I haven't read Arya x Gendry in like ... 6 years. I caught up a bit this week. Here are some I really like!
[30 some fic recs after the jump]
post 8x01
Arya keeps looking for reasons to visit Gendry in the forge.
- mmh post episode askbox fic
Somewhere to Begin, MissAtomicBomb (mrs_nerimon)
The Stark sisters share a moment in the wake of some impactful reunions.
- lmao my most frequently used GoT tag was "westeROS" (remember Ros???) followed by "Stark famly dynamics." So Stark sisters hashing things out... my kryptonite
Beautiful & Deadly Sharp, vlaurie17
Learning to fight with a sword were some of Arya's best memories. Sansa, however, was hesitant.
“What do I do with it?”
“Stick ‘em with the pointy end,” Arya smirked.
Sansa just rolled her eyes, “Obviously."
- also Stark sisters revisiting being Vengeance-made-girls together and practising to knife someone
I'll sing for you, Ravenclawpride06
Set post 8x1. Gendry wants it bad. Arya wants it worse. Was going to more explicit but I left it vague, felt it fit better in the end. All the pining!
- I’m soft for the pining
This is my wish, crazychipmink
"As he studied the drawing she had given him, he slowly began to let himself believe that she was real and alive and well. He had thought about Arya so many times that the memory of her was worn in his mind. Fragile and faded, like a piece of parchment that had been read too many times. To tell the truth, sometimes, he couldn’t even remember what she looked like, only that she was the only thing he ever wanted, ever wished for.”
- season 8 episode companion fic series
- ao3 tag: weapons design processes are long and require many iterations
- “Davos assumed he was waiting to play his part in the great war to come, but in reality, Gendry was waiting for the next remarkable thing to happen to him. Perhaps if enough remarkable things happened to him, he would finally let himself believe that the most remarkable thing that had ever happened to him had happened.”
wow ok
Who are you waiting for? crazychipmink [incomplete]
"She had Arya’s face and Arya’s voice and even Arya’s smile. But despite all that, he felt like he had just spoken to a ghost. An unnatural ghost of Arya, pretending to be the girl he was in love with. Gendry had traveled to the end of the world to find her, but now that he finally had, she was gone."
- the angst universe evil twin version of the fic above
- we will take it bc we love to suffer
- and also bc the author promises "fluff" and "eventual romance" ok sounds real but ok
the thing with feathers, yanak324
If anyone is capable of bringing the old Arya back, it’s this man in front of her, which is precisely why she must walk away.
- a more (immediately) optimistic read of how Arya's in episode enactments of being No One might have gone
and in the end, jeeno2 [incomplete]
Five times Gendry Waters is an idiot and the one time he figures things out.
- Gendry being dumb is kind of a thing and I'm not always the biggest fan of how it plays out in fanon but this is sweet!
The She-Wolves of Winterfell, vixleonard
The pack survived. So has the Stark habit of keeping secrets.
- 2nd generation Stark girls. Arya's daughter matter-of-factly saying "Stark women don't get married" - a whole ass mood.
Mid-Battle, Mary_West
Sandor has something important to say to Gendry - if only Gendry can live long enough to hear it.
season 8 AU
My Lady sanctuary_for_all
Gendry and Arya find each other again.
(AKA the plotline Gendry deserved in 7X07)
- fic convention I am 100% here for: Arya scrabbling around Gendry's face looking for the seam.
fic convention I am 100000% here for: Arya throwing off her glove in order to do so and then holding her hands against his cheek
Nights are for You (or Five Times Arya Visits Gendry in the Forge and One Time Gendry Visits Arya in the Castle) ASwornStark
She hasn’t visited the forge since Jon returned home with the dragon bitch (the Stark sisters’ favored name for her) and him in tow.
- reunion fic
season 7
Before We Jump, MissAtomicBomb (mrs_nerimon)
Arya Stark's bastard boys bond on their way to the Wall.
