Fic: calling card
Aug. 25th, 2023 01:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosanicusForgot to post this one! Anyway last week I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to find out about the existence of the hAppy birthday flash exchange. Then, while idly browsing the Ao3 app (which I thank God for every Yuletide now, seriously, it's so good) I came across philomytha 's request for a Rivers of London/Biggles crossover and well. While I did have a few hundred unsuccessful words written thus far. I ended up writing almost 2.5k in a day just for the joy of revisiting Peter Grant (my best friend forever).
My parents have been listening to the audiobooks recently (I introduced them to the books and it is one of my great joys, recently me and my dad met BA at UK Games Expo and I got to grandstand about it) and so I've been missing him quite assiduously. Putting Biggles into the canon was easy enough given that we'd just listened to Moon Over Soho and so I had WW2 era RoL on the brain.
I'm sure at some point someone will produce the deeply angst-filled Ettersburg-referencing fic with Nightingale & Co, but as it is I was quite pleased to put Peter in Biggles' path and see what happened. As noted byphilomytha AND sheron in comments, EvS is immortal mostly because Biggles wants him to be. I spent ages trying to put a line in about that then threw my hands up and accepted that Peter is simply not emotionall intelligent enough to realise that after such a short period of time, but that IS why.
Below please enjoy 1) a short excerpt of the unsuccessful fic and 2) another globetrotting character they definitely knew well.
1) “Christ,” said Algy. “This is going to be one of those cases, isn’t it?”
Raymond did not dignify this remark with a response. Instead he steepled his fingers, eyebrows raised. “Our cooperation has been requested by the Folly,” he said. “And in this instance, Scotland Yard has decided the request is justified.”
He spread the relevant documents across the desk, facing his officers, and tapped on a sheaf of photographs. “As you can see,” he said, with a wry smile. “Half decent aerial photographers are hard to come by.”
The photos in question were blurry and indistinct, but it was just possible to make out some sort of pattern carved into the side of a broad hill.
Biggles frowned. “Since when does the Folly get involved in agricultural vandalism?”
“It’s merely one part of a larger case, apparently,” said Raymond. He sighed. “Our liaison informs me that they won’t be taking no for an answer. The Folly has political connections up to the very top, and I wouldn’t like to test their ability to cause us any amount of trouble.”
I stopped here because I realised I couldn't remember the timeline of magic working vs WW2 wiping out the wizards vs the Air Police. But it would've involved some dramatic aerial photography while being archied with various formae.
2) Obviously & Co knew Phryne Fisher. I think that's basically canonical and will not be taking no for an answer. I have a nascent plot bunny about Worrals and Phryne meeting after WW2 but I'm not sure exactly how it'll shake out (although Worrals and Mac would definitely get along well, I can sense it).
philomytha 's request for a Rivers of London/Biggles crossover and well. While I did have a few hundred unsuccessful words written thus far. I ended up writing almost 2.5k in a day just for the joy of revisiting Peter Grant (my best friend forever). My parents have been listening to the audiobooks recently (I introduced them to the books and it is one of my great joys, recently me and my dad met BA at UK Games Expo and I got to grandstand about it) and so I've been missing him quite assiduously. Putting Biggles into the canon was easy enough given that we'd just listened to Moon Over Soho and so I had WW2 era RoL on the brain.
I'm sure at some point someone will produce the deeply angst-filled Ettersburg-referencing fic with Nightingale & Co, but as it is I was quite pleased to put Peter in Biggles' path and see what happened. As noted by
philomytha AND sheron in comments, EvS is immortal mostly because Biggles wants him to be. I spent ages trying to put a line in about that then threw my hands up and accepted that Peter is simply not emotionall intelligent enough to realise that after such a short period of time, but that IS why.Below please enjoy 1) a short excerpt of the unsuccessful fic and 2) another globetrotting character they definitely knew well.
1) “Christ,” said Algy. “This is going to be one of those cases, isn’t it?”
Raymond did not dignify this remark with a response. Instead he steepled his fingers, eyebrows raised. “Our cooperation has been requested by the Folly,” he said. “And in this instance, Scotland Yard has decided the request is justified.”
He spread the relevant documents across the desk, facing his officers, and tapped on a sheaf of photographs. “As you can see,” he said, with a wry smile. “Half decent aerial photographers are hard to come by.”
The photos in question were blurry and indistinct, but it was just possible to make out some sort of pattern carved into the side of a broad hill.
Biggles frowned. “Since when does the Folly get involved in agricultural vandalism?”
“It’s merely one part of a larger case, apparently,” said Raymond. He sighed. “Our liaison informs me that they won’t be taking no for an answer. The Folly has political connections up to the very top, and I wouldn’t like to test their ability to cause us any amount of trouble.”
I stopped here because I realised I couldn't remember the timeline of magic working vs WW2 wiping out the wizards vs the Air Police. But it would've involved some dramatic aerial photography while being archied with various formae.
2) Obviously & Co knew Phryne Fisher. I think that's basically canonical and will not be taking no for an answer. I have a nascent plot bunny about Worrals and Phryne meeting after WW2 but I'm not sure exactly how it'll shake out (although Worrals and Mac would definitely get along well, I can sense it).
no subject
Date: 2023-08-25 12:55 pm (UTC)The RoL audiobooks are one of the great pleasures of life! And I loved that fic, I too have an unsuccessful WIP in which Peter is sent to consult with the SAP in the matter of a ghost Camel flying over Brooklands, but the case stumped me so I just have a bunch of random snippets. So I was delighted to see your take on them :-)
no subject
Date: 2023-08-25 02:01 pm (UTC)That is very obviously why! :D It comes across really well.
I loved that fic, it fits them very well. I think I was offhandedly already picturing them all this way without any grounding in a crossover canon which is why my brain went "yes!" when I read your story. Excellent.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-25 05:31 pm (UTC)That sounds like an excellent concept! I love ghosts of things that aren't people, there's a great E Nesbit short story about a ghostly car. And the audiobooks really are great, I am enamoured with all the accents.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-25 05:33 pm (UTC)