rthstewart (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rthstewart) wrote2011-03-20 06:34 pm
rthstewart) wrote2011-03-20 06:34 pm
Entry tags:
An anniversary of sorts and I must be missing something
So, on March 19, 2009, Rthstewart opened an account on fanfiction.net. TWO years -- the cotton (traditional) and china (modern) anniversary. I always get all mushy and nostalgic on anniversaries and milestones (TQSiT is getting near one AHHHHHHH!!!). I've been talking to myself a lot in the car about the upcoming two year mark as I listen to the Doctor Who Season 5 soundtrack. (Fortunately my colleague no longer requires lifts to the office so I'm alone with me, myself, and I). I am pushing hard to get chapter 9 up on March 22, which would be two years from when I first started posting TSG. Scary much? I'm scared. And scarred.
AW 9 is coming slowly at about 5,000 words so far. It will be a shorter chapter and as I mentioned earlier, it is entirely letters, such as the following:
From:
Eustace Scrubb
Experiment House
Eyton upon the Weald Moors
Telford
Shropshire
To:
Edmund Pevensie
Blackpool Forest School
Tilehurst
Reading
Berkshire
Dear Edmund:
You called it. I knew it would be awful returning, and it is. My old gang expected me to be back with Them and their old ways. Anyone not an utter rotter wanted nothing to do with me. When I tried to behave properly, the decent folk thought I was a spy and got even more suspicious. I keep telling myself what you said, that it’s the work of weeks and months, and by my actions I shall be judged.
Which led to the rabbit. Carter and some of his gang had cornered the poor thing behind the gym and were throwing rocks at it. It wasn’t a Talking Rabbit, of course, but rabbits aren’t very far from Rats (though rabbits are not rodents like rats, they are lagomorphs due to the teeth and other anatomical features) and even if it had been a hedgehog or a snake, the thing should not have been tortured and frightened to death by schoolboys. etc.
YES! Carter and the Rabbit and Eustace keeping the secret under torture!!! And then he writes to Edmund about it!
Which brings me to the help me F List readers. I've got a long list of letters going back and forth between the characters, some canon, some OCs. I know that invariably someone has some awesome idea where I smack my hand against my forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
So, given where we are and where things are going, what are some of the letters you would expect to see or want to see? Anyone? Who? What?
AW 9 is coming slowly at about 5,000 words so far. It will be a shorter chapter and as I mentioned earlier, it is entirely letters, such as the following:
From:
Eustace Scrubb
Experiment House
Eyton upon the Weald Moors
Telford
Shropshire
To:
Edmund Pevensie
Blackpool Forest School
Tilehurst
Reading
Berkshire
Dear Edmund:
You called it. I knew it would be awful returning, and it is. My old gang expected me to be back with Them and their old ways. Anyone not an utter rotter wanted nothing to do with me. When I tried to behave properly, the decent folk thought I was a spy and got even more suspicious. I keep telling myself what you said, that it’s the work of weeks and months, and by my actions I shall be judged.
Which led to the rabbit. Carter and some of his gang had cornered the poor thing behind the gym and were throwing rocks at it. It wasn’t a Talking Rabbit, of course, but rabbits aren’t very far from Rats (though rabbits are not rodents like rats, they are lagomorphs due to the teeth and other anatomical features) and even if it had been a hedgehog or a snake, the thing should not have been tortured and frightened to death by schoolboys. etc.
YES! Carter and the Rabbit and Eustace keeping the secret under torture!!! And then he writes to Edmund about it!
Which brings me to the help me F List readers. I've got a long list of letters going back and forth between the characters, some canon, some OCs. I know that invariably someone has some awesome idea where I smack my hand against my forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
So, given where we are and where things are going, what are some of the letters you would expect to see or want to see? Anyone? Who? What?
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I'd sorta like to see something official-ish about Susan and/or Edmund from one of the various military folks they're involved with to HQ or someone else in the chain who has No Idea, Really about these Pevensies/Caspians.
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...but rabbits aren't very far from Rats (though rabbits are not rodents like rats...
Now, when I saw this, I immediately thought of Rat and Crow. Given how the Pevensies didn't share Susan's adventures with Eustace, does he even know how fond of Rats and Crows his cousins are? (Jalur maligning the Crows during his guard duty [temporary!] comes to mind from TPG.)
As for letters, I think whatever you have planned out will be good. I'm curious though -- will there be any letters from the poetic Lord Peridan?
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Donne!
I immediately thought of Rat and Crow. Given how the Pevensies didn't share Susan's adventures with Eustace, does he even know how fond of Rats and Crows his cousins are?
I need to put that one aside. Hmmm....
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(Anonymous) 2011-03-21 06:14 am (UTC)(link)-pie
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(oh, and I'd be sooo happy if you did get something on 22 Mar. Being a day later here, I can run around singing 'Happy Birthday to Me'. Then again, I might do it whenever you end up posting anyway : )
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And yes, Asim is in the mix!
