Sprocket

Following Up On The Common Cold, and Beyond

2025-07-06T00:13:47Z

I lost a long post about recent media, here's the reconstructed version.

- Finished Arcane S2. Arcane is much better when you are stupid with illness, when I can admire how pretty it is, but do not have the mental capacity to question why the Jinx-and-Vi relationship is getting revisited, or why Caitlin is so Caitlin, or what game mechanism is driving the Vander stuff. Kudos to the show for making Viktor and Jayce the most important relationship in each other's lives in a way that will drive the fandom crazy.

- Finished WoT S3. All of S3 was firing on all cylinders, A+ will rewatch. Since we're not getting S4 and the *finn were introduced in 3x10, clearly the *finn will be involved in correcting anything I want fixed in the state of the world at the end of the season.

- Marathoned The Pitt. It's probably better if you don't do that, because by midway through ep 11 (5 - 6 pm) I had maxed out on the choice to compress untold ER freak incidents and personnel drama into one day. Note there were 4 eps to go.

- Marathoned Andor S2 all in one Saturday. As a prequel to a prequel, Andor had two paths it could go: be terrible or be amazing. S2, like S1 and Rogue One, went with "amazing," other than one plot / story decision which I found incredibly stupid, but it was stupid in the tradition of Star Wars. ( spoilers. )

( Meanwhile in Romances of Andor (tm)... )

- Murderbot 1x01 - 1x08. I have exactly one requirement for the Murderbot show: money must flow to Martha Wells. If viewers find the show resonates with them, that's gravy.

With that in mind, I think the writers or showrunners (or both) are more invested in PresAux naivete and flaws than I am. They're also more interested in Gurathin. It's not hard for me to find stories about emotionally stunted emo male-identifing types. It would be more interesting to me if the show brought that interest in creating deeper background and character arcs to some of my book favorites (Mensah, Pin-Lee, Bharadwaj). My mild annoyance that we're doing this again runs parallel to appreciating that David Dastmalchian seems to be leaning into Gurathin's awkwardness and anti-charisma as hard as he can. Which is why I want every other character to get that sort of writer's room investment.

Ratthi is perfect. No notes.

Murderbot the character is an A+ rendition. Exactly the one in my head? Nope. Based on Alexander Skarsgård's rendition of Murderbot's internal monologue, do I want to learn if he has any interest in recording audiobooks? Heck yes, I bet he'd do good voices.

I am also torn between the cameos in Sanctuary Moon clips, which are awesome, and how cool it would be to see the primary / secondary actors in roles cast against type in Murderbot's media clips. We need more seasons, so I can have both (and money can keep making its way to Martha Wells) ~~and we can start stunt-casting actors who previously appeared on The Expanse for kicks~~.

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Courtesy of the Common Cold

2025-04-04T04:46:18Z

Turning into a semi-annual tradition, the TV and movie marathons when I Am Not That Sick, I'm Just Too Lazy To Get Off This Couch, Really. Usually followed by a nap.

The Marvels: "what if we make a movie focusing on three women, two of them women of color, but we wrote a plot exactly like every other Marvel movie?" sneezes into hundredth kleenex

Damsel: "what if we made a movie inverting a bunch of tropes, and cast Shoreh Aghdashloo as the dragon voice actor, but we used the Netflix plot formula instead of creativity?" Needed another editing pass to clean up the pacing. Shoreh Aghdashloo was magnificent. sneezes into five hundredth kleenex

Mad Max: Fury Road: "I'm just going to rewatch the night sniping scene, now that I'm cranky about pacing and editing, to see if Fury Road holds up." The night sniping scene does in fact hold up, and I stayed up rewatched the entire movie despite best intentions. The entire movie holds up. A+ will watch on many future occasions.sneezes into even more kleenex

Arcane S2, 2x01 - 2x04: I don't care about any of these people, I'm just here for the outrageously pretty animation and soundtrack work. This is. So. Pretty. sneezes into thousandth kleenex

Wheel of Time S3, 3x01 - 3x05: it's as if someone on the internet said "we are Disappointed there are so many lesbians," and the writing room heard, "you want more lesbians? There's not enough gay love? Or poly? COMING RIGHT UP. Do we have to slide men marrying men into the Rhuidean flashback? Maybe, maybe not... let's do it."

