#happy roddacember!!!!!!

[li-lbamboo]

I'm curious to know if anyone has heard about the new series by Emily Rodda set for publication in October of next year? Supposedly a new middle grade fantasy series, Landovel, her "most complex, far-reaching fantasy adventure since Deltora Quest."

I wonder if this new story will be set in a completely new world or an exploration of another island/culture within her extended universe (for lack of a better term, the roddaverse lol).

Second link has some more info on the story itself...

[shionshot]

Roddacember Day3:Animal

After reading Colin's story about the sulphur-crested cockatoo in His Name was Walter, I became quite fond of this unique parrot. I found a SNS account for zoos that have sulphur-crested cockatoo and have been liking it for over a year now whenever a sulphur-crested cockatoo is posted.

However, for Rodacember, when I reread her second book as an author, Pig's Might Fly, last month, I was surprised to notice that the book also features a sulphur-crested cockatoo. Sandy's delightful parrot, Pol, was also a sulphur-crested cockatoo. I hadn't paid any attention to them when I read the book before.

So I looked back at the cover of Teen Power volume 12 to see if it was possible, and here it was again, a bird with a yellow crest and a white body. I was surprised to see that Rodda has been talking about the sulphur-crested cockatoo for over 30 years.

This unique talking parrot only appears in her low fantasy or real-world stories.

But if I think about it, it is highly improbable that a bird could talk. That would be like a pig flying in the sky, wouldn't it?

So if this parrot has a role to play in her stories, isn't it an animal that links the real and imaginary worlds? I thought.

From here on out it's just a blurb from me...

Parrots can have simple conversations with people because they are intelligent. I have had cats and dogs, who, unlike parrots, could not talk, but were clearly happy, angry or sad. I could at least understand if they wanted to eat or go outside by listening to their cries.

So if birds can talk to humans, doesn't they also be able to talk to dogs and cats?

For example, if my cat's intelligence is as high as a parrot's and she can say words other than meow, could we have a conversation?

That's what I think Jasmine means when she says that being able to talk to animals isn't magic.

[bleeding-star-heart]

Roddacember Day 18: Ripples

There are a lot of things that could go under "ripples". Deltora Quest is one big ripple effect. Change one event in the series, especially in the beginning, and the whole story changes. So let's start with the first, seemingly inconsequential ripple: Alton deciding to make Jarred into Endon's companion. Picture an AU where Alton didn't decide to have Jarred raised alongside Endon. Instead, Jarred simply worked as a castle servant, never so much as speaking to Endon. Endon grows up alone, dutiful and obedient, with no company save for his tutors, parents, and Prandine. And when his parents die of "illness' (read: Prandine's poison), that circle shrinks to just Prandine. Endon never questions the Rule, never thinks to, and is miserable and lonely. That is, until Sharn arrives, offering some respite and relief from the loneliness. And it is possible she might make him question the Rule, might have the political know-how to do it subtly. But more likely, Endon continues to obey the Rule, with nothing changing except a brief bit of marital happiness. And then the Belt is destroyed, and with it, the illusion. Prandine kills him and Sharn before Lief can even be born, and the Shadow Lord's reign is guaranteed. And with Jarred never leaving the palace, Jasmine never even comes close to existing.

Alton's seemingly inconsequential decision to adopt an orphan ends up making or breaking the Shadow Lord's plan.

[toshitophchan]

So, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now- or: Return to Del and the Breaking of Narrative Structure

I love Deltora Quest- this much should be clear by now. The twists and turns, the adventure and intrigue, the carefully crafted world that breathes life through its pages with each new block of world building added to the tower. The books are the perfect length to pack an entire thrilling story in without ever feeling like you got too much from it, or not enough.

Something interesting about Deltora Quest is the formulas it falls into- formulas author Emily Rodda has expertly designed to work in tandem with the story.

Let me give an example.

Deltora Quest- or at the least the original- is a series that deals in the number seven, primarily because of the driving factor that forces our characters into action- the seven gems that form the belt of Deltora. The rest of the sevens come naturally after that- each gem needs to come from a tribe and each tribe needs a territory, and then each gem needs an Ak-Baba to take it to its own dangerous location with its own dangerous guardian. Seven gems for seven guardians, if you will. So, it seems almost odd that the series itself is not seven books long.

