Oh lordy, time for a rant...

[rurounihime]

Yes, I'm a slow ass. No, I haven't finished Deathly Hallows.

But I just HAD to comment on something that I have read so far.

If there is anyone left who is as slow as me at finishing this book, HERE BE YOUR SPOILER ALERT.

Remus: All hail Harry Potter, godfather to my child! Squeeeee and Tonks-squeeeee!

That makes a lot of sense.

'Cause... why?

*frowns*

I am a citizen of the USA. Maybe godparenthood means something different in the UK. But here, among the other bits about closeness and friendship with the birth parents, it also implies that, should anything happen to the birth parents, the godparent(s) will step in and take the child in, provide a home, an education, safety, support, and general rearing as the birth parents intended to raise their child. And seeing as there is a Wizarding war in full swing, such a situation is a lot more likely for Remus and Tonks than it would be during times of peace.

Is there not a distinct problem with this?

I feel like I am being forced to acknowledge Harry's maturity yet again. Hey, I think he's matured. You've sold me, JK, I buy it, I believe it, I revel in it because he is finally coming into his own. I think he is a capable, powerful, iconic leader with the intelligence and ability to save the wizarding world.

Do I think Harry can raise a war-orphaned child? No, I do not. Harry is a boy, regardless of how mature he is proving to be, and he not only has no actual home to speak of, but no means of providing for said child should the need arise, which it stands a fair chance of doing in the current life and times of British wizardom. Rowling forbid Remus or Tonks should die. I don't want that, you don't want that (I wager), and none of those other people in the book want that. Except Voldemort (whoops, broke my wards) and Bellatrix.

Do I think that Harry would end up being the sole provider for the child? No. Andromeda is there, as are the Weasleys, Kingsley Shacklebolt and friends, and of course, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Ginny, should things REALLY come right down to the bare essentials. I have no doubt Harry would have plenty of help. But come on. A godfather? Let's all celebrate the most transparent display of "all hail Harry, the new and improved GROWN-UP Boy Who Lived, who is now following in his own godfather's footsteps, oh, weep-with-joy!" that the series has offered thus far.

I feel blatantly manipulated. And anyone who knows me knows that I loathe blatant author manipulation more than almost anything else when I read.

I also feel like common sense has picked up and gone on holiday. And the absence of common sense takes a very close second.

Sirius may not have been the most attentive and appropriate godfather, but he definitely had the means to feed and clothe Harry (barring the stint in Azkaban, which I don't think any of us could control), and he MOST CERTAINLY had the means when James and Lily first named him godfather. Harry has no way of giving this child a life. He barely has the wherewithal to give himself any sort of life.

The smart thing to do would have been to appoint the Weasleys as godparents. Yes, it's war, and yes, our favourite redheads are in dire straits, not working and all. But they are far more equipped than the current godfather is, on a mental level at the very least. Instead, we have another thing placed on the shoulders of a kid-- A KID-- who already has enough on his plate. It feels very foolish to me, an empty gesture meant to show appreciation when "I'm sorry I went all WONKY in the BASEMENT of your HOUSE" just won't cover it. Like, oh, Harry was right and I was wrong, let me give him my child's well-being to make amends.

What really bugs me is that everyone else was totally thrilled about it. I would have expected Hermione and Bill, at the very least, to frown worriedly and say, "Thanks for the show of faith, but I think maybe it would be better for everyone if..."

Next thing you know, Tonks will be appointing Ginny godmother extraordinaire because as everyone knows, she and Harry are a match made in the stars. I mean, come on, how can any of us argue with that? Everyone in the books has had SIXTEEN WHOLE YEARS to figure it out. That's, like, forever. That's, like, duh. *pukes*

I tell you. First Tonks goes bonkers. Now Remus is starting with the Stoopid. It's a sign: there is conspiracy afoot! Their child is the harbinger of dooooooom! Watch out, Voldemort!

*rolls whole head because eyes are just not enough*

ETA: Well, it seems my "godparents as legal guardians" issue is not a widely practiced thing among my f-list. *laughs* Alas! So this observation and concern comes from my own personal background. Still, I hold to a lot of what I said about Harry being emotionally unprepared for such a role. And I still feel manipulated. *sigh*

Comments

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

I mind when it's that overt. I mind when I can feel the strings being pulled - or, worse, when I can see them being pulled and they aren't actually pulling me, but I can see how hard they're trying to. It just feels cheap. I like a story where it feels like you just flow with the way the characters feel and develop and everything just unfolds as a natural process, rather than feeling the grinding of the gears shifting, you know? I think that's real writing skill!

