[Bitter? Nah. I'm well-aged!]

[reenka]

The more I stick around, the more I feel like slash fandom in particular is something like the cure for canon-love, if by 'canon' you're meaning the general work rather than some specialized obsessive corner. And it's funny, 'cause I wouldn't have thought I loved the HP canon enough for this sense of protectiveness to kick in... but the wankiness has sort of swept me under at this point.
    If you love canon more than fanon, it almost seems counterproductive to be in a fandom for it, because the most intelligent responses tend to also be the most blatantly critical ones, with the rest being sort of a noisy background of squee. Possibly this is what you get for hanging out around slashers rather than the folks at HP for Grownups, I admit. Not that I want to talk HP plot theory or be all grownup, either. It's a conundrum.

I think currently, my only consistent sources for joy in fandom (given that most fanfic for my pairing makes me gnash my teeth most of the time) have been the fanartists-- stuff like tetherhooks' HBP art review. Man. What would I do without the happiness that is fanart? Probably I'd just read some more of those awkwardly written, badly-characterized YA fantasy books.


You know what I've realized? Especially after reading Amanuensis' (spoilery) essay on romance in HP-- it struck me that while I agree with her point that they're largely plot-driven, not character or romance-driven books overall, and I should be dissatisfied with that since my primary interests are all about character (and often romance), I'm not. Possibly because I'm lucky, and the characters to get the most development automatically become my favorites (thus I'm easily drawn to whatever character is at the story's focus is at the moment, and always most invested in Harry himself.) In other words, because I don't tend to insist on which characters get developed, or how, as long as I can have something to focus my interest on. It doesn't have to be what I expected to like; it doesn't have to involve my favorite character. In fact, I'm all the more pleased if it's a surprise.

    I'm not unhappy with the books at all, really, because it's not like I expected anything from them, either in the plot or characterization department (or, I tried not to). I do read for Harry & for character development on various other fronts (I'm not too picky), but most of all I read for pleasure, not really fanon-fodder or analysis-fodder or any of that. I know the books aren't that great in this-and-that way. I just enjoy them anyway, and largely find that focusing on their shortcomings only upsets me & adds nothing to my life.

    In the end, I do think this all comes down to the reader's level of expectation-- at least, the level of disappointment or surprise is directly correlated to one's level of pre-existing expectation, and I suppose it's in the nature of fannishness to expect certain things from the canon text, maybe. Though I actually expect a lot more from fanfic, since I'm usually (...usually) asked to make more of a jump in belief, with less thorough context. I think this mad pickiness with fanon is what seems to identify me as a canon-leaning fan, though I actually am more invested in my personal fanon than canon. It's all pretty... weird, I think. But almost all the wank I see has to do with crushed/twisted expectations, to the point where I'm starting to wonder if having any (and thus caring in the first place-- or is that 'projecting' rather than 'caring'?) is like, the original error (though it seems like a basic human tendency).

I expected things to make sense, for the characters to follow some sort of internal logic I can grab on to, and on a return to the same world that follows the same general rules. And, of course, I did get that much, though I follow the books' logic rather than necessarily my own in saying that. And that's what allows me my contentment, I believe-- not necessarily an active agreement with the author (and definitely not some wanky belief that Author is God), but rather a willingness to read for pleasure; to allow the story to tell itself to me without undue cross-examination on my part. I question things that remain unresolved or ambiguous, and accept the things that are laid down, inelegantly perhaps but in line with the general arc of development, because it's easier that way. Because it allows the rest of the story to continue. JKR is actually pretty self-consistent in the meta sense, it seems to me.

But my point is really about fandom: and that is that fandom-style analysis drains my love for canon like nothing else can. In fact, if I didn't love fanon (mostly just one aspect at this point, really, that being H/D), I'd leave fandom without a second thought, because it's like the canon-love killer, I swear. It's great for the fanon fan, really kind of depressing for the canon fan. Since I'm both at different points, mostly it just makes me schizoid.
    Maybe it's just the meta circles I hang about in, but almost every nitpicky or bashing or negative post makes me more and more 'serious', less and less -wanting- to write -or- care about these characters, less and less enthused.
~~

So. I'd really appreciate it if you commented with something-- anything-- you really loved about any of the books, especially the latest one, that doesn't deal with your pet character/pairing/theme, though that stipulation isn't necessary. Lemme feel some love :((

Comments

from yr secret fangirl

[jeaneis.livejournal.com]

Please don't stop writing fanfic. I'm one of your many fangirls! I do feel the same way that fanon did sometimes kill the joy of canon. I am not a romantic person. I hate romantic movies, let alone romantic novels. The only romance stuff I will digest is slash fanfics and doujinshi. The reason I like Harry Potter (canon) was not because there were some romantic elements in the books; I like it because of the plots. The H/G stuff in book 6 vexed me (though only a little) not because I'm a H/D fan, but I don't want to read about how Harry fell in love. But like I said, it was not what I was looking for from JK's series. I couldn't care less if Harry marries the charactor I hate most in the book. I love canon for the stories, and fanon for the romance tales. I love fanon for the slasher's creative imagination of how Harry and Draco could end up being in love with each other. So yes, I believe I can love both Canon and Fanon as much at the same time, even if they sail to an opposite direction.

