Exploding Poohsticks

Earlier this year, marginaliana won my offer to write a custom villanelle. Her prompts included "LPW, Peter reflecting on the way that his work leads to someone being put to death" and
"LPW, Bunter and Harriet's relationship." Herewith...

( A man cannot help what he deduces... )

Thank you again to marginaliana for contributing to the cause!

Nineveh-uk has posted another bit of Sayers-inspired brilliance, this time featuring Bunter and tissue-paper. Work-safe.

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Marginalina linked to the Yuletide brainstorming post; I clicked. That crashing sound you hear in the background is my resolve to stay out of fests this year colliding with the possibility of prompting some good FAKE fic. More on that in a sec.

My original shortlist + runners-up is on page 7 of the comments therein, but I had a three-hour drive earlier today, which meant I had time to ponder what I really want. So the fandoms I currently plan to nominate are looking more like this:

1. FAKE - Sanami Matoh
2. Haru wo Daiteita - Youka Nitta
3. Copenhagen - Michael Frayn
4. Muppets
5. Chicago Manual of Style
6. Vicky Bliss - Elizabeth Peters

Some thoughts (in reverse order) on fic I'd like to see, whether via Yuletide or some other panfandom challenge or me-writing-it-myself-during-some-future-bout-of-insomnia (and yes, this is partly so I don't forget all this when it's time to write my "Dear Yuletide Santa" letter -- although it'll definitely need trimming so as not to scare whomever's assigned to me out of her or his gourd). I guess I should cut for spoilers for some of these...

( 6. Vicky Bliss )

5. CMOS - oh, the possibilities. CMOS/MLA bondage or hatesex, CMOS/APA, two CMOS rules together, one single CMOS rule... mwahahahahaha. I really am not kidding when I say that 17.169 would lend itself nicely to an extended exploration of UST.

4. Muppets. Heh. Coming up with potential guest-stars (which may or may not violate the "no crossovers" guideline - I'm just brainstorming here) was a welcome mental break. Possibilities, in rough order of preference:

anyone from Tenth Doctor Who or Torchwood (actor or character)

Cthulhu or Hastur from User-Friendly (and dudes, current storyline involves the Large Hadron Collider. Whee!)

anyone from Haru wo Daiteita

anyone from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series

Lord Peter Wimsey. Bonus for scenes showing Bunter dealing with the insanity

Irene Adler

Jonathan Papelbon

3. Copenhagen. More discussion and/or flashbacks among those involved.

2. Haru wo Daiteita: Yoshizumi or Shimizu gen; Iwaki/Katou PWP...

1. FAKE - some possibilities:

Ryo/Dee hurt/comfort

Dee and Jim Campbell friendship fic

Ryo's early twenties - answering questions from Dee, Carol, and/or Bikky about his time in the Army (if that's what he did), or Dee mulling over how Ryo's Army habits/skills show up in his current habits, or how Ryo met his bomb-making friend (if it wasn't via the Army)

Ryo and Dee discuss and compare their knowledge of bombs

Kai and/or Louise (second season) - what are their stories?

The 27th precinct heads to Bikky and Carol's wedding. Craziness and crises meet them there.

( second season spoiler )

( And now for the mini-manifesto... my personal preferences re: FAKE fic )
Ok, that's more than I meant to say... and I'm not done yet. Some other day. The to-post list also includes a delightful German translation of "Those I Can Save" (courtesy of LJ:incapability87), a couple of audiofics (once I stop coughing long enough to record them), some recs of FAKE fics (especially ones not in the usual archives), and the ever-floating raft of to-writes (once they're written, heh). But for now it's back to the comma mines. *hugs to all who wants 'em*

The foul: Saints and spermaceti, it sounds like Moby Dick is about to get Seeker'd. (Entertaining rant, though, albeit not for the faint of heart or delicate of sensibility. Link via odogoddess.)

The fine: Overmastered, Nineveh-UK's ficlet on Harriet Vane role-playing Bunter in the bedroom. ( spoiler cut for the folks saving their Sayers for a rainy day ) I am exceedingly delighted to be blamed for this.

(1) drachenmina's An Unpleasant Man at the Bellona Club (drabble with LP, Bunter, and Snape...)

