Before any of you attempt an Angry Mob, perhaps I should explain.

I am currently working on a TL called "The League of Extraordinary Harrys." The basic premise of the story is that 14 different Harry Potters find themselves in one Universe (and yes, there is an actual story behind it). Seven of them are good, seven of them are evil. They range from OTL Harry to Death Eater Harry and everything in between.

Before I make this story, I want to make sure all 13 ATL Harrys (the 14th being OTL Harry) have well-established Back-Stories and characters. To do this, I want to use as many stories involving their Cliches as a springboard. Although this is not a Crack Story (although there will be humour), it will from time to time mock their respective Cliches.

Which is why I ask you, Servants of the Dark Lord Potter, to suggest stories I could use for said Springboard. I'm not expecting a single, perfect story for a character, but multiple stories that culminate into the character.

I could also use Name Ideas for some of the characters, to help tell them all apart. I am open to any and all suggestions.

The Harry Potters I will be using are as follows:

1. WBWL Harry. He has a twin who everyone believes is the BWL, even though Harry is. Everyone (minus an old house elf) dots and obsesses over the Twin (Charlus) and ignores Harry, even though Charlus is a fat stupid cowardly bully while Harry is a super-genius. All he wants is his parents' love, but they ignore him. He becomes very Dark and very Evil. I need a lot on this one, since the Story will take place in his Universe.

2. Azkaban Harry. He is accused of a crime he didn't commit. No one believes his claim that he's innocent (if they let him speak). Everyone, including Ron and Hermione, quickly rat Harry out. While at Azkaban, he inexplicably gets cool powers. His name is Hawthorne, after the writer of The Scarlet Letter.

3. Death Eater Harry. He was raised by either a follower of Voldemort (Snape, Malfoys, Bellatrix) or Voldemort himself. I haven't decided on that one yet. He is Voldemort's right hand, and is absolutely devoted to his Master. Depending on who raises him, he either sees Bella as a mother or a lover. I suspect I will give him an anagram, but I have no idea what.

4. Monster Harry. He was abandoned by the Dursleys in a field at five. He ends up raised by animals. He is a savage creature, and can turn into a werewolf at will, with absolute control when he transforms. I am open to other animal transformations, if a good Story is found. His "mate" is Draco. His name is Harper (HARry + PottER), since the wild is not known for long, complicated names.

5. Dark Lord Harry. The Dursleys hardened him into a future Dark Lord. He has no intention of joining Voldemort, though; he plots to kill him and be the new Dark Lord. He has a great deal of followers. I'm thinking giving him a name from Greek/Roman mythology.

6. Abused/Crazy Harry. He was treated horribly by the Dursleys, and mistreated in every possible way. He eventually became insane. He likes to tell his "friends" what his "loving family" did to him while "playing" with them. Saying the word "freak" will set him off. His name is Boy, since the Dursleys never referred to him as Harry.

7. Independent/Evil Girl Harry. Although for the sake of the plot I had to make her a girl, she has a lot of Independent stuff. She realizes Dumbledore was using/manipulating her, the Weasleys want to marry her into the family for the money (Ron in this case), and she is in fact Lady of a lot of stuff. She doesn't give a shit about the Wizarding World, and vows to make them pay for ruining her life. Her name will be Lady Potter-Black (after it's revealed her full and proper title is far too long to use as a name).

8. Good Slytherin Harry. He has a lot of friends/allies, is a political genius, and uses Dark Magic. He is, however, NOT EVIL. He is dating Daphne Greengrass. He goes by Evans, to spite the Purebloods.

9. Ravenclaw Harry. He is really smart and knows a lot of more exotic Magic, although he is better at the Theory. He is really observant. He is dating Luna, and has become just as "Looney" as her, not that he cares. He'll go by Poe, after one of the more unusual American authors who once wrote about Ravens.

10. Hufflepuff Harry. Of all the Harrys, this one is the least develop. So far, I have him down as Neville pre-DA: quiet, a bit of a coward, but ultimately someone capable of growing one big backbone. He's either dating or has a crush on Susan Bones.

11. Veela Harry. He gets cool Veela powers on his Sixteenth birthday, and is taken away from the Dursleys for a while (Delacours). Due to weird bloodlines reason, he is 'forced' to be with Draco.

12. Marauder Harry. He was raised by Sirius and Remus, and is pretty much James before he grew up. He has an animagus form (which I'm divided between making something cool, a stag, or something cute and adorable). His name will either be Prongs Jr. or Prongslet.

