Comments on Research and Musings: Voldemort vs. The Evil Overlord List

First a question. Do horcruxes need to be special ...

2011-06-04T16:03:22.143-05:00

First a question. Do horcruxes need to be special objects? Because if not Voldy could have used carrier bags and then the whole world have been stuffed!! You'd never be able to find and destroy every carrier bag,or track down one individual one. Then again I'm sure it wouldn't have been so entertaining.

The whole 'Muggle Items' fight is obsolete...

2010-06-10T20:13:26.024-05:00

The whole 'Muggle Items' fight is obsolete for the soul fact that Muggle items range so vastly in the same way magical items range. Unless magic-folk decided to do enough research to both impair all threatening Muggle items (Electronic, Mechanical, AND Chemical), as well as keep up with updates, there isn't a spell that can fix every Muggle-induced issue.

Thus, the entire magical community underestimates the porbability of Muggle items defeating them, based on inherited magical ego.

Also, trying to base everything Rowling says as Universe-Cannon is ridiculous. I love her books, but obviously the woman has some organizational issues, with time, math, physics, and general contradictions. Sure the books were too vast to go over so nit-pickingly, but somethings she messed up, like headcount for Hogwarts students, or whatever the heck was up with the magical car vs. magical camera thing, prove she's not as reliable as she could be.

In the end, this arguement can go on forever because it's based on reality made by an inconsistent person, deemed "cannon" based on our world vs. HP's world. Since it's fiction. it all doesn't really work out.

I personally choose to stick with real world logic for HP-land. At least that makes the most sense, ignoring the whole magical bit.

"We have seen that said Horcruxes have effect...

2009-07-24T08:03:44.107-05:00

"We have seen that said Horcruxes have effects on people who make contact with them."

This is a good point. While one could counter that Umbridge didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from the locket, one must keep in mind she was quite evil and amoral in her own right. Her day job consisted of fostering racism, suspicion and hatred against and actively persecuting the muggle born.

The inconspicuous Horcrux idea is made impractical...

2009-07-24T05:39:29.858-05:00

The inconspicuous Horcrux idea is made impractical by the nature of the Horcruxes. We have seen that said Horcruxes have effects on people who make contact with them. Putting them in populated areas is a bad idea, as there is too high a chance of phenomena related to the object attracting attention.

That does not excuse Voldemort from not doing things like, putting the locket at the bottom of the Zombie lake (Yeah, have fun trying to pry that locket away while fending off a legion of the aquatic undead) or bury the Didem in Antartica or Mount Everest.

"Neville was pure-blooded" And the son of two Aur...

2009-05-09T00:07:00.000-05:00

"Neville was pure-blooded"

And the son of two Aurors tortured into insanity by Death Eaters. And a combatant against Death Eaters himself previously. Leaving him alive was beyond stupid.

Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts....

2009-04-30T18:23:00.000-05:00
Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts. Rowling has specifically said that Colin's camera was a slip-up.And Arthur Weasley's car? That was an enchanted Muggle item which functioned at Hogwarts.

Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts. Ro...

2009-04-30T18:17:00.000-05:00
Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts. Rowling has specifically said that Colin's camera was a slip-up. And even though guns are mechanical, they can enchant Muggle MAPS to not work with Hogwarts. If they can manage that, I'm sure they can manage guns.

Also, how the frick are a couple of kids going ...

2009-04-18T18:56:00.000-05:00
Also, how the frick are a couple of kids going to figure out how to operate a sniper rifle? How would they even have known they needed one?Harry grew up in the Muggle world, watching Muggle TV and attending a Muggle school where Muggle history was taught. He should know a thing or two about guns and other military weapons. The same goes for Hermione and any of the other Muggle-born Wizards (not all of whom were kids; there were Muggle-born adult wizards too!)

Harry had broken up with Ginny, so Voldie figured he didn't care about her, and Neville was pure-blooded.Ginny was also pure-blooded.

