keep ithaka always in your mind

Now, I know writing for a new fandom can be slightly intimidating—but do not fear! If you’re worried about presenting your writing please feel free to reach out to me about beta reading your work, I would be very happy to do so.

Get out your glitter leotards and pour some champagne in your cat mugs! 🥂 🍾 It’s time to celebrate Freddie! 🎉😸

🎊 Freddie Mercury Weekend 2021 🎊

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

ABOUT THE EVENT

This weekend is a content creation event in honour of the man himself, the legend we all love, Freddie Mercury! Once more, everyone who is inspired by Freddie is invited to share their creativity with the fandom. You can write, draw, edit, record, even cross-stitch 😉 content for absolutely anything related to Freddie, any ship, any genre, any way you like. This is an indiscriminately inclusive, positive event. Everyone is welcome, there is no wrong way to be a fan of Freddie! (Except convincing yourself you’re dating his ghost maybe. That’s pretty wrong. And weird. Don’t do that.)

WHEN? On the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of May.

HOW? On the above dates (or after!), post your contributions to the AO3 collection or alternatively on Tumblr, tagged ‘#fmw2021’ or/and ‘#freddie mercury weekend 2021’. If you post on Tumblr, please also tag @a-froger-epic to make sure you get a reblog from me!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

THE PROMPTS

You can be as free with the prompts as you like. They are here to inspire, there is no wrong way to write them! Change them around, mix them up, make them fem!Freddie, A/B/O, add your favourite ship. Anything goes! 😊

21st of May - 500-1000 word challenge!

We’re kicking off the event with ficlets and drabbles. First time writer just testing the waters? No need for an epic, just write a scene! No time to write but you want to participate? Surely you’ll find time for 500 words! 😉 Interpret these mini-prompts however you like (every one is a separate prompt, but you can combine them!):

Make-Up 💄   |   Pain/Pleasure 👀

Strip 👕   |   Ring 💍

Forbidden 🤫   |   Delilah 🐈

Piano 🎹   |   Dormitory 🛏 

Outrageous 🎉   |   Contentment 😌

Come Together 🎇   |   Ballet 🩰

Piece of Art 🎨   |   Leather 🧥

Cockring 🐔   |   Kimono 👘

Petals 🌸   |   Leotard 🕺🏻

Mustache 🧔   |   Last Time 😔

22nd of May - Is This The Real Life? 

A list of real event/canon timeline prompts from Freddie’s life. How real you want to keep them, however, is entirely up to you!

Down in flames

Freddie is 16 years old when he leaves boarding school. Does it have something to do with the school gardener, Sanjay? Did he flunk his exams or did he not even sit them? Is one thing connected to the other? Does he really find a boyfriend when he goes to stay with his aunt in Mumbai (then Bombay)? Either way, there’s the small matter of his parents finding out about all of it… (Sources: x x )

When Freddie met Kenny

Freddie is a guest on Kenny Everett’s radio show in spring 1974. Freddie is living with Mary, Kenny is married. Two gay men, deep in the closet. To no one’s surprise, they hit it off immediately. (Source: x )

But when did he? 

At some point during his relationship with Mary, prior to his relationship with David, Freddie had already begun sleeping with men. But how and when did that first happen? Cottaging in London? On tour somewhere in the world? Your guess is as good as ours… 

Flying High

Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll. Like all rock bands of their time, Queen doesn’t escape the copious amounts of cocaine in the entertainment industry for long. Somewhere on tour in America, perhaps, Freddie is first introduced to it. Where? How? 

Hide your tears

Jim said that he tried to be strong for Freddie and only cried in private, so as not to burden Freddie with his feelings. But this time, he is found. 

One-liners:

In 1969, Freddie doesn’t know how to cook an egg and neither does Roger (Source: x )

In 1977, Freddie meets Joe while on tour in Boston and starts dating him behind David’s back

In 1990, Brian and Freddie work on ‘The Show Must Go On’ (Source: x )

In a year of your choice, Jim reminisces about his fondest moment(s) with Freddie

In 1976, Freddie and Mary end their relationship 

In 1984, Winnie gives Freddie a wedding ring (middle of the post: x )

In the late 60s, Freddie agrees to model for an Ealing Art School fashion show, but panics and flees the runway (Source: x )

In 1974, Freddie is strip-searched upon arrival in Australia (Source: x )

In 1982, Freddie and Roger go shopping in Amsterdam (Source: x )

In 1978, Freddie swings from a chandelier - naked (Source: x )

23rd of May - Is It Just Fantasy?

A list of AU prompts to spark your imagination. Take them and run with them or change them up, just have fun!

Make your dreams come true

Freddie hasn’t been very fortunate in his life, until he finds a very special oil lamp, and rubs it just the right way. 

Beautiful stranger

Freddie meets an alluring stranger at a masquerade ball, who has more secrets than he can hide behind a mask. But Freddie has some of his own. 

