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Palestinian children are dying from heart attack they are dying from fear

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YES I’ll finish Chamber of Secrets within today but first I need to release my opinions on Gilderoy Lockhart.

So people always say he was a brainless git; but actually NO. Just because he couldn’t perform the majority of spells well doesn’t directly mean he was dumb. He actually had brains; but his brains were in the wrong place.

His way of gaining fame and admiration was actually …smart. He obliviated the real heroes’ memories and took credit for what they had done, then used his persuasion and charisma to win a lot of (female) fans. He had also managed to avoid people seeing him for what he truly was, even earning a membership in the Dark Force Defence League. That just makes me wonder if the Dark Force Defence League exists in name only, but the point is, no one found out.

And for a bit of background info: Lockhart was actually above average in terms of schoolwork; he was just too lazy and fixated on fame.

As you can see, he’s a lazy jerk who takes shortcuts to fame—but not dense.

While we’re on the topic of jerks can we just talk about how cruel Lockhart was? He took credit of others’ work and made them forgot their achievements. He robbed those heroes of their rightly-earned reputation (just because they looked dreadful) and still felt no remorse. He used the money to gain riches and fame, and still felt no regret🔪👿

Anyway, while reading the book, I can’t help but compare Harry with Lockhart during the scene where Draco was shouting Harry was giving signed photos😂

Harry was born with fame, but still avoided fame wisely; Lockhart was born as an average person, but craved for fame more than anything.

Harry earned his fame despite his efforts to be low-key; Lockhart gained fame unethically with his high profile.

Harry treated fame like an unfortunate event; Lockhart treated fame like it was his birthright.

I guess that’s the difference between a decent protagonist and a hateful antagonist.

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The foreshadowing in the Chamber of Secrets is so amusing😂😂

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They represent so many people’s childhood🤩🤩

Naoko Takeuchi be like: YES they are a couple!!! Idc about people’s side eyes towards their LGBTQ relationship!!

Harumichi forever💛💙

my favorite duo from Sailor Moon 🌊💙💛⚡

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Bought new books!

Red White and Royal Blue has always been on my to-read list🤩🤩 For Three Assassins, I’m in a murder mood recently LMAOOOO

Can’t Spell Treason without Tea sounds interesting so I’m gonna give it a try :3

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Onto chapter eleven now; am still convinced that this book is the best outta the series :)

So we see more layers described for Muggle-borns and Squibs in the Chamber of Secrets.

Muggle-borns were accepted in the Wizarding World because they could still do magic after all. However, many pure-blooded families (eg Malfoys) couldn’t stand them. Yeah THAT’S TOTALLY WRONG😡😡. It’s just like racism, but not in people’s skin colours. Blood doesn’t make the difference between accomplished and trash; it’s hard work and morals. Apparently, the pure-blooded families thought they were so important and uppity that they discriminate them. WTH??!! (Why didn’t I think about this in elementary school💀)

Also, we can see the word ‘Mudblood’ has a big effect on people. Imo, it was seen as a swear word with the meanings of ‘b*tch’ ‘ni**a’ ‘a**hole’ and ‘s*ithead’ and other insults rolled into one. Apart from insulting the Muggle-born’s parentage and him/herself, it also symbolises racism that had never truly gone away after Wizarding War 1…

As for squibs, they are wizards born into Wizarding families without magic powers. At first, I thought they wouldn’t be directly discriminated, but the Wizarding World is a dark, dark place. Squibs couldn’t fully fit into the Wizarding World; they were constantly ridiculed and mocked at. Despite the fact that they’re rare, they are as human as us, so discriminating Squibs are WRONG. It’s not their fault that they weren’t born without any magic—they didn’t ask for it😡 I guess it’s a good thing Kwikspell existed for Squibs to try and learn magic, because the Ministry didn’t provide any other alternative survival paths for them.

