#also my love for the au ship is so much stronger than the endgame ship for Carson 😩

[ariparri]

This pick up line was absolutely PERFECT for Charson (๑>◡<๑)

Got this done very quickly because I actually like this one the most. Also like I really freaking adore this ship (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) I know I made Carson and Tulip endgame in my canon, but there’s something about Chester and Carson that I just love (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀) I’ve been in a dilemma with Carson's ships for a while now.

We’re still days away from the 11th, but I want to brainstorm something for my birthday σ^_^’ I have a lot of favorite ships but I don’t know which one to do :;(∩´﹏`∩);:

❌ NO REPOSTING ❌

[bottoms-movie]

SAMBUCKY FIC RECS

so a lot of people seemed interested this so here it is! if ya’ll like this, i can make more parts! this is split into three categories: based on tfatws, canon divergence, and au. all fics are on ao3. all of the fics are complete. some fics do include smut, but i included the ratings, so make sure to check for that based on preferences!

also, feel free to send me asks on your thoughts on any fics or if you’re interested in another sambucky fic rec post!

BASED ON TFATWS

Fill the Hole in my Heart | Not Rated | 4,848 words

Bucky dives into the world of online dating. The girls are nice, but there seems to be something missing. When he goes to Louisiana to meet Sam and his family, he realizes what that something was.

Skip, Reverse | Explicit | 7,945 words

Sam stood in the middle of their local Target with a throw pillow in each hand. The one in his left hand was butter-soft and matched the drapes in the living room, but Bucky had walked by five seconds ago and declared the one on the right “absolutely fucking hideous,” and so now Sam kind of wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything.

Sometimes romance is just bickering with your superhero partner/roommate at several different Target locations.

just won’t do right | General | 7,524 words

Sam's eyebrows go up, impressed, and he reaches over to squeeze Torres' shoulder, "This is amazing, kid. Thanks, really."

Bucky sits and watches in utter horror as the pink darkens on Torres' cheeks.

Oh, he realizes. Oh. Fuck.

body language will do the trick | Explicit | 12,598 words

“There’s no way you’re going to win this,” Bucky tells Sam. “I am going to love language the shit out of you.”

Sam gives him a considering look. “You do seem like you’d be really good at that.”

Bucky’s cheeks flush with heat. “Thanks, pal, I—”

Sam smirks, and Bucky’s eyes narrow. He shoves his elbow into Sam’s side and stalks off, leaving Sam cackling behind him.

“Your ass looks great today!” Sam yells.

Bucky reaches up to flip Sam the bird, and he definitely does not feel grateful that he wore his good jeans today. Bucky’s ass looks great every day.

checklist | General | 4,716 words

Bucky Barnes keeps a mental checklist of things he knows to be true at any given moment. Sometimes the checklist changes, because he's learned something else about himself. It changes, for example, when he starts realizing that maybe he would like to kiss Sam Wilson. Maybe.

best laid plans | 3 parts | 26,808 words

part 1: baby you’re the wave and I’m ready for the crash | Explicit | 6,616 words

Nah, my plan’s better,” Sam declares, before clapping Bucky on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry, what plan? Was that a plan? It didn’t sound like a plan to me, it sounded like a vague intention,” says Bucky, still scowling, and Sam grins.

“We’re winging it, the plan is a work in progress! Now c’mon, we gotta make some wardrobe adjustments if we’re gonna get into that club.”

Sam and Bucky have some unorthodox methods of going undercover in a club.

He Doesn’t Deserve You! | Teen | 5,154 words

Sam and Bucky have an argument that results in Bucky being left at the bar. A group of drunk strangers assumes Bucky just got dumped and quickly adopt him for the night to make him feel better.

Reconstitution | Not Rated | 10,228 words

“I didn’t back Steve on the Sokovia Accords,” Sam says unprompted one day. They’re so close to apprehending the Flagsmashers and wrapping up this ridiculous saga.

“I don’t follow,” Bucky says.

“I was the one who refused to sign it first. Not Steve.”

Sam says it so softly that Bucky has to strain to hear him. Sam is loud and chatty and half the time he keeps up a constant stream of chatter just to get on Bucky’s nerves, but Bucky’s coming to realize that when he really wants to make himself heard, he’s soft spoken and mild. Bucky doesn’t entirely follow his train of thought, though.

Or: a breaking down, remaking, and coming back stronger than ever before

Stuck On You (You Suez, You Luez) | Explicit | 10,136 words

Sam and Bucky’s mission was simple: stowaway on a ship suspected of weapons-smuggling in the Suez, gather enough intel to report back, and hop off again in Port Said. Something gets in the way, and a day-long recon session turns into a week of chess, bickering, semi-successful movie references, and trying not to go slowly insane.

His Touch | Mature | 1,006 words

When Baron Zemo touched Bucky’s face, Sam Wilson saw red.

Bucky just wants Sam to comfort him.

rusted | Teen | 2,358 words

Bucky doesn’t grace him with a sound of acknowledgement. He’s been quiet, ever since that night with Zemo. Well. Quieter. It’s almost like. Every time he opens his mouth, he’s half-expecting the Winter Soldier to come out.

He hasn’t, yet. Won’t, ever again. Not unbidden. Sam’s sure of that. Bucky, not so much.

‘You busy?’

‘’m scouring the—’

‘Good,’ Sam cuts the idiot off, ‘I need you to help me shave.’

advanced therapy methods for large adult men | 2 parts | 11,717 words

part 1: The Gottman Method for Dealing with Conflict | Mature | 4,187 words

Bucky and Dr. Raynor have a follow-up session and two entirely different conversations about his relationship status.

Or: Let's do more couples therapy, James.

it’s always Bucky’s Fault | 3 parts | 20,089 words

part 1: Did you see it? | Explicit | 3,905 words

In which there's supposedly a viral video of the Winter Soldier on his knees sucking off Captain America.

Everything is, like always, completely Bucky's fault.

CANON DIVERGENCE

Even in the Present (I Am Living in the Past) | Teen | 16,977 words

Sometimes Sam still questions everything about his ability to shoulder the 80-year legacy he now bears. His history, and the history of his loss, sticks with him and even in healing he doubts whether or not he is able to fulfil his purpose, and whether he may find lasting peace and happiness.

Told in fluid-fragments, the story moves between his therapy sessions after his return from active duty and the post-Endgame present.

You never forget your first | Teen | 3,650 words

The story of Bucky and Sam getting together in a series of firsts.

leftovers | Mature | 19,249 words

With the New Avengers up and running, Sam finally has time to start dating again. Unfortunately, it's not going as well as he'd hoped.

Partners | Explicit | 7,235 words

Sam's not sure if he can be Captain America. He's not a supersoldier. He can't throw the shield. He's just a dude.

And Bucky Barnes is just a nuisance, albeit a pretty good-looking one.

I’ll explain everything to the geese | Explicit | 50,949 words

Bucky is so competent that it hurts my feelings is not a rational complaint to have about a person, and yet, after a year of being Captain America and partnering up with Bucky for the new and improved, post-Blip Avengers, that’s kinda how Sam’s feeling.

It’s not great. It maybe leads to Sam making some rash, ill-advised decisions like claiming he has a previously undisclosed superpower, and then getting caught in a web of lies when he ends up actually developing that surprisingly inconvenient superpower. Talking to birds had seemed like a harmless superpower, but it turns out that birds have a lot of opinions, and they don’t hesitate to tell Sam about them, especially when it comes to his supposedly subpar courting skills. Which is ridiculous, because Sam isn’t courting Bucky. Right?

Night Swimming | Teen | 2,056 words

“Come on. The princess has a new arm for you and I gotta see if there’s a barber around here willing to tackle your…” Sam waved a hand at Bucky’s face.

“I don’t want a new arm,” Bucky immediately bit out.

And then -

“I can cut my own damn hair.”

Sam just raised both eyebrows. Crossed his arms over his chest again.

Dared Bucky to prove him wrong.

AU

Cpvert Coffee & Flirtation Specialist | General | 5,542 words

The reporter says "—for Captain America to—"

And Bucky rolls his eyes. "Oh, here we go."

Sam looks at him then tips his head sideways, got a weird grin on his face. "Not a fan?"

"Not that. Just… the guy seems too good to be true, right? Wings and a shield?? Come on."

"Uh, is that why your eyes are like glued to the screen whenever he's on?" Kate says. "Is that why you call him Captain Tight Ass?"

"He's a goddamn show-off, and you know it. Tight ass or not."

Just then Sam snorts, real loud, grabs his coffee and suffers a horribly controlled laugh on his way out the door.

Stolen Moments | Teen | 98,767 words

“No,” Sam said, chuckling. “I don’t cheat,” he swept his gaze up and down James’ body, “even with guys who look like you. But, I’m bored and a little pissed, so if you wanna sit here and shoot the shit ‘til my man shows back up, I’m game.”

Never one to back to back down from a challenge - especially a challenge who looked like Sam Wilson - Bucky took another swig from his bottle and replied, “Sure, doll. I’ve got nothing but time.”

Steve has Sam. Bucky wants Sam. Sam wasn’t expecting any of this.

Such a Whirlwind Since I Saw You | Teen | 10,871 words

The Men of Letters turned Bucky Barnes into a weapon. Hunters Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov are determined to save him, but they're going to need Sam Wilson's help.

“So you want me to ditch work, drive across America with you until you find your friend, who you thought was dead - all while avoiding some high-tech hunters who are out for blood?” Sam is asking.

Steve shrugs a shoulder, looking a little sheepish. Natasha almost laughs at the dry tone of Sam’s voice, but he's not wrong.

You Got What I Need? | Explicit | 37,588 words

Sam and Bucky are both in a bind, professionally. Nat points out a solution that neither men like. To save their careers they play along or rather, stop playing all together.

[backslashdelta]

Hey bella :) since you multiship Kurt, I was wondering what your ranking of Kurt ships would be?

OH GOSH okay so I love this question and you asked me a similar question about a month ago as well that I have yet to answer and I am very sorry so I think I'm just gonna combine them in this answer, because your other question was my favourite thing about each Kurt ship. So, I'm gonna rank my Kurt ships and talk about why I like them as I do it!

I have ranked Kurt ships in the past (I actually have a whole tag dedicated to talking about Kurt ships!), but I am going to do this ranking before I look at those, so it will be based purely on my feelings now.

Kurtbastian. Easily my number one ship. My favourite thing about them is just their dynamic and energy together. Love love love every interaction they've ever had, the way they react to each other and watch for the other's reaction, it's so so good. And playing around with the idea of an AU where they slowly let down their guards around each other, let each other in, see each other in their worst moments and instead of attacking like what's expected by this point they comfort? Yeah, that's the good shit.

Kelliott. Elliott was a breath of fresh air and a much needed friend to Kurt. He didn't put up with anyone's shit but he also wasn't an ass about it, and in my opinion Kurt has a tendency to kind of let his friends walk all over him, so I think it was valuable for him to see that. I also really like that they started as just friends. I think the idea of a romance slowly developing between them, trying to just be friends because they think the other doesn't feel the same way, would have been so soft and sweet. I also really like them because it feels realistic to me. Not that I need a ship to be realistic to enjoy it, of course, but it's something I really love about Kelliott specifically. The idea that Kurt has his first love and heartbreak with Blaine and comes out of that with a less idealized and more realistic view of love, and then he meets Elliott and it's not the same as it was with Blaine but that's not bad, it's just different. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they should have happened because I'm well aware that the writers wouldn't have done it the way I'd want, but I will say that if I were writing the show, I would have made it Kelliott endgame or left Kurt single (or with some other guy we'd never met at the 5 year flash forward).

Klaine. When I finished watching the show the first time around these two were at the top of my list. I love how much they love each other, I love the ways they're different and the ways those differences complement each other and I love the ways they're the same. I love that they were messy at times, they went through ups and downs and fights and breakups and they still managed to come out together and stronger in the end through it all. Klaine are the reason I started reading fanfiction and the reason I got involved in fandom. Now, I do have some problems with them, which is why they're no longer at the top of my list, and actually that's part of the reason I got into fic, is because I wanted to fix the problems I had with them because I loved them so much. And I do recognize that someone may say it's unfair to rank ships that never happened above them because of that, since Klaine only had these "issues" because they were canon, but I do just want to make it clear that I'm not saying Kurtbastian and Kelliott are better than Klaine; I'm just saying that I, personally, prefer them. And I'm going to leave it at that, because otherwise this is an entirely different conversation, and I already have a lot more to get through in this post haha.

Puckurt. Honestly this is so high largely because of how much love I have for Noah Puckerman. I think he is a wonderfully complex and interesting character and so obviously I want him and my absolute fave to be in love, you know? But on top of that, I think it could be such an interesting dynamic! We see Puck going from a huge bully to this kid who just doesn't know what he's doing, whose dad walked out on him and who has been taken advantage of by so many people in his life, of course he's acting out! It doesn't make it right, but I think it makes for such an interesting character. Seeing the ways that he grows, lets himself enjoy things and accept himself and others in ways he would have laughed at once upon a time, seeing how much he cares for those around him and how hard he loves. And Kurt loves hard, too. They both have such big hearts but they guard them so so closely, and honestly they do it in fairly similar ways. I think they could learn a lot from each other, and they're very different but I think it could really work in the right circumstances.

Kadam. I think Adam is such a sweetheart and honestly he deserved better than what Kurt gave him. Kurt kind of treated him like shit. That being said, I think they had so much potential. The scene where they talk about Blaine, and Kurt says he desperately wants to be over him, and Adam decides they're going to a movie so they can make it their movie? Beautiful. I wish we had more of that. I wish we had Kurt actually properly getting over Blaine with Adam, and of course we didn't because Kurt never does get over Blaine because they get back together, but oh god, what we could have had. The possibilities. Adam was so smitten with Kurt and he deserved to have that care returned to him and I think they would have been really sweet together if they had more of a chance.

Hevans. The ship we deserved but couldn't have. I loved Sam's introduction and how he handled things with Kurt; he didn't care that Finn said he'd get bullied, Kurt has a hell of a set of pipes and Sam was honoured to get to sing with him. He was worried he did something wrong when Kurt told him they wouldn't be sing together. He's impressed with everything Kurt is and does, he tells Kurt when he's living out of a motel, he makes macaroni art of Kurt's face that boy looks at Kurt and he sees everything wonderful about him and Kurt deserves that. And Sam is a sweetheart, he's goofy and nerdy and I really think that they would have a great time together. They're just a really sweet ship.

Wert aka Kes aka Kurt x Wes. Listen, this has absolutely no basis in the show. I was tempted to put it above Kadam but I had a hard time justifying it. This is based purely on Wes' characterization in the first fanfic I ever read, and then I wrote myself into shipping it when I started writing a Klaine fic where Wes was one of Blaine's best friends and I accidentally loved the Kurt/Wes dynamic a little too much. They have a special place in my heart and I love them.

Kody (Kurt x Brody). First of all, I think they'd be really hot together, so that definitely helps. But ALSO I think Brody deserved better than he got, and there's no way that man wasn't at least a little bi. I mostly ship this in a fun fling and/or fwb type way, where they aren't too serious and just have a little fun together, because let's be honest Kurt also deserved a proper slut phase in NYC while he was single.

Chummel. They would also look fantastic together. But I also think they're both really artistic and would be super supportive of each others' passions and drive them to be the best they could be.

Kartie & Kurtofsky. These are tied at the bottom because I don't actively ship them, but I... kind of wish I did? Like I don't dislike them, and Kurtofsky especially has been growing on me lately, and I can appreciate the things that make them fun ships and even recognize some of those things in some of the ships higher on this list. I still reblog content for them and I may even have a Kurtofsky gifset idea or two in my list that may eventually see the light of day if I'm ever feeling particularly motivated, I'm just not as passionate about them so they're done here I guess. No hate though! I still appreciate them.

