sarakingdom Posted March 18 Report Share Posted March 18 Rivers of London 5: Spring Cleaning OMG, I don't know who came up with the title of this round of my RoL challenge, but they could not have come up with a more genuinely horrific challenge concept if they tried. This is the most frightening Rivers of London has ever been. Imagine, like, ominous music and creaking floorboards and smiles full of big sharp teeth and being chased by evil sentient mops. That wizard has a truly terrible sense of humor. I bet it was him. New to Rivers of London? Click here: Hide contents Meet Peter Grant, mixed race council estate kid, London constable, and apprentice to Thomas Nightingale, the last wizard in Britain. Who, for his sins, is also a policeman. It's a long story. (Really long. Don't ask him what year he was born.) They have acquired a small yappy dog by accident. There were reasons at the time. They also have an inhuman housekeeper straight out of a Japanese horror film. (Or at least Nightingale does. He isn't gonna be breakfast. No guarantees on Peter or the dog.) Some people have their faces fall off. Things explode. Some dudes get their dicks bitten off in night clubs. People die horribly. Weird shit happens. There's jazz and architecture and geekery and a global melting pot of immigrant cultures swirling around. And Peter wants to shag a really hot river. So just regular London stuff. This challenge, we are practicing magic. Proper Newtonian magic. (Which according to certain people is the only proper sort of magic there is. At least the only sort that counts. Officially speaking. If you don't count the exceptions.) Spells and good magical habits and all that. 5 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 19 Author Report Share Posted March 19 The Folly Library Isometrics - Upper Body Spoiler Isometrics - Homebrew Workouts Spoiler Even Days Tabula scindere Orantes scindere Dorsum scindere recta, crux, obliquum & ramosa Calcitrare mulae Plank Praying pose ITWY poses Mule kick Odd Days Tabula scindere Præfixa tabula scindere dextra & sinistra Gluteus pontis scindere Gluteus sedet scindere Volans scindere Insectum mortuum Plank Side plank, right and left Bridge pose Horse stance Superman Dead bug Remedial Crawling Spoiler Somatic Exercises to Try Spoiler Cleaning Playlists Spoiler 8D Music Spoiler (Repetitive and not great for work, but really pokes the brain.) 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 19 Author Report Share Posted March 19 Template Training Performance Report Officer: Sara Kingdom Date: Department: Special Assessment Unit Physical Formae Daily Crura impello Arma scindere Scindere practice set Bonuses Boxing practice Dance Visit genii locorum Support Electrolytes Hydration Meds Vitamins Score: Mental Formae Tool Reversal of desire Gratitude flow Cue Avoiding a task, restless, distracted Any negative thinking; during daily wrap-up Score: Recovery 2 hours practice, start before noon. 6-8 hours sleep. In bed by midnight Score: Silentium Mentis Mindfulness Metta Cast a magical circle or ground energy Score: Home Front Reintegration Yoga nidra Podcast Yoga (regular) Score: Record Keeping Make a daily plan Journal practice Make a weekly and monthly plan Score: Spring Cleaning Make a daily plan Project work Make a weekly project plan Score: Space reserved for office use Date rec'd: Initialed by: Form ID: Zulu Foxtrot 18.C.68-v2-Jun-1977 (ZF.18.C.68/1977.06) (Supercedes form 64B from Nov 1932) For internal use only. Sensitive records. Not to leave the Folly. 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 19 Author Report Share Posted March 19 Challenge Goals Okay, these look like a lot and I'm not into it. But I've been working on a fair number of these, and this challenge structure has a moderately successful track record, so a lot of this is copy and paste. We're just gonna launch into it and see what happens. "Lux, the spell you just did, is what we call a form," said Nightingale. "Each of these basic forms you learn as a name. Lux, impello, scindere... there are others. Once these become ingrained, you can combine these forms to create complex spells, the way you combine words to form a sentence." I'm practicing two basic physical formae this challenge. One variation on impello, and multiple variations on scindere. Crura impello - Walk. My eventual goal is that study that said half an hour per day of speed interval walk for several months rolled your age back 10-15 years. That's not vanity, but it is a thematic tie-in with the novels that I can't pass up. Scindere - A set or two of isometric exercises. They're quick, they're efficient, they're low-injury, and they're highly in keeping with my thematic focus on stillness as the superior way of doing things. Doing magic on the fly, even something as basic as an