The Gestalt Arc

Fanfiction
Title:	The Gestalt Arc
Author(s):	Lori McDonald
Date(s):	1995-1998
Length:	8 stories
Genre:	Adventure, drama, romance
Fandom:	X-Men
External Links:	Gestalt Arc (via Wayback May 17/98)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Gestalt Arc was a series of eight stories in the same universe, written by Lori McDonald, featuring Remy LeBeau and Rogue. It followed an alternate version of Rogue's kiss with Remy in X-Men #41 and what happened after. It was well-known at the time and considered one of the better Remy/Rogue fanfics out there.

Summary

• Stolen Kiss - In an alternate version of Rogue's kiss with Gambit in X-Men #41, Storm tries to deal with the loss of her friend.
• Lost Inside - [warning: adult content: sex] Confused and alone, Gambit runs for his life in an alien world as Rogue desperately tries to find him.
• A Level of Treachery - [warning: adult content: violence] Sinister and the Marauders capture Gambit and Rogue and offer Remy a choice he can neither refuse nor accept.
• Fragile - Bishop tries to deal with his memories of Gambit as his father while Remy struggles with the onset of his future self's madness.
• Out of Control - [warning: adult content: sex] Refusing to accept the only cure for his mental illness, Gambit flees from the X-Men, straight into the grasp of Rogue's worst nightmare.
• Middle Class Suburbia- [warning: adult content: sex] Remy and Rogue leave the X-Men to try and have a normal life together, but Gambit's past is quickly catching up to him.
• The King of Thieves - [warning: adult content: some violence/sex] Remy returns to New Orleans to take his rightful place in the Thieves Guild while Rogue goes back to the X-Men. But while Remy deals with corruption and his own lack of power to change what is around him, Rogue tries to handle some more personal problems. And, slowly, they both learn that, no matter how far apart they are, they are always together.
• Perfect Day - Remy and Rogue try to deal with having a baby who shares their powers and their Gestalt.

Author's Notes

Okay, first off, I want to say that this is entirely a 'What If' story, and does not really happen anywhere in the X-Universe, though I have based it in past events that have happened in the books. Please don't hurt me! I wrote this because I was inadvertently dared to by someone who shall remain nameless, and because I have such a morbid sense of humour.

For those who aren't completely familiar with the X-Books, I'm going to provide a bibliography afterwards to show which issues I refer to in the story.

The characters in this story all, of course, belong to Marvel and no one can make a profit off its sale, including me. Oh well.

 

Awards

• CBFFAs - 1998 - Best Series, tied with Darqstar's X-S Series.

Reactions and Reviews

The Gestalt Arc became a fan-favourite for Remy/Rogue fans, long past the time it was posted and enduring even after Fanfiction.Net removed it from the site as part of its adult fiction crackdown. The biggest tribute, of course, was the adoption of Lori's middle name for Remy being adopted by Marvel as canon (although there is also evidence that 'Etienne' was first used as Remy's middle name by RubyLis in her story "End of Innocence" which was published shortly before Lori's story):

3. Gambit didn’t always have a middle name During the 90’s, Gambit and Rogue inspired gigabits of fan-fiction. None more impactful, better known, or renowned as Lori McDonald’s, The Gestalt Arc. In this NSFW tale, Remy Lebeau received the middle name, Etienne. Since then, it’s become canon. It’s even reflected on Marvel’s official website.

 

This is a story that I've made reference to on my site before, but have never actually rec'd. It was one of the first stories that I'd ever read in the X-Men fandom and one of those directly responsible for getting me into the comics much more firmly than I already was, as I'd come from the animated series being aired on FOX. What hooked me on this story was the way the author took a concept (Rogue absorbs Remy, eventually they manage to de-merge, but are left with a psychic connection that's constantly on, but allows them to touch, and having to deal with that and work out their problems and the usual X-Men trials and tribulations that are thrown their way) that could have been ridiculously cliche, trite, and badly written, but pulls if off with flying colors instead. It didn't just ignore the issues Remy and Rogue had, but neither did it let them get too mired down in them. It also had a sense of humor! Everything I could want!

It was one of the first stories I'd read in the fandom that was really, genuinely long, but still kept me turning page after page because I had to have more of the storyline Lori had built with this storyline. It solidified my blossoming love for this couple, taking it from "Aww, they're neat." to "Holy crap, I LOVE THEM MUST HAVE MORE." It made me such a fan of hers that I followed her to the Yuu Yuu Hakusho fandom and turned me on to anime in the first place, actually. I consider this one a classic of the fandom, right up there with Game of Empires. I think I would honestly recommend this as one of the first places to start on comic fic fandom, despite the length. It's good, it's sharp, readable writing, it's sparkling characterization, and it just sails right along and the story never gets bogged down. It might be a rather old story by now, but I'm not sure there's much out there that could surpass it for me, even still. ♥ (Remy/Rogue.)