Amatara

Another chapter is up and posted - this time, with G'Kar and Vir as our main protagonists. Writing G'Kar was hard, for some reason; I had to keep rewatching bits of the show before I could hear his voice in my head again, which made me a little sad (where is the time when I knew all of G'Kar's lines by heart and could pull out his voice whenever I needed it? *sniffs*). But I loved writing him again, especially in combination with Vir. Hope you all enjoy this!

Title: Though I Walk Through the Valley
Fandom: Babylon 5
Category/Rating: gen-ish (with some background pairings), PG-13
Story summary: What really happened during those sixteen long years in which Londo waited for the prophecies to come true? A multi-chapter story, intended to bridge the gap between Londo's ascension to the throne and Centauri Prime's eventual liberation from the Drakh.
Chapter 3 summary: As G'Kar is preparing to leave the station, Vir comes bearing brivari and a great many questions.
Chapter 3 characters: G'Kar, Vir Cotto.

As always, any feedback is loved!

(G'Kar had thought himself quite adept at masking emotion. But this time it must have been plain on his face, because Vir looked down and busied himself pouring the brivari – a generous swig for G'Kar and a more modest amount for himself.)

Aaaannnnd we have liftoff! :)

I just finished and posted the first chapter of the B5 post-series story I was brainstorming about earlier this week. I honestly have no idea how quickly I'm going to be able to make progress on this, but I'll be trying to have the next chapter ready for you in a week or so. *knocks on wood* In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this first effort!

Title: Though I Walk Through the Valley
Fandom: Babylon 5
Summary: So what happened during those sixteen long years in which Londo waited for the prophecies to come true? An attempt to bridge the gap between Londo's ascension to the throne and Centauri Prime's eventual liberation from the Drakh.
Characters: Londo Mollari, Vir Cotto. Expected to appear in later chapters: Timov, G'Kar, Delenn, Lennier, possibly others.
Category/Rating: gen-ish (with some background pairings), PG-13
Author's Notes: This is basically an alternate version of the events post-Fall of Centauri Prime; alternate, that is, to Peter David's Legions of Fire trilogy. I do not presume to match Mr. David in terms of writing skill, but I did miss a number of things in his novels, which led me to try to write my own take on events. I am not considering the trilogy to be canon, and no knowledge of the novels is required to read this. The story takes off during the season-five episode The Fall of Centauri Prime and covers the sixteen-year period until Londo's eventual death (so yes, it will have - canon - character death eventually).
Thanks to: All of you who were so enthusiastic at the prospect of this story that I couldn't *not* take the plunge and give it a try!

As always, any feedback or discussion is welcome! Even more so because this is a work in progress, meaning I can actually try to incorporate suggestions and requests.

(It was clear from the set of Vir's shoulders that he was afraid, and that Londo was the cause of it. Not simply because he was about to become Emperor, but for what it might change between them. What it had already changed.)

Because selenak guessed the B5 fic I wrote for Yuletide, I wrote her a ficlet! She asked for something exploring Regent Virini, so here goes. (Did you know, by the way, there wasn't even a character tag for the poor Regent on AO3? How sad is that?)

Title: The Quiet Ones
Fandom: Babylon 5
Characters: Regent Milo Virini, Londo Mollari
Summary: The life and death of Regent Virini - one of the quiet ones history is bound to forget.
Rating: G
Word Count: 900


( Ficlet: The Quiet Ones )Or read it on AO3.

First of all, of course, a very happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates!


Secondly - the Yuletide collection is open!! Lucky, lucky me received not one but TWO gift stories, both for Babylon 5, both centered on Timov but taking place at entirely different moments in canon. In both of them, Timov is her critical, acerbic, stubborn, fiercely honorable self, so this made me very happy!


