#etienne talks about fic

[prismatic-starstuff]

Mind if I drop some... ✨️Astarion/Tavalin thoughts?✨️

So, since last night, this has been the thought process I've been turning over: on one hand I want to look into ascended Astarion because I want to get an idea of how his relationship with Tavalin would be if I ever get around to writing those BG3 fics I've been planning sonce 2020... but on the other hand I Know that would absolutely eviscerate my heart alsmalcsnxscn

Because, like... even back in 2020, I just knew that Astarion and Tavalin would be all about learning to love healthily and to accept being loved. He had gone through the hells with Cazador for so very long in so very many ways, they had gotten so used to doing others' bidding and basically forgot how not to; they weren't going to 'fix each other,' but they were going to heal together. And Astarion's good ending in the game is all that and more; it absolutely knocked all my expectations and hopes for his romance out of the park, it's the romance that he deserves, and it fits in with my original plan for him and Tavalin so I don't even have to change a lot from what I originally envisioned. So, good ending in the fic = in the bag!

And then... there's ascended Astarion. Now, back then, I did have an idea where Astarion would kill Cazador, drink his blood, turn Tavalin and they'd rule Baldur's Gate together as vampire lords; that was definitely an idea I played around with for them!

But... ascended Astarion is not what I anticipated. In an effort to protect himself from the trauma he's been through, he becomes that trauma; treating his partner like an object or a pet or an otherwise less-than, gaslighting and lying, threatening. He's not someone who wants to rule Baldur's Gate together with his partner; he's someone who wants to rule Baldur's Gate, and also to have complete rule over his pet.

And that's... not something I planned for. Like, I planned for a lot! Stuff like Astarion never actually loving MC, Astarion bringing MC as a sacrifice to Cazador, even Astarion dying permanently at the end of his questline or something; I factored in a lot of things that could've gone terribly Bad in this story, and I was prepared to factor anything into his relationship with Tavalin - even though I Know, it's fanfiction and I don't have to adhere to canon, but still - but... that wasn't one I thought of.

And now I don't really know if I'm ready to contemplate it, because, like— Tavalin and Astarion loved each other, bantered together, fought together as equals! They complimented each other; they have the physical strength, he has the stealth! They saw in each other what no-one else could see, what they didn't allow others to see!

...and then he goes through with the ritual, which would be despite Tavalin's reservations anyway... and then he's calling them his pet... and then he's throwing away all notions of being their equal... and then they're essentially trapped with someone who isn't the man they fell in love with... and then he never turns them, so they're either a convenient source of food and entertainment forever, or a thrall under his control...

...idk if I'm ready, I really don't—

[thornilee013]

WIP Wednesday - March 6th 2024

I AM BACK FROM THE DEAD. I HAVE EMPTIED MY INBOX-BASED FEEDING PAIL AND AM HUNGRY FOR ATTENTION SUSTENANCE ONCE MORE.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO FEED A HUNGRY WW-PARTICIPATING AUTHOR, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE RODEO:

Step One: CHOOSE ONE OF THE PROJECT TITLES BELOW AND THEN FEEL FREE TO SCURRY OVER TO THE "ASK" FUNCTION IN ORDER TO OFFER THE AUTHOR A SCOOP OF FOOD.

Step Two: AS THANKS FOR THE MEAL, THE AUTHOR WILL PRODUCE A MINIMUM OF THREE-SENTENCES' WORTH OF PROGRESS ON THAT SPECIFIC PROJECT.

Step Three: REPEAT Step One AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE (but only if the author has specified that it is truly this ravenous; respect the stomach capacities and limits of other authors!!!!!)

Step Four (Optional): SPREAD THE WORD. REBLOG THIS POST. REBLOG ANSWERED ASKS. TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO FEED THE AUTHOR. SHARE THE LOVE. PUT FOOD ON THE PLATES OF ALL (participating) AUTHORS.

Below is your choice of feeding options:

1. Baby Jean 2. TLC 3. 101 Ways not to Say I Do 4. Needle AU 5. Silly Little Jean Moreau Fic (+ ONE potential Etienne per requester)

Under the "Read More": A (long) snippet from Silly Little Jean Moreau Fic

“Please. I’m begging you. Don't make me do this,” Jean said from the floor, his limbs stretched out in every direction so that he resembled a starfish.  “Come on. One more. I believe in you,” Jeremy said, bent over Jean’s head and staring directly into his soul.  “I cannot watch another movie musical. Every time I see a film about the American school system my concern for your sanity grows. The fact that there’s two of them is atrocious.”

“Oh don't worry,” Jeremy said, his grin wicked, “there are other ones out there that are even better. Consider it preparation for meeting my family.”

Jean glared up at Jeremy.

“These last two were for my sister. And also most of the team. Almost everyone on the team knows every song by heart. This next one isn't even about the same characters. It’s my parents’ favorite, though.”

Jean crossed his arms over his chest.

“Please? Think about it, my parents will be so impressed if you know all these songs,” Jeremy said, reaching out and poking the tip of Jean’s nose.

Jean groaned again. “Why does it matter if your family likes me or not?”

Jeremy flushed and straightened himself up before sitting down next to Jean. “Because they’re my family, and you’re my friend. I want them to see how amazing you are, but I know that it can be hard to talk with new people. So now you know you have something you can talk about with them.”Jean stared at the rambling mess of a human next to him. It was almost impossible to comprehend that the Jeremy in front of him at that moment, mumbling and fidgety and awkward, was the same person he’d seen announce his transfer on live television while preening for the camera. He’d always seen Jeremy Knox exactly as Jeremy wanted to be seen: pristine and charming. But it’s impossible to keep up that facade forever. Sometimes a mask like that was the heaviest burden on someone. He’d seen it before, in Kevin and Riko.

[pantherlover]

Sleep No More Reaction

Holy SHIT guys, this book was AMAZING. I read it so fast I have a book-hangover. I'm very happy that the next book doesn't come out until the end of October, because I'm going to need at least that long to recover emotionally from this one.

Spoilers under the cut!

In no particular order, here are my thoughts:

Quentin is going to have a ROUGH time in book 19. I think he was the person who was least like himself in Titania's world - October was pretty different too, and Sylvester also wasn't having a great time, but there were still pieces of Toby that peeked out and Sylvester's *been* the Mad Duke before; it would've been unpleasant but not unfamiliar. Quentin never had the chance to be that person because Toby got to him first, and it must be pretty sobering for him to realize how bad he could've been.

I wanted to smack Etienne when he showed up and I'm glad Chelsea gave him an earful after she got her memories back.

I'm really glad we're getting a book from Tybalt's perspective, because he was not doing so good in this one.

I really feel like Team Original!Faerie could've gotten Toby on board a lot faster if they'd told her Titania was hurting kids. Toby was hesitant to help them fully even up to finding Luidaeg; the SECOND she met Raysel and Dean in Blind Michael's lands, she started back-talking Luidaeg and investigating things herself.

I'm so glad I re-read An Artificial Night before I read this book; I picked up so many things about the Ride I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Speaking of An Artificial Night, I was SO happy when Dame Altair popped back up; Seanan McGurie is So. Good. At callbacks and bringing back characters. I do hope we get to meet her in Real!Faerie; I feel this wasn't the best situation to judge her character.

Jessicaaaaaaaaa. She still calls Toby Aunt Birdie!

Grianne! I've loved Grianne since Late Eclipses, and I was so happy that she had such a big part in the book.

I honestly really loved August here? Growing up with someone clearly did a lot to cut through her mother's influence. I'm glad she got to keep her Lorden siblings *and* Toby.

The further we get in the series, the more I realize how much of a failure Amandine is; she fails as a wife she fails as a mother, she fails as a hero, I would even argue she fails herself because she can't seem to understand how to get the things that would make her happy.

Arden and Nolan's AU childhood was amazing and I hope a million fics come out of it (honestly I hope a ton of fics come out of Titania's AU in general; it's such a fun What If? scenario to play with).

Chrysanthe and Theron were awesome! I hope we see them again in another book.

So the baby's going to be named after a month, right? My bet would be June for May (and maybe Gillian?), but like - it has to be *one* of the months, right? (No one's popped up named after a month in AGES I'm dyyiiiiinnnnnggggg please please PLEASE let the baby be the next one!)

Literally the only complaint I had was that May didn't show up; I'm hoping she has a big part in Tybalt's book.

There's probably a bunch more things, but it's all I can think of off the top of my head. Maybe I'll add more if I think of anything. Anyways, if anyone loved the book as much as I did PLEASE come talk to me about it I'm losing my MIND!

[transjarlaxle]

hiiiii 4 fic asks what abt 9 for a pairing of your choice?

this ask is DAYS old i am SOOOOO sorry </3

exposing you all to my bg3 ranger. i do want you to know that the first two ideas i had were about ocs i've never even talked about here though lmfao

9. things you said when i was crying + etienne/halsin - semi-established relationship, late act one

from this post

The quiet of the riverbed under the pre-dawn sky was nearly oppressive, after the revelry Etienne had been subjected to in the nautiloid survivors’ camp. He didn’t begrudge any of them the celebration, least of all the refugees he’d been looking after these past weeks, but he’d be lying if he claimed he wasn’t exhausted by it all. 