(By now seven is ceasing to sound like a real word)

No, Deltora Quest the original is composed of eight books- the last being Return to Del. The eighth book in a series devoted to the number seven- it’s almost a little odd. Return to Del is an outlier among its predecessors, and not just because it feels like it shouldn’t fit in the maths- it should. The equation does work. It has to be here. There needs to be a book for what to do after you find all the gems. Otherwise you have to bloat out Valley of the Lost and these are meant to be short kids books. You have a structure- you have a pace. You shouldn’t detour from it.

But Return to Del stands out mainly because it is a breaking of the expected Deltora Quest narrative structure.

Let me lay it out. Here’s how each book goes. A gem needs to be found. The trio heads into a new dangerous territory to seek it out in its deadly location. They face many perils along the way but none more dangerous (arguably) than the guardian who waits for them at the end of their journey. They face them on- near death experiences ensure and then the gem is found. Nothing should come easy to the trio- this is a quest of life and death. And so they need to face a series of challenges before they reach the final one- and the final challenge should be the most deadly of them all. The differences come from the actual story told- what territory they’re in and what guardian they’re facing. The audience comes to know this format with each new book read. They expect it. And it’s good that it’s like this. The somewhat repetition works in the story.

And then Return to Del comes along, whacks them on the head and says ‘hey guys we’re doing something new now’ and by god does it also work.

Return to Del is a wild race of an adventure that guarantees you only one thing upon opening it- and that’s that Del will be returned to. Apart from that, everything is wholly unknown to a new reader. The expected narrative formula is broken and now readers have no way of knowing where the story is going to go. There’s no gem to find. No new dangerous location to explore. No horrifying guardian to either face head on or avoid entirely (Looking at you Glus). What are the trio going to do? Who are they going to meet? Will the Shadow Lord actually show up?

It is a fitting end to a series that wants to keep you on your toes. The formula must be broken in a new and exciting way so that each new twist in Return to Del will take you completely by surprise. You cannot, and you should not, get to know what is coming next. Rodda wants to take an audience who, by now, thinks they are familiar with how her stories work and show them that all they should expect is the unexpected. She is doing nothing by accident. This is all part of her perfectly crafted world, and part of that world means you don’t get to know how it’s going to end.

In other words, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now?

Roddacember Day 22 | Return

I tried to do a book review for this about how Return to Del is a bit of an outlier in the first series- I hope you enjoy! I used to do book reviews for a paper but I’m not sure how much of the technique I retained

[theoakleafpancake]

25. Unite

News flash, Jarred, Anna, Endon, and Josef are alive! Except they’re the most-likely slightly more chaotic versions :)

[archerofazzure]

25. amusing

The friendship between a brash girl from Broome and an adventure-seeking (genderfluid) dumbass from Rithmere is something that can actually be so personal.....

---

Jewel leaned over the side of the Star of Deltora, relishing in the sea spray crashing into her face. The scent was reminiscent of her hometown—a connection that never failed to produce a twinge of homesick loneliness in her gut.

She closed her eyes and let the feeling overtake her, melancholic nostalgia mixed with the thrill of the open ocean. She did not abandon her awareness, though, so easily sensed a familiar set of light footfalls behind her.

“Sky of Rithmere!” she called out. “Are you finished cleaning the ship’s toilets for the day?”

“As tactful as ever, Jewel,” said Sky coolly, leaning back against the railing beside her.

“Hm,” replied Jewel. “How kind of you to pause your important work to have a chat with a loudmouthed slacker like myself.”

Sky smirked but did not reply. Jewel returned to gazing over the waves, letting Sky appreciate her company in silence.

“Have you been to see Britta?” they asked abruptly.

“Nope,” replied Jewel with an exaggerated sense of cheer. “Not for lack of trying. I have knocked on Mab’s door, but Healer Kay insists that Britta does nothing but sleep, and that I will not learn anything I did not know already by coming in and staring at her. I daresay she is right, but that did not stop me from trying multiple times.”

