Geek Confessional Thread 2024 [NOW 2026!]

[Thomas Shey]

True. But there are plenty of studies linking lead poisoning to depression and irritability that the link seems fairly solid as at least a partial reason for the decline in violent crime paralleling the decline in lead exposure.

Its one of those things where you have a strong statistical population correlation, connected with a demonstrrated probable mechanism. That's about as close to a population based causality as you're ever going to get.

 

[Pale Violet Light]

Not least HP isn't even the trope originator or even trope popularizer, because that'd be either Earthsea or The Worst Witch.

I think "magic school" as a genre is probably blunt enough to get the point across without trying to make fetch happen with various portmanteaus.

Yeah, Magic school does the trick. I’m always surprised that Earthsea gets credit for inventing the genre: Ged spends most of the book gallivanting about the Archipelago, but everyone seems to ignore that part.

Sturgeon's Law is meaningless circular logic that's promulgated by oldies like us who have been on the internet too long

I am now convinced that Sturgeon’s law doesn’t go far enough. 100% of everything is terrible (unless I like it, clearly)!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah, Magic school does the trick. I’m always surprised that Earthsea gets credit for inventing the genre: Ged spends most of the book gallivanting about the Archipelago, but everyone seems to ignore that part.

I am now convinced that Sturgeon’s law doesn’t go far enough. 100% of everything is terrible (unless I like it, clearly)!

I mean it gets the credit because AFAICT it's the first even slightly popular book with a magic school that is clearly a school in a recognisable way with teachers, classes, bullies, and so on, and it's quite a significant part of the original book, which is all most people read. It also has the "penniless child plucked from obscurity to go to the super important magic school" trope. Just because it isn't the continuing focus in later books doesn't make it not the origin point or popularizer! It just makes it less "peaked in high school" vibes.

Prior to that we saw magic being taught but pretty much always one on one or in very small classes. TH White obviously also gets a mention in most cases, though it's not quite the same.

 

[Pale Violet Light]

I mean it gets the credit because AFAICT it's the first even slightly popular book with a magic school that is clearly a school in a recognisable way with teachers, classes, bullies, and so on, and it's quite a significant part of the original book, which is all most people read.

I mean, it is, but it’s literally only 2 out of 10 chapters that are spent at the school. I’m mainly just cranky that Le Guin didn’t start the “young woman comes of age in a desert hellhole” genre.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I mean, it is, but it’s literally only 2 out of 10 chapters that are spent at the school. I’m mainly just cranky that Le Guin didn’t start the “young woman comes of age in a desert hellhole” genre.

I'm trying to think of what media is in that genre and only coming up with, of all things, The Force Awakens. I presume I am overlooking a bunch of things though!

 

[jian]

Yeah, Magic school does the trick. I’m always surprised that Earthsea gets credit for inventing the genre: Ged spends most of the book gallivanting about the Archipelago, but everyone seems to ignore that part.

I am now convinced that Sturgeon’s law doesn’t go far enough. 100% of everything is terrible (unless I like it, clearly)!

By the way, is anyone clear on what “dark academia” is meant to be as a genre? I get the impression that it’s basically the Scholomance series, which is fine, but does it have to have magic? Or is it bad YA experiences at school and college in any setting?

(The Wikipedia entry for the term is not super helpful - for instance, The Secret History is cited as an inspiration but not necessarily an example, which it would surely be if magic isn’t required. All the examples such as Babel, Wednesday, Ninth House, and The Magicians all seem to include supernatural (there’s that word again) elements.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean it gets the credit because AFAICT it's the first even slightly popular book with a magic school that is clearly a school in a recognisable way with teachers, classes, bullies, and so on, and it's quite a significant part of the original book, which is all most people read. It also has the "penniless child plucked from obscurity to go to the super important magic school" trope. Just because it isn't the continuing focus in later books doesn't make it not the origin point or popularizer! It just makes it less "peaked in high school" vibes.

The last three books do end up talking a lot about the School at Roke, but they never make it the sole focus (it's more about questioning the structure of magic in Earthsea).

And, of course, a lot of folks weren't interested in the more grown-up final books, which were about sexism, middle age, racism, non-violent resolution to conflict, and death. (And Ged's life is long and he definitely didn't peak in high school, even if his life turns out very differently than readers of the YA Earthsea books might have expected.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

By the way, is anyone clear on what “dark academia” is meant to be as a genre? I get the impression that it’s basically the Scholomance series, which is fine, but does it have to have magic? Or is it bad YA experiences at school and college in any setting?

Being horny in tweed.

It's mostly an aesthetic that includes books, rather than being a literary-first thing.

 

[CleverNickName]

By the way, is anyone clear on what “dark academia” is meant to be as a genre?

From what I can tell, it's summoning demons while wearing a school uniform. It's a vampire boyfriend in a sweater vest, dating cheerleader Baba Yaga. It's Monster High. It's Goth Hogwarts.

 

[gnarlygninja]

Being horny in tweed.

It's mostly an aesthetic that includes books, rather than being a literary-first thing.

I would probably describe it more harshly but this is pretty much where I landed after discovering it a few years ago. It's more of a vibe than a genre.