They deserved it, really. The Elturians were under enough pressure from the travel alone, let alone what they’d been put through by the druids in the Emerald Grove in Halsin’s absence. Try as he might to keep things in line, Etienne was only one man, and he wasn’t exactly equipped for long-term diplomacy. By some miracle, the adventurers had appeared, and within days, his problems had been solved - the druids had stopped their gods-forsaken Rite, the goblins had been dealt with, and the tieflings had been guaranteed relatively safe passage on the Risen Road. 

And Halsin had returned. Even now, waist-deep in frigid water, Etienne could feel the razor-pressure in his chest unwinding at the thought. He stared down at his hands, half-submerged. His left wrist was sprained, bruised violet under the moss-green of his skin - he’d have to adjust the draw of his bowstring until it healed. He pressed his thumb into the bruise, digging his nail into his skin, harder, until his shoulders shook and his breath left him in a cold shake. The morning air was unforgiving this time of year. 

Something moved. Etienne spun, hands slicing through the water as he raised them in defense - but it was only Halsin, half-crouched at the edge of the water, his own hands raised in cautious submission. 

“There you are,” the archdruid said, smiling in that soft, fond way of his. He approached slowly, relaxed, and if Etienne were anyone else, he might not have noticed the taut wariness in the druid’s shoulders. 

Halsin entered Etienne’s space. The ranger looked up at him and distantly wondered what his face was doing. 

“Are you alright?” Halsin asked. Etienne nodded. A warm hand settled on his jaw, and another found the bare skin of his waist, sliding around to his lower back. He sighed, resting his forehead against the druid’s shoulder, clenching his eyes shut tight. “Have you slept?” 

Etienne didn’t respond, now too focused on the sharp pain clawing its way up his throat. 

He knew that Halsin noticed when his shoulders started to shake. He didn’t speak, only brought his arms up closer around the ranger, but Etienne felt hot shame creeping up his neck nonetheless. Halsin also picked up on that, of course, because his hands found Etienne’s hair, carefully undoing its tie and gently working through the tangled mess. Etienne sighed again, turning his face into Halsin’s neck, and it came out choked, and he felt the press of a kiss against his ear. 

“It’s alright, Etienne,” Halsin said, and the low reverberation of his voice into the tiefling’s chest was almost enough to convince him. “You’ve done well. I’m here.” 

His hand brushed through Etienne’s hair, the skin of his shoulder, all the scars he couldn’t see, and he spoke softly, kindly, until the tears were ended and both of their feet had long since gone numb. 

When his mind returned to him and he fell away from the hypnotic feeling of the hands on his spine, Etienne pulled away, once again disturbing the peace with the quickness of the motion. He stayed close, close enough to touch, blinking in the light of the newly-risen sun. 

Halsin smiled softly down at him, his hair in loose waves against his shoulders, and Etienne’s chest felt tight. He swallowed thickly. “I missed you,” he said. 

“As did I,” his druid replied, honey in his voice. His hand found Etienne’s face again, knuckles brushing the tattoos along his jaw, eyes wandering over his face as if searching for something. Etienne allowed it, hesitant to break the moment. An ache had settled between his shoulders, and he really needed to wrap his wrist, but Halsin had returned, and he was here, solid and touchable, and he was going to take the opportunity to let that sink in.

[leedee013]

WIP Wednesday

I'll be participating in @/kedreeva 's game again this week!

PLEASE SEND IN THINGS. THIS IS LITERALLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEK.

Anyway, rules:

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

Here is what I have to offer:

1. Etienne 2. Baby Jean 3. Needle AU (CW: Needle AU will occasionally feature depictions of self harm scars and injuries. The primary focus of the AU is on healing and growth, however.) 4. Dealer's Choice (aka I work on a secret project and then also on a random one)

MASTERPOST OF PREVIOUS WRITINGS

Snippet from Silly Little Jean Moreau Fic (from last week's selection, technically falls within the rules!) below the cut

"Exactly. It's practically an admission of guilt."

As soon as Henriksen said that, Jean’s vision went red. “Fuck you,” he growled. “Don't fucking talk about him like that.”

Henriksen’s smile faltered.

“You're fucking cowards who want to take the easy way out. This is and always has been Tetsuji Moriyama. Don't you dare pin all our suffering on Riko, because he suffered too. When Kevin left The Nest, Riko didn't fully regain consciousness for three days," Jean spat. "He was punished just like the rest of us, except he punished himself too. Didn't you ever notice how Riko was also absent from the public eye after Kevin's 'accident'? Or, hell, how he was absent after mine?" he continued, his voice growing more frantic and increasing in volume with each question. "Tetsuji fucking Moriyama destroyed any chance Riko had to have a life outside of The Nest. Riko knew that he'd never been wanted. Riko knew that the only value The Master saw in him was as an investment, and that his life literally depended on how much that investment earned him. So if you want to have your careers considered anything other than pathetic failures, you'll get your heads out of your asses and focus on the real villain of this story. Stop letting the Moriyama name make you two its bitches and do your jobs properly."

The room was silent for a while.

[nikkiruncks]

Upcoming fics

(Saw @that90sshowgoldencouple’s list and wanted to put mine up too)

One Two Three - Leia, Gwen, and Nikki’s lives during the school year.

The Sunshine, The Nature Freak, And The Goof - Unconnected drabbles of Sarah, Nate, and Jay as a throuple.

The Three Musketeers - Nate, Jay, and Sarah’s lives during the school year. Featuring some Ozzie/Etienne

Once Again - A drabble with the T9S kids and Jackie as the Kitty figure in their lives

Are we fallin' like snow at the beach? - Jackie is married to Kelso and is a stepmother and godmother to his kids, but she isn’t happy because it wasn’t what she wanted out of life. Hyde, Kelso’s friend, hates Jackie and vice versa. After one night, they see another side of each other.

Are you okay? - Hyde talks to Kat after she gets diagnosed (dilf!hyde)

again and again - Gwen Runck is living the same day over and over. Will things turn out the same or will there be a different outcome? (Gwikki endgame)

Double Date - Jackie and Eric go on a double date with Hyde and Fez (takes place in late season 4/early season 5)

What if Donna goes blonde in season 4? - Feeling out of control and angry with her parents’ situation and her breakup with Eric, Donna decides to make a change (Burkciotti or Daquel endgame)

Pregnant (Jeia & Sarnate edition) - Feeling confused about her feelings for Nate, Leia decides to explore them. But what’ll happen when she lands pregnant with his baby? (Not a Neia endgame fic)

Pregnant (Geia & Janate edition) - Feeling confused about her feelings for Nate, Leia decides to explore them. But what’ll happen when she lands pregnant with his baby? (Not a Neia endgame fic)

Positive (Jikki) - Feeling hurt by Nate and Leia’s actions along with how their lives were going, Jay and Nikki start having sex as a way to feel better. What’ll happen when they wind up pregnant?

What? - After finding out that Anne-Marie is pregnant, Leia has a hard time taking in the fact that she'll be a grandmother at 45.

Get Together - In an attempt to get Danny and Chantay together, Kendra ends up developing feelings for Chantay (S8 au)

All the drama - What if Liberty wasn’t vilified in her own pregnancy? What if Ellie never likes Craig? What if Jazel stays together? What if Sean comes back for Ellie instead of Emma? What if JT doesn’t die? (S5 and beyond au)

Best Friend’s Brother - What if Leia develops feelings for Nate in the beginning instead of Jay? S1 AU.

That 90s Show Pilot Remix & Beyond - A mix of my verse’s pilot, canon’s, and the draft.

Summer 1998 - Leia comes back to Point Place to visit her friends and family for the summer. She ends up falling for her best friend Gwen's older brother Nate and vice versa. Only problem is that Nate doesn't have the best track with the ladies.

TBD - What if Eric and Jackie were together in the pilot instead of Kelso and Jackie? Season 1 and beyond au.

TBD #2 - Eric is still depressed over his breakup with Donna and wishes they never kissed. But what if his imagination involved him getting closer with a certain brunette?

TBD #3 - After a year, Leia returns to Point Place to start fresh. But what’ll happen when parts of her dreaded past come to life. Based off of Gossip Girl.

[kitzsah]

Heart Attack Exchange 2023 Letter

General Likes:

Worldbuilding and subject matter expertise! All the worldbuilding. I literally have 100K and counting of Chicago-cited (JSTOR articles and all) worldbuilding on the  historical/political background of the wizarding world for the fic series I'm working on. I also adore small, lived-in details – so if there’s any particular expertise/personal experience that you’ve  always wanted to expound on, consider me a captive audience haha. I’ve literally done method writing for a fic wherein I spent a morning walking around with four feet of yard-stick ruler strapped to my side to get an idea for what carrying a rapier would feel like, so yeah.

