~~ bastards r us.

[reenka]

I really like mockery. I mean, I don't go to fandom_wank that much, but in ideal it has my smirking admiration, as long as they don't take themselves too seriously. I think comedians have always been somewhat cruel; that sort of explains Fred & George, as far as I'm concerned. They mean well, but I don't think they mean nicely, and that's all right with me. Bastards are okay, aren't they? There are more important things.

I'm the sort of person who's both oversensitive about being mocked and able to take it pretty well, I think, depending on how I feel, though I almost never indulge in it. I like it because while it's often perpetuated by the self-deluded, it is still a form of hardcore brutal honesty even if there's no truth in it, and I often hold honesty above mercy as a virtue. My ideal would be mercy that didn't announce itself too loudly; that was understated and implicit rather than preachy and earnest; that was hidden beneath brashness and sarcasm, perhaps. I know all too well that kindness & politeness aren't the same thing, and politeness is merely a societal requirement, not a virtue. Brutal mercy would also be nice and that perhaps says more about me than most things I could possibly say.

So for people like me, there are several different bastard characters to choose from:

People who like effete, lightly sarcastic flouncy bois with a simple & elegant grudge (all bark, v. little bite) would go for fanon!Draco;
    "Whee, look at this shiny pretty boy! Look at him make cutesy remarks that aren't really mocking so much as witty, act sophisticated and mature, and make every girl & boy swoon!"

People who like sadistic, intellectual mocking men with a twisted & complex grudge would go for Snape;
    "Wheee, he's such a deluded bastard; look at him, led around by his emotions all the time! Watch him make one ill-advised, underhanded, desperate mistake after another! And yet, he's snarky and really needs someone to love him if only he knew what to do with it!"

People who like fiery taunting bastards with a burning grudge would go for Sirius;
    "Whee, he's such a hot-blooded bastard! Watch him growl and tear a leg off a chap for looking his way wrong! Why taunt when you can prank? Why glide when you can swagger? Indeed, why do you need anything else when you're Sirius Black??

And people who like fiercely teasing, earnest boys with a righteous grudge that needs Righteous Vengeance, I suppose, would go for Harry. Harry can also migrate into both fiery taunting and withdrawn brooding if you push him; that's why he's cute in OoTP, but I know I'm not speaking for the majority in this. However, Harry above all others symbolizes the idea of 'brutal mercy', or at least that's where I think he's heading in canon. Wah <3 (And yeah, so milquetoast Harry... seems pointless to me, kinda.)

I think I like fiery mocking bastards with a twisted grudge-- haha, some sort of mix of Sirius & Snape, and actually I could see Draco like that (so you see where the effete fanon starts to grate unless he's redeemed by being really funny). I think my complaint against effete, elegant & sophisticated boils down to 'not nearly hardcore enough, baby. not nearly'. But I guess being hardcore is a fringe characteristic for a reason (though I mean, I'd say plenty of stupid people are pretty stupid hardcore, but that's neither here nor there.)
    I think most people still want likable bastards no matter what flavor, and I do too, though perhaps I have a rare enough idea of what's 'likable'. I guess the most popular notion is that a 'likable bastard' has a heart of gold-- I just like them to have a heart of blood.
    Given that bit earlier about twisted mockingness, perhaps I should've been into Snape all along, since twisted mocking Draco isn't so much in evidence? (and I would've been if not for him being old, greasy and... did I mention old?)

Comments

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

...Draco isn't a fiery mocking bastard with a twisted grudge AFTER ALL?

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Did I say that? Ahaha, man I'm out of it. I usually edit my posts like 5 times after initially posting, but um... I think he is, but was frustrated most people don't want him to be :> Though I think it's more of a simple grudge currently (not too many layers).

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

Well, no, it is simple in terms of its complexity; for me the twistedness boils down to the wrongness and pigheaded of it. I mean, for me, his grudge is essentially "OMG POTTER YOU STOLE MY SPOTLIGHT. EVERYONE WOULD LOVE ME AS THEY SHOULD IF NOT FOR YOU."

Which you know, he has no right to say, really.