Re: from yr secret fangirl

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hi! I probably can't stop writing on purpose-- ideas do keep coming to me, though much slower & farther between than they used to.
The thing about me is that I love canon mostly for the characters, and wanna see those characters reflected faithfully in fanfic (which is why most fic frustrates me), but yeah-- fanon & canon do serve different functions & both have their place. It's just that fandom itself is... well, so obsessive & critical and biased a lot of times that I can't keep up the separation and end up just wanting to escape all the negativity ^^;;

But then, Harry & Draco aren't quite done with me yet :>

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Well, you know I agree with that canon-thing.
And you read my lil review, so erm, you already know what I liked despite the ... other stuff, i.e. The funny bits that are not connected with any character or pairing, the grey-areas in most characters, Harry being human and growing up, the twins being businessmen and still their unique selves.
I kinda rely on you to make me want to read the final book, btw ;)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I've heard so many complaints about HBP!Harry by now (how he didn't mourn for Sirius & wasn't emotional enough & that invalidates his whole character) that... you saying 'human' makes me happy that I didn't imagine it, that yeah, the rest of the book made up for him not grieving enough, and I can suspend my disbelief & have faith in Harry's power of denial & repression :> And yeay for the grey areas & things like the Room for forgotten objects, Tom's trophies, Cissy, Myrtle, and the zombies in the lake. Hahah though I dunno how I would make anyone wanna read the next book except through sheer blind unfounded optimism...? I've got some of that, I guess :>

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

it struck me that while I agree with her point that they're plot-driven

Yeah, except HBP failed in this regard as well. So what are we left with? H/d pr0n, that's what!

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

... As usual, I can count on your for the sunshine & reassurance :>
♥

I was actually pretty uh, satisfied with the H/D in canon this time around. I'm like... fanfic would just ruin my buzz. Except Maya's, but then. That's Maya :>

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

Oh, um, what did I love. Well, Draco, obviously. I loved the whole idea of Hogwarts. I loved the idea of magical objects of the kind kept by the Ministry deep in their chambers, such as Time Turners and brains-inna-vat. I love animagery. I love Lupin because he's old and suffering and gay and wonderful and so messed up now because of Greyback. I love Hagrid and Aragog. I was very sad when Aragog died.

I kind of loved Narcissa. I was divided though. I loved the fact that Harry cheated at potions XD. I love love love the Twins in a very special and unhealthy way. I love Fleur. Fleur was fucking awesome Mcawesomepants in HBP. I therefore love Bill/Fleur. I love the fact Harry was locked in a cupboard when he was younger, and his weirdo relatives, in a weird and twisted fic-psychosis-potential kind of way, for the gay subtext same reason I will always have a soft-spot for the X-men universe, even though it's cheesy and I really can't stand the comics. I loved it when Sirius died. I love Umbridge and Rita Skeeter. I loved the finale of GoF, from that instant they touch the Goblet. I loved Harry in GoF and OotP. I loved Voldemort/Tom before HBP. But, like Narcissa, it was sullied.

I love James/Lily in the same way I love Bill/Fleur. I love the Marauders. I loved Viktor. I love Quidditch. I love some of these things for what they are, and some of them for their fandom-potential, and some of them for both.

[notrafficlights.livejournal.com]

Oh, and finally, I loved HBP!Ron. Which is weird, cos usually I can't stand him. But he was cool in HBP. Probably because he was the most IC out of everyone.

[cercaluna.livejournal.com]

Have you read the first few books yet? :D :D But anyway, I am craving genfic more than anything else right now, which is sort of unique to HP with me, somehow. Like, when I think about writing/reading fanfiction for obscure fandoms (made up of me), it's typically to satisfy some idea about a pairing, or more rarely, character development. But with HP, you can write a whole fic on like, the Knight Bus, or like, the Weird Sisters, and it just carries so much more potential, it seems to me?

Things I love: Harry's first birthday cake, how much he loves Hedwig, Dudley, Platform 9 and 3/4, Ron trying to turn his rat yellow, that Hermione's parents are dentists, Draco Malfoy (entirely un-H/D-related), the Sorting Hat, Peeves, McGonagall's house pride, the way she says, "Have a biscuit, Potter," Oliver Wood's Quidditch fanaticism, the first time Harry flies, the idea of a Remembrall, Lockhart, the fact that Hermione has a crush on Lockhart, Remus Lupin in all his past and present and future, the way Harry and Ron and Hermione work together at the end of PS/SS (I hope there are more puzzles like that in Book 7! Instead of just swashbuckling heroics!), the Mirror of Erised, Fawkes, that Dumbledore sends his champion Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, the idea of the enormous hourglasses of points, S.P.E.W., Azkaban, Mr. Weasley's flying car, The Burrow, Mrs. Weasley's kitchen magic, the Trio itself (un-threesome-ly), Ron's dress robes, Viktor Krum, the way JKR writes accents like Fleur's and Hagrid's, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, okay really all the Weasleys, the Weasley family dynamic, Mrs. Weasley's clock, Floo powder, Harry's accidental Knockturn Alley visit, Moaning Myrtle (both things which reappeared, hooray), Aberforth Dumbledore, Cedric Diggory, the Potterstinks buttons, Ron and Harry's fight, that Ginny goes to the Yule Ball with Neville despite Harry asking her afterwards, Harry's dancing, Dumbledore's love of socks and knitting and sweets, the Quidditch World Cup, Quidditch, the way Harry almost jumps because of the Veelas, Nearly-Headless Nick, Potions class, Professor McGonagall, the way Professor Flitwick gives Harry a box of squeaking mice to show his pleasure at the Quibbler article, how Ginny coughs like Umbridge in the Hog's Head, Aberforth Dumbledore, the fact that they study love in the Department of Mysteries, Hermione and Hogwarts A History, the House of Black, the Hogwarts Express and how Draco always finds the Trio to mock them, Ron being a Prefect, Mrs. Weasley's Boggart, Mad-Eye Moody and his elementary wand safety, Thestrals, Luna Luna Luna, Rita Skeeter, Neville's Mimbulus whatever, Neville and his mum and the gum wrappers, Neville's grandmother's hat, the DA, "I must not tell lies," the way Harry punches Draco with the Snitch still in his fist, Occlumency, Fred and George's fireworks, Lee Jordan's Quidditch commentary (and Luna's!), Snape's Worst Memory, Sir Cadogan, Phineas Nigellus, magical portraits altogether, photographs that move, Colin Creevey, the giant squid, Portkeys, Ernie Macmillan, Cho Chang, how Harry feels awkward about his arms hanging at his sides, how Cho is so weepy but is totally a Quidditch dork, Hermione's SNEAK spell, the fake Galleons, the Room of Requirement, Hermione's knitting, the fact that Dobby takes all the hats, how Harry draws a line between him and his father, the twins leaving Hogwarts, Peeves saluting them, the phone booth to get into the Ministry, the shop window to get into St. Mungo's, the portrait who insults Ron at St. Mungo's, Sirius's mother's portrait, I can't stop myself from going on! I haven't even gotten to HBP yet. And I could talk about OotP for ages. I will stop for now.