They can't exactly spirit a firearms instructor from an SAS base and compel him to train them, assuming guns would even work in Hogwarts. He'd be fighting it the whole way.Gee, too bad they don't have a wizard like Arthur Weasley who's made of hobby of enchanting Muggle artifacts. If he could enchant a car to drive (and fly!) by itself (which even worked on the grounds of Hogwarts), there's no reason why he couldn't enchant a gun to aim and fire itself. A gun is a far simpler device than a car.

#42: Nonhuman. As far as he's concerned, they don't matter.Not true. Voldemort worked to turn the giants and the dementors over to his side; he was clearly able to contemplate the abilities and potential of nonhuman species.

Did you miss the repeated instances where it's...

2009-04-18T18:16:00.000-05:00
Did you miss the repeated instances where it's pointed out Voldemort's biggest flaw is pride? Remember the start of Deathly Hallows? Instead of trying to figure out why his wand didn't work, he just goes looking for a more powerful wand. It doesn't even occur to him to check on the Horcruxes until the climax, because he figures no one knows about them. On the hero side, Harry nearly gets sunk several times by his desire to help people, most notably in the climax of Goblet.

Also, how the frick are a couple of kids going to figure out how to operate a sniper rifle? How would they even have known they needed one?

>On the same note, Ginny and Neville were not just permitted to live, but allowed to return to Hogwarts!

Harry had broken up with Ginny, so Voldie figured he didn't care about her, and Neville was pure-blooded.

>What if he'd made the Whomping Willow a Horcrux?

The one that wasn't installed until long after he left Hogwarts? Also, again, pride.

>Black Cloaks and Hoods are the Death Eater uniform.

Except for the color and masks, they're also the standard wizard uniform.

#22 is just nitpicking.

#23: training from who, exactly? They can't exactly spirit a firearms instructor from an SAS base and compel him to train them, assuming guns would even work in Hogwarts. He'd be fighting it the whole way.

#26: If he had a realistic assessment of his abilities, he wouldn't have tried to become an evil overlord in the first place.

#27: One word: Accio.

#36: The same house elf could've also freed them if they'd been in separate cells.

#39: And then Harry walked into their camp. The last battle was originally supposed to be a victory march before Harry popped up.

#42: Nonhuman. As far as he's concerned, they don't matter.

#49: The rule implies the artifact is something inconspicuous, which Harry...isn't.

#56: Spells are obviously hard to aim, especially in battle.

Anonymous said: "This happens in the UK, which ...

2009-04-07T10:35:00.000-05:00
Anonymous said: "This happens in the UK, which is in Europe. You can't just buy a gun here, which means that Fred (or Hagrid) would have some hardcore underground contacts. And now I'm not even considering getting the sniper (or even an RPG) into the school."

They don't need underground contacts. They don't need to be able to legally buy firearms. They're WIZARDS. All they have to do is look toward the nearest army base and shout "accio bazooka!"

John said: "Plus, it seems unlikely that Wizards would have no protection against guns."

Why would they? They don't have protection from bladed weapons, which ARE used against them; nor are they protected from projectiles like the crystal balls that Professor Trelawney drops on them.

You really need to mention Harry's owl, Hedwig, in...

2009-04-07T10:22:00.000-05:00
You really need to mention Harry's owl, Hedwig, in the response to rule #42.

"When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying ropes and filching keys happens to follow him around."

You forgot #13. Instead of asking Narcissa to chec...

2009-04-01T13:30:00.000-05:00
You forgot #13. Instead of asking Narcissa to check to see if Harry was dead, he should have cast incindio and made sure.

#13 All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least have several rounds of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.

55. The ... odd-ball psychotics will have their pl...

2009-03-31T23:51:00.000-05:00
55. The ... odd-ball psychotics will have their place in my Legions of Terror. However before I send them out on important covert missions that require tact and subtlety, I will first see if there is anyone else equally qualified who would attract less attention

>>Again, we get one of the rare instances of Voldemort getting it right.

I think he got this one wrong in OotP he is still in hiding but he sends his DE's to ambush the kids. Instead of a stunner in the back they proceed to loudly anounce themselfs and have a running battle through minstry building. Not too stealthy for an organisation that "doesn't exist".

