#A Beacon of Hope

[swan2swan]

He is twelve years old, he should be playing Fortnite.

[pedroacrossthestreet]

just when you think you can’t love pedro pascal anymore

[theoriginalladya]

A Beacon of Hope - Update

Summary:  Newly engaged John Shepard and Kaidan Alenko take the day to celebrate John's birthday. Little do they know it is the beginning of something far more complicated.

Chapter Summary:  John suspects the accident that killed his mother is more than just an accident, but it takes an attempt on Jayme while she's in the hospital to get the cops to believe it. Time to call in reinforcements to help!

Characters: John Shepard, Kaidan Alenko, Jayme Shepard, (Ethan) Coats, Armando Owen-Bailey

Tags: Mass Effect AU, Normandy Island AU, canon divergent, Happy Birthday Commander Shepard (first chapter), fluff, angst, drama, grief, minor character death, hospitals

Chapter 3: Got Your Six

Excerpt:

John knows it's his own fault he has to spend the rest of the morning cooling his heels and waiting for treatment down in the ER. Usually, he’s levelheaded and slow to anger, two things that made him such a good naval officer during his years of service and carried over to his new career in law enforcement. Turns out, finding out those he cares most about are in harm’s way and he can’t help shortens that fuse.  Who knew? Kaidan helps John through the initial paperwork - John also suspects Bailey might have gotten involved by calling ahead, but he has no proof – and he’s brought to an examination room relatively quickly.  After that, however, it's a waiting game.  Hours pass. A nurse stops by to take his vitals as well as note down the details of his injury, but then leaves John and Kaidan alone again.  Irritated and in pain, sitting still just isn’t in the cards, so John paces around the small room.  Kaidan just sits there, his attention focused on his phone, though John suspects his fiancé is using that as a cover for sneaking peeks at him and making his own evaluation.  Eventually, a doctor arrives.  John makes it through another examination with gritted teeth.  The pain from moving his hand plus the doctor's frown is enough to assure John he really has mucked things up.  The doctor leaves John to pace some more, this time waiting as x-rays are arranged.   By the time he and Kaidan leave the ER, John has both a cast and a sling as well as an official determination that he's broken the carpals - or is it metacarpals?  Anatomy has never been his strong suit - in his right hand and for the next eight weeks or so will be on strictly limited activity.  Great.  John, 0; Stupidity, 1.

~~~

Read Full Chapter // Read From the Beginning // Read the Series

Hi, all! It's been... two and a half years since I last updated this fic, but you know what? John and Kaidan have come roaring back! What do you say we see where this adventure takes them?

[campbenji]

I know the beacon had to be camouflaged for plot reasons but ffs. it's an EMERGENCY beacon. you can't spend two days looking for it IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY

[dailycupofcreativitea]

Update: Naproxen doesn't do shit for me anymore lmaoooo

It's okay I have ice and sleep and I'm looking at other management strategies

After years and years of chronic migraines (not strong enough to badly impair me so I never really got help for them) I finally went to a doctor who immediately prescribed me Naproxen. Felt a migraine coming on today so took a pill and within 15 minutes my migraine disappeared 😳😳😳 damn it really was that easy the whole time huh

[frownyalfred]

I’m sure someone else has covered this by now, but the Superman suit being Kryptonian in origin had so much body horror/Kryptonian biology/etc potential. It’s a weird suit, this alien piece of technology. Who’s to say it only functions as a clothing layer? I want to know what it was doing to Clark and vice versa, whatever the bio-mechanical input was, etc. The cape could have been mildly sentient on its own — not enough to move, really, but enough to thicken/widen/constrict in dangerous situations. The suit could have stored solar energy as reserves. It could have pressed against glands/etc Clark didn’t know he had, keeping his focus during rough battles.

And what happens when Clark puts the suit on someone else, to protect them etc? Does it change Bruce a little bit, too?

[ar-ghilas-vir-banal]

Look how into this kiss that man is. It’s like she is AIR and he is drowning. He can only have a single breath, because there’s no way this is real and there’s absolutely no way she’s coming too, but he’s in that breath.

Solas just had one of those cries and then he’s about to kiss his wife and that man looks like he’s about to die of sheer passion and they haven’t even kissed yet. Then in the other still, the way he’s just ever so softly lingering his lips against hers. Allowing a little space, savoring this. Like he’s drawing every single little millisecond into his mind. His soul.

[redwylde]

I have to say I love the consensus by the fandom that Sonic and Silver interactions are just softer than anything.

The unbridled joy of freedom-and-fun-loving Sonic the Hedgehog paired with the unextinguishable hope of a dreamer from a devastated future sharing the wonder they both feel for the world around them is just so pure.

There's just something about Silver seeing the clear, blue sky in Sonic and Sonic being reminded why he loves life and the world through Silver finding joy in mundane and yet new and wonderful things.

[eternalmomentss]

Remember how Orym said that only 25 words from Dorian via sending stone per day were enough to keep him going. That's all it took.

[swan2swan]

Credits for "A Beacon of Hope".

[specialfanboying]

hiruko is like. somehow simultaneously distinguished and also disaster bi. one of the most ot ever do it. completely fine doing d/s puppyplay with a girl and then forms a homura complex over the most pathetic guy imaginable. like i didn't even know it was possible. girl how the hell did you form that much catholic guilt over a guy but then are fine making a girl get on her knees and bark for you.

