Teaser: The Waiting Place Chapter 18

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're all having a great week, & if not, at least tomorrow's Friday! ;)

Anywho, here's a little excerpt from Chapter 18 (Chapter 19 counting the prologue) of The Waiting Place that I hope you'll enjoy.  Please keep in mind that the chapter isn't nearly complete, but I'm hoping to have it completed & posted within the next week:

She tucked her head down and picked up her pace while passing scattered handfuls of gossiping students dressed in casual weekend attire that littered the passageways—including one hot and heavy couple tucked into an alcove behind a suit of armor, hands invisible beneath each other’s clothing.

They paid Hermione no mind as she passed, which suited her just fine. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have hesitated to scold the couple and to exuberantly deduct house points, but she’d never felt less inclined: Her own intimate experiences were all too fresh on her mind, and she felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she became aware of the dull ache that still lingered between her legs despite the potions she’d been given at the hospital. The ache that she didn’t actually want to go away, because it was proof undeniable that it had all been real. That it had actually happened.

Her heart speeding up as she realized quite abruptly that she’d reached the closed double-doors to the infirmary, she took a calming breath, pulling the doors open just enough so that she could slip inside the semi-darkened hospital wing. Her heart seemed to stutter in her chest when she immediately caught sight of a small, all-too-familiar group of redheads, and the unmistakable head of black hair belonging to Harry, clustered around the single occupied bed.

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as she caught a glimpse of his prone form in the gap between Fred and Ginny, and the only thing she could think was, It’s his birthday. He was poisoned on his birthday, and I wasn’t here.

Hermione made the decision then and there to trust her heart—to choose faith over logic and to trust that she’d somehow misinterpreted what she’d seen outside Trelawney’s classroom.

And she realized, quite suddenly, that she’d known it all along.

There was no going back after this moment.

Teaser: The Waiting Place, Chapter 16

Okay, so I'm not nearly through with this chapter, but I plan on hashing out the majority of it in the next few days.  In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this small excerpt:

Harry froze as he stared back at him, unblinking, in an expression that would’ve been a bloody riot if Ron hadn’t felt like his insides were being chewed up by a flock of angry Cornish Pixies.

In the meantime, the locker room was so damned silent that it was as if the world around them had ceased to be; time itself had stopped, this very moment ballooning and swelling until nothing else mattered. Well, at least that’s how it would’ve seemed if it hadn’t been for the steady pattering of the rain on the rooftop and the distant howling of the wind, a reminder that the world went on as usual. Why would the cosmos care if Ron Weasley’s heart was slowly but painfully fragmenting into tiny, jagged pieces?

A ricocheting thunderclap broke the spell, and Harry blinked at him behind his rain-smeared spectacles. “Wh-what?” he finally managed to stammer out. “She’s…what? Are—are you sure? Why—I mean, who—how d’you know?”

“’Cause I’m the one who bloody did it,” Ron declared miserably, unable to hold his friend’s gaze any longer.

Teaser: The Waiting Place, Ch.15

So this is a small except from the chapter I'm currently working on, but I'm nowhere near finished, FYI:

She had only been witness to the scene for a moment or two before the nausea had overwhelmed her and she’d been forced to make a mad dash for the toilet, but it had been enough. She hadn’t wanted to see any more than that. If she had…well, she might have reacted far worse than the time she’d caught them previously…and then McGonagall would have been forced to expel her, and that simply would not do.

Hermione had therefore made the decision to request to leave, if only through the weekend so that she could get her head on straight and refrain from doing anything rash. Before leaving school, she had calmly collected her assignments from her professors, and she took pride in the fact that she hadn’t shed a single tear. She hadn’t told anyone save Professor McGonagall where she was going, not even Harry. She hadn’t been able to face her best friend because there would be awkward questions that she wasn’t yet ready to answer. Furthermore, she feared that she wouldn’t have been able to hide the strongest of her emotions from him: her humiliation, rage, regret, grief.