(Come to think of it, they could’ve been a communication bridge between Wizards and Muggles; or they could’ve been provided subsidies to move into the Muggle world instead.) Yeah Hagrid’s right—the Ministry does mess things up doesn’t it💀

So I think I have a change of feelings for Filch... He needed to clean Hogwarts without use of magic, which is an impossible task you know? His only companion was Mrs Norris, who was petrified by the Basilisk. He didn’t have any dreams and future apart from seeing students come and go with every year. Despite all of that, I still dislike him for his abuse and love of torture for students. Staying bitter about one’s lack of talent is one thing, but lashing out on people who’ve never harmed you? (Not talking about Fred and George here; talking about other students who’ve got detentions from Filch without any reason)

Filch is a deeper character than I realized…

Another reason that I loved this book (apart from the revelation of racism) is it’s more thrilling. There were people attacked by a mysterious monster; and the main protagonist Harry’s best friend Hermione might be next-in-line. The worst thing is, this happened before, and was related to the founder of Slytherin house, Salazar Slytherin.

Imo, this book’s stakes are much higher in the early stages of the series. In book 1, we all knew Voldemort might use the Stone to come back, but he didn’t have a strong physical form, so it’s more like preventive work instead. In book 3, Voldemort didn’t even appear, only his suspected most loyal Death Eater Sirius was on the run, so it’s more like preventive work again.

Compared to book 1 and 3, the actions Harry took in CoS is no longer preventive; it’s a race against time. Also, we had this Hagrid and Voldemort backstory to have more plot twists😈

By the way, I think this proves Hermione as a true Gryffindor😃

She was willing to take risks to save Muggle-borns, not just for herself🥲

Anyway I think I’ll be ranting about Lockhart at the end of the book because I have many words reserved specially for him. I’ll also be ranting about the abuse of house-elves later…

Cheerio~

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Omg finished the first 5 chapters in the Chamber of Secrets and I still firmly believe it’s my fav book in the series!!!

Before I get to the ranting I’M DYING FROM LAUGHTER LMAOOOO

Moral of the last humorous conversation—don’t badmouth someone before checking to see if you’re alone😂💀

Apart from the humour, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO FAR.

I love the Burrow honestly. It’s small compared to Privet Drive, but it’s so full of fun and love, unlike the emptiness Harry felt in Privet Drive🥲Even Harry thought it was weird so many people cared for him😭 It’s just so messy like a real family should be (instead of the Dursleys) you know-? Not everything should be perfect and organised; there’s chaos now and then✨

The highlight in the first few chapters must be the magical flying car. I personally have mixed feelings about this.

I really appreciate Arthur’s admiration for Muggles alright? Arthur respected them a lot for their technology and even got into a fight with Lucius Malfoy partly (I need to emphasise this word) because Lucius insulted the Grangers. He didn’t have any intention of using the bewitched objects to prank or insult Muggles you know? He made that loophole in the law just to punish those with ill intentions.

But, it’s obvious that Arthur has used those bewitched objects. E.g. He really liked his bewitched car and showed no remorse when Molly scolded him. To me, he did this act because he wanted to combine magic with technology out of pure curiosity, which brings me to another point.

Many people noticed the Wizarding ways might not be as effective as technology in some aspects. Like supermarkets are super convenient compared to be whatever ways wizards get their food. Pencils and pens are definitely better than quills. Therefore, combining magic with technology would benefit both wizards and muggles.

However, it’s undeniable that wizards and muggles working together is ‘too much’, because most wizards carry an amused attitude (‘can’t believe they did this for 1 hour when we can do this in 1 minute-‘) towards them, if not discriminatory. Yeah, the prejudice wizards have against muggles (and even vice-versa) is what stops them from working together and improving both of their worlds. So I guess combining magic with tech may come true when Hermione became Minister of Magic😂😂

On other matters, I think this Ford Angelia brought out the impulsive urge of teenagers. What Harry and Ron did was wrong; they even felt guilty about it, as they should have because Arthur was facing an inquiry in work.

But if you think more, Professor Mcgonagall’s suggestion of sending a letter to school couldn’t happen. That’s because Dobby could intercept letters🙃…

The most rational solution, of course, is to wait for Mr and Mrs Weasley; but apart from worrying they couldn’t arrive to them on time, teenagers don’t like to wait for an indefinite time period. Therefore, Harry and Ron chose the riskiest way, in a ‘what’s not to lose?!?!’ attitude. (It’s also struck me that Ron is the most adventurous person in the Golden Trio; he suggested this first)

Am going to rant about Lockhart later; but first things first—read✨

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Distancing ourselves from old age and/or disability won’t prevent it from happening!! If you can’t love them first, please, for the sake of humanity, treat the above people with respect and empathy!!!

