Astra's actionfigures in Action

For shivver13 alumfelga elisi

This show was so inspiring, I wrote three (about 1,000 words) fanfics within the one week after watching! Here they are, if you like.

Running away

The scene in episode 2, when they mocked poor Phileas about only ever having been to Edinburgh. There is a close-up on his hurt face that made me feel so badly for him, that I just had to write something.

Phileas Fogg x3

This came from a discussion with one of my readers, it is also set in the train and drunken Passepartout sees not just one but three Phileas Foggs that wait to be undressed by him ;)

The Woman from the Wild West

One of my new friends wished for a fanfic about Phileas and Sally, the stagecoach driver. I was happy to deliver.

And a few recommendations:

Unstitched and Unmoored

This was the very first fic in the new fandom, the author started the hashtag. Like many of us, she had been drawn to THAT scene in Hong Kong and felt it needed more exploring, especially with the after effects. First few chapters are similar to the show, showing us Phileas' thoughts while in prison waiting for it to happen, but once we are on the island it will be AU with more whumping. Very well written! Still WIP but gets updated regularly.

To love and to be loved

This one has the same theme like the one above, but I certainly liked this approach as well. Only one chapter so far though, but nicely written with many details.

A sliver of courage and a second chance

Also this one sounds very promising. Very well written, four chapters so far. It's set six months after Phileas is back home in London, with Estella asking him to help with something.
The author says it like this: "Set six months after his victory over Bellamy, Phileas Fogg is taking a well deserved break to catch up on the cricket scores, when his past comes crashing back into his future. Using both his ingenuity and his newly found courage Phileas will have to defeat his old enemy once more; as this time more than money and honour hang in the balance."

Got me hooked right away! There are many more nice ones, have a look for yourself! I've even seen a crossover with "Good Omens", should that be your thing.

Please give the authors plenty of feedback, it is so exciting to be at the start of a new fandom and to see it grow!

Just realized I never uploaded any of my Orville fic here. I shall change that.

I wrote my first Voyager fic! Any Voyager fans here, aside from those I already talked to? I'm watching it for the first time and enjoy myself immensely. This was not planned.

So when I came to the "Basics" two-parter I had two write something. This was originally a lot longer but my beta made me see what is important and cutting off stuff. Hope you like it!

Words: 1,167

Summary: "Here they were, stranded again on a planet. Only this time it was not just her and Chakotay, this time she had managed to bring the whole crew with her."

Kathryn and Chakotay have a talk. Missing scene to episode 3x01 "Basics part 2"

Link to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061945



*****

Stranded

Kathryn Janeway kept her face calm while the thoughts were tumbling in her head. Here they were, stranded again on a planet. Only this time it was not just her and Chakotay, this time she had managed to bring the whole crew with her.

He had been right. They should have run the other way and never looked back. But she sent him to think about his fatherly feelings and this was the result. She had let her own feelings decide for her. Because she didn’t want to let him search alone for Seska’s child, she’d led all of them into disaster.

One of many mistakes she’d made since she’d started this journey. They were piling up one by one, eating away at her.

At least on New Earth there was shelter and food. And a bathtub. It had been almost idyllic in comparison.

This time they had exactly – nothing. They’d managed to find food for today but what would tomorrow bring? And the day after that? And how cold was the night going to be?

“Trapped on a barren planet and you’re stuck with the only Indian in the universe who can’t start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.”

She could hear the frustration in his voice and in his eyes she could see how it weighed on him, thinking that he failed her. She tried to comfort him by pointing out that others had failed too, but he was having none of that. He was a proud man who took his heritage very seriously.

She’d seen him struggling with the fire for a while. She didn’t want to put even more pressure on him so she kept herself busy elsewhere but, secretly, she was watching him. He refused to give up, turning the stick faster and faster, to no avail. The tip of his tongue had come out, unconsciously trying to help as well. It made him look adorable, like a four-year-old.

And she’d never reveal those thoughts to him.

( But she had to talk to him, and soon... (Story continues here) )
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Another old link I found - this one is especially for alumfelga and everyone who enjoys the really funny half hour special Peter Davison made with lots of celebrities - from Doctor Who and elsewhere - for the 50th anniversary. If you don't know it, you can watch it here:
The Five(ish) Doctors

It has lots of cameos and funny bits. Even the families of the actors got involved. Great fun.

So imagine my surprise when there was actually fanfiction, written by dbskyler in the exact same style and equally funny!

