"YERAUGH!"

[ariad]

1. I have been continuing to reread, rather voraciously, the Shoebox Project, the Harry Potter fan fiction of epic proportions which convinced me to read the book series in the first place. I had forgotten what teases ladyjaida and dorkorific could be and read several more chapters last night than I had intended because I thought that I might be able to reach some resolution to all the tension that has arisen between Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. I did not, but I did decide that "Part Seventeen: November, 1976. One Esteemed Person's Birthday, a Photo-Album, Thirty-five Notes of Various Import, a Banner, A Benjy, and a Raven" is my most favorite, narrowly beating out "Part Eleven: May, 1976. One Birthday and Too Much Gillyweed." (Marauders have the best birthdays.) The timing could not be better because in my rereading of the Harry Potter books, I have just come across the single mention of Benjy Fenwick, who makes an appearance in Part Seventeen. A later part which I have yet to reread may beat out the aforementioned two; I remember many tears. I enjoy tears and anger and long, beautiful monologues about memory and happiness and friendship. Here, have two excerpts from different parts, neither of which contain any of those things:

The strength of Remus J. Lupin is an incalculable thing. There were times in the past when Sirius wondered at his silences, when James thought he might just be too quiet and too reserved a boy, when Peter could never understand his place with two of the rowdiest, wildest boys Gryffindor had to offer. There were times when it seemed he was made up of books and dust in the library and little fraying sweaters and clothes he didn't quite fit into, an uneven posture and the incline of his head as he worried at his right thumbnail. After they learned his secret, they began to translate these oddities into what they really meant, in Remus language, and discovered how strong his hands were: to know just how much to give, and just when to stop. 

&

"Hello there, boys," the apparition whispers, in a voice brittle like dry leaves, rubbing against each other. "Not...afraid to be out after dark, are you?"

Remus takes a step backwards. "But it isn't after dark," he babbles, inanely. "It was only tea-time half an hour ago and just because the storm came along doesn't mean, technically, it's after dark just because it's dark outside. There is a distinction. Do you see that? Quite clearly, one signifies that it's past the hour for the sane and reasonable to be awake, while the other simply means it is dark outside because of a natural phenomenon like rain, or a tornado."

The apparition seems momentarily stunned.

Sirius takes the chance for all its worth. "YERAUGH!" he cries, apparently, Remus decides, going completely insane at last. Not a moment later, however, Sirius leaps forward, knocking Remus out of harm's way, and kicks the apparition in the shins. Its white face, with long, drooping black holes for its eyes and mouth, doesn't seem so much pained as it does confused.

"Not afraid to be out after dark, are you?" it repeats.

"Your face looks like melted wax!" Sirius yells. "And you are wearing a bedsheet!"

"Not afraid to be out after dark, are you?"

"Again," Remus says, "I really must insist that we find some other terminology for this time of day. We haven't even had supper yet. It can hardly be construed as late."

"Not afraid to be oogk achhk oooghk," the apparition splutters one final, failing time, and then disappears.

"Well," Sirius says, wiping his hands triumphantly. "We are an excellent team. Moony and Padfoot! Fighting apparitions one ghost at a time. You confuse them with long sentences, and while they are befuddled I slap them like a girl. What do you say? I think we've a career in it."

edit: Wait, what am I talking about? "Part Five: Losing Moony. Four photographs, many notes, and part of a journal." is my favorite. How did I forget? I think that first excerpt is from "Losing Moony." Good lord. /edit

2. Speaking of rereading the Harry Potter books, I SHOULD BE REREADING THESE ALL THE TIME AND NEVER STOP. I am not so fond of the first book, and I completely skipped the second book this time around, but Prisoner of Azkaban has fully rekindled my love for Remus Lupin, Goblet of Fire had me clawing at my face in blissful agony, and Order of the Phoenix is TEARING ME APART, LISA. I love them all. Lupin. Sirius. Molly Weasley. Ron. Ginny. Fred and George. Dumbledore. Hedwig. Others, I am sure. They'll have their turn.

3. I need to learn to use better positive adjectives than "excellent," "wonderful," "lovely," "beautiful," and "magnificent." Not only do I overuse them, but I ought to steer clear of such general adjectives, anyway.

Comments

I SWEAR I'LL READ SHOEBOX ONE DAY.

[merrymilkmaid.livejournal.com]

MAYBE SOON. DEPENDING.

Chamber of Secrets freaked me out so much when I was eight that I haven't reread it since /o\

How about "awesome"? Or "amazing"? OR MY PERSONAL FAVORITE: "a;sldkfj"?

Re: I SWEAR I'LL READ SHOEBOX ONE DAY.

[ariad.livejournal.com]

I WANT WORDS THAT MAKE ME SOUND INTELLIGENT, THANKS.

[ipsius.livejournal.com]

3. I personally really like "brilliant" as a general positive adjective, but all of them are really vague. It's like saying "nice." The point is to find adjectives that specifically describe what you want to describe.

OH OH OH SO FRED. I SIGNED UP FOR vg20in20. >_________> (SO MANY CONTESTS ALL AT ONCE. I'M GOING TO FAIL MY FINALS.)

[ariad.livejournal.com]

The problem with using specific adjectives is that they usually lack the positive feeling I am trying to express, so I end up using a vague positive adverb. D: Like "wonderfully expressive" or "beautifully subdued" or "magnificently precise." AUGH.

I DON'T FOLLOW vg20in20 BUT I MAY NOW. I am fearful of spoilers, but I share swallow my fears, maintain a stiff upper lip and all that, and trek recklessly onward in hopes of discovering many lovely aesthetically attractive icons.