Subject: Woo! Ace team!
Author:
Posted on: 2021-05-27 12:06:21 UTC
Didn't know the term/identity existed when I was little. (And all my male classmates in grade school decided I must be gay, since I didn't act correctly. And they liked to remind me of it. Multiple times a day.) But now that I'm older, it's pretty clear that I'm ace, and probably hopefully aro. The friend zone is my true country and kingdom!
—doctorlit, rather grey
Hello, all!
It's been... cough ten years cough since I last popped my head in to the Board, and I recently saw something that reminded me of all the fun that I had here with you all, so I just wanted to say hi! I don't know if I'll go back to writing missions, but I'll more than likely lurk and/or be a server cryptid, albeit one who shows up more often than once every decade or so.
It's wonderful to see how many names I still recognize, as well as all the new faces!
~Pretzel
...how something fairly small can remind you of the good times, and then you find your way back? =) I have been here for twenty days after having been gone for like fifteen years, and I am loving every minute. (Although I love the term 'server cryptid'.) Welcome back!
Haven't thought of a fun present to give newbies or returnbies yet, so have a happy thought!
/Ekwy
Gosh, the happy returns keep on happening, and I love it. ^_^
I remember you and your agents warmly, and I think some of yours had interactions with some of mine... Yeah, I remember Ilraen having a nice conversation with Kaliel/Maeryn at Henry's birthday party, and I remember that Lee was spotted being "friendly" with Jenni at Rudi's once, in a shared cameo... though, that story seems to be down? Hm. But anyway, I've always wondered how that might have happened, since it would be unusual for Jenni to cut loose with someone on a whim. Would be interested in discussing it. ^_^
~Neshomeh
Aw, thank you! I don't remember the shared cameo between Lee and Jenni, though it's entirely possible! Time does a lot of weird stuff, especially so in the PPC. I'd love to expand on my characters outside of missions, especially since I didn't do a lot of that initially. Of course, now I'm starting to get vague ideas percolating as to how to do that, but I'll have to keep poking them with a stick to see what actually turns up.
It's great to talk to you again!
This is the passage:
This went on despite a valiant attempt at remaining stubbornly sceptical, and despite Jacob half-dragging him along after he spotted a familiar face - namely that of Jennifer Robinson, a FicPsych nurse he'd run into now and then while visiting the department - getting quite "friendly" with a blonde, female Assassin who seemed to have had a few drinks too many. Another agent - a larger Samoan man, possibly the blonde's partner - was stepping in to break them up by the time Brian actually noticed them, but his fellow officer didn't let him go until the trio was well out of view.
Set July 2010.
I wonder if Lee just up and snogged her with little to no warning. Jenni wouldn't mind a drunk person hitting on her if they were doing it nicely enough, but she also wouldn't take advantage of them.
... And then I remembered that Board archives exist, and good grief, this was my fault. {X D I guess Jenni was indulging in something with a non-zero alcohol content, Lee was indulging in mint, and both of their restraint just went poof in the face of mutual friendliness? ^_^;
~Neshomeh is very on board with character-building outside of missions these days!
My views on Lee and the kind of people she's attracted to have changed over the years, as have, y'know, my own (and that was an adventure of self-discovery). I'd originally viewed her as relatively heterosexual, but now I'm leaning more toward 'competency and intelligence is my sexuality' for her (and pretty much any of my characters at the moment), so her flirting with Jenni would not actually be out of character. Ian would just pat her on the shoulder, go 'yes, Lee, she is very pretty, but you're drunk at the moment', and then get everyone water.
Personally, I started out as a very ace teenager who was annoyed by all the tedious romance in fanfic, and I've settled as a gray-ace adult who likes exploring relationships and sexuality in fiction. (Though, I've recently begun to wonder if my teenage objection to, e.g., LotR slash wasn't always partly due to it occupying a place in my head similar to thinking about my parents having sex, because that's fine and all, but I'd still rather not think about those people that way! ^_^; )
Anyway.
Jenni was more or less always conceived as pansexual, but my ability to actually write that was non-existent for a long time. I got to the point of being comfortable writing her in het contexts first, and I'm earnestly open to writing her in non-het contexts. The scales need balancing. Also, she would be flattered to be the object of competence-and-intelligence-xuality. {= )
... I kind of picture Jenni also going "yes, Lee, you're very pretty, but you're drunk at the moment—and I think I might be a little bit, too, haha," and then when Ian's back is turned suddenly there's kissing and nobody is quite sure exactly how it started. Cue Ian coming back and breaking it up, and then the awkward apology commences. "Oh, shells. I'm sorry, I wasn't going to do that! But don't think I don't like you, it's just not the time, and I know better. But you are nice, though. Email me? You don't have to. Sorry. I think maybe this is one of those extra-hard fanon butterbeers... Oh, water. Thanks! You're nice, too."
~Neshomeh
This doesn't include a meaningful contribution to the conversation, but I thought I'd pop into the thread.
Didn't know the term/identity existed when I was little. (And all my male classmates in grade school decided I must be gay, since I didn't act correctly. And they liked to remind me of it. Multiple times a day.) But now that I'm older, it's pretty clear that I'm ace, and probably hopefully aro. The friend zone is my true country and kingdom!
—doctorlit, rather grey
...as I realized I was gray-ace myself about three years ago and it answered a lot of questions I had about myself.
But-
I think it would depend on when in the timeline that happened that would color Lee's response, as while I'm quite fond of Ian and Lee as a romantic pairing (and, admittedly, rather biased given they're some of my first more fully-fledged OCs), I wouldn't be adverse to having some flexibility in what that actually means for them. Definitely a different viewpoint I had when I started or when I even last wrote them, but time (hopefully) has expanded my horizons on what constitutes a relationship in that regard.
Re. timeline, I'm looking at July 2010, since that's when that story is set. For Jenni, that happens to fall right smack in between when she adopted her son Henry and when she started dating Agent Possibly triggering word (Diocletian's partner) in an open capacity. On my end, it would be entirely plausible if she and Lee just had that one moment and nothing came of it, or if they tried something for a little while and called it off when their lives went different directions, or even if they still casually get together sometimes.
In the present, Jenni is heavily involved with Jacques Bonnefoy (and there's a whole series in the works with them, the latest bit of which is currently a visible plug!), but since their idea of what constitutes a serious relationship is quite flexible, that is no object. {= )
So yeah, whatever works!
~Neshomeh
It'd probably be that one moment and then nothing came of it given that timeline, but maybe it's a source of an inside joke or two between them. ;)
Present day, Ian and Lee have been married since 2015/2016 (I may have a vague plot idea for an interlude re: Ian's aging because of an aspect of Lee's species that allows them to extend their partner's lives to match their own via magic if they don't live as long as they do, but I'll get to that eventually), so neither would likely be looking for another partner.
(Do I have a weakness for Battle Couples?... Yes. Yes I do.)
-Pretzel
Friendly inside jokes are always good. ^_^
The story about stopping Ian from aging sounds interesting! World-building + feels. I'm here for it.
~Neshomeh
If anyone wants to add me there as a friend, I'm Scarlet Gryphon#1017
Just sent you a friend request! I'm Delta#1353 there.
IDK, don’t quote me on that
Have an origami boat!
Good to see you again! How have you been?
—doctorlit
Busy with Life, the Universe, and Everything, but good! I'll definitely have to update my wiki bio at some point, lol.
Have a colorful paperclip chain!
offers a mini snek They come with hats.