#feegle don't look

[doctordonovan]

does maeve ever feel glad that bobby's dead? or safer?

❀    ||      maeve && bobby's death

guilt is a difficult thing  -  and no matter how clever you are,  no matter how clear the facts are,  it's sometimes entirely overwhelming.   so part one of answering this is how does maeve feel about bobby's death?  the answer is relatively simple.  as awful as he was to her,  as much as he held so much blame in her suffering...  maeve sees his death as her fault.  diane went after him to prove a point to maeve:   she wanted someone she thought maeve had loved.   she killed him because she realised it was spencer who truly had maeve's heart,  that what she'd felt for bobby was never anything that could compete with it.

diane killed bobby because of his link to maeve,  and maeve can't forgive herself for that.

the guilt that comes from his murder makes her view of things...  messier.  she knows their relationship was bad  -   she knows,   logically,  that he was a controlling bastard  &&   emotionally abusive.  she knows it's not normal to hire a PI to hunt down an ex when they're hiding from a violent stalker for their own safety.

she knows a lot of things,   but the guilt is so big,  and so heavy,  that she can't feel relief or glad.  she never wanted him dead,  she just wanted him to leave her alone  &&   to let her breathe.  and whilst he was terrible enough she truly did think he was her main stalker  ( though he was still responsible for A FEW of the things that happened - he was a secondary stalker after all ) she can't get past the fact that it feels like he lost his life for her.

and,  unlike when diane was going to kill spencer...  she couldn't take the bullet for him,  she couldn't think of a way to fix things,  she couldn't find the same love borne logic that saved spencer's life and put her in her coma.

[oldlaomedeiia]

           Desire is sprawled across the comforter;  head resting easily on Lucifer’s chest. They’re not someone who needs sleep, but Desire imagines this is what ‘sleepy’ feels like.  Idly, they draw circles on the skin of the other’s shoulder, tracing little patterns. They hum contentedly, eyes trailing upward.

                            “Luce....” they breathe quietly, almost uncertain “...I have something for you.”

// @ordinariums​

[doctordonovan-a]

new verse drop:   the orville.

 what’s the point of a xelayan without their strength?   a half human and half xelayan was always bound to be not quite what either side would want.   born on amongst a mostly human colony,   merav delman did not start off with an easy life:  given up by birth family before her first birthday,  left to bounce between those willing to take little quiet hybrid in.

 when the donovans came along,  merav first took on the donovan surname,  changing her name fully to ‘maeve’ by the time she turned eighteen.

 despite not having the xelayan strength,  maeve got their intelligence:   and,  if anything,  often proves herself incredibly smart even by their standards:   younger than most by the time she’s rushed through education.   an expert on genetics,   entomology,    botany and   -   unofficially   -   far too many topics...    shy woman has a reputation in too many fields to really keep track of.

 not much of her personal life is known.   she was,   for a while,   engaged.   there are plenty of rumours that follow her from starship to starship   -   how the engagement was dreadful.   how some have heard whisperings she had a stalker that caused her to leave earth.   maeve herself never confirms or denies anything about herself,   content to leave earth as far behind as possible and to focus on being lieutenant commander on whatever ship comes next.

[goldshadows]

you just KNOW she drives a hard bargain

[vcla]

there is this deleted scene of the second episode of season 10 where sam comes to check up on vala to see if she is doing okay with everything   (   everything being, you know, her child being stolen and genetically changed by evil ascended beings  )    and while god this scene needed to be there cause its insane that there wasn’t any scene of someone trying to check in on vala after everything, there is this little comment from sam which just breaks my heart.

‘i can see you’ve kept to yourself which is a huge change from the vala mal doran we’ve come to know and ...   well, that we’ve all come to know’   

and later on in the season cam, before she is officially a member of sg-1, but after she has already been on several missions, dismisses her place in the team.    she cares about these people so much, and she cares about them so fast, and she knows that they don’t feel the same.   that she is just someone they need right now.

(   and while yes by the end of the season a lot of this has changed, her relationship with cam and sam especially, we see sam and vala hanging out and helping each other and its so soft  —   there is this entire period where vala is just...   the tin dog.   desperately trying to be a real girl in their eyes   )

[stupidphototricks]

I think that the Tiffany Aching books, for all of the crazy Nac Mac Feegle antics, have at least as much that hits hard and makes you think as the main Discworld series. It's crazy that these are children's books, except really it's wonderful that there are children's books like this.

