#and i hope that what wip(s) is looming over you right now you can find the strength to go do the same

[tathrin]

Good news! This is a painting by Andrew Wyeth of Christina Olson, who lost the ability to walk at a young age and preferred to get around by crawling rather than using a wheelchair or other mobility aid, and this is in fact her favorite painting of herself because “Andy put me where he knew I wanted to be.” She is absolutely prepared to crawl across that field and enjoy it.

So go write your story. And enjoy every scene of it — even the annoying ones that are standing in your way right now. Maybe you’ll have to crawl to get through them, but you can. I know you can.

[aethelwyneleigh27]

Cod Characters General Dating Headcanons (part three)

+ Random and Some bits of Chubby Fem S/O Headcanons with mentions of different nationality S/O

+ What type of BF/GF they would be

Including König, Kim "Horangi" Hong-jin, Keegan P. Russ, Philip Graves (+ some headcanons including the Shadows), Makarov

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Fem terms and pronouns like she/her are used for the reader

ꕥ HOPE YOU ENJOY! ꕥ

My rules for requests and characters I can write for

A/n: I tried so hard to get this one out in time with the other but my other wips are getting to me 😭. I posted twice today just to feed y'all ahaha.

Disclaimers/warnings: Typical Cod things, OOC characters???, Unrealistic, Some suggestive themes and language, I'm so sorry but English is not my first language so please don't come after me. Most of the content I've seen are on TikTok and Tumblr I don't actually play the game but I love the characters so much, same with any other content I have for other video games.

Tiny sidenote: the reader in this has been describe to be shorter than the characters and has been mentioned to have a soft body rather than the muscular type.

König

ꕥ (PLEASE DON'T COME AFTER ME, I DON'T KNOW ANY GERMAN AND I'M USING GOOGLE TRANSLATE)

ꕥ Speaking of König, I don't think this man is the shy boy that some people is making him out to be (not that he doesn't have that side at all, I just feel like they make it his whole personality). Based on voice lines alone this man is cocky asf.

ꕥ There's a reason for his mask, yes he was bullied as a child because of his looks and that's one of the causes to his social anxiety but that doesn't mean this mf is shy. He just like to avoid people and social interactions yk. (Y'all have no idea how much I can relate to this)

ꕥ Has and will continue to use his height to his advantage, someone bothering you while you're both sat having a wonderful time together? This mf stands the fuck up, shoulders back, chest out and everything. Looming over that person while glaring down, arms crossed while they're engulfed by the shadow of this 6'10 behemoth of a man.

ꕥ Chubby!Reader? He'll throw you over his shoulders, only using one arm below your ass while he carries you off. Seriously it is no problem to this man, he'd beg you to sit on his face and suffocate him. If anything I'd say he has a preference for it yk, very soft and plush reader for real.

ꕥ Our DIY king here wearing a shirt for a hood, his hair sticking out of the hole for the head whenever he's dressing casual. Play with his hair like right now, you'll make him melt right then and there.

ꕥ Enjoys cuddling, hasn't had many partners and by that I mean kinda none. Nobody was insane enough to approach him till you came around so he's very touch starved. He didn't even know he enjoyed touching that much till he was able to feel the amount of warmth your body gives him. He'd swear on his life that he was intoxicated in that moment.

ꕥ Whenever you sit or straddle on his lap, he's still so fucking tall. I swear you will gain neck pains if you wanna keep eye contact while talking to him. (I understand the struggle, I am a 5'1 girly. Every character I know within the CoD universe is taller than me 😭)

ꕥ Doesn't actually wear his mask around you, he's comfortable and trust you enough to know you wouldn't go around telling everyone what he looks like.

ꕥ Nicknames he'd call you in German are Mein Schatz, Fräulein, Liebling, Engel and Kleine Maus

ꕥ He's still definitely bitter about not being a sniper. (AHAHAHA)

Kim "Horangi" Hong-jin

ꕥ (IF I'M BEING HONEST, I DID NOT EXPECT HIS VOICE TO BE THAT DEEP. ALSO HIS VOICE LINES IN KOREAN/HANGUL (IDK WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT)

ꕥ He has doodles on his tactical gear that he did himself (there are also one that are a tribute to squid game because man's had a gambling addiction), has asked you to draw on it too and he proudly wears it when on duty. Will feel stupid while unconsciously smiling if you draw a heart.

ꕥ Writing something down on his vest from your own mother tongue and he's asking the meaning, if it's genuinely something good like a compliment or something like "I love you" then you will catch this man with a shit eating grin.

ꕥ He used to be a gambler before entering the military and it eventually got him to stop, though he still has a thing for risk, he got himself a more deadlier alternative.

ꕥ Expect surprise back hugs, this man isn't called Horangi for nothing. He's stealthy, I like to think that whatever he says to you is well thought out as well. Man knows how to think before he speaks.

ꕥ Horangi likes to pounce on things, just for the fun of it. It leads him to tackle you on your shared bed a lot, lots of play fighting too.

ꕥ HAS THE PRETTIEST EYES EVER. Like seriously, the only people who knows what he looks like is you and König. Had gentle eyes, you know that quote "His eyes softened", yeah that's the definition of his eyes.

ꕥ Loves it when you trace the veins on his arms with your finger nails, will just straight up offer his arm to you.

Keegan P. Russ

ꕥ This man and his panty dropping voice like holy hell I have never heard a voice as deep as his without a vocal fry (from those try hard guys on TikTok who try to hard thinking their thirst traps are good).

ꕥ Calls you "kid" in an affectionate way? It's honestly just what he calls anyone younger than him, you're shorter? He'll emphasize on that shit. Elaborating on the nickname I said earlier, he uses it less when y'all are dating but still does on some occasions.

ꕥ Would say the most dirty and uncalled for things, whispering it in your ears. He's and asshole in the best way possible, loves it when you gasp and playfully slap his chest.

ꕥ He's sweet though, would see you as his wife even if you're not married. You're his now, the moment you entered his life, he basically had a death grip on you.

ꕥ Something tells me that he likes talking about you or to you through radios yk. His voice sounding even deeper through the device, calling you doll even though he's supposed to refer to you with your call sign.

ꕥ Praise kink? I mean you've more likely heard his voice lines, is the type of man to praise you and ruffle your hair, either that or he'll kiss you depending on what stage of your relationship you are both in.

ꕥ Constantly thinks his eyes are weird even though they aren't, he just has sleepy eyes. Speaking of sleeping, I feel like he has such a fucked up sleeping schedule and is used to pulling all nighters more than the normal person.

ꕥ Will drag you in bed though and lay his whole weight on top of you because you ain't going nowhere, you are staying there with him and only him.

Philip Graves

ꕥ (If it isn't "Fix It Felix", please tell me I'm not the only one who sees it AHAHAHA)

ꕥ Philip is touchy, somebody for the love of everything that is holy cuddle this man please. He is just screaming at any type of physical contact at this point. (My sources? Right fucking here)

ꕥ Is the type of boyfriend to come home to you and just hug you, y'all would be there for a solid 10 minutes before he lets you go. Burying his head into your neck and just inhaling your scent while having his arms wrapped tightly around you.

