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Always the same 'ship, just with different couples...
I've been re-reading Gaudy Night (like you do), and one sentence suddenly stood out. Well a lot of them did, obviously, because it's a wonderful book, but I've been thinking about how Peter and Harriet are my 'shipping blueprint, and there is was, perfectly:
That, then, was what he wanted her for. For some reason, obscure to herself and probably also to him, she had the power to force him outside his defences.
Because that is it - the thing that runs through every couple I've ever shipped. Buffy/Spike (although there it is him forcing her out of her defences), Jack/Ianto, Doctor/River, and - with a slight variation, in that these couples are also very old - Spike/Angel and Doctor/Master. Heck you can add Cutter/Leetah to that list, and Howl/Sophie - or even Elizabeth/Darcy... (um, not me. The Austen version.)
To quote the book again (it makes more sense in context - there's poetry involved - but I think it works on its own):
He did not want to forget, or to be quiet, or to be spared things, or to stay put. All he wanted was some kind of central stability, and he was apparently ready to take anything that came along, so long as it stimulated him to keep that precarious balance.
It's not about the strength of their [~romantic~] feelings (how *do* you measure love, anyway?), or about making each other happy; indeed a lot of my 'ships have at various points tried to kill each other. But that connection is still there, that ability to force honesty from each other:
"And I can fool Giles, and I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason."
"It's not pretty, but it's real."
I could go on, but I think this speaks for itself pretty well. All thoughts welcome.
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promethia_tenk have you finished it yet? *looks hopeful* My ear is open like a greedy shark to catch the tunings of a voice divine...)
That, then, was what he wanted her for. For some reason, obscure to herself and probably also to him, she had the power to force him outside his defences.
Because that is it - the thing that runs through every couple I've ever shipped. Buffy/Spike (although there it is him forcing her out of her defences), Jack/Ianto, Doctor/River, and - with a slight variation, in that these couples are also very old - Spike/Angel and Doctor/Master. Heck you can add Cutter/Leetah to that list, and Howl/Sophie - or even Elizabeth/Darcy... (um, not me. The Austen version.)
To quote the book again (it makes more sense in context - there's poetry involved - but I think it works on its own):
He did not want to forget, or to be quiet, or to be spared things, or to stay put. All he wanted was some kind of central stability, and he was apparently ready to take anything that came along, so long as it stimulated him to keep that precarious balance.
It's not about the strength of their [~romantic~] feelings (how *do* you measure love, anyway?), or about making each other happy; indeed a lot of my 'ships have at various points tried to kill each other. But that connection is still there, that ability to force honesty from each other:
"And I can fool Giles, and I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason."
"It's not pretty, but it's real."
I could go on, but I think this speaks for itself pretty well. All thoughts welcome.
(
promethia_tenk have you finished it yet? *looks hopeful* My ear is open like a greedy shark to catch the tunings of a voice divine...)
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Also, owing to that insidious icon of mine, I had to have a long laugh at the following:
"I was just wishing for muffins."
I shall let you know how things go upon further reading. I certainly owe you a great deal for introducing me to the series in general.
I'm in a silly mood tonight, can you tell?
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Same here!
And have I told you of my great love of gothic church vaulting? Well, vaulting in general. It is very great. I wrote a paper.
I think this is one of the main reasons I love LJ - everyone has done these really interesting - and unexpected - things. :)
It is somewhat frustrating that there is so much talk of bells and comparatively little of hammerbeam trusses. I should write to the author to complain, but I am informed she is dead.
Heh. I'm sure the dear vicar will get a word or two in on the subject. (Plus she got lots of letters about all the things she got wrong about the bell ringing...)
Also, owing to that insidious icon of mine, I had to have a long laugh at the following:
LOL! Yes. And it's a lovely line.
I shall let you know how things go upon further reading. I certainly owe you a great deal for introducing me to the series in general.
Oh I love being an enabler. *evil grin* And I'm looking forward to your thoughts.
I'm in a silly mood tonight, can you tell?
