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Cover art for my fic, The Thistle and The Rose. Commissioned from the incredible @prismatic-cannon, who is just the best to work with.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags)
Relationships: Ethos/Phobos, Deimos/Praxis
Summary: A modern-setting AU in which Jules (Phobos) the high-strung Londoner visits the Scottish countryside for some relaxation and has a meet-cute with Aidan (Ethos) the sheep farmer while en route to the B&B where he is staying. Sheep-related antics ensue. Somehow, against all odds, Jules leaves his heart at the gateway to the Highlands.
Your eyes do not deceive you, friends. The link preview does say "Chapter 16", but I have not skipped a chapter. This is indeed Chapter 15 (the final chapter!) of Scottish AU, but the fic on AO3 has been rearranged to add a new chapter 1, which is a gorgeous cover image I commissioned from @prismatic-cannon in celebration of finally finishing my magnum opus. For ease of viewing, you can see the cover image in its full glory here on tumblr, too!
Here's some self-indulgent looking back on a list of things I didn't know when I started writing Scottish AU:
That between my career taking off and developing what was for a long time diagnosed as a chronic overuse injury (and turned out to be osteoarthritis with a side of mild tendonitis & tenosynovitis) it would take me more than 6 years to finish the first fic/arc of the longer story I'd planned out sob sob
That Scottish Romance is, in fact, a surprisingly large subgenre (I'm not generally a reader of published romance novels)
That JKR bankrolled the anti-independence campaign prior to the 2014 referendum (what a cunt, aye?)
Exactly how Brexit would play out and whether or not it would spur another indyref in short order
That a global pandemic would dash my plans to return to Scotland in 2020 (and every year of the new decade since) once I finally:
a) wasn't completely skint and would have cash to do all the touristy shit
b) was allowed to drink again and would be able to actually enjoy all the glorious whisky
Now to have a wee dram in celebration of my longest ongoing fic finally being completed! Thank you to everyone who read even a chapter of it or cheered me on or sent me stupid sheep fucking jokes. And thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the readers who have stuck around and actually read the whole mess from start to finish. I adore every single one of you!
If I one day get around to writing the other arcs I originally outlined for this fic, they will be new fics and I’ll put them into a series. But for now, this is where our tale ends <3
And yes, readers with keen memories will clock the inspiration for part of this chapter from something I reblogged many moons ago. Thanks Vi <3
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos (Starfighter) Summary: A high-strung young English cavalry officer is stationed in the more southerly Highlands, where he meets a Jacobite who alters his perspective of the local people forever. Who doesn’t enjoy an AU of an AU? Not me, that’s for sure. As evidence, I submit this Historical AU of The Thistle and The Rose a.k.a. Space Gays in Kilts: The Fic. Yup, I’m back on my bullshit, y’all! Anyone who recalls the first chapter or two of the main AU fic will probably notice a few fun parallels I’ve thrown in… I know, I know, one day I need to stop writing prequels and second degree AUs of this AU and actually get back to writing it D:
But today is not that day… and neither is the rest of the challenge week, unfortunately! I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it enough to tide them over until I eventually post another chapter of the actual story. Sob sob, one day…
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos, Deimos/Praxis
Summary: A modern-setting AU in which Jules (Phobos) the high-strung Londoner visits the Scottish countryside for some relaxation and has a meet-cute with Aidan (Ethos) the sheep farmer while en route to the B&B where he is staying. Sheep-related antics ensue. Somehow, against all odds, Jules leaves his heart at the gateway to the Highlands.
It’s back! It’s back! As promised, the long-awaited return of Scottish AU. And it’s the spicy chapter :D
Continuing on a theme from my last post for a chapter of this fic, almost a year and a half ago (sob sob), Irn-Bru is an oft recommended cure for hangovers in Scotland. When the makers of Irn-Bru recently (read: recently-ish as of a year and a half ago... not so recently now) decided to change the recipe, there were practically riots. Having had it prior to the change, and since visiting an imports store to pick up a can for very serious research purposes, I personally can’t taste much difference. However, that probably just marks me out as a heathen sassenach who can’t pick out the fine variations between proper Bru and the swill they export.
