the long view of politics - Printable Version
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the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - September 2, 2023
4 September, 1893 — Daphnel Home, Wellingtonshire
Victor had, admittedly, not really been listening to Oscar. In his defense, making calculations in one's head required much more concentration than doing them on paper, when one could simply shift attention away for a moment and then pick back up where one had left off after only a glance. He'd been thinking through this particular problem for an hour, so he didn't want to lose his spot, so he'd been nodding and muttering mmhm and pretending to listen. He'd caught the shift in inflection that signalled a question and tried to parse it from the few words he'd caught. Something about the election?
"Oh, I can't vote in this one, I don't think," he said, and hoped that was an appropriate response to whatever his brother had said.
"Oh, I can't vote in this one, I don't think," he said, and hoped that was an appropriate response to whatever his brother had said.
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - September 28, 2023
This election thing was a lot of work; people kept talking about it at parties. Since Victor had probably voted before, Oscar had decided to talk about it with his eldest brother, even if his eldest brother was dead. He'd been prattling for a minute when Victor chimed in.
Oscar nodded. "I wanted to know who you would have voted for," he said. He had a vague feeling that he was maybe being insensitive, but — Victor had to be old enough to have opinions, right?
Oscar nodded. "I wanted to know who you would have voted for," he said. He had a vague feeling that he was maybe being insensitive, but — Victor had to be old enough to have opinions, right?
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - September 30, 2023
This was a more involved question. Victor frowned. He'd have to put a pin his mental arithmetic. It was a particularly involved question because he hadn't bothered following the election news. For one thing, he couldn't read the paper of his own accord, though obviously he could pick up on much of what was happening from listening to people talk. For another thing, attending any sort of events was rather difficult unless they were held in Hogsmeade. And, of course, the main reason: he had known from the outset that he wouldn't be able to vote, and that almost all of the policies the next Minister put into place would have no impact on him. Unless one of them was taking up spirit regulation as their torch, but that seemed... unlikely, with everything else to be worried about.
"Well, Belle's brother is running," he pointed out. This was not to say he would have voted for him, given the opportunity, but since they were family-ish he felt it had to be said. And at least he was confident that Belle's brother was running, because she had been talking about it. He was not entirely sure he could name all of the other candidates. "Lupin and Crouch and — who are the other frontrunners?" he muttered, half to himself.
"Well, Belle's brother is running," he pointed out. This was not to say he would have voted for him, given the opportunity, but since they were family-ish he felt it had to be said. And at least he was confident that Belle's brother was running, because she had been talking about it. He was not entirely sure he could name all of the other candidates. "Lupin and Crouch and — who are the other frontrunners?" he muttered, half to himself.
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - October 16, 2023
Oscar grunted at the mention of Christabel; he had not been particularly impressed by his sister-in-law when Victor was alive, so was not likely to vote for her brother now just on the basis of family connection.
"Lupin and Crouch and Dempsey," Oscar rattled off, "And then there's some girl, and some Communist, and this French fellow. And a Prewett and some big anti-werewolf fellow." He'd been tracking this a little better than one would expect — but that was predominately because it gave him something to talk about at parties.
"Lupin and Crouch and Dempsey," Oscar rattled off, "And then there's some girl, and some Communist, and this French fellow. And a Prewett and some big anti-werewolf fellow." He'd been tracking this a little better than one would expect — but that was predominately because it gave him something to talk about at parties.
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - October 22, 2023
Some of Oscar's answers were surprising to Victor, who had not been following the election at all. He thought he'd vaguely heard that there was a girl running and that people were scoffing about it (a year ago he would have been one to scoff about it, too), but he'd missed the communist and the Frenchman and the anti-werewolf fellow (although that phrase was a little baffling: was there anyone out there who was pro-werewolf? It wasn't as though people were lining up on the streets saying yes, please, turn me into a monster every full moon for the rest of my life, I'd like that very much. So wasn't everyone anti-werewolf, to some extent or another?)
"Well, honestly, I don't think it much matters," he admitted. "A Lupin and a Crouch and a Prewett will be Minister sooner or later. And they'll all do generally the same thing. So — in a hundred years, or so, it's not going to make much difference."
"Well, honestly, I don't think it much matters," he admitted. "A Lupin and a Crouch and a Prewett will be Minister sooner or later. And they'll all do generally the same thing. So — in a hundred years, or so, it's not going to make much difference."
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - October 29, 2023
Oscar frowned at Victor. "But I don't care about a hundred years from now," he said. He would be dead, or as good as. "I care about right now." Victor had been far less fun in talking about society since he had died. Oscar was mature enough to know that was probably rude to point out.