Thank you so much for this ask!! It was a lot of fun to answer :)

[funnyincorrectmcu]

Saw you were doing an ask spree so I have a question! What are your ultimate favourite Marvel fanfics? (Ao3 answers preferable!)

OOOH!!! 

I ALWAYS LOVE THIS QUESTION!! But it’s also always SOO hard, because I have SO many fics that I ADORE! <3 <3 <3 

Okay okay. Since you’re asking for ultimate favorites, but since you’re also in a sense kind of asking for recommendations, I’ll do you a solid and give you a list of fifteen (which is really doing myself a solid because it means there are fewer that I have to narrow down). 

That said, if you really want my full list, go to my AO3 account and check out my bookmarks (and some of my works, if you’re interested!). Because there truly are a LOT of AMAZING writers out there. <3 <3 

Alright. Here goes nothing. 

Also, I am SO sorry this took me so long, but it took me forever to narrow down to fifteen, and even with THAT, I cheated. XD

Also also, fair warning, 95% of these are Tony and Peter centric. <3 

Also also also (lots of also’s, oops XD), I���m gonna give a little bit of info on each one for anyone interested, but PLEASE, read all tags and warnings before you actually start reading, because some of these are a little rougher than others. (Btw, when I say “major warnings”, I’m referring to AO3′s “major archive warnings” list.)

1. More Ancient Than Magic by @ironfamjam 

This is a mini Hogwarts AU that I absolutely ADORE and think about at least once a week. The way the author melds the two universes is incredible and so well done, and I quote it all the time.  One-shot, IronFam centric, featuring Ned and MJ, with special guest appearances from the other Avengers and Peter’s classmates. No major warnings. 

2. Everybody Loves Skip by @baloobird

Okay, Kris is my favorite MCU fanfic author of all time, so you’ll see her on here a couple of times. This is by far my favorite story of hers, and it’s what made me fall in love with Interwebs. <3 <3  Multichapter, Peter centric, featuring Ace!Peter and Interwebs, with special guest appearances from Tony, May, and Tracy Leeds. Minor sexual harassment/non-con, but it doesn’t get too graphic. 

3. Ohana by @jen27ny

I read this story as a part of last year’s Irondad Big Bang, and let me tell you, I was SOOO invested. I got to the point where I had to send in play by play reactions because I was so emotionally invested. The story is so well told. <3 Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Pepperony, Spideychelle, and minor Stucky, with special guest appearances from the rest of the Avengers, HYDRA, and my fast beating heart. No major warnings. 

4. Come, My Darling, Homeward Bound by @i-am-irondad

ANOTHER Irondad Big Bang 2020 story that I became OVERLY invested in to the point that I had to send play by plays in to the author. It’s a Room AU, and she NAILS each and every one of the character dynamics. I never even saw Room, and I loved it. <3  Multichapter, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring the rest of IronFam, Spideychelle, and adorable sibling moments, with special guest appearances from Quentin Beck and my tears. Minor implied sexual harassment/non-con. (She also has a prequel and a sequel, just so you know.) 

5. The Lightning Strike by @booksxtvxsupernatural

Yet ANOTHER Irondad Big Bang 2020 story that hit me right in the feels. This is a canon-divergent post-Infinity War fic, and the way the author shows how events could’ve transpired is so realistic and beautiful. <3  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Harley Keener and Nebula, with special guest appearances from IronFam, May Parker, and several other Avengers. 

6. Family Doesn’t End with Blood by @baloobird

This is a series of one-shots by my girl Kris based off of the Irondad Bingo prompts, so there are a lot of different prompts and themes, but they ALL rock.  Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Ace!Peter, IronFam, and Interwebs, with special guest appearances from several other MCU characters. Warnings vary, so pay attention to the tags and read the notes. 

7. I love you more than anything (bio dad AU) by @iron--spider

Okay, so maybe this is cheating, because it’s technically a series, but every fic in it is so good that I couldn’t possibly pick just one. I just love the whole series, because I love how the author builds their relationship. It’s so cute. <3  Series of one shots, Tony and Peter centric, featuring the rest of the Stark and Parker family and baby Peter, with special guest appearances from Obadiah Stane, James Rhodes, and Happy Hogan. No major warnings.

8. sometimes, people just die (and sometimes, they don’t) by @snarky-drabbles

This one was for the 2019 Irondad Secret Santa (huh. No wonder so many of them are Tony and Peter centric. XD), and it’s an amazing time loop story that takes place during Endgame and has an ending you might not expect, but it ROCKS.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric from Peter’s POV, featuring Pepper Potts and Stephen Strange, with special guest appearances from a whole lot of fighting. XD 

9. A Rite of Passage by @baloobird

Another ADORABLE Interwebs from my favorite person, because she made me obsessed with this ship and now I can’t stop. XD  One-shot, Interwebs centric (wait, did I actually find one that isn’t Tony and Peter??), featuring Ace!Peter and Bi!Ned, with special guest appearances from Brad Davis, Flash Thompson, and Betty Brant. Minor sexual harassment/non-con, but nothing graphic at all. 

10. Where Dreams are Nightmares in Disguise by @baloobird

This one was actually written for me, by Kris, so obviously, it made this list. I seriously cannot thank her enough for writing this amazing fic for me based on my prompt, and for writing it so well! I LOVED IT! <3  One-shot, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring Pepper Potts and lots of LEGOS, with a special guest appearance from a really bad dude. No major warnings. 

11. harm and foul by @iron--spider

You know, there’s a lot of Tony protecting Peter out there, but sometimes, I just really wanna see Peter protecting Tony, and this is a GREAT example of that.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring IronFam, Ned Leeds, and bada** mofo Peter Parker, with special guest appearances from Justin Hammer and a few Avengers. No major warnings.

12. Sugar, Butter, Flour by @doctornineandthreequarters

Another one written for me, this time by the incredible Jaime for the 2019 Irondad Secret Santa, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. She took my prompts to heart and created some BEAUTIFUL sibling bonding and I LOVE it!! <3 <3  One-shot, Peter, Harley, and Morgan centric (whoa. Another one without Tony. See? I have variety! ...kind of. XD), featuring Pepperony and adorable sibling love, with a special guest appearance from a Karen. No major warnings. 

13. Bite the Bullet by @baloobird

In case you haven’t figured it out, yet, I love you, Kris. XD <3 Another amazing ace story that gets me feeling all kinds of validated and loved. <3  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Spideychelle, Ace!Peter, and Ace!Tony, with a special guest appearance from BFF Ned and lots of lovely ace acceptance. No major warnings. 

14. what is stronger than the human heart which shatters over and over and still lives by @lyssismagical

So, I started reading her works solely through Tumblr, and when I finally realized that she had an AO3, I went on there and bookmarked a TON of her stories immediately. This is one of her more recent ones, but it’s one of my faves, even with all the whump (being Whumptober and all). It has a positive ending, I promise.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring amazing BFF Michelle Jones, protective Peter Parker, and adorable little sister Morgan Stark, with special guest appearances from Pepper Potts, May Parker, and a lot of family love and support. Rape/non-con, but it isn’t super graphic. 

15. Peaches by @peterparkrr

This was yet another Irondad Secret Santa 2019 fic, and while this one wasn’t written specifically for me, I freaking loved it. There’s so much tension and mystery in this, and I seriously thought I was gonna pass out reading it from all of my worry. But, luckily, it has a happy ending.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring canon divergence and lots of references to other Avengers, with a special guest appearance from a terrible government. No major warnings.

And there’s my top 15! But, because I said I was cheating, here are two bonus fics that cannot be found on AO3. I know you prefer AO3, but trust me when I say you cannot pass these up. 

1. This fic by @loubuttons

This was posted directly to Tumblr, but I have it saved in screenshots on my phone and I re-blog it all the time because I absolutely ADORE it. I will always be down for Peter and Morgan fics, especially when Tony is involved, and this one touches my heart like no other.  One-shot, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring protective big bro Peter Parker and Tony being an amazing parent, with special guest appearances from equally awesome Pepper Potts and May Parker. No major warnings. 

2. He’s My Intern? by losingmymindtonight (if they have a Tumblr, I don’t know it, so if anyone knows it, please find them and tell them they’re awesome)

This one was posted on FF.net, and it was actually one of the first Tony and Peter stories I ever read, and it BLEW me away. This one is another series of one-shots, but each one is filled with soft Tony and Peter moments and I love it.  Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Happy Hogan, Bruce Banner, F.R.I.D.A.Y., and all the hurt/comfort you could possibly want, with special guest appearances from Pepper Potts, May Parker, Ned Leeds, and several other Avengers. No major warnings.  

Okaaaaay. I think that’s it?? 

Wow. That took me FOREVER. 

And I’m not even sorry, because all of these authors deserve ALL of the credit I gave them. 

Thank you so much for asking this! I hope I didn’t bore you or babble too much. XD 

All of you should definitely check out these amazing fics! They 100% deserve the praise! <3 <3 

Thanks again for asking! <3 

[supercharmed-forever-mine]

On the rating of 10, how do you rate the writing of each legacies characters, why and who deserves better? What aspects should be improved?

I updated some of the opinion for clarity and also added Finch because I forgot her originally

I'll just make a list and go down it and I'm sorry in advance I love responding but I'm horrible at grammar/punctuation and also I might tend to ramble but I'll try to be as concise as possible. It should also be noted anything I state that might possibly relate to ships is a personal opinion and I have nothing against any ships/characters gay or straight/Good or Evil. However would it be said that I definitely mean more towards the gay/Badass with a Golden heart side of shipping with any fandom.

Hope Mikaelson- As of now I would rate her writing at about a 6. And I only say that because as we know a majority of her characters personality slightly has always but this season especially related to her relationship with Landon. And I wish we would see the Badass Tribrid Hope we've been promised since season 1 I mean sure there are no lack of examples of her bravery and martyrdom. But I am tired of her always feeling down on herself and like she's a cosmic mistake when it has literally been proven by Lizzie's wish in season 1 that their life would be infinitely shittier without her. What they can do to improve it is have her focus on friendship and herself instead of trying to always focus on Landon. She deserves more than just to be a boy obsessed character I mean she's the daughter of Klaus F****** Mikaelson for Pete sakes she literally descends from the most powerful supernatural family ever to exist and is rightfully the most powerful being on the f****** planet.

Note: I found Handon's relationship cutesy in season 1 but now not so much especially since they use him dying as a plot line way too often it just doesn't have the same effect that used to***

Josie Saltzman-As of now I would rate her writing at about an 8. I like how her character at least for a while had her own storyline going off the mystic falls High School plotline and how she lived with delena because it was a good call back for us TVD fans but I think it could have definitely lasted longer than a few episodes. We all know it was just used as a lot device to introduce Ethan as a series regular and as an introduction for her to Finch's character. But overall I feel throughout the seasons she has experienced at least some personal growth as exhibited even in 3x15 where she admitted she has to stop saying sorry especially to Lizzie for not always jumping to do what she needs / she wants all the time. Whereas before Android AU version aside because she literally had to do what she was programmed to do. She has an exhibited that she's starting to do what she needs to do for Josie before others most of the time or she's trying to. And as far as her relationship to Finch well I don't see them being endgame I have no problem with them and I do see Finch being one of her major loves of the series that teaches her whatever lesson she needs that leads her to whoever her endgame love is. With her relationships I will always miss Posie and I wish they could get Lulu back at least just for one episode. Also I feel these last two episodes of the girls being a trio they have a really Been serving Hosie with the looks but also I feel like in general Josie and Hope have been really in f****** tune. In conclusion I just don't know because Kaylee's acting skills and just turning general I would rate a billion she could choke me and I would literally thank her.

Lizzie Saltzman-as of now I would rate her at about a 7. I feel as if she has had great personal growth over the series and hell even this season. I also like hell despite everything in her life especially her eternal struggle with her mental illness she is always trying to do better and not just for herself but mainly for others and some people would say that's not good but I like it because it truly shows what she stated in 1x03 during the gargoyle incident that she never wants to be the bad or evil one. She has all this s*** thrown at her being called broken, being seen as the lesser than sister, and not to mention the absentee parents. Yet through all this she manages to only get stronger especially once she builds a genuine friendship with hope. However what I will say is that I don't like the regression of her friendship with Hope in correlation to her progress of especially her mental illness. And what I mean by that is it's almost been shown that once she had even the seeds of a true friendship with Hope that Hope would never give up on her hell not but like even an episode or two into their newly formed friendship in S1 Hope went to Josie when she Lizzie was on the verge of a bad episode and "sweet" Josie was basically like fuck her she needs to fall on her ass for once and Hope ass was appalled y'all she was like Lizzie can't control her brain chemistry and was so defensive/protective it's like once they got over that hurdle that mainly Josie gave them everything clicked into place and they were almost instant bff's. So for them to do so good in season 2 and then it seems like it showed especially in these last several episodes black magic incident to bring Landon back aside that Lizzie's old issues of resentment and jealousy towards hope are starting to come back and I don't like that because the more Lizzie had A Friend in Hope it seems like the better she got at coping and doing better mentally.(sorry if this has been a confusing several sentences). And no by that I do not mean that Lizzie is mental progress has solely relied on Hope but I do think it has helped significantly for her to have a true friend. Also let it be noted now out of every ship though I should Hosie too HIZZIE is my #1 ship on Legacies two phenomenally beautiful woman also the enemies to friends to lovers trope *chef's kiss*which might be plausible as I always wondered what they meant in the Hosie crush confession scene of season 1 when Josie said that she always went after everybody josie liked hinting that Lizzie might be at least bisexual or maybe that was just what Josie perceived at like 12/13 years old. Also on the note of relationships Mizzie was a cute concept at the beginning but I do love the fact that MG is finally finding himself and standing up for himself but he did also do it and I kind of a******-ish way towards Lizzie. And that's all I can say for her. Actually I could probably write a novel on this women and also Hizzie but I won't lol.

Alaric Saltzman- As of now I would give him a rating of like a 4 . In the last several episodes I think he's been trying to make progress at being a better person but that's about all I can say I'm not an anti. But he definitely will not be winning the father of the year award anytime soon and like many people have pointed out he was a great guardian to Elena and Jeremy so he has the potential in parenting he obviously just ain't using it or lost it over the decades. I don't hate him but I do believe they're doing a discredit towards the better man he was in The vampire Diaries especially at the beginning.

Landon Kirby-His writing is like a 3. He is just there to be arm candy for hope. Until the last couple episodes where he became this for once realistic not optimistic hardened badass he literally brought nothing to The season other than someone for Hope to obsess over. And to be someone that they repeatedly kill for shock value even though it literally shocks no one anymore. I don't hate his character but he doesn't tickle My Fancy as much anymore. His character has a lot of potentialy especially if they ever bring back in his Phoenix side and truly explore it beyond his almost endless ability to revive and being a "Bird Boy" lol. I mean truthfully they're doing him a disservice Aria is a phenomenal actor who could take his character places if they just let him be more than a basic ass plot device. Also can we talk about how gorgeous of a man Aria is especially in these last few episodes looking love it and fine as f***.

As it has become apparent to me I ramble too much and I just don't have the capacity as it is now almost 1:00 in the morning my time to do anymore characters in depth so I will be doing a simple excerpt for the rest now that I have done the main 5 people.

Kaleb Hawkins- His writing is a 8. I do like how he's coming to himself over the years and is a a right hand man to Alaric now instead of being just a uncontrollable vampire(the only hate on this part not towards Kaleb but Alaric is that it shows he will virtually mentor/uplift almost any teen that ain't his own daughters). Though in my opinion he always kind of had a point on some things especially about the hypocrisy of Alaric in season 1 especially on the bmood drinking thing. Him and Mg's relationship is awesome I'm glad they made up in the last episode and our brothers again. Also I was rooting for him and Cleo I think they would be a cute little couple. Also I need his backstory immediately especially after saying to Cleo the last time he was vulnerable he died I need to know how he turned.