Decisions (1673 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Babylon 5
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Londo Mollari/Timov, Londo Mollari/Mariel, Londo Mollari/Daggair
Characters: Timov, Londo Mollari, Mariel (Babylon 5), Daggair
Summary: Londo decided that Timov was going to be the wife he remains married to... but what about her decision?

A lovely missing scene fic that delves into Timov's thoughts on being the wife Londo "kept". Apparently Londo expected her to be grateful for it, and in a strange and slightly embarrassing way, she was, but Timov wouldn't be Timov if she didn't consider all the alternatives before making her own choice.


The Price of a Favor (1922 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Babylon 5
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Timov
Summary: All Timov wants to do is live quietly. With Cartagia on the throne, that may not be an option.

This one is set in early season four, when a childhood friend comes to ask Timov to help keep her granddaughters safe from Cartagia's reign of terror. In the end, Timov has to make a choice that she was never allowed to make for herself.


And of course I wouldn't be me if I wasn't fretting about my own stories too. My main assignment is doing pretty well: several people bookmarked it, so yay! I'm a bit disappointed in my longest treat, which I spent the most time on aside from my main assignment and am actually kind of proud of: recip liked it, but it's barely got any hits even if it's in a not-tiny-for-Yuletide-standards fandom. My two other, fluffier treats do seem to be to people's tastes, however. :) Anyway, I have the impression the feedback rate seems to be on the low side in general so far, not just for my stories but for everything, so I expect the real commenting & kudos'ing train has yet to take off?

I haven't had the time to explore the rest of the collection yet, but I'll be diving in later today! *rubs hands*

So, I actually really shouldn't be posting right now, because OW RIGHT WRIST TENDINITIS OW and I need to get back to work tomorrow and hopefully still be able to type on a keyboard, but oh, well - it's been too long, flist! How have you all been?  Here, have a meme:

Pick a character I've written and I will give and explain the top five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

Did I mention my main Yuletide fic is off being beta'ed this very moment, and I've written two treats as well, tendinitis be damned? I'm actually feeling pretty accomplished right now. :)

Dear Yuletide writer,

First of all, thanks a million – no, strike that: thanks a billion for signing up, and having offered to write in one of those fandoms I so adore. This is my third Yuletide (with a brief hiatus last year due to real-life shenanigans) and I've had such lovely experiences the prevous two times that I assure you, I am jumping with joy knowing I'll be finding a gift story from you under the tree! Mainly I'd like for you to enjoy writing this story as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it - everything else is a bonus, including those Optional Details. If any of them inspire you, that would be great, but if you have a different idea for something you think I'd also enjoy, it would make me just as happy! Don't hesitate to follow your muses wherever they choose to take you!

My requests were already pretty (optionally! :) ) detailed, so I'll refrain from piling on a lot of extra detail here. The reason why I'm listing so many options is just that, for myself, I prefer specific prompts to work with rather than "anything goes!" but please don't feel restricted by anything I listed! As I said, any story you write involving my requested characters is guaranteed to make me happy. All I'd like to ask is that you work around my squicks/dislikes if you can - in particular, I'm pretty picky about gen versus het versus slash, depending on the fandom and characters. I love gen, so that's always a safe option, and I've tried to indicate my preferences in terms of pairings, if any, in my prompts. I'd also prefer if there'd be no non-con, underage, character bashing, mpreg, or hard kink. As for genre: I’m pretty much a canon girl, so I tend to prefer stories that are consistent with canon over AUs. Beyond that any genre would be lovely, except perhaps for pure fluff, which isn't really my thing. I do have a thing for stories with a hurt/comfort element, but once again, no obligation at all. Endings can be happy or sad, whatever you feel like writing at the moment; I love both.

Something that might be helpful as well: a few years ago I put together a pretty random list of things I love in fanfic, you'll find it right here. Random list is random and hopelessly incomplete, so whether or not you use any of it is entirely up to you!

