Rules: There may be spoilers for all seven books and 8 movies Each match will last for exactly 24 hours. Any votes after that point will not count. Discussion is encouraged but not required. Make sure all of your votes are obvious. I should know who you are voting for, basically don't bury your vote in the middle of a paragraph. No alt-voting. Ties will be replayed the next day with the rest of the matches. No vote-saves or rallying for specific characters. Telling people to vote is encouraged but don't tell them how to vote! Don't complain about the seeds, they were the result of a save-my. Because matches can overlap, results will be in this topic. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/61327435
I hate to vote against Lee Jordan for anything but Sirius is my absolute favorite Harry Potter ever. Sorry bro.
(5)Dobby (4)Fawkes
It's a bird. A character with actual development, dialogue, and personality against a bird. A mythical bird with magical tears and seemingly impossible strength, but a bird nonetheless.
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I've come to the realization that I need a sig.
(1)Sirius Black Lee is awesome -- Potterwatch and his commentary in Quidditch are some of the best moments of the books. He's great comic relief. But... we really don't know much about him. He's an awesome guy, but he's up against Sirius. Each time I read through the books I like Sirius more. Of all of Harry's father figures throughout the books, I think Sirius is the one that cares the most. I mean let's face it -- he ate dead rats for a long time so he could meet up with Harry. His death is one of the saddest of the series. I love how he's mentioned in the very first book. How things would've been different if he hadn't tried to kill Peter Pettigrew... He's also one of the few characters to show real pride in Harry. And I mean fatherly pride. I can't help but tear up when I see Sirius in the scene with the resurrection stone. He's definitely one of my favorite HP characters.
(5)Dobby Dobby is our first introduction to House Elves. He's pretty funny from time to time -- especially when it's revealed he took all the hats Hermione made for S.P.E.W. I like how Harry made Dobby promise to never try and save him again -- and that's just what Dobby does in the last book. Only this time, he does it right. Fawkes is the symbol of the Order of the Phoenix. He has a bit of personality, his son after Dumbledores death is a nice touch, though it's not extremely memorable. As cool as I think Phoenixes are, I have to give this one to Dobby.
Well...let me be perfectly blunt. Sirius is the objectively correct person to vote for here, at least in terms of screen time and plot-relevance, and...I don't really want to vote for him, so I'm going to make an attempt at justifying a Lee Jordan vote, and if that fails, reluctantly go back to voting for Sirius.
The thing is, every time I've read the books I've liked Sirius less. I'm starting to pretty much be on Hermione's side in book 5, where she says "I don't think this is a good idea anymore, because Sirius likes the idea". He acts like a child, not an adult very consistently. He's not even all that competent. He hunts down Pettigrew and then doesn't even kill him--it's not like he was fooled by the animagus trick. For some reason he doesn't know what a dark mark is even though he spent like a decade in Azkaban listening to the mutterings of death eaters. He gets outwitted by his own house elf.
And yet, I'll admit I was reasonably endeared by him the first time I read the books; what's going on here? He actively sucks up to Harry, trying to earn his approval, trying to impress him, trying to take Harry's side so that Harry will like him more, trying to earn Harry's endearment with gifts. And Harry, who's never really encountered behaviour like this from an adult, is blown away; since we see the world through Harry-coloured glasses, Sirius initially seems quite cool.
What bugs me here is that there's a lack of character development that could have happened. Either Sirius could grow up. Or (more plausibly) Harry could come to a point where he's like "actually, someone twice my age having their lives revolve around me and showering me with gifts and praise is kinda creepy; get a life of your own, dude." (Especially since Harry wouldn't take that kind of behavior from, say, Colin Creevy).
Instead, none of that happens. Sirius dies when Harry is still taken in by the whole "I'm playing the cool, hip parent who lets you have what you want" act. And Harry isn't even of two minds about the event--won't hear a word against Sirius. Sirius is still beyond reproach to him. It's a scene I find increasingly...awkward. Not out-of-character for Harry (being the man of irrational loyalties. See also: Ron and Hagrid). Just...awkward.
Lee, on the other hand, is unambiguously entertaining every time he steps up to a microphone. He's not a serious plot-important character, but I don't think it's possible to dislike Lee.
So...I don't find Sirius to be hugely likeable or funny, so Lee has an edge there. Sirius could pull ahead with character development except...I'm really struggling to think of what depth of character, what character growth he really brings to the table. So you know what? Yeah, I think I can justify a Lee vote here.
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Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision
Oh geez, it's like the same story all over again. I don't really want to vote for Dobby, but he is objectively the correct vote.
One thing in fawkes' favour: if you want to make a scene classier, you mix in fawkes singing. Book 4 Voldemort vs Harry duel. The wand cores collided, and sharing fawkes' phoenix tails we start hearing phoenix song. Book 6 after Dumbledore's death, Fawkes sings for like...two straight hours, causing Madam Pomfrey to break into tears when she hears it.