ꕥ His Shadows? More like his fucking children, again going back to the TikTok. He knows how to get their attention, the little pats on the shoulder and small praises are his way of saying they did a good job and they're eating it up.

ꕥ That being said, you are either gonna be their mother figure or someone they enjoy protecting because their dad is so fond of you. Why not be both right?

ꕥ You cannot tell me this man won't be next to the grill, spatula, tongs or whatever kitchen utensil in one hand and a cold bottle of beer in the other.

ꕥ Spends his weekends with you on his lap while he watches football in your guys' couch, you're definitely scrolling on your phone during this.

ꕥ You cannot tell me this man doesn't wear cowboy hats and boots because he certainly does, is it a turn on or a turn off? I genuinely do not know..

ꕥ Is fruity on some aspects but would never fucking admit it..

Makarov

ꕥ Y'ALL ACTUALLY THOUGHT I'D WRITE FOR THIS MAN? NAH THIS ACC IS WHOLESOME (OR ANGSTY) AND ION THINK THIS MAN IS SALVAGEABLE. (This came from a girl who once was obsessed with Tom Riddle for years when she was 13, I recovered from it dw)

ꕥ This man would literally use anyone and anything as leverage for whatever he wants to achieve. (Yes I am one of those "I can fix him" people but damn idk if this man is fixable)

ꕥ Please don't tell me you actually genuinely think this man would be good to you.. I knew what I was writing was unrealistic but damn y'all are delulu on another level (so am I, stay delulu). Jokes aside I love y'all and he's one of the few I won't write for. (AHEM Severus Snape (that greasy mop haired mf)

ꕥ And yes I understand most of my shit are kind of OOC but damn if I wrote him, it would be extremely fucking far from canon and I don't like romanticizing toxic relationships (if I ever do write it, it will be angst and I can't ever promise a happy ending).

ꕥ Happy April fool's! (I know I'm posting this end of September (it's actually October now 😭)

[magioftheseas]

A Smile In Fragments

Summary: When Komaeda first woke up, Hinata didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe he wanted Komaeda to scream, maybe he wanted Komaeda to cry, or maybe... Maybe deep down, he wanted Komaeda to smile at him and accept his situation with that carefree calm he had been stuck on for months now.He got that in the worst possible way.

Rating: T+

Warnings: Suicide attempt which results in copious gore.

Notes: This is another old-ass wip that I finished up and posted, which means it was written pre-dr3. Back in the day, I was curious about Amnesiac Komaeda AUs set post-sdr2, so I tried my hand at it. This is what happened. Yeah. It’s, uh, pretty rusty but I guess I have some amount of fondness for it.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

Just Komaeda smiling at him was enough to make him snap.

“What,” Hinata snarled, stalking forward as the boy in the sheets faltered. That damn smile wilted but Hinata only felt his anger flare burning hot before his eyes. “What the hell were you even thinking?”

Komaeda hesitated to answer and Hinata loomed over him, fists shaking at his sides and glare absolutely poisonous. That the other couldn’t dignify him with some self-righteous answer was even worse. “Do you even understand the shit you’re in right now? Did you honestly think pulling that stunt would make anything better? I was trying, alright? I was trying to help you only for you to just...”

He stopped, trembling with fury and unable to even say it as he shut his eyes. Komaeda made a noise. A familiar sound that has Hinata nearly lose his temper and commit an act he’d regret... But instead, he lets out a heavy sigh and gives Komaeda a look of disgust.

His look drops when he sees how Komaeda’s reacting—how he’d been reacting ever since Hinata started yelling at him.

Komaeda looks terrified—sincerely, purely scared in a way that Hinata had never seen before. He’s back against the wall, knees tucked between them like a barrier and arms pressed close against his chest. His body’s wracked with tremors, his eyes wide like a child’s, and Hinata’s anger utterly dissipates back into worry.

“Komaeda...?” he asks, voice softer with a bit of a waver. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m... I’m sorry...” Komaeda manages just as the nurse bursts in.

“Hinata-san,” she says and Hinata has to tear his sight away. He hears Komaeda stifle a sob, and the seriousness in the nurse’s eyes doesn’t stop him from flinching. “We need to talk.”

--

When Komaeda first woke up, Hinata didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe he wanted Komaeda to scream—his plan failed after all, tremendously so because not only were they all still alive, but he was still alive as well...and the only person who really died was never living in the first place—or maybe he wanted Komaeda to cry—I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, but how likely was that—or maybe... Maybe deep down, he wanted Komaeda to smile at him and accept his situation with that carefree calm he had been stuck on for months now.

Instead, Komaeda shut down as soon as he woke up. He shut them out.

He was in poor condition upon waking and needed to be nursed, so it didn’t require much effort on his part. The rest of them avoided visiting him, too, except for Hinata who was desperate enough to want something...and maybe a little bit anxious because he remembered the last time they left Komaeda alone to his own devices. Not that it mattered, because even when Hinata tried to be polite, Komaeda seemed content to ignore his existence. Like he really was the Ultimate Nobody.

It made him angry enough to stop trying. But he still worried—that traitorous niggling feeling digging under his skin like a parasitic worm and aggravating him to the point where he felt like he was going to go insane. But there was nothing he could do, right, if Komaeda wasn’t going to acknowledge him—there was nothing he could do...

But, god, desperately and shakily pressing torn bits of fabric to Komaeda’s head in a frenzied attempt to stop the bleeding—if there was really nothing he could have done to prevent this...

“Don’t, please don’t die,” he begged, heart pounding. He already called Naegi in hysteria but Hinata was terrified at the bleak, real possibility that it’d be too late. Komaeda’s eyes were already fluttered shut and blood was still pulsing and slicking his trembling fingers. “Please, Komaeda, stay with me, stay with me... I-I can’t...”

It’s only by the time the others get there that Hinata realizes he’s been crying. He tries to wipe the tears away but ends up smearing Komaeda’s blood on his face instead. In seconds, he’s hyperventilating as Naegi takes his shoulders and murmurs to him: it’ll be fine don’t lose hope Komaeda-kun will be fine, you saved him Hinata-kun it’ll be fine...

In the end, Komaeda is saved. Hinata washes away his blood from his hands. And when Hinata hurries to go visit him, Komaeda turns and gives him a smile.

--

Komaeda smiled at him again when he entered. But this time the smile was tinier, more fearful—and the more Hinata thought about it, the more the smile from before seemed more for the sake of platitude. And yet he got angry.

This wasn’t the time to feel guilty over it. But he should...

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I...” I wasn’t aware of your condition. But I say something like that, and he’ll know I meant it. The yelling part. I did mean it. But I wouldn’t have been like that if I knew... Does that even mean anything? Does apologizing mean anything? What am I supposed to...? “I’m sorry, Komaeda. Do you really not...”

