syrupwit

[syrupwit]

Thoughts on Vespertine, since I've had a couple of days to digest.

The religious magic system, which depends on ghosts bound to relics, was neat and well thought out. A bit too neat, to the point of being tidy, but it was interesting and felt different to me.

The analogue!fantasy!Christianity was also well thought out. Lots of careful explanations for why this non-Christian world had the trappings of Catholic or Orthodox tradition -- incense (to fight ghosts), saints (fight ghosts/control ghosts/wield relics), relics (bind and control ghosts), way hella candles (the goddess of death makes the flame stay still while she's listening to prayers), guilty priests (wield relics inhabited by the ghosts of executed prisoners).

If you've seen this book described as "Joan of Arc meets Venom," I would say that's accurate. The relationship between Artemisia and the revenant is very sweet. They are well matched and learn to understand and help each other.

Artemisia is an iron woobie with an unreliable narrative voice that you learn to read over pretty quickly. She's very clearly autistic, but it's written in a way where it just feels like who she is, not like a checked-off list of traits or a Morally Instructive Depiction.

Similarly, Artemisia is word-of-god aroace and imo it's obvious in the narrative.

I liked that Marguerite, Artemisia's weepy gossipy roommate, turns out to have cared about her all along and they become friends and acknowledge that they mutually misunderstood each other. Idk what tropes in YA are like now, but 20+ years ago, Marguerite wouldn't have been treated nearly so kindly.

My favorite character is the guilty priest, Leander, who is possessed of various dark secrets. :)

I read all of Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson today.

#syrupwit's books tag

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I have seen a confusing amount of posts lately about anti-Stratfordianism, and was just informed that such wave of discourse might have been prompted by a recent NYT article by the author of this book.

Anyway, anti-Stratfordianism plays a significant role in one of the greatest short stories of all time, P. G. Wodehouse's "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald," which can be read here.

#syrupwit's books tag

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FALLOUT — 1.07 "The Radio"

#gif #film #fallout tv #fallout

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She said stand down, Ghoul.

#gif #film #fallout #fallout tv #man i feel like... lucy in this scene sees maximus exactly the way he wants to be seen #it's really sweet

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fallout » episode one : the end

#gif #film #fallout tv #fallout

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do you think they know

#film #fallout tv #fallout

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#film #deadloch

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I read all of Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson today.

#syrupwit's books tag

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#this is a maximus from the fallout tv series song to me now ;-; #Youtube

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Actually? "Hey, if it works" is dismissive. That salamander exists and he was fed tf up.

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@doublemustard your nation?

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#fav #the cramps / #Youtube

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@pierogipie

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#the cramps / #Youtube

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ME SIX MONTHS AGO: Hmm, I guess there's a character who's an undead servant or something? Perhaps a humorous skeleton. He'll just do whatever. ME THIS EVENING: [pouring tears as I curate a playlist including multiple Undertale OST covers for this character, who I have grown to love]

#writing tag but with more words so it's unique #the labyrinth of galleries is incalculable #no but like. his backstory is so so sad and he doesn't deserve it at all

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@doublemustard

hell fucking yes

#meat #bug

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Tbh, as an artist, I've only ever thought to myself "I have got to get more normal"

#writing tag but with more words so it's unique