Last year in my English class, we got into a debate over whether Lucifer and Satan were the same person. There was pretty much a universal acknowledgment that they were, with the exception of one girl in my class, who claimed to believe otherwise. Because she had the reputation for being a fairly devout Christian and "knowing her facts" when it came to the Bible, we actually started a debate over whether she was right or the rest of us were. I forgot what exactly her belief was, but I think it was something along the lines of Lucifer being an angel that was cast out from heaven, and Satan just being a separate evil entity that was "ruler of hell," so to speak; basically, she thought the two were separate beings (I know, I don't know where she got that from either). She brought up some evidence for her side that was fairly convincing (well, for her, anyway, though not for me :P), but in the end, I think most people still believed the two to be one in the same.
Now, this should have nothing to do with anything, except that I was just doing some Biblical research, and came across a few things that caught my eye and reminded me of this topic. Wanting to reassure myself that I was indeed correct and she was the one that was wrong, I browsed the internet a bit and did a little research to try to prove my point. And, I believe that I have. What follows are a few verses which I believe back up my case pretty solidly, and should have even this girl in my class convinced that Lucifer and Satan are one in the same. Have a look-see:
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'” -Isaiah 14:12-14
Here, we see the name "Lucifer" appear. There's not much reference to him being the devil - or "Satan," as it were - but pay attention to the first three lines: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground..." Okay, got that down? Let's move onto the next verse.
“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” -Revelation 9:1
This whole verse is pretty key. We start with "And I saw a star fallen form heaven to the earth," which is of course referring to Lucifer; Lucifer is the star that is falling from Heaven to earth, which directly ties back to the previous verses in Isaiah 14, specifically the first three that I laid out for you. The second half of the verse, "To him was given the key to the bottomless pit," is important to keep in mind for the next verse, which I'll list out now.
“And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” -Revelation 9:11
And therein lies the final piece to my argument. The first part says, "And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit," which we know from the previous verse in Revelation which I highlighted for you is Lucifer. It then goes on to say, "[the angel of the bottomless pit,] whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon." "Abaddon" is the Hebrew name for Satan, meaning "Destruction," and "Apollyon" is the Greek name for Satan, meaning "Destroyer." From this, we are led to believe, therefore, the the king of the bottomless pit is Satan. So, let's put all of this together now, shall we?
Lucifer fell from Heaven. A "star" - Lucifer - fell from Heaven and was given the "key to the bottomless pit." And the "angel of the bottomless pit" is also known by the names "Abaddon" and "Apollyon," which are the Hebrew and Greek names for Satan, respectively. Therefore, based on that path of logic, Lucifer = Satan.
I'm sure no one else cares about this, but for me, this was extremely satisfying, as I now have Biblical proof that Lucifer is, or became, Satan, and that I was indeed right. So lady, you can suck it. Oh, and I mean that in a loving, Christian way, of course. ♥
~o~*~o~
Michael Scott: "What about you?" I.T. Guy: "Well if you're going to reduce my identity to my religion, then I'm Sikh. But I also like hiphop and NPR. And I'm restoring a 1967 Corvette in my spare time." Michael Scott: "Okay. So, one Sikh, and..." -From The Office
Why is it that whenever you just start to get your shit together and start to get to a good place in life, something either devastating or incredibly irritating butts it's head in and causes the shit to hit the fan? It's ridiculously annoying.
I thought I was over all of this high school drama. I thought that with everyone going off to college, that this sort of thing wouldn't really happen anymore, or at least not as much. I thought that with fewer people around, stuff like that wouldn't manifest because there wouldn't really be anyone to help it get started and build. I thought that maybe people would get out into the real world and mature a little bit more, become more level-headed, and, you know, grow a brain. I thought people would start to care more about the important things and less about the stupid little retarded things. And most of all, I thought people would move on and stop living in the past so much and just get on with their lives.
I thought wrong, apparently.
It's funny to think about how these stupid things - and people - follow you around, even after you graduate and get out into the real world and start living more of a normal, everyday life. Over the last year or two, I've encountered some pretty stupid, awful, irritating, and hard (that's what she said) things. And yet, I've overcome them, moved on, and have grown to be (I think) a better person because of it. I've always prided myself on being an individual, being my own person, being who I want to be and not who everyone else wants to be, and I've especially been proud of myself in that respect over the last two years, and, even more specifically, since high school ended. For the first time in my life, I really love who I am, truly and fully. Don't get me wrong - I'd like to lose like 20 pounds and I wish my hair was a bit longer and I'd really love to be doing something a little more interesting work-wise and, of course, I'd kill to be dating Daniel Radcliffe with some Alan Rickman action on the side - but in general, I'm really happy with where I am in life right now. I like me. That's not something that a lot of people can say, and I'm proud that, for at least right now, I can.
And then, of course, something irritating comes back to bite me in the ass and wreck that. Something that just annoys the hell out of me because it brings me back to a time when I was really happy with who and where I was, but ultimately led me to being unhappy, and forced me to completely rethink myself and my values and everything. Again, don't get me wrong, having to go through that made me a much better person, and a lot of that is responsible for me being who I am today, but at the same time...well, at the time, it sucked. Plain and simple. And being reminded of that sucked. Being reminded that I put up with that for a long time sucked. And becoming aware now that I'm much better off without all that and knowing that, not only can it surface again, but that it would come back and think that I'd want to be a part of that after everything that's gone down - that, that right there, sucks. How are you supposed to tell something - someone - that you're over that? Over them? Over everything? Even now, I feel guilty, feel like I should give in, but I know that that's just an older version of myself surfacing, an older part of me that I've tried to distance myself from, because I'm happier without it.
