I am cheerleading, the Dark is rising and Strindberg has a friend

[sistermagpie]

This really is one of the best memes ever. Use fanfiction.net's new "Search by summary" option, put in your name and see if you've ever been a Mary Sue. Then post the

Mostly I seem to be random muggleborns who attend Hogwarts, but at least somebody had the class to make me SNAPE'S DAUGHTER! Snape's daughter, the cheerleader. Remus thinks I'm awesome!! Go me!

Sometimes, the past can hurt. The way Severus and his daughter, Meg, see it, they can either embrace it, or...they can run from it. Will the have the strength to?

Unfortunately in LOTR I found only one story where I was a random elf who helps Legolas after Aragorn says something to break his heart and he tries to commit suicide over it. Oh, what the hell...let's find out what Aragorn said, shall we? *searches story* Okay, as best as I can figure it, Aragorn told Legolas he didn't love him "that way." But once Legolas attempted suicide he realized he did love him that way. Because suicide is a great way to get everybody to realize how much they really loved you even if you cry all the time.

I finished re-reading The Dark is Rising. I've been doing it a chapter a night but I admit I put off the last chapter for several days because, you know, it's the last chapter and it's sad. But

I think it made a difference doing it a chapter a night. There's something very fun about it. I would say it reminds me of being a kid and being read to a chapter a night but I have no memory of ever having a book read to me that way as a kid. I think it's more like feeling you have a secret life going on because you know when you get home at a certain time, you'll pick up where you left off.

One big thing that struck me this time is that last chapter really leaves you hanging. I mean, in general I noticed this time just how little in these books is explained, so the narrative is more like lace (with holes) than a solid tapestry. For instance, there's so many scenes that have people speaking Welsh and Will needing a translator, then we're told flat-out that he can understand any language he wants to. It's not a mistake, because it seems he just doesn't choose to do it magically, and as with any story where the main character has amazing powers it's always important to find some reason that he can't use them or else the story isn't interesting. It's just that we never get a real sense of the rules, of how things work, how Old Ones age, etc. Yet it doesn't seem sloppy, just something that isn't explained.

Still, they are so tantalizing--why does Will like Gwion so much? What does it mean that Bran and Herne have the same eyes-at one point Will even seems to refer to them as the same person...but why? He "wonders" about their similarity at the end, but it's in much the same way he "wondered" about the two Mrs. Greythornes. I can't remember them all now, but I swear there are a lot of things like that throughout the book, where some huge thing is hinted at but then cut off.

The thing about the last chapter, though, is that it's so focused on Merriman, who is an important figure in the books but not the main character. I would say that easily the most intense personal relationships within the books are Will/Bran and Will/Merriman, yet that last chapter sidesteps both of them! I mean, it's quite odd, really. I appreciate that nobody in the story is overemotional so we're not going to get a big crying scene, but Will becomes a total observer in the last chapter. He watches Bran make his huge sacrifice and notices what Merriman feels about it, but tells us nothing of what he feels-except to feel a pang when he sees Gwion. Bran takes no notice of Will when he decides to give up his place-even when Merriman specifically says that Bran will not be able to go where Will will one day go.

Then there's Merriman's good-byes. His farewell to the Drews seems very appropriate, where he gives them a speech (though they’ll then mostly forget it) and hugs them like an uncle they love. His good-bye to Bran is perfect, where Merriman is in awe of what he's choosing and shows him respect. Bran gets a nice farewell to Arthur, from a respectful distance. But there's no good-bye between Will and Bran at all (yes, they're not literally leaving each other but a large part of Bran is about to disappear, and it's the part that officially binds him to Will as Merriman is to Arthur). There's also nothing between Merriman and Will, beyond Merriman referring to him as "my Will" when he explains that Will won't forget what’s happened. This seems very strange to me. Perhaps we're to assume that Will and Merriman will continue to have contact despite Merriman's going outside time-Merriman says the Old Ones will have more to do without explaining what he means, and I'd imagine Will could be involved in that even while staying in the world to watch. But still you'd think that Merriman leaving Will alone as an immortal amongst mortals there would be some closing scene between them...but there isn't. Not even any parting advice or clue what Will’s going to experience.

