Upon the Half-Completion of the Half-Blood Prince

[tealin]

I am now halfway through. As much as I would like to take a breather, my usual mode of breathering is checking my email and dang it, I can't do that until I finish! So, here I am, halfway through, and compensating for lack of email by journaling.

So far ... well, to paraphrase my sister, lots of stuff has happened, but nothing has happened. There doesn't seem to be a plot yet. It's like waiting at a train station and seeing all these other trains come in, load up on passengers, and leave, but you have yet to start your own journey – there's all sorts of travel going on around you but nothing's come to carry you along. There is not central conflict that involves the characters (the general background 'war' with Voldemort has about as much impact on the course of the story as the war in Iraq does on the lives of average Americans) and they're just kind of milling around having conversations. Come ooonnn, do something!! The decidedly soap-opera tone the interpersonal relationships are taking is a bit tiresome as well, though I suspect this is a personal thing, as there are some people who enjoy it. [casts dark looks at the internet in general] All the same, it's nice to see the characters actually there (with the exception of Lupin, who is noticeably absent in physical presence and therefore character as well) as opposed to their sort of cardboard cutout selves they seemed to be in Phoenix. Even if they are acting like nits half the time, at least they're them.

Well, inspired by Ubiquitouspitt, I feel compelled to make commentary as I read.

16 - A VERY FROSTY CHRISTMAS

I was hoping, when I read his description on JKR's site lo these many months ago, that Rufus Scrimgeour would be a kindly, amiable character ... but he's a politician. And he says 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' instead of 'You-Know-Who', which so far has been a pretty good indication of whether or not a character has Wizardry's best interests at heart. Perhaps he is just excessively formal...?

Heehee, Stan Shunpike. Oh, Stan.

Did Percy go visit his family under the Imperius Curse? No one asked him what his favourite flavour of jam is. Maybe he's a ZOMBIE!

Mrs Weasley's midnight-blue star-encrusted hat... hmmmm.


18 - BIRTHDAY SURPRISES
I would like some love potion antidote so I could surreptitiously drop it in the food of particularly annoying people...


19 - ELF TAILS
Harry: Don't trust Kreacher! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!! Sheesh, you've got a house elf who would be undyingly loyal and have reason to avoid contacting any Malfoy, but you go with sneaky devious rebellious spiteful Kreacher who betrayed his former master?! This can only end in tears!

20 - [I'm giving up remembering the titles]
I'm sorry, but whenever Dumbledore goes on about love, all I can think about is the Potter Puppet Pals and 'Alas! It is a cornucopia of love!' So far that pretty much sums up the whole book.

21
If only Hogwarts had a swim team and Draco was on it, then we could find out right away whether he has a Dark Mark.

22
Why are messages being delivered by third parties all the time? Even Hagrid is sending messages this way. He used to send messages by owl... what happened to the owls? Am I missing something? (My sister suggested that Mr Gryle or one of his ilk is after them as they have a lot more meat than pigeons. Maybe Moist is cutting out the competition?)

26
Okay, I understand that it was a kind of panicky situation and it may have slipped his mind what with all the adrenaline and stuff, but shouldn't Harry have tried using that stream-of-fresh-water-from-the-wand thingy they were practising in Charms earlier in the book? Why make an episode out of it with the accidental spurting if it wasn't going to come in handy later in the book?

12:05 pm
About drawings: I'LL DRAW THEM WHEN I DRAW THEM! STOP BUGGING ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! (thanks)

Comments

Don't worry I won't spoil anything

[octaveleap.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you'll notice a lot of the book is kind of setting the stage for the actual climax. I'd love to compare notes with you when you're done, btw :) Oh and another thing - my email contains no spoilers, in case you'd like to use it as a breather.

[crypticidentity.livejournal.com]

I could not agree with you more. The beginning seemed bland in that there wasn't much of a plot developing except for the Malfoy-is-a-Death-Eater theory, which seemed more like a subplot. The Horcruxes chapter is what redeemed the book a littele bit in my sight.

[modestlyhott.livejournal.com]

Yeah, towards the end I really got sucked in. The Horcruxes chapter was very good, and very interesting. I always wondered how he Voldy did it!

