Despatches

Note from the Editor: Can you believe we're up to Issue 100? You guys are awesome! And this week, we have our very first podfic for the Aubreyad fandom!

Fanfic:
Queeney Pulls the Strings by heather_mist; Aubreyad; G; Lady Keith, nee Hester ‘Queeney’ Thrale, persuades her husband to give her old protégé Jack Aubrey his first command.
Scheming by farothiels_fic; Sharpe; PG13; Arthur Wellesley/Richard Sharpe; Colonel Wellesley takes a stroll amongst the army's picketed horses the night Sharpe is set up for a flogging.
Gratitude by farothiels_fic; Sharpe; Gen; Arthur Wellesley, Richard Sharpe; Such an innocuous request – to borrow a telescope.
Assistance by farothiels_fic; Sharpe; Gen; At an awkward moment, assistance came from the least expected quarter.
Encounter in the Park by farothiels_fic; Sharpe; PG13; Arthur Wellesley/Richard Sharpe; St James’s Park has something of a reputation. Two men enter its bounds for different reasons, but with a single purpose.
An Evening's Entertainment by farothiels_fic; Sharpe; PG13; Arthur Wellesley, Richard Sharpe, Syud Sevajee; Wellesley learns more about Sharpe's character, as well as something of how the Ensign views him.
Mens Rea by josbanks; Aubreyad; G; Stephen, Babbington, Jack; Babbington seeks a private consultation with Dr. Maturin

Son et Lumière:
Vid: Promo vid for Show the Colours: Navy by sharpiefan
Fanvid: I'm Gonna Be by sharpiefan; Sharpe; PG13; Sharpe/Wellington
Podfic: On the Identification of Weeds by feroxargentea, read by snowdrop_song; Aubreyad; Gen

Of historical interest:
From hmsacasta_feed: Acasta and poictiers take the Highflyer
From ageofsail_feed: Lewrie and the Hogshead

Miscellany and meta:
From hmsacasta_feed: Wanted: Spirited Young Men for the Royal Navy
From hmsacasta_feedPost for the Captain
From hmsacasta_feed; More From the Mail Packet
From hmsacasta_feed: Doctor, Heal Thyself
sharpiefan has a list of good Age of Sail communities

Communities and challenges:
mandc_readChapter 12 of Post Captain this weekend
hm_jollies: sharpiefan posts Questions to Find Answers To
sharpiefan is running a Picture Prompts Fic Challenge
casestory is running a multi-fandom challenge
spinoffstory is running a multi-fandom challenge

Rec of the Week:
The Broken Lock by unsentimentalf; Aubreyad; PG-13; Jack, Stephen, OCs; Stephen is caught in flagrante delicto, and faces the most serious of consequences

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor: It looks like it's been another busy week all round! There's plenty of stuff here for you to browse while you take a break from your Christmas shopping.

Fanfic:
Advent Calendar Day 6: The Feast of St Nicholas by feroxargentea; Aubreyad; PG, Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, the crew of HMS Surprise; The crew of the HMS Surprise welcome the Doctor back aboard
Advent Calendar Day 8: Sophie Aubrey: Sex therapist by sid; Aubreyad; NC-17; Jack/Stephen, Sophie; It's a time-honored tradition by now! Beginning with Sophie's Secret and Sophie's Secret Obsession, and continuing with last year's Sophie's Lee Shore
Advent Calender Day 10: Carnival in Barcelona by mithen; Aubreyad; NC-17; Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin; A midshipman and a student meet by chance in the streets of Barcelona on a night of masks and secrets.
Advent Calendar Day 13: Christmas Morn by ashley_pitt; aubreyad; PG; Jack, Stephen; Stephen and Jack meet on deck one early morning.
Two Ficlets by sharpiefan; Show the Colours; PG; Gabriel Cotton, Maggie Cotton; Thoughts and reminiscences on the Great War of 1793-1815, and its ending
Memento Mori by josbanks; Aubreyad; PG; Jack/Stephen; Stephen, Jack, Diana, Sophie, Brigid; Stephen ponders grief and love en route to Woolcombe.

