On Voldemort and Grindelwald

     I think the problem with the comparisons between the two Dark Lords comes from a serie of thoughts: 

1. It is assumed that Voldemort was ever only a danger to magical Britain, because in the books it was never stated that he had a powerful following or allies outside the isles. What we know of Grindelwald situated him at a place where he had followers and is menazing to all of Europe and at least the EEUU in a distant way. His message is also one that appeals to all kind of witches and wizards and not only purebloods.

2. Voldemort, in the vast majority of his appearances in the heptalogy, seemed more than a little bit crazy. Same with his followers. He had more or less sound plans and we know he and the Death Eater in charge are at least intelligent and dangerous enough to pull a coup d’état without notice. But we don’t get to feel it, because we only get to see how he attained power in the ministry perifellicaly. Harry’s limited POV is only centered in the personal danger to him and his friends not in all the ideology and machinations and magic that a Dark Lord and his followers employ (except for the Horcruxes and the Unforgivables). So we are left feeling a bit disenchanted with him, because when the big bad wannabe dictator seems so dangerous and crazy even to his own followers (the sanes ones at least) you don’t understand how he even got to be in that position of power. Not like we are with Grindelwald know, who seems much more sane, intelligent and manipulative that Voldemort ever appeared upon his resurrection or even in the last flashbacks of his youth in book 6. We get to understand why, even when we watch him being a ruthless murderer, people want to follow him. 

3. Voldemort even in all his glory, was not a ultra-personal failure to Dumbledore. He was a Hogwarts alumni that yes, gave Albus a lot of headaches, and he killed another classmates, etc etc. But while Dumbledore was able to play mind games with Riddle and affect him, it wasn’t mutual, not like with Grindelwald. There is a lot of lost feelings between them (we suspect), so we are more invested and it also has the side effect of making Gellert seem more dangerous an enemy to Albus. Although that isn’t necessary true. 

4. It is understated in the books and supplements, and now from the films that Grindelwald hold of Europe equals (more or less) the Nazi ascension. So, at least since the 30′s to the duel in 1945, in a variable european territory because of the conflicts. Voldemort maintained fully control of magical UK not even a full year in the end. Of course, he was a menace at least since the start of Harry’s parents tenure in Hogwarts to their ends in October of 1981, and again since the end of fourth year to the seventh of Harry’s. Is question of thinking a little, but again, even the horror of a civil war and dictatorship doesn’t measure in our modern occidental minds against a war that was explicitly stated as the magical equivalent of WWII for much that it didn’t affect  magic UK or Ireland. 

5.The focus of the films. We are seeing so much more of Grindelwald that we ever did of Voldemort in all HP films combined. Same that will happen with Dumbledore, I think, in the future films of FB&WTFT.

 

Of course all of the problems above have the same root: the different focus of the HP story and the FB one. In the first, is Harry journey against the stereotypical EVIL with touches of realism, while in the FB is the much more realistic uprising of a magical fascist. Not that Voldemort wasn’t one mind you, and the start of book 7 was delightful in that regard, but it never was quite the focus of the story as it seems it is in the new movies, incredible new magic and all.

  And that is all, roughly. If somebody want to point something I missed or that they think I got wrong, you are welcome to leave a comment ^^’ I’ve done this without thinking too much, but I feel it was necessary. I hope this has helped you to clear your head ^^

 

• Here is the link to the original post and my addition + other answers alnair-tair.tumblr.com/post/180696016222/clap-with-me

xxxHolic Other Roads: or speculating in how could have ended differently

 Original post in my tumblr here: alnair-tair.tumblr.com/post/173999514177/xxxholic-other-roads-or-an-alternative-possible

You know, what we fans of HOLiC hate about the end is the vision of Watanuki alone in the shop forever young and waiting for someone who will never return, while all of his human friends have passed away long ago. It is depressive, and it really make you think about what was the point of teaching Watanuki to be alive if he would have ended anyway stuck away in the shop.

But I have just realised, while reading a fic or two… Isn’t Watanuki a mage or wizard or whatever Yuuko and Clow also are? Not an onmyouji not a medium not a dreamseer but a type of person who casts spells and has been demonstrated throughout CLAMP’s manga as considerably more long-lived and powerful than a lot of creatures around there. This all means- wouldn’t Watanuki have outlived all of his human friends anyway? And though if for a miracle he hadn’t get aisled in the shop I believe he would have become its master no matter what. The existence of the shop was to grant Clow’s, but Yuuko seemed to have been teaching Watanuki to make the deals too and the shop of wishes itself seems have become very important in the multiverse of TRC and xxxHOLiC over time. I bet that if the shop were to cease existing without preparing for it it would have serious consequences. So being no scaping of taking charge of the shop… Being the shopkeeper also would mean that his powers would have expanded and so his life expectancy too… Thus he most likely will have been left alone again.

(my douwata feelings. why why CLAMP? Also Watanuki doesn’t have the most aproachable of personalities. I think he could have made some other friends too along the way but… It appears his character is a tragic one for me since that end. THANKS CLAMP!! ;_;)

 Because while I’m pretty sure Sakura (CCS) is the most powerful in her world… Syaoran (CCS) has powers as well and they will be long-lived together. In Tsubasa Fai and Kurogane are linked through the vampire vincule, and although it is stated that vampires can live hundreds and maybe a thousand or so years when Fai becomes way Yuuko states that he is going to live only a little more than what he would have before. And Watanuki may not be the most powerful but I think it has been hinted that he is Yuuko successor the same way Sakura is Clow’s. 

