~~and happiness is all about the denial thereof ^^

[reenka]

so. `power play'. it occurs to me i should say something-- or maybe i just want to-- since the last chapter is out, and well-- the thing is-- it's one of my all-time favorite hp fanfics. people usually don't mention it among luw and ip and ul and `beloved enemies' and so on and so forth, but.... in my introduction to fandom, i was lucky enough to read mostly smut and humor fics. and considering my huge penchant for both, i suppose it was no surprise that i adored dahlia's fic and its sequel. i would say that `power play' is a better-written fic than `the silver chain', but regardless i adore them both.
    i know, not really any coherent review-type-thing, but i feel sort of sentimental right now, because 14 was a great chapter, one of the best, even. it just builds so slowly and charmingly and never loses its down-to-earth humor, and i can't help but adore that. and the building slowly thing is funny, really, because the smut started right away, but it didn't entirely affect them to the point where they changed drastically and immediately, and i really appreciate that. i really didn't want it to end, though i don't feel -too- sad, since there's a sequel forthcoming.

i suppose the thing about it is, it's just such a pleasure to read. and the more i think about it, the more i think it's valid to have pleasure as a primary response to fiction and art. or, as plato had it, delight. yes, `power play' gave me pure delight. it wasn't soppy or fluffy or angsty-- it wasn't over-the-top comedic and it rung -true- for me, in a continuous sort of way, because it kept up its own characterizations, solidly and dependably.
    my current theory about why people seem to really love my feedback is, i think i use it to express my pleasure, which is often great. sometimes i feel guilty, that i'm too easy on some fics, that i ignore unrealistic scenarios and characterizations in favor of "the pretty"-- ie, pretty language or pretty sex or snark or angst or whatever. doesn't matter, does it? who cares, really. i think pleasure and enjoyment are at the root of my -impulse- to read (or write) in the first place. i am having obscene amounts of fun, and i express it, just because i can't help myself. i find my best writing comes when i'm really in the -flow-, really kicking as hard as i can. this is a definite correlation with pleasure. i want to extoll the virtues of pleasure, and defend writing for pleasure against all the people who want to suck it out, all the people who want a certain -thing-, predetermined and often cerebral, out of every single story.

i can't guarrantee that everyone would love `power play', or even tell you that you -should-. i don't love it because it's so "original" or because it makes some sort of deep statement about harry and draco. and yet i can definitely think of several long works i would stop reading or could just as easily -not- have read, even though they are supposedly more original and "deep" and beautiful, simply because they didn't make me fall in love. i didn't have fun with them. they didn't make me squirm, and wiggle, and really -care-. i mean, it -hurt- when bad things happened, and i laughed when funny things happened, but they weren't a joy to touch and i was perfectly okay with letting them go. and it's weird, because i've never actually -reviewed- either of dahlia's fics. i just giggled and meeped and grinned my way through it, enjoying it quite selfishly, quite content with my own little feast.
    and if i think of fics that have disappointed me halfway through, i think it's the ones which veered away from their heart, from their intimate connection with the characters and thus the reader, fics which became more about form than function (the function, to me, always emotive). i don't want to just feel -happy-, but i want to always -care-, have that tug that keeps me glued. and i admit, i enjoy feeling happy. who doesn't? i even admit that while i also adore fics that hurt me, nothing could ever compare to stuff that makes me happy to be alive.

and i don't mean it's fluff. i mean it's stuff that evokes a sense of childlike wonder, innocence, hope, faith, that makes me laugh and cry and think and fall in love, is multifaceted and rich with layers, which complement each other. but that's just my ideal. it's funny how i would just take pleasure, when it comes down to it, anything to make me grin, whereas i can't stand things that are soppy and sugar-sweet and fake like cotton-candy hearts. most fluff sickens me, really. but i think that's because it's not -real-. in real life, if people are so sugary, their minds are weak and pliant like taffy. er. yes. instead of ...sparkly minty face-gel??! yes -.-
~~

i don't know why, but i'm allergic to hearing about how it's oh-so-shocking that harry potter is attracted to his enemy, draco malfoy. that word, enemy. i hate it. it reminds me of the clichedness of it all-- of course, i also would hate it if instead of enemy it said "best friend" or just "friend". as in, how shocking it is that harry potter is now in love with his best friend, ronald weasley. a part of me wants him to be in love with neville, just so there aren't any stupid cliches. i mean, how do you say, and how shocking it is that harry potter is in love with just some bloke from gryffindor? who'd have thought? amazing.


