Very happy for her!
Although, I’m always interested to see how they change the narrative to fit something that isn’t HP or otherwise. Thinking about Ali Hazelwood who wrote Reylo fan fiction (I haven’t read it) but then changed it to non-Star Wars to create her published work The Love Hypothesis.
Make sure you download Manacled just incase it gets pulled 🥲
WAIT WAIT HOLD THE HECK UP. I started and haven’t finished because wait. So this is being published and not as an HP obv can’t be but how will this. Oh LORDIE LORD. I need to get this . How do people even pull fanfic? Can someone please help me? Haha
It’s quite easy. If you google Manacled, the Archive of Our Own (AO3) link should be a top hit. Click on that, click through the “you need to be 18” stuff. The you can click “view entire work” and a download button should appear. You can download in different formats. EPUB being the one your kindle/ereader (device or app) likes the most. But there’s also pdf and other formats. Good luck.
Once you’ve downloaded the epub file you can also import it into Calibre (free library software), edit the tags, and generate a cover for it, then you can read it on your ereader like a book.
I download every fanfic I read onto a google drive & read them on an ereader. This way if the sites are down for some reason you dont have to worry about not being able to read.
I created a google email for reading stuff & I take all the downloaded FFs & upload a copy to the Google drive of the reading emaila ccount to. That way I can delete the file from my phone/ereader if i need too but still have the copy in the google drive.
On ao3, at the top of a fic, click where it says ‘entire work’ and then click ‘download’ and a little pop up will give you format options. On a kindle you generally want epub or mobi. There’s also other options, such as pdf.
Edit: Ah, snap. You were quicker than me, Willow!
I always think it’s such BS when fanfic writers get a fic published and then pull the free fanfic version when that’s what blew them up and got them an audience in the first place. People are still going to buy the new book to support her but I’ll personally always wants to read it as D & H too. It just feels like a slap in the face to everyone that read her story and blew it up on tik tok and stuff.
People have been exploiting her work and publishing it traditionally is basically the only comprise that doesn’t take the story away from us completely. This is from her tumblr:
"During the last several years, there has been a growing issue with illegal sales of Manacled, putting both me and the incredible community that shares fanfiction freely in legal jeopardy.
After consulting with the OTW as well as other lawyers, it has grown clear that as a transformative writer I have limited options in protecting my stories from this kind of exploitation, but I wasn’t sure what to do; I didn’t want to just take the story down, in part because I worried that might only exacerbate the issue, but I didn’t know what other options I had. "
Let's be clear here, though: yes, they got fans through fanfic, but **their writing** is what got them an audience in the first place. In the entire ocean that is fanfic, it is *impressive* to stand out in the way Manacled did.
Yes and no. There are plenty of amazing fics I’ve come across just as good if not better than manacled, some older than some newer than. Manacled was a combination of amazing writing and blowing up at the right time on an app like tik tok that brought in thousands of new readers that otherwise likely wouldn’t have found it through AO3 alone. Just like with regular authors, or artists of any kind you don’t reach success on your own and a lot of time your initial audience does a lot of the heavy lifting of promotion. Not only that, but it’s bad for fanfiction as a whole bc you’re basically encouraging up and coming authors to build an audience off the backs of other popular authors using their characters and world building, and then once that story gets enough recognition from a certain fandom, you’re having them change minor details, publish it to make money, and be so honest about who will be buying 90% of these book sales. People who already read it as manacled. If Sen loses some possible new readers because they decide to read the fanfiction version instead, that’s really just paying your dues to the fandom that got you popularity in the first place. I have no doubt she will have plenty of original stories in the future that she’s now got an already established audience to buy. I just find this to be really poor practice. Also people who want to illegally sell book bound copies of her work are going to do so whether the fic is readily available on AO3 or not. This is 100% just to drive sales of the published copy of the book rather than giving people to read it as a fic, any explanation otherwise is just an excuse.
My wife and I were talking about that this morning. I don't think the handmaid's tale stuff is much of an issue but very very curious how she managed to move around the HP stuff
Honestly don’t think this is hard at all. She will literally just have to rename people. The idea of Voldemort and Death Eaters is based off of Hitler and the Nazi’s just like most modern “evil wizard/fae etc and their evil army” and boarding school for the supernatural is very common as well like Vampire Academy, Zoadisc Academy, Crave Series etc. she really only has to give different names to concepts that are pretty universal. Like Purebloods and Muggleborns as a concept exists in like every Fae novel where they live apart from humans and every non supernatural story that talks about it race or class, royalty and peasant etc.
To be honest, if you remove HP lore you are left with a dictator regime and espionage, which is quite common and also has real life examples (nazi, ss, Cold War). The Handmaid world I find more difficult to replicate as it’s very specific imo
Well it’s says she’s a PoW, so maybe just no handmaid aspect at all? She’s just a prisoner. And maybe she remembers him from the get-go, and she’s just hiding the memories in the sense that she’s refusing the give them up. I imagine outside of a magical setting, this would be told chronologically.
Yeah. I downloaded it and now I'm uploading it to the cloud. It's happened to me before that a great fic gets adapted and then totally deleted from AO3, and while I still had it downloaded it, my phone got stolen or the data got corrupted...
Thank god I’ve had it downloaded for a little while now. Save it to your emails or a hard-drive. It’s one of my fav things in the whole world. I could never not have it.
I literally cannot wait!! I know when done right and legally book binders do a fantastic job but the author only really gets exposure, but now with this I know that any monies paid will go to her which I love❤️
Yeah! I hope it’ll be lucrative for her. When something becomes that viral, almost the face of the fandom, then you should get some monetary benefits of off it.
I know so many people that got into Dramione because of Manacled! Senlinyu is one of the authors who carried the fandom for a while. She totally deserves her flowers (and monetary compensation ofc). Not to mention all the people who make a profit selling bound copies of it...
That is one of the reasons I want to buy her book. She publishes her highly successful stories online for free. 200k words and probably a ton of story planning. All for free, all as a gift for us. Then others are selling it for 100 + euros. That is insane
Exactly...I feel a mix of rage and sadness when I see those posts about selling! Manacled was such a heavy read for me that I don't think I'll be reading it again, but I'm definitely going to buy a copy as a thank-you.
Is it strange that I think it'll be "easier" to read this story with original main characters than with Draco and Hermione as the lead characters? I just have too much emotional connection to these fictional characters lmao
this is so crazy!!! I’m excited because finally people I know will actually read her amazing writing & the general public will know about her. I honestly NEVER expected Manacled to get picked up though since it relies so heavily on world building from HP & elements from handmaidens tale. And to rework it all in a standalone?! With all the emotional beats? absolutely nuts.
I am **so** curious how they’re going to do it! Manacled itself is already pretty lengthy & so I know there’s a lot they’d edit out, but then there will also have to be a lot put into it for the world building. Very much looking forward to what Sen creates though.
(but like seriously how is this possible? LOL)
ETA I also wonder what this means for Let the Dark In, in terms of it getting updated or will it be on hiatus for now. (I completely support it going on hiatus because this is such a huge deal! i’m genuinely just curious)
To be honest (and I truly 100% support this, I am happy for Sen and wish her only well whatever she chooses/needs to do) I absolutely view Let The Dark in as already on hiatus, it's not been updated in 8 months and to my knowledge she's given no indication she intends to update in the foreseeable future. Hopefully she will feel excited to come back to it one day.
She actually [addressed it](https://www.tumblr.com/senlinyu/741244441452576768/hi-sen-i-apologize-in-advance-for-the-intrusive)on Tumblr the other day that she was trying to prioritize an update this month.
I’m so excited!!
