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by rory midhani
Thanks to your gentle, persistent encouragement, I am finally all caught up on The 100, and am now digging into the deliriously good part of fandom that houses all the Clarke and Lex fan fiction! I asked my Clexa-loving friends to recommend some fic to me, and these were their top 7 stories. But I need more, okay? More. (MORE, MORE, MORE.) Will you share more with me in the comments below? Me and my three-hour flight tomorrow thank you in advance.
they take their shots but we’re bulletproof by nightshifted
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: Clexa sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.
Length: 10,000 words
Lexa is giving her a choice, Clarke slowly comes to understand, and her grip on her gun loosens. In a world of forced decisions that stain Clarke’s hands with more blood than she can wash off in her lifetime, in this one instant, Clarke has a choice. I do trust you, Clarke, Lexa had told her between whispers of hope and genuine affection, and Clarke aches at the realization that Lexa holds strong to that trust, would put her life on the line to prove that even if Clarke will never be able to reciprocate that trust, she can still have hers. It is the most reckless and stupid thing Lexa has ever done, Clarke thinks as she lowers her gun and gathers ammunition of a different kind.
“Tell me why you really came here,” Clarke says, clipping her gun back into her belt. “Tell me, and I’ll go with you.”
At that, Lexa softens. “You know why.”
“Say it.”
“Clarke.”
“Say it.“
when love becomes the reason by clarkesquad
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: It’s a Neighbors fake-dating AU!
Length: 2,300 words
“Wait, are you telling me you’re 23 years old and you’re already some big CEO?” Clarke hops onto one of Lexa’s marble countertops and tips back a glass of wine. It’s probably the most expensive alcohol she’s had in years.
“No, I’m a Manager, it’s much different. I answer to a Director, who answers to a Vice President, who answers to the CEO.”
“And everyone who isn’t the Director or the Vice President or the CEO… answers to you.”
“Not exactly. There are multiple Directors, multiple Vice Presidents, and multiple Managers. I don’t answer to them, but they don’t answer to me, and the people who answer to them don’t necessarily answer to me.”
“You work in a tall building and you’re in charge.” Clarke clarifies.
“Essentially.”
“Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
Lexa smiles into her wine glass. She’s proud of herself. Clarke would be too.
“What do you do, Clarke?”
“I wheel patients around hospitals… pretty much all day long.”
fearless. by lordvoldyfarts
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: 20,000 words
Length: Every ship needs a cross-country road trip fic.
Lexa is already settled into the passenger seat, buckled and everything, when Clarke slides back in. The windows are opened just a crack and the radio is playing softly, though Lexa doesn’t recognize the tune coming from it. Clarke seems to though because she’s humming along to it the moment she settles down into the seat. Her fingers are tapping against the steering wheel and she gets ready to put the car into drive. “I have a full tank, so we should be good to go for a few hours at least. If you get hungry, just let me know and I’ll pull over.” Clarke says, looking over her shoulder for any oncoming cars. Seeing none, she begins to pull out of the parking spot. She looks over at Lexa. “Or if you just want to stop because you see something fun.” She shrugs after her addition, shooting her eyes back to the road. Lexa stares at her for a moment.
“We’re going home, Clarke. This isn’t a vacation.” Lexa responds noncommittally, as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet. Clarke shrugs.
“That doesn’t mean it has to be boring.” She says and that makes Lexa look over to her. She isn’t looking at her and the morning sun is illuminating her profile beautifully. She really is a pretty girl. Her eyes seem to sparkle the way the light is reflecting on to them and Lexa swears she feels her stomach drop. How uncomfortable.
Forged in War by RavenclawGenius
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: “Lexa can be patient, for Clarke.”
Length: 38,000 words
It is not so much that Clarke is mysterious, for, to Lexa, she is not; to Lexa, Clarke is an amalgamation of characteristics that she has seen before – but never presented in one form. Clarke is not a mystery so much as a puzzle made of pieces that do not quite merge in line. For Lexa, it is the contradiction of Clarke that first captures her interest.