I have an awful memory, so I probably don't remember reading all the fic I have, but the closest Draco to the canon Draco I love will always be potterstinks. <3.

[cercaluna.livejournal.com]

I'm totally spamming you. Sorry. I wanted to add! What I meant about potterstinks was that I still think he would be closer to canon if we saw him from any perspective other than his own (because Draco wouldn't write about himself as totally whiny, pale and pathetic) and if Harry didn't have growing interest in him, er? The more I think about it, he isn't really close at all, but in some ways, so.

It is a little sad, but I don't think I can ever love canon Harry as much as I love NA Harry, though? Even though NA Harry is not canon for me. It just taps into the side of Harry that makes me go all melty, even though I love canon Harry for his other sides (like potter_mouth, ahaha), too. *makes no sense*

[cercaluna.livejournal.com]

I can't help it: the way JKR uses silkily to describe Snape's voice all the time, Roonil Wazlib and Harry's cheekiness, Hermione Confunding McLaggen, Slughorn's little dinners, Slughorn's ruse when Dumbledore and Harry visit, the Put-Outer (is that what it's called?), McGonagall's Animagus, the fact that Harry doesn't pack for Dumbledore, the wineglasses, "Remember my last!", Harry being made Quidditch captain, Katie Bell, the way Harry tells Katie of course she's on the team, the fact that Cho flees into her compartment after seeing Harry on the train, Harry asking Luna to the party, Harry's yellow eyebrow, Won-Won, Ron's "I'm tall," Hermione's insistence the Prince doesn't have to be male, all the hidden items in the Room of Requirement, TOM RIDDLE, Tom Riddle and the ocean, Tom Riddle and the orphanage, Tom Riddle and Dumbledore, Tom Riddle and his box of stolen objects, Tom Riddle and his handsomeness, Tom Riddle and his wanting to stay at Hogwarts, the fact that he rearranged his name to get Lord Voldemort (it makes me laugh), Kreacher, Hermione giving Kreacher a quilt, Narcissa "Cissy" Malfoy, Bellatrix, the fact that Lucius doesn't escape from Azkaban with the rest of the DEs even though nearly every post-OotP fic predicted they would, Gringotts, Mollywobbles, Arthur and his airplanes, how Harry sees their Gringotts vault that one time and feels badly, Harry thinking Ginny etc. is talking about Mrs. Weasley and feeling defensive, the way JKR's characters are way creepier than I could have handled as a really young child (Fenrir Greyback? The Inferi?), the Dementors breeding, Rufus Scrimgeour, Harry's fist gesture, "I told him I was," Harry having to force Dumbledore to drink, "I'm with you," Madam Rosmerta, all the Zacharias Smith hate, Dumbledore's suit, Pensieves, Regulus, the Hogwarts founders, how Draco whoops for joy when he gets the cabinet to work, Professor Trelawny and her sherry, the fact that Draco is better than Harry at Occlumency, Harry's trepidation at Ron calling Lavender Lav-Lav, Romilda Vane and Harry's fangirls, "I know, I can love!" and how he wants to say, "Big deal!", Lily being good at Potions, Harry's Invisibility Cloak, Slughorn's love for crystallized pineapple, his Aragog eulogy, Fang, Pureblood incest, U-No-Poo, the Ministry's special cars, the Mermish singing at Dumbledore's funeral, the centaurs paying him tribute, the fact that Umbridge is there, the fact that Luna narrated the last Quidditch match ever, Harry's and Draco's waning interest in Quidditch, the Fat Lady being irritable and telling him the password's changed when it hasn't, Abstinence, Weasley jumpers, the garden gnomes, Celestina Warbeck, Fleur's mockery of it, Fleur, the last line of HBP ending with Ron and Hermione. And more! Etc.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Oh you <33333333333333
YOU AND YOUR OMG HUGE EXPLOSION OF LOVE OMG YOU KILL ME :(( <333333333333333333333333333333333333
Just what I needed. *basks*
Yes to all of these! :D :D
I lovelovelovelovelove you & the way you see things. Wah. <33333333



Man, and my CoS book is back in Binghamton, too.... -.-

[malafede.livejournal.com]

- Tom Riddle and his bunny. Dumbledore picking up Tom. The idea of the Horcruxes.

