Otter's Rock

ficinabox revealed the authors, er, several weeks ago. But I was too caught up with yuletide to remember to post what I wrote! So here it is. I had great fun writing this crossover between Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, where Charlotte gets a better life than canon. As I was pondering how to logically get Brandon and Charlotte to meet even though they live so far apart, it occurred to me that Sir John Middleton and Sir William Lucas are very similar people and would probably get along amazingly well. (The other easy way to do it would be to set it earlier in both canons, when William Lucas (not yet Sir William) is a prosperous tradesman, probably with business connections in London, and Colonel Brandon has just been handed custody of his dead beloved's child and is trying to figure out frantically what to do with her, before he has to go back to his regiment in India or wherever. I can easily see him marrying then to give her a mother, and if he somehow became acquainted with the Lucases while in London, might find Charlotte just the ticket.)

( Thoughts on the Lucas finances )

Title: A Summer in Devonshire
Fandom: Sense & Sensibility/Pride & Prejudice
Characters: Colonel Brandon/Charlotte Lucas
Author: Beatrice_Otter
Written for: hiddencait in Fic In A Box 2025
Summary: Sir John Middleton was happy to invite his friend Sir William Lucas and family to stay at Barton for the summer. Charlotte is happy to travel, and to meet new people.


( Author's note: travel distances and clothing details. )
***

Sir William Lucas had never aspired to visit St. James' Court, nor indeed to become a knight; he had been content with his life as a respectable (and prosperous) tradesman. When such an opportunity had been granted him, all unexpectedly, he had been so overcome with all the honor of it that he had not been able to savor the pleasures thereof. Given his humble antecedents and employment, very few in that place took any notice of him, and those who did cared more to practice their superiority than form any connection. It was an experience more pleasurable in the telling, for he spent many congenial hours describing the grandeur of the court and its people to his acquaintances in Meryton, as he and Lady Lucas took their place as one of four-and-twenty families of good breeding in the neighborhood.

It also spurred his desire to trade his business for an estate more suitable to his new dignity, for being Sir William of any estate (however small) would occasion less comment than Sir William, tradesman of a small market town.

( That being accomplished, he settled in quite happily to being a landed gentleman, and would never have stirred from Meryton again if Lady Lucas had not possessed the ambition her husband lacked )


On AO3. On Squidgeworld. On tumblr. On Pillowfort.

crossworks is over for the year, so I can reveal what I wrote! I wrote an Agent Carter/Miss Fisher crossover called A Spy On The Golden State Train. I'd never actually watched Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries before getting this assignment; I'd seen the gifsets and posts on tumblr, but that was all. But I wasn't feeling inspired by what I was matched on, and there were a few episodes of Miss Fisher on Youtube, so I watched enough of that to get a feel for the characters and used the wiki to check the details, and here it is!

Title: A Spy on the Golden State Train
Author: beatrice_otter 
Fandom: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries/Agent Carter
Characters: Phryne Fisher, Dottie Underwood, Peggy Carter
Written For: veryrach  in Crossworks 2023
Rating: Gen
Length: 3978 words
Summary: Phrynne has a little bit of excitement on her first trip to America after the Second World War.

On AO3. On Squidgeworld. Rebloggable on tumblr. On Pillowfort. Rebloggable on Cohost.

Phryne's book was not as exciting as the cover had promised, but it was the best entertainment she had at the moment. Next time I want to cross America, I shall take an aeroplane, she promised herself. The views of the Rocky Mountains had been breathtaking, but the great plains were, well, plain. And endless. And alas, there were very few people on this train interesting enough to be worth watching on their second day together.

Well, they would be in Chicago soon enough, and the nightlife there would be worth the wait. After years of a war on Australia's own front doorstep, she was eager for a city that hadn't been directly touched by it. ( Phryne was wearing red and was eager to show the world it was well-earned. )

Title: Undiscovered Stars
Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Wars: Original Trilogy
Pairing: James T. Kirk/Lando Calrissian
Written for: IridescentLily in JustMarried 2022 Exchange
Rating: General Audiences
Betaed by: Irina
Length: 7755 words
Summary: Just how far out in the Unknown Regions was he, Lando wondered, that they didn't use hyperdrives?

At AO3. At Squidgeworld. On Pillowfort. On tumblr.


Lando studied his cards nonchalantly. Actual paper cards, no holograms or randomizers or any other technology than ink and paper. It was quaint, and he couldn't decide if he liked it or not. On the one hand, it meant it would be harder to find someone who had palmed a hidden card, as you couldn't scan for a power source. On the other hand, there were no computer components to be sliced. It made it both easier and harder to cheat at the same time. He took a sip of his drink as cover for looking at his fellow players.

Nothing had changed in the last few minutes. All near-Humans, none of any species he recognized. Nor any culture or language he recognized, either. Thank the Force they had excellent translation technology, in the form of small devices that were easily tucked in a pocket. (Though, curiously, they didn't have protocol droids. Or astromech droids. Or any other droids at all.) As the game progressed, Lando listened more than he spoke, drank as little as he could get away with, and prayed that his hosts' social cues were as familiar as they seemed to be.

( He'd never flown this blind in all his life. Even when he was a teen first starting out as a gambler and small-time con artist, he'd known the score. )

I use the same name everywhere so I am beatrice_otter on AO3.

Lovely author, here is my theory about letters: how much detail people want in a letter is HIGHLY variable. Some people (such as myself) prefer if their recip gives LOTS of guidance on their wishes. Some prefer as little as possible so they can be free as a bird. Most are somewhere in between. So! Here's everything including the kitchen sink if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though Idon't like x and/or am just not inspired that way." I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for over a decade and am very rarely disappointed with my gifts.

The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.

I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.

Please no incest or darkfic. I define "darkfic" as stuff where there's a lot of suffering and no hope even at the end and all the characters are terrible. Angst with a happy ending is fine, I enjoy it, but there's gotta be a payoff. Even an ambiguous ending is fine! But there has to be some note of grace or redemption or hope somewhere, it can't just be "people are awful and the world sucks, the end."

( General Likes and Dislikes )

The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison, Kate and Cecelia - Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede, Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, Persuasion - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Temeraire - Naomi Novik, The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

( Historical fiction/historical fantasy )

Miss Marple - Agatha Christie, Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Captain America (Movies), Clue (1985), Indiana Jones Series, Poirot - Agatha Christie, Young Wizards - Diane Duane, The Old Guard (Movie 2020), The Muppet Show

( WWII Detectives And SF/F )

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Doctor Who (2005), Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold, Battlestar Galactica (2003), Young Wizards - Diane Duane, The Muppet Show

( AI and wormholes and war, oh my! )

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Doctor Who (1963), The Muppet Show

( Hope In Space )

Battlestar Galactica (2003), Babylon 5 (TV 1993), Doctor Who (2005), Young Wizards - Diane Duane

( Who are you? What do you want? And why are you here? )

Young Wizards - Diane Duane, Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch, The Addams Family (Movies - Sonnenfeld), Captain Marvel (2019), Pacific Rim (Movies), Pitch (TV 2016), Sense8 (TV), The Old Guard (Movie 2020), The Muppet Show

( Worldbuilding and/or Characters Reflecting )

crossworks has been revealed! I received a lovely fic, a Sorcery & Cecelia/Young Wizards fic by sinkauli, The Unexpected Guest. The character voices are excellent, if you enjoy either fandom go check it out, you shouldn't need knowledge of both fandoms to get the story.

Here's what I wrote:

Title: The Princess and the Folly
Fandom: Rivers of London/Marvel Cinematic Universe
Characters: Peter Grant, Shuri
Written for: Vaznetti in Crossworks 2021
Betaed by: Gemini Demimonde
Length: 5271 words
Rating: General Audiences
Summary: Princess Shuri wants to see if there are any differences between Wakandan magic and Newtonian. The Folly is happy to oblige her.

On AO3. On Tumblr. On Pillowfort.


The call came in on the Folly's landline, not my mobile. Which was fortunate since my mobile was turned off, as it often was in the Folly, even if I wasn't planning on doing magic. I was up a ladder in the far corner of the reference library, and I had to hustle to get to a phone before whoever it was gave up. (Molly was taking the afternoon off to do … something with Foxglove.) I grabbed the bakelite handset and held it up to my ear. "Hello, Special Assessment Unit, Peter Grant speaking."

"This is the Wakandan Embassy," said a deep voice in a melodious accent I had spent a lot of time in the last year listening to in the news and on youtube. "Please hold for Princess Shuri."

( I froze. It had to be a practical joke, right? )

Lovely author, here is my theory about letters: how much detail people want in a letter is HIGHLY variable. Some people (such as myself) prefer if their recip gives LOTS of guidance on their wishes. Some prefer as little as possible so they can be free as a bird. Most are somewhere in between. So! Here's everything including the kitchen sink if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am just not inspired that way."

I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for over a decade and am very rarely disappointed with my gifts. I write long and detailed Dear Author letters because I find such things helpful when I'm writing for other people; if you are like me, here you go! If your style is different and a detailed letter makes you feel hemmed-in, feel free to do what works for you.

The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.

One thing: I do have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.

Please no incest.

( General Likes and Dislikes )

On to the prompts! Please feel free to use these as jumping off points, or ignore if you have an idea that inspires you more.

( Thrawn Trilogy )

( Pride & Prejudice )

( Star Wars Original Trilogy )

( MCU )

( Harry Potter )

( DCEU )

( Crossovers )

( TNG )

So I have a Criminal Minds/SG-1 fic I'm writing, and there's a case, and I need the Criminal Minds characters read into (at least a tiny bit of) the Stargate Program because Plot.

Why, that is easy! you say.  Have the SGC need the BAU to do a profile!  Except that, in the story as written, all the SGC needs is the case file.  Once they have that, they can look through properties belonging to corporations and people suspected of Trust ties until they find the right one.  And, in canon, they just call up to their friends in the White House and the FBI/Police/ATF/Whoever has to bend and spread 'em.  I need something more involved where, to find the Trust base, they need BAU help.

I would love someone to read what I've got and suggest ideas, or even just bounce ideas here on DW.

( The story as written. )

Flo, Mayhem, and the Zombie Apocalypse (5256 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Progressive Insurance "Flo" Commercials, Allstate Insurance "Mayhem" Commercials, TV Commercials
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Flo the Progressive Insurance Girl/Mayhem (Allstate Insurance)
Characters: Nathaniel Burke (Farmers Insurance), Ensemble
Additional Tags: Zombie Apocalypse, Crack Treated Seriously, Leaning on the Fourth Wall, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Adventure, Romance, Humor, Non-Graphic Violence, Background Character Death
Summary:

“What, you think I'm responsible?” Mayhem looked as though he couldn't decide whether to be offended or flattered. “I specialize in minor damage. Broken windows. Fender benders. Sprained ankles. The occasional roof crushed by a tree, tops. This is Act of God level.”
 

Or, like the title says: Flo. Mayhem. The zombie apocalypse. What more do you need, really?

So there's a meme going around to pick lines from three WIPs you have.

But where's the fun in that? I have like twenty WIPs in various states of completion. Here are the ones most interesting to me/most likely to get finished:

1. My remix of rapfic's "Going Native"

( BSG/TNG )

2. Sequel to The Desert Between

( Vulcan! )

3. Untitled Teen Wolf thing.

( I've never even seen a single ep, though I've read a lot of fic. It can't be that much of a problem, right? )

4. Stargate/Criminal Minds crossover

( A casefic that gets personal ... )

5. Sequel to Unreal Things

( Cylon!Daniel )

6. The one where Cyd Charisse was a Vulcan

( Get your kicks on Route 66 )

7. The one where Anakin doesn't turn and he and Padme eventually get couples therapy.

( Living together is a lot different from a few hours snatched here and there during wartime. )

8. The one about Carol Marcus and Jim Kirk's relationship.

( SCIENCE! )