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January 1st, 2024
12:21 am - Winter War Index
This story is now also available on AO3 here.
Index of Winter War posts.
( Below the cut.Collapse )
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June 15th, 2017
02:02 am - taking a moment
My posting speed has slowed right down these days. I apologise.
The UK bubbles like a stewpot. I hope that the Tories' attempt to court the DUP lasts just long enough for them to shoot themselves in the foot a few more times.
The weather has turned sunny, though not yet too hot, which is pleasant. Work is busy, and will soon be busier. I'm working through book four copy-edits, and will hopefully soon be back to original work on book five.
---
Lear: Tell me, my daughters
(Since now we will divest us both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state),
Which of you shall we say doth love us most?
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge. Goneril,
Our eldest-born, speak first.
Goneril: Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter;
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour;
As much as child e'er lov'd, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable.
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.
Cordelia: [aside] What shall Cordelia speak? Love, and be silent.
Lear: Of all these bounds, even from this line to this,
With shadowy forests and with champains rich'd,
With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads,
We make thee lady. To thine and Albany's issue
Be this perpetual.- What says our second daughter,
Our dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall? Speak.
Regan: Sir, I am made
Of the selfsame metal that my sister is,
And prize me at her worth. In my true heart
I find she names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short, that I profess
Myself an enemy to all other joys
Which the most precious square of sense possesses,
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear Highness' love.
Cordelia: [aside] Then poor Cordelia!
And yet not so; since I am sure my love's
More richer than my tongue.
Lear: To thee and thine hereditary ever
Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom,
No less in space, validity, and pleasure
Than that conferr'd on Goneril.- Now, our joy,
Although the last, not least; to whose young love
The vines of France and milk of Burgundy
Strive to be interest; what can you say to draw
A third more opulent than your sisters? Speak.
Cordelia: Nothing, my lord.
Lear: Nothing?
Cordelia: Nothing.
Lear: Nothing can come of nothing. Speak again.
Cordelia: Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.
Lear: How, how, Cordelia? Mend your speech a little,
Lest it may mar your fortunes.
Cordelia: Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me; I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
Lear: But goes thy heart with this?
Cordelia: Ay, good my lord.
Lear: So young, and so untender?
Cordelia: So young, my lord, and true.
-- The Tragedy of King Lear, Shakespeare
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June 9th, 2017
01:22 am - briefly political
The last few days have been a bit tense, with everyone at work either completely avoiding politics or chewing it over in detail. (We're a NHS organisation - you can guess how most of us are going to vote.)
And now that we're finally in the thick of it? I was greatly relieved by the exit poll predicting a hung Parliament. Please note that I don't trust it, and I do realise it's still entirely possible that I will wake up to a Tory majority (God help us), but I still think it's a much better situation than if the exit poll had predicted a Tory majority. I will go to sleep with some hope.
That is, I am about to try to go to sleep. I have to be up tomorrow morning, after all, and I'm tired. I should be trying to focus on the book four copy-edits, but I'm afraid the chance of me concentrating on that at the moment is less than nil. So I'll try to sleep instead.
And I'll hope to wake up to a Britain that isn't Tory-majority.
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June 4th, 2017
02:23 am - an update
For reference - no, I'm nowhere near London. And I can't think of anything useful to say about the London Bridge attacks. No, they shouldn't have happened. Yes, they are appalling.
It was otherwise quite a nice day. Went to Leeds Woolfest (small but fun) at Armley Mills, enjoyed nice weather (which will apparently be deserting us soon), had a quiet evening, got some writing done.
Today's quote is in honour of Theresa May and her relationship with Donald Trump.
---
HELENA:
And even for that do I love you the more.
I am your spaniel. And, Demetrius,
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.
Use me but as your spaniel — spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.
What worser place can I beg in your love —
And yet a place of high respect with me —
Than to be usèd as you use your dog?
-- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare
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May 28th, 2017
01:58 am - sometimes a phrase just leaps out and hits you
Having been enjoying Mark Reads lately - in particular, him reading Pratchett's The Truth - I found myself rereading the book too, and a passage just struck me as surprisingly apt...
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"... Oh, and High Priest Ridcully is telling everyone that he thinks Lord Vetinari went mad because the day before he'd been telling him about a plan to make lobsters fly through the air."
"Lobsters flying through the air," said Vimes flatly.
"And something about sending ships by semaphore, sir."
"Oh, dear. And what is Mr Scrope saying?"
"Apparently he says he's looking forward to a new era in our history and will put Ankh-Morpork back on the path of responsible citizenship, sir."
"Is that the same as the lobsters?"
"It's political, sir. Apparently he wants a return to the values and traditions that made the city great, sir."
