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crack_van2011-12-28 08:27 am
laceymcbain.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2011-12-28 08:27 am
Uncertainty by joosetta (R)
The end of the month is nigh, and I'm thinking of all those stories I still haven't told you about! A reccer's job is never done. Today, a look at the Arthur, Ariadne, and Eames dynamic--not necessarily threesomes, but the three characters working together.
Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Gen - Arthur/Eames if you squint hard
Length: ~ 33,387 words
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joosetta
Author Website: Fic Tag on LJ; Fic on AO3
Why this must be read: What if you knew a secret that you didn't know you knew? Buried somewhere in Eames' subconscious is a piece of information that someone desperately wants to find. So naturally they poison him, trap him in "the warren of his own limbo" (as the author says!), and essentially blackmail his team into trying to extract the information from him.
Except extracting from extractors is messy stuff, so Arthur and Ariadne go into Eames' coma "dream" to help him figure out what information the blackmailer wants. I love the way the three characters work together in Eames' mind: Eames fully aware that his life is on the line and his memories are on display; Arthur, worried for his friend, but his familiarity with Eames helps them anticipate challenges in the dream; and Ariadne, still new enough to not be bound by rules the others follow instinctively and a fresh set of eyes free from the strictures of history and experience.
The three characters truly complement each other in this story. There's a bit of teasing, genuine concern, and a mystery to solve. The plot is complex and intriguing, the rest of the characters are present and vital to the resolution, and I for one loved the construction of the dream/limbo with memories leading to memories, and Arthur and Ariadne being trusted to sort through them to save Eames' life.
There aren't a huge number of long, plotty, essentially gen stories in this fandom--I wish there were more like this!--but this is certainly one of my very favourites.
Later that evening she called Arthur. The address on the card was a Parisian hospital, no link to Charles Garnier in any way, nor to gambling. The longer the poker chip sat on her dresser, the more unsettled Ariadne became, as if there was an urgent purpose to it she wasn’t aware of. Arthur was in LA, so it was morning when she called.
“Ariadne,” he answered, warmly enough that she didn’t feel foolish for calling.
“I have a puzzle,” she said, “are you busy?”
For all her closeness with Arthur, Ariadne always struggled with imposing on him the way she did Cobb. It was like his own formality demanded the same of others, even friends.
“No, not at all. Go on,” beyond his voice, Ariadne could hear a flight being called, the hum of conversation. At the airport then, all his suits folded into a neat little carry-all. Ariadne smiled.
“What does a five euro Monte Carlo casino chip make you think of?”
“Eames,” Arthur said after a brief pause. “Why?”
“Eames?” Ariadne felt a sudden rush of cold, her throat tightened around his name. The chip, the weighted chip, fell from her finger tips and landed heavily on her rug.
“Well it’s his totem,” Arthur said, confused. “I’m surprised you didn’t see him flipping it all over the place when we were working the Fischer job.” He sounded as if he disapproved of Eames’ constant sleight of hand - a little hypocritical, when he often sat with his die idling between thumb and forefinger.
“Why would someone send me it?” Ariadne said, and her voice seemed distant and tinny to her own ears. Suddenly the totem was a great big shadow on her bedroom floor. It was something that should have been safely thousands of miles away in the pocket of a linen coat, thrown over the back of a chair in some far off drinking establishment.
Arthur was silent for a moment, then he said, “Is it weighted with silver?”
“Yes,” Ariadne answered.
“I’ll be in Paris by tomorrow afternoon,” Arthur said finally. “Don’t do anything until then.”
On LJ: Uncertainty - Masterpost
It doesn't matter how old or new or (how popular) a story is, authors love feedback!
Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Gen - Arthur/Eames if you squint hard
Length: ~ 33,387 words
Author on LJ:
joosettaAuthor Website: Fic Tag on LJ; Fic on AO3
Why this must be read: What if you knew a secret that you didn't know you knew? Buried somewhere in Eames' subconscious is a piece of information that someone desperately wants to find. So naturally they poison him, trap him in "the warren of his own limbo" (as the author says!), and essentially blackmail his team into trying to extract the information from him.
Except extracting from extractors is messy stuff, so Arthur and Ariadne go into Eames' coma "dream" to help him figure out what information the blackmailer wants. I love the way the three characters work together in Eames' mind: Eames fully aware that his life is on the line and his memories are on display; Arthur, worried for his friend, but his familiarity with Eames helps them anticipate challenges in the dream; and Ariadne, still new enough to not be bound by rules the others follow instinctively and a fresh set of eyes free from the strictures of history and experience.
The three characters truly complement each other in this story. There's a bit of teasing, genuine concern, and a mystery to solve. The plot is complex and intriguing, the rest of the characters are present and vital to the resolution, and I for one loved the construction of the dream/limbo with memories leading to memories, and Arthur and Ariadne being trusted to sort through them to save Eames' life.
There aren't a huge number of long, plotty, essentially gen stories in this fandom--I wish there were more like this!--but this is certainly one of my very favourites.
Later that evening she called Arthur. The address on the card was a Parisian hospital, no link to Charles Garnier in any way, nor to gambling. The longer the poker chip sat on her dresser, the more unsettled Ariadne became, as if there was an urgent purpose to it she wasn’t aware of. Arthur was in LA, so it was morning when she called.
“Ariadne,” he answered, warmly enough that she didn’t feel foolish for calling.
“I have a puzzle,” she said, “are you busy?”
For all her closeness with Arthur, Ariadne always struggled with imposing on him the way she did Cobb. It was like his own formality demanded the same of others, even friends.
“No, not at all. Go on,” beyond his voice, Ariadne could hear a flight being called, the hum of conversation. At the airport then, all his suits folded into a neat little carry-all. Ariadne smiled.
“What does a five euro Monte Carlo casino chip make you think of?”
“Eames,” Arthur said after a brief pause. “Why?”
“Eames?” Ariadne felt a sudden rush of cold, her throat tightened around his name. The chip, the weighted chip, fell from her finger tips and landed heavily on her rug.
“Well it’s his totem,” Arthur said, confused. “I’m surprised you didn’t see him flipping it all over the place when we were working the Fischer job.” He sounded as if he disapproved of Eames’ constant sleight of hand - a little hypocritical, when he often sat with his die idling between thumb and forefinger.
“Why would someone send me it?” Ariadne said, and her voice seemed distant and tinny to her own ears. Suddenly the totem was a great big shadow on her bedroom floor. It was something that should have been safely thousands of miles away in the pocket of a linen coat, thrown over the back of a chair in some far off drinking establishment.
Arthur was silent for a moment, then he said, “Is it weighted with silver?”
“Yes,” Ariadne answered.
“I’ll be in Paris by tomorrow afternoon,” Arthur said finally. “Don’t do anything until then.”
On LJ: Uncertainty - Masterpost
It doesn't matter how old or new or (how popular) a story is, authors love feedback!