- anything for some good rowing references and bastard subjectivity
earlier
laughing 'till our ribs get tough (that will never be enough), belasteals
"Gendry took one look and laughed so hard that wine came out of his nose, until Harwin gave him a thwack alongside his ear." - A Storm of Swords, Arya IV
(or, Gendry's POV on Acorn Hall)
- real ones can't get enough of book canon and Acorn Hall.
Butcher, elephant_eyelash
Gendry and Arya by the fire, discussing jacket potatoes and thinking murderous things.
- perfect meditation on food and hunger and care
Dissimulo, Somnio, jeeno2
She is no one, now. But still the boy with the black hair haunts her dreams.
- honestly the showrunners are cowards for not going there. let No One be Vagina Dentata Personified 2kwhenevertheBraavosiseasonsaired
post canon/canon divergent
Charcoal, elephant_eyelash
All about winter and feeling the cold.
- weird how I'm obsessed with self-loathing and wintry alienation and the weight of history and ancestry but also devotion also love. super weird totally unexpected
Five Things Gendry Only Says in the Dark, jeeno2
Where no one else can hear him.
- loneliness, shame, self-loathing. the important emotions. oh and spoiler alert some joy.
Like Wenda, Furious_Winter
"...she could ride with Gendry and be an outlaw, like Wenda the White Fawn in the songs."
- my favourite canon AUs are Arya and Gendry with the Brotherhood and my absolute favourites of those are when they are apart (who's ever heard of a marauding smith??) but have some of miserable bittersweet understanding and they glower at each other and make each other jealous and everything is unspoken but this is it this singular love they have for each other that doesn't quite work out. I've just realized that most of these recs are highkey angsty oops. anyway, this fic is like the most complete and perfect distillation of everything I want.
- also this is so richly detailed and complete in itself. immensely satisfying.
- yeah ok Furious_Winter is actually the master of post canon together but not Arya/Gendry love is not always enough fics. I'm just going to recommend all of them:
- The Wolf's Head Helm [The Starks are back in Winterfell and Sansa is Queen in the North. One day, Arya receives a gift from an old friend... - Arya is in Sansas's queensguard.]
- A Means To An End (incomplete) [Arya Stark has returned from Essos and has been staying at the Inn at the Crossroads. Things are not nearly as simple as she sees them. - fuck this one hurts so good]
- A Bastard At Heart [Arya and Gendry marry other people for the good of the kingdom 'cause they're self sacrificing like that. the last line took me outtt]
the truth is, baby you're all that I need, belasteals
“You were jealous,” he laughed, almost shocked. “Arya Stark of Winterfell, jealous of a whore.”
- sirens This One Is Not Angsty sirens
A Girl Meets a Boy, Hotpie
A girl takes a face; a girl takes a lover.
- possibly my favourite Crossroads Inn fic. love the Faceless Man stuff. love the detail of Needle having a smallest spot of rust, from Braavosi Steel Pox and Arya feeling a ways about it. love picking up the Melisandre thread.
So Easy To Love, Val_Creative
She misses Gendry's complaining, too enthralled with staring. "You smell like Dennett's underarms," Arya murmurs, leaning in, going for blunt honesty. Gendry opens his mouth, beginning to laugh, turning uproarious and smiling.
She's never seen anything more beautiful than this. More kissable than Gendry's mouth.
- the summary makes it seem like it's all kissing when there is actually a big chunk of plot - in service of eventual kissing, yes, - but! spoiler alert! they don't even get to it in this fic! not exactly
- maybe why I love it a lot??
With Bells in Her Hair, semicolonlife [incomplete]
The further south they travel the more Gendry starts to wonder if he truly knows this woman who wears Arya Stark's face. As he begins to doubt himself more and more, Gendry becomes obsessed with the strange bells she wears in her hair.
- ruthless slightly wonky Arya is my favourite Arya.
Wayfaring, Rainfallen
An accidental series centered on the same basic headcanon of how Gendry found himself in the North and how Arya found her way back to it.
- wolf girl Wolf Girl WOLF GIRL
Seen, sanctuary_for_all
Being important matters less than who you're important to.
