![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reenkaIt occurs to me that (most often post-Hogwarts) fanon!Draco is usually a Gary Stu by the following definition: it's not that he has no flaws (though there's the omg-special eyes/hair/body/powers, which would be possibly fine by themselves), per se, though often he's been indeed scrubbed clean of such nasty things as arrogance and pettiness and (inconceivable!) outbursts of the foot-in-mouth disease (not... not Draco Malfoy!), but that often enough other characters (i.e., Harry) don't react in a believable fashion to those flaws which remain. In fact I've only seen Harry boggled & disturbed at Draco's wacked-out changes (and not omg-so-impressed) once, and that was in Resonant's `Transfigurations', which was all by itself enough to endear that fic to me immediately, Kitty!McGonagall nonwithstanding.
I think that's some sort of basic fantasy-fiction principle of keeping the all-important 'realistic consequence' clause to unlikely or sudden developments. So! If your aunt, for example, overnight grows a great big orange nose (or possibly you come back after 5 years to find this to be true)-- leopard-spotted, for instance-- you don't go, "oh, what an interesting color this evening! this really complements you, Auntie! well done!" No, you go, OMGWTFLOL!!1 This makes the reader able to identify with the character's reaction, thus lessening the blow of Teh Weird or in other words, some really outlandish change having occurred.
In the end, perhaps I can best liken my reaction to the phenomenon of new-and-improved!Draco (post-Hogwarts or not) to the many people who went 'wtf??!' at the new-and-improved Ginny in Order of the Phoenix. Here you could contrast her with Neville, who also underwent some changes but we could see them happen gradually throughout the book, and people's reactions shifted accordingly; Ginny, on the other hand, was changed clumsily & halfway retroactively. Meaning, while one could see where this character could have come from (and for some readers, that was enough), it was still a bit ridiculous that the others (basically Harry) just accepted this change without any real difficulties adjusting or 'wow, I still can't believe she's like this' moments.
Usually, you get this new-and-improved!Draco, and what happens? Harry's like, 'omg Draco is so different... how intriguing! how fascinating! I can't help but be strangely yet inexplicably attracted to the new-and-yummy him!' and then, possibly, '*angst*'. And as a reader, I'm like, 'Harry! Harry! wake up! it's Malfoy! Wake up!'
And I think this gets into the question of why people write about a certain pairing; and perhaps the assumption we have that because we're reading a fic labeled "H/D", of course Harry will be attracted to Draco. Of course they want each other; after all, isn't that what we're all expecting, and what we'd most often believed while writing the fic? So in another sense, it would be a sort of discontinuity, an unpleasant jolt, if Harry did react negatively (or 'realistically') to new-and-improved Draco; after all, wouldn't that go against the implied point of the ship? Isn't the point that 'we believe Harry should-- and therefore does-- want Draco'?
Well. That is the question, I think: in a given fanfic, do your goals and biases as the writer (and in a more meta sense, a reader) dictate how the characters act & react, or do the characters themselves (no matter what your interpretation of them) dictate those biases and generate the direction and flow of the story?
I mean, if the point is that you, the writer, believes Harry wants Draco, then Harry simply doesn't need a very good reason to do so besides 'omg Draco is obviously so hot/cool/sexy/yeay'-- that is, obviously to you, sure. Harry... well, who cares about Harry, he'll come around (does he have a choice? of course not!) Therefore what we have is a sort of meta fic; the characters exist to justify whatever goals you set for them, or otherwise to entertain. Their inner integrity extends as far as it allows the desired result; in other words, the ends justify the means. The underlying philosophy (or meta, I guess) basically comes down to: author over character, which is similar but has distinct differences from 'kink over character'.
I suppose that's where I feel I part ways with many ice-prince!Draco fics, at base: not in any particular interpretation, because a good writer can sell any interpretation of a character, and that's what fanfic is about. It's all about whether it feels like the fic (and the author by implication, in this case) is giving the characters a real choice as to whether he gets to want the other character or not, as to whether he finds his personality & attitude appealing or still pretty disgusting. It's all centered in that process as one writes; whether a writer (and probably also shipper) leaves open the door for uncertainty-- that central doubt of 'will it all work out?' & 'is there a really a chance?' that gives stories a sense of real romantic suspense.
