#ill literally tell you guys everything though art school should not feel like a mystery esp if ur planning to go into it!

[tangerinegod]

Hello! I am sorry to bother you but I am a senior getting ready for college this year. I am in the US and I wanted to major in the same thing you did, do you have any possible tips for me? I still haven't even looked for colleges that would be best for animation majors so I figured if you were up to giving out any tips/saying any basic ideas if you wanted to/if you had the time to then maybe I'll have a better idea! I apologise for if I sound weird! I'm tried to word it correctly but I can't 😿

hi!! i’m totally down to share my experiences! someone else also had some questions so i’m going to put them all together in this post haha, hopefully this helps! it’ll get pretty long so apologies ahead of time but art school is a lot to think about so i wanna be as helpful as i can around it, its a lot of time and money. I’m gonna put it all under a read more cus it is really really long!

i wanna start off with the fact that I had the privilege of attending school in a financially stable environment, my parents were/are really supportive so w merit scholarship i only came out with around 20-30k in debt and i also had housing support my entire time in school. they were ok with me focusing on academics so i didn’t hold a retail job unless i was out of school like summer/winter break. Ofc though i regularly take commissions/do merch/cons to try and pay for all bills that arent rent cus i did want to be financially independent where it was possible. I also did try and work during the semester but everytime i did my body would deff start to breakdown from the fact that i didnt wanna compromise schoolwork with jobs.. so just read ahead know this experience is from a student who was able to attend focusing only on school work for most of the time!

the biggest thing is knowing art school is not required to become a professional in either freelancing or industry! there are a huuuge amount of online tools and classes these days that provide the exact same education and for cheaper too. i think it depends on what experience you prefer/can handle/want but it’s definitely possible to make art/animation art your living without higher education. the thing that college will for sure give you though is the ability to meet deadlines, work even when you dont want to, and connections with peers+teachers. i think the connections part is invaluable because you’re basically coming out with a network of people you already know and who know you! 

also its good to know if you want to attend/can handle art school! it’s a lot of time and energy and students get burned out really fast. the best piece of advice i got before going was ‘if you draw every single day, even if its for only like 5-10 minutes or a doodle for a whole year you should be fine’ consistency is super key because you’re attending school to draw, and you’ll have to create work for stuff you aren’t excited for at some point or another. burnout is extremely real and the only reason i didn’t experience it was probably because i got super into drawing naruto fanart again inbetween sophomore and junior year! it helped give me something to draw seperated from school which is the only thing i was drawing for since i had entered rip. a heads up id also consider myself a workaholic so i fit in ok with the ‘art school’ environment but it is suuper unhealthy. if you are fantastic at managing your schedule then it’s definitely possible to take care of yourself! freshman year i got 8 hours a sleep a night and only pulled all nighters for some second semester finals at the end. sophomore year + up though i ended up prioritizing hw over sleep and like for sure, definitely shortened my life span. there’s another q down below where i’ll go more into detail but ya, be careful w ur work balance!

another tip especially for animation is knowing for a fact what type of animation you’re looking to go into, and what the school is offering. I didn’t think i’d get into art school at the time so i only applied to two places + decided if i didnt get into either id attend community to get credits out of the way while building portfolio. honestly? i did not do a lot of research LOL but like i did end up having the chance to tour and stuff! just know that each school will have a very different curriculum. The main differences are schools that prioritize 3D (cg animation, cg modeling, ect) and 2D/traditional (hand drawn, ‘oldschool’, digital or traditional based) this is a huge difference so make sure you do research for it! in most cases a 2D/traditional program will also offer 3D since it’s at the forefront of the industry animation wise rn. My school taught 2D but like hand drawn on physical paper 2D, frame by frame. while it was a good experience it’s super outdated because digital tools make it way faster + easier! i’d recommend looking for a program that is digital 2D over traditional 2D. 

if after your senior year covid is still affecting campuses in the US to keep them shut down i’d recommend attending a community college to get credits and then transferring into school. one of the negatives is paying money for gened classes when ur not there for them; if you can get them out of the way sooner and cheaper there is absolutely no negative + you could graduate earlier or use the extra time for better work or to work a job! 

these are all the general tips i think i’d give on like a broad basis of attending or not to think about? let me know if u have more q’s! someone asked q’s im answering below that go more into personal experiences + work culture so heres those:

- how many hours a week do u spend studying, in class, otherwise making art? like how much of ur life does it consume?

I was basically working on art.... 24/7! since i wasnt working a job at the same time i crammed as many credits as possible into my schedule so on avg i did 18 credit semesters (around 6 classes) art classes go for 6 hours and non art go for 3, so i’d spent around 30-35 hours in class a week! hw wise it varied on the class but combined it would be around 35-50 hours a week... im guessing? on average studio classes would have 8-10 hours of hw, maybe 5 for a light week, and gened classes 5 hours w them all combined. or this was probably how things were before junior year? junior+senior year i had thesis + everything else ontop.. i’d spend around 30-40 hours on thesis a week with other classes ontop of that bc my film was super long cus im a dummy! 

- is it hard going to art school n realising that altho u were probably quite talented… so is everyone else? Like. all of a sudden. ur not special and everyone seems as good as u, you know? More generally, how do u deal with comparison?

kinda?? i think instead of the idea of like you vs others it feels more of like a competition at first to be the best. this varies hugely on school culture though; my animation year was really friendly with each other and get along extremely well, so my answer to this is v different than some others who attended different schools. i think that the idea of ‘comparison’ only lasts a portion of the first year because at some point you realize that it’s not a who’s better as much as its a ‘these are my coworkers’ type thing? like healthy competition 100% because we’re all working to improve but i think most of us learned pretty early on that viewing each other as peers going into the same workforce helped a lot. also at some point everyone develops their own style/starts to develop their artistic preferences so there isn’t a way to compare whos 'better’ anymore? i dont think there ever is tbh because style is appealing based off of an individuals preferences. If anything realizing everyone else is also amazing makes you wanna work harder ig? or thats how i felt! it’s inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who create such amazing work. 

