#The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

[no-where-new-hero]

*So little known you had to buy a shitty/ancient edition just to own it. I’m considering Dogsbody, Fire and Hemlock, and Tale of Time City “well-known” by this rubric because they had recent reprint editions accessible in many US bookstores/Amazon, which is why I left them out!

[yellbug]

i'm trying to think of some examples of business fantasy ... the most salient examples of it i can think of is DWJ's "The tough guide to fantasyland" although that is mostly intended for the "consumer" not for the business person (btw i really reccomend it. it's very funny). the show severance is business sci fi and is the strongest example i can think of. I think pratchett's making money & going postal don't count because it's about being a public servant but they're close. there are probably some isekai shows like this. i think "heavens design team" the manga/anime is definitely business fantasy. please let me know if you have some more examples

[omgpurplefattie]

Horses

"Horses are of a breed unique to Fantasyland. They are capable of galloping full-tilt all day without a rest. Sometimes they do not require food or water. They never cast shoes, go lame, or put their hooves down holes, except when the Management deems it necessary, as when the forces of the Dark Lord are only half an hour behind. They never otherwise stumble. Nor do they ever make life difficult for Tourists by biting or kicking their riders or one another. They never resist being mounted or blow out so that their girths slip, or do any of the other things thst make horses so chancy in this world. For instance, they never shy and seldom whinny or demand sugar at inopportune moments. But for some reason you can not hold a conversation while riding them. If you want to say anything to another Tourist (or vice versa) , both of you will have to rein to a stop and stand staring out over a Valley while you talk. Apart from this inexplicable quirk, Horses can be used just like bicycles, and usually are. Much research into how these exemplary animals come to exist has resulted in the following: no mare ever comes into season on a Tour and no Stallion ever shows interest in a mare; and few horses are described as geldings. It therefore seems probable that they breed by pollination. This theory seems to account for everything, since it is clear that the creaturese do behave more like vegetables than mammals. It also explains why the Anglo-Saxon Cossacks and the Desert Nomads appear to have a monopoly on horse -breeding. They alone possess the secret of how to pollinate them. See also Horse-Breeding."

(from Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones)

[dungeons-and-dictions]

Here’s how I keep my stories and their notes organized. Since I’m a hot mess, I figured out a low-maintenance “system”.

Each story has its own folder, by the story’s title. Because I can’t be bothered to type out the title again, I break it down into initials for files. In this case, my title is a single C-word:

C is where I write the story itself

C o3s is C’s out-of-order scenes

C Outline is the plot outline, and other important notes a la Brandon Sanderson.

C Header Excerpts is my compilation of epigraphs for chapters, like in Diana Wynne Jones’ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, but focused on world and lore.

I’m in the process of transferring notes to the Obsidian app rn too! 🤞

[utilitycaster]

I'm Reading the Drizzt Novels and You Can't Stop Me: Homeland (and some anticipated questions)

Welcome to yet another ongoing series from me, a person who should be doing other things and may abandon it but also frankly will do this for her own entertainment regardless of whether anyone else cares. Let's back up first; if you're not in this car with me, get out of the rearview mirror.

Until now I have pretty much only read the Drizzt novels in situations where I was unwell, tired, or without another easy means of entertainment. Specifically, I read the first few while quarantining with a mild but still unpleasant case of COVID in late 2022, and then some others while dealing with catching up at work/post-illness fatigue/the general vibes of December in the northeast and Midatlantic states of the US. This caught me up to book 6, which represent the scene-setting; more on this later.

I then read Book 7 on a long train ride with nothing else to do, while very tired and probably a little hungover, in January 2023. I enjoyed it, in part because Wulfgar, who I do not care for, dies. (spoilers I guess? I'm not explicitly avoiding spoilers because these books are 30+ years old, but I'm not seeking them out, and I believe he comes back to life eventually).

I then proceeded to read Real Books (TM) for the remainder of 2023, some of which I can recommend highly and some of which were dumber than Wulfgar. Flash forward to getting my car serviced in the tail end of December 2023. I intended to bring my laptop. I did not. I also intended to bring headphones. I did not. And so, with a phone with so-so battery and little interest in watching HGTV, I read book 8. And I thought "what if I started doing this, because I can knock out one of these motherfuckers in a day if I try hard enough." I then thought "what if I slam books 1-7 again and do a book a week in 2024?"

