Crossworks 2023 (1 of 2): Practically perfect gifts

The arrival of Yuletide admin posts on my reading page reminds me that I haven't yet posted about Crossworks, in which I received two excellent gifts and wrote one...

...all of which managed to involve Mary Poppins.

Written for me:

Well Met on the Common Journey
Fandoms: Mary Poppins, Young Wizards
Author sinkauli
Rating: G
Category: gen
Warnings: none
Words: ~1700
Relationship: Mary Poppins & Daryl McAllister
Characters: Mary Poppins, Daryl McAllister
Additional Tags: canon autistic character, nannies

Darryl isn't a little kid any more. But this nanny isn't an ordinary nanny.

A really excellent, perceptive story that does justice to both its principal characters - not an easy thing, given that one is neurodivergent and one is notoriously prickly. The writing here is exceptionally sensitive and wonderfully respectful, and fits the two canons together wisely and well.

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Clark, I Don't Think We're In Smallville Anymore
Fandom: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Mary Poppins
Author Missy
Rating: G
Category: multi
Warnings: none
Words: ~1800
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Dorothy Gale & Ozma
Characters: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Mary Poppins, Tip|Ozma, Dorothy Gale, original characters
Additional Tags: Humor, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Crossover, World Hopping, Friendship, Mild Injuries, With A Twist, Magic, Canon-Typical Magic, ambiguous ending, Crack Treated Seriously

Lois Lane and Clark Kent find themselves stuck in Oz when they're unexpectedly attacked by a cyclone-powered supervillain. While following the yellow brick road in an attempt at getting some help, they find a very proper nanny stuck in an apple tree. Together, they travel to the city of Oz, looking for a way home. Only Princess Ozma and her closest companion can solve the problem. Or can she?

The "crack treated seriously" tag fits this piece really well; what we have here is a brisk, neatly characterized tale that drops Lois & Clark into an early-ish Oz that blends elements of the books and the classic movie, then adds Mary Poppins for good measure. The fusion is cleverly done, taking L&C as its baseline tone, and the entire cast is portrayed with an even hand. For sheer fun value, this is a story that's hard to beat.

Crossworks 2023 (2 of 2): As Lucky Can Be

I noted in the prior post that both the story I wrote and the gifts I received involved Mary Poppins, but it was more interesting than that: in fact, sinkauli and I were each other's recipients.

In this case, my own story is a bit of an outlier. I chose to blend the Poppins canon with Murder She Wrote - but rather than focusing on Jessica Fletcher, I decided to spotlight her identical cousin Emma MacGill (also played by Angela Lansbury), and to connect the tale with Mary Poppins Returns by way of Lansbury's Emma's appearance therein. Which leads us to:

As Lucky Can Be
Fandoms: Murder She Wrote, Mary Poppins
Rating: G
Category: gen
Warnings: none
Words: ~2900
Characters: Emma MacGill, Jessica Fletcher, Lin-Manuel Miranda, a chimney sweep, a lamplighter, Frankie Fletcher
Additional Tags: theater, movies

Some career decisions are more life-changing than others....