Saturday 28 March 2015

Fantasy Favourites Readathon Day 6: Difficult, Deep Dilemmas!


Okay so the very fist Dilemma I had was when I started writing this post and actually spelt it 'Dilemna', the way I always have, and got auto-corrected. At first I thought it was a USA vs. UK thing, but having Googled it, I have discovered my whole life has been a lie and have changed it. This is totally irrelevant to the post but I needed to get that off my chest. Anyway moving on, I would just like to let you know that I didn't miss Day 5! There just happened to be no post needed for Day 5 so now I'm onto Day 6, and this looks like it will be so much fun! Based on the three key series that the Fantasy Favourites Readathon is focusing on (Harry Potter, The Lunar Chronicles, Lux), Olivia's Catastrophe and Bookshelf Reflections have come up with a set of deep, philosophical questions to get those taking part thinking!

I'll start with the questions relating to 'The Lunar Chronicles' as I've just finished 'Cress', then I think I'll do the 'Harry Potter' ones too for fun!

The Lunar Chronicles:

1) Should you compensate your own happiness for the good of the people?

Wow, well this is a tough one to start with! I guess because I'm not in a position of responsibility, nor am I a leader of 'the people'. I can't think of any kind of situation where I would have to give up my happiness. However, if such a thing occurred I would like to think that I would put the people first. I don't I could be a tyrant who put my own selfish needs first, though completely sacrificing my happiness would be very difficult.

2) Should you try to run away from your problems or face them?

Facing them is always the best decision, but requires a lot of courage if the problems are big. Running away only tends to make things worse though, and in turn probably causes very high stress levels. A person is much better off dealing with the consequences of a problem head on rather than letting it eat them alive by running from it.

3) If someone close to you falls ill, and there is only one cure, should you give it to them? Or should you wait until the cure is replicated, risking their life.

Oh wow, what a deep question. Of course the best thing to do is probably to replicate the cure and potentially risk their life to save millions more. But if the decision were down to me I feel like I might actually be selfish. I love my partner, family and friends so much and of course I would do whatever it takes to save them.

4) In a relationship, does status matter?

Of course not!

5) Is world peace worth compensating independence?

I can't believe for a second that the only way for us to achieve world peace is to become mindless zombies with no individuality to us. So no, it's not.

6) Does your race/family history affect who you are.

In a sense it does. It has no bearing on your personality as such, but it has a bearing on how you are perceived by everyone. Friends, family, loved ones. They all have expectations and thoughts on the way you are based upon years of heritage, ethnicity and history. Of course it isn't the only thing that makes a person but it's a foundation to build upon.

7) If you had a super power, should you use it?

Unless the superpower was dangerous or could potentially go wrong in some way then I would definitely use it! For good, of course.

8) Is love worth risking everything for?

Perhaps this is because I'm currently watching 'Once Upon A Time' and feeling a bit soppy, but yes. Absolutely.

9) Is lying to someone for their own safety acceptable?

I guess in some circumstances, but it is so annoying when I read books or watch films and people do that. I always think that it would be so much easier if they just communicated!

10) Should marriage depend solely on love or other factors?

I changed the question slightly so it made more sense. Love would obviously be the highest factor. But I think a lot of other things like family, culture, religion and ethical/moral opinions would contribute.

Harry Potter Series:

1) What house do you think you'd be in? What house would you be in if you could?

According to Pottermore I am in Hufflepuff. At first I was a little disappointed being branded as 'all the rest' but actually reading about the Hufflepuff common Room was so much fun. I know so little about the house! As well as that I don't think I'm very brave or cunning, and while I'm not stupid, I'm not the cleverest. I would love to be in Ravenclaw though!

2) You stand in front of the Mirror of Erised, which shows your greatest desire. What do you see?

I see myself and my lovely boyfriend Mat very happy with a loving family and friends surrounding us. Oh and I'm a successfully published writer too. With a lifetime's supply of tea and chocolate to keep me company? And a whole menagerie of pets? This is getting too far.

3) What's the first thing you would do in an invisibility cloak?

Definitely some kind of mischievous prank on someone!

4) “The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.” What would you do with the Philosopher’s Stone?

I'd probably use it to produce gold because I would hate to be more immortal!

5) You’ve made enough Polyjuice Potion to turn into another person for an entire day. Who would you be and why? (For funsies, the person may be dead, alive, fictional, or real.)

Oh now this is difficult. I would love to be William Shakespeare for a day because it would be cool to see what Elizabethan England was like. Or maybe a celebrity from this day and age? 

6) A Boggart turns into what they think is your biggest fear. What would your Boggart turn into? A Boggart turns into what they think is your biggest fear. What would your Boggart turn into?

Well I'm pretty scared of drowning and answering the phone but I don't think the Boggart would take those forms. The thing I am most scared of is spiders! The Boggart would probably do a Ron Weasley on me, but worse!

7) What would your Animagus be?

I would love to turn into a Fox! It would be a great animal, cunning and graceful and gorgeous but able to look after itself!

8) You just got access to a Pensieve and have all your memories and thoughts to access. What memory would you like to revisit?

I would love to revisit some of my earlier memories, maybe with my Gran before she became ill with Alzheimers. Other than that, I would love to see some of the memories where I went to my Nan and Grandad's house with my sister for a couple of weeks every Summer because they were a fantastic part of my childhood, or the early years of my relationship with Mat so that I can reminisce happily.

9) The Harry Potter universe deals with a lot of prejudice – prejudice against werewolves, inferiority of house elves, arresting and murdering Muggleborns. Hermione started S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) when she was 14 years old. What would your action plan against prejudice be (or are you fine with the way things are)?

I am not fine with the way things are, but I think the best thing to do is to be the most accepting you can be as a person. Treat it like it's normal to be that way (after all, it should be). 

10) Here’s an age-old question for you: good or evil? E.g. Would you join Voldemort because you revel in his power, or because you’re afraid of it? Would you stand down and fight Death Eaters, or hide and wait until it’s over? Please note that both sides have cookies, so that’s no valid reason to join the Dark Side.

Good, definitely good! I'm quite a cowardly person but I think with such a threat and my entire future at stake I would join the battle and fight against the Death Eaters. Especially if I had magic on my side!

No comments:

Post a Comment