12 - Coming full circle
Dearest Anons,
In five days (on May 8, 2011) this meme will have existed for a whole year.
It is an extraordinary achievement, your extraordinary achievement, to have kept this going well and alive for so long. With thousands of fics and comments, this meme is one of (if not the) most amazing thing I've ever come across. Not only the amount of fic ( Read more... )
In five days (on May 8, 2011) this meme will have existed for a whole year.
It is an extraordinary achievement, your extraordinary achievement, to have kept this going well and alive for so long. With thousands of fics and comments, this meme is one of (if not the) most amazing thing I've ever come across. Not only the amount of fic ( Read more... )
“Very well. So... what do you suggest that I do about my silly little mistake? It was hardly my fault, Gordon... can’t you just put Cook-A-Robin back in his greenhouse?” The gnome made a squeak of protest.
“I haven’t finished yet,” Gordon replied, jaws grinding. He banged the top of the cage with his fist, and the gnome stopped squealing. “While I was waiting for you to return, I took the liberty of checking through your desk.”
“Gordon!” Tony gasped. “That’s private!”
“Huh, not any longer. I found a set of invitations, tied up in a red ribbon and fresh off the press, by the looks of them.”
“I don’t see why that’s a problem, Gordon,” Tony said. One hand was curled around his belt buckle, and his knuckles were beginning to whiten. Who did Gordon think he was, breaking into his home and proceeding to rifle through his personal belongings and then insult him?
“You and your... associates,” Gordon said. “Have been planning to throw some sort of orgy in Rosse Hall. I am not going to allow a drink-sodden huddle of worms to run about and ruin the place. It’s disrespectful. I’ll break both your arms and snap Mandelson’s scrawny neck before I allow men like van Murdoch to shit all over the sacred-”
“It wasn’t me. It was Peter’s idea. Look - you’re overreacting. And Rupert wasn’t so much as invited, for goodness sake.”
“How about Roth, huh?”
“Yes, he’s an old friend of Peter’s. His son and daughter are invited too.”
“And how about De Ripaska?”
“I-I have never met him in my life.” Tony glared at Gordon, his face scarlet. “You’re being paranoid. Oh - unless - you aren’t bitter about not being issued an invite are you? Because you’d be welcome to join us, and Peter has booked a troupe of close harmony myna birds that I know you’d find really-”
“-I don’t give a rat’s tail for Mandelson’s ridiculous myna birds, and there will be no such orgy. I’m banning it. Any invitations that you may have already sent out, you will just have to chase down and cancel,” Gordon threw the cover back over the bird cage. He hoisted it up and set it atop Tony’s dresser, stepping back. “What do you say to that?”
“I don’t give a damn. Rosse Hall is mine, and I will use it as I please. What’s more,” Tony said, breathless with irritation. “What’s more is that I’m forbidding you from stepping foot in the estate for the next month. Peter will have his ball, he’s going to shift your stupid machinery and insect collection to do so, and you won’t stop us having a wonderful time. Good evening, Gordon.”
Throwing a final glance at the covered cage and ignoring Tony, Gordon shoved his bowler hat onto his curly head and slunk awkwardly out of the door, cogs and gears turning furiously in his skull.
And then, it came to him.
As the lock clicked behind him, and he began his descent down the staircase, a strange half-smile formed across Gordon’s lips.
And that's all for my first update. I know there's not much here ATM. I'm actually on chapter 17, but I've found that I need to be several chapters ahead to give myself space to keep editing and making it coherant. Plus I need a buffer during exams... I hope that's alright. A note is that Dodrago is pronounced do-dray-go, and Rosse as ross-ee. You know. Just in case you were wondering.
*shuffles away staring at feet*
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it is impossible to work without the thought of that man playing on my mind. He seeps under my skin like a virus and when he departs for the city, the cornflower of his eyes remain burnt into my retina
Oh Gordon. ♥ I both hate and love the fact that this fic skips the part that's so beautiful and heart-breaking in the canon version of TBGB; the fact they were friends who really got along and stuff. This is just straight to the inheritance of power and the difficulties therein and yet there's something ~between~ the two that's like, not just hatred. So I'm just sitting here wringing my hands when the log reads like 10 Things I Hate About You's famous monologue.. Gordon, you could be so good together ;____; why can you not see this.
