A few post-DH thoughts before going outside to write

[thrihyrne]

First off, it was fun to read the book straight through. I really enjoyed being a part of a literally world-wide group of friends and strangers — reading en masse. That in and of itself is quite cool.


I don't even think I can write very much as I'm itching to get back to my threesome story and my own universes which, while they do have martyrs, they're not heavy-handed and they come to their own self-awareness without authority figures guiding them along and telling them every little element about their past.

EDIT: Totally didn't write about swordwielding!Ron. That was fabulous. Combined with dripping and freezing Harry, it was a great scene. Ron's tremendous.

‡ I really can't believe that I wrote about Fred and George being taken hostage, Fred tortured and killed, and then having dead!Fred and survivor!George be my own canon, and this has been the case for 2 1/2 years. Wow. And now— it's real canon. I'm flabbergasted, to say the least. Obviously the execution is different, but, um, wow.

‡ Maybe it's me, but I wasn't emotionally invested in this book. I didn't cry or even find myself close to tears along the way. I felt as though I was being fed a plot-based succession of answers to questions, and then they were all done. And then there was the most unnecessary and, to my mind, nauseating epilogue to it all. I'll freely admit it: I'm a slash writer. I'm all about the non-heteronormative state of the world. And this just made me more than happy to get back to reading fanfiction.

‡ More and more I keep seeing elements from LotR in this, and I just want to roll my eyes. The Inferi/Dead Marshes, the locket around the neck/The One Ring on a chain. I realize as creators and authors we're all pulling out of the Universal Collective Unconscious and we're all ladling out of the one large Soup Bowl of Stories and that there's really nothing new, only new ways to tell the stories, but, urgh. I was talking to wolfiekins yesterday about the soundtrack for OotP and how the music for the fireworks scene with the twins is even in the same key as the fireworks scene in LotR. In movie OotP the music for the dragon chasing Umbridge is very, very similar to that in Bilbo's birthday scene, also featuring a fireworks dragon 'chasing' Bilbo and the other hobbits. Not that that has anything to do with the book, of course.

‡ That's not to say that the book didn't have its moments; one of the key ones was Harry seeing himself (albeit with the stinging jinx) in the mirror at Malfoy Manor with his shoulder-length hair and stubble on his jaw. That was a lovely image, which I promptly then also imposed onto Ron. I'm a Ron fangirl, after all.

‡ I did appreciate Harry's internal "OMG, how is the world still spinning when this atrocity happened?" thoughts when he realizes Fred's been killed. I do think that's how a person would react, though if he'd seen his own parents killed while in Voldemort's head, I'm sortof surprised at his lack of reaction there. Perhaps because he's had years to ruminate on those particular murders.

‡ The whole thing seemed very heavy to me, in the sense of being a Huge Tome of Tying Up Loose Ends. I suppose it was dark, but unlike some exquisitely crafted fanfic I've read, there really wasn't much grit to go along with it. I suppose there was some appreciated ambiguity with Griphook, as well as the Malfoys, who were never really redeemed but ended up surviving regardless.

‡ The whole Snape pining/loving Lily for a lifetime? Never saw that coming. So, yay for being surprised! :)


That's it for now. Perhaps I'll feel more positive about it after time has passed.

Comments

[ex-cugami590.livejournal.com]

I think a lot (if not all) of us fic writers (the fanartist in me is craving to do canon!kickass!swordwielding!Ron art <3 further blabberings on this later...) read through this book, breathed a heavy sigh after the last page and can't wait to go back to fandom. Yes, canon happened but the slashers have wonderful worlds to go back to and frolick in. ANd admittedly, the fannon world is much much better more often than not.

Now about the swordwielding!Ron... <3 I could kiss JKR. I like swords in general. I'm also quite the Arthurian fan. Most of my AU fics/drawings have Ron donning the mantle of a Black Knight in some form or another. So for him to retrieve that sword with that scenario completely won the book for me.

Ron punching Draco in the end, also. I remember it was Ron's punch at the beginning that made me ship those two before lol and for it to come full circle like that was a wonderful trip. And on a random and probably pointless sidenote, their wands both have unicorn hair!

[maple-mahogany.livejournal.com]

Aww - I'm disappointed to hear that. How dismal.

I did think of your kidnapped!Fred though. And am hoping George has a talking photo to give him hell later. Heh

*sigh*

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I think she needed a good editor. And unlike Tolkien (whom she was clearly copying/inspired by), she was under huge pressure to have an Epic Finale. Alas, she isn't up to it, and it showed IMHO.

I also didn't like the frigidity in certain scenes and in regard to certain characters. Bad writing and bad editing.

[honor74.livejournal.com]

My daughter is hogging the book, but I'm a spoiler whore so I don't mind reading this. And hello, btw, LOL.

I know without turning a page that I'm going to be disappointed in Deathly Hallows; some sixth sense, I guess, but more because I know it's not going to go my way no matter how you slice it, because JKR is at the helm. But, there's always fanfic.

And I was thinking the same thing when I saw the dragon chasing Umbridge in OoTP. *shakes head*

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

really enjoyed being a part of a literally world-wide group of friends and strangers — reading en masse. That in and of itself is quite cool.

hugs
me too!
(i'm also enjoying reading everyone's thougts - very fun)

[sanba38.livejournal.com]

: P

[elicia8.livejournal.com]

I really can't believe that I wrote about Fred and George being taken hostage, Fred tortured and killed, and then having dead!Fred and survivor!George be my own canon, and this has been the case for 2 1/2 years. Wow. And now— it's real canon. I'm flabbergasted, to say the least. Obviously the execution is different, but, um, wow

When I heard this (I still haven't read it yet, but I'm not worried about spoilers), that's EXACTLY what I thought. Like immediately. "Holy crap, JK's been reading Kristi's fic!"

Too bad she didn't learn more from you, though. ;)

Also, I'm glad you brought up the issue of LotR vs. HP and Storyland in general, because I've been thinking about that a lot lately, especially as a wannabe writer.

♥

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

The epilogue was just so devastatingly & unnecessarily hetero.

[brumeux77.livejournal.com]

I was definitely emotionally invested. I started getting twisted up when Hedwig died, and I sobbed through Dobby's death and burial, and when I finished crying for myself over Fred's death I started sniffling for Koshie's sake.

And slash fan that I am, I still knew OBHWF was the true canon, so the epilogue didn't bother me in the least. I'm just sort of glad she made it 19 years later, instead of giving us the double wedding.

[wolfiekins.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'll feel more positive about it after time has passed.

Um, I doubt it.

I concur with your off-the-cuff observations...and am similarly nauseated by the unforgivably sickly-sweet epilogue. Ugh.

I need a shower...

[lena3.livejournal.com]

I loved the book and I liked the epilogue.

This from someone who kills Hermione in her fic every chance she gets.

*runs away and hides*

[hedwigs-bane.livejournal.com]

Epilogue? There was an epilogue? Hmmm?

**goes back to writing Harry/Ron, undeterred**

Got to say, I saw a LOT of borrowing from a LOT of sources (not least of which was my own work -- yeah, I wish), LotR, the Bible, the Brothers Grimm, etc...

I hadn't really focused on the idea of a plot being used to tie up loose ends. Now that you mention it... Still, I suppose it was something I was looking for, so there was a sense of satisfaction. But not really the best of the series.