Drabblememe for caithion, Bartimaeus fic

[jamjar]

caithion asked for Bartimaeus and Ptolemy, and I got an excuse to reread the books.



The djinni appeared in a puff of smoke, something, Ptolemy had noticed, that it only did when it was making a point. It looked quite disgruntled at having this ignored, and the expression looked strange on that familiar face.

"Can you pass me that scroll? Thank you," Ptolemy said as the djinni handed it over. "And maybe the one there, on the table?"

"A djinni of my talents and unimaginable intelligence, reduced to passing over bits of papyrus to unobservant children," it said. "My breathtaking skill with form, my cunning with disguise--"

"It's very good of you to have a form with hands," Ptolemy interrupted. "Much more useful than claws or wings."

"Useful in many ways," it said, raising an oh-so-familiar eyebrow. "Many tricky and potentially dangerous ways."

"I suppose," Ptolemy said. He waited a beat. "I've heard it said that some people, wise people and great magicians, believe that if you allow a djinni to take your form, it can take your soul."

"Some people," the djinni said, quite sourly to Ptolemy's mind, "should listen to their elders."

"Superstition is no match for observation. Besides, it doesn't feel like my soul's gone. I think I'd notice if it was."

"I'd be shocked if any of you lot noticed," it said, changing into one of its more usual forms, that of a Grecian woman Tall, barebreasted and partially shaven-headed, it easily towered above Ptolemy. Ptolemy was amused to see that, in deference to the ceiling, it was a little shorter than normal. It was, even with the bloody spear and bizarre hairstyle, a great deal nicer to look at than himself, especially since he was sure Bartimaeus had exaggerated his nose.

"I think we would. Most of us. Some of us, anyway," Ptolemy said thinking about it.

"Hah! You lot wouldn't notice a wolf if it was knowing at your leg, and believe me, I know what I'm talking about." Bartimaeus added a short, wolf-like crunch of his teeth, jaws extended and teeth sharpened, for emphasis, one eye on Ptolemy to watch the effect.

Ptolemy rolled his eyes and sat down, making himself comfortable cross-legged on the floor. "I'm sure you do," he said, recognising the signs of a long story.

"Of course!" Bartimaeus said, slurring the words a little in his wolf-mouth, before returning it to it's usual Grecian curve. "Did I ever tell you about the time I was bound to a shamen, way up north in..."

Comments

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

I think it's harder to write fiction for something like that, just because the voice, the speech patterns and writing style are so distinctive and so much a part of the books. Getting the sentence structures, not just right, but right in that particular way...

I think it might be why books in general get a lot less fic for them than TV or film. And maybe why a lot of the bigger book fandoms come from books with either quite neutral, not=special writer styles (Harry Potter, which is short on descriptions of characters, very plain writing, etc.) or where style has become less the author and more a genre-- Lord of the Rings is less Tolkein and more Classic Fantasy, Jane Austen is Regency. There's a bunch of different speakers in that style, so it's easier to match, maybe. It's easier to write like a type, than that specific author.

Does that make sense? I do wonder about these things because there are so many books I love that are still pretty rare fandoms, and it's not because they're short of fans, you know?

[kaizoku.livejournal.com]

Yeah, good point. I was thinking recently, I don't think bookfic necessarily has to be that way though (to be good.) Even in films/TV shows that do have an obvious, distinct style, the style isn't necessarily held to that much in fic. If it's a character's voice, certainly, but if I'm not sure why the storytelling style has to be held to more than those fandoms - though it can be very enjoyable, of course!

I agree about the big book fandoms. I think it's also a time issue. TV and films usually get a large viewership right away which spawns a fandom. Books tend to get an audience spread out over a period of time, so it's hard to get a bunch of people excited about it at once. Also on your first point, TV shows and comic books usually have multiple authors so maybe there's a feel of more voices/styles built in.