(no subject)

[bedlamsbard]

My darlings, y'all would not believe what I did today. (Or, well, it's not all that exciting, so you probably will.) Went to class, got bored, wrote fic down the sides of my notes, got back to J.L. and was so freaking restless that I knew if I stayed in my dorm I'd shoot something, or possibly punch a hole through the wall. So I mustered up my courage, put on shorts and walking shoes, and walked to the Maple Street Book Shop. Off campus. On my own. (It was two in the afternoon, by the way, I'm not that crazy.) Bought books. Went back to J.L., was still crazy restless, so then I went with my original plan and walked the two miles to Whole Foods to buy Ito En bottled tea, which I got addicted to in Japan and was thrilled to find in America, in New Orleans, and on sale. (And the sale ended today!)

And then I got to Whole Foods, got most of the bottles of tea off the top shelf, and then realized that the majority of the tea I wanted was still on the top shelf out of reachc. So then I stood in the aisle and stared up at the top shelf making small whimpering noises, trying to figure out how to get my damned tea and wishing for a shop-person to come up and ask if I needed help with anything. I went away and got a few other things I wanted (potato chips, more green tea, this time in the form of tea bags -- look, I really like my green tea, okay?) then came back. And stared sadly some more. Eventually someone came by, stared at me, and asked if I needed help. So I got the last two (of six) bottles of tea, and then I paid, and now I have cash, because previously I only had six bucks in cash, with a little unnerving, you know?

And then I walked the two miles back to Tulane. So in all: walked six miles. Ate breakfast. Did not eat any other meals. (Clearly, gaining the freshman fifteen is not a problem here. I usually eat, you know, and I have food in my dorm.) I did get a large smoothie from Freshens, and I was still pretty worked up, so I sat down with Drunk, Divorced, & Covered in Cat Hair, which is comfort reading for me.

And now I am here, sitting at my desk, debating the Narnia scene I have written, which is, like, not standalone at all and yet is Warsverse nonetheless, and pondering the fact that I am almost certain that my NaNovel is going to be the werewolf story (or "Be Like Water", or both), and man, I don't feel like coming up with new character names to make it a legitimate original. *sigh*

Comments

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Good for you! You wrote this like you were half-joking, but it really *is* a big deal...making yourself do something you're scared of and having it come out all right. :)


*applauds*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

It helps that I didn't have to interact with people beyond, you know, the people at the shop. Although Southern hospitality my ass; PNW people seem to be much more hospitable.

I've done the walk to Whole Foods before, though not alone, but not the Maple Street one, so. *shrug*

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Southern hospitality is a myth, one more cultural thing they put out there to brag about like nobody else in the country was ever "fill in the blank". I've lived in the south for almost 35 years and this is a topic that raises my blood pressure, indeed.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

In a bookstore, too! *is hurt*

Man, I cannot wait till the Borders on St. Charles opens up, I want a real bookstore.

[reni-m.livejournal.com]

Ah, good ol' Freshens. I love the frozen yogurt.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I desperately wanted a Jamba Juice at Tulane, but alas, it was not to be. But Freshens almost makes up for it! No baked goods, though.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

wrote fic down the sides of my notes
ME TOO. inspiration: it only comes when you're supposed to be doing something else.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

oh, i'm not particularly inspired, i just have to be doing something. other than, uh, taking notes, apparently. or in addition to taking notes. WHAT CAN I SAY, I DEVELOPED BAD HABITS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Ito En is great. I'm glad you found a source.

I share your pain with regard to out of reach merchandise on shelves. It's especially irksome when it's my store and I'm supposed to be reaching it for business reasons.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I have seldom felt shorter. The last time I felt this short I was at a dance with a 6'3" guy, which is a completely different situation. *sulks*

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

pssst. stupid hypothetical political ponderings:

Not that the Pevensies stay! Nano is ever going to get that far in timeline *during* nano, but considering Susan is affianced to Caspian for the whole stability/shutting the telmarines up/being able to twist his arm in public issue, when do you think the pointed wedding bells coughing would start? And how soon after that for the 'look, we need a bloody *heir*' coughing? (Susan being 15/16 during PC, Caspian 19-21) I'm wondering for the whole stability/ensuring the line/Pevensies going 'no fucking narnia collapsing again thankyou' and how much pressure there would be this time. (LWW, it was more 'we will get around to it when we're good and ready')

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Oh, lordy, I don't know. If they're not married by the three years later when you get to VotDT (if you are doing that), I'd say as soon as Caspian gets back from wandering around the Eastern Ocean, but preferably before, so maybe he can leave Susan pregnant. I mean, they probably want an heir stat, not to mention an actual tie between the Pevensies and the Telmarines, who have got to be grumbling something awful. I wouldn't push it past five years, and that's a huge stretch.

