I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground
Apr. 25th, 2026 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sovay
For my father's birthday observed, I made no further sea creatures in marzipan, but he still liked his strawberry-variant marmalade cake. My brother told stories about driving the Nürburgring with a minivan. I curled up with my husbands.
Write Every Day: Day 25
Apr. 25th, 2026 05:18 pmsanguinityIntro/FAQ
Days 1-15
My check-in: Some light edits to two chapters of the longfic before sending it off to beta!
Day 26:china_shop
Day 25:china_shop, sanguinity
Day 24:badly_knitted, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora
Day 23:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora
( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
Days 1-15
My check-in: Some light edits to two chapters of the longfic before sending it off to beta!
Day 26:
china_shopDay 25:
china_shop, sanguinityDay 24:
badly_knitted, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadoraDay 23:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
how one loves the ache of your cracked lips
Apr. 25th, 2026 07:35 pmmusesfool
I made these salt bread rolls today (pic), and they are very tasty, but I think I still like pretzel rolls better, even with the mess of having to boil them before baking. There isn't much I like better than a big old soft pretzel, so pretzel rolls are where it's at for me. The salt bread is good though - very buttery.
I also made rice this afternoon in preparation for making a crispy rice salad tomorrow. I am very intrigued by the idea of crispy rice salad, but I don't know if I will like it in actuality, even though I like all the components I plan to put in it. (I'd also be more confident if every recipe I look at didn't call for a different type of rice. I made basmati, for the record.) I guess I'll report back tomorrow and how it goes.
And it's been a full day of watching hockey, after a long night of watching hockey last night. It's been exciting, but so much more relaxing since my team isn't in it.
And finally, here is today's poem:
Why You Should Never Marry A Poet
by Heather Bell
Think about it - the way that credit cards, bougainvillea,
vacations, dictionaries, the road on the way to work will
all never be enough. The poet wishes
with her deepest bones
and writes that she wishes
she would have killed you
in the supermarket. She wonders why
she ever loved you in song.
She publishes book after book. Each line detailing
how your hair is ugly and monstrous in the morning. And how,
like moss, you cling to her
so piteously.
But you marry her anyway.
and she looks like a roar of snow
in white. You figure she will read a poem about you
that day in front of everyone: her throat
is, after all, a stamen
or matchstick.
But she is silent, says only the I DO's
and a few Bible verses.
The poet loves with a most violent
heart. What you have not known-
she has wanted to tell you the truth
all of these years,
but grew silent as an old lover does
at eighty. There is no way to say
how one loves the ache of your cracked lips,
the heavy belly of your tongue, the years she spent
feeling not loved,
but still loving. Think about it-
the poet is fearful of others knowing and finding your mouth.
She is frightened of you -
realizing you could have been
loved better or harder
or with real words.
***
I also made rice this afternoon in preparation for making a crispy rice salad tomorrow. I am very intrigued by the idea of crispy rice salad, but I don't know if I will like it in actuality, even though I like all the components I plan to put in it. (I'd also be more confident if every recipe I look at didn't call for a different type of rice. I made basmati, for the record.) I guess I'll report back tomorrow and how it goes.
And it's been a full day of watching hockey, after a long night of watching hockey last night. It's been exciting, but so much more relaxing since my team isn't in it.
And finally, here is today's poem:
Why You Should Never Marry A Poet
by Heather Bell
Think about it - the way that credit cards, bougainvillea,
vacations, dictionaries, the road on the way to work will
all never be enough. The poet wishes
with her deepest bones
and writes that she wishes
she would have killed you
in the supermarket. She wonders why
she ever loved you in song.
She publishes book after book. Each line detailing
how your hair is ugly and monstrous in the morning. And how,
like moss, you cling to her
so piteously.
But you marry her anyway.
and she looks like a roar of snow
in white. You figure she will read a poem about you
that day in front of everyone: her throat
is, after all, a stamen
or matchstick.
But she is silent, says only the I DO's
and a few Bible verses.
The poet loves with a most violent
heart. What you have not known-
she has wanted to tell you the truth
all of these years,
but grew silent as an old lover does
at eighty. There is no way to say
how one loves the ache of your cracked lips,
the heavy belly of your tongue, the years she spent
feeling not loved,
but still loving. Think about it-
the poet is fearful of others knowing and finding your mouth.
