I mean seriously. I think it does but a friend of mine refuses to read a story without a pairing.

For example, there may be some absolutely outstanding slash fics that none of us know about because we don't read slash. Thus the fic is spoilt. So annoying whenI read a brilliant summary for a story that I'd bow down to but inside it says 'Warning: some slash'.

H/G, H/Hr stories. Sibff's story was amazing but the H/G romance irked me so much that I almost stopped reading. This is just one of many examples I have.

What I want to know is, why do authors insist on putting romance into the forefront of their fics when it'll just draw attention from or even dilute the main plot? What's the point? Why not make very light, background romance if any at all?

 

i agree with this, I find that if an author puts romance into a fic, unless its a romance fic, when they get into writing the plot then inevitably forget about the girlfriend/boyfriend, then a reviewer reminds them, and they spend the rest of the fic with the main character trying to get back together with the g/bf and the author neglets the main points of the plot.

I don't dismiss fics on the basis of pairings, I will read anythinng from h/g to slash, but it is the intensity of the romance that puts me off fics. If you can't distinguish a plot from the romance because the author is like "and Harry argued with himself, should he go an fight the death eaters in hogsmead, or should he go to the astronimy tower to meet (insert random character here) like he had promised. In the end he decided that he had to keep a promise no matter what." when it gets even half that bad I just give up ona fic.

 

Yes.

Yes it does.

 

I think it depends on how deeply it's interwoven into the plot. I tend to prefer pairings (well, at least the very few that I actually like) in stories that I read, but I can read works that don't have one. I also like for them to remain secondary in focus to the greater plot, however. A healthy relationship serves as a great supplement to a story, but ruins one when it takes the center stage. Well, I want Harry to have a pairing anyway. Secondary pairings that don't involve him just annoy me. I'm reading about Harry Potter, and I don't give a flying fuck that Neville and Luna are dating, yanno?

 

Romance is for romance fics. Too heavy romance in other genres usually spoils it for me, unless it's written perfectly or romance is a part of the plot itself.

Writing Independant! or Dark! story, focused on the war with Voldemort and then adding teenage romace with Ginny/Hermione is certefiedly the best way to spoil a good plot.

 

Personally, i'm a crew member on the HMS Wreckage, you know, the Anti-Ship Ship. I really don't think pairings that are deffinite romances should be in the Harry Potter cannonish stuff. Think about it, they are in there teens. Who has ever had a forever relationship in their teens? I can think of a few, but hardly ever. I just don't see it being realistic for someone to fall in love ar 15, 16, 17 and stay in love for a long time with that one person. I think some fics can do it okay, but in general, most fics that have pairs tend to go a little stir crazy on the whole 'I'll love you forever' crap. Seriously, it's uncharacteristic to have two characters to love each other so much that they spend their whole lives together. I don't like set pairs. Just my personal opinion, I could be wrong.

 

I don't care if there's a ship one way or the other, as long as it does not become central to the plot, and it doesn't turn into some "power of love" bullshit.

One of the reasons I hate so many H/G fics is that it goes to power of love, or the fluff gets so strong and horribly written it gags me. The same fluff factor can be applied to H/Hr, or H/C.

Stuff like H/Tonks and H/B usually tend to lean towards suckage b/c its written by a teenager who writes Harry having tons of sex with hot older/old women, and they forget about the plot.

 

Agreed.

I especially hate the confessing love crap and then Harry suddenly finding out he loves her back. *coughHARRY/GINNYcough*

 

To me this is like asking, "Does adding a turd ruin a soup?"

Unless you've got an incredibly fantastic soup, where you don't mind a little turd flavoring, then yeah, it does.

 

I think i'm making Harry in to Tucker Max

 

wtf is Tucker Max?

 

Tucker Max has been known to rival the sexual adventure of Casanova, the drinking abilities of Fox from the Man Show, the quick wit of Dennis Miller and Bill Mahr, the writing ability of Sammuel Clemens [a.k.a Mark Twain] and the charisma of world changing individuals like Jesus, William the Conqueror and Adolf Hitler.

 

ah

 

Romance has a place in a good fanfic. However it should not take precedence over other things (like the rest of the plot).

Nor should it be THE plot.

In other words Romance can have a place in HP Fanfics like it does in IT by Steven King.

NOT

The way it does in Wild Young Bohemians (in case your wondering why i read the book... I was bored... very... VERY... VERY bored. It was also the only book around, and at the time suicide wasn't an attractive option.)

 

Romance can ruin a good fic if not written well. As others have stated unless its a romance fic pairings need to be more background, or secondary. It might give some small conflict, or a few minor events in the plot.

 

Definatly. Its not that i cant stand pairings, its just I would rather read a fic without them, or at least, without Harry with someone anyway. They are just a tool to take up time and space.

 

Harry pairings are always a little screwed from the start because Harry's just not a normal person. Not only is he the one with the freakish power the dark lord knows not he also grew up with abusive muggles and doesn't really understand how to give or recieve affection, let alone love. So really I don't see where romance fits into the plot of Harry Potter at all, which is one of the biggest reasons I hated 'Half-Assed Prince' with a passion. The only reason I'd forgive it actually is if it was all potion enduced. They sure hit us over the head with love potions in this one. Even the dementors are breeding. *shudders*.

And it should never be a primary focus of any serious story.

 

That depends. A well thought out, complex romance could really liven up a story, but if it's just there to look nice and has no effect on the plot, I'd be better off without it.