A lot of H/D writers and OTP writers in general tend to have a great fondness or even adulation of one of the characters involved (in this case, usually Draco); that's perfectly normal as far as I can tell. A lot of us also believe that these two characters should, in fact, be together (or perhaps that they shouldn't: that can also be the inspiring bedrock belief); usually that they fit one another best and that they somehow illustrate an ideal that's important, either in general or in respect to the HP books. However, when applied to the actual writing of a story, this sort of romantic acceptance & belief (or disbelief!) both strengthens it and weakens it considerably, I think; strengthens because it allows the writer the patience to follow through and write until the positive end-goal is accomplished after whatever imagined hardship, and weakens because it basically predetermines the fic from the start and allows it no breathing room to really grow & surprise either the reader or the writer.
Let's face it: labelling something as being written for "H/D" or "S/R" tends to assure the reader that those two characters will at some point feel attracted to one another (leaving aside the unrequited love fics, which are starting to feel most authentic to me).
I think I ship H/D in particular at least partly because it's nigh impossible; because it's so difficult and so fraught with challenges. Given, I also ship it because they're cute together, are passionate and snarky & have fascinating many-layered conflicts-- but it's those conflicts, those intrinsic forces threatening and surrounding them that create that sense of hardship in the first place. Somehow, even after reading who-knows-how-many dozens and probably hundreds of H/D fics, I'm still not convinced it can work (or vice versa), and that's why I'm still interested enough to try.
In an interesting contrast, I ship what's often considered a 'boring' and predictable ship (Sirius/Remus) for similar reasons: there's all that betrayal, death and the boundary of time separating them, so it's rather challenging to imagine how it can work in spite & in the midst of all that, even for a little while.... And yes, perhaps all this is really dependent on the attitude of the shipper rather than the ship itself, that's what I'm saying.
I'm the sort of person who'll be excited when you list all the reasons ship X can't-won't-doesn't work. The more you tell me Hermione will break up with Ron after a month (because clearly Hermione needs a morenerdy intellectual man to be her equal-omg)? The more I want to see it happen. And the more you tell me Harry & Hermione are omgsosuited and wouldn't drive each other mad and it would be really quite nice? The more omg-bored-out-of-my-skull I feel. If, in fact, someone made a case for how Harry & Hermione would drive each other bonkers, I'd be interested! And yeah, I suppose that's another way of saying 'Reena is really contrary' and also, romantic tension = hot!
I really don't consider anything to do with human interaction all that predictable, even if similar things keep happening in cycles, over and over again. You can never be quite sure how another person (or character) will react, and that's enough to keep anyone on their toes. However, I get the feeling that most people don't read romantic fiction looking for that sense of frantic suspense but rather for reassurance; for reiteration of what they believe they already know: so-and-so are good/snarky/sexy together, the end.
So what am I saying? (Ah, the usual question.)
I'm saying, I guess, that I think the root of my fannish discontent has had to do less with the specifics of whatever characterization (though certainly top!Draco can annoy me and make me go WHYGODWHYWHYWHY), and more to do with that OMGWTFLOL reaction that strikes me at whatever changes because it doesn't strike the other characters. And it also has to do with that sense of creeping romantic certainty that isn't based on any real bedrock within the fic; I mean, I can't imagine myself finishing most current WIPs except maybe Underwater Light and Eclipse (...and actually also Plague of Legends and Love Under Will, heheh) just to see whether (not how! not when! whether!) Harry & Draco are, in fact, omg-MFEO-4evah this time.
It all comes back to the purple nose, dude. And the polka dots. Can't forget the polka dots.
I'm also saying Fiona's `The Way Things Are' is like, H/D-as-I-see-it in a nutshell <3<3<3 ...Fatalist? Meeeee? Neverrrr! If anything, 'cause my personal-fanon!H/D song is Ani's `As Is'; 'cause yeah... my ultimate dream? Is Harry understanding that Draco is an asshole who hides behind stupid excuses and pretends he's okay when he's not and lies to himself nearly all the time and you know... that's okay. He's not alone in that. And... imagine having no illusions about someone and loving them anyway; maybe I'm an incurable romantic after all, but yeah... I think that's what True Love is all about, and besides, otherwise it all feels like a great big lie that's bound to come crashing down sometime. Harsh Reality 101. I'd even say that it's only after you admit to yourself that your beloved is deeply flawed and that's all right that you can really love them deeply and it grows beyond infatuation.