Milton Greasley(MG)- His writing is a 9 the season. I say that because he is really came into his own and stopped being the punching bag. Though I think the idea or used to think at least that him and Lizzie would be cute together I am proud of him for standing up to Lizzie finally even though I liked him always being there for her I was tired of him being a fallback for her when it didn't work with whoever however I do think he could have went about the rejection a little bit gentler especially with how he knows of Lizzie's emotional problems. And don't even get me started on Alyssa that was just a disaster that should have never even been brought to fruition her cheating with Jed was probably the best thing that could have happened. I liked his little side adventure with Ethan though I do think they could have wrote it a little better I was sad when he had to compel the memories away like they still could have been friends he just couldn't have known about the supernatural stuff also I'm still not convinced Ethan won't become supernatural later in the series if he stays on. And that's all I have to say on that one love my baby.

Jed Tien-His writing I can't really give a writing I don't think it's horrible but I do think overall they could give him a better plot line as a series regular other than just being used for the comical relief eye candy/mentioning how he's the alpha. Though it was funny the whole pool tournament to decide who was alpha will Finch was just exactly that so bad it was laughable. However I do respect the fact that he even admitted to her that he knew she threw the game and that he is a genuine man of his word and has become better over the series from like this dumb jock stereotype to this genuine dude the Alyssa incident aside. He is a cinnamon roll and I will protect him at all cost.

Ethan- Again as he just became a series regular this season and barely showed up in his premiere season. I will not be rating him in any traditional sense. His writing is not totally horrible I liked his adventures with mg they could have been written better and they still could have let him be MG's friend without supernatural knowledge instead of compelling the friendship completely away. And I am still not convinced he will not become supernatural in some way depending on how long he stays in the series truthfully it's actually almost inevitable unless they go the whole route of making him the Matt/Token Human of the show which I really hope they don't I mean he can stay human but don't make him a supernatural hater.

Cleo-her writing is 10. I say that because she has been a phenomenal character and I've never seen the actress before but she is obviously phenomenal as well. I like her whole connection to Malivore and how it's a legitimate one that seems to be interwoven with the story that's already been presented and add something new. I also like how she tried and really wanted to genuinely be friends with all the characters especially hope but at the same time she was also very realistic and new probably and truthfully the only way for Malivore to be defeated was for Hope to Go full Tribrid and she wasn't above actually trying to murder hope to save herself and just get rid of Malivore which I can't blame her.

Malivore-after the end of season 3 / the first couple episodes of season 4 which were supposed to be the original ending to season 3 I better never hear the name again I am so tired of it this should have ended like at least a season ago at this point it's dragging on. This was supposed to be a monster of the week type of series which is okay me personally I have always appreciated having one big bad of the season and then a couple of minor baddies that get their characters arcs and take a few episodes to defeat or something as like a B or C plot. Point being is that this character and plot line has gotten stiff as can be. To be honest I think half of us aren't even here for plot line anymore we just want to see which of our ships get together.

Finch-I am loving her character and I do think she's cute with Josie. Also I stan anyone who is a sarcastic b**** Queen. I think it's nice how her will backstory was different than the traditional one but also I hated how sad it was like she literally didn't even know what she was doing. Though I will say calling Lizzie the "evil" twin that she can fight me because you don't talk about my blonde cinnamon roll like that is based on one impression from something that was only meant and done out of a good place and Lizzie's heart trying to find out her backstory. But other than that I have no real qualms with this character and it is too early to have a real in-depth analysis/opinion of her.

Thank you for reading this long rant hope I answered your question well enough if not PM me on anything specific.

[what2finish]

Creator Post: Rudearrow

Rudearrow’s WTF Creator Post (Auction #1001, #1002)

Creator’s previous works: Here!

Link to GDrive Folder of WIP Summaries/HCs/Plot Bunnies Creator is Offering: Here! 

you can contact the creator before bidding at:

email: rudearrow@gmail.com

Likes:  fantasy au, sci-fi au, plotfic/casefic, found family, Redemption Arc With Hard Work, Demonstrating Contrition, and Learning to Love Yourself(tm), wingfic, lesser known pairings and characters, crossovers, whacky ideas taken seriously, whacky ideas taken whackily, bdsm

Do Not Wants: no non-con, torture, incest, or underage. no harder kinks, ie: scat, waterworks, gore, etc.

Preferred Charities of the creator: Any

Full Charities List

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Auction #1

Type of fanwork: fanfiction

Fandom: Marvel, DC, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed, (honestly, just email me if you like my writing... if I know your canon, I'm probably down)

Pairing(s): I'm a multi-shipper who loves underdog/rarepairs, existing WIPs are for Winterhawk, Winteriron, Winterironhawk, Robb/Theon, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Dean Winchester. Platonic/grey-ace pairings welcome!

Character(s): there isn't a character from any of the canons listed that I won't write

Rating: General, Teen, Mature

Marvel WIPs:

Crimson & Clover: Urban Fantasy AU; 616 Clint & Bucky, endgame Winterhawk. Clint Barton has finally done the Right Thing(tm) and left his life of petty crime with Cirque du Nuit behind him. He’s got a GED, a bow, and coffee- and not much else. In the process of rebuilding his life, he runs into a not-so-tall, dark, and handsome stranger. Literally. He thinks a spilled latte and a bump on the head will be the end of his encounter, but with each successive run-in, he realizes that maybe luck just isn’t on his side and outrunning his past might not be in the cards after all. Current WC: 15k.

Half-splitting the Problem: Winteriron canon reversal! Feared dead after an attack on his convoy in Afghanistan nearly three months ago, the CEO of Barnes Industries has once again defied expectations. Having survived the attack and his subsequent captivity by the terrorist organization, The Ten Rings, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes has returned to American soil and turned his company upside down. Tony Stark, a young man from humble means with few options, has been working his internship with SI R&D for nearly a year now. He’s noticed activities that can only be described as ‘iffy’ at best, but with a boatload of student debt and a work history peppered with reprimands and missed deadlines he’s decided to keep his head down for the almighty dollar and hope for the best... Until he stumbles across Obadiah Stane’s personal project. Current WC: 1.5k

Seraphic (Hallowed Incorporeal Entities) Liaison Division, AKA: S.H.I.E.L.D.: Winterironhawk wingfic! Bucky Barnes has been assigned a new Seraph partner and he’s not happy about it. Tony Stark is that  Seraph and while he’s not thrilled either, it really is a lot of fun to push Barnes’s buttons. Clinton Francis Barton, unbeknownst to him, is their first assigned charge. And honestly? He could use all the help S.H.I.E.L.D. can spare. Current WC: 3k

Misadventures in Solitude: Clint Barton-centric, fwb Winterhawk, open to endgame romantic Winterhawk, alternative Clint pairing (except Nat. Sorry, for me they are always platonic soul mates), and/or poly. Just a day in the life of Clint Barton, coffee-riddled, exhausted corporate cog. He did all the “right” things- went to school, got a decent white-collar job, moved to the big city- so why is he so unhappy? And lost. Except, shit... he’s actually lost. Where the futz is he? Current WC: 1.5k

Part I:  The Space Between Us: 616 Winterhawk; Space! Kidnapped Clint! BDSM. This is technically part one to the fic I finished a few months ago on my linked Ao3, Show Me the Miles. Bucky has been chosen for the “away team”, as Stark likes to call it. While Bucky is bored almost to tears watching Stark and Rogers schmooze with extraterrestrial royalty, Clint is snatched while on a milk run mission back on Earth. Bucky, suffice it to say, doesn’t exactly take the news well. Current WC: 5.5k

Marvel HC:

Fairytale Winteriron AU: Bucky/Tony Bucky is a sprite with moth wings. Tony is a sprite with butterfly wings. Their peoples have centuries of animosity and sharp words for each other. Then ‘the fire(fly) nation attacked’ and [choose which one here] is injured, only to be saved by the other! Begrudging friendship and appreciation turn into more. Endgame is sprites in love. \o/ 

Completion WC Estimates:

Crimson & Clover, Estimated 40k+ upon completion. 

Half-splitting the Problem, Estimated 15-20k upon completion. 

Seraphic (Hallowed Incorporeal Entities) Liaison Division, AKA: S.H.I.E.L.D., Estimated 20k+ upon completion. 

Misadventures in Solitude, Estimated 10k+ upon completion.

Part I: The Space Between Us, Estimated 15-20k upon completion.

Fairytale Winteriron AU HC, Estimated 15-20k upon completion.

GOT WIP:

Manual for Spaceship Westeros: Robb/Theon; Space Colony Au! There is tension between the loose planetary alliance that calls itself Westeros. Robb Stark, as the only full-blood Stark son of age, is sent to negotiate a stronger alliance with Iron Born, a terrifying clan who has made a small water planet habitable through the genetic modification of its ancestors, sweat, and blood. Robb arrives to seek an audience with The Greyjoy and make his offer- the hand of his sister Sansa. But The Greyjoy deems this insufficient and Robb quickly finds himself on the offering plate. Current WC 2k.

Completion WC Estimate: 20-25k

Stranger Things & Supernatural: 

Billy Dean Was My Lover (working tongue in cheek title): main pairing Steve/Billy (possibly Steve/Billy/Dean?); Billy/Dean; crossover plot-ish fic! When his dad called and ordered Dean to pack up Sam then head for the Midwest, he didn’t ask questions. Apparently, strange things were happening in small town Indiana; which was usually a Winchester’s bread and butter. Yet even Dean and Sam aren’t quite prepared for the kind of strange Hawkins has, especially with John failing to meet them at the town’s motel. But there was something even more surprising than the super-powered teenage girl and a whole new world of monsters... 

Hearing the name of Dean’s tape-swap penpal out of some preppy, polo-wearing guy’s mouth. Current WC 1k.

WILDCARD, AKA: ANY HC/PROMPT FOR THE ABOVE PAIRINGS AND FANDOMS LISTED.

If you like my writing but aren’t into the WIPs here, I will write a fic that is a minimum of 10k for any character, ship, platonic pair, for any of the fandoms listed above. I’m also happy to write for material/canon I know but that isn’t listed above. If I know it well enough, I’ll write it for you! (Exception being RPS.) Just message me if you’re curious and I’ll confirm that I’m familiar with the source material. :)

Starting Bid: $10

Creator Notes:

Like my fellow mod, Mei, I am willing to work my winner's likes into my stories and am open to brainstorming sessions!

Feel free to email me to learn more about any of the WIPs stories and if you like, I will give you my Discord handle. I am willing to work with my winner's pairings as long as they don't fall into my DNWs. For Marvel the only two pairings (of the ones I am most familiar) that I just cannot see romantically/sexually are Clint/Natasha and Bucky/Steve.

Current Bid Spreadsheet: Here.

Please check what the current bid is at before bidding.

Bids might take a few minutes to load.

Bidding ends on November 28th 11:59:00pm CST. The highest bid before that deadline will win the auction.

Bidding Form: Here.

Please check the Bid Spreadsheet and bid higher than the previous bid.

You will not be notified if you have been outbid. Only the winner will be notified after bidding ends.

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Auction #2

Type of fanwork: fanfiction

Fandom: Marvel, DC, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed, (honestly, just email me if you like my writing... if I know your canon, I'm probably down)

Pairing(s): I'm a multi-shipper who loves underdog/rarepairs, existing WIPs are for Winterhawk, Winteriron, Winterironhawk, Robb/Theon, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Dean Winchester. Platonic/grey-ace pairings welcome!

Character(s): there isn't a character from any of the canons listed that I won't write

Rating: General, Teen, Mature

WIPs/Prompt:

Literally the same as Auction #1!

Staring Bid: $10

Creator Notes:

Like my fellow mod, Mei, I am willing to work my winner's likes into my stories and am open to brainstorming sessions!

Feel free to email me to learn more about any of the WIPs stories and if you like, I will give you my Discord handle. I am willing to work with my winner's pairings as long as they don't fall into my DNWs. For Marvel the only two pairings (of the ones I am most familiar) that I just cannot see romantically/sexually are Clint/Natasha and Bucky/Steve.

**In the unlikely event that both winning bidders want the same fic and you don’t want any of the other WIPs listed, I will offer up a fic of equal or greater length for whatever HC you desire. Within, of course, the same DNW parameters listed above. This includes the Wild Card option!**

Current Bid Spreadsheet: Here.

Please check what the current bid is at before bidding.

Bids might take a few minutes to load.

Bidding ends on November 28th 11:59:00pm CST. The highest bid before that deadline will win the auction.

Bidding Form: Here.

Please check the Bid Spreadsheet and bid higher than the previous bid.

You will not be notified if you have been outbid. Only the winner will be notified after bidding ends.

[intheseautumnhands]

Um! Kliego, and.... your favourite other TUA ship (lawd, I'm suddenly hoping that you ship kliego lmaooo, sorry if you don't :'))

Hah, it’s fine! I’m into pretty much every single Hargreeves ship to some extent. Klaus/Diego* is not super high on my list to be honest, but I’m definitely still into it overall! I think it’s just fandom saturation more than anything that puts it lower down, because I do think the dynamic could be of interest.

* (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I cannot use smushnames. I don’t begrudge anyone else use of them, they don’t bug me *that* much, but typing them feels so awkward.)

Choosing a favorite is honestly harder because I just want to ship all of them but I will... I dunno. Maybe RNG stuff I’ve written lately to pick. XD

Gonna cut since I’m already rambling before I even put in the questions, whoops.

(Also, two-days-later A: Hi I fell asleep in the middle of this and then barely touched my computer yesterday. Sorry!) 

 Klaus/Diego:

when of if I started shipping it: I walked out of my first viewing singing the song of my people at every single combination possible (Not even walked out, I watched over several days, it only took the first. not even half a season.) (The song of my people is, of course, I Ship It by Not Literally.)

my thoughts: Again, it’s not my #1 ship for the show, but I definitely could see it. I like that, of all the possible combos that could have hung out during the time between leaving home and the show, they seem to have the least amount of active vitriol and bitterness. It opens up interesting windows for that time period, as well as means it’s among the ships that need the least foundation work to get to somewhere decent afterwards. It makes it an interesting counterpart to some of the more actively difficult combinations, which I like especially in a poly context (because I am me and everything happens in a poly context).

What makes me happy about them: Again, the possibilities during the time gaps! And the general sense of... friendliness? It does feel like they’d have a lot less to get over than a lot of the pairs and I like it. (granted I think Klaus in general, while he has plenty of issues, seems to have less of them with his siblings specifically than most, so that’s playing into it, but I also see Diego as probably the one with the most after Vanya, so that’s interesting in and of itself.)

What makes me sad about them: I’m just sad for all these children growing up in their shitty, shitty childhood. And by sad I mean I want to read a lot of things that make me want to cry. Either as children but also I’m down for adults unwillingly letting the conversation drag around to their trauma too.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: Klaus is snarkier, more clever, and a lot stronger, mentally and physically, than I feel like a lot of fic gives him credit for. I think that goes for a lot of fic in this fandom, but since it’s one of the biggest ships and he’s in it, I feel like it shows up a lot for K/D. I’m not a big fan of them being really close as kids, either, which comes up a lot; my headcanon for Diego being pretty distant from all his siblings is strong enough that it takes a lot of set-up for me to accept anything else. (Awkwardly getting close in late teens as both of their ‘get me the fuck out of here’ drives get stronger and stronger is easier for me to see than close-as-kids.)

things I look for in fanfic: Tropes! The writers for this ship give me all the tropes. I want to marinate in it. I’m also kind of into general ‘it was casual, then whoops, I caught feelings, now what??????’ for them, because I could see it. Other than that, like... look, if it looks like it’s interestingly written or has an interesting concept, I will read it. I’m not super picky in this fandom, if it’s Hargreeves-centric and doesn’t bitch at shippers in the tags I’m in to at least give it a try.

