When I think of 'Classic'
fan-fiction, this is one of the series that comes to my mind. It is epic
in scope and execution. Alicia has assembled an extraordinary cast of
characters, each fully realized and fascinating. From characterization, to
plot, to description, to all the little touches and details - this story
has it all, and more. :) ~JenMorrioghan
Dreamweaver
Notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
(PG-13)
Not long after Operation: Zero Tolerance, Cable is
called in to help Logan and Bishop track two mutant criminals, one of
which is a young girl with a strange and dangerous psionic power. But as
first Sinister and the Marauders, then Rachel Summers, the Mother Askani,
become involved, the three find out very quickly that things aren't what
they seem...This was my very first
fanfic, written from September 1997 to January 1998. Amazing, how much
faster stories get done when they're the only thing you're working on--I
think I could definitely take a lesson from my younger self! Dreamweaver
still holds up pretty well, I think; it's a relic, of sorts, from the time
before I decided that 'you can never have too much plot', and there are a
number of moments in it that still give me a faint glow of accomplishment.
Interlude: Northern
Lights
(PG)
Recuperating in Alaska
following the events of Dreamweaver, Cable turns out to be a
very cranky convalescent, and Domino's about to strangle him until he
chooses an unusual way to make it up to her.Not a very important story in the wider context of
the Arc, this was probably my first piece of 'fluff' (translation: fic
that doesn't take itself too seriously, if at all). It was also my
inspiration for interludes, to cover some of the 'lost time' that you'll find here and there in the Outsider's Arc.
True Believers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 in progress...
(PG-13)
Still suffering the aftereffects of his injuries,
Cable is drawn back into his endless war with Apocalypse when a mysterious
force somehow connected to his ancient enemy begins disrupting the
timestream itself. But as he marshals both his strength and his allies to
stop it, the buried secrets of the Askani Sisterhood being to
emerge--secrets that could threaten Cable's mission, the people he loves,
and his very sanity.This is the fic I just love to hate--no,
seriously, I'm still pretty fond of it. I'd just like to finish it, but I
keep getting distracted. So many stories...so little time... Anyhow, this
is where my carefully-constructed Cable backhistory comes into play,
setting the stage for a number of future developments in this series. The
whole story's rather grim, and very heavy on the plot. Frankly, it could
use a good trimming. Maybe someday...
Interlude: Oubliette
(PG-13)
Domino is struck down by a psi-attack in battle, and
Cable must chase her through her own, long-forgotten memories to save her.This is set sometime
within the two years preceding Epinikion; basically, it's a taste of
things to come, revealing a few things about the origin story I've devised
for Domino.
Epinikion (with Cascade)
Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Interlude 10 in progress...
(PG-13)
Rachel
Summers and Tanya Trask, the young women who will eventually become the
Mother Askani and Madame Sanctity, are brought to a pause in their journey
through the timestream for a lesson in the dangers of altering history.
Meanwhile, Dana Hawkes and Sam Guthrie celebrate their wedding, never
knowing how little it would take to turn their hopeful future into a
nightmare...This is both a sequel, set four years after True Believers, and a prequel to not only the Outsider's Arc but the whole Askani timeline. It gives away some significant hints as to what happens between it and True Believers, and introduces some characters as old friends that you haven't really met yet, but it doesn't rest on either. It's a cautionary tale, most of all, and after a certain point (the first interlude, to be precise) an alternate-reality one.
Coda: At The Water's
Edge
(PG)
After Cable's death, Logan contemplates the past, and
the surprising friendship they wound up sharing.This story's a very special case. Written on a whim, it managed to inspire the whole Pantheon series, but it's not longer quite 'canonical' in the context of Pantheon, which has grown and developed considerably since its early days. 'Coda' can still be read on its own merits, though, so I've resisted the urge to rewrite it to make all the little details consistent.
I used to call this 'Alicia's Idea of How the Whole Cable Thing Should Be Done', and I guess that's still as good a designation as any. Back in the fall of 1997, when I first began writing fan fiction, the standard 'format', as least as far as I saw, seemed to be the multi-part epic. And that's how Dreamweaver got born--well, from that and from a very persistent image of Cable walking into a bar a la Terminator 2.
In a lot of ways, this series is the measure of my fan fiction career. It was the first thing I started, and its stories are planned out right to the end, three epics and probably years in advance. I will sometimes wander away from it for months on end, but it's never far from my thoughts. Its backstory, its original characters, its philosophical underpinnings--I've spent countless hours daydreaming about it over the years. It definitely has its rough patches, things I might do differently if I were starting the series again now, but I've learned as I've written, and although I might indulge myself with some tweaking and revision sometime in the future, it's indisputably better to forge ahead, I think.
The series spins off from an Operation: Zero Tolerance that ended a little more happily for the X-Men. Bishop returned from space with the others, Cyclops never had a bomb planted in his abdomen, and Bastion never stripped the mansion.
It also continues the story of Sam Guthrie and Dana Hawkes found in Cascade's A Laying On Of Hands . Cascade was one of the first authors I read on Shifting Sands, my first archive 'home'. I loved her work and thought she sounded like a friendly, approachable person, so I emailed her with feedback, and asked her if she maybe would consider taking a peek at the first part of Dreamweaver.
The rest, as they say, is history. Now we're co-writing, playing in the same universe, and writing each other's characters. The only thing more delightful than our shared creative endeavours to this point is the prospect of more in the future.
The Outsider's Arc also spawned the Pantheon series, which has definitely taken on a life of its own. What's that? Do I feel silly for writing about the second generation when I haven't finished with the first yet? Well, you try sharing your mind with a pack of ill-tempered, high-strung X-kids screaming to be let out on paper and see how long you last. ;) Seriously, when you have worlds building themselves of their own accord, it's very difficult to resist the urge to play in them.
As usual, I'd love to hear about it if you read something you liked on this page. My progress on this series is generally slow, but there will always be a next part, however long the wait between. Some stories insist on being told.--Alicia