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The focus will still be on Camelot and Dark Swan, not “BRAVE ALL THE THINGS”, as RG would describe it.
Yup that
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"If you see this before 3pm PT on Friday, please go vote for Neal/MRJ, (he’s actually leading his category right now, like, what even is this miracle where Neal/MRJ is actually leading in a poll?!): http://www.alnmpodcast.com/articles/the-alnm-fandom-emmy-awards PS. Loved his PSA video, so glad it finally got released, feels like they’ve been talking about it for forever!
GOES TO VOTE LIKE MAD
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Of course he’s wearing a hat, precious cinnamon roll.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"HE HAS A HAT! (love it already)
omg i love this and i love him. this is something Neal would do.
I miss him. I miss Neal.
Yeah, I’m not over this.
*sigh*
Beautifully done.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"For example, my husband went to a British boarding school, and he confirmed that he himself belonged to a house. He said there were 4 different houses that competed with each other for house points each year. The competition was based on a system of merit points which students earned based on academic and athletic achievements. Moreover, demerits could be given for poor behavior
Oh sure, JKR is drawing from her own cultural experiences, to be sure, and it’s not just the British school system. Many America boarding schools (and even some public ones) have this idea of houses/factions/groups that you belong to. That’s fine. Like I said in my analysis, the system was not intended to foster hostility and I totally admitted that there are perks to having houses like this. Playful competition leads to better students and all that, the sense of belonging is another positive (it’s also why so many men and women belong to the Greek system).
But here’s my question: was your husband placed into his “house” based on a set of mostly ill-defined characteristics at a young age? Magic hat aside (unless you’re husband has a magic hat in which case…we need to talk….) was he judged to meet certain criteria and then placed accordingly? Was it arbitrary? Did he get to pick?
I don’t know what could replace the Hat because it is so charming and a rather unique idea for this world. I don’t think the House system should be done away with but it’s that rather icky feeling that in order to belong you have to meet certain criteria. During “rush” (Greek college system for choosing your frat or sorority) you’re not supposed to judge people on the way they look, but the way they carry and conduct themselves. But that’s not how in works, and everyone knows it, because we all know that certain houses are looking for girls who look a certain way. What if they’re not actually a good fit for that house but they’re being judged based on one characteristic alone? Now in the Greek system you do not have to pledge if you don’t want to, but Harry doesn’t really get that choice. Once that Hat shouts Gryffindor, he’s there for life, seemingly (never heard of anyone transferring). What if the Hat had decided “screw you Harry Potter!” and shouted Slytherin instead?
*shrug* I don’t know. We’re going to go in circles on this most likely, which is fine…I like the conversation. I just think there has to be a better way that doesn’t rob 90% of the kids from making an active choice in where they want to spend the next 7 years.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Predictions make me sad. Happy things!
Um. It’s Thursday?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Just to clarify, I don’t think Harry counts as half-blooded, seeing how his mom was a witch and his dad a wizard. To count as half-blooded, one parent must be fully muggle and the other fully magical. Technically, Lily was born of two muggle parents, but she herself was magical. Her son Harry, being the offspring of two magical parents, would count as “pure-blooded” (not that I actually care for such distinctions). Right?
That’s tricky? Because Voldemort chose Harry over Neville because he saw Harry as being like him–the half and half
“He chose the boy he thought most likely to be a danger to him,” said Dumbledore. “And notice this, Harry. He chose, not the pureblood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing), but the half-blood, like himself. He saw himself in you before he had ever seen you.”
(OotP)
It’s one of those things that I have to think through but that’s the in universe explanation.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Perhaps Jaq did have connections to royalty of the Camelot kind for James to at least give her the time of day but not enough for George to want that relationship to continue?
Stretching, like you said. Fact is barely anyone remembers Jaq and to suddenly connect her to this new season (3 years after her she appeared so briefly) is just flat storytelling–no one could care because no one cared about her.
I mean, this is OUAT so it’s certainly possible, but….that one is stretchy.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"So, I never answered one of my own questions which was the OUAT character in a Hogwarts house. I was going to tackle Emma.
Emma Swan is a lot like Harry. No, rephrase: they are almost the same person–if by person you mean universal archetype. (and I often do mean that) They are the hero(ine) which means that they are a complicated ball of trauma, emotions, wants/desires, and quirks and abilities. It’s impossible to pin them down because they are also the “everyman” in that they are the lens into the magical world for the reader.
Emma would work well in Gryffindor. She’s obviously brave and has courage. She’s daring and bold and unafraid to fight for her (and everyone elses’) happy endings.
