Categories > Books > Harry Potter
How to Lose at Life
8 reviewsRon remembers being naive enough to think that death is the worst thing that can happen to a person, but it is a distant, faded memory. Written for Cateagle.
5Ambiance
Reviews
How to Lose at Life
(#) Cateagle 2008-02-21
Bravo!! You captured quite beautifully the old, jealous Ron getting exactly what he wanted with Harry's fame and the fortune that comes from being the last surviving Weasley and finding that it's all ashes to get it the same way Harry did. You fulfilled my request very nicely.Author's response
Thank you! I'm glad you got what you wanted. Now, I owe you another request. Got one in mind?How to Lose at Life
(#) Vanir 2008-02-22
Ooh! Ooh! I know this title!
Ah well, it was worth a shot.
A man becoming a man when piece after piece falls away from his world, and there is nothing bu Void to fill their places. A man, continuing past the point of hopelessness because there's no one to replace him, there's no one else. Just Void that fills the empty spaces until Void with a name is all he is.
Nice one. Here's a challenge. You have proven your maudling ability. Make something Happy-Go-Lucky. Make me laugh. I dare you!
VanirAuthor's response
You know, I think the only reason you review is so you can make your words all lacy and philosophical. Not that I don't love it, of course.
whines How can you do this to me? REQUEST a HUMOR piece? I have exactly three humors - out of forty-odd! What does this say to you? Because it says to me: "Novocain, you're a repressed, sarcastic dyke who is in danger of becoming emo."
...Fine, I'll do it. But it may be a while - my life doesn't exactly inspire humor at the moment. Ha! That's how I'll do it! wanders away, mumbling This requires actual effort. Ask for something hard, why don't you. grumblesHow to Lose at Life
(#) Vanir 2008-02-22
snort
Actually, it's fun to write SOC every now and then. I'm sketching on a story right now, following that style all the way. I'm just exposing you to my attempts at practice.
Don't you dare lose the sarcasm! Repression usually goes when it needs to, and someone close to you will likely complain if you lose the dyke part, so what were you saying?:)
Consider it a rut-rooter, then.
Anyway, here's a load of sunshine for something i didn't spot the first time: Ron's decency. Through all the horrors, he got into a position of Horror, and the only thing you mark him doing for himself was rearranging the burial plots. I guess you can't corrupt what's fundamentally broken. It just never occurred to me. It's very Ron, in a horrible way. kowtow
Vanir
Author's response
Really? speculative You're writing an entire story with the philosophical laciness? Excellent. Can't wait - tell me when you post it.
You know, I don't think it would be possible for me to lose the sarcasm. It's like a disease - I just can't stop it. And the sexual proclivities are pretty impossible to change too. But this is a sign that I should dump my girlfriend. Thank you for making me take a look.
And what the hell is a rut-rooter? mdr Gawd, it sounds like some horrible torture implement. Or a dentistry tool.
...I'm rereading that and trying to figure out the difference between the two.
And, yeah. Ron just accepts it all like the decent little Gryffindor he is. ^-^How to Lose at Life
(#) banner 2008-02-24
What a horrible way to have to grow up. The big problem I had with the HP series is that her characters seemed to be stuck in the same level of maturity throughout the entire story.Author's response
Sorry, I haven't been getting review alerts for some reason - the only reason I found this is because I was checking my reviews to see who requested the story I'm about to post. shakes fist Damn you, Ficwad!
Anyway, thanks for reviewing. And I empathise with your reaction to the HP characters' canonical emotional inertia - it's slightly frustrating.How to Lose at Life
(#) toranosuke 2008-03-24
Your definition of hero in this fic is something I'm forced disagree with. It fits with the story (and definitely your style) but I say Ron lost at life because he's given up and stopped caring, and in my eyes that's precisely what a hero doesn't do.
Apart from that, I enjoyed reading this fic and particularly the way Ron was portrayed.Author's response
Ah. Well, I've always seen heroes as doomed - they try and try and try until they're forced to realize that what they are is the only thing they can be. Bad things never stop coming, and even when they finally manage to get a little bit of happiness, they end up having to sacrifice it for the people. Heroes are only human - at least, Ron is. Taking enough away leaves them with nothing to fight for beside the vague, general "people", and while that's enough to keep them doing the job - like Ron, in the end - it's not enough to make them care.
So I suppose we'll just have to disagree on the subject. ^-^ I'm happy that you managed to enjoy the fic despite our differing views. Thanks for the lovely review!How to Lose at Life
(#) rabidyaoifangirl 2008-04-28
you know what, i think you are right heroes are only heroes after they die... sad that the world ends up that way. it must be horrible, to become a void with no emotions, no purpose, to be the only one left in your family. that must be the worst kind of excistance.. you captured the emotions really well and got me comptemplating. good work.Author's response
Thank you! It's a really vicious piece - I had a lot of fun writing it. Cateagle came up with a great request on this one. ^-^ I'm glad it affected you.How to Lose at Life
(#) HallowsNotHorcruxes 2010-02-17
Wow. That story was just so sad, I cried through all of it. You are such a great author. Keep up the good work.Author's response
Thank you. This was an interesting one to write. I think she asked for a heroic Ron and got - well, whatever this is. ^-^
I actually haven't been posting new pieces on this site for a while now, though. If you're interested, my FFNet account is linked in my profile.How to Lose at Life
(#) Mistress_of_Potions 2013-02-05
Thank you for showing the Ron that had the potential to be, especially since JKR didn't have the talent to do it. She gave us exceptional characters but couldn't develop them and didn't allow them to mature.
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