And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" , livre ebook

Duck Prints Press LLC - Juno Caster , Era J. M. Couts , Aria L. Deair , Adrian Harley , R. L. Houck , nottesilhouette , Lucy K. R. , Nickel J. Keep , Mikki Madison , Nova Mason , Theo Neidlinger , Veronica Sloane , Theresa Tanner , K. B. Vimes , Lyn Weaver , Nicole Wilkinson , Miss Aceriee , Cris Alborja , Joshua Beeking , Liz Brooks , Amy Fincher , Taylor C. Fischer , Joey Hazell , Alicia Matheson , Pimmy Oldham , Pallas Perilous , Magnolia Porter , Sunny Powell , Xanthe P. Russell , Casei Solus , Rima Sweet , A. A. Weston

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134 pages

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In And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, 16 authors and 16 artists have come together to create an exquisite, full-color collection of artwork and stories inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. We encouraged contributors to stretch their imaginations, think outside the box, and put their own unique—and queer—twists on Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio, Don Pedro, and the whole gang! In true Shakespearean fashion, our creators utilize gender, sexuality, romanticism, and a host of costume changes to tell unique artworks and stories—some featuring original characters, some characters from the play—that show Shakespeare’s work in a whole new light.
I Am For You by Lucy K. R.
Duly Noted by Xanthe P. Russell
Hero’s Moon by Theresa Tanner
Beatrice and Benedicia & Hiro and Claudia by Sunny Powell
An Office Ado by Aria L. Deair
Melancholy by Joshua Beeking
ASS[U]ME: A Queer Love Story by K. B. Vimes
Eat His Heart in the Marketplace by Magnolia Porter
Much Ruckus by R. L. Houck
Corkboard by Casei Solus
Some Sparks That Are Like Wit by Adrian Harley
Benedick (Disaster Bi) & Beatrice (Disaster Bi) by A. A. Weston
Ruckus, Drama, and 2-Metre-Tall Penguins by Era J. M. Couts
Taming My Wild Heart to Thy Loving Hand by Pimmy Oldham
Dear Don Pedro by M. K. Mads
Cottage Country Comic AU by Joey Hazell
Good Men and True by Juno Caster
Untitled Artwork by Liz Brooks
A Skirmish of Wit by Nicole Wilkinson
The Sweetest Thing by Alicia Matheson
Can Virtue Hide Itself? by Lyn Weaver
Born Under Saturn by Pallas Perilous
The Journal Of Don Pedro: Or, The Straights Are At It Again by Nova Mason
Let Me Be That I Am by Rima Sweet
Some Cupids by Nickel J. Keep
Intimacy & Silver tongue by Cris Alborja
The False Sweet Bait by Veronica Sloane
Masquerade by Taylor C. Fischer
The Polyamorous “Oh” by Theo Neidlinger
Battle of Wit by Miss Aceriee
f nd ourselves unstuck by nottesilhouette
I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark at a Crow by Amy Fincher
Index
Source Information for Casei Solus’s Collage
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About Duck Prints Press LLC

Sujets

Romance

Romance LGBT

LGBTQ+

Speculative fiction

General officer

General

Fiction

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Publié par	Duck Prints Press LLC
Date de parution	01 octobre 2022
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781946472137
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0600€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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And Seek (Not) to Alter Me
Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