This especially struck me on this read, because The Dark is Rising has got to be Merriman's best book. It's the one where he's an actual character with flaws and emotions. We get his own most painful experience with Hawkin, and it's a great one. It’s also the reason the Merriman/Will interaction is so compelling: Hawkin is jealous of Will, and the two are set up as competing sons for Merriman's father figure. Merriman, not being human, misses not only Hawkin's desire to be an Old One but the way that desire is tied to being Merriman's son.

Having just read Over Sea, Under Stone, where Merriman is a mysterious but ultimately protective uncle, and remembering the later affection between him and Will, it was surprising to remember how gruff Merriman is with Will when they first meet. More than once he calls him "stupid boy," usually for something that was an honest mistake, especially for a child. It doesn't make Merriman unsympathetic, though, because you get the sense he treats Will that way because he sees him as more of an equal, plus Will is more dangerous in his clueless state than an ordinary person would be. It's nice to see Merriman showing his fear or sorrow through irritation, like when he first blames Will for the Lady going away (which is pretty mean!) and then has to admit that she would have left anyway.

I also wondered, this time, whether some of Merriman's shortness could be connected to Hawkin. It's hard to tell exactly how time runs in the book with people jumping back and forth, but if Merriman knows in the scene in Tramps Alley that Hawkin is The Walker, then he would already know about his betrayal, even though it technically hasn't happened yet. So I wondered if some of his gruffness with Will might have been a sign of his not wanting to make the same mistakes with another boy that he made with Hawkin, making him feel Merriman was too attached to him personally. Because there's another wonderful moment in the scene where Merriman is first getting Will to try out his powers where he thinks of a scene and asks Will to describe it to him. Will does it a little too perfectly, identifying the emotions that the scene brings up for Merriman. The moment Will identifies the feelings and shows compassion for Merriman (and compassion is one of Will's main traits) Merriman is flustered, perhaps not expecting that Will would be able to do that. In the scene in the church it's revealed that Will has powers the other Old Ones don't and I wondered if this was something else that set him apart. I mean, Merriman's mistake in TDiR involves exactly this type of thing. In the scene where they take the book out of the clock Will is the one concerned about Hawkin while Merriman is quite short with him. For all we know things might have gone differently had Merriman acted differently there. Merriman then asks Will to stand with him as Hawkin betrays him, for comfort. Anyway, all this made me even more expecting to see some sort of good-bye, particularly after the affection Merriman shows Will in SotT.

Finally, a word on shipping, though it seems sort of gauche. When I read the books the first time I wasn't particularly interested in ships, but I do remember being very annoyed by what seemed by some obvious Bran/Jane stuff in SotT, which made me realize that if I was going to ship Jane with anyone it would be Will, and not just because Will was my favorite. Of course my most obvious ship is Will/Bran because honestly, who could compete with that? But going through the books this time I was again struck with what to me seemed like a much more solid foundation for Will/Jane. It's like...the Bran/Jane stuff is very adolescent to the point where it could almost be generic. They bicker. When a monster scares her it's Bran who vanquishes it. He gives her a pebble at the end. Most obviously, he refers to her as pretty. But beyond those things, there is really not much Bran/Jane interaction at all. Even when he saves her from the afanc it's from the other side of the lake. She hears someone say, "It's all right, Jenny," but that's it. They lack the sense of personal understanding Will and Jane seem to be carefully shown to have.

As an adult, though, I was struck by the more careful build-up of Will/Jane. First Jane just feels she should be polite to him when her brothers aren't--she shows compassion, the main trait that both of them are associated with. Then she watches him more closely, so is one of the few people who recognizes he's not what he appears to be. She's also twice described as being very familiar with him physically, like when she recognizes him from the back because of a trick of his walk or the way he gets his hair out of his eyes. (I don’t think this is showing she’s hot for him or something, just that despite not knowing him very long she seems to know him well in that familiar way.) When she realizes he is of the Light she feels disappointed because she'd come to find his pleasant round face and ordinary self so comforting. Now, I know some would say that finding a boy "comforting" is the antithesis of possible romance, but honestly, it's not that sort of comfort. She doesn't take him for granted, or use him as shoulder to cry on, she draws strength from him in moments of stress. When attacked by the afanc she gropes for things to fight off her fear and the first thing that comes to mind is Will's face! And afterwards, she's interested in knowing what Bran is that made him able to get rid of the afanc, but she also wants to know how Will was able to warn her. She does not seem to share Simon's feeling that it's wrong for mortals to be mixed up with people like Will. In fact, she has more affinity with magical creatures than her brothers; the Lady is also drawn to her. She describes like calling to like to explain why she must give her message through Jane, but also describes Will and Jane as being alike because they are young, while Jane refers to the Lady as "Will's Lady." And of course, Jane’s finest moment is in when she is the only mortal who recognizes the feelings of the Greenwitch.

The thing with Will, though, is that while Bran, Jane and Simon all seem to be crossing into adolescence he just seems to still be firmly planted in childhood (and old age). When I read the exchange about Jane being pretty in SotT this time I was surprised at how little it seemed to be about Bran/Jane. A girl is throwing flowers; Will puts up his arm to keep from getting hit with one, and catches it. The girl blushes. He grins and puts it in his pocket. Later Bran teases him with, "Ooh, a red rose, is it?" (Bran at his best!). Will amiably tells him to get lost. Bran says, "Not as pretty as Jane, though, the one who threw it." "As who?" Will asks. Jane Drew, says Bran, doesn't Will think she's pretty? Will is surprised and says yes, he's never thought about it. Bran says, "One good thing about you, you're uncomplicated." Reading it the first time, I thought the point was Bran floating his own feelings about Jane to Will and being either relieved Will didn't mind or frustrated he didn't understand. But reading it this time Bran seemed a lot more playful, like the point was more that Bran was teasing Will for things he missed and feeling out exactly how what Will's relationship with Jane was.

Like, Bran has just seen Will be effortlessly charming and make a girl blush. This time the line read totally as Bran saying not "I think Jane's pretty," but rather, "But you're not interested in her, because you've got a prettier girl at home." Bran was laughing about the things Will didn't see about his own life, not staking a claim for Jane. And then Will's bewilderment was funny to Bran because it turned out he didn't have a clue that, perhaps, Jane liked him, or that he could possibly like her-he’s uncomplicated, because puberty hasn’t hit yet. What's also sweet, though, is that when Jane asks Will why he called her name before the monster attacked he explains he could sense the dark and so had to "hallo her name to the reverberate hills." Simon asks what that means. Will "shyly" says Simon's not the only one who knows a bit of Shakespeare, but won't identify the quote beyond being "some speech" he had to memorize last term. I just find this very cute because the speech is from Twelfth Night and it's Viola as Caesario telling Oliva what he would do if he loved her:

"Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house;
Write loyal cantons of contemned love
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;
Halloo your name to the reverberate hills
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out 'Olivia!' O, You should not rest
Between the elements of air and earth,
But you should pity me!”

Awwww. Not only does the boy give the girl just the right jewelry (and he made it himself!) but he quotes love speeches from Shakespeare and makes the babbling gossip of the air cry out her name. He’s just not stupid enough to tell that to her King-Lear-lovin’ older brother who’s never quite approved of him. (See, he’s even got the bad boy thing going.)

As an alternative to my long ramblings on The Dark is Rising,, please to enjoy Strindberg and Helium, especially “In the Park.”

