[doooorrrkkk]

[reenka]

Man, listening to the Fruits Basket soundtrack just brings back all sorts of happy-glowy feelings, and I don't want to write about fanon!Draco, but Aja set me off, so I shall persevere, ahahah.

I was wondering what was it that made me tolerate some fanon!Draco fics and not others-- like, whether there was some method to my madness.


And I realized that these days, while I say I'm a style-whore above all else, I seem to care less about the quality of the writing if the ideas being expressed about the characters just don't work for me-- or perhaps the way they're expressed, which seems separate from style. Maybe it's just that I'm tired and jaded, having read so much fic, and want to read something new-- and if it's something old, then at least it could work harder at pleasing me. Or something. Because it's all about me.

Anyway, I usually can't stand even well-written fanon!Draco these days (at least, the mature!ice-prince!poised!sophisticated!Draco variety) unless it serves either of two purposes in that fic: escapism or minimalism.

By 'escapism', I mean the fluffy-angsty-porn like the_leaky's H/D-- where I go with the flow because it feels good to kick back, relax, and turn on a soap opera. And by 'minimalism', I mean a style: the story is so imagistic and 'surface' that it allows me to do the vital step for appreciation of fanon-- suspend my disbelief when a character changes. Any rationalization/justification used just calls attention to Hello! Questionable characterization right here!, which is what happened with Ginny's change in canon, too. When I'm just handed things 'as is', I can almost get away with imagining my own characterization/background for people's behavior; as in, Draco's an interesting enigma at least partly because the fic just doesn't tell you enough-- which I enjoy in circe_tigana's writing in particular, and in zahra5's to some extent. I mean, if the writing is porny, minimalist and in character, then I'm just on cloud 9, but then Silvia left fandom :P
    This seems like a good time to mention that I think my greatest achievement in fandom has been getting Silvia to write `And I Get By' (which might actually be something like the closest anyone's ever come to writing My Perfect H/D Fic). I get a little glow of pride every time someone recs that fic. I'm like, awwww and I was its midwife <3<3<3

The thing that gets me is when people try to write ice-prince!fanon!Draco rationally, as if it's a valid, perfectly fine interpretation. It's one thing to be going for the pretty (either stylistically or emotionally)-- it's quite another to write an involved, plotty fic where a central character makes no bloody sense. It's especially torturous when a fic's 'rationality' shows itself by explicitly telling the reader things about Draco which just aren't plausible (or, more importantly, justified) in perfectly well-written, respectable prose. It just stands out like a sore thumb. If it was badly written porn, I'd just ignore that part and skip on to the good stuff, but when the writing is smooth, it focuses one's attention as a reader, making me apply that much more scrutiny to it. I think I'm just a lot tougher on well-written fics that try to pull silly characterization tricks than I am on your average kink-fic.

And what I really want right now is an Avril Lavigne songfic :O

Comments

[malafede.livejournal.com]

And what I really want right now is an Avril Lavigne songfic :O

I want porn tailored to my kinks. :O Nobody writes that, dunno why.

Aside, ahaha, I think what fails to impress me specifically about some of these enigmatic Dracos is that for me they aren't enigmatic at all. They are all... lyrically pretty or something. Like, I am very anal, I know. Such is my burden. And I am not saying this to make myself look better while I pretend to be self-deprecating, I am really just saying something huge crawled up my arse about Draco and hasn't been removed yet and mmmh, that's almost hot.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

Btw, Ginny's upgrade in canon was handled very shittily too... lalalala...

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

I already wrote you porn :P I'm just uninspired right now ^^; Plus, you could've requested at Secret Santa :>
Lyrically pretty is enigmatic enough!!


SG wants to make some comment about that last, but I'm gagging him.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

Secretsanta me a virgin fic where Draco's not lyrically pretty. :p

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

That's cheating! I don't have any Santa hats :P
*hides behind back*

yeah, he can't separate either, sometimes. alas.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

See, I think I am the opposite--I guess I think of some sorts of fic as "serious fluff," and if serious fluff is going to please me it needs to be really well-written and substantiated by an attempt at canon characterizations. I think that's why I really don't like the h/d in teh_leaky, in addition to the soap operatic plot. One, I'm never much for soap operas (though i sort of made an exception for Draco Veritas), and two, i just don't really recognize the harry and draco in that rpg, especially now that they're together. And maybe that's why I'm tougher on Zahra5's fic too. It's just not well-written enough for me to forgive the complete lack of any relationship to canon that I know of. Maybe it's the canonical relationship that has to be there? Like, at least Mira's fic has that, or tries to. Although Mira's fic isn't in this category of "serious fluff" for me--I think I'll forgive more in more serious fics if the author is writing well and at least making an attempt to keep their characters in-character. And, I mean, really, that can be "in-character fanon!Draco" too, I guess. Does that make any sense? No, probably not. I mean, Ice-Prince!Draco is so familiar that once bought into he's easy for me to enjoy if he's well-written. Where again, there are fics like Queer and There that sometimes make me stop and go, 'Hey, you know, fanon!Draco really is close to canon in some ways.'

