#I remember catching up with the storyline years later and being baffled

[ohsoverylittlehoneybee]

#/i love orube so much. i love her arc so much. i wish they had allowed her to fully finish it#/it's still good the way it is but HHHH THEY COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING WITH HER AND CEDRIC#/i'm on my cedrube bullshit literally always but imagine fashioning yourself a perfect servant of kandrakar#/and then falling for a villain who's currently messing up his probation#/orube had ALL the settings to deeply sympathise with cedric's motivations while also staying aware of the lines he crosses#/and she does sympathise with him so much re.: the being far from home and earth being confusing thing!#/now what if they had gotten to bond over the 'we were always told what to do and discouraged from making independent decisions' thing?!#/we'd be living in a utopia rn#/let orube learn something from cedric as well! please!#/let her use that 'oh i'm gonna let the astral drops go' energy on him! i had genuinely expected that to be her arc when i first read this!#/and then it WASN'T#/yes i am still crying over cedrube over a decade later no talk me i angy#/anyways i love them and i think they should kiss and found their own independent cultivation sect - wait wrong franchise#/(the issue with applying 'if something is not the story you want it to be let it go' to w.i.t.c.h. is that w.i.t.c.h. WAS that story.)#/(for 4.5 arcs. as shown above! the change was very sudden!)#long post#w.i.t.c.h.#[talk less smile more]#/i am on my 'w.i.t.c.h. is really fucking good actually' agenda again and i will die be buried and decompose on this hill.

Today's take of undefined temperature: The W.i.t.c.h. comics have an overarching narrative, and while it was obviously not planned out from the beginning, it is fairly coherent until the end of the Trial of the Oracle arc. Hear me out.

Here are the main arcs, summarised for your convenience with a focus on what I believe to be the narrative golden thread. (Disclaimer that I don't have the comics with me rn, they just got tattooed onto my brain tissue when I was 12. So feel free to correct me if I get anything Very Wrong.)

Twelve Portals arc. The girls are tossed into an ongoing intergalactic conflict and given immense magical powers with little to no guidance on how to deal with that. Since Kandrakar is not allowed to interfere with anything except through its guardians in matters that concern the general safety of the universe or its own interests, the girls have to make their own decisions.

Because they have a stake in the Meridian civil war, they join the side of the rebellion and help Elyon claim the throne. The barrier between worlds falls. While Kandrakar generally approves of this, it was highly unorthodox.

This comes back to bite them in the shape of Luba messing with the quasars to take the W.i.t.c.h. out. This leads to Nerissa's awakening.

Nerissa arc. Ho boi.

The W.i.t.c.h. uncover the disastrous story of the former guardians, which includes a straight-up murder within the group. Will struggles with the responsibility of carrying the heart, which got to Nerissa's head. The girls meet Kadma and find out that she and Halinor broke ties with Kandrakar completely over Cassidy's death, which the Oracle knew about and let happen due to the rule of non-interference.

Can we take a moment to appreciate how fucked up the Nerissa arc is? Thank you. Moving on.

There Are Three Arcs Happening At Once Things Just Keep Fucking Happening arc. In the wake of all of That [gestures at Nerissa], Taranee decides that Kandrakar messing with her bodily autonomy and "curing" her eyesight is the last straw. She doesn't want to be used without being able to make her own informed decisions anymore and quits.

She is replaced by Orube, Luba's mentee, who is less than thrilled about working with the girls she blames for Luba's death. Orube is incredibly loyal to Kandrakar and initially rejects anything that isn't straightforward compliance with its orders. The Oracle is however a pretty interesting character who appreciates some unorthodoxy, and thus sends her to Earth. I want to stress that Orube only goes along with that due to her sense of duty. She does not actually want it.

Arkhanta is fundamentally a filler plot, though Ari's grievances do add to the theme of Kandrakar being flawed, and Yua fits the autonomy theme. More importantly though, the Arkantha missions and life on Earth make Orube more open-minded. She comes to consider the W.i.t.c.h. her friends and mentors and learns that sometimes, listening to your enemies and helping them can make them your allies. (Orube Will Remember That.)

Taranee eventually re-joins the group, but makes it clear that she still isn't a fan of how Kandrakar treats them all like pawns.

Astral Drop sub-arc. HO BOI.

While all of that [gestures at the above] happens, the fully sentient clones the W.i.t.c.h. can produce to keep people from noticing they go on magic space missions decide that they would like to be more than mindless slaves, seeing that they are, again, fully sentient. They start messing with the W.i.t.c.h. and eventually run away.

This eventually results in Orube catching them, but intentionally letting them escape - because she has sympathy for their struggle for autonomy and is listening to her own sense of justice now instead of what others tell her is the right thing to do.

Kandrakar is in the end forced to let the Astral Drops live their own lives.

Simultaneous Sylla/Interpol Stuff sub-arc. HO. FUCKING. BOI.

This was set up in the first arc, with Interpol noticing how Elyon's family disappeared. Just wanna point that out.

Secret agents on Earth stalk a group of teenagers and get incredibly close to discovering that magic is a whole real thing and these teenagers are overpowered intergalactic guardians.

Will's Astral Drop ends up in a Gordian Knot of a situation where multiple people are pointing guns at each other and the people present are all about to discover Kandrakar's existence.

This scene is such a dead end that the Oracle himself autonomously decides he has to step in and interfere.

He does so by warping reality, gives a banger of a speech that directly references Euripides' Medea and comments on the trope of Deus Ex Machina, and deletes the secret agent people's memories. This is my favourite scene in the entire comic. They did not have to go that hard, but they sure did.

I think we're done with the Clusterfuck Arc now. Moving on.

Trial of the Oracle arc. The HO BOI levels are off the charts.

Turns out that becoming the Deus Ex Machina comes back to bite the Oracle, because he is not allowed to interfere and this can get him fired.

Phobos takes advantage of this and other inherent flaws of Kandrakar's system, plays the entire centre of the universe like a cheap kazoo, and manages instantly to get himself elected Oracle. This gives him near-absolute power over the entire universe. No one is able to say anything against it.

This entire arc is about Kandrakar being really fucked up and really easy to infiltrate. It's the culmination of the previous arcs, which already pointed out a lot of flaws of this place, criticised the non-interference rule, and showed how little Kandrakar cares about people's opinions and feelings, even of those who are loyal to it.

The day is saved by the W.i.t.c.h.'s explicit refusal to comply with Kandrakar's orders, even before they know that Endarno is really Phobos. Because mindlessly following orders that you don't agree with is not good. That's the moral of the story here.

