Actually that was my post. The reason I don't like it is because I view the prophecy as the driving force behind Harry Potter and the entire reason why we even have Harry Potter. No prophecy, no Boy-Who-Lived.

I go far off book with many things, but this is the one canon element I prefer to remain intact should the author decide to make the prophecy an issue.

 

I'm not so sold on that line of reasoning, but at the same time I got into HP fanfiction before we even knew there was a prophecy. Maybe me getting into fanfiction before canon was fully fleshed out is why I'm not peeved when things don't line up perfectly in more recent fics.

 

I got into fanfiction after all the books were release, so I guess that might influence me. Though, if a fanfic is dated before OotP, I don't mind the prophecy not being a part of the story. Or, if the author ignores the prophecy entirely in a fic dated after OotP, I don't really mind where they take the story so long as it is believable (i.e. saying that Voldemort had a vendetta against a baby for no apparent reason wouldn't be enough of a reason for me to suspend my disbelieve). I just really can't stand stories that try to play to the prophecy but don't follow the prophecy. To much stupidity results from it and the prophecy is the prophecy, or so it is to me.

 

In general, I think that I'm alright with changes to canon (I also started reading the books before they were all out and had time to invent and speculate on stories of my own. That's probably why the later books were disappointing in some ways) to a certain extent.

After all pairings are changed all the time and my favorite genre, time travel or AU's, is possible only by stretching the limits from and\or extrapolating from some but not all the canon data provided.

So prophecies can change, be thwarted, etc. as long as the author's internal logic of the story is consistent.

As a previous post mentioned there are also phases to fan fic reading. In some phases canon is king and in others canon is crap.

 

This is pretty much what it boils down to for me. If you can execute an idea well, then regardless of whether it falls in line with canon or not, then I'm going to give it more credit as opposed to "nope, I hate this plot bunny. I'm clicking the bright red X"

That being said, there are some fics that just ruin it for everyone else. Either it's so bad that no one even wants to try to attempt a decent fic using that setting, or it's so good that it's peerless in it's niche. For example, I don't think there will be a better Harry/Bella story than Only Enemies.

 

I honestly can't remember where I read that, or I'd have included the link (or fic name at very least). I thought it might have been Nightmares of Future's Past but that was a accidental magic and bunch of nasty Legilimency rather than an actual duel.

Another peeve is when too many people are unregistered Animagi or learn it in an unrealistic amount of time. This doesn't usually crop up in good fics but even otherwise decent ones can make me cringe by having Sirius teach Harry & co the skill in a few months through secret, scattered and infrequent meetings.
This isn't canon I never thought of it as something that every wizard had a potential for even if the skill was there (i.e., it doesn't matter if you're Albus fucking Dumbledore, you can't learn to become an Animagi if you weren't born with the potential).
Plus, when writers do have characters become Animagi, it's always a convenient form to have and never some ridiculous form that would draw attention or be incredibly impractical. It would be pretty funny if someone busted their ass for years to become one and turned out to be a fluorescent green jellyfish or some shit (talented writers feel free to use that :awesome)

 

Actually I hate the whole concept of Harry becoming an animagus. There is just no reason for doing that outside of academic interest (McGonagall) or bunch of friends having too much time in their hands to justify the time needed, uncertainty of the form and risks involved. There is a reason why there is only a handful of animagi in the story, and I don't believe that has anything to do with it being an ability you somehow born with.

In an adult-Harry fic I can understand that Harry might have wanted to do it to honor his father and long dead "uncles", but all too often you have "becoming animagus" in a to-do list right next to "sell basilisk to goblins" and "start doing push-ups" when Harry is preparing to face Voldemort at the age of fifteen.

 

Well to be honest that would be a great idea. Facing Voldemort at the age of fifteen would ensure the gap of experience and skill isn't really there and Harry would have an advantage of both being the first to strike and knowing about his opponent.

 

In a super!Harry story the fluorescent green jellyfish would convince the Giant Squid and\or the Grindylows, and\or the Merpeople and Nemo to join the Order of Phoenix in the capture and digestion of Voldemort and his landlubbers.

In a crack story there would be some interesting mating opportunities for glowing jellyfish.

I think the animagus device that I find funny or awful is when Harry and co. all turn into a very similar form (there was one where Harry, Hermione, and Luna turned into a different breed of dog, and all birds is popular too). Why?

 

Kinda anti-pet peeve, but I always chuckle when somebody uses the "fjords of Norway" reference even if it
annoys the hell out of me...

 

What the fuck is up with authors obsession with twin cores and shit? Wouldn't it be more fun to just make up a new wand?

"13 inches, ash, strong and unyielding. Shroud of a Dementor." sounds a lot more interesting then any of the PHOENIX FEATHER FROM A LUNAR ICE PHOENIX bullshit that I see.

(I'm not even sure what ash wood does in a wand, I didn't bother to look it up)

 

I have honestly never seen any references to Slartibartfast in any fic I've ever read...

I'm honestly not sure what I can put down that hasn't been mentioned before...

Slytheryn fics where Harry makes friends with anyone with little to no trouble at all, and then once he does establish an accord with Blaise (which he almost always does) and co, still ends up friends with Hermione.

 

This is an easy one.

Obviously the more cores you have in the wand, the more powerful it is, but only if they are cool cores like Dementors tooth soaked in Basilisk venom until melted and then dribbled over a Nightmare Shadow Queen Everheart Phoenix feather. If it were a hair from Hagrid's armpit saturated with hair gel to keep proper rigidity, and then coated with crushed Viagra, then it would just suck.

Of course, only Wizards with really large magical cores of their own could ever wield something so powerful or else it would suck the energy straight out, then all his girlfriends would dump him, because they can't suck out enough magic to power their own cores.

So, using a multi-cored wand, while being cool and raining destruction down upon his enemies, is actually detrimental to a wizard's sex life. It's not a pretty picture, a trade off if you will.

Kill all your enemies < Blow jobs
or
Blow jobs < Kill all your enemies

Only you can decide.

 

You, what, I don't...

10/10 would rage again.

 

Sorry, for those that do not understand, here is the relevant thread. Pay close attention to Taure's illuminating contributions, especially on the second page. That should clear things up for you.

 

"I have no mouth and I must scream."

 

Well, if it's taking someone's magic you're worried about, I've heard you don't need a mouth...

Also, how on earth did I miss that thread?

 

There was a story, way back in 2006, that had Harry turn into a Robin. They even made a point of mentioning that it wasn't a big American robin, but a 'cute' little English robin. Harry was not pleased, and more than a little embarrassed.

Which is all I remember about that.

Speaking of Robins: The ones here are NOT happy, right now. They showed up for spring and now they're all, "What the hell is with this snow storm shit? There's supposed to be sun and warmth, not this wet snow being propelled sideways. Man, fuck Ohio."

(lol, four days later: Double post!)

 

A pet peeve of mine is with respect to animagi. Why would someone have an animals soul hidden within them? It makes no sense. All those stories where they drink a potion, go into a trance and find the animal within are highly irritating.

I like to think that the animal someone transform into is based on their ability with magic. In transfiguration class, students start off living transfiguration with simple insects and as their skills improve, go on to more complex creatures. The same should be true with the animagus transformation. Hence, Pettigrew was restricted to a smaller creature whereas James and Sirius, who had an advanced understanding were capable of larger transformations.

 

All animals are damn complex things, the size doesn't really matter. Something like Skeeter's beetle would probably be the most difficult of them all because of the completely different anatomy; compared to that transforming into a large dog is pretty straight forward to visualize.