SCHOOOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!

Okay, so not quite yet, I still have some Holistic Nursing stuff to finish up but SCHOOL IS OUT.

So obviously this is my cue to spam you all with shitty Homestuck art. WHO IS EXCITED? You guys.

K4rk4t h4h4h4h4. PH33R MY SH1TTY T4BL3T SK1LLS.

Impressed? I thought you might not be. Anyway, moving on, it's time for a review of

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART DEUX (aka: Wizards should learn to fistfight)

So last night I finally went to see the new Potter movie. I've been dying to since it came out, but with school and horses and all the other crap I was dealing with, it's been impossible for me to get to the theater. But last night the stars aligned and I finally was able to take it all in.

First impressions: Whether or not you like Potter, it's just a really good movie. Some of the deaths at the end lose their impact if you're a Potter virgin, but otherwise the movie's great - so much better than the book, actually. Well. Maybe . . . No, yeah, it's better than the book. It's amazing.

More in detail thoughts: This isn't going to be organized or anything, because I'm having trouble keep linear track of everything, but here we go. First of all, there was some BRUTAL stuff in this one. It seems like as the movies go on, they become more determined to set themselves aside as films more tailored to adults, rather than children; I think that's because Potter's original fanbase was . . . well, my age group. And each movie has sort of followed that - we're all 20-somethings now, and this was definitely a movie with that in mind, I think.

I remember just wincing at Snape's death. It was pretty harsh. Almost moreso because they didn't show it on the screen; you just heard the snake striking again and again and seeing the body slam up against the glass. That was . . . intense. The scene right after it though, where Harry finally saw Snape, that was kind of lame. Alan Rickman's terrible wig really distracted me though, so . . . I don't know, I feel like they sort of fell flat there. The scene, not the wig.

The scene with the resurrection stone was understandably emotionally wrenching. In the spirit of full disclosure, I had started crying when the stone guardians of Hogwarts were activated, and by the time we got to that scene I was primed to be a sobbing mess. Which I was. Seriously, tears and snot, so much of both. All Lily had to do was say "I'm proud of you, Harry," and BOOM waterworks. Harry's death was less emotional, which was good, because I'm not sure how much I could have taken.

The fight with Voldemort, after Harry came back was also fairly epic. Neville was suitably hardcore in the Nagini-killing, and VOLDEMORT WAS REALLY, REALLY GAY. I'm sorry, I feel like this needs to be pointed out. It started when he finally killed Harry; he pimpslapped Bella off himself (which was hilarious - bitch don't TOUCH ME EW), and then returns to Hogwarts and does a little dance. WTF, movie. This is Voldemort, not some terrible bad guy. He's actually a half-decent villain, let him have his moment. Anyway, then Draco goes back to the dark side (really he and his parents just peace out, which was cool; family first with the Malfoys) and Voldemort surprise hugs him. That was singly the most hilariously awkward moment in the entire movie. The manly shoulder pat was just . . . oh my God I laughed. Everyone did.

When Molly Weasley killed Bella, the theater erupted in applause and cheering. When Neville killed Nagini, it was like some no-name had just made par in a Master's Tournament. I felt like we should have been howling, cheering for Neville. But no, polite applause. It sort of bothered me. But maybe we were all distracted by the EPIC SLAP FIGHT between Voldemort and Harry, which was simultaneously thrilling and goofy. And the slow-mo wand scamper that immediately followed. But Voldemort's death was well-done, I thought (none of that JK Rowling 'shove the corpse in a broom closet' shit), and really satisfied.

Then I started crying again, not because I was happy, but because it was over. Over for the characters, yes, but more importantly, over for me. I started reading Harry Potter when I was 11. It has been a constant in my life for 12 years. And as the next generation boarded the train, and that original theme song kicked in, I lost it, because that's it for Harry Potter. There's no more movies, no more books. I was saying goodbye, and while I had expected it, I wasn't ready for it. I'd grown up with those kids, watched them go from little adventurers to heroes, watched them rise high even as their friends fell. And here it was: finality. Closure.

I didn't want it to happen. I didn't want the end to come. But it did, and I sobbed like a retard. I watched the credits roll and I cried and I said goodbye to Harry, and Hermione, and Ron and Draco. I said goodbye to Hogwarts, and to McGonagall, and Slugworth and all the professors. I said goodbye to the Weasleys, to Voldemort, to Lupin and to Snape. And even though I was crying, and even though I'll miss all of them, I was happy, because it ended right. Not well, not for all of them, but it ended right and that was important.

Thanks, Harry, for everything you've done for me. You introduced me to fandom, and what that meant. You brought me to fanfiction. In a way, you started me on the path of becoming a writer. And I'm not sure how else to properly thank you for that but in words, since you're fictional. But thank you all the same.

I'll miss you.