I guess I just don't know how to rationalize this. I know I need to say no, I need to stay away, to keep moving on, keep growing, because I'm much better off without it, and I like myself a lot better without it, but there's still a small part of me - a very small part, mind, but a part nonetheless - that wants to just fold. And that sucks.
...I thought high school was over. Apparently not. Like her immature ways in the sense of drama, I too want to give into my immature ways and just punch her in the face.
~o~*~o~
"I'm friends with everybody in this office. We're all best friends. I love everybody here. But sometimes your best friends start coming into work late and start having dentist appointments that aren't dentist appointments, and that is when it's nice to let them know that you could beat them up." -Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), The Office
I feel extremely productive tonight, because I just sat for the last like two hours and made this:
It's for a lady at my work. She gave me that picture with her and her mom (and her sisters? I'm not really sure who the two in front are), and the recipe card which her mom wrote out with a "Recipe for Happiness." Since her mother passed away, she wanted a way to display her card and the picture together, so she gave them to me to try to just throw something together on the computer (actually, she gave them to me last spring, and it's taken me this long to finally sit down and do it, which I feel really awful about :P). I was originally just going to do a simple thing with the picture and recipe card on a pretty background that I made, but then I came up with the idea to do a digital scrapbook page instead, and thus, the picture you see above came into being.
I'm really proud of it, because it's the first digital scrapbook page I've done, and I think it turned out rather well. I downloaded a free digital scrapbook pack from Shabby Princess (), and then just went ot work putting this together. It's mostly a bunch of layering and careful erasing and editing and screening and such, but again, I think it turned out rather nice, and it's a lot more in-depth than I was planning on getting (though I owe that to her for keeping this thing for so long). So yes, I feel very productive, and I'm excited to give it to her tomorrow and to see what she thinks. :)
In other, more embarrassing and quite dangerous news, because I was so focused on making her this digital scrapbook page, I completely forgot that I left a pot with water to boil on the stove for making some mac n cheese, and as such, I now have one wrecked kettle that I'm going to have to throw away. Frankly, I'm just glad the thing didn't start on fire and burn the house down, because all of the water completely evaporated and it was slowly burning away the non-stick stuff on the inside of the kettle and completely scorching the bottom brown. That's the first time I've ever been that distracted (and retarded) and left something on in the kitchen like that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've burned a few things because I've gotten a bit absentminded, but I've never left anything on THAT long, to the point that I completely wreck something and, again, threaten to almost start a fire/burn down the house. I'm pretty sure I get the moron award of the day - maybe even month - for that one. :P
Anywhoozle, I guess that's all. Pray that I don't do the same thing as I attempt to make my mac n cheese again now, and, on a lighter note, that Sue B. likes her thing I've made her. :)
~o~*~o~
"But when you touch me like this And you hold me like that I just have to admit That it's all coming back to me When I touch you like this And I hold you like that It's so hard to believe but It's all coming back to me" -It's All Coming Back to Me Now, Céline Dion
I WENT AND SAW HBP AGAIN TONIGHT AND OH MY GOD IT'S STILL AS AMAZING AS EVER.
It's at all the cheap theaters now, and since my bro hadn't seen it yet, I told him I'd take him. OH GOD IT WAS GREAT. My brother really liked it, too - he agreed that it was the best one yet. Course, he kind of hates most of the other ones, so there wasn't much to beat, but...well, still. :P AND OH MY GOD, I FINALLY SAW THE HOUR GLASSES THIS TIME!!! *DIES A MILLION TIMES* At the end, when they show the Great Hall right before they cut to the scene with Harry and McGonagrizzle in Dumbledore's office, you can see the hour glasses up at the front of the hall on the right hand side. That's the first time I've ever seen them! IT WAS BOMB. :D
Basically, I am really excited for December 8th. :)
...OH, AND PS, SINCE I POSTED THIS AFTER SEEING IT IN IMAX ON THE NUTHOUSE AND NEVER POSTED IT HERE, I WANT TO POST THIS LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION NOW BECAUSE WHEN I SAW IT I FELT LIKE THE BOMB DIGGITY (and when I told my brother this tonight after we saw the movie, he goes, "Oh my God, how did you pick up on that?! You're such a nerd!!).
COPY AND PASTED FROM MY POST ON THE NUTHOUSE ON AUGUST 1ST, 2009:
Oh, but I did remember one other thing from the movie that I picked up on the first time that I had forgotten about, but which I thought was really cool! There's the scene where Dumbledore takes off Gaunt's ring and sets it down on the table, and Harry reaches out to touch it, and there's this awesome foreshadowing sort of sequence. He suddenly gets like, this vision type thing of all of these different images (memories?) of Tom Riddle and bad stuffz, and then he suddenly like snaps out of it, and he kind of like makes this weird, almost neck cracking motion where he twitches his head, and it's EXACTLY THE SAME MOVEMENT THAT VOLDEMORT DID WHEN HE'S RESURRECTED IN GOF! And then Dumbledore gets this creeped out look on his face and suddenly looks at Harry's scar, and then he looks back and forth between the ring and Harry's scar again as he's talking about Horcruxes, and then he says, "I think I found another one," or something, and you assume it's just about the locket because he starts talking about their mission to the cave then, but it's too much of a coincidence to not have some sort of double meaning, you know? If you're not paying attention or haven't read the books, you probably wouldn't think anything of it, but knowing what we know about Harry being a Horcrux, it's totally foreshadowing that. I just thought that it was a really cool little scene, and actually done really well. :)
OH GOD AM I GREAT OR WHAT?! :DD
OKAY THAT IS ALL. KTHXBYE.
