#not everything can be Voyage of the Dawn Treader

[the-golden-ghost]

Writing Patterns

rules: share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

Tagged by the esteemed and venerable @eldritch-elrics, thank you very much!

Karlach stood and saluted the sun as it dipped down below the horizon, putting on a show of orange and pink to remember it by.(To Greet The Dawn)

2. Midnight awoke in the sleepy gray darkness just before dawn. (Unfathomable)

3. Astarion lay like the corpse he was in the quiet of his tent, stretched out on his back, unmoving. (Thermostasis)

4. “You know... sometimes it’s really nice to just sit around and be bored,” Sokka said. (Shifting)

5. “The jig’s up, Goemon. Surrender now and I’ll spare you the humiliation.” (To the Death)

6. Autumn was coming. (Seasons Change)

7. Jevil had been blessed at his creation with a beautiful singing voice. (Harmony)

8. Cold as it was, it was a beautiful night. (First Snow)

9. Something was different in the Card Kingdom. (Friends In Dark Spaces)

10. “Look. I’m telling you. I know what I saw,” Links said. (We Thought You Were Dead!)

So, patterns... I think the main thing I notice is that with my writing I tend to just dive in and scene-set or open with a relevant bit of dialogue or character detail rather than messing around with long introductions. I think I've done that with chapter openings, but I don't really do it with the main fic. I know "proper" openings invite a question to hook the audience but for fic writing I don't think this is as necessary as it is with original works since the audience is already familiar with the characters and concept.

Tagging: @dandunn, @3wisellamas, @y2kbugs, @skeleton-richard and anyone else who wants, I forget who publishes fic and has been tagged already! (Also no pressure if you got tagged but want to skip!)

[writersmacchiato]

Three Years | Edmund Pevensie x Reader

Summary: You see Edmund and Lucy again in the most unexpected of places after their departure three years earlier.

Warnings: kissing (between Edmund x reader)

. . .

Salt.

It was misting over your face, tangy as it melted on your tongue.

The sun was just rising over the horizon, the endless blues of the sea turning golden and pink as they reflected the light.

Besides the creaking of the ship, and the shuffling of feet below deck as the crew began to stir and rise for the day, all was silent.

You had been waking up early every day since the voyage had begun. Without any reason, drawn to the crow’s nest in the misty grays of dawn before the rest of the world awakened. Watching the sunrise from the perfect spot.

The day would be like any other that had come before.

When Caspian, in all his kingly charm, had requested that you accompany him on this trip to the ends of the world you had been expecting more dangerous conquests. All you had battled so far was seasickness.

“Good morning. See anything?” The aforementioned king called up his usual greeting to you, hair ruffling in the cool breeze.

“Sea and more sea!”

You don’t hear it but can imagine the chuckle he releases through the rise and fall of his shoulders as he walks away to resume his check of the ship.

The sun continues to rise higher and higher into the sky, a cloudless day stretching away. You had snuck away to catch a moment of quiet in the crow’s nest.

Watching the empty waves was beginning to bore you.

When.

It couldn’t be-

“Caspian!” You yelled, jumping over the wooden beams that held you aloft. Grabbing hold of the rope to slide down, all the while yelling Caspian’s name.

“What is it?”

“There on the eastern starboard, I saw something. Someone.”

Caspian runs to the railing, quickly yelling orders at the crew to begin a rescue.

Rescue?

You’re too stunned by the possibility of a rescue to react when Caspian himself dives into the water. You’ve been watching the waters - there have been no sightings of any boats or ships for days now. Not even a rowboat.

The creak of the pulley grabs your attention, dragging first Caspian into view and then the young girl huddled against his side.

It couldn’t possibly be-

Lucy Pevensie. Daughter of Eve.

She shouts your name and crashes into you with little grace. You don’t care that she’s dripping water everywhere, returning her fierce embrace.

“Oh Lucy.” You can’t help the wide smile.

And then you see him, standing besides Caspian with his own smile looking at you.

“Edmund.” You breathe so quietly you aren’t sure you say anything, but Lucy pulls away and beckons her brother over.

He says your name just as quietly and gets close enough for you to touch him but he doesn’t make the first move, just looking and looking.

“Well come here!” You wrap your arms around him, relishing the way he grabs onto you gently. Almost shyly.

He whispers your name again, to himself, committing every bit of this to memory. He thought he remembered everything; but now he realizes how much he’s forgotten. The way you felt against him, the feel of your hair against his face, the way you smell.

A piercing scream cuts your reunion short, and Edmund has even more reason to despise his cousin when he feels the loss of your warmth against him.

“Welcome aboard the Dawn Treader.”

. . .

Edmund tried to fall asleep, he truly did.

The creaking of the ship and the swaying of his hammock made of his stomach roll, but he could’ve adapted to it if it wasn’t for the snoring of Eustace. He also couldn’t stop thinking about you and how much his heart swelled, almost painfully, when he thought about the look on your face when you saw him. Like you were happy to see him.

He’s sitting outside now, on the eastern stern of the ship, giddy at the feeling of the wind against his face. Narnian air.

“Edmund.”

His gaze cuts from the endless water to your form, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. Like a dream. It feels too much like the many dreams he had back home, wanting nothing more than to see you again.

“Mind if I join you?”

He shuffles over on the bench, trying to contain his grin when you open the blanket you brought and drape it over your shoulders and his.

“Tell me about your world.”

You play with his hand, tracing over the lines on his palm. Edmund doesn’t know how to describe it to you; he’s fought battles by your side, danced with you under the Narnian sky while fireworks flashed across the sky. In England, he’s no one.

“There’s nothing exciting there. Nothing like what we did.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I suppose so.”

You can tell there’s more he isn’t saying, something that is eating away from him. But you don’t pry. Not yet.

“Tell me. What have you been doing since I left?” Edmund asks.

You hum, fingers still tracing over the lines on Edmundo’s palm. Trying to reconcile three years worth of memories into something amusing or daring, but the truth is… that without Edmund, dealing with his sudden departure had left you in misery.

“Can I be honest with you, Edmund?”

He doesn’t answer right away, shifting slightly so he’s turned toward you instead of side by side. Hand gently squeezing yours.

“Of course you can.”

“The past three years have been amazing, theoretically. Caspian has managed to restore peace and order to the lands, Narnians have been rebuilding their lives and I… I missed you. I kept thinking to myself, ‘Edmund would love this’.”

“I missed you too.” Edmund says quietly. “Lucy had to drag me out of bed most days, because at least in my dreams I might get to visit you again.”

“Edmund?”

He hums in response.

You turn your body so you’re facing him too, the blanket you’d brought slipping down to your waist. Even with the chilly breeze from the ocean you don’t feel cold, feeling the warmth radiating from Edmund. From where his thigh touches yours. His hand still in yours.

You ask the question that you’ve thought about every night since he and his siblings walked through the tree back into their world.

“Why didn’t you kiss me?”

You don’t have to specify - when, where, what? Edmund knows exactly what you’re talking about.

The night of Caspian’s coronation, the sky lit up with fireworks. The way the colors flashed over your face, the whizz and crack of the fireworks vibrating through his chest. Your hands on his shoulder, his on your waist.

It felt like a moment torn out of a fairytale, the only thing missing was a twirl and a dip in the dance that ended in a kiss.

Instead, once the majority of the merriment commenced, the fireworks fizzled out and the food and drink all gone, Edmund walked you to your room. You remember the way your heart beat, so fast, feeling more nervous than you had on the battlefield days earlier.

“Goodnight,” Edmund had said, pressing a kiss to your hand and then he was gone in the castle shadows. The next day he was gone from Narnia.

“I did kiss you.” He has a hint of a smirk on his lips, but you can see the flush on his cheeks.

“On the hand does not count! Did you not want to kiss me?”

“Of course I did. I’ve spent three years thinking how foolish I was not to.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I knew Susan and Peter had spoken to Aslan and that they seemed upset. I had a suspicion of what they discussed. So, that night with you… I felt that if we got closer than we already had, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. Knowing how it felt and then leaving. I’m not sure I would’ve gone with them.”

“I thought I misread you.”

“I’ve spent three years regretting that night. I should have kissed you.”

“I think it’s time we rectify that, hm?”

You kiss him, and you’re struck by how warm he is. Slow and languid, the kiss is sweet. Filled with years of pent up longing finally being released.

Shaking your hand loose, your hand slides up to his neck, gently guiding his eager mouth closer to yours. He breath hitches in his throat, biting back a moan.

It gets messy, clumsy. Noses bumping against each other. His hand finds it way to your waist, your own hands slipping into the loose hair at the nape of his neck. You pull him closer and closer until he’s pressed right against you.

You pull away with a heaving breath, Edmund chasing your lips.

“I need a breather.” You huff out.

“I’ve thought about doing that every single night since Caspian’s coronation.”

“Oh, you mean after you chickened out and didn’t kiss me? And then left for three years?”

Edmund rolls his eyes, pulling away in his stubbornness. “I didn’t see you making a move either, oh fearless one.”

“I think I just did.”

“Three years later.” He mocks.

You shut him up with another kiss, this time finding a rhythm with your lips that makes your toes curl.

The voyage ahead was certain to become more dangerous with each passing day, but here, wrapped in a king's embrace, you think of nothing else but him. Edmund.

[foone]

whats your favourite narnia book if you have one

Since I grew up as an autistic christian, I have many Narnia Opinions!

So, my favorite book for it's own reasons is probably The Magician's Nephew. I'm always a slut for worldbuilding and backstory and that novel is basically just only that. Some guy we know from another book goes on an adventure and in the process gets to be involved with the creation of one world and the destruction of another? kick-ass.

Best book to adapt? The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. 1988 BBC version, 1979 Cartoon version, 2005 theatrical? All good, in their own ways. The BBC version is just perfectly 80s and the costumes are amazing (because they are costumes! they did all the monsters by sticking a guy in a big costume and I love it), the cartoon version captures the fucking whimsy of a story where SANTA SHOWS UP AND GIVES EVERYONE PRESENTS and the first person to offer any serious lore about the situation is named MR BEAVER. And the 2005 film has the big battles and CGI and Tilda Swinton as the White Witch which is... so much. I love them all.

But the best book adaptation is the 1990 BBC The Silver Chair. Hands down. It's got Tom Baker's Puddleglum, Warwick Davis playing an owl, 0£ BBC budget greenscreened giants (MULTIPLE TIMES), a group of people discovering IT'S A COOKBOOK and one of them being offended by the cookbook saying they don't taste very good, the bad guy turning into a giant rubber snake. a witch trying to gaslight some humans into believing the sun is a myth, and the ultimate salvation of Eustace Scrubb: a boy who almost deserved being named that.

And since I can't not list basically everything Narnia ever made, BBC's 1989 Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is pretty good too. It's a fun "road movie", in that it's an odyssey into a fictional Mysterious Ocean of Here There Be Dragons.

Lotta hits in that one. It's also got a "collect the macguffins!" plot where they're trying to collect the Seven Lost Lords.

But yeah, it's like... the first Island gets them a lord and they get to end slavery. Next up, Dragon TF island (The dragon is Greed... but it's also just a literal fucking dragon). Next, Gold TF island. Gold, it turns out, makes you go insane in your lust for wealth, even if you're already a Prince of a whole country. The gold is Greed, but it will also just fucking kill you because you'll be turned into gold.

Then it's the island of the ugly invisible one-foot guys and it turns out they cast a spell to turn invisible so no one could see how they're ugly but they're not ugly, they just think they are? and then it goes "HEY LUCY COMPARE YOURSELF TO YOUR OLDER SISTER" and she's like "I'm ugly.... unlike her. Maybe I should use magic to STEAL HER BEAUTY?!" and it's like, wow. Is there maybe a theme here about self-esteem in your appearance? and Clive Officemax Lewis is over there going I'LL NEVER TELL.

Anyway it's got the good line about how the Wizard in charge of the ugly invisible one-footed pogo-idiots is that how he eagerly awaits the day that they can be ruled by wisdom, instead of magic. It's a fun approach to magic: it's something that is a shortcut, a crutch, and it's a poor replacement for Wisdom, even when used by "the good guys". Tell me, Mr. FedexKinkos-Lewis, do you have any opinions on the complicated relationship between Christianity and magic? oh, you do? I never would have guessed!

They also find The Island Where Dreams Come True. They don't land there, they just fish a screaming man out of the ocean who is trying to escape it. The sailors hear it's The Island Where Dreams Come True and are like "wow, I could have my own ship!" and he yells no, you fools, not dreams like your wishes and imaginations, your actual dreams come true on this island.

and everyone agrees: Get us the fuck away from this island and lets never return.

Anyway I'm not gonna talk about THE ENTIRE MOVIE/BOOK but it's got a great weirdness at the end where they reach the end of the world (which is flat. It's okay, this is Narnia, a completely different world with different physical rules than Earth), and it's a waterfall, but a waterfall going up?

It turns out Heaven is on the other side of it. They turn around, but the anthropomorphic mouse is like "ehh, I'll take that journey" and becomes the Elijah of Aslan's Country, their equivalent of heaven.

Narnia, won't you?

