hmm. i've actually pondered this in more depth before (because of a fic by vinagrette. i can see how you can make the argument that harry's clueless about what having love is like, at least initially, but... people love him. ok, so most people just admire him and idolize him and objectify him, but he doesn't just -watch- the weasleys, he's a part of the family. he's got sirius, ron, hermione, mr & mrs weasley, even hagrid. he loves them & they love him and care about him and remember his birthday and he must know -something-. he's not the same as he was at 11. i mean, he -wants- and feels separate, apart from it, but in the end it's not something you learn, you just kind of get your eyes opened to it. i don't think he's mutilated, just scarred. ergh.
i just mean, a complete lack of knowledge about love by age 18-- and especially age 29 like in this fic-- that's a mutilation of spirit, and you'd need a -lot- of work to make any sort of romance even begin to work for harry. but he's not autistic or sociopathic-- and yes, i think not knowing what love is -is- that big of a problem. it's not a "naivete"-- it'd be a huge hole in his soul. he'd be unable to be a truly kind, good person if he didn't know what love was. he must have an instinct. even if he'd been deprived, he's -harry-, and maybe that's not realistic, he is not insensitive and cruel and unable to understand others' emotions at all.
i mean... there's a difference between -slight- problems, -issues-, things he's got incomplete mastery of, and a total lack of understanding, like a gaping hole. i can't think of it that way, simply because that would be one hell of a thing to ever overcome in a story if you're ever going to deal with -anything- else.
i just don't think he's "from afar" with the weasleys. he's practically adopted! that's why the whole harry/ginny thing would probably be too weird for harry. she's like his little sister-- she's a weasley! and yah, i can only imagine what this makes harry/ron, ahahahaha. also, i think you can pull off near about anything, if you're a good writer, which that particular writer wasn't, not in terms of characterization and development. if you can be made to -feel- for the characters, to empathize with them, you can easily be given the bigger picture with a minimal amount of actual story. but that takes talent, heh~:)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2003-06-10 03:55 pm (UTC)people love him. ok, so most people just admire him and idolize him and objectify him, but he doesn't just -watch- the weasleys, he's a part of the family. he's got sirius, ron, hermione, mr & mrs weasley, even hagrid. he loves them & they love him and care about him and remember his birthday and he must know -something-. he's not the same as he was at 11. i mean, he -wants- and feels separate, apart from it, but in the end it's not something you learn, you just kind of get your eyes opened to it. i don't think he's mutilated, just scarred. ergh.
i just mean, a complete lack of knowledge about love by age 18-- and especially age 29 like in this fic-- that's a mutilation of spirit, and you'd need a -lot- of work to make any sort of romance even begin to work for harry. but he's not autistic or sociopathic-- and yes, i think not knowing what love is -is- that big of a problem. it's not a "naivete"-- it'd be a huge hole in his soul. he'd be unable to be a truly kind, good person if he didn't know what love was. he must have an instinct. even if he'd been deprived, he's -harry-, and maybe that's not realistic, he is not insensitive and cruel and unable to understand others' emotions at all.
i mean... there's a difference between -slight- problems, -issues-, things he's got incomplete mastery of, and a total lack of understanding, like a gaping hole. i can't think of it that way, simply because that would be one hell of a thing to ever overcome in a story if you're ever going to deal with -anything- else.
i just don't think he's "from afar" with the weasleys. he's practically adopted! that's why the whole harry/ginny thing would probably be too weird for harry. she's like his little sister-- she's a weasley! and yah, i can only imagine what this makes harry/ron, ahahahaha.
also, i think you can pull off near about anything, if you're a good writer, which that particular writer wasn't, not in terms of characterization and development. if you can be made to -feel- for the characters, to empathize with them, you can easily be given the bigger picture with a minimal amount of actual story. but that takes talent, heh~:)