he loved his enemy. who cares? it's harry & draco, to me, not harry potter and his enemy. the gryffindor and the slytherin. the blond and the brunette. the boy and the other boy. the green-eyed one and the grey-eyed one. the gryffindor Seeker and the slytherin Seeker (oooh, hot-and-heavy seeker romance, just kill me now). it makes me upset, somehow. pissed off, even. i mean, why am i reading about this love affair between pairs of eyes? who the hell cares?

it's all so melodramatic and boring. i mean, symbolism and dramatic possibility and personal chemistry is one thing. falling in love with your beautiful, wrong-as-could-be enemy is something out of a really bad harlequin. this doesn't happen to real people. no one falls in love with their enemy. i mean, they fall in love, enemy or no, just because it's those two people, falling. enemy or not has nothing to do with it whatsoever. reminding the reader of that in a casual mentioning just sort of makes me feel like i'm supposed to want that. oh, how great. his enemy. how romantic.

when i write an original story, this doesn't come up for me at -all-, but i suppose other people would create it if it didn't exist. i mean, i create established relationships sometimes-- these two are friends, these two have issues, these two are sisters. i hate it when it's the same though. it's always the same story. enemies in love. it gets old real fast.

i kind of like the idea of opposition, conflict, anger, teasing. on the other hand, my dislike for labels is intense and quite rabid. so nevermind me. this has probably to do with my equal disdain for people's insistence on repeating how harry potter is the gryffindor golden boy, the boy who lived, the little-hero-that-could, the most shaggable boy at hogwarts (next to malfoy), and so on, and so forth. it's the "the" i object to, the use of titles without mockery. it's so boring as to choke me. this must be why people start writing neville/angelina johnson het smut. simply because no labels and cliches can possibly be involved. sigh.

of course, all this is sort of ridiculous wibbling, because were i to stop reading h/d i'd stop altogether, that much is obvious. het still freaks me out (harry kissing ginny is enough to make me squirm while dobby/sorting hat just makes me giggle). and other stuff just seems bland. it's a strange addiction. in a way, i'm habituated and frustrated, but in a way, i'm not, simply because when it's good, it's still -really good-. maybe even better than before, i don't know. i could never really care about characters this much. this is more like some sort of mental role-playing or something. i'm not sure. although, what do i know, harry kissing cho (especially if she tastes like "chocolate and spiced roasted almonds") just makes me laugh. loudly. okay so it was polyjuiced!draco, so maybe that's different, but still. i think harry kissing hermione would make me laugh even louder.

just..... imagining hermione in a romance novel setting, with gasping sighs and overwhelmed moans and tiny shivers makes me guffaw. also, catching breaths, watering eyes, trembling hands, sweating temples, secret smiles, speeding heartbeats, etcetc and so on and so forth. just how funny is that??? pretty funny.
~~

btw, this is one of the most messed up and insane h/d (smut)fics in existence, honestly. oh, i love it so, ahahahah. i am so, so sick of h&d displaying gentle loving kindness i can't even begin to say. i mean, honestly now, what's up with -that-??! "and draco secretly wanted to be touched gently and told how he was cared for and reassured and held at night. awwwwwwwwwwww". *chokes and sputters*
    honestly, this touches upon yet another(!) pet-peeve. why oh -why- do people write abusive!harry & wilting-maiden!draco? why? why? WHY?
    this has happened way too many times to be a product of a single, extremely disturbed mind. it's virtually -prevalent-. this theme of abuse. now, ok, abuse is okay for a subject (though 95% of the time, people treat it so horribly as to make me physically sickened). but my beef isn't with poor-widdle-abused-boy!draco. no, it's when you have harry hit draco (or, rarely, vice versa), and the other just take it. that, or run away.
    say -what-??

