They're back! Words and Chickens part 2!

[dolorous_ett]

Anybody still remember my half-written fic for the perposterice challenge? I doubt it.

The "summery" for which I swore to write a story ran as follows:

This is a story. A teary story in which you'll cry afterwards. You'll be so happy and you'll like it! A story about words and chickens.

The first part of my story can be found here.

It's taken me a long time

Comments

[a_t_rain]

The other group seemed to spend more time clustered round the more text-filled areas of the papered walls in small groups, muttering to each other and gesticulating with wings and beak, all under the watchful eye of the older rooster Merlin, who would pace around the studying groups, pecking sharply at any bird whose attention seemed to be straying.

Heh! Puritan chickens!

"We can always be friends when there's no one else about" is such a sad line. Too bad about Ginny and Luna, although it is nice to know that they will find each other again.

[dolorous_ett]

Yes! Puritan chickens, driven out and marginalised by the happy-clappy brigade...

Thanks for picking up on the "We can always be friends when there's no one else about" line. It's surprising how many people play along with that kind of thing.

[dolabellae]

How could I forget your chickens? I am wildly excited that they are back - but there are just a few too many words for me to cope with this late at night, so I shall return anon to get re-acquainted with them.

[dolorous_ett]

Welcome - at any time...

Glad you hadn't completely forgotten the chicken story, anyway. It really has taken a disturbingly long time to finish.

[tunxeh]

Aberforth! ...and is that where Ginny learned her charm for singing get-well cards?

I had forgotten this, as you suspected, but it all came back quickly. I enjoyed this part a lot, too, anyway. And I wondered how you would find an end to a piece that ends more at a beginning of something else and possibly a long pause in Ginny and Luna's friendship, but your last line came through wonderfully.

[dolorous_ett]

Bless you for spotting Aberforth!

And yes - it shows the level of disturbance in Ginny's mind in her first year that she'd even think of inflicting a singing gift on someone after the singing idol...

Glad you found the ending acceptable. I'll admit that, though I knew it was going to peter out all along, I had quite a few problems articulating it.

[nineveh_uk]

That is both brilliant and bonkers. Muggle-style "home-dried herb tea", vanity publishing!Lockhart, patriarchal religion in the henhouse, enormously complicated Goblin credit notes, the good works of the Knights of Walpurgis, and being friends when other people aren’t about, which is so very true (I think I’ve done it from both directions).

“Of course, Daddy’s always warned me at Those Who Go Against the Mainstream are Condemned to a Life of Suffering and Intolerance - I always thought he just meant it about grown-ups, though."
I love Luna. It’s the way that despite being somewhat eccentric, she is also tremendously well-balanced. I liked your portrayal of Ginny, too, who I’ve always rather liked in canon, but too often seems to be dull or evil in fan-fic.

[dolorous_ett]

Thank you!

I'm glad you noticed the herb tea - and Lockhart.

Your words about Luna reassure me enormously - she's not a complete fruitcake, as often portrayed in fanfic, or she wouldn't be able to function, but I didn't want her coming across as too normal either.

And Ginny's a hard one - fanfic doesn't give her a good press, and even canon doesn't leave you with a STRONG opinion on her - not like Hermione or similar. So I just had to go with what I thought we'd been given, and wing it. I actually got to like Ginny a lot more while writing this story.

[aerama]

Arrgh, I WANT to settle in and read this, but still haven't had the time. Hence the "arrgh." But I wanted you to know I most certainly haven't forgotten the chicken fic. And I will be back to read it.

Doggone holiday season, it used to be so much more fun, and less expensive. Of course I was 5 at the time.

[dolorous_ett]

Not to worry - nice of you to drop in and say you noted its existence!

I timed my plea for concrit and comments incredibly badly, didn't I?

Have a nice time, and talk to you whenever.

[aerama]

Still not back to read - *midnight just chimed* - but I wanted to leave you this message before it was, alas, too late:
Go here for a card for you and click on the thumbnail!

[dolorous_ett]

Thank you for your charming card! For some reason I've only just discovered this post.

Hope your Xmas dinner was all you could wish for. We had rabbit in a sauce made of 3 kinds of mustard, and it was very heaven.