HLH Shortcuts Reveal

[annavere]

Before I get into talking about what I wrote, I want to give a round of thanks, first to Killabeez, whose silver tongued sales pitch was perfectly calibrated to allay all my concerns, then also to Mackiedockie and Argentum_LS, who chimed in with encouragement when I remained on the fence, and lastly to so many people involved in the exchange for being friendly and welcoming. I had a great time, and I also really appreciated being pushed a bit outside my comfort zone and held to a deadline.

My recipient was Raine_Wynd, author of the lovely Alexa Quartet and the Brian Cullen lament 'The Bitter Pill.' It was a pleasure to write for her.

I wrote: A Crime Spree Waiting to Happen
4,226 words
Rating: General audiences
No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Matthew McCormick, Amanda, Cory Raines, Ceirdwyn, Rebecca Horne

Raine's requests included Matthew, Cory and Ceirdwyn, three one-shot characters who got on several different sign up requests. This had me slightly mystified at their popularity. Digging into Matthew's background on the Highlander wiki is when I remembered that he was both Ceirdwyn's student and Cory's mentor, explaining everything. The clash of personalities alone...

Since I needed one of the core four for them to interact with, I picked Amanda. It seemed plausible they'd all know her but given she only met Cory in 1926, I began to wonder if Matthew and Ceirdwyn didn't pull a few strings here and there to keep them apart. The tale took shape around that. Matthew's southern accent made me instantly comfortable writing him, so he was the natural choice for viewpoint. From there I watched the heck out of 'Manhunt' and 'Money No Object' and got started - though given I was working six days weeks for the bulk of the writing, I was sadly not able to give Ceirdwyn the same level of attention.

The irony here is that while trying to think of things I would not be comfortable or good at writing during my signup, one of my choices was comedy, and then I ended up writing material centered on one of the most comedic episodes of the entire show. Judging by comments, my efforts to amuse were not in vain. So I learned a new skill, significant levels of time management and fell for some characters I had previously paid little attention to.

It was a great source of joy to be part of this fest, and I'm not done leaving or answering comments yet.

Comments

[senmut]

I am very glad you enjoyed yourself.

[annavere]

Thank you again for writing for me.

[killabeez]

I'm so glad you had a good time with it! Your story was terrific, and what a fun premise. That's so funny, that you were like...what's the deal with Matthew and Cory and Ceirdwyn's popularity?

There's a reason this little fest is still chugging along. It's perfect for people like me for whom Yuletide is usually too big and intimidating. It was great having new people join this year!

[annavere]

Ah, thank you. I am definitely a convert. Already looking forward to next year.

And yes, without the connective tissue, Ceirdwyn, Matthew and Cory are just fine guest stars - with it, they're a three course meal. And then Constantine and Carl Robinson (and didn't Carl end up taking on a student in the addendum to 'Little Tin God?') add even more layers of potential history to this extended Immortal family.

[killabeez]

Yes, Carl's student was Derek (Worth), and the actor who played him was a guest at one of our delightful tiny conventions in Vancouver—he's also a fan favorite. And with hafital's story this year, we finally have an authoritative Ceirdwyn+Constantine story.

gryphonrhi was a big influence on why the idea of Immortal lineage became an important part of HL fanon. This series is part of why, but I'm not sure I can authoritatively state the best place to begin with her fic (she wrote a ton!): The Line War

[annavere]

Thanks for the rec! I have read a handful of things by gryphonrhi, and liked them all, but I'm aware that's a mere 0.01% of what she's written. I will bookmark the series for later.

I left a gushy comment on The Aingeal yesterday, much of which was about how much I loved the way it depicted Constantine and his relationship with Ceirdwyn. It was the version of him I always wanted to exist, without even knowing it.