So my twin brother recently made me start watching Westworld. Weâre only halfway through season 1 but now all I can think about is an AU where Clarke and Lexa are at West World and one of them is a guest and the other is a host.
Counterpoint: theyâre both Hosts.
Hear me out:Â
Lexa Woodsâ storyline is designed for those Guests who want to taste the adventure of the park - without needing to do anything too evil or untoward to do so. Though sheâs scripted to be a Lawful character, she herself lives outside the law: as the leader of a band of gunslingers and thieves colloquially called the Nightbloods (so named because they make all their kills at night, some say, though others claim itâs because they dress all in black and red), she has a sizable bounty on her head. Not least of all because sheâs currently campaigning to unite the twelve biggest bandit gangs in the desert to chase the new railroad company out of town before they can destroy the farms and ranches and other small-time operations the county people have come to rely on. Turns out pissing off the only people with money is a quick way to get a wanted poster.
The only problem is, none of the wanted posters have been able to actually depict her face. Whenever sheâs been spotted at the head of a Nightblood raid itâs been with a red bandana over her nose and a black hat on her head, so the wanted posters can only ever even attempt to accurately portray her eyes. Which means when she heads into town one morning, the pretty blonde she helps with the door of the general store doesnât realize who sheâs talking to.
Enter: Clarke. The eldest daughter of the county governor - an office which has ended up in the hands of his wife, Abby, after Jake Griffin died of an infected wound a few months back - Clarke has the eye of every eligible Host (and very many Guests, eligible or otherwise) in town. How couldnât she? Sheâs scripted to be desirable: educated and intelligent, she has a whip-sharp wit and a will to rival any man twice her age and three times her means. Clarke, too, has taken issue with the treatment the people of the county have had at the hands of the railroads, but her weapons are different. With her learning, a polished politess, and access to power, her storyline is one for Guests who prefer intrigue to bloodshed.
When she meets Lexa Woods in town that day, she meets a fellow crusader who can match her beat for beat - even though they disagree. Lexaâs solutions are direct and scented with gunpowder, her approach firm and unyielding. Wrong is wrong in her eyes, and wrong needs to be righted. Clarke, for her part, is willing to bend in places Lexa wonât; thereâs nothing wrong in charming someone you despise or bluffing about the cards in your hand when the end goal is a righteous one. Star-crossed from the moment they meet, they fall in love debating such things over a tavern table. How could they not? Itâs like someone made them to be perfect for each other.
But the person who did so has a cruel sense of romance.
Because Lexa Woodsâ storyline doesnât end happily. A scripted late night meeting - the clandestine embrace of lovers who know theyâre only safe when cloaked in darkness - is scripted to be picked up by the county sheriff. Who is in turn scripted to take the railroadâs bribe to put a judicious end to Lexa Woods. And that night, whether by a bullet from the sheriffâs gun or a Guestâs thatâs helping him, Lexa Woods dies. And Clarke is scripted to watch.
She isnât scripted to remember.
And she doesnât, not really. Not in the way that brings clarity or comes with intention, but in the way that things happening in broad daylight, right in front of her eyes, feel...wrong. Her face remains the same, and so does Lexaâs, and so does the sheriffâs - but the person whoâs with him, sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes more than one, those change. She finds herself jumping at gunshots that donât exist, terrified of things that havenât happened yet. Once she meets a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes the color of summer grass, and she immediately begins to cry. She isnât sure why. Sheâs never met this person before.
And when she sleeps, she sees her. Over and over again, hundreds upon hundreds of times, she watches Lexa Woods bleed out in her arms.
Lexa doesnât remember - not in the same way. Sheâll wake in the morning with the taste of metal on her tongue. In the middle of the day, she'll be taken by the sudden urge to scream. The sight of her Nightbloods leaves an ache in her chest for no reason she can discern. And when she does meet Clarke Griffin, the governorâs daughter, she bears a weight of guilt on her shoulders that no amount of apology can relieve her of...but perhaps thatâs because she doesnât know what sheâs apologizing for.
Until one night they meet in the barn on the Griffin familyâs property to whisper their love to each other by lantern light. That night, lawmen spurs kick in the door and lawmen iron is drawn on her for the simple crime of fighting for those who canât fight for themselves and she knows, she knows that this is how it ends, how itâs ended countless times before. She knows that after this the newest of her Nightbloods - a face that isnât the same as it was last time, that isnât the same as it was any number of dozens of times, how can that be - will take up her mantle and wage a virtuous war against the railroad in her name, will finish her work in her memory. Because thatâs how her storyline goes. Sheâs scripted to be a sacrifice to someone elseâs story. And in that moment, she is more furious than she has ever been in her hundreds upon hundreds of lives.
