cjmarlowe

Stories written prior to 2008, in a wide variety of fandoms, can be found HERE. (Most) stories written in 2008 or later and posted to LJ are listed here. The best place to find my latest fic is on my AO3 page.

Note: I'm completely open to further tranformative use of anything I've created (including but not limited to podfic, art, sequel, remix, and shared universe). Just acknowledge the source(s), and I'd love to get a heads up where to check it out.

Fic: American Idol / Kris Allen Band RPF | CW RPF | Supernatural | Other Fandoms
Ficlets: Supernatural | CW RPF | Leverage | AI/KAB RPF | Other Fandom

( FIC INDEX )

Something tells me I should have asked for cash up front...

This was actually written for wildchild1222 for a dollar donation drive way back, who requested "Krale or Krandrew AU deal summer like a road trip to a beach house or something." I finished a draft of it ages ago, and then sat on it till this past week on vacation to fill in the blanks and clean it up.


Boys of Summer
KAB RPF. 4,500 words. PG-13. Kris/Andrew. AU.


( Torres gets this old VW van for a song, which not only runs smoothly but can fit all five of them. More or less. If they get friendly. )

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/10060.html.

I keep meaning to post this and then getting distracted with something else, but now I'm going away tomorrow morning so if I don't do this now, I'm not going to. In April I wrote 7081 words and posted one story. I made the mistake of letting myself off the hook for word count while we were staging the play and I never managed to get back on track again. (Not even in May, though I'm hoping this week will help.)

( Movies and Books, March 2012 )

So yes, tomorrow morning I leave on vacation for a week, and I likely will not have Internet while I'm gone (I'm borrowing a cabin up at the lake). I have been desperately needing this time away for a while, so I'm really looking forward to it.

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/9839.html.

In case you missed it, HP reversathon lives! Sign-ups are open for a few more hours, so hurry over and check it out!

(Monthly roundup post coming soon, now that I've managed to survive ACT Fest weekend.)

I wrote the first draft of this story last spring, then I moved and things got busy and I revisited it from time to time but never found time for the overhaul that it needed. Till now. Oh Neville, you will always be my favourite.


Chick Habit
The real trick is to find someone who wants the same things.
Harry Potter. Charlie/multiple, Charlie/Neville. 6,400 words. PG-13. [ on AO3 ]

( Weasley family Christmas dinners had got a lot bigger over the past few years. )

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/9601.html.

Actually on time this month! I wrote 11,048 words, completed one short original piece and finished editing on something else. I continue to make my minimum standard, but not my goal. I expect April will be more of the same, given everything I've got going on, but then I have some big deadlines at the end of April that might motivate me.

( Movies and Books, March 2012 )

So a lot more books than movies this month, largely because I was housesitting for the better part of a week and didn't have internet access. Clearly the internet has ruined my life. I've also finally actually started using my goodreads that I registered, oh, four years ago.

I signed up for spn_j2_bigbang this year despite not having written CW RPF or Supernatural for a while, firmly believing at the time that I both could and wanted to, but now I'm struggling to figure out what I'm going to do. Turns out I'm not sure I can write CW RPF anymore, my base knowledge is just too far out of date, and I worry that anything I write (and there are several options) would seem quaint. Maybe what I really want to write is old school Supernatural. First and second season era stuff. I have a few things started but I'm just not sure what I want to do.

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/9345.html.

I'm fairly sure I meant to post more often than this. Oh well. In February I wrote a bunch and posted a couple of things, which is good. 18859 words, to be exactly, which is trending in the right direction. I don't know what possessed me to say yes to helping out with this play, though. I'm exhausted enough all the time as it is.

( Movies and Books, February 2012 )

So basically, February was Lewis and Oscar Nominees, and I have to say, I enjoyed Lewis a lot more. Take that, Academy.

The two stories I posted were both for porn battle, which means I haven't actually mentioned them here, or anywhere, till now:

An Old Language [ Sherlock, John/Lestrade, adult ]
Fledglings [ Wilby Wonderful, Duck/Dan ]

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/9074.html.

I started my year with more realistic goals, based on my time (scarce!) and my recent output (low!). I met one and made about half of the other, which is thumbs-up, I think. I wrote 12,861 words and didn't post or submit anything in January. February is porn battle, which I've never done before but am jumping into for this round, so I'll definitely have some actual posted things to report next month, and I've just finished this odd little fairy tale thing that I need to figure out what to do with.

Here's to continuing what I've started!

( Movies and Books, January 2012 )

The enthusiasm of several people on twitter/LJ/DW in recent times has convinced me I need to watch Lewis, so I'm about to get started.

