You are so very good at this...at just writing in general. This piece is overflowing with emotion. You give us more of Miranda and Andy with this short, sweet, sad ficlet than a lot of writers give us in 10,000 words. I am impressed.
Thanks for your kind comments! I guess it wasn't very clear, but it's actually Miranda/Jacqueline Follet (this is what happens when you're in a rush to post something before midnight and leave out important details! I hope all your comments are still applicable :P)
Wow. This packs an amazing punch. I think it's going to color my perceptions of the benefit scene now: Jacqueline's smug little "Surprise!", the way Miranda snarls "We are so grateful" through her teeth. ("Quelle surprise," indeed.) It's elegantly cruel and heartbreaking, and the title is so clever on so many levels that I was grinning as soon as I connected it to the prompt.
This is one of those stories that shows how much can be done in relatively few words; sure, you could have made it longer, but the real essence of the story is here and I think any more would have been superfluous. Beautifully done. (And, of course, poor Miranda.)
And I hate to admit it, because I love it when people think I'm smarter than I actually am, but I wasn't trying to be clever when I came up with the title :P Could I ask what you saw in it?
Re: bravasomniesperusFebruary 16 2008, 01:33:25 UTC
LOL! OK: when you say "J et M" out loud, it sounds (loosely) like "je t'aime"; it also reminds me of the Truffaut film "Jules et Jim," which is also about a frustrated love affair (though a love triangle, so not quite the same thing).
Now how did you decide on the title? You've got me all curious!
Haha, oh dear. Unfortunately, the title simple comes from their first initials, partially inspired by a random back story in which Miranda and Jacqueline don't hate each other/are almost friends*, and I wanted to reference their identities non-explicitly, because, like, Miranda's hiding, and somehow their first initials just felt right, so -- yeah. That's it. Sorry to disappoint :P
To speak to your other comment below -- I hadn't intended the younger Jacqueline to be a parallel to Andy, but now that you bring it up -- well, the possibilities are endless!
*Jacqueline isn't as sinister as she appears, and Miranda's a scared, paranoid doofus who's suspicious to the point of almost crippling herself, and I was so in the middle of writing this earlier, until I got stuck, and was distracted by a video game. Damn video games.
IN FACT, if Miranda's in her mid-thirties at this point, then Jacqueline is probably in her mid-twenties, if we can assume that she's about ten years younger or so (Christian calls her "a lot younger than Miranda," so it's not clear). So here's poor closeted gay Miranda, and here comes this young, beautiful, dark-haired girl...twice.
Sorry I'm commenting all over your entry, Kosmos--obviously this story fired my imagination all up.
Comments 21
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
You are so very good at this...at just writing in general. This piece is overflowing with emotion. You give us more of Miranda and Andy with this short, sweet, sad ficlet than a lot of writers give us in 10,000 words. I am impressed.
Reply
Reply
This is one of those stories that shows how much can be done in relatively few words; sure, you could have made it longer, but the real essence of the story is here and I think any more would have been superfluous. Beautifully done. (And, of course, poor Miranda.)
Reply
And I hate to admit it, because I love it when people think I'm smarter than I actually am, but I wasn't trying to be clever when I came up with the title :P Could I ask what you saw in it?
Reply
Now how did you decide on the title? You've got me all curious!
Reply
To speak to your other comment below -- I hadn't intended the younger Jacqueline to be a parallel to Andy, but now that you bring it up -- well, the possibilities are endless!
*Jacqueline isn't as sinister as she appears, and Miranda's a scared, paranoid doofus who's suspicious to the point of almost crippling herself, and I was so in the middle of writing this earlier, until I got stuck, and was distracted by a video game. Damn video games.
Reply
(or maybe that's just my denial to anything not Andy/Miranda. :) )
Reply
Reply
Right?
Reply
Sorry I'm commenting all over your entry, Kosmos--obviously this story fired my imagination all up.
Reply
Leave a comment