13. Good Girl Harry. She is in a lot of ways like Lily: kind, smart, and not someone you want on her bad side. Her full name will be Harriet Rose Potter.

If anyone knows a good story/name I could use for these characters, please let me know.

P.S. If anyone has an alternative on one or more of the ATL Harrys, don't be afraid to suggest it. I might like it better than what I have. Just keep in mind there must be seven Good Harrys and seven Bad Harrys, and OTL Harry is one of the Good Harrys.

 

Please, tell me it will be a crack, this coichés are almost unworkable, because, well, most of them were retarded before even being clichés, and now they are at least very tiring. The works that you would have to do to make them at least not very annoying amd/or very hateable would be huge.

And not that I doubt your talents or capacity, but the only writer I ever read that coukd work with the like of such huge/tired clichés was Sir Terry Pratchet. To mock them and Lampshaded it would be the besr, with your straight man Harry being close to cannon. The ideia to put in the twin universe has very good potential, and I suggest not making Harry the BWL there. If you want to make a crack/mocking fic like Roschar's Blot, and not like nonjon's, I have some ideias, if not, well good luck but I can't help with much.

 

This story sounds like a cluster fuck of suck.

 

The fuck did I just read.

 

I should probably clarify a few things:

1. This won't be a Crack per say, but it will have its comedy and will Lampshade common Cliches.

2. A major part of this story is to poke fun at some of the different Harry Potters that exist.

3. If some of those things made you vomit a little inside, like the two Harry/Draco characters, I should mention I felt the exact same way: I included them precisely because they have been done far too often.

4. I can't even post Ideas without getting shot down immediately? You guys really value your Standards to obsessive levels.

 

I think of you remove the gayz from like, half of the characters, you'll get a somewhat better reception.

Edit: Number 7 is supposed to be Good!Harry? Also, on the Hufflepuff!Harry, just no. There are many better Hufflepuff qualities that you can show. Why don't you make him more like Cedric, instead of pre-awesome Neville?

 

There have been several attempts at this kinda fic and all of them failed.

Also, just so you know: I want to slap you with a stinky salmon.

 

I think it is a cool idea, but I personally would not read this story. Honestly, I think the whole thing would be better if it were a not-so-subtle jab at Harry Potter fanfiction and the ridiculousness of it sometimes, instead of just mocking it from time to time. You should also use common cliches, but not back stories. Make them people, not tropes. It'll interest the reader and the writer more.

Also homosexual Harry is bad and you should feel bad for suggesting it.

 

The trouble is that I don't see this being a very successful endeavor and, as mentioned before, the core idea isn't all that original. For instance, nonjon did something similar years ago (granted, his story wasn't putting all the Harrys together in one universe, but rather had a single Harry visiting himself in bunch of different universes, but the basic idea of beating up on the clichés was there). His story was mildly entertaining at first, but it got stale fast and he didn't end the story so much as walk away from it.

I just don't see how this sort of meta-fic is going to have much appeal for anyone, really. You have to care about the characters, good or bad, to want to read. No matter what your readerbase, some subset of your Harrys (e.g., Veela Harry swishing, flicking, and deepthroating Draco's fleshwand) is going to be a turn-off.

Don't go down this road please. It won't end well.

 

The whole idea just sounds like a bad excuse to write badly.

 

You know what? You're right. This is an excuse to write. And my writing does suck.

But do you know what else? I want to stop being a bad writer. I want to write something I can be proud of. I don't expect to ever be a Great with a Five-Star Story, but I damn sure hope to be considered Good one day, capable of making Three-Star material.

So this idea will be doomed to fail? Fine, that is a fair complaint. It's certainly one everyone else here made. But don't you dare tell me this is all about me writing badly. It's an opportunity to stop writing badly. Is that so much to ask for?

 

Cut the characters to at most, 5, and do a crack fic. Only way to me that it will work. You can't write a cohesively, with climax and deepness with this plot. No slash. Unless you're going to write it mcokingly or for the first time in fic history, a good real gay romance, and not idiotic shipping.

And stop whining. Look, when guys like Pers (who I know it's the real Most Interesting Man, and much more awesome because he is also a scientist), Lord Anarchy, Hero and Republic, that had been here for years, read hundreds of good, epic, shitty, sad, horrible, annoying and all around kinds of fic, some of them that also write (and in some cases damn well too), and you simply disregards their opinion, what are you doing here? I know it's hard to see your plot mocked or just not accepted, it hurts. But failing happens. Yes, you write badly, and it's great you know that, so for your first step towards improvement, listen to them. I did, and helped me to be a much better reader, and encouraged me to try my first story.