Clearly I did not do this, because again, I have other books to read and things to do. However, I have finally, after another long-ass train ride, finished a reread of book 1. And so, with an unclear but hopefully from now on twice a month at least (?) update schedule, I bring you: Homeland. The rest of these posts will probably be way shorter.

For anyone who is not familiar with Drizzt or Forgotten Realms or whatever: this is a weird choice you've made. Anyway. Forgotten Realms is THE iconic D&D setting; it's where both the Baldur's Gate series is set as well as the D&D movie plus all kinds of adventures. What's it like? Well, it's basically The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, for all my Diana Wynne Jones fans out there. Do none of these references work for you? You'll just have to pick it up as we go along.

The Legend of the Legend of Drizzt is basically, as far as I know (and I don't know much) R.A. Salvatore was hired to write some cool adventures in a D&D setting in the early 90s. The plan, per the suits, was to follow Wulfgar, who was big and blond and very Conan The Barbarian which is, I should note, way more the vibe of D&D than LOTR much as we (D&D players) are loathe to admit it. However, Wulfgar had brains made out of one of the boring adult cereals: dull, and only slightly more fibrous than the fun cereals like Honey Bunches of Oats. Meanwhile, Drizzt, his drow buddy, fucking ruled. And so, after writing three very sword-and-sorcery (or more accurately, scimitar-and-wizardry) books, Salvatore returned to fill in Drizzt's backstory. And thus we begin in Homeland.

Drizzt Do'Urden is a drow, or dark elf, which in this setting are almost universally evil because they worship Lolth the spider queen. Is this Not Great? Yes. I also am reading The Wheel of Time, which is Even Worse About Biology As Destiny. The main purpose of this book is to cover Drizzt's childhood from when he leaves the underground drow city of Menzoberranzan.

Drizzt's mother is called Malice, unironically. The naming of drow makes no fucking sense, while we're at it; Malice, Zaknafein, SiNaFay, and Alton DeVir are all supposed to be from the same language? I'm not buying it. ANYWAY. Drow society is matriarchal bc spiders and because, as this post says, Salvatore REALLY wanted to be stepped on. Drizzt was born the third son, and was going to be sacrificed to Lolth because third sons are useless. His birth was ALSO being used by Malice to fuel an attack on House DeVir, because if you slaughter a whole-ass house in Menzoberranzan it's admirable of you, bc ontologically evil; and Lolth powers are increased by childbirth or some jazz.

Several important things happen here, pretty much all simultaneously, heralding Our Chosen One (Drizzt):

The attack on House DeVir goes super well for House Do'Urden

The second oldest brother, Dinin, kills his wizard elder brother (known as the elderboy by the creative geniuses of Menzoberranzan) which means Drizzt can survive because they need a replacement wizard boy.

We learn that Drizzt's father (one of Malice's several consorts) is Zaknafein, who fucking hates his life and how shitty drow society is but also is really good at murder and so he kind of hangs out doing that for House Do'Urden

A wizard who melted his face off fails to kill Alton DeVir, the last of the house of DeVir, which means technically House Do'Urden's attack was illegitimate. However, Masoj Hun'ett, of another powerful house, kills the faceless wizard and Alton takes the wizard's place, but desires VENGEANCE.

Drizzt has lavender eyes but is not blind. His eye color will come up approximately a zillion times. I considered counting, but trust me it's SO many.

The rest of the book covers the following, roughly in order:

Drizzt is super good at everything from a young age; he is placed in the care of his only full sibling, Vierna. Zak manages to successfully argue that Drizzt's dexterity is SO good that he HAS to be a fighter and not a wizard, which permits him to train Drizzt, who is, as discussed, good at everything. He almost mercy-kills him before school because he'd rather his son die innocent than become a drow, but also he hates the idea of killing a child, and also Drizzt is a really good fighter, and so it doesn't happen. They depart on bad terms though.

Drizzt then goes to fighter school (instead of wizard school) and is an excellent fighter but not naturally deceptive and backstabbing because he is Pure of Heart; he is constantly skirting trouble by asking such questions as "why do we all want to murder each other all the time though" and "why is our graduation ceremony a drug fueled spider goddess orgy"

Masoj and Alton scheme; Alton eventually learns in a hoisted by his own petard way that the faceless wizard was also of house Hun,ett, and that house is willing to help him strike back at house Do'Urden

Masoj has a magic panther named Guenhwyvar who likes Drizzt more than him.

