Yuletide Reveal: Dysfunctional Siblings Unite!

[selenak]

The shared theme of my two Yuletide stories, one Breaking Bad and one The Godfather, being: siblings. (And crime, I suppose.) (And hot chocolate.)

This year something happened to me which never did before: I was matched with a recipient who requested something very similar to one of my own requests, and then I got exactly the story same type of story as a gift that I myself was writing as a result. Since it was one about Marie and Skyler and the aftermath of Certain Spoilery Events, I was all for it. My own recipient was nicole_anell, whose Battlestar Galactica meta I love, and so I was rather desperately hoping she'd like the result, which used a lot of the headcanon I have about the childhood and adolesence of the Lambert sisters as well:

Blood Ties (7070 words) by Selena
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Breaking Bad
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Marie Schrader & Skyler White, Hank Schrader/Marie Schrader, Skyler White/Walter White
Characters: Marie Schrader, Skyler White, Hank Schrader, Walter White Jr., Walter White
Additional Tags: Character Study, Grief/Mourning, Family Dynamics, Siblings
Summary:

Hank and Skyler were the two constants in Marie's life. Now she's lost one, and can't help blaming the other. As loss and rage mingle with love and a lifetime of memories, Marie tries to find a way to cope.

chaila guessed this was my story, and thus is entitled to a drabble on the subject of her choice if she wants one.


My other story, which I wrote as a treat, is set in the granddaddy of all Crime-And-The-Dysfunctional-Family fandoms, The Godfather. I've always wanted to explore Connie, and her relationships with her brothers, particularly Michael, but also Connie and her mother, and the Godfather saga, which is as male-centric a narrative as they come, from a female pov. Now I know the book and the movies pretty well, but when I refreshed my canon knowledge, I still was startled to realise that I had plain forgotten Fredo was married in the second film (let alone what his wife was called - Deanna), and had trouble remembering the name of Sonny's wife (Sandra). Also, Vito Corleone's wife is referred to so often as "Mama Corleone", "the Don's wife" etc. that it took some time to hunt down her first name as well (Carmella). Which in itself tells you something about female characters not Kay or Connie in The Godfather. Anyway, the scene at Fredo's funeral between Connie, Sandra and Deanna ended up as one of my favourite things to write, and I could finally create something with the thoughts I had about how her parents' reaction to what Connie's marriage turned out to be formed her. As for Connie and Michael, who, as the third movie shows, end up having spent most of their lives together which was certainly not what either of them expected - well, read for yourselves:

Fuit Quondam (4869 words) by Selena
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Godfather (1972 1974 1990)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Connie Corleone Rizzi & Michael Corleone, Connie Corleone Rizzi & Santino "Sonny" Corleone, Connie Corleone Rizzi & Vito Corleone, Connie Corleone Rizzi/Carlo Rizzi, Kay Adams/Michael Corleone, Connie Corleone Rizzi & Frederico "Fredo" Corleone, Connie Corleone Rizzi & Carmella Corleone
Characters: Connie Corleone Rizzi, Michael Corleone, Carmella Corleone, Santino "Sonny" Corleone, Vito Corleone, Sandra Corleone, Deanna Corleone, Kay Adams, Carlo Rizzi, Tom Hagen, Frederico "Fredo" Corleone
Additional Tags: Character Study, Siblings, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Summary:

Being a Corleone is supposed to be different when you're a woman. Connie and her brothers through the years.

Comments

[likeadeuce]

I suspected you might have written BB, and of course, I am not far enough in the series to read it (though I did just finish episode 5!) -- though if someone had told me there was Marie & Skyler sister bonding fic I might have guessed it was you anyway. (I actually would have guessed you wrote the 'Third Man' fic if it hadn't been in your recs!)

I will get to the 'Godfather' fic shortly -- I haven't seen the third movie, but I figure I will be able to piece it together.

Dysfunctional siblings forever!

[selenak]

Not to worry, re: third movie - I use some information from it, but the story stops shortly after the second one ends, years before the third starts.

[chaila]

\o/ I'm glad I guessed impulsively; if I'd seen before I guessed that you also received a fic on a similar theme, I might have hesitated! The BB fic you received was lovely too, yay.

Oooh are you willing to do a TSCC drabble? I'd love to see you do something with Sarah. For a specific prompt (if you want one), Sarah Connor, damage.

(If you don't want to do TSCC, that's totally cool. I am very happy with the bragging rights of a correct guess. :D)

[selenak]

I'll gladly write an TSCC drabble! Will try to think of a good one.

[misspinkman]

You wrote a beautiful fic for meeeee :) At reveals I went "hey! I know you :D"

Edit: This is the DW version of sydpenguinbunny/SegaBarrett BTW :P

[selenak]

It was my pleasure. :) When we all posted our requests on lj and dw, I spotted yours and thought, ohhhhh, Sega asked for Connie, I've always wanted to write Connie, I'LL GET ONTO THAT!

[misspinkman]

Awwww!! I was so excited to read your gift :D It was soooo good <3 I need to go back and reread the original novel now! I bought a copy a little while ago but haven't read it since high school. I remember being a little traumatized by all the focus on Sonny's, well... :P

[selenak]

The novel is unabashed pulp fiction (The Godfather being one of those few fims where the films are just plain better) and sexist as hell, but it does provide some useful background info. (For example: I got the reaction of Connie's parents to Carlo beating her, complete with the "no, but she never gave me cause" line out of the book. The disturbing thing is that the novel's rendition of that scene makes you suspect Puzo is with the Don on that one.) (Not least because in another plotline, in his conversation with Don Corleone, Johnny Fontane in the book also mentions he's been hitting his second wife for cheating on him, but not in the face, because she's filming, and the point of the scene is that Hollywood's been emasculating him and a true Sicilian would have just struck everywhere and showed her who's boss.)

Ah yes, the subplot about Lucy's vagina. Teenage me actually didn't have a problem with that one when I read the book, other than noting that vagina operations sounded remarkably painless and that Lucy was lucky to date a gynaecologist after Sonny.

[misspinkman]

Ohhh yes. The movie was definitely better than the book; there was so much random in that book, and, yes, sexism too - though Puzo might have gotten better by the time he wrote Last Don, since one of the antagonists is a stalkery asshole and it's portrayed very negatively (then again, Cross, who is basically Michael in reverse, has to save the damsel in distress FROM said antagonist... IIRC as it's been a long time since I read it.)

Well, I didn't so much have a problem with it rather than I was looking around thinking "there's a lot of penises in this" as I read it in the middle of class and really, really hoped a teacher wasn't going to look to see what I was reading and glimpse a page about the enormity of Sonny's cock :)

[skywaterblue]

Ah, I should have guessed that.