impello variant, is incredibly difficult. Nightingale said that, when he was training, only half his peers could perform while under physical stress. Which is why, in the Folly, boxing practice goes jab, jab, right, roundhouse, uppercut, lux, jab, jab, impello. Bonus points for any form of boxing workouts, or for getting all up close and personal with the local genius locii and having a swim, or for going to Soho jazz clubs and being the jazz police. "If you overdo it, there are consequences," said Nightingale. I didn't like the sound of all that. "What kind of consequences?" "Strokes, brain haemorrhages, aneurysms..." "How do you when you've overdone it?" "When you have a stroke, a brain haemorrhage, or an aneurysm," said Nightingale. In the interests of space, I deleted the section about practicing for two hours every day and stopping. There's a project I want to make sure gets worked on. I will do two hours in the morning, then stop. (No points if those two hours are not before noon. It's not just doing it, but doing it first. For weeks 0-2, points if I start the two hours before noon; close enough for zero week.) Then I need rest, so I don't overdo it. 6-8 hours of sleep. In bed by midnight. To be in bed by midnight will require 1) a few tasks done before 10pm, and 2) some exercise between 10-11pm. Bonus points for some strategic breaks during the day. I stopped and tried to clear my mind. The uncanny creates a disturbance in the world. Everyone feels it, the trick is to distinguish it from the random noise, the thoughts, memories, and misfiring neurons, that fill our heads from moment to moment. It's like everything else -- the more you do it, the better you get. I used to think that Nightingale was alerted to Falcon cases by his extensive network of informants. But now I think maybe he's just listening to the city. Or maybe not. Because that would be freaky. I know a lot about the random noise, thoughts, memories, and misfiring neurons. But a certain amount of mental stillness helps the ADHD a lot. So I will have to practice focus and mental stillness. I need all three types of meditation: mindfulness, body scan, and metta, although the body scan is largely covered by yoga nidra, which I've listed elsewhere. So instead I'll put a little ritual magic on the list, and practice casting circles around my daily tasks, and figuring out when my energy levels need some grounding. When I asked what had happened to the people who had trained him, Nightingale's face clouded, and I knew the answer. Ettersberg. Everyone, the cream of British wizardry, had gone to Ettersberg. And only a few came back. It gradually comes out over the books that there’s maybe just a litttttle PTSD going on with Nightingale. I do not have PTSD. But I do have some ADHD- related stuff I should talk to people about and work on. I am currently running on the theory that, similar to PTSD, there's a lot of high cortisol and low parasympathetic nervous system issues going on, so this is going to mostly take the form of various scientifically promising relaxation techniques that try to address things like physically stored stress, parasympathetic nervous system activation, and so on. I've grown to appreciate the point of view that you can't use the mind to adjust the mind (see also, the aforementioned random noise and misfiring neurons and various Buddhist theories of mind), so I've decided to test the physical approach. I also read a book recently that appealed to the engineer in me, and taught five mental tools for various creative, emotional and productivity related obstacles, in a very direct "if this, then that" sort of way, while still looking pretty supported by current research in positive psychology and so on. The sheer practicality is appealing. I want to give them a try, so I'll be bringing them in gradually. Probably not all at once. I'd found a service room off the mundane library that contained filing cabinets full of papers from before World War II. Among them, notebooks filled with handwritten ghost sightings... And, taking a leaf out of Peter's book (so to speak), a notebook practice. Detectives need notes, and so do scientists. Just a "more writing" habit. "Peter, " said Nightingale, "if you'd like to spend the next three days cleaning the lab, then by all means keep referring to my old school as 'Hogwarts'." This challenge includes the first day of spring. I have things that are not clean. Nightingale is big on order; Molly is big on clean. Thus spring cleaning. This will be torture. For a terrifying moment I thought [Nightingale] was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call. Bonus points if I can make my inner critic sound more like Nightingale. He has high expectations and is often exasperated, but is also immensely kind and protective with the people he mentors. He is matter of fact, and reasonable, and practical, and kind, and I could do worse than that example. Not every answer to WWND is the right answer (notably, excessive use of phosphorus grenades in suburban areas, occasional lack of fluency with modern human rights, and a few things that defy the laws of causality), but he is an excellent mentor with unexpected reserves of generosity, while still getting results. 