Comments

[westmoon.livejournal.com]

You know, I've been meaning to re-read this series for ages, and this is just the impetus I need. Of course, I will have to wrestle the books away from my daughter (who just stole them off my shelves) but the fight will be worth it.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

My work here is done.:-)

[shusu.livejournal.com]

Eeee, I've been waiting for this! :D

The whole identity thing has bugged me for quite a while. (I think we had a long discussion too.) After much thought it's like Cooper has carefully skirted that line between reality and legend. The point is not nailing down all the historical facts -- how can they, when time doesn't flow in the same way and even the Old Ones pre-date or just don't meddle with the idea of God -- the point is that legends walk among us.

It goes a long way to explaining the duality of a lot of things, like Bran himself knowing and yet not-knowing. That legends (stories, books, words... the Knowing) are real enough to affect us but when we get too close, there's this glass ceiling of ineffability. Mystery. It's like forensic evidence of the general named Arthur doesn't have anything to do with the *legend* of Arthur, so it's not beyond the pale that the present-day legends -- the children of today -- are also the old legends -- Gwion, Arthur, Herne, Merriman. That theme of duality is sort of saying 1) the metaphors are important, 2) it's all One Story, and it's not even a linear story.

The open-endedness is both terribly terribly sad and also a good way to end up Cooper's points on choosing your own destiny. Which seems weird because you can't take a step without stumbling on a prophecy. I think I said somewhere that despite the non-linear nature of time, we still have a choice, every single time. So it's Will's turn to write the next chapter, and Bran's turn, and all the Drews, etc. Those tests that they all had? None of them really prepare them for holding the Signs against the Dark. All of them prepare them for what comes after.

Maybe Will's seeing all those connections among them is the start of it, because you need what came before. You need to see the legends that reside in the living world, because no one will swoop down to save you any longer. And the readers are also forced to write their own endings, and imagine their own worlds... nice bonus. :)


The thing with Merriman and Will ... haha, it strikes me as the boss getting a new subordinate. Merriman has this sense of protectiveness over his... clients? ... probably heightened by the way that he has to sacrifice them (Hawkin, Simon and Barney in Greenwitch). But Will, I suppose, is a coworker. And Merriman has to train him *and* start off the last battle? It occurs to me that if Merriman is the first, no one trained him. There is something of a culture clash; Will can't imagine Merriman as a butler, and it seems like all the "muggle" disguises he takes are usually highly placed, like the Professor. In a feudal sense, Will's not supposed to be messing about! He should know his place. Here he is, repeating slander about the Old Way. There he goes running off with his weak emotions. But of course Will is trying his best. He can't possibly approach it as a military campaign, which I think Merriman does.

And I think in the end that's what drives Merriman's gruffness with Hawkins in the pivotal scene. Will's got to Know, as soon as possible, or he could do some fool thing like be picked off by some low-ranking witch girl, and then where will we end up? Like a hawk Merriman often sees far but he misses that crucial connection with Hawkins in a way that Will does not. Because, well, Will doesn't Know yet. He can afford to pay attention to the view of the chessboard from the field, and of course he notices Hawkin's distress.

Awww, I missed the Shakespeare. That *is* cute. Hee!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I was totally thinking of you (and that fic) when I read a reference to Herne. And I think you make a really good point with the whole idea of legend and reality and the way things flip back and forth. Like, at the end we even see Hawkin getting on the boat, though we know he's dead...and is Gwion dead too? Did he die in the Lost Land? I'm trying to remember the rest of Taliesen (Gwion's) story and whether or not he's immortal.

It seems like the kids are obviously all charged to do something with what they've learned, even if they forget it, and Bran especially seems like he's going to make a difference. I can't imagine Will wouldn't help him in that. One of the things that makes fanfic so interesting in this world, I think, is that everybody has to come up with their own ideas about what the kids remember, how they've stayed in touch, what they do. And of course if one were to write a story about Will after the others have gone, you'd have to set it years in the future. Also, people rarely know what to do with their lives outside of each other. We see Bran's world, and he's isolated. We only ever see the Drews with each other, and they don't mention others. Will, interestingly, mentions two friends in TDiR who are away for the holidays (which is why they're not coming for dinner), and we also know that before he got sick he and two friends (the same two?) were biking around the Valley making brass rubbings (!!!). You get the feeling he's always got a social life, even while he's always separate-which fits what he is.

And Merriman has to train him *and* start off the last battle? It occurs to me that if Merriman is the first, no one trained him.

Yes! I do wonder that--because really he doesn't train Will much either, because sometimes he's just supposed to "know" what the right thing to do is. And he often does, so maybe that shows that the ways Will and Merriman differ aren't necessarily part of Will's being unlearned but different. His job is different, after all. So maybe Merriman doesn't want to train his own instincts out of him, because they would be important. It makes for a more interesting relationship, though, because Will isn't just a Junior Merriman. Even their physical differences are significant-Merriman has a craggy face and a hawk nose, Will has a round face (which is also solemn when he's not smiling) and a mop of hair.

as possible, or he could do some fool thing like be picked off by some low-ranking witch girl, and then where will we end up? Like a hawk Merriman often sees far but he misses that crucial connection with Hawkins in a way that Will does not.

Yes-and of course, I love the way Will is so naturally good at reading people and watching them for reactions while Merriman has a more distant pov. He understands things about people, but Will's far more easy going about everything. I mean really, can you imagine Bran's reaction if Merriman called him "Stupid boy?"

Awww, I missed the Shakespeare. That *is* cute. Hee!

Hee is right. I love that. It's such a weird little moment. He makes brass rubbings, engraves jewelry and always knows the right Shakespeare to quote.

[shusu.livejournal.com]

Will, interestingly, mentions two friends in TDiR who are away for the holidays

Oooh yeah Angus and whatsisname! I can just picture Will as the quiet one of the three. Will's Greenwitch summer boredom also comes to mind. He really is so laidback and naturally friendly. He likes to make connections.

It's an interesting contrast with his relationship with Bran, too. He frequently has trouble reading Bran, frequently "cheats" by dipping into his emotions, and more than once ignored or overlooked Bran's feelings. I venture to guess that some of his pleasant-ness is that subtle manipulation you've mentioned, the youngest child reflex. Bran needs more work than that, loose cannon as he is...

because Will isn't just a Junior Merriman

The change is amazing by the time they hit Greenwitch. Will's very much like a professional colleague, and Merriman treats him as such. And then they do that thing that made me (and Jane) shriek. *g*

I mean really, can you imagine Bran's reaction if Merriman called him "Stupid boy?"

That reminds me. One of the weirdest off-screen things is Merriman's meeting with Bran. And Bran believes him more than anything else he's ever heard? That must have been incredible. I mean, he's Arthur's son, to Merriman.

He makes brass rubbings, engraves jewelry and always knows the right Shakespeare to quote.

Didn't occur to me until you put it that way. Sounds rather Maker-ish, doesn't it? I'd been looking for that connection for ages.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oooh yeah Angus and whatsisname! I can just picture Will as the quiet one of the three. Will's Greenwitch summer boredom also comes to mind. He really is so laidback and naturally friendly. He likes to make connections.

Yeah-the other thing I noticed on this re-read is how often Will gets dumped or ditched and doesn't care. It's just kind of funny. In Greenwitch his friends are off somewhere again and so are Mary and James, and he's bored, but not lonely. He's not worried about being sent off to Wales on his own. Then there are these two moments where he's literally ditched by the other characters-in Greenwitch Simon and Barney ditch him and there's that wonderful moment where Jane tries to apologize and ends up feeling foolish because Will doesn't seem to care at all. Of course that's part of Will's whole, "I'm an immortal superbeing so I'll get over it," but it also seems part of his personality. Because in Grey King there's the time after Cafall dies and he sees Bran and tries to go to him but Bran starts walking away. Will just thinks that a zig-zagging chase across the hills (when he can't walk very well anyway, being a convalescent) is pointless. Again it's business, but Will's also a boy. I don't think that's what he'd have thought even if he was a regular boy.