Unconventional formats. Seriously, I'm game for whatever you can think of. Textbooks, epistolary, official memorandums, screenshots and text messages, newspaper articles – the world is your oyster here.

Nuanced moral ambiguity and loyalty and duty and responsibility and  obligation and necessary evils. I absolutely adore portrayal of duties conflicting with personal  desire, people having to make hard choices and then live with the consequences,  bone-deep dedication to service, and anything else along those lines.

Character studies. Show me how a character became who they are, show me what facets of their personality emerges in different situations, tell me about how their background impacts how they view the world. Flawed/unreliable narration and close personal biases are absolutely welcome here. Outside perspectives on characters are always fun as well!

Close relationships, romantic, platonic, ambiguous, and otherwise. I absolutely adore close platonic relationships that are no less close or meaningful or devoted for being platonic. I’m talking raze the fields, “Where you go, I go” level of loyalties being my catnip here. And even for romance, show me characters as friends first and how they relate to each other as people, more than the part where they think the other person’s hot.

DNWs:

Porn Without Plot/Plot, What Plot? I'm not entirely opposed to sex, either onscreen or implied, but only if it’s not the only thing happening. You’re writing for someone who’s disinterested in sex (except as a characterization tool) to begin with, so any attempt at smut for its own sake is going to fall flat.

Character bashing. Even the most  objectively fucked up characters are still people, in all their good and evil. One-dimensional character bashing/flanderization will not be appreciated.

Crack. Humor and comedy are fine, crack is not. Life can be absolutely absurd sometimes, so if it’s something that could actually happen and fits the characters, go right ahead. Unhinged crack for its own sake will be less welcome.

Suicide. References/mentions are acceptable, as is a character sacrificing their life for someone else, but...okay, honestly, if you’re planning on writing a fic that features suicide beyond a background mention of “X background character killed themself,” just ask through the Mod to double-check that portion of the plot with me.

Revolutionary Arc - kitsunerei88:

Lina Avery

Lina! My favorite mercenary war-mage who will swear up, down, and sideways that she has Absolutely No Morals Whatsoever, No Sirree. Yet someone gets suckered into fighting a war and overthrowing a government for free because the people she loves (for all she will Fervently Deny It Forever) needed that. Also, her attitude toward her Idiot Not Son is just hilarious.

Give me anything from her adventures with Etienne during the Cold War (up to and including emotional angst after he dies/she gets him killed) to Lina’s....Adventures with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after the war. She’s so not the person to Lead A Whole Administrative Department yet gets stuck with the job anyway. What is she like at job fairs trying to talk seventeen and eighteen year-old British-born muggleborn and halfblood teenagers into joining the DMLE? (She’s probably as good for recruitment as Top Gun is for the Navy haha, and all those baby aurors probably half-worship at her feet) How much times a week does she threaten to quit her job at James and Sirius? What’s her perspective of the post-war political situation in the new Wizarding England and Wales? How many use of force lawsuits and Memorandums regarding appropriate language and conduct does she inspire?

Mikael Kowalski/Annabelle Crestley

I’m way too fond of these two characters that I literally developed from one-line mentions in RevArc ahaha.

I’ll take any and all romantic fluff/adventures with them! Especially since I suck at romance and everything associated. Fluffy dates, Absolutely Positively Not Pining Letters going back and forth between Moscow and NYC, them going “What the actual fuck” at John’s....Everything during the events of RevArc!

Alliance Trilogy - E. Jade Lomax

Lia/Marie Gabrielle & Marie Gabrielle Andrea & Gabrielle Andrea

I loved the glimpses of Ceren religion that appeared throughout the trilogy, and the way that Gregory fell in love with these people and considered them worth fighting for. And holy fuck that scene of the city guard ripping flowers off a little girl's head because it’s viewed as a symbol of defiance/rebellion/treason. I would just love more everything of this.

Anything about growing up as a persecuted religious minority, where something a small as flowers is viewed with suspicion and having to hide your holiday celebration in cellars, the way the Ceren emphasis on blood is something that Andrea and her brothers (who aren't considered her brothers by Ceren society) chafes at. What was it like for Andrea and countless other Ceren children growing up in this world? And honestly, give me everything on Andrea in general - this orphan girls with brothers that her culture doesn’t recognize as brothers, who had to grow up too fast in a world, and asks herself the question of “What do I want to do with my hands?”

What does it mean to be Ceren, to identify as Ceren, in Neria, a hundred years after unification? Marie and Sebastian are Cerens as well, a different stripe (or at least Sebastian was, and Marie grew to be) of Ceren than Andrea and the rebels that we spend most of the series with, and at the very end of Traitor, there's a Ceren boy who's signed up to join the royal guard. How do all of these characters relate to their identity and religion and culture in similar and different ways? Do any of them identity as Nerian?

Gregory says to Andrea, "It [Neria] is [a country]. The people—the ones who don’t meet in your cellar—they call themselves Nerians. Folk from Birnel and Panet live in the city, and they call it home, too. What are you going to do with them? You’re not the only ones who love this land, not anymore. Whatever Sasha’s great-grandfather did, a hundred years ago, this is how it is now." Is he right? 

Gabrielle, my favorite and most determinedly ambitious twelve year-old. By the end of the book, she's tentatively making inroads with the Ceren resistance, and realized that she can love her father and simultaneously disagree with his policy, and is grappling with issues of privilege and saviorism and what she owes to her country and its people who have been wronged in her family's name and by her family. One of my favorite Gabrielle scenes is at the very end, when she's shocked to learn one of the royal guardsmen is a Ceren and "The guard stared at her, terrified, and Gabrielle leapt to reassure him, stumbling over her words and wringing her hands. There was a horror low in her stomach. What sort of kingdom was hers, that it hurt the very people who took up arms for it? That it hurt any person under its protection? This boy, in her own black and silver, was staring at her with such fear. Rage rose in her, at her forefathers, her father, at Bray and War and men like Doulings. I will be better. I will— Gabrielle took a long breath. I will listen. I will listen. I will learn." What does she get up to after the series ends? What are her stumbles, what are her successes? What is it like for this determined, too-smart kid who's committed to learning to listen?

Lia and Marie! They’re an A+ romance going on in the background, and I Marie’s line of “I didn’t kidnap any tax collectors or set any

government buildings on fire, but only because I didn’t stay in town long enough. If my cousin hadn’t died, if I hadn’t inherited and been sent to Court, I’d still be an angry, barefoot little girl in the backwoods, and I’d have set whole loads of things on fire by now. If I hadn’t met Lia, and you, my little princess. I love you both. But, if things had gone a different way - I hate that I have to live with the knowledge that in a different life I would’ve been slipping oleander into your tea and thinking myself righteous for it.” A character study of Marie and her journey/falling in love with Lia/coming to this realization would be absolutely incredible

The Fixer Series - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Ivy Kendrick & William Keyes Ivy Kendrick & Adam Keyes

I’ll take everything regarding Ivy’s relationship with the (living) Keyes men here!

William Keyes says, “I never quite figured out how Adam and Ivy met. She was at Georgetown. He went to see her.” That plus William Keyes’ drama-filled line of, “I treated [Ivy] like a daughter, and she put Peter Nolan in office,” plus Adam’s line “Three years ago, you were on speaking terms with my father,” and Ivy’s admission that he taught her a significant amount of what she knows gives me so many questions about the two of them.

What did Tommy tell Ivy about his father? Did Adam introduce her to William Keyes or did he randomly take an interest in a girl from Georgetown and find out that she and Adam knew each other after the fact? How does Ivy feel about working for the man who, in another timeline, might have been her father-in-law? What does/did William Keyes feel about Ivy, from start to finish and everything about how she intersects with his sons? (Seriously, there’s so much packed into the line “Tommy died. I lost both sons.”)

Adam Keyes “must have known that Tommy was seeing someone. And somehow, he found out about [Tess].” What happened there? How much did he know? He visited/met Ivy for the first time (as far as William Keyes knows - which might not be entirely accurate!) when she was twenty and a student at Georgetown and he was home on leave (so he would have been 22/23 at a minimum) and implied/presumably after Tommy died. What was that meeting like? How does Adam feel about Ivy, and the connection to Tommy that she represents? How does he feel about Tess, and Ivy’s decisions regarding her? Ivy is implied to give his opinions about Tess’s upbringing some weight even before he even meets her, given the line of “Three years ago, you were the one who told me to bring [Tess] here.”

Tess Kendrick & Ivy Kendrick Tess Kendrick & William Keyes

Okay, I honestly love Tess and William Keyes’ relationship so much? (His character in general is just intriguing haha). Everything from “No matter what Ivy and my son might have told you, I’m not so heartless as to turn my only grandchild away,” to “[What do you want with Tess?] The same thing I’ve always wanted, dear - an heir.” How does he feel about discovering this grandchild (and legacy) he’s longed for for years? What’s his point of view of their back and forth? Literally I will devour everything about these two.

God, Tess and Ivy and their not-quite mother/daughter yet not exactly sister relationship is absolutely one of the emotional centers of this series. Ivy’s conversation with Tess about how she wanted to be good enough for her not sister, not daughter (but indisputably hers) absolutely kills me. What was it like for Ivy to watch her sister daughter Tess grow up from over a thousand miles away? How did Ivy feel that summer Tess was thirteen and she came to Montana making promises and left away a girl whose heart would be broken and all the stilted phone calls in between? What was going through Ivy’s head when she received that phone call from Tess’ school and she went to the ranch only to be called her mother’s name by her grandfather and every moment when she’s finally living with her sister daughter Tess for the first time? (Seriously, Ivy’s ‘Order what you like from these furniture catalogs on a Saturday evening, they will be delivered here today’ makes me laugh all the time).

Tess Kendrick & Tommy Keyes Tess Kendrick & William Keyes & Theresa Keyes

This would be an AU, but Tess’s line of “I would never know my father. I would never get to meet him, never know if he would have looked at me and seen pieces of himself, if he would have wanted me. If I could have been a daughter he would have loved,” gets me any time. So give me a timeline where Tommy did come home from his tour in Afghanistan! Your choice in terms of how they meet and how this particular cat comes out of the bag and how Adam and Tommy and Ivy relate to each other. This is honestly just me wanting Father-Daughter feels with Tommy and Tess (who’s named after his mother, presumably on his wishes) that the world/fate denied her.

This is also an AU, but William Keyes says in the second book, “I can never forgive Adam for that [denying Theresa Keyes, who Tess is named after, the chance to know her only grandchild]. We could have given you everything you deserved” Which immediately made me imagine a timeline in which the Keyes had, somehow, found out about Tommy’s child. Give me all the chewiness there with a Tess who has grown up either entirely in DC (William Keyes is Wealthy and has All The Lawyers, and would almost certainly skew things in his favor in terms of custody battles) or splitting her time between DC and Montana (this one is probably because Theresa reined her husband in).

(Note: feel free to gloss over the Political Drama And Intrigue haha. Do not feel obligated to figure out High Stakes Plots and assassinations and cover-ups and terrorist organizations and cover identities, I will absolutely adore fics that just focus on, like, the day to day and these tangled and messy relationships. Also, William Keyes’ mansion is supposedly on “the Virginia side of DC,” but in that that description is literally nonsensical geography, I’m pretty sure Barnes meant it to be in Mclean, Virginia (which is the Virginia side of the DC metro area stereotyped as where Rich And Powerful People live). The Maryland equivalent is Potomac.)

Leagues and Legends - E. Jade Lomax:

Jack Farris & George & Liam Jones Beatrix "Bea" Jones/Liam Jones Jack Farris & George

Give me all the Mountain Vigilante stories. How did Jack and George meet for the first time, when did Jack realize the obisidan-eyed girl he told his name to at the tavern because he hadn't known who she was was Cassandra Graves, show me their logistical network and caches set up to smuggle mages to safety, how did Bea root herself in a bakery and meet (and fall in love with) this whistling desert boy and two kids trying to mend the world as best they can, how was Challenge founded and constructed and what was the Northern Rangers' reaction and cooperation with the vigilantes of the mountain?

Lanetia "Laney" Jones & Liam Jones

Liam! He's a worldsinger, a talent that is explicitly noted to be rare and extraordinary in this world, for all that neither Jack or Laney call attention to it as such. "When [Laney] was eight, Liam was twenty and feeling trapped and useless." What made him leave the desert to go wandering? What was it like being able to hear the Elsewhere and whistle up magic? How did he he meet Jack and George for the first time and get into the Vigilante business and fighting the graves? I'd love for something where he doesn't die and Laney meets him and they actually get to have A Conversation because seriously, his departure really did a number on that little girl.

Earth Girl Series - Janet Edwards:

Tellon Blaze

Tellon Blaze and the Chimera Wars! That dude leaves such a long shadow on The Military to the point that even 250 years later, His Original Chair is still held in a place of honor in Military HQ. It's also practically outright stated in the Draco books that the Public Story Of Tellon Blaze and What Actually Happened are two very different narratives/closely held secrets. All of humanity views him as a war hero who was a military cadet visiting Thetis when shit hit the fan and heroically stepped up and was rewarded with laurels and pomp and a clan of the gentes maiores, but Draco talking to his father says that he was actually a civilian tennis-player with zero intentions of a military career when Thetis happened.

What's going on there? His order of "Nuke it to cinders" (and 'Let the stars go dark') is famous a quarter of a millennium later - what was that like, for Tellon Blaze? Anti-chimera detectors are on every military equipment and portal several centuries after the incident, and even the mere rumors of chimeras is enough to throw humanity into a panic, so what exactly went down during the wars (which are always mentioned in the plural)?

On that note, the history/origin of the Honor Child tradition (especially if there’s a connection to Tellon Blaze) would be absolutely fascinating as well. It's mentioned at some point (I think in the Drago books) that that was a tradition that arose during the Chimera Wars due to the sheer number of dead - so what happened there?

Jarra Tell Morrath I/Riak Torrek Jarra Tell Morrath I & Draco Tell Dramis

Jarra the First and Draco were two kids raised in this crazy cult/organization by Cioni's apprentices, who discovered their identities as Tell Clan members pounded on the doors of the Tell Clan Hall demanding entrance. It's implied that these two reacted very differently to their fucked-up upbringing: "My impression was that Draco was always fixated on the past but far too angry to discuss it, while his sister just wanted to focus on living a normal life in future. That seems consistent with what I was told about their clan welcoming ceremony. Draco was still changing his mind about his chosen name an hour before the ceremony, while his sister never once wavered from her decision to be Jarra Tell Morrath."

What happened? Exactly why did Cioni's Apprentice want embryos of the Tell Clan? How did Jarra the First and Draco escape? What was it like assimilating into a very different environment? What's the story of Jarra the First’s military career and her eventual relationship with Bard and Riak?

Gemena Raya Feren & Marack Tell Galad & Jarra Tell Morrath Jarra Tell Morrath & Riak Torrek Gemelle Tell Feren & Jaxon Tell Galad & Jarra Tell Morrath Gemelle Tell Feren & Jaxon Tell Galad

Seriously, Jarra contacting her parents and learning that they wanted a relationship with her only for them to be killed in action weeks later is such a cruel twist of fate. Like, an entirely realistic twist of fate, mind you, because Life Sucks Like That and Jarra’s Life Especially Consists Of Cruel Twists Of Ironic Fate. I get the plot necessity of it, but still, I’ll take all the canon-divergences here.

AU where Jaxon comes to his senses even a few days sooner and Jarra is never handed over to Hospital Earth and grows up with both parents, secure in the knowledge that she’s Loved And Is A Tell Clan Member.

AU where Jarra contacts her clan at fourteen like her friends did. She has no fucking clue why she does it (possibly Isette badgered her into it), she’s entirely doing it to make her friends happy, she fully expects things to go down in flames and figures she might as well get it over it. Except, to her complete shock, her family actually wants her. Her parents come down, there’s probably Much Yelling at Hospital Earth, and teenaged Jarra gets bombarded with all the love. Seriously, re-reading Earth Girl and Jarra’s (justified) bitterness is so painful after the Drago series because you know that her family wanted her so badly and they loved her so fucking much.

AU where Jarra’s parents don’t die during that behavior event in Kappa Sector and they come visit her on Earth while she’s working on the dig sights and all the ensuing emotion fraughtness as she figures out What It Means To Have Parents And Family as an adult.

Riak Torrek’s POV of the Honor Ceremony! Seriously, that dude had, what, a handful of hours’ notice? One minute he’s doing Solar Array Command Shit, the next is that he’s getting a notification that his long-lost granddaughter, who the entire family has thought they’d never find, has been identified. Not only that, he’s immediately tasked with leading a memorial ceremony for said long-lost granddaughter - a memorial ceremony commemorating the honor and sacrifice and service of his deceased wife. I’m honestly impressed that he kept his composure as much as he did during that scene.

I’ll also take all the scenes of Jarra with her siblings. Anything from Jaxon’s Situation Re Fidelis Breach finally being brought up, to just sibling bonding, to the...whatever the fuck Jaxon and Gemelle’s relationship has been like for the last two decades (because Gemelle said in one of the Drago books that she and Jaxon don’t/can’t have a normal sibling relationship as a result of what happened to Jarra all those years ago) and maybe even some of that being mended.