My requests are Boston Legal, Crossing Jordan, and Babylon 5. In all three cases I've requested several characters, but with two of them (CJ and B5) my main interest goes to a single character, so you're free to consider the other ones (which I've put between brackets) as optional.

Crossing Jordan: Garret Macy, (Jordan Cavanaugh)

I'd love a fic showcasing Garret - his flaws, his strengths, his personal demons, what makes him tick. I requested Jordan as a second character because their friendship is one of my favorite aspects on this show, and I'd love a story where they support each other through a rough experience (where the "each other" is an important one - I'd prefer not to see either Jordan or Garret written off as the "weak" one, because imho they're both BAMFs if they need to be). I'd particularly like to see a story dealing with a Garret outside his comfort zone - be it digging it into a case that affects him more than it should, or coping with parenthood, or his alcoholism, or relationships... Should you prefer to explore other characters than Jordan, please go for it! I'd be equally thrilled to see interaction between Garret and Abby, or Lily, or Renée, or ensemble fic if that's your thing - as long as Garret is the main protagonist, anything goes! I should mention that I haven't seen the entire series yet - only the first season, and what other episodes I managed to get hold of from the second and third seasons. I do have a general idea of the events from the later seasons, though, so don't be afraid write me fic set during that timeline; it's just that if you refer to very specific events from the later seasons, I might get confused. Oh, and I'd prefer it if the Garret and Jordan relationship could be kept non-romantic, please; I adore them as buddies (he's her "bestest girlfriend", right?), not as lovers. Also, there's already a lot of Woody/Jordan fic out there, so I'd prefer it if Woody didn't feature too prominently in this story (as a minor character is fine, though).

Boston Legal: Alan Shore, Denny Crane

I realize I'm not being very original when I say Alan and Denny's relationship is my favorite thing about Boston Legal - you'd probably have to look pretty far to find a fan of the show for whom that isn't the case. But fics that really do justice to the complexity of their relationship, both the deep and the light, and both the serious and the hilarious... those are rare and precious things. I'd love to see a fic where these two dance around each other's insecurities - can be something specific like a tough case that reopens old scars, or more general themes like loneliness, mortality, intimacy, love. I love Alan at his most dysfunctional and Denny at his most stubborn; but I also love it when in the eye of the storm they meet each other halfway. I have a weakness for vulnerable Alan (though not for Alan being "woobified" or whumped - I like him to be a protagonist in his own story) and for Denny coming up with unexpected bits of wisdom. I would love to see a story about them that makes me both crack up with laughter and weep for them both - which is what this show, at its best, does to me. And if you'd like to bring in other characters, please do; this doesn't need to be an exclusive Alan 'n Denny thing - I really love the whole ensemble! So a fic dealing with Alan's and Denny's mutual attraction to Shirley, or Denny's jealousy over Alan's friendship to Jerry, would also be great! I'm not looking for anything explitly sexual between these two; friendship, UST or mild pre-slash are all fine, but no all-out slash, please - I prefer their banter to remain platonic. And I should mention I haven't seen all of the seasons yet - I discovered the show a few months ago and am now working my way through season three. I'm already spoiled for the series' ending, though, so please don't hesitate to reference it if you want to. 

Babylon 5: Timov, (Londo Mollari, G'Kar, Vir)