~o~*~o~
Hermione: [snaps her fingers] Hey! She's only interested in you because she thinks you're the Chosen One. Harry: But I am the Chosen One. [Hermione smacks him on the head with the newspaper] Harry Potter: Sorry...kidding! -From the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
My life is full of random moments that just make me...feel. Feel what? ...Alive, I suppose. Or, perhaps "infinite," to quote Chbosky, is a better word. In Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, there's this beautiful, wonderful moment, which the main character Charlie sums up quite well. A chunk of this passage is below:
"When we got out of the tunnel, Sam screamed this really funny scream, and there it was. Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything makes you wonder. Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
THIS. This right here sums up what I live for; moments like this when the world is good and you're content and everything seems to fall into place and it's like magic exists because the moment you're living is purely magical and nothing else matters and it's just you, you and anyone else you may be with, and you're breathing and alive and the rest of the world is breathing and alive with you and there's no death and no end and in that moment, in that moment, you truly feel infinite. I think moments like this are all what life is about.
Moments when you're driving home at one in the morning from a party and it's dark and still and silent, and you've got the window open and the crisp night air is blowing in through your open window, and suddenly an amazing, epic, beautifully written song comes on the radio and it's just you and the night and the wind and the song driving down that road, and you feel as if you're apart of everything and nothing at the same time, and it's beautiful.
Moments when you're with a group of friends sitting in front of a lake in the middle of the day, and you hear the water and the birds and the wind and the music from a nearby group of people blaring their stereo with summer tunes, and you can literally almost smell the sun and the heat and the sand, and even though it's bright and sunny and you're with a group of friends, everyone is just silent and still and contemplative, and in that moment, you're having the most wonderful conversation without ever having said a word.
Moments when you're observing the outdoors late in the first quarter of the year, when the weather is in that stasis somewhere between winter and spring, where it can't quite seem to make up it's mind, and there's mucky puddles everywhere and hints of brown grass are peeking out through the dirty snow and small buds are starting to form on the trees and some of the animals in the area are starting to come back after the long winter, and it's as if all of nature is just silently screaming to come back to life, screaming to end the season of death and enter into the season of life, and everything is just mounting and mounting and growing and growing until finally, finally, spring arrives and brings rebirth with it, and you're experiencing the rebirth, too, shedding your cares and problems for just that first moment of real sunshine, of blue sky, of warm breezes and green grass.
Again, this is what life is about; a series of moments when everything is right in the world and nothing else matters, and you feel like you're a part of something greater and bigger than you can ever imagine, and just for a few seconds, you, like Charlie, feel infinite. I love these moments. I embrace them, I seek them, I live them, and I absorb from them all that they have to offer. These moments are the ones that help to define my life.
"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
~o~*~o~
"And all the books you’ve read have been read by other people. And all the songs you’ve loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that’s pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing “unity”." -Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
HOLY CRAP THERE'S ANOTHER THING OVER THERE ON MY SIDEBAR. IT'S PRACTICALLY SPAM NOW.
...No, but seriously, I did add something new, and it is for your benefit as much as mine. I have no added a small Grooveshark playlist to my blog, with some of my favorite songs by my favorite artists. Currently, we've got some Jenny Owen Youngs, Iron and Wine, Manchester Orchestra, Tegan and Sara, and Christophe Willem. IT IS GREAT. Go listen to those songs. NOW.
That is all.
~o~*~o~
"Jacques a dit « cours ! » Jacques dit « vole ! » Mais pas le jour où je décolle Jacques a dit « cours ! » Jacques a dit « aime ! » J’ai beau t’aimer, tu pars quand même Jacques a dit « marche ! » Jacques a dit « rêve ! » Me fait tant marcher que j’en crève Jacques a dit certes je lui pardonne Jacques est un rêve pas un homme" -Jacques A Dit, Christophe Willem
That is what I just bought. I know, it's disgusting. I can't believe I spent that much money. But I figure I'm not going on vacation like I thought, which means I can spend that money on something else - that something else being this. And actually, this is still cheaper than going on vacation, sooo....yeah. I know. Still ridiculous. :P Also, I was going to buy the cardboard cutout of Snape (which would have been the sexiest thing EVAR), but it wouldn't fit in my room, so I nixed that idea and got McGonagall's wand instead. *nods* Seems like a better (though less sexy idea). Only bad thing? It doesn't ship 'til the movie comes out, meaning I won't get it until December. GAY.
....OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST BOUGHT ALL THAT STUFF. I'M GOING TO THROW UP FROM THE AWESOMENESS OF IT ALL AND THE RIDICULOUSNESS OF THE MONEY I SPENT ON IT. MERLIN'S MOST BAGGY Y-FRONTS.
