dorinda | Entries tagged with slash

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

For

chocolateboxcomm this year, I was assigned the Aubrey-Maturin books, which itself was a gift right back to me--Jack/Stephen (book, movie, or both) is one of my bulletproof comfort pairings. ♥

I chewed on my recipient's signup and letter for a while, and bounced thoughts off some friends. And then,

mollyamory just up and handed me a premise. Handed it right over! It was just what I was looking for! (I highly recommend this as a writing process, btw, getting

mollyamory to give you things.)

So I gleefully submerged myself in Jack/Stephen world, and brought along Killick and also a bird (based on the Long-Billed Corella), and wrote this:

Most Musical, Most Melancholy (8514 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Preserved Killick
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Pining, Birds, Injury, Worry
Summary:

Would he die? Was he in fact dying right at this moment? And Jack not there?

Jack forcibly steadied himself. He thought of Stephen's heart beating beneath his hand. Rapid, straining, like a—

—like a trapped bird. He looked up. At once he saw, tangled in a line, a pale and blotched little bundle, feebly thrashing.

Hello, Raremaleslasher!

Thanks for signing up to make me something! I know my letter explanations are often phrased in fic-centric ways, but I would also love some art, whichever you're offering.

(Also, let me say: you'll notice it's not uncommon for me to ask for the same fandoms a lot. If you've been assigned to me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! It's just that these pairings are so small and I love them so much--I crave another cake, to go with my previous delicious cakes. In my cake hoard. :9 )

( Some of my general preferences: )

Thoughts on my specific fandom requests, alphabetically:

( The Exorcist (TV): Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega or Marcus Keane/Peter Osborne )

( 镇魂 Guardian (TV): Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng )

( Shetland (TV): Jimmy Perez/Duncan Hunter )

( The Sting (1973): Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker )

Thanks again, and please enjoy whatever you create!

I wrote a story for the

perfect_duet comm's Advent 2019 challenge! I'd been daydreaming about this premise for a while, but it took the challenge to actually get me off my duff, as often happens to me.

It got a little longer than I had anticipated, as a 'quick' (heh) challenge story, but hey, whaddya gonna do. :D

Adhémar de La Mothe is a character from the novel The Surgeon's Mate, and I find him fascinating. We hear a lot about him--French obviously, an old friend of Stephen's, canonically gay, very fashionable, has concerts in his huge place every week. Most of the rest of his family was killed during the Revolution, so he lives in that huge place by himself. He's connected to a wide network of gay friends and allies, which protects him (and ends up aiding Stephen indirectly).

But we never do see La Mothe directly on the page! So here's a version of him that I like to think about, festive and faelike and a bit melancholy, and with certain Plans for Stephen.

Huge thanks to

marycrawford, for setting me a deadline, and for cheerleading and beta duties! Also

mollyamory, who cracked with ease a story problem I was having.

A kiss slowly rising to the eyes of the sea (13934 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander - All Media Types
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Adhemar de La Mothe
Additional Tags: Angst, Canon Gay Character, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, Sharing a Bed, Feelings Realization, First Time, Party, everything is very fancy oh my
Summary:

In the heart of the enemy’s country, Jack is guest of honour at an elegant night in the grand home of Adhémar de La Mothe. La Mothe is a strange and marvelous host, and he certainly seems very fond of Stephen...

Could it all just be cover for one of Stephen’s secret missions? Or is there some deeper truth to be revealed?

The authors for the Hurt/Comfort Exchange have been revealed! And I got to write Legolas/Gimli, with immortality-mortality angst, and oh-no-he’s-dead-oh-wait-he-isn’t, and a tentacle monster. And camping. :D

A Road Bright and Swift (15653 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf
Characters: Gimli (Son of Glóin), Legolas Greenleaf
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mortality, Immortality, Pining, Angst, Immortality Angst, Post-Battle care, Mistakenly Believes the Other is Dead, Physically Injured Character Comforting Emotionally Distressed Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Swimming, Camping, Moria | Khazad-dûm
Summary:

Gimli, freshly-wakened, was lying with his head propped on one hand, his blanket at his waist. And he said, his voice morning-hoarse, "If my memory doesn't fail me, we'll be reaching the River Limlight soon. I'd dearly love a wash."

