Accio Harry Potter Fans!

[Tigersaurusrex]

Sorry. About 65% of what I say is sarcastic, quotes, poking fun or all of that. My apologies. Also, that video is one of my favourite HP fan videos. :D

Oh, yes, of course. I forgot we're on the internet, where you can say whatever you want, slap a joke/troll/sarcasm tag on it, and not be held accountable. My apologies. I feel like there would be no reason to say such a thing (people who only watched the movies aren't true fans) unless you truly believed it. But if that's your brand of "humor", then I guess I'll leave it at that.

 

I am going to have to politely, but strongly, disagree. Watching only the movies makes you a fan of the movies. It is an entirely different experience to read (or listen to!) the books and watch the movies. The movies did not in fact keep the plot and themes of the book coherent in movie format. They cut major plot points and character developments, which makes the plot incoherent to people who have not read the books. This is something that people who have read the books cannot wrap their heads around, because we do know the bigger, detailed story of the books and we fill in the blanks that people who only watch the movies cannot.

 

[...]

 

None of this means that I don't enjoy the movies. I find it thrilling to see Hogwarts and the magical world come to life. I think Maggie Smith is a perfect McGonagall, and you can bet that when the new HP section of Universal opens I will spill blood to be there on opening day. But I appreciate the movies for what they are, not what I want to pretend they are. And just like you wouldn't claim lions are the exact same thing as tigers, I don't think people who only watch the movies have the same understanding of the world of Harry Potter like people who have read the books.

 

I believe this topic is about Harry Potter fans, no? Nowhere does it say "Book fans only," or anything like that. There is no need to exclude the Movie fans from the Harry Potter fandom; that is rude. Yes, books and movies are different. (gasp!!) Your post very thoroughly explores just how different they are, which is to be expected. You get more time with the characters in books. More development, more plot, etc etc. The movies aren't as deep and don't go into the full story of the book, but that is okay. You can say that the movie plot is incoherent to non-book fans all you want, but that is not true.

 

At it's heart, Harry Potter is a story about a boy who enters the world of magic, makes friends, learns spells, and defeats the dark lord. Yeehaw. That is perfectly coherent in the movies, along with everything that happens along the way. Maybe you don't get the know the reason behind every object and character and event, but that doesn't mean you don't understand what's happening. My mother never read the books, and she watched all the movies with us and she loved them. She wasn't confused or disoriented; she didn't constantly wonder about everything that wasn't mentioned, because she didn't know that there was something to mention in the first place! You said yourself that, as a book fan, we don't understand what it's like to see the movies with no book knowledge. We fill in the blanks and understand the intricacies of the plot and characters, we see all the things that aren't there, but the story is still coherent and enjoyable if you cannot see those things.

 

And, I would like to add that I NEVER said the books and the movies were the exact same. Only seeing the movies does not make someone less of a fan. We shouldn't exclude fans for not knowing everything about Harry Potter. That's a terrible idea. Being a fan is about enjoying something, the end. It's not about having encyclopedic knowledge, it's not about reading and watching and hearing and consuming everything that has every been made about that thing.

 

It. Is. About. Enjoying. That. Thing.

[tinyplasticdinos]

I am not saying that people should be excluded from being a Harry Potter fan because they haven't read the books. Like I said before, I am enjoy the Warner Brothers franchise and what it has done to bring the story to life. It's great if people want to join a college quidditch team or make movie scarves and sell them on etsy. It brings the magic to life in whole new forms! But here is where we have a missed connection:

Yes, books and movies are different. (gasp!!) Your post very thoroughly explores just how different they are, which is to be expected. You get more time with the characters in books. More development, more plot, etc etc. The movies aren't as deep and don't go into the full story of the book, but that is okay. You can say that the movie plot is incoherent to non-book fans all you want, but that is not true.

You are saying the exact same thing I am saying. The movies and the books are different. You do not get the time with the characters, the plot details, the intricacies, the underlying themes and subtleties that JKR intended for readers to have and experience. Movie watchers understand the movie plots, but the plots in the movies are not the same as the plots in the books. Therefore it's not an understanding of the original story.

At it's heart, Harry Potter is a story about a boy who enters the world of magic, makes friends, learns spells, and defeats the dark lord. Yeehaw.

It's also a story about deconstructing social norms, deep seated racism in a culture and the affect that spans over multiple generations, violent oppression and brutal war time, the extreme power of love -- none of which is properly conveyed in the movies. When you consume an off shoot of something without consuming the original format your thing becomes different from the original thing.

If your only experience with Neopets is playing "The Darkest Faerie" on PS2, you are going to have a different view of Neopets than someone who plays on the website daily. People who only watch Veggie Tales without reading the Bible are going to have some interesting things to say about the story of Noah (Like how does a cucumber pick things up without hands?!). So, when your only experience with Harry Potter is the movies you have the Hollywood version of things, with many degrees of separation from the the book story. Thus making it a different thing.

I am not supporting exclusion, in anyway. And frankly I don't get how you made that jump. I am extremely critical of the movies, yes. But I embrace inclusion in all forms and I am more than happy to squeal about being a Ravenclaw with a movie-only fan or go to the Harry Potter theme park with my mom who only experience Harry Potter through me. But my question then is if you have the basis of people enjoy the movies and the universe, why wouldn't you want to encourage people to read the books? Because they are a better experience than the movie alone, and having the in depth knowledge does make it that much more magical.

And that's where the conversation started. Converting movie-only people into full-fledged book reading, wand wielding, chocolate frog eating Potterheads. No one's talking exclusion of movie-only people. Criticism of the poorly planned movie franchise? Yes. Less love for those fans who weren't reading the books from day one? Never.

[Kittyn]

I don't really have much to contribute to the books vs. movies debate, except to say that I do prefer the books and encourage people to read them whenever possible... but I say that about anything I've read that's been adapted to film hehe

 

But I do have to ask.. has anyone visited the HP theme park yet? I've added that to my bucket list.. just waiting for someone to share the experience with =)

[siniri]

I forgot to say, I went to the last 2 book releases -- my sister had already signed up to go to the book 6 one, but I had been borrowing the books from the library or friends. She was like, "You're coming with me anyway, and you might as well buy it so you have something to read on the plane" (I was to fly home the next day). So we bought it, but just kind of drove up, waited in line for a bit, got our books, and left -- not a lot of people in costumes or anything, and the bookstore had a Ben and Jerry's shop inside it (she lives in Vermont), so it was more of an ice cream social. The funny thing is, I got stuck at the airport overnight and was so grateful I had something to read. At one point, I laughed out loud ("You don't have to call me 'sir,' Professor"), and I got so many death glares (especially from kids) for already having the book.