- He wasn't sure what that verdict was, however, until she returned the unfinished sword to rest position with a deeply satisfied expression. "I am going to kill so many people with that sword." It was probably a bad sign for his long-term sanity that Gendry felt deeply complimented by that. "Happy to help."
my useless heart: pikachu face
- see! I like fluffy HEAs too
Hearts, sanctuary_for_all
Arya comes home to her family. (Future flash)
- look, I just think it's really important that even married and with children, Arya continues murdering people uwu
other AUs/misc
I'll Run (Run To You), belasteals
“You would rather marry a lowborn knight than a high lord, then?”
She grinned, all bared teeth and sharp eyes. “I’d rather marry no one at all, else I'd not play at this mummer’s farce.”
“What about the man who outruns you?”
“Nobody outruns me.”
(Greek mythology fusion: Arya as Atalanta, Gendry as Hippomenes. Arya vows only to marry the man who can outrun her in a footrace)
- Atalanta, Mononoke, Arya. same energy.
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Tricky Treat
(This is a commissioned story from the fantastic @incaseofart, just in time for the spooky season! Hope you all enjoy -- we have another post coming out later today so don’t touch that dial ;)
Two voices shout in unison “HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN!”
“Alright, alright, hang on a moment. Before we leave, we need to establish some ground rules.”
“That’s right. Fugue and I want to make sure no one does anything that puts them in danger.”
“But Rocky -- you said that Halloween was a dangerous season!”
“I SAID that it was a season of intrigue and danger. I also said that it was a good reminder to be aware of your surroundings and not let yourself into situations with unnecessary risks.”
Fugue smirks as he listens to his friend talk about the merits of avoiding risk and describe the other ‘ground rules,’ thinking about the many and various ways in which Rocky has personified unnecessary risk.
“What? You don’t agree with me?” asks the latter, looking at Fugue with a coy grin.
“You know that when it comes to reducing danger I’m always in favor,” replies the Ampharos with a shake of his head. “I just never thought I’d hear YOU telling someone else.”
Rocky scratches his head and chuckles. “Well, a year ago neither of us expected me to be taking my little brother trick-or-treating either.”
“Like my costume?” asks Pizzicato gleefully.
Rocky smiles. “Absolutely. It’s very fitting, sweetie.”
“If he’s not careful he’ll end up being another dad friend,” Fugue thinks to himself as the younger mons grab their baskets.
“Ready to go, everyone?” Rocky asks.
“What about Cynthia and Deneb and Cassie?” asks the Azurill quickly, apparently noticing their absence for the first time.
“They’re gonna stay home and watch Arsenic and Old Lace. It’s one of Cass’s favorites – apparently they’re in it, though they’ve never told me where,” Rocky replies with a shrug and a smile.
Fugue stifles a chuckle at this. “I imagine Deneb will get a real kick out of that one. It’s the one with Boris Karloff and the psycho great-aunts right?”
“Psycho what?” Riley tilts his head.
“I’ll explain later,” Rocky replies. “For now, let’s get some candy.”
This is met with cheers from all sides.
“Now then,” Fugue begins, as they make their way to the first house, “Is there a reason you wanted to help chaperone instead of look for candy yourself, Rocky?”
“Uh, well…to be honest, I liked the idea of watching Riley more than getting extra treats for myself. He’s my brother and I wanted to just be there for him, I suppose. I’d like him to have a normal Halloween. No monsters, no villains, just candy and family and friends.”
“That makes sense. You’re pretty good at this big-brother stuff.”
“Ha, thanks. I’m learning that apparently it means being the responsible one, which used to be Cynthia’s job, but now I find myself trying to stop her from getting him into mischief! She loves him to death, honestly. Personally I think--”
He pauses as they stop at the first house.
“Uh, Fugue? Has this place always been…creepy?”
It’s a fair question. The building seems to loom over them with its spiked tower in the center leaning slightly forward and a dimly lit porch.
“Let’s uh, skip this—” but before Fugue can finish, Pizzicato has smacked the door several times with her tail.