~o~*~o~
Mrs. Edna Krabappel: ...Harry Potter, are you chewing gum? Harry Potter: ...no ma'am, it's brimstone... Mrs. Krabappel: ...oooh hoo hoo hoo, well wonderful... -The Simpsons
I just found websites where I can buy both Fanta Exotic and Bitter Lemon. OH. MAI. GAWD. I am like, ridiculously excited about this. I have not had either since I was in Kosovo just over three years ago, and I have searched high and low for both and have been able to find either. I did find some on Amazon once, but it's expensive and the shipping was like $10 on top of the already too-expensive price, so I never ordered. Now, I was curious again, and so I looked and found websites for them both. Unfortunately, not the same websites, which means more shipping than probably necessary, and the bottles themselves are already like $5 which is insane, but I don't even care because, after my next paycheck (when I can actually blow money on ridiculous things, unlike this paycheck which was pretty much reserved for paying back everyone I borrowed money from when I was broke this summer), I am going to go ahead and order 2 liters (or 2.5 liters, whatever the hell they are) of each of them, and it is going to be the BEST DAY EVER. I am SO EXCITED, you would not believe it. And over pop, no less. How silly, and yet, how utterly beautiful. LOLZ AND NOMS. :DDDD
~o~*~o~
So, yesterday Dwight found half a joint in the parking lot. Which is unfortunate, because it turns out that Dwight finding drugs is more dangerous than most people using drugs. -Jim Halpert, The Office
Wasn't it me you didn't want? Wasn't it me who was hanging on? Now I'm done but before I go I want you to know ...
This is how it feels When you wait for a call that never comes Are you waking up 'cause you miss someone? This is how it feels When the trust you had is broken, And your left to burn with your heart wide open -This Is How It Feels, The Veronicas
Hokay, I changed my background again. I attempted to make my own, but blogger is being gay and not letting them work, so I just found another one online that I like much better, and then customized the rest of my layout to look good with it. :P Anyway...
I wasn't planning on making a post tonight, but then I remembered that I had promised three new bits of Harry Potter info, so I'll put that up now, shall I? To be honest, I'm not really in a blogging mood, so I'm just going to be quick about this, but at least I'll get it up, right? Right. So here goes it.
FIRST, Nancy, the greatest person in the world, made me another Potter Puppet Pal, this time, Dumbledore!! And the best part is, his robe is removable, so he can become nakey-time Dumbledore (as seen in the above picture)! Hooray!! Just sit back and bask in his infinite cuteness, yeah? :DD
SECOND, I saw HBP in IMAX with Schiffler, one of the other coolest people ever. LAWL. Honestly, it was great seeing HBP again, just because that movie is flippin' sweet and hella good, but I was less than pleased the IMAX part of it. The giant screen and surround sound and all that jazz was cool, and the 3D scenes were awesome, but the 3D thing overall was disappointing. I had originally heard that the first and last 20 minutes, respectively, were supposed to be in the 3D, and it turns out that it was only the first 20 minutes. Now, like I said, those scenes were totally bomb, but if they were only going to do one or the other, I would have much rather had it at the end instead of the beginning. That, and Schiff and I were so excited at the end to see it in 3D - we had our glasses ready and kept waiting and waiting and waiting for it - and it never happened, so we were totally bummed when the credits rolled and we had experienced no more 3D action. We both just looked at each other and were like, "What the hell?!" It was gay. Also, after seeing OotP in IMAX, and getting to experience the MoM battle in 3D (which was like, the most badass thing ever), I was really looking forward to seeing the ending to HBP in 3D as well. You can't tell me that cave scene with all the fire and shit wouldn't have been a zillion times more epic in 3D than just Harry and Dumbles apparating. :P So yeah...that was kind of lame, and a huge letdown.
THIRD, HOLY SHIT I WENT TO THE HARRY POTTER EXHIBITION IN CHICAGO!!!!! *SQUEEEEEEEEEE* Nancy and I spent a few days in Chicago, and we were able to go to the Harry Potter Exhibition, and OH MY GOD, it was the GREATEST THING EVER. I shit you negative, it was probably one of the best moments of my entire life. I will post a giant blog about it later, complete with awesome photos, but for now...that is all I will say. Oh, and I almost jizzed in my pants when I saw the first set of Dan Rad's robes and saw Alan Rickman's robes. It was a beautiful moment. ♥
(So much for summarizing...God, I fail so hard. LAWL.)
~o~*~o~
I sense there's something in the wind That feels like tragedy's at hand And though I'd like to stand by him Can't shake this feeling that I have The worst is just around the bend -Sally's Song, Catherine O'Hara/Fiona Apple/Amy Lee (my favorite being the latter, though all are amazing)
OH MAI GAWD I FINALLY UPDATED TO THE NEW VERSION OF BLOOGER!!!! :DDDD LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL MY NEW PAGE IS!!!! (Although, I really need to make my own background...this one is pretty okay, but I could make a way cooler one (I actually have many of the same brushes that were used to make this one), particularly if I put together a Harry Potter themed one...I'll get a move on that.) BUT ANYWHOOZLE, WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG!!! :DDDDD
(I will actually post more about my life later when I am not being lazy, especially since there are three new bits of AMAZING HARRY POTTER NEWS!!!! OHEMGEE!!!)
Kthxbye.
~o~*~o~
"Why are you making cupcakes when you're just gonna poop them out?" -Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy
I'm not sure if anyone (ha, I’m talking as if people actually read this thing…hilarious) who isn’t a Harry Potter nerd has heard of this or not, but We Are Wizards is this documentary that was made about the Harry Potter fandom that is totally awesome. It covers Wizard Rock, fansites, Brad Neely's stuff, some of the legal battles surrounding Harry Potter, and there's even stuff in it concerning the whole "Harry Potter is anti-Christian" stuff.
You can check out the official site and watch the trailer for it here: http://www.wearewizards-themovie.com/
But yeah...I finally got around to ordering my copy about two months ago (I bought the super cool holiday pack with the DVD, t-shirt, movie poster, pin and sticker, which is totally bomb :)), and I just finished watching it tonight, and it's freaking fantastic. It's really interesting hearing some of the people who have been involved in the aforementioned big fandom stuff talk about it and hear how they all started out as just regular fans and decided to start up little "fan stuff," and then have it explode. They interview Paul and Joe DeGeorge from Harry and the Potters, Draco and Malfoys, the chick who started The Leaky Cauldron, and others who were involved in these things, and it's actually really interesting to see how they've gone from doing stuff from the basements and backyards to being known on a national or even world-wide level. It's crazy!!
