Drabblecast 096 - L'wek and Sarah

YouTube · Post by **Kevin Anderson** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 4:55 am

Drabblecast 96

L'wek and Sarah
by Samantha Henderson

Since the Emergence they'd all had to learn: humans, certainly, but mostly the Lemurians...

Drabble - Any Day
by Shane Shennen

Music by Sara Ayers and Stone Jack Jones

strawman · Post by **strawman** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:47 pm

Six

I feel like I have just been on a visit to an exhibition of modern art. I have an impression, but not much confidence that my impression is what the author intended or what other peoples' impression would be. It is tempting to say nothing and wait to see what everyone else says (just like at the modern art exhibit).

Is this a trick question?

zZzacha · Post by **zZzacha** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:05 pm

It's been a while, but this story was ungraspable for me. I just didn't get it.
Same for the drabble... Or maybe my mind just isn't clear today, distracted by the Badass Animals.

Because the Badass Animals were real badass!!! Love them all, wouldn't wanna have them!

strawman wrote:Six

Is that the answer to your trick question?

Mr. Tweedy · Post by **Mr. Tweedy** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:39 pm

So...

Um...

That was a lot like the other Henderson story, Starry Night, only more-so. Lots of interesting texture and ambience, but what the heck was going on? An earthquake lets the cave-dwellers out into our world, where they are haunted by the ghosts/holographic avatars of dead humans? And hospital nurseries have become museum exhibits for some reason? And singing crystals have trouble harmonizing in sunlight? And people have a love/hate relationship with the buoyant dancing fat man?

Seems more like a brainstorming session than an actual story. If S. Henderson would take just one or two ideas out of there and expand on them, I bet it would be pretty sweet. (She's obviously a skilled wordsmith.) As it is, though, I feel like I just watched a movie with my one-year-old randomly hitting the "skip scene" button.

strawman · Post by **strawman** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:15 pm

zZzacha wrote:
strawman wrote:Six
Is that the answer to your trick question?

Actually, I confess, it's just a guess. (Otherwise known as a trick answer.)

Based on what I know of Samantha from her stories, I paid an imaginary visit to the L.A. church which she coordinates. Each of the headstones in the church graveyard is notable for the unique gemstone that displaces the dash between birth and death years. The place was packed for the service, but none of the robed ones spoke a word, nor did I see them leave the church. When I went back in to look for them, the church was empty. All I could figure was they must have left through the trap door behind the altar, which now appeared to be locked from the inside.

That's when I noticed the transparent woman kneeling to light a candle at the side of the church. I walked up to her quietly, so as not to disturb her prayers, but as I approached I saw that it was not a candle at the altar before her, but a GPS. She was writing down the numbers on it.

I ask her what she is doing. She says, "These are our coordinates. I am the coordinator."

Next thing I knew, Tweedy was slapping me and throwing water on my face, shouting, "Wake up, Strawman! You're on fire!"

No more speculative friction before bedtime for this boy.

Richmazzer · Post by **Richmazzer** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 7:16 pm

Er, well, based on what I know of Samantha's writing from her stories, I'd say it's very imaginative and Impressionistic. I enjoy it and think it's fun to be able to put pieces together myself. This story was a series of scenes from a much larger story, I felt, which the reader gets to put together.
If the human population was in jeopardy because of illness or something affecting fertility or birthrate ( I get the impression, from the movie scene, that this was set in earlier US History) scapegoats from underground would be perfect timing.
My only complaint is that I wish it was a bit longer, could have used two more scenes at least.

cammoblammo · Post by **cammoblammo** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:29 pm

When I heard this was going to be a Samamntha Henderson story, I expected to hear a story written in the style of, oh I don't know, Monet? Cezanne?

When I heard it, though, I was at the gym pumping weights. You know that state you enter when you've been exercising hard and you become incapable of rational thought? (I think it's got something to do with sugar levels.) I was in that state---I know I was, because I'd also loaded the bar up with twice as many weights as I was supposed to, and I didn't realise till the next day.

Anyway, I was in that state when I heard the story. Beautiful words were floating around the room, chasing one another and joining to form new words that never really existed. The air was fragrant with the scent of rott.. oh look! A baby!

Let us know when we get another Samantha Henderson story, Norm. I'll book myself into the dentist that day. Man, dentist drugs and a Samantha Henderson story. Sweeeeet....

I still have no idea what the story was about. But it left a great impression on me.

Oh, and Norm? Thanks for not rickrolling us in your top ten. I can do crazy things when I'm in a state.

Post by **normsherman** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:04 am

Cammo, I did totally cop the top 10 ideas from you.

I just wish you actually had a top ten to make my job easier.

I think this story is a 'listen twise'r' people. I agree with the 'it could have been longer comment' (although I clearly love flash fiction) but the story made sense to me in all the right ways. I think the impressionist analogy is great actually, as that's my fav style of art/music too. If you're not into that though, I agree that this story was even more vague than Starry Night, and then all I can say is hey, there's always next week!

