Why I Think Voldemort is Actually a Decent Guy

So I was scrolling through Paul’s blog, The Galaxial Word (y’all know Paul, right? He’s awesome), at 7am while I was eating cereal and waiting until the last possible moment before I had to inevitably leave to go to school. And his post, entitled “A Post In Which I Explain Why Narwhals Are Better Than Unicorns And Kill Three People” – yes, it’s as entertaining as it sounds – got me laughing so hard I was choking on my sugary milk. So I thought, I should do that! Not the killing three people part, the part where he answered questions after being nominated for a tag. However, I’m not really calling this a tag because I’m just answering his questions and not making my own to supply – BUT you can answer these questions on your blog if you want to, as well! I TAG ALL OF YOU! MWAHAHA!

So I bring to you…

… among other things. 

Enjoy!

1. Spicy food. Yay or nay?

Nay! Spicy food is just so annoying. Like, it makes your eyes water and sets your tastebuds on fire. I mean, who in their right minds actually likes spicy food?

*shields self from potential chilli-throwers*

2. What do YA books need more of? (Insert rant)

Ahahaha I’m so glad you asked! You’re going to regret this…

We definitely need more BROODING AND MYSTERIOUS GUYS WHO ARE INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE BUT ARE HAUNTED BY ONE SPECIFIC ASPECT OF THEIR PAST. I mean, these guys are totally underrepresented in YA fiction. And they’re so relatable! Honestly, I don’t know why more authors don’t make their love interest in their novels like this. It’d be an instant best-seller, right?

OMG, I’m kidding 😂 But actually I think we need to include characters of all sexualities. It’s great that we’re starting to see more main characters who are of the LGBTQ+ community, but I also feel like their sexuality shouldn’t be their defining characteristic. No one should be defined by their sexuality and it just frustrates me when authors try to build up a whole narrative about a person’s sexuality. I get that we need novels that explore ‘coming to terms with your sexuality’ and all that – and I’m not against that – I just feel like it’d be cool if characters associated themselves as something other than heterosexual and didn’t make a big fuss about it. PRIME EXAMPLE: All of The Above by James Dawson. Finally a book that doesn’t make a big deal of a character’s sexuality! I do have some issues with that book in other departments, but you can read my book review for more details 😇

3. You are in the Hunger Games with the three characters you hate the most. What do you do?

Well, you’d probably expect me to say that I’d kill them with fire or something… But in all honestly, loving and hating someone is so subjective. I mean, my definition of beauty differs from your definition of beauty, and so on. So why should I kill three characters that I hate just because I hate them? I’m sure someone out there loves them. And in the end, doesn’t everyone deserve to be loved?

I’m joking.

KILL THEM WITH FIRE!

4. Super hot or super cold?

Not too sure what this question was referring to… but SUPER HOT, cos I’m too hot to handl- Okay, no. Sorry.

5. On a scale of one to ten, how much do you hate people who say: “Bob and me” rather than “Bob and I”?

Oh my god. My worst nightmare. What would be more appropriate to rank my hatred by is the length between my fist and your face. Oh look, it’s closing in. Ten centimetres. Five centimetres. Three. Two…

BANG!!

6. How many times in your life have you worn a horse mask?

NEVER. I WON’T EVER SUBMIT MYSELF TO THE EVIL WAYS OF THE HORSES.

7. Name one book that is a strong independent book who ain’t need no man.

Aha LOVE this one! I definitely feel like this one has to go to How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss. I’m in love with that book at the moment! On the surface, it’s about a teenager named Hattie who had to make one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever faced while also dealing with the fact that her two best friends have abandoned her when she needed them most and she’s just found out that she has a great aunt that no one previously knew even existed. But underneath all that it a timeless tale about finding the strength to live your life the way you choose to, and learning not to be held back by your past or people who will continue to drag you down. So not only is this a standalone and in that sense, it’s a strong independent book who ain’t need no man, but the ideas behind this poignant novel also revolve around the same idea.

8. Open up 50 Shades of Grey to a random page and post the first thing you see. If you don’t have it, open up the book you’re currently reading (50SOG is funnier though)

You’d better appreciate me downloading 50 Shades of Grey for your entertainment. Okay, here goes…

“   [part of an email]

Subject: SHOUTY CAPITALS

Date: May 27 2011 08:47   ”

Hmm, so it appears that Anastasia and I aren’t all that different in our use of CAPITAL LETTERS to further convey our desired meaning. And yes, I did have to read more of 50 Shades to get some perspective to that little part of the… attempt at a novel. Fan fiction would be a better description of this collection of words stringed together into sentences, all of which come together to create something that benefits no one in society.

9. On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to feed non-Harry Potter fans to hungry pigs? (Hungry pigs will completely digest a human body in about an hour – hair and all and don’t ask me how I know this)

11 / 10. Enough said.

Wait, no. Not enough said. I would like to question why you’ve never picked up this piece of literature? And if you say this isn’t a piece of literature, I beg to differ. These books have impacted us in such a drastic way and they have been ingrained in our culture that we will pass them on to the next generations; to our children and our children’s children. Harry Potter will never be forgotten. And if you have read Harry Potter and you didn’t like it?! I have nothing to say to you. You are out of my mind. I can’t even.

10. Explain why Harry Potter didn’t just drink good luck potion and go kill Voldemort.

Perfectly simple. Voldemort is the perfect villain, and he understood that, as should we. Voldemort is, debatably, the best villain of our generation. He was so completely evil that you had to admire how determined he was to kill Harry. His unflinching amorality is something to be respected, though probably not replicated. Harry understood that Voldemort was the Yin to his Yang. The dark to his light. Without Voldemort, Harry wouldn’t have been the wizard we know and love. He wouldn’t have had the same growth and developed the same strength as he has because of Voldemort’s acts and while he initially views Voldemort as simply someone who must be defeated, he eventually sees that without him, his life wouldn’t have been the same. Sure, he might have still had his parents if Voldemort had never existed, but perhaps then he wouldn’t have become friends with Ron and Hermione, and that would be a much more terrible thing that having a villain that shows up out of nowhere, creating havoc. Maybe Voldemort isn’t the one-dimensional villain he is always portrayed as. Think about it.

Well, that’s all the questions! Thanks again to Paul @ The Galaxial Word for thinking of such entertaining things to answer! If you want to answer these questions on your blog, please feel free to do so. I’d love to hear your thoughts – particularly your opinion of Voldemort. What do you think of him? Can you see the soft, kind-hearted side of him, or do you see him as nothing but the Machiavellian archetype? Wherever you land on that spectrum, I’d love to know!