Oh, what the heck

[osprey_archer]

A meme, via surexit:

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 commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the character's heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you’d expect to find on a DVD commentary track.

Comments

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Are we sure that Loristan is capable of angst? I think Marco can angst if he got pushed far enough, but Loristan just seems so rock solid.

He might do gentle sighs of regret when he comes up against yet another Samavian custom that he doesn't understand. (I wonder what odd customs Samavia has. Someday we should invent some. We've already got the alcoholic aphrodisiac from your story...)

[surexit.livejournal.com]

I BET HE COULD. REALLY REALLY SECRETLY. I want to write something Stefan-centric, he fascinates me.

(THERE MUST BE LOADS. Ummm, I thought they might have a weird calendar - that's why the Samavian new year's at the wrong time in the fic as well. And there should be songs! Songs that every Samavian knows! Not the stirring patriotic ones, I bet the Loristans know those, but, like, the equivalent of 'Show Me The Way To Go Home' which everyone sings when they're drunk in the UK.)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Maybe they cling to the Julian calendar for reasons of their own! Do we know what religion they have? Presumably it's some variety of Christian, but...Catholic? Samavian Orthodox? (Do they have a patron saint? We could make up an awesome tale of martyrdom.)

And I bet they do have a special Samavian drinking song. Probably also a special Samavian liquor (aside from the aphrodisiac.) Do they seem like a beer country or a distilled liquor country? The mountains might get in the way of wine-making.

[surexit.livejournal.com]

I was thinking Samavian Orthodox! And then getting really interested in the potential issues of the Rat being (nominally) Anglican. I don't think he's a church goer or sees it as a big deal while in England, but there would have to be some negotiation - would he convert to become more superficially Samavian? Or would he cling to Anglicanism as a remnant of his mother and his country? Would he not care at all? Would that be a problem? Do the Samavian nobility expect at least an outward show of religiosity? SO POTENTIALLY FASCINATING.

I vote distilled liquor! Maybe made of some kind of mountain berry.

Also saw your comment about joint worldbuilding brainstorming! That would be so cool.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I am not sure the Rat cares about religion at all, so maybe he would convert to Samavian Orthodoxy without a murmur? But then again, maybe no one would worry about his religion at all. It's hard to know!

(And speaking of the Samavian nobility, how do they feel about these interlopers coming back after five hundred years away? I bet at least some of them are bitter...)

Maybe the next TLP newsletter could have a joint world-building component! I am not quite sure how that would work. But it would be cool if it did!

The newsletter itself could be like The Samavian Times or something. Possibly the Samavian Lamp? Or just the Lamp. So many possibilities...

[surexit.livejournal.com]

I don't think he does, no, but I think it could be a sort of funny sticking point, one you don't expect. Or maybe he'd convert joyfully and get really into being Samavian in the way that some immigrants try to be even more of their new country than new country natives.

(I BET LOTS OF THE NOBLES HATE THEM.)

OMG, these are beautiful ideas.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Uuuuugh I could just see the Rat getting all into being Samavian and then someone making a mean comment about how he's not really Samavian and ugh, POOR RAT.

Like, maybe they're singing the drinking song that all Samavians know, and the Rat of course has no idea. OH THE ANGST.

[surexit.livejournal.com]

OH MAN POOR RAT. :(:(:(