Drizzt goes on a surface raid and fucking loves the surface, and feels bad about murdering the surface elves, so he fakes the brutal slaughter of an elven girl. Lolth sees this and doesn't like it one bit and blames the whole house.

Drizzt proves himself on other patrols, and realizes Masoj Hun'ett keeps trying to fucking kill him, notably on a patrol where they run into deep gnomes (svirfneblin). Drizzt spares one of them as well. Dinin is growing suspicious.

Malice realizes that Lolth is mad and assumes it's Zaknafein, known problem, but Lolth tells her someone already knows

Drizzt tells her about Masoj, under questioning

Drizzt and Zak reunite and realize they are kindred spirits who are like "wait our society is MAD fucked up and miserable" and excitedly decide to run away and stop being miserable, BUT Malice is Scrying on them the whole time.

Drizzt goes out to clear his mind and gets cornered by Masoj and Alton. They try to kill him. Joke's on them! Drizzt kills Masoj, Alton's own wand blows up and kills him, and Drizzt gets the panther.

HOWEVER joke is also on Drizzt because Malice approaches Zak and tells him she's going to murder Drizzt, to which Zak tells her to kill him instead. She does so.

Drizzt learns of this and runs away.

The entire book is threaded through with Drizzt's first person reflections, which are actually quite touching at times but also definitely kind of overwrought so I do keep reading them as if they are Sex and the City/Scrubs/Winona Ryder in the 80s (Beetlejuice, Heathers) diary entries

And so our stage is set. If I recall correctly book two is "you have your father's morals; and his tendency towards clinical depression" so we're going to have a rollicking good time (genuine).

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

atla characters + star trek

aang

favorite series: he likes the optimism of tos and tng best but he appreciates them all

character he should meet: benjamin sisko. sisko would make him a delicious vegetarian meal, over which they'd discuss struggling with their responsibilities as spiritual leaders

katara

favorite series: ds9 because it has the most explicit antifa politics, and voyager because powerful women. captain katara!

character she should meet: kira nerys. they could bond over losing their mothers at a young age and fighting colonizers, as well as their unwavering faith in their friend who is also a spiritual leader

sokka

favorite series: tng and ds9, but he's seen them all. biggest trekkie of the gaang. has built model spaceships with hakoda

character he should meet: literally any of the engineers. let him follow them around with wide starstruck eyes as they explain the workings of a warp engine. it's what he deserves

toph

favorite series: does not watch star trek but has heard sokka talk about it

character she should meet: seven of nine. they've both fought fictionalized versions of the Rock, they're both defiantly independant because of a repressive upbringing, and seven has been known to bond with intelligent young girls

zuko

favorite series: tos and tng - they offered a comforting refuge for him as a kid with a difficult home life

character he should meet: worf. the only people more obsessed with honor than zuko are klingons, and they could theoretically bond over having a complicated relationship with the warrior culture they're from. but that would require emotional openness, so realistically they'd probably just spar and compare weapons. that would still be fun for them i think. also worf might tell him he fights with honor and that would make him happy

suki

favorite series: voyager, because women, but familiar with all of them via sokka

character she should meet: jadzia dax. they'd spar and talk about their dating lives, bicon to bicon

azula

favorite series: star trek is for nerds like zuzu

character she should meet: kathryn janeway. she'd benefit from a mom figure, and she'd need one who's just as tough as she is and who has experience guiding young women who were raised to be weapons

mai

favorite series: ds9. she enjoys the moral ambiguity and political drama

character she should meet: spock. with the blunt bangs and emotionless attitude, she's basically already a vulcan, and like spock she has had to rebel against her emotionally repressive upbringing

ty lee

favorite series: ds9, also for the moral ambiguity and political drama.

