#xenaf

[dougyancy]

Working on these babes!!

[shadlad24]

Episodic Ficlet #21: Lifeline

“Xena! …Xena, we’ve got trouble!”

An imperceptibly slow pulse instantly quickened. Gabrielle!

“Wait a second.”

A heart that had long known it was not whole thudded to protest the delay of its reunion with its newfound other half. Irritation spiked the warrior princess’s waning blood pressure. Step aside, you fool!

“Salmoneus, get out of my way!” that cherished voice echoed.

“Wait a second!”

“What?” 

Breath abandoned the lungs that were keeping two people alive.

No! Xena lost the little bit of consciousness she had left.

#

Am I dead? the woman wondered several seconds later. I must be, for she could hear each one of Gabrielle’s shattered, disbelieving thoughts as if they were rioting within her own head.

Xena, how could you? You promised me you’d be here when I got back! How- How could this happen? Why- …

Gabrielle, I’m here! she wanted to tell her companion. Do not be afraid. I have not left you. I am with you always.

This must be a dream. I’m dreaming…

You are a dream, my dream, my dream come true.

There were no words then, only soundless emotions; Xena, Destroyer of Nations and unfeeling warlord—dead, unfeeling warrior—acutely perceived everything coming from Gabrielle, the lively girl who had opened her friend up to feelings as only she could.

That unbearable and yet irreplaceable soft touch carefully albeit absently fixed Xena’s hair.

Soon, both pale hands were fussing with the long locks, the bard ruefully joking to herself that she could finally do whatever she wanted with them. Perhaps she’d spend the evening brushing them just to annoy their owner. Gabrielle smiled wryly and gave a slight head shake. The same irresistible compulsion that had drawn her to Xena’s hair in the first place, the warrior overall, drew the bard to her knees to kiss her friend’s cheek.

That smallest, lightest touch burned most of all. It banished the coldness that had settled into fast-stiffening limbs. 

But the response went unnoticed, or, perhaps, it was felt but not trusted. 

Gabrielle was only allowed a second to press her face to her friend’s before Salmoneus spoke and broke the spell that had been cast over her at seeing the impossible. 

Thus, the even more impossible happened. Following a last long look, the girl severed the connection between her and her soulmate with a simple, unspoken goodbye. Gabrielle stood and turned away from that which she could longer bear to witness.

Her warmth and light gone, Xena fell back into icy darkness.

.

400 words, minus those that are not mine. This is a new way of doing these, eh? What do you guys think? Should I just stick to “between the scenes” or mix in more like these that take place during the scenes? Lemme know! Thanks!

[princess-unipeg]

Female characters that upgraded from “the girl”character to certified badasses

Cindy Bear

Webby Vanderquack

Clarice the chipmunk

[strangesmallbard]

not that i’d want a&e anywhere near a swan queen storyline anymore, but it is hysterical that canon swan queen ouat OR swan queen-supported ouat could have reached xena levels of beloved cult classic status—i’m talking dedicated cons 15 years after the finale status—and they just like, were homophobic instead! it really does boggle

[narniadynasty]

Susan Pevensie + Tropes

The Conscience - The Conscience describes a character type whose purpose is to act as the hero's (or other characters') conscience and moral touchstone, the person they consult to check that they're doing the right thing. Common when The Hero doesn't trust his own moral judgment.

Martial Pacifist - A martial artist that is peaceful, disciplined, kind, personable, and probably good with children.

Disapproving Look - Sometimes, when you need to show your disapproval, you don't need to speak. All you need to display your disapproval is that look. It's not quite an angry or tense look; it's more of a look that says "really?"

Team Mom - The Team Mom basically acts as the mother figure for everyone else in the group, regardless of age or family relations. Although the role itself is traditionally female, the Overprotective Dad or older brother can qualify for Team Mom, and the same goes for a Cool Big Sis who grows Older and Wiser. In many cases, she actually is a parent or older sibling to at least one other character.