[ameba-from-space]

I need people who think batman is morally grey to please stop writing batman comics

[souichii]

just finished chapter 1, love these guys SO much!!

[qiaolingz]

KIM DOKJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[nerdishpursuits]

Considering there’s undesirables around every corner, I suspect Pelayo and Darío will be friends and allies to Marta and Fina. Or that’s what I’m hoping for.

Carmen is a lost cause and by lying with Tasio she got up with fleas. These two display an ever-increasing brain rot and their avarice and lack of self-awareness makes them utterly despicable at this point. The Merino are so resentful they will cut their nose to spite their face. And Pedro is truly machiavellian: his MO is to divide and conquer and the only person in the company who is a worthy opponent, the only one who can outsmart and outmanoeuvre him, is Marta. He fears her, so he’ll be gunning for her with everything he has, which makes him a very dangerous adversary. This one goes for the kill so there’s no half measures to be taken.

Essentially, once the lines have been drawn, I suppose we’ll have Casio, Merino & Pedro as the dark Triad against Mafin and whatever friends they can muster (with the added bonus that all those lowlifes will be fighting amongst themselves too: small mercies and all). I look forward to Karma richly rewarding them.

And with the dark side being what it is? I really am hoping there won’t be a shortage of friends on the other side of the barricades. Pelayo, Darío, Claudia, Damián, even Andrés etc. They all need to band together. Storm clouds are amassing.

On the bright hand side? Mafin remain in a league of their own. As well they should. Nobody else can compete and Marta & Alba elevate even the smallest moments to an art, so intimate, so precious, so vibrant and devoted one almost feels like they’re intruding.

Marta: I come with tidings

Fina: I’d say you come with me but … semantics

Marta: there’s boyfriend prospects for our husband

Fina: please tell me they’ll play D&D together, watch Homo Alone and we won’t have to suffer through Pelayo’s obsession with Monopoly anymore? …

Fina: besides, we need some friction for our affliction

Marta: I’ll hold you to that

[followerofmercy]

I think Freminet has some of the most interesting dissonance in his self perception of any Genshin character.

Like, of the Hearthlings we know, he's one of the most emotionally mature and intelligent. Lynette might still have him beat, but after playing her hangout... I dunno. I think they're tied. Lyney is Crumbling, Alrecchino is. Well. Arlecchino. Everyone else is a deeply traumatized child or adult and Freminet seems to pretty regularly be people's emotional support. His character stories talk about getting his vision by saving a bunch of other kids on a dive that went bad. The Selkie event literally had him being a therapist for a grownass woman, citing his past experiences with all the other Hearthlings that have died or killed themselves. And he handled that situation WELL. Yeah, he seems to live in a fantasy, but goddamn he's alive and a lot of people in his position aren't so clearly something is working.

Either his or Lyney's character story talks about the time Freminet had reached out to Lyney to try to ease his burdens, which resulted in Lyney blowing up at him. That probably contributed to Freminet thinking he's not good at it, but I think the reason Lyney reacted so badly was BECAUSE Freminet is actually a good support. He can't allow himself that from the little brother he's supposed to protect.

Freminet seems to both cry and dissociate often, but like... Kiddo you are in fact the only person in this family actually processing your emotions. Lynette dissociates 24/7. Arlecchino. Lyney lies and tells everyone he's fine and would literally rather die than admit otherwise. In comparison, Freminet is doing FANTASTIC

Freminet also gets a lot out of helping people! Like anyone, he needs to feel useful and needed. He seems to be an excellent mentor to the younger Hearthlings and perfectly competent on his own, but when you put him in a room with Lyney and Lynette who baby him and insist that THEY take care of HIM, he withdraws into himself.

Like, Freminet by himself feels like a young man and Freminet with the magician twins feels like a teenager. I have no idea how old he actually is. Logically, he would be OLDER than them! He's been with the House much, much longer and his experience shows. I think it's fascinating that they love him SO MUCH and yet, they just Cannot let him help them. Which is hurting him.

(Lynette is much better about not babying him and that is probably why their relationship is so much better than Freminet and Lyney's. Also why she keeps having to mediate between them. Because Lyney charges off trying to Fix Everything and that just makes Freminet feel useless and he doesn't want to get in the way and- you get the point)

Idk. It's hard to tell what things the previous director said to him vs what Arlecchino has said to him. I'm inclined to think our Arlecchino was the one that said he cries too much, but in a "crying in front of your enemies will get you killed" way and she herself is too fucked up to realize how "you cry too much" could be damaging.

Also I try not to consider gameplay stuff when it comes to story, but Freminet also has some of the most BRUTAL animations. He SMASHES HIS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT METAL PENGUIN INTO HIS ENEMY'S FACE. He doesn't think he's the most amazing fighter, and by Fatui standards he probably isn't, but he is winning fights against most grown men.

Tldr Freminet thinks he cries too much and is a burden and isn't good at helping people when he's actually the most mentally stable Hearthling send tweet