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/8839.html.

This is how I know I'm finally used to being back in Manitoba again: I took the dogs for a walk this morning (I worked Saturday so I took this morning off) and it was so beautiful and warm outside I was thinking that I really should have put a lighter spring coat on and wasn't it lovely to have such good weather again? And when I got back in the house my stepdad pointed out to me that actually, it was still -13 out there.

Spent the evening dashing from work to home to work to rehearsal to work to home again, so I'm just now finally heating myself up some dinner and settling in. I think I cajoled someone into taking a workshop this weekend which brings me up to the minimum number of students we need to run so I don't have to cancel it, so that perked my mood up a little just when I'd started to flag. I've never been much of a salesperson, and given the choice I'd spend my workdays with my headphones on and never talking to anyone while I tapped at a computer, but it turns out I'm capable under the right circumstances and with the right motivation.

Now to get this summer's big project under control, which we're already playing catch-up with...

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/8505.html.

I'm pretty sure that anything I could have said about Sherlock has already been said elsewhere, both more thoroughly and better, but I have a few fic natterings that I'm going to cut ( just in case. )

I fell down some icy stairs on Saturday, which basically completely fucked up any of my plans for the weekend (which, tbh, was mostly RPing and attending an open mike night) and we have a bunch of classes starting this week and next, on top of needing to get a couple of grant applications in plus a board meeting and rehearsals, so suddenly this week it seems like I'm only home to sleep before starting all over again. I don't think I like this very much. If I don't get some time alone with my computer, I go a little crazy. Which is probably why I'm hiding in the kitchen with my laptop on my lunch break.

Also, I fixed the toilet today! I am Very Pleased.

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/8333.html.

I keep meaning to update but there never seem to be enough hours in the day. I knew I was going to have a lot going on very abruptly after Christmas holiday, but I didn't quite expect it to be this.

I know I'm actually really good at my job, but it's not something that's ever going to make me happy so, long term, I'm going to have to do something about that. But it's...complicated, on more than one level. The problem is that I'm not social and I don't enjoy dealing with people, and despite being in a creative field the job itself has not proven to be particularly creative in any way (other than a surprising amount of graphic design, which is not my area). Believe me, after the amount of time I spent virtually unemployed after my department was laid off (I was making some money writing, but it was not paying the bills), I feel like the world's biggest asshole complaining about a great job. But it's not the job, it's me. And the pay. But mostly it's that, despite being good at it, I'm not particularly compatible with it. There's a whole lot of guilt tied up in this too, for reasons that would take an entry much longer than this one to explain.

That's not actually what I intended to go on about when I started updating.

I started taking one of the classes that we offer (one of the aspects of my job is booking and running all of the arts classes), which is being taught by my old piano teacher from high school, who is also a composer. It's just basic music appreciation, really, but it's nice. I go out once a week and listen to classical music and talk about it with other people who also like that sort of thing. I am by far the youngest person in the class, but it doesn't matter. It's all really very cool. You know, if you like that kind of thing.

I'm also stage managing the spring production for the local amateur theatre group, which is something I haven't done in about eight years. It's not something you forget how to do, but I think I forgot just how much of my time it was going to demand, even for a small production like this. I actually have to leave for rehearsal in about half an hour, and I don't quite have my shit together but it's only the second rehearsal so it's not going to be super demanding. I hope.

It feels good to be doing things again, but that's three nights of my week right there, starting all at once, and that's without factoring work in. They've been trying to get me to take some time off and use up some of my banked hours, but how do I even do that when I'm still accumulating overtime? I'm hoping things will slow down soon, except things slowing down means the organization (a non-profit) might not be bringing in enough money to keep functioning and...that would be bad.

Oh my god, this all seems so whiny I almost don't want to post it. I really only meant to update with "this is what I'm doing right now!"

When I moved this summer I lost my Sherlock writing mojo, but it finally seems to have come back full force so maybe I'll actually finish my John/Lestrade epic some time in the near future. That is, if Reichenbach doesn't destroy me. I'm not ready! /o\

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/8161.html.

And so we come to this once again. I wrote five stories for Yuletide this year, all in fandoms that I've never written in before. And a couple in fandoms I'd never really thought about writing in before. I was so very happy this year, both with the story I received and what I managed to produce.

Assignments

So Hard Done By [Sirens, Ashley/Rachid, explicit]
It wasn't supposed to be this way. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be any way all. Ashley blames the liquor. And the handcuffs. And Stuart. 7010 words.