Son et Lumière:
Fanmix: Advent Calendar Day 9: Paint my Spirit Gold by cienna; Aubreyad; G
Fanart: Advent Calendar Day 11: Jack and Stephen in the style of Calvin and Hobbes by sospan_fach; Aubreyad; G
Fanvid: In the Army Now by sharpiefan; Sharpe; PG13
Vid: Adventures at Sea Part 2 by amaraal; Aubreyad; G

Of historical interest:
sharpiefan posts Here's the Tender Coming lyrics, and a press warrant
From hmsacasta_feed: HMS Terpsichore and her Daring Endeavours
sharpiefan posts Even museums don't always get it right
sharpiefan informs us about an Exhibition at the NMM: Broadside: Caricature and the Navy, 1775-1815
sharpiefan informs us that a sword-pistol 'brandished by Lord Nelson at Trafalgar' goes under the hammer

Miscellany and meta:
From hmsacasta_feed: A Letter to Lt Ramsay
From hmsacasta_feed: A Letter of intent
From hmsacasta_feed: A Letter to the Doctor
From hmsacasta_feed: A Reply to Miss Waterman
From hmsacasta_feed: A Letter to the Doctor 2
From hmsacasta_feed: A Reply From the Doctor 2
Advent Calendar Day 7: A ditty box by hrh_taliesin
Advent Calendar Day 12: A coaster by bethctg
latin_cat posts Further Proof that Mr Bush is a Timelord

Communities and challenges:
mandc_read will be reading Chapter Ten of Post Captain this weekend
hm_jollies: sharpiefan posts another query
sharpiefan informs us that she has set up a feed for The HMS Acasta blog

Rec of the Week:
Thicker Than Blood by followingyourbliss; Garrow's Law; PG; William Garrow, Sarah Hill, Samuel Hill; A series of connected vignettes focusing on Samuel and his developing relationship with William immediately after the events of series 3.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor: Been a little busy over the past couple of days, hence this being late. Hope you've had a good week?

Fanfic:

Son et Lumière:
chrsvg posts screencaps of Far From the Madding Crowd
sid posts a wordle of Hidden Passions

Of historical interest:
vanilla_elf posts Great News: The Collingwood Society

Miscellany and meta:
heather_mist links to the Butcher's Bill

Communities and challenges:
mandc_read will be reading Chapter Eleven of Master and Commander

Rec of the Week:
Sharpe's Confession by sharpiefan; Sharpe; U; Sharpe, Harper, Pat Harper just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor: Well, this week's been a bit of a washout weather-wise - I am starting to wonder whether it might not be a good idea to invest in a rowing boat, just in case. Although, thankfully, we haven't had the floods here that other parts of the country have had to deal with. I hope that everyone is OK and you're not suffering too much from the recent weird and wonderful weather.

Fanfic:
Old Scars by heather_mist; Aubreyad; G; Jack, Stephen, OCs; Jack and Stephen take their grandsons swimming and reminisce about their lives.

Son et Lumière:

Of historical interest:
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts The Royal Marine Artillery
vanilla_elf posts the 18th Century Night Watchman's Hitting Argument

Miscellany and meta:
mandc_read: seriesfive has posted a Map for the Aubreyad 2012 - Home Ports
From redcoatbob: What We Do And Why We Do It

Communities and challenges:
sharpe_read is a new community for those interested in reading through the Sharpe series
sharpe_read: A Date to Begin Reading
sharpe_read posts Welcome!
mandc_read posts Introductory Post: Setting Sails for the Aubreyad Journey
mandc_read will be reading Chapter One of Master And Commander this weekend

Rec of the Week:
This week's rec is courtesy of heather_mist, who wanted to rec Waiting by isis; Aubreyad; 18; Jack/Stephen; Jack waits for a ship, and Stephen waits for Jack. (I have a confession to make; heather_mist provided me with a link to the fic here on DW, but it was in a long comment conversation which meant I promptly lost it again, hence my linking to the story on the AO3. - Ed.)

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor: Oops! Still, it's still Thursday where I am - though I apologise for it being so late on Thursday before this went up.

Fanfic:
The Joy of Ducks by heather_mist; Aubreyad; G; Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin; A frothy piece of silliness, prompted during a recent posting in mandc_read when we were contemplating tootsiemuppet's wonderful illustration of Jack Aubrey in his bath and wondering just why he had a duck on his head...