Xenafication - The polar opposite of Chickification and a subtrope of Adaptational Badass. We all know girls will need role models, so what do you do when you're adapting or sequelizing a work from a "less enlightened" time? Make your female lead into an Action Girl! The title comes from Xena: Warrior Princess, who is not an example but rather the inspiration, being something of a Trope Codifier for Action Girl. Xenafication thus can be defined as "becoming like Xena".

Adaptational Badass - There are characters in the media who are known, simply put, for being less-than-dangerous. They might simply be the last competent fighter. They might be a Non-Action Guy/Damsel in Distress. Worst case scenario, they're The Load. When danger rears its head, the character generally beats feet and lets their tougher friends deal with the problem. But then, when the work is being adapted or rebooted, the character is made a bona fide badass. The reasons for this are myriad. One possibility is that characters who were reasonably competent and skilled in their original incarnations had their capabilities and accomplishments elevated in their next depiction, sometimes to an Invincible Hero or Invincible Villain level. This is related to the Big Budget Beef-Up or Serial Escalation, the character is changed to match the intensity of the action.

Icy Blue Eyes - Piercing, pale blue eyes, and sometimes gray eyes, that seem to look right through you. As a reflection of character, this variety of blue eyes indicates the coolness (as in Rule of Cool) or even coldness (as in cold and calculating) of the person who has them.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl - The Aloof Dark-Haired Girl is a fairly common character type combining both appearance and personality. They will generally be taller than their peers, more physically developed, and their hair will be very long and dark. Frequently, their skin will in contrast be very pale. They look older and more beautiful and meet a certain classic ideal of feminine beauty combining maturity, a quiet attitude and a combination of long hair and very pale skin. The Aloof Dark-haired Girl will not merely look older than her peers, however. Frequently, she will also act more reserved and aloof and thus seem more mature, which may earn her some younger female admirers.

[tabby-shieldmaiden]

[ID: a screenshot of the tvtropes page Xenafication. There is an example picture where the 1937 version of Disney’s Snow White is compared with the Snow White of 2012’s Snow White and The Huntsman. The Disney version is dressed in a blue and yellow dress, while the 2012 version is decked out in armour.]

Is this what people mean by reverse bimboification?

[alicehattera03]

what would be your ideal fanfic? which kind of tags/tropes would you pick?

OH ANON I LOVE YOU AND THIS ASK!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS AHHHHHH!!!! I just love getting asks like these, I get to *spins around* have fun taaaalkingggg~

My ideal fanfic is one with a good plot that can surprise me at some points but still has predictable elements that I can enjoy along the way, characterization doesn't have to be on point as long as the OOC -ness doesn't get on my nerves and seems plausible if it's in an AU but if it is I would give it a thumbs up, and it doesn't have to be centered around a ship however, I do like fics that have ships involved whether they're the main point or not!

Tags/tropes I would pick for this hypothetical perfect fic are: AU, angst, 3rd person pov, (major) character death, fix it, feels, canon-divergence/related, loss, angst with a happy ending(contrary to popular belief I do enjoy a good happy ending at times lol).

Tags I pick most often to read are(and I went through my most recently read fics to see these ahaha) : time-travel, AU(of a lot of sorts!), angst, canon-related, canon-divergence, war, politics(not that type of politics, just drama I guess?), 3rd person pov, hurt no comfort, everyone is dead(And ofc everyone is alive), (major) character death, fix-it, feels, dark, canon universe, loss, tragedy, whump- (wow I am DARK bro)

Tropes I pick the most often to read are: time-travel, reincarnation, alternate universe, fix-fic, xenafication(bamf!), hurt/comfort, the theorem of narrow interests, slash, stations of canon, purple prose, soulmates(omg they were soulmates), rage/bashing, series, backstory, patchwork, fan-verse, and betrayaaaaaaal fic!!!

[xiaolindude]

What are your least favourite tropes?