Although Kaho and Eriol… I don’t know, Eriol stopped aging at will (again what Watanuki became able to do in the moment he decides to take charge as if it were instinctive… so much foreshadowing with Clow there too) and then he said he was able to get older again. Because he wanted to be with Kaho. Just that. Even when he lost half his powers it was just a thing he was able to do just because. >.<’  Maybe Wata could do that? Or maybe not hum.. It is frustrating the little worldbuilding we have for magic in CLAMP works. I mean, I understand that their works are more about character relationships than anything else, but there are so much things left hanging with that approach. In moments like this it is very pitiful. 

 

Well, this is all. Food for thought ;) What do you think of this? I believe this would make a hell of a fic too…

 

My poetry: I will drown in the wells of the beach

I wrote this studying Lorca for selectivity in june of 2018 (the spanish university entry exams) and thus, this poem is very Lorca-like. Enjoy:

   Me ahogaré en los pozos de la playa         I will drown in the wells of the beach

bajo la Luna azul,                                       under the blue Moon,

cuyo color es siempre plata                        whose color always is silver

excepto cuando la vista me engaña.          except when my sight deceives me.

 

El agua será metálica y gris                         The water will be metallic and gray 
  en mi piel]                                                      in my skin]

y dará, reflejos negros y verdes                   and it will give, green and black                                                                                                                                          reflexes]

a mis rizos caoba.                                        to my auburn curly hair.

 

No sentiré                                                     I will not feel

el agarre letal de la corriente                        the lethal grasp of the currents

en mis pulmones].                                         in my lungs].

 

Una muerte de agua                                     A death of water

ausencia de sentidos;                                  absence of senses

ahogados,                                                    -drowned,

en un millar de distintas reflexiones.            in a thousand of different reflections.

Musings: On Sex

Original post in my tumblr: alnair-tair.tumblr.com/post/178981631477/sometimes-i-think-about-how-we-shame-sex

sometimes i think about how we shame sex. specifically in stories. more even, when people compare a “pure” mental and/or spiritual connection to a completely romantic/sexual one and how almost always, they say the latter ones as inferiors to the formers. which really baffles me. why? why can’t two people have a meaningful soul-deep connection of understanding and not romance too? not love? why love is seen as being tainted by physical intimacy? when to my understanding when you get someone so well, when you understand each other so much you already love them. not ifs, not buts. you love them, and if the possibility of sexual or romantic attraction is there, then it is more than likely that’ll happen in these circumstances and it would only be the expression of a bond which is already there. because what, at least i, search in a partner is that connection. to be matches spiritually and mentally, to be able to be with each other the longest time possible and sex and romance are a part of that (for most). sex should be an activity practised mostly to connect and enjoy and find pleasure and share and to be able to trust and let go. when you are so in tune with another, when you love and are attracted to them, sex is simply another thing to connect the souls, to bring intimacy and communicate through feelings and acts and forget the world. not something to be ashamed of.

and that is something i had to say, in my inexperienced opinion xD not that sex should only be reserved for such life changings connections, but y’know, it must always be a positive thing to you and your partner(s). obviously lol. and it doesn’t harm anything as long as you are as careful with it as with everything else.

Musings: On Fanfiction

 there are sometimes when i wonder about the nature and the feeling of fanfics. nothing very serious. today, i read a fic in ao3 from 2008 in livejournal. in the comments, an user was asking the author about another fic of theirs and the author was saying that they had erased it because it was embarrassing. i thought the title was cute, and that by the fic i have just ended to read the erased one would have been funny and embarrassing in that good way that gives good vibes. you know the fic is ridiculous and that what it happens there wouldn’t have happened in canon anyway, but it’s so nice, so well written in spite of the ridiculousness… you can’t help but love it.

and anyway. it made me think that we are always talking about how fics are transformative, and how they help young people to experiment things safely and how it’s the playfield of woman and how they help us all to communicate and share feelings about fictions and our lives in a comforting way. (let’s go away the bad things, for now. everything has its counterweight) but it made me think… fanfics are ephemeral creations too. they exist in a fragil media, everywhere and nowhere at the same time, without the security of being guarded of the pass of time by being a material thing. or maybe their irreal nature in the world of dates will make them endure far away from their origins. but it made me think about how they depend on authors that could get frustrated or embarrassed with them, on the reaction of their readers which could make the author to delete their work, in web page owned by people who don’t care and can get them erased simply by being everything they couldn’t think of, never in their lives. they depend on shared emails, and the memory of the people who catched the lucky moment to save the words or read them. 

and someday maybe you revisit an old page and you don’t find nor author nor fic, or the page itself has been absorbed again in the net and not even with timesalving machines would you ever encounter them again. maybe you find out a good sinopsis o review and a link that doesn’t direct to anywhere anymore. and you would think, melancholy in your heart “oh, how good could it have been?” to forget about it in the next half hour. maybe one day the only thing remaining of that good ol’ fix-it or whatever fic, is only your memories, and that of the one who wrote it and that of the other who where there too. 

i think all these feelings are beautiful sad things about the fandom experience. it’s fragility, like live. because the stories are changing things. and some of them die and others remain. internet allows us to see the process more near and clearly.