But... I'm just not a believer by nature, if by 'belief' you mean unquestioned faith; so I wouldn't believe in a friend 'cause I know they're 'good'-- I'd stand by them even though I know they can be not-so-much. Actually... that might be part of what is usually misunderstood, considering I know I sound so certain, except I'm not. That's me; never certain about anything. :> Keeps things interesting, at least.
I think that's some sort of basic fantasy-fiction principle of keeping the all-important 'realistic consequence' clause to unlikely or sudden developments. So! If your aunt, for example, overnight grows a great big orange nose (or possibly you come back after 5 years to find this to be true)-- leopard-spotted, for instance-- you don't go, "oh, what an interesting color this evening! this really complements you, Auntie! well done!" No, you go, OMGWTFLOL!!1 This makes the reader able to identify with the character's reaction, thus lessening the blow of Teh Weird or in other words, some really outlandish change having occurred.
In the end, perhaps I can best liken my reaction to the phenomenon of new-and-improved!Draco (post-Hogwarts or not) to the many people who went 'wtf??!' at the new-and-improved Ginny in Order of the Phoenix. Here you could contrast her with Neville, who also underwent some changes but we could see them happen gradually throughout the book, and people's reactions shifted accordingly; Ginny, on the other hand, was changed clumsily & halfway retroactively. Meaning, while one could see where this character could have come from (and for some readers, that was enough), it was still a bit ridiculous that the others (basically Harry) just accepted this change without any real difficulties adjusting or 'wow, I still can't believe she's like this' moments.
Usually, you get this new-and-improved!Draco, and what happens? Harry's like, 'omg Draco is so different... how intriguing! how fascinating! I can't help but be strangely yet inexplicably attracted to the new-and-yummy him!' and then, possibly, '*angst*'. And as a reader, I'm like, 'Harry! Harry! wake up! it's Malfoy! Wake up!'
And I think this gets into the question of why people write about a certain pairing; and perhaps the assumption we have that because we're reading a fic labeled "H/D", of course Harry will be attracted to Draco. Of course they want each other; after all, isn't that what we're all expecting, and what we'd most often believed while writing the fic? So in another sense, it would be a sort of discontinuity, an unpleasant jolt, if Harry did react negatively (or 'realistically') to new-and-improved Draco; after all, wouldn't that go against the implied point of the ship? Isn't the point that 'we believe Harry should-- and therefore does-- want Draco'?
Well. That is the question, I think: in a given fanfic, do your goals and biases as the writer (and in a more meta sense, a reader) dictate how the characters act & react, or do the characters themselves (no matter what your interpretation of them) dictate those biases and generate the direction and flow of the story?
I mean, if the point is that you, the writer, believes Harry wants Draco, then Harry simply doesn't need a very good reason to do so besides 'omg Draco is obviously so hot/cool/sexy/yeay'-- that is, obviously to you, sure. Harry... well, who cares about Harry, he'll come around (does he have a choice? of course not!) Therefore what we have is a sort of meta fic; the characters exist to justify whatever goals you set for them, or otherwise to entertain. Their inner integrity extends as far as it allows the desired result; in other words, the ends justify the means. The underlying philosophy (or meta, I guess) basically comes down to: author over character, which is similar but has distinct differences from 'kink over character'.
I suppose that's where I feel I part ways with many ice-prince!Draco fics, at base: not in any particular interpretation, because a good writer can sell any interpretation of a character, and that's what fanfic is about. It's all about whether it feels like the fic (and the author by implication, in this case) is giving the characters a real choice as to whether he gets to want the other character or not, as to whether he finds his personality & attitude appealing or still pretty disgusting. It's all centered in that process as one writes; whether a writer (and probably also shipper) leaves open the door for uncertainty-- that central doubt of 'will it all work out?' & 'is there a really a chance?' that gives stories a sense of real romantic suspense.