She is frightened of you -
realizing you could have been
loved better or harder
or with real words.
***
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Icon Meme
Apr. 25th, 2026 12:29 pmsanguinityIn honor of ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
3weeks4dreamwidth, a meme gakked from regshoe, who had it from goodbyebird:
3weeks4dreamwidth, a meme gakked from regshoe, who had it from goodbyebird:Reply to this post saying 'icon', and I will tell you my favourite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favourite icon if you're one of those inhuman things that are actually capable of choosing betweenYOUR PRECIOUS BABIES!userpics.
and now this part
Apr. 25th, 2026 09:36 amheresluckI am now in the stage of watching my own vid draft export over and over like I can make the necessary changes through sheer force of will. (I have been testing this theory off and on for more than two decades. It does not work.)
Speaking of which, I realized yesterday that sometime this month is the 24th anniversary of finishing my first vid. This is not the sort of thing I generally keep track of, so it was a startling realization. My current students, even the oldest of them, were very much not born yet when I started vidding. Time: just keeps happening!
Anyhow -- I madesdwolfpup give me a virtual high-five for finishing the draft even though she does not care about Heated Rivalry AT ALL (the truest friends love you even when, etc.), and I've gotten suggestions from sisabet and am waiting for kouredios to watch on a larger screen this morning, and there is definitely still some work to do (dear showrunners: I know you want to make your shows ~aesthetic~ or whatever, and I appreciate the commitment, I do, but all this color grading makes life difficult for vidders). But I am going to spend as much of the day as possible in the garden, because spring weather waits for no one, and vidding does, especially when the vid in question has already been seen by a third of its expected audience. Heh.
Speaking of which, I realized yesterday that sometime this month is the 24th anniversary of finishing my first vid. This is not the sort of thing I generally keep track of, so it was a startling realization. My current students, even the oldest of them, were very much not born yet when I started vidding. Time: just keeps happening!
Anyhow -- I made
sdwolfpup give me a virtual high-five for finishing the draft even though she does not care about Heated Rivalry AT ALL (the truest friends love you even when, etc.), and I've gotten suggestions from sisabet and am waiting for kouredios to watch on a larger screen this morning, and there is definitely still some work to do (dear showrunners: I know you want to make your shows ~aesthetic~ or whatever, and I appreciate the commitment, I do, but all this color grading makes life difficult for vidders). But I am going to spend as much of the day as possible in the garden, because spring weather waits for no one, and vidding does, especially when the vid in question has already been seen by a third of its expected audience. Heh.VIDS! <333
Apr. 25th, 2026 09:27 amcolls posting in vid_bingoHello vidders and vid-watchers!
I've been inspired by3weeks4dreamwidth to encourage posting and thought... WHAT ABOUT VIDDING?!... (as one does). ;)
Making vids, watching vids, recommending vids, meta about vids... ALL THINGS VIDS! <333
So I challenge YOU to join me in committing to make three vid posts* over the next three weeks.
Sign-ups help, so please comment below saying 'CHALLENGE ACCEPTED'.
* You are welcome to use this comm to share your posts, please tag 'threeweeks'.
3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥
I've been inspired by
3weeks4dreamwidth to encourage posting and thought... WHAT ABOUT VIDDING?!... (as one does). ;)Making vids, watching vids, recommending vids, meta about vids... ALL THINGS VIDS! <333
So I challenge YOU to join me in committing to make three vid posts* over the next three weeks.
Sign-ups help, so please comment below saying 'CHALLENGE ACCEPTED'.
* You are welcome to use this comm to share your posts, please tag 'threeweeks'.
3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥
Tags:
- due: 2026-05 (may),
- due: 2026-06 (jun),
- fandom: multifandom,
- format: bingo,
- format: recs,
- format: support,
- format: teamwork,
- format: varied challenges,
- frequency: biannual,
- keyword: low pressure,
- keyword: multilingual/other language,
- keyword: spring,
- medium: fic,
- medium: podfic,
- posting: 2026-05 (may),
- sign-up/claiming: 2026-04 (apr),
- sign-up/claiming: 2026-05 (may),
- sign-up/claiming: not required,
- site: any/multi,
- site: ao3,
- site: bluesky,
- site: discord,
- site: dreamwidth,
- site: tumblr
Fiddling on
Apr. 25th, 2026 02:20 pmmificOkay, so, general update then some happier HR stuff. NZ now has about 16 days of onshore diesel left and there's nothing in the news about it. The official govt fuel update page says no worries, prices will just be a bit higher next few weeks, no need to ration. Surendran says we only have stocks and some diesel incoming on two ships as we're outbidding poorer nations, which is causing other countries in our fuel supply chain around the Asian-Pacific rim to side-eye us as they've all imposed restrictions on their own populations, being collectivist cultures. So NZ is looking like a selfish, short-sighted, individualistic nation, which is just great, if we ever need their help. Fucking National government dickheads.
