cheyinka: A blob of green wax with a Metroid stamped into it. (wax seal)
Cheyan ([personal profile] cheyinka) wrote in [community profile] alt_fen2014-04-28 09:29 am
Entry tags:

typography terror

So did anybody else just copy Ron's subject line into a text editor and change the case to all-uppercase to see whether he wrote a lowercase l, an uppercase I or the numeral 1?
...and is anybody else deeply concerned for Ron right now?

I mean, best case scenario he 'attempts' and 'fails' to kill her, but then she (and Finnegan, if not also Blaise) really attempt to kill him. *gnaws nails*

(I mean, potentially he could 'attempt to kill her' and really have her kidnapped by the Order, but I don't think succeeding here is good for him, and I don't think she'd be readily convinced of her kidnappers' benevolence.)

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-28 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Classic no win situation.

Are Draco and Hydra being left out because of their parentage, or are they going to be expected to perform the coup de gras when the field has been reduced and completely take out the losers?

I'm hoping it's just their and the others sponsors being too scared or cautious to put them in the middle of such a vicious mess, and not an integral part of the plan.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-28 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Thomas and Finnegan have councilwizard guardians. I'm not sure about the minor candidates like Vaisey etc.
I don't think any of them have the same sort of powerful allies though. Hydra has Bellatrix, and even if Lucius was still out of favour , they both have Harry.

With Harry playing a judging role, they may be avoiding going too far against Draco or Hydra, in case it counts against them.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Cool, thanks for doing the research.

Out of those with councilwizard parents, from what we know of Greg and Vince, they aren't real threats. Maybe they have been included to avoid alienating their parents or because even the council needs enforcers. I feel sort of the same way about Montague. That no one felt like they could include outsiders until they defused any risk of offence to the older council members.

Nott, however, is a different case. He is clever, a good chess player, psychopathic and uncontrollable short of using the cardinal curses.
All but the last would be seen as positive traits for a council member by many.

Your list reminds me we have seen very little of this task from the lesser known candidates or Nott. Are they being left like Draco and Hydra? Or is hell about to break loose?
ladyrelaynie: (Default)

[personal profile] ladyrelaynie 2014-04-29 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
Well, we're getting close to the end of the school year, so I think it's probably safe to vote for all hell breaking loose.

I don't know whether to be relieved for Draco and Hydra or really apprehensive. If Draco was a choice for Padma, Hydra could be a choice for someone else. Though maybe the pretend relationship with Harry will protect her, there?

Nott continues to be a wild card and if he's told to kill someone, he won't hesitate. I also don't expect that he's given up on his obsession with Hermione. Since Harry hasn't been a deterrent yet for Nott, I doubt he will become one.

Things are getting real, y'all. I also don't expect everyone to survive this contest, and that is a scary proposition, to say the least.
Edited (Fixing spelling and grammar mistakes. Why yes, I did used to be an English major.) 2014-04-29 03:47 (UTC)

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
Crap, more challenges coming in.

Seamus's should be ok, but Padma's idea has so much that can go wrong.

I could just see her telling Thomas to take out Ron, either before or after she finds out the threat against her. Can you tell I don't trust her?

Oh, and second thoughts, these are wizards. Abseiling is probably not ideal, and Seamus is distracted too. I predict a disaster.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
And now Seamus is going along to hide when Padma meets with Harry.

I see no way this can end well.
ladyrelaynie: (Default)

[personal profile] ladyrelaynie 2014-04-29 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I agree. It'll be REALLY EASY for them (Seamus and Padma) to get the wrong idea, especially if Ron arrives before them.

Yeah, and abseiling: better hope someone other than Dumbledore knows, "Arresto Momentum!"

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Methinks it will be closer to the Hungarian Horntail turds meeting a Deprimo charm.

Either way I want Wellies, Oilskin, a Sou'wester and a golf umbrella.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I've always been rather partial to the idea of a nuclear bunker, myself.
ladyrelaynie: (Default)

[personal profile] ladyrelaynie 2014-04-29 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Nothing important to add, just LOLing at you two. Bank vault? Nuclear bunkers? Thestral turds and Deprimo charms?

:cracks up:
Edited 2014-04-29 17:56 (UTC)

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Glad to be of service. I usually say I don't have a sense of humour, because people rarely get me. So it's nice to be on a similar wavelength to people for once.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
The Protectorate as a whole seem to undervalue women, but this really bugs me.
In fact, strangely enough, out of all the tasks given this one offends me the most.
Kill or disable someone? I don't like it but can live with it.
Manipulate a very young woman into a sexual power exchange? Makes me incandescent with fury.
Both her sponsor and Cal Pummel are at the top of my Naughty List and will be getting coal for Christmas.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it's the assumption that as a woman she needs the protection of a man that really pisses me off.
Why even have female candidates if you don't believe they are true equals? And in a magical society, the pathetic arguments about physical strength hold even less weight.
I don't remember off hand who was sponsoring Katie but I'd love him to show a little of this attitude to Bellatrix. She may not think most women are capable of being her equal, but I'd love to see what she'd do to someone who implied she was the little woman in Rodolphus's life.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
And Harry is clearly hurting, but I just love his emotional honesty.
alt_player: (black quill)

[personal profile] alt_player 2014-04-29 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
We switched to Central time awhile ago.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-28 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I think Patil will be sent after Thomas. After all she chose to focus on him.
lucky_guess: (Default)

[personal profile] lucky_guess 2014-04-28 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
But that means Draco was an option -- she just decided against it.
gwendolyngrace: (F5)

[personal profile] gwendolyngrace 2014-04-28 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, it looks like Draco was an option - she had a choice of three to target:

Draco, Seamus, or Dean.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure she'll be asked to do that. So far all the challenges have been very different.

I've been considering the implications of both trust and betrayal in the current challenges.
Pansy is asked to put a trusted friend at risk. Whether the friends consent was needed is unclear.
Seamus is being asked to trust another candidate with his wand, and probably his life.
Are these tests of their boundaries maybe? For when Ron met one challenge, he was almost straightaway given another that went further.
Would meeting this one just get another nastier option?
The very different challenges make me twitchy. Has each sponsor just been told to push the candidate on the potential weaknesses their commitments to others might bring?
Or is it a single hand, Voldie perhaps playing a twisted game?
If so, I can see Padma being told to betray Seamus if he hands her his wand. Or maybe told to meet a threat with deadly force.

Maybe the real test is when you refuse to meet the challenge. And there may come a point where the right ( for a deatheater) choice is to decline. Admittedly the only scenario I can come up for that with is someone asked to mess with Harry.

I believe I am wrong with the last idea above, but I'm getting to feel that the only way to win is to refuse to play the Game. And I'm not quite convinced that my moral qualms are the only reason for me being this way.

[personal profile] ellemir 2014-04-29 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, on the idea of boundaries something just occurred to me.

To control someone you need to know their boundaries and loyalties.
We know Voldemort uses this. Threats to Draco keep Harry in line. Families suffer if someone betrays him, think Selwyns fate. McGonnagal with no family ties and known allies needed the bracelet to control her. Lucius fears for his family if he loses the LPs favour.
Maybe this test is to make sure the candidates have sufficient close ties, that they can be controlled. Because while the LP may not want them to be more loyal to others than him, he needs them to be manageable.

If so, I predict Teddy will take things too far with possibly dire consequence, and Voldie will have him put down as too much of a risk. Of course Teddy doesn't seem to have a challenge yet.

This is not going to be pretty.