- Slughorn and his harem.

- Ron and Lavender. Not in a shippy way, in a... intensely saliva-exchanging way. Wonwon. <3

- Hermione sicking the birds on Ron.

- Harry's badass move on Mundungus. "You're right, I am the Chosen One" or something to that effect. Harry molesting Goyle. Harry's badassery in general.

- Goyle and Crabbe polyjuicing into girls. (Draco as their pimp.)

- ZOMBIES!

- Regulus Black.

- Kreacher vs Dobby.

- Cheating at the Quidditch try-outs.

- Bill/Fleur. Fleur hair-slapping people.

- Luna and Harry at Slughorn's party. (Not shippy! So it counts.)

- The Prime Minister.

- Narcissa vs Harry. Narcissa as a mother.

- MY SON, MY ONLY SON. *WEEPS* (Introduction of Draco as the "child", btw. *slips in cleverly*)

- The Unbreakable Vow.

- Fudge as a tormented douchebag.

- the Trio. the Trio staying the Trio.

- Romilda Vane <3 <3 <3 (or A Random Evil.)

- Occlumency. Draco being better because he's emotionally stunted?

- Harry becoming his own man.

- the DA's stuff coming back to bite their arse.

- Imperius-ed Madam Rosmerta.

- "I'm with you."

- Phineas Black. His blasè ways, his detached assessments of Harry, his appallment at Mundungus ahah.

- Lucius convicted as a thief ahaha. That cracked me up.

I'm sure there's more.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot some of these too! Phineas and Lucius' imprisonment, "I"m with you, Crabbe and Goyle as girls and Crabbe reading a comic book! And Blaise.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

This is weird because you say, "comment with something-- anything-- you really loved about any of the books, especially the latest one, that doesn't deal with your pet character/pairing/theme, though that stipulation isn't necessary," and I wonder why it's a problem if it's a pet character or theme? I mean, I know you said that wasn't necessary, but I tend to think (especially after HBP) that I'm finally able to say that the things I like maybe *are* important themes and characters, so liking them is liking the books in ways it supposedly wasn't in the past. Pre-HBP there were a few posts asking for stuff people who didn't like OotP liked about it, and the main things I really liked in OotP were, happily, the stuff that got picked up!

It's just when I try to come up with stuff that aren't things I'd assume would be considered my main themes--anything having to do with Draco or Snape or Snape/Draco, for instance, they're mostly still things I've written posts about.:-)

*I liked Dumbledore more than I ever did in this book, and some of Tom's backstory was really fun--TELL THE TRUTH!--I wonder why that line's important to him, and the little kids is great.

*"The next group was Hufflepuffs" cracked me up for five minutes. I kid the Hufflepuffs, but sometimes they really make for great duffer jokes.

*Ernie's pirrouette in Apparition class also cracked me up. I like Ernie in general, really.

*Luna was very funny in this book--I didn't mind her before, but thought she was even more of a person here.

*The MWPP backstory and MWPP in general--all of them, their whole dynamic.

*Sirius and the entire Black family, though maybe they should be different entries because they're at odds.

*Especially Regulus.

*Kreacher, particularly the fan-elf fights in HBP.

*The way stuff from CoS and other books came into this one.

*I was ridiculously interested in O.W.L.S. results and what classes everyone would be taking this year.

*Petunia.

*Ron's jealousy in GoF.

*Bella and Cissy.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

Word to all of these, but especially this: The way stuff from CoS and other books came into this one. Because the whole HPB was a huge giant parallel to CoS, included but not limited to suspects of Draco being the big bad, which were wrong in CoS but right here. Except not really.

(Omg Draco is Spike!)

[ex-ella-bane358.livejournal.com]

If you love canon more than fanon, it almost seems counterproductive to be in a fandom

You, along with someone who shall remain anonymous put it perfectly. I'll just give the gist instead of her direct quote. Basically the idea is that some fans seem so enamoured with fanon that canon is offensive.

I was totally taken by surprise at the negative reactions to HBP. I stopped reading them after a day and took a break from LJ for a week. I was almost as shocked as when I discovered that there are some in fandom who have never read the books. That's all fine and good for some. I originally came to fanon hoping that it would relieve my itch for canon. And it did. I discovered the porny possibilities and the varied interpretations. But then yay! the new book came out. It was great. I loved it. I raved about it. And then I started reading the negative posts. Now I feel as though I'll be condemned because I actually LOVED the book. Of course people are entitled to their opinions. But I have to wonder if they ever liked Harry Potter to begin with.

every nitpicky or bashing or negative post makes me more and more 'serious', less and less -wanting- to write -or- care about these characters, less and less enthused.

This has affected me as well, though it hasn't made me serious, it's turned me off. I had no desire to read or write fan fic and I felt that I would never want to again. I probably will write fan fic again, but I'll be taking my time with it.

Well, I said a lot more, but it turned ranty and is best saved for a personal journal post, which I'll probably never write, because I'm too nice.

I also hate the icy-prince-cool-Slytherin Draco. It astounds me how 'popular' that interpretation is and even more surprising is how people say OMG SO CANON. I'm extremely pleased with HBB's clarity on that point.

