#this chapter has a tiny cowboy and tiny roman having big feelings

[niche-pastiche]

The second chapter of our jedtavius fic is up as of yesterday. I really enjoy just how much this pairing lets you play with their different cultural understandings of homosexuality.

Jed POV smut is also always just very cute to write.

Happy pride!

[aj-the-psycho]

The Band of Rotten: Chapter 4

THE ROGUE SOLDIER

Summary: A fugitive has entered the land of the New World. There, he met an ally.

Ao3 Link

United States, 1860

‘Hot’ was the only thing that came to mind. Scorching heat that melts the skin into sweat. All he could see was the endless span of dry soil in front of him. It was unfortunate he had to leave in such a hurry. He had been walking for a few weeks now. The only thing he had with him was a canteen filled with already-warm water. Still, it was better than nothing. He took a chug of water, and soon the canteen was empty. He let out a heavy sigh, seeing the desert was never-ending. He had yet to see another person in the last six days.

He continued his walk under the sun until he heard something. It was unmistakably running water. And right he was, the gurgling sound of water seemed to echo around him. He followed the sound and there, he found a small oasis fed by a few springs sprouting out of the ground. The water was frigid, a welcome change from the sweltering weather. He sank his canteen into the knee-deep water, filling it with water. He then plunged his entire face into the water, practically inhaling the water to quench his thirst.

There were thick bushes framing the small pool of water, some as tall as his waist. He hid under the shadow, avoiding the burning sun. There was no way he was going to let the sun bake his face. He looked down on his attire—a well-tailored military uniform, the insignia sewn onto the thick fabric of the uniform. He let out a deep sigh, no longer feeling proud of his uniform he used to wear with pride. It reminded him of the reason he had to travel alone in the desert. A tainted soldier. A fugitive. An absolute coward.

Once when he was a child, there was a circus going around cities. Father had taken him and his siblings to see. Countless animals, people and shows. Oh, the shows. There were magic shows where people would swallow fire, tamed lions and tigers, acrobatics and songs. It was a kind of magic that had never left his mind. And when he went home, he had told his mother with so much excitement bundled up in his tiny frame, shouting “mamá, I’m going to be a performer and I’m going to make you proud!” Her mother had laughed merrily, carrying him to bed to sleep.

It was fate—if it was real at all—which decided for him to be a soldier instead. He loved being a soldier. Helping others and the country. He was able to see the world outside his humble little village and provide for his family even with the possible expense of his life. It was unfortunate he had to leave alone. And truly, there were no regrets trailing behind him as he believed what he did to be right. None but one. A small weight rested in the pocket of his uniform—a silver bracelet with a tiny ruby sitting on its center. He will keep it safe, if only for his beloved sister.

The sun was starting to cast long shadows on the ground. The sound of water was loud and clear in the middle of the lonely desert. It was time to start walking again, at least until the sun goes to sleep in the horizon. He stretched his aching joints before continuing his long walk. He had been on his feet for a little over fourteen days, walking all the way from the south. He had hoped to find safety in the New World; an independent colony. Perhaps he would be safer there where no one will pursue him for his alleged crime.

As the sky went dark, the stars started to let out their shine. The deep blue of the evening sky wore the stars like jewels, glittering with beauty. In the distance, he could make out the vague shape of a tree, standing alone proudly in the middle of the desert. Under it was a speck of glowing orange: a fire. He quickened his pace, eager to find another person after having been alone for two weeks. He could feel the aching joints of his legs crying out for him to slow down, but the loneliness building in him begged not to be ignored.

“Hey!” He called out. He could see a man sitting on the ground by the fire. “Hey, you there!”

The man looked up from where he sat and stood, approaching the new comer without hesitance. The soldier finally ran closer. He rested his hands on his knees, trying to draw some needed air into his lungs after his short run. He looked up to the man from his hunched posture, unfolding himself into his impressive height.

“Greetings,” the soldier said with a charming smile. His accent was thick, though still understandable. “May I ask if this is America?”

“Course’ it is!” The man said, slapping his own thigh. “Welcome to the wild west, pal. And who are ya?”

“Uh, sorry. Delgado,” the soldier answered the question awkwardly. “Roman Delgado.”

The man offered him a friendly, welcoming smile. “The name’s Patton. Guess yer not from around?”

“Mexico.” Roman pointed at the insignia on his uniform shamefully. “Spain military.”

“Spanish! Shoulda guessed from that name o’ yours. Accent, too. Somethin’ ain’t it?”

Roman gave the man—Patton—another flash of a smile. He prepared himself, sorting out what knowledge of English he had in his head. “Would you… mind if I camp here?”

