#one friend going to this wedding is bringing tamora pierce and the other is doing circe by madeline miller

[sleepnoises]

i am going to a wedding next weekend where instead of a conventional registry they want an inscribed copy of one's favorite book. what should i get them. one half of the couple got into and left an education phd and the other is doing some kind of robotics phd. there are no constraints besides "favorite"

these results are not binding

[skarabrae-stone]

Writing Epilogues

So I’ve been thinking about epilogues, and why they do or don’t work for me, and I thought I’d write a little bit about what (in my view) makes a good epilogue vs a bad one.

1. Is the epilogue “earned”?

In my opinion, an epilogue should be a natural extension of the story it follows-- generally, there shouldn’t be any huge narrative leaps between the end of the main story and the epilogue. A lot of epilogues feel like “cheating”, because the main story hasn’t done enough work to make the epilogue feel natural.

For example, I think it’s safe to say that most of the Harry Potter fandom hates the epilogue at the end of Deathly Hallows, and I think a lot of that is because it doesn’t feel earned. At the end of the last chapter of DH, Hogwarts is in a shambles, most of the country’s in disarray, a whole lot of people are dead, and Harry has barely talked to Ginny since he went on the run. Voldemort is dead, but everything is very much in chaos. Then we get the epilogue-- nineteen years later, and suddenly everyone’s happily married, with kids and jobs and the Hogwarts Express.

It’s jarring because it’s too big of a leap. Harry and Ginny have been separated for a year, while both went through some incredibly hard trials-- it’s not implausible that they could get married, but it’s weird to see them as a long-established couple without seeing any of the work they’d need to do to get there. Same with Ron and Hermione-- at the end of the book, their relationship dynamic is not anywhere near stable enough that we can instantly make the mental leap to them being married with children.

Basically, there is so much uncertainty at the end of the main story that skipping all the work it would take to get to stability in favor of the end result feels like cheating. It feels like there’s a chunk of the story missing-- because there is. Ultimately, it doesn’t work because too much time has passed, and there’s too little work done to show us how the end of DH could transition to the epilogue.

2. Is there too much change/ has too much time passed?

This is closely tied into the idea of doing the work. I think authors should be very wary of using an epilogue that jumps too far forward in time, mostly because it becomes much harder to connect the threads from the end of the main storyline to the epilogue when you’re also dealing with a lot of time passing. (The exception to this is if the story deals with some kind of heirloom or ancestry-type themes. For example, in the epilogue at the end of the Beka Cooper series, by Tamora Pierce, we see Beka’s descendant, George Cooper, at the beginning of his own story, reflecting on Beka’s. This works because we already know what happens to George, via the Song of the Lioness series, so he’s not a new character, and the epilogue helps to tie George and his ancestress closer together.)

When there’s too much change between the end of the story and the epilogue, it feels, again, like there’s a cognitive leap that has to be made. The author hasn’t put in the work to tell us how the change occurred, and that can be really unsatisfying and/or unbelievable.

This is also true of epilogues where there’s a major twist-- a character being revealed to be totally different from what we thought, or a new threat or circumstance coming out of nowhere to turn the resolution of the main story on its head. This can work if the author has given enough hints of the character’s true nature, or foreshadowed the changing circumstance, but it needs to be done thoughtfully. I’m a bit prejudiced about twist endings-- if I have a nice, tidy resolution, I generally want to keep it. And if the book isn’t part of a series, or it’s meant to be the end of a series, the twist ending often just feels like a gimmick. Which brings me to my next point.

3. Is it necessary?

If the book has a solid resolution, an epilogue is usually unnecessary. Even if it’s well-written, it can feel like putting icing on a cake that’s already been frosted-- it’s just too much, and it doesn’t add anything meaningful.

