Quite Peculiar
is a series of oneshots and oneshot collections published on fanfiction.net, centered around the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. The series covers a large range of topics in its one hundred and thirty-two chapters.
Containing many stand-alone pieces, it also features the miniseries Prices to Pay, Trapped on the Wire, Before the Storm, Alive and On Time, Face to Face, and Parallel Universe.
Provides Examples Of:
- Acid Reflux Nightmare: Used to explain the April Fool's art of Alek storming into Deryn and Lilit's wedding in a walker.
- Action Girl: Deryn, as in canon.
- Allohistorical Allusion: A couple.
- Alternate Universe Fic: Some of the pieces are alternate-universe.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Alek fairly often asks (Perhaps rhetorical) clarifying questions, only to receive very sarcastic remarks from the Sharp siblings.
- Babies Ever After: In some of the stories: Sophie, Max, and Ernst.
- Bilingual Bonus: Fairly often. It helps that Alek's first language is German.
- Big Brother Instinct: When he appears, Jaspert gets very protective of Deryn, especially around Alek.
- Crack Fic: "transcript"
- Drabble: Some of the chapters, such as "one hand in my pocket," "prices to pay," and "on the clock."
- Downer Ending: The "Trapped on the wire" mini-series. Most depressing in the whole fic.
- Eating the Eye Candy: Deryn admiring Alek during his fencing lesson.
- Embarrassing Middle Name: Deryn's is MacGregor, a family name.
- For Want Of A Nail: The idea beind the "Parallel Universe" mini-series; the Leviathan never crash-lands in the Alps. Alek spends the war in Switzerland, and becomes Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Deryn encounters Eddie Malone one too many times, which lets him figure out her true gender, and he makes a great deal of money with the story that blows Deryn's cover and gets her kicked out of the service. Several years later, they meet in London, and... (see In Spite of a Nail)
- Flash Fiction: "shuffled" is a set of very short pieces inspired by songs showing up on iTunes in shuffle mode.
- Happily Married: When Deryn and Alek are lucky, they sometimes end story arcs married.
- Heroic BSoD: Deryn after the Leviathan is destroyed and she and Alek kill the soldiers in "Trapped on the Wire". She recovers.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Subverted. In "Fit to Print" Deryn thinks her housekeeper just pretends to have a roast in the oven to leave Alek and Deryn alone together, but the roast shows up later in the scene.
- In Spite of a Nail: the "Parallel Universe" mini-series. Deryn and Alek meet several years after the war, and get a bad case of Destiny, including burgeoning true love and high-stakes, possibly lethal adventure involving an attempted coup - in less than three days so far. Though as the mini-series isn't complete, time will tell whether Alek remains Emperor and they get a happy ending.
- If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Jaspert promises Alek that he will break Alek's legs if he ever broke Deryn's heart in Oh Brother.
- Knight Templar: Dieter Hesse.
- Lap Pillow: In Before the Storm.
- Lethal Chef: Both Alek and Deryn in "shuffled."
- Meaningful Name: Mary Sue Scribner, Deryn's biographer.
- The Mole: Anna in "Trapped on the Wire".
- Mood Whiplash: At the end of "fencing."
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Volger tries this briefly in Whether Or Not You Should.
- Oblivious to Love: Alek, in a lot of the stories.
- Official Couple: Deryn and Alek in numerous continuities.
- Overly Long Name: "Aleksandar Ferdinand Karl Franz Michael Hubert Anton Ignatius Joseph Maria von Hohenberg, at your service, Miss Sharp." Justified, as it's mostly the name of one of duke's real sons.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Volger and Dr. Barlow, naturally."Do you play chess, Count Volger?""Forgive me, Doctor, but I believe we have been for some time already."
- Papa Wolf: Alek in "Fighting Words".
- Pimped-Out Dress: Deryn wears (and complains about) one in "Prices to pay."
- Sexy Discretion Shot: used a few times in the more suggestive chapters.
- Shirtless Scene: Subverted. In "Fencing", Deryn wishes she really were a boy so she could take her shirt off in the heat. The actual males present, Alek and Volger, choose not to take the opportunity.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: the "In the midnight hour" duology deals with Deryn and Alek dealing with PTSD-induced nightmares, and seeking comfort in each other. Deryn's is about her father's death and takes place on the Leviathan, but Alek's is post-canon and centers around his killing Nikola Tesla.
- Shown Their Work: Constantly. The research behind the story is fantastic.
- Shout-Out: one part of "Paralell Universe" is a direct takeoff of Laura Roslin's 'every cannon, every bomb' speechnote , where Deryn vows to do this to all of Alek's enemies. Also done in-universe in the mini-series, as Deryn name-drops and follows the example of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie, disguising Alek as a girl.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Deryn and Alek in less optimistic storylines.
- Start of Darkness: A brief line featuring Adolf Hitler.
- Taking the Bullet: Deryn for Alek in "Trapped on The Wire". Deconstructed, as the assassin just takes another shot, killing them both.
- Tears of Remorse: Deryn in "Trapped on the Wire".
- The Mistress: the "Prices to pay" mini-series is about Deryn being Alek's.
- Tomboy: Deryn, obviously, and her daughter Sophie in one story.
- Too Dumb to Live: Stipp and Holtz.
- Was It All a Lie?: Alek asks this to Deryn in "Fit to Print" Part 2. He thinks of it more in the terms of their friendship, but Deryn's side of the trope is played straight.
- Wham Line: The man with the gun is named Dieter Hesse.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Deryn pulls one in "Trapped on the Wire".
