MetaFic

There's a story I've been reading in a desultory piece-meal kind of manner, Living a Legend (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2628071/1/Living_a_Legend), which involves a fan getting dropped into Hogwarts during Philosopher's Stone and trying to understand what's going on without affecting anything too badly—and failing dismally so far as I can see ;-)

It's interesting seeing events which we already know about from another perspective, and also how even the most well-intentioned alterations can have massive effects.

I could also refer to my favourite series, the Dangerverse, where the eponymous character, who is Hermione's older sister, marries Remus Lupin and stands as Harry's much-needed mother figure, but Harry does take much more part once he's old enough to talk ;-)

I casually follow a story called "A Handful of Spells," which is about a young Muggle-born witch who attends the Salem Witches' Institute for the first time. Thus far, there has been no mention of Harry Potter or any other canon character, setting, or event. A few (but not all) of the spells are familiar, along with other 'trappings' like wands.

Is it fanfic? Technically it has to be, because it's based around several of JKR's fictional ideas. But if you changed a few names and relatively minor details, it could be accepted as original fiction. Original fiction with a very familiar theme, perhaps, but original nonetheless.

As for the story, it's not bad. A bit slow, perhaps, but it's reasonably well-written and is not just a re-tread of HP in an American setting (though, again, some bits are familiar). There are some truly creative elements involved. And it's set in New England, which makes it a little more relevant for me than it would be otherwise.

Here's the link if anyone's curious: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3836981/1/A_Handful_of_Spells

Someone here at MF recommended that story (Terrifying Momentum) and I took a glance at it. While the lead character may be amusing for very short periods with the words he uses, I found the writing on a whole to be rather poor and the plot was dubious at best. Then again, I've never been a fan of tear-down-the-characters writing, which is becoming increasingly common in both mainstream and fanfic and seems to be the heart of the story (if it has one).

In response to your query, though, perhaps you should disambiguate between fanfic in the HP universe, and an HP-centric story?

There are fanfics that are set in the HP universe, borrowing wholesale the loose framework (very loose) that JKR presented through her books, filling in holes or adding details as they like. Any story about Harry's parents, for example, is an HP-universe story but not an HP-centric story, simply because it's set in the universe but is fundamentally not about HP-et al.

The problem with any discrete set of choices lies in those stories that don't fit neatly into one category or another. The Dangerverse has never really appealed to me, though I've never tried to articulate why. As an example case, however, it spans both the HP-uni and the HP-centric models, but has so much bolted onto it that it may as well be a category all on its own.

I'd suggest there are also the HP-abominations, but maybe someone out there knows of a better categorical system for fics than my three: uni, centric, and crap.

At the end of the day, it really does seem to be author-focused. Risking the time to read a new author is hard, given the very low statistical probability that you'll find them worth reading.

Frankly, the oddness of this fic is part of its appeal for me. I like the notion that all of Harry's trials and travails are a tiny part of a larger whole which may be micro-managed or impacted by outside characters. Although the character of Scott is not my personal choice for a friend, I have found that I can enjoy him for who he is in the context of this story. Not to mention that the humor is quirky in an unexpected way.

"It made me think about how far can a fic go without it being actually part of the universe it claims to inhabit"

A good question. I like to think my story has one foot in both. But maybe not.

That Terrifying Momentum is an experiment. In original characters and alternate worlds, yes, but mostly in decompressed fiction. To say 'your mileage may vary' may be an understatement. When I started writing it, I didn't think anyone would read it at all.

"That is if the author wanted it to be a HP story, which I'm guessing he doesn't care one way or another"

Could be. I could have used any fandom, really. My universe is modular, it could be grafted almost anywhere. Blasphemy, of course, for the purist fan. Most people don't want to see Harry and the crew hanging out with someone JK herself did not create. Most of them don't review to voice their displeasure, which leaves me with a somewhat one-sided perspective of my story. When I found this blog post, I found it more interesting than my recent positive reviews.

I change fandoms like I change my underwear. Right now, I'm into X-Men. Who knows what I'll be reading, watching or playing next month. So I suppose you're right that I don't have any huge attachment to Harry Potter as a chosen medium. I suppose it could have been something else just as easily.

The question is, just how much do you really want to hear critical thinking about your work? A lot of people say they want honest reviews, with all the bells and whistles of SPaG, plot issues, characterizations, and so forth . . . but when you attempt to leave such a review, it tends to be poorly received no matter how it may be written.

Speaking for myself, I stopped trying to leave "honest" reviews a long time ago, as it only ever caused more hassle to me than simply not reading the story. People don't want the truth, they want chocolate frosted sugar bombs for the ego. (Bonus points for recognizing the references...)