4. Is there too little change?

This is another issue I have with the DH epilogue. While making a huge leap forward without doing the work, the epilogue, at the same time, suggests that the (extremely flawed) status quo from the previous books has pretty much been reinstated. Hogwarts still has Houses, and House rivalry, despite how destructive that rivalry was shown to be. Slytherins are still isolated from the other Houses, and probably ostracized as well. Ron still hates Malfoy, and is still weirdly fixated on their old rivalry, telling his daughter not to get too close with Scorpius. Harry is still “the famous one” and Ron is still a sidekick (he says, “it’s me, I’m extremely famous”, clearly joking, even though, as someone instrumental in defeating Voldemort, he ought to be almost, if not just as, famous as Harry). Percy Weasley is still obnoxious. Couples who got together at sixteen or seventeen are all still together.

Basically, we’re given the impression that, rather than really moving forward, everything has gone back to the way it was before Voldemort took over the Ministry-- which is incredibly irritating, since we spent six books learning how flawed the wizarding world was even before Voldemort took over. I, at least, would have expected there to be more change-- especially regarding the Houses at Hogwarts.

5. So what should an epilogue do?

I’ll be honest: it’s kind of rare for me to read an epilogue that I feel really does its job well. To me, the point of an epilogue is to show the reader what direction the characters might head in after the main narrative is done.

For DH, I would have been happy to see an epilogue set a few months or weeks after the main story, maybe with Harry and Ginny (and maybe others) discussing the future, with some hints of the ongoing recovery work in the background. That would give us the understanding that things were going to work out in the future, and hint at what future relationships/changes might take place, without skipping too much.

Lady Knight, by Tamora Pierce, does an excellent job of this. At the end of the main story, Kel has rescued the people from the refugee camp she was in charge of, and is told by her superior that she will be in charge of a new town to house them and other refugees. The epilogue, set a couple of months later, shows her at the new town, the refugees having settled in. She’s about to go to her best friend’s wedding, an event that has been foreshadowed for most of the book. Basically, the epilogue shows us that the hopeful ending of the main story is being fulfilled-- everyone is pretty much safe and happy, although they still bear the scars of what happened earlier in the narrative, with the promise of better times to come. It doesn’t tell us anything we couldn’t have guessed based on the main story, but it does offer us a little more resolution than we would have had otherwise. The epilogue confirms what was hinted in the main story, without taking any giant leaps.

When done correctly, an epilogue can offer readers a sense of completeness and resolution that might have otherwise been lacking. It shouldn’t, however, be an excuse to skip over a big chunk of narrative. It should “do the work.”

[sophygurl]

Did my what’s coming up on TV quarterly-ish organizational project and re-did my shows I watch page. Figured it would be a good time to make an update post on my media consumption of late.

I’m still embroiled in the Big Brother season. It’s been a pretty terrible season truth be told, and I’d have noped out except for there being one houseguest left in there that I adore and want to support, and of course the fan community I have (a chat room I’ve been in for a decade now and also a twitter list of fans, update sites, and BB alum I enjoy interacting with). We’ve still got a ways to go, and I am not watching the live feeds much this season, but still watching the shows (mostly to chat with my friends about) and keeping up with the feeds via twitter to see what’s happening and watching the few small clips of that one hg i still enjoy. 

It’s an interesting thing when being part of a fandom starts to feel like a chore. Like, yes, you do this for entertainment purposes and could stop at any point when it stops being fun for you - but you do also create a community around you and half the fun is that community interaction and it’s harder to let go of that. Because you can’t generally pack that whole community up and take them to another show or experience with you. 

Another fan experience that was a let-down this summer was Veronica Mars. I won’t post any spoilers in case there is anyone out there yet who wants to watch S4 unspoiled and has yet to find out what happened, but suffice to say I am not pleased. 

I did enjoy most of the series right up until the ending. I know a lot of people are upset about other things that happened, but I can defend or at least explain most of that based on what the show and the characters have always been. But that ending. Wow. I am still recovering. And not at all interested in a season 5 or really anything else that Rob Thomas might want to work on in the future. He’s really ruined any fan goodwill he had in my eyes. 

