what larks!

[marketchippie]

Five things:

1. I finished The Hour and fell into an hour's worth of mild feelings coma. Romola's hands! Everyone's face! The way Abi Morgan writes about wartime coverage! I'm pleased (putting it mildly) to hear that it's getting a second season; but how awfully long the wait's going to be. (Before there's a next season, I'll at least be seeing Oona

Comments

[corleones]

Doctor/Amy; magician!AU.

[cambridge]

ah, you read The Magicians? What did you think of it?

[marketchippie]

Possibly-unreasonably intense hatred.

(I need to read the sequel for a) Julia reasons and b) grudge reasons. But it's going to be haaaaaaaaaaaard. *whinge*)

[lareinenoire]

Oh, I wish I could have taken a class on Love and War in Renaissance Italy. That sounds amazing. (Who is said professor, out of curiosity? Initials would probably serve if you don't want to name names.)

I mean, the aesthetic, sure, I like bustles and corsets and cogs as much as the next girl who looks extra good in sepia-tint, but as a means of storytelling I feel like it universally fails in ways I find frustrating. It's empty-it feels rather like our generation's pulp form, but without the zeal behind the gratuitousness, because it's such a manner fetish

I have similar feelings about steampunk -- I love the aesthetic and think it's gorgeous, but it all feels very superficial, more often than not. I did enjoy Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, but that's as much paranormal as it is steampunk and has a wonderful protagonist (the first book is my favourite of the three, but they're all enjoyable). It's difficult to work with as a writer too, since what people presumably want to read about is the technology and the shininess

[marketchippie]

It's Virginia Cox (the world of academia is small, aha).

Agreed re. intent! I don't care about the tech and the tech is the entire point-I'd be interested in playing with historical AUs, theoretically (although I'm such an intense overthinker that I'd drive myself crazy if I wasn't writing pure absurdism), but apparently THAT'S NOT WHAT ANYONE WANTS.

And-ahhhh hahahahaha, The Magicians. Oh, lord, this book. Frankly? I hate it. Really, truly hate it, because I wanted so much for it to deliver as a concept, loved so much the concept, and then the experience of reading it was so empty that it honestly makes me furious. Irrationally so, but-the kind of hatred that is clearly going to lead back to my reading the sequel (JULIA'S IMPORTANT IN IT; I can't NOT) because it can't go ignored. It's probably, ehh, my third-least-favorite book, and I'm holding a grudge.

[lareinenoire]

I don't care about the tech and the tech is the entire point-I'd be interested in playing with historical AUs, theoretically (although I'm such an intense overthinker that I'd drive myself crazy if I wasn't writing pure absurdism), but apparently THAT'S NOT WHAT ANYONE WANTS.

I'd read that. I would be ALL OVER THAT. Historical AU is what I want! i.e. in the Carriger series, I want to know how all the paranormal stuff actually got worked out in the first place. Airships are cool, I get that, but I want to know how things became the way they were. Bah. ;) Even the steampunk story I wrote was totally fixated on dialogue and power politics and I had to fight to make the tech more prominent.

Hee, I did love the concept of The Magicians (and the medieval monster references made me squee) but, oh, goodness, the manpain. SO MUCH EMO MANPAIN. And I cannot forgive Alice. I just cannot, because I adored her. Fail, Grossman, fail.

And it makes me feel bad because I love his article on fanfic. He gets it. And you do make a very good point that

[tilty]

omg popping in to say: MUMMY RETURNS FIC I WANT IT BEFORE MY EYEBALLS NOW NOW NOW.

Also I am just perpetually jealous of how excited you are over school. I remember every semester up until junior year being a drag because it was all requirements, requirements, requirements. And even when I got to chose my electives I wasn't always 100% satisfied. But youuuuu are always on cloud nine! I hope it's everything you dream it is, dear. :)

[marketchippie]

omg I'm writing it at ridiculous hours of the night and trying not to let my Hour feelings invade ("IMHOTEP AND ANCK-SU-NAMUN HANGING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUEZ CRISIS FOR A DAY" IS NOT A VIABLE PLOT), lollllllll. It's going to be stupid long and too much fun.

And ha, I basically banged through all my core courses in one go last semester, which was the worst but NOW THEY'RE VANQUISHED (except for one NatSci, fuck that) and I can actually...study things I want to study? I am pretending to know what I'm doing! I think it's working!

[tilty]

A;LSDKFJA;LSKD BOUNCING WIHT GLEE OMG CANNOT WAIT. I've been meaning to make Mummy graphics foreeeever but I always feel like I'd get the stinkeye from 80% of tumblr. I WILL CONTINUE WITH THIS PLAN REGARDLESS. DISGUSTING SURGE OF FEELINGS FOR IMHOTEP/ANCK-SU-NAMUN SINCE AGE TEN. ALSO MY FAVORITE LIBRARIAN/INTELLECTUAL/ARCHAEOLOGIST EVY.

Ahhh clever girl. You are getting the best out of NYU and this makes my jaded heart so happy! It's hard to feel like you got a world class education when most of your lectures consisted of 200-ish students or more and you had to battle other kids to get to know even one professor. So basically: continue to excite us with your academic conquests, please!

[vega_ofthe_lyre]

I had a dream in the car today that I finished Heart of Iron and it immediately picked up and was exciting and awesome. And then I woke up and it wasn't. And I was deeply apathetic.

Anyway, oh ho ho:

KGB three, whichever imperial court you like~

(do not feel pressure to confine this size-wise js)