I get asked a lot how I concocted the worldbuilding of the Inheritance Trilogy — the politics, that is, as much as the mythos. People ask me how on earth I came up with a society in which the law is whatever the hell the people in charge decide to enforce, for whomever they deem worthy of justice; in which the right to kill is not a moral question or a quest for righteousness, but merely a cherished privilege of power; in which the wanton destruction of entire peoples and landscapes is constantly obfuscated by revised history; in which a society that accepts and even applauds the suffering of an underclass constantly pats itself on the back for its enlightenment and magnificence; in which everyone, even children, must constantly fight for the right just to be treated as human beings, not pawns or chattel.
“How on earth did you imagine something like that?” people ask me. “Where do you get your ideas?”
Where, indeed.
Somebody tell me something good in the comments, please. It’s been a rough week.
*Hugs* It has been a hard week. Just remember, with your writing, you’re creating awareness. Why isn’t everyone seeing what you’re seeing? We are all unique individuals. Some can take what they see and do something about it, some need a bit more help. You’re helping.
Well, for what it’s worth, DADT is no more as of this week.
Thanks to party discipline among the Democrats, the House did not amend the bill to provide emergency FEMA money by cutting a program to help build more fuel-efficient cars.
Not much good, but it’s all I can think of today.
I’m not much help with good news, since North Carolina is going to let voters decide whether we should have a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and much as I love NC, I don’t trust our voters to do the right thing. :( On the upswing, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in a new comic book from IDW (and in color!), so that’s… something? :-D Okay, it’s the best news I have this week. Hang in there, next week will be better!
People seriously ask you that? I am… more surprised than I should be, I think.
I’m lacking in good news, but it’s worth remembering that for every person making the world a mess, there’s one trying to fix it.
Well, the new season of anime is starting in Japan and I think there’s at least a few shows worth checking out. So at least there’s a bit of escapism for you there…
Uhm, oh! And living in the flyover country of Iowa does has its advantages:
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Neb-couple-marry-on-gay-military-service-2181288.php
No better way to celebrate the end of DADT.
Something good…
Okay. This is totally not political, and it won’t change the world (or even a part of it) but it helps me get through the day sometimes.
You know those little plastic toys with a figure and a ladder, and the figure flips down the ladder, head over heels, clicking into each rung to flip over and reach the next one, all the way down? My kitten (Ninjacat) gets down from the top of the cat tree the same way, arse over ears, all the way down.
Like this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64167081/wooden-toy-ladder-with-flipping-monkey
As a citizen of the state where a certain heinous act was committed last night… I am disgusted. I really can’t say anything more than that. Sorry, that’s not really cheery. I hope you have a better week.
I don’t know if this is cheery or not. I’m not that surprised that folks ask you that question, as I teach undergraduates for a living.
I stumbled onto your books somehow looking for some SF/Fantasy that was actually intelligent and well-written, and it’s probably the best SF/Fantasy reading I’ve done since I was a kid, reading folks like Asimov or Robin McKinley. I love the things you do with gender, race and sexuality in your books. I couldn’t put The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms down for several days. These are all things I’m sure you hear quite often, but maybe things you can’t really hear too often? I can’t wait to read what you write next.
Well, I guess there’s always the silver lining that it’s not just the politically conscious who are reading your books, and maybe you’ll make them think a little.
I avoid the news because there’s rarely anything good there, so…I’ll try my best with telling you something good.
Today is a new day with new opportunities for growth, change for the better, and time spent with the people and animals you love. You have awesome jobs, a beautiful mind, a healthy body, a roof over your head, and food.
Your blog and book series makes people all over the world think and smile and hope to have a smidgeon of your writing talent. You inspire people.
I think you deserve cake or chocolate or a spa day. Treat yourself. That always helps a bad week.
That’s… wow. :/
Some good news — a trial of a malaria vaccine that’s wrapped up in Burkina Faso found that vaccinated children were three to four times less likely to get the disease than unvaccinated children. They’re doing a larger study in Mali, but things are looking good. And the guy in charge, a Dr Pierre Druilhe, says that when it goes into production, the vaccine should be cheap, like fifty cents or less per bottle, which will make it very affordable to the people who live in countries where malaria is a problem.
Angie
Yes, a rough week indeed.
On a very minor note, the Rory story is now at 5000 words, so while I will not finish it today, I’m pushing to finish the first draft by the end of the weekend or Monday at the latest. I hope. It has no redeeming social value. But the good win.
I don’t have any good news, per se, but I just wanted to pop in and say you’re terrific! ^_^
Your next book (and skyrim) are the top two things I’ve been looking forward to all year? Seriously can not wait. Oh and I just handed the first book over to my mom. I’ll come back if I find any ‘hope for the world’ type stuff.