"Ye ken how to be strong, do ye?" "Yes, I think so." "Good. D'ye ken how to be weak? Can ye bow to the gale, can ye bend to the storm?" -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

"We dinna mourn like ye do, ye ken. We mourn for them that has tae stay behind." -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men (Actually in large part that's what we mourn for too)

"Ye'll find the way if ye tak' yer time. Just don't stamp yer foot and expect the world to do yer biddin'." -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

"Them as can do has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices." -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

She wasn't being brave or noble or kind. She was doing this because it had to be done, because there was no way that she could not do it. -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

I've been given something for a while, and the price of it is that I have to give it back. -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

He just looked like someone who'd been frightened for so long, it had become part of his life, like freckles. -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

But you had to start small, like oak trees. -- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

[dragonfire42]

Just finished my 6th story for 7 upcoming Good Omens fanfiction/fanart bangs!! I've written over 50,000 words so far on stories that will be released starting at the end of this month!

(Pictured: the cocoa that kept me going!)

Below are the starting dates for posting. (Longer stories will have weekly chapter updates):

Please note all stories this round are teen+, no archive warnings apply:

Good Omens Theatre Bang - 8/27

"Rainbow Connection" - Puppeteer slow burn human AU, art by @queenofthecute, beta @fifthstiel , complete, 14k words

"Jiggery Pokery" - diary entries of Prof Hoffman on his magical mentorship of Fell the Marvellous, art by @bjs4bildad, beta @andromeda4004, complete, 6k words

@gomens-theatre-bang

DIWS Silver Screen Bang - 9/7

"Here's Looking at You, Angel" - Casablanca themed crossover, canon compliant post S2, art by @saesomesaeni and @abitch-in-the-matrix, beta by @andromeda4004

Chapters posted Saturdays 9/7-10/26

@do-it-with-style-events

Check out the AMAZING preview posters by Sae and GingerJo!!

Fairy Tale GO Bang - 9/13

"Crowley and the Seven Nac Mac Feegles" - Snow White story with Discworld and Sandman crossover, art by @emihotaru, beta by @ngkiscool

Chapters posted Fridays 9/13-10/11

"A Toast to the End of the World" Alternate Flood Myths while saving a unicorn and some kids, art by @sanzarus, beta by @seven-stars-in-his-palm

"Elspeth and the Beanstalk" - AU from minisode "The Resurrectionist" where Aziraphale drinks the laudanum instead of Crowley and grows big, art by @justzrero, beta by @ngkiscool

@fairytalegobang

Good Omens Spooky Bang: 10/28

"The Angel's Gambit" - Seventh Seal crossover, art by @theeinkibus

@spooky-bang-good-omens

The best part of these bangs has been connecting with so many talented artists, writers, editors and readers from around the world!

I'm so excited to share these stories and all our hard work with you! Follow ALL the amazing artist tags above and don't miss all the amazing stories in these collections by following the bang tags too!

Subscribe to me on AO3 to get notified:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonfire42/works

[grison-in-space]

I'm knitting again and look, this is dangerous, I live only about a quarter mile from a really intensely great local yarn store and they do weekly friday night queer stitch and bitch sessions that are totally free altho they do ask that you work with yarn from the store. The HORROR.

I wanna play with colorwork mittens which I've never done before. Trying to prevent myself deciding that I need rainbow or otherwise unique stitch markers so I can follow along with a complex pattern. I definitely don't need these things. I'm broke.

But there are so many gorgeous patterns! I could make my own cool nerdy ass mitten patterns! I could knit the Nac Mac Feegles as gloves! I waaaaaant thiiiiinnnngggsssss

[sithbelle]

The Wee Free Men is a great book. I love the Mac Nac Feegles, and they are admittedly much easier to understand this reread than when I first read them (thanks to my Scottish gaming buddy!).

The underlying theme of Tiffany grieving her grandmother is especially poignant for me today, as I'm going to my own grandmother's funeral tomorrow and I don't feel like I'm grieving like I'm supposed to. I'm really looking forward to seeing where Terry takes Tiffany in later books.

Next up is Monstrous Regiment, which marks the most "recent" Discworld book I read in the original read through. I remember loving this book a lot, and I'm certainly going to enjoy it again this time, too.

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Dealing With Fae Entities, a Helpful Guide To Managing Elves, Faeries, Pictsies, and Other Annoyances

Hi, kids! This is Dr. Snow here, your friendly neighborhood Fae expert, as of this afternoon. After several very irritating encounters with the Fae, Dr. Clef and I agreed I should record some tips for dealing with them.

