Fic: Trick of the Light (The Lining Is Silver Remix)

[thisbluespirit]

Time for a confession:

1. I actually did write a fic for Remix Madness.
2. I wrote what was, technically speaking, death!fic. (I don't write death!fic.)
3. I remixed a S&S story that was pretty darn perfect in the first place.
4. By an author who's v v good, anyway.

It was just one of those moments (in the middle of the night, ack) when a story seizes you. There wasn't much time, and I was tired, and anyway. But enough of why I posted in haste and repented at leisure (although, thankfully, the remixee left a lovely comment and seemed to like it \o/. And if remixer and remixee are both reasonably happy, what else matters?) here it is:

It's a remix of astrogirl2's story Time in a Bottle (written for this year's Yuletide) and, if you haven't already, I recommend you read that first (for one thing, it's excellent, as I said). Both, please note, contain spoilers for the ending of Sapphire & Steel.

Trick of the Light (The Lining Is Silver Remix) (1004 words) by lost_spook
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Major Character Death
Characters: Sapphire (Sapphire and Steel), Steel (Sapphire and Steel), Silver (Sapphire and Steel)
Summary: Sapphire and Steel can sit out eternity; but one thing Silver cannot do is wait forever.

Since I've never done a remix before, here are a few thoughts (such as they were) on what I tried to do, but this will also be spoilery for the ending, so... you have been warned.


Gosh, I switched to Silver POV... I know. That wasn't the point, though, despite me being, well, me. It was just that S&S is about Time, the story was about Sapphire and Steel waiting outside of Time, so the natural switch seemed to be that same wait from within time, but time without Sapphire & Steel, which naturally implied Silver (and answers the slight question about him left hanging in the original fic) although I suppose a person could have found some other way of doing it. The outcome of the original fic dictated where this one was going. I like playing about with bleak but with hope (which was very much the tone of the original) from time to time.

The hardest thing was the title, though. I don't mean thinking of one, but... how do remix titles work exactly? I looked at previous years and they all seemed slightly different, but mostly [Title - or original title, or tweaked original title (The something probably a song title remix)] so that was what I did. (Yes, The Lining Is Silver is a song, and it fits in an odd sort of way). I've no idea if that's the thinking, though and there wasn't time or enough of my brain left to ask. (I was by that time tired enough to be thinking in Monopoly-related tangents.*) I worried after that the POV switch was stretching it, and that by keeping the focus as much as I could on Sapphire & Steel in the cafe that it could also be said that I'd changed the pairing. But astrogirl2 seemed to like it, so that was fine. I don't think anyone's going to boot me out. But it was interesting - hopefully next year I'll have the opportunity and the brain to do the actual Remix and take the time to really think about which story, which angle. It really was fun. Apart from the bit where no one other than the remixee liked it, but that's what you get for writing spoilery death!fic in an obscure fandom.

*Such as: that Silver wouldn't really like Monopoly. Except for the metal counters and if he could change all the rules. He might like Ludo or Cluedo though. And also: if the Transients had been truly evil, it would have been Silver and Steel in the cafe with a travel Monopoly set... how long before they broke out in desperation, or Steel killed Silver? Given that Monopoly is a dangerous game that nearly broke up my parents' marriage... I did NOT put this in the fic.


And of course, very importantly, I now know that the lovely Sapphire & Steel remix ficlet I got was by estirose... who wrote my yuletide fic, so someone who is evidently intent on kindly playing good fairy to me in these things. (Ha. I was wrong about who I thought it was, but I was right about it being one of my Yuletide writers.)

ETA: I'm tired again, my sentence structure is all over the place in this post. Sorry.

Comments

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Middle of the night inspirations are the best. And while I don't know S&S, I read both the original and the remix and they're very much in the same spirit and wonderful.

... And now I want to watch S&S. Hmpf. *goes to check prices on Amazon*

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, thank you!! And I'm v sorry to have spoiled you for the ending.

Heh, good luck! Should you fail, or want a taster before you risk spending on a v odd old bit of TV, the eps can all be easily found on YouTube as well.

