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Dukes Freers' Fiction Journal
Hello, and welcome. This is the place where I sling my arrows, so to speak. It's where I write about the people and places in my favorite fandoms, get those characters chattering in my head to shut up, and where I get to play in my favorite sandboxes.

These include Doctor Who (Eighth Doctor), Horatio Hornblower, Sharpe, Cariani and the Courtesans, Thursday Next, Moonlight, The Hanging Gale, and others.

The sidebar has links to my novel-length Eighth Doctor project, Flashover and to some of the Horatio Hornblower drabbles and longer bits of fiction I've written.

I write fiction. I write poetry. I love alternate universe stuff, yet I love the challenge of writing in canon. I write what I know, yet I love to learn.

I have an original fiction about a certain fire investigator named Trey Simonson, CFI, in the works... in my desk drawer in a notebook. Maybe I'll share him with you someday, but in the meantime, I hope you read what I have here, enjoy it, comment, and maybe even friend me (please comment if you do).

By the way, anything marked NC-17 is friends only. *G*
9th-Jun-2008 10:52 am - Moonlight | Silver | Part 7 | PG-13
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire

Title: Silver
Part: 7
Author:  [info]dukesfreers
Characters:  Mick, Beth, Talbot, Guillermo, Josef
Rating: PG-13
Comments:  I own nothing. Comments are wonderful.

From Last time:

“Oh my God, Mick!” I exclaimed. “The list! The list is vampires!”

Mick pulled back from me as if burned. “List? There’s a list? You’re telling me there’s a list of vampires floating around out there?”

I collapsed back onto the bed, the weight of the revelation weakening my knees. “I don’t know, Mick… I just… I just have it,” I explained, lamely. “It was stuck under my door the day Emma Monaghan escaped. I… I was told, someone called me, I don’t know who. They told me to keep it a secret, but… but I can’t. Not now. I can’t when it has to do with you, not when it impacts on Beth….”

“And not when you need me to trust you in return.”

Bingo.


*************

Gotcha. )
5th-Jun-2008 08:29 am - Moonlight | Silver | Part Six | PG-13
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Title: Silver
Fandom:  Moonlight
Part: Six
Author: [info]dukesfreers aka [info]iansmomesq
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mick St. John, Ben Talbot, Guillermo Gasol, Beth Turner
Comments:  It's not mine. 

From last time:

You love her, don't you." The words tumbled out of my mouth unbidden.

"Yes," St. John replied, still facing away from me. "I do... and she loves me."

"But," I stammered, and my inhibitions must have really been out of whack because the next words I said were, other than the bit about giving over my own blood to this guy, probably the stupidest ones I had ever uttered.

"How can she?"

His head whipped around. "What!?"

"I mean, with what you are, how can she love you?"

Have you ever regretted something you said? I did. Right at that very moment, and St. John's icy, flashing, hateful stare only served to heighten that regret. He pushed away from the door jamb and crossed the room, looming toward me in a single stride. It was all I could do but swallow and cower under his growing anger.

Oops. Oh, crap.


**********


4th-Jun-2008 07:32 am - Moonlight | Silver | Part Five | PG-13
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire

Title: Silver
Part:  Five
Author:  [info]dukesfreers
Rating: PG-13
Fandom:  Moonlight
Characters: Mick, Beth, Guillermo, Talbot
Comments:  I own nothing.

From Last Time:


...for the second time in one night, the world around me faded to black. I faded out as Mick faded back in. Ironic, I suppose, but for me? That was enough.


*****************
2nd-Jun-2008 09:52 pm - Moonlight | Silver | Part Four | PG-13
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Title: Silver
Author:  [info]dukesfreers
Fandom:  Moonlight
Part: Four
Characters:  Mick, Beth, Talbot
Rating: PG-13
Comments:  I own nada.

