A second opinion, please - PPC Posting Board

Subject: A second opinion, please
Author: anamia
Posted on: 2010-05-27 08:43:00 UTC

So I was looking for badfic on the List of Unclaimed Badfic the other day, and I came across this: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2580283/1/bSavingbbConnor_b. It's an AU story involving Harry's twin being the Boy Who Lived, and Harry being sorted into Slytherin. It starts out a little iffy, but, in my opinion, gets much better very quickly.

So, I was thinking about taking it off the list completely, but thought I should ask other people's opinions first. If you think it should stay, then I'll leave it alone and consider reconsidering my taste. -grins-

--anamia

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A second opinion, please by anamia on 2010-05-27 08:43:00 UTC

Opinions differ, of course by IndeMaat on 2010-05-27 13:43:00 UTC Reply

but I guess it's possible that whoever put the story on the unclaimed list had not read the whole thing. At least, I usually decide something is a Suefic based on the first chapter. And occasionally change my mind later on (although more often I decide not to do a mission because the brain breakage it hurts).

Not actually having read this fic I won't give an opinion on that. Just my opinion on Suefic in general. It is not the characteristics of a character or a plot that makes it a Suefic. Being the twin of Harry and the Boy-Who-Lived doesn't make Connor a Stu. It all depends on how the author handles it. Is Harry still in character (mind that having a twin who shared his abuse at the Dursley family could have changed him)? Are all the other characters still in character? If that's the case, this is not a Suefic and I think it can be taken of the list.

If I remember the first book correctly -- it's about ten years since I read it, so memory can be shaky on it -- the Sorting Hat originally wanted to sort Harry into Slytherin. It thought he would be great there. Harry had to beg it to be sorted into Gryffindor.

I've read a fair amount of it. by BattleHamster on 2010-05-27 21:50:00 UTC Reply

And Connor is definitely not a Stu, at least not in my opinion. Harry may be, but not Connor.

Personally, I think it's probably too good for the badfic list.
Of Course by Pretzel on 2010-05-27 16:46:00 UTC Reply

True, but from what I read, James and Lily are still alive, Sirius was never accused of murdering all those people and thus sent to Azkaban, and therefore Harry and his twin weren't sent off to the Dursley's, so making him go into Slytherin when he's grown up in such a pro-Gryffindor environment just strikes me as odd.

That does get explained later by anamia on 2010-05-28 01:43:00 UTC Reply

And, to be fair, Harry's traumatized by being Sorted into Slytherin, especially at first.

**Spoilers, for anyone who actually cares. -grins-**
Later, (like, in the retelling of PA), we learn that Harry really is the Boy-Who-Lived after all and that Voldemort transferred his powers etc. With that, it makes much more sense for him to be in Slytherin. Additionally, in the retelling of GoF, the author tells us a lot more about his childhood, and even Albus admits that it made him into a Slytherin. -shrugs- I know I shouldn't be defending it, since I did ask for your opinion, but I've read a lot farther, and most of these things are explained.

--anamia

My Opinion by Pretzel on 2010-05-27 09:04:00 UTC Reply

Given that Connor is immediately recognizable (or at least, to me) as a Marty Stu, I think it should stay. Even though the Author gives an okayish reason behind it- saying it's AU and all- the whole having a scar shaped like a heart (And I immediately got this picture of it being shaped like the actual organ, and not the simplistic pictogram we all recognize as being a heart), as well as taking Harry's place as the Boy-Who-Lived-and-Will-Eventually-Defeat-the-Dark-Lord, reeks to me of Marty Stu-ness.

Also, I have a problem with Harry being Sorted into Slytherin. Given that both his parents were in Gryffindor, I would think that he'd want to follow in his parents' footsteps, and that the Sorting Hat would recognize that. Oh, and the fact that Draco and Harry can "feel" one another's magic? *cringes*

I think Harry in Slytherin makes sense, but by Calista on 2010-05-27 16:23:00 UTC Reply

The other stuff doesn't, really.

It wouldn't take too much of a difference in Harry's history to make him not want quite so strongly to be put into Gryffindor. All you'd need to do is tweak his family history so that he has someone other than the Dursleys that he considers "family", so that his parents fade into his past rather than being preserved in his mind as the only people who really loved him. Having a twin might change things to the point that Harry would care more about his living brother than about his long-dead parents, and not care so much about being in the same House as his folks.

But... well, heart-shaped scars? Taking Harry's place? Sorry, but no. That's blatant Stu. If you wanna do a decent AU fic about Harry having a twin, you should be focusing on Harry, not wedging your OC into the story sideways.