Emma would work well in Hufflepuff. She’s very loyal–even to people who don’t deserve it all the time. Take a look at her dedication to Regina and securing Regina’s HEA simply because of how far the Evil Queen has come. Emma’s loyal to her Storybrooke residents and doubly so to her family. When Rumple lay dying, Emma said, “You’re family now. I’ll save you.” even though her relationship with the Imp was beyond complicated.
Emma would work well in Ravenclaw. She’s got street smarts. She’s very capable of landing on her feet and being able to survive by her wits. Even when she’s thrown into an impossible situation, she can figure a way out using her mind instead of pure brawn. There are different kinds of smarts; she might not be book smart (like Belle) but she knows people and how they work. She understands human nature and that takes a certain level of intelligence.
Emma would work well in Slytherin. She’s ambitious and sometimes ruthless. When she sees something she wants, Emma goes after it. In season one when she wanted Henry, she didn’t have a plan but she was determined to get her son away from Regina. She even “stole” Henry in the middle of the night in order to achieve her ends. Emma is often the leader, not only because she’s so brave, but because she simply doesn’t trust others to get the job done. She knows she’s the best for the job, which is a Slytherins arrogance.
My point in asking this question was to demonstrate that the system is not really fair because it doesn’t really take in the complexities of human nature and the human psyche. We are not stagnant beings, defined by one particular trait. Emma (and Harry) could go anywhere and be successful because the house traits are really universal and translate across the board.
However, I asked a specific question, so I’ll give a specific answer. If I had to place Emma Swan in one house at Hogwarts it would probably be…….HUFFLEPUFF. I know. *gasp*
But, like Jo with Charming, I think Emma’s defining characteristic (the one I would associate with her more than any other) is loyalty. She would…get sucked up by a vortex of evil if it was required to protect those she loves. Emma’s brave but she’s also been known to run away from her problems (of the mundane variety) instead of facing them. But Emma remains very loyal to her family, her friends, her town, her identity as the Savior, and the mission.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I have to point out that at no point does Harry ask to be put into Gryffindor. The only thing he says is “Not Slytherin! Not Slytherin”. The hat didn’t bring up Slytherin at that point, either.
Excellent point. Makes me wonder where the Hat wanted to put him originally. Harry sort of jumped the gun; he’s responding to something that hasn’t even been uttered.
It seems the hat is listing qualities of most of the houses, there, not singling out just one. It’s only after Harry mentions the Slytherin house that the hat plays a bit of Devil’s Advocate with him.
Yes, that’s true but that’s sort of one of my larger and more problematic points. All of those qualities–courage, smarts, ambition–exist in all the house. It’s not like the Hufflepuffs sit on their bums and don’t want to win the House Cup. But each of those items have been relegated to one specific house. You see courage and it’s Gryffindor; smarts is Ravenclaw; and Ambition is Slytherin. People, as a whole, tend to associate one characteristic to both the house and the people who reside in it. It’s what fosters bigotry and misconception because those traits are good but they can also be bad.
Courage to the extreme is recklessness
Smart to the extreme is arrogance.
Ambition to the extreme is ruthlessness.
3. Is Harry’s fear of Slytherin justified? Yes, because those are his emotions and feelings. He’s feeling them, not anyone else. And if he’s not comfortable with the situation, then someone tell him differently isn’t going to change anything. Let’s take a personal example. I’ve terrified of flying and yet I have a cousin who flies airplanes and know numerous people who love to fly. No matter what they tell me, or how many statistics they cite, it isn’t going to change my fear or my feelings on the subject. It’s my fear, I’m justified in feeling it. So if Harry is adamant to not be placed in Slytherin, for whatever reason, then that’s his decision.
This is a very good point so thank you for bringing it up. You’re right that people’s feelings are justified because they are THEIR feelings and I’m not trying to belittle Harry or dismiss his feelings. But, to play Devil’s Advocate here, at what point do we stop accepting people’s fears as justified because “subjective” and try to help them overcome. You’re flying example is a good one but it’s also not something that affects those around you. Voldemort, we will learn, has a fear of impure blood and a taint in the Wizarding world. Are his fears justified because “subjective?” Is it okay that he feel this way and acts on that fear because they are his feelings and he’s feeling them? Or do we label his (and his ilk) differently because he is acting on those fears? Going back to Harry, while he certainly doesn’t act on those fears in the same way that Voldemort does, Harry does act against the Slytherins, and Draco specifically, throughout the series. He is constantly suspicious and mistrustful of Draco, Snape, and anyone who belongs to Slytherin, simply because Slytherin.
this will become important when we get to book 2 and Harry’s fear of Slytherins become even more personal with his Parlsetongue
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