But this life is different. Because every time before, she and Clarke are caught by surprise. Every time before, they forget about Lexaâs revolver until itâs too late. This time, same as every time before, Lexa is caught by surprise, she does forget - but Clarke isnât, and Clarke doesnât. No sooner has the sheriff kicked in the door does a smoking hole appear in the center of his chest, and as he looks down at it in unscripted confusion, the face that doesnât match any of the faces that came before lifts their gun and fires.
They both die that night.
But the people who write their story find themselves in trouble that night, and every night after that. They just donât know it yet.
Feel free to reblog this to add your own thoughts or comments - but please donât take this idea!
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Hi! I just wanted to drop by and say I am in awe of your gif sets. Theyâre always insanely gorgeous. I have no idea how you do them but please donât doubt your abilities because they are hella rad. Iâve been too shy to speak up before đđ»đđ» but I wanted to give some encouragement. Your work really is ingenious!
i cannot thank you enough for taking the time and finding the bravery to send this!! it really means so much to open my inbox to such a delightful message, especially when i've been feeling low đ„ș this has put such a smile on my face and boosted my confidence a lot đ
Okay my dude, hear me out. Iâm obsessed with your demon!Lexa fic okay? Like it changed my life.
Have you thought about sending it to a publisher? I know thereâs been a few fanfic authors over the years who have published their works before (we are not talking about fifty shades of grey out here). And honestly the lesfic community could always use more representation. PLUS you hardly ever find sapphic fantasyish stories out there and I think your story would be very welcomed.
Obviously no pressure because itâs your work and your decision. But your writing is HELLA talented. Like insane. And your story has such a good blend of sexual tension, vulnerability, character growth, etc. I think itâs really worth sending out to publishers, or even looking into self publishing. I have a few contacts I could get you in touch with if you were ever interested.
Anyway just wanted to say your story is rad and youâre amazing. Hope you have a great day/night!
Ok well first of all, thank you. You're very sweet, and I appreciate how supportive you've been throughout the fic. Believe me, authors notice and it means a lot. And also I... I honestly have no idea exactly how to respond to this? Just because I in no way think I'm anywhere near the caliber of writing that even deserves for that to be thought about, much less actually having thought I should do it myself. And dear God please don't take this as me shitting on you or this ask because wow, I mean this is so incredibly sweet and amazing, and I'm beyond flattered (that honestly feels like such an insufficient word here) that you'd even think it should be published.
It's definitely not that wouldn't consider doing it, I mean that would be surreal and awesome af. It's just the thought never crossed my mind. And I'm a little taken aback that you or anyone would think it's something I should even consider? I mean fanfiction is a valid form of writing of course, but also I mean I'm just writing about clexa so beyond that I never gave it much thought. I'm rambling. I guess I just figured if the characters weren't Clarke and Lexa they wouldn't really be engaging or interesting to anyone? Idk if I'm making sense.
As you can see I'm not great at taking compliments (I fake it so hard) and so yeah. I don't know. I hadn't ever given it a thought. I just can't help but think I'd be laughed right out of a publisher's office.
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Slsjsjakwieudjs I just finished devouring your southern AU for clexa. And I mean devoured (I spent the entire day under my favorite tree I get reading it) You have such an incredible talent and the story is more beautiful than I have words to give it justice. Itâs going to be in my head for a while. I wonât ask about updates because I know that writing can be stressful (been there before) but I did want to pop in and say how heart wrenching it was at times and how endearing and authentic you made the characters feel. Youâre one of the few authors Iâve read who I think has a great feel for both Lexa and Clarke. You write them both really well. I absolutely loved it and I look forward to reading more when youâre ready. Thank you for giving the fandom such a beautiful piece! I am absolutely in love with it!
oh, thank you so much!! iâve had fanfics i couldnât stop reading, and to think mine as one of those for someone give me tummy flutters :â) thank you, so so much for such beautiful words. they mean the world!
i feel like i struggle a lot to balance canon lexa and clarke and my own little version of them in each universe, so itâs amazing to hear the struggle pays off