Don’t roll your eyes if one of them can’t hear you say something. Walk slower if one of them has a leg injury/osteoporosis. Otherwise you’d regret it.

honest to god we've got to start naming the elderly as a vulnerable group & calling their disabilities, disabilities. we sugarcoat and distance these things by only calling them "elderly," "old & frail," etc. most of them are disabled.

too many people completely separate disability from themselves in their mind. it's something that happens to other people. other sad people i don't want to think about. are they really even people, it's too much to bear thinking about that happening to a person... those background characters over there. it would never be me, i can't cope with thinking about that possibility.

this mass denialism of the fragility of the human body (YOUR human body) has created a whole category separate from the disabled - the "elderly." since anyone can join it if they live long enough.. no they can't be disabled. that's scary, and worse it's political. so they are just "old." so what they lost their hearing, their mobility, their heart function? that's just how it goes for old people. as if that's not a person as real as you. as if you wouldn't be devastated if that happened to you today (and it can btw). as if you won't be when it's your turn to be old, and disabled.

simultaneously the disabled are dehumanized as not people, and the elderly are dehumanized as not disabled. so the illusion of disability as separate can be upheld.

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a poem for pulse by Jameson Fitzpatrick

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HP fans: SEVERUS SNAPE IS ABUSIVE!! HE’S SUCHHHH A BAD GUY!!!!!

Also HP fans: *ignores Filch who doesn’t even teach at all but loves punishments*

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I have started the Chamber of Secrets🤩But I feel the need to express my feelings on the Philosopher’s Stone after chapter 14–

Firstly, is it only me who thinks Hagrid kinda didn’t handle the whole Norbert dragon issue properly?? Getting an illegal dragon is already risky. Also, his living environment is prone to burning, causing students to get hurt if there’s a fire. Added with how temperamental Norbert is, many students may get bitten if Norbert escapes his hut. That’s a lot of ‘if’ scenarios here, but they can come true, especially as this is the first time Hagrid got a dragon. I know his dream was to have a dragon and letting go of his dream was hard, but still…

Can he help a bunch of first-years think of a more reliable plan?! Maybe he could accompany Harry and Hermione up to the Astronomy Tower so Harry and Hermione would get a pass from being outta bed-? Hermione could act as a lookout while Harry and Hagrid could hand the dragon over to Charlie’s friends. This plan isn’t 100% reliable, but it’s def better than the one in the book… (as seen in Harry and Hermione getting caught afterwards)

As we can see in Hogwarts, detention isn’t ‘writing lines’. It’s going into an off-limits forest at night to search for a dangerous creature who has the power to kill a saintly unicorn. It’s also about meeting centaurs who may see you as a threat and shoot you to death. Oh forgot to mention, there may be werewolves too!

Yeah I get it, Hogwarts is a place for extraordinary education. But is it really appropriate for detention to be like that?!?! Maybe Hogwarts could make them go to the Forbidden Forest during daytime—werewolves won’t appear during daytime. Or maybe Hogwarts could make them help Filch clean the castle. Facing Filch for more than 1 hour is a depressing, but not dangerous!!

I found some hints of future plot in the book too. In the Forbidden Forest, Ronan and Bane kept on saying ‘Mars is bright tonight’. Mars is the Roman god of war, so that indirectly means war is coming, with blood and deaths. Mars is also a male god, so that means a male (Voldemort) is going to wage war against others.

Apart from that, readers can predict Quirrell set the troll trap through the trapdoor as DADA teacher. In earlier chapters, Quirrell was the one who warned Albus of a troll in the dungeons. Bit of a coincidence? Haha nope.

