Reading Room the next (Crossovers) - and suggestions, please!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The next scheduled theme for our Reading Room is Crossovers - Pros stories where the lads meet the character/universe of another tv series, book or film. There is a list of Crossover stories at the Hatstand, and Palelyloitering has a number of separate Pros Crossover storylists. Please feel free to suggest others! And do we have volunteers to review stories for the theme? I'll list you all below... *g*

Below is the current (and past) Themed Reading Room schedule - I'd also like suggestions for more future themes (or let me know if you're tired of themes and would like to go back to randomly-volunteered Reading Room posts!)
Reading Room Schedule
Reading Room XII - Crossovers

Reading Room XIII - AU Stories that haven't been covered in more specific themes!
Reading Room IVX - Younger Lads
Reading Room ??? - Where the lads are outed
Reading Room ? - Stories of the Elements (this one may be a special Reading Room series)

Previous Reading Rooms
Reading Room Theme I - Science Fiction
Reading Room Theme II - Gay Undercover
Reading Room Theme III - Stories When the Lads First Meet
Reading Room Theme IV - Older Lads Fic
Reading Room Theme V - The Lads on Holiday
Reading Room Theme VI - The Lads In Other Times
Reading Room Theme VII - Told through Letters/Diaries
Reading Room VIII - Third Party Viewpoint
Reading Room IX - Fusion Stories

So to sum up:

1 - who will volunteer to review stories in the Crossover theme?
2 - are you happy to continue with themed Reading Rooms, or should we go unthemed again?
3 - if you're happy with the themes - do you have more suggestions for future themes?

Thurs 26th April - murphybabe - Contretemps by Josey (Pros/Judge John Deed)
Thurs 3rd May - gilda_elise - The Waiting Room Affair, Incident in a Stairwell and People Bending Broken Rules by Debra Hicks (Pros/Man from UNCLE)
Thurs 10th May - moonlightmead - Hombothlay by Jane Mailander
Thurs 17th May - byslantedlight - The Tangled Web by Jack Reuben Darcy
Thurs 24th May - anna060957 - Still Crazy After All These Years by LilyK
Thurs 31st May - firlefanzine - The Bishonen Ope by DVS
Thurs 7th June - nypagan - An Encounter in Cascade and An Encounter in Eastland by Meridian
Thurs 14th June - nypagan - Intersections by Brenda Antrim
Thurs 21st June - anna060957 - Discovered in a Congo Prison by J.J. Minerva

Comments

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I hate being first, but someone has to: yeah, I'll sign up, but it will have to be in the early-middle part of that list.

One advantage to themed Reading Rooms might be that it makes us cast the net wider. If you're given the whole of Pros fic and told "pick three to review", you'll have a job narrowing it down. If there's a list of four that are generally available (and some have been quite short shortlists), then it makes you look more carefully at them, and perhaps at stories that might get overlooked in favour of the more obvious ones. You said you might not have picked Out of Faith, for example, and look at the resulting discussion (even if I missed it, grr.)

One thing I'd like if we continue with themes, though, is a sort of 'end of the theme' wrap-up before we move on. Did our opinions change about the genre, did we discover a new author, did we make connections we hadn't before? I know it was the historical AU series that made me realise what I see as essential Bodie and Doyle, and the fusion series has definitely reinforced my idea that your reaction depends on whether you knew the source first or after.

Shall try to think of more themes (that are not as daft as elements - what was I thinking?), but I am happy without them too.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Well thank you for commenting first, anyway! You'll have to choose your date for doing a review - a couple have already been claimed. And let me know which story you want to review too (though you can let me know that later really, but I do need to know what date you'd like!)

I definitely wouldn't have picked Out of Faith for a review without there being a specific reason, the Reading Room themes do encourage us to read - or review, anyway! - away from our comfort zone, you're right...

An end of theme wrap-up could be interesting - but I can't promise I'll always have the time or inclination to do it myself. Care to volunteer for that part? *g*

Lol for elements - not daft at all, it's a different and interesting way of trying to think of stories, and I may yet give it a go! *g* I did think that maybe we could have a Theme-free themed month sometime, for a change... *g*

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Okay, the 10th it had better be, then. Or the 17th, if someone announces they can only do the 10th.

Story - hmm. Dunno so far :) Spent part of last night trying to work out whether there is sensible stuff to be said about Still Life with Apples and Oranges (I like Modesty Blaise very much), but it's more likely to be a Jane Mailander one. Either Hombathlay or One Who Has Made A Long Journey. Or something else. Very fond of One Who Has Made..., though.

As with the dates, if someone else claims one of those first, that's fine.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The 10th it is, and that's done - you can be too flexible, you know! *g* Likewise with your fic - best to choose one so I can put it up, in case someone accidentally gazzumps the one that you're quietly half-planning in your head! Heeee for saying sensible stuff about a fic - I must admit that I didn't even think about it from that angle when I chose, for instance, Out of Faith. Sometimes it can be fun choosing something first and then working with what you've got... *g*

[murphybabe]

1) I'll do Contretemps by Josey, as I seem to be one of the few who like Judge John Deed! I can do Thurs 26th if y'all are busy. I'm not at the moment *vbg*

2) I quite like themes, because as MLM has pointed out, it means I read things that otherwise I would just ignore. When we did the Meg Lewtan historical thing (sorry, can't remember what it was), I didn't like it but I went to find more of her stuff, which I did like.

