#ot3 story forever in heart
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conundrumoftime · 1 year ago
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Fandom grandma tales: how I survived canon ruining two of the ships I liked.
(Written after a discussion with some of my TROP fan pals about how canon can break your heart re: shipping, and how fandom manages. There are spoilers here for the entire run of Babylon 5, and for one story JMS wrote after it. yes, that story. sorry.)
Babylon 5 was a sci-fi space opera show that ran from 1993 to 1998. It is sci-fi of the era of 22-episode seasons, of huge ensemble casts with characters who get their own B- and C-plots, with an effects and casting budget that doesn’t always match its ambition, and - something it was quite pioneering in, at the time - grand pre-planned story arcs. 
It’s the first fandom that I was involved with in internet spaces as it was running, or at least when its final season was (there’s Discourse and drama from earlier years that I missed). Its showrunner, J. Michael Straczynski - ‘JMS’ - was very active in (non-fanfic) fan community spaces, and you always knew exactly what he was thinking about things because he was part of the discussion around them. There was also fanfic, which he didn’t stop but didn’t go near on the grounds of legal liability for story ideas. 
Most of the fanfic in the early days as the show was airing was focused around two big ships, of which one was canon endgame (Delenn/Sheridan) and one was canon all-ends-in-despair (Marcus/Ivanova). I, as a teenager discovering a developing online fandom for the first time with all the overwhelm and excitement that causes (ask me anything about what reading fic was like before the days of tags/ratings/warnings!) got into Marcus/Ivanova and also into one of the minor ships, Delenn/Lennier.
Delenn/Lennier was never, ever going to happen in canon. This is obvious; it clashes with Delenn/Sheridan which was JMS’s baby darling OTP, the show’s big love story. Delenn is married for the later part of the show. Lennier is her diplomatic aide, is absolutely devoted to her, and they have a very intense mentor/student relationship, which it seems is kind of standard in their culture (when Delenn’s own mentor died she went briefly insane with grief and started a genocidal war over it) but is still Very Intense. He is canonically in love with her, but that’s as far as the explicit canon statements go.
However. HowEVER. Canon also gives us, for that relationship, some wonderful ship fuel. Lennier knows about every bad thing Delenn has done, including all the stuff she doesn’t/can’t tell her husband. He’s her link to her previous world and culture and stands by her even when they kick her out. She says at one point, “without him, I would stumble and fall and never get up again.” 
And then
 we had Season 5, the final season.
Season 5, for various complicated production reasons, was operating a little outside of pre-planned story arcs and in this season the Delenn/Lennier stuff ramped up about three gears in one go. It was still very obviously never, ever going to be canon, and was almost certainly not intended by the creator (who wrote most of the episodes himself) to look like there was even anything there. At this point Delenn is married; any relationship with her aide would not only be going against the show’s OTP, but going against it in the sense where she’s cheating on her husband, and there is Just No Way JMS would have gone there. And yet! Season 5 gave us:
A scene where Lennier says he can’t stay, it’s too painful to be around her now she’s married, and she’s devastated and has the following conversation with her husband about it:
S: I got your message about Lennier. Is there anything I can do?
D [snapping]: Almost certainly not.
S: Is it because of me?
D: In part, I think so.
S: Yeah, I was afraid of that. Well, as we say back on Earth, three’s a crowd.
D: On Minbar, three is sacred.
S [slightly uncomfortable laugh]: Well, I don’t think I’m ready to handle that one, Delenn.
Delenn then calling Lennier back to the station to do some secret mission thing for her, which involves her sneaking out of her bed while her husband sleeps to meet Lennier in a darkened alley behind a bar, where she tenderly strokes his face and they have a whole conversation about whether her husband understands her or not.
A scene where Lennier comes back from his secret mission to meet both Delenn and Sheridan, Delenn goes to greet him with a hug, and Lennier does this very pointed step back and nod in the direction of her husband, and she pulls back and just sort of pats him on the arms instead. 
I MEAN.
But, the issue here is not what fans did about it but what canon did about it. Canon did the canon equivalent of dragging that ship outside and shooting it in the head. 
In the final few episodes of the entire series, Lennier tries to kill Sheridan, runs away in shame, and then someone finds his diary in which he’d been writing for ages about what a bad decision he thought Delenn had made and how her whole marriage was an awful idea. Even to this day, it’s fun/awful watching people go through a first-time watch when they get to season 5 and hit that. ‘Character assassination in the form of a diary’ was a whole thing for a while. It’s been 20+ years and the actor who played Lennier is stilll mad about it (not because of shippy stuff, but because he - correctly! - thinks Lennier absolutely would not have done that). 
What *fandom* did, on the other hand, was Fixed The Problem.
Delenn/Lennier was not at all a big ship when the series was airing, and for a few years after. Then the fandom dynamics started to change. With less pressure on what canon was going to do, it felt like fandom had more space to play around with things it didn’t do. Fanfic got less interested in trying to fit within the overall story being told and started spinning off in all its own directions. And *this* ship started getting bigger and bigger. People did really interesting things with it, canon divergence went in all directions, everyone wrote a fix-it story of some variety, some authors did a great series of connected stories based on an idea that Minbari have three genders, the quality of the writing has been brilliant. And I think without that absolute whiplash feeling of what happened in canon, there would never have been this feeling of “well I’m not having THAT” which led to all this.
We did not need canon! Canon had done its thing. And canon had broken our hearts enough ways with many of the other stories it told (entirely on purpose) and we weren’t just going to sit back and let it ruin us forever.
By comparison, the other ship I was into was Marcus/Ivanova. This is entirely doomed. Susan Ivanova’s love life is just perpetually doomed. The first partner of hers we meet is an ex who’s interested in getting back together, but then it turns out he’s just using her to infiltrate the station for the fascist terrorist group he’s secretly joined. Then she falls for an archrival of hers, Talia, who works for Psi Corps, the organisation she loathes most of all things - but it’s okay because it turns out Talia is starting to question them too! Maybe these crazy kids can make it work! They have one night together and then OOPS turns out Talia was being secretly controlled by a sleeper personality implanted in her by Psi Corps the whole time. Ivanova’s love life is doomed. 
So for two seasons, she has this sort-of-flirty, sort-of-bickery, sort-of-friendship going with Marcus, who is on the surface of it very much “why not fall in love at first sight like a true romantic, YOLO!” but it turns out is actually deeply messed up himself and full of survivor’s guilt and pain and, you get the clear impression, would have died of shock if she’d actually called his bluff on the OTT flirting and said “yeah, let’s go for it”. And then he sacrifices himself to save her life. It is a very tragic ending, it is absolutely the way he would have wanted to go, she wakes up both furious and absolutely distraught, says that the last thing she heard was him saying “I love you”, says she wishes she’d at least slept with him once, and says that in a way all love is unrequited. PAIN. 
So, lots of fix-it fanfic, lots of ‘Marcus comes back to life’, lots of canon divergence AUs where he doesn’t die and they live happily ever after and both get over their huge levels of unresolved pain. Pretty standard for that kind of pairing. And as a pairing it doesn’t get in the way of any big canon pairings, it doesn’t imply anything icky like mentor/student power imbalances or adultery. And JMS clearly quite liked it. So that’s better, right?
NO. It was WORSE.
JMS wrote an Marcus/Ivanova story himself, published in one of the sci-fi magazines, to try to give them a happy ending. This happy ending involves Marcus, many many years in the future, waking up from the cryogenic suspension he’s in (it’s sci-fi, keep up, keep up). Ivanova is long dead, but he isn’t about to let this get in the way, so what he does is to *create a new Ivanova* by getting some kind of DNA + computerised memory/personality bank thing, finding a doctor who will clone her, putting himself back into animated sleep until the clone reaches the age Ivanova was when she died, then - THEN, I’M STILL GOING - takes her to a distant planet where, with her memories wiped and their spaceship having deliberately been crashed BY HIM so there’s no way back, they live out their lives in peace.
WHAT.
That pairing still does okay in fandom but it’s not really taken on a post-show world of headcanons and riffing on other people’s ideas and tropes in the way that Delenn/Lennier has (and we all just pretend that story never existed). 
So! This has been my experiences in the field of What We Do When The Show Has Thoughts On That Non-Endgame Ship We’re Into. Fandom manages. Fandom will see you through. And in the words of Susan Ivanova:
Babylon Five was the last of the Babylon stations; there would never be another. It changed the future, and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future, or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, for if we don’t, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly though, I think it gave us hope that there can always be new beginnings - even for people like us.
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alagaza · 25 days ago
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Help Ala's family
Here is my story. My family of five and I were living a peaceful and stable life in our beautiful little house. We worked hard to provide a decent life for our three children, and they were proud to see our children learn and grow in a safe and stable environment. But in a sudden moment, their lives changed forever.
The disaster happened when our house was completely destroyed due to the war. They lost everything: their home, their source of income, and even their children’s education. They became homeless and insecure, living in difficult and dangerous conditions. The children, who used to go to school with joy and hope, are now deprived of their most basic rights to education, and live in constant fear.
And now. My husband and I are trying hard to secure their basic needs, but we face great challenges. Every day is a struggle for survival, and an attempt to rebuild what they lost. Despite the pain and suffering, there is still hope in our hearts that we can rebuild our lives with the support of kind people. 💔🙏🙏
We desperately need your support and donations to rebuild our home, educate our children, and provide them with a decent life. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a huge impact in improving our lives and restoring hope to us
Thank you for your generosity and support
💔💔🙏
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malkaleh · 2 months ago
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Superlatives of my Stories: 2024 Edition
I stole this meme from @petralemaitre once again.
Leitmotif of the year: :increases the judaism and the biracial and the abuse survivor and the OT3+ headcanons: Namårië
My best story of this year: Objectively (probably?) It’s The History Of Man (Rewritten By Women) - four women of The West Wing on trauma, sisterhood and power (or not). I wrote it like, you can tell I was having some feelings but I think the Zoey section in particular is my favourite. An extract:
Zoey knows it’s not the 19th century or the 18th but it also is. The media dissects her outfits, but not the men who stripped her bare and bruised. They sigh over the impact on her father, on issues, on politics but not the way her nightmares haunt her. 
My favorite and/or truest story of this year: It is Gold Cages. Without a doubt. I had actually been thinking of the flip side of ‘the villain is gentle only with you/would burn the world for you’ (a trope I am in whole hearted support of) when
you don’t want that. When sometimes, silk and ‘safety’ is worse than violence because you are a precious thing, a treasure but not a person. Or ‘Sauron is incredibly genuinely in love with Celebrimbor, Celeborn, Galadriel, Elrond and Finrod’ An extract:
There is light and high beauty forever beyond the reach of the grasping choking shadows and Miriel has always felt it - perhaps never more than when she is with Elendil. Pharazon is small beneath it and while Elendil names her Luthien she thinks of Beren. They will endure. For all of them he simply makes a chamber - a mix of all that is beautiful from each of them. Dark blue and silver stars, white and golden flowers, blue flowers and birches and moss. Jewels and light and birds. His fingers through Celebrimbors hair, an arm about his little nightingale, the other about the waist of his silver prince, his golden fair queen laying across his chest and Mairon thinks, this I will have. All this and more I will have. He thinks of it in a thousand ways.
Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Hi Those Who Walk In Starlight or the ‘In return for peace Adar asks for a night each with Celebrimbor (who lives here), Elrond, Galadriel and Gil-Galad’ fic that may have been a little bit Scheherazade inspired and also I saw a fic summary (I could not read it for trauma reasons but it’s by Archraven) and went !!!!! An extract:
He cannot but want - cannot but brush a hand across Gil-Galads hair, let himself run his fingers across Celebrimbors shoulders, wrap a possessive touch through Elronds curls and Galadriels golden strands. It is impossible to resist and why should he not indulge in beauty, in this feast of shining kindness offered to him.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: Hi would you like to read about Danny from TWW getting kidnapped + his sandwich related commentary + unfortunately one of his kidnappers is Into Him? (Because I had seen a couple of ‘CJ gets kidnapped stories’ and I wanted to like, flip it and also some Girl Saves Boy Content. An Extract:
The other really stupid thing is that the sandwich was mediocre at best and somehow that’s the thing he gets stuck on, midway through having the shit kicked out of him. Like he was shot and now he’s being tortured and the sandwich wasn’t even hospital cafeteria quality.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Me writing Those Who Walk In Starlight and going ‘!!!!!’ about Adar in various ways.
Hardest story to write: It’s funny because while there were times I found it very hard to like, write none of the stories were actually hard to write if that makes any sense?
Biggest disappointment: End of year complete loss of joy in OT3 verse (Tudors) because I got a really long comment about how it was historically inaccurate dreck with a quote ‘idealogical agenda’ and listen, I am aware I should not be so upset but it was a really awful spot that they hit for a number of reasons and I cannot face writing it again. Maybe in the future but for now it’s not on AO3.
Biggest surprise: ME WRITING TOLKIEN FIC WHAT IN THE FUCK. (I would still say I largely do not read or really write Tolkien fic in terms of book based stuff (or movies for different reasons) because it’s not my cake for various reasons but uh TROP I will (and there will be book stuff because I’m me). I blame the cast ;). Like somehow, that happened. Also now I am attached to a bunch more characters (thank you Charlies) and also apparently uncorrupted!Mairon AUs and Celeborn/Galadriel/Mairon (Sauron/Annatar) in general like. (Also absolutely Celebrimbor/Mairon (Sauron/Annatar) beside this. And I have a Gil-Galad/Elendil/Miriel thing now.
Most unintentionally telling story: I think at this point all my stories are telling *g* I just kind of go with it.
Best title: The Talking Horses, The Singing Lions & The Golden Queens or ‘Lil Attempts To Write A Horse And His Boy Fix It because CLIVE I HAVE NOTES’
Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: Hi my version of the uncorrupted!Mairon AU.
Tagging (if you want to): @verecunda @nocompromise-noregrets @shes-a-voodoo-child @conundrumoftime @damnyoubishop @lemurious and anyone else who wants to consider yourself tagged
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the-marron · 1 year ago
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Shipper Tag Game
Tagged by @forerussake , thank you đŸ„°
1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?
Hmmm, a hard question right off the bat, because even if I am no longer actively seeking the ship content out anymore, usually I retain a lot of fondness for it, so there are precious few ships I used to be into and that I am simply meh about now, but I think it would be ShikaIno, from Naruto. Canon came at me hard, so while I have some fondness for it, it is what it is, and I am not that much into Naruto anymore either way, so it doesn't hurt much.
2. Which ship would you consider your first one?
Simba/Nala? Lol 😂 but in all seriousness, I think it would be BatCat. Or Aragon/Arwen, I am very hazy on the details when exactly I imprinted on those, the timeline is not clear
3. Your first fanfic was about which couple?
Read or written? Read: no idea, I think it might have been some self-insert into Inuyasha universe? Written: Sirius/Remus
4. Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?
Nope. When I discovered the internet I discovered all of it at an alarming pace, but my bet would be on either Sirius/Remus or some couple from W.I.T.C.H
5. Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?
I try not to. I have opinions, yes, and I like discussing them with friends, but I try not to make it anyone's problem - everyone will ship what they want to ship and find different dynamics compelling, so I don't think it necessary to crusade one way or another because one ship is superior to another. It's all very subjective.
6. Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?
I have quite a bit! Funnily enough I have some canon ships I absolutely dislike and can go off about whenever I catch a poor, innocent victim to listen to my rant.
But my general rule is that I don't like OT3s. In any fandom, in any form, it's just not for me at all. To make matters worse, I am a monoshipper at heart, which usually means that I have a dynamic/ship that I like with characters A and B, and it makes me lose interest in all the other configurations with them. So maybe not an active NoTP but very unlikely for me to read A/C if I committed myself to A/B.
Special shout out to Weilanzun, because this is my most recently acquired NOTP.
And to Batman/Talia Al Ghul which is my longest reigning one.
7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?
Zhou Ying/Bai Ling from Tai Sui đŸ„ș my poor white half-demon, hopelessly devoted to his prince... And so few fics with them ;_;
8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?
Plenty. I don't abandon old ones, I just collect them together in my jar of ships and rattle it from time to time, to see how they sparkle together.
But from my most recent and long-term commitments: Weilan, Luolin, Heixie, Luo Qingeng/Jiang Yang (do they have a name???) and BatCat, forever and ever
9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?
Well, the story is a story, so as long as it makes sense that these characters do not end up together, then I am okay with it, that's what we have fanfiction for, right?
BUT
I am still not over that wedding stunt DC Comics pulled with BatCat. Months of teasing, of promising the wedding, the freaking wedding albums being released and then the WEDDING DIDN'T HAPPEN. They broke up instead because Batman has to be the dark, sad, lonely something something and you can't be a hero if you have a wife. 50 years and DC Comics is going backwards in this regard :/
10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?
Not sure? Nothing comes to mind. But I am very open to being pulled into/converted into ships as long as they are not on my black list, and even then I try to keep an open mind, in case something clicks.
11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?
Hah, a lot, because I got into shipping as a teenager. So reading romances about other teenagers felt normal and all but now I don't feel the need to revisit them.
12. What is your favorite crack ship?
Ha. Not today, Satan. One moment I am joking about a crack ship and the next I have 10k words written about it and like 3 sad headcanons and a shipping chart ready.
13. What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?
Oh wow, good question. If I like a ship, then I tend to read through the entire Ao3 tag of theirs, sometimes more than once because what if I missed some gem in the first go? So it would come down to the sheer numbers of fics, I think. So that would be either Sterek, Stucky or Eames/Arthur (fun fact: this is also the first fandom that introduced to me the concept of derivs)
14. What do most of your ships usually have in common?
Devotion. Very often the conflict between their feelings and their duties/ loyalty towards something they cared about before they met the other.
I like both sides of the ship to be competent at their respective fields and torn apart by their own choices and priorities. The 'I love you but do I love you enough to abandon everything I am'?. I like both answers more or less equally: both the 'yes, it's us against the world now' and 'I hope we won't meet on the battlefield' are set ups I enjoy immensely. But I also like smart-asses annoying each other into marriage one witty comeback at a time.
15. What you absolutely hate in a ship?
Imbalance of attachment. If the ship seems terribly one-sided, like one character is putting in all of the work and tries and tries, and tries while the other mercifully sometimes acknowledges them, then it's a no for me.
Same with the 'if you patiently wait for this person to like you, even though they told you 10 times they won't, then they eventually will' trope, like someone's love is what you earn through steadiness and hard-work.
I like both parts to be equally unwell about their partner, one way or another. They can be sickeningly domestic and gushing, or they can be crazy in that 'no one defeats him, but me!' kind of way, but they have to be in balance on the insanity scale. I like when characters grow into their relationship and both affect one another, falling more and more in love with each other as they go, but not when one person is a prize the other has to win/outwait/earn.
Thanks again for the tag, that was a nice bit of soul-searching there, very fun 👌😌
Tagging: @baiyubai , @babischlong-six , @mjsakurea, @mejomonster, @elenothar
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zephfair · 22 days ago
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GO-FHMR Chapter 2
Still ridiculously fluffy AU. Still will have a syrupy happy ending; the “villain” is not forever. Still trying to fit in Hallmark tropes. Still rated G. Will eventually be Gansey/Ronan and potentially Ronan/Gansey/Adam, IF they cooperate. Oh heck, even if it’s OOC, I really want that ot3.
For now the true pairing is Gansey/Henrietta always and forever, amen.
Chapter 1
Unfortunately, Gansey’s heart and mind couldn’t relax. He took a shower and got into the surprisingly comfortable bed—after he turned around the flock of ceramic roosters that clustered on the dresser staring toward the bed.
He couldn’t block the guilt of avoidance any longer and finally turned on his phone. There were texts from both of his parents and Helen, but nothing from Adam. No surprise, he’d be busy until the wee hours with work and he always said he had to give himself and Gansey time to cool off after one of their “disagreements.”
Gansey shot off generic texts to his family members. He’d only told them that he and Adam wouldn’t make dinner and he was leaving immediately for Henrietta. He didn’t elaborate, just let them know he’d arrived safely.
Then he tossed and turned until midnight. He finally got up and drank a glass of water from the bathroom and tried to blame his insomnia on the stress and the huge meal he’d consumed.
After propping himself up on the pillows, he gave in and turned on the TV, heading right to channel 79. Sure enough, there was another Christmas movie playing, and even though he’d started it somewhere in the middle, Gansey had no trouble following along with the so-called plot.
When the next movie started, Gansey woke his phone, searched Hallmark movie tropes, and was relieved to discover that he wasn’t the only who realized the stories hit all the same beats, had similar plots etc.
But that didn’t explain why they were so damn satisfying.
Watching the heroine leave a “bad” situation and have a meet-cute with a conventionally attractive man who then helped her/helped the small town/helped her discover the “true meaning” of the holidays—well, Gansey suddenly understood why escapist media was so popular.
The current hero was carefully groomed with scruff, wore denim and flannel and one of those jackets with the sherpa lining and work boots, and drove an unnecessarily large pickup truck. He somehow also ran the town bakery even though there were only a few scenes that took place in the kitchen. But he brought treats to the town meetings where the heroine was trying to pitch her big-city company’s idea to knock down the town’s cabins and build high-rise condos.
None of it made financial sense and Gansey would have happily torn it to shreds with well-thought-out reasoning, but the way the hero looked at the heroine while they squabbled about how the vacation condos would destroy the integrity of the town, while he took her dancing at a holiday street fair, while he hugged her at the public meeting in front of her company’s investors and CEO/boyfriend, there was a longing that appealed to him.
Being with Adam was nothing like this. In fact, being with Adam was nothing like previous relationships which was why he’d been blind-sided at first. He’d dated women exclusively up to the moment he and Adam had been on the fourth hour of an all-nighter, studying for finals the end of their freshman year at Harvard. They’d both been exhausted and giddy with it, running on energy drinks and gas station burritos, and one sarcastic comment from Adam made them both burst out laughing. Gansey had leaned into him, the man he thought was his best friend, the one he was most himself with, the one who argued with him and kept him always on his toes, and Adam had kissed him.
He’d immediately pulled back and apologized. Gansey remembered brushing his thumb against his own lips, wondering what had just happened but knowing that he wanted it to happen again. And so he’d told Adam that, and Adam had obliged.
Their relationship had never been exactly easy. They were both stubborn and adamant and had a way of seeing things only from their own perspectives, influenced by their own personal histories. Gansey had known that right from the beginning.
He’d also known that Adam had some other self-defeating qualities, particularly when the lies he’d cloaked himself in came tumbling down after finals. Although Adam lost most of the friends he’d made his freshman year, Gansey hadn’t quit him.
He more than anyone understood about reinventing oneself. He’d just been lucky enough not to get caught when he faked it.
Now watching a ridiculous TV movie, Gansey couldn’t stop analyzing himself and Adam.
Adam was kind. Adam was ruthless.
Adam was handy. Adam was ambitious.
Adam was thrifty. Adam was cold.
Adam was unknowable. Adam was lovable.
When they’d kissed, Adam had been starving. When Adam’s lies had caught up to him, Gansey had stood proudly at his side, because he’d thought he understood Adam at some deeper level than anyone else. Now, he was second-guessing all of it.
He blew his nose messily and curled up as another movie began.
Gansey woke up after a few hours of restless sleep somehow feeling worse than before he’d slept. His body ached, his head hurt, his nose was congested, his eyes were red. Another shower didn’t help.
But he made it to breakfast, dismayed to realize that he was nearly an hour after the time Patty had told him. Although he apologized and argued that he didn’t need anything, please don’t go to anymore trouble, Patty had sat him down at the kitchen table again and fried him some bacon and eggs then threw some bread in the cast-iron skillet as well.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Gansey stared down at the plate and felt his arteries begin to harden.
“You need good food to make yourself feel good,” Patty explained as she poured him a mug of coffee roughly the size of his head. Although it wasn’t his usual artisanal blend, hand-ground, and put through a French press, Gansey took it with grabby hands and drank it with a deep sigh, the drink of the gods hitting him in all the ways he needed.
Patty chuckled and started talking while he started eating. He was mopping up the last bit of egg with the final bite of bread when he realized Patty had asked him a direct question.
“My plans for today? I really hadn’t thought about it yet. I suppose I should head over to the library and get started on my research right away.”
“Oh, you don’t need to jump into your work yet, do ya? It’s still the holiday, take some time to rest and relax.”
Gansey hid his tiny sad smile behind his coffee mug. “Ma’am, I don’t think I’ve rested or relaxed in my life.”
Patty refilled his mug. “Well you might have some trouble getting into anything today anyway. You might not take a day off, but around here, today is still considered Thanksgiving, and I don’t even know if the library is open. I do know that everybody and their brother is going to be out shopping since it’s Black Friday. If you don’t like crowds, you might want to stay away from the mall or Walmart today.”
“That’s right, I’d totally forgotten.” All the goodwill from the grease and caffeine slid right out of Gansey. He’d forgotten how small towns operated and the bother that Black Friday would cause. “You’re right. I may have to wait until Monday to get any real work done.”
“Well don’t make it sound like such a bad thing! You said you’d lived here in Henrietta before. Maybe you can get reacquainted with us. And you definitely don’t want to miss tonight, everyone will be there.”
“What’s tonight?”
“Only the best night of the year!” Patty magically produced a flyer from somewhere. “The town has a special tree-lighting ceremony every Black Friday, right at the little park down the street from the courthouse. They shut down the street and all the local restaurants are there. They offer soup-tasting and sweets and just about anything you want. Now, it’s not the Christmas market they started a couple of years ago. But there’s lots of food and music from the high school bands and then everybody watches them light up the big Christmas tree. It’s even on TV every year!”
“That sounds lovely,” Gansey lied, the thought of the crowds making him feel sick.
“And just about everybody that comes back home for Thanksgiving is there so you can see friends and their kids you haven’t seen in years!”
Patty continued on about the wonders of light-up night, but Gansey excused himself as soon as he could. He needed to get out for a while and even driving through crowded streets was better than this.
He started the Range Rover and took the next exit to “downtown” Henrietta. Patty was right—some things had changed drastically since he’d lived there at Aglionby. Some of the streets were blocked off, so he ended up circling out further from the center of town.
Many of the old buildings looked the same, only with different signs on the shops. There were more fast food and national retail stores on the outskirts of town than he remembered. Those were all very busy from the shoppers.
He was unsurprised to be able to pull across the street and park from the entrance of Aglionby Academy. He had an urge to walk around campus which looked like it hadn’t changed or been updated at all, but the gate was securely locked.
Gansey remembered the surprise from his parents when he’d asked to attend Aglionby for his sophomore year of high school. He’d spent the year before studying in Wales and England, a bygone time that he now remembered fondly. That was back when he’d been caught in the grip of an obsession with the Welsh king Owen Glendower, when he’d sworn that the myth was real and he could find proof that the legend of Glendower had extended to the rural Virginian countryside.
His parents then were still obliging him, giving in to his demands and whims because they still felt guilt about him nearly dying from his severe allergic reaction to bee stings. They let him travel and follow his heart’s desire and immerse himself in his weird fantasies and obsessions.
They were probably relieved when his next wish for Aglionby seemed so normal. They happily enrolled him and he was soon on his way to living in the dorms. School was school, but Gansey soon found out it was harder to get around in rural Virginia than it had been in England, and he couldn’t get to the sites that interested him because he wasn’t old enough to drive yet.
If you had that, man, just think of everywhere we could go! And how fast we’d go! Gansey heard the excited voice in his memories as clear as the day it had happened. His best friend and he were riding their bikes through Henrietta one Saturday when they’d seen the bright orange, black-striped classic Camaro in a driveway and stopped to drool over it.
Gansey had never wanted something so much in his life, but the proud owner wasn’t about to talk to some teenage boys about it, not even Aglionby boys.
Gansey smiled at the memory and wished for an instant that he’d been able to buy and drive that car. He couldn’t help but feel like his life would’ve been much different if he’d been driving that Camaro.
And his best friend, well, he hadn’t thought about him in years either. Another loner who’d been ostracized by most of the Aglionby crowd because he didn’t live in the dorms, but he and Gansey had bonded over mythology and adventure and music. They’d had sleepovers at his home outside Henrietta and they’d been inseparable that year.
They’d promised repeatedly to keep in touch after his father exploded and pointed at Gansey’s low grades and distractions as the reason to finally snap his parents out of their permissiveness and move Gansey back to a military prep school outside D.C. where they could closely monitor his behavior through the rest of high school and right into the Ivy League.
As usually happened at that age, the busyness and pressures of daily life had pushed out his long-distance best friend, and correspondence had dwindled by the time Gansey started his miserable junior year.
The thoughts of those happy days kept a smile on Gansey’s face as he pulled away and continued driving around the area. The afternoon slipped past in pleasant memories of his time there, and he pulled over several times to make notes of things he remembered wanting to study then and new lines of pursuit and how they could be linked together.
He looked up at the neon sign of the building whose parking lot he’d stopped at and realized it was Nino’s—his favorite place to eat off campus. He didn’t think twice, just turned off the SUV and went in.
It wasn’t as busy as it could have been, thanks to most people eating Thanksgiving leftovers at home. As he waited for his pizza, he looked at the rowdy diners. It was easy to tell some of the teens were definitely townies enjoying a day off school to hang out with friends while others were certainly Aglionby boys with big egos and bigger attitudes and giant chips on their shoulders.
He even found himself looking around for the waitress they’d always had back then. She’d been one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen, but it was her unique style that was so vastly different from anyone he’d ever met. His best friend had always made fun of him for his crush, and the girl had never shown any interest in him, but it made Gansey smile thinking of how awkward he’d been trying to get her attention and work up the courage to ask her on a date, even while his best friend mocked him.
Are you shitting me? That’s the kind of girl you like?! She’s the size of hobbit and her dress looks like a lamp!
Then he remembered it’d been more than thirteen years and she’d been his age, and she probably wasn’t working at Nino’s anymore. He ate his pizza and drank his sweet tea in silence, then left a hundred percent tip for the current high school server.
He stopped at the gas station, filled up and bought a couple bags of snacks to take back to the bed and breakfast.
Patty accosted him as he tried to sneak back to his room. “You ready for the light-up night? You’d better put on another layer. It’s gonna get colder now that the sun’s goin’ down.”
Gansey tried to make polite excuses then firmer excuses then somehow found himself pulling on his favorite cashmere sweater over the polo shirt he’d been wearing. Patty was more satisfied once he’d zipped up his suede jacket and donned a hat and pair of gloves.
Then she’d bustled him into the backseat of their minivan and let Shorty drive them into town. He did stealthily unzip the jacket in a rare show of defiance and plan to ditch the hat as soon as he was out of sight of Patty.
He didn’t have to wait long. Shorty dropped them off as near as he could to the action then left to find parking. Patty made Gansey agree to meet her back at the spot in two hours. Then she abandoned him to find a group of her church lady friends.
Gansey wandered down the street, glancing at the vendors, spurning their advances to buy a wristband to benefit a local charity that would gain him access to the various food offerings.
Gansey had to admit that Henrietta was putting its best foot forward for the evening. They’d decorated the downtown’s lamp posts with wreaths and white lights. Most of the businesses had decorations and lights lining their windows. It did feel festive, and Gansey admired the spirit behind it.
Even the people seemed unnaturally friendly and polite, talking and laughing, apologizing as they bumped into each other, shrilly shouting names as they recognized old friends, letting children run helter-skelter through the crowd.
Gansey definitely didn’t feel that spirit. He finally got to the wide intersection where the town’s Christmas tree stood. It was a huge and beautiful spruce even without the lights twinkling yet. The crowd was milling thicker as light-up time drew nearer.
Gansey winced when the high school brass section started playing something that might have been a Christmas carol right beside him.
He hurried to the other side of the street, away from the squawking trumpets, and was lured in by a drinks stand for a weak cup of coffee.
Gansey had just enough time to think that it did feel nice to warm his hands when he ran right into a brick wall and the nice warmness felt less nice as the hot liquid saturated his sweater and shirt.
Then he realized that it wasn’t a wall that he’d collided with and was in fact a big man dressed all in black with as much holiday spirit as the Grinch—only with a lot more muscles.
“Dick,” a low, gravelly voice growled down at him. Gansey hid his wince from the cold voice as well as the chill of lukewarm coffee soaking through his cashmere, and most probably, the black shirt of the brick wall/man he ran into.
“There’s no need to resort to name-calling. I was about to apologize for spilling on you,” Gansey said, pulling himself straighter but it only brought the man’s stubbly Adam’s apple and chin into focus.
“Fuck, no, that’s not—” then a softer voice—a tone that brought back memories of green fields, the smell of hay and cattle, the tug of a boyish hand in his, days filled with laughter—warmed him in an instant when it said, “Gansey? Is that really you?”
Gansey looked up further into light blue eyes framed with thick black lashes. He’d have recognized those eyes even if he hadn’t spent the day wallowing in memories.
“Ronan Lynch? Is that you?”
Then Gansey found himself wrapped in those big arms and up in the air in the most enthusiastic hug he’d ever received. He couldn’t help but laugh and slap the leather-clad back in delight.
“I don’t fucking believe it. Gansey!”
Gansey found himself back on his feet as Ronan set him down, and he grabbed Ronan’s biceps to keep his balance as the crowd surged around them. A microphone shrilled feedback then someone started speaking, but Gansey couldn’t pay attention. His attention was fully locked onto the man who also hadn’t let go of his waist.
Ronan had certainly grown into the kind of body his teenage height and gawkiness had hinted at, and his face had lost all traces of baby fat, displaying sharp cheekbones and a jawline Gansey could’ve cut himself on. But his eyes had softened into a look that Gansey could still see in his memories, and his smile was wide and heartfelt, an expression that somehow Gansey knew wasn’t his usual.
Ronan’s eyes were flickering over him the same way, and Gansey really hoped he wasn’t disappointed by what he saw.
Then Ronan’s big hands squeezed his waist and he laughed. “What the hell, man! What are you doing here?!”
“Visiting Henrietta, but what are you doing <i>here</i>?” Gansey didn’t think Ronan looked like he belonged at a family-friendly community event, unless it was to act as a thug or bodyguard.
“Gotta make sure they donïżœïżœt fuck up the lighting,” Ronan said which only gave Gansey another hundred questions. “Are you here with someone?”
“No, no one, I’m here in town by myself.”
“Come on then, over here.” Ronan stepped closer and slid his hand down to Gansey’s lower back to guide him through the crowd. It made Gansey shiver in a way that was definitely not from the clammy spill on his sweater. “Oh shit, I forgot. Can I get you another drink? Sorry about running into you and making you lose it.”
“No, it’s fine, really Lynch. I was about to apologize to you for spilling coffee all over you.”
Ronan’s grin down at him was almost as mischievous as Gansey remembered. “Nah, that’s definitely not the worst thing that’s been on me today. Come over here.”
Gansey spared a thought to wonder where Ronan was taking him, somewhere behind the stage and behind the tree out of view of most of the onlookers. There were still enough people that Ronan kept his hand on Gansey’s back, and that was pretty much all Gansey could focus on. That and the sudden thought that Ronan was probably taking him to meet his wife and children and Gansey had better get himself together.
In fact, Ronan was headed toward a canopy overshadowing the doorway of a closed insurance office, and when the crowd gave way, there was indeed a very petite, beautiful young woman grimacing at them.
“You are never going to believe who I just ran into, literally,” Ronan started but the woman interrupted him.
“Dammit Lynch, you bastard, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“What the hell do you want now?”
“Not me, you irresponsible asshat. The mayor,” she jerked her chin toward the stage. “Said there’s something wrong with the main cord.”
Ronan threw his head back and swore with such vigor and originality that Gansey was vaguely impressed.
“Yeah, tell that to him,” she said dryly. “Now get out there and do your worst.”
“You know I will,” Ronan promised. He patted Gansey’s chest then let his hand press there a long moment that made Gansey aware of his own fluttering heart. “You stay here and don’t you dare take off until I get back,” he warned Gansey then turned to the woman. “You sit on him if he tries to escape, although knowing you two, you both might like that too much.”
“So now I’m an accomplice in one of your felonies. Again. Thanks Lynch,” the woman said.
Ronan blew a kiss at them and stalked off. Gansey turned and watched him go, walking around the base of the giant tree and disappearing into the foliage.
He turned back to his new companion when she snorted loudly. “So that’s how it is,” she said, giving him a look up and down that was no less searching than Ronan’s had been but much, much more judgmental.
Gansey tried to gather his wits. “I’m Gansey, an old friend, and you are Lynch’s... er...”
“Oh no, I’m in no way Lynch’s anything at all,” she argued immediately.
Something about the obstinate look on her face and the way she stood up for herself combined with the hair and the delicate features
 Gansey gaped at her in shock. “Oh my Lord, it’s you. From Nino’s. Jane.”
Yes, the glare from under the eyebrows was thoroughly familiar and still made Gansey feel like she was looking down on him, even if he had almost a foot of height on her.
“So you can remember who served you that abomination of a pizza you used to order, but you’ve still got the wrong name,” she said.
“No, that’s what Lynch and I used to call you. Because you had such a unique name. Blue. But we thought Jane went along with my name because Dick and Jane 
 and Lynch always teased me because I had such a crush on you,” he finished weakly in view of her expression.
Blue sniffed loudly enough to be heard over the microphones on stage. “I remember. And I vividly remember the day you called me a prostitute.”
“I never did!”
“Ronan and I still talk about it.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Gansey rubbed at his forehead until he noticed that Blue was grinning at him, a grin that reminded him of Ronan which reminded him— Gansey’s surge of jealousy was hot and unexpected and he wasn’t sure which one he was most jealous of.
“So you and Lynch are just dating?”
“No! Lynch and I are in no way at all together like that. Why do people insist on shipping us? You should know better anyways,” she added with another snarky grin.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he admitted and her grin turned to a frown.
“You mean, you don’t—”
Whatever she was going to say was cut off when the crowd started a loud countdown together at TEN. They were at FOUR when Ronan slid up beside Gansey rather closer than he needed to. He leaned in front of him and fist-bumped Blue as the crowd hit ONE and the Christmas tree lit up.
The crowd cheered and applauded, and Gansey found himself smiling and clapping along. The multitude of lights split the darkness of the night and gave the massive tree an ethereal glow that made it appear even larger.
“Oh, it’s just beautiful,” he said.
“It’s dead,” Blue said.
“It can be both,” Ronan said and threw an arm around Gansey’s shoulders.
The crowd had started to sing “O Christmas Tree” and Ronan swayed them a little in time with the music.
When the song ended, Gansey actually heard part of the speech which included a “great big thanks to Lynch Farm of Singers Falls for the amazing tree, as always!”
“Lynch Farm?” He looked over at Ronan who shrugged, a little embarrassed.
“I turned part of the property into a Christmas tree farm. Sargent makes sure it’s sustainable and ecologically friendly and all that shit.”
Gansey looked from one to the other. “How extraordinary! That the two of you work together.”
“I met her in high school,” Ronan said then added. “Got expelled from Aglionby junior year. I started at Mountain View and recognized the teeny-tiny waitress from Nino’s. Thought she was being bullied and I stepped in, but turned out she won the fight.”
“Damn right I did,” Blue said. “But your Dick here and I already got caught up.”
Ronan squeezed the arm he still had around Gansey’s shoulders. “Heh, remember that time you called her—”
“I never called her a prostitute!”
Gansey’s voice must have been louder than he planned because a couple people nearby turned to look at them. Ronan just burst out laughing until even Blue joined him.
“I missed you, man,” Ronan said in a low voice in his ear, just for the two of them.
“I missed you too, Lynch,” Gansey returned with utter sincerity.
“You should come out to the farm.”
“This is a bad time,” Blue warned.
“It’s just a crazy-ass time,” Ronan corrected. “This is the busiest weekend of the year. Come out tomorrow and join the madness.”
“I’d love to,” Gansey said, finding that it was true even as he said it.
“Awesome,” Ronan let go of him and then started some kind of strange dance, touching his chest, butt and thighs and then again but faster. Blue rolled her eyes at him then dug Ronan’s phone out of her purse. “Sargent, you asshole, thanks.”
“You’re going to lose that thing one of these days,” she warned.
Ronan handed the phone to Gansey, expecting him to know what to do. Gansey dutifully put in his information and texted himself.
Ronan accepted the phone back and promised, “I’ll send you the address. I’m assuming you remember the general area.”
“I could never forget the Barns. It’s such a magical place. Are you running things for your family now?”
Ronan’s smile slipped briefly. “We’ll talk tomorrow. When the whole damn town isn’t around.”
“Sounds good,” Gansey smiled up at him and Ronan’s face returned to the same soft look it had before. “What a marvelous coincidence running into you like this, Lynch.”
“Isn’t it?” Ronan said. Blue snorted to their side but they ignored her. “You’ll really come out tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. I can’t wait. Only, I must get going now. The proprietress of the bed and breakfast will be waiting to take me back.”
“Ha, Patty? Tell her I’ll throw her tree in the chipper and give her nothing but stems and twigs if she doesn’t treat you like a king.”
Gansey chuckled. “I’ll leave the threats to you. And I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait,” Ronan said.
Gansey looked over at Blue and included her in his smile. “It was lovely to see you again too, Blue. I hope I’ll see you tomorrow as well.”
“If I’m not fast enough,” she responded but Gansey knew she was only joking.
His trip back through the crowd was much different as he allowed the flow to carry him along. He knew he was still smiling but the people around him were smiling too so he didn’t think he stood out.
It wasn’t until he joined Patty at the meeting point that she noticed the difference. “Why Gansey, you are beaming! I told you’d have a good time!”
“I ran into an old friend. Old friends,” he corrected himself.
“Why, that’s wonderful! Are you getting together with them later?”
“Yes. I’m actually going to visit him, them, tomorrow. At Lynch Farm.”
“Oh my, do you know Ronan?”
“Yes, that’s right. He was my best friend when I went to Aglionby. We ran into each other by the tree.”
Patty sighed. “He’s a good boy, that one, for all that he wants to make himself out to be bad. He’s done more than all right for himself. It’s a shame for everything he’s been through.”
“Really? What’s that?”
Patty filled him in about the Lynch family tragedy on the ride back to the B&B. Gansey was shocked and horrified that Niall had been killed right there in the driveway where he and Ronan had pushed and shoved each other in a race to see who would reach the porch first. And poor Aurora who’d collapsed the day of Niall’s funeral and never woken again.
No wonder Ronan had left Aglionby, Gansey thought. He’d had no idea that anything so disastrous had happened to his friend. No wonder Ronan never got back in touch with him. He couldn’t imagine what he’d been going through.
Well, Gansey hadn’t been there for him then, but he could reunite their friendship now. If Ronan wanted to. And it seemed like he had wanted.
“Ronan has made the farm into something good, and he’s always part of the community events, for all his complaining and griping. We all know it’s just the way he is.”
“That’s really impressive,” Gansey said. “I’m so sorry he’s been through all that heartbreak, but I do hope he’s doing well now. He looked like he is.”
Patty turned as far around as she could to meet Gansey’s eyes. “He is a good boy,” she repeated. “And now all he needs is another good boy to keep him company out on that farm. Where he lives all alone.”
The implications swirled through Gansey as he caught on to what she was saying. “Oh, I don’t
 I mean, I didn’t
 that’s not why I
”
He could see Patty’s smile in the dim streetlight. “Just something to think about,” she said while Shorty muttered her name.
Gansey looked away when his phone buzzed with a text.
Great to see you dick. Heres the address don’t dress up so fancy, we’ll get you dirty
Gansey couldn’t help but grin again. His mood was so warm and bright that even the next text could only dampen it, not quite extinguish it.
The text was from Adam: your stuff will be here whenever you get back unless you want it sooner, please advise.
CHAPTER 3
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sushiburritonoms · 1 year ago
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New Fic: Don't Let Me Down (ETN)
Self promotion gives me hives, especially these days, but I need the world to know two very specific things about the fic I'm currently writing.
Firstly, chapter 3 was, hand on heart, the most fun I've had writing in forever. It probably isn't that good because I couldn't bear to remove things that I know make very little sense. This fic should have been split into two stories, but at the time I wrote it I thought I'd never publish it and now it's an overgrown monster and I don't have time to rewrite stuff, ok? But it was really, really satisfying and it's the reason I'm back on my shit, writing fics again.
Secondly, I watched so much GTLive to figure out how to write Matt that I accidentally influenced another person in my household to get an AirUp bottle. As in, Matpat Game Theory's used car salesman pitch was so overplayed, so constant and so annoying that it convinced another human being not obsessed with him to buy his Youtuber ad. I'm not proud, but I am impressed.
Yeah, so here's the thing, summary of fic is below:
Fandom: Escape the Night
Don't Let Me Down (explicit for sexual violence, attempted non con, Matt/Manny, Matt/Joey, Matt/Manny/Joey and Matt/Lucy (non con))
AU of Season 3, episode 9. What if Matt was the one put into the Collar of Control instead of Nikita? What if Lucy turned all her sexual frustration on her male captive instead of Mortimer? How would Manny and Joey, who are attracted to the poor Detective, react?
And finally, what if there was a way for all four of the final survivors to survive?
Ships: Yes its OT3, Matt/Manny/Joey. Matt/Lucy is attempted non con
Status: In progress. The fic is complete, and I'm posting a chapter a week as I finish editing (as of 11/13, chapter 3 of 4 is up, should get the final chapter up by Thanksgiving)
Sequel: God help me, yes. Very likely. Help.
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scoundrels-in-love · 3 months ago
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Hello, I'd like you to break some asses down. No obvious characters for you, gimme: Kafka, Ginko, Ashton and Re-l. Thank.
Hi sibby bibby! Definitely not going easy on me with these, but let's see!
Kafka of Kaiju no. 8
He's so everything one can want in a main lead of a story. He's the beaten up dreamer version of a typical hero that grew up, accepted defeat, but remained kind and supportive. He throws himself whole into a second chance, never looks down on or hates younger people who have their successes come much easier. He's goofy, sweet, relentless, powerful in kindness. 10/10 would kiss on cheek.
Mina and Hoshina, preferable in world's most ride or die battle powerthrouple.
Reno and Kikoru, the kids he randomly found on a street and said 'is anyone gonna love and take care of these?' and then ran off with them without waiting for an answer.
Not involved in fandom enough to know what's popular fanon, but I think he's a needy switch and quite inexperienced because he was pining away for Mina. He takes to learning with gusto as with anything else, though.
That he wholly accepted it is him as person that made all of his efforts worth it, saved lives, not his monster-self. And also Kafkohismina downtime or battlethrouple scenes.
Ginko of Mushishi
He is so. *clenches fist* He says I don't care while he cares, so deeply. There is air of forever haunting melancholy and longing about him. A forever wandering half-myth that yearns to belong, that bears so many stories. He's so everything.
Adashino and Tanyuu. The letter writing ot3 AU we've created has changed me as a person, for the better.
Honestly? Same two. Their relationship is based on friendship, respect, unique bonds that are never on-screen romantic, so you can see them as you wish. Also I think he and Tama Minai have interesting dynamic that would be great to expand further. And of course Nui. Oh Nui.
Hits him with demisexual beam, just like every other character I love.
More on-screen maintaining of friendships with Adashino and Tanyuu via letters and the like. Also I know the point is that he can't settle down, that he is forever wanderer, but my heart can yearn for him to have a place called home.
Ashton Greymoore of Critical Role, Bell's Hells.
I admit I've fallen off the bandwagon and I wrestle with feeling like I misunderstood some things of his character since I can't quite understand some of their latest choices, but, in my heart of hearts, Ashton will always be LOML. I imprinted on them from getgo, instantly saw the undercurrents of care and golden, cracked heart they try to conceal. I just want to take care of them, so so badly, and to let them know they deserve it, no matter what. That they don't have to earn it or buy it. That they just have to be. Embarassingly, closest I've come to making OC to ship with someone, at height of my BH time.
Frankly? No one.
FCG, absolutely. I also think them and Orym make for an interesting 'our safety last, as long as our friends aren't hurt' kind of tank duo.
I don't like him and Fe*rne as a ship. Might be because her character as a whole doesn't appeal much to me, maybe because I don't see them embracing their growth and heart of hearts with her, whatever it is, it just doesn't tickle my fancy, but I fully respect character choices made by players. As long as Taliesin is having fun! He knows Ashton the best. Also I wish they'd been liked and appreciated by fandom for more than just being part of a ship. Before those took off, you could hardly find Ashton content. Even still, the focus on them is often quite shippy.
I am forever haunted by the time their worst fears were shown to be them losing control of themselves and the alternate lives shown as them being a king, a leader. I really wish they could embrace that more, be heard and seen, instead of sometimes their ideas even being attributed to other members of the party. There was a time when I'd have killed for a fic where they become part of Keyleth's entourage/just hang out with Ashari and get a chance to be comfortable.
Re-L from Ergo Proxy.
13 year old me thought she was the PEAK cool. One of aesthetic-bi awakenings. Did I want to be her or just stare at her? Yes. During rewatches as an adult, I have come to appreciate the complexity of her character and most of all, her growth from sheltered, straining-against-it young woman to a driven person with spiky shell, but that shell will also shelter others, if you earn her trust and her care. Considering how much was hidden from her, how much lies and betrayal she uncovered, it's hard to blame her for not being open with it immediately.
Vincent and particularly, Ergo Proxy. She and Mina would be gun-toting, monsterfucking besties for sure.
Pino and Re-l are such an underrated dynamic. There is something to be said about Iggy as well, especially since it's hard to tell if his pre-demise behavior was "truth" or not.
Too arrogant, uptight and demisexual to have had proper previous relationships. Also probably had some truly loser phases of makeup that Iggy has photos of.
I wish she had more time to unpack everything about Daedalus, her grandfather, who she is. The last act of anime didn't give many of these things any breathing room. I am fascinated to explore how she changed and grew in wake of it all.
Give me a character?<3
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lasatfat · 8 months ago
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dadwc prompt list/info
general info:
I'm most familiar with the Inquisition roster, and I've played Origins enough to get a handle on those guys, I think. DA2, I haven't played as much. I'd avoid Awakenings and Absolution for now, because I haven't got around to them yet. I also haven't played Veilguard, but I'm developing some Rook ideas.
Please specify the prompt list you're using, if you can, so I can link back to it. Don't worry if you can't.
I'll be reposting stuff to AO3 by default, but if you'd rather I didn't repost for your prompt, I will absolutely respect that.
OT3/poly prompts are welcome, cracky ships are welcome, rarepairs are welcome. "LI swaps" are welcome (e.g. my Surana romances Alistair in my game, but you can request her with Morrigan, for example. Or a non-romanceable character. Anything you like). Nothing really grim, though, please.
If you send me prompts for platonic interactions, I will love you forever. I will give you a little digital kiss/hug/handshake/high five/wave.
If you send me something that I have a real mental block against for some reason, I will let you know and you can send in another prompt, if you want to.
If I combine prompts, I'll post one with a screenshot of the other(s), and privately answer the other ask(s) to link you up.
prompt fills
Blood of the Crow || Two Hands Longing (For Each Other's Warmth) || Tempting Fate || An Unfriendly Wager || Shadows and Tall Trees || Sanctuary || Easy Like a Sunday Morning || From Childhood's Hour || Scathefire || A Rose Upon a Thorn || Let Me Walk (Before They Make Me Run) || Risk My Hands to Pick Up Shards || Fair Game || Safe Under Cover || The Beginning of All Things || Aisling Lavellan Makes Her Mark || The Safest Place to Hide (NSFW) || You Will Find Him Next to Me || Don't Look Back Into the Sun || Planning Permission || The Nug King's Prize
prompt lists
I have a whole tag for story prompts and ask games HERE; this is just a selection of various types and topics. Again, please include the name of the list if you can, but don't panic if you're on mobile or just forget. Sparklies are for things I'm particularly feeling.
dragon age artefacts
unusual words and Raleigh's lost words
adventuring party dialogue pt. 2 and pt. 3
fantasy settings starters
drabble checklist
50 wordless ways to say "I love you"
fictional kiss things that end OP
enormity of my desire and dirty little compliments
soft sentence starters
hurt/comfort starters and bad day prompts
shit you don't want to hear
100 indulgent prompts
my ocs
canon protagonists:
Eireann Surana, Hero of Ferelden - City elf mage, arcane warrior and spirit healer, wielder of Spellweaver. Mother of Farah. Radically kind, values honesty, wishes she didn't have to keep so many secrets. A good tactician. (she/her, bisexual)
Rian Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall - Human hedge mage, force mage. On the diplomatic side of sassy, or the sassy side of diplomatic, depending on your view, but always aims for compassion. (they/them, pansexual)
Gideon Lavellan, Herald of Andraste - Dalish storm mage, Knight-Enchanter. Twin brother of Athim, brother of Aisling. Cunning, and good-hearted, a great believer in uplifting the downtrodden. His title is a burden, but he tries to use his power for good. (he/him, gay)
Persephone "Pidge" Ingellvar, bare bones of a Dwarven Rook. Floundering after being pushed out of the Mourn Watch, they quickly find that they're also free to explore their own interests for the first time. (any/all pronouns, pansexual)
my other characters (I made characters to try out most of the Inquisition romances, and ended up shoving them all into my canon for funsies):
Athim Lavellan - Dalish mace-and-shield reaver. Twin sister of Gideon, sister of Aisling. Honest and inventive, good with problem-solving. Shares her brother's dry humour. (she/her, bisexual with a preference for men)
Kali Lavellan - Dalish dual-dagger tempest, sketches anything and everything. Perpetually anxious, and hides it well until she doesn't. Always goes the extra mile. (she/her, bisexual)
Sigyn, the Lady Archer - City elf mage of the Kirkwall Circle, escaped at the age of fifteen. Mother of Camile. Isn't used to being around people. Angered by injustice, will always protect those in need, but still building her social confidence. (she/her, grey-ace)
Farid Adaar - Tal-Vashoth mage, shapeshifter. Level-headed and kind-hearted, mellow until a game board or cards come out. A friend to all living things. (he/him, aroace)
Basvaarad Adaar - Tal-Vashoth rift mage, freed saarebas. Says little, and chooses his words carefully. Painfully shy, but loves deeply and well. (he/him, they/them, bisexual)
Nanna Adaar - Half-dwarf Vashoth, two-handed warrior, non-verbal. Brash and hot-tempered, but easily mollified. Very protective of people she loves. A lover of all physical contests. (she/her, lesbian)
Torunn Adaar - Vashoth archer and midwife. In-game she's an artificer, but in my heart she's a bard. Boisterous but emotionally intelligent and always eager to learn new things. Has big sister energy. (she/her, bisexual greyromantic)
Farah Surana - daughter of Eireann Surana and Alistair Theirin. Gregarious and inquisitive, she could make a friend in an empty room. Learned from her mother to value kindness above all else. Later travels north to fight with the Veilguard. (she/her, bisexual)
Luceo "Sunny" Aldwir - adopted child of Eireann Surana and Alistair Theirin. A survivor of slavery by the Venatori, they value their freedom and that of others. Trying to prove themself as more than just a person with famous parents. (they/them, gay)
Camile - adopted daughter of Sigyn. Shy and quiet, but always eager to help. Still learning to trust people to help her where she needs it. (she/her)
Aisling Lavellan - baby sister of Gideon and Athim Lavellan. She's brought to Skyhold to live with them after their parents are killed in the fighting in Wycome. Still finding her feet, but curious about everything. A budding creative. (she/her)
my 'ships
As I said, I would love the challenge of any random ships you want to send me! But these are all the ones I have in my verses:
main verse:
Gideon Lavellan/Dorian Pavus
Eireann Surana/Alistair Theirin
Eireann/Alistair/Kali/Cullen (and any combination of these)
Kali Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford
Rian Hawke/Anders
Rian Hawke/Varric Tethras
Athim Lavellan/Solas
Rian/Athim/Varric
Sigyn/Blackwall
Basvaarad Adaar/the Iron Bull
Nanna Adaar/Sera
Torunn Adaar/Raleigh Samson (quasiplatonic)
Kali Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB)
Gideon Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB)
Carver Hawke/Merrill Sabrae
Cole/Krem Aclassi
Fenris/Isabela/optional Zevran Arainai
Josephine Montilyet/Leliana
Raleigh Samson/Ser Thrask/Ambra
probably more I can't remember right now
the Lion and the Hind AU:
Torunn Adaar/Cullen Rutherford (whom the AU is named for!)
Athim Lavellan/Josephine Montilyet
Basvaarad Adaar/Cassandra Pentaghast
Gideon Lavellan/Solas
Kali Lavellan/the Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus (Bull is romantically/sexually involved with both Kali and Dorian, but Kali and Dorian are completely platonic)
other ships I enjoy but don't have anywhere specific to put, really
Basvaarad Adaar/Solas
Alistair Theirin/Zevran Arainai
Solas/Varric Tethras
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amikoroyaiart · 2 years ago
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Hello again 🙂
Got a question for you. I thought about this the other day.
If Trilla lived, how would the story of Jedi Survivor play out? Similarities? Differences?
I'm curious to see what you think would happen.
Thanks!! 😃
Hi there!
My Trilla brainrot is going crazy with all the ideas what role she could play in Survivor.
I will put them under the cut because it will include SPOILERS FOR THE GAME JEDI SURVIVOR
I like to think that Trilla, if she survived (she will be forever alive in my heart) she would stay a bit with Mantis but then she would probably leave them to find a place for herself in the galaxy.
She would definitely help Cere with the path. Since I love The High Republic I like to think that maybe Trilla was fascinated by that period. Sinee her master was Cere and Cordova, I think she was a history lover like them and maybe this was her favourite period.
So they would call her when the compass appeared because she has the knowledge about THR.
And I feel like she would immediately recognize Bode's intentions and she would confronted him alone abou this because she could relate. She knows how Empire can mess with your head. Maybe her presence could avoid all the disaster. She would definitely help free Kata if Bode asked for help because she is so done of seeing kids suffering for the mistakes of the adults.
Also since she loves High Republic, I like to imagine Cal showing her all the chambers from the game.
So many ideas, I like to play with the canon in my head with how would Cal and Trilla relationship look like, and maybe even Cal with Trilla and Bode, I love this ot3 too haha
Thanks for asking, gotta cut it here before I write a whole dissertation.
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victorluvsalice · 7 months ago
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AU Thursday: That Three-Player Childhood Friends Valicer AMA AU I Mentioned Briefly Before
So -- as per the title, I've talked a bit about this idea before, in the tags of the "Childhood Friends" prompt story I did for OT3 Week earlier this year, and as part of explaining why I chose to reblog the "Take Me Home To My Heart" Corpse Bride fan video for Song Saturday recently. But now it is time to give this AU a Proper Explanatory Post! *thumbs up* So here we go --
-->The basic conceit is that this is a Valicer twist on my old "Somebody I Used To Know" idea (where Victor and Alice were childhood friends before Alice got committed, and when Victor learned about what happened to Alice and started visiting her in Rutledge, he got sucked into the events of American McGee's Alice, going through that game with her. And then Victor managed to accidentally trigger the events of Alice: Madness Returns in the middle of Corpse Bride by inviting her to his arranged wedding to Victoria, accidentally marrying Emily, bringing the corpse bride back to meet Alice in the hopes they could somehow find her family down there -- the shock threw Alice back into Wonderland early, and this time she dragged Victoria and Emily in along with Victor, causing them to all have some interesting revelations about themselves and Barkis Bittern along the way, along with figuring out Bumby's damage). In this world, things are kicked off by that party in the "Childhood Friends" prompt, with Alice, Victor, and Smiler all making firm friends hiding out under one of the banquet tables, sharing stories and snacks and building card castles. Nell Van Dort and Dr. Kelman aren't initially happy that their children spent the duration of the party under a table -- but end up changing their tune when they learn Alice is the daughter of the distinguished Dean Liddell and his wife. So the trio are allowed to stay friends, with the Liddells tolerating the Van Dorts' and Kelman's presence in their lives for the sake of their younger daughter.
-->The trio have a lovely time together, becoming thick as thieves, with Alice introducing Victor and Smiler to Wonderland and them coming up with their own ideas for domains (Victor, who loves playing explorer and trying to hunt down new butterflies, naturally comes up with the Butterfly Jungle, while Smiler, who wants to live in a place where everyone is actually happy and not being tormented by their dad for not being "socially compliant," comes up with Smile Street). Alice and Smiler eventually agree that they both want to marry Victor when they grow up, and Alice designs a house for them all to live in when they're older (it looks like a mirror-flipped version of the Liddell house, with space for Victor to have a butterfly garden and Smiler a chemistry lab). She also makes bracelets for them all to wear out of spare yarn and some red, yellow, and blue beads she salvaged off an old worn-out pillow, because she couldn't find any toy rings and she thinks the bracelets are more fun anyway.
-->And then the Van Dorts host the Kelmans and the Liddells for a visit, and Alice, Victor, and Smiler all have a play wedding with their favorite toys where Alice hands out the bracelets and they all vow to love each other forever and always be friends and such. They then happily go down to tea, and when Nell questions the bracelets, Victor cheerfully informs her that they all got married --
Cue Nell Van Dort and Dr. Kelman both loudly objecting to this (Nell because, while being friends with the Liddells is good for their family socially, Victor can't marry the daughter of a mere Dean, never mind that they're all eight and it's all pretend, while Dr. Kelman is more focused on the whole "you cannot marry more than one person at once and boys can't marry boys, Marmaduke, I don't care what you say you are" side), and all three sets of parents getting into a huge fight, which ends with the visit being cut short and the Liddells and Kelmans heading home. Dr. Kelman gives Smiler the business on the way back and tosses their bracelet out the window of the carriage; Nell Van Dort tells Victor he is not going to embarrass her like that ever again and to get that bracelet out of her sight (prompting him to hide it in his dresser drawer instead of throwing it away in a small rebellious act of technical compliance); and the Liddells comfort Alice as best they can (while also gently explaining that you can only marry one person at once, which Alice thinks is stupid), with Arthur finally going, "Well, at least we won't miss Bonfire Night back home."
-->Yeah, cue the Liddell Fire, and poor Alice being chucked into Rutledge without Victor or Smiler knowing. And, of course, losing her bracelet in the process, because she wasn't wearing it in bed. :(
-->Fast forward to roughly ten years later -- Victor, feeling very anxious about the fact that his parents are shopping around for a wife for him, finds the bracelet in his dresser again and feels inspired to try and reconnect with his childhood friends. He decides to start by writing Alice and asks Mayhew if he could help him secretly deliver a letter --
Cue Mayhew spilling the beans on where Alice has been the last ten years, and Victor, horrified and furious this was kept from him, decides he's going to see her, come hell or high water. He thus sets out from Burtonsville to Rutledge before his parents can stop him, and arrives at the same time a doctor and his child do, with the doctor explaining he's here to help treat a patient. Victor ends up sitting in the waiting area with the kid while the doctor talks to the nurses...
-->And, when the kid gives him a tentative smile, abruptly recognizes them as an older Smiler. The two delightedly reconnect (with Victor being startled by how deep Smiler's voice has gotten, while Smiler is similarly startled by how tall Victor's gotten), and Victor asks if Smiler and Dr. Kelman are here to see Alice too.
Revealing Smiler ALSO had no idea what had happened to Alice and causing them to become similarly furious that no one told them. They inform Kelman that they're seeing Alice along with him -- Kelman is annoyed, but the nurse at the front desk says that if Smiler is a childhood friend, it might help, so he reluctantly allows it. Victor and Smiler thus go in to visit Alice together, and while they're initially shocked by her conditions, they do their best to reach out to her. At first, it doesn't look like it's working...
But at the end of the visit, when they go to leave, Alice does turn to look at them. Dr. Wilson, who has been observing all this, is pleased to see any reaction out of her and encourages the two to keep coming back to see if they can get her any further out of her catatonic state.
-->Cue Victor and Smiler staying near Rutledge and visiting Alice on the regular, hoping to break through to her (the Van Dorts arrive at one point to try and drag Victor back home, but Victor, with Smiler's help, successfully convinces them that he's making them look good by being so kind to this poor mad orphan that has lost her family and gets them to let him stay for a little longer). The pair recount old stories, read books to her, and generally do what they can to hopefully get a reaction -- and in the process, start reconnecting themselves, talking about their lives and where they've ended up (Victor telling Smiler about how his parents are looking for a socially-advantageous match and how he'd really rather be allowed to go to art school or something, while Smiler talks about Dr. Kelman trying to turn them into his successor and how they wish they could strike out on their own as a traveling alchemist or something). For a while, nothing much seems to be happening with Alice --
-->And then the incident with the orderlies spooning porridge all over Alice's beloved bunny happens. Victor and Smiler arrive for their visit in the middle of the whole mess, and while trying to stop the orderlies from retaliating against Alice's attack, see Alice go at her wrists with the spoon. Horrified, Victor screams at her to stop while Smiler tries to get the spoon from her --
Cue Alice looking up and apparently really seeing them for the first time, and collapsing crying in their arms. Dr. Wilson comes and tends to everyone's injuries, then -- once Alice is quiet again -- asks if Victor and Smiler wouldn't mind feeding her from now on, as he thinks they would get better results. Victor and Smiler are agreeable, and indeed Alice almost eagerly eats her gruel when they're the ones holding the spoon. They slowly become more and more involved with her actual care, with Smiler double-checking Wilson's various concoctions so he doesn't accidentally kill Alice while Victor helps keep the superintendent from making a fuss using his family's cash --
-->And then, one stormy day, they're both just hanging out with Alice when Nurse D returns Mr. Bunny after a cleaning. And shortly after she leaves, they all see the rabbit doll turn to Alice and beg her to "save us."
-->Cue all three of them dropping into Wonderland without warning (Victor and Smiler ending up unconscious in the real world, with the frightened staff unable to wake them). Alice is naturally rather startled to have her childhood best friends with her in Wonderland, while Victor and Smiler are naturally rather startled to be in Wonderland. They have a confused reunion before Cheshire urges them to chase Rabbit, and the trio find that Wonderland is in a very bad way thanks to the Queen of Hearts, and it's up to them to set things right...
-->And so the gang travel through Wonderland, going through all the events of American McGee's Alice in a three-player format! With the most notable changes and additions so far being --
a) Alice, rather than wearing her standard blood-spattered blue dress, is in the Ash Dress from the original take on Alice: Asylum (because while I was never a big fan of the various A:A concepts, I loved that dress); Victor is in a dark blue suit that doesn't look that different to his real-life clothes; and Smiler is in a plain pale yellow suit -- though they do also get their glowing yellow eyes and purple-tipped hair to go with it (Victor and Alice are like "???" while Smiler is like " :D ")
b) While I'm not 100% on everybody's weapons for this game, particularly Smiler's, I know we definitely get the trio of the Vorpal Blade, Fork, and Spoon, and Smiler's attacks are still more about stunning people than about actually hurting them
c) While traveling through the various domains, the trio come across a dead and dried jungle that none of them recognize...until Victor finds a weakly-glowing butterfly under the remains of the foliage and realizes to his shock that this is the Butterfly Jungle -- it basically died along with his dreams of being an explorer when he grew up :(
d) Similarly, they also encounter a cobble street with a bunch of unfinished houses and a dried-up fountain at the end -- Smiler clocks it after seeing the spiral clouds in the sky as their old Smile Street, guessing that it never got properly completed after they lost their friends :(
e) While going through the Land of Fire and Brimstone, the trio eventually clock that the Liddell house on the top of the volcano doesn't look quite right -- in fact, it seems to be a mirror image of the real house. Cue one of them (currently I generally have Victor as the one to make the connection) finally realizing that it's not the Liddell house -- it's their house, the one Alice made for them when they were small. Cue them redoubling their efforts to reach it, and finally going inside and getting to enjoy a space that is all theirs --
For about five seconds, before the Jabberwock arrives to burn it all down. >( And then hit them all with their guilt about being the only survivor of the fire (Alice), and not even trying to find out what had happened to Alice earlier (Victor and Smiler). Because the Jabberwock is an asshole.
f) Which makes it even more satisfying when, during the second boss fight against him, the trio all grab the Jabberwock's Eye Staff and just ultra-blast him with its awesome laser >D
g) At some point, the bracelets come up again (probably after Jabberwock Part I), with Alice and Smiler mourning the loss of theirs -- and then Victor revealing he still has his, offering them comfort that at least ONE of the damn things survived
h) Undecided currently if Alice insists on facing the Queen of Hearts alone, or if Victor and Smiler come with -- I mean, the Queen is a very personal enemy for Alice, but at the same time, it feels weird to have Victor and Smiler sit out such an important fight... Hmmm. Maybe split the difference -- have Alice insist on doing the first part of the fight alone after Cheshire gets beheaded to try and spare her friends, only for Victor and Smiler to come help her back on her feet after the Queen's speech and join her for the second phase? Yeah, I rather like that, let's go with that. :)
-->Once the Queen is defeated, everyone wakes up, and Victor, Alice, and Smiler all share a big real-world embrace while the doctors and nurses (along with the Van Dorts and Kelman) try to figure out WTF just happened. XD Alice is eventually pronounced well enough to leave, and the trio finally go their separate ways (the Van Dorts insisting that Victor has to come home now; Dr. Kelman wanting to get back to his own Sanctuary with Smiler; and of course Dr. Bumby arriving to take Alice to Houndsditch), though they vow to stay in contact this time, no matter WHAT life throws at them.
-->...and this is where I run into a bit of a roadblock, because I'm not actually sure what to do with the A:MR/CB portion of the AU. I mean, it's gotta be done, Bumby cannot be allowed to get away with his bullshit, and not only do we have to expose Barkis's murders, we also have to expose Kelman's horrific brain surgeries on innocent people (I in fact already have an idea where Alice's Rutledge hallucination from the second game ends up overlapping with Smiler having a bad time in a hallucinatory Sanctuary, revealing Kelman as a monster in the process)...but I'm not entirely sure a post-AMA Victor would actually go along with being forced into an arranged marriage. Dude would have had to have gained some confidence after fighting all those monsters, right? Though I have had the thought that maybe he would make a deal with his parents to marry whoever they picked without a fight in order to keep seeing Alice (a deal he starts regretting after he starts realizing he's in love with Alice and Smiler post all the nonsense), which would put him in a position to do the Corpse Bride stuff...and would allow me to get Victoria and Emily in on the fun like in the original "Somebody I Used To Know" idea. Go big or go home, right? :p I'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure.
Whew -- that was longer than anticipated! But I hope you enjoyed it. And can maybe offer up some ideas for the A:MR/CB parts of the AU. :p
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walker-extended-universe · 1 year ago
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Cordell Fanfiction Masterlist
This is going to be a long one guys. A collection of fics that have Cordell Walker as a main/major character. I've split them up into Series and Stand Alone stories.
Series:
Walker OT3- A collection of stories exploring the beginnings and relationship of Trickidell
Walkercest of the Cordaugust Variety- A collection of stories exploring the Cordell/August ship. Loose relation to canon
Walkernatural- A series exploring the clash of Supernatural and Walker in which Cordell is Sam's long-lost twin brother.
Dog Tags Verse- A collection of stories exploring an alternate universe where Cordell Walker and Trey Barnett met as soldiers on opposing sides of a war
Henry Winchester 'Verse- An AU of Walkernatural in which Cordell and Sam grew up as Winchester twins
A Rose By Any Other Name- An AU in which, rather than dying, Emily is exposed as a serial killer and the Walker family is turned upside down.
Crime Family Walker- An AU in which the Walkers are a crime family that run Austin with an iron fist
The Little Things- A supernatural crossover where the Walkers adopt a hunter's daughter
Sam and Dean Walker- Supernatural/Walker crossover AU in which John leaves Sam and Dean with Cordell and Emily after Mary dies
Stand-Alone Stories:
This is Probably A Bad Idea But....- Texas Ranger Cordell Walker can't seem to crack this case. He gets some unwanted assistance in the form of the eccentric Malcolm Bright
New Boy- Cordell Walker meets a man named Dean Winchester at a bar. Before the night is over, his life has changed forever. But will it be for better, or worse?
Camping 101- You know that infamous 2017 camping trip that August insisted required double-checking all the supplies on the list for because they left the tent at home that year? Yeah. This is that.
It Wasn't Supposed to be You- Death was inevitable. Cordell was only well too aware of it in his line of work. Death was also unpredictable. He always forgot that part.
Don't Cry- One day they would understand. At the very least, they might find it in their hearts to forgive.
Family Matters- He froze at the end of the entryway. It was her. It had been fifteen years since he last saw her, but he'd recognize her anywhere. He never thought he'd see her again. But there she was, standing on his front porch. Smiling at him like she hadn't abandoned him and their kids all those years ago. "...Emily?"
A Killer By Any Other Name- Cordell Walker is accused of twelve counts of first degree murder due to some damning evidence. Problem is, he didn't do it. Liam is determined to prove this so he calls on an old friend, Malcolm Bright, for some help. Meanwhile, Sam Winchester hears of the case and it doesn't take him long to figure out Waker has been pinned for one of their hunts. He can't sit by and watch an innocent man go to jail so he resolves to help in any way he can.
Just To Be Sure.....- Sam and Dean roll into Austin for a case and come across a (scarily) familiar face.
Secrets and Lies- It's amazing what a little lack of self-control can lead too
.
"Duke" is a Dog's Name- The reader's family ranch has eneters some tough times and she enters the rodeo in the hopes of earning some extra funds to keep things going. While she's there, she meets an interesting character who calls himself Duke Culpepper. Little does she know that nothing will ever be the same after she meets the tall man with cheap aftershave.
Things They Never Show Onscreen- Just a little thing I wrote because they never show hospital scenes in shows like this and I needed a fix :)
The Long Road Home- Cordell Walker, Texas Ranger, was undercover for 11 months. He went dark for several of them. When he finally came back online, he wasn't the same man he was when he left. What happened and how will he recover? An alternate universe exploration of Walker coming home.
Don't Get (A)Head of Yourself- Cordell and Emily are taking a couples camping trip. Things don't go exactly to plan.
Cry For Help- Cordell knows something is off about how his wife died but he's not quite sure why. He turns to the internet in his time of need and finds an unexpected source of help.
Grass is Greener on the Other Side- An exploration of what might’ve happened if Cordell hadn’t listen to Liam during 2 x 04 (It’s Not What You Think).
It's Probably Nothing- “Listen, I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who Sammy is or why he left you but I’m not him.”///“Don’t worry, Sammy. I don’t know what happened to you but I’ll get you fixed up. You just need to remember me, that’s all. It’ll be okay. Dean's here now.”
Missed You- After a long day, Cordell gets a much-needed phone call from an old friend.
Here For You- It's not until late at night when Cordell has a chance to really process what happened that day. He's handling as well as can be expected. Micki's there to lend an ear.
A Series of Fortunate Events- A collection of alternative endings/events for 2x12
A Difference of Environment- Cordell Walker is undercover, not just as Duke Culpepper, but as an Omega. When his secrets are revealed, he's surprised to find acceptance rather than rejection. And maybe he finds a little something else
.
One Last Checkup- Cordell knows what his kids went through today and he decides to check up on them before he goes to bed.
Going Home- Cordell Walker has been held captive for a long time. Now, he plans to escape. Or, a sort of speculative piece on how Cordell might escape the ones that captured him in the season 2 finale
In Another Life- What if Cordell Walker had told Twyla Jean the truth about his undercover mission before the last bank job?
Desperate Measures- What if August had been taken instead of Liam? A little exploration on how he might have handled that.
Groundhog Day is Just a Movie- In which Cordell finds himself stuck in a time loop
Hiding in Plain Sight- 15 years after Cordell ran away from home, he returns to Austin with his wife and new life. He just wants to live his life without worrying about what he left behind. Unfortunately, he moved in right next door to his little brother.
Basic Instinct- In which Cordell storms down to Desert Speed Wars to pick up his kids and his car. Shannon and her buddies have varied responses.
We Just Need to Talk- Liam has a nightmare about his time in captivity and goes looking for comfort. After witnessing Cordell have a nightmare too, he decides enough is enough. They don’t have to talk about what happened, but they are going to engage in some brotherly cuddles and at least acknowledge that there’s a problem.
Worst Kept Secrets- James is worried about Cordell and talks to Micki. Micki tries to talk to Cordell.
The Smell of Fear- Alpha!Cordell has an extreme reaction to seeing his omega brother in cuffs and bruised. He goes feral, kills a few guys with his bare hands, the usual. When rescue finally arrives, he’s still in feral mode and won't let the rescue team near them, so Cassie has to go in and try to cool him off. Eventually, they tranquilize him and keep him under until the feral has worn off.
Paradigm Shift- But there was one more thing Liam needed to get off his chest. He just wasn’t sure he had the guts to do it.
Under Duress- In the cage, Liam was unwillingly turned into an Omega via special pills that were outlawed decades ago. When he goes into heat, Cordell fears for his life and does what he thinks is necessary.
When It All Comes Crashing Down- The Walker family's initial reactions to Abby's collapse
A Special Dinner- Cordell is making a special dinner for his and Emily's anniversary. If only she was coming
..
Behind Closed Doors- AU in which Emily groomed August and no one was the wiser, least of all Cordell. Cordell has to process what his wife did to his son under his nose and August has to accept what happened to him.
How We Get Here- In which Cassie figures out Cordell sent her on a wild goose chase and tracks the GPS on the impound vehicle to find him. She's not exactly happy to see him but they have bigger fish to fry at the moment.
Sweet Child of Mine- When Liam asks to go to the hospital for a checkup, Cordell agrees because he feels Off as well. Little does he know how serious his condition really is.
Parallels- Cordell Walker is finally home after being released by the FBI. His whole family is worried about him but he's a little more worried about August
Under Fire- Cassie and Cordell go down together in the line of duty and get a little too close to death for comfort. Here’s how everyone deals with it
Haunting Melodies- While working late at the Side Step, Cordell meets a lovely young woman named Lucia. They hit it off really well, but Cordell seems to be the only one who sees her.
Confidential Details- Julia is in town for a job. Cordell has some information that would be helpful. If only he could share
.
Uninvited Guest- “Oh look who's girlfriend showed up to the crime scene before any other journalist did. Again.”
Wait For Me- Julia's work takes her all over the world at a moments' notice. Cordell just wishes he would have a little more heads' up.
Taking Breaks is Important- Julia is stressing over planning their honeymoon. Cordell uses creative methods to get her to take a break.
About A Boy- In which Cordell decided to be the older brother Kevin lost to the war
Daddy's Girl- Sometimes Cordell wonders if Sadie can suck cock as good as her dad used to
Unexpected- Cordell learns some new things during family movie night
Like a Phoenix, We Rise- Cordell and Hoyt have lived impossibly long lives over and over again. Cordell starts to get bored by the same old pattern and tries to live at least one lifetime with meaning. This ends up with him becoming a part of the Walker family, starting with Abigail in Independence all the way through Abeline and Bonham in modern day Austin. He knew falling in love was risky. He knew having kids was risky. He just wishes he knew how to make it all work after he lost the person that made it all worth it.
It'll Be Okay- Because there's no way that little trailer got pelted with bullets and the only thing that got hit was Cordell's hat
Devil on Your Shoulder- AU in which Hoyt was around during 1x18 and plays the devil on Cordell's shoulder
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caparrucia · 1 year ago
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1 and 23
1. favorite fic you wrote this year
The best fic I wrote this year is resurgence (Malos-centric, Malos/Jin, Xenoblade Chronicles 2), which I know is a niche fandom and a niche story, but it's dear to my heart just because it really IS the best thing I've written in quite a while, like prose-wise.
But my favorite fic as far as "this is my baby" feelings, it's gotta be so we made the hard decision (Regis/Aulea/Titus, puppyverse AU, FFXV), which is a fic no one asked for, and therefore not a lot of people cared about, but goddammit, I've been meaning to write about that OT3 for literal YEARS and I finally got around to it. It's my favorite ship and my favorite OT3 dynamic and there's a lot of fun thoughts about disability, polyamory and just a ton of biting from three dysfunctional dipshits that, nonetheless, really fucking love each other. They deserve their happy ending even if their happy ending is full of biting each other til eternity.
I'm currently very happy with maelstrom soul, heart of stone (Zhongli/Childe, dragonheart AU, Genshin Impact) and a lot of it is "current fic" syndrome, but it's shaping up to be one of my favorites, too.
23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t
I'm treating this as a haven't yet, as a opposed to a didn't and never will: but there's companion fics for the other Genshin regions, that take place in the sake universe as the Zhongli/Childe fic. I started on the Zhongli/Childe fic, but once I'm done with that one, I'll pick up any of the other four.
The 4ggravate polycule fic I'm really looking forward to, mostly because Wanderer+Kaveh friendship is hysterical and Wanderer accidentally forcing the polycule to include Alhaitham without really realizing that's what he's doing is hilarious. It also includes my favorite scene which is Kaveh wholesale defenestrating Alhaitham right in front of Cyno, who always really thought if he ended up arresting a lover, it'd be Tighnari's ACAB ass.
There's an Inazuma fic I've been chewing on that's mostly Ayato casually dismantling the tricommission system to basically bully Ei to actually do her job and actually fucking RULE for once, and it's mostly a back and forth between him and Yae with the entirety of the Inazuma cast unwittingly or unwillingly playing the role of chess pieces. It also features a really fucking hilarious Ayato/Kokomi political marriage subplot and no one can't tell who started it or if they're pro or against it or if at any given time they're working towards or against it, and it's driving Gorou and Kujo Sara to drink heavily.
I have a few ideas for a Fontaine fic, but I'm waiting for the archon quests to wrap up before I start figuring out where the pieces go. Mostly it's about Neuvillette needing quite a few hugs, Wriothesley and Clorinde being the definition of BBF (Bisexual Besties Forever), Furina getting to be a person and failing miserably before she gets the hang of it and an eventual sappy, ridiculously saccharine Navia/Furina that triggers the "must protect!!!" instincts of anyone who happens upon it.
And there's of course the MondsDONT polycule shenanigans which is halfway done, and it's mostly Diluc navigating the codependant mess that is his partners, their partners, and Venti. Oh god, Venti. Fuck him. It's a mess. Beds are literally set on fire. Twice. It's fine.
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blackbird-brewster · 1 year ago
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Friday Fic Recs
As per usual, mostly smut ;) But this week, my bisexuality is showing!
What I've Read:
Criminal Minds, JJ/Derek, WC: 10,421 (WIP) Rated: Explicit || Author: mournful_shapes
Why I Love It: This is, admittedly, not a ship I'd ever thought about before. I love their friendship and consider them sort of a BrOTP, if anything. But holy shit -- this author writes smut SO well, I decided I'd read literally anything they write. And this is really good. I LOVE Derek/JJ being friends with benefits. Because above all else -- JJ deserves to get absolutely railed. (Bonus Points: This author always talks trash about Will and I love it!)
Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily/Reader, WC: 2912 Rated: Explicit || Author: mournful_shapes
Why I Love It: As someone who has written threesomes, I can respect how difficult it is and this author nails it every fucking time. Y'all know I'm not really a /reader consumer, but I will literally read every single thing mournful_shapes writes because it's SO good. A Jemily threesome?? Delicious!
Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily/Derek, [Series] Rated: Explicit || Author: mournful_shapes
Why I Love It: The first work I read by this author was '3 Hearts Beatin' Fast' and I was instantly sucked into this OT3. This series is god-tier smut and it ticks every single box my horny, bisexual, heart desires. Honestly, this is *chef's kiss*. I have been consuming everything this person writes and I'm never disappointed.
Criminal Minds, JJ/Tara, WC: 837 Rated: Teen || Author: @ellegreenawayslover
Why I Love It: THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Soft, fluffy, JARA!!! I was so incredibly hyped to see a new Jara work in the tag. This is just a lovely little slice of life and at the end of the day, all I ever want for JJ/Tara is for them to have a wholesome, fluffy, 'forever after'. I am honoured this was gifted to me. Thank you so much! I know I'll be reading it often.
What I'm Writing:
Criminal Minds, JJ/Tara/Emily, WC: 88,239+ (WIP) Rated: Explicit
Author Update: I just posted Chapter 15! As of today, the published portion of this fic is now my 2nd longest fic on AO3 -- but by the time it's done it might end up being the length of Parts 1-2 combined! Wild!! I just finished writing Chapter 24 (140k+) and I have to admit, the plot is moving SO slowly with this one.
I realised this week that Part 3 has SEVEN plotlines, which sort of put things in perspective. I don't feel as bad for how many chapters it's taken to move things along. I'm just holding seven plot threads while trying to keep weaving them into the story without dropping any.
[Untitled Between You & Me Sequel]
Criminal Minds, JJ/Tara, WC: TBD Rated: TBD
Author Update: I have a clear outline for this one-shot and I've been chipping away at it in the background, but it's second priority right now. Compared to BY&M, this sequel is 85% tooth-rotting fluff, 10% miscommunication as a plot device for hijinks, 5% wedding-night smut! Wish I could clone myself so I could have time to crank this out, but until then, this will happen whenever it happens.
Other Rec Lists Below the Cut:
Other Recommendations:
Past Friday Fic Recs:  [Friday Fic Recs - Tumblr] || [CM Fic Recs - AO3 Collection]
Rec Lists: [JJ/Emily] || [Tara/Emily] || [CM Femslash]
My Fics: [Jemily] || [Temily] || [Jara] || [Smut] ||  [All]
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malkaleh · 1 year ago
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Some more in universe fictional fandom discussion in the Tudors OT3 Cinematic Unvierse inspired by @nocompromise-noregrets and also some other things. @herawell
Pre Unmasked did you clock what was going on if you didn’t know the history?
niceiceblock
50,000 notes
I didn’t.
This isn’t actually a critique of the way the show depicted that storyline - they are making a story at base, not a history (though it’s beautiful and accurately done) and that means there are going to be some dramatic reveals, including with things like this that not a lot of people know because it’s such a recent revelation, though I think you could argue about whether they should have made it clear from the start, I don’t think so.
I think in a lot of ways us/fandom at large not getting it is making a point about the way predators like Norwich work - they don’t broadcast themselves with giant signs saying I Am A Monster - they often look like Rupert Graves! They are charming! They have what can look like chemistry with the people they abuse (thinking about the times people have said ‘but they were such a cute couple’ about a later to be revealed abusive relationship between public figures).
And also it’s about fandom and seeing two very attractive men (in particular men) together and going NOW KISS and kind of reverse engineering the interpretation that it has to be romantic and kind of
ignoring the layers going on. I’m indicting myself here as well - I was looking at things through a shipping lens and so I did not see say, the work that James Frain was doing with his body - the way he looked so so small around Norwich, the flinch/tension he was carrying, the way that Rupert Graves plays that possessiveness in Norwich’s eyes but James does that things where he’s just avoiding looking at Norwich directly - that dissociation where he’s clearly (when you look at it post reveal) avoiding the reality in front of him/back being a small child again. It’s the ‘you ruined any trace of me’ referring to the branding that so many people used in edits when the episode trailer came out.
But that’s in retrospect, for me.
coveryourtears
I got it but I don’t think that means I’m morally superior or anything (like is some of it painful person experience? Possibly yes). I didn’t know the history but there was just for me there was something so off about Norwich that I couldn’t put my finger on at all and then I went ‘
OH SHIT’ at the reveal (which I am so glad they put content warnings pre episode so people could make choices about their viewing) as much as anyone.
I am however morally superior to the people actually genuinely defending John Norwich though. Go step on legos and may you forever be trapped listening to a Restorationist video essay.
lareginatara
I knew the history and let me say it’s been An Experience biting my lip through everything. AN EXPERIENCE AND A HALF (thank you oh group chat and discord for bearing with my feels upon the subject). I had this Dread ever since the Norwich casting was announced because oh fuck the norwich thirsting is going to happen.
(To the people whining about how they were Deceived And This Was Problematic I just
.I can’t. Sometimes Stories Will Pull A Surprise On You People)
semperlyqueerly
But it was a different time - people married young then - I wouldn’t defend John today but in the context and time in which he lived it would have been fine - you can see he took such good care of Thomas (all those gifts! You all love it so much when H8 and Anne give him gifts and talk about how it’s a love language. The fact that he gave him an education and took him out of poverty and away from his abusive father. And Thomas does consent - he said yes when Norwich asked him to ‘come to my bed Antonius’ - you can’t say he didn’t consent). John didn’t deserve to be abandoned so cruelly after everything he did for Thomas - my heart always breaks for him when I watch him see Gregory for the first time, that his great love moved on so fast.
antoniusandcaesar
Silence actual factual pedophile excuser and I don’t throw that around in fandom debates but that is what you are and I refuse to give you the time of day.
lareginatara
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9 people you'd like to know better!
Three ships: 1/ Queliot (with a side helping of Marqueliot). They gave us everything and THEN THEY TOOK IT ALL AWAY AND I WILL BE FOREVER BITTER. 2/ 9th Doctor/Rose/Jack. Can you tell I have a thing for ot3s? 3/ Destiel. Listen, I am so far past giving a shit about spn, but I was in the trenches with these two and they permanently altered my brain chemistry, so they had to go on the list.
First ever ship: I loved Anastasia/Dimitri from Anastasia (1997), but the first pairing I was ever truly feral for was Tulio/Miguel from The Road to El Dorado (2000). I saw that movie in the cinema when it came out and my tiny little child mind was just like "this seems gay, I'm in".
Last Song: Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure - The Weakerthans (this song makes me tear up every fucking time, I don't know why I put it on my autumn playlist)
Last Film: The Little Mermaid (2023). I know I'm late to the party, but this movie is actually good?? Like, it's the only Disney live action remake that feels like an actual film that exists in its own right.
Currently reading: Just finished Vampires, Hearts and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston (highly recommend if you like your vampire stories ambiguous and with a side of OVERWHELMING GRIEF). Also listening to @re-dracula, I feel like that counts.
Currently watching: Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Our Flag Means Death (I am not prepare for the finale jfc)
Currently consuming: Tea (I take mine with one sugar and almond milk) and a slice of toasted brack with butter
Currently craving: Pizza! I'm pretty much always craving pizza.
Tagged by the lovely @mai-komagata !
Tagging mutuals, feel free to ignore @argason @sonicspocketwrench1 @desperatelyseekingdopamine @jasminetea-nightsky @not-a-princess-but-a-queen @pocketsized-prophet @aka-maggie @billdecker @thats--numberwang
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type-three-djinni · 12 days ago
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January in media
📚 reading
A day of fallen night (part two): what's stumping me is the logistics of having to hold such a chonky book. I need to plan the occasion to sit down in specific positions and timeframes. Story still going strong though!!!!
The Jaunt (King): it felt like watching a trainwreck and not being able to drag my eyes away. Oh, the hubris of mankind (and the rash bravery of boyhood)
Chew (Muir): sticky and sickening AS IT SHOULD BE
Where are you going, where have you been? (Oates): not as scary as many others I've read recently, but the ending bit was anxiety inducing
A jury of her peers (Glaspell): I loved the plays in the different layers of conversation, and all the unsaid painting the true picture.
The monsters are due on Maple Street - script: perfectly linear in the slippery slope that suspicion is
đŸŽ„ watching
Home alone: upon rewatching, I'm even more convinced that Kevin grew up to be Saw. Or the creator of some reality show. I mean, he was justified, but a little too gleeful about it.
Three thousand years of longing: wonderfully shot story about stories and storytellers. I am mesmerized.
Cinderella (live action): caught only a little bit of it but I needed to reiterate how much I carnally desire the costuming department of this movie
Around the world in 80 days (ep 5, 6): rotating the three of them in my mind. Top tier ot3.
Titanic: it's been 84 years... Since I promised myself I'd watch this movie start to finish. And now it's done. And Jack and Rose were the part I cared least about. Everyone was doomed and so nothing mattered, or everything did. But the violins kept playing.
Where is that post with the story of the Carpathia. I need to heal.
One piece movie - Red: UTAAAAAAA in my heart she lives. Also. The songs are on fire? Whoever dubbed Uta what's with your voice? Did [divine being of your choice] themself come down from the heavens to bless your vocal chords and give you a little kiss on your forehead???
Ocean's eleven: heist! Heist! Heist!
Last night in SoHo: when I say I was GRIPPED. The visuals, the pacing, the use of light and mirrors, the horror of it all
Haikyuu!! Battle of the garbage dump: it was so good to see this part animated but I'll be forever bitter at how underwhelming and rushed such a pivotal moment for Yamaguchi and Tsukishima was.
Tokyo godfathers: such a chaotic and lovely found family story, where love is everywhere but especially in the most desperate places
The Personal History of David Copperfield: as fast paced as the novel and the cast is fantastic
Gloria!: really pretty visually, the cast is very good and the exhibition scene is soooo cathartic and such an ear candy
My cousin Vinny: Marisa Tomei is a godess and Mona Lisa Vito in the court scene will feature heavily in my dreams
9-1-1 (s. 8 ep 6-7-8): almost quicker for the show to come back from the hiatus than it was for me to catch up with the last three episodes. I need to see Buck crash and burn because of Eddie's decision to leave AND I NEED IT NOW
She's all that: comfort movieeeeee
One piece: a handful of random episodes I felt like. For my heart
Poor things: I honestly don't know if I enjoyed the movie or not. Mmmh.
(Note: January apparently lasts four thousand years judging by the amount of stuff I've seen. Incheresting.)
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