More HBP thoughts...

[lls_mutant]

Okay. I'm tired of the shipping thing now. Remus and Tonks happened. Whee. It sucks how it happened, but it didn't flat out rule out Remus/Sirius. As long as JKR doesn't do that in the follow-up interviews, I'll be happy. And if she does, I'll deal.

They are fictional characters, after all.

But they're also a very, very small part of the HBP plot. So...

Dumbledore and Snape.

Before I continue, let me say I'm NOT a Snape-girl. I like him as a character, but if he ends up being utterly evil in the end, fine, and if he ends up being decent in the end, that's fine too.

So. It looks like Snape is evil. BUT IS HE?

JKR has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer at times. Harry looks like James but has his mother's eyes. Lily was really good at potions. Dumbledore trusts Snape, and his hand was black and withered (and now's not the time to hear why). Remus looks more ragged and miserable than ever. And Dumbledore is associated with Phoenixes.

Order of the Phoenix. Pet phoenix. Phoenix patronus.

Um, is Dumbledore really dead at this point?

Sure, they buried him. And no, I don't expect to see Dumbledore back in the same form that we knew him. But is it possible that he has some powers in death (especially given his knowledge of ancient magic) that it was necessary for him to be killed to unleash those powers? Perhaps Dumbledore needed to die?

Hmmmm. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I like the fact that Dumbledore might have been wrong about Snape. On the other hand, I like the idea that Dumbledore might have been right. I'm not sure which I'd rather. Fortunately, it's not up to me :)

The Horcruxes were really, really interesting. I liked that idea, and I was really happy that I was right in AIL that Voldemort pre-1981 doesn't look exactly like Voldemort in the present. (I think I'll also find it a bit easier to write Voldemort, and was rather pleased to see I might have been right on in the little characterization I gave him.) So Harry's going questing. I'm wondering if he (or his scar) is a Horcrux, though. One thing I saw on HPfGU that I loved... is that scar a bolt of lightning? Or is it actually in the form of a snake? Good question, huh? I'm really, really looking forward to him going back to Godric's Hollow, and I'm really hoping Lupin (minus his newly acquired appendage- I refuse to believe they're not canon until I see confirmation) is his guide.

The scenes with Harry and Dumbledore going to get the locket? Best scenes in the book- in many of the books. LOVED it. The Inferni were really, really creepy (if yes, totally out of TTT), and the scene with Harry force-feeding Dumbledore the potion was just amazing. And the only time I almost cried was when Harry said something like "We'll be all right" and Dumbledore said "I know. I'm with you." THAT was the big wibble moment for me. Wow. And the locket? Oh, Regulus... I'm GLAD I put off starting Chapter 10 of Accidentally In Love, because now I can do you justice. (Because we all know R.A.B. is Regulus Black. Notice how he was mentioned twice in this book- once by Remus, and once by Slughorn.)

Okay. I lied. Kidlet-shipping. (Can you talk about this book and NOT talk about the kiddie-shipping?) Too, too funny, the whole way through. Ron and Lavender were SO high school, as was Hermione's reaction to it. I thought the whole thing went on a little long time-wise, but it was amusing. Harry/Ginny didn't bother me too much. I would have liked a little more buildup, but I didn't really feel the need for it, either. I've always thought it was going Harry/Ginny, so you didn't really need to convince me. And unlike certain psycho Aurors, they weren't talking marriage, so I didn't need a long history. I wish I could say more about the shipping sometimes, but eh.

More interesting: teachers. Or, anyway, more interesting to complain about. I rather liked Slugworth Slughorn. He was smarmy, but not disgusting. (All of you who think he was lusting after Lily, please stifle your giggles.) He was a "good" Slytherin- and doing it from the teacher's POV was interesting. Nice twist. He was definitely real. He could have been more interesting, but remember this: he wasn't a DADA prof. and that means he could actually be back next year. He's also another link to Harry's parents, so if Mr. Emotional Constipation keeps his silent-man act up, Harry's got a chance at getting some hard and solid info. Snape as the DADA prof was a bit of a disappointment, but I think Harry's outgrown his rivalry with Snape on a teacher/student level and moved on to man vs. man. Plus, Snape can't not admit Harry knows his stuff in DADA.