Legolas's heart seized and tightened. The Limlight was in the very north of the forest, and once across it, they would emerge from their easy wandering, cracking out of the chrysalis to the pain of the open air. No more Fangorn, no more careless peace, no more Gimli at dawn stretching his muscles limber and grumbling about the wear of a bootsole.

And all the future losses lined themselves up.

This requester’s tags were a festival of sheer delight and I included all but one of them; they worked really well together. Immortality angst + mistakenly believing the other one is dead? YES PLEASE. Add in my favorite ‘physically injured one comforts the emotionally distressed one’? O YES PLEASE. And in chatting with

marycrawford, I was reminded that the books never do let us know what happened to the Watcher In The Water... HMMMM. :D

Chocolate Box authors have been revealed! I had a great time with this exchange, I highly recommend it.

The story I wrote was for Sinbad/Gunnar (see icon):

Frozen for an Age (6616 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinbad (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gunnar/Sinbad (Sinbad)
Characters: Sinbad (Sinbad), Gunnar (Sinbad)
Additional Tags: Bad Guys Made Them Do It, Vikings, Guilt, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery, Escape
Summary:

He had a plan—he always did, sooner or later. But this one felt as cruel as anything he could have imagined.

My recipient

muccamukk had a prompt (among many delightful others) in her signup that said “They're kidnapped by Vikings/Valsgard, and Gunnar has to pretend to be in his old life again to get them out”. And I was so caught and delighted by the idea—actually, for a while there I was so delighted by it that it was hard to get started, for fear of screwing it up.

But then I talked about it with friends, and then

msmoat came to visit, and we watched Sinbad 1x05, where we first find out about Gunnar’s Terrible Past and Gunnar’s Shame And Angst and Gunnar’s Devotion To Sinbad and stuff. And then she sat down with me and we hashed out the plot structure I wanted to use, and strategized ways to keep it from inflating (I tend to have problems with story bloat).

Looking back at the prompt, I am now reminded that it implies Gunnar being the prime mover in the escape from the Evil Vikings. But in my version, even though Gunnar does have to the pretending mentioned in the prompt, it’s Sinbad, man of twists and turns, who whips up and drives the plan...a plan that is guaranteed to put Gunnar and his psyche and his shame and his feelings for Sinbad through the wringer. ( :D )

post self-recs for at least three fanworks that you created

I find this one difficult! But here are a few, all medium-short: a non-Yuletide that was only belatedly uploaded to AO3, a pinch-hit for an old movie, and a Yuletide assignment for a show that sadly fell right off the earth.

1. "Some Living After We Die", Life on Mars (UK), Sam/Gene (written 2006)

I wrote this one in one long sitting (well, broken up with a walk for some fresh air), as a gift for a friend going in for surgery. It's a post-ep scene for the episode where Sam Tyler is being held hostage; right before Sam's about to get shot, Gene basically says to the gunman, after you shoot him you better shoot me instantly or I'll kill you. And I thought about the wording of that threat, and what it said about big-tough-Gene that he is practically self-immolating at the prospect of losing Sam.

Some Living After We Die (3893 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Life on Mars
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gene Hunt/Sam Tyler
Characters: Gene Hunt, Sam Tyler, Nelson (Life on Mars UK)
Additional Tags: Rain, scuffling as foreplay, Alley Sex, Mutual Masturbation, Near Death Experiences, Aftermath, Drinking, Kissing, Hand Jobs
Summary:

It wasn't every day you discovered just how you'd die, when it came down to it. Or just who would die for you.

2. "I'll Marry You Some Time", Rio Bravo (1959), Colorado/Dude (written 2009)

This request went to pinch-hit at the last minute, and I had seen the movie a bunch of times, so I nabbed it. It ended up being about Dude (played by Dean Martin)--I explained his canonical breakdown (where before the movie, he came to blows with his best friend Chance [John Wayne] and left town with a woman, returned without the woman, and since then has been the town drunk, mocked and abused by the saloon of bad guys) by positing that he had been struggling against his homosexuality, even though no one else in his life was bothered by it.

