minutia_r

(if you follow me on tumblr, you may have seen all this before, but I don't think there's a lot of overlap)

And everybody knows who wrote which Chocolate Box stories, or at least they could if they wanted to, because the authors have been revealed.

I got two lovely fics:

Like a Man of Mettle by Nary

Hey, look, it's Gabriel DeWit/Elijah Pinhoe (of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci) fic! The first one ever written, to the best of my knowledge, which is not surprising since they never met in canon, and also they only appear in canon as quite old men. Bask in the glory of grumpy, awkward young!Gabriel running away from his duties as Chrestomanci straight into a patch of stinging nettles, and young!Elijah helping him out with herb lore if you know what I mean.

Borrow Your Lust by PhoenixFalls

Fic about Ethan and Terrence (from the Vorkosigan Saga)! It's not quite as rare a pairing as Gabriel and Elijah, but seeing as how Ethan and Terrence are canonical life partners, I feel like there really should be more.

I love stories about people who for one reason or another don’t get how ordinary human relationships work trying to relationship, and this definitely hits those buttons. Also, it’s got an intriguing idea about one possible use of telepathy during sex, even if they end up not going there.

My assigned recipient was Miss_M, and I wrote her two Kencyrath fics:

An Economy of Blood and Bone was supposed to be about Trishien and Kirien’s relationship, and it is, but it’s more about Trishien’s backstory and the Women’s World and the Jaran and the intersection thereof. And economics.

Turn-Collar is the one where Brier and Tori discuss the fact that Brier broke her bond with Tori and got herself bound to Jame instead. It is so far the only work on AO3 tagged Loyalty Break-Up, which is a damn shame.

I also wrote a couple of treats for other people, both in the PJO/HOO fandom: Twice-Favored was for inelegantly; it’s a T-rated Annabeth/Nico/Percy interlude with capture the flag and a bit of kissing.

And finally, for dhampyresa, I wrote Delphi Falls, In which Rachel does some research with Ella and Skypes with Annabeth. And also Annabeth, Hazel, and Nico go on a quest to either prevent or start the zombie apocalypse, but that honestly happens offscreen. It’s also my 100th fic on AO3! Hooray!

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/53634.html

Some stuff I did for exchanges and whatnots a while back and never linked to here:

The Dressing Gown of Dimensions, a Chrestomanci/Discworld crossover written for rare pair fest. It features Millie/Christopher and Vetinari/Drumknott, as well as Roger, Julia, and Leonard of Quirm.

Also I did a pencil drawing and a digitally colored version of Steve Rogers with a golden apple of temptation for the WIP Big Bang.

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/53360.html

( click here for listening/dowloading links, back cover, credits, selected lyrics, etc. )

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/49826.html

Now it can be revealed! This is what I wrote for yuletide:

Unmoored

He had always thought he would end up married to his work. He had studied hard, worked diligently, brought himself to the attention of the right people--and ended up with an appointment to the Chrestomanci’s personal staff, as high as one could rise in Flavian’s chosen profession if one hadn’t happened to be born with nine lives. And when he got there he’d found Mordecai waiting for him. Mordecai, who threw all his previous ideas into confusion.

Flavia/Mordecai, about 5000 words, rated T.

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/48194.html

There’s this recurring motif in Diana Wynne Jones’ books where there is some sort of magic preventing the characters from thinking about a certain subject, or from talking about it, or preventing other people from believing them if they do talk about it. This is, on one hand, a convenient thing to have in one’s plotting toolkit--it addresses the “but why didn’t they just tell the adults and have them fix it” problem that crops up in children’s and YA books, and it lets you control the pacing of revelations and things like that.

More importantly, it’s often a metaphor for an abusive family situation: the feeling that some intangible malign force is preventing the characters from a) realizing something is wrong, b) talking about the thing that is wrong, and/or c) having other people understand about the thing if they do try to express it.

I mention that in order to mention this:

although you know the snow will follow by greenlily

(Yes, this is a yuletide rec. Maybe at some point I will do a proper recs post? Or maybe not. I’m not done reading yuletide yet, although I have definitely been slowing down.)

Anyway! In addition to being a very good sort of Magids fanfic, and painting a vivid if not necessarily dramatic picture of Roddy’s learning the work of the Lady of Governance and dealing with the emotional aftermath of some of the events in The Merlin Conspiracy, it uses the motif of the don’t-notice-don’t-talk-about-it magic.

Only here it’s not a metaphor for abuse--it’s a metaphor for the erasure of women’s roles in history.

