She Who Staples

I had to default on Yuletide due to having no energy whatsoever (a pity, because I liked my assignment a lot and had most of a plot outlined - will try to get it done as a New Year's Resolution) but I still got two lovely gifts:

Firstly, for the painting In the Theatre Dressing Room, this lovely piece:

endless is the joy (1990 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: In der Theatergarderobe | In the Theatre Dressing Room - Friedrich von Amerling
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character(s) & Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s) & Original Male Character(s)
Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Lesbian Character, Queer Themes, Marriage of Convenience, Arranged Marriage, Secret Relationship, Romance, Friendship/Love, Siblings, Brother-Sister Relationships, Sister-Sister Relationship, Asexual Relationship, Asexual Character, POV Lesbian Character, Beards (Relationships), Platonic Relationships, Queer Families, Protective Parents, Painting, Artists, Regency, Regency Romance, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, Historical Tableaux, Jeanne d'Arc | Joan of Arc References, Mentioned Jeanne d'Arc | Joan of Arc, Die Jungfrau von Orleans
Summary:

Alethea tries not to shiver. It isn't easy when her lover is nuzzling her neck and her sister is pinning and stitching her dress in a room that's far too cold... but they could, perhaps, make other arrangements in future.

And then, for Romeo and Juliet, a bittersweet fix-it:

Salvation (1187 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Benvolio/Romeo Montague
Characters: Benvolio (Romeo and Juliet), Romeo Montague, Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Possibly Unrequited Love, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Cousin Incest, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Canonical Suicide Attempt
Summary:

In which Benvolio is guided into saving Romeo, whether by luck or divine (ghostly?) intervention.

About a hundred years ago I posted the fic commentary meme and a little after that muccamukk asked me to talk about Skirmish and Retreat. So, with apologies for tardiness, here it is. (I'm still open to requests, by the way, though it may well take me another two months to fill them since Real Life continues to happen.)

This was the story I wrote for Yuletide in 2021, and my first substantial attempt at fic for Much Ado About Nothing (I'd previously written a drabble, but I think that's it). Among my recipient's prompts was pre-canon, with Beatrice and Benedick as exes. I did have one of those 'can I really do justice to that canon?' moments, but decided to start writing in that general direction and see what happened.


Skirmish and Retreat

The title appeared rather late in the day; it's an allusion, of course, to the 'merry war', as Leonato characterises the dynamic between Beatrice and Benedick, and it more or less summarises the story.

( Read more... )

My very Romeo and Juliet year continues with two gifts. Firstly, my main gift, which takes five different interpretations of the story (a couple of which I had to Google, which has sent me down at least one other rabbit hole) and looks at all the different Romeo figures. It's a delightful tour through several different settings and tones.

she has always been the song (1955 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Juliet Capulet/Romeo Montague
Characters: Romeo Montague, Juliet Capulet
Additional Tags: Media Study, Vignettes, Canon Compliant, (to several canons), Other: See Story Notes
Summary:

Juliet. A song he could sing and sing and sing. He’d never tire of it. He’d follow her anywhere to hear just one more note.

And then a Madness ficlet, which captures what I find fascinating about the play in a few powerful words:

Uncivil Tongues (105 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Feuds, Backstory, Canon Backstory
Summary:

How did the feud really start?

Having finally been brave enough to offer Lord Peter Wimsey, I was immediately assigned to write Lord Peter Wimsey. I'm glad I thought about it hard first.

The Transformative Affair of the Decaying Typescript (3225 words) by El Staplador
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Peter Wimsey, Harriet Vane, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Case Fic
Summary:

An unsatisfactory dinner early in Peter and Harriet's relationship at least throws up an intriguing problem.

I'd hoped to write more in the way of treats, but was so blooming knackered through December that I only managed one little ficlet for Madness. As I remarked before reveals, no prizes for guessing which.

A Royal Duty (697 words) by El Staplador
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Zenda Novels - Anthony Hope
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Flavia/Rudolf Rassendyll
Characters: Rudolf Rassendyll, Flavia (Zenda)
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Victorian, Ficlet
Summary:

The King of Ruritania attends a state funeral in a city with which he's more familiar than he ought to be, and can't help reflecting on the life he leads now and the life he's left behind.

(This can be read as an AU which diverges from canon either just before the end of The Prisoner of Zenda or just before the end of Rupert of Hentzau. Either way, that can be assumed to have happened several years before this story.)

( Fic round-up meme )

( Fandom meme )

Thank you for writing for me! I've requested a mix of old favourites and new interests here. Whichever fandom you write in, I'll be delighted.

