Posted on June 28, 2004 by Jenna
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being a history in many parts, to which we shall return
Book 1: “The Summoning of the King“
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Categories: Introductions, Histories, Histories and Stories, Canon, Hitherby, Storyline 2: O Shameless Dead
The world of Hitherby is a strange and wondrous place. Truly, the commute from the Far Marches must be a pain.
I have registered just so I can wish you well, because without my almost-daily dose of Hitherby the world would be a sadder place.
Nothing epitomizes the savagery of WWI better than the concept of traumatized pasta, so I think you might be justified in calling this an entry. And we all hope you feel better soon.
I hope you feel better.
Tempting as it is to do so, I promise not to consider it an entry if your migraine promises to go away with much alacrity.
I think I prefer anxiety to the migraines, but wow, it’s a close call. Hope you feel better. Migraines always feel like part of me is splitting open, and they’re a little too non-metaphorical for my taste.
Mack
Feel better, Rebecca!
I hope you feel better soon.
-Eric
I like this not-entry, except for the bit where you’re suffering from a migrane. That makes me sad.
apparently she is better now, so we should do a victory dance.
Also I think this little snippet has potential, throw in a noodle world war II and a shellshocked veteran, mix in some “little chicken” with a pot full of boiling water and you’re set.
Response to the 23 October 2004 Merin (yes, this is cheating):
Is it too much to hope for that one could eventually transcend the cycle itself, and reach a new understanding accommodating both philosophical poles?
Or would one, at that point, cease to exist?
If this was a comic, would it have multiple illustrators, or be drawn by one
hard-pressed artist? And if has more than one artist, who would they be?
By the way, I am doing a review of “Primal Chaos” for rpg.net and submitting it soon; I’ll let you know when it posts on the front page. It’s my gift to you, and I hope it brings more sales.
Mack
I like it. But then, I’m a goth.
I seem to be oblivious to the darkishness. But I can kinda feel a roughness around the edges of my perception, and that disturbs me.
But ultimately I don’t care for it because of a more visceral emotion, that which controls the concept of quality. It just doesn’t seem to be interesting enough to do more than pass the time.
I wouldn’t wear black if I didn’t like the darkness. Not to say that the light’s not enjoyable at certain times, but the things that dwell in it tend to be far too wholesome and sugary.
My favourite individual Hitherby is Broderick and the Cracker.
I think that the things I like most about Hitherby are the insights and turns that are unexpected but inevitable, the skew that brings things already there into a different focus. Whether the tone is dark or light isn’t so important.
I like this series, it feels more like a history than most legends. I’ve usually liked your histories more, and now that I think of it, they are generally darker than the legends. I’m not sure if the darkness is providing contrast, or if I just prefer your darker stories.
(On an unrelated note, what’s the situation on your computer?)
Love!
(Just for the record.)
I should point out, if no one says “I’m enjoying this story *but* I agree, it’s maybe a little darker than the ones I most like,” Rebecca might take it as a consensus request from her audience for slightly darker stories. Which wouldn’t bother me, but if it would bother you, well, best speak up now!
I think that the darkest ever Hitherby was (Memorial Day). I really have to avoid reading that one too often.
In contrast, one of the meanings of fictional attacks by monsters is that sometimes it is possible to avoid attacks by monsters. A depiction of a fictional apocalypse (and it looks like this current set of legends, like the last, is turning into one) is an implied contrast with reality, which always so far has actually gone on for some of us. It’s the ending of a story, but the world does not seem to be a story.
My concern would not be darkness per se, but that if Rebecca feels that she disagrees with the work in some way, it may be harder for her to write with her usual quality. Worse, it may not be as *fun* to write; I would guess that at least part of what may be keeping Hitherby Dragons going is fun. Obviously, Rebecca, this last is a judgement that only you can make.
Otherwise I can’t really make judgements about the current set of legends; it’s too close to my own preoccupations and so on. A good chunk of my last few poems have been about people who find their individuality contributing to a sort of communal experience, and this set of legends is particularly troubling because it is an example of such in which individuality is questioned in so many different ways. But I can’t say whether anyone else would see it this way.
My concern would not be darkness per se, but that if Rebecca feels that she disagrees with the work in some way, it may be harder for her to write with her usual quality.
The parts of Hitherby with which I agree are a narrow plurality. ^_^
Rebecca
“Plurality” implies that there are possibilities other than “agree” and “disagree”; I’m intrigued. Care to elucidate?
it could just mean 50% +1
That would be a majority. A plurality is a share greater than any other share but less than a majority. Rebecca is awfully darn precise about these things, I’ve noticed.
Personally, when I don’t comment, it’s usually not because I have a negative response or lack of response, but because I don’t feel I have anything constructive to add, and my solar plexus chakra is having an off day such that I do not wish to assert my mere presence/emotional response as if that mattered to anybody.
I bet it’s the same for a lot of others. So if by “response was poor” you mean “nobody was commenting,” that’s an alternate explanation.
I love everything you write. That may not be helpful. :-P
regardless of the quality of last month’s entries, i was under far too much strain to enjoy reading them. In any case, this months’ entries kick total ass so I wouldn’t change a thing!
As far as the lack of response, there is also the issue that some of us analytical types didn’t want to expend Deep Thought Points analyzing something that was (as declared) likely to change and invalidate our analyses. Well, I speak only for myself, but I would be surprised if no one else felt likewise.
Ditto everything mineownaardvarks said, in case it makes a difference. :)
Ditto mineownaardvarks and Metal Fatigue, so there!
Er, if stuff from the past does get changed around, can we get some indication of what the changes were? I want to make sure I stay current, as it were. Maybe you could post about it in Merin?