So don't whine, listen to them, weight down those advices and swallow your pride. And write, if you love it, never stop.

 

Slash is generally going to bring a ton of aggro down on you here, if you expect different lurk moar.

As for the story I agree there are way too many Harrys, you'll never be able to develop so many as characters all at once, most will just remain 2D cliches. I would recommend 7 total, at most, for the parallels with Voldemort if nothing else.

 

You know what? Screw this one. Seeing the reaction here gave me an idea what to expect if this were ever posted.

One of these days, I will find a story where the Idea Itself is liked enough.

 

Chill, dude. No need to get defensive.

If you're going to do it, then I'll give you a few suggestions. This is from my perspective as an occasional writer and longtime reader of the fandom. The advice may well be worth what you're paying for it, but anyway...

I suggest you think hard about POV, since that'll make or break a story like this. nonjon's worked because AK was cool, a bro we'd share a beer with, whom we'd wingman for if he needed. Consider writing your story from the standpoint of a single Harry's POV (at most, toggling between two POV) and give us readers someone we can get to know and care about. I honestly don't give a shit about half your cliché Harrys and would wish for them to catch a Killing Curse in chapter 1. Don't ask me to try to sympathize with someone who finds Draco's loins erectionable because it just won't work.

Rather, make your story center on a Harry your readers can get to know and care about, let you as a writer design an interesting arc of development for said character. No good story has static characters. If all you're going to do is have stereotype Harrys acting stereotypically, it's going to suck no matter how deft you are with the diction. Three chapters in, the gags will run out and the drama will take on all the depth of a Muppet Show rerun.

Get a few thousand words worked up and consider posting your stuff in a thread in WBA to get some constructive feedback. The site boasts probably a hundred writers, some of whom (*cough* Joe *cough*) are among the best you're likely to find in the fandom. Collectively, we know how to make stories work. Hell, we have two anthologies of original fiction by site authors published professionally proving this much. If you truly want to improve your writing skills and join the cool kids, you'll have to get over yourself and be willing to accept criticism, even if of the sort, "This doesn't work for me and here's why." That shit is golden, man.

Understand that folks here get a newbie dropping in every few weeks thinking he has the greatest story idea ever; history shows that few pan out. You might be the exception, and I hope you are, but you're going to be viewed with skepticism until you can prove your mettle. Consider asking for a challenge in one of the TGYH story prompt threads and see if you can write to a prompt. That'll show us something more than just your earnestness. Prove yourself and people will be less skeptical of your ability to deliver. And if you just happen to show a spark of something special, we'll flock to your thread to help you make your story a font of awesome. Promise.

Edit:

Or that. Whatever.

 

Sorry about that. It's just that I got really attached to the idea. Maybe it did have too many characters, but I was so sure I could have done a reasonable job with it.

I am perfectly aware I'm nothing special. I know I've done nothing yet to prove myself here. And I am smart enough to understand that those posts help.

But I just saw too many comments on how the idea was terrible, how apparently Slash in any context (even parodies of the Cliches most people hate) is a really bad idea, and so on. To a degree, it hurt me. I didn't see constructive criticism in most of them: just criticism.

Thank you for that. Sometimes, I think everyone needs a good slap in the face.

I will reconsider the idea. If I do attempt it now, it will feature fewer Harrys, and certainly no Slash (seriously, it was only two Harrys, and both were going to be a mockery of the Cliches about them).

 

Am I the only one thinking this might be hilarious? Oh wells. Good luck if you attempt it. It'll probably be hard tricky to keep coherent, but I'd read it.

And for God's sake, if there is a tiny bit of slash for the sake of parody of the veela!Harry genre, could you not lose your shit over it, folks?

 

I would like to give this as a chance to apologize for my reaction. It really was childish on my part.

As of now, I narrowed it down to only eight Harry Potters:

Good Harrys:
1. OTL Harry.
2. Girl Harry.
3. Marauder Harry.
4. Slytherin Harry.

Bad Harrys:
1. WBWL Harry.
2. Azkaban Harry.
3. Abused/Crazy Harry.
4. Death Eater Harry.

Is this list more manageable and reasonable? And if I should somehow change it, how should I do it?

 

If you wanted to focus on them as characters - and still have room for non-Harrys - I'd suggest only three Good and three Bad. Even if you wanted to focus only on Harrys... I would suggest the same!

The fewer you have the easier it is for the audience to engage with them and the more time you can put into making each of them special.