As expected, Shoreh Aghdashloo is killing it as Elaida. I want a redemption arc, or at least the "she's wrong about a lot of stuff but has some points, even if she's making the points all wrong" arc I know is not supported by book canon. Heck, I'd take a really fabulous death scene over book canon. I don't know that I care about book canon all that much, honestly.

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Recent Media

2024-07-03T22:10:01Z

Me: okay, I have a work week which isn't so bad, then PTO.
Immune system: no, you have two weeks with no hard commitments. It's covid time.

While embracing my status as a virus battle ground, I watched:
- The Last of Us: "wow, Tess really reminds me of Olivia." Yes, that would be thanks to Anna Torv playing Tess. Acceptable alt-pandemic viewing, if one forgives the selective grasp on antibiotics and antifungals. If you take the show on its own premise, it's acceptable.
- due South: s1+ rewatch for Reasons.
- Harold and Maude: 1971 movie, suicidal 20 year old boy falls for 79 year old manic pixie dream girl. Selections filmed in San Francisco. Apparently was a cult classic?
- Nimona: 2023 movie, trans allegories abound.
- Dune 2: 2024 movie featuring swathes of my least favorite part of Dune, the banal evil of the Harkonnens. Expected it to end before the battle of Arrakeen, it didn't. Chani gets 90% of the respect I have to allocate to the people in this movie.

I also have been watching (and rewatching) The Expanse, because I am a known sucker for stuff in space with multi-episode arcs. Just assume I'm scribbling Venn diagrams of Expanse tropes and Babylon 5 tropes in the background.

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Crytic Media Notes

2024-05-13T04:01:14Z

Well this has only been sitting in the notes for... ahem.

Transformers: Earthspark: you know, I think the kids are going to be all right.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: literally no one is watching this for Reasons of Quality. We're watching it because it's new canon to bend to our wills.

Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse: we are all watching this for reasons of quality.

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Arcane S1

2023-05-13T23:21:27Z

( Gorgeous animation and expensive soundtrack skinned over a complex yet predictable plot. )

Jayce is boring.

Viktor, Mel Medara, Vi, and Ekko are not boring.

Never played the game, unlikely to start now, because my gameplay stats run toward laughable, but will probably watch the second and third drops when Netflix puts them up. Assuming, with the writer's strike on, they go forward on time.

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Picard 3x08 - 3x10

2023-04-23T20:18:33Z

So.

Well.

This season makes the most sense if one assumes no one who worked on Picard S2 talked to anyone who worked on Picard S3.

Which leads to the fantastic idea that what if - what if - all three seasons of Picard can be read as three alternative universes?

This solves more continuity problems than it creates. Which says something about the showrunning quality.

( So Picard S3 doesn't exist in my universe, except for the tiny bits I like. )

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Casual DA Fan Watches DA: Absolution

2023-04-23T04:16:08Z

( No Dorian cameo for me. Additional spoilers under the cut. )

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Picard 3x7

2023-04-03T07:57:30Z

( Grumpy spoilers. )

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Star Trek: Picard, S3

2023-03-26T08:57:35Z

( So we're about halfway through Picard S3 and I have some strong thoughts. )

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Lukewarm Takes

2023-02-20T00:57:25Z

Me, looking up from 15 (or more) tabs about Mass Effect: I'm not saying Garrus Vakarian is a shining model of how to live your life or be a good romantic partner. I'm just saying that, if at any point, your reaction to a relationship interaction is "Garrus would never", it's probably time to re-evaluate the health of that romance. Also, to consider whether "Garrus Romance Is Best Mass Effect Romance ~~or at least better than romancing Kaidan~~ ~~fuck you ME2 and your weird priorities~~" is really a hill to blow up a relationship over (~~yes~~).