Lol'ing at Tony getting pwned by a plant once again. This guy! Too endearing in this fic. /heart eyes
Peter rubbing elbows with the wealth, of course. :D
The whole bit about the papers was all too hilarious.
The Chainmail was printed entirely in capital letters, ever since the lower case typewriter keys were thrown out by the editor, who decided that the newspaper needed to pack a tougher punch.
Waiting for rl!Mail to do this, too..
THERE WILL BE NO MORE UNSUBSTANTIATED FILTH WRITTEN CONCERNING THE PERSONAL WEAKNESSES OF MR A.C.L. BLAIR BY ANY PERSON AT THE RADAR. IF I DISCOVER THAT ONE SINGLE MISERABLE, SCUM-SCRAPING-
AHAHAHAHA. Perfection.
Outwitted by an overgrown mollusc.
I sense an intra-fic meme forming. ;_____; Tony being outwitted/outpowered by random stuff. WANT.
“Bargh.”
PREZZA HAS ARRIVED LADIES & GENTS & GOATS. omgggggggggggggggg.
“Grimsley can’t read. Why did you let him sort the post?”
“Don’t be so bossy,” Tony said, slumping into his chair on the other side of the desk and pushing a clean sheet of letter paper at Peter. “I thought that delegating him some responsibility would be a good experience.”
dfjhsdkjfhdskghdkfj Tony you fail so much so why do I love you more for it? :DDDDDD Hilare.
He had stolen John’s rare Azelboiki cabbage from the vegetable patch and was- he was-” Gordon threw a filthy, one-eyed glance at the gnome, who was sticking his tongue out from underneath his gag. “I didn’t take the cabbage back.”
ROFLMAO. I love the gnome. Such comedy.
“You and your... associates,” Gordon said. “Have been planning to throw some sort of orgy in Rosse Hall.
Awww. Trust Gordon to consider a social gathering a depraved orgy. ♥ He's so keen to think the worst of Tony et al, isn't he? :D
There's not much in terms of plot but there's all the more in terms of delicious descriptions and word-building, as always. ♥____♥ Love it, as always.
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I both hate and love the fact that this fic skips the part that's so beautiful and heart-breaking in the canon version of TBGB; the fact they were friends who really got along and stuff.
*sighs* I know. If I was prepared to do an epic AU which mirrors everything that happened IRL, I would have started back in 1983 buut... I just cut straight to the TBGB as we better know it.
As for Tony being outwitted by plants and snails - I don't think he's a bumbling idiot. I don't actually know where the klutz!Tony characterisation came from, he should be smoother.
By orgy I meant a sort of Waughian depraved gathering o.O I forgot that it could be interpreted the other way.
Anyway, thank you for the lovely comment, and I promise I'll post enough next time to get some plot rolling.
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I don't blame you, I think the mirroring thing would be immensely difficult to write/research. It's just strangely heart-breaking to know that neither of them have ever given each other a good reason to like one another, so it seems they're just doomed for tension-filled enemy-dom. Which is tragic for those of us hoping for make-outs. XD
I don't think he's a bumbling idiot. I don't actually know where the klutz!Tony characterisation came from, he should be smoother.
I get the sense his life has always worked out so smoothly he doesn't see potentially bad situations until they hit him.
Can't wait for more <3
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And I could break the character limit praising your beautiful, enthralling, detailed world-building, but I have to get back to my revision at some point this afternoon ;-; You've given me tingles already, aa.
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I'm totally with you on the revision thing BTW.
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*glomps Hattie!anon with great enthusiasm*
I love Gordon's log entry. I love his Blair description, and Tony's cornflower blue eyes and his Frog chorus voice and his hateful tassley waistcoats and his flappy ears. <3 I love his double underlines. Eeeee, their love is so full of bitter rage.
COOK-A-ROBIN!!!! You are a genius, author!anon. He totally would be a gnome, with his squishy face and his little beard.
And Tony has bravely and successfully killed something! A plant, granted, but still. I guess his adventure with the plague priests has toughened him up a wee bit. XD
And Roth! And his yacht dirigible! And Carla Powell! And they flirt so magnificently. I love how people keep making cameos in this; it's delightful. And Geoffrey is back, good old Geoffrey. :D
He was balanced in the stout man’s lap to save the servants the bother of fetching another chair.
Because we all know how much Peter hates inconveniencing servants. Pffffft. Transparent lapsitting!Peter is transparent. And of course I am delighted to know the color of his socks (the key detail in any story, along with the pastry du jour), though less delighted about his early 90s haircut. Oh Peter, why must you do such terrible things to your lovely swishy fringe? :(
Also he is adorable when he loses at chess. Go Carla, put the little upstart in his place! XD
And Peter and his wretched expensive watches. Oh, Peter. You know, I don't think the meme has ever had such a magnificent rendition of Peter in his social-climber mode. (Admittedly this may be because I try to stay the fuck away from George Osborne, and have therefore missed all the Corfu fics.)
“Would he be persuaded with...?”
Oh, Peter. It's not that I mind his whoring exactly, I just have this maternal impulse to make Alastair to sit him down and give him that lecture about self-worth. But probably Alastair is too busy fucking him.
The paper names. :DDDDDDDDD OMG, the paper names. The Chimes! And the Solaris! And the Chain Mail, which threw out all the lowercase type! *ded* And the Radar! They may be the very best part of this entire delightful installment.
Alastair at work, and the contents of his office, are also a delight.
“Are human beings colour blind?”
LOL. Some of them just have no taste.
“What’s a rock gobstopper?”
“It’s a rock. In the shape of a gobstopper. Lasts foreverrrp.”
I literally laughed out loud at this bit.
Major’s cargo dirigible had been unsuccessfully attacked by air pirates
Unsuccessfully? Must be a good week for him.
And Tom Baldwin! More cameos! :D
(TBC)
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But all cameos pale into insignificance with the advent of PREZZA. PREZZZZZZZZZZZZZA!
His head melted right into his massive neck, his mouth was a lipless gash and his nose a brick-tough lump. His eyes were wide-set and bags wobbled beneath them when he was angry, which was far too often to be good for his weak heart.
This is such a perfect description of him too, especially his wobbly eyebags, bless him.
a bookcase covered an entire wall, heavy with fat tomes he had never read, but wanted visitors to be impressed by
Oh, Tony.
“It’s a relief to have you back,” Tony smiled. “I really do need you on board. You appreciate that, don’t you?”
Manipulative as ever, I see. Peter, in the adventuring business, one needs partners who won't abandon one to die. However charming his smile, I feel you can do better.
“Grimsley can’t read. Why did you let him sort the post?”
“Don’t be so bossy”
Although Tony is right, he does need you.
“I’m not sure if you noticed this but; I keep my door securely locked.”
“And I had a copy of your key made,” Gordon said smugly, swinging the key on the end of the narrow rope before shoving it back into his pocket
Haha, unexpected!Gordon is always unexpected. Nothing says "Love" "Peter Mandelson" like a spare key you didn't authorize.
“You and your... associates,” Gordon said. “Have been planning to throw some sort of orgy in Rosse Hall"
I share my honorable friend's amusement at Gordon's characterization of this gathering, although given what Peter's like it might actually be an orgy.
"It wasn’t me. It was Peter’s idea"
Tony is such a nebby coward in this (and every) universe. It's adorable.
Peter will have his ball, he’s going to shift your stupid machinery and insect collection to do so
But he's standing up for Peter, which is even... adorabler. D'awwww.
And now plottings are afoot! I AM EXCITE.
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He killed a plant, yes. Which will probably just piss off Gordon even more, but, you know. Tony's quite good at doing that. And yes yes yes! There's nothing like being beaten at a game of skill to make you feel humility. Only I'm quite bad at it, so I tend to steer away from the chessboards these days. I knew Carla had to appear when I found that Peter calls her 'Granny' or (while he apparently calls all his female friends 'darling').
Geffen gave him a Patek Philippe, didn't he? Those things cost £150 just to get the battery changed. You know, I thought I may be able to get through this without mentioning pastry, but apparently not because I subconsciously did so when I had that pie vendor bugging Tony. It wasn't even deliberate 0.0
Oh, Peter. It's not that I mind his whoring exactly, I just have this maternal impulse to make Alastair to sit him down and give him that lecture about self-worth. But probably Alastair is too busy fucking him.
Okay. I think that maybe Peter will hit such a low that this might have to happen, or something along those lines. I'll make a note of it.
I Peter Mandelson working for this party, even if, at times, the party has not always Peter Mandelsoned me.
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