Family info for OCs and semi-OCs and a few canon characters.
Adam McKinnon: Adam has at least three older sisters, Audrey, Felicity, and Sarah. Sarah is the only one that I have plans to actually introduce in the story. She's in Chapter 28, and she's gonna have a bit of a role later on. The McKinnons are pureblood, as of a few generations.
Marlene Price: Marlene has a flaky mom, Vivian, with whom she lives, and a dad whom she barely knows (as mentioned in the last chapter). She also has a half-brother (mentioned briefly in Chapter 25), who is muggle, named Laurence, about eight years older than her, and in the military. Marlene is named, in the context of the story, at any rate, for Marlene Dietrich. Her brother is named for Laurence Olivier. In an original version of the story, we actually met Laurence and Vivian Price, and there was some drama there, but that storyline got cut.
Donna Shacklebolt: most of her family history is in the story. Kingsley is her older brother, of course, and he was a seventh year when she was a first. Bridget is six years younger than Donna, Isaiah is a year younger than Bridget, and Brice is about four years younger than Isaiah. Weird spacing. Donna's parents died during her fourth year, as is discussed occasionally in the story.
Lily Evans--you know all about her. =). Petunia's a few years older, and their dad died of cancer when Lily was a third year.
Mary MacDonald-- middle name "Elizabeth" (of course) and lives in London, where she grew up in the same building as Marlene. She's an only child, and her parents adore her.
Peter Pettigrew-- middle name "Phillip," lol, at least to me. His mum's a witch, his dad was a muggle but ran off some time ago, and Peter doesn't know much about him. God, the dads in this story are awful. Three out of the five characters I've listed have moms but no dads... I'm like fucking J.J. Abrams or something**...
Lathe-- Lathe has a huge, involved back story in my brain... that's not terribly important to LAT.
Now, for interesting things!
I wasn't gonna post anything spoiler-y today, because I gave three spoiler bites yesterday, but I figured: wth, might as well, right?
1. Almost the entirety of Chapter 28 (and quite a bit of 29) takes place at a canon location that has not yet appeared in TLAT.
2. James will see the inside of Lily's house.
3. Lily won't see the inside of James's house......... until Chapter 29. And a "Pride and Prejudice" reference will inevitably be made.
4. 28 and 29 are both really weird chapters. At least, that's my evaluation of them.
So, have a fantastic Thursday!
Cheers,
Jules
I AM SO EXCITED! ..that's all I can really think right now. I'm so damn cold!
ReplyDelete-Charlie
I thought Lathe's first name was Jack...? Unless I am crazy and made it up while I was rereading.
ReplyDeleteSpoilers 2 and 3 made me smile that really big, goofy smile I do when I'm really excited and that oftentimes freaks people out.
Also, I suppose that protest will take place in these two chapters, right?
Damn it! I did give you Lathe's first name. Someone told me I didn't. Ah well, such is life. =)
ReplyDeleteMoM? What with the protests and all...that's my guess.
ReplyDeleteI love the part in P&P (Kiera Knightly version--though the Colin Firth one is infinitely better) when she sees Darcy's house and does that sort of disbelieving laugh like, I totally could have lived here (idk if that's in the book too. Hmm. Probably means I should re-read it:)). Anyway, that's the first thing that popped into my head at the thought of Lily seeing James's house. Though it wouldn't really make sense, not in the same context, anyway.
(And I was going to tell you about the Lathe's first name thing...but Bree beat me to it ;) I also only know that b/c of my recent re-read...otherwise you could've fooled me!)
Lol, I re-read parts of the story a lot, for continuity, but there are some chapters that I'm always inclined to skip, which is probably bad. 4, 10, and 15, for instance. =P
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of P&P, you should all watch "Lost in Austen" if you haven't :)
ReplyDeleteSo what chapter will James see the inside of Lily's bedroom? -snickersnicker- Kidding. I'm digging these tv show-like spoilers.
ReplyDelete"Lost in Austen" Spoilers, btw...