I requested these four characters because I'd be thrilled to see any of them pop up in this story, but what I'm really looking for here is a Timov-centered fic. I've always regretted how we never got to see more of her on the show. In those 30 minutes or so of screentime, she's struck me as a fierce, independent woman, endowed with unshakable principles and a strong sense of fair play, not to say more than a match for Londo... but also as a woman capable of genuine love and a fierce kind of loyalty. I'd love post-canon fic about her interacting with any or all of the other characters I mentioned. For instance, showing her reaction to Londo's ascension to the throne and Centauri Prime seceding from the Alliance, or Londo's later death by G'Kar's hands and his succession by Vir. Or should you prefer to write something set during the timeline of the show itself, that'd be great too: maybe Timov visited Londo on the station sometime in the later seasons and got acquainted with G'Kar, or maybe there was some interaction between her and Londo while Londo was on Centauri Prime as Cartagia's advisor (and later accomplice to his assassination)? I'd be happy to get either Londo/Timov het or gen between Timov and any other characters, or a combination of those. I'm a Londo/G'Kar shipper too, so should that be your thing, feel free to throw it in as a pairing as well (though please, no dissing Timov in favor of Londo/G'Kar. Londo is hardly a monogamous person, so there's no reason why both pairings couldn't work simultaneously. :) ). One final thing: please don't kill Timov off - I'd like to think she got some measure of a happy ending (and I still haven't got over Peter David depriving us of that in his Legions of Fire Trilogy - which, in case you're wondering, I've read but don't consider canon, so there's no need to stick to it). Apart from that, anything goes!

Title: Swallow
Fandom: Twin Peaks
Characters: Dale Cooper, Albert Rosenfield.
Summary: It's not that Albert doesn't like food; it's that he loves it too much to settle for the mediocre. The same could be said about Albert and people. (pre-canon, very mild slash.)
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Word Count: ~1800
A/N: Written for three_penny, who requested Albert 'n Cooper breakfast fic. I promised a drabble, but Albert insisted on something a little longer. This turned out quite a bit fluffier than what I usually write, so be warned. :) Unbeta'ed, so any mistakes are my own.

( Fic: Swallow. )

I've been lucky enough never to have been active in a fandom (or at least not been in contact with that particular part of said fandom) where character hatred and My Ship Versus Your Ship were things to worry about. Not that the phenomenon didn't exist at all in 'my' fandoms, but it was rare enough that you could avoid it by just being moderately cautious which fannish circles to frequent. Part of the reason, I think, is that the fandoms dearest to my heart are small and rare and not very recent, which is a pretty good incentive for fans to stick together. At least that's how it was on LJ and DW, which were my main fannish playgrounds so far.

On tumblr, though... Nope.

So I thought it would be a fun idea to track some tags for fandoms that I like. I've been in a haze of Twin Peaks love for some time, ever since rewatching parts of it when writing my last fanfic, so the twin peaks tag was an obvious choice.

Oh. Oh, dear.

Honestly, I never thought I'd see that kind of hatred of characters, ships, cast members, and so on, or that kind of vitriol directed at fans for expressing certain opinions, about A CULT SHOW THAT'S OVER 20 YEARS DEAD.

Did you know there's a tumblr called laraflynnboyle-liferuiner? Which delivers exactly what the name advertises: collected nastiness about Donna Hayward and actress Lara Flynn Boyle (particularly, how she is allegedly solely responsible for ruining Twin Peaks' second season by veto'ing the Dale/Audrey relationship? Ummm... Yeah, right).

And did you know that there's an Audrey/Cooper shipping war raging, and that it's apparently not done to both like Annie as a character and her relationship with Cooper, and like Audrey as a character and her friendship with Cooper? No, because if you like Annie then you're a moron who doesn't know what decent character building is, and if you like Audrey and Cooper together then you're a shallow shipper bitch who doesn't care about anything but shipping... or at least that's what I gleaned from posts like this one, or this or this.

Seriously, it makes me feel dirty just to read the stuff.

I already unfollowed a few so-called 'fannish' blogs because of this shite.
I'm seriously considering never looking at the twin peaks tag ever again, and just stick to following the small handful of fans who seem to think sharing squee about this show beats pouring vitriol onto it, and who don't let their dislike of certain characters (which is perfectly fine to have, btw) ruin their own and other fans' enjoyment of the show. I might have expected that of a new, shiny fandom, but... Really, tumblr? Really?

