June 2003

[archives] [pointless ramblings] [much-ado.net]

Saturday, June 28, 2003

Blah blee blah bleh blee.

Well, I had a nice two days off. =) I posted the first bit of my Ronniekins perfume fic, and a little while ago we got back from seeing X2 at the dollar theater. I enjoyed it even more this time around, since I knew what was going on. I hadn't seen part 1 when I saw it the first time. Jean Grey is greatness. Why do some people not like her? She's so quiet, smart, and strong. But then, I haven't read the comic books, so maybe there's something I don't know.

Work tomorrow at 7. Ughness.

Posted by DeeDee @ 10:21 PM

Friday, June 27, 2003

Hotness and greatness! *faints*

Posted by DeeDee @ 12:42 PM

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Whew, I am so tired! *collapses* I had work 7-3, then at 6, we went to help our friend Jamie move out of her apartment. Carrying bedframe down outside stairwell in Texas heat = not a good thing. But I have the next two days off from work, so that's nice. :D

Did anyone else watch that webcast of JKR at the Royal Albert Hall? The questions were old, except for a couple that gave us neat comments from her about Snape. I love Steven Fry too, so it was nice watching him interview her. And the book-reading was greatness. =)

*looks back over pointless post with satisfaction* My work here is done.

Posted by DeeDee @ 11:33 PM

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Yayness, finally made a fanlist for my favorite thing about Book 5:

If you thought the D.A. was greatness, please join! Incidentally, I was looking for a picture of someone who could be Luna Lovegood, and I realized that in a few years, that cute little actress Dakota Fanning would be the perfect Luna! I dunno if she's British, but she would sure look the part, wouldn't she?

....Yes, I have officially become re-obsessed with HP. *grins* Still working on my Ron-buying-the-perfume fanfic. :D

Posted by DeeDee @ 01:14 PM

Monday, June 23, 2003

lol I almost forgot... today at work I saved someone from getting a backward tattoo. Just one of those random times in life where you know something that comes in handy.

He was showing me marks on his arm where he was going to be tattooed tonight. It was his name in Hebrew, spelled in letters down his arm. I looked at it a second, then said, "Um, Ethan... you're going to want them to put those letters the other way." He asked why, and I explained to him that Hebrew is written opposite from English, so that the letters down his arm began with N and ended in E. It was upside down basically. He sort of stared at me a second, then said, "You're kidding, right? Do you really know Hebrew?" I said, "Yeah, kinda."

lol and then 10 minutes later he asked if I had a boyfriend, and then asked me out. I told him no thanks. It was odd.

Posted by DeeDee @ 08:49 PM

I made a DA blend and wallpaper. :D

And now my overall thoughts of OotP.

For some of this, I'm just going to re-use comments I made as I read the book, and put things together into a (hopefully) coherent order.

Since the most important factor to me in any story is my reaction to the characters, I'll begin with them.

HARRY. I just couldn't like Harry in this book. I know he's a teenager. I know he's been through hell. But what happened to Harry's quiet inner strength? Why does he just seem like a brat now? His explosions at Ron and Hermione were totally uncalled-for. His behavior to Dumbledore was irrational. His reaction to Ron becoming Prefect infuriated me. He did improve a great deal as the year went on - especially with the positive influence of the D.A., which gave him a much-needed feeling of usefulness. His response to Sirius' needless death was just heartbreaking.

RON. I felt so sorry for Ron in this book. His best friend snaps at him. He's obviously confused about his growing feelings for Hermione. His wishes are coming true - and making him nothing but unhappy. He's honored, and his friends and family act like he doesn't deserve it. He wins a Quidditch game, and his best friends aren't there to see it. He finally gets a new broom, and people make fun of it. Ron is such a wonderful person - adorably blind and thick-headed at times, but so wonderful. I wish JKR had given him a bigger role in the battle at the end. It was a bit demeaning to see him giggling and acting a fool. That disappointed me. Ron is beginning to separate himself from his brothers and to see that even if he is the last son, his accomplishments and decisions are important and meaningful. Ron's going to do something great before this series ends, and I can't wait to see it.

HERMIONE. She's so mature, calm, and just plain gutsy. In book 1, she's incredibly insecure, protecting herself with her brains and her devotion to following rules. Now she's confident, she's developed a quiet, inner strength, and she does all her work without stressing over it. Her bossyness has given way to real leadership skills. And she's learned that following the rules isn't always the right thing to do. If anyone had suggested to me after book 1 that Hermione would start a rebellion at Hogwarts, I never would have believed it. Standing up to Umbridge, creating the D.A... wow, Hermione. She has become a force to be reckoned with.