- is there a lot of workaholic culture? all nighter culture?

100000% there can be a workaholic and all nighter culture. i know people who avoided it and thats honestly fantastic because i fall super easily into that pit. sometimes i’ll pull all nighters on a personal project just because i really want to finish it... i am definitely considered a workaholic all the way through and its not healthy rip... i’d estimate at the worst i was pulling 2-3 all nighters a week and only 4-5 hours of sleep on the nights i didn’t? that was only for one year tho, after that i was like yeah ok this is really bad for my health in the long run LOL so i tried to cut it down to one all nighter a week and around 5-6 hours of sleep the rest of the week! by senior year my decision to cram in full semesters paid off and i was able to consistently get around 7 hours of sleep a night + no all nighters minus finals since my schedule was lighter despite thesis 😭 while there is that culture i don’t think people view it as like a badge of honor or something to be proud of anymore which is good, we mostly view it as a flaw of the art school system and something that needs to be fixed!!

- are you glad u did it? how did u know it was what u wanted?

i am glad i did it! i’m definitely in a limbo right now of if it was worth both my time, money, and my parents money rip but i think with what i got out of it i definitely wouldn’t be as far skill wise or knowledge wise when it comes to the art industry. i would say it was only worth it for be because i had so much support going in though so i was able to focus so much on improving. if i had only been able to put in part of the effort and not make full use of the resources provided i would honestly have a different answer.. 

i knew it was what i wanted when i realized i really couldn’t see myself pursuing a different profession happily! despite all the bumps and stuff im fully in love with drawing still and feel honored that it’s a field that can provide a living. my second profession choice was to go into culinary school? and third option i think going was into music cus i was also a band kid hehe.  

- how do u cope with ur hobby becoming ur job? how do u deal with art going from something u do for fun to something u do on command constantly?

i think seperating work art from personal art is important! in my case im doubling naruto into being personal work so i have something to fall back onto that isn’t work related. its been a hyperfixation for 12+ years? so drawing it at this point is just like personal art imo. some people have hobbies outside of art and only draw for their job! i think after attending classes for so long the idea of hobby turning into job feels extremely natural? also i enjoy doing it so thats a huge plus! 

sorry this is SO long but i hope i answered your guys’ questions! if you have more just lmk!

[ashistrashhh]

here are some fic recs!! including sakuatsu, bokuaka, kuroken and matsuhana bc i couldnt help myself

if you want, ask me about a certain ship and ill give you some recs!

-sakuatsu-

Marble and Sandstone by red_camellia

rating: G words: 12,937 chapters: 2/2 

author summary: Miya Atsumu only cares about volleyball and nothing else. That is, until he develops a strange obsession with the marble statue of a young man that seems vaguely familiar in his university's arts department. One day that statue comes alive as the very real Sakusa Kiyoomi, and they are left with the mystery of why Sakusa Kiyoomi was turned into a statue and only came back to life when Atsumu touched him. Their new-found connection and the strange mystery turns Atsumu's life upside down, not least because of his growing feelings for Sakusa.

my notes: this was a rlly cute fic!!! 11/10 would read again!!

let it go (paint my body gold) by lunarism

rating: T words: 3,272 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It becomes a routine for them. Sometimes they go grocery shopping and make dinner together, other times they end up talking until Sakusa feels like his own shower and bed is calling him. Every single time Sakusa gets home, shrugs his coat off, balls it up, and proceeds to scream profusely into the fabric for a few minutes.

my notes: pining!!! sakusa!!! also casual painter!atsumu!!! and they paint together!!!

craft a miracle with these hands, lips, (silence) by chrysanthe (sonderesque)

rating: T words: 4,252 chapters: 1/1

author summary: ‘Someone is here to ruin your night,’ his door tells him. ‘You should let them in.’ “I’M HOMELESS OMI-OMI. HOMELESS,” yells the one here to ruin his night. “LET ME IN.”

(What does Kiyoomi sell his sanctuary for?)

my notes: hnnn rlly fuckin cute,, and domestic,,,,

Clipped To You by littleboat

rating: T words: 8,174 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It starts with Hinata Natsu, of all people.

Well, if Atsumu’s being honest with himself, it started way before that, but he’s not, so that’s besides the point. And thankfully, he’s just petty enough to blame all of his problems on a thirteen year old girl.

or Sakusa starts wearing hair clips and Atsumu is more than a little obsessed

my notes: minor kagehina, bokuaka // god these fics rlly make me simp for fictional characters even more than i should. but!! sakusa!!! in hairclips!!! and a pining atsumu!!!

learn how to lay me down in something other than danger, other than fury by rosevtea 

words: 34,211 chapters: 1/1

author summary: All of the ways fellow college TA Miya Atsumu reinvents Kiyoomi's definition of normal.

my notes: god i loved this. it’s a fake dating au and like,, even though they’re “dating” sakusa keeps letting his guard down little by little around atsumu and it surprises everyone. komori and akaashi just know  that they’re were genuinely pining for eachother

among probabilities and a thousand fates by aalphard

rating: T words: 15,675 chapters: 1/1

author summary: prompt fill for “in a world where the red string of fate exists, person a’s finger always twitches when person b, who can see the string, tugs on their string” | or sakusa thought he had a tic and atsumu liked to see his confused expression when it started to happen exclusively when he was around.

my notes: i! loved! it!! so basically atsumu and osamu have the rare gift of seeing the red string of fate, so they know its real but sakusa, like most other people dont believe it exists. so atsumu gives sakusa a (kinda) hard time. rlly cute!! i love soulmate aus!