3 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 20 Author Report Share Posted March 20 Scientia potestas est Society of the Wise • Est. 1775 The Folly Russell Square London, WC1B 7ZF 19th March, 2024 Dear Sara, What on earth has been going on while you've been away? You simply must do better, you can't responsibly train under those conditions. I can loosen the threshold for your suspension back to 20 hours. You're just squeaking under that bar, I should think. Do what you can, but be careful not to overdo things. Today is the spring equinox; please report to Molly for spring cleaning instructions. Yours, Thomas Nightingale Detective Chief Inspector, Metropolitan Police Acting President, Society of the Wise 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Sea-to-sky Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 Looking forward to this. Rivers of london is on my reading list, so have to skim a certain percentage, but love the theme. hope the being chased by rogue mops goes well 1 Quote the creative spelling comes as standard. Enjoy! A journey of thousand miles, begins with a single step - Lao Tzu Challenge: #1, #2, #3 Link to comment
Everstorm Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 The walking study sounds interesting. I might go dig that up. 1 Quote Life before Death Strength before Weakness Journey before Destination Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 21 Author Report Share Posted March 21 5 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said: Looking forward to this. Rivers of london is on my reading list, so have to skim a certain percentage, but love the theme. I'll try to go easy on the spoilers! I ran my last few challenges while my NF victims recruits were still reading the first book, so I think I'm not spoiling much beyond the existence of characters and maybe tiny bits of backstory for the character grading my challenge, but not huge specifics. (Basically, one thing that's technically a spoiler of a slow reveal in the first book, but is also one of the basic character bio things that is strongly hinted and reviews of the books often mention.) Any discussion of the books, I tend to hide behind spoiler cuts. I do include quotes, but I'm pretty vague about where they come from. The first book would be enough to see you pretty safe on this challenge, I think. The basic premise and characters should be enough to navigate safely. 1 hour ago, Everstorm said: The walking study sounds interesting. I might go dig that up. I'd direct you if I remembered, but that's copied from the first RoL challenge I did almost six months ago, and I'd forgotten it, too - I left it in to remind myself. 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Sea-to-sky Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 3 minutes ago, sarakingdom said: try to go easy on the spoilers! I ran my last few challenges while my NF victims recruits were still reading the first book, so I think I'm not spoiling much beyond the existence of characters and maybe tiny bits of backstory for the character grading my challenge, but not huge specifics. (Basically, one thing that's technically a spoiler of a slow reveal in the first book, but is also one of the basic character bio things that is strongly hinted and reviews of the books often mention.) Any discussion of the books, I tend to hide behind spoiler cuts. I do include quotes, but I'm pretty vague about where they come from. Much appreciated. I just skipped everything written in red when i realised it was quotes 👍 It is not going to be an immediate read for me sadly, due to current energy levels, but if it gets a but plot heavy i will just skip the posts 😄. Since i have basically zero knowledge of the books (a friend recommended it) most of it make very little sense currently, so i am probably good. Quote the creative spelling comes as standard. Enjoy! A journey of thousand miles, begins with a single step - Lao Tzu Challenge: #1, #2, #3 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 21 Author Report Share Posted March 21 52 minutes ago, Sea-to-sky said: Since i have basically zero knowledge of the books (a friend recommended it) most of it make very little sense currently, so i am probably good. That's sort of where I'm aiming - things that won't reveal anything out of context. Just some basic premise stuff that one could find on the back cover, or something. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 21 Author Report Share Posted March 21 We are going to have SO MUCH FUN. By which I mean me. I am going to have so much fun. You are going to do so much cleaning. 16:02 Molly noooooo 16:05 I have jobs for you. 16:06 Two things this week to get warmed up. 1. Start a closet inventory. 2. Get your gardening stuff ready for planting. 16:06 😔 16:07 I'm going easy on you. 16:08 On account of how worried Thomas is that you're going to die or something. 16:09 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 21 Author Report Share Posted March 21 I am officially trending down on sleep deficit. I'm at 19 hours, so I'm not in suspension territory. ("Barely," he says. YES ALL RIGHT. That's a whole hour, though. That's doing so good.) Anyway. I'm not in suspension territory. But tonight is high stakes for sleeping. I need to get eight hours to break even and not lose any ground, and I'm really struggling to get that sort of sleep time. Today needs to be strong on hydration and light exercise. Also this is a thing. I should prep a bedtime snack. (My meal schedule is messed up, so I do actually need food then. It's not recreational snacking.) Also, I need to remember that being in bed on time is mandatory, but it can be a nap rather than the main event. Sometimes I need a nap before I go to bed. I will relearn how to sleep, guys. 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 21 Author Report Share Posted March 21 Training Performance Report Officer: Sara Kingdom Date: 21/03/2024 Department: Special Assessment Unit Physical Formae Daily Crura impello Arma scindere Scindere practice set Bonuses Boxing practice Dance Visit genii locorum Support Electrolytes Hydration Meds Vitamins Arma scindere. Bonus: Vitamins, electrolytes, meds. Well done. A good start. Score: 1 Bonus: 1.5 Mental Formae Tool Reversal of desire Cue Avoiding a task, restless, distracted I practiced this twice. Interesting. Carry on. Score: 1 Recovery 2 hours practice, start before noon. 6-8 hours sleep. In bed by midnight Near misses all around, but I did bring down my sleep deficit. I'm getting better. I did rest briefly when exhausted. Do I get a point for that? I'm very glad to hear it. I'll give a partial point for awareness of the problem. Score: 0.5 Silentium Mentis Mindfulness Metta Cast a magical circle or ground energy I cast one circle. I needed it for my rest. Not bad. I think you could use some practice. Score: 0.5 Home Front Reintegration Yoga nidra Podcast Yoga (regular) Yoga nidra. Short but done. Yoga. Good job. Score: 2 Record Keeping Make a daily plan Writing practice Make a weekly and monthly plan Did a little journaling. Did not finish the time block. That's when I realized I was tired. Please finish. Score: 0.5 Spring Cleaning Make a daily plan Project work Make a weekly project plan I did this! I folded my laundry and inventoried everything I folded. I even separated the stuff that needed repairs. ETA: I did as much gardening work as I could do. I prepped the pots that will be the watercress pots, but it's too early to plant outside. I transplanted a few green onions. I used up the available potting soil and planted some peas and chard. Unexpected. Well done. Score: 2 Space reserved for office use Date rec'd: Initialed by: Form ID: Zulu Foxtrot 18.C.68-v2-Jun-1977 (ZF.18.C.68/1977.06) (Supercedes form 64B from Nov 1932) For internal use only. Sensitive records. Not to leave the Folly. 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 22 Author Report Share Posted March 22 Technically I'm over my suspension limit, but it's a math error involving how I slept a week ago, not last night's sleep, which was great, so I'm invoking zero week rules, which is that there are none. Training Performance Report Officer: Sara Kingdom Date: 22/03/2024 Department: Special Assessment Unit Physical Formae Daily Crura impello Arma scindere Scindere practice set Bonuses Boxing practice Dance Visit genii locorum Support Electrolytes Hydration Meds Vitamins Electrolytes, meds, and vitamins. Score: 1 Mental Formae Tool Reversal of desire Cue Avoiding a task, restless, distracted Score: Recovery 2 hours practice, start before noon. 6-8 hours sleep. In bed by midnight I got eight hours of sleep! The full eight! I was technically not in bed till after midnight, but it was for good sleep reasons. I was doing yoga to sleep better, and I would like my point anyway. Started my important project before noon. A point for a technical fail during a technical suspension? Score: 2 Silentium Mentis Mindfulness Metta Cast a magical circle or ground energy Score: Home Front Reintegration Yoga nidra Podcast Yoga (regular) Yoga nidra. Podcast. I'll give you the full 'podcast' point when you finish. Score: 1.5 Record Keeping Make a daily plan Journal practice Make a weekly and monthly plan Score: Spring Cleaning Make a daily plan Project work Make a weekly project plan Score: Space reserved for office use Date rec'd: Initialed by: Form ID: Zulu Foxtrot 18.C.68-v2-Jun-1977 (ZF.18.C.68/1977.06) (Supercedes form 64B from Nov 1932) For internal use only. Sensitive records. Not to leave the Folly. 5 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Everstorm Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Yay sleep! Quote Life before Death Strength before Weakness Journey before Destination Link to comment
