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Which characters do you think have been most stereotyped by fanfiction?

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by adamsmitgh, Sep 29, 2017.

  1. Rehio

    Rehio Bad Dragon ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    I didn't think the Evil Dumbledore trope came from the movies at all. I figured it was just a natural progression at having the revelation of the prophecy come at the end of the fifth book. Dumbledore 'hid' the information from Harry, had been 'hiding' things from him during the summer of the fifth book, and Harry felt put out by the lack of contact over the entire book. All of that was left unresolved at the end of the book, from what I recall, so fanfiction would naturally springboard from that point, and the easy way is the evil, manipulative Dumbledore thing.
     
  2. Distaly

    Distaly Fifth Year

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    I highly disagree on the Dumbledore point. His butchered portray in fanfiction stems from people who cant read the books properly. His "manipulation" are a lot more apparent there. And quite interesting that you dropped Ron from your explanation. The reason is of course that his ususall wrong traits cant come from the movies as they are not used there. In fics, he is way to often portrait as lazy, stupid and unloyal. And while the comic relief was a bit overstretched, I cant see how someone can come to see him as lazy from the movies. From the books, maybe.
     
  3. Andrela

    Andrela Plot Bunny DLP Supporter

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    Consider yourself blessed with luck.
     
  4. Faun

    Faun Fourth Year

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    Daphne Greengrass.
    There is nothing in canon about her but the moment her name comes up in a fanfic, the first image I get is a blue-eyed blonde bombshell with brains to go with her looks. The looks may vary but you get the general idea. She is supposed to be a pre-teen or a teenager, but you never get that image. Every time her name comes up the chances are you know her character before the author writes any further.
    It all happens consistently with no input from the canon whatsoever.
     
  5. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    Malfoy. Honestly, is there a single fic that portrays him well? He's either this insanely sexy badboy with a troubled past, if the author is pairing him with Hermione. More or less same for slashfics. Or, if it's some indy!Harry wankfest he'll be used for comedic effect when Harry complete owns him in every single exchange, verbally and magically, until the author grows bored and moves on to another character to prove how cool his Harry is.
     
  6. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    Daphne seems split fairly evenly between the blonde bombshell and the raven-haired, green-eyed, beauty, the latter of which came to early prominence when people found out Blaise Zabini was a black guy instead of an Italian girl, and they had to scramble for an alternative; they just shifted fem!Blaise's most popular appearance (and attitude) over to Daphne.

    The blonde version came along a bit later.
    Personally, I've always pictured Daphne as curvy with a sort of medium blond hair and sizeable, "bulletproof," rack. I have no particular predilection for blondes or over-sized oppai, though, so I guess it's nice to know I didn't craft my mental image of her in service of my hormones. I stick with that version of her in any of my unpublished scribbling in which she appears, even in the one story where she's paired with Harry, so I guess it has stuck pretty firm.

    Financial standing is a trait that isn't often brought up discussing the stereotyping of characters, but Daphne is almost always fairly wealthy.

    I can only recall one story (though not the title) where Fleur's family wasn't loaded and living in a big chateau (usually with her father highly placed in France's magical government). In that story, a rather big point was made about her family not having much money, so it stands out.

    Susan Bones, even when she's living with her aunt, is usually in a sprawling ancestral manor house.

    Pansy's wealth or lack thereof seems to run the gamut from wealthy to practically destitute, and the Tonks family's situation varies (including whether they live more in muggle society or magical), but Hermione's family is almost always well off, as is Daphne's (and fem!Blaise's, back in the day).
     
  7. Methos

    Methos High Inquisitor DLP Supporter

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    Link?

    In the 4th movie Ron actually tries to warn Harry about the dragons, something that didn't happen in the books.
    Also people dislike Ron "stealing" Harry ability to open the chamber of secrets in the 7th book.

    If we speak about stereotype casting I will add the twins, those two are really messed up in their heads and most authors portray them as genius with good soul who will never betray Harry.
    When you ignore what hell they brought on Ron personally, or their bully antics especially trying their products on unsuspecting students.
     
  8. Rehio

    Rehio Bad Dragon ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    I feel like that's just the other end of the scale, stereotype-wise.
     
  9. Zombie

    Zombie Black Philip Moderator DLP Supporter

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    Contemplating Clouds
     
  10. Nikarell

    Nikarell Squib

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    Ginny, who's usually portrayed in fanfiction as a slut and silly girl obsessed with marry Harry and dependent of him, when she's a strong and brave independent woman willingly to risk her life for what she thinks is right.
     
  11. ASmallBundleOfToothpicks

    ASmallBundleOfToothpicks Professor

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    Someone should do a super!Ginny story where she actually is all of these things. I don't hate her character or anything, but outside of the epilogue we really have no idea what kind of woman she is. In the epilogue she just kind of comes off as a younger, hipper Molly Weasley, IMO.
     
  12. Vulcan

    Vulcan Groundskeeper

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    Speaking of Molly, she is another horribly stereotyped character. She is constantly depicted as close-minded, incredibly rude and manipulative witch, who tries to enslave Harry and/or Hermione with love potions/illegal marriage contracts or steal Harry's money. A perfect accomplice for Manipulative!Dumbledore.
     
  13. Averis

    Averis Don of Delivery ~ Prestige ~

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    Flitwick is only ever an expert on duelling, even in competently written fics. Moody and Constant Vigilance are Molly and her clock and Bellatrix and her baby talk.
     
  14. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    You're absolutely right.

    I honestly don't think she was doing all of that for the money.
     
  15. Download

    Download Auror ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    To be fair, Molly did come off as an overbearing mother and as someone raised a "free range" child I find it pretty horrifying.
     
  16. Dresden11

    Dresden11 Fifth Year

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    I still believe all of Molly's adult kids moved out of the country or forsook the family for a reason. Now, I am not saying it was all her fault... but I am not, not saying that either. I feel like she was the kind of mother who would have smothered her children in love to the point where they got fed up. It comes from a good place, but the results are lackluster.
     
  17. TheWiseTomato

    TheWiseTomato Prestigious Tomato ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Three from seven kids moved out of the country/forsook the family. Percy was just a twat in those years, and Bill and Charlie had the kind of passions and interests that couldn't be satisfied within the UK. They all went on to be freedom fighters/upstanding members of society/nice people, suggesting that they were raised right if nothing else.

    Except Fred. Fred's dead baby.
     
  18. Methos

    Methos High Inquisitor DLP Supporter

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    We have Hermione and her habit to invoke Harry full name, which brings to the question, how she learned it.
    When she berate him using his full name, punching her back in the face, seems so natural reflex.
     
  19. PomMan

    PomMan High Inquisitor

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    If your natural reflex to someone saying your full name is to punch someone in the face, perhaps you could have done with Molly being your mother instead.
     
  20. Hesser

    Hesser Squib

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    Ron, Ron... Ron who in canon likes eating, being lazy, sports and occasionally he ogles girls. So basically, he is your regular teenage boy. Of course, apart from his being a teenage boy he risks his life and gets quite decent grades.

    How the hell did fanfic!Ron happen?
     
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