First thing first, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE, NO MATTER HOW FRIENDLY A FAE MAY SEEM AT FIRST ENCOUNTER, GIVE THEM YOUR TRUE GIVEN NAME. Names have power, give them yours and you are screwed.

Second, never enter any contract without reading it three or four times and running it through both Legal and Ethics first. Dr. Venser failed this crucial test, and had to give up her first born child. Don't be like Venser. Fae contracts are almost as hard as Hell contracts to break.

If cornered, bonk the bastard relentlessly with cold iron. Burns them worse than a bloody flamethrower, plus the added hilarity and embarrassment of being nearly clubbed to death by cookware. Skillets are the best option, but never underestimate the humble fireplace poker.

Do not, no matter how hungry you are, or how good the food or drink look, accept "free" gifts from the Fae. That's how you wind up in their debt. Plus, the Fae are worse cooks than Clef, which is saying a lot. THERE IS NOTHING FREE WITH THE "FAIR FOLK"! Bunch of scheming, cheating arseholes. Again, remember Dr. Venser!

Never believe a word they say. They lie more than Clef.

If a Fae raiding party approaches, throw candy at them then call in the MTFs. They're distracted by sweets, much like children. Plus, they are compelled to pick up every single piece of thrown sugar. Candies that shatter against hard surfaces, like jawbreakers, are ideal.

If captured, AGREE TO NOTHING, EVEN THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. Agreeing with the Fae on anything is practically giving them consent to torture you.

Carry silver on your person at all times. To think, Dr. Harrigan laughed at me over my silver snowflake Scranton pendant. She's not laughing now, seeing as she's now the Fae King's newest plaything. Silver burns Fae like cold iron, plus it renders their unicorns too weak to do much.

Trust nothing in the presence of the Fae. They bend reality just by being here. Cold iron jacketed hollow point magazines will be distributed by Munitions. Treat them like your average Bixby, aim for their head once distracted.

To ward against the Fae, salt the entryways and windows. While this works on vampires due to the purity of salt, the elvish arseholes will be compelled to pick up every last grain of salt spilled. You may then headshot them to your heart's delight.

If attacked by six inch tall blue pitcsies with red hair and a tendency to fight, steal, or drink anything they come across, offer copious amounts of alcohol, and hide. The Nac Mac Feegle may be tiny compared to him, but those scunners managed to kill SCP 076-2 with minimal effort. One of them even climbed in his loincloth. Look, if even ABEL is afraid of these guys, don't try to take them on. Abel barely lasted ten minutes.

Refuse ANY item offered. We do not need another "Anomalous Ring Of Inconsistent Waterbreathing" incident. Poor Dr. Mariner needs a tank now, and that damned thing is fused to his finger.

Unicorns, while beautiful, are... not very nice. How not nice? They'll gore you as soon as look at you.

Do not look at the Queen of the Fae. Two reasons: one, she's incredibly vain and will pester you to no end on how beautiful she is, and then... she'll try to get you into bed with her. Bad decision. She's got a higher (dead) body count than a black widow spider, and like a preying mantis, bites her victims heads off. Two, the King is hella jealous and you may not even live to accept that invite to the Queen's bed. Bigger dick than the Scarlet King.

Glitter also distracts the Fae long enough to dome them easily. Especially if 035 coats his junk in it. Wasn't ever expecting Disco Dong Dyo to be helpful, but the bastards were so confused killing them was easy.

If all else fails to repell the elvish dickheads, threaten to summon Dr. Clef. Not even their King wants to hear his ukulele.

If, for some reason you are tired of life, you decide to really annoy the Queen, insult her appearance. Again, she's extremely vain. She'll be so busy trying to become your version of the "perfect" woman it's easy to distract and kill her. Use their weaknesses against them.

Those perfect, 7 foot tall walls of elvish muscle in the invading forces? That is not at all how they really look. The average Fae's no taller than 5 feet tall, max. And uglier than a Hollywood divorce. It's a glamour, pretty convincing one too. Distract them enough, and it crumbles.

Speaking of distractions, these dickheads are compelled to dance whenever they hear music. You can thank Dr. Myriad for this one, they had the entire army grooving along to the "Safety Dance". Yes, there is video footage. No, the Fae do not have rhythm. It was like watching the most awkward mass dry heave set to '80's pop.