Mistr Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Yay for getting sleep! Quote Level 76 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 22 Author Report Share Posted March 22 Tl;dw (I did. Some of it. I tried. Sigh. I'll keep going, because I get a point for this.) 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Mistr Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Thank you for sharing this. I shared this with Cleo, who just got an ADHD diagnosis. 2 Quote Level 76 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
Mad Hatter Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 Woohoo sleep! I have a confession to make. I read the first book, but thought it was... bland. The main character was dull with the mind of a 12 year old and the two slow storylines made me care for none of them. I wanted to love it, I really did! But maybe I expected/wanted too much of a British, more modern, Dresden and it fell flat for me. 1 Quote Link to comment
Harriet Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 I am totally overwhelmed by the volume and detail of two rivers content but I wish you luck in what I think are your endeavours, namely floor exercises, somatic exercises, spring cleaning, and sleep. All very sensible and hopefully helpful. 1 Quote Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru Link to comment
Jarric Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 Every time I see Molly's texts I think, "I must get round to reading the comics." I am at least finally up to date on the novels. Well done on the gardening. You've reminded me that I need to clear out my garden. 1 Quote Level 21 Wood Elf Ranger STR: 16 - CON: 22 - CHA: 9 - SAN: 19 - INT: 17 IAgreeWithTank™ "Shit is going down, but I am not." - iatetheyeti Don't say "I don't have enough time", say instead "that's not a priority right now" and see how that makes you feel. Current Challenge: Downtime External: Epic Quest - Instagram - Strava Spoiler Previous Challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 67 68 69 70 71 Old Stuff: Battle Log - My Introduction - 2017 Road Map - 2018 Road Map - 2019 Road Map - 2021 Road Map - 2022 road map/wrap-up Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 9 hours ago, Mad Hatter said: I have a confession to make. I read the first book, but thought it was... bland. The main character was dull with the mind of a 12 year old and the two slow storylines made me care for none of them. I wanted to love it, I really did! But maybe I expected/wanted too much of a British, more modern, Dresden and it fell flat for me. I think that's fair, and do not judge it. It was a very slowly acquired taste for me. For the first few books, I found them like potato chips; I could enjoy them well enough as a salty mindlessly consumed snack, but they didn't stick in my head even 30 seconds after finishing them. (And it's very possible that the audiobooks were a big part of the reason I found them so munchable, because the writing is so deadpan that I don't know if I'd keep the character tones or the cultural contexts straight without the assist.) I listened to the few books that existed, went "meh, okay, maybe a bit dry and I still don't quite get the genre it's trying to be, but very well done audiobooks", then didn't even think about it for years. I came back to it when I needed a light diversion and remembered it had been a very listenable potato chip light horror series, had to start over from the beginning to remember anything that'd happened, and on the next book, the series clicked and I got it. I got the tone, I got the genre blend it was trying to hit, I got the thematic shape and premises of the world and character arcs. But it took me a long damn time to get into. The series is the slowest of slow burns, in terms of the way it moves characters and plot elements around, but also it took me seven books to understand it. (And, truthfully, I'm not sure the first book totally fits the rest of the series tonally, like the first season of a TV series that isn't sure it's going to be renewed.) So I totally get the series not clicking. For a long time, I would have gone "meh, okay, don't quite get it", and returning to it was a happy accident. I've heard the Dresden comparison, though I can't speak to it. But I suspect it's sort of a superficial one, and the books are not trying to do the same things at all. I mean, I'm guessing about the Dresden side. But I think they're actually doing very different things. 