character she should meet: deanna troi. they could have a girls' night eating chocolate and talking about vibes and auras and how people underestimate them

iroh

favorite series: tos - he likes a classic. the politics probably went over his head when he was young though

character he should meet: jean-luc picard. they'd have tea and talk about philosophy, in the process of which picard would call him on only changing his mind about the war when he was personally affected. iroh could call picard out for being a frenchman lecturing an asian man about imperialism but unfortunately picard has probably already acknowledged Earth's past in his speech, plus iroh is from a fantasyland and doesn't know what french people are

hakoda

favorite series: don't make him pick! he's seen them all and is the reason sokka and katara are into it. your stereotypical nerd dad. he sings along to the enterprise theme song, much to his children's embarrassment

character he should meet: james t. kirk. bakoda is so spirkcoded

[scribbet]

With all the delays in bringing internet to the new place I'm only getting around to this weeks after it's been and gone for everyone else, but thank you @ninjakk for tagging me, always nice to get to know people better :)

Three ships:

*did this leave 'I saw three ships come sailing in, come sailing in, come sailing in...' stuck in anyone else's head after doing this??*

Wangxian are clearly going to be top here, very little I can do about that really, and I don't think they're exactly news to anyone following this blog...

So outside of them, and assuming that shipping means I have spent a lot of time actively seeking out fan content for a pairing, my next three ships would be:

TodoDeku- Todoroki Shoto/Izuku Midoriya -BNHA (My Hero Academia) – I've dropped off with the manga/anime and fandom, and I'm essentially waiting to see how Horikoshi wraps this up before I commit to picking it up again but darn it I do really enjoy this pairing. They can be so good for each other! They're two people messed up in quite different ways who still manage to bring some good into the world out of that! One of them sets on fire and the other one is annoyingly OP but still his mind and his heart are two of the most dangerous things about him!! Sue me :P

25th Bam/Khun Aguero Agnis – Tower of God – So what did you do during lockdown Scribbet? Well I decided it was definitely the time to go and spend literal weeks reading the entire backlog of an infamously long and convoluted Webtoon, and then read hundreds of thousands of words of fan fiction about the potentially world-destroying (sort of) sunshine boy of an unwitting catalyst and the scheming, wickedly intelligent, single-mindedly loyal manipulator who became his first real friend, how about you?

Howell Jenkins/Sophie Hatter from HMC by Diana Wynne Jones (very specifically the book rather than Ghibli film characters) – DWJ is probably one of my longest-standing favourites, of anything, and I have literally submitted degree essays on her as an author so I'll try to restrain myself. But these two ridiculous magic-users drive each other up the wall and they're exactly what the other needs. Both pretty brilliant at what they do and both with the capacity to be stubborn idiots who cut up the other's clothes or have magically empowered tantrums over accidentally dying their hair ginger. Will not face up to unwelcome truths until they literally chase after them as destructive curses. Welsh PhD students running off to become wizards (mood) and argumentative red-heads, what more could I ask for?

Hmm I didn't realise just how much I tended towards power couples (probably with emotional issues) before this.... competency kink what now?

First Ever Ship:

In terms of being so invested that I actually consumed and created content of them? Somewhere on Fanfiction.Net I believe there's still several Mulan/Shang fics of mine from around 2004 from Disney's Mulan. Honestly the more I think about it the less surprising my whole only recently recognised bisexuality is, I'm spending half my time feeling like a Tumblr joke right now....

Last song:

It's Alright by Mother Mother - not my usual sound really but apparently I'm looking for emotional catharsis in my music right now https://youtu.be/G5-KJgVsoUM

Last movie:

Glass Onion – which I've now had the fun of seeing both at the cinema and through Netflix. Definitely a film that rewards a rewatch as you start to notice all the things that were laid out right in front of you the first time round. Everyone making it seems to have had a whale of a time and it's amazing how much satisfaction I got out of that conclusion. Smashing glass can be something so personal you know?...

Currently reading:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – one day let me be this good at dryly nailing the ridiculous aspects of the things I enjoy while still having fun with them.

Currently watching:

The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions Appendices- because I've just moved into a flat by myself after living with other people for years, and those extras are the media equivalent of being snuggled under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate for me.

Currently consuming:

Cadbury's Wispa bites. There... really aren't many left now.

Currently craving:

Headspace? A lot of major things going on IRL right now and it'd be nice to have a bit less emotional and organisational heavy-lifting going on. Also, snow. Where I live seems to be one of the very few places in the UK not to have snow so far this winter, and I'd like to see some before the first spring bulbs come through!