The Dark Artifices - Cassandra Clare:

Julian Blackthorn/Emma Carstairs Julian Blackthorn & Emma Carstairs

I know canon is all about Julian and Emma’s forbidden love story, but I honestly fell in (non-romantic) love with these kids because of their relationship to war and tragedy. Julian’s line of, “I came of age in the Dark War. I was baptized in blood and fire....I killed my own father. You think I won’t kill you son?” made me scream. These kids were twelve when their world fell apart around them and they lost almost everything, when one promise of, “Aren’t we forever?” in a desperate attempt to cling to what little they had left ended up almost ruining their lives. They’re kids who they ran for their lives and grew up in war and knowing (and bearing) the cost of sacrifice and necessity. So for prompts, honestly I’ll adore any one of a hundred moments in the years between the end of the war and the start of the Dark Artifices.

Julian writing to the Clave every year to try to bring his sister home, stepping into Arthur’s shoes and running the Institute, teaching himself how to cook because his family needs him, trudging up the hill with groceries, becoming a father at the age of twelve (seriously, Tavvy is two when everything goes to hell, he literally doesn’t remember any parental figure other than Julian)

Emma, who spends these year honing herself into the sharpest weapon possible until she’s known as the second coming of Jace Herondale even though she says she’s “nothing special” (God, that conversation with her and Cristina), who throws herself into avenging her parents’ death, who needs to be the best Shadowhunter that she can be.

These two kids in general, really, who have lived through war and are five shades of messed up and too young and have their own language and wake up from nightmares and crawl into each other’s beds in an attempt to keep the bad dreams away.

Julian’s POV of waking up in Lady Midnight to discover that Emma had taken his place and is currently lying on the floor in front of the institute, whipped half to death.

Canon-divergence where Emma finds out about Julian running the Institute and the Uncle Arthur situation earlier and she helps him shoulder the burden - because he’s her parabatai and her best friend and how could she do anything less?

Or, for something less heavy, a fluffy slice-of-life (or, well, as fluffy as any canon involving Children And A Society At War, because that’s what Shadowhunters are, even without the whole Morgenstern Situation) canon-divergence AU where Emma and Julian got to remain children a little while longer - playing side-by-side on the beach, bonking each other with wooden swords and making faces at each other. A world where Julian never has to know how bitter Necessity tastes, and Emma never seeps herself in vengeance.

Legally Blonde Musical - Hach/O'Keefe/Benjamin:

Emmett Forrest/Elle Woods 

I have a soft spot for this musical haha, and especially these two. I’ll honestly take anything about these two and their relationship?

Emmett’s perspective on meeting Elle (and, you know, falling in love with her) because his background in terms of socioeconomics has so much potential (”Chip On My Shoulder” is an absolutely amazing song) 

Elle’s POV on realizing that the love she’s traveled all the way to Harvard to find/get back is actually standing right next to her in the form of Emmett.

Emmett’s POV from Legally Blonde to Legally Blonde (Remix) and events that happen in between? How does he feel about Callahan assaulting Elle, what does do, what happens offstage that we don’t see?

(Note: I’ve never actually watched the Broadway/MTV edition. When I think of this musical, I’ll always think of my high school production of it with the fondest of memories, and I will be forever grateful if any small details mentioned match that my high school’s production rather than any of the official version. The only plot significant one is that Legally Blonde (the song) is sung with Emmett and Elle on opposite sides of her dorm room door (I know some productions have it staged so that he and Elle are in the same room) so that she doesn’t hear him go, “What about love?” Others are: Paulette is Black, Enid is Desi, Bruiser is a fluffy white Bolognese rather than a Chihuahua, Emmett has dark blond hair and wears glasses and has a habit of rocking his weight back and forth on his feet)

[booksandwords]

Only One Bed by Keira Andrews

Read time: 1 Day Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: Yes. I like you the most. I love you. I’ve been in love with you forever. I want you like oxygen. — Etienne Allard

Only One Bed is cute and fun and sweet and I'm so happy I read it. The opening is adorable as hell, featuring Sam and his Obaachan interacting in a way that is perfect for them. The main characters are Sam Sakaguchi and his best friend, ice dancer Etienne Allard. Their feels for each other are repressed a little and this whole thing is about how they come together. As you would expect. The whole thing is done well and the story suits Kiera's style. There is some interesting use of labels Sam ends up being bi though it does at times read a little more as gay for you (something the author writes so well). The whole total obliviousness to each others adoration and love just works for me. Neither Sam nor Etienne mask their adoration for each other when talking to those closest to them. Sam his family and Etienne to Bree.

There are some super cute interpersonal relationships (outside the main couple). I adore the two main women in this story. Sam's Obaachan who just made me smile and laugh and Bree Etienne’s skating partner. For those who like Cold War Bree reminds me a bit of a mix of Baily and Kisa (look I love that novella). She's loyal and wants nothing but the best for Etienne. Like Kisa she is in a committed relationship with another man. But there are none of the political ramifications of Cold War involved here. Here it is just pain and lifestyle choices creating professional drama. Henry is interesting his eq or lack thereof or more like a reserved personality is rarely done in this kind of fic but he doesn't feel brutal. He's just being his true self. His relationship with Sam is unlike most others. It's one of those yes I feel like you just insulted me but I love you anyway.

“They need to sleep together and realize they’re secretly in love. Like you two!” She winked. “Not that it was much of a secret.” — (Bree) While I was reading this I was just thinking I bet Henry and Theo get their own book. Look I've read a lot of Kiera Andrews and my guess was right their book, Kiss and Cry. Henry and Theo are just amusing. Theo just comes across as so kind-hearted and sweet. Henry is something else, an old friend of mine is an aspy and that is kinda the vibe I get from Henry. Not a lot just enough. (To anyone on the spectrum reading this I truly mean no offence, it's merely an observation from my own knowledge)

Only One Bed really is just adorable, it's Kiera doing her thing playing with the tropes. It does focus heavily on Sam and Etienne's intimacy as is her style. This book works so well as a holiday romance. It's Christmas and New Year are only used as a background really. It's why Etienne is where he is why Sam wants to see him.

[etienne-returns-to-middle-earth]

I simultaneously want to babble about the (goes to count) 5 The Untamed fics that I’m working on, and don’t want to talk about them too much because I’m honestly not sure how long they’ll take me and how likely I am to finish them... Because I have no sense of proportion, and my brain apparently spit out 5 novel length ideas in about a week.

[inkspot-fox]

Fanfiction asks because you physically can't stop me despite being in the room. Muwahahahaha. Fandom: 6, 8. 9. Ship: 11, 16, 19, Author: 39. Fanfiction: 46

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

.......oh god this is how I die and you know it. THANKFULLY I didn’t have any OTPs in my earliest fandoms. *sighs* So, first off, we’re gonna define ‘involved in’ as ‘having written fic for’ because otherwise we will be here all fucking night.

Y’all don’t judge me okay, I was. I was small. I’m still small.

Alpha Centauri - Deirdre & Zakharov science-buddies friendship OTP. I actually wrote a tiny thing for them once.

Vision of Escaflowne - Dilandau/Van. I didn’t even like Van, guys, I can’t justify this. I don’t know. I also had a HUGE spot for Dilandau & Allen family adoption fic, because goddammit that kid deserved better. ALSO FOLKEN X HAPPINESS.

Harry Potter - I actually. Didn’t ship anything in HP. Even friendship-wise. I had a lot of NOPE ships, but nothing I really looked for.

X/1999 - *siiiiiiiigh* Subaru/Seishirou. I have no answers.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Asexual!Zuko + Gaang = friendship forever. Though the Jetko ship bit me pretty hard for a bit, because I have such a weakness for hatemances.

Doctor Who - Doctor/Master. I’m not even ashamed of this one. I still love this ship.

Batman - Batman/Jokester. Jokester, not Joker. Important distinction. 

Star Wars: The Old Republic: This will come as literally no surprise to anyone, but Scourge/M!JK. ALSO Vette & LS!Sith Warrior, mostly as best friends forever, but having seen the romance done, I ship them that way too with a very specific Sith Warrior. But mostly as friends, because it’s IMPORTANT and also they’re great.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

I played the game, then got really really really mad about the heteronormativity, went looking for fic, found none of the fic I wanted, and decided to fucking fix it. And then I fell down the hole from there.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

Star Wars: The Old Republic. There are some really, really great OCs with whom I have fallen in love. The lore that people come up with to fill in the gaps that the game leaves open can be really fucking phenomenal. There’s...really a lot of room for creativity, and the medium encourages it. SWtOR is a fantastic playground for “what ifs” and AUs. There are so many plothooks, so many things to play with, to break and to fix. And there are some damn good writers.

11. Who is your current OTP?

Considering I’m buried in writing Sunspots? Scourge/M!JK.

WAIT ALSO MARLI (Aki’s JK) AND SITH!KAT (my SI) FRIENDSHIP, IT’S SO IMPORTANT. But I’m not sure if that counts, as that’s our own AU...thing...

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

Corso/Smuggler. It makes me feel physically sick. Kira/JK, which I might have different feelings on depending on when the romance kicks in, but...yeah...no. And I don’t know if they’re popular, but Nadia/JC and Ashara/SI can fuck right the hell off. 