There are quite a few that bother me a lot of the time but can be decent when done right. One that bothers me pretty much without fail, probably my absolute no.1 MOST HATED is Babies Ever After/Babies Make Everything Better. I honestly think it’s such a damaging mindset to have and such a kick in the teeth to people who don’t want/can’t have children for any reason? To portray it as if it’s THE happy ending really pisses me off. There are so many other ways to have a happy ending! And especially portraying babies as a ‘fix’ for traumatised characters or dysfunctional relationships is just plain wrong imo, both in logic and morals (looking at you, Hunger Games and like a million other things)

I’m also not a fan of 100% Adoration Rating, and Xenafication if it doesn’t make sense. I like Xenafication if it makes sense in-universe within the narrative. But I really hate it when people are like ‘X character is super good at ____!’ when realistically they’d have no reason for/no way of being skilled at that thing?? It really bothers me. 

It happens in LOST with the protagonist, Jack (who is a spinal surgeon) being better than everyone else at a bunch of stuff, like golf, ping pong, shooting, poker etc. Obviously he’s an intelligent man and an amazing doctor, but all this stuff he has no real reason to be amazing at and yet he beats people who do have a reason to be good at it (i.e. he continuously beats Sawyer, a literal conman, at poker??? What??)

It also happens a lot in Tangled the Series in which Rapunzel is just... good at everything? Of course, she’s smart and tough and a fast learner and I love her. But after spending 18 years shut in a tower, she somehow entered a fighting competition and won against people 4x her size who had been training for it for literal years. At that point, for me, it goes way past ‘yay, girl power!’ and right into stupid/grating. And that’s just one example!

So yeah, I know that’s not quite Xenafication but I don’t know if there’s an actual trope title for ‘why is this character so good at that?? that makes no sense?’ sjajkfhshfhd

[elysiumwaits]

Hey! For the fanfic writing ask, nos. 12, 27, 28, 29 and 48, please! (Sorry, I know it’s a lot!) Thanks.😊

Never apologize for letting me talk about myself. Never. Seriously, though, you should have seen my face when I realized I got an ask and THEN it turned out to be more questions to answer! I live for these. Thank you so much!! <3

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

It can change depending on fandom, but I’d have to say that my favorite character to write for of all time is Stiles Stilinski. I have never related more to a character - seriously, when Teen Wolf first started becoming popular, my wife at the time sent me a youtube video and said, “Oh my God, it’s you.” Sarcastic asshole, ride-or-die loyalty, smart but kind of weird, sidekick... something about Stiles’ characterization in the show sang to me, and then it exploded when I found the fandom. 

So I think I like to write for him because it’s incredibly cathartic - my thoughts just fit in his character, my emotions fit, all of it works really, really well in this perfect storm that allows me to essentially feel through Stiles. So like in my cute family fic, Joyride and the upcoming Weekly Werewolf Sitcom series it’s a part of - that’s me projecting my need for family and intimacy and happiness and stability onto him because I’m not at that point in my real life, but I can give that to a character who just honestly might as well be me.

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

Usually I just throw words at the page and see what sticks. Sometimes I’ll type out a sentence or paragraph and then decide it actually comes later, so I’ll scoot it down the page. If I’m outlining a project, it’s a big project (catch me in the corner, crying about Blinding some more). Most of the time, though, I just write it and whisper “we’ll fix it in post!” over and over like a prayer.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

You can’t please everyone. I write what I want, these days - fluff to dark, everything in between. But back when I started, I felt like I had to write certain things, and I’ll be honest, I fell back into that pretty recently. It almost completely ruined fanfiction for me, but the truth is that I write for me and me alone. Prompts are marvelous - they’re my favorite thing to write for - but the act of writing is sacred to me, it’s my catharsis, and I don’t want anyone to take that away from me (again). 

So here I am, 15+ years after posting my first fanfiction, living my best writing life. I wish teenage-me had gotten that kind of freedom.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Don’t Ruin This on Me - It’s a FFVII fic, which puts it in a much smaller fandom than, say, Teen Wolf. It’s also Clack instead of Seph/Cloud, which also cuts readership down. But it’s the first fic I wrote after I started having seizures this year, and it was up in the air for awhile if I would be able to write anytime soon, and I’m stupid proud of how emotional it is. I really think I did a good job - it’s one of my favorites that I’ve written.

