Discussion Post: Simple Math

[flosculatory.livejournal.com]

Title: Simple Math
Author: foxxcub
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Author's Summary: "So," Eames says slowly, leaning back against the school wall as he idly taps his cigarette. "We've got a problem here."
or, The Fake Boyfriend High School AU

For this week's discussion, we have this lovely AU that not only incorporates all the emotions and hormones of high school, but also throws in a fake relationship, enemies to lovers, boys being stupid and in love, and a bunch more of your favourite things. I've left some discussion points, but feel free to add your own questions and/or observations and/or general flailing below.

Comments

Re: running

[involuntaryorng.livejournal.com]

Side question -- do you guys think Running!Arthur is fanon at this point? I know he also runs in "Pet" (insert requisite flailing here) and possibly the one where Eames is his gymnastics instructor? Maybe it's only teenaged Arthur who does a lot of running. Do you think it's just physical build or something about his canon personality that makes running seem like a likely hobby?

Re: running

[earlgreytea68.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I feel like high school Arthur tends to be a runner, you're right. It does seem to me the most likely extracurricular for him to have in high school. You wouldn't stick him on the arts side of things, necessarily, because you'd give that to Eames, and it also seems less like he would be the star of some team sport (which is interesting because he works so well on a team in Inception; I'm pretty sure he's a catcher in the baseball AU, isn't he? Because that would make some sense).

I usually have Arthur as a runner in my fic as well when he's grown up, though, too. Like, he goes for runs for exercise. I think I may have gotten that from Steinwayverse, maybe? Is it Steinwayverse when they're happily together at the end that it's referenced that Arthur runs for exercise? But it seems also to me like it suits Arthur's body type.

I don't think it always has to be metaphorical, but I do think that's really effective in this fic.

Re: running

[msbrightsidesh.livejournal.com]

I think running suits both Arthur's body type and his personality I pick up from the movie. He likes to be in control, I think and he doesn't necessarily want to rely on people (that's why I think he's not usually the lead of a team). He's someone to push himself to his limit, to expect that from himself and who takes joy in that as well, I think. Moreover (oh no, I actually used this word in something that is not an English assignement, kill me now), running gives him freedom, it often is described as head clearing (I wouldn't know whether that is true because I don't particularly enjoy running, myself) and for someone as high strung as Arthur, that makes a lot of sense to me, also. Running requires discipline that he just has, I believe and it's a way to escape life for a little while as well and Arthur needs these breaks I think.

Re: running

[flosculatory.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with all of these points! I'm trying to think of any other sports that Arthur plays in fic, but not getting very far, ahah. It's funny that we see running as ideal for Arthur because it's freeing and that he probably wouldn't be on a team sport, considering that he's the member of a team in the movie, and is pretty much shackled to Cobb the whole time. (Or is that why we think running suits Arthur, that he needs it as a break from Cobb??)

RE: Re: running

[kate-the-reader.livejournal.com]

I definitely see Arthur as a runner, or at least, adult Arthur as someone who goes for runs, maybe to clear his head, get perspective, that sort of thing. He runs in "I know I'd look good on you" (the one set in South Africa).
Teenage Arthur is a tennis player in Camp Evergreen. Also a reasonably solitary sport.

Re: running

[okaykatie.livejournal.com]

I agree. We see him running so often because of his build and the fact that it's a pretty solitary sport. It's stated that way explicitly in Delires' story where the two of them meet in anger management, where both of them have been thrown out of team sports because of their volatile personalities, which I can get behind.

And then of course it became some kind of self-perpetuating fanon, like much about them in this fandom. ;)