Manacled

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Fanfiction
Title: Manacled
Author(s): senlinyu, Illustrated by Avendell
Date(s): 27 April 2018-19 August 2019
Length: 370,515 words, 77 chapters
Genre(s): Post-War, Harry Potter Dies, Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Forced Pregnancy, Imprisonment, Death Eater Draco Malfoy, Minor Character Death, Memory Loss, Eventual Romance, Battle, Rape, Mystery, Healer Hermione Granger, Self-Harm, Slow Build, Angst with a Happy Ending, Espionage
Fandom(s): Harry Potter
Relationship(s):
External Links: AO3 Archive Link, Author Website

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Manacled is a Dramione fanfiction. It is hugely popular and highly recommended as an example of dark romance; for many readers, it was their gateway fic to Dramione. The premise of the work is that Voldemort has won and has enslaved the muggleborns and executed the entire Order of the Phoenix. Manacled illustrations were created and gifted by Avendell and can be found throughout the work; but there is also a huge amount of fanwork for it, ranging from podfics, translations, fanart, fanbinding and other fanmerch.

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked.

The Work

I truly posted Manacled thinking it was going to exist like a little fandom geocache for a subset of a subset of a niche group, and I thought that was confirmed because of the comments from literature majors informing me of all the ways in which I was not telling a story properly. My beta and I used to say it was a story written just for the two of us. But now it feels like it somehow turned into a instagram-able landmark.

hi sen! just wondering how you are doing and any thoughts on what looks like a resurgence of manacled

Fan Response

Fan Binding

There is significant interest in having a bound copy of Manacled, but due to the typesets being taken and sold for commercial use the typesets many used to print Manacled were taken down [1]. In fact, a search on Etsy reveals many copies for sale[2]. Due to predatory practices by some, Senlinryu revised their policy on fanbinding for giveaways [3].

The author explicitly allows fan binding for personal use and this is one fan activity many fans of Manacled engage in. Some examples of fanbound copies:

This was my most challenging project to date and the one I’ve felt the most pressure to get right. It seems as if Manacled is THE fic to bind as a fanbinder and I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect, which it wasn’t, of course, but I’m happy enough with how it turned out!

Fanbinding by Witchy Fic Bindery

Fan Works

Podfic

Fan Reactions (Meta/Reviews)

Fan Reactions (Quotes)

I just wanted to pop by and say that while I had been aware of the Dramione fandom for a while I hadn’t until recently dipped my toe in. I hadn’t read fanfiction in 10 or 15 years until last year, when I was completely overtaken by a different ship in a different fandom and consumed more fics than ever previously in a span of months lol. It brought me back to reading for pleasure and I couldn’t be more grateful. And I guess that’s why other fic-related stuff started popping up on my social feeds and I’m glad it did because I kept seeing Manacled everywhere and decided to give it a go as my first Dramione fic. I am changed. There are a few works that live in my heart and soul having a profound impact on me and now Manacled is one of them. My only regret is that it took me so long to give in to my curiosity about Dramione but I’m glad I did and I’m glad Manacled was my first. I am in awe of the creativity of writers in general, and your ability to craft a story so beautiful and heartbreaking and satisfying all at the same time is amazing. Thank you for sharing it 💜

chilledbuttotallyforgettable ask on senlinryu's tumblr

Manacled did something I never thought a fic could do – it took every trope I hated about a ship and spun them together in a practically seamless, emotionally compelling story. Has Manacled sold me on Dramione? No. I’m still waiting for the Dramione fic of my dreams. Would I recommend Manacled to all of you? Yes, I absolutely would. If you think that the triggers in this story will not negatively affect you (and you’re over 18 years of age), then I highly recommend this fic as a tragic, compelling war story to give you a proper sad book hangover. I give this one an 8.5/10.[4]

Draquia on Reddit

To sum up, Manacled is a complex war story based around a well-known ship. It is one of the most complex stories of its kind I have ever read, and it now puts the original Harry Potter in stark relief for me. One who reads this cannot walk away unscathed in one way or another.[5]

Beth Tabler

Beware, it's sick, and it's perverse. It's definitely smut, but it's not really either.

The story is set from Hermione's point of view, post-war, but the bigger portion is one big flashback during the war. The war is going bad for the order, it's much darker than canon and most fanfic I've read. War is heck. There's some torture, a LOT of death and misery, kinda over-the-top with it but that's what makes it fun. The smut itself is part of the story and subdued. It's shying away from description and takes a couple paragraphs at a time. The author is very much in love with the perfect bad boy she moulded her Draco into, so you've been warned about that. Get ready to read about his eyes and how tall he is all the time.

At its heart the story sells itself as a mystery, slowly unravelling as Hermione progresses through it. It's kickstarted by the cheapest device: amnesia (of the magical sort, of course) but I really didn't care. It worked well and I got really interested in seeing where it goes. Eventually it becomes a more straight-forward romance/thriller.

