Moved from Main - the Dark is rising series and movie

[sistermagpie]

> Alla:

> I like Will still which is good ļ I doubt I will be able to 
dislike 
> him with only one book left, hehehe. I mean he was feeling 
> compassion for that guy who shot Bren¡¦s dog. I was impressed, 
truly.
> 
> I finally reread that conversation between John Roland and Will 
> about similar nature of dark and light that you mentioned.
> 
> 
> See, I am still not sure whether Susan Cooper is speaking with John 
> Roland¡¦s voice in that conversation or Will¡¦s.  And not that I 
mind 
> if she is speaking with Will¡¦s voice, you know? I think it is 
harsh 
> but necessary, sort of. Because indeed as Will says we are fighting 
> a war not for ourselves, but for you ¡V because we cannot die.
> 
> They truly do seem to have the best interests of the mankind at 
> heart, no? They just do not care if few of that same mankind will 
> fall along the way. 
> 
> Scary, but oh so reminds me of Dumbledore again, it really does.

Magpie:
I would guess that she's speaking with both their voices. Will is 
speaking for the side of Light, so he's the side that says evil 
*must* be vanquished because he, as an Immortal, can see the real 
danger if that doesn't happen. If the Dark wins, all this stuff is 
moot because men will be enslaved, so Will's got to concentrate on 
that. Cooper I think once said that she probably had that in her head 
from her childhood growing up in WWII. At a really formative age she 
was living in a situation where there was this enemy that *had* to be 
stopped. (The fear Will feels the night before his 11th birthday was 
based on fears she used to have as a kid that a Nazi was hiding in 
her closet...even though the real danger for her was bombings.)

But I think she's also speaking with John's voice because he's 
representing the human side, the guy who's instinctively fearful of 
fanatics. I mean, John is on Will's side. He'll do what Will tells 
him to--in SotT Simon has the same impression. John says he just 
doesn't really like mixing with magic things like Will and Simon says 
yes, he feels uncomfortable with it too. But at the same time both of 
them trust Will's motives. They know he's got their best interests at 
heart in the long term. I think Susan Cooper sees both sides, so she 
knows the Light is right ...but she also sees fanaticism as a bad 
thing even when it's good.

Alla:
> 
> In any even as I said, I am pleased with Will¡¦s character, he has 
> the coldness of the old one that I do not like, but he also seems 
to 
> have compassion a plenty, just hope it will not go away later in 
his 
> life.
> 
> I am also now not sure if we can so easily judge Old ones as not 
> humans only, doesn¡¦t Will say in that very conversation that we 
are 
> not so different from you, just our masters are?

Magpie:
I would say Will's naturally compassionate given his family--it's 
only when he's dealing specifically with matters of the Light when 
he's cold--at least that's how he seems to me. Sometimes he doesn't 
even remember he's an Old One. Cooper seems to suggest something like 
that for most of them, the way people can almost tell when they're 
acting as an Old One because their whole demeanor is different.

I would hope Will didn't change too much either. Like I said, I like 
to think he's always more human because he's the one fated to watch 
over the world ALL BY HIMSELF FOR ALL ETERNITY. Though I know not 
everybody agrees on how that would work--like, will he be different 
when he's been alive for hundreds of years?

Alla:
> 
> I would imagine that the human parts of old ones do feel human 
> desires, right? Whom does he mean as his masters by the way? I 
mean, 
> Merriman is one of the Old ones, master? Other old ones too?
> And oh dear I hate how casually they use Drew¡¦s kids. The Light 
> needed them in Greenwitch and they still make them forget at every 
> possibility? Like when they see Will and Merryman fly. Oh dear,. I 
> am so much happier with  memory charms in HP probably because I can 
> see that the purpose is to keep two worlds separate, nothing more, 
> but here to make marionettes of someone you brought in the heat of 
> the moment? Hate it, hate it.

Magpie:
I have no idea who the Masters are--it's one of the mysteries of the 
Old Ones! I hate it when they make the Drews forget even seeing Will 
and Merriman fly. Why is that even necessary? The kids are already 
knee deep in the magic--it's ridiculously condescending to act like 
they can't handle the fact that these guys can fly. Of course, I 
think the forgetting at the end is the worst thing in the series. 
Why? Why do they forget? Do they lose the development they got 
through the series? Does Bran think Owen's his father again? Do the 
kids think Will's just normal now? (I love when Jane notices Will 
being not like other people.)

Alla:
> 
> What else to ramble about? Love Bran with all his arrogance. 
> Reminded me of Harry in OOP so much. Do wish he would slap Will, 
> just for the sake of it.

Magpie:
LOL. Slap Will for what? Maybe he was holding back because he didn't 
have any other friends.;-)

Alla:
> 
> Eh, Merryman is one of the three Lords that watches Harp, is he 
not? 
> Tell me again, what was the whole point of Will¡¦s quest to get it 
> for the light? Couldn¡¦t Merriman take it and give it to Will? I 
find 
> it very silly.

Magpie:
See, now you're back to all those rules of High Magic that everybody 
has to follow. Prophecy mutter mutter Old Speech mumble mumble.

-m