See, the only example I've got is the Petaverse, and Peta and Caspian get married pretty quickly because she's pregnant, and they get married around the six-month stage. *shrug*

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

I hate real world politics intruding on my fantasy nano fic.

Oh god, I've just realised I scheduled the finishing of Cair Paravel for the three year mark and completely forgot about VotD being then. Er. VotD may have to take place a wee bit *earlier* since in my hypothetical verse it's the 'And when were you buggers going to pay taxes, *hmm*?' expedition of Caspian, Lucy and Edmund while Peter and Susan hold the fort.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

One may notice I skipped the whole VotDT problem entirely in the Petaverse. *rolls eyes* Not that it's particularly important, since at that stage Peta has a two-year-old and Caspian wouldn't leave her side if you pried him away with a crowbar. Which Edmund has had to do a few times. (Of course, in the Petaverse, they never rebuilt Cair Paravel, just kept living in the Telmarine castle, which really should get a cool name at some point. Huh. I must ponder this.)

*whispers* I think my NaNovel may be the werewolf story recast as an original. Or possibly "Be Like Water". Or both.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

:nudges you: Be like water unless you get it finished in october.

I'm skipping the whole babies thing since Susan is currently going 'too much in the way of shaky borders to even consider, thankyou' though moved the marriage up to within a year. However, lucy is now making snarky comments about 'well, we just have to wait until the next crisis about your personal life when you have beautiful blond babies that don't look like they've got a drop of telmarine blood in them...' (susan hit her with a cushion at this point) I just wish Eustace would shut up. I don't think I've got word space for votd (probably at the two-year mark at this rate) in nano and he's just made some snarky comment about Susan.

"I do not suffer ill to be spoken of any of their majesties in my presence." Reepicheep said. "Draw your sword, poltroon. Relative you may be, I will have satisfaction."

Caspian blocks him. "Put the sword down, sir mouse." Eustace sighs in relief. At least someone on this tub has sense. then he finds himself looking down the length of Caspian's sword. "I believe it's my job to defend her majesty's honour in her absence. She's my wife."

Lucy comes running, finds out what's going on from Reepicheep. "Caspian, you do know she'd pitch a fit if you tried to defend her honour like this in front of her."

"Which is precisely why I'm doing it now." Caspian says.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

The only reason I hesitate at doing "Be Like Water" for NaNo is that I'm going to be NaNoing with other people, and they're not fannish types. And there's a writing group I'm going to be involved in, and it's fic, and, well...but I'm worried that if I work on an original, I won't be able to get back into Narnia afterwards. Especially an original that's taking the Narnia characters. Argh, Catch-22. Other alternative is doing both; I think I may have enough free time to attempt that. OR MAYBE NOT.

*snickers* Oh, man, I wish we could put your Pevensies and my Petaverse Pevensies (and both Caspians) in a room together. The snark would be hilarious. And the culture shock, once we got past the "Peter is a girl" point.

Back when I was still testing out the boundaries of the Petaverse, one of the options was for Peta to get stuck on the Narnia side of the door while the others went through. She ended up married to Caspian, and Caspian was off on the Dawn Treader when Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace tumbled through. Peta? Not with Caspian because, one, horrible seasickness, and, two, two-year-old. I think we can see how this went badly.

Edmund: "You married Peta? How the hell did you get her to settle down? ...you got her pregnant, didn't you?"
Lucy: "Oh, Peta has a baby? How cute!"
Eustace: "Ha! I knew that bitch sister of yours got knocked off and ran off with a farmhand!"
Caspian: "THAT'S MY WIFE!"
Lucy: "THAT'S MY SISTER! And Caspian's not a farmhand, he's the Prince-Consort of Narnia!"
Edmund: *too busy laughing hysterically to join in protecting Peta's honor*

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Not just a farmhand, a Spanish farmhand. (yeah, this is one of the first things my Eustace commented on. That and their mocking of the vegetarian lifestyle, which definitely shows they're not civilised.)

Eustace : 'Well, since everyone knows that Peter was in trouble all the time because he couldn't stay out of a fight.' :pause, looks at Reepicheep warily: 'He's not going to attack me?'
Reepicheep : 'The High King's reputation is a great weapon in negotiations.'