I really enjoyed slipping the story right into canon scenes, and between canon scenes, and then post-canon, tangling it in there good and tight. Like, it starts out right before this singing duet between Dude (Dean Martin) and the young gunslinger Colorado (Ricky Nelson), and traces the subtext of that scene in the story's text, interpreting their demeanors and expressions in ways I enjoy:

"RIO BRAVO: My Rifle, My Pony, And Me" (Watch on YouTube)

And the story's title comes from another song they sing together in the movie, which felt perfect, and kept me from the traditional agonizing search for a fitting title. :D

I'll Marry You Some Time (4335 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rio Bravo (1959)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Colorado/Dude
Characters: Colorado - Character, Dude, John T. Chance, Feathers
Additional Tags: Western, First Time, Missing Scene, Canon Related, Post-Canon
Summary:

He hasn't sung in a long time, but it's coming back to him.

3. "Blood, Steel, Skin", Rubicon, basically a Kale character study but with several pairings (written 2010)

"Rubicon" was a tragically short-lived series on AMC from 2010, with one short season: a story of espionage and conspiracy and paranoia, strongly influenced by the 1970s conspiracy-thriller movies like Three Days of the Condor and All The President's Men. It looks like all the episodes are up on Dailymotion.com; here's the pilot.

My favorite character, and the favorite of a lot of other people including TV critics, was Kale Ingram (see icon), the main character Will's supervisor, former CIA, former Marine, canonically gay and not in the closet (plus he lives with a younger boyfriend). He's extremely competent, steely but full of deadpan humor, wound up tight, a man of light and shadow, caught between his vulnerable underling (Will, a smart but fragile intel analyst) and a growing conspiracy potentially involving their mutual boss and powerful cronies.

The story is mostly based on two ENORMOUSLY SPOILERY scenes from the show:

* In 1x05, Will shadows a mysterious man who's been following him, and traces him to a restaurant, where it turns out the man is having lunch with Kale. And we get to see some of the lunch, where we see a heaping helping of yearning from the man, Donald Bloom, and his reaction to killing-for-hire vs. Kale's--that sort of characterization and implied reams of backstory is catnip to me:

"Rubicon, Season 1, Episode 05 (Lunch Scene with Kale Ingram)" (Watch on YouTube)

* Then in 1x11, Donald is sent to kill Will, but surprisingly, Will barely manages to turn the tables. And the only person he can call, when he finds himself injured and shocky and with a dead assassin in his apartment, is Kale. Kale comes over with a "cleaner", and the scene unfolds with almost no dialogue once it gets going. (In case you can't quite see it clearly, the thing he writes on the pad to show Will is DON'T COME OUT.)

"Rubicon - Don't Come Out." (Watch on YouTube)

So I wrote a story grounded in Kale having to do the cleaning and disposal of someone he once worked with and who loved him. And I liked doing the present day in past tense and the flashbacks in present tense, trying to make the past seem somehow more instant-memory-like. I also enjoyed tying each flashback to a segment of the ongoing present, and also to a piece of the title:

* Blood, when Kale as a youth has accepted his sexuality and is finding his own strength in his lack of fear of pain; the nosebleed from getting punched, tasting the blood in his throat. In the present, it's his analysis of how manageable the pool of blood is, but his discomfort with that not being his first reaction.

* Steel, when Kale in the Marines is about to leave for the CIA, and he's grown scornfully weary of the military closet; the fellow Marine he's fucking and the way that guy fetishizes his dress sword. In the present, it's the steel of the dismantled tools used by the cleaner.

* Skin, when Kale is doing wetwork for the CIA with Donnie, and is realizing that he doesn't enjoy killing but Donnie sure does; the danger and crazy buzzing under Donnie's skin as he tries to get closer. And in the present, it's the feeling of Will's thin, fragile skin through his shirt when Kale touches him without gloves.

It's one of those little card-house things that got really engrossing to build, fun for me and hopefully fun for the reader.

Blood, Steel, Skin (2867 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rubicon
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kale Ingram/OMC, Donald Bloom/Kale Ingram, Walter Carrington/Kale Ingram
Characters: Kale Ingram, Donald Bloom, Will Travers
Additional Tags: Canon Gay Character, Episode Related, Military, Spies & Secret Agents
Summary:

Kale Ingram does what must be done.

WOW. Get this--I received a story and ALSO THREE TREATS this year! The main story is for The Sting, and the treats are The Exorcist (TV) and two for Trapeze! And they are all just what I wanted. Angst, but with happy endings everywhere! Pining! Protectiveness! Realizations! Caretaking! Love! And hot BSOs being hot but also tender with each other. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH.