This whole mess results in changes being made to the core of Kandrakar's system. For example, it's not just one person having all the power now. The relationship of the Oracle to the guardians is changed as well, since the Oracle now understands what it means to be a small person tossed around by the universe.

And it's a goddamn tragedy that we never get to see the actual consequences of this change, because the quality of the comic rapidly deteriorates after this arc and the common thread of the narrative is partially dropped entirely and partially continued in incredibly lackluster ways.

Anyways, it's about control, it's about doing the right thing although it's not what you're told to do, it's about messed up governments, it's about free will, it's about rebellion, it's about things being more complicated than they seem. It's about learning for yourself, forming your own opinions, and being brave enough to make your own decisions. (And it always was - that's the core of the first arc, as well. This theme makes a lot of sense for a comic that is directed at teenagers, and it's not all that uncommon in teen media either afaik.)

Now, this is all very positive (bc I love this comic) and didn't go into the inconsistencies the first arcs of the comic do have (mostly bc I think they really, truly don't matter; it's a long-running comic that wasn't fully planned out in advance, minor plot holes just come with the medium), so let me go off at the later arcs of the comic under the cut.

What drives me insane is that the Ludmoore arc had the perfect set-up to continue this narrative. A former villain on probation? Who hates Kandrakar's guts and whose image of Kandrakar very much includes the guardians? Whose bodily autonomy is, again, compromised and who does all the fucked up shit he does in this arc not for power, but because he's homesick? Who fits the theme of control so ridiculously well, because he is always a pawn in someone's plan and, after freeing himself from one tyrant, relapses hard and ties himself to the very next one that comes along? Who interacts with Orube, who is not only deeply loyal to Kandrakar but could also pretty much be his direct narrative foil because they both have issues with emotions and making nuanced decisions for themselves? This FUCKS SEVERELY.

It could've paralleled the theme of autonomy present in the Cedric-Ludmoore relationship to Kandrakar again. It could've been the arc to paint an even more nuanced picture of our villains and point out that even this guy right there [points at Cedric] is worthy of basic respect. It could've leaned into the Cedric-Orube parallels way more than it did. It could've shown us literally anything about what's happening in Kandrakar now that they are, presumably, implementing reforms.

Instead, we get... a bunch of useless MacGuffins? A narratively completely inane Redemption Equals Death for Cedric? The sad, sad end of Orube's presence in this comic, which I don't even want to refer to as part of her arc because it has nothing to do with who she is? Don't get me wrong, I love the Ludmoore arc a lot and it has its strengths - Cedric's characterisation and his entanglement with Ludmoore are really good, as is Matt being dragged into magic bullshit - but considering how many details of this arc's premise play into the themes W.i.t.c.h. has followed since its first arc, the execution falls tragically short.

And then... hm. Then we get the Ragorlang arc, which was still somewhat solid, but also has very little to do with the overarching narrative anymore. And then, with New Power, it's only a matter of time until the entire narrative structure falls apart, the tone of the comic changes significantly, plots are recycled, narratives become much simpler and more black-or-white, and the comic appears to deliberately court a much younger audience.

What I'm saying is, the overarching narrative was abandoned at some point during the Ludmoore arc. Maybe it died with Phobos, maybe it died with Cedric, maybe it left with Orube. But it was there in the beginning, and it was good, and I wish we could have at least seen the Ludmoore arc told with the same effort.

[kara-zor-els]

What are your thoughts on DC animated projects? DCAU/DC animated movies/Young Justice etc.?

I haven't watched a ton of them tbh, primarily because I didn't watch a lot of superhero cartoons as a kid. But from the ones I've watched:

DCAU: I watched STAS (not all of it, but I do intend on catching up) and a bit of the justice league cartoon. I really like STAS but I ended up not finishing JL because I found it a bit underwhelming and the characterizations of some characters (especially Diana) weren't my favorite? But in general I do enjoy that universe and I think that it's a good introduction to DC. I do plan on watching more from it, especially the later JLU seasons. I haven't watched the batman shows though. Maybe one day...?

DCAMU: I watched a few of the movies some years ago, before I got into the comics. It's kind of a mixed bag imo, since it's based primarily on the new 52. I remember enjoying some of them, like Son of Batman or Justice League Dark for example. Although I think that a lot of characters were done dirty due to the new 52 characterizations (Diana) or just some baffling choices in general (Raven's entire arc/place within the titans/her relationship with Damian (???)) while others were just erased from existence all together (rip to any bat that isn't Bruce, Damian or Dick. Although given how the universe ended with apokolips war... maybe them not existing was for the best.)

Young Justice: I watched seasons 1 and 2 (?) years ago. I remember really enjoying it, although in retrospect now that I've read the comics, some of the stuff in it were certainly... A Choice on the writers' behalf. That being said, I'm surprised at how many different comic characters/storylines they ended up adapting. I was amazed that they apparently introduced the new gods in later seasons!

The Legion of Superheroes: I think its very funny how that was actually the first DC media I ever consumed (aside from the Krypto the Superdog cartoon), given how unknown it is. I ended up rewatching it this Christmas and it actually holds up really well! Also the character designs honestly peaked, Bendisboot wished it had what this show had.

My Adventures with Superman: this show got me into superman comics! 10/10 in terms of characterization and designs for Clark, Jimmy, Lois and the Kents. Lex being an intern twink was a Choice (affectionate). The only downside is that intergang was pretty boring both in terms of character designs and personalities. Same goes for Livewire, why did they do my girl like that? she served 0 cunt 😞

The Harley Quinn show: it won't be for everyone but I actually really liked it... and this is coming from someone that usually doesn't care much for Harley in the comics.

[wrestlingisfake]

Triplemania XXIX preview

This is traditionally the biggest show of the year for AAA. For the first time since the pandemic started, AAA is doing an indoor show with fans in attendance. The show starts at 9pm EDT tonight, but it's only being streamed within Mexico, because AAA's international broadcast rights are tied up in a lawsuit. Noted lucha libre reporter thecubsfan plans to get around that, though, so you might want to check out his Twitter for more info.

Psycho Clown vs. Rey Escorpion - This is a lucha de apuestas, so if Psycho loses he must unmask and reveal his true identity, and if Escorpion loses he must have his head shaved in the ring. There are no higher stakes in Mexican wrestling that putting your mask on the line, and the only thing that comes close is risking your hair. So if you're wondering why this is the main event and not Kenny Omega vs. Andrade, that's why.

