Flashes

2015-12-20T20:30:50Z

Renaissance Makoto: I added the author notes I never added before...

Flashes is a story written by [[Renaissance Makoto J.]] and illustrated by [[The Winter Cynic]]. It ran in [[Issue 53]] at http://s2b2.livejournal.com/301158.html, and is mirrored at http://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/flashes/.

== Summary ==
From [https://fairyninjas.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/ssbb-53-planes-trains-and-automobiles/ fairyninjas.wordpress.com]: "In two parts. This was one about magic; a magician making trains vanish in very dramatic ways, and the magic-obsessed fan who follows his career. I still want to know how he did it. Stupid fiction, being non-real in reality while being real to itself."

== Author's Notes ==
Here's the reason I wrote this story:

"…If you don't put it in a box or cover it up with a curtain—but you make it disappear anyway—it's not a magic trick anymore. That's just fucking magic."

If you went and saw a guy make a train do this kind of stuff, you probably wouldn't be all that amazed. You'd be freaked out. At some point, you'd be looking around for the Quidditch field and the Dementors.

So I started to think about what a trick would look like without the curtains or boxes. How DO you make something disappear without them? This story is the result and I had fun with it. I've seen a lot of train stations and little bits and pieces and facts about all of them kind of stick with you so that was fun to incorporate here.

Also, go look up Big Boys if you don't know how cool they look. They look very cool! Anime fans: Galaxy Express 999, amIright? Full disclosure: the truth is that Big Boys don't run under their own steam anymore. When they do run, they're being hauled by modern engines and there's no smoke or steam or anything sexy. So, I just kinda…lied in the story, but it was for, you know, dramatic effect. There's lots of video of what they used to look like when they still operated and they're kind of terrifying. Once upon a time, they really did come through K.C., but it's been ages. So…I'm a lying liar who lies.

As for the magic, the "Castle" here is the Magic Castle, a wonderful Hollywood institution. And I would STILL watch any special David Copperfield felt like doing. It was maybe implied in the story that he no longer performs. Just another lie! He can't give up: he's just too good. He's in Vegas most of the time, so save up your pennies! In a bit of self-insertion, I did watch the Statue of Liberty disappear on TV and totally remember it inaccurately. I wasn't sick; I just have a terrible memory. Umm. Hmm. Sorry, once again, for all the California. :(

== External Reviews ==
* [http://pinboard.in/u:epaulettes/b:153504293978 pinboard.in]: "In which a magic fan falls in love with a trick, and, inextricably, with its magician. Absolutely badass story. Strong, no-nonsense POV voice, yet the fic overall is still somehow powerfully atmospheric and suspenseful. Much like its mysterious magician character, this story confuses you, disquiets you, jerks you around, fills you entirely with an awe of the unknown. The sex scenes are so mundane in comparison to all that, but they are still really sexy."

* [http://pinboard.in/u:proteinscollide/b:1f99565c3f08 pinboard.in]: "For someone who loves magic, how could you not love someone who showed you the greatest magic trick you'd ever seen? And how could it not drive you crazy to not know how it was done? I thought this was a fantastic, involving read; slick and intense and sexy and sad all at once."

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[[category:M/M]]
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The Very Gay Football Affair

2015-12-20T10:22:24Z

Renaissance Makoto: Just created it...

The Very Gay Football Affair is a story written by [[Renaissance Makoto J.]]. It ran in [[Issue 58]] at http://s2b2.livejournal.com/, and will be mirrored at http://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/.

== Summary ==

Ulysses Hawke is the Man from D.A.D.D.Y., a secret organization of highly-trained men and women. D.A.D.D.Y. agents are dedicated to preventing the evil organization T.H.R.U.S.T. from taking over the world. Together with his handsome and brilliant Russian partner, Misha Kozlov, Ulysses must stop the greatest leaders in the world from being brainwashed. While he's at it, he has to rescue a footballer with poor communication skills, keep Misha from making out with mysterious scientists, and figure out why time itself seems to be broken.

== Author's Notes ==

Welcome to a rip-roaring parody of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I'm a fan of the original show, but not so much the new movie. As a guide for anyone curious about how this parody lines up with the show: Ulysses is a much more foolish Napoleon Solo; Misha is a much more brilliant Illya Kuryakin; and T.H.R.U.S.T., of course, is T.H.R.U.S.H., an organization that makes as much sense in this parody as it does in the original show. I really only changed one letter, and very little else. Esteban is our Innocent, a requirement for any U.N.C.L.E. story, and Spare is just exposition and a "hot without glasses" joke.

Now, U.N.C.L.E. is a beloved show and fandom, and I feel like I might be stepping on toes without mentioning that I love the show. I even love it for all the many, many things that are wrong with it. For anybody out there who feels a bit mad at me, please know that this was written with true affection for the show, and also with my tongue wedged in my cheek. This apology is pretty much why I am editing a wiki for the first time in my life. So...there's that.

[[category:text]]
[[category:M/M]]
[[category:2015]]
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Flashes

The Very Gay Football Affair