Other TV shows I’ve been enjoying this summer: 

The 100 delivered another fascinating season. I know the show is problematic in a number of ways, but it still has such wonderful characters with incredible arcs of growth and struggle and learning to overcome together. The plots get wilder and wilder, but whatever, I’m along for the ride. 

Agents of Shield was ... interesting. I don’t even know what to say about it anymore, tbh.

American Princess on Lifetime was a surprisingly fun new show - a NY socialite runs off on her wedding day and ends up at a Ren Faire, where she meets new friends and decides to stay and create a new life for herself. It’s charming, sweet, romantic, funny, and fun for any found family fans. 

BH90210′s pilot episode cracked me tf up. I kind of can’t believe the cast is going along with this satirical version of playing themselves trying to get a reboot of the original show going. It’s soapy and campy and so delightfully weird, while also being nostalgic. Can’t wait to see what they do with it. (Also I miss Luke Perry enormously)

Elementary has one episode left and I will be very sad when the story is complete, but happy for everyone involved for having been part of such a unique spin on Sherlock Holmes in such a successful way.

Euphoria season one was an intense emotional process, watching teens and their families struggle with addiction, violence, abusive relationships, sexual discoveries, gender navigation, mental illness, and so much more. Also just a visually stunning show. 

Grand Hotel is a fun soapy new show that I am enjoying very much. Classic soap tropes, a largely Latinx cast, a lesbian main character, and lots of eye candy.

Jane the Virgin put out a wonderful final season and series finale. I laughed. I cried. I was very satisfied. 

Killjoys has started up it’s final season. I’m loving it, but I also wanna cling to it and scream “no! don’t go!” 

Pandora is a new show on the CW, which is interesting. Futuristic space academy featuring a clone, a mind reader, an augmented human, an alien from a planet we were recently at war with, and Pandora herself who has some kinda mystery surrounding her and the recent death of her parents. Lots of political intrigue and conspiracy, with episodic plots that the young adults uncover together each week, and just about every sci-fi trope you could think of being covered. 

Trinkets on Netflix was a cute lil show about teenage girls in a shoplifting support group. It was a really genuine look at the highs and lows of female friendship at that age. 

In other TV watching news, I finally got all of the Northern Exposure DVDs and am doing a long-awaited re-watch of my all-time favorite show. I’m on the second season. 

In addition to completing that DVD collection, I also completed collecting all of the Realm of the Eldering books (yay birthday money!) and am doing my re-read of those. It’s going to take me a long time, because my re-reading gets done while attempting to fall asleep and also when I wake up trying to get back to sleep, so depending on how the insomnia is going, it could be anywhere from a couple of paragraphs to maybe 50 pages tops per night and RotE is a looooot of books. I’m still on the first novel now. 

That also means, I am taking a little break from my otherwise-continual Raven Cycle re-reading lol. 

Other stuff I’ve been reading - started the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire, finished Tamora Pierce’s Emelan series (although I think she’s writing one more of those yet), and got caught up on Patricia Brigg’s Mercyverse series. Then, since I’m caught up on all the series I’m reading (other than Wayward Children since I just started it), I went and put a crapton of new books on my library hold list - some of which are the first books in series themselves. So here we go! 

And of course, I’ve been playing lots of Sims. Love love loving the Island Living expansion pack. The mermaids are so much fun, as is swimming and boating in the ocean, other beach activities, and just living in a more communal setting (people show up to help put out fires, bring food over randomly, fix things that are broken, etc.). I definitely won’t tire of the stuff in this pack before the next new pack comes out, which I imagine will be sometime late this fall or early winter, if they go according to the usual schedule. 

Guess that’s all for now. Might do some more specific VMars meta at some point, once I get my thoughts and feelings more collected. IDK. This post is so all over the place I’m not sure if I’m gonna tag it with any specific fandom or media. 

[voldiebuns]

Tag Game

Rules: Answer questions given to you, write 11 new questions, and tag people to answer those questions! 