She felt as if happiness had been a rug beneath her feet, and it had been snatched out from her so abruptly that she’d fallen and landed on her arse—hard.

I will not start crying. I will not start crying, she chanted to herself as a sob worked its way into a painful lump in her throat. If she started crying, she would likely never be able to stop—and she’d spent the past several months shedding far too many tears for Ron Weasley, who apparently had no true feelings for her, despite his pretty words. Apparently he hadn’t meant anything that he’d spoken in that hospital room, and his mother didn’t know him as well as she liked to believe.

She supposed that people said and did barmy things in the heat of the moment; what a clever, convincing, cruel actor he’d turned out to be, and when he’d said that he wanted to right a wrong, apparently he’d meant that he wanted to ditch her, Hermione, to be with that…that moronic tart.

However, despite it all, despite her dark thoughts and what she’d witnessed with her own eyes not more than a couple of hours ago, it somehow didn’t feel right, did it? There was something about the entire incident that didn’t ring true, yet she couldn’t deny what her senses had told her, could she? After all, she knew what she saw; there was no deceiving her own eyes, so what other rational explanation could there possibly be? Had Lavender fed him one of Fred and George’s love potions, perhaps? Had he been whacked over the top of his head? Hexed stupid?

Teaser: The Waiting Place, Ch.14: Faith Versus Logic

“You know can talk to me about anything, love.”

“Am—am I making the right choice?” Hermione finally said, a tremor in her voice as she met Molly’s eyes.  “About…the babies. What if…what if You-Know-Who…?”

Molly smiled tenderly at the girl that her son had been in love with for years, considering her response before replying, “I think that going with your heart is always the right decision. Making choices based on ‘what-ifs’ can only lead to heartache.”

“Even if what my heart wants isn’t necessarily the most logical choice?”

“What the heart wants rarely is the logical choice,” Molly replied with a laugh. “If I’d made the logical choice about whom to marry, I would likely be sitting in Trevor Dawson’s mansion right now; true, I would have all of my wants and needs met, but I wouldn’t have seven children that I would happily die for and a husband who adores me—which is all that I really want or need.”

Her smile faltered when she thought of Percy, but thankfully Hermione didn’t seem to notice as she grinned in return—and it reached her eyes. “I’m scared,” she finally admitted in a whisper, the smile fading from her face.

Teaser: The Waiting Place, Chapter 13: Caged Animal

She stared at the Healer, watching as her lips moved while gesturing at the clipboard in hand, but the sight and sounds were strangely distorted, garbled, as if Hermione was watching the scene from within the depths of a murky pool; in point of fact, that was quite an accurate analogy, since her throat had closed up, and she was finding it difficult to breathe as she clawed her way to the surface, struggling to no avail with all of her meager strength.

She was drowning, and those at the surface—Ron, Healer Thorson, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley—seemed to be completely oblivious.

The words that had propelled her into this state repeated themselves incessantly in her mind, clawing at the edges of her brain like a desperate, caged animal: Fertilization successful. Two viable embryos in their very primitive stages. Fraternal twins.

Plagiarism: Just…Don’t

Plagiarism: Just…Don’t

I’m thirty-one, and I’ve been writing fanfiction on and off since I was eleven years old and scribbled out my first “self-insertion” tale involving myself and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mind you, at the time I’d never even heard of fanfiction; this was 1991, so I’m not sure that the term had even been coined yet. Nevertheless, over the next couple of years I wrote my own Star Wars stories, and in 1996 I stumbled upon a magazine article about something called “fanfiction.” Ever since that first time I got online and entered the address for The X-Files Romantic Fanfiction Archive cited by the magazine, I have been hooked.

