|
Reviewer: AlbusSeverus Signed Date: 2008.03.11 - 05:55PM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
I do admit I had to look up Richard Harris. Very nice touch! Several movies sprung to mind when he mentioned a defense idea, but for some reason Home Alone never occured to me. As usual, very nicely done.
Author's Response: With deference to his replacement, Richard Harris was Dumbledore. I added the actor here almost as an afterthought. We had a great deal of fun with this Challenge, and a great part of it was how we incorporated the Muggles into the story, especially its finale. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Eric B.
Reviewer: HarryGinnyMustLiveOn Signed Date: 2007.06.03 - 05:18AM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
This was very very funny. I loved it.
Author's Response: Thank you very much. Eric B.
Reviewer: muggledog Signed Date: 2007.05.23 - 05:04PM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
Okay, the time has come for me to mention something I've long battled with myself about writing. Nevertheless, I feel it is about time...
I admire and am amazed by your talent of seamlessly mixing the whole world of Harry Potter that Rowling created with, essentially what could be called the real world, as all of your stories that I have read thus far contain you as the narrator. I also admire your approach to narration, and your stories contain some of the funniest wizard/muggle moments. However...
The downside is, I have yet to read a story of yours that is even a third as believable as some of the other stuff that has been posted at this site. While I'll never doubt the genius in it all, that sort of mixing of the two worlds just doesn't work. In other words, the focus of your stories needs to be, I think, more centered in the wizarding world; bringing in a character named Richard Harris is funny, but as far as I can tell, the story would have been richer without things of that nature.
This bothers me mainly in the fact that I am well aware that you are in a position of high authority at this site. I don't want to offend you, but I'm unsettled--especially since you seem to have a large amount of say in what gets posted here, and I'm worried that the judging of posted stories, especially where the DSTA award and challenges are concerned.
Oh yes, the story: It was, overall, passable and definetly funny, but...well, you get the idea from everything I wrote above.
Author's Response: Uhm...thank you. Richard Harris is not a character, he was the first actor to portray Professor Dumbledore.
Yes, I am an Administrator at this site, but I have absolutely nothing to do with the Trinkets. Regarding the Wizarding world...global warming, land mines, crime, disease, gingivitis, street mimes... Our Magical friends do not live in their own world; they get to share it with the Muggles. The purpose/theme upon which this Challenge was focused was Harry and Ginny’s interaction in the non-magical world.
None of us are Wizards or Witches (at least not in that context), and J.K. Rowling didn’t intend for her world to be an exclusive view upon her imagination. All of us here are attempting to post something that will both compliment her books and step forward with a little bit extra. At the end of the day you simply ask yourself if you laughed once or twice, enjoyed the story, and whether Harry kissed Ginny (and Ron got Hermione on that plane). Thank you for reading. Eric B.
Reviewer: Jim McGuffin Signed Date: 2007.05.14 - 11:30PM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
Judged for competition.
Somehow I keep missing your recent challenge entries, but seeing as this Muggle hotel challenge was your idea, I couldn't miss this one.
You're the second entrant to write about Vienna, but of course, your twisted sense of humor manifests itself in this fic, as always. That was a rather, uh, unusual plane ride, to say the least.
Also, you came up with an clever excuse for Harry, Spenser, and the rest to visit Europe. Uncle Waldo, son of the last Weasley female, invites them there. He's an interesting character, but too bad that he turns out to be a Death Eater. Needless to say, this is the only fic to have a Death Eater attack right in the middle of the trip.
And who comes in to save the day but -- Richard Harris? But he is dead -- I take that back: no, he isn't, since he dies in 2002 and this fic takes place in 1998. But then Harris isn't Dumbledore yet since he is not cast in the role until 2000, so that's means, uh, never mind trying to figure out the chronology.
Overall, a hilarious fic as always. Of course, good luck in the challenge as always!
Author's Response: I did not intentionally select Vienna as a duplicate story city; it was just so close to where Harry and Ginny ended up on this holiday. I actually was considering using Budapest, but I had a bad experience there. Uncle Waldo...? He really is not a bad man, so much as a misguided (and very opportunistic) person. I can easily visualize Waldo’s meeting with his ultimate punishment at the end of this story; poor man. Yes, I did utilize Mr. Richard Harris, but it was completely within the timeline of his life, as well as the context of what Harry’s wonderful biographer has produced. Mr. Harris was the finest of actors, it was intended as a tribute, and I hope that the gentleman enjoys looking down and reading some of our better stories. Thank you for reading. Eric B.
Reviewer: Chreechree Signed Date: 2007.05.12 - 05:18AM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
Judged for Challenge:
Poor Spenser. Dodge-landmine can’t be a fun game. I’m sure he felt much better after hearing Luna was all better. At least she invested their money wisely while she was on hiatus. I wondered if you’d have Richard Harris “play” Dumbledore before this was done. Why not? I think this is probably the first time I’ve seen a Death Eater hogtied by a big, ol’ Arkansas boy. I think I knew him when I was in college. Oh, and I clearly missed something. Where did the airplane tail come from? Is it just the norm for Croatian planes to fall apart mid-air, so that was just a lucky chance one was flying overhead? Well, regardless, this was a fun romp. Good luck with the Challenge.
