Pick a little Brit?

[apple_pathways]

Does anyone have time to Brit-pick a fic of mine? It's a Sherlock/Doctor Who/Firefly crossover fic--you don't need to know anything about the various canons, just be able to help me out with UK/British carnival terminology: for instance, should I say "carnival" or "fair?"

You don't have to worry about SPAG or anything else, I just want to make it seem vaguely plausible this story could take place in England!

Please and thanks yous. :D

Comments

[katyscarlett76.livejournal.com]

You can shoot it over to me if you like, I'm vaguely familiar with the canons (one more than the other two obviously) and am definitely British!

On the carnival or fair thing. We do use both so it may depend on the kind of event you mean?? I'm thinking that a fair would be something with mainly just rides and fast food vans whereas carnival suggests something bigger perhaps with stalls run by the likes of the Women's Institute?? Of course that could just be round here! But then I'm also thinking that schools round here tend to have a Summer Fayre, no rides except maybe a bouncy castle, and lots of stalls selling bits and bobs or cakes baked by the mums, so yeah, depends what kind of event you mean!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I have most of it written, so I just need to know which parts make sense, and which might be better served with different terminology or a different concept.

Do you have a google account? The file is on google docs, and I could just share it with you if that's the case. PM me with your preferred method of delivery! And THANK YOU! :D

[katyscarlett76.livejournal.com]

I do, but it's my RL one so I'll have to trust you! (fandom one's hotmail) PMing my details..

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

It'll be a mutual exchange of trust: mine's my RL one, as well, and my real name to boot! (I'm one of two people in the entire United States with my first and last name combo: the other one is my cousin. :P So don't worry--I don't take your trust lightly!)

[katyscarlett76.livejournal.com]

I've just read it through (and now intrigued btw, will look out for you posting!). Nothing particularly jumps out at me as too American, I think it's fine on that score. The only thing is, related to what I said above, if it's supposed to be a kind of travelling funfair kind of place (i.e. lots of vans and tours the country setting up wherever, something like this) as opposed to a local carnival/fayre (i.e. run by the local community, more like this) which just happens to have rides, then I'd probably call it a fair rather than a carnival but that might just be what we say up here.

Anyway, yes it does sound like something that could happen here!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Ah, funfair! Yes, that's another good term to use. Thanks for looking it over! Lord knows I've consumed enough British media by now to have a basic handle on the vocabulary, but you never know with those little, everyday details that you never really think about until somebody gets it wrong!

Thank you thank you, again!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

OH--and I totally meant to tell you that it's supposed to be John Watson (Sherlock), River Song (Doctor Who), and River Tam (Firefly) who are taking part in the shooting match. (That info is included in the prompt, which will be posted with the story, which is why I wasn't particularly explicit about who some of them were!) You were probably able to guess the characters' identities, but just in case you weren't... ;)

[bwblack.livejournal.com]

Not even close to qualified for brit picking but the most random thing I ever learned in a brit pick. duelling. not dueling.

[planejane.livejournal.com]

Hi, hi! A carnival is a parade, with floats and so on. Sometimes there's a fair, with rides and booths (target shooting, ring toss) and food, also, but the carnival part is the parade on the street.

A fayre is a more 'cultured' event, with baked goods, crafts and so on for sale, and there wouldn't be big rides like a big wheel. More likely pony rides for kids etc.

Let me know if you need anymore help.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you! That's most helpful. Definitely will have to go through and replace 'carnival' with 'fair'.