I told my bunnies that Caspian was not allowed to have a joint marriage with peter and Susan since they have to keep a few people of marriagable age around in case they're needs. Still trying to decide whether the Telmarines have any same-sex taboos when it comes to royal political marriages. (babies can be got elsewhere)

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Oh, and we have to add Reepicheep's squeak of outrage in there somewhere too. "THAT'S MY QUEEN!"

*snort* No one wants to attack Narnia and deal with crazy-ass Peter -- and he probably cemented his reputation in the first few years by very sincerely putting down every attempted rebellion by the Telmarines quickly, brutally, and viciously.

I would guess they probably do, because inheriting land and blood-ties are pretty important.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

oh god, don't. I'm still waiting for the council meeting that they will be having where Edmund asks for the reports of border trouble, then leans back and says 'So, which of the Archenland royal family will we be taking as wards this time? Opinions?'

*And* the narnians. And all the new laws. It's not just the Telmarines, it's the bit where they're having to keep Telmarines and Narnians at arms' length and augh. I BLAME YOU FOR STARTING THIS.

When you have spares, I'm seriously wondering whether same-sex political alliances would be valid. or at least considered.
Susan : 'Well, if we're talking marriage alliances, Edmund, there is that Calormene prince of your age - Fourth in line, quite bookish from reports and I think he was last heard considering a scholarly life.'
Edmund : 'You know, that's not a bad idea.'
Telmarines : 'You would - would - a marriage between men?'
Susan : 'Well, he's not likely to inherit but it would cement trading alliances. It's an idea, at the very least. Though Edmund, any ideas on Bacchus' reaction?'
Telmarines : 'Why should we be considering the opinion of a wild man of the woods? A debauched wild man of the woods! This proposal is lunacy as it is, but this -'
Edmund : 'he is not my sodding consort!'
Susan : 'mmm. gentlemen, I find it pays not to anger gods who control nature itself. You don't remember what he did to this very chamber three months ago?' :pauses: 'The problem being how much coaxing we'd have to do since he is Calormene.'

The parable of Rabadash gets taught in Calormene schools. the Calormenes keep very very good records and probably have, er, the most accurate legends of the Pevensies. (more Alfred/Canute than Arthur) The Calormene ambassador walks very carefully and is mortally afraid of giving offense. Also thanked Tash when the Susan/Caspian marriage was announced.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

ahahahahaha.

See, my Telmarine Narnia's isolated from all the neighboring countries -- those that remain, anyway. The borders have shrunk inwards, and there are broad stretches of land in almost all directions that aren't claimed by any country. And I think Archenland doesn't exist anymore. *sheepish* But the Calormen Empire's grown, and to the west is the somewhat weakened since its height, but still powerful, Shoushan Empire, the empire that took over the countries squabbling over Narnia's corpse back during the Dying Times and then kicked the Telmarines out of Telmar.

Oooh, I like that. The Calormenes having the most accurate legends of the Pevensies, I mean.

And now I'm wondering how hisory/legends have changed by Tirian's time, which, hello, I don't even acknowledge as existing. WHAT THE HELL BRAIN.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Tell your brain to shut up. WE DON't ACKNOWLEDGE TIRIAN AS EVEN EXISTING. Er. How many years were supposed to have passed between Rilian and Tirian?

I was going with the whole Calormen = Arabia, and then you take into account the whole scholarly nature and respect for records, with added 'no incredibly bloody takeovers, and even if there were, nothing got burned'.

My PC narnia has bugger all to the North, no idea about sea stuff, and Archenland's borders are bigger, or at least their raiding territory, since I tend to go Archenland = Scotland/Wales. I like them too much, and they've generally being grumbling a lot if nothing else as a border country. Telmarines being somewhat twittish and a bit isolationist, they never conquered Archenland but kept relations with it.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

It's either two hundred or three hundred; I don't remember. I was just thinking, though, that they'd have even less of a concept of the Pevensies as actual history v. legend, and that some of their legendariness has faded over the past few centuries. After all, at this point Narnia's been ruled by a steady line of (probably) compassionate kings; there's no big trauma like the Dying Times to put the Golden Age in perspective. I mean, doesn't Tirian only refer to the Pevensies as four children who reigned as kings and queens for many years? Because that's definitely not how they're referred to in PC, where they're practically venerated. But as things change...

ARGH. NO. TIRIAN DOESN'T EXIST. DESTRUCTION MYTH.