My assignment this year, and I was so excite because I've been meaning to write some kinky Ashley/Rachid for ages. Despite the handcuffs, this is less kinky and more about what happens when the proverbial unstoppable force meets immovable object, and how it all works out. I'm kind of itching to write some more of them now.

Left Turn on Red [A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Tony/Control]
It wouldn't do at all for enemy agents to get wind of Control's weakness. They're going to have to do something about that. 1499 words.

My first pinch hit, and a request I'd already flagged from the Dear Yuletide Writer letters as something I might try treating if I had enough time. It hadn't really occurred to me to try writing them until I saw the request, and I had no idea even where to start, but it was so much fun once I got into it.

The Disappearing Cane Trick [Fresh Meat, Oregon/Vod, explicit]
Where Vod goes, Oregon is never far behind, but this time Oregon might've been the one to get there first. 2657 words.

My second pinch hit, which I had also flagged earlier as a request I might try treating, so I already had some idea what I would do with it. While I really enjoyed Fresh Meat I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to capture the voices, but I love Oregon and Vod and I think I just needed the tiniest excuse to give them a try. (Also, if you don't know the canon it's probably not obvious from the character names that this is femslash about two awesome, awesome girls.)

Treats

Airs from heaven or blasts from hell [The War Boys, David/George]
George doesn't think he's ever going to feel forgiven, and doesn't really believe he should. 1089 words.

When Ruth and I were talking about what Yuletide canons we'd requested and offered this year, she said to me, "If you're assigned to me for War Boys, write me a journey." Obviously I wasn't assigned to her, but I still figured, if I had enough time, I would. Originally intended to be longer, but I figure it still says what I wanted it to. :)

Peter for Jude [Barrett's Privateers / The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Anderson]
There's a kinship between people whose fates are determined by the sea. 1192 words.

After my tale of how this fandom came to be nominated, I figured that, if I wasn't going to request it, I could at least try to write it. I've never written any kind of crossover for Yuletide before, but the idea was sparked by something I saw in the recipient's journal and it stayed with me until it was written.

And now I begin planning for next year!

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/7805.html.

During the past two months I wrote 17,999 words and finished six stories, five posted for Yuletide and one submitted for something else. I feel pretty good about what I managed to do for Yuletide, and am trying not to worry about the fact that I haven't written anything since, since not only was it the last week of December but I was also sickish for most of it.

I'm not going to do a 2011 year-end post, since I don't feel like I did enough this year to warrant it, but I'll shoehorn a bit of a round-up in here. At the end of 2010 I said that something had to change in my life in 2011, and it did. I moved back to my hometown to a new job and it's not a secret that I'm not super happy and I'm resentful about certain things that happened that contributed to me having to leave Toronto and ending up here for the moment, but I'm in a much better position than I was last year. That said, in 2009 I wrote 514,605 words, in 2010 I wrote 532,162, and in 2011 it plummeted to 114,981. (Which includes 19 posted stories, versus 132 in 2010 and 104 in 2009). Which yes, is still over a hundred thousand words, and it represents the fact that I'm not using fic to escape from a shitty life this year, but I miss writing like that. Feels like something's missing from my life.

Welcome, 2012. I have a pretty good feeling about you, impending end of the world notwithstanding.

( Movies and Books, November/December 2011 )

And now I try to avoid Sherlock spoilers until my slowass internet finishes downloading it.

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/7515.html.

I will be doing a Yuletide reveal at some point later today, possibly after I finish reading everything I still have open in tabs, but first this:

2011: Thank you so much Lenore for the Husbands story she wrote for me, Role Models, which encompassed so much about what I love about the canon and the characters. Upon rereading (more than once) I still get those wonderful little "Oh!" feelings every time I hit something that feels so right and true and perfect. ♥!!

And also, a list of everything I've ever received for Yuletide, which is both an expression of my continuing gratitude to these wonderful authors and an exploration of how Yuletide and my Yuletide fandoms have evolved over the years. Remember, it's never too late to give stories some love!

