THE OAK BRIGGS SAGA part III: the great pretender

[acalculatedname]

This is part III of the Oak Briggs saga. Tried to write it so you don't absolutely *have* to read part I and/or part II to make mostly-sense of it. The finale of the "series," part IV, is already written and posted (with a link at end of this entry) - but this third part was plenty long enough as was for one week's entry / reading.

Comments

[poppetawoppet]

uh-ohhhhhhh

[acalculatedname]

woo-hoo!

[lrig_rorrim]

*applauds* Really, really well done! I love the tone you've got throughout the whole thing, the family dynamics going on in the background, the voice, the use (and abuse) of technology. It's all really believable and real, and I feel for every single person involved. This is awesome writing, and I loved the story from the very first. The only thing I think I was left wanting more of was Brad - just seeing more of him in general would have made me happy, but then again, him being behind-the-scenes and mostly unseen fits rather well thematically too.

[acalculatedname]

Hey, many thanks for the very kind words. I would have liked to see Brad more developed and fleshed-out as a character too; that was one of the casualties of having to keep these installments to LJI-appropriate (or mostly-appropriate) lengths and the story to a manageable number of such installments overall.

He's surely got one of the most interesting stories of all of 'em - how does a guy so talented come to terms with the fact that absolutely everyone around him recognizes his absurd level of talent but yet the industry refuses to give him a proper chance to take it public only because of his looks? How does he end up saying "screw it, I'll just cash in on what I do have however I can"? What the hell does he end up doing with himself after the story ends? All stuff that I would have loved to see explored and/or answered, but there was no time, man.

Thanks again, so much.

[roina_arwen]

Brad just has to go on The Voice and make a name for himself! Well written ss always!

[acalculatedname]

I haven't seen The Voice but I gather it's a more polite / feelgood version of [insert any given first-world nation where Simon Cowell is still welcome] Idol.

The likes of Brad could very well be as critical as Cowell and his criticisms would almost certainly be more professionally valid, but I just can't see him being a Cowell / Gordon Ramsayesque jerk about it.

Nah, I think he's doing something even crazier now.

Thank you too. :)

[adoptedwriter]

I love the dialogue in this. AW

[acalculatedname]

Thanks. I don't write much if any fiction and dialogue is a big part of the reason why - always a huge struggle - so it's good to hear that maybe it didn't come off horribly this time.

[acalculatedname]

Big thanks, yo. Hope you like it.

[halfshellvenus]

I hadn't thought Nathan was that good looking (though I did think possible porn was in his future, so maybe I've just forgotten).

This is a different kind of prostitution, except now I'm thinking that Nathan's terrible "almost making fun of country music" was unintentional on his part. ;)

Oh, Momma- but what happens when you encourage your child to believe in himself at all costs, when in fact... maybe he shouldn't? o_O

----------- Back after Part IV -----------

by rhyming the words "reach," "bleach," "screech..." even "figure of speech."
Oh, Nathan...

see pics below for what is almost certainly the strangest set of facial expressions you've ever seen worn by a dozen Nashville session pros all at once.
It's a near-death experience for any true musician!

Well, it looks as if Nathan found someone with talent in the end. And maybe his singing, the best part of his 'talent', might be enough to launch someone else's work the way it deserved.

[acalculatedname]

Hey, wow, thanks for reading ALL that and so closely. :) Right on, I was basically trying to make this a bit about the conflicts created by the Society of Encouragement but also as a generalized hubris / multigenerational failure fable.

And along those lines, possible spoiler alert for others...

...there are a couple possibly understated clues that Nathan suddenly hears all the flaws in Randy's work that he just can't manage to hear in his own. Randy probably doesn't have a lot of time left to actually "go for it," and at this stage of his life he wouldn't have a clue how to actually go about it in a way that would succeed.

If Nathan's stated hopes had been truly sincere, as opposed to just giving Randy one last real thrill going after the thing he always wanted but will never find... he might have given him Brad's number. :)