Bank holiday nonsense with a small side helping of meta

[birdsofshore]

I didn't read much this week, so I don't think I have any recs for you. *Checks pockets* No, sorry. But as is traditional, I have some nonsense for anyone who is in a playing mood. I can't remember how I came across this, but I HAD to try it straight away, even though I didn't really have 18 mins to spare.

Harry Potter top 200 Quiz

You have 18 mins to type in as many of the top 200 Harry Potter characters as you can. What a challenge! I got 102 and was so pissed off with myself for not remembering more. To be completely honest, I only got so many because if you type, eg, "Weasley", you get a point for ALL the Weasleys. I'm not saying I would have forgotten any Weasleys, but some other families, I would have.

My memory is actually atrocious. For lots of characters, I knew exactly who I was trying to think of, but I could not get their names! For instance, I'd be thinking "oh ffs, the Daily Prophet poison pen journalist. She uses a Quick-Quotes Quill. Miranda Richardson plays her in the films, OMG WHAT IS HER NAAAAAAAME?"

Anyway, go and do this quiz, if you are going to, and then you can come back and read about all the people I forgot, and feel smug because you are a much much better fan than me ;-)

Well, terribly, I could not think of the name of even ONE Minister of Magic (unless you count Kingsley). I did try, but nope. My worst omission overall was Mad-Eye Moody. Sorry, Moody! I didn't even think of you for a millisecond.

I also missed Viktor Krum, Profs Trelawney, Sprout and Grubbly-Plank (with the Profs, I was desperately trying, but could not remember any of their names), Ludo Bagman (embarrassingly I had to look him up, as I didn't even remember who he was). Oliver Wood and Igor Karkaroff obviously occupy very little space in my head, as do Fenrir Greyback and Frank Bryce. I mean, Frank WHO? *looks at wiki* Oh yes, *blush*, HIM.

All of which makes me wonder if I have this terrible distorted Harry Potter head canon, shaped by fanon, and to some extent the films? Because, according to this quiz, Blaise Zabini is mentioned:

- only 47 times in canon,
- five times less frequently than Ludo Bagman, who I had to look up
- fewer than Frank "Who?" Bryce
- fewer than Alicia Spinnet, Mr Borgin, and Elphias Doge.

How can this be? Blaise features pretty hugely in fanfiction and thus in my head, especially as I'm an H/D shipper. You can't turn around in H/D without Blaise being there being witty, urbane and devastatingly handsome. Yet in canon he only gets 5 more mentions than Bertha Jorkins.

Ron's Aunt Muriel is mentioned more frequently than Blaise Zabini! O.o People didn't even know whether Blaise was a boy or a girl, until Half-Blood Prince came out, but I remembered HIM without any trouble when it was time to do the quiz, because of all his saucy fanon appearances. I don't know what this all means, but it has confusled me.


If you did the quiz, I would love to know who you remembered, and who you forgot.

Comments

[thusspakekate.livejournal.com]

I got 135, but damn, it was difficult. It took me a long time to realize that non-verbal creatures counted as well, so I got Mrs Norris and Crookshanks in under the buzzer, but I totally forgot about Hegwid and Buckbeak! I remembered most of the major characters and didn't miss anyone until Oliver Wood. Sorry man, you just slipped his mind.

One of the problems I had was not remembering how to spell some names. Like, I knew Karkaroff, but I was way off on the spelling. And its Ernie MACmillan, not McMillan. Well then. and Madam Maxime, not Maxine. Oh.

And I got frustrated with the minor minor student characters, because I was trying like..Stephen Cornfoot and Anthony Goldstien, and all these RANDOM people who are mentioned in passing, but have somehow stuck in my brain, even though there were a load of adult characters who were mentioned in passing MORE THAN ONCE who I completely forgot about. But I can't get mad at myself about not remembering Wilkie Twycross (the apparition instructor, apparently).

I actually thought about Frank Bryce, but I had no clue that he was even named. In my brain, he was just "the gardener" and nothing came up when I tried that, lol.

I do think what we remember is shaped by fanon, but I don't think its a bad thing. It depends a lot on what you like to read and write. If you like a lot of Hogwarts-era fic, why would you come across Ludo Bagman that often? Maybe if Harry got an internship at the Department of Magical Games and Sports...or went on to be a professional quidditch player, but otherwise? Meh. There are so many subplots and potential avenues for exploration provided by canon, its ok if you don't follow them all. I mean, Andromeda Tonks (nee Black) isn't even on the list!

I'm glad that if you put in the last name, you got credit for all of them. I could remember Marvolo and Merope, but I really didn't deserve credit for Morfin.

I do feel kind of bad about forgetting Stan Shunpike though.

[birdsofshore]

I remembered Stan, but I couldn't think of his naaaaaaame! My stupid brain is so stupid. Sounds like you did really well.

I agree about Andromeda - another character we see a lot of in H/D fic for various reasons, but not in canon.