2003: Reconciliation by inalasahl [Firefly, Simon/Jayne] (archival version)

2004: Dedicate His Beauty by Sanj [Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet, Romeo/Mercutio] (archival version)

2005: And Never Lose Affection by Cherry Ice [Dead Like Me, Rube gen] (archival version)

2006: Living the Honest Life by ignaz [Wilby Wonderful, Duck/Dan] (archival version)

2007: even if you haven't had the questions yet [ReGenesis, David/Carlos] (archival version)
and my first treat! Christmas Duty by wizefics [Hex, Thelma]

2008: The Art of Vegan Mayonnaise by uschickens [Ten Inch Hero, Priestly/Tish]

2009: pour a little sugar on it by perdiccas [Archie Comics, Jughead/Reggie]
plus! and turns my tricks to rust by eudaimon [Amanda Palmer - Astronaut]
and! Light a Candle for the Kids by Wasuremono [Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Five Years]
and! Dream by florahart [Archie Comics, Archie/Jughead]

2010: Continual State of Inelegance by juleshaswords [Jane Austen's Fight Club, Catherine Morland/Isabella Thorpe]
plus! A Whole New Way by calvinahobbes [Jane Austen's Fight Club, Lizzie Bennet/Charlotte Lucas]
and a NYR story! Variations on a Theme: Short Takes Inspired by Michael Ondaatje’s “Elimination Dance” by storiesfortravellers [Elimination Dance - Michael Ondaatje]

Thanks to everyone involved for yet another wonderful Yuletide season!

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/7277.html.

Fewer recs this time, because we ended up having company for a while that I couldn't just ignore. And also because I've been sick this week and have spent a ridiculous amount of time sleeping, meaning I have vast swaths of the Yuletide archive still to get through. Somehow I have to leave the house today to get a stone chip in my windshield fixed. I do not yet know how that is going to happen.

( 4 recs in Queer as Folk (UK), Sons of Anarchy, Luther and Grimm )

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/6952.html.

Yuletide! I didn't mention this in my initial squee-I-got-an-awesome-story! post, but I wrote five stories for Yuletide this year, all of them full length so they're in the main archive, none of which are in a fandom that I've posted fic in before. So if you manage to guess any of them, you'll win...satisfaction of some sort?

I went to sleep without posting a batch of Yuletide recs last night, so you're getting two two two days in one right now. I have enjoyed many, many stories so far, so these are just the ones that struck something special with me.

( 9 recs in Breakfast Club, Thundercats (2011), Peter Pan, Clueless, Barrett's Privateers, Twin Peaks, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Fairytale of New York )

This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/6738.html.

Happy Yuletide!

There is, tragically, only one Husbands story in the Yuletide archive this year...but it is MINE ALL MINE and it is WONDERFUL. It's Brady and Cheeks 20 years on, reflecting back on everything they've been and how far things have come. My description does not do the story justice so you really should just go read it yourselves: [ Role Models ]


Also, a case study in the awesome power of Yuletide:

With nominations limited to three this year, there were several fandoms I could have nominated but didn't. One of these was "Barrett's Privateers", and when I mentioned this, a kind yuletider just passing by said that they had an empty spot and would happily nominate that for me. Hurrah! Then I decided this year to request only canonically queer characters, so I didn't end up requesting the fandom, but now that it existed as an option, someone else jumped on that boat and requested it. Hurrah! And then other people offered to write it and then end result of this chain of events is that there now exists a 17,000 word Barrett's Privateers story in the world. HURRAH! (I haven't had the opportunity to read it yet, but I surely will before the day is out.)

It is probably obvious at this point that I'm not doing a monthly roundup for November, partly because there's not much to report and partly because it tends to potentially give away something I've written for Yuletide.

I keep thinking about things I want to post about but then by the time I get to my computer again I've either forgotten what I wanted to say in the first place or I just don't have the energy anymore to put words together in a meaningful way. Tis the season for writing, but I've actually been doing a lot of reading these past two weeks, reading a lot of my own stuff in past fandoms and a lot of newer stuff in the same.

The thing about RPF fandoms is that they're really, really hard to get back into again--as a writer, I mean; there isn't the same kind of learning curve as a reader. When you're in the fandom, you have a kind of saturation with the canon that just comes out naturally when you write. I was reading one of my AI RPF stories and I casually referred to details I'd completely forgotten about and would probably never know again without a lot of work because there isn't just a finite canon you can review to get back into it. There's never a finite canon, period--when you come back to it even a year later, there's not only a wealth of details but often a whole different cast of characters. I've been picking at a couple of my old CW RPF epics, and even if I do manage to finish them I think I need to put a note in big letters that they were conceived years ago (good god, has it really been three years?) because the differences are very conspicuous.

Life's not been great lately, so I seem to be doing what I do and immersing myself in fictional worlds at the expense of human interaction. At least that means I might start writing prolifically again?

In the meantime, I've just finally sucked it up and watched "Death's Door" so I need to go...do something else now.

