I'd love to go through all of these and explain each and every one of them to you, but I'll do that when I have more time. Even better, go read the books.
EDIT: Alright, here you go.
To answer your questions, here is a mixture of theory and solid evidence. I will specifically state when something is either theory or evidence.
How did Tom get his wand back?
The "official" explanation is that Wormtail found it and gave it to Voldemort, but I agree, that one’s a bit sketchy. Like I said, I can’t explain all of them.
How did anyone know Tom's spell backfired and he was reduced to vapor if there was a fidelus charm on the house? No one else was there. It doesn't even make sense that they Hermione or anyone else was able to see it, as Peter did not tell them the secret.
The Fidelius charm was broken when the house was destroyed. My guess is that Wormtail was so distraught over betraying his best friend (he is quite pitiful after his betrayal) that he subconsciously severed the charm. Again, I can’t answer that for certain. However, I do have a pretty good theory as to how the rumours spread: Hagrid, a known drinker and not the best Secret Keeper, spread the tale in distress.
How did Hagrid get into the house and where was he for that whole day?
Well, if the Fidelius Charm was broken, Hagrid would have seen it flying on Sirius’ motorcycle. I guess it took him a while to fly there, and maybe to stop at a few taverns along the way
Why was Minerva waiting outside #4?
Go back to CHAPTER ONE OF BOOK ONE:
It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"
"Yes," said Professor McGonagall.
i.e. she wanted to meet Dumbledore and talk to him about the rumours surrounding Voldemort’s disappearance.
Why did Minerva buy Harry a Nimbus 2000?
I think it was a maternal instinct. She knew Harry was lonely at Hogwarts and wanted to help him have a better time there. She also saw him as a great Quidditch player.
What happened to the Mirror of Erised?
I guess Dumbledore destroyed after the events of Book 1.
Why did it take Albus so long for him to go to England and back?
Do you mean when he was searching for the Horcruxes? In that case, I think Dumbledore spent more time collecting evidence and interrogating than actual travel. Otherwise it would have taken him years.
How could Albus know Harry was around if he was wearing his cloak?
Harry was being careless, forgetting he could be heard even if he couldn’t be seen. Perhaps after seeing the Mirror of Erised Harry lost all control.
Why did Crookshanks help Sirius, and even go to the extent to save his life by standing over him?
Crookshanks is part Kneazle and is more intelligent than the average cat. He probably understood through some animal instinct thing that Sirius was innocent. The question you SHOULD be asking is why Scabbers/Wormtail didn’t try to persuade Crookshanks otherwise.
How did Albus know Harry was outside stealing Buckbeak?
Time paradox? Again, I’m not saying that there are NO continuity errors in the books, just not as much as people think there are.
How did Barty get an unauthorized portkey into Hogwarts without being noticed?
The same way Dumbledore did in OotP: Portkeys, for some reason or another, are not traced when the charm (Portus) is placed upon them. The Ministry is pretty stupid.
Why couldn't Minerva defend Barty from a single Dementor?
What power does Minerva have against the Minister for Magic? She’d be arrested for obstruction of "justice" (if you could call it that) and then would not be able to help Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix?
What was Dudley so afraid of?
Ickle Harry’s magic wand? No idea, we’ll wait for the Encyclopedia Magicka for that answer. Ms. Rowling’s promised a lot for this next one, including an elaborate backstory for Dean Thomas.
Why didn't Kreacher appear before Sirius when Sirius called him?
Kreacher had fled to Bellatrix’ house, and there’s no rule on how fast a house-elf needs to return to their master, just that they get there at all.
What exactly was the silver smoke instrument?
Don’t we all want to know that?
Why couldn't Tom just take the prophecy himself?
And risk exposing himself, when he had the element of surprise and denial on his side to infiltrate the Ministry? How stupid would THAT be?
Where were all the guards that night they all broke into the ministry? The Death Eaters were there waiting for a long while.
First of all, it was the early morning, and they assumed the forms of the first people to arrive to the Ministry building. Secondly, with Polyjuice Potion nobody would see what they were until it was too late.
Why did it take so long for the order to appear? It took them hours to get from Hogwarts to the ministry.
Dumbledore loves to up the drama, that one. Wait until just the right time, and…BOOM!
Why did Albus pull his own memories out of a jar?
I think it was meant to be a red herring to tease audiences into thinking that the Dumbledore we all knew and loved was an imposter. Certainly a good case for the Dumbledore-is-not-dead fanatics anyway.
Why did the Avada Kedavra that killed Albus make him fly upwards in the air for a while, then over the side, when every other one in the series has the victim fall down dead?
My guess is that the more important (or pure) a person’s life is, the harder or more spectacular it is to kill them. Ripping out such an important soul must be hard work.
Why did Tom guard one Horcrux so elaborately and barely had any protection at all on the others?
I’m surprised he had any protection at all, because he never expected anyone to find out about them. And anyway, if you guard something too heavily it becomes a bit suspicious, doesn’t it?