Son et Lumière:
A Silver Dinner Service by

Of historical interest:
patches_the_shipcat posts 50th Regiment of Foot: Dirty Half Hundred
patches_the_shipcat posts 50th Regiment of Foot: Dirty Half Hundred: Part 2
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts Sea Service & Barrack Life

Miscellany and meta:

Communities and challenges:
esteven posts Post for the BGT
mandc_read will be reading Chapter One of 21 (The Unfinished Aubreyad Nove)l this week

Rec of the Week:
Sharpe's Soldier by sharpiefan; Sharpe; PG; Sharpe, Teresa; Teresa Moreno had no idea how long it had taken Hogan's messenger to find her with the news that her husband was lying in hospital in Salamanca, seriously wounded, perhaps even dead.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor:
A short edition this week. For those of you revising for or taking exams: Good Luck and come back to fandom when you can!

Fanfic:
Mr Toad Comes to Breakfast by sharpiefan; Show the Colours; U; John Vickery; The Devil finds work for idle hands... especially when those hands belong to small, mischievous boys.
From the Vickery Family Papers: Letter 10 by sharpiefan; Show the Colours; U; John Vickery; Correspondence from the papers of the Vickery family, between Captain John Vickery of the 5/60th and members of his family.

Son et Lumière:
Fanart: Peggy Pye is Proud by marashar; Show the Colours

Of historical interest:

Miscellany and meta:
perfect_duet: esteven posts Oh, that man... More of RC and JA

Communities and challenges:
mandc_read will be reading Chapter Eight of Blue at the Mizzen this weekend

Rec of the Week:
Weller's War by latin_cat; Sharpe; G; Charlie Weller; Charlie Weller crossing a frontier - both mental and geographical. Set during Sharpe's Regiment.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor:
It's nearly the end of another week, which means it's Despatches time! \o/

Fanfic:
Sharpe's Marines part 9 by sharpiefan; Sharpe, PG; Sharpe, Chase, Llewellyn, various Marines; What did Sharpe and the Marines of HMS Pucelle really make of each other?
Sharpe's Marines: Epilogue by sharpiefan; Sharpe; PG; Sharpe, Bampfylde, Oxley; What did Sharpe and the Marines of HMS Pucelle really make of each other?

From the perfect_duet Oakum Meme:
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: All books: First Person by zilah Rating: R
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: Alone on a Hill at Night or Night after Night, a filk by esteven Rating: R
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: also, Alone on a Hill at Night by zilah Rating: NC-17
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: 007 or Physician –Naval Officer – Spy – Oh my! by esteven, Rating: PG
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: The Wedding of Jack and Sophie or Dearly Beloved by heather_mist Rating: PG for implied slash
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: Dearly Beloved- An Alternative Ending by heather_mist Rating: PG – no slash but implied talk of a sexual nature
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: Swimming with Seals or Of All the Islands in the World by feroxargentea Rating: R
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: Last time it was 'Nip and Tuck' by feroxargentea Rating: PG
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: between supper and billiards or Tallis by esteven Rating: NC 17
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: Whose idea was it to race those goats? or Vive la difference! by heather_mist Rating: G
Aubrey/Maturin oakum meme: movie oakum: after Warley’s death and Jack and Stephen discussing duty or Stormy Night by esteven Rating: R – slash implied

Son et Lumière:

Of historical interest:
latin_cat posts 'Voices from the Old Bailey': 18th Century Sexual Subcultures
vanilla_elf remins us that it's the 202nd anniversary of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood's death
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts Employment and recruiting bounties
hm_jollies: sharpiefan posts RM button link
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts Training of Marines
hm_jollies: sharpiefan posts Clothing and Necessaries
hm_jollies: sharpiefan posts On duties at sea
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts On the Marines' service
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts Letters of Lt George, Part 1
hm_jollies: wayward_shadows posts The Early Corps, cont'd
vanilla_elf posts A moderately fashionable king
vanilla_elf posts A fashionable mum!

Miscellany and meta:
From austenblog: Midweek Multimedia: Singing About Jane
astolat links us to the Crucible of Gold book trailer
ar posts Crucible of Gold day: One fic, two reactions

Communities and challenges:
perfect_duet: esteven posts Oakum Meme Revelations
where_away: sharpiefan posts about Jack and the Marines
mandc_read will be reading Chapter Ten of The Hundred Days this weekend.