Duck Prints Press, LLC
Schenectady, NY

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from the publisher and the story author and/or art piece artist. Reviews, blog posts, articles, etc., may use short quotes under “fair use” rules.
The stories in this anthology are works of fiction. The artworks in this anthology are works of fiction. The characters and events portrayed are a product of the authors’ and artists’ imaginations. Businesses, places, people, and incidents pulled from the real world or history are used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental.
And Seek (Not) to Alter Me © 2022, Duck Prints Press LLC
Stories :
“Good Men and True” © 2022, Juno Caster
“Ruckus, Drama, and 2-Metre-Tall Penguins” © 2022, Era J. M. Couts
“An Office Ado” © 2022, Aria L. Deair
“Some Sparks That Are Like Wit” © 2022, Adrian Harley
“Much Ruckus” © 2022, R. L. Houck
“I Am For You” © 2022, Lucy K. R.
“Some Cupids” © 2022, Nickel J. Keep
“Dear Don Pedro” © 2022, M. K. Mads
“find ourselves unstuck” © 2022, nottesilhouette
“The Journal Of Don Pedro: Or, The Straights Are At It Again” © 2022, Nova Mason
“The Polyamorous ‘Oh’ ” © 2022, Theo Neidlinger
“The False Sweet Bait” © 2022, Veronica Sloane
“Hero’s Moon” © 2022, Theresa Tanner
“ASS[U]ME” © 2022, K. B. Vimes
“Can Virtue Hide Itself?” © 2022, Lyn Weaver
“A Skirmish of Wit” © 2022, Nicole Wilkinson
Art :
“Battle of Wit” © 2022, Miss Aceriee
“Intimacy” © 2022, Cris Alborja
“Silver tongue” © 2022, Cris Alborja
“Melancholy” © 2022, Joshua Beeking
untitled art piece © 2022, Liz Brooks
“I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark at a Crow” © 2022, Amy Fincher
“Masquerade” © 2022, Taylor C. Fischer
“Cottage Country Comic AU” © 2022, Joey Hazell
“The Sweetest Thing” © 2022, Alicia Matheson
“Taming My Wild Heart to Thy Loving Hand” © 2022, Pimmy Oldham
“Born Under Saturn” © 2022, Pallas Perilous
“Eat His Heart in the Marketplace” © 2022, Magnolia Porter
“Beatrice and Benedicia” © 2022, Sunny Powell
“Hiro and Claudia” © 2022, Sunny Powell
“Duly Noted” © 2022, Xanthe P. Russell
“Corkboard” © 2022, Casei Solus
“Let Me Be That I Am” © 2022, Rima Sweet
“Beatrice (Disaster Bi)” © 2022, A. A. Weston
“Benedick (Disaster Bi)” © 2022, A. A. Weston
Front and back cover art © 2022, Gio Guimarães
Edited by A. L. Heard, Nina Waters, and Lacey Hayes.
Print manuscript formatting by Hermit Writes and Pallas Perilous.
E-book formatting by Nina Waters.
This collection exists thanks to the collective efforts of the Duck Prints Press management team: P. J. Claremore, A. L. Heard, Lacey Hays, Pallas Perilous, A. Reilly, Alessa Riel, and Nina Waters.
Published by Duck Prints Press, LLC
Schenectady, New York
duckprintspress.com
ISBN: 978-1-946472-11-3 (Paperback edition)
ISBN: 978-1-946472-13-7 (ePub edition)
ISBN: 978-1-946472-14-4 (Mobi edition)
ISBN: 978-1-946472-12-0 (PDF edition)

Table of Contents
I Am For You by Lucy K. R.
Duly Noted by Xanthe P. Russell
Hero’s Moon by Theresa Tanner
Hiro and Claudia by Sunny Powell
Beatrice and Benedicia by Sunny Powell
An Office Ado by Aria L. Deair
Melancholy by Joshua Beeking
ASS[U]ME: A Queer Love Story by K. B. Vimes
Eat His Heart in the Marketplace by Magnolia Porter
Much Ruckus by R. L. Houck
Corkboard by Casei Solus
Some Sparks That Are Like Wit by Adrian Harley
Benedick (Disaster Bi) by A. A. Weston
Beatrice (Disaster Bi) by A. A. Weston
Ruckus, Drama, and 2-Metre-Tall Penguins by Era J. M. Couts
Taming My Wild Heart to Thy Loving Hand by Pimmy Oldham
Dear Don Pedro by M. K. Mads
Cottage Country Comic AU by Joey Hazell
Good Men and True by Juno Caster
Untitled Artwork by Liz Brooks
A Skirmish of Wit by Nicole Wilkinson
The Sweetest Thing by Alicia Matheson
Can Virtue Hide Itself? by Lyn Weaver
Born Under Saturn by Pallas Perilous
The Journal Of Don Pedro: Or, The Straights Are At It Again by Nova Mason
Let Me Be That I Am by Rima Sweet
Some Cupids by Nickel J. Keep
Intimacy by Cris Alborja
Silver tongue by Cris Alborja
The False Sweet Bait by Veronica Sloane
Masquerade by Taylor C. Fischer
The Polyamorous “Oh” by Theo Neidlinger
Battle of Wit by Miss Aceriee
find ourselves unstuck by nottesilhouette
I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark at a Crow by Amy Fincher
Source Information for Casei Solus’s Collage
Backers
About Duck Prints Press LLC