The theme this year seems to be 'adventures in continental Europe, possibly romantic' (with the possible exception of James Bond, though I'd be very happy to see Miss Ponsonby and Miss Moneypenny doing some fieldwork). Frankly I could do with a bit of escapism. (That doesn't necessarily mean it has to be cheerful and fluffy, though!)

I'd be very happy to receive either gen or shippy fic, and am OK with any rating. I'm open to unconventional or experimental forms.

I have a general likes and dislikes post here. You can find stories I've bookmarked here and my own stories here.


James Bond - Ian Fleming

I always like the scenes at MI6 (though I skim the infodumps) and I'm fascinated by Loelia Ponsonby. We always see her through Bond's rather limited viewpoint, and of course she doesn't make it into the films. I'd like to see another view of her, and Miss Moneypenny.

Femslash would be lovely (they share a dressmaker! do they share more than that?), but really I'd be delighted to read anything about these two committed, professional women. What are their unique skills? How do they deal with the tedium and bureaucracy of office life? What did they do in the War? Keep them in the office or send them off on a mission somewhere exotic. Bring in other characters or not as you feel moved.


The King of a Rainy Country - Brigid Brophy

I find this book enchanting and frustrating in equal measure, and feel that there are lots of things that could be added or changed - missing scenes, canon-divergent AUs, post-canon second thoughts. I really like the not-quite-swinging London setting, and I'd prefer any story to remain within the canon universe (i.e. DNW alternative setting AUs).

I've requested Susan. What does she do next? We see her following a lot of paths that don't really seem to end up anywhere. Does she ever find her way?

I'm happy for you to include any of the other nominated characters, and anyone else in the book. I'm very open to reading about a relationship between Susan and any of the other nominated characters. Show me more of that schooldays thing with Cynthia. What happens if Helena recovers, or even lives just a little bit longer? Is there something more than she's telling to her relationship with Neale? And I feel like the Cynthia striptease book has possibilities. I'm open to happy, bittersweet, or downright depressing endings - whatever you can make work.


Renault Clio '30 years in the making' commercial

I have to say that my own experiences of French exchange trips were not nearly this exciting. Anyway, I enjoy the glimpses we get of this developing relationship and I'd love to see what happens in between, or afterwards. Feel free to leave the reality this appears to be set in - I'd be very happy to read about Gemma and Sieza's adventures in the 2050 solar-powered interstellar Clio model.

Since this is a contemporary-set cross-Channel romance, the twin scourges of Brexit and Covid-19 might both be relevant. I don't mind your mentioning either of them, either as background detail or as one of several challenges to be overcome, but would prefer them not to be the main focus of your story. Alternatively, ignoring them completely is also fine!


Zenda novels - Anthony Hope

I request this series a lot, and am always happy to receive more in it. Any addition to this world would be wonderful. Rupert's adventures after the end of PoZ? Rudolf having to resort to extraordinary measures to get the letter back from Rupert? Rudolf and Flavia giving into temptation? Or working together to neutralise some threat to the monarchy? Everything going to hell in the Great War?

I've requested Any, and I'm also happy for you to include any other characters in canon. (This includes The Heart of Princess Osra, if you feel like jumping back a century or so.) I'm here for any of the canon ships, and would be equally happy to see Rudolf/Rupert or Flavia/Helga. (I can't really see Rudolf/Helga happening, though maybe one could do something with Rupert/Helga. DNW Rupert/Flavia.) This is a canon that I willingly cry over, and I'm willing to cry over fic too. I'm also open to fix-its and canon divergence.

DNW: the Henchmen of Zenda characterisation of Rupert Hentzau. (Spoilery details here if you haven't read THoZ and are worried about hitting this DNW by mistake - for what it's worth, I think it's unlikely.) If you're bringing in Rupert's canonical propensity for rape, please keep it, as in canon, off-screen and unsuccessful.

Yuletide! I received a story in the_comfortable_courtesan, and it's heartbreaking and lovely. The author picked up on my hints about liking a grand Victorian deathbed, and wrote me exactly that. I have tears in my eyes and also I love it.

A Valediction (1748 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Comfortable Courtesan - Madame C- C-
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Lord G- R-/Mr MacD (The Comfortable Courtesan), Madame C-/Mrs F- (The Comfortable Courtesan)
Characters: Lord G- R- (The Comfortable Courtesan), Mr MacD- (The Comfortable Courtesan), Madame C- (The Comfortable Courtesan), Mrs F- (The Comfortable Courtesan)
Summary:

A small fragment of time, set just before the resumption of the series after the time-jump.

My own story is not getting much attention, but what it is getting is positive. For much of yesterday it was sitting at: Kudos 1 Comments 2 Hits 1, all of that being the recipient. You can't ask for more than that!

Two delightful stories for me, both very much to my taste in very different ways.

Firstly, this lovely Red Shoes character study, incisive and insightful, with lots of excellent period and theatrical detail.

Greasepaint and Bliss (2171 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Red Shoes (1948), Ballet RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Victoria Page, Marie Rambert
Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Ballet, Theatre, Artists, Ambition
Summary:

On a wet Saturday afternoon, Vicky realized that she had outgrown the Mercury Theatre.

Secondly, some Merry Widow backstory, with some very enjoyable worldbuilding, and the Vilja herself. It captures the sense of a changing world and makes Pontevedro feel as real as Paris.

Three Times Countess Hanna Glawari Danilovitsch Saw the Vilja up the Mountain, and Lived to Tell the Tale (6112 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Die Lustige Witwe | The Merry Widow
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hanna Glawari/Maximilian Glawari, Hanna Glawari/Danilo Danilowitsch
Characters: Hanna Glawari, Maximilian Glawari, Danilo Danilowitsch
Additional Tags: ruritania, Vilja - Freeform, Legends, Folk Tales, Pontevedrin Pride, Pontevedro
Summary:

Hanna met the Vilja three times. The spirit of the wilderness contests with Hanna for the life of a goat, a man, and something else.

I've been dipping into the rest of the collection, but the flat is full of family who need to be fed and entertained, so it's slow going so far.

Thank you for writing for me! It's been a few years since I last did Yuletide, and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

If you want to know more about my likes and dislikes, there's a catch-all post here.


The Red Shoes

Really my OTP here is Vicki/ballet. That scene where she wakes up in the night and Julian is doing his music and she gets her shoes out...

So, how about... an AU where she doesn't marry Julian, but keeps dancing instead? Or one where somebody talks Lermontov into being a bit more flexible about the whole question?

Other possibilities could be backstory for Vicki. I love the scene where she goes back to her previous company - show me more of her time with them? Or go further back still and explore what led her to ballet. Was there hostility from her family, and if so how did she talk them round? Was she promising as a child, or did she have to fight to prove her worth?

Alternatively, I love all the hustle and bustle of the company and I'd be very happy with a closer look at a rehearsal or performance within canon.

Finally, if you wanted to enter the wacky world of the Red Shoes ballet, I would willingly follow you through all those nightmare landscapes. Feel free to draw on the fairy tale if you like.

Feel free to refer to real life ballet of the period or include crossovers with other relevant fandoms. I'm familiar with Sadler's Wells (I think Sebastian talks about this film at one point, but never mind) and many of the Noel Streatfeild books (the Ballet Shoes continuity - apparently Moira Shearer played Posy in a publicity shot at one point - The Bell Family, etc) - or if you wanted to focus on Vicki's family background then possibly the Lord Peter Wimsey books might be relevant. And so on.


The King of a Rainy Country

I loved this book. Nothing turned out the way I wanted it to, but I loved it anyway.

I'd love an AU where Susan decides to go away with Helena after all, or where Helena isn't as ill. Perhaps something happens slightly differently in that delightful scene at the photographer's.

What does Susan do after the end of the book?

I'd also love Helena's backstory - to see her as a very young singer, for example, making her debut in her first solo role. Or something that explores her friendship with Philip.

Cynthia's point of view on the whole series of events could be interesting. She's seen so much through Susan's eyes that it's difficult to get a sense of who she really is, but the trajectory that took her from school to Venice must have been a fascinating one. Even just the other side of that scene under the stage would be lovely.

Alternatively, I think Gill is a brilliant character, and if you wanted to ignore everybody else in favour of giving me the backstory of that letter she sends Susan, I'd be just as happy.

I'm not massively interested in Neale, though if you wanted to show me how his relationship with Cynthia works out that could be intriguing.

I think this would work fantastically well as a crossover with Marlows fandom. Other mid twentieth century book fandoms might also work.


The Comfortable Courtesan

I've requested 'Any'. I like this universe a lot, and would be happy with a story featuring any of the available characters, or, indeed, any combination of them. (Some combinations seem more plausible than others - but if you have an idea for, I don't know, Lalage Fenster helps Matt Johnson solve a mystery, then that's absolutely fine by me!) All the canonical sexual (or presumed sexual) relationships are fair game here, and possibly non-canonical ones if you can make them work. Feel free to bring in unrequested characters, too. I'm particularly fond of Lady J- and Miss A-, and of Docket and Tibby, and later Sophy, and in fact Clorinda's staff in general.