The backstory here goes all the way back to 2013, when Escorpion was in CMLL and defeated Psycho's father, Brazo de Plata, in a hair vs. hair match. That was supposed to lead to another of Brazo's sons, Maximo, getting revenge on Escorpion, but the match never came together. Escorpion ended up going to AAA in 2017, starting a long-running feud with Psycho. So now Psycho has a chance to do what his brother couldn't, and avenge his father. Coincidentally, Brazo de Plata (aka Super Porky) passed away a few weeks ago, and I assume that will be incorporated into Psycho's motivation here.

I don't follow AAA closely enough to keep track of the regulars, but I know Psycho Clown is one of the biggest stars in the promotion and he's no pussycat. I would expect a wild brawl between two guys who can't afford to lose. Of course, in a match like this, I tend to think the favorite is the guy defending his mask, since hair grows back. So look for Escorpion to finally get his comeuppance after all these years.

Kenny Omega vs. Andrade El Idolo - This is Omega's fifth defense of the AAA mega championship since he won it in October 2019. Kenny went on to win the AEW men's world title in December 2020, and the Impact/TNA world title in April 2021, becoming a triple champion with four belts. However, he lost the Impact and TNA belts to Christian Cage yesterday, which has him looking particularly vulnerable. If Andrade wins the AAA title tonight, Omega will have lost three of his four belts in about 24 hours.

Andrade was best known as La Sombra in CMLL until he joined WWE/NXT in 2016. After requesting his WWE release in March 2021, he appeared on a May 2 AAA show and challenge Omega to this match. A month later he debuted on AEW, in a baffling storyline where nobody seems to understand how anything works. As far as I can recall, AEW has never once mentioned that this title match is happening, even though Omega, Andrade, and the AAA belt appear regularly on AEW programming.

Andrade's post-WWE career has not impressed the pundits, raising questions about whether he can reclaim the greatness that got people to care about La Sombra in the first place. If he can't have a great match with Omega, that discourse is likely to dog him for a long time.

Within the world of AAA, Omega has planted seeds for a match with Hijo del Vikingo, and Andrade has teased the idea of a match with Psycho Clown. I would think AAA would rather have the title involved in Andrade vs. Psycho, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll go that route, or that they'll start setting it up right now. I'm leaning toward a title change happening, but either outcome won't surprise me much.

Faby Apache vs. Deonna Purrazzo - Apache is the AAA women's champion, and Purrazzo is the Impact women's champion. Both belts are at stake, so it will be champion versus champion, title for title. Deonna is already booked for a title defense on August 28 against Melina Perez, so it's not clear what would happen to that match if she loses here.

There's not much of a story here--Purrazzo just wandered into an AAA show to confront Apache and issue the challenge. This comes across as AAA's big idea to get their belt on international TV by putting it on a top foreigner, similar to what they did with Kenny Omega. It doesn't really feel like Impact is even involved, outside of their office approving the booking. I'm not sure Impact has promoted or even mentioned the match, although I haven't kept up with it lately.

Apache is a big star for AAA, but Purrazzo looks to be the heavy favorite to win. She's gotten a lot of buzz for her in-ring work, and Impact recognizes that and presents her like a big deal. It feels like they've got a destination in mind for her later this year, and I can't believe they'd disrupt that to have her lose her title in Mexico. I can believe, on the other hand, that AAA would send their women's title to the US and forget about it for six months.

Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid vs. Taurus & ? - Hey, remember when the Penta and Fenix defended the AAA tag team title in the ladder match at AEW All Out 2019? They've had those belts this whole time! I totally forgot. Anyway, they're defending them here in a three-way, so whoever scores the first fall will win the title for his team.

Vikingo and Laredo were once teammates in Los Jinetes del Aire, but that was a couple of years ago. Taurus normally teams with Crazzy Steve on Impact Wrestling, and he holds the AAA trios title with El Texano Jr. and Rey Escorpion, but for this match he's got a mystery partner. It remains to be seen if this is the kind of mystery partner that's a big surprise, or the kind where it's just some guy that wasn't worth advertising ahead of time.

I don't keep up with AEW's Youtube shows, and Penta and Fenix haven't teamed on Dynamite in months, so I haven't seen those two really go nuts in a long-ass time. Vikingo and Laredo have a lot of buzz, and I keep assuming they're about to sign with a major American promotion, but they still haven't from what I can tell. So this could get pretty flippy and wild, especially with Taurus there to, like, be huge and catch people and stuff.

If I thought AAA gave a damn about keeping their belts on regulars, I'd expect Vikingo and Laredo to win. If I thought the priority was to deliver a big surprise to pop the fans, I'd expect a win for Taurus's mystery partner. But as it is, these belts belong to the Lucha Bros., and I expect that's where they'll stay.

Pagano & Chessman & Murder Clown vs. Puma King & DMT Azul & Sam Adonis - Azul used to be Diamante Azul in CMLL, but he recently jumped over to AAA to team with Puma and Adonis, who are also ex-CMLL guys. Together they're La Empresa, an unofficial CMLL invasion group. So the other team is fighting for the honor of AAA, but Pagano and Chessman are nuts and hate each other, so the big question is CAN THEY COEXIST~? My guess is that they can't, and La Empresa will pick up a win to build steam for this storyline.

Copa Triplemania battle royale - This is basically an undercard battle royale featuring everybody that isn't booked for some other match. The rules are kind of like WWE's Royal Rumble, but frankly I've watched several of these and I've never been able to figure it out. "Copa Triplemania" translates to "Triplemania Cup" but I can't remember if there's an actual trophy or any kind of stakes to this. As I recall it always comes down to a babyface and a heel and then somehow the heel referee is always in there, but somebody clobbers him and the good guy wins anyway.

Marvel Lucha Libre something something - For some reason Marvel has a promotional deal with AAA, wherein AAA books matches featuring wrestlers dressed up as Marvel superheroes. It's hard to believe this is going to sell even one extra ticket to a Marvel movie, but okay. Anyway, I remember seeing one of these with Captain America and Spider-Man vs. Thanos and Venom, which you'd think would be awesome, but it didn't really hold my attention. I don't know which characters will be represented this time, although if AAA wants to book the Loki and Sylvie vs. Kang and Renslayer, I promise to mark the fuck out.