When HBP first came out, I wrote my reaction post and it was full of happy thoughts. You're welcome to check it out here. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/ella_bane/24795.html#cutid1)

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

For me there are some negative responses that make me appreciate the book more even if I agree with them. Sometimes tearing apart the books makes me like them more.:-)

But there are some negative reactions that are blatantly beside the point. Like I was reading one person who didn't like the book, but everything they claimed was wrong just wasn't wrong. Like apparently Snape COULD NOT BE a half-blood because it MADE NO SENSE. I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't make sense--in fact, I kind of thought he was a half-blood simply because JKR said his background was "hinted at" by his being a DE, rather than her saying he was a Pureblood. Clearly this person had some reason in her head that Snape couldn't be this thing, but it had nothing to do with anything in canon, where he's been half-blood since the beginning. Sometimes JKR messes up, but not always. This sounded more like a fanfic conflict.

But then, on the other side, sometimes people who claim to just like the canon are the worst about fanon. I hate reading essays about how the person just loves canon which are all about some personal interpretation I don't think holds up. Or are really just trying to say that their liking a plot development is the same as liking canon, so even valid criticisms of it are stupid, you know?

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

God, there was SO MUCH to love in HBP. Harry. Harry most of all, man. And the trio. *hearts the Trio* And we're gonna get a trio roadtrip. Whee! Harry showing Scrimgeour his "I must not tell lies" scar. "I'm Dumbledore's man." "You don't have to call me 'sir,' Professor." "I'm not worried, Harry. I am with you." *sob* Luna! "It was almost like having friends." *sniff* Harry thinking Neville and Luna are cool enough, thanks. Kingsley Shacklebolt, PA extraordinaire! The Gaunts. Tom's backstory. RAB! The Dobby-Kreacher showdown. Buckbeak - "You miss him too." *sniff* "I'm good looking enough for the both of us!" Bella and Cissy! Elf-made wine! Draco/Myrtle! Crabbe and Goyle as little girls. "Aren't you a pretty little thing?" Won-Won!

Christ, except for that horrible half page of Remus/Tonks, I ADORE HBP.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

:D :D I hadn't thought of it as a roadtrip! Yeeee!
And all the 'Dumbledore's Man' stuff was just. And him -choosing- to. And picking his direction and being all 'I know what I must do', like Luke or something :D :D
Man, thank you :D :D Everyone loves Won-Won (and the Dobby-Kreacher! Hee!)!! At least, this is what I tell myself, and it makes me happy indeed >:D
And Kingsley Shacklebolt as PA to the PM just makes so much sense in my head, it's kind of odd :>

[missfahrenheit.livejournal.com]

I love the whole Hero With A Thousand Faces monomyth that the books follow, but I'm a shameless Joseph Campbell fangirl. Anyone who wants to sit around saying "Oh, but they're coping Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Whatever" deserves to be whacked around the head with a clue-by-four.

By and large I dislike fandom and fanon, but the driving force for many fandomers seems to be shipping and I'm wholeheartedly a gen fan. It's nice to have people to discuss things with, but we get Shiny New Canon so rarely it would be nice if people could stop whinging about it for five minutes and have a zen-like moment of clarity and realise that although Harry and Malfoy did not fuck, it was still a pretty damn good book.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

Ditto. I own a copy of the Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I'm also a gen fan. I'm invested in the Trio friendship, and the worldbuilding, and how damaged Harry is, and whether Sirius was enough of an incompetent adult to have made it as a guardian in a kiddie lit.

The shipping alternately drives me crazy or amuses me.

[terredancer.livejournal.com]

Here from daily_snitch

Gah. Fandom and Canon are tow different animals, I swear.

Despite all the bitchmoan about her, I love the fact that Ginny does have a personality beyond uber-crush-grrl, especially since she's not always nice and sweet and wonderful. I love Luna and the quidditch commentary. I love the fact that even though they had no reason to, Harry and Ron went to find Hermione. I loved the fact that things with Sirius were more complex than they appeared to be and he worked to be there for Harry whenever possible. I love the fact that Dumbledore is not perfect and is, in fact, shown to screw up. Hell, I even love the fact that Harry blew up Aunt Marge. I love Tonks being a klutz and just her general personality (when she's not pining and miserable). I love the little glimpse that we got of the Ministry and how it works. The twistedness of the Black family, and I want to know so much more.

And overall, I just love Harry, and how he's as much of a normal teenager as he can be under the circumstances, but there's something a little bit more there, too. And I know I'm forgetting things because I just love the books overall.

(Of course it has to be said that I love Remus and I love Luna and I love Sirius/Remus, but those are my pet characters/ships, so doesn't count. ;))

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

I'm perfectly happy with fanon & canon being two different animals, as long as it wasn't constantly a show of fanon trying to eat out canon's guts, spit them out & dance on the entrails. Sometimes it feels like that, and I'm a little... o_0 about it, I think :>

Ahhh, thank you :D And especially the bit about Ginny having a personality after all (ahahah... that's reassuring to me), and yeay, I love the Ministry (one of my favorite things about OoTP) and the Blacks! And the Weasleys! And even the Malfoys, dammit.
And the whole Ron going to find Hermione thing was one of the ways the Trio remained pretty much rock solid in this book, which made me really happy. And Dumbledore! The more imperfect Dumbledore got, the more I liked him :D Though it's a weird pattern of developing a character most right before she kills him (as with Sirius & OoTP) :> Yeay, more canon-love :D

Here via d_s

[thrupenny.livejournal.com]

Wow, this post is so close to my own feelings, it's uncanny. Despite being quite into fandom (in a reading/discussing sense) I came to HBP with no expectations other than 'New canon yay!' And I honestly think I enjoyed it because I could read it on its own merits rather than being disappointed at the lack of things I wanted to see. I'm cool with people preferring their own fanon (although I find it a tad odd) but criticising canon for failing to fulfill those expectations is total nonsense.

