taotrooper | Badassery

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harry potter

Badassery

Actually, I finished the book yesterday, at noon. I've been reading all the flist posts, all the wank posts (dammit, the Potterdammerung hasn't happened yet!), and checking the spoilerrific icon posts (without snatching any, because I don't want to annoy you guys). I still have to catch up with RP and fanlisting business. But I've been feeling so hyped and tired from the whole experience than I couldn't do anything coherent. Including, of course, writing a review.

Anyway, comments are set back to normal :D I'm happy to report that I wasn't spoiled in the least.

On my first years in college, I read the books 1-4 as my guilty pleasure, I suppose, and I'm afraid they became trendy in Venezuela just some time before the first movie. It was interesting to find friends of mine and former classmates to admit to me they liked the series, and exciting to say "ME TOO!" because that was too geeky. The books were magical to me because they were the kind of stuff I would've liked to read as a child. I also remember the time I looked for Internet shit, and did the sorting at the WB page, and was all SWEET, I'M A RAVENCLAW even if I was pushing as a Gryffindor LOL.

I've never been too much into the HP fandom, and it wasn't even the one that introduced me to Intahwebz communities. However, during my animanga message board days, I'd hang at the HP subforums and do stupid shit like pretending I was a Hogwarts student, and read crack posts by 13 year-olds and find it amusing. I made good friends at the board by writing collective crossover crack badfic with explicit self-insertion, including the dear

threeleaf. A horrible past, but I had FUN and that's what matters. More on the dark past was when I was on my HP fandom phase at LJ, and joined sorting communities. I even was a Ravenclaw at

hogwarts_elite until it wore me out. After HBP, I felt the magic was a bit gone, and shrugged out of it.

I'm happy it's over. Not because it's been a bad trip -bumpy, yes, but there's nothing wrong with it, at least to me-, but because we finally got a conclusion. Is it sad? Sure it is, but I don't feel like that. I feel this rush of happiness and euphoria inside. With all the apathy I had, it's surpising the book had me in such a state of joy for a couple of days. I couldn't even shed tears for the dead. It's a strange thing.

The following spoilers are brought to you by the color silver, the number 7, and the letter N ~~as in "Neville nicked Nagini", bitches!~~

I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it terribly. It was a hell of an adventure: action, backstory, mystery, more action, and of course lots of magic and deus-ex-machina artifacts. And it was GREAT it was that way. I only missed the classrooms because I badly needed to know how La Hogwarts Resistance was doing on the meantime, and for some reason I only feel slightly guilty about that. The pacing had its slow moments, but I liked that because I was feeling as claustrophobic as the trio. The lack of consecutive romance was a plus, also.

So yeah, I really liked the general plot, and the way it was handled. It was cool to me, but then again I'm easy to please in fantasy. There are some fan theories I disliked that nailed the canon, such as Harry being a horcrux or Snape killing Dumbledore on his orders, but it was fine by me because they didn't come out of nowhere. If anything, the only thing that bothered me in the plot was the fact Snape was doing it all out of love, but since I never cared that much about Snape I'm not that unhappy about it (hell, I'll be first in line to mock the Astral Plane widows and their salamis when they wank about it).

I'm so glad Harry lived AND died. I like to think he was clinically dead for some seconds. Besides, the scenes at the forest when he's preparing to face death were amazing and moving. So much respect for Harry! Sometimes he's an idiot and won't think, but I like that about him. And speaking of Harry's characterization, I'm amused some CAPSLOCK were back when he was frustrated XD The whole trio was neat. Separate them and they fall down like domino.

By the way, the fact Harry doesn't actually destroy ANY horcrux in this book is awesome. Even Voldy gets to destroy one, the dumbass.

Speaking of which, the best DH character evah:

NEVILLE IS HARDCORE AND BADASS ♥

I feel like doing "Neville kills Nagini! PAGE xxx TTLY TRU!11!" macros or something. I already liked the boy a whole lot, but this book was just this incredible level of pwnage words can't explain it. Just massive LOVE, you know. He stole the spotlight with every mention, every scene. And even with the newfound courage and badassery, he's still a dork! Like the Viva La Revolución thing wasn't enough, see the final battle. First he attacks with mandrakes with Sprout, which was the geekiest battle strategy evah, and the next few hours he's like spitting on Voldy's feet, becomes Teh True 1337 Gryff, and decapitates his snake?! AWESOMESAUCE, BITCHES <3 The Longbottoms are indeed one motherfucking family.