[aaronstveit]

read in 2024!

it's that time again! i loved doing reading threads in 2022 and 2023 so i will definitely be carrying on the tradition this year. as always, you can find me on goodreads and storygraph, and you're always welcome to message me about books!

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu* (★★★★★)

Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks and Stones by Ngozi Ukazu* (★★★★★)

Check, Please! Chirpbook by Ngozi Ukazu* (★★★★★)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (★★★★★)

The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert** (★★★★☆)

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (★★★★★)

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (★★★☆☆)

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (★★★☆☆)

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (★★★★☆)

Dream Work by Mary Oliver (★★★★☆)

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (★★★★☆)

Cain’s Jawbone by E. Powys Mathers

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (★★★★★)

You’ve Been Summoned by Lindsey Lamar** (★★☆☆☆)

The Seven Ages by Louise Glück (★★★★☆)

The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent** (★★★☆☆)

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (★★★★★)

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Normal People by Sally Rooney (★★★★★)

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin** (★★★☆☆)

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (★★☆☆☆)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (★★★☆☆)

The Drowning Faith by R.F. Kuang (★★★★★)

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (★★★★★)

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang (★★★★★)

King Lear by William Shakespeare (★★★★☆)

All These Sunken Souls by assorted authors, edited by Circe Moskowitz (★★★★☆)

The Big Four by Agatha Christie (★★★☆☆)

The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes (★★★★☆)

That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton (★★☆☆☆)

The Avant-Guards, Vol. 2 by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes (★★★★☆)

Jurassic Park by Michael (★★★☆☆)

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (★★★☆☆)

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (★★★★★)

Violeta by Isabel Allende (★★★☆☆)

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (★★★★☆)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (★★★★☆)

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (★★★★☆)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (★★★★★)

The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes (★★★★★)

Third Girl by Agatha Christie (★★★☆☆)

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (★★★☆☆)

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (★★★★★)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (★★★★★)

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (★★★☆☆)

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz (★★★★★)

Persuasion by Jane Austen (★★★★★)

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore & David Lloyd (★★★★☆)

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (★★★☆☆)

We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie* (★★★★★)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (★★★★☆)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin* (★★★★★)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (★★★★☆)

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (★★★★☆)

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson (★★★☆☆)

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (★★★★☆)

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose (★☆☆☆☆)

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (★★★★☆)

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (★★★★☆)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (★★★★☆)

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien* (★★★★★)

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson (★★★★☆)

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith (★★★★★)

4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (★★★★☆)

From Turtle Island to Gaza by David Groulx (★★★★★)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (★★★★★)

Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (★★★☆☆)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (★★★★☆)

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat by Bill Watterson (★★★★★)

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (★☆☆☆☆)

An asterisk (*) indicates a reread. A double asterisk (**) indicates an ARC.

[wanderingmind867]

I've got very picky book taste. I'm picky in many ways. I'm a picky eater, I'm picky about the stuff i'll watch, i'm picky about the video games i'll play, etc. But I want to focus on my taste in books for right now. I have criteria for what i'll read. Let me go find my book collection, and list some of the time i've read over the years. So let's just list the stuff I see, explain it, and then see if we both don't learn about me:

Percy Jackson and everything else Rick Riordan did (I have all of PJO, all of HOO, all of TKC, All of Magnus Chase, and I read the first three books of the Trials of Apollo. I gave up that series after Jason died, both because COVID took me away from school (where I did my best reading), and also because Jason's death devastated me).

Harry Potter (I loved these books as a kid. Or well, I loved Dumbledore and the teachers. The last book was too full of death and no school stuff, so I didn't like it. But the teachers at Hogwarts? I loved them. Albus Dumbledore and Gandalf are still the reason I love Wizards so much. I read Harry Potter nearly five times in a row, because those first 5-6 books were amazing. Now that I know about JK Rowling being a horrible human being... it's hard to engage. But I still do hold love for some of the characters. I just haven't reread the books in a long time).

The Lord of the Rings (I haven't read these since I was really young. But in Grade 2, I read these books. And I read them again once or twice after that. But I never did understand Tolkien's mythos. It's too complicated. I never quite understood who Sauron was, or why he was evil. And the Silmarillion was too dry to read. But I did read The Hobbit, as that EA who died recently gave it to me when I was young. So again, I could never quite grasp them. But I loved Gandalf. I still really, really love him).

The Chronicles of Narnia (In elementary school, a teacher gifted these books to me. A worn out collection of them all. I managed to read the first four books (The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and his Boy and Prince Caspian). But I couldn't get past the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Too many confusing ship terms. It lost me, and I never could get past it. So I only ever read those first four books. I ended up feeling content with that decision, though.

A Series of Unfortunate Events (I never did see the whole Netflix show, and I still never fully understood these books. I heard there were prequels, but I never read them. So these books were always very mysterious. The narrator always talks to the reader, randomly shoving in anecdotes about his tragic life. Confusing books. But they were also very fun. I remember there was a whole lot of great comedy in these books. A lot of depression and existensial stuff too, but I always preferred the comedy).

This is getting too long. Apparently I own too many books. So prepare for a part two. Maybe even a part three. I'll make those shortly. Then we can hopefully evaluate my reading taste, and figure out what I like and dislike.

[livvyofthelake]

and the thing is if people wanted an i'll give you the sun movie because they wanted to see jude i wouldn't even mind, because i too would love to see a movie about jude sweetwine. but you can tell people only care about noah and only want to see the sections about noah and it pisses me offffff. yes i know he's the one with the purple prose artsy descriptions of everything and it might be cool if someone talented made a weird indie avant garde adaptation of it all. but that is nottttt going to happen. if they adapted that book it would turn out SHIT and you know it and we'll all wish you never wished for it. like the voyage of the dawn treader all over again. but i digress we do not have time for me to get into the voyage of the dawn treader. and you don't want to hear it either i promise even if you think you do you do nottttt. anyway. like even discounting all the ways a good adaptation would be impossible if we just sat down and thought about how much it would take for ANY adaptation of it to be possible it's already not looking good. so it'd be shit across the board, it would look bad, it would be written bad because it doesn't have the kind of writing that's really transferable to a visual medium's writing, and all you'd get out of it is a couple scenes of preteen boys kissing that you can make ship edits for. which. weird but whatever. historically people don't like it when i talk my shit about this topic so i'll leave it here. whatever. goodbye peace and love <3

[fairmerthefarmer]

My obsession with designing characters specifically for voyage of the dawn treader is definitely because of my deep history of beef with the 2010 movie.

Anyone who knew me in middle school was in danger of ranting about that movie. (Wtf was the green mist also awkward writing in general. Visually the movie looked alright though. And will poulter killed it.)

