potentialities

What I've been reading

Pretty much just rereading a bunch of children's books this week. Also kind of assuming that everyone who might be reading this has read the Narnia books.

I reread both of the Harry Potter schoolbooks, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages. I really enjoy the inventiveness in FB, especially the creatures that are purely Rowling's. Having just read a bunch of stuff about the actual history of muggle football I do find it somewhat bemusing that the Quidditch World Cup is meant to be a good 457 years older than its actual-world analogue/inspiration. I thought maybe Quidditch should be played in test matches like the other sport that it's clearly inspired by, but no, international cricket only dates back to 1844. But then the medieval period of the Harry Potter universe diverge from ours in so many ways; I think you pretty much just have to go with it.

I reread The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, because the published reading order is the only acceptable reading order. I think it is completely ridiculous that new editions have been renumbered with the semi-chronological reading order, which doesn't even make sense, since The Magician's Nephew is clearly calling back to TLTWATW and not vice versa, and besides you'd actually have to put that book down near the end and pick up The Horse and His Boy before you were allowed to finish it, and harrumph. The great thing about these editions, though, is that they have all the wonderful Pauline Baynes illustrations, and not just a selection of illustrations "adapted from them" like the ubiquitous paperback editions of my youth. They've also been newly colored, and whoever did it did a nice, period-appropriate job.

Anyway, the book still does a good job of sucking you in, as naturally as if you had in fact found a portal to another world in some of your furniture. I must say, as an adult with more context for what air-raids are, I think the Pevensies are awfully cavalier about them. Also I'm not super-clear on how the system for identifying traitors so they can be sacrificed by the White Witch at the Stone Table up until now is supposed to have worked. But then I'm not exactly a fan of penal substitutionary atonement in non-lion-based theology, either. It's funny how almost entirely the kids are supposed to have forgotten the world of their actual birth shortly before they're sucked back into it, considering what will later be made of Susan's later attempt to forget/deny/move on from Narnia.

I reread Prince Caspian, which was never one of my particular favorites, although I like the camping/survivalist part, and I like Caspian, and goodness knows I love Reepicheep. I guess it annoys me when Aslan dicks everyone around by only appearing to Lucy for no good reason. It's, like, a test. Of something. And also keeps the book from ending too quickly, I guess. Feh.

I reread The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which was and is my absolute favorite Narnia book because Eustace Clarence Scrubb. I adore Eustace, okay. In spite of being someone who, unlike him, had read all the right books, I sneakingly sympathized with him not enjoying himself very much, especially when they had no water and everything was legitimately terrible. I also enjoy how ridiculously over the top awful he is at first, just because it's absolutely hilarious, and I also like his little redemption arc and him being a basically normal person afterwards. Also I think I'm the only person on earth who ships Caspian/Eustace but I'd be so into it. Maybe I will have to write it just to prove that it can be done.

I reread The Silver Chair, which you would think that I would adore given my aforementioned Eustace fandom, but I never really warmed to it. Partly Eustace doesn't really feel like himself to me, which is too bad, because I do like Jill very much. Partly because I think everyone who likes this book tends to love Puddleglum, and I'm personally not hugely enthusiastic about Puddleglum. Partly because this is another book where the entire plot is based on Aslan being super unhelpful for no good reason. (I do have epic shipper feels about the part where Eustace realizes that he's missed Caspian, though. ♥) Also the Lady of he Green Kirtle is wonderfully menacing, but then it feels like they defeat her too easily and too early in the book. It felt off somehow. This was definitely my least reread book as a kid (excluding The Last Battle, since it was never reread).

I reread The Horse and His Boy, which is another one of my absolute favorites. On reread it annoyed me a bit how Aslan was stage-managing absolutely everything that happened, though. Not only does he set everything in motion, he's tweaking and adjusting everyone at practically every turn! Although I'm still pretty into his intervening to let Aravis know what her stepmother's slave's beating felt like. In a kinky way. Um. Also I weirdly adore Lasaraleen. I think it's honestly sweet that in spite of the fact that she and Aravis are basically total opposites, they're good enough friends in their own way that she goes along with it when Aravis asks her for help, even though she thinks Aravis is completely mad to be doing what she's doing. Also I've come around to a lot more girly-things than I was into back when I first read these books.

I have to say that Calormen, in spite of being a sort of racist and clichéd mishmash of things, does come across as a more realistic country than Narnia, even if it is most often realistic in kind of terrible ways. I always found it fascinating when I was rereading this book, even though I have to agree that Aravis, Shasta, Bree and Hwin have the right idea heading for Narnia and the north.