I tell you, I am just wallowing around in this pile like I'm in a ballpit or a bouncy castle or something. Everything is fun and perfect for me and nothing hurts. \o/

1) First, the gift, for The Sting:

After the movie, Henry went off without Johnny, surely for excellent reasons. JUST KIDDING nope he had a whole other mindset, and in this story Johnny finds him, figures out his deal, and barges in to put a stop to it double-quick. Good job, Johnny:

The Way to Shake a Federal Warrant (5122 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
Summary:

Well, that's one way to shake a warrant.

2) A treat for The Exorcist (TV):

Marcus and Tomas sharing beds: it's five times they shared a bed + one, but all of them take place in the same universe, in a gradual build to a warm and wonderful conclusion. Oh, MARCUS, you need so much comfort and luckily you will get (and give) it.

give your sleep a rest (5297 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Exorcist (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega
Characters: Marcus Keane, Tomas Ortega
Additional Tags: 5 Times, Sharing a Bed, Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Visions, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

In retrospect, it was a wonder this hadn't happened sooner.

They'd been on the road, what, a month at least? Staying in the cheapest motels they could find, when they weren't put up in people's spare rooms or barns or garages. Not that Marcus was inclined to complain. Any night they weren't stuck trying to sleep in the truck was a good night.

But it still gave him a moment's pause when the motel clerk glanced up at him, snapped her gum, and said, "Just the one room, and it's a double bed. That okay with you?"

(Or: five times Marcus and Tomas shared a bed for various reasons, plus the time it was just because they wanted to.)

3) A treat for Trapeze:

A just-post-movie fixit, with Mike going off into the night and then of course Tino coming after him. Tino is the irresistible force AND the immovable object, so he has a good head start on getting through to Mike, who is futilely trying to protect Tino from (as Mike sees it) Mike himself. NO DICE, MIKE, YOU HAVE TINO TO DEAL WITH HERE.

falling is like this (4401 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Trapeze (1956)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tino Orsini/Mike Ribble
Characters: Tino Orsini, Mike Ribble
Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon Fix-It, Misunderstandings, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

He'd come to a stop a bit to one side of the flow of traffic, since he was far from the only person walking along the Place de la Concorde at this hour—far from the only person who'd paused to look out at the river, either, for that matter. As if from a distance, the sound of hurrying steps came toward him, and he eased out of the way further still; somebody in a rush, sure, and wanting to pass by everybody walking slower, and here he was standing in their road. "Pardon," he said, "j'm'excuse," keeping his head ducked low, wiping absently at his wet cheeks.

Except the footsteps didn't keep on. They scraped to a halt right there by him. And Mike knew, knew, even without looking up, and covered his face with his hand, twisting away, wishing for one grim fierce second that he'd thrown himself in the goddamn river without wasting any time.

"Hey, Mike," Tino said.

4) A treat for Trapeze:

Further down the road, seeing Mike and Tino's established relationship some time after an offscreen fixit. Tino has ambitions, and Mike can yell about it all he wants but will still always be there for Tino. And vice-versa. ♥

The Death-Defying Double Somersault of Love (3672 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Trapeze (1956)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Tino Orsini/Mike Ribble
Characters: Mike Ribble, Tino Orsini
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Sexual Content, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

They soared, always.

In the course of rewatching the 1980s/90s sitcom "Night Court", I have always and increasingly slashed the hell out of Harry Stone and Dan Fielding. I mean, I couldn't help it--they did the odd-couplish fencing back and forth, yes, but they were also so affectionate and open toward each other. Especially with Dan, the more troubled and self-protective of the two, who would show vulnerabilities to Harry he would show to no one else--but I think the reason he eventually felt safe to do that, is because of the ways Harry kept reaching out to him, emotionally and physically. Sigh!

Some images from my tumblr: http://adnirod.tumblr.com/tagged/dan-fielding , but just a drop in the bucket, really.

Anyway,

lamardeuse had always mentioned how much she'd like to write them, and here at last she has! And I love it, and recommend it wholeheartedly. Set in the aftermath of the "Danny's Got His Gun" sequence of episodes, aka the "MY PARTNER'S DEAD OH WAIT NO HE'S NOT" arc. ♥ ♥ ♥

A Bar of Soap and a Belt Sander (2813 words) by lamardeuse
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Night Court (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dan Fielding/Harry Stone
Additional Tags: First Time
Summary:

Since Dan had quit being such a – well, such an unremitting bastard – every waking minute of the day, it'd been getting harder for Harry to keep himself from wondering what it might be like to do more than look.