-bokuaka- 

love in the time of wifi by dalyeau

rating: G words: 4,177 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Akaashi is coming to terms with the fact that he might be romantically interested in his volleyball captain. Hence, doing what any sixteen year old with a problem should do. He asks about it online.

my notes: really cute fic about akaashi asking what he should do about his crush on a site similar to reddit. its kinda a “i didnt know it was you” kind of fic and it made me happy

steam by orphan_account

rating: E words: 8,474 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 bokuto: why is he so hot bokuto: why am i so gay kuroo: LMAO you mean your vice captain right bokuto: yeah

The coach blew the whistle for practice to begin, and Bokuto drummed his fingers against the bleachers, awaiting Kuroo’s reply. He was about to walk away, when his phone buzzed in his hand.kuroo: i got this bro bokuto: what bokuto: wtf does that mean

Bokuto started to panic.

my notes: explicit!!! but really wholesome. kuroo is honestly the best wingman. i also think this is my favourite bokuaka smutfic?? 

just to miss the sun by rosevtea

rating: T words: 15,126 chapters:1/1

author summary: Everything begins to implode when MSBY Jackals outside hitter Bokuto Koutarou crashes Akaashi's livestream.

my notes: akaashi is a booktuber and bokuto crashes one of his streams. fans begin to speculate. rlly fluffy and can u tell i like bokuaka

brain fish by iceblinks

rating: T words: 12,026 chapters: 6/6

author summary: Akaashi wakes up to a string of texts from an unknown number. 

my notes: i love text fics and i love wrong number aus so u can tell how much i loved this. really fluffy and i come back to it time to time

-kuroken-

us three by honey_s

rating: T words: 5,137 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo’s gaze flits over to the utensil. His eyes bulge out of his skull. “Wh—is that a meat hammer? Put it back!” Akaashi’s head recoils back in confusion. “I don’t understand the problem here.” “Why on Earth have you got a fucking meat hammer? We aren’t going to kill somebody!” “Well,” Akaashi begins, clearly taken aback, “I apologise for assuming. I had heard Kenma-san had been hurt in school and after getting a message from both of you to meet late at night, I merely filled in the blanks and assumed we were going to beat someone up, for lack of a better term.” “Not literally! I meant metaphorically, or figuratively, or something!” “Idiomically?” “That isn’t a word, Bokuto-san.” “Jesus Christ,” Kuroo groans, dropping his head into his hands. “We're going to jail."

my notes: bokuaka and kuroo are ready to beat someone up for kenma!! and we stan!! 

Cherry Pits and Cat Tattoos by strawberryriver

rating: G words: 6,141 chapters: 1/1

author summary: 

Kuroo has been in communication with his soulmate ever since they were kids. They've known each other for so long that he never really worried about when or how he would meet them. At least, not until he meets the roommate of Bokuto's soulmate.Soulmate AU in which things written on your skin show up on your soulmate. Companion piece/same AU as Serendipty

--------------------

Kuroo Tetsurou liked to write on his arms. Despite his mother's half-serious warnings about “ink poisoning” or staining his skin, he insisted on marking his arms and legs wherever he could. Not like his best-friend-since-always Bokuto Koutaro, who had to write on his arms or he’d forget to breathe, but artfully. He’d draw designs, animals, the occasional chemical compound. The whole idea behind soulmates fascinated him: how one person could mark their arm and someone potentially thousands of miles away, would have that same mark appear. The amount of articles, studies, and books he’d read about the topic, even at a young age, could put an undergrad researcher to shame.

my notes: again with the soulmate au bc i cannot help myself. but really cute!!! probably gonna read this again later!

Boom, Toasted by protostar (hearthope)

rated: T words: 6,782 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 FROM: yuuji any bets on who hes texting??

FROM: eita He's smiling at his phone. Kuroo, probably

FROM: kentarou Kuroo

TO: fake family Have any of you ever once considered not prying

FROM: eita You deserve it

FROM: yuuji how can we not when ur in love!!

Kenma gets a text from an unknown number. He'd be lying if he said the guy behind it wasn't kind of endearing.

my notes: again, i love wrong number texts. it focuses more on kenma’s friendship, but kenma’s pov with texting kuroo is more than him realizing feelings and stuff. really cute, ive read it multiple times. 

Japan's most subscribed by NeverNothing

rating: T words: 3,631 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo Tetsurou @blacktetsurou changed his bio : volleyball player, co-owner of Bouncing Ball Corp. and so much more ;)

my notes: i! love! social media! fics!!! really cute and basically people wondering who the mysterious kuroo is to applepi. 

MATSUHANA!!! the underrated gem

texting (with a capital S) by parenthetic

rating: M words: 2,119 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Hanamaki breaks his No Texting In Class rule, and it's all downhill from there.

my notes: honestly more funny than it suggests, but its matsuhana, they’re meme lords.

rated m for by orphan_account

rated: T words: 10,692 chapters: 1/1

author summary: He should have known that there was a Specific Reason™ why it was so absolutely vital that he and Matsukawa specifically meet for a reading of the script. He should have known that there had to be some evil catch beyond sitting in a tiny, cramped studio with his newly sworn enemy.

Hanamaki stares at the title of the script he’d so gracefully neglected the night before.

FORBIDDEN PARADISE

“Excuse me,” Hanamaki starts, raising a pen in the air while staring blankly at the packet in his free hand. “Just to clarify, you want me to record a boy's love CD with Matsukawa?”

my notes: a very good voice actor au. there is some misunderstanding on hanamaki’s part bc he didnt finish listening to matsukawa, and this is really cute and i love matsuhana. 