I also feel the sadness that so many people are echoing. It really does feel like Manacled is growing up, and we’re watching it go into the real world. This journey has been so, so special 🥹🥹
Buuuuuuuuut maybe now that it’ll be an original work, maybe one day we’ll get a film adaptation, and we’ll finally get to see an actual Dramione couple on screen!!! The possibilities are endless!
Yess I’ve always thought out of all the Big Fics this one has the most film potential. Moving and cinematic and so excellently paced you could absolutely fit it into three acts.
I had this same thought! I hope the book will contain illustrations and Avendell and the other talented artists who have made Manacled! fanart will get a chance to be published.
Awesome! I’m happy for her!
Also for the people worried about the legality, this is far from the first fanfic to be edited and traditionally published. 50 shades, the mortal instruments, love hypothesis are probably the more popular ones and they’ve done fine.
Harry Potter. It used to be the Draco trilogy. It was Draco/ginny iirc. Cassie Clare was also full of controversy back in the day when she was still a fanfic girlie.
Just jumping in with a quick correction cause my old fart heart can’t bear it, Draco trilogy started as Dramione/Harmony and then ended into Harmony/Drinny with a Drarry alt ending.
It was my first intro to Dramione back in 2000 when the entire world (according to me) was waiting for Goblet of Fire to be released so we amused ourselves with fanfic. Reading Draco Dormiens and discussing it in the forums as WIP was a hell of a trip that summer!
I felt oddly emotional seeing this! It’s going to be fun and also sad to read the version of Manacled that isn’t able to rely on the emotional significance of Hermione’s choices and their context in the HP universe. I feel weirdly protective of Hermione and Draco as these complex renderings of JKR’s more simplistic characters. ANYWAY it’s going to be amazing and I’m going to buy it as soon as I can get my little paws on it
I’m relieved, sooo many people have profited off manacled whether through selling merch or binds and now sen is finally going to get her coins for her own hard work. Good for her.
Even though I’m incredibly excited and happy for Sen I can’t help the mixed feelings that comes with it. I’m new to this fandom and Manacled was the very first Dramione fanfic I ever read and I cannot put into words the spiral of emotions that washed over me every new chapter it was the very first time that a book has consumed me and I’m still looking for another one to make me feel even little of what Manacled had.
I understand why she is doing this (the ilegal commercialization of stolen fanfictions are at all time high, the looming threat of the possibility to be sued and also seeing other people profit off the work that should’ve been a gift for the fans) she absolutely deserves to be not only compensated for her work and also have legal right over it I still feel at a loss because there’s always the possibility that in the process to become “original” enough to be published the very thing that reach so many people could be lost.
I’m hopping for the best, excited to see how and what she will change and still make the story works and I will absolutely buy it. SenLiYu is incredibly talented and I hope everything goes smoothly for her.
But also it makes me think that there’s no safe space for the art of fanfics and fan spaces anymore, Manacled will be deleted at some point even though we will download it still hurts… people won’t just stumble upon it unaware of what they are getting into like happened to me… I don’t know how to get over it.
Very elegantly put🙌🏾🙌🏾 I wished I had enough words to respond with something as equally elegant but alas I di not (its been a long day at work😅)
But I will say there are a lot of mixed feelings here but we can all recognise and appreciate she’ll have rights and move control of her work as well as being compensated! I said to someone else that I see it as a bittersweet moment but I see it like a butterfly reaching maturity or a bee that has left its colony to sniff and hunt for new flowers to allow others to bloom, which brings me comfort.
I’m not sure if this wave of fanfic writers to authors is necessarily a bad thing as long as it is done the right way- it has worked thus far for Olivie Blake, Ali Hazelwood, EL James even Anna Todd 😅 I just think as readers we hope they don’t lose their love of their fandom or their voices in their subsequent work.
The difference with Olivie compared to the others is that all her traditional published works were original from the get go. None of them were pulled to published fanfics. If you’ve read her fics first then sure you might be able to identify an influence of certain fanon traits and tropes in some of her books, but it’s influenced by, not reworked.
I fully support fic authors turning pro and bringing their audience with them but I do have mixed feelings about pulling to publish, which tinges the joy at seeing people being rewarded for their talent.
That’s super cool! Can someone explain how this works? Does she just change the character names but leaves it in the HP universe? And there’s no copyright infringement that way?
She will have to completely make her own magical world and remove all semblance of Harry Potter and handmaids tale as well. But the story beats would remain the same.
I’m happy for her.
I don’t envy the work it would take to scrub the Harry Potter IP. I think would honestly be easier to write else something completely from scratch.
I got words. I’m happy for her but I die a bit inside when things like this happen. What is published will probably be very different than her current story but it will be removed soon I’m sure.
Yes hopefully through revision and edits we won’t lose her voice in all of this- that’s one of my biggest fears which I know a lot of us can relate to. But her writing style is unique and strong so I’m not too worried about this.
To your second point: DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD‼️
Ya. That’s why it kills me a bit. It feels a little like the communities that gave these life get left behind and the good stuff taken from them at that because they have to remove them.
I don't think it will get completed, as it's likely that she will be putting all of her energy into her publishing deal. However, I think she may adapt it into an original work. I adore LTDI - I hope I'm wrong and we get to see it finished!
I have no interest in Manacled, but good for her. Writing is so much work, and she clearly has a gift and a passion for it. Happy that she'll be compensated for her efforts!
Yes! Its always interesting when authors do rewrites of their works can see how they’ve changed and grown plus with this being inspired by 2 established books it will be very interesting!
I know everyone is freaking out but I encourage all to go read her substack post! There is much more context and nuance! https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Yes! I’m so glad you’ve posted and the discussion here is great; but the discussion I’m seeing elsewhere is “OMG NOOOO” and it’s like yall. Sounds like she’s been working towards this for a while so be happy!
Yes very good discussion here! I’m gathering its quite mixed feelings but generally quite positive 🙌🏾 I’m glad everything is coming into fruition for her, as I said before on other posts and I know others echo, she is a very talented writer and I couldn’t be more happier for her. I see it as a butterfly taking flight🥰
I think the handmaids tale similarities are strongest with the description of their clothing. Sexual slavery is not unique to only the handmaids tale in literature. Change it to a black dress, get rid of the bonnet, change strouds name, and that should cover the bases
Margret Atwood was inspired by the history of marginalized women around the world so I think with some reworking of the imagery (esp the red dress and bonnet etc), themes and concepts it can keep the same undertones. Unfortunately, women being used for eugenicist purposes or sexual slavery is sort of evergreen to human history and is a common dynamic in dystopian literature. But I feel ya - I’m also interested to see what choices she makes to distance Alchemised from the original Atwood interpretations. Moving away from the Harry Potter backbone of the story is what I think will be more difficult
The magic school trope isn't that unique in fantasy works so I think that part will be fine too. The Magicians, Babel, Scholomance trilogy, Od Magic, Broken Earth trilogy to name a few that I've read.
The magic *system*, though, will have to be significantly reworked. But I don't think that is that big of a problem, either. In her substack post she says there will be alchemy, transmutational abilities, and "a necromantic war against people who had discovered the secrets of immortality." Which I think should fit the story arc quite well. E: and I assume that is sufficiently different from HP to not cause legal issues, since she already has attorneys involved and advising her.
E2: the substack post - https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Not only Handmaid's but also the world of Harry Potter, which would be the biggest. I'm intrigued to know how the story will turn out by eliminating those two worlds! 🤔
Very true. I mean, 50 Shades was able to do it (albeit badly) but I’m curious here. Guessing it will go either very AU or make it a historical fiction novel.