Here are a few prompts:
Emily and Lalage working out what to tell the Merrett siblings
Matt, Sandy and Clorinda on a case
A private moment between Gervase and Sandy
Clorinda enlightening Em and Lalage on the possibilities of sex between women (maybe even demonstrating them?)
Eliza's take on one of the episodes we've already seen from Clorinda's and Josiah's point of view
A glimpse of the friendship between Clorinda and Milord before Sandy comes on the scene
Matt putting his feet up at Dolly Mutton's
Eliza distracting Clorinda from her latest novel (or maybe reading the manuscript in bed?)
Em falls for somebody impossible again


Le Comte de Monte Cristo/The Count of Monte Cristo

I've requested this in almost every Yuletide I've participated in, loved every story I've received in it, and still keep coming back for more.

On this occasion I've requested Eugénie, Louise, and Valentine. Please feel free to treat this as an 'or' match if you've got an idea that will only work with one or two of them present.

I find the class tensions (I originally wrote 'subtle class tensions', but there's very little in tCoMC that's subtle, and that's why I love it) very interesting. There's Valentine, the post-Revolution aristocrat who's willing to give up the whole lot to become a nun or to marry a shipping merchant's son; there's Eugénie, the nouveau-riche intellectual; there's Louise, who can be alone with Eugénie at home but can't be seen with her at the opera.

Eugénie/Louise is my OTP, but I'd also be interested in the 'opposites attract' aspect of Eugénie/Valentine. Gen is also good. Perhaps Eugénie comes up with some scheme to go to the opera with Louise without scandalising society. Or she and Valentine somehow end up discovering each other's elopement plans. I don't think Valentine and Louise ever actually meet in canon, but an AU where Louise is giving Valentine singing lessons could be quite fun. Or perhaps she just meets her at the Danglars'.


Die Lustige Witwe/The Merry Widow

Hanna! I think she's great. I love her political nous and her independent spirit. Again, there's some really interesting class stuff going on here. (I once saw a production in which the soprano played the character with a noticeable cockney accent, and it transformed the show from naughty-by-nineteen-hundred standards to searing satire.) I particularly enjoy the way she sets up Act II and presents herself as the simple (millionnaire, expat, hostess) peasant girl. (If you wanted to explore the practical challenges of replicating a world-famous nightclub in a Parisian back garden, I'd be up for that!)

I'd be interested to see how her marriage to Danilo works out. Alternatively, take a look backwards to their original romance. Or show me what her marriage with the millionnaire was like. Tell me more about her childhood in Pontevedro - maybe even build on 'Vilja' to expand the folklore a little. I love a bit of Ruritanian worldbuilding.

(I like the huge hat from the original production, too.)

... but it was so worth it.

I received a gorgeous fix-it epilogue to A Company of Swans, a perfect answer to my wailing BUT WHERE HAS THE BALLET GONE? The prose is spot-on; it might almost be Eva Ibbotson having second thoughts and, er, clarifying matters. Loved it.

Quite a Scandal (1181 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Company of Swans- Eva Ibbotson
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Morton/Romain Verney Brandon
Characters: Harriet Morton, Romain Verney Brandon
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:

An Epilogue, with dancing.

I always mean to put a recs post up and never do, so I won't make any promises. I am swimming in the collection at the moment. It's glorious.

Day 5

Stretch yourself a little and try something new. Go play in a new fandom or with a new pairing. Try working in a new medium. Or consume different fanworks. Give that new fandom a go. Listen to a podfic or watch some vids if you haven’t before. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

So I did this: I found and listened to a couple of podfics, including my first one that was over half an hour long (it's here, and it's rather good). But really, this post is an excuse to talk about something else new and shiny and fannish that I'm doing this year.

This year's Yuletide threw up some very exciting prompts, in a whole array of fandoms that I sorta kinda knew, but not really well enough to write, even in the two whole months we had available. Aha, I thought, but there is always the New Year's Resolutions challenge. (Not that it's really a challenge. Write something! OK, then!)

This year I plan to stretch my boundaries. In short, I plan to complete the 52fandoms challenge: to write 52 fics in 52 fandoms in 52 weeks. Some of these will be New Year's Resolutions prompts. Some won't. Some will come from dw100. Some will be obscure even for me. One at least will be for Yuletide proper. They can be a drabble or longer. I am also allowed to dig up and complete previously abandoned works.

I'm not quite sure yet how to fit crossovers into this. I love crossovers and will certainly write at least a few, but unless I work out a sensible way to incorporate them I could well end up with 26 fics in 52 fandoms, or 104 fandoms in 52 fics. Anyway, I'm sure it's possible.

I kicked off with The Unforgiving Minutes, in Rev. - the first of my NYR fics. If you want to keep track of me, I suggest doing this at 52fandoms, as I don't plan to post to this journal every time I complete a story.

Wish me luck! And fair winds and iron resolution!

ETA: for my own reference, the post about NYR prompts.