Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Not sure if this is a legitimate comment or an opportunity for clarifying the alt_fen rules:

In the first version of Hermione's post this morning, she mentioned in detail the elaborate breakfast the House Elves made for her. But the current version has been edited to be more discreet about signs of kindness that might get the Elves -- or someone else -- into trouble.

Is this a case of the "15 minute rule," so that the edit should not be noticed or remarked upon? The indiscretion -- and her second thoughts -- say interesting things about Hermione's character and situation; but this sort of thing may not be legitimately in play for the watcher community. Guidance appreciated!

Comments

[alt-player.livejournal.com]

This one falls within the 15-minute rule. If it had been an in-character indiscretion, I probably would have used the strikethrough. Either way, I don't mind if you discuss these things on the fan community personally, but other players might feel differently. (I am open about my foibles.) And it might make it less fun for you all.

We're taking the 15-minute rule really seriously, so you can assume that if it changes in the first 15, it's unintentional.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Good to know, and the point about strikethrough makes a lot of sense too. I didn't mean to be a pest, sorry! I thought it was a neat example and a chance to clarify how we should read you all. Consider it clarified! :) And thanks to all players for a new game that looks like a lot of fun to watch.

[alt-player.livejournal.com]

You aren't a pest! Don't be sorry. It was a serious question and a very good one!

[alt-player.livejournal.com]

(This is a different player chiming in to say) We're also amused and delighted that people are already reading the game closely enough to notice slip-ups things like this.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Well, of course you're a different player, your feather is in an entirely different position!

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

Not an answer to the question, but with some regard to alt_fen ettiquette, I've deleted my redundant post. I didn't see yours before posting.

I don't think I caught the first version of Hermione's post. What I've seen says:

Happy birthday to me! I woke up this morning to a really nice surprise. I don't remember the last time I felt full. I think it's going to be easier to face the toilets today.

Even in this form, I think the post is a rash, perhaps unwary one, and I wonder what the fallout will be. It remains clear that someone provided her with a filling meal in violation of her punishment. (It would stand Hermione and her benefactor in better stead if she knew not to publicize such a boon... even under the circumstances of this AU, Hermione can't react like a Slytherin. In the early going, at least, boot seems much more canny.)


My guess is that if we were to "see" Hermione self-censoring, she'd have used the strikethrough convention. (But I'd be very interested to hear from the moderator about whether it's okay to discuss meta like an edit to a character's post or comment. When they occur, such slips can be important bits of evidence about how readers should understand the final version of a character's statement. -- Which is to say, I'd hate to see it be off limits to discuss such matters.)

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

I think it's part of the pathos of her character -- she's got this irrepressible openness, this confidence, and even if she eventually learns how to finesse and survive the situation she now finds herself in, it may cost her a part of her personality that should have been cherished. I really like this character a lot.

I thought about the etiquette of mentioning the specifics of the original post, since it sounds like it may be an area of concern on any future posting -- but I'm going to treat this as a one-shot, just this time (*looks over shoulder at mod*): in her original post, H enthusiastically expressed gratitude to the Elves for fixing her a breakfast of beans on toast, a fried egg, etc. It was wildly indiscreet, and I sort of loved her for it. :)

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

It was wildly indiscreet, and I sort of loved her for it.

She's great, isn't she?


I was generally prepared to chock up Hermione's thanks or mentions of the Elves as a conventional screen for a human benefactor (as when she credited the Elves when she was given warmer bedding (http://alt-hermione.livejournal.com/2010.html)). However, where food is involved, it's pretty clear that the Elves have to have been involved even if only as obedient servants who have followed someone's order (surely no one else cooked her breakfast), so Hermione risks bringing punishment on the Elves by pretending that they are the source of the gifts she's received. (Because, as we've been reminded in-game already, it can be very effective to punish not the guilty party but a surrogate whose suffering will weigh heavily on the actual malefactor. (http://alt-harry.livejournal.com/1197.html?thread=12717#t12717))

I'm wondering if this is a subplot we'll see in the game. (Where "this" = situations where McGonagall's and/or Lupin's kindness to Hermione lead to Hermione's making careless posts that result in House Elf punishment.)

Canonically, Hermione becomes an Elf rights activist; in this AU we might have an opportunity to see how she comes to take up this cause. (And, of course, in this game, Hermione is in a very different position from which to take up a crusade for creature's rights.) This is another aspect of the game which has the potential to be much richer and much more nuanced than the books.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Did you think it was Lupin who gave her the quilt? I wasn't sure but the odds seemed that way, with his little comment (http://alt-hermione.livejournal.com/2010.html?thread=8922#t8922) at the bottom of the thread. Sirius seems to be warning her against him but I suspect he's got some personal issues (http://alt-sirius.livejournal.com/3905.html) with Lupin (Jean Paul, Michel, Claudette . . .)

But Lupin is one to watch, he is. Dumbledore made that odd remark (http://community.livejournal.com/hpalternity/3111.html?thread=17191#t17191) about finding a "new friend" for Hermione with "space [for her] on the Grounds." Is Lupin a sort of spy for Dumbledore's on the Order itself -- not in a hostile way, but a sort of Internal Affairs/Security sense? (My first capital-T Theory, yay!)

I think it had previously been established that McGonagall had instructed the Elves (http://community.livejournal.com/hpalternity/4119.html) to provide Hermione with food, if she asked them for it. I suspected that McG was behind the Birthday breakfast but it's hard to know for sure. Within strict and realistic limits (http://alt-mcgonagall.livejournal.com/1242.html?thread=5594#t5594), McG seems willing to take some hits on Hermione's behalf, despite being politically accountable (http://alt-lucius.livejournal.com/1867.html) to Lucius for H's misbehavior.

Interesting spin on the Elf rights question and SPEW! If anyone has sympathy to spare despite being oppressed on her own account, it's this Hermione. This is someone who cried herself to sleep and then reminded herself (http://alt-hermione.livejournal.com/2398.html) that she was only crying because she'd had it so easy in the camps (thanks to her parents)!

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh, on the subject of birthdays and discretion -- I just noticed Sirius commented on a three-day old thread (http://alt-hermione.livejournal.com/2398.html?thread=13150#t13150) to wish Hermione a Happy Birthday!

I think Hermione doesn't need to worry about indiscretion when Sirius is around to take care of that. But that's another post!

OK, I really have to get back to RL now . . . :)

[alt_moderator]

It isn't off limits by any means, although it's possible that sometimes you'll find things that are completely red herrings. It's a big reboot and sometimes someone will post a totally non-Alternity-canon-compliant statement that they then recognize isn't right and edit. You might get pretty confused if you try to analyze that too hard! ;)

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

That would be meat of such an analysis: I'd assume that the end product is meant to best communicate the character's moment within this game and that whatever appeared first was somehow not completely right for the game. Interesting fodder for considering the character's position in the AU and/or in a given moment of the game.

And...
Presumably some of the fun for the players will be to see us bumble off after red herrings sometimes! (And a challenge to refrain from jumping in to save us from our errors!)

Thanks for the clarification (and permission to go haring off after potentially meaningless details. :)

[alt_moderator]

Whatever makes you happy! :)

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

bumble off after red herrings sometimes

*laughs into sleeve*

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

All right, you!