Also, I think I found a potential plot hole. In the scene where Hermione was sorting out which bottle belonged to which, she assumed every bottle was arranged in order to the piece of paper Severus wrote. But Quirrell was expecting Harry to come; could he’ve mixed up the bottle’s order to kill them off-? But again, that didn’t happen so just a thought.

Okay time for some appreciation: Neville was really brave alright. He had come a long way from being a low-confidence boy to a boy who stood up to his friends and handled Crabbe and Goyle on his own. I have to give JK Rowling that that is well-written character development. Later in Deathly Hallows, Neville is even the leader of Dumbledore’s Army. RESPECT🫡👏

The friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione is also so amazing😃 Ron was willing to sacrifice his life in chess to let Harry and Hermione defeat Voldemort🥲 (luckily the chess pieces didn’t kill-) Hermione also went from ‘we could’ve died, oR wOrSe, eXpElLeD’ to ‘I’M DEF COMING WITH YOU. YOU NEED ME FOR CHARMS!!’ BFFs until death✨💀

People say Gryffindor gaining those sudden points in the end was weird, but I totally thought Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville deserved it😃

Onto the ultimate battle, the contrast between Harry and Quirrell is so well-written- Quirrell was so afraid of death and yearned for power from Voldemort; while Harry would fight to the death against Voldemort and didn’t desire power or fame… Harry also saw the image of him finding the Philosopher’s Stone instead of his family in the Mirror of Erised, so he had got over his unfulfilled dreams and accepted reality🥲 When I was reading the scene, I was so breathless even though I knew the outcome already😂

In the end, we see Albus saying his classic quote, ‘Death is but the next great adventure.’ I love that Nicolas Flamel destroyed the Stone and embraced the unknown of death. Death isn’t something to be avoided or feared when you had a great full life😃

Overall, I liked rereading this book although some of the scenes were…concerning. I look even more forward to the Chamber of Secrets because that book was my favourite in the series when I was in elementary school.

With an ending note—

(Has Minerva never caught the Marauders outta night before😂)

Cheers🤩

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Best friends be like:

So comforting and reassuring to know they are comrades striding to death😃

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Just finished reading chapter 13, I think I can finish the whole book within today😃

I’m not going to rant too much about Severus because I’m going to save up my energy for later, in Snape’s Worst Memory in OotP- But I feel the need to quickly say a few words: Severus Snape isn’t abusive. He’s def biased towards Slytherin, but asking Harry random questions, calling Neville an idiot and docking points of Gryffindor weren’t abusive acts—they’re just harsh acts. Many teachers are like that, so please accept reality that not all teachers are loving and smiley.

Anyway, reading the Midnight Duel, I feel like Minerva is also biased towards Gryffindor. Underneath the strict surface, she’s really… Like in the classic flying lesson episode, we see her not punishing Harry and rewarding him instead-?? I know it’s Draco’s fault; without Draco, Harry would def keep his feet on the ground. But Minerva didn’t know that. Still, she didn’t give him any punishment and even bent the ‘no first years for Quidditch’ rules for him… Is that really fair to other houses?! Because of Minerva’s shame of losing to Slytherin spectacularly last year, Harry gets a free pass?? It’s understandable for anyone to be mad at this. Instead of rewarding Harry with a Nimbus 2000, Minerva perhaps can recommend him into the Quidditch team next year? That’s definitely fairer in terms of the Discipline Teacher in Hogwarts.

Reading on, I find Hermione being bossy and a bit arrogant before the chapter Halloween. People treat her as a perfect girl (probably because of how Emma Watson portrayed her) but in fact no. She likes to eavesdrop on others and squeeze into Harry and Ron’s conversations. Back on the Hogwarts Express, she even demanded Ron to do a spell despite not knowing him. I’m not saying Ron was right to say she was a nightmare—but Hermione was def not flawless as people make her out to be. Nevertheless, in the chapter Halloween, she had a good heart and lied her way out to protect Harry and Ron from Minerva. This just ultimately proves she’s a Gryffindor—being brave and taking risks.

On another hand, I find it surprising that Hermione wasn’t good at chess. It’s a common thought that studious people excel in it but apparently nah- Ron is the one who was brilliant at it. In case you think it’s just a coincidence, remember Percy wasn’t good at chess too, despite his perfect academic performances. So that really made me suspect and forced me to do some research to satisfy myself.