“Ding-dong ditch?” asks Rocky nervously.
Fugue nods. “Normally I’d say no but let’s—”
He’s interrupted by a hissing sound, and then the air fills with smoke.
“Uh…what’s happening?” Riley says with a mixture of confusion and nervousness in his voice.
“Welcome travelerssss…” replies a voice with an unusual tone. “You’ve found my housssse of secretssss.”
“Great,” Fugue mutters. “Weird neighbor. Probably just pranking would be candy getters. Alright, then, thank you for the excitement but we have to go now.”
“Ssssooo ssssooon?” asks a Seviper, appearing in the doorway through the smoke. “Sssssurely you’re here for Halloween treatsssss!”
Riley looks at Seviper skeptically. “Yeah, without the smoke and scary expression, thanks.”
“Jussst sssstaying in the sssspirit of the ssseasssson,” laughs the Pokémon, “I like to keep trick-or-treaterssss on their toessss.”
“You don’t have toes though,” says Pizzicato innocently.
“True, ssssmall one,” replies Seviper with a chuckles.
“We appreciate your time, but I just remembered something important,” Rocky says. “We have to go get it. Sorry to disturb you.”
“Yeah…you’re creepy,” Riley chimes in.
Seviper laughs again. “Yesss…but that’ssss the point of Halloween, issss it not?”
A moment later, the Pokémon vanishes. Fugue shakes his head.
“Come along, then, onwards to—” his sentence is cut off when turning around makes him aware the group is now suddenly IN the house despite never making an effort to cross the threshold.
“Okay…” he frowns. “Rocky, any thoughts?”
“I’m thinking we just went straight to the trick part,” replies the Pikachu, looking around the large foyer into which they seem to have been transported.
“How do we get out?” asks Pizzicato. “We haven’t even gotten any candy yet!”
“I like her,” says the voice of the snake, though the direction from which it comes is no longer clear. “If you can find your way through thissss place, there will be a very big treat. Your firsssst clue issss to figure out which of you issss the odd one out.”
“Odd…one out?” Riley frowns.
“That’s me!” Pizzicato giggles. “I’m water and you’re all electric!”
Rocky nods slowly. “That sounds about right.”
Fugue shakes his head. “Yes, but there’s another interpretation. All of you are mouse Pokémon, and I am not. So it might be me too.”
Riley shakes his head. “It’s Rocky.”
Everyone looks at him surprised.
“Why me?” asks the Pikachu.
“You’re the only Pokémon that can use a move normal Pikachu can’t. I’ve seen you do it.”
Fugue pauses for a moment, then agrees. “That’s a good thought, Riley.”
“Indeed it isssss,” comes the hissing voice of the snake. “Up ahead there are doorssss with your facessss on them. Pick the door that you think hassss the ansssswer.”
Sure enough, a variety of doors appear out of the smoke.
“How did he get our faces…?” Fugue begins, but is interrupted by Riley marching to the door and throwing it open – only to nearly be tackled by Rocky.
“Careful!” the Pikachu nearly shouts. “Let’s at least see if we can figure out what is going on in there!”
So saying, he peers into the door…and a light comes on, revealing a wooden staircase leading downwards into a darkly-lit basement.
“Good choice, Riley,” the snakey voice says. “You’re on the right track.”
Fugue shakes his head. “Me first. I can light the place up.” The orb on his tail glows bright, showing the whole room – inside there appears to be a Rube Goldberg machine of sorts.
“What does this thing do?” asks Pizzicato as the rest of the troop follows Fugue downstairs.
“I dunno, but I want to find out!” Riley says excitedly. “After all, this is the right door.”
Rocky pauses. “How do you know?”
“Because it was your face, Rocky. I haven’t gone wrong by following you yet!”
The Pikachu is not expecting this reply, and sniffs slightly to hold back sudden happy tears.
“Well, how do we trigger it, do you think?”
Fugue looks it over. “I think that’s our next obstacle to clear. Figuring it out, I mean.”
