#on sideways

[ljandersen]

I keep thinking about Paragon Universe Kaidan in your Sideways fic being literally fucking arrested and hearing his wife- his not-wife- confess to being an impostor when that is one of his old Top 10 Worse Fears, as in Someone is Wearing Shepard's Face, this fear generated in ME2 and resolved in ME3, and this fear catching up to him right then, when he's immobilized, and he had no time to interrogate whoever the fuck this is and ask WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY WIFE, and WHERE IS SHE, and HOW DID THEY MAKE SUCH A GOOD COPY, and with no ground to denounce THIS IS NOT SHEPARD, THIS IS NOT MY WIFE without sounding like a jealousy broken lunatic, and then probably being escorted to his cell, thinking, "I should have known, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, I SAW ALL THE SIGNS" I am going insane I am crawling on the floor

I love that take! I don't know if it consciously occurred to me while writing it, but you're absolutely right! That would be one of Kaidan's Top Ten Worst Fears. In ME2, he has all the reason in the world to believe Shepard isn't really herself. She's not acting like herself, working for a terrorist organization that tortures Alliance soldiers. Especially with the Akuze background, like my Shepard, it doesn't make any sense that she'd be working with them. So, it fits that Kaidan wouldn't believe it. Add on top of that the known risk of indoctrination and cloning, it's a valid fear! He does get past it in ME3, like you say, when he recognizes it truly is Shepard, but wow, what a journey to get there!

Then, here I go throwing him back into thick of it. She's acting out of character in some ways, but it's still her in others. He doubted her before, and it didn't go well with him. He has to give her the benefit of a doubt. Plus, why even consider anything else? We're past the indoctrination and cloning risk of Cerberus. It really would be a horrible situation for him particular, given his history. I think you're exactly right, too, that he'd be left there stunned. Usually there's a time limit for speaking while in jail. It certainly wouldn't be enough opportunity to answer the flood of questions he'd have! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I loved hearing your perspective on the situation, especially from Kaidan's point of view in particular. That's very insightful!

[taraxippos]

Akira bike sliding on a horse

[kaasiand]

I wish we had every single game on DS

Not 3DS, just DS. Guys please stop tagging this as 3DS

[stonelions]

soft post-bday weekend....

[emoreooo]

every step forward is a step closer to home

[fishfingersandscarves]

pov your leg gives out randomly throughout the day

[cabinette]

some avatar archivist team explorations... sasha here is actually the only normal one lmao. i'll draw my stranger version at some point but maybe when I have more spoons

[uwhe-arts]

. . . | uwhe-arts

[cyfffff]

you’d think since dick was a mathlete hed b the number one guy to ask for help w math homework but actually he knows so much advanced math that the first time tim asked him for help with a simple geometry problem he pulled out his dusty ti-84 and started solving it in the most convoluted way that took an hour bc he was also just trying to relearn the math he hadn’t done in like 5 years. cue him screaming in frustration when he realized the actual way to do it would’ve taken him 2 minutes (tim asked him at the beginning if that way was right and he waved him off saying no) none of the batsibs can ask him for math help until they get to pre-calculus at least

[maridoodles]

stay strong eat up 🍄

stickers available here!

[fil3t]

Complicity

Then Maedhros alone stood aside, but Fëanor caused fire to be set to the white ships of the Teleri. So in that place which was called Losgar at the outlet of the Firth of Drengist ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible. - The Silmarillion, "Of the Flight of the Noldor"

Tolkien in Color: The House of Finwë (part 9/x) < part 8 || part 10 >

for @maedhrosmaglorweek

[ljandersen]

hey girl im back again i think abt sideways like evry single day pls pls pls when r u releasing the next update 😞

Hello again! Thanks for checking in.

Unfortunately, I don't have much of an update. I'm still working on my original sci fi series. It's my top priority. I'm almost done with the first book and then I will be focused on posting it.

That said, "Sideways" is always on my mind and heart. It means a great deal to me, and I'm incredibly flattered that you think about it too.

I wish I had better news for where Part 5 stood in the pipeline, but to tide you over, here's an excerpt from it. I opened the fire-proof safe and dragged out the notebooks just for you!

This is from "Sideways" Part 5. I typed it up from the handwritten rough draft. There are no guarantee that it will be close to the final version or that it won't be cut in editing. But, here you go!

“And after that, you’ll be back in this other timeline, hmm?” Dr. Quigley reached for the bishop and then paused.  He picked up his tower instead.

The med bay lights always felt extra bright reflecting off the room’s metal surfaces.  Shepard squinted at the chessboard on Quigley’s desk.  A bold move.  Too bold.  She had to not be seeing something here.

“You must be good chums with Alenko in this other life?”

“Quite chummy.  You’re really buying this story I’m telling you?”

“Naturally.”  Quigley rested back in his chair and steeped his hands in front of him.  “My most recent head scans for you are a little outdated though.  And I do need to inventory the narcs.”

“Not all mental illness is anatomical.”  Shepard vacillated with her queen.  Two good choices.

“I’m glad you’re giving me more doctor’s advice.  We needed this workshop.”