Sky let out a huff of air. “It seems like Healer Kay never sleeps,” they said, exasperation seeping into their normally dry voice. “She attends to them day and night! That room is locked up tighter than a fighting spider’s cage.”

Jewel chuckled and turned to face Sky, resting her elbow on the railing.

“So you are worried about Britta after all! It has been nearly a week – I would have thought her plight meant nothing to you.”

Sky broke eye contact.

Jewel laughed. “You are so amusing, Sky of Rithmere,” she chided. “Back in Broome, no one hides their true emotion like you do. To care for others is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Sky said nothing, turning around to look at the ocean. Jewel enjoyed the minutes of quiet.

“Jewel, what will you do after the Star lands?”

Jewel had not thought much about this.

“Return home, I suppose. I have had enough of adventuring for the present moment. I could use a day or two without any life-threatening disasters.

“But what of you, Sky? I cannot imagine you returning to a peaceful, domestic life. Why, you would get seasick on land!”

An unguarded smile invaded Sky’s face. “You are right, although I doubt that I will be able to find hire. I suppose I must become a stowaway on a different vessel.”

Jewel let out a laugh and gave them a grand slap on the back. “You know who to call if you need help sneaking on board, my friend.”

[zahroreadsthings]

16. Parent/parental figure I can narrow down to three:

(I’ve only read Walter once and I’m not good with names but) his relationship with his not-adoptive mother (whose name started with A and that’s the only thing I remember) is literally like... immediately lie to authority figures to protect this runaway kid you’ve never met, then tell him he can stay with you for the night, then end up accidentally adopting him and living with him as your son/grandson for years? If that’s not love I don’t know what is.

Joseph and Ranesh: Another more or less accidental adoption. In my opinion the most heartbreaking moment in the series is when Lief is pushing Ranesh to remember anything Joseph said before dying until Ranesh cracked and said said that Joseph said he was his son in every way but blood, and that he was proud of him.

And not really a ‘parental figure’ so much as support and guidance, but Allun’s relationship with Rowan still means a lot to me. Rowan’s mother and stepfather were understanding, but Allun understood him as a fellow outsider who didn’t meet Rin’s standards (probably more of an outsider, having grown up outside Rin and stuff) and always went out of his way to help out and comfort Rowan, even before he gained respect from the rest of the village.

17. Moment that means a lot to you  goes to the time in The Shop at Hooper’s Bend where everything comes back together, spoilers ahead etc, when Quil discovers that her parents lived in the house she basically ran off to, and she had a not-grandma and a dog she rediscovered in that place and you know. Everything u know.

18. Plot twist ooh. The grey tide. None of us saw that coming.

[doomsupportgroup]

Hi this is @hard-times-paramore 's roddaverse blog, MY GOD YOU DREW MY BOI???

He was, in fact, intended to be grey, so you were spot on!! Oh my god I'm gonna cry I love him so much ;--;💕

Fillicember Day 13: Tiger

Little stripey guy!! He’s so cute I wanna gently hold him. This lil striped Filli was made by @hard-times-paramore, who didn’t colour him but I went for a light grey cause that’s what colour the paper was haha.

[obsessionsofrozh]

Day 2 - Troublesome

I can't think of a more dangerously troublesome character than Jinks. But well, without him the whole DQ2 drama would not happen, not like this at least (and since I'm a sucker for drama, I actually like his presence). Jinks assumed he was being clever to plan so far ahead, but the magnificent schemes he came up with rendered all in vain; what's more they turned into troubles for himself.

This was inspired by a vine I found in this compilation.

P.S. I wasn't able to do the first day; so as a start, happy Roddacember 2021.

