author's notes.

I don't know where this story came from, I really don't. I was in bed one night, and I had the song stuck in my head, and I'd been watching some video footage, and I thought -- well, what if? How did these five misfits -- despite their strong talent and hard work -- seem to grow so successful so quickly, and why could they command such an audience and such devotion from their fans?

Marketing, of course. But it was starting to happen in Germany, even before the marketing machine was stepped up and put into movement. What was it that was making these girls scream and faint?

This isn't the answer, of course, but I like to think that it's a good read anyway.

"Tam Lin", first written down by Francis Child in his "English and Scottish Popular Ballads" as Child 39A, can be dated back to the 16th century. Perhaps the best-known recordings that are easily available are by Steeleye Span, on their album "Tonight's the Night", and Fairport Convention, on their album "Liege and Lief". While the Steeleye Span version is more comprehensive, the Fairport Convention version is more true to the original tune. I learned it from a friend who learned it in Ireland, where they still remember the old stories. (If said friend happens to bear a resemblance to a certain Bard in this story, I'm sure he'll forgive me.) There are also many books that use the story as a base, including Pamela Dean's excellent Tam Lin, which is one of my most favorite books ever.

Náid's has been renamed from my favorite pub, but the trip from New Brunswick to Orlando doesn't seem to have done it much harm; I rather suspect that it exists in a lot of places already.

Chris quotes Ani DiFranco on Monday night (full quote: "I was a long time coming / I'll be a long time gone / You got your whole life to do something / And that's not that long / So why don't you give me a call / When you're willing to fight / For what you think is real / For what you think is right"), and Lance's story on Wednesday night is, in fact, a Norse myth, though the wording of it is my own.

This story was written to "Teardrop", by Massive Attack, on endless repeat. The song's music sounds a lot like the way the story's language turned out, in my head, and I couldn't have finished this without it.

I also could not have finished it without the wonderful and amazing SarahQ, who was there to provide beta advice, voice checking, plot suggestions, and encouragement when I was ready to throw the story in the trash. This story is as much hers as mine in a lot of places, and I cannot thank her enough. Go raibh maith agat, mo mhúirnín; tá tú go h-álainn.

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