Reviews for A Looping of the Scales |
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![]() ![]() I liked "jealous Hermione" |
![]() ![]() Not sure they had that kind of relationship in canon (not sure he even knew him as "Tom"), but funny to think about Riddle and relationship counseling, in the next to last phrase. |
![]() ![]() Liked to see that as smitten as he was, he didn't compromise on his core values, just like how he didn't let Lily just win an argument if he though she was wrong, simply because he loved her. He in independent minded, and I liked that this was maintained: he does not let himself be patronized or turned into a lapdog, not that Hermione would want him to be. |
![]() ![]() By "Intimacy" I mean emotional intimacy at the end, not physical intimacy. |
![]() ![]() I liked how the intimacy bled into the scene |
![]() ![]() I would say that even as far as "evil" goes, the "throne of human bones" and the rest of the revel scenes are so over the top insane to go beyond simply evil. Not merely "murderer", but "patently insane": not a "regular" murderer, but "Hannibal Lecter eating someone's liver". My reading of canon was that while Voldemort was certainly not well adjusted, he struck me more as the "cold evil" type, than the "insane evil" type. Maybe "cold" is not the right word, maybe "regular evil"? Comparatively speaking, meaning when compared to Bellatrix: the point I guess is that he didn't seem as insane an her, and the whole "throne of human bones" and revel seem like something that could come out of *her* mind, almost a distorted over the top caricature, almost too "villainous". I mean, I guess that with "cold" or "regular" evil, I don't mean to indicate a quantity of evil, but rather a type. There is evil, and then there is Hannibal Lecter eating someone's liver, which is just disturbing. The subset of insane psychopaths enjoying the latter are a much smaller subset than the one of evil people, and I think that in canon Bellatrix belonged there much more than Voldemort (who was goal oriented, more than having sadistic destruction as a goal in and of itself). All is relative, of course: him not being as insane as Bellatrix does not make him well adjusted. The one depicted in this and other fics like Daddy Dearest seems much more "insane" and "unstable", and not because he couldn't get what he wanted, but in general: more like an unstable Bellatrix than a charismatic leader, though of course as he shredded his soul and turned into a serpent like monster, and the murderous nature of the organization became clear, torture seemed to be employed more than charisma. |
![]() ![]() The idea of the Pensieves in addition to the records was very powerful. |
![]() ![]() I mean, I guess that with "cold" or "regular" evil, I don't mean to indicate a quantity of evil, but rather a type. There is evil, and then there is Hannibal Lecter eating someone's liver, which is just disturbing. The subset of insane psychopaths enjoying the latter are a much smaller subset than the one of evil people, and I think that in canon Bellatrix belonged there much more than Voldemort (who was goal oriented, more than having sadistic destruction as a goal in and of itself). All is relative, of course: him not being as insane as Bellatrix does not make him well adjusted. |
![]() ![]() Hermione makes the same point Sirius made with Regulus, namely that they did not think that they were joining a murderous cult. I would say that even as far as "evil" goes, the "throne of human bones" and the rest of the revel scenes are so over the top insane to go beyond simply evil. Not merely "murderer", but "patently insane": not a "regular" murderer, but "Hannibal Lecter eating someone's liver". My reading of canon was that while Voldemort was certainly not well adjusted, he struck me more as the "cold evil" type, than the "insane evil" type. Maybe "cold" is not the right word, maybe "regular evil"? Comparatively speaking, meaning when compared to Bellatrix: the point I guess is that he didn't seem as insane an her, and the whole "throne of human bones" and revel seem like something that could come out of *her* mind, almost a distorted over the top caricature, almost too "villainous". |
![]() ![]() Okay, so he was giving them the merciful release of death a-la GoT's assassin sect (Man of Thousand Faces). I liked Hermione's truthful and consoling words, this was certainly a lot to take in for the guy, thankfully he helped end it. |
![]() ![]() This chapter makes it clear a point about Snape I was wrong about in my previous comments, as contrary to other fix, Voldemort is portrayed as a voyeur, but did not force Snape to perform. I still think that the whole "throne of human bones" sadistic thing is more than "insane evil" than the "cold evil" of canon Voldemort, who appeared to be asexual and worried only about power. The point that Sirius made about Regulus, about them not expecting to join a murderous cult, is indeed compatible with them later on introducing the torture of their followers, and murder, etc. which would also not encourage recruitment. The point there was more than there is a difference between merely killing someone, and skinning them alive and eating their liver. The latter requires a kind of sick, twisted, insane individual that belongs to a smaller subset than the larger set of evil people. I think someone like Bellatrix would perfectly fit the "throne of human bones" image, but Voldemort always seemed more "cold evil" than "insane evil", at least comparatively speaking, meaning that while he was certainly not well adjusted, he was goal oriented, rather than aimlessly destructive like the woman. |
![]() ![]() Actually, correction: Voldemort is portrayed as a voyeur, but did not force Snape to perform, as in the other fic (this is made clear in the other chapter). The point about him being more like an asexual, non-human monster in canon, and about being overall comparatively "rational' or "well adjusted" evil, rather than "insane" a-la Bellatrix make this somewhat different from how I pictured him (them). I mean the whole "throne of human bones" bit seems like something so twisted and revolting with an "insane" quality that would be par for the course for Bellatrix, but "evil" does not necessarily mean "crazy": there is a difference between killing someone and doing something like skinning them alive and eating their liver, and the subset of people insane enough to do the latter is a subset of the "evil" group that would do the former. |
![]() ![]() The point about Sirius' words about Regulus was not about the absence of things like torture and the like, which they might have discovered and evolved later on -things like torturing his followers, being a murderous organizations, etc.-, but about the fact that Bellatrix was an insane, unstable sociopath, but most people like Regulus were not, and the scene described in this chapter appeared as more than evil, but rather as insane (a throne of human bones, etc.), which goes a step further than "evil political ideology", and veers more towards "insanity", appealing only to the comparatively smaller subset of people like Bellatrix Lestrange, who was an unstable psychopath or sociopath. |
![]() ![]() Actually, given that Harry was not caught with the Cruciatus, I guess that she won't be caught with the Avada Kedavra either, regardless of whether it is legal to use it against a monster in self defense. |
![]() ![]() Griffin and lioness, how apt! |