Then there’s Lending Softer Ears to My Lungs - also incredibly emotional, possibly the fic I am most proud of ever. Honestly, I’m just salty my fluff gets more notes than, like, my intense emotional stuff considering I put a ton more work into my intense emotional stuff, but it’s not a huge deal.

48) What’s your favourite trope to write?

Oh, man, what isn’t? I’m a big fan of “friends-to-lovers”, as well as good old fashioned “thin line between hate and love.” I also have a pretty heavy hand in a/b/o fics sometimes, accidental marriage is the bomb, and lately I’ve been running into the “accidental baby acquisition” tag and I am here for it.

Here is something you didn’t ask for - tropes I love but haven’t written:

Noir detective fic

Deserted island

Aliens Made Them Do It/Pon Farr (someone figure out how I can work this into Teen Wolf - omg vulcan derek)

30 Sue Pile-Up (I’ve only heard of this, and I don’t think I could actually pull it off)

Crossovers everywhere (Teen Wolf/SPN, Teen Wolf/MCU, Teen Wolf/SPN/MCU - give it to meee)

Xenafication (this term may date me - I’ve seen this a lot in the MCU with Darcy, but I’ve never actually seen the term used)

Anyway! Thanks for letting me ramble and giving me something to type about. I had a blast filling these out. I appreciate you!! <3

[psychmajxr]

“Trope”

Rejecting the traditional Damsel in Distressroutine, this damsel doesn’t wait for a hero to rescue her. She can take care of herself, thank you very much. This trope occurs when the damsel escapes on her own, or at least makes significant progress towards it before the hero can find her. Extra points if she manages to do it still bound; even more if she then helps the hero escape the danger he’s putting himself into.

Almost Always Female, and usually a Plucky Girl.

Compare with Play-Along Prisoner, Lady of Warfor a skillful and graceful fighter, Silk Hiding Steel is this trope’s prim and proper relative, Xenaficationfor inexplicable badass leveling up, Deliberately Distressed Damsel who enjoys the damsel aspect, and Decoy Damsel who pretends to be a Damsel in Distress for her own benefit.

Contrast Damsel Scrappy and Too Dumb to Live. Should not be confused with Badass in Distress, but can overlap with it. Compare Defiant Captive, which is about a defiant mindset while captured.

[ohfugecannada]

Top whatever favourite tropes I want to see in more media going forward

Action Girl

Action Survivor

Agent Peacock

Ambiguous gender

Badass gay

Bi the way

Big beautiful man

Big beautiful woman

Black and nerdy

Bald Woman

Cast full of gay

Damsel out of distress

Divine date

Did you just romance cathulu?

Disabled character, disabled actor

Everyone is bi

Family of choice

Gay cowboy

Gayborhood

Gender neutral writing

Has two mommies

Handicapped badass

Heroic albino

Hook hand

House husband

In Touch With His Feminine Side

Masculine girl, feminine boy

Mama bear

Non-Action Guy

Pair the suitors

Polyamory

Preserve your gays

Pre-Colombian Civilisations

Papa wolf

Queer character, queer actor

Spirited young lady

Shell shocked veteran

Wholesome Crossdresser

World of Action Girls

Xenafication

Feel free to add more! ~✨

[shadlad24]

Episodic Ficlet #22: Responsive

“Go; go on!”

Well knowing that Gabrielle would not leave her alone in such a vulnerable state even if the girl’s life depended on it, Xena allowed herself several moments to soak in her friend’s comforting presence. Then the warrior princess tensed her shoulder muscles just enough so that Gabrielle alone would notice. She lowered her voice below Melas’s hearing range to make a rare entreaty. “Please. I just need a minute.”

Gabrielle reluctantly pulled away. “Alright.” Her hand still resting on the woman’s inner shoulder, she softly but pointedly added, “But I’ll be waiting for you…”

Xena’s jaw tightened as she nodded curtly. Nevertheless, she tossed a grateful smile at her friend to ease the bard’s mind.

That reassuring hand squeezed her one final time and then left her.

The warrior princess forced herself not to look back. 

