Villainy

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 109466

> Kneasy wrote:
>  <snip>
> Though I am toying with possible alternative endings - just in case
> JKR turns fluffy. But to get into that I'll need the plot 
developments
> from book 6  to extrapolate from.
> 

Neri:
I don't think JKR's ending will be too fluffy for me or for most 
readers, but I'm almost certain it will be too fluffy for you. Lets 
face it - JKR is not a true FEATHERBOA. She does revel in deceit and 
illusion, and she has a wonderful sarcastic humor, but she is not 
interested in the mechanics of evil, or with war and torture as an 
art form. She doesn't appreciate gore and she won't litter the stage 
with bodies just to get more oomph out of her dramatic effects.  

If I were you I'd write the FEATHERBOA version of HP before it loses 
its market value.

> 
> Kneasy:
> No, I  don't  think that I'm trying to  turn it into something it 
isn't.
> 
> When the hero of any epic battles through dungeon, fire and sword I 
> don't think it's unreasonable to examine and critique what it is 
that he's
> battling to defeat; just what it is that he's being measured 
against.
> 
> We've expended an inordinate amount of words on Harry vs various
> subordinate villains - Snape, Malfoy (both of 'em), Umbridge - 
examining
> in great depth their motivations, methods, strengths, weaknesses, 
> evilness quotient and, particularly  with Snape, how he is 
*presented*
> as a character in the text. Why not also with who we are told is the
> worst of the lot and presumably the one who will present Harry with 
his
> greatest challenge?
> <snip>

Neri:
The subordinate villains are interesting because they still retain a 
considerable amount of humanity. Snape is interesting because he's 
human (you know what I mean, Pippin. He may not be human in the 
biological sense but he has human flaws and virtues). Draco was 
interesting mainly because we thought he might redeem himself. As 
this possibility seems less and less likely in recent books he also 
becomes less and less interesting. His current job is merely to be 
nasty and get zapped. Snape and Umbridge are both well portrayed 
because JKR almost certainly based them on nasty teachers she knew. 
Unfortunately she didn't know any mad dictators or serial killers.

Voldy made the proverbial deal with the devil: lots and lots of power 
for the price of his humanity. The minute he lost his humanity, JKR 
lost her interest in him. He is now an empty shell, a cardboard Dark 
Lord, and only exists to get the plot going and supply the good guys 
with an archenemy. The only 3D aspect of Voldy is his Tom Riddle 
aspect, the rejected and abused kid before he made his final deal 
with the devil. BTW, I predict we will see more of Tom. We are now 
conveniently installed with a direct link into Voldy's mind, and we 
can receive flashbacks from his childhood the same way we received 
Snape's childhood memories in the Occlumency lessons. But the current-
day Voldy will probably remain a cardboard villain because JKR finds 
ultimate evil boring.

So your possession theory is true in the thematic level, but I doubt 
we'll see it in the plot level because it doesn't look like JKR is 
much interested in developing her Dark Lord(s). She still has many of 
her favorite subjects to develop and only 2 more books to go.

Neri, regretfully noting that www.eviloverlord.com is not in working 
order. Could evil overlords be out of mode these days?