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Congrats!! :D Letter wise, I'd like some that Lucy writes to her Narnian friends (maybe Aiden?) while back in Spare Oom, but this is purely because I imagine her as doing that, at least until she comes back for the final time :)
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Happy anniversary!
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Happy two-year anniversary! The Narnia fandom has been much richer since you started writing in it.
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Seriously, how are you going to fit all these in?? :-P
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Also something potentially interesting might be examples of letters sent while the Pevensies were in Narnia, to contrast with the types of letters and the writing style they're using now. You've shown that letters can be a lot of things- used to simply tell something, or to communicate something deeper inside of a story, so it could be interesting to show the progression of letter-writing styles, to some degree.
Congratulations on writing this for two years! :D
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And you've just suggested another idea. NO NO NO! And I'm not sure I could invent that formal style of writing. I'm finding that a lot of the letters sound the same, actually. which is odd, since I think my characters tend to have pretty distinct povs.... Hmmmmm
Epistolic bliss!
What letters would I like to see? If Richard is going downhill as fast as he thinks he is, I would like him to write a 'goodbye' letter to Mary, while he's still mostly coherent. 'To be opened when I'm gone' sort of thing. I'd like to read something between Mary Anning Russell and Peter, as I feel there's an embryonic relationship there, something waiting to happen.
I'd like to read Banker Morgan's Christmas letter home, when her baby is around 5 years old and she must continually justify her decision to remain in Narnia (although I appreciate that it wouldn't exactly be connected with the plot of TSG, I just love Banker Morgan). I'd like to read some correspondence between Polly and Lucy, as mentioned above - those two are certainly humming along on the same wavelength. I'd really like to read something between Lucy and Asim, even before they meet (more teasing, poor Asim!). I'd like to read a letter between Mr. Pevensie and Mrs. Pevensie (not sure in which direction, how much of a cad is he?).
Like Katharhino, I'm not sure if Tebbitt and Susan would be able to write. Is their relationship that articulate? Or would it only be a practical note? Hard to say. I really enjoyed the AU of their middle-aged selves meeting in the north, and that's not a relationship which puts itself down on paper. Ever, I should think. Even if it's AU, it's rubbing off on my view of TSG Susan (sorry!).
Thank you for asking for suggestions, you audacious woman! ;)
Re: Epistolic bliss!
Oh, Morgan's letters back to the Lone Islands! Oh! OH!!!
As for Peter and Mary, errrrrrr, how about in lieu of letter they get a one on one scene in a chapter or two? Really, they hardly share the same space at all in the story so it is overdue.
Re: Epistolic bliss!
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(Anonymous) 2011-03-21 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)Doctor Dolly
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(Anonymous) - 2011-03-21 20:15 (UTC) - Expandno subject
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(Anonymous) 2011-03-21 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)~LotL
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(Anonymous) 2011-03-21 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)I probably am of the worst kind of reader : I can like a fanfiction very, very, very much, but the author won't know because I won't take the time to write a review. The funny thing is that I often write that review in my head, with complete sentences and sometimes even paragraph, putting in words exactly what I would like to tell the writer, what I particularly loved in their story, or my point of view on a thing or another, etc. But only rarely will I actually write it. I do feel slightly guilty about it, but well... that's me, and my laziness, or whatever it is that makes it so hard for me to take a little of my time for such a simple thing.
And so, I didn't review "The Stone Gryphon" when I read it two-three weeks ago. And oh, did I devour this story (discovered completely by luck, I might add ! I stumbled on it on Google, while searching for something Narnia-related but still completely different. It was "The Queen Susan in Tashbaan", wich I began to read out of curiosity, and then I realised that there was a first part I needed to know about to understand everything and then... I fell down the Rabbit Hole. Very fast, very completely and very happily :-) I am a bookworm. I think I read the majority of your work in less than a week, save one or two little things. I guess I can blame you for some sleepless nights ^^ ). Anyway... I loved it. And I didn’t review. But then I discovered your Journal, and I read some of the reviews, and your responses, and I realised that maybe you needed all the boost your readers could give you. And so, I decided that I would take the time, as much as necessary, to tell you all the things I wrote in my head while reading your work. I’m sorry, it’s going to be a long speech, considering that I’m basically reviewing all your stories in one post... and I have a lot to say !
First of all, congratulation for making me believe in an adult Narnia. Based on Lewis’ books, it was quite difficult to imagine the characters as anything other than chaste and pure, so to speak. And I found very, very few fictions picturing the Pevensies in relationships that I could believe in, let alone like. Actually, come to think of it, yours may very well be the only ones. Your vision of Narnia, of the court of Cair Paravel, of the characters, canon or not, of their life back in England, is incredible. It is very unique, and extraodinary built. There is a real depth to it. Your characters are psychologically coherent to the last tic. And the Animals ! You are probably the only one who did NOT humanize the Talking Beast. And this is just brillant. The way you describe it, the way you make them think and act, it makes it clear that they are animals. Talking and intelligent ones, yes, but still animals. I think Jalur is my favorite. Actually, scratch that. I KNOW Jalur is my favorite ! Particularly in “It’s the thought that counts”, chapter one. I mean, honestly ! “He carefully applied pressure and it squeaked.” I almost died. Of laughter. This image is just excellent !
