Musical Crossover Inspirations

Been slowly editing and getting some fresh stuff written into the Colors draft. Music is known to be a helpful aid for creativity. Here’s some bits of oddness you might find of interest!

Who wants to write some nonstandard pirate stories?

Quick Note – Matteo Ricci and Alternate History

In the real-world timeline, Matteo Ricci died in Beijing in 1610.

In an altered timeline with medical cultivation, this may not have been the case.

Anyone have suggestions for good sources on the Jesuit mission in China, preferably from the 1500s on? My plotbunnies are poking that as “where to start to find out how European history changed in this Alternate History”.

Worldbuilding: Points of Divergence

All right, Russia. For the sake of a good alternate history, your Empire is going down.

Er. Let me explain.

Worldbuilding: A Problem of History

Okay, first off, I want to tell anybody who wants to read up on scientific research but may not already know this neat trick: if you go to the main JSTOR site and sign up as an independent researcher, you can get access to 100 free articles to read a month. It still costs you money if you want to download an article to print, but you can at least read them. And bookmark them to re-read later, if – like me – sometimes you just have time to run a search, not to read right that minute. And you can search the heck out of the whole site, with small previews available that are generally enough to figure out if the article is worth reading for what you want. On top of that a few of the articles are “Open access”, meaning you can download and print them without any fees.

(If writers don’t qualify as independent researchers, I don’t know who would.)

Stray Crossover Idea: Leverage/The Imperial Coroner

Note, I have no idea how you’d pull it off. The settings and times are very, very different. But if they ever got the chance the Leverage crew would adopt Commandery Prince An and his merry team of misfits on the spot.

Writing Fanfic: A Third Weird Trick

Yet another thing easier in fanfic than in canon: pick up your favorite characters, put them in a different setting, time, or planet, and see what happens. Yes, Hercules: TLJ pulled this one off too. The actors playing characters in the French Revolution will never not be funny. All hail the Chartreuse Fox!

Not a Princess Ch1 up on AO3

The first chapter of Not a Princess, “Unfamiliar Ceilings”, is now up on Archive of Our Own.

Not a Princess Ficbit – Stripes

“Sorry you’re AWOL, Captain. Seemed like the safest option.”

Sitting all the way up, Hank carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed,

Not a Princess Ficbit – Hairballs

“Father went looking, and found you.” Sharl cast a wry look out the window.

Not a Princess Ficbit – Introductions

Hank pushed on the mattress to sit fully upright, glancing at the healing scar above his gut. Damn, he was lucky Elaine hadn’t aimed any lower.