Sort Of a Drive-By Update

[elrhiarhodan]

Waves!

Can't believe it's April already. One quarter of 2012 is already gone. Sheesh, talk about time flying.

Let's see, what's up?

Finished my entry for the White Collar Kid!Fic fest. I am very pleased with it, if I must say. Sometimes you can write something and never hear the suck-voice. Sometimes you write something and it feels as effortless as breathing. Sometimes you write something and never struggle for the right word, the right phrase. Sometimes you write something and you just want to keep going and going and never stop.

That was this fic. It was supposed to be a simple bit of Five Times schmoop - but somewhere along the way, I found a real story to tell. And 5x fics do not have chapters that qualify for big bangs.

Of course, without my dearest coffeethyme4me, I doubt I would have made it past the first chapter (which would have satisfied the challenge).

What else?

Was brunchnapped yesterday. V and new mutual friend N took me to a very post Sunday brunch in advance of my birfday. We would have gone next Sunday, but that's Easter Sunday, and the place is closed. We gorged on all sorts of delicious om-nom-nom goodies like lobster and seafood paella and more lobster. And bread pudding with raspberry sauce, which happens to be my most favorite dessert in the world.

V and N and I spent the afternoon beading, which is always much fun - I can understand the special joy of quilting circles. Doing a creative activity with others seems to increase the creativity geometrically. Sort of like writing get-togethers.

And in the I'VE GONE INSANE news. Early in March, I signed up for the A/U Big Bang. Today I signed up for the White Collar Big Bang.

Which brings me to the last bit of news...I think I have a shiny new fandom.

Inspector Lewis.

I loved dracofiend's stories, even though I hadn't seen any of the episodes. Then I found them on Netflix and was sucked in.

My god, the UST is all but canon. And having two such wonderfully damaged characters to write. Except I don't know if I can - I am so mono-fannish. That's not to say I haven't been reading all of the fic I can find - it's just - well, everytime I try to write something other than WC, I (1) feel like I'm committing adultery and (2) feel like it's just crap.

So, in order to come to terms with this, I am writing a White Collar/Inspector Lewis crossover for the Big Bang. Wherein Neal finds a set of missing manuscripts that are the property of the Bodlein Library and ends up going to Oxford with Peter. There is a dead body and Neal and Peter get to meet with Lewis and Hathaway. There will be delicate flirting between Neal and Hathaway, much grumbling from Lewis and Peter, and everyone will get to live happily ever after.

It already has a title - A Murder of Crows.

I am such a dork.

Comments

[kendermaus]

You finding Lewis... YAY!!!!!!!

finding out you're writing a White Collar/Lewis crossover as a Big Bang fic. EVEN BIGGER YAY!!!!!!!!!

you have no idea how stoked i am to hear this. Really, you have no idea! I can't wait to see what you do with the Oxford boys and the idea of Hathaway and Neal and the cute and the flirting and the too smart for their own good and their long suffering "keepers"... Oh. SO MUCH OF THE WONDERFUL!!!

Welcome to the Lewis club, hon. You are a very welcome addition.

Oh... happy early birfday btw. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

pax,
the kendermouse

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! The story is pretty much plotted out in my head - hopefully it will write as easily as the aforementioned kidfic.

I've been reading all the Lewis I can find - lots of good stuff on AO3 - but I fear I will finish everything on that archive very soon. Is there anything worth reading on FF.net?

And I have to say - BIG YAY for your Lord Peter icon. It makes me want to go and watch Peter/Harriet again. Especially Gaudy Night.

I haven't made it through all of the Lewis eps yet - and I have a question. Do we know the name of James' band? It will be kind of important to the plot (gasp - plot!).

[kendermaus]

i don't know about anything on ff.net, i've not read much there on ANYthing. There's an LJ comm that has some good Lewis stuff but i think a lot of it is also on AO3. The LJ comm is "inspector_lewis"

And.. that is where i'm getting the info on James' band. I don't remember if we're given the name of the band in cannon, BUT the real life band is called "Acoustic Triangle" (and i've looked up the band and they're pretty good!) The song playing in "Old School Ties" is called "Miserere Mei" and is on their album "Resonance". I know we have James telling Robbie the "type" of music they play but i don't know if he mentioned the NAME.

Hope that helps.

Also, if you're thinking about getting the eps on disk, be aware that the US release ("Inspector Lewis" as opposed to "Lewis") from PBS takes out 10 min per ep (which they do on the tv as well). It's not "plot" stuff, but it's some WONDERFUL "character" stuff (generally between the boys) that REALLY gives some great insight into the friendship/relationship between the two. I ended up getting the UK release (luckily, i have a Region 0 dvd player) so i could get the extra footage and haven't regretted it. Someone said that with series 4 (?) PBS is/has put the extra footage back in but i'm not sure how accurate that info is.

Hope that helps for the story stuff.

