#The Maze Runner Inception AU

[toby-du-coeur]

no FUCKING WAY -

Remember you are the dreamer you build this world.

(or the inception au no one asked for. i’m just so good at coming up with shit like this. if you write this fic i’ll probably draw fanart for you too… i guess.)

[codename-adler]

AftG AUs I NEED : An Open Invitation to All Writers

sharing ideas i’ve toyed with for so long but i’m beginning to accept i prolly won’t ever write, thus i’m taking a chance some of these will bewitch someone out there body and soul, and i’ll be able to scratch the itch a little… the more the merrier after all !

The Last of Us : either a romantic version of Joel & Ellie’s dynamic (obv. with the ages adjusted) /OR/ episode 3 AU 🥲 [any ship] {EDIT: i KNOW it’s been done already once, twice, but i *need* more! not just with Andreil! let’s be explorers of possibilities, cmon!!}

Detroit: Become Human : this one i’m really only thinking of Andreil, with either as android and the other as human… i don’t necessarily see them conforming to a specific plot line from the game, i think the android/human dynamic is interesting enough and fits them perfectly, but go off i guess !

Brokeback Mountain : i don’t really need to explain this one do i? happy ending vs. canon character death, that is the true question… [any ship]

Titanic : it’s got so many options and tropes, it’s like a buffet for fic writers ! could be used as setting only, or follow Jack & Rose’s tragic (or not!) love story. [any ship]

The Haunting of Bly Manor : Jamie & Dani haunt me still. great opportunity for Renison, Lailalvarez or Kathea, or perhaps a gender swap on mlm ship? or not, leave them boys as is. haunt me, it’s all i ask. [any ship]

BBC Johnlock : don’t shoot the messenger alright? sorry for the ptsd flashbacks btw. i just think their dynamic and crime/detective AU are great opportunities. i’m personally partial to Jeanaaron for this one, as they were my og idea bc the similarities are??? amazing??? Sherlock!Jean & Watson!Aaron, and the Reichenbach Fall??? so neat. but really, [any ship]

The Maze Runner : Thominewt // Kandreil !?!?!? it’s right there! [any ship] tho.

SKAM : ofc Robbe & Sander from WtFock are physically the perfect Andreil which leads to a great adaptation opportunity here, but Élu from SkamFr are also a great blueprint for a Kevaaron story. honestly any S3 Skam + [any ship]

Dune : listen, i don’t have all the answers. idk how that would even work. but surely you can figure smth out ! [any ship]

Inception : i love the movie. i love hans zimmer. i love Arthur x Eames. NORA SAKAVIC LOVES ARTHUR x EAMES. they’ve got such Andreil vibes, but so do Jerejean, even Renison. and the Foxes as dream crew??? so perf it’s insane. give me and Miss Sakavic what we really want. [any ship]

The Fault in Our Stars : 🥲 [any ship]

CA: The Winter Soldier / Civil War : so it’s kind of like an amnesia AU, but more angsty bc Stucky dynamic. Andreil’s the perfect fit, but who knows who else… [any ship]

Jujutsu Kaisen : 🥲🥲 [any ship.s]

Attack on Titan : 🥲🥲🥲 endless, endless paths… to pain ! [any ship.s]

How I Live Now : is that too niche? or too boring? 🤷‍♀️ (also let’s leave out the cousin thingy…) [any ship]

Red, White & Royal Blue : duh. (but not so duh, apparently, since i’ve yet to read it !!!) [any ship]

The Old Guard : oh the possibilities… Yusuf & Niccolo my loves… nobody be doing it like them, nobody. absolutely one of the most movie ever… top 10 of mine for sure. ugh, gosh ! foxes as Immortals?? the action, the mystery, the soulmates?? please i’m begging. [any ship]

that's what i'm letting go of for now... if anything inspires you, please tag me in your works so i can indulge in and appreciate what you've come up with!!

Love, Adler xx

[avatarrecom]

Take another little pizza my heart, baby

Custody AU (Original story by @ao3gobi17)

Word count: 1486

A/N: Spider's personality in this fic is based on Sloane Tavish, a character from The Naturals book series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This series is definitely recommended if you like series like Criminal Minds!

There are two references of some of my favorite works of fiction, one from 'Inception' (the film) and one from 'The Maze Runner' (the books). If you recognize the references, I love you. (And please let me know what they are, I want to know if people actually get it right haha)

Spider wasn't like his other peers. He doesn't like parties, gaming or meeting friends. To be honest, Leo is his only friend.

Spider likes to throw out random facts regardless of whether they apply to the circumstance he is in. He is better with numbers and statistics than with people. Spider knows this for sure, just as he knows he usually says the wrong thing (this often leads to hilarious situations). He constantly analyzes people and situations, usually without even meaning to.

Under no circumstances give him coffee. Unless you have to bribe him. Also good to know, he is a kleptomaniac. He can't do anything about it, it just happens.

Is that enough extra information about Spider? Okay, then let's move on to his current situation.

So, here's what we know. Spider's mother was murdered when he was seven, his (step)father was arrested for her murder and went to prison for the rest of his life. Nine years later, his father has escaped from prison and, along with his idiotic henchmen, kidnapped his only friend, using him to convince Spider to allow himself to be kidnapped. And now he's sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table in a cabin in the middle of fucking nowhere. And worst of all, despite his attempts to persuade his captors, they don't give him any coffee.

"Do you have any blank paper and a pencil?" he asks no one specifically. "Why? Are you planning to leave a secret message?" Lyle asks, roaring with laughter. Spider shakes his head. "No, I once came up with a game, and you need blank paper and a pencil for it." he explains. He looks around in surprise as his father's accomplices continue to stare at him. "What?" he asks, confused.

"And what kind of game might that be?" Walker asks with a roll of her eyes and a tone as if he should have been able to read her mind. “Oh, you have to design a maze that takes two minutes to draw and one minute to solve.” he explains impatiently.

Everyone looks at him strangely. Prager shrugs, stands up and walks to a bookcase. He grabs a large stack of papers, some pencils in different colors, an eraser and a pencil sharpener. He walks towards Spider with a soft smile and places the supplies on the coffee table. "Have fun, kid," he says, before walking back to the dining table where Spider's father and the others are sitting. The adults look at Prager strangely, and he shrugs. "Better this than him trying to escape again, right?" Spider hears him say.

Spider turns his attention to his task and begins his first maze design. After about thirty minutes he has drawn and solved about fifteen rectangular mazes. Each maze is drawn in two minutes and solved in one. The layout is sketched in standard graphite pencils, and the maze is solved in red pencil.

On a few occasions, his captors look through his various mazes to make sure Spider isn't doing something he's not supposed to do. None of them realize that on some papers there is a gray pencil line in each upper right corner, in exactly the same place on every paper. And on another stack of papers there is a similar red line in each lower left corner. They thought nothing of Spider writing his name on every piece of paper, assuming it was a habit he picked up from school.

And no one notices that some of the gray layout lines are thicker than the others, as if Spider pressed harder with his pencil and sketched over the same line several times.

If they had realized this, and if they had been smarter, they might have remembered to hold the papers in front of the window, in the sunlight, or in front of a lamp. If they had done that, they might have realized that Lyle was right, Spider had indeed created a secret message.

You see, if you stack the different papers on top of each other, making sure the gray lines line up in the top right corner and another stack with the red lines in the bottom left corner, you'll see Spider's secret message in the bold outlined layout:

Miles Quaritch (duh, you should know that) Lyle Wainfleet Kevin Mansk Alicia Zdinarsik Sean Fike Andrew Prager Johnny Alexander Kim Zhang Victor Lopez Maria Walker Steve Brown Garrett Warren

That was Spider's secret message. He has secretly learned everyone's full names and incorporated them into the secret message, hoping that the people who find his outlined mazes will discover the way to read his secret message and know who his father's accomplices are.

Spider sighs as his father pulls him away from his secret task and says they are sitting down for dinner. Spider reluctantly stands up and Lyle grabs his shoulder and pushes him into the chair to the right of the head of the table, where Quaritch is sitting, before sitting down in the chair next to Spider. Lyle looks at him again with a creepy grin. Spider looks away uncomfortably and focuses his attention on the pan being placed on the table. Tonight's dish, Ravioli, is one of Spider's favorites, his brain automatically remembers the corresponding facts. 'Ravioli is a type of pasta consisting of a filling covered with thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional dish in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are usually square, although other shapes are used, including round and semi-circular.'

Spider is abruptly taken out of his thoughts when Lopez starts cursing colorfully. "What's wrong again?" Mansk asks irritably, raising an eyebrow over his sunglasses. “I lost my fucking wedding ring,” Lopez curses. “Oh shit, I'll help you look,” say Fike and Brown. Everyone stands up and starts looking for the ring. It is a beautiful ring, made of gold, the outside is smooth, but on the inside a date and two names are engraved. Spider knows this because the missing ring is currently in Spider's pocket. He couldn't help it, he saw the ring on the counter this morning at breakfast and before anyone knew it, the ring was in his pocket. Spider is surprised that it took almost a whole day for Lopez to realize it.

"Wait a minute, my watch is gone," Mansk realizes. 'Yeah, duh,' Spider thinks. 'It's in the drawer of my bedside table.' “What's going on here?" Lyle asks, irritated. "Yeah, what's going on here?" Fike adds. "That's what I just said, dipshit," Lyle sighs. "No, I mean that," Fike points to Brown. “What?” the latter asks, confused. “Where is your cap and since when do you have curls?”

"WHAT!" Brown exclaims, his hands flying to his head. “Damn Brown, what kind of conditioner are you using?” Z-dog asks with a grin. “Yeah man, your curls look so soft, you really need to tell me your hair care routine,” Walker adds with a laugh.

"That's enough, eat first, before it gets cold," orders Quaritch, "after dinner you can run around like headless chickens." "Yes, dad," Lyle snorts sarcastically.

Everyone sits down at the table and starts eating. Spider can't stand the silence and blurts out, "Did you know that farting is good for high blood pressure?" Spider thought he was being stared at strangely before, but now everyone is staring at him like he has an extra eye. "What?" Zhang chokes out. "Nothing," Spider mumbles, embarrassed. "Right," he gets in response, after which everyone focuses back on their food.

"Did you know that Anatidaephobia is real? It's the fear of a duck staring at you." Spider blurts out again. He gets the same strange looks again and he cowers in shame. "Okay?" Warren replied confused. And once again everyone turns their attention back to their food, but this time they keep giving him strange looks.

Spider can cry because he feels alone and ridiculed and at the same time scream that he feels uncomfortable.

Once again he tries to start a conversation. "People and bananas have 50% the same DNA." he states. He does not dare to look up from his plate, for fear of the reactions of his captors and that they will see the tears in his eyes.

“For God's sake, be social, join in conversations,” Quaritch snaps angrily. Spider's tears roll down his cheeks as he hears his father's angry voice directed at him. He risks a look through his curls and sees everyone looking at him. 'Sure,' he thinks to himself, 'they probably enjoy seeing the boss' annoying child get snubbed.' Spider starts to get up to run upstairs so no one sees his tears, when Lyle's hand lands on his shoulder, more tender than he's ever seen Lyle. Lyle pushes him back into his chair.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm a banana?!" he asks, offended.

[crestfallercanyon]

20 Questions for Fic Writers! Thank you so much for the tag, @incorrectcoldflashblog !! I'm excited to jump in (and have definitely answered too long windedly, haha, whoops)

How many works do you have on AO3? sixty-six!

What’s your total A03 word count? I was going to guess like over 100,000, which I guess I was technically correct because it’s 717,161!

What fandoms do you write for? A bunch! On this profile I’ve written for The Flash/Legends of Tomorrow, The Maze Runner, Bandersnatch (Black Mirror), Teen Wolf, Inception, and recently have gotten very into Shameless!

What are your top five fics by kudos? All coldflash (pretty sure it’s the most active fandom I’ve ever written for at a more active time, so, makes sense): a) Lullabies for Little Criminals (719 kudos) b) distract me from my last disaster (600) c) Something Out of Nothing (557) d) getting back to fine (512) e) Didn’t Change a Thing (424)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to, and for the longest time I kept up with it. Then I got overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff around late 2021 and into 2022 and stopped. Now i’ve started again, but there’s still a huge backlog that I haven’t gotten to. Please know that I appreciate you if you’ve commented!

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I’ve written so many angsty fics, I don’t think I could name a single one, so here are my major fandoms (5+ fics) breakdown: a) This Time of Doubt (The Flash, coldflash) Len knows there’s something wrong with this timeline, and if he has to go through Barry to prove it, he will. (TW: Implied/Referenced Character Death) b) Red Lights, They Blink Your Name (The Maze Runner, minally) Gally’s going to follow that signal, even if it leads him into the dark. c) it’d be better if you flayed me alive (Shameless (US), gallavich) Mickey can't believe he agreed to let Ian shave his face before his fuckin' court hearing.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? a) Conflicts of Interest (The Maze Runner, thomally) My maze runner criminal law lawyers slow burn au. b) What’s Mine is Yours (The Flash, coldflash) Barry and Len move in together. c) Nocturne, Murmures Milkovich Turns out, Ian still has things to learn about his husband.

Do you get hate on your fic? Only once, and I actually deleted that fic in its entirety. It was the first longfic coldflash I ever posted, and it rattled me pretty good. It was quite nasty. Since then, never again! (and I wouldn’t delete it this time around, I don’t think, but it was a multi chap and I was so stunned by the comment I just never wanted to continue writing it, so).

Do you write smut? I have tried, but I'm not the most confident in it. I’ve got Scheherazade in coldflash fandom, and then two thomally fics: Corpus Delecti (which is a fic you won’t see unless you’re logged in) and then he goes down easy for me.

Do you write crossovers? I do not.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever co-written a fic? Not yet!

What‘s your all-time favourite ship? I genuinely don’t know how to answer this question. I don’t really have one. To be perfectly honest, if someone writes it in a way that’s compelling, I’ll probably enjoy it.

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Probably Stranger Than Your Sympathy. I’m sorry, I want to, but there’s just some foundational things that I would change (mainly Newt’s characterization, I actually prefer how I characterize him now)

What’s your writing strengths? I like to think I'm good with characterization and like... individual internal narration. The whole reason I write fanfiction is because I love exploring characters' heads and their dynamics and their world (or how they interact with aus). So, I like to think that what I write is true to character and makes impactful scenes.

What’s your writing weaknesses? I get easily inspired, so I have left some fics behind (I am so sorry Aphelion and Shiva, I will come back for youuuuu); and then I have worked hard on it, but I occasionally get very long winded and have a hard time killing darlings for the sake of pacing.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I’d love to be able to write in multiple languages, but I’m only fluent in English. At most, I could maybe write in Spanish, but I still would be worried about it being accurate.

First fandom you wrote for? Um, before I really knew what fandom was or anything like that, I wrote Naruto fanfic The first fandom I wrote for knowingly and participated in was Fire Emblem Three Houses.

Favourite fic you’ve ever written? Ufda, this is such a hard question. I’m again going to break it down into fandoms — a) Something Out of Nothing (The Flash, coldflash) b) Thou Shalt Not (The Maze Runner, thomally)(tbh this one changes all the time, ask me tomorrow it will probably be something different). c) I think it is all these things I have left to say to you Now it's my turn to tag! I'm very excited to do so, so here we go (and of course, no pressure!)! @blue-summers , @its-tea-time-darling , @itsthemxze , @sampharos , @callivich , @michellemisfit , @pathsofoak , @mmmichyyy , @go-catch-a-chickn , @sophiainspace , @sproutwings , @iasconsumesmedia

ALSO if anyone else would like to do this, go ahead!

[katiethedane12]

For "Love Your Fandom Asks": 4, 5, 15, 23

4. Say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

So personally, I ship Beatrice and Wirt (over the garden wall). But I do like the ship of sara and wirt. They seem nice, and I can never get over the trope of guys having crushes longtime crushes

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

Uhh, I don't read many fics. But probably agst AUs. I hope that's a good enough answer lol

15. the character that always makes you smile

Ooooh, there are SO many of these. I could go on and on. Bucky Barnes, Finnick Odair, Boromir, Newt (maze runner), Arthur (Inception), Peeta Mellark...

23. the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual

Hmmm, I'd say maybe Batman. I've seen the old animated show and the trilogy, but I've never seen anything with the "bat fam???" I'm curious because I actually have no idea where to look for it. Is it just the comics? I've also seen a lot of Star Wars post bc of @kanerallels and @accidental-spice recently lol. I've seen most of the movies and some of the shows, but I'd be curious to watch them again because it's been a while.

[azozzoni]

about me

This is long overdue, considering I’ve had this blog for almost 2 years. But I’m gonna do an About Me!

Hi! I’m Elyce, female, ace

Age: 32 

Sign: Gemini

Languages: English (native), French (high-level), Mandarin/Spanish/Italian (elementary)

From: United States

Pets: one gorgeous cat who hates all other animals, and two rabbits who are hanging on since all the rest of the herd are now passed

How Long Have You Been Writing: Since 2005

First Fandom You Wrote For: Queer as Folk, which I used to watch at 2 AM with the volume turned down super low so my parents wouldn’t hear

Most Influential Fandom: Harry Potter - I met my best friend of 10+ years now because of some HP fic I wrote

Favorite Things to Write: AUs, slice of life, happy endings

How Many Fics Have You Written: I used to keep a spreadsheet but that was years ago. I’d estimate 400-500 fics.

Name All the Fandoms You’ve Written For: QaF, Harry Potter, Glee, Bandom (P!atD, FOB, MCR), The Maze Runner, SKAM (IT, NL, Druck, WTFOCK, France), Eyewitness, Spartacus, Inception, Carry On, The Mighty Ducks

Do You Write Things Other Than Fic: I’ve written a bunch of original novels. Two are self-published. I also have a publisher for original LGBTQ novels/novellas.

Hobbies Besides Writing: drawing, watercolor, scrapbooking, gif-making, video editing, photography, raising rabbits, screenplay writing, baking, home improvement projects, sewing, knitting, travel, and I’ve decided I’m going to start canning foods

Something Interesting About You: I’ve traveled to 25 countries and I’d like to go to more. I lived and worked in both France and China. I was born on an island.

Feel free to come talk to me, or send an ask, about anything. I’m usually around.

[crestfallercanyon]

🏜️ 🥤🍓 :)

Thank you so much for the ask @mmmichyyy !! I'm excited to answer.

First off, the (I actually don't know what this is lol) 🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Um, I just appreciate people enjoying my work, honestly. Always makes my day. I do enjoy when people point out lines that they liked, and especially if they think it really sounds like the character I'm writing for (when it comes to fanfiction). It just makes me feel good. But honestly, just hearing someone enjoyed what I wrote truly is super thrilling and I love hearing from people reading, so really anything.

and then the 🍓, how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

So I started writing original fiction a LONG time ago, like when I was a young tween. I got into fanfiction due to the pandemic. I just wanted to write something indulgent for me, and had never heard of ao3 and had never had a tumblr either. My first fandom I wrote for (knowing it was fanfiction, I technically wrote Doc Holliday/Katie Elder fanfiction way back when, if it can even be called that),but my first fandom was Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Then it was a teeny tiny video game fandom that I won't even say that's how small it is. Then coldflash, then my friend got me back into TMR and I haven't left TMR since, but have picked up others like Inception and Shameless.

It initially started as a practice to try to help me get my pacing to be better (because I tend to write too long). And now I still think my scenes are probably a little too long lol, but I have become a better writer over the years. So yeah, that's how I got into it!

🥤 recommend a fic or an author I love

Oh, do we have all day? I'm going to take up all day. I realize it says "an" as in probably only one, but I went way overboard. like embarrassingly so. I have so many recs. This got out of hand and I wasn't even done but it's time for me to go to BED so I have to STOP. Anyway, here is my list of recs. I moved this question last that's how long this is lol. Hope you find something you love from here!

@subjecta5newtella , (unbelieve on ao3) they don't miss. I've read several different fandoms of what they've written and they're all great. They also write killer second person fics which is just like, it takes a damn good writer to do that. Also I just learned they've also written for Avatar and Merlin and now I will be reading more of their fics. (also fuck me I have not commented on so many of these I'm such a bastard, I need to comment). Anyway, Some fic recs from them of what I have read that's been great

A Hundred Thousand Loves (for just this one), Maze Runner, Minewt, T+

And if This is What it Takes, Stand By Me, Chris Chambers/Gordie, M

holding all i used to be sorry about, The Flash, Hartmon, T+

They also do great Star Trek: TNG and just Star Trek in general fics

@blue-summers, bluesummersmoon on ao3-- I love all of their thomally. They have written for thomallyweek a few times now and I just -- there is something so lyrical about how they write, and whether their melody is a tragedy or a lullaby, it just always sings. They also have a greece au that's fantastic for tmr. They've also written for other amazing fandoms (I believe I have read their Merlin fic now that I am looking at the title) and I just. I recommend. (they've also done LotR which I'm so mad impressed by and they've done Merlin too!)

