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A space to chat fandom! Anon!

Got a WIP you're excited about? Want to rave about your fave? Or is your fandom absolutely in love with a character who detracts from every scene they bumble into, and you need somewhere to vent? You're in the right place!

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From: (Anonymous)

V ernyyl srry yvxr gurl'er tbvat gb svaq Dhvar'f erny znahfpevcg vafvqr gur phqqyl benat hgna...

From: (Anonymous)

NA

Nonny, I love these books but I am unfortunately 100% too lazy to decode your posts about them. I really don't think anybody here cares about spoilers that much if you just wanna leave them uncoded? xD

From: (Anonymous)

DA

I don't mind spoilers either but I'm amused that it looks like meme had a stroke.

From: (Anonymous)

Haha I def wondered if I'd forgotten how to read for a minute scrolling there!

From: (Anonymous)

Turns out that, when translated, those posts recite an occult incantation, pronounced the exact same way as the rot13! :0 Silkwormanon was double-bluffing the entire time.

From: (Anonymous)

Ayrt

Haha, I'll experiment with cuts in a bit, maybe there's another way to hide stuff that's less annoying. I don't care thaaat much about spoilers in general but I think it would be mean of me to do for a detective novel; wouldn't want to see that myself. These posts are partly just me speculating on things so I can check later how much I got right, so I don't mind blargling into the void. :P

From: (Anonymous)

SA

Looks like they haven't implemented spoiler tags for comments yet, seems to have got bogged down in pointless discussion ("what if background for spoilers doesn't match journal style we will need it to be dynamic" ffssssss). Some people online have come up with custom-css based workarounds so maybe that's an option.

From: (Anonymous)

Haha, I tried adding the style tags instead, but it didn't work! So I'm going to do one more rot13, sorry. :P I just finished the book so I think if any time justifies it, it's now... It's a list of stuff I guessed and stuff I did not guess.

(Fcbvyre gntf jbexrq va gur cerivrj, ohg abg va gur cbfg, netu!)

Svavfurq gur obbx! Nz cyrnfrq jvgu ubj zhpu V thrffrq, rira vs V qvqa'g trg nyy bs vg. V fghpx jvgu zl svefg vafgvapgf, guvf gvzr, naq vg cnvq bss.

Guvatf V thrffrq:

* Yvm unq phg hc gur obql naq srq vg gb ure qbt, naq ure fber guebng jnf sebz npvq shzrf

* Yvm unq jevggra naq qvffrzvangrq n snxr pbcl bs obzolk zbev

* Yvm unq jevggra gur cnebql bs Ryfcrgu'f abiry

* Gur erny obzolk jnf va Beynaqb'f benat hgna (cnegvny thrff fvapr bayl cneg bs vg jnf gurer. Ohg V thrffrq vg pbhyq shapgvba nf n ont orsber gurl erirnyrq gung, fb tb zr)

* Cvccn jnf genaf

Naq gur ovgf V jnf jnl bss ba:

* V tbg gnxra va rabhtu ol gur cngreavgl zlfgrel erq ureevat gb guvax vg jnf zber guna whfg n erq ureevat, naq tbg gur fcrpvsvp punenpgref vaibyirq jebat naljnl

* V gubhtug Yvm unq zhgvyngrq gur obql ohg jnfa'g npghnyyl gur xvyyre

* V gubhtug gurer jnf fbzr cnfg nobegvba qenzn vaibyivat Yvm

Fb gurer jr ner! V qvqa'g svaq ure zbgvingvba be zrgubq erzbgryl cynhfvoyr, ohg guvf vf n qrgrpgvir frevrf fb gung qbrfa'g znggre zhpu. V bapr ernq n obbx ol n qvssrerag nhgube jurer gur xvyyre jnf n ynjlre jub ovg crbcyr gb qrngu jvgu snyfr jrerjbys grrgu, fb.