Grimhounds, much like Wu-Tang Clan and the Ethics Committee, ain't nothing to fuck with. Think hellhounds on massive doses of steroids, pcp, with the most advanced and aggressive case of rabies, with teeth sharper than Abel's swords. They are fast, relentless, and the only sure way to get them off your arse is to blow them off the map with high explosives.

While it is possible to bribe the Fae... they're not trustworthy. Just don't bother.

Mousetraps work well against smaller entities. As do cats; Liam caught one last night. Was really funny to see my fluffy boy dragging this cursing little sod all around my kitchen like my cat was doing a victory lap. Theiving bastards won't raid my pantry again anytime soon, heh heh.

Clef discovered if you use enough rocks, you can weigh them down enough to drown them. It might have helped that the portal opened upon the Red Pool instead of the ocean as I intended. Oopsie. Mea Culpa if the Ethics Committee are reading this. I know, three months Keter Duty. Still worth it.

If you're thinking of poisoning the Fae... don't bother. It simply doesn't work. No one knows why. They can, however, succumb to the zombie prion disease, but then... you have to deal with feral, infectious, and above all quite undead Fae.

For once, those damned bloody Tesla Gates are useful. Fae and electricity do not react favorably, for the Fae. They explode. Bone shrapnel is an issue, but if you get far enough back it's minimal. Still, wear your goggles kids!

073 is immune to the Fae glamour. He confirmed the Fae being unattractive, and I think it was the first time I ever heard him drop the "mf" bomb. Dr. Gears dropped his Foundation issue mug so hard it shattered. You know you're hideous if CAIN, the nicest guy in the Foundation, calls you "one ugly motherfucker" to your face. Dr. Clef and Dr. Cimmerian nearly hyperventilated laughing in shock.

In need of a quick distraction, but trapped in your office? Simply scatter whatever is on top of your desk, book it out of your door, and flag down the fine friendly folks in the MTF. While the Fae reorganizes your desktop, the MTF can shoot them. Even if you don't believe Clef on this... we had one in his office last month, he scattered his massive pile of paperwork on the floor, by the time we got the clear to go back in, his desk had never been better organized. Aside from the blood splotch on his Shooter's Bible.

Fun fact: Fae are highly flammable. A raiding party caught the backblast from one of 682's Volcano Chili farts, there was nothing but ash in seconds after the flame hit them. Must ask if we can weaponize the big lizard's flatulence, that stuff burns hotter than even thermite! Pity R&D could never quite replicate it, even if it reeks worse than a zombie skunk in a manure pile.

By all means, allow 049 access to the Fae should they attempt another invasion. With his skills and knowledge, we'll soon know exactly how these bastards operate on a physical level. For once, Ethics Committee has authorized 049's request for live test subjects, provided they're Fae. No, Agent Dennis does not count, he's just short, not an evil magical arsehole.

One last thing: I cannot stress this enough. NEVER TELL THE FAE YOUR TRUE GIVEN NAME, AGREE TO ANYTHING THEY ASK, OR THINK OF TRUSTING THEM FOR A SECOND. I realize this sounds incredibly species-ist of me, however, it's truth. The Fae cannot be trusted, even less so than you'd first suspect. They will trick you, use you, then drop you harder than the atom bombs. Shoot them first, don't bother with asking questions.

Okay, I think that's everything. Oh, wait... never mentioned how to spot one before it spots you. Grimhounds are obvious. Hellhounds on steroids with rabies. The Nac Mac Feegle, once you meet them you're either broke or dead. The others? People who seem way too perfect, too good to be real, you meet in life? Those could be Fae. The hot chicks in the bar everyone is flocking around despite them being mean vapid idiots? Fae. The super smoking but arrogant dickhead every straight girl in 10 miles is lining up to be rejected by? Either Lucifer Morningstar post marriage or Fae. The guy in Soho offering unbelievable deals on top line stuff like PS5s or suchlike? Fae. And shimmering lights where no such lights could possibly be, Fae. They can be anywhere. Stay alert, stay aware, trust your instincts. Keep on, carry cold iron and silver, and Secure, Contain, Protect on.

