An anniversary of sorts and I must be missing something

[rthstewart]

So, on March 19, 2009, Rthstewart opened an account on fanfiction.net.  TWO years -- the cotton (traditional) and china (modern) anniversary.  I always get all mushy and nostalgic on anniversaries and milestones (TQSiT is getting near one AHHHHHHH!!!).  I've been talking to myself a lot in the car about the upcoming two year mark as I listen to the Doctor Who Season 5 soundtrack.  (Fortunately my colleague no longer requires lifts to the office so I'm alone with me, myself, and I).  I am pushing hard to get chapter 9 up on March 22, which would be two years from when I first started posting TSG.  Scary much?  I'm scared.  And scarred. 

AW 9 is coming slowly at about 5,000 words so far.  It will be a shorter chapter and as I mentioned earlier, it is entirely letters, such as the following:

From:
Eustace Scrubb
Experiment House
Eyton upon the Weald Moors
Telford
Shropshire

To:
Edmund Pevensie
Blackpool Forest School
Tilehurst
Reading
Berkshire

Dear Edmund:
You called it. I knew it would be awful returning, and it is. My old gang expected me to be back with Them and their old ways. Anyone not an utter rotter wanted nothing to do with me. When I tried to behave properly, the decent folk thought I was a spy and got even more suspicious. I keep telling myself what you said, that it’s the work of weeks and months, and by my actions I shall be judged.

Which led to the rabbit. Carter and some of his gang had cornered the poor thing behind the gym and were throwing rocks at it. It wasn’t a Talking Rabbit, of course, but rabbits aren’t very far from Rats (though rabbits are not rodents like rats, they are lagomorphs due to the teeth and other anatomical features) and even if it had been a hedgehog or a snake, the thing should not have been tortured and frightened to death by schoolboys. etc.


YES!  Carter and the Rabbit and Eustace keeping the secret under torture!!!  And then he writes to Edmund about it!

Which brings me to the help me F List readers.  I've got a long list of letters going back and forth between the characters, some canon, some OCs.  I know that invariably someone has some awesome idea where I smack my hand against my forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

So, given where we are and where things are going, what are some of the letters you would expect to see or want to see?  Anyone?  Who?  What?

Comments

[lady_songsmith]

Happy anniversary!

I'd sorta like to see something official-ish about Susan and/or Edmund from one of the various military folks they're involved with to HQ or someone else in the chain who has No Idea, Really about these Pevensies/Caspians.

[autumnia]

Congratulations on surviving two years in the Narnia fandom!

...but rabbits aren't very far from Rats (though rabbits are not rodents like rats...

Now, when I saw this, I immediately thought of Rat and Crow. Given how the Pevensies didn't share Susan's adventures with Eustace, does he even know how fond of Rats and Crows his cousins are? (Jalur maligning the Crows during his guard duty [temporary!] comes to mind from TPG.)

As for letters, I think whatever you have planned out will be good. I'm curious though -- will there be any letters from the poetic Lord Peridan?

[muscatlove.livejournal.com]

I'll throw in for something from Polly to Lucy (or Lucy to Polly), if it wasn't planned already. I do love Lucy's very earnest and determined campaign to right wrongs, and you hint at lots of Polly's experiences around the world and I've love to see her advice to Lucy about getting things done in the "real" world. However, I'm sure everything that turns up will be lovely!

[ilysia-039.livejournal.com]

Love this. Just love it. My brain is too dead to think of anything.

[(Anonymous)]

I assure you that TSG and Maenads remain among the best Narnia stories I've ever read. Keep it up!

-pie

[min023.livejournal.com]

Wow! Happy anniversary! Sooo many words, and not too much scarring (I hope). I had also wondered about Peridan/Tebbitt, though I also thought it might be a bit too unconventional a relationship for letters (however unofficial) through official channels. And are Peter and Richard in contact? Or any Pevensie and Asim? At any rate, it all sounds great.

(oh, and I'd be sooo happy if you did get something on 22 Mar. Being a day later here, I can run around singing 'Happy Birthday to Me'. Then again, I might do it whenever you end up posting anyway : )

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

It's been that long? WOAH, doesn't feel like it :)

Congrats!! :D Letter wise, I'd like some that Lucy writes to her Narnian friends (maybe Aiden?) while back in Spare Oom, but this is purely because I imagine her as doing that, at least until she comes back for the final time :)

[varnafinde.livejournal.com]

Perhaps something between Edmund and Tom, now that Edmund isn't around so much, but is classmate with Jack?

Happy anniversary!

[elouise82.livejournal.com]

Along the lines of Eustace's letter, I'd love to see an excerpt of a letter from Jill to someone back home, her mother or a friend, something like, "And I don't know what to make of Scrubb at all these days, he was such a rotter before, always sucking up to Them, and now he's even enduring torture, for something as simple as a stupid little rabbit, not even another person. It's very peculiar." Or something like that.

Happy two-year anniversary! The Narnia fandom has been much richer since you started writing in it.