3) More themes... dunno really. First times? - when one seduces the other. Humour? Sorry, but I can't think of many more.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I like JJD or I wouldn't have written a crossover. And I like Josey too so good choice.

[murphybabe]

Yay! I thought it was just me *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Excellent choice - I like that one too! (And I like JJD well enoug, he's just not my favourite other MS character... *g*)

Good point about themes encouraging wider reading, too - that's definitely happened to me, too.

First Times is one we've mentioned before actually, but not added to the list - thank you! And comedy, good thought! *g*

And thank you - you're on the list! *vbg*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I'll be traveling for most of the time, but I'd be willing to review these for May 3rd.


MUNCLE crosses by Debra Hicks:

1. The Waiting Room Affair - 7K

2. Incident in a Stairwell - 38K

3. People Bending Broken Rules - 74K

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a series I don't know at all and therefore have never read crossovers for! But I know alot of people have - thank you, you're on the list! *g*

(Are you travelling this way, by any chance, or is this a different travelling? *g*)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a series I don't know at all and therefore have never read crossovers for! But I know alot of people have - thank you, you're on the list! *g*

Very good. :-) They're the Pros stories that first got me intrigued enough to try MFU slash—which is sort of weird because I watched UNCLE during its initial run, but first saw Pros only about ten years or so ago.

(Are you travelling this way, by any chance, or is this a different travelling? *g*)

Unfortunately, no, I won't be visiting England this year (next year, for sure! *g*) But my English friend, she who I drag all over England to droll over Ricardian sites, is meeting up with me in Phoenix and I'm taking her on a week-long tour of Northern Arizona. I figured turnabout was fair play. :-) Then, it's on to Media West!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a brilliant plan to me (all of them... *g*)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Looking at the Hatstand list of crossovers, there is one which really puzzles me. (Maybe I should do that one :))

The Set-Up, on the CD (disk 09, author anon). It is described as a crossover with The Sandbaggers. It's an undercover as gay story in which they seek out the blackmailers by doing something blackmailable: no prizes for guessing what. I enjoyed it.

And I cannot for the life of me work out where the crossover happen. None of the characters particularly suggest themselves as characters from another programme: good guys or bad guys. There's a Wikipedia article on The Sandbaggers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandbaggers) with an extensive summary and character list, and - oh, there is a fanlore.org article on The Sandbaggers (http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Sandbaggers), too.

If anyone is familiar with The Sandbaggers (which sounds interesting, I have to say, and the dates and theme do make it sound as though it ought to cross over very well), I'd love to know where the Sandbaggers stuff comes into The Set-Up, or whether it's just accidentally misfiled.

(There is another Pros/Sandbaggers cross not on that list, btw: Someone Special by Meg Garrett, which is Pros, Sandbaggers and New Avengers. It is in Concupiscence and on the CD.)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah, interesting - I don't know the Sandbaggers at all. What about doing a post to ask about it - it'd be cool just as a random CI5hq post, there aren't enough of those, and we want more (well, I do... *g*).

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Good thought. Finally did (http://ci5hq.livejournal.com/207325.html).

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - I saw, I commented... *vbg*

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

OK, I'm gonna do it. Please can I have "Stall Crazy after all These Years" by LilyK. Thursday 24th May is good for me. BSL - you'll have to send an idiot's guide to posting .....

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Brilliant - thank you! *g*

I shall email... *g* Yeay you!

[anna060957.livejournal.com]

It would help if I got the title right in the first place!
"Still Crazy After all These Years"
Excitement is my excuse!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - it's okay, we like you excited... *g*

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I'd like to review a story on Thursday 31st May, but I do not yet know which one.
A Night To Remember by Evelyn Farris(Tomorrow People), or A Stitch In Time(Robin Hood), or maybe Lethal Doubles by NN(Lethal Weapon).
Must reread them first! :-)

2 - are you happy to continue with themed Reading Rooms, or should we go unthemed again?

Both!
There were some stories I haven't read, because they weren't my cup of tea. But nonetheless I think the themes are interesting to explore new territory... ;-)
Maybe we could do some 'unthemed' weeks in between?

3 - if you're happy with the themes - do you have more suggestions for future themes?
I love good minor characters! (Of course the main focus should always be on Bodie and Doyle! ;-))

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Great - you're up for the 31st! Let me know which story you choose, and I'll put it in the list. *g*

Minor characters is an interesting idea for a theme - the major characters being our lads, of course! *g*

I was thinking that now and then we could have an Unthemed Month, perhaps - sounds like a few people like that idea.

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

I have a crossover I could rec, if you want to extend to June 7. Let me know. (also posted in firlefanzine's post)

I enjoy themes, but if we are running low, I would be just as happy unthemed. Maybe we should let loose for the summer months and come back to themes in the fall or at the holidays?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Finally got you on the list - thanks!

I don't think we're running low of themes so to speak - I could always ask for suggestions again, and we'd probably get more, or we could look at the storylists that are already around for inspiration - but it might be quite nice to have some random Reading Rooms for a while too. We'll see how we get on in the summer!

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

Ooohhh..."random reading rooms", I like that! Like, random acts of kindness. We could pick a random phrase or word or object or topic. Like "random members of Ray's family or random members of Bodie's family" stories. Or random stories of h/c, amnesia, presumed dead, etc... OK, shutting up now. Glad you are home safe and sound BSL!