Million-Word Challenge: W is for Winter Solstice, Camelot Station, O is for Once and Future...
U is for Untitled
This week, I read two fics that I will not be writing up: one starting with L and worth 27 points, and the other starting with Y and worth 21 points. If you are unbearably curious about why I'm leaving these out, you can send me a private message, and I'll explain. (No, it's not because they are smutty.)
The first piece I will be writing up today is Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford. This is a prose poem that began its life as part of a Christmas card from the author to a friend and was later published in several anthologies. As the name suggests, it is based on Arthurian legend. I'm not going to claim that all modern interpretations of Arthurian legend are fanfic (though if you wanted to claim that, I also wouldn't contradict you). I think this one counts, however, since it appears to draw from another published 20th century interpretation, The Once and Future King.
I liked this piece, though not as much as a lot of people seem to. I think perhaps it would help if I had more experience with trains. I have taken a couple of train journeys, but passenger trains are not common in the places I have lived most of my life. As a result, many of the descriptions in the poem didn't mean a lot to me. Still, in as much as I could appreciate it, I enjoyed the matching of characters to their modes of travel (especially as concerns the two who arrived by freight). 1,566 words. Gen.
The reason I read Winter Solstice, Camelot Station was in order to read Once and Future by oliviacirce, a fanfic based on the poem, which a friend recommended to me. This is a nice elaboration of the world introduced in the poem. It has some good emotional beats and is also a little easier to follow, with fewer train terms. I particularly liked the ending. 2,770 words. Multi, per the label.
I also read an untitled piece of meta by Russ that I found while poking around her site. (I am putting it under "U" for "Untitled".) It's an informal piece comprising two reflections the author wrote about her interest in slash fiction. It makes a variety of points, but most of it has to do with the ways that sexism, societal and internalized, might contribute to the appeal for women of same-sex romance between male characters. Seasoned slash fans will likely have encountered many of the ideas before. They were well expressed here, though, and I found them thought provoking. (I'm still deciding which of the thoughts provoked I want to post about, so I'm afraid that's all you are getting out of me now.) 2,171 words. Meta.
Total Points: 373
#: 3 points
1991 by SkyborneVeggies (1 point; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
4 Vignettes With No Kissing & 1 Ex-Yacht by captain_starcat (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
A: 29 points
*All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (7 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*After the World Went Awry by teaspoonnebula (22 points; Sherlock Holmes)
B: 19 points
*The Bronze Metal Lover by stew (15 points; The Professionals x The Silver Metal Lover)
Brave Little Rabbit by jj_minerva (2 points; Raffles)
Blind Man's Bluff ? by fiorenza_a (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
C: 1 point
*Cold War, part of the Dirty Computer series by jat_sapphire (1 point; The Professionals)
D: 15 points
*Dreamed That Man Was I by Taliesin (14 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Dream a Highway by marginalia (1 point; Pancho and Lefty)
F: 32 points
*The 'Fine and Private Place' Affair by Taliesin (32 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
G: 45 points
The Gyptian Caravan Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (20 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
*The Gemini Factor by Russ (25 points; The Professionals x Who Dares Wins)
I: 54 points
Island Innocents by Glen Fiddich (54 points; The Professionals)
L: 30 points
*Lefty Sings the Blues by MirrorMasque (3 points; Pancho and Lefty)
An unnamed fic starting with L (27 points)
M: 26 points
*More Deaths Than One by Taliesin (24 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Monkey Suits With Satin and Lace by Joana Dey (2 points; The Professionals)
N: 3 points
The Not Exactly Affair by dancingpony (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
No wonder, no wonder by regshoe (1 point; Willy o Winsbury)
O: 2 points
Once and Future by oliviacirce (2 points; Winter Solstice, Camelot Station)
Q: 2 points
Quaint by kathkin (2 points; Doctor Who)
R: 2 points
Rift by MonkeyBard (1 point; The A-Team)
*Run, Rabbit, Run by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals x Blade Runner)
S: 43 points
*Spiderweb by Cord Smithee (12 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*The Singing of Many Wires by teaspoonnebula (18 points; Sherlock Holmes)
The Steppes of Central Asia Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
T: 2 points
*Time-Crossed Lovers by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (2 points; The Professionals)
U: 5 points
*Unit I, Series LYA: Press to Activate by Orockthro (3 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Untitled by Russ (2 points; meta)
V: 32 points
Voyages of the CI5 by hutchynstarsk (32 points; The Professionals)
W: 7 points
*Wicked by Cord Smithee (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Walking Wounded by Linda S. Maclaren (2 points; The Professionals)
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford (1 point; Arthurian legend)
Y: 21 points
An unnamed fic starting with Y (21 points)
* = Particularly recommended.