I completely lost whatever point I had.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

I think that's why I really don't like the h/d in teh_leaky

*shares a moment*

(... mostly because someone's always singing odes to it in a very personally oppressive way, the nerve.)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

OMG I LOVE THE LEAKY!!1 I WANT THE LEAKY'S!DRACO TO FUCK ME NOW, OMG!! TAKE ME, LEAKY!DRACO, TAKE MEEEeEEEEEeeeeeeeeee AHahahahaflkj;salkfj

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

...If it makes you feel any better, I love dracolicious & boywholives more than the_leaky, but the_leaky has more sex & angst these days, which is what brings Reena to the yard. Even if the other pair has more snark & cuteness & is more IC. And I love slytherin seeker & scarred potter even more than that <3333333333333333333333

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha in-character fanon!Draco~:))! Oh Aja~:))!
I think that's why I glossed over stuff in Transfigurations, though, actually-- I felt like it was well-written, and she was trying to keep the people in-character. Same with Maya. But mostly I am hobbled by the fact that ice-prince!Draco reeeeeally annoys me as a character, so the writing has to kind of gloss over that little kink in its fabric for me to go with the flow. And then if it over-explains I'm like 'stop ruining my buzz, BITCH', heheh :>

Perhaps I also have a specific type of writing I'd forgive OOCness for...? Like, Penguin, Amalin, Penelope, Ivy, Olympia, ShinigamiForever, Rhoddlet-- uh, the intellislashers~:)) Ahahahah omg I am so l337 >:D Anyway, I want writing that smacks me flat on my hiney, and it's rather hard to do that~:) Though you've done that a lot with your one-shots too-- not to say they're OOC, but it seems not to matter, 'cause, mmmm, and also I could tell you make an effort.

Anyway, I don't think the_leaky's 'serious' at all, y'know? It's complete indulgence & escapism. Like, it takes a leap of imagination to pretend they're Harry & Draco, but it's a nice buzz and the soap opera-- if you let it-- just sort of triggers autonomic emotional responses like one's a Pavlovian dog, heh.

Ice-prince!Draco's familiar to me too, it's just that the standard of what's 'well-written' enough for me to enjoy... it's very high 'cause I'm very tired of 'im and don't think he's necessary and omg someone needs a new fanon, help, HELP. Like, Olympia's and riddle's and Marysia's and Penelope's and even Amalin's weren't canon either, but at least they're not this. Perhaps it's that I'm both too picky/elitist about what's 'good' -and- willing to shut off my brain if you give me candy~:))

[ex-monochro174.livejournal.com]

Hee, you mentioned me! *laughs* But I really hope you aren't referring to things like "Heartbeat" and the one about glass and rose petals, I don't even remember what it was called, because I cringe and cry and back away. I like to think I have grown a little less OOC, I hope. But. <3333.

I have been trying to muster the strength to write H/D again, or even H and D, or even Draco, or even Harry, but I am. Not getting there anytime soon, I feel. But I want to? Hmm.

I love you a lot! And I read all your posts about fanon and canon and Draco and listen even if I don't comment. (Mostly because I'm gulping with, "OMG haha, guilty of that, and that, and that too . . .")

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Heee! I wasn't thinking of any in particular, except your Draco has always been uh... a different sort of fanon than ice-prince!Draco...? He's more like Penelope's, all fragile & dark & delicately doomed or something, and he angsts and is hopeless and dies a lot~:) Um. But I don't think he's all that polite or in-control or 'icy', y'know? Like, he might be frozen sometimes but he's not icy, if that makes sense? Plus, your writing has always made me curl up like a cat in a moonbeam, so I'm probably not the most unbiased person >:D
I liked glass & rose petals, though~:)) Remember, I even wrote you a drabblet for it >:D It was so pretty, like a picture. You always made death sound beautiful, like a dirge at the end of autumn <3

Hehe they tired me out too, man. My problem is that I'm not really all that inspired with the other characters at all ^^;;
But anyway, I don't think you're guilty of that particular fanon!Draco, eheheh <3333333333 *loves*

[stellabelle.livejournal.com]

I think, for me, anything along this line of conversation always comes back to the fact that I don't want easy characterization. Like, I know this isn't exactly what you were talking about, but as an example, I don't want a Draco who's all sweet & lovey just so he & Harry can have All The Sex. (Well, okay, part of me totally does, but seriously, y'know?) Because obviously the fact is Draco is not like that. He's a complete asshole & he's horrible to Harry and his friends & he's spoiled as hell & so on.

And, in saying 'easy characterization', I really mean that I don't want it in a much wider sense than just fanfic. Like, okay, a lot of movies I feel sacrifice realistic characterization for the sake of...I dunno, accessibility, maybe? Except that's not really what I meant. Um, but a lot of romantic comedies, for example, I find myself thinking 'Why the hell would she want to date him? He's annoying! Oh, right, because they happen to live in the same apartment building so clearly they are meant to be together and, right, he totally didn't mean it when he made out with her best friend.' Or whatever.

But then, I'm very spoiled about characterization cause I feel it's one of the most important elements in writing. Even though I'm probably not making any sense & I feel completely retarded in talking about it when I feel like I can't even accomplish it in my own writing, haha. :)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hah, I don't want easy characterization either, except when you're in fandom, there's no choice but to deal with the cards you're dealt :> And that means ice-prince!Draco and 'he's such a polite, sophisticated MAN' and 'oh, look at Harry blushing cutely and/or crying'. Ahem.

Mostly I can ignore it because I can stop caring about writing quality & just go for having my emotional buttons pushed, 'cause I'm just that desperate :> But when it gets too rational, I remember, 'oh yes, that thinking... thing.... wait', which ruins the experience :>

Naturally, 'easy characterization' sucks. On the other hand, one has one's needs~:))