Things I loved:

Harry! He completely became my favourite character in this book, with his snarkiness and his newfound maturity and the totally amazing way he told off Scrimgeour.

Kingsley Shacklebolt as the PM's new secretary, hee! Dumbledore at the Dursley's was fabulous -"sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often". All the cool new magic. Voldemort's backstory. The twins as successful entrepreneurs - love that they came to Dumbledore's funeral in black dragonskin jackets. McGonagall putting Neville's grandmother in her place. Luna's Quidditch commentary. The whole of Chapter 2. The way the HBP's tips gradually got creepier until omg Sectumsempra!

Honestly, I loved this book.

Re: Here via d_s

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

I think I just... put effort into not expecting things, too, partly out of pessimism & partly 'cause I -knew- I was going to get Harry (my favorite character) and I can't help but love Harry (though he's growing up! wah!). I dunno how I feel about the rampant expectations everywhere-- whether one should just accept it as an inevitable part of fannishness or if it's just wanky.

Eheee! Harry & Scrimgeour made me happy & proud of Harry <3
And ooh, I'd forgotten that line of Dumbledore's, I really loved it-- and Dumbledore in general this book :D And the Half-blood Prince book itself was total <3, especially the way Harry grew addicted to it. Yeay, thank you :D

[ceilidh]

(here via d_s) Funny lines everywhere. That's my favorite thing.


"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mystery!" she snapped. <--my favorite quote.


"You haven't got another little bottle full of -- I don't know --"

"Essence of Insanity?" suggested Ron, as Harry swung his cloak over his shoulders. <--my next favorite quote.

:D

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Hee :D Ron & Hermione & the cuteness, cuteness everywhere :D :D
This is making me want to go through & underline things in the book, but I shall desist :>
Thank you! Yeay :D :D :D

[joyfulgirl1013.livejournal.com]

Here from the daily_snitch.

I really loved the Trio interaction in this book, although there wasn't all that much. I especially loved when Ron didn't get jealous about the OWL scores and (oddly enough) when he'd try to butt into the conversation whenever Hermione said anything nice about Harry. ^^ And the last moment in the book, of course, was absolutely classic.

I liked Hermione in this book, actually, which is saying something because I've always thought of her as sort of a Mary Sue (like Ginny...grrr). She really got rounded out as a character, and I think her insecurities were very consistent with what we've seen of her up until now.

Ron/Hermione. RON/HERMIONE. Also, Won-Won had me in hysterics. As did the birds.

U-No-Poo

Draco...dude, I've always loved Draco, and have always seen him as a character with a lot of potential for a lot of depth. But I never dreamed she'd take it as far as she did, or do it nearly as well. Brilliantly handled from start to finish. Also, that FINNALY, Draco is officially better at something than Harry in canon. Pushing Snape out of his head..what a feat. ;)

I am beautiful enough for the both of us, I theenk! Fluer actually made my day, and the way she put it (that the scars show her husband is a hero) gave me chills and made me all weepy all at once. I actually can't wait to see more of them as a couple.

Harry himself. I mean...I loved the Sytherin that came out in him in this book, and also that it was all very author-approved. I love that he seems to have grown into himself, but that he still thinks he's a lot more grown-up than he actually is. I have enjoyed so much watching him grow and learn and find himself and slip up and get frustrated and just...be Harry. And the "I'm with you" line almost made me cry (although I was not so found of the weird stomach monster. Or the perv that came out in him around 11-year-old Goyle...^^)

Kretcher's mad, mad crush on one Draco Malfoy *snickers* And Myrtle's, as well. Also Pansy's. And possibly Snape's. Oh, right, and can't forget about Harry...

Worried!Narcissa, because I called it before the book came out. And because it makes the Malfoys that much more complex (gee...they actually DO love each other, who'd 'a thunk?)

The idea of Bellatrix taking over Draco's magical education over the summer. It connects Draco more with the Blacks, brings out the strength of Malfoy/Black familial connections (Cissy, anyone ;)) and seems consistent with Lucius and Narcissa's desire for Draco to be well-educated. I never could reconcile that last one with Umbridge.

...although I hated the way that the Harry/Ginny was done (and also just Ginny) with the passion of too many suns to even count, I did like that, for once, Harry had something that made him happy. His only real refuge from the constant storm that is his life has been the Trio for so long, and half the time, its the cause of all the drama. So it was good that he finally got a spot of sunshine that was private and sort of roped-off from the rest of his world.

From a writing standpoint, he way that book six was constructed in general amazed me. Especially when put into context with the rest of the books. When she finally ties everything together, I may spontaneously orgasm…

LUNA!! Luna, Luna, Luna... :)

Black Slytherin Power!! *snickers* Really, though, if she doesn't WANT us to like those Slytherin guys, she should stop making them so sexy/snarky/BLATANTLY ATTRACTIVE....