Dobby...the thing is, for all that later in the series I wish Dobby would stop existing, Dobby is great in book 2. Like...Dobby smashing his head against a wall is a lot funnier when you're simultaneously trying to stay quiet for your muggle family downstairs. And there's the whole Dobby reverence at the old smelly sock of Harry's. "Master has given Dobby...a sock".
But then we get Dobby's return, where all the oddities of his race really have no point because they don't fit perfectly into the story like they did in book 2. It's just routine "oh, stop him from stabbing himself again."
Book 6 Dobby is kind-of cool, though, just for the contrast with Kreacher, not to mention the Dobby/Kreacher fistfight.
Hmm...yeah, for all that there's several Dobby scenes I wish were cut, there are enough high-quality scenes I do enjoy that there's no way I can justify a no-lines character over him. Even if that character makes any scene at least 20% cooler.
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Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision
There is a writer by the name of nonjon, and on the strength of this fanfic writer alone does Sirius Black absolutely god stomp Lee Jordan. He is a humor writer and the adventures he and Harry have through a few fanfics are hilarious and simply fantastic. Beyond that he is usually treated very well in fanfiction since his time was cut short and a lot of people have problems making him out to be a bad guy out of respect. Sirius is dynamic, amazing, and can offer so many great roles in Harry's life that he easily takes this.
(5)Dobby (4)Fawkes
Fawkes is cool, but Dobby's fanfiction resume is simply too strong. Dobby is awesome and just destroys most people out there. His fierce loyalty to Harry makes him a staple of many longer stories and he has had a lot of great moments. He can be clever, snarky, or hopelessly and adorably loyal to an absolute fault. Sneaky Dobby from some of the nonjon stories is probably my favorite Dobby.
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http://img.imgcake.com/Chris2pngas.png SuperNiceDog is a fine Guru Champion!
Both are kind of overrated, but Sirius is still the way more important and memorable character. Lee's main claim to fame is the quidditch commentary, and Luna puts him to shame in that department. Of course that's not really fair since Luna would put anyone to shame.
(5)Dobby (4)Fawkes
Meh. It's a battle of two minor characters who occasionally show up to save Harry's ass. Dobby is kind of annoying, but I guess he balances that out by saving Harry more times than Fawkes (as far as I can remember). On the other hand, Fawkes is cool and is assocated with Dumbledore. I went back and forth a couple times on this one.
-- I made a living on time trial blowing myself off to cross the finish line at ludicrous speed. -transience
Sirius Black: While he does seem to live in a state of arrested development, I still like him. He was also a bit of a bully in school, but I don't think he was quite as big of a jerk as James. This may sound strange, but I really love his brother Regulus and give Sirius points based upon the strained yet loving relationship the two had. Being portrayed by Gary Oldman is also a great boon to Sirius in this contest even if the skilled Jason Isaacs couldn't save Lucius Malfoy's weak characterization.
Fawkes. If it was purely Dobby in book 2 I might have given it too him. Dobby is like the Malfoys. Jo is great at world-building and keeping characters interesting when they're directly in the primary narrative of the story or newly introduced, but often the characters that are introduced and brushed to the side lose so much along the way.
metroid composite posted... (1)Sirius Black (8)Lee Jordan
Well...let me be perfectly blunt. Sirius is the objectively correct person to vote for here, at least in terms of screen time and plot-relevance, and...I don't really want to vote for him, so I'm going to make an attempt at justifying a Lee Jordan vote, and if that fails, reluctantly go back to voting for Sirius.
Definitely...
The thing is, every time I've read the books I've liked Sirius less.
I feel the opposite way, but alright. :P
I'm starting to pretty much be on Hermione's side in book 5, where she says "I don't think this is a good idea anymore, because Sirius likes the idea". He acts like a child, not an adult very consistently. He's not even all that competent. He hunts down Pettigrew and then doesn't even kill him--it's not like he was fooled by the animagus trick.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say he was caught off-guard. When you're confronting someone you highly suspect is guilty of a crime or you know damn well he is guilty of said crime and want an admission of truth out of him, the last thing you expect is for him to point the accusing finger at you and then cause an explosion to get away! Especially someone as spineless as Peter Pettigrew, who, were I Sirius, I would've expected him to break down into tears and apologize or make up excuses (and he did just that when later confronted and the option of escape was unavailable to him).
For some reason he doesn't know what a dark mark is even though he spent like a decade in Azkaban listening to the mutterings of death eaters. He gets outwitted by his own house elf.