The same battle would also go against #44 where instead os just killing people Bella spends all her time trying to rile up her oponents with baby speak so they will be more of a changlege. Even when Harry hits her with a curse she offers advice on how to cast it better.

For number 40, you forgot to mention the sporting ...

2009-03-17T22:54:00.000-05:00
For number 40, you forgot to mention the sporting chance Voldemort gave Harry in the graveyard.

Oops, that one wasn't on the original overlord lis...

2009-03-09T18:46:00.000-05:00
Oops, that one wasn't on the original overlord list. Here's the link to an expanded one: http://www.sff.net/paradise/overlord.html

Nice, but make sure you add in 94:

"If a r...

2009-03-09T18:32:00.000-05:00
Nice, but make sure you add in 94:

"If a reputable prophecy dictates that I will be defeated or killed by a certain person or event, I will not waste time trying to eliminate him or prevent it. I will enjoy my power for all it's worth, as long as I can, and meanwhile devote reasonable energy to a search for new prophecy that will get me out of the first one."

ALL of Voldemort's problem with Harry could've been solved had he done this.

Plus, it seems unlikely that Wizards would have no...

2009-03-04T20:10:00.000-05:00
Plus, it seems unlikely that Wizards would have no protection against guns.

Now, the third book works against that view, I must admit, giving the general impression that wizards don't know what guns are, but simply looking at the world: A significant portion of the the wizarding population grew up knowing nothing about magic.

This means that every generation you'd have wizards who knew full-well how far "muggle" technology had gotten and how much of a threat something like a gun would be.

Yet none of them ever see them as a viable option.

One assumes, then, that guns and bullets are just as easy to defend against as magic spells. Perhaps protection charms extent to physical harm, too (makes sense, or all wizards would also be armed with swords or similar, as noted) and that disarming spells work against all weapons (pretty clear from the books).

Alternatively: The heroes are unwilling to use the killing curse, which seems to be functionally identical to a gun, so it seems unlikely that they'd go out of their way to acquire firearms; and the villains, of course, wouldn't touch "Muggle tech" for all the money in the world.

Or perhaps a combination of all of the above.

Regardless, it's not necessarily stupidity on anyone's part; save, perhaps Rowling's for not giving an official answer (but that would make the doorstopper size of the last few even worse...)

Just in response to another comment.

Its n...

2009-02-24T02:02:00.000-05:00
Just in response to another comment.

Its not a case of ALL Muggle things not working in Hogwarts just certain things. After all...Witches and Wizards use cameras, and the wireless etc. Its a case of things more powered by computer chips etc

As Kevin White said, there's a flaw.

This h...

2008-12-27T00:05:00.000-05:00
As Kevin White said, there's a flaw.

This happens in the UK, which is in Europe.
You can't just buy a gun here, which means that Fred (or Hagrid) would have some hardcore underground contacts.
And now I'm not even considering getting the sniper (or even an RPG)
into the school.

In regards to #44, I'd say he got it right by cola...

2008-12-08T20:49:00.000-05:00
In regards to #44, I'd say he got it right by colary. Greyback does hunt for the thrill of it, but he is in now way sporting or fair. He enjoys atacking by surprise, and takes pleasure in the victory itself, not matter how it was acheived.

I think it's worth noting, at least, that many thi...

2008-07-01T06:55:00.000-05:00
I think it's worth noting, at least, that many things had lanterns hung on them (i.e. Harry pointing out that the Horcruxes could be 'anything' and Dumbledore indicating that he HOPES that Voldemort is an idiot.)

Protection spells wouldn't work. Almost all wizard...

2008-06-24T22:35:00.000-05:00
Protection spells wouldn't work. Almost all wizards, i.e., with the exception of Dumbledore(who died) and perhaps Voldemort, have to say the spells aloud. Bullets are way faster than any spell, so a group of gunmen would be devestating.

Actually a gun would work since it's mechanical in...

2007-10-01T14:09:00.000-05:00
Actually a gun would work since it's mechanical in nature. A Camera often has electronic parts, the gun has none of these. I think a gun would work just fine if "watches" that everyone from Molly to Flint seem to have can work.