In A Quiet Night, All Sounds Carry by levyovochka

rating: E words: 4,794 chapters: 1/1

authors summary: “Ah, ah, Too—!”

Hanamaki hates his university dorm.

“—ru, let me cum, please!”

Hold up. That’s a fucking understatement. Let him rephrase it: Hanamaki loathes his university dorm with passion. Detest the damned abomination, abhors it—

“—ru! Coming, coming—”

It has only been a month and Hanamaki already wants to die.

my notes: as u can guess minor iwaoi // rlly well written and bottom hanamaki rights and maybe my favourite matsuhana smutfic??? and hooh boy i simp for matsukawa

call me maybe by totooru

rating: T words: 33,689 chapters: 14/14

author summary: Hanamaki texts the wrong number when trying to extort tips out of Oikawa in order to defeat Iwaizumi in arm wrestling, and then continues to text the witty stranger who had answered.

my notes: minor iwaoi, daisuga, bokuaka // god i think this is my favourite matsuhana fic overall, maybe in general, but my god is it great. this is probably a common rec, but its understandable as to why it is. basically au where makki texts matsun (who goes to karasuno) instead of oikawa for tips to beat iwaizumi at an arm wrestling match. but they keep messaging. and holy shit i love their conversations. please read this, it is 256/10

there we go!! i might go a part two with more ships (kagehina, tsukkiyama and iwaoi) but this took up way to much time lol. i have an essay due in a couple hours. but hope u like these fics as much as i do!!

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasReads: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

PS | CoS | PoA | GoF | OoP | HBP | DH

Don’t worry, I’m still reading the Harry Potter books! I didn’t suddenly stop for the second time in my life!

Half Blood Prince also happens to be the last Harry Potter film I watched. I… didn’t really understand what was going on, as I recall it being pretty choppily written (though it’s been many years since I’ve watched the movies[1]).

That has been my interesting trivia and context before we actually get into the review.

For the first time, we open a book outside Harry’s perspective. In fact, as far as I can recall, this is the first time we’re given material that Harry’s not privy to. Even in Goblet of Fire, which opened in the Riddle House[2], was revealed in the next chapter to be a dream vision by Harry tapping into Voldemort’s mind, if a bit loose with camera angles.

Book 6, however, that goes out the window, as instead we see part of the life of the British Prime Minister! As in, the actual Muggle one, not the bizarre Wizard one.

I actually know very little about the mechanics of the British Government, so I have no way to guess which Prime Minister this is supposed to be, or his exact functions within the government besides… being the highest authority, I guess?

Look, rest of the world, we shove the mess that is our government down your throats. You’re welcome to return the favor.

Point is, the chapter establishes that the muggle and wizard governments are so thoroughly divorced the muggle Prime Minister didn’t even know about wizards until the night of his… inauguration? The very night he officially takes office. So, yes, Muggles and Wizards have no political power over one another, and that sounds like it’d be the biggest possible mess.[3] Like… come on guys, you losers share an island, it’d probably work much better if you jawbreakers would at least have monthly meetings.

Anyways, the actual chapter tells how Fudge goes from greeting the Prime Minister on that first night, saying “Don’t worry, you’ll probably never see me again,” to popping in on a yearly basis to give a very rough summary of the escalating chaos from Harry and Voldemort’s shenanigans. It serves both as a ‘previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and world building!

But Fudge got… impeached? Kicked out of Office?

Fudge isn’t the boss anymore, what with the utter incompetence he displayed during Order of the Phoenix.

So he’s being kept on as the official liaison to the Prime Minister, so new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour can keep focus on dealing with the return of the Dark Lord.

Also, we get a brief overview of how Voldemort’s been causing damage to Muggles (despite how even Voldemort prefers to leave muggles alone).

Then we go to follow a different character: Draco Malfoy’s mom!

I… okay? I mean, it’s a very important chapter that establishes some details, but Mrs. Malfoy hasn’t really played a role until now.

Actually, considering the nature of previous books, it’s actually a little against the typical narrative for Rowling to tell us about the unbreakable vow and that Draco’s been selected by Voldemort to do something malicious this year, instead of letting that mystery grow as per usual, and the following chapters seem to be written in that usual way.

Then again, maybe it’s just reassurance that Snape and Malfoy, both red herrings in the past, are actually up to something this time.

Also, Wormtail lives with Snape. And literally everyone calls him Wormtail. I feel there’s something to be inferred from everyone using Pettigrew’s schoolboy nickname, shared with three men he betrayed so utterly.

You know what? I really want to hear Pettigrew’s story. What happened there? Was he always a toady, without much of a spine? Except he was in Gryffindor, which implies some characteristics he doesn’t display, and he had the tenacity to become an Animagus with James and Sirius, which isn’t supposed to be easy. He was close enough to know about Lupin’s lycanthropy. All details about Pettigrew indicates a very complex and competent individual, considered trustworthy by the other Marauders and an actual friend, not just a sad gopher they kept about for convenience. Yet the glimpses of the era he’d be at Hogwarts, whether by Lupin’s words, or Snape’s memories, rarely (if ever) mention Pettigrew. And he currently acts like such a weak-spined minion, loyal to the biggest bully.

Who is Peter Pettigrew?

We will not know at this juncture.

Instead, in chapter 3, we finally see Harry Potter himself, asleep against his bedroom window, waiting for Dumbledore to come and take him away.

Dumbledore arrives, takes Vernon’s usual bluster with ease, then forces the Dursleys to sit down and be quiet as he and Harry settle some matters, chiefly Sirius Black’s will. Good news, Sirius left everything to Harry! Bad news, Number 12 Grimmauld Place is compromised and the Order of the Pheonix needs a new Headquarters.