#

As promised, she did not keep Gabrielle waiting long. Both surprised and not, need and wariness battling within her, she froze when the blonde enveloped her in an embrace that included each stocky limb. “Gabrielle? What- How- Why-”

A tearful, teasing, “There’s a sentence in there just dying to get out!” tickled the hollow of her throat.

“Why would you want to stay with me after what I told you? How can you-”

“You need me.” 

Xena shook her head. “Gabrielle, you need to get out of here!” she demanded close to bitingly despite being unable to get her body to cooperate in separating from the girl.

Gabrielle did it herself. Releasing Xena, she pulled back to say, “Fat chance. I’m not going anywhere.” A self-deprecating smile flashed across her face with the popping of an ember when she conceded, “But I will give you some space. Good-”

“Gabrielle, I mean it! Not- just because of me, but Callisto! She’s smart; she’ll know how much you mean to me! That p-”

“Puts me in grave danger. What else is new? Good night, Xena.” The bard settled on her side with her back to the woman.

Huffing and scoffing in one, Xena mirrored her.

#

Elven ears attuned to the nearly inaudible sniffling coming from behind them. Automatically, the body they were attached to rolled over to reach out and make contact with its upholder. Gabrielle once more attempted to dry Xena’s face.

Rather than pull away again, Xena could not stop herself from snatching her friend’s hand and holding it to her cheek. She smiled, which made her cry harder, when the little bard scootched closer to both provide her with warmth and ward off the smothering flames of the past.

#

Gabrielle echoed Xena’s tossing and turning throughout the night. Her instincts kept her catering to her hero, no matter her state of consciousness. Liquid pain from the brunette required caresses from her small hands. Reciprocal stroking compelled Gabrielle to remain utterly still, biting back grins at the profound gratitude and wonder emanating from her soulmate.

“You’re still here,” that deep voice whispered each hour. 

“You’re not alone,” her sleep-roughened one murmured back.

.

500 words. Hm, should I stop with the end of season one? No one seems much interested in these any more, besides perhaps @scentedflowersong and sometimes @dulcie13. Hmm… Either way, I think I’ll include links to all the previous EFs and the Google Doc at the bottom of each post from here on out.

Episodic Ficlets: #1 #1 (Truncated) #2 #3 #4 #4 (Alternate) #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 

Also, only five more posts ’til the big 300. Any thoughts on the matter would be much appreciated.

[ao3feed-mythology]

Final Stand of Death

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/33TQDHV

by Beta_Mat_86

5 Fallen victims have returned, donning new armor... which spells the end for Marilyn Mason. Who are they?

NOTE: I don't own the right to Planet Dolan, WWE, and Celebrity Deathmatch.

The fan-fiction you are about to read is a work of art. Names, places, and incidents are likely the creation of the writer or are used for the purpose of the work. Any resemblance to actual events or locations is by pure luck. This work may or not reflect the views or thoughts of any actual person being portrayed here. Anyway, it's just a FAN FICTION!

The line in the script form are others telling what is going on! They might have spoiler it. All well... Yes, there are clips in the fic just to give you an idea about what was going on.

Words: 2546, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Celebrity Deathmatch, Let's Play - Fandom, Super Planet Dolan (Web Series), WWE, Marilyn Manson (Band), Hanson (Band), Spice Girls, Multi-Fandom, Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, Beavis and Butt-head, Blink-182, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: Gen

Characters: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Mick Foley | Mankind | Cactus Jack, Beavis, Butt-head, Zatar The Alien, Marilyn Manson, Jack Nicholson, The Undertaker (Professional Wrestling), Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Monica, Johnny Knoxville, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Victoria Adams Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Vince McMahon Jr., Jennifer "JLO" Lopez, Madonna, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, Chris Tucker, Nick Diamond, Johnny Gomez, Danger Dolan (Super Planet Dolan), Hellbent (Super Planet Dolan), Nixxiom (Super Planet Dolan), Pringle (Super Planet Dolan), Debbie Matenopoulos, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley

Additional Tags: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Crossover, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Swearing, Cyborg 009 - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Angels, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Cybernetics, Satan - Freeform, Xenafication, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Blood and Injury, Gorn, Heaven vs Hell, Cyborgs

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/33TQDHV

[shadlad24]

Episodic Ficlet #19: Precious

“I mean, come on. If you didn’t do it, then who…?”

