Sectus!

[kennahijja]

... oh wow, was it ever *brilliant*! I've had so little sleep during the past week, and am still running high on giddy excitement, with random goofy grinning every time I remember details. It was amazingly done from the opening night to the programming to the *breathtaking* Yule Ball and I'm still in awe of everybody who's had a hand in organising it. Wow. The sheer amount of work and effort and passion that went into it!

Seeing chthonya and lazy_neutrino again was just amazing, as was meeting all those wonderful people from my f-list and some I've never even encountered online before.

Highlights - too many to count, really: watching chthonya driving a bulky van through London traffic like a pro, being huggled by annephoenix at reception, squeeing over meeting people like waterbird, catsintheattic, jaelle_n_gilla and omg, mijan all through the opening night, waterbird's Ron/Lucius gift, seeing rowan_r's Revenge Tragedy performed, the Darkfic and chthonya's Lucius panels on Friday, lunch with parlophone, painless_j and leni_jess, breakfasts with fluffyllama, trobadora and lazy_neutrino (so *sorry* I didn't catch you again to say good-bye, love), holding DH in my hands at 1.30am at the Waterstones, reading it together with chthonya amidst giggling, moaning and bursting into tears, THE BOOK itself (ohmyeffinggods!), the Yule Ball with its amazing decoration and costumes and ceilidh music, Itchquidd in the park (damn the mosquitoes, every one of them but was it *ever* fun), watching smut-art in progress during the picnic (and working up the nerve to talk to dementordelta, ohgods, I'm such a fangirl), drinks and chat with riibu afterwards, and a *wonderful* chilling-out night with annephoenix, dracos_doll and chthonya. And of course my copy of DH with all the signatures :).

And tons more people whom I was so happy to meet, if way too shortly - ariadneelda, blue_braces, dark0feenix, dracofiend, snakeling, son_of_darkness, yamato__ishida (and Harry!), aunty_marion, dacro, gatewaygirl, melusinahp (not remotely enough time, but... wow!), sulky_rhino and tien_riu! With apologies to everyone I failed to mention, but whoever knows me in real life will be aware that being braindead is not an occasional condition of mine, but a way of life :).

Things that reduced me to tears: the Yule Ball ticket gift from annephoenix (who is, in person, even more incredibly amazing than she's online!), the beautiful Ron-and-Lucius bookmarks from Waterbird, having to go home again.

Things learned: that I love fandomers (even more than I'd already thought), lots about HP from the panels, the end of canon, and that I'll never be cut out to be a proper shipper ;).

Regrets: that it's over already, that I only just managed to see amanuensis1, moshes and magic_at_mungos for a second, and never managed to meet fleshdress and a few others. The LJ scare just when everybody was occupied with other things. And again, that it's over... Oh, and a little bit that canon is over now (but definitely not *how* it ended, well, apart from one teensy little bit that nobody liked anyhow, *g*).

I've met *so* many brilliant people I had not even *time* to be a scaredy-cat, how cool is *that*??? And I got to visit the National Gallery again on Tuesday, after navigating the tube without any messups.

There will be a by now totally obsolete post on DH tomorrow (done by everybody and their housecat already, so don't expect much, ok!).

Again - it was *so* wonderful!

Comments

[fleshdress.livejournal.com]

I seem to have missed so many of the people I was dying to meet up with! Still, glad you had an awesome time! :)

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Not just you :). But at least you're around on LJ, *squishes* ;).

[jaelle-n-gilla.livejournal.com]

Wasn't it awesome!? I *loved* the way they did the candles in the air and all that.
I am still reading. I am past the battle at Hogwarts right now, and it is a little sad that I am was spoilered. Right now it looks like, you know... and I already know from cat's face that he isn't. *sigh*

[waterbird.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry to hear you got spoiled. :( I hope you can still enjoy the rest of the book. *hugs*

[jaelle-n-gilla.livejournal.com]

Well, cats had that silly grin all through the weekend that told me her ship is going to be around for a while. And then my mom called and I said "I am still reading - I don't want to know anything!!!" And she said "Oh, Harry's gonna live!" Can you believe that? As a direct answer? *argh*
Anyway - I will enjoy the rest of it. I still don't know *how it's gonna happen.

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Totally awesome! I did the face reading bit with chthonya (or rather, speculated on possible reasons for her starting to tear up when we read together, her a bit faster than me), but thankfully that was only speculative, not spoilerish. But yeah - that sucks!

[waterbird.livejournal.com]

Sectus was so much fun. I've been stretching it out as long as possible, having lunches and dinners and hanging out with some of the people who are still in town. But my in-laws arrive this weekend, so I think it's really over for me now, too.

So sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you on Sunday. We got separated from everyone else on the long walk back from Regent's Park and couldn't find the pub. Hope you enjoyed your last day in London. Hope to see you again soon! *excited*

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

*grin*

Yep, we seemed to lose the group as well and never found the pub ;). So I'll have to online!squish you rather than saying goodbye properly. Thanks again *so* much for the bookmarks!!!

[karaontai.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a lot of fun -- glad to hear that.
Yes, mosquitoes are a pest indeed ;-)
One question, which part brought you to tears???? I haven't found that one yet -- maybe my copy is incomplete (just kidding) -- the love story part is sad, but not that sad -- or maybe I am too jaded???

Anyway, good to have you back in one piece lol ;-)

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

I had - immensely. You *are* jaded, but I don't know where you are, so no spoilers. I'll try and post my reactions tonight, and if you're already there, you can peek in, ok? :)

[karaontai.livejournal.com]

I know I am -- jaded that is lol.

Comes with the job ;-)

[alisanne.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I missed meeting you, but perhaps at Portus? *hopeful*

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a pity (but then you never manage to see *everybody* you'd love to, it seems). There'll be another time, I'm sure. Though... Port-what?

[ariadneelda.livejournal.com]

I was so very happy to meet you! *squishes* And that we got to talk a little. :-)

I'm looking forward to your DH post. I want to read your thoughts on the book!

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Am still trying to collect my thoughts re. DH - reading it only once on high-speed didn't quite help...

And yay, it was great to see and talk to you!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I was SO THRILLED to get to see you! &hearts &hearts &hearts

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

So was I - thrilled and gobsmacked :).

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

It was lovely meeting you! And I still miss Sectus.

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Me too - *sniffles*. And it's really great to have a face to put next to the adorable cats!icon now :).

[annephoenix.livejournal.com]

*bounce and hug*

I am so full of fic after our long late-night talk ... I hope I find the time to start writing soon!

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

So do I! *hugs back*

And I really owe you for that Alex Rider rec - not quite state of the art writing, but... yeah ;). Weird that I'd read two of the author's books (other series) in the German translation and loved them, but never made the connection.

*toasts to fic*