“I forgive you.” Komaeda’s smile was still meek, but also a bit wider, and Hinata didn’t know if that was good or not. He shouldn’t get conceited when Komaeda still seemed so unsure and insecure. “From what I can tell, I think I’m at fault too... You did say you trying to help me, so... Ah, it’s fine. I just ended up startled, because...you know...”

It’s not like you would even know why I’d lose myself like that... You don’t even know who I am anymore... And it’s weird that he’d be so sheepish about it, too, because it’s not like Komaeda chose to conveniently get retrograde amnesia when he did. Hell, the amnesia thing was probably the furthest thing he was aiming for and that was...

Just fine. As far as Hinata was concerned, when things don’t go Komaeda’s way is preferable to otherwise. Komaeda’s way was twisted and distorted and could invariably lead to disaster. Hinata was aware of this from experience, though he was also aware he didn’t fully understand it. It was entirely possible he never would. Still... “Is there anything you want?”

“Huh?” Komaeda looked at him, his head at a bird-like tilt and wide doe eyes. “I’m...sorry? I don’t know if I can answer that question easily...especially when I’m not entirely sure if I can trust you. Yet, at least.” He looks almost apologetic and Hinata really doesn’t get that either. But finally, Komaeda’s looking a bit bright again, and it’s more of a relief than he cares to admit. “So the nurse did explain what’s wrong with me, right? Recently wrong, I mean. There were problems before... Ah, but I don’t know if you know about that so I’ll just stop here. Did she tell you or not?”

“You don’t remember,” Hinata states it bluntly, his throat thick as Komaeda nods in response. “You’ve experienced trauma that resulted in you losing your memories. You... You don’t remember me anymore, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Komaeda says, his smile sad. “Nor do I remember how I got here. But I’m not completely a blank slate if it means anything! I remember some things that happened to me before—like once, I had a dog? Ha-ha, something like that... There are still holes in the memories, sadly, but at least they’re still there. If it helps, I think one of the last things I remember is getting an acceptance letter.”

“An acceptance letter? For where...?” Hinata was already dreading the answer. Komaeda chewed on his lower lip with a soft hum.

“Some esteemed academy... But I don’t recall the name...”

“Was it Hope’s Peak?” Hinata’s stomach drops. “Y-You...don’t remember Hope’s Peak?”

“Was that the name of the school? That sounds about right.” Komaeda didn’t sound so sure despite his chipper tone. “Sorry, my memory stops there. But since I’ve been diligently explaining my delicate situation, perhaps you could fill me in a bit on the things I don’t know? It’d only be fair, after all...” He holds up his left wrist, tracing the bandages around the stump as he observes it in plain curiosity. “I’m not entirely sure how I got this. The nurses won’t tell me and to be frank, I highly doubt it was from the incident that resulted in my amnesia. It’s a bit healed over and... I think that acceptance letter was a while ago...before this. I’m not sure, but do you know?”

“I-I...” Hinata hesitates, blatantly. “I-I wasn’t there...when you lost it... S-Sorry...”

“So you don’t know? How disappointing.” Komaeda sighed. “Isn’t that so unfortunate? How am I supposed to write? My handwriting’s awful enough as it is and... Oh. Right. Your question. No, I don’t remember going to school at all. I just remember getting accepted.”

“Do you remember anything after that?” Hinata asks. “Like...your classmates? School assignments? F-Field trips?”

“Hm. Those are some generic questions. I get the feeling you’re hiding things from me...” But Komaeda grinned cheekily as Hinata froze for a moment. Komaeda laughed it off like it was no big deal. “Ah, it can’t be helped. But no, sorry. I barely remembered the school’s name after all. Oh, wait, I do remember being on a boat... Actually yeah. I was on some kind of boat.”

“Do you like boats? You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Hinata blinked hard to dispel the image, but Komaeda turned to him with realization clear in his gaze and face lighting up. “That’s right! You were there, weren’t you? You have the same eyes from earlier, though I see you cut your hair... Funny, didn’t you never want to see me again? You were quite cold, you know...from what I remember. What else were we discussing?”

“It’s not important,” Hinata says, voice quick and thick. “None of those things are important anymore. I didn’t mean anything I said back then. That... That’s not me anymore, so you mustn’t worry.”

“Oh...” Komaeda looks a bit disappointed, but still a bit hopeful. “Um. I don’t remember you introducing yourself...”

That’s because I didn’t. Not back then. I didn’t deem it important.

“What’s your name again?”

Hinata swallows. “Hi...Hinata. Hajime Hinata. I was...” Your classmate? But that’s not true, is it? I was never in that...

“My friend, right?” Komaeda asks, and Hinata’s chest seizes up for a moment. And Komaeda looks bashful too, rubbing at his shoulder with a light blush on his face. “I really am sorry... I must have worried you a lot to make you so angry... Though I don’t know how good my words are when like this. But really, I sincerely appreciate you caring so much. Especially since our first meeting didn’t go so well... But since you’ve changed, I guess... We’re friends now?”

You’ve got that wrong. I didn’t understand you. I don’t even know if I can forgive you. Even though you’re alive now, I feel like things have never been more complicated. I don’t know what we were, but it sure as hell was not...

“Or I’m wrong,” he hums, halting Hinata’s thoughts with a self-effacing sigh. “For all I know I could have just been a troublemaker you got saddled with. Isn’t that more likely?”

Hinata doesn’t answer, but Komaeda gives him another sincere smile that takes his breath away. “But I still like you, Hinata-kun. You must be a really kind person to worry so strongly over someone like me. I don’t have to remember our exact relationship to notice that; especially when you were so fired up earlier. I’ll try and do my best, so don’t fret so much, okay?”

I...I may never understand this person...

--

“I don’t want to go back.”

The words were simple, clear, and concise. And yet, they didn’t make any sense at all.

“Komaeda,” Hinata groaned, reaching for the other only for him to avoid his hand. Komaeda’s stare remained—those same wide doe eyes and lips pulled into a neutral straight line—but Hinata grew more agitated by the minute.

The wind blew, ocean waves crashing below, and when Hinata’s eyes drifted from Komaeda, they landed immediately on the edge of the cliff not too far behind the two. The idea appeared in his head and soon sank to his gut, and Hinata nearly begged as he attempted to grab Komaeda. “Come on...!”

“If you’re going to take me back,” Komaeda murmured, face unreadable as he continued to evade his swiping hand. “Then I have no choice.”

“Please, please don’t...”

“Hinata-kun.” It was the first time Komaeda had said his name in months, and it sounded raspy. Awful. Hinata hated the way Komaeda said his name. But he still missed it. And that just made it worse. “What do you think will happen? Good luck or bad luck? Make a prediction—just like you did the first time we met. Hopefully, you won’t be wrong like last time.”