In my collective involvement in various fandoms over the years, if there’s one thing that makes my blood boil it’s shameless plagiarism. Getting a vague concept from another author, movie, or book is one thing; everyone does it, whether inadvertently or not, since there are very few (if any) truly original ideas, and everyone draws inspiration from something/someone else. However, there’s no excuse for shamelessly plagiarizing an author who’s put hours of hard work into their writing.

Firstly, you’re going to get caught eventually: If you “borrow” a fanfiction story that was previously posted by another author and post it under a new title as your own, chances are that someone out there will have read the original version—perhaps even if the original story hasn’t been updated in years—and will call you on it and then alert the site administrators and the true author. And if that happens, not only will your reputation be tarnished, but you will ultimately end up looking pathetic for the following reason:

Secondly, as fanfiction authors, the only form of “payment” we receive is in the form of feedback, so what sort of satisfaction could possibly be derived from accepting praise for work that even isn’t one’s own? After all, you know that you didn’t put the hours of hard work and effort into it, so therefore how could positive feedback benefit you in any way?

Lastly, while no one is perfect and we all make mistakes, where’s your sense of morality? Your personal code of conduct? If you’re young and have been tempted to plagiarize another author for whatever reason, I hope you’ll reconsider after reading this, and remember that authors—whether they write for money or sheer entertainment—put many hours of effort into their writing, so the idea that any random Joe Blow could shamelessly copy-and-paste it and place his/her name on it is not only disturbing to the author, but insulting.

And if you’re an adult who has plagiarized/been tempted to plagiarize, well, you should already know better, shouldn’t you? ;) Just…don’t.

-Kari

FFn updates for the month of 11/11

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my last blog post getting published multiple times.  I'm not sure how that happened, but I just noticed & corrected it.  Anyway, on to my FFn profile updates for last month:

11/27/11 - Rant of the Day: Is Facebook really just a weapon that could be used against you?

11/24/11 - Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! :) FYI, I plan on having my next TWP update posted no later than tomorrow, Friday. Since I left you guys on such a cruel cliffhanger, I figured it was only fair if I updated fairly quickly.

11/18/11 - Rant of the Day: Don't Be a Flamer

11/17/11 - Posted the final chapter of Coming to Term. I'm thrilled to be through with that one so I can concentrate on The Waiting Place! Anyway, THANK YOU all for your continued support and your motivating comments!

Posted my final three Fanfic Pics from CtT's author's notes on my blog, including reviews of "Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said" by hey-torch, "One More Time" by veritaserumkills, and "And I Swear" by jesrod82.

11/11/11 - Moved my profile's updates for the month of October to my blog, where I also post fanfic recs, book recs, the occasional movie rec, and other randomness: Musings of a Fiction Fanatic
By the way, happy Veteran's Day to all those who've served! I salute you!

Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to all of my male readers for having my back concerning Ron's behavior in my fic, The Waiting Place. It's reassuring to have my version of Ron's POV validated from the perspectives of men. ;)

Rant of the Day: Don't Be a Flamer

Rant of the Day: Don’t Be a Flamer

First of all, I’d like to put a crucial disclaimer here: This rant is NOT about any of my own readers in any way, shape, or form.  Quite the contrary, in the HP fandom I’ve never received a single review that I would consider a “flame.”  I mean, sure, I’ve had a few comments from disgruntled readers who weren’t pleased with some of my writing decisions, but I try to handle them as graciously as possible by clearing up any points that I might not have gotten across in my writing.  In general, though, my experience in the HP fandom has been a positive one, and most of my own readers have been supportive or, at the very least, civil. (This wasn’t the case when I wrote for the Twilight fandom.  I actually encountered a lot of extremely rude people there; admittedly, I probably didn’t always respond to them in the best manner possible, but at least it was a learning experience.)

