Bi-annual meta rave!

[hackthis_archive]

ethrosdemon and I are very happy in our new sandbox. Check out what she wrote: Between Snowdonia and Cardiff, Genius and Madness . It's Bevan/Oliver, with a side order of Nine. Not that I watch Dr Who, but I have heard that this is v good thing. Mostly I just say 'Yay for Wales!'

Recommendation: A Place to Be by hesychasm. People are saying this is Harry/Neville, but I prefer to think of it as Neville gen, with some Harry business thrown in. Mostly I just say "read it, because it's absolutely gorgeous."

In the run up to the HBP business I've been trying to get my ducks in a row regarding this Montague business and whether or not I really want to kill Harry with my bare hands or if I just have not-so-latent Slytherin rage.



I'm not really sure these days if I hate Harry the character or I loathe what he's come to represent in canon and fanon. What does he represent to me, you ask?

Incessant whinging.

I've always been a great believer in the 'Shut the fuck up, and get on with it' school of thought, and Harry dwells and moans and bitches, like, well, a little bitch. I understand that this is the way of teenagers, to moan and whinge and skulk around the house because they are so misunderstood. I wasn't a teen that long ago; I know the drill.

What's missing from Harry now, for me, is that empathy. And the sympathy.

The thing is -- I used to like Harry, a lot, but the longer I spend in fandom they less I like him, and the more I find him a snivelling little shit. And really. I don't want that. I don't feel required to like him, but I want to be able to write him, or at least read about him, without thinking 'die!die!die' or 'Neville could do it so much better.'*

*I think that anyway, but that's not the point just now.

I think if JKR were more balanced in her characterisation, I'd be happier. If Harry seemed to be held accountable (besides to that fruitcake, Umbridge) for being a drama queen and irrational, and so in need of anger management classes, I'd be really happy.

I understand that Harry's having a tough time, but guess what? So is the fucking person next door! Chances are they just found out that their dad's a Death Eater, or that their mum's got an incurable disease or that all the money's gone.

Bad shit happens to people every day.

You are born; you live; one day, you grow old and die. It sucks, but that's the way of the fucking world.

The only difference is what you do with the time you've got. I am so tired of Harry acting like he's fucking entitled to anything more than the person next door just because he's got some fucking scar on his forehead.

I don't like the imbalance of feeling like I should love him just because he's got more, or less, than anybody else. Make me like him for himself and not because his name's all over the cover of the book.

While we're on imbalance and unbalanced though, can I just get this hate-crime business off my chest for a moment?

I know there's been talk of seeing the Montague-in-the-Vanishing-Cupboard as a hate-crime and while I think it was malicious, I don't know if was a hate crime. Montague provoked the twins. He's not blameless.

I don’t want to diminish the impact of what they did, because that shit was fucking serious; and I'm having issues here, because I've always liked the twins. I always thought they belonged in Slytherin too, but that's not the point. Someone explain to me what kind of message JKR is trying to send, because she never fucking addresses it!

I don't think that when you stick someone in a cupboard, and they reemerge in a toilet, you should ignore it. Call me old-fashioned.

So maybe, my real issue is JKR's lack of balance. I mean the twins lock a Slytherin in a cupboard, the poor boy shows up six days later in a fucking toilet and there's no fucking retribution?! There's no nothing? Regardless of what they intended, that was wrong.

If a Slytherin had done something like that, they would've been strung up by their gonads! But because they're Gryffindors it's excusable, and that, to me, is fucked up.

No sodding balance.

If you do something wrong, you should be called to the mat, regardless, but apparently, in the wizarding world, like the real world, if you have a little fame or are on 'the side of right' then you're not held accountable for your actions.

That's just fucked up -- but I guess that's the way of JKR's world too.

Okay, I had to get that off my chest, even if it didn't make any sense. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programme, which is trying to rub two words together and form a story.

Comments

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I am so tired of Harry acting like he's fucking entitled to anything more than the person next door just because he's got some fucking scar on his forehead.

It's that combined with his insistence that he doesn't want to be treated any differently that aggravates me.

Yes! Exactly. Of course, people are hypocritical all the time, but really, if you're sekritly enjoying being a celebrity, don't make a big stink about how you are so tried and no one understands you and how you are going to become a hermit and living in the Lake District. Or something to that effect :)

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

Completely.
If you were really feeling all that put upon you'd withdraw and go all silent, and I would love that to happen. Less Harry? Always a good thing. How about a few more solid mentions of the other houses? Would that be so crazy?