Blooded Auror

 

Lily Potter -- Oedipus Mirror. Speaking of which, I'm kind of surprised no one's brought up Oedipus Flower yet. I was going to say that instead, but really I think this one is even more of a perceptual shift for Lily's character than that. We've all gotten used to the idea of Harry/Lily, but it usually involves Harry pursuing Lily through morally questionable means. Mirror is different in that it portrays a Lily who's become dependent on her son's support to get through the day, and how that eventually grows into sexual attraction. It's a fascinating variation on the familiar shipping, and I think it a travesty that this story was never finished.

Millicent Bullstrode -- On the Way to Greatness. At least, I think that's the story I'm thinking of. I looked at a whole bunch of Slytherin Harrys a couple of weeks ago, but mainly this and Other Side of the Coin. Anyway, this story has a likable Millicent who acts as a solid supporting character and probably Harry's most consistent friend. Certainly a change of pace from all the Blaise (granted, he's there too, but still)/Tracey/Daphne/(ugh)Malfoy as Harry's Slytherin friends. This may not be the only story that makes such good use of Bullstrode, but until I work up the fortitude to read a Harry/Millicent story (Not yet. Someday, maybe, but not yet) it will remain the definitive portrayal for my purposes.

Neville Longbottom -- Screams. We've all heard it - Neville would have done it in four books. Through sheer acclamation, Neville Longbottom has become the poster boy for all that is badass in the Harry Potter Universe. And it's not like it's hard to see why; even ignoring DH, there's no avoiding the fact that Neville is probably the bravest character in the entire series. Not only face down enemies much bigger and stronger than him, but he can even stand up to his own (and only) friends for their own good and the good of Gryffindor. More, he's got the best and most shapely character arc of anyone in the series, progressing from a shy, clumsy Granny's boy into the HP version of Chuck Norris. Only Sirius Black and Bill Weasley come even close to rivaling the fanbase that the second Prophecy child can boast.

Thing is, though, there's more to Neville than just a fearless, asskicking machine. I mentioned a character arc, and Neville's is one that starts him out as a complete pushover - just a target for Malfoy and goons that's much more toothless than Harry and his friends. This is as it should be; a human's capacity for courage means a lot less without his equally strong inclination towards cowardice. More, what's so special about a hero's journey if there isn't the capacity for failure? Screams goes where pretty much no other Harry Potter fic ever treads by addressing this very question. The Neville Longbottom in here hasn't grown up into a noble, mature hero. He instead indulged his desire for vengeance in exchange for the lives of his friends.

Cloneserpents deserves the utmost commendation for his effortless grasp of something that 99 percent of the Harry Potter fandom doesn't seem to get; that although Neville Longbottom could have been the Chosen One, it was equally likely that he become Peter Pettigrew instead. I know that my ramblings are probably getting tiresome at this point, so I'll conclude by pointing out that none of the above is to say that I dislike Neville. Not at all. All that I wanted to convey was that fanfic characters shouldn't be viewed as fixed templates; it's new and fresh interpretations of the same characters we're all familiar with that makes fanfiction worth reading, and traitor!Neville is one of the best examples of such that I can come up with. It's not just an insight into his character, it's an important facet of human nature. Noble or craven, hero or villain, they're equally a part of what makes people what they are.

 

Gabrielle Delacour - Jeconais's Happily Ever After. Granted, she's more of a caricature than a character in this story, but the idea of a smart and slightly manipulative (for the good) Gabrielle really fleshed her out. It's that toned down Gabrielle that I used in Veela Cries. It offsets Fleur's character enough to expand on the differences between Veela in a fic, while keeping true to some overall general characteristics. I much prefer that kind of characterization than the normal "I'm a Veela - do me" stupidity often found in (Delacour) Veela fics.

Charlie - The First Day/More than Words. It was the first story (and sequel) that really put flesh on Charlie. He's quiet and more reserved than the other Weasleys, but still very headstrong and passionate.

Sorting Hat - as others have said, TLIL. Every story I read now, whenever the Sorting Hat is involved, I'm expecting the Hat to verbally smack someone down in the way only TLIL's Hat can do it.

