Interview Meme
There's an interview meme going around; 
minkhollow asked me seven questions.
1) Favorite thing about Warehouse 13 so far?
How surprisingly complex the stories are. I was expecting EVIL artifacts, but no, they aren't. They're very powerful, but they can be used in good, bad and neutral ways. And the Warehouse agents are mysterious as well; there always seems to be more to find out about them.
2) One good thing about living in Connecticut?
Hmmm. Well, most of the people are kind and helpful, especially if you need help, and most people are fairly intelligent as well.
3) If you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you would do with it?
Figure out how much of it I would have to pay in taxes to the Feds and the state. Then I'd pay off all my bills and the equity loan on the house. Anything left over I would save in a high-interest account. I know it sounds dull, but I'd be free and clear and wouldn't owe anyone ANYTHING.
4) What was your favorite book as a kid? Do you still like it?
No question about it--A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It was quite literally the first science fiction book I ever read, the first to feature a heroine who was genuinely homely (not Hollywood Homely) and who knew what it was like to be bullied, the first to present the idea that increasing both knowledge and understanding of the world was a blow against evil. And it presented the idea--which I desperately needed--that maybe life wasn't supposed to be easy, and that what you did and how you did it were both important, even if you were just a kid yourself.
And yes, I still love it to pieces.
5) Assuming the rest of Deathly Hallows stands, what's your ideal epilogue?
Well, it can still have the same structure as the existing epilogue, but there would be references to other things. For example:
* A centaur family and a goblin family would be at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, putting their children--a centaur filly and a pair of mixed fraternal twins--on the train. Harry's daughter--who has black curly hair--waves to them, and after a moment of shyness, the other children smile and wave back.
* Harry's daughter and oldest son would have Lily and James as their MIDDLE names, not as their first names. And I think that one of the boys--possibly the oldest--would be named Frederick, after his mother's brother.
* Harry's oldest son, Frederick James Potter, called either "Freddy" or "Rick" to distinguish him from his dead uncle, has bright red hair.
* No one would be named Albus. In fact, the name "Albus" would have fallen into disrepute. (To quote from M*A*S*H, "How many two-year-old Pontius Pilates do you see running around these days?")
* There would also be a reference to Harry's daughter narrowly escaping being named Hedwig, which horrifies her.(Her first name is actually Selene or Selena, after her mother's friend Luna.)
* The younger boy was supposed to be named Sirius Severus, but somehow Ginny talked Harry around to Alphard, which a clerk heard as "Alfred" and recorded as "Albert." Harry was quite put out about this, but Bert doesn't mind--he thinks it would be rather silly to have two boys in the family with "Fred" in their names.
* Hermione would mention conversations with house elves and trying to find out what they wanted--as opposed to telling them what they should want--and a faction known as the Giants Liberation Corps. She'd admit that it was tough trying to restructure the laws of the wizarding world to be fair to everyone and to grant everyone a say in his or her own fate.
A shadow would cross her face then, and everyone would know that she was thinking of her parents, amnesiac and almost mindless, thanks to her well-intentioned spell so many years ago. Because she wiped their memories rather than burying them in their subconscious minds, the memories could never be restored. And eventually, their false identities fell apart as well.
Ron would hug her and say that she hadn't intended any harm. Hermione would shake her head and say, "But I did do harm--even if I didn't mean to. Just like the law did for all those centuries."
* Victoire Weasley would appear on camera. Victoire would be androgynous (because the name can be either a man's or a woman's) and would refer to treatment for lycanthropy--both medical and social--being much better these days. Ron would add that this is no surprise, as Fleur, who has become quite the activist, is downright unstoppable when she's determined.
* We'd actually see Teddy Lupin as well. Teddy would be fluid in physical appearance, cycling through various features, races and genders during the kiss with Victoire. This would not faze any of the Potters or Weasleys. Rick would just roll his eyes, because, well, that's Teddy and Victoire for you and suggest that they get a room. Selena Lily would think it was either cute or romantic. Bert would refer to Teddy as his OTHER sibling.
* Ron would NOT boast of cheating on his driver's test. In fact, he'd mention that it was hard doing things the Muggle way, and that he wishes that when he was in school, the Muggle Studies class had been mandatory and taught by Muggles, the way it is now.
* Rick would grumble about having to rotate through all of the houses twice for eight years of schooling AND about having take non-magical classes instead of just magical ones. "We've got it so much tougher than you did!"
Ginny would point out that this arose because of the war; so many people had to flee on a moment's notice...and yet they couldn't flee into the safest place for them, the Muggle world. They hadn't had the education or the training to work there, and their ignorance of things like Muggle money and how telephones worked had been dangerous tip-offs to Death Eaters. Harry would admit that he missed the old Sorting Hat, but would add that the Hat itself had said that it needed to be put aside in favor of a better system.
* There is mention of Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology who has devised a number of plant-based treatments for the physically sick and the mentally ill. He's working with Hermione's parents and trying to help them. His own parents are not well yet, but they're beginning to heal.
* Also, Neville is part of a consensual triad with Luna and her husband, the son of Newt Scamander. This is legal in the wizarding world, so Neville has a husband and a wife and is very happy with both of them. Ron remarks that it's always the quiet ones.
* Mention is made of McGonagall being headmistress of Hogwarts. Rick adds that the Charms teacher--whom he calls "Uncle Reg" and whom his mother tells him to call "Professor Black"--is brilliant. "I keep wondering what he was doing behind the scenes during the war...you know, when he was supposed to be dead." Ginny mentions Professor Black's Muggleborn American wife, who is the new Transfiguration professor. (Yes, I'm totally bringing Regulus and Anne in from
quinby's and your AU.)
* Through conversation, we discover that Ginny is still playing for the Holyfield Harpies and loving it. Harry, it develops, tried to be an Auror but discovered that the job wasn't for him and became a professional Quidditch player instead. (It should be noted that the children are not good at Quidditch. Rick is enthusiastic but sloppy, Selena is a relentlessly average flier, and Bert has no head for heights at all.)
* Draco is at the station, along with his kind-faced wife (who is not Astoria Greengrass--I believe that she's from Durmstrang and her name is Agathe) and Narcissa. His son--who is a dead ringer for Draco at eleven--is being very patient about all the fuss his mum and grandmother are making. However, he hugs all three adults very tightly before heading toward the train, and when he and Bert nearly collide getting on, the boy stares at Bert for a minute and then says, "Sorry. Didn't mean to nearly run you down. I'm Scorpius Malfoy. What's your name?"
"Scorpius?"
A roll of gray eyes. "Yeah. Scorpius Crichton Malfoy. Mum is insane about this American TV series called Farscape. I suppose I'm lucky that she didn't name me Bialar. Or Ka D'Argo."
"I dunno, D'Argo and Draco sound like they go together. I'm Bert, by the way. Bert Potter."
Oh, and they help the centaur filly and the two goblins onto the train. Then Bert says, "Hey, do you want to sit with us? Because I think this could be the best train ride EVER." And the five of them go off together, looking for a place to sit.
* Just as the five of them are going off, one last parent-and-child group rushes up. It's Dudley--still large and beginning to get a beer gut--with his son and daughter. His son Henry (whose name makes Harry blink) is about Selena's and Hugh's (NOT Hugo's) age. His daughter Una is about the age of Rose Weasley. Harry tenses, prepared for the Dursley children to be rude--but then he looks at Henry, who has fallen in love with the Hogwarts Express, and at Una, who is staring at him as if he's a legend come to life. "Did you REALLY save my daddy from monsters?"
Rose says something about Uncle Harry making a habit of doing that, and then says she'll tell her all about the best bits of the magical world on the train. Una agrees, saying that she'll tell Rose all about the non-magical world in exchange--because the Muggle world is pretty cool, too.
As the two girls get on the train, chattering, Dudley breathes a sigh of relief. "I was afraid she'd want to forget all about our world when she saw yours, Harry. I'm glad she's decided that she can be part of both."
* As the train pulls out of the station, Harry thinks about all the changes the past nineteen years have brought. A monster like Voldemort would have a lot more trouble gaining followers these days--though Harry is very glad that, the night after the battle, he sneaked back to Dumbledore's tomb, took out the Elder Wand and burned it so that no one could ever again steal it or use it to bring harm. He doesn't end by thinking that "All is well" but that the world is better than it used to be...and he's glad.
6) Seen any good movies lately?
Quite a few, actually, as I've been watching Netflix streaming.
7) Inverse of 4: Is there a book/movie/whathaveyou you first encountered when you were younger, didn't like, and grew to like as time went on?
Yes. Dante's Inferno. It was a bit too hard for me when I was twelve. It's grown on me since then.
If anyone wants any questions, just say so in a comment.
***
This entry was originally posted at http://gehayi.dreamwidth.org/445622.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
minkhollow asked me seven questions.
1) Favorite thing about Warehouse 13 so far?
How surprisingly complex the stories are. I was expecting EVIL artifacts, but no, they aren't. They're very powerful, but they can be used in good, bad and neutral ways. And the Warehouse agents are mysterious as well; there always seems to be more to find out about them.
2) One good thing about living in Connecticut?
Hmmm. Well, most of the people are kind and helpful, especially if you need help, and most people are fairly intelligent as well.
3) If you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you would do with it?
Figure out how much of it I would have to pay in taxes to the Feds and the state. Then I'd pay off all my bills and the equity loan on the house. Anything left over I would save in a high-interest account. I know it sounds dull, but I'd be free and clear and wouldn't owe anyone ANYTHING.
4) What was your favorite book as a kid? Do you still like it?
No question about it--A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It was quite literally the first science fiction book I ever read, the first to feature a heroine who was genuinely homely (not Hollywood Homely) and who knew what it was like to be bullied, the first to present the idea that increasing both knowledge and understanding of the world was a blow against evil. And it presented the idea--which I desperately needed--that maybe life wasn't supposed to be easy, and that what you did and how you did it were both important, even if you were just a kid yourself.
And yes, I still love it to pieces.
5) Assuming the rest of Deathly Hallows stands, what's your ideal epilogue?
Well, it can still have the same structure as the existing epilogue, but there would be references to other things. For example:
* A centaur family and a goblin family would be at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, putting their children--a centaur filly and a pair of mixed fraternal twins--on the train. Harry's daughter--who has black curly hair--waves to them, and after a moment of shyness, the other children smile and wave back.
* Harry's daughter and oldest son would have Lily and James as their MIDDLE names, not as their first names. And I think that one of the boys--possibly the oldest--would be named Frederick, after his mother's brother.
* Harry's oldest son, Frederick James Potter, called either "Freddy" or "Rick" to distinguish him from his dead uncle, has bright red hair.
* No one would be named Albus. In fact, the name "Albus" would have fallen into disrepute. (To quote from M*A*S*H, "How many two-year-old Pontius Pilates do you see running around these days?")
* There would also be a reference to Harry's daughter narrowly escaping being named Hedwig, which horrifies her.(Her first name is actually Selene or Selena, after her mother's friend Luna.)
* The younger boy was supposed to be named Sirius Severus, but somehow Ginny talked Harry around to Alphard, which a clerk heard as "Alfred" and recorded as "Albert." Harry was quite put out about this, but Bert doesn't mind--he thinks it would be rather silly to have two boys in the family with "Fred" in their names.
* Hermione would mention conversations with house elves and trying to find out what they wanted--as opposed to telling them what they should want--and a faction known as the Giants Liberation Corps. She'd admit that it was tough trying to restructure the laws of the wizarding world to be fair to everyone and to grant everyone a say in his or her own fate.
A shadow would cross her face then, and everyone would know that she was thinking of her parents, amnesiac and almost mindless, thanks to her well-intentioned spell so many years ago. Because she wiped their memories rather than burying them in their subconscious minds, the memories could never be restored. And eventually, their false identities fell apart as well.
Ron would hug her and say that she hadn't intended any harm. Hermione would shake her head and say, "But I did do harm--even if I didn't mean to. Just like the law did for all those centuries."
* Victoire Weasley would appear on camera. Victoire would be androgynous (because the name can be either a man's or a woman's) and would refer to treatment for lycanthropy--both medical and social--being much better these days. Ron would add that this is no surprise, as Fleur, who has become quite the activist, is downright unstoppable when she's determined.
* We'd actually see Teddy Lupin as well. Teddy would be fluid in physical appearance, cycling through various features, races and genders during the kiss with Victoire. This would not faze any of the Potters or Weasleys. Rick would just roll his eyes, because, well, that's Teddy and Victoire for you and suggest that they get a room. Selena Lily would think it was either cute or romantic. Bert would refer to Teddy as his OTHER sibling.
* Ron would NOT boast of cheating on his driver's test. In fact, he'd mention that it was hard doing things the Muggle way, and that he wishes that when he was in school, the Muggle Studies class had been mandatory and taught by Muggles, the way it is now.
* Rick would grumble about having to rotate through all of the houses twice for eight years of schooling AND about having take non-magical classes instead of just magical ones. "We've got it so much tougher than you did!"