I think the writing was good. There's a lot of repetition but it's by design, and goes with the theme of amnesia and recovering lost memories. There's a little bit of sway in the accuracy of the pacing, but nothing that put me off.

If anything, this is a fic you will remember. Maybe it's just a genre for teenage girls that I've never forayed into before, but the hyper-intense drama and romance did a number on me. I felt my withered old man's heart quiver.

Give it a try if you dare.[6]

sombrero on DarkLordPotter.net

10/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I feel like I got hit with a bludger to the head. Everything I knew about Harry Potter has gone out the window. I feel like I stepped into the Twilight Zone. I guess in some ways I have. I am a mess. The original series ends with ‘All was well.’ All was not well here. Everything was terrible and horrifying.

The reviews said that this was not a happy story, so I was under no illusion that it would be anything other. Yet here I am. I had just finished my reread of Deathly Hallows, and I didn’t want the party to end.

Funny enough, I had never read fanfic before, and boy what a place to start then with this Dramoine masterpiece.

This story was like a Dementor’s Kiss, like my soul was sucked out of my body. My brain and heart are mush. It was so long, yet so well-written. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed such a long book. Every detail made sense to the story, and everything was so well-explained. I didn’t know what was happening or how it was going to end, but I trusted that I would get there. I have no regrets. This is by far my top read of 2023 so far.[7]

queenvreads on Tumblr

Read Manacled by senlinyu. I dont even ship dramione, and i havent engaged with hp content in a long long time but my god it ruined my life in the most exquisite way and apparently is some kind of dramione fanfic gateway for me so now i have a new tbr and im accepting other suggestions[8]

ashleyashleeashleigh on Tumblr

Dramione fic if Voldy had won

The Handmaid's Tale meets Harry Potter

The fic to end all fics

My Roman Empire

Even if you hate the idea of these two together, I implore you to give it a try. It is one of the most heart-wrenching love stories

But mind the tags, please. Steer clear if you are easily triggered by the tropes that are tagged

A happy ending but you're gonna suffer

Oh will you suffer[9]

TheSchizotypalSoliloquy on Tumblr

Critical Reviews

So this fic succeeded in confusing me. I think the author is very talented and has a beautiful sturucture to her story. However I morally disagree with the relationship how it is presented in the fic. If the relationship had panned out differently maybe I would’ve liked it more, but it didn’t. I would say read it if you’re super into dramione because it’s a staple in the dramione subculture. (Literally people print it out in hardback copies). If you’re triggered by rape obviously dont read it. It’s a long process but a very cool au, so read it for the discussion topic, but otherwise maybe skip this one.[10]

ao3-hp-fanfic-reader on Tumblr

Okay, there is no reason that anyone should care about my opinion of this fanfiction, but I just finished manacled. I was getting some Starbucks, kind of processing it, and I just had to put this out in the universe. And it's gonna be super unpopular, but I didn't think it was that great. I mean, in in its entirety, the magic use of, like, medical magic use is really cool. Um, the different take on, like, what would have happened if, like, they lost the war was super awesome. Like, in those concepts. Like, there was incredibly detailed canon pieces in the story that held true to it, but overall, I mean, I just felt like it was kind of anticlimatic. Maybe. I do love a good Dramione. Um, but I don't know. I saw people sobbing and crying over how much they love this fanfiction, and I was like, reading out my Kindle. I got to, like, the 99% and I was like, how am I. It just weirdly abruptly ends, kind of leaving these things obscure. Like, I can't put it into words. Maybe I should, like, think on it more, but honestly, I don't regret reading it, but I would never read it again. I don't think I would recommend it. It's so long. So unnecessarily long. There's chapters like, you'll read chapter 10, and then chapter like, 35 is just repeating the same things that's are, like, established in chapter 10. Maybe that's a pet Peeve of my part, maybe. I mean, too analytical, but I just feel like after you tell a reader once that, you know, the sky is purple, for example. Such a stupid example. You don't have to tell us a million more times that the sky is purple. We get it. Keep going. But that's just me.[11]

kalimhyde on Tiktok

Further Reading

References

  1. ^ FanFic Book-Binding
  2. ^ Etsy search for Manacled Bound Book
  3. ^ I have recently started the hobby of binding and I know that due to people taking advantage and profiting off your work, permissions have changed.
  4. ^ "Fic Review: Manacled by Senlinyu. The Handmaid's Tale-esque Dramione war story that's taking AO3 by storm". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  5. ^ "Review – Manacled by SenLinYu". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  6. ^ "Manacled by senlinyu". DarkLordPotter.net. April 13, 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  7. ^ "REVIEW: Manacled by SenLinYu". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  8. ^ "Apirl 11, 2023 Tumblr post". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  9. ^ "Dec 11, 2023 Tumblr post". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  10. ^ "All HP fanfic on AO3 ranked by kudos #3". Archived from the original on 2024-02-03.
  11. ^ Tik Tok review by kalimhyde
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