And it's also funny, because Will's so incredibly inoffensive...yet in a way those are the kids who often get ditched. Only he's too cool to really *be* ditched, because he doesn't care. So before people know it they've accepted him.

The change is amazing by the time they hit Greenwitch. Will's very much like a professional colleague, and Merriman treats him as such. And then they do that thing that made me (and Jane) shriek. *g*


LOL! Jumping off the cliff? I get so annoyed when Captain Toms makes them forget it! I mean yeah, it was scary at the time, but the Drews already started to figure out they're not human. If I were a kid I'd think it was the coolest thing ever once I got over the shock! It's one of the few showy things they do!

That reminds me. One of the weirdest off-screen things is Merriman's meeting with Bran. And Bran believes him more than anything else he's ever heard? That must have been incredible. I mean, he's Arthur's son, to Merriman.

Isn't it, though? And it makes sense in some ways, but it's hard to imagine it. To go back to the Will thing from above, it's interesting how Bran too is separate but too cool to really be an outcast. Just in a different way. Like, when he meets Will he's not *that* difficult-not socially inept. He's got that arrogant streak and I think he tests Will a little, but he's not completely belligerant. Was that just because of Merriman? Did he think Will would be a friend, since after all Merriman explained that he wasn't "properly human?" I'd love to get some of Bran's views on exactly what he thought of Will, because we know there's times when he feels like Will can't really be a friend because of what he is. But you wonder how he thought of him once he knew his own story, and how he'd think of him after he'd forgotten it all. We do get Bran's pov sometimes in GK, but not with regards to this.

Didn't occur to me until you put it that way. Sounds rather Maker-ish, doesn't it? I'd been looking for that connection for ages.


It's interesting how the boys (especially Bran and Will but also Barney) are so naturally artistically inclined. Barney's sort of embarassed about painting, but Will's more natural with his singing (and even if his voice won't be as technically nice as James' tenor, it's not always technical perfection that makes someone a great singer--no doubt Will will always be one!), learning to make things-his use of Shakespeare is so much more natural than Simon's awkward attempts to drop Dickens into conversation, etc. And Bran is just as natural with his harp. It makes them seem more out of a different time, I think, when people did this stuff more every day.

[sleeplessmarea.livejournal.com]

You're gonna get me reading these books yet, if you keep talking about them in that tantalizing manner (where I enjoy the commentary but don't understand it much)

And I'm remembering that's what got me reading the LOTR books... my friend's lunchtime conversations about them that I kinda got into, even though I had NO idea of what they were talking about.

Can you give me another bit of a hint... on what the "Dark is Rising' book's world FEELS like? I'll plow through any amount of words no problem if I like the "feel" of a world...

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Actually, they're not that long. The first book was written long before the others, so it has a slightly younger feel (not as different as The Hobbit, though, for instance). Susan Cooper is very good at description...they take place in England and so there's a lot of descriptions of Cornwall, the Thames Valley and Wales. They take place in our world, with magic that most people don't know about, and they're heavily based on Celtic mythology.

[samaranth.livejournal.com]

First of all: *big snorty giggle* for ‘In the Park’, and also ‘At home with the kids’.

Second: At last! Magpie’s ‘The Dark is Rising’ post. But *wah*, while I’ve been reading these books, due to circumstances currently running out of control, it’s been at a snail’s pace so I’m only half way through The Grey King. The discussion between you and shusu is particularly thought provoking, and I’ll read through the last book and a half with all of these points in mind.

