Imagine going to a decadent club where you have to shed your morals at the door; imagine exotic, strange and even truly weird; imagine darkness, intrigue and hints of macabre; and imagine the owner coming up to you and telling you he wants you with a singlemindedness that can creep the living daylights out of you! Yes, Draco definitely needs a lot of sunlight and fresh air and open space around him. The way the set up is right now, no truly sane person will find himself/herself attracted to him. In that atmosphere, even the purest of emotions can look like malevolent stalking.
And still, even after all this, I find that I cannot really sympathize with Harry. Because Harry is much too manipulative, much too dishonest, much too sub-human than his creepy stalker who has laid his feelings bare. In his quest for perfection and efficiency, Harry has stopped being Harry. He is as much mentally and emotionally sick as Draco, but whereas Draco can admit to his weakness, Harry refuses to even acknowledge it. If all that he wants to project is professionalism, there are many very effective and least hurtful ways to achieve it, and yet he chooses to belittle Draco at every opportunity, still stuck in the playground. Of course thats because he feels drawn to Draco and wants to fight it, but thats such a big chink in his wall of imperturbability that its strange he can't see it himself.
Really good story, where both the protagonists are flawed and broken, and sympathy is with the plot rather than the characters; its my guess that its intentional on your part. I find myself drawn more and more to the mystery that was Keatson with each chapter, and can't wait to find out how he died. And the new twist that you gave to the club, where parents come to sleep, has blown me away; I never saw that coming.
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Date: 2009-09-15 02:14 pm (UTC)And still, even after all this, I find that I cannot really sympathize with Harry. Because Harry is much too manipulative, much too dishonest, much too sub-human than his creepy stalker who has laid his feelings bare. In his quest for perfection and efficiency, Harry has stopped being Harry. He is as much mentally and emotionally sick as Draco, but whereas Draco can admit to his weakness, Harry refuses to even acknowledge it. If all that he wants to project is professionalism, there are many very effective and least hurtful ways to achieve it, and yet he chooses to belittle Draco at every opportunity, still stuck in the playground. Of course thats because he feels drawn to Draco and wants to fight it, but thats such a big chink in his wall of imperturbability that its strange he can't see it himself.
Really good story, where both the protagonists are flawed and broken, and sympathy is with the plot rather than the characters; its my guess that its intentional on your part. I find myself drawn more and more to the mystery that was Keatson with each chapter, and can't wait to find out how he died. And the new twist that you gave to the club, where parents come to sleep, has blown me away; I never saw that coming.
Good chapter.