strange_aeons | (no subject)

(no subject)

Whitney says, "Whaaaa. People are using 'magick' for writing sci-fi now. Whaaaaaa."
Tesla cries.
Whitney says, "Whaaaaa."
I say, "Why, God, why?"
Whitney says, "I don't know."
I say, "Hey, I wasn't talking to you."
Whitney says, "She doesn't know either."
I say, "Damn."
(from conversation, lilairen and me)

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Hee. Yeah, that does sound like the two of you.

What was the impetus for this conversation? That is, where was this travesty of using "magick" in science fiction perpetrated, that I may avoid it?

- Brooks

Someone's .sig on rasfc.

Explaining that this book full of magick, romance, and all like that there, set at a Renfaire, is now available at URL.

(Squid, stop gagging. Okay. Breathe, now. Deep breath. Stop thinking about it.)

Actually, that should be magick [sick]. . . .

Ah, right, that. It wasn't particularly clear that that was sci-fi, though, rather than fantasy, at least not to me.

It is perhaps worth noting, to get the full effect, that it wasn't merely "magick", but "Magick". And "True Love", also with the Importance Capitals, and presumably said in a Princess-Bride voice.

- Brooks, figuring that it's faire game for a warlord, since it's not McQ either.

I would note that 'sci-fi', in my dialect, isn't the same thing as 'science fiction'; it's the catchall term for fantasy, science fiction, horror, possibly occasional surrealistic stuff.

I get the impression that this isn't uncommon dialect usage, given that that's essentially what gets shown on the Sci-Fi channel.

Well, by that definition, ok; is one of those cases where the idiom's diverged in meaning from the word it's composed of, and I wasn't paying attention when it did it. *grin*

Still, is better it showing up in a fantasy thing, rather than in a truly science fiction story like I thought you meant. That would indeed be distressing.

- Brooks

<increasingly visible facial tic>

Every time I see that woman's .sig it fills me with a huge, choking dread that I may one day have to engage in some manner of conversation with her. It's a terrible way to live.

I would note that 'sci-fi', in my dialect, isn't the same thing as 'science fiction'; it's the catchall term for fantasy, science fiction, horror, possibly occasional surrealistic stuff.

I am helpless to prevent my mind from turning to Photographing Fairies.

This is why I wish there were a better catchall term than 'speculative fiction' -- which is a lovely term, but not as a catchall, and one can't use 'sci-fi' in public any more these days without getting involved in That Conversation.

I am helpless to prevent my mind from turning to Photographing Fairies.

That's what I was thinking of, though I think that might technically count as fantasy. Or possibly religious hallucination.

The Beethoven's Seventh (Second movement) stuff was just massive.

This is why I wish there were a better catchall term than 'speculative fiction' -- which is a lovely term, but not as a catchall, and one can't use 'sci-fi' in public any more these days without getting involved in That Conversation.

I am reminded of the person who once corrected her(?) professor about 'sci-fi' by saying, huffily, "It's speculative fiction."

The story goes that he gave her a dear-child look and said, "All fiction is speculative."

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