Cadfael plotbunnies
Apr. 27th, 2007 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wiseheartGetting enamored in a - relatively - new fandom is always dangerous. My plotbunnies are multiplying at a truly alarming speed. As is I wouldn't have at least two dozen unfinished WIPs in at least half a dozen other fandoms. But the muses are capricious creatures. They do what they will. Consequently, I've got already five Cadfael-related plotbunnies in the nest. *le sigh*
Firstly, there is, of course, the story I've posted little bits of already. It doesn't even have a title, not really, because "Vox Angelica" is stupid and won't match anymore - originally, the whole story would have been about Sister Eata, but since I've found a wonderful historic event related to the Priory of Farewell, I'll be able to turn it into a true medieval mystery. Hopefully. It won't be the same level as the ones of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rcfinch, of course, but at least more true to the original.
The second bunny that literally jumped my bones not so long ago is the idea of "And All My Dreams Torn Asunder". Yeah, I stole the title from Babylon 5, so sue me - it's a completely different cup of tea! It would be a complementary story to the original novel "One Corpse Too Many", describing the events from the POV of Adam Courcelle, the actual villain, showing events that are only hinted at in the novel. The summary would be more or less like this: "Adam Courcelle, blinded by love and greed, ends up as a common murderer". It wouldn't have too much Cadfael, actually, as most of the events would happen outside of his realm, but the story just screams to be written - with an additional twist of Courcelle originally having an eye on Gilbert Prestcote's daughter, Mellicent (featured in "Dead Man's Ransom"), before falling for Aline Siward completely.
The third bunny would be "The Crusader" - a loosely connected series about Cadfael's life before entering the cloister. Each individual part would focus on one of his love interests, namely Richildis, Ariana the Greek boat girl, Bianca of Venice and Mariam, the Saracen widow in Antioch, who later became Olivier's mother. Accordingly, the parts would take place in Wales, Shrewsbury, Greece, Venice and Antioch, respectively. Unfortunately, this also would be a godawfully research-heavy project; figuring out details about the Crusade as well as about contemporary Greece, Italy and Antioch would take years. But I think I'll keep this idea on the back burner for a while. Historic novels do have the advantage that you actually can figure out the background, given enough time.
Remember how I raged about that disgusting piece of Cadfael slash fiction I had found half a year or so ago? Well, I still insist that anything between Cadfael and Hugh Beringar or Cadfael and anybody at all would be grossly OOC, not to mention disrespectful towards the characters. Howerver, now that I'm re-reading the noverls in order to enxtend my Cadfael database, I've found two where some canon relationships (completely platonic ones, I may add hurriedly!) could be turned into dark and convincing AU ones.
And so I present you "Turnabout", the fourth plotbunny. Basically, it would be an AU version of "Dead Man's Ransom". If you remember, the two cousins (and foster brothers), Elis ap Cynan and Eliud ap Griffith ap Meilyr, have a very close and intense friendship/brotherhood/whatever, with the added twist that Cristina ferch Tudur ap Rhys, Elis' betrothed from childhood, is desperately in love with Eliud. That leads to Eliud's killing the wounded and weak Sheriff Prestcote, so that Elis wouldn't be returned to Wales to marry Cristina. Also, Melicent Prestcote has managed to fall in mutual love with Elis while the guy was kept in Shrewsbury Castle.
In the book, Eliud risks his life to save Elis' and is smuggled back to Wales to his Cristina, while Elis has the best hopes to marry Melicent one day. Now, I was thinking of a very different relationship between Elis and Eliud, with Cristina still being in love with the latter. In this version, Elis would kill Gilbert Prestcote in affect, as a tragic outcome of a quarrel about Melicent. Eliud would help him escape, and Cristina, who learns about the events, would somehow get what - or whom - she really wants (I'm not entirely sure about that solution yet), while Melicent would, indeed, take the veil, but in Farewell, not at Godric's Ford.
And finally, plotbunny #5 would be "Brothers-in-Arms", a story taking place almost exclusively in Wales, featuring mainly Cuhelyn ab Einion and Hyvel ap Owain Gwynedd, both playing important parts in the novel "The Summer of the Danes". Again, an ungodly research-heavy project, considering Welsh history and geography, but it could be interesting.
