(no subject)

[nell65]

So, hat tip to Ms. Artisan - the Sevens meme:

1. Go to page 7 of your most recent WiP
2. Count seven lines down
3. Copy and paste the next seven lines of text

Because I'm actually working on something, this sounded like fun!

(Yes, it is one of the old LFN WIPs, part of the long runing project to brush all of them out of my brain pan by actually finishing them so I can move on.)

Believe it or not, it was Medieval AU that stepped up and demanded that Nikita's story in this universe be finished and offered ideas about how to accomplish that. This isn't actually page 7, that's all really old stuff, but rather, page 7 of the new work. So here are lines 8-14, from the seventh page of new work.

~~~~~~~

“Hmm.” Bertrand bowed his head in concession. “Perhaps.”

“She’ll also have less time to get into trouble. You know what they say about idle hands.” Samuelle clapped Bertrand on the shoulder. “In any case, should she betray me, I’ll hand her over to Madeline.”

Bertrand whistled, “Cold, Michel. Very cold.”

Samuelle dropped his hand and shrugged.

“Speaking of your terrifying sister, what is her opinion of this venture of yours?”

~~~~~~~

Comments

[sk56.livejournal.com]

So, where does this stuff fit in? I need to catch up!

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Bertrand is Bertrand du Guesclin -- at this point future Constable General of France. Basically I tossed everything I had written from the time they met him in the last draft you might have read, like, 5 years ago? more?, and started over at that point, this is seven pages into that!

[sk56.livejournal.com]

Isn't he the one with the wife named Tiphanie? (which always felt a bit like she was heading off to the mall) If that's who I think it is, sounds like many other things are happening here.

Looking forward to more...

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Yes. That's the one. And what I love best about her name? That was *really* her name! lol!

It was quite the romantic match in terms of high Chivalry, apparently, she was the daughter of a famously chivalric dude, scholarly, lovely, into divination, pretty tough when it came down to it, he was famously ugly and famously talented and wildly into the grand chivalric gesture himself - Brittany history sites *love* the story .... but I saw somewhere else that when he went off to fight in Spain in 65/66.... he had -his only- two children with a mistress there. *church lady face*

[sk56.livejournal.com]

Context is all with this stuff -- you're the pro and I'm the amateur, but from what I know of this period, "only" two would be a mark of restraint.

[ms-artisan.livejournal.com]

Eeee! A mediaeval LFN AU?! You'll have me reading LFN again, for sure!

:D

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Yay! And yes - a medieval LFN AU. It's actually a much evolved smash up of LFN and "A Knight's Tale." It turns out the middle of the hundred years war is a really, really functional analog of the world of Section One. lol!

I started it for "Write a Novel In November" in, like, 2003? 2004? Posted the first bit in November 2005..... and there it sat. Seven (oh, look at that! too funny!) years later, part II showed up in my brain.

[ms-artisan.livejournal.com]

Ahaha! Sounds like a fabulous smash up, but seven years? That's some long and winding road that part 2 took to get to you, lol!

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Well - if I hadn't visualized the ending as I began, I probably would have abandoned it without looking back long ago. But I *did* !! - so, it's been like a sore tooth, wanting to get from where I left off to where I know it is supposed to go, so I would keep poking at it, think about it as I was falling asleep sometimes, that sort of thing.

And, well, the last seven years of my life have been pretty long and winding! LOLOLOL!

[sk56.livejournal.com]

The parts I've seen have been just excellent, and as Nell says, the time seems tailor-made for these characters and their concerns.

[nell65.livejournal.com]

OMG!! Yes. This. So, so true.

As far as I can tell, virtually every noble family in France must have been Chinese in a previous life, and really, really pissed someone off, cause, man did they ever live in 'interesting times!'

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

I remember this one!! The setting really captured my imagination, so I've been dying to read more someday!

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Captured mine too. ;-)

I have plot coming out of my ears on this one, once I (finally) figured out where to 'put' Nikita .... so I've taken to assuring myself that as the source material (both of them!) had massive plot holes, I can live with it if I end up with one or two in this story. lol!

[madamedarque.livejournal.com]

I'm so excited that you're continuing this! I think it's a fascinating AU--there was always something distinctly feudal about Section One, I thought.

[nell65.livejournal.com]

Yay - !!

Though - I warn you (!) - Once I finally figured out how to get everyone in the right spot for action, and then.......OMG. The possiblities for AU metatext/plot + hundred years war 'real stuff' - and it's like, one of those gysers in Yellowstone. Unstoppable. Plot is leaking out of my ears.... and, therefore, the word count is unreal. lol!

[madamedarque.livejournal.com]

I've never been one to complain about a long word count! Clearly I need to go back and read the beginning of this story again--it's been a while.