Also, Harry owns Kreacher, the Black family house elf. Harry just tells the ungrateful thing to go work at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore then chastises the Durselys for treating Harry unkindly, and informs them Harry must be allowed to return once more the next summer to finish the last leg of the ill-defined spell allowing the Dursleys protection from Voldemort.

Then the two wizards leave, and presumably the Dursley’s are relieved to finish a wizard encounter without damage to body or home.

Slightly tangent, this book has shown Dumbledore apparating booze pretty frequently. I… don’t know if I’m supposed to read anything into that, but it’s a noticeable pattern.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, has one more errand before taking Harry to the Burrow;[4] time to enlist a new faculty member.

Not a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, of course. Snape finally gets that job, presumably because he was the only Order member willing, and Dumbledore needs to obey the pattern (Death Eater, third party, Order member), and Snape’s history with the Death Eaters may translate into making him an inexplicably good teacher for the post.

But then again, he is Snape.

Slughorn, meanwhile, is a serviceable Potions Master, and a Slytherin of the hob-knobbing sort, gaining privileges as a sideline manipulator.

Slughorn doesn’t really want to come back to Hogwarts, but Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, is far too tempting a morsel to ignore, so Slughorn gives in. Also, Hogwarts is mostly safe.

I mean, the only teacher to die was Quirrel, who was working for Voldemort. Or so Harry explains to Slughorn.

This is omitting the teacher that oblivated himself; the second Death Eater that snuck in, and was instrumental in Voldemort’s resurrection; the power-hungry toad that took over the school, and was taken away by centaurs; having Dementors hanging about for a year; the giant spider in the local forest; all of Hagrid’s other oddities; the casual defiling of space-time; the basilisk that was living in the plumbing; an evil diary; Crouch Sr. also dying on school grounds; Harry’s many Quidditch injuries; the Triwizard Tournament in general; Hagrid’s full-giant half-brother hanging about; and Dumbledore's re-emerging alcoholism.

Hogwarts isn’t a very safe place.

Still, Slughorn agrees, and Dumbledore takes Harry at last to the Burrow. Whereupon he takes Harry into a broomshed and tells Harry he’s going to give the boy private lessons over the school year, and he’s free to tell Ron and Hermione stuff, because just because Dumbledore is a bumbling secret-keeping fool, doesn’t mean Harry should be.

Besides, he’ll need both Hermione’s smarts and Ron’s bullheadedness to cope.

And, by the way, Harry’s the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain now. Why not.

At the Burrow, we learn Hermione’s been staying for the summer, too, and Bill Weasley is engaged to Fleur Delacour, who was also a Triwizard champion. No one but Bill and Ron like having her around, and Molly is trying to turn Bill’s head toward Tonks instead.

Also, with Voldemort now making a spectacle of himself, security’s been heightened. Just… just in general. Wizards are scared. So that’s fancy pants fun.

Fred and George have their joke shop up and running, including a backroom of items designed to fight against dark magic. They seem to be doing well for themselves.

Oh, and Harry catches Draco Malfoy doing something sneaky. It’s all very suspicious, but no one’s got Harry’s back on the matter, even though we, the audience, know something's up.

On the train, Hermione and Ron again must do prefect duties, so Harry goes to sit with Neville and Luna. Luna hopes for the Dumbledore’s Army meetings to continue, because it’s almost like she has friends.[5]

Slughorn, not wanting to waste time, tries to befriend prospective celebrities, which Harry finds a bit off putting.

After getting away from the gathering, Harry sneaks off to eavesdrop on Draco, where the idiot’s bragging to his friends about the evil he’s about to get up to.

However, Draco, being actually perceptive, discovers Harry, beats him up, and intends to leave him on the train to miss Hogwarts.

Because Harry just can’t keep his streak of catching the House Sorting. Always have to have some difficulty.

Tonks finds Harry anyways, and together the two head towards the school.

In short order, the actual faculty changes are addressed, and Harry is able to advance with potions classes, pursuing his dream of being an Auror.

But he also doesn’t have potion supplies, so Slughorn lets him and Ron borrow class supplies as needed, until they can order their own.

Harry ends up with a used book, annotated and written in by some jerk former students.

What monster writes in books? Whoever this ‘Half Blood Prince’ guy is, he’s clearly without morals.[6]

After two books of the subtitle not having a heavy importance to the plot, The Half-Blood Prince brings the relevance slope upwards, as the book brings both good and ill to Harry’s life, and Snape’s actions ultimately have the greatest effect on the plot moving forward.

While we’re on Snape, let’s take time to assess his DADA skills.

Information is inconclusive. We only truly get the first day of the class, where Snape, like every previous teacher, has commented on how behind the shenanigans of the previous teachers have put them. Though, to be honest, only Lockhart and Umbridge have actually caused any set back, and during Umbridge’s tenure, there was the DA to keep a portion of the class moving forward.

Which means the damage Lockhart left in his wake was that detrimental. Literal villains did a better job, you pompous fool.

Anyways, we don’t get much material on how well Snape teaches the subject, putting him about equal Quirrel’s ‘Must’ve been average enough to warrant no comment’.

Which means the DADA teachers are symmetrical. It went unnotable, bad job, great job, best job, worst job, unremarkable.

Huh.

I look forward to see how the final one compares.

So the potions book helps jump Harry forward in the art of potions. Which means if he spent less time glaring at Snape and more time listening and taking notes, he’d probably been pretty strong in the subject.

This allows Harry to win a Luck Potion from Slughorn during the first day of class. Which, of course, will be used against the man later.

Dumbledore also begins his private lessons with Harry, the subject: Tom Riddle!

Junior!