Silly moods are brilliant thing. Btw how do you feel about 'Midnight'? It is the one episode that I genuinely dislike that everyone else loves. /randomly curious
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Really? Yay!
I think this is one of the main reasons I love LJ - everyone has done these really interesting - and unexpected - things. :)
Very true. I think the opportunities to learn about them tend to come up more readily than in real life, since one can conveniently ignore things like bunions and office politics and get right to the good stuff. (I studied architecture for several years, btw. Hence the love of vaulting. There's a few choice low-angle shots in Vampires of Venice that I like to rewind and rewatch. For the ceiling porn ;-)
(Plus she got lots of letters about all the things she got wrong about the bell ringing...)
I have no doubt. And I do love how she's co-opted the ringing patterns to provide the structure for the book. Mmmm, structure.
LOL! Yes. And it's a lovely line.
Echoes "I was just wishing for Romans" too. Or is that a standard British construction?
Oh I love being an enabler. *evil grin*
I well know the feeling, heh. I am admired and feared amongst friends for my ability to hook people on strong coffee and television shows. I am unrepentant.
Btw how do you feel about 'Midnight'? It is the one episode that I genuinely dislike that everyone else loves. /randomly curious
I have only seen it once, and saw enough in that viewing to know that once was not really enough to form a reliable opinion. I can well see why it is so admired--I think it's very impressively done. It was so uncomfortable to watch, though, that I'm not exactly rushing to repeat the experience. I think somehow it pressed a lot of the same buttons that awkward comedy does for me (ie: things like The Office), and I find awkward comedy almost impossible to deal with. I would like to give it another go at some point, though, in respect for the technical achievement.
In other news on the "unpopular opinions" front, I really like "Love and Monsters" and think "Fear Her" was one of the stronger episodes of the second season. I have recently learned that RTD did not do his usual rewrite job of that one . . . no comment.
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I love maps and stuff - it really helps to ground a story, I think. :)
Very true. I think the opportunities to learn about them tend to come up more readily than in real life, since one can conveniently ignore things like bunions and office politics and get right to the good stuff.
Indeed! :)
I studied architecture for several years, btw. Hence the love of vaulting. There's a few choice low-angle shots in Vampires of Venice that I like to rewind and rewatch. For the ceiling porn ;-)
That's brilliant! (I guess you're a fan of Ceiling!Cat then...)
I have no doubt. And I do love how she's co-opted the ringing patterns to provide the structure for the book. Mmmm, structure.
Structure good!
Echoes "I was just wishing for Romans" too. Or is that a standard British construction?
I don't think so... Although I guess it's something that people say? Um. I'm confused now.
I well know the feeling, heh. I am admired and feared amongst friends for my ability to hook people on strong coffee and television shows. I am unrepentant.
You get my Coffee!Ianto icon for that response. :) (I don't like coffee. But that's something else...)
I can well see why it is so admired--I think it's very impressively done.
Oh yes, same here. Very clever idea, well executed, the mob mentality was spot-on, the technical aspects brilliant - lots to admire.
It was so uncomfortable to watch, though, that I'm not exactly rushing to repeat the experience. I think somehow it pressed a lot of the same buttons that awkward comedy does for me (ie: things like The Office), and I find awkward comedy almost impossible to deal with.
Hurrah you understand! (I can't watch comedy like that either. It's almost painful.) Also, for me, there were two other things which clearly don't bother most people (and usually I can easily overlook this stuff, so it's odd that it grated here): 1) No one, at any point, tried to find something to write on. This irritates me beyond reason. 2) The Doctor keeps *saying* how clever he is, but he never actually demonstrates it. It's all tell and no show, and it's like an anti-kink? I dunno. It just hit all my off buttons.
In other news on the "unpopular opinions" front, I really like "Love and Monsters" and think "Fear Her" was one of the stronger episodes of the second season.
