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phantomphangphucker · 3 years

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Phic Phight: Death By Electric Murder Dimension

Prompt Creator: @mahalidael

Wes never asked and eventually he was going to have to, Danny’s still a dick about it though.

“Alright fucking it”.

Danny quirks an eyebrow at Wes, who’s standing almost ominously and threateningly in one of the hallways with broken lights. The flickering darkness really adds to the whole ominous vibes and Danny’s totally digging it. The hallway being otherwise empty really ramps it up that much more. Pointing a finger at Wes, “you should wear a bloody apron next time, really play into the creepy abandoned hallway axe murderer vibe”.

Wes grumbles and stalks forward, “the only murdered one here is you”.

“Oh yeah? You and what murderer”.

Wes blinks at him, “that doesn’t even make sense”,

“To you maybe”.

Wes sighs into his hand, “you can’t murder a murder victim”.

Danny snorts, “double homicide”.

“Oh for fucks sake”.

Danny shrugs, “besides, wasn’t murdered”.

Wes blinks at him, “the fuck? How the fuck does a teenager die otherwise?”, sighing exaggeratedly, “and here I am finally nutting up and asking you how you got offed. What has the world come to”.

Danny snickers, “dumbly. Teenagers die dumbly”, shrugging and leaning against the lockers, hands in his pockets. Arguably telling the wannabe sleuth wouldn’t do any harm. And you know, horrifying and/or frustrating the guy was always a fun time. “Got eaten by an alternate dimension”.

Wes scowls at him.

“Houses electrical current decided it really hated me”.

Wes’s scowl only deepens.

“Just a little bit of scientific and parental negligence filled with sunshine”.

Wes actually growls at him, “I hate you”. Making Danny grin wide, “I know”. Shrugging into the wall and looking up at the ceiling, “but seriously, Wes? First off rude much-”.

Wes rolls his eyes, “oh like you care”.

“-Second- okay fair. But really, second, do ya really wanna know, man?”, meeting Wes’s eyes, “because everyone who does wishes they didn’t”. The ominous lighting is seriously working for Danny here, giving his words some added punch.

Wes stares at him for a bit and seems to actually be considering this, before shrugging and joining Danny in leaning against the lockers, “eh I nutted up, I wanna know, and I regret you anyway”.

Danny snorts, “of course you do”, with an eye roll. Gesturing to one of the near ground-level wall sockets, “ever stuck a fork in a socket? Yeah, multiply that by a billion or two”.

Wes blinks, “the Hell did you shove your finger into to get electrocuted that badly?”, shaking his head, “pretty sure a lightning bolt has less electrical current than that”.

Danny chuckles, his chuckle rattling the old locker doors some, “try four times the amount”.

“Congrats on successfully making me feel bad for you, you asshole”.

Danny only chuckles more at that, “you asked. As for the what?“, shrugging, “eh, walked inside an unactivated experimental never-before-tested Ghost Portal and proceeded to activate it. Like I said, wormhole made sweet sweet love to my chard corpse”.

“Jesus you disgust me”.

Danny pushes away from the lockers purely to give a little bow, “your welcome, your welcome. No need to thank me”. Wes scowls at him as Danny returns to leaning back against the lockers, “besides, if it wasn’t for the wormhole bit I’d be a blackened corpse done extra crispy instead of an impossible half-dead kid”.

Wes blinks, “wait, you’re only half dead”. Danny looks to him like he’s crazy, “duh. How the fuck did you not figure that one out. How the fuck do you think I’m able to look human? Because I’m still human, dumbass. How do think I can even stay in the mortal realm endlessly? Because I’m not totally reliant on ectoplasm, you nitwit. Ancients. And here I thought you were smart-ish”.

Wes grumbles incoherently and crosses his arms before snapping, “well that shouldn’t be fucking possible so excuse me for not figuring out the impossible. Gosh you’re a dick. So what? How the literal fuck did a wormhole sever your life in half”.

Danny chuckles sarcastically, “well it being a wormhole to the ghost Zone might be a hint”, earning another scowl from Wes before he continues, “you see, the way a portal works is it pulls in ectoplasmic energy from the entirety of the Zone”, shrugging, “gave me a nice little comfy squishy ecto-bath. Just got all of that gooey ectoplasm all up in my bones and muscles and lungs and brain and DNA”, waving a hand dismissively, “It’s a wonder I wasn’t actually shitting ectoplasm afterwards”.

Wes makes gagging motions before tilting his head curiously, “so what? Did the ectoplasm just, like, fuse with your DNA or some shit. That is some serious science fiction bullshit”.

“I’m science fiction bullshit, Wes”, shrugging while Wes mutters ‘point’, “and eh, pretty much. Since the electrocution from Hell and wormhole of death thing happen at the same time the ectoplasm basically just took over the dying cells and DNA while also providing the still living shit with a nice little jello-looking cocoon of deathly safety. Thus saving half my life”, sticking a finger up in the air, “ghosts don’t typically become ghosts directly after death, you know. I’m just special”.

Wes snorts, “yeah a real special pain in the neck that is”.

“HA, you want a real pain in the neck try getting your head cut off”. Wes scowls at him, making Danny smirk. Shrugging against the lockers, “so... now that you’ve ‘nutted up’ you gonna shut up?“.

Wes rolls his eyes, “I’m still gonna expose your ass, but I’m not gonna tell anyone how you offed yourself. I’m not mean”.

“Eh, debatable”.

Wes scoffs and pushes off the lockers, “whatever, Phantom. I’ll see ya around, yeah?”.

Danny shakes his head, watching the wanna-be sleuth walk off down the empty hall, “we coulda been friends, you know”.

“Yeah I don’t think so”.

Danny just shakes his head at that, “cut deep why dontcha”. It’s stuff like this that stopped him from actually genuinely disliking Wes.

End.

Prompt: Eventually, Wes nuts up and asks Danny how he died.

#Danny Phantom #phandom #phic phight #phic phight 2021 #wes #danny #Danny's a little shit #comedy #short one to start ya out guys #wc: 980 #asking the shit you never should to a ghost #fan fic #phan phic #my writing #have a fic suck my dick #phantomphangphucker #gothmoth

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thewaynemanner · 4 years

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Wholesome BatFamily Fic Rec’s

Hey All, so here is my BatFam Rec List you all have been asking for! Lol jk no one has asked for this, but I made it anyways! So here are my All-Time Favorite BatFamily Fic Recs, for the most part these Recs are all rated either “G” for General Audiences or “T” for Teen and Up Audiences. So basically, all these fics focus on family dynamics and relationships rather than slash or anything like that. These are all truly amazing fics so give your Kudos and love to the authors! And remember to always read the tags before you read the fic!

And So This is Christmas by DragOnstOrm

Summary: It's not that Alfred isn't happy with his job. It's just that sometimes he really wishes that he had known what he was getting into when he signed up for it.

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 1,901

My Comments: Folks, stories don’t get much more wholesome than this fic. After reading this fic I was left warm and happy. Also, it stars my boy, Alfie, which is usually extremely rare for fics. Loved that we got to see Alfred’s perspective in this! Great fic!

Bedside Manner by @fishfingersandjellybabies

Summary: Sometimes Bruce forgot just how great his kid was.

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 2,985

My Comments: Anything @fishfingersandjellybabies writes is truly fantastic, but I particularly loved this one since it delved into the sweeter side of Bruce and Damian’s relationship that we don’t get to see often (especially in cannon). I love me a good hurt/comfort fic 😉

Bet on it by @lysical

Summary: Even Damian could admit that his older siblings occasionally had their uses.

"I need your assistance," Damian said, voice low and tense.

"No," Jason replied, and hung up.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 2,495

My Comments: Lysical writes some of the best BatBrother Fics out there, folks. So if you want some wholesome and hilarious Bat sibling bonding, then look no further! Bet on it, is one of my personal favorites of Lysical’s. Great writing and great characterization!

Blood in the Water by MishaBerry

Summary: We all do stupid things when we are lonely, and in faraway lands, we hardly expect the consequences to follow us. Bruce certainly never thought twice about an American woman in Jaipur after one night with her. He hardly expected to see her ever again.

The universe, on the other hand, had different ideas, and the tides of time and chance brought Tim Drake to Bruce's life over and over again.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 181,939

My Comments: FANTASTIC AU! One of my favorite Tim Drake centric fics, but still has plenty of the rest of the BatFamily. I also love that we get to see Tim as his sweet six-year self. This story has it all, great characterizations, good plot, angst, fluff, and BatFamily bonding 😊

Cracked Foundation by @cdelphiki

Summary: The last thing Damian expected to happen when he ran away from home was to spend a day crammed into a small space with Jason Todd. His father's second son was a black sheep. An outcast. An angry, insanity driven criminal who enjoyed screwing with the batfamily in every way he could. At least, that's what Damian thought. Maybe he was wrong about Todd.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 20,902

My Comments: This is a brilliant fic that examines the relationship between Damian and Jason. I absolutely loved this fic and never wanted it to end. I truly wish there were more Jason and Damian Fics out there, I think it’s a character duo that isn’t explored nearly enough. If you love Damian and Jason brother bonding fics, you’ll love this one and if you’ve never read a bonding fic between these two brothers, you may just find a new love!

Five Times Jason Todd Saved His Brothers, and One Time They Saved Him by laceymcbain, reena_jenkins

Summary: “Did you know I was in here, or did you just blow up the place for fun?”

Damian didn't need to see Todd's face to know he was grinning under the helmet.

“It's not really a rescue unless something blows up. But if Bats asks, it was completely necessary."

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 6,923

My Comments: This fic is BatFamily feels to the extreme. Jason Todd deserves love and this fic gives it to him. LOVED IT <3 <3 <3

Fly By Night by @lysical

Summary: Damian is thirteen. Sometimes he even acts like it.

"This is an injustice," were the last words Damian had spoken to his father all day.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 2,889

My Comments: Another great Fic by @Lysical! This is just a plain ol’ fun Fic, y’all. Great Bat Brother love in this one and it also features my sweet summer child- Jonathan Samuel Kent. Trust me you will love this Fic, it is hilarious and all around good stuff 😊

A Good Place by @lemonadegarden

Summary: Damian Wayne is kidnapped and sent back years through time. Together, he and Father – who's only been Batman for a mere six months –must figure out how to return him to his own time.

Over the course of the next week, Damian discovers that Mexican gangsters do not mess around, that social workers find Bruce annoying, that Bruce might be a little messed up, and that crystal chandeliers create the fondest memories.

Oh. And Alfred has hair.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 36,903

My Comments: LemonadeGarden is one of my All-Time favorite authors, so anything written by them is brilliant. But A Good Place will always be a favorite of mine, it is by far my favorite Damian & Bruce centric Fic out there and is something I have read over and over again. I love getting to see a younger Bruce interact with Damian and in turn, Damian interact with him. It’s overall great and has a fantastic plot!

Let There Be a Bruise by @audreycritter

Summary: Damian is a child who should not have the scars he does; Bruce is a father who has plenty of his own scars, but still wishes he could take his son’s, too.

The silver lining is where they find each other— a broken son and a broken father, putting each other back together.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 3,656

My Comments: Audreycritter is the master of Damián & Bruce Hurt/Comfort fics. I honestly would recommend all of Audrey’s fics, so check them all out! But this one will always be a favorite 😊

Life Happens by @cdelphiki

Summary: While walking home from an event at Wayne Enterprises, Tim and Damian are kidnapped and sent to an alternate dimension. In a world where superheroes are merely comic book characters and the idea of the multiverse is only a theory found within the pages of science fiction, how are Tim and Damian going to return home? How long will they be stranded on this strange Earth? And will the boys murder each other before they figure it out?

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 176,966

My Comments: Hoo-boy, folks. I don’t even know where to start with this Fic. I honestly get teary-eyed thinking about how beautiful it is and how much I loved this one. My favorite Tim Drake and Damian Wayne brotherly bonding Fic EVER. I would almost describe this Fic as a love letter to the characters Tim and Damian, in the sense that the author captures their characterizations beautifully and tells one of the best stories of growth and familial love I have ever read. It’s fluffy, angsty, humorous, and full of BatFamily feels. And don’t worry, there is plenty of Dick, Jason, and Bruce as well (If not a little later in the story). I would run to this Fic, if I were you.

Life, if Well Lived by CaptainOzone

Summary: Jason wakes up from a time-travel mishap to find Thomas and Martha Wayne hovering over him.

Just another day in the life, right?

...Not quite.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 10,758

My Comments: A Fic that destroyed me in the BEST way possible. Tears, so many tears were shed during this fic. The best Hurt/Comfort fic I have ever read. Extremely unique in the sense that Martha and Thomas Wayne are two of the main characters and boy did I love it! I can not stress how AMAZING this Fic is. I never knew I needed this fic in my life until I read it. I wish I could re-read it for the first time all over again. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

My Brother’s Keeper by Forever_A_Thief

Summary: The boy had two options, two roads stretching out before him: stay with Mother, and become the greatest assassin ever known to man, or go to Father, and become a masked vigilante fighting for justice in a city drenched in darkness. Damian looked at these two roads, these two lives he could lead, and decided on a third path for himself instead. He chose his own road.

Jason never let himself think about the kid he had left behind at the desert compound all those years ago. When Talia never got in touch with him after his return to Gotham, Jason had assumed he had just been forgotten like he had been in Gotham. But then that kid, his little brother, showed up one night and Jason couldn’t just continue to push him to the back of his mind. Not anymore.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 43,907

My Comments: Did I mention I love Jason & Damian fics? Well I do and this one is beyond FANTASTIC. Overall great Bat-Bros fic that I would recommend over and over again. This fic is Damian and Jason centric but it does involve the rest of the Bat Family too. I love seeing all the brother’s bonding in this fic and the overall family feels 😊

Of Owls and Assassins by Cirth

Summary: "Dick," Bruce says, not entirely sure how to react, "who is that?"

Dick blinks at him from his place on the workout mat. There's a broken plate with mac and cheese strewn all over next to him, as well as what seems to be Bruce's old G.I. Joe action figure from the attic. It looks like a child's imagining of a murder scene. "My owlet," Dick states.

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 853

My Comments: The adorableness of this Fic is off the charts. I love AU’s where Dick is a Talon, but this one will always hold a very special place in my heart since Dick is just so pure in it. Forever a favorite <3

Party Games by @lemonadegarden

Summary: I can't believe you got into a bar fight at two in the morning. And now you're all in prison. The night before your wedding. What the fuck kind of a family am I marrying into?” Selina said.

Bruce Wayne goes to a series of bachelor parties, each one worse than the last. Set in the same timeline as We, So Much Older, but can be read as a standalone fic as well.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 12,659

My Comments: Okay, so technically this is a Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne Fic and even though the plot premise revolves around their upcoming wedding, I wouldn’t really consider this a “slash” fic. There is definitely more BatFamily vibes with this fic. It’s hilarious, fun, and oh so wholesome! I love this fic beyond measure and even if you aren’t a fan of the BatCat ship, I highly suggest you give it a shot for the amazing BatFam moments.

Second Chance by @cdelphiki

Summary: When Talia al Ghul watched her toddling son start his training, his awful, grueling training, she had an epiphany:

The League of Assassins was no place for children.

(Or: Talia realizes training literal babies is abuse and gets him out of there.)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 6,461

My Comments: This is the Talia al Ghul we deserve! This is the Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne deserves! THIS IS THE TALIA AL GHUL, DAMIAN WAYBE DESERVES! Loved this fic, great Talia al Ghul characterization. It’s the Talia that could have ben before DC slaughtered her character.

Running Headlong into My Arms by gleesquid

Summary: Bruce doesn’t like to credit one thing for saving his life, but if he did, it would be Haly’s Circus that Friday night in September, just as summer was beginning to die.

(He'll always be a sucker for kids with sad eyes, no parents, and more fight than the world knows what to do with.)

Or: in a universe where superheroes don't exist, Bruce Wayne finds his family.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 54,231

My Comments: I feel like this fic is a right of passage into the BatFamily fandom, so if by some chance you haven’t already read it, I highly suggest you move this straight to the top of your reading list. It’s a classic and has everything you could ever want in a BatFam Fic.

we are not alone in the dark by @audreycritter

Summary: Damian has a flashback on a family camping trip.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 2,218

My Comments: A BatFam camping trip, need I say more? One of my favorite hurt/comfort fics involving Damian. We get to see some super sweet moments between Bruce and Damian, and Damian and Jason. Loved it.

Where You Go, I Follow by @fishfingersandjellybabies

Summary: In some world, Dick Grayson was never revived by Lex Luthor, and was probably better for it.

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 1,427

My Comments: BROKE MY HEART, but in the best possible way. I cried both sad tears and happy tears for this fic. LOVED IT! I have read it at least six times (I’m going read it again after I post this rec). A fantastic Dick & Damian story. I also love the title; it captures the mood perfectly. I’m always a sucker for fics that are inspired by songs, this one was inspired by ‘I Will Follow You’ by Toulouse!

Video message incoming by helenabertinellis

Summary: The League are just wrapping up their meeting when a call comes through the Watchtower servers.

It's for Batman.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 1,228

My Comments: I consider this a classic BatFam fic, so I will be shocked if you haven’t read it, but on the off chance that you have not read it, GO READ IT NOW. It’s humorous and all so wholesome 😊

Yesterday’s Voices by @lemonadegarden

Summary: While trying to take down a drug cartel that deals with memory altering drugs, things go awry, and Batman wakes up with no recollection of the last five years.

As a result, his family must now race against time to find the antidote, while also having to deal with a Bruce who still thinks Jason is Robin. A Bruce who doesn't recognise most of them. A Bruce far less jaded and cynical than the one they're used to. A Bruce who still cares.

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 49,000

My Comments: Surprise, surprise another amazing fic by LemonadeGarden. I will be shocked if you haven’t read this fic yet, but on the off chance that you haven’t, I am telling you now, to RUN to this fic. It will forever and always be my MOST FAVORITE BATFAMILY fic out there. I honestly wish this fic never had ended, it’s one that will always hold a special spot in my heart. THIS IS THE BRUCE WAYNE WE DESERVE.