[theravenpiper]

Apostrophes in Names

Fantasy writers love apostrophes in names. They have done so at least since the pulps of the 1930s, although their use was probably popularized by Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series. On Pern, a person’s name is shortened when they become a dragon-rider, so the series includes characters with names like F’lar and F’nor. It seems an unlikely custom to me, but at least McCaffrey uses apostrophes in an immediately recognized way. By contrast, the only answers I have coaxed from imitators is “it’s cool” — never a good reason for background details — or that the apostrophe indicates a pause — which is not a standard reason for using an apostrophe. Few have any idea why the apostrophe is there.

In English and French, an apostrophe indicates that some letters are left out. For instance, in French, “d’Erlon” is short for “de Erlon,” and reflects the oral habit of dropping a duplicated sound. In English, an apostrophe by extension indicates possession, because in Old English, the possessive ending was “es” and Modern English does not pronounce the “e.” In addition, an apostrophe is used in attempts to render non-European pronunciations using Latin characters. For instance, in the Haida language of the Pacific Northwest l and l’ are separate sounds. So are k and k’. However, only experts in a given language can be expected to know the conventions, so if you do decide on an unorthodox use, at the very least you should provide a pronunciation guide at the start of the book. If you don’t, you risk readers settling on an embarrassingly inappropriate one, as Ursula Le Guin found out when she learned that her wizard Ged from A Wizard of Earthsea was called Jed by some of her readers, making him sound like a hillbilly from an 1960s TV show..

On the whole, though, it’s best to stick to the standard English purposes when writing for an English-speaking audience. Mysterious apostrophes are almost always an exotica too far, like names without vowels or ones full of Qs and Xs. Many readers will simply substitute a blank in their mind for a name that is too exotic, which estranges them from the story, especially when several names are replaced by blanks. If you must use exotic punctuation, accents and diacriticals are available from your keyboard and are easy to look up.

Apostrophes in fantasy names are a rookie’s mistake, and make the writer appear illiterate. In A Tough Guide to Fantasyland, a humorous dictionary of clichés, Diane Wynne Jones said it all:"Few NAMES in Fantasyland are considered complete unless they are interrupted by an apostrophe somewhere in the middle (as in Gna’ash). The only names usually exempt from apostrophes, apart from those of most WIZARDS, heroes, and COMPANIONS on the Tour, are those of some COUNTRIES. No one knows the reasons for this."

Including, more often than not, the writers themselves.

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #3

Three in and I'm already posting these updates DAYS late I am so sorry. In my defense I was sick at the end of last week and so was mostly curled up in blankets. That also meant I didn't keep as precise track of what I was reading as I try to, but hopefully what I share with you now I am correct in saying I read last week!

Finished:

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

I have been meaning to check out more of Le Guin's work for ages and ages now, and by luck I happen to be assisting a course on the fantasy genre in literature that perfectly lined up with Shelved by Genre starting to cover Earthsea. This book progresses at such speed, and yet Le Guin's style is so wonderful that it never felt rushed, there is simply so much packed in this book! I'm proud to say I guessed how the central problem would be solved a few chapters before the end, and I'm really excited to continue with the rest of the series

Started and Finished:

many sections of The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

did this book make me laugh? yes. did I enjoy it? not really... it's a satire of fantasy literature (specifically medievalesque adventure fantasy) in the guise of a guidebook for Fantasyland, and while I think I agreed with basically every issue and annoyance it was critiquing through its joke entries, I couldn't help but feel it was an extremely cynical kind of humor. fantasy deserves critique, but this book felt more like it was mocking the magic of it, and do whatever you want to fantasy just don't mock the magic

Chapter 4: "Subjects" from Differences That Matter: Feminist Theory and Postmodernism by Sara Ahmed

"Sexuality" by Rey Chow from A Concise Companion to Feminist Theory

"Staging Dissents: Drag Kings, Resistance, and Feminist Masculinities" by Jae Basiliere

"The Camp as 'Nomos' of the Modern" from Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life by Giorgio Agamben

the above four I already got my talking about them out during class (first three for gender and sexuality studies, the final for my class on the global novel). there is a little bit about reproductive labor re: improved contraception and surrogacy in the Chow chapter that I'd like to read more about in the future

Started and Ongoing:

Undoing Gender by Judith Butler

read the introduction and the first four chapters of this for gender and sexuality studies, and i will be reading at least chapter 6 going forward (will have to check if any other sections are required or interesting to me). chapter 3, which was largely about David Reimer was absolutely excellent and I think achieved its goal in trying to do justice to him and his story.