I think 'Love and Monsters' did what it set out to very well, but I hate that the lovely little group got killed and I'm still horrified at the 'paving-slab' ending. *shudders* 'Fear Her' is OK (I love the idea of the Isolis), and the girls love it. :)
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In my admittedly limited experience of Ceiling!Cat, his natural habitat seems to be boring white suburban ceilings. Should he ever develop a taste for baroque saucer domes, however, he would indeed suddenly be one of my favorite creatures.
I don't think so... Although I guess it's something that people say? Um. I'm confused now.
I know the phrasing kind of struck me, but all that means is it's not a common American phrasing.
You get my Coffee!Ianto icon for that response. :)
\o/ I've admired that one before.
Hurrah you understand! (I can't watch comedy like that either. It's almost painful.)
=D I've run into a few other people who feel similarly too. I do get to literally squirming in my seat with some of these things; it is physically uncomfortable.
No one, at any point, tried to find something to write on. This irritates me beyond reason.
Perhaps because, relatively speaking, it's such a "tight" episode? I know that, as much as I admire the fifth season Angels episodes (particularly for the role they play within the season as a whole), whenever I watch them I get peeved at Moffat for what he did with the Angels themselves. And under normal circumstances I couldn't give a damn what the monster of the week is or is not capable of--I tune that stuff right out. But the original concept for them was just so exceedingly elegant, and he trashed them. It's one thing for a writer to essentially show you that they're not giving much thought to a particular aspect of storytelling--it gives you license to ignore it. But when they seem to have put in the effort, the holes become glaring.
The Doctor keeps *saying* how clever he is, but he never actually demonstrates it. It's all tell and no show, and it's like an anti-kink? I dunno. It just hit all my off buttons.
This is a problem I have consistently with the entirety of RTD's run. Everyone is always saying "ooooo, the Doctor is so very clever" and it's such a facade of intelligence. There is NO SUBSTANCE behind it. *handwave, handwave* PROBLEM MAGICALLY SOLVED. "See, look, so clever!" *grrrrrr* It's like making a fetish of it, really. I don't remember enough of "Midnight" particularly to comment on how it plays out there.
I'm still horrified at the 'paving-slab' ending. *shudders*
This has honestly never bothered me, and I have no idea why. I guess because it's just so out there? I take it more in the spirit of, like, a Monty Python sketch than anything else.
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LOL!
I know the phrasing kind of struck me, but all that means is it's not a common American phrasing.
Sorry I can't help more...
\o/ I've admired that one before.
His coffee is magical. ;)
=D I've run into a few other people who feel similarly too. I do get to literally squirming in my seat with some of these things; it is physically uncomfortable.
Same here. Cringe-comedy is my least favourite thing ever. (Alan Partridge f.ex. - beloved throughout the land - is impossible for me to watch.)
Perhaps because, relatively speaking, it's such a "tight" episode?
Oh I'm sure. Plus it was written in about a week? But I was just sat there *waiting* for someone to say something and no one ever did and I was cross.
But the original concept for them was just so exceedingly elegant, and he trashed them.
Yeah, that never bothered *me*, although I know a lot of people feel like you.
This is a problem I have consistently with the entirety of RTD's run. Everyone is always saying "ooooo, the Doctor is so very clever" and it's such a facade of intelligence.
In Midnight it's the Doctor telling everyone that he is so very, very clever, but all he demonstrates is that he's very very nosy and bossy - not the same thing. My heart belongs to 'show, don't tell'...
This has honestly never bothered me, and I have no idea why. I guess because it's just so out there? I take it more in the spirit of, like, a Monty Python sketch than anything else.
I *still* can't believe that they got away with that 'love life' line, which made me laugh a lot at the time, but it's one of those episodes that if I think about it in any kind of detail it really bugs me. Ah well. I didn't want to sit here and complain... ;)
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Ah, knew the name but not what his deal was. Now I know to stay away. Thank you.
Yeah, that never bothered *me*, although I know a lot of people feel like you.