now, if harry had the size/shape/mentality of dudley, or crabbe, that'd be one thing. but he's -harry-. slight? skinny? awkward? hello?
    to have draco be traumatized because harry slaps him is the height of insanity. what happened to slapping someone back? giving as good as you got? getting -angry- instead of -afraid-? i mean, when -hermione- slapped him, he didn't get all mental, did he? and okay, so maybe the opposite-- having them -get off- on hitting and biting and beating each other up isn't the most realistic thing in the universe, nor is it more "healthy", but at least it's boys acting like boys. grr. ergle. eek.
~~

oh, and, as many people have noted, penelope_z is right and that is, in fact, priceless >:D<
although, honestly, i wouldn't even know where to -begin- to apologize with my stories.
perhaps,
"I'm sorry, Draco. I never meant to be so free with your first name" would be a start, ahahahah. or, "I'm sorry I made you a brooding, pontificating, existential bastard once. I know you'd rather just shag Harry." *snorts* or, "I'm sorry, Ginny, that whole homicidal rage thing was just uncalled-for. But how -else- were you shagging Harry, hmmm, hmmm? Tell me -that-."

in other news, mistermaki's harry has me -gurgling- (ie, gar. erkle. muphmph. sputtlecluck. eeeeeeeeeeeeee~!!!). is that not the hottest-yet-realistic harry ever?? well, nevermind. i think i'm in that sort of mood right now ><;; and, and, the harry/draco. eeeeeeee!
    and. read vignette00's `a second metamorphosis'-- and well, come to think of it, everything else she ever wrote. guh. i can never get enough of the sweet insanity, eheheh. oh god. way too many 80s sitcoms for moi.

Comments

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

i can't guarrantee that everyone would love `power play', or even tell you that you -should-.

Oh man. I didn't get more than halfway through Power Play. It wasn't that it's badly written. It's not badly written. It bothered me on some very basic level; it seemed -- misogynistic, definitely, deeply, deeply so, but more than that it even seemed misanthropic, as if it had some great hatred on for everything happy and pleasant and spiritual and beautiful about life. I mean hey, I like reading about fucking as much as the next person, but if I don't believe that the two people fucking are individuals that I care about, then I cease being interested in the fucking, and Harry and Draco were both so hateful that I didn't think they deserved the sex, much less did I want to read about it.

*shrug* I guess this is where the slasher side of me falls down. I don't read slash because I'm particularly hung up on fetishizing gay boys with each other, I read it for other reasons, and if I have to read about how disgusting girls are, I will bail. Quickly. Not even to mention that a Harry who thinks girls are disgusting is ridiculous given the way he is characterized in canon.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

wow. *tries to dig up more specific memories of `power play'*
i didn't really notice a lot of girl-bashing.... er. i myself would bail if i was reading fic where i thought there was no love or decency or a certain level of attention to canon!harry's obvious fancy of girls...
hmmm...
i thought that she had a lot of girls, actually... which okay, i think were kind of ooc and bitchy... but then, yes, everyone was sort of bitchy. ahem. i think the difference was, that i found it sort of you know... funny.
i think it's sort of a precursor to `seeker to seeker'-- which i actually didn't enjoy (well, the littlest tiny bit, but um... no).

i don't remember all of the fic enough to recall where he said that girls are disgusting... i think he was squicked at catching someone-or-other having sex, but er.... i didn't take that to heart, really. i think he'd just be squicked catching -anyone- having sex.

admittedly, her characterizations are... unique, heh. i think having read it as one of my first hp fics really influenced my attitude towards that particular harry & draco, too. they didn't hit my particular panic buttons (like `all torn down' did), but i -definitely-, definitely, most definitely don't read slash just to read about gay boys i don't care about getting off. which is, you know, why i'm (still) such a rabid otp-er. i hope you didn't think that i do (it would just be... weird), or rather, i hope i wasn't so incoherent as to appear that way (though i never know... i -am- pretty incoherent *wibbles*).