And it works; it’s lovely; it fits in perfectly with the characters and world and themes of the book. And this sort of engagement with and reinterpretation of the source material is one of the things you can do with fanfic that you can’t do in any other genre.

And that’s why fic is so great.

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/43138.html

Also, I have the flu. But I've also written some stuff for the DWJ comment ficathon, and here is an excerpt from my favorite of those pieces:

The wood shifted, and it was night, with starlight falling softly between the branches. Stars, as any halfway civilized being knows, are luminous spheres of plasma held together by gravity, but these weren’t. They were bears, and a hunter leading a pair of dogs, and a stream of milk from the breasts of the earth; they were memories and passions and the gods who held sway over the fates of men. It was utterly ridiculous, but the Bannus thought: Very well, I can use this.

The wood shifted, and burned. You could not see for the smoke, or smell for the retch-inducing odor of charred flesh.

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/38042.html

Hey, everyone! I think this might be relevant to some of your interests: betony is hosting a Diana Wynne Jones comment ficathon over at her journal.

Go forth and prompt and fill and stuff! Or if you happen to be insanely overcomitted in the area of fic, just enjoy the stories that have been posted so far?

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/37783.html

As mentioned previously, I got not one but two stories for rarewomen this year, and they are both so excellent I don't know what to do with myself.

Betony wrote me from the private correspondence of miranda argent chant.

As you may have guessed from the title, this is Miranda epistolary fic. That alone would have me fistpumping the air with glee, but! This fic! It absolutely nails the scheming, self-absorbed Miranda of my heart, and it is funny as hell.

And also! Ollipop wrote me Kindred Instruments.

Yesssss, this is what I wanted in Lotus Durona fic--multifaceted and sparkling, cold-blooded and matter-of-fact, with currents of strong passions running beneath the surface. And I love the way Lotus and Vasa Luigi flirt: "How are your surgical skills?” “If you give me a knife, I’ll demonstrate.” INDEED.

Go read them; you won't regret it!

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/37105.html

Crap, I forgot. Well, it's still Sunday somewhere.

It felt like being buried alive.

"You can't do this to me," said Gabriel. "I'm a nine-lifed enchanter and you're just a . . . a gamekeeper."

Mr. Farleigh's lips curved slightly. "That's right." It was plain that he knew Gabriel had meant to say witch.

This is from Hunt of the Unicorn. It's been refusing to move for, oh, a year, but before I got stuck I did write a bit of chapter four, and this is part of it.

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/35581.html

Staying on in Series Twelve when one is native to a different Series (or not-Series in the case of Eleven): A tedious bit of fanwankery by Minutia_R

Over on tumblr, inerasabledreams asked: "I'm a little confused, in "Conrad's Fate," Gabriel de Witt said that is not possible for a person living in another series, but Millie (Series 10) lives with Christopher in Series 12 ... Someone could explain?"

I'm glad you asked, inerasabledreams! (You asked the fuckyeahchrestomanci blog and not me, but that was an understandable oversight.) This is indeed one of the most vexed questions in Chrestomanci canon, and it's complicated by the fact that Mordecai Roberts, aka Tacroy, also spends most of his life in Series Twelve while being a native of Eleven (Not a Series).

I should start this off with a disclaimer that the question was never resolved in the books, and now never will be; I have reasons to prefer my own theory and will elucidate them below, but ultimately it's just a theory and no more canon than any other.

( Cut for length. Really, it gets long. )

Crossposts: http://minutia-r.livejournal.com/35225.html

For those of you who don't know,

purimgifts is an exchange of short fic (300-1000 words, although if you post installments of the same story over the three days of posting you can get up to 3000 words) and graphics. It's focused on female characters, Jewish characters, and characters persecuted by evil viziers; it's fast-paced, often silly, and slightly manic; and now it's over and reveals have happened. So I can tell you that

opalmatrix made me the following gifts:

A Heart at My Command: Amy/Quentin from Cyteen. Solidly physical and atmospheric and lovely.

She's Not There: Flower-in-the-Night/Abdullah from Castle in the Air. Magic spells! Married love! Problem-solving-skills! Flowery dialogue! (Some people apparently find Abdullah's speech patterns annoying but I love them okay.)

To the Top: Anthea Tesdinic from Conrad's Fate. OMG she actually drew me Anthea's fashion designs (with accompanying fashion-reporter commentary); I requested that but never expected it! (I want the blue one.)

I will post about my stories and some other stuff I liked later.

A Cup of Kindness

Fandom: Avatar: Legend of Korra

Relationships: Bolin & Mako, with background Bolin/Iroh

Rating: PG

Word count: 700

Summary: Bolin was still dressed in his party clothes, shiny jacket with the silver piping, the sort of thing that could get you in trouble in a place like this, but nobody bothered him at his corner table. He's just a kid, Mako had told Iroh, but he wasn't, really. It was hard for Mako to remember, sometimes. The words I told you so died on his lips.

In which Mako has to carry Bolin out of a sake house, again.

Note: This is a missing scene from Rikku's make me your radio. You probably don't need to read make me your radio in order to work out what's going on here; you just need to read make me your radio because it's really good.

( Read more... )

Fairy Reel

Fandom: Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Characters: Cat, Tonino, Angelica, Marianne, and Klartch. Henceforth to be known as Cat Chant's Five-Man Band.

Rating: G

Word count: 450

Summary: "Er," said Cat. "Are you sure about this? I had those violin lessons when I was small, but I was never very good."

Cat has been summoned by . . . something, and Tonino has an idea for how to communicate with it.

This one's for: Elycien aka ninelifed

( Read more... )

Last week was secret-soup's birthday. You may know Soup as the person who drew Henrietta; she definitely gets a seat on the lifeboat. Also, I drew her a comic in which Mordecai tells off Christopher at the end of Conrad's Fate:

( Read more... )

I have been remiss in not posting this earlier, but check it out, everyone:

That there is Henrietta Gelek, enchantress, former street criminal, reluctant Tibetan priest, and the heroine of my story Endless Knot.

secret-soup drew her, because secret-soup is awesome like that.

The Hunt of the Unicorn

Chapter 3: The Unicorn Leaps the Stream

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Characters: Gabriel de Witt, Jed Farleigh, Elijah Pinhoe, Benjamin Allworthy, Molly the Unicorn, original characters

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 1,400

Summary: "Your mum's an abomination, Jacky Callow," said Elijah, struggling to his knees.

"Elijah? What's happened to you?"

"Not you, clearly." Elijah's lip curled. "Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn."

Seventy years before the events of The Pinhoe Egg, a group of wizards goes shooting on the grounds of Chrestomanci Castle, and there's things abroad in the woods.

Note: The title of this story, as well as the chapter titles, comes from a series of tapestries made in the Netherlands around 1500. I'll be including the relevant tapestry with each chapter, because.

Oh and also: what I know about game shooting I learned in a mad scramble to research this story. Please feel free to correct my ignorance.

This one's for:

coeurgryffondor.

( Read more... )

Over on her tumblr, tacroy has been posting bits from Diana Wynne Jones' original manuscripts for her novels. The other day, she posted this:

I don’t think I helped her,’ said Cat, though he was not at all sure. Cat stood on his own near the ruins with the dragon looking enquiringly up at him from the grass. Janet had been happy in her world. She had missed her mother and father. Now she was probably here for good, and Cat wished he knew if it was his fault or not.

Now look at how it goes in the final, published draft:

"What did the child do?" said the old lady with mittens, very shaken.

"Sealed herself in that world," said Chrestomanci. He was even more shaken. "Isn't that so, Cat?" he said.

Cat nodded mulishly. It had seemed worth it. He was not sure he wanted to see Gwendolen again.

See how much better that is? Cat knows what he's done, he did it on purpose, and he's not sorry.

(He will be sorry in a minute, because that is the nature of Cat. But that doesn't take away from this moment, which I really do think is a crowning one of awesome for Cat, however understated.)

Throughout most of Charmed Life, Cat is acted upon, or at the very most reacts impulsively, without intending or really understanding what he's doing. His character growth comes when he chooses to act, even if what he does isn't very nice or very smart.

The first version of events here would have been a step backwards for Cat. Which, you know, will happen in real life--character growth is not a straight line--and I'm often happy enough to see that acknowledged in fiction. But here, at the climax of the book, Cat really deserved his agency. I'm glad DWJ gave it to him, in the end.

The Hunt of the Unicorn

Chapter 2: The Unicorn at the Fountain

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Characters: Gabriel de Witt, Jed Farleigh, Elijah Pinhoe, Benjamin Allworthy, Molly the Unicorn, original characters

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 1,700

Summary: The unicorn stepped around the pool towards Elijah, who raised a wondering hand to its nose. Gabriel felt as awkward as if he had walked in on Geoffrey with his hand up the skirt of one of the maids—which he had done more than once.

Seventy years before the events of The Pinhoe Egg, a group of wizards goes shooting on the grounds of Chrestomanci Castle, and there's things abroad in the woods.