2nd-Jun-2008 07:08 am - Moonlight | Silver | Part Three | PG-13
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Silver
Part Three



From last time:

"Mick!" I croaked... practically feeling my own face turn purple, agonizing against the pressure and pain behind my eyes and the throbbing in my temples... "Mick" was all my mouth and lungs would function to allow me to say. I felt myself being pulled forward, toward Mick, toward those frightening eyes and the not-right mouth which turned to the side and opened wider the closer he pulled me. I struggled against him, clawing at his hand and scratching at his arm, even pounding on the crook of his elbow with my fist, but all that got me was even less oxygen to my brain, and the beginnings of tunnel vision.

At that moment I realized that I was wrong. Mick was still alive. Mick actually was still breathing because two things happened. First, I felt goose bumps and a rush of air against my neck as he inhaled, and second, I heard him whisper in my ear, "Talbot...so hungry."

And then? Everything went black.


*****************
31st-May-2008 09:08 am - Moonlight | Silver | Part Two | PG-13
steve hogarth
TitleSilver
Part:  Two
Author: [info]dukesfreers
Characters:  Talbot, Mick, Beth
Comments:  I own nothing.  CBS is stupid.  Enjoy.  Comments and questions more than welcome. :)





30th-May-2008 11:05 pm - Moonlight | Silver | Part One | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Smile
Title: Silver
Part: One
Author: [info]dukesfreers
Characters: Mick, Beth, Talbot
Rating: PG-13
Comments: I own nothing. Spoilers for Episode 16 "Sonata." Takes place two weeks later.

***********


3rd-Mar-2008 10:13 am - Moonlight | Reversal of Fortune | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Smile
Title: Reversal of Fortune
Author[info]dukesfreers
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Moonlight 
Characters:  Beth/Mick
Warnings:  None.  Unless you hate AU fics.  :)

Notes:  Just a one-shot for now, very much alternate universe, based on a photo of Alex O'Loughlin from Comicon with those cute rectangular black glasses he wears, and another of Sophia Myles with fangs.  :)  Just a mild what-if.   I don't own Moonlight
 
14th-Jan-2008 11:20 am - Moonlight | The Doors of Perception | Part Five | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Pink
Title: "The Doors of Perception"
Part:  Five  -- "Don't You Love Her Madly?"
Author:[info]dukesfreers
Ratting
:  PG-13
Summary:   Mick shows off his guitar prowess.  Beth gets an interview.  1967 -- The Doors' success and the price thereof.  Mick and Pam out on the town.  I own nothing.  CBS owns it all.  Mick St. John belongs to an amazing group of writers who deserve to be compensated for their hard work and creativity.

]
11th-Jan-2008 12:16 pm - Moonlight | The Doors of Perception | Part Four | PG-13
Moonlight Beth

Title: "The Doors of Perception"
Part:  Four  -- "The Killer Awoke Before Dawn."
Author:[info]dukesfreers
Ratting
:  PG-13
Summary:  The author has no personal experience with any of the drugs Mick talks about in this section... she just took a course in neurochemistry in college, and much of it is common knowledge.  The drug use is merely a reflection of the truth and the culture and the age.  Yet another experience forced upon Mick St. John, this time with near-fatal consequences.  I own nothing.  CBS owns it all.  Mick St. John belongs to an amazing group of writers who deserve to be compensated for their hard work and creativity.

10th-Jan-2008 10:51 am - Moonlight | The Doors of Perception | Part Three | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Smile
Title: "The Doors of Perception"
Part:  Three  -- "Break On Through to the Other Side."
Author:[info]dukesfreers
Ratting
:  PG-13
Summary There are no secrets in the house of Morrison.