[rurounihime.livejournal.com]

You've described it so much better than I could. ^__^ Thank you! That's exactly how I feel: seeing the strings being pulled without feeling the pull myself. It DOES feel cheap.

I think it also is a testament to the reader (and writer) how much the reader is willing to immerse him or herself. A writer could be the best in the world but if the reader is not willing to submit to it a little bit, it's useless. :( I think I'm getting somewhat jaded concerning the HP books. I just can't let myself into them as much. I've had too many annoyances and rebuffs.

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know if it was so clever. :P But thanks!

I completely, completely agree with you about so much of it being the reader and how much they're willing to be immersed in the story. If you always read with your critical lenses on, for instance (say, as a beta reader looking for errors, or a cynic trying not to be moved), then it's not really fair to the writer.

Also word to the annoyances. That's my main problem with JKR's writing, I think. I like it; she writes a catchy tale and I really like a lot of her characters, but I don't trust her as a writer. I can't trust her, because I feel like she's tried to manipulate me too many times before. In HBP, for instance, I smelled the H/G coming from the very start. (Make that from CoS, but much more overtly there!!) And I dreaded its coming, waited for the build-up, and then there wasn't much build-up. They didn't have a single, actual conversation before they were suddenly together, and I found it upsetting (and nauseating) not just because I don't like the pairing (much less the character of Ginny in general!), but because it felt weak and unsupported. Ditto for Remus/Tonks, whom I liked well enough as a het couple before HBP. It just didn't have the support and I felt like JKR was trying to pull the proverbial wool over my eyes.

[rurounihime.livejournal.com]

If you always read with your critical lenses on, for instance (say, as a beta reader looking for errors, or a cynic trying not to be moved), then it's not really fair to the writer.

Definitely. I think that approach kind of spoils me for a lot of writers because my personality is so nitpicky and thus my standards go through the roof. But then again, there are some times when I just want to fume about the level of writing that is being published. I have come across fantastic writers in the fandoms I follow that could write circles around a lot of these lauded, published writers.

I can't trust her, because I feel like she's tried to manipulate me too many times before.

I definitely have questioned her writing at different times. For me it was a lot to do with all the predictions that were surfacing for the end of her series. So many people were predicting certain deaths or pairings, plot twists, and I didn't feel I could make good guesses or good arguments about any of it because I wasn't sure what level of writer Rowling was. We have nothing previous to compare her writing to, and on a technical level, I was worried some of those predictions would come true simply because she would choose a deus ex machina ending or do a complete POV shift in narrator, or try to tie up all her loose ends at once, all of which would disappoint me greatly. I have not finished DH and thus have yet to draw any conclusions about the entire shindig. But it's definitely something I worry about, seeing as how she has tweaked and turned her plots in the past.

I smelled the H/G coming from the very start... And I dreaded its coming, waited for the build-up, and then there wasn't much build-up. They didn't have a single, actual conversation before they were suddenly together, and I found it upsetting (and nauseating) not just because I don't like the pairing (much less the character of Ginny in general!), but because it felt weak and unsupported.

I saw it in the first book, but then dismissed it almost completely in books 2-5 simply because NOTHING HAPPENED TO FURTHER IT. Nothing at all. Unlike Hermione and Ron, which I also guessed from the beginning, but which had a MUCH more satisfying development. And you are spot on: no build-up to G/H, no conversations, no chemistry and nothing of substance between them. It ticked me off to no end because at first I thought there was some sort of conspiracy afoot that might be building for book 7, but if not, then the only option left was that JK expected me to buy into this perfect relationship without being convinced at all. And I REALLY was not convinced. I'm still not convinced. It reads very drily to me because there is no chemistry between the two characters. They don't talk at all. All they do is kiss. They don't even angst well. But then again, I was never sure about where everything stood because I didn't know if that was intended or if JKR just doesn't write romance well.

Wow, that was long! *laughs*

I like long discussions. :)

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Definitely. I think that approach kind of spoils me for a lot of writers because my personality is so nitpicky and thus my standards go through the roof.