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

In my current fandom? Hrm. Not really tbh. There have been fandoms where I really want to love a ship but just...can’t for some reason (*cough*Lost Girl*cough*), but I can’t think of any in SWtOR. Either I hate it, I don’t give a fuck, or I find a reason to love it.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer?

Sometimes I can really, really rock the imagery. I can write some incredibly  evocative shit. I have made @anecdotesandelderthings tear up because I wrote something that damn sad and gut-punchy, and that like...never happens. E v e r.

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

Aw, shit. HMM. While I want Sunspots to get more love, it’s not finished yet and I’m not completely happy with it either. So honestly, either To Save a Stranger from Quiet Evils (Batman - Earth 3), Ashes to Ashes (A:tLA, the one that made Aki sad), or There is Always Time for Pai Sho (also A:tLA, ace!Zuko).

Yes, I know I picked three and the ask said one, but I...idk. I’m pretty equally pleased with all three of these.

[nocturnalswarehouse]

Chapter 6 - Leo

Fic Series: At Long Last

Pairing: Brynjolf x Female Dovahkiin|Dragonborn (Adranelle Rolaine)

Premise: Eight years after being declared the Dragonborn, and three years after Alduin is defeated, Adranelle (Adi) Rolaine finds herself back in Riften to help Brynjolf with the Thieves Guild’s reputation.

Masterlist

Taglist: @thequeenofthewinter, @oblivions-dawn

Word count: 1,186

A/N: This isn't my favourite chapter, but it's important for B plot setup that's vital for Adi's character development and journey. Also, I'm posting on Tuesday this week because Wednesday is jam-packed in the afternoon and I sleep through the mornings. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :)

The first thing Adi noticed when she entered the Ragged Flagon was two Bretons standing at the bar as they told everyone a tale. No doubtedly about a job, judging from the black Guild armour one of them bore, the other adorned in the brown one Adi had. Adi recognized the one in brown almost immediately as Etienne Rarnis, a man she saved from the Thalmor five years ago. 

The assassin didn't want to be noticed by him right away, so preferring to keep her identity a secret, she slipped next to Brynjolf. “Who’s this?”

“Lass!” Brynjolf jumped. The men stopped talking to stare at the two. Etienne’s eyes lit up in recognition, Adi trying to hide the panic and hoping he wouldn’t say anything. The older Breton stared at her, his bright blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. Brynjolf apologized for the interruption and led Adi away from the group, stopping just at the false panel. “Maven’s furious about the beehives! Something about a dragon attack. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine if not a little tired,” Adi said. “Managed to kill it while remaining uninjured. The mercenaries did most of the work for me, actually. Although that’s unimportant. Here’s what was in the safe.” 

“Let me take a look at what you found,” Brynjolf took the Goldenglow Bill of Sale, not wanting to push about Adi glossing over the beehives. Whatever happened, he knew she’d tell him eventually. “Aringoth sold Goldenglow? What’s that idiot thinking? He has no idea the extent of Maven’s fury when she’s been cut out of a deal, but I’m certain he’ll find out. If only the parchment had the buyer’s name instead of this odd symbol. Any idea of what that might be?”

“Not a clue,” Adi shook her head. 

“Blast,” Brynjolf said. “Well, I’ll check my sources and speak to Mercer.”

“And for now?” 

“Take the rest of the day off,” Brynjolf placed a hand on the small of her back and led her back to the group. The two Breton men were still in the midst of their story as Adi took a seat at Brynjolf’s table. 

“When did they get here?” Adi whispered to Bryn. 

“Shortly after you left for Goldenglow,” he said. “The older one is Leotinus Rolaine, but everyone calls him Leo. He’s been a member since you and I were teens, but always opts for the out-of-country jobs. Married Tonilia last year, it was quite a beautiful ceremony. His work partner is Etienne Rarnis, who’s been a member for fifteen years. He was captured by the Thalmor and came back five years ago. Shortly after you came for that Dark Brotherhood contract, actually.” 

“Huh, really?” Adi played dumb. She wasn’t sure how to tell Brynjolf of her birthright and knew that now was not the right time. That “contract” he just referred to was Esbern. She planned to tell him then, but there was a Thalmor spy following her, so she couldn’t tell Brynjolf a word. Since then, it never came up. Besides, it was a dangerous birthright and if she wasn’t careful, something could happen to Brynjolf. The half-Nord couldn’t bear the thought. 

“Hey!” Mercer came into the Flagon, fuming. He had dark circles under his eyes and seemed more irritable than usual. “Stop messing around and get back to work. The Guild won’t build itself back up with your lazy asses.” 

A collective eye-roll ensued with the members, many of them grumbling and following Mercer back into the Cistern. Others went to Delvin and Vex for jobs, and Brynjolf got up from his seat to speak to his higher-up. 

“Bastard,” someone mumbled in the middle of the jostling. Adi caught on that it was Leo when she saw Tonilia hit his arm in annoyance. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Mercer turned around, eyebrows arched. “Why don’t you repeat that thought for the rest of the class?”

A stark silence filled the Flagon, the tension in the air so thick it could be sliced through. Leo avoided eye contact with the Guild Master, his eyes wandering the place. 

“That’s what I thought.” 

Once Mercer had gone back into the Cistern, the chatter in the Tavern started up again. Adi turned to the unknown member and smiled at him. “That was bold.”

“Thank you,” he bowed dramatically. Leo took a seat at her table and rested his chin on interlocked fingers. “And who might you be? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Adranelle,” she answered. “But please, call me Adi.”

“New to the Guild, I presume?” he looked at her with rapt attention. 

“Been here for three days.” Adi looked up at the ceiling, recounting the events that transpired since she spoke with Delvin about the new sanctuary. “Well, two and a half really. How long have you been away?” 

“About five months.” 

“Wait, actually?” 

“I have a great dislike for Mercer so I tend to take the long-term jobs.” Leo chuckled, moving to cross his arms over his chest. The energy around Leo shifted, making his resentment clear. Then again, everyone except Brynjolf felt the same. 

“I don’t blame you, he’s the worst.” Adi had what felt like a lifetime of bad experiences with the Guild Master. For some reason, he seemed to be especially hateful towards her. 

“Ha! I’m pretty sure the only one around here that still likes Mercer is Brynjolf,” Leo noted. “He’s like the Guild Master’s little puppy.”

“Okay, normally I’m one to make fun of Bryn,” Adi said. The Nord made himself an easy target, but Adi knew the boundaries. “But you can’t blame him. Mercer was his guardian growing up after his dad… passed on, to put it nicely. He feels like he owes the guy.”

“You know him well,” Leo moved to sit at her table. “How’s that?”

“I’ve known him for over a decade,” Adi told him. “I grew up in Honorhall.”

“She’s the one I told you about, Leo,” Etienne jumped into the conversation, grinning at Adi. “The one that saved me from the Thalmor.”

“Wait… you’re the Dragonborn!?” Leo’s jaw dropped. 

“Yes, and I’d prefer it if you kept it to yourselves.” she lowered her voice. “I don’t need anyone finding out. Especially Brynjolf.”

“Or Mercer, for that matter,” Leo seemed to agree. “He would want to take advantage of that.”

“See? You get it.” 

“Get what?” Brynjolf asked. She jumped up and looked behind her to see the Nord leaning against the crates.  

“Oh, nothing!” Adi held a hand to her chest, startled. “I just made a new friend.”

“Does this mean I’m being replaced?” he feigned offence. 

“No one could replace you,” she assured Brynjolf. 

“Well, that’s obvious.” Adi shook her head as he flipped his hair. “Mercer says you’re officially in, by the way.”

“He couldn’t tell me that directly?”

“He’s a busy man, lass.” 

“Still could have told her himself,” Leo piped up. “I mean, the guy is too busy for one sentence?”

“Hey, Adi?” Vex diverted the guy's attention, avoiding a potential row. “Come here for a second.”

“What’s up?” 

“I have a job for you if you’re up for it.”

[raccoon-wizard]

And Their Hearts Were Mended

This is another Choices That Matter fic I threw together because I simply love Etienne too damn much; an extension to the epilogue.

You can also read it on AO3.

I don’t remember any of the journey back to Earth. I spent it alone, staring at Moti’s now empty case, stroking the tiny display and trying not to cry.

We saved the world. Moti saved the world. I should be ecstatic. I should be looking forward to the days to come. Instead I was sulking, bitterly wishing I’d found another way.

I blindly followed Chen and Dai’s instructions, now much more clumsily without Moti to assist me, but I managed.

Sailing the raft towards the African coast was strangely the most sickening part of this whole ordeal. I hate boats.

As we neared land, I could see what was left of our little private army waiting for us. Along with a bunch of press and what seemed to be the local military. I gulped - I had not thought that far into the future to consider what would happen to us once we succeeded.