This week, I read two fics that I will not be writing up: one starting with L and worth 27 points, and the other starting with Y and worth 21 points. If you are unbearably curious about why I'm leaving these out, you can send me a private message, and I'll explain. (No, it's not because they are smutty.)
The first piece I will be writing up today is Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford. This is a prose poem that began its life as part of a Christmas card from the author to a friend and was later published in several anthologies. As the name suggests, it is based on Arthurian legend. I'm not going to claim that all modern interpretations of Arthurian legend are fanfic (though if you wanted to claim that, I also wouldn't contradict you). I think this one counts, however, since it appears to draw from another published 20th century interpretation, The Once and Future King.
I liked this piece, though not as much as a lot of people seem to. I think perhaps it would help if I had more experience with trains. I have taken a couple of train journeys, but passenger trains are not common in the places I have lived most of my life. As a result, many of the descriptions in the poem didn't mean a lot to me. Still, in as much as I could appreciate it, I enjoyed the matching of characters to their modes of travel (especially as concerns the two who arrived by freight). 1,566 words. Gen.
The reason I read Winter Solstice, Camelot Station was in order to read Once and Future by oliviacirce, a fanfic based on the poem, which a friend recommended to me. This is a nice elaboration of the world introduced in the poem. It has some good emotional beats and is also a little easier to follow, with fewer train terms. I particularly liked the ending. 2,770 words. Multi, per the label.
I also read an untitled piece of meta by Russ that I found while poking around her site. (I am putting it under "U" for "Untitled".) It's an informal piece comprising two reflections the author wrote about her interest in slash fiction. It makes a variety of points, but most of it has to do with the ways that sexism, societal and internalized, might contribute to the appeal for women of same-sex romance between male characters. Seasoned slash fans will likely have encountered many of the ideas before. They were well expressed here, though, and I found them thought provoking. (I'm still deciding which of the thoughts provoked I want to post about, so I'm afraid that's all you are getting out of me now.) 2,171 words. Meta.
Total Points: 373
#: 3 points
1991 by SkyborneVeggies (1 point; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
4 Vignettes With No Kissing & 1 Ex-Yacht by captain_starcat (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
A: 29 points
*All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (7 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*After the World Went Awry by teaspoonnebula (22 points; Sherlock Holmes)
B: 19 points
*The Bronze Metal Lover by stew (15 points; The Professionals x The Silver Metal Lover)
Brave Little Rabbit by jj_minerva (2 points; Raffles)
Blind Man's Bluff ? by fiorenza_a (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
C: 1 point
*Cold War, part of the Dirty Computer series by jat_sapphire (1 point; The Professionals)
D: 15 points
*Dreamed That Man Was I by Taliesin (14 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Dream a Highway by marginalia (1 point; Pancho and Lefty)
F: 32 points
*The 'Fine and Private Place' Affair by Taliesin (32 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
G: 45 points
The Gyptian Caravan Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (20 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
*The Gemini Factor by Russ (25 points; The Professionals x Who Dares Wins)
I: 54 points
Island Innocents by Glen Fiddich (54 points; The Professionals)
L: 30 points
*Lefty Sings the Blues by MirrorMasque (3 points; Pancho and Lefty)
An unnamed fic starting with L (27 points)
M: 26 points
*More Deaths Than One by Taliesin (24 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Monkey Suits With Satin and Lace by Joana Dey (2 points; The Professionals)
N: 3 points
The Not Exactly Affair by dancingpony (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
No wonder, no wonder by regshoe (1 point; Willy o Winsbury)
O: 2 points
Once and Future by oliviacirce (2 points; Winter Solstice, Camelot Station)
Q: 2 points
Quaint by kathkin (2 points; Doctor Who)
R: 2 points
Rift by MonkeyBard (1 point; The A-Team)
*Run, Rabbit, Run by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals x Blade Runner)
S: 43 points
*Spiderweb by Cord Smithee (12 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*The Singing of Many Wires by teaspoonnebula (18 points; Sherlock Holmes)
The Steppes of Central Asia Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
T: 2 points
*Time-Crossed Lovers by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (2 points; The Professionals)
U: 5 points
*Unit I, Series LYA: Press to Activate by Orockthro (3 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Untitled by Russ (2 points; meta)
V: 32 points
Voyages of the CI5 by hutchynstarsk (32 points; The Professionals)
W: 7 points
*Wicked by Cord Smithee (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Walking Wounded by Linda S. Maclaren (2 points; The Professionals)
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford (1 point; Arthurian legend)
Y: 21 points
An unnamed fic starting with Y (21 points)
* = Particularly recommended.