#vetiknott

[sator-the-wanderer]

Thinking about their height difference

[the-foolish1]

A Vetinari x Drumknott ficlet I wrote instead of sleeping

Fandom: Discworld

Word count: 343

Rating: G

    Rufus stared at the boney back Infront if him. It was very rare that Havelock would fall asleep before him — eyes the colour of silver looking at him with a softness that could really be allowed only there and then were usually what Rufus saw last before drifting away, — but there it was.

    He was the only person who saw him like that, he thought. He was the only person who saw his bare spine, moving slowly with his even inhales and exhales.

    Unprotected.

    Vulnerable.

    Trusting.

    Rufus grew up in a middle class household, went to study clergy, and eventually got a position in the Palace. To become the acting Patrician's private secretary was never a part of any scheme of his; it wasn't a path to power for him either. He was promoted because he was competent at his job and Lord Vetinari thought him worthy.

    Until less than a decade ago he would've never thought he would be a pricey target for assassination.

    Havelock grew up in Pseudopolis. He's had lordship pinned on him since the day he was born. He's had an eye or an aim on him at all times.

    He must've had so few people he could trust.

    Rufus's heart inconveniently hurt. He should've thought himself special, but he held this horrible sadness for the man so dear to him.

    He sighed. The thoughts that he would've never allowed in the daytime — for the only use of them was for his body to feel like it's being eaten from inside out by his affection — were now clutching at his throat because he was too tired to fight back.

    He held Havelock in his arms. He pressed a kiss to the place where his back became his neck, praying that it wouldn't wake him up. For once in his life the gods heard his prayers. There were 6 meetings scheduled for the next day and his Patrician needed a rest.

    With disorganised thoughts lazily swimming around in his head and his forehead softly touching Havelock's shoulder blade he finally fell asleep.

[goalieflashflight]

Do you perchance have any vetinari/drumknott fic recs

What a great question! I have so many recs and it does depend on what you like in your Vetinari/Drumknott fics. If you haven't found it already Badass Tiger made a Dreamwidth with links to V/D fics from all over. Some links are dead (blog was last updated 2018) but there are some great links to fanfiction.net, LiveJournal, their own drabbles they didn't post else where, but most links are to A03. BadassTiger has one written called Colour that is very short and sweet.

As they haven't updated since 2018 they do not have links to any of DictionaryWrites who is an exceedingly talented writer who now post their own original works. Their Drumknott/Vetinari works are a masterclass and look towards a more mature take on the relationship. Drumknott is more than the rosy clerk and is given a cutting edge that makes sense for the personal clerk to Vetinari, who is more machiavellian. There are very tender moments and though their largest fic about this pair, In Duty, is not completed it is at a good stopping point and is supplemented by the the others stories in their Patrician and Clerk series.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Youtomyme and Ololon, on A03, have my favorite takes on Vetinari/Drumknott. Youtomyme does some great soul mark ones that allow Vetinari and Drumknott to face their feelings due to outside sources that fits them very well as they are both such dedicated professionals in the books. 'All's Fair' is my current favorite in this trope. Ololon is so talented as well and is one of the highest kudos authors on this pair for a reason. 'Three mistakes Drumknott made' is a fic I read over and over again. When I need a nice long fic the 'Seamstresses' Guild Ball' is my go to. I love that one and have commented on it several times. The way they write Vetinari is very believable.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I am not sure if you want explicit some of the ones mentioned above are. Everything has a tag! Even in BadassTigers they include a summary and SFW or NSFW tag next to the link for the most part. Last one I am going to recommend because I really could go all day with these is 'The Self-Publishing Subculture' by Aunt_Zelda. It really scratches my discworld need. It is hilarious, heartwarming and practical. Plus it acknowledges how fanfiction written on Disc might be taken from an administrative POV. I feel I am not selling this well but it is such a good fic.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I hope I didn't recommend to many you may have already read and if you are looking for non romantic Drumknott & Vetinari that still has them very close @cirrus-grey writes several excellent ones.

Thank you for the ask! It is flattering to be asked my favorite recs and there are so many good ones I didn't mention that are very much worth the read. These were top of mind. Let me know which ones you enjoy!!!

[sirdoghead]

what’s up drumknari nation wheeee *deafening silence* where my secretary/boss fans at *the volume of the vast vacuum of space* who up eroticizing shame and repression oh yeahhh *absolutely nothing*

[querulousmegapode]

Just, Drumknott is such a fascinating character.

Just the way that he’s described as having no discernible character and the fact that that’s a significant part of his professional persona that he’s cultivated. Just that he’s spent time turning himself as much into nothing as anything. That he moves silently, like a ghost, or is so quiet that people forget that he’s there. That he’s expected to listen in to conversations.

Just that so often he’s there in the background, mentioned as standing or sitting while Vetinari speaks.

He’s a ghost when Vetinari requires him to, dry and deadpan when Vetinari pulls him into their double act (especially with Moist), professional and sensible in most capacities.

But then in solo scenes you realise that he has so much character after all. Picking apart grammar in an entirely casual way when faced with a threat (when you say don’t nobody move), almost rude as he cuts off William (I think I don’t have to talk to you), embarrassed after getting stabbed, enthralled with the new steam engines. Even around Vetinari you get scenes like him agonising over misfiling that all show that he clearly *does* have this discernible character.

Just that his artifice has worked so well that it bleeds into everything. His attributes are essentially never described. He has no canon appearance. His discworld companion entry just mentions his lack of discernible character. We know essentially nothing about his life outside of work other than that he lives in the palace. In terms of family, all we know is that he has a singular nephew. Even William forgetting to ask for his age means that we know very little about him beyond him being ‘young’ (and that can’t possibly still be true by the end of the series).

Of course, a lot of that is stylistic, but I still find it interesting.

I also find it fascinating to consider those times that he appears colder. Part of his position involves appearing as a united front with Vetinari and Vetinari acts in certain ways to upkeep public opinion of him as a tyrant or just generally acts in morally questionable ways. This is, of course, half of what I like about him, but I keep finding myself considering Drumknott’s part in that.

Showing Moist the newspaper headline and commenting ‘innocently’, despite knowing that it’s likely going to make him fearful for his life. Arriving at the hanging and delivering the message about the false reprieve, again just toying with Moist. Standing there silently as Vetinari tells Mr Pump to break one of Moist’s fingers.

I’d love to get inside his head in that moment. Of course, Vetinari *doesn’t* break any of Moist’s fingers and I think he might be a different character if he had. But he can be ruthless and I’d love to know what Drumknott thinks about that. I presume he correctly guesses that Vetinari is teaching Moist a lesson.

He is, of course, very loyal and genuinely believes that Vetinari is not a tyrant. Working so closely beside him he is able to see past the persona that Vetinari puts up and in a scene where he is uncertain about Vetinari’s meaning he is described as usually being adept at understanding Vetinari (paraphrased).

I think for me this is a lot of the appeal of Vetiknott as a ship. These are both such deeply odd individuals, couched in layers and layers of artifice but ultimately they both understand each other. They understand putting Ankh Morpork first and devoting yourself to a life where you will never be thanked. Devoting yourself to a city that would much rather spit in your face than acknowledge your efforts. Being deposed and poisoned and shot for your troubles. Even Drumknott gets stabbed just for being there.

This is a dangerous, thankless, unrelenting job but every day they wake up and do it and that’s what I love about them.

I think that a quote from a DictionaryWrites fic sums this up best for me.

This is the best either of them could hope for.

[veni-vici-vetinari]

Um, you geeked out over my fic Regret, and I stumbled into that discussion about Vetinari growing wings. So, I've written a fic about it, called Angel, first part is out.

Thank you for telling me actually! I visit this app so sporadically these days I miss a lot of stuff 😅.

I read it now and I really love it!

The descriptions are all so beautiful, especially Vetinari’s thoughts slowly driving him mad with every single change to his body. Sam and Sybil comforting him were really lovely to read and the last bit with Drumknott was so sweet 💜💜!

I’ll link it here in case anyone hasn’t seen it: Angel. It’s a lovely fic, I love what you did with the idea and I look forward to see where it’s going <3

[thymatorisim]

Stuff I'm researching for fanfic porpouses. 🦭

[johannestevans]

happy birthday johannes!!✨ i've been rereading some discworld novels and it made me wonder (or it made me look it up anyway, i did not actually doubt it one bit) if you'd ever written discworld fic. which is how i ended up reading the entirety of patrician and clerk from 8am to 6pm this thursday, which i know bc that's when i had to go leave for work in an absolute FUGUE state. i did not plan this, it happened To Me, i got hooked and i then i couldn't stop. it's everything i ever wanted from a drumknott/verinari fic and i have felt every emotion under the sun intensely while reading it. also im devastated of course, but thank u all the same, i love to suffer <3

anyway since you also write worlds for your stories to take place in i wondered abt the influence of discworld books on your writing and world building overall? i always enjoy when a character or place i know from one story gets referenced or shows up in another one, but is then seen through a completely different lense by the current pov, or just noticing little connecting elements, it's very fun and its sth i love both about discworld novels and your writing :D

Send asks for my birthday (May 30)

Aaaah, thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed!!

Vetinari/Drumknott make me so fucking insane, I genuinely think the exchange in Unseen Academicals where Vetinari says to Drumknott, “Ah, Drumknott, you are a pillar of rock in a world of changes,” is one of the most romantic lines in fiction basically ever, it makes me so fucking emotional, and in general their dynamic kills and fuels me.

There are things that I definitely experimented with when writing Discworld fic that I don’t currently use in my own writing but wouldn’t be opposed to doing in future, namely head-hopping with a universal/semi-omnipotent narrator, it’s something Pratchett does so fucking artfully and is so satisfying when done well, although I do normally favour third-person limited because it’s just easier to keep track of what the reader knows and doesn’t, as well as making keeping narrative tension in check.

In the first instance, my passion for Vetinari/Drumknott was part of the initial inspiration for Heart of Stone – obviously Henry and Theophilus aren’t really like Vetinari and Drumknott in the least, except maybe for the ADHD and autism respectively, but I was even more obsessed with the boss/secretary dynamic at the time of writing than usual in part because of the Vetinari/Drumknott hold on my heart and mind.

I definitely think Pratchett’s work – and Wodehouse’s – encouraged me to lean into the mundanity of your basic everyday freaks – but honestly, one of the biggest encouragements I have as a big fan of Discworld is basically feeling free to play around with genre, different parts of the same world, sew them and stitch them together, and not necessarily set a static and set reading order or work chronologically.

Although my work is a little more chaotic in its arrangement than Discworld, I will shamefully admit.

And I don’t know if you read Of Files and Physicality, but I love Dripp so much that I did just take him away into my own world after making him as an OC for that AU.