The Rare Male Slash challenge collection opened today, and I read an Exorcist Tomas/Marcus story that I loved:

Where True Love Burns, Desire (2706 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Exorcist (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega
Characters: Marcus Keane, Tomas Ortega
Additional Tags: Pining, Repression, Visions, Secrets
Summary:

"He knows it," the demon murmurs. "See? He knows. But you don't, do you? He hasn't told you."

"Come on," Tomas says, raising his voice over it and making himself keep looking at Marcus—who's pale, mouth pressed into a thin flat line, barely meeting Tomas's eyes.

I particularly love the sharply-observed little details in Tomas' observations of Marcus. And the story is full of compassion and love, plus it is also hot. Win-win-win! \o/

And, there's something I forgot to mention from the last post, re: the weekend hangout with

the_shoshanna:

We also watched the first episode of the new spinoff/sequel to The Bletchley Circle, the British show set in the 1950s, wherein crimes are solved by a group of underutilized women who had been codebreakers during WWII and then were firmly marginalized again after the war.

Anyway, this sequel is "The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco," and includes only the characters Jean and Millie (though they mention the others, which I like--people still exist in the universe even if we don't see them!), who end up going to San Francisco and meeting various U.S. women who help them willingly or unwillingly.

I really enjoyed it, and will keep watching. I mean, there's a mandatory buy-in at the beginning: they don't tell the police about their discovery of the murder pattern, because otherwise why would they have to go all the way to San Francisco to work on solving it themselves, and we need them to do that so we can have a show. I can totally believe that the police would have dismissed them, so I bought in pretty easily. Even if I did kind of wish we'd at least have had, you know, Jean hanging up the phone to say the cops had rolled their eyes and sent her away.

It's nice to see efforts at doing a period piece in San Francisco! I think California-wise, LA gets so much more of that sort of thing, so this is refreshing.

Also, as I told

the_shoshanna, I really like the conscious evocation of the network of women, now including not just different nationalities but also different races, all doing what they can while all suffering from the patriarchy. They have bosses or husbands or other kinds of dudes in their lives making things harder in various ways, and they survive by helping each other.

Also, Nicholas Lea (Krycek on X-Files) showed up! The Smoking Man's disciple has become a Smoking Man of his own. :D

Yet another of the commentfics from More Joy Day 2017, this one written for

msmoat's prompt "quiet".

(There are a few new lines added to this posted version... I felt like the kissing could use just a little more time. Shocking, I know. :D )

Calm in the Storm (1470 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Master and Commander - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
Additional Tags: Worry, Injury, Sharing a Bed, Kissing
Summary:

Another near-miss for Jack. And Stephen finds the night too quiet for his peace.

Another of the commentfics from More Joy Day 2017, this one for

mollyamory. ♥ Backstory: there's a videogame series called "Dragon Age". And in Dragon Age II, you play a human character named Hawke (you can choose a male or female iteration). Hawke ends up super-besties with the dwarf character Varric Tethras, who is a storyteller by avocation, and in his spare time writes books--hard-boiled detective stories, romance-adventure, etc.

In the next game, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Varric and Hawke are separated. But in some circumstances, male!Hawke shows up again for a particular portion of the game, and it's still obvious that Varric loves him soooOOooo muuuuch.

And yet, neither of the games allows Hawke to romance Varric, the way Hawke was able to choose from so many other characters! Unfair, unjust. And given Varric's devotion and heart-eyes-admiration for Hawke, plus Varric's subtle ongoing sense of loneliness, mollyamory thought that should be remedied.

MOVED AND SECONDED:

The Epic Tale of Jeon the Giant (1603 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hawke/Varric Tethras, Male Hawke/Varric Tethras
Characters: Varric Tethras, Garrett Hawke
Additional Tags: Requited Unrequited Love, Writing, we already know varric writes rpf
Summary:

Why couldn't the stupid character stay where he was put? No, all that work to get him face-to-face with the bad guy and into a final battle, and afterward there he went, waltzing away into the wilds to...~~do good~~ or ~~fight the good fight~~ or ~~be brave~~.

