reenka

The things people make from H/D never cease to amaze me, but 'one person being dominant in every way' is right up there in the wtf dept, definitely, ahahah. I dunno if HBP changed my reaction on that front, though maybe it's just that I was always attracted to their antagonism & the interpersonal conflict, so how could you have one of them dominate in 'every way'? And even then, topping's less a question of dominance (the one that demands submission) than a subtler sort of yang dynamic. God, I can't believe I resorted to the yin/yang thing, because I don't see Draco as 'yin-like', not really, but in relationship to Harry, I see where the balance tips slightly more in that direction. They're sort of um, developed enough as characters that they both have aspects of both tendencies, but it's not so much that I see Draco submitting as the issues being different for him in a way. Or something. He would just see it differently, and [this requires a whole separate essay to explain fully] Harry would just need more growth room to come to that pov, though he would. Harry's just the sort of person who would resist being pounced upon but will pounce himself when the situation reaches its fullness in his subconscious-- that's how H/G worked in HBP! Like, I always thought it was amazing the way Harry behaved around Ginny (re: Dean) the same way I see him reacting to Draco [in the jealousy/possessiveness/sudden-fixation dept]. Harry likes the pursuit; if anything, he's more toppish in HBP because the mouse [Draco] has given him the chase, heheh. So yes, ummm, to me it's not related to how complex/strong of a character Draco is but their dynamic (which shifted without breaking, rather sort of showing a different phase like the moon).

But yeah, I'm totally with you on the frustration with fandom's love for pigeonholing & need to define&judge, define&judge (and project). I think that's where a lot of misreadings of canon come from-- it's like people don't read everything because their minds automatically jump ahead and fill in what they -expect- to be there, to the point where they'll often be convinced that's what -is- there because isn't it what's -always- there? If you know what I mean :> Uniqueness, while making them more interesting, would also lessen their identification/idealization value (I think), so people gloss over it & see the pattern instead. That gap between 'this is who they are' vs. 'this is who I want them to be' is like, the fan's ultimate downfall no matter what the fandom situation, just 'cause identification/projection is probably one of the cornerstones of fannishness itself-- which is actually why I refuse to associate with the 'Draco fan' or 'Harry fan' meme, y'know? I don't project/identify/fixate on him as my canon-lens (through which to judge canon) & that's just the overwhelming way people are fans of any character in any fandom :/

Also: when you don't make sense, you still make a lot more sense than me when I do make sense, you know! :P