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 2 hours ago, Harriet said: I am totally overwhelmed by the volume and detail of two rivers content but I wish you luck in what I think are your endeavours, namely floor exercises, somatic exercises, spring cleaning, and sleep. All very sensible and hopefully helpful. Yes, that's roughly it. This sort of challenge seems too detailed and long, but somehow it works for me in this format. It hits some sweet spot of "I can do a little bit of every major thing without being overwhelmed by each item", plus "I've started the category, so I can manage one more". Which is good, because I need to keep myself accountable for all the things I supposedly do okay, and that makes lists long. 1 hour ago, Jarric said: Every time I see Molly's texts I think, "I must get round to reading the comics." I am at least finally up to date on the novels. I'd consider the comics totally optional, and pleasant without being exciting. There's nothing wrong with them; they're light fare, and optional to the plot, even if they're referenced occasionally, but reasonable for what they are. But it is nice to have an occasional graphic reference or pop culture bite to throw in. I've only read a couple myself, and I enjoyed them, but I think I'm not going to go out of my way for more. 1 hour ago, Jarric said: Well done on the gardening. You've reminded me that I need to clear out my garden. I have a bit more to do, but maybe not today. It's cold and rainy, and I may be on a garden break. Unless I plant watercress. I could do that inside. 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Jarric Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 3 hours ago, sarakingdom said: And it's very possible that the audiobooks were a big part of the reason I found them so munchable, because the writing is so deadpan that I don't know if I'd keep the character tones or the cultural contexts straight without the assist. You know, it's never occurred to me before how impenetrable the books must be if you're not British (and probably, even if you are British, if you're not fairly familiar with London). 3 hours ago, sarakingdom said: And, truthfully, I'm not sure the first book totally fits the rest of the series tonally, like the first season of a TV series that isn't sure it's going to be renewed. Spoilers: Spoiler The first book is still my favourite. The Faceless Man arc was far too much of a slow burn for me - I felt like there were whole books where not a lot happened because he was more concerned about setting that up in the background. I like the whole series, but there's a few middle books that felt like a dip to me. Quote Level 21 Wood Elf Ranger STR: 16 - CON: 22 - CHA: 9 - SAN: 19 - INT: 17 IAgreeWithTank™ "Shit is going down, but I am not." - iatetheyeti Don't say "I don't have enough time", say instead "that's not a priority right now" and see how that makes you feel. Current Challenge: Downtime External: Epic Quest - Instagram - Strava Spoiler Previous Challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 67 68 69 70 71 Old Stuff: Battle Log - My Introduction - 2017 Road Map - 2018 Road Map - 2019 Road Map - 2021 Road Map - 2022 road map/wrap-up Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted March 24 Author Report Share Posted March 24 6 hours ago, Jarric said: You know, it's never occurred to me before how impenetrable the books must be if you're not British (and probably, even if you are British, if you're not fairly familiar with London). It sells too well for it to actually be impenetrable, but I do think it's super deadpan and understated about a lot of its humor and characterization, and it probably is easy to miss a lot if you're not very familiar, especially for the non-POV characters, whose inner monologues you never see. Spoiler There's a lot going on; basically every character is from a very different cultural background. Even Nightingale, who should be the most stereotypically English of the English, is from what is essentially a foreign culture, and doesn't even fit that well anymore. Peter's dad isn't just Cockney, he's a specific post-war version, in a specific subculture. Abigail speaks a different London dialect than Peter does, even though she's only ten years younger. (She's deliberately written using a specific modern multicultural London dialect that's not Peter's; there's a lot of intentionality in how differently they all speak.) Lesley doesn't speak the same as Peter; she's giving off major small-town future UKIP voter vibes, but it's