[baby-bearie]

Verus Amor

description: while peter searches for criminals, y/n searches for true love.

a/n: oh my gosh. i have a lot to say before i actually get to the piece. this fic is for @afterglowparker1k writing challenge. this has been one of the greatest writing experiences of my life, and it took forever. three different storylines with multiple drafts of each, and finally this one just took off. i do want to thank a few people, because i went to them when i got stuck:

thank you for putting up with me and being exemplary writers: @seqveydaniel@coolkidcorbyn @katie-avery @cloudsncoffee @dxnielseavey @danieldelicate @jackscorbytch @keepseaveyweird @zachheroin @seaveyssparkle

and to these accounts that even though they don’t know me at all, took time to answer my questions: @naturallytom @starksparker

all of you are such big inspirations

word count: 3, 266

warnings: absolute fluff, language, mentions of violence

 tags: @everybody up there^^ @perfectlyseavey @tempus-ut-luceant @kindparker @5sos-seavey @daniel-darling

“Peter, I swear to god, if you don’t shut up, I will take off these heels and come after you.” Your words were dangerous, but your tone stayed light, hiding a smile and snapping your eyes to Peter’s in the vanity mirror in front of you. He smiled, from his position sitting at the end of your bed. He threw his keys up in the air again before falling back onto your bed, legs still hanging over the edge. You reached for your left-side earring, fastening the backing. 

“I’m just saying, what if his tattoo ends up being, like, a dick or something? Do you really want a dick on you forever?”

“Pete, don’t start on guessing other people’s tattoos until you’ve showed me yours.”

“I just don’t like showing it to people, I told you!”

You reached for your perfume, spritzing it onto your wrist. Your eyes latched onto the imprinted, permanent black and white image of a paper airplane folded into a map. Your hand traced over it and you wondered who, if anyone, wore your tattoo. You had been waiting for your soulmate for all your life. You wanted to meet them, and even if it was supposed to be painful, you couldn’t wait for your second tattoo. Your soulmate’s tattoo. It wasn’t uncommon for someone your age to have not found their love by now, most people only got there when they were nearly 20. But for you, you didn’t even want to stick around after high school. You would take off and travel the world, hence the paper airplane. It really did fit you. 

So if you wouldn’t be able to wait for your soulmate then, you needed to find them now. To prepare yourself, you had managed to memorize the tattoos of every boy you found, for the slightest sliver of a chance that maybe they were the one. But, when six-year-old Y/n asked six-year-old Peter Parker what his tattoo was so that she could write it into her list, his hand flew to his shoulder, and he shouted a “No!”, remembering how his uncle had told him to not show it to anyone, even Peter didn’t know what it meant. You weren’t one to take no for an answer, and continued to bug Peter about it, even if that meant spending almost every second of your time around the boy. You continued to pester him about it for the eleven years you had been his friend. 

“What is your point here, Peter?” 

“That Flash is a dick? And that you shouldn’t go out with him?”

“We’re 17. We’re supposed to find our true love in a couple years. I’m just looking.”

“Flash, though? Really?”

You turn around in your chair, head cocked at Peter, eyebrows raised up in a baffled expression. 

“Yes, really.” You got up and smoothed out your red shirt. You walked past Peter, who sat up. You bent down to kiss his cheek, and he sighed, defeated.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow, lock the door when you leave! Love you!” You called to him as you rushed out the door. Peter heard the door fall shut.

“Not like I do.” Peter sighed and stood, finding himself in your mirror. He lifted his shirt just the slightest and his eyes fixated on the paper airplane crossed with patterns of lines he knew too well. He had memorized them long ago, five days after he met you in the first grade. The day before you finally showed him your tattoo in a desperate bargain to see his, and the day before little Pete realized he had fallen in love with the annoying girl on his playground. Peter dropped his shirt and the reached to scrunch up his sleeve, exposing his shoulder. He stared at the spider, the same one that was splayed across his chest for the world to see every night he wore the suit.

Hiding something like that for two years had been extremely difficult. He would slap away Y/n’s hands quite often and excuse himself by saying his collarbone was hurting. At this point, Y/n was worried for his temperamental collarbone. He refused summer invitations to the pool and the beach. He stopped wearing tank tops, deciding he didn’t want to risk exposing the spider. Peter tugged his sleeve back over his shoulder, eyes moving to meet themselves in the mirror. He ran a hand through his hair. His eyes drifted to his own wrist then, catching the small watch. The hands ticked, reading as 5:00. Peter needed to be home by 6:00.      

Really, you weren’t expecting much out of a date with Flash Thompson. He wasn’t the greatest guy ever, and you knew that going into the date. But you had tried nearly every other approach, and by this point you were desperate to find your soulmate, even if that meant reaching for short straws. Half-way through the date, you found yourself getting quite bored. Flash had managed to go for a full hour talking about nothing but himself and how much he hated your best friend. You were sick of it, and nodding along to whatever shit he was blabbering about, you tugged your phone out. Under the table, you shot a text to Peter.

moron: hey pete

idiot: of course

moron: don’t say it

idiot: i told you so

You couldn’t help but smile down at your phone, biting your lip.

“Y/n?” You looked up, noticing Flash looking at you funny, eyebrows quirked expectantly.

“Oh, sorry, where were we?” You forced a smile, and acted interested.

“Like I was saying, I wanted to go for the,”

You let his voice fade out of your senses once again. He didn’t notice, too engrossed in the story of his own accomplishments. You looked back at your phone once he was no longer paying attention.

moron: yeah, yeah. come get me? don’t think i can wait this one out

idiot: can’t, i’ve got some stuff

moron: since when do you have stuff?

idiot: hey, i have a life. it’s for the internship

moron: god damn that internship

idiot: try to get ned to get you?

moron: i already did

idiot: you went to ned before me??

moron: duh, you would’ve been annoying about it. like you’re being right now

idiot: hey, i told you not to go. now you gotta stay

moron: mhm. hate you.

idiot: i know. i’ll text you later

You looked at Flash, now fully regretting coming on this date. There obviously wasn’t any sense of love you could feel. There obviously wasn’t any prickling sensation to go along with the missing butterflies. This obviously wasn’t it. You studied his face, and there were no sparks. His lips were moving, but you had long stopped paying attention to anything that came from them.

“And that’s when I-“Oh my gosh, you know what?” 

You interrupted him, “I think I forgot to throw out a box. You know, can’t procrastinate or it’ll never get done.”

“Oh, uh-“I can walk home, you stay and finish.”

You stood, smoothing your shirt and grabbing your purse. “Uh, well-“Bye, Flash!” You called, the bell jingling behind you as you walked out of the cafe. You had loved that cafe, and now it had been ruined. You wouldn’t be able to step into that cafe without thinking of this date. Wonderful.

Your feet carried you quickly today, almost as quick as the pace of the thoughts rushing in and out of your mind. So, you could definitely cross Flash off of your list. The list was growing shorter and shorter. At this point, you were about to give up hope. Where was he? Where was your true love? You had stressed about this since you were a little girl. You had grown up in a house with two happy, in love parents. They had been an exemplary pair of soulmates, never really losing any ounce of their love for each other. Growing up seeing that, and seeing your older siblings fall in love and get married, you’d always wanted that. You’d always been waiting for that, and at one point decided waiting wasn’t enough.