Weirdly, it did not bother me at first, I think because all the modifications were indeed very effective in the moment (was absolute freaking out when I realized the angels were about to start moving, for example). It was only when I'd had a chance to think it over that I got annoyed. But there was a lot about those episodes that I found uncharacteristically sloppy--taken as a whole, they are not favorites. It was only when the season was over and I saw how much of a thematic lynch pin are that I realized Moffat's attention had not been where it usually is. I rate them much higher now.
In Midnight it's the Doctor telling everyone that he is so very, very clever, but all he demonstrates is that he's very very nosy and bossy - not the same thing. My heart belongs to 'show, don't tell'...
Ah, ok, yes, that is a problem. Somehow it bothers me pretty equally no matter who it's coming from, though. *shrug* It's much the same issue that I have with the burns in the oncoming fire of universe speeches, again no matter who's giving them. It's like "well, isn't that just peachy--but what are you going to DO exactly?"
Ah well. I didn't want to sit here and complain... ;)
Indeed :-) Look: think happy thoughts.
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My pleasure. It's very, very well done and I cannot watch it.
taken as a whole, they are not favorites. It was only when the season was over and I saw how much of a thematic lynch pin are that I realized Moffat's attention had not been where it usually is. I rate them much higher now.
Interesting. Personally I have the ability to just plain ignore stuff that annoys me if I like something overall (see the way I can handwave RTD's plotholes).
Ah, ok, yes, that is a problem. Somehow it bothers me pretty equally no matter who it's coming from, though. *shrug*
Oh yes. Well it depends who is saying it. River in the Library? I'm cheering her on. But whoever it is needs to have earned it ("I'd trust this man to the end of the universe. And by the way - we've been."). The problem in Midnight is that he's amongst strangers and rather than giving them a reason to trust him, he tells them that they ought to trust him, because he says so...
It's much the same issue that I have with the burns in the oncoming fire of universe speeches, again no matter who's giving them. It's like "well, isn't that just peachy--but what are you going to DO exactly?"
Heh. You get my Oncoming Storm icon for that. :)
Indeed :-) Look: think happy thoughts.
Squee! They are gorgeous! And I recognise San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane - I watched a programme about Italian architecture (about a year ago?) and that church was featured. Also, I need to go to Cambridge some day. And Oxford...
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Hee. Yes, I know :-) And quite often I can do that too. And it's not like I hate those episodes or anything, and they contain many moments that are amongst my favorites of the whole season. But taken as a whole I feel like they fall down a bit, and as a study of Moffat's writing, I want to know why . . . .
As best I can work out, the issue is that the format of the story didn't allow him to make the same kinds of jumps he usually does. I mean, his writing is always a bit of a hodge-podge with the way he bounces between genres and moods and from idea to idea to idea, but in a normal script he manages the transitions by jumping back and forth between a few different situations (like in the Library episodes) or by making the differences between successive beats so weird and huge that you just kind of go along with it for kicks (like in The Big Bang). But in the Angels episodes he's essentially stuck with one group of people going along a linear storyline that he can't cut away from . . . and it's awkward. I think I saw someone describe it as a whole succession of set pieces that don't quite connect: the angels and the lights in the corridor . . . Amy's countdown . . . Amy has to close her eyes . . . the clerics are eaten . . . Amy has to walk like she can see. And all these things happen along this very linear and same-y storyline, and yet they don't cohere. I don't think he really knows how to make those links smooth.
At any rate. I don't think they're horrible episodes or anything. I quite like them. But I like his other episodes better. Actually, I rather like the Angels episodes for showing up why his other episodes work so well--and I think it's because he embraces the jumps and goes for broke with them. . . . and, this comment has now earned the rambling icon.
Heh. You get my Oncoming Storm icon for that. :)
Glower all you want, Ten--the point stands.
Squee! They are gorgeous!
=D *happy sigh*
And I recognise San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane - I watched a programme about Italian architecture (about a year ago?) and that church was featured.
Excellent. I ADORED the class I took on baroque architecture--it was like several months' vacation in Rome but with bonus mind-twist-y-ness.
Also, I need to go to Cambridge some day. And Oxford...