Orange, Vol. 3 by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis

an attempt was made this week at reading for pleasure. i started reading through this volume bc I like the mixture of time travel intrigue and normalslice of life drama, but then the mcs were begining to fumble one of their plans/reveal too much of what they know about events and i got Too Anxious and closed the kindle app, and did not open it again before due date with Libby had passed

Ongoing:

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

okay so at the time I'm writing this I've actually already finished reading Lost Children Archive. thus are the perils of delaying the weekly reading post. I started enjoying the book more when it started to resemble a children's adventure novel more, which really shows how much a genre-fiction-head i am, but the shift DID also really stress me out

[missbookiverse]

The Lives of Animals (auch beim zweiten Mal noch äußerst Gedanken-stimulierend)

Das Gästezimmer (spannende Idee, die keinen ganzen Roman trägt)

Die Rassistin (komplexer und witziger Beitrag zu einer komplizierten Debatte)

The Hole We're In (deprimierendes und süchtig machendes Abbild der amerikanischen Schuldenfalle)

The Ask & the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) (hat mir schon mal besser gefallen)

No Regrets (witzig, schrullig und herzerwärmend, Schreibstil auf Hochglanz) Beitrag folgt

After the Forest (atmosphärische Märchenstimmung, leider zu viel und zu lang)

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (witziger Reiseführer durch Fantasyländer des 20. Jahrhunderts)

Menacing Manor (nicht so stark wie die anderen Bände, langsam wiederholt sich zu viel)

Das Mädchen mit dem Porzellangesicht (märchenhafte Geschichte in genialem Wortgewand)

Unheimlich Geschichten #2 (Poe lohnt sich immer, v. a. so stimmungsvoll gelesen wie von Jürgen Uter)

DNF: The Land of Lost Things (unnötige Fortsetzung, die peinlich bemüht darum ist, möglichst woke zu sein)

[glowyjellyfish]

I dreamed a concept for some sort of D&D Fantasy Adventure theme park and now it’s in my head and won’t go away.

I think it’s physically possible, although I am only armchair imagineering at best I don’t know engineering; we probably have the technology to make such a theme park work. But nobody’s ever going to make it and that bums me out.

You’d get different LARP-ish weapons with sensors in them to accomplish tasks. Some rides would require the use of them, or at least reward you for it. You’d have different itineraries, mixing the attractions up to tell you different stories and trying to give you a unique experience every time you visit, while making sure first-time single-day visitors saw the Best Of. Some workers would be Wizard Guides to direct you to the next plot point, but there would also be a lot of flavor Fantasy people wandering around, performing at the tavern and being called in to aid visitors traveling alone (if the visitor has indicated they want that!)

Crowd management and maintaining this Fantasy Adventure Plot idea while letting people do whatever they want would probably be a challenge to figure out for this thing—I don’t want this to just be like the Star Wars hotel or anything—but since I can’t ever possibly make it happen that’s a problem for… never.

(…there is definitely a lot of The Tough Guide to Fantasyland and The Dark Lord of Derkholm in this concept, but mine is all animatronics and actors and clever effects. Nobody’s using a demon to exploit another world for profit. No matter how cool that would be.)

[slothwithwifi]

Better late than never...

With all the delays in bringing internet to the new place I’m only getting around to this weeks after it’s been and gone for everyone else, but thank you @sunshine304 for tagging me, always nice to get to know people better :)



Three ships:

*did this leave 'I saw three ships come sailing in, come sailing in, come sailing in...' stuck in anyone else's head after doing this??*

Wangxian are clearly going to be top here, very little I can do about that really, and I don't think they're exactly news to anyone following this blog...

