Labor Day Meme: Stories That Never Were

[browngirl]

From petronelle, who filled this in glorious manner. Give me the title of a story I've never written, and feedback telling me what you liked best about it, and I will tell you any of: the first sentence, the last sentence, the thing that made me want to write it, the biggest problem I had while writing it, why it almost never got posted, the scene that hit the cutting room floor but that I wish I'd been able to salvage, or something else that I want readers to know.

Feel free to try any fandom you have reason to think I know, but if I don't at all know the fandom I'll have to say so.

Comments

[eudaimon.livejournal.com]

"As We Used to Say to The Ones Left Behind" - Pike/Kirk - the angry desk sex, man. I wish I ould write something that HOT and PAINFUL at the same time.

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

Oh man...um... There was this weird story you wrote. You used Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth ( http://home.earthlink.net/~rkkman/frames/summaries/SPB.htm ) as the jumping point and it just got stranger after that, but you know how I am about crack fic.

I think the title was something like "oh it's you again"

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

Looking at "Unbuttoning thee after supper" now, I can see a lot of the underlying themes that go into much of your work that I love. Hal reminds me of your Jim Kirk.

Falstaff is a bit of a departure from everyone you normally write, though, isn't he.

[lindmere.livejournal.com]

This is a belated thank-you for "In the Bleak Midwinter." I don't read much Sulu/Chekhov, but sending them off to visit Chekhov's parents in Siberia in January was a brilliant idea, and I since I know many Californians I can tell you that's just how Sulu would have reacted. The Doctor Zhivago references were subtle but interesting, and I've never seen wolves used in quite that way in a slash fic, but it worked. Please tell me you're writing a sequel where Sulu does join the Walrus Club and Chekhov convinces him to wear the furry hat (preferably in bed).

[possibly-thrice.livejournal.com]

One of my favorites of yours (or at least, yours that don't involve Pike ;D): "Softly, Softly, Under These Nervous Stars" - Spock/Uhura/Kirk. I rarely outright adore stories where Kirk brings home his lover(s) to see his mother and stepfather, but yours, as ever, was an exception: every detail was glorious, and the conversations between Uhura and Frank, Spock and Winona, running as they did in gorgeous parallel, just stole my heart and hung it somewhere too warm to stand.

[runespoor7.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll come out and say it: my favourite part of "To Sleep In Time" was not any of the Robins, or Bruce, or Babs, but Cass. I mean, there was no doubt that any of the others was going to be priceless in Gotham-gone-fairy-tale, but who'd have thunk Cass would work so well? And the Queen of Fables setting her throne in Arkham still occasionally pops up in my nightmares.

[emmademarais.livejournal.com]

I admit, you slayed me with your Don/Charlie epic shame fic, 'Silent As Snow'. It was like 2005 all over again, but fresh and new, you know? I rediscovered what I craved about their fucked up love for each other and the visceral physical *need* they had for each other.

When Charlie finally confesses his feelings to Don? OMG that *broke* me. His heartfelt and heartbreaking monologue - and the fact that he wouldn't let Don get a word in until all the he'd been holding in for decades spilled out - just made me hurt so much inside for him.

We need more beautiful aching broken loving fic like that. /vehement nodding/

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: "Come on, George, pretty pretty George."
The last sentence: Jim stands up, looking at the sky.
The thing that made me want to write it: I decided to take the Pike/two generations of Kirks thing to its logical extreme; what if Pike calls Jim George in bed? What if Jim finally got fed up enough to stop putting up with it?
The biggest problem I had while writing it: I wussed out so many times between having the idea and finishing the first draft, because this Christopher Pike is a brave strong man but not, in some ways, a good one. Writing him that way broke my heart and probably made a couple of people defriend me.
Why it almost never got posted: See 'biggest problem while writing it'. I got this one flame in email that hurt all the more because I agreed with it.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: The original outline ended with Kirk/McCoy, introduced in a scene where McCoy says, "Jim, this is fucked up," but I realized Jim had to, and could, realize that for himself.
Something else that I want readers to know: All of the above is true in an alternate universe.

