Panto!

Fanfiction
Title:	Panto!
Author(s):	fawatson
Date(s):	29 August 2011
Length:	640 words
Genre:	backstory
Fandom:	Mary Renault
External Links:	(members-locked)
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"Panto!" is a short story by fawatson based on Mary Renault's 1953 novel The Charioteer. It takes place some years prior to Chapter Two, when Ralph Lanyon is in the fourth form.

Synopsis

In the Michaelmas term, the fourth form traditionally puts on a pantomime for the whole school; but, this year, Lanyon and Treviss—assigned to hunt out costumes stored in the school prop room—are having trouble finding anything suitable for a performance of Aladdin.

Background

"Panto" was written in response to the Spangled Loincloth Challenge (2011 Summer Challenge) on the maryrenaultfics LJ community to the dual prompt, "summer clothes" (for those writing stories based on a modern novel) or "spangled loincloth" (for those writing historical fiction), but the added challenge of contriving a way to put "spangled loincloth" in a story about Ralph Lanyon. "Panto!" was the second story written to this added challenge, following toujours_nigel's "To Bury Caesar" and preceding Greer Watson's "Scenes Ill Lit". All three authors found the most likely scenario to involve the performance of a pantomime. Aladdin was mentioned in the first story, and therefore became a point of reference in all three.

Comments

Comments include the following:

• "It's good to see a younger Ralph with a playful streak, so to speak. I enjoyed this very much, thank you! :)"—trueriver
• "Charming - really - just charming. I don't know that we've ever seen a really young Raph (sic) - what a perfect adventure for him...*and* for Trev, who is very real, now, since ITOW and the rest."—my_cnnr
• "Oh, this is lovely. Lanyon&Treviss as you write them are wonderful and fun and it's so good to have Ralph-as-a-kid, without all the anxieties."—toujours_nigel