Hinata shouted his name, fear breaking through his anger as he launched himself forward towards the other. He missed Komaeda by mere centimeters and he only saw a blur of white and blue before there was only the barren cliff before him.

Whatever shock he would have gone into was shattered when he heard the soft, muted impact from several feet below.

--

“Oh good morning, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda brightly greeted him, waving his good hand once he saw Hinata standing blankly in his doorway. Hinata wasn’t sure how he looked, and Komaeda gave no comments to it, but there was a slightly concerned way to how Komaeda tilted his head and smiled a bit more. “It’s a bit early... Is something wrong?”

“...Nightmare. I had a nightmare.” With those words out, he stumbled to get close, nearly tripping in his haste to reach out and grasp Komaeda’s still elevated hand. He squeezed it once, briefly, and pulled his hands back to wipe his clammy palms off his pants. “Sorry. I... I just had to make sure for a moment.”

“It’s fine...” Komaeda pulled his hand close, curling it against his chest. His worried smile remained on his face, and Hinata tried not to stare at the bandages wrapped around his head. There were scars there before, from previous hospital trips, and Hinata can only imagine how much worse they’d look now with where his head had bashed on a rock.

“Um... Hinata-kun?”

Hinata’s gaze snapped back.

“I’m sorry,” Komaeda spoke with such ease, and yet, so much regret. “I’m really, really sorry. I just... I feel like I should beg you for forgiveness.”

You should, but I won’t be happy when you’re like this. It’s...

It’s fine.

“Komaeda...”

Even if I won’t ever understand, even if we’re just back at square one again... Even so...

“I should’ve said this earlier,” Hinata said, forcing a smile. “Welcome back.”

Komaeda blinked at him, but he smiled once more. It actually wasn’t half-bad. It might’ve even been a little lovely.

I can keep trying a little while longer.

[graspingremlinhands]

I really like the idea of Titanus mawari!

Can u tell me more about what they look like?

I'm glad you like my old lady🤩. 'Cause is a she but Monarch still don't know. Here a description( sorry in advance for my english)

She is an avian kaiju. Do you know the vogelkop?

Now imagine this black mass(without the blue band, all black) on a thing tall 220m(721 feet) looming over you. And don't forget her tentacles going out like the snakes on Medusa's head

That's Mawari. She's the tallest Kaiju known by men( in my Au)

Her body resembles the one of a stork, precisely the shoebill stork, except her neck is longer and she can bend it backward, to better engulf it in the black. The rest of the plumage fade into gray. And at chest high she has a pouch. Used to carry food or not-hatched eggs.

Also her beak may look more like the one of a vulture.

Her wingspan is around 330m(1100ft). Not very big, since the spieces don't fly much or for long period.

Now the big guns: her tentacles. This particular may be a little gore, but as I say I want to give her a "demonic vibe". Hope I did it good.

Her tentacles are used to inject in preys a fungus. A parasite. This fungus act in 4\7 days. It grows till it reach the heart, feeding on the fluids and flesh of the host, till the heart stop. Then Mawari eat the now dead prey( the fungus doesn't effect her). That or if Mawari doesn't eat right away, the fungus keep growing till exits in a flower-like protusion. The fungus now, doesn't release spores but a smell that will attract other preys. They(the species of mawari I mean) do it many times, making a sort of "garden". A garden where in between the "roots" of say fungus, one can see the remains of past preys. That's why one of Mawari's title is Collector of Bones.

Last thing last: Mawari is not a villain. It just her nature, her hunting method but she will never hurt someone on purpose. She was a good friend and loyal subject of Dagon( Godzilla' s "Dad") and She and Mothra were lovers. She was always very found on Godzilla himself(when he was a baby), before her banishment.

At first they were supposed to be just an elderly sweet lesbian couple, but then the Angst train caught me and now things are gone down bad. Curse me and my listening of "Once I was loved" by Melody Gardot( check her out if you like smokey jazz).

And that's all I can tell you. Simce her backstory is still a WiP.

Thank u so much for the ask, and feel free to do it again💖

ASK ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED!!!!!!

[kaydeefalls]

9, 12, 25, 34, and any other you want to answer??

Sweet! Thank you!

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

In TOG, Andy, which is strange for me because she's, you know, the protagonist and stuff. This is not a diss on Andy, who I think is a FANTASTIC character, just one that I can't personally wrap my brain around to write well. The biggest roadblock to me adding more desperately needed Andy/Quynh or Andy/Nile to this fandom is the fact that I cannot get Andy's voice in my head at ALL. No idea why. She's amazing and I love her and I never ever want to write from her POV. (I don't particularly like writing Booker, but not because I find him difficult. He's easy enough to write. I just don't enjoy being in his head.)

For X-Men, Shaw. Fuck that dude. Worst villain ever. Incredibly boring and difficult to write.

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

...oh shit, I have no active WIPs right now and I don't know what to say! I mean, I will damn well finish the Poe/Finn soulmark AU, that IS going to happen even if it kills me. But I feel like the past few months have just been me powering through all the looming deadlines and refusing to indulge in any other fic ideas, and now I'm just about over that hump and my brain is an absolute wasteland. I have a few vague ideas knocking around that I'm hoping will come to fruition, but they're still at the fragile don't-look-at-me stage. So! I am super excited to finish my Festivid this weekend so that I can start thinking about WIPs again!

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them! LOL, all the time! For example, I ABSOLUTELY know what the next plot for The Conspirator's Gift (Charles/Erik medieval mystery AU) verse would be, but I will never write it because no one cares except me, and also the entire thing would unfortunately hinge around the reader not knowing Rogue's mutant power so obviously that wouldn't work so much as a mystery anyway, alas. There are also "scenes I never got around to writing" from various fics that play on loop in my brain, because they just didn't fit in and I knew that before I bothered starting them. So, like, I know exactly how Charles/Erik originally hooked up in Boden's Mate well beyond the fragment actually shown in the flashback (along with BUCKETS of CIA backstory with Inception characters). 

For TOG, there are a number of sections in lessons exquisitely crafted that were not from Nicolò's POV, and therefore his perspective was never explained, but 1. that time they died of thirst like 20 mins from an oasis, only Yusuf actually died, Nicolò just pretended to have as well so that he could save face; 2. Nicolò absolutely had sex with Yusuf's ex-twink on the road to Mecca, and probably had a few other one-night stands over the years but was VERY good at hiding them from Quynh and Andy because he's capable of fucking discretion, thank you very much. I also never found a way to include the conversations Yusuf/Nicolò definitely would have had about all their near misses and weird shared connections over the years apart, but like, they definitely talked all that shit through, and Nicolò told him everything about the meeting with Maryam and her son, and Yusuf cringed his way through the conversation about their mutual twink friend Robert-the-physician.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of. UGH I'm terrible at picking these things, but this is a kind of silly and overlooked exchange from Travellers from an Antique Land:

"Well, you look damn good for forty," Nile tells her. "Or, you know, three thousand and forty, whatever." Quỳnh laughs at that, the sound bright and sparkling, and it warms something in Nile's chest to have made the boss laugh. "Man, it's weird to think about, though, you know? I'm twenty-six. My body is gonna be twenty-six, forever. I mean, most people would kill to look this good for the rest of their lives, right? But the thought of being a crotchety old lady someday, still stuck in the body of a twenty-something…" Quỳnh regards her thoughtfully. "It's not quite like that. Yes, we grow ancient in our own ways, with the sheer weight of those years of experience. But…" She shrugs. "In another sense, we don't age. Not just in appearance; I mean that our bodies are constantly healing, rejuvenating themselves. It's not that you will always appear to be twenty-six; in a very real way, your body and your mind remain twenty-six. Our brains do not decay with senility. We still learn and adapt with the ease we had at our first deaths. You don't realize," she goes on, somewhat conspiratorially, "how lucky we are that the boys died at the ages they did, and not as younger men. Can you imagine being stuck with twenty-year-old male hormones for the rest of eternity?" This is something Nile genuinely had not considered, and it is absolutely horrifying. "Oh, my God. They would just be fucking all the time." "All the time," Quỳnh agrees, world-weary. "You don't even know. Lykon used to--"

This is kind of a primary thesis I have about how age works for the immortals, though. Like, I find all the takes on how they're grumpy old people in young bodies entertaining, sure, but I genuinely think fundamentally they're not. They are as young as they were when they first died, just with a fuckton more lived experience than your average thirty- or forty-something. Lykon was twenty years old forever with all the godawful hormones that entailed and he would just fuck all the time. This is crucially important information.

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

WIP Wednesday 8/11/21

Had a writing stint where I pumped out 7K words in 3 days when I usually manage only..200-500 a week. Here’s some snippets of a WIP with my Gray-Ace Inquisitor Tallin and a very understanding Solas as they navigate her very first romantic/sexual feelings for anyone, ever (24 and never been kissed except that one time in the Fade, baby!!). She is a very nervous person by nature...

————-

Please just a crumb of feedback. A gif. An emoji. Please. I’m on my goddamn knees.

[snippet 1]

"Tell me 'no', and we can resume as we were without enmity. You are also at liberty to tell me to take my leave, in which case I hope to see you in the morning..." He stopped before her, drawn to his full height, head tilted slightly in a manner akin to a wolf intent on ascertaining a curious vision. “But if you choose for me to remain, you must decide once more. At your behest, I will gladly provide the chaste company of which you are so accustomed. We will sit. We will talk. We will read. We will retire in an exhausted fashion to bed. You will cozy up beside me like a nugling to its nestmate, content. But if you say 'yes', if you wish to learn how it is the wolves dance.." 

The light gray of his eyes suddenly darkened and his lips spread wide and sharp, rendering him impish, lupine. Tallin's heart lurched, but to her inner wonder it was not accompanied by a familiar queasy unease.  Her instincts were not screaming for her to bound away like a skittish halla from the man standing before her. Instead, the soft heat in her lower stomach flared like a bonfire given new life, its flames crawling up inside her chest, licking beneath her lungs. In the rare instances where someone looked at her in such a way--like she was something to be snatched up, like she was something edible--she retreated, recognizing that the individual had wordlessly marked her as prey.

Would it be so terrible to have him as her pursuer? That was what he was implying, wasn't he? That he had been observing her in that particular manner far longer than this emergent sense of craving.

What made it so different from the other times? What made his approach far less threatening?

The consideration, she realized. He is considerate.

If she was a halla, then he was a..a..

Her eyes flicked down momentarily in thought, landing on the dark jawbone hanging low over his chest from thin leather cords. 

And here and now, she realized she had always had her answer. He was a wolf. A wolf with a wistful man's soul.

Their method of courting until now, if it could be called that, had not been a simple 'chase'. No, the wolf had deigned not to pursue, for it recognized the halla did not wish to be hunted down. If this particular halla was ever compelled to bolt, it would not do so while also secretly relishing the idea of hot frantic breath on its heels or teeth sinking into its throat.

"..then with your blessing I will take you to your bed and claim everything you are, everything you are willing to give. I will unravel you as easily spun silk, uncover for us both your desires that remain unnamed."

He shifted and out of the corner of Tallin's eye, a shadow moved. His words had coiled her up like an Orlesian spring toy, promises that spoke of capitulation and submission and frightening loss. Her head felt hollow, her skin tight and brittle. The anxious fire in her chest roared in its hearth unabated.

Her breaths shallowed. This was happening. Everything was happening. He was describing the clumsy mental images she had been too cowardly and too embarrassed (and too confused) to acknowledge. All of this, everything, was happening too much and too fast. She knew nothing of his predilections. She knew nothing of what she wanted other than to be with him. Beyond the bare minimum for procreation, the stories of brutal violence inflicted upon elf women by peasants and nobles, and the confusing comments made in passing by the Iron Bull, she didn't know what to expect. 

If you speak it, you will make it real.

He raised his hand. She froze, spine taut. His expression gentled, edges shaved. The backs of his fingers stroked her cheek. "I will have you in the manner that a lover should. Gently. Sweetly."

As if he had woven a spell, Tallin gradually relaxed into the touch. It was not necessarily of her own volition, but she knew this. Nothing frightening ever came of this. This was familiar. Safe.

She heard Solas hum, thoughtful. "Yes, a gentle touch for a gentle girl. Would that please you?"

She swallowed, caught his hand and turned her head to press her lips against his hot palm. The world was silent for several moments. "W-Would you..?" She croaked. A question with many budding branches.

Would you..?

..be gentle?

..do all that you say?

..treat me kindly?

..love me?

Another step, and they were flush together. Her hand found his tunic and scrunched the material in her fist. As a precaution or an anchor she did not know.

He loomed over her fully now, both hands coming to cradle her face as if she were blown glass, gray sky eyes beholding her like Mother. Love. But now, also..

She offered no resistance when he tilted her head just so. He leaned in. His breath was scorching mint against the whorls of her ear.

"Yes. Until you can hardly stand it."

[snippet 2]

"You wish to-? Oh, 'ma'lath.." The tenderness in his voice made her eyes sting for but a moment.  The casual nature in which he extracted her hand from the half-hard presence pressing against breeches could not fully offset the surge of embarrassment she felt. As Solas busied himself with kissing the knuckles of her offending hand, she silently berated herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Tallin."

Tallin started. To her chagrin, she found Solas peering at her over her curled hand, his gaze firm and knowing. The internal self-abuse had been playing itself across her face.

She couldn't do this, she realized. She didn't know *how* to do this. He was trying to coach her through it but what if nothing stuck? What if she kept making mistakes, misreading signs? What if this was all a put-on for *her* sake? What if he didn't want her and was doing this to placate her, as he had so many other times? Lovers had to touch each other, she knew that much, and for him to except himself from this exercise, it reeked of...

"Tallin." His voice said through the dull ringing in her ears. "Tallin."

"Ir abelas." This was a mistake, a horrible mistake. She turned away, intent on rolling off the bed and..where would she go? She didn't know. The blood pounding in her ears was making it so difficult to *think*.

An arm wrapped around her waist as firm a steel band, digging into her stomach. She struggled half-heartedly, frustrated tears leaking from her eyes.

"S-Solas.." she protested.

"Tallin. Come back to me, my love." She shook her head and bit her lip to hold back a pathetic whimper. Not to deny him, but to help rid herself of the looming thoughts.

Selfish. This was selfish. 'I desire you, you desire me, but I demand that I take from you and give you nothing back.' That wasn't how it was supposed to go, was it? It didn't sound right.

But she was greedy for comfort. Always craving it.

[snippet 3]

"Shh, shh. No. You are not like most others. You were born with a heart that hungers endlessly for love, but eyes that cannot see that the source from which you drink remains full no matter how often you sip. It is your nature, but it can be tamed with practice. You can learn to ignore these pressing doubts, in time."

"I want to do this. I want to feel this burning, to learn where it might go, but.. I'm still nervous about..you, and where you..fit."

"That is not an uncommon concern, vhenan."

"So I've heard. But what if I never overcome it? What if it still..frightens me? If you accepted it--"

"--I would accept it." His tone was firm, almost indignant.

"--then it would only be me that was benefitting from this. It would only be me that was taking."

Solas barked a laugh, making Tallin jump.

When he finally settled, his grin had not abated--a full one that revealed straight white teeth and sharp canines, crinkled eyes that glowed with pure mirth.

Tallin lay there, confused and a bit put out, by her hahren's strange reaction.

"'Ma'vhenan, there is so much more to sex than that." He chuckled again, the sound decidedly doting. "You see yourself as taking advantage of me, of taking while offering nothing in return until you have used me all up, yes?" A reluctant nod. "But you have never considered to ask how I feel in all this?"

Tallin blinked.

"In matters of state you display exemplary feats of compassion and empathy, but in matters of the heart you are callous to yourself. You believe that sex is a matter of 'taking', but that is far too reductive for what this is.  Pleasure does not solely originate from taking or receiving. Giving is just as lucrative. In giving, I would be receiving your pleasure. The joy in giving a gift is to receive another's happiness, is it not?

"Y-Yes.."

"And do you not see that you are a gift to me?"

"I am?"

"Yes. Your trust that I will do right by you in this matter is a precious gift, one I will hold close to my heart. That you offer me the opportunity to teach you despite your lingering reservations is no small gesture."

[snippet 4]

"I love you." She said, muffled. "Ar lath ma."

"Lathan na. Bellanaris. Please understand that this is a request I must refuse. The time to learn of me will come later." At the familiar sight of Tallin's brow furrowing in confusion, he hummed, a serene enigmatic smile on his face as he cupped her inked cheek. He leaned in and planted an affectionate kiss upon her forehead before resting his against hers, peering into her puzzled brown eyes. "Tonight we are learning about you. This is your first experience not just with a man, but with pleasure. I will not risk overwhelming you with my wants when you have yet to determine what it is you yourself desire." Another kiss. "Slowly, 'ma'vhenan, slowly is best."

Sheepishly, "O-Okay, but I only wanted--"

He was quick to silence her with a kiss. "I know, I know, and you are so good to have offered." His voice dropped into a purr. "So good for me.." His mouth was on hers again, hot and surprisingly eager. Tallin's eyes widened, then fell closed at the familiar brush of his tongue against her lips. Thick honey-heat pooled beneath her skin; her hands found his shoulder and nape to instinctively pull him close as she obediently opened her mouth.

They clashed and fed upon each other's taste. She discovered his: sugar and..lemon. Lemon cake? It tasted good, a faint playful zing on her tongue.

Time and sense gradually slipped away with the air in her lungs. At some point he turned them both so she lay on her back. With his knees staked on either side of her, he could hover over her while avoiding making her feel trapped. Considerate, she thought with a burst of love, he is so considerate.

Solas was the first to pull away, and Tallin was only a little surprised that the soft noise of disappointment that she made at their parting didn't inspire any embarrassment in her.

What did make her blush furiously, though, was the show Solas made in how thoughtfully he licked his lips as he paused to catch his breath, grinning the whole time. "..mmh, an intriguing mystery."

Tallin didn't know if it was the lack of air or the wondrous nature of the kiss, but she couldn't connect the dots with what he was saying. "W-What?"

"The taste of you. I wonder what it could be. No, don't tell me." he clarified when she made a move to speak. He hummed to himself as his thumb rubbed the space beneath her lower lip, his grin simplifying into a satisfied smirk. Tallin felt another flare of heat radiate over her cheeks. "I will find out for myself soon enough."

And he descended upon her with his lips and tongue as fervently as before. She soon began to pant as she found herself once again suffocating on his sweet breaths. He seemed intent on fulfilling his promise. She could never have imagined a kiss to be this fierce, this hungry. He was devouring the very taste out of her mouth! And to her surprise she found she..liked it. She liked it as much as the soft and gentle kisses. Where those were affirming his devotion, these were confirmation that the desire she felt for him wasn't one-sided.

[chinatea]

Jikook Sexy Alien AU Part 1

Personas are a product of @satellite-jeon​ ‘s beautiful mind.

This is WIP and still pretty drafty, and I’ll be posting new parts to tumbler as I finish them. I’m planning 4-5 parts overall. 

For my best girl @kmheart​ <3333 Thank you for loving this mess. <333

Warnings: Coarse language.

Jungkook doesn’t know exactly when his life took a dive from awesome to downright shitty.

And even if he did, he wouldn’t be telling that story any time soon ‘cause no one gives a rat’s arse about good ol’ boy Jungkook who scrubs pools for a living. 

It didn’t start that way. In high school, he was a local superstar. The golden jock. The whole fucking trope, baby. With titties of all caliber following him everywhere. Boy did love him some pussy. Dicks, too. He loved everything to do with sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.

He believed himself invincible and it was only a matter of time before he mingled with the wrong crowd. Only back then, he thought of them as friends. His bros for life.

Well.

Now, he cleans pools - the only kind of gig he can scrounge up nowadays, what with a criminal record and whatnot - and trusts no bro. 

And when he’s not cleaning pools, he’s stuck at the garage being bossed around by a dirtbag who happens to be his uncle. His uncle, Sunmu, hates his guts - one of those stupid homophobic fucks who can’t mind their own fucking business. Needless to say, no love lost.

As much as Jungkook wants to punch his stupid teeth out - what’s left of them anyhow - he needs the money and it’s not like his uncle can do much more than run his smelly farthole of a mouth. Which he does. At lengths. The dude just never shuts up. Until one day, Jungkook made him shut up - even his golden-boy patience has its limits. And the dude blew up, called the police, the neighbors came a-running, the whole nine yards.

One hell of a shitshow, that night.