I got out of the boat with wobbly knees, glad to have left the bulky spacesuit behind on the shuttle. I couldn’t keep my balance properly and didn’t want to make a complete fool of myself in front of all those people, so I sat on the sandy ground, ignoring the salty waves soaking my legs.

I looked up and saw Etienne sprinting towards me. He stopped in a skid, kicking sand all over. He practically fell next to me, reaching out to cradle my face in his hands.

“Hey,” he said softly. “How was space?”

He was smiling, but I could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what happened.

He was trying to cheer me up.

“You saved the world,” he said.

“I’ve done nothing,” I shook my head. “It was all Moti.”

“Don’t say that,” he said. “They wouldn’t have become the Moti the world needed if it wasn’t for you. You’re a hero.”

He leaned over to kiss me on the temple, and that simple, loving gesture finally broke me. My eyes welled up with tears, and before I could stop myself, I sobbed.

“Oh, honey,” he said and pulled me into a tight embrace. I clutched fistfuls of his raggedy t-shirt as I cried into his chest.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he ran his hand through my hair. “It’s alright. I’m here. This shirt is ruined anyway.”

I forced an awful bark of laughter and finally brought myself to return the hug. After another moment, I looked up at him. 

I knew the world was saved, but I still felt like I needed to say the words out loud in case something happened.

“I love you, Etti.”

The softest smile spread across his face. “I love you too.”

With one hand in my hair, he pulled me closer and kissed me. I leaned into his touch, finally allowing myself to relax in his arms.

It would be okay. Eventually.

xxx

After the whole ordeal with The Company was over (with a ton of Delores’ help), and after the whole world in general settled down, I finally went and bought a proper home - the tiny apartment I used to occupy felt too sad now, too reminiscent of the past. And since The Company somehow kept sending money to my account (despite me refusing their offer), I could afford a nice place; a huge house on the edge of town with an enormous garden.

That was where I liked to spend most of my time nowadays.

I never used to be a fan of garden work, I never really had the time for it in the first place, but after everything that had happened, it felt nice to simply sit in the grass and dig in the soil. It was peaceful.

I knew Moti would approve.

Etienne liked the garden almost as much as I did. One would think that after the days he’d spend taking care of the park, more outdoor time would be the last thing on his mind, but he enjoyed it. When he didn’t feel like helping with the plants, he would sit in the hammock and tell me about the new things he’d discovered that day. After all, the natural world had turned upside down - quite literally. 

I could listen to him ramble about animal behaviours all day long. And I did, most days. Listening to people talking about whatever they were passionate about had to be one of my favourite things. And when they were as cute while doing it as Etienne was, I didn’t even mind the repetitive nature of it sometimes.

“...and get this, the weasels- why are you looking at me like that?”

Sometimes I would forget what I was doing and just sit there and watch him talk instead, frozen in the middle of digging out a patch of thistles like a fool.

An absolutely lovestruck one at that.

“God, how did I land someone like you?”

The tips of his ears turned red. “What, a nature nerd that gets excited about the migration patterns of raccoons?”

“And such a pretty one at that.”

He looked away, trying to hide a smile. “You’re one to talk, hot stuff.”

Despite both of us being pretty open with our affections for one another, it was still easy to turn each other into a speechless, blushing mess.

Etienne got up from his hammock and walked over to me. He sat down next to me and kissed me on the temple - that became our thing since that time after the rocket landing. He was a little taller than me, which lended itself perfectly for this.

I loved it every single time.

“I think you might wanna pay more attention to where you’re digging instead of swooning over me,” he said with a cheeky grin.

I looked down and noticed for the first time that I’d dug out an entire patch of alliums.

Etienne laughed. “I don’t think your flowers will do great if you tear them out of the ground every time you look at me.”

“Not my fault you’re prettier to look at than all of them combined.”

He scoffed. “You big softie.”

I simply had to kiss him.

So there we were, making out in the middle of a flower bed like we were teenagers sneaking away from their parents on a school night.

It was spring, and the sun was shining a golden light on our beautiful world.

xxx

Of course not all our days were filled with sunshine and smiles. Our grief was still there, haunting us.

Etti had his new MotiCon on silent mode permanently because he knew the chirps made me jump every time I heard them. We had to avoid the news completely since they were still bringing up all the casualties that our great plan brought about. We had someone on our doorstep nearly every day, either to thank us for being such brave heroes, or to blame us for the death of their loved ones.

Of course nights were the hardest. The darkness was all too familiar.

Both of us took up learning about the stars above our heads, just so we were able to check they’re the right ones whenever we woke up in the middle of the night. When it was me waking up first, I would go to the kitchen to get myself a cup of tea, both to try to get myself to fall asleep and to not disturb Etti too much when I was moving around.

I sat on the kitchen counter, feet dangling in the air, a steaming cup of chamomile tea with honey next to me, and mulled over the memories. Over our friends, over our enemies, over our fear.

I got so invested in feeling sorry for myself that I didn’t hear the footsteps. I only noticed Etti’s presence when he wrapped his arms around me. I flinched, but once I realised what was going on, I relaxed into the embrace. 

“Hey you,” I whispered, returning the hug. “Why are you up?”

He hummed something unintelligible and laid his head on my shoulder. “Big sad,” he finally said.

People often described grief with big words and complicated metaphors. And sometimes they were right, and explained the feeling well. But most times, two plain, single syllable words encapsulate it best.

This time I was the one to kiss him on the temple. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” he grumbled. “I wanna sleep.”

“Go back to bed then.”

“But you're not there,” he said and looked up at me. “What are you doing awake?”

I chuckled. “Big sad.”

“Come be sad with me.”

I downed the rest of my tea and hopped off the counter as Etienne pulled me by the hand.

We lay together, Etti’s head on my chest and I played with his hair while we slowly dozed off. Some nights were difficult. But we managed. As long as we had one another, as long as we could hold each other close, hearing our heartbeats as we slept, everything was okay.

[theyhaveacavetroll]

I want to ask about Many A Good Hanging, but I figure you'll post it eventually. What are you doing with Simon and Mags? Clearly they're friendly, from the few interactions we see in canon.

What I'd like to do with Simon and Mags is let Simon come back to the library post A Killing Frost. The last time Magdalena saw him he was injured and I have to imagine that prior to that she'd probably been a bit concerned about him like most people who knew him pre-Evening, so it'd be nice to see them reconnect now that he's doing better. I'd been thinking of setting the fic in between the Lorden OT3 reunion and the wedding so that Mags can attend.

And, just because the Toby Daye fandom and everyone on the discord are the best in terms of comments and kudos and feedback, have a snippet of Chapter Four of Many A Good Hanging:

This is bad. This is dangerous, and becoming more so by the hour. Etienne is staring in horror at the thorns, and January knows why. This is not the knowe of her childhood. These are not her aunt’s welcoming garden paths, made of moss and soft underfoot for visitors, nor the simple hardwood or stone floors of the knowe proper. This is a hall meant to draw blood, and January abruptly wants nothing more than to turn and leave. 

“Wait,” she says before Tybalt can reply. “Wait. Let me just, like, check something.” 

She forces the valley girl into her speech as much for her own sake as to reassure those around her. She is not going to panic. She is going to handle this and then she is going to go home to April and Li Qin. It’s going to be fine. Luna won’t harm her. She reaches out, takes a step toward the door - 

And the roses part. The vines pull away, and January breathes a sigh of relief. She can leave, at least.

She’s never thought that one day she’d want to escape from Shadowed Hills. This has to stop, and now.

“Don’t try it,” she warns Toby and Tybalt. “Let me go and talk to Aunt Luna. I think she’s pretty pissed off at you right now, and I don’t want to have to explain to Uncle Sylvester why you’re out of action growing your limbs back.” 

She’s not joking, but Toby huffs a short, forced laugh. She knows Jan is right. She can see the thorns through the open doorway, after all. 

“Etienne, do you want to go get Bridget and Chelsea?” she asks. “I haven’t seen them in a while. It’d be nice to have a chat.”

They’re talking in code now. If there’s one thing Jan knows when she hears it, it’s code. She’s a computer programmer, after all, and what Toby just asked was code for “Go get your wife and daughter in case this goes south,” and she can’t help but feel that it’s solid advice. The air in here is cold, and the roses are still growing up the walls, and Bridget, she remembers, is mortal. She can’t stay here, not with the knowe like this.

[dzemaeldarkhold]

A quick about this blog:

Hello! You can call me Elliot or Clams. I use he/they pronouns. This is my FFXIV sideblog, my main is here.

I’ve been playing XIV since December of 2019 and I am currently caught up on content. I’ll do my best to tag spoilers as necessary!

I have characters on every NA data center. Not all of them are MSQ current but most are working towards it. The important ones are as follows:

My main: Etienne Penne @ Aether/Sargatanas. Fully geared for anything current! SGE/DRG main.