Rec of the Week:
Upon a Midnight Clear by latin_cat; Hornblower; 18; Hornblower/Bush, Kennedy, Buckland; The officers of the Renown up on deck one snowy night.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor:
This week's Despatches looks like being a pretty short issue this time. Hope you've had a good week!

Fanfic:
Sharpe's Marines Chapter 6 by sharpiefan; Sharpe; 12; Sharpe, Joel Chase, original characters; "What did Sharpe and the Marines of HMS Pucelle really make of each other?"
Sharpe's Marines Chapter 7 by sharpiefan; Sharpe; 12; Sharpe, Joel Chase, original characters; "What did Sharpe and the Marines of HMS Pucelle really make of each other?"

Son et Lumière:
Fanvid: Waiting on a Day by mswyrr; Garrow's Law

Of historical interest:

Miscellany and meta:
Linkspam: sharpiefan posts Naval and Seamanship Links
sharpiefan posts Chronologies for naval series

Communities and challenges:
perfect_duet: sid links to Two Jack/Stephen entries from Porn Battle XIII
mandc_read will be reading Chapter Eight of The Hundred Days this weekend
where_away: sharpiefan posts The (possibly not so) dear Surprise
where_away: esteven posts The lesser of two weevils
where_away: heather_mist posts Diana and the Blue Peter
where_away: esteven posts I should kiss the messenger
where_away: sharpiefan posts A wombat and a hat
where_away: esteven posts 'Us', 'them' and a meeting with an equal
where_away: sharpiefan posts One debauched sloth
where_away: esteven posts Scourge, the bosun's cat

Rec of the Week:
Jack and Stephen Meet a Foreign Dignitary by swiss_kun

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor:
Sorry I'm a couple of days late with this update. Hope you've had a good week! And if anyone notices that one of the links doesn't work (as I've just done!) please let me know - I have a new laptop and I'm still getting used the fact that CTRL and Fn have swapped positions compared to my old one (so I end up typing 'v' instead of an actual URL).

Fanfic:
Dogwatches Chapter 10 by barefoot_bard; Original; M (Suitable for ages 16 and above); Original Characters; A Royal Navy frigate gains a captain whose ideas about running a ship quickly put him at odds with the crew. West Indies, 1780.
Dogwatches Chapter 11 by barefoot_bard; Original; M (Suitable for ages 16 and above); Original Characters; A Royal Navy frigate gains a captain whose ideas about running a ship quickly put him at odds with the crew. West Indies, 1780.
Dogwatches Chapter 12 by barefoot_bard; Original; M (Suitable for ages 16 and above); Original Characters; A Royal Navy frigate gains a captain whose ideas about running a ship quickly put him at odds with the crew. West Indies, 1780.
Dogwatches Chapter 13 by barefoot_bard; Original; M (Suitable for ages 16 and above); Original Characters; A Royal Navy frigate gains a captain whose ideas about running a ship quickly put him at odds with the crew. West Indies, 1780.
Dogwatches Chapter 14 by barefoot_bard; Original; M (Suitable for ages 16 and above); Original Characters; A Royal Navy frigate gains a captain whose ideas about running a ship quickly put him at odds with the crew. West Indies, 1780.
Of All the Islands in the World by feroxargentea; Master and Commander; Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin; Desert Island fic. Because sometimes it just has to be done.
Nothing to do with Love by mmejavert; Les Miserables; NC-17; Grantaire/Combeferre; Combeferre happens upon a drunk Grantaire waiting outside Enjolras' door. He doesn't like this very much, so he takes him to his own apartment to recuperate. They have hatesex instead.
For King and Country by feroxargentea; Master and Commander; G; Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin; Bad news reaches the Surprise
Someone Else Tonight by mmejavert; Les Miserables; NC-17; Grantaire/Prouvaire, implied Prouvaire/Bahorel; Jehan is VERY drunk and hits on Grantaire -- who Jehan thinks is Bahorel, with whom he's been carrying on an on/off affair. Grantaire tries to shake him off, but Jehan is persistent, so Grantaire takes him home and they have sex.

