You like the twinks and the bears and the girls and the boys

[sovay]

1. A text-exchange this afternoon between me and rushthatspeaks, who is hopefully no longer on the bus through infinite Connecticut:

There are oak leaves on my floor, trailing out the door of my bedroom. I feel as though I have been left by a demon lover.

The leaves should turn back to Chanukah gelt in 3 days, don't worry about it.

I love this person. You see why.

2. My Yuletide reading this year has been somewhat scattershot, but there were still a few pieces that got my attention. Recommendations as follows.

"Að fara til Íslands." If this story was not written by the same person who lit up my December last year by crossing Mary Renault's The Charioteer (1953) with Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes (1945) in "Those voices that will not be drowned," I can only hope they have been pointed in its direction. This time it's Ralph Lanyon and W.H. Auden, journeying to Iceland. Beautifully realized, very nearly a secret history. Now it feels like the obvious next step should be a crossover with Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art (2010), but that's probably just me.

(As long as we're in this fandom, I would also mention "Quite a Party," a brief, promising encounter between two characters who never do meet in the novel. The writing is lovely. Alec was always my favorite. I wouldn't object if there were more in this line.)

"Journeys End (In Lovers Meeting)." Strictly speaking, Jim Prideaux and Bill Haydon are canonical, so this story reads most like an outtake from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), set between Jim's repatriation and the novel's denouement. Brief as it is, it plays on the same double level as le Carré's best work: poignant as it stands, heartbreaking if you know what lies beneath. It tells you nothing that you cannot derive from between the lines. Everything important happens there anyway.

(I can't actually believe in the coupling of Peter Guillam and Ricki Tarr, but if I were going to make the effort, "The Spy Who Got What He Deserved, If Not What He Wanted" would be a good place to start.)

"Noisy Night, Holy Night." Gefreiter Udo Schmidt of the 469th Halftrack, Gravedigging and Support Unit of the Afrika Korps, né Isador Gulphstein of Berlin, has to organize a Christmas party. In the middle of a desert, in the middle of a war. The usual bedlam and profanity ensue. My sole complaint about this story is that it's not actually an issue of The Desert Peach, because while the look on Winzig's face following Udo's Christmas present to himself doesn't need to be seen to be believed, it would be really entertaining. Maybe Donna Barr takes requests.

"All in a (Sexy) Day's Work." Whereas this one works best on the page, where the parentheses are vital. A day in the life of Hark! A Vagrant's Strong Female Characters, plus Wonder Woman; what more do you need to know? Don't ever put an assless jumpsuit through the wash.

"Look and Listen." You'll recognize these characters if you've seen Rear Window (1954), but only from the outside; you're more used to Mr. Shutterbug and the Socialite. This could be original fiction, one kaleidoscope-turn over from the classic mystery. Anyone want to edit an anthology reinterpreting classic film?

"Pulling the Possibilities." This one is just adorable: a stray remark by Christopher Chant leads to a long-obvious engagement (or at least obvious once the rest of Chrestomanci Castle catches on). I find I can't really disagree with it.

"The Division of Labor in the Creation of 'The Dog Beneath the Skin': Exploring the Individual Authorship of Words, Lines, and Scenes in an Auden and Isherwood Collaboration." Two poets write a play. I don't even know how someone decides to write fic about this. I'm very, very glad they did.

3. Is it true that the time between Christmas and New Year's can be referred to as "the dead days," or did I just import that from the Mayan calendar?

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

So whose line was whose in that text exchange (which I adore--you are both Excellent People, very worthy of being called Fair Folk, or Dark Folk, even)

[sovay]

So whose line was whose in that text exchange (which I adore--you are both Excellent People, very worthy of being called Fair Folk, or Dark Folk, even)

I'm the person with leaves on my bedroom floor.

(Thank you!)

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

As a response to your cut question:
Yes, God damn them all.
Fuck, I would collaborate on that.

Is it true that the time between Christmas and New Year's can be referred to as "the dead days," or did I just import that from the Mayan calendar?

I have it to. I was just telling shadesong I consider these days as Calibration, and if I can, I destroy everything that might hold me back in the coming year. Like all the hay boxes in the office. And all the hay and dust and stuff on the floor.

I hope that person you love is soon relinquished by my nightmare state.

[sovay]

Yes, God damn them all.
Fuck, I would collaborate on that.

Damn. All right. I'll read it now.

I consider these days as Calibration, and if I can, I destroy everything that might hold me back in the coming year. Like all the hay boxes in the office. And all the hay and dust and stuff on the floor.

I like that.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

3. I've read something similar in at least a couple of the books shelved under Woo-woo, Pagan upstairs, but my cat says I'm not allowed to climb out from under him and the quilt to go look.

