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Do you like Harem fics?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Mickey, Mar 30, 2018.

  1. Mickey

    Mickey Squib

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    I do. I personally subscribe to the theory that Harry needs all the girls for himself. What about you?
     
  2. BTT

    BTT Viol̀e͜n̛t͝ D̶e͡li͡g҉h̛t҉s̀ ~ Prestige ~

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  3. buzzer

    buzzer Slug Club Member DLP Supporter

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    In theory I don't have a problem with them. In practice however, it's almost impossible to write a good story that revolves around a harem. This is because if you're having Harry shag 5+ girls that means that you've got at least 6 main characters to write and at least 5 relationships to write (more if the girls also like each other). On top of this you've also got to write an actual story with a good plot that makes sense and isn't too contrived.

    If by some miracle you manage all of this then you're left with a story that will inevitably be very bloated and take far too long for stuff to happen. The best example of this is Dodging Prison and Stealing Witches by LeadVonE which has only just started second year and is already 440k words long.

    Of coarse if it's just a smut story then all of that stuff doesn't really matter as smut stories don't need a plot as that's not why people read them.
     
  4. TheLazyReader

    TheLazyReader Groundskeeper

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    No. Romance is one of those instances where 'less is more'.
     
  5. GreatRedDragon

    GreatRedDragon Banned

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    Harems were more common/popular in Asian cultures, I don't think it works if Harry is still in Britain.
     
  6. Horton

    Horton Second Year

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    I like fics that focus on an actual plot, as opposed to juvenile sex scenes every 5 minutes, so no, I'm not a fan of harems. As most of them are basically an excuse to do that and fuck every girl in the HPverse.
     
  7. Download

    Download Auror ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Harems are objectively cancer unless they're being parodied. And if they're being parodied, it's because they're cancer.
     
  8. TheWiseTomato

    TheWiseTomato Prestigious Tomato ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Harems are gei. Real men aren't afraid to let their balls touch.
     
  9. Anarchy

    Anarchy Half-Blood Prince DLP Supporter

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    I've never seen a story that was improved with the addition of a Harem. So, pretty much every time you see that tag, it's a good sign to not ever bother opening the story unless that's specifically what you're looking for.
     
  10. TheLazyReader

    TheLazyReader Groundskeeper

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    I (kind of) liked the Firebird Trilogy, and you can argue the harem added a layer of complexion to the story.
     
  11. Skeletaure

    Skeletaure Magical Core Enthusiast ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    No. However, I don't hate them so much that I'm unable to read them. Especially as harem is basically the only way to read Harry/Susan.
     
  12. Mickey

    Mickey Squib

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    I think another reason I like it is because male characters other than Harry aren't good enough for any of our beloved girls. I don't particularly like Ron, Neville is boring, Draco is an idiot, Remus is old, Bill is scarred, and so I'd rather Harry get them all instead of Ron/Hermione, Bill/Fleur, Remus/Tonks etc.
     
  13. Sey

    Sey Not Worth the Notice DLP Supporter

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    No. I never read them.
     
  14. Zeelthor

    Zeelthor Scissor Me Timbers

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    I'm going to quote the holiest of scriptures as I weigh in on this subject:

    Harems and their polygamous brethren are tools of the virgin fanboy.
     
  15. Miner

    Miner Order Member

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    I think TWT said it best.

     
  16. Crownworthy

    Crownworthy Banned

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    "Wheel of Time" worked despite the harem, not because of it. Most fanfics don't even accomplish that much.
     
  17. Sauce Bauss

    Sauce Bauss Second Year ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    I dearly love the Wheel of Time, but the harem aspect was one of the weakest/worst things in the entire series. Even Jordan couldn't avoid the difficulties of developing multiple romances, and Rand ended up spending almost no time with Elayne. It should have been either Aviendha or Min, Aviendha as part of the Aiel positioning themselves to manipulate him into caring about them more, and Min for her influence on his character development.
     
  18. Chengar Qordath

    Chengar Qordath The Final Pony ~ Prestige ~

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    Yeah, it's very hard to fit multiple reasonably compelling romances into a single story. Heck, a lot of stories can't even fit one good romantic sub-plot into the main story.

    From what I've seen, the only ways to make any sort of poly/harem setup work are if you're writing a full-on relationship/character drama, or if you're doing a ridiculous absurdist romp.
     
  19. Hymnsicality

    Hymnsicality Seventh Year

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    Harem to me immediately implies domination which implicitly leads to weak willed and poorly fleshed out characters. The only time I could see it working is if its entirely in the background like in many historical narratives, like hey Genghis Khan's banging a lot of bitches, or Cao Cao and his weird collection of wives from all the lords he defeated.

    Multi fics however I could see working, where everyone in the relationship has equal power and actual agency.
     
  20. Nevermind

    Nevermind Headmaster

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    Yeah, that.

    There is very little a harem can add to a story that would actually improve it rather than drag it down by siphoning time and space away from other plot points.

    Additionally and, in the spirit of the question, perhaps most importantly, I detest the underlying concept and stereotypical motivations for a harem fic to such a degree that it would be virtually impossible for me to enjoy the reading experience. I tried it a couple of times in the past, but not since probably 2015.
     
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