Hugs,

Dr. "Rabbit" Snow and Dr. Alto Clef

[doctordonovan]

❀    ||      maeve  &&  heights post diane

 so for anyone who hasn’t seen the show:  there’s a scene diane  (  maeve’s violent stalker who has literally just killed maeve’s ex-fiance / other stalker  )   has maeve on a rooftop at gunpoint and tries to make her jump to prove that the thesis of her failed dissertation   (   a dissertation maeve failed and led to the start of diane’s obsession with her    )   was correct.   there’s a gifset of a moment of it in specific here on my old blog with some of my thoughts in the tags.

 in general post coma,   surprisingly,   maeve is more drawn to heights than she ever was before diane.   not because of diane’s point though:   there’s no urge to jump and there’s not even fear about them.   instead maeve is drawn to them because it’s the place she feels the most numb.   this sounds odd but if she were to explain it:  that moment,  between her and diane on the rooftop,  was the moment she accepted fully that she was going to die.  yes she was terrified when bobby was killed,  each time diane hurt her during the stalking,  every time she had a gun pointed at her…   but this moment was when maeve accepted she wasn’t making it out alive.  

(  later,  in the scene where diane shoots both herself and maeve in front of reid,  maeve never seems scared for herself  -  only ever for him  -  and this is fully to do with that moment where she decided she’d die before giving diane any satisfaction of breaking her.  )

heights never frighten her again because in her mind they are forever linked to that moment of pure,  complete,  acceptance.  she was ready and expecting to die when first up on that roof.

so whenever maeve is feeling too much,  when she’s overwhelmed or struggling with her trauma,  going somewhere high up is her version of an ice bath.  she may have survived the bullet   (  I don’t remember a ‘canon’  )   and recovered from the coma,  but there’s no coming back from a moment of acceptance like that.  she does in a lot of ways spend the rest of her life feeling like she could simply stop existing at any time.

worse than that,  she feels like she’s on borrowed time and it doesn’t bother her much anymore.

[oldlaomedeiia]

Making icons and.....y e p .

[doctordonovan-a]

a thing I’ve mentioned before but not recently is:  diane doesn’t happen in every verse  -  but bobby happens in every single one  (  minus one that I can think of  ).   so why is maeve’s abusive ex more important than the woman who stalked her?

 diane is a major part of maeve’s main arc  -  and,  in a lot of verses  -  is the defining trauma that triggers maeve’s   ‘  it’s time to leave  ’    instinct.    in her marvel  /  dc  /  charmed  /  powered verses,  canon happens:  maeve is killed.  the stalking happens,  the shooting happens,  sometimes she survives it and sometimes she doesn’t.  in her stargate verse diane exists but not as a stalker,  instead as a parasite like creature that takes over maeve’s body for several years.  

 yet there are verses where diane doesn’t happen  -  for example,  in her star trek verse,  it’s finding out the truth that triggers maeve to leave everything behind.  

 diane,  whilst she’s undeniably one of maeve’s biggest traumas,  can be replaced by any identity robbing trauma.  but bobby?  bobby isn’t so easily replaced or erased.  I’ve written before about    (  1    /    2  )    how bad the relationship was.  but it’s also not entirely a shock  -  for all her defences,  maeve is a very gentle person,  and has the kind of vulnerability any narcissist would be drawn to.   bobby was,  as her mother described,   ‘a controlling bastard’  whom was fully aware maeve was hiding from a violent stalker...   yet still hired a PI to hunt her down.  

in all verses,  maeve is post her engagement with bobby,  but that trauma is there:  the knowledge of how the need to be loved,  to be wanted,  can be turned into something that will hurt her.  there are verses in which I was nice and he’s already dead  -  and then there’s verses where seeing him again is a very real danger maeve would never want to happen.

maeve is a very strong person,  and a very private one,   so it’s never something that she intentionally brings up.  but her breaking point and decision to call the engagement off is core to a massive change in her character between the lonely  &&  hopeless romantic scientist she was in her late teens  /   early 20s and the more reserved woman she becomes when it’s mixed with the other traumas that come her way.

                          bobby breaks a part of her trust and heart that isn’t easily healed,  and he’s also the first time she truly decides no.  she deserves better.

[noirandchocolate]

Semifinal comments time!

Match 1, Vimes vs. Granny

I think this one would go down to the wire. Yes running away is a victory condition, but hwo is faster on the draw. Granny stopping him from running with headology, or Sam Vimes' notorious thinking feet. This one goes down like a showdown at high noon, with both of them having already planned out their moves and just waiting for the bell to ring. But Granny didn't expect Sam to think with his feet. So his head is like oh no but his feet say let's run. So Sam wins it.