Luna also shone. So adorable and also so strong, showing the Ravenclaws can be just as awesome and badass. Just like Neville, I'm amazed she could put up with that amount of crap and keep her cool. Also, her bedroom art impressed me so much I had to lay the book down a bit to be all AWWW at her. She just kills me, you know. And I liked Xeno-papa, even if he double-crossed the trio. Their house was so much fun to imagine! I so want a cylindric tower with spiral stairs just for me!

Ravenclaw Tower = love. The riddles instead of passwords are made of win. Hell, the whole description of the common room felt so great, I'm glad I would've loved to hang out there even if it's a fictional place and shit. The Ravenclaw diadem having -supposedly- magical powers (+4 INT, +6 WIS) was nifty as well -did the Sytherin locket or the Hufflepuff cup have ANY speshul quality, by the way? I liked that the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron got a space in the plot, even if she was sort of a fool in life and death.

I think I'm getting a bit subplotty... I was half expecting that An Event would happen if Harry collected the three Hallows. Good thing it didn't: it surprised me.

I liked Dumbledore's creepy backstory, even if the Rita Skeeter passages had my head playing BGM from Spanish gossiping shows like Aquí Hay Tomate or Salsa Rosa XDDDD I think it was a good idea that Albus wasn't a good person at the beginning and that he craved power, until he realized what he had lost and how wrong he was. I liked that he was a manipulating whore. It gives him dimension. And by the way, I'm appalled and shocked at the fandom, because I saw so much Albus/Grindelwald subtext and thought everyone would be over it, and yet the new trendy slash pairing turns out to be Albus Severus/Scorpius from all things. WTF fandom! Just a gay shipname and the opportunity to rehash H/D is all you need, then? Boring. /thoughts on yaoi

What else... In the happy rush, I didn't cry for any death. I'd let out an "Aww!" or a "Whut!" or even a "LOL! Hell yeah!", but no tears or horrible feeling. No idea why.

Several of you thought the Slytherin condescending and stereotyping was cringeworthy. I agree with that. Dammit, Jo.

Finally, the epilogue. I'm not going to lie, I dreaded the thing. I saw there was the Nineteen Years Later from before I started chapter 1, so I had time to embrace myself to sappy stuff. More than the content, I'm more disappointed on the important characters who never got a resolve, either in the last chapter or the epilogue. Also, no hints on the main characters' jobs or occupations beside Neville, or if anyone from the trio was able to return to school and finish it. Nada de nada. The nextgen and fanservice I was expecting, so even if I didn't love it, I was fine with it. I thought the names made sense, and I think James' middle name IS Sirius (but yeah, I hope Ginny at least could chose Lily's middle name or something).

Also: Neville/Luna wasn't contradicted by canon. Hell, even Jo saw where it came from, LOL. So, YAYNESS. Non-canon! Now official, aware-by-author subtext! Non-contradicted!

I think I'll shut up now. It's been two hours since I started writing this.

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I saw plenty of people getting on the Albus/Grindelwald wagon already, fear not. Even saw fics already.

Myself, I balk at it. I know it's hypocrite given how many Death Eaters types I love, but there's something about crypto!Hitler slash that make me go O_o;

I just found some really nice fanart for it on devart. Something inexplicably hilarious about someone going 'Dumbledore is so sexy!' in the comments.

...although no, I don't ship it. I find it rather creepy to be honest.

As for Ass? As/S is kind of amusing as a joke, but I couldn't ever seriously ship it. The joke is also reaching overkill.

The ASS joke was funny at first, but after 5 minutes I grew tired of it. Even the in-canon wand second-meaning jokes (now with plot!) are more amusing than that.

Oh, I'm not into the pairing or care that much. I'm just a bit boggled the first new slash pairing I saw popping out was "ASS" instead of that one. I'm guessing almost all Harry/Draco fans jumped at that one with glee or something.

*giggles* that's why I told you. I didn't dare to tell something that wanky to all the people who are into it ^^

the H/D fen definitly are into it! And I think they like the ship name a whole lot too XD

I might've been into it if I liked rival-esque slash, if only because the canon is so gay-friendly. But eh, I'm not that much into shipping in this fandom except for two or three things.

Yeah, I noticed XP It's the new H/D indeed. Honestly, I find that writing/reading the same stuff over again, especially in nextget fics, is boring. I'm half expecting Jo says in her fansite that Albus S. was sorted to Slytherin and Scorpius became his BFF, just to see the reactions, but I doubt it'll happen.

IS NEVILLE NOT MADE OF 100% PWNWAGE Y/Y/Y?