So now, Jungkook has taken to bringing guys to fuck in his garage instead. Totally intentional. He knows the geezer, like the sick fuck he is, had cameras installed all over for his own perverse pleasure. So Jungkook lets him enjoy it while he can.

‘Cause once the summer ends, Jungkook will burn down his fucking shack and hit the road, because he’s this close to being done with the shitfucks that are hell bent on ruining his life.

Another day. Another mindless grind.

Luckily for him, the client has vacated the house for the day, leaving their big pool in his capable hands. A much welcome break from those rich fucks being all smug and pissy and all up in his grill about every little nothing. 

Rich tits always think they know everything.

Not to mention their shitty kids running around, destroying his equipment and yapping his ear off. Or worse yet, their old haggy wives flashing their saggy tits at him - goodness gracious, does his face say he’s into wrinkled-ass pussy or something?

He thinks the fuck not.

Jungkook plops down on a deck chair and pops a can of coke open, taking a long chug. When he doesn’t have people looming over his ass, he prefers taking things slow. At his own pace. That’s what he’s all about. 

As much as he could wrap things up faster and call it a day, he’s not looking forward to trudging back to the garage. Sunmu the dipshit would be there, of course, nagging at him with this shit or that and he’d rather chill out here - the house is off-limits, locked tight, but the scenery is gorgeous. The house sits on a cliff, with the pool area overlooking the city below. 

It’s private and quiet and damn therapeutic. Like, he could just close his eyes and pretend it’s all his. That he’s not a broke-ass dude about to keel over any day now, but someone who is in control of his life. 

And he does just that. Closes his eyes and leans back, cradling the coke to his chest like one does a lover.

Mind blank of any thought.

The sky above crackles in warning, too close for comfort. And it wakes up goosebumps along his skin as he jostles awake from his little moment of inner peace. His hands flap around, knocking his coke over - it drips all over his tank top. 

Nice, Jungkook thinks. 

Of-fucking-course, it must rain today of all days. He scrambles up to his feet, ready to start hauling all the gear back into his truck when IT happens.

At first, he is not even sure what IT even is. One moment, he’s one grouchy mess, spewing dozens of profanities at no one in particular while tugging at his stained top in a retarded attempt to shake the mess off. And the next-

Something, fairly massive and spherical, materializes a few inches above the pool before plunging into water like a dead weight. Jungkook can only manage an undignified squawk before the impact wave sends him flying into the thorny shrubs framing the pool.

Mother-fucker.

When he drags his ass back from the shrubs, drenched from head to toe and covered in scratches, all he knows is that his stained shirt is the least of his problems now, because this…

What the fuck is this? he thinks, staring agog at the offender, hogging the pool now.

It looks like…something.

Maybe a futuristic car or a flying vessel of some sort. He has no clue, really. What it is or where it came from, but it’s here, right in his face, obstructing his work. Like a bastard.

He’ll have to call up a tow truck or something to pluck this sucker out, which will take forever and there go his plans for Friday night out.

Jungkook walks around the pool, inspecting the strange contraption from all sides. It’s slick and round and very, very chrome. Perhaps - a submarine. Some ultra-slick technology with masking abilities. Which apparently can fly, but not very well, otherwise, how the fuck it’d ended up stuck in his pool.

Those rich fucks and their stupid malfunctioning toys, eh. 

Jungkook sighs and kicks the empty coke can lying about. It flies off towards the pod, ricocheting right off its shiny cask with a sharp clank. And now he has even more trash to dredge up from the puddle bellow. What joy.

As he is about to roll over and wail in self-pity, the pod wakes up with a tremor, sending shallow ripples over the water. Jungkook freezes, frantically thinking over his choices - his gut reaction is to hightail the fuck out of here, because the thing is starting to show signs of life and it doesn’t sit well with Jungkook, not one bit.

He better scram and scram fast. Fuck the money and his uncle - especially his uncle - no one told him scrubbing pools involved close encounters of the third kind.

He makes to do just that but doesn’t make it too far as he bumps into someone, loosing his balance and sending them both to the ground. With a groan, he opens his eyes to stare at the unfortunate soul who had to bear the brunt of the fall on their- his. 

It’s definitely a he. A he so stunning Jungkook’s jaw goes slack and his brain radio-silent. Meanwhile, the he doesn’t waste any time making the most of their proximity as he slithers his hands around Jungkook’s neck and presses against him in a soft sweet kiss.

A supernova goes off at the back of his skull. 

It was awesome.

“Hello,” the other says, a quality to his voice that is out of this world. He must be out of this world, because how?

“I’m Jimin.”

“Hi,” Jungkook says.

A dumb grin takes over his face.

He’s tingly all over. He thinks he’s in love. 

“You’re gorgeous, Jimin-ah. Will you marry me?”

“Marry?” Jimin says tentatively as if testing the word on his tongue. His lips are pretty and full, forming a perpetual pout. It’s adorable. “I can’t marry. I need to mate.”

“Oh.” That throws Jungkook for a loop, as his heart swells with emotion. “Mate who?”

“You,” Jimin smiles. “Serendipity has chosen you as the most suitable candidate within this quadrant of our galaxy. We’re compatible.”

“Wow,” Jungkook whispers. He understands jack shit, but it does feel like serendipity, doesn't it. Just a moment ago, he was one miserable son of a bitch and now…he’s the luckiest son of a bitch in the whole fucking quadrant of their galaxy. 

“You do know I’m scrubbing pools for a living, right?”

He props himself up on his hands, hovering over the gorgeous Jimin and eyeing him like a candy on a stick. Jimin has pretty dainty hands. They are always in motion, feelings up Jungkook’s arm muscles, bulging all prettily just for him - this shameless little minx.

“I know everything about you,” Jimin says, his voice washing over Jungkook’s mind like a gentle summer tide.

Turns his brain all mush-mush. 

“Every second of your waking moment. Every dream, every thought you’ve had. Serendipity has shown me all of it.”

Whomever this Serendipity is, Jungkook hopes it didn’t show every single thought he had. After a certain age, they’d gotten rather repetitive and tended to fixate mostly on things below the belt - which is not the image of himself he wants to project into this world. 

“You’re thinking too much,” Jimin purrs, tapping his temple lightly.

His hands wind up in Jungkook’s hair, massaging the scalp and down his neck. His touches are flitting, almost shy and it kindles longing in Jungkook like never before. It tramples all of the questions budding in his head. Melting reason away. Before he knows they’re kissing again and it plays out like a dream. 

He’s doing something, but he’s not really in control. It feels good. Peaceful, he’s in a safe place. Jimin’s touches are weightless and tender as he maps out his body with the very tips of his fingers. 

Like he can reach everywhere - can touch anywhere.

The moment something prods his mind, gentle and soothing - akin to a light breeze caressing the leaves - Jungkook shivers. Falls under. A feeling like no other. Floating, like a little air bubble. 

It’s gone as sudden as it came and Jungkook finds himself yearning.