i do realize that power play!harry & draco are different from almost every other characterization. the thing that kept me going is that it's humor, and sort of written with a warm touch. i didn't really perceive any meanness or ill will anywhere, and i -thought- i was pretty sensitive to that whole bad vibe thing. i don't really read anything for smut value-- i mean, it's really not enjoyable if i don't care. i am "such a girl" in that respect, i guess. but there are -so many- harry & draco's in fandom... if they're written well, i'm pretty inclusive, simply because almost -no one- gets it "exactly right" (as i want to see them), not even me.

i think it was meant to be taken lightly, you know? if i thought about it, i'd think it was ooc, and kind of almost offensive, all the sex without overt emotiveness and everything... but you know, they are oh-so-obviously in denial about said emotions... and you know, just being "boys", all gruff and somewhat insensitive. eventually (especially at the end of `power play'), they kind of ... get over themselves. which is really cute. although most of the sex occurs before that point, admittedly. then again, they're harry & draco, how much are they -supposed- to care about each other, anyway? being you know, in hate to start with, and so on.

they do act like idiots/bastards/nincompoops in a lot of fics (say... yours *giggles*), so that doesn't usually stop me (i mean, if i wanted to read about a caring, healthy relationship, i don't think i could even -think- of one in the hp universe... aside from like... if you slashed the marauders. or james/lily. or fred/george, ahahah). um. but yah. in my defense, at least i didn't like `seeker to seeker'! see? standards >:D

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

i don't remember all of the fic enough to recall where he said that girls are disgusting... i think he was squicked at catching someone-or-other having sex, but er.... i didn't take that to heart, really. i think he'd just be squicked catching -anyone- having sex.

*goes and digs this up*

He found himself staring down at Lavender, whose goggling eyes were practically starting out of her head. She lay on her back, shirt open and breasts spilling out. Her skirt was rucked up around her waist, and someone with long red hair lay between her parted legs. Harry could not see the other girl's face, which was glued to Lavender's crotch. But naturally he recognised Blaise.
As Harry was invisible, neither of the pair had any idea they had been discovered. And Harry's gasp of horror was masked by Lavender's moans, which were increasing in strength and volume. Before Harry could retreat, Lavender began jerking violently. She was making an ululating noise that Harry recognised as the onset of one of those female orgasms that seemed to go on forever. There was no way he planned to stick around for that. Harry withdrew his head sharply and made very fast for the Slytherin bedrooms.
Haven't I got enough terrible stuff to deal with right now, without having a sight like that thrust in my face, thought Harry resentfully.Why did they bother hiding behind that sofa if they were going to make such a goddamn racket. And why is it always me catching girls at it?

And you said i myself would bail if i was reading fic where i thought there was no love or decency or a certain level of attention to canon!harry's obvious fancy of girls.

Um. I don't just not see an attention to canon Harry's obvious attraction to girls, I see a deep hatred on Harry's part for women and everything having to do with women. The words used to describe girls and their sexuality in this fic are completely stigmatizing. I mean, I don't even where to *start* with this passage. Harry hearing Lavender "making an ululating noise that Harry recognised as the onset of one of those female orgasms that seemed to go on forever" makes it sound as if he's watching some documentary on the Nature Channel about jellyfish having sex. What does he think it sounds like when he's fucking Draco? Beethoven's fucking ninth symphony? Not to mention that he rates the sight of seeing two girls having sex up there with the other "terrible stuff he has to deal with" as if he'd just seen them gutting Neville to death with blunt instruments. Harry's just spent numerous chapters fucking Draco all up and down Hogwarts and now he's sudden a giant prima donna when in comes to public sex? Harry comes off as so hateful in these passages, such a misogynist, and such a selfish, nasty, worthless little prick that I spent the rest of the chapter hoping he'd die.

Let us now contrast this with the scene where Hermione walks in on Harry and Draco fucking and instead of running away in embarassment, hangs about gazing enraptured at their stunning beauty. Because boys having sex is okay, but girl parts are just icky. Apparently.