I think your lace analogy is most appropriate. In a way, we’re in the same position as the Drew children – knowing some of the story, some of the names of things, but not necessarily how they fit, one with the other. The only ones with all the knowledge are the Old Ones, and the induction to that happens once, and is all-encompassing. And they don’t seem to be in a great hurry to explain things to other people. So the fact that we don’t necessarily understand the rules, or the significance of some things isn’t necessarily a flaw in the storytelling, because you know Will and Merriman will almost certainly understand. And we might hear that Will wonders about something, but not hearing about it again doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t resolved, we just don’t see it or hear about it.

One by-the-way-thing, Susan Cooper has a real knack of picking up the cadence of speech. Reading TGK, it is so easy to hear the sing-song intonation of Welsh-accented English.

Finally ff.net meme. Nothing for samaranth, and too much for sam, but I was surprised to find a number of OC for my real name:

Disclaimer: I haven’t read any of these stories. And I really don’t intend to..

R- has never fit in, and she wasn't sure why until one day she comes across Legolas, and he introduces her to the world she belongs. This will not last however, as the townspeople become more and more against the elves, and of R- herself.

I had no luck with sam/samaranth for Harry Potter. But R- worked well:

… Sirius's Daughter R- who joins in Harry's 5th year! …

where R- is inrtoduced and Professor Lupin ( My fave chariter) makes an intrance. [sic, sic, sic and sic]

In which Harry meets his long lost cousin R- who is a nice change to the wimpy girl characters in the book, this girl is all action!

Go action!Me!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

And they don’t seem to be in a great hurry to explain things to other people.

LOL--you can say that again. I read a fanfic recently that took place between the last two books and Bran asked Will if he was trained in being cryptic and mystical. But it's true they are just supposed to have a completely different perspective-I wrote a post about that in general once that I could dig up, about how that different perspective seems to play out.

And we might hear that Will wonders about something, but not hearing about it again doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t resolved, we just don’t see it or hear about it.

Yeah--Mrs. Greythorne is a good example. We hear Will wondering, but when he asks Merriman which is the "real" Mr. Greythorne Merriman not only says they both are but says Will already knows that.

One by-the-way-thing, Susan Cooper has a real knack of picking up the cadence of speech. Reading TGK, it is so easy to hear the sing-song intonation of Welsh-accented English.

Oh yes! This is one of the things I was thinking about in recent discussions about Brit-picking too. It really does make a difference the way you can hear how differently the boys speak. It's also what makes me love that line of Bran's ("Ooh, a red rose, is it?") so funny. Cheeky Welshman.

You are all action! But I do gymnastics with my cheerleading squad, so maybe we could, like, fight crime together!

[samaranth.livejournal.com]

Biff! Pow!! Kerplush!!!

[dotsomething.livejournal.com]

Oh, joy! A nice long sistermagpie TDIR post to mull over. I don't get to obsess...er...I mean analyze...this series often enough!

So I wondered if some of his gruffness with Will might have been a sign of his not wanting to make the same mistakes with another boy that he made with Hawkin, making him feel Merriman was too attached to him personally.

I think you're onto something with that. It's interesting that with Simon, Jane, and Barney, he has a soft spot; he's gentle with them in ways he can never be with Will. He's often the Drew's rescuer in the physical sense, or their comforter when the battle becomes too frightening or overwhelming for mortals. At the end of OSUS, of course he literally rescues them at the end. In Greenwich, he comforts Jane after her nightmare. In SoT, there's Simon's near-drowning incident--that scene always gave me the feeling that Merriman had left something else key in order to save Simon, which is a big deal for an Old One because they have to put the good of many over the life of one. (Or is it actually in the text? It's been too long since I read these). There must be a Merriman rescuing Barney moment but I'm pulling a complete blank.