10th-Jan-2008 10:21 am - Moonlight | The Doors of Perception | Part Two | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Smile
Title:  "The Doors of Perception"  
Part:  Two -- "When The Music's Over"
Author: [info]dukesfreers
Rating: PG-13
Summary:  Sex, Drugs and Rock and roll.  Fenders and Hofners.  Krieger and St. John.
Comments:  See comments for Part One

 
10th-Jan-2008 10:11 am - Moonlight | The Doors of Perception | Part One | PG-13
Moonlight Mick Pink
Title:  "The Doors of Perception"  
Part:  One -- "Show Me The Way to the Next Whisky Bar"
Author: [info]dukesfreers
Rating: PG-13
Summary:  40 years ago, in a time far far away.
Comments:  Events in Mick's lifetime, as told to Beth...  Like "Memento Mori."   This will actually be a little bit of a different format than I'm used to writing, but it seems to lend itself well to the short vignettes.  This story will probably not have a huge arcing plot.  More along  the lines of snapshots from that period in Mick's life.  *waves hands around*

By the way... any historical or musical inaccuracies, please forgive and/or send me an email and I'll gladly correct.  Don't be a jerk and correct me in the comments.  XD  *ducks the flying glassware*  I'm completely showing my uber-geekiness now doing this story where vampire dude meets rock god.  Coulda happened.  Silly, I know... but bear with me.  For a while at least.  Originally posted at moonlightline.com.

********

10th-Dec-2007 07:31 am - Christmas brings out the sap in me. Second Annual Post of "Treasures and Gifts."
Doctor 8 Sonic Screwdriver
TitleTreasures and Gifts
Author: [info]dukesfreers
Fandom:  Doctor Who - Big Finish Productions Audio Shows
Characters:  Eight/Charley
Rating: G
Summary:  As wonderfully annoying Charley is sometimes, the Doctor just can't help himself but give in to her every wish on Christmas Eve.  Even if it isn't really Christmas Eve.  
Comments:  Holiday story but Christmas-centric.  Very.  I think, unless I can come up with something equally as sappy -- around the holidays each year I will repost this little bit of sugary drippy sweet fluff for my friends as a Holiday card.  It is very saccharine.  Don't say I didn't warn you.    Merry Christmas!!!!

The Doctor belongs to the BBC and Charley Pollard to Big Finish.  I own nothing. 


13th-Nov-2007 10:37 pm - The Blood/Brain Barrier | Moonlight x Heroes | PG
Moonlight Beth
Title: The Blood/Brain Barrier
Author: [info]dukesfreers aka [info]iansmomesq
Fandom:  Crossover -- Heroes/Moonlight
Challenge by:  [info]flareonfury at [info]ml_ficathons
Characters:  Mick St. John, Lt. Carl Davis, Mohinder Suresh, Matt Parkman, Audrey Hanson, Sylar
Rating: PG
Summary:  Mick gets hired.  Stake outs.  Mick gets his butt kicked again and gets rescued by an unlikely hero.  Sylar goes down. 

Comments
:  Moonlight and Mick St. John belong to their writers.  Heroes and those characters belong to their writers.  These writers are currently fighting to be paid fairly for the fruits of their labor.  I support the WGA strike wholeheartedly. 

29th-Oct-2007 03:03 pm - Moonlight | Memento Mori | PG | Mick/Beth
Moonlight Mick Pink
Title:  Memento Mori
Chapter:  1/1
Author[info]dukesfreers aka [info]iansmomesq
Fandom:  Moonlight
Characters: Mick St. John, Beth Turner
Rating:  PG
Spoilers:  Epsiode 101 through Episode 105, if any.
Disclaimer:  Mick and Beth are the brainchildren of some amazing writer employed at CBS.  They are not mine.  I hope CBS doesn't mind me playing in their sandbox for a while.

Summary:  Reminders of death, reminders of life.  

Note:  For  [info]bipagan    .  I'll post this over at  [info]ml_ficathons    too, but in a shorter version. XD

 
29th-Oct-2007 11:01 am - Since I've been lame in my writing lately...
Doctor 8 Pouty

Or actually, it's been non existent except for this one piece of crap Hornblower wise and another Moonlight wise that are just not doing well in my brain right now and they suck on paper, so I'm keeping them to myself and let's just leave it at that, I thought, a meme, perhaps a bit vain on my part but since when has that EVER stopped me.  Gakked from

[info]trystan830

 


What would you say are the trademarks of my writing?  What themes of quirks or turns of phrase have you noticed?  What is it that makes a story by me, a story by me? 