For More Fic Recs Check-Out:

BatFamily Fic Recs part 2

BatFamily Fic Recs Part 3

BatFamily Fic Recs Part 4

BatFamily Fic Recs Part 5

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beardycarrot · 3 years

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I, lying awake in bed because that’s how it always is the day before you have something important to do... am going to try to guess what the plot of Bioshock Infinite is, based on what I’ve seen in the first few hours and with knowledge of the other two (and a half?) games. Spoilers for the entire Bioshock series, except maybe Infinite, but I intend to knock it out of the park.

So. The first Bioshock is set in a futuristic (by 1950’s standards) city at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, created by a hardcore libertarian named Andrew Ryan as a way to once and for all live in a society free of government regulation. I won’t get into all the “sea slugs that produce a gene-altering wonder drug” and “child slaves brainwashed to drink corpse blood” stuff; very interesting, very important to the plot, but if I tried to explain the world of Bioshock I’d be lying here typing on my phone until the sun comes up. That stuff aside, the major plot points are that you’re not actually a guy who just happened to crash-land near the entrance to the city but are, in fact, Andrew Ryan’s son, and the guy who’s been guiding you through the city was actually using a Manchurian Candidate-style activation phrase to manipulate you into doing whatever he wanted. It’s a big, mind-blowing reveal (as is the realization that your character is actually about four years old... science fiction, man).

Bioshock 2 didn’t really have any big plot twists... or plot, for that matter ...but it was developed by an entirely different team, while the original’s team also did Infinite, so I’m expecting a return to form. Just as an aside, Bioshock 2 had a short DLC campaign called Minerva’s Den, which had a fantastic story, and a twist that the player can figure out on their own if they’re paying attention. Your goal is to get a very smart computer (for 1968) out of the underwater city and back to the surface so you can use it to cure all the victims of the slug-borne gene manipulation, and you’re guided over radio by the computer’s creator. At the end, you learn that the one guiding you was actually the computer itself, and that you’re its creator, slowly recovering from brainwashing. For the record, the endings to all three of these have made me cry.

So! With those kinds of twists in mind, what am I expecting from Bioshock Infinite? Well, I went into the game only knowing the names of the protagonists, that rather than underwater it was set in a floating sky city, and that there was some kind of religious theming but also a lot of old-timey Americana. As it turns out, the people of this city worship— no, have DEIFIED the founding fathers, and are lead by a man called Father Comstock. I’m pretty sure that name is a reference to the Comstock Act, similar to Andrew Ryan being named after Ayn Rand... but he could actually be called Father Cornstalk and I just haven’t been paying attention.

Anyway. Just a few minutes into the game, I noticed that a statue of Comstock looked suspiciously similar to my character... before deciding that I didn’t actually have that clear of a mental image of my character, they wouldn’t pull the “secret son” thing twice, and as much as I love it there probably isn’t going to be any time travel. Le sigh.

UNTIL!

So, your goal is to get a girl named Elizabeth out of the city, and there is some legitimately weird stuff going on with her prison. Like, they have some of her personal possessions from various points in her life in containment: a teddy bear, a diary, and a bloody cloth labeled “menarche”. Gross. Why would you keep that. Well, when an electric current (or something visually similar) is applied, the bear and diary change color, and the blood disappears from the cloth. The reason I’m not sure if it’s electricity is that there’s some kind of siphon system set up, it looks like a bunch of subwoofers, and it’s absorbing... something? When she sings, maybe? Is the energy being siphoned what changed the quantum states of those objects, or whatever was happening? There was also a chart showing that when she hit puberty... something, really spiked, which is what forced them to build the siphon. I can’t claim to know what’s happening here, but when I finally saw her she was day dreaming about Paris, and.. I guess opened some kind of portal, TO Paris? But then a bus or something barreled towards her, so she quickly closed it. In the couple seconds that the portal was open, I saw the marquee on a movie theater that... well, was in French, but I’M PRETTY SURE said “Return of the Jedi”. I should probably mention that this game is set in 1912. That smells like time travel to me, baby!

So, this is where it gets interesting, and confusing, and complicated. I think Elizabeth is Comstock’s daughter, from various signs and posters about Comstock’s seed being their salvation, and The Lamb of God being locked in the tower, and such... and signs about a “false shepherd” who would try to take her away (again, lots of weird divergent Christian sect stuff). One sign showered the false shepherd’s hand as having the initials AD branded on the back, which the protagonist Booker does indeed have. Before rescuing Elizabeth, Comstock confronts you, and seems to know all about Booker’s past, including his wife Anna (who died in childbirth), and claims to know his future as well. Being a prophet and such. Thing is, the way it’s presented, that whole thing could’ve all been in Booker’s head...? Shortly after rescuing Elizabeth, you run into someone who mistakes her for someone named Annabelle. Hmm HMMM. I’ve also run into a diary by someone named Rosalind Lutece (I think she’s one of the creepy twins who keep popping up everywhere) talking about physics and what sounded like the concept of quantum superpositioning, as well as a little informational kiosk in which she claims quantum mechanics are what enable the city to float. There were also a couple diaries that seemed to imply Elizabeth came from... somewhere else, and a part of her might still be there, or something?

SO. Finally, we get to the part where I theorize on what’s going on. In short... iunno.

Okay, well, I feel like my idea should be obvious by now. I think Comstock might be a future, or ALTERNATE REALITY FUTURE, version of Booker, and Elizabeth is... either a past version of his wife, before she went back in time and married him, or an alternate-reality version of his daughter? But then who is the Annabelle that the girl thought Elizabeth was? Did Booker’s child not die along with his wife, and was secretly wisked away to skytown? Comstock’s wife is consistently referred to as Lady Comstock, but what if her name is Annabelle too? Maybe it’s the same concept as the Heinlein story By His Bootstraps, with the protagonist only realizing that he IS now the old man from the beginning, and has to get his younger self into this weird time loop in order to live the life he’s lead?

I might be going a little off the rails; I mean, I’m pretty sure that the statue of Comstock I saw earlier actually reminded me of Handsome Jack, a character from another game I haven’t played who happens to wear an outfit similar to Booker’s. That said, there’s DEFINITELY some kind of time travel or dimension-hopping shenanigans going on here. There are good writers on this game, and I refuse to believe the Annabelle/Anna thing is a Batman v Superman-level coincidence.

The weird part is that in the tower where they were keeping Elizabeth, they have documentation of her dating back to one year old, so she was clearly exhibiting... something, unusual, even as a baby. The game also has yet to explain Vigors, its versions of the Plasmids from the first two Bioshock games, which were basically superpowers granted by the substance produced by those sea slugs. If I had to guess, Vigors are... a result of some kind of quantum something-or-other, which they made from whatever it is they were siphoning off of Elizabeth? Maybe it’s a Scarlet Witch kind of thing... you don’t actually change yourself, you just find yourself in an alternate reality where everything else is 100% the same, except you’re a version of yourself who can shoot crows out of your hands.

Right, so. My... official theory is... that... I have no idea what’s going on. Yeah, sorry, something in that mess up there is bound to be close, but when you get into time travel and/or dimension-hopping, all bets are off the table. Or all bets, a literally infinite number of bets, are on the table. Which is a lot to try to comprehend.

#bioshock #bioshock infinite #bioshock spoilers

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warsofasoiaf · 4 years

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I am definitely curious about fantasy trappings and democracy PLEASE tell us

living-is-hard-with-eyes-open said:Hi! Love your blog. Not the original anon, but could you elaborate a little bit about how a democratic system could play out in a fantasy story? Your first response was fascinating and I’m really curious. Thank you in advance and I would understand if you are not in the mood! (Sorry about my English, still learning)

Anonymous said:“If you want to know how fantasy can use it’s trappings to its benefit to write a democratic settig, let me know” (paraphrased) I do!

I figured there would be interest in it. If I’ve being honest that was mostly me stalling for time because I had some ideas I wanted to flesh out but didn’t have the time to explore right then.

As an aside, @living-is-hard-with-eyes-open, your English is pretty good. No one ever needs to apologize, to me at least, for trying to use another language.

Early historical democracies often extended suffrage based on gender, class, amount of personal property, and other things which frequently limited the size of the voting population. The Athenian Greeks, for examples, had to own the panoply of a hoplite, thus making the voting public liable for the city’s defenses, along with being a male, debt-free, etc.. There’s no reason that these things can’t be extended to fantasy concepts that apply to fantasy wars. If magic is large enough to have a military component, powerful enough to mandate one, and controllable enough not to blow up your army in a massive apocalyptic hellstorm, then magical service might be one way to become a part of the voting public. This lends itself to a new dimension of struggle between the enfranchised and disenfranchised, which I’ve seen in fantasy works portraying these sorts of democracies (again, usually based in some fashion off the Roman Republic), as well as opening up the question of extending citizenship based on how easy or difficult magic is to learn.

A fun twist on a democratic medieval burgh involved as a great production center might have democracy broken down into guilds, this might be the case for a fantasy race with a caste system (we’ll use dwarves, the go-to fantasy lawful industrial race), where they are arranged from birth into different guilds based on their future profession, with a democratic tradition within the industries that send a representative to the legislative halls. If history is any judge, these industries would fiercely guard their trade secrets and trade monopolies, leading to out-and-out conflict between industries when one gets too close to the prized pony of another. That would mean, if Northern Italy is our judge, the need to establish an executive to sort out those conflicts and thus the city is in control of a powerful Factor. Or conversely, the guilds don’t want a Factor getting in the way and so purposely neuter it with restrictions and bureaucracy to the point where the position is a meaningless figure ironically called a “plenipotentiary” for how little the character can actually do while the guilds wage assassination campaigns, electoral fraud, and out-and-out private wars, seizing control of the Miller’s Guild for example to deny grain to the rest of the workers or the Aqueduct’s Guild to deny critical water to needed industries; that sounds like a society in crisis. Once you have that and you want to write a fantasy political thriller, having the protagonist be someone elected to the position of worthless PlenipotentiaryFactor use the same bureaucratic wrangling and de jure powers that have been worthless to change the society. Do something with that and you might just have the foundation and plot for a good fantasy novel, or a plot within a larger fantasy work such as ASOIAF with this Factor merely as one POV.

Speaking of conflict, one of the reasons burghs and other city privileges came into being was conflict with the feudal fief-holders. Magic might provide an alternative nexus, either to start the conflict as they become a power holder, a means for the cities to provide oomph that calls for charters guaranteeing self-governance to avoid magical rebellion (especially if magical universities are centered in cities), or a weird three-way struggle for power between the rural, the urban, and the arcane in their wizard’s towers. A wizard’s tower would almost certainly have a town spring up around it, particularly if there are services that the wizard cannot use magic to provide for themselves and the wizard can provide services for the community. Magic might become a part of charters just like it might become a part of feudal contracts, with all the realpolitik that such a thing can provide such as when the wizards say that because of the valuable service they provide, they should be afforded certain tax privileges, which pisses off the other non-magical fiefs and possibly causes a rebellion, either by mages protesting royal disregard for the rights of the arcane with all the pomp and language you’d expect from the First Barons’ War (the First Wizards’ War!) or the barons protesting the king favoring the arcane, possibly whispering about how their magic has ensorcelled the king in the vein of every wicked evil councilor.

One thing severely limiting most fantasy societies with democracy is that for the most part, historical societies like this were phenomenally illiterate, with travel and communication technology mostly limited to horses and boats. Magic can be a way to circumvent these limitations, either by moving people away from labor-intensive work like agriculture and mining which would allow something similar to what happened in our own history with the rise of more politically-active people by class. For example, an Icelandic thing or assembly could use magic or some form of racial telepathy to actually bind the people to be able to allow them to hear their lawspeakers from great distances so that they might be instructed in what matters are being put before the assembly (probably with some sort of magically-enforced truth telling to safeguard against corruption), and likewise be able to cast their vote before the assembled magical elders in a form of direct democracy that can manage the logistical problems that such forms entail. You can go one step further to have the coming-of-age ceremony, where a child becomes recognized as a full adult, require the giving of blood to create a blood link to be able to be contacted by the lawspeakers via sympathetic magic, a formal blood magic civic ritual done either on birthdays or holy days depending on how magic works in this setting. This could create a relatively modern, even futuristic conception of democracy (some science fiction uses cybernetic implants and quantum communication to establish massive direct democracies, Iain Banks’s The Culture series of books comes to mind) that would actually be more appealing to modern audiences than traditional monarchial models or limited democracies. There’s a lot to like about this theoretical blood magic democracy; it could have modern good things: universal suffrage, equality before the law (all of you are the same because you all have blood), freedom of religion as long as it doesn’t forbid participation in this blood magic stuff, the list can keep going, but it’s so creepy that audience members are going to be a little squicked out. That’s a great headspace to put your readers in, this cognitive dissonance between admiration and discomfort can be quite unique, it could really make the story stand out. However, it also has plenty of threats that you can use for storycrafting, corrupt lawspeakers who circumvent magical safeguards to enrich their self-interest ala corrupt politicians (maybe even lying that there is such a thing as magical truth-telling), use of the blood for nefarious magical purposes such as spying on the citizens or taking control of their bodies to commit proxy crimes, magically hacking into the vote to pump up the totals by mages looking to secretly control democracy.

At this point, I think I may have just accidentally brainstormed a fantasy setting that can explore modern political concepts with fantasy metaphors. Let me know what you think of this essay, everyone, both in general and this theoretical blood magic democracy being used as a exploration of problems that exist in modern democracies. Is this a neat idea, or am I in my own headspace where only I think this idea is good?

Thanks for the questions and encouragement, both registered members and Anons who wanted me to explore it all in more detail.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#fantasy #democracy #politics #essays on writing and worldbuilding #writing #worldbuilding

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eye-of-enigmatic-thought · 4 years

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted my big snake Gaster, Cobra. It’s hard to believe that even after all this time when I was more focused on original stuff for a while that he still means so much to me and I STILL feel guilty for not finishing rebirth or Hissterical-Scientist, even after all these months I am still thinking of ways to actually write the story in the way I want to, even if most of my original audience may not even be around anymore. Even though in the mean time I have still doodled Cobratale stuff for fun, a lot of said doodles are uh... too nsfw to really ever show.

Anyway, here is Saved!Cobra, more info under the cut! (CW for mentions of depression and self harm, but in the context of recovery.)

After all his traumas in the void, Cobra eventually gets the ability to leave and then reunite with his family. Adapting to the outside world was not easy for him due to the differences in his physical and void bodies. Cobra was initially very lethargic, almost never leaving his bed and sleeping all day not only from the constant sores but also the depression of being back in a frail body full of the self-inflicted scars that he hated.

However thanks to the support of his family and all the visiting friends he made whilst in the void, he slowly became more and more able to function. He’s able to get the exercise and care he needs to keep him healthy and more energetic for the day. And thanks to the love he receives from a certain Gaster fragment, he even begins to love and be comfortable with his body more.

Cobra nowadays works in colleges tutoring the sciences, taking part in various projects to help better technologies into becoming more eco-friendly, and has also become a major advocate for Monster’s rights and often works to thin the cultural gaps between human and monsters.

Personality

Due to Cobra’s many traumas, he’s a very tired and quiet sort who at first may seem very reserved and apathetic towards everything, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Cobra deep down feels many of his emotions very strongly, but has trouble properly expressing them due to his nervousness and tiredness. He’s no longer as anxious as he was from before he fell, but he still may find himself feeling shy when talking to someone new, once he has gotten to know someone though, he will be more open and express his emotions more, even becoming quite the cheery and mischievous sort. He also holds great amount of passion towards the sciences and will often speak about it with great enthusiasm if incited to.

Cobra despite his often aloof demeanour is incredibly caring and compassionate, he adores his family and friends, and loves spending time with them whenever he can. He also deeply craves affection and can never get enough of it, expect a lot of cuddles to happen should you ever get close to him. Oftentimes with friends he deeply trusts he may even show a more hedonistic side and participate in pleasurable activities with them, such as eating savory foods or lazing about together as also a way to bond with each other more.

Cobra being a bestial monster, also has a ‘feral’ side where he acts more animalistic and communicates more with growls than words, most of the time this happens it’s his way of relaxing and forfeiting any complex stressful thoughts for a while to just focus on more simple pleasures, but when this feral state is induced by high amounts of stress or fear, it’s pretty much a panic attack and he becomes difficult to control and calm down. Anger-induced feral states may have him be downright aggressive to whoever his anger may be towards, but this anger will only ever manifest towards those who may hurt him and those he loves.

Cobra isn’t without his difficulties either, due to his traumas Cobra is not as energetic as before, and he can get tired out and overwhelmed easily if pushed too far. Sometimes his tiredness can manifest as irritation and he may end up being mildly snappy to others, though he always regrets it afterwards. There are also of course, some days where he feels its pointless to get out of bed or just doesn’t have the energy for it. There are still times where he feels he and his body doesn’t deserved to be loved and is overwhelmed with guilt from his past sins no matter how old they may be.

He’ll never be the same before he fell, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t become better. Likes

-His friends and family and spending time with them -Science and teaching it -Food (mostly enjoys raw meat but he’s recently been more experimental) -Affection -Nature and walking in forests -Science fiction movies and novels (likes them more when watching and reading them with someone) -Relaxing -Poetry and prose (reminds him of his beloved mother...)

Dislikes

-Cruelty -Prejudice -Any family or friend being hurt -Chicken meat when cooked (too dry!) -Unpleasant smells and/or too many smells -Loud noises -Being suddenly touched -Certain textures for clothing

Abilities

Venom - Cobra still has his venom, though he hardly ever uses it. The venom depending on Cobra’s intentions when using it, can either cause mild harmless dizziness or be downright lethal.

Heightened sense of smell - As usual he still has his sense of smell and it even comes handy when working with chemicals, but in places where there is an abundance of smells such as busy city areas or times during the season of Spring, it can be overwhelming, it isn’t out of the question for him to sometimes wear medical masks to ease the smells a bit.

Void form - Should he need it, Cobra has the ability to go back into his Void Form. After regaining some of his strength back when he was saved, he experimented with some of his magic to help get all his gears back in shape, Cobra discovered his magic still held traces of his old void magic. Through enough practice he can now maintain this form for as long as he needs and use any abilities from his Void Form. The flexibility of his Void Form has even extended to his normal physical form, and it’s helped with his jaw’s paralysis.

Interdimensional hopping - Thanks to also his void abilities, Cobra can hop into different dimensions, timelines, alternative universes, and the void itself to visit all the friends he’s managed to make in the void.

Hand magic - Cobra can summon multiple hands for whatever task he needs them for, whether it be just handling tons of documents or to help him with his other magic.

Snake magic - Can summon magic-based snakes for whatever attacks, these snakes can bind, strangle, and even inject magical-based venom into enemies. The snakes may also be used for defense and protectively coil around anything that needs protection

Movement-based magic - Much of Cobra’s magic is based on movement and it may often appear that he is dancing when summoning magic.

Blaster summoning - Thankfully hardly ever needs to use them, but if facing a dangerous enemy, he can and will blast them. Blasters can also sometimes be used as scouts to search for anything that Cobra’s sense of smell may not be able to find. Multilingual - Cobra is able to speak in Common, Persian, his race’s old serpentine language (though he sadly doesn’t have much use for it anymore), and Wingdings typeface.

Big an’ soft - Cobra is very soft and very huggable, and a hug from Cobra is like hugging a pillow. HUG. HIM.

#undertale #cobra #cobratale #Character Design #gaster #frisk #undertale oc #my art #wd gaster

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insideoutstory · 4 years

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Inside Out → Chapter Twenty

summary: Eleven’s experiment in the bath brings everyone to some emotional tipping points. word count: 5.8k warnings: Found family feels, grieving

[ masterlist ] [ FF.net ]

Getting to the middle school was no easy feat. Jonathan’s car only held five people, and while the chief’s car was bigger, there were still only five seats. Much to Hopper’s annoyance, the kids were still refusing to split up, and Christine wouldn’t let them out of her sight. Eventually, Jonathan had to surrender his keys to her again so they could all ride together. He stayed behind with Nancy to help Hopper and Mrs. Byers load the old kiddy pool into the back of the truck.

The kids all resumed their same spots in the car. The boys sat in the back, reviewing the notes Christine had taken down from Mr. Clarke and discussing their supplies. Hopper was bringing the pool. To fill it, they’d need hoses from the groundskeeper’s storeroom. They figured the best place to set up would be the gymnasium. They’d have enough room to set up, and they could use the taps from the locker rooms. The salt they would get from storage out back, where Hopper knew they stored the road salt for the parking lot. After that, it was just a matter of keeping things quiet and dark enough for Eleven to do her thing.

Eleven was not speaking. She’d just been sitting anxiously in the passenger seat, rubbing her hands up and down her legs. Christine had put on some music to soothe her, and reached over to take her hand again.

She was trying not to show it, but she was just as scared as Eleven was. She’d seen the strain Eleven’s power put on her. Hopefully the pool would help stretch her abilities a bit farther, but there was still a pretty high risk. Christine didn’t want to see Eleven ashen and bleeding again, passing out from the strain of projecting herself into an alternate dimension. But Eleven was the only shot they had.

The rest of Christine’s fears were about answers. She didn’t know what she’d do if they didn’t like the ones they got. What if Eleven couldn’t find Barb and Will? Because Jonathan had been right. If the Upside Down was a mirror of their universe, they had the whole world to hide. What if they weren’t even in alternate Hawkins anymore? Just how much could Eleven’s powers take before they gave out? Or worse, what if they were too late? What if Will really was gone? Or Barb, or both of them?

Christine shook her head, and squeezed the steering wheel a little tighter. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it. For now, they had to focus on the isolation tank. One thing at a time.

It was eerie to drive through the school’s empty parking lot. Christine drove the car around back and parked by the gym. She hopped out first, striding to the doors and giving them a solid tug. All she managed to do was hurt her shoulder. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to her that the school might be locked on a Saturday night.

“Shit.”

“What’s shit?” asked Dustin, stretching as he exited the car.

“It’s locked,” Christine complained. “And watch your language.”

“What happened to ‘I’m not your mother’ and ‘you can curse as much as you want’?”

“I changed my mind. Just get back in the car. We’ll check out the front, or…I don’t know. A window.”

She’d made it halfway to the car when the door swung open behind her. Christine jumped, whirling around. It took a second for her brain to catch up. When it did, she frowned at Eleven, who was surreptitiously wiping her nose.

“You, just…stop that. Save your energy.”

“You’re just mad cause she scared you,” snickered Mike, and he led the way into the building.

The chief’s truck pulled up a few minutes later, and Hopper gave them their marching orders. He and Jonathan would take care of the salt. The Wheelers would handle the hoses, while Dustin and Lucas did their best to set up the pool. Hopper had tried to stick Mrs. Byers with them to supervise, but she’d made her own adamant case. She was going with Christine to prep Eleven. That was final.

That was how Christine ended up walking through the science wing of Hawkins Middle with Joyce Byers, a quiet Eleven walking between them. Christine had expected there to be some sort of interrogation. Mrs. Byers probably had a thousand questions for the psychic kid who’d tracked down her son. But she was quiet for most of the walk, and when she finally did pipe up, it was to Christine.

“I remember you, you know,” she said. “After you said that thing about Will liking colors, I started to remember. You were there when I took him to see Poltergeist. Hid a bag of M&M’s in the bottom of his popcorn. He really loved it. I never got to thank you.”

Christine gave her a tight smile. It was an embarrassing thing for someone to remember. She had no idea what to say in response. Thankfully, Mrs. Byers let her off the hook.

“Do you still work at The Hawk?”

“Yeah,” Christine said with relief. “It’s not bad. I wish we had more movies, but we’re getting a new one next week. And I get to see all the new stuff when it comes out.”

“That’s nice,” she said lightly. It was the obligatory response before her next question. “I don’t suppose you know anything about…you know. The fight Jonathan was in.”

“Oh, uh…you should probably just ask him about that.”

Mrs. Byers nodded. It didn’t seem like she’d expected anything different. There was a part of Christine that was screaming for her to bring up the photographs Jonathan had taken, but she did her best to quiet it. Now was not the right time to be a tattle tale. They’d come back around to that disturbing detail later, she was sure.

“I hope you didn’t do too much damage.”

“Sorry?” Christine asked.

Mrs. Byers pointed knowingly down at her hand, the one that was holding Eleven’s. The bruises were still visible through El’s fingers. Christine gasped.

“Oh! No, that—that wasn’t Jonathan! I was fighting this asshole named Tommy. It was…it was a big thing.”

“And this thing…had nothing to do with Jonathan’s fight?”

“Well…like I said. I think you should talk to him.”

“Right.” Mrs. Byers bobbed her head. “Can I ask what he said? This other boy?”

“He just…He said some not great things about Nancy. But I guess I can’t talk. I’ve said some not great things about her too.”

Christine grimaced, her own poor words resurfacing in her brain. But to her surprise, Mrs. Byers just nodded sagely.

“Friendship can be weird like that. Especially in high school. Everyone says things they don’t mean. Sometimes you need the drama to remind you how important your friends are. Sometimes it’s classes and boys, and…sometimes, it’s uh—it’s science fiction monsters.”

“Both, actually,” Christine said with a snort.

They finally found a lab room that would have what they needed. Christine flicked on the lights, urging Eleven into a desk so she could look for the safety goggles she wanted. Mrs. Byers hung back by the door, wringing her hands.

“So, how can I help? What else do you need? Should we find you some different clothes? Maybe something a little lighter than your dress?”

“Good luck with that,” Christine laughed as she was going through the cabinets.

“Oh, I’m sure we could find something around here. A big T-shirt, or…”

“No, I mean getting her to change. I’ve been trying for a few days now. But she loves that dress and she will not take it off.”

“Well, I can see why,” Mrs. Byers said kindly. “You look very pretty in it.”

Eleven muttered her thanks, and Mrs. Byers turned back to Christine.

“Was it yours?”

“Ha, uh no. Nancy’s. I left the boys alone for one afternoon and they took her back to the Wheelers’ to give her a makeover. She got the new dress, new tube socks, makeup. Even a blonde wig.”

“I’m sure that looked beautiful. And it probably only made you look even more like sisters.”

Christine stilled with the goggles in her hands. “Really?”

“Oh, definitely,” said Mrs. Byers. “It’s a little bit the face—you both have those big, pretty brown eyes. But mostly…it’s just the way you are with each other. Jonathan’s the same way with Will. Protective, encouraging. I’d know it anywhere. You girls must be very close.”

It was a simple observation, but Christine couldn’t help but take it as a compliment. She had a feeling that was how Mrs. Byers had intended it. She still had that warm, knowing smile. The farthest thing from the crazed, delusional woman Christine had feared she might be. Maybe it was the situation, but she just seemed like a really good mom.

“I guess we are,” said Christine, smiling slightly.

She could feel Eleven’s eyes on her, one of her intense, probing gazes that burned the skin. Christine bashfully passed the goggles to Mrs. Byers.

“Uh, here. I’m…I’m gonna see if I can find some duct tape to black them out.”

They did the best they could with the goggles. Christine found some duct tape in the emergency station, and cut long strips so Mrs. Byers could stick them on. They weren’t especially stylish, but they were dark enough, and they’d keep the water out.

“There we go,” Mrs. Byers said to herself as she smoothed out the last strip. She held them up for Eleven to see. “This will keep it dark for you. Just like in your bathtub.”

Eleven nodded. She’d grown quiet again, her nerves more evident on her face as their to do list got shorter and shorter. It was clear whatever “the bathtub” meant to her, it wasn’t good. She wasn’t looking forward to doing it again.

Christine wished there was something she could do to stop it. But Eleven knew she was their only hope. It was why she wasn’t putting up a fight. The only thing Christine could do was pick her nails, and keep the depths of her concerns to herself. Mrs. Byers let out a deep sigh.

“You’re a very brave girl,” she told Eleven. “You know that, don’t you? Everything you’re doing for my boy…for Will…for—for my family…thank you.”

Eleven smiled meekly, much like Christine had earlier. She wasn’t used to being thanked. And much like earlier, Mrs. Byers didn’t seem to need a response. She took Eleven’s hands in her own and continued to encourage her earnestly.

“Listen. Christine and I are going to be there with you the whole time. And if it ever gets too scary, in that—in that place…you just let us know, okay?”

Eleven looked between the two of them, nodding. “Yes.”

“Ready?”

And after an extra moment of trembling breath, Eleven nodded again. “Ready.”

As they walked back to the group, Eleven stood between them again. Her left hand was wrapped around Christine’s, and her right stayed firmly in Mrs. Byers’.

Everyone had already reconvened by the time they reached the gymnasium. Hopper and Jonathan were pouring salt into the water, Nancy and Lucas standing by with rakes to push it around and help it dissolve.

“You know,” Christine called, “it might’ve been easier to use hot water to dissolve the salt, and then just wait until it cooled to the right temperature.”

“Shut up, Chrissy,” Dustin snapped. “Next time, I’ll use the duct tape and you can build the sensory deprivation tank.”

“We might actually have to do that, you know. Doubt Mr. Clarke is gonna get off my back about the science fair.”

“We’ve almost got it,” said Mike, staring down at the water. “I feel good about it this time, Dustin.”

They all watched as the salt swirled around the bottom of the pool, slowly growing smaller and smaller and—finally—disappearing. Dustin grabbed a half-carton of eggs off the supply cart. He held his breath and placed the egg into the water. It bobbed for a moment, then settled gently on the surface. It was truly, properly floating.

Mike slapped Dustin on the arm in shock, while Lucas clapped him on the back. Christine beamed with pride, stepping up behind him and rubbing his hat over his curls.

“Nice job, boy genius,” she congratulated.

The joy of victory was short lived. Now that they had a working bathtub, all that remained was to put Eleven in it. Hopper left to douse the lights, while Mike and Lucas turned up the volume on Will’s supercomm. Christine and Joyce helped steady Eleven as she stepped out of her socks and shoes. She reluctantly handed Mike his watch. And once she was ready, she put on her goggles and stepped out into the water.

Everyone gathered around the pool to watch. They were spread around the edge, all staring into the center. In the semi-dark, it felt like some sort of séance. Christine held her breath, and tried to ignore the hairs on the back of her neck that were screaming that something was wrong.

Mrs. Byers reached over and patted Christine on the knee.

Eleven worked faster this time. The dim lights of the gym flickered overhead after scarcely a minute, and the interference from the walkie had already reached an eerie hum. She floated with arms stretched out toward the sides, her mouth agape, head twitching back and forth as if she were trying to read something very large very fast. The only sound in the room was the rippling of the water and Eleven’s shaking breath. Everyone else was paralyzed to the core.

“Barb? Barbara?”

Nancy gasped and grabbed Christine’s hand. Christine squeezed reassuringly, turning her gaze to the walkie. She just wanted to hear Barb’s voice. They’d tried twice and failed, but this was number three. That was the charm. Now she’d be able to hear her.

But the walkie stayed silent. Eleven’s breathing picked up. The water rippled around her even though she wasn’t actually moving. Overhead, the gym lights flickered again, then snapped off abruptly.

“What’s happening?” Nancy asked nervously.

Mike shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Is Barb okay? Is she okay?”

Christine felt the nausea rising in her throat. She bit hard on the inside of her cheek, staring down the supercomm, willing it to speak. She knew her grip on Nancy’s hand was throttling, but she could not escape the swelling fear in her chest. Barb was coming. She was going to hear Barb’s voice. Barb was…

“Gone.”

Eleven’s voice broke as she choked out the word. She said it again, and again, her head jerking back and forth. The walkie was practically screaming on the supply cart. A wave shot up from the center of the pool, slapping violently against the sides.

“Gone. Gone. Gone.”

It was all Christine could do not to vault herself into the pool. Out of grief, or concern, either one. Nancy had already beaten her to crying, one hand clapped over her mouth and squeezing her sobs back inside. Eleven was beginning to thrash in the water—screaming, terrified—but Christine was scared to touch her in her trance. She felt trapped inside herself, just like Eleven.

“It’s okay,” Mrs. Byers whispered, leaning over the water to grab one of Eleven’s arms. “It’s okay. Christine? It’s okay.”

With a start, Christine realized Mrs. Byers’ other hand was on her own. She gently squeezed her wrist, pulling her hand out over the water. It was a moment before Christine caught on. When her shock finally faded away, she choked back her tears and grabbed the small hand that was reaching out for her.

“I’m right here, El. It’s okay. There’s nothing you can do. Just breathe. It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

Mrs. Byers echoed her reassurances on Eleven’s other side. Slowly but surely, Eleven’s breathing began to steady. She clung to their hands like lifelines, her lips still trembling. The water stilled around her. The radio resumed its normal hum, and the lights went dark once more. Mrs. Byers retracted her hand cautiously, but Christine left hers securely in Eleven’s grip.

“Castle Byers…?”

Jonathan and his mother both froze as Eleven tested the words in the air. Christine grit her teeth and said a silent prayer. God, they could not go through that again. He had to be okay. Will had to be okay…

It took a couple seconds, but Eleven finally spoke again.

“Will. Will?”

Mrs. Byers shuddered a gasp. She gripped Eleven’s arm tighter, not needing any more information.

“You tell him—tell him I’m coming,” she pleaded. “Mom is coming.”

Eleven repeated the words into the air. On the cart, the radio crackled to life.

“Hurry…”

Christine could have collapsed over from the relief that went through her bones. He was still alive. If nothing else, Will was still alive. They had time.

“Okay, listen,” Mrs. Byers was instructing, leaning out over the pool. “You tell him to—to stay where he is. We’re coming. We’re coming, okay? We’re coming, honey.”

Again, Eleven repeated the words. She said Will’s name, waiting for him, asking for some kind of response. But something was wrong. The static on the supercomm was distorting again. It squealed, and though Eleven wasn’t crying in the pool, they could hear her sobs and screams floating through from the other world. The water in the pool was starting to shake again. Everyone exchanged a terrified look.

And then Christine heard the familiar clicking over the radio.

“Eleven, come back,” she ordered. “Eleven, get out of there now!”

There was a colossal splash as Eleven sprang up from the pool. She ripped her goggles off, breathing heavily and shaking like a leaf. Christine wasted no time in tugging her close, wrapping her arms around her and tucking her head underneath her chin.

“It’s okay, El. I’ve got you. You’re okay. You did good. You did so good.”

Eleven gripped tight to her arm, crying into the stiff, white fabric of her sleeves. A comforting hand stroke Christine’s back, reached around and held Eleven as well. Christine didn’t need to look up to know it was Joyce.

“Hop…” she whispered.

“Yeah, I got it,” he said, without needed to hear the rest of the plea.

There was a shuffle around the pool as everyone got up. Hopper left again to find the lights, the kids all converging on the other side of the pool to watch Eleven warily. Jonathan hovered behind his mom, too worried to interrupt but probably too relieved about his brother to stray far from her.

Nancy stood and walked away. The door to the gym swung shut behind her, echoing ominously around the gymnasium. Christine knew she should go after her. But she also knew Nancy needed space. And Eleven needed to be okay first.

“Come on,” Christine coaxed, helping her to her feet. “Let’s get you dried off.”

She and Mrs. Byers did the best they could wring out the fabric of Eleven’s dress. Mike brought over one of the towels, but seemed to sense that it wasn’t time to talk yet. He handed it to Eleven with a bracing smile, letting his hand trail over hers. Then he retreated to the other side of the pool to stand with Lucas and Dustin.

Mrs. Byers was looking back towards Jonathan.

“Go,” Christine offered with a nod.

“Oh…no, it’s…”

“It’s okay,” Christine said firmly. “I’ve got her.”

The woman nodded, patting Eleven’s back one last time. Then she hurried over to her eldest son and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. It hurt Christine to watch. She was relieved, happy for them. But she couldn’t help but think how Barb’s parents would never get the same privilege.

Christine eased Eleven down onto the bleacher, and wrapped the towel tighter around her shoulders. After she was settled, Christine started shedding her work uniform.

“I hate this thing,” she babbled as she tossed the clip on bowtie onto the seat. “It’s so uncomfortable. I don’t know why we need to wear uniforms to look presentable anyway. It’s not like people don’t know I work there. I’m the one behind the counter, right?”

She shed the dripping button down and dropped it onto the gym floor. She shivered in the black tank top. It was cold in the gym. But there wasn’t time to linger on it.

“I’m sorry,” Eleven whispered.

Christine looked down at her sadly. Eleven wouldn’t look up. Her eyes were fixed on the bowtie, which she’d picked up and began twirling in her hands. Still, Christine knew she wasn’t apologizing for the uniform.

