![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Week keeps happening
Feb. 12th, 2025 10:34 pmStill quiet, still waiting on paper, currently hopeful but stressed.
Been reading Dianne Wynne Jones books. Just finished The Merlin Conspiracy. I do like how the children end up crucial because the adults think everything is busy and normal and just reckon the kids misunderstood. None of the thing where kids are assigned to fix it or just kept it secret, more of the thing where the adults are too busy juggling custody with their ex and the side of the family they don't talk to and now there's job stuff and the thing the kids are worried about goes last on the worries list for too long.
I also just read Deep Secret, and that one goes plot shaped because someone who is newest at their job is sure he can handle it and keeps on trying while getting more and more wound up. Very reasonable and plausible. Especially since the help he'd have to ask for is his older brothers.
And even the people on the opposite side in DWJ stories are mostly just a bit under informed or they've got the wrong end of the stick or something. The number of actual cackling bad guys is very limited, everyone else just sort of gets caught up for ordinary reasons.
It feels sort of grounding to read all that after playing and replaying Wrath of the Righteous. All the grand plans with grand gods and demon lords and literal demon worshippers, they have understandable motives but they're all gods and monsters shaped. They contrast with people in DWJ stories who have motives like 'really pissed off at their ex' and 'he wont pick up the phone or do childcare so she'll make him listen' or 'tradition kicked her out of the house and her new friends are so nice to her'. People stuff with added magic.
I keep forgetting to reread these because they've ended up on the back layer of the book shelves. Shall have to do some rearranging so at least some are shelf front. Very good stuff.
Been reading Dianne Wynne Jones books. Just finished The Merlin Conspiracy. I do like how the children end up crucial because the adults think everything is busy and normal and just reckon the kids misunderstood. None of the thing where kids are assigned to fix it or just kept it secret, more of the thing where the adults are too busy juggling custody with their ex and the side of the family they don't talk to and now there's job stuff and the thing the kids are worried about goes last on the worries list for too long.
I also just read Deep Secret, and that one goes plot shaped because someone who is newest at their job is sure he can handle it and keeps on trying while getting more and more wound up. Very reasonable and plausible. Especially since the help he'd have to ask for is his older brothers.
And even the people on the opposite side in DWJ stories are mostly just a bit under informed or they've got the wrong end of the stick or something. The number of actual cackling bad guys is very limited, everyone else just sort of gets caught up for ordinary reasons.
It feels sort of grounding to read all that after playing and replaying Wrath of the Righteous. All the grand plans with grand gods and demon lords and literal demon worshippers, they have understandable motives but they're all gods and monsters shaped. They contrast with people in DWJ stories who have motives like 'really pissed off at their ex' and 'he wont pick up the phone or do childcare so she'll make him listen' or 'tradition kicked her out of the house and her new friends are so nice to her'. People stuff with added magic.
I keep forgetting to reread these because they've ended up on the back layer of the book shelves. Shall have to do some rearranging so at least some are shelf front. Very good stuff.