I apologize by those who had to see this already on the Yahoo list. ;))
And no, I don't think I'd launch into any of those stories (expect the one I've alraedy started) any time soon. I just wanted to share the bunnies with you.
Firstly, there is, of course, the story I've posted little bits of already. It doesn't even have a title, not really, because "Vox Angelica" is stupid and won't match anymore - originally, the whole story would have been about Sister Eata, but since I've found a wonderful historic event related to the Priory of Farewell, I'll be able to turn it into a true medieval mystery. Hopefully. It won't be the same level as the ones of
rcfinch, of course, but at least more true to the original.The second bunny that literally jumped my bones not so long ago is the idea of "And All My Dreams Torn Asunder". Yeah, I stole the title from Babylon 5, so sue me - it's a completely different cup of tea! It would be a complementary story to the original novel "One Corpse Too Many", describing the events from the POV of Adam Courcelle, the actual villain, showing events that are only hinted at in the novel. The summary would be more or less like this: "Adam Courcelle, blinded by love and greed, ends up as a common murderer". It wouldn't have too much Cadfael, actually, as most of the events would happen outside of his realm, but the story just screams to be written - with an additional twist of Courcelle originally having an eye on Gilbert Prestcote's daughter, Mellicent (featured in "Dead Man's Ransom"), before falling for Aline Siward completely.
The third bunny would be "The Crusader" - a loosely connected series about Cadfael's life before entering the cloister. Each individual part would focus on one of his love interests, namely Richildis, Ariana the Greek boat girl, Bianca of Venice and Mariam, the Saracen widow in Antioch, who later became Olivier's mother. Accordingly, the parts would take place in Wales, Shrewsbury, Greece, Venice and Antioch, respectively. Unfortunately, this also would be a godawfully research-heavy project; figuring out details about the Crusade as well as about contemporary Greece, Italy and Antioch would take years. But I think I'll keep this idea on the back burner for a while. Historic novels do have the advantage that you actually can figure out the background, given enough time.
Remember how I raged about that disgusting piece of Cadfael slash fiction I had found half a year or so ago? Well, I still insist that anything between Cadfael and Hugh Beringar or Cadfael and anybody at all would be grossly OOC, not to mention disrespectful towards the characters. Howerver, now that I'm re-reading the noverls in order to enxtend my Cadfael database, I've found two where some canon relationships (completely platonic ones, I may add hurriedly!) could be turned into dark and convincing AU ones.
And so I present you "Turnabout", the fourth plotbunny. Basically, it would be an AU version of "Dead Man's Ransom". If you remember, the two cousins (and foster brothers), Elis ap Cynan and Eliud ap Griffith ap Meilyr, have a very close and intense friendship/brotherhood/whatever, with the added twist that Cristina ferch Tudur ap Rhys, Elis' betrothed from childhood, is desperately in love with Eliud. That leads to Eliud's killing the wounded and weak Sheriff Prestcote, so that Elis wouldn't be returned to Wales to marry Cristina. Also, Melicent Prestcote has managed to fall in mutual love with Elis while the guy was kept in Shrewsbury Castle.
In the book, Eliud risks his life to save Elis' and is smuggled back to Wales to his Cristina, while Elis has the best hopes to marry Melicent one day. Now, I was thinking of a very different relationship between Elis and Eliud, with Cristina still being in love with the latter. In this version, Elis would kill Gilbert Prestcote in affect, as a tragic outcome of a quarrel about Melicent. Eliud would help him escape, and Cristina, who learns about the events, would somehow get what - or whom - she really wants (I'm not entirely sure about that solution yet), while Melicent would, indeed, take the veil, but in Farewell, not at Godric's Ford.
And finally, plotbunny #5 would be "Brothers-in-Arms", a story taking place almost exclusively in Wales, featuring mainly Cuhelyn ab Einion and Hyvel ap Owain Gwynedd, both playing important parts in the novel "The Summer of the Danes". Again, an ungodly research-heavy project, considering Welsh history and geography, but it could be interesting.
I apologize by those who had to see this already on the Yahoo list. ;))
And no, I don't think I'd launch into any of those stories (expect the one I've alraedy started) any time soon. I just wanted to share the bunnies with you.