The ending of the series continues to be a thorn in my side to this day. It's the Alice in Wonderland ending: it was all a dream...except in this case, it wasn't. It's worse than that. It was real, it all happened, only they aren't allowed to remember it, which hurts worse than it just being a dream, which is why it's maybe a good ending and not a cop-out.

Was wandering...

[auctasinistra.livejournal.com]

and must reply (The Dark is Rising sequence is one of my favorite stories ever, so forgive if I speak strongly here)...

The ending of the series continues to be a thorn in my side to this day. It's the Alice in Wonderland ending: it was all a dream...except in this case, it wasn't. It's worse than that. It was real, it all happened, only they aren't allowed to remember it, which hurts worse than it just being a dream, which is why it's maybe a good ending and not a cop-out.

Arghghgh. It was a total cop out. Infuriated me. That stuff happened to those kids. To take it away from them, after all they'd done and been through, as if to say "Oh, you're too young to handle this" when they'd lived through it...I say again, arghghgh...exactly the sort of thing an adult would do to a kid. It was rape. Absolutely infuriating.
Grrrrrrrrrr...

Thank you for allowing me to vent. :)

Re: Was wandering...

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Honestly, it's definitely something I would want to question the author about. WHY??? I already have trouble with all the memory fixing in the books--why do the kids have to forget Will and Merriman diving off a cliff? Why does Will have to erase Stephen's memories? It's clearly just for convenience there. But if the kids were fine knowing about this stuff for years why would it be important they forget it now???

Also, I remember when I first read the books, I agreed (and still do) with John Rowlands on the idea of living a lie. If I were him I'd have chosen to remember what my wife really was. I felt the same way about Bran--it seemed very odd to have him go through a coming-of-age experience and then have him forget who he is. To me it's his right to know all about himself and live as who he is. In both cases, even if I'd wanted to go back to my "old" life I would have chosen the truth because it was the truth.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to remember if there's a scene where Merriman specifically rescues Barney...actually, Barney's rescue is more done by Will and Bran when he gets taken by the Rider into the past. Merriman does leave Barney behind in OSUS when they go out to the standing stones.

That's why this time it was such a change going from a Merriman who's so patient with kids and is always assuring them that they don't have to do what they don't want, and that they won't be hurt--to TDiR where he's short with Will (who's an Old One so that's okay) but asks Hawkin to risk his life for him. Hawkin was a boy once too, so you wonder if he treated him like the Drews back then. He seems to have been more open with Hawkin about what he was--I'm never quite sure exactly what the Drews make of Will, for instance. Like when Will says Bran lives on his Uncle's farm and Barney says, "You have an uncle here?" I was never quite sure if Barney was surprised Will had an Uncle in Wales (and why would that be so amazing, except for the coincidence) or that Will has an uncle, period. Even though he showed up with an uncle in Greenwitch and mentions his father to Jane.

We see the Drews wondering about what Bran is, but not working out how Will can be a regular boy and something else. We do get those little tantalizing conversations between Simon and Jane where she talks about his never liking Will (which originally is because he just thinks he's a nuisance, but we don't know about later on) and where Simon says he's never felt it was proper being mixed up with people like Will and Merriman.

Or is it actually in the text? It's been too long since I read these

I'm not sure what you mean here-definitely Will says the Old Ones can't choose one man over many. But Merriman saves Simon instead of going to the Lost Land with Bran and Will. I guess he does have to save Simon because he's one of the six, but it's still an example of him showing how valuable their lives are.

[spoke.livejournal.com]

I guess he does have to save Simon because he's one of the six, but it's still an example of him showing how valuable their lives are.

Also, I thought at least - that even the Old Ones can't pull everything off perfectly. It gave me this feeling, like maybe too much was happening at once, and Merriman had to make a (relatively speaking) hard, fast choice as to which set of kids needed him more.

And I keep wondering about parts of the war that we don't see, that makes it a lot like the final battle at the end - all this noise and fury but no real details. What is going on, that takes all this work from all the Circle of the Old Ones?