Other Aether DC characters:

Balonie Rigatonie and Firmament Quest @ Midgardsormr

Crystal DC:

Nico Demarais @ Brynhildr

Archombadin Dzemael @ Balmung

Primal DC:

Vesta Heron @ Hyperion

Biscotte Chevalier @ Famfrit

W’sabi Tia @ Ultros

I’m a regular fan of Ishgardians. As you may have guessed the Scholasticate questline occupies a huge part of my brain. Archombadin de Dzemael has a monopoly on my heart but I am also very fond of Estinien, Francel, and Crammevoix (among many others). If you ever want to chat Scholasticate or general Ishgard lore I am 100% here for it. 

I also write a good amount of fic over here. Occasionally I take wol/npc writing commissions or art trades. My favorite npc/npc pairing is estimeric but I have a fondness for a few rarepairs here and there as well.

I’ve done some in-game RP and enjoy it but I am not a frequent RPer by any means. I do love to talk about my OCs, though! Most of them have bios on their Lodestone pages. Feel free to ask about them! :)

I am still pretty new to tumblr so I appreciate your patience as I continue to figure this all out. Thanks for stopping by!

[harry-leroy]

for the fic prompts, laertes and hamlet + “win” if you’re willing to write those two :)

Hi! I'm just having a look at my ask box, and goodness I know it has been a good while since I have even looked at things in my inbox. However, I just realized that I have not written anything (academically, or for fun) in several months, so I thought we would start with some fic prompts to settle back in with *words* again.

This was incredibly fun to write, though I am realizing how difficult it is just to get to 1000 words when writing prose - if anyone writes in prose on the regular, I bow down to you. I also kind of split up the characters (because of course I would), but I also used characters from that Hamlet play I posted snippets of earlier this year on my blog (because I'm obsessed with this little French OC boyfriend I've given Laertes), so that's the universe I'm operating in.

I'll leave it under a cut! Thank you again for all of your lovely asks (and if anyone wants to request a fic, you can totally leave something in my ask box, it just might take several months for me to get back to you ahahah).

“What is it today? I have grown bored of playing cards,” Etienne rolled over to kiss Laertes on the cheek, then on the nose, the mouth, marking a blazon with the repeated gesture.

“We all have,” Laertes returned, between breaths. “I have certainly grown too old to gamble,”

“Nonsense,” Etienne said. “You are young. Believe me,”

“Old in my heart then,” Laertes said. “They weren’t lying when they said France dulls a man’s senses. Libertines are about as common as beggars or whores. A fool I was to expect some kind of excitement away from Denmark,”

“Who else would give us our money?” Etienne asked. “No cards today, my love,”

“Swords then,” Laertes sat up, still following Etienne’s affection. “I can gamble with the rest of them, but perhaps I’ve grown soft in my physicality,”

“What? Do you intend to be a soldier when your fortune comes calling?” Etienne asked.

“If I must,” Laertes sighed. “You always challenge my thoughts, Etienne. More often than not, I find myself at a loss with you. I must win at something,”

“Do not trouble yourself with that loss,” Etienne pressed his forehead against Laertes’s. “Men like me must win at something, considering where our pithy fortunes are made. I merely tell you what I see. I must tell someone of interest,”

“What do you have to tell today?” Laertes asked.

“Even when you’ve put your cards away, you are still building your hand,” Etienne paused in his affection. “First, it’s sex, then it is gambling, then dancing, now combat. A fair hand, I will admit, though you are missing the winning trick,”

“Oh? What would that be?” Laertes asked.

“Diplomacy,” Etienne said, eyes grave, as though he were truly a way seer. It was like that with Etienne, Laertes knew. Every night was like having a counsel with a cautious God, profane as such a comparison felt. Laertes would often wonder if others had looked into Etienne’s eyes and saw the bold heaven he saw, the judgement, the doomsday book, written in fire. Some nights, he wondered if Etienne were real.

Laertes let out a laugh.

“Diplomacy is a dead man’s language,” he said. “Have you heard our new king? Just talking, talking, talking… the prince too. No one of any real consequence has ears, you know,”

“So, that is why you do not listen to me?” Etienne teased, placing another kiss on Laertes’s lips. To Laertes, it was God chastising him again, knocking down his attempt at pretty words in exchange for reason, self-reflection, guilt. Etienne kept talking between kisses. “Or to your father? Or to your sister? Because you are a man of consequence?”

“Some men must be,” Laertes’s face fell. “Whether we wish it or not,” In truth, Etienne was no better than any common whore. He took his gold and spent it where he could. He made love to other men under this roof, or perhaps out on the streets, if the price were high enough. France was nothing but a hell, gilded in pleasure to cover the sores beneath. Polonius was right to send a spy his way, though there were no real secrets to uncover. France was itself. Laertes his own self. The shame had long since melted away after Etienne’s tender kisses.

“Alright,” Etienne said, after a moment, tone brighter, keen on making the joy. In his heart, the love, whatever feeling came to him so fleetingly, last but only a moment longer. “Swords it is. Leave diplomacy for the little men. You better win. Make it worth my time to watch,”

* * *

“It is off,” Hamlet frowned. “The attack. It is all a simple matter of parry and riposte. Like the joke, you see, Horatio? Except I am at the end of it, stabbed through,”

Horatio only picked his head up upon hearing his own name, as he had been straightening the blade of his foil. His friend had been slightly off in his footing today, though it was nothing to wince at. Even in his tired state, Hamlet had still made a joke out of fencing, no matter how dire he made it sound. That blend of the humorous and the horrible was something only Hamlet could bravely serve and make it seem convincing, if not ridiculous.

“Would you like to stop?” Horatio asked.

“Stop? If only it were so easy… to stop.” Hamlet said before taking a sharp breath in and holding it, as if to demonstrate.

“I suppose, my lord,” Horatio said, his tongue quick despite how tired it felt, if only his friend would breathe again.

“Again, Horatio,” Hamlet rose to his feet.

“If you insist on it,” Horatio replied.

“What would you rather me do?” Hamlet’s temper rose, as it had been edging that way all morning. Temper appeared to be the curse of any royal line these days.

“I really don’t know,” Horatio shrugged with only one shoulder and readied his stance across their makeshift piste. “There are times when something such as a swordfight does not matter, in the end, win or lose. The world turns on and on, really, but… I speak too readily,”

“No,” Hamlet nodded. “No, you speak perfectly,”

“What is it that you fear, my lord? Truly? Deeply? Irrevocably?” Horatio asked, their friendship as schoolboys taking the greater part of his mannered reason.

“Truly?” Hamlet lowered his sword, “That what you say is true. That the odds are tossed against our favors by some terrible third hand,”

“The hand of God?” Horatio mused.

“Or that of my uncle,” Hamlet met the humor of Horatio’s tone.

“I could not imagine your uncle taking a sword against you,” Horatio said.

A moment passed. Hamlet turned away and off their piste.

“That is it though, is it not?” he asked, voice haunted. “He would not. He holds onto cards we cannot even see, much less imagine, until he plays them. Oh, and he plays them brutally, does he not?”

“I do not know what to say to that, my lord,” Horatio said after a pause, his manner returning, the Wittenberg friend lost once more.

“There is nothing to say,” Hamlet smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. “That is how you know we have hit a truth. Even at Wittenberg, when the truths we hit were just beyond the reality of our real lives, hypothetical and such, it always did taste bitter. There is loss for all of us, right at the end of the bout,”

“But fight we must,” Horatio held out a hand.

“Yes,” Hamlet took the hand in his own. “Yes. Fight we will,”

[words-writ-in-starlight]

what kinds of fics do you wish were written in the toby daye fandom?

I want LABYRINTH CROSSOVER FICS.  I want that SO MUCH.  Of the several concepts discussed HERE, I think I am MOST invested in "Sarah goes to Berkley for a poli-sci/folklore double major and winds up in Bridget Ames’ class; Chelsea comes to visit her mom at work and Sarah has Some Questions”.  It would require some fiddling with the timelines but it would be GREAT.  Maybe she’s getting a PhD in something and she’s doing a fellowship as a folklore TA, I don’t know.

Sarah, gently cornering Bridget after meeting her young daughter: “I don’t want to alarm you, but you know that you can’t hide your daughter forever, right?”

Bridget: [pulls out the iron poker she keeps hidden under her office desk for exactly this eventuality]

Sarah: “...that’s really not going to work on me, but good initiative.”

Alternatively, I personally find case fics exhausting to write, but I would LOVE a fic where Sarah gets kidnapped and Toby gets “hired” to find her, insofar as a Firstborn king showing up on one’s doorstep and demanding services in return for a future debt is really being “hired.”  I am sufficiently into that idea that I have considered writing it myself more than once. 

Barring Labyrinth crossover fics, I want more fic about Etienne and his family.  I love them.  I love how hard Etienne tries to be a good dad.  I want to talk for forty years about Bridget coming to terms with the fact that, through no fault of her own, she can’t be all things to her beloved baby girl.  I want only good things for Chelsea, including the chance to emotionally process a very traumatic couple of weeks.