Whom whomp. That was a much more timely joke back when I originally started writing this chapter. Oh well, fewer delays with the next one! I’m determined!
Also, this might be the first fic where I’ve actually written about them using condoms? Modern AUs are weird. We’re not in magic future space-land with no STIs any more! Wild. Lube continues to be just as important in any time period, though.
/obligatory rant about lube
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos (Starfighter), Phobos/Porthos (Starfighter) Summary: After Phobos is released from the brig, he finds comfort from an unexpected source.
I’ve written a little something for @royalphantom‘s birthday, so y’all get to enjoy it, too. Happy birthday, Royal! I hope you like it :)
Fun fact: this is the third time I’ve written Phobos for someone’s birthday. He just makes a good present, I guess? Maybe it’s because he’d look hella cute wrapped in a bow and nothing else am I right? It’s also been as part of a different pairing every time; he’s such a good bicycle.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos, Deimos/Praxis
Summary: A modern-setting AU in which Jules (Phobos) the high-strung Londoner visits the Scottish countryside for some relaxation and has a meet-cute with Aidan (Ethos) the sheep farmer while en route to the B&B where he is staying. Sheep-related antics ensue. Somehow, against all odds, Jules leaves his heart at the gateway to the Highlands.
We’ve finally arrived at the cèilidh! Time for some dancing and drunken antics :D
This chapter also features the Scottish soft drink, Irn-Bru (pronounced Iron Brew). If you’ve never had it, probably the closest comparison I could give is a really bright, acidic cream soda and orange pop blend, but honestly it’s a different beast. The most… creative description I’ve found of it has to be: “It tastes of sheep’s arse and heroin”.
@royalphantom also described it quite accurately, I think: “It tastes like.....if you left a coin in fizzy water over night and then dumped several tons of sugar into it”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos, Deimos/Praxis, Abel/Cain, Keeler/Encke (background)
Summary: A modern-setting AU in which Jules (Phobos) the high-strung Londoner visits the Scottish countryside for some relaxation and has a meet-cute with Aidan (Ethos) the sheep farmer while en route to the B&B where he is staying. Sheep-related antics ensue. Somehow, against all odds, Jules leaves his heart at the gateway to the Highlands.
No rest for the wicked Jules, as they’re pregaming for the cèilidh (pronounced kay-lee) which we get to next chapter!
Traditionally the term refers to any social gathering focused on music and sometimes storytelling, but the modern version is usually centered around dancing to a trad folk band. But first, and most importantly, MORE KILTS. This chapter is all about the tartans, baby! And the ogling of very fine men wearing them.
If you haven’t seen the little guide post to the characters’ tartans/clans that I posted here, you might want to check that out after reading the chapter (or before, whatever you prefer): Scottish AU Tartans Reference
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see additional tags) Relationships: Ethos/Phobos, Deimos/Praxis, Abel/Cain, Keeler/Encke (background)
Summary: A modern-setting AU in which Jules (Phobos) the high-strung Londoner visits the Scottish countryside for some relaxation and has a meet-cute with Aidan (Ethos) the sheep farmer while en route to the B&B where he is staying. Sheep-related antics ensue. Somehow, against all odds, Jules leaves his heart at the gateway to the Highlands.
Holy shit, was anyone expecting this to ever update again? I promised I hadn’t given up on it, but it’s going on a year now since the last chapter was posted. Ta da! It’s back now, and I have one more chapter mostly written already :D As is the going trend, this is the longest chapter yet. Also, it pretty much exists because I needed some filler between their planned outings. But then there was a lot that I wanted to cram into it, so hopefully it’s not boring! It has approximately 1.5 sheep fucking jokes, so there’s that, I guess?
Oh, and SPOILER ALERT their first kiss. That might be of interest to a few people, I suppose.
^ and that would be a very good proverb for our first chapter back, which I fully just have the characters reference because this story is cheesy enough to handle it.