My favorite parts were definitely the ones where Brad Neely talks. I'm not sure if you're familiar with him either, but the guy is my freaking hero. He essentially did a narration to the entire first HP film called Wizard People, Dear Reader (which you can watch on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u981JhkK46o) which is absolutely freaking HILARIOUS. I first watched it all about a year ago, and I've watched it many times since then and laugh every time. Seriously, you NEED to watch that.
But anyway, on this DVD, he talks about that and makes a bunch of new, improv stories about Harry, and they're just as funny - if not more funny - than the ones he did for Wizard People. For example: Harry Potter flying around with his wand, just lookin' for some chumpass to stick his head at. “I'm so pissed, that this world is like it is. No one is nice, and everybody wants money. I've got enough money to not care about money. What the fuck? Look at this pile of gold that just came out of nowhere.” FREAKING. GENIUS.
I also really enjoyed the interviews with Harry and the Potters. Paul DeGeorge is absolutely freaking adorable, and I love him to death. I also loved how he just sat in the back and laughed half of the time while Joe sat and talked and just spouted out ridiculous stuff. It was high quality.
One other part that I thought was funny, though not for the same reasons, was when the one chick who started the Daily Prophet site thing was talking about Dan Rad in Equus, and was talking about how WB is using double standards, because they get all pissy about people writing or talking about HP slash or whatever and yet, here’s the star of the freaking movie completely starkers in a play. And while I understand that, I still thought it was a bit silly. I mean, after all, she was starting a fansite containing copyrighted material and got in trouble, and people are writing fanfiction or doing fanart or making fanvids about copyrighted characters that find themselves in, err, “questionable positions and circumstances.” All Dan Rad is doing is acting in a freaking play which, as an actor, is his right to do. WB doesn’t own him, and he’s not committing copyright infringement, so why on Earth should WB hold him to the same standards? Don’t get me wrong; I’m an avid Snarry fan and I think it’s dumb that WB can get pissed and tell me that I’m using their characters in a way that they don’t like and could potentially sue me for that, but really…to compare what she and others were doing to what Dan Rad is doing seems a bit ridiculous.
I also really liked it when she said, "I would love to know how many girls are seeing to see that play just because Harry Potter's naked in it,” because, quite frankly, that’s the only reason I was interested in it. …Okay, so it wasn’t so much the “Harry Potter naked” part as it was the “Dan Rad naked” part, but still…it’s essentially the same thing, innit? :)
The one thing in the film that really pissed me off was (cue rant) that woman Caryl Matrisciana. She’s one of those “HARRY POTTER IS THE DEVIL!” people, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, they thought it’d be a good idea to put her in this movie and let her share her opinions as to how Harry Potter was essentially going to bring about the freaking apocalypse because it was teaching kids about magic and planting the idea that the occult was a good thing and that they’re all going to be able to learn about and practice magic in a comfortable environment and we’re going to have this giant cult of little Harry Potter Satanist’s or something. I don’t know, I sort of started to tune out whenever she spoke because she was really pissing me off and bringing down my mood.
I hate people like this who follow this ridiculous bullshit that Harry Potter is a bad series that’s trying to get children to become Wiccan and take part in the occult. I mean, really, how many little kids read Harry Potter and then suddenly start drawing pentagrams and shit on the ground in an attempt to summon demons? I’m guessing next to none, if any. I hate this ridiculous stereotype, because it simply is not true. If anything, Harry Potter further pushes and advocates for very common and popular Christian beliefs. There’s the whole battle of good vs. evil (in which good eventually triumphs), the importance of friendship and family, a gigantic play on how big and important love is, the struggle to stay on the light side and maintain good morals and values, how to stand up for yourself and your friends and what you believe in, that immortality, though something devoutly wished, is in the end, a very un-human thing and not something one should seek, etc. Not to mention there’s hundreds of religious and biblical references, allusions, and parallels that can be found in the books.
I also find it funny that these people seem to think that all of the magic and sorcery and mythical creatures and stuff in Harry Potter are obviously a push for the occult, but yet, find books like C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia or J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy okay. So, what, because these guys were openly Christian and whatnot their books are automatically okay? How is it that Harry Potter gets shafted when these books don’t? Narnia has magic and mythical creatures and witches and truly evil villains, and LotR not only has all of that, but it’s arguably more violent and the characters more gruesome and all that. But still, these people only seem to have a problem with Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong, I love C. S. Lewis and I’m a Tolkien fan as well, but why is it okay that these people are allowed to talk about this stuff in their stories and Rowling is not? It makes absolutely no sense!!
The other thing that really irritates me about this is that these people have never read the books or seen the movies, and yet, they make assumptions about them and think they’re right, when the only evidence they have is word-of-mouth or speculation. They’ve come up with all of these complex explanations as to why Harry Potter is, for all intents and purposes, the work of the devil, and yet, none of it is based on anything in Harry Potter, because none of them have even cracked open one of the books! That would be like me saying that Caryl Matrisciana is a Satanist, without ever taking the time to read her website or articles or books or talk to her or whatever, and just basing it off of a picture that I saw of her and somebody remarking to me that she has written books related to the occult. It’s a completely ridiculous statement to make on my part, since she is really a Christian (though even that seems a bit speculative, considering the woman seems highly intolerant or anything but her own thoughts and beliefs and is ready to condemn half the world as Satanists for reading Harry Potter (or Twilight, which seems to be her new beef)), and it’s as equally ridiculous for her and others to state that Harry Potter is meant to draw children into the occult when it obviously is not and especially when none of them have read/seen it. It’s simply mind boggling!
