you brought it on yourself miss twiddle

I've had some sort of mild stomach bug since Friday, which has mostly made me sleep a ton, feel groggy, and waste my time rereading Garth Nix's Old Kingdom books instead of working on my dissertation. So this afternoon it has to be back to work. Even though what I really want now is Old Kingdom/Downton Abbey crossover fic: e.g., a couple years after Abhorsen, Nick and Lirael (who are friends and maybe occasional lovers but are *not* married, incidentally) are doing ambassador-y things in Ancelstierre, and Nick's familial obligations/connections get them invited to a house party in the North... anyway, I think it would be hilarious, but no one seems to have written it yet. So we can add that to the mental file of Weird Crossover Fanfic That Ricardienne Would Write If She Weren't So Lazy...