I'm also glad Neville/Luna is safe because? OTP, bitches. When she said 'no' to it, I thought it meant something would contradict it (death, another pairing, etc).

Everyone (outside Harry lol) getting to destroy a horcrux was great. Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Although I think a lot of people ignore him, Neville actually has been there since the very beginning. He just shone here. Hell, most everyone did. I loved almost everyone in this book.

YYYYY ♥

Yeah, I feared one of them (or both) was going to get killed off the most, considering the ambiance. But really, it's not only safe, but also Rowling admitted in an interview that she "felt a pull" while writing them in this book, and even saw, despite of what she said against it in its time, of ways it could've worked! :D I felt so vindicated. Almost as good as canon, sans the cheese.

I've always liked Neville, although I grew especially fond of him after reading OotP and reading/watching GoF -even if it's not canon, movie!Neville was adorable too. But I was so excited when he brought the mandrakes because that meant he was STILL Neville, and not a Harry clone of sorts like I was fearing. He just had won the confidence he's been working at since PS/SS, and that was pure less-than-three.

SRSLY NEVILLE FTW

i think helga hufflepuff's cup had some sort of magical thing, but i'm not sure. D:

also, i don't think harry ever had all of the hallows at the same time-- he dropped the stone somewhere in or around the forbidden forest and before he killed voldemort and got the elder wand.

but yeah-- the epilogue was... not an epilogue, really. i felt like the purpose of an epilogue was to show what happened to all of the characters and fill in holes (like who is remus+tonks's kid living with? D:). this just seemed like an extremely lame chapter from the future.

Andromeda? I would assume no other, as Tonks is smart enough to know this might be the end of her. "She'll look after him" doesn't sound like it's only temporary.

"I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?"

"I couldn't stand not knowing---" Tonks looked anguished. "She'll look after him-- have you seen Remus?"

that's true. which is just like... neville all over again-- parents killed fighting voldemort; living with grandmother.

I thought so, too. See my comment below. Also, I'm baffled I've seen people who wanted Harry and Ginny to raise him right away, when they're TEENAGERS and shit. By the time he was ready to take the godson, Teddy would already be attached to nana Dromeda. Besides, nothing says low-key life like being the guardian of a metamorphmagus boy who might or not have werewolf tendencies! And hell, he was a 19 year-old man in the epilogue anyway.

Well, it had the multiplying thing, but I think everything in the vault had it as security measure so it doesn't count...

No, he never had the Hallows at the same time, although technically he was the master of all of them for quite a while (even if Voldy had the Wand in his hands). Oh well, from the way the story went, it wouldn't had happened anything anyway.

Well, it's impossible to show everyone's future when there's such a huge cast, and Jo can always answer "what happened to ___?" in her site or interviews. But I think it was terribly vague about the characters it did feature. Besides, she wrote it years ago, and perhaps she had no way to tell everything that she was going to come up with at the time. I can't really be entirely glad Harry's having a happy life with a family (and I am, because it's fair for him) when I'm so curious about the other facets, though.

I also thought Andromeda. Harry was too young to raise a baby, and I've heard godparenting in the UK isn't really "if we die you raise him lol". I've also heard theories about Molly and Arthur taking him, and even Bill and Fleur (which makes the Victoire thing a bit creepy), but I think it's stupid and wishful thinking, when Teddy had a closer relative like a grandma.

Ravenclaw Tower = love.
Yesss. And it has a view of the mountains, yay!

I saw a lot of Dumbledore/Grindelwald, even a couple of comms. Like I said in my own post, I did see the subtext and I know why so many people ship them, but I still say that ALBUS/ELPHIAS FTW. At least during the Hogwarts years, and then Albus got a new best (boy?)friend and Elphias pined for him until his old age. The End.

I like that the epilogue left everyone's jobs open to interpretation, and that we don't know what happened to the minor characters. I'm fond of semi-open endings like that. Means I don't have to pick one possibility and stick with it. ;)

Neville/Luna wasn't contradicted by canon.
Woohoo! I love them. :D

And stars in the ceiling and floor! Which most likely were painted blue!

Dude, Elphias so had a boycrush on Albus. Like you said, Abelford shipping that was something. Still, I thought DD/GG would call more people in, since it was kind of Nazi wizard Obi-Wan/Anakin sans the mentor thing and with more evil. And yet, people is all over the children because they can recycle their H/D fics by changing names *rolleyes*

I like guessing and reading different ideas and all, but after all those "what will Harry do after school omg?" polls and discussions from my message board days, I was expecting an answer to that. Besides, there's already wanking because some my-feminism-is-pastede-on-yay fans think Hermione and Ginny aren't working at all and became housewives.

