Lle Llywela

So, once upon a time - by which I mean, about two years ago - I wrote a story. It wasn’t a story I’d planned or expected to write. It wasn’t even My Sort Of Thing, being a crossover between two very different fandoms, which I normally avoid like the plague. But I had read something which ignited a spark, and found that I had to scratch that itch, for better or for worse, so I wrote this story. It was called Blood of the Living Dead and was a crossover between The Musketeers and Merlin, but pretty much followed along season one continuity for Musketeers, so it wasn’t really so very AU as all that…

But the story did, almost incidentally and without having intended to do so, change one fairly significant detail from season one. Then afterward I wondered how that change might have impacted season two continuity, and asked myself how that second season might play out in this slightly altered universe in order to end up in broadly the same place.

So I started writing another story, just a short one, intended to suggest the beginning of an answer to that question, and I got about 85% of it done before I completely dried up.

Two years later, beginning to feel the first stirrings of creativity once more, I opened up my WIP folder and asked myself what in there might be possible to finish off - I have rather a large number of WIPs, so I kind of wanted a quick win to help me get back into a fic-writing mood. This particular story seemed closest to completion, so I gave it a once over and had a go at finishing it off, and then took some advice on smoothing off the rough edges.

And now at last it is complete. The first story I've managed to finish in two years. Not that anyone will remember the first story to have the slightest interest in reading a follow-up, but I’m pleased to have finally managed to finish it anyway.

So here it is: The Waiting Game. In which a wounded Aramis finds himself trapped and alone with the Queen when a social gathering erupts into violence. While the other Musketeers plan a rescue, how long can they hold out?

Decided to throw up the second of these Musketeers recaps I did, before Life came crashing back down once more - there are two more after this, maybe some day I'll manage the rest, as well...or I might go back to the stalled Doctor Who reviews, now that Power of the Daleks is out on DVD as an animation, since it was the frankly impenetrable recon of that serial which stopped the project dead in its tracks! But for now, The Musketeers 1x02:

"The secret to a good trick? Make people look the wrong way."


( Review behind the cut )

Okay, so this question passed across my dash on Tumblr the other day: We have 2 modern retellings of Sherlock Holmes (tv shows). Why not The Three Musketeers?? I'm sure it can be done! (As it has been done in fan fiction A LOT.) Let's plot!! :D What would be your version of The Three Musketeers in modern time? Elite police task force? Undercover agents (this is my fav)? Or just a group of misfits? TELL ME!

And it got me thinking. What kind of show would that story be, if re-told in a modern setting?

And...I know Sue probably won't agree, but the inescapable conclusion I came to was: The Professionals! The Musketeers in a modern setting would totally be The Professionals, of course it would. I mean, think about it: slightly maverick law enforcement department whose brief is much wider than that of the police, a body of elite special agents recruited as the best of the best, dealing with anything and everything from spies to terrorists to protection details, and using sometimes unorthodox methods to fight fire with fire. Gruff departmental controller who must navigate the murky world of political intrigue in order to do his job. Devoted brotherhood of agents putting their lives on the line daily and willing to do just about anything for one another. Action-packed show full of banter, drama, humour and emotion. The parallels are all there!



No wonder I love both shows so much. :D

This behind-the-scenes pic is what they'd look like as modern-type agents:


The AU practically writes itself! (But don't worry, I'm not gonna!)

Okay, so I've dropped off the radar a bit lately, and part of the reason for that has been family and work, but part of the reason was also that my brain got eaten by a sudden and unexpected new project that caught me in its grip and refused to let go. And as a result I have, out of nowhere, produced a completely unforeseen crossover fic for two fandoms that I'd never even remotely considered trying to write for until about four weeks ago, when I read a very short ficlet produced by someone else, and thought, 'yes, this is a good idea, but undeveloped, so what if this or perhaps that', and then I felt all inspired and, with permission from the original author, took that concept and went away and took it apart and rebuilt it as a completely different story – a full-blown, 74-page mystery-adventure story.