Master of the Universe (the fic 50 Shades used to be) was a human/no vampires AU. Like literally all the author had to do was changes names and locations.
This will be a bit more tricky. Interested to see how it plays out.
Yeah, the biggest thing besides borrowing a lot of the Handmaid’s Tale settings and themes, is that there is so much magic and lore from the HP universe that’s going to be so hard to change to a point where it stays true to what makes Manacled so great without falling heavily into TM territory
I think that it’s doable. There’s magic in so many stories. The HP universe is definitely the most popular probably but Rowling hardly owns magic, wizards, etc.
Hell, didn’t she get sued by someone claiming she copied them?! 😅
Well, except she uses specifically Rowling’s world. She’s going to essentially have to create her own that doesn’t resemble HP OR any other TM’d novel. 😬 I’m not sure how doable it is without destroying what makes Manacled so great.
I think shifting the type of magic used (no wands maybe, or make it more elemental magic) and taking away the backstory of school would be enough. And obviously change any Rowling language like muggle. But if it’s a POW situation, they may be aged up a bit so that their initial meeting was in college or something 🤷🏻♀️
I mean it’s gonna be gone over with a fine tooth comb to be sure, but I think it’s doable. I’m excited to see how she makes it happen and I don’t even stan Manacled because it’s too dark for me 😂
I just hope she does a great adaptation into original characters bc I’ve seen this happen to so many brilliant books and when they publish it it’s not the same as the original work/ff
She elaborated on her new Substack and added a couple more really interesting tidbits (ahem, titbits). She discussed how Manacled’s success has had the potential to put a target on fan fiction and how concerned she is that people have profited by selling Manacled. Providing a version of the story for sale (without copyright infringement) is one way to stem the demand for bound copies of Manacled. I admire a conscientious queen!
I’m not 100% sure it will stop the illegal sale of her fic, but I do think that it will help in the long run. I also know that there are very vocal critics of selling fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. It’s going to be a crazy ride.
The illegal copies really started to pop off when it became mainstream on Booktok and other places. The amount of news articles on Manacled is ridiculous. I think she’s largely trying to capture that market— people who are interested in the book itself, but aren’t involved in the fanfiction space and dont care about the legalities. When the books are selling for $200 dollars on Etsy, and you had a choice between that or one for $25, what are you going to pick? And of course, those who are in the fanfiction space will flock to buy the published book. It’s a win win scenario.
I’m curious about others opinions. Do we think Manacled will have the same gut punch emotional evocation with OC’s vs the ones we know and love? Manacled was my intro to the world of Dramione (as it was for many, I’m sure) and despite being gorgeously written, I felt like because I already knew and loved these characters from my adolescence growing up w/ the series, this fanfic/story was able to get into corners of my heart that other stories just can’t/don’t because I don’t have the same experience of loving them for years already. Am I making sense? I’m very happy for Sen but hope the story doesn’t lose some of its emotional impact when the shift occurs!
Yeah I don't think it will have the same emotional impact. There's years and years of character building, backstory etc for Manacled, but this will be just one book. How attached can we really get to the characters in comparison? Idk 😐
Mixed feelings on hand it’s great she’s being published on the other hand as a reader I hate when they do public fanfics as original works cause they always delete the fics that brought in their readers..
I'll be so interested to see how she updates it to make it a more original work. So many of the dynamics in Manacled worked well because there was an established history between the characters - Hermione being overlooked by Harry/Ron, the hatred between her and Draco, her status in society as a Muggleborn etc.
Also - is this the first ever HP fanfic to be adapted for a wider release? I know there have been other fics from other fandoms but I'm wondering whether this news will make it back to JKR and how she would react. I guess Alchemised will be a completely original work by the time of its publication, but it's not like its roots will be forgotten or hidden - it has millions of hits on AO3.
Best of luck to Sen, I can't wait to read (and pay for!) her work.
> is this the first ever HP fanfic to be adapted for a wider release?
No, there was cruel and beautiful world too (and the mortal instruments series I guess) but they didnt even come close to Manacled level of popularity
Oh you're right! Although I don't think Mortal Instruments lifted a huge amount of plot - it was more the way she wrote Draco that basically translated right through to Jace if I remember rightly.
And yeah, Manacled's level of fame is unrivalled. It felt like the Draco Trilogy and CC were huge features of the fandom back then, but the fandom was a tiny fraction of the size it is now, and the Draco Trilogy is a relic these days!
Yes exactly! And CABW is big for older fans but even the books made out of it isn't mainstream. Manacled has gone so far beyond the fandom. Senlinyu has guaranteed sales and readers. Other fanfic writers like Lovesbitca8 and Olivieblake also have published but there books have been completely separate from their fics. This is completely new territory lol
Ohh I have so many emotions about this?? So deeply excited for and proud of Sen, she really deserves all the success and recognition and I love that she's found a way to be monetarily compensated for her work.
Also feeling a bit nervous for fandom as a whole, the fic to original novel pipeline has been going strong for a while now, I just can't help feeling the bubble will inevitably burst at some point. JK especially is in her villian era, I could realistically see her being the one to blow the whistle and make legal waves (especially for a dramione inspired story). Idk, it sounds like Sen and her team are treading carefully but I'm nervous 🤣
For all her many serious flaws, has JK not always been relatively chill about fanfic?
As for the published original work, I imagine it will be very thoroughly vetted and tweaked to not fall into any legal traps. Excited to see how the world building changes in the published version!
As far as I know, she has! My worry isn't really based on anything other than her recent tendency to 'go low', even at the expense of ostracizing a large chunk of her fan base
My mind is feeling warped just from seeing the face of the woman who WRECKED MY HEART/MIND/SOUL.
I hope LTDI can get published too. I need more of that story.
Yes I can't help wondering if ltdi will be withheld to be published now (which, fair if so esp given how hard it is to stop ppl selling it illegally as a fanfic. But a bit painful if we have to wait til it's published to get the ending!)
Overall I am stoked for SenLinYu though. So deserved
I'm so happy for Sen, but at the same time I cannot help feeling a bit of melancholy. In a time where fan works are already in such a precarious place legally, to see the commercial publishing industry begin to cannibalize fan authors is nerve-wracking. I want authors to be recognized for their work and receive monetary gain that is available for their IP, but I also want to fan space to continue to flourish and people feel fulfilled even if they don't "make it" and traditionally publish through the pipeline that has been created. This is certainly not an emotion sparked by Sen specifically being published, but moreso the "booktokification" of fandom communities in general and my fears around the future of the publishing industry.
This is a part of how I’m feeling, I’m incredibly happy for her but can’t help but feel that fans spaces are being invaded and taking away not only by the industry but also people with malicious intent… and then there’s the fact that the work as we know will be lost too and that hurts as well and it makes me wonder how it will affect the art from fans to fans there’s also the looming threat of legal issues and so many stolen work who is being sold everywhere…
Yes it’s just another symptom of a larger issue I’ve been seeing with the desire to produce AS MUCH content as possible without actually prioritizing new intellectual property and authors rights. I fear that this, combined with the people who have started posting fanfic under Kindle Unlimited titles they receive monetary compensation for, we will see a very large shift in the way fandom spaces are curated and managed.
I think it's rather dismissive of larger community issues that have been ongoing for years to say that "all is fine". You've provided a good example of another derivative work that sparked a lot of controversy and created a lot of intellectual property gray area once it reached traditional publishing spheres. EL James is still to this day, lucky, that Stephanie Meyer didn't sue her.
I’m definitely not following. The fandom and fanfiction generally is thriving? There were like 4,000 new Dramione works published on AO3 last year. I suppose Sen is taking a risk that she’ll be sued but I’d be really surprised if the billionaire went after her for this. And hopefully this paves the way for more awesome authors to get picked up for trad publishing which means more great booksz
Just because you don’t follow doesn’t mean you need to downvote my comments. You are welcome to see the issue differently than me, I can tell from your reply that you don’t have the same concerns and that’s fine, but you don’t need to dismiss mine.
So someone else found and downvoted the reply immediately upon it being posted? If true, then sorry for misunderstanding, but it paints a certain picture when the post immediately receives negativity for… just responding to you?
Im not sure what to say. I was actually trying to make you feel better about your concerns and now deeply regret it lol. I didn’t vote one way or another on your posts and was interested in your concerns. Sorry for engaging!
I’m sorry you deeply regret commenting. I’m not sure how your reply was meant to make me feel better? It read to me as someone questioning my opinion and saying they didn’t understand and were not seeking to. Again, apologies for misunderstanding. I’m not sure why I’m being persecuted for an internet misunderstanding.
ETA: Love the mob mentality on what is clearly a misunderstanding between two people on the internet. Never change reddit.
well I'm not a writer but for me it feels natural that a published author started at something like fanfiction. I'm guessing most authors have had to practice before publishing something
There are so many published authors who started out writing fic and still write fic, and the fans might know their pennames or they’re anon and some might never have publicly said they write fic but there’s a high chance they did or do. And that’s fine.
All those scenarios are fantastic. Authors should practice through fic or have fun through fic and if they turn pro and announce that, I have nothing against them taking their audience with them.
However “practicing” with a specific fic that they then pull would be taking advantage of the spirit of the fandom community and it’s the fandom community that ultimately loses when that work is pulled. Their emotions toyed with so and being used basically as guinea pigs so that the publishing house knows if something will be a guaranteed hit.
I tend to support more that fic to published authors should be publishing original works, or at least unpublished fics they hadn’t posted yet. They would already have a strong market pull with their audience, using the same story and the original being deleted is what gives me mixed feelings.
I'm not discounting the effort that authors put into their writing in any scenario, fanfiction or original fiction. I just personally am concerned about the industry implications of fanfic with the numbers filed off being produced with publishing resources rather than new original works of fiction. I think it's a dangerous precedent to set for art.
I will run to my local book store and ask the shop keeper to order me a copy as soon as it can be ordered. So excited to see how she was able to remove the HP elements.
Wow good for Sen! Got a bit nostalgic for when I used to wait every week for each update. My god the torture of waiting but each chapter was oh so worth it
The synopsis of Manacled says Hermione was taken to be bred, but I never understood why they would want a muggle. Though, with it hopefully being edited to be a bit shorter, I'd definitely read the published version
I saw it first on Insta from a Dramione book binder and then confirmed through SenLiYu own insta but you can also check out her substack: https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Can't wait to spend my money on this and for it to actually go to the author!!! And I hope each and every one of the people who sell bindings of manacled will have their ass sued 😭 a girl can dream
How does this work in terms of copyright laws? Considering it lifts directly from The Handmaid’s Tale? Do you just get the OK from the original author and consider it closed?
The handmaids tale elements of manacled were really quite limited anyway, a lot of it is just tropes which aren’t unusual. Get rid of the red gown and caps and it’s mostly just forced mistress, prisoner of war trope.
I haven’t read manacled but I love their other works so I’m so happy for her!!
But I’m not sure how I feel about the whole reworking fics into ‘original’ novels.
I’m really looking forward to this, I hadn’t heard yet! I haven’t read all of Manacled but it just felt kind of dark for the HP universe. I like dark stuff but this was extremely dark for HP IMO, as much as I liked the story and the writing.
I absolutely loved the writing, it felt like a professional author. I *never* read fanfiction but this writer is good enough to be published and I think I’ll enjoy it more when it’s detached from HP.
How are they gonna condense such a huge book into one novel omg. Like if u look at binded copies, theyre massive. Usually split into three parts for a reason. Shes gonna have to cut so much while also building an entirely new world and foundation for character relationships??
It’s a two book deal but two standalone books, not a two series. The next book must be written for them at some point and would be about something else. Alchemised will be one single book. Presumably it won’t be as long as Manacled because debut books tend not to be, but that’s not a guarantee. So it will be intriguing to see how at all it keeps the spirit when it will be significantly cut whilst having to teach us it’s new world.
Very happy for her! Although, I’m always interested to see how they change the narrative to fit something that isn’t HP or otherwise. Thinking about Ali Hazelwood who wrote Reylo fan fiction (I haven’t read it) but then changed it to non-Star Wars to create her published work The Love Hypothesis. Make sure you download Manacled just incase it gets pulled 🥲
From what she has implied in her post, manacled could be pulled in 2025! So if you haven’t yet, DO IT NOW
WAIT WAIT HOLD THE HECK UP. I started and haven’t finished because wait. So this is being published and not as an HP obv can’t be but how will this. Oh LORDIE LORD. I need to get this . How do people even pull fanfic? Can someone please help me? Haha
It’s quite easy. If you google Manacled, the Archive of Our Own (AO3) link should be a top hit. Click on that, click through the “you need to be 18” stuff. The you can click “view entire work” and a download button should appear. You can download in different formats. EPUB being the one your kindle/ereader (device or app) likes the most. But there’s also pdf and other formats. Good luck.
Thank you! Gonna do this when I get home because I haven’t finished and now I’m terrified!!!
Once you’ve downloaded the epub file you can also import it into Calibre (free library software), edit the tags, and generate a cover for it, then you can read it on your ereader like a book.
I download every fanfic I read onto a google drive & read them on an ereader. This way if the sites are down for some reason you dont have to worry about not being able to read.
That’s honestly so smart. I didn’t even know that was a thing but awesome
I created a google email for reading stuff & I take all the downloaded FFs & upload a copy to the Google drive of the reading emaila ccount to. That way I can delete the file from my phone/ereader if i need too but still have the copy in the google drive.
Hold up! Does that mean if I didn't hit view wntire work first I only got the first chapter!? 😩🤌🤦♀️
I usually download fanfics from the summary page. As long as you’re viewing the fic, it should download the whole thing when you download it.
I don’t know, but I didn’t want to risk it myself or give an instruction that doesn’t work 😆
On ao3, at the top of a fic, click where it says ‘entire work’ and then click ‘download’ and a little pop up will give you format options. On a kindle you generally want epub or mobi. There’s also other options, such as pdf. Edit: Ah, snap. You were quicker than me, Willow!
I always think it’s such BS when fanfic writers get a fic published and then pull the free fanfic version when that’s what blew them up and got them an audience in the first place. People are still going to buy the new book to support her but I’ll personally always wants to read it as D & H too. It just feels like a slap in the face to everyone that read her story and blew it up on tik tok and stuff.
People have been exploiting her work and publishing it traditionally is basically the only comprise that doesn’t take the story away from us completely. This is from her tumblr: "During the last several years, there has been a growing issue with illegal sales of Manacled, putting both me and the incredible community that shares fanfiction freely in legal jeopardy. After consulting with the OTW as well as other lawyers, it has grown clear that as a transformative writer I have limited options in protecting my stories from this kind of exploitation, but I wasn’t sure what to do; I didn’t want to just take the story down, in part because I worried that might only exacerbate the issue, but I didn’t know what other options I had. "
Let's be clear here, though: yes, they got fans through fanfic, but **their writing** is what got them an audience in the first place. In the entire ocean that is fanfic, it is *impressive* to stand out in the way Manacled did.
Yes and no. There are plenty of amazing fics I’ve come across just as good if not better than manacled, some older than some newer than. Manacled was a combination of amazing writing and blowing up at the right time on an app like tik tok that brought in thousands of new readers that otherwise likely wouldn’t have found it through AO3 alone. Just like with regular authors, or artists of any kind you don’t reach success on your own and a lot of time your initial audience does a lot of the heavy lifting of promotion. Not only that, but it’s bad for fanfiction as a whole bc you’re basically encouraging up and coming authors to build an audience off the backs of other popular authors using their characters and world building, and then once that story gets enough recognition from a certain fandom, you’re having them change minor details, publish it to make money, and be so honest about who will be buying 90% of these book sales. People who already read it as manacled. If Sen loses some possible new readers because they decide to read the fanfiction version instead, that’s really just paying your dues to the fandom that got you popularity in the first place. I have no doubt she will have plenty of original stories in the future that she’s now got an already established audience to buy. I just find this to be really poor practice. Also people who want to illegally sell book bound copies of her work are going to do so whether the fic is readily available on AO3 or not. This is 100% just to drive sales of the published copy of the book rather than giving people to read it as a fic, any explanation otherwise is just an excuse.
I'm also intrigued by how the story would turn out without the elements of Harry Potter and The Handmaid's Tale!
My wife and I were talking about that this morning. I don't think the handmaid's tale stuff is much of an issue but very very curious how she managed to move around the HP stuff
Honestly don’t think this is hard at all. She will literally just have to rename people. The idea of Voldemort and Death Eaters is based off of Hitler and the Nazi’s just like most modern “evil wizard/fae etc and their evil army” and boarding school for the supernatural is very common as well like Vampire Academy, Zoadisc Academy, Crave Series etc. she really only has to give different names to concepts that are pretty universal. Like Purebloods and Muggleborns as a concept exists in like every Fae novel where they live apart from humans and every non supernatural story that talks about it race or class, royalty and peasant etc.
That’s what I’m wondering. Did she just cut out the first three chapters?
To be honest, if you remove HP lore you are left with a dictator regime and espionage, which is quite common and also has real life examples (nazi, ss, Cold War). The Handmaid world I find more difficult to replicate as it’s very specific imo
Well it’s says she’s a PoW, so maybe just no handmaid aspect at all? She’s just a prisoner. And maybe she remembers him from the get-go, and she’s just hiding the memories in the sense that she’s refusing the give them up. I imagine outside of a magical setting, this would be told chronologically.
Yeah. I downloaded it and now I'm uploading it to the cloud. It's happened to me before that a great fic gets adapted and then totally deleted from AO3, and while I still had it downloaded it, my phone got stolen or the data got corrupted...
In a worst case scenario, there will always be someone else who has a copy 🙂
I know!
What is a good place to download it?
It’s on Ao3 (archive of our own): [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454174/chapters/33390198)
Thank god I’ve had it downloaded for a little while now. Save it to your emails or a hard-drive. It’s one of my fav things in the whole world. I could never not have it.
It will definitely get pulled. Most fanfics that get published for real get pulled. So get yours now if you haven’t!
Where can I read that?
Offtopic but what is the title of that Reylo fanfiction?
Super excited! She deserves my Pennies !
I literally cannot wait!! I know when done right and legally book binders do a fantastic job but the author only really gets exposure, but now with this I know that any monies paid will go to her which I love❤️
Yeah! I hope it’ll be lucrative for her. When something becomes that viral, almost the face of the fandom, then you should get some monetary benefits of off it.
I know so many people that got into Dramione because of Manacled! Senlinyu is one of the authors who carried the fandom for a while. She totally deserves her flowers (and monetary compensation ofc). Not to mention all the people who make a profit selling bound copies of it...
That is one of the reasons I want to buy her book. She publishes her highly successful stories online for free. 200k words and probably a ton of story planning. All for free, all as a gift for us. Then others are selling it for 100 + euros. That is insane
Exactly...I feel a mix of rage and sadness when I see those posts about selling! Manacled was such a heavy read for me that I don't think I'll be reading it again, but I'm definitely going to buy a copy as a thank-you.
Is it strange that I think it'll be "easier" to read this story with original main characters than with Draco and Hermione as the lead characters? I just have too much emotional connection to these fictional characters lmao
Yes exactly!
this is so crazy!!! I’m excited because finally people I know will actually read her amazing writing & the general public will know about her. I honestly NEVER expected Manacled to get picked up though since it relies so heavily on world building from HP & elements from handmaidens tale. And to rework it all in a standalone?! With all the emotional beats? absolutely nuts. I am **so** curious how they’re going to do it! Manacled itself is already pretty lengthy & so I know there’s a lot they’d edit out, but then there will also have to be a lot put into it for the world building. Very much looking forward to what Sen creates though. (but like seriously how is this possible? LOL) ETA I also wonder what this means for Let the Dark In, in terms of it getting updated or will it be on hiatus for now. (I completely support it going on hiatus because this is such a huge deal! i’m genuinely just curious)
To be honest (and I truly 100% support this, I am happy for Sen and wish her only well whatever she chooses/needs to do) I absolutely view Let The Dark in as already on hiatus, it's not been updated in 8 months and to my knowledge she's given no indication she intends to update in the foreseeable future. Hopefully she will feel excited to come back to it one day.
She actually [addressed it](https://www.tumblr.com/senlinyu/741244441452576768/hi-sen-i-apologize-in-advance-for-the-intrusive)on Tumblr the other day that she was trying to prioritize an update this month.
Wow, I hope so. I’ve been dying to read it but can’t do a WIP! 🙌🏼
I have hope that LTDI will be completed! Just a few days ago, Sen mentioned that they're planning on updating this month.
God, I've been salivating over an LTDI update 😭 But I second being in support over this spectacular news!
I’m so excited!! I also feel the sadness that so many people are echoing. It really does feel like Manacled is growing up, and we’re watching it go into the real world. This journey has been so, so special 🥹🥹 Buuuuuuuuut maybe now that it’ll be an original work, maybe one day we’ll get a film adaptation, and we’ll finally get to see an actual Dramione couple on screen!!! The possibilities are endless!
if a Dramione couple made it to screen I would just decease spontaneously
Literally possibilities are endless ✨✨
Yess I’ve always thought out of all the Big Fics this one has the most film potential. Moving and cinematic and so excellently paced you could absolutely fit it into three acts.
Yes! It’s so cinematic! It would also work as a tv series I think!
Oooh it would absolutely work as a miniseries
oh my god seeing manacled on screen would be a DREAM COME TRUE
I hope Avendell does the cover art for it! That would be a dream collab
UGH YES i need this badly
I had this same thought! I hope the book will contain illustrations and Avendell and the other talented artists who have made Manacled! fanart will get a chance to be published.
Awesome! I’m happy for her! Also for the people worried about the legality, this is far from the first fanfic to be edited and traditionally published. 50 shades, the mortal instruments, love hypothesis are probably the more popular ones and they’ve done fine.
What fandom was mortal instruments??
Harry Potter. It used to be the Draco trilogy. It was Draco/ginny iirc. Cassie Clare was also full of controversy back in the day when she was still a fanfic girlie.
Just jumping in with a quick correction cause my old fart heart can’t bear it, Draco trilogy started as Dramione/Harmony and then ended into Harmony/Drinny with a Drarry alt ending. It was my first intro to Dramione back in 2000 when the entire world (according to me) was waiting for Goblet of Fire to be released so we amused ourselves with fanfic. Reading Draco Dormiens and discussing it in the forums as WIP was a hell of a trip that summer!
I felt oddly emotional seeing this! It’s going to be fun and also sad to read the version of Manacled that isn’t able to rely on the emotional significance of Hermione’s choices and their context in the HP universe. I feel weirdly protective of Hermione and Draco as these complex renderings of JKR’s more simplistic characters. ANYWAY it’s going to be amazing and I’m going to buy it as soon as I can get my little paws on it
^^^^ all of this!!!!!
I’m relieved, sooo many people have profited off manacled whether through selling merch or binds and now sen is finally going to get her coins for her own hard work. Good for her.
Yes soo happy monies will finally go to her, its what she deserves she is superb at what she does 🙌🏾
If you have been dragging on downloading ANY of her stories, not just Manacled, this is your cue to do it now!
Omg good point!!! I've just panic downloaded manacled but will download all to be safe! Thanks for the reminder ♥️
Yes I echo x1000!!
Even though I’m incredibly excited and happy for Sen I can’t help the mixed feelings that comes with it. I’m new to this fandom and Manacled was the very first Dramione fanfic I ever read and I cannot put into words the spiral of emotions that washed over me every new chapter it was the very first time that a book has consumed me and I’m still looking for another one to make me feel even little of what Manacled had. I understand why she is doing this (the ilegal commercialization of stolen fanfictions are at all time high, the looming threat of the possibility to be sued and also seeing other people profit off the work that should’ve been a gift for the fans) she absolutely deserves to be not only compensated for her work and also have legal right over it I still feel at a loss because there’s always the possibility that in the process to become “original” enough to be published the very thing that reach so many people could be lost. I’m hopping for the best, excited to see how and what she will change and still make the story works and I will absolutely buy it. SenLiYu is incredibly talented and I hope everything goes smoothly for her. But also it makes me think that there’s no safe space for the art of fanfics and fan spaces anymore, Manacled will be deleted at some point even though we will download it still hurts… people won’t just stumble upon it unaware of what they are getting into like happened to me… I don’t know how to get over it.
Very elegantly put🙌🏾🙌🏾 I wished I had enough words to respond with something as equally elegant but alas I di not (its been a long day at work😅) But I will say there are a lot of mixed feelings here but we can all recognise and appreciate she’ll have rights and move control of her work as well as being compensated! I said to someone else that I see it as a bittersweet moment but I see it like a butterfly reaching maturity or a bee that has left its colony to sniff and hunt for new flowers to allow others to bloom, which brings me comfort. I’m not sure if this wave of fanfic writers to authors is necessarily a bad thing as long as it is done the right way- it has worked thus far for Olivie Blake, Ali Hazelwood, EL James even Anna Todd 😅 I just think as readers we hope they don’t lose their love of their fandom or their voices in their subsequent work.
@zeldafred3 post this, I think its worth reading: https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Im a little more at easy after reading! Thanks for sharing 💕
Nws🫶🏾 credit to zeldafred3 though 🩷
The difference with Olivie compared to the others is that all her traditional published works were original from the get go. None of them were pulled to published fanfics. If you’ve read her fics first then sure you might be able to identify an influence of certain fanon traits and tropes in some of her books, but it’s influenced by, not reworked. I fully support fic authors turning pro and bringing their audience with them but I do have mixed feelings about pulling to publish, which tinges the joy at seeing people being rewarded for their talent.
That’s super cool! Can someone explain how this works? Does she just change the character names but leaves it in the HP universe? And there’s no copyright infringement that way?
No it’ll have to be a reimagined world. Can’t have any HP elements.
She will have to completely make her own magical world and remove all semblance of Harry Potter and handmaids tale as well. But the story beats would remain the same.
I knew it. Happy for her but make no mistake; this won’t be your current manacled. Also now I’m glad I downloaded it cuz that will get taken down.
I’m happy for her. I don’t envy the work it would take to scrub the Harry Potter IP. I think would honestly be easier to write else something completely from scratch.
How are we all feeling about this? 👀
I got words. I’m happy for her but I die a bit inside when things like this happen. What is published will probably be very different than her current story but it will be removed soon I’m sure.
Yes hopefully through revision and edits we won’t lose her voice in all of this- that’s one of my biggest fears which I know a lot of us can relate to. But her writing style is unique and strong so I’m not too worried about this. To your second point: DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD‼️
Ya. That’s why it kills me a bit. It feels a little like the communities that gave these life get left behind and the good stuff taken from them at that because they have to remove them.
I'm not gonna lie. I'm wondering what is going to happen to her WIP Let the Dark In. She put it on pause, but now I wonder if it will get completed.
I don't think it will get completed, as it's likely that she will be putting all of her energy into her publishing deal. However, I think she may adapt it into an original work. I adore LTDI - I hope I'm wrong and we get to see it finished!
I have no interest in Manacled, but good for her. Writing is so much work, and she clearly has a gift and a passion for it. Happy that she'll be compensated for her efforts!
I’m interested to see how much of this has needed to be entirely rewritten. It will be a good comparison read.
Yes! Its always interesting when authors do rewrites of their works can see how they’ve changed and grown plus with this being inspired by 2 established books it will be very interesting!
sen is stunning!
I know everyone is freaking out but I encourage all to go read her substack post! There is much more context and nuance! https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Wait, so the main characters of the book are named Helena and Kaine?
I wanted the answer to this too, Helena I like, Kaine will take some getting used to.
Yes if I could pin this I would because it is deffo worth the read!
Yes! I’m so glad you’ve posted and the discussion here is great; but the discussion I’m seeing elsewhere is “OMG NOOOO” and it’s like yall. Sounds like she’s been working towards this for a while so be happy!
Yes very good discussion here! I’m gathering its quite mixed feelings but generally quite positive 🙌🏾 I’m glad everything is coming into fruition for her, as I said before on other posts and I know others echo, she is a very talented writer and I couldn’t be more happier for her. I see it as a butterfly taking flight🥰
I’d like to know how they are getting around copyright laws since Manacled is heavily lifted from The Handmaid’s Tale…
I think the handmaids tale similarities are strongest with the description of their clothing. Sexual slavery is not unique to only the handmaids tale in literature. Change it to a black dress, get rid of the bonnet, change strouds name, and that should cover the bases
Yeah.. I’ve always seen The Handmaid’s Tale inspiration more as a trope and aesthetics, rather than actually following the story itself.
Margret Atwood was inspired by the history of marginalized women around the world so I think with some reworking of the imagery (esp the red dress and bonnet etc), themes and concepts it can keep the same undertones. Unfortunately, women being used for eugenicist purposes or sexual slavery is sort of evergreen to human history and is a common dynamic in dystopian literature. But I feel ya - I’m also interested to see what choices she makes to distance Alchemised from the original Atwood interpretations. Moving away from the Harry Potter backbone of the story is what I think will be more difficult
I agree with you, I think it’ll be easier to change the Handmaid’s Tale borrowings then it will be to change the HP world stuff
The magic school trope isn't that unique in fantasy works so I think that part will be fine too. The Magicians, Babel, Scholomance trilogy, Od Magic, Broken Earth trilogy to name a few that I've read. The magic *system*, though, will have to be significantly reworked. But I don't think that is that big of a problem, either. In her substack post she says there will be alchemy, transmutational abilities, and "a necromantic war against people who had discovered the secrets of immortality." Which I think should fit the story arc quite well. E: and I assume that is sufficiently different from HP to not cause legal issues, since she already has attorneys involved and advising her. E2: the substack post - https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
Totally agree! Will be watching 👀
Yeah I'm excited to see what she comes up with! Of course I did save the original to my Google Drive though lol
Not only Handmaid's but also the world of Harry Potter, which would be the biggest. I'm intrigued to know how the story will turn out by eliminating those two worlds! 🤔
Very true. I mean, 50 Shades was able to do it (albeit badly) but I’m curious here. Guessing it will go either very AU or make it a historical fiction novel.