My kinks: Uhhhh. Hmmm. I haven’t actually read a lot of kink fic for this ship or considered it, but I feel like I want mutual sadism/masochism.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Honestly my hope is for most of the characters to end up without another major romantic plot. I’m here for canon Allison/Luther but hoping the rest of them just... don’t. Especially since I don’t see them going for two sibling ships and that’s really all I’d want to see. If not that, both of them with new characters would be my preference, because there’s no one actually in the show I’d be down for. Maybe if they somehow warp the timelines around enough to bring Patch back, but even then, eh, just let me have family stuff.

My happily ever after for them: In general as characters, my ideal endgame for both characters is in healthier places than their start point, still clearly working out their shit, and on good terms as a family. As a ship: I feel like both of them would get bored eventually by any kind of ‘and then they went and got a happy domestic place to live and nothing exciting ever happened again’, even if it might be nice for a little while, so... active, somehow. Either they end up somehow finding some kind of active hobby to screw around with together, and enjoy flirting with each other while they do it, or like, I don’t know, get bored one day and accidentally buy a business just to have something to do and find they get weirdly invested in running it. (Maybe, like, a restuarant or something else that’s really high-stress. Or maybe the gym Diego boxes at goes for sale and he doesn’t like the look of the most likely potential buyer and buys it himself before he realizes he has no idea how to run something and has to slink back home and let Klaus laugh at him. Shit, I want that fic now.)

who is the big spoon/little spoon: This assumes either one of them are capable of sleeping totally still which honestly I don’t see. They both seem like the kind of people who flip around in their sleep and wake up five times a night. So, they both take it in turns and also sometimes just end up in weird sprawled positions, either on top of each other or really far from each other.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Honestly, I feel like joking around and talking together would probably be it. I could see road trips, too.

Uhhhh I RNG’d things I’ve written lately and I got Ben/Allison. Nobody else writes that but it’s the tiny ship of my heart so I’m gonna do it anyway. I’m sorry, my random teeny ships are what you sign up for when I get to choose. >>

when of if I started shipping it: On like my third rewatch Allison’s little “I miss him” while she’s watching the cameras burned itself into my brain and I have wanted more for the two of them ever since.

my thoughts: I just! Look it’s pretty much canon that everyone loved Ben, but something about his snarky-but-because-I-want-you-to-do-better-and-I’ve-given-up commentary with Klaus and Allison’s alternating defensive and concerned mode -- I just want them to team up together to despair everyone else’s problems and try to figure out how to help (and often failing; I feel like in a general sense, they’re both better at pointing out the problems than actually fixing them on their own). And I feel like they both get prickly in ways the other would understand and be able to deal with easier than most of the family.

What makes me happy about them: I feel like this just blends into the thoughts above. I love the potential for how they might interact, and the potential for them to call out each other’s shit (and probably everyone else’s).

What makes me sad about them: Everything about Ben in canon is sad! Even the happy things are sad!

things done in fanfic that annoys me: There are exactly two fics for this pairing and one is me and one is PWP smut, which just isn’t super my thing. So uh. there needs to be fic to annoy me. Please write fic specifically to annoy me, oh no, don’t throw me into that briar patch. (That said, in general, I feel like both of them get their sharper points filed down a lot in fic. They both have their pointed sarcasm and their moments of outright lashing out, and I want to see more fic deal with that.)

things I look for in fanfic: Again, I say, please let fic exist. Also, I badly want a proper AU of Ben surviving and running off to Hollywood with Allison. I did not do it justice in my tiny thing.

My kinks: I want switchy powerplay with an emphasis on play -- competitiveness and teasing and wrestling. Also younger or AU Allison who hasn’t yet tried not to use her rumors for everything not trusting anyone but Ben enough to gag her, because her voice is her best weapon. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Please please give me an Allison/Luther endgame. Ben I have no feelings on -- I still stand by not wanting any other romantic subplots, really -- but I am rooting for Allison/Luther in canon no matter how many others I ship them with.

My happily ever after for them: Possible in canon, as characters: Allison figures out how to balance ‘not using her rumors at all’ and ‘rumoring everything always’; Ben gets brought back to life and gets to be happy. As a ship: Honestly, connected to the family and both doing their own, fulfilling, non-superheroy things. Allison can act and Ben can get a chance to figure out what he wants to do, because I feel like even if he’d survived that would’ve been hard for him.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Especially if we’re going with some semblance of canon and Ben’s died and come back, he’s the little spoon, because being wrapped up in someone else is comforting. But also just any kind of cuddling is welcome.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Judging everyone. No, I kid. Sharing and discussing books and movies, maybe. Ben passes along books he liked* and they watch movies together and Allison dissects acting choices and they both debate themes and ending of more ambiguous stories. They are loud movie watchers if they stay home to watch things, and go have loud debates over coffee after if they go out. *(I actually have a whole tangent in a fic that got cut out that I want to reuse for this fact, specifically about Ben having a slightly masochistic Lovecraftian phase in his early teens and passing it on to Allison, and Allison in her 20s thinking that if it fits either of them, it’s her, because she gets in people’s brains and rewires them and they forget what she’s done to them, and if either of them could make people go mad, it’s her.)

[wingheadshellhead]

endgame time

okay i figure i might as well post all my thoughts on the movie and get all of it out at once

the good shit (oh yes i loved iron man 5)

the tony and nebula interactions were so good. so soft. love that sweet validation of them being stuck for 3 weeks and getting along. TONY OFFERING HER THE BLUEBERRIES on their last day of oxygen and her pushing his hand away and tony immediately scarfing them all. tony thinking of a complete stranger’s needs before himself even as he’s dying. fucking good shit a+

when he stepped off the jet and it was STEVE who rushed immediately to catch him lmao my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. a beautiful cinematic stevetony moment.

“i lost the kid, i lost the kid” holy shit superfam........ SUPERFAM. how he looked so distraught and heartbroken like he knows he took a teenager up to space with him to fight the greatest villain the world has ever faced and he LOST him and the way it broke him saying it out loud as steve was holding onto him

the catharsis of tony having his big “I WAS RIGHT FUCK YOU” speech and then collapsing afterwards. SHIVERS. and it was fantastic seeing rdj physically weakened and looking like crap surviving for 3 weeks on the ship with zero supplies. WHEN HE TORE THE REACTOR OFF HIS CHEST AND SHOVED IT INTO STEVE’S HAND. “where were you when i needed you” “we’ll lose together. you said we’d do that together too, LIAR” (not a paraphrase) oh my gOD. fucking deserved. his righteousness, his betrayal, his hurt. so excellent. loved that for him. all the avengers watching him with mild concern but also resignation knowing he WAS right and they’d treated him like he was crazy two years ago for nearly losing his mind because he was so worried about the threat of impending invasion.

5 YEARS LATER. steve holding support group was such a great moment of continuity from him watching sam holding the veterans group (a first win for samsteve in the movie), i loved him still wanting to create a space for others to share their trauma and to talk. the painful irony of having a whole cap trilogy and 4 avengers movies and having so few scenes of steve actually talking about his trauma and instead having his experiences filtered through other people’s dialogue has been so fucking painful and endgame continued to screw him over (see below lmao) with this one but i thought this scene was still a nice touch.

really enjoyed natasha saying she’d found a family and a purpose in THEORY but it wasn’t backed up enough by the context. she was running point on what was left of the avengers essentially but it felt more work related than “oh we’re a FAMILY” which the avengers has never been as much as they might try to act like it for one line of dialogue that’s meant to be so meaningful

AVENGERS ENDGAME AS A TIME TRAVEL CAPER. holy fuck a literal au come to life. loved it. we got a whole stevetony going undercover in the 70s on a mission which was awesome. spy!steve and spy!tony shenanigans. the throwbacks to 2012 avengers and continuations of the scenes we saw in the movie were so so much fun. 

america’s ass. god bless. tony thirsting after steve in every world in every universe in the multiverse. 

“i missed that giddy optimism” he also missed that ass, apparently

they really fucking WENT there with the hail hydra but i thought it was a smart (if smug) wink to the audience of steve one upping the hydra guys and taking the scepter from them.

STEVE LIFTING MJOLNIR!!!! steve WIELDING mjolnir and doing the lightning thing. THAT’S MY BOY!!!!!!!!

being 90% sure that tony was going to die going into this movie i knew it was nails in the coffin the MOMENT we saw the 5 years later flashback and we were at this beautiful house and tony was married and playing with his kid. it seemed gratuitous, it seemed too good to be true. and it’s everything tony deserved and more. the domesticity, the beautiful simplicity and quietness of having a wife and a kid and being surrounded by so much love. I LOVE YOU 3000. i love you 3000. holy shit. you cannot tell me or anyone that tony isn’t the best dad in the whole damn universe. that kid was so loved, so adored. all along, all tony has wanted is a family. he just wants people to love him and people that he can love that will stay. and he got exactly that. he got five years of that and maybe it’s not enough but being a superhero it never is. i’m glad he got that 5 years. 

RESCUE PEPPER was incredible. gwyneth got more screentime than i thought she would. seeing pepperony flying their suits in the sky was SUCH a trip ironfam really won this whole event. 

tony being bitter and putting up a front when natasha, steve and scott came to visit him. it was so jarring watching steve seeing tony with the happy family and life he’d never been able to have, always an impossibility to him. steve jumping the gun with “is pepper pregnant” in cw. such a bittersweet moment. it’s one of those very classic comic moments in the multiverse where they have a wild au concept and they lull you into a false sense of security that everything is beautiful and perfect and happy until they have to ruin it all again and go be heroes. it was very that. except the happiness and love was all REAL and tony got to have it.

their conversation about how everything had worked out for him and how he had a family he couldn’t leave behind..... bro he really got me (and the avengers) there. do you really think THE tony stark could ever live happily ever after knowing half the world was dead? either he’s going to die trying to bring them back or he won’t be able to live with himself at all. the simulations were such a satisfying move. his conversation with pepper. her telling him he wouldn’t be able to rest. it was tony asking permission but also telling her that he was going to go and leave behind their life to do what he had to do. the subtext of that whole scene was really fantastically done. 

PETER AND TONY. THE PHOTOGRAPH. HIM LINGERING ON THE PICTURE OF PETER LIKE OF FUCKING COURSE HE HASN’T HAD A MOMENTS REST NOT THINKING ABOUT HIM.

so anyway. tony invents time travel. we love a genius. he also invents an infinity gauntlet. incredible.

i was holding my breath the entire scene of tag when they were tossing the gauntlet back and forth mf wAITING for it to land near enough to tony. i knew it was coming but like,,, jesus christ part of me wasn’t sure when they had bruce do the snap. they skipped a lot of the technicalities of wielding the actual gauntlet (like not going mad from power and having the whole weight of the universe inside your head at your fingertips) probably to keep from weighing the story down but THAT would have been a brilliant touch to seeing tony finally getting the stones. and having them slot into place on his OWN GODDAMN ARMOUR. TONY STARK FUCKING DID THAT.

“i am inevitable.” “I AM IRON MAN”. literally the most iconic line of the entire marvel cinematic universe and tony gets to say it as the biggest fuck you the biggest villain they’ve ever faced. loved it.

so yeah the gamma rays taking tony, baseline human out, vs. bruce was a much less satisfying end than having it be the weight of the whole universe and the promise of madness and infinite power. but this is the ending tony deserved. we always knew that one or more of the OGs would die and it was tony and this is exactly the way this should have gone.

tony died saving the entire universe. he died sacrificing himself and HIS future with his family for the avengers and for the universe. the story of the mcu begins and ends with his sacrifice. he wouldn’t have had it any other way. to know that what he did, what he’ll be remembered for, is saving the universe. it validates all the selflessness and heroism and grace we’ve always known he has when it comes to being a hero. tony isn’t the hero that gives speeches and moves peple to action, he’s the hero that just DOES the thing that needs to be done. the one that will lay his life down on the line to let everyone else crawl over him because he wouldn’t be able to live knowing he hadn’t done more. him dying meant that he’d finally done enough. he finally gets to rest. and getting to die surrounded by the ironfam was such a beautiful touch. tony stark is unquestionably a hero. his legacy will always be one of sacrifice and heroism and creating the possibility of a better future. he has always, constantly, relentlessly been working to build a future he will never see that is better and stronger and more resilient than the present; it’s inherently a part of being a futurist that he will never get to see this world that he’s willingly given up everything for. and in the climax of the final battle, he gave up HIS future so that the rest of the universe could have one, and if that isnt the most tony stark thing i’ve ever heard idk what is. 

the unsolvable problem of the avengers

how do you write the culmination to a grand universe of 22 movies with the avengers being the cornerstone of that massive cinematic vision when your avengers aren’t even really a team? what are we supposed to root for when none of them seem to visibly friends or even like each other except when they’re in pairs? what “TEAM” are they referring to? 

the avengers from day 1 aren’t a team. they aren’t a family. there’s no sense of camraderie in any of the movies between them all as a unit. 

we had ONE scene of teamwork in the movie where they were locating the stones and planning what to do with them. the shot of nat bruce and tony lying on the conference table was great, but unearned. why should we care when they haven’t shown us how these people care about each other outside of saving the world once every few years? we don’t watch superhero team-ups for the cool fight scenes we watch them because we want to see these heroes actually care about each other and the BOND between them that makes them a worthwhile team on AND off the battlefield. 

there’s no sense that even strategically, they work well as a team. steve is the leader sure and tony provides the tech but apart from that? there’s no spark. there’s no connection between them that makes us thing oh shit, this could really work. they’re on the same wavelength. they’re going to try and do the impossible and it shouldn’t work but it just might because it’s them.

cannot emphasise this enough: not enough carol danvers. she was yeeted out of the movie after her intro and then came back for the final battle and that was it. she should’ve been THERE in the war room coming up with plans and going to the space destinations with the teams. it was ridiculous to have the future leader of the avengers and the legacy of the mcu not be front and center with the (non-existent) team dynamic. it fucking bewilders me that CM could write and develop a fury + carol friendship better than her dynamic with ANY of the avengers, her future friends and teammates. 

so, the avengers aren’t really friends. they’re coworkers who occasionally put up with each other to save the world and that’s fucking depressing and arguably why all the avengers but tony were so badly fucked over in the character development and ending of endgame.

the bad shit (full circle rip)

thor and bruce were treated like comedic relief for too much of the movie. i wasn’t expecting bruce to have much of a storyline because he never does but his conflict was solved with a handwave explanation in the beginning “oh i have the best of both worlds now, i’m both banner AND hulk the brain and the brawns”. was such a bizarre fucking feeling. and the insinuation that he’d just been chilling in the 5 years post snap with his new updated hipster wardrobe taking pictures with fans??? what the fuck? what kind of storyline is THAT? he should’ve been WITH natasha helping her deal with the fallout of the snap and working with the remainders of the team. what the fuck.

