reenka

You know, I'm all in favor of intelli-emo. :) I remember you saying, once, that you thought extremely messed up teenage boys were kind of endearing; and I remember thinking well, I don't think they're endearing when they're all gloomy and cutting themselves and being hostile and unhygienic, but on the other hand I do feel a charged-up nostalgia for all the hyper-rawness and confusion that was wierdly energizing because of the way it suggested new feelings out there. And I think your Harry, here, is still in this phase, still bouncing and hopping from the pain rather than being all curled up and nihilistic. If, um, that makes the remotest sense. So yeah, I really do like the story.

in a sparkly bouncy way

Sparkly and bouncy, by all means! I think that's why I thought of pachinko, because my syster used to have a toy pachinko game when she was little, your post looked a little bit like how I remember the board. :) I suppose pachinko is kind of crusty and space-age, but it's interesting how it's part of a whole tradition (is it a particularly Japanese tradition? I think of J-pop this way) that combines overstimulation/trance with sweetness/comfort. It's such a bizarre combination, as if you were putting syrup on fish. And the wierdest thing is that it works, it's sort of disorienting but addictive. And staring at your post made me think of that; which may just mean I need an MRI. :p