 

If this thread is still running, I've got a few ideas that I didn't bring up in my last post on account of it being too TL;DR as it was. Here goes:

Ron Weasley - Chess. This fic only barely squeaked into the Library, and while the quality of Ron's characterization more than makes up for the writing quality, I'll certainly grant that the story has its problems. The most obvious one is that the central conceit of the story is really quite weak: the chess match between Ron and McGonnagal is a pretentious metaphor that doesn't reflect what was going on between the two. It wasn't a battle of wits; it was Ron criticizing the adults of the HPverse for letting Harry plow his way into danger repeatedly, while McGonnagal alternates between telling him to STFU and spluttering in surprise at revelations that any rational observer could have noticed about Harry's life. What's more, McGonnagal's too static of a character to serve as a proper foil to Ron in this situation; we don't learn anything new about what makes her tick, and what we do know just isn't enough for us to feel that "her world was crashing down around her" or however it was described in the story. Your reaction's just going to be "Meh, whatever. If you say so, Opalish".

As a character piece for Ron, though, Chess succeeds in spite of itself, probably because of how Harry's physical and psychological safety constitutes the pivot of the story. This is an excellent decision on the part of Opalish, because it shows how protective Ron is of Harry. We don't need to be told that Ron's concerned for Harry, we can see that through the problems that he cites when he makes his case. It's a far cry from your usual Indy!Harry, who will complain about secrecy or lies, rather than neglect and irresponsibility. What really makes the story work, though, and in so doing cements Ron's position as someone who will do for Harry what the adults in his life have failed to do, is this one line: "He wasn't supposed to be the one taking care of Harry, but if no one else would, then he'd bloody well do his best." That's the sort of support that the Boy-Who-Lived deserves, and Opalish has given us a Ron Weasley who's truly worthy of standing at Harry's side. Weasleys may have their detractors, but I for one think we need more Ron Weasleys of this quality in our fanfiction.


Peter Pettigrew - To Fight the Coming Darkness. I expounded at (perhaps excessive) length in my last post on the similarities between Peter and Neville, and Jbern demonstrates the similarity from the opposite direction from Clonserpent's Neville. Now, I have all manner of problems with TFTCD; the last time I read it, I actually gave up before I'd even covered ten chapters, the errors were just so painfully visible (did you know that the story consistently misspells Sirius' name as 'Sirus' right up until before his will is read?) Still, Jbern did us all a great service by showing us that Harry and Neville aren't the only ones who can get dramatically stronger with motivation and confidence. It's another great example of what I explained in my last post about how a good fanfic writer comes up with novel interpretations of a familiar character. Now, if only this story's Dumbledore weren't such a wuss...


Cornelius Fudge - The Lie I've Lived. As YMMV as pretty much everything becomes in a fandom as diverse as Harry Potter's, some characters still seem to wind up on the short end of the bashing stick in almost everyone's writing. Cornelius Fudge is a perennial member of this short list, along with such luminaries as Umbridge, Crabbe and Goyle, and...Rita Skeeter, maybe? It really is a short list. Regardless, it's Jbern to the rescue again, although probably for less than noble reasons this time. After all, it's not like Jbern doesn't indulge in bashing himself; hell, all of his big stories make at least some familiar canon characters unsympathetic for little reason other than to create some lower-level conflicts for Harry to navigate. Still, he at least varies which characters get bashed from story to story, with the result that pretty much everyone gets to act intelligently at some point.

Now that my digression's over, we can return to Fudge. The Lie I've Lived does him the (you'd think minimal, but sadly not) kindness of being allowed to come across as, well, a career politician, someone who knows how to cut deals and avoid unnecessary criticism. What's more, he's actually good at what he does. Fudge's handling of the Crouch Jr. incident (best name I could come up with) is masterful, carefully making sure everyone comes out ahead without risking anything important himself. He pulled off a similar trick near the end of the story, but really, I'm making my judgment pretty much entirely based off of his coverup/compromise over Crouch because it shows just how powerful (and useful) a skilled negotiator can be. You don't need knowledge of a bunch of obscure laws to succeed in politics, you just need to know how to give people what they want. In TLIL, Jbern gives us a Cornelius Fudge who does exactly that. I approve.