“It’s not your fault,” Christine reminded her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Barb was…it was an accident. There’s nothing you could have done. There’s probably nothing any of us could have done. But I know that doesn’t stop it from hurting, or being scary.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Christine ran a hand over her head, then slipped out of her seat. She kneeled on the floor in front of Eleven, forcing the girl to meet her gaze. “Hey. If it wasn’t for you, we never would have known what happened to Barb. You gave us the truth. And sometimes that’s all you can ask for.”

It was hard, but Christine tried to smile. She closed Eleven’s hands over the bowtie and rubbed the skin reassuringly. Eleven watched her fingers intently.

“Joyce said…like sisters.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she did.” Christine laughed weakly, and ran a thumb over the back of Eleven’s wrist. “You remember when I showed you that picture of me and Dustin? And I said he was like my annoying little brother? It’s like that. Sometimes, when we spend a lot of time with people, they become like your family. And that’s great, because you can be super close, closer than friends, and it’s the family you choose for yourself. So it’s not about who your parents are. It’s just about who you care about, and who your family is here.”

Christine laid a hand over her chest, tapping on her heart. Eleven squinted at her. Uncertainly, she raised a hand to copy her.

“So…sisters?”

Christine but her lip, unsure if she was trying to hide her smile or her tears.

“Yeah. Sisters. Definitely.”

“Alright, break it up!” Dustin pushed past Christine, plopping down next to Eleven so he could throw his arms around her as well. “She’s our friend, too.”

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, sitting on her other side. “That looked really scary.”

“Okay,” Eleven confirmed with a nod.

“Are you okay, Chrissy?” asked Lucas.

“Me? Yeah, I’m—I’m fine.” The boys shared a dubious look, which did not make Christine feel self-conscious in the slightest. She braved another smile, rubbing Lucas on the shoulder. “Seriously, guys. I’m fine.”

“Y-Yeah,” he said, grinning widely. “We just wanted to...you know. Make sure.”

Dustin made a loud coughing sound, which sounded suspiciously like the word “whipped.” Lucas reached around Eleven’s back and smacked him on the head. Mike hit Lucas in the chest, then fixed Christine with a solemn gaze.

“We’re sorry about Barb,” he said softly. “Really.”

Everyone stilled, which made it harder to keep her voice level when she replied.

“Yeah. Me too.” Christine cleared her throat and climbed to her feet. “Speaking of, I’m gonna go check on Nancy. Keep an eye on these idiots for me, okay, El? You’re in charge.”

The boys grumbled, and Eleven gave her a proud nod. “Okay.”

Christine grinned. She pressed a quick kiss to the top of Eleven’s head, then crossed the gym so she could step out into the hallway.

In a lot of ways, Hawkins High School and Hawkins Middle School were mirrors of each other. They had the same departments in the same places, the same number of students. They even had the same ugly tiger mural on the wall outside the gymnasium. Nancy sat underneath it, her back pressed to the wall and her face hidden in her knees. Even if the hall hadn’t been so quiet, her shaking shoulders showed she was crying from a mile away.

Christine closed the door to the gym as quietly as she could. Then she walked over to the mural and nudged Nancy with the toe of her boot.

Nancy jumped, and scrambled to wipe the tears from her face. “Sorry, I’m—oh. Christine.”

“Just me,” she said, holding her hands up in the air. She pressed her back to the tiger, and slid down next to Nancy. “Don’t stop crying on my account. I was kinda planning on catching up.”

“No, I’m sorry. God, I—I know I’m being stupid, it’s just...”

“Woah, hey.” Christine gaped at her, and nudged her knee firmly. “Nothing about this is stupid. I mean this is...this is Barb we’re talking about...”

“I know, but there’s so much more going on.” Nancy ran her hands over her head, forcing her flyaway hairs back into her orderly ponytail. “With Eleven and Will and...I mean, look at you. You’re not crying.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Christine groaned. “I feel bad enough as it is.”

“Don’t. Seriously, Chris. You’re probably just in shock.”

“But that’s the awful thing. I feel like...I’m just not. Part of me feels like I knew the whole time, you know? The minute you told me you hadn’t heard from her. And then I feel like shit because it’s like...it’s like I’d already given up on her.”

“You did not give up on her,” Nancy said vehemently. “None of us did. If we had, none of us would be here, right? And now...now we have a chance to save Will.”

She nodded adamantly, more to herself than anything. Christine could practically see her brain resetting, working hard to stay focused and keep from shutting down. Barb was gone. But they weren’t out of the woods yet.

The doors to the gym slammed open again. Hopper burst through, blowing right past them and out the second set of doors to the parking lot. Jonathan and his mother were hot on his heels. They struggled with the second door as it threatened to shut them in, then followed Hopper outside. Everyone was fighting—and not quietly. Not that it was a secret what the fight was about, anyway. Hopper was attempting to save the day solo. Mrs. Byers wasn’t about to let him. Nancy and Christine could hear crystal clear as she went off on him, reminding him that Will was her son and that nothing on heaven or earth would stop her from going after him. Jonathan’s voice chimed in, saying that he could come, that he could help. But things must not have gone his way.

They listened as the chief’s truck sped away from the school. Then the doors opened one more time, and Jonathan trudged back inside. He joined them wordlessly. With his back pressed to the wall, he slid down on the other side of Nancy. And then they sat in silence.

“What’s Castle Byers?” Christine finally asked.

“His clubhouse,” Jonathan answered weakly. “We built it together, in the woods out back. So he’d have someplace to hide when Mom and Dad were fighting.”

“Far?”

“Not from here. But they have to go through the lab and then walk, so…”

Neither of them finished the thought. Christine knew from personal experience how long it took to hike around Hawkins to the Byers’ house. Hopper and Mrs. Byers would have a long trek ahead of them. And that was if they could make it through the guards at Hawkins Laboratory. If Will had told them to hurry, how much time did they really have?

“We need to go back to the station.”

Christine and Jonathan both turned to Nancy in surprise. She was staring a hole at the tiles in front of her. Her eyes were shining, but completely focused.

“What?” asked Jonathan.

“Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait. That thing is still in there. And we can’t just sit here and let it get them too.”

“Nancy,” Christine said lowly. “We’re not exactly…”

“We can’t.” Nancy turned to her, completely resolute. “We can’t give up, right? We have to keep fighting, we…we have to do something.”

“But do what?”

“You still want to try it out?” Jonathan asked Nancy.

“I wanna finish what we started,” she replied. “I want to kill it.”

She and Jonathan nodded at each other. They both looked determined, their jaws set and their hands curled into fists on their knees. But Christine was still tripping a couple steps behind.

“Wait,” she said, glancing between them. “That’s what all the shit in the box was for? You’re gonna try and hunt it down?”

“We’re gonna trap it,” said Jonathan. “And then, yeah. We’re gonna kill it.”

“What did you think we were doing?” Nancy asked.

“I don’t know! Booby trapping the house for protection?”

“We are,” she said plainly. “And then we’re gonna try and summon it.”

“S-Summon…? Nance, I know I joked it was a demon, but…”

“No, I mean like—call it. We think it can sense blood. Track it. That’s how it found Barb.”

“And how it followed Will,” Jonathan agreed. “After he fell off his bike.”

“So we go to Jonathan’s house, set up the traps, and lure it in. The lights are already set up, and that way we’ll know it’s coming.”

“Guys, this is insane,” Christine pleaded. “This thing is—it’s huge! And it’s dangerous, and…”

“I know exactly what it is.”

Christine faltered. Of course Nancy knew what the Demogorgon was. She’d seen it, already gotten trapped once, gone up against it once. It just made trying again seem all the more crazy.

“Nance,” she begged, turning to face her fully. “Don’t…Don’t do this. We just lost Barb, and…if anything happened to you…”

Nancy nodded in understanding. She took Christine’s hand and squeezed it hard, just as imploring.

“That’s exactly why I have to. We can’t let it kill anyone else. Not Will, or Hopper, or Mrs. Byers.”

They stared each other down. They fought silently through their hands, each trying to squeeze the other one into agreeing with them. Christine thought she was pretty strong. But in the end, she was the one who deflated.

“Barb would kill us for doing something this stupid, you know.”

“Probably,” Nancy said with a watery smile. “But she’d come with us anyway.”

“Us?” asked Jonathan.

“Of course ‘us,’” Christine scoffed. “You don’t think I’m gonna let you two get yourselves killed alone, do you?”

“But what about the kids?”

That did make Christine pause. She didn’t want to leave the kids behind. But she couldn’t let Nancy go up against the Demogorgon with only Byers for backup. That was more dangerous than waiting at the school. Even if Eleven did have government scientists looking for her, the kids were smart. They knew how to keep their heads down avoid detection. They’d done alright for the last week, hadn’t they?

…but what if that luck ran out?

“We divide and conquer,” Nancy said, squeezing her hand again. “The lab will be busy enough dealing with Hopper and Mrs. Byers. We keep the monster busy, and it all keeps everything away from Eleven. The kids will be fine.”

Christine nodded, trying to convince herself. The kids would be fine. They knew the score, and knew the dangers. Plus, they had Eleven. It would be okay.

“Okay,” she said shakily. “Let’s do this.”

They all got to their feet, shaking out the trembling in their hands.

“Your dad still have that shotgun in the garage?” Nancy asked smile, and Christine nodded. “Good. So we’ll go to the station, pick up our stuff, and then swing by your house to pick up yours.”

“What about the lab guys?” Jonathan asked. “They were swarming her house before.”

“They must’ve cleared it by now though, right?”

“I guess. But what if they’re watching it?”

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to…”

Jonathan and Nancy continued to bicker on, picking apart the plan and trying to find the best way to proceed. But Christine was having a hard time focusing.

She drifted over to the doors of the gymnasium, peeking inside just as she had during the assembly. There were the kids, alone on the bleachers. Eleven was wrapped in her towel, leaning heavily on Mike’s shoulder. Lucas sat behind her, rubbing her back comfortingly as he talked to Dustin on Mike’s other side. They looked so small. It almost snapped her resolution clean in two.

Almost as if she’d sensed it, Eleven looked up and caught her eye. She smiled. It was small, and it was sad. Just like every other time she’d stared at Christine, it gave off the sense that she’d analyzed everything around her. Like she knew everything about Christine from her favorite color to the conversation she’d just been having in the hall.

Eleven lifted a hand, and tapped her heart.

After a long night of holding it back, Christine felt her tears beginning to escape over her cheeks. She forced her face into one more smile, and tapped her own heart too. With Eleven’s permission, she turned away and followed Nancy and Jonathan out the door.

#ocappreciation #fyeahstrangerthingsocs #stranger things #stranger things oc #stranger things fanfiction #chapters #chapter 20

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john-cardoza · 5 years

Text

Reality is Shattering

After a musical apocalypse Paul would like to think he can handle anything life throws at him, but this is weird and slightly terrifying. Because, when you pull a pin on a grenade you are supposed to die. Right? You aren't supposed to be sent back in time, or to a different dimension, or put in a really weird dream. None of those things should happen, but at least one of them definitely is. Read on Ao3.

I don’t like musicals!

When Paul pulls the pin the world explodes. Sure it’s a grenade and that’s exactly what is supposed to happen, but something about it is weird. Instead of the burning and the pain he was expecting to feel, he’s just numb and it feels like the different aspects of reality are shattering and coming back together. The only thing he can think of is Emma. As long as Emma survives none of this matters. He’ll die and Emma will live and everything will be worth it.

The world is absorbed in a cloud of light. He can’t see the infected anymore, no Charlotte, no Bill, and no Greenpeace lady. He’s flying backwards, and just when he thinks he will land and break every bone in his body, he blacks out.

-------

Paul wakes up with a gasp. He can’t move, something is tangled around his legs, restricting his movement. His eyes open, expecting to see some kind of alien mothership, but instead it’s a bedroom. Wait no. It’s his bedroom.

His sheets are wrapped around his legs and the sun is coming through the window, just like it always is. He can hear cars and the sounds of people going about their normal days, which is unsettling. His alarm goes off at six o'clock on the dot, like usual and Paul reluctantly gets out of bed.

His suit is hanging in his closet, looking just like it always does. Except it’s on the left instead of the right. He has bagels in the fridge, though the cream cheese is expired, and when he makes it to the parking lot his gas tank is halfway full. The desk person in the apartment building says hello to him, undramatically and not trying to kill him, and when someone with headphones passes him while singing he can safely say that they are very out of tune.

Paul would almost believe that the last two days was a dream, if it weren’t for the spots of blood he found on one of his dress shirts from when Emma tried to kiss him.

Emma.

Paul doesn’t dare go to beanie’s. He even drives the extra block to make sure he won’t even pass by the front window. As much as he wants to see Emma, the idea of it terrifies him. Something is definitely wrong and he doesn’t want to drag Emma into it, maybe this was all a huge hallucination his brain had created after he blew himself up. Maybe he was actually infected, but his brain was going to be stuck in a day dream while his body did the aliens bidding. Maybe his body was out there right now, singing and dancing, and trying to kill the one girl he actually liked.

Maybe he should stop thinking about it.

When Paul walks into the office, he braces himself for the disaster that he ran from two days ago.

“Paul where is your statistical analysis?” Mr. Davidson comes out of nowhere and Paul think he might have a heart attack. “It was supposed to be on my desk yesterday”

Paul waits for the shoe to drop and for Mr. Davidson to burst into song again, but instead he just looks more and more angry the longer Paul stays silent. Paul gets the hint and realizes that he should probably cover if he doesn’t want to be fired .“Oh– yes. Yes! I have them. I’ll get them to you. Right now. Goodbye” Paul ducks into the closest elevator and the door closes on Mr. Davidson.

What the fuck is going on.

Paul doesn’t realize there’s someone else in the elevator until they speak.

“Hey Paul. I hear you didn’t get your reports in. Why is your work ethic so bad? Maybe you should try my style: just turn stuff in on time” Ted leans against the elevator railing and his hair falls in his face in that really douchebag way it always does.

All of the love Paul held for Ted is gone. (Not that there was very much) “Oh hi Ted”

“Buddy I had a wild weekend” Ted continues “I went over to Charlotte’s house and I won’t tell you exactly what we did, but I’m sure you can guess” Ted raises his eyebrows suggestively and shakes his hips.

Paul was too busy trying not to puke from that horrible image that it takes him a second to process “Wait what?!!” Charlotte he mentioned Charlotte. And he isn’t badly covering it up “Charlotte?”

“Duh,” Ted rolls his eyes “She’s good– if you know what I mean”

“But Charlotte is married” Paul slowly connects the dots “Sam, the asshole”

“Dude she’s been divorced for months” Ted looks at Paul like he’s an idiot “We’ve been fucking for twice that”

So things are different. The elevator door opens and Paul makes an escape without even looking at the floor number. He needs to be done with that conversation. Immediately.

Luckily Paul is on the right floor. He beelines for his desk and buries his face in his hands. What the fuck.

Everything is the same as it was. Except it’s not. Paul’s brain hurts from trying to figure it out. Is he in an alternate dimension? His inner nerd is excited about that theory. Or is it just a weird possessed hallucination. Did he time travel? That one doesn’t make any sense, he’s in almost the past, but it’s different than it was the first time. Maybe it’s because he blew up the meteor? It might’ve reset things, but not perfectly. Can that happen?

“Hey Paul, you okay?” Bill’s voice comes out of nowhere. God Bill. His best friend who he watched get shot in the head.

Paul jumps to his feet and hugs Bill tightly. He’d been so focused on Emma and Ted and Charlotte that he completely forget about Bill. “I’m great”

Bill seems confused about why Paul is hugging him, but he isn’t opposed. He hesitantly pats Paul on the back “Uh, Okay?”

Paul kind of feels like he’s going to burst into tears, but he doesn’t. Instead he composes himself and pulls away, like it’s normal for him to casually hug Bill. “How’s Alice?” Even if he sometimes seems uninterested in Bill’s social life, after everything he witnessed during the semi-apocalypse he needs to know. (Also he always liked Alice. It sucked when the alien possesing her body tried to kill him.

Bill’s face lights up “Actually it’s great!” Bill sits in his desk chair and rolls over to Paul’s desk “See she was supposed to go home two days ago on the bus, but she got off to go see Deb” Paul notices that when Bill says his daughter’s girlfriends name it is with less anger than usual. “So last night was talking to Alice after Deb left, and we were fighting, but then– get this Paul! She told me that she wants to live with me instead of her mother! Ha! So we talk to her mother and she objects, obviously. Because I’m a supposed Bad influence” Bill looks hurt and Paul is reminded of how much he hates Bill’s ex-wife “But Alice starts talking about legal stuff– apparently she’s been researching. And because she’s seventeen it’s her choice. So her mom agrees as long as Alice visits once a week. So now I have my daughter back!”

Paul waits a second to see if Bill is done before talking “That’s great Bill”

“I know!” Bill smiled. He leaned forward “Also she loved Mamma Mia!”

Paul froze a bit at the mention of a musical, but it didn’t seem to do anything. Part of him was still expecting this to be some bullshit prank. Like the aliens wanted to punish him because he Defied them thrice or some shit. “I’m glad”

“I’m sorry you missed it–” Paul tuned out Bill’s voice. He did not need to know the exact plot of Mamma mia, no matter what Bill said. While he was zoning out he suddenly remembered his talk with Mr. Davidson. “So then the mom’s friends all started singing–”

“Shit! My weekly report” Paul cut Bill off mid sentence.

“I did it for you remember?” Bill passed Paul the papers “Because you were sick yesterday”

He was sick? That’s weird Paul has never missed a day of work from sickness (It doesn’t count if your boss sends you home because they don’t want you to get everyone else sick). Paul took the weekly report and scanned a couple of pages. “Thanks Bill”

“It’s no problem” Bill took the report back and dropped it on Melissa’s desk where she would hopefully give it to Mr. Davidson.

“Oh hello Paul, Bill” Charlotte walked slowly and put a cup of coffee on her desk “I didn’t know you were here”

Charlotte was wearing her cat sweater, the one she died in. Shake it off Paul. He needed to stop thinking about his friends and the ways they died “Hi Charlotte” He looked Charlotte up and down, she looked the same as she had, though her hands weren’t shaking as much as usual and she looked happier. Was being with Ted that much better than Sam? Or was there something different that he didn’t know about that was putting her in a better mood. “How are you?”