Son et Lumière:
Fanvid: Ship of Fools by cienna
Fanvid: Regarding the Moonlight in Eastbourne by heuradys
Icons: Aubreyad fanart icons here by alltoseek
astolat posts Awesomeness

Of historical interest:
wayward_shadows posts Assorted Navy goodies

Miscellany and meta:
sharpiefan posts The long arm of the fandom
sharpiefan posts the Sharpe page on TV Tropes
vanilla_elf informs us of "The curse of the Buxom Strumpet" - The period comedy with a bit more bite
vanilla_elf informs us that Emma Collingwood is now on DW

Communities and challenges:
esteven reminds us that mandc_read will be reading Chapter Five of the Hundred Days this weekend
where_away: esteven posts Quotes we find instantly
where_away: esteven posts Stephen dancing
where_away: esteven posts Wanting in penetration
where_away: esteven posts throwing a towel over his nakedness
where_away: esteven posts A flowered silk dressing gown
where_away: feroxargentea posts "Frankly, sir..."
where_away: heather_mist posts "An uncommon genteel figgar
where_away: esteven posts Elsinore, eider ducks, goths and Hamlet's mother who is nearly a strumpet
where_away: heather_mist posts the infamous brown knitted garment
where_away: heather_mist posts Stephen sans breeches
where_away: esteven posts spreading himself comfortably along the locker
where_away: esteven posts he now had a companion, and audible companion
where_away: esteven posts Stephen said "Have you ever contemplated upon sex, my dear?"
where_away: esteven posts Jack, the albatross
where_away: esteven posts Buttercup yellow hair
perfect_duet; esteven posts The Oakum Meme
perfect_duet: esteven posts The Oakum Meme II

Rec of the Week:
Coming Home by Close_Hauled; Hornblower; NC-17; Hornblower/Kennedy, Kitty Cobham; Fic begins at the end of "Retribution." AU - live Kennedy 'verse.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.

Note from the Editor: Well, Happy New Year! This is the first Despatches of 2012, and I am looking forward to bringing lots of fandom things to the attention of a wider audience over the course of this coming year. For those new to DW, welcome! This is the DW version of despatches, set up and currently issued by sharpiefan, who many of you may remember from LJ. I was inspired to begin issuing a version of Despatches here because there was very little AoS content here on DW and I hoped to inspire people to produce more - there can never be too much fandom stuff, after all. For those of you who are new subscribers, I encourage you to look through the back issues, and if you find something you like, please let the author know.

As ever, if you wish despatch_reader to subscribe your journal or fic journal, please comment here, or over on the relevant post on despatch_reader - don't allow the Reader to access locked journal entries (AKA, do't friend that journal back!) so that only public entries will be linked from here.

Fanfic:
Lineage by barefoot_bard; Show the Colours; K (13+); Thompson; Show the Colours AU; Thompson makes a discovery while taking stock of his mother's personal effects. Chatham, year unknown.
A Bagful of Cats by latin_cat; Sharpe; PG; Sharpe/Wellington, Hogan, Perkins; Hogan is very surprised to find a tabby cat in Sir Arthur’s bed one morning.
The Duet of Hearts by zilah1; Aubreyad; NC-17; Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin; Just Jack and Stephen as we all want them.
Tigers at Night, Part Ia by marashar; Show the Colours/Torchwood crossover; PG; Vickery, Torrington, Pye, Rottlander, Captain Jack Harkness; Captain Jack Harkness is on a sabre-toothed tiger hunt... in 1809

Son et Lumière:
Podfic: Upon A Midnight Clear by latin_cat, read by latin_cat; Hornblower; G (contains slash); Hornblower/Kennedy, Bush; text may be found here

Of historical interest:

Miscellany and meta:

Communities and challenges:
mandc_read: esteven reminds us that the community will begin reading The Hundred Days next week
mandc_read: Aubreyad Flail Weekend 2/2

Rec of the Week:
The Mouths of Babes by followingyourbliss, recced by mswyrr; Garrow's Law; PG; William Garrow/Sarah Hill, Samuel Hill, David Garrow; Set approx 15 months after the end of Series 3. Will and Sarah contemplate moving to a larger home.

Got a link for the next issue? Please comment and let us know. Remember to please tell your AoS friends about us. The more, the merrier, after all! And if you would like to include a particular favourite of yours in Rec of the Week, please leave a comment with a link.