Thicker than water 

Freddie agrees to a dreadful fate in order to save his little sister from the very same. Fortunately, he has friends who are more than willing to help him, but can they? Or are they, too, in danger?

Diamonds are a boy’s best friend

Freddie is the prized jewel of the court, a skilled belly-dancer and entertainer, but he may also be plotting murder and getting away with it. 

Almost Real

In a distant future, humans have all but done away with face to face interaction. Humanity largely lives online. Children grow up isolated and live with only their families well into young adulthood. Cybersex is the new normal, although some families take a puritanical approach for fear of addiction. One day, impossibly, a real life young man falls through the containment field in Freddie’s back garden. 

One-liners:

This plane is going to crash (Freddie knew there was a reason he hated flying) 

Shipwrecked on an island (Freddie could never bear to be alone, but luckily/unfortunately for him…) 

Hunger Games AU (Freddie is so dead) 

A terrible road accident (Everyone is so dead, or are they?) 

Blind Date AU (Freddie’s best friend is so dead for setting him up with this person… or are they…) 

Bank robbery (but who are the robbers and who are the hostages?) 

Magic AU (“Yer a wizard, Freddie!”)

Film Noir AU (Secrets and cigarette holders) 

Interior Design AU (Does the carpet match the drapes?)

The Bodyguard AU (“And I will always love yooouuuu…”)

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

RULES & FAQ

⛔ Strictly No Hate ⛔

This is the NUMBER ONE RULE of the event, to ensure that everybody feels safe. No rudeness, provocations or hate aimed at creators or other commenters will be permitted, not on AO3 nor Tumblr.

Follow these steps if you receive a comment or ask that distresses you:

Do not engage. (You can take a screenshot as proof.)

Delete it. No ifs, no buts. Just delete it. (Don’t hesitate to block anon hate on Tumblr.)

Alert me ( @a-froger-epic ) or @aboutnothingness, who is lending me a hand to make sure all needs are attended, all questions are answered and everything runs smoothly. We are here to actively support you. We’ve got your back, and we will gladly talk to you and help you feel better.

If you choose to ignore this rule, your work may be removed from the event. We would hate to resort to that.

But what if one of the works has upset me?

Can the thing that upset you be tagged, but it wasn’t? Then please inform @a-froger-epic or @aboutnothingness, and we will bring it to the creator’s attention. (Remember to use the appropriate tags, everybody!)

Was the thing that upset you already tagged? Or is it perhaps simply the characterisation you find disagreeable? Then we suggest you click on the ‘back’ button, take a deep breath and remind yourself it’s just fanfic.

Who can participate?

Anyone who is inspired by Freddie Mercury in any way shape or form. This event is open to all.

Can I combine prompts from different days?

By all means! We look forward to your futuristic Freddie-gets-kicked-out-of-boarding-school Maycury Film Noir AU. With leotards. Go crazy.

I’m not sure where my creation fits in, what day do I post it? 

The days, like the prompts, are only suggestions. We don’t mind when you post it, as long as you post it! Even if it’s two weeks late! 

Help, I’ve never posted fic before! 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you! (And more importantly, we’ve got AO3 invites!) @aboutnothingness is more than happy to walk you through the process of setting up an account and is also offering her services as a beta.

I’m still too nervous to participate!

You can post anonymously to the collection. You can disable anon comments on your work. You can disable comments entirely and just collect the kudos. You can close anon asks on Tumblr temporarily. But most importantly, we are here for you and we want you here!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

“I love the fact that I make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just half an hour of their lives, in any way that I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.”

She’s not attacking anyone. You, anons, are saying she attacked someone. But she has not—I assure you.

Phoebe arrives, as always, to help.

For a dear friend.

Chapter One

The note soars—hopeful turned mournful. A dove spanning the sky. There are no lyrics, there’s nothing left to say. Listen to my heart, I bled the notes, this is dangerous love. This is what happens, beware: heartbreak, redemption, heartbreak. Exercises in free love.

A story of love and Freddie’s last years.

Well, as you said, Freddie liked to be flirty, so whether Roger actually said it like that or not, it makes a lot if sense to me. And also that Roger liked to flirt back in the same playful spirit. I mean, just look at the Radio Ga Ga making of, or the Japan fan greetings video.

But I’m not sure anon is trying to prove anything - their last sentence about Freddie being ‘flirty’ in general already puts it into perspective and suggests that Roger didn’t mean Freddie was actually coming on to him. 

I mean, the term “flirty” or “flirting” doesn’t necessarily imply amorous intent. I looked up a couple of definitions, and they all mention that it can be done for amusement or fun (or as I called it in my response, ‘playful’) or stressed it’s non-serious nature. So even if Roger said it, it doesn’t imply in any way that he thought Freddie was seriously interested in him. And when I say that they flirted with each other, I don’t mean it was ‘flirting with intent’. (There is a lot of ‘flirty’ behaviour among my friends, both straight and queer, and the majority of it is not meant as a serious overture). 