I Am For You
By Lucy K. R.
Tags: the 2000s, alternate universe, angst, bad parenting, character is in the closet, elderly character, emotional abuse, emotional hurt/comfort, established relationship, false accusations, fraught family dynamics, historical, misunderstandings, miscommunication, mlm, mentions of death of a parent, mentions of death of a spouse, mentions of self-harm, period-typical homophobia, pov third person limited, present tense, secret relationship, united states of america, unreliable narrator, wlm
*
When I was growing up, it was a joke in my house that my parents would out me to the military. Like most of the kids in my public high school, I was subject to frequent recruitment efforts. Once, my mother even answered the Navy’s call with, “Oh, you don’t want her, she’s gay.” But what was a fun joke to us was a reality for people who had dedicated their lives to an institution that counted on them to kill, but would kick them out for loving. Seeing Don Pedro as a military man with such a deep connection to Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing brought to mind those Don’t Ask Don’t Tell days during which I grew up. From that framework I wondered: what would it look like to do anything for love?
*
June 2003; the Governor’s Mansion
“If I were still a young man”—Leonato’s voice is low, sheltered though they are behind rows of his father’s books—“how would you woo me?”
“Ah,” Don Pedro chuckles, flexing his left hand—always sore from the scar at the meat of his thumb. “If you were a young man, I would have to fight off your suitors with my cane.”
“But you would be young too.” Leonato notes Don Pedro’s empty glass. A better host would fill it, but he’s too busy enjoying Don Pedro’s hand on his thigh, the warmth of his closeness, and the safety of the library. “Where would you even find a cane?”
“I suppose I would borrow one.” Don Pedro’s answer is light with amusement. “Surely some kind elder would lend theirs to such a cause.”
“Would you lend yours today?”
“For love? In a heartbeat.”
Love , he says, so easily. Love , in his rich voice, with the ever-lingering hint of Spain in his words. Love , as if Leonato is not already lost.
A breath closer, and they kiss as if they really are young again. Leonato’s beard catches against Don Pedro’s stubble, chaste affection giving way to bold desire.
Neither of them jolt at the sound of the door. They are old and battle-hardened. They know that secrets are best kept through calmness, that serenity hides more than tension. It aches in Leonato’s chest to part slowly from their kiss. One more , he wants to whisper. Fear binds the words in his throat.
“Have you seen the way he looks at him?” one of the manor employees hisses from behind the shelves that hide them.
Don Pedro’s hand twitches before he moves it from Leonato’s thigh. Leonato takes their empty glasses to the bar. They listen by silent accord.
“The governor?” a second voice replies—one of his daughter’s favorite maids, Margaret. “Of course! He’s always like that when the general comes around. Brightens the whole house up.”
“You don’t think it’s weird?” the first voice asks.
Leonato pours steadily. His heart pounds so hard that his pulse throbs down to his fingertips. Don Pedro’s presence is a stable certainty—an anchor.
If they round the final row of books…
“What’s weird about it?” Margaret has a sharp, repressive note in her voice. “A man’s not allowed to have friends? Shame on you.”
“It’s not that! Never mind. Whatever.”
“Not ‘whatever.’ Get your head on straight. The governor’s had his share of heartbreak,” says Margaret. Leonato flinches. “He can be as close as he likes with the general.” Behind him, Don Pedro shifts his weight.
There’s the sound of storming footsteps, then a muttered, “Can he?”
The library door closes behind them.
Don Pedro exhales. Leonato keeps his eyes on the too-generous pour of scotch, opening the freezer below the bar to add fresh ice to the glass.
“Leonato — ”
“Thank goodness no one cares to read family history.” Leonato gestures to the books sheltering them.
“Leonato.”
The weight of how Don Pedro says his name has changed, but it’s as heavy with love as ever. Leonato often wonders that no one else hears it—the way that light tongue frames the shape of him, as though he is a flavor to be savored.
“Forgive me,” he says, returning with the drink and setting it down before his love.
He sits across the table this time rather than at his side. Don Pedro says nothing, but in his dark eyes Leonato sees pain.
What Leonato would give to beat that hurt back with a cane.
*
“How long,” Beatrice asks, braced against the dining table with elbows locked, her head hanging low as though with exhaustion, “will these guests grace us with their presence?”
Leonato chokes on his tea and desperately tries to smother a laugh. Hero grins, unrepentant. She looks more like her mother each day, though the wicked amusement behind her sweet smile is hers alone.
“Beatrice finds Corporal Benedick intolerable,” Hero informs him, and sends him a wink.
“A month or more,” Leonato answers. The agonized groan that is unleashed upon him could not have been more wounded if he’d stabbed Beatrice with his butter knife. “Has the corporal been so disagreea