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

There's some more subtle things too -- like the way the "camera" pans away from sex involving women demurely, but zooms in for every minute second-to-second detail of every one of Harry and Draco's encounters. We may get endless lovingly detailed descriptions of Harry and Draco's sexual activities but every time Ron starts fiddling with Hermione's clothes we pan away to a roaring fire or some such. There's the Dex/Pansy scene in which we get to hear a lot about Pansy's tits, which are apparently her only redeeming feature, but that's all I can think of. Granted I admit I *did* skim, so if I'm wrong about that, let me know. I also may be the only person reading slash who doesn't think heterosexual sex is actively disgusting, but I doubt it.

I'm not trying to tell you not to like "Power Play" and I'm not trying to diss Dahlia. She may be portraying Harry and Draco like this for a realy good reason -- misogynism certainly isn't OOC for Draco, although I do think it is for Harry -- and as I haven't finished the fic I feel bad even giving an opinion on it. I can only speak to the narrative I encountered as far as I read, and I found it really troubling. And my apologies to Dahlia, really. :( I am enough of a rational critic to know the difference between "It's bad" and "It is troubling to me." In this case, it's troubling to me.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

hmm, yah, that was the scene i was semi-remembering. urkle.
yah, i felt weird reading that, and surprised. a -lot- of fics have overtly-gay!harry (as well as overtly-gay!draco, which i've ranted about, re: `all torn down', if anything). i'm sort of used to people not writing him as bi... i mean, i -wish-, but, er... almost never happens. either he just -doesn't notice- girls (hopefully we get an admission that he -used- to, but often, he was like, -pretending- to).

but yah, the ululating cry was sort of.... yah.
i definitely kind of tried to ignore the larger implications of that scene, and attempted to just see it as sort of an anecdotal, let's-mock-harry-and-his-gayness thing. i mean, you -could- take it as mocking harry rather than the girls. there's a lot of sluttish behavior in the fic, and most of it not so much with the attractive, healthy sexuality and more with the meaningless sex.

i for one, do enjoy het sex (er... as long as it's outside of my otp), write het sex, etc. being non-lesbian, i sort of have to. and... yah. i can only say that characters other than harry & draco were dealt with... rudely, or rather with a broad brush. i didn't really -bemoan- the loss of more explicit non-h/d stuff, mostly because er... i didn't -care- about any of the other characters, they were sort of vaguely caricaturish. very, very, VERY few fics manage to make anyone but the main characters attractive and interesting. and most probably, the lack of explicitness is related to the lack of attention to detail with them in general.

maybe i take it for granted too much. because when i -do- find i like a female character in a slash fic, i'm totally amazed and happy and like, wow. wouldn't have expected -that- one. of course, i appreciate it, but when does it ever -happen-? i could count the fics i could remember on one hand, probably.
i think with a lot of fics... i have to have a sort of tunnel vision to really get the most out of them. i mean, if it -wasn't- a "tunnel vision" fic, i'd be saying, -yes-, i -am- guarranteeing you'll like it, and -yes- you -should- like it, because i honestly would be saying, "this is a great work of fiction", rather than, "eeee, this made me squeal".

i think i -would- have bailed, if i didn't see a lot of mockery going on. slasher-mary-sue!hermione was sort of ... well... to me, she had amusement value rather than realism value. and honestly, harry & draco's encounters got mocked too, just... more with the actual emotionality and detail. i definitely think this fic wouldn't really stand up to serious analysis/scrutiny in terms of realism and in-characterness. it's kind of a drag-queen of a fic, over-the-top and kinky and loud and ridiculous, with a heart somewhere in there, too.

plus, i was being (still am) really warm and fuzzy over the last chapter, which made all the rest worth it, simply because it was so adorable and they're such -boys-. she does best with the harry/draco dialogue and interaction, and everything else... well... is sort of like cheap stage props (though still campy fun to read, if you ignore reality somewhat).

but i didn't think to complain about the lack of -more- non-h/d smut simply because that's more than most -other- fics have (as in, most other fics have none). and every other h/d fic that -does- have other characters being sexy is similarly plagued with ...er... scary stuff.