Oh, but how COOL was it that Voldemort had wanted that position, and he HAD cursed the job???? LOVED that.

Voldemort, of course, was one of the big stars of the book. I really enjoyed his backstory. The mother was an interesting character, and it really gave quite a twist on what I was expecting. From listening to good old Voldie, it sounds like his father went all Dursley-ish when his mother told him she was a witch. No, his father just objected to being forced into sex and marriage against his will. No WONDER he wanted nothing to do with them! Tom Riddle, Sr. would be an interesting character to work with, I think. That was a really nice twist that I really appreciated.

I was disappointed with most of the women in this- I agree with ignipes and copperbadge there, that too many of them were just there for romance. Tonks had no real role. McGonagall... what happened to McG? I love McG! (Although it was so great when she told Neville that his grandmother flunked Charms. Hehe!) And speaking of, I was hoping for more Gran (and more Neville, for that matter!!!) I didn't mind less Hermione- I think she got moved aside a little for Ron, and that's fine with me. I wanted more Ron and a little less Hermione this book- Hermione really annoyed me. But what about S.P.E.W.? What happened there? Did Hermione even remember it existed? The only girls who didn't disappoint me were Ginny, Molly, Luna, and Fleur. Fleur I expected to be a romantic interest. In fact, I expected her and Bill to get married much sooner. (And ironically, Bill existed to be Fleur's love interest, not the other way around. Did he even HAVE a line of dialogue in the entire book?) Ginny was what I expected Tonks to be- smart, fun, and handling her love life pretty well. Molly was exactly what I've always expected- she's the Weasley mother. I thought her objections to Bill/Fleur were actually rooted in reality pretty firmly (and Fleur DID make a couple of comments she shouldn't have), and her turn-about at the end when she realized Fleur not only wanted to still marry Bill, but was PROUD of him was totally realistic. That was when she realized "okay, maybe you are rushing a bit, but you really do love him, which is what I was worried about." And Luna... Luna cracks me up... except when she got so excited about Harry asking her to go to the party as a friend. There was just something so sad and touching there....

But there's also the huge problem that JKR has a world of hundreds of characters, and it's hard to keep track of everyone. A lot of characters got no screen time at all, and she had to introduce some new ones. (And she did. It would have been really obnoxious if all the new Quidditch players had been people we met already. Besides, McClaggen was great in his own utterly obnoxious way.)

So aside from Remus, Tonks, and Remus/Tonks, definitely a lot to squee about for me :)

Comments

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

No, his father just objected to being forced into sex and marriage against his will. No WONDER he wanted nothing to do with them! Tom Riddle, Sr. would be an interesting character to work with, I think. That was a really nice twist that I really appreciated.

That was a wonderful twist! I loved that it was actually Tom Jr.'s perception of his family that mattered, not the way they actually were. I take back everything I said about Jo writing only 2D villains. The Death Eaters are still way too simplistic (except Snape, obviously), but their leader really is kind of scary. He's a serial killer with delusions of granduer, a thirst for immortality, and -- most importantly -- the ability to pull it off.

Order of the Phoenix. Pet phoenix. Phoenix patronus.
Um, is Dumbledore really dead at this point?

Ah! He will return not as Saruman as he was, but Saruman has he should have--

Er. Sorry. Okay. Hey, it's not my fault. ;)

I wouldn't be surprised to see him again at some point. I realise that a lot of the LotR parallels really are in my head.* But even if we put LotR aside, it's not unusual to see the mentor return at key moments in some wise glowy form. (Of course, everyone thinks about Star Wars, but Star Wars is based on a much older mythological archetype.) Now that we know souls are strange and malleable things that don't really play by the rules we expected, it's even more possible. She's really playing the myth/mysticism aspect hard with the trio setting out on an honest-to-goodness quest for the Horcruxen (I refuse to use the plural "Horcruxes" because it makes me laugh), so a return visit from Dumbles wouldn't be out of place. He could pull it off, too. He's proven his power.