Fb lrnu, birenyy V'z cerggl cyrnfrq jvgu ubj zhpu V tbg guvf gvzr nebhaq, naq V'z nzhfrq nyy bire ntnva ng ubj uneq Ebjyvat gevrq gb chg gur ernqre bss gur fprag, guvf gvzr ol gur aneengvir gevpx bs pbafgnagyl tebhcvat gur xvyyre va jvgu gur fnzr crefba jub jnf abg gur xvyyre, gb znxr vg frrz yvxr gur aneengvir vgfrys jnf qvfzvffvat gung cbffvovyvgl. V fcrag zhpu bs gur obbx pyvatvat gb zl gurbel juvyr guvaxvat gung znqr vg hayvxryl, ohg V jnf whfg gbb pregnva bs gur svefg guvat va zl yvfg bs pbeerpg thrffrf. Tynq V oryvrirq va zlfrys guvf gvzr. :)

From: (Anonymous)

SA

Oh, though one last thing... there's a point in the book where Strike kisses someone on the hand unexpectedly. I think it was meant to be charming but I cringed; the idea made me shudder, not least because I once worked with a guy who did this to a female manager and nopenopenopenopenope. MEN, NEVER DO THIS. (Not much point saying that here where, to my knowledge, there are no men, but still.)

From: (Anonymous)

Ha, I totally agree that in real life that'd be super cringe! But in the book (is this the last scene with Robin you're talking about?) I thought it was sweet. Strike's an awkward weirdo sometimes anyway. And I ship them sooooooooooooooooo much.

From: (Anonymous)

Haha yeah I think if I had read this without previously witnessing an IRL version I might have been able to find it sweeter, and I could see what Rowling was going for, but I just couldn't get the image out of my head. It was a particularly creepy coworker and a particularly nonplussed manager. Not the intended image! I find a lot about Strike and Robin's relationship would be a massive NOPE in real life but fun on the page (said in a spoilered comment earlier, run tf away from any boss who is like "this is more than just a job; sometimes we work weekends for no extra pay because dedication" lololol don't fall for it robin. Of course, in this story we see things from Strike's perspective so we know he means it. But irl, a boss says that, RUN. Or at least always clock out at 5pm sharp.).

From: (Anonymous)

Oh yeah, Strike's job is completely insane and unhealthy. But it's continually discussed throughout the series, so it's not like Robin just accepts it immediately and never pushes back.

From: (Anonymous)

Yeah, I've only just finished the second book so wondering if she'll shift over time from being desperate to prove herself to thinking more like "this is nuts, there should be better boundaries". But then that wouldn't make as entertaining a book. :P

From: (Anonymous)

NA specifically law enforcement nonny

It's really the nature of the beast here. A lot of people are married to the job or enough that you can't really clock out like that. Ya everyone says that investigation is interesting, and it is, I'll give it that, but you can't say no if shit is going down.

And nature of the beast right? Sometimes there's a life at stake or something real valuable to people and then you can't sit back or the crooks will evade you if you sit back.

Mebbe 'tis the life too. You don't stay because the pay is good cause it ent. You stay because you believe you're helping people on some level and that not good if you want to have a life.

From: (Anonymous)

I had great fun reading along with your guesses!

V unq thrffrq gung Yvm jnf gur xvyyre ohg ABG gung fur unq jevggra na ragver snxr abiry! V'z vzcerffrq gung lbh svtherq bhg fb zhpu. V nyfb rawbl ubj Yvm vf bar bs gur bayl yvxrnoyr punenpgref va gur choyvfuvat jbeyq gung lbh zrrg. Gurl jrer ernyyl n ybnq bs ybbavrf, juvpu znqr gurz nyy irel sha gb ernq nobhg.

I'll warn you ... I really hated the third book. I don't much how much I should say without spoiling it, but just brace yourself for the fact that it's ... different.