Good point about the different meanings and norms of behaviour in queer and straight spaces, both of which Freddie would have had to navigate. I don’t think anything you said runs counter to the idea that Roger could have said something like that though. On the contrary: Roger would see Freddie’s behaviour, which you call camp/effeminate, through a heteronormative, straight-guy-in-a-straight-culture lens, and might call it flirting.

(Again, not saying he actually said it.)

-

Firstly: I completely understand why you would bring up definitions to try and zero in on the meaning or connotation of ‘flirty’/‘flirting’, but in the end, this definition-based approach has some limitations in terms of relevant and meaningful understanding of language. There is no such thing as a ‘purely’ objective or correct definition; they are all man-made, subject to bias, and they change drastically over time. This is why, for example, terms like ‘racism’ can function as the signifier of more than one completely different meaning, across different spheres of action and thought. As a result, looking to dictionary definitions in a discussion is—not valueless, by any means, but needs to be done with an exceptionally precise conceptualisation of what is being sought, what the question is. Here, since the possible usage is unsourced anyway, and thus especially ahistorical—unpinned from time; did Roger ‘say’ this in 1985 or 1995 or 2005 or 2015? each would have a different ‘meaning’—it’s hard to derive much from definitional research.

Secondly, I think it’s a big mistake to believe that Roger would not interpret Freddie’s behaviour correctly as effeminate and camp, because he himself (Roger) is straight. Camp has a storied history within British culture, and is accommodated surprisingly comfortably within the majority culture. That’s not to say it’s never a problematic issue, of course—there’s stereotyping, there’s prejudice, there are many aspects that are simply too complex for me to cover here. But camp was mainstream, not restricted to queer spaces.

There are myriad examples, but pulling one out of my hat at random—Julian and Sandy on Round the Horne, 1965 to 1968. Whether or not Brian and Roger remember these characters now, I can’t be sure (quite possibly not!), but they were common knowledge, a cultural reference point to anyone and everyone at the time. (My straight Boomer father is of an age with Brian and remembers them well—anecdote not constituting data, I realise!—but an easy, immediate example from life.) It can be easy to misjudge how stratified the culture of the time was; certainly there were queer enclaves, but there was also a really surprising degree of camp penetration within all levels (low/middle/high-brow) of British culture.

In that context, I don’t think the concept of Freddie ‘flirting with’ Roger is a harmless one, or in any sense a neutral idea for the original anon to drop into the fandom. Is it the case that every single person whose behaviour might be called flirtatious actually wants to get into the pants of the flirtee—? No. Absolutely, it’s far from a given. But this is an example specifically naming a gay man as the flirter and a straight man as the flirtee; implying a source; directed at someone the anon is (I believe) hoping will amplify the unsourced claim; and (probably unintentionally) perpetuating the harmful stereotype that gay people come onto straight people (i.e. the anon is, not you). If we look at just the anon message (absent all following dialogue), it is far from simple or without the potential to cause some harm.

Being “big” (although neither of us has all that many followers compared to the really big Queen blogs, like our lovely visual content creators and news article/review uploaders) blogs with a Froger emphasis, of course we get a lot of anon interaction speculating about Froger. However, if someone out there decides to run with information they saw an anon post without a source on a fictional-ship dominated blog, and take that for gospel about any of the Queen’s boys’ lives, well then… there’s nothing anyone can do about such a misjudgement of what is well-sourced information and what isn’t. 😅

When it comes to what you’ve added here, I think what jumps out at me is that you’re describing yourself as a fictional ship-dominated blog (and Quirky by extension), but at other times you’ve mentioned being very interested in and focused on the real Freddie; being devoted to portraying the most realistic portrayal possible; feeling very engaged with sources, etc.—to my mind, it’s a bit of a ‘can’t have it both ways’ thing. Either a blog is ship-centric, and written for fun, and ultimately about romance—and thus admittedly distorts reality—or it is reality-centric, even with a preferred ship being also present. It’s slippage between these two positions that can become foggy!

There is a line—quite a clear one, in fact—between real life happenings and story telling. Especially here, especially in RPF fandom (an incredibly delicate one, no less—don’t forget the true history of the situation we’re writing about here), because honestly, not distinguishing the line between your own ideas and facts is incredibly harmful. It’s harmful to the real life narrative—the little that we do know. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but that ought to be preserved and worked with—not cast aside or sieved through your personal outlook for the benefit of only your story and your easier-to-swallow interpretation. Pay attention to what you’re saying, what you’re really saying, and try to distinguish fact from fiction. This isn’t hard, it’s just that your pretty story is easier to choose than the real one. Don’t do that, please. The trickle down is painful to watch—find out who your character is and who the real person you’re writing about is. There’s an apparent distinction, but they’re getting mixed up.

His whole life is important. His birth. His death. His loves. His work. His mind. His heart. His illness. His power. His genius. His courage.