All righty, now that that’s out of the way, I was recently looking at the profile of a fellow reader/writer, faultybooster, and came across a rant about flames, which I’ll quote here, since I feel she says it better than I could:

“I've been fortunate to not have received any 'flames' in my very short-lived experience as a fanfiction writer. Well, not yet anyway. Now I'm all for reviews, whether they be light OR critical OR a combination, whatever the case may be. However, I recently came across a flame in a story that was so incredibly RUDE that it actually filled me with undiluted rage, and it wasn't even my story! The reviewer insulted the author time and time again, spewing out pure venom. You'd think the reviewer was a bloody senior editor for some posh publishing company, or some multi-award winning author, the way they were carrying on… I don`t claim to be a professional writer, and I`ll never say that my work is perfect because I`m human and I make mistakes. But if you`re going to shit all over somebody`s story in regards to their `lack of originality, poor grammar skills, improper spelling, etc. etc.`, then you had best make sure that your story is perfect as well and not write like a fucking child. It irks me, it really does. It`s not an easy thing to put your work out there, and expose yourself. And while some need to hone their skills more than others, it doesn`t give anybody the right to belittle a fellow author. We`re all here for the same thing - to read about and/or write about the characters we love. If you like the story, share the love. If you do like the story, but feel it lacks a certain something, then offer some constructive criticism. If you don`t like the story, be critical but kind. And if you can`t handle the latter, then keep your fucking mouth shut. End rant.”

I liked what this person had to say so much that I PM’ed her with this:

“Totally agree, 100%. I'm all about honest feedback (after all, you're not helping an author if you just rave over them when there are areas where a writer could use improvement) but there's no reason not to use tact & to not treat other authors with dignity, especially since a lot of writers on this site are young & inexperienced. I mean, writing isn't like singing, where you just either have it or you don't; it's a skill that's honed & improved with time & experience, so blasting younger/inexperienced writers is inexcusable.”

Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to ask her about the fic & the flame in question, & I discovered that while the fic in question was a bit…threadbare, in all honesty, there was no true reason for the reviewer to be so cruel in his/her delivery.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that use the anonymity afforded by the internet to bash others in an effort (I can only guess) to make themselves feel better.  Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, & this is a writing community, so obviously some people are going to be more critical than others—myself included, since some of my own reviews are bordering on brutally honest, especially if I feel that the story/writer has potential; conversely, if I think something is an absolute piece of garbage with no redeeming values, I usually keep my mouth shut unless the piece is obviously a “troll,” intended to garner a negative reaction from readers. 

However, there's no excuse not to retain civility in the spirit of community.  All this to say that, in my opinion, flaming is straight-up bullying, except that it’s possibly even more cowardly because the bully in question is hiding behind a screenname.

(I might get flamed for speaking out on this matter, but that’s okay because it’ll only prove my point.)

-Kari

An example of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism that isn't necessarily all praise, as opposed to a flame (The following was submitted in regard to my own fic, Coming to Term, and I actually agree with some of what this reviewer has to say, since it reflects my own thoughts - or at least what I thought some readers might think -  as I was writing in regard to my own work.  Hey, we're all our own worst critics, right?  I certainly don't think my own writing and storytelling prowess is the shit.  Anyway, note the tactful delivery & the fact that the reviewer actually contributed something that she LIKED about the fic in question, making it a well-rounded review.):

"Hermione was rescued (not that there was ever any doubt about that LOL) but also it turns out that Ron wasn't actually raped, and Snape's only purpose was to prove it. It was a bit too convenient. Which goes back to my original question, of why go there in the first place? And then Hermione and Ginny giving birth at the same time, AND then getting pregnant again at the same time was a bit much, even though it's probably canon LOL It just feels like you started out writing one story that was funny, sexy, and sweet, and then you went super dark, and instead of following through, you just went back to the previous story. And I think a fluffy story could have been great, as well as a dark story, but when they got put together it kind of messed up the flow.

All that said, I still think you are a great writer, and I still enjoyed the story. I don't think there are any other stories of Rose's birth that are in any way the same quality as this one. And I admire you for taking risks with your writing. If you aren't experimenting and trying new things, you aren't growing as a writer."