ReplyDeleteY'know, I didn't like it all that much. I liked elements of it (bitch!Georgiana is a lot more fun to think about than victim!Georgiana, nice!Wickham was gold, lesbian!Caroline MADE MY LIFE), but I couldn't stand the fact that the Amanda ends up with Darcy. And it's not just because, as an English major, I'm pretty much an automatic Lizzie/Darcy shipper (LOVED ModernPixie!Lizzie), but because it felt like the opposite of how Jane Austen would have wanted it. I mean, I know Austen is characterized as this romantic author, but she's got this practical side that I just adore. I really didn't want Amanda to end up living in the P&P world, because... she ends up with a fictional guy. And I don't think the moral of any story should be, "Neglect the real world, and you'll end up with Mr. Darcy."
Also, I felt like the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett were misunderstood. It wasn't that I thought they were intentionally altered, like Wickham and Georgiana (which is fine, lol), but that the writer either didn't get them as characters or just decided to romanticize them for no apparent reason.
So, basically, I really liked it... until the end. I would probably have rather Darcy gone to chill with Lesbian!Caroline or... idk, Anne DeBourg, then end up with Amanda. I liked Amanda fine--the actress is adorable--but I would rather her have gone and had wild and kickass adventures with Elizabeth. But that just might be the feministy side of me =)
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ReplyDeleteUgh, I didn't explain myself well. What i meant was, Amanda should not have ended up with Darcy, IMHO, for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that she ultimately learns that living entirely in fantasy is A-Okay, because it means "getting" Darcy. Also, my realistic side must accept that Darcy's reaction to Amanda having had multiple sexual partners was TOTALLY REALISTIC (if unfair), and there would be a whole lot of other issues like that. And, lastly, as with "The Little Mermaid" (love it as I do), there's gotta be something weird about a relationship that rests upon a girl giving up her entire life for a boy (Even Mr. Fucking Darcy).
ReplyDeleteLol, and I think the fact that its loosely based on P&P makes me feel like I have the obligation to analyze it like a piece of literature. =P
Lols, I sound way judgmental. I'm not! Honestly, I have many "Lost in Austen" advocate friends who would tell me to STFU =D
ReplyDeleteDidn't Lily's dad die in fourth year..? Maybe?Coz she tells James that she missed some school for it back then.
ReplyDeleteI just read LAT in 2 days. Well, okay, technically three days, but one of those days I literally slept for about 20 hours, so you can see why i just say two days. All I can say is my body picked the perfect time to become sick because i got to spend all day reading!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, lately I've kind of given up hope on finding anymore really good LJ fics (besides Commentarius, that is, which is bloody amazing), but you have proven me wrong!! So thank you for being a fantastic writer!
One last note- i noticed that in one of your earlier posts you said the song "We Used To be Friends" as inspiration for a chapter, so i was wondering, that is, are you a fan of Veronica Mars?
-Sara
No, I don't think you're being judgmental at all. You make a really valid point, actually.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue with the ending was that the moral of these "swapping lives with someone else" stories is appreciating the life you once had. In the context of LIA, I believe it would have made a better story if Amanda and Darcy DIDN'T fall in love. That would send the message that even though we all fantasize about these epic romances, what we really hope for is not the doppelganger of [insert perfect fictional male here]. No, what we want is the kind of romance he and the lead female have together. We really hope to have that with someone else some day.
Because I don't know about you, but when I ship couples in literature (or movies/TV), I love them both as if they were one entity. There isn't one without the other, if you will. Yes, I can appreciate and love them as characters of their own, but what I truly appeals to me is their relationship. The LAST thing I want is for them to be torn apart, especially by someone else. Like I adore James Potter but there isn't anyone I want to see him with other than Lily, not even me (GOD, that would NEVER work out).
So going back to LIA, I would have appreciated the ending better if Amanda went back to her own reality with the understanding that what she wanted was not Mr Darcy himself but someone who will signify what he does for Elizabeth. And vice versa.
I dunno if that even makes sense.
PS. I wish Honorable!Wickham was actually real. He was my favorite alteration.
Ahh I totally agree with both Jules and bree. While Lost in Austen was funny and well-acted, and yes, it was nice to think that normal, everyday girls (such as we) would have a shot with Darcy. BUT... well I would have preferred if they didn't end up together.