Right. All I can think of at the moment, and it's all from this book. Hope it suffices.;) [/delurk]

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Wheee, I lovelovelove all these :D :D :D
Ron interrupting (yes!) and Hermione (first time I've really liked her, she seemed so... real with the insecurities that were always there but less obvious, yeah), two new interesting Slytherins (Blaise! BLAISE!! Omg I'd always was so 'meh' about him before, but now... we have fanon!Draco in canon, omgwtf... sadly without the Harry obsession... 'tis sad), and yeah I really liked the construction & the way she weaves in little things makes me sparkle like omg WHOAH ('cause I can't do that at -all-), and ahahh PERV!HARRY IS CANON OMG, & all the Slytherins (Draco, Bella, Snape... it's really all about the Slytherins & the Trio, yeay)-- and to see someone who's meh about Ginny happy for Harry makes me all warm & fuzzy :D Especially 'cause Harry wanting someone all to himself, roped-off (YES) is something so many H/D fics are based around and omg that was canon :D :D :D

Yeeee, THANKS >:D

[lyras.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I think you've just expressed the viewpoint I've been struggling to find over the past couple of weeks. So...

My favourite things: Luna. I didn't like her in OotP (I thought her weirdness was a bit overdone), but she was fantastic in HBP!

Dumbledore's ravings after he drank the potion. What on earth was that all about - so much scope for fanfic there!

Harry and Ginny's kiss. No corny build-up, no embarrassing moments (I'm not counting the monster in the chest business), just - wham! I loved it.

Morfin (sorry if I've got his name wrong) and Merope's father talking Parseltongue as a kind of private language.

Draco getting a personality. Thank god for non-cardboard Slytherins.

And I do have rather a soft spot for Snape in any case, but my god, Snape. I absolutely love the fact that JKR's blown fanon's assumptions about him completely out of the water. Snape fanfic from now on should be so much more interesting!

Here via the Snitch :)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about toned-down yet still kinda freaky Luna, yes! :D And the kiss >:D And Dumbledore's guilt(!!) and just-- yeah :D

I do love Parseltongue as the Gaunts' native tongue, as rhoddlet said in her post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhoddlet/222693.html#cutid1), it's like they speak in Parseltongue the way her family speaks Chinese at home >:D :D :D
And ambiguous!Snape is really like, JKR's gift to fandom (and Draco... well, of course, Draco). Ahhh, yeah, I'm really looking forward to some hardcore Snape slash or gen or... just Snapefic. YES :D Thanks for adding to the lovefest, eheheh >:D

[pilly2009.livejournal.com]

If you love canon more than fanon, it almost seems counterproductive to be in a fandom for it, because the most intelligent responses tend to also be the most blatantly critical ones, with the rest being sort of a noisy background of squee.

How true this is...I have not been in fandom very long, in comparison to the people who've been around since post-GoF; but I still find it a really scary place sometimes. There are so many sectors in it; you'll find a group that
agrees with your general opinion, but are very critical about aspects of the series that you also happen to love, and
there is very rarely a middle ground (unless you agree to disagree, which I personally have always found frustrating).
And most of the criticisms I have seen have always been well-based, but this has never stopped them from sucking
the fun out of your reading of the canon, even if you do not convert to a different line of reading. It makes sense, though, that those in support of the canon would be the ones to squee (although there are intelligent squee-ers in the
HP fandom, too), and those who can be critical would be able to look at the series in a more logical/intelligent manner.

So. I'd really appreciate it if you commented with something-- anything-- you really loved about any of the books, especially the latest one, that doesn't deal with your pet character/pairing/theme, though that stipulation isn't necessary.

Hee. I don't really have a pet pairing anymore, and I do enjoy most of the themes in these books, so this could be easy.

-Luna's commentary

-Harry's newfound maturity (I dunno, someone said it here already, but he seemed...more like himself than he did in OotP, only different somehow. He was definitely more sympathetic in general).

-The Trio's friendship; not just in this book, though it touched me the most in HBP, but throughout the series...the way it seems to oscillate sometimes, so that sometimes, they really take each other for granted, and other times it's easy to see how much they mean to each other. I find it fascinating.

-I never thought I'd say this, but Draco's journey -- now that I can actually see that he has a story of his own to tell in HBP, he's that much more interesting

-Yes, I'm weak -- Hot!Blaise ;D

-Spinner's End -- the whole chapter thrilled me.

-Harry's confrontations with Voldemort/Voldemort's cohorts. Not once has he actually been prepared to face them, which really makes me wonder how he'll hold up in the final battle.

-Voldemort in general; he's not the most impressive villain, no, but there is something oddly chilling about him...

-Tom Riddle; again I'm probably in a minority, but I was impressed by it. I liked that, all sociopath and ancestral issues aside, JKR basically made him a product of a sadly-typical teenage pregnancy scenario (Merope struck me as being a teenager), magical-style. Even more so, I liked the path that his life took (but not what ultimately came from it); by making him a sociopath, it didn't seem like JKR gave him any opportunity to make any choices of his own...but the feeling I got was that, even if he HAD been given other choices, he would still have chosen his own path.

-Snape's complexity; again something I never pictured myself saying, though to a lesser degree than I believed it about Draco...but the utter greyness of his character is amazing. It's almost as though there are two sides to everything he does, to everything the readers are led to believe about him. Perhaps the one thing about him that I am certain of is that he hates Harry as he hated James (and Sirius)...and even this has a paradox of its own.

-The Marauders; Gryffindor's own brand of moral ambiguity

-Weasley twins; I don't really care if they are arseholes. JKR has made that very clear, but it is still our choice whether or not to love them, and I do; they're funny.