“Oh, no! Of course not, fella. It’s always good ta have another fellow in a night like this.”

Roman dropped his satchel on the ground by the fire. It was nearly empty, with only his canteen and another set of uniform, still clean. He had left the military base in such hurry that he didn’t have time to bring enough with him. He’d made the mistake of leaving his weapons, too, which left him defenseless. Patton was quite the friendly man, even introducing Roman to his horse who had been lying on the ground, leaning against the tree.

“This beaut’ right here is Orchard. She’s been a friend o’ mine since I was a kid.”

“I know how to ride, but I never had one.” Roman approached the horse slowly, mindful not to step on her tail lest he get kicked back to Mexico. He stroked her mane gently, liking the feel of her thick hair under his fingers. “Do excuse me for barging into your camp.”

“Ay! Nonsense. Anyone’s welcome here, as long as yer not here to make troubles.”

Roman went back to where he sat, pulling his satchel closer. It was only thing he had left from his father. He had left everything else back in Spain before he was issued to move to Mexico. The life of a soldier was not an easy one, but Roman found he quite like it. He had many friends in the military, all from corporals to generals. Being a human magnet, it was no problem for him to find entertainment.

He laid down, resting his head on his satchel. The hours ticked by as he watched the stars migrate across the sky ever so slowly. He looked over where Patton laid curled against Orchard for warmth, breath steady with sleep. He will have to tell Patton who he is when morning comes. He was a man of honor and honesty, despite his crime. He would not want Patton to be in danger because he unknowingly familiarize himself with a fugitive of the Spanish military. All he expected was rejection and nothing else. He will have to wait and see.

**********

“Didcha have a plan?” Patton asked. It was dawn in the desert. The sky was a pale blue, almost white, and the dry air was chilly. The sun has yet to show itself.

Roman did have a plan: to get as far away from the military’s radar. If he was ever caught, heavens would know what will happen to him. Patton’s question brought an uneasy thought in his mind. He had yet to confess his identity to the friendly cowboy. He wasn’t quite sure what to do as he had just entered an unfamiliar territory.

“Uh, where exactly are we?” Roman asked, standing up and brushing away the dirt clinging to his pants. “I know it’s the south.”

“The wild west, pal! We’re in Texas.”

“Alright. Thank you for your hospitality,” Roman beamed and took a step back to leave. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I believe this is where we part.”

“Oh? So you do have a plan!” Patton interjected Roman’s farewell. He wasn’t ready to see this new stranger go. “Just an idea, but… ya mind if ya come with me? Good ta have some friend, amiright?”

Roman couldn’t believe his own ears. He blinked in confusion and hope. Having a companion in his trip to nowhere would certainly provide more protection. Especially without weapons or money, Patton could be a big help. His lips bloomed into a smile, wide and bright. His conscience, though, told him not to go. If Patton was to be in harm’s way because of him, Roman will not let that happen. He set his worries aside. He will be honest. He will be truthful. Though perhaps not now.

“It would be a pleasure. I did not know where to go either,” he admitted. “Thank you for your offer.”

“Good ta have ya, pal!” Orchard the horse was already waiting for her rider. She was tall, glossy black hair with a vaguely heart-shaped white spot on the chest. The perfect horse for a man with a heart like Patton. “Now, what did ya say about a horse?”

“Ah, wouldn’t it be easier if I had a horse, too? We would get to wherever we’re going faster.”

“Too bad, fella. I got no money on me.” Patton patted the pockets of his pants harshly, indicating their lack of content. “Can’t get ya one. That a’right withcha?”

“That’s alright with me. Shall we go then?”

“Course, buddy. Let’s wait til’ the sun says hello and then we’re off.”

Slowly, the pale blue sky shifted to a golden hue. The sun kissed the white puffy clouds so gently, painting them with its orange blaze. Warmth flooded the desert little by little, replacing the cold air of dawn. Soon, the scorching heat will return, but for now the warmth is welcome. Patton hopped onto his riding saddle, urging the mare to move. Roman walked quickly at their side, his satchel already in place on his shoulder. Not too long after, Roman will start complaining. He will complain about the heat and his aching legs. Patton will laugh and make jokes. The two move slowly across the desert to the coast, knowing not what they seek. Soon, Roman’s dramatics will be revealed and so will Patton’s lovable theatrics. In the middle of the desert, two men walked to the east.