I must say I am quite amazed with the amount of research I can feel behind the story. Particularly in Natural Science and in History. I have a passion for History, and “The Stone Gryphon” brings me a real pleasure when I am reading it, because it is so accurate, and I am actually learning a lot about World War Two! Also, you describe very exactly the every day life in a country at war, with the restrictions, and the military movements, and the devastation in Liverpool, and a lot of those little and big things betraying a severe conflict. It makes you realise how much things you take for granted are... well, not. Chocolate, for instance. Asim’s reaction to the chocolate bars is particularly significant.
And you convey just as well the mentality of this time, especially with Digory, poor man, surrounded as he is by people whose sensibility is quite different from his ! xD
As for Natural Science, well, your tour of the Museum, and as I said your description of the Animal’s point of view are proof enough. And all of that historically accurate, too ! So yes, I am amazed. Just amazed.
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Thank you also for the compliments about the Beasts. When I entered this fandom, I did think I had done my homework. I did not think that writing beasts as beasts would be so unusual. Aslan does tell Bree he is a True Beast. On the other hand, we have Beavers using sewing machines -- though they do mate for life and have dexterous paws. And I so liked the idea of Trees being trees. Keeping the Narnians true to their biological and mythological roots then allowed me to explore the other half of the picture, which is how those cultural differences affected those who returned to Spare Oom.
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(Anonymous) 2011-03-21 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)Speaking of Edmund. Harold and Morgan ? How can I convey just how much I enjoy this (to say the least) original relationship ! I mean, this thing about the contract ? SO brilliant xD This is pure genius, and the both of them are just perfect ! I don’t know how your mind works, and I’m pretty sure I don’t even want to know, but the results are magnificent. And this Jalur’s input : “Oh, just be done with it and tell her to call you 'Harold.” I could have died right there and I would have been happy. I am glad I was alone when I read that. Anyone would have thought me crazy considering how often and heartily I laughed all across “By Royal Decree” and “Harold and Morgan : Not a Romance”.
I very much like Mary and Richard, but from all the England-non-canon-character, Asim is my favorite. And I very much love how you deal with the religious issue. I am catholic, a firm believer in God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary. But I deeply respect the others religions, and I really appreciate how Asim receives visions from God, and can see those who are touched by Him. Not the same religion, but the same God. I love the idea.
And I like how the Pevensies can still feel Aslan in England. I never would have thought of it that way. Same with Lucy talking to the deads. I can’t wait to see where you are going with her, by the way. And I’m waiting for her encounter with Asim with a growing impatience.
About “The Maenad of the Maquis” : I am French. As such, I have to tell you I really appreciate your tribute to our “terroir”, our cheese and butter, and France in general. Ironically, I don’t like wine much, but it is still something I am proud of as French ^^ (Also, my name is Marie. Not that I am anything like a Maenad, God knows ! Nor do I want to be. But still. It makes the story even more good, somehow.) I learned a thing or two about the Resistance, too. I didn’t know about this business with the bad wine with fancy labels. And I can’t tell you how GREAT this is to finally, finally !, find a english fanfiction with CORRECT french included ! I read others fics where the author wanted to include some french language for a reason or another, and it is quite often tragic, at best. The original sentence as well as the traduction. But your french is excellent, the traduction is correct, and it is just one more detail who adds so much to the story. I had first noticed in “The Queen Susan in Tashbaan”, and it was a really good surprise.
What else ? Ah well, that’s all I can think about at the moment. And I’m beginning to re-read your fics while writing this, so it is not really helping xD
So, to sum it up : I love it, all of it. I read every thing you have on FF.net, save for “Under Cover”, I am not much in Eustace and Jill, right now, so maybe later. And I am currently digging through your LiveJournal for every One-Shot I can find. I just love it. The stories, the characters, the details, the consistency, the researches, everything is so rich it is a real joy to explore again and again. Your Narnia has nothing to do with the one I imagined from the books, but that is the great thing with fanfictions : you can discover a totally new point of view, an almost completely new world, and it is so enjoyable.
At last I achieve this awfully long "review” with a simple plea: more. Please, please, please, give me more ! :-)
I also apologise for all the mistakes that are bound to be there in this mess, as I said, I am not English, nor from anywhere where it is the first spoken language, and as much as I pride myself with a good english, I know that I still have a way to go until I can really pay tribute to Shakespeare language.
So :
- Thank you so much
- Please, more !
- Good luck with the continuation
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As to letters I would want to see...I feel like I would love to see Susan and Polly and Susan and the Professor and Lucy and the Professor writing each other.
...is there any chance Tebbitt might write Susan? *hopeful*
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Happy Anniversary!
(Anonymous) 2011-03-22 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)I echo Marie's long paean above. Thank you so much for writing this adult Narnia! It's such a pleasure to read, and so satisfying to meet these people as well-rounded adults.
Re: Happy Anniversary!