In unrelated news, I find it interesting that ME2 is kind of flabby, storywise, when DA2 is a miracle of We (Mostly) Meant To Do That. ME2 starts with a ridiculous cold open and doubles down on it at every opportunity, unless anyone really think the Cerberus thing was ever a good idea. No? No. Good.

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It's Crackfic Crossover Month I Guess

2022-08-30T00:46:36Z

Jee: now that you've forced 1.5 seasons of B5 on me, I really think you'd like Mass Effect.
Me: hit me with a playthrough, I like space stuff

pause for ME1 and a good chunk of an ME2 playthough

Me: But imagine for a moment that Garrus gets side-tracked enroute to Omega and does his little vigilante side-trip in Downbelow. Ex-mil ex-cop argues with Garibaldi, a military cop, about justice and friendship and lost chances with amazing people and stuff.

In completely unrelated news - hah - Jee hit me with a Shepard/Garrus playthough, which is heterosexual catnip. "Oh Jane Shepard, you're good at shooting guns and commanding people and you're more emotionally perceptive than me, you've changed my world and I want to make you happy. Have my heart and also lots of shooting at stuff together, but in a really smooth voice actor voice, not Sprocket's squeaky head-voice soprano." That's it, open up the mass effect wiki. You're ready to enjoy the AO3 Mass Effect tag's lust for validation and also orgasms.

I could go on about Reapers and Shadows, and Big Space Opera tropes, and how badly Psi Corp would want to get their hands on biotics (and do exactly the sort of things we see in the MEverse, like Conatix / BAaT and Cerberus's Pragia base), and this one TF crossover fic that I am holding off on reading until I finish the ME3 playthrough, but you get the picture.

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Crossover Crackfic Idea of the Day

2022-08-20T20:46:53Z

Me, reading someone going full id connection on the Locked Tomb: awww. How sweet to fall for a canon that hard.

Oh wait, I did when I was reading Bujold and Cherryh as a teen.

...oh wait.

If you lock Harrowhark "I am a war crime" Nonagesimus and Ari "if/when I die, make another me" Emory in a room 1.) how long does it take them to break out 2.) can they put aside their mutual reluctance to share information and be in control of everything long enough to collaborate or 3.) do Sundry Persons finally break them out to find Ari pinned to a wall by regenerating bone and Harrow missing half her face paint?

Also, would Gideon hit on Ari just to spite Harrow? Or would she hit on Caitlin, to make Harrow and Ari crazy?

...oh no, Harrow would look at Caitlin and go, "there but for the Body go I," wouldn't she.

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Recent Media

2021-12-29T06:57:26Z

Happy holidays, and happy binge-viewing!

The Mummy and The Mummy Returns: excellent low-brain background for data entry, would do again.

Black Widow: would watch Natasha and Yelena bicker for hours. CGI fights overrated.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: There's a 30 minute slice of Zoomer gen life, a fun fight scene on a 1-California that clearly has a divergent route in the MCU AU, some killer acting by Awkwfina and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and a completely average MCU origin story. It's great to see the MCU expand past whiteness and dudes, but it's expanding by applying the same formula that's worked for it so far.

Venom: Let Theee Be Carnage: billed by fandom as a rom-com; I forgot that usually most rom-coms are Not My Thing.

The Amazon Wheel of Time: I wandered away from the books around the eighth installment, I wasn't planning to watch the adaptation until peer excitement pulled me in. All the way until ep 4 I wasn't sold. Turns out angry, angry Nyanaeve is my catnip. Logain starting at angry!Nynaevae with that "step on me" expression is gold. Not sure if I'll be watching S2 with appropriate respect... oh, who am I kidding. I'll be watching this show with great shirt-posting energy.