Oh when you love it, TMR, Thomally, T+

Meltwater, TMR, Thomally, G

The Greece AU

fissures, TMR, Minewt, T+

@qlala, qlala on ao3 as well, they don't miss. Their fics always are so good. I particularly love their modern aus, I don't usually love aus with coldflash but I love all of qlalas, I also don't usually read kid fics, but you guessed it, qlalas are fantastic. They are such a good writer, and their coldflash just has me chomping at the bit. I often drift on the sides of coldflash these days, but whenever I see they've posted I am brought back into the swirl of them and I am ever so happy to be back because that's how good qlala is.

and because I'm a sucker for soft possessive coldflash, here's one of my absolute favorites: and in your heart I feel how cold it can get; which by the way I just realized how tragic that title is and I am in awe again. So good.

Also this au where Barry is a hired escort and Len is a politician hiring him to raise his ratings with the polls (there's a part two as well/not really technically tied to this story but same universe) that's gold: talking with your fast hands, saving all your slow dances -- very good (also that song the title is from is also a banger, winnetka bowling league my beloved).

@sam-loves-seb, sam_writes_fics on ao3, I am pretty sure they are my most bookmarked gallavich writer, I love the way they write gallavich, also their fucking power to be able to stick to like themed MONTHS and churn out GOOD FICS so FAST? because of time and because their stuff is all that good, I am genuinely just going to link their whole profile and tell you that if you like gallavich you won't be disappointed, they're amazing.

I don't know their tumblr, but pink_ink is another fantastic gallavich writer. They mostly write explicit stuff, and it's all great. They have a (few) multiple chap fics that absolutely stole my heart. My favorite one of theirs? It is absolutely so poetic and sexy and tragic, and Mickey's voice is on fucking point.

Regular What, Shameless (US), Gallavich, E

Paragraphs is also really good. A Shameless multichap ,Gallavich, E

Another tumblr that if they have one I don't know, but I also love spqr's works. It's funny because I've actually just naturally ran into them like several times while delving into fandoms, I never looked at their dashboard until I hit them I think three separate times because I was like "wait, I recognize this author, did I read something else of theirs?" and it was straight up in an entirely different fandom. The fics I did that on are as follows:

madwoman, The Queen's Gambit (TV), Beth/Benny, M

Whensoever, The Sandman (TV), Dreamling, E

the dry sand of daylight, Inception (2010), Arthur/Eames, E

Um, I could do this for hours just going through my bookmarks, but I genuinely am getting tired so I don't want to do that. One day maybe. But, some fics that I would absolutely be a complete dunce if I did not mention because I reread them SO OFTEN. So here we go:

Ready by comebacknow, The Maze Runner, Minally, M

all i want of the world, coming down, Inception (2010), Arthur/Eames, T+

burnout by Tattered_Dreams, The Maze Runner, Brenda/Gally, T+

makes a cathedral, him pressing against me by misandrywitch, Shameless (US), Gallavich, No Rating (and its companion! and we will be like sailors, swimming in the sound of it by intimatelyrearranged)

Cold Storage by @sproutwings (sandrine shaw on ao3 -- also filled with great fics), the Flash TV, Iris West & Leonard Snart, T+

and for a woman wert thou first created by @hamartian-cathexis, The Maze Runner, Minewt, T+

this is what makes us girls by @its-tea-time-darling, TMR, Rachel/Sonya, E

Pinesong by aperplexingpuzzle, Legend of Zelda BOTW, Link/Revali, T+ (this ship came as such a surprise to me, but it's so good)

Stag and Wolf, Wyvern and Rabbit by deadlifts, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Claude/Felix, M

Adagio by towine, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Owaine/Inigo, M

and I'm currently (while behind) REALLY enjoying two incomplete fics

ad nauseum by Order_Of_The_Forks, Dimension 20: Fantasy High, Riz Gukgak/Fabian Seacaster, T+

Stitches by nightmarechild, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Rhys/Shinon, T+

These are all courtesy of the writers truth or dare! I love answering questions so thank you SO SO much for asking! if you want to ask more, just send me a message, I'm not shy <3

[crestfallercanyon]

BEEN A WHILE SINCE I POSTED SOME AU SHENANIGANS — but now I’m back to my regularly scheduled bullshit (read: could not sleep and this is what I came up with at 4 am)

Let's go! TMR AU: Inception (because I love that movie and I’m stuck in the 2000s apparently)

Here’s the team:

Thomas — the extractor (Cobb/DiCaprio’s role). The extractor is the person who is sent in to get the information from a subject via the dream. Cobb learned about dream sharing and such lucid dreaming techniques from Mal's father, and then shortly after Cobb and Mal began testing the bounds of dreamsharing. This is pretty much the quintessential Thomas move as Thomas, due to an innate curiousness and other qualities, tends to forego the rules in pursuit of what he deems are greater interests (TMR is freedom). I could see him doing what Cobb and Mal did, which is try to see how far deep they can go until they got trapped in Limbo. He’s an extremely guilt ridden character in TMR so his guilt over what happened with Teresa matches well, and I think Thomas as a character is peak “trying to learn from my mistakes” and “my failures will not be futile/in vain”.

Teresa — the shade (Mal/Marion Cotillard). The shade refers to the fact that Mal was just a projection of Cobb's guilty conscience and grief over his wife. Mal was the one who founded the idea of totems, "an elegant solution for keeping track of reality" which seems very like Teresa. Teresa is clever and curious and enchanting to Thomas, which is why she fits Mal's role well. Mal loses sight of reality when she goes too far into the dream space with Cobb, and abandons reality in order to cope with living in limbo (I'm not sure Teresa could cope with the idea that there is no cure in TMR, losing track of her own personal humanity -- betraying Thomas -- to try to save all humanity, so I think this kind of parallels well). I can see her and Thomas falling in the same pitfall, becoming intensely fascinated with dream sharing and, with Thomas, going very deep in the subconscious until they are stranded in Limbo, get an idea implanted in her head, and unfortunately dies as a result. To be a guilt-born remake of herself in Thomas’s subconscious, I think unfortunately suits her character.

Gally — the architect (Ariadne/Page’s role). Architects build the setting of the dream world for the subject, supplying the requisite paradoxes and safes for information to be stored and the team can extract. Gally built the glade up from nothing as a teenager. In the inception world I think this could parallel to how Ariadne is approached because she can think outside the box. Dream-architecture gives the intellectual opportunity of pure creation, which I think Gally would be fascinated by, even if concerned. He also would constantly question Thomas’s approach to dream-sharing and the dangers he’s potentially putting them all in like Ariadne does. (in TMR this makes him an antagonist, here he wouldn’t be like Ariadne wasn’t) (also yes while I can't bring myself to ship Cobb/Ariadne, I would plan that here in this au thomally would be endgame, fight me)

Minho — the point man (Arthur/Gordon-Levitt’s job but I think he’d have the personality more like Eames/Hardy). Minho’s an organizer. The way the point man worked was basically the extractor made the theoretical plan for the mission and the point man did the research, organization, training, and detail work to be able to make that plan an actionable reality. They also are the one relied upon to support improvising if the plan goes awry. Minho ran the entire maze and made a detail oriented map about it, was able to track how the maze shifted and knew its schedule. That takes an amazing amount of skill and detail-oriented mind. He is able to survive well on his own (especially movie Minho who gets kidnapped and almost breaks out/does some damage without help) and is overall the one who seems more meticulous than he comes off.

Newt — the forger (Eames/Hardy’s role but I think he’s have more Arthur’s personality). Forgers in dream space aren’t people who can forge documents, rather they forge people and personalities well enough to be convincing in a dream (i.e., they know the ticks, mannerisms, and personality of people in a subject’s personal sphere — family, friends, lovers, enemies — and are able to become them by replacing them through a mirror in the dream). Newt’s incredibly good with people. He is compassionate, observant, and clever. As Alby’s right hand man in TMR he fills the role with a sort of docile strength, intensity, and firmness with others. As Thomas’s second in later films, he is a lot more gentle and only uses firmness when Thomas is being unclear/they need immediate answers. This shows a lot of perception into what people need/want, which I think would make him the forger.

Brenda — the chemist (Yusuf/Rao’s role). The chemist creates the drug that is used to provide for stable sleeping that won’t be interrupted/disturbed so that the team can share the dream through multiple levels of dreaming (i.e., provides the stability in order for them to support sleeping within sleeping creating multiple layers of dreaming). I pick Brenda because while she and Jorge are not exactly super supportive in the beginning, she is somewhat of Thomas’s/the group's stabilizer in the Scorch providing them at least some sense of direction (particularly in the movies). I also could see her being fascinated by other people who wish to do such dream sharing and deep dive but be less inclined to actually go that far herself, staying upon surface level dreams (perhaps due to concerns raised consistently by Jorge).

That's it, that's the au -- I'll never write this fic but to play around with the idea is fun so I thought I'd share. Enjoy.