[eudaimon.livejournal.com]

...now I want you to write this for me >.>

Oh, you mean "You Again?!"

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: "You again?!"
The last sentence: "That's not humanoid."
The thing that made me want to write it: If we can have a story about multiversal Batmans, why not draw on Batmans from favorite fanfics? So I did Te's Angelsverse Jason, and Dick from that '90's Broken Bat sequence, and Petra's "So Sweet a Changeling" Tim, and then I came up with Batman Cass and... well, the rest is fiction.
The biggest problem I had while writing it: Running out of alcohol. Wondering who would read this crack.
Why it almost never got posted: I should combine this q with the previous.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: Transgender Kevin nee Kate Kane. I wasn't satisfied that my execution wasn't offensive, so I didn't include this variant Batman.
Something else that I want readers to know: Reading that article about that crossover was lots of fun.

Re: Oh, you mean "You Again?!"

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

bahahahahhahaha

*SNORKLE*

BHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

*THUD*

I want you to know that I screamed when I read this.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: Hikaru woke naked, from a dream where she'd been a man.
The last sentence: Jim sat up, rubbing his throbbing jaw, and grinned.
The thing that made me want to write it: I wanted to explore gender. Or something.
The biggest problem I had while writing it: Surprisingly, the Spock!speak.
Why it almost never got posted: Writing a story where someone thinks they're female and doesn't want to be, while never saying anything that could be taken as "being female is bad," is pretty frelling hard.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: I couldn't come up with a plausible motive, so I went with "they're aliens, they have incomprehensible motives" and left it at that.
Something else that I want readers to know: So you like Kirk/Chekov/Sulu, huh? *works harder on my upcoming threesome*

ZOMG, My Hal really is a lot like my Jim Kirk.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: "Hal, my sweet lad!"
The last sentence: So Falstaff went from the sight of his hard-eyed young king.
The thing that made me want to write it: Overconfidence. Falstaff's adoration of Hal shines off the page, and I tend to give characters what they want, at least proximately.
The biggest problem I had while writing it/Why it almost never got posted: What possessed me to think I could write a story entirely in iambs? I kinda sorta managed it for most of the dialogue. Kinda.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: Scroop's on-stage cameo.
Something else that I want readers to know: If "My Day of Trouble" hadn't met such a quiet reception I might try this for real. But the iambs are a real problem.

Unrelated: I want to lick your icon.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: It is so cold, Hikaru thinks he's going to die.
The last sentence: Pavel jumps up laughing and runs to catch up, furry hat swinging from his hand.
The thing that made me want to write it: I didn't think I had anything to say about the "bringing to meet the parents" subgenre of stories, and then I realized I did.
The biggest problem I had while writing it/Why it almost never got posted: Describing a Californian's reaction to such cold was actually very difficult for me; I'm really flattered that you found that notable. I ended up working hard on remembering my cousins' reactions to snow in the USA (my family is from Jamaica).
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: I trimmed about half of Hikaru's cold-related whining. Also, he would never insult Mrs. Chekova's borscht by word or deed.
Something else that I want readers to know: I had to get really drunk before writing that after-sex scene with the musical howling of the wolves. I still don't know where it came from. I do hope for the Walrus Club sequel (I ended with the hat!) but right now have no plotbunnies.

Would That I Could

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: Jim hasn't really breathed the entire shuttle trip.
The last sentence: Jim's eyes reflect the blue sky above him. "Okay, kids, time to go home."
The thing that made me want to write it: I have long had a Pet Theory of Jim's Fuckedupness, which is that someone messed with him during his childhood who wasn't Frank or Winona. So I finally wrote it.
The biggest problem I had while writing it: I felt gratuitous and Gilbert&Sullivanny to make sure I paired Bones off with someone, but it was one of the blocks I had to get over in writing K/S/U.
Why it almost never got posted: I am SO glad those parallel conversations worked, because they alone took me two months. I meant to post this story back in the fandom's summer glory days!
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: None of them were having sex during that visit. They refused, o how they all refused.
Something else that I want readers to know: I posted this comment on March 6, 2010.