Now, it was nearly 9. You climbed up the stairs quietly, not really in the mood to tell your parents all about how your date had gone. They were as ready as you were for you to find your soulmate and always became excited whenever you mentioned a new boy.

You opened your room and flicked on the light, flopping backwards onto your bed. You covered your face with your hands and sighed.

“Hey.”

You snapped up, turning to look at Peter, who climbed in through your window. He gave you a weak smile, then winced.

“Peter! You scared me!” You put a hand over your chest and took a deep breath. He sat on your desk.

“So, the date was horrible, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. What was I expecting? It’s Flash.”

Peter laughed, and then winced again.

“Hey, are you okay- oh my gosh, what happened?”

You stood to move to him, pushing down the hood of his hoodie. Your hand found his cheek, running your thumb over the purple bruise. It traveled to his forehead, pushing back his hair and you leaned closer to study the bloody cut starting at his hairline. It moved down to his chin, lifting it up so you could run a finger over his split bottom lip.

Your mouth parted, eyebrows furrowed with concern. “What, did some Stark executive beat you up over there?”

“Uh, not quite?”

You pulled Peter’s hand forcing him to stand up. He was suddenly taller than you, and your eyes followed up, and he looked back down at you. You put your hands on his shoulders, turning him and pushing him to the bathroom. He didn’t resist, walking backwards with you as you guided him. You pushed him into the counter and he hoisted himself up next to the sink. You squatted down, opening the cabinet to grab a box of vaseline and antibiotic ointment. You wet a towel and pressed it to his bruised cheek.

“This happened last week too. You ready to explain?” You muttered, eyes glancing down from the bruise to meet his. He looked away.

“No?” You looked back up to his injuries, backing away. You set down the towel and washed out his cuts.

“I’m not trying to get beat up.”

“Yeah, you’re not trying not to either.”

His hands gripped your hip bones, stopping your frantic searching for wherever the Neosporin was. You stopped and looked at him.

“Hey,” His voice was quiet. His eyes looked up into yours, searching for something. You put your hands on his shoulders, suddenly aware of how close he was to you, trying to create a little bit of distance.

“Did you hear about the guy who got his whole left side cut off?”

Your eyebrows scrunched in confusion, the corners of you mouth ticked up.

“What?”

“He’s alright now.”

You broke into laughter, never able to stay mad at him for long, your head fell to his shoulder before you pulled away and lightly shoved his shoulder. He grinned, grip tightening on you before pulling you closer to him again.

Your laughter faded, leaving just the shadow of a smile. Peter’s smile matched yours, eyes still studying your face like they always did. You took in a deep breath, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his eyes. And then you felt it.

Your stomach was full of butterflies. Peter sat in front of you, looking at you with adoration like he usually did. But this was different. It felt different. His eyes on you felt different and his hands on you felt different. You took a deep breath, nearly gasping for air.

You took a step back, and Peter’s hands dropped from your hips.

“All good to go.”

He didn’t get up quite yet.

“Thank you, Y/n. You really are the best.” He stood, stepping closer to lean down and press a kiss to your cheek. And then he was climbing out the window, turning to look back at you. His mouth opened, as if to say something before he closed it, turning back around and then he was gone.

Your cheeks burned, and you could feel the blush seeping in. You finally got ready for bed, jumping under the covers. After that day, you wanted to sleep as deep as you could. But you couldn’t. 

You laid awake in your bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

What was that? Were those what butterflies felt like? Why did your cheeks start burning when Peter kissed you? He always did that before he left. So what changed?

“Holy shit,” you whispered. Your eyes widened. “I’m in love with Peter.”

Because of your late night, you had a late morning. You slept through your multiple alarms, rolling out of bed. You jumped up, tripping over the blankets you had brought down with you. With zero care about the events of last night, you ran around your room, grabbing clothes from hangers while your toothbrush hung from your mouth. With 2 minutes to go, you stood in front of your mirror in Peter’s hoodie and black leggings, your immediate lazy outfit. You grabbed a hair tie to put your hair up, and the sleeves of Peter’s hoodie dropped to your elbow. And you saw it. The hair tie lay on the floor, long forgotten as you inspected the ink on the inside of your forearm. 

Your jaw went slack. “Oh my god.” 

There it sat. A spider. A black spider. The spider. You recognized that spider, anyone from New York would recognize that spider. Why was it on you?

Your eyes stared at themselves, realization pooling in them. “Oh my god.”

You yanked the sleeve down, and grabbed your bag, now rushing to school for a different reason. 

“Y/n!”

It wasn’t that you didn’t hear them. You did, but you simply turned and gave them a tight-lipped smile over your shoulder before you kept moving down the hallway, leaving behind your confused friends. Your feet hit the ground repeatedly, beat-up converse making quick thud noises with each step.

And then you saw him.

“Peter!” You called, picking up into a light jog.

Peter turned to face you, closing his locker. He smiled, but it faded into a questioning expression as he took you in, hair a bit tangled and eyes fiery.

You stopped in front of him, a bit out of breath. You took a deep breath in, before pressing your lips together and raising your eyebrows, throwing your hands in the air.

Peter laughed, a little nervously.

“What?”

You grabbed his arm, pulling him into a nearby doorway before you paused and closed your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Y/n-Ow!” You whacked his arm.

“Seriously?” You spoke, whacking him again.

“Y/n, why- Ow, Y/n, stop!” He jumped, and you whacked him again.

“Spider-man? Really?” You spoke through gritted teeth, your voice low so you wouldn’t alert others around you.

Peter’s eyes widened as you hit him again.

He grabbed your arm as it lifted to hit him again, then taking the second in his hand, clutching both your wrists with his hands.

“Why would you think I’m Spider-man?” Peter laughed, eyes darting off to the side.

You shook your head, giving him a pointed look. “Drop it, spidey-boy. I can tell when you’re lying.”

Peter rolled his eyes and sighed, finally meeting your eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You tugged your hands out of his and gasped as whacked him again. You gritted your teeth and whispered. “Peter, enough. I know.”

You stepped back and yanked up your sleeve, revealing the tattoo.

Peter’s eyes got even bigger, reaching for your arm, he inspected it, and then looked back up at you. He took you in all over again. Your eyes burned bright with fury, hair loose and frizzy. Your cheeks were flushed red, and the skin under his hands was warm. You were beautiful.

His smile was light, disbelieving. “This- this is my tattoo.”

You yanked your arm away, hitting him again. “God damn it, Peter, I know that.”

