Subject: Re: Elkins' Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame. Yet Sympathetic.

[northsouth17]

No: HPFGUIDX 124583


Nicky Joe:
> I don't really buy the hurt/comfort theory in relation to the "bad
> boy" characters that readers love to love. <snip about romance 
novels> The hurt/comfort theory is more of
> a maternal feeling - we feel that way toward Harry because he's had 
a
> difficult life and we want to fix him up. But we don't feel any
> attraction for him, we simply want to mother him. However, Sirius
> Black, Lucius Malfoy, and possibly Snape are far more attractive.
> Yes, they are broken and need fixing. But the prize at the end of
> that fixing is not a happy little boy, it is a virile beast that 
will
> worship the ground you walk on <more snipped> It's not a matter
> of "healing" them, it's a matter of "changing" them. We want them to
> be who they are, just better. <and more> 
BTW,
> Draco had exposed too many cowardly tendencies to be taken seriously
> as a possible hero. Maybe he'll toughen up a bit.
> 

Just to make sure I've gotten it straight - hurt/comfort is not the 
reason we find bad boys attractive, thats a kind of determined 
DIYism. All h/c does is give us maternal, non sexual feelings. (Which 
does not require that we get off on sadism. Oh well, it was a spicy 
thought...)

My problem is that Draco is not only sympathized with, he is also 
often found to be sexually attractive. Whether or not he gets h/c is 
irrelevant in this case, beacause that's not what does it. 
Unfortunately, canon Draco has nothing in the way of Bad Boy-DIY-
Makeover-Guy going for him either. (You just don't end up with 
anything worthwhile even once he's been fixed up). All this sexual 
attraction it seems is not for canon Draco, but rather for the badboy!
Draco constructed by Fanon. 

The question though, is why? Why is there so much sexually attractive 
Draco in fanon, when there isn't so much of Ron or Harry, for 
example, or Neville or Percy. Why are they not twisted into, say, 
sexilysensitive!Neville or cool,dangerous!Percy or something, while 
Draco is. (or StrongandSilent!Goyle. Adorablyloyal!Crabbe. 
OldFashoinedGentleman!Flint. Wickedlyseductive!Peter.) 

Northsouth
Worldweary!Crouch, OverworkedLeaderwithVision!Voldemort, 
DashingWittyEccentic!Phineas, outofmalecharacters!northsouth