I love this. I've only seen the new 'Stepford Wives' (which was good in parts), but this is totally great. I could just picture Colette now with curls and blonde streaks. Great story.

Neat little story. I just love the details in practically every sentence.

I also love that scene you referenced from the "Stepford Wives" remake.

This is hilarious! Would you mind if I plagiarized any of your quotes? They're impressively graphic! I can picture the whole thing. It's just wonderfully descriptive: "... made an alluring creature of her, a combination of a sex kitten and a sultry bedroom goddess – and a total stranger." LOL! Linguini's learning a lot about women for realizing he violated "Cardinal Sin Number One" -- So true!
It's funny, even though I know the concept is based on the feminist propagandist effort launched in the late sixties. I can definitely savour it's entertainment value.
...Which is why this probably wouldn't be materialized by Brad Bird. In his commentary of the deleted opening scene for The Incredibles, where Helen is mocked by an arrogant woman at a barbeque for being a "homemaker", talks about how he encouraged his wife to leave her job and dedicate herself to her family, and the negativity on the part of feminist career women afterwards. Seriously, I'm not offended or anything, but I'm just as "impassioned" about this issue since I've been discriminated against for having plans of becoming a homeschool mom! Always see it from the other gal's perspective.
LOVIN' THE FIC, though. *favorites it*

~Sarah

I thought it had be a horrific alternative universe or a nightmare at first, too! Thank you, oh thank you for letting Alfredo wake up!

Aren't cold medicines fun?

Argh! This is the second time this has happened. I had this whole long review written and submitted to you, then more than half of it disappears! *fumes* I'll try my best to repeat what I wrote. I hope I don't forget anything...

Anyway, so yes. I wondered what I could possibly have inspired, then I realized it at "Colette... wasn't Colette."
Your whole description of 'Stepford-Colette' is so sickeningly stereotypical... it's perfect. XD I love it. *bows down*

Man, I can't even comment on everything I want to comment on: Every single sentence is a gem!

"My career as a homemaker. That's what's important, my husband, and my family, and making a perfect home. It's a lesson every woman should learn. Alfredo, can you ever forgive me for not seeing so long that the most important thing in a woman's life should be to please her man?"
^That bit reminds me SO much of the way I mock the pathetic homemakers. It's brilliantly exaggerated and 1950s American housewife (plus the fact that she's sanitized the house so meticulously). The kind that wears heels while vacuuming and dusting and baking cookies for her son's soccer team and passes out if dinner isn't on the table before her husband comes home. *shudders*. Sorry about that run-on sentence... This topic empassions me. Onward.

"She says she wants to stay home from work to take care of me and be the perfect housewife…" The gendarme looked at Alfredo as though he were the one with a screw loose. Near tears, he shrieked the final, incontrovertible evidence: "And she's wearing a FRILLY PINK APRON!"
^There's the quote! hehe. I like that he's near tears, that's adorable. I can picture it.

"Colette giggled."

Haha, I love how you devoted a whole line to that one action. It makes it stand out as being unusual. We all know Colette would never just giggle like a silly school girl or something.

Also, all of Linguini's reactions and inner thoughts are (as always) perfectly in character (as in the paragraph with "Aw, no! Cardinal Sin Number One"), which must be hard since he's not your average Joe, as they say. He's original. So props to you.

Nice change from past tense to present tense when Linguini wakes up. I love all of Remy's gestures.

He snuggles into her shoulder and strokes the Chef's back with a finger. "Okay," he breathes, "but promise me you won't laugh at me?"
^That part makes me feel warm and fuzzy and super in love with Linguini, which is perfect because then...

Mère de Dieu, she loves this man so much. If he ever knew how much like a five-year-old he looked right now…
^because then we readers can genuinely empathize with Colette right there.

And of course, beautiful last line.
It would be a shame if I didn't go back and list all the sentences/words/phrases that I liked for no particular reason.
Here we go:
-"M…" he murmured sleepily, reaching over for Colette.
Aww!
-lilting in an extremely melodious voice
-sex kitten
^I liked how you tastefully used that phrase
-He was sure it must be sexy, but it wasn't the way she normally looked, and he didn't understand, and he was alarmed.
^*squeals pathetically* He's so simple and pure, I love him! He was sure that this was what most men considered to be sexy, but to him, it wasn't because it wasn't what he knew Colette to be! aww. and he can't comprehend it and he's scared. I know I just repeated the entire thing, but it's just genius.
-"If you don't like them, I can change. I don't want to wear anything you don't approve of."
^Ugh, so pathetic. Which means you portrayed the stereotype perfectly! :)
-undisputed knife-fighting champion
-He didn't even stop to question this miraculous occurrence
^Haha, funny how those kinds of things only happen in dreams, but our subconscious minds don't question them.
-Near tears, he shrieked the final, incontrovertible evidence: "And she's wearing a FRILLY PINK APRON!"
-casting an appreciative glance
^nice wording. quite original.
-Colette, the picture of the perfect homemaker, standing demurely with her hands at her sides, a plate of steaming crepes on the table before her.
^that image is so clearly presented and typical. I laugh.
-then he's hugging her tightly, fiercely.
^AW!
-"It must have been a terrible nightmare, chéri,"
^Teehee. Linguini's thinking: "Big understatement..."
-He snuggles into her shoulder
^AW again.
-"Promise me you won't ever change."
*faints from too much Linguini-adorable-ness* Not that the story is too mushy or anything. Actually it's perfectly balanced in that sense. I just am particularly in love with Linguini right now.

I'll wrap this up now. I adore this amazing, creative fic; it's so 'me' somehow, which sounds terribly selfish since you wrote it, but it's like you've written something I've been trying to come up with. You've summed up all my opinions about feminism, this fictional couplel, and old concepts versus modernism in all aspects of life, literature, love, etc., and combined them all into this beautiful piece. I'll be reading it again and again. Thank you a million times for writing it.

I hope you get over your cold very soon. *sends good health vibes*

Hehehehe! I love it! Poor Linguini. Aww! He love Colette just the way she is. Very cute a creative. Excellent job!

E-e-e! *squeals, laughs, runs around, dies*
First of all, a new story, yay! Then to your author's notes -- (terribly sorry to sound like one of the FFN adolescents, but I have to say: OMG!) I am so amazingly honored and giddy right now! After just reading the notes, I wondered what I could have inspired...

"Colette… wasn't Colette."

Again, you've written a story with wonderful spot-on characterization and emotional resonance. I have pet rats, so your description of Remy's body in Linguini's nightmare was particularly disturbing, even though it was already evident he was having a nightmare; so these lines:

and le Chef, blanket trailing from one hand, looking most put out at having been rudely awakened. When he sees Colette, he gestures clearly up to her: "Get this maniac off me!"

provided just the right touch of relief from the nightmare. I love the detail of the blanket still clutched in his hand; it's very "ratty." Well done!

Aw, that last line was so adorable!