totally implicit. Several types of linguistic code switching in Sierra Leonian speech. The differences between immigrant parents and their first generation children. The hyperregional personalities of all the Thames girls. The implications of Seawoll being down from Manchester, but specifically someone who experienced Manchester in the Thatcher era, and also someone who loudly uses specific media police cliches to his advantage, even though they don't fit how he actually runs his unit at all. Like, there's a lot about how all these people ended up in London and how that changes who they are and how they can and can't communicate with each other, and the images they project that aren't them, and a ton of characterization going on implicitly in tiny dialect tells or backstory. Basically it's a book that's code switching left and right, because nobody speaks precisely the same language, and they're also jumping through a lot of roles. And I can catch a lot of that stuff when I see it; I'm good at following performance. But if I'm reading on the page and internally generating a lot of the tone and stuff, I'm just not going to as reliably be on the same page. Like, would I accurately read in the differences in how Peter, his dad, and his cousin all speak? Or catch the Gene Hunt impersonation that tellingly slips at certain times? Probably not every time time they show up, and not as accurately. But if I hear the voices, it's really obvious to me how big a cultural divide there is between Peter and his dad, and Peter and Abigail. Why Seawoll and Nightingale rub each other the wrong way almost instinctively. And so on. I mean, maybe I'd do fine with straight text. Could be the format would have its own strengths. But you don't get a lot to go on for characters who aren't Peter, and their dialog is doing a lot of heavy lifting in very brief bursts. I can't guarantee I'd have got enough from it to come back, if all I had was the text. I was so slow to get into the books, I might not have come back without the cultural, political, and character stuff being emphasized that way. But also, the audiobooks are simply a solidly good performance in their own right, and that's probably its own type of highly snackable entertainment, regardless of whether they make the book more accessible in a practical way. It may have been no deeper than that. 6 hours ago, Jarric said: Spoilers: Hide contents The first book is still my favourite. The Faceless Man arc was far too much of a slow burn for me - I felt like there were whole books where not a lot happened because he was more concerned about setting that up in the background. I like the whole series, but there's a few middle books that felt like a dip to me. Spoiler Because it's not actually an arc, I think. He seems very anti-fantasy-arc when he talks about his writing, and didn't want that to be a central plot arc. Which I'm sympathetic to; I think I'm not a big fan of the usual fantasy epic quest arc structure, or at least not in large quantities. I just don't like my fantasy very epic, I guess. I don't totally know what to make of Rivers of London structurally. On the one hand, as a series it meanders and is really oddly paced in a way I don't totally understand. On the other hand, the slightly more slice of life style and the fact that it does go places I don't quite get at a pace that puzzles me are both sort of refreshing. So I think it structurally confuses me and I respect it for that. It's a type of imperfect I find valid and valuable; if it's flawed in that way, it's largely by intention, and for an artistic reason that's worth the attempt and gives me something surprising to think about. And I think that's part of why the first book feels different to me; the Punch plot feels closer to a classical epic fantasy story structure with an arc of building tension and mythological import to the expected confrontation to defeat the big bad. It's one of the reasons it feels more formulaic to me and not a tonal fit to what the other books are doing, but I can also understand it being the one many fantasy fans would prefer, because it's the genre promise or customs they want kept. For me, turning the Punch story on its head in book 7 was what made book 1 more memorable, and part of what changed my feelings on the whole series and what it was doing. It's another writing choice I don't totally understand, but it's interesting. And in some ways full of a humanity and a meaning I just didn't find in the resolution of the first book. It's an odd series, because sometimes it's keeping the fantasy genre promises, sometimes the police procedural genre promises (and I think it may be heavier on these by design), and sometimes it's Ben Aaronovitch doing his own thing by feel. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.