“I’m fantastic” Charlotte took a drink from her cup and Paul realized that it was actually the herbal tea that everyone avoided in favor of coffee. “Ted took me on the nicest date last night–”

“Charlotte you’re ruining my image” Ted complained he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek and smiled at her in a very-not-Ted way.

“Sorry sweetheart” Charlotte kissed Ted quickly before going back to her tea.

Paul felt his eyes bug out in shock. What the fuck.

“I’m going to go get some coffee” Paul stood up abruptly. This was too weird. “At the nice normal Starbucks”

Charlotte frowned “I just made a new pot in the–”

“Nope” Paul looked around and grabbed his wallet “I have a… a gift card! Yeah, I’ll be back”

Paul didn’t wait for his friends confirmation, he just left.

------

Paul let the muscle memory take him to the coffee shop while he thought about what had happened. He must be in a hallucination. That was the only logical explanation. The real question was whether he hit his head when the blast went off, or if it was alien induced. Maybe both? Paul was regretting the fact that he never read science fiction books, maybe that would’ve given him a better idea of what was going on.

Paul opened the door to the shop and didn’t realize anything was wrong until the bell above the door went off. Instead of the small beep that happened when you walk into Starbucks, he heard the tell tale wind chime of Beanie’s. Before he could turn around and run he met eyes with the girl at the counter; Zoey if he remembered correctly. He would look like an ass if he left now.

At least Emma wasn’t at the counter. Wait was that a bad thing? What if Emma just didn’t exist in this world? Is that good or bad?

Out of curiosity he turned around to see how he ended up at Beanie’s instead of Starbucks. He realized that he had walked to the right place, but in this world or hallucination Beanie’s was right by his work and the Starbucks was visible about a block away. Paul hated this.

He tapped his fingers against his wallet while he waited in line. It would be fine, he wouldn’t even need to talk to Emma, he could be in and out before her break was over. To his horror right as he got to the counter Emma walked out of the back and took Zoey’s place.

“Paul!” Emma looked surprised “You’re late”

Paul was technically early, but enough things were already out of whack. Why would his normal coffee time be the same. “Yeah, just a black coffee”

“I don’t even get a hello?” Emma asked “You bailed on me yesterday”

“I bailed on what?” According to Bill he had been sick, but he was at least 93% sure he had actually been running from the fucking alien apocalypse.

“I had the closing shift” Emma stared at him like he was supposed to know what that meant.

“Oh yeah, the closing shift” Paul nodded in a way that he hoped was convincing “My bad”

Emma looked unconvinced “Are you okay? You always came hang out while I lock down the store and clean tables. I missed you”

“I was sick” Paul covered, that’s what Bill told him so it must be somewhat right? His heart might’ve fluttered at the fact that Emma knew him here and that he regularly spent time with her, but it was offset by the other fifteen negative emotions he was feeling at the same time.

“Why didn’t you text me?” Emma plucked his wallet out of his hand where he had been holding it in front of himself absently. “Cash or credit?”

“Cash” Paul couldn’t lie to Emma. He needed to tell her what was going on. Maybe she would know what to do. “I need to talk to you”

Emma took a five dollar bill out of Paul’s wallet and returned the proper amount of change. “We can talk tonight, I’m closing again”

“Can it be sooner?” Paul was going to explode if this went on any longer. He also did not want to go back to work.

“Emma hurry the fuck up” Emma’s boss called from the espresso machine “You’re holding up the line”

“Yes Nora” Emma rolled her eyes “You need to go, I’ll see you after work?”

“Of course” Paul took the coffee from her and left the store. That was a failure on every count. And now he had to go back to work and talk to his friends who weren’t like his friends and why was his life such a disaster.

------

After four hours of keeping his head down at work and ignoring how weird everything felt, he was ready to leave. Or actually he was ready to jump out a window, but leaving was a nice alternate. He didn’t actually know when Emma is supposed to get off work, so he just heads down to Beanie’s as soon as he can leave. Luckily the shop is empty and Emma has most of the lights turned off. He hesitantly knocks on the door and lets him in before re-locking the door

“So what did you want to talk about?” Emma asked. She was wiping down the counter so Paul pulled one of the chairs over to sit on.

“I think I’m either in a different dimension or my current life is all an elaborate illusion that the aliens who killed me came up with” Paul explained in a rush.

Emma turned around slowly “What?”

“I know you probably think that I’m crazy or high or something equally weird, but there was this musical apocalypse and I died, but now I’m back in the world where it never happened and everything is just slightly different so I’m freaking out!” Paul didn’t know what he would do if Emma didn’t believe him.

“I–” Something in Emma’s expression changed “Musical apocalypse?”

“Yes!” Paul needed her to believe him “Everyone who got infected just started singing and dancing like they were in a musical! There was actually a song here– except it wasn’t because in my world Beanie’s is in the Starbucks building– but it was your boss and Zoey and you were doing a tip song but they knew more so they just kept going, and they put blue shit in the coffee!”

Emma stopped wiping the counter and jumped up to sit on top of it. “I believe you”

“And then– Wait what?” Paul had been ready to launch into another description, but he stopped “Why?”

“I’ve been having these dreams…” Emma trailed off “I thought it was nothing, just a dream. But that; what you just described, was in my dream”

“Oh,” Now Paul was really confused “What else do you remember”

“You” Emma blushed a little “We almost kissed”

“Yeah,” Paul would regret not kissing Emma for the rest of his (Probably short) life. “So now I’m here and I’m kind of freaking out”

“You said little things are different?” Emma asked to clarify, when Paul nodded she continued “So what is different? Maybe that has something to do with this”

Paul started listing everything he had noticed throughout the day. He didn’t notice a pattern until he got to the end of the list “Wait everything is better” So far all of the weird changes had been good things that he wanted to happen. Bill got his daughter back, Charlotte was happy, and Emma was working closer to his office. Also now that he looked back on it, the coffee at Beanie’s was significantly better.

“Okay I have an idea” Emma hopped off the counter and threw her rag behind the counter “I have this professor–”

“Hidgens turned out to be evil” Paul interrupted. As much as he liked Hidgens, there was no way he would forgive him for trying to get Emma killed. Oh, and Ted.

“Hidgens?” Emma looked confused “Who the fuck is Hidgens?”

“Noted” Paul nodded. Just another thing to add to the list “Proceed”

“So anyway. She’s super into voodoo stuff. She claims I was like, an astronaut or something, in a past life? Anyway, maybe she can guess what’s going on” Emma rolled her apron into a ball and tucked it under the counter. “Professor Hill”

“That sounds like a long shot” Paul said hesitantly “But I have no better ideas”

------

Paul should’ve known that Hill would be weird. Why were Emma’s professors always weird? She was majoring in fucking botany. Shouldn’t the professors be plain, normal plant people? Hill looked like she was straight out of a scooby doo cartoon with hair that a cat probably slept in and an outfit that looked like she got lost in a fabric store from the seventies. To Paul’s horror she pulled them into her basement which had a crystal ball and four too many skulls to be average.

“Emma you brought a friend” Hill moved much closer than Paul wanted and looked him in the eye “Or maybe more than a friend?”

“Paul is having a problem Professor” Emma seemed right at home in the horror basement. She sat on the loveseat across the table and took the cup of tea Hill offered her.

“Big problem” Paul stood nervously in front of the loveseat. He was unsure if Emma wanted him that close. Emma rolled her eyes and pulled him down to sit next to her and leaned against his shoulder. Paul waved away the offer of tea and Hill examined him over her octagonal glasses. (Also what company made fucking octagonal glasses?)

“You aren’t from here” Hill sat dramatically in her chair and pulled the crystal ball closer.

“So I am in a different dimension?” Paul missed Hidgens and his extensive bar.

“Maybe so” Hill said unhelpfully (Which seemed to be a common theme) “Here can mean any number of things”

Emma nodded as though that made sense. “We want to know what happened to Paul”

HIll leaned across the table and examined Paul “Hmm”

“Emma I think we should go” Paul leaned back. He no longer cares what’s going on, as long as he never has to see this woman ever again.

“It’s amazing what dreams can bring” Hill nodded at Emma.

“What?” Emma grabbed Paul’s hand nervously. “My dreams?”

“The dreams will give it away” Hill repeated. She pushed away the crystal ball, even though she had barely used it. “That is all I can see” Hill pushed them out of her… house? Basement? Apartment? Cave?

“I never want to see that woman ever again” Paul said once the door closed. He was starting to miss the apocalypse, at least he knew that was real.

“I wish she’d been more helpful”

“At least she didn’t try to kill us” Emma laughed and Paul suddenly realized they were still holding hands. It was nice.

“Do you want to come over to my place?” Emma asked when they got in the car “You probably shouldn’t be alone”

“Sure” Paul was pretty sure he would be fine alone, it wasn’t like someone was trying to murder him. But it was sweet that Emma was worried.

------

They got back to Emma’s with little difficulty. Everything was so much easier when aliens weren’t trying to infect you and take over the world. Paul wondered what Bill was doing, a part of him, was still hoping that this was actually real. Everyone was way happier and Paul wouldn’t mind staying here forever.

“So we don’t actually know each other in your memories?” Emma asked casually.

“When I exploded we had only actually known each other for about three days” Paul didn’t think pining after Emma for a month counts.

“I must’ve really liked you” Emma reasoned. “And I never actually kissed you”

“The one time we tried you spit up blood on my face”

“I think we can do better than that” Emma grabbed Paul’s shirt to pull him in and kissed him right as the world started to dissolve.

-------

Emma came to consciousness slowly, holding on to the dream for as long as possible. Sadly enough the dream faded and Emma finally woke up. Paul’s untucked shirt she was holding became the sheets on the uniform hospital bed had been sleeping in for weeks now. The apartment she loved, though the real Paul had never set foot in it, became the dark and empty room. It was amazing the things her dreams came up with. Anything to make her believe that she didn’t lose her chance with the one guy she actually liked.

Throughout the last week Emma’s head had given her so many foolish fantasies. Fantasies where everyone was actually happy, and the friends she’d only had for a day and a half lived long enough for her to get to know them.

“Kelly get up! You’re leaving today” Emma jumped at Colonel Schaffer’s voice. The Colonel was annoying, but Emma was at least looking forward to leaving and hopefully moving on.

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booksandtea · 5 years

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Author Interview | Laure Eve Last month I teased on my Instagram that I got to interview the breath-taking Laure Eve and how I hoped to have it all transcribed soon.

Unfortunately for you, I lost the bloody audio.

Luckily Laure is such a Queen that she agreed to re answer the questions over email for us so I can still scream about her work.

I’m actually a little sad that I did loose the audio because we had such a great conversation, but once the others go live too I can also edit in links to there so you can experience some of the magic.

Keep reading to find out more about Laure Eve, The Graces, and her future work.

Laure Eve

A French-British hybrid who grew up in Cornwall, a place saturated with myth and fantasy. Being a child of two cultures taught her everything she needed to know about trying to fit in at the same time as trying to stand out.

She speaks English and French, and can hold a vague conversation, usually about food, in Greek.

A random selection of favourite things: Terry Pratchett quotes, characters with questionable morals, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Häagen-Dazs cookie dough ice cream, anything Trent Reznor is remotely involved in even if it only extends to ‘he once touched this artist’s arm’, bad 90s dance music and anything a bit weird (see: Davids Lynch and Cronenberg).

Find her on Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Website

Is The Graces a duology or will you be revisiting the world? It is a duology for the moment, though I’d definitely revisit the world if another story for it came to me. I think at the moment it’d be taken up from someone else’s point of view, like say Marcus. I think it would be interesting to do a series where each book was told from a different character’s POV.

Do you prefer reading standalones or series and do you think that influences your writing? On balance I probably read a lot more standalones than I do series, I think mostly because series are much more of an investment, and I tend to have to read so much varied stuff – new books that I get sent, research for my own writing – that it takes me a really long time to get to the next book in a series. I’d really love to write a series, but for some bizarre reason I keep unconsciously defaulting to duologies…

I spoke to a friend who loved The Graces and she thinks it would be interesting to know how you researched the magic, where you got the inspiration from, and whether you view yourself as Wiccan? The inspiration for the magic in the books definitely comes from modern Wicca and the resurgence of pagan/earth religions in the 20th century. For me where magic gets interesting is when it sits between the intersection of willpower, spirituality and belief, and is therefore more nebulous in nature. I grew up in an area that was very open to those kinds of alternative spiritualities, so I really drew from the experiences of my childhood. I wouldn’t necessarily say I am Wiccan, no – mostly because I am an atheist, and there are dimensions to Wicca that draws on the belief in some kind of higher power. But I am very interested in its philosophies, and its approach to reality.

Is your favourite genre to read different to what you write? Do you have any recommendations? I honestly don’t have a favourite genre. I read contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller and horror, they all offer different experiences for me. Recommendations – too many! The best thing to do for recs is follow me on instagram. I tend to post about the books I really love that I’ve read recently.

Are there any fantasy/paranormal elements you’d love to explore in the future? Actually I find myself being drawn back towards science fiction a little more. In the new thing I’m writing right now, I’ve been exploring the intersection of magic and technology, and how that would work, what that would look like. It is a very fun concept to play around with.

What is the best thing about being an author? You get a moment every so often where you realise that you’re being paid to make stuff up. It’s the strangest and most wonderful feeling.

If you can tell us anything, what are you working on next? It’s an alternative world fantasy inspired by the stories of King Arthur and Merlin, but set in a city with trains and motorbikes and electricity. It has a very modern gothic kind of vibe. I’ve no idea if it will ever get published, but I’m having immense fun creating it.

And lastly, if you could write a book with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? Wishful answer: I’d have loved to have written a book with Terry Pratchett. As a writer he has had a huge influence on me. It would have been quite something to be able to draw on his amazingly creative and sharply perceptive mind.

I hope you enjoyed this post and you get the chance to see Laure speak at an event because she’s super awesome. After hearing her at NYALIT my pals all bought her books too so we’re now a Laure Eve Fan Club 💖

Have you read either of Laure Eve’s duologies?

If you enjoyed this post consider supporting Northern Plunder Ko-fi | Twitter | Book Club | RedBubble

On writing, duologies, and witchcraft | Q+A with @LaureEve Author Interview | Laure Eve Last month I teased on my Instagram that I got to interview the breath-taking Laure Eve and how I hoped to have it all transcribed soon.

#Author Interview #Author Q&A #Author: Laure Eve #Genre: Fantasy #Genre: Feminism #Genre: LGBT #Guest Post #Publisher: Faber and Faber #Publisher: Hot Key Books #Q&A #Series: Fearsome Dreamer #Series: The Graces #TEENSgate

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hedgehog-goulash7 · 6 years

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This came in on Ask, but I will answer in a regular post so folks can see the whole set of questions and answers:

anthony-edward-stark-is-my-hero said:

Hi! There is this guy on Twitter called Jeremy Conrad who seems to know a lot of stuff about Avengers 4 and it seems that most of his information is legit. A couple of weeks ago he leaked that the Avengers 4 title is "Annihilation" and later Mark Ruffalo sort of confirmed in on Jimmy Fallon's show. Plus, he stands pretty firmly behind his words regarding the title. So, he also leaked another spoiler regarding the actress Katherine Langford who is also casted for A4 in a mysterious role. (1/4)

(2) He claims that she will play Tony and Pepper's daughter in the movie. Do you believe this is true? And most importantly how do you feel about the idea? There's been rumors that A4 will be about time travel but I think the writers debunked this theory, so the other most likely possibility is dealing with the quantum realm and alternate universes. Given the fact that the actress is quite older to be born and raised in the present, she is probably Tony's daughter from a parallel universe.

3) I personally have bad feelings about this since I quite enjoy Tony and Peter's father-son relationship, plus Harley from IM3 will be in A4 too. They both are like Tony's adopted kids and their bond has been explored in previous movies and there's much deeper emotional connection. Adding an unknow character for more unnecessary dramatical effect I think is stupid.

(4) So much will be going on in this movie and so many characters are already involved, they should focus on already existing relationship and storylines than adding more and more new people. Anyway, just wanted to know your thoughts on this rumor. Thank you for your time.

ANSWER: Well - there are always a lot of rumors that fly around in advance of hotly anticipated movies, and I hesitate to either believe in them fully or dismiss them fully. Jeremy Conrad sort of makes a living -- or at least an avocation that gets him press passes into premieres and etc. -- posting, blogging and vlogging about the MCU, so it would seem he has a modicum of credibility to protect, or else people wouldn’t follow him. So his posts are probably more legit than most.

I don’t know that I’d believe what he says absolutely whole-heartedly, because the PTB at the MCU are probably tossing out red herrings galore to mislead the fan media as well as the mainstream media -- and why would they not? It’s been happening at least since the infamous “Serpent Society” feint thrown by none other than Feige himself, so we KNOW they will boldfaced LIE to protect the secrecy of what’s upcoming. They are quite adept at doing it -- and you know what? I don’t blame them. It’s all in fun, no one is hurt because of it (except people with egg on their faces who believe the misleads...*cough*thosewhostillbelieveSerpentSocietywasanActualThing*cough*) and it does protect the storylines from being spoiled months in advance. This is actually to protect us and our enjoyment of the movie. Who wants it spoiled?? I may be gnawing off my own arm by May in dread and anticipation of what will happen -- and particularly what will happen to Tony -- but that doesn’t mean I want the whole thing spoiled in advance.

What THAT being said, well, what do I feel IF it’s true that Katherine Langford is being cast as Tony and Pepper’s grown-up daughter, perhaps in another dimension or time or quantum realm?

Well -- first, brilliant casting. She’s a smart, articulate actress (as we know from “Thirteen Reasons Why”) and I could see her as Tony and Pepper’s daughter.

And second - I guess I’m...ambivalent?...about it. As in, I don’t know enough about it yet to be able to form an opinion. We just don’t have the facts yet.

Look at it this way -- IF the storyline sees fit to go backward or forward in time, or to leap dimensions or quantum strings or whatever, then they’re doing that for a reason. If we’re seeing Tony’s grown-up child in one quantum reality, maybe we’ll be seeing different realities for the other Avengers, too, so they’ll all be in the same boat.