thor was done EVEN dirtier in this respect. it’s as if all the ugly stans that hated and mocked tony’s im3 ptsd storyline decided to put their messy caricature of him into a character arc. hemsworth pulled it off, to his credit and comedic delivery, but it wasn’t a story fitting of the mighty thor. there IS a way of writing thor going through trauma, trying to process the loss of his entire world and family and people, without reducing him to an absolute farce. imagine a thor, treated with gravitas and respect, lost and kingdomless and peopleless wandering the world, a recluse and a hermit, like the better side of the coin to hawkeye, but being called back to heroism because he couldn’t stand by and do nothing. idk if its the taika effect or just the massive turn that the thor trilogy took but i think the overt humour was the wrong way to go with thor and it made his entire storyline seem regressive and like they were laughing at him more than they were laughing with him. i would’ve accepted taking a leaf out of dc’s book (i.e. diana and arthur in JL) if they had to go down this path with thor’s story, of having him retreat from the trauma and grief of what he’d lost. because his pain was understandable, you could very clearly sympathise with what he’d been through but they turned his pathos into bathos and let his storyline play out in jokes instead of being the noble warrior and hero finding the strength to believe in people and have hope and fight for the world again. endgame really made a mockery out of thor’s legacy and not knowing if there’ll be another thor movie............... god he deserved better. 

clint?? we don’t speak of mcu clint but idk. i gUeSs the russos achieved what they thought they wanted to achieve with ultimates clint going full rogue and becoming a lawless deadpool but without the jokes. (ugh 616 clint... you will always be the only clint ever.) of all the characters that SHOULD have a lighthearted ironic storyline, it’s CLINT BARTON. he semi redeemed himself by wanting to die instead of natasha??? thereby absolving him? idk whatever lets not think too hard about mcu clint. 

i think most of fandom has long given up on mcu natasha so it’s less an issue of “this isn’t the natasha we deserve” and “well how badly can they fuck this up”. i think natasha’s development was well-handled and it was a Relief to have her final moment be between her and clint, purely driven by platonic love and all the shit they’ve stood by each other through. i don’t know that she needed to die, clint easily could’ve fallen instead of her lmao. but her being prepared to die for the fate of the world has been a theme since aou and i was glad it played out her seeing the necessity and pragmatism of sacrifice. i liked how she said “you think i want to do this?” because of course she doesn’t, ofc natasha romanova who’s lived through the rise and fall of empires and died so many deaths, wants to live. but she’s also a hero, and she’s spent so many years working to be a better person (when she said the avengers made her better g o d loved that line) and she knew what she had to do. idk that this was a fitting end for her but i thought her character development was well done (even if the team itself is a shallow non-existent “family”) and her sacrifice, alongside tony’s saved the universe.

ok don’t let the shortness of these points belie how much they annoyed me but CAROL deserved more screentime RHODEY deserved more screentime. SAM AND BUCKY deserved more. for characters that are so charismatic and bring so much life and dynamism to the avengers it was a fucking shame that they didn’t make the most of them. carol and rhodey especially. the lack of carolrhodey air force interactions and tonyrhodey was offensive.

sam getting the shield and the little moment of passing the shield was amazing but At What Cost

so..................... steve. oh boy. oh fuck here we go. the mcu has never known what the fuck to do with steve and i have written countless answers and thinkpieces and meta posts about it. the most heartbreaking part of steve’s story is that the avengers is literally his life. it’s tony’s life. and it is to many other avengers but all of them have always had something else to fall back on. steve has always only had the avengers, or the army or SHIELD or whatever affiliation he’s currently part of. his purpose and his drive is part of the team and whatever Thing he’s part of that he can throw himself into and embody. not having the avengers be a fully functioning team and misfit found family really handicapped his entire storyline and possible development. you could argue that steve found a family with the capfam but it’s really having a Team of people to lead and befriend and become family with that’s integral to steve’s character. his story as steve rogers, not captain america, is about finding a home and a family in the 21st century. making peace with what he’s lost in the past so he can live in the present and fight for the people of the present and future. 

it’s ironic and tragic and an absolute abomination for steve’s plot to literally be about regression. as if nothing has changed. he hasn’t learned anything from tws he hasn’t moved on, he hasn’t been able to let go “but not us” (AND WHY THE FUCK NOT RUSSOS?) he hasn’t been able to grow or make peace or find catharsis. he was SUPPOSED to, burying peggy, letting go of her. getting bucky back. but the setup of the mcu and the failure of the avengers as a team and family has actively kept steve from being able to ground himself in the present. the mcu ripped sharon carter right out of their universe so she never stood a chance. bucky had to go back under ice. natasha was running point with the 5 years later vengers. so in the end capfam is just???? sam and steve? his only support system is two and a half people?? it fucking breaks my heart. steve DESERVED a family. steve DESERVED a home. and even if mcu wasn’t going to let that be all tony stark-related there should’ve been SOMETHING.

of all the endings they could’ve pulled out of their asses

of all the fucking endings

this shit was straight out of the comics

straight out of the bad place darkest timeline scenarios

the ramifications of it all. hydra? bucky? sharon? homewrecking peggy’s own family and happily lived life just to get them back together? steve willing to risk it all for a dance and a woman he knew for a few months over the friends he’d spent nearly a decade with? we’re supposed to believe THAT’S steve rogers???????????

a literal fucking mess.

captain america as we know him in mcu ends with tws thats it

also, my expectations for stevetony was 0 but we got more than i thought we would. there was no development in terms of their actual relationship but as the filthy stevetony shipper i am happy with the cheap meal we got. there should’ve been a conversation between them about what happened, about what went down, something to tie together the avengers and the “trust” they wanted to establish between them. something like tony keeping the phone with him all this time. a little comic parallel “we still friends?” “never stopped”. just. Something. we needed more than “you trust me” “i do” in the time crunch of a mission. it was unearned. idk how this conversation would go, literally there are a hundred choices that i’m sure we’ll see play out in fic but one final big conversation between the two cornerstones of the mcu involving heroism, sacrifice, where they stand as heroes, how they see each other, who they are to each other. something like tony and steve always, at the end of everything, at the heart of who they are, seeing through each other’s masks and facades and personas and SEEING who the other person is. a tiny mcu nod to “you gave me a home” that ties the past and present and future together. tony believing in steve. steve believing in tony. i could’ve forgiven mcu all it’s other stevetony sins if we just had that.

just spitballing but – tony: you know, i never wanted to be a part of this thing. the super secret boyband. it was never supposed to be me. steve: we made it work though. for the most part. until we didn’t. tony: even when it looked like there was no way of ever getting the band back together a part of me still believed you. gullible of me, i know. but i wanted to think that if there ever came a time when we had to make one last stand, as avengers, we’d do it together. like it was always meant to be. steve: i know. tony, i – tony: i should’ve called. steve: it’s a two-way line. i could’ve, too. tony: that’s how it always seems to be with us, huh? shoulda woulda coulda. always just missing the mark. always just out of reach. steve: i’ve thought about it a lot. about what i would’ve done differently. what i would’ve said. tony: that’s why you need me, cap. i mean, hell, it doesn’t have to be me but we all need someone to tell us to get over ourselves sometimes. to stop beating yourself over the head with your own mistakes. steve: [laughs] that’s rich, coming from you. tony: maybe. but i’m a firm believer in second chances. steve: you think that’s what this could be? a second chance? tony: i know it. futurist, remember? i’ve seen it all happen. steve: oh, good. we could use one of those. maybe you could tell us if we survive tomorrow and save everyone. tony: we will. because things are different this time.  steve: this time? tony: the way it should’ve been. you and me and everyone else. together. we can win. steve: now who’s the one with the giddy optimism? tony: i prefer to call it hopeful pragmatism. after all, i’ve run enough simulations. steve: i do, tony. i trust you. tony: well, we’re betting the future of 5 billion lives on this. steve: i know. and there’s no one i’d trust more to do it. 

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB Week 5 Roundup!  First, our badge earners for this past week!

Participation badges went out to:

Nasha Turtlesse mitochondrials Nata

ALL OF WHOM PUT THEIR CARD NUMBERS IN THEIR BADGE CLAIM FORM!  *Wild applause*  Congratulations to the four of you!  Remember, if you’ve earned a badge, you’ve gotta go claim it here! 

And now, on to our fills for this past week!

Title: let the soft animal of your body love what it loves - Chapter 6: vi. Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - presumed dead Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Time Travel, Endgame Steve goes back in time to be with Post AOU Tony, Explicit Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Past Domestic Violence, Post AOU AU, Breaking Up and Making Up, Marriage Counselling, Superfamily, Team Iron Man, but not Steve unfriendly, he's just a moron, a lot of fighting and arguments, Dubious Consent due to Identity Issues Summary: In 2023, Steve Rogers, after burning his husband's body, goes through the timelines to return each of the Infinity Stones. In 2015, Tony Stark’s husband returns to him and for the first time in years, he has hope for his marriage. Word Count: 31,106

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Title: let the soft animal of your body love what it loves - Chapter 7: vii. Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - PTSD Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Time Travel, Endgame Steve goes back in time to be with Post AOU Tony, Explicit Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Past Domestic Violence, Post AOU AU, Breaking Up and Making Up, Marriage Counselling, Superfamily, Team Iron Man, but not Steve unfriendly, he's just a moron, a lot of fighting and arguments, Dubious Consent due to Identity Issues Summary: In 2023, Steve Rogers, after burning his husband's body, goes through the timelines to return each of the Infinity Stones. In 2015, Tony Stark’s husband returns to him and for the first time in years, he has hope for his marriage. Word Count: 31,106

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Title: R U My Type? Collaborator: Politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - writing format: drabble Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Drabble, Vampire!Bucky   Summary: Bucky sweet-talks Tony with a sweet treat. Word Count: 100

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Title: Leaving the Nest Collaborator: tisfan, 27dragons, monobuu Link: AO3  Square Filled: K5 - Dragon (tisfan) Adopted - Dragon Rider (27dragons) S3 - Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (monobuu) Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony’s spent his whole life training to be a dragon rider. That the dragon who’s chosen him is betrothed is only of minor concern; having to marry his dragon’s mate’s rider is well worth getting to fly. That is, until Tony falls in love with a common soldier and is faced with having to choose between his dream and his love. Word Count: 10,433

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Title: Dating Games Collaborator: alwaysabrighterdarkness Link: AO3  Square Filled: T3 - [Image Square] Iron Patriot Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: “Dude, Tony. You gotta stop telling everyone that you’re dating Captain America. It’s not even funny anymore. It’s just…awkward. I’m not sure if it’s gonna be Sam or Steve that throws the first punch at some nosey ass reporter asking about your dirty love triangle.” Word Count: 1676

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Title: N/A (Moodboard) Collaborator: alwaysabrighterdarkness Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: N/A Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony Stark Moodboard Word Count: N/A

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Title: An Impromptu Collegial Collaboration Collaborator: politzania Link: AO3  Square Filled: K2 - AU: Teachers Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Taking a detour from her planned career to teach at a school for disadvantaged youth, Virginia “Pepper” Potts discovers a potential for romance. Word Count: 1487

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Title: Self Discovery Collaborator: alexisriversong Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier Ship: Stucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: After a journey of self discovery, Bucky and Steve meet again. Word Count: 1809

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Title: Metal arm bros and the captain Collaborator: alexisriversong Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Metal Arms Bros Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony lost his arm in the battle but extremis saved him making him a supersoldier. Word Count: 950

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Title: Security Check Collaborator: HogwartsToAlexandria Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Nerds Ship: Happy/Tony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Sexual Content, Frottage Summary: Happy is concerned about Hogwarts' security systems and regulations. Word Count: 1379

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Title: Reach the zone (don’t drop the ball) Collaborator: HogwartsToAlexandria Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Kink: Breathplay Ship: Wongrange Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Dom/Sub Summary: Wong and Stephen Strange were living the perfect white picket fence life. They had two children, both boys, with a manageable five-year difference between them. They were on the chair of their sons' school along with other parents, participated in bake sales and never missed a soccer practice or game. They were the picture of domestic bliss and none of it was faked, there was simply more to their marriage than really met the eye of their well-meaning neighbors. Word Count: 6095

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Title: Flesh-wound Collaborator: feyrelay Link: Pillowfort Square Filled: S2 - Zombie Ship: Starker or IronDad Rating: Mature Major Tags: Canon Character Death Summary: Peter Parker is a man of science, one who knows the ravages of decomp. So when he sees dead people, he sees precisely what he expects to see. It doesn't mean he's ready to face Zombie Iron Man, though. Not again. Word Count: Moodboard

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Title: N/A Collaborator: monobuu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S4 - MIT Years Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony and Bucky having a coffee date after classes! Word Count: N/A [Art]

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Title: Calm after the storm Collaborator: alexisriversong Link: AO3  Square Filled: K4 - Tony Stark / Bucky Barnes Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: getting together Summary: Bucky had a pretty rough life, will his newfound love for Disney movies and bad puns help him find his safe place? Word Count: 1290

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Title: A Rose for You, My Dear Collaborator: cami-chats Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - New Team Ship: Tony/Gamora Rating: Mature Major Tags: Near death experience, Life threatening illness (Hanahaki) Summary: Tony catches Hanahaki Disease when he’s traveling with the Guardians, there’s just one (main) problem with that: it’s a human disease and not many humans in this corner of the universe. He takes a reluctant trip back to Midgard, knowing that he won’t be leaving again, and he doesn’t know how to tell Gamora or the other Guardians that. Word Count: 10,369

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Title: The Iron Cardinal Collaborator: dracusfyre Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Pining Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Internalized homophobia, explicit sexual content Summary: Steve, as a Knight of Solomon’s Temple, considers himself a pious man of God. Antoine Stark, on the other hand, despite his position as the Cardinal of Paris, is the most impious man Steve has ever met, to Steve’s eternal irritation. But when Steve’s carefully ordered life as a Templar comes crashing down and his brother in arms Bucky vanishes, he is forced to turn to Cardinal Stark for help. To his surprise, he slowly learns that there is much more to Stark than he realized; to his dismay, he also learns that the plot against the Templars is more insidious than he imagined, and that the fate of the world may lie in them finding Bucky in time.  Word Count: 17,540

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Title: N/A Collaborator: Monobuu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R1 - Deaging (Any) Ship: Tony & Bucky  Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony gets de-aged and the most pressing issue immediately changes from ‘Where did that sorcerer go!?’ to ‘we have a serious lack of dinosaur books, Mr. Buck.’ Word Count: N/A [Art]

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Title: Fur-eign Aid Collaborator: celtic7irish Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Wolf Ship: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: Post-Endgame, Not a Fix-It (yet) Summary: During a battle between the Avengers and MODOK and his pack of wolves, help arrives from an unexpected quarter. Word Count: 2524

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Title: Nordic Brew - Chapter 2 Collaborator: tinydragontony Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Loki Laufeyson Ship: FrostIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: None Summary: Loki hadn’t expected his spell to work as well as it had. Heimdall couldn’t see him, and neither could Odin, a fact he very much exploited to his full advantage.  Now, a year into his escapades throughout the Nine, Loki has formed a fast bond with Midgardian Tony Stark over the counter of The Nordic Brew, and that bond is stronger than any he has forged before. And perhaps, in the face of persistent trials and tribulations, their relationship can develop into something more. Word Count: 6782

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Title: Fishnets and Stagelights Collaborator: ashes0909 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - KINK: Crossdressing Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, Mission Gone Awry, Fishnets, Burlesque, POV Alternating Summary: Tony had known Bucky Barnes was an attractive man. He had eyes. But the fact that he would go up on stage, undressed to the nines, wrapped in fishnets and confidence growing with every hoot and holler from the audience - Well, now, Tony wanted him. Word Count: 2322

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Title: No Cat Left Behind Collaborator: Turtlesse Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Natasha Romanov / The Black Widow Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: “No.” “Please?” “No. “…” “Stop it. We’ve agreed your puppy dog eyes are against the Geneva convention.” “Tony, please. He reminds me of home.” Bucky didn’t even blink. It was so unfair. “Fuck it” Tony muttered and massaged his temple. No way was he letting that thing stay. No, no, no. Just, no. “Fine. But you owe me all the blowjobs.” Word Count: 2073

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Title: DUM-E's Drawings - Chapter 9: TON-E's Valentine 2: Iron Man is Red Collaborator: lbibliophile-mcu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A2 - Cliché Ship: Tony & the bots Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Valentine’s Day again, and DUM-E talks U into helping with TON-E’s card.

