Amatara

And All the Things Left Unsaid (6349 words) by Amatara
Fandom: Twin Peaks
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dale Cooper & Albert Rosenfield, Dale Cooper/Albert Rosenfield
Characters: Albert Rosenfield, Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)
Summary: Cooper’s been shot, and Albert still doesn’t know where they stand with each other. Which is symptomatic of who they are. You could fill a book with everything left unsaid between them; not that Albert’s planning on writing it, but he’s got a fair idea of how he wants it to end. Maybe not with sunshine and roses - some people aren't meant for happy endings, and he’s pretty sure that list includes him - but with honesty and hearts laid bare. Tonight isn’t quite that, but it’s a start. Missing scene for episode 9 ("May the Giant Be With You").

So I'm not a regular con-goer (which is not entirely voluntary: there just aren't many cons to speak of on the European mainland) but there is one con that I treat myself to whenever I get the chance. I'm talking about FedCon in Germany - it's a sci-fi con that started out very small in 1992 but has become pretty huge over the years. 'Huge' not in the sense of it being a mega-event like the really big cons in the US, but they do get several thousands of visitors and at least a handful of big-name guests each year, plus a whole bunch of other actors and artists from a wide range of fandoms. In the years that I've visited the con, I've been lucky to get to see Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, James Callis, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, to name the ones that stayed with me the most.

The past two years husband and I were otherwise occupied during the convention weekend, but this year we were free and jumped at the opportunity to go. The major treats this year, to me at least, turned out to be Richard Dean Anderson and William Shatner. With both of them, I hadn't dared to set my expectations too high because I was afraid they'd either be plain arrogant or simply less interesting than I hoped. But I was extremely pleasantly surprised in both cases! I found RDA to be very down-to-earth, spontaneous and great fun to listen to, and Bill Shatner, while obviously drawing from pre-prepared stories, was also very witty and charming and respectful of his audience. Apart from these two, I very much enjoyed getting to see Walter Koenig, Gates McFadden, Joe Flanigan, Teryl Rothery and Kai Owen for the first time. So all in all, it was a very relaxing weekend getaway and a lovely fannish experience! (Actually, I was planning to post a few pics to give you a small taste of the con, but apparently on DW you can only link to existing pics somewhere else on the web, not upload actual pics? I don't have a paid account on DW, is that why? Darn, I really need to get a photobucket account or something!)

In other news:

#1 the Twin Peaks story for heartequals  that I've been working on for a while now is proving to be stubborn as all hell, so is probably going to take me a while longer. I have a first very rough draft ready, but it still needs LOTS of polishing. I'm having heaps of fun trying to whip it into shape, but, you guys! I'm actually writing BOB's voice! For the first time ever! And it is haaaaaaaaaaard! But I also really missed Peaks in general and Coop and Albert in particular, so writing them again is lovely! Which reminds me:

#2 I totally forgot to link to the wonderful Twin Peaks fic that I received from heartequals : I Knew This Much is a wonderful Cooper & Albert gen piece, taking place right after the "Call me crazy - on you it works" scene that marks the beginning of the Windom Earle storyline. The characterizations and dialogue are just stunning, so if you enjoy the series and its characters, I recommend this story with all my heart!

#3 Still in the Twin Peaks theme: the twinpeaks  comm here on DW has just started a rewatch of the series. One episode per week, started last Thursday so there's still plenty of time to jump in and catch up! There's also a friending meme still going on at the same comm; it's a tiny fandom, so we love all the new friends we can make!

Title: Fake Plastic Life
Fandom: Galaxy Quest
Characters: Alexander Dane, Gwen DeMarco, Jason Nesmith.
Summary: Sometimes all you need ends up being right in front of you. Alexander should know.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1600 words

( Fake Plastic Life )

Despite (or maybe because of?) not having signed up, I ended up writing three treats this year! Not sure if that means I should have signed up anyway, because there's still a huge difference between getting to pick your own prompt and getting one assigned, stress-level-wise. But it's a good sign! I did miss writing a Yuleletter and anxiously waiting for/squeeing over a gift, though, so I really hope I'll be able to sign up again next year.

As for the fics I wrote: two of them I'd actually planned for, in the sense that I scrolled through the Yuleletter list and picked up the two prompts that appealed to me most. The third one was, shall we say, an impulsive decision. *g* Here are all three:


Face of the Moon (Twin Peaks, 2596 words) ... or read it on DW or LJ.
Summary: Diane doesn't work in the spotlights. If Dale is the bright face of the moon, then let her be the other face, the one people don't see. That doesn't mean she's not part of the story.
Characters: Diane, Audrey Horne, Albert Rosenfield, Gordon Cole, Harry Truman, Denise Bryson, Dale Cooper.

Written for allchildren, who specifically asked for Diane fic - a challenge I just couldn't pass up! Of the stories I wrote this year, this is still my personal favorite. No small thanks to my ever-gorgeous beta nemo_everbeing, who was so kind as to critically review this story while still working on her own Yuletide fic! I wasn't sure whether having Diane as a POV character would work for everyone, but the feedback I received on this was heartwarming and awesome. *beams*


Fake Plastic Life (Galaxy Quest (1999), 1651 words) ... or read it on DW or LJ.
Summary: Sometimes all you need ends up being right in front of you. Alexander should know.
Characters: Alexander Dane, Gwen DeMarco, Jason Nesmith.

A short character vignette written for celandineb, who wanted to read about Alexander Dane and how he went from playing Richard III to being Dr. Lazarus on a cheesy sci-fi television show. The overall quality of GQ fic this year was just stunning, and compared to all the other stories this little piece feels really lightweight, but people seemed to like it as well, so yay! Many thanks to everywherestars for the beta.


Be My Homeward Dove (Twin Peaks, 2115 words) ... or read it on DW or LJ.
Summary: Five goodbyes in Twin Peaks which really aren't goodbyes at all.
Characters: Sarah Palmer, Albert Rosenfield, Harry Truman, Audrey Horne, Dale Cooper.

On Dec 23rd, st_aurafina posted a note on her journal mentioning she was on the pinch hit list. I knew she'd asked for Twin Peaks fic, among other things, and my flaily little Twin Peaks heart couldn't bear the thought that she might not receive any, so... I dived in.

I didn't stress out over the other two fics, but boy, did I stress out over this one! I wrote most of it at night, struggling to stay focused and keep my fingers going on the keyboard. I finished the last part the next morning, re-read the whole fic... and promptly panicked. Was I really going to gift a story that I'd written in a few hours' time, knowing how rough and unpolished it still felt to me? And gift it to someone who's not just a casual TP fan but has produced some great work of her own? And then I owe a massive thanks to selenak, for agreeing to do an extremely last-minute beta and providing not only reassurance but some life-saving suggestions for edits as well! At which point I worked in the edits, re-read the whole thing again, and finally felt courageous enough to post it. I don't think I've ever been more relieved about a fic than when st_aurafina commented to say she enjoyed her gift!


In short: I had a lovely Yuletide, and I hope the same goes for all of you who participated, in whichever way, big or small! Thanks so much to everyone who read and/or left comments or kudos on my stories; that means a lot to me. *hugs*

Once again, wishing y'all a very happy New Year! 

#1 help_japan update: I officially owe fics to two winning bidders, and made unofficial promises to write two more ficlets, which was - ambitious, for sure. I was hoping to get these all done by the end of this month, but due to a combination of real life (work! vacation! planning for Our House That Still Needs To Be Built but should start to rise out of the ground pretty soon now!) and a stubborn case of writer's block, I've finished only one so far. Here you go, faelhach, this one's for you! Toyetanothermask: hope you'll forgive the delay, but I'll get this done and get it done properly, don't you worry a bit. Thank you both again!

#2 Did I mention the house, and that they're going to start construction on it soon? I did, didn't I? Giddiness and panic in one package! But it's going to be great... I hope. *takes deep breaths*

#3 Went to see X-Men: First Class last week, like nearly everyone else here, and loved it. Also, as was wholly and hopelessly to be foreseen, fell like a brick for James McAvoy's Charles. *sigh* Why so predictable, self?
I'm not complaining, mind you! If there's one regret I have it's that I'm hardly familiar with the rest of the canon (I saw the first movie and that's it) but right now I'm having far too much fun keeping up with the growing list of fics on AO3 to mind too badly. The only complication (apart from the general one of *omfgTIME*) is that I'd love to dive into the fic-writing fun for a little while, but lack of canon knowledge isn't too beneficial for morale. Ah, fannish life...

Now, on to fic!

Title: For in That Sleep of Death What Dreams May Come. Written for faelhach for help_japan .
Summary: Coming face to face with evil is not Dale Cooper's prerogative. Albert would know.
Rating: Gen (with some slashy undertones), rated R for potentially disturbing/triggery content. Brief warning: Contains mentions of sexual abuse of a minor, which may be considered triggery. The mentioned event doesn't involve the main characters, though, and I kept the descriptions deliberately vague. Just thought it would be best to put this on the label anyway.
Word Count: ~6000
Thanks to: nemo_everbeing, for the awesome and lightning-speed beta job.

or read it on AO3.


( With the sun down, the temperature was dropping fast. Albert told himself it was simply the cold that led him to turn up his collar and thrust his free hand deep into his jacket pocket. He was acting like an idiot.  )