(no subject)

I particularly liked fivil's `Studies of God', which is an H/D Muggle AU where, um, Harry is a Finnish Theology student. Heee!

I think what it comes down to, for me, isn't whether the characters are even really 'IC' as far as I can tell, but whether they feel like real people, and on top of this, real people I like (not the same as 'find likable in general') and can empathize with the emotions of. Like, I've read Lucius-fic where he's portrayed as hurting and human-- and that's all I need, that hook. When someone's hurt or suffering or uncertain, it's the perfect window into their most vulnerable self, the self I'm most likely to like. I think my early reading of lots of angsty!Draco fics has completely warped me in this regard. I mean, snarky!Draco is all well and good, but it's his suffering that endears him to me on the deeper level. And, hahah, Harry's probably the one who makes him suffer the most, outside his father perhaps. So perhaps this is the real reason I dislike cool-as-ice!Draco as much as I do-- he doesn't need my sympathy, so he doesn't get it.

( ...ramble-ramble-blah. )

I wonder if this makes it sound like I'm an angst-whore or what have you, always after people's darkest most vulnerable spots. Of course this makes me think of all the angst that doesn't work for me, either 'cause it's overly melodramatic or contrived or it feels like a soap-opera set-up (all, 'woe is me! why have the gods forsaken me!'-- oh god, please stop). Like, I don't want a fic to make me cry or curse fate or anything-- I usually hate cursing fate, anyway. Frustrating business. I just want to feel it's -real-. Whatever that means.