I reread The Magician's Nephew, which I think might be the best-written book of the series even though it can never dislodge Dawn Treader from my heart, and I by no means protest against it being placed first in the abominable reading order because I have anything against it. I generally feel like one of Lewis's strengths was writing about kids' thoughts and feelings in a way that I related to when I was one myself, but I wonder if I think he did best with Diggory and Polly because he was going back to the era when he himself was a kid. Or maybe it's that Aslan doesn't come onto the scene until near the end, so the plot is primarily based on Diggory, Polly, Uncle Andrew and Jadis being the people they are. It feels like it holds together better to me. Also I just love the idea of the World between the Worlds, and its cousin, the Neitherlands. (Still really wish I could read the Fillory books.)

What I'm reading now

Courtesans and Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens by James Davidson

What I'm reading next

No, really, I am going to reread The Last Battle sometime. Honestly. I mean, it's definitely a better end times book than Left Behind, so there's that.

I am not having to type this entry on my phone! This is so exciting for me! Especially since I read a bunch of things and want to ramble on and on about a bunch of them.

What I've been reading

I read Vergil in Averno, the second Vergil Magus book (although chronologically it's actually the first). It was more of a slog than The Phoenix and the Mirror, mostly because Averno, although not literally hell, is an unrelentingly unpleasant place to be, even secondhand.

I read Hood, because I really liked Emma Donoghue's nonfiction writing about fictional lesbians. It's a really good depiction, I think, of not being able to get out of your first relationship, even when it's not good enough, because it's never bad enough, either, a decision that is finally settled for the protagonist by a car crash. (That's not a spoiler, it's on the back cover. It's mingled present day and flashbacks.)

I read Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby's memoir of football fandom, which is very funny and thoughtful, even though I find the idea of rooting for a team with absolutely zero consideration of what people happen to make up that team at any given time nearly incomprehensible. Doubtless many people would consider my intention to root for various teams, including historical rivals who play in the same league, because I like their goalkeepers, to be equally incomprehensible if not more so. (And yes, when they play each other I will be rooting for nil-nil draws.)

I read Johnny Hiro: The Skills to Pay the Bills, which I didn't realize until the end was actually the second book in a series, because it is nowhere labeled as such. It's a surprisingly sweet mix of very realistic slice of life stuff with very wacky and physical adventures, including multiple cameos by Mayor Bloomberg. I really loved it (and put a hold on the first Johnny Hiro book).

I read/reread The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, Neil Gaiman's previously-published short story that is now illustrated and adapted by Eddie Campbell. I have to admit, I didn't love that certain sections of dialogue were redone sequential art-style, because I found it jarring to switch between that and regular prose dialogue attribution, but on the other hand the illustrations were striking and atmospheric.

I reread Caddie Woodlawn, which was one of the books I had practically memorized as a kid, because I discovered that there was a semi-sequel/continuation, Magical Melons, that I hadn't known existed.

I began my HP reread with, of course, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In memory I always underestimate just how long the beginning with the Dursleys being terrible goes on, and correspondingly how quickly the school year flies by. I was amused to notice on reread how interested Harry is in his schoolwork at the beginning, when he's insecure about his ignorance of the wizarding world and desperate to prove that he's good at something. As soon as he discovers Quidditch, which he is very good at, he settles into the Harry who barely keeps up with his (admittedly considerable-sounding) courseload.

I reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which was my least favorite of the four books back when there were only the four books. Probably it still is. Dobby manages to be the most annoying character in a book that has Gilderoy Lockhart and Colin Creevey in it, which is saying something, and house elves are just a really unfortunate piece of worldbuilding.

I reread Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is, conversely, the most perfectly Harry Potter Harry Potter book. I'm just always delighted by the way the end comes together like clockwork.

I reread Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and for the first time noticed that it can get little clunkier with its infodumps than the first three, including a fairly cringe-y bit where Harry does that thing where he looks in the mirror so he can describe his appearance to the reader, which I think is pretty much never advisable. For all that, though, I love how much it opens up the wizarding world, although house elves continue to be the worst idea ever. In-universe, Hermione's S.P.E.W. campaign is annoying, but that is only because the unfortunate implications of a race of intelligent (uh, -ish) beings who seem largely incapable of wanting to do anything other than serve their owners can only be avoided by not inventing such a thing in the first place.