[blog-venus-us]

I did this, happy roddacember

[sisterofthesouth]

lets face it lads im so behind on roddacember i cant make catch-up art for every day so i’ll do text posts a la zahro

5 favorite book: i checked my ‘ranking all 15 dq books’ list that i wrote when i was 15 and the sister of the south wins (hence my url)

here’s what i wrote: “as the finale to all three series, it does the trademark Rodda thing where everything from the other books comes together in a smashing conclusion, but this time its stuff from all 14 previous books. this one really cuts deep, because it takes place at home in Del, where everything has gone to pieces. despair is the heavy theme of this book, and it takes a severe physical toll on the characters. What they face here is a threat worse than anything they’ve faced before. a terribly intelligent guardian who seems unable die. Plague and illness running rampant through the city. anti-king and anti-Toran propaganda spreading to the people from an unknown source. so. many. people. dying. and when it seems the fight is finally over, something even worse comes. faced with a horror no one dreamed would happen, the story comes full circle. and its jaw-droopingly wondrous. D R A G O N S!! but the epilogue is what gets me. everyone gets their happy ending. the happy ending they worked for fifteen books to earn, the happy ending they deserve after all the nightmares, misery, and peril they’ve endured the past few years. the kind of happy ending that makes your heart overflow with happiness and leaves you perfectly contented but it’s bittersweet because this story has reached the very end.”

[shionshot]

Roddacember Day2: troublesome-Glock

I'm trying to talk as much as possible about what I didn't do last year, but by all means I seem to love Glock. He was a very troublesome man.He liked to fight with his mouth, and he liked to fight with his body. He was just being very straightforward about what he thought he was doing. Glock said of Jasmine that she was someone who couldn't lie to herself, and that would be true of him.

Roddacember Day3: Enchanting-Ethena

Ethena - Ethena of D'or. She must have looked like a ruby spirit. The disgusting Tegan, with her false beauty, disappears and Ethena appears in the same place.Her heartfelt joy at being freed from the curse would have made her shine even brighter, as if it represented the happiness that the ruby symbolises. I love Lief's reaction when he receives the ruby from her.He's just turned 16 and hasn't seen that many beautiful people yet.

[mavy1]

Happy Roddacember everyone! I’m a little late to the party, but here we go! Day one, meet the fan! I’m Miranda, your friendly neighborhood geology student up here in Canada (fun facts: opal isn’t technically even a mineral because it doesn’t have a crystalline structure, topaz comes in loads more colors than just golden, and lapis lazuli is actually a metamorphic rock!). You may recognize me from such posts as “Lief is bi you can’t change my mind” and “none of your favs are white and you have to deal with it”. I bought the Tales of Deltora one year at a book fair (aka paradise), and loved it so much that my aunt gave me Deltora Quest for my birthday that year and well, the rest is history! It has been, and remains one of it not my absolute favorite book. I’m looking forward to participating in this lovely event (thank you to the wonderful @doomofthehills​ for organizing it, and just generally being friendly and fun and enjoyable to talk to). I hope to do some writing and maybe drawing, as well as theories, discussions, etc over then next month, though most of that will have to wait a week or two until I’m finished my exams, but I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone produces! Happy trails everyone!

[toshitophchan]

Roddacember Day 16 | Magic

My favourite magic in Deltora Quest is the spelling hahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahhahahahahahaha *steps outside and gets eaten by an Ak-Baba*

[ethanlivemere]

Roddacember 2019 Day 8: Lief being beautifully or horifically dumb

So because I don’t have access to the books, I decided to opt for another glorious anime-moment. Lief definitely is dumber in the anime than in the books, but there’s a moment where the entire trio just seems to have a collective brain-fart they don’t have in the book.

In the book, when they’re in the Glass Palace trying to solve the Guardian’s riddle, they don’t notice one of the differences in the hermit twin, so they think the answer is “Eedoe”. Lief later notices a ninth difference which gives them the correct answer. In the anime, however, they get the right answer straight away. So why are the anime-versions dumber in that moment? Well, because this is how they get to their answer:

Barda: “Okay so we have “End*n”. What could the Guardian’s real name possibly be?” Jasmine: “Well let’s try to find the last letter.” My fourth, the sum of happiness For those why try my name to guess Lief: “Hey I have an idea: he said we shouldn’t guess so that’s probably zero.” Barda: “But “Endzn” doesn’t work!” Lief: “But what if we did O because a zero looks like an O!” Jasmine: “Great! Let’s try that!” *fills in last letter* Everyone:

Like, come on. They could remember every single thing the Guardian matter-of-factly said about his pets, but they can’t put two and two together faster than this?

[toshitophchan]

Roddacember Day 10 | Haste

Is it really a Toshi Roddacember without an insane amount of memes?