I've been working 12+ hour days all this week so I know I've dropped the ball on a bunch of stuff I meant to be doing. I promise to catch up as soon as I can. Mostly I just need to survive November. I have no idea what made me think I was going to have time for Nanowrimo, yet I'm still holding out hope that I'll have a couple of epically good writing days before the end of the month.

Anyway. It's Yuletide season again!

( Dear Yuletide Writer: )

I promise to try not to amend this letter too many times as my brain kicks in and I think of things I need to add.

Okay, this month I clearly actually forgot to do this. November has been just ridiculous, on a work level, on an other-obligations level, and on a personal level, which hasn't left a lot of time for everything else. Nano is going horribly, but I'm hoping to make a go of it today. My volume of work projects is making me want to weep a little. I didn't even want to go out yesterday, but not unexpectedly an hour in the neighbour's hot tub did me a world of good last night.

So. In October I wrote 7840 words, which is still low but is also about equivalent to the previous four months put together, so I'm feeling all right about that. I didn't finish or post anything, but submitted something in early November and I've got Yuletide (yay!) and a couple of other challenges coming up. My fannish interests are still all over the place and don't show any signs of settling on something any time soon. But then my big fandoms always did come at me out of the blue.

( Movies and Books, October 2011 )

I got my Yuletide nominations in very shorly after nominations opened, not because I've been tracking them religiously but because I just happened to be looking--and my internet happened to be cooperating--at the right time. This year I nominated Divergent Series - Veronica Roth, Death Valley and Dance Academy. I know for sure I'm requesting one of those, but the rest of my requests are totally up in the air because they depend on what other people nominate now.

Now. Do I want to watch Cairo Time or Our Idiot Brother this morning?

T-minus one hour and fifty-six minutes to Nanowrimo. No idea what I'm going to be writing yet...

October was ridiculous. November is going to be even worse.

Home from a conference. Recovering from neck injury. High on painkillers. Looking for something fun to do that is not work, despite the fact that I have a ton of stuff to finish. Stolen from eudaimon and melloniel, the REVERSE I Surrender Meme:

1. Comment to this post with the basis of some TV show idea (post-apocalyptic scifi-fi drama, noir gumshoe pulp, criminal procedure...IN SPACE, etc.).
2. I will create a cast of characters for the show, including the actors who'd play them.
3. I will also add in any actor photos, character bios, and show synopsis that my heart desires.
4. You will post this to your own journal so people can request things from you. Or, if you like, just say I SURRENDER in your request and I will throw the basis of a TV show idea right back at you. Optionally. Though technically, everything about this is optional.

So my birthday was yesterday and it...happened. I'd been sick last week and was stressed out about work today and a bunch of projects we have going on so it wasn't really a stellar holiday weekend to begin with. And then the Chinese food place that promised us they were open for dinner on Thanksgiving monday wasn't, so I didn't get my birthday dinner. But I got a lot of lovely birthday wishes from you lot, so thank you. <3333

Work has been fairly stressful, but mostly in the way that I'm in charge of a lot of projects and putting pressure on myself for them all to be successful even though that's a much higher expectation of myself than is actually expected of me in this circumstance. Anyway, a lot of stuff that had been hanging over my head was sorted today so I'm feeling a lot better about things. I have to go away this coming weekend for a conference, and I have a dinner tomorrow and a bunch of meetings next week so I feel like I'm not going to get a break for a while. But once I do, I totally want to head into the city for a day and actually take a break break. I haven't been really happy here, and I need my friends. <3 But I don't really talk about that stuff.

This is the part of the post where I talk about my dog's testicles. Fair warning. Actually, on second thought, I'll ( cut ).

And now I need tea.

It's past time to admit that this job, much as I do love it, is killing my writing. Which is funny because you'd think finally have a job in the arts again would inspire me. And it does, but I somehow haven't had the mental energy to write all summer (for a number of reasons, not just work). I'm hoping that now that things are settled down again, now that we've gotten past sorting through the mess of the past couple of years, things will change. And to that end, I'm going to attempt to write more today than I have in the past two months combined. A word count which not that long ago was known as "a slightly above average day."

In September I wrote 1610 words and didn't post anything. I didn't even finish the things had on deadline, so I'm hoping the deadlines might be a wee bit flexible because I really do love what I'm working on and want to get it done. I actually wrote more than that, but a chunk of it is longhand that I haven't transcribed yet. However, I did read more than average, which is something at least.

( Movies and books, September 2011 )

Also! The new episode of slashcast is out today, and among many fantastic features there is an interview with me about being multifannish. I can't bear to listen to my own voice, but I'm assured that I didn't make a complete idiot of myself so go on and check it out!