The last time I rewatched with my sister we just sat there discussing everything we would do better. Despite not being writers. (Also the Drinian in that movie is SO opposite on how I ever pictured him.)

Also I feel like the best way to adapt that book in particular is a series.

I feel like the director of that movie really just didn’t care that much about the source material. In contrast to like Andrew adamson, those two movies are HIS Narnia in the best way. Like his version.

(Also why I actually am so excited to see Greta gerwigs take. Give this series to people with imaginations and can give us their version! The way c.s. Lewis writes invites the reader to fill in the gaps.)

[literalhobbit]

1, 12, 15, 20 for the book thing 👀

1. Book you’ve reread the most times?

- I thought this would be a tough question but then I thought of The Chronicles of Narnia. If I had to choose a specific story, probably The Horse and His Boy or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I know the radio theater versions by heart and have read the books countless times. They have the best characters and always leave me with a sense of wonder and hope 💕 other contenders were Eragon, Sovay, and DragonSpell, from the hundreds of times I read them growing up lol. I haven’t had as much time to reread books lately, so there aren’t any more recent reads that I’ve already been rereading

12. Did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

- Yes! In AP English my junior year, we read Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice for the first time and I loved both. P&P is still one of my faves, and this is where the obsession began lol. I’m so glad I had such a good teacher in that class - she made it really easy to love those stories. I remember some other books from other years that I disliked (some I hated lol) but no more specifically come to mind that I enjoyed.

15. Recommend and review a book.

- You’ve already read nearly everything I’ve loved and recommended lol. So, I have two recommendations I can’t choose from: Nocturne by Alyssa Wees or Anne of Green Gables.

1. Nocturne: it’s a shorter book, about a ballerina in 1930s Chicago who dreams of more. She becomes prima ballerina of her company but primarily because of a mysterious patron who has interesting demands of her. It feels like it’s a romance but the ending isn’t what I expected. The writing style is what captivated me - the author was a ballerina and somehow she writes in a way that is rhythmic and lyrical and feels like a dance. I loved it. And it’s wild because I just picked it up because of the beautiful cover art lol

2. Anne of Green Gables: another childhood favorite of mine. Anne is an orphan who gets adopted by older farmers, a brother and sister. She is a whimsical child full of love, hope, and an imagination like no other. It’s the beginning of the story of her growing up and she’s just wonderful. Sometimes I got secondhand embarrassment from things she did but they were usually for pretty relatable reasons. She has a delightful way of viewing the world that will make you look around in wonder, too

20. What are things you look for in a book?

- I like stories with hope. The world is a dark place (like many fictional ones, too), and can feel overwhelmingly against us, so I want to read about the stories where they fight on with hope, in whatever capacity. It doesn’t have to be a fairy tale to be hopeful. I look for compelling, well-thought out characters who are flawed and realistic. I do typically look for more plot-driven books (lots of fantasy adventures or mysteries) but they MUST have good character development too or they just fall flat for me. Also, if it has a cool magic system or pirates or dragons or talking cats, you can bet I will pick it up lol

[i-plague-eater]

OK! It's time for real odd fan theories!

It's a widespread fandom headcanon that Cedric is a naga. Which is a quite obvious thing to assume considering that nagas are basically snakes with a human torso. Many fans are giving his folk an Indian vibe and I really like such diversity.

Since small Cedric in my comic book is fond of folklore and especially everything including dragons, I started collecting mythology as well. There are four legged classy dragons, wyverns with two legs/hands but there are also wyrms who sound like worms. So I was like: who the heck are wyrms? From "The Lair Of The White Worm" movie I knew that it's an old tradition of calling dragons "worms". It seemed at first that a wyrm is a dragon that misses legs and only has snake-like body and wings. Also, breaths acid. I dug deeper and found out that according to the one of theories a word wyrm comes from Lindworm or Lindwurm.

Who are the lindworms then?

Lindworms are long, snake-like mythical creatures living deep in the forest that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster. Legend tells of two kinds of lindworm, a good one associated with luck, often a cursed prince who has been transformed into another beast, and a bad one, a dangerous man-eater which will attack humans on sight. Sometimes Lindworms has legs and/or wings, sometimes they don't. It really depends on the myth. I do like a variation saying that they has two limbs but they move like snakes and use these limbs as hands.

Here the fun begins.

As you might know, the Escanors came from Britain, like, Arthurian Britain. Lindworms along with wyverns are a part of northern folklore, like, Scotland for example. Or we might remember The Lair Of the White Worm again where Bram Stocker is referencing a legend of the Lambton Worm.

Here's something to spice up things even more:

In the 19th-century tale of "Prince Lindworm" (also "King Lindworm") from Scandinavian folklore, a "half-man half-snake" lindworm is born, as one of twins, to a queen, who, in an effort to overcome her childlessness, followed the advice of an old crone who instructed her to eat two onions. As she did not peel the first onion, the first twin was born a lindworm. The second twin is perfect in every way. When he grows up and sets off to find a bride, the lindworm insists that a bride be found for him before his younger brother can marry. Because none of the chosen maidens are pleased by him, he eats each one until a shepherd's daughter who spoke to the same crone, is brought to marry him, wearing every dress she owns. The lindworm tells her to take off her dress, but she insists that he shed a skin for each dress she removes. Eventually his human form is revealed beneath the last skin. Some versions of the story omit the lindworm's twin, and the gender of the soothsayer varies. A similar tale occurs in the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis. (source)

The most insane idea is to make Cedric a Phobos and Elyon brother, but a bastard. Like, a bastard who is a bastard due to his lindworm nature? Or just a aristocrat with the same background, also related to the Escanor clan. I mean, he's been called "a Lord" right?

I don't think I can use the first idea, although might use the second one for an adult cartoon Cedric. Anyway, I do like the idea of using ancient Northern mythology and English folklore. I'll keep digging and bring you interesting pieces once I'll find them.

[materassassino]

13 books tag game

Was tagged by @polarcell! Heeeee~ I'm so glad I've gotten back into reading and can do this happily without struggle!

1) The last book I read:

Infidels by Andrew Wheatcroft. It's mediocre. The research is only strong when it concerns Spain, and everything else is skimmed over heavily. There is a distinct lack of Arab/Muslim sources the further along you go with blatant biases towards the Western pov and the end is absolutely fucking incoherent. Not a complete loss but mostly useless and woefully caught up in the madness that was America post-invasion of Iraq.

