Important things to know about me:

female, soon to be 16 and in 10th grade, United States, New Jersey, completely obsessed with Harry Potter, in love with James Potter and Sirius Black.

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So…I’m very opinionated about fanfiction. It’s this problem I have, really, to be so stubborn and judgmental. That’s why I never leave bad reviews, because I’m scared I’ll say something terrible and have the author take it the wrong way.

I usually only read and write James/Lily and other marauder era stories, because I’m extremely picky about sticking to canon. And since we know so little about what happened back in the time of the Marauders, it’s easier to build off of what JKR gave us and still make it sound good.

I’ve read a sickening amount of J/L stories, and have come to the following conclusions:

-I cannot stand the ‘James has completely changed for me and now I love him’ story. First of all, it’s incredibly cliché. I like some clichés, but not this one. James would not have completely changed for Lily and become this complete gentleman all the time. His arrogance is part of what makes him so attractive. And I believe (though I certainly may be wrong) that Lily secretly had a crush on James ever since first year, so I don’t think that she ever truly hated him, no matter what she says or thinks.

-I hate anything that puts Lily and Sirius together. It’s so, so, so, so wrong. Sirius would never in all his life do that to James. And Lily likes James, so she can’t like his best mate!

-I don’t like the idea of Remus liking Lily. It’s logical, but if it were true, that would mean Remus would have had his heart broken and I hate to think that. I don’t really think he would like somebody with a temper like Lily’s anyway. She’s much too fiery.

-I hate it when Lily becomes completely helpless around James. Being nervous because she likes him is okay, but having her scared to death of Voldemort while James cradles her in his arms is sickening. Slughorn said she was brave, so even though it’s normal to be frightened, I don’t think she would fall apart at the mention of Voldemort.

-I (most of the time) don’t like the use of the death of Lily or James’ parents as a way to get them closer. That did not happen. But there are a few stories that I think are brilliant despite the killing off of the parents.

-I don’t like it when Lily is made out to be a strict stickler for rules. Slughorn said she was funny, and she couldn’t have been if she didn’t believe in ever bending the rules. She just didn’t like the fact that James was a bully, not that he necessarily broke rules. I think she herself would have broken a few rules. Most people are under the assumption that she was obsessed with rules, but in reality, I doubt she was. If James liked her so much, then there is no way that she could have been.

-I’m not a huge fan of the “Lily and her best friends end up with all of the Marauders” stories. (My old story was one of these—which is one of the reasons why I deleted it).

-I strongly believe that Sirius was a womanizer. Let’s face it—he was gorgeous. He was never married (yes, I know, Azkaban contributed to that). Girls liked him and he brushed it off (read OotP if you don’t know what I’m talking about). JKR said he was “sexy”. It all adds up—he was what many people think he was—a ladies’ man.

-James is a bit of a jerk. Yes, I know, he’s also a good man and his head deflates by 7th year, but he also has that hint of arrogance that never quite leaves him, I think. It’s not a bad thing—it’s humorous and incredibly attractive.

-Peter wasn’t always bad. Period. I don’t like it when people make him out to be a COMPLETE mess up, because if he was really as annoying as in some stories, the Marauders would not have been such great friends with him. I do, however, believe that he was always a little bit on the outside of them.

-Remus enjoys the Marauders’ pranks just as much as the rest of them do.

-Lily does not play Quidditch. But she does enjoy it. Sirius probably wasn’t on the team, either.

-James and Lily do not have a rocky relationship—it’s supposed to be fun, lively, and humorous. They obviously get into fights, but not of the really terrible variety.

-I imagine all of the Marauders to be alcoholics to a certain degree. They were the Fred and George of their time—fun, lively, and rule-breaking. Alcohol just fits into the picture.

Please don’t be offended if I just bashed your story. I myself am no great writer, so my opinion barely means anything.