--@kane-dream

They do not fight. They sit together and have a civil conversation. Granny sipping tea. Vimes smoking. Very calm but everyone has cleared out a 100 yard blast radius in terror. no one will ever know what they talked about. And then Granny emerges victorious.

--@myidealhousehaschickenfeet

This one was HARD. I would love a good story where they met and respect each other in their own silent grumpy way. Sorry Sam Granny wins, she has the wrath of a celestial body and the world bends around her.

--@chaosnail

Sam gives in because he knows if he wanted to win it would take so long he wouldn't make it home in time to read to Young Sam. Which as we all know is just something that you do not miss.

--@msmeiriona (OKAY now I'm picturing everybody attending this bout in the park and then it strikes 6:00 and Vimes calls a time out and Sybil brings Young Sam over and then all the city-based contestants help read the book for him because they Know while at first the outsiders are like '????????' However they quickly catch on and start improvising their own pages. Susan does the Voice for a Death of Rats SQUEAK, Mrs. Gogol surprises everyone with an uncannily accurate crow for Legba the rooster, etc. Rob is soon delighted to yell 'It goes, CRIVENS! Tha' is a Nac Mac Feegle, ye ken! Tha' is no' my coo-beastie!' line. And as @onwardsandsideways said it, 'Nanny wins here as she becomes an honorary grandmother to Young Sam by the time the match ends.')

Match 2, Nanny vs. Angua

Angua deals with Nobby on a regular basis. So I don't think Nanny's usual embarrassing tactics will work here.

--@missnotlob

Rather than her usual embarrass them with bawdy jokes tactic, Nanny employs a make em feel self conscious by being just the sweetest old lady tactic and then presses hard. Angua regardless of her usual temperament suddenly finds that she doesn't want to risk not getting sweets from nanny by being so impolite as to beat her to a pulp. Nanny could hold her own better in a brawl than anyone would first think looking at her but she's a witch. And knowing when to just be something approaching normal about things is broadly what separates witches from wizards after all.

--@violetren

Angua's only true defense is that her relationship with Carrot prevents her from becoming a daughter in law. That is NOT enough.

--@nerdomancer

Much as I love Angua she is simply and distincly outclassed by the Old Witch Who Fucks.

--@twofoursixohjuan

Angua would be absolutely flummoxed at first but would get led down the pub by Nanny, with the promise of stories. Nanny, who knows a werewolf in need of a drink when she sees one gets the gel off the street and away from the coppering nonsense for a spell.

--@batsonthebrain

Now there's naught left but the final! WHICH OLD LADY WILL REIGN VICTORIOUS?

[goldshadows]

this would be jami at her reaping and i'm -

[writerystuff]

A SAD REALIZATION

A local bookstore in my area sponsors a monthly science-fiction/fantasy book club. It's not a real “club”; there is no list of  members, there are no dues, and one doesn’t have to formally join. They post on their website a list of the books to be read in the coming months, and anyone who is interested can come and discuss that month's book.

Last month, the book to be discussed was The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, so of course I had to attend.

To my great surprise, one of the first people who spoke announced, “I couldn't really understand this one at all--I mean, what was going on in this book? What was it about?”

Another participant announced, “I couldn't understand anything the Feegles were saying, so I just skipped those parts.”

There was also, believe it or not, a lot of confusion about the actual names of some of the characters.

One participant spoke very movingly about how much she loved Granny Aching, who took care of not just the sheep and the chalk and the people but also the ship. Say what?

Then I realized that she was mistaking the way the Feegles pronounce “sheep” for an actual ship.

And that's when it dawned on me that most of them had not read the book—they had listened to the audiobook.

Science tells us that multitasking is a myth: you really can't do two things at once. If you’re focused and concentrating on your audiobook, that's when you put your keys in the refrigerator and pour orange juice into your coffee mug. I'm sure many of the people who came to the discussion had listened to the book while driving, or doing something else equally demanding of concentration.

Since that gathering, I can’t stop thinking about how much they missed.

Did any of them pause the book to look up "carlin" or "brose"? (There's a glossary in several of the books in this series.)

Did any of them think to look up the origin of the word “gonnagle”?

Did any of them catch the Gonnagle's sly reference, when he gives the name of the tune he's going to play, to James II?

Did any of them realize that Rob Anybody was quoting directly from The Fairies by William Allingham?

And did any of them catch the reference to Hamlet, Act II, scene 2, when Roland breaks open the walnut?

I don't think so. And Sir Terry really, really deserves better.

Please READ.