 

Anyway, for the last book, I was staying with my other sister for the summer, and wanted to make a costume for the last book party to kill some time. Since I have thick curly hair, I decided to go for Bellatrix rather than Hermione (the OotP film had just come out). I was the only Bellatrix there, and I got so many freebies from the bookstore! Even though I'd hated movies 4-6 for totally abandoning major themes of those books and changing things for no good reason, I went to the midnight releases of the last 2, recycling my Bellatrix costume. Part 1 was mostly alright (though I hated that they took away all of Hermione's most brilliant moments, because heaven forbid we have strong females in the movies...), but the last movie drove me nuts with the way they changed the final showdown and completely robbed it of the key theme of redemption, forgiveness, and love. Anyway, here's my picture from the last movie release (the photographer was so confused when he asked if I was Bellatrix, and I was like, "no, I'm Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix" -- I carried a "beaded bag," and alternated between The Tales and Bellatrix's knife, changing whether I was Hermione or Bellatrix depending on my mood):

[tinyplasticdinos]

But I do have to ask.. has anyone visited the HP theme park yet? I've added that to my bucket list.. just waiting for someone to share the experience with =)

 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is incredibly cool! I went for the first time this past Christmas and I literally teared up as we were approaching Hogwarts. The area is a little smaller than I expected, but what does exist is utterly fantastic. (And they're going to be building a Diagon Alley area soon, cue the uncontrollable screams of joy!!) I won't go into details because I really feel like a huge part of the enjoyment is seeing things first hand and noticing all of the little things yourself (I obsessively read about it online and looked at pictures and still was blown away by a bunch of things people didn't mention online). I will say the first day you are there get to the park early. During busier times of the year the HP section of the park will fill to capacity and they will actually block it off and not allow more people in. My siblings and I actually went up during the morning the first day and basked in the glory and took tons of pictures, waited a ridiculously long time to ride the Hogwarts ride, and then split. We spent the day exploring the rest of the park (There is a Marvel section, a Dr. Seuss secion, AND a Jurassic Park section, you'll be busy!) Then we came back at nighttime, and it was practically empty. That is when we ate at the Three Broomsticks, looked in all of the shops, and rode all of the rides a ton. All of the kids were in bed and the employees seemed more relaxed and willing to chat with us, it was a great experience. My brother and I are actually going to live in Orlando for the next few years for school, so we'll be frequenting it for sure! (and if you do plan to come down you'll have to hit me up! TDN meetup ftw :D)

 

Anyway, for the last book, I was staying with my other sister for the summer, and wanted to make a costume for the last book party to kill some time. Since I have thick curly hair, I decided to go for Bellatrix rather than Hermione (the OotP film had just come out). I was the only Bellatrix there, and I got so many freebies from the bookstore!

 

YOU LOOK AMAZING! (!!!)

 

I absolutely love "No I'm Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix" line, ten points to Gryffindor for your cleverness. ;)

 

[Tigersaurusrex]

I am going to have to politely, but strongly, disagree. Watching only the movies makes you a fan of the movies.

I am not saying that people should be excluded from being a Harry Potter fan because they haven't read the books.

[...]

I am not supporting exclusion, in anyway. And frankly I don't get how you made that jump. I am extremely critical of the movies, yes. But I embrace inclusion in all forms and I am more than happy to squeal about being a Ravenclaw with a movie-only fan or go to the Harry Potter theme park with my mom who only experience Harry Potter through me. But my question then is if you have the basis of people enjoy the movies and the universe, why wouldn't you want to encourage people to read the books? Because they are a better experience than the movie alone, and having the in depth knowledge does make it that much more magical.

 

And that's where the conversation started. Converting movie-only people into full-fledged book reading, wand wielding, chocolate frog eating Potterheads. No one's talking exclusion of movie-only people. Criticism of the poorly planned movie franchise? Yes. Less love for those fans who weren't reading the books from day one? Never.

Ah, okay. The way you phrased your first reply made it sound like you were excluding the movie fans from being fans, so I was a bit confused. I understand now that that was not your intent, I'm sorry. I still don't like the way you belittle movie fans, but I don't think you're doing it intentionally, and as long as you're polite and inclusive of movie fans then you can believe whatever you want. Or maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, I don't know. Anyways, it was fun talking with you. Is there anything else you want to talk about?

 

 

Anyway, here's my picture from the last movie release (the photographer was so confused when he asked if I was Bellatrix, and I was like, "no, I'm Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix" -- I carried a "beaded bag," and alternated between The Tales and Bellatrix's knife, changing whether I was Hermione or Bellatrix depending on my mood):

Wow, you make a really great Bellatrix! And being Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix is awesome!

[Kittyn]

(the photographer was so confused when he asked if I was Bellatrix, and I was like, "no, I'm Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix" -- I carried a "beaded bag," and alternated between The Tales and Bellatrix's knife, changing whether I was Hermione or Bellatrix depending on my mood):

this just makes my heart smile! I don't particularly like Bellatrix, but I absolutely LOVE Helena Bonham Carter and the way she portrayed the character. the polyjuiced Hermione scene was one of my favorites in the movies =D kudos for your creative response also!

