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Tweak says, "You taught him well..."

hdcup_mod (hdcup_mod) wrote in hd_worldcup,
@ 2008-04-27 14:47:00

Entry tags:

fic, nc-17, prompt: the hanged man, round i, team ewe

The Arc of the Pendulum - Team EWE
Title: The Arc of the Pendulum
Team: EWE
Author: brummell
Prompt: The Hanged Man
Wordcount: 30,262
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: A bit of gore
Summary: After his father casts a mysterious curse on Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy is forced to try to make things right.
Author's Note: This is an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, with some tribute paid to Disney's 1991 animated feature. Many thanks to my betas, w and b.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Arc of the Pendulum

For a description of teams, please see our FAQ.

Poll #1515
Open to: All, results viewable to: None

1. Is the author/artist true to their team? Yes/No vote ("yes" is worth 2 points, "no" is worth 0)

2. How well did the author/artist use their Prompt? 1 to 9 (1 being the least)

3. How much did you like this story/art overall? 1 to 9 (1 being the least)

(Post a new comment)

	klynie1 2008-04-27 03:00 pm UTC (link)
	Wonderful story. I love how everything in this is flipped, as if the reader is being exposed to a photo and its negative, both at the same time. You've interpreted your card perfectly. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:12 am UTC (link)
	I am so very pleased with your photo analogy, and I thank you for it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	purelush 2008-04-27 03:16 pm UTC (link)
	I'm not a H/D shipper, but I absolutely loved this story. Beautiful storytelling - I like how vulnerable they both are and how it's about human connection and not sex. Well done! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:12 am UTC (link)
	Thank you very much! I'm so glad you enjoyed this. (Reply to this) (Parent)

lilithilien
2008-04-28 12:04 am UTC (link)

Absolutely wonderful -- I'm quite surprised that a werewolf story is one of my favourites of the whole World Cup, but this story was fantastic. You had me on the edge of my seat right up until the very end. You also developed the themes of the tarot card in such depth. The sense of stagnation as time passed, and the dawning realisation of what Harry had always meant -- I just loved it!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:13 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much! I'm so glad to know that you enjoyed this, and that you thought it fit well with the themes of the prompt. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2008-04-28 02:36 am UTC (link)
	Fabulous! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:13 am UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	faelivrinn 2008-04-29 09:34 am UTC (link)
	Loved it! This story is now one of my all-time favourites! ^__^ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:14 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much! I'm very glad you enjoyed it :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

ice_is_blue
2008-05-02 07:13 pm UTC (link)

I would posit that you did a bit more with the Beauty and the Beast story than adapting it and paying tribute. In this, one could suggest that the most spectacular transformation was not Harry to wolfy!brain and back again, but of Draco's transformation from beast to man.

And then he thought further, and realised that every time he had tried to help someone, it had meant helping himself, too... all of his efforts in these areas had been made because he thought and counted on the fact that doing so would make life easier for himself.

That's where Draco starts to be less of a beast and more like a socialized man.

The same meta suggestion could never be made of Disney's Belle (a goody-two-shoes all around, bless her little, book-loving heart), nor really of the female protagonist in the traditional tale.

You've managed to add a layer of !reversed! emotional depth to a well-trod story, so mark this as a job well done.

Great characterization and being a fun read helped, too. ;)

(Reply to this)

	leela_cat 2008-05-08 11:06 pm UTC (link)
	Lucius insane, Harry cursed, Draco trying not to fall apart. You took these three intriguing pieces and made more than simply an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with them. And that the ending did not simply happen as an automatic reaction to Draco's act was perfect. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:15 am UTC (link)
	Thank you very much. I'm so glad you enjoyed this - especially the ending, since I was afraid people would think I was needlessly prolonging the angst after the curse was broken. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ships_harry 2008-05-10 06:12 pm UTC (link)
	Fantastic. Wonderful approach, and the mangled curse was a genuinely disturbing concept. Excellent story! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:15 am UTC (link)
	Thank you very much! I'm so glad you enjoyed this. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	this_girl_is 2008-05-17 09:45 am UTC (link)
	bookmarks You really captured the feel of a fairy tale without it being overly stilted. I like the way crazy!Lucius is still very much in character, still cunning and ruthless and determined to achieve the same goals he has always had. I basically enjoyed everything about this story. :o) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-25 01:16 am UTC (link)
	I'm so pleased that Lucius' madness worked! I was so afraid it would be over-the-top for everyone. Thank you for this lovely comment :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

ciraarana
2008-05-25 04:27 pm UTC (link)

I'm so sorry that I only now found the time to read your story. Drat, I missed voting for this. A real shame. But I can still comment. Though there isn't that much to say except loveloveloved it! Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favourite Disneys and to have the plot combined with H/D is *love*.

Very clever idea, too, the reversed werewolf. Poor Harry, struggling so hard. I thought his struggles were very convincing and real, for lack of better words. And I loved his dog-like characteristica (shaking water out of his hair, running after a ball ...).

Draco was absolutely, heartbreakingly beautiful. His decision to sacrifice himself for Harry because Harry had become his whole life ... *sniffs* *renderedspeechless*

Truly Outstanding. I want to hug the story and snuggle into bed with a nice cup of cocoa and read it again. I'll definitely add this to my memories.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ex_brummell440 2008-05-28 04:15 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked Harry's dogginess; I had a lot of fun coming up with activities he might enjoy if he were trying to live with a dog brain. And I'm glad Draco's reasons for sacrificing himself worked for you. So happy you enjoyed this! (Reply to this) (Parent)