He’s catching Harry up on Voldemort’s backstory so Harry can keep the great work going in case something happens to Dumbledore.

Yet,despite this, Dumbledore keeps vital and reassuring knowledge from Harry!

Like, Dumbledore’s great sin is honestly Pride. The man, whose dark past and brilliance has left him a Hero’s Complex greater than Harry, seems to have a problem trusting anyone with the whole game table he’s operating with. Even as Dumbledore enters this final stage, where he must relinquish the throne of control to Harry and move himself to the expendable camp, Dumbledore still cannot conceive that trusting his subordinates with what he’s up to might help things along.

For all his talk of how important Love is; for his instance that Harry keep Hermione and Ron up to date; even as he derides Tom Riddle for forming no friendships and using his Death Eaters only as tools, Dumbledore is of the same ilk, just happened to be on the other end of the game table.

This is not just about Dumbledore not telling Harry the full story behind Snape, which, after six years of Harry receiving nothing but reasons to mistrust Snape, would’ve been a good thing to pass on before his death; or that he knows Draco is up to something, that Harry’s concerns are warranted and being addressed; or that, possibly, Dumbledore will die either hunting the Horcruxes or by other machinations by the Dark Lord, and Harry must be prepared for what that means.

He doesn’t even tell McGonagall the deal with Snape. Like, I get it, McGonagall isn’t a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but… She’s next in line to head Hogwarts. She’s the one to be left with the fallout. McGonagall needs to have been made aware of what Dumbledore and Snape were planning, and what should be done with Hogwarts.

Dumbledore probably views his actions as a necessary evil, yet lacks the wisdom of literature’s greatest Necessary Evil: Havelock Vetinari.

Because Vetinari knew to give authority and partial control to others, and build a self-maintaining city while keeping himself irreplaceable to his allies and, most importantly, to his enemies.

Ankh-Morpork without Vetinari risks another Snapcase.[7]

Dumbledore did a good job of making himself nonexpendable by the arms of good, so that when the enemy, to whom he is very expendable, gets a lucky shot in, Dumbledore leaves a fractured force in his wake.

With only a lone boy (and his two friends) with a clear goal, and an Order of the Phoenix and a school staff facing the unknowable darkness without context.

Like… don’t keep secrets. If there is no greater lesson to be learned from media, it’s that keeping secrets never works out.

Have a confidant. Have someone to call you on your missteps. Have a back-up!

The descent of Dumbledore from mystical guide to fallible mortal, while a potentially strong arc, is still scarred by the worst trope.

I… just stop serving me this trope, Media. It’s the fastest way to kill my trust in a character and strength of the plot.

If your plot only works because someone is keeping vital information from someone else, with zero repercussions with its revelation, rewrite it. Or make sure the one keeping the secret is both the stupidest cast member and actual scum of the Earth.

I haven’t even seen the fallout from this choice, I just know narratives well enough to know the ramifications could’ve been easily avoided.[9]

Right, we were talking about the infodump of Voldemort’s back story.

It has some worrisome elements? I mean, I prefer redemption stories, or at least some optimism that the bad guy can be saved, which I know isn’t this story, and that’s fair, but… Dumbledore offers no sympathy to Tom Riddle along the way.

Yes, Voldemort was a right jerk from the start, terrorizing the other orphans and being a sociopath but… dude was orphaned, with no knowledge of his mother, only his father’s name to go on, and inexplicable powers with no explanation for the first decade of his life.

It’s easily a very tragic tale about a boy incapable of forming actual connections with anyone, nor having a firm place in the world. Even from the start, Dumbledore is suspicious of the boy.

Yes, I’m forcible dragging out sympathy. Fight me.

Also, there’s Dumbledore’s theory that Tom Riddle is the way he is because he was conceived while under the influence of a love potion, which… really, Rowling? Like…

Actually, no, the implications of that is obvious, I won’t address it.[10]

I mean, I get the Dark Mirror of Harry aspect Rowling was going for, but it does kind of jumbles the message; that great evil and great good can only come from extraordinary circumstances. That a being like Voldemort is the result of inbreeding, abuse of his mother, a loveless conception, and a lonely childhood. I think it might’ve been a tad more interesting if Voldemort actually came from an unremarkable background.

But then you’d still need to clean up the loose ends of Voldemort having a family.

The Horcruxes/Phylacteries are a good element to introduce. A tangible list of challenges to conquer before we can get our final showdown.

And the book does explain why Voldemort didn’t just make one of his horcruxes a grain of sand, guys! The man is literally too melodramatic. His soul jars have to have some emotional connection, and he can’t conceive of anyone capable of matching his intellect and power to destroy the things, so why does it matter. Why do you have to judge Voldy?

There must’ve been a boar somewhere in the Gaunt family line, because Tom Riddle is a thick slice of Ham.

So that’s what Dumbledore tells Harry, but he does need Harry to get an unaltered memory from Slughorn to prove that Voldemort knows about Horcruxes because… due process or something?

Dumbledore has the ring Horcrux during the first meeting, and presumably destroys it, so shouldn’t it be obviously the nature of the beast?

I don’t understand what Dumbledore thinks he’s doing in this book. Albus is a mess.

But Harry has other concerns! Like captaining the Quidditch team! It goes… alright? The graduation of Lee Jordon left the announcer’s box open, allow some fun guest announcers, the best being Luna.

But Quidditch is still the least interesting and low stakes part of the narrative, and as nice as it is that Harry has Hobbies, I don’t care.

Gryffindor wins at the end, as always.

Let’s see, other significant plot lines…

Well, Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater now. Harry figures it quick, because he eavesdropped on the right conversations. Harry tries to figure out what Malfoy’s scheme is, and while some progress does get made from time to time, Harry never gets in a position to solve the mystery, because Malfoy does ultimately need to succeed, but it does mean a lot of pages spent on Harry trying to get into the room of requirement and failing.