Apparently, good chess players are always intuitive. They don’t purely memorise all the openings and endings in their book; they sometimes act on instinct. So what I’m saying is, Hermione and Percy are book smart, but not an instinctive person. Meanwhile, Ron was the opposite. Shame that JK Rowling didn’t explore wizarding chess in further books though💀

(in a totally unrelated topic, I just watched the Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and I really enjoyed it; I’ll rant about it after finishing the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Onto last ranting point, I feel like the invisibility cloak is actually a sad item. Before all that DH symbolism and history, I see its symbolism as Harry escaping reality. In reality he keeps getting fame and attention; but underneath the Cloak, he’s free from judgment and expectations😢 That’s why he didn’t tell Ron at the first night; he wants to be alone and feel something truly for himself without others influencing him. Also the Mirror of Erised scene is really heartbreaking—what wouldn’t Harry give to see his family one second😭

Hopefully I can finish this book within today🥲

With an ending note~

Their friendship is funny and touching at times✨

Cheers~

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Hogwarts Houses Rant Part 2

I think a lot of you realized there are actually some similarities between houses. Gryffindor and Slytherin are both goal-oriented and proud of their house. Ravenclaw and Slytherin both seek knowledge. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are both hard-working.

However, these are similarities on the surface. Gryffindor is proud of what they had become; Slytherin is proud of their pure blood ancestry. Ravenclaw seeks knowledge because of its process; Slytherin seeks knowledge because of its usage in the future. Gryffindor is hard-working in a short outburst; Hufflepuff is hard-working in a steady long-term way.

So what I’m saying is, there’s a certain grey line here and there. In a few minute’s time at most, can the Sorting Hat really see through the first-year’s mind to determine which house is the most suitable for his/her?

Hm.

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Happy Pride :)

do not forget the patron saint of these weeks that we celebrate ourselves proudly and openly in the streets

her name was Marsha P Johnson, and we have her to thank for so much.

remember, the first Pride was a riot, and she was one of the brave souls who endured it to help carve the path which so many of us walk today. she helped found several activist groups regarding LGBT safety and wellbeing. and she was absolutely radiant, too.

thank you, Marsha. we remember you.

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Hogwarts Houses Rant Part 1

Finished reading Chapter 7 and god. I feel the need to rant.

So I started reading the Sorting Hat scene and after its song I recalled something. In my 5 years of reading HP, I’ve done so many house quizzes and all of them popped out different results👿 To be honest no one’s purely a Gryffindor, or a Hufflepuff, or a Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin. That’s why hybrid houses exist; people are just too mixed for one house only. Even when people are >80% fit for that house, their personalities may change after growth and time. And apparently houses are really important in Wizarding culture, they kind of determine your life and friends. I feel bad for the fictional Slytherins who are all seen as purely ‘villains’ and the fictional Hufflepuffs who are all seen as ‘duffers’😢😢

Speaking of Slytherin, many characters inside seem to judge it as a ‘bad’ house. Even Harry who’s new to the Wizarding World thinks Slytherins looked like an unpleasant lot. But is ambition an evil thing? Is cunning an evil trait? No. Many people have said it before but I’ll say it again: THE WIZARDING WORLD IS PREJUDICED AGAINST SLYTHERINS. (So it’s a good thing everyone’s embracing their inner Slytherin nowadays😃)

And the fact that all of the main characters in the Philosopher’s Stone is a Gryffindor. I get Harry being a Gryffindor because of the ‘choices determine who we are’ thing. Ron and Hermione need to be a Gryffindor because of plot convenience so sure (Hermione having a hatstall is reasonable seeing the Hat struggling to sort her into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw) But Albus being a Gryffindor-? That is really a fault of the Sorting Hat isn’t it… Albus clearly shows his ambition, cunning and determination as a Slytherin. Oh well I guess I’ll rant about it more after reading the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts💀

Onto Chapter 8 now.

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Ginny: I love murder mysteries Harry, trying to impress Ginny: I've been a suspect in four murder cases