An Isfan/Jimsa ficlet series — Arslan Senki canon-divergence AU
Well, WIP Wednesday became WIP Thursday... and now it's Saturday.
Just letting you know that Chapter 1 of Instalment 2 of our AU is now officially published! The other three chapters will follow either today or tomorrow, once I've managed the final editorial pass (AO3 has decided not to play nice today, unfortunately).
Links below!
Series: Wolves, Ears and Tails AU
Instalment 1: What Happens When Isfān Is Left Unsupervised
Ignoring the stressful elements of the latest chapter to post a few panels I enjoyed:
These two! It's always a good day when I get to see Isfan in action.
CUTE!
My crackship got a line of dialogue! (I assume he's speaking Lusitanian but I think it's understood easily enough)
Anyway, I think this is where my Daryun/Don Ricardo fic will diverge from canon, because 1. I need him to stay and participate in the defeat of Zahhak and 2. I want his horse to survive so that Daryun can return it to him rather than getting obliterated by a punch to the face from Zahhak...
Just in time for WIP Wednesday, the second part of the first ficlet of our Wolves, Ears and Tails AU is published!
They Chose Him has now been renamed into What Happens When Isfān Is Left Unsupervised (definitely intended from Shapur's POV) and has now been split into two chapters after discussing it with my beta:
They Chose Him — Jimsa returns to Peshawar with two orphaned wolf pups and brings them to the one person in camp who might know what to do with them. Watching how quickly they trust Isfān leaves a stronger impression on him than expected.
Names Make Things Permanent — two to three weeks later, Shapur returns to discover that the pups have very much settled into Isfān’s life, whether Isfān admits it or not. Old conversations about family resurface, Jimsa quietly becomes part of the wolves’ routine, and Narsus finally puts an end to “Wolf One” and “Wolf Two”.
Since the published work has reached 11k+ words already, I guess it's time to consider an alternative for "ficlet".
Anyway, next ficlet upcoming:
Shapur confronts Kubard over his remarkably detailed — but apparently incomplete — reports about the wolves, only to learn that Jimsa has been returning regularly with meat, supplies and an increasing knowledge of Isfān’s new household. Kishward joins the discussion, makes an unfortunate observation about who is sleeping in Isfān’s bed, and leaves Shapur to wonder whether everyone else has already accepted an arrangement he is only beginning to notice.
Meanwhile, Isfān and Jimsa continue settling into a routine neither of them considers worth explaining.
<3
For everyone new to the AU, this is a collaborative AU I am creating together with @acheneya-blog. All stories in this AU would not exist in quite the same form without our conversations, exchanged ideas and their beautiful artwork, so please do have a look at their blog — their art is genuinely wonderful!
Lil Shapur after a very busy day(being naughty and driving all the castle folks crazy) :
I really don't know with what confidence I'm posting this, but please accept this from me.
More details:
●That tiny horse later became Isfān's. Of course, not as being "in one piece" as here.
(Shapur's toys had a very exciting life.)
Shapur had to sit down and sew it.
He didn't even know how to do that.
As usual, Mihandokht saved him.
(He later tore one of his expensive clothes so that Mihandokht could sew clothes for Isfan from that fabric, and that thing both brothers had tied their hair with and was the same color[I guess it was blue] was made of the same fabric. Although Shapur's doesn't look like fabric and looks more like beads?? But imagine it's fabric.)
●Here he is 6 years old.
●Mihandokht(his nurse), who later took care of Isfān, admits that taking care of Shapur was harder.
●Lord Behzād (his father) could spend less time with him.
●He loves his parents, but is emotionally very dependent on his mother.
●He is a polite child, but he listens to nobody when he wants to play.
●He's always been good with books and all that stuff.
●He wants to become a warrior.
●He has been training since he was 5 years old.
●He currently have a young mare to practice riding. Shapur later named her Sepidāyīn, and she is the same horse he went to rescue Māhruy and Isfān with.
●Sohrāb(his coach) believes that he is smart.
●He can also read, and write a little now.
●Delārām(His mother) gets gutted when he runs around like he doesn't care about danger at all. She is definitlely sensetive to him.
●Māhruy(Isfān's mother) is 10 years old here.
She wants to be like his older sister.
She loves him, gives him sweets, and if he hurt his leg, she bandages it.
●Everything was pretty much fine then, at least apparently.
Just in time for WIP Wednesday, the second part of the first ficlet of our Wolves, Ears and Tails AU is published!