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Scholomance Meta: Timelines

2021-11-15T03:07:34Z

A bunch of notes for... stuff... but mostly for complaining that some of the numbers don't line up, because that's how my brain works.

This starts with the assumption that A Deadly Education is set in 2020, and The Last Graduate in 2021.

( Spoilers for both novels under the cut. )

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Scholomance Meta: Population Statistics

2021-11-06T21:35:03Z

So I read the two Scholomance novels, and have latched on with the joy of someone who has found Dubious Worldbuilding. Specifically, there is no way the family sizes as seen and wizard death rates, ages 0 - 18, add up.

( Let's talk numbers. Spoilers for A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate. )

So yeah, I am dying for book 3, which hopefully will drop more shoes, pull guns of the mantelpiece, etc etc etc.

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Yuletide!

2020-12-28T04:46:58Z

GUYS I GOT THE MOST AMAZING YULETIDE FIC.

Truth of Another Nature (9496 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Paladin - C. J. Cherryh
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Saunkendar | Shoka/Taizu (The Paladin)
Characters: Saunkendar | Shoka, Taizu (The Paladin), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Married Couple, Dark Past, Legends, Self-Discovery
Summary:

For Saukendar's "demon" wife, the past is all too often present.

Look! 9k in a fandom brand new to AO3! And it takes a novel that was pretty much two characters, except for the part where they get involved with a bunch of (male) generals and soldiers, and puts women back in the world. A+, recommend everyone read the novel so they can read the fic.

I also scored in Madness!

Life Moves On (775 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Fall of Ile-Rien - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ilias/Tremaine Valiarde
Characters: Tremaine Valiarde, Ilias (Ile-Rien), Davret (Ile-Rien), Original Characters, Visolela (Ile-Rien)
Additional Tags: Family Feels, Next Generation
Summary:

For Tremaine's chosen family, life moves forward.

Look guys, it's a Tremaine and Visolela face-off! Snark and mutual confusion guaranteed. A+ always recommended.

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Yuletide 2020 Letter

2020-10-26T03:22:46Z

Dear Yulegoat,

Thanks so much for writing for me! I will be thrilled to receive a story in any of these tiny canons. If you already have an idea you're fired up to write, please get started! Finding out what other people love about a canon is one of the things I like about fandom.

Stuff I Like: people working together to overcome obstacles, snark and snappy dialogue, banter, darkfic, place as character, postapocalyptic, N Times Characters Did A Thing. Solving love triangles with OT3s. Worldbuilding. Food descriptions! I have a bulletproof love of competence, including competence at being villainous, and characters finding connections and trusting each other. If crossovers and fusions are your things, go for it: I am a fan.

Do Not Wants: PWP, bloodplay, coffeeshop AU, high school/college AU, explicit descriptions of sexual assault, cross-generation (May-December) ships, violence much more intense than canon-typical levels.

Gen or Shippy? Add "in bed" to any of the likes and ship away. I am in favor of consenting adults enjoying each others' company and quirks (and kinks).

Happy Yuletide!

Prompts below, with comments for color:

( Ivory Series - Doris Egan )

( The Paladin - C. J. Cherryh )

( Fall of Ile-Rien - Martha Wells )

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I Have Finished Watching Nirvana in Fire.

2020-07-21T01:28:18Z

A+ would watch again, especially now that I know who all these people are.

( Spoiler crackfic idea. )

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sprocket @ 2020-05-17T21:40:00

2020-05-18T04:40:32Z

My pandemic viewing has been Guardian, heavily pimped by glymr. C-drama deeply involved in the Dashing Roguish Police Chief and the Humble University Professor With A Secret... past? Identity? Entire other life? Which becomes increasingly central to the narrative. Also, there's supernatural powers. The final plot arc and conclusion are a hot mess, but the "spot the trope" action is strong all the way through the series.

I tried to watch The Witcher. I noped out before the end of the first episode. Protagonist's manly stoic angst isn't doing it for me. Some city getting overrun by its enemies isn't doing it for me. If you can't make me care about the tearful parting of the Stern Queen and her granddaughter, this show is not for me.

After much nudging, I've finally gotten started on Nirvana in Fire, a historical C-drama about Imperial Palace plotting. At least, it's all been Imperial Palace plotting so far. And counter-plots. And spur-of-the-moment use of others' plots. And Mei Changsu sort of poking at bloated corruption schemes to see how they explode, so he can turn that into more plotting. Frank "wheels within wheels" Herbert would love this.

My pandemic reading has been a heap of Transformers fic. I wish I had a bit of shame left, but nope, it's just "Barbarian AU, but city!mech!Breakdown accidentally kidnaps barbarian!Knock Out" (sidebar: TF and race issues, wow they're there) and "maybe it's time to reread "Victory Condition", oh, do I have friends I can inflict this on?" and "OKAY FINE maybe I will reread The Brave Shall Heed the Call" and "okay, this 'protagonist crushes on Optimus Prime is a Bit Much, but this one is Just Right," with the occasional Hot Rod being... Hot Rod. *facepalm*

I hope everyone's people are well; and if less than well, are getting the care and support they and you need.

I am fortunate that me and mine have so far dodged the coronavirus bullet.

If you're so moved, let me know how you're doing!

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Travel and SF/F

2019-10-21T02:33:38Z

As one does, I scheduled a trip to DC to overlap Capclave, where Martha Wells and Robert Sawyer were guests of honor. Also I had several opportunities to Have Feelings about this year's Hugos at people, as one does.

Other highlights:

1.) norabombay has spent years trying to suck me into Legends of Tomorrow. Something something DCU, something time-travel, muffled noises about No Really This One Brings The Gay, Really.

Martha Wells during a panel: "...that episode with that guy who was in Lord of the Rings... he played Denethor..."

Me: that is JOHN NOBLE and I am so there.

2.) The hotel staff was not shy about serving mixed drinks that, so help me, were alcohol with some juice in for color.

3.) Getting to catch up with various local folks I have not seen in some time.

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Magicians S4 Finale

2019-04-20T21:46:18Z

Well.

That was a case study in How Not To Do Pacing. Also How To Destroy Writer / Exec Producer Cred With The Fanbase, and How To Get Fans to Dis-Rec A Formerly Enjoyed Show To Their Entire F-List. Bummer.

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Me, A Previously Sensible Person (Ha) (Transformers 101)

2019-04-03T03:30:08Z

So I tripped and fell into Transformers, and the wiki is edited by Right-Thinking Fans who think captions are for snark.

The canon dates to 1984 (G1). I decline to try to explain 35 years of comics/cartoon/movie/etc toy-selling canon in any detail.

Major canons (per AO3):
Transformers Generation One: Roughly the 1984 - 1992 canon.

The Transformers (IDW Generation One): The IDW Comics reboot of G1 canon, running from 2005 - 2018. The Lost Light run is included in this canon. IDW's 2019 comics are in a separate reboot, which fans may or may not mash into their fic.

Transformers: Prime: the 2010 - 2013 Hub Netwook cartoon series and associated media. The first season is on Netflix. Fringe fans take note, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman show up in the credits as executive producers. This may or may not have had any bearing on the cartoon series' complete lack of shame about the TV Tropes checklist it works through. If you're going to do a quick sample skip to the "One Shall Fall / One Shall Rise" arc. Those fics where Optimus Prime gets amnesia and thinks Megatron is his BFF who saved him from the wicked autobots? Canon.

~~Transformers (Bay Movies):~~ doesn't exist. Last movie was in the '80s or something? Too bad.

Transformers Animated (2007): The 2007 - 2009 Cartoon Netwook series and associated media. Notable for plucky little young Autobots menaced by big bad Decepticons from half-forgotten history, which plays to the fannish id not at all. Cough.

