[FFML] [HP] [XOVER] Drunkard's Walk VIII, Chapter 1

[Bob Schroeck]

Hey people.  Sorry for the delay on this reply, but I went on a
vacation not long after posting the chapter, and while I intended
to write a response from the deck of my beach house, overlooking
the ocean, I ended up doing other things instead...  So now that
I'm back, I'm catching up.

Bert Miller <hkmiller at theeddy.com> wrote:
> I wasn't bothered.  I may or may not get time for a full C&C, but I just
> wanted to note one thing, in mild surprise:  Doug didn't annoy a single
> protagonist, not one(!), in the first chapter.  And he's met them all.

Heh.  Doug doesn't *always* start out at odds with the protagonists
of the setting he's in -- that would be boring and predictable.
It varies.  And here he's in a situation where he's being
introduced to the Wizarding World slowly by a guide -- so he isn't
in a situation where he might be rushed and make unwarranted
assumptions that will bite him on the butt later.

Of course, since he's dealing with the adults from the start, he's
going to be overlooking the teenagers he's met by the end of the
chapter, at least for a little while.  So it's not so much getting
into a conflict with the protagonists this time so much as never
even noticing them.

It also helps that there are certain things that a wizard is
assumed to know that even Charlie hasn't thought to mention --
like the whole "Boy-Who-Lived" thing.  While Doug is eventually
going to catch up on Wizarding history, it'll still take a while
more for him to connect the nigh-mythical "Boy-Who-Lived" portrayed
in the history books with the mussy-haired underachiever who was
hanging out with the family that hosted him for a week or so in
August.

> Doug hasn't whipsawed in attitude, either; is he mellowing in his old age?

Well, he hasn't had much opportunity to come up with a
misapprehension to correct, what with Charlie around.

You shouldn't take the "pattern" seen in DW2 and DW5 as a true
pattern.  Doug reacts differently in different situations -- and
in this case, he was in almost an ideal situation when it came to
entering the world -- he's handling it much better and more
calmly than he did in, say, DW5.

And yeah, since it's been about 75 years that he's been on the
Walk by this point, and far more than 8 worlds (there are many
universes where nothing of interest happens, or which are covered
in short stories or short-shorts on my forums and website), he's
a bit more... hm... practiced, I suppose the word would be, or
maybe jaded, when it comes to a new world.  He's *expecting*
disappointment, and is prepared to settle in for the long haul
while he finds his next gate song out.

>  The one minor almost-spat, Doug vs. Sirius, actually
> seemed more OOC for Doug (to me) than almost anything else in the story;
> I suspect you forced that just to avoid charges of Doug having
> mellowed.

Actually, my prereaders strongly suggested that Doug react that
way to learning Sirius' background; I originally wrote him far
more relaxed, and I still think I maybe should have stuck to my
guns there.

> It's hard to imagine that incident as a foreshadowing of Doug
> as strict rules-enforcer versus those notorious flouters of school
> rules, Harry, Ron, and Hermione;  Doug and Harry are just too much
> alike, both chaotic good personified.  What I _can_ imagine, though,
> with a bit of a grin, is Doug shouldering 15-year-old Harry out of the
> way when something dangerous appears, with a "Keep your head down, dumb
> kid!" remark.

Heh.  You should visit my discussion board and check out the
teasers and snippets I've posted over the years in the DW8 forum
there.  You might find some hints along those lines.  <grin>

> You also didn't have very many WB cartoon quotes in this one.

Chapter two will have quite a bit more.  I *think* I've got them
all footnoted in the Concordance, complete with links to the
source cartoons on YouTube.

> You could
> do a fair amount with this, having Harry and Hermione recognize Bugs
> Bunny quotes and chortle, while Ron is just lost.

Oh, Hermione will be torn between amusement and amazement that a
Hogwarts professor will be making Muggle references like that.
Harry less so, since canonically he appears to be more than a
little deprived, pop culture-wise.

Now one who's going to be fun is Luna Lovegood.  She already makes
at least one "Goon Show" reference in canon, so I feel perfectly
at ease with having her spout off almost as many surprising things
as Doug will.  For instance, you might want to look at

http://drunkardswalkforums.yuku.com/topic/8843/One-afternoon-in-the-Great-Hall-at-Hogwarts

> Looking forward eagerly to more!

Thanks!  You won't have too long to wait for chapter 2, as it's
already 140K or so long now.


"J. w." <sacranoidclub at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I really love this story...i really feel sorry for the wizard
> world...they just dont know what hit the poor bastards.

Thanks.  I hope the rest of the story lives up to your
expectations!

> "Know here one of many ways to deal with a wizard when you might
> not have your wand handy. Meet Mr. 12 gauage with buckshot. Mr
> Browning .45. Mr. Barret Light .50 for when you truly need to
> make a mess out of something."

Heh.  Pity this is too early in the Walk for Doug to be carrying
the Browning Ultrapower smartgun he picks up in a Shadowrun
universe.  But then again he can always do something like "White
Wedding" and *make* guns on the fly when he needs them.

> Sorry, just a little carried away with idea of where this if
> going to go. I love to read more stuff when doug gets ino things
> cause you know the fecal matter is going to hit the rotory
> spinning device at high rates of movement.

<chuckle>  Believe me, after Doug training the DA, the Ministry
Battle is going to be rather dramatically different.  It should
satisfy you.

> Thank you for putting more doug stuff out.

You're very welcome.

-- Bob

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Bob Schroeck        http://www.accessdenied-rms.net         rms at eclipse.net
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
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