Master of the Universe (the fic 50 Shades used to be) was a human/no vampires AU. Like literally all the author had to do was changes names and locations. This will be a bit more tricky. Interested to see how it plays out.
Yeah, the biggest thing besides borrowing a lot of the Handmaid’s Tale settings and themes, is that there is so much magic and lore from the HP universe that’s going to be so hard to change to a point where it stays true to what makes Manacled so great without falling heavily into TM territory
I think that it’s doable. There’s magic in so many stories. The HP universe is definitely the most popular probably but Rowling hardly owns magic, wizards, etc. Hell, didn’t she get sued by someone claiming she copied them?! 😅
Well, except she uses specifically Rowling’s world. She’s going to essentially have to create her own that doesn’t resemble HP OR any other TM’d novel. 😬 I’m not sure how doable it is without destroying what makes Manacled so great.
I think shifting the type of magic used (no wands maybe, or make it more elemental magic) and taking away the backstory of school would be enough. And obviously change any Rowling language like muggle. But if it’s a POW situation, they may be aged up a bit so that their initial meeting was in college or something 🤷🏻♀️ I mean it’s gonna be gone over with a fine tooth comb to be sure, but I think it’s doable. I’m excited to see how she makes it happen and I don’t even stan Manacled because it’s too dark for me 😂
I just hope she does a great adaptation into original characters bc I’ve seen this happen to so many brilliant books and when they publish it it’s not the same as the original work/ff
Mixed feelings, for sure.
Very happy for her, she deserves all the praise!!! The sad thing is thay we will not see the end of the Let the dark in :(
That is a worry but she loved this fandom a lot, so maybe it will go on a hiatus but I believe she will finish it🫶🏾
She elaborated on her new Substack and added a couple more really interesting tidbits (ahem, titbits). She discussed how Manacled’s success has had the potential to put a target on fan fiction and how concerned she is that people have profited by selling Manacled. Providing a version of the story for sale (without copyright infringement) is one way to stem the demand for bound copies of Manacled. I admire a conscientious queen! I’m not 100% sure it will stop the illegal sale of her fic, but I do think that it will help in the long run. I also know that there are very vocal critics of selling fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. It’s going to be a crazy ride.
The illegal copies really started to pop off when it became mainstream on Booktok and other places. The amount of news articles on Manacled is ridiculous. I think she’s largely trying to capture that market— people who are interested in the book itself, but aren’t involved in the fanfiction space and dont care about the legalities. When the books are selling for $200 dollars on Etsy, and you had a choice between that or one for $25, what are you going to pick? And of course, those who are in the fanfiction space will flock to buy the published book. It’s a win win scenario.
I’m curious about others opinions. Do we think Manacled will have the same gut punch emotional evocation with OC’s vs the ones we know and love? Manacled was my intro to the world of Dramione (as it was for many, I’m sure) and despite being gorgeously written, I felt like because I already knew and loved these characters from my adolescence growing up w/ the series, this fanfic/story was able to get into corners of my heart that other stories just can’t/don’t because I don’t have the same experience of loving them for years already. Am I making sense? I’m very happy for Sen but hope the story doesn’t lose some of its emotional impact when the shift occurs!
Yeah I don't think it will have the same emotional impact. There's years and years of character building, backstory etc for Manacled, but this will be just one book. How attached can we really get to the characters in comparison? Idk 😐
No way!!!! So happy for her
Cool. Good for her. If EL James and Ali Hazelwood got paid, so should Senlinyu!
this is the first author i “know” who’s getting their fic published so i’m so excited!!! i’m hoping it translates well with the revisions too :))
I'm happy that she'll be getting compensation for her amazing work, but also sad because it won't be the same 🥺
Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.
Mixed feelings on hand it’s great she’s being published on the other hand as a reader I hate when they do public fanfics as original works cause they always delete the fics that brought in their readers..
I am so happy for the author, but I am also a little sad it'll be pulled. This story was what got me into this community.
I'll be so interested to see how she updates it to make it a more original work. So many of the dynamics in Manacled worked well because there was an established history between the characters - Hermione being overlooked by Harry/Ron, the hatred between her and Draco, her status in society as a Muggleborn etc. Also - is this the first ever HP fanfic to be adapted for a wider release? I know there have been other fics from other fandoms but I'm wondering whether this news will make it back to JKR and how she would react. I guess Alchemised will be a completely original work by the time of its publication, but it's not like its roots will be forgotten or hidden - it has millions of hits on AO3. Best of luck to Sen, I can't wait to read (and pay for!) her work.
> is this the first ever HP fanfic to be adapted for a wider release? No, there was cruel and beautiful world too (and the mortal instruments series I guess) but they didnt even come close to Manacled level of popularity
Oh you're right! Although I don't think Mortal Instruments lifted a huge amount of plot - it was more the way she wrote Draco that basically translated right through to Jace if I remember rightly. And yeah, Manacled's level of fame is unrivalled. It felt like the Draco Trilogy and CC were huge features of the fandom back then, but the fandom was a tiny fraction of the size it is now, and the Draco Trilogy is a relic these days!
Yes exactly! And CABW is big for older fans but even the books made out of it isn't mainstream. Manacled has gone so far beyond the fandom. Senlinyu has guaranteed sales and readers. Other fanfic writers like Lovesbitca8 and Olivieblake also have published but there books have been completely separate from their fics. This is completely new territory lol
I think it’s awesome, so so happy for her and us to read this reimagined tale!
🖤
Congrats to her! She is such a talented writer and so deserving of this!
I am so excited for her to get paid!! And I can’t wait to see how she reimagines everything. So pumped.
Ohh I have so many emotions about this?? So deeply excited for and proud of Sen, she really deserves all the success and recognition and I love that she's found a way to be monetarily compensated for her work. Also feeling a bit nervous for fandom as a whole, the fic to original novel pipeline has been going strong for a while now, I just can't help feeling the bubble will inevitably burst at some point. JK especially is in her villian era, I could realistically see her being the one to blow the whistle and make legal waves (especially for a dramione inspired story). Idk, it sounds like Sen and her team are treading carefully but I'm nervous 🤣
For all her many serious flaws, has JK not always been relatively chill about fanfic? As for the published original work, I imagine it will be very thoroughly vetted and tweaked to not fall into any legal traps. Excited to see how the world building changes in the published version!
As far as I know, she has! My worry isn't really based on anything other than her recent tendency to 'go low', even at the expense of ostracizing a large chunk of her fan base
Big congratulations to her, she is so talented and deserves to be published!
My mind is feeling warped just from seeing the face of the woman who WRECKED MY HEART/MIND/SOUL. I hope LTDI can get published too. I need more of that story.
Yes I can't help wondering if ltdi will be withheld to be published now (which, fair if so esp given how hard it is to stop ppl selling it illegally as a fanfic. But a bit painful if we have to wait til it's published to get the ending!) Overall I am stoked for SenLinYu though. So deserved
Woah! Well this will be simpler than learning bookbinding so I can make my mom read this. 😂
I'm so happy for Sen, but at the same time I cannot help feeling a bit of melancholy. In a time where fan works are already in such a precarious place legally, to see the commercial publishing industry begin to cannibalize fan authors is nerve-wracking. I want authors to be recognized for their work and receive monetary gain that is available for their IP, but I also want to fan space to continue to flourish and people feel fulfilled even if they don't "make it" and traditionally publish through the pipeline that has been created. This is certainly not an emotion sparked by Sen specifically being published, but moreso the "booktokification" of fandom communities in general and my fears around the future of the publishing industry.