Screw Jeon, anyway. That big dumb brawny nug-licking Fereldan. That hero.

I meant to post this this morning, but then there were dishes to do, and then I worked on (well, brainstormed, anyway) my fledgling idea for Night on Fic Mountain, and then I went out for an Ingress walk in the gross swampy heat, and look it's almost 7pm. /o\

If you were around here on More Joy Day 2017, you'll probably have already seen this, but!:

Svefnthorn (1117 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinbad (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gunnar/Sinbad (Sinbad)
Characters: Gunnar (Sinbad), Sinbad (Sinbad)
Additional Tags: Runes, Snakes, Escape, Sleep
Summary:

"You are not going to try to feed yourself to the snake so I can get away," said Sinbad at once. "So stop it."

(

movies_michelle gave me Gunnar/Sinbad and the prompt "sleep", and then I dunno what happened, there was a giant magic snake and stuff. :D )

Yet another story I kept forgetting to put into AO3! I originally wrote this for a zine, "Relative Secrecy 2", 1998:

The Fusion Affair (7729 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo
Characters: Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo
Additional Tags: First Time, Escape, Partnership, Nonverbal Communication, Broccoli Test, Misunderstandings, Shower Sex, Origin Story, Zine: Relative Secrecy 2
Summary:

Napoleon finally gets a partner, and can no longer be quite so comfortably solo.

Nineteen ninety eight! Zoicks. Time kind of flew. I did eventually put it up on my own webspace, but never imported it into AO3 when that came along...I think I started once, but then for some reason didn't get it tagged and posted before the expiration of the draft, and then was grumpy about having to hand-code the italics again? Oh, I don't know, it was silly, because of course I sat down to do it today and it didn't take so long.

There used to be a really nice website for Marian Kelly's MUNCLE and Wild Wild West zine series, but it seems to have gone now, alas.

You can see my obsessions with things like discovering-deeper-partnership and the broccoli test from back in the day, huh. :D

This is basically a new story? Kind of? Or at least, I'm not sure if anybody but

halotolerant ever saw it--I wrote it as a flashfic challenge when tagged by

halotolerant on tumblr, but never posted it here. It's super short, a little over 200 words, but I did want to put it onto AO3 to keep all my stuff in one place. And I thought it might be amusing. :D (The condoms in the surveillance kit are canonical fact. Oh, Rejseholdet. ♥ )

Toolkit (215 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rejseholdet | Unit One
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Allan Fischer/Thomas La Cour
Characters: Allan Fischer, Thomas La Cour
Additional Tags: Condoms, Surveillance, Flash Fic, Realization
Summary:

There are some condoms in the surveillance kit, useful as protective covers for hidden microphones and stuff.

Or...you know...just useful.

I had such an amazing, fantastic Yuletide this year! I can scarcely believe it. Along with my assigned story, I received three (3!) treats, and they are all SO GOOD. Soooo goooood. Tailored perfectly to my interests, all in-character and well-written and well-paced and slashy and so emotionally satisfying.

Honestly, true story, as I was reading them on Christmas Eve, I kept stopping and looking up at the ceiling and just beaming with that inner bubbling feeling of utter squee. They make me so happy!

(And, I've never yet done an actual pimping post for any of these sources, but if you want to see them and cannot otherwise, please do drop me a line!)

1) SINBAD A scattering of pictures on tumblr.
First off, the assigned story, which is a Gunnar/Sinbad story for "Sinbad", the short-lived 2012 UK TV series, a show with a tone that reminds me of the Merlin-Xena-Hercules constellation sometimes...not quite historical, but magical-mythico-folklorish, with occasional purposeful anachronisms. Sinbad is a street urchin who ends up bereaved and cursed, and in the course of trying to save himself, he meets some other outcasts of one kind or another who basically become his found family. Especially the melancholy, protective ex-Viking. :D

The story posits that Gunnar (said Northman) is a literal berserker, a bear-shifter. The spot-on voices and characterizations of the whole crew! The layers of details in setting and worldbuilding! The pining! The mystery of why Gunnar doesn't shift back, and how he does, and the very satisfying answer!

The Beast Within (16058 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinbad (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gunnar/Sinbad (Sinbad)
Characters: Gunnar (Sinbad), Sinbad (Sinbad), Rina (Sinbad), Anwar (Sinbad), Tiger (Sinbad), Cook (Sinbad), Nala (Sinbad)
Additional Tags: Animal Transformation, Mutual Pining, Nonverbal Communication, Post-Canon
Summary:

There had not been time, Gunnar told himself afterward; there had not been any other way. But it was not true. There was always a choice.

