Okay, This Is Supposed to be UberMonth, Not UberShittyMonth

[crossover_chick]

-D: What happened? Another bad day at work?-
Eh, that was so-so -- busy. And I get morning shift most of this week due to my coworker taking a trip with her mother tomorrow and Wednesday. What I'm referring to is my damn computer.
-RPD: *puzzled* You're not playing Sims today.-
-TD: Did something happen with WordPerfect?-
No, my mouse randomly died on me. For a minute, I thought the screen had frozen, but then I saw I could move it with the keyboard. It's working now -- Dad unplugged it and replugged it trying to replace it, and we rebooted after some difficulty -- but jeez. I really gotta learn some keyboard commands.
-TD: *puppy dog eyes*-
No, steampunk computers, though cool, look like torture devices.
-M: . . . I never thought I'd hear the words "cool" and "torture devices" in the same sentence.-
Eeek, sorry. *huggles*
-M: Oh, no, it's okay, not a Jack-related thing. Just thought it was weird.-
Well, I like steampunk, but the mouses they come up with look like they'd be murder on your hands.
Aaanyway, now that functionality has been restored, I'll be doing "V.D." edits most likely.
-VD: Glad to hear it. We're due for another update.-
*nodnod* Also gonna be working on "Boy Genius."
-TD: Good.-
And yes, I'll get to the birthday cartoon in just a moment.
-OD: *tentacles get into poking position* See that you do -- it is this Saturday.-
-HD: Come now -- you think she'd forget Mad Hatter Day?-
-OD: Some days I think she'd forget her head if it wasn't attached.-
I just need a calendar I feel comfortable writing on. Dun want to mess up my Girl Genius one. And my current's a one-sheet that does me no favors.
-DW: I wonder if we'll get a backtothefanfic prompt this month.-
*shrug* I have no idea. Kristen HAS been saying she's trying to get back into a fanfic mood but -- the com's on life support anyway. We've got 83 members, but only four-five people posting, me included. It's rather pathetic.
-VD2: Well, it's not like you really need the prompts. God knows the way you come up with plotbunnies.-
-MF: Tell us about it. There's absolutely no way DocWolf and I will ever starve.-
Yeah, but I like reading fanfiction too. *sigh* Well, Geno's got his thing, which is pretty much exactly my cup of tea, so I cant' complain too much.