2) A book I recommend:

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. I recommend it to literally everyone whenever I can, the whole series is so good.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Much to my chagrin, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. It reads like a fanfic so it flows dangerously fast and I read it all in one sitting. However I don't think it's particularly... good? It's fine, but it's verging on the "empty entertainment" I dislike from fiction books I read.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

Apart from the worst possible answer (I read Prisoner of Azkaban so many times between the ages of nine and fifteen it's basically imprinted on the inside of my skull), I'm going to say The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It's the first Narnia book I read, and it's still my favourite. I love Reepicheep so much it's stupid.

5) A book on my TBR:

There are so goddamn many Jesus wept. Perhaps Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton. Continue some good old-fashioned Hubris in the Artic/Antartic genre of historical event.

6) A book I’ve put down:

Price and Prejudice. Trying to get a middle schooler to read this was a stupid endeavour and I hated it and did not finish it. Nor do I ever actually want to. It takes a lot for me to actually put down a book and not finish it.

7) A book on my wish list:

The Best Land under Heaven by Michael Wallis. I've yet to read something comprehensive about the Donner Party and this one looks good.

8) A favorite book from childhood:

The Dragon's Quest by Rosemary Manning. I loved how eloquent and charming the dragon was.

9) A book you would give to a friend:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It changed me and I need to pass on the smell of the sea and the feel of salt-stained marble.

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own

Literally the only poetry book I own is The Penguin Book of Greek Verse and I've barely touched it. I don't really do poetry.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

How am I supposed to choose? I have so many that I bought for uni and for my own enjoyment. I guess I'll choose The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé. I have yet to read it because it requires a lot of spoons to read books like this right now, and I used a lot of them up on The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi.

12) What are you currently reading:

Hurdy Gurdy by Christopher Wilson and Same-Sex Marriage in Renaissance Rome by Gary Ferguson. I'm enjoying Hurdy Gurdy so far, I forget how quickly fiction goes compared to non-fiction. Same-Sex Marriage is proceeding apace, but I really should have taken more notes as I read, if I'm going to be writing fic based on it.

13) What are you planning on reading next?

Fuck if I know, I'll just pull something out of the towering pile and get to it. It has to have the right Vibes for the moment, though, and those Vibes are mysterious at best.

Tagging @nightbirdz, @gravity-loves-me, @dangerouscommiesubversive, @maered613, @veradragonjedi, @ctrldao3, @teta-veleta and whoever else wants to do this!

[beaststhattalk]

Reepicheep & The Wave

I was inspired by this gifset, and I wanted to make my own post just in case the gifmaker (@scottmalloy) wouldn't appreciate a bunch of meta in their notifications 😅

Honestly I think the movie did really well in translating this moment to the screen. The scene in the book grounds you in the perspective of the human characters: Reepicheep disappears over the edge of the wave. This emphasizes that he's going to a beautiful place, but one that the kids aren't able to understand yet. However, the book has the advantage of 3rd person narration. When C.S. Lewis presents the image to his reader, he can give mood and the visuals as one: "[the wave] was a smooth green slope. The coracle went more and more quickly, and beautifully it rushed up the wave's side" (Voyage of the Dawn Treader [VotDT], chapter 16). Lewis can tell us the motion was 'beautiful,' but the movie has to convince us to find it beautiful.

However, the movie has the advantage of being able to take us along with Reepicheep without needing to describe what he's seeing. The water rushing under his boat & towards the screen (4th gif) gives that sense of "more and more quickly...it rushed up the wave," but our ability to empathize with his sweet little Mouse face facial expression (5th gif) is what really solidifies that poignant 'beauty' from the book.

That visual of the Pevensies and Caspian in the background (gifs 4 & 5) achieves the same effect of the book's final image of Reepicheep. There's a feeling of mounting adventure & happiness, and then a moment of quiet wonder when he disappears into a place the reader/viewer can't go. The movie gets this feeling by having the audience rise up the wave with Reep, then come to a slow stop as he passes us by. We see the humans through the spray and realize we're still in their shoes. Meanwhile, the book utilizes the power of 3rd person narration by having Reepicheep slip beyond the reach of the story: "For one split second they saw [the coracle's] shape and Reepicheep's on the very top. Then it vanished, and since that moment no one can truly claim to have seen Reepicheep the Mouse" (VotDT, ch. 16).

In the movie, the mist from the wave, the faint rainbow inside, the vibrant colors of the water, & the image of Reepicheep's smile give us that "moment of quiet wonder" that I mentioned before. Lewis, on the other hand, tells us: "...since that moment no one can truly claim to have seen Reepicheep the Mouse. But my belief is that he came safe to Aslan's country and is alive there to this day" (ch. 16).

PS. The thing that got me excited about this gifset in the first place is the sword in gif 1! This visual appears in the book: "Then [Reepicheep] took off his sword ('I shall need it no more,' he said) and flung it far...Where it fell it stood upright with the hilt above the surface" (ch. 16). The sword-in-the-ground symbol pops up across history and can have various meanings. However, one meaning is that the sword alludes to the Christian cross (✝️). I bet this sword/cross symbol is what Lewis (and the VotDT movie) were referencing. This symbol can be interpreted as a sign of peace, since a sword in the ground is a weapon with its dangerous side 'buried'/set aside.

Again, I like how the movie translates this image. The poignance of this moment in the book comes from the chapter's overall tone. For example, here's a line that precedes Reep throwing the sword: "everything now felt as if it had been fated or had happened before" (ch. 16). Meanwhile, the movie emphasizes the poignance by contrasting Reep's casual discarding of the weapon ("I won't be needing this," gif 1) with the hugeness of the scene overall.

[kaesaaurelia]

your turn with the brain cell

For @whumptober day 31, using the prompt "setbacks."

This is the last installment of this fic.

Continued from Day 4, wherein Aziraphale receives an unwanted gift of a memory-wiped angel Crowley who is collared and chained and cheerfully obedient, and a tiny bit of hope that the Crowley he knows still exists somewhere in that angel, Day 7, wherein Aziraphale asked Crowley provocative questions, and failed to get the answers he wanted, Day 17, wherein Crowley began to become physically affectionate, and Aziraphale couldn’t handle that, Day 21, wherein Aziraphale decided he couldn’t keep going with this, and came up with a dangerous plan, and Day 24, when Crowley suddenly found himself in possession of all his wits, and a happy, obedient, wrong version of Aziraphale, and was exasperated.

Content note for explicit discussion of sex, but only in the crossed-out portions, so it's fine, right?

I know you're going to be all upset about being back, but I just couldn't get access to the documents I needed with you all bubble-brained. I've enclosed all my notes and my current plan. Also, fair warning, I think the Metatron noticed something the first time you gave me all the responsibility for everything. I've chosen to do it while his schedule's busy, I think, but it's difficult to check when you're not there and I'm not supposed to be there, and I don't know exactly what he's noticing since no alarms seem to go off.