I mailordered a bunch of things on the basis of why not while I still can, and am now faced with needing to tidy and reorganise my spare room and garage to store stuff. Ugh. I'm too physically lazy to be a survivalist.
Maybe I can hire a boy scout? Do boy scouts still exist? I also need the boy scout to change bulbs in my kitchen as I don't think I'm safe on a stepstool any more. Rats. I got my second shingles vax and over the next two weeks will get a flu shot and covid booster.
Lots of rain and thunderstorms recently but still many nice days, although temps have dropped so definitely autumnal. The liquidamber trees are bronzing up - the main tree that reliably has autumn colours here in the subtropics. I'm going to revamp a couple of my wheeliebeds and plant kale and spinach, also pansies are available, so yay. Potted colour for interesting times.
On the HR front, have been arting, and posted another podfic. Lots of fiddling!
Ilya and Friend - portrait of a contemplative Ilya with rabbit (kind of for Easter)
cut to the feeling - podfic of Charlotte_Stant's wonderful fic
Collectors Items - picked up 4 art pinch hits for the ICE OUT donations challenge. This one is hollanov in Topps card format.
Everyone's Issue - for ICE OUT. A mental health poster format with Shane and Ilya.
Best t-shirt ever - Scott/Kip, domestic fluff, for ICE OUT.
I got you something - Troy/Harris and the NY Pride pin for ICE OUT
podfic of Torture Me (With All I've Wanted) - excellent fic by toomuchplor (teenage Shane/Ilya bonding on a long bus ride)
HR recs:
(I've lost track of who reccd what so some of these will already have been reccd by friends.)
Retirement, apparently by cheryl123
Hilarious romp of crack taken seriously. Post retirement from hockey, Shane and Ilya end up in VERY different reality tv shows, with iconic results.
Knock on Wood by McShrug
Hot as hell fic in which "just the tip" becomes part of Shane's superstitious pregame playoffs ritual.
Is this thing on? by arustyspork
I saw this ask on tumblr - someone suggested a post-retirement fic where Shane and Svetlana have a hockey podcast together. Arustyspork took up the baton, and it's marvellous! They have a segment called "why Ilya Rozanov owes me money" in which guests relate terrible/funny things Ilya did to them. They won't let Ilya himself come on the show and it drives him crazy!
i carry your heart by corvidcordelia
A complete AU where they're competing literary fiction writers having rivalrous sex in a retelling of the show. CC adds in mocked-up covers for their bestsellers and extremely real-feeling & pretentious rave critic reviews, plus quotes from Cummings and Austen. Brilliantly done. As usual, Svetlana and Rose (their literary agents) do some emotional heavy lifting.
And, new to me HR writers that I'm now reading everything of:
ghoulien
Cheryl123sing
HH_Arrow
Okay, enough for now! Today was supposed to be a writing day, ha.
Hugs to you all!
I mailordered a bunch of things on the basis of why not while I still can, and am now faced with needing to tidy and reorganise my spare room and garage to store stuff. Ugh. I'm too physically lazy to be a survivalist.
Maybe I can hire a boy scout? Do boy scouts still exist? I also need the boy scout to change bulbs in my kitchen as I don't think I'm safe on a stepstool any more. Rats. I got my second shingles vax and over the next two weeks will get a flu shot and covid booster.
Lots of rain and thunderstorms recently but still many nice days, although temps have dropped so definitely autumnal. The liquidamber trees are bronzing up - the main tree that reliably has autumn colours here in the subtropics. I'm going to revamp a couple of my wheeliebeds and plant kale and spinach, also pansies are available, so yay. Potted colour for interesting times.
On the HR front, have been arting, and posted another podfic. Lots of fiddling!