* Except for the entrance to the Mines of Moria and the Dead Marshes. That must be deliberate, to use such recognizable images from the most widely-read fantasy fiction ever. Just like the Roald Dahl sweets, JKR is playing tribute to writers who have influenced her, in her customary can't-miss-it fashion. And I actually thought the faces under the water was exceptionally fitting for the scene, since Tolkein got that image originally from the bodies in the trenches in WWI. Sometimes JKR gets her symbols just right, and that was one example.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Yeah- Voldemort really came a long, long way in this, and like you, I take back what I've said about Voldemort. I think I'll have a MUCH easier time writing him from now on, because there's something to him! As much as R/T annoyed me in this book, I really gained respect for certain aspects of JKR's writing.

(And you're so right about Gauntcest. In fact, -I'm- almost tempted. Although not with any details. Ditto Lupin/Greyback, because I am a sucker for writing consequences-of-rape fic.

But even if we put LotR aside, it's not unusual to see the mentor return at key moments in some wise glowy form.

Exactly. And she's set the precedent that people CAN return in glowy forms, in a variety of ways. Memories from wands, Patroni, portraits (and DD's portrait is already there)... etc.

I thought the Inferni was incredibly fitting as well, and really, truly creepy. There's a 9 year old girl that lives next door that's really into the books (she came over yesterday with her sister and gave me some souveniers from the HBP release party they went to- and apparently they tried booger flavored BBbeans, as well!), and I'm dying to know her reaction to the Inferni. But she's away, and although she's a quick reader, I doubt she's done QUITE yet :) (Especially since her mom keeps stealing the book.)

And please tell me you kept thinking Slugworth every time Slughorn was around!!!!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

(In fact, don't put it past me to make that part of why Lupin was moping at Christmas. Gods, DD was mean- making him go hang around with the guy who bit him!!!! And oh yeah, Greyback is SO showing up (minus the slash bits, methinks, because Lupin has enough to deal with) in Accidentally In Love. And now I have a decent beginning for the Damien-Remus-Marilyn story about Remus's bite. Because you KNOW Damien and Greyback would be way too much fun to write.)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I thought that was why he was in such miserable shape. I think everybody jumped to him pining about love (whoever that love might be) because of the song, but Remus says that he's been living almost literally underground with that absolute monster of a man, largely cut off from everybody, spying on people who hate in for the cause of a society that doesn't much like him, either. Does he really need more or a reason to be in bad shape?

And, yeah, the Greyback thing just begs for Remus angst, doesn't it? I mean, Greyback at the end going on and on about the flesh of children, how much he likes to hunt children...JKR's Giant Sledgehammer of Obviousness is pounding out the words "Child Molester" plain for all to see.

There is so much good stuff in this book. And, really, only a few pages of truly awful stuff, which isn't that difficult to ignore.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

You know, that makes sense. I can understand some pining for Sirius (especially at Christmas), but that makes a lot more sense. I really feel for Lupin in ways. Someone else said that's the real reason he didn't write to Harry- he WAS clinically depressed and didn't feel like he could hide it. Okay, I'll believe that, and take back anything nasty I said about him there. But I still object to Tonks losing her powers. (The more serious, somber nature, fine- but I would have at least liked to see a spark (or more) of her old self. And the hospital scene still sucks.)

The Greyback thing is TOTALLY begging for Remus angst, in so many ways. If I was really cruel, I'd have him threatening to bite Harry unless Remus put out. Fortunately for Remus, that doesn't work except for the time when I'm trying to not load any more angst on (pre-1981). Once 1981 hits, Harry's far too well protected and Remus can tell Greyback "fuck you, no." But yeah, definitely Child Molester.

