~~ mmmpretty

[reenka]

Omg, this Marauders pic by leelastarsky is too amazing, seriously. This is what AU fanart-- and maybe even fanart/illustration itself-- is all about. Seeing the subject in a new way; that feeling of oh!, that startlement where things flip from head to toe & yet make more sense than they ever did before, because that image both deeply alters and reconstructs one's conception of a singular fictional reality-- the one in the reader's head. Omgsqueeyes!
    (Leela's gen pics-- like this one of Harry & Ron & the Malfoys with the omg-so-bratty!Draco with his vicar's collar of LURVE & hee, Godric!!... and Celtic!R/Hr seems obvious somehow-- and seriously, now I'm shipping her version of Arthur/Molly o_0 ...They all tend to make me happy in general, but. Man.)

This is pretty much everything I feel defines the Marauders, exaggerated and reforged and put into complete crystalline focus, all at the same time. Dude. Dude!
    Perhaps it's because I feel we -are- our wild, primal, wicked (Dark? no, not quite) selves. We are our shadows, moreso the more righteous we think we become. And I think while the four of them were ultimately on the 'right' side, they were clearly forces of chaos and half-wild play (except Remus, who knew too much & said too little, and Peter, who played 'follow the leader' more than anything).
    All four of them, wicked in their own special ways. Peter was only cunning-wicked (which is one of those weaknesses necessary for survival); that just means James was righteous-wicked (the least chaotic, most focused-- and yeah, trying to resist 'heroic'-- king in training? something like that). Sirius was rageful-wicked (pretty much your archetypical pirate boy and/or god of war) and Remus was (obviously) beast/berserker-wicked. Perhaps it's most correct to say they were all beastly in different ways, then.

I just really love it; re-envisioning things, that is. It seems to me the very food of my imagination. It's like, if something is worth telling, it's worth retelling, and no two retellings could (should?) be exactly alike.

    I'd seen someone refer to this mindset as being of the 'bardic tradition' recently in regards to the Robin Hobb fanfic kerfuffle, and maybe it is-- but to me it's just natural. I've loved both fairy-tales and retelling them since I'd learned to read. Possibly, truly complex/filled-in (lived in) stories are more limiting; they possess the full specificity of their time and place and maybe feel more like histories than history does. I wonder if this has something to do with me not liking most fiction set entirely in the here-and-now; without the element of fantasy & the unknown past/present/future/other, I am reminded I really have a minimal interest in people's lives at times. Maybe I'm just an escapist bitch who -likes- her canon!Draco 2D, actually, thankyouverymuch. He's freer that way. Also, I feel I know how JKR thinks on this subject by now well enough to realize if he gets more developed, he pretty much gets the boot-in-the-ribs treatment.
    (And yes, I realize I've become v. picky & anal about the lil D in fanfic post-OoTP, but that's mostly my frustrations with a lack of dealing with the Issues I care about rather than any specific no-no about characterization. Except mebbe nice!Draco, who's just hell no, perfect-Slytherin!Draco who makes me sick after repeated exposure to him with Blaise and/or Nott and/or him topping Harry, and smooth-yet-rational!Draco who makes me want to smack him and shove him head-first into a hurt/comfort fic with het!Harry. Oh yes, I am a cruel mistress, Draco baby.)

It seems like archetypes-- heavily symbolic stories & characters (like the Marauders)-- beg for multiplicity. Their uniqueness may in fact lie in their very adaptability, their flexibility in storytelling use. It is probably because the HP books come to close to the roots of old legends that I feel such ease in playing with them. I can almost smell the left-over smoke from borrowed fires as I think about them.

Comments

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm just an escapist bitch who -likes- her canon!Draco 2D, actually, thankyouverymuch.

Doesn't everyone? *clueless face*

Also, HAHA OMG HAVE YOU EVER READ HANAKIMI?! *is currently taking teh crossdressing-girl-in-prettyboy's-school-crack in very large doses* It's like... all the crackiest woe-iest fluffiest mary-sueiest fics all rolled into one big ball of happy shoujo love. Umeda. UUuuummmeeeeee-DA! *is going to make a long-ass post about it when she's done with all 23&1/2 volumes*

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Some people... er... well, most people either don't like canon!Draco, to my knowledge, or feel he should be given a break and/or a (bigger) point and/or Potter's head on a plate, the poor baby, he deserves it. Okay, I made that last part up.

...I've been kind of scared of Hanakimi, as I tend to be of all/most uber-popular things. I haven't watched (the rest of) Utena or read/watched probably more than half the popular stuff on purpose, kinda. I like the art & have been kinda-sorta planning on reading it, though. It -is- longass and man, I haven't even gotten through Legend of Basara yet. Le sigh.

Possibly if I read W Juliet I'd be more psyched about the cross-dressing/genderbender thing, which I tend to avoid in shoujo. Hehe, but I hear there's a cute gay doctor :))

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

as I tend to be of all/most uber-popular things.

