"Vonnegut would like this place. I read a book where he is a minor member of the cast, and at the end he gives all the characters their freedom. Breakfast of Champions. Weird stuff.
I bet he'd walk in, look around, and figure this is where all those characters went afterwards. And then he'd probably buy a drink for any that come and say hi.
"Or he'd faint dead way when Kilgore Trout says hello.
"And I hope you've read some Vonnegut since otherwise I'm making no sense at all."
"I've read enough to somewhat follow, but not enough to make a worthwhile contribution. I wonder what Neil Gaiman would say if he came here and met his version of Death." The thought is amusing to her.
"Well, then we are even, since I don't know who Neil Gaiman is. Though I can guess that must be a writer who was busy channeling Death for much of his career.
"Funny how I haven't met any writers here yet. Maybe it's to protect the writers from either their works or from zealous fans."
"He wrote the Sandman series, among others. He's a very intelligent guy from what I can tell."
She snorts. "Yeah--that probably would be to their benefit to protect the writers. It'd be awkward to hear the people you thought you created criticizing what you wrote."
Barry thinks for a moment and smiles nostalgically.
"It should have been as weird as meeting Indy or McCoy, but it wasn't. It feel like meeting a long lost uncle. Julie Schwartz was the nicest guy, so that helped. But so did how much he seemed to care about my life and what I'd been through.
"It was as if he really believed that on some level he wasn't helping to write the stories but only to tell them. And that he'd known I was real the whole time.
"And the enthusiasm he had, it wasn't like when Ray met me. It was calmer. A meeting of two adults who happened to be a comic book editor and a super-hero. In some ways, it was like the best of Milliways."
"That is a theory I have encountered in several places: that those who write aren't actually creating, but channeling the stories and images," she says nodding.
"I've heard that, of course. It makes a certian amount of sense, but it would tend to diminish the creative process some. And why should writers be mediums for outher worlds when painters or musicians aren't? I think artistic skill goes beyond even the strange explanations sometimes.
"Have you told this thoery to Suti? He seems to like such things, judging by the conversations we'd had and the stuff Eska has told me."
"One of these days, we should we go to the garden together and you should show me around. It's been too long since I've relaxed in a garden with a beutiful woman.
"Which reminds me that we haven't had a real date in a while, either. Are you feeling up for one next week?" His smile blossoms.
"All in good time, my dear Sara." He takes her hand, still smiling. It's been a long week, but he knows that with her at his side, they can both get better, together.
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"Vonnegut would like this place. I read a book where he is a minor member of the cast, and at the end he gives all the characters their freedom. Breakfast of Champions. Weird stuff.
I bet he'd walk in, look around, and figure this is where all those characters went afterwards. And then he'd probably buy a drink for any that come and say hi.
"Or he'd faint dead way when Kilgore Trout says hello.
"And I hope you've read some Vonnegut since otherwise I'm making no sense at all."
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"Funny how I haven't met any writers here yet. Maybe it's to protect the writers from either their works or from zealous fans."
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She snorts. "Yeah--that probably would be to their benefit to protect the writers. It'd be awkward to hear the people you thought you created criticizing what you wrote."
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"I've told you about how I met the editor of my comics once, didn't I?"
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"It should have been as weird as meeting Indy or McCoy, but it wasn't. It feel like meeting a long lost uncle. Julie Schwartz was the nicest guy, so that helped. But so did how much he seemed to care about my life and what I'd been through.
"It was as if he really believed that on some level he wasn't helping to write the stories but only to tell them. And that he'd known I was real the whole time.
"And the enthusiasm he had, it wasn't like when Ray met me. It was calmer. A meeting of two adults who happened to be a comic book editor and a super-hero. In some ways, it was like the best of Milliways."
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"Have you told this thoery to Suti? He seems to like such things, judging by the conversations we'd had and the stuff Eska has told me."
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"Which reminds me that we haven't had a real date in a while, either. Are you feeling up for one next week?" His smile blossoms.
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"But just you and the garden should be just as superb." And Barry smiles in anticipation. "Tuesday sound good?"
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[ooc: time to wrap. Have a good weekend.]
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And she squeezes his hand, content.