You live in the same country and you have not been?!?!? tsk ;-) I've been to Oxford. Wanted it to be Cambridge, but we only had time for one and I was out-voted. My favorite architectural history professor had a great story about getting invited to give an important lecture at Cambridge. His wife, who is in the same field, skipped the lecture to go see the King's College Chapel instead. He understood--he wanted to do the same.
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Hee. Yes, I know :-) And quite often I can do that too.
Heh. I had to come back to correct myself because that's not quite it, and the imprecision was killing me (why, yes, I am ridiculous, thank you). It's more that I can hold both the good and the bad in my mind and once and the two do not contaminate each other. I'm free to poke around at what doesn't work without wrecking my enjoyment of what does.
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Not ridiculous, logical. I am just the same.
It's more that I can hold both the good and the bad in my mind and once and the two do not contaminate each other. I'm free to poke around at what doesn't work without wrecking my enjoyment of what does.
Ah now, that's a very good distinction. I shall subscribe to this newsletter. Although I also tend to go down the road of trying to make the bad stuff make sense. :)
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:-) I publish bi-monthly, except when I don't feel like it, which is often. As a token of appreciation, a small introductory gift has been sent to your address, but will probably be lost in the mail.
Although I also tend to go down the road of trying to make the bad stuff make sense. :)
Frankly, I think more people need to try to do that. Ok, in literary criticism there is a concept, the term for which escapes me (which drives me nuts), but it essentially amounts to giving the writer the benefit of the doubt--have you heard of this? It's an easy thing to blame a writer and say they screwed up or were wrong or are a bad writer or whatever, but that's really a fairly unsound foundation for interpreting a creative work. The writer chooses all their words. If they wrote something, you need to assume that they mean for it to be there. And, as a reader, if something doesn't make sense or disturbs or seems incongruous or what have you, it is your job first to try to figure out why it's there and to fit it into the rest of the work in a way that makes sense, not to immediately dismiss the writer. I think often internet fan communities operate on exactly the opposite principle . . .
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:D
If they wrote something, you need to assume that they mean for it to be there. And, as a reader, if something doesn't make sense or disturbs or seems incongruous or what have you, it is your job first to try to figure out why it's there and to fit it into the rest of the work in a way that makes sense, not to immediately dismiss the writer. I think often internet fan communities operate on exactly the opposite principle . . .
*nods a lot* I think this is because most fans (when it comes to TV shows) have an agenda - I mean, they have a particular area of investment, be it a 'ship or character (or something else) and they look out for that above all else. And because of that they're often ready to be offended. I remember reading some people complaining about Martha/Mickey somewhere - not the idea of it, but the fact that they only got a few minutes screentime, and how this obviously showed that RTD couldn't care less about Martha. When in reality of course he had wanted to include both of them in Children of Earth (including their relationship, one presumes), but it quite simply didn't work out because both actors were busy. So I am always wary of judging things on a surface level, because we never know about all the stuff behind the scenes.
OTOH you get stuff like the Buffy comics, where so many people desperately try to wring sense and purpose out of something that clearly has neither. But they refuse to consider the idea that maybe this time the writer really didn't care to craft something properly, and that the result is a confused mess. (Lord knows I've tried to look at the upsides, but that particular story has gone out of its way to be as offensive and stupid as possible. Meh. I'll shut up now...)
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See this is why I like you so much. Most people (or rather, most fannish people) just tend to complain when something's wrong. Trying to work out *why* is so much more productive and sensible. :)
And all these things happen along this very linear and same-y storyline, and yet they don't cohere. I don't think he really knows how to make those links smooth.
Hmmm. Interesting. I shall have to ponder this.
At any rate. I don't think they're horrible episodes or anything. I quite like them. But I like his other episodes better. Actually, I rather like the Angels episodes for showing up why his other episodes work so well--and I think it's because he embraces the jumps and goes for broke with them. . . . and, this comment has now earned the rambling icon.
Rambling is good. I can't count the number of things I've worked out as I wrote. (You get my favourite new icon because it makes me smile.)
Glower all you want, Ten--the point stands.