They Chose Him has now been renamed into What Happens When Isfān Is Left Unsupervised (definitely intended from Shapur's POV) and has now been split into two chapters after discussing it with my beta:
They Chose Him — Jimsa returns to Peshawar with two orphaned wolf pups and brings them to the one person in camp who might know what to do with them. Watching how quickly they trust Isfān leaves a stronger impression on him than expected.
Names Make Things Permanent — two to three weeks later, Shapur returns to discover that the pups have very much settled into Isfān’s life, whether Isfān admits it or not. Old conversations about family resurface, Jimsa quietly becomes part of the wolves’ routine, and Narsus finally puts an end to “Wolf One” and “Wolf Two”.
Since the published work has reached 11k+ words already, I guess it's time to consider an alternative for "ficlet".
Anyway, next ficlet upcoming:
Shapur confronts Kubard over his remarkably detailed — but apparently incomplete — reports about the wolves, only to learn that Jimsa has been returning regularly with meat, supplies and an increasing knowledge of Isfān’s new household. Kishward joins the discussion, makes an unfortunate observation about who is sleeping in Isfān’s bed, and leaves Shapur to wonder whether everyone else has already accepted an arrangement he is only beginning to notice.
Meanwhile, Isfān and Jimsa continue settling into a routine neither of them considers worth explaining.
<3
For everyone new to the AU, this is a collaborative AU I am creating together with @acheneya-blog. All stories in this AU would not exist in quite the same form without our conversations, exchanged ideas and their beautiful artwork, so please do have a look at their blog — their art is genuinely wonderful!
An Isfan/Jimsa ficlet series — Arslan Senki canon-divergence AU
@acheneya-blog
Rest assured, there is more to come! Please feel free to point out any errors I made while trying to fit all our shared conversations into this little compilation ;-)
@acheneya-blog and I may have cooked a bit too much in the comments and this is what came out of it!
This might come as an unexpected pairing to some but we hope you're ready for our full presentation of evidence as to why they are a perfect match! It might yet surprise you as much as it surprised us.
Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, hopes and wishes.
The first set of ficlets is currently with a friend of mine for beta-reading. I hope to share it soon! For now, please find below a little teaser:
Shapur survives Atropatene because Kubard, faced with a man who would rather die than retreat, solves the problem by knocking him unconscious and carrying him off the battlefield.
Later, Jimsa ends up responsible for a pair of wolf pups.
He has no idea what to do with them. Isfan does.
The pups take to Isfan immediately, and watching him handle them with such instinctive gentleness forces Jimsa to reconsider the blond Parsian he had previously regarded as irritating, dangerous and far too serious.
Unfortunately for Isfan, reconsideration soon becomes admiration.
Then attraction.
Then infatuation.
Jimsa has never doubted his own strength, skill, attractiveness or worth as a prospective husband. Isfan deserves the best, and Jimsa is entirely prepared to argue that this includes him.
Shapur, meanwhile, decides that Isfan must find a suitable partner.
Kubard offers to help.
Gieve joins in because Isfan’s annoyance is entertaining.
This goes exactly as badly as it sounds.
At its heart, Wolves, Ears and Tails is about Jimsa recognising Isfan’s worth with complete certainty while Isfan is still learning how to believe in it himself.
The wolves recognise him first.
Jimsa follows.
Everyone else interferes.
Some of what to expect from Wolves, Ears and Tails (definitely not in order):
Jimsa openly courting an increasingly flustered Isfan
wolf pups who appoint Isfan their mother
Shapur expressing love through an unbearable quantity of jewellery
Kubard becoming the camp’s suspiciously popular unofficial therapist (Farangis is called upon when actual reason is required)
Kubard and Shapur behaving far too intimately for two men who refuse to explain themselves
Isfan seeking therapy from Kubard because of Shapur
Kubard deciding that Shapur is the one who truly needs therapy
Gieve spreading rumours for the benefit of absolutely nobody
Kishward telling Isfan stories about Shapur, then revealing his hiding places whenever Shapur comes looking (retaliation for Isfan feeding Azrael fat)
Narsus taking revenge on everyone who interferes with his best night operative
Daryun watching that revenge unfold and regretting his proximity to it
Jimsa guarding Isfan like a dragon guarding treasure
Shapur objecting while behaving in exactly the same way
jewellery for Isfan, Jimsa and eventually the wolves
braids, earrings, ponytails and decorated tails
Shapur and Jimsa competing over who can fuss over Isfan more aggressively
Azrael and the pups fighting over who gets to feed scrawny Isfan (in comparison to Kubard, Kishward and Shapur, he is, just look at this piece of evidence)
Jimsa trying to push Kubard and Shapur together, despite the possibility that there is very little left to push
Isfan learning what he wants from a partner
Jimsa learning that care also means respecting Isfan’s need for solitude
pet names, failed pet names and one simple nickname that means far too much
adoption, found family and a steadily expanding pack
The overall tone will be domestic comedy, affectionate interference, slow emotional development and far too much gold.