Neville/Luna: like Clow/Yuuko, in a way. And yay for Rowling understanding where it came from after this book.

Yeah, once I wandered outside my flist I saw a lot more AS/S (oh look, it stopped being funny already!). I guess this has to do with my flist not really liking H/d in the first place.

there's already wanking because some my-feminism-is-pastede-on-yay fans think Hermione and Ginny aren't working at all and became housewives.
I've seen that, and it's very WTF. Just because Jo didn't mention their jobs doesn't mean they don't have them. Having childrens =/= housewife (although there's nothing wrong with choosing to be a housewife either) and if people jump to that conclusion, it tells me more about *their* thinking than about Jo herself.

I think I've only seen canon shippers and Snape/Lily stuff in my flist. I've mostly seen gen comments between my friends, I suppose. But while checking fandom_wank, it was almost all about the ASS...

It's like they've never met working mothers in their life! My mom worked for 15 years, and now is a housewife, and there's nothing wrong with her. And hell, I dare them to try to diss housewives in front of, say, Izumi Curtis and Molly. (I can't believe people is bashing Molly because she's "not worthy" of killing Bellatrix, WTF!) But yeah, it's all about their thoughts on [insert polemic topic here], and not the book itself.

I'm clinging to the hope that the epilogue was meant to close Harry's personal growth, and that's why it focused so much on family; if we get any sequel books, they won't be about Harry, and they'll have all the "the Trio finished school" and "Harry's job is x" details as off-hand mentions. ~~Or maybe we won't, because maybe later books will be prequels.~~

Not only did Voldemort destroy a Horcrux, Crabbe managed to take one out. There's just... something about that, ~~even if it would be funnier if he hadn't died at the same time~~.

I'll always love Harry/Luna, especially after their interactions in this book, but Neville/Luna is very good, too. ~~So is Luna/Ginny, come to think of it... really, Luna and anyone in her bedroom artwork that would appreciate her.~~

BTW, we got an app (http://community.livejournal.com/ccs_halfmagic/14272.html?style=mine), and the way it's going, we'll need everyone to vote just so I can close it one way or the other.

I thought it was all about family because he's an orphan who always wanted to be surrounded by relatives. And also, to show stuff from ASP' point of view, who's the son who resembled Harry the most. ~~and to annoy Harmonians further~~ But like I was saying to Laurus, it clashes with my expectation and only pending question (about Harry, I mean) I had. ~~Oh God, don't let Rowling pull a Lucas! D: She should write spinoffs, or stuff we've seen from other characters' POV.~~

The Crabbe thing was glorious because it was an accident XD But I still think Voldy had more fail value because, if anything, not even made him weaker and forged his doom but also made Harry and the others stronger.

I do like Harry/Luna (not as much as N/L, although I think it's cute), but I'm extremely glad it never crossed Jo's mind to give them sexual tension. Luna is too cool and kooky to become a love interest, and we all know what happens to female characters in the series when they become one... ~~Luna/anyone is awesome by default, although I'm sore about Ron/Luna because of the Harmonians. Also, Dean/Luna.~~

Yes Neville was beyond awesome XD

Severus/Scorpius from all things

Why does this not surprise me. *shakes head* Well in my imagination Scorpius turns out better than his father hopefully. I am tired of the one-sidedness of most of the Slytherins.

Harry did destroy a Horcrux since he destroyed Riddle's diary but that was in book 2. But it was cool that other characters had a chance to do their part in this book. Harry is cool and all but I tend to like the minor and supporting characters more. :D

I am tired of the one-sidedness of most of the Slytherins.

So am I, no wonder the Slytherin fans feel so opressed. People CAN be ambitious and/or selfish without being assholes or teh evil. Hell, a part of me wishes that, when Dumbledore told Snape that he could've been in Gryffindor with the patronizing tone, he would've retorted in Snapish fashion: "How appropriate! The more I get to know you, the more astonished I am that YOU were not sorted to Slytherin..."

So, I hope Jo says in the encyclopedia that Albus or Lily were sorted to Slytherin and is all buddy with Scorpius. OMGNOES, a Potter in the Evol House?! Well, why not. There was a Black in Gryffindor.

Yup, Harry's horcrux was in book 2. But in this one, the more he did was discovering them, helping to get them, or asking people to finish them. It was balanced.

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