The Day(ish) Night(ish) Time(ish) of the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
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I am cleaning my inbox (some of you may have wondering why I am commenting on months or years old stuff) and just found this recommendation again that I sent to analineblue a long time ago. In November 2014 to be precise. Wonder if you ever read it? ;)

So I'll be able to delete this message, I'll keep the links in here now. And maybe someone else may be interested as well.

I really love such clever fics.

In the first, Neal wakes up in his apartment but suddenly it is only a film set and everyone thinks he is this actor Matt Bomer and he has to get adjusted to this role.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/508802

And the second is the other way around, Tim gets a bang to his head on set and wakes up in White Collar land – and Neal actually recognizes that this is not “his” Peter and tries to teach him everything he needs to know as a “real” FBI agent.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/959706

Have fun!

A few days ago my friend kanarek13 posted another one of her always very beautiful "White Collar" artwork pieces. If you don't know her stuff yet but are a fan of Peter and Neal, head over to her place and have a look. The one I am talking about can be found here: http://kanarek13.livejournal.com/141050.html

However I would prefer if you only looked at the picture after reading the little thing I wrote about the scene. I got quite inspired. Many thanks also to elrhiarhodan who did a quick beta!

It's just a little scene not a whole story. So here without further ado - enjoy!

*********

The hard ground dug mercilessly into his knees. The thin layer of carpet did nothing to help against the unforgiving concrete underneath. He debated to subtly shift to at least temporarily release the pressure but thought better of it. Better not bringing attention to himself. Better not make the other man angry. There might be punishment. And if anything Neal didn’t need tonight, it was more punishment.

And he was good at kneeling. He was used to this. He could do it.

Just a little while longer.

He felt uneasy, not knowing what was going on behind him. He was not allowed to turn. He had tried once and received a smack to the head. He didn’t try again. Surprisingly, he had not been blindfolded. He wished he had, it would have made things easier.

Easier to pretend.

To pretend that this was just like any other game they played on a Friday night. To pretend that even though his blood rushed, it was because of excitement and arousal and not dreadful fear. To pretend that if it ever became too much to bear he could use his safeword and Peter would be there, releasing him, holding him, soothing him.

Sadly, no safeword would get him out of this.

At least he wasn’t alone. Peter was there, right beside him. On his knees as well. And right now he looked over, with a worried expression. It was very difficult to keep anything from him. Neal tried his best anyway, tried not to show how excruciating the pain was that his ribs were giving him. One may be cracked, broken even after that harsh kick. It had forced the breath right out of his lungs and made him double over.

And the longer this went on, the harder it got to breathe. He forced himself to take slow breathes. In. Out. In. Out. Don’t panic, Neal. Panicking would only make things worse.

It was hard to tell for how long they already were kneeling here. In such situations, minutes seemed to stretch like hours.

The bad part was, nobody was going to miss them. They had worked late in the office, just the two of them. Elizabeth was out of town and would only return the day after tomorrow. Plenty of time to get into serious trouble with whoever it was that paid them this surprise visit.

He tried to think who could be behind this but unfortunately in their line of work they made so many enemies, the list was very long. And so far they hadn’t said much, just used them as punching bags. It seemed as if they were waiting for something. Or someone? It also seemed as if they were not in a hurry to kill them. Thank God for small mercies.

Of course he had tried to get out of the handcuffs as soon as they had been put on him. But these guys had been briefed well. They seemed to know what he was capable of, and for once none of his tricks worked. The cuffs were so tight that there was no room to wriggle at all. The more he tried, the tighter they became. Until he had to stop because the blood flow to his hands was almost non-existent.

Initially, he and Peter had struggled but soon had to realize that it was useless. Then Peter had switched to talking. He was good at that. He promised they would cooperate, he promised to do everything they wanted; he would have promised to get the moon down as long as it kept Neal safe.

One evening, sitting on the patio with a bottle of beer in Peter’s case, and a glass of wine in Neal’s case, they had mused who of them had it worse in situations like this. Neal, who always seemed to receive more blows and injuries than Peter; or Peter, who only helplessly could watch and not do anything. Peter had admitted then that it drove him crazy, that it was almost unbearable and that he would change places with Neal anytime.

Neal wasn’t so sure he wanted to change places with Peter though.

THE END - that's it already, sorry!

