Hi everyone,

There was so much talk of Vladimir surviving or getting killed in the other thread that I decided to do what I do best: make a poll!

LOL, so what do you guys think, will Vladimir still be alive by the end of the story?

Also, I personally have never really thought that Dimitri and The Scar could completely trust each other. I think it's more likely that The Scar will try to do him in though, so that's why the 2nd part of the poll asks about his survival.

My answers:

Yes, I think Vladimir will survive. For some reason I envision something like The Scar trying to kill him and Dimitri deciding to save him. I think this might prove to be the impetus for The Scar trying to kill Dimitri OR I think The Scar trying (and failing at first or else Dimitri uncovering a plan) will prove to be the impetus for Dimitri to try to save Vladimir.

I'm much more iffy about whether or not Dimitri will make it but in the end I don't think he will.

What do you guys think?
-Kevin

If I remember correctly, the word that Dimitri uses means boss. With that in mind, it reminds me of the definition a friend of mine told me for BOSS. It means double Son of a Bitch spelled backwards.

i think Vlad will survive and Dmitri will die, but nt at the hands of Scar.... More comments will come later, I am in a rush atm...

...........I think Vlad survives and escapes from Scar....I see Dimitri & Scar having relationship problems.

I think that the both of them will survive and it will be as planned. Scar seems like a good business man, and to be good in that domain, you can't kill your high up associate,,

The goat is evil... I think both of them will die.

Ya but what for? CJ don't write things just to write it. It must have some kind of reason behind it. I don't see why CJ would kill the both of them,,

They are obvious references to Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. Think about it, Sacha. Obviously, CJ is not fond of them.

Vladimir and Dimitri aren't modled on those two, not quite. However, Dimitri has a lot in common with Vladimir Putin. The backstory is similar, Both came out of the KGB First Chief Directorate (Mainly HUMINT foreign ops) but I gave Dimitri a background of second chief directorate (counter-intel) as well.

Putin came up out of the St. Petersburg KGB hierarchy, and is largely personally responsible for the culture of corruption in Russia today. During the failed coup attempt, the KGB mainly sat on the fence. They basically cut a deal with the democracy movement; KGB's perogatives (including wholesale graft and corruption) would go unchallenged, in return for their non-interference. KGB's role was critical; under the Soviet system, the KGB controlled the access codes for nuclear weapons (theirs use a PAL (PErmisive Action Link) system similar to our own); none could be detonated without their connivance. The military had essentially split on the issue, with some nuclear forces on each side. Therefor, the KGB was in the catbird seat, and Putin played a key role. Ever since, Russia has been beset by massive corruption and graft, and the old KGB are the primary culprits.

So, you're right, I detest putin. As for Medvedev, I really don't know, he's a bit of an enigma.

I believe Vladimir will survive, even though I believe The Scar will want him dead. Vladimir is highly intelligent -- socially inept, but highly intelligent. Some of his plans may be anticipated by The Scar, but I suspect something Vlad organises will allow him to escape the fate The Scar plans for him.

As for Dimitri -- while The Scar would like to eliminate him, I think he recognised that not only is Dimitri is professional, but because he's professional it would be a major risk to try to kill him. If he fails, everything he's planned for will fail, too, because Dimitri will have no reason to keep it a secret anymore. So, even if he would prefer to eliminate all the loose ends, The Scar will not attempt to kill Dimitri.

There's one more possibility that I've just thought of -- that Dimitri is ordered to kill Vladimir, but hides him away instead.....

Isn't he a lawyer?

Need I say more

Well as the poll sits right now a slight majority of people (7-5) think that Vladimir will survive, and the options for Dimitri are 3,3,3,3 - thus 6 people think he'll die and 6 think he'll live, and 6 think he'll be betrayed and 6 think he won't!

We are indeed of very different opinions about all this! It's certainly a testament to CJ's writing that we're so conflicted and confused (but still interested) on these points!

Another interesting statistic that I'd like to point out is that so far, we've had 12 votes in the poll, and heard from 8 different people (not including CJ who presumably didn't vote). Thus that means that fully 2/3 of people who voted commented! I think that's a very high average for a poll! There's obviously very good and active participation in this forum


That seems like a fairly viable solution to me!

So are we all taking it for granted that The Scar will survive or should I have put him in the poll as well?

That will depend on whether The Scar's death will have an impact on the matter of the bombs. If he's done something so that if he's killed, then the bombs go off, then I don't think he'll be killed..... However, if only he, Dimitri and Vladimir know the signals to detonate the bombs, and one of them needs to be alive to trigger them, then his death will mean that no one will have to worry about the bombs -- they won't go off.

I'm quite surprised since he has this shirtless fetish too. No Speedos, though.

I'm quite puzzled as to what will become of The Scar's hands. Vladimir should surprise us with something unexpected, it's been hinted too much already that he was to disappear at the end of the job. Unless, of course, the bomb does blow up and The Scar's plans actually work. This surely would bring an unexpected ending.

Well, there have been stories with tragic endings. I hope the Lord Goatamort isn't QUITE that evil. That would be horribly evil indeed.

Hmm, just realize I didn't comment on how I voted.

Silly me .

I voted that Vladimir will survive. I just don't see CJ killing off any of his main characters, and since the bomb assembly started, I would hardly consider him a minor character. As far as the comments in 29 between J/S and Dimitri, I have a funny feeling this could be a 'I know that you know that I know that you know that I know about you know'

I wouldn't be surprise to see Vlad totally screw up their plans to off him.

As far as Dimitri surviving, all I will say is I believe him and J/S will live to be a ripe old age in a nice place like Guantanamo Bay . If they don't suffer from radiation burns from their test, they should be able to work on a nice tan.

Steve

LOL, famous last words!

Looks like we readers guessed incorrectly (though only slightly 8-7) about Vlad's survival.

I was in the minority of the correct.

Who know Vlad would die, think it's for certain Dimitri & The scar for their engineers to get paid.

Sure Kevin, point that out !!

I really sometimes wonder if CJ reads the forums and then let's the direction go opposite of what we all think (I really know that he doesn't). But just in case, I hope the Jon, Eric, Chase, Brandon, Helen, and Barbara all die in a hail of bullets and J/S and Dimitri collect on their billions and their gold and retire to drinking margaritas in the sun in Paraguay . And hopefully the Americans are two busy trying to rebuild from the loss of LA and New York City to be really bothered with the two.

Are you listening CJ?????

Steve

You know, I think that's a very likely scenario myself! Instinct is almost certain to die a miserable death while The Scar and Dimitri live happily ever after! Why, I'd be stunned if it didn't turn out this way!


Kevin

Kev, I have thought of that scenario more than once. The irony of it is something the goat may find too delightful to resist.

Hides, Ending is going to ugly I have a feeling.

Hrmmm, you hope Instinct and Helen all die? And Jerry gets Paraguay? Well, ok, if that's how the story ends, now I have a place to point to when people scream "Why did you do that!?!?"



Well, that makes two votes for that scenario... Hrmmm.. I remember reading somewhere that one should always give the readers what they want?



I do indeed love Irony.

You do that I'll stop beta-reading for you I'm a romantic at heart and while I accept other endings when they are appropriate, I don't think this one is appropriate to the story so far.

I'm already unhappy that you had a nuclear device detonated in Australia. Did you consider the possible mutation effects on the local echidnas?

You have been warned...

Awww, one measly cobalt-salted fusion-boosted nuclear weapon goes off in the neighborhood, and people get sooo touchy.

Now why would you start listening to your devoted readers now??

Wait, I forgot..... I'm still not talking to you over Gunter .