The pair stared up at the sky for a few beats.

Xena broke the moment with a playful full-body shudder and then exclaimed, “So, I lied to you last week!” just before realizing that wasn’t quite what she’d wanted to say nor how.

Gabrielle whirled around to face her friend, eyes glaring and hands clapped over her ears once more. “Honestly, the Olympians-” but she tapered off at the look on the woman’s face.

Xena retreated toward Argo. Her fidgety hands had trouble opening the saddlebag nearest her, and when she saw what was inside, she hesitated. Bright blue eyes flitted up to green-blue ones that were draining confusion and filling with wonder. The warrior princess hitched an awkward smile onto her face, untied the bag from Argo’s saddle horn, and then thrust the gift into Gabrielle’s hands. “Um, well, ah- What I was trying to say is that I was really coming back by Potidaea last week because I didn’t want to miss your birthday. This is from me… and the Amazons, but mostly me.”

Never breaking her visual lock on the brunette, the girl slowly undid the rope around the top of the velveteen sack. 

Xena piped up once more. “Well, don’t look at me! See what I got you!” Her face nearly cracked from the effort of maintaining her grin.

“Oh, it’s beautiful! …But-” The blonde got cut off by Xena grabbing the new staff from her and assembling it. 

“See? It’s collapsible! Much more convenient for you, so you never have to go anywhere without a weapon! …To… To keep you safe. Because you’re precious, and I don’t ever want anything to happen to you.” There! Xena triumphed internally. I said it, and now she won’t be able to complain that I- 

“What did you say?” Gabrielle asked, unable to believe the final, speedily spoken sentence she’d heard.

“I- I said… Um…” Xena closed her eyes, put her hands on Gabrielle’s shoulders, and took a deep breath. But before she could open her mouth again, she got crashed into and nearly suffocated by her little companion. The woman froze for a moment, remembering how the girl had similarly held onto her in the well and then smiling from the understanding that, then, it had been from frightened survival instinct; now, it was an expression of joyful appreciation. Peacefully, she lay her cheek on top of orange hair before hugging Gabrielle back.

“It’s okay; you don’t-”

Xena shook her head but did not lift it. “No, I do have to say it. It’s important to you. …A-and me too. You- You’re- You’re very precious …to me. And I would hate for the light you bring into my life to be dimmed, let alone go out.” Images of Gabrielle announcing she was going to the Athens Academy; hanging from a collapsed bridge; trembling with Thersites’s knife at her throat; lying facedown by the side of the Alconian Lake; cringing within Sinteres’s cruel grasp, twice; frozen in the path of a fast-approaching cart of sharpened trees; waving, teary-eyed, as she turned toward Potadeia; strewn facedown in the dirt yet again mere hours ago; wincing with Mael’s knife at her throat; and nearly plunging to her death in the well made Xena squeeze Gabrielle just as hard as Gabrielle was squeezing her. Her voice wavered when she demanded, “You need to be more careful! I can’t lose you, Gabrielle! Do you hear me?” She wanted to shake the girl but could not get either one of them to loosen their grips on each other.

Gabrielle smiled just as softly as she promised, “I will, Xena. You’ll see! With this new staff, the world will have to watch out of me!”

“It’d better!” the warrior princess grumbled.

Silence reasserted itself for quite some time.

“Ah!” Xena shook her head and released Gabrielle to swipe at her eyes before the girl could see their water. “Anyway, happy birthday, kid,” she said gruffly.

But Gabrielle knew that the harsh tone only came from the tears and lump in her friend’s throat. Still not opening her eyes and giving her hero one last squeeze, she replied, “Thank you, Xena.”

.