Also, I love how there’s a version of the room that’s just a massive warehouse to hide junk. Even Trelawney knows the room well enough to dump her sherry bottles in there.

There’s suddenly a lot of alcohol use. Is it because Harry could legally drink beer now? What is the deal.

I’d actually enjoy a breakdown of what characters know what Hogwarts secrets. That’d be neat.

Other ongoing plots…

Ooh! Fenrir Greyback!

We’ve got another werewolf! There’s another werewolf!

He’s a bad guy. And cannibalistic. And a total monster.

Yaaay?

We don’t get much information about Greyback. Is he also a wizard? If so, did he forsake magic to instead savage people? Why does he think teaming up with blood-purist Tom Riddle will further his cause? Because I do like the subtle thread of both he and Lupin trying to find equality for werewolves, but approaching from massively different angles.

Was Greyback a muggle? If so, what was it like to suddenly get pulled into the wizard world, but as a very low caste?

When do I get that story? Does… does anyone else want that Harry Potter-verse story?

Maybe Fantastic Beasts 2?

What other plotlines? There’s got to be something else.

Fine.

I’ve ran out of delaying tactics.

Harry and Ginny…

Look, it’s not well written. I know it, you know it, and yet… we’re told to just accept it? That Harry and Ginny are truly compatible and…

They never talk! Like… okay, you want to write a good romantic subplot for the main character, wherein it’s not the main focus of the narrative? Here’s the Canvas Method:

First, make both characters independently compelling. Since Harry’s the main character, he’s good. Enough material, we’ve followed him for 5 or 6 books now, so he is compelling. Ginny, meanwhile, isn’t. The last time we saw Ginny be really important was Chamber of Secrets. Since then, she’s just been part of crowd scenes, to fill a seat, either as a Weasley or as a DA member. She’s just there, at best a checklist of traits, if that.

I need to be interested in both involved parties for me to become invested in the relationship. Remember, 50% is a failing grade.

So if the character is defined only by their relationships to others, then you’ve written a Romantic MacGuffin. A Horcrux of Love. A nonentity character.[11]

Second, the two characters must talk to each other about something besides how much they like one another, and leading up to the relationship. And I mean there needs to be dialogue written out. No ‘They played quidditch at the Burrow’ and ‘They had talked’, Rowling. If you want to convince me this is the match, actually write Harry and Ginny, sitting on the Hogwarts Express, casually discussing Quidditch, their school experiences, whatever. Place Ginny, constantly, with the golden trio. Mix her into the dynamic.

If the audience doesn’t see it, it doesn’t happen. Build the romance the same as any other part of the story.

Even Harry and Cho had more build up, and that was written to fail, even though that also was mostly ‘Harry felt this way,’ we saw a lot more of Harry stumbling about with his crush, and small conflicts.

Two point five, the two characters should also be interesting as a unit.[12]

We haven’t seen much of Harry and Ginny on page for me to analyze this further.

Three, the relationship needs to have a narrative purpose and make compelling stories from the union, before leading up to it and during the relationship.

So, yes, Rowling, we lose Ginny making out with other boys in the background, but literally no one cares about Dean Thomas.

Rowling doesn’t even care about Dean Thomas.

I don’t even know if Dean Thomas has any defining characteristics besides ‘named Dean Thomas’ and ‘Isn’t Seamus’!

Cho had Cedric Diggory, who was a Triwizard Champion, and died, so him being in the love triangle worked.

This is why people ship Harry and Hermione, by the way. Not just because the whole ‘Lead Boy and Lead Girl’ angle, but because Hermione is literally the only age appropriate female Harry ever interacts with for extended periods on various topics.

And you know what? Hermione and Ron is done well. They’ve been orbiting the relationship and alternating jealousy since Goblet of Fire, and more or less both parties are well aware, but are too stubborn to bow first. And it’s only gently implied at the end of this book that Hermione and Ron are now together. I’m not even sure if Dumbledore’s funeral is the canon starting point.

But that doesn’t matter! We’ve seen both grow as unique characters, their relationship build and move in arcs. Rowling put the work in, and it worked.

Well, okay, I’m not a fan of Ron and Hermione, but that’s because I’m not a shipper in general, and I am very pessimistic about high school romances, and I’d prefer the main three to be friends over romances, but that’s personal taste.

So I’m throwing Ginny into the ‘dull love interests’ bucket under my desk.[13]

And, because I probably should address it: Lupin and Tonks.

Ew. Like… no! Lupin’s 13 years her senior! Harry’s obliviousness and Dumbledore keeping him away from meetings means this has less build up than Harry and Ginny. And… massive age differences really creeps me out. A lot. No. No to Lupin and Tonks. Stop it. Ugh. Or, at least, make Tonks older. It would’ve been so easy! Just add 10 more years. It would change so little.

Why do you do this to me, Rowling. I like Lupin, why’d such a creepy relationship for him?

Well, how does the rest of the story go?

Well, I like how the Locket Horcrux was kept in a Zelda dungeon. Have to swim to the entrance, spill blood to get past the entryway, navigate around a giant pond to find a boat to take you to the island, and presumably keep your hand at the level of your eyes.[14]

Then there’s a torturous potion to drink to get to the locket at the bottom, which Dumbledore just drinks down… If Dumbledore split duties on that with Harry, maybe they’d only be half sad apiece, and things would’ve gone better.

Stop martyring yourself, Dumbledore! It’s dumb.

Oh, and redeads. Have to fight off the glomps of redeads.

With fire!