Title: Sick
Series: Scotty had seen Kirk feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, mad...
Author: dieastra
Beta: Thank you tardisjournal for your help!
Rating: T
Category: Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Characters: Scotty, Captain Kirk, Spock, Doctor McCoy
Word Count: 1.240

Summary: This is a series of standalone one shots for each word of the quote (from the episode "Turnabout Intruder"). More chapters for the other words will be added when the muse allows.

Part 1: "Sick". On a mission gone wrong, Scotty has to care for the sick captain until the cavalry arrives.

*****

SCOTTY: I’ve seen the captain feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, boiling mad. But up to now, I have never seen him red-faced with hysteria.

Sick

It was the last day of a so-far uneventful mission. The Tantalons had been friendly, generously allowing Scotty to study their technology for as long as he wanted to. They had installed a shield that spanned over their city, going kilometers into each direction, like a huge snow globe. Outside that shield, their planet was a dead wasteland. Inside, they grew all they needed to live.

The shield kept out the deadly beta radiation. It also somehow prevented anyone from beaming in.

It was penetrable though, so the three of them had beamed down outside, wearing protective suits, and then made their way to the city by foot. They had been welcomed with open arms and given quarters for the duration of their mission.

And then, on the evening before they intended to depart, it all went horribly wrong.

The evening had started so well, with a huge feast, and lots of food and drink. Scotty had indulged himself happily. The beautiful woman keeping him company was an extra nice touch. He didn’t pay much attention to the captain, who was over in another corner with a beautiful woman of his own.

Even Spock had loosened up a bit, as far as he could tell. After all, they deserved a break once in a while.

Understanding among nations was well under way when he heard a sudden shriek from the general direction of the captain. Scotty untangled himself from Varna – that was her name – and rushed over.

Spock beat him by a second and then they both had to watch, horrified, as Kirk retched up purple leftovers of his meal. It seemed to take forever until the nausea subsided and he exhausted let his head fall back on a pillow a helping hand had provided.

Scotty was glad that Spock was there. Give him a piece of technology to take apart and put back with a tight deadline looming over him, and he dealt with it no matter what. But seeing someone suffer made him always feel helpless.

( Read on under the cut - After making sure that Kirk was comfortable for the moment )

Next: “Feverish & Delirious”

I don't often recommend fic, one has to be really outstanding for me to do so. So please believe me that this one is. I was just searching for a little whump bedtime story, and stumbled about this gem.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10561323/1/Allegiance

Rated: T
Hurt/Comfort/Drama
Words: 13,468
Summary: It's no secret that Jim Kirk will lay down his life for his crew. An alien race is holding five of Jim's crew hostage and he has to bargain to set them free. But all he has is himself. So what is he willing to sacrifice? Life, liberty, or limbs?

So yes, there is a bit of whumping going on, but this is not the central part of the story. The central part is the relationships between Kirk and his team, which are all written spot on, and there are short flashbacks for each one of them, and the end is so moving that it made me indeed cry. Which is a first for a whump fic.

The writing style is superb, each word where it belongs, slowly building up the pressure, until the end where not only Kirk crumbles, but the reader does as well.

So, if you are a fan of the young new Enterprise team of the Abramsverse, go read it. That's an order. And if you prefer the old team, read it anyway.

Funny side note, I only just yesterday watched the first new movie in full (after having given up the first time after only ten minutes and after grumbling all the past weeks and months about how these movies are cold and only special effects and that they don't make me feel anything etc. etc. but now they suddenly do) and this is the first story I actively sought out with the new team, while with other fics previously trying to read them with the old team in mind (which not always works).

I see the author has a list of White Collar fics as well. If they are as good as this one, I am surely checking them out. But not tonight.

Interrupting the posting of my convention pictures to take part in the AO3 Kudos meme, snatched from chamilet Looks like a fun idea!

So, here are my top 10 kudoed fics (and some action figure stories) on AO3:


1. Hands (25 Kudos)
Fandom: White Collar
Who would have thought that my first foray into the White Collar fandom would get the most kudos? Clearly I should write more! The story is set after the end of season 5, when Neal got kidnapped.

2. Leisure time (18 Kudos)
Fandom: Sherlock
Action figure pictures of Sherlock and John having a nice quiet day at home.

3. The Lives and Deaths of Malcolm Merlyn (12 Kudos)
Fandoms: Arrow, Torchwood
How Jack Harkness became Malcolm Merlyn.

4. Caught (12 Kudos)
Fandom: Arrow
Written after seeing some spoilerish pictures for the finale of season 1. Obviously AU as the actual episode was a bit different. It's about Oliver Queen and Malcolm Merlyn finding out their identities as Arrow and the Dark Archer.