(2) drachenmina's An Inconvenient Affliction. Author's summary: "Harry’s been kicked out by Severus and is having to share Ron and Hermione’s spare bed with Crookshanks. Who gets Kneazle Flu. Can things get any worse? Oh yes." Ribbons's reaction: It's NC-17 Snarry, which I know some of you would normally avoid like the plague, but I feel compelled to point out that Harry's of age, there's non-sickening Hermione/Ron, there's mention of Bagpuss, and that the author knows cats. Oh, does she know cats. Put beverages out of range of keyboard before reading.

(3) It has been a hell of a week - one of these years, I hope to get my shit together enough to stop feeling like I haven't managed to get my shit together since, well, ever...

...but it is also absolutely impossible to feeling sorry for myself for more than a few moments at a time, considering the myriad blessings in my life -- including a surprise package in Monday's mail that contained...



...a necklace featuring the Whomping Willow. With a Snape quotation, no less. Made by the utterly, unbelievably fabulous westernredcedar. (I almost titled this post "From tree to shining tree..." *eg*) I feel like I've somehow won some sort of cosmic bingo for OTP-indulgence I didn't even know I was playing - I can snuggle the pendant up to my squid when I'm not wearing it, and when I feel like celebrating my other OTP, there's a Remus-keytag marginaliana made it can nestle with.

And I can also go revisit the other treasures written and drawn and translated for me, or inhale a scent, or brew some tea, or reread cards and letters, or fondle feathers, beads, and ribbons -- I have such clever, crafty, comforting, generous friends. I am so utterly grateful that you are in my life. It's not the things in themselves, fun and hilarious and charming as they are - they wouldn't matter one bit if they weren't infused with how you are fun and feisty and thought-provoking and thoughtful. And because they are and because you are, my life is rich beyond measure.

100 words for Nineveh-uk, who wanted something about Cherubino and women:

( Voi che sapete che cosa e amor... )



Snape and Salieri. PG. 200 words. Triggered indirectly by Nineveh_uk's prompt (because of the Mozart) and a westernredcedar comment (because it got me mulling over the Snape-tropes I tend to revisit...):
( When Snape regains consciousness, he's still on a floor, but it's covered in an expensive carpet... )



Teddy and Bunter. 369-ish words (a prequel to this):

( Teddy is not proud of how he broke off his engagement with Victoire. )

This is for marginaliana, who prompted me with "Bunter" and "storytelling." 200 words.

Come Again, That I May Cease to Mourn

( When Bunter first sets eyes on Teddy Lupin, he momentarily thinks senility has overtaken his mind... )

Gacked from Gramarye1971:

Quote a bit of my fic or other writings at me? Find a sentence or a paragraph that presses your prose-buttons in the right way, and comment here with it? Don't care how long or short.

... and, as a bribe an incentive, if you also leave me a prompt and a character, you'll get a drabble in return.

Caveat #1: "I was going to quote that too!" won't count.

Caveat #2: Responses might take a while. Brasington's Ninth Law is in full reign here ("A carelessly planned project takes three times longer to complete than expected; a carefully planned one will take only twice as long"). Things do generally stay on my list, though, which means that replying to Neo, drawing for Corvus, and Achren/Gwydion-ing for MusIgneus are all still on my pile of paving-stones.)

Fandoms I'm willing to drabble in, this round: HP, TDiR, Sherlock Holmes, Wimsey/Vane, Angels in America, The Marriage of Figaro (opera only), Little Women/Little Men/Jo's Boys (books only), Love's Labours Lost (play only)

[Why the Keats icon?
Because this meme made me think of his 'writ on water' line. *wry*]

Background:

Lord Peter (in UNNATURAL DEATH): "Thank God, Bunter, you're human after all. I didn't know anybody could do you. Have a drink."

Mechaieh: I am astounded that there isn't already a rampant quantity of slash riffing on "I didn't know anybody could do you."

Nineveh-uk: That's practically up there with "insinuate myself to your lordship's satisfaction" in potential. Honestly, what is the online world coming to? I am appalled.

Title: Nothing Doing
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey
Wordcount: 200
Character: Bunter and assorted women
Rating: R
Warnings: noncon, bondage, bloodplay, featherplay, etc.

