Sometimes I really wonder whether I project myself too much onto Harry-- 'cause, y'know, I was the kind of child that wasn't easily cowed by any adult I didn't have actual affection for. I was (am?) rebellious and stubborn and impossible to manage, y'know, 'the problem child', just like Harry. So I think any pairing where Harry's being dominated by someone older & more powerful just feels... deeply, deeply wrong. So wrong that I can't imagine someone fully understanding exactly what I mean unless they basically identified with Harry (or at least his spirit of resistance) too.
I dunno, I wonder if that's related to the apparent trend that the people who write Harry/Slytherin or Harry/older-more-powerful-person identify either with Slytherin itself or project some sort of Hufflepuff/femme (and clearly, Hufflepuff is the 'female' House) mentality that submission is best. See, I think Gryffindors are misunderstood-- I think it's Harry's Gryffindor nature that allowed him to resist the Dursleys and that would make Harry/Lucius so laughable. Do these writers really understand what it's like to never give in?
People keep looking at Gryffindor from the outside, and from the outside, any characteristic looks intimidating and possibly obnoxious. But see... some of the flag-waving Slytherin-sympathizing-types have this persecution complex going, where the Big Bad Gryffindors have taken away their rights. The thing that's kind of funny is that they'd take away the Gryffindors' rights in a heartbeat-- it's just that the Gryffs would react differently. They wouldn't complain or become bitter or depressed or disenfranchised-- they'd fight. Harry would fight (though he'd mope too). And not in the picking-at-the-heels way Draco seems to-- Gryffindors wage full frontal battle, and there's something to be said for that. Don't get mad, get back! Or something. (I think this is the Aries in me speaking, btw, ahahahahah). But anyway, off track entirely.
Yeah. Especially 'cause Draco wasn't a rough-and-tough, dominant fiery boy, he really had no mental defense against such a humongous, terrifying father-figure. I don't want to overplay his effeminate nature or anything, but. He just seems more -open-; a child's emotions are always easy prey to messed up men like that. In real life Lucius would probably be some shark lawyer who stayed out of the house most of the time, and sometimes brought mistresses home-- smelled of weird perfume, at least. Maybe he'd get drunk and raise his voice at Draco a few times when Draco was little, and of course he'd never forget something like that, but he'd blame himself and yet he hasn't the self-control to act any differently. He's not -introspective- so all of this just sort of brews in the background.
In a way, I think there's like... no chance that one could write Draco/Lucius without breaking Draco. I dunno -what- would help him if something like that were true, since that would sort of seal in the last lock of control Lucius could have over him. Harry/Sirius would probably mess Sirius up more than Harry o_0 Harry's a survivor. People don't get that a lot of times. He'd probably end up with his mind somewhat whole through pretty much anything-- like say, Voldemort possession. Heh. It's a question of mental resistance more than physical, anyway. It doesn't matter if the body's weak, if the mind isn't. And if the mind is weak or vulnerable, no protection would be enough.
I've always wanted to give Draco some source of inner strength-- even if it was just rage. If he doesn't fight back, y'know, he's pretty much dead. His father can't protect him, really.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-07-15 03:56 am (UTC)I dunno, I wonder if that's related to the apparent trend that the people who write Harry/Slytherin or Harry/older-more-powerful-person identify either with Slytherin itself or project some sort of Hufflepuff/femme (and clearly, Hufflepuff is the 'female' House) mentality that submission is best. See, I think Gryffindors are misunderstood-- I think it's Harry's Gryffindor nature that allowed him to resist the Dursleys and that would make Harry/Lucius so laughable. Do these writers really understand what it's like to never give in?
People keep looking at Gryffindor from the outside, and from the outside, any characteristic looks intimidating and possibly obnoxious. But see... some of the flag-waving Slytherin-sympathizing-types have this persecution complex going, where the Big Bad Gryffindors have taken away their rights. The thing that's kind of funny is that they'd take away the Gryffindors' rights in a heartbeat-- it's just that the Gryffs would react differently. They wouldn't complain or become bitter or depressed or disenfranchised-- they'd fight. Harry would fight (though he'd mope too). And not in the picking-at-the-heels way Draco seems to-- Gryffindors wage full frontal battle, and there's something to be said for that. Don't get mad, get back! Or something. (I think this is the Aries in me speaking, btw, ahahahahah). But anyway, off track entirely.
Yeah. Especially 'cause Draco wasn't a rough-and-tough, dominant fiery boy, he really had no mental defense against such a humongous, terrifying father-figure. I don't want to overplay his effeminate nature or anything, but. He just seems more -open-; a child's emotions are always easy prey to messed up men like that. In real life Lucius would probably be some shark lawyer who stayed out of the house most of the time, and sometimes brought mistresses home-- smelled of weird perfume, at least. Maybe he'd get drunk and raise his voice at Draco a few times when Draco was little, and of course he'd never forget something like that, but he'd blame himself and yet he hasn't the self-control to act any differently. He's not -introspective- so all of this just sort of brews in the background.
In a way, I think there's like... no chance that one could write Draco/Lucius without breaking Draco. I dunno -what- would help him if something like that were true, since that would sort of seal in the last lock of control Lucius could have over him. Harry/Sirius would probably mess Sirius up more than Harry o_0
Harry's a survivor. People don't get that a lot of times. He'd probably end up with his mind somewhat whole through pretty much anything-- like say, Voldemort possession. Heh. It's a question of mental resistance more than physical, anyway. It doesn't matter if the body's weak, if the mind isn't. And if the mind is weak or vulnerable, no protection would be enough.
I've always wanted to give Draco some source of inner strength-- even if it was just rage. If he doesn't fight back, y'know, he's pretty much dead. His father can't protect him, really.