Whoever the hell thinks that Harry Potter is trying to push the occult and Satanism is simply ridiculous. I have an aunt who feels somewhat the same and used to preach to me about how awful she thought it was and how I was dabbling in witchcraft by reading it. However, I realized that when I argued with her about it, my arguments weren’t any better than hers or anyone else’s who believes in any of that garbage, because my thoughts were also one-sided, not researched, and quite biased. Therefore, I took it upon myself to read up on both sides of the argument. For a year or two, I spent my time reading many internet articles and published books, watching videos and interviews, and listening to various people preach about the issues, all from both sides of the argument, and all giving detailed reasons as to why Harry Potter was or was not Satanic or presenting ideas that would lead young people down the road to Satanism or the occult. And with all the research I did, you know what I came up with?
The same thing that I had been preaching all along: at it’s core, Harry Potter IS NOT a Satanist’s bible, it does not encourage children to dabble in witchcraft and become practiced members of the occult, it does not teach poor moral values, and does not corrupt children. If anything, Harry Potter is actually something that Christians can enjoy, considering it teaches good moral values, the difference between right and wrong, illustrates the battle between good vs. evil, and other things that I’ve already mentioned above in this article. Not to mention the fact that it has gotten many children who previously did not like books to read, something that can be appreciated by all people, Christian or not. You can still call me biased since I was a fan before I decided to make myself informed, but really…I think I’ve still got a better handle on it than all of these other people, considering I’ve actually read the books, and researched the argument from both sides, basing my opinion on all of that, instead of just what other people have said or what I’ve heard.
(End of rant.) (…I think I may have just written the next “Rants On Everything Pissing Me Off at the Moment. :DD)
So anywhoozle…in conclusion, We Are Wizards was a pretty great documentary, minus Caryl Matrisciana, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to be awesome. That being said…I’m done. I wrote more about how I truly dislike her than I did about the DVD itself, but…whatever. I don‘t care. Also, expect my next “Rants” blog to pretty much be the last six paragraphs of this post. Word.
~o~*~o~
Love grows in me like a tumor, parasites bent on devouring its host. I'm developing my sense of humor, till I can laugh at my heart between your teeth, till I can laugh at my face beneath your feet. -Fuck Was I, Jenny Owen Youngs
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE CAME OUT LAST NIGHT, AND IT WAS FREAKING BRILLIANT!!!!!
I can't even write about it anymore because I've already done it a thousand times and I can't type anymore...but I will copy and post my original reactions to it, which were posted on the Nuthouse. My original post (with the exception of one thing) should basically make sense, but the rest of the posts after that (which I will mark) might not as much because they were in response to other posts. Therefore, I will clarify a bit and explain what they were in reference to. Enjoy!
Original Post: WARNING: THIS POST IS RIDICULOUSLY LONG AND FULL OF NOT ONLY SPOILERS, BUT LOTS AND LOTS OF CAPS-LOCK AND SWEARZ. ALSO, IT HAS NO ORDER AND PROBABLY MAKES NO SENSE. SO YEAH. WORD.
OH MY FUCKING GOD, I THINK I JUST DIED AND WENT TO FANGIRL HEAVEN. THAT WAS THE MOST EPIC PIECE OF FREAKING AWESOMENESS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN.
I FUCKING LOVE HARRY POTTER.
RON IS FUCKING ADORABLE.
FELIX FELICIS!HARRY IS SO LULZ.
SLUGHORN IS FANTASTIC.
DUMBLEDORE WAS DAMN HILARIOUS.
RON/LAVENDER MADE ME WANT TO VOMIT.
HARRY/GINNY, I SHIT YOU NEGATIVE, ACTUALLY MADE ME VERY HAPPY.
MCGONAGALL IS THE SHIT.
SAD!DRACO MADE ME VERY SAD. :(
SNAPE WAS THE MOST BADASS THING IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING MOVIE, AND I TOTALLY WANTED TO THROW HIM UP AGAINST THE WALL AND HAVE MY WAY WITH HIM.
BELLATRIX WAS THE SECOND MOST BADASS THING IN THE WHOLE MOVIE.
I FUCKING LOVE HARRY POTTER.
...Now that all of the expletives and insane yelling are out of the way...OH MY GOD, I LOVED THAT MOVIE!!
Seriously, I cried during this movie. I freaking cried. When I read OotP, I bawled like a freaking schoolgirl, and was depressed for two freaking days. But yet, when I saw movie!OotP, I was just like, "Ah, that's sad..." and then moved on. When I read HBP, I got a little misty eyed when Dumbles died, but I didn't cry. And yet, what happened during this movie? I freaking cried! I got all choked up when Harry started force-feeding Dumbles the potion, and it was just downhill from there. Seeing Draco be all emotional, and then seeing Dumbles die, and seeing Snape obviously not happy...god, I cried. And then when Harry found Dumbledore's body, I cried some more, and and when they all raised their wands for him and everyone else was crying too, there were more tears. I just felt awful about it all.
