Is this, I asked repeatedly, real life?

[dira]

Aahahaha so--

so--

you guys. YOU GUYS.

There are spoilers from a reading of the first chapter of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen and you can read them here.


????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WAS RIGHT? I WAS RIGHT. ARAL AND JOLE WERE IN A HAPPY POLY RELATIONSHIP EXISTING HONESTLY AND HONORABLY ALONGSIDE ARAL AND CORDELIA'S MARRIAGE AND I. I. GUYS.

GUYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYS.

Also his canonical first name is Oliver, which, okay! Sure! I WAS WRONG ABOUT HIS FIRST NAME.

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE.

Also I made a big long Tumblr post about how I was right, in which I analyze all the Jole canon so far (I have a handy word document named "jole-canon" where I have typed it all up for immediate reference), if that is the sort of thing you are interested in.

Also. I WAS RIGHT.

YOU GUYS. WHAT. HOW.

Comments

[shehasathree]

ahdfjkasdlkadjklhaldhfl.

[dira]

Should I put that down as a vote for "yes real life" or "you are going to wake up so hungover at some point"? :D?

[rymenhild]

I SAW IT AND CAME DIRECTLY HERE TO GO OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!

[rymenhild]

So, having read your Tumblr post:

Congratulations and applause. You called it, and you were, to the best of my knowledge, the only one who did, before you wrote up the fics and convinced the rest of us that the relationships were plausible. Take a bow.

[staranise]

For once, the slash goggles are the world's most useful tool of literary analysis! \o/

[lannamichaels]

+1

[sara]

HOLY SHIT.

I have to apologize now, I honestly thought you were reading that wrong.

[dira]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say! I honestly--I mean, you know, I believed in it, and at the same time I never expected it to be affirmed in canon and sort of assumed that the ~correct~ interpretation was going to be that Jole and Aral had a student/teacher apprentice/mentor relationship, or a surrogate-parental one, so. I am as gobsmacked as anyone. :)

[grammarwoman]

Who the mighty? YOU THE MIGHTY! :D :D :D

[dira]

:D :D :D

Is this the real life?

[rabid_bookwyrm]

Or is it just fantasy?

GOOD NEWS: IT'S BOTH.

Congratulations on warping the entire universe to your whim.

Re: Is this the real life?

[rabid_bookwyrm]

Also cannon bisexual characters continuing to be bisexual after marriage! OMG OMG OMG *flail*

[vass]

I am so happy for you. And just so happy about this in general, but I'm especially happy for you, because wow.

[dira]

Thank you! :DDDDDDDDDDDDD SO MUCH HAPPINESS. NO NEED TO RATION IT OUT!

[avanti_90]

I've been dithering and doubtful since I heard the announcement of the new book, but now this!

I am so happy about this.

And you are entirely responsible for me being happy about it, because you're the one who convinced me this relationship was possible. Take a bow.

(Have you any theories on what the 'Red Queen' is about? Since you seem to be, ah, stunningly accurate at coming up with theories.)

[dira]

Right? My normal reaction to getting new canon in a fandom I write in is just, like NOOOOO NOT IN THE FACE THIS IS GOING TO RUIN EVERYTHING, but. ???? NOT THIS TIME! Now I am halfway expecting Steve Rogers to announce halfway through Age of Ultron that he and Bucky were an item in 1944 and he really hopes they can resume their relationship when Steve finds him again. :D

::bows::

Eh, from what I've seen Lois saying over at the List, Red Queen is just a metaphorical play on Cordelia's hair color and powerful position as vicereine, with maybe a bit of a Lewis Carroll allusion.

[schneefink]

My second reaction to this news was "I wonder what dira's spoiler policy is" *g*

[dira]

Hahaha WHEN IT'S SPOILERS LIKE THIS?? GIVE THEM ALL TO MEEEEEEEE. :D

[gingicat]

Talk about a validation of slash goggles! <3

Must reread All The Books and your fic!

[dira]

:D :D :D

I really must go tack up notices on the tops of all the stories indicating their canon context and what it DOESN'T include...

[lannamichaels]

I continue to be SO AMAZED about this. :D Wow.

[avanti_90]

+1. I still can't quite get my head around the fact that it's real.

[kass]

asd;lfkjasf;kdajsflasdjkf;alsdjfdsa

OMG

I mean, we know Lois is part of fandom; she is obviously writing for a fannish sensibility, and she named characters after fans, for crying out loud; but this feels like a gift from the heavens. OMG WTF. <3

[dira]

RIGHT??? I JUST. :D :D :D :D :D

ONE OF US, ONE OF US <3

[princessofgeeks]

I love this. The first person I thought of when I read the news was you.

[dira]

:D :D :D :D :D

I am so chuffed to have so many people react that way!

[reginagiraffe]

It's fantastic, not fantasy! :D

(I have to admit that I'm a bit apprehensive that she won't handle it as well as you did.)

[dira]

It'll be different, but I trust her. :D

[cadenzamuse]

I...can't believe it. Not because I can't believe your universe, just We Don't Get Nice Things. We get homoerotic subtext and fanservice and never quite get, you know, actual queer and/or poly relationships.

I am deliriously happy and also petrified.

[dira]

RIGHT? RIGHT? WHEN DOES THE SUBTEXT EVER ACTUALLY GET PAID OFF OR AFFIRMED IN CANON???

And fwiw my friends who have read it and have told me it's safe to be excited are themselves poly and queer, so I feel reasonably safe. :D

[fox]

Hurrah! Yay you! (Caught in a landslide! No escape from reality!)

[dira]

:D :D :D

[longmagpieroads]

HEE. YES.

I saw the tumblr post and reminded myself to come over here and !!!!! at you because YES. And no lie, I saw the spoilers and my first thought was "Dira was right yay!"

But YAYYYYYYYY.

[dira]

YAYYYYYYYYYYYY :D

[sanj]

It's the best anti-Jossing I could possibly, possibly hope for, in any fandom anywhere. Still putting a huge grin on my face. :)

[dira]

RIGHT? WHEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?? :D :D :D

[chantefable]

I am so happy and excited about this! Best kind of news. A poly bi relationship, and possibly Aral/Jole babies in the plot? Cordelia & Jole as two widowed spoused working together towards some plot thing or other? Everything that dreams are made of.

[dira]

BABIES, I CAN'T EVEN. BAAAABIES???

[mmegaera]

I was waiting for this. So, you were writing canon all along and never knew it. That is *so* cool.

[dira]

Yes!

[mmegaera]

Oh, and one more thing. They *were* still relative newlyweds when Cordelia told Vordarian Aral was monogamous. Jole hadn't come along yet then, either.

[dira]

...Yes. I know. That's why I wrote them not being monogamous after Jole came along.

[spatz]

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[dira]

RIGHT?????????????????????????????

[margrave]

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I NEED THIS BOOK, NOW!!!!

ARE LMB?!

[dira]

:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD