#... actually this is just like the original secret swap au which also took me a ridiculously long time to complete

[accirax]

As of the latest episode, with all the secrets out in the open, do you have any changed opinions on the general outcomes of your “Secret Swap: For Better or Worse”?

Now that is a fantastic question! Thank you for remembering that this post existed-- I wasn't sure if anybody other than me did 😅 (And also, thank you for your patience while waiting for me to respond to you.) Here's a link to the post in question for anyone who might not know what fatherfigurefusion is asking about. As for the contents of that AU...

DRDT Secret Swap AU: For Better or Worse - REVISIONS

(CW for the suite of issues that we always have to talk about when it comes to the DRDT secrets: murder, death, suicide, implied homophobia/transphobia, self harm, eating disorders.)

Well, first of all, it's good for me that (other than the Xander/Teruko swap thing still not being confirmed) all of the secrets landed in the way in which I thought they would at the time I wrote that post. I would have had a lot more workshopping to do if, say, Hu had been the murderer without remorse and Levi had been the hopeless child.

I think I'll run through each choice I made individually, and then maybe try to fix any issues I encounter at the end after summing up the situation.

The Good Timeline

Eden receives Levi’s secret

Well, Eden did have a more negative reaction to Levi's secret than I initially anticipated in this post, criticizing him for being selfish in hardly even remembering whose lives he took. However, Levi also (presumably) has a more positive reaction to being approached with his secret than I feared. He was willing to share it with everyone himself, so I doubt he would threaten Eden if she were to approach him with it.

An updated summary of what might have happened: Eden receives Levi's secret, and is a little frightened, but might want more details before judging Levi fully (after all, she already knows that his family weren't the best of people). If she decides to approach him about it, Levi coolly explains what exactly his secret means. Eden's discomfort grows, which makes Levi feel bad.

Is it a fantastic scenario? Not really. But are there any better solutions to Levi's secret out there? Debatable. I think this one held up decently.

Nico receives David's secret

I still stand by this one, despite David being even more wild than initially expected. There's definitely a chance that Nico would just bluntly say the secret at some point if they determined that David was being manipulative. But, at the very least, Nico wouldn't be bringing their own drama to the situation-- just potentially elevating others' via timing.

It's a hard secret to deal with, but I still think that Nico is one of the better options.

Hu receives Ace's secret

So, this one obviously gains the new complications that we now canonically know that Ace was the killer, and that he was planning to do so basically before the motives were even revealed. I still think that Hu would probably react in much the way I "predicted" (assuming Ace's former bullying of Nico didn't already damn him in her eyes too much). But, I also don't think that hearing kind words from Hu would be enough to dissuade Ace from wanting to kill for his own safety.

Therefore, what happens to Hu after Ace kills? Is she now stuck in the opinion of defending Ace at the Class Trial, and being inevitably disappointed when he's revealed to truly be the killer? I guess that's not that different from what Hu canonically did with Nico, but it's not like that's going to be great for her mental health either. Not to mention 1) she would have been speaking up for a previously more controversial figure, therefore bringing her judgment even further into question for ever trusting Ace at all, and 2) Ace would actually die at the end, which would be worse for Hu's "wanting to be reliable and save people" bit.

For those reasons, I think this assignment is... dubious, but Ace's secret is also much more of a loaded gun now that we know that he was already planning to kill prior to the secrets' existence. I don't think there's any assignment I could make that would convince Ace out of killing.

J receives Eden's secret

This one still makes a ton of sense to me.

Rose receives J's secret

While I may wind up shuffling this one around in order to defuse another secret's problem, I think the logic behind this assessment holds true.

"Xander" receives Arei's secret

Also still makes sense to me. Let my girl rest. (But not in peace.) (Well, wait.) (You know what I mean!!!)

Arturo receives Min's secret

I don't think that any of our further explanations of Arturo's traumas would make the "poisoning the competition" secret any more traumatic to him. Thus, it still works.

David receives Xander's secret

I. Um. Wow.

I'm pretty certain I wasn't the only one caught off guard by the true extent of how much David cares/d about Xander. With the "knowledge" that David was planning on throwing the killing game and slaughtering everyone in pursuit of Xander's ideals-- taking into account that his actions may have been falsified/exaggerated, of course-- I fear that leaving David with this secret might be irresponsible.

If his emotions surrounding Xander grew even fiercer, so might his determination to bring the killing game to an end. No matter how much what David said in the Class Trial was the truth, I don't think giving him Xander's secret would have the "out of commission" effect I wrote about. This is definitely one I'd like to reassign, if possible.

Arei receives Whit's secret

Now, we have the confirmation that Arei didn't tell anyone about having Levi's secret! We still (understandably) don't know anything about Arei's relationship with her mom, though. Still, this one is looking good.

Veronika receives Charles' secret

As it turns out, Veronika actually found the secrets overall pretty boring (or at least, so she tells us), and only didn't reveal Hu's secret because of the pact she made with Hu. However, I still think that the logic behind her revealing the secret to Charles early holds, and that it's for the best that Charles learns this information on the sooner side. So, this one is still good!

Levi receives Arturo's secret

Well. We know that Levi wouldn't condemn someone for murdering a family member! If anything, if he treated Felicity's death like his own father's, he'd just forget that he ever read the secret. That's a joke, but I think I did a good job with deescalating Arturo's secret.

The worst consequences I can see here are 1) Levi coming to believe that Arturo is a bad person (which may have been the case already?), and/or 2) Levi could callously spill Arturo's secret to the group if he didn't understand the gravity of the sentiment. We don't exactly know how Arturo would react to his secret being shared publicly in a non-Class Trial setting, but given how he treated Eden in his mini-breakdown in 2-10, I can't imagine it would be good.

However, those are only hypotheticals, and I don't know if I'd really get any better by giving Arturo's secret to someone else. I still stand by most of the logic, so I think this choice would remain.

Ace receives Veronika's secret

I still think that nothing bad would happen from this assignment. Which means... Ace would proceed in his plan to kill Eden. Yay...?

Now that we finally have the answer as to who the killer is, it's really weird to look at this good AU. Every time, I'm like, "phew, we didn't do anything to give someone the motivation to kill!" But, as I don't think there are any secrets Ace could receive that would convince him not to kill, that just means that the "good timeline" is condemning Eden to die. Is that really better than some of the other timelines?

That's a bit more philosophical than I think is required for this AU re-analysis, so we'll just give this one a pass.

Teruko receives Hu's secret

Honestly, I think this one got better since I proposed it. This was probably my least favorite assignment of the original good AU. However, now we know that Hu had interest in forming a pact of secrecy with the person who held her secret.

Naturally, it's possible that she was only able to make this pact with Veronika because they had each other's secrets. I have no idea how Hu would have figured out that Veronika had her secret otherwise, barring a Hu!Mastermind situation.

However, as we saw in canon, Teruko decided to approach Rose and ask Rose about her secret. If Teruko did that in this AU, then Hu could surely ask Teruko not to tell others about her secret, and I imagine Teruko would oblige. It removes the possibility I was worried about with Hu feeling insecure about someone learning this about her; while that may still be the case, we can assume that instead of lashing out, she would just ask Teruko to keep it on the down low. This one's good!

Charles receives Rose's secret

I mean. Yeah.

Whit receives Nico's secret

Yeah x2. I do wonder how Whit would react if Nico tried to ask him for help with regards to Ace's bullying, though. I doubt that would actually happen, given that Nico doesn't trust anyone. Still, I'm curious if Whit would turn a blind eye like he did to their arguing canonically, or if that direct connection to Nico's mental health would call him to action a la Charles.

"Min" receives Teruko's secret

If David's creepy-ass smile didn't convince you that this secret should remain dead and buried, I don't know what will. This one can stay.

-

Finally, we've finished recapping the good version! In the end, I was still happy with 13/16 of my answers, which is a pretty good batting average.

But, how would I fix it? Well, as I alluded to in Rose's section, I think I would wind up giving Rose a different secret than J even though it was fine, just because Rose is a really useful slot to have. The best solution I could come up with is that Rose gets Ace's secret, David gets J's secret, and Hu gets Xander's secret.

I don't think that anyone would get mad at Rose for throwing away Ace's secret because it's pretty personal and likely not murder-related. And, Veronika was able to figure out that the secret belonged to Ace mere moments after hearing it for the first time anyways.

While giving David's secret to J is a bit of a dangerous game, I don't think he'd really be able to do much with it pre-Trial without blowing his cover. He might reveal the secret at the Trial just to throw things off track, but even when the secret was with Rose, it probably would have been revealed via process of elimination at the Trial anyways. We don't get the "take David out of commission" factor that made the assignment extra good the first time around, but that was a fluke. I don't think there's anything here that could stop David from David-ing.

I am banking on the fact that learning about Xander's suicidal tendencies wouldn't reignite any old feelings in Hu, but I think it would be okay. I would imagine that their circumstances are pretty different, and (on the surface, at least) Hu seems pretty resolute in her newfound desire to live.

As for Levi's secret, I think the best path for it would be to bury it in the "Xander" or "Min" slot and hand Eden either Arei or Teruko's secrets. Obviously, both of those are very loaded choices, given that Arei and Teruko are almost certainly the two characters that Eden is most connected to in the narrative right now.

In Arei's case, if Eden approached her about her secret, I think that encounter would play out much like the canonical clock-making scene did. However, that means that (if David is still in the area, I guess) they would also have that same rebound that would lead to Arei declaring herself Eden's friend-- albeit probably not as dramatically, given that in this universe, Arturo never attacks Eden. Of course, if Ace is still in the area, that then raises the question of whether the target would still change from Eden to Arei if Arei didn't make such a bold declaration. Which is the better scenario? That's impossible to say, because they both suck. Still, things to think about.

In Teruko's case, it really depends on how kindhearted Eden is feeling at the moment. I want to believe that Eden would approach "the killing game is all your fault" with skepticism and patience, and talk to Teruko to learn that she (most likely) has no memory of anything like this being the case. If Teruko could see that Eden wouldn't immediately turn against her at her literal worst, it would probably go a long way. That being said, it would be totally reasonable for Eden to be upset and worried about reading this secret, and to therefore begin to distrust Teruko.

Both of these situations raise enough issues that I can't decisively determine if they're better than just leaving Eden with Levi's secret. I'll leave it up to you to decide which iteration you personally prefer.

On to the bad section!

The Bad Timeline

As I said in the original AU post, it's difficult to determine which options are truly the worst when there are so many terrible options. Therefore, I expect that most-if-not-all of these options will still get a pass at least. We'll see if I wind up having enough brain cells to change anything in the end.

And, on that note...

Ace receives Levi's secret

Yeah, this one is still bad! Knowing what we know now, Ace is definitely killing if he gets Levi's secret, possibly faster. I do wonder if it would wind up leading Ace to target Levi, even if I'm not sure how he would pull that off. If Ace tried and failed, could it lead to Levi killing Ace instead? Eh, Ace probably wouldn't even try, given that everyone would suspect him if Levi were to turn up dead. "A reason to stay mad at you," indeed.

Veronika receives David's secret

The logic behind this one still cracks me up. Totally still think I'm right, though.

Levi receives Ace's secret

This one is okay. Really, the pushback I'm running into is just that things are already so bad with Ace that I don't think this extra layer of distrust would make things all that much worse. Plus, I don't know if Levi would pick up on the subtler implications of Ace's secret anymore. The question is just, "is there a better way that we can screw over Levi in this situation?" We'll just have to wait and see.

"Xander" receives Eden's secret

Sorry for kinda closeting you, Eden. But, that's what makes this selection so bad. And that's why it stays.

Arturo receives J's secret

There's no way to make J more miserable than to directly hand her secret over to Arturo. We'll continue sticking with canon on this one.

Hu receives Arei's secret

I didn't even mention in my original passage that Hu's love for her family would put her at odds with Arei's treatment of her sisters. That's really terrible, I say with a thumbs up.

Rose receives Min's secret

Tracks.

Teruko receives Xander's secret

While the whole David thing didn't really pan out, I do think that Teruko's segment still makes sense. It's possible we could do worse, but it's not like giving Teruko more reasons to hate herself is a terrible conclusion. I mean, it is, but not for the sake of crafting the worst possible timeline. You know how it is.

Charles receives Whit's secret

Charwhit angst :((((( Good thing that'll never happen in canon! Ha ha. This section is oxygen-potassium, which would also be potassium oxide (K2O), a corrosive compound! Or, you can just call it O-K.

Whit receives Charles' secret

Meanwhile, this section gets a heart from me.

Arei receives Arturo's secret

So if Arturo were in this even worse mental state after Arei wrecking his shop, possibly even being the blackened himself, would Levi also die? Because, Teruko was presumably planning on enacting her plan no matter who the blackened was, and DefaultTV would presumably always punish Teruko for it, and Levi (unless he too was too distracted by this motive) would probably still step in front of Teruko to repay his "debt" to her. However, if Arturo was either the one up for execution or too hateful of himself or anyone else to be spurred to surgery, we'd probably lose Levi too. It's even worse than I thought! Which means it's fully approved.

David receives Veronika's secret

Although this one kinda reads to me as "not that bad," it's important to keep in mind that I gave David a "not that bad" secret so that he would continue to encourage other people to share theirs. That's important for screwing over everyone else. So, I think this one will remain, but I could see blowing it up if it would help something else worsen.

Nico receives Hu's secret

This choice has always been one that I've felt was difficult to talk about, as was probably apparent by the million disclaimers I put at the beginning of it. Because of that, I'm sort of inclined to dissolve it. However, I... think it still holds up?

We also now have the direct confirmation that Hu wanted to keep her secret under wraps because she didn't want others to see her as weak or unreliable. If Nico was holding on to Hu's secret, she would likely only figure that out in a moment of stress, when people needed her to be reliable the most. My point is, she might go into further overdrive trying to prove to Nico that she really is reliable, which would only make things more stressful for Nico and more annoying for everyone else. With that additional reasoning, I don't currently see any reason why this should be changed.

"Min" receives Rose's secret

I didn't realize before that I had Rose and Min swap secrets-- not that it really matters, given that I could have just as easily given Rose's secret to "Xander." Anyways, this also tracks.

Eden receives Nico's secret

I still feel mean for this one 😅 But, y'know, that's just what life is like for a professional Eden Bully. Which is worse, threatening a lesbian with homophobia or falsely accusing her of murder for a year and a half? (/j) Jokes aside, this will remain.

J receives Teruko's secret

Guys, did you know that J HATES MURDER? Forget the theorist's "I feel like" disqualifier, J would definitely tell everyone and their annoying celebrity mom that everything in Teruko's life is worth killing for. Like a fine wine, this got better with age.

-

Unsurprisingly, after what I predicted at the beginning, I wound up approving 15/16 of these options. The only one I really had any issues with was Levi getting Ace's secret.

The worst secret for Levi to receive would probably be either something that makes him perceive a "good person" as a "bad person" or a "bad person" as a "good person." So, like, Teruko maybe for the former? And the worst person for Ace's secret to go to would probably be someone who would outright weaponize it against him, so possibly someone like Arei or David.

If I wanted to shuffle things around, I think it would give David Ace's secret and give Levi Veronika's secret. Ace's secret is also the kind of juicy insight that could still allow David to pull his manipulator BS, and David could absolutely destroy that man in the Class Trial, blackened or not, with the info when the time was right. Meanwhile, I could see Levi being like, "well, if it's stopping Veronika from hurting herself, then... her talent is a "good" thing, right? Every day I grow more jealous of you and your amazing perception, Veronika..." Honestly, I think I do like that one more than what I originally wrote. Let's roll with it.

And now, nearly two months after this ask was sent in, I'm finally done with it! Once again, I'm sorry I spent so long to complete this relatively simple ask. I hope this lived up to your expectations! Thanks for sending it in :)

[pantherxdrawz]

So about Yomi in my Rain Code Swap Au

I just wanted to do a ramble about an idea I have for him

So I was thinking of Makoto and Yuma being normal twins,

Both ether with the same forte (which is Viva’s spiritual projection now since Vivia now has Coalescence) or Makoto just. Doesn’t get a forte, I don’t know how Forte’s work for normal twins in this universe, I don’t think they’ve established the case for natural twins instead of homunculus and original) mainly due to the idea shimohyo left on the original swap au post and I really liked it

But I’ll touch more on that later since this is about Yomi, anyways since Makoto is now a normal twin, that means Yomi needs to take the homunculus role,

Or does he?

Let me explain, so my new idea for swap au Yomi is that he’s kinda Half-homunculus, where he wouldn’t become a complete copy of Vivia, but still have some features (Such as longer torso, same eye color, same (natural) hair color, and most importantly for plot reasons, gains the same forte, but ultimately Yomi would still have his original face)

Now let me explain how this would work story wise:

So during Blank week, Vivia had a planned Homunculus ready,

(I’m still debating on if Vivia is Number One now or if Yuma is, but if it’s the latter I’ll make a new reason why he has one made, but ultimately for this post let’s assume the former is the canon one)

But it was a rouge one like all the rest, wasn’t perfect like Makoto was in canon, so it started killing (possibly eating too) originals with the rest, however it also attacked Yomi, who gets Makoto’s original role of CEO of Amaterasu Corporation and the steward of Kanai Ward (He mansplained, manipulated malewifed his way into that role)

So it was kinda like “oh fucks that ain’t good” and they kinda fused him with a Homunculus, but with Vivia’s because surprise they took this as a secret experiment opportunity to see if fusing the Homunculus engendering with a human would create a “perfect” one, which it in fact worked, but Yomi wasn’t happy to say the least, which is why he has a mask in this au, because

“I look like that green haired emo detective >:(“ “You- you still have your fac-“ “*shoving on mask* SILENCE.”

So yeah half homunculus Yomi, actually wait can you even call him that- I don’t know I’m just saying-

I just wanted to share that idea I had

[nobodywritesthings]

Some more random bits of trivia about With Great Power

Part 1

Might as well just… put this here.  Spoilers below!  I ended up talking a lot about the villain side of things.

All for One uses a quirk he refers to as “Clothing Swap” to replace Izuku’s hero gear in Chapter 1.  For some random reason, I made a description of the quirk that ended up in my notes, though it never became relevant again.  Here it is: Clothing Swap: The target may have any article(s) considered to be “worn” swapped with any other article(s) the user has seen them wear previously. The user may choose themselves as a target. The swap may be uneven - a hat can be swapped for a full outfit, leading to someone really overdressed, or a full outfit for a hat, leading to the opposite - but “nothing” is not an option for either side of the swap. Objects in pockets or similar places of holding may be transferred into similar places in the new outfit, if available; otherwise they will stay with the clothing they were originally in. See that part about the user needing to see the target wearing the clothes previously?  All for One’s been stalking, and Izuku would’ve been able to guess almost immediately if he heard the details of that quirk.

Speaking of my notes, I tend to name the random fic ideas I write down in order to keep them easy to reference in my notes (or head).  I don’t always use those names for the finished product.  I liked the reference to the quote, “With great power comes great responsibility”, that I ended up going with for WGP’s story/chapter titles; but I actually came up with that theme after the majority of the fic was done.  For most of the writing process, I kept it filed under “Kingmaker AU”.

All for One’s threats to Izuku in the first chapter were something of a bluff.  If Izuku refused to listen, All for One would’ve been in quite a pinch - he certainly didn’t want to kill or Noumufy Izuku, and he had the feeling that “lock him in a vault and make him listen” wouldn’t work any better here than it did with his brother.  He did have other plans in case getting Izuku to agree to parley failed, but he was massively relieved when it worked.  (Izuku’s threat in Chapter 10, on the other hand, was definitely not a bluff.)

Gigantomachia saw the resemblance between Izuku and All for One the moment Izuku opened his mouth - not just in the contents of Izuku’s self-introduction, but Izuku’s voice itself.  As seen in canon, he has a very dramatic emotional reaction to hearing All for One’s voice; and while Izuku’s isn’t an obvious match, he could hear similar notes.  This was helped by the fact that Izuku was very tired and decided to start making threats, and was consciously using All for One as a model for those.  Gigantomachia’s easy initial acceptance of Izuku was mostly down to this (”He speaks with the voice of my Master”).  Of course, Izuku’s speech about not proving himself to everyone who asked did make something of an impression on its own merits.

As for the rest of the villains, Shigaraki and Kurogiri were the only ones close enough to All for One to notice Izuku’s resemblance to him (or care; if Dabi had any suspicions, he kept them to himself).  It took a few days after Izuku was left with the dictatorship for Shigaraki.  Kurogiri, on the other hand, noticed years ago - but decided it wasn’t his place to wonder about it, so he didn’t.

None of the villains guessed that Izuku was a close relative of All for One’s.  They all thought, at best, that he was some distant relative who All for One had taken an interest in and who happened to suit his plans.  They were immensely surprised by All for One’s choice of successor.

Shigaraki and Kurogiri got emails after All for One disappeared, too, not just Izuku.  All for One drafted them beforehand, as well as a few alternate versions for theoretical scenarios that didn’t happen.  Shigaraki’s gave him some sarcastic advice on how to make nice with the new Overlord, which worked surprisingly well.  Kurogiri’s included advice on Izuku’s preferred coffee brands, which also worked surprisingly well.

All for One had discussed a few things with Gigantomachia beforehand and so didn’t bother with an email - namely along the lines of, “I’m planning to make someone else the Supreme Overlord in my place.  Do what you want, but your life will be short and painful if he doesn’t stay in one piece.”

Shigaraki and Kurogiri spent most of their free time after All for One disappeared trying to track him down.  Izuku won their loyalty over time - or more accurately, having gainful employment and being surrounded by decent people while trying his best to behave himself helped Shigaraki feel less inclined toward villainy, and Kurogiri appreciated being given a fair chance at all.  However, Shigaraki in particular had many questions for All for One, and Kurogiri followed his lead.  Gigantomachia them helped out for a while, until…

Gigantomachia saw Izuku’s “father’s” signature, and realized he might’ve accidentally stumbled upon a secret that All for One would be happy to kill half of Japan over.  He smartly refrained from telling the other two, and pulled back somewhat on his assistance in their search.

When Gigantomachia met “Hisashi” in person for that trip to America, he sent a panicked text to Shigaraki that he wasn’t offering any more help and that they should stop going behind Izuku’s back if they truly valued their lives and limbs intact.  This sparked their decision to bring their research to Aizawa while Izuku was away.  Yagi’s assumption that they were afraid of Izuku’s reaction was entirely legitimate, but that wasn’t the full reason for their choice of timing.

One more note about Gigantomachia: When Izuku had his panic attack in Chapter 5, the reason Yagi showed up was because Gigantomachia made a beeline for his office and told him that the Supreme Overlord needed his help.  Yagi ran.

I honestly didn’t expect for the villains to take up so much of the fic (or this trivia).  I also was hoping to have more of Aizawa and Class 1-A in the story.  But since criminal rehabilitation ended up being such a focus, the villains ended up being particularly relevant.  I’m still a tiny bit annoyed about it.

How much did Inko know about Hisashi?  He tried to give her a similar story to the one he gave Izuku once he returned.  However, she knew him and his views well enough that she managed to get out of him that he wasn’t “working with villains” entirely under duress, and that he had done a few things to earn the enmity of “people who were after him”.  She was surprised when Izuku made All for One tell her the truth about his villain identity, but less than Izuku expected.

I don’t usually have soundtracks for my writing - I’ll put on whatever music I feel like listening to, or even nothing, depending on my mood.  However, for Chapter 10, I wrote most of it while listening to “Devastation and Reform” by Relient K on repeat.  I think it fits the self-inflicted tragedy that is All for One’s existence pretty well, and helped me capture the right tone for his side of the story.

Alright, a cheerier note is in order.  Originally, Chapter 6 (now the Social Media Chapter) was an utter slog of exposition that made me despair.  I ended up scrapping it and rewriting it as a social media interlude that communicated the stuff I wanted it to communicate, but I ended up cutting along with it a draft of the scene Hatsume’s video refers to.  Y’know, the one where Izuku sets an attempted assassin on fire.  It was indeed accidental - she was hounding Izuku to let her make the perfect Supreme Overlord outfit, and had shoved an ordinary-looking watch at him when the assassins showed up.  He threw the watch at one of them and it exploded.  Hatsume got yelled at by a tired Izuku afterward for endangering the paperwork he’d have to fill out all over again.

In the Discord conversation where I mentioned the initial concept of this fic, someone proposed a scenario in which Izuku starts crying in the middle of the UN because some representative was being an asshole about how Japan was being handled, and then everyone else would jump in to go, “Nice going, Rick, you ruined a perfectly good Supreme Overlord, now he has anxiety.”  I therefore decided that I would indeed make Izuku cry at the UN.  This was how the UN chapter came to exist.  Of course, in my version, the tears were because of the support Izuku got, and the good guy was named Rick.

Izuku setting someone on fire was also a concept I got from my favorite Discord server.  Several other people had Izuku setting people on fire in their stories.  I decided to join them.

Finally… you know how I abbreviated “Supreme Overlord” to “S.O.”?  Yes, I’m aware that the abbreviation usually stands for “Significant Other”, and I decided to go with it because I thought it was funny.  And a good way to embarrass Izuku even further.

I think that got all the major trivia and a few minor bits too.  Though I probably can dig out other things from my brain if people have questions; my askbox is open.  Otherwise, I’ve got a new prospective writing project in the concept stage, so I’ll switching mental gears off of WGP, I think.

[loosesodamarble]

Other characters in the World Swap?

So at first, the Pillar-Captain roleswap was just a thought experiment for switching Breath Style and Magic. But thinking on it some more, I personally believe swapping universes for more characters yields some interesting ideas.

Now I’m not going to swap every character, from Black Clover at least. For one, Demon Slayer’s cast is significantly smaller than Black Clover’s. I can feasibly swap over most of the characters. As for Black Clover characters, mostly the miscellaneous mages, I’ll probably reassign them to the Pillar-turned-Captains’ squads.

The thing with swapping the characters and their worlds, I don’t think a one-to-one roleswap works. Instead, this is just me trying to find a place for the characters in the world/narrative they’re entering while still retaining elements of their original stories. Sometimes this means making some weird leaps in logic to fill certain roles/plot points.

Moving on!

Black Clover to Demon Slayer Asta: Asta is the protagonist so he will fill Tanjirou’s role. He has loved ones killed by a demon and the last remaining one becomes a demon. Here’s the twist. Since he has no magic in Black Clover, in a Demon Slayer AU, he’d be unable to use breaths. Instead, he is like Genya, able to consume demon flesh for supernatural abilities. I imagine he’d try to train under a cultivator, multiple even, but with no talent in breaths, he’d just have to train up his body. Until Yami finds him, takes a liking to his spirit, and trains him until they discover the demon eating ability. Yuno: I’d personally put Yuno in the role of Nezuko, but with major differences. He’s a descendant of the Breath of the Sun user so he’s the one getting the inherited memories and, as a demon, he’d figure out not just his Blood Demon Art (probably a cutting wind) but he’d also learn Breath of the Sun. He’d become the demon who can walk in the sun. Noelle: So in this AU, the Silva family consistently fills the role of the Water Pillar. Acier was the Water Pillar but died at the hands of an Upper Moon in order to protect baby Noelle. Here, she’s not directly blamed for Acier’s death but her siblings still kind of wish that the mighty Acier lived instead of the seemingly useless Noelle. She wants to be a demon slayer to make up for Acier’s death but try as she might, she just can’t get a grasp on Breath of Water. She eventually develops Breath of the Sea, stronger and a little wilder but it still flows and let her dance across the battlefield the way her mother did. Leopold: He’s the successor for the position of Flame Pillar. It’s kind of weird that Fuegoleon and Mereoleona are both Pillars at the same time but it’s that fact that makes Leopold worry about his ability to live up to the legacy of his siblings. Mimosa and Kirsch: Mimosa is similar to Aoi; trained in swordsmanship but, instead of being too scared to fight, she prefers being a healer. She runs this AU’s equivalent of the Butterfly Mansion a.k.a. the Demon Slayer Corps’ main hospital. As for Kirsch, he’d be a Breath of Flower user, probably not Charlotte’s successor but a surprisingly competent demon slayer still. Nebra and Solid: Two prospective successors of Nozel for the position of Water Pillar. Maybe Nebra will switch to Breath of Mist but I think the idea of the younger Silva siblings competing to be Nozel’s successor is an interesting concept. Licht and Patry: Yoriichi and Michikatsu. Part of the first generation of Breath Users. Licht used Breath of the Sun. Patry Breath of the Moon. And this means Patry becomes an Upper Moon. With the devils and devil-possessed, he might end up being Upper Moon 3 while still maintaining the same story significance as Kokushibou. Although, given his troubled past, he might also have Akaza elements mixed in which suits the third rank. Nacht and Morgen: Oh yeah, I’m bringing these two in. Both are alive and well. Of course... It’s not that simple. One of them is a demon slayer and Blake’s successor. The other has been turned into a demon. But who is the slayer and who is the demon? Nacht is the Black Bulls vice captain so that could mean he’s the slayer but he’s also a devil possessed so that might mean he’s the demon. Other members of the Black Bulls: Lightning round. Nacht would be Yami’s successor. Finral, Vanessa, Grey, Gordon, Henry, Charmy and Secre would be kakushi; not actively fighters but directly serving under Yami. Magna, Luck, Gauche, and Zora would be active demon slayers. Devils and Devil-possessed: The devils and their hosts would stand in for Muzan and the upper ranks of the Twelve Demon Moons. Lucifero seems best fit for Muzan. I definitely want the Dark Triad to be among the Upper Ranks because they have such gloriously evil personalities that it’d be a shame to put them in the lower ranks.

..........

Demon Slayer to Black Clover Tanjirou: This may sound weird, but I’m not giving Tanjirou the Anti-Magic swords. Instead, he’s going to be like a mix of Yuno and Charmy. Yuno, in the sense that he’s secretly got major significance in the world. Charmy, in the fact that he’s going to have dual affinity. Normally, he uses Water Magic. But he’s got elf/dwarf/something blood in him too which allows him to use Light/Sun Magic. He’d be in Giyuu’s Cobalt Ocean squad. Nezuko: Like her brother, a character with a secret significance and dual affinity for magic. She’ll also be a friendly rival to her brother. They’ll both be Magic Knights, in different squads, and encourage each other’s growth. Her magic affinities would be Fire and Light/Sun Magic. Since she becomes a demon in canon, she’d be one of the elf-possessed mages. Zenitsu: A Lightning Magic user and in Tengen’s Amber Songbird squad. He’s still going to fight when he’s asleep because that’s too iconic to not use. He trained under Jigorou, a former captain, alongside Kaigaku (who would become elf-possessed later on). I guess Zenitsu and Kaigaku would be the Finral and Langris of this AU. Inosuke: He’s getting Beast Magic, no questions asked. He’d still be raised by in the wilderness by wild animals but he could be found and taken into a family in the Forsaken Realm. He’d try to get into Gyoumei’s squad because it’s the strongest squad. Whether or not he actually gets in is still up in the air. As for what happened to Kotoha in this AU... Genya: He’s getting the Anti-Magic swords. Kind of. Instead, the swords absorb magic for later use. It will look like the swords dispel magic when, in reality, they’re absorbing the spells which can then be unleashed later. Genya would be under Gyoumei’s wing, though not as an official squad member. Kind of like how Gyoumei took Genya as a student but refused to make him a successor because he couldn’t use breaths. Kanao and Kanae: Kanae and Kanao both use Flower Magic. Kanae is alive but retired from the Magic Knights at a shockingly young age due to being cursed by a devil. Shinobu and Kanao are working on that. I don’t think Kanao would be the vice captain of the Wisteria Butterflies, but she’d be a top contender for that position. Sabito: He lives in the this AU and would be the vice captain of the Cobalt Ocean! I’ve seen a couple AUs where Sabito uses Ice Breathing and decided that I would have him use Ice Magic since that’d help differentiate him from Giyuu’s Clover Kingdom counterpart! Tamayo and Yushirou: They’re commoners who research forbidden magic, curses, and the like. Tamayo may or may not know the history of Genya’s magic-absorbing swords. Would become elf-possessed later on. Yoriichi and Michikatsu: The Licht and Patry in this AU. I mean, Yoriichi's quiet and calm persona reminds me of the empty shell that Licht was before his soul was full reawakened. Butterfly Mansion girls: Aoi, Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho would be in the Wisteria Butterfly Squad but strictly as healers with their magic. Senjurou and Shinjurou: Senjurou would have Fire Magic like Kyou and their father. But he’d be too weak to pass the Magic Knight Exam. Shinjurou is still a washed up drunk, but probably for a different reason. He probably learned the fact that humans will never match up to the naturally gifted elves in terms of magic and goes “why do humans bother to use magic when we’ll never be as strong as the elves?” Muzan and Demon Moons: They become the Spade Kingdom’s Dark Triad and Dark Disciples. Douma is a member of the Dark Triad and the one who cursed Kanae and killed Kotoha.

[fortysevenswrites]

2019 A Year In Fic

According to my AO3 stats, I wrote 75,129 words this year.

Coming in to 2019, I planned to write 0 words. So, that’s wild.

Many of you don’t know this, but from 2015 to the end of 2016, I spent every inch of my free time working on an original fiction manuscript that I intended to see published. But then, 2017 happened, and my family imploded. Because so much of what I was working on was tied to my family’s bullshit, I haven’t been able to touch my manuscript. Thanks trauma, you’re a bitch.

But in February of this year, I started actually noticing those Kastle gifs from TPS1.11 in my dashboard, the infamous elevator scene, and finally decided to see what that’s all about. Took me long enough, I know.

And writing for Kastle, along with being a lot of fun, has also helped me re-learn how to write fiction. And that’s going to help once I get back into my manuscript, which IS going to happen in 2020, because it’s been long enough and I can’t—I won’t—let me family and it’s epic fuck-up stop me from getting what I want.

It also needs to be said that none of this would have happened had @ck90 not started cheerleading my way back into writing, courtesy of her story, I See Heroes, which is one of my favorite Kastle AUs.

In honor of the end of 2019, I wanted to give a little BTS commentary about the fics I wrote this year:

I Wouldn’t Know Where To Start (One-shot, 6,644 words) All of this happened because @ck90 dedicated Death Was an Invited Guest, which is an absolute delight of a post TPS2 romp, to me. I love me a good fix-it, and I Wouldn’t Know Where To Start is exactly that. Some TPS1 callbacks, some expanded interactions between two characters who briefly met during TPS2, and Louboutins. What more could you want?

There Is No Easy Way To Explain (One-shot, 4,436 words) Part 2 of the These Shoes Are Made ForWalking ‘verse, came about because of that throwaway line in Part 1 about Marci being convinced that Karen had a secret boyfriend. The idea of Marci finding out about Karen’s relationship with Frank, and about Matt being Daredevil was just something I could not pass up, especially after reading chapter 7 of @the-restless-brook’s BRILLIANT story Carrying.

And World Peace (5 Chapters, 30,631 words) My first long-fic that I’ve written in YEARS, this was a birthday gift for @nxbodygoesafterher, which took me about a million and a half years to write. Having Karen embody Agent Grace Hart was a lot of fun, as was adapting the movie to be a little less—early 2000s ew, you know? One of my favorite parts was the relationship between Karen and Billy, and this fic is probably going to be the first and only that sees Billy as not being a villain. Because I have plans in future fics, and none of them are going to look kindly on Mr. Russo.

After (One-shot collection, 4,585 words) This collection came about because every once in a while, I decide that it’s a cool idea to challenge myself to write something short. The goal for this collection is that all the fics will be around 1,000 words, and I do have plans for a couple more entries going into 2020. Part one, 5 Things Frank Learned From Sephora, is ALL @ck90’s fault, and the other three, The Farce, Man and Man’s Best Friend, and Road Rash were all written in October when I was on a cruise down to the Mexican Riviera with my family.

5 Times Someone Asked Karen Where The Punisher Is Now (One-shot, 4,781 words) This was originally intended to be an entry into After, but then it got really, really long. I don’t know why I started writing it, especially with all 800 WIPs I have, but I did. My favorite conversation in this fic has to be the one between Karen and Trish, because I choose which pieces of canon to accept, and which ones to ignore, and I ignore the shit out of a LOT in the NMCU. I also love playing with the post-TPS1 timeline, and have a lot more plans to do that in 2020.

watching over someone from afar (One-shot, 24,052 words) Written as part of @kastlenetwork’s Kastle Secret Santa 2019 for @goddamnitkastle, this is by far one of my favorite fics that I wrote in 2019. When Megan prompted me with her Kastle playlist, I KNEW I was going to go with Taylor Swift’s The Archer. The drama, the intensity, Karen and Frank’s attempts to navigate their relationship in the wake of their conversation in the hospital, was so much fun. I never expected it to end up as long as it was, but hey, that’s what happens when you let the characters run the show, I guess. I also loved being able to get Karen and Sarah Lieberman in the room together, that is also something that is going to happen more often in 2020.

What’s coming next?| I have about 800 million WIPs and fics that I want to tackle in 2020, starting with what I’m calling What’s In The Folder, a post TPS1 AU, where Karen gets some startling news that leads her to the Lieberman’s, and ultimately means Karen and Frank taking a cross-country road trip to make right a massive, devastating wrong.

After What’s In The Folder, I’m probably going to tackle The Big Indulgence (I mean, they’re all indulgences, but this is my BIG one), one of the first long-fic ideas I came up with when I started thinking about fic again. This TPS1 AU will see the N actually being put into the NMCU, with Karen befriending the likes of Pepper Potts, Darcy Lewis, and Natasha Romanov while navigating her career as a reporter. There will be the discovery of a surprising familial relationship, a serious crisis, and Tony Stark making a “Harold, they’re lesbians” reference. Also, Frank might be a little psychic.

I also have the New Orleans indulgence, the Kastle Star Trek Discovery AU, the Cruise AU, the Soulmate AU that @ninzied prompted me with a million years ago based on Halsey’s song Colors, the time travel fic that will see not one, but TWO Franks protecting Karen, the third in the These Shoes Are Made For Walking ‘verse, which will see Karen and Frank attending the world’s most awkward dinner party, the fourth in the These Shoes Are Made For Walking ‘verse, inspired by Amy Rutberg’s episode of TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress, the one post TPS2 where Karen meets Beth, the role-swap AU that will see Karen as the Punisher and Frank as the intrepid reporter, and so freaking many more.

Even though we might not be getting any more new The Punisher content anytime soon, I’m not letting that stop me from continuing to churn out fic. I’ve got so many ideas and they’re so much fun to write, so I’m going to do it, and I can’t wait to see what else the fandom comes up with in 2020.

You’re all amazing, you’re my favorites, and I’m wishing each and every one of you a happy, happy new year!

[beckytailweaver]

Avatar: The Last Airbender (fic stuff)

Since I’m trying to work on something (ANYTHING!) and I seem to be in an Avatar mood of late, I’ll throw this up here.

These are fics, potential fics, and mostly-concrete ideas that have existed in the back of my closet for a very long time, since the good old days of watching ATLA when it was shiny and new and cool. Most of them are also so old that LOK didn’t exist yet or was in its infancy.

Note: These are mostly gen fic. If pairings come up they are not the central goal of the piece; they will be mainly canon as it existed at the time the fic was outlined. Treat them like the scenery (no ship war drama allowed in my workroom, that’s what stopped me participating in the fandom years ago).

I’d kinda like to put some feelers out and see what folks think would be most interesting to work on.

Read on:

The End of the Circle Post-canon continuation, my oldest ATLA fic, conceived and outlined before comics or LOK existed. Does some headcanon worldbuilding based on what was available at the time of the original series. Dragons and spirits and legends coming to life, oh my!

Status: outlined, some scenes written, firm endpoint, world built.

Summary: Roku warned Aang that he could not die in the Avatar State, or the cycle would end. Azula’s lightning killed Aang in the Avatar State. To their good fortune, Katara’s spirit water was able to bring Aang back to life, but there are Consequences—for the Avatar and for the world.

Wild Fire Canon AU/semi-rewrite. Also born before LOK was a thing so Druk doesn’t exist. It borrows some concepts from the idea of Toph and her badgermole family. It breaks some TLA canon around the edges but it’s all in good fun.

Status: outlined, many scenes, ending fully plotted.

Summary: The young Fire Prince was burned and disowned by the Fire Lord, cast away and abandoned on the hostile shores of the Earth Kingdom before his kindly uncle could aid him. Disfigured, angry, and lost, young Zuko finds solace in the wilderness when he is taken in by a most unusual protector: A dragon.

Phoenix Legacy Not-a-time-travel “time travel” fic. It was born after seeing Season 1 of Avatar LOK and...kinda liking it but not? (I mostly lost interest in LOK after S1.) And wanting to add some more classic feel to the season. No information from subsequent seasons was used to outline it (thus there is no Druk) but recently I have gone back and “fixed” Zuko’s daughter (giving her the correct name and appearance), and added her nameless daughter (Iroh II’s sister) for lulz. Basically a rewrite of LOK Season 1 with a TLA character along for the ride to shake everything up, because at the time I was disappointed that there was only Katara and no other Gaang members out there kicking the new Avatar into shape.

Status: outlined, a few scenes written, ending plotted; not to be a rehash.

Summary: A phoenix cannot die by fire—it can only be reborn. When Ozai claimed the title of Phoenix King, he had no idea what sort of spirit he might be invoking. When he lost his ancestor’s war and his crown, the spirit’s blessings were unknowingly conferred upon his heir: The hapless Fire Lord Zuko, determined to bring his nation to peace. Seventy years later, there’s a tragic explosion in a tea shop in Republic City, and exiled traitor Fire Prince Zuko wakes up to an unfamiliar world full of unfamiliar faces. The last thing he remembers is an Agni Kai under a Comet, catching lightning to protect a friend.

The Prince’s Prisoner Another ficling born before the comics or LOK were really a big deal and/or I didn’t know about them. Basically during TLA S1, rather than fleeing Prince Zuko’s clutches, Aang decides to remain his prisoner. The original reasoning for this was a kind of modified Peggy Sue: Aang effed up his final battle with Ozai for reasons, his soul is sorta sent back in time to do-over from his iceberg wakeup. The problem is that this is not a perfect process and he doesn’t actually remember everything, only some very important faces, feelings, and concepts. The idea of Zuko as a dear friend/teacher/trusted person is one of these things. Thus, in defiance of all visible logic, Aang trusts S1!Zuko with his life and keeps his promise to go with him. In spite of his Water Tribe friends continuously trying to rescue him, Zhao continuously trying to capture him, and Zuko himself continuously trying to avoid being befriended by his ticket home. (”I’m your prisoner, not anyone else’s.”)  Intended to be a funny and heartwarming friendship/journey story taking a different angle at the series.

Status: tentatively outlined with very few scenes skeleton’d out, season 1 definite, endpoint undecided but can continue throughout the series. The premise mechanic is a bit flimsy; it’s less concrete since it’s supposed to be fluff, angst, and friendship.

dragon!Zuko AU fic Everybody has to write one of these, it’s like a law. Here’s mine: Ozai’s cruelty during the Agni Kai with his young son invoked the wrath of Agni, bringing down a magic from a time before memory and no one knows if it’s a blessing or a curse. When Zuko’s face burned, the fire didn’t stop there, and when the flames went out a young dragon was left on the floor of the arena. Uncle Iroh came to his rescue before the rest of Court could gather their wits, and then had to get him on a boat and out of the Fire Nation before Ozai could decide whether to make him into a pet or a trophy. Part 1: Rather than going on a mission to hunt the Avatar, Zuko and Iroh are on a road trip to keep Zuko alive and secret from the world (Ozai wants to usurp his brother’s title of Dragon). Iroh and his crew end up raising this stubborn angsty dragon prince; since he can’t turn back into a human he has to come to terms with being a dragon most of the time (which can’t talk), and he can often be Very Dramatic about it. Part 2: Years later, there’s rumors of the Avatar’s return and Zuko (who has sort of learned to take a human shape again) sees an opportunity to spare his own life and go home by offering his father a bigger prize than a dragon’s head...

Status: very general outline, some scenes conceived and a general plot/endpoint. Part 1 is in the 3 years pre-canon, Part 2 is during canon, including the grumpy dragon hiding out in Ba Sing Se.

Years Gone/Avatar kids AU S1/pre-canon rewrite. Some whim of fate cracks open Aang’s iceberg three years early (a storm, a passing boat, pure chance?) and he tumbles out into the world in the same year that Prince Zuko was banished. Despite befriending some Water Tribe children who would love to go adventuring with him, he’s got to get home to the Southern Air Temple and that’s where he runs into young, angry, raw-wounded Prince Zuko on his first visit. The tiny chase ensues up and down the entire temple. Aang will of course be friendly but escape. And this begins a probably-ill-advised adventure with a lot of kids who are entirely too young to be camping across the world on a bison (but it’s exciting!), chased by another kid entirely too young to be leading a manhunt. The Comet is three years away so there’s plenty of time for adults to tear their hair out over this. Zuko is a tiny ball of determination, rage, and tears. Aang feels bad for him and tries to make with the befriending even as he’s dodging the fire tantrums. Occasionally during adventures Zuko just gets scooped along for the ride in Appa’s saddle, no one’s sure how these weird truces get called, but Iroh sips tea and directs the crew on a new heading and they’ll pick up their prince at the bison’s next stopover most likely after the kid pendulums back the other way and remembers he’s trying to nab the Avatar again. So Zuko spends 50% of the time yelling and chasing the Avatar and 50% of the time sitting in Appa’s saddle learning tentative smiles and being offered berries and seal jerky, all the way from the South Pole to the North. (It’s slightly terrifying to realize that Aang and Zuko are currently the oldest kids in the party and are actually in charge of this terribly irresponsible expedition.)

Status: general outline, a couple of scenes written, particular S1 plot points, no endpoint yet. Possible bonus content: Toph and/or Suki come along for the ride because why not.

The Blacksmith of Ba Sing Se This is a very old Lu Ten Lives! story. Lu Ten always knew Uncle Ozai envied him, but secure in his position he didn’t really care about it until he took an arrow in the back during the final battle of the Siege of Ba Sing Se. With unknown assassins among his own ranks and no safe place to retreat in the melee, the wounded prince decides to fake his own death by hiding in the rubble, and then swapping clothes with a slain Earth Kingdom soldier half crushed in the ruin. At first, it’s only to get to safety until he can get to the bottom of this. But Lu Ten is picked up by the EK medic teams after the surprising withdrawal of the Fire Nation troops, and ends up spirited away into the heart of Ba Sing Se—where he discovers that it’s hard to escape. He also discovers a whole new world, and a whole new perspective, and, keeping out of the authorities’ notice, eventually manages to make a life for himself as Chang the Blacksmith, a humble craftsman with a wife and kids. This...is much nicer than war, death, and Court politics. Years later: refugee Zuko walking home from his job at Pao Family Tea Shop runs across a little boy crying over his broken toy in the dusty street...

Status: nebulous outline with a few particular sketched scenes. Takes place mostly in Ba Sing Se, outcome indeterminate. It could be mixed with the Lineages concept from below.

Lineages / not Ozai’s kid AU Not really a concrete plot so much as a campy idea from long before the Avatar comics blundered through Ursa’s backstory. There was a phase in the fandom (I think the Search comics drew off of that) where it was popular to imagine almost anyone else than Ozai as Zuko’s Secret Real Dad (the boy deserves a better father) and Iroh was often selected as primary candidate. (I know, Iroh is already the real dad and stepped into Ozai’s cold empty shoes like a pro.) Me, deciding that I had to be different, decided to offer up Lu Ten on that altar. Justifications: Iroh and Ozai looked to have a pretty extreme age difference and there was no solid age for Lu Ten at the time of his death, but his picture looks mature enough. Deals with family secrets and the political issues of muddying the lines of inheritance in the middle of a war. Also takes a crack at Ursa having a clever hand with Azulon’s last will and testament on Ozai’s behalf, with provisos.

Status: nothing really more than a vague concept without enough plot to stand on its own. Without a viable framework, it could work better/well folded into The Blacksmith story, above.

I’m open to opinions and/or asks about these. Trying to get a spark going! (I need to be working in a fandom, ANY fandom at this point! ^_^;; )

[setaripendragon]

Snily AU - Book 1?

So, okay, I started typing up a post asking for help planning out how the series would go if, instead of canon, Sev and Lily got together and fucked off to Italy to go to Magic University, but it ended up so long that I thought I ought to split it into sections for each of Harry’s school years.

Primarily, there are three things that are key features of this AU:

1) Sev/Lily, which is how the timeline starts to diverge, which lead to; 2) Boy-Who-Lived!Neville, since Harry only had one parent who ‘thrice defied’ Voldemort, and 3) Slytherin!Harry, because I want to and no one can stop me =D

Aaand if any of that is interesting to you, and you want to help me figure out some of the kinks in the plot caused by all those stupid-massive changes, read on under the cut:

So, I think I gotta start with a bit of the backstory. Neville and Harry swap backstories, for the most part. Neville’s parents were killed by Voldemort, who then ‘died’ trying to kill Neville, while Harry’s Dad and Uncle Padfoot were tortured into insanity, and he was sent to live with his mother, who is generally unimportant, except for the fac that she’s magical, probably a Gryffindor, and a stand-in for the Dursleys in that she’s neglectful-bordering-on-outright-abusive of the kid she didn’t actually want but got saddled anyway.

Once the war ends, Sev and Lily come back to the UK with their daughter Maeve (Ginny’s age) and Lily gets back in touch with old school friends, including Remus. Sev opens up a potions and alchemy shop/apothecary in Diagon Alley, and Lily starts training to be a healer.

Sirius starts to recover (James doesn’t because I just don’t like him, okay) and goes to stay with Remus, and they end up fighting to get custody of Harry from his shitty mum. Lily helps. (Sev helps, too, because as much as he still hates Remus and Sirius, he knows he would have done anything for parents that actually loved and wanted him. He also makes the wolfsbane potion for Remus gratis so that his lycanthropy doesn’t get in the way of getting custody of Harry.)

So Harry grows up as a normal (if somewhat neglected to start with) boy who loves his two fucked up dads and his aunt Lily and uncle Sev. He makes friends with Ron (and Maeve with Ginny and Luna) because Remus and Sirius were in the order with Molly’s brothers (and probably Molly herself, right? I can’t remember if canon ever confirms or denies) and when Molly heard they had a kid about Ron’s age, she arranged playdates, and Maeve, of course, got dragged along.

I’ve got a few questions about the backstory, but they mostly only get adressed later on, so I didn’t really focus on them too hard, but here they are in case anyone has any ideas:

1) Who betrays the Longbottoms to Voldemort? 1a) Does anyone need to betray them to Voldemort? Do they use the Fidelius? Or do they have a well-warded Manor like the Malfoys? 2) Who tortures James and Sirius? Is it still Bellatrix, Barty, and co? Or is Pettigrew involved? 3) Who’s the spy? I’m thinking this should be a Regulus Lives AU, too, and he should be the spy. 3a) Does there need to be a spy at all? 3b) If Regulus is the spy, how the fuck did he survive? Since I’m trying not to make any changes that don’t at least in some small way lead back to the original divergance, why would Sev/Lily leaving the country after Hogwarts mean that Regulus survived?

But then Harry goes to Hogwarts, and the fucking chaos starts.

So, just first off, Neville is the one Ron befriends on the train, and Hermione probably helps Neville with Trevor as per canon, too, so the ‘Golden Trio’ is fairly set with just a simple swap. Maybe Harry sits with them? But because he’s sorted into Slytherin, he doesn’t really get quite as enmeshed into their friend group, I don’t think. After all, he’s going to end up being the sort of pioneer for interhouse friendships and redeeming Slytherin, so it can’t start easy for him.

And speaking of redeeming Slytherin, I really like the idea that Harry and Draco are... sort of rivals and foils and two-sides-of-the-same-coin in Slytherin house, and being the ringleaders of a schism that eventually leads to the revolution of Slytherin house away from being a Death Eater Recruiting Ground and back into a proud, noble Hogwarts House filled with those students who have the power and the drive and the sheer spite to succeed despite all odds. (And eventually it comes out that Salazar Slytherin himself would absolutely one hundred percent have been on Harry’s side, because I adore good!Slytherin and nothing in canon explicitly shows that he wasn’t.)

But with all of that... I’m left with a big question as to how much of Neville’s story is going to parallel Harry’s from canon? Did he meet Hagrid in Diagon Alley? (Why? Wouldn’t he just go with his Grandmother?) If he didn’t, then he has no idea about anything about bank robbery to connect it with Fluffy. I think the whole rememberal/Quidditch thing would go about the same in canon, except Harry doesn’t get on the house team because he’s in Slytherin and Slughorn isn’t that biased or influential. He and Draco both just loose points and get told off. And the midnight duel, I think would happen about as it did in canon, and Harry wouldn’t be involved at all, but it would, at least, let Neville know that there’s a Cerberus guarding something, even if he doesn’t realise that ‘something’ is the something Hagrid took from Gringott’s.

I think Neville would definitely want to help Hermione during the whole Troll In The Dungeon Incident. I also like the idea of Harry (and Blaise (who honestly makes a fantastic foil for Ron when you compare what they have vs what they want) and Tracey (wiki says she’s supposed to be half-blood, but Tracey is such a muggle name to me that I’ve decided she’s muggleborn) because Harry needs awesome Slytherin friends) being very unimpressed at Dumbledore’s orders to send the Slytherins to their common room in the dungeons while there’s a troll down there and they wander off to explore and accidentally find the Mirror of Erised.

Which brings me to another problem. The Invisibility Cloak. It’s rightfully Harry’s, it should go to Harry, but it was in Dumbledore’s possession, and I don’t think Remus or Sirius would have thought to ask the man for it. Unless... would it have been in Dumbledore’s possession if James hadn’t been thrust into the spotlight by the prophecy? Did it end up in Remus’s possession while both James and Sirius were in St Mungo’s? Or does it end up in Dumbledore’s possession anyway, and would he really give such a useful tool to a relative nobody instead of the Boy Who Lived who might need it?

I mean, that might be a nice source of conflict later? If Harry finds out that Dumbledore did that? I think, if it came out, Neville would be good enough to give it up to it’s rightful owner, despite how useful he might find it, and Harry might be good enough to lend it to him since he has more use for it. But I have no idea which might be better for the story/more fun for me the writer. So there’s two more questions and their sub-questions for you:

4) Does Neville meet Hagrid in Diagon Alley? 4a) Do they just happen to meet and Hagrid blurts out secrets he’s not supposed to? Or is Hagrid there as a sort of bodyguard for the Boy Who Lived? 4b) Even if he does meet Hagrid there, does he actually see the vault the Philosopher’s Stone comes from? 5) Who gets the Invisibility Cloak, Harry or Neville? 5a) Did Dumbledore ever even take it from James at all?

And then? Then there’s Norbert. Is Neville even friends with Hagrid in this? If he’s not, then everything probably goes compeltely off-script. Hagrid tries to keep Norbert until he can’t hide him (her) anymore, Hagrid gets into trouble for keeping a dragon, and idk maybe Dumbledore gets him out of too much trouble, but it would still be... kind of huge. Maybe Hagrid gets arrested? Maybe Hagrid just gets fined and told off. Norbert might get put down, or maybe (s)he just gets officially shipped to a reserve? Either way, Neville never gets the detention in the Forest, never meets Quirrellmort, and maybe never realises Voldemort wants what’s hidden in the school? Where the fuck would the plot even go from there? Quirrellmort just stays under the school staring in desperation at a mirror until Quirrell starves to death? What? Do I go that route?

If I say that Neville and Hagrid are friends, which... can probably make sense. Hagrid would have known Neville’s parents same as Harry’s, and if he was some sort of bodyguard for Neville in Diagon Alley, they could have made friends there? Or maybe Hagrid just made a comment when he was rowing the First Years across the lake about knowing Neville’s parents, and Neville searched him out to find out about them from a source that isn’t his Grandmother?

6) Is Neville friends with Hagrid? 6a) If yes, how is Neville friends with Hagrid? 6b) If no, how far off-script do I go? Should I try and orchestrate some other way for Neville to run into Quirrellmort? Some other way for him to make friends with centaurs and learn that it’s a Philosopher’s Stone under the castle?

Assuming I do try to weave close to canon, I think the whole Norbert thing would happen mostly the same, except with Neville and Harry’s roles reversed. I do like the idea of Harry hearing Draco gloating in the Common Room about how he’s going to get Neville into trouble because he’s got a dragon, and Harry deciding to try and warn Neville. (That would be an argument in favour of Harry having the Invisibility Cloak, because it would up his motivation to go out that night to find Neville (and Hermione) because he has a way to hide them.)

And the detention in the Forest would be the same, more or less, except I think I’d go with Harry being with Neville when Quirrellmort goes after Neville, instead of Draco. Because Harry has his own reasons to hate Voldemort and his followers, and it’d be interesting to be able to contrast Harry and Neville’s reactions to the incident. And that would introduce Firenze (I do like Firenze), and give Neville at least enough intel to figure that there’s some life-giving magic being guarded by Fluffy, even if he doesn’t get the same Dumbledore-Flamel-Stone revelation?

And if all of that does happen, then I think I want Harry to go with the Golden Trio to stop Voldemort getting the Stone. I like the idea of Slytherin!Harry still getting to be a bit of a hero, this time by his own volition, and not because Destiny (and Voldemort’s obsession) keeps throwing him into the role whether he likes it or not. Idk how I’d get him to the right place at the right time, though, to be there when Neville hears Hagrid’s story of the man in the pub.

Either way, I want him to be there because of the Flying Keys Challenge. Neville gets to shine with the Devil’s Snare, Ron with Chess Set as per canon, and... idk what Slughorn’s challenge might be, but I don’t think it would be as cool as Sev’s. Maybe a magical puzzle box. Bet Hermione would have fun with that... So there’s some more questions, which I’m going to let stand on their own, even though they’re kind of entirely contingent on the answer to question six:

7) Does Harry go with Neville to stop Voldemort getting the Stone? 7a) How does he know where to be? Does he hear Hagrid’s story and share Neville’s revelation? Or does he find out what Quirrell’s doing some other way? 8) What is Slughorn’s Potions Challenge? 8a) Should it be a similar sort of logic-puzzle as we see in the books, to play to Hermione’s strengths that way? Or should it be more... dependent on some esoteric bit of knowledge that Hermione just happens to know?

But this is all assuming I follow canon! Urgh! On the one hand, following the formula already laid out is easier, but on the other hand, nothing annoys me so much as an AU that goes out of it’s way to stick to canon plot points even though, with the changes that’ve already been made, there’s no reason for those events to happen? I just really can’t figure out which would be best >.<

Either way, though, I think the year would still end with Quirrell dying, and Voldemort fleeing. And either way, Slytherin wins the House Cup (Harry wins enough points for Slytherin to tip the scales, if I follow canon plot points), because fuck Dumbledore’s petty bullshit. And either way, they’d come to roughly the same point at the end of the year, so Book 2 could start the same, no matter how the second half of this year goes.

I’ll put together another post for the second year of this insane AU at some point, I already have some ideas for changes I want to make, and some big problems I don’t quite know how to deal with. In the meantime... thoughts, anyone?

[gffa]

It’s totally cool to be crying over STAR WARS and then crying over Star Wars fic, too, right? Yes, totally cool, totally fine. STAR WARS FIC RECS: ✦ Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil by ChibiObiwan (araedan), obi-wan/anakin, human au, 7.9k    Forced to flee the city from both the plague and men hunting him, Anakin takes refuge at a Convent under the pretense of being both deaf and dumb. Brother Kenobi, a monk who has secluded himself amongst Nuns for a reason, is at first skeptical but then protective of the seemingly innocent man. ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), 68.6k wip    During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone. ✦ Sith Anakimono. by lurkingcrow, obi-wan/anakin(/padme), sith!obi-wan, 1.5k    Imagine if you will, a universe where Knight Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker are unexpectedly lost on a mission, and find themselves stuck on a planet/in an ancient temple with a bevy of Sith ghosts for company. ✦ Clarity by anecdotalist, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka & cast, 82.1k wip    Anakin’s jealousy leads to the start of something new between him and Obi-Wan and a lot of frank discussions about things they should have talked about but didn’t in canon. ✦ The Exchange by MissLearn, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & ahsoka & qui-gon & rex & cast, time travel, 77k wip    The Daughter has a bad day and it irrevocably changes the fate of the galaxy, twice over. Or; ROTS Obi-Wan and Anakin are swapped with their younger, TPM, selves. It changes things, in both parallels. ✦ In Time by Ripki, obi-wan & anakin, time travel, 4.9k wip    As the Clone Wars drags on and the secrets between them grow, Anakin and Obi-Wan have begun to drift apart. When a mysterious holocron sends them through time, they don’t only have to confront their past and future – but the present as well. (Or the Force, frustrated and tired with all their bullshit, sends the Team to an unconventional couple’s therapy.) ✦ Precipice Bonus Content by shadowsong26, obi-wan & anakin & leia & ahsoka, 2.9k wip    Bonus fics and other snippets in the Precipice universe. ✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 51.9k wip    For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him. ✦ “The Padawan Chooses The Master” by lurkingcrow, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 3.6k    prompt: AU - The Jedi say “The Padawan Chooses The Master” Qui Gon lives, Obi Wan is very preoccupied, and Anakin is put into the creche as an Initiate to learn what he can until Qui Gon wakes up from his coma and gets yelled at by the Council. In the meantime, Anakin meets other Jedi Masters and when the Council asks him who he wants to be his teacher, his answer isn’t Qui Gon. Instead it’s *insert your fav Jedi here* ✦ Obikin Drabble by fn_6969, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Anonymous prompt: “fic idea- darth vader thinking about obi-wan oh no” ✦ untitled by subskywalker, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, d/s elements, 1.5k    Anonymous asked: Could you do a headcanon about Sith emperor!Obi-Wan and his Sith apprentice Anakin…who is also his sub?? ✦ For the Sake of the Mission by TheKinkAwakens (thekinkawakens), obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 2.6k    Anakin and Obi-Wan have to go undercover as Padmé’s husbands. Of course, no one mentioned the public display of ‘pleasure’ they’d have to put on to prove their loyalty to her. ✦ Surrender to the Light by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & anakin & luke & qui-gon, 1.1k    Ben Kenobi knew exactly what he was doing when he saw Luke watching his duel with Darth Vader. ✦ The Sun and the Ocean by zarabithia, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 2.3k    Five things that happened when the twins were born early. hint: threesomes happen and assholes die. full details + recs under the cut! 

STAR WARS FIC RECS: ✦ Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil by ChibiObiwan (araedan), obi-wan/anakin, human au, 7.9k    Forced to flee the city from both the plague and men hunting him, Anakin takes refuge at a Convent under the pretense of being both deaf and dumb. Brother Kenobi, a monk who has secluded himself amongst Nuns for a reason, is at first skeptical but then protective of the seemingly innocent man.    This was really cute and adorable! It’s an Obikin version of that Virgin Territory movie (where Hayden is the prettiest person you have ever seen, oh my god) and it just sort of sailed right by for me because it was happily embracing the fun, cracky concept it was putting forth, that Anakin wound up in a convent with Obi-Wan as a monk there and of course they’re wildly attracted to each other, even as Obi-Wan thinks that Anakin is deaf and mute. It’s just this light-hearted, silly romp in all the ways it was meant to be and put such a smile on my face! ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), 68.6k wip    During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone.    Chapter 14: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. As always, even before I begin writing this rec, I’m sure it will be a completely ridiculous one, because this fic is tailored to hit my wants, as well as being so well thought out and so well-written that I can’t not talk about everything that comes up in it! Which means spoilers for the events of the chapter and everything up to this point, of course! One of the things that I really love, as odd as it might sound, is that not everything is perfect, that it’s been almost 70k of fic and it’s been fourteen chapters and they had even more intimate sex in the previous chapter, hell, even several chapters ago, Anakin told Obi-Wan about the murder of the Tuskens. If the fic had made everything smooth between them, I wouldn’t have complained, because it certainly laid down a lot of the work necessary to smooth that path out–but it’s not all perfect between them, even as they’ve grown so much closer, and as much as I love when things are fixed, I love it even more when it takes time and it’s not a straight line there, because it gives further weight to just how much those issues do mean when it comes to Anakin, that it actually wasn’t so easy to do and that’s why it took so long to get them even this far. That Anakin doesn’t tell Obi-Wan about the hand he felt on him in a previous chapter when he and Isten went to confront Ugly, that Veris knows exactly how to use this, that Anakin still fearsthat Obi-Wan will reject him, that he’s wrong to hide this, but it’s so, so understandable why he does, that the entire chapter ends in a not-quite-fight, all of that was so incredibly true to who Anakin Skywalker is that I just wanted to roll around in it.    Of course, it’s not just that, either–it’s also in the way he sees Isten and Veris’ interaction, the way Veris treats him as well, the way he calls Anakin a stubborn boy, with fondness and exasperation, the way he’s commanding and Anakin may be annoyed, but also it felt like some part of him unthinkingly responded to it, wanted to, while the imagery shared between them still chafes at him because he’s still fighting it. I love that Isten (WHO IS SUCH A BREAKOUT VERSION OF ANAKIN HE IS SO MUCH FUN) is so brash and cocky when he speaks aloud, but is much more obedient when mind-speaking with Veris, the contrast between the two sent a shiver through me because, oh, yes, he wants that, this is his balance and it works so well for him. All of this is tied up in the imagery that Anakin glimpses, the version of Anakin Skywalker naked and kneeling and bound up with ropes, the one who is at peace and wanted there, but by who? Isten? Versis? Obi-Wan? Anakin? All of them or maybe only some of them? This is where the deliberate care with the interactions really is highlighted and you can see why these Sith versions are my favorite–because they’re reflecfions of wants and desires and thoughts from Obi-Wan and Anakin, but also they’re their own people made real now, so everything is a murky fog to try to peer through, to see what the truth is, and that is so good, both for me as a reader and for the legit well-written story!    There are so many other little moments I loved here, too–Isten sleeping across Veris, the sense of two very large predatory cats lounging against each other, sleepy for now, but something dangerous hidden underneath. The way Veris seems so incredibly fond of Anakin, that I truly felt the gentleness there, that he had no wish to harm him, that this is the last person he’d want to harm–unless he was somehow a threat to Isten and then Veris would cut anythingdown, even the original source of the one he loves so much. That he’s gentle with both Anakin and Isten when looking inside them, gentle and yet so sharp and cutting, someone not to be denied, and yet you feel the difference, that there’s such easy and familiarity and desire with Isten, while with Anakin it’s a more distant fondness. And there’s such rich, lucious imagery in this chapter, as Veris is in Anakin’s mindscape and vice versa, the rich, roiling darkness, the flower buds on the vine that were so nicely done I could practically feel their weight in my hand and smell them in the air. As well as the dream Veris has in the beginning, the imagery and sense of a person not being where you think they are, that you held onto them and still somehow what you’re holding onto isn’t them, the light and deft touch that let my own imagination do the shading in of the creepy things to match the creepy descriptions, is beautifully done and you can just feel how much the author enjoys writing creeping horror and how good it is here!    But also I’m still stuck on how Anakin withheld things from Obi-Wan, because I didn’t quite expect it and I should have. The way Isten, who seems so charming and fey and uncaring at times, absolutely will follow Veris’ orders, you remember that when he looks over the campfire and Anakin tells him, “Master wants to see you.” and his eyes catch on the firelight. And the way, of course Obi-Wan finds out, the absolutely justified frustration he feels and how badly Anakin takes it, even when Obi-Wan reaches out and touches him and shows such care for him, because Anakin overreacting and bringing his own fears and issues to the table is spot fucking on. The way Obi-Wan does not take well that Veris opened Anakin up and looked into him, even manipulated him (if in a very obvious way) and how it’s different from what Veris does on behalf of Isten, but also very, very much a deliberate parallel. The way all of this is about these twisting and twining versions of each other, desires and light and dark and balance, that there’s such darkness in Anakin and he’s trying to work through it, but he’s not there yet, having someone who likes that darkness versus someone who isn’t afraid of it but doesn’t fling them into it, the way Anakin is so wound up and still has so many knots in himself to untangle, oh, it’s such a complicated thing and it’s all there in the fic, in the way he interacts with each of them!    Which is why I am so glad the fic ended on Anakin and Isten off together again because they are an absolute joy around each other and I always come away from their scenes with more to think about in regards to Anakin’s character at heart, just as much as I come away with Isten’s relationship with Veris will always reflect something of Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan, that they don’t have to be the same for me to draw insight from, and let me tell you about how incredibly satisfying and engaging that makes the fic. I can’t believe there are only four chapters left and I still don’t know how it’s going to end and I’m still so eager to find out and yet never want to leave this one! It really is one of the author’s best and one I would encourage anyone who’s a fan of the pairing to read or just wants a good fic that does the heavy lifting of the pairing while still being subtle and thoughtful. Or just wants a good case story to go with their pairing fic! ✦ Sith Anakimono. by lurkingcrow, obi-wan/anakin(/padme), sith!obi-wan, 1.5k    Imagine if you will, a universe where Knight Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker are unexpectedly lost on a mission, and find themselves stuck on a planet/in an ancient temple with a bevy of Sith ghosts for company.    It’s been a week for Sith!Obi-Wan fic again apparently! And this was a lovely piece where it’s a sketched outline/half-fic piece where Obi-Wan and Anakin are stuck in a Sith Temple, it’s getting to Anakin, and so Obi-Wan takes the Fall to save him instead, which then becomes all about how much Obi-Wan loves him and won’t let anything bad touch him and how of course Anakin follows him, as he always does, and they become entirely co-dependent on each other and stuck in this feedback loop together and, oh, it’s just so satisfying to me, who loves these two and their relationship so much. Padme is eventually roped into this as well, it’s eventually an ot3, but it’s just such a charming and fun AU fic, that there’s something warm and kind in this AU, it’s just so satisfying and happy to read! Like, there’s something legitimately engaging here that makes it not really that cracky so much as fun and easy to see in my mind’s eye and hits on all these really wonderful beats and it’s just clearly designed to make me happy while reading it! ✦ Clarity by anecdotalist, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka & cast, 82.1k wip    Anakin’s jealousy leads to the start of something new between him and Obi-Wan and a lot of frank discussions about things they should have talked about but didn’t in canon.    Chapter 16: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. I actually went back to reread chapter 15 when picking this one up again and I loved being able to settle in for a nicely long read and I’m still just totally hooked on everything going on here, that this is a universe where Order 66 still happens, but things have changed and the fic doesn’t gloss over that. One of the neatest things is how much time is being spent on the actual investigation into the clones and what happened, that they’re fumbling blind on this issue and have no idea what’s doing it or where to start looking, so they really have to work at it! And this brings Shaak Ti into the picture and, oh, she’s wonderful, there’s such a serenity to her even when there’s also an intensity to her at the same time, it’s lovely and perfect for her. There’s a bunch of little moments I loved–Cody being super deadpan! Obi-Wan making it worse because that guy always has a quip to make it worse and of course he finds it funny! Anakin practically crawling into Obi-Wan’s lap when he’s happy and wants kisses! the reunion with Shaak Ti! Obi-Wan and Anakin eating dessert in bed and talking, a moment of quiet before everything starts happening again!–that it feels really well balanced between the more quiet, intimate moments and the bigger plot happenings.    It’s a fic that balances between all the shit that’s happening in the story at the moment, but still gives hope and affection and love and humor when it’s needed. It’s a story that clearly cares about the characters and plot it’s writing, it’s a story that clearly loves the Obikin pairing at the heart of it, but also wants to write the plot around it, doing both justice and weaving the two together. And it’s a fic that I’m definitely eager to see where it goes next, now that the Kamino trip has gone well (or at least well enough) because it’s just such a good story being told here! ✦ The Exchange by MissLearn, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & ahsoka & qui-gon & rex & cast, time travel, 77k wip    The Daughter has a bad day and it irrevocably changes the fate of the galaxy, twice over. Or; ROTS Obi-Wan and Anakin are swapped with their younger, TPM, selves. It changes things, in both parallels.    Chapters 12-13: This is an update rec and will focus on these chapters, rather than the fic as a whole. There’s been about 20k added to this fic since the last time I caught up on it and this was both a good and bad decision to wait–I lovereading bigger chunks of this fic at once, it’s such a warm, soothing story even in the middle of all the angsty stuff, but also now that I’ve finished with it, I have something of a fic hangover and I don’t want a new one, I want more of this thisone for the next day or so! I will warn that there are a lot of typos and such in the writing, but I do so because I want to encourage readers past them because this is honestly one of the fics I look forward to most, as it’s just so solid in everything it does. It’s a story that has fun with the time travel aspect and does the necessary heavy lifting to show the changes, it doesn’t forget about Qui-Gon or Ahsoka or Padme or Palpatine or Maul or the Jedi or the Clones, they’re all very important here, but at its heart, it’s about Obi-Wan and Anakin. At the center of the story, it’s about repairing the relationship between them, it’s about giving them them circumstances that would force them to look at it and then letting them naturally do what they would, to show that the majority of their problems were external and they just needed the right space to see that.    And, oh, it’s so good for both characters, it really takes its time with repairing it from both sides, that Obi-Wan is more explicit in his care for Anakin, sees that Anakin needs more of it, and Anakin understands just how little consideration he’s actually given Obi-Wan despite how much he loves him and needs him. These chapters have another swap happening, where Anakin is put back to his right time, but Obi-Wan isn’t, so you have moppet!Anakin with ROTS!Obi-Wan and Knight!Anakin with TPM!Obi-Wan and, despite that they just spent 50k working on things in such an emotionally satisfying way, the fic doesn’t stop there, it keeps going with Anakin further realizing just how much has been placed on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and just how much Anakin hasn’t seen that. It lets ROTS!Obi-Wan look at bb!Anakin and wonder if the path of the Jedi is right for him, but in a really warm-hearted way, where both paths are valuable. And, oh, when TPM!Obi-Wan has a conversation about the Jedi and emotions, how love and attachment aren’t the same thing, that it comes in such a way that works for the scene it’s in, I practically melted for how much this fic really got the Jedi in a way that’s right to canon, in a way that’s right to these characters, and in a way that’s kind. It was so incredibly satisfying and cathartic and made me love all of these characters more, because this is building up instead of tearing down.    But most of all it’s the way the fic really embraces so many things that need talking about and gives them the space to do so in a really understanding and constructive way, that it doesn’t feel like it’s giving canon the middle finger, but instead building up from there and then just nailing what the characters are feeling and how they would see the situation and what they bring to the table. Anakin and Padme’s relationship needing to grow, but in a way that makes me root for them! Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship having grown so much and still needs more, in a way that shows just how important they are to each other and how good they are together! Ahsoka having issues with Anakin but it comes from a place of love and their relationship grows as well! Anakin really having to think about what his path in life should be! That the TPM versions of the characters and the ROTS versions of the characters are the same person and yet there’s such stark differences in who each of them are, that they affected each other and the war affected them, both in good and bad ways! Just, oh, man, this fic is so well written for how it gets all of that down and lights me up, that it’s 77k into the fic and it’s still absolutely doing justice to how much there is to unpack and have them work through, in a way that’s so engaging and so thoughtful and really, really emotionally satisfying. I cannot rave enough about that warm glow I feel every time I read more of this fic! ✦ In Time by Ripki, obi-wan & anakin, time travel, 4.9k wip    As the Clone Wars drags on and the secrets between them grow, Anakin and Obi-Wan have begun to drift apart. When a mysterious holocron sends them through time, they don’t only have to confront their past and future – but the present as well. (Or the Force, frustrated and tired with all their bullshit, sends the Team to an unconventional couple’s therapy.)    This fic is only two chapters so far but I’m already absolutely hooked on it and completely endeared to it! They’re being bounced around to different significant moments of their lives, which mean big dramatic reveals happen, just dropped right in their laps and they barely have time to catch their breath before on to the next one, but where the fic really works is that you can feel those conversations are still coming, it’s not glossing over the aftermath of them (which is where the real fun is) but instead they’re still trying to stop spinning first. And this is definitely centered on Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship, the emotional weight between them and you feel that especially hard in the second chapter where there’s so much love and hurt born from love there, it was such a bittersweet scene in exactly the way the fic intended it to be. There’s so much history and connection there, so much sadness and yet love and hope, just the way Obi-Wan watches Anakin and watches the people they stumble over, there’s something he just gets and it’s perfectly done. But also Anakin! Being kind of a disaster in that brilliant way of his! Banter! Breaking the tension by teasing each other! It’s already so good and I wan’t wait for more. ✦ Precipice Bonus Content by shadowsong26, obi-wan & anakin & leia & ahsoka, 2.9k wip    Bonus fics and other snippets in the Precipice universe.    You probably have to at least be familiar with the Precipice story to read these, though, my favorite of chapter 3 where Anakin and Obi-Wan discuss Leia’s dream, can be read just knowing that the twins are being raised separately, Luke with Padme and Leia with Anakin, and she’s getting old enough to start talking about her connections with Luke and she’ll have questions soon. While I enjoy all of the ficlets in this series (the Ahsoka one had such a lovely bittersweet longing as she almost sees Padme again), that chapter was my favorite for the complicated, difficult position Anakin was in. Telling the truth would put everyone in danger, would put children in danger, would risk their lives, but also Anakin chafes at the idea, and it’s not an easy decision and the light, delicate touches on his relationship with Obi-Wan, who is there to help him, is just so satisfying, to see Anakin put in a position where the answers aren’t so easy and it just makes me love him and everyone more and want the best for all of them. So, I really enjoyed this piece for the quiet tables turning in a gentle, bittersweet way! ✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 51.9k wip    For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him.    Chapter 11: This will be an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. This continues to be a fic that I never expected to actually have, it’s one of those that I feel like is a “Oh, wouldn’t it be great if someone wrote it and did it justice…?” but usually doesn’t happen, even in the bigger fandoms. But Obi-Wan getting visions and leaving the Order, but still being absolutely a Jedi at heart, that the worldbuilding and understanding of the GFFA, the sheer amount of charm and charisma in the writing that makes me want to read about everyone and everything here, it still sort of boggles me a little! And that’s exactly what I mean when I say this chapter is a slower one, where Waxer gets sick and he and Obi-Wan just spend some time on their ship alone, but it’s great character and world-illustrating stuff in these little small but incredibly charismatic ways, it gets these characters and makes them so, so easy to read about. “Waxer gets the flu and has to drink a terrible thing to help him.” shouldn’t be that interesting and, yet, with this fic it is!    Because it’s also about the banter between the characters, it’s also about showing who Obi-Wan is, it’s about showing the dynamic between these characters once they’re away from the rules of the Republic that have been set down on the clones and Jedi both, that we get to see that friendship evolve as the fic actually does the work of showing us, in a very natural and organic sort of way. But it’s also heartbreaking, as Waxer is no longer part of the Republic that owns him, and the individuality that he’d been granted as much as he could have been, starts to grow and he really starts to think about what he wants and what his life means, and it’s not an easy thing, becuase the clones got such a raw deal and it’s heartbreaking to read here, even as I have hope for something better.    Basically, the fic is doing everything it needs to to hit my id straight on and be a legit wonderfully written story, right down to one of my favorite things in fandom–taking two characters who aren’t that close, throwing them into a seperate story and seeing how they interaction, which the fic does brilliantly, makes me care about them all over again, and really and truly gets both of them, in a really sharp, interesting way! This is a fic to read even if you’re just sort of a casual fan, even if I sort of worry that it’ll kinda spoil you for the rest of fandom. It’s just so good! Obi-Wan is so spot on, Waxer is so well-written, the other characters (like Ahsoka and Bant and Mace and, oh, Anakin) have been given so much thought and understanding for why they are how they are and it’s “Obi-Wan and Waxer go around trying to fix the galaxy as best they can” kind of road trip antics that are so, so satisfying. ✦ “The Padawan Chooses The Master” by lurkingcrow, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 3.6k    prompt: AU - The Jedi say “The Padawan Chooses The Master” Qui Gon lives, Obi Wan is very preoccupied, and Anakin is put into the creche as an Initiate to learn what he can until Qui Gon wakes up from his coma and gets yelled at by the Council. In the meantime, Anakin meets other Jedi Masters and when the Council asks him who he wants to be his teacher, his answer isn’t Qui Gon. Instead it’s *insert your fav Jedi here*    I’ve probably recommended this one before, but I reread it again recently and was just as in love with it as ever, because it’s so good-hearted and so sparkling and so spot-on, both in the details it pulls in from the GFFA and the worldbuilding it does in the background. I love it because it’s a fic designed to give Anakin some more breathing room when he first comes to the Jedi, to get used to life as an Initiate and also that way Palpatine can’t have access to him, because that’s not the same thing as a Padawan, who has more independence in choosing who they hang out with, which means he doesn’t have the same poison being dripped in his ear. It also means there’s more time with various teachers to bond with Anakin, where sometimes they’re serious about getting his attention and sometimes they’re not, they just want to have some fun or teach him some things (THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING, when people aren’t wholly serious about vying for someone’s attention, but do so in a way that’s clearly meant to be fun for everyone) and it shows the heart of the Jedi and who they are without outside influence. It’s understandable why it didn’t go this way in canon (Anakin needed the security of having his position as Obi-Wan’s Padawan locked down tight) but it balances that against how this feels true to the spirit of the Jedi and is just an absolutely screaming delight to read! And, oh, when Anakin does choose his Master, it’s better for everyone that they had this breathing space, that everyone had more time to adjust to the new places in their lives and have more experience, in addition to just being really sparkling and charming to read. It’s cute as fuck and leaves me with a warm glow every single time and that feeling is the best. ✦ Obikin Drabble by fn_6969, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Anonymous prompt: “fic idea- darth vader thinking about obi-wan oh no”    This was a short but feelings-laden piece about Vader thinking about Obi-Wan, it’s softer and probably more leaning towards Anakin recognizing the truly monstrous betrayal he’s done, but it was all about making me want to slump down in my seat and cry about my feelings on these two, this character especially, and it accomplished that! ✦ untitled by subskywalker, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, d/s elements, 1.5k    Anonymous asked: Could you do a headcanon about Sith emperor!Obi-Wan and his Sith apprentice Anakin…who is also his sub??    This is a series of headcanons and it’s very much about embracing the iddy aspect of Sith!Emperor!Obi-Wan and sub!Vaderkin in a very porny way, but if you’re hanging around my blog, there’s a reasonable chance you’re into that kind of thing and god knows I really had fun reading it! It’s cheerfully filthy, it’s an excuse for pure porn, and it’s meant to hit a person’s id dead on, if that’s your thing, and, look, we all know I have a weakness for this and I’m really, really here for this, especially when it’s clear the OP is having an absolute blast with it! ✦ For the Sake of the Mission by TheKinkAwakens (thekinkawakens), obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 2.6k    Anakin and Obi-Wan have to go undercover as Padmé’s husbands. Of course, no one mentioned the public display of 'pleasure’ they’d have to put on to prove their loyalty to her.    I have not read nearly enough undercover fic in this fandom yet and so this was a delightful fic to find, where Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme go undercover on a mission as the description says and, of course, that means Obi-Wan and Anakin need to touch each other to not blow their cover and what could have given me secondhand embarrassment neatly avoided that feeling for me and instead there was just something fun and light-hearted about this story. It was a really fun read to find today! ✦ Surrender to the Light by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & anakin & luke & qui-gon, 1.1k    Ben Kenobi knew exactly what he was doing when he saw Luke watching his duel with Darth Vader.    A look at Obi-Wan’s point of view during the duel on the Death Star and everything that’s brought them all to this point, the history with Anakin that’s soweighhty, but also the hope for the future with Luke. Canon shows us that Obi-Wan’s motivation was to buy time for Luke to get to safety, away from Vader, to take Leia and Han with him, but I found this an interesting piece that delved into what the Force was telling him and what Obi-Wan hoped for the future. ✦ The Sun and the Ocean by zarabithia, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 2.3k    Five things that happened when the twins were born early. hint: threesomes happen and assholes die.    This is a totally cute, fun, fluffy Happily Ever After fic and I need more of those in my life! It does do the attachment = love thing, which is contradicted by canon, and it sort of stuck out all the more because it was a jab in an otherwise warm-hearted, good-spirited fic, but I only mention as a caveat for those who care about that and to encourage past it, because this was soft and adorable and just gleefully embracing the making of everyone happy! It was just the right length for a oneshot and was all warm and fuzzy with how the twins being born early shifted the focus enough to let everything turn out better and I NEED HAPPY THINGS IN MY LIFE I will read all of the happy Obianidala fic, especially when it’s just bouncy and fun!

[vampyjoong]

Remember Me for Centuries

Awwww, what about a Jeonghan where they age until they’re 18 years and stop aging after that. And then they only start aging again once meeting their soulmate, so that they age together

yeeee bb i love ageing aus

2.7k words unedited i feel like asking someone to be a proofreader would be good but fuck it

you can’t quite remember when you stopped ageing

you can’t even remember the century you were born in

in a world full of children, you were the grandmother

the furthest back memory you could recall was The Battle of Myton

you had no real cause to join the battle, all you wanted to do was join the fight for the thrill

through the years you’d regained the skills you’d learned, such as blacksmithing and sword work

these skills were rendered useless in the last century but they were still something useful to know

you’d travelled the world before the invention of planes and motor boats

you knew languages still in use and those that had died out

you knew the regional dialects as well as the common dialects

your original accent, whatever it was, had faded out long ago to a neutral tone

you had gained friends and lost them in the most tragic ways

your family line had long since died out, with you being the only remaining ember after your great great great niece dying before she could wed

you were a walking relic, the only one of your kind that you had met, and you weren’t sure when you would ever meet another

with the lack of ageing, other processes faded out

your hair hadn’t grown a millimetre since your 18th, and your skin was still glowing, albeit cold and still

you’d forgotten what it was like to be warm and loved

sounds dramatic, is less so

however life wasn’t all pain and suffering

you’d been around for a lot of good things as well

you’d been around for the berlin wall coming down

and for the legalisation of gay marriage in all the countries that had allowed it 

and you had been in the crowd for Barak Obama being selected as the president of the US

you had journals detailing your life

you’d started them from your 18th and had continued till this day

they had started in a language consisting of extra letters and runes, but now you just used whatever language came to mind

whenever you forgot a word in one language, you just wrote down whatever language you could remember it in

your thoughts mustve been very confusing to a mind reader, you thought in different languages for each sentence, and sometimes for each word

your handwriting, although you had centuries to perfect it, had stayed a scribbling mess

you looked through them when you had a week to spare

your passport was confusing to most

but you didn’t mind

after all you got to meet so many people and see so many people

you liked to make it your mission to try and find your friends reincarnated into there next lives

sometimes they had the same face

sometimes the same personality or name

but you always found them which made losing them a little less painful

you’d become the fairytale to many

once there was a rumour that you were jack the ripper

how foolish that was of them to assume

of course you weren’t, you were the one following him every night

the skirts made it difficult but a lady had to travel in styyyyle

you’d moved for the past 20 years before settling in south korea for some jazz

of course you preferred to live somewhere where you fitted in but you liked the culture

you had a line of contacts made over the years of people who could get you things like a good house and good jobs

also known as the internet

god bless wifi

when living there, you also made an actual contact 

a shaman who could find peoples reincarnations if you had one of their belongings and could tell you their new name and where they were born

very handy person to have around, and of course you became friends with her

she was very young, only in her early teens when you first met her, and she helped you when you needed to find some friends passed 

when your friend Moon LuiHua passed, you went to the shaman to see if then knew who they would be born again as

their name would be Xu Minghao, born and raised in china, but they would find you at some point in korea

well that was a load off, you liked your apartment and didn’t want to move

things weren’t so bad on the other side thankfully

jeonghan had only been around for a century, and had stayed close to his family the whole way down

his great great nephew knew him as old uncle jeonghan

absolutely adorable

he took life as it came, and knew that one day he would find you

he had heard about a shaman that could find people in the stages of reincarnation and who they would be born as again, but he decided against it

he decided that if their friendship was true, they would find him again

good logic there bb

he travelled for a while before deciding to stay in korea where his family were 

sometimes he felt a little alone in the world because everyone else was fleeting but he was staying the exact same as he had done the past god knows how many years

he tried to avoid getting too close to people but when he met someone someone called Joshua in 2013, he became close friends quickly

and when jeonghan got a job at a local restaurant and met someone called seungcheol, they became close friends as well

slowly, friends of friends became best friends

jeonghan knew that eventually he would regret becoming such good friends with them but for now, he would enjoy the company

for anyone that payed attention to my breakdown, here is where it reverted to every time :)

it was when chans 19th rolled around that he felt so so old but so young at the same time

because in the blink of an eye it would be chans 89th birthday and he would be the same as before, just more lonely

it wasn’t until minghao came home and announced that he’d met another immortal that he started to feel hope

you had gotten a cat 10 years ago and my god was she fussy

her name was Li and you had found her while looking for pets

you’d heard that some animals could be immortal, until they found and bonded with an owner, and even then would only age once their owner aged

sounded perfect tbh

within the first month though you realised how fussy Li was

you had already gathered that she had a good understanding of english as she sometimes nodded and shook her head when an answer was needed, or when you were looking for something and asked her cos you thought it would help you remember, she brought it to you in a few minutes

lifesaver, this cat was

but then you realised that she was used to being treated like a queen

she was born in the Ming dynasty, and was a royals cat

she sure wanted to be treated like one it was unreal

so you had to get the good stuff weed cat food jeez liz

so one day, after she turned her nose up at some stuff from the pet store, you had to get some proper food from the supermarket nearby

and when pulling up to get your stuff cashed up, you saw him

it was your friend Moon Lihui

youdve recognised him even if he had a different face

you remembered the times you spent running form the cops, getting matching dragon tattoos in the traditional style but in the shape of an infinity symbol because he reckoned you two would always find each other for eternity

and it seems the bastard was true considering how he was in front of you as clear as day

and it appeared he was still a mind reader, considering he looked up at you with shock and surprise

and when you went to pay for your items, you two caught up

he had found his soulmate, another mind reader, and he was having fun in this life

he also got another dragon tattoo in the same style as he had it last life

what a coincydink pronounced co-ink-ee-dink, ref- coincidence

you two decided to have a mate date every week

most of the time you two spoke in chinese unless minghao wanted to learn something in korean

then one week, you turned up to the cafe and your friend, Xu Ru was  sitting next to Hao

well thats a turn

you remembered walking down the banks of a river 1000 years ago with him, remembered him reading to you under a tree, remembered getting a secret tattoo with him in 1935 to commemorate your friendship

you got his name in chinese on your back

unfortunately the ink had faded away to a few dots over the years

and this was the soulmate you reckoned, as he looked up after hearing everything you said and smiled

there he was

you almost cried as you ran over to see them

“Who is this????”

“This is my soulmate Moon Junhui”

of course they’d swapped last names, only the fates would find this as funny as you

they decided to stay out of your thoughts as you started laughing

minghao had already experienced the messed up languages after one cafe date when he accidnetly listened in and heard a paragraph in your mind in chinese, korean, english and gaelic

it was a confusing place in your mind

lmao i mess up the few things i know in spanish french and english sometimes, i don’t even know much spanish and french

both him and jun mixed up korean and chinese sometimes

so you weren’t alone

you three hung out for a few weeks before they mentioned that they had an immortal friend like you

you got very excited and almost asked them to tell you who they were before they stopped you 

they claimed it wasn’t the right time yet and that it’d happen soon

you were disappointed and ranted thoroughly to Li when you got home

the next week when you met up, you talked for a while before deciding to ask jun if you wanted to get matching tattoos again

you thought violently his way about what they used to be like and about how you and Hao

he agreed so you both decided to get each others names in chinese

and while there, they announced a few friends would be joining for the tattooing 

they didn’t say which ones though so you didn’t know if immortal guy was joining

oh well

you booked an appointment for the next day and you were all set

you woke up with Li waking you up just after your alarm you had just slept through

Love Li

you ran to get ready

you had a sports bra and a nice green flannel on so you could get the tattoo on your back easily

plus it was a warm ass day and its nice to have ventilation if necessary

when there, you met mingyu, seungcheol and jeonghan

you weren’t told anything about them but you did feel a rush of something when you got there

i smell something fishy

it was the cat food on your sweatpants

not joking

Li spilled some accidentally

anyway, first it was Juns turn, and he got your name in beautiful chinese in your handwriting

you got his name in his handwriting, and you knew something was wrong when blood spotted up

that hadn’t happened since your 18th birthday, and you almost cried because that meant one of those boys was your soulmate

once you two were done, you decided to do a test

which was handy because hao and jun decided to take you home to their dorm where them and the other boys stayed

and when you walked into the largest room, there was a man with a blazer and a fake mic

“HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME BACK TO ‘WHOS MY SOULMATE?’”

“WHAT THE FUCK WHO ARE YOU”

he didn’t appreciate the yelling

and so the game show started

you started a round of questions

“Who’s the oldest out of you all??”

Seungkwan, the ‘game show host’ looked panicked before yelling out “NEXT QUESTION PLEASE”

“Who’s a cat person??”

they all raised their hands

“Who likes sleep??”

one person called jeonghan

“Who’s the one weird uncle or cousin who’s always at family events?”

again the one same guy

“Who has travelled more than ten times?”

one guy

“who has too much time?’

one guy

when you were sure who it was, you said that to seingkwan who loudly exclaimed “ITS TIME FOR ROUND TWO!” and stared off dramatically to nobody

then awkwardly grabbed your hand and let you to the elevator where you awkwardly waited and everything was just awkward

he led you to the back garden where you were led to a dunk pool

one person would answer questions about you and if they were right, they answered another until they were wrong and they got gunged into the pool

it was really fun

they kept going in circles, but one guy stood out 

“Likes sleep”

“Spends a lot of time thinking about life”

“Knows so many languages”

“worries about loosing her friends”

wow he was spookily good at guessing about you

you were suspecting things were up

the last round, followed by a trio of gunged guys, was a dance/sing off

this was entirely for fun and giggles

they all found sing and seungcheol and mingyu rapped for you as well as sang

jeonghan sang a beautiful song called Pinwheel that his friend woozi wrote and produced

then they had a ranking system

3rd place was seungcheol unfortunately but he wasn’t mad

2nd was mingyu mainly cos he had cooking skills

1st place was jeonghan because he seemed to be the closest match to you

then you were told everything

he had been around for a century or two and had been in some of the same situations as you

he was schocked when he found out how old you really were, and how many journals you had (one for every 3 years)

you invited him round to your place to get to know each other better and for him to meet Li

Li surprisingly liked him very much and curled into his lap when he sat down

you learned a lot about him in the short time you were together

he never went to a shaman because he believed in true friendships, he only knew korean and chinese, and he was still connected to his family line and was in almost every christmas and family photo taken

his great great niece knew him as “creepy uncle yoon”

he found out that you were a certified genius and were absolutely ancient

and that you spoke in many languages

you could communicate with anyone

you showed him your dialects from korea

he was shook

you both found it funny how you both were technically 18 but everyone had to call you two hyung and noona no matter what 

after that day, you two met p so much and went on dates

one day you went to the local museum and found to your displeasure, a portrait of you from the victorian era in a corset and dress

it was lab led “The Forever Woman”, and underneath it had a short description

“The forever woman is an enigma. She appears every few hundred years, only to disappear after some event. Rumoured to be seen in many countries, she makes her home, searching for her forever man”

“please don’t look, i looked hideous during that time, I was trying to fid jack the Ripper and he was causing havoc on my beauty routine”

then you realised the next few pictures were still just at different time periods and countries

“I swear im not narcissistic, i just got bored a lot”

he found it hilarious and decided to draw you once every year

then you two had to split to go home, and you honestly didn’t want to

and when it started to rain, you knee you definitely had to go home but you stayed staring at each other

then he leaned in and kissed you softly for the first time

for the first time in the longest time, you remembered what it felt like to be warm and like you were truly home

when you separated you stared at each other before you whispered gently 

“You didn’t court me first”

he laughed at you, causing you to smile and lean in again for an even softer kiss

[darkpi-evan]

well, I have to ask something, How did you get the idea to draw Red and AUs' Red? No hard feeling please but Red is a fan made character

-(Warning: Long grammar mistake with some limited words of knowledge, so be warned)-

it all started around last year of November 10th when I found a video titled “-Red VS Skell’s Army-Undertale Animation” posted by a guy named M (the name is under classified, but you can find it through  on Youtube via title which has been mentioned)

When I watch it, the first thing I do is the hype, excitement and feeling hope, which initially starts with a blazing spark for me to make AU’s Red just like him, since the results his made can offer promising things like the half million views and epic excellent actions in that video

then I started it with some rough sketches on my papers, some of which failed in the process leading to AU Red’s early start results, then searched for references to various sources on the internet, and of course it took a lot of time to sacrifice my college study time, well the results of the exam became pathetic but at least effort what I got in creating AU’s Red remarkably paid off

For Underswap Red, the earliest sketch of the first design was an anthro rat with a blue cloak and a classic silver knight uniform, but it was had the time AU Red was almost stopped because there was no swap pair that was perfect for Red, it’s so hard and difficult but finally … Taxiderby decide whose idea for Swap US Red paired, Mad Dummy

Mad Dummy Swapped’s original design with Red looks so creepy and excessively psychotic from the way he expresses it, but it actually makes me fall in love with him after I try to make an experimental version of his expression, which became the beginning of Yellow identity with easily provoked behavior

As for Underfell Red, I originally made her have a big scythe and She had worn a very torn and damaged robe (It’s also too much cosmetic on her fashion), She looked very aggressive and I could be had to insert her Mayadere’s character if necessaryThe rest of AU’s Red will be kept secret since I have not finished up to now, but clearly, all AU’s Red will be made based on AU that already exist and it can be clear how the clothing model from the origin of the reference is available all over social media and internet blog

that’s all folks, hope u can understand what pain developed of AU’s Red is

[andyfire122]

An au Christmas

Kami looked on preparing for whats upcoming. She had to smile at what was asked of her. The holidays were a good time. Surely she could take the time to grant this wish.

She gives the one whos watching a look. “So you wish for a happy Christmas time. I’m, sure there are a few aus out there doing what you seek. Don’t worry though. They won’t get into trouble. Though with fell there may be a bit of cursing that should be normal for those in a fell verse.” To anyone else, it looks like she’s speaking to no one but she knows exactly who’s listening.

A window opened up and like a movie, an image showed up. “Let’s take a look shall we.”

The fell brothers came to view seemingly arguing about something as usual.

“Sans! I told you to watch the human while I prepare this Christmas they wanted! Where is the human!” Their Frisk wanted to have a Christmas and both brothers were racking their skulls trying to figure out what to do. Papyrus only left for a moment to get things to find the human missing. They may not be in their universe right now but it still sets off warning bells. Not that he would admit it.

“Boss what the fuck! It was my job to watch the kid. Besides, there are the other humans. Maybe they went of the play or something kid-related.” Sure Red was worried about the kid, but Papyrus getting on his case again was not helping his mood.

The tension could only be cut through by something of equal footing.

“Hey, buddy. Ease up on the swearing. Remember.” Both swap brothers were there and the look swap papyrus was giving would shut anyone up. Though Blue seemed as cheerful as always.

How the fuck does he do that? Was the only thing both fell brothers were thinking.

“MWEHEHE! GREETINGS FRIENDS!” Blue didn’t mind what they just heard. He just thinks this whole trip with the alternate versions of him and his brother was just amazing. Though they were here for something. 

“What do you want Blue?” asked Red. He was honestly trying to ignore Blue’s bro. Plus that volume was something that needed to be used to.

Swap took a moment to finish his cigarette to let his brother explain, not once looking away from the other two. “WE COULDN’T FIND CHARA ANYWHERE. SO I, THE MAGNIFICATE SANS, REMEMBERED THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO SEE YOUR HUMAN. SO HERE WE ARE.” Blue seemed very proud of remembering this.

“Funny, now that you mention this. Our human said something similar earlier.” Fell pap didn’t like this thought of someone lying to him one bit. Especially not the human.

“Welp, I guess we’re missing a pair of humans. I guess we look with you guys now.” said swap. In his mind, it was best to keep the troublemakers in sight. 

“IM SURE THE HUMANS HAVE THEIR REASONS! TOGETHER WE’LL FIND THEM IN NO TIME FRIENDS! MWEHEHE!!’ Blue was actually really worried about Chara but he was confident they could find both humans in time for the Christmas celebration.

Red sighs. “Sure blue, whatever you say.” It’s best to just agree with that inergetic marshmallow. 

They wandered around the area without luck. It was impressive what Core set up for everyone. Though finding those that were here for Christmas was hard.

“Hey, it’s the edgelord brothers and I guess you guys are Swap. Cool.” That voice sounded like a Frisk. 

EtFrisk greeted the group. Red was already being held back by their brother. The swap brothers were the only friendly ones.

“Hey, you’re a Frisk right. We’re looking for a Frisk and a Chara.” Personally, Swap has heard of Endertale. In fact, he’s talked to The Enderswap version of him before.

EtFrisk looked a little nervous when they heard Chara’s name but quickly regained themselves. 

“ Ah, Well I’ve only seen Ederswap Chara. Other than that I haven’t seen anyone else since I came here with my Sans and papyrus.” It was a close call. They almost spoiled the secret. The distraction should only take a little while.

“MEWHEHE! YOU MUST HAVE BEEN FRIGHTENED BY YOURSELF, BUT DON’T FEAR. THE MAGNIFICANT SANS AND HIS FRIENDS WILL KEEP YOU COMPANY.” Blue couldn’t leave a human alone now. Not since the other two vanished.

“Well, that’s very magnificant of you.” EtFrisk was grinning. No matter which Blue it is, it was always a treat to talk to a swap sans.

“That’s one way to put it,” mumbled Red. “Boss you can let go of my now.” His brother only grumbled a little before letting him go.

Red knows the reason. He could tell something about EtFrisk now that he’s calmed down. The kids Lv was only one but the kid looked a little out of it like they’ve seen the same things the brothers have back home. Fell Papyrus could see that and stopped him from doing something stupid.

Thanks, boss. Though he only thought that. The kid seemed ok, but it still was nice to know his bro still gets worried.

Swap and EtFrisk were a little busy admiring Blue posing like he did. That didn’t help Fell papyrus’s temper though. “WOULD SOMEONE TELL US WHERE OUR FUCKING HUMAN IS SO WE CAN GET ON WITH THIS STUPID CHRISTMAS!”

Red was backing off but Swap and EtFrisk however. 

“No swearing.” they both said. Each with one eye glowing. Swap was making sure his brother didn’t hear that while EtFrisk already had a small fireball. 

The tension was once again broken by another voice. “EtFrisk! Hay!”

EtFrisk turned around and was greeted by a familiar face.”Oh, NmtFrisk. Is it ready?”

NmtFrisk grinned. “Yup.” They turn to the others. “oh hey, I was told to get you guys. I think it was from your Frisk and Chara.”

“MEWHEHEHE! I KNEW THING WOULD WORK OUT EVENTUALLY. THANK YOU TALLER HUMAN!” Blue was almost right in their face but nmtFrisk didn’t really mind so much.It takes a rare person to not feel a little happy around a swap sans. 

I think they all will like this surprise. Right partner?  NmtFrisk nodded without thinking even though only they can hear Chara.

Red sighed. “Just takes us to the kids.”

NmtFrisk nodded. “Ok, this way guys.” They began to lead the group towards the only nouse decorated house. EtFrisk was walking with them while the others followed behind.

NmtFrisk opened the door with a grin. “Here we are.” Inside was a big Christmas set up. The two missing humans were holding a big Merry Christmas sign. While both the Nmt crew and the Et crew were talking.

Though NmtSans went to join his Frisk when he noticed they entered. “Your kiddos wanted to do something special for you guys and we agreed to help. I mean who could refuse a fun Christmas party.” he ruffled his Frisks hair a bit but was genualy happy how this turned out.

Swap smiled.”Well, I know I’m surprised.” Both kids ran up to hug their respective sanses.Blue just hugged Chara happily while Red quietly just patted Frisk’s head.

Red grinned. “Merry Christmas kid.” Frisk looked up in surprise. “Hay! I said nothing!” They grinned at the denial. They knew what red meant.

Meanwhile both Kami and Core Frisk were sharing a bunch of popcorn watching this. “And so Fell finally learned the meaning of Christmas and Blue finally learned how to properly Swear. Swap was never the same after that.”

Core stopped eating for only a moment. Eating was more of a formality at this point. “ Aren’t you gonna give the credits. This is supposed to be a secret Santa event. Plus you used me and the other characters.”

“Your right,” said Kami. It was good to have Core for some company. “Yeah, this was a gift for you @hiharry66  . Yup, i was your secret Santa. I hope you enjoy this little tale. The story just developed into this on its own. Also, Core here was originally created by @dokudoki Plus the nightmaretale and Endertale character belong to @xxmileikaivanaxx and @xxtc-96xx “

She waves goodbye. “ Merry Christmas! And thanks to @undertalesecretsanta They made such a fun event “

[singingwordwright]

Gorgeous cover art courtesy of @beyondthehunt Originally betaed by @roseglass with some final (eventual) copy-editing by @bonibaru

A Separate Peace (sequel to One Easy Answer) a Malec AU by @maleccrazedauthor

(Also on AO3)

Chapters: 1/28 Word Count: 104,900 Rating: Mature Premise: Arranged Marriage AU, Canon Divergent starting at Ep 1x12

Description:

Alec and Magnus married to unite the Shadow World and prevent a war. Falling in love was just a happy coincidence.

Now enemy and ally are getting harder to tell apart. Alec’s career is hanging by a very thin thread, they both have to prove to the rest of the Shadow world that they can deliver on their promises, and parties within and without are plotting to dismantle the alliance they’re trying to build.

Can a marriage just starting to find its feet handle the strain of the choices they must make and the secrets they must keep?

Notes:

This story starts only a few hours after One Easy Answer ends, with Magnus and Alec’s wedding. It’s highly recommended you read that story first, but if you decide not to, here is some necessary context:

Magnus and Alec never began dating in season 2A, because Magnus never interrupted Alec’s wedding. Alec called off the wedding, but the next day saw Magnus kissing Camille and stopped speaking to him entirely.

It’s now roughly three months after the Downworld massacre that took place in episode 2x10.

Because Alec wasn’t talking to Magnus, Magnus never told Alec about Raphael and Izzy. Therefore Alec never interrupted them in 2x09, which led to Raphael almost feeding too much that night. This also means Raphael never had any reason to confess his feelings for Izzy.

Izzy managed to kick her yin fen habit on her own after nearly dying when Raphael fed too much, and has been focused on finding proof that Aldertree was in collusion with Valentine.

The Shadow World is on the brink of full-scale war, with increasingly violent skirmishes between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, who have been denied justice for the massacre.

Kaelie Whitewillow committed her attacks on Shadowhunters in the ~3 months prior to One Easy Answer. The Clave’s draconian response to those attacks is what prompted Alec to take drastic measures to try to reach peace with the Downworld.

To establish peace locally, Alec has proposed a council of representatives from all five Shadow World factions, but the Seelie price for considering the treaty is that Alec marry a Downworlder. Despite their rocky history, Magnus volunteered.

Valentine is in custody in Idris, Victor Aldertree has disappeared and is believed to have taken the Soul Sword. However, his disappearance was staged in such a way that it cast suspicion on Alec, and now Lydia has arrived from Idris to investigate the matter.

One Easy Answer was written during the hiatus between season 2A and season 2B. As such, it didn’t take into account the plot developments or timing of season 2B. And to be quite honest, a lot of the canon of 2B simply doesn’t work in the world established in One Easy Answer. Some plots, such as the body-swap storyline with Magnus and Alec, wouldn’t be feasible because Alec would see through it with ease, and because Valentine is incarcerated in Idris. Likewise, the plot where Alec lies about the Soul Sword wouldn’t work, because Alec as characterized in One Easy Answer is much more dedicated to unifying the Shadow World, even at the cost of his standing with the Clave.

The Kaelie/Shadowhunter murder/Downworlder profiling plot of 2x13 has been worked into the backstory retroactively to take place before the events of One Easy Answer, and serves as a catalyst for where that story begins.

So while One Easy Answer was only slightly canon-divergent, A Separate Peace is hugely canon-divergent.

Whatever Alec had expected when Magnus had promised to throw a huge party to celebrate their marriage, this reception was…not it.

First of all, he hadn’t banked on Magnus’s talent as both a host and a companion. To say Alec hated parties was a colossal understatement, but as long as he stayed by Magnus’s side, the discomfort he’d expected never got a foothold on his nerves. The moment he began to feel his skin crawl with the pressure of too many eyes waiting for him to mess up, Magnus seamlessly guided the conversation around to a topic Alec enjoyed, something not prone to lead to uncomfortable questions or expose his misanthropic tendencies.

A large crowd danced to overloud music at the other end of the great room, but Magnus seemed content to stay with Alec. He didn’t even try to drag Alec into the undulating throng the way Izzy would have.

The moments that were awkward came from places Alec had never anticipated, like the fact that almost everyone here believed he and Magnus had married to cement a political alliance between the New York Institute and the Downworld factions. There didn’t seem to be any graceful way to work into the conversation how it may have started as such, but somewhere along the way, they had begun to fall in love. Nor did Alec know how to tell these people that the proposed alliance--the Brooklyn Shadow-world Council--might never come to fruition. So now they were married…simply for the sake of being married.

After only a few weeks of knowing each other, and a lot of ups and downs.

With the knowledge that they’d been maneuvered into this situation by the Seelies to discredit one or both of them.

And with no real plan for how they were going to avoid the political trap closing around them. Or, specifically, around Alec.

“You look like it might be time to retreat to the roof for a breather,” Magnus murmured in his ear, jolting Alec from his thoughts. He shivered at the brush of Magnus’s breath against his earlobe and neck, inhaling deeply before he turned his head to stare at his husband.

His husband.

By the Angel, was this really happening?

Alec took another long, slow breath, then another.

“No, I’m okay, I just started thinking too hard. I’m actually having a good time with the party. It’s the stuff that we’ll have to deal with afterward that has me ready to panic.”

Magnus gave him a stern look, but a tiny twinkle in his eyes gave him away. “Twenty-four hours, Alexander. That’s what you promised me and I’m holding you to it. In addition to not rushing off to work for that time, I’m declaring a moratorium on politics or political scheming.”

Warmth began to spread through Alec’s chest, loosening the tension that had been constricting his lungs. It was ridiculous just how taken he was with Magnus, considering how all this had started. “You’ve got me sold, but you may have to go a few rounds with Lydia before she’ll agree to hold off on restructuring the administration of the Institute until the day after tomorrow.”

“Send her my way and I’ll have a few very pointed words with her on the subject,” Magnus offered playfully. “In the meantime, I was thinking of starting the subtle process of clearing people out so we can begin our honeymoon. What do you think?”

Alec blinked. “I’d assumed the party would carry on until it was nearly dawn.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There are children here who are up past their bedtime.” He flicked a glance past Alec’s shoulder. “Speaking of whom, I think I see your little brother heading this way.”

Alec turned to find an agitated-looking Max weaving through the crowd toward them, his gaze darting around as if seeking something. “Hey, Max. You having a good time?”

Max frowned. “I can’t find Madzie.”

All levity faded. “What happened?”

“I was keeping her entertained with Mom, like you asked. Some other guests invited Catarina to dance with them. We told her Madzie would be okay with us.” As he spoke, Max’s spine straightened, and he clasped his hands behind his back as he continued scanning the room. His sentences were short and brisk, as if reporting to his commander.

Alec could see how far Max had come in his training in those few actions, the way he was learning to be vigilant even amidst distractions, to search for his target in large, busy crowds. “We were doing fine, then Dad came up and said something to Mom. I couldn’t hear what. Mom got tense. They got snippy with each other the way they always do these days. A moment later, I noticed Madzie was gone.”

“Hell,” Alec muttered, meeting Magnus’s eyes. “She’s probably nervous enough around all these Shadowhunters without my parents bitching at each other in front of her.”

“I’ll get Cat,” Magnus said, already pivoting. “You start looking in the quiet corners. Hopefully she just found someplace secluded, or portaled herself home.”

With Max on his heels, Alec began weaving and dodging through the mass of people to check the bedrooms, neither of which contained a scared warlock child. The balcony was open and the guests were milling in and out; Madzie certainly wouldn’t have retreated there.

“I’m gonna check the roof,” Alec said, turning to Max. “Find Magnus and let him know the bedrooms were empty, and to start clearing out the guests. I’ll text him if I find her.”

Max nodded—though Alec could see questions forming—and slipped back into the milling crowd.

At the top of the spiral, wrought-iron stairs, he found someone he hadn’t thought to look for. Curled in a ball in a corner near the door that opened onto the rooftop garden, Mouse watched him approach warily.

“Hey, sweetheart. It’d probably be quieter in the bedroom, you know.” Alec stooped to scratch her ears, but didn’t pause more than a second. When he opened the door, Mouse slipped through it before he could block her. He’d have to retrieve her later and hope she didn’t find her way off the roof to the ground before he could. Right now, Madzie was the priority.

At first glance, he didn’t see her in the soft glow of the fairy lights. But then he caught the flash of a sequin from the hem of her skirt, in a dark corner between the wall and a potted tree.

Alec blew out a relieved breath and pulled his phone from his pocket.

She’s on the roof. Give us a few minutes. Tell Max she’s ok and thank him.

Madzie drew her knees up tighter to her chest as Alec slid down the wall to sit beside her, ignoring the way the rough brick snagged the fine shirt Magnus had chosen for him.

“Hi Madzie. Too loud at the party?”

Her dark eyes met his warily. The fact that she was back to not speaking said a lot about just how unsettled she was.

“Yeah, me too. It’s okay. We can stay here.”

Though it was still spring, the weather had turned unseasonably warm the past couple days. Intermittent showers, with little open land to absorb the moisture, had resulted in that uniquely New York brand of humidity as the rain evaporated from the pavement and hung in the air. Already he could feel sweat dappling his brow and making his shirt cling. But a breeze seemed to be moving in; he turned his face up to greet it, breathing deeply.

A moment later, a velvety nose nudged his hand.

“Look who’s come to see us,” he murmured, turning his hand of proffer scritches as Mouse head-butted him again.

The tiniest smile flitted across Madzie’s face then faded.

Alec smiled. “Wanna see if she’ll let you pet her? Hold out your hand, allow her to check you out.”

At Alec’s gentle coaxing, Madzie let Mouse sniff her until Mouse deigned to demand chin and ear rubs. The tension in Madzie’s tiny body eased as Mouse settled across Alec’s thighs and began purring. Madzie leaned against Alec to reach the cat better, her weight resting more heavily against his side as her ministrations to Mouse slowed.

By the time Magnus and Catarina tiptoed onto the roof, Alec had a sleeping cat on his lap and a snoring child tucked under his arm.

It took Magnus a moment to stop staring when he found Alec seated on the tiled surface of the rooftop terrace, blinking drowsily with a sleeping cat and child draped over him.

“Need a bucket?” Catarina murmured, smirking when Magnus stared at her in confusion. “You just got married. Hate to see you melt into a puddle and end up running down the gutters before you even get a chance to enjoy it.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at her. Alec, in the meantime, was looking around as if uncertain about how to get up without disturbing either Madzie or Mouse.

“I’ll take her,” Cat offered, bending to lift the little girl. Madzie whimpered, and stirred enough to wrap herself around Catarina, then promptly fell back asleep. “Way past this kiddo’s bedtime. Thanks for finding her for me, Alec.”

“My pleasure.” Alec’s voice was slightly rough, as if he’d been caught in the verge of falling asleep himself. “She’s sort of back to not talking for the moment. I think tonight was a bit too much for her. Sorry.”

Cat shook her head as Magnus made a portal for her. “Nothing to be sorry for. There’s gonna be good days and bad days until she knows she’s safe and he’s not coming back. As long as she’s got us there to help remind her, she’ll be okay. You two have a good honeymoon.”

“Good night, my dear,” Magnus said softly, and closed the portal once she’d stepped through. Then he squatted beside Alec, who still looked unwilling to move with Mouse sleeping on his lap. Rubbing the cat’s ears roused her slightly, but apparently not enough to dislodge her. “I think my wedding present may have decided you’re her human.”

Alec waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, too early to tell. Is everyone gone?” Magnus nodded, smiling at the thrum of Mouse’s purr beneath his fingertips. “Sorry I wasn’t there to see them out with you.”

“You were tending to something much more important. By the way, Maryse apologized for losing track of Madzie and said she’d see you when you got back to the Institute.”

Alec’s mouth tightened. “Not my dad?”

“No, apparently urgent business called him back to Idris tonight.” Magnus flicked Alec a rueful look. “He left even before the festivities wound down.”

“Good. One less thing I have to deal with when I get back to work. I—” Alec’s voice broke off as a warm raindrop struck Magnus’s cheek. A second later, he yelped sharply as Mouse launched herself off his lap and streaked for the open door leading to the stairs. “Ow. Claws.”

“Well, at least your cat dilemma has been resolved.” Magnus rose and offered Alec a hand up.

“Easy for you to say,” Alec muttered as his fingers wrapped around Magnus’s. His voice dropped a little, hitting a low, husky tone Magnus was only just starting to become familiar with. “A couple centimeters to the left and I would have needed my iratze before we could start this honeymoon.”

“Probably not the use the angels intended that rune for, but all in a good cause.” He started to pull Alec closer, but stopped as another raindrop splattered on his shoulder. “Should we get inside?”

“In a bit. I like the breeze.” Alec’s hands settled on Magnus’s waist and drew him near, until they were barely inches apart standing there almost on the exact spot where they’d spoken their vows a few hours earlier. “So, um. We actually did it. We got married.”

Sporadic droplets continued to pelt them, falling slow and heavy, but Magnus found they mattered less now, with the electricity of Alec’s nearness humming along his nerves. “We did,” Magnus said, huffing at the surge of disbelief that still accompanied the idea.

Alec chuckled along with him, then his smile fell a little. “Is it…weird? I mean, that we still don’t really know what this is all going to look like when the dust settles?”

“Do we need to?” Magnus asked with a thoughtful hum, sliding his hands up Alec’s biceps to his shoulders. “Can’t we simply let it be what it’s going to be? Wing it?”

“Yeah.” Alec gave him a sheepish grin that brought back the melting sensation in Magnus’s chest. “That’s not something I’ve had a lot of experience with.”

Alec didn’t appear to even realize that his fingers were moving in slow circles at the small of Magnus’s back, making it a little harder to track the conversation. “Well, it so happens that I have. We can work on it together.”

“Guess it’s hard to micro-manage a future that’s going to last indefinitely, huh?” Alec asked with a slight frown, and that particular train of thought wasn’t going to end up anywhere good at all.

“You learn to seize the moment,” Magnus said, striving to keep his tone as light as possible as he let his hands drop deliberately down Alec’s back to rest on his ass and tugged firmly until they were plastered against each other. “And this moment happens to have a lot worth seizing. Don’t you think?”

Alec’s eyes widened, and his tongue swept across his lips. “Oh. Yeah. Definitely.” He nodded with the breathless distractibility of a young man who’d only just recently discovered the wonders of sex. The sluggish rain continued to fall around them as Alec’s lips parted eagerly for Magnus and his grip on the back of Magnus’s shirt tightened.

“Didn’t you mention something a few days ago about wanting to deflower me properly on our wedding night?” Alec asked in a gravelly voice when Magnus’s lips slid down the wet skin of his throat.

“I did, though I wasn’t being serious,” Magnus murmured, more interested in Alec’s low groans and the restless way he was rocking against Magnus than the particulars of who might do what to whom.

“I am,” Alec said so bluntly that Magnus leaned back to stare at him. Alec’s eyes were huge and filled with so much heat it was a wonder the redwood patio furniture didn’t spontaneously ignite. Alec dove in for another kiss, messy and aggressive, and all Magnus’s jocularity fled. Alec steered him back until a chaise bumped the back of his calves and Magnus almost fell onto it before he managed to catch himself and execute a more graceful descent.

Magnus laughed incredulously as Alec straddled his lap. “What, here on the terrace?”

“Yes,” Alec muttered, kissing him again, harder. He ground his backside down against Magnus’s erection. As if the clouds had been waiting for them to ratchet up their passion, the tempo of the droplets splashing them increased.

“In the rain?” he pressed when Alec let him back away enough to ask.

Alec’s breath was coming fast and sharp, and his nod was jerky. Magnus got the impression that he wouldn’t be capable of words of more than one syllable for much longer if they kept going the way they were. “You were sitting right here when you proposed to me. We had our first kiss—” he pointed to a nearby sofa “—right over there. And tonight we got married over there.” Alec took a deep breath and his shadow-dappled complexion darkened a little bit under the strings of icicle lights. But his eyes were steady and sure. “Please, Magnus. I want it.”

For a moment, all Magnus could do was stare at him, stunned into speechlessness by the core of romanticism that Alec laid bare before him with all his customary lack of guile. A blunt-spoken warrior prince with the secret heart of a poet, that was Alexander Lightwood.

Lightwood-Bane?

Maybe, though knowing the Clave it would likely never be an official moniker.

At any rate, his husband.

Alec rocked against him again and oh, that was quite enough sentimentality, thank you very much.

“Yes. Of course. Anything you want, Alexander,” Magnus vowed, surging up to drag Alec down into another urgent kiss. “Anything at all.”

On to Chapter 2!

Please, if you’ve enjoyed this fanfic, consider buying some of my books, or buying me a cup of coffee!

[prepare4trouble]

Star Wars Rebels fanfic - No Worse Than Before (But Now You Know)(5)

Little By Little AU

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

The scent of freshly-brewed caf permeated the air as soon as Hera opened the door of her quarters and stepped out into the corridor.  It smelled like the real thing, not the rehydrated, freeze-dried granules that they usually had to make do with.  The aroma was deep and intoxicating, and, still half asleep, she breathed in slowly and deeply, savoring it, before turning to trace the scent back to its origin.

She located the source in the lounge area, where she found Kanan placing a small plate piled high with what looked like fresh slices of meiloorun onto an already well-stocked table.  She stopped in the doorway and stared, trying, and failing, to make sense of what she was seeing.  She rushed quickly through several significant dates in her head, and found nothing that corresponded with the current day; birthdays, anniversaries, nothing.  The next reason for a celebration was months away, and anyway, considering the events of the previous day, celebration was the furthest thing from her mind.

Kanan was already fully dressed and, judging by the contents of the table, had been hard at work for quite some time.  He turned to face her with a hesitant smile, then carefully poured first one, and then a second, cup of caf from the pot.  Steam rose from the cups as he did, and the aroma intensified.

“Right on time,” he told her.

“For…” Hera surveyed the scene before her for a second time, still trying to come up with a logical explanation for what she was seeing.  Kanan had apparently done everything but hire a waiter.   “…what?”

Kanan frowned.  He indicated the table with a wave of one hand.  “Breakfast,” he said.  “I thought that much would be obvious.”

Two places had been set, each with an empty plate laying before a wide selection of fresh — not dried, not rehydrated and not even loaded with preservatives — food.  Not a ration pack in sight; he had provided fruit, cereal, waffles with syrup on the side, caf of course, and, placed to the left of the table, like a jewel in the crown, two thick slices of what looked — and she had to look twice to make sure — like jogan fruitcake.

“What?” she said again, unable to think of any other way to articulate her confusion.

Kanan walked over to her, took her by the arm, and pulled her gently but insistently in the direction of the table.  She sat down, still staring at the table in confusion.

She tried for a different question.  “How?  Where did you get all this?”

Kanan sat down opposite her.  “I called in a few favors,” he said.  “I might owe a few now too.  Also, you’d be surprised what people will bet on the dokma races.”

Hera picked up her cup and wrapped both hands around it, feeling the warmth.  She inhaled deeply.  It had been a long time since she had had the genuine article.  She took a small sip, and allowed the warm, dark liquid to roll over her tongue, savoring the taste.  It had been almost as long since she had eaten a full meal of real food.  Ration packs were fine, they provided all the nutrients they needed, but none of the flavor.

It was too bad it was all going to go to waste.  As much as her mouth watered at the sight and smell of the banquet before her, the thought of actually eating anything was unappealing.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked.

Kanan helped himself to a bowl of cereal and added a splash of blue milk.  “No occasion,” he told her.

It felt like an occasion.  It felt like the meal should be in honor of some happy event, all of them crowded around the small table, sharing stories, laughing, eating until they couldn’t eat any more.  She sipped her drink again.  There was an occasion, it just wasn't one that either of them wanted to discuss.

“Eat something,” Kanan told her.  He pushed the plate of meiloorun slices a little closer, then grabbed two for himself before moving his hand away.

She considered it.  He had clearly gone to a lot of effort, it didn’t seem fair to reject outright his attempts at making her feel better.  She picked up a slice of fruit and bit into it.  It wasn’t half bad.  A little tarter than the one she had shared with Ezra the night before, a little crunchier, like it could have done with another day to ripen, but still delicious.  She took another slice and this time popped the whole thing into her mouth.

Kanan nodded approvingly, then swapped the bread with the fruit, placing it in front of her.  She ignored it and watched Kanan eating, sipping occasionally at her drink.

“What about Ezra?” she asked, after a while.  “It doesn't seem fair not to invite him.”

“Ezra doesn’t have any assigned duties this morning; by the time he crawls out of bed, you’d have been long gone.  Anyway, at the rate you’re eating, there won’t be any shortage of food left for him.”

She thought of Ezra waking, entering the kitchen to find something to eat and finding the remains of a special occasion breakfast.  What would he think?  That they were happy?  That they were celebrating?

“Why did you do this?” she asked.

Kanan frowned.  “Did you eat anything yesterday?” he asked.

“Yes.”  A ration pack for breakfast, before she had known anything was wrong —  it seemed so strange that this time yesterday she had had no idea — and about a quarter of a meiloorun, shared with Ezra over a conversation about everything but the thing they should have discussed.

He reached across the table, placed two waffles on her plate and poured syrup over them, then picked up three slices of fruit and placed them on the top.  Finally, he picked up her fork, and placed it in her hand.  “I doubt it was much,” he told her.  “You’re always so busy worrying about everybody else, you forget that you need to take care of yourself first.  After all, if anything happened to you, the rest of us would fall apart.  Not just our crew; Phoenix Squadron, the base, possibly the whole Rebellion.”

Simply because there was a fork in her hand and a plate of food in front of her, Hera broke off a piece of waffle with the side of the fork, speared it, and brought it to her mouth.  The sweetness of the waffles and syrup contrasted well with the tartness of the fruit.  She took another bite, and then another, and oddly, once she had started eating, her appetite returned.  It didn’t help with anything else, but the exhaustion faded with the food in her stomach and the caf providing a much-needed energy boost.  Suddenly, getting through the day ahead didn’t feel quite as insurmountable a task.

She glanced up from her almost empty plate.  Kanan was smiling widely.  She licked the syrup from her top lip.  “What?” she asked.

He shook his head.  “Nothing.”

She frowned, finished the last mouthful of waffle and topped up both their cups from the dwindling supply in the pot.  “Where did the waffles come from?” she asked.  Rumor had it — a rumor that she was reasonably sure had been started and perpetuated by Ezra — that Zeb kept a secret supply somewhere on the Ghost.  She wasn’t entirely sure she believed it, but she wouldn't put it past him.

“Don’t worry, Zeb’s secret stash remains to be discovered,” Kanan assured her.

She smiled.  “That’s too bad, Ezra’s convinced he has an endless supply.”

Kanan shrugged.  “Who needs endless waffles?  I have jogan fruitcake, and enough caf to make a fresh pot, if you’ve got time?”

Hera thought about it.  She didn’t have anywhere she needed to be for another hour, but there was something she wanted to do; an idea that she had woken with.  But to do that, she would need information, something more than the information that N015 had given her.  Information that Kanan may be able to provide.  “Sure,” she said.

Actually, she thought she might have agreed even if she had a pressing engagement.  The possibility of fresh, real caf was simply too good to pass up.

“Is Ezra okay?” Hera asked, as she sipped her refilled cup.

Kanan paused, as though taken aback by the question.  “I suppose that depends on what you mean,” he told her.

That was fair.  She thought about it and realized that she didn’t know how to answer.  She could tell for herself how he had been doing the previous night, when he had chattered endlessly about any-and-everything in what she assumed had been an attempt to block her from bringing up the one subject he didn’t want to discuss.  He was coping, but that was likely because he was also probably in denial, or something like it.  She didn’t know but could guess the answer she would have gotten if her question had been in broader terms; how is he doing in general?  Probably not well, but likely covering it enough that nobody noticed.  Nobody but herself and Kanan, at least.

Really, she didn’t want to talk about how he was right now; she wanted reassurances about how he would be.  She wanted Kanan to promise her that everything was going to be okay, whether that reassurance came as a promise that he had made a good start on teaching Ezra what he would need to know, or just a general promise that things would work out.  She didn’t care whether it was sincere or not, she wanted that promise.

She knew better than to ask for it.

“Have you started teaching him anything?” she asked instead.

Kanan raised his cup to his lips and blew gently on the surface before taking a sip.  His expression was far away and thoughtful.  “Since I found out what was happening, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I do,” he said.  “How I do it.  It might sound strange, but I’ve never really thought about it before.  Or, I have, but not so much in words.”

That sounded like an admission that there had been no lessons.  She pressed her lips together.  “Okay.”

“I mean, it’s more of an instinctive thing, like how I don’t put much thought into the process of putting one foot in front of another; it’s an action that I do without having to analyze it.  I probably could try to articulate which muscles work in which order to let me take a step, or jump, or kick, or whatever else, but I doubt I’d be able to come up with an explanation that would make any sense to someone trying it out for the first time.  Does that make sense?  There’s a reason babies don’t learn to walk by listening to their parents’ instructions.”

Hera nodded.  “You’re saying Ezra has to learn by doing.”

“Exactly.”  Kanan reached for the plate containing the two slices of cake.  She watched how he did it, hand moving in the right direction presumably by memory of where he had put that particular item, hand flat, palm down and low to the surface of the table, moving in a small arc until his fingers quickly located the plate, then lifting the slice of cake to his own plate.  That was something that could be taught in words, she was sure of it.  Not everything that Ezra would need to know would involve the Force.

“Isn’t that true of everything you teach him?” she asked.  He hadn’t learnt how to manipulate objects using the Force, or how to fight with his lightsaber, by listening to Kanan lecture him.  “You show him, he copies, he practices until he can do it.  I’ve seen it.”

“That’s true,” Kanan agreed.

She frowned, confused.  “Then…”

“The difference here is, to answer your last question; no, Ezra is not okay.  He’s frightened, understandably so.  He won’t admit it, of course, but he never does.  He’s worried about what’s going to happen, about how he’s going to cope, he’s probably convinced that he’s never going to be able to do what he needs.  Do you think it would be helpful to make him wear a blindfold and work out how much he can’t do?”

Hera felt herself freeze, caught between the need to continue the discussion, and the equally-strong urge to run to Ezra’s quarters, let herself in, wrap her arms around him and never let him go.

“I’m not saying we won’t get to that,” Kanan assured her.  “It’s just that there are some things I want… I need him to be able to do first.  Some lessons that I may have neglected.  A lot of Ezra’s training, I’ve focused on ways to use the Force to help in the fight against the Empire, there are other things that we haven’t spent as much time on as we should have, and it’s those things that are going to be most useful to him here.”  He sighed, and looked so angry with himself with himself that she wanted to reach out and comfort him, tell him it was okay.  “I should have done this before,” he added.

She didn’t ask what those things were that he needed to know; it wasn't important.  All that mattered was that he was rectifying the situation now.  Or planning to.  “You didn’t know this was going to happen,” she told him.  “You had no way of knowing.”

He shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter.  There are things I should have insisted on that I let slide because he found them boring.  It was careless of me, as his master, not to give him that basic grounding.”

“Well, if it was,” Hera said, because of the two of them, she couldn’t claim to be the expert on the Jedi or the Force, “you’re fixing it now.”

Kanan rested his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, fingers running through his hair, massaging the scalp beneath.  He sighed again, a frustrated growl.  “You’re right,” he said.  “I just really, really wish…” he tailed off, then lifted his head from his hands; his hair was out of place now, sticking up at odd angles where his fingers had pulled it loose from the band he used to tie it back.  He shook his head as though shaking the thought out.  “Never mind.  You’re right.”

He still didn’t look entirely happy, but then nothing about what was happening was happy.  Hera took a sip of her rapidly-cooling caf and took a slow, deep breath in.  “Has he spoken to you about telling the others?” she asked.  She found herself subconsciously dropping her voice to just above a whisper as she spoke, as though some random passerby might overhear them and inquire as to what they were talking about.

Kanan frowned, clearly troubled by the question.  “Not exactly,” he said.  He lowered his voice slightly too, as though to match her tone.  “He knows it’s something he’s going to have to do, he also doesn’t want to do it, so I have a feeling he’s going to try to put it off for as long as possible.”

That was what she had been afraid of.  “Sato needs to know,” she said.

Kanan’s expression grew unreadable as he absorbed her words.  “Not yet,” he said.

“He’s the one that’s ultimately responsible for everyone on this base.  If someone’s having an issue that might affect their ability to do their job, he needs to be made aware of it.”

“It’s not affecting…” Kanan frowned and shook his head.  “You’re right.  And I said something very similar to Ezra about you, ahead of the mission you wanted to send him on.  He told me it wasn’t an issue, and I said it could be.  Why am I now taking the opposite side?”

Hera smiled and shook her head.  “I guess you’re feeling protective.  Or maybe you just like to argue.”

Kanan nodded and smiled good-naturedly.  “I do enjoy a good argument.  Why do you think I joined the Rebellion in the first place?”

“And there I was, thinking it had something to do with me.”

He laughed.  “It did.  You’re the one I like to argue with?  But seriously, it doesn't have to be now, does it?  Give him a little time to tell Sabine and Zeb at least, before we bring anybody else into it.  They’ll be back in a few days, what harm will that do?”

She considered it.  Probably none.  There were no missions on the horizon anyway, at least not for Ezra, or for the Ghost crew in general; and as far as she could tell, Ezra’s vision wasn’t so bad that it was going to become a major issue if there were.

She took a deep breath.  “He needs to tell them at the first possible opportunity,” she said.  “As soon as he’s done that, I’ll have a word with Sato.  If doesn’t have to go any further than that for now, but he needs to be aware that eventually other people are going to have to know.”

“Eventually, other people are going to notice,” Kanan added.  “But yeah, he knows they’re going to have to be informed before that.”

Hera nodded.  “So, we’re expecting Sabine and Zeb to be gone for just under a week.  As soon as we receive a communication that they’re en route, he needs to be preparing to tell them.”

Kanan frowned.  “You’re not going to have him meet them off the ship and tell them about it there and then, are you?”  Despite the joking tone in his voice, she could hear genuine concern, as though he actually believed that she might make Ezra do that.

“No,” she said quickly.  “But that day.  Or night, whenever they get home.  Give them time to get settled, then call a meeting.”

Kanan visibly relaxed.  He genuinely had been worried that she wanted Ezra meeting them as the doors to the Phantom opened, and making his announcement.  It would be funny, if the situation wasn’t so very not funny.  She felt a pang of sympathy for everybody involved.  Talking about it had clearly been difficult for Ezra, and for Kanan too, to a lesser extent.  But Sabine and Zeb, they had no idea.  They were going to return from their mission, probably in high spirits and with a stack of carefully embellished stories to tell, and this news was going to crush all that.  It was going to crush them.  And there was nothing that she could do to make it easier.

She sighed, resting her head in her hands.  She had work to do, but work was the furthest thing from her mind right now.  “What if I made a data file?” she asked.

Kanan frowned, clearly confused by the sudden leap in conversation.  “Okay?” he said.

“With information about this Sacul Syndrome thing,” she clarified.  “Something a bit more readable than the scientific texts the droid can provide.  Maybe a bit of info more specific to Ezra too, some of the relevant stuff from the pamphlet the droid gave me about how to help… I don’t know.  Just something we can give to Sabine and Zeb, maybe the others too, if we need to.  It might help.”

Kanan’s frown deepened slightly.  He didn’t reply.

“That was the first thing I wanted,” Hera told him.  “And it’s not something that existed.  I didn’t… I still don’t want to have to ask Ezra that stuff, but if I can, I could save him from having to answer the same questions over and over, and Sabine and Zeb wouldn’t have to worry about how to get the answers they’re looking for.  It would help everyone.”

Kanan looked thoughtful for a moment.  “It might,” he said.  “I’m just wondering how Ezra would feel about you handing something like that out to people.”

“I think it’d make things easier for him,” she said.  But Kanan was right, Ezra might not see it that way.

“It probably would,” Kanan told her.  “I’d still ask him about it first, make sure he’s okay with it before you spend hours working on it, because I have to admit, I’m not sure I’d enjoy being the subject of something like that.  Would you?”

She thought about it.  No, she probably wouldn’t, but she would probably agree to it anyway.  It was better than the alternative.  “I need to talk to Ezra anyway, I need these answers whether I’m writing them down or not, I need to know, Sato’s going to want to know.  I’ll ask him how he feels about the file at the same time.”

“Just, go easy on him, okay?” Kanan said.  

She thought of Ezra the previous day, of his hesitancy, his obvious terror, his inability to even get out the words that he needed to say.  She could understand Kanan’s protectiveness.  She shared it.  That was why the file would help.  But Kanan was right, only if Ezra agreed.

“I will,” she promised.

“Seriously.  These questions you want him to answer, don’t get all ‘Captain Syndulla’ on him.”

She had heard the joke around the base, that Hera Syndulla was actually two people: the first, warm and friendly, the second all business, and terrifying with it.  She never thought she would hear that from Kanan.  She felt herself scowl at him, for all the good it would do, and she got to her feet.  “I’ll see you later,” she said.  “Captain Syndulla has duties she needs to perform.”

She turned and left the room, the now almost-cold cup of caf still half full on the table.