Also. I don't know what you meant by that 'you can do whatever you like with me' thing, but please don't be if you're going to be angry you were all over me and I made a guess about what exactly you meant by that, and I might have been too hasty. I know it's inexcusable if If you wanted to ditch me here I wouldn't blame you. But if you're willing to work with me I'll help, even if you're furious. I care a great deal for I'm not getting you any more books, though.

--

Good heavens lord Really, Crowley, what did you think I might've meant? I've no complaints whatsoever -- not with your behavior, anyway. I do wish I had more than fuzzy memories of In fact, I would appreciate if you hadn't kept turning the other me down on my account after that first time. Until I read your letter I assumed I wasn't very Of course, if you're not interested, that's one thing, but it seemed to frustrate you, and I know it frustrated other-me.

I wasn't able to get direct copies of the documents but I do hope you can read my notes, they're in shorthand. Also took the trouble of transcribing some of the things before and after in the records, they looked related, but then that officious fellow who's in charge of the scriveners came by and wanted to be Helpful so I had to make my excuses and flee. Noted down the locations and numbers I could recall of other things that looked useful, but Uriel's been on me for neglecting my duties so I haven't been able to get at them. Frankly, I think I do a better job when I'm not in, as it were, and I think we're going to need to hurry up with this, so I'm handing the reins back to you.

You were right about the Metatron being alerted, by the way, but I worked it out! He gave me a very nice pen when I started out, and, as the humans would say, it's bugged. But not for audio, it's got some sort of miracle sensor. Have enclosed it in a miracle-proof seal and I try to remember to feed it bits and pieces of miracle every time I do something innocuous, but I did a few experiments and I think it's been successfully secured. It's in the top drawer on the left, it's the white one with gold filigree, because of course it is.

Oh, and regarding the book situation, I don't think you understand. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the best one! Please do kindly leave out The Last Battle, nobody likes it. Well, probably the Metatron does.

--

What part of "I'm not getting you more books" was I not clear about? I just happened to stumble across that Dawn Treader one the last time I had you go on a "fact-finding mission" to Earth but that's it. Also, isn't this the fellow who got a hold of all that correspondence from Hell? It was a great scandal Down There, Dagon got internal stoats for two months over it. Didn't think you'd enjoy novels by such a noted demonologist.

Thanks for the heads up about the pen, I think you were right. Haven't heard anything from him this last time, and I also did some fairly major workings on my own, you'll see what I mean in the notes. I've been asking you to feed it the decoy crumbs of miracles, since I don't know if there's any difference between our miracles anymore.

I think I've got a plan, but we're going to have to distract Michael and get her out of her office for, oh, probably an hour or so, depending. Maybe two. Can you pick locks? The human way, I mean. I'm a bit rusty on it myself. I've outlined the plan in my notes, let me know what you think of it.

On your request regarding things I am allowed to do with you, I hope I've been thanks for clarifying. Also, you don't need to be such a bloody gentleman about that sort of thing when Stupid Me gets all clingy. Just push me away or go with it, I thought it would be clear I was all right with that given what I'd done with you. Where did you get so good at giving head, anyway?

Let me know what you think about the plan.

--

C.S. Lewis was not a demonologist!

I like the plan. I've made some adjustments re: timing. Had a long meeting with Michael about battle strategies so I could study the case, and I don't think we need to pick the lock, one of us could just take the hinges on the top off with a screwdriver. I think it'd be easiest if you stood on a chair and did it, I'd need a stepladder otherwise, so I think you should be in charge for this.

I've drawn up extra copies of the documentation so if we need to switch off in a hurry we can do that, and I think I've got a way to get Michael out of her office for three hours at least, because that fellow who supervises the scriveners has Ideas he would like to share with her, and good gracious, he can talk forever and say almost nothing. I'm ready to set everything into action as soon as you sign off on the plan; once Michael's out of the office I'll sign things back over to you, and then we can get out of here. Does that sound good?

Regarding... liberties to be taken with our respective corporations, I also appreciated your clarification a great deal.

--

I think all that bending me over your desk and fucking me really clarified how much you appreciated the clarification, but I'm gonna need more clarification of the clarification because

Good thought about the screwdriver; I swiped one from maintenance, it's in my inside jacket pocket if you need it for anything, but try to remember to put it back before we go through with things.

I'm ready if you are. I expect to be in Michael's office next time I know what the hell is going on. I love Hope this works.

--

It's all on you, my dearest. Good luck.

--

There were alarms, and they were very noisy, and they were in Michael's office, and Aziraphale did not feel that any of this was how things were supposed to be. He watched Crowley for a bit; he seemed to be struggling with a large sword, trying to cut the chain that linked the two of them. On the wall was a clear plastic case that had been partially unscrewed, where, presumably, the sword had been hanging for millennia.

"I don't know if we're supposed to be doing this?" ventured Aziraphale, wringing his hands.

"Oh, we definitely are," said Crowley. "God told me to do it."

"Oh!" said Aziraphale. "Well. That's all right, then." He didn't much like the sirens but if Crowley said something was true you could rely on it. Crowley had never lied once. He probably ought to get out of the way, though, and he patted himself down for the book he'd been reading so he could do that more effectively. It had been very exciting. There'd been a sailing ship and a mouse with a sword, and -- "Oh dear, I think I left one of my books in your office. My office, I mean," he corrected, because Crowley told him he should always call it his office, even though he was sure it was meant to be the Supreme Archangel's office.

Crowley sighed, not looking up from his trouble with the chain and the sword. "I told you to gather those up," he said. He stepped on the blade of the sword, but it just flipped flat.

"Yes, but you said I could keep out the one I was reading, and I'm reading it, and --"

"Never mind that, angel, just -- could you stand over there?" said Crowley, "and -- and think about that awful collar?"

"Oh," said Aziraphale, stepping away to stand in the indicated corner. "I'm sorry. Have I done something wrong?" He hoped he hadn't. Crowley was so nice, and he was clearly having a bad day.

Crowley looked at him and sighed. "No, angel, I just need this chain to go taut, you're doing everything right. Hang on..." He raised the sword above his head and brought it down hard, and the chain shattered and sublimated into the air, and everything came back to Aziraphale all at once, and he staggered a bit.

"Fucking finally," said Crowley. "Aziraphale? Are you --"

"Yes, I am," said Aziraphale, thrilled beyond description to be looking at Crowley again -- his Crowley, the real Crowley, Crowley who was good for drunken conversations about dolphins and awkward questions about the nature of evil and, as it turned out, actual heist planning, as unlikely as that had seemed. "Oh, you did it!"

