[ SECRET POST #4356 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4356 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[Babylon 5 (episode Comes the Inquisitor)]


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14. [SPOILERS for The Letter]



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15 [WARNING for discussion of suicide]

[2004 adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South]













Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #623.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

05. https://i.imgur.com/BRsvBel.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think Hermione was really bullied for being smart. She was called out on a few times, but... Hermione could kind of be pushy and know-it-ally, quite frankly. I love the girl, but I think the interpretation of her being a sweet brainy girl is 50% Emma's Hermione, 40% fandom projecting themselves onto her, 10% canon. (She does have sweet moments, for sure, but...)

[(Anonymous)]

I strongly disagree with this. I agree that she wasn't sweet. But she was bullied. Not that every reference to her being smart was bullying, a little give-and-take with Ron isn't something to make a federal case out of, but she was bullied and her pushiness doesn't really justify that.

[(Anonymous)]

I never dislike Hermione, but on my first read around she came across as the smart girl who was SUPER defensive about it because that was like... her defining thing. If she wasn't the Smart One, who was she (is the vibe I got from her).

Now, that could just be the writing, and it never excuses the way Snape treated her, but I don't remember anyone else being cruel to her because she was smart? I mean, Umbridge was a bitch to everyone, so I don't think that counts.

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed. She was bullied by Slytherins for being muggle born and they would mock her for being a pushy know it all. But they didn't bully her because she smart and I can't think of any instances where anyone else did, either. Even her friends had issues with her need to show off how much she knew yet still valued her intelligence.

[(Anonymous)]

Shunning is bullying. The Sorceror's Stone has less than 80,000 words. That's lean for a fantasy book. Rowling didn't expressly show it. She had to tell it with Ron going "She must've noticed she has no friends." (pg 172 of my hardcover edition) For over half the book (302 pages) Hermione is ALONE, unlike Harry she doesn't even have a Ron.

These kids don't come to Hogwarts out of a vacuum. Smart kids have strange defense mechanisms. Often, we go hardcore smart/nerd. Being called a know it all or a swot or being derided in class to want to answer the questions, that's bullying. But we stay smart because it's the ONLY way to get attention.

And btw, it never got better. Fourth year Draco anyone? "Who would ask YOU to the ball?" That shit hurts. Outside of Ron and Harry, Hermione was never shown with any close friends other than MAYBE Ginny and a few times Luna. Ginny, a tomboy and Luna, who is strange. These aren't the type of friends you share close confidences with either.

So, I must disagree... she was bullied. Part of it is word count. Part of it is bad story construction on JK's part.

[(Anonymous)]

Not wanting to be friends with someone is not the same as bullying them. Hermione wasn't shunned. People acknowledged her existence. They just didn't want to hang out with the stuck up little know-it-all on their downtime. No one is obligated to be anyone else's friend, and people who conflate "this person doesn't want to hang out with me" with "this person is abusing me" are either deliberately being manipulative or suffering from a Cluster B personality disorder.

[(Anonymous)]

Hermione's pretty obnoxious herself, she doesn't get a free pass because her grades are high. Everytime she's shown interacting with a girl in her dorm, she's holding forth on why they're silly or superficial in some way, she criticises the Slytherins as much as they do her, she speaks sympathetically about Cho but doesn't interact with her, and she bickers with Luna; I can't imagine many outside of desperate Hufflepuffs would want to be bffs with her.

[chamonix]

I think "the normal one" usually referred to the fact that he didn't particularly excel at anything. Harry was the Boy Who Lived and Hermione was top of the school, but Ron was just an average teenager; ok at most things, bad at some and better at others, a firm friend with a good sense of humour but with the usual teenage social pitfalls. I was in HP fandom when the books were coming out and most people seemed to over-identify/project/wish fulfill on either Harry or Hermione, but Ron was more like the regular friend in the background of your daydreams rather than the character you actually pretend you are.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, this. Ron isn't special in any way, he comes from a pretty ordinary, loving family, and he doesn't have any sort of tragic past or deep secrets. He's just an average teenage boy and thus he's relatable because everyone either is Ron or knows someone just like him.

[(Anonymous)]

Ron is clearly meant to embody the everyman archetype. I think that's all people mean when they use the word "normal." It doesn't mean you have to relate to him or that you're abnormal if you don't. Just that a lot of people probably would relate to him as a character who has some good traits and some bad traits but overall isn't very remarkable.

He isn't a victim, so if that's your standard for relatability (as it appears to be in the wording of this secret), then no, Ron Weasley probably won't work for you.

[(Anonymous)]

Am I the only one that found it ridiculous that Harry and Hermione were so much better at magic than someone who grew up in a magical family? Did his wand really screw him over that much?

[(Anonymous)]

Yes. According to wand lore, the wand Ron got from Charlie was Ash with Unicorn hair. Both Ash and Unicorn hair are extremely loyal magical wand materials and they CHOSE Charlie, not Ron. (Remember, the wand chooses the wizard.)

Ron's first wand was all wrong for him. Like Neville's who was trying to use Frank's wand. (Though probably for different reasons for than why Ron was using Charlie's.) The wands blocked their power and made it hard to use. (Like when Harry was using a Snatcher's wand before he claimed Draco's by 'winning' it.)

Otherwise, when Ron got a new wand, nothing was ever really delved in character wise about what magic he was GOOD at. (mistake really) He sort of tagged along with Harry. His new wand, according to the Celtic tree calendar is good for protection, healing and "women's mysteries." But JK never went into it in her canon.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't relate much to Ron because he grew up in a large family and had older siblings. On the other hand, I didn't relate much to Harry or Hermione, either. I certainly can't relate to growing up being treated like the Dursleys treated Harry.

I didn't relate but I enjoyed the characters.

[(Anonymous)]

I see someone has a victim complex.