He does glower well, though, doesn't he? ;)
Excellent. I ADORED the class I took on baroque architecture--it was like several months' vacation in Rome but with bonus mind-twist-y-ness.
Mmmmm. I'm jealous now.
You live in the same country and you have not been?!?!? tsk ;-)
Well it's that thing of when you can (in theory) go whenever you want, you don't get round to it. Plus it's a whole different story once you've got kids...
His wife, who is in the same field, skipped the lecture to go see the King's College Chapel instead. He understood--he wanted to do the same.
In one of my fics I have the characters (who are studying in Cambridge) going in and looking around... *wistful sigh*
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Ah, now that is very gratifying, thank you. It's . . . a compulsion, really. Anything that bugs is a sign of something deeper to be found out--complaining mostly gets in the way. I gather I ruin other people's fun, though ;-)
Err . . . and let us pretend that I didn't recently succumb to a fit of RTD-inspired peak over on doctoreleven. We all have out limits. /chagrined
FWIW, I like that you are a constant source of delight and edification.
Rambling is good. I can't count the number of things I've worked out as I wrote.
You know, the longer I spend in internet communities, the more I find this true for myself--and it surprised me. Writing formally, it's all so very controlled that there isn't much room for discovery. The constant unregulated back and forth online, though, it's like . . . an unending deluge of new ideas. I was never really one to develop my thoughts on paper--if I write them down for myself, all it does is mirror what's in my head anyway, which was always more than enough to cover whatever paper or project needed doing, so I didn't concern myself with it. But always having people to write to, as one does on the internet, even when it's just brainstorming . . . *BOOM*
I don't think I would want to go back to the old way or working.
(You get my favourite new icon because it makes me smile.)
Haha! Nice. I love the expression on his face for some reason.
He does glower well, though, doesn't he? ;)
He is the master of the glower, there is no doubt.
In one of my fics I have the characters (who are studying in Cambridge) going in and looking around... *wistful sigh*
!!!!!!! Really? Awesome.
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But there is nothing more delightful than working out *why* something does what it does... Some people have a strange notion of fun...
Err . . . and let us pretend that I didn't recently succumb to a fit of RTD-inspired peak over on doctoreleven. We all have out limits. /chagrined
Hee! Well that was a rant against a specific trait of his writing, something you can either like or dislike, but not one that you can really analyse. (Well I sort of tried, but it was more an analysis of his writing than a defense.)
You know, the longer I spend in internet communities, the more I find this true for myself--and it surprised me
It's interesting, because I came from the other side of things. That is - I lurked for a good while, and found a lot of very insightful fic/meta and the conversations that they generated. So when I began writing myself I was very aware of the two-way dialogue of the whole thing. There is nothing so gratifying as good feedback, esp since it often leads to new inspiration.
But always having people to write to, as one does on the internet, even when it's just brainstorming . . . *BOOM*
I love it to bits. Even though sometimes you get arguments that just go on and on and on and that gets VERY tiring. (I don't mean trolls or anything like that, just people who have a different POV and who will never ever change.)
I don't think I would want to go back to the old way or working.
This is why I have a beta - to be able to bounce ideas off someone (esp if it's someone who knows you well) is priceless.
Haha! Nice. I love the expression on his face for some reason.
When I went looking for screencaps, that one just stood out. He looks serious, but you know that mischief is just round the corner, I think. :)
He is the master of the glower, there is no doubt.
Also, he has very pretty eyes.
!!!!!!! Really? Awesome.
I can give you a link, but it's buried deep in my long AU WIP... ETA: Also it's very brief. But neat. :)
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People are so very attached to their opinions, and tend not to take it well when you confront them with reality ;-) Ah well, more fun for us . . .
Well that was a rant against a specific trait of his writing, something you can either like or dislike, but not one that you can really analyse. (Well I sort of tried, but it was more an analysis of his writing than a defense.)
Oh, you can analyze anything (and I do). Defending, however, is an entirely different matter. As you say, though, that is simply Rusty, and it is unlikely to change.