Ilya and Friend - portrait of a contemplative Ilya with rabbit (kind of for Easter)
cut to the feeling - podfic of Charlotte_Stant's wonderful fic
Collectors Items - picked up 4 art pinch hits for the ICE OUT donations challenge. This one is hollanov in Topps card format.
Everyone's Issue - for ICE OUT. A mental health poster format with Shane and Ilya.
Best t-shirt ever - Scott/Kip, domestic fluff, for ICE OUT.
I got you something - Troy/Harris and the NY Pride pin for ICE OUT
podfic of Torture Me (With All I've Wanted) - excellent fic by toomuchplor (teenage Shane/Ilya bonding on a long bus ride)
HR recs:
(I've lost track of who reccd what so some of these will already have been reccd by friends.)
Retirement, apparently by cheryl123
Hilarious romp of crack taken seriously. Post retirement from hockey, Shane and Ilya end up in VERY different reality tv shows, with iconic results.
Knock on Wood by McShrug
Hot as hell fic in which "just the tip" becomes part of Shane's superstitious pregame playoffs ritual.
Is this thing on? by arustyspork
I saw this ask on tumblr - someone suggested a post-retirement fic where Shane and Svetlana have a hockey podcast together. Arustyspork took up the baton, and it's marvellous! They have a segment called "why Ilya Rozanov owes me money" in which guests relate terrible/funny things Ilya did to them. They won't let Ilya himself come on the show and it drives him crazy!
i carry your heart by corvidcordelia
A complete AU where they're competing literary fiction writers having rivalrous sex in a retelling of the show. CC adds in mocked-up covers for their bestsellers and extremely real-feeling & pretentious rave critic reviews, plus quotes from Cummings and Austen. Brilliantly done. As usual, Svetlana and Rose (their literary agents) do some emotional heavy lifting.
And, new to me HR writers that I'm now reading everything of:
ghoulien
Cheryl123sing
HH_Arrow
Okay, enough for now! Today was supposed to be a writing day, ha.
Hugs to you all!
The tiger was asleep on my knees until recently.
Apr. 24th, 2026 11:26 pmjadelennoxI hope Nael, currently age 16-ish, is doing very well, and still writing delightful poems about tigers.
Write Every Day: Day 24
Apr. 24th, 2026 06:20 pmsanguinityIntro/FAQ
Days 1-15
My check-in: No conference today! Also, beta managed to get her edits done yesterday afternoon while I was watching a demonstration of modeling and visualization tools! So although I am blasted and stupid today after two days of overstimulation, I was still able to make a bevy of minor edits AND come up with a title and whatnot. I might just get this story posted after all…
Day 24:china_shop, sanguinity
Day 23:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora
Day 22:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora
( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
Days 1-15
My check-in: No conference today! Also, beta managed to get her edits done yesterday afternoon while I was watching a demonstration of modeling and visualization tools! So although I am blasted and stupid today after two days of overstimulation, I was still able to make a bevy of minor edits AND come up with a title and whatnot. I might just get this story posted after all…
Day 24:
china_shop, sanguinityDay 23:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadoraDay 22:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
And the fisherman collects, yes, they collect the sounds from their nest above
Apr. 24th, 2026 04:19 pmsovay
I am frantically cleaning in expectation of niece, but my mother just called to let me know of the fossil discovery of octopods larger than a school bus. It feels apropros that my niece requested sushi for dinner. It makes me almost as happy as the news itself that everyone involved seems to have thought instantly of kraken.
Fic: The Feast of St. Olaf [SGA, Team, G, 3800 words]
Apr. 24th, 2026 11:42 amrunpunkrun
Author: Punk
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Team Sheppard
Rating: G
Content notes: No standard notes apply.
Size: 3,800 words
Summary: The hunting knife is twice the size of the fruit in his hand, but Ronon handles it with ease.
Read it on the AO3 or here »
( The Feast of St. Olaf )
Either life you choose will end in her arms
Apr. 24th, 2026 02:36 pmmusesfool
Does anyone know where I can get a Trinity Santos icon? [eta: icon acquired!]
*
Always need some Dorianne Laux during poetry month, so here's today's poem:
Prayer
by Dorianne Laux
Sweet Jesus, let her save you, let her take
your hands and hold them to her breasts,
slip the sandals from your feet, lay your body down
on sheets beaten clean against the fountain stones.