(Or: Gunnar is a werebear. Sinbad has some issues with this; and, as it turns out, so does Gunnar.)

2) REJSEHOLDET A bunch of pics/gifs on tumblr.
A treat of nearly 10K words, if you can believe it, for Rejseholdet aka Unit One, the Danish cop show from the early-mid 2000s perhaps most notable for having Mads Mikkelsen in it (super-hot, natch). Whose character, the ambitious, aggressive Allan Fischer, has such wonderful partner and slash chemistry with the sensitive, secretive empath Thomas La Cour.

This story starts pre-canon and ends post-canon, and follows the entire arc of Fischer and La Cour's relationship, from awkward first meeting through to the finally-settled intimate relationship they had gradually been reaching for but took years to figure out. The characterizations are so so solid, and watching them learn to understand their inchoate need for each other is a sheer delight!

For All This Time (9881 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rejseholdet | Unit One
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Allan Fischer/Thomas La Cour
Characters: Allan Fischer, Thomas La Cour, Mille Fischer, Helene, Victor Fischer, Ingrid Dahl, Ida, Torben Ronne
Additional Tags: Getting Together, Partners to Lovers, First Kiss, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon Het Relationships Mentioned
Summary:

1996-2005. Repression, true love, crime, coffee and football.

3) THE STING (1973)
The classic Paul Newman/Robert Redford con-artist movie, if you needed telling. :D One of my very favorite movies of all time, a festival of competence kink, with Newman melancholy and worrying and gravely handsome, and Redford callow and eager and luminous, playing con men who meet and mesh (and make such heart eyes at each other oh god), and prevail over the forces of evil.

You guys I got a Henry/Johnny PRETEND RELATIONSHIP STORYYYYYY. So perfect for two grifters, to have to fake a closeted affair to draw a blackmailer out of the woodwork so they can nab him. And of course, it turns out Henry has a secret that makes the prospect of getting handsy with Johnny no hardship--except for the fact that he knows it's just for the con and will all be over soon. (OR WILL IT. :D ) It crackles with the energy both of the con and of desire, underlaid with secrets sizzling just under the surface.

truth deceived (7047 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Case Fic, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

Henry and Johnny catch a blackmailer—by pretending they've got something to be blackmailed about. Except, of course, no one's doing as much pretending as anybody else thinks they are.

4) SHETLAND
The source I fell for most recently, a Scottish drama about a police detective-inspector who lives and works in the Shetland Islands. Jimmy Perez is a thoughtful, kind, determined, melancholy man who lives to protect his communities and look after his daughter Cassie. And he has a fascinating relationship with his daughter's biological father, the more cynical/shades-of-gray figure Duncan Hunter. Jimmy and Duncan get along like grownups, which feels really rare for TV--co-parenting the best they can, communicating with each other, being supportive (even when they conflict).

The story is a quiet, tender scene set after the end of the most recent season, season 3. Jimmy, as could have been predicted, is hollowed-out by serious Empty Nest Syndrome, and Duncan looks after him in a comfortingly bossy, intimate, straightforward, comforting way. Just what I needed, and Jimmy too. ♥

Okay (1007 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez
Characters: Duncan Hunter, Jimmy Perez
Additional Tags: Sharing a Bed, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, empty nest feels, Feels, Angst
Summary:

Cassie has left and Jimmy doesn't feel okay. Duncan helps.

Here's the last of that batch of finished little stories I had in my pocket:

To Track the Beast (3333 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Peacemakers (2003)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Larimer Finch/Jared Stone
Characters: Larimer Finch, Jared Stone, Katie Owen
Additional Tags: Western, Angst, Law Enforcement, Post-Canon, First Time
Summary:

Finch hesitated by the back door into the parlor, where the door curtains had been drawn against the night. He'd become accustomed to just walking in of an evening, and it felt strange to stop himself. But he couldn't quite imagine Stone being as happy to see him as he had been lately, looking up over his glasses with that smile that some might almost call shy.