700 words. Also, if you didn’t know, then nineteenth episodes are always Gabrielle’s birthday, and my tracing of Gabrielle’s staffs has further led me to believe that her main one was a gift from Xena. What do you guys think? Either way, happy birthday, Gabrielle, and happy pride, everyone! 😆 

Check the Directory / the Google Doc if you want a full listing of my posts, or go here if you’d like to read the ficlets all in one place. Thanks! / You’re welcome! 🤣

Also-also, a disclaimer for my friend: Yes, that “kid” at the end is very intentional. It re-establishes distance between Xena and Gabrielle because Xena had gone too far with her transparent compliments and so had to dial it back. So, there! Heh

[shadlad24]

Marking Time in Xena

So, as you probably know, I’m an avid fic-writer and sometimes reader. A curiosity I have: Where did the idea of candlemarks come from? The term is so strange to me; I don’t think I ever heard it on the show. Am I missing something?

In “Maternal Instincts,” Xena enumerates the years, months, and days it's been since she last visited Solan. “Them Bones, Them Bones” has Gabrielle quantifying Xena’s gestation in a more archaic way, seasons. Were any other time markers name-checked in the show (besides the obvious one of the [variable] seconds that the pinch takes to kill someone)? 

One fic series I found referred to years as seasons, which got me really confused at first because there are, of course, four seasons in a year. Everything couldn’t possibly be a quarter of the age it’s implied to be, right? Is that another thing I’m missing some part of? Please let me know!

Thanks!

[shadlad24]

Episodic Ficlet #24 (Alternate): Safe

“It’s Gabrielle who performed the miracle. …Din’cha?”

Grandmother? Uncle Meropes? Dazed orbs sought the faces of her loved ones with whom she had just reunited. The young bard gasped at what she saw instead. Xena’s looking at me with such love in her eyes. She’s even tearing up. No! Gabrielle mourned when the warrior princess pulled back from kissing her on the forehead. I don’t want this dream to end. A stuttered breath later, the girl panicked. Unless Xena’s dead too! Th-the temple!

Those strong arms cinched tighter around in her limp frame. “Ssh,” that voice soothed her. “It’s alright, precious. You’re safe. You’re safe now; I promise!”

“...Xena?”

“Yes, lovey?” Her voice catching on the endearment, the woman still laughed beneath watery eyes.

Gabrielle knew then she was still on the other side.

Or maybe not. The center of her chest began to ache terribly.

“I-it hurts,” she whispered. She soon passed out, for Xena immediately parted her top and kissed the forming bruise there.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” 

It had to be a dream.

#

“I love you.”

Elven ears perked up, and Gabrielle let herself grin. “I know,” she told her dream lover. 

“Oh, ya do, do ya? I guess I don’t have to say it anymore then.”

Green-blue eyes shot open at that warm, teasing tone. Her hand rose to ensnare itself in the long, raven locks spilling into her face but found itself full of another hand. She’s even still holding me, the bard mused, utterly amazed.

“How-” Xena’s voice broke again. “How’re you feelin’, hon- huh?”

“Safe,” the bard murmured as she snuggled even closer to her hero.

#

For the next few days, Gabrielle would not wake without dark hair in her eyes, warm breath tickling her temple, and powerful hands cradling her in some way.

We’ll have to come through this forest more often, she thought to herself with a soft but naughty grin. Then she would whine or whimper, and Xena would instantly spring to attention to wait on her hand and foot. Definitely challenge the warrior princess to stop a war at least once a season from here on out. 

A pointed poke in the nose and huff told her to not even try it. 

But Gabrielle knew that she would.

.

Woo! 300th post! I debated writing this bit, figured it’d be a better conclusion to the season, and so went ahead and did it. Sue me. 😛 But yay! So much is complete now!

Season 1 FFLMs: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 + MFLMs: #1 #2

Season 2 FFLMs: #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 + MFLM: #3

Episodic Ficlets: #1 #1 (Truncated) #2 #3 #4 #4 (Alternate) #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 + full Google Doc

Also, Adrienne Wilkinson is working with me on getting my first novel ready for publication. COOOOOOL!!! She’s seriously the best, y’all. Also-also, another Xenite helped me download all the Rift Arc episodes in HD. Now I can redo the images for a bunch of my posts! Yaaaaay! Which one should I do first? Lemme know! And celebrate this milestone with me, if you will! Thanks!

*Oh yeah. 375 words. Ahem.