A lot of H/D writers and OTP writers in general tend to have a great fondness or even adulation of one of the characters involved (in this case, usually Draco); that's perfectly normal as far as I can tell. A lot of us also believe that these two characters should, in fact, be together (or perhaps that they shouldn't: that can also be the inspiring bedrock belief); usually that they fit one another best and that they somehow illustrate an ideal that's important, either in general or in respect to the HP books. However, when applied to the actual writing of a story, this sort of romantic acceptance & belief (or disbelief!) both strengthens it and weakens it considerably, I think; strengthens because it allows the writer the patience to follow through and write until the positive end-goal is accomplished after whatever imagined hardship, and weakens because it basically predetermines the fic from the start and allows it no breathing room to really grow & surprise either the reader or the writer.
Let's face it: labelling something as being written for "H/D" or "S/R" tends to assure the reader that those two characters will at some point feel attracted to one another (leaving aside the unrequited love fics, which are starting to feel most authentic to me).
I think I ship H/D in particular at least partly because it's nigh impossible; because it's so difficult and so fraught with challenges. Given, I also ship it because they're cute together, are passionate and snarky & have fascinating many-layered conflicts-- but it's those conflicts, those intrinsic forces threatening and surrounding them that create that sense of hardship in the first place. Somehow, even after reading who-knows-how-many dozens and probably hundreds of H/D fics, I'm still not convinced it can work (or vice versa), and that's why I'm still interested enough to try.
In an interesting contrast, I ship what's often considered a 'boring' and predictable ship (Sirius/Remus) for similar reasons: there's all that betrayal, death and the boundary of time separating them, so it's rather challenging to imagine how it can work in spite & in the midst of all that, even for a little while.... And yes, perhaps all this is really dependent on the attitude of the shipper rather than the ship itself, that's what I'm saying.
I'm the sort of person who'll be excited when you list all the reasons ship X can't-won't-doesn't work. The more you tell me Hermione will break up with Ron after a month (because clearly Hermione needs a more
I really don't consider anything to do with human interaction all that predictable, even if similar things keep happening in cycles, over and over again. You can never be quite sure how another person (or character) will react, and that's enough to keep anyone on their toes. However, I get the feeling that most people don't read romantic fiction looking for that sense of frantic suspense but rather for reassurance; for reiteration of what they believe they already know: so-and-so are good/snarky/sexy together, the end.
So what am I saying? (Ah, the usual question.)
I'm saying, I guess, that I think the root of my fannish discontent has had to do less with the specifics of whatever characterization (though certainly top!Draco can annoy me and make me go WHYGODWHYWHYWHY), and more to do with that OMGWTFLOL reaction that strikes me at whatever changes because it doesn't strike the other characters. And it also has to do with that sense of creeping romantic certainty that isn't based on any real bedrock within the fic; I mean, I can't imagine myself finishing most current WIPs except maybe Underwater Light and Eclipse (...and actually also Plague of Legends and Love Under Will, heheh) just to see whether (not how! not when! whether!) Harry & Draco are, in fact, omg-MFEO-4evah this time.
It all comes back to the purple nose, dude. And the polka dots. Can't forget the polka dots.
I'm also saying Fiona's `The Way Things Are' is like, H/D-as-I-see-it in a nutshell <3<3<3 ...Fatalist? Meeeee? Neverrrr! If anything, 'cause my personal-fanon!H/D song is Ani's `As Is'; 'cause yeah... my ultimate dream? Is Harry understanding that Draco is an asshole who hides behind stupid excuses and pretends he's okay when he's not and lies to himself nearly all the time and you know... that's okay. He's not alone in that. And... imagine having no illusions about someone and loving them anyway; maybe I'm an incurable romantic after all, but yeah... I think that's what True Love is all about, and besides, otherwise it all feels like a great big lie that's bound to come crashing down sometime. Harsh Reality 101. I'd even say that it's only after you admit to yourself that your beloved is deeply flawed and that's all right that you can really love them deeply and it grows beyond infatuation.
But... I'm just not a believer by nature, if by 'belief' you mean unquestioned faith; so I wouldn't believe in a friend 'cause I know they're 'good'-- I'd stand by them even though I know they can be not-so-much. Actually... that might be part of what is usually misunderstood, considering I know I sound so certain, except I'm not. That's me; never certain about anything. :> Keeps things interesting, at least.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-06-05 03:05 am (UTC)the manga is a shonen, but um, not an adventure/fantasy/fight-based shonen? it's monster by kurosawa.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-05 03:19 am (UTC)Yeah, I've already gotten Monster ages ago, but as with 85% of the stuff I have, I haven't gotten to read it yet ^^;