Yes! I have this same problem! I do try to suppress it, but I hate it when you're reading a fic that's got your attention so far, and suddenly there's something, and it could be really small, like a missing comma where there should have been one, or a "your" instead a "you're", but it jars you out of the story and into cruising suspiciously for more missing commas/typos/whatever else. Suddenly you're questioning the characterization and wondering where this plot is going in the first place, because your sense of trust was interrupted. Lol. That sounds very dramatic!

I QUITE agree with you about the level of published authors' writing, too!! Quite.

I didn't feel I could make good guesses or good arguments about any of it because I wasn't sure what level of writer Rowling was.

So much yes to this! Again, I didn't trust her enough to make predictions like that. Predictions of that sort pre-suppose a certain level of writing, a certain expectation or guarantee of plot threads being resolved in a satisfactory manner, of character arcs following reasonable paths, of relationships going the way they began or else changing for believable reasons. And while we got a lot of that, we certainly didn't get it all. Are you done yet? I don't want to say anything that will spoil you. :)

Random POV switches are one of my biggest pet peeves! Ah, you're not done yet. Right. My lips are sealed. :)

I wasn't thinking ships in the first book, but as soon as it became clear that Ginny was going to be a somewhat important character in CoS, the bad bells went off in my head. We're talking about someone who's had a crush on Harry since before she met him in person. Not a good start!!! I find it hard to believe that it was ever anything more than that. It would be more believable for Harry to date pretty much any other Weasley (except for Percy or the senior Weasleys, I guess) than it would be for him to date Ginny. Seriously. Bill = cool. Charlie works with dragons and was a great Seeker = cool. The twins are rebellious and have a joke shop he contributed to in a major way. Ron = best friend/obvious. :P Ginny... ? A mix of hero worship (her side) and propinquity (his side), IMO. Nothing more.

JKR certainly doesn't do romance well. She could have built it up much more convincingly, same as Remus and Tonks. But she didn't. I mean, I would like it as a Harry/Draco shipper less, but as a reader/writer, more. If that makes any sense at all! :P

Re: I like long discussions. :)

[rurounihime.livejournal.com]

it could be really small, like a missing comma where there should have been one, or a "your" instead a "you're", but it jars you out of the story and into cruising suspiciously for more missing commas/typos/whatever else. Suddenly you're questioning the characterization and wondering where this plot is going in the first place, because your sense of trust was interrupted.

The thing is, though, that mistakes like that throw the author's entire trustworthiness into debate. Some much more so than others, of course, and there are always the editors themselves to think about. But if the author isn't paying attention to the details, then one HAS to question how much he or she is paying attention to the rest of the book. Could they be cutting corners elsewhere? It's just... disruptive. And it should be, I feel. It shouldn't just be ignored or waved off.

I didn't trust her enough to make predictions like that. Predictions of that sort pre-suppose a certain level of writing, a certain expectation or guarantee of plot threads being resolved in a satisfactory manner, of character arcs following reasonable paths, of relationships going the way they began or else changing for believable reasons.

Exactly. I am now finished (to answer your other question ^_^ ), and I can see that some of my fears were definitely misplaced, which makes me grin like a fool. I happen to be grinning about other things, too, in response to how DH turned out, but... To get back to the subject, yeah, there were some places where I REALLY had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. I can see where her main weaknesses lie.

Random POV switches can be so jarring... I just want to grab the author and say, "Be creative! Isn't there SOME way you can convey this through the other character? And if not, please seriously question whether it belongs in the story at all."

We're talking about someone who's had a crush on Harry since before she met him in person. Not a good start!!! I find it hard to believe that it was ever anything more than that.

I agree. Ginny told Harry that she'd told Hermione she was over him, and then in the VERY NEXT SENTENCE she basically refuted that entire argument by saying she never got over him! So I must wonder: who exactly is she pining for? Harry, or the Boy Who Lived? And as for the Weasleys themselves, one of our friends argued that Ginny gives Harry a sense of belonging, fulfills that yearning for a family that he's never had. Which is all well and good. But if that's the argument, then why not get with Bill or the twins or Ron, Charlie, Percy, etc? What is it that only Ginny gives Harry, besides the fact that she's the only girl? I can't find it. They barely even talk as it is. He can get that and the family from any Weasley. Thus, it's not a good reason to become a couple.

I would like it as a Harry/Draco shipper less, but as a reader/writer, more.

It makes perfect sense, and I agree. If the ships in canon had convinced me, I would have been all for them, if a little sad for the falling H/D possibilities. It makes me sad that the book did not fulfill me in the romantic way. It definitely could have.