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Title: If Only the Green Grass Knows Collaborator: dixiehellcat Link: AO3  Square Filled: S5 - AU: fantasy world Ship: Clint/Sam Rating: Gen Major Tags: AU—Fae, First Meetings, Bullying, Magic Summary: A foundling raised by two fae warriors, little Anthony is shunned for preferring human gadgets to weapons and magic. He finally finds a group of friends, who take up the challenge of helping him unearth the mystery of his origins. Word Count: 3576

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Title: Golf Gang Collaborator: abitnotgoodiebag Link: Tumblr  Square Filled: S3 - Retirement Ship: Tony Stark & Morgan Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Because someone else snapped thanos away, tony is able to be a man of leisure and decides that Morgan is gonna be a golf superstar. Word Count: N/A [Art]

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Title: Golden Hour Collaborator: feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Peter Parker/Spiderman Ship: Starker Rating: Teen Major Tags: Age Difference, AU Summary: I think this is loads funnier if you don't know going in what it's a pastiche of. Nearly anyone born between 1985 and 2000 (or their moms) will recognize it. Also, don't mind the slight Darcy-bash, it's one line and unsubstantiated.CNTW = Peter is seventeen but nothing happens. Word Count: 2191

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Title: kiss me, kiss me, kiss me Collaborator: only_more_love Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Writing Format: Past Tense Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: None Summary: Tony wakes after spending his first night with Steve. Word Count: 1490

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Title: Take from me My Lace Collaborator: tisfan Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A1 - Kink: Armor Kink Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: None Summary: “The next villain that interrupts date night is not going to prison, they’re going straight to the funeral home.”  Word Count: 1020

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Title: Empty Forest Syndrome Collaborator: feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Whiplash Ship: Starker, Peter Parker & Natasha Romanoff Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Age Difference, Suicidal Thoughts Summary: Pepper did say he could have anything of Tony's, now that he was gone. Anything.CNTW = ghostfic, half the pairing is canonically dead. Word Count: 3417

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Title: Resolution (”STEVE!”) Collaborator: turtlesse Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Resolve Ship: Steve Rogers & James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark & Steve Rogers Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Bucky knew Steve was watching him from the kitchen door. He didn’t care, though; the punk could get his shit together and talk to him if he really wanted to.Also known as, Steve can't help but butt his head into other people's business. He has good intentions, though. Word Count: 1619

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Title: Along The Shore Collaborator: Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Writing Format: Drabble Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: drabble, mentions of murder Summary: Drabble: Tony Stark and his house along the shore... Word Count: 100

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Title: Fly Away With Me Collaborator: Trashcanakin Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - Flight Ship: 616 IronHawk Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard Summary: [Moodboard + Edit] Demon/Angel "Forbidden Love" AU 

[hecohansen31]

“Of Superheroes and Superassholes” (Chapter 1)

A/N: This is my first multi chapter fanfic, so there will be more chpaters of this if you actually like it, I honestly had this idea after seeing “Endgame” and I actually discussed it with @lvngdvns (who created some pretty amazing headcanons about this, so if you want to check them out after this, I am sure she will be grateful, also they are absolutely worth a read… and a re-read, and … I mean Mal’s writing is amazing and her blog brightens my day, so…) and I decided to try to write down something.

Also before you start, here are some thing you need to know: Reader powers are pretty similar to Captain Marvel, meaning she got toxins in her blood which changed her DNA, making it adapt to something new, she doesn’t have the blast thing, but she is stronger, quicker and mo resistent (which comes in handy, according to Duncan and Michael…) meanwhile Michael is the  bratty warlock he was at Hawthorne so he works primarily with magic (and sarcasm).

Duncan is a mix between Iron Man and Neal Caffrey (my writing buddy is pretty proud of me for this…).

So after this long introduction: don’t fear the smut will come in the next part (I just need to write it down…),

As always LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK? (because if I don’t get any feedback I automatically feel like I suck so… (also just hit me up to tell me I suck, I know…).

SUMMARY: Sometimes Destiny deals you horrible cards, and sometimes Destiny deals you two beautiful assholes to work with (+superpowers).

A superhero/secret agent AU comes your way.

Will the three agents manage to work their own problem to save the world (or will they straight up destroy it?).

WORDS: 2,9 K.

WARNING: No sex, or smut (there will be more in the newest chapters, I already am thinking about it), foul language, but also I feel like Duncan and Michael need their own warning.

She had never wanted superpowers, because as the motto said “with great powers comes great responsibility” which meant that no matter how many bad guys you beat up, there would be more from where they came from, so all your weekends plan had to be pushed aside and swept under the carpet, mostly if you worked into a secret agency to save the world.

And meanwhile she took her role very seriously, she had since toxins had changed her DNA, there was somebody who didn’t, and this made her work a thousand times more difficult, not to talk about the way it always put her in some dangers.

And all those reasons of stress had a name: Michael Langdon.

A blonde boy, enough powerful because of some arcane magical powers, not to talk about ripped AF (she looked him only to see clues for any kind of flaws or physical injuries she could use to her advantage meanwhile they fought in training).

To say she hated him was an understatement: he was against everything she believed in; faith, fair-play and avoiding straight up butchering their enemies in order to interrogate them and get some answers answered, and not have to dig up more things, with another few months of annoying research on her shoulder, since Langdon didn’t even touch paperwork.

She had been working on this case for three months, and she had managed to get infiltrated into the group of baddies that had decided to use poisonous toys to kill immigrant children, which was something she found disgusting, and not only had she managed to infiltrate and to meet their boss, but also the boss would tell her where the toys would be shipped.

But as soon as she walked in with Langdon as her body-guard he had started attacking everyone and although they had managed to take down the entire company, they had also managed to kill the boss so now they had no idea where and when the shipment would come.

And so, they were at the beginning again.

-I told you to wait- she screamed as soon as she opened the door to his office -Would it kill you to wait for my plan to work out? -.

-They don’t, (L/N)- he mumbled, simply, leaning on his elegant armchair an original vintage as the rest of the furnishing of his office, meanwhile hers was the most chaotic one but it was much more warmer than Michael, who had nothing personal on his walls, probably to protect himself, but the presumptuous attire of the entire office gave off what an arrogant prick Michael was -… they never work, (L/N), they were doubting you and they were preparing themselves to bring you down-.

-No, it would have worked it out, if you had managed to follow it, it is simple, Michael! – she felt the blood rushing into her veins and her skin glowed, something that happened since the toxins had entered her body and instead of killing her, changed her DNA, giving her new strength and powers.

She had never gone overboard with her powers because of rage, no matter how much Michael infuriated her, it was something she prided herself of, whereas Michael always was uncontrolled and more and more time some intern had to follow a trip to the hospital because of broken bones and other “minor” injuries.

So. it was a bad idea to start now and she immediately calmed down, moving down her hands, flattening them against her thighs and cleaning the sweat off of them.

-… it was my case, you were under my command, Langdon, you need to hear me out- she tried to appear as calm as she could, but this put Michael on an even more apathetic status which prompted her to actually think about kick him in the balls to get a raise out of him.

-I will hear you out when you can finally formulate a plan that will actually work out-.

She was going to punch him, she was going to lose control and punch him and she wouldn’t have regretted it.

-Agents Langdon and (L/N)! – the sudden opening of the door made her snap out of the anger trance she was in, which prompted her to assume a more collected position, again her palms went to her thighs, digging the nails into the soft fabric of the black pants.

Langdon instead, didn’t assume a more sober position, he just raised his back in order to assume a fiercer pose, standing his head tall and high, like a winner.

They both stood at attention, before the general Goode, a tall and proud woman to whom they both knelt to, although Langdon didn’t do it with joy, since he thought that with all his magical power he should be the one in charge of the entire thing, but general Goode was smarter and more experienced than him, so he had to stick to her partnership with her.

-Relax, agents- she had a bitter expression and (Y/N) thought what would come next: a little reprise for the fact that they hadn’t solved nothing on a mission which costed the agency a lot of money and time -… I come bearing good news-.

And… that was not what she had expected.

-…you’ll have a new partner- which wasn’t good news.

She had worked for longer in the agency but  only in her apprenticeship she had worked alone and in her first missions she had always been paired with Michael, since they were the strongest the agency had to offer and this meant that she somehow saw the working with somebody as the freaking worst torture you could ever endure.

And the same was for Michael who straight up snorted.

-… a new partner? – he asked, incredulously and she was halfway through hitting his face -… you found some other stupidly naïve superhuman, because, honestly, we are full-.

She didn’t want to agree with him, but, apart from the insult, she did agree with what he said.

-Sadly no, Mr Langdon, but I have something much better…- and then she moved aside and a tall guy, strangely similar to Michael, but with a much darker color in his hair, which fumbled down in elegant waves down his eyes, hiding them.

She was swiftly taken aback, as she had been when she first saw Michael, but whereas Michael was all boyish charm and well-cured elegance, the new man was the image of what an accomplished man looked like, all tough forms and a rude beauty.

He promised hot nights and sweet sweet love making.

-… Duncan Shepherd will help us with the social aspect of your work, since you both are unable to handle that- Cordelia huffed, clearly annoyed by the fact that they always ended up fighting themselves instead of the enemies.

And she understood Cordelia’s reason, but also… TWO HOT MEN WITH WHAT LOOKED LIKE THE BIGGEST EGO IN THE WORLD. (AND OTHER THINGS… but she was trying to stay professional).

She wouldn’t be ok.

-Cordelia… can we talk about it? – Michael tried that approach, but he was quickly shut down by Cordelia just mouthing a no, before walking out, suggesting to all of them to get to know each other.

She was fucked.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Duncan knew that agents could be assholes, he had had to deal with them for a very long time since they had somehow discovered something about his illegal way of gaining information through his app, and when Cordelia had told him about the deal that would get him no jail time just in exchange for his assistance at the “R&H Corporation”, he hadn’t realized he would deal with much more asshole-ish agents (more asshole-ish than him, which was straight up impossible).

Because his new partners mixed a bad attitude with a petty tongue and a sharp intellect, and whereas agent (L/N) was one to close in herself and avoid any critical thoughts on her plan, if it was not something she approved, Michael was much worse, being what many people would call “a straight-up brat”.

(L/N) was at least hard-working and he had somehow created a bond with her (she trusted his hacker abilities, alongside the suggestions on how to handle another person), Michael kept on being straight up rude and useless, if the mission didn’t suit his “thoughts”.

This meant that Duncan thought half of time how to kill him, the other half how to get (L/N) to loosen up and there was no time for the mission, although they still had to save the world apparently.

They were in the latest mission: a search for a drug lord, an easy mission, mostly because the man could be loaded with money but his men hadn’t superpowers or the social knowledge of Duncan, who had find them a way to infiltrate in the gang, actually through Michael.

But they needed to do some teamwork, because although they had solved every mission with less dangerous explosions than usual (at least according to a still unsatisfied Cordelia) they still lacked so much precision and attention to the other.

They were in their hotel room, the entire mission would start the following day and Duncan was surprised when he saw (L/N)’s white lingerie being revealed as she shed her shirt and pencil gown, and although he wasn’t complaining, he… was extremely surprised.

-(L/N) are you feeling hot? – he asked, meanwhile he reasoned with himself that he wasn’t blushing because he had an half-naked woman in front of him, but Michael caught what was happening before him and he laughed between his teeth, before he got a glare from the other man.

-Just changing in night clothes- and she reached down to unlock her bra, which prompted Duncan to again have a heart-attack; he was used to freaking women taking their clothes off at his command, what happened to him?

A beautiful and superpowered woman had happened and she looked stunning in white panties and a pretty simple bra.

-Go and change in the bathroom, (Y/N)- mumbled Michael, looking at her clearly distressed and annoyed but Duncan didn’t know if it was because he had to confront her or he was simply jealous -… or Mr Shepherd over here will have an heart attack! -.

He was halfway through seriously chocking that asshole, but then he saw the little blush on (L/N)’s face and the way she immediately ran away in the bathroom, the insecurity written all over her face and her swift movements, and even Michael seemed to understand, although he did nothing to sweeten his words.

But Duncan felt guilty and with the mission so near, he didn’t want (L/N) to feel bad.

He also realized somehow that Michael had called by her first name, an intimate gesture he didn’t understand but it might have meant for them to grow closer.

He moved to the bathroom, the door was close, not locked, but he still knocked, swiftly hearing a “give me one minute” and (Y/N) was back, wearing an oversized band t-shirt, something that he never saw of her, always having worn pencil skirts or elegant black pants and blouses, a little larger than what she needed, as if to hide herself, in neutral colors, the usual office attire but also specifically worn not to stand out, unlike Michael.

-It isn’t like you think- he immediately rambled out, and she strangely laughed a bit at the proverbial words, but then she was twisted again in her previous nostalgic state -… I am used to women being naked with me… but…-

-… I am not that sexy- she replied swiftly, looking at him as if she knew him better than he did, and then moving to the door to close it.

But he didn’t let her.

-… I was embarrassed because you are extremely sexy and my colleague and I don’t want to have dirty thoughts on somebody I have to work with- he knew he had just bubbled up a non-sense discourse and he thought that (Y/N) hadn’t understood anything, but she did and she was looked at him surprised -… I just don’t want anything to be awkward-.

The revelation seemed to shock her, but she didn’t say anything except nodding and try again to close the door, but he just had a last thing to ask.

-You think you are ready for tomorrow? – and this time she let out a full-blown laugh.

-I think I am, if you now let me brush my teeth and then get my beauty sleep! -and then he was pushed away from the door, with only a sweet but audible “goodnight”.

He turned away, smiling happily… maybe tomorrow they would avoid a straight up massacre.

——————————————————————————————————————————

He wasn’t nervous, Michael Langdon was never nervous.

Michael Langdon never gave his squad a reason to tease him.

And he never gave them a reason to doubt him.

(Y/N) had spoken with him before this, she would be working with Duncan, behind the scenes, and he needed to remember everything they had gone through, everything.

And he was thankful she had been the one to quiz him, their competitions always bringing out the best of him.

They had also exchanged some pretty horrible sarcastic snaps at each other, till Duncan had asked them to either stop or he would have to put a gag on both of them, which had prompted a blush from his chaste colleague and a “kinky” from him.

He knew that Duncan Shepherd wasn’t shy on what he liked and what he didn’t (although what he had seen the previous night ruined the perfect image of the dom! Duncan Shepherd) and he low key liked him for that, much more than his sexual-repressed other colleague, but none of his flirty comments had been caught by the man, although he could blame it on his decision to stay strictly professional.

Still the fact that that man didn’t fall to his knees to his wit, meanwhile he blushed at seeing his pretty colleague almost naked…

He and (Y/N) were used to get naked in front of each other, he didn’t mind it, their bodies were both weapons, mostly (Y/N) but sometimes in his dream strand of (H/C) would appear in his dreams… and he didn’t want to think like that of somebody as sexually repressed as his colleague, but sometimes it was stronger than him.

He blamed the stress.

(Y/N) was tough, from what he had read, spying her little CV on Cordelia’s desk, she had a tough upbringing and after the incident which changed her life she dropped any contact with her family and friends, a loner, and this led her to know better than fall to his charms and he had seemed to ruin any chance with her when he first spit his nasty insult.

Sometime when she and Duncan giggle about a friendly joke, he wished he hadn’t spoken to her like that.

But his work had nothing to do with regrets, and more regrets he avoided the more he would be safe on the job.