( Mr. Mervyn Bunter hauled in a deep breath in spite of himself and concluded that he was in trouble. )

Title: Bringing His Lordship Around
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey
Pairing: Lord Peter/Bunter
For: marginaliana
Rating: NC-17
Challenge: Yuletide's "New Year Resolutions"... which closed earlier this month. My brain unfortunately has the horsepower of a jalopy rather than a Daimler.
Prompt: "I'd really love to see some Peter/Bunter set pre-series at the time when Peter is having his nervous breakdown and Bunter shows up and puts him back together. Hot explicit mansex is a plus, but I'd also like to see something that prefigures Peter's relationship with Harriet - not that P/B would be angsty or end with B pining or anything like that, but something that wouldn't be utterly AU."
Summary: Bunter yearns for more than the status quo.
Wordcount: 3,700
Betas: The incomparable nineveh-uk and the inimitable aunty_marion. What infelicities remain are my own, alas. Notes on quotations here.

( As he cracked the shell of an egg and whisked its yolk into a sauce for the fish, Mervyn Bunter rejoiced in his perception that Lord Peter truly seemed to be getting better. )

I feel exceedingly pretentious footnoting a pastiche to this degree, but I can't help thinking it would be even more obnoxious not to. (Everyone who's gritted their teeth at Sayers' swathes of untranslated French and snippets of Greek, raise your hands.) That, and some of you may find these well worth visiting (as far as I know, all of these are on the web except the Wyatt).

"the malodorous shag..." (prompted by the pillows in front of the fire): Conan Doyle's "The Man With the Twisted Lip"

"Thrice colder than salamanders..": John Donne, Satire III

"I burn for cold...": Sir Thomas Wyatt, "O, what undeserved cruelty"

"That there does abide a peace...": Matthew Arnold, "Lines Written In Kensington Gardens"

"As glorious a morning...": William Shakespeare, Sonnet XXXIII

"Time will run on smoother..." and "What neat repast...": John Milton, "To Mr. Lawrence." Incidentally, Favonius is a name for the god of the spring wind, which may remind some of you of a certain Tennyson quote in Strong Poison.

"Je ne suis pas si vilaine...": a verse from "Margot, labourez les vignes" ("Margot, go work in the vineyard"), a French madrigal set by Jacob Arcadelt. You can hear a version of it here. A loose translation: "I am not so dreadful, Margot, / since the king's sons love me. / Vine, vine, viney vine..."

Happy birthday, marginaliana! There's a longer fic-in-progress with your name on it -- do you realise, woman, how criminally difficult it has been to get Bunter naked in any sense of the word? (And, stylings of my not-so-inner diva notwithstanding, I do hope you recognise I'm having a lot of fun with it in spite of its not-done-yetness...)

At any rate, it's a fine thing that you're full of fabulousness and thinkyness and lovingness, and here's wishing lots of the same back atcha. :-) In the meantime, here's a backstory cupcake for you...

Title: Another Page
Rating: G
Words: 200

( When the Dowager Duchess of Denver emerged from Lord Peter's bedroom, Bunter had a glass of claret waiting for her. )

...you know who I really want to see paired with Bunter? Alys Vorpatril.

I knew that meme was going to get me in trouble...

Title: A Different Holiday in Scotland
For: nineveh-uk, whose prompt was "Bunter/Squid. Snape watches."
Words: 100

( Probably no spoilers for Sayers here, but under a cut just to be safe )

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The rec: Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, by the same fiend friend who prompted the above.

From the New York Times review of Goblet of Fire, in which Manohla Dargis goes all a-glow over Ralph Fiennes's performance:

His Voldemort may be the greatest screen performance ever delivered without the benefit of a nose; certainly it's a performance of sublime villainy.

All of a sudden, I have a mad, mad urge to slash Voldemort with Cyrano de Bergerac.


(I'm also studiously ignoring a desire to pair Sir Impey Biggs with a certain Viennese lyric soprano, even though I've now cast Mr. Fiennes in my head as "the handsomest man in England..." and want to linger therein. I mean, Sir Impey raises canaries in his spare time -- think of the possibilities!)

Ahem. In the meantime, there's a Molly and Bunter ficlet (gen) now up at placet, to which aunty_marion has responded with a clerihew. :-)