Re: Would That I Could

[possibly-thrice.livejournal.com]

fffffffffffff I want this even worse now

I can't decide whether this is the best meme ever or just the most painful

Did this comment migrate from Te's journal, or Gloss's?

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: Arkham is changed.
The last sentence: He can still catch a sparkle of stardust in the depths of her hair.
The thing that made me want to write it: Reading stories to my little roommates got me on a fairytale kick...
The biggest problem I had while writing it/Why it almost never got posted: I nearly just did Five Things, but then the interconnected storylines would've been lost to each other. I'm glad I put in the extra work.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: Actually, the Queen of Fables bits nearly hit the cutting room floor. I've had nightmares about her, too. I saw her face much more clearly than I described.
Something else that I want readers to know: I have to say, this is one of the best ideas ever.

Oh, te adoro.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The first sentence: Don happens to be looking at the clock when his phone rings.
The last sentence: "Charlie."
The thing that made me want to write it: The cycle of inspiration: just as dsudis was inspired by a previous epic, her Missing Persons made me think, what if Don and Charlie deliberately burned their lives down to be together?
The biggest problem I had while writing it: Alan, I'm sorry I began this story by killing you. OTOH, you wouldn't've wanted to be around for it anyway.
Why it almost never got posted: I don't want to go into too much detail, but this actually caused some turmoil in my personal 'real' life.
The scene that hit the cutting room floor: I tried writing out Charlie's letter to Don, then decided to make it a MacGuffin instead. The bits of the letter I liked best went into Charlie's confession.
Something else that I want readers to know: I went 'bwee' at this prompt.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Gah, no, I can't do that to Captain Christopher Pike. And I'm pretty sure I really would get flamed.

[eudaimon.livejournal.com]

AHAHHAHAHAH

True fax, man. I think I might have (finally) hit on the fic I want to write about Pike and Kirk, so I might give that a go.

You've *written* Banner of the Bat, and Bulls and Birds.

[runespoor7.livejournal.com]

So I wanted Rubynye AwesomeU, I regret nothiiing!

Reading the Queen of Fables bit: you made me shriek when you had Tim say it could've been worse, it could've been Oracle. (That's when I suspected if there'd been scary chats with Te or Petra involved in the genesis of this fic.)

Man, I really, really want to read that story now. These two sentences are the worst-best-worst kind of teases. SO PRETTY.

[lazar-grrl.livejournal.com]

I always had a soft spot in my heart for your "Conjugate, Not Conjugal" series, perhaps especially since Pike/Gaila was not exactly a widespread pairing. What I've always liked best about it was the depiction of two very strong people who have each been through a lot, but don't need someone constantly by their side to complete them (and never to save them). They are both unconventional and independent, and find a way make that work within a relationship (for a given value of relationship), even if others might not understand. On a less cerebral note, the last bonus scene with Number One managed to be brain-meltingly hot without feeling sleazy or exploitative.

[strangerian.livejournal.com]

The portrait of Babs working in the library in "Clue" was nearly more interesting in itself than for the solution to the mystery. The solution was, however, intriguingly innovative.

Re: Unrelated: I want to lick your icon.

[lindmere.livejournal.com]

My icon is available for parties and Bar Mitzvahs (OK, maybe not Bar Mitzvahs).

I had a feeling you would make me want to read this story, and you did. The borscht and the furry hat were wonderful, although now that I think about it, it would have been more realistic to have Sulu complain not about the cold but the lack of good guacamole.

Re: Unrelated: I want to lick your icon.

[lindmere.livejournal.com]

My icon is available for parties and Bar Mitzvahs (OK, maybe not Bar Mitzvahs).

I had a feeling you would make me want to read this story, and you did. The borscht and the furry hat were wonderful, although now that I think about it, it would have been more realistic to have Sulu complain not about the cold but the lack of good guacamole.