5. The Torchwood Team bakes Christmas cookies
Fandom: Torchwood
Action figure pictures of the Torchwood team baking Christmas cookies.

6. Feet (8 Kudos)
Fandom: White Collar
The conclusion to my other story "Hands"

7. Back (8 Kudos)
Fandom: Arrow
A story about Malcolm Merlyn being caught and tortured in Nanda Parbat by Ra's al Ghul.

8. How I met my father (8 Kudos)
Fandom: Arrow
A missing scene from the end of season 2 - how exactly did Thea know where to find Malcolm?

9. ALS ice bucket challenge, Torchwood style (8 Kudos)
Fandom: Torchwood
Action figure pictures - What the title says.

10. Darkness on the edge of town (8 Kudos)
Fandom: Arrow
Action figure pictures of a famous scene in the season 1 finale - the fight between the Arrow and Malcolm Merlyn.
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Title: Back, Chapter 2/2
Author: dieastra
Beta: Thank you Beth for the quick beta!
Rating: T
Characters: Malcolm Merlyn, Ra's al Ghul
Word Count: 2.274
Notes: Spoilers for episode 3x15 "Nanda Parbat" which airs this week! I saw promotion pictures which inspired me to this story. If you've seen them too you'll know why. I linked the pictures in the text.

Summary: Malcolm is back in Nanda Parbat. Oliver and Diggle try to get him out.

Link to chapter 1/2

Back chapter 2/2

They had given him time to heal which unfortunately gave him way too much time to think.

Could he hope for some sort of rescue? For how long had he been missing now? And who would even miss him? Certainly not Diggle or Felicity who never made a secret of their hatred for him.

Oliver? Doubtful. They hadn’t spoken since Malcolm had pulled that stunt with Slade on the island. Maybe not one of his better moves. He had miscalculated. Again.

Malcolm hadn’t even started to teach Oliver everything he knew about Ra’s al Ghul, so even if the kid was stupid enough to try anyway, he might not survive this time. Malcolm was certain everyone in their right mind would talk Oliver out of it.

And Thea… None of the pain Ra’s al Ghul could inflict on him would hurt as much as the pain in his heart. Malcolm was actually surprised that it hurt quite so much. He had thought his heart had already shattered to pieces when Thea claimed that she wouldn’t be his daughter anymore. It had left him cold and numb inside. It also had pulled the rug out from under his feet. Still, he hadn’t seen her betrayal coming.

But Ra’s had taken great pleasure in gloating how he came to know about his whereabouts – that it had been Thea of all people who had sold him out. Malcolm felt he should actually be proud of her. Even if the result was – inconvenient. He obviously had trained her well. Maybe a little too well, but then, he couldn’t complain. He remembered telling her how proud he was of her when she had shot him back at the station.

So no, no rescue could be expected. If he wanted to make it out of here, he’d have to start thinking.

Once his feet had healed enough he was back for another round as a Thanksgiving turkey. Time soon became a blur. He couldn’t tell whether it was day or night. Time in Nanda Parbat was a funny little thing. When he had returned home to Tommy twenty years ago, he had been surprised to find that only two years had passed in the outside world while in truth he had been gone and in training for much longer.

So he couldn’t know for how long he had been here already, and for how long he really had been gone where the outside world was concerned.

He felt his mind starting to slip, and his body beginning to shut down. It became harder and harder to care about anything. Maybe it was better this way. He had lost everything that once had meant something to him. Rebecca, Tommy, Moira and also Thea. Nothing left to fight for. So why did he still struggle to stay alive? When it would be so much easier to give in, to welcome the darkness? He didn’t know. Maybe his stubbornness wouldn’t let him.

He barely could keep his eyes open.

Suddenly he registered movement. Someone was stealthily sneaking into the room. He blinked smoke-induced tears from his eyes. Maybe he had started to hallucinate. Was that really Oliver standing there? And Diggle? What the hell were they doing here? Were they even real?

Picture: Oliver and Diggle find Malcolm

If they were shocked to see him like this, they didn’t show it and a small part of him was grateful for that. The last thing he needed was their pity. Just somebody to get him out of these chains. Preferably right now?

But before they could make any move, there was another noise at the door and Ra’s and his men came in. Malcolm had forced himself to raise his head a couple of inches, but now he let it drop again. He should have known better than to hope against hope. Now they indeed would all die.

