Drabble: Aurelia Whatshername - due South

[katikat]

Title: Aurelia Whatshername
Author: katikat
Fandom: due South
Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply here.
Prompt: # 17, Wonder


Seeing his friend waving a hand at him, Fraser brought the sled to a gentle halt. Except for the dogs' harsh panting, the night was silent all around them, frozen and asleep.

"What is it, Ray?" Fraser asked, polite as always, his breath clouding.

Ray pointed at the sky with his mitten-covered hand. "Look, Frase, Aurelia Whatshername," he said, his excited voice muffled by a thick shawl.

"Aurora borealis," Fraser corrected.

"Yeah, that," Ray nodded, looking at the iridescent sky in wonder. "It's beautiful."

And for once, Fraser didn't launch into scientific explanations and only smiled. "Yes, Ray, it is."


The End

Theme Table

Comments

awww!

[olivia-sutton.livejournal.com]

Awww, that is so sweet!
Nice ficlet.
--Olivia

Re: awww!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love due South but it's really hard to write if you want to keep them in character because Fraser talks like a Canadian whereas Ray is American through and through... X(

Re: awww!

[olivia-sutton.livejournal.com]

Hi,

What I'd do is write Fraser using British/Canadian English (and also more formal English, because Fraser *does* speak very formally) and Ray using American English.
The other thing would be to point out how Fraser pronounces his vowels (the very clear, drawn-out "ou" for example).
I'm from Michigan, and I've been to Canada several times (and not just all over Ontario, but Manitoba and BC as well) and the ONLY foreign accent I can do convincingly is a Canadian one because I hear it a lot. I've been known to slip into it when I've been watching a lot of Canadian TV (and I have to be careful while travelling in Canada because I don't want to sound like I'm poking fun at people).
Oh-- and the reason Fraser talks like a Canadian is because Paul Gross IS a Canadian.
If you're really having trouble getting Fraser's accent right, I'd also suggest watching other shows that are either Canadian or at least filmed in Canada with a fairly large Canadian cast (like *Stargate: Atlantis*, Note - not SG1, which tho' filmed in Canada had an American cast).
Others to watch in no particular order:
Adderly, Street Legal, Traders, Forever Knight, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Friday the 13th the Series, Poltergeist: the Legacy, and the remake of The Outer Limits.
Unfortunately most of those are NOT on DVD (as much as I'd like them to be).
--Olivia

Re: awww!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Hehe, to me, it sounds all the same :P The only thing that I can tell apart is the American and Brittish English. I'm from Central Europe and English is my third language so I'm happy when I get the grammar and spelling right XD

And it's too bad that so many shows aren't out on DVD yet. I mean, I was so happy when I found out that at least Street Justice is out!

Re: awww!

[olivia-sutton.livejournal.com]

Ah-- didn't realise you're from Europe!
Usually I can spot someone who normally writes in British English writing in American English (they make a lot of small mistakes - involving how Americans actually speak; it always brings out my editor-half and I want to 'red-pen correct" their docs).
I've heard other folks from the UK say Americans and Canadians sound alike (more than once) and that seems so strange to me because, as I said, I live in a border state and I *hear* the Canadian accent all the time (heck I used to be able to watch CBC News), and it is different. Ok, subtly different, but it is.
Anyway - I'm REALLY impressed with your writing, knowing English is your third language. I could never write in Spanish (despite 8 years of the language in school) much less French (I tried REALLY hard to learn it and fell on my face).
If you ever want someone to beta your fic for Americanisms, let me know. I'd be more than willing to beta, evan for shows I don't watch (it's pretty easy to pick out "oppsies" - I've even managed to spot them in pro *Doctor Who* novels.)
Oh, thanks for the link to the Pros. archive - I can see some heavy reading in my future! :-)
Where is your "Wrong, all Wrong" Psych fic posted? The title doesn't sound familar.
Take care,
--Olivia

Re: awww!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

It's here:

http://katikat.livejournal.com/385302.html#cutid1

I love to write stories in English because in RL, I work as a translator, translating fantasy books from English into Czech. So this is a good exercise for me :)