And Jesus Christ, the Sectumsempra scene!! Honestly, I didn't really like HBP my first time through, and I always joked I hated everything up until the second-to-last paragraph of page 521 in that book, because that's when Harry uses Sectumsempra and from that point on, the book got freaking awesome. And when that scene came in the movie, oh sweet jebus was I ready for it. I knew it was coming, and I started to tense up and get all nervous, and when I saw Draco crying, my heart cracked a little bit cause it was so sad. But with the curse itself, as soon as Harry said the word, I got immediately tense and just...I don't know, like, ridiculously tight chested or something. And that whole time he was walking up to Malfoy, it kept getting worse, and then he sees what he did, and it got even worse, and then Snape fucking comes in and sees what happened and he gives Harry that freaking look, and then I lost it. I got all emotional, and though I didn't cry, that tight feeling just got ridiculous and I got all misty-eyed and it was just like that awful, hollow feeling again. And then he runs out, and Snape starts healing Draco, and it gets even even worse, and then Harry is all upset by it, and just...GOD. I thought I was going to freaking lose it. It was just that shocking, hollow kinda feeling, similar to when Dumbledore died and yet, different. To be honest, I was a little upset that they didn't make the slashes and stuff a little more epic looking, but still...probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It was fucking brilliant.
And then the scene with Snape at the end! When he was behind Harry and told him to stay quiet, and Harry lowered his wand thinking that Snape was going to help, and I'm sitting in my chair knowing that he's not going to...God, that was so awful too! In the book, Harry was under the invisibility cloak and in a body bind, too, wasn't he? So he was physically prevented from doing anything. But in the movie, he could have actually done something about it, and instead, he put all his trust in Snape and just let him walk in and kill Dumbledore. And to me, I loved the change, because it made it just that much more tragic.
[Quoting Jess:]
Bellatrix, I kind of love her. Kind of.
I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN JESS!! I hate her because she killed Sirius and she's the biggest bitch ever, but I can't help but freaking love her at the same time! I blame most of that on Helena Bonham Carter because she's so freaking brilliant, but still...God, I don't want to like her, but I freaking do. She was so ridiculously awesome and badass and I just...God, I love her.
And speaking of characters, LUNA!! OH MY GOD, EVANNA LYNCH IS MY FREAKING HERO. I LOVE THAT GIRL AND WANT TO BE HER BEST FRIEND.
And McGonagall! You know, I always forget about her, but every time I see her in the movies or read her lines in the books, I'm reminded of how much I love her character. She's witty and cool and just awesome, yet at the same time, super sensitive when she needs to be. The scene at the end where she's with Harry in Dumbledore's office was just so sad, but I loved her for it.
AND THE D-BOX! IT WAS SO BOMB!! It was mostly during Apparition scenes, Quidditch, the Pensieve stuff, and then the cave/battle at the end, but it was so worth it! :D
I realized they left out so much, but honestly, the only thing that I'm really disappointed about is the big thing at the end between Snape and Harry. I love that part so much in the book, and I was kind of upset that they didn't do more with that. It's like, Snape didn't even really get upset that Harry called him a coward, and that kind of irritated me. I loved Harry repeatedly throwing curses at him, particularly Sectumsempra and then the corresponding reveal where Snape tells him that he's the Half-Blood Prince, but I just still felt that the scene was...lacking. I wanted Snape to explode and do the whole, "I AM NOT A COWARD!" line, and go fucking apeshit on Harry, and it didn't happen, and I was really disappointed. And while I did love how it was revealed that Snape was the HBP because of the Sectumsempra thing, in all honesty, it seemed a bit anticlimactic. Like, he just says it, and then kinda walks away, and that's that. WTF?
Finally, I will end this post with my favorite line from the movie:
"So, did you and Ginny do it?"
OH THE LULZ.
Post Two: [talking about the Sectumsempra scene] I know! That scene was just...just...GAH, I can't even describe it. Like so awful and yet so awesome, and just...yeah.
[About loving Snape] AND I KNOW. I'm telling you, it wasn't until probably OotP that I really started to like Snape - like, I often found him kind of witty or funny or something, but didn't really like him until OotP - and my love for him has just been growing ever since. Snape is the definition of "the shit." Like, he is the biggest BAMF ever, and I freaking LOVE HIM. (And having the sexy Alan Rickman playing him just makes me love him that much more...God, I love that man.)
*cheers for the movie and having a good night* This is definitely one of the nights I'm going to remember most when it comes to HP. *nods*
Post Three: I know. God, Snape...what a fucking beast. I would do him in a freaking heartbeat, especially if it was Alan!Snape. If I ever met/saw Alan Rickman, I would, no joke, ask to have his babies. He's hot and has the sexiest voice ever and is my all-time favorite actor. I love that man. And I love him as Snape so freaking much. Like you said, that look when he killed Dumbledore - brilliant!
I loved the one-liners and the humor, too, and I'm so glad they kept it. :)
[About them leaving out a bunch of the Pensieve scenes/Voldemort history] I was kinda "eh" about missing the extra stuff about Voldie. Like, for me personally, because I knew the rest of the history, I honestly wasn't that upset about it. Normally, I get pissed when they leave that stuff out, regardless of the fact that I've read the book and know what's going on. But in this case...I knew what was going on and for some reason didn't really mind that they left it all out. I was surprised they did, especially because I think it's really leaving so much out for people who haven't read the books and makes it just that much harder to get or follow, but again, I was personally okay with it.
And I agree - I wish there would have been more action and less romance. I liked the romance, of course, but I wish they would have substituted some for a bit more action. I was really hoping for a bit more of a "battle" at the end instead of just the main showdown between Dumbledore and Snape, you know? I was satisfied with what they gave us, but wished there could have been a little more to the ending.
But yes, this was indeed one BAMF of a movie.