-Fleur!

-Molly and Bill Weasley showing up as Harry's family in GoF.

-Moaning Myrtle's crushes on Draco and Harry.

-Harry's fake-slipping of Felix Felicitus to Ron.

These are mostly random, but they're the best oments/themes/characterizations I can think up right now :)

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Hmm, well, I tend to think of fanon and canon as two separate things. For me, fanfic is a story using characters I already know, and have been developed. And I like to think of the two as completely separate things, because they're both so different.
My favourite parts of HBP were:

Harry (not)slipping Ron the Felix Felicis
Luna's commentary
Draco crying (broke my heart)
Dumbledore's favourite jam
Fred and George's shop
The Pygmy Puff

General Stuff

Snape showing Fudge his Dark Mark
Draco being turned into a ferret
The Weasley Twin's leaving
Umbridge not being able to get into Dumbledore's office
Fawkes healing Harry in CoS

There are others, but I can;t think of them now..

Oh! I like it in OoTP when Sirius sings "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs"

[piperx.livejournal.com]

(from d_s)

I really enjoyed reading this. It's so nice to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. I had so much fun reading HBP. Seeing the fandom's reaction... not so much.

There're so many great moments from HBP that have already been mentioned, so I'll go back to previous books.

From the very beginning, I've always loved Harry's dry wit and Draco's nasty sense of humor.

"I didn't realize it had to be so wet"

To Snape: "I don't know, I think Hermione does though, why don't you try her."

"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?"

"'You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?' said Malfoy a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. 'It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains.'"

"Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards."

Malfoy glanced around -- Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers -- then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Funny" he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around…"

[quite-grey.livejournal.com]

I loved chapter two, Spinner's End. It was great to see Snape in his Death Eater persona and see Narcissa as a desperate mother and Bellatrix as a worried sister.

As a whole, I really enjoyed the book. There was a lot in there to like, but I'm too tired to list anything beyond Spinnder's End. I think JKR needs a more forceful editor, but the woman can tell a story.

And I must say, I'm a slasher (H/D), and I love canon. Which is why I detest much of the slash fic out there. But if you can find an author who's willing to deal with the very real hate between Harry and Draco; to utilize their characters instead of saying "There's a thin line between love and hate and now they're in luuuv and so happy!"; to take their relationship on a slow evolution from enemies to lovers; well, that's a fic worth reading.

It's not like I expect to see H/D in canon, oh, *ever*, but I like the dynamics of Harry/Draco when it's done right.

[desperate2feel.livejournal.com]

Here from the DS.

I entirely agree with you. I loved all 6 books so far, and I really don't see why that would stop me from liking a whole bunch of fanfics which took a very different stance for book 6.

I loved HBP so much - I don't know how to choose - I'll just list them as they pop in my mind:
- That the password was changed to "Abstinence"
- Snarky!Harry: "You don't need to call me sir, Professor"
- loved Luna's comments: Harry Potter's now having an argument with his Keeper...I don't think that'll help him find the Snitch, but maybe it's a clever ruse."
- Harry telling off the minister of magic
- "He accused me of being 'Dumbledore's man through and through.'" "How very rude of him." "I told him I was."
- Dumbledore explaining manners to the Dursleys
- the trio. i adore the trio
- Won Won
- Hermione and Ron’s fighting amused me to no end
- Draco finding Harry on the train
- "Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!"
- Tom's background
- "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you."
- Harry retrieving the memory from Slughorn

And so many more that I couldn't possibly list them all unless I typed out the whole book :-p

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

I loved this essay (and many of the responses) so much. When I got into HP last year, I read OotP and later on got into the websites that discuss canon. By the time I was discussing it, I knew the book well and my reaction was quite settled. This time around, I've been quite thrown by the reaction on LJ, perhaps because reading LJ has replaced the more active searching that I used to do on Mugglenet or Fictionalley.

I really liked HBP; I have no idea how I'll feel about it long term. It felt closer to GoF, perhaps without some of the insanity that made OotP at its best such a fantastic read. I thought I liked reading meta essays, but there are loads of really negative ones around just now, and I just don't want to be that negative. It gets in the way of my unfettered enjoyment of the story.

Similarly, I was intrigued by JKR's online interviews, but then quite dismayed by some of the reaction to them. Why on earth shouldn't someone who's been through an unhappy split with a partner suggest fairly light-heartedly that 'girls shouldn't go for the bad boy'?

My favourite bits:
Harry, Draco and Sectumsempra. Slashy McSlashy. At all levels.
The ending, which made me tear up.

And, er, could I friend your journal? I really like your meta posts.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about HBP being closer to GoF-- at least in characterization of Harry, Ron and Hermione, there are definitely similarities, and the overall 'feel'.

I think I myself go easy on JKR because I have a sort of fondness for people who mean well but are really putting their foot in it, politics-wise. JKR is very much a Gryffindor in that way she doesn't always seem to know how people would take the stuff she says about them :> But I'm not offended 'cause I realizes I'm way off the radar of her intended audience, so I smirk from the sidelines. Other people are... offended 'cause they give her opinion a lot of weight.

I think online fandom in general really is better for nitpicking and/or squeeing rather than the sort of vaguely balanced discussion you can get with people you know. At least people you usually are on the same wavelength with, anyway :>

Of course you could friend me! Sorry for taking so long to reply, all the replies were so fun to read but intimidating to respond to as thoroughly as I'm used to~:)