And I also have the song "Los Angeles" by Sugarcult going around my head.  Heaven knows why.  Urgh.


3rd-Oct-2007 11:20 am - Blurb v. Lulu -- Self-publishing sites
steve hogarth

Somehow, I don't know how, my last post as I was editing it, got eaten.  My fault I suppose, that and a new, unfamiliar computer doesn't help.  Don't ask about keeping drafts, etc., because it didn't work.  *pounds computer*  *sigh*

Anyway, the gist of it was that I had tested out two self-publishing sites, www.blurb.com and www.lulu.com, and I had essentially posted the following, which I hope comes in helpful and handy to someone *G*:

12th-Sep-2007 08:44 am - Flashover Illustrations
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Instead of having the multiple posts for the Flashover illustrations by [info]charleygirl, here are the illustrations all in one post.  Enjoy!  They're not necessarily in order due to issues with my photobucket account, but I've labeled them accordingly. 



9th-Sep-2007 10:27 pm - Meme gakked from [info]rach74
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Name a character that you know I write or have written, and I’ll tell you:

a. What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about him/her
b. One of his/her best traits
c. One of his/her worst traits
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future

I love these writerly memes because they sometimes get together with my brain and they have babies. XD
20th-Aug-2007 01:50 pm - DVD Commentary 3 - Incurable
userpic
For [info]luisadeza
<3333. 

19th-Aug-2007 09:47 pm - DVD Commentary 2 -- Flashover
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
[info]whochick asked that I jot down some of my thoughts, ideas, memories, etc. about Flashover in response to that meme that's going around.  It's a ten-chapter deeley, so what I'm thinking of doing instead of reposting whole chapters is just writing a paragraph or two about each chapter in this entry.  I know it's not a true DVD Commentary in the LJ Traditional Sense Of The Word, but hopefully this is fun to read and not too, you know, pretentious.  Because still... half of this stuff literally just kind of came out of my ass as I was writing it. XD

It's like Jasper Fforde writes in the Thursday Next novels.  Authors aren't creative (JOKE!)... they merely have the brains to take in and be a conduit what the BookWorld wants written... and sometimes when I'm writing I feel like that.  Like the characters are just screaming at me to write something... to tell a story and so I do it.  Does that sound cooky/stupid/cocky?  Yeah.  But I don't care.  That's how it feels sometimes and all I can do is be honest about it.

OK on to the Chapters.

19th-Aug-2007 03:27 pm - DVD Commentary 1 -- Caudebec
userpic
By request of [info]subduction and [info]quigonejinn... my take on my poem, Caudebec.  Comments in red.


18th-Aug-2007 09:55 pm - Ah, what the heck... I'll give it a go....
Doctor 8 Time Vortex Red Fire
Following on the heels of my dear friends [info]randomalia, [info]quigonejinn and [info]subduction, I will happily provide a DVD Commentary on any one of my fics (all posted below, some flocked, however) if you comment below with a request.   DVD Commentary generally consists of highlighted comments about a writer's thought processes or construction, creative process, input, or any other influence or brain waves concerning a piece of writing.  I can't guarantee it will be done very quickly, or be very insightful or even very exciting, but I'll do my best....

HIT ME!
 
14th-Aug-2007 08:23 am - Doctor Who | Flashover | Eight/Charley | R | Chapter Ten - Reconstruction (final chapter)
flashover
 
Title: Flashover
Chapter: Ten -- Reconstruction (final chapter)
Author: dukesfreers
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, OC's
Rating: R (violence) 




Comments:  Reconstruction.  The process of recreating the physical scene during fire scene analysis through the removal of debris and the replacement of contents or structural elements in their pre-fire positions.  Sec. 1.3.48, NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 2001 Ed.