So outside of them, and assuming that shipping means I have spent a lot of time actively seeking out fan content for a pairing, my next three ships would be:

TodoDeku- Todoroki Shoto/Izuku Midoriya -BNHA (My Hero Academia) – I've dropped off with the manga/anime and fandom, and I'm essentially waiting to see how Horikoshi wraps this up before I commit to picking it up again but darn it I do really enjoy this pairing. They can be so good for each other! They're two people messed up in quite different ways who still manage to bring some good into the world out of that! One of them sets on fire and the other one is annoyingly OP but still his mind and his heart are two of the most dangerous things about him!! Sue me :P

25th Bam/Khun Aguero Agnis – Tower of God – So what did you do during lockdown Scribbet? Well I decided it was definitely the time to go and spend literal weeks reading the entire backlog of an infamously long and convoluted Webtoon, and then read hundreds of thousands of words of fan fiction about the potentially world-destroying (sort of) sunshine boy of an unwitting catalyst and the scheming, wickedly intelligent, single-mindedly loyal manipulator who became his first real friend, how about you?

Howell Jenkins/Sophie Hatter from HMC by Diana Wynne Jones (very specifically the book rather than Ghibli film characters) – DWJ is probably one of my longest-standing favourites, of anything, and I have literally submitted degree essays on her as an author so I'll try to restrain myself. But these two ridiculous magic-users drive each other up the wall and they're exactly what the other needs. Both pretty brilliant at what they do and both with the capacity to be stubborn idiots who cut up the other's clothes or have magically empowered tantrums over accidentally dying their hair ginger. Will not face up to unwelcome truths until they literally chase after them as destructive curses. Welsh PhD students running off to become wizards (mood) and argumentative red-heads, what more could I ask for?

Hmm I didn't realise just how much I tended towards power couples (probably with emotional issues) before this.... competency kink what now?

First Ever Ship:

In terms of being so invested that I actually consumed and created content of them? Somewhere on Fanfiction.Net I believe there's still several Mulan/Shang fics of mine from around 2004 from Disney's Mulan. Honestly the more I think about it the less surprising my whole only recently recognised bisexuality is, I'm spending half my time feeling like a Tumblr joke right now....

Last Song:

It's Alright by Mother Mother - not my usual sound really but apparently I'm looking for emotional catharsis in my music right now https://youtu.be/G5-KJgVsoUM

Last movie:

Glass Onion – which I've now had the fun of seeing both at the cinema and through Netflix. Definitely a film that rewards a rewatch as you start to notice all the things that were laid out right in front of you the first time round. Everyone making it seems to have had a whale of a time and it's amazing how much satisfaction I got out of that conclusion. Smashing glass can be something so personal you know?...

Currently Reading:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – one day let me be this good at dryly nailing the ridiculous aspects of the things I enjoy while still having fun with them.

Currently Watching:

The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions Appendices- because I've just moved into a flat by myself after living with other people for years, and those extras are the media equivalent of being snuggled under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate for me.

Currently Consuming:

Cadbury's Wispa bites. There... really aren't many left now.

Currently Craving:

Headspace? A lot of major things going on IRL right now and it'd be nice to have a bit less emotional and organisational heavy-lifting going on. Also, snow. Where I live seems to be one of the very few places in the UK not to have snow so far this winter, and I'd like to see some before the first spring bulbs properly come through!

[nickjb]

Got a copy of The Tough Guide To Fantasyland.

[kattahj]

“[G]reen eyes always entail TALENT, usually for MAGIC but sometimes for MUSIC [...] blue eyes are always GOOD, the bluer the more Good present; and then there are violet and golden eyes. People with violet eyes are often of Royal blood and, if not, always live uncomfortably interesting lives. People with golden eyes just live uncomfortably interesting lives and most of them are rather fey into the bargain. Both these types should be avoided by anyone who only wants a quiet life.”

- The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

[petermorwood]

I found this bit of marginalia when I was looking for something else (medieval killer rabbits, in fact).

Thanks to the way my mind works ;-> it instantly reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones’s “Tough Guide to Fantasyland”, where there’s a definition of SWORDS, mostly a warning about magic ones and in particular...

2. SWORDS WITH SOULS. These will contain:

A. The soul of someone formerly alive or, worse,

B. A soul of their own...

C. A highly aggressive soul. This kind of Sword tends to take over the user at unexpected moments, put her/him through impeccable but obsolete Martial Arts movements ... and there is a strong possibility the wielder may dislocate a joint through being forced to adopt an unaccustomed fighting posture.

That knight may be smiling now, but he’s going to ache in the morning...

[a-ramblinrose]

COATS do not exist in Fantasyland - CLOAKS being universally preferred - but TURNCOATS do.

Diana Wynne Jones, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland