I love this story. Well, I pretty much love all her stories. *g* It's one zine I'll never give up.
The Britisms didn't bother me, probably because I didn't catch them, though I understand why they would you since the reverse is true. The stories written for US shows by British writers often don't ring true to me. Even the difference in the spelling of certain words can throw me right out of the story. That's not every British writer. Some get it spot on. But it's hard, so those that do get it right are to be congratulated. I know I couldn't do it!
Well, I pretty much love all her stories. Snap! *g*
Yeah, it's a difficult thing writing in another language, and we don't realise how different UK and US (and Australian and Canadian and NZ and South African, and...*g*) English are from each other. Plus all the little things about another country that can trip you up - I still remember how much I was thrown by your light-switch/overhead light thing when I was over there! I'd never have thought to deal with that in a story! I'd want a really good American-picker if I wrote for a US-based fandom, definitely. Mind you, I did write a Pros story set in the US, and asked for American-pickers - who promptly gave me different and conflicting advice about something!
LOl--I write in both American and British fandoms. The first time I posted a story in Pros, I was so very nervous about British vs American--and I'd not only lived in London, I always have a Brit checker. It is still like writing in a foreign language because I try so very hard to spell words the British way and get idioms correctly. And yes, I've had two different Brit checkers tell me two different things--last week, on my current story. Oi!
I love this story! And I very nearly didn't read it, only that sunray45 insisted, and I'm so very glad she did. I enjoyed it so much that I printed it out, then printed out a lot of the illustrations so that I'd have them with the fic. I was put off initially by the "AU" appellation, but it didn't really seem like it was AU; it was more of a backstory, like a way they possibly could have met, and who's to say they didn't meet as circus performers anyway? *g*
It's a good one, isn't it! Oh, and good point about it not necessarily being an AU, you're right! There's nothing AU about it, really. I wonder where I got that from to start with... Actually I rather like the idea that they were both circus performers - and it would even explain Doyle's comment in ItPI where he says "well, we lived around here for a bit"! *vbg*
This was one of the first Pros zines I read. I got a xerox copy at a con for about three bucks (if I recall) and Krisser (I had just met her, as well) cautioned me that it might not have all the illios, being xeroxed. It did have pictures! So many simply gorgeous pictures--but oddly, not the cover. Anyway, at that point, I had literally only read AUs of Bodie and Doyle, but I loved them at the circus. I wanted it to go on forever--although was pleased that they were going to work together at the end. I don't recall many specifics about the story--except possibly the tiger, but it's my favourite zine.
How lucky to have got one with the pictures! I first read it from Circuit Archive, so although I could see the pictures, I didn't have them printed out to gaze at. Now I have one of the Snow versions, inherited from someone, and I feel so very lucky! I'm still a bit hung-over from it days later, I want it to keep going too! I don't want them to be in CI5 together - I want them to be in the circus! *g*
Ah, I remember devouring this first time out - and isn't it wonderful to have such a lovely long solid story! There are things that niggle at me a lot more on subsequent readings, but I still enjoy getting my teeth into it at periodic intervals. One of the biggest problems I have with it now is actually the animal cruelty, even though it's sadly absolutely typical of the period as far as I am aware (I'm far from knowledgeable!). I find it really hard now - really horrible - to read about the way Sanjay is kept permanently in a small cage inside a tent, and yet I know that there isn't much option in practice in the world of the story. It makes me very unhappy that he's replaced with a young elephant at the end - that long, isolated, stir-crazy life is a very painful thought, but in the story it's meant to strike a happy note
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The Britisms didn't bother me, probably because I didn't catch them, though I understand why they would you since the reverse is true. The stories written for US shows by British writers often don't ring true to me. Even the difference in the spelling of certain words can throw me right out of the story. That's not every British writer. Some get it spot on. But it's hard, so those that do get it right are to be congratulated. I know I couldn't do it!
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Snap! *g*
Yeah, it's a difficult thing writing in another language, and we don't realise how different UK and US (and Australian and Canadian and NZ and South African, and...*g*) English are from each other. Plus all the little things about another country that can trip you up - I still remember how much I was thrown by your light-switch/overhead light thing when I was over there! I'd never have thought to deal with that in a story! I'd want a really good American-picker if I wrote for a US-based fandom, definitely. Mind you, I did write a Pros story set in the US, and asked for American-pickers - who promptly gave me different and conflicting advice about something!
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I was put off initially by the "AU" appellation, but it didn't really seem like it was AU; it was more of a backstory, like a way they possibly could have met, and who's to say they didn't meet as circus performers anyway? *g*
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