An example of a flame:

"I could wipe my ass with this piece of shit: The writing doesn't flow, the story is contradictory, you put no thought into the plot, which is full of holes, and your writing stinks."

I totally just made up the above, but you get the point: Although it's honest, it offers nothing constructive at all and is intended specifically for the purpose of hurting the author.  A comment like that would sting an adult writer, so I imagine it would be down-right traumatizing to a young first-time writer.

Fanfiction rec: "And I Swear" by jesrod82, rated M for strong sexual content and language, Ron/Hermione, humor/romance, two-parter, complete, listed under my favorites.

The following recommendation was originally posted in the author's notes of Chapter 28 of my fic, Coming to Term:

Fanfic Pic: "And I Swear" by jesrod82, rated M for strong sexual content and language, Ron/Hermione, humor/romance, two-parter, complete, listed under my favorites.

Author's story summary: When Ron's vulgar language goes too far will he be willing to give it up in order to have a happy wife? Will it help their marriage, or will it backfire? Rated M for language, obviously, and sex.

First of all, I want to say that jesrod82 is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors on this site. This actually makes the third story of hers that I've rec'ed as my Fanfic Pic (& I plan on rec'ing a fourth; I was merely waiting for her to post a few more chapters of "Look at Me" so I could see how it progresses first). She's an extremely talented and versatile writer, and her smut is seriously some of the hottest I've read—amateur OR professional.

Not only is "And I Swear" a ridiculously hilarious (I literally LOL'ed throughout the whole thing) story about what happens when Ron performs an incantation to help curb his swearing in order to please Hermione, but it's also incredibly sweet & sexy. The entire thing was just an absolute pleasure to read, and a favorite for life. I encourage all of my readers to check it out & to leave a well-earned review for this talented author! Note: This fic most definitely isn't for the kiddies, so if you're underage, shoo!

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction recommendation: "One More Time" by veritaserumkills, rated M for sexual content, Ron/Hermione (and sort of Charlie/Hermione), angst/romance, incomplete (currently 10 chapters posted), listed under my faves.

The following recommendation was originally posted in the author's note of Chapter 24 of my fic, Coming to Term:

Fanfic Pic: "One More Time" by veritaserumkills, rated M for sexual content, Ron/Hermione (and sort of Charlie/Hermione), angst/romance, incomplete (currently 10 chapters posted), listed under my faves.

Author's story summary: Hermione tried accepting Ron's death. She even married Charlie. When she finds she may not have to, will she risk her marriage and repeating a horrible branch of history to be with Ron, or accept it and move on? Post DH. Full summary inside, kinda AU?

While the author definitely has her critics for having Hermione marry Charlie several years after Ron's supposed death, I'm personally enjoying this story thoroughly. I've gotta admit that I'm torn on some of the plot devices, such as Hermione cheating on her husband with Ron (even if it IS Ron, her true soul mate, I have trouble stomaching infidelity). Even though I'm rooting for Ron & Hermione, I'm not looking forward to poor Charlie inevitably getting his heart broken!

Nevertheless, this story is well-written, it has an interesting plot, and I find myself looking forward to its updates more than any other story I'm currently following, with the exceptions of, perhaps, "Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said" by hey-torch & "With Me" by TMBlue (the latter of which I'm expecting an update sometime in the next…well, never, lol). Oh, and don't tell anyone, but I actually cried during the first several chapters of this story (something I rarely do!).

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

EDIT: The above review referred to the first 10 chapters only.  Currently, although this story remains one of my favorites, I am not pleased with the manner in which the author has chosen to have Hermione handle her "break-up" with her husband; Hermione actually comes off as a bit heartless, and the newly reunited couple have no qualms about flaunting their relationship in front of his parents.  Likewise, Molly and Arthur don't seem to have too much of a problem with the fact that Ron effectively ruined Charlie's marriage.  On the one hand, I understand that they're just happy to have him back alive, but the story would have worked better for me personally if the author had chosen to just have Hermione & Charlie merely dating, rather than being an actual married couple since the author hasn't adequately handled the emotional strife that should have been involved.  Anyway, that's just my opinion on the matter.

Fanfiction rec: "Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said" by hey-torch, rated M for dark themes/subject-matter including implied torture & rape, incomplete, angst/horror, Ron/Hermione, Deathly Hallows AU.

The following recommendation was originally posted in the a/n of Chapter 23 of my fic, Coming to Term:

"Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said" by hey-torch, rated M for dark themes/subject-matter including implied torture & rape, incomplete, angst/horror, Ron/Hermione, Deathly Hallows AU.

I'll keep it short & sweet: Once I got past the first few chapters, which were riddled with misspellings & typos, it developed into an AMAZING story. Seriously. I'm even ignoring the fact that the dialogue is punctuated incorrectly. It's simultaneously angsty, horrific, sweet, suspenseful, and a ton of other things. It's listed under the genres of "angst/horror," but I personally think "romance/hurt/comfort" would be more fitting; "suspense/drama" would also work. Anyway, you have to check out this fic when you have the chance, but be warned - it's quite dark, and poor Hermione experiences horrific abuses (mostly implied). It's listed under my favorites. Read it. And then be courteous & leave a well-earned review. And then PM the author to beg for an update as quickly as possible. (I actually woke up with an update notification for this story in my inbox this morning, & it took a LOT of will-power not to drop everything in favor of reading it.)

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Rant of the Day: Writers who start multiple multi-chaptered fics

Why is it that some fanfiction authors start new fanfics when they already have a couple in the works? I mean, writing the occasional oneshot during the course of a multi-chaptered story, or even starting a SECOND multi-chaptered story, isn’t so bad, but any more than that & I start to wonder if you have ADD & can’t stick with an idea. After all, it’s difficult for most writers to commit to just one WIP & see it through to completion, so if I see that an author has more than one or two WIPs out at a time, quite frankly I’m going to question whether or not you’ll burn yourself out and not complete ANY of your fics.

Don’t get me wrong, I often have multiple ideas jump into my head at once, but I’m disciplined enough to only concentrate on an idea or two at a time rather than attempting to commit to multiple ideas at once.

C’mon, authors, let’s not set ourselves up for failure - not to mention make your readers wait an absurd amount of time between updates because you’ve decided you just HAVE to write multiple stories.

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "The Unwinding of Percy Weasley" by JustAudrey07, Percy/Audrey, rated T, complete

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 20 of my fic "Coming to Term":

Fanfic Pic: "The Unwinding of Percy Weasley" by JustAudrey07, rated T for language, some violence, & non-graphic sexual content, Percy/Audrey, romance/drama, completed, listed under my favorites.
I first fell in love with JustAudrey07's writing & storytelling prowess when I was rec'ed her Draco/Astoria fic, "Dirty Little Secret," by one of my own readers. Like wonderTWINpowersACTIVATE, JustAudrey07 is one of the rarest, most natural talents I've stumbled upon on this site. After reading all the posted chapters of DLS, I'd been meaning to check out the author's other posted works, and I am so thankful that I finally got around to it.

As the title suggests, "The Unwinding of Percy Weasley" is the story about how Percy meets and falls for his wife, Audrey. Believe me, I know what you're thinking: "A story about Percy? Sounds so…blah!" And also believe me when I say that if this story had been written by anyone other than JustAudrey07 I probably wouldn't have given it a chance, but it was, hands-down, the best fic I've read in…well, possibly the best fic I've read, period. Like in DLS with the character of Astoria, the author creates an unforgettable character in Audrey (who is, amazingly, so different from Astoria!) and weaves an intricate, well-thought-out storyline with just the right amount of angst, drama, romance, and humor.

