MetaFic

Disclaimer: Before I begin, I would like to state that "Happy Puppy Clown World" is a description coined by a friend of mine, James, who used it to describe the general nature of people in LARP who seek cooperative and equitable solutions while playing in a game based on intrigue, chicanery, distrust, and backstabbing.

Although I look out on this world and hope that somehow human nature will change and that we would all love our neighbors as ourselves, I am a realist. I know that good people die trying to do what is right and criminals walk away from their crimes and the innocent suffer. I don't like it, and I do what I can in my life to be a decent human.

I also understand the desire to use fiction as an escape and to create that utopian view of life that all the good guys live and all the bad guys get what comes to them. This is especially prevalent in the AU aspect of HP fanfiction, and it smacks of childess daydreaming more than a realistic portrayal of a struggle between a boy and a sadistic murdering madman.

Conflict is plot. Man versus man and Man versus society are meant to be struggles not the feel good movie of the week. If I wanted that, I'd watch reruns of Leave it to Beaver. The story of Harry Potter is the story of a young boy caught up in the life and death struggle of a society literally being torn apart by prejudice, hate, and corruption. There are many moments of good cheer and frivolity, but that does not mean that Harry's relationship with whomever can ever take precedence over the looming shadow of Voldemort.

Harry's life will be haunted and directed by the actions of Voldemort on Harry himself and those around Harry. Yet many authors take the stand that Harry should have it easy and either do so through making him powerful, making hi all-knowing, making VOldemort stupid, or giving the answer to his defeat in a book Hermione found in the library.

Where is the development for Harry in that? Where is the struggle that he endures that changes him from a boy to a man? Where are the casualties in his fight against the most feared wizard ever known?

They are not there. They are toned down, and they are bland and often trite passing waves at conflict as they run off to the saloon to party. And although there is a place for Spaghetti Western Fanfic, I am tired of people taking that frivolity as monumental achievements of writing.

Fanfiction is meant to explore possibilities and to expand the stories of the world and characters. A one-shot can be simple and focused and fluffy, but an epic needs more meat. More and more AU's I read have significant events, literally life defining events for Harry, modified so that the good guys always win.

Harry's childhood is blissful and loving.

Sirius doesn't die because Harry is smarter or Sirius is better or someone was forewarned.

Dumbledore never picked up the ring.

James or Lily survived that night.

Remus and/or Tonks survive the final battle.

Fred survives the final battle.

Draco gets a backbone.

Cedric lives.

Additionally, there are many stories where Sirius is given a wife, Remus is given a wife, James and Lily have additional kids, Severus becomes a nice guy and there are thousands of babies and siblings all over the place and although there are some "scary moments' nothing really ever bad happens to any of the characters.

What does this prove? What is the point of this story? That the author can take a puppy and put a bow on it and say doesn't this make you feel good? Of course it makes you feel good! Any idiot can slap a happy ever after together and people will go awww.

But do you want to know a little secret? Lord Voldemort is nor Sir Cares-a-lot. He is the most feared wizard in who knows how many centuries and is more powerful the Dumbledore, yet obviously, according to these Happy Puppy Clown World authors, he can't think his way out of a wet paper sack.

Let me be blunt, throughout history there have been more people whose names have been immortalized because of the terror that they induced than those who leave good works behind. Attila, Xerces, Alexander, Nero, Caligula, Hitler, Napoleon, Mao, Rasputin, Stalin, Hito, Truman . . . do I need to name more?

These people changed the world and the methods they used caused the deaths of millions of human beings. Lord Voldemort wishes to change the world. He wishes to tear down British society and re make it in his image. Do you think a few thousand people tortured, killed, and displaced are going to matter to him? Do you think that those in the front lines trying to prevent this are going to be ignored while he focuses on nameless Muggles and wizards and witches?

Yes, Harry is the hero. Yes, Harry will be faced with trials and heartache, but it is not meant to be a summer stroll for him. He needs the adversity and loss and suffering that bring him to the point where he is willing to give his life to save the world. And unfortunately, that will involve the death of characters close to Harry.

It is very easy for an author to not kill a character. It takes guts and fortitude to take a main or secondary character and end their life. That means something when it happens. That means more than any million nameless deaths that Voldemort causes.

Do you want to change Sirius' death? Then make his death meaningful instead of trite and random as Rowling did. Don't chicken out and have Tonks and Remus die off stage. Let Neville die beheading Nagini. Have Hermione broken in Malfoy manner instead of just Crucio'ed a few times. Have more people die earlier. Let the basilisk kill someone. Show that life isn't always fair, but that people still fight against the growing darkness and never give up. That each death galvanizes more to act and fight.

Yes, reviewers will howl at you and write scathing reviews, but as long as you make the hard choices and make the plot realistic, and do it with a purpose and not just randomly, you will have a much better story.

-Jonathan