 

 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is incredibly cool! I went for the first time this past Christmas and I literally teared up as we were approaching Hogwarts. The area is a little smaller than I expected, but what does exist is utterly fantastic. (And they're going to be building a Diagon Alley area soon, cue the uncontrollable screams of joy!!) I won't go into details because I really feel like a huge part of the enjoyment is seeing things first hand and noticing all of the little things yourself (I obsessively read about it online and looked at pictures and still was blown away by a bunch of things people didn't mention online). I will say the first day you are there get to the park early. During busier times of the year the HP section of the park will fill to capacity and they will actually block it off and not allow more people in. My siblings and I actually went up during the morning the first day and basked in the glory and took tons of pictures, waited a ridiculously long time to ride the Hogwarts ride, and then split. We spent the day exploring the rest of the park (There is a Marvel section, a Dr. Seuss secion, AND a Jurassic Park section, you'll be busy!) Then we came back at nighttime, and it was practically empty. That is when we ate at the Three Broomsticks, looked in all of the shops, and rode all of the rides a ton. All of the kids were in bed and the employees seemed more relaxed and willing to chat with us, it was a great experience. My brother and I are actually going to live in Orlando for the next few years for school, so we'll be frequenting it for sure! (and if you do plan to come down you'll have to hit me up! TDN meetup ftw :D)

I did the virtual tour when it first came out and I'm so in love! none of my RL friends are as crazy about HP as me (except maybe my cousin.. LOL), so I doubt I could get any of them to go with me. and you have no idea how much the idea of a TDN meetup appeals to me! I'm so upset because I'm working next weekend and there's a Chive meetup going on about 7 hours away from me next Thursday =( I may just have to consider this Orlando trip for sure =) =)

[tinyplasticdinos]

I did the virtual tour when it first came out and I'm so in love! none of my RL friends are as crazy about HP as me (except maybe my cousin.. LOL), so I doubt I could get any of them to go with me. and you have no idea how much the idea of a TDN meetup appeals to me! I'm so upset because I'm working next weekend and there's a Chive meetup going on about 7 hours away from me next Thursday =( I may just have to consider this Orlando trip for sure =) =)

 

You definitely have to keep me in the loop if you do start planning to head down! :D

 

In a slight shift in topic, what is everyone's Hogwarts house and why? (No mixed houses (Gryffinpuff etc) because that's cheating ;))

 

For a while I was pretty down with Slytherin, not because I feel like I'm the next big bad but because of qualities like being cunning and clever. But when I joined Pottermore I was actually sorted into Ravenclaw! At first I was like 'whaaa?' but after I read the detailed description of the house and history, I am 100% sold. Blue and bronze, baby!

[siniri]

I think the houses are sort of st... range, because the various values are not mutually exclusive. I value learning as much as possible, which makes me also value hard work (double major in college, taking Hermionesque workloads, and then a double masters). And bravery because you can only learn everything and experience everything if you're brave (besides, what use are smarts if you're not helping others and standing up for what's right?). After reading the descriptions on Pottermore, I'm fairly certain I would have been sorted into Ravenclaw (and fit in well there), but it's not like I couldn't have been happy as a 'puff (which is what many sorting quizzes say, and what I was sorted into the second time on Pottermore) or a Gryffindor (a friend who had been in the Special Forces once told me I was the bravest person he'd ever met -- which would have been more of a compliment if it hadn't been because I'd cried at the top of a ropes course for 45 minutes before working up the guts to jump off, though he said it was incredible to see someone overcome such an intense fear and not back down).

 

The only thing I'm decidedly not is ambitious, elitist, schmoozing, rule-breaking, etc. (I'm competitive, but I'd rather work with people towards a common goal rather than against them -- my biggest only competition is myself.) So yeah, definitely not a Slytherin. Slytherins in general don't like me, and I don't feel comfortable around them (because I can tell when people don't like me).

 

For what it's worth, an acquaintance resorted on Pottermore 7 times -- she got 2 of the houses 2 times each, and a 3rd one 3 times, and kept the account with the best name in the plurality-house (which I think was Slytherin). The only house she didn't get at all was Hufflepuff.

[Kittyn]

I am a Slytherin. Like I said before, I was given the option to choose between Ravenclaw and Slytherin when I joined Pottermore. I chose the latter because the traits are very similar to Capricorns (and thus, myself) in Western Astrology. I read once that Libra are most common sun signs for Slytherin, and while they may be alike, I see more parallels with Capricorn than anything else.

 

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not 100% ambitious like most Caps or Slytherins, but when I do decide to do something, my determination level goes through the ceiling. Also, both Caps and Slytherins can be highly misunderstood. In general, it's not that they are exclusive or snobby.. they just know what they are comfortable with and don't often venture outside that zone.

 

And yes, lots of evil witches and wizards have come from Slytherin, but I think that just goes back to their determination and ambitiousness. Also their ability to see and admit these things in themselves. Most people are incapable of admitting their flaws, but a Slytherin doesn't have a problem facing up to and owning the unpleasant aspects of their whole--and the ones that went bad weren't afraid to let those parts consume them entirely.

 

Overall, I see Slytherins as a group of people that can be loners, but may just be independent and are always fiercely loyal to their own, unafraid to climb the ladder of success and determined to keep at it no matter how many times they fall off. Sometimes, they may have a skewed perception of reality (like in terms of blood status), but not all are so firmly entrenched that they go out of their way to make a scene. Does that make sense?

[benjithekid]

I'm a little late in the conversation and I don't feel like reading through everything at the moment, but I saw the title and figured I'd peek in.

 

I'm a pretty avid Harry Potter fan. I tend to call myself a "late bloomer" with the series. I actually received each book every year for five years (this was before 6 and 7 came out) for Christmas. It was a tradition for my mother to get me the books. In order. I never read them, though. I loved the movies and she knew I liked to read, so I figure she assumed I'd read them. However, they collected dust on my bookshelf. Until one day, I finally broke down and cracked them open. My problem was that I could never get past the first one. I had trouble with it because of their age. Once I got past it, though, I couldn't put the books down. I finished the first five within a week and then I was scrambling to the library to check out six and seven. Sadly, my mother hasn't gotten me a Harry Potter book since. I have my fingers crossed for this year as I only need 6 and 7 to complete my set. I finished the series in 2009, in any case.

 

I haven't read them since but as of late, I've been contemplating taking them off my bookshelf and giving them another read. When almost four years go by since you last read a book, you tend to forget small details. I love the movies, as well, but the books are far superior (doesn't ever reader tell you that?). My sister got me most of the movies for Christmas this past year, though. It's a collection set. It came with DVDs 1-5 (I believe it was 1-5. Maybe it was 1-6, I'm not home so I can't check) and has a set of bookmarks and some collectible cards, too. It's pretty neat. It was the best present I got last year (and one of my other presents was an ereader, lol). I think my eyes were the size of quarters when I opened it.

 

I don't write fanfics really. And I never ship any of the canon characters. I have this thing about canons. I hate writing them and I hate when other people write them. I rarely find someone who can do them justice. I used to roleplay canon characters. The only ones I ever tried were Ginny, Hermione, and Draco. I got compliments on my Draco. Was told that I kept him closer to the original character than anyone else they'd roleplayed with to date. Made me feel good, but I haven't roleplayed him since. Nor do I plan on it. I do roleplay Harry Potter on a regular basis, but I always create original characters. For one, what's the point in getting lost in JKR's world if you're going to use her characters? The Wizarding world has so many opportunities. Why not create your own within it? I have a few original characters that I love to use for Harry Potter roleplay (however, they are easily made into er... "muggles" lol).

 

As far as my house, I'm not sure. It's hard to say. Most quizzes put me in Slytherin. Pottermore put me in Slytherin every single time I took the quiz. Without fail. And I guess that makes sense. I'm ambitious, I can be a bit... cunning, I tend to be independent and usually stick within a small group of people (within my own "circle", I guess in Slytherin that would be other Slytherins), and I'm pretty darn determined. I don't mind being called a Slytherin, either. I never saw them as a bad house. Rather, a misunderstood one. Of course many bad wizards come from Slytherin. Slytherin is full of ambitous Wizards. Ambitious people are far more likely to achieve their goals than those who are not ambitious. That aside, I believe I possess some Hufflepuff traits, as well. The vast majority of quizzes agree that I'm a Slytherin, though, so I'll go with that. I've only had Hufflepuff come up maybe once or twice. I've never gotten Gryffindor or Ravenclaw as a result. Literally never.

[Kittyn]

I'm a little late in the conversation and I don't feel like reading through everything at the moment, but I saw the title and figured I'd peek in.

 

I'm a pretty avid Harry Potter fan. I tend to call myself a "late bloomer" with the series. I actually received each book every year for five years (this was before 6 and 7 came out) for Christmas. It was a tradition for my mother to get me the books. In order. I never read them, though. I loved the movies and she knew I liked to read, so I figure she assumed I'd read them. However, they collected dust on my bookshelf. Until one day, I finally broke down and cracked them open. My problem was that I could never get past the first one. I had trouble with it because of their age. Once I got past it, though, I couldn't put the books down. I finished the first five within a week and then I was scrambling to the library to check out six and seven. Sadly, my mother hasn't gotten me a Harry Potter book since. I have my fingers crossed for this year as I only need 6 and 7 to complete my set. I finished the series in 2009, in any case.

Lol at first, I refused to read the books or watch the movies because I'm not a bandwagon type of person and I'm definitely not a fan of overhype in the media. I wait til the crazes die down, then I'll read or watch if I'm remotely interested. I've gone to a midnight premiere once (only recently for The Hunger Games) and I'll never do it again. And I'm just now getting around to reading the entire LotR series (although I did read The Hobbit when I was in middle school). For HP, I'd buy the newest book as soon as I could get out of town and I'd read almost the entire thing on the way home (about a 3 hour drive). I have a hard time putting books down once I'm involved =)

 

 

I haven't read them since but as of late, I've been contemplating taking them off my bookshelf and giving them another read. When almost four years go by since you last read a book, you tend to forget small details. I love the movies, as well, but the books are far superior (doesn't ever reader tell you that?). My sister got me most of the movies for Christmas this past year, though. It's a collection set. It came with DVDs 1-5 (I believe it was 1-5. Maybe it was 1-6, I'm not home so I can't check) and has a set of bookmarks and some collectible cards, too. It's pretty neat. It was the best present I got last year (and one of my other presents was an ereader, lol). I think my eyes were the size of quarters when I opened it.

I recommend reading them again! I read them constantly.. usually when I get home from work and am trying to unwind (like tonight). It's always fun to reimmerse yourself in the world! Especially when you need a good break from reality--and I frequently do, in my line of work =P

 

 

I don't write fanfics really. And I never ship any of the canon characters. I have this thing about canons. I hate writing them and I hate when other people write them. I rarely find someone who can do them justice. I used to roleplay canon characters. The only ones I ever tried were Ginny, Hermione, and Draco. I got compliments on my Draco. Was told that I kept him closer to the original character than anyone else they'd roleplayed with to date. Made me feel good, but I haven't roleplayed him since. Nor do I plan on it. I do roleplay Harry Potter on a regular basis, but I always create original characters. For one, what's the point in getting lost in JKR's world if you're going to use her characters? The Wizarding world has so many opportunities. Why not create your own within it? I have a few original characters that I love to use for Harry Potter roleplay (however, they are easily made into er... "muggles" lol).

I haven't roleplayed in years! But I've never really liked playing humans.. I think this is because my very first experience was in a game called Herds of Horses. I've loved horses as long as I can remember and it just seemed natural to write as from a horse's point of view, since it's different than what I know. If you have any links to your writing, I'd love to have a look!

 

 

As far as my house, I'm not sure. It's hard to say. Most quizzes put me in Slytherin. Pottermore put me in Slytherin every single time I took the quiz. Without fail. And I guess that makes sense. I'm ambitious, I can be a bit... cunning, I tend to be independent and usually stick within a small group of people (within my own "circle", I guess in Slytherin that would be other Slytherins), and I'm pretty darn determined. I don't mind being called a Slytherin, either. I never saw them as a bad house. Rather, a misunderstood one. Of course many bad wizards come from Slytherin. Slytherin is full of ambitous Wizards. Ambitious people are far more likely to achieve their goals than those who are not ambitious. That aside, I believe I possess some Hufflepuff traits, as well. The vast majority of quizzes agree that I'm a Slytherin, though, so I'll go with that. I've only had Hufflepuff come up maybe once or twice. I've never gotten Gryffindor or Ravenclaw as a result. Literally never.

I've always gotten either Ravenclaw or Slytherin! I used to think that I could have easily fit into any house, but now I see that I definitely belong in Slytherin. For instance, I would never hesitate to defend one of my friends.. but I'd probably be more reserved about coming to a stranger's defense. And I absolutely love to learn new things, but I realized it's because I'm trying to improve myself and my chances for success.. no learning just because I like to. So yeah, I'm totally with you on this!

[DeAndra]

Why was I not accio'd sooner? I absolutely love Harry Potter. Main reason I am in a Harry Potter guild on Neo is simple nostalgia.

[Raichi]

TToTT It's no fair, I get kicked off every Harry Potter RP'ing site I join.

 

They just can't handle the slytherin :P

[benjithekid]

I'm not really a bandwagon type, either. I have a friend I speak to online who is. She's constantly pushing me to read a lot of the popular series'. To date, the only one I've liked that she recommended was The Hunger Games. Though it was NO Harry Potter. I find most of the "bandwagon" books to be dry, predictable, and hard to get through. I assumed Harry Potter would be like that. Boy was I wrong. I, too, have a hard time putting a book down once I'm involved. I went to a midnight release for Twilight once (sister is a fan, she dragged me along) and it was horrifying. Never again! There's a reason I try to avoid the bandwagon stuff. lol

 

I really would like to read them again. It was fun getting lost in the world she created. For several moments, it almost felt real. I could start reading a page and look at the clock hours later to realize I'd read several chapters... It was always one of those books for me.

 

I can't write from an animals perspective, to be honest. I've tried once (from a dogs), but it fell flat. Both of us lost interest after ten posts. It was interesting, though, trying. I don't have any links to my writing on me... there are forums, but I'm not sure it would be okay to link them here. I have a journal, but most of the stuff there is marked private. If I get a chance this week, I'll set up a journal with some in it and link you. Just the Harry Potter stuff. As I write a LOT. Novels, too.

 

 

TToTT It's no fair, I get kicked off every Harry Potter RP'ing site I join.

They just can't handle the slytherin :P

Aww. I've only been kicked off one. And that was because of a misunderstanding. After a while, was even invited back once they realized who was really at fault haha.

[Russ]

Oh man, a Harry Potter thread? Perfect timing! I'm just about to re-re-re-read the series and do a ranking with my sister on another message board of every character. (I mean, not every character, because lol @ the notion of preferring Anthony Goldstein to Hannah Abbot or vice versa - but every character who's significant and resonates with us.) I read the books when I was a kid because my older sister was really into them, but I ended up stopping at book five because my child brain couldn't understand it and thought it was boring and confusing. Few years ago I decided to go back and revisit them, I read them all start to finish, and I've re-read the series twice since then. Always start to finish.. I can never just read one book from it, I have to go from the start of Book 1 to the end of Book 7. And I enjoy reading them all anyway - I hate getting in conversations of "which book is your least favorite?" because they're all awesome.

 

Out of curiosity, who is everyone's least favorite and favorite character and why? Just to throw around some thoughts before my next reading and my ranking of the characters.

 

Personally, my least favorite is Cornelius Fudge.. Umbridge's name comes up the most in every single "who is the most unlikable character?" conversation I have ever seen in my life (and rightfully so - she's clearly repulsive), but I don't know why Fudge gets off scot-free. Every single thing that she did, she was able to do because he sent her there knowing that she was going to use god-knows-what-tactics to silence innocent teenagers from speaking about Voldemort, as opposed to doing his job and rallying the magical community against Voldemort.. all because he was scared of a threat to his power that did not actually exist. Pathetic. And not to mention that the first time we see him, he's sending Hagrid off to Azkaban for the attacks by the basilisk when he knows perfectly well Hagrid is innocent just because, in his words, he's "got to be seen doing something." He is just so weak and I hate him. Nobody's actions upset me as much as his, not even Umbridge.

 

I'm totally undecided on my favorite.. traditionally I've pegged Snape as my favorite, but now I have no idea who will take my #1 spot between Snape, Dumbledore, and Voldemort. All three are absolutely fantastic and I could see any of them as my favorite. (Kinda interesting that one of them is the ultimate force of good, one is the ultimate force of bad, and one is the guy who always straddled between the two.)

[Kittyn]

I'm not really a bandwagon type, either. I have a friend I speak to online who is. She's constantly pushing me to read a lot of the popular series'. To date, the only one I've liked that she recommended was The Hunger Games. Though it was NO Harry Potter. I find most of the "bandwagon" books to be dry, predictable, and hard to get through. I assumed Harry Potter would be like that. Boy was I wrong. I, too, have a hard time putting a book down once I'm involved. I went to a midnight release for Twilight once (sister is a fan, she dragged me along) and it was horrifying. Never again! There's a reason I try to avoid the bandwagon stuff. lol

 

I really would like to read them again. It was fun getting lost in the world she created. For several moments, it almost felt real. I could start reading a page and look at the clock hours later to realize I'd read several chapters... It was always one of those books for me.

 

I can't write from an animals perspective, to be honest. I've tried once (from a dogs), but it fell flat. Both of us lost interest after ten posts. It was interesting, though, trying. I don't have any links to my writing on me... there are forums, but I'm not sure it would be okay to link them here. I have a journal, but most of the stuff there is marked private. If I get a chance this week, I'll set up a journal with some in it and link you. Just the Harry Potter stuff. As I write a LOT. Novels, too.

 

 

Aww. I've only been kicked off one. And that was because of a misunderstanding. After a while, was even invited back once they realized who was really at fault haha.

Please do link whenever you have a moment! I love to read what others are capable of! I haven't written in years, but I'm really trying to find my muse again. I doubt I'll RP again in the near future, but I've got a notebook I carry around in case inspiration strikes!

 

 

Oh man, a Harry Potter thread? Perfect timing! I'm just about to re-re-re-read the series and do a ranking with my sister on another message board of every character. (I mean, not every character, because lol @ the notion of preferring Anthony Goldstein to Hannah Abbot or vice versa - but every character who's significant and resonates with us.) I read the books when I was a kid because my older sister was really into them, but I ended up stopping at book five because my child brain couldn't understand it and thought it was boring and confusing. Few years ago I decided to go back and revisit them, I read them all start to finish, and I've re-read the series twice since then. Always start to finish.. I can never just read one book from it, I have to go from the start of Book 1 to the end of Book 7. And I enjoy reading them all anyway - I hate getting in conversations of "which book is your least favorite?" because they're all awesome.

 

Out of curiosity, who is everyone's least favorite and favorite character and why? Just to throw around some thoughts before my next reading and my ranking of the characters.