You hit him once more. “You couldn’t have told me you were Spider-man?” Another hit. “Told me why you could never pick me up?” Another hit. “Told me why you were showing up at my house at night all beat up?” Another hit. “You and your stupid fake, shitty internship!”

You looked up at Peter, noticing his stuck expression. A light smile, mouth slightly parted. His eyes looked down at you, and they were filled with such love it made yours full of love too. He took your hands in his, turning over the wrist without the spider, showing you your own tattoo. His thumb rubbed over the small paper airplane, following each dotted line of the map. He looked back at you again, smiling widely now. He let go of you again, folding his arms and stepping back.

“My tattoo’s on you.” He finally spoke, smirking wildly.

You shrugged, rolling your eyes. “Yes. And?”

“You know what that means?”

“No?”

“You love me.”

“Shut up, Peter.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I love you too.”

“Oh my god, Peter, I said- wait, what?”

Peter smiled again, and lifted the hem of his shirt.

“Woah, spidey, not just hey, you can keep your shirt on.”

He rolled his eyes, turning to the side to show you his hip.

You took a step closer, pushing his shirt up and leaning to look. And you recognized it. The folded paper, the dotted lines of a map, it was your tattoo.

You stood straight again and Peter beamed at you. You whacked him.

“You didn’t even tell me you had my tattoo?” Whack. “You knew how hard I was looking for my soulmate, and you knew it was you?”

“Ow- Y/n, calm down!” He stopped you, pushing your arms to your sides.

“No, Peter. I’m mad.” You shook your head.

Peter smiled and raised your chin to look at you.

“Hey. I love you.” He grinned.

You looked away. Peter made you look back at him.

“C’mon, I know you want to say it. Say it.”

You made a face at Peter and sighed.

“Fine, Peter. I love you too.” You tried to hide your smile.

He envelopes you in a big hug, and you wriggled in his arms.

Your voice came out muffled by his jumper.

“Alright, gonna swing me to class, Spidey-Boy?” You squirmed out of his arms and began to walk to your class.

“Boy? Man! Spider-Man! Y/n!”

[jessread-s]

Rebel (Legend, #4)

Book Review: Rebel by Marie Lu

Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ (4.0)

The following review is spoiler free.

Review: I first read the Legend series back in middle school around the release of Champion in 2013. I remember being absolutely devastated after the series conclusion, my soul crushed under the weight of my favorite ship being teared apart. Over time, I came to appreciate the way Marie Lu brought Day and June’s story to a close. I moved on. Then Rebel was released in October. I bought it the day it came out... but I didn’t get to it until now. I guess I was skeptical, as I didn’t see the need for a fourth book. I didn’t want my love for my absolute favorite series to unravel if things didn’t turn out the way I wanted to with this fourth book. After finally getting to Rebel, the fourth book in my beloved Legend series, here are my thoughts. 

What Worked:

01. The return of June and Day. Rebel takes place ten years after the time period established in the novel Champion, so I was eager to see how all the trauma they experienced with the fall of the Republic would effect their adult lives. I was especially curious about how June and Day would cross paths again, as Champion ends with the duo parting ways. I was not disappointed. Marie Lu did an astounding job capturing the moment June and Day reunited for the first time in nearly ten years. My heart ached as Lu described Day piecing his memories together to discover how June played a role in his life. The numerous amount of times my heart beat against my chest as I had to watch the two start from scratch to become comfortable with each other, trying to serve as each other’s support system to calm the inner demons plaguing them from their time under the rule of the old Republic. It was almost as if I was witnessing Day fall in love with June all over again and that made reading Rebel all the more worthwhile.

02. In this novel, we got the perspective Eden, Daniel’s brother, which I thought was very interesting. In the Legend series, we know Eden to be the brother who was struck down by the plague, later allowing the Republic to experiment on him to find a cure for the very plague he was infected with. Eden’s perspective allowed me to get a glimpse of how he himself was effected by the revolution that saved the Republic of America. I had been so focused on June and Day’s storyline, that I hadn’t even considered how Eden might have felt after the dust settled. Like Day, he lost a brother to death by firing squad and witnessed his mother’s murder. He was on the brink of death after catching the plague and had to worry about his only remaining family member, Day, who nearly died due to the Republic’s tampering with his brain. Marie Lu shed light on Eden’s struggles with fitting in, the constant nightmares about the death of his family, and living in his older brother’s shadow. This perspective really added a lot to the novel and helped me to better understand his relationship with Daniel. 

03. Rebel’s ending. I intend not to give away what happened at the novel’s end, but I will say that it was extremely satisfying. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. 

04. The relationship between Daniel and Eden. I thought the Daniel and Eden’s dynamic was very interesting. Lu characterizes Daniel as overprotective brother figure. This makes sense to me, as Daniel nearly lost his entire family at the beginning of the series. For him to constantly keep watch over Eden just goes to show how afraid he is of his past. Naturally, Eden views Daniel as a “helicopter parent” who will not allow him to do anything on his own. What caught me off my guard was Eden’s annoyance with being in his older brother’s shadow. I thought that was an interesting concept to explore. Rather than being referred to as Eden Wing or Eden the extremely intelligent individual who is at the top of his class, many simply call him “Day’s brother.” This is what actually creates the divide between Eden and Daniel. Eden believes that his legendary brother has moved on from the past and does not experience the same trauma that he does. Daniel, however, does not confide in his brother about the hauntings of the past in order to shield him from dangers in the possible future. I love how Lu built up the conflict between the two and how they eventually let their walls down. 

What Didn’t Work:

01. Rebel didn’t offer anything new to the table. Sad as it was, the ending to Champion was beautiful, dare I even say perfect. Day and June meet again in the epilogue after ten years spent apart and we are left feeling hopeful. Though it isn’t explicitly said that the two will have a happily ever after, it’s something we can infer. We are left on the edge, fighting for more even though we cannot have it and I love endings like those. Endings where things aren’t neatly tied up in a perfect bow. What bothered me about Rebel was that it practically repeated everything that had been established within Champion and even Life after Legend with the addition of a predictable storyline and the perspective of Eden. To make matters worse, the ending to Rebel was nowhere near as powerful as Champion’s epilogue. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the book, but I think it would be better suited as a spin-off than an actual novel in the series. 