Okay, the Alternate Continuity of Doom. As the fic this is a spinoff of is called "Midsommer Lost," let's refer to my version as "Midsummer Found."
The first chapter, with Marty's abduction by Carlos, is the same, naturally. However, things go differently after that first concert. Marty's continued performances are wearing on him -- Carlos is counteracting the problem with regular smoothies of two types of "invigorating" goblin fruits (Jamryn and Buglewort -- the combination makes Marty VERY hyper), and he's getting really tired of yelling. He cautiously suggests the idea of a microphone and amplifier to Carlos. Carlos goes along with the idea, and knows exactly who to go to.
Enter Andrew and Doc. Andrew, you may recall, was posing as a graduate student of Doc's from years before. He grew intrigued by Doc's intelligence and innovative skills, and kidnapped him to build toys for him and his Fae friends. Doc's an Elemental Manikin, having been operated on by Andrew numerous times to replace bones and muscle with clockwork contraptions Doc himself has built. Doc's gained quite a reputation for being a wiz with mechanics -- most people mistake him for being a Wizened Smith before they see him. ;) Doc seems rather nasty to Marty at first -- left alone with him in his basement at first, Doc angrily tells him to never forget his name. He does, however, build the microphone and an amplifier for the guitar, and expresses concern over Marty's jitters. The two meet again a few more times, Doc tweaking his inventions for Marty and Carlos, and the teen and the scientist start becoming a bit more friendly.
Then, during one of the concerts, the effects of the juice finally run out, and Marty faints on-stage. Doc ends up taking care of him, giving him blushberry juice to help counteract the damage done to his throat and hands and making him some tough gloves and new guitar picks. He also finally reveals why he's so obsessed with Marty remembering his name -- he doesn't remember his own. All he has is his title, and a few vague memories of a place called "Hill Valley." Doc refuses to let anyone go through the shit he has. Marty ends up sealing the friendship by helping Doc to remember his past, starting with his own name.
Meanwhile, in the real world, George is starting to get concerned. Something seems off about FetchMarty to him. The rest of the family scoffs at his concerns, but George can't shake the feeling. He gets Carlos's business card off FetchMarty and tries calling him. An agent of Carlos's in the real world alerts the Fae to the possible complication. Carlos decides to go back to put George's mind at ease -- he's quite enjoying his new little rock sensation, and doesn't want to risk him being missed in his home world. He and George meet up in a bar and talk. George, fears alleviated and getting quite drunk, talks about his own love of sci-fi and outlines a few stories to Carlos. As you can imagine, this is a mistake -- Carlos is only too happy to take a potential novelist away. He quickly creates a FetchGeorge, then offers to drive the real one "home."
George comes to with an awful hangover in Arcadia. Carlos, feeling the danger has passed, allows him to reunite with his real son. George is shocked by the changed Marty -- he's now more handsome, and actually a few inches taller --
*LOUD noises of protest from the Martys*
Shut up -- and Marty is horrified George is there. Taken to Andrew's place so Carlos can show off his prize, they meet up with Doc, who agrees that they should try to escape before George ends up too warped. Andrew tries to oppose them, but Doc ends up knocking him out, and they flee into the Hedge. The trip is not without its dangers -- Doc nearly has a mental breakdown, and George is blinded as the result of a bad stumble -- but eventually, they reemerge in the real world, in the basement of the Clock Tower.
Aaand, here's where it gets tricky. I know I want it to be 1985 when they get back. The issue is, is it pre- or post-time travel? I have more of a plot for post-time travel, but given that Fetches are sterile, Part II can't really happen. Hmmm. I'll go with main scenes for this bit:
-->The boys discover their fetches. Marty is horrified by his other self, and intensely jealous that said other self has a girlfriend. George is stunned by his other self, which is basically his Lone Pine counterpart ("He's doing a better job of being me than I did!"). Doc is just plain furious that his life's work was "stolen" by his fetch.
-->One of the characters -- I'm thinking Marty -- wanders around Oak Park Cemetary shortly after the fetch discover, and stumbles upon Changeling!Victor. Victor is only too happy to give the new Changelings a bit of a hand. (Victor's story is somewhat similiar to "Corpse Bride," only his original name was Timothy Victor Danvort, and instead of encountering Emily, he encountered a child-like Fae called Rosie after absently crossing into the Hedge. Victor's time in Arcadia was spent in a neverending game of Hide-And-Seek, where the punishment for being found was death. He eventually escaped, only to discover the Fetch married to Victoria. Unwilling to distrupt their lives, Victor left for America, taking the name Victor Van Dort as an alias.)
-->The return of Darkness Falls, the gothic bar from my VDCs -- now it's a place where supernaturals can hang out without fear. Marty and Victor discover a common love of music here.
-->Fetch confrontations. Naturally, the Fetches, though shocked by their Changeling counterparts, still consider themselves the real things, and refuse to give up their lives.
Then George's Fetch is killed. I'm not sure of the specific circumstances, but it's Biff who does it in a moment of anger, and George's Fetch is revealed to be nothing more than paper. Doc and Marty's Fetches are understandably freaked out.
-->I'd like to use some idea of Marty taking on the identity of Calvin Klein or his son in a post-time travel world. I'm also tempted to use Jack's name again -- have Doc have been born a twin, but Jack died in this timeline.
That's basically all she wrote for now -- I've been kind of skipping around in my book at the moment, so I might come up with more plot once I've actually read the thing properly. If you see anything you think you can use, Geno, go ahead and grab it -- it's YOUR fanfic, really.

-TTV: I suppose we should be glad it peters out.-
-VD2: Quite definitely, yes.-
Heh. Well, we'll see what happens.
Now, cartoon and dessert and all that. I've been verbose enough.

Comments

[geno0823.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, I like the bit about the names and not forgetting them...I feel certain I've seen that in a book or a movie somewhere. ...Spirited Away, that was it.

I like the George interaction--I'd been wondering exactly how George would track down a phantom Fae, and you seem to have come up with a very elegant solution.

I'm looking forward to writing the trip through the Hedge, myself. *grins evilly* Nobody gets through that without much, much trauma.

Victor's time in Arcadia was spent in a neverending game of Hide-And-Seek, where the punishment for being found was death.
That is awesome, for serious. Like a child's nightmare.

Then George's Fetch is killed. I'm not sure of the specific circumstances, but it's Biff who does it in a moment of anger, and George's Fetch is revealed to be nothing more than paper.
Oooooooooh. I like it. I'm actually not sure exactly how I'm going to handle all of the Fetches--as macabre as having an imitation you made out of scraps is, I sort of like the old trope of replacements for Changelings being fairies themselves, considering how much I've broken away from the sourcebook anyway. But we'll see how it all works out. I'm still figuring out bits of plot, too.


Thank you for writing up all this!

[docsgirl.livejournal.com]

Huh -- never seen Spirited Away, actually. I just thought it made an interesting theme, especially with the mention of "true names" in the sourcebook.

Thanks! I hope it helps you.

Hedge is evil. Interesting and cool, but very, very evil.

Thanks -- it just seemed to work, ya know? Timid little Victor, cowering in some forgotten corner, hoping to God he won't be found for a while longer. . . I also figured getting killed in various different ways is what makes him so close to the dead. (Cause what else could Victor BE than a Darkling Gravewight?)

Hmmmm, I see. Well, I look forward to your take on the whole thing -- I imagine it would be horridly awkward either way.

Not a problem! I like getting plot bunnies down on paper (or screen, as the case may be).