The drabble was one of my favs ever.

strawman · Post by **strawman** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 1:52 pm

I had been hoping for more explanation-type discussion. I am reading Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood, and I have enjoyed sample pages of Finnegan's Wake... after all, everyone seems to agree that Joyce is the best speculative fiction of the 20th century. But honestly, I'm unable to appreciate the beauty of the language for its own sake, as an impression only. I feel like a severely nearsighted person trying to appreciate a view of the earth from the moon. It looks about the same as the moon from the earth.
I know Ms. Henderson won't be offended by a comparison to Joyce or Thomas. I just wish I could find my glasses.

Goldenrat · Post by **Goldenrat** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:17 pm

The drabble was cool. The top 10 badass animals gave me the willies on my lunch hour. I didn't quite get the feature presentation, way over this simpleton's head.

tbaker2500 · Post by **tbaker2500** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:38 pm

What threw me for a complete dissociative loop was the music leading into the top 10 badass animals list. It's the same piece that's used every week in the Podcacher Podcast, a podcast hosted by Sunny and Sandy, two of the most cheerful morning talk show style people you'll meet. That unexpected connection was more jarring than finding a worm in your brain stem.

Post by **normsherman** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:24 pm

ha! oh, that's a track that comes with garageband I just pulled cuz I didn't have anything else. shazam!

tbaker2500 · Post by **tbaker2500** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:46 pm

I'm actually pretty surprised that the universe didn't implode when two such diametrically opposed podcasts came into contact with one another.

treeman · Post by **treeman** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:14 pm

Hello everyone. I'm a fellow Drabblecast lover, thought it'd be about time to signup. The story made sense to me and I thought it was wonderfully written and richly produced.
The story was an alternate history/scifi set in early 1900's, and there are a lot of clues to this: Fatty Arbuckle/Mabel Normand silent film, the Tower of Jewels and Palace of Fine Arts that reference the Panama-Pacific Word Fair in California. The Lemurians appeared from the Earth probably from the big 1906 earthquake that destroyed San-Francisco and while some humans tried to accept them, they were secretly resented as the cause of the earthquake. L'wek is haunted by the ghost of a child that he presumably has never met, probably killed in the earthquake. The child hatchery is a little unclear to me and IMO didn't add to the story. Either there is a parallel problem with babies and mothers dying or it is just a scene, like the movie theatre, to show us how L'wek feels about humans, and what we are when it comes to things like earthquakes and bed fever: fragile.

tbaker2500 · Post by **tbaker2500** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:49 pm

Welcome to the forums, Treeman!

Some words of advice when perusing these discussions:
Don't say anything political to Mr. Tweedy, he's a leftist extremist who's in denial.
Watch out for Cammoblammo's mother-in-law, you never know when she'll be reading.
And don't mispronounce zzZacha on the podcast. She's got a rabbit she'll sic on you.

Mr. Tweedy · Post by **Mr. Tweedy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:44 am

tbaker2500 wrote:Don't say anything political to Mr. Tweedy, he's a leftist extremist who's in denial.

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

God is dead.

The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.

------------

Very insightful, treeman. Knowing just that bit of context, the story makes a lot more sense. You are a history buff, I take it? Good for you.

I dub treeman the official Drabblecast Historian. So let it be written.

cammoblammo · Post by **cammoblammo** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:57 pm

tbaker2500 wrote: Watch out for Cammoblammo's mother-in-law, you never know when she'll be reading.

I t gets worse. As of last week she has an internet connection, and her sister showed her how to use Google. I just KNOW she's going to google 'What's cammoblammo been saying about me?' and wind up here.

Post by **normsherman** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:06 am

Oops, ya, I kinda blew it. The real title of this story is "L'wek and Sarah at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915"...I totally missed the historical context/references so asked if we could shorten to just L'wek and Sarah because I thought it rang better and it seemed like an unnecessarily long title (aside from the date) that didn't ad to the story. Feel like a doof now that I know! So my bad.
Anyways, Samantha posted the story on her website if you wanna give it a read as well--
http://samhenderson.livejournal.com/92968.html

Mr. Tweedy · Post by **Mr. Tweedy** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:06 am

normsherman wrote:Oops, ya, I kinda blew it. The real title of this story is "L'wek and Sarah at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915"...I totally missed the historical context/references so asked if we could shorten to just L'wek and Sarah because I thought it rang better and it seemed like an unnecessarily long title (aside from the date) that didn't ad to the story. Feel like a doof now that I know! So my bad.
Anyways, Samantha posted the story on her website if you wanna give it a read as well--
http://samhenderson.livejournal.com/92968.html

Wow... This is the first time I've ever said this or even thought it, but, yup, you did blow it. That story would have made 100% more sense with the full title.

Mark it on your calendars people: Norm blows it. This only happens once every 96 episodes, on average, so we probably won't see it again for a few years. Maybe you could somehow incorporate that into a t-shirt somehow. It's historic, after all.

tbaker2500 · Post by **tbaker2500** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:15 am

Nah, not really. It helps in retrospect, but it wouldn't have made a big difference for me listening to it the first time.

Hey Norm, before upgrading to iLife '09 could you please please please make a backup of your domain file? iWeb '09 looks kinda neat, and you can finally publish to another host instead of mobileme if you get frustrated with it again.