33 replies to this topic

[Mouette]

FFN summary: "Creative expression isn't something you can parse into its composite elements. When a horrified Jimmy finds himself staring down an A-minus in AP English, he has to find way to understand beauty and courtly love outside the confines of his chemistry notebook — and he may have to ask the last person on earth he'd have chosen for help."

 

 

Thought process for this fic:

1. Jimmy is not good at English (cf. "Return of the Nanobots").

2. Cindy IS good at English (" ").

3. I TA'ed through grad school and am very familiar with the type of insufferable super-intelligent students who don't take English seriously and don't even try but will stop just short of cursing your grandparents if they don't get an A.

4. I racked up WAY too many medieval lit credits in undergrad and have a very tongue-in-cheek appreciation for how stupid courtly love and Petrarchan romantic idealization are.

Combine those, add a love of wordplay and academic humor, and you end up with... whatever this is. I haven't written a multichaptered fic in years, and I know half the humor is probably way too esoteric ("HA, 'Roman de la Rivality'! That's a play on the famous romantic epic 'Roman de la Rose' with usage of the archaic form of 'rivalry' as used in medieval literature! Good one, Bri"), but I'm having fun with it, and it's giving me more practice writing these guys.
 

The whole thing's outlined, and I'm in the process of drafting the remaining chapters, but I posted the first one last night. Feel free to take a look and let me know what can be improved.

 

http://www.fanfictio...-de-la-Rivality

 

[Mara=^.^=]

*references go way over head*

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mouette]

I was afraid of that. I've been in academia too long. >_<

[Mara=^.^=]

Dude, there are actually a few of us on IDOJ who've been in academia too long Crys and Katie both have a Master's, and I received my undergraduate from Brown and am pondering even more scholarly madness. We all just have the unfortunate experience of having entered disparate fields of study (well, except for Katie and me...Katie's focus was physical anthropology/zoology, while mine was cultural anthro). Maybe someday another person with a penchant for medieval literature will join IDOJ, and then you two can geek it up like no tomorrow

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[~~Megan~~]

From a nonaccredited institution

[Mouette]

NEGL, I loved that line. Hee.

 

Yeah, medieval lit is just like this weird little niche. I really appreciate the feedback, Mara — I was basically just using the courtly love thing as a framing device, but I'll definitely scale it back or fold in some more explanations in later chapters to make it a little easier to understand for readers outside of the field. Believe me, I'm not knocking anyone who hasn't read the stuff I'm referencing (I have a degree in English, we're not allowed to be holier-than-thou about, well, much of anything). Just means they have actual lives.

[Ang]

ahhhh!

I seriously am loving this! I hope you write more.

mooooooore.

I don't understand the references, but I do enjoy how this is put together any how.

 

Their arguing is delicious by the way.

[Mouette]

Thanks so much! J/C arguing is just SO fun to write — they practically take over for you, ha. I'm definitely going to be writing more, and I'll be trying to make it a little more accessible to people who haven't been geeking out over Chaucer for most of their academic lives.

[Sanjana R]

I read this and it kind of sparked my interest in the JN fandom again because of the excellent writing! Also their sassiness was excellent. Haha, please update soon. No seriously, UPDATE 

[Mouette]

Thanks so much! I'm aiming to have the next chapter up by this weekend — there are a lot of wacky hijinks in the mix.

[Mara=^.^=]

Hooray, wacky hijinks!

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mouette]

Second chapter's up! http://www.fanfictio...-de-la-Rivality

 

Really didn't expect it to be done so quickly, but this one pretty much wrote itself (if only it could have edited itself too...). As promised, there are wacky hijinks -- this chapter ended up being a little mean to Jimmy, but, well, I can't help but feel he deserved just a BIT of it.

[Mouette]

Third chapter posted: http://www.fanfictio...-de-la-Rivality

 

It's long and angsty and sappy and I think I may be dead from writing it. But I did enjoy it.

 

(And I'm really looking forward to seeing how far I can push things in the next chapter. It still kills me that they put the line "Cindy sings the body electric" in the show. It demands referencing. DEMANDS it!)

[Katia11]

=) 

[Mouette]

Way late, since I was completely tied up with a family wedding all weekend, but Chapter Four's up: http://www.fanfictio...-de-la-Rivality

 

Only one more to go, whew. I'd forgotten how draining writing multi-chaptered fics can be.

 

(As an aside, Chapter Four didn't turn out as fanservice-y as I thought it would, so I also churned out a quick sexy M-rated J/C one-shot, just, you know, ensuring my place in hell and all: http://www.fanfictio...1/Melting-Point)

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

Excuse me, but... M?!

[Mouette]

Yeah, it's more than a bit... shall we say, risqué, but I like to think it was tastefully done if nothing else. Total and unabashed fanservice.

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

 

Sorry; that's just how I react to M-rated J/C...

[Mouette]

Not entirely sure how to interpret that, so... I'm sorry?

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

I just thought it was intended to be a kids' show, and thus a kids' fandom.  That's why I was so appalled...