I was tagged by the fabulous @gimmemorespirk. Thank you <3

1. What skill would you like to learn/have?

I’d love to learn glassblowing. Shatterglass was the first Tamora Pierce book I ever read and since glassblowing featured so prominently in it, I’ve been fascinated ever since. I just think it would be so cool!

2. What’s your go-to trope in fanfic when you’re feeling down and why?

I can’t really think of a specific trope I go for when I’m feeling down, other than just fluff. I’m more likely to go for a specific pairing, which lately has been Bucky/Sam. So maybe it’s the enemies to lovers trope lol But then again, that can describe most of my ships so.

3. Favorite game to play (electronic/board/otherwise)?

I’m a big fan of board games in general, but I guess the one I like to play the most... I really like Fluxx, even though I can never get anyone to play with me lol I have a couple different versions and I’d love to get some more. And some friends who will actually play it with me...

4. If you could meet any 3 historical figures, who would they be?

Cleopatra because I’ve been fascinated with her since I was a kid. Alexander the Great because he was ridiculous and pretty fucking amazing. And Mary Shelley because she is #gothicaesthetic and I’m in awe.

5. Favorite quote?

I actually keep a document of quotes I like, so the list is quite long. But recently, my favorite has been this one from Guillermo del Toro. Especially “the most achievable goal of our lives is to have the freedom that imperfection gives us.“

6. What’s something someone’s done for you that you are grateful for?

After my sib passed, I had a hard time staying at home and just sitting there, so my friends, esp Kenzie, took me out almost every day that first week. It really meant a lot to me to be able to spend time with them when I was in such a Not Good place.

7. If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be?

Does immortality count? Bc I want that lol

8. For reasons, you’re going on an extended backpacking adventure and have to limit personal items to 3 things. What do you bring?

A book, probably The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things bc it’s my fave or something like The Scar bc it’s huge and I could probably read it a dozen times and still see new things. A personal fan with batters bc I get hot really easily and then cannot function. And lots of bandaids bc I will certainly hurt myself and end up with tons of blisters.

9. What aspect of your personality do you like the most?

I’m not sure what to call it exactly, but I’m always down to do anything with/for my friends. Need help moving? I’ll be there. Want to see this movie that I’m kind of meh on seeing? Sure. Have a thing you don’t want to do alone? I’m in. I like spending time with my friends whatever it is we’re doing, and I like being able to help them if I’m able.

10. Describe what you imagine your life to be like when you’re 75.

I’ll be lounging in a frilly black dress, reading fic on my tablet and watching the newest Star Trek show, where the characters are accidentally taken back in time and see TOS Kirk and Spock’s wedding. I have an entire gallon of vegan ice cream to eat while I gross sob and liveblog along with all of my friends on whatever website kids these days are using.

Basically it’s my life now except I have enough money to be able to just chill and Kirk and Spock are explicitly queer. Yeah.

11. When asked as a child what you wanted to be when you grew up, what was your most frequent answer? What do you actually do now?

I think probably a marine biologist or a chef. The former went out the window when I developed a strong fear of open water lol The later would still be fun. Right now I edit books and do flood determinations. Not what I’d thought I’d be doing when I was a kid, but not terrible for now!

Tagging: @biffelderberry, @srarahcha, @logans-girl2001, @crookedteaspoon, @zjofierose, @thesmilingfish, @deadpai, @mm8fic, @mizstorge, and anybody else if you wanna :)

My questions:

1. What tv shows have you been watching recently?

2. If you could only read/write/make art for one ship for the rest of your life, what would it be?

3. What kind of music do you like?

4. Have you ever been to a convention? How was it?

5. What was your favorite food as a child?

6. Do you have a dream project that you want to work on? Why haven’t you done it?

7. What’s your favorite thing to do on a day off?

8. If you could live anywhere in the world with no thought for cost or being able to speak the language, where would you live?

9. Are you superstitious?

10. Have you ever played DnD or a similar game? How was it?

11. What’s your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate?