ready-the-sails

[ready-the-sails]

4x06 Theory (Nancy Drew)

Did anyone else notice at the end of 4x06, just as Nancy gets up to find Tristan at her door, the camera zooms in on the Roundel??? My guess is that he had ulterior motives to this little visit and his actual plan, beyond a lame dance that we (and Ace) really didn’t need to see, was to steal that artifact. I’d bet my bottom dollar that it’ll be mysteriously “missing” in the next episode.

Also, I’m sorry, but NOBODY outside of the Drew Crew would act so calm, cool and collected after discovering they’ve travelled back in time to 1972... He wasn’t shocked in the slightest, which I think is super suspicious. Tristan is bad news bears. That’s my theory and I’m stickin to it!

[ready-the-sails]

My heart almost couldn’t take this one, I love these two together so much ❤️‍🔥

JJ & Kiara | Labyrinth 

[ready-the-sails]

OBX Season 4 prediction (Drug-smuggler JJ)

*spoilers ahead!*

Based on the intensity behind Barracuda Mike’s “you owe me dude, 10 times” in the finale, and the fact that JJ apparently also has a charter boat business 18 months after El Dorado, I think season 4 JJ is set up to go though his drug-smuggler era, and I’m NERVOUS about it…

I feel like Luke’s definitely going to come back into the picture and make a mess of things, because drug-smuggling has clearly been his jam in the past, and I fear it’s gonna put our boy in some seriously hot water.

I just want JJ to be happy and in love for once, is that too much to ask for?? 😩

The anticipation of season 4 is already killing me.

[ready-the-sails]

“You have to believe in miracles John, if you want them to happen”

Carla Limbrey is the entire jiara fandom since day one, and look at us now! OBX season 3 is our miracle, and boy were we fed 🔥

[ready-the-sails]

These two were so perfect this season ❤️

Pinching myself every episode, like, is this even real? We’ve come so far, with what started as so little! Honestly, their arc was done really well imo and I hope we continue to get some angst from them is season 4.

jj maybank + finally picking that lock open

For @yellowlaboratory 💛

[ready-the-sails]

My current JJ + Kie anthem

LOVESONG by The Cure

Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again

Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again

Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am young again

Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am fun again

However far away, I will always love you

However long I stay, I will always love you

Whatever words I say, I will always love you

I will always love you

[ready-the-sails]

The little smile from JJ at the end of this scene is pure perfection! It screams “even though we didn’t get the gold, I’m still living out my dream with this girl”, and the jiara of it all is making it hard for me to breathe.

Somebody needs to sedate me until Thursday, because I might not make it at this point...

[ready-the-sails]

So I may not have all the context about when these photos take place episode-wise, but I do have a little theory about this one to throw into the mix!

Despite the fact that she’s likely been kidnapped and may not be loving that she has to wear this dress, we can all agree that Kiara looks absolutely bangin’ in it.

So what if the photo of all the pogues (minus kie) clearly staking out something is them seeing kie being moved or taken somewhere by her kidnappers, and she’s in the dress 💃

And JJ’s got this angry mug on his face because he’s seeing her in obvious peril. And bonus, he doesn’t have to be oblivious that this dress exists and kie looks literally insane in it 🔥 I would just love to see a world where JJ knows this dress exists 🙏

Could be nothing, but regardless, I’m loving all the theories that are coming out of these promo pics. My obx fire has been relit and February can’t come soon enough!

[ready-the-sails]

Thanks to all who participated in Nace Appreciation Week, along with our co-sponsors @aceandnancy and @nacesource!

Below is the fic roundup. If we missed you, message us a link to your post and we’ll update!

DAY ONE: TRAPPED TOGETHER (CURSE ERA)

The vault by @platanchorsociety

silence (the space we find ourselves in) by @winterlovesong1

Kidnapped by @turtleduck-enthusiast

Head Medicine by @shioaoi

Seven Minutes in Heaven by @purpleparrot

I’m standing where the lightning strikes (I know this doesn’t happen twice) by @drewdflorence

nace week with @heartunsettledsoul

holding onto things we said would change by @honey-tea-and-lemon-trees

this is the last time i’m asking you why you break my heart in the blink of an eye by @dustinswill

The Case of the Cold Shoulder by @ready-the-sails

DAY TWO: FAKE ELOPEMENT IS REAL

snippet by @scarletslippers

‘Cause all I need; is the love you breathe by @shioaoi

The Union of the Damned Souls by @ready-the-sails

DAY THREE: ESTABLISHED POWER COUPLE FLUFF

Puncture wounds and parenting by @platanchorsociety

have my back (yeah, every day) by @scarletslippers

And I must insist (that you haven’t had enough) by @shioaoi

Death & Desire on the Dance Floor by @ready-the-sails

DAY FOUR: A CHARACTER RETURN COMPLICATES NACE

Melancholy by @shioaoi

The Nuisance of Exes and Cannibals by @ready-the-sails

nace week with @heartunsettledsoul

DAY FIVE: CHILDHOOD/HIGH SCHOOL FLASHBACK

Observer by @shioaoi

The Memory of the Hidden Photograph by @ready-the-sails

DAY SIX: TAYLOR SWIFT LYRICS

with paper rings by @winterlovesong1

Beginning again by @platanchorsociety

All this time I didn’t know (you were breaking down) by @pluckysidekick

Enchanted by @shioaoi

DAY SEVEN: FREE CHOICE

Passion by @platanchorsociety

Espresso Martini by @destielbaited

this is our choice (together) by @winterlovesong1

A Haunted Curse by @perfectpurls

Preperation / Aftercare by @shioaoi

snapshot moment fic by @ready-the-sails

Grow Where I’ve Been Planted by @purpleparrot

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Day Seven: Free Choice

A little “snapshot moment” fic inspired by the recent picture of the cast during filming for season 4 that revealed the RETURN OF ACE’S EARRING (*rejoice*)!!! Didn’t have a ton of time to flesh this one out, so it’s short, but I would loveeeee to see a moment in season 4 where Nancy blatantly oggles his earring, because that sh*t would be hot, hot, hot 🥵

Nancy couldn’t stop looking at it. 

She had arrived at Horseshoe Bay’s Cemetery eight minutes ago, and for 7 of those minutes, she found herself mesmerized by the familiar glint coming from Ace’s left ear. She hadn’t noticed it immediately, mostly because she was too distracted by how good he looked in his suit. She had never seen this particular suit before, a deep navy blue, and suspected Ace saved it specifically for days he needed to transport bodies from the morgue to the funeral home for a service. 

It was only when Ace approached them, instinctually tucking a wisp of hair behind his ear, that she noticed he had his earring in again. The little silver hoop had been MIA for weeks, and Nancy was surprised by how much she found herself missing it. She felt like the earring gave her an infinitesimal glimpse into Ace’s edgier side, but it only left her wanting more. So when the earring disappeared completely, it felt like part of Nancy disappeared as well. 

Not to mention, Nancy just found the piercing insanely hot. And seeing it back on his ear, reflecting off the ambient lighting of the funeral home’s lobby was suddenly making Nancy feel very warm…

She pulled at the collar of her black turtle neck in an attempt to cool down, and watched Ace’s gaze follow her movement, lingering on her neck a little too long. She took the opportunity to glance back at the earring, and let her mind wander a moment.

She began imagining what it might be like to bite the earring playfully. Would it give him goosebumps? Or maybe it would tickle? Perhaps he’d make a sound of surprise, or better yet, approval.

A small, illogical part of Nancy wanted to go find another lust-filled wedding dress to infect herself with so that she’d have a valid excuse to actually go through with her dirty little daydream.

And then Ace spoke.

“You guys ready to check out that dead body I told you about?”  He deadpanned.

And all the heat that had been building up in Nancy was extinguished, just like that.

Fin

[ready-the-sails]

NACE APPRECIATION WEEK 2022

day 7 → Free Choice

First and Last (so far)

[ready-the-sails]

Ace being the same in her perfect world! I hadn’t even thought about that, and it only makes me love them more ❤️

NACE APPRECIATION WEEK day 7 ⇾ free choice

nancy appreciating, validating, and loving ace for exactly who he is throughout the seasons

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Taylor Swift Lyrics 🎵

Exile feat. Bon Iver

So step right out,

There is no amount,

Of crying I can do for you

All this time.

We always walked a very thin line,

You didn’t even hear me out,

You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

All this time

I never learned to read your mind,

I couldn’t turn things around,

Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

All this time

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Day Five: Childhood/High School

Title: The Memory of the Hidden Photograph (AKA - Florence’s origin story)

SUMMARY

Ace is in love with his new car. From the worn-in green upholstery to the classic wood panelling, she's a masterpiece in his eyes. Unfortunately, most of his peers at Horseshoe Bay High don't see her that way. All except one -- a certain redheaded teen sleuth with an antique car of her own.

Author Note: I love how Nancy and Ace's cars are an extension to their personalities, and I've often wondered what their origins stories might be like. How did they come to own these cars? And where did the name Florence come from? I thought it would be fun to explore some of these questions through the lens of Ace's first drive to school in his new car. I hope you enjoy (:

She was perfect in every way. There wasn’t a single part of Ace’s new car that he didn’t love, from the forest green upholstery to the shiny wood paneling that ran down her sides. Sure, maybe she was technically older than he was, but that only made her more classy in his eyes.

When his parents had taken him to the used car dealership over the weekend, the station wagon seemed to glow from across the lot, charming him with her unique personality. His dad had certainly liked the low price tag too, so it was a match made in heaven. 

For as long as he could remember, Ace had dreamed of having his own car and the freedom to drive anywhere and never look back. It wasn’t that he actually wanted to leave Horseshoe Bay, but there was something about knowing it was now an option that was comforting to him. 

Another perk of owning a car was not having to take the bus to school anymore. Ace hated taking the bus, and had since the second grade when he’d been pantsed by Tony Morano while trying to find a seat. Not only had his crush at the time seen the whole thing, but Tony and his terrible friends had also called him “tighty whitey” until middle school. Thankfully, once he hit 7th grade, they had moved on to torment another poor unfortunate soul. 

The driver side door creaked open and Ace tossed his backpack over to the passenger seat as he slid in. It was a beautiful sunny morning, so he flipped down the visor to keep the sun from blinding him. Apparently, he had yet to do so since acquiring the car, because something tumbled from behind the visor and landed on his lap. 

It was an old black and white polaroid. In the picture, a middle-aged woman sat atop the hood of what appeared to be the same station wagon Ace sat in, smiling brightly at the camera. Ace flipped the picture over to see if there was a date for when it had been taken, but all that he found was the name “Florence” etched in pencil. 

Ace was excited to discover the little piece of the car’s history, and decided to tuck it in the glove box for safe keeping. Then he stuck the keys in the ignition and the wagon came to life with a thunderous roar.

It took less than 10 minutes to drive to Horseshoe Bay High School, and Ace went straight to the back of the parking lot when he got there, easing into the second-to-last spot in the row. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed of his car and wanted to hide in the back — it was the opposite in fact. Ace had seen how horrible some of his peers were at driving, and he was already so attached to his car that he didn’t want to risk her getting dinged on their first real outing together.

When Ace got out of his car however, it became pretty clear that he was just about the only one who thought his car was actually cool. The other students who drove to school in their Civics and Corollas snickered as they walked by. 

He placed a hand affectionately on the hood, and spoke quietly to the car, “Don’t you listen to them, you hear me?  They’ve got no taste.”

A pleasant, low rumble filled the parking lot as a little blue Sunbeam drove past Ace to pull into the spot next to him. He had been drooling over the car since the first day Nancy Drew had rolled up to school in it. The sky-blue paint seemed to jump off the car’s rounded edges, making it look cartoonish. The car was in pristine condition too, like it had come straight out of a time machine, and Ace suspected it was likely thanks to Nancy’s proclivity for also parking far away from their peers.

Ace was admiring the Sunbeam when Nancy stepped out. Next to the vibrant blue car, Nancy’s red hair looked like it was on fire. Ace didn’t know her very well, but they shared a class in first semester and she had been nice to him. Not to mention she was a certified genius. What kind of kid solves FBI-caliber mysteries at the age of 13? A kid like Nancy Drew, apparently.

“Hey! Ace, right?” Nancy asked while shouldering her messenger bag.

“Hi, yeah, we had Medieval Lit together last semester.”

“Oh god, right… I hated that class, but only because Mr. Mota’s voice would always make me sleepy” She said with a laugh.

“Yes! The way he read those Canterbury Tales was so soothing.” They both laughed again at the shared memory.

“New car?” Nancy asked, pointing toward the station wagon.

“New to me, at least. Drove her off the lot this weekend.”

Nancy walked over to stroke the wood panelling of the passenger side. “She’s got a lot of personality,” she said. 

Ace liked the way she was looking at his car, like she genuinely appreciated her quirkiness. “I thought so too,” He agreed with a smile.

The sound of the bell rang across the lot, signalling students to begin heading to their homerooms. Nancy started walking in the direction of the school, and Ace made himself look busy by checking that all of his doors were locked. Oh the woes of manual locks.

Just as she was walking past him, she turned. “Does she have a name yet?” She asked, facing him as she walked backwards toward the school.

The question caught Ace by surprise, but he didn’t need to think too long before the memory of the polaroid came to mind. “I was thinking Florence.”

Nancy nodded slowly, mulling the name over in her head. “Florence,” She tried it out for herself before meeting his gaze with a warm smile. “It’s perfect.”

Then she turned toward the school and left Ace to watch the silky flames of her hair sway with the beat of her strides. He leaned back against the hood, placing his palms face-down on it to support himself. 

With a smile, he looked down at his car. At Florence. “Did you hear that, Florence? Nancy Drew thinks you’re perfect.”

Fin.

(Read on Ao3)

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Day Four: Character Return Causes Complications

Title: The Nuisance of Exes and Cannibals

SUMMARY

Nancy, Ace and Nick take advantage of a rainy day and head to the theatre to see a movie. But when one of Nancy's old flames shows up to see the same one, things start to heat up...

Preview

Rain pelted against the windows of Nancy’s kitchen, filling the house with a pleasant white noise. The weather forecast for the whole day was torrential downpour, and Horseshoe Bay had been shrouded in dark, angry clouds since Nancy had woken up. 

She was siping her morning coffee when a text came through on her phone to the group chat she shared with Ace, Bess, George and Nick. 

Ace: Who’s up for a Silence of the Lambs matinee today? Showing @ 2

Bess: Is it like that one about the spider and the talking pig? I loved that one!

Ace: You mean Charlotte’s Web? Um, they’re pretty different actually…

Bess: As long as it’s got baby farm animals, I’m in!

George: Silence of the Lambs is about cannibals, Bess

Bess: Omg Ace, why??? Nvm, I’m out

George: Me too

Nancy sat back and watched the texts pop up on her screen, one after the other. Coffee almost spewed from her nose when Bass asked if the movie was similar to Charlotte’s Web. The thought of someone going into Silence of the Lambs expecting baby farm animals and getting cannibals instead seemed both hilarious and disturbing. 

Despite its subject-matter, it was one of Nancy’s favourite movies. With the rainy forecast and lack of mysteries to solve, Nancy was keen to join for the movie, but she wasn’t sure if she should commit just yet… Enough time had passed since Nancy told Ace she would never have feelings for him — a big fat lie, by the way — and Nancy was relieved to find that the awkwardness between them had dwindled a bit. She wasn’t so confident it wouldn’t return though if she were to go to a movie with only him. 

Then, Nick joined the conversation, 

Nick: Love me some cannibals, I’ll be there!

Once she saw his text come through, she felt much better about sending one of her own.

Nancy: I can never say no to Buffalo Bill

Ace liked her message, and a brief rush of pride filled Nancy before she quickly reeled the excitement back in. She needed to figure out how to make her body stop reacting to Ace like that. Feeling like she couldn’t control something was her least favourite thing.

They all agreed to meet at the theatre at 1:30, which gave Nancy roughly 2 hours to finish her coffee and attempt the crossword that was spread out on the table in front of her. It ended up taking her twice as long as normal. Nancy wanted to blame it on the gloomy weather, but deep down she knew it was probably because her brain couldn’t stop thinking about a certain blond-haired mortician. 

Read the rest on ao3!

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Day Four: Nace w/other characters

3x07 The Gambit of the Tangled Souls

This episode has to be one of the funniest of the show so far (imo)! The way Nancy and Ace co-parented her dads had me in stitches laughing. With Nancy as the high-stress parent and Ace as more of the “calm, cool, collected” type, they are such a perfect balance ❤️

Also, we can’t NOT appreciate the hilarity of Ryan Hudson and Carson Drew as 17 year olds. F#*king comedy gold right there,

[ready-the-sails]

Nace Appreciation Week | Day Three: Established Power Couple Fluff

Title: Death & Desire on the Dance Floor

SUMMARY

After a night out at Horseshoe Bay’s hottest night club, two young women are found dead. Nancy has a hunch that the club is connected to their deaths, and decides to check it out for herself. Armed in platform heels and a little black dress, she heads to Club Mystique, bringing Ace along as backup. But once they’re on the dance floor, Nancy and Ace can't seem to keep their hands off of each other. Will they manage to pull themselves together and search for clues, or will they let desire take over?

Author Note: I had full intention to write this as fluff, but it turned into smut pretty fast... I hope y’all don’t mind a little steam (;

Preview

“Want something to drink?” Ace asked loudly, leaning down close to Nancy’s ear so she could hear him over the music.

“Absolutely.” She replied, and they made their way to the bar. Ace ordered two vodka soda’s with lime and handed one to Nancy. She took a few sips and turned her attention back to the dance floor while he paid the bartender. It was so packed that Nancy was having a hard time seeing where one body ended and another began. She found the whole scene to be pretty erotic, and before she knew what she was doing, she had downed her drink and was dragging Ace toward the dance floor.

He quickly downed his as well, and seemed surprised by her sudden urge to dance. Nancy pushed past the first few layers of dancers until they found a pocket of open space within the crowd. Letting go of Ace’s hand, she turned to face him and began swaying her body seductively from side to side, moving her hands up her sides until they were raised in the air above her. Her head fell back as she let herself get lost in the music.

Ace wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her aggressively toward him, and Nancy felt him groan as she rolled her body against his. His mouth found his favourite spot on the side of her neck, and then it was Nancy’s turn to moan. The way he was moving his hands over her body was filling her with a need to consume more of him.

Combing her fingers through his hair, she grabbed a fistful and yanked his lips from her neck. She held him captive like that for a few seconds, taking in the feral way he was looking at her. Like he wanted to consume all of her as well.

Nancy decided to give them both what they so clearly wanted, and crushed her lips against his.

Read the rest on ao3