hmm. yah there are definitely issues there. sigh. and yeah, you've definitely reminded me of things i'd glossed over. and i did mention that i -do- tend to gloss over things (and feel guilty about it).... but in the end i try to take it in the spirit it was intended in, in this case, i feel, kind of soap-operaish campy fun. and yah. were i to give it a second's thought, i do find soap operas (even -without- mishandled slash/het issues) kind of... er... offensive ^^;
if i thought about it -.-

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

either he just -doesn't notice- girls (hopefully we get an admission that he -used- to, but often, he was like, -pretending- to).

When I read the "pretending to" versions I just assume the author hasn't read canon. Either that or they have a deep incomprehension of what third person limited narration implies. You might as well run all the way with it and announce that Harry was just pretending to miss his parents.

i definitely kind of tried to ignore the larger implications of that scene, and attempted to just see it as sort of an anecdotal, let's-mock-harry-and-his-gayness thing. i mean, you -could- take it as mocking harry rather than the girls.

I guess you could if there was any implication that there was anything wrong with Harry's behavior, or at least that his reaction was out of proportion to the cause. It's not ridiculous enough to be a parody and there's nothing funny about the scene. There isn't even any implication that it's supposed to be funny, but isn't. There is no mocking tone to the narrative. It is simply straightforwardly a statement that this is the way that Harry feels, and if that is the way he feels, then he is a hypocritical little tool, and I hate him. And since I hate him, I am uninterested in his sex life or the success thereof.

when i -do- find i like a female character in a slash fic, i'm totally amazed and happy and like, wow.

Yeah, and isn't that depressing and kind of sad? Slash fiction is mostly written by girls and for girls. It's meant to be a fun expression of creativity and sensuality and instead in some cases it becomes a mirror for self-hatred through the fetishization of these gay boys. I don't want to hear that girls are disgusting. I don't want to hear it. And not only can I not tunnel-vision it out, but I also don't want to tunnel-vision it out. I think if I forced myself to ignore it, I'd wind up internalizing it and small, but necessary, parts of myself would die.

As a side note, you can be a gay boy without finding women disgusting. I'm not attracted to girls either, but if I wandered in on two girls having sex I would be no more upset than if I wandered in on two boys or a girl and a boy.

plus, i was being (still am) really warm and fuzzy over the last chapter, which made all the rest worth it, simply because it was so adorable and they're such -boys-. she does best with the harry/draco dialogue and interaction.

I understand, and not having read the last chapter, I can't weigh in. All I can say is that I found both characters to be hateful, and their sexual interest in each other didn't really redeem them as human beings in my mind. I am not interested in the love lives of hateful people. I do not care if their romance works out. I do not find witty byplay between characters I find to be selfish hypocritical bigots particularly adorable. Perhaps I am not enough of a Harry/Draco stalwart.

Meh. This is sort of not about Power Play anymore. Consider it a general rant.

[dahlia-777.livejournal.com]

Hello Cassie,

I must admit, it never surprises me to hear someone dislikes my fics - they're extremely brash, and I'm under no illusion that this holds mass appeal. But I am sorry that you don't like them, for the very shallow reason that I'm a great admirer of your stories. Ah well.

Your criticisms of Power Play are strongly argued, and after thinking them over, I can understand why you might read the fic that way. I wouldn't describe the Harry and Draco I've written as "hateful" myself, but they are unusually adversarial, considering that they are the main characters in a romance story. But my view is that they wouldn't just forget the years of bitter enmity overnight. They really *hated* each other. For *years*. Also, they're both pretty fucked up (or that is my reading of canon, anyway). PP and its prequel take place over a couple of weeks, which isn't long to adjust to such a big change in their relationship. I see hostility as being something of a habit for them, although it's obvious from early on they have deeper. more caring feelings that they're in denial about. Incidentally, and somewhat ironically, chapter seven and the, ahem, offensive chapter eight, fall exactly in the middle of what will be a three-part story. And it's structured so that first Draco, and then Harry, start to realise they are more than just fuck buddies in that section. From then on, they gradually (though grudgingly) come to terms with each other, and become kinder and more affectionate. But I guess the hints of this came far too late for you - I had already stretched your patience to breaking point!