Hahaha so emo. *sits on you* Didn't stop you when it came to HP, now did it?

OMG! UMEDA! U-M-E-D-A! Hanakimi is totally worth his hot doctor arse. *drools all over the place* And Mizuki always catches him when he's about to get nookie too XD. It's hilarious. And Nakatsu is so Ron it hurts. Especially when he's freaking out cos he thinks he's 'a homo' and a little 3 year old kid he's babysitting calls him 'a homo' as well!. XD XD XD *dies* I love it when the Japanese use that word.

Sorry, I'm just stuck in pathetic fangirl mode right now. I should be more attentive to the topic at hand.

Most people are weird. How can you not like canon!Draco? He's so... canon. Yes, I guess I am weird. *le sigh... goes back to Umeda Hanakimi fangirling*

[shaggirl.livejournal.com]

dude, did I miss your birthday?

*meeps*

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

It's okay!! *hugs*
...though now I'm wondering if it was semi-wanky to even mention it, 'cause it seems to inspire guilt. *facepalm* ♥

[shaggirl.livejournal.com]

Of course it's not wanky. I am just lame and never realize it's anyone's bday until a day later. I hope it was a happy one.

*smooch*

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

This whole Draco with Nott thing - he has *stringy hair*! Why would Draco *do that*? It baffles me! Why not just pair him with Crabbe and Goyle?

(Lord God in thy mercy, pair him not with Crabbe and Goyle.)

Yet I still maintain against all your fire that he and Harry should switch. I hate you, bottom!Draco, you have a tendency to cry when Harry doesn't love you. I hate you, I hate you, and real Draco would mock you and trip you on the stairs and then you'd sit around looking beautiful and emo.

Maybe smooth!Draco would come along and shag him then of course, we all know he'd shag everything. Including Snape, in his cool way.
Oh fanon Dracos, you could be so happy together!

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Heeee!! ...Man, did I mention that in my Death Eater!Draco novella, I have him shave himself bald for Voldemort??
...I was kinda thinking of you and of your Draco's greatest horror when I did it :))

I totally think he & Harry should switch! :D I just don't like him always topping Harry and Harry whimpering & pleading for mercy, 'cause that sort of scares me and possibly also Draco (I hope). And yet, so wide-spread. ^^;;
...Crying!Draco scares me too, as does crying!Harry. Crying!Harry scares me more... maybe... because... well, no, it's probably pretty equal. They neither of them should wibble about the other's harsh and cruel ways, my god. Though it's true that Harry's the emo one in the relationship >:D

....I can totally see smooth!Draco shagging bottom!Draco o_0
I want to write this now and it's ALL YOUR FAULT OMG!!1 *dead*

[cercaluna.livejournal.com]

I wonder if you know that you are like, THE AUTHORITY I look to in terms of Draco characterization. :))))

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Heee :)) Is it because I'm so vocally hard-ass and/or nitpicky about it or... well, that's the only reason I can think of :> ♥

[cercaluna.livejournal.com]

It is because you talk about it so much! :)) No, really. It's because it's always so well thought out and right and just um, also, your criteria intimidates me. But! Nevertheless. ♥.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hee! I get more perfectionist the more I care about something, I think :> But I don't really think my criteria are most 'canon' or anything, just that the things I dislike the most have had the most badfic written about them. There are definitely ways to write smooth!Draco in a way I'd like. Like, I've liked what I've read of Draco Veritas, for instance :))
It's all in the execution!
And also, I'm much more hardass in general than in specific. Unless you write Harry being impressed by the coolness of Draco and are not Maya; then I may have to cry a little :>

[disruptivespace.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, I think i missed this Robin Hobb fanfic kerfuffle. Details? I know that she very vocally discourages fanfic; did someone have the guts to defy her? If so, ermmm....link please. apparently, my fitz/fool craving has no shame.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think it was on fandom_wank if that's what you're wondering, though the earlier fanfic-is-all-crap stuff that lead up to this in my mind was here (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/732225.html) & here (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/733643.html). I mostly only found the Robin Hobb links through Aja, here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/bookshop/556047.html).

I don't know what spurred her most recent editorial or anything, though.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

It's probably a sign that I've been emoting too much in RL that at I am so zen about fanon Draco right now. He could be smooth, funky, give inspiring speeches, top Harry, hog all the scenes and fight evil, and I still would appreciate that a fangirl, somewhere, is getting a happy.

Then she will wank about HBP and I will want to slap her.

*dives into fanboypile at narutofan.com* They care too much about the size of their dicks, but at least they don't care about anything else.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

...I sort of like him fighting evil if someone could manage it...
Though possibly this just has to do with liking to see him handling a sword. *leer*

Everyone wanks about HBP. I mean. Lesser or greater than, but. Yeah, pretty much if you're an HP fan/critic, you'll wank about HBP somehow. Except me, who is perfect & saintly & merely looks forward to it quietly ;)