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

I agree with a lot of the others: Some featuring the older Friends of Narnia, and what has happened to Richard? And Mary, and Asim to somebody else. And I also thought of Tebbitt/Susan but wondered if they'd even be able to write. And I didn't think of it, but I absolutely adore the idea of Lucy writing to Narnians. I just like Lucy's voice anyway because she's both contemplative and active. Also, the Pevensies to each other because they are so close.

Seriously, how are you going to fit all these in?? :-P

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I was thinking letters between Lucy and Polly, possibly talking about all the other public figures Lucy is going to send letters to. I think Mary and Eustace might be interested in exchanging correspondance- they really hit it off and I'm sure Eustace is interested in educating himself a bit more thoroughly than the Experiment House is doing, and would welcome the intellectual vigor of writing to Mary. Maybe Mary and Asim as well... it seems like their paths have been taking them in somewhat separate directions lately, and they may want to check on each other. I'm sure that Tom is including a few notes to Edmund asking him about his thoughts on books in his letters to Jack, and Edmund is probably failing to keep his notes back limited to the corner of Jack's page.

Also something potentially interesting might be examples of letters sent while the Pevensies were in Narnia, to contrast with the types of letters and the writing style they're using now. You've shown that letters can be a lot of things- used to simply tell something, or to communicate something deeper inside of a story, so it could be interesting to show the progression of letter-writing styles, to some degree.

Congratulations on writing this for two years! :D

Epistolic bliss!

[linneasr.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of letters telling the story (have you read Freedom and Necessity, by Stephen Brust and Emma Bull? Brilliant work!). Unabashed first person delivery, yum!

What letters would I like to see? If Richard is going downhill as fast as he thinks he is, I would like him to write a 'goodbye' letter to Mary, while he's still mostly coherent. 'To be opened when I'm gone' sort of thing. I'd like to read something between Mary Anning Russell and Peter, as I feel there's an embryonic relationship there, something waiting to happen.

I'd like to read Banker Morgan's Christmas letter home, when her baby is around 5 years old and she must continually justify her decision to remain in Narnia (although I appreciate that it wouldn't exactly be connected with the plot of TSG, I just love Banker Morgan). I'd like to read some correspondence between Polly and Lucy, as mentioned above - those two are certainly humming along on the same wavelength. I'd really like to read something between Lucy and Asim, even before they meet (more teasing, poor Asim!). I'd like to read a letter between Mr. Pevensie and Mrs. Pevensie (not sure in which direction, how much of a cad is he?).

Like Katharhino, I'm not sure if Tebbitt and Susan would be able to write. Is their relationship that articulate? Or would it only be a practical note? Hard to say. I really enjoyed the AU of their middle-aged selves meeting in the north, and that's not a relationship which puts itself down on paper. Ever, I should think. Even if it's AU, it's rubbing off on my view of TSG Susan (sorry!).

Thank you for asking for suggestions, you audacious woman! ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I would love to see Asim's Letter of Recommendation for Peter or perhaps one The Colonel writes to start Susan's file.

Doctor Dolly

[linneasr.livejournal.com]

PS I'm awfully sorry that writing these wonderful fanfics has also resulted in scarring. Lots of appreciation and spiritual Vit E oil to you, with the intention of softening those jagged edges.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

As for letters, I think whatever you have planned out will be good. I'm curious though -- will there be any letters from the poetic Lord Peridan?

Donne!

I immediately thought of Rat and Crow. Given how the Pevensies didn't share Susan's adventures with Eustace, does he even know how fond of Rats and Crows his cousins are?

I need to put that one aside. Hmmm....

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I <3 Polly. Yes! Yes! Lucy to Polly!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Thank you pie!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

You REALLY need to tell me these things sooner! RAWRR. No time for birthday fic now. As for Peridan and Tebbitt -- Donne!

And yes, Asim is in the mix!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

OK... Lucy's dear diary entry....

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Got it! Yes, Edmund has communicated with Tom! This is making me feel better that I'm covering a lot of what people had hoped for!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Ahhh! Thank you! I have Jill's mother to her daughter... great idea to include something about Eustace... hmmmm

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I've got one from Richard already that popped into my head today. It's a bit unexpected... And a lot of what has already been suggested is already in there, happily. Phew

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Lucy and Polly, check. The Mary/Eustace relationship, check. Asim to a Pevensie, check. Edmund to my boyfriend, Tom, check.

And you've just suggested another idea. NO NO NO! And I'm not sure I could invent that formal style of writing. I'm finding that a lot of the letters sound the same, actually. which is odd, since I think my characters tend to have pretty distinct povs.... Hmmmmm

Re: Epistolic bliss!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Great idea about Mr. Pevensie. I've just done something there. Gawd, I don't like him very much. As for Susan and Tebbitt, Donne!

Oh, Morgan's letters back to the Lone Islands! Oh! OH!!!

As for Peter and Mary, errrrrrr, how about in lieu of letter they get a one on one scene in a chapter or two? Really, they hardly share the same space at all in the story so it is overdue.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Hello Doctor Dolly! Are you over on ff.net under another name? Welcome and thank you! I'll see what I can do there!