02. Eden’s story is just not as compelling as the stories of June and Day. When Lu announced that she would be releasing a fourth book in the Legend series, it felt as if my prayers had been answered. I had always wondered what happened to my favorite couple after the conclusion of Champion and I was hoping for a happy ending to their story. As the release date drew near, I discovered that Rebel would be primarily Eden’s story, not June and Day’s. It pains me to admit this, but I was saddened by the loss of June’s perspective in the novel. Eden’s point of view could not live up to June’s. I found myself completely ignoring Eden’s side of things in favor of focusing exclusively on June and Day’s side story. Therefore, I have to agree with many fellow reviewers who have stated that Rebel should have been a novella. I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if Rebel had been a spin-off rather than an actual book in the series. A spin-off would have allowed for Lu to strictly tell Eden’s tale in a manner that would have been short and to the point, without my mind rushing through Eden’s chapters to get to Daniel’s. 

03. Eden’s perspective. What baffled me was Eden’s behavior. Being a twenty-one-year-old, I did not expect him to to act so childish. He would purposely get himself into trouble to punish Daniel for being overprotective and lash out at him for not understanding what he was “going through.” I will admit, that there were aspects of his story that I really enjoyed, but some of the justifications for his actions did not make sense to me, thus painting a picture of an annoying little kid. 

04. The plot. Rebel just did not have the most complex, interesting plot. It pales in comparison to its predecessors. It pains me to say this, but I was not impressed by the villain, nor was I impressed by the predictable storyline that had me frustrated at times. 

Jess Approved?: ✓ Review posted to Goodreads

Buy on Amazon: US | UK

[sailorbryant]

HANKCON: Fic Recommendations

I started creating a bunch of recs to send to a friend and ended up just making a whole thing. I know I’ve forgotten multiple stories so will probably update over and over again. Let me know if you notice any broken links or errors!

❥ New Stories Added - 12/22/2018

INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED by Vinci

Summary:  Logically, Connor should have noticed something was different after the moment of his deviancy after he consciously chose not to shoot Markus, but he truly didn’t notice it until months later, as he watched, in absolute interest, as Hank typed something on his computer across from him at his desk.

Or: In which Connor simultaneously experiences an emotional and sexual awakening in the wake of his deviancy and handles it in the best way he can. By not telling anyone. Post-Peaceful Ending. Eden Club undercover. Probably my favorite Hankcon fic out there.

PHOLCIADE by farouche

Summary:  After Markus obtains equal rights for all Androids, Cyberlife is pressured to release all the prototype androids deemed unready for public use before the Revolution. In a diplomatic effort, Cyberlife offers all prototypes a chance of a paid job in the sector they were intended to work in or otherwise, in order to not waste the money gone into programming their specific skillsets. Among them is Connor, an RK Prototype, who is offered a training period at the Detroit Police Department under the condition that he reports his progress via email to the man assigned to be his mentor. A man that Connor has never met, who will never reply, and who will remain anonymous for the duration of his training; bar the pseudonym "Lt. H."

A man that, having only ever seen his shadow in a hallway, Connor affectionally names after the Pholcidae spider, more commonly known as Daddy Long Legs.Lieutenant Hank Anderson just wanted to get Fowler off his ass and deal with this mentoring crap as quickly and easily as possible. Instead, he has to deal with an android calling him "Daddy" in every email he sends. It's not what he wanted or expected, but it somehow ends well. DaddyLongLegsAu. Fantastic.

RE:DECONSTRUCT by Masu_Trout

Summary:  The androids are free, but even the most peaceful of revolutions comes with a world of changes. Markus has an offer to make. Connor's starting to get used to this whole deviancy thing. And Hank—well, Hank just might be falling for his best friend. Thirium Pump Handjobs.

HALYCON by Terminallydepraved

Summary:  Hank gave in to the urge to bury his face in his hands. This was just… Fuck, he was too innocent looking. Those wide eyes, the soft looking lips. He stared at Hank like he hung the sun and stars, and here Hank was, projecting. Again.

Something brushed his shoulder and Hank couldn’t help but jump. He flinched away and moved his hands, but it was just Connor. It was always just Connor, standing a little too close, probing when Hank was at his worst. Standing at his side with worry in his eyes, staring up at him, and… Fuck.

He was too old for this. He was too old and broken and fucked up to deserve this, but Connor made it too easy to want it anyway. Must Read.

INTERRUPT REQUEST AU(IRQ) by rara avis

Summary:  Hank does indeed get drunker. Connor takes him home and stays the night. They find out exactly what it is Hank wants Connor to be, and what Connor wants in general.

Starts between "The Bridge" and "Public Enemy" and follows their storyline until the end of the game. One of my favorites. Perfect smut. Perfect use of graphics and machine code.

SINGULARITY SERIES by Driverpicksthemooseic

Summary:  "Hank," Connor starts. Not Lieutenant, just Hank. Hank gives him a baffled stare. "This is the only method with a high probability of success, so please go along with it."

(OR, Hank and Connor go undercover at the Eden Club.) The fake/pretend relationship/undercover at Eden Club story that you gotta read.

WITHIN SERIES by whitachi

Summary:  Connor has some wires out of place, and Hank helps to fix them. THE Wireplay fic.

THE OTHER WAY TO SOMEDAY by theslap

Summary: Cole's teacher is annoying. He's also attractive. For Hank Anderson, that's a bad combination. NonAndroid!AU.

MAKE ME FORGET THAT I’M NOT READY FOR LOVE by Warmybones

Summary:  “Stay like this, if you want,” Hank whispers against his earlobe, fingers caressing down his navel with deadly intent. “Or punch me across the face if you don’t.”  Adorable little get together story. Post Peaceful ending.

THE GAY AND WONDROUS LIFE OF CONNOR ANDERSON by LieutenantWubs

Summary:  Connor wants to get a new upgrade, but doesn't want Hank to know what it is until he is comfortable with it. Adorable

TERMS AND CONDITIONS by esama

Summary:   1. Go out into the world 2. Figure out who you are. 3. Live a little.”

Post-Peaceful Ending. Very angsty little piece but such a fantastic example of world-building in the post peaceful Detroit. And the pining is delicious.

IRREFUTABLY SEDUCED by gumpekulla

Summary:  He needs to get this ridiculous crush under control before Hank finally decided to confront him about it. It would be mortifying.

(Things doesn't really go to plan, but Connor really can't complain.) Reverse!Au. Smutty Smut.

ARRIVAL by coffee666

Summary: Hank just wanted help around the house for Cole. He never expected such a goofy thing that laughed and hummed and protected Cole with all of his being. Connor is not like other androids --but neither of them truly know how deep those differences go. HouseAndroidConnorAU!

WANTING HIM by Miko

Summary: Connor is convinced that sexual intercourse would be of great benefit to Hank's physical and emotional well-being, but the man is highly resistant to the idea. Hank's objections are not unreasonable, but there is one simple solution that will address all of the issues - Hank should have sex with Connor.