However, I found this very interesting-sounding book on Wikipedia: The Book of Dead Days (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Dead_Days). I'm inclined to see whether my library has it.

[timesygn.livejournal.com]

It is my understanding that the great Mayan Calendar is spread across three stones and that only the second terminates at 2012. Apocalypse afficianados ignore the fact that time is resumed on the third. This is the opposite of wishful thinking.

[sovay]

However, I found this very interesting-sounding book on Wikipedia: The Book of Dead Days. I'm inclined to see whether my library has it.

. . . I read that when it came out. Maybe I can cut out the Mayan middleman.

[sovay]

It is my understanding that the great Mayan Calendar is spread across three stones and that only the second terminates at 2012.

Well, I was thinking of those five days in every year, nothing to do with 2012. I am aware we are not headed for world-exploding apocalypse in three days, or at least not any more so than usual.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

It's more the Aztec calendar--the nemotemi are the extra days, during which you shouldn't do much of anything. They sort of strike me like Ghost Month, in that way.

[sovay]

It's more the Aztec calendar

Dammit!

--the nemotemi are the extra days, during which you shouldn't do much of anything.

Thanks.

[margavriel.livejournal.com]

3. Is it true that the time between Christmas and New Year's can be referred to as "the dead days," or did I just import that from the Mayan calendar?

Chol Hammoed Nittel!!

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

1.

That exchange is wonderful; I indeed see some small glimpse of the cause of your affection. I hope that rushthatspeaks has got safely through this strange state and home again.

I love the idea of reversed fairy gold, leaves turning to chocolate gelt. I had the glimmer of an idea for using it when I was driving to a house session tonight; would you mind if I did, assuming, of course, I'm able to recover the idea?

So, am I correct in inferring from your cut-tag that there's a fic for "Barrett's Privateers" on Yuletide? I'm not sure I can imagine making ten chapters of that, but I'd be willing to give reading it a try. I'll be going to have a look at your recommendations the now, and I thank you for them.

3. Is it true that the time between Christmas and New Year's can be referred to as "the dead days," or did I just import that from the Mayan calendar?

I wish I had a useful answer for you. I've a vague feeling I might have heard it before, but I can't think what the context would have been. To me, New Year's Day is the Eighth Day of Christmas, but I do find the idea of "the dead days" an interesting one.

[larryhammer]

Or possibly from the Egyptian calendar, which had 12 30-day months plus 5 or 6 extracalendrical days at the end of the year.

---L.

[sovay]

Chol Hammoed Nittel!!

Hah. Thank you.

[sovay]

Or possibly from the Egyptian calendar, which had 12 30-day months plus 5 or 6 extracalendrical days at the end of the year.

That's true.

[sovay]

I had the glimmer of an idea for using it when I was driving to a house session tonight; would you mind if I did, assuming, of course, I'm able to recover the idea?

You'd have to ask rushthatspeaks: it's their idea.

So, am I correct in inferring from your cut-tag that there's a fic for "Barrett's Privateers" on Yuletide?

"Revenge and Reversal: or, the Further Adventures of Jack Rogers, the Last of Barrett's Privateers." cucumberseed praised it.

Between

[helivoy.livejournal.com]

All lunar calendars have extra days tucked on, so that successive year frames don't wander all over the seasons. Because they're considered "between" time, they're usually deemed unlucky.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

You'd have to ask [info]rushthatspeaks: it's their idea.

Thanks for clarifying who said which. Well, I don't think the idea was substantial enough to use, as I can't seem to recover it, but if I do, I'll ask them.

"Revenge and Reversal: or, the Further Adventures of Jack Rogers, the Last of Barrett's Privateers." [info]cucumberseed praised it.

Thanks! I'll go have a read of that one.

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd love texts like these: they're charming. Especially that phrase "Chanukah gelt".

[sovay]

Especially that phrase "Chanukah gelt".

That's what it's called!

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

Damn, that's me not looking stuff up! Sorry!

[margavriel.livejournal.com]

What's even funnier is that I didn't make that up; it's actually mentioned in the Hebrew, presumably Chasidic, book on Nittel, which came out about ten years ago.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

I've just wandered over to thank you for your very kind rec, and to say that you're a very perceptive reader! I did indeed write both of them. And if I could think of a way to get Ralph, Laurie, Wystan and Ben into a room together, I would do it in a heartbeat...

Naraht

[sovay]

I've just wandered over to thank you for your very kind rec, and to say that you're a very perceptive reader!

Thank you! I love your work; I'm just sorry not to see much of it more than once a year.

And if I could think of a way to get Ralph, Laurie, Wystan and Ben into a room together, I would do it in a heartbeat...

I'd read it.