horchata | Holy crap, that's why I read fanfiction.

So I have spent the last couple days reading Harry Potter fic, and swimming around in the fandom and the mood that the fandom gives me. I still cannot believe that the fandom was buzzing around 2003, and that was, like, seven years ago, that just blows my mind. I was really only tangentially into the fandom at the time, hanging around places like The Sugar Qull before it was a huge repository of lots of fic, like when it was just a golden html background with really primitive gifs. And, anyway, the part of fandom I never really found was the Harry/Draco part of fandom. In the past couple days, thanks to a post that

bookshop made about Draco, I've read a crapload of really good fic, and I think I'll make a recs post in a few days, but the one fic I really want to talk about while we're here is the Sacrifices Arc a.k.a., the Connor Potter stories.

OH MY GOD.

I am only halfway through the second book. I really want to write this big paragraphy review-like thing, but I am tired, I have work tomorrow and I still want to start this discussion (if anyone is willing to have it with me), so I am gonna record this shit in bullet-form:

I hate mind control, manipulation and stifling of free will, so I am already trying to look past those automatic 'back-button' triggers so fucking hard because I really hope that there are going to be Consequences for Harry being programmed so thoroughly. I seriously fucking cannot take mind control. Like, I hate it. I also hate when people squash their intelligence or competency for the sake of others. I hate that in real life, and it is really bothering me to see it in fic, because fic is my escape world, you know? I don't need to see things I hate being done by characters I want to love in my escape time. But I have enough faith in the story to hope that someone's going to open Harry's mind up to what happened to him and that things are going to change. They need to. I am keeping the faith and I hope it happens.
This Draco is not my Draco. He's too childish. I mean, I am trying to remember that Draco is twelve and that he actually has a friend in this series, but he's still immature and super optimistic and I don't really get it. I'm hoping Draco gets a little more hard-edged as the series progresses, because I am having a difficult time believing him. That said:
Oh my gosh, Draco is giving me little heart swells in this story. Oh, gees. I think the "dance" thing is cheesy, but I am willing to look over it because I think that all pureblood ritual/tradition things are stupid and fucking cheesy anyway, so it doesn't surprise me that it would be referred to as a "dance." And that Draco would be good at it. And use it to help Harry. Oh, wibble.
Oh! I think I just put my finger on what bothers me about the Draco in this series! So far he has no bite. He has done nothing super clever. In fact, he's been willing to play a second fiddle, which is so not like Draco. He's... tamed? Defanged. I don't like it. I like a Draco with bite. I also have faith that the story will give Draco his bite back. That is my hope.
I love that Harry and Hermione are still extremely well-matched and that they have an incredible connection of equality and understanding. OH MY GOSH I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. I am also excited to see them interact in the future, because I have to believe that the author would not world-build to create those hints that Hermione and Harry are still just as equally smart as the other without the intention of doing something with it in the end.
I have a theory that Harry and Connor were meant to be the same person and that they were split somehow or something. Connor acts exactly like Harry did in the books a lot of the time, with his rashness and stuff, and that is the vibe I'm getting, that they are two peas of the same pod that weren't supposed to be two peas.
Have I mentioned how much I hate Harry's programming? Holy fuck, I hate it.
I also dislike how emotional Sirius is being right now in the second book. WTF. I also really don't like Harry's distrust of Dumbledore, but this is probably because I loved Dumbledore fiercely in the books, and I really want him to be super good here.
Oh my gosh, I love McGonagall so much, no matter where she is, in any fic, no matter what she is doing. I think it is impossible to write her in a way that is not flattering. She is amazing. And she is super super fantastically amazing here.
The world-building with all of these formalities and pureblood scripts and everything is insane. All of the proper codes and addresses Harry's learned, all of the traditions, they are ridiculously thought-through. They feel a little silly, but again I think it's because I personally think that's all a bit silly.
On another note: LUNA! NEVILLE! JUSTIN!!!! OH WHICH REMINDS ME:
OH MY GOSH, THE REASON I CAME HERE TO WRITE THIS, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE HUFFLEPUFFS! HOLY CRAP holy crap, I LOVE the way that the author is respecting the Huffs. HOLY SHIT they are actualfax one of my favorite Houses, just because I imagine that they are all way more clever and awesome than anyone really gives them credit for, and that they are totally comfortable with that and stuff. Like, fuck that "Helga took all the rest" shit. The Huffs are pretty special, clever people who get it on a really important level, a personal level, a respectful level. That is amazing and awesome.
I am also SO EXCITED to see all this talk of uniting the houses and wanting unity and peace and cooperation. I know it will take a while but I also have faith that we're gonna see it. Holy crap this is gonna be so epic and so fun. UGH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

I am worried about how dark it's going to get, though. I don't know about that. I will need people to do some hand-holding, okay? I just really want it all to be okay in the end.

ANYWAY BACK TO THE STORY, :DDDDD

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THE HUFFLEPUFFS ARE MADE OF YAY. She is so amazing with secondary/minor characters, it is ridic. I ended up caring about OCs as much, if not more, than canon characters! (Ignifer and Honoria and Sylarana and Adalrico = ♥♥♥)

It is SO HUGE. You hit Book 6 and you go, wait, so Saving Connor was her novella?

OH, OH. Somtheing to be prepared for: Characters make mistakes, regret them/try to fix things/swear not to do it again, and then they...make the same kind of mistake. Just like real people! But usually fiction has a person's Issues resolved once and not as an ongoing Thing, so it was a little weird for me until I realized why she was doing it.

I've only met Sylarana and I am going to FLIP SHIT if(/when? -- oh god don't tell me) any harm becomes her.

The books get LONGER after this? This one is 271 pages! WHAT THE HELL SO AWESOME

they...make the same kind of mistake. Just like real people!
That is actually going to be hard to read, I think. I am definitely used to issues not being an ongoing struggle in fictional characters, that's going to be hard to overcome. But I accept the challenge!

Man, but Connor really is a prat. A PRAT. At least here and now.

Holy crap, that's why I read fanfiction.

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