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - November 4, 2023
Well that's very living of you, Victor thought, but he was not quite so far gone as to actually say it. Over the past few months, though, as he'd gotten more and more used to life (afterlife) as a spirit, the differences between how people thought about things and how he now thought about them had become more apparent. The thing that stood out to him specifically, and which had been irritating him to greater and greater degrees, was the ego-centrism of the living; they thought theirs was the only perspective that mattered. (Victor was distantly aware that he had been just as guilty of this when he was alive; he had never cared about what things were like for ghosts. But his past hypocrisy did not make it any more bearable to be on the other side of things now).
"Vote for whoever caters their campaign events the best, then," he said with a shrug. "And then you're reasonably assured to have good food and cocktails at the Minister's Masquerade."
"Vote for whoever caters their campaign events the best, then," he said with a shrug. "And then you're reasonably assured to have good food and cocktails at the Minister's Masquerade."
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - November 6, 2023
Oscar huffed out a breath; he made sure to make the sigh sound more exasperated than he actually was. "You're not any help," he protested, "And Bea will just tell me to vote for whoever hosts the least parties."
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - November 6, 2023
"Oh, well obviously don't ask Beatrice," he said. He might not particularly care who the next Minister of Magic was, because it was unlikely to have any impact on the rest of his eternity at all, but he certainly still had opinions on his family. Had Oscar actually thought about asking Bea for political advice, or was this a joke? He hadn't laughed, so Victor wasn't sure.
He frowned. "I think who I would have voted for and who I would vote for if I could are probably questions with different answers," he admitted. This was new for him — he was just recently coming around to feeling like he could acknowledge difference between who he'd been while alive and who he felt himself to be now, without somehow betraying his own memory.
He frowned. "I think who I would have voted for and who I would vote for if I could are probably questions with different answers," he admitted. This was new for him — he was just recently coming around to feeling like he could acknowledge difference between who he'd been while alive and who he felt himself to be now, without somehow betraying his own memory.
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - November 14, 2023
His bait had worked — Victor re-engaged. Oscar smiled a small, self-satisfied smile and tilted his head at his brother's eventual sentence. "What do you think makes the difference?" Oscar asked, genuinely curious — maybe it was like Victor was aging, even though he obviously technically wasn't.
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - December 9, 2023
Victor let out a small huff. The answer wasn't something he wanted to verbalize, but he didn't know how to dodge such a direct question unless he just committed to outright lying about it.
"Well," he said hesitantly. "I think most of the things I worried about when I was alive don't actually matter. And I think that's probably true of most people."
"Well," he said hesitantly. "I think most of the things I worried about when I was alive don't actually matter. And I think that's probably true of most people."
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - December 18, 2023
Oscar hummed; this was a tool he used when he was intrigued by the other person's words, but did not entirely know what to say yet. "I suppose that makes sense," he said, "I would care much less about fame and debutantes if I were dead." He eyed Victor. "What will you care about now?"
Ghost policy, maybe? But Oscar had trouble thinking of Victor as a proper ghost — he still felt too alive for that. He didn't know when that would change, either — maybe when Oscar had eventually passed Victor's age-at-death, but being thirty-one felt impossibly old.
Ghost policy, maybe? But Oscar had trouble thinking of Victor as a proper ghost — he still felt too alive for that. He didn't know when that would change, either — maybe when Oscar had eventually passed Victor's age-at-death, but being thirty-one felt impossibly old.
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - January 15, 2024
Victor blinked. He had not expected to be asked a question like this. Oscar had always seemed a little egocentric to mind what other people cared about, so long as it didn't prevent him from doing what he wanted to do. Maybe that was a symptom of youth, Victor reflected. Maybe Oscar was growing up, maturing. Or maybe this was a one-time fluke; one swallow did not a summer make, and all that.
"Oh. Well. Chalkboards," he admitted. "I've been trying to work out what sort of charm could turn a corporeal thing into a non-corporeal thing. So I could have a chalkboard."
"Oh. Well. Chalkboards," he admitted. "I've been trying to work out what sort of charm could turn a corporeal thing into a non-corporeal thing. So I could have a chalkboard."
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - February 3, 2024
Oscar's head lolled back after Victor's description; he was contemplating chalkboards, which he had never done intensely before. "That could be really neat," he offered; Oscar did not actually personally believe they were neat, but Victor was dead so he needed things to look forward to and Oscar didn't want to harsh his dream.
RE: the long view of politics - Victor Daphnel - February 4, 2024
"Because if I have a chalkboard I could do more advanced calculations than I can in my head," Victor continued. He didn't think Oscar really appreciated the benefit of chalkboards, and he wasn't sure that his further attempts to explain were doing any good either. He wasn't sure Oscar had ever calculated anything.
RE: the long view of politics - Oscar Daphnel - February 6, 2024
It took Oscar a beat to process what Victor had just said. Once he had, he said, "Math, right," very sagely. "Well, I'm sure you can figure it out." Even if Victor hadn't helped him decide who to vote for at all.