The Hobbit Hole VII - But not yet weary are our feet...

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

But not yet weary are our feet...

• First thread: New Zealander builds Hobbit hole
• Second thread: The New Hobbit Hole
• Third thread: The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! (Congratulations, we filled it up!)
• Fourth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IV - The Road Goes Ever On...
• Fifth Thread: The Hobbit Hole V - Where Many Paths and Errands Meet...
• Sixth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VI - And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...

New verse:

Upon the hearth the fire is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet, Still round the corner we may meet A sudden tree or standing stone That none have seen but we alone. Tree and flower and leaf and grass, Let them pass! Let them pass! Hill and water under sky, Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate, And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way And take the hidden paths that run Towards the Moon or to the Sun. Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe, Let them go! Let them go! Sand and stone and pool and dell, Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We’ll wander back to home and bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade! Away shall fade! Fire and lamp, and meat and bread, And then to bed! And then to bed!

See also: http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net

Web page for our moot reports and troop support information!

[JenB]

The "Count of Monte Cristo" movie you were going to watch last night... was that the one with Jim Cavaziel?

Because I love that movie. Mmm... he has some gorgeous, um, outfits in that movie....

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - was a good movie!

[JenB]

Yep... I've seen it three or four times. Just great. What a lovely sense of revenge that guy has.

[Wneighbor]

LOL --- I already got me a doorknocker bigger'n that one. Don't wear it often.. but... :-)

I like the lazy slug idea! Been doin' that myself! Lovin' every minute of it. Who'd o' thought I'd be *this* old and still soakin' up sunshine on spring break? Sometimes, every now and then, the world is just *right!* :-)

[HairOfTheDog]

Revenge is a tempting notion for sure, and I was 'with him on the plan. But, as is common, it ended up with no real good coming from it. The plan kinda came apart on him there at the end, and the sweeter revenge may have come from taking the lass away with him when she surprised him in the carriage.

[Fedora]

So the future illness isn't the same as the Black Death? I guess that might be what I was confused about. I thought the future illness came from the Middle Ages via the knight's tomb, though?--that's why I was assuming it was the Black Death. Okay, I'm looking at some of the pages that talk about the future illness now. P. 304 calls it "influenza". 305 says it's a Type A myxovirus called H9N2. 312 says Kivrin contracted it before she got her T-cell enhancement. I guess that explains it: it's a rare flu rather than the Black Death. Am I getting thar right now?

[JenB]

Not the Black Death, a different middle ages disease. They had enough of them!

Right, you've got it now. And I'm going to go run, and then get to work on plotting... have had a lot of good thoughts today but I still don't know what I'm doing.

[300winmag]

Hmmm... three-four years ago, I remember hearing vaguely disgruntled noises from Pern fandom, but wasn't paying much attention to other fandoms, so it might not have changed.

When I finally bailed on Pern fandom, newcomers were already making trouble. I suspect the grumbling you heard was from the same people who screwed things up with their adolescent inability to follow rules, and not mess with a good thing.

I guess I'll save all my fanzines as belonging to the now-lost golden age of Pern fanfic. Some of it was good, while a lot of it sucked. But I learned a lot about writing.

And to think my freshman English teacher, the famous Joyce Carol Oates, said I should stick to nonfiction because I could never write a decent piece of fiction.

[300winmag]

Wow! 777 and 888, and both gotten honestly!

In celebration, here's something appropriate for today. Note the brand of the laptop.

[Fedora]

I don't know if the situation has changed, but ten years ago, she very graciously allowed fanfic under her strict terms. Basically, she was leasing out her universe, but not her characters or storylines. The fanfic writers who were on the up-and-up included Anne's disclaimer, and sent her sample copies. Those who wouldn't obey her sensible and simple rules got their asses sued.

Were they trying to make money selling fanfic set in her universe? That would be different, and I wouldn't have a problem with her suing them for that. But when I think of fanfic I think of writing which is non-commercial rather than for-profit.

[Fedora]

Right, you've got it now. And I'm going to go run, and then get to work on plotting... have had a lot of good thoughts today but I still don't know what I'm doing.

Okay; looking forward to hearing what you came up with!

[Fedora]

In celebration, here's something appropriate for today. Note the brand of the laptop.

LOL! I got one of those Nigerian emails the other day.

[300winmag]

Were they trying to make money selling fanfic set in her universe? That would be different, and I wouldn't have a problem with her suing them for that.

There was nobody trying to sell their Pern fanfic when I was in. But one still had to follow the author's rules. If anyone was violating those rules, a cease-and-desist was usually enough to stop it. If she actually sued someone, it would have to be for something really serious. But I never saw that happen, and can't speak to what may have gone on in the recent past.

I still miss the fanzines run by grownups who didn't develop swelled heads. They were few and far between.

Usually egoboo took over, and, like Gresham's law, bad zines drive out good.

[Fedora]

Okay. Sounds like you're talking about printed fanzines then? I was thinking online. I see a lot of really informal fanfics sites where mostly teenage kids post stories inspired by their favorite authors/shows--not the same thing as a serious fanzine.

[JenB]

Fanzines? Good heavens. You are right though... sometimes I want a t-shirt that says "Everything I know about writing, I learned from fanfic". And then a list of things, like "Just because your friends like it doesn't mean it's good", and "Just because they'd never do that in real life doesn't mean it's not a cool story".

Oh, and "Cassandra Claire kills fandoms", but let's not get into that. Just beware if someone with that screen name ever shows up in YOUR fandom. Run screaming for the hills...

And as for Joyce Carol Oates - what the heck would she know? Being famous doesn't mean you're right.

[JenB]

The really scary sites have not-teenagers. Thirty year old women writing self-insertion slashfic is really, really frightening.

Um, that sentence doesn't sound so good but it's meant innocently.

[Fedora]

The really scary sites have not-teenagers. Thirty year old women writing self-insertion slashfic is really, really frightening.

Some of it is :) I've seen some decent writing of that sort, too, though.

[Fedora]

BTW, I'm up to p. 384 now. I guess it is kinda good I didn't get this far until after I started getting over my flu. . .

[Fedora]

Hello. ..

[Fedora]

. . .what's this? :)