When I was about 14-15 it was almost the end of term and my English teacher set the class the challenge of writing a short love story for fun of just 2-3 pages in length. At that time I had a really big crush on a girl who lived in our street who went to another school so my story was based on all the anguish of plucking up enough courage to meet her on the very last day of term how and confess how I felt about her. In real life I didn't anticipate much success so in my story I wrote that after plucking up enough courage I waited for her at the school gate amid all the teasing about coming from a different school etc. but she never showed up anyway and I was left staring across a deserted playground feeling greatly disappointed. When a stray pupil finally came ambling out a few minutes later I asked him if she was still inside he informed me that she left ages ago but through another gate. The irony is that as it was not proper school work she never marked the stories so I had no idea how good or bad she thought it was. Even more frustrating was that she asked some kids to read theirs out and kept saying there was one in particular that impressed her a lot. While other kids were putting up their hands and being dismissed I didn't, because although I had this gut feeling it might have been mine it just felt too arrogant to suggest it! So I never asked and never knew because she gave up looking. Years later though it was that short story which was the germ for Part One of Simply Sarah which was really an extended and padded version of the original essay but with a happier ending!. But after 10 years of SS and having had so many people say how much they love the story, I feel I got my recognition after all. :)
I have replied to last weeks comments now too btw! :)
In one of Fanny Flagg's novels a character at some point says to the girl he is in love with:"you may be the one for me, but that doesn't mean I'm the one for you."
I feel like this may be the case here for Sarah and Lucy... Let's see.
Arici: That's a lovely quote and so very true! Love seems to start off as a sort of balancing act of who desires to be with the other most. In her relationship with Janey I preferred to make Sarah the most insecure as that mirrored so much of how I felt at that age but after Sarah cheated on her it reversed the situation, made Sarah stronger and Janey herself weaker which is how I feel life balances out. With Lucy though we've had her grieving for a girl who 'died' and forming a new relationship with Sarah who has just stepped out of a broken relationship to a girl who was 'her everything' so apart from being able to comfort each other and share some fun I've never been sure just how close they really feel.
I admire you putting so much of yourself in your story. Thank God my main story doesn't really reflect my real life Haha (though I do draw from some experiences)! Beautiful page! I'm pleasantly surprised with how quickly Laura has grown on me!! In the rare glimpses, she seemed... I dunno... Dour is the right word! And she hasn't exactly been a bundle of joy in these scenes (understandably so...) but something about her, the way she walks and talks... I really like her!
Kim: My biggest mistake with Laura was that I always knew her personality but never considered her looks! I wanted her to be plain and unassuming, very demure and quiet, because life has never been a bed of roses for her so I never felt she would be a party girl like Lucy or Janey.
HAha - I remember doing that 'school gate' thing too, with the same result 'aeons' ago now B-) Of course Sare won't keep quiet - I wouldn't have, and she's a better person than I am ! B-)
Bear: I think we all love stories we can relate too. We all have fantasize which is why super hero stories do so well but at the same time a story saying it's okay to make mistakes or fail can be just as uplifting because they remind us we are not individually stupid, just human. :)
Oh yeah, the Gypsy woman, hmmm....fabulous backgrounds sky, where do you come up with them, I hate drawing backgrounds, have nothing to do with my story, take up so much time too.
Mo: The place is real, which helps a lot Mo. ;) I've never thought of you as being starved of imagination when it comes to backgrounds as you've impressed or dazzled me too many times in the past as it is. One thing I love about backgrounds is that they are not as important as facial expressions or body poses, if you go a bit astray you can normally just forget about it. But I observe all the time, I'm always curious about the way things are, how they grow or were constructed and although most of it gets forgotten, enough seems to get retained to be able to put down some reasonably interesting background art when I'm not using a photo as a ref.
Oh Sarah, will you keep quiet and get to keep Lucy or will you speak up and lose her? Rally intriguing situation - I am starting to believe all three of them should be seeking other partners.