GINNY. Ginny gets my vote as most improved character. There were subtle hints in books 1-4 that there was more to her. We got glimpses of her bravery and her sense of humor, but now we know. Being the new Seeker, putting Harry in his place, helping Fred and George in their antics... this is how Ginny was in all my hopes.

RON/HERMIONE. I was disappointed at the lack of R/H moments in this book. The kiss on the cheek before Quidditch was wonderful. Ron giving Hermione perfume for Christmas was adorable. Harry's thought that they remind him of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was lovely. But... I really wanted more. I wanted to know about their duties as Prefects. I wanted to know what they talked about, since they were alone together so often in this book. But since the books are in Harry's POV, and especially since he was so self-centered in this one, we saw practically nothing of those wonderful R/H moments that pervade the other books.

HARRY/GINNY. Vast improvement in this area. They're friends, he respects her, and she knows how to handle him... and that's a huge leap in the right direction.

DUMBLEDORE. He disappointed me. Not much more to say.

SNAPE. There's a whole new side of him now, and I want to know more.

MCGONAGALL. Just beyond awesome. She launched herself into my top favorite characters, definitely.

LUPIN. He was so quiet and sad in this book. I wanted more of him.

SIRIUS. *sigh* What is there to say? His death was pointless and unmoving. I'll miss him.

FRED AND GEORGE. Their jokes and inventions are funny, but I get the impression that their cleverness and resourcefulness will be extremely important later. Their attempt to heal Katie's Quidditch injury with one of their pills failed, but only because she was given the wrong pill. It laid the foundation for their crucial role later on. And their flight into the sunset has gone down as one of my favorite moments in the series.

NEVILLE. Oh, wow. His development just came out of left field, and it was wonderful. The scene with his mother broke my heart.

PERCY. I knew it.

TONKS. A wonderful new character. I can't wait to see more of her.

LUNA. Ditto.

UMBRIDGE. Not to sound repetitive of every person who's read the book, but ugh. She needed to be stomped by hippogriffs.

JAMES. Ugh. I can't stand him. I've already given away my James/Lily fanlist.

FAVORITE CHARACTERS IN BOOK 5
Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall, Luna, and Tonks

FAVORITES OVERALL
Ron and Lupin still have my heart.

FAVORITE TOUCHES
- The Quidditch kiss
- The perfume
- Harry's glimpse into Snape's childhood
- Fred and George riding into the sunset
- Ginny's talk about Voldemort
- McGonagall telling Peeves how to unscrew the chandelier
- Flitwick mocking Umbridge

QUESTIONS
- Why did Lily marry James?
- Why was Hermione's patronus an otter?
- Who is the heir of Gryffindor?

IN GENERAL
I was thrilled to see them making friends in other houses. It's always bothered me how the Trio cut themselves off not only from other houses, but from everyone. With the D.A., they branced out in a very healthy and wonderful way.

Speaking of the D.A., that had to be my favorite aspect of Book 5.

It's not a question of liking or disliking this book for me. Did I think it well-written? Yes, for the most part. Did I find the characters engrossing? Yes, despite the fact that Harry told us so little about them. Was it exciting? Yes. Did it move me in the way the others did? No. Reading this book was not pleasant. There was so much fighting, even among friends and allies. So much darkness and evil... it left me feeling gutted and empty.

Final word... did it disappoint me? Yes.

Posted by DeeDee @ 08:34 PM

Sunday, June 22, 2003

Just finished it. A bit numb.

Posted by DeeDee @ 09:11 PM

Gah. Just read chapter 28 and had to make another post. Beware of spoilers.

So James Potter was a horrible, arrogant, merciless bully. I... gah. There must be more to him, or Lily wouldn't have married him, and maybe (hopefully) we will learn in future books that he changed. But that scene was just horrifying. Harry hates Draco to the core, but he would never, ever do to him what James did to Snape. If you want to know, James in this scene reminded me exactly of Draco - conceited and cruel. I just can't believe it.

Lily, on the other hand, was greatness. I've always had a special fondness for Snape/Lily, and this scene just magnified that times ten.

I love Lupin.

Still reeling over this scene. All Harry had left of his parents were their memory, and in his father's case, he doesn't even have that anymore. Awful.