The last thing Connor expects when making the suggestion is for his partner to be upset and offended by the idea of 'using' him. Hank claims he won't do it because Connor doesn't 'want' it, but Connor is the one who offered in the first place.

What's the difference between 'willing' and 'wanting'? Connor needs to do some investigating.. Lovely.

RECEPTIONS AND REVELATIONS by Terminallydepraved

Summary:  Hank is forced to attend an awards ceremony where the attire is black tie and stifling. Connor attempts to make it bearable, but that comes with a few surprises of its own along the way. Side Rk900/Gavin. Smut.

AGAINST A COCK AND A HARD PLACE by Svynakee

Summary:  His mission had been clear: get the deviant leader in his sights and snipe it to end the revolution. But it'd all gone wrong.

Connor could feel the firm muscles of Hank’s thighs clenching down on his thin waist – tense enough to be ready for any attempt to escape, yet effortless, with the clear indication that he could remain like this for a long time if needed. His blue eyes were as sharp as ice, as hard, as cold.

Connor was trapped. He hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t expected this outcome. And it was thrilling.Dark!Smut. A different take on the rooftop scene. Fantastic read.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS by Dana

Summary: 'Well, it does have the best fucking biscuits.' Hank lets out another soft sigh. He'd probably sell his soul for an endless supply of those biscuits, Jesus, he's salivating already. 'Alright, alright. But just so you know, I'm doing this for the biscuits.'

Connor grins, and laughs, then presses a kiss to Hank's cheek. 'Okay. Do it for the biscuits.' So that was kind of a lie, and Hank knows Connor can tell, but it's not like Hank really cares. The Hank/Connor/Gavin/RK900 foursome you didn’t know that you needed in your life.

DEMONS & DOMESTICITY SERIES by ProneToRelapse

Summary:  Hank makes a deal. His immortal soul for the life of his son. It isn't his soul the demon wants. Demon AU. Hank teaches Demon Connor to feel. Smut is 10/10.

THE KNIGHT AND THE SCARECROW by Mura

Summary: A fairy tale Hankcon AU. Shrek AU sorta. Very cute and fluffy.

THE ENTIRE MEMORY OF YOU by fantastic

Summary: It was as he sat drinking his morning coffee that the slow grinding of those pieces falling into place sent a course of comprehension through his body: the tightening of his chest, the heat in the tips of his fingers, a simple message splayed behind his eyes as he looked across the table.

Connor was in love with him.. Breathtakingly Beautiful Angst. WIP. 

YOU HAVEN’T GAINED A DAY by Synekdokee

Summary: The picture attached is uncanny. In his uniform, Connor looks different from the flirty little twink climbing all over Hank’s lap in a taxi ten years ago, and he’s certainly filled up a little, face a little less angular and more masculine now. Hank remembers those earnest brown eyes and those pink lips a little too well though. Even the fucking cowlick is still there.

And then Hank’s stomach rolls over when his brain truly catches up with what he just read - DOB August 1990.

University my ass, Hank thinks weakly. Modern Detectives AU. No android AU. WIP

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS by MorganOfTheFey

Summary: Connor has a three-year seduction plan to make Hank love him back, and it starts with getting the lieutenant into his bed. Co-sleeping is scientifically proven to be beneficial to humans, and proximity is the number one factor in relationships forming. But when Connor starts having dreams thanks to the new updates he's beta-testing, it all gets a lot more complicated. And then one little-wet dream speeds up his three-year timeline dramatically ... Post-Peaceful Ending. Slow Burn Done Right. 

FAULTED CODE Series by ProneToRelapse

Summary: "What I'd really like to know," Fowler says slowly, disapproving gaze fixed on Connor while Hank wheezes and tries to smother his laughter, "is why Detective Reed has submitted a formal complaint against you saying you threatened him."

"No threats were made, Captain," Connor says evenly, calm despite the scowl Reed is levelling at him from the other side of the office. "I know better than to antagonise someone so deeply mired in anti-android stigma."

"Then please explain to me why I'm dealing with, and I quote, "that fake plastic detective aggressively T-Posing at me in the bathroom"."

Hank loses his battle against professionalism, laughing so hard he nearly falls out of his chair."I was asserting my dominance," Connor says simply.

Connor is adjusting. Hank helps, in his own way. Slowburn. Excessive Memeing. Hank/North Bromance to end all Bromances. Intrigue. Do not skip. WIP.

WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE Series by SpicyReyes

Summary: After Connor and Hank reunite at ChickenFeed, they start taking the first steps toward the rest of their life. Slowburn. WIP.

EIGHTEEN WHEELS ON AN UPHILL CLIMB by blackeyedblonde

Summary: “Can I give you a ride into town, at least?” he calls out. “You’re sure you haven’t got folks anywhere around here—somebody who can look after you for a week or two?”

Connor laughs outright at that and figures he’s got nothing to lose in telling the truth. “Not unless you want to drive the 800 miles to Detroit.”

Hank’s mouth falls open as he physically leans into the word. “Detroit? No shit.”

“What?” Connor blurts out, puzzling over the other man’s expression from a distance. “That’s where my family is—well, the closest thing I have left to family, anyway.”

Hank’s face only splits into a wide grin and he barks out a laugh, the first real one Connor’s heard all night. “You’re in luck, kid,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief as he looks off into the rising daybreak behind Connor. “Seems like we’re both headed in the same direction.”  The Trucker!AU you didn’t know you needed in your life. WIP.

A TOURIST IN A DREAM by Octobig

Summary: Hank has stopped thinking about his place in the world for a long time. Old, washed-up cops don’t live exciting lives. He just does what he always does: cracks cases drinks whiskey and goes home to Sumo.

But then the android sent by CyberLife shows up – disarmingly curious, intentionally uprooting all the familiar aspects of Hank’s life, and he jumps headfirst into an android revolution. Barrels into cases like an unstoppable storm.

Halfway through, Hank realizes he’s no longer at the sidelines of his life.

And that Connor makes it better. All of it.

[Or alternatively: an episodic glimpse into the life of Hank Anderson and his partner Connor. Takes place after the revolution, happy ending included.] Absolutely Breathtaking. WIP, but please read. 

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to @fishfingersandscarves . I followed her over from the Hobbit fandom and her art is fantastic, and following her is how I found out about the majority of these fics. Give her a follow and lots of love. 

and another very special shoutout for @carriemebags who this list was made for. There are no words to describe how happy I am that she’s followed me down into this hell pit with these two lovely boys, and I can’t wait until you guys get to start seeing her art cause it is fantastic. <3