This and that

[luzula]

1) I have my dSSS assignment and feel confident that I can do it. I need to iron out a few plot details, then I can go ahead. *refrains, with difficulty, from talking about it*

2) There's a lot going on at the moment. This weekend I am going to Malmö and Copenhagen to visit my sister, a RL friend, and exeterlinden! Also I'll be going to a Gillian Welch concert. The weekend after that I'm organizing a board meeting in the environmental NGO of which I am treasurer. And I'm in the middle of doing financial auditing in another environmental NGO. Yeah, I feel like a bureaucrat right now.

3) I have finished a first draft of a fic and sent it off to beta! This is the post-CotW ghost story that I've probably talked about before. \o/

4) Have read Robin McKinley's Beauty, and kept expecting some kind of plot twist to subvert the traditional Beauty and the Beast story, but it was told straight. I liked Beauty's character and family and her horse a lot, and the writing was lovely, but I enjoyed the domestic bits of the book (both with her family and in the castle) more than the actual fairy tale wedding at the end. I mean, I was getting more of a platonic than a sexual vibe between Beauty and the Beast.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

more dS from you! WHEEEE.

also, Gillian Welch. Whee!

[luzula]

I was so pleased when I discovered that Gillian Welch just happened to be playing on the day I was planning to be in Copenhagen! Obviously fate meant for me to go.

[thursdaynext_27]

Yay for more dS fic!

[luzula]

It's so satisfying to finish a draft! Of course, then there might be lots of revising, but still.

[brigantine]

Seeeekrit Santa! Ghost story! \o/ \o/ !!!

[luzula]

Yay writing in general! And I think I got those plot details ironed out a bit today while I was working out. \o/

[innocentsmith]

Yeah, Beauty is very early McKinley, and though I like it a lot most of what it does that's original is fleshing out the background, rather than challenging the story itself. The main change is the whole "Beauty doesn't think she's pretty!" thing, with a side of "And maybe her sisters are okay people, rather than shallow trollops?"

I do find it interesting in that I'm pretty sure someone at Disney read the book, because though they're by no means the same, there are little points in common between Beauty and the Beast and this that I don't think come from the original story, especially Beauty/Belle being a bookworm with a giant, beloved horse.

But McKinley's perennially fascinated by fairytales in general and "Beauty and the Beast" in particular, so there's also Rose Daughter and arguably Sunshine for different takes on the story.

I nearly always get more of a platonic vibe than a sexual one from McKinley's couples. Sometimes it's a really close friendship? But yeah, that's often the way with her stuff, IMO.

[luzula]

Yeah, I saw later that it was her first book, but the library had it, so I picked it up. I'm not sure I've even seen the Disney movie? But yeah, I'll definitely read some more McKinley.

And it's not that I dislike platonic couples. It was just, bam, super-handsome prince instead of Beast, traditional-style romantic kiss, then traditional-style romantic wedding. It was a little fast.

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

3) Can't wait to read it!

4) Oh, agreed! Like in 'The Blue Sword', where McKinley took the classic harlequin 'beautiful damsel kidnapped by the Pirate King (raider, highwayman, etc) trope, turned it on its ass, spanked it, and giggled.

[luzula]

where McKinley took the classic harlequin 'beautiful damsel kidnapped by the Pirate King (raider, highwayman, etc) trope, turned it on its ass, spanked it, and giggled

That sounds like fun! *notes down book*

[exeterlinden.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to meeting you :)

[luzula]

Same here! : )