(omg, are we agreeing on something?)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think of it as twisted too, but twisted in a different way than Snape's, say, and I didn't think long enough to make up a new word, quite. He's so affection-starved; I think in the end I like him rather than Snape 'cause I can't resist that sheer desperation which Snape has repressed so thoroughly it's not even that interesting to me to dig beneath it. I mean, he must be calcified by now -.-

(are you sure you're not -trying- to disagree more than we are? :>)

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

Snape is so bitter and brittle; he's like salt taffy.

(I am not! dude, it is a good day for me and h/d and agreeing with people.)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Salt taffy! :D I would've thought him having some resilient stretchy bits that you could chew & chew & chew and they'll just leave stains on your teeth and never really yield much flavor. Um.
(Heheh I just never knew we had this past of disagreement & woe.)

...I'm tempted to ask GM!Draco something but all that comes to me is light teasing about biscuits....

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

Maybe he is licorice?

(not disagreement really. I just felt ignored omg, my man-author-pain.)

...You READ GM?

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Licorice sounds almost sexy, somehow o_0 Then again, I hate licorice, especially licorice-flavored sodas. Blech.

(Ahhh I forget about the man-author-pain in my girl-author flightiness. Apologies?)

Heheh, yeah, it's like the only game in town as far as I know now that the_leaky!H/D's gone underground. And I'd only read it a few days ago, all at once :> Now I keep refreshing in the usual way :)) But yeah, I'm not much for community participation or anything, but I've always had a fondness for your Draco :> And his Australian adventure, it seems :)) ...And the preaching to Harry is cute. Kinda, y'know, in a hypocritical sort of way -.-

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

I am allergic to licorice. So it IS snape! -.-

(Accepted. bookshop commented to some of my fic tonight. Between you reading GM and her, I shall like, die of bwee.)

LOL it is a game in town? (Sorry, GM got flamed the other week and so I am a little 'haha ha some people do not hate us!111 LOL' plus I dunno, I don't think of GM as being like, known? :-? It is just this t00by thing I started with ash based on an AU of one of my fics.)

Oh, my Draco is a huge hypocrite, so you are not wrong there.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I heard of the wank/mock/whatever it was, and that was just one personal, right, while you have a whole community of people who're enjoying the game :)) I dunno how well-known it is, but I checked it out 'cause of that, probably & also I was just curious; I'm not aware of H/D RPs beyond that, the_leaky & the mpreg one. I'm particularly enamoured of Harry's gruffness & loserishness (yeay!) & Draco's total clueless posturing <3 I think most silly/unpretty aspects of them would just endear them to me in a twisted way :>

(ahahahalkfjasl;kj Dude are you thinking of me & Aja as some sort of commenting game in town?? *dead*)

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

It was one person, but considering the scope of their post - "omg no-one should like this!" it was pretty damn wanky, imho.

Hmm. I dunno if it counts as an RP cause of the epistolary style? It's more...cowritten fic in my head, anyway.

You should join in the discussion at times! Some of the stuff is very deep. We are v. impressed.

(Not a commenting game so much as...if I want the deep analysis of h/d, I know where to go, you know? If I want detailed crit, I know you two can bring it.)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hehe, that's what I was saying in the post. I don't mind wanky one way or another; come to think of it, Draco's like the personification of wank o_0 OMG REVELATION.

I currently feel semi-odd about public discussion of a fic/RP (either) 'cause I'm used to it just being a dialogue with the author, otherwise I feel like I'm in a subfandom for a fan-work, which gets... weird in my had. But I'd posed for the_leaky when I got angsty about plot stuff, so you never know :>

(Hahah I think Aja's more for the squee usually & so am I, at least in feedback. Just rather extended, director's cut-type squee, at times. But now I feel flattered, eheh.)

[nothingbutfic.livejournal.com]

DRACO = WANK = LOVE.

This is the gospel of reenka!

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

wow, I feel so...summarized :D

...And yet :>

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

DRACO = WANK = HARRYLOVE :D :D

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

I have shown up to Squee. ;)

(what is this GM of which you speak?)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

that be gloriamundi :)) :))
*does sekrit handshake*
*also squees*