And now I must address the misogyny issue, about which I was somewhat taken aback, both personally and in terms of my fics. I am not a misogynist - *searches heart for self-hatred, finds none* - and I don't believe my story is misogynistic either. Of course, that is only my opinion, and since you don't know me, it's up to you whether you believe these assertions or not. Perhaps I'd better stick to talking about the fics, huh? When I started The Silver Chain, I worked in all the female characters that I could, and tried to develop the ones JKR had only sketched (which means all of them, except Hermione). And I can assure you, I love all those girls dearly! Sure, most are raucous, sluttish and bitchy. But I, er, rather regard those as positive attributes. And anyway, the girls are no more or less badly behaved than the male characters. (It's that kind of fic). If I had to pick a favourite female character from PP, it would be Lavender - she of the ululating orgasm. I don't remember exactly why I wrote her such an amazing climax in that scene, but it probably had something to do with giving her a good time.

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

Hey Dahlia,

Thanks for responding. You know, it's really interesting because I was just having a really long think today about criticism, and fic criticism in particular, and the fact that some people just take it so horrendously and personally when you don't like their story. I was thinking it was probably not worth bothering at all, ever, to give an honest opinion.

And then you come and prove me wrong by being insanely mature and cool about this. :P

You know, I was in a truly horrendous mood when I commented here, and I think I was a lot harsher than I needed to be. I think my problem was that I was really *enjoying* Power Play, for the most part. I mean, the sex scenes are killer. Some of the best slash smut I have read, and I use the word "smut" in its best sense. As I said, the writing isn't bad. It's good. I think that's why I got so upset at what I percieved as misogyny when I hit that scene. I couldn't help comparing it to the scene where Hermione walks in on Harry and Draco, and feeling like I was being told that girls are icky, and boys are not. And I do feel there is often an undercurrent of truly weird misogyny in slash fics, so I might have been looking for it. I don't really know; I just know that it made me blindingly angry at Harry, and I hate not liking Harry, or Draco, in a fic where I know I am supposed to.

Anyway, your replies have have definitely reassured me that that wasn't your intention. So I'm going to go back and reread PP, with that in mind, and see how I feel this time.

That said, I wanted to thank you for adopting Dex and showing him a good time. I owe you one for that.

I'm going to add you to my friends list, too, if that is okay with you.

Cassie

[dahlia-777.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't see the point of taking offence over what people think of my fics. I'm always pleased if someone likes them, but I'm not fazed if they don't - I mean, the graphic content is enough to send most people dashing for the exits. Besides. I'm used to receiving candid feedback, which I suspect I attract because of the blunt, no-holds-barred style of my stories. Readers aren't often moved to write me pretty, sugar-coated reviews. (On the other hand, I do learn quite a lot about their, erm, sexual interests and activities).

I have to admit I was rather thrown by the misogyny thing though. I'm aware that misogyny exists on the slash side of the HP fandom, but it never occurred to me that my fics could be read that way. Partly because I've written such a lot of strong, sexually confident female characters, who can more than hold their own against the guys. And also I guess I assumed my fondness for the girls was evident from the indulgent tone in which I write about them.

Anyway, please don't feel obliged to reread PP. I like to entertain people, not make them suffer! Twice!! But I'm glad you don't mind me borrowing Dex. I can assure you that he has a very good time throughout the rest of the fic. And I've lined up someone brand new for him to shag in part three.