They Chose Him, the first piece of our collaborative AU, is now online on AO3!
They Chose Him - KayleySayer - Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan [Archive of Our Own]
This project is being created together with @acheneya-blog, whose wonderful art and ideas have helped shape it from the beginning.
I had a migraine over the weekend — thank you, ever-changing weather — so I am still reading through the rest of the finished set after receiving it back from my lovely beta-reader. I am hoping to upload the remaining pieces one by one over the course of next week.
So here is the link for the series as well:
Wolves, Ears and Tails AU - KayleySayer - Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan [Archive of Our Own]
For now, I hope you enjoy the first story, and I would love to hear your thoughts!
Арслан аккуратно интересуется у Исфана о планах на будущее (по наводке хитрожопого Шапура), а Исфан сразу догадался, кто озадачил юного шаха таким вопросом хд
An Isfan/Jimsa ficlet series — Arslan Senki canon-divergence AU
@acheneya-blog
Rest assured, there is more to come! Please feel free to point out any errors I made while trying to fit all our shared conversations into this little compilation ;-)
@acheneya-blog and I may have cooked a bit too much in the comments and this is what came out of it!
This might come as an unexpected pairing to some but we hope you're ready for our full presentation of evidence as to why they are a perfect match! It might yet surprise you as much as it surprised us.
Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, hopes and wishes.
The first set of ficlets is currently with a friend of mine for beta-reading. I hope to share it soon! For now, please find below a little teaser:
Shapur survives Atropatene because Kubard, faced with a man who would rather die than retreat, solves the problem by knocking him unconscious and carrying him off the battlefield.
Later, Jimsa ends up responsible for a pair of wolf pups.
He has no idea what to do with them. Isfan does.
The pups take to Isfan immediately, and watching him handle them with such instinctive gentleness forces Jimsa to reconsider the blond Parsian he had previously regarded as irritating, dangerous and far too serious.
Unfortunately for Isfan, reconsideration soon becomes admiration.
Then attraction.
Then infatuation.
Jimsa has never doubted his own strength, skill, attractiveness or worth as a prospective husband. Isfan deserves the best, and Jimsa is entirely prepared to argue that this includes him.
Shapur, meanwhile, decides that Isfan must find a suitable partner.
Kubard offers to help.
Gieve joins in because Isfan’s annoyance is entertaining.
This goes exactly as badly as it sounds.
At its heart, Wolves, Ears and Tails is about Jimsa recognising Isfan’s worth with complete certainty while Isfan is still learning how to believe in it himself.
The wolves recognise him first.
Jimsa follows.
Everyone else interferes.
Some of what to expect from Wolves, Ears and Tails (definitely not in order):
Jimsa openly courting an increasingly flustered Isfan
wolf pups who appoint Isfan their mother
Shapur expressing love through an unbearable quantity of jewellery
Kubard becoming the camp’s suspiciously popular unofficial therapist (Farangis is called upon when actual reason is required)
Kubard and Shapur behaving far too intimately for two men who refuse to explain themselves
Isfan seeking therapy from Kubard because of Shapur
Kubard deciding that Shapur is the one who truly needs therapy
Gieve spreading rumours for the benefit of absolutely nobody
Kishward telling Isfan stories about Shapur, then revealing his hiding places whenever Shapur comes looking (retaliation for Isfan feeding Azrael fat)
Narsus taking revenge on everyone who interferes with his best night operative
Daryun watching that revenge unfold and regretting his proximity to it
Jimsa guarding Isfan like a dragon guarding treasure
Shapur objecting while behaving in exactly the same way
jewellery for Isfan, Jimsa and eventually the wolves
braids, earrings, ponytails and decorated tails
Shapur and Jimsa competing over who can fuss over Isfan more aggressively
Azrael and the pups fighting over who gets to feed scrawny Isfan (in comparison to Kubard, Kishward and Shapur, he is, just look at this piece of evidence)
Jimsa trying to push Kubard and Shapur together, despite the possibility that there is very little left to push
Isfan learning what he wants from a partner
Jimsa learning that care also means respecting Isfan’s need for solitude
pet names, failed pet names and one simple nickname that means far too much
adoption, found family and a steadily expanding pack
The overall tone will be domestic comedy, affectionate interference, slow emotional development and far too much gold.