For Clarke is strong, and kind, but she is also pliable; she is willing to do what must be done, but she is smart about doing so only when necessary. She is willing to lead, though she is still learning what that means. Clarke is willing to sacrifice all for the safety of her people, and for peace. Still, Clarke is determined to hold on to the scraps of her humanity, even in the darkest of times, and even when Lexa knows that it can lead only to Clarke’s own suffering.
Lexa does not understand why.
Still, Lexa does what she can for her. She offers advice of things that she herself has learned throughout her rule that have saved her the agony that she now watches Clarke suffer through.
It is not enough.
It is not enough, because Clarke hides her anguish from all – Lexa’s people; her own people – but Lexa sees. Lexa peers through the jaded cracks of silver in Clarke’s blue eyes of steel, and she sees the vulnerability there; she sees Clarke’s pain, and, as Commander, there is only so much that Lexa has the power to do in this regard.
Lexa feels angry at Clarke’s people – for Clarke will do (and has already done) everything for them, but the Sky People have no desire to see what her actions have wrought. They are content to live on and crucify Clarke for her decisions, believing her a monster, but they make no attempt to see what those decisions have cost her.
They refuse to look, and therefore do not see.
Lexa cannot help but to look.
Enchanted
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: Clexa Hogwarts AU, y’all!
“Raven, we can’t blow up the Slytherin common room. End of story.” Lexa responds. Raven huffs.
“It would just be stink bombs, come on! Maybe they’d smell too bad to come out onto the pitch and play us.” Raven continues and Lexa purses her lips.
“And would you really want to win by default and not by our own merit?” Lexa questions and Raven’s eyes roll.
“If it means I don’t have to get up before the sun rises every single morning, yes.” She grumbles and Lexa just shakes her head. She bows her head and continues to read her Prophet. “Oi, Griffin! Get over here and talk some sense into your girlfriend.” Raven nearly yells across the Great Hall and Lexa’s head shoots up. Clarke has just walked in, speaking in hushed tones with Bellamy, but now she’s looking over at Raven and Lexa with an amused smile. Lexa is blushing and she pinches Raven’s arm. She jumps and glares over at Lexa. “Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?” She says and Lexa’s jaw is clenched.
“You know very well what that was for.” Lexa hisses and Raven straightens her back and smirks.
“You listen to her a right load better than you listen to me.” Raven shrugs as Clarke makes her excuses to Bellamy and starts to walk over to the Ravenclaw table. She slips onto the bench across from Lexa, whose face is still flushed, and raises an eyebrow.
“What’s she done this time?” She asks, gesturing toward Lexa, who says,
“Absolutely nothing.” At the same time that Raven says,
“Gone mad.” And Lexa flares her nostrils and kicks the top of Raven’s leg. She winces and Lexa smirks.
“Raven’s just a little upset with my chosen practice times.” Lexa directs toward Clarke.
The Wrestle by coeur-d’astronaute
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: “One year after the Battle of Mouth Weather. Life in the aftermath and the continual struggle to survive. Life flourishes in every way as two leaders figure out how to live with the new peace.”
Length: 62,000 words
“Listen, I got these,” Clarke held out her arm as she pointed at her side, “Because I was sloppy and weak and Reapers were strong. Not because of you.”
“We both lost many things that day, Clarke of the Sky People.” The Commander sensed the sadness that came through in anger. She knew that feeling. But Lexa never told Clarke of the days she spent checking on her in the Sky Healer’s room. She didn’t tell her that she had her best healers work on her as well. There was an abundance of pride between them.
“We won. It’s a celebration of victory for a reason,” Clarke corrected, purposefully missing the meaning. “I missed you. Let’s not let the day ruin that. I’m glad you returned safely.”
Clarke shook her head again as she took a step to head back, shaking away it all, away her relief at seeing her friend, at the safety she provided, at the day, at the entire past, and especially at trying to shake her head enough to rid her of the thought of Lexa’s eyes when her forehead furrowed in thought. She was stopped by a hand on her arm, making her stall.
“I missed you, as well,” Lexa confessed, apologetic for upsetting the person she was most eager to see upon her return for a myriad of reasons. “Thank you for your drawings. They made me miss home, which… is new.” Again, without knowing how, perhaps it was in honesty or confession, Lexa thought, that she made Clarke smile, a small smile, one that pulled at half of her lips, one that she tried to hide.