 

Personally, my least favorite is Cornelius Fudge.. Umbridge's name comes up the most in every single "who is the most unlikable character?" conversation I have ever seen in my life (and rightfully so - she's clearly repulsive), but I don't know why Fudge gets off scot-free. Every single thing that she did, she was able to do because he sent her there knowing that she was going to use god-knows-what-tactics to silence innocent teenagers from speaking about Voldemort, as opposed to doing his job and rallying the magical community against Voldemort.. all because he was scared of a threat to his power that did not actually exist. Pathetic. And not to mention that the first time we see him, he's sending Hagrid off to Azkaban for the attacks by the basilisk when he knows perfectly well Hagrid is innocent just because, in his words, he's "got to be seen doing something." He is just so weak and I hate him. Nobody's actions upset me as much as his, not even Umbridge.

 

I'm totally undecided on my favorite.. traditionally I've pegged Snape as my favorite, but now I have no idea who will take my #1 spot between Snape, Dumbledore, and Voldemort. All three are absolutely fantastic and I could see any of them as my favorite. (Kinda interesting that one of them is the ultimate force of good, one is the ultimate force of bad, and one is the guy who always straddled between the two.)

I've been known to bounce around from book to book.. but usually I do read in order! I've actually just finished CoS and need to find my copy of PoA.. been lazy and haven't been putting my books back where I should LOL.

 

so my favorite characters?

Hermione Granger is definitely a top favorite, whether book or movie. I love a strong female character and I personally believe that Hermione is one of the strongest I've ever encountered. her know-it-all attitude is slightly off-putting at first, but the fact that she works so hard to be the best is something I grew to appreciate. that, and she gets a little better about suppressing that slightly snobby air. her intelligence is amazing on any level, though. I absolutely love that she can keep her head on straight in most situations, and she gets bonus points for not abandoning her mission when the guy she wants ditches out. that's the kind of woman I like to see! not some whiny, pathetic little girl that will jump at her man's beck and call and do whatever he wants. I think this stems from the fact that I absolutely cannot stand girls that don't have a mind of their own or have nothing going on upstairs. Ginny (strictly book version) is also one of my favorites because of this very same reason! plus, I love her sense of humor and the fact that she's not afraid to snark back at anyone. she has the kind of stones I wish I'd had at that age =)

 

and a final mention... I love the movie version of Bellatrix. although I think that's mainly because I adore Helena Bonham Carter so much! she's absolutely crazy and it just tickles me to the core!

 

 

least favorites?

Slughorn. his attitude drove me nuts from the beginning. I hated HBP for the sole reason that he existed. yes, I understand that he held a crucial key to understanding Voldemort and Horcruxes... but that won't stop me from hating the way he seeks out people for their networks. I guess it reminds me a lot of the town that I live in.. can barely get a foot in the door if you don't know the right people or have a "good" last name.

[siniri]

Oooh, controversy. I'm probably going to open up a whole can of worms with my least favorite. Let's just say I know all the arguments in favor of why people like him, and it isn't going to change my mind. First, though, my favorites:

 

1) Sirius Black. I don't think the character J.K. Rowling wanted to write is quite the character that she ended up writing, because some of what she says about him doesn't quite mesh up with what we actually see. Yes, he can be dismissive of cruel to those he doesn't like, but he's fiercely loyal to his friends and his own perception of right and wrong, and he's literally willing to do anything to protect those he loves: escape from an "inescapable" prison, live off rats for months trying to protect the son of his best friend, rush into battle knowing he'll be fiercely outnumbered, even stay cooped up inside a dismal house for months on end, often alone with nothing but a vindictive portrait and a deranged, disparaging house-elf. Sure, he has his faults, but what I most love is that he steps up and is a true father figure to Harry. Dumbledore is distant; Lupin restrains himself. But Sirius just loves him, hugs him, supports him, with no barriers. It even takes Mrs. Weasley a while to open up and mother Harry, but Sirius sees no barriers (I mean, Harry starts off trying to kill him, and Sirius is willing to accept even that, as long as Harry first understands what truly happened and is safe from the real culprit, and once everything is straightened out, it's a total hugfest).

 

2) Ginny Weasley. Her role was actually pretty small in the books, but by the end of OotP, she'd won my heart as the only suitable candidate for Harry. She's the only one who can tell him off when he tries to retreat into himself after thinking he attacked Mr. Weasley. Everyone else is trying to cajole him, and she's just like "You're being stupid." And later, when he's worried and wants to talk to Sirius, he can't confide in Ron or Hermione, but Ginny is the one to get him to open up. She listens without judgment, without trying to know everything (respecting that people are entitled to secrets), and offers practical advice without being a know-it-all. I respect her for moving on when she was rejected. For agreeing to go out with Neville -- and for not ditching him when half-offered the chance to go with Harry. For accepting the break-up with dignity. For not just sitting back waiting for Harry to take care of Voldemort, but actually trying to steal Gryffindor's sword from Voldemort's right-hand man for him. For staying to fight, when she could have waited in safety. For being warm, funny, and strong.

 

3) Hermione Granger (for everything Kittyn said, especially her dedication to standing up for the "little guys"). She can be overbearing and misguided, but she's got a huge heart. And I can relate a lot to her desire to know all the things, and to her insecurity. Heck, she even (in the books) looks somewhat like me. I loved her brilliance at the Lovegoods' (she was able to think of a way to protect Harry, all the Weasleys, and the Lovegoods, in nanoseconds -- most people wouldn't even realize all those people were in danger, much less be able to save them all!), and hated that they changed it in the movie. Also, her lying outright while being tortured? Incredible (and again, undermined in the movie).

 

4) Harry Potter -- a lot of people leave him off, since he's the main character, but really, he's a good guy. He grows so much. He does have some anger issues (I hated that he used Crucio -- and he tried to use it a lot before succeeding), but by the end, he tries to offer Voldemort a way out. Voldemort. As Dumbledore says, the boy is special, because of his ability to love.