"Does he know what those values and traditions were?" said Vimes, aghast.
"I assume so, sir," said Carrot, keeping a straight face.
"Oh my gods. I'd rather take a chance on the lobsters."
-- The Truth, Terry Pratchett
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May 23rd, 2017
12:46 am - it is indeed past midnight
Hopefully final draft of book four now handed in. (Now it's just copy-edits to go, then page-proofs...)
Trying to write on book five, but getting nowhere fast this evening. Partly because of constant urges to check the news (Manchester). I know this isn't helping - me, or them - but it's very hard not to.
Probably best just to call it a night. It is after midnight, after all.
---
“Right, the detective.” Sarashina sat down with a sigh. “Basically, we don’t know much. This morning – no, it was yesterday morning now, I suppose... sorry, I haven’t had much sleep. Everyone got woken up early by His Frosty Majesty having a snit fit about where Ren Shun had got to and why he wasn’t there with the coffee and the newspaper and the day’s agenda. Then just as everyone was really starting to panic, word came over from Le Meurice that they’d found his dead body there. Cue panic. Cue accusations. Cue Lord Icicle down on the first floor declaring that the whole thing was a Fae plot and could anyone give him a good reason not to destroy their entire lying delegation.”
Irene winced. “I know this is just between these four walls, but I wish you wouldn’t keep on nicknaming him like that.”
“It’s a defence mechanism,” Sarashina said. “Have you ever had to share a hotel with a dragon king for a few days? No? Then don’t criticise me."
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May 16th, 2017
02:03 am - Hell's Commissioner of Public Works
Thank goodness for whoever invented sticky post-it notes. When going through a dictionary of demons (Names of the Damned: The Dictionary of Demons, by Michelle Belanger) and looking for interesting candidates for a story I'm trying to plot, I need some way to keep track of the ones I've noted down for later.
(Well, besides writing a list out. Because that would be too easy.)
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Alastor: a vengeance demon named in Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal. In this text, de Plancy indicates that Alastor was known in the Zoroastrian tradition as the Executioner. Although the Zoroastrian connection is dubitable, in the tradition of the ancient Greeks, Alastor was indeed a spirit of vengeance. Zeus was known as Zeus Alastor whenever he assumed a vengeful form. In Waite's presentation of the Grand Grimoire from his 1910 Book of Black Magic and Pacts, Alastor is described as Hell's Commissioner of Public Works. He is also portrayed as an infernal judge. These attributions tie back to the work of Charles Berbiguier, a self-styled demonologist from the early nineteenth century.
-- Names of the Damned: The Dictionary of Demons, by Michelle Belanger
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May 13th, 2017
02:43 am - Eurovision and other stuff
The weather has got a bit milder. Whee! It is now cool but not actually chilly. If we had a little bit more sunshine, it'd be lovely.
Eurovision Song Contest final tomorrow, after a day spent at a craft show in Harrogate (and Doctor Who earlier in the evening as well). It promises to be a busy day.
For the curious, my favourite songs so far:
Romania - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX8LYc5eaEM - yodelling warning, but one of my favourites
Estonia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxqPpzWYN1c - I liked this one, but it didn't get through to the final, alas
Portugal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0td62XxnjBk - just for the totally different factor, and genuinely nice
Armenia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKh8sLLXix4 - okay, not that special, but I liked it
Croatia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkP0xw_i_Ho - weird mix of types of music, but entertaining
Georgia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agSS_a3ccgA - again, not that special, but pleasant enough
Montenegro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ1BXJpfa4I - if only for the braid
And now I'm hoping Romania wins. It was ... fun.
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May 8th, 2017
01:06 am - sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Nice quiet weekend. Got the current quilt through the quilting stage and to the hand-sew-binding-round-the-edge stage, which will be pleasant when I'm sitting in front of the television on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday evenings for the Eurovision Song Contest.
(Yes, it's that time of year again. Whee!)
I think I've nearly got the current version of book 4 to a stage when I can send it back to my editor. And then I can return to writing book five. Next problem for Irene: explaining to irate dragon king why they can't simply kill all the attackers and throw the bodies out behind the hotel, owing to petty human issues like maintaining current cover and dealing with police, etc...
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May 5th, 2017
01:12 am - champagne (sort of)
Survived a couple of meetings today. The new mapping tool is working (so far) and I brought in some champagne truffles to celebrate, given that champagne itself would probably have been inappropriate to drink at work.
(It would have been nice, though.)
The weather continues cold and grey, and I'm still in winter-weight pyjamas and flannel duvet cover/sheets, with a blast from the radiator in the evenings. I probably say this every year, but I'm sure it's not usually this cold at this point...
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