And he did everything right and the drug lord still outsmarted them somehow, hitting Michael and sending him KO, before almost putting a bullet through his head, his magic wasn’t working somehow, and he was going to be dead.

Till (Y/N) jumped out from literally nowhere, hitting the drug lord and getting a bullet in the stomach from one of his cronies, which Duncan promptly shot in the head, the life he had taken slowly appeared back in his eyes, but as soon as he saw her bleeding he promptly moved to get here but Michael just told him to cover their shoulders, she would make it.

-… she has been invested by toxins that didn’t kill her, COVER OUR FUCKING SHOULDERS! – and he swiftly moved to an already up (Y/N), although she clutched the wound she was swiftly up and kicking the drug lord, meanwhile a few others entered, and strangely Michael did find a way to use again his magic.

And he did his best to cover his wounded friend’s shoulders, hoping it would be enough.

——————————————————————————————————————————

So that was all, I really hope you liked it!

Let me know what you thought about it and any feedback is greatly appreciated! 😘✨

See you soon, lovelies! 😉

Eroine Penzel.

[tren-fraszka]

Parallels 2018 letter

Dear creator,

Thank you for taking your time to check my requests. I know my requests can sound a bit tricky, but please don’t be discouraged. I wish you will have good time writing first and foremost!

I like humor and tropes, which is probably the only thing you really need to know about my general likes.

I’m very picky about sex tropes, so generally I would be grateful for no graphic sex (unless specified otherwise). Also, if you go for a shippy fic, I don’t want any stuff happening without consent. I like consent a lot. Other dislikes include ABO, mpreg, soulmates, and situations where stuff is happening because destiny said so and nobody questions it.

Also, I included what ships I’m okay with in each fandom. Please do not include any ships that aren’t canon or I have not mentioned in those sections.

REQUESTS

FATE/APOCRYPHA

While I will be first person to admit that this series really could have had a better plot I loved the characters and would enjoy seeing more of them.

Mordred | Saber of Red (Fate/Apocrypha)

I love angry girls with gender issues, so I knew I would love Mordred and boy do I. There’s just something refreshing in seeing characters like her having a healthy amount of anger at the bullshit the world throws at her.

I really enjoyed her interactions with Shishigou, but I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her interact with other cast members. Her specific circumstances make her a good foil for a lot of characters.

Additional info

I would be very okay with AUs, both Plot Divergences and complete setting changes, since as I mentioned I’m not overly attached to Apocrypha’s plot. So feel free to play with the idea of Mordred being Shishigo’s actual adopted daughter in a modern AU or some interesting what if scenario. Maybe Mordred getting her wish upon the grail, only to discover how terrible the life of a king is.

I’m okay with pretty much any pairing except Sieg/Jeanne (but if you went for an AU where Jeanne and Leticia are not sharing the body I would be pretty okay with Sieg/Leticia). Also, no shipping Shishigou and Mordred, because I much prefer them as a found family. 

Out of things I actually do ship I have a very soft spot for Shirou/Semiramis.

TALES OF BERSERIA

I played Zestiria, so you are free to throw some references to it if you want.

You don’t have to include all the characters I requested, please feel free to concentrate on just one of them.

Eleanor Hume

I really like how much Eleanor changes during the course of the game. And how sincerely she approaches everything. It’s refreshing to see a character who is willing to judge things on her own. Sure, she’s slightly stubborn at first, but Eleanor had really grown on me over the course of the game.

I would probably be happiest with a fic that tracks just how much her attitude changed. It can be about her general attitude or about her relation with someone else in the party. I’m not picky. I just want to see Eleanor discovering that the world is bigger and much less black and white than she thought. But at the same time, even if there are cruelties she was not aware of, there is also kindness she had not seen before.

For some other random ideas: Eleanor helps Laphicet make a present for Velvet (or they outright collaborate on it), or Eleanor has a moment when she realizes just how much the whole party grew on her and how much she enjoys being with them..

Rokurou Rangetsu

I would love any look at Rokuro’s life. I love how it is slowly revealed that he was a very terrible human being, that it is no wonder that he turned into a deamon as a result. The pre-canon look at his life in Rangetsu family and how he turned into a daemon would be great (bonus points for including his mom if you decide on this). As would be his perspective on canon events with some more interactions with any party members. Or post-canon and Rokuro’s journey in search of stronger and stronger foes, during which he meets lots of colorful foes.

Velvet Crowe

Velvet Crowe is one of the most enjoyable Tales protagonist I have witnessed yet. She’s a complicated mess of emotions and trauma, barely held together by her drive for vengeance. Seeing her struggle with all the tragedy, while desperately pushing forward, and waiting to see whether she cracks under the pressure of it all or not was much more interesting than standard Tales hero journey.

I would enjoy an introspective piece for her, since she hides so much of her emotions. That being said, Velvet interacting with other party members is fun too! Whether it be her being demonic bros with Rokuro, butting heads with Eleanor or not having patience for Magilou’s antics, Velvet has an interesting relationship with all of them and I would be happy to see any of those connections explored.

Additional info

I would be pretty okay with the AUs, both Canon Divergence and setting changes. In case of canon divergence, please, just don’t save Velvet with deus ex machina. I’m not opposed to her being saved, but please build that plotline properly. The game sets her demise very strongly throughout the whole game and I need to be properly convinced that there is a chance for her to live through this without becoming a miserable malevolence factory. This is not a problem in different setting AUs.

As for the ships. I do ship Elanor and Velvet, so if that’s you jam I would be happy to see them getting together or just enjoying being together. They have very interesting dynamics throughout the game and I would love to see some more romance in it. I would also be okay with more risque content for this ship.

TALES OF XILLIA

Who loves Tales series more with each new game they play, this gal over here. Also, I’m currently playing Xillia 2 and while I’ve gone through most of the game, I may not be able to finish it before this exchange ends due to the real world responsibilities. So while referencing Xillia 2 would be okay with me, please avoid endgame spoilers for it.

As previously you don’t have to include all of the requested characters.

Jude Mathis

Jude is one of my favourite protagonist for being just plain relatable. I love how he develops through the story and how much his issues rule over his decision before he gets his act together.

I would really love a look at Jude’s life before the game. I find his relationship with his parents very interesting and would love to see it explored more deeply. How did he go about applying to Talim and how his parents reacted? What about Leia? How did Jude manage in Talim?

I’m also very okay with a more indepth look at his journey. What were his feelings at the beginning? How did he feel revisiting his hometown and having to face his parents to be able to help Milla? Any and all snippets from this time are fine by me.

Elize Lutus

The best child character in video games I’ve seen in a long time. I would love to see more of her adventures and how she learns to open up to other people.

I probably would love a post-canon story the most with Elize trying to fit into a normal school. I would love to get a glimps at her attempts to make new friends and not appear to be too weird. I would especially love if Elize and her friends ended up getting into some sort of trouble. Maybe they decided to investigate some rumours and run into a monster or bandits and Elize saves the day with things she learned while travelling with the team. Bonus points if the knowledge from her travels is very questionable.

Just like with Jude, I would also be very open to some insights into her feelings during the plot of the game. Especially, how she slowly starts opening up to others after joining the party.

Additional info

I’m okay with AUs, both canon divergence and setting changes. Given that Xillia 2 enables any and all divergences you really, really shouldn’t hold back in that regard. On that note I would be very partial to any member of Chimeriad surviving, because they all deserved better. For setting changes I don’t have any specific.

I’m okay with ships: Jude/Alvin, Jude/Milla, an OT3 involving all of them, Leia/Agria and Gaius/Wingul.

FATE/EXTELLA

I will be honest. I have a lot of complaints about the characterization of some of the characters and the plot of this game, it gave me one thing I really love and damn do I want it.

Jeanne d'arc | Ruler (Fate/Extella) & Gilgamesh (Fate/Extella)

The interactions between Jeanne and Gilgamesh gave me life, watered my crops and made me laugh a lot. Those two get along in that they reinterpret each other’s words completely whenever they interact. It’s incredible.

I love the grudging respect they have for each other, because while they both heavily don’t approve of each other’s worldview and lifestyles, they can’t dismiss the will and dedication the other has.

Additional info

I’m okay with AUs and canon divergences. The subscenarios for both of them were painfully short in the game, so I would definitely be up if you expanded on them or just had some wacky adventures involving both of them. Just please don’t include Titan!Altera, Charlot!Tamamo or Elizabeth acting like she did in that game. I still have trauma from their characterization. Servant!Altera, and Elizabeth&Tamamo with characterization from Extra or Grand Order will be very okay. If you really need one of those characters with the characterization from this game, then I understand, but please, don’t linger on the scene where that happens. Just get it done quickly.

As I said, I’m not a big fan of Extella’s plot, so if you want to throw it all away and just have fun with the characters I will definitely approve. Gilgamesh and Jeanne meeting during a Grail War could be interesting. As well as, some Grand Order shenanigans if you played that game.

If you want to just have fun with their characters without the whole Servant stuff then, I’m also very open to it. The idea of Jeanne and Gilgamesh as childhood friends who are now forced to share a flat as students is an idea that I absolutely love, because they would find those arrangements very challenging and definitely have a lot of complaints about each others’ lifestyles.

I will limit myself to the ships involving the people I requested, which means absolutely no ships for Jeanne. For Gilgamesh I’m okay with shipping him with both Enkidu and Kirei, but well, we all know how he is, so feel free to have him sleeping around if it fits your fic.

MAHOU SHOUJO ORE

Yamo Konami

I found Konami’s misadventures very amusing. I love how completely mismatched his position and goals are. I would love to see more of his shenanigans, whether it be him making terrible management decision during the canon or him “repenting” after the canon. Maybe he attempts to become a mascot, because what better way is there to express his passion for magical girls? I also wouldn’t mind a pre-canon look on how he came to love magical girls as much as does.

All ships are crazy in this series so I’m okay with whatever direction you want to spin them, as long as you acknowledge the canon crushes the characters have. By which I mean, if the character has a canon crush make sure to do some build up so that it doesn’t feel strange if they find a new object of affection.

[onceuponamirror]

heart rise above

///// CHAPTER 7

summary: It wasn’t an experiment with freedom borne of some Americana fantasy; rather, a road trip of purely logistical intentions. The plan was simple. Drive from Boston to Chicago for his sister’s college graduation. That’s it.

Or, he drives a Ford Pickup Named Desire.

Mechanic!AU

fandom: riverdale ship: betty x jughead words: 30k chapters: 7/19

[read from the beginning] [read the latest]

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But time makes you bolder Even children get older

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On Sunday morning, Jughead wakes up with a sunburn.

It’s his own damn fault; in the rush to appease the wide-eyed beseeching of Betty and the subsequent distractions of her overall presence, he hadn’t thought about sun protection until late into the afternoon and the damage had already been done.

A part of him whispers: worth it, but a smarter, far more logical side reminds him he could’ve enjoyed Betty’s company while still applying sunscreen. Alas.

But at least most of the burn is not on his face, and rather his chest, which he’s fairly certain hasn’t seen the light of day in years and probably won’t again for some time. Luckily, for someone with such vampiric tendencies, he manages to tan fairly well, so while it will never be quite as attractive as Betty’s golden glow, it should settle into an olive tone soon.

He stands in front of the motel bathroom mirror and slaps water onto his face, because now his mind is back to conjuring images of Betty strewn out beside him, her hair tangled and loose around her shoulders, and it’s been driving him mad since before bed last night.

It’s bad enough he’s got words like sun-kissed floating around in his thoughts, further destroying any credibility he has left with himself; he doesn’t need to be further tormented of memories of her in that fucking white swimsuit.

“Goddamnit,” he mutters, as it happens again. He points at himself in the mirror, and says, flatly, “No.”

Jughead can accept that what he feels is attraction, can acknowledge he has the evidence of that literally burned onto his fucking skin, but that doesn’t mean he gets to torture himself any more than usual. No, what he needs is a day spent in the company of his best friend, a big cup of coffee, followed by a second one, and absolutely zero time with Betty.

He’s already tried the cold shower.

Anyway, given that it’s a Sunday, he doesn’t have the usual excuse to hang around her, as she won’t be at the garage and he hasn’t been allowed any opportunity to invite himself along anywhere else. It’s probably for the best.

He gives his reflection one more warning jab of the finger and then goes to dress. He hesitates with the suspenders, after Betty’s little dig about them, but then feels silly for it. Even if he does have something of a crush, he’s not about to change his entire ethos (carefully crafted down to the fit of his jeans) in the course of one week.

Besides, he’s fairly sure she was just teasing him. Or he hopes so, because he knows it speaks to his tumultuous childhood that he still wears so many layers all at once, ready to sleep wherever he may need, change clothes without arousing suspicion. Like his habit with frugality, it’s hard to kick, even in adulthood.

He throws on an old, cozy t-shirt, ties a flannel around his waist, piles anything he needs for a burst of inspiration into his messenger bag, and then heads for Archie’s room.

“Ready for breakfast?” He asks, when the door swings open.

“Yeah,” Archie says, even though he’s not at all dressed. “Just gimme like, one minute.”

Jughead wanders into the room while Archie rushes around, throwing clothes onto the bed. “Just in case I don’t have time to change before my date tonight,” he explains when Jughead raises an eyebrow. He’s known Archie to wear his sneakers to a wedding and not bat an eyelash, so he’s not quite sure what to do with this flustered version of his best friend.

“You really like this girl, huh?” He says, watching Archie narrow down his choices to two shirts.

“A lot,” Archie breathes, settling on the nicer one, a soft blue button up. “Alright, let’s go.”

They head out and make the short walk to Pop’s. At this point, Jughead has taken nearly all his meals at the diner, so when he’s greeted by name by the owner and a passing waitress, he just has to shrug listlessly under Archie’s curious look.

“I like the food here,” he says simply.

The two of them settle into a booth, drop their orders, and receive their coffees. Once their server is gone, Archie clears his throat. “So…” He begins, obviously with an attempt at prompting.

“Don’t start,” Jughead replies with a groan. He’s just started to enjoy his coffee and the last thing he wants is to regress into some moonish idiot again. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

Archie’s forehead wrinkles. “’Her’? Who is ‘her’? I was just going to ask you about how your book is coming. Wait…are you talking about Betty?”

“Aw, fuck,” Jughead mutters, cradling his head in his hands. “Never mind, forget I said anything.”

“Nu-uh, you went there, so let’s talk about it.” Across the table, Archie chuckles and starts to count on his fingers. “First, you invite her and her friends to hang out with us, which…like, I’m definitely not complaining, since one of those friends is Veronica. But when have you ever done that? Then, the fact that she got you swimming? I can’t remember the last time I saw you swim.”

“I swim,” he says defensively. “We were literally at the beach last week.”

“Yeah, and you just stood there with your feet in the water. And yesterday you guys were acting all…like you knew her. I think there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Jughead takes a stalling sip of coffee. “I asked her to teach me how to fix the truck, okay? Just because I wanted to learn for myself so I could take care of it later on. That’s it. There’s no Machiavellian subplot going on, so stop acting like I’ve been body-snatched.”

“So you’ve been what, hanging out at her garage?”

He bites at the inside of his mouth. “Well, yeah.”

“This whole time?” Archie asks, his eyes bulging.

“No,” Jughead snaps brusquely. “I mean, Jesus, we’ve only been here for like, five days. I’ve been writing, mostly. Just…also spending some time at the garage. For educational purposes.”

Archie stares at him, and then bursts out laughing. “Alright, now I get all those little looks she gave you yesterday,” he says, shaking his head. Jughead glowers at him, though more frustrated with the fact that he has the adamant desire to shake Archie and beg him to explain what he means by little looks.

(Something else to torture himself with, undoubtedly.)

“Educational purposes,” Jughead repeats darkly. Maybe if he says it enough, he’ll believe it.

