picture challenge

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Hi everybody! Newby popping in here with my first contribution, a drabble.

Verlaine

A Thousand Words

I don't usually try to draw his face. I never was much good at portraits; don't have the true artist's eye for subtlety. The wrong slant to his mouth, and he looks like a sulky spoiled child. Shadow his eyes too much, and he's a brute, cold as any terrorist.

But his back—that tells the real story, in simple strong lines that carry the weight of life and death with grace. Nothing subtle about the power in those shoulders. Deadly competency can be beautiful.

I can only say stuff like that when he can't see my face.

Comments

[myrebelcat.livejournal.com]

Oh... I like this!

I particularly like how we don't need to know it's Doyle who is the artist, because it's unmistakable who he's talking about. Bodie *does* get that sulky spoiled look sometimes, when the camera isn't complimenting him. And he can look like a thug. But that back... I'm in love with Bodie's back, I think. The line of the shoulders carving down to the hips is very striking.

And of course with your last line I now have a wonderful image in my head of Doyle tossing out a comment like that just when Bodie's got no opportunity to look him in the eye, and then the expression of endearing bewilderment on Bodie's face when he realizes he's just been complimented and not even in a backhanded kind of way. Nice! :-)

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Rebel. I'm quite fond of watching Bodie walk away too

And I think this is the first comment I've ever gotten that's longer than the actual story

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Lovely drabble! Particularly liked simple strong lines that carry the weight of life and death with grace ... really nice line that sums up Bodie beautifully, the old tough'n'tender thing that he is (a bit, sometimes *g*)

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Glad you liked it

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Nice to see a drabble for the challenge - and what a good one it is too! Deadly competency can be beautiful. Loved this line, Bodie distilled beautifully to five words; just what a drabble should do. Thanks for posting this up.

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Always have have liked my guys tall dark and mean

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Y'know.. I only just made the meandthee connection, my friend. Sorry, brain is kind of sleep deprived these days. So, let me give you an extra squee and a handclap, Verlaine, as I usher you gleefully thru' the Pros door of writing - more please!

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

I do kind of sneak under the radar, LOL

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I like this very much, but (I don't know if you had this in mind) it strikes me as a little sad; the line I can only say stuff like that when he can't see my face makes me think that Doyle may not just be out of Bodie's line of sight but out of earshot altogether - that maybe he's saying this to himself alone, because he can't say it to Bodie. But Bodie will suss him out sooner or later ... thank you for this!

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the nice comment. My take on the "can only say stuff like that when he can't see my face" wasn't so bleak - more the typical guy thing that "real men don't say nice things about each other". *g* After all, somebody might blush or something.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Oh, Verlaine, nice! Quite heart=tugging in just a few words. It is a bit sad, but in a good way. Thanks! (kat dances off happily, chanting: Verlaine's writing Pros...)

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Kat. This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't got me going on those curls . . . ah, well. hooked now.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

It is my mission in life to drag as many people into Pros as I did into Sentinel. I think I have a lot more work to do. Now please write me a pretty story. You can even x-over them with S&H if it makes you feel more at home.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Nice!
I love drabbles as an art/fic form. This is a particularly good example of the genre because it encapsulates the entire story/back story etc. in the tiny ficlet. We have everything we need to know in 100 words!!

We could do a drabble challenge...... Anyone?

(A friend ran one on another of my fandoms, The West Wing and gave us another obsolete/obscure word each week to use/illustrate in 100 words - with great results).

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Drabbles are interesting, but for somebody like me, who sweats over every word anyway, they're a real challenge.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I love drabbles too... empty_mirrors has got something planned out for the next challenge here at dialj, but I'd love to do a drabble challenge somewhere... But then, maybe while she's preparing, a little snatched-time drabble challenge... hmmn... but you have to join in with the lads if we do it here! What d'you reckon? I'll give out prompt words if people fancy the idea...

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Definitely!
I'm too busy, writing-wise, to start any proper (or improper) fics but I love doing drabbles!
One of my 'muse' journals regularly contributes to drabblemania so I'm in practice!!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh excellent! Meanwhile, I've checked with co-mod, and she says yeay, go for it! So I'll do the close-out for Sketchbook, and we'll sneak in an impromptu drabble challenge... *g*

Actually, I might ask you a favour (as instigator!) - it's occured to me that I'm going to be at a writing con this weekend, and the hotel charges nassssty amounts for using the internet (which I usually give in to, tbh *g*), but if I'm in a session, and empty_mirrors isn't around, might you be able to give out a word prompt or two, if you see that someone's asked for one and I don't seem to reply in five minutes or so? That'd be ever so helpful... Probably wouldn't involve too much time either?

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! I'm away this weekend (early Saturday till late Sunday) at a hotel without internet connection at any price! If I see something before I go or after I come back, of course I'll wade in!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh I am too - hee! I should have sporadic internet access though, so I'll be able to pop in and out. And if you happen to see someone looking for a prompt this evening... *g* Actually I've thrown it open to anyone to respond, after all - it occurred to me that it might be quite cool to have other people entirely able to give prompts! So we should be good... Now we just have to hope for drabblers!

Look what you've done, loyseofverlaine - being all inspiration-y! *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh this was lovely - thank you. Of course Doyle knows Bodie so well that he knows the effect of a single changed line, or stroke of colour, and just oh for shy-Doyle... Thank you - and welcome to dialj! Hope we'll see you again, with more! *g*