Yeah, I think she'll [Meredith] enjoy Greyback, although, to be honest, I thought he'd have a slightly bigger role. He was scary though!! I'll give him that. And yes, I wished for more Sirius grieving, though I figured they'd cut that...after all, JKR did, so why would they spend any time on it in the movie? :P And Remus was a jerk to Harry. To be honest, that part did piss me off a little bit. I also didn't like that he and Tonks seemed pretty close at that point, too, when she was still supposed to be all depressed about it then.
Post Four: [Talking about the Remus/Tonks thing] Don't get me wrong, I hate RL/NT, but the way they presented it in the movie was kinda gay. I hope they totally don't skip over it all in DH, but they probably will, and just shorten it like you mentioned, TGBTA.
God, I just want to watch the Sectumsempra scene again. And again. And again. That scene was freaking gorgeously done. I loved it.
So yeah...I LOVED THAT FREAKING MOVIE. BEST HP FILM YET.
And just for fun...here's a video from the news this morning about the new film which was filmed at the MoA last night while I was waiting in line for the movie.
THAT IS ALL.
~*~ "Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry." - Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~*~
I'M SEEING HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE OPENING NIGHT IN D-BOX!!! AND THEN I'M SEEING IT AGAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH IN IMAX!!!! OHEMGEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Okay, so I was going to order my tickets for HBP tonight, and then found out that the theater that we were going to go see the movie at was sold out of tickets. I started looking around at other theaters, and the closest one showing it at midnight that still had tickets available was the theater at the Mall of America. I decided to just order our tickets then, when I realized they had another, different showing of it in addition to the main one. I knew it wasn't the IMAX one, so I checked into it, and the extra one is a D-BOX showing!! There's only five theaters in the US and one in Canada that are doing D-BOX showings, and this happens to be one of them. So, despite the fact that tickets cost $7.50 more than standard showings, we're going to go see the D-BOX one. I'M SO FLIPPIN' EXCITED!!!!
If you're unaware of what D-BOX is, it's basically like a moving chair type thing that reacts in time with what's going on onscreen. It's looks ridiculously awesome. Here's their website: http://www.d-box.com/
Oh, and in addition to this, I'm also seeing the IMAX showing of it at the end of the month. Schiffler (my former English teacher) is taking me to it as part of my graduation gift (the other part being a super sweet copy of Pride and Prejudice that she gave me already). That ones going to be awesome, too!! Apparently, there's 3D footage at the beginning and the end of it, as opposed to just the end in this one. God, I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE!!!!!! *SQUEEEEEE* Excuse me while I melt into a puddle of fangirl goo!
Oh yeah, and did I mention that I got a free download of "Friends and Love," the new "single" off of the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack for pre-ordering tickets? Because I did. And it's great. :DDDD *DIES*
OH YEAH, and did I also mention that I bought like a million dollars of Harry and the Potters merchandise? Because I did! They had a giant $5 CD blowout sale (which I think is actually still going on, if you're interested), and since I only had the Scarred for Life 7" and their Enchanted Ceiling EP from the first Wizard Rock EP of the month club (in addition to two HatP t-shirts, a couple of buttons, a tour poster, a toothbrush I got for free for writing an essay on an old summer tour, and a bookmark, mind), I decided to buy the rest of their albums! I ended up buying the A Magical Christmas compilation that they're featured on, Harry and the Potters, Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!, Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love, the In the Cupboard EP (from the new Wizard Rock EP of the month club, which I didn't join this year), and their new 2-Disc, limited edition album Priori Incantatem (which was the full price of $10 and not part of the sale, actually, but whatevs). I also ended up buying the Unlimited Enthusiasm Zine, since I wasn't able to get it at their tour last year because I ran out of money. :P But anyway, that was only $3, and it also came with a full set of 8 HatP postcards from their summer tour last year, too. AND, in addition to all that, they actually ended up throwing in a bookmark, two buttons, and six UEE nametags from last year's tour FOR FREE, probably because I bought so much shit. SO HOORAY AND HOLY SHITZ FOR ALL THAT!!!
FINALLY, Nancy Mai, the coolest person on the entire planet and a very dear friend of mine, made me POTTER PUPPET PALS!!!!!! OHEMGEE!!!!!! She made me a Harry one and a Snape one, and is in the process of making me a Dumbledore one, too. SO HOORAY FOR THAT!!!!
SO YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT FOR AWESOME HARRY POTTER POST! WORD!!!
~*~ I'm a lonely boy I live beneath the staircase My cousin is real fat He makes my life a sad state The Dursleys are my guardians They are so mean and evil If only I had some magic powers Surely I could make them tremble
Finally, finally did another one. Holy bejeebus I suck at life. :P
Also, only 18 days, 21 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds until Half-Blood Prince comes out (as of right now as I'm typing this), and I get to see it in all it's 3D awesomeness at the IMAX. God Bless Schiff. :DD
~*~ Maybe I would have been something you’d be good at Maybe you would have been something I’d be good at But now we’ll never know I won’t be sad But in case I go there Everyday, to make myself feel bad There’s a chance that I’ll start to wonder if this was the thing to do
I am a 20 year old nerd who obsesses over everything that I like. I am a self-proclaimed Harry Potter junkie, fantasy goddess, lipgloss/chapstick whore, Queen of Angst, video game lover, Sims obsesser, Sailor Moon fanatic, anal-retentive music nerd, mythology buff, X-Files geek, horror movie extremist, Doctor Who/Torchwood watcher, and a Daniel Radcliffe/Alan Rickman fangirl. Yes, as I mentioned, I be a nerd. I am told that I am quite funny, loud, and very strange, and also SUPER attractive (haha, yeah, right).