I'm sure the teacher meant your story ;)
Don't believe Laura is lying, butt also don't believe that what she is saying is what _would_ have happened ... Of course Sarah is going to ask about the Gypsy Woman, because saying nothing and 'winning' Lucy by default is simply not her way, plus, she wants to know more about Lenore :D
Well yeah, that was kinda his plan: drive them apart and ensure at least _one_ of them will never seek out the other, and he wasn't going to do that to his own daughter
DV: haha You are so right! I think the most important point about Ron's actions are not what he did or did not intend to do but what Laura believes. If she is convinced he meant to kill her then she lives in fear as a result despite anything he may say now and that is really the saddest part of the whole event.
Your teacher possibly didn't say anything because she didn't want to embarrass you :D This is one of the few truly _romance_ stories have come across, most of the others are fantasy or science fiction settings, not 'real world'
DV: That's a possibility but the weirdest thing is that we were a class of about 30 and I was about 3 rows back, probably half excited and half rigid with fear as I was never a loud person in school. The expression on her face was genuine confusion I think as she spent about a minute trying to work it out but as she had handed all our work back she had nothing to refer to. I can remember trying to catch her gaze which is the most adventurous act I could achieve but her eyes just kept skating past me!
NicandBen: You're quite right but no, I wasn't brave enough to submit a lesbian story to my teacher and if she had asked me to read it out too, I'd have just died! I wrote it in the first person which made my main character genderless. I just assumed that she would think I was writing the story from the boys point of view which is possibly what confused her when she was trying to recall who wrote it! If anyone had asked though I would have lied and said my main character was male!
Yes, dear Sky, if nothing else I hope that your readers' comments over the years have not only recognized, but also validated your story. And the artistry with which you and Becky are telling it. Like your reader last week, I too have followed many LGBTQ webcomics for years, and yours is one of only two I have stayed with. And this is the only Comments section I read, because I can't stand the incivility that characterizes other sites. Thank you for creating this little bright spot on the web.
Fred: I'm always glad in many ways that this comic didn't reach a larger network than I could cope with. I've been on various different sites before where the deluge of interest had swamped the site to the degree that the original host was no longer able to respond individually to their fans. All my life I've preferred to know a few people well rather than a large number of people on just a casual basis and that's what I've enjoyed so much here over the years.
tommym at 9:33AM, July 7, 2018
Dear Sky Forgot about gypsy woman. Such nice river bridge and boats tommym
arici at 12:23PM, June 13, 2018
In one of Fanny Flagg's novels a character at some point says to the girl he is in love with:"you may be the one for me, but that doesn't mean I'm the one for you." I feel like this may be the case here for Sarah and Lucy... Let's see.
skyangel at 2:49AM, June 16, 2018
Arici: That's a lovely quote and so very true! Love seems to start off as a sort of balancing act of who desires to be with the other most. In her relationship with Janey I preferred to make Sarah the most insecure as that mirrored so much of how I felt at that age but after Sarah cheated on her it reversed the situation, made Sarah stronger and Janey herself weaker which is how I feel life balances out. With Lucy though we've had her grieving for a girl who 'died' and forming a new relationship with Sarah who has just stepped out of a broken relationship to a girl who was 'her everything' so apart from being able to comfort each other and share some fun I've never been sure just how close they really feel.
KimLuster at 6:51PM, June 10, 2018
I admire you putting so much of yourself in your story. Thank God my main story doesn't really reflect my real life Haha (though I do draw from some experiences)! Beautiful page! I'm pleasantly surprised with how quickly Laura has grown on me!! In the rare glimpses, she seemed... I dunno... Dour is the right word! And she hasn't exactly been a bundle of joy in these scenes (understandably so...) but something about her, the way she walks and talks... I really like her!
skyangel at 2:54AM, June 16, 2018
Kim: My biggest mistake with Laura was that I always knew her personality but never considered her looks! I wanted her to be plain and unassuming, very demure and quiet, because life has never been a bed of roses for her so I never felt she would be a party girl like Lucy or Janey.