Let her rest her dark head on your chest,
let her tongue lift the hairs like a sword tip
parting the reeds, let her lips burnish
your neck, let your eyes be wet with pleasure.
Let her keep you from that other life, as a mother
keeps a child from the brick lip of a well,
though the rope and bucket shine and clang,
though the water's hidden silk and mystery call.
Let her patter soothe you and her passions
distract you, let her show you the light
storming the windows of her kitchen, peaches
in a wooden bowl, a square of blue cloth
she has sewn to her skirt to cover the tear.
What could be more holy than the curve of her back
as she sits, her hands opening a plum.
What could be more sacred than her eyes,
fierce and complicated as the truth, your life
rising behind them, your name on her lips.
Stay there, in her bare house, the black pots
hung from pegs, bread braided and glazed
on the table, a clay jug of violet wine.
There is the daily sacrament of rasp and chisel,
another chair to be made, shelves to be hewn
cleanly and even and carefully joined
to the sun-scrubbed walls, a sharp knife
for carving odd chunks of wood into small toys
for the children. Oh Jesus, close your eyes
and listen to it, the air is alive with bird calls
and bees, the dry rustle of palm leaves,
her distracted song as she washes her feet.
Let your death be quiet and ordinary.
Either life you choose will end in her arms
*
*
Always need some Dorianne Laux during poetry month, so here's today's poem:
Prayer
by Dorianne Laux
Sweet Jesus, let her save you, let her take
your hands and hold them to her breasts,
slip the sandals from your feet, lay your body down
on sheets beaten clean against the fountain stones.
Let her rest her dark head on your chest,
let her tongue lift the hairs like a sword tip
parting the reeds, let her lips burnish
your neck, let your eyes be wet with pleasure.
Let her keep you from that other life, as a mother
keeps a child from the brick lip of a well,
though the rope and bucket shine and clang,
though the water's hidden silk and mystery call.
Let her patter soothe you and her passions
distract you, let her show you the light
storming the windows of her kitchen, peaches
in a wooden bowl, a square of blue cloth
she has sewn to her skirt to cover the tear.
What could be more holy than the curve of her back
as she sits, her hands opening a plum.
What could be more sacred than her eyes,
fierce and complicated as the truth, your life
rising behind them, your name on her lips.
Stay there, in her bare house, the black pots
hung from pegs, bread braided and glazed
on the table, a clay jug of violet wine.
There is the daily sacrament of rasp and chisel,
another chair to be made, shelves to be hewn
cleanly and even and carefully joined
to the sun-scrubbed walls, a sharp knife
for carving odd chunks of wood into small toys
for the children. Oh Jesus, close your eyes
and listen to it, the air is alive with bird calls
and bees, the dry rustle of palm leaves,
her distracted song as she washes her feet.
Let your death be quiet and ordinary.
Either life you choose will end in her arms
*
Man-Spider Occasionally Swings Back Into My Life.
Apr. 24th, 2026 10:17 amrionaleonhartI've received a few more Goes Wrong questions on Tumblr!
Anonymous: Cornley School au anon here. I worded it terribly, sorry. What I meant to ask was about the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society if they had met as teenagers and grown up in the 2010s but I absolutely garbled the word soup there.
Ah, thank you for clarifying, and I'm sorry for getting confused! It worked out in the end, because I enjoyed the idea of everyone getting trapped in the drama room.
I was an adult by the 2010s myself (I'm pretty much exactly the same age as Lewis/Sayer/Shields)(even the most virulent antis cannot complain about our four-month age gap when Robert Grove and I get married)*, so I don't know how intelligently I could talk about what it would be like for them to grow up in that decade; I imagine smartphones in particular made it a very different experience! (Unless Cornley has no reception, which I could definitely believe.)
* This is assuming that Robert is the same age as his actor, which is admittedly not a given! Chris is canonically two years older than Robert, whereas there are only three months between their actors. I considered using Lewis for this joke instead, but it's not Henry Lewis I'm weird about; it's Robert Grove. Which is unfortunate, because marrying Lewis would be a) more achievable and b) probably a less terrible idea.