 

There are a lot of other characters I like (and I totally agree about Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix -- she has completely supplanted the image in my head of what Bellatrix should be, and she's the only movie actor to do so -- that little smile when she saw the knife disappear, knowing it hit someone, gives me shivers just thinking about it, and then when she played polyjuiced Hermione!), but these are my favorites. Moving on to least favorites:

 

1) Snape. Yes, yes, he was acting as a spy all those years for the memory of the woman he pined for (and indirectly killed). Blah, blah, blah. He's still a cruel person, and I think Dumbledore was wrong for letting him anywhere near children. I don't like bullies, and Snape was one. I'm not talking about how he treated Harry, either, because I could understand if it were just Harry (it'd still be wrong, and I still think he shouldn't have been allowed to be Harry's teacher), but he also bullies Neville (and I'm sure every single other child who's a little slow or a little different). Teachers are supposed to protect the unpopular kids from bullies, not be the bully. Snape even knew what it was like to be bullied himself, and yet he utterly lacked empathy -- not just for Neville, but once he got inside Harry's head and saw how awful his early life had been, he could only use it to poke at him, rather than seeing their commonalities. He's also blatantly unfair and delights in cruelty; he invented the bullying spell levicorpus -- not to mention Sectumsempra. He only loved one person in his entire life, and sure, he died trying to redeem himself and fulfill his promise to protect her progeny's life (because apparently Harry's mental well-being didn't matter to Snape, as long as the boy lived)... but it's just not enough to make me like him. Plus, "look at me" was just way too creepy.

 

2) Hmm. Actually, Snape might be it. Excluding the ones you're obviously supposed to dislike, like Umbridge, Voldemort, the Malfoys, Fudge, Slughorn, the Dursleys, Marietta Edgecombe (okay, Hermione, that was a bit cruel to permanently disfigure her face), etc.

[tinyplasticdinos]

Out of curiosity, who is everyone's least favorite and favorite character and why? Just to throw around some thoughts before my next reading and my ranking of the characters.

 

 

1) Snape. Yes, yes, he was acting as a spy all those years for the memory of the woman he pined for (and indirectly killed). Blah, blah, blah. He's still a cruel person, and I think Dumbledore was wrong for letting him anywhere near children. I don't like bullies, and Snape was one. I'm not talking about how he treated Harry, either, because I could understand if it were just Harry (it'd still be wrong, and I still think he shouldn't have been allowed to be Harry's teacher), but he also bullies Neville (and I'm sure every single other child who's a little slow or a little different). Teachers are supposed to protect the unpopular kids from bullies, not be the bully. Snape even knew what it was like to be bullied himself, and yet he utterly lacked empathy -- not just for Neville, but once he got inside Harry's head and saw how awful his early life had been, he could only use it to poke at him, rather than seeing their commonalities. He's also blatantly unfair and delights in cruelty; he invented the bullying spell levicorpus -- not to mention Sectumsempra. He only loved one person in his entire life, and sure, he died trying to redeem himself and fulfill his promise to protect her progeny's life (because apparently Harry's mental well-being didn't matter to Snape, as long as the boy lived)... but it's just not enough to make me like him. Plus, "look at me" was just way too creepy.

 

2) Hmm. Actually, Snape might be it. Excluding the ones you're obviously supposed to dislike, like Umbridge, Voldemort, the Malfoys, Fudge, Slughorn, the Dursleys, Marietta Edgecombe (okay, Hermione, that was a bit cruel to permanently disfigure her face), etc.

 

THANK YOU! I absolutely abhor Snape because he was a bully. He was nasty to the young children he was supposed to be teaching and mentoring. It was unwarranted, even in Harry's case. Harry had no control over the action of his parents. "He looks like his dad/reminds Snape of his mom" is not a reason to torment a child. Snape is a full grown man. He had no reason to act vindictively toward an eleven year old boy. But he didn't just stop with Harry. He was merciless toward Neville, and in the instance when Hermione's teeth were enlarged he didn't uphold the school rules like he should have, instead he was nasty toward her and claimed he "saw no difference". That is not an admirable individual. Being a strict but just professor would have in no way compromised his position as a double agent. It's just disgusting to me, and I wasn't convinced by his bid for redemption either. :/

 

I don't know that I would put Mrs. Malfoy in the same category as the others. I think she was calculating from the beginning as far as ensuring her son's safety, and I think that's admirable. I don't like that she enabled Lucius to do the things he did, but I don't believe for a moment that she was invested in the cause past putting on a front to keep Draco safe.

[Russ]

o my favorite characters?
[Hermione, movie Bellatrix - not including the whole paragraph because I don't wanna stretch everyone's pages]

Least fav - Slughorn

 

Hermione definitely is fantastic and she'll be in my top ten almost without a doubt, likely top five.. she is just stone-cold awesome. I don't think I could peg her as my all-time favorite simply because she doesn't have the complexity of some others, but she still has so many moments of "Wow, that was freaking awesome." And she definitely does grow throughout the series so it's not like she consistently has the same role as "the smart one." She's absolutely one of my favorites. I haven't seen most of the movies and don't plan to so unfortunately I'm not familiar with Movie Bellatrix, but I have heard that she shines there way more than in the books because of her actress. I could end up watching the movies she is in just because of how awesome I have heard she is.

 

On principle I know I should dislike Slughorn because he's just a tool on so many levels (it is so hard to type my opinions of some of these characters without being able to use curse words :laughingsmiley: ) but I dunno, he has never bugged me as much because he has some charisma and he's just so blatant about what he's doing.

 

 

Oooh, controversy. I'm probably going to open up a whole can of worms with my least favorite. Let's just say I know all the arguments in favor of why people like him, and it isn't going to change my mind. First, though, my favorites:

 

1) Sirius Black.

 

First of all, I love how long your post was! Really solid analysis of Sirius, actually - I never thought about just how much he pushes himself to be a father figure to Harry. He does go through a lot. I used to be hesitant to be too big a fan of Sirius because he makes a lot of mistakes in the fifth book, but the more that I think about those mistakes, I'm willing to forgive him because the situation he's in is just horrible and nobody is the kind of angel who can handle years in Azkaban and then living in #12 without going a little off the deep end.. so the more that I reflect on him as a character, the more that I like him and both appreciate and sympathize with his flaws. There is definitely a lot more to Sirius than meets the eye and his intentions are very, very good.

 

 

2) Ginny Weasley.

This will be an unpopular opinion by the looks of it, but I've actually never cared about Ginny. I've always viewed her as a fairly weak character, and because she's so weak but ends up as the love interest of the lead based on what I perceived to be nothing whatsoever, I've kind of resented her. I don't know, I guess my problem with her is that the relationship between Ginny and Harry always seemed to be so non-existent to me - she had a crush on him in book 2, and then it basically disappeared, and then suddenly there was a "monster in his chest" ( :tired: srsly) and he fell for her and that seemed to be the end of it to me. And then aside from that, her role as the "strong, tough girl!" felt so cliche to me to the point where I honestly felt that she was a Mary-Sue.. a tough tomboy who is good at random things and then ends up with the lead for no real reason.

