I wrote two stories for Yuletide this year: my assignment, and one treat.
The assignment was for what's probably my very favorite Mary Renault novel, "The Mask of Apollo", about an Athenian actor in the 4th century BC. He gets caught up in the events surrounding Dion of Syracuse and his attempt to liberate Sicily, but that's not the point, really. The things I thrive on in this book are the characters, the emotions, and how it's all so well grounded in the life of a working actor.
The story is set after the events of the novel but before the years-later epilogue, and is about Niko's recovery from the real-life tragedy he's just lived through, via his work on a new play, his realizations about his craft, and of course his (canon) beloved Thettalos, who's on his way to becoming the towering figure in the field that he is in real-life history.
I found it such a pleasure to write, even though I had never written fic in first-person before (the novel is first-person past-tense as well)...I had always wanted to tackle something about Niko facing the emotional aftermath plus his own middle-age all at once, and about him finding his way out (not solo by his bootstraps, but within his whole context of life and work and art and love and whatnot). But I hadn't yet been able to really think my way into it, until now. This assignment was perfect timing, and as Niko found answers for himself, I felt comforted too.
I made up almost all of the plays mentioned in the story, though the playwrights are real. I think it's possible to read the story without having read the novel, in the sense that most of the important context is embedded in it, but of course I'm so familiar with the book that it can be hard to tell...
The dance of nature forward far (8221 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nikeratos/Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Characters: Nikeratos (Mask of Apollo), Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Additional Tags: Ancient Greece, Theatre, Established Relationship, Catharsis, Acting, Gods
Summary: No one drew attention to my increasing efforts and difficulties—not at performing Aigeus or Athene, which weren't going badly, but in the role of Nikeratos, son of Artemidoros. Perhaps I had them all fooled...or perhaps they were kind.
The treat was for my eternal love "The Sting" (1973).
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As with the first-person POV for Mask of Apollo, I realized I had never written Outsider POV before, so this year was a year of learning and stretching for me for sure...
Slow Freight to Omaha (3704 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker, Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker (The Sting)
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, POV Outsider, 1930s, Hobos, Yuletide Treat
Summary: "I'm all right," one of them was saying, hoarse and breathless. "I'm okay. It's all right, it's nothing." He sat up, one arm held to his chest, yellow hair hanging in his eyes.
I hope everyone had as good a time as I did this year! ♥