Cheers,
Dahlia

[dahlia-777.livejournal.com]

So, that scene in chapter eight... I will confess that when I reread it, I did see why you had problems with Harry's attitude. Your interpretation is a fair and valid one. All I can say is that I don't think Harry is a misogynist any more than you do, and I never intended to write him that way, or for that even to be implied in the scene. I fucked up, basically. And I can see how and why I did it. For plot structure reasons, the Pansy-Dex-Blaise-Lavender partner swapping had to occur in that chapter. Unfortunately, it didn't fit in with Harry charging across school all distraught about Draco's hypothetical affair with Snape. To get around the fact it was not the moment for a humorous 'Oh-my-God-Lavender-and-Blaise!?' interlude, I made the scene more serious and Harry's reaction a lot harsher than I would have otherwise. If it had occurred in another part of the fic, he would have been amused, curious, fairly laid back - much as he was when he caught Pansy and Blaise at it in TSC. But he was in a state, so I had him over-react, simply to reflect that. In retrospect, I really can't defend the scene. I sacrificed characterisation for plot structure, with the unintended consequence that I came off as (of all things, arggh!) a woman hater. I didn't realise this until you brought it up, because no one ever called me on the misogyny thing before. Or told me the lack of non-H/D smut was a subtle exercise in prejudice. It's really not, by the way. It's just that I've written tons of other pairings, which are constantly changing, and it's not practical to write them all in detail. I'm writing an H/D fic - they're the main characters, so I've given their relationship precedence. Hermione and Ron are next in importance, so they get more detailed scenes than the rest too. (And yes, I did get messages from some unhappy slashers complaining about "squicky het sex" after a R/Hr encounter. To which I replied that I happen to like het sex, myself).

OK, I've ranted indulgently about my story for long enough now - I'm sure you've heard much more than you wanted, especially seeing as you don't like it. I haven't written this to convert you (haha - that's *clearly* a lost cause!). But I hope I've managed to clarify some of the issues you felt were troubling.

[dahlia-777.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the final chapter of Power Play, because I did want to give it a satisfactory send-off. Harry and Draco simply had to come out of denial in the end. It was a quite a challenge to do that and keep them in character, so it's good to hear you thought that aspect of it worked. But, you know, you mustn't feel bad about reading PP and "enjoying it quite selfishly". It's written, and meant to be read, as a sexy, light-hearted romp. So to treat it as a "guilty pleasure", with emphasis hopefully on the pleasure, is taking it totally in the right spirit. You're also right to call it a "campy soap opera" of a fic. I've proclaimed my love of soaps, and their influence on PP, more than once.

I do have to disagree with one thing you said though. In PP, Hermione may be a slash fan, but she is in no way a Mary Sue. Haha. No. That is not me, at all. She is actually a playful parody (an affectionate one, I assure you) of the H/D shippers who started writing to me back when I was posting TSC, pleading with me to have Harry and Draco declare their undying lurve. "There's no romance!", they cried piteously. Well, I have a pretty unromantic view of relationships involving teenage boys (I'll say more on this when I reply to Cassie later) and I wasn't about to compromise on this issue. Instead, I made Hermione into an unabashed H/D shipper, and got her to put their arguments directly to Harry. Anyway, both they and Hermione turned out to be right - Harry and Draco did have feelings for each other all along. (Though their relationship is still far from a hearts and flowers romance).

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

hee. i'm glad for once i didn't somehow offend in my review. *coughs* well, it wasn't a review, really. er. more of a squee-fest. because, eeeeee, that was so totally worth the wait. the BLANKET and the BLUSHING!!! that -killed- me >:D<

just. your draco. blushing. (i -hate- draco blushing, but) -your- draco blushing was just, inspired :D
the blushing! and the blankie! and the -vanilla sex-!! i -died- :D

oh, and well, i use mary-sue loosely. i use many things loosely ><;;

i mean, er... when you basically project some meta "real" (often, very very very idealized, but not -from- the fic's world per se) person onto a character-- like when fic-writers make cameos in fics, or kind of have a character modeled after the writer or another writer-- like, cassie writing h/d with an aja stand-in... i don't know what the word for it is, so i used mary sue~:)

obviously, hermione's not a mary sue in the typical sense of being perfect and nauseating and heroic and so forth.
but she is a mary sue in the sense of an intrusion into the fic. like when you have stan lee show up in a marvel-superhero-based movie, what is that?
i'm not sure.

but yah. hee. i'll always remember the blankie :D