“You’ve really lost your formal rigidity in a year,” Clarke teased, causing the leader to drop her hand and flex her jaw. “Maybe you’ve lost your killer edge since these alliances mean less war.”
“Make no mistake at my capacity to kill when the time calls for it,” Lexa corrected, lifting her chin slightly. Clarke could feel the times she shifted into Commander mode, could feel a regality, a realness to the role, to fitting it, to being it, that she herself never thought she possessed. “Do not confuse my fondness of you for weakness of character.”
“Love is weakness,” Clarke reminded her.
Aftermath by Ruler of Destiny
Pairing: Clarke/Lexa
Plot: Clarke accidentally proposes to Lexa.
Length: 8,7000 words
Clarke sighed in relief, pushing Lexa back so that she could lay on top of her. “Good.” she said, nuzzling the Commander’s neck. “Wake me up at noon.”
There was no denying that she enjoyed this position, and she indulged in it for several minutes. It was relaxing to just have Clarke in her arms, not worrying about impending war or the deadly wildlife.
But.
“Clarke. I would like to eat.”
No answer.
“And change.”
Still nothing. Checking, she realized that her partner had truly fallen asleep, most likely worn out from the long days of dancing, fighting, and being lectured. With a soft smile, she gently pushed Clarke off of her. Unfortunately, her attempt at escape was rejected by the slumbering blonde, and Lexa found herself pulled down and wrapped in strong arms.
“Clarke. Wake up.”
The girl huffed, burying her face into her prisoner’s chest. Lexa swallowed.
It looked like she was going to have to be creative about undressing.
Okay, will you share your favorites with me now?
Yaaay!
How Clexalicious!!
Allow me to recommend HeartshapedCandy’s completed Clexa College AU series on AO3, more Clarke and her difficult roomate in the incarnations of “Hodnes Laik Kwelnes” (ao3) and “Pull me Closer to Love” (ao3, I think) and in a different constellation also in “Not my Idea of a Romance”(ao3).
I’d look up the authors and the links, but my ipad is strongly suggesting getting a replacement by taking five minutes to load an extra page and killing my comment in the process.
So, excuse me further recommending “The Heart is the Strongest Muscle” (ao3)which will make you smile fondly the next time you walk into a gym, and “Firehouse56″(ao3) which features the usual suspects in a Firehouse, without linking to them aus well.
There’s also “When You Say Nothing at All”(ff.net)which had me literally snorting with laughter and “Stockholm Something”(ao3) where Clarke kidnaps an unsuspecting Lexa after robbing a bank.
I absolutely lovelove Coeur d’astronaute’s collection of one-shots “Essays in Existentialism” on ff.net.”The Terminal” is a legit spin off from one of the stories there and also recommendable.
There’s more, that I just can’t remember off of the top of my head right now.
Speaking of Clexa ff:
I couldn’t help but notice, that there’s a staggering amount of Band AU’s out there,just als there are several “Flower Shop (next to a)Tattoo Parlor” fics.
Is that a thing now? Was there a movie in that combo? Did I miss something?
Other things I’ve noticed: If Clarke and Lexa end up in an AU Coffeeshop, it is often called “Grounders” which is super befitting for a coffee place.Genius idea, whoever came up with that first.
In 80% of AUs, Clarke is an artist, (not a doctor), while Lexa ranges from CEO to biker gal.
Also, there is a lot of emphasis on one loving the other’s smile or laugh throughout a lot of the stories, which is just very,very sweet, because that’s not something we ever saw on the show.
Speaking of dark plot points, I occasionally got a bit of an Elphaba/Glinda vibe from them on the show. Not just due to the physique but also because of Lexa’s cheery world view, Clarke’s naivitë in the beginning and the Betrayal, the literal walking away in 2×15. Maybe one could also coin that into a Xena/Gabs dynamic.
Which makes me wonder: Is that “tall/brooding/dark matched with naive blonde” dynamic something we’ve got going for us now in Lady Loving Land on TV? Come to think of it, Pipex falls into the same vein..
Thanks for the Round Up, Heather! I shall check out which I haven’t yet read!
Good weekend, everyone!