Note: The title of this story, as well as the chapter titles, comes from a series of tapestries made in the Netherlands around 1500. I'll be including the relevant tapestry with each chapter, because.

Oh and also: what I know about game shooting I learned in a mad scramble to research this story. Please feel free to correct my ignorance.

This one's for:

coeurgryffondor.

( Read more... )

It's

dracutgrl's birthday today!

A bit over a year ago, I wrote my first Chrestomanci fanfic. I was just getting into writing fanfic in general, having started and dropped a Harry Potter story several years previously, and taken a ramble through

disney_kink. So I found myself in the middle of a plotty, multi-chapter story, and I asked on

dianawynnejones for a beta, and that's how I met

dracutgrl. She's betaed most of my Chrestomanci stories since (and I've written a lot of them.)

I may have mentioned once or twice in my acknowledgments that she's the best. She's always super supportive, ridiculously prompt, and has an eagle eye for typos. Also, she always leaves me comments on my stories when I post them even after she's commented on them during beta.

So I thought to myself, "

dracutgrl's birthday is coming up; I should write her a short, fluffy, Christopher/Millie story." Only then, well, this happened. It's not short, it's not exactly fluffy--more like bittersweet--and although it's got Christopher/Millie in it, it's more of a gen Millie story overall.

Happy birthday,

dracutgrl! I hope you like the story, even if it's not exactly what I meant to give you.

Snowfall

Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Characters and Pairings: Millie, Christopher, Gabriel, various young enchanters, castle staff, and original characters, Millie/Christopher

Rating: PG

Word count: 6,700

Summary: "Frost," I said scornfully. "I suppose this is what happens in a world where you haven't got a proper goddess to manage things."

Life in Twelve isn't exactly what Millie expected.

Eternal gratitude to: James, for betaing this on short notice over Christmas, above and beyond the call of duty. Someday he will stage an intervention and take away my em-dashes, and the world will be a better place. And also, for drawing the amazing illustration which you can find at the end of this story. Seriously, if you don't have the time or inclination to read this beast, click through anyway and scroll to the bottom; your impatience will be rewarded.

This one's for:

dracutgrl

( Read more... )

Look, everyone! Look, look!

The Lion of Caprona

It's long, it's plotty, it has Julia/Janet and Klartch covered in kittens, and it's MINE.

(It's actually quite unexpected how protective I feel of this story, just like it was a story I wrote. Why doesn't it have more hits? Why doesn't it have more comments? What is Wrong With You People?)

(I know; it's long. And also there is nothing actually wrong with not liking the things I like.)

I have been enjoying lots of other stories as well, but now it feels a bit like yuletide overdose. Too much fic, must lie down.

The Hunt of the Unicorn

Chapter 1: The Start of the Hunt

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Characters: Gabriel de Witt, Jed Farleigh, Elijah Pinhoe, Benjamin Allworthy, original characters

Rating: PG

Word count: 2100

Summary: One might think that anyone who knew two dozen death spells would be able to carry a fowling piece without worrying that he would take his own foot off—but that one wouldn't be Gabriel de Witt.

Seventy years before the events of The Pinhoe Egg, a group of wizards goes shooting on the grounds of Chrestomanci Castle, and there's things abroad in the woods.

Note: The title of this story, as well as the chapter titles, comes from a series of tapestries made in the Netherlands around 1500. I'll be including the relevant tapestry with each chapter, because.

Oh and also: what I know about game shooting I learned in a mad scramble to research this story. Please feel free to correct my ignorance.

Warning: Cruelty to animals. (You did see where I said that Jed Farleigh was in this one, right?)

This one's for:

coeurgryffondor. Please accept this chapter in earnest of the rest of the story. I hope you like it!

( Read more... )

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May 2025

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Entries tagged with dwj

Everybody’s talking to their pockets; everybody wants a box of chocolates and a long-stemmed rose

Oh and also

Chronicles of Chrestomanci fanmix: Fawkes' 13

Chronicles of Chrestomanci fic: Unmoored

Magids rec: although you know the snow will follow by greenlily

Monday Six

DWJ comment ficathon

Rarewomen I: Daughter of the Squee Strikes Back

Sunday-ish six

Staying on in Series Twelve when one is native to a different Series

The squee doesn't stop for Purim

A couple of short fics

Don't Forget, parts I and II

The squee never stops: A Hard Day's Squee

The Hunt of the Unicorn, Chapter 3

Protagonismos

The Hunt of the Unicorn, Chapter 2

Happy birthday!

The squee doesn't stop for yuletide

The Hunt of the Unicorn, Chapter 1