My PC Narnia: knows nothing about the west, the north, the east (probably because the eastern seaboard is filled with crazy Narnians who eat anybody, Telmarine or western Narnian, who passes a certain point) and thus the seaboard (the reason the islands haven't paid taxes in so long is because there was a revolt with the saltwater, dryland, and freshwater Narnians about a hundred and fifty years back; I'm working out the details, but there was a lot of trauma and carnage on both sides), and not all that much about the south, if they know anything.

Archenland...I just keep going back to, "it's been thirteen hundred years," which is an incredibly long time, and yeah, there are nations who've been around for that long in our world, but...huh. Maybe conquered and reconquered a few dozen times. Must consider.

Oh, wait, I'm not thinking about that. *headdesk*

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Don't underestimate the power of legends - Everyone's still fascinated by Arthur, right? Mind you, Tirian's been influenced by the fact that everyone saw the Pevensies turn up with Aslan, *twice*, deposed a king and took the country by force in person, not to mention Rilian's experiences. The overriding legend for them by Tirian's time is four kids. less venerated, more actual historical figures - to put it another way, we're quite happy to eyeroll at the Prince Regent and George III (200 year mark) and George I and Queen Anne (300 year mark)

PUT IT DOWN.

Well, Archenland has mountains and a fairly benevolent-ish country to the North (hey, they're not *actively* conquering them) and a desert between them and Calormen to the South. Seriously. Never underestimate natural barriers. Or as the British put it : 21 miles of rough water. The organisation it takes to get a decent invading force across - one bad storm and they are gone. Seriously. Sandstorm in the right place, and Rabadash's men would've been wiped out. Plus they're not rich in natural resources as far as we know, so no-one really had incentive. Seriously. 1300 years? Not that long. Check how many times some of the European countries have been. (preferably the ones with obvious borders, like italy or Spain) Even if they did get conquered a fair few times, because Archenland's a distinct area, I don't think it would've split up as a region.

In my case I think it was in-fighting in Telmarine itself - combine with a fear of the sea, and they just...let it go.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Right, but I'd think that there's probably less of a understanding that the kids that showed up in PC are the High King and his siblings. From what I remember, Tirian's Narnia (before the idiot let it get conquered) was more rational and less magic-oriented than the Golden Age. But -- to put it another way -- I think there's less reliance/belief on the Pevensies/Golden Age. They don't need that hope anymore.

(I am reading history. It does weird things to my brain.)

...okay, who's writing the AU where Aslan doesn't end the world and the shed is just a shed and Narnia is an occupied country under the Calormenes and it's PC Redux? And the Narnians remember that hey, the King of Summer and his siblings helped twice before, so maybe the third time's the charm, and Tirian, Eustace, and Jill are trying and failing to lead an underground resistance, and there's a little cult built up around the memory of the Pevensies, and somehow, somehow, the sheer power of belief and want (and maybe Susan's horn) summon all four of the original Pevensies back?

ARGH.

True, true. Throw in a few changings in the royal family, too. Who bets that a big chunk of their most fertile land used to be Narnian land? That's going to be a fun negotiation. Archenland: "This has been our land for a thousand years!" Peter: "IT WAS OUR LAND FIRST."

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

mine and yours meeting would be ...odd. (even though we apparently have the most violent Pevensies. I just have a saner Peter.)

Your Edmund : 'No possession? I'M SO JEALOUS.'
Mine : 'Yes, but do you find your desk has sprouted branches and leaves every few months because there's a god who finds it *funny*?'

Your Susan : 'So how do you calm Peter down?'
Mine : 'Shagging him tends to work, but I do occasionally have to peel him off Caspian.'
Yours : 'Yours too, hmm?'

Lucys : 'Seventeenth birthday wild party? Check. Slitting the throat of that traitor? Check. What's your position on fauns?'

My Peter may be backing away slowly from yours, then decided to get a bit of wine into him and talk battle plans because it's nice to get a different perspective.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Edmund: "Yes, but do you find that your brother has vanished for a year and half to be a mercenary in an neighboring country? Or that your sister has been turned into a swan? Or that you've suddenly ended up in Narnia during the Long Winter?

*snort*

I actually do have to write a meeting of multiple Pevensies in the Petaverse. (Not all of Peta's siblings are dead...) So that'll be interesting...

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

my Edmund : 'I think Bacchus left some wine around here from last time. You need it. I just have *normal* things to worry about...'

(so glad I've mostly been concentrating on non-Golden Age period. So glad.)

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

My Golden Age could probably double as a weekly TV series with all the whacky hijinks they got up to.