Re: Lord Peter. i am a HUGE fan of Lord Peter. I love both the Ian Carmichael and Edward Petherbridge versions (though Edward P. looks MUCH closer to how Peter is described in the books). Own all the books, am trying to get all the DVD's (only have the Peter/Harriet set currently), and enjoy revisiting the characters as often as i can. If you haven't read the books, i'd urge you to. Dorothy L Sayers was an amazingly fun writer (Busman's Honeymoon is my favorite story EVER!!! - Peter and Harriet's honeymoon... it's subtitled "a Love Story with Detective interruptions" and is SO is. Such a wonderful look into Peter, Harriet and Bunter and how they learn to fit together in their new lives.)

okay. i'll stop gushing now, really. ::blush:: What can i say, i LOVE sharing my favorite things with people that i think would enjoy them.

I hope the info helps with the story and, as i said before, i can't wait to see the story you've come up with.

pax,
the kendermouse

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very much. So many people have expressed interest in my story, I'm getting terrified of writing it and letting people down.

I spent about five mins on ff.net, which just confirmed that it really does deserve its nickname (the Pit).

I am with you in your adoration of Busman's Honeymoon, though I think my fav is always going to be Gaudy Night.

I think you may be able to get the Carmichael stories via Acorn TV. There was an article about this company in the NYT last week - they distribute a lot of the old Masterpiece Theater and Mystery! stories, and in checking out one of the Wimsey titles on Wikipedia, there was a picture of the cover with Ian Carmichael on it.

[elrhiarhodan]

ETA - I was right! Acorn TV has the two sets of Ian Carmichael's Wimsey:

http://acornonline.com/lord-peter-wimsey-mysteries/p/lord-peter-wimsey-mysteries/

Inspector Morse

[(Anonymous)]

You like damaged characters? Morse was there way before Neal and Peter. You would love the original series "Inspector Morse" where Lewis was Morse's side-kick. I'm dating myself knowing this but see if you can get it online. Sadly, the actor passed away in real life and so Lewis took over. Anyway, hope you can find it.

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to Murder of Crows. Loved Inspector Morris and took a bit to warm up to Inspector Lewis, but Hathaway is very interesting character with depth. Everyone is free to BRIEFLY stray from main fandom, it even can re-energize it. Just don't jump ship and never return!!
My stitching meetings are not so much for the stitching as they are socializing and being with those who share the same interest. One doesn't feel like an alien and everyone truly knows and appreciate your creations (and any problems with said creations).
Dorks unite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[elrhiarhodan]

I need an icon for DORKS UNITE!

[deepbluemermaid.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I am already intrigued by your crossover story. Let me know if you want it beta'd for Oxford-accuracy; I lived there for four years, and would be happy to help :) I'm also quite good at British English, seeing as New Zealand English is relatively similar.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very, VERY much - I am definitely going to need help with Oxford! And Britpicking.

[sonia6349.livejournal.com]

You are a dork. A loveable dork whose words make me smile, laugh and cry. Thank goodness you're here. Love you *-*

[elrhiarhodan]

LOVE YOU TOO, BABE!

[teaboyfan.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to your crossover! I loved Inspector Morse (and slashed him with Lewis in my head); now Lewis is all grown up and has a very interesting colleague of his own. Now I must go hunt up some Morse/Lewis and Lewis/ Hathaway fics - another happily wasted evening! Being retired is wonderful.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! I loved Morse too. Do you know that a young Morse series is in the works!

[damietta.livejournal.com]

Your brunch sounds so awesome. Bread pudding, OMG, I love breadpudding. Do you have anything else planned for your birfday?

I'm not usually a fan of crossovers (mainly because I never follow the other show) but I think I could actually read a Big Bang one.

And, April....wow....its going so fast.

[elrhiarhodan]

Brunch was awesome - and the bread pudding even more so. It was made from croissants and dark chocolate. Birfday is on a tuesday - so nothing major planned other than work :(

Inpector Lewis is a pretty typical British mystery show, it's distinguished by (1) the setting - Oxford and (2) the relationship between the senior officer - DI Robbie Lewis and his junior partner, DS James Hathaway. Lewis' wife had been killed in a hit and run about 5 years before the start of the series, and he's barely recovered from that. Hathaway is a former seminary student - Cambridge and Oxford - and is clearly suffering from some emotional and psychological damage.

Much in the way that Peter and Neal are constantly in each other's homes, we see Hathaway and Lewis dropping by, spending lonely evenings together, etc.

It's very much a similar D/s relationship - which makes the idea of a crossover quite delish!

[coffeethyme4me.livejournal.com]

Your story is magnificent! \o/\o/\o/\o/ I was honored to beta it for you!

I'll totally read your crossover, even if I don't know the fandom. I'm sure you'll make it come alive for me. :-)

<3

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you!

I think that this will be an interesting story to write - it's all in my head already, just got to finish my remix piece first.

And I do think you'll enjoy Inspector Lewis - it's on NetFlix. Try it.

[dracofiend.livejournal.com]

Hi there! Teaboyfan mentioned you had posted something about Lewis and I'm excited to see you're getting into Lewis fandom! I had no idea you had never seen the episodes--makes me feel especially amazed that you'd read my Lewis fic! :D It's awesome that Lewis is on Netflix - did you know that the British versions have like 10 mins of extra footage for each episode? They had to edit them down a bit for Masterpiece Mystery in the US. Anyway, I hope you've joined the Lewis comm - it's such a small fandom you've probably read pretty much all the fic, but if you're interested in recs let me know!