On the other hand, this passage had me grinning from ear to ear:

rotflmao... are the Hogwarts teachers greatness or what? And then...

Indeed. Back to the book...

Posted by DeeDee @ 05:03 PM

This book is going to kill me, I swear. As always, beware of spoilers.

The scene with Neville and his parents... oh my God. I had to put the book down for a minute and cry. Neville saving gumwrappers from his mother. God.

Harry's fleeting glimpse of Snape's childhood... wow.

Hermione continues to make me think, "Damn, girl."

The scene where Ginny stands up to Harry and reminds him that she knows what it's like to be possessed by Voldemort... also wow. If this book makes me grateful for one thing, it will be that more people see in Ginny what others have already seen for so long: that she is gutsy, smart, and fierce.

Dumbledore does indeed have style. My mouth was just hanging open when he gave up Hogwarts to protect Harry and the D.A. I've always really loved McGonagall, but this book makes me adore her. Every time she tells off Umbridge, I just want to cheer. I kind of wish I hadn't given away my McGonagall fanlisting.

Ron's Christmas present to Hermione... oh, bless his wonderful little heart. Perfume. "Unusual" perfume lmao. I am dying to know when and how he picked that out, and how much it cost him. And I know many fanfictions will be written about it, including one that I intend to write. *pinches his cheeks* Ronniekins, you are the greatest thing ever. And to end on an uplifting note...

Well, on to chapter 28.

Posted by DeeDee @ 04:12 PM

As I wake up with a raw throat, the view from page 500...

Is anyone else really, really impressed with Hermione in this book? She's so mature, calm, and just plain gutsy. In book 1, she's incredibly insecure, protecting herself with her brains and her devotion to following rules. Now she's confident, she's developed a quiet, inner strength, and she does all her work without stressing over it. Her bossyness has given way to real leadership skills. And she's learned that following the rules isn't always the right thing to do. If anyone had suggested to me after book 1 that Hermione would start a rebellion at Hogwarts, I never would have believed it. Standing up to Umbridge, creating the D.A... wow, Hermione. She has become a force to be reckoned with.

Ron continues to break my heart. When those horrible Slytherins chanted that "Weasley is our king" stuff at the match, I was almost crying for him. And then when he disappeared for the rest of the night... gah, I love Ron. He's so insecure and sweet, and so much more mature in this book. Like Hermione, he bears Harry's unjustified anger because he knows his friend has been through a lot, and he sticks by him no matter what. And like Hermione, he has become stronger in this book. Ron is beginning to separate himself from his brothers and to see that even if he is the last son, his accomplishments and decisions are important and meaningful. Ron is going to do something truly great before this series is over, and I can't wait to see what it is.

Harry is getting a little better. At least he isn't snapping needlessly at Ron and Hermione much anymore. The D.A. seems to be having a positive effect on him, giving him a feeling of doing something, rather than feeling helpless and angry.

Ginny just gets cooler and cooler. Joining the D.A., being the new Seeker, no longer quiet and awkward around Harry. I love her mischievousness and her closeness with Fred and George, not to mention that she has a great sense of humor.

As for Fred and George, their jokes and inventions are funny, but I get the impression that their cleverness and resourcefulness will be extremely important later. Their attempt to heal Katie's Quidditch injury with one of their pills failed, but only because she was given the wrong pill. It laid the foundation for their crucial role later on.

We're seeing a bit more of Neville. Great, keep it coming.

Where is Snape? *madly fights urge to read ahead*

There are a few moments that make you smile and remind you that these are regular kids, whatever evil they are fighting. Harry's first kiss was darling for being so awkward and frankly unpleasant.

R/H continues to underlie everything, and when Hermione kissed Ron on the cheek before his first Quidditch match, that was wonderful. Ron is so crazy about Hermione he hardly knows what to do with himself, and Hermione loves him with a subtle, gentle, patient caring that he needs so much. And yes, I know I used the word "love." I think that love is born more from their friendship at this point, but it's developing into romantic love. The H/H friendship is also very touching in this book.

I'm glad to see them making friends in other houses. It's always bothered me how the Trio cut themselves off not only from other houses, but from everyone. Now with the D.A., they are branching out in a very healthy and wonderful way.

Still, it's odd how this book just makes me feel emptier and emptier as I go along. It's just draining to read, with all the darkness and all the evil. But mostly it's draining to read because of the anger and bitterness that runs through everything. All the characters are constantly at each other's throats, and they bring the reader down along with them.

Posted by DeeDee @ 11:14 AM