This has been a science fiction/fantasy trope forever -- the “what if?” alternate reality. Does it mean that it’s “real” in the fictional real world we’ve come to know and love in the MCU? Well - it’s real in that other dimension/time/realm. But quantum physics and string theory tell us that there may be infinite “realities” out there -- almost anything we can imagine. If Tony has a grown-up daughter in one reality, he may have a grown-up son or sons in another, or no kids at all in another, or he may be with another woman other than Pepper.

What if all the OG Avengers get to be in a position to CHOOSE which “reality” they want to stay in, and that’s how they end their current stories in the MCU, opening the way for the new Avengers? IF the “realities” are like string theory, and what happens in one can’t affect what happens in the others, then maybe they might get to choose. Maybe it will be like a temptation dangled in front of them: to stay in a peaceful reality with no alien invasions and no Thanos snap. Would Steve want to go back to his WWII reality and marry Peggy? Would Natasha want to go back pre-Red Room and make different choices? Would Tony want to peacefully stay with Older Pepper and his grown daughter? (And would they be somehow taking the place of the Steve or Nat or Tony who are already THERE in those realities? And how would THAT work? Lots of questions...!

But -- quantum physics is a very, very, VERY weird universe (I’ve written several articles about new discoveries in quantum physics, so take it from me...! It’s freaking WEIRD...!!), and the potentialities in the MCU’s “Quantum Realm” are quite literally endless. The screenwriters could do anything with time or space or matter, and quantum physics would just say “Yeah -- could happen! Probably has -- or will! Or both!”

OR -- would these heroes choose instead to come back to their Thanos-threatened universe and stay and fight and save THEIR OWN universe and the time THEY come from? Now THAT would be a cool story.

But I guess what I’m trying to say is: we have to trust the screenwriters and the direction of the MCU. I don’t think they’ll be throwing a grown-up daughter into Tony’s life forever. It’s too much of a diversion from his hero journey, which is what I have to believe A4 will really be about. No screenwriter in their right mind would ignore the hero journey and give any of these heroes an “easy” way out -- nor would they ignore the compelling father-son relationship Tony has already built up with Peter Parker, or rob the audience of seeing them reunite. My guess would be that the daughter exists in one alternate timeline or quantum realm but not necessarily in the MCU’s main timeline. She’s just a potential, not a given in this reality. So I wouldn’t get too worked up about it.

Bottom line: I am GUESSING. Which, of course, we all are.

By the way, I do agree with you about the “so much is going on” and “so many characters are involved.” I’ve felt that way since after the first Avengers movie. I thought then that there were SO many adventures and stories that the Original Six could have had, as they got to know each other better and began to work together like a well-oiled team. And it still annoys me that we were pretty much robbed of that when the MCU decided to lard in more and more Avengers (who really weren’t needed) while the Avengers we already KNEW and loved got short-shrifted on their storylines. Yes, it’s true that the comics lard in more and more Avengers and that the team has shifted and morphed many times on the comics page. But that’s the COMICS, which have endless time to spin out their stories -- months and years -- and a very limited audience. Movies are different. Movie storylines need to play out in two-plus hours a couple of times a year, if we’re lucky -- and with the Avengers as a team, more like two-plus hours two or three years apart. In front of a mass world audience.

Honestly, I felt like we JUST MET the O6 Avengers, and were barely just getting to know them and how they worked as a team -- and then suddenly all these new characters flooded in during AOU and CACW (and yeah, some of them were and are great -- especially Spider-Man and T’Challa. And some were just, and still are, unnecessary...and you can probably guess which ones I mean...). And THEN on top of all the hero-crowding, they decide to have the VILLAIN (Thanos) get all kinds of screentime, when what we wanted was more screentime for the heroes...

Anyway, don’t get me started on the overcrowding of characters and the sacrificing of the movie storylines we have for the “good” of the upcoming MCU. I can say “trust the screenwriters,” but they done us wrong more than once, so there’s that. So I guess my reaction of “ambivalent” is probably the right one. So far. Not that there’s anything we can do about anything - so, bring it on. (Fan fiction heals many wounds, just saying...) This is just my 2 cents’ worth; other opinions may vary!

#MCU #Avengers 4 #Tony Stark #A4 #speculation #commentary #ask #opinion

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 3 Easter Eggs & References

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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3.

The third episode of Lower Decks Season 2 has, in its title, an Easter egg to the TNG episode “We’ll Always Have Paris.” It is not anyone’s favorite episode of The Next Generation, but it’s possible that “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris,” will be your favorite episode of Lower Decks. Well, that depends on how much you love Star Trek: Voyager and not having complicated questions answered, ever.

Genesis devices to Delta Quadrant madness, different kinds of Orions, and several Worf shout-outs, here’s every Easter egg and reference we caught in Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 3.

Boimler can’t use the replicator

Mariner mentions that the upgraded security on the Cerritos means is responsible for Boimler being locked out of the replicators. This vaguely references the DS9 episode “Inquisition” and the Voyager episode “Counterpoint,” when it’s made clear people who are confined to quarters (i.e. security risks) can’t use the replicator.

We doing sci-fi stuff today?

This is Mariner’s second use of the term “sci-fi” in Season 2 of Lower Decks. The terms “science fiction” and “sci-fi” are used sparingly in the Trek franchise. In Picard Season 1, Jean-Luc admitted that he “didn’t get” science fiction, after Jurati was looking at this copy of Isaac Asimov’s The Complete Robot. Interestingly enough, the term “sci-fi” was still in its infancy in the 1960s, and was often thought of as a pejorative term by more serious science fiction enthusiasts who preferred the term “SF.” To this day, “SF” tends to denote print science fiction (or speculative fiction) while sci-fi usually refers to filmed science fiction. “Sci-fi” itself is almost a double portmanteau insofar as it’s both an abbreviation of “science fiction” and reference to “hi-fi,” meaning “high fidelity.” Mariner’s use of “sci-fi” in Lower Decks could suggest the word has a slightly different implied meaning in the 24th century than it does in the 20th or 21st.

The return of Shaxs and all the ways you can come back to life in Star Trek

The biggest running joke of this episode is easily the notion that Shaxs has come back to life and there is little to no explanation as to how. However, Mariner and Boimler do list several in a later scene, including:

“A transporter buffer thing” (Scotty in TNG’s “Relics”)

“A restored Katra” (Spock in The Search for Spock, but also Surak in “The Forge,” from Enterprise)

“A Mirror Universe switcharoo” (Jennifer in DS9’s “Through the Looking Glass,” and perhaps, more prominently, Georgiou in Discovery, starting with “The Wolf Inside.”)

“The Borg rebuilt him” (Neelix is saved by Seven’s nanoprobes in VOY’s “Mortal Coil.”)

Future son from an alternate timeline (Jake saves his father, Ben Sisko, in DS9’s “The Visitor.”)

“Maybe he got Genesis deviced” (Spock in The Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, et al.)

“Nexus/time ribbon — same thing” (Kirk, Picard, Soren and Guinan in Star Trek: Generations.)

“The Creator of Fair Haven and Captain Proton himself!”

Boimler mentions two holodeck programs written by Tom Paris, which were huge during the run of VOY. (Yeah, we’re calling it that now, it really does save time.) “Fair Haven,” was designated holoprogram “Paris042,” and appeared in the episodes “Fair Haven,” and “Spirit Folk.” The pulpy, black-and-white holoprogram appears in ten episodes of VOY, and is essentially a blend of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.

“Is he still a salamander?”

Boimler makes it clear that Tom Paris was only briefly turned into a salamander-like creature, because he was the first “first human to break the transwarp barrier.” This referenced the VOY episode “Threshold,” in which Janeway AND Paris become “salamanders.” It is generally considered to be the worst VOY episode of all time, and often, one of the worst Star Trek’s ever, too. But, true fans love it because of that fact. Also, this is the second time Lower Decks has referenced “Threshold.” In “Much Ado About Boimler,” Tendi and Boimler met one of those salamander-looking creatures on route to “the Farm.”

Qualor II

This references the exact same location from the TNG episodes “Unification I” and “Unification II.” It’s basically a big junk yard.

“This stuff always happens, even on VOY!”

This probably references the fact that Harry Kim was killed and replaced by his exact duplicate from another dimension in the VOY episode “Deadlock.”

Boimler sings the Voyager theme song

While walking down the corridor, Boimler is humming the Jerry Goldsmith-composed theme to Star Trek: Voyager. Previously, in Season 1, Boimler was humming the TNG theme in the episode “Temporal Eddict.” (Which is also composed by Jerry Goldsmith.)

Quark’s Bar

It appears by the time of Lower Decks Season 2 (roughly 2381) Quark seems to have a franchise of bars. On Qualor, we see a sign for “Quark’s Bar,” which seems to reference both Quark on DS9, but also the Quark’s Bar we saw on Freecloud in Picard’s “Stardust City Rag.”

Zebulon Sisters

In the same scene, we see a sign for the “Zebulon Sisters,” who are a musical group Boimler and Mariner went nuts for in the Lower Decks Season 1 episode, “Terminal Provocations.”

Like a Vulcan on Pon Farr

Tendi explains the Catian’s need to be “intimate once a year,” and compares it a “like a Vulcan on Pon Farr,” which of course, references the seven-year mating cycle for Vulcans, which originates in the TOS episode “Amok Time.”

Worf’s Mek’leth

Mariner says she once “ran over Worf’s Mek’leth” on Deep Space 9. This was the curved weapon Worf started using in DS9’s “The Way of the Warrior,” and prominently in First Contact.

Mariner’s long list of Starfleet postings

When Tendi asks Mariner what she was doing on DS9, she says, “I served there! Back before I was on the Quito.” This would put Mariner serving on DS9 sometime after 2372 (Worf arrives on DS9 in “The Way of the Warrior”), but before 2375 (Worf leaves DS9 in “What You Leave Behind.”) Either way, it’s between nine and six years before Lower Decks Season 2. Mariner also says that the Cerritos is “like my fifth” ship. This means that the dating of Mariner’s flashback scene on DS9 in the episode “Cupid’s Errant Arrow,” is even more confusing.

Bonestell and Starbase Earhart

Mariner knows a “fixer” at Bonestell, and when they arrive, we’re told this is “Starbase Earhart.” All of this references the TNG episode “Tapestry,” in which we learned a young Jean-Luc Picard hung out on this planet before “shipping out.” Bonetell is the bar and recreation area of Starbase Earhart. Tendi and Mariner playing dom-jot with the Nausicaans also references “Tapestry.”

“I’m not even that kind of Orion”

When Mariner suggests that Tendi use her pheromones, Tendi objects, saying “I’m not even that kind of Orion.” This references (mostly) the Enterprise episode “Bound,” in which we learn that the Orion “slave women,” are actually not slaves, but secretly manipulating all the males in their society through pheromones. The famous Orion pheromones originate in the TOS pilot episode “The Cage.” Tendi later mentions the “stigmas” around Orions, and that it was “hard to get into the academy.” Taken with the “not that kind of Orion ” reference, this could also reference the film Star Trek 2009, in which Uhura is roommates with an Orion, Gaila (Rachel Nichols) you didn’t appear to that kind of Orion, either.

“Not that kind of Orion,” may also reference the Animated Series episode “The Pirates of Orion,” in which everyone randomly pronounces it “ORE-E-AYN” (rather than “OH-RYE-AN”) for no clear reason.

Tom Paris

Robert Duncan McNeill reprises his role as Tom Paris, for the first time since the final episode of VOY, “Endgame.” Paris is rocking a post-First Contact style uniform, which is also something new, since the VOY crew were stuck in the old duds while in the Delta Quadrant.

The multiverse of Shaxs!

In Rutherford’s nightmare, there are a multitude of Shaxses, from across the multiverse of imagination. This scene is so densely packed with Easter eggs, it’s possible to miss several. Here’s what we caught.

Mirror Universe Shaxs says “I fought my way out of the multiverse.” He’s wearing the gold Terran Empire vest Kirk wore in TOS’ “Mirror, Mirror.”

Borg Shaxs

Tiny Dyson’s Sphere Shaxs (another reference to TNG’s “Relics.”)

Shaxs as Lincoln (another reference to TOS’ “The Savage Curtain,” which was just referenced last week!)

Shaxs in a TOS red uniform

Shaxs in an Enterprise–era engineering uniform. (Possibly a reference to Trip’s death in the ENT finale, “These Are the Voyages…”

Shaxs as Neelix? Is that what that spotted suit is, right?

“What was the deal with T’Pol’s hair —” (A half-heard line from Shaxs, clearly a reference to T’Pol’s shifting Vulcan haircut on Enterprise.)

“In the Nexus it’s ALWAYS Christmas” (Another reference to the time-bending energy ribbon, the Nexus in Generations. This references Picard’s weird fake-Christmas in the Nexus.)

“Tendi with no last name, like Odo!”

Mariner has no idea Tendi’s first name is “D’Vana,” and assumes she has just one name “like Odo,” in reference to everyone’s favorite shapeshifting constable from DS9, Odo. Tendi says her first name in the very first episode of Lower Decks, “Second Contact,” and we see her name signed on the screen in Mariner’s holodeck program in “Crisis Point.” But, it’s possible, it’s never been spoken out loud in a scene that Mariner has been in. This joke could reference the idea that Sulu and Uhura both did not have first names spoken on screen until much later in canon. In fact, in Star Trek 2009, it’s a running joke that Kirk does not know Uhura’s first name until Spock calls her Nyota.

Boimler references Scotty?

While crawling through the Jefferies Tubes, Boimler says “Nobody knows the Cerritos like Bradward Boimler!” And then he gets smacked in the head by a closing hatch. This probably references Scotty in The Final Frontier, when he says “I know this ship like the back of my hand,” and then runs into a bulkhead and passes out.

“Baby Bear”

Shaxs refers to Rutherford as “Baby Bear.” This references the Season 1 episode “Envoys,” in which Rutherford had briefly considered a job in security. At that point, all the security officers called themselves, “bears” and Rutherford “Baby Bear.” When Shaxs saved Rutherford in “No Small Parts,” he bellowed, “I’ve got you Baby Bear!”

A Kazon!

The Kazon were the primary villains in VOY’s first few seasons, and yes, did kind of look like that. Nobody misses them.

Computer, Ramming Speed!

When Mariner puts the shuttle on a collision course with the Cerritos, she says “ramming speed!” This feels like a reference to Worf in First Contact. Hell, maybe Mariner was on the Defiant in First Contact? It’s possible! (If she served on DS9, she could have EASILY served on the Defiant)

Did you get your bowl signed by Chakotay or whatever

Mariner teases Boimler at the end of the episode, intentionally pretending like she doesn’t know the difference between Chakotay and Tom Paris. Interestingly enough, both Tom Paris and Chakotay had criminal records before getting stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Seems like they’re doing fine upon the return of VOY to the Alpha Quadrant.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

And, if this episode is any indication, it feels like the references to VOY are just getting started on this show. Lower Decks Season 2 airs new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount +.

The post Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 3 Easter Eggs & References appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Wjwn49

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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thisweekingundamwing · 6 years

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TWIGW March 18-24th

Happy Spring, amazing fandom!

Check out all the cool stuff we have for you this week below, and remember to show the creators some love!

Thanks for all you do!

-Mod CB

Fanfiction:

A Little Piece of Gundam Wing

The archive is being ported to AO3! Check it out!

Amberly with @yourbloodlikewine

In This Light

Duo spent the last semester working in his older brother's coffee shop. He's resigned himself to a boring spring when a stranger appears, shaking up his entire life. Eli left home last fall, choosing to spend the last six months living out of his van on his travels from the Midwest to the East Coast. By the time he arrives at Ink's, the novelty of traveling alone has started to wear off. Still, the last thing he's expecting is to meet someone who's going to change all that for him

Pairings: 2xOMC, 3xOMC, Solo x OMC,

Warnings: Rape/Noncon, Original Characters - Freeform, Alternate Universe, child abuse mention, Sexual Assault Mention, homophobic parents, Re-Written Characters, Drug Use, Violence, off screen murder, gratuitous author indulgence

@anaranesindanarie

The Shinigami and The Silencer

They say a person only needs three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. I had all three, despite my rough start in life. I had a lover, a hobby that I loved, and I had a hope… hope that my lover would get better, that we would be together forever. But he didn’t. He died in a hospital bed, cold and alone as I watched through a window, my body covered in chains. I wasn’t even allowed to bury him as the prison sent his body off to be cremated. My heart broke that night and the next day, on the way to my execution, I killed five of my guards before the others opened fire. I was dead before I hit the floor, my blood staining it. Why was I being executed you ask? Let me tell you the story of The Shinigami and The Silencer.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Major Character Death, death, angst

@claraxbarton

Singularity

Dr. Trowa Barton has a problem - he's this close to figuring out the secret to manufacturing a nanocarbon black pigment that could compete with Vantablack. But he's also hit a dead end, and he's tired and maybe a night of drinking beer and painting Beagles is exactly what he needs to get his research back on track.

Pairings: 2x3, 3x5, 2x3x5

Warnings: Art, Science, Chemistry, singularity - Freeform, AU, ex-lovers now friends, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M, drunken sexy times, sober sexy times, weird art, i mean. maybe it's not weird. to each their own, nanocarbon black, paint pigments, what are these tags, Quatre is a good wingman

Silver Strand

Summary: The world had shifted, boundaries had been crossed, right and wrong had long ago been abandoned. A dark story of revenge, love, loss and drug smuggling. AU set in Coronado, California in the 1970s. Based on/Inspired by Joshuah Bearman’s “Coronado High”

Multiple pairings including but not limited to: 1x2, 2x5, 2x3, 2x3x5, 13x2, RxH, 9xS, 6x4

Warnings: Angst, drug use, Vietnam-era politics

@claraxbarton , @kangofu-cb

Bad Company

"The only hell and the only paradise are the ones we build ourselves." - Unknown Years after the wars, Preventers has decided to tackle one of the most powerful and oldest of all the Terran crime syndicates. Embedded dangerously deep in an undercover operation targeting the violent and bloodthirsty Sinaloa Cartel, Trowa Barton is pushed beyond even his flexible morals - and when his new "partner" arrives in the very unexpected and unwelcome form of Duo Maxwell, the one person he'd been trying to protect at all costs, both men must deal with the realization that preserving peace for humanity is turning into a bloodsport.What follows is race against time to uncover the evidence they need to bring Sinaloa, and its beautiful but deadly leaders, down - all while keeping each other alive in the process

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Post-Canon, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Human Trafficking, Gang Violence, Canon Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Moral Dilemmas

Foopy, kirallie

Knights of Avalon

Multi-series crossover fic

The Galaxy is a weird, wonderful and dangerous place. There is far more to history than anyone remembers.