From: (Anonymous)

DA Wow, I loooooove Career of Evil, haha. That's when the series really started gelling to me and gave Robin more attention. It's probably my 2nd fave after Troubled Blood. My list would be:

1. Troubled Blood
2. Career of Evil
3. Lethal White
4. Silkworm
5. Cuckoo's Calling

From: (Anonymous)

I can understand that, but I really didn't like the case. (Tvir zr nofheq bayl-va-n-abiry qrgnvyf, abg ernyvfgvp nfcrpgf yvxr ivbyrapr ntnvafg jbzra!)

My ranking's probably Troubled Blood > Silkworm > Lethal White > Cuckoo's Calling >>>>> Career of Evil.

From: (Anonymous)

DA

IA, gur ernyvfz bs gur 3eq naq 5gu obbxf znqr gurz ernyyl uneq gb ernq (fgvyy tbbq, ohg...uneq). V'z nyfb abg gbgnyyl fher gur jnl gur pnfr va PbR pbzrf gbtrgure ernyyl znxrf frafr? Vg'f orra n juvyr fvapr V ernq vg ohg gur pbvapvqrapr bs gur zheqrere vatengvngvat uvzfrys vagb n snzvyl gung unccrarq gb unir n qnhtugre jvgu na nzchgngvba bofrffvba...vqx. V qba'g erzrzore srryvat fhcre fngvfsvrq ol ubj gung tbg rkcynvarq, vs vg qvq.

From: (Anonymous)

ayrt Oh, yeah, I can understand that. I just loved how it felt like a wet slap in the face. It's also when I noticed JKR's radfem tendencies coming out.

From: (Anonymous)

I'm glad someone enjoyed reading along! I was a bit nervous in case I was waaaaay off and I just made a fool of myself xD

Lrnu, V jnf gevpxrq ol ure yvxrnovyvgl n ovg. Gur "ure tvivat zbarl sbe beynaqb'f jrysner" jnf n terng zvfqverpg, naq V srry yvxr V fubhyq unir thrffrq vg orpnhfr Ebjyvat vairegrq gur svefg obbx, jurer gur xvyyre jnf obeebjvat zbarl; guvf gvzr gur xvyyre jnf qrcvpgrq nf fbzrbar jub *tnir* zbarl, gb erzbir fhfcvpvba. Fb V srry yvxr V fubhyq unir thrffrq gung Ebjyvat jbhyq checbfrshyyl erirefr vg gb guevj ernqref bss. Ohg V qvqa'g thrff, orpnhfr, ncneg sebz nalguvat, V dhvgr yvxrq Yvm. Gubhtu qvq abgvpr gur aneengvir jnf gryyvat zr abg gb, pnyyvat ure n ohyyl rgp.

Anyway, I like how Rowling expects the reader to bring along their knowledge of the genre and to try to use meta clues, and she tries to subvert those, too. I also wondered how much she based Fancourt on people she'd met-- and how much she based him on herself! He got some of the best lines, and I thought he had quite a bit of sensible stuff to say on writing between the sexism and showboating. So I feel like she got some of her own feelings on the business out by putting them in the mouth of an annoying man, lol. I'd guess she feels a fair bit of pressure to make Strike different to herself, so she doesn't have as much of an author-surrogate as she had in HP, and the other characters speak for her more. Or maybe I'm wrong and she thought his every word ludicrous. xD But I like that she generally doesn't make any characters wrong *all* the time.

Re: third book, interesting! I already found the second quite different to the first, and I preferred the first in some ways (I liked the "normality" of the killing in that; have read too many bad crime novels with weird killings that turn out to be nonsensical, so was put off by that in the 2nd, though she did do it well in the end.). I think Strike was a bit more likeable in the first, too... Or maybe it was just that the characters and format were new to me. Will be interesting to compare experiences when I get to the third, anyway!

From: (Anonymous)

Since we're on the subject of the silkworm, just found a review by Val McDermid (she is incidentally great at christmas university challenge):

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/18/the-silkworm-review-jk-rowling-robert-galbraith

Look at some of those bitter commenters! Men who couldn't get published, I assume.

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