“Nah, you like her,” Archie says, after a moment of deduction. “I’ve known you my whole life, bro, you can’t pull that shit with me.”

Jughead wrestles with how to deny it with any stronger language to make Archie back off, but then deflates and sighs, losing the will to argue. “It doesn’t change anything.”

And that is the truth. He can admit to Archie, he can admit it to himself, but neither of these actions will have any sort of effect on the outcome. In less than three weeks time, he will be piling into his truck, driving to Chicago, and then heading back to Boston with his sister to resume a normal, Betty-free life.

He’s self-loathing, but even Jughead isn’t sure he’s that self-loathing as to let himself get in any deeper with a woman he’ll never see again. It’s already bad enough that whatever benign little crush he’d felt for her before yesterday has been replaced by a magnified appreciation for the way she’d looked next to him, tousled by the river and tanned and soft-eyed, and—this is just after one day at the beach. He’s more than a little afraid to find out what else his imagination is capable of.

Archie looks confused. “What do you mean, it doesn’t change anything? I’m seeing Ronnie, and we’re in the same situation. Doesn’t stop us from having fun.”

Jughead sighs, and crosses his arms onto the table. “I’m not you, Archie. I don’t do casual very well. Go big or go home, right? Well even if I go big, I still have to go home to Boston. We live in different states, Arch. What, am I supposed to ask her out and then we go on a few dates and then we’re long distance for however long we can convince ourselves it’s a good idea? I mean, think about it.”

“You’re already planning a long distance relationship? You haven’t even been on one date,” Archie points out, raising his eyebrows.

Jughead groans. “I just mean—what’s the endgame here? What’s the point?”

“To get laid?” Archie suggests plainly, his hands in the air. “To have a connection with someone? To get to know somebody? To open up?”

“Yeah, because I’m so well known for all of those things. And—anyway, you’re making a dangerous assumption that she’s even interested,” Jughead reminds him, downing the rest of his coffee and slumping in his seat.

“I think that’s a pretty safe bet,” Archie says slowly, and then looks painfully amused at how quickly Jughead’s head jerks back up.

“What, that she’s interested? Come on, I’m trying to be realistic here,” Jughead says, scrubbing a hand across his face. “You’ve seen her. She’s way out of my league, pal.”

The look he gives Jughead borders on outright pity, which he decides is far worse than smug. “Maybe, but you’re really over-thinking this. Just…try not to think so much and go ask her out.”

Coming from someone who Jughead has witnessed jumping into far too many situations without consideration and getting in way over his head, this advice does little for comfort. “Well, I’m a writer, all I do is think, write, and mope, and over-think some more.”

Archie sighs. “Alright, look. I know you, Jug, so I won’t push you on it, because that won’t help. But, I’ll just say this: better to have loved and lost than not loved at all, right?”

He stares across the table. “How is it you can quote Tennyson at me but still don’t know who Stevie Nicks is?” Jughead moans, hiding his face in his hands.

“I know who he is,” Archie scoffs, which only proves Jughead’s point. He groans again, but this time it’s because his eyes have been closed too long and he’s attacked by visions of Betty swimming in circles around him, moving in the water like a mermaid luring a sailor to death.

When he brings his head out of his hands, Archie is watching him with understanding eyes.

“It’s why it’s called a crush,” Archie offers, shrugging. “It sucks.”

But Jughead is thinking about the river, and how he was too worried to swim out to where the water turned too dark to see the bottom; all that latent symbolism is finally catching up to him. But, still.

Should something happen on the way out, not knowing if he was able to touch down just wasn’t worth the risk.

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Jughead’s solution is true to form.

Rather than follow a lick of Archie’s advice, Jughead doubles down on his theory that no good will come of allowing himself to spend more time with Betty. While his best friend barrels on full steam ahead with Veronica, starting to see her practically every night, Jughead retreats further and further into his hotel room.

He even gets invited to go to dinner and dancing with Archie and Veronica and, wink, dude, Betty will probably be there, but he ignores the text until late and then sends a weak reply of sorry, didn’t see this till now.

Perhaps it’s his old friend Abandonment Issues rearing its ugly head again, but he decides that the more he sees her, the more he likes her, which won’t do. When he follows that train of thought, the more drawn to her he is, the more occupied his thoughts are with a very simple desire.

And that scares the shit out of him.

Because no matter how many times he circles back to it, there’s no way for him to walk away from this without becoming more miserable than he was already. He’s just not Archie; he’s always been all or nothing. He can’t casually date someone, nor can he wrap his head around the idea of not thinking ahead.

He’s already afraid of a good thing, but what happens when that good thing has no good ending? It’s not star-crossed, it’s not romantic; it’s just impractical.

So he throws himself into his writing, and luckily, it welcomes him with open arms.

That is, until it doesn’t. His outline takes shape, his characters find their moxie—and then he hits a snag four chapters later, around the same time that his character gets his first real lead and starts to work with the police. Namely, his love interest. He deletes, rewrites, sacrifices whole scenes—even the ones with the bit of dialogue he really liked—but he can’t seem to shake the indecision that has begun bleeding through.

If he thought about it any harder, if he even just squinted at it, he probably wouldn’t be able to deny the resemblances between his character’s issues and his own. Which is exactly why he chooses not to analyze such realities—though at least Jughead doesn’t have a fresh dead body on his hands.

Still, he is just as plagued by the sad, sharp eyes of the blonde riddle in his book—and every time he tries to fix it, or grow their relationship realistically, he ends up wanting to throw his computer across the room.

This is junior year of college all over again, only much worse. But if he’s not thinking about solutions for his love arc, he’s thinking about book reviews and his publisher wanting a book tour for the sequel, and the inherent pressure of a follow up novel, and comments online, and even the film rights speculation floating around on Reddit—a far-fetched rumor if he’s ever heard one. Even if there’s something to it, he’s sure he’ll be last to know, and can kiss it goodbye once his sequel hits the stands and tanks as much as he expects it to.

On Thursday morning, he sends off his latest frustration to his editor, hoping she has some thoughts for him, and decides to go buy some snacks. He’s been trying to write in his room lately, but he’s already sick of vending machine candy and he needs a new toothpaste anyway, so he walks to the grocery store, scowling the whole way.

He throws a range of essentials into his basket, and then, hearing JB’s voice in his thoughts, decides to also grab a bit of fruit, lest he fall prey to the supposedly inevitable case of scurvy she’s always hocking him about.

Jughead heads to the drink aisle, and then, with his hands full of soda, nearly barrels into someone turning away from the opposite wine section. “Fuck,” he mutters, as a bottle slips from his hands. He drops down to grab it, but it rolls out and hits the foot of the woman he almost walked into. He glances back up, and is completely unprepared for it to Betty.

She squats down to his level, grinning. “On a health kick, I see,” she says, reaching the bottle of soda first. She picks it up and hands it to him, which he takes after a moment.

“Yeah well, the name Jughead Jones is synonymous with Whole Foods,” he mumbles, straightening. “Thanks. And, uh, sorry for almost running you over.”

“Something a girl always dreams of hearing,” she laughs.

Her hair is down again, and she brushes a smoothing hand against it as his eyes run over her wavy tresses. She looks nice—well, she always looks nice, but today she looks nicer than usual. Maybe it’s the way her hair falls along her neck, or the swishy pink skirt, or the black short sleeve button up, or maybe it’s just because she’s still smiling at him and he’s just too far gone to see past it.

She adjusts the bottle of wine cradled in her arms. “So,” they say at the same time. There’s a fumbling and awkward amount of pausing while they both ask the other to go first, but eventually she tries again.

“So, how have you been? Haven’t seen you in a few days. You missed a fun night of Archie and Veronica’s basically undressing each other on the dance floor, by the way. Never again am I third wheeling.”

He chuckles, cringing at the thought. “Great, now I’m going to have to absolve my eyes of that mental image, so thanks for that. I’m not sorry I missed that, but I didn’t mean to leave you hanging. I just got bit by the writing bug,” he offers by way of explanation.

“And here I thought you were avoiding me,” she says, with something like a nervous grin. “Or got sick of me, maybe.”

“Impossible,” he sighs, and it’s true, even though he has been avoiding her. A pang of guilt hits him, hard; it hurts to hear that she’d thought his opinion her was anything less than glowing. Fuck. He’s been an asshole, but he honestly didn’t expect she’d have spared him a passing thought. “I’ve just been busy with the book, I’m really sorry. Got in my own head a bit.”

“Oh,” Betty breathes. Is it relief in her big eyes, or is that just what he hopes to see? “No, no, it’s fine. I’m glad to hear that. Make some good headway, then?”

He shifts his basket in his arms so he can scratch his chin. “Yeah. Kinda,” he says. His eyes, desperate for something to do other than stare hopelessly at her, fall to the bottle of wine. “Bit early for a drink, don’t you think?” He asks, intending for it to be a joke, but he thinks of his father as he says it and it comes out sounding all wrong.

Betty blinks down at the bottle. “This is just a gift,” she explains, holding it up. “I’m heading up to Hudson today. To get your compressor part, actually. The wine is part of a thank-you; Adam’s letting me come get it right away. He called me when he got back last night.”

Jughead feels instantly suspicious of this Adam person. What’s in it for him to be so helpful? Then he frowns, remembering Kevin’s ominous mumbling about this guy Adam. He’d gotten the impression that he was interested in Betty from that, and that sends a flare of jealousy straight to his stomach. Is this why Betty looks a little dressier than usual? For him?

“So soon?” He asks, swallowing. “You’re ahead of schedule, then.”

Betty lifts a shoulder. “Well, I know how eager you are to get back on the road.”

He wants to punch himself in the face. Wants to tell her he hasn’t been able to get her out of his head all week, especially not after rolling around in the sand next to her while she wears a swimsuit straight from the set of Baywatch. Wants to tell her he has suddenly no foreseeable desire to leave Riverdale, or her.

“I mean, I still have to be in Chicago at the end of the month,” he says slowly, remembering himself. That won’t change, so there’s no point in beating around the bush. “But I’m not…it’s not like I’m rushing out the door.”

It’s as close to “I like you” as Jughead can get right now, and he’s fairly sure it’s a lost cause to attempt telepathy, but he tries it anyway. Betty smiles softly at him.

(No point in beating around the bush—that is, except for the one labeled: Jughead’s feelings for Betty.)

“That’s good to hear,” she says, her lips wrapping around the words in a melodic sort of way.

“Yeah, as we’ve previously discussed, turns out Riverdale’s not all bad,” he says, as they start to wander through the aisle. It’s another attempt at cryptically hinting that he likes her, but unsurprisingly, it doesn’t land.

Betty scoffs. “Careful there, I wouldn’t want the town to get a big head.”

“I mean, it’s no Phoenix or Tallahassee, but…” He grins at her rolling eyes. “A little bit of luck, spit, and shine, and it’s well on it’s way to being a real Toledo.”

“Look out,” she drawls. She’s getting bolder with her sarcasm; he wonders if he’s rubbing off on her.

She ends up tagging along with the rest of his shopping trip—they debate his taste in toothpaste brands, which Betty points out is the same one her sister buys for her kids, and she tells him that one apple does not actually keep a doctor away and he needs to buy more fruit, so she leads him back to the produce aisle and fills his basket with oranges and something called a lychee.

“You sound like JB,” he mutters, as she launches into a monologue about vitamins. “She’s a vegan, now. Me, the human garbage disposal, with her, my legume-loving sister. She’s always on my case about my diet. I don’t know how we’re going to live together.”

Betty glances over, her fingers pausing over a peach. He leans against a large crate of fruit. “That’s the other part of the reason why I have to get to Chicago with the truck. I’m helping her move back to Boston, and she’s gonna live with me until she figures out her next move. Which, if she’s anything like me, means she’ll be sleeping in my home office till she’s 30.”

She arches an eyebrow. “You’re a best selling author, and you’re 26.”

He squints right back at her. “Did you google me?”

She burns bright red and pretends to be very interested in procuring the right peach. “No,” she says. “Okay, yes. But after you revealed yourself as JP Jones, I just wanted to confirm. I’m a big believer in fact-checking citations and bibliographies, Juggie.”

There she goes with the nickname again; the one that sends his heart into a sickeningly gushy plunge. He hates it, and he loves it.

He wiggles his eyebrows at her. “Find anything incriminating on me during your journey into the deep web?”

She tips her chin into the air. “You’ll just have to see,” she sniffs, and then snags his shopping basket from his arms and deposits the peaches she’s spend the last few minutes selecting for him. He stands there for a moment, his lips lifting as he watches her move on to inspecting an ear of corn.

Betty glances back over her shoulder with a teasing grin, and his breath catches. She’s so beautiful.

“What are your thoughts on America’s most popular vegetable?” She asks, holding the corn up to the light.

“I think I don’t have anywhere to cook anything, no matter how prevalent it is to the industrialization of American farm,” he says, pushing off from his perch and snatching the corn from her hands. He tosses it back into its crate. “I’m cutting you off, Cooper. No more produce.”

“Well, I have a place to cook,” she says quickly, and then blushes. His eyes widen; it almost sounds like she’s inviting him to dinner, but then she picks the corn back up and continues. “I could���maybe I want it for myself.”

He puts his hands in the air. “Fine, fine. I mean, it’s your complicity with the corruption of factory farms, but fine.”

“Says the guy with a basket full of high-fructose corn syrup,” Betty points out, her eyes rolling. “And sorry, what is your logic here? I buy organic corn, therefore I support factory farming?”

“There is no ethical consumption under capitalism,” Jughead says, a finger in the air. “So I might as well go out with my guns slinging, some soda in hand.”

“Then you’ll leave me and my opinion on corn alone,” she replies, gathering a few ears into a little brown bag. He puts on a look of faux pretense, but takes his shopping basket back and transfers the vegetables and her bottle of wine into it. When she starts to protest him carrying her groceries, he just walks ahead.

What Jughead intended to be a way to kill time has now turned into a full hour, but at this point he’s dragging his shopping trip out as much as possible. When they part ways, Betty will go to see this Adam person, and give him this bottle of wine and maybe even smile at him in her soft, secretive kind of way, and then probably fall into his arms and—

“Juggie?” Betty asks, freeing him from the Gone With the Wind-esque nightmare playing out in his thoughts.

“Hm?” He asks, snapping back to attention.

Betty is reaching back into his basket, and he realizes they’re at the check out counter. “I should probably get going,” she says, glancing at the large clock hanging over the grocery line. He has no excuse to delay her any longer, so he nods and they move forward into line. She deposits her wine and corn onto the conveyer belt, says hello to the person behind the register, and starts digging through her purse for her wallet.

She waits for him while he pays for his groceries, and then they both head for the exit silently. Once again, he feels so stupid for avoiding her this past week. He should’ve been enjoying what little time he has with her, rather than falling victim to the self-fulfilling train wreck of his life.

He walks her to her car, gives her a little wave of goodbye as she slips into the driver’s seat, and turns on his heel. And then— “Hey, Juggie?”

He spins around absurdly fast. Betty is leaning out of her window, her arms folded out over the top of the door. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to come with me?” She asks, tilting her head at him. “We can get the compressor out of the way and then go get a nice lunch, or something. Hudson is cute, there’s lots of stuff to do.”

His brows furrow, as this is at odds with his presumptions about Betty’s nice outfit and the bottle of wine and the interested man waiting to meet with her. But he’s already shot himself in the foot once, so he’s not about to do it to the other.

“Sure,” he says, in what he hopes is a casual voice. He deposits his bag of groceries—luckily nothing perishable—into the back of the car and then comes around to the passenger’s side.

He settles in beside her, a warm feeling in his chest and something odd stuck in his throat.

Betty beams at him, and then turns onto the open road.

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