Weird, I’ve come across a Tattoo shop/Flower shop fic in the Carmilla fandom too. Lots of crossover with the fandoms so maybe it’s been picked up as a theme?
Then again, maybe the tattoo/flower shop thing symbolizes a butch/femme dynamic (my theory of the day) implying a knowledge of Spider Lilies and Imagine Me and You.Eastern Lesbian Classic meets Western Lesbian Classic.
Honestly, no clue.
Loved your tall/brooding/dark mattched with naive blonds parallels!! I hadn’t thought about it before, but I’ll sure reflect on it now and maybe come up with a crossover of some sort… Thank you!!!
Maybe it’s the postmodern Butch/Femme pairing..
Flower/ Tattoo Shop AND Band AUs both started from a tumblr posts. The band one was specific to the fandom (came with pics and everything), but as far as I know, FTS!AUs were open season.
Thanks! And there I thought it was the leather and badass attitude that gave birth to the plethora of Band AUs.
Not that I’ve been paying attention, but I have yet failed to find a flowershop adjacent to a tattoo parlor in my town.That mystery remains,then.
This is the only fic I’m reading currently, but it’s my headcanon until Season 3 starts.
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11143286/1/
Thanks for this recommendation, I’m all caught up and loving it!
OOOH I really love the texting AU “Bathroom Stalls & Late Night Calls” by unicyclehippo (Tumblr and AO3) and maryanneomalley’s totally ridiculous and wonderful pickup line fic inspired by the Clexa pickup line crack meme. It’s on AO3 as “Pick Up Lines”. Also Clarkeofthebikru (AO3) has one that I really like! “You told me I was like the dead sea (I never sink when you are with me.” Fearless and Enchanted are two of my favorites!
I literally just finished season 2 of this show and it’s 3am BUT THIS ARTICLE IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME RIGHT NOW
disappointed that neighbours AU is not the aussie soap neighbours like I weirdly assumed. I think Harold would be a big fan.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/3705905/chapters/8201655
College Art and Music student? Yes. Yes.
Also its cocky Lexa which I love seriously this is underrated.
This is my favorite Clexa FF so far: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3649920/chapters/8064042
Breathe Me – dance_tilyouredead
So, so good.
I am so here for clexa quidditch AU!
Also momentary-ecstasy.tumblr.com has some great clexa fics – “It makes thunder”
I’ll be honest though I am way more into doctor mechanic than clexa. Raven and Abby have too much tension…
omg no no Raven and Octavia or Clarke for sure. Though I like both their current male pairs. Did you see Raven in her briefs?
I don’t even read fic nor ship Abby cause she’s my mom’s age, but there was some kinda weird tension with Byrne before she went Black Knight. When she ripped her shirt and the electric whip thing was happening I was just like… CW writers know what some people are getting out of that
Ok so here are two not-that-famous multi-chapters that I enjoyed:
: a mandatory high school AU
And (with a fluffy one shot for a prequel), set in the 100 universe
Also pretty much anything by and , bc they just /nail/ it
and that wonderfully awful reincarnation au, – but i’m warning you, FEELS ABOUND. i cried. possibly while i was on a bus.
That reincarnation story is no joke. So damn sad, yet so damn good. The first chapter alone, man it’s like getting speared through the heart, grounder style. Quite frankly, “move on me” by caelzorah (ao3) should be required reading for clexa shippers.
this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-owizB0EvnE
This is new and it’s AWESOME! I guarantee you will get wrapped up in it. If you like canon and angst, it’s for you…
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11319005/1/Beneath-the-Betrayal
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11143286/1/this-heart-fossilized-silent-once-was-tender-once-was-violent
Try this it’s one of the best Clexa fics I’ve ever read. Chrmdpoet is a brilliant writer and she updates fast.
I just finished this recently and LOVED it!!
It only went up 3-4 months ago, but there is a writer on Tumblr, insideabunker, who is doing some interesting CLEXA AU series. Most of them are only a few chapters in, but most of it is really good! I recommend Bedroom Window and Bedroom Window 2. Those were my favorites!
insideabunker.tumblr.com
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I literally just finished season 2 of this show and it’s 3am BUT THIS ARTICLE IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME RIGHT NOW