Crowley looked away. "We did it, I was just, all I did was --"

Aziraphale grabbed his tie and pulled him into an impulsive kiss. When Aziraphale released him, Crowley looked like he did not know what had just happened. Well. Served him right, Aziraphale decided.

"Right." Crowley shook his head. "Anyway. You. Er. You take the sword, you know how to use it." He pressed Michael's sword into one of Aziraphale's hands, then grabbed the other one, and hurried toward the door. "Come on!"

They ran through the half-empty corridors of Heaven with wild abandon. Crowley, laughing like a maniac, nearly collided with three angels carrying stacks of paperwork and ran into a fourth on the way to the lifts. Aziraphale hurried to keep up, flailing a bit as he clung to the stolen sword, but if anyone looked askance at them he made it very clear he was going to use it on anyone who tried anything with him. The lift doors closed just in time for them to see Michael run out of the archives, look around wildly, and spot them.

"Well," said Crowley, "she's not going to be having a very good day. Or week. Or eon."

"Good," said Aziraphale. The serene downward motion of the lift felt bizarre after their giddy run through Heaven.

"About, um. When you..." Crowley said.

Aziraphale put the sword safely away into a different layer of reality. "When I what?" Crowley's expression was so serious.

"It's just." Crowley swallowed, and tried to say something, and gave up, and then grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him, and Aziraphale kissed back, pushing Crowley back into the wall of the lift with one hand flat on his chest, parting his lips for Crowley's tongue. It was a good kiss, and thrilling, and much better than the ones he'd had with Not Crowley.

The lift opened, and they parted reluctantly, hurrying to where they'd left their getaway car. It wasn't the Bentley -- Aziraphale had insisted it would be too recognizable, lovely as it was. But he'd let Crowley pick a modern car, so it was a sleek silver Aston Martin.

"Still a bit upset with you about the whole... redemption thing," said Crowley, holding the door for him.

Aziraphale sighed. "I think that's fair."

Crowley hurried around the car and got into the driver's seat. "But, you know, I could probably see my way to forgiving you," he said, pulling the door shut. He pulled Aziraphale in for another, much more heated kiss, and suddenly Aziraphale decided that this late model Aston Martin had, to its surprise, a bench seat with no glovebox in the front, just like 1926 Bentleys did, so it was very easy, actually, for Crowley to pull him into his lap, and very easy for Aziraphale to put his arms around Crowley.

"Oh? Do you really think you could?" Aziraphale asked, as Crowley kissed down his jaw.

"Mm. Maybe. Eventually," Crowley muttered against his neck. "Could see my way to it. S'pose we've got to get away with this first, though." He began to loosen Aziraphale's bowtie.

Over Crowley's shoulder, as Crowley was cupping his arse with almost proprietary interest, Aziraphale saw three or four people in the beiges and whites of Heaven run past frantically. "I think we had better get out of here first, my dear," he said, reluctantly pulling himself out of Crowley's embrace. "But I'm happy to give you my very best apology as soon as we're somewhere safer."

Crowley grinned at him. "I'll certainly consider it," he said, starting the car, "but it might take a few tries before I'm willing to accept."

As the car pulled out, Aziraphale put a hand on Crowley's knee. "And I'm willing to try as many times as it takes."

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

I was lookin at your reblog of the fantasy map, and you are right about Narnia. Canonically, there is open sea with a few small islands to the east of Narnia. If you read the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, you can get a good sense of the geography of the eastern ocean in Narnia. Which means, either the Game of Thrones island cannot exist there, or the corrupt governor that the Narnians depose in the Lone Islands is part of the world of Game of Thrones. And hence, that the Lone Islands are much bigger than the Narnians are aware of. And also, possibly, subject to the King of Narnia?

Yeah, no kidding. Like, there are little, isolated islands in the sea that Westeros has discovered like Lonely Light, Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys, but that’s it. To make this work from either side, the distance between the two continents would have to be much greater than anyone could have anticipated. Also, sailors like Elissa Farman would've had to completely miss Narnia somehow in order to circumnavigate the planet and end up in Asshai.

I don't think it would be so much a stretch to imagine a Westeros that is nominally under the authority of Aslan. Depending on how old the Deep Magic truly is, I could easily see the Children of the Forest and the Westerosi giants living on the fringes of ancient Narnian society as a colony or subject state. But then you have to start thinking about the White Walkers and then everything Essos has going on and it just gets extremely complicated very quickly.

[fearofgodandtolkien]

Something I think is really well-done by C.S. Lewis (naturally, he does everything well) is how you can clearly track where Eustace's character comes from. His allegorical truth in the story is that his sin/wickedness/general unpleasantness is a learned behavior, not an unalterable part of him. this of course reflects on the nature of sin and the glory of salvation, but my personal favorite part of it is that you can tell who and what Eustace is mimicking in his attempts at maturity and worldliness. He listened to Harold make empty threats of lawsuits to the world at large while reading the news, and he threw the jargon he read in the papers at the things in front of him, hoping that he would sound like he would know what was happening, just like Edmund and Lucy seemed to. He overheard Alberta calling their neighbors "regressive" and "stuck in the past" and he criticized the fairy tale he didn't understand with the same words, not knowing what they meant but hoping they meant that everything could be normal again. He is a child, and Lewis wrote him using the most child-like action there is-saying what the grownups say, doing what the grownups do, hoping that somehow this makes them right.

Also now that I've thrown my heavy characterization two cents onto this fun post about Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I would kill to read a story about a cross-dimensional lawsuit written by C.S. Lewis.

I am literally never going to be over the fact that Eustace's first instinct was to threaten to sue absolutely any and everyone and he just did not give it up for like, a week and a half or something

Even after being confronted with a talking mouse and all the other normal Narnian nonsense, he really thought he was going to succeed in dragging one of those guys into an English court of law in full armor with a sword, and somehow this would constitute a victory for him

Child. Cross-dimensional lawsuits aren't a thing. And if they were, you would not want C. S. Lewis to be the one who wrote it

[giffingthingsss]

Listened to a 'Planet Narnia' lecture. It's basically about the medieval concept of the seven heavens, the 'planets' visible at the time - sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn - that influenced the earth in certain ways. And how Lewis apparently used each of these as a motif or a theme in each Narnia book.

The Posit

The theory comes from one of Lewis' poems - The Planets. Published in 1935, it kind of outlines the different characteristics of these 'spheres.' And indeed you can see some similarities.

The argument goes -

Moon motif in the Silver Chair - "...drench of dream, a drizzling glamour, enchants us--the cheat! changing sometime a mind to madness..."

Mercury motif in the Horse and His Boy - "...madcap rover, patron of pilf'rers....merry multitude of meeting selves, same but sundered."