Off subject: I saw your review response to Ginny_Potter258, and my husband can beat that. He’s helicopter pilot, and a half-dozen times or so he drifted off to sleep while flying. He says that it’s usually those 2 second micro-sleep events. Most of those times were when he was flying in Iraq. Forget the fuel and bullets. You need to worry about the pilots (although my husband didn’t/ doesn’t ever transport troops – not unless they want to dangle from one of the skids).
Author's Response: Croatian airplanes, those that I saw during my deployment to Bosnia, did look as bad as I described. The tail that fell on the Death Eaters could very well have just fallen off one, but I intended it to have been dropped by Kinsley and the cavalry when they arrived. I really wanted to give a tip-of-the-hat to the late Richard Harris, and this Muggle experience seemed to be a good opportunity. I know what your husband means about the pilots. Our Army pilots were overworked. The Air Force ones however were just plain mean. During our redeployment flight home from Balad, Iraq, we had a short refueling in Germany. The Air Force loaded a full pallet of German beer into the plane with us…right in front of us! We hadn’t had a beer in over a year, and couldn’t touch them. Sigh! Thank you for reading. Eric B.
Reviewer: GINNY__POTTER258 Signed Date: 2007.05.02 - 05:14PM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
so hermione's flipping out is she? you really see her as the type who hates flying don't you? i've never even thought of such details but i like them...only i don't get how one can be afarid of flying..but i'm afarid since i've been on planes all my life and love flying that i have a biased perspective...i just found out i'm judging for this challenge (yay!!!!) so good luck! p.s. i really liked dumbledore playing dumbledore..or rather richard harris playing dumbledore..you know he only took the role as dumbledore because his 11 year old granddaughter threatened to never speak to him again if he didn't?! : )
Author's Response: I was actualy chewed up and spit out by one of my senior officers when I took a helecopter flight from Kuwait to Balad, Iraq. I fell asleep while they were shooting at us, and he was air-sick. We didn't make a point of telling him about the extra fuel tanks against which he was leaning the whole trip. Regarding Mr. Harris; I was hoping that neither he nor his granddaughter would object to this tip of the hat. Thank you very much for reading. Eric B.
Reviewer: Dianne Signed Date: 2007.05.01 - 07:49PM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
A very enjoyable read and certainly adventurous! I was pleasantly taken by surprise to find that they ended up in a different location from where they should have been. The Monopoly tournament was a great idea. Selling lemonaid to soldiers on the beach was funny . It was nice to see a story where Horcruxes were mentioned in this challenge as well. Spenser is very entertaining and his concern for Luna was very touching. Well done!
Author's Response: The lemonade really was a big hit with the British troops. The Americans had to sttle for warm buttermilk that an older French woman was selling off the back of her bicycle cart. The Normandy beach breakthrough occurred when the rumor spread that there was wine on the other side of the hedge rows. I'm glad that you liked the story; I tried to have a little bit of everything in it. Thanks. Eric B.
Reviewer: carolquin Signed Date: 2007.04.29 - 08:10AM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
eric,
richard harris? accio landmines? Rory Cornswaggler? slavic airlines & crop dusting?
you are totally insane. this story is better than your last challenge, which was better, than the last...well you get the picture. each story just gets better.
now i know that spenser is a bit off....but 'accio landmines'....even luna isn't that nuts!
now i was writing my own story for this challenge and i thought it was very sarcastic and funny. even my nephew thought so.....but then i read this...well let's just say that i've decided that it's better to read these stories than write them. what pure joy!!!!
thanks and good luck in the challenge!!!!
Author's Response: Luna isn't nuts; just look what she did with a few hundred Galleons. A truly crazy person could not have inflicted that much punishment on Spenser (who actually may be certifiable) for the landmine stunt. Jokes aside, I saw first-hand what those things can do when I was stationed in Bosnia ten years ago (not far from Zagreb in fact). DO NOT EVER STOP WRITING! I could use your excuse after reading Mark Twain or Patrick McManus' stories, but then you wouldn't get to read mine. I expect to see your story on the submission pile before the Challenge deadline. Great luck, and thank you for reading! Eric B.
Reviewer: knightsbridge Signed Date: 2007.04.29 - 02:34AM Title: Chapter 4: How To Lose Your Hotel’s Four-Star Rating
As soon as I can stop laughing...ah, hell, that will be next week sometime...I'll tell you just how much I enjoyed this. In the midst of averyone trying to out-angst each other (Harry leaves Ginny, Ginny promises to wait, or not, Harry comes back, Genny has moved on, Harry comes back in 10 years and is in a rage because Ginny didn't wait; Harry is a drunk or an addict, women up the bazoz) before #7 comes out...this was a joy to read...even the anst was funny in it's own way.
Love the name of the Airline home!!!
If the spirit of the late Richard Harris doesn't help get you the DSTA for this, then I personally would like him to come back and explain MacArthur Park!
Darian
Author's Response: I'm sure that Mr. Harris does show favortism regarding the Trinkets. Angst can be very useful as well as entertaining, and I admit that I have utilized it, but humor is so much more fun, and sometimes just as effective at sending a message. Because of misstepps and misconceptions, Harry, Ginny and all the Magics are able to freely interact finally, and an important lesson is learned. Pumpkin juice flying out of your nose when you laugh can damage a computer keyboard. Thank you for reading. Eric B.
