(no subject)

[3pipeproblem]

OMGWTFEPIGRAPH? The Libation Bearers? Do any of the other books have these, or did JKR suddenly get really pretentious/become overwhelmed by the need to prove her knowledge of Greek tragedy?

Also (and related to Greek tragedy), so many deaths were either lame or just...not shown. Snape's not in the book for like 500 pages and then he promptly dies? There must have been a better way to structure that.

HAHAHA, I seriously thought Mrs. Weasley was possessed. Throughout the book. Her shouting, "THAT'S MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" at the end did nothing to dissuade me of this notion.

JKR totally stole my nose-is-broken-at-a-funeral idea. Which, ok, I did sort of steal from Roger Dodger.

OMG Ron has a driver's license!! Forget everything else, there needs to be fic about this.



The closest thing I have to a HP icon depicts James Spader. Nice.

Comments

[zandra-x.livejournal.com]

Well, Spader is wearing what looks like a school tie in the icon and he is magical in his own way. Close enough.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, he is indeed magical. Your icon is also rather appropriate.

[bitterbyrden.livejournal.com]

As I suddenly have 138 icons, I almost uploaded an Accio icon or two. So I'm happy to see your Baby!Alan.

I need more icons. Can you help me with good stuff?

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

The book (specifically, all the parts about Dumbledore being an arrogant jackass as a kid) made me miss Accio!Alan so much. I was all "*sigh* I remember when he and Kara set that room on fire. Or did they flood it? Or both?" I think you need a magical!Tucker icon.

I dunno! Most of my icons are BL or Colbert-related (and not made by me, obviously). You're welcome to snag, of course. What're you looking for?

[bitterbyrden.livejournal.com]

I was trying not to put too much in the way of RP-related icons in my journal as they are one of the only things on LJ that I can't control the privacy level of. I find that sort of annoying, but there isn't anything I can do about it, I guess.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for. A little of everything, I guess. I'm going to look at my external HD's icons stores and see. But if you see any icons that you think I should have, send them on over.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Awwww, bummer. I guess that makes sense, though (and I see you've still preserved some RP icons).

I usually just do an interests search for whatever I'd like an icon of and then grab a few. I know there are comms like userpicks, but I don't really follow them. arrestedicons is/was great for Arrested Development stuff--I've got a ton of Arrested icons on my HD.

Oh, are you still working through Special Topics in Calamity Physics (speaking of things I want an icon of, some of the artwork on the official site is incredible), or has DH left you burnt out on teenagers and murderous plots and sketchy father figures? I reeeally want to discuss!

But, you know, no pressure.

[elgoose.livejournal.com]

Ugh.

Nice icon.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm now pondering important things, like what his patronus would look like. Probably a peacock. Oh, also, how cool is it that Ravenclaws have to answer a question instead of giving a pw? Alan could've debated an enchanted painting for hours!

I'm gonna guess you're unhappy about the tragic misuse of Snape?

[elgoose.livejournal.com]

Nah, my love for Potterstuff died an ugly death a couple of years ago. It made me obscurely happy that Snape was pretty much an afterthought this time around, actually. I felt obscurely vindicated.

I feel buffeted by exposition. Positively pummelled. And the fact that Harry survives so he can go on and have a boring normal life only seals my revulsion. It's like Jesus getting an office job somewhere. Even Frodo couldn't manage to hold together enough to pretend to be normal after the fact.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I didn't exactly read the epilogue beforehand, but I'd seen enough of it to have a pretty good idea of what it was going to be like. So I was prepared for all that shit.

I just finished the last Series of Unfortunate Events book a couple days ago, and man, the ending was infuriating as hell, but vastly superior to this in so many ways.

Yeah, there was a ton of clunky exposition/foreshadowing ("Everyone always seems to forget about Aberforth." *winkwinkwink*) but I didn't mind as much...maybe because it's intended for kids, maybe because when they rehashed things from the other books it was somewhat helpful, since I don't remember them well. I doubt I'd have the patience to reread any of books 5-7, but reading it for the first time, the lame exposition didn't bother me as much as it does on Heroes.

[elgoose.livejournal.com]

I think my first mistake was killing time yesterday and the day before by rereading book 6.

Ugh.

This book was really stupid. All the interesting stuff happened offscreen and everything else was strung-together plot devices.