I think you're right, it's propably only electroni...

2007-09-06T01:17:00.000-05:00
I think you're right, it's propably only electronic things that don't work. I think the reason Hagrid didn't ues his crossbow is because a simple sheild charm (protego) would be able to stop it. I guess that explains guns too as only a very strong charm or curse can get through(like the killing curse) and the Death Eaters would probably use protego after seeng their "friends" covered in Snargaluff pods, although as it is such a simle precautionary tactic it should have been commonly used by both sides to reduce losses (think Fred).

RE: Kevin White

Muggle electronics don't wo...

2007-08-28T07:09:00.000-05:00
RE: Kevin White

Muggle electronics don't work, this is a plot point in "Goblet of Fire" but Colin's camera is not enchanted. An older student offers to show Colin how to develop the photos so the people in the photos are moving, but the camera itself is perfectly normal. This shows us that it's not Wizard cameras that are magical, but the developing process.

Even if my memory of Goblet of Fire is wrong, and the camera was indeed enchanted, this shows that there is an avenue for making a sniper rifle work within the Hogwarts grounds. Remember that the enchantments preventing Apparition were temporarily lifted for the classes in the great hall, showing that the barriers are not immutable.

Given that various barriers could be temporarily lifted, and muggle items could be enchanted to work within Hogwarts, then there's no reason why the headmaster couldn't have enchanted a few rifles to work within the grounds, perhaps even using a flesh memory charm to ensure that only approved people could use them. This means Dumbledore could have prepared a stockpile of weapons and trained trusted teachers in their use.

I suddenly have an image of Hagrid on the top tower with an RPG, taking out a horde of advancing Death Eaters or giants early in the battle.

On the topic of Hagrid, he had a Crossbow. Since he destroys two or three during the books fidgeting with the damn things, he probably keeps a few extra in reserve or purchases them regularly. Why wasn't he in a second story window firing bolts into the attackers? His natural resistance to things like stun spells would have made him an excellent sniper, assuming he's a halfway decent shot. He'd be firing from cover into a group that needed to keep moving, while they would have had to hit his head and arm from a distance, and even then, most spells would have been relatively useless against him.

Add a decent shield charm and you have a bunch of panicky death eaters being picked off one by one (or in groups if Hagrid has an RPG) desperately firing the killing curse at a distant target that could easily move from one window to the next between shots.

Neville and Professor Sprout seem to be the only people in the entire battle to have realized the value of ballistics, and even then they were using deadly plants that were thrown by hand.

Comments on Research and Musings: Voldemort vs. The Evil Overlord List

First a question. Do horcruxes need to be special ...

The whole 'Muggle Items' fight is obsolete...

"We have seen that said Horcruxes have effect...

The inconspicuous Horcrux idea is made impractical...

"Neville was pure-blooded" And the son of two Aur...

Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts....

Muggle items definitely don't work at Hogwarts. Ro...

Also, how the frick are a couple of kids going ...

Did you miss the repeated instances where it's...

Anonymous said: "This happens in the UK, which ...

You really need to mention Harry's owl, Hedwig, in...

You forgot #13. Instead of asking Narcissa to chec...

55. The ... odd-ball psychotics will have their pl...

For number 40, you forgot to mention the sporting ...

Oops, that one wasn't on the original overlord lis...

Nice, but make sure you add in 94: "If a r...

Plus, it seems unlikely that Wizards would have no...

Just in response to another comment. Its n...

As Kevin White said, there's a flaw.This h...

In regards to #44, I'd say he got it right by cola...

I think it's worth noting, at least, that many thi...

Protection spells wouldn't work. Almost all wizard...

Actually a gun would work since it's mechanical in...

I think you're right, it's propably only electroni...

RE: Kevin WhiteMuggle electronics don't wo...

Nice, but make sure you add in 94:

"If a r...

Just in response to another comment.

Its n...

As Kevin White said, there's a flaw.

This h...

RE: Kevin White

Muggle electronics don't wo...