Ginny would point out that this arose because of the war; so many people had to flee on a moment's notice...and yet they couldn't flee into the safest place for them, the Muggle world. They hadn't had the education or the training to work there, and their ignorance of things like Muggle money and how telephones worked had been dangerous tip-offs to Death Eaters. Harry would admit that he missed the old Sorting Hat, but would add that the Hat itself had said that it needed to be put aside in favor of a better system.
* There is mention of Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology who has devised a number of plant-based treatments for the physically sick and the mentally ill. He's working with Hermione's parents and trying to help them. His own parents are not well yet, but they're beginning to heal.
* Also, Neville is part of a consensual triad with Luna and her husband, the son of Newt Scamander. This is legal in the wizarding world, so Neville has a husband and a wife and is very happy with both of them. Ron remarks that it's always the quiet ones.
* Mention is made of McGonagall being headmistress of Hogwarts. Rick adds that the Charms teacher--whom he calls "Uncle Reg" and whom his mother tells him to call "Professor Black"--is brilliant. "I keep wondering what he was doing behind the scenes during the war...you know, when he was supposed to be dead." Ginny mentions Professor Black's Muggleborn American wife, who is the new Transfiguration professor. (Yes, I'm totally bringing Regulus and Anne in from
quinby's and your AU.)
* Through conversation, we discover that Ginny is still playing for the Holyfield Harpies and loving it. Harry, it develops, tried to be an Auror but discovered that the job wasn't for him and became a professional Quidditch player instead. (It should be noted that the children are not good at Quidditch. Rick is enthusiastic but sloppy, Selena is a relentlessly average flier, and Bert has no head for heights at all.)
* Draco is at the station, along with his kind-faced wife (who is not Astoria Greengrass--I believe that she's from Durmstrang and her name is Agathe) and Narcissa. His son--who is a dead ringer for Draco at eleven--is being very patient about all the fuss his mum and grandmother are making. However, he hugs all three adults very tightly before heading toward the train, and when he and Bert nearly collide getting on, the boy stares at Bert for a minute and then says, "Sorry. Didn't mean to nearly run you down. I'm Scorpius Malfoy. What's your name?"
"Scorpius?"
A roll of gray eyes. "Yeah. Scorpius Crichton Malfoy. Mum is insane about this American TV series called Farscape. I suppose I'm lucky that she didn't name me Bialar. Or Ka D'Argo."
"I dunno, D'Argo and Draco sound like they go together. I'm Bert, by the way. Bert Potter."
Oh, and they help the centaur filly and the two goblins onto the train. Then Bert says, "Hey, do you want to sit with us? Because I think this could be the best train ride EVER." And the five of them go off together, looking for a place to sit.
* Just as the five of them are going off, one last parent-and-child group rushes up. It's Dudley--still large and beginning to get a beer gut--with his son and daughter. His son Henry (whose name makes Harry blink) is about Selena's and Hugh's (NOT Hugo's) age. His daughter Una is about the age of Rose Weasley. Harry tenses, prepared for the Dursley children to be rude--but then he looks at Henry, who has fallen in love with the Hogwarts Express, and at Una, who is staring at him as if he's a legend come to life. "Did you REALLY save my daddy from monsters?"
Rose says something about Uncle Harry making a habit of doing that, and then says she'll tell her all about the best bits of the magical world on the train. Una agrees, saying that she'll tell Rose all about the non-magical world in exchange--because the Muggle world is pretty cool, too.
As the two girls get on the train, chattering, Dudley breathes a sigh of relief. "I was afraid she'd want to forget all about our world when she saw yours, Harry. I'm glad she's decided that she can be part of both."
* As the train pulls out of the station, Harry thinks about all the changes the past nineteen years have brought. A monster like Voldemort would have a lot more trouble gaining followers these days--though Harry is very glad that, the night after the battle, he sneaked back to Dumbledore's tomb, took out the Elder Wand and burned it so that no one could ever again steal it or use it to bring harm. He doesn't end by thinking that "All is well" but that the world is better than it used to be...and he's glad.
6) Seen any good movies lately?
Quite a few, actually, as I've been watching Netflix streaming.
7) Inverse of 4: Is there a book/movie/whathaveyou you first encountered when you were younger, didn't like, and grew to like as time went on?
Yes. Dante's Inferno. It was a bit too hard for me when I was twelve. It's grown on me since then.
If anyone wants any questions, just say so in a comment.
***
This entry was originally posted at http://gehayi.dreamwidth.org/445622.html. Please comment there using OpenID.