I started to reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, intending to continue straight through all seven books, I really did, but…it is so slow to get started. And also I had to set it aside so that I could read another book involving a magical school and a protagonist whom a lot of people find annoying…

I read The Magician's Land, which is the third, and almost certainly the final book in the Magicians series, so I suppose that it is now a trilogy. Unlike some people, I never hated Quentin, but I especially like him now that he is my age and has learned some things. For anyone who read "The Girl in the Mirror" from the Dangerous Women anthology that also contains "The Princess and the Queen" by George R. R. Martin, it is in this book, and there is a lot more Plum. I love Plum.

What I'm reading next

I will definitely get through OotP again, um, sometime. /o\

An Incurable Inability to Focus (1650 words) by wisdomeagle
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Minerva McGonagall
Characters: Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall
Additional Tags: Community: femslash_kink, Community: kink_bingo, Epistolary, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Teacher/Student, Caning
Summary:

When Hermione was at Hogwarts she found fantasies about Professor McGonagall painfully distracting. It's ten years later, and she still can't get any work done.

Mmmmmm, caning. ♥

Splash Page (9209 words) by laliquey
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - All Media Types
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eduardo Saverin/Lisbeth Salander, Eduardo Saverin/Mark Zuckerberg
Characters: Eduardo Saverin, Lisbeth Salander, Mark Zuckerberg
Additional Tags: Road Trips, Friendship/Love, Stalking, Revenge, Awkward Sexual Situations, Crossover Pairings
Summary:

Lisbeth cyberstalks Mark for amusement, then gets caught up watching him watch Eduardo. She likes Eduardo and engineers a reason to meet him; they become friends with eventual benefits and take a road trip from Miami to San Francisco for a shareholders meeting and a Lisbeth/Mark showdown.

For the tsnrarepairfest.

For some reason there is virtually no Millennium Trilogy fic, including absolutely zero of the Lisbeth/Erica or Lisbeth/Erica/Mikael (yes the most awkward threesome EVAR) fic that I crave. This crossover works surprisingly well, though, and I like Lisbeth in it, although she is maybe a touch too domesticated, but it's sweet in a way.

So basically, it's fandom, only boring?

I seriously do not even understand the point.

Daniel Radcliffe is so precious and clever and wee in his turn on Q.I.! I am sort of but actually not really distracted from waiting for yuletide to open.

I saw HBP on Wednesday with wisdomeagle on Wednesday, which was, briefly and non-spoilery, was just a whole lot of fun. More analytical thoughts possibly to come, or maybe just a spate of Everybody/Everybody Else fic and screencaps of Harry Potter sims.

Last night I drabbled about Percy and got a lovely Trelawney drabble in return. Then I flung all my belongings in a suitcase and slept for a couple of hours before I had to be at the airport, which is where I am right now. Fortunately they have stopped charging for their wireless internet.

I'm tagging along with my father on another trip to Washington D.C. This time I get to see my beloved laislabevita, who's doing a law internship thingy there! Much more exciting than the Washington Monument.

And apparently we are boarding now. I have my laptop, my iPod, my DS and a book for a two and a half hour flight. Think I'll survive?

My beloved laislabevita is making Hogwarts colors-themed bracelets and they're gorgeous.

You should totally check them out. If you would like one of your very own, she's selling them for a mere $10.

Finally finished this thing at the very last possible minute. Don't ask me why it took me so long to write because I could not possibly tell you, except for the part where I reread all the HP books looking for vampire references, which are few, far between, and inconclusive, so in the end I made stuff up.

Also, it ended up being kind of odd. Oh well.

Leading With Blood by mayhap
Sanguini/Worple. NC-17 for sexuality and vampirism. 1,090 words.
Worple draws Sanguini out. Sanguini draws Worple in.

Notes: Written for the pornish_pixies June Fantasy Fest for marksykins who requested ( vampire porn! )

Their first meeting was tense and awkward; understandably so, taking place as it did in a windowless chamber buried deep within Azkaban.

mctabby's annual drabblethon is winding to a close now and, as always, it is chock full of awesome. My own modest contribution to the fun can be found here.

In other news, someone visited our yard in the night and planted marshmallow peeps and bunnies on plastic forks along our driveway. It wasn't my mom, and I don't think it was any of the neighbors since ours was the only yard to be so favored, so I think it must have been one of my brother's friends.

And now, because it is actually nice out (nothing short of a miracle, considering that our weather is almost uniformly awful and last night we had tornados, for heaven's sake) I will be reclining on the back porch.