Yuletide fic musings.

[estirise]

In order of writing, I give you my notes! Fandoms are noted in my previous post; this one no doubt contains spoilers for a few of them (Kamen Rider Kabuto and Gokusen probably being the most spoilable).


Surviving the Bears (Dorothy L Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey)

I actually got this twice when the assignment glitch happened, for which I was very happy. And then I was very nervous, because I'd mostly read the Harriet Vane novels, though I'd skimmed through most of the rest. I'd never paid too much attention to Mary, though I knew enough about Charles, Harriet I was comfortable enough, and Peter I knew. So, I got to track down and reread my source material, which I didn't mind.

You'll notice that Peter doesn't have very many lines; it's mostly because I could not get his voice right to save my life. I was also so excited to get it done that I forgot that I could have used a brit-picker, as one of the commenters mentioned. (This was the only remotely negative comment apart from a typo catch, and trust me, I wanted to hug the person.) But I did find it worth a good try, and the fact my recipient loved it didn't hurt.

The title comes from the fact that Peter survives an encounter with a bear. Yeah, I was too excited to give it a proper title, either.

Making One's Plans (Gokusen (TV))

I saw this one come up on the pinch hit list, and couldn't resist, even though someone got it before I did. I just wrote it as a treat instead.

Sawada/Yankumi is my favorite pairing, and I'd never really seen TV-based Sawada/Yankumi fic, so I guess I felt the need to write some. One of the prompts was how Sawada became more accepted into Yankumi's family; the other person who wrote that did far better than I.

My fic, because I wanted to get it done to cover the pinch hit in case something happened, was written fairly fast. I focused on the image in the last few minutes of the Gokusen series (ignoring Gokusen 2 and any specials), where Sawada declares that he's going to pursue Yankumi. This story is set after that. I reviewed episode 5 on how Sawada became aware that Yankumi was from a Yakuza family, and some other information on the "son of a senator" bit that makes the live-action differ from the manga. And I think I did it pretty darn well for a fandom I'd never written in before.

The title refers, of course, to the fact that Sawada was making plans to pursue Yankumi.

But Together (Forever Knight)

The requester requested Natalie, possibly her past, which I could do. I write Nat the strongest of all the characters on FK, and it shows, even if I haven't written in the fandom for several years. The fact I could get Nat (and Grace) down even relying completely on memory is amazing. Of course, the reason that I could do so well is because I set it pre-series and therefore didn't have to worry about any of the other characters!

The group of friends changed at points from just friends to co-workers. The cabin size changed too, same for how long they were staying (which never came up). I worked Richard in after consulting several references, though I couldn't remember what happened to him, and I kind of hand-waved him out of the story. This is probably the best of my bunch, which was why I was happy to see it recommended twice.

The title comes from the idea that people together are stronger than people apart and alone, therefore "But Together" (we can do more).

Sounding Stupid (Power Rangers Dino Thunder)

This was a Conner/Kira fic, where the requester wanted Conner thinking Kira didn't like him (in the romantic sense). It was a very popular prompt; there were three of us who did that prompt.

As most are aware, I write Kira/Trent. I do not, generally speaking, write the Conner/Kira pairing. My first attempt is still... in progress, to put it kindly. But I felt I could make the pairing work, and I think I did. At the very least, I don't think anybody connected me to it prior to reveal. This is probably the easiest time I've had ever writing Conner, and given how fast I was writing this, that was good.

The title, of course, refers to the fact that Conner did feel like he was sounding stupid. (Personally, I put it down to the monster they faced the previous day.)

En Paco, Flugas (Kamen Rider Kabuto)

I revealed a bit about how this came about to nuhiep (the recipient) when she thanked me earlier, but I thought I'd expand it. I was looking for people to Treat; I ran across this one, the only other one I'd seen for Kamen Rider Kabuto. She asked, literally, for "any". I couldn't figure out her preferences from digging in her journal, so I sat down, looked at my cat, and said, "okay, she's getting Kagami".

I can write Kagami at the drop of a hat; he's my favorite character and the easiest to write, given that he is Japanese, and literally was born to fight a war in some point in the future. He cares about his friends, that's for sure, which is why I had him reflecting on the series.

One point I brought up, and I'm surprised nobody picked up on it, was the accidental new Natives. I figured there had to be some of them out there, and that the Natives that didn't participate in Negishi's plans would help them. (I was sure that the transformation of humans into Natives, brought up late series and also in "Discovering the Sun", would point straight at this being my fic.)

The title means "In Peace, Fly" and refers to the Zecters. (And to some extent, to certain of their Chosen Ones!)

Stupid & Stubborn (Hana Yori Dango (TV))

This was my first Hana Yori Dango fic, and I think it really shows. I dashed this one off fast, having a very cranky Tsukushi muse work out her pissedyness about Tsukasa on this one. Honestly, the guy took blows for her the previous episode; I don't know why she was so annoyed. I realize I am a Rui/Tsukushi 'shipper, but her reaction towards Tsukasa made me wince. EDIT: I am glad that the recipient liked it, though; as one can tell, I was a bit nervous!

The title refers, of course, to the fact that Tsukushi thinks Tsukasa is stupid and stubborn.

Staras Trankvila (Starman (TV))

This was very last-minute, at least it shows that less than "Stupid and Stubborn" did. The recipient asked for Paul and Scott, or Jenny on the run. I could do Jenny on the Run. Or at least I attempted to.

The story's set about a year after Starscape I & II. It features Jenny, hiding once again, leaving a life that isn't her own. Thinking about her family and their reactions and maybe how things might have been.

Sarah Boyer insisted on appearing in this fic. Don't ask me why a very stuffy Charmed Whitelighter wanted to appear, but she did. (This is why she disappears and Jenny has to take over her class every so often!) And she turned out to be a very, very good starting point and background noise for Jenny, really.

This fic was outshone by a really, really excellent fic in the same fandom, but hey, it's more Starman fic, so who's complaining?

The title means "Stand Still", which is what Jenny was doing, kind of, in her life at that moment.