ReplyDeleteBree - you summed it up perfectly - while I adore Darcy, and I wish there was a real life Darcy who I could marry and have a dozen childen with, I wouldn't want to see hime end up with anyone other than Lizzie. Especially as we see how she is the perfect match for him: smart, witty, strong, ready to challenge him... while she isn't perfect, she is perfect for Darcy, and we can totally see why he fell in love with her... but Amanda on tho other hand... nope, makes no sense.
What's more, while Lizzie was 'beneath' him, she was still a lady; she was never vulgar or ignorant, like Amanda was. And we all know how proud Darcy is... he would never fall in love with someone so ill-bred (I sound really middle-class and snobby, don't I? Lol. But I'm not! I've just read too many historical novels). And let's face it: no-one from this day and age would ever fit in with that world, especially in polite society. So, yes, while I know that the whole premise for the story is a bot fantastical - she manages to transport herself into a fictional book set nearly two hundred years previously - but I would have still liked it to be a bit more realistic.
The Jane Austen fan in me was most disgusted by what I saw.
^ Precisely.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought about what you said--about someone from this century not being able to thrive in those times. Aside from all of the cultural adjustments that are necessary to make there is so much more. Call me spoiled but I wouldn't be able to do it. First of all, there was NO Nutella back then. That alone would send me dashing back to the 21st century. Second, I wouldn't make it without a proper toothbrush. Not me, no. But the worst thing is I would have to give up my freedom of expression. There are times when I just want to curse up a storm and I wouldn't want to give that up.
Plus, there would be no iPods ( and thus the musical repertoire stored in there wouldn't exist yet), no electricity, no advanced medicine, no family, no friends, and worst, no Harry Potter.
No, thanks. I'll just stay put :-)
Bree, glad you've got your priorities straight--worst is no HP ;) Agreed. But only bathing like once a month would be a real downer too, I think.
ReplyDeleteOh, my gosh, I completely agree with you! Especially what you said, Bree, about the couples. If I were in Amanda's place, there would have been no falling in love with Darcy, because as much as I swoon over him (although, I think, my heart shall always lie with Mr. Knightley), if he were real and I could meet him--knowing what I know of Jane Austen--I'd still ship Darcy/Lizzie. Because I am not Elizabeth Bennett, so I would not have all the characteristics that make them perfect for each other. Honestly, I'd probably have sisterly affection for the guy =P.
ReplyDeleteNo music from this century or the last. No Harry Potter. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod panic attack.
Yeah, to be honestly, I doubt we would even see these perfect, fictional men in such a positive light without the one person that brings out the best in them: the heroine of the story. Rather, I see these couples as the reason why I still believe in "true love" in this cynical world.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, believe me, I've given this quite a lot of thought. Having no music and no Harry Potter is just not worth it. I need to reread the HP books at least once every two years otherwise I'd go mental!
To be honestly? Oh, God. I need sleep. This is what I get for staying up until 3am watching British television.
ReplyDeleteHey, that is a perfectly valid reason for staying up late - Doctor Who, Spooks, Sherlock, Misfits... too good.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, the main reason that I couldn't live in the nineteenth century - no TV. I would die. If I were transported to the then, my first reaction would be: "NOOO! I never found out who Riversong is!"
And, yes, so many things that I wouldn't be able to get by about. Transport (we complain about the trains here - they used to get by on horses!), medicine, normal clothes (sooo would not be able to wear a corset), all the good foods, vaccuum cleaners and so much more! But more than that, we wouldn't even be able to converse normally with those people, we wouldn't have "manners", we wouldn't be able to do simple day-to-day things, and, being women/girls, we wouldn't even be able to work!
And yet Amanda, who has read PaP to death and is still incredibly ignorant about the Regency period, and failed miserably at fitting in, decided that she was willing to give up normal life for sucky-fantasy life. And all for Mr Darcy - who, I'm not being funny, wasn't anywhere near as hot as Darcy-in-my-head (aka Colin Firth).
Stupid woman.
Just remembered something - there was a line in Lost in Austen that went something like "Jane Austen would be spinning in her grave if she found out Caroline Bingley was a lesbian." And my dad, who I was watching it with (who, FYI hasn't even read the book!), said "No, love. She'd be spinning in her grave if she saw how much you lot have raped her work." !!
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