BearinOz at 7:12PM, June 9, 2018
HAha - I remember doing that 'school gate' thing too, with the same result 'aeons' ago now B-) Of course Sare won't keep quiet - I wouldn't have, and she's a better person than I am ! B-)
BearinOz at 3:02AM, June 16, 2018
Well I'm human AND individually stupid ! B-)
skyangel at 2:59AM, June 16, 2018
Bear: I think we all love stories we can relate too. We all have fantasize which is why super hero stories do so well but at the same time a story saying it's okay to make mistakes or fail can be just as uplifting because they remind us we are not individually stupid, just human. :)
moizmad at 2:11PM, June 9, 2018
Oh yeah, the Gypsy woman, hmmm....fabulous backgrounds sky, where do you come up with them, I hate drawing backgrounds, have nothing to do with my story, take up so much time too.
skyangel at 3:04AM, June 16, 2018
Mo: The place is real, which helps a lot Mo. ;) I've never thought of you as being starved of imagination when it comes to backgrounds as you've impressed or dazzled me too many times in the past as it is. One thing I love about backgrounds is that they are not as important as facial expressions or body poses, if you go a bit astray you can normally just forget about it. But I observe all the time, I'm always curious about the way things are, how they grow or were constructed and although most of it gets forgotten, enough seems to get retained to be able to put down some reasonably interesting background art when I'm not using a photo as a ref.
Infected Blood at 12:53PM, June 9, 2018
Oh Sarah, will you keep quiet and get to keep Lucy or will you speak up and lose her? Rally intriguing situation - I am starting to believe all three of them should be seeking other partners. I'm sure the teacher meant your story ;)
skyangel at 4:31AM, June 16, 2018
IB: Haha I think you maybe right. It would certainly solve everything if they all went their seperate ways!
DarkVisor at 12:43PM, June 9, 2018
Don't believe Laura is lying, butt also don't believe that what she is saying is what _would_ have happened ... Of course Sarah is going to ask about the Gypsy Woman, because saying nothing and 'winning' Lucy by default is simply not her way, plus, she wants to know more about Lenore :D
DarkVisor at 10:08PM, June 16, 2018
Well yeah, that was kinda his plan: drive them apart and ensure at least _one_ of them will never seek out the other, and he wasn't going to do that to his own daughter
skyangel at 3:09AM, June 16, 2018
DV: haha You are so right! I think the most important point about Ron's actions are not what he did or did not intend to do but what Laura believes. If she is convinced he meant to kill her then she lives in fear as a result despite anything he may say now and that is really the saddest part of the whole event.
DarkVisor at 12:39PM, June 9, 2018
Your teacher possibly didn't say anything because she didn't want to embarrass you :D This is one of the few truly _romance_ stories have come across, most of the others are fantasy or science fiction settings, not 'real world'
skyangel at 3:15AM, June 16, 2018
DV: That's a possibility but the weirdest thing is that we were a class of about 30 and I was about 3 rows back, probably half excited and half rigid with fear as I was never a loud person in school. The expression on her face was genuine confusion I think as she spent about a minute trying to work it out but as she had handed all our work back she had nothing to refer to. I can remember trying to catch her gaze which is the most adventurous act I could achieve but her eyes just kept skating past me!
skyangel at 2:15AM, June 16, 2018
NicandBen: You're quite right but no, I wasn't brave enough to submit a lesbian story to my teacher and if she had asked me to read it out too, I'd have just died! I wrote it in the first person which made my main character genderless. I just assumed that she would think I was writing the story from the boys point of view which is possibly what confused her when she was trying to recall who wrote it! If anyone had asked though I would have lied and said my main character was male!
fredhedges at 8:13AM, June 9, 2018
Yes, dear Sky, if nothing else I hope that your readers' comments over the years have not only recognized, but also validated your story. And the artistry with which you and Becky are telling it. Like your reader last week, I too have followed many LGBTQ webcomics for years, and yours is one of only two I have stayed with. And this is the only Comments section I read, because I can't stand the incivility that characterizes other sites. Thank you for creating this little bright spot on the web.
skyangel at 2:07AM, June 16, 2018
Fred: I'm always glad in many ways that this comic didn't reach a larger network than I could cope with. I've been on various different sites before where the deluge of interest had swamped the site to the degree that the original host was no longer able to respond individually to their fans. All my life I've preferred to know a few people well rather than a large number of people on just a casual basis and that's what I've enjoyed so much here over the years.