Yuletide Reveal
Jan. 3rd, 2009 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineveh_ukI wrote two Yuletide stories this year.
The Frivolous Fable of a Spinster's Suspicions is the primary one, which after some initial doubt about what on earth I was going to write about Miss Climpson (I mean, it's not quite "I'd like something soppy and straightforward about Peter and Harriet, is it") proved rather fun to think about, even if I wrote it at the last minute as ever. This was very much one that took its imaginative progress from the opening line:
'May I enquire, Lord Peter,' said Miss Climpson, proffering his refurbished tea-cup, 'as to your opinions of White Slavery?'
The second story is Across the Raging Tide, which was done for Yuletide Madness when somebody requested almost exactly the only story I'd ever thought of writing about these characters, and thus presented an irresistible chance of someone actually reading it given that the market for Albert Campion fic seems limited. In case of anyone who is not familiar with Allingham wanting to read it, context follows.
Albert Campion is something of a of Peter Wimsey spoof, being pale, blond, aristocratic, and a bit dubious about his rightful place in the world. He goes round solving people's problems and crimes and doing odd things for the government. In the course of these activities in Sweet Danger he meets Amanda Fitton, aged sixteen going on twelve mechanic, who announces at the end of the novel that she quite fancies him and will marry him in five years or so. Five years later, Albert and Amanda meet again in A Fashion in Shrouds. By this time she is an aircraft engineer and Lady Amanda due to the successful outcome of events in Sweet Danger, and end up pretending to be engaged as a cover for his investigation. At the end, in the way of things in books, they decide to make it official, although the whole thing is rather lukewarm. The charitable explanation is that Campion is keen really, but thinks he isn't good enough for Amanda, being older and a bit pointless, whereas she is young*, beautiful, energetic and engaging and so on. Traitor's Purse takes place about three years later, in 1940. Campion and Amanda are still engaged, though due to be married next month, and she's finally got a bit fed up of it. In a convoluted plot that involves a lot of bad timing and people making things difficult for one another by failing to explain things, ask questions, or admit they are suffering severe memory loss after a bang on the head, Amanda declares she is dumping Campion for being a cold fish just as said bang on the head makes him (a) discover he has a sex drive after all and fancies her rotten and (b)realise that he's been behaving rather badly. In the end, England is saved from a dastardly plot (the thriller bit is really quite decent), and the pair agree to "get married tomorrow", with a bit of climatic poetry and a kiss. The fic takes up at the point where the novel leaves off.
*We get told about Amanda's slim young body quite a lot.
It was fun to do, but a bit hairy at times, as the typos may suggest. A February challenge would be so much easier in terms of timing! Having had a busy fortnight I am horribly behind on both Yuletide and LJ reading and writing, but I shall be catching up soon.
The Frivolous Fable of a Spinster's Suspicions is the primary one, which after some initial doubt about what on earth I was going to write about Miss Climpson (I mean, it's not quite "I'd like something soppy and straightforward about Peter and Harriet, is it") proved rather fun to think about, even if I wrote it at the last minute as ever. This was very much one that took its imaginative progress from the opening line:
'May I enquire, Lord Peter,' said Miss Climpson, proffering his refurbished tea-cup, 'as to your opinions of White Slavery?'
The second story is Across the Raging Tide, which was done for Yuletide Madness when somebody requested almost exactly the only story I'd ever thought of writing about these characters, and thus presented an irresistible chance of someone actually reading it given that the market for Albert Campion fic seems limited. In case of anyone who is not familiar with Allingham wanting to read it, context follows.
Albert Campion is something of a of Peter Wimsey spoof, being pale, blond, aristocratic, and a bit dubious about his rightful place in the world. He goes round solving people's problems and crimes and doing odd things for the government. In the course of these activities in Sweet Danger he meets Amanda Fitton, aged sixteen going on twelve mechanic, who announces at the end of the novel that she quite fancies him and will marry him in five years or so. Five years later, Albert and Amanda meet again in A Fashion in Shrouds. By this time she is an aircraft engineer and Lady Amanda due to the successful outcome of events in Sweet Danger, and end up pretending to be engaged as a cover for his investigation. At the end, in the way of things in books, they decide to make it official, although the whole thing is rather lukewarm. The charitable explanation is that Campion is keen really, but thinks he isn't good enough for Amanda, being older and a bit pointless, whereas she is young*, beautiful, energetic and engaging and so on. Traitor's Purse takes place about three years later, in 1940. Campion and Amanda are still engaged, though due to be married next month, and she's finally got a bit fed up of it. In a convoluted plot that involves a lot of bad timing and people making things difficult for one another by failing to explain things, ask questions, or admit they are suffering severe memory loss after a bang on the head, Amanda declares she is dumping Campion for being a cold fish just as said bang on the head makes him (a) discover he has a sex drive after all and fancies her rotten and (b)realise that he's been behaving rather badly. In the end, England is saved from a dastardly plot (the thriller bit is really quite decent), and the pair agree to "get married tomorrow", with a bit of climatic poetry and a kiss. The fic takes up at the point where the novel leaves off.
*We get told about Amanda's slim young body quite a lot.
It was fun to do, but a bit hairy at times, as the typos may suggest. A February challenge would be so much easier in terms of timing! Having had a busy fortnight I am horribly behind on both Yuletide and LJ reading and writing, but I shall be catching up soon.
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Date: 2009-01-04 12:23 am (UTC)stalklook up all the other Wimsey authors to see if they have written previous Sayers stories that I have missed. I haven't had much computer time over the past week, but I shall have to now indulge my vanity and look up recs!(no subject)
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Date: 2009-01-12 06:40 pm (UTC)I'm actually starting a fanfic archive for all the classic detective couples (as determined by me, I'll admit *sheepish smile*) and I'd love to have that story--as well as any of your Wimsey fic that you want to donate--for the archive.
The URL is here:
http://partners.worldstowander.net/
There's nothing in it as yet since I haven't finished any of the fic *I'm* writing, but I'm hoping to eventually make it something of a hub for the hard-to-find couples and at least a source for all of them. :-)