[miss-ida.livejournal.com]

Well...
i love the end of the book!!!!! its so great!
:D i have a habit getting touched of emotions in these books...in the fifth one i cried when my beloved Sirius died... this time tears fell from my eyes about five places in the book...
Tonks is very mysterious in this one...dont you think and once more jk makes me (us) believe what she wants us to believe...and then it turns out to be completely wrong....

I finished the book almost 8 hours ago and was the first one in the book shop saturday morning.

I dont really like Rufus Scrimgeour...thinks he isnt a thing better than the foolish fudge... bleh

now when i finished the book i cant wait to the seventh comes O.o

[miss-ida.livejournal.com]

by the way tealin

do we have ANY change to see a bit of art from the new book :-D

you know i adore your art!

[shvitney.livejournal.com]

this one was my personal favourite. but that's just cuz I like all the stuff going on between Ron and Hermione. But there isn't really much of a story. But I still love it to pieces.
And about Stan: I had remembered reading your theory about who was the HBP, and when I read about Stan, I'm like "hahaha!" and started laughing.
I hope you enjoy the rest of it! :D

[shvitney.livejournal.com]

I agree with miss_ida

[sourfly.livejournal.com]

I thought the romance plots were really distracting and irritating. I felt like screaming at Hermione to get a grip; it seemed like all the qualities I liked about her in Phoenix were lost in Half-Blood Prince.

On a slightly different note, Mr. Weasley's greatest ambition is very cute.

[anathelen.livejournal.com]

the decidedly soap-opera tone the interpersonal relationships are taking is a bit tiresome as well

Finally, someone else who agrees.

[inkblot-fiend.livejournal.com]

I think, however, that the book would have been decidedly worse if the characters ponced about like the Famous Five, ignoring the fact that they are of different sexes and continually relying on Hermione to pour the ginger ale - I mean, help them through Potions.

I was pleased that Hermione was allowed feelings and attractions as well as intelligence, and I thought is was a gloriously realistic view on that gem that is High School. Although I am technically still in my fifth year, some of my classmates were surprisingly like dear Won-Won and Lavender. The teachers threatened to get out the hoses.

[anathelen.livejournal.com]

Heh, I'm in college and I still know several people who act exactly like Ron and Lavender. That's why my friends and I created the Sexual Probation Police to keep public decency.

Being serious, though, the romances shown between Harry/Cho, Ginny/all her mans, Ron/Lavender, Hermione/McClaggen Hermione/Ron etc were definitly needed to give the characters an adolescent side and to keep the book not just about gloom and plotting - and to show young teen readers how overly melodramatic they are ^^. I personally found the teenage romantic bickering tiring, but I wouldn't actually want those story lines to be removed from the book.

[fryingpanofdoom.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that JKR was in an extremely romantic mood when she wrote the book. EVERYONE has started pairing off (including minor characters who I thought had nonexistent pheremones) !!! The mushiness detracted for me. I'd rather she spent time describing those wonderfully useless details of wizarding life and classes, not everyone's romantic lovelife. All the same, by the end, I think this became one of the most powerful books in the series.

[crypticidentity.livejournal.com]

Why are messages being delivered by third parties all the time? Even Hagrid is sending messages this way. He used to send messages by owl... what happened to the owls?

Oh! Oh! I know! Because all of the owls are being checked as the enter or leave the building. Dumbledore didn't want anyone else knowing about the extra sessions he was having with Harry, and Hagrid didn't want anyone knowing about Aragog.

[cherrycat17.livejournal.com]

Beg Pardon for my intrusion, but I've found my way here through your art site, and discover myself agreeing with you on a great many things -

'I'm sorry, but whenever Dumbledore goes on about love, all I can think about is the Potter Puppet Pals...' - for instance.

Anyways, I admire your artwork (Harry Potter or no) and all that jazz. Thanks!

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

Ginny/all her mans

You made me snort in the middle of blowing my nose! Which I'll have you know is unpleasant liek woah!

NOT ON.

(But very funny, nonetheless. )

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Oooh, what an amusing mental picture that created...

Surely a gust of laughter would improve nose-blowing efectiveness?

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

You would think it would, but again my body refuses to be bound by the rules of logic!; the snort essentially interrupted my nose blowing, so instead of the nose-cleansing I had intended, I just sort of choked. In my nose.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

How would one perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre on a nose?

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

Oh, gosh, I've no idea. :O Maybe . . . pinch it really hard?

[(Anonymous)]

the potter puppet pals are amazing, i love them.