“So,” Shepard said lightly, keeping her eyes on the board.  “How’d Kaidan take the news?  You told him about the . .. permanent damage.”  Whatever medical consequences there were to his Red Death, the doctor had hinted at but refused to tell her.

She set the queen on the black square near his tower.  Slowly lifting each finger off, she leaned back in her chair. 

Quigley snatched her queen up with his rook.

“Dammit.”  She was losing her touch.  Or maybe just her concentration.  “You can answer my question though, right?  I’m not asking what you told him, just the reaction.”

“I don’t see much purpose sharing that.”  Quigley dropped her queen beside the board. He made a prompting motion for her to continue.

She gave up any pretense and looked Quigley in the eye.  “Was he all right?”

“Seems to be, doesn’t he?” Quigley nodded at the mess hall over her shoulder. 

Kaidan stood at the coffee machine, trapped between Cortez and Allison, listening to one of Adam’s tales, replete with exuberant hand motions.  Allison seemed to be the only one not anticipating the laugh beats.

Shepard sighed. “Hell. You’re right.  I’m being nosey.”

“I'm already sold on you being another Shepard.  Saying ‘you’re right’ is just overkill.”

The med bay doors slid open with a hiss air.  Cicero cut a clean figure in a well-pressed uniform and pressed-lipped smile.

“Here for medical treatment?” Shepard asked.

He wasn’t, of course.  His eyes had zeroed directly on her the moment his squeaky boots hit the threshold.

“I am to understand that you deserve congratulations.”  Cicero meandered slowly along the counter toward them.

“I don’t think so. The doc’s beat me.  Just took my queen.”

“Ah, that delightful humor.”  Cicero tapped a tray of scalpels as he passed it.  “Those have water stains.”

“Oh, dear.”  Quigley clutched his chest.  “I wondered what killed my last patient.”

Cicero ran his hand under the edge of the cabinets and examined it with rubbing fingers.  “This whole bay could use a thorough clean.”

“No objection here.”  Quigley shrugged.

“Anyway.”  Cicero ambled to the desk.  “You’re acting counselor or so I heard on ANN.“

“Forgot my tiara and sash downstairs, but yes, you heard right.”

“Congratulations then.  I’d share a glass of wine with you, but it’s been adulterated.  The antichrist must be aboard. Rather than water to wine, it appears wines can become water.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was,” she said simply.  

“Regardless, a handshake will have to do.”

“Not even that is necessary,” she said begrudgingly, but shook his proffered hand. 

She checked her palm after drawing back.  There hadn’t been a noticeable sting, but she’d been fooled before with a handshake.  Nothing seemed amiss though.  He was trying to unsettle her with his politeness.

“I suppose the late Councilor Wilson would be grateful seeing you take bat.  He had grown rather close to you and Alenko.  That is, before the end.”

“Uh huh.”  Shepard’s blood pumped.  “If you give me a ‘God rest his soul,’ Cicero, I swear . . .”

“Swear what?  I think it’s well-established that attacking me, at least publicly, is not a route without consequence.”

Shepard lurched to her feet, knocking chess pieces over on the desk.  “Thanks for the handshake and veiled threat.  I’ll see myself out.”

“Ah, ah.  Not so fast.”  Cicero caught her elbow then quickly let go.  “Though my wine’s off the menu, I would be pleased if you’d join me in my cabin for conversation.”

“I’d rather be waterboarded.”  She shot toward the door.

“So sure?  Well, that is a shame.  There’s something you may like to hear.”

Her feet caught. 

She urged herself toward the door, even lifted a hesitant hand to the open button.  She should have taken Kaidan’s advice the first time.  Nothing good ever came out of a conversation alone with Cicero.

“About what?” She couldn’t help herself.

“Dr. T’Soni.”

Shepard’s gut twisted. 

“Well, if you change your mind, you know the floor number.”  He strolled around her.

Frozen in place, she could only watch his retreating back.  He cast a thin smile over his shoulder before disappearing through the door.

[sadgayeddie]

I'm always running from something I push it back, but it keeps on coming

[missszena]

Man...this might sound hella weird but alongside the incredible writing and art direction this game has, I'm just extremely happy to see so many things I recognize from growing up in the south be portrayed in South of Midnight

Like so many people treat the south like its nothing but a land of bigots and backwards people that are treated as inferior to the northern half of the states, we are treated like a joke most of the time in media or portrayed as the villains

But finally having this piece of media that displays how much beauty there is in the south, shares southern folklore with the rest of the world, as well as some of the beautiful ecosystems like the bayous and marshes? Even the towns and the food, the cozy atmosphere some of those old towns have

It just makes me smile despite the often heavy storytelling

It takes me back to when I was real little and going down into the carolinas, louisiana, and georgia to see family, hearing all the old folktales about things like boo hags and two-toed tom The game has just been super nostalgic for me in a good way and it makes me want to take a trip down to georgia/louisiana again and hopefully meet up with my family again

[leopardmuffinxo]

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[m0thxy]

"i dont really like danger days"??ok? cleaned up corporation progress?? dying in the process??