(That said, there are definitely fandoms on tumblr that don't have this issue, and that are all about sharing the love - the Babylon 5 fandom being a prime example of that. So it's not that I'm disgusted with fandom on tumblr as a whole. Just... certain bits of it. And I'd like to believe that tumblr having a younger audience than LJ explains it, but I don't really think that's true, and even if it is it's not an excuse.)

Gah, how I miss LJ the way it was a few years ago, when everything was still shiny and happy and active and yay!

Come baaaaack, everyone! Can't we just have a great big squeefest here? I WANTS IT, PRECIOUSSSS... *yearn*

Title: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Fandom: Twin Peaks
Characters: BOB, Dale Cooper, Albert Rosenfield.
Summary: Returning from Twin Peaks, Cooper finds himself on Albert's doorstep without even knowing why. BOB knows, though. Albert Rosenfield is special. Albert is the key that will make Cooper turn, turn, like the ballerina in a musical box. BOB can't wait to see them both dance.
Rating / Warnings: Rated R for adult themes. The story can definitely be considered triggery on some points, but only in the ways that canon itself is. We're talking possession, vague consent issues (though nothing as explicit as nonconsensual sex or rape) and generally BOB-ish fantasies. Basically, if you're okay with the subject matter of Twin Peaks the series, I'd say you will be okay with this, too.
Word Count: ~10.000 words
Author's Notes: This story started out as "that brief snippet I was going to write heartequals as a thank-you for my help_japan story (the wonderful I Knew This Much)" but it just grew longer and longer from there.
Many thanks to my ever-awesome beta nemo_everbeing for giving this story the kick in the ass that it needed to make it so much better, and for providing invaluable suggestions and encouragement! Thanks as well to st_aurafina, whose Say Goodbye (To the World You Thought You Lived In) was both an anchor and an inspiration to me all the way through writing this.
For those who wonder if "Eli" is a reference to Dorothy Marley's The Secret Tapes of Dale Cooper series: yes, it is. :) I love that fic to pieces, so I couldn't help paying a little tribute here.

Hope you enjoy! As always, any feedback is loved - for this story maybe even more than usual, because topics like possession, mental breakdown, coming out, and all the other potentially triggery stuff that's in here (and that I tried to handle as sensibly as possible) are still so easy to get wrong... so your opinions on this would be invaluable to me. <3


( Fic: Crazy Little Thing Called Love )

 

Hi there! I'm still here, and doing pretty much okay. Real-life hecticness (is that even a proper noun?) keeps preventing me from being anything close to active on here, but please know I haven't vanished into thin air! What I have been is thwarted by tendinitis (wrist brace! antiinflammatory meds! bring 'em on!) which in theory means I should be typing as little as possible, but ah, seems I don't have that discipline. Anyway, I've had yesterday off and was struck by the sudden need to write something, anything, to make me feel part of fandom again. So mithen, remember the promise I once made to write you a birthday story, dealing with Londo and G'Kar's first meeting? I know it's been ages, and as a birthday gift this is ridiculously late (or early!) but I finally got round to it. Please forgive the delay, and I hope you won't mind I twisted your prompt just a little to satisfy my own angsty cravings. :)

Title: Eye of the Beholder
Fandom: Babylon 5
Characters: Londo Mollari, G'Kar, Vir Cotto, with cameos of Michael Garibaldi and Timov.
Summary: Later, Londo would tell himself he had seen G'Kar's face a million times in his sleep. But that is not how it happened. Not quite.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2000 words
Author's Note: Written for mithen, whom I once promised this story - and then took nearly a year to actually write it. *facepalm* Also for selenak, who has been and always shall be an inspiration to me in all matters Londo Mollari. And for Avelera, who has been so gently trying to tempt me back into the B5 fold, and whom due to too darn little free time I've had to disappoint far too often. Hope this helps. :)

( Fic: Eye of the Beholder )

(I, um, may have gotten a little rusty in my writing? It feels like that, anyway, after half a year of writing nothing at all - but I still appreciate feedback and concrit just as much as I used to. :) )