Major players:
Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots (good guys) (usually) (mostly) (except for Shattered Glass, which is exactly the mirrorverse trope you think it is). Optimus is frequently found in the company of:

Ratchet, autobot medic and sometimes scientist. Flavors vary from early G1 party-loving Ratchet to a cynical, war-weary Dr. McCoy type.

Prowl is sometime ex law enforcement, rarely a ninja, occasionally the Autobot's strategic go-to guy, and always the calculating, logic-driven party-killer of Team Optimus. Often contrasted with...

Jazz, life of any party, an on-his-pedes thinker who absorbs Earth culture, slang, and music. This makes him no less deadly on the battlefield; in G1 continuity he's the go-to tactical guy countering Prowl's patient, logical calculations.

Tiny, good-natured Bumblebee does not let being either small or nice get in the way of kicking Decepticon aft. Bee often quickly bonds with humans who encounter the Autobots. In several canons he's lost the ability to speak "normally" and works around this through incomprehensible-to-humans Cyberton languages and/or pop culture.

Megatron is the leader of the evil Decepticons. Depending on the flavor of canon, Megatron is a tyrant, an ex-gladiator turned warlord, or an ex-agitator for social reform who razed his enemies' cities to the ground and founded the Decepticon Empire. Sometimes a canon poet.

Starscream usually shows up high in the Decepticon hierarchy: Air Commander, second in command, etc. The only things more impressive than his flying skills are his ambition and lust for power, which lead to periodic schemes to overthrow Megatron and declare himself leader of the Decepticons. Sometimes also a pre-war scientist.

Where Starscream blusters and schemes, Soundwave is tirelessly loyal to Megatron and the Decepticon cause. May or may not be able to read minds; in most universes he's associated with the cassettes, variously including Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, twins Rumble and Frenzy, and many others.

Galvatron and Cyclonus don't squeak into AO3's Transformers - All Media tag, but highly relevant to the Astolat binge I know certain people are considering. So! Galvatron is the Decepticon leader who has more firepower than Megatron (because he was built out of Megatron, only better, in some universes) and even less sanity (because the Autobots almost managed to kill him, but merely succeeded in brain damage, in some universes). Cyclonus is the Decepticon second in command who balances out Galvatron's madness, or is crazier than Megatron, or is a sort-of-non-Deception ex-sort-of-zombie on the Lost Light road trip. *shrug* We could get into the backstory, of course - OH LOOK CYCLONUS AND TAILGATE ARE FLIRTING AGAIN.

Ahem.

There are female-identified Transformers as well, but the canon and AO3's biases both tend to leave them kind of on the side.

Major pairings:

Best Enemies: Optimus/Megatron

Opposites Attract: Jazz/Prowl

Sleeping with the Boss: Megatron/Starscream

Canon gay: IDW!Rachet/Drift

( Sample fics )

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Magicians Catch-up Brainstorming

2019-03-09T22:20:09Z

If you were trying to drag your fannish friends into the Magicians right now, what would be the must-see episodes to pimp them in? Life in a Day (3x05), and...? Suggestions solicited.

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Yuletide Reveals

2019-01-02T05:42:03Z

For Yuletide 2018, I wrote:

Rise and Go (1440 words) by sprocket
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Elene Quen, Joshua Talley
Summary:

He went to Elene first.

( How I wrote this fic. Meta, implicit spoilers for most of the Alliance-Union novels. )

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Yuletide!

2018-12-25T22:42:48Z

Happy Yuletide, fandom! I received fic in one of the fandoms of my heart:

In Syncopated Time (2114 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Damon Konstantin/Elene Quen, Damon Konstantin/Joshua Talley, Joshua Talley/Elene Quen
Characters: Damon Konstantin, Elene Quen, Joshua Talley
Summary:

Josh, Damon, and Elene's lives twine around each other through tumultuous events.

Snippets of life starting before Downbelow Station and projecting out past Finity's End.

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