Warnings: Very AU, Stargate pushed up to movie in '04, sentient weapons, many dates have been played with to fit

@kangofu-cb

If You Let Me

If Trowa could give the new residents one rule for surviving the ICU, it would be ‘Don’t Touch Anything. (Especially The Patients.)’. In reality, he’d actually give them a lot of rules, possibly with diagrams for clarity. But his main rule essentially covered the bases. When you worked in one of the largest ICUs, in the biggest medical center in the country, at a hospital known for taking on unstable patients for the most complex and risky surgeries that were performed no-where else, new residents were a menace. Until he meets Dr. Maxwell, the newest anesthesia resident.

Pairings: 2x3, background HxD

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Medical, Doctor/Patient, Nurses & Nursing, Fluff and Smut, this is literally my feel good thing guys ok, I mean I'm not saying there won't be any angst, but basically this is all WAFF, Explicit Sexual Content

@ladyjstruth-blog

Friend Zone

Duo and Hilde's wedding is fast approaching but after a heartwrenching breakup, how will Trowa and Quatre get through the weekend?

Pairings: 3x4, 2xH, 1xR

Warnings: Drama and Romance, Post-Canon

LadyLilyAnne, Melfice13

The Trials & Tribulations of a High Society Shinigami

Duo was a very caring woman, an open book so to speak, always there to help those that needed it with a smile on hand. The problem was she was surrounded by insane men who needed to be watched over like kids and her fellow women left her to it. Resigning herself to being the team mom Duo did her best, but she hadn't planned on Heero admitting he loved her. Things are weird now...

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4

Warnings: Fem Duo, oblivious characters, Developing Relationship, Obssessed Relena, Obssessed Zechs, The Pink Thing, Explosions, Non-Graphic Violence, Duo and Trieze Have a Weird Friendship, Non-Chronological, Related Drabbles, gratuitous cursing

LavenderKisses

Stay

Duo watches Heero leave his bed every time the phone rings. All he wishes is that, for once, he would stay.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR

Warnings: Angst, Songfic

Lil_1337

2018 Comment Fic_Feburary

Drabbles and short fics written for the Live Journal community Comment Fics which can be found here: http://comment-fic.livejournal.com

Multiple fandoms/pairings, please see chapter specific warnings

Lthanz

Life is War

Multi-series crossover fic

Sequel to 'Life is Fringe'. Five years later, Max, Chloe, and Kevin have settled into their new lives. However, they soon find themselves caught up in a power-struggle between two powerful men competing to control the fate of the world. Loyalties will be tested but a greater threat looms in the darkness, ready to strike.

Characters: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Kate Marsh/Original Character(s), Maxine "Max" Caulfield, Chloe Price (Life Is Strange), Kate Marsh, Olivia Dunham, Treize Khushrenada, Natasi Daala, Lucrezia Noin, Lady Une

Warnings: Science Fiction & Fantasy, War, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Crossover, Multiple Crossovers, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, pricefield

Luvsanime02

The Taste of Peaches

A @gwcocktailfriday submission

Relena's had a long day, and so she stops off somewhere for a drink or two.

Pairings: none

Warnings: AU- modern setting, introspection

Maldoror

The Source of All Things

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, eventual 1x2x5

Warnings: alternative universe, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Two Halves

The two kingdoms of Sanq and Lin were at war for years; a conflagration involving magic, armies and political murder. The conflict left both nations devastated and strewn with refugees. The king of Sanq finds his infant son, lost at birth, among the death and the ruin, a miracle he barely dared to hope for. But there isn't just one boy, there are two, clinging together like two halves of a whole that cannot be separated. Decades later, the truth behind that second child’s existence will put a hole in the world, or possibly save it.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Fantasy AU, medieval setting with magic, starts with our heroes as children, Cousin Incest, sort of, eventually, being royalty this is in fact the norm and rather expected of them, Canon-Typical Violence

Merula31

Sleepless

It started that first night that I got him out of the hospital. I don't know where he found the time between raiding my gundam for parts and fixing his, but he did. He slipped into my room, managing not to wake me up until he got into bed with me.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Yaoi, Lime, Implied Lemons, post war-ness, Angst, Sappy, POV Alternating, Spoilers, but if you haven't seen the series by now - what's wrong with you???, Original Character(s), Preventers (Gundam Wing), but no action, well - not THAT kind, Suicide Attempt, Misunderstandings

@miss-m-muses

The Cabin

Trowa’s debut novel became a best-seller and now he is failing at writing a follow up. In order to find peace and quiet to write, he rents a secluded cabin near a small town to find inspiration. Yet writing becomes hard when he keeps hearing howls from the woods in the middle of the night and even harder when he meets a charming diner owner named Duo…

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Explicit Sexual Content

@noelleian

Open Book for @weiclown (Moreena)

One would think being skewered on a rapier was the worst part, but then Quatre was always full of surprises.

Pairings: 3x4, 1xR

Warnings: Humor, Canon Compliant, Takes Place Between the End of the Series and Odds and Evens, Trowa's POV, Injured!Quatre, Delirious!Quatre, Love Doctor!Duo, Iatrophonia - Fear of Doctors and Hospitals, At Least Sally Has Her Shite Together, Fluff, Friendship

@noirangetrois

The Story of Wrong

Duo recounts his experiences during the war in order to explain... well, why he was wrong.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Angst, Drama, Tragedy, slight AU, Spoilers, very dark, Heero and Duo don't dieI, promise, Yaoi, slowburn, Mental Instability, Mental Health Issues, Mental Breakdown, If those are in any way an issue for you then go ahead and skip this, Eventual Smut, VERY eventual, this is mostly canon-compliant but I've changed a couple things here and there

@passingdestinies (MorbidBirdy)

Animus

A ghost of Heero's past takes possession of his life, relationships and his identity.

Pairings: 1x3, 2xH

Warnings: Post-Canon, Psychological Torture, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content

PubLicEneMyNumBah1

Super Robot Wars GQ

Multi-series crossover

Long gone are the Ancient Ones and the will of Mankind triumphs, yet with catastrophes and wars that beset them, will their reign soon end?

Original Character(s), Mecha, Giant Robots, Gundams, Crossover, Multiple Crossovers, Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Alien Invasion, War, Canon Rewrite, Space Battles, Cthulhu Mythos, Pseudoscience

QMC

Over Tea & Other Things

The first fan-fiction piece that I wrote back in 2010 on FF.net. I've edited it a little. "Tea" is the first of a series I decide to write about general moments and life rather than on any significant story line or plot point. They're all stand alone pieces so I'll keep them here as chapters rather than in separate posts. Comments are welcome. :)

@remsyk-blog

Souls for the Bayou for @maevemauvaise and written for @fandomtrumpshate

For Trowa Barton, exploring the bayou is the ultimate adventure. Drawn to its borders since before he could walk, he spent his childhood learning its paths and uncovering its secrets. But a chance encounter sets him on a path that spans across time, challenging everything he thought he knew, plunging him deeper into its mysteries than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Supernatural - Freeform, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Bayou, Cajun, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Mystery, Slow Burn, Technically Speaking, Young Love, Use of accents, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I don't want to give it all away at once, Fandom Trumps Hate

Robot_Qwerty

Finding Home Again

Harry Potter crossover

Morgan lost any family he had left during the horrors of the Canadian Civil War, he lived on his own and carved out his own existence at eighteen years old. Adventure and magic only existed in fairy tales and daydreams, survival is all he knows anymore. The Civil War ends a little before the Eve Wars. So when the new laws after the Eve Wars come into place, his world was turned upside down and Canada's new government left little choice to the die-hard patriots. Finally escaping to the Sanq Kingdom wasn't the sanctuary he had hoped it would be. Add the former Gundam Pilots to the mix and he might just find his escape, or will he never find the freedom he craves?

Pairings: 4x5, 1x2, 3xOMC, Sx11xOFC

Warnings: Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Mental Health Issues

sylvieforaday

Neighbors

A/U - Meilan is learning, not everything happens the way you thought it would. Sometimes you fall for the perfect girl next door when she gets knocked off her pedestal.

Pairings: Meilan x Relena

Warnings: None

@the-indomitable-bhg, @passingdestinies (BHG and Morbidbirdy)

End of Line

The Grid, the legendary Tron System, has always intrigued Duo Maxwell. After years of dreaming and months of tireless work, he finally receives the final part he needs to unlock the door to the digital frontier. A blast of a digitizing laser later he finds himself in the world of his dreams. However, soon that dream becomes a nightmare as he comes to realize that his existence in this new world is both a danger to him and to the programs who reside there. With the help of Security Program Trowa and a mysteriously damaged and glitchy program named Heero, he embarks on a journey through The Grid to seek help from a mysterious entity known as the Gatekeeper. Will he be able to get out of the Tron System, or will the organizations who are hunting him manage to derez him first?

Pairings: 1x3, 3x4

Warnings: Slash, AU, Angst, Post-Tron: Legacy, Action/Adventure, implied sexual violence, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Complete

white_fox

Life Is A Highway

On an impulsive plan to travel from California to New York City to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Heero Yuy did not plan to pick up a hitchhiker in nowhere Texas. Faced with some setbacks and a growing attraction to his passenger, Heero goes through more challenges than he planned on facing.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR

Warnings: light slash, Fluff, Road Trips, Dubious Morality

Snippets:

@lifeaftermeteor

LAM!verse - Duo and Trowa chatting

@ransomedbard

Snippet Saturday

Photo Edits/Manipulations

@gundamwing-ellesmith

What if Gundam Wing was real? - Chang Wufei’s office ft. Sally

What if Gundam Wing was real? - Une

What if Gundam Wing was real? - Sally’s table ft. Wufei

@kangofu-cb

Whose Line photo edit - “Gundam Wing, where everything’s made up and the ‘canon’ don’t matter.

Multiple Contributors

Come at me Yuy

Headcanons / Meta / Discussions:

@lifeaftermeteor

L1′s origins and history

@ransomedbard

GW and cars headcanon

Fanart:

@downwarddnaspiral

Relena ice skating

@duointherain

Duo

@hackedmotionart

Just Wild Beat

@huehanya

Gundam Wing re-watch comic

@lemontrash

Heero doodle

@noelleian

Human Sandrock

@noromax

Wufei

Calendar Events:

Cocktail Friday

https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/

A new prompt every Monday!

Submissions should be posted Fridays between 3 and 5pm EST, and tagged with @gwcocktailfriday

Interview with a Creator by @remsyk-blog @interview-with-a-creator

Remsyk has created an online interview for fandom creators to fill out and then she features one each week so that everyone in the fandom can learn a bit about each other.

If you haven’t filled out her interview, go! do! now!

This week’s featured creator is @cosmostar - check her interview out here!

Calling all GW COSPLAYERS by @ahsimwithsake

Metrowing—our gundam wing cosplay group that comes to metrocon (Tampa Florida) every year—will be hosting a panel at Metrocon 2018!

We’re looking for additional cosplayers to round out the cast for a Q&A panel on Friday 7/20 at 4 pm.

If you’re interested, please private message me here on tumblr. I can provide you with more information and set you up with a group Skype chat with the metrowing cosplayers.Help us celebrate 25 years of Gundam Wing!

Check post for more information.

NHK is running a poll for the 40th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam!

Voting is open here

You can vote for your favorite series (TV, OVA, and Movie only), mobile suit (pick 3), characters (pick 5), and songs (pick 2). Unfortunately the site is in Japanese but with the help of Google Translate, it’s easy enough to navigate. Let’s vote our GW boys to the top!

Gundam Wing Stream Rewatch by @the-indomitable-bhg and @amyole

Post found here - they are currently looking for interest/time suggestions/platform suggestions.

#TWIGW #this week in gundam wing #march 18th through 24th #3/18-3/24 #mod cb

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prinzenhasserin · 6 years

Text

AU Exchange

Dear AUex creator!

I am very excited about most AUs, especially if they feature alternative explanations and use the canon dynamics to add something different, so if one of my tag combinations lead you towards an idea, I'd be pretty stoked to receive it, even if you don't use my prompts.

My AO3 name is Prinzenhasserin, and you can find some more of my exchange letters here.

In the grand scale of canon divergent AUs and setting change AUs I happen to love both! And if you want to combine the two, I'm also happy to receive them :D

If you want something more to base your ideas on, here's a non-exclusive list of things I like:

General likes:

loyalty

odd couples!

found family, dysfunctional families that nevertheless love each other

historical stories for same-sex pairings that aren't unhappy but that fit with the society of the time (so like, spinster ladies living together; bachelors-for-life)

cultural differences! age differences! height differences!

heists, rescue missions

character driven narratives

dragons, fairy tales, magical realism, urban fantasy

Space AUs

competent characters

people not realising they’re the most competent at their job/hobby

people failing their way to success

happy endings, earning your happy ending, open yet hopeful endings

cynical humour

mutual pining

everything is better in suits, corsetry, fancy dresses

Identity shenanigans (secret identities, mistaken identities)

Blatant Lies

Enemies becoming friends and/or lovers

outsider POV

epistolary, poetry, unusual narrative formats

orange/blue morality (that is, not entirely human morality); grey/grey morality

non-verbal expressions of affection

DNW:

breaking up requested pairings,

permanent death of the requested characters (if they come back from death, they shouldn’t come back wrong but they can be ghosts),

pregnancy as a main plot point

Legally Blonde

Fanfiction (Medium)

Elle Woods

Group: Vivian Kensington/Elle Woods

ALL: Starfleet Academy AU

ALL: Space Opera AU

ALL: Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU

All: Space Privateers AU

ALL: Hyperspace test pilot AU

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

ALL: Organized Crime

ALL: Marriage of Convenience AU

DNW: breaking up requested pairings, permanent death of the requested characters (if they come back from death, they shouldn’t come back wrong but they can be ghosts), pregnancy as a main plot point

STARFLEET ACADEMY

- so I really have wanted a Starfleet Academy AU for Legally Blonde for years now. There are a few really awesome picture sets here https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/cosmically-blonde, if you want the inspiration...

- otherwise: Elle Woods goes into Starfleet with her great SAT scores ("what, like it's haaard?") I can give or take the romantic subplot of the first movie (but I really ship her with Vivian Kensington, who can come from a family of starfleet captains, or engineers or whatever)

- I take even just a snippet of her application! or the way she gets accepted. or how her sorority sisters react to her wanting to go to Starfleet?

SPACE OPERA AU

- I'd love the entire plot translated into a space setting! Space law Harvard, why not. (I hope there's at least a few aliens, and space affirmative action, but I'd also take plenty of robots)

- really, go wild.

REGENCY-INSPIRED SCIFI

- does Elle have to go to space-Harvard to get back her boyfriend, and then it turns out she really wants to go to space-Harvard instead, and there's a comedy of errors because apparently it isn't explicitly forbidden for women to go but there's not really any space for her?

- also good: her parents not understanding why she needs to get her boyfriend back/to go to space-Harvard, but supporting her anyway

- Vivian Kensington who dreamed to go to space-Harvard feeling betrayed that someone like Elle got in on a whim; and then slowly realising how she was hiding her hard work behind a facade and slowly falling in love with her with added SPACE REGENCY, somehow, idk

SPACE PRIVATEERS

- the boyfriend dumps her to go space pirating like his parents always wanted for him, and Elle gets a commission of war just so that she can hunt him down, and then along the way decides she rather wants to stick with pirating (because it's more lucrative, and also she has fun doing it)

HYPERSPACE TEST PILOT

- Elle follows her boyfriend to hyperspace test pilot academy, only to find hyperspace test piloting much more interesting than him.

- if this involves tentacles in any way, or transformations into cyborgs to pilot hyperspace ships, I'm game

ORGANIZED CRIME

- Elle's parents belong to the mob, and Elle studies law to become a mob lawyer? i'd buy this if her enthusiasm for fairness was a front, but I'd also buy this if there's a corrupt government and the mob is the slightly better option-- or if the boyfriend was actually in the mob, and Elle joins to get him back, and takes over while she's there, that works too

- (I have no problem with either assassination or murder, but I'd rather not see the longterm consequences of drug addiction though if you want to mention it that's fine.)

MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

- Elle or Vivian need a scholarship and/or a dorm room and the one they can get is only open for married couples, and Vivian/Elle agree and then they fall in love (or not)

- if you want to add more or different tropes, really, I'd love it

Character comes into INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

- yes please.

- Elle needs to marry before she can get her trustfund/access to her property? or exorcise the ghost, and she talks it into leaving instead?

- or maybe it's Vivian whose wacky aunt wants her to experience life to the fullest, and she needs to go on a roadtrip to Vegas with a friend, and Vivian only has Elle since she dumped Walther?

Ocean's 8

Fanfiction (Medium)

Debbie Ocean (Ocean's 8)

Group: Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean

ALL: Space Pirates AU

ALL: Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU

ALL: Regency AU

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

ALL: Marriage of Convenience AU

Oh god, don't remind me of these twos sexual tension! (Except please do.) I loved all the outfit changes, the sheer outrageous gumption of doing the heist like they did (but tbh, also the sheer outrageous way Debbie lived her entire life, so if you rather want to focus on that, that'd be great too)

I know I did not want you to break up requested pairings, but I don't mind if the Debbie/Lou thing is tumultuous and fucked-up? Like say, sleeping with whoever Richard Armitage played. I like them best at their grumpy movie-selves, but any other dynamic is great also.

I'd love to see how that translates into a different setting, like say space pirates, or a regency inspired AU, or a combination of both :D

SPACE PIRATES

- how does Debbie built her crew? how does the MET gala translate into a space setting--casino planet? rich tourist spot? a fundraising drive to fund the museum of culture in outer space?

- are any of the women aliens that Debbie hired with abilities that lend themselves well to subterfuge and theft?

- Debbie and Lou in a small space craft, sharing their bunk because they needed to fit in Daphne Kruger into their ship and there are no other bunks left?