No one notices that Pizzicato has wandered up to a small bowl and hopped inside. A moment later, it lifts into the air, taking her with it.
“Whee!” she shouts, much to everyone’s dismay.
“Pizzicato!” Fugue cries, but the machine continues to whir to life.
Her weight counters another weight, thereby knocking a lever over. It smacks into a cup with dice, which roll across a drum of some sort, which lets out a sound that fills the room and causes the plunger below it to pump once or twice, pulling a block of wood down a pipe and letting another ball roll down a ramp until it smacks a plank, which seesaws into the wall, knocking it down.
“All that effort just to open a door?” Rocky frowns.
“Sssssometimessss it’sss about making ssssure the participantssss are paying clossssse attention,” says the voice. “The next room will require ssssome extra thought. Better sssstay alert! Sssso far the young onessss have been more obsssservant. Can the adultssss catch up?”
The others exchange a look before Fugue reaches up and picks Pizzicato out of the bowl.
Rocky shakes his head. “This feels like a sort of game, but what kind of prize is there for winning?”
No answer comes, and Fugue shrugs. “All I know is that the kids seem to be having fun.”
“Yeah, but I’m missing out on candy,” Riley pouts a bit as they enter the next room. Suddenly carnival music plays and they find themselves surrounded by mirrors on each side.
“Did it suddenly get hot in here?” asks Rocky, shuddering.
“Who knowssss thissss ssssong?” calls the Seviper with a hissing laugh. “You’ll find your exit in the rhythm!”
“I don’t know this song,” Riley shakes his head.
“Me neither,” Pizzicato chimes in.
Rocky shrugs. “I’m lost, personally. Any ideas, Fugue?”
The Ampharos pauses. “Hold on a moment…I think…I think I’ve heard it before…”
“Holding on” proves to be a somewhat difficult task, as it only continues to get hotter in the room. It’s not long before everyone’s sweating.
“Fugue, no rush, but uh, if you have any ideas, we’d love to hear them,” Rocky says in a dry whisper.
The Ampharos’s eyes are determined – and suddenly they look inspired. He claps twice, stamps his right foot, then spins a somewhat clumsy circle – and the room almost instantly cools down as the mirrors fall away to reveal another door.
Pizzicato cheers. “I knew you’d figure it out!”
Rocky tilts his head. “What was the song?”
Fugue smiles, shaking his head. “Someone I care very much about sang it to me when I was younger. We had a dance we used to practice for it too. You know, like kids like to do? What you saw just now was part of it – it took me a while because I hadn’t heard it in years. I haven’t the faintest clue how Seviper knows it.”
“Sssome ssssecretsss ssstay that way,” replies the hissing Pokémon. “But you’ve done well. Can you ssssolve my lasssst puzzle? It’sssss a real doozy.”
“Last puzzle?” Pizzicato frowns. “I was hoping there were a few more.”
The others all give her a “you’ve gotta be kidding me” look, but only Riley says it out loud.
“Sure it’s fun but we’re missing out on all the treats!”
“Come on,” Rocky shrugs. “The more we stand here, the longer we’ll be missing out whatever’s out there.”
The group makes their way into what appears to be a great dancing hall, with portraits of Pokémon clad in formal, almost Victorian style attire, hung on the walls. It’s not long before they recognize their own faces in some of them.
“Hey that’s…” Fugue has to stifle a laugh as he notices Deneb, wearing a frilly collar and a somewhat dour expression. “I uh…I wonder what the puzzle here is supposed to be.”
“Hey, isn’t that your trainer?” Riley asks, pointing to another painting.
Fugue nods, perhaps even more baffled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but that puffy wig actually looks pretty good on her. How did they get her likeness, though?”
Before they can discuss it further, the snake interrupts, suddenly appearing in another burst of smoke.
“You’ve sssspeculated plenty. It’ssss time for the main event! If you can bessst me in a fight, then I sssshall releasssse you!”
Rocky frowns. “Well…that’s sort of disappointing. I had hoped you planned a real mind-bender, not just a throwdown.”