I hate it when that happens. Why does JK Rowling get to be richer than God for doing this? Although it does make me laugh when I see new pictures of her. She is clearly over it, too.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I REMEMBER NONE OF BOOK SIX. Tru fax. Well, except the two big "twists": Dumbledore dies and Snape's the HBP.

I'd be over it, too. She launched this gargantuan fandom, and you know she has to get hundreds (if not thousands) of letters a day about HP stuff. And no matter what she does, she'll never be able to escape it.

Also, thanks to you, I google image searched her and the first result was PICTURES OF HER IN A SWIMSUIT.

[elgoose.livejournal.com]

I didn't remember any of book six except those things. It made me miss Hogwarts. There was way too much wandering around aimlessly in the woods this time, just so something like a full year would pass and everything would end when the school year did (more or less).

Bah. She's crying all the way to the bank. I have no sympathy at all. Even for the swimsuit pictures.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Yeah. And the thing is--there was a lot going on during that time, but Ron, Harry and Hermione couldn't have much knowledge/awareness of it, since they were on their extended camping adventure. There were glimpses of what a horrific and oppresive place the wizarding world had become, but I wish we'd been able to get a better sense of it (of course, this is me just having finished ASoUE, which is all about how horrific and oppresive the world can be). I'd definitely read a (decently written) fic about Neville, Luna and Ginny's year at Hogwarts. Especially if it had a chapter or more devoted to Neville's gran.

To a certain extent, it was nice to break from the pattern. I didn't have to care who the new DADA teacher was or hear about the sorting or the school rules. But the camping wasn't exciting, and a lot of it focused on Ron and Hermione's lurve. And then they just went and broke into every high-profile place they could conceivably break into. I wish they'd gone to live among Muggles or something. Something exciting. Josef Kavalier's stint in Antarctica was inifinitely more interesting.

I did like the Dumbledore backstory, though. Regardless of how it was presented (and also regardless of Harry's reactions to it).

She says her next project won't have anything to do with HP. We shall see.

[elgoose.livejournal.com]

Like I say, most of the important stuff in this book happened offscreen, either twenty or more years in the past or anyplace in the world except the Woods with the Tent of Convenient Comfort and No Refrigerator.

I still don't buy Ron/Hermione. What the hell are they going to talk about once the sex gets boring? Books? Quidditch? I'd like to see the Ron/Hermione dysfunctional marriage and drinking problem fic.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I wouldn't write them off just because their interests aren't exactly the same. They've managed to tolerate each other for 7 years without any sex, and Ron probably finds a lot of the Muggle stuff Hermione knows about fascinating and I just thought about them experimenting with sex toys...why?.

[nicalamity.livejournal.com]

Ravenclaw!Alan. Aww, this makes me miss Ravenclaw!Tara, you know.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I wish she'd been around for the Truth or Dare game that got wildly out of hand. I think that's when Alan's hair got dyed pink. Good times, yo.

[treelines.livejournal.com]

Oh, Accio!Alan. Nostalgia is so shiny. I think I still have Hufflepuff!Jimmy somewhere on my hard drive.

Ahhhh, I hadn't gotten to the epigrah yet, so. HAHAHAHA. JKR was totally showing off her mad tragedy skillz. Plus, all those off-screen deaths, bah. They weren't even "senseless deaths of war" deaths, they were just poorly executed (badum, psh).

I love Mrs. Weasley and her special mom brand of crazy. A+, Mrs. Weasley.

I was so bored by them wandering in the forest. She could have at least pulled a Boxcar Kids or a My Side of the Mountain and made it interesting, but nooooo. They wandered around like headless, whiny chickens from August until March. LOL WHAT.

There needs to be some account of what happened at Hogwarts, because by the end of the wandering, I didn't care at ALL what happened to the trio. Fuck 'em. Let's talk about Neville's genius DA and how freaking awesome the Ravenclaws are. Man, I would so be a proud Ravenclaw.

Which brings me back to Accio!Alan. Good times, man. I was sad to see he and Accio!Ray did not get it on as they should have at the time. That 'verse really needed to be played around in more before it died. Fucking assholes who ruined it. *fistshake*

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I had a reply ALL TYPED UP yesterday and then LJ died just as I was about to post. Grrrr.

Someone argued that they liked the way the deaths were done, the reason being that in war not everyone dies in a meaningful and dramatic way. To a certain extent, I agree, but...Jesus, Tonks and Lupin's death had little to no impact. I don't think limiting their death scene to a single sentence (possibly more; I've lent out my copy of the book) was an act of great artistry.

I don't get Mrs. Weasley. Clearly. SHE SEEMED POSSESSED TO ME. And continues to frighten me. (Also, I think JKR has problems writing anger convincingly. Hence all the capslock.)

As someone who has been on family camping trips, OMG. That could have been so much shorter. There are few things that are more boring. And I love how they made absolutely no progress the entire time. And yes! *points up* I want someone to write fic about the year at Hogwarts. Although I could do without Ginny.

He never even got to meet Jimmy or Caleb, did he? (He probably would've just made fun of Jimmy, the snob.) Ahahahahaha, Alan and Ray would've been a disaster--Alan would've been in denial for a good several months, then he would've been all, "Look, we can't tell anyone about this because you're a Hufflepuff *much nose-wrinkling* and--"

And at this point Ray would probably have punched him. Anyway, for a while Ray was making out with Fraser on the quidditch pitch.

It was kind of a fun mix for a bit, but yeah, it totally imploded. >:O I like how all the Hufflepuffs were the first to leave. So abused.

[treelines.livejournal.com]

That is exactly how I felt about their deaths. They were so perfunctory that they didn't even register, and I was once a die-hard MWPP fan, so it should have. The one-sentence throwaway felt more like an act of boredom. "Oh, blah blah, they died." The person with the best death was Dobby, and that goes for the whole series. I cared more when Cedric/Dumbledore/whoever died in the movie than I did in the book. Sirius' death just put me off of the series because it was so pointless, and my favorite pairing (yes, with Remus; they are so gay for each other, whatever) was destroyed.

GINNY. UGH WORST ROMANTIC INTEREST EVER. I mean, Rowling just sucks at romance in general, but. Tonks/Remus? Didn't feel plausible. Ron/Hermione? Saved by fandom, really. Harry/Ginny? A total WTF. Ginny was only awesome for that brief period of time where she wasn't intereted in Harry, and she acted like her own person, rather than someone trying to get Harry to fall desperately in love with her.

Haha, Alan met Jimmy! They chatted at breakfast. It might actually be in Jimmy's memories... LOL IT IS. I am so amused I mem'd it. Okay, well, yeah. Jimmy and Caleb met, and went off on an adventure, and Ray and Jimmy were supposed to be good friends. Oh, man. We Hufflepuffs were freaking IGNORED. And then everyone else was doing makeout scenes in the dungeons and getting into the dark arts in the Slytherin house and Karly and I as mods were just fed up and abandoned it. Which we shouldn't have done! We totally should have re-conquered it and proclaimed a 'PG-13' rating or something. Get rid of all the BDSM that was fucking it up.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Dude, did you just make me a maintainer? HAHAHA.

[treelines.livejournal.com]

OH SHIT YOU CAN TELL?

LOL I did it on a whim. (Anything to delay actually writing these fucking papers.) Can you tell when your maintainership has been removed from a community, too? 'Cause, hahahahahaha, I did a little of that, too.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

Yeah, LJ sent me a notif. I dunno about being removed, though.

You dork! Get to work!

[dj-jonny-flash.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you about the deaths. The most significant "on-screen" death was Hedwig. Hedwig! I got so sick of hearing, "oh, while you were doing something else all this crazy stuff happened and BTW some people are dead."

And, speaking as a huge Rickman fan, I can't believe how badly she handled Snape. I thought this would be the book that would let Rickman really shine in the film version, and, once again, he's relegated to below supporting status.

[3pipeproblem.livejournal.com]

I know! I've read a lot about how "brave" (or "ruthless," depending on the writer) she was to kill off so many characters, but anyone can write a throwaway sentence or two about Lupin lying dead on the floor. A lot of my friends were moved by Dobby's death, but...while I found Harry's reaction to it moving, I'd assumed Dobby was a goner from day one. Someone had to be sacrificed to emphasize the Plight of the Elves.

Yeah. Ugh. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on with Snape, but in order to maintain the "omg is snape evol!?!?!" suspense, she can't show us any of it. I'm sure Rickman'll do a fantabulous job with whatever he's given, though, and even if the book had given Snape a lot of excellent moments, I'd worry about their being cut from the film.

His death was lame, though. There's no getting around that. It didn't have to be heroic, but I wish it could've at least been interesting.