 

That said, I never picked up on how she was the only one who was honest with Harry or who he would open up to. I'll definitely look for that when I reach that book in my re-read and try to get a better feel on their chemistry. As it stands now she would actually probably be in my bottom five or even bottom three characters just for how pointless I've always seen her as being, but I will absolutely look for things like what you pointed out when I re-read. She's definitely not a Fudge or Vernon who I'm insistent on hating, and because she's so popular I'd actually love for my opinion of her to change and to view her in as positive a light as so many people seem to - I've just always had trouble doing so because of the lack of depth I've felt her relationship with Harry has.

 

3) Hermione Granger

Touched upon my thoughts of her earlier - it's borderline unfair just how quick-witted and straight-up cool Hermione is but it doesn't negate the fact that I love her.

 

 

4) Harry Potter

Harry, oddly enough, is actually a character who I've never thought about when I read the books, mostly because I've viewed him as the lens we use to see everyone else - I've never looked a ton at him, at what he's doing, at how everything affects his development, and the biggest thing I'll go for in my re-read will be focusing on how Harry is characterized because he should be a top-tier character but I have never fully viewed him as such. I'm actually totally okay with Harry using Crucio - I'd say I like it, even - because I don't want him to just be this unrelentingly positive guy who seems so infallible. The best heroes are the ones with flaws. If he were only ever brave and selfless and a true Gryffindor and whatnot, it wouldn't be believable. Anger is an emotion everyone has and some people do very, very bad things with their anger, so seeing that come out makes Harry a much more believable, relateable character to me. It's like how I like Ron's meltdowns in the seventh book, or even Hermione permanently disfiguring Marietta.. those things that seem to go way too far are what make the characters believable, because flat-out perfect heroes simply don't exist.

 

1) Snape.

I actually do agree with a lot of what you said about Snape, despite him being arguably my favorite character. I think people who like Snape because they view him as this poor, heroic guy who was always truly loyal to his love and blah blah blah are not only oversimplifying Snape but also missing the entire essence of him. The fact is that he, despite his loyalty to Dumbledore in the end, is pretty much a bad person. Heck, even Rowling said that she'd hate to be the object of Snape's affection - I think "terrifying" may have been the word she used. The guy is, plain and simple, a racist bully with a totally warped sense of morality who never mentally progressed past the age of fifteen and is still hung up on a girl that he lost due to his actions. My fandom of him definitely does not come from any perceived infallibility on his part.

 

What I love about him, rather, is how much of a question mark he consistently is. From the time of the very first book, we're never entirely sure what side Snape is on, and the moment when we finally discover it is the biggest plot twist, the climax of the book, and my personal favorite moment in the entire series. Even though Harry is the main character, I feel like the series is in a lot of ways about Snape's story. He is really the catalyst for everything that happens. He's basically the weight that decides which side of Dumbledore/Voldemort the scales will favor. And you never, ever see that coming. In the first couple of books and in the minds of people who are only vaguely aware of Harry Potter, or in parodies like Potter Puppet Pals and whatnot, Snape is just "that creepy old man who hates Harry"... but as the plot unfolds, more and more layers of Snape's character are revealed and he completely surpasses all expectations as a character, and that is why I love him. It isn't because I think he's a good person - it's because I think he's a good character, one of the most important in the series, and in ways that you'd never see coming. I view him as a dark shade of grey morality-wise; he is in most regards a downright bad human being, but he showed more strength and bravery in the series than perhaps any other character and has a lot of good to him... but even then, his motives were entirely based in himself. It's almost insulting that he only started to care about the slaughtering of Muggleborns and Order members once one of them was the girl he was nice to. Really, even when you do find out which side Snape is on, it's still hard to totally peg him. That's what I love about him.. more so than any other character, I do not think you can compartmentalize as "good" or "bad" or any other short descriptor. I believe that from the start of book one to the end of book seven, Snape is almost definitely the character who, from the viewer's perspective, changes most. The fact that I've said this much to say on him and am only stopping now so I don't get too page-stretching and tl;dr for everyone really says it all.

[BEE.]

Diagon Alley is now on street view at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour! :D

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Diagon+Alley+at+Warner+Bros.+Studio+Tour+London,+Warner+Bros.+Studio+Tour+London,+Studio+Tour+Drive,+Leavesden&hl=en&ll=51.690882,-0.417287&spn=0.004835,0.013411&sll=51.689718,-0.417566&layer=c&cid=10355248391383225485&panoid=u1gcE6cVKELE_xgImwtVHQ&cbp=13,274.23,,0,-1.66&hq=Diagon+Alley+at+Warner+Bros.+Studio+Tour+London,+Warner+Bros.+Studio+Tour+London,+Studio+Tour+Drive,+Leavesden&t=h&z=17&cbll=51.690875,-0.417249

 

I can't wait to go back there for a 3rd time! Best time to go is your birthday, as you get to open the doors to the Great Hall :)<3

[Russ]

I just finished re-reading the first book, and am now four chapters into the second one. Molly Weasley makes every scene better just by being present. I adore her. Also, dear Lord, the Dursleys always manage to exceed my expectations. They are so horrid it's unbelievable.

[Neuroartsy]

MEEEE I have read all the books.

[cvb_1106]

I loooove HP, definetly my fav saga!!! I read the 7 books in one year and I adored them!!! My favorite one is the last one of course, and I think that the best part was the station part where Dumbledore meets Harry and shows him the scary baby who Voldemort was going to become as well as when Snape shares with Harry why he joined the Death Eaters, right before he died.

 

Ps: By the way, I'm a Harry/Ginny supporter all the way! I don't like Cho at all >.<

[missmadiemay]

Oh this has been an interesting thread to read! Glad I came across it.

I grew up with HP and still love it today! I actually just made my boyfriend watch the entire thing with me this past week for my birthday haha. Lord knows I will NEVER be able to get him to read the books. He griped enough about the movies. An "I told you so" was in order once we were through, though, as I TOLD him he would like it ^_^