That is - I lurked for a good while, and found a lot of very insightful fic/meta and the conversations that they generated. So when I began writing myself I was very aware of the two-way dialogue of the whole thing.
I haven't expressed myself clearly. I too was always conscious of the collaborative, dialogue aspect of online culture and the creativity that that inspires, and it was definitely one of the things that drew me in. What surprised me was the discovering ideas through writing--the things that come to you mid-sentence. That never happened to me much before, which was why I've spent most of my life just planning essays in my head. I was always very confused by suggestions about simply starting writing or brainstorming on paper--it never amounted to anything. The more time I spend online, though, the more those mid-sentence ideas happen. Somehow the fact of actively trying to communicate something to someone--even when you don't know what it is yet--makes the difference. Whereas if I was just doing it for myself . . . nada.
Even though sometimes you get arguments that just go on and on and on and that gets VERY tiring.
I'm slowly learning to just drop these as soon as I recognize them. No point in butting my head against a brick wall. There's someone on my flist I've essentially instituted a "one response" rule for. Although admittedly she really does seem determined to be contrary.
When I went looking for screencaps, that one just stood out. He looks serious, but you know that mischief is just round the corner, I think. :)
Yes!
I can give you a link, but it's buried deep in my long AU WIP... ETA: Also it's very brief. But neat. :)
Yeah . . . I'd like to see it. /geek
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Indeed. :)
Oh, you can analyze anything (and I do). Defending, however, is an entirely different matter. As you say, though, that is simply Rusty, and it is unlikely to change.
*nods* Like I always say, it helped that I came from the world of Joss, who writes very similarly, although usually he has a team of writers who manage to fill most of the plotholes. :)
I haven't expressed myself clearly. I too was always conscious of the collaborative, dialogue aspect of online culture and the creativity that that inspires, and it was definitely one of the things that drew me in. What surprised me was the discovering ideas through writing--the things that come to you mid-sentence.
Oh I've got you now. Yes. I'm trying to cast my mind back, but it's all such a long time since I started out that I can't remember what happened. ;)
There's someone on my flist I've essentially instituted a "one response" rule for. Although admittedly she really does seem determined to be contrary.
I've got someone like that too...
Yeah . . . I'd like to see it. /geek
Went and had a look and decided to just do a cut and paste. The start of the fic in question is here (and you can find the whole verse here! You know how I can't do short? This 'verse is the proof...), but this is from the beginning of chapter 4, and - as you can see - very short indeed. Should probably mention that they're both 1st year Physics students and not very artistically inclined, and at this point only friends. ;) (Wildly AU verse, did I mention? 'Alex' is Alexander Saxon, son of the former prime minister, and the girl is called Allison. She's rather intrigued by her peculiar classmate.)
~~~
Only last week Alex had asked her to come ‘exploring’ with him, and they’d ended up in King’s College chapel. It had been the strangest experience, since he’d done a pretty good impression of her father – a history teacher through and through - running this way and that, pointing out historical oddities and getting very excited.
When she admitted not being terribly fond of history, he’d looked at her as if she was mad, and declared history to be the greatest subject in the world.
“So, why aren’t you studying history?” she’d asked, perfectly logically, and there had been a pause.
"Mostly because the courses are way too restrictive," the reply had finally been, and, before she had been able to explore the subject further, the organ had suddenly started playing, and Alex’s face had lit up, as if illuminated from above by a light bulb.
Then he’d dragged her up to the organ loft and somehow – Allison still wasn’t quite sure – talked the organist into giving him an impromptu lesson.
Any doubts that she might previously have had about his claim to be able to turn his hand to anything had been swiftly blown away, as in less than an hour he mastered the instrument. Having witnessed a seemingly never-ending stream of piano students traipse through the front door during her childhood - and still vividly remembering her own, less than enthusiastic, lessons - his feat impressed her more than she let on.
But most surprising of all had been the fact that once he'd got the hang of it, he thanked the stunned organist profusely, and then got up and left, his interest already elsewhere.