The author's grammar/punctuation isn't always perfect, and, like in DLS, I noticed numerous incorrect word usages, such as "defiantly" rather than "definitely," "than" rather than "then" and vice versa, and even "foreword" rather than "forward." Also, the writing is notably…American. I'm American myself, and I'm certainly not claiming to be some sort of expert on British slang/terminologies, but I couldn't help but notice that the author uses the American "mom" rather than the British "mum" and numerous other blatant "Americanisms."

However, considering the over-all quality of the writing, those mistakes are, for the most part, forgivable and relatively easy to overlook. Truly, this is fanfiction at its best, and I absolutely adored this story. If the author decided to write a Ron/Hermione or George/Angelina story, I'd be a happy camper indeed! (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.)

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "'Miones and Broken Tongues" by jesrod82, Ron/Hermione, rated M, oneshot

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 19 of my fic "Coming to Term":

Fanfic Pic: "'Miones and Broken Tongues" by jesrod82, rated M for strong sexual content and language, Ron/Hermione, romance/humor, oneshot, listed under my favorites.

Kiddies, cover your eyes: This one is NOT for you. What can I say about this delightfully smutty oneshot except that it's the hottest damn thing I've read in a long time? J.R. Ward has got NOTHING on this. ;p
I suppose I could also say that the characterizations were refreshing. I've read too many Ron/Hermione fics with over-the-top cheese infestations, so I just loved the idea of one of their heated arguments escalating into an angry fuck-fest. I also enjoyed that Hermione was rather violent in this, because I haven't read that too much in fanfic—but she WAS rather violent at times in the books, and Ron brought that out in her more than once.

Plus, there was a smidgen of fluff at the end to remind us that they do, in fact, love each other. :) So check it out & leave the author some love! Definitely a fun little read!

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "Harry Potter and the White Van Man" by queenoftherandomoneandonly, Harry/Dudley, rated T, incomplete

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 18 of my fic "Coming to Term":

"Harry Potter and the White Van Man" by queenoftherandomoneandonly, rated T for language and mild violence, Harry/Dudley, friendship/humor, incomplete, 5 chapters posted, listed under my favorites.

I've been following this fic since the first chapter was posted a month or so ago, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. It's based on the premise of what would happen if Harry and Dudley met again by happenstance in their adult life and proceeded to form an unlikely friendship.

While the writing itself isn't just stellar (but then, considering that the author is only seventeen, the writing is comparatively very good), it is, nevertheless, clean and easy to read with minimal technical errors—that is, if you don't count the fact that the author consistently punctuates her dialogue incorrectly, which is a major fanfic pet peeve of mine. Ordinarily, that would irritate me enough to propel me to drop the fic, but I'm enjoying the story so much that I'm actually managing to ignore it.

Anyway, for the most part the story is lighthearted and humorous, but the most recent update (where Vernon and Petunia were brought into the mix, combined with an angry, pregnant Ginny) was quite dramatic/angsty—not that I'm complaining, since I love me some angst. In short, it's well worth a read!

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "Popping Cherries on a Sunday" by wonderTWINpowersACTIVATE, Ron/Hermione, Ron/Lavender rated M, oneshot

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 17 of my fic "Coming to Term":

Fanfic Pic: "Popping Cherries on a Sunday" by wonderTWINpowersACTIVATE, rated M for sexual content and language, oneshot, listed under my favorites.

I have discovered a rare gem of an author—or a pair of them, actually, since the authors are twins who collaborate. While it's true that most writers get better with time and practice (such as myself), every now and then there comes along a writer, or a set of them, with such rare, natural talent that it blows your mind. I've weeded through a lot of crap on this site, a lot of mediocrity, some decent stuff, stuff that's downright good, stuff that's so bad it's good (sort of like a Big Mac), and then there's stuff that's so good you're wondering what the blazes the author is doing writing fanfiction when they could be making a career with their writing (JustAudrey07, author of "The Unwinding of Percy Weasley" and "Dirty Little Secret" is an example of the latter category).

As I sat down to read "Popping Cherries on a Sunday" I was at first wary, as it listed both Ron/Lavender AND Ron/Hermione as being paired. I've gotta say, if the authors hadn't hit me up for review-for-a-review, I wouldn't have touched this story with a ten-foot pole, but I'm so thankful that I did: The writing itself is spectacular, eons above the average fanfic posted on this site, and I was a bit shocked when I looked at their profile and discovered that the authors are American and only twenty years old. (I have an account still up on this site from ten years ago, and I cringe when I look at the stuff I wrote when I was that young.)

First of all, the jargon/slang sounded so authentic that I seriously thought that the author must be British (but then, I'm American, so what do I know, lol?). Second of all, I don't know any twenty-year-olds who can write like that. I don't know many thirty-year-olds who have such a command of the English language and who would be able to get inside a teenage boy's head and write such a beautiful, utterly believable, so authentically realized struggle between his body, his heart, and his mind.

As a warning: The story is about Ron losing his virginity to Lavender. I know that tons of you won't touch it now, but I urge you to give it a chance anyway. Even as a Romione fan, this was probably the most authentic thing I've ever read on this site (and it IS actually a Ron/Hermione piece at its core). And please be courteous and leave a review for the story if you read it—even if you don't agree that Ron would've gone all the way with Lavender. Oh, and no flames, please, since you've been warned of the nature of the fic. ;)

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "Anxious" by jesrod82, Ron/Hermione, rated M, incomplete

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 16 of my fic "Coming to Term":

Fanfic Pic: "Anxious" by jesrod82, rated M for sexual content, incomplete, listed under my favorites.

"Anxious" is a story of Ron & Hermione's burgeoning romance, post-Deathly Hallows. While this has been done before, I found this one to be appealing because the writing is mature, there are comedic moments, and the passion/sexual tension is sizzling. On the downside, there are some notable technical errors, although not many, and the over-all entertainment factor & quality of the writing more than make up for that.

Also worth mentioning is the author's characterization of Ginny. Most fanfiction writers portray her as rather bland (including myself, I'm afraid), but she's delightfully fiery in this story. It's well worth a read, but if you do make sure you leave a much-deserved review!

Happy reading, writing, & reviewing!

-Kari

Fanfiction rec: "Always and Forever" by librawriter, Ron/Hermione, rated M, incomplete

The following review was originally posted in my author's notes of Chapter 14 of my fic "Coming to Term":

Fanfic Pic:

So I decided to start doing this little segment every few updates where I rec a fic I'm reading, & for my very first pick I'd like to rec "Always and Forever," rated M, by librawriter, which can be found in my faves:

(Warning: Spoilers for the above-mentioned fic ahead!) "Always and Forever" is a little Ron/Hermione piece about the consequences of unprotected sex, set during their seventh year. The story is clearly AU, but the author isn't very precise on where, exactly, it branches off from canon, something that's always important for me as a reader to get my bearings. That is to say, I'm unsure whether the Horcrux hunt occurred in this timeline, although the author referenced the "war" in the first chapter. We know, at least, that Ron still dated Lavender in year six.

HP Canon vs. "Fanon"

I don't know about you all, but when I read fanfiction I like to think that what I'm reading COULD be inserted into the novels, or at least be a plausible alternative. When authors use "fanon" terms in their writing, however, it's always a jarring reminder that I am, in fact, reading fanfiction, and the illusion is destroyed. For example:

Fanfic Review: The 1st 16 Chapters of "Turned to Real Life" by CheekyRoseB (Ron/Hermione, rated M, incomplete)

There are many things I could say about this fic, most of which I stated in the 15 reviews I left for the author, but I'll try to keep this condensed: Initially I thought I was going to enjoy this story, what with the mature writing, angst, and sexual tension demonstrated in the first chapter - It held promise.