“Ah, but you ssssee,” laughs the snake. “I will not be battling you directly. I have insssstead devisssed a battle of the witsss unlike any other!”
Another puff of smoke fills the room, and before them stands a perfect facsimile of Cynthia!
“What the heck?” Riley practically shouts.
“Don’t worry,” she laughs. “Your challenge isss to determine what move you have that could bessst counter an attack I ussse. If you win, then you will try another opponent, then another, before the tessst endsss.”
“So it’s a simulated battle,” Fugue thinks. “Well, I don’t have everyone’s movesets memorized just yet but—”
“I do,” Pizzicato says happily.
“Then it fallsss on you to determine the bessst courssse of action,” smiles the Eevee with her strange enunciation still in full force. “I trussst the othersss will not regret having you in charge!”
“Uh, Fugue? Are we floating?” Rocky asks calmly, but with a certain tremor in his voice.
“Quite suddenly, yes. Except Pizzicato,” mutters Fugue. “I guess the final test really is all hers.”
“The adultsss never quite caught up, did they?” laughs their Halloween host. “Nonethelessss, here’ssss the firssst tessst! Cynthia approachessss and ussesss ssswift! What do you do?”
“Riley! Use Protect!” Pizzicato says with confidence. Riley complies, though a moment later he looks quite confused.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Rocky says.
“Uhhhh, neither did I?” he replies.
There’s another puff of smoke, and this time it’s Deneb facing them off. As if to remain in character, this time the Pokémon does not speak, instead presenting them with a Psychic attack.
“Fugue, try Rock Throw!” The Ampharos does so, but his confusion is even more evident.
“Um, I can’t…actually do that,” he whispers. “I think Pizzicato doesn’t actually know what I can do.”
“Well now’s not the time to correct her,” Rocky says quickly. “We’ve KINDA got to rely on her so—”
He’s interrupted by the sudden appearance of Cassiopeia where Deneb was.
“Crap,” Riley mutters, only to quickly apologize when Rocky gives him a look.
“Here’sss a Ssshadow Ball!” they declare, only to have Pizzicato immediately say “Rocky! Bug Bite!”
For a moment the older trio all exchange a look of despair – but then Rocky stirs, looking as lost as he possibly can, and executes the move with perfect precision.
“Okay….” Fugue says, scratching his head. “I assume this means we win?”
As if to answer his question, Seviper reappears and smiles. “Well done, travelerssss. You’ve defeated my obssstaclessss and proven your ssskill. I presssent you with your reward.”
A golden plastic card appears in front of each Pokémon and Seviper vanishes, revealing the exit just ahead.
“What’s this?” Pizzicato asks plaintively, apparently bummed that the game has ended.
“Well, it’s…10,000 poke worth of candy – or rather, a gift card for that – for each of us,” Rocky says with a half-stunned expression.
“Candy? You mean that weird snake gave us free candy? And we get to pick it out?” Riley asks quickly.
“That is…indeed the case,” Fugue says, scratching his head again, this time with a smile.
“Wow! What a prize! Hey, can we play again?” Riley wonders out loud.
“I had fun too! I don’t even need another prize!” Pizzicato adds, only for both of them to find themselves half carried to the exits and into the night.
______
“That was pretty fun, Cassiopeia. I didn’t know you were such a prankster!” laughs Cynthia as they make their way home.
“I believe Halloween is an opportunity to enjoy the chance to give others a bit of excitement. I couldn’t have pulled it off without your help. Your portrayal of a Sevipers’ accent is quite convincing, Cynthia.”
“Ha, well, Deneb here had it the hardest, but she still pulled it off wonderfully!”
The fusion Ampharos grins and wobbles with delight, nodding in agreement.
“So they’ll probably need to go do more trick-or-treating, and tell us their story when we get home. In the meantime, shall we actually go watch Arsenic and Old Lace?”
“Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll pop the popcorn!” Cynthia grins.
So, having finished their own trick, they make their way home to enjoy their treats.
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