If they met as teenagers, I could see them sort of gravitating around Robert. Things often feel uncertain and unstable when you're a teenager, and, at that age, I can imagine that Robert's projected air of absolute confidence might feel magnetic, particularly for the characters who have very little confidence themselves (e.g. Dennis and Vanessa). It's possible I just think that because I find Robert so compelling myself, though!
If Robert does end up the centre of their group, of course, it's only a matter of time before he ropes them into putting on theatre. They are doomed to end up in the drama society in every universe.
Anonymous, continued: Also, I am taking notes on If We Were Villains and I shall explore that... but yes, we do not want Robert killing Chris!
I hope you enjoy If We Were Villains, if you check it out! It's not a perfect book, but I really enjoyed how intense and weird the character dynamics were.
Maybe Robert could instead attempt to murder Chris and then get really huffy that Chris won't let it go. The man's still alive, isn't he? Why is he still complaining over one measly murder attempt? It's been weeks!
Anonymous: I don't know if this counts as a ficlet, but I'd love to see Man-Spider's mishaps with the Goes Wrong crew.
This is such a deep cut, and I’m so curious about who you are! In any case, Man-Spider is thrilled that someone remembers him.
( The Theatrical Adventures of Man-Spider. )
Anonymous: Who would be the worst member of Cornley for Robert to be bodyswapped with? I am imagining shenanigans galore for every possibility!!!
I feel Sandra is simultaneously the worst and the best option!
Robert rather enjoys being in Sandra’s body. Does a lot of strutting and posing, comments that he can see why Sandra’s such a fan of it.
Sandra hates being Robert, right up until she realises that, if she’s in someone else’s body, she can have sex with herself. Robert takes up the suggestion with great enthusiasm. They make very little effort to hide what they’re up to from the rest of the society, who are deeply unhappy about this.
Anonymous: Cornley School au anon here. I worded it terribly, sorry. What I meant to ask was about the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society if they had met as teenagers and grown up in the 2010s but I absolutely garbled the word soup there.
Ah, thank you for clarifying, and I'm sorry for getting confused! It worked out in the end, because I enjoyed the idea of everyone getting trapped in the drama room.
I was an adult by the 2010s myself (I'm pretty much exactly the same age as Lewis/Sayer/Shields)
* This is assuming that Robert is the same age as his actor, which is admittedly not a given! Chris is canonically two years older than Robert, whereas there are only three months between their actors. I considered using Lewis for this joke instead, but it's not Henry Lewis I'm weird about; it's Robert Grove. Which is unfortunate, because marrying Lewis would be a) more achievable and b) probably a less terrible idea.
If they met as teenagers, I could see them sort of gravitating around Robert. Things often feel uncertain and unstable when you're a teenager, and, at that age, I can imagine that Robert's projected air of absolute confidence might feel magnetic, particularly for the characters who have very little confidence themselves (e.g. Dennis and Vanessa). It's possible I just think that because I find Robert so compelling myself, though!
If Robert does end up the centre of their group, of course, it's only a matter of time before he ropes them into putting on theatre. They are doomed to end up in the drama society in every universe.
Anonymous, continued: Also, I am taking notes on If We Were Villains and I shall explore that... but yes, we do not want Robert killing Chris!
I hope you enjoy If We Were Villains, if you check it out! It's not a perfect book, but I really enjoyed how intense and weird the character dynamics were.
Maybe Robert could instead attempt to murder Chris and then get really huffy that Chris won't let it go. The man's still alive, isn't he? Why is he still complaining over one measly murder attempt? It's been weeks!
Anonymous: I don't know if this counts as a ficlet, but I'd love to see Man-Spider's mishaps with the Goes Wrong crew.
This is such a deep cut, and I’m so curious about who you are! In any case, Man-Spider is thrilled that someone remembers him.
( The Theatrical Adventures of Man-Spider. )
Anonymous: Who would be the worst member of Cornley for Robert to be bodyswapped with? I am imagining shenanigans galore for every possibility!!!
I feel Sandra is simultaneously the worst and the best option!
Robert rather enjoys being in Sandra’s body. Does a lot of strutting and posing, comments that he can see why Sandra’s such a fan of it.
Sandra hates being Robert, right up until she realises that, if she’s in someone else’s body, she can have sex with herself. Robert takes up the suggestion with great enthusiasm. They make very little effort to hide what they’re up to from the rest of the society, who are deeply unhappy about this.