REGENCY AU

- Debbie playing up her "I'm only a woman, what could I have done"-look, and robbing the entire aristocracy blind-- tbh, I'd love an appearance by her brother Danny if only to have someone appreciate her genius properly. (And so that she can tell him to stop stealing his marks, probably)

- what's her usual trick to get money fast? does she sell powdered mummy? fake glass as diamonds? does she have an empire of shell companies that lure in investors by promising stuff? selling islands that are either uninhabitable or don't exist?

- Debbie and Lou settling together with a house full of riches and a harem of young admirers after their biggest con?

REGENCY-INSPIRED SCI-FI

-YES! i don't know quite what I want from it-- the thumbing at class differences? the problems with authorities Debbie is going to have? a Debbie/Lou relationship that is really most blatant and very private at the same time?

- aliens! in corsets! and suits!

Character comes into INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

- Debbie gets an inheritance from Danny, but first she has to get back at someone/steal a diamond/bankrupt an enemy

- or! it leads to Debbie finding out about the curse put on her family, that their love-life will always lead to them getting caught, and before she can marry/move in with Lou, she has to take care of the curse

Crossover Fandom

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Buffy Summers (BTVS) & Anakin Skywalker (SW) & Ahsoka Tano (SW)

Group: Buffy Summers (BTVS)/Ahsoka Tano (SW)

Group: Cher Horowitz (Clueless)/Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)

Group: Jane Marple (Miss Marple) & Hercule Poirot (Poirot)

Group: Jyn Erso (Rogue One)/Amilyn Holdo (SWST)

ALL: Character makes an SO up and SO turns out to be real person

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

All: Space Privateers AU

ALL: Space Florist AU

ALL: Time Travel

STAR WARS/BUFFY

Star Wars has slowly sucked me into its sphere again, and I just think pairing Ahsoka (and Anakin) with the Vampire Slayer who defeats Evil sounds like the most fun. I don't care if they meet because of Time or Dimension Travel, or whatever, or because Buffy manages to open a pocket dimension in Sunnydale-- though I would rather read space adventures than Anakin Skywalker in a coffeeshop, trying to fend off vampires.

Does Buffy make up an alien she has fallen in love with, and then Ahsoka stumbles out of the pocket dimension and is exactly how she described her, headtails and all?

Or maybe it's the other way around, and Ahsoka gets a talisman from her grandmother for a summon when she desperately needs help, and she uses it (when she leaves the Jedi Order? during a fight she almost looses?) Buffy comes out of it?

Or maybe, instead of making Ahsoka and Anakin join the Clone Army, the Senate gives them a letter of marque with which they travel through the galaxy, fucking up slavers, and finding Buffy who coincidentally is also fucking up slavers?

Or maybe an AU in which Anakin didn't become a jedi for whatever reasons and instead became a space privateer, hunting slavers, and he finds both Ahsoka and Buffy and they become a team?

Or perhaps Anakin starts a flower business with his mother, except they run into trouble with the flower smuggling business, and while he's being interrogated somewhere Buffy rescues him (because real flowers in space is where the money is at, obviously)

CHER HOROWITZ (CLUELESS)/ ELLE WOODS (LEGALLY BLONDE)

- Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions: either one of them! they have to find a macguffin! they need to marry to get the deed to the property! they find out that their great-grandmother was an alien and need to do some quick intergalactic diplomacy!

- or! there's Cher and her father is really worried about her since she broke up with Josh, and so she makes up this awesome lawyer that only exists in her brain, except then she meets Elle...

- look, in my mind Space Florists are really in demand-- the 1% like to have extravagant things, you see, and importing real flowers from far off corners of the universe is probably the most extravagant thing ever. There's an entire smuggling industry around getting fresh flowers fast and fresh to where they need to go. If you want either one of them to own a flower business, that would be interesting! or, Cher is an environmentalist who tries to curtail the flower industry, and Elle is the lawyer helping her?

- Space Privateers!

Jane MARPLE & Hercule POIROT

I feel like they would not like each other at all. Or maybe they would, but they'd despair of each other's affectations, and would only barely be able to talk with each other before getting annoyed by the other. Or perhaps, they might even be acquaintances who met during their adventures, and were suspicious of the other's motives until they found out about their investigations-- of two different crimes that maybe turn out to have the same perpetrator?

- I'd love Jane as an immortal being, but I forgot to request something for that, but I'd also love her as a timetravelling hero who is quite happy to be seen as just a tottering old woman. Does Poirot notice her real self?

- Poirot gets notice of an inheritance from a woman who he never met, who thinks she has been murdered, and then he starts seeing her everywhere... (she could be a ghost? or it's part of the inheritance? or maybe she leaves a diary) This is against my DNW, but I'd like it anyway.

- space privateers

- space florists are the people the most crimes happen to in space; it is Known (I'd love an AU in which for some reason they have a space flower business together! or maybe there's a case a space florist is involved in, I'm really not fussy :D)

Miss Marple

Fanfiction (Medium)

Jane Marple (Christie)

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

ALL: Character is slowly turning into an eldritch creature

ALL: Forbidden magic exists that can be used to raise the dead

ALL: Space Florist AU

ALL: Space AU

ALL: Organized Crime

ALL: One character is a dragon

INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

- Miss Marple inherits a dragon hoard, because what the dragon hoards is... unsolved crimes? small-town happenings? detectives? and the dragon feels like Miss Marple is the ideal recipient of that hoard

- Miss Marple's great-great-grandmother happened to be an eldritch creature, and sometimes it skips a few generations, but now that her grandmother vanished, Miss Marple has to deal with it instead

- Miss Marple inherits money, but she needs to solve a murder to get to it

SLOWLY TURNING INTO AN ELDRITCH CREATURE

- Miss Marple's great-great-grandmother happened to be an eldritch creature, and sometimes it skips a few generations, but now that her grandmother vanished, Miss Marple has to deal with it instead

- There's always been a Miss Marple at St. Mary Mead's. Sometimes, there needs to be a new one.

ORGANIZED CRIME

- Miss Marple knows who murdered all of the people because she's the one arranging all the hits and bringing her contesters into jail is a nice plus.

- or! Miss Marple is a fixer who is hired to bring light into the mob's many betrayals, and she does so because it reminds her of the cutthroat nature of her knitting circle and the mob boss asked nice and politely, not like the local inspector.

RAISE THE DEAD

- Miss Marple likes to chat with dead people, and that's how she knows so much about murders. Of course, since she's a nice old lady, and necromancy isn't exactly on the up-and-up, she doesn't mention that.

SPACE AU

- Miss Marple is from a small town in Coruscant, or wherever, and solves space crimes.

SPACE FLORIST

- So I do know that Miss Marple doesn't have a job, canonically. But it would be really funny if she had a flower business in space, and everyone always underestimated the trouble florist have. But there's many additional dangers to the flower trade in space: some people (aliens) like to send each other flowers from far off worlds they know are poisonous to breathe for that species, some people get high on flowers, and trading flowers involves some serious money (so there's a lot of smuggling of poisonous, maybe illegal flowers going on)

- either way, i'd love adventures involving space flower trade

Grace and Frankie

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Grace Hanson/Frankie Bergstein

ALL: Regency-Inspired Science Fiction AU

ALL: Space Florist AU

ALL: classical musicians AU

Grace and Frankie: Grace and Frankie marry each other

All: Character has a secret identity

ALL: Organized Crime

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

REGENCY SCIFI

I am here for it, and if it involves my favourite old lesbian couple, then even better!

SPACE FLORIST AU

Grace and Frankie are obviously still living on a beach somewhere, but instead of investing in a dildo manufacturer, they invest in a local flower shop--maybe one with sex pollen to encourage the sex drive of older women?

CLASSICAL MUSICIANS AU

Grace and Frankie feel like they need to collaborate now that their husbands are collaborating, and their respective fields compliment each other well, so it would be ideal (since their husbands were their usual collaborators) but Frankie’s approach is so free-style, and Grace’s approach is so very technical and they need time to arrange themselves.

THEY MARRY EACH OTHER

I don’t care for when, only that they do. Would also read an AU, in which they married each other instead of their husbands :D

CHARACTER HAS A SECRET IDENTITY

- Grace is secretly a superhero? or perhaps a voice actress for romance novels that Frankie likes to read

- Frankie was the girl Grace slept with in college, but only one of them knows

- One of them is a mob boss

ORGANIZED CRIME

yes please.

INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

- Grace and Frankie have to marry to fulfil the conditions!

- Grace and Frankie have to fulfil a ridiculous request, and fall in love?

Naruto

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)

Group: Yamanaka Ino/Haruno Sakuro

Group: Maito Gai | Might Guy/Hatake Kakashi

Group: Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto

Group: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto

ALL: Time Travel

Naruto: Uzushio wasn't destroyed

Naruto: Sasuke is possessed

Naruto: Sakura is a necromancer

ALL: Character's love interest is actually a tentacle monster

All: Space Privateers AU

ALL: Canon Character can see ghosts

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

I really love these characters and I’d love anything about these freeforms. (And I hope to add more prompts tomorrow, but feel free to not use them!)

TIME TRAVEL

yes! time loops, groundhog scenarios, dimensional hopping, making the past work out differently, fix it fics -- I’m not so much a fan of dark endings, but Sasuke travelling back in time to, idk, murder Itachi, and failing, and becoming something resembling a human being with feelings would be great too.

UZUSHIO WASN’T DESTROYED

I’m still bitter we didn’t get a story line about the Uzumaki clan. Or like, the diaspora of the Uzushio people. Or like, anything about the village it had been, and why nobody remembers it.

SASUKE IS POSSESSED

look, it’d be cool? also, it’d explain a lot.

SAKURA IS A NECROMANCER

how will this change the way Team 7 operates? does Orochimaru want to kidnap the entirety of Team 7 (and does he succeed?)

CHARACTER’S LOVE INTEREST IS ACTUALLY A TENTACLE MONSTER

I don’t care who, but omg, yes please. (You can’t tell me that this doesn’t fit the wacky Naruto worldbuilding, come on, there’s ninja that fight with bubbles. and paper. and fucking Kisame with his shark dicks)

SPACE PRIVATEERS AU

Instead of ninja getting their permit from the daimyo, they’re pirates who get their permit from a shadowy government?

INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

yes please! does Ino have to prove herself in mind arts? does Sasuke get a ghost sword he can only use to restore people back to life, but only if he first manages to climb a mountain? does Naruto inherit a ton of money, but only if he travels to Uzushio?

CHARACTER CAN SEE GHOSTS

Sasuke is haunted by the people he killed. Naruto is haunted by a lot of red-heads who teach him pranks, and like to see him eat ramen. Kakashi sees the people who he killed, and they generally seem to prefer his dogs. Sakura’s ghosts teach her stuff she wouldn’t normally know. Or something else, maybe?

Harry Potter

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Regulus Black/Harry Potter

Group: Sirius Black & Harry Potter

Group: Nymphadora Tonks/OFC

Group: Nymphadora Tonks & Regulus Black & Harry Potter

Group: Remus Lupin/Sirius Black

HP: Regulus Black lives

HP: Tonks becomes Lord Black

HP: Sirius survived the battle in the Department of Mysteries

HP: Time Travel

HP: Harry is the Master of Death and thus immortal

HP: Sirius never goes to Azkaban

HP: Sirius is exonerated after POA

ALL: One character is a time traveler from a different era

ALL: Character comes into an inheritance with strange conditions

ALL: Marriage of Convenience AU

HP: Voldemort's end is early and anticlimactic

I love the magic, and I love cracky takes on this. I have read so many HP time travel AUs and tropey magical crack, but I cannot get enough of it, and there’s especially always a lack of my favourite characters, even though there’s so much fic already.

REGULUS BLACK LIVES

Basically, what it says. Does he time travel? Does Kreacher manage to go back to save him? Does he schlepp himself out of the cave and wakes up with a case of amnesia?

TONKS BECOMES LORD BLACK

So, I really think that this is an underused trope, because it would be so great-- the House of the “Always Pure”, gloomy Grimmauld Place with bubbly, pink-haired Tonks as its figurehead? Sign me up.

Perhaps she inherits because Sirius is in prison, and everyone else presumed dead, and her mother is the oldest? Or there’s a loophole for metamorphmagi to inherit? (Does she need to prove that she can morph a fully functional dick?)

Also great would be Tonks opening her house for Harry for the summer. Or tricky ministry politics by the Malfoys who want the Black House for themselves?

SIRIUS SURVIVES; SIRIUS NEVER GOES TO AZKABAN; SIRIUS IS EXONERATED

Pretty self-explanatory. Does he time-travel? Does he kidnap Umbridge and torture her explain that she’s overstepping her bounds? Does he make Crouch eat it? Does he rescue Harry from the Dursleys/boredom/Mrs Figg?

INHERITANCE WITH STRANGE CONDITIONS

Omg, really. This is the opportunity to go really wild. I hope there’s lots of magical circumstances, and perhaps vows or magical traditions. It’s kinda canon, too, with Dumbledore and his snitch, book, and deluminator, but I’d also appreciate a story in which they have to fulfil someone’s last will.

MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE AU

yes please! Tonks needs to prove that she intends to raise children, and finds a friend who needs a place to live so they can cheat the Black Inheritance Rituals, or something? I read this for contrived reasons, or for friends just living together, or for slowly developing romance, but all pairings I asked for are great for this!

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Ahsoka Tano & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker (SWST)

Group: Amilyn Holdo/Leia Organa/Jyn Erso (SWST)

Group: Ahsoka Tano & Luke Skywalker (SWST)

ALL: Space Pirates AU

SWST: Leia did become a Jedi and goes after the New Order herself

SW: Luke turns to the Dark Side and Leia has to learn her powers and bring him back

SW: Leia and Luke raised as Jedi

ALL: Robot Revolution

SWST: General Leia Organa time travels back to the Tantive IV at the start of ANH

ALL: Canon Character can see ghosts

I'm requesting all these things under the Sequel Trilogy, because I really like things set in the future, and I'd love to see the continuation of the OT-- if you want to set it during the ST that's great! But I'm also interested in the 30 years between OT and ST.

SPACE PIRATES

So, the new republic took time to built probably, and I can see every single of the requested characters taking the time out of their busy schedules to start (and finish) a war with any of the pirates blocking the trade routes (and trading slaves); possibly even without permission from the New Republic.

Or, if you want to recreate the Trilogy with a space pirate dynasty, instead of a Jedi dynasty, that would be grand too.

- ‘Canon Character can see ghosts’, ‘Leia becomes a Jedi and goes after the New Order herself’, and ‘Luke turns to the Dark Side and Leia has to learn her powers to bring him back’ are pretty self-explanatory, I feel? but to reiterate, I’d love all those groups, together or apart.

ROBOT REVOLUTION

I'm all for droid rights, and I feel like the droids are definitely under-utilised in their usefulness of bringing down the New Order. Or the New Republic. Or sneaking into ships and casino's to retrieve stuff.

- General Leia Organa time travels back to the Tantive IV at the start of ANH

Does General Leia try to resurrect the New Republic? Is her younger self aware of her? Does she steal a flotilla for herself and wage war on slavers/the order/politicians who blackballed her when she was younger? Maybe she sacrifices herself to take out the Death Star leaving her younger self more time to get the rebellion going?

LUKE AND LEIA RAISED AS JEDI

look, I'm not sure this request makes entirely sense within the sequel trilogy, but what would the far-reaching consequences be if Luke and Leia had been raised as Jedi? would they have had a relationship with their father's padawan? would Leia have noticed Snoke? would she have been tempted to go dark, or have gone dark, and what kind of impact would that have made on Luke? would he have felt as responsible as with her son, or would he have dragged her back the same as what he did with his father?

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader (SWPT)

group: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker (SWPT)

Group: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker (SWPT)

ALL: Robot Revolution

ALL: Different First Meeting - Captured by Slavers

SWPT: Force Ghost Qui-Gon trying to influence events

SWPT: Qui-Gon survives the battle with Maul

ALL: Time Travel

ALL: Space Florist AU

All: Space Privateers AU

ALL: Hyperspace test pilot AU

SETTING AU

(Space Florist, Space Privateers, Hyperspace Test Pilot, Robot Revolution)

Any of these sound great, and I love any of those with or without them being set in the Star Wars universe (but they could conceivably all be set there too!)

TIME TRAVEL

I like spontaneous time travel, or closed loops, or dimensional hopping, or going back into the past!person, or force ghosts influencing the past, or groundhog-day scenarios

DIFFERENT MEETING CAPTURED BY SLAVERS

-Yes, please. This could also be combined with space florists, space privateers, hyperspace test pilots or robot revolution, depending on who was captured and who freed them, and where this happened. What if Padme gave Anakin a letter of marque? or the opportunity to go to space pilot academy? what if Anakin started the robot revolution by trying to rescue Padme (or Obi-Wan?) from slavers? what if Padme gave Anakin (and Shmi) a flower business to manage after she was rescued by Anakin?

or maybe Padme is the one to rescue Anakin? and sets him up with her family's flower business because he has no other skills?

FORCE GHOST QUI-GON INFLUENCING THINGS; QUI-GON SURVIVES

Dude, wouldn't it be great if a force entity could tell them who the Sith in the senate was? I always thought so, and I'd think Anakin would appreciate Qui-Gon's help with both Obi-Wan and Padme too. Or simply with not, you know, going dark-- or successfully freeing all the slaves, and the clones, and Shmi and while we're at it a robot revolution would be cool too (or just one of these things, I'm simply very greedy :P)

Qui-Gon actually teaching Anakin the way of the force (and possibly doing something about Shmi) would be great, too. Or simply seeing the change alive!Qui-Gon had on future!Anakin

Gentleman Bastards

Fanfiction (Medium)

Group: Locke Lamora/Jean Tannen

ALL: All Characters Genderswapped

ALL: Ocean's 8 AU

ALL: Ocean's Eleven-esque heist

It'd be so cool. Jeanne Tannen, the big-hulked butch who could break Locke Lamora in half? Yes please. You could also swap every single character in the entire series--I'd love to read it. Would also read it as an Ocean's 8 Fusion, or an Ocean's Eleven-esque heist, or like, simply chilling out after canon things happened.

(Sadly I forgot I could request art, because this would be very awesome to look at, but I'm equally ecstatic about having actual descriptions of Locke being a little shit but also a woman.)

#exchange letter

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