Man I love Peacemakers. So promising, so short-lived, alas. I feel like it was tragically ahead of its time, before the days when lots of cable channels are producing original drama series and thriving. I think it would fit in perfectly right now, a western about the transitional period into modern criminal science. It had a lot of interesting things to say, and great characters to say it with. If you're ever curious to see it, last I heard it was actually on Hulu, although I can't check at the moment.

This story was inspired by my H/C Bingo card, although it itself did not really turn out to be H/C. I should dig that card out and give it another look; it had all kinds of inspirational topics on it.

Authors and artists have been revealed for this year's Night On Fic Mountain exchange (welll, they were revealed a little while back, but then the weekend got away from me and hmm mutter mumble). Here was my contribution:

The Steel-Wire Tightrope (6609 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker
Additional Tags: Con Artists, 1930s, Rescue, Angst, Misunderstandings, Nonverbal Communication, Drugged Sex, Broccoli Test
Summary:

Henry's in trouble. But when Johnny finds him, that's when their trouble really starts.

Awww yisssss, I got to write The Sting again! \o/ \o/ \o/ I rewatched the movie once during the writing process, and then I rewatched it last week with some friends, just because. I've seen it so many times, and show no signs of burning out or getting tired of it. I love the characters, and the milieu, and how amenable it all is to fannish extrapolation. Robert Redford glows like a sun god and runs like a deer, Paul Newman's eyes gleam a piercing clear sapphire, they both have arms and shoulders to make me weep in the best way, and Johnny and Henry come to care about each other SO MUCH you guys. So much. Not to mention that Henry is an Olympic-class secret worrier. ♥_____♥

Course, in this story, Johnny gets to do most of the worrying for a change. Just for a nice switcheroo. But this is my second story in which I was reminded that AO3 does not have a plain old "Drugged" tag! I mean, wat? "Drugged Sex", sure. But not just "Drugged". Which seems SO WEIRD, given the venerable age of the trope, you know--'oh no my partner got knocked out and doped and now I must rescue him', which was canon all the time at least back in the day, and which lends itself so well to tender h/c, and then perhaps sex that is not itself Drugged Sex, because everyone is now sobered up. So I used the Drugged Sex tag, even though that is not precisely how it goes (it sort of is at first, and then it isn't, and I think the story explains itself best).

Is there a way to propose they set up a canonical Drugged tag? I am ashamed to admit that my knowledge of the inner (or, in fact, outer) workings of the AO3 tag system is not the best.

Anyway, I'm excited to have had a chance to write these guys again! I fell into a weird throughline blockage during the writing process, but mary crawford and klia got me out of there and fixed it up, and I am really happy about it.

On the Shoulders of the Sea (2235 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinbad (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gunnar/Sinbad
Characters: Gunnar (Sinbad), Sinbad (Sinbad)
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Sunburn, Huddling For Warmth
Summary:

Gunnar suffers, and Sinbad discovers it's not only from the sun.

Another one of the pocket stories, for the pairing in the icon above, in which melancholy-Gunnar gazes longingly at Sinbad (in other words, THE SHOW). :D

Okay so, here's one of the pocket stories I was mentioning...

Irreplaceable (1299 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Almost Human
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dorian/John Kennex
Characters: Dorian (Almost Human), John Kennex, Richard Paul, Rudy Lom
Additional Tags: Worry, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Flashbacks, Missing Scene, Episode Related
Summary:

John has seen dead eyes like that before.

It's a missing scene set during ep 1x10, "Simon Says", aka The One With The Bomb Collar.

I've been mulling over the tags. Pre-slash, should it be? I never quite know about pre-slash. Hmm. Opinions are welcome!

In the course of writing this year's I-Man story for Yuletide, I suddenly (suddenly! without warning!) remembered that I had never put an older I-Man story of mine into AO3. Not on purpose--I just somehow forgot.

So I imported it and added summary and tags, during the lull after Yuletide story reveal but before author reveal, and here it is!:

Killing Bobby Hobbes (4811 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Invisible Man
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Darien/Bobby
Characters: Darien Fawkes, Bobby Hobbes
Additional Tags: Canon Related, Dreams and Nightmares, Hypnotism, Angst, First Time
Summary:

The phony psychic insisted that Darien was going to kill Bobby, just like in Darien's nightmares. But screw him. They got past it just fine and everything was going great.

Then Darien's dream came back.

Originally written for the 2009 ficfest on the Invisible Man LJ comm