Links and meme

[surexit]

Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church - affecting article about two young women who left Westboro Baptist Church.

The Paris Time Capsule Apartment - fascinating.

Meme? WHY NOT.

Pick any passage of 500 words or less from any story I've written, and comment to this post with that selection. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD

Comments

[osprey_archer]

MEME. This is slightly longer than 500 words, but it's such a short story that it seemed a shame to cut part of it out of the commentary

[surexit]

“Juliet, Juliet!” Juliet’s coming out of the ring, horses trooping obediently behind her, as the hiss comes from her left. So I did a week of work experience at a circus when I was sixteen, and one image that stuck with me was being 'backtage' (behind the curtains, next to the tent door - the Big Top I was visualising as I wrote this doesn't reallly have a backstage, but what else could I call it?) and one of the clowns in full makeup came up close behind me int he dark. He wasn't trying to be scary, he was just waiting for his entrance and hadn't seen me, but I was really glad at that moment that clowns under normal circumstances do not freak me out at all. She looks to the side, behind the curtain that hides the backstage area, and manages not to scream as Shawn, in full makeup, looms out of the darkness. Behind her, Rocky, the most nervy of her stallions, gives a soft whinny as he notices the tension in her body. I'm picturing Arabian horses here, because they're pretty. And Juliet's in skin-tight sparkly stuff, because she's

[osprey_archer]

I think everyone is envisioning Carlton trying to make audience members laugh, which is like the anti-Carlton, rather than Carlton bossing all the other clowns around, which I can totally see him doing. Maybe he comes from a long line of clowns?

Also I totally agree with you, moving characters through scenes sucks. Clearly they ought to have all their conversations while sitting still and sipping tea, because that would be way easier.

[surexit]

Yes, a long line of clowns! And he doesn't really like people laughing at him. It makes him grumpy.

Which makes him funnier. :D

NOT EVEN SIPPING TEA, because then I'd forget about it and they'd do something with both hands and argh. Just sitting. All the time.

[osprey_archer]

Sometimes I like characters to have a little thing to do with their hands, so they can show if they're nervous or distracted or whatever. But pretty much anything to do with the feet is just killer.

Naturally, I am writing an assassination scene today, so everyone is moving everywhere all the time. There are people up near the ceiling, even. TOO MANY DIMENSIONS.

[surexit]

JUST SO YOU KNOW I CAN'T ACTUALLY WAIT TILL TOMORROW :D:D:D:D:D:D

[surexit]

“Agh,” Juliet says. “Could you stop looming up on me with your face painted? I’ve told you before.”

“Sorry.” Carlton says. “Spencer’s already drooling over the new high wire artist, have you seen him? It’s just undignified.” His brow is creased with a familiar expression of puzzlement, the mute request to have human emotions explained to him again broadcasting loud and clear. I love Juliet and Lassi, I love that they care about each other and she tries to get him to do normal stuff like birthdays and Christmas and is thwarted at every turn by the sheer extent of his Carlton-ness but doesn't mind. When he hugs her after Yang gets at her, oooooh it's just the best. I LOVE THEM.“I’ve seen Shawn, but not the new artist,” Juliet says. “Is he good-looking

[osprey_archer]

JULIET AND LASSITER FRIENDSHIP. If we can call any relationship that Lassiter is a part of by a name as fluffy as "friendship." It is adorable how she tries to translate the world for him and he attempts to be there for her. There's one scene that I love where he's trying to comfort her, and he's all "All romance ultimately ends in despair," because he is under the impression that this is a comforting thing to say. So comforting, in fact, that he is all "I feel a hug coming on!"

And Juliet is obscurely comforted by how very Lassiter he is, so she hugs him.

[surexit]

OH GOD I LOVE THAT SCENE. It's so beautiful. They are both so beautiful.