:-)

Yes, the inspiration was quite nice. The problem was actually that I had one of my v occasional fits of energy. These are lovely and amazing when they happen in the day. If they happen in the night, I don't sleep till 2 or 3. At least this time I was constructive with it, and I don't think it made things any worse! (I can't wait to be a little less odd sometime soon...)

[paranoidangel]

There was, once upon a time, an explanation of the titling system. It basically goes: Remix title (funky remix subtitle). The funky remix subtitle doesn't have to related to a song. Or even had the word 'remix' in it. Or even exist at all. But I like it partly because it tells you it's a remix and partly because it's fun to think up. Generally it tells you something about what's changed. But doesn't have to.

The cleverest one I ever came across was a fic of mine that hhertzof remixed. It involved the Tenth Doctor in a library and the funky remix subtitle was (2nd edition).

I haven't read the fic, but given that you changed the POV to Silver's your remix subtitle sounds good to me.

[thisbluespirit]

Ah, thank you! I looked at everyone else's closely, and I got that general impression, but they all vary slightly! The 'funky' subtitle tended to be music related, I suppose, because that's where remix comes from. And, in that case, mine is definitely fine (and the subtitle couldn't be more appropriate, anyway. *pats subtitle on head*)

Heh. Second edition is v cool.

[john_amend_all]

Except for the metal counters and if he could change all the rules.

Considering that one Monopoly game I was in exploded on the launchpad over the question of house rules (in my defence, I was ten), I'm not sure Silver would improve matters by suggesting rule changes.

I then wondered under what circumstances Elements would encounter a Monopoly game. I suspect it would behave rather like the nursery rhyme book in Assignment 1, with each square summoning something dreadful from the history of that part of London. And putting a house on Park Lane would transport you to Tyburn...

ETA: As for the presence of a travel Monopoly set in the café, that does raise the question of what two Elements might do with the Get Out Of Jail Free cards :-)

[thisbluespirit]

I'm not sure Silver would improve matters by suggesting rule changes.

It would amuse him. It wouldn't have to improve anything, just entertain him by annoying other people. And he tends to like playing with games, so he might not even need a sinister reason. But I like your idea. ;-)

Given that particular scenario, I think Silver would pass Steel it and be amused, and Steel would screw it up and throw it away.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

i like to think - not so much a remix as a regeneration!

either way - it's a bonus for us readers :))

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you!

[justice-turtle.livejournal.com]

Oh god. Ow. That was amazing. But ow. That last line!

*approves*

[thisbluespirit]

\o./ *hugs you*

I mean, I should probably tell you not to be even looking at my fic, but you seem, from your posts, to have that sorted, so I won't. And I'm so pleased that you liked it! (I think that means I've now achieved my ambition to one day impress you with a S&S fic... ;-D)

*hugs you again for the rl stuff* (good luck; keep up the good work!)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to read the fic yet because I don't want to be spoiled for the end of S&S, but in the meantime, I have a question for you about remixes: Why is there this convention of doing a double title for the remix? I.e., title, then (title "remix")? Is there supposed to be any connection between the remix's title and the title of the original story? Is there supposed to be a connection between the two titles of the remix? How did this titling thing start, anyway? I've always found it very confusing, to be honest, and a little intimidating, like there's this big secret thing that I just don't understand about remixes. But I'll confess my ignorance to you. : )

[thisbluespirit]

:lol: And also in the spoilery bit under the cut was my confession that I don't understand Remix titles, so I looked at them hard and bluffed. I think I got it right.

paranoidangel42 just answered my question in the comment above:

There was, once upon a time, an explanation of the titling system. It basically goes: Remix title (funky remix subtitle). The funky remix subtitle doesn't have to related to a song. Or even had the word 'remix' in it. Or even exist at all. But I like it partly because it tells you it's a remix and partly because it's fun to think up. Generally it tells you something about what's changed. But doesn't have to.

Because, yes, I had this idea and was compelled to write it... and then I had to tackle the Remix title question before I could post it! I like what I came up with, though.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

LOL, that's funny! I really like your remix title, and would never have guessed you didn't know exactly how they were supposed to go. : )

[thisbluespirit]

I bluff well. I get through a lot of my life this way... ;-p