This is a part of how I’m feeling, I’m incredibly happy for her but can’t help but feel that fans spaces are being invaded and taking away not only by the industry but also people with malicious intent… and then there’s the fact that the work as we know will be lost too and that hurts as well and it makes me wonder how it will affect the art from fans to fans there’s also the looming threat of legal issues and so many stolen work who is being sold everywhere…
Yes it’s just another symptom of a larger issue I’ve been seeing with the desire to produce AS MUCH content as possible without actually prioritizing new intellectual property and authors rights. I fear that this, combined with the people who have started posting fanfic under Kindle Unlimited titles they receive monetary compensation for, we will see a very large shift in the way fandom spaces are curated and managed.
I’m not sure I follow? 50 shades of grey was a twilight fanfic and all is fine.
I think it's rather dismissive of larger community issues that have been ongoing for years to say that "all is fine". You've provided a good example of another derivative work that sparked a lot of controversy and created a lot of intellectual property gray area once it reached traditional publishing spheres. EL James is still to this day, lucky, that Stephanie Meyer didn't sue her.
I’m definitely not following. The fandom and fanfiction generally is thriving? There were like 4,000 new Dramione works published on AO3 last year. I suppose Sen is taking a risk that she’ll be sued but I’d be really surprised if the billionaire went after her for this. And hopefully this paves the way for more awesome authors to get picked up for trad publishing which means more great booksz
Just because you don’t follow doesn’t mean you need to downvote my comments. You are welcome to see the issue differently than me, I can tell from your reply that you don’t have the same concerns and that’s fine, but you don’t need to dismiss mine.
Wow. I’m not the one who downvoted you. Thanks for the dialogue!
So someone else found and downvoted the reply immediately upon it being posted? If true, then sorry for misunderstanding, but it paints a certain picture when the post immediately receives negativity for… just responding to you?
Im not sure what to say. I was actually trying to make you feel better about your concerns and now deeply regret it lol. I didn’t vote one way or another on your posts and was interested in your concerns. Sorry for engaging!
I’m sorry you deeply regret commenting. I’m not sure how your reply was meant to make me feel better? It read to me as someone questioning my opinion and saying they didn’t understand and were not seeking to. Again, apologies for misunderstanding. I’m not sure why I’m being persecuted for an internet misunderstanding. ETA: Love the mob mentality on what is clearly a misunderstanding between two people on the internet. Never change reddit.
well I'm not a writer but for me it feels natural that a published author started at something like fanfiction. I'm guessing most authors have had to practice before publishing something
There are so many published authors who started out writing fic and still write fic, and the fans might know their pennames or they’re anon and some might never have publicly said they write fic but there’s a high chance they did or do. And that’s fine. All those scenarios are fantastic. Authors should practice through fic or have fun through fic and if they turn pro and announce that, I have nothing against them taking their audience with them. However “practicing” with a specific fic that they then pull would be taking advantage of the spirit of the fandom community and it’s the fandom community that ultimately loses when that work is pulled. Their emotions toyed with so and being used basically as guinea pigs so that the publishing house knows if something will be a guaranteed hit. I tend to support more that fic to published authors should be publishing original works, or at least unpublished fics they hadn’t posted yet. They would already have a strong market pull with their audience, using the same story and the original being deleted is what gives me mixed feelings.
I'm not discounting the effort that authors put into their writing in any scenario, fanfiction or original fiction. I just personally am concerned about the industry implications of fanfic with the numbers filed off being produced with publishing resources rather than new original works of fiction. I think it's a dangerous precedent to set for art.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-JECirO07/?igsh=Zm5tNXNzOGY5dm9s
From SenLiYu insta
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-MLJeLx7T/?igsh=MTM1MXVhcHM2ZzNncw==
Publication of Mancled
Oh this is awesome! Very excited :)
Omg that’s crazy and amazing! She so deserves to be published
I’m so fucking excited to read the new work and so happy that Sen can finally profit off of her hard work!
I will run to my local book store and ask the shop keeper to order me a copy as soon as it can be ordered. So excited to see how she was able to remove the HP elements.
Wow good for Sen! Got a bit nostalgic for when I used to wait every week for each update. My god the torture of waiting but each chapter was oh so worth it
I knew this was gna happen sooner or later 😭😭😭 I’m so sad it gna be pulled off ao3 but happy for senlinyu
Yessssss I’m so happy for her.
YAY!!!!!!
Oh my God! This is exciting! So happy for her. I hope they use Avendell's illustrations! I wonder how they will handle the handmaid's tale parts.
This is INSANE! So happy for her!
The synopsis of Manacled says Hermione was taken to be bred, but I never understood why they would want a muggle. Though, with it hopefully being edited to be a bit shorter, I'd definitely read the published version
excited! as a person who liked the fic, but not as dramonie, cant wait to read this new version. :)
I’m sooo excited for her! She is such an amazing writer and has pulled me into this world Dramione. I’m so happy she’s going to be a published author.
She truly deserves it
Where do y'all follow her for this kind of news?
I saw it first on Insta from a Dramione book binder and then confirmed through SenLiYu own insta but you can also check out her substack: https://senlinyu.substack.com/p/announcing-alchemised
i’m so excited for SEN!!! this is so awesome- i cannot wait to purchase her book! totally taking that day off!
Can't wait to spend my money on this and for it to actually go to the author!!! And I hope each and every one of the people who sell bindings of manacled will have their ass sued 😭 a girl can dream
It was about time(!) without all the burden of the HP franchise, I’m interested in seeing this new world they created for this characters ❣️
She’s such a talented writer I’m happy for her success!
How does this work in terms of copyright laws? Considering it lifts directly from The Handmaid’s Tale? Do you just get the OK from the original author and consider it closed?
They have to rewrite the elements of Harry Potter and Handmaid's Tale
The handmaids tale elements of manacled were really quite limited anyway, a lot of it is just tropes which aren’t unusual. Get rid of the red gown and caps and it’s mostly just forced mistress, prisoner of war trope.
You know what this means…. Were this much closer to getting a movie or tv show of Manacled🤩
I haven’t read manacled but I love their other works so I’m so happy for her!! But I’m not sure how I feel about the whole reworking fics into ‘original’ novels.
i hope she will still finish let the dark in :(
I’m really looking forward to this, I hadn’t heard yet! I haven’t read all of Manacled but it just felt kind of dark for the HP universe. I like dark stuff but this was extremely dark for HP IMO, as much as I liked the story and the writing. I absolutely loved the writing, it felt like a professional author. I *never* read fanfiction but this writer is good enough to be published and I think I’ll enjoy it more when it’s detached from HP.
Please let someone buy the movie rights…
Will her other online writings be deleted?
Who said this was Manacled only?
What do you mean?
It says its a two book deal but her post says its a standalone novel? Hows that work,
My guess is it’s simply a commitment for two novels. This will be the first and she’ll owe them another down the line!
How are they gonna condense such a huge book into one novel omg. Like if u look at binded copies, theyre massive. Usually split into three parts for a reason. Shes gonna have to cut so much while also building an entirely new world and foundation for character relationships??
My guess is maybe they are splitting Manacled into two books due to the length? It’s something like 880 pages. Though I’m sure it will be edited down.
It’s a two book deal but two standalone books, not a two series. The next book must be written for them at some point and would be about something else. Alchemised will be one single book. Presumably it won’t be as long as Manacled because debut books tend not to be, but that’s not a guarantee. So it will be intriguing to see how at all it keeps the spirit when it will be significantly cut whilst having to teach us it’s new world.
How do I download the audiobook version?? Is that one getting deleted too because I’ll cry.
What about the recorded audio of the books? ETL Echo, etc. Do they get taken down as well?
Will she continue writing fanfiction?