And having thrown that out there, Imma now gonna try and answer my own question... Sorry it wasn't meant to be bait.
So... shower thoughts! (It was a long shower...) I think I have a few ideas.
'Because it's okay to like the Gryffindor bad boys and bullies but not the Slytherin bad boys and bullies? ;)
My knee jerk reaction is 'YES!', by that kind of thinking is just going to make me miserable, so it's time to but a bit of brain grease into it...
First: 'The funny thing is, I do like Remus and Sirius as characters, but I don't see them as squeaky clean good guys. It makes them more interesting that they aren't morally pure and have their downfalls as characters.'
I'd cosign that in a heartbeat. I'll make the added distinction that I like Sirius as a *character*, but not as an *individual*. He's good read, but not my idea of good fun, if that makes sense? I wouldn't want to know him, have him in my life, or in the lives of those near and dear (even if some of them *are* fictional characters... 😉), which is *prefect* in a book character, really. So so far, so good.
And you can like people despite their faults. You *should*, even. None of us are perfect, if we weren't able to see past faults, we'd all be alone.
I think part of the issue is most peopleHP fans *I know* weren't huge on DH. The earlier books and movies were read and watched more often, and that has a way of skewing how we view the story and the characters. And another substantial part is how we come to know them.
When we're first introduced to Remus, he saves Harry and seems an intelligent and nice guy. He's kind to Neville. (I side-eyed his making Severus the butt of more jokes as unprofessional, but he's new to the job and it built up a kid who desperately needed it.) We don't find out he's a weak man, a reckless one and a coward until much later. By that point, he's grown on us, and because Harry (and the books) don't focus much on his negative traits, we tend not to either.
Severus by contrast is a mean old unreasonable arse from the outset, and we focus on those traits a hell of a lot. He provokes and embarrasses Harry in front of his classmates (and many readers will remember how that feels only too well), which makes Harry's push back apparently cool / wish fulfillment. (Naturally, I side-eyed that as well... 😉)
But I think those first impressions go a long way to defining how some people continue to see them.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2019-02-09 03:09 pm (UTC)So... shower thoughts! (It was a long shower...) I think I have a few ideas.
'Because it's okay to like the Gryffindor bad boys and bullies but not the Slytherin bad boys and bullies? ;)
My knee jerk reaction is 'YES!', by that kind of thinking is just going to make me miserable, so it's time to but a bit of brain grease into it...
First:
'The funny thing is, I do like Remus and Sirius as characters, but I don't see them as squeaky clean good guys. It makes them more interesting that they aren't morally pure and have their downfalls as characters.'
I'd cosign that in a heartbeat. I'll make the added distinction that I like Sirius as a *character*, but not as an *individual*. He's good read, but not my idea of good fun, if that makes sense? I wouldn't want to know him, have him in my life, or in the lives of those near and dear (even if some of them *are* fictional characters... 😉), which is *prefect* in a book character, really. So so far, so good.
And you can like people despite their faults. You *should*, even. None of us are perfect, if we weren't able to see past faults, we'd all be alone.
I think part of the issue is most
peopleHP fans *I know* weren't huge on DH. The earlier books and movies were read and watched more often, and that has a way of skewing how we view the story and the characters. And another substantial part is how we come to know them.When we're first introduced to Remus, he saves Harry and seems an intelligent and nice guy. He's kind to Neville. (I side-eyed his making Severus the butt of more jokes as unprofessional, but he's new to the job and it built up a kid who desperately needed it.) We don't find out he's a weak man, a reckless one and a coward until much later. By that point, he's grown on us, and because Harry (and the books) don't focus much on his negative traits, we tend not to either.
Severus by contrast is a mean old unreasonable arse from the outset, and we focus on those traits a hell of a lot. He provokes and embarrasses Harry in front of his classmates (and many readers will remember how that feels only too well), which makes Harry's push back apparently cool / wish fulfillment. (Naturally, I side-eyed that as well... 😉)
But I think those first impressions go a long way to defining how some people continue to see them.