Well I'll start with the obvious flaw here: Sirius was never a Death Eater. Most of Voldemort's closest followers would know this, especially with his cousin Bellatrix, among other high-end true Voldemort followers, locked up in the same prison. It's not impossible to assume that she and others got the word out not to trust Sirius with any information. So whatever information Sirius could make out over the screams and moans of other inmates was probably guarded or false. Unless Sirius actually states that he's gotten reliable information from fellow inmates (and I'll admit I may have brushed over that sentence in the book[s]), it seems pretty hard to assume.
As for falling victim to the cunning of his own House Elf, well he hated him. To Sirius, Kreacher was not just a foul-tempered, ugly bat-eared creature of darkness, but also a reminder of the loneliness and hatred he was forced to deal with growing up in the House of Black for 15 years. Sirius parallels Harry in that regard. Actually he parallels Harry in several regards, and coincidentally they are both my two favorite characters. Anyway you could relate Kreacher to Aunt Marge or Dudley, but where Harry had the maturity to forgo the past and reconcile with the latter, Sirius unfortunately did not. I can't remember what Kreacher did to make Sirius tell him to "Get out" but I imagine it was something despicable, and in the heat of the moment I can't blame Sirius for his bad judgment call.
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And yet, I'll admit I was reasonably endeared by him the first time I read the books; what's going on here? He actively sucks up to Harry, trying to earn his approval, trying to impress him, trying to take Harry's side so that Harry will like him more, trying to earn Harry's endearment with gifts. And Harry, who's never really encountered behaviour like this from an adult, is blown away; since we see the world through Harry-coloured glasses, Sirius initially seems quite cool.
Well, this makes sense, but I have to disagree with most if not all of your first statements. Where you see him "sucking up", I see him doting on Harry as if he were his own son. (He's not the only one guilty of this: Hagrid and Molly practice this often in excess and can't tote about the title of "godfather" either.) Where you see him "trying to impress/earn endearment of" Harry with gifts and such, I see him making up for all his own years of absence, and for all the years Harry was bereft of any fatherly love- hell any sort of familial love at all- with gusto! Harry's time with the Dursleys is so similar with Sirius's time with his own family that he wants to be the father he never had, and he offers to let Harry stay with him once the heat is off his own back.
Also let's not forget that Sirius was left with a small fortune and has nothing better to do with it than spend it supporting the Order or spend it on his godson. *shrug*
What bugs me here is that there's a lack of character development that could have happened. Either Sirius could grow up. Or (more plausibly) Harry could come to a point where he's like "actually, someone twice my age having their lives revolve around me and showering me with gifts and praise is kinda creepy; get a life of your own, dude." (Especially since Harry wouldn't take that kind of behavior from, say, Colin Creevy).
Colin Creepy wasn't named the boy's godfather though. But I see what you mean about Sirius needing to grow up. It would've been great development, however I feel it would've taken away from his character. A significant part of Sirius's appeal is that he never grew up. Despite all the hardships he's faced, he still retains that somewhat naïve carefree nature, fun personality, and devilish charm. Whereas most men would've been broken by Azkaban, Sirius refused to let it break him, refused to let his time therein change him at all. It's definitely a flaw in his character, there's no denying that. But unlike say Ronald's or Pettigrew's flaws which make them pathetic, his own flaws makes him downright loveable (though obviously not everyone is going to feel that way).
And also many of the same criticisms could be said of Hagrid and/or Molly to a lesser extent. Sure, neither of them survived on rats for months at a time, but each does spend a significant chunk of time worrying about Harry (mostly Molly) or showering him with gifts every birthday and Christmas (mostly Hagrid, but I wouldn't put it past Molly to do so too if she could afford it).
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Instead, none of that happens. Sirius dies when Harry is still taken in by the whole "I'm playing the cool, hip parent who lets you have what you want" act. And Harry isn't even of two minds about the event--won't hear a word against Sirius. Sirius is still beyond reproach to him. It's a scene I find increasingly...awkward. Not out-of-character for Harry (being the man of irrational loyalties. See also: Ron and Hagrid). Just...awkward.
Nothing much to say here really. For Harry that must've been like losing a father all over again despite not even remembering the first instant.
Lee, on the other hand, is unambiguously entertaining every time he steps up to a microphone. He's not a serious plot-important character, but I don't think it's possible to dislike Lee.
So...I don't find Sirius to be hugely likeable or funny, so Lee has an edge there. Sirius could pull ahead with character development except...I'm really struggling to think of what depth of character, what character growth he really brings to the table. So you know what? Yeah, I think I can justify a Lee vote here.
It's like my argument against Lucius Malfoy the previous round: Lucius was a good character who slowly deteriorated over several books, whereas Lockhart remained decent in a far shorter amount of time. I totally get your arguments and you made a wonderful case against Sirius. I just disagree.
And... last point but certainly not least:
Gary F***ing Oldman
The end.
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Arcanine: The best pokemon ever. Dewott: The cutest pokemon ever.