What the heck was Albus talking about that his hand was blackened because he wasn't as fast as he used to be?
He couldn’t just blab about finding one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. It was a secret mission, for God’s sake!
What happened to Florence Flortescue?
No idea. Wait for that illusive appendix.
There. Hoped that answered most of your questions, but you’re right, there ARE a lot of holes in the story. Just not as much as everyone thinks there are.
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Okay, I apologize. Sorry, but I'm not that good at picking up on subtle sarcastic humour.
Back on topic...confiscation sure takes a while, doesn't it? And what about Guano?
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I could waste my time clearing up plot holes and such, but why bother? Most of it will be slammed anyway as the ramblings of an idiotic Potter fan (though I don't blame them).
I will make a few things clear, however:
1) Wizards don't give a rat's shit about house-elves and therefore underestimate their magic. Only characters like Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore, who think higher of house-elves and know their abilities, would even THINK to use them in battle.
2) Wizards are always behind on the times when it comes to technology because, let's face it, there's less motivation to create machines when you can pretty much magic anything.
and a two-part rebuttal concerning wizards and guns:
3) The Shield Charm (Protego), as shown in DH, can deflect physical objects as well as spells and hexes. So anyone who bears down on a wizard with an AK-47 wouldn't be able to get a single bullet on them. Also, if they were Hagrid, they'd probably twist the gun into a knot and throw it away before they could act. Oh yeah, and wizards can Apparate all over the place, making them an impossible target.
4) Spells move VERY fast. The one time a wizard/witch has the ability to dodge them is when their opponent is screaming the incantation, which is why the ability to conjure spells non-verbally is such an advantage in battle.
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Alright, I just want to bring up the possibility of a commentary track again, if this run gets submitted within the next century. I think there should be two tracks - one comic, one informative. I have my vote for JXQ doing the former, while the OoT team (TSA, mwl, Guano, CF and the lot) does the informative. What do you think?
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I do like the idea of reenacting a classic baseball game. And that video you linked to WAS done through luck manipulation and also taking advantage of the stillness between at-bats to line everything up ;)
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Just a suggestion for a funny contest.
Like:
Critics are raving about nitsuja's Sonic 3 & Knuckles run!"This is the quintessential TAS." - Spacecow
"I'm speechless...A star can't rate this enough." - 1ntru
"The level of ownage achieved on top of what was already my favorite TAS on the whole site is simply staggering." - atro city
"This makes all other TASes look slow." - Baxter
"I know this run is that good when I miss a glitch right from the very beginning and have to replay it again." - FractalFusion
etc. except with Photoshop skills.
And maybe attack ads against other runs? This will all be in good taste, of course.
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Man, I haven't checked this thread in AGES. I saw dezbeast's up-to-3 WIP for Seasons...very nice stuff!
Is dezbeast still doing Seasons? And if so, how's progress?
Maybe the two runs can be submitted and (potentially) published together?
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Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't trying to imply that you were ripping on Americans, you are a good guy. I apologize if you thought I was making my statement towards you. I know many people do it only in a joking manner.
Unfortunately there are many people who truly believe that American citizens are somehow less intelligent than the bulk of the world, which is a very unpleasant stereotype. The videos do tend to give the impression that all Americans are morons. I mean really isn't the title of that video just a tad derogatory, "Canadians Laughing At Stupid Americans". Followed by users comments such as "all americans are idiots" or "america sucks". I am an American and I have never felt the need to put down another country.
*accepts apology*
To defend the youtube user, however, the show is actually called "Talking to Americans". And even that was parodied on the CBC (who is heavy on self-depracation) in a skit called "Talking to Afghans".
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I sincerely hope none of you take those anti-American videos seriously. These videos aren't even remotely funny. I see so many foolish assholes who rip on the United States for no good reason. It isn't like it would be difficult for someone to go to any country and find less educated people to interview, why is it always America?. I am not saying that anyone here bashes America, but people on youtube seem to do it frequently and I find it kind of insulting.
You're completely missing the point of the video. This video is not meant to show Americans' stupidity, but rather their uncanny ability to speak forever about a subject they know nothing about or don't know is fictitious. Nor is it meant as a harsh thrashing against Americans, but more like a gentle nudge saying, "Hey, Yankee. Wake up and smell the burning British Columbia forest fires."
As Canadians, we like to make fun of Americans in a, shall we say, more classy fashion. Stupid Americans are not toys for our petty amusement, rather they are a stark reminder that, while the vast majority of Americans are well-educated, there's always the occasional oddball to mess things up. They are the ones we like to tease, not the average intelligent American like HOTD here.
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Everyone seen this? It's an Australian reporter who's testing American citizens on their knowledge of the world. Incredibly funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTRmOBSLSU
Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans", a famous Canadian comic (my hero) goes to the US and gets Americans to sign petitions about Canadian "world issues" which don't exist, such as the legalization of insulin and the conversion to a 24-hour clock from a 20-hour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLXRVvA6T9k
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