Prologue Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9

[eloarei]

So I was tagged by @nomadsky the other day; thanks, Sekiei! There's little I love more than talking about my favorite characters. (By the way, Sekiei, some of your answers were like A+ so perfect, and a few of them were characters I would pick, so I might just note those characters and then pick someone else, for variety's sake.) (Also, the rules don't say how many to pick?? But I'm assuming they meant 10. I'll aim for that.) EDIT: THE RULES: post your favorite characters and what you like about them/ why.  In no particular order: Hanna Falk Cross (Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name (aka HINABN))

--- Not a sixteen year old girl. Hanna is a 24 year old guy, tiny, red-headed and adorkable, who apparently learned magic from a hobo and is allergic to ghosts. He's uniquely talented at fucking things up, has abandonment issues, and secrets I'll never know but will always haunt me. Despite the perma-hiatus status of the series, I still love him, even seven years later, so much so that I was willing to devote 2 years to writing a longfic about him. Honestly, I feel like I know him better than my own characters now. And, sure, it's probably my own semi-IC version of him, but that's probably not a surprise considering HINABN topped out at 100 pages, some of which didn't feature Hanna at all. Of course, you probably have already heard me say this five million times, but I wrote a story I'm pretty fond of, featuring this loser: Rogue.  Garrus Vakarian AND Runner-up: Mordin Solus (Mass Effect)

--- Sekiei already said Garrus, so I'll be brief and move on. Garrus is the most charming bug-dragon alien around. He's perfect, honestly. Would that men like him actually existed in real life, even in human form. --- I mean, I love Mordin. I actually would have romanced him if it was possible (not instead of Garrus; I'd have done a separate playthrough). I still think of him anytime someone says “seashells”. Mordin is a funny, interesting character that I think is often overlooked, partly because he only features in half of the series, I imagine. I've never read a Mordin fic, although I'd like to. I've read a few Shakarian fics that were pretty good, but I don't remember any of them off the top of my head. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

--- It was hard to choose between him and Gon, because I think of them largely as a team, but Killua is my favorite because of all the growth he goes through over the course of the series. He's a silly, irreverent, dangerous, smart-ass kid, but he has so much damage that's brought to the table by his friendship with Gon, and he becomes such a good heartfelt person by the end. Also he's totally a conduit for the absolute FEELS I get from the series. Whenever he screams or cries, I feel it in my soul. I've still not read any Killua fics that I think are truly top-notch, which is kind of surprising. Varric Tethras AND Runner-up Merrill (Dragon Age) 

--- Again, Sekiei already chose Varric, and mirrored my thoughts about him: he's fantastic and why the HELL couldn't we romance him?! He was absolutely my first choice, and I was honestly upset when I found he wasn't romanceable! --- This was kind of a hard choice, because I like a lot of the DA characters almost equally, but I find Merril to be especially precious. Weirdly, I never got around to romancing her, but she's one of those characters that I think is really adorable and I just want to pet her hair and give her tasty snacks and warm blankets. (Also I low-key ship her with Varric; don't ask me how that works. Or do.) Nick Valentine (Fallout 4)

--- Hoo boy let me tell you about Valentine. Gawd, he's such a damn beautiful android. And I don't really mean that in a physical way (because yeah he's cool looking; got a good aesthetic for sure, but I wouldn't say he's at all pretty). Valentine is 100% the kind of guy I want on my side, to have my back. He's somewhat similar to Garrus in that rogue lawman kind of way. (Speaking of “Rogue”, he reminds me of my portrayal of “the detective” (purely a coincidence, because I was 90% done writing Rogue before I played FO4), which clearly proves that I have a type.) His tragic backstory and circumstances mirror The Lone Survivor's almost perfectly, and they are really so wonderful together, which is why it KILLS ME that he was not romanceable. I think I'm still in denial, tbh. He's funny, sarcastic, yet still very sincere, and though he acts very confident and is well-liked even by people who don't like synths, he has this deep loneliness in him that really rips up my heart in all the best ways. (By the way, writing this spurred me to replay Fallout4, which spurred me to start a Valentine-centric fic I was fiddling with the plot of last year, so if I actually do finish that fic-- Sekiei, I'll have you to thank!) I read a great Nick/Nora fic last year, although I can only recommend the first like... 30-or-so chapters? because the last few sort of deviate from the quality of the beginning (imo), and the fic never got finished. Still worth a read. Jesse McCree AND Hanzo Shimada (Overwatch) 

