Otter's Rock

So my rarepairexchange assignment did not show up in my email inbox! It did show up

I just realized that I haven't looked at Dreamwidth in I have no idea how long. At least a week, probably. I wasn't especially busy; I did take a few days with my family for Memorial Day weekend mini-vacation (which we have done every year since before I was born), but judging by how far I've gone back in my reading list and haven't started seeing posts I recognize, I had stopped well before that.

Normally, checking DW is part of my daily routine. My flist isn't hugely active, so there's no need to check more than once a day, but it's the only place that I can reliably check in with several long-term friends, and of course a lot of exchanges are mostly run through DW and it makes it easier to keep up with what's planned and what's in progress. I missed the signups for Fandom 5k, and none of the pinch hits are things I'd want to write, which is a shame, because I prefer the longer exchanges. Ah, well, I guess that means I will have more time for shorter-minimum thematic exchanges instead.

If you posted something important and I missed it ... sorry! Feel free to let me know in the comments!

I have not even started reading my way through the ficinabox 2024 archive, but I can wholeheartedly rec the cornucopia of gifts I got.

I got two podfics, which was lovely, one of my fics and one of someone else's fics in a pairing I love. Both are delightful. Podficcers make such an important contribution to fandom, it takes so much work and time to do, and they don't get enough love, so please go listen and leave lots of lovely comments:

[podfic] A Grief Shared by Beatrice_Otter (29 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Guinan/Jean-Luc Picard, Jean-Luc Picard & Robert Picard
Characters: Jean-Luc Picard, Guinan (Star Trek), Robert Picard
Additional Tags: Episode Tag, Episode: s04e02 Family, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Comfort, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes, 16:53 to be exact
Summary:

During the episode Family, Guinan comes to visit Jean-Luc at the vineyard.

[podfic] The Discipline Compulsion by paranoidangel (29 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Star Trek: Enterprise
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: T'Pol/Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Characters: T'Pol (Star Trek), Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Additional Tags: 5 Times, Sex Pollen, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes, 16:05 to be exact
Summary:

He was on an alien planet, alone with T'Pol and yet again there was sex pollen.

On top of the two podfics, I got four other fic that are just delightful:

Denorios Belt Briefs (1047 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Crew of Deep Space Nine, Jake Sisko, Bareil Antos
Additional Tags: Newspapers, Bajoran Religion (Star Trek), Alien Cultural Differences
Summary:

Interesting bits of news for residents of Deep Space Nine, by Jake Sisko

I love the worldbuilding in this one, each fragment is tantalizing

What's important (3039 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Data/Geordi La Forge
Characters: Geordi La Forge, Data (Star Trek)
Additional Tags: Developing Relationship
Summary:

After too long a shift the previous day, Geordi is tired of the VISOR, and he and Data change their plans so he doesn't have to use it.

I could really feel Geordi's pain and the ache of his choices, and I love how Data cares for him.

green with the colour of fresh willows (3402 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: 将军在上 | Oh My General (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hu Qing & Ye Zhao (Oh My General), Pre Hu Qing/Ye Zhao/Zhao Yujin (Oh My General)
Characters: Ye Zhao (Oh My General), Hu Qing (Oh My General), Zhao Yujin (Oh My General), Emperor Renzong (Oh My General)
Additional Tags: Don't copy to another site, FIAB 2024, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death, Ruzhui Marriage, Love Confessions, Pre-Relationship
Summary:

Ye Zhao crumpled the letter, the violence of the motion concealing the trembling of her hand.

This is a really interesting AU, and the characters are so perfectly captured. I only wish it were longer!

The Things We Leave Behind (2142 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Grant & Thomas Nightingale
Characters: Peter Grant (Rivers of London), Thomas Nightingale
Additional Tags: History, Libraries, Grief/Mourning, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Original Character(s), Post-Book: Broken Homes, Not Britpicked
Summary:

The Folly is full of ghosts.

Good Peter POV, and love the melancholy that Nightingale doesn't dwell on.

fandom5k is live! I do so enjoy ficathons with a longer minimum.

I received a lovely Pacific Rim story with great worldbuidling, and an aroace Stacker Pentecost, which I absolutely loved.

Family of the Heart (5064 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Mako Mori & Stacker Pentecost, Stacker Pentecost & Tamsin Sevier
Characters: Stacker Pentecost, Tamsin Sevier, Mako Mori, Hercules Hansen, Chuck Hansen
Summary:

Even as a boy, Stacker knows that family is what makes you, and that ‘family’ doesn’t have to be blood.

Other fics I liked:

The Second Ramat Affair (5774 words)
Fandom: Poirot - Agatha Christie
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Johnnie Race, Julia Upjohn, Mrs Upjohn (Poirot), Hercule Poirot
Additional Tags: Mystery/Procedural, Canon-Typical Plot, Post-Cat Among the Pigeons, Here to Bring Your Headcanon to Life
Summary:

Miss Bulstrode was surely going to kick her out of Meadowbrook, reflected Julia Upjohn as she crouched behind the sofa, trying not to breathe...

Or, Julia Upjohn once again finds herself in a Ramat mystery plot. Hercule Poirot and Colonel Race come to her assistance. And Poirot finds there is more than one mystery requiring his attention.

Set not-too-long after Cat Among the Pigeons

Reconciliation (12077 words)
Fandom: Persuasion - Jane Austen
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Reunions, Getting Back Together, Mutual Pining, Medium Burn, i.e. it's slightly more sped up than canon but they still take a while to defrost, canonical character injury, Slice of Life, Angst with a Happy Ending
Summary:

On the afternoon of her nephew's fall, Anne sets out a little earlier for Uppercross Hall, and is unable to avoid a reunion with Captain Wentworth. When disaster strikes, they must put aside their old hurts and work together, with far-reaching consequences.

Pest Control Officer Jones, Reporting (5100 words)
Fandom: Alien Series
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jones the Cat & Ellen Ripley
Characters: Ellen Ripley, Jones the Cat (Alien Series), Nostromo Crew Members (Alien Series)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, ship's cat
Summary:

There was, of course, a set of official procedures to go with the tradition of introducing a new ship's cat-- which had obviously not been written by anyone who'd ever been adopted by a feline of their own.

i'm not looking to be found (just want to feel unlost) (5952 words)
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels (Movie 2023)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Carol Danvers
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Enemies-to-Lovers speedrun, Parallels, bed sharing
Summary:

Carol gets lost, and goes where all lost things go: Sakaar.

Didn't Know I Was Lost (9131 words)
Fandom: Star Wars: Rebels
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus & Jacen Syndulla
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Kanan Jarrus Lives, Parenting, Family Bonding
Summary:

Kanan has returned but not everyone is thrilled to have him back.

There Shall Be Dancing (6360 words)
Fandom: Bridgerton (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma
Characters: Anthony Bridgerton, Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma, Edwina Sheffield | Edwina Sharma, Lady Danbury, Gregory Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Mary Sheffield | Mary Sharma, Charlotte zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Charlotte Queen of the United Kingdom, Hyacinth Bridgerton
Additional Tags: somewhat AU, Book influenced, Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma in Love, Bridgerton (TV) Season 2, Anthony Bridgerton Being an Idiot, Anthony Bridgerton Doing Better, Different Path to S2 Endgame
Summary:

Edwina watched as the two of them made their way through the figures of the dance, and wondered how she had not seen it before, how everyone else did not see.

A slight S2 AU with slightly less bad decisions along the way.

A/N: Some dialogue is taken from S2 episodes.

The Darling Buds of May (10654 words)
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Caroline Bingley/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: Louisa Hurst, Mr. Hurst (Pride and Prejudice)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Past Relationship(s), Unhappy marriage, Class Differences, Flowers, Slow Romance
Summary:

While staying with her sister and his wife, Caroline encounters an eligible man and his sister, but it is the sister who more draws her eye.

Words and Actions (6428 words)
Fandom: Andor (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, Vel Sartha, Cinta Kaz
Additional Tags: Politics, Philosophy, Political Alliances
Summary:

Cassian stays with Mon Mothma in the aftermath of a mission, and finds a way to see eye to eye with someone whose reality is so different from his own.

burn the shoes and boil the rice (21410 words)
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Daniel Jackson/Vala Mal Doran
Characters: Daniel Jackson (Stargate), Vala Mal Doran, Cameron Mitchell (Stargate)
Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Canon-Style Plot - Freeform, (Ish) - Freeform, Post-Canon, featuring:, Fake Marriage, Forced Proximity, Alien Wedding Ceremonies, a sprinkling of, Hurt/Comfort, My Best Attempt at Goa'uld Grammar, A Word Count That Got Away From Me, just a little bit
Summary:

Five times Daniel and Vala got married, and one time they didn't.

As someone who loves classic films, I am really excited for the classic film exchange! Nominations are in early July, signups are in mid July, stories are due September 15.

classicfilmex posted:

Classic Film Exchange is what it says on the tin: an exchange for fandoms in movies released before 1/1/1980. This date doesn't mean that no "classic" films were released after January 1, 1980, merely that it serves as a useful cut-off to allow less frequently requested and written fandoms to get the attention they deserve!

The challenge is fic only, and is open to films from any nation in any language, but the fic must be in English.

sedoretuex has revealed, and I can now reveal that I wrote TWO stories! (I have not yet had time to read any stories but my own--I have been really busy this January--but I am planning on making my way through the collection soon.)

( Sedoretu explanation )

My second story for this exchange was a pinch hit for tielan that I had been eyeing for treat purposes since the beginning, because our tastes are very similar and every one of her ideas was amazing and absolutely a story I wanted to exist. But there was a problem! Each one of those stories, my feeling was "I want that to exist, but I don't know if I can do justice to it."

Here were my main options:

1) Relationship and prompt I have written for tielan before (MCU, Steve/Maria/Natasha/Bucky, the previous fic being Look Clear and Calm)

2) Really interesting relationship and prompt from a TV show I've only seen sporadic episodes of (Simon Basset/Anthony Bridgerton/Daphne Bridgerton/Kate Sharma (Bridgerton TV), The oldest son and oldest daughter of the Bridgerton family finding and settling on a sedoretu husband and wife for their familial quartet. In the middle of the season. With the ton looking on.)

3) Relationship I requested myself and would really like to se done, but I requested it because I'm not sure of my ability to write it and the canon is a TV show I haven't watched in almost 2 decades. (BSG, Lee/Kara/Sam/Dee)

4) Relationship I already wrote for this ficathon for my original assignment. (Star Wars Legends, Luke/Mara/Leia/Han, the other fic being Dawning Understanding)

And these were just the top four. There were 13 requested quartets and I could have written 10 of them! I was spoiled for choice! Honestly, it was a little bit paralyzing.

But in the end, I went with BSG, and decided that Wikipedia would have to be enough canon review. And it really did write itself; everything poured out. As always, for me, Dee was going to have a major role and survive; I love her and she was done so dirty by canon. Her death was the first time I got incandescently angry about a fridging because I could see it for what it was. And of the relationships in this foursome, Lee/Kara is my least favorite. (I am glad that in Kara we got to have a female character who was fucked up and messy and not punished for it or considered 'whiny,' but at the same time, there were a lot of other fucked up and messy female characters on that show, and a lot of the other character arcs interested me more than 'cosmic destiny + will she and Lee ever get their act together.' But I know that Lee/Kara is tielan's favorite! So as I was plotting out each section I had to restrain myself: how much Dee was too much? What could I find to say about the other three? Because if I was writing it for myself, the balance would have been very different. (But I think it would have been a weaker story, less balanced.)


Title: Six Things That Changed Because They Were In A Sedoretu, and One Thing That Didn't
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Relationship: Lee "Apollo" Adama/Sam Anders/Anastasia "Dee" Dualla/Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
Rating: T
Length: 7930 words
Author: Beatrice_Otter
Written For: tielan in Sedoretu Exchange
Betaed by: iberiandoctor

On AO3. On Squidgeworld. Rebloggable on tumblr and pillowfort.


One.
Collaborators

Sam was waiting for Lee when he came off the flight deck after his flight. It had been a routine combat air patrol, relaxing, not even a hint of a ghost of a problem, and Lee was feeling pretty good.

"Hey, Sam," he said, giving him a peck on the lips. "How's it going?"

Sam smiled, but his eyes were stormy. "I know our room's supposed to be mine and Kara's tonight, but that's not happening. Would you like to join me?" The room they shared was tiny, barely room for a bed, and they were lucky to get it. And the bed could only fit all four of them if they got really close. They had a rotation for who got it, and the rest of the time they slept in their individual racks.

Lee stopped himself from asking what had happened. Sam and Kara were a lot less volatile than he'd ever imagined a relationship with Kara could be, so it wasn't anything petty. But Lee appreciated that Sam didn't try to interfere with Lee and Kara's fights, and he tried to return the favor. "Sure," he said. A (slightly) bigger bed than his rack and a handsome man to fill it—of course he was interested.

***

( Dinner was no worse than usual, the sex was excellent, and afterwards Lee was looking forward to cuddling with Sam in a way neither Kara nor Dee tended to prefer. But Sam turned away and curled up on his side as soon as they were done. )

And here is the other yuletide fic I wrote! This one was for Quasar, a pinch-hitter who was not signed up and so wouldn't receive anything without treats. They were the only one of the pinch hitters I could write for. This was my only treat this year; other writing projects got in the way. (Including my late pinch hit for sedoretuex which was fun but did take a lot of time). I knew I wasn't going to have much time for treating given how much stuff I signed up for this year.

This was quick to write but I enjoyed it; and it's always fun to use bits of history trivia I already know. In this case, "spending a lot of time at a particular noble's house to force them to entertain the entire Royal Court (and thus spend a shitton of money) so they won't have the funds to cause future trouble, but also can't complain about their impoverishment" was a common tactic of late medieval/early modern royalty in England. And also, in the medieval period, if someone is abruptly a major player in politics and neither they nor their parents had that kind of power/position/money before, and it's not a case of "the monarch just happened to love this person," and you wonder how come they're such an important/rich person all of a sudden? The answer is usually "tax fraud," which was a booming industry in late medieval England at all social levels.

Title: Planning a Peaceful Campaign
Author: Beatrice_Otter
Fandom: Curse of Chalion
Length: 1424 words
Rating: Gen
Written for: quasar  in yuletide  2023

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


It was a good thing, Iselle reflected as she watched her Chancellor and his wife lay out their luncheon, that all four of them were known as excellent riders with a love of speed and the skill to accomplish it safely. Days like this, when they'd managed to outride the rest of the court and find a place to picnic by themselves, were the only truly private speech they'd had for months.

"You know, this isn't going to work for too much longer," Bergon said. It was his turn to walk the horses to cool them down, and Iselle turned to watch him. The light sheen of sweat from exercise on a warm summer day gave him a very appealing glow, pleasantly reminding her of other things they might be doing to work up a sweat. "We're giving them too much practice, and I know for a fact that dy Garnez has sent for his younger brother, who I'm told is one of the best horsemen in Almesca, to attend us."

"There are other ways of slipping off alone," Iselle said.

(   )

For Yuletide 2023, I received this GORGEOUS, lyrical story for Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer:

tattoo your love on my heart (3620 words)
Fandom: Dirty Computer - Janelle Monáe (Music Video)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ché/Jane/Zen (Dirty Computer)
Additional Tags: On the Run, Polyamory, Amnesia, reclaiming yourself, idk Che looks like a they to me, Dancing, Internalised Oppression, POV First Person, Past Brainwashing
Summary:

I can feel sharp black holes in my mind, and there is nothing there.

I am Zen. It is my name. I thought I was someone else, someone clean with a proper designation. I forgot how much I loved these two people. They know who they are, and when I look at them I feel something that I know is far from clean. I try to remember how we met, what we did, and all I can find are those empty spots inside of me.

( 80 recs in 49 fandoms )

So the reason I missed the deadline on Fic In A Box is because I had the reveals date in my head and assumed that the posting deadline was a week or two before it, and not a month before it. (Fic In A Box has an atypical structure and thus an atypical schedule). So when I emailed the mod explaining that I am on track to finishing a 10k fic in time for the collection, I just don't have the fic done yet, the mod undefaulted me. So there's a happy ending! But it was a bit more stressful than I wanted, and I'm sure it was at least a little extra hassle for the mod.

I do a lot of exchanges in fall/winter, and I love all of them, but I just learned about another one that I might have to do instead of one of them. There is an exchange entirely dedicated to sedoretus, that weird 4-person poly marriage LeGuin came up with. And I love Sedoretu stories. It's called sedoretuex and it runs from now through December (currently in nominations). If I do it, I would have to give up doing startrekholidays, which I've done the last several years and really enjoyed.

My problem is that there are a number of ships I have where there are THREE characters, but nobody to really slot in for the fourth. For example, Lando/Mara/Luke and then who would you put in for the fourth? There are a dearth of women in the Legends universe, even fewer in the OT, and most of the ones who exist are already paired up. I don't want to break up Han/Leia, or Corran/Mirax. Then with Babylon 5, I love the idea of Delenn/John/Lennier and Delenn/John/Neroon, but then who to put in as a fourth? Mayal? Susan?

And you know, there aren't that many possible sedoretus in most of my fandoms. I'm used to offering, like, ten different characters/pairing in a lot of my fandoms because they tend to have large casts and I love them all. But most of them, I'm going through, and there's like one possible sedoretu.

I do love the concept of sedoretus.

But I also love startrekholidays