With sudden dread he realized that this was the only reason he was still alive – to lure Oliver over here. He had been the bait. He’d have rather killed himself than help with this perfidious plan.

( Read on under the cut: To his surprise, Oliver and Diggle did not put up a fight... )


The End.

Also available at AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3429791

Also available at Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11069887/1/Back


If you want to know what happened after Malcolm returned home, look for the story “Aftermath” by my friend BethAlex on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3433130
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Title: Back, Chapter 2/2
Author: dieastra
Beta: Thank you Beth for the quick beta!
Rating: T
Characters: Malcolm Merlyn, Ra's al Ghul
Word Count: 2.274
Notes: Spoilers for episode 3x15 "Nanda Parbat" which airs this week! I saw promotion pictures which inspired me to this story. If you've seen them too you'll know why. I linked the pictures in the text.

Summary: Malcolm is back in Nanda Parbat. Oliver and Diggle try to get him out.

Link to chapter 1/2

Back chapter 2/2

They had given him time to heal which unfortunately gave him way too much time to think.

Could he hope for some sort of rescue? For how long had he been missing now? And who would even miss him? Certainly not Diggle or Felicity who never made a secret of their hatred for him.

Oliver? Doubtful. They hadn’t spoken since Malcolm had pulled that stunt with Slade on the island. Maybe not one of his better moves. He had miscalculated. Again.

Malcolm hadn’t even started to teach Oliver everything he knew about Ra’s al Ghul, so even if the kid was stupid enough to try anyway, he might not survive this time. Malcolm was certain everyone in their right mind would talk Oliver out of it.

And Thea… None of the pain Ra’s al Ghul could inflict on him would hurt as much as the pain in his heart. Malcolm was actually surprised that it hurt quite so much. He had thought his heart had already shattered to pieces when Thea claimed that she wouldn’t be his daughter anymore. It had left him cold and numb inside. It also had pulled the rug out from under his feet. Still, he hadn’t seen her betrayal coming.

But Ra’s had taken great pleasure in gloating how he came to know about his whereabouts – that it had been Thea of all people who had sold him out. Malcolm felt he should actually be proud of her. Even if the result was – inconvenient. He obviously had trained her well. Maybe a little too well, but then, he couldn’t complain. He remembered telling her how proud he was of her when she had shot him back at the station.

So no, no rescue could be expected. If he wanted to make it out of here, he’d have to start thinking.

Once his feet had healed enough he was back for another round as a Thanksgiving turkey. Time soon became a blur. He couldn’t tell whether it was day or night. Time in Nanda Parbat was a funny little thing. When he had returned home to Tommy twenty years ago, he had been surprised to find that only two years had passed in the outside world while in truth he had been gone and in training for much longer.

So he couldn’t know for how long he had been here already, and for how long he really had been gone where the outside world was concerned.

He felt his mind starting to slip, and his body beginning to shut down. It became harder and harder to care about anything. Maybe it was better this way. He had lost everything that once had meant something to him. Rebecca, Tommy, Moira and also Thea. Nothing left to fight for. So why did he still struggle to stay alive? When it would be so much easier to give in, to welcome the darkness? He didn’t know. Maybe his stubbornness wouldn’t let him.

He barely could keep his eyes open.

Suddenly he registered movement. Someone was stealthily sneaking into the room. He blinked smoke-induced tears from his eyes. Maybe he had started to hallucinate. Was that really Oliver standing there? And Diggle? What the hell were they doing here? Were they even real?

Picture: Oliver and Diggle find Malcolm

If they were shocked to see him like this, they didn’t show it and a small part of him was grateful for that. The last thing he needed was their pity. Just somebody to get him out of these chains. Preferably right now?

But before they could make any move, there was another noise at the door and Ra’s and his men came in. Malcolm had forced himself to raise his head a couple of inches, but now he let it drop again. He should have known better than to hope against hope. Now they indeed would all die.

With sudden dread he realized that this was the only reason he was still alive – to lure Oliver over here. He had been the bait. He’d have rather killed himself than help with this perfidious plan.

( Read on under the cut: To his surprise, Oliver and Diggle did not put up a fight... )


The End.

Also available at AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3429791

Also available at Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11069887/1/Back


If you want to know what happened after Malcolm returned home, look for the story “Aftermath” by my friend BethAlex on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3433130
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