Notes:  Well, this is it.  I feel like I've been writing this for ages, tweaking and tweaking before even letting my betas read it... and I'm sad and happy it's finally done.  I'll miss writing it.  Thanks again to everyone who has read it all the way through, and for your fantastic support and wonderful comments!  Thanks also to my intrepid, awesome betas, [info]whochickand [info]luisadeza!  Your input, especially in this last chapter, was absolutely valuable!!!!  Made all the difference.

Illustration by [info]charleygirl



12th-Aug-2007 08:44 pm - Flashover -- Appendix 3 -- Video of Flashover
flashover

This goes with Chapter 9 -- Explosion.  It's a video showing how a room can "flashover" with flame after a short time.  Flashover happens when the smoke layer from a fire in a space heats up to a certain temperature such that the particles in the smoke ignite, and the other items in the room also reach that temperature and ignite.  It's pretty dramatic when it happens...  Flashover is a scary thing because it happens so quickly and makes the fire go completely out of control.   This video is shown at probably every basic fire scene investigation seminar... I've seen it about 45645646 times and it still amazes me.

Enjoy!
12th-Aug-2007 07:58 pm - Doctor Who | Flashover | Eight/Charley | R | Chapter Nine - Explosion
flashover
Title: Flashover
Chapter
: Nine -- Explosion
Author: dukesfreers
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, OC's
Rating: R (violence) 




Summary:  Explosion:  The sudden conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy with the production and release of gases under pressure.  These high-pressure gases then do mechanical work such as moving, changing, or shattering nearby objects or materials.  Section 1.3.36, NFPA 921 Guide For Fire and Explosion Investigations 2001 Ed.

Notes:  This is it, boys, this is war.  This is where it gets crazy and things blow up... literally!!  Yay I love writing about fire!! XD  More angst, too!  :)  Thanks again to my intrepid betas... and to all those who have stayed with me so far! <333  I'd love to know what you think of this chapter!  Oh, and after this?  One chapter left.

Illustration by [info]charleygirl

11th-Aug-2007 09:05 am - Doctor Who | Flashover | Eight/Charley | R | Chapter Eight - Combustion
flashover
Title: Flashover
Chapter
: Eight -- Combustion 
Author: dukesfreers
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, OC's
Rating: R (violence) 




Summary:  Combustion.  When fire begins and proceeds at a sufficiently rapid rate to generate measurable amounts of heat and light. John D. DeHaan, Kirk's Fire Investigation, 5th Ed., 2002.

Comments:  Thank you again to [info]whochickand [info]luisadezawho have betaed me through this so far and made the fic something I'm proud of and something I can be happy with... which is a hard thing to do.  *g*  Thanks to those who have read/commented, as each time my email chimes over with an LJ comment for this account my heart flies.  ;)  *is a comment whore and admits it freely*  I hope you're still enjoying this.  And yes, once again it's the Doctor saving the world in his jim-jams.  XD  Time for the calm before the storm.  

Illustration by [info]charleygirl.

10th-Aug-2007 08:54 am - Doctor Who | Flashover | Eight/Charley | R | Chapter Seven - Pyrolysis
flashover
Title: Flashover
Chapter
: Seven -- Pyrolysis
Author: dukesfreers
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, OC's
Rating: R (violence) 



Summary:  Pyrolysis.  The chemical decomposition of a compound into one or more other substances by heat alone; pyrolysis often precedes combustion.  Section 1.3.96, NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 2001 Ed.  

Notes:  Thank you again to betas [info]whochick and [info]luisadeza.  Their input is beyond amazing. Thanks for your continued reading, and I hope you're continuing to enjoy this story -- it's been an absolute pleasure to write it.  If anything, it's gotten my nose back into NFPA 921 for purposes other than work.  :)   I would love to hear from you, good or bad!

And by popular demand, more Eight Angst!!!!!!!!!  *yay!*

Illustration by [info]charleygirl

9th-Aug-2007 05:22 pm - Flashover: Appendix 2
flashover
Here is a video of the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Department.  They would have played at the event featured in Chapter Six... but they wouldn't have played "Amazing Grace" this fast.   XD

I love these guys like burning.