Title: Blood of the Living Dead
Show: The Musketeers / Merlin
Characters: Lancelot, Aramis, Captain Treville, Athos, Porthos, D'Artagnan, Merlin, Queen Anne, Constance Bonacieux (cameo), mentions of various others
Rating: PG
Summary: When Sir Lancelot is restored to life in 17th century France for reasons he cannot fathom, he builds a new life as the Musketeer Aramis, bit by painstaking bit - but who could have brought him here, and why? More importantly, what might happen if and when they catch up with him? And can he rely on the support of his comrades when the truth comes out?
Disclaimer: Both Merlin and The Musketeers belong to the BBC, and also to legend and Alexandre Dumas respectively. I have borrowed them for this story and am making no profit from this.
Author's Note: Inspired by the Watcher of the Eternal Flame series by Queen_of_Moons67, with many thanks both for the idea and the permission to use it. This story is set post-series for Merlin and weaves through pre-series and season one continuity for The Musketeers. I've taken a few liberties, but would class this as Universe Alteration, rather than Alternate Universe. And yes, for simplicity's sake, I have chosen to overlook the complexity of linguistic (and other) development over the space of a millennium.
With thanks to Chris for offering a second opinion and encouraging me when I thought I was completely bonkers to even begin.

And I wrote the whole damn thing without even thinking about having any kind of image or banner to go with it, and then when it was finished found myself thinking about the fact that I always have some kind of image or banner to go with my fics, so I made one after all, the simplest possible representation of the concept - too many damn characters to get them all in!



ETA: damn, this is the fastest I've ever picked up comments on anything ever - is this what happens when you write for something current instead of something 40-odd years old??? Who knew??!!

It's been a long while since I blogged about a TV show, I'm out of practice, so let me get back into practice by blogging a bit about what I'm watching at the moment…which isn't much. With summer upon us, I currently only have one live show on my viewing schedule – The Musketeers, now halfway through its third and final season.

Now, I really love The Musketeers and have done from the start. I admit it can be a bit of an acquired taste, especially for anyone coming in expecting a serious drama, since the show was never intended to be a serious drama – although it can be both deadly serious and heart-stoppingly dramatic when it wants to be. In general, though, the show is designed as light-hearted, swashbuckling family entertainment, and it delivers on that premise in spades.

The Musketeers is a show about brotherhood, love, honour, friendship, loyalty, and adventure. What's not to love? You've got attractive men in impractical leather uniforms, gloriously heart-warming brothers-in-arms bonding, and beautiful women holding their own in a world built for men. There's humour, drama, action and romance, engaging and well defined characters who develop organically as a result of their experiences, fantastic acting, gorgeous cinematography – plus some truly stunning locations – with storytelling layered in shades of grey rather than simple black and white. It can be clunky and it can be clichéd, no show is perfect after all, but it has great heart and, even in the weakest of episodes, is always fun, three seasons of laughter, excitement and adventure.


As anyone familiar with the classic D'Artagnan romances will be able to predict, the show revolves primarily around the eponymous Musketeers themselves – the three Inseparables Porthos, Athos and Aramis, plus D'Artagnan, who pretty much starts out as the puppy they adopt. But the cast doesn't end there. Also in the mix is their commander, Captain Treville, who is the long-suffering dad to the boisterous antics of his men, plus the lovely Constance Bonacieux, who is so much more than a mere love interest, while Milady de Winter is always rather more than a mere femme fatale. At the palace we have King Louis XIII and Queen Anne, so privileged and yet so trapped, while a revolving door of antagonists rounds out the cast, changing each season with no two alike in either motivation or method.

Interested? ( Let's take a closer look - click for meta, enthusiasm and pretty pics )

1. My dad had knee replacement surgery yesterday. I was a lot more nervous about it than I expected to be, but it all went well and they're talking about letting him go home already, probably tomorrow but possibly even today.

2. It's Mum's birthday on Sunday and I'm not sure she's looking forward to having an invalid at home for it, but having him in hospital for it wouldn't be ideal either.

3. This year seems to be flying by. Almost April already!

4. Work is very busy. That's probably contributing to the flight of time.

5. I'm not watching a huge amount of TV at the moment but am still very much enjoying The Musketeers. It's a fun romp and, since I'm bored to the back teeth of 'grit' and angst, is absolutely perfect for me right now. Also still watching Agents of SHIELD now it's back on Channel 4. It isn't brilliant, but it seems I'm invested enough in the universe to keep watching, and it's light, bubble-gum TV on the whole. Still, Game of Thrones will be back soon, to top up my waning dark-and-angsty quota!