fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #461 ]

[ SECRET POST #461 ]

⌈ Secret Post #461 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Update on the LJ situation.

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 48 secrets from Secret Submission Post #066.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 - too big ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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5. HAHAHAHA. Wow. What is the market?
9. Jesus, what corner of fandom are you in? I've never seen anyone do that to any truly excessive extent.
14. I doubt it. :/ There've been total maniacs with happy home lives before, sometimes it's just ingrained.
27. Fuck no! SoM rocks~
35. I don't really get icon theft angst. I'm always flattered when I see someone's swiped my stuff XD
41. 30 Rock! Holy shit, is it on tonight!?

Not the OP, but JKR has said before that if Tom had been raised with a loving family he would have turned out differently. I couldn't link you to it right now (although I could probably investigate and find it), but I distinctly remember it BECAUSE I thought that completely diminished the fact that the character is an obvious sociopath, and they don't know why sociopaths are the way they are, but they crop up in all sorts of home situations, not just ones of abuse. And frankly, the idea of Voldemort being redeemable makes him less interesting to me. Because, what that comes down to is, basically, 'omg there is a secret good guy with a heart of gold hiding inside big bad voldiepants'. It's on par with trying to redeem Bellatrix Lestrange, she couldn't be more fucking out of her mind, and yet people in rp and fanfiction try to make her something other than completely homicidal and with a heavy liking for torture (and as someone who actually loves her husband rather than Voldemort, something else that JKR has completely shattered in interviews... did they not notice her gagging for the big Dark Lord every scene they have together? wha?)

However, I do think that if Dumbledore had been more actively involved with Tom, rather than giving him up as a lost cause from the beginning, he could have had much more influence in guiding the way Tom chose to let his problems manifest. Because a lot of sociopaths manage day-to-day life without trying to attempt genocide, and Tom could have done what was best for himself and occasionally get his kicks at the expense of others without causing a massive war that killed probably thousands of people. All he had to do was go into "legitimate" politics. But being rejected from the beginning allowed his issues to morph into a rampage.

Edited 2008-04-10 22:09 (UTC)

Oh, no kidding? That is interesting...I don't know how I feel about it honestly. I think I might have preferred it if he was just an honest nutjob too (then again, my favorite movie is Psycho), but I guess that goes along more with the themes of the books and stuff. And ugh, I HATE when people do that Bellatrix! SHE'S CRAZY! CRAZY!

That is interesting because I was completely unaware of that. I'm making a mental note now to investigate.

Anyway, I don't think Voldemort could be redeemable per se (note, I say Voldemort, not Tom Riddle). And I don't even think there's a hidden heart of gold necessarily under that serpentine exterior. I do, however, feel that Voldemort could have been prevented from existing, in a sense, had Dumbledore taken the time to regard him in a positive light. Tom obviously held an admiration of Dumbledore from the start. Also from the start, Dumbledore pinned Tom as a bad kid (which he was) but I felt that even though he acted politely, he just set him aside as a bad kid and nothing more.

Also, as evidence shows in CoS, it appeared to me that Dumbledore just kind of eyed him warily, and I feel that he probably did that even before Tom opened the Chamber. In Order of the Phoenix, we see that Voldemort still has a desire to impress him, and Dumbledore still refuses to acknowledge his talent to his face (stubborn man, that one).

The point I'm getting to here is that I honestly believe that had Dumbledore approached Tom, patted him on the back and said something like, "Your magical prowess is truly phenomenal. Let us have a walk by the lake to discuss that which ails you." then did such, Tom, I think, would've reacted along the lines of, 'ZOMGWTF? This wizard I admire so heavily, acknowledges my talent and respects me.' A little psychological validation goes a long way. In which case, he probably could've, and would've, seen Dumbledore as a mentor rather than a rival, thus determining his outlook on like on a majorly different light.

In my opinion, I find this interesting that such a simple gesture could have made such a dramatic difference. Butterfly effect, chaos theory, it fascinates me. Not to say your opinion is wrong or bad, that's just my intake, and we're all unique. :)

On an unrelated note, I completely agree with you about the level of OOC Bellatrix is taken to in RP and fanfic. ~.~ Even without JKR's mentions outside of the book, I believe her obsession with Voldemort (I have a hard time calling it "love," I think her feelings are a little too twisted and unhealthy for that) are rather obvious, and I never doubted that she didn't love her husband. These factors are screamingly obvious, why do people try to deny it? ~.~

I have a ton more to say about Dumbledore, but I feel, I have stepped into teal deer territory as it is. lol One last side note though, looking at my secret now, it comes off like I'm Dumbledore-bashing. Not my intent. Character flaws = love from me. A big oops and apology on my part if it came off that way.

I don't mind Dumbledore-bashing, really, I thought that in the end the way he manipulated everyone around him very much seemed like 'doin it for the lulz', so I actually agree on that part, haha! Maybe not doing it for the lulz, exactly, but the credibility that would come with being the mentor to the Boy Who Lived To Sacrifice Himself And Kill The Dark Lord Voldemort, who, incidentally, he also handily happened to create. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire series of events which happened were Dumbledore using that legendary omniscience to play with the pawns around him. If anything, Dumbledore revealed himself to be more heartless than anyone else in the series. In the end of it, he hadn't actually CARED about anyone genuinely and without a level of manipulation since he was eighteen years old. He had developed from someone who could love into someone who chose not to, and what he did to the people around him who trusted him is, frankly, unforgivable in my eyes (even stemming as far back as not controlling the treatment of the less popular students in the school - surely he could have monitored the bullying a little more heavily and treated it with more severity instead of laughing it off like it didn't matter? It's not like Snape would have been the only one affected by it - how many of the Slytherins who went on to become Death Eaters were bullied first-hand by James and Sirius? And for all the potential for good within Sirius Black, there is nothing anyone can say to me to convince me that he didn't wholly deserve to be expelled for the incident in which Remus nearly ATE Severus Snape. The fact that Severus and Sirius were both quite obviously suffering in abusive homes should have been a point of concern for him, and Sirius might not have acted out in such dangerous ways if HE'D had some more individual attention, too.)

Basically, eliminate Dumbledore from the picture, implant McGonagall as Headmistress, and here I see where so many of these problems could have been avoided. Dumbledore was a lovable headmaster, but I don't believe he was a very good one, he was far too disinterested in the welfare of ALL of his students.

Yes, yes, yes! I feel you understand what I'm saying very well, which is saying something, considering I frequently feel misunderstood on Fandom!Secrets. lol

It was actually a discussion similar to this that provoked me to make the secret in the first place. Despite the fact Dumbledore is made out in a liberal light, he comes off very conservative to me. He holds his "greater good" banner directly in front of his face, blinding him from the individuals. Even though he came to the conclusion that Grindelwald's methods were wrong, he still seemed to hold the "doing it for the greater good" values close.

I used the phrase 'did it for the lulz' mostly because I'm doing it for the lulz. I like secrets that make me laugh, so I thought I'd return the favor. So, it's probably not the most accurate description, but I think I got the general point across. lol

Despite all this, I still can't bring myself to hate Dumbledore. Just like I can't bring myself to hate Bellatrix or Voldemort. Why I latch onto the characters--who if I knew if they were real people, I would hate them--is beyond me, and I frequently question my own mental health over it. Thus, I'm choosing to remain anonymous over that factor rather than my opinions in of themselves. ~.~

Yup! I feel like I should rewatch one of my favorite S1 episodes to celebrate...

SHIT, IT WAS? >.< Dammit, I hate it when I find out these things too late. *dies*

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[ SECRET POST #461 ]

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