Seriously, why is this one horcrux given this level of protection, and meanwhile the Journal was handed off to Lucius Malfoy, and more just sort of litter the Hogwarts School ground.

Did Voldemort put in the work on this one dungeon, step back, exhausted, and think ‘Screw it, I’m not doing this five more times. Malfoy! It’s Milkshake time!’

“Why do I have to pay, Dark Lord?”

‘Shut up, Malfoy.’

“I just don’t feel like you appreciate me.”

‘Look, just… listen, I hereby entrust you with my diary. Don’t do anything stupid with it, like secret into the hands of an eleven-year old in some sort of petty revenge scheme.’

“That’s oddly specific.”

‘Shut up, Malfoy.’

I’m a little sad Voldemort screen time was limited to flashbacks. Sure, dude was being suave to all kinds of people, but he was rather subdued this time. Didn’t even do any extravagant actions to curse the DADA post. Just kind of flipped off Dumbledore on his way out the door.

After drinking an unknown potion he found lying in a cave, Dumbledore gets dragged home by Harry, where they see the Dark Mark hovering over Hogwarts.

Oops.

So they grab broomsticks, flyover, and then Dumbledore petrifies Harry so the boy can’t do anything dumb like save lives while Dumbledore Dumbles on with Draco, spelling out what the boy was doing during the year. Which is nice exposition.

Other Death Eaters storm up to peer pressure Draco into straight murderin’ a dude, eventually Snape wakes up, comes up in an irritated grog, Avada Kedavra’s Dumbledore off the tower, then heads home.

Harry makes chase, ignoring the tiny scuffle between Death Eaters and Order of the Pheonix, chases Snape and Draco across the lawn, Snape sets Hagrid’s house on fire, gets sick of Harry yelling at him, so he pauses his escape for a moment to be like ‘Listen, you idiot, I’m the Half-Blood Prince, stop using my jinxes on me. Also, stop calling me a coward. Your dad did that, and that loser needed back-up when he bullied me.’

Which actually a well cloaked compliment.

Snape essentially tells Harry he’s braver than his Dad was.

Snape is such a sweetie.

Who murdered Dumbledore.

Exit, Snape! Only DADA Teacher to leave on his own terms. Good for him.

Harry helps Hagrid put out the fire, stumbles back to the school, helps spread the news of Dumbledore’s death, then goes to McGonagall's sweet new office to decide the fate of Hogwarts.

They’re probably going to try and keep it open. Also, Dumbledore’s getting entombed at Hogwarts. So let’s have a funeral.

They have a Funeral, Harry does the lame ‘Sorry, Ginny, but my life is too dangerous, being with you is too dangerous. We need to break up. I’m Spiderman.”

I mean, sure, Ginny’s a member of a blood-traitor house, both her parents are currently members of the Order of the Phoenix, she is aligned with the DA, was involved with one of Voldemort’s horcruxes getting stabbed, but yes, her relationship with Harry alone would make her a target for Death Eaters.

You idiot. Stop emulating Dumbledore. Look where that got him!

Harry walks off to do the edgy lone wolf hero thing, but Hermione and Ron catch up and are like ‘Nope, we’re coming with you. Let’s kill a Lich.’

Which, to his credit, Harry accept with very little fight.

They leave with two final loose ends to sever before the final leg:

Have to visit the Dursley’s one last time, because Harry did promise.

He shouldn’t give a chocolate frog about them at this point, but Harry did promise Dumbledore.

Also, Bill and Fleur are getting married.

Bill’s a near werewolf, too, by the by. Lucky dude.

Fawkes the Phoenix also flies away, probably to find a place far away from this madness.[15]

The book was… good. It’s not really a stand out story, as it’s mostly set up for the end, closing some things while preparing the final segments. There was almost no Wizard World building, Luna had an even smaller role, and all the romance subplots were… not great. The Half-Blood Prince mystery, while filled with interesting details, also wasn’t really that big of a deal. It’s a breather episode, and feels like a de-escalation in the series. Even Dumbledore’s death (admittedly, marred by being the biggest spoiler) wasn’t really that epic.

I may go so far as to say it’s my least favorite, but that has more to do with having Chamber of Secrets level of excitement in the middle of the plot intense end of the story.

One more book to go. Until then, feel free to interact with me, check out my other projects, and consider backing me on Patreon. Thank you.

Kataal kataal.

[1] Excepting when I watched Sorcerer's Stone with Rifftrax a couple months ago. [2] Riddle House sounds like a puzzle-heavy bonus dungeon, where the player can collect the party’s joke weapons. [3] And we’re doing the same thing with Magical Congress. The magic world is dumb, the longer you look at it. [4] Which, at this point, should have, and deserves to have, Harry’s love shield protecting it. Maybe it does but… eh? [5] Ha ha! I completely empathize! [6] Yes, none of Snape’s crimes are greater than this. [7] Readers who have not read the Discworld books must be so lost.[8] [8] Please read the Discworld books. [9] I… can I even conceive of a way to justify this trope? I… like to experiment with making weird and bad tropes work, but… how. [10] Though I am really concerned that Love Potions are openly sellable at the Weasley Twins’ shop. That… is not a good thing to not have any government oversight on. [11] I’m looking at you, Asami! Too busy being defined by her ex-boyfriend, her father, and Korra to actually be interesting! [12] Or ‘This is why I ship Zuko and Ty Lee’! Zuko and Mai is too much of the same. Ty Lee adds contrast. [13] With Asami, Mai, Asuna and... let’s say Mikiru. And Lagoon Boy? I don’t actually maintain a list. Also Tom. [14] Well, technically you’re pretending to hold a pistol, ready to fire, or I guess a wand in this case… I’m referencing Phantom of the Opera. [15] Maybe Princess Celestia will adopt him.