There is a ton of great stuff. Actually if you took out the Remus/Tonks part of the hospital scene, and gave Tonks some of her spark back here and there, I'd have very little to complain about! (Okay, maybe it would have been nice for Sirius to leave his best friend SOMETHING in his will. I mean, come on, Sirius. A few Galleons, at least? Something to remember him by? Sheesh.)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

The Greyback thing is TOTALLY begging for Remus angst, in so many ways.

So many delicious ways! And not all of them over-the-top; some are quite necessary for Remus' story. Kris reminded me (after deciding that she wasn't going to leave the fandom forever *g*) that in prankstersguide I was going to have to deal with the moment when Remus' father told Remus that he had been bitten on purpose. Can you imagine? (Well, yes, of course you can.) What an awful parent-child conversation to have! But great story material.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

First off, thanks for talking down krislaughs! I love her writing and her art, and besides, her AUs are awesome- and since they're AU, who cares what Remus is doing with Tonks now?

See, THIS is why I'm thinking Damien meeting John would be really, really interesting (and possibly a little scary), because John WOULD tell Remus and I immediately knew that Damien didn't (but as we know, Remus finds out anyway). That was such a little gem JKR tossed at us!!!!

I am thinking I need to find new communities, though. Some of the ones on LJ are even getting a little scary. We'll see what happens by next week. ::sigh::

femgenficthon, here I come!!!!!

[mizjellybean.livejournal.com]

Sorry, this is of course the Ms. Jellybean of the MRFH forums. I like this review of the book or whatever you want to call it. I'm working on getting something typed up for my LJ, instead of my current inane ramblings about NC Nerd Convention.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I thought that was you when I saw it! Thanks- I'm having much fun ranting and raving.

[aura218.livejournal.com]

But is it possible that he has some powers in death (especially given his knowledge of ancient magic) that it was necessary for him to be killed to unleash those powers?

Goes with ym theory that there was some magicy thing between Snape and DD. I think there was some spell between them that wouldn't have worked if Snape wasn't truly trustworthy.

Hah, I kept calling him 'Slugworth,' too.

ITA on all the stuff you said ab the cave scene. (Btw, all the signs of DD's vulnerability and passing on knowledge to Harry were a hint, but when we got to the cave and the lake, I knew it was all over for DD.) Inferi? Awesome. I really REALLY want to see a whole army of them swathing across a battlefield. Dropping body parts, eating brains ...

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I really do wonder about Dumbledore. I don't trust the old guy completely... and I really wouldn't put it past him to have something up his sleeve!

I'm glad someone else kept thinking Slugworth. Now I have to go see the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie! (Not that I didn't have to do it anyway.)

Ok, I know. The Inferi were AWESOME. That whole cave scene was so creepy. I mean, one of her best sequences EVER. THAT was why I loved HBP- just for the cave sequence. ::sighs happily::

And you can bet I'm going to have a blast with that fanfic-wise....

[aura218.livejournal.com]

Lol, yeah, it's going to be seriously disturbing to see the bodies all white and sluglike just under the surface of the water. I wonder if it'll get a PG13 for that. I'm thinking people won't be taking their lttle-littles to see Goblet, because of the (totally awesome) graveyard scene.

And you can bet I'm going to have a blast with that fanfic-wise....

The inferi? Coooool. Yeh, zombie armies are awesome. That's my biggest HP wishlist item: an army of the dead in one of the movies. But don't reply to this with any spoilers!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering what GoF is going to be rated. Do you know yet? I also thought even the first one, with Voldemort/Quirrell was pretty creepy! But yeah, HBP is going to make an AWESOME movie.

Heh. I'm going to have to see GoF as soon as it comes out, given that I'm due the week after!

[aura218.livejournal.com]

I checked the website, GoF isn't rated yet. I'm thinking prolly PG, but with a "frightening imagry" warning somewhere in the billing.

I'm going to have to see GoF as soon as it comes out, given that I'm due the week after!

Oh, no, pregnant lady getting up to pee every 20 minutes! You could download it... :)