--- Honestly, as someone who has scarcely played Overwatch, it feels a bit disingenuous to put one of their characters on my fave character list, but that's part of the charm of the series: you don't really have to play the game to get most of the details it takes to get involved in the fandom. And given how explosively popular it was this past year-end, I got pretty involved. If you follow my fandom blog, you might have noticed that it was 90% McHanzo for a few months. That's because there's something really charming about those two characters! (Or, at very least, the way fandom portrays them.) McCree is such a goddamn stereotype hahaha but I love him. A grown-ass man who dresses like a cowboy because WHY NOT, he seems to have a pretty easy-going temperament that makes me feel at home. Not to mention, you think of McCree and you can't help but think of the endless desert and vast blue sky. He's a big goof-ball but also dangerous with a bit of a dark past. You know I love the type. I'm writing a McCree-centric AU, but who knows if I'll finish it. There are already quite a lot of other great McCree fics out there. --- I tried not to pick two characters from the same series, but I love McCree and Hanzo equally and in different ways, so I couldn't not. Again, there's not a whole heck of a lot of canon for these characters (I mean, there's a bit, but not as much as if they were, say, the main characters of their own piece of media, and not left largely up to the interpretation of fans), but they seem to have pretty defined personalities. Hanzo is a fairly serious guy, with a fairly serious past, and I like that in a character, that sort of stoic sincerity. But he's also got a mischievous/silly streak, I think, if only evidenced in canon by the fact that he (much like Jesse) tends to dress in an outfit several centuries out of date. But he looks damn good in it! Honest to god, he's frickin' gorgeous. XD Like, what a beautiful damn character. And I love a character that can probably kill with a glance. Whew. Erhem. Aside from that, though, he also gives off a nice peaceful vibe-- meditating up high somewhere quiet with tree leaves blowing in the breeze. Great character aesthetic. Anyone who's in the Overwatch fandom has probably already heard of “Hang the Fool”, but it's far and away the best McHanzo fic available, and I highly recommend it! Fawkes (Fallout 3)

--- Often I know about characters before I encounter them in whatever media they're from. That's partly why I choose to get into games/shows/etc. I was caught off guard by Fawkes, a big scary green “super mutant” from Fallout 3, who you encounter near the end of the story. Up to that point, all the super mutants you meet are just big dumb brutes who are trying to kill you, and have a good chance of succeeding, because they are, as I mentioned, rather large and scary. But Fawkes was locked up by his kind precisely because he was different. He's intelligent, compassionate, and loyal-- truly one of the nicest and most 'good' people you ever stumble upon in the Capital Wasteland. Also he kicks ass, because he is fucking huge and carries a gattling gun like it's no big deal. If I play FO3 again, I'm rushing right to that part so I can pick him up as soon as possible. Also, I'm one of like maybe a handful of people who ship him with the Lone Wanderer, which prooobably makes it my rarest rare-pair. Luckily, my friend Choco wrote a kick-ass long-fic about them, which made my whole month when I read it last year.   Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

--- It was really hard to choose one out of the four main guys from this series, but I eventually decided on the main character Noctis, because I really think he's a great main character. Final Fantasy main characters are known for being kind of whiny and emo, and Noctis doesn't exactly deviate from this plan, but he adheres to it in such a way that makes sense to me. I find him to be very realistic! He's 20. He's tired and just wants to sleep. He likes to play video games. He rolls his eyes at his dad's affection but obviously loves him. He goofs off with his friends but can get stuff done when the time comes. He's a cat person, but he likes dogs too. Oh and he loves food, but he's a picky eater. And unlike other FF main characters, his style is very casual. I have actually seen people who dress like him. ...I actually AM a people who dresses like him. He's a good character who didn't deserve any of the shit that was thrown his way-- but at least he had good friends. I've read a few good Noctis-related fics so far, but nothing very long that left much impression yet. Hoping I'll find one at some point. If not, maybe one of my own will end up fitting the bill.

Jinbe (One Piece)

--- Wrapping this up with another somewhat-obscure character, Jinbe from One Piece. (Or, if you like, because romanization is weird: Jinbei, Jimbe, Jimbei, etc) First, I love One Piece. It's a great, super-long anime with so many good characters! But Jinbe, oh. He's a big, blue, intimidating fish-man who often looks angry and has mannerisms/speech patterns that are reminiscent of I think both samurai and old mob-bosses. But he's an intensely sincere guy, who's fiercely protective of those who are important to him, and the promises he makes. Everything he does for Luffy makes me cry. XD When nobody else will risk giving Luffy a blood transfusion because of stupid old racist laws, he publicly declares his willingness. When Luffy's knocked out at Marineford and Akainu is coming after him, the way Jinbe holds Luffy and gives Akainu the most visceral snarl I've ever heard. I love it. I really like scary looking guys who are sweet. ALSO, I haven't seen any good Jinbe fics, so if anybody has one I'd love to see it. =3

Tagging: uh, I dunno. @braincoins, @tempuslunam, @chocochipbiscuit, @tequilatrashbin, @buddhistmamaduck, @milarca, and @ whoever else wants to do it.