Venus - The Magician's Nephew - "...but my voice falters; rude rime-making wrongs her beauty, whose breasts and brow, and her breath's sweetness bewitch the worlds."

Sun - Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Mars - Prince Caspian - "...the wrong righted, rescued meekness, or trouble in trenches, with trees splintered and birds banished, banks fill'd with gold and the liar made lord."

Jupiter - Lion, Witch and Wardrobe -  "...wrath ended and woes mended, of winter passed and guilt forgiven... the lion-hearted, the myriad-minded, men like the gods, helps and heroes, helms of nations just and gentle, are Jove's children, work his wonders..."

(Jupiter was also known as the king planet, being the brightest.)

Saturn - the Last Battle

The lecture goes into more detail, of course. Jupiter is probably the best match. But I don't buy the overall theory. Lewis would probably laugh at the idea that he was half so clever.

My Take

Imho, Lewis is simply drawing imagery from ideas he likes. He does this with practically everything all the time.

When writing about, for example, a returning king, ideas and kingly concepts, Jupiter included, are swirling around in his head.

Same with the Last Battle. Lewis argued that Father Time imagery descended from old Saturn imagery. Saturn being at the outer reaches in ancient thought, the 'last' sphere and the signifier of the end. So when you're writing about the end of the world, Saturn imagery comes into it. Father Time blows his horn.

The guy who did all this research discovered some interesting things, like Father Time being called Saturn in an earlier Silver Chair manuscript. It's not that his investigation is not useful or that it's not cool to see the 'seven spheres' ideas being sprinkled in, I just think his conclusion goes too far.

I think Lewis brings the whole of himself to everything he writes. He didn't (I take him at his word) sit down with a pre-plotted out seven books with a specific planet theme in mind for each.

The variety in tones, I think, can be attributed to his knowing that this was going to be his only foray into children's books, so he did a variety of things. The beginning, the end, a desert adventure, a sea adventure, etc... And of course the Christian symbolism was central.

He had no interest in simply repeating the same thing over and over, He would have bored himself.

A lot of the same motifs show up in the Space Trilogy, where you might naturally expect to find them. 'Saturn' represents the end of days in That Hideous Strength as well.

Who shall be Pendragon in the time when Saturn descends from his sphere?

When Merlin asks Ransom in what sphere he learned war, one would expect the answer to be Mars, but it was Venus. In the sphere of love he learned war.

That last part has nothing to do with anything, I just think it's kinda cool. (I should probably actually read these books again before my memory leads me embarrassingly astray.)

Narnia is essentially Lewis' brain. It's got all the stuff he likes in it. A medieval setting. Mythology. It's got dwarves and giants, Santa Claus and Bacchus. All held together and in service to the Lion, just as they were in his own mind. It's the world a young him would want to read about. Including, yes, some medieval ideas of stars and planets. Talking animals from his youth imagining Boxen. The style was influenced by E. Nesbit, of whom Lewis was a fan. And the beavers drink beer.

This mish-mash does not in any way diminish the works, in my view. Here is the boyish, imaginative nature of the man on full display. That he manages to take all of these elements and write moving, funny, heroic stories without breaking your brain, is a feat.

In fact, it never occurs to you that these elements are ordinarily disparate (unless your first three initials are JRR). It takes talent to pull that off. You are simply sucked into loving the things he loves along with him.

But maybe it's simply my taste. When choosing a book to re-read I always did end up picking the Hobbit over LOTR.

Notes

I find the guy's arguments wholly sincere, and if nothing else insightful about aspects of Lewis, but there are a couple points I wish to address.

'He kept his marriage secret, that shows his secretive psychology.' It's true that he was often private about his private life. But I see nothing that suggests he was private about his literary life.

Also, sidebar, the marriage secret was there for obvious reasons. He was a famous apologist and an Anglican. The church wouldn't marry them ... churchily (?). He couldn't very well ignore that without seriously damaging his reputation, if not his own personal convictions.

The marriage was kept secret only when it was a paper marriage, a formality so she could stay in the country. They lived separately. And Jack did in fact tell a few close friends, assuring them of the formality.

When Joy was diagnosed with terminal cancer Jack tried to find someone who would marry them churchily, and searched in vain until an old student of his agreed.

Even then, he didn't tell Tolkien, it's true, for the very simple reason that he knew what Tolkien would say. Not just about marrying a divorced woman, but about marrying a woman he did not particularly like. Jack just didn't want to hear it, especially not when his heart was breaking.

Tolkien ironically wrote this letter on the day they got churchily married -

'Surprised by Joy left out chunks of his life.' Again, parts of his private life, not his literary or thought process life. The book itself is essentially the story of his thought process. Far from keeping philosophical and literary ideas locked up, he often escaped his private problems by discussing those ideas in depth.

He also wrote about the ideas behind various story elements in letters to complete strangers, many of which we now have. He seems quite open about it.

Conclusion

I don't buy it fully, but it is an interesting discussion with some interesting ideas. If nothing else you learn more about the medieval conception of the universe.

[ahopkins1965]

1 / 15

Call me Ishmael





Pride and Prejudice



Lolita



Moby Dick

2 / 15

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.





1984



Invisible Man



Ulises

3 / 15

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like...





Catcher in the Rye



The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man



To Kill a Mockingbird

4 / 15

Stately, plump BuckMulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.





The Good Soldier



David Copperfield



Ulysses

5 / 15

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.





Oliver Twist



The Voyage of the Dawn Treader



The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

6 / 15

It was a pleasure to burn





Farenheit 451



1984



A Brave New World

7 / 15

It was love at first sight





Catch 22



The Bell Jar



Herzog

8 / 15

He-for there could be no doubt of his sex, though the fashion of the time did something to disguise it...





Wuthering Heights



Mrs Dalloway



Orlando

9 / 15

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief...





A Christmas Carol



A Tale of Two Cities



Animal Farm

10 / 15

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.





Anna Karenina



One Hundred Years of Solitude



The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

11 / 15

Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested.





Paul Clifford



The Trial



Metamorphasis

12 / 15

They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did.





Changing Places



Cat's Eye



Wide Sargasso Sea

13 / 15

I can feel the heat closing in, feel them out there making their moves, setting up their devil doll stool pigeaons, crooning over my spoon and dropper I throw away at Washington Square Station.





Naked Lunch



The Savage Detective



The Colour Purple

14 / 15

I first met Dean not long after my wife and I split up. I had just gotten over a serious illness that I won't bother to talk about, except it had something to do with the miserably weary split-up and my feeling that everything was dead.





My Brilliant Friend



On the Road



Crooked

15 / 15

You better not never tell nobody but God.





The Hobbit



The Great Gatsby



The Colour Purple

7 / 15

C in Literature. Well Done you did good kid.

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