Remix Redux 5: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

[brigdh]

Remix stories are up! And, oh, mine is awesome. Displays (I Don't Wanna Grow Up! Remix) eeee, Swordspoint. It's a different way to look at the story I wrote, and I love it and am so pleased. Excellent, excellent.

Also, guess which story I wrote, and I will write you a drabble! Comments are screened.

Comments

[springgreen.livejournal.com]

I guess you wrote the other Swordspoint story, because I am unoriginal like that.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Good guess! And I would totally have liked to have written that one. But, alas, nope.

the guessing game

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I feel silly doing this, because I haven't had a chance to really explore the archive, and haven't read anything like all the stories that I would think, based on fandoms and pairings, that it's possible you could have written. But I'm going to guess anyway, and say "The Nightingale" is yours, based on the precision of observation and the emotional complexity packed into it.

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Wow. You shouldn't feel silly, because you are amazingly good at this game. That is the one I wrote, thank you. Would you like a drabble?

Re: the guessing game

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Ha! It's comforting to know that I haven't gone and made a fool of myself. (After all, someone trying really hard on the anonymity front could have made an effort to sound like you. And while it isn't a huge coincidence given the fandom overlap, if I'd stopped to think about the odds I might have wondered whether it was really plausible that you'd get Rana two years running.) But I think the compliment, if any, is to your strength as a writer rather than my ability to play this game: the depth and ambiguity that you put into these relatively peaceful-on-the-surface pieces is distinctive and recognizable. If I'm the only one who got it, well, I'm surprised.

I would always like a drabble. That goes without saying. But as I struggle with finishing up my y_c story -- yes, still, because I wound up posting only the first half or so by the deadline -- and as I think about your schedule, I feel guilty about demanding one.

Still. I suspect that I could be talked out of that.

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

That was the cause of my Remix neuroses this time around. I felt like I had to do something spectacular to avoid being repetitive, and how boring and unfortunate for the recipient, if I did the same thing again. I'm not sure I managed anything that grand, but she seems to like it well enough, which makes me happy.

You're the only one who's gotten it so far, at least; there's still a day before the reveal.

Don't feel guilty! My classes ended on Thursday, so though I haven't been on LJ much, it's because I've been running around spending time with friends and doing other real-life fun activities, as opposed to being swamped by papers. I can certainly write a hundred words without a problem (particularly since I'll be back in Ohio in a week, and then will not even have the distraction of the city), if you would tell me what you'd like to read.

Re: the guessing game

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I managed anything that grand,

You sell yourself short, you know. You did this with "Memory Loss" too, as I recall. The thing is, the ambiguity and tension that you pack in under the surface of these supposedly quiet little pieces is really extraordinary -- in fact, if I were awake enough to think I had a shot at making sense about it, I'd be writing this up as a separate post about What Fanfic Can Do, that you can't necessarily do with other literary forms.

The thing that really struck me about this particular piece is the portrait of Tsuzuki making those birds, over and over, and seeing them fade to nothing, and smoothing down the blank pieces of paper as tenderly as if there were life there. It's all the sorrow of his endless life, right there; and yes, you can argue that they're only fuda, they weren't really alive, and they were exquisite pieces of art for their few moments; you can even argue that transience is their nature and it would be wrong to mess with that; but you also know what it all means to Tsuzuki, and how dreadful this pretty bit of time-killing activity really is. It's gorgeous, and it's harrowing, and even if you were to tell me that you didn't sit down intending to do it, I would only reply that this is an illustration of how sometimes your writer-brain knows more than you do.

And I see from what isn't screened below that Rana's gotten it too, so I'm not the only one after all. And that she has come up with a really excellent prompt, which means that I ought to toddle off and try to think of one too.

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Well, perhaps I'm a bit more modest than I need to be, but I'm sure I'm not the only writer for whom the finished product never quite matches the immense creativity and beauty that I'd first imagined. When you're only planning a story, after all, it's easy to see the cool, sparkly parts and forget everything else an actual story will require.

I'd love to see a post about What Fanfic Can Do, whenever you happen to have more sleep. I've been thinking about writing a post on that myself, actually, except that I'm no closer to articulating any of my ideas than I was when I first thought of it, back when the OTP meme discussions inspired it.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Because it can't hurt to guess, my guess is that you wrote the other Swordspoint piece.

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

That's such a popular guess! But though I wish I had, nope, not me. I did beta it, though.

Re: the guessing game

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Then my next guess is "The Angled Math of Shadows," because something about it sounds like you.

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Nope! I sympathize though, because I've been trying to figure out who wrote that one myself, and can't decide. *grins*

Re: the guessing game

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

If the third time's not the charm, then I'm going to have to concede. Did you write my remix?

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yes! Good job; I'm always impressed by people who can figure out this anonymous-author thing. So, what do you want a drabble about?

Re: the guessing game

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

I just figured, you had me last year, there was no way you'd get me twice in a row. *G* Yay!

Oh, man. What do I always want a drabble about? Oh, wait! There's a new fandom on offer this year! I want Richard/Alec. Maybe with Alec being snarky about spring and flowers and noble courtships (and allergies).

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I was surprised to get you, too. And worried about what to write, actually, since I wanted to be sure you didn't feel cheated by getting the same thing twice.

Eee, that's a fun prompt! I'm going to like writing that.

Re: the guessing game

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Sugar, if I got you every year from here on out, I'd be a happy woman. But I suspect you would prefer a little variety. *G*

I was trying to request something you'd enjoy. ;-)

Re: the guessing game

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee, thank you. It was actually quite fun to get you, particularly since I'd been hoping for a YnM writer, and you have such a wide selection of stories to pick from.