So I'm behind the times...
Sep. 5th, 2006 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantBut I have writer's block and need a break from the commentary for today.
These really aren't all unpopular. Some of them are just uncommon. But if they're uncommon, they're not popular, right?
1.) Who really cares what other people ship???
There is one ship I will rant about as a ship, and that is Remus/Tonks. And that's only as JKR writes it. There are many, many other ships I despise, some with the fire of a thousand suns. But I don't have to deal with them in canon, so if it makes people happy to write Snape/Harry or Harry/Draco or anything else I don't understand, they can write them and label them and they're happy and I'm happy.
Please note that I am not perfectly consistent in this view, but I try to be.
2.) Hagrid is cool.
Grawp does annoy me, because I love Ron and he stole my chance to see Ron get his glory. But Hagrid has been awesome- and a great friend to Harry- from the second they met. Too bad he's probably gonna die.
3.) Regulus is just a name on the tapestry.
Well, obviously not. But I believed that so hard and was so adamant about it, I think I need to state it here. See how wrong I can be?
4.) Arthur Weasley is the best father figure Harry ever had, but Harry doesn't know it.
I love Sirius. I really do. But you know what Sirius reminded me more of? A big brother. Which made sense, since he was tossed into Azkaban at 22 and his growth was really sort of warped. Sirius did everything he could for Harry, but I don't think he was really a father figure. More of a guardian angel.
Arthur, on the other hand, treats Harry like one of his sons. He has faith in Harry to handle the good and the bad. He protects him without being overprotective. He sets an example. He's not afraid to call Harry on something Harry's done wrong. He's not perfect, but what parent is? Arthur kicks ass. Harry obviously loves Arthur, although not as clearly as he loves Mrs. Weasley. But I think Harry's never actually known what a real father should be, thus the reason he can't name the feeling.
5.) Peter Pettigrew's silver hand can't Transfigure, thus locking him in human form forever.
It's not one people are shouting against at all. It's just an opinion very people seem to have any interest in. But I really, really, really, really like it.
6.) Remus and Snape met on the Hogwarts Express.
Another one of my pet theories. Remus and Snape met on the Hogwarts Express and had awkward conversations that almost flowed and made Snape secretly think maybe that he'd found a friend, and he couldn't believe his luck. Then they got to Hogwarts and got Sorted and Remus got put into Gryffindor and became friends with the others. That was bad enough, but then Remus's new friends began tormenting Snape a bit and Remus took their side (but didn't actually torment Snape), and Snape was furious because they'd stolen HIS friend. It wasn't real loyalty to Remus, but you don't take what belongs to the Half-Blood Prince. The marauders never put two and two together, because Remus doesn't have the self esteem for that deduction and the other three don't remotely care, but that was how the rivalry began. And Snape would never, ever admit to it and probably half-forgets it himself.
7.) Uncle Alphard is a werewolf. Prove to me he's not.
8.) Zombies are kind of dull sometimes. They've never been my favorite monster, to be honest.
9.) Snape might be called a virgin if anyone (including himself) could actually think of Snape
in sexual terms. It's not because he's slimy. It's because he's so thoroughly unpleasant that I just can't ever envision anyone wanting Snape to have sex with them.
10.) Filius Flitwick, Xavier Nott, and Frank Bryce all fought in WWII together in the Royal Air Force. I have no idea why, but they did.
These really aren't all unpopular. Some of them are just uncommon. But if they're uncommon, they're not popular, right?
1.) Who really cares what other people ship???
There is one ship I will rant about as a ship, and that is Remus/Tonks. And that's only as JKR writes it. There are many, many other ships I despise, some with the fire of a thousand suns. But I don't have to deal with them in canon, so if it makes people happy to write Snape/Harry or Harry/Draco or anything else I don't understand, they can write them and label them and they're happy and I'm happy.
Please note that I am not perfectly consistent in this view, but I try to be.
2.) Hagrid is cool.
Grawp does annoy me, because I love Ron and he stole my chance to see Ron get his glory. But Hagrid has been awesome- and a great friend to Harry- from the second they met. Too bad he's probably gonna die.
3.) Regulus is just a name on the tapestry.
Well, obviously not. But I believed that so hard and was so adamant about it, I think I need to state it here. See how wrong I can be?
4.) Arthur Weasley is the best father figure Harry ever had, but Harry doesn't know it.
I love Sirius. I really do. But you know what Sirius reminded me more of? A big brother. Which made sense, since he was tossed into Azkaban at 22 and his growth was really sort of warped. Sirius did everything he could for Harry, but I don't think he was really a father figure. More of a guardian angel.
Arthur, on the other hand, treats Harry like one of his sons. He has faith in Harry to handle the good and the bad. He protects him without being overprotective. He sets an example. He's not afraid to call Harry on something Harry's done wrong. He's not perfect, but what parent is? Arthur kicks ass. Harry obviously loves Arthur, although not as clearly as he loves Mrs. Weasley. But I think Harry's never actually known what a real father should be, thus the reason he can't name the feeling.
5.) Peter Pettigrew's silver hand can't Transfigure, thus locking him in human form forever.
It's not one people are shouting against at all. It's just an opinion very people seem to have any interest in. But I really, really, really, really like it.
6.) Remus and Snape met on the Hogwarts Express.
Another one of my pet theories. Remus and Snape met on the Hogwarts Express and had awkward conversations that almost flowed and made Snape secretly think maybe that he'd found a friend, and he couldn't believe his luck. Then they got to Hogwarts and got Sorted and Remus got put into Gryffindor and became friends with the others. That was bad enough, but then Remus's new friends began tormenting Snape a bit and Remus took their side (but didn't actually torment Snape), and Snape was furious because they'd stolen HIS friend. It wasn't real loyalty to Remus, but you don't take what belongs to the Half-Blood Prince. The marauders never put two and two together, because Remus doesn't have the self esteem for that deduction and the other three don't remotely care, but that was how the rivalry began. And Snape would never, ever admit to it and probably half-forgets it himself.
7.) Uncle Alphard is a werewolf. Prove to me he's not.
8.) Zombies are kind of dull sometimes. They've never been my favorite monster, to be honest.
9.) Snape might be called a virgin if anyone (including himself) could actually think of Snape
in sexual terms. It's not because he's slimy. It's because he's so thoroughly unpleasant that I just can't ever envision anyone wanting Snape to have sex with them.
10.) Filius Flitwick, Xavier Nott, and Frank Bryce all fought in WWII together in the Royal Air Force. I have no idea why, but they did.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 07:31 pm (UTC)YES.
And also, I don't really understand the Regulus fascination, either. Yes, I've written stories about him, but that was mostly to illustrate certain things about Sirius. And because I love siblings relationships. Regulus seems to have done one very important thing and that's great and I can see why people find him interesting, but the love he gets is a little baffling.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 08:03 pm (UTC)Also, he's a Slytherin who was redeemed, and there really is this whole fixation, and even obsession, with the idea of redemption in fandom. With Draco, with Snape, with Peter - that redemption will make up for every bad thing they've ever done, something that I don't ascribe to myself, but I'm not a "Slytherin lover" in that sense, and I'm not looking for anyone to be redeemed.
Regulus, however, made bad choices, only, unlike with Snape and Draco and Lucius and Bellatrix, etc., we don't know why. We don't know if he was more like Draco than like Sirius. We don't know what his personality was like or what his relationship with his family was really like. We don't know how he felt about his brother. Hell, we don't know much about him at all, and that, I think is why people find him so fascinating, myself included.
Because before HBP he was a name, Sirius' little brother and heir when Sirius was disowned, a Slytherin, a DE killed when he changed his mind and tried to flee. Now, suddenly, there are layers and much more to him than meets the eye. His actions, if he truly is RAB, were more Gryffindorish than anyone had ever expected, and suddenly he's perhaps more like Sirius than even Sirius himself thought. And now there's even more of a puzzle - we have some facts, a lot of speculation and inferences, dozens of questions - and when you add imagination... you get fanfic - because that is what we do. (Well, when we're not just here for the porn. *g*)
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Date: 2006-09-05 08:09 pm (UTC)Maggie
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Date: 2006-09-05 08:58 pm (UTC)Remember, it's okay to become a Death Eater and reform, but not to be a high school bully and grow out of it.
This is also why Snape is sooo much nicer than James or Sirius. Nothing in the whole world is as bad as a bit of playground bullying.
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Date: 2006-09-07 02:30 pm (UTC)geez, I think I sprained my sarcasm...
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Date: 2006-09-05 09:20 pm (UTC)Unless it's Snape. Then it's okay to go from Death Eater to bully. :P
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Date: 2006-09-07 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-05 08:01 pm (UTC)I think of Snape as asexual. I don't think even he would want it.
Five is an interesting opinion. I've not seen it depicted either way in fic. I guess I need to weigh how V would measure the usefulness of the animagus transformation versus the "holding Peter hostage" almost idea.
Loving the commentaries!
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Date: 2006-09-06 02:52 pm (UTC)And you're right about the usefulness of the transformation. What makes me think maybe he can't is why else would Peter live with Snape? (Excluding kinky fics.)
And thanks!
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Date: 2006-09-05 08:03 pm (UTC)Uncle Alphard, gay and lycanthopic, is a favorite of mine. (Because the boys need some role models, after all.) But you make it very hard for the rest of us to come up with new versions of him!
Enjoyed muchly,
Maggie
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Date: 2006-09-05 09:16 pm (UTC)Completely tangential to your point, but this made me chortle because 'prove he DIDN'T' became a sort of running joke between me and a friend on CoSforums as it was the standard defence used by whacked-out Snapefen over there. Heh.
Who really cares what other people ship???
Word. Despite my inclination for ranting long and wankily, one thing I will never, ever be writing is a bloody shipping essay. (Either for or against.) They don't change anyone's mind, they just stir up silliness and bad feeling. This is also why I no longer even look at VENOM.
Arthur kicks ass
Word. I ♥ Arthur.
re: #9:
Date: 2006-09-05 11:54 pm (UTC)Re: #9:
Date: 2006-09-06 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 09:09 am (UTC)I'd never thought of #5, but I like that one too. And I ADORE #10!
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Date: 2006-09-06 06:17 pm (UTC)#7: Chewbacca was a Wookie, therefore Alphard cannot be a werewolf, it makes no sense?
#9: A million fangirls might disagree. :)
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Date: 2006-09-08 06:42 pm (UTC)4) Indeedy! Arthur doth rule!
5) I never realised that! *facepalm*
6) I love your theories, this one makes complete sense.
7) Haha- werewolf until proven human. I have to admit, thanks to you, I will no longer think of him any other way. And I like it that way :P
9) Agreed. Same as Voldemort. Can anyone imagine Voldemort having sex with anyone after he went all schizo and red-eyed? I reckon he must have got some when he was still good-looking, but after that? Half a century with no sex? It really is no wonder he's completely insane.
I wish JKR would fill in a couple of those blanks...subtley. That's where I hate that the series is classified as children's books. Statistically, there must be some gay wizards, but because they're for the children, the fandom doesn't get an insight *pout*