Holidays, HP Friday Five
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!
Sorry I have been so scarce. This respiratory ickiness seems to have attacked an awful lot of us. I wish us all lots of good health and happiness for the coming year.
I seem to have missed two weeks' worth of HP Friday Fives (from hp-fridayfive), so I am posting them both in this entry:
HP Friday Five for 12/22/06:
1. Name your 5 favorite characters.
Harry. Harry, HARRY, HARRY!
Ginny
Ron
The Twins
Neville
Luna
Ooops, that's six. Or seven kinda. Oh, and I want the Weasleys to be my parents, so that's nine. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like limiting questions? *grin*
2. What are your 4 favorite places?
Hogwarts
The Burrow
Gringott's
The Ministry of Magic
3. What are you 3 favorite HP books?
1. Half Blood Prince
2. Chamber of Secrets
Edited to Change No. 3 after a bit of thinking:
3. Prisoner of AzkabanOrder of the Phoenix
4. Name your 2 favorite spells or potions.
Oh, the bat bogey hex sounds wonderfully handy. I suppose flying isn't exactly a spell, though it's what I'd most like to do. So for the second I think I'll say apparition. It's not exactly a spell, either, but I'm counting it. So there. But if I can't count it, I'd probably pick the banishing charm. Accio's too lazy, but being able to banish something dangerous or yucky (Ants! I could banish ants!) would be an awfully good thing.
5. Which 1 house do you think you'd be sorted into?
I've taken several online sorting quizzes and I've never been sorted into any house other than Gryffindor.
HP Friday Five for 12/29/06:
1. What was your first reaction to the announcement of the title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
The title itself sounds suitably spooky. The ensuring bitching and moaning over the grammar has been a little annoying.
2. In your opinion, what could this title mean?
I agree with those who think it refers to the founders' relics, as well as possibly a graveyard at Hogwarts.
3. Would you rather see Book 7 released sometime in the summer of 2007, or would you like to stretch this last one out as long as possible?
Oy. I'm an INTP. That P means I don't much care for closure. I don't want this series to ever end. But it has to, and I accept that (barely). I'd sort of like the book to come out now so I can see the theories I most hate stomped into the hallowed grounds.
4. You can ask JK Rowling one yes or no question regarding Book 7. What do you ask her?
May I please have Harry when you're done with him? (All my serious questions about the books would begin with "why" or "how" or "what" and thus not qualify.)
5. If you had to guess, do you think Harry will survive the final book? Why or why not?
Oh boy. Hot button issue. Major hot button issue. Prepare to be ranted at.
Okay, first of all, this will come to a surprise to many, but no I do not think Harry will survive the final book, and I'm happy with that. JKR wants to finish his story so that no one will write a trashy Harmoanian sequel and I don't blame her. Therefore, I think Harry will die of very, very old age, surrounded by his lovely and loving wife Ginny, 12 children and gajillions of grandchildren and great grandchildren at the end of the epilogue. That gets Harry dead without doing the unthinkable and disgusting by having him die in battle with Voldemort.
That last being my hot button issue. I've normally seen it suggested by the Yay Death Eaters! Crowd and the Harmoanians who want to punish Harry for not giving his twu wub to Hermione (their other idiotic suggestion being that Harry should have to lose his magic, of all things!), along with random Harry Haters. I spit in the general direction of all of the above.
Here's the deal. The irony of this story is that The Boy Who Lived hasn't lived. His childhood sucked horrifically. He managed to get to a better place, but the entire time he's had that pesky scar hurting and a madman or two or ten chasing after him and making his non-life a living hell. He's a magical Princess Di, that boy is! In order for Lily's, Sirius' and Dumbledore's sacrifices to be meaningful, Harry's got to do some nice, happy, normal living at some point.
Then there's the whole teen suicide bit I'm sure JKR doesn't want to encourage.
And finally (and especially since JKR likes to bring up her Christian influence from time to time), Harry ain't Jesus. Harry is the everyman that Jesus died to save. He has to deal with loss of parental figures that is a normal part of growing up, and confront the evil (that lies within) in order to become a man. I can see Harry forgiving Voldie right before he (Voldie) stumbles back into the Love Room of the DoM and bites it. And Harry walks away and into his future.
Others have put it better than me. Suffice it to say I find the mere suggestion reprehensible and abhorrent.
There are others she can off, though. I won't name names, but, um, ... yeah. Poor Ron, he'll be so lonely!
Sorry I have been so scarce. This respiratory ickiness seems to have attacked an awful lot of us. I wish us all lots of good health and happiness for the coming year.
I seem to have missed two weeks' worth of HP Friday Fives (from hp-fridayfive), so I am posting them both in this entry:
HP Friday Five for 12/22/06:
1. Name your 5 favorite characters.
Harry. Harry, HARRY, HARRY!
Ginny
Ron
The Twins
Neville
Luna
Ooops, that's six. Or seven kinda. Oh, and I want the Weasleys to be my parents, so that's nine. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like limiting questions? *grin*
2. What are your 4 favorite places?
Hogwarts
The Burrow
Gringott's
The Ministry of Magic
3. What are you 3 favorite HP books?
1. Half Blood Prince
2. Chamber of Secrets
Edited to Change No. 3 after a bit of thinking:
3. Prisoner of AzkabanOrder of the Phoenix
4. Name your 2 favorite spells or potions.
Oh, the bat bogey hex sounds wonderfully handy. I suppose flying isn't exactly a spell, though it's what I'd most like to do. So for the second I think I'll say apparition. It's not exactly a spell, either, but I'm counting it. So there. But if I can't count it, I'd probably pick the banishing charm. Accio's too lazy, but being able to banish something dangerous or yucky (Ants! I could banish ants!) would be an awfully good thing.
5. Which 1 house do you think you'd be sorted into?
I've taken several online sorting quizzes and I've never been sorted into any house other than Gryffindor.
HP Friday Five for 12/29/06:
1. What was your first reaction to the announcement of the title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
The title itself sounds suitably spooky. The ensuring bitching and moaning over the grammar has been a little annoying.
2. In your opinion, what could this title mean?
I agree with those who think it refers to the founders' relics, as well as possibly a graveyard at Hogwarts.
3. Would you rather see Book 7 released sometime in the summer of 2007, or would you like to stretch this last one out as long as possible?
Oy. I'm an INTP. That P means I don't much care for closure. I don't want this series to ever end. But it has to, and I accept that (barely). I'd sort of like the book to come out now so I can see the theories I most hate stomped into the hallowed grounds.
4. You can ask JK Rowling one yes or no question regarding Book 7. What do you ask her?
May I please have Harry when you're done with him? (All my serious questions about the books would begin with "why" or "how" or "what" and thus not qualify.)
5. If you had to guess, do you think Harry will survive the final book? Why or why not?
Oh boy. Hot button issue. Major hot button issue. Prepare to be ranted at.
Okay, first of all, this will come to a surprise to many, but no I do not think Harry will survive the final book, and I'm happy with that. JKR wants to finish his story so that no one will write a trashy Harmoanian sequel and I don't blame her. Therefore, I think Harry will die of very, very old age, surrounded by his lovely and loving wife Ginny, 12 children and gajillions of grandchildren and great grandchildren at the end of the epilogue. That gets Harry dead without doing the unthinkable and disgusting by having him die in battle with Voldemort.
That last being my hot button issue. I've normally seen it suggested by the Yay Death Eaters! Crowd and the Harmoanians who want to punish Harry for not giving his twu wub to Hermione (their other idiotic suggestion being that Harry should have to lose his magic, of all things!), along with random Harry Haters. I spit in the general direction of all of the above.
Here's the deal. The irony of this story is that The Boy Who Lived hasn't lived. His childhood sucked horrifically. He managed to get to a better place, but the entire time he's had that pesky scar hurting and a madman or two or ten chasing after him and making his non-life a living hell. He's a magical Princess Di, that boy is! In order for Lily's, Sirius' and Dumbledore's sacrifices to be meaningful, Harry's got to do some nice, happy, normal living at some point.
Then there's the whole teen suicide bit I'm sure JKR doesn't want to encourage.
And finally (and especially since JKR likes to bring up her Christian influence from time to time), Harry ain't Jesus. Harry is the everyman that Jesus died to save. He has to deal with loss of parental figures that is a normal part of growing up, and confront the evil (that lies within) in order to become a man. I can see Harry forgiving Voldie right before he (Voldie) stumbles back into the Love Room of the DoM and bites it. And Harry walks away and into his future.
Others have put it better than me. Suffice it to say I find the mere suggestion reprehensible and abhorrent.
There are others she can off, though. I won't name names, but, um, ... yeah. Poor Ron, he'll be so lonely!