“We can’t do it here,” Jimin says as they both move upright in sync. He grabs Jungkook’s hand. “Let’s go. Serendipity will have to stay here for now.”

“Serendipity?” Jungkook asks, shaking off the drowsiness as his brain slowly kicks back into gear. “You mean that pod thing?”

“Don’t call her ‘a thing’,” Jimin chides. “She has feelings. Quite a temper, too.”

“Damn, a she-pod with feelings”.

They’re standing now with Jimin plastered against his chest and nuzzling his mighty pec. Not awkward at all. 

“She’s a ship. The most intelligent ship in the whole galaxy. Completely self-aware,” Jimin says, exploring the vastness of Jungkook’s chest with his curious palms now. Jungkook starts to notice a certain obsession here of a tactile nature, but can’t find it in himself to complain. “Be kind to her.”

“I am kind,” Jungkook says. “I’m like...wait, who are you?”

“I’m Jimin.”

“Okay,” Jungkook nods. “But what kind of Jimin are you? Where did you come from? You’re not with the Joneses here, are you?”

With the burden of rational thinking, Jungkook slumps into a realization that he has questions. And he must ask them. 

“No, I’m from space,” Jimin says like it’s not big deal. “We need to go,” he commands, taking charge and dragging Jungkook along.

“Space? Wow,” Jungkook says. “That’s, ah, nice, I guess. Never been myself, what with the radiation and minus fuck-ton degrees, you know. Transportation kinda sucks, too. I don’t know if you’re aware but we’re kinda still in the stone age or whatever, but, ehm...remember when I was lying on top of you, with our private parts perfectly aligned? That was nice too, wanna, ehm, do that again?”

“Here is not safe,” Jimin says and at least, it’s not a no. “Serendipity can hide herself well enough, but it’s a matter of time before he tracks me down. And if that happens, I don’t want him to track me down right next to her.”

“Who’s he?” 

“Just a man who never gives up what’s his.”

“You mean, like, ex-boyfriend?” Jungkook asks, swallowing down an annoying spike of jealousy. “Do you even have boyfriends in space?”

“I meant Serendipity, not me,” Jimin says. “And yes, we do have boyfriends up there in space. You don’t have to worry though, he’s been mated for the past five hundred years. He’s that boring.”

Jungkook lets out a low whistle.

“If his mate looks anything like you, that’s understandable.”

[blueberryraindrops]

Blueberry’s Ultimate G-Rated TUA Masterlist

KEY

Fics are organised alphabetically (articles e.g. ���the’ will not count)

Download links are EPUB files only

authors can feel free to send me a msg if they want their fics’ download link taken down

Regular updates can be expected as long as I remain in the fandom

Last Update: 14/10/2020

Other Masterlists: All Fics; T-Rated; M-Rated; E-Rated

FANFICTION

☁︎ Adventures In Childhood [Series] by just_a_sunflower_girl { G / Partially WIP }

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Five really should have guessed that something would go wrong. The universe hated him, it was an abject fact. And right now, Five hated the universe right back.

The commission turns Five into a four year old, hoping it will make him easier to kill.

☁︎ Bizarre For You Is Normal For Us by pupeez4eva { G }

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“I think he’s talking to himself again,” Ashley said, leaning forward. “Okay yeah he is — oh my god, is that kid talking to the mannequin?”

Maggie shot a glance behind her. Yes, the boy was talking to the top half of a mannequin.

“I love working here,” Ashley breathed.

Wherein Klaus, Dave, Five and Dolores go on a double date, and people are confused and very concerned.

☁︎ Blink by Lady_Origami { G }

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When Five blinks, sometimes he's back in the world of ash and embers. It's hard to remember how to breathe when that happens. In which Klaus tries to play the role of supportive brother with Ben's help, and Five struggles more than he lets on.

☁︎ Dead Aren't Good Company, The by RosyPages { G }

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They’d been back in time for less than a month when their father forced Klaus back into the mausoleum.

But maybe this time his family can do the right thing.

☁︎ Five And Diego Take Ukraine by yawarakai { G }

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It’s definitely her. She's around fifty, and striking – Diego can see where his brother gets his features. Light skin, grey eyes, hair dark and straight, slim. She’s a carbon copy of the boy standing before her.

“Da?” Five’s mother asks warily.

☁︎ Ghost Math by pinstripedJackalope { G }

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Number Five needs a new hobby now that the apocalypse is off. He decides to help Klaus--and in turn maybe he'll help himself.

☁︎ game of waiting, a by sky_blue_hightops { G }

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He was always the fastest. He always beat the others up the stairs, down the halls, through time and space. If there's one lesson he's learned, it's that there's always a finish line. A stopping place. Blood bubbles from between his fingers, and suddenly there's no air in his lungs.

Five jumps in front of a bullet. He calls it quick reflexes. Diego calls it stupidity.

☁︎ Happy Accidents by Starrstruck_64 { G }

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You’re making a mess, is what Diego wants to snap back. Instead he hears his mom’s voice clear as day say ‘boys will be boys’ and without thinking he’s moving on autopilot.

Diego can feel his hands clenching rhythmically at his sides before he’s moving forward to take the bowl from Klaus and ripping the apron off in one smooth motion. Discarding the bowl to the side he works on getting the strings untangled and slips the apron over his own clothes.

“Out.”

He has so much work to do. The pancake is beyond salvaging, the kitchen is a mess, and he’s fairly certain the batter is inedible.

Aka: the fic where Diego’s mothering instincts go wild

☁︎ I'm The Daddy? by TUA (IAMS) { G / WIP }

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Five spends fifteen years in the apocalypse and two years working for the Temps Commission before breaking his contract and time traveling back to the year 2003; just a year after he originally went missing.

According to his calculations, wiping Reginald's existence from the timeline means the apocalypse never occurs. But of course, this leaves several newly orphaned fourteen year olds in his care.

Let the family bonding and therapy ensue.

☁︎ Kitten Socks by sky_blue_hightops { G }

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Klaus's lost his favorite pair of socks (again) (Ben shut up) and finds them in an unexpected place.

☁︎ Meet the Hargreeves Siblings by AmyR { G }

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Klaus is found passed out by a confused Patch and Beaman. When Diego comes to get him, refusing to divulge who the unconcious man was, things get weird. At least the first time. The second time, it was a different person. And then the third. Then the fourth.

Until finally, explanations are demanded.

☁︎ Midmorning Coffees and Therapy Sessions by wereworm { G }

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Local woman working at coffeeshop accidentally adopts a child and gives advice with a focus on getting closer to siblings when she, herself, has a sub-optimal relationship with her sister.

Or the time Five went to get a good cup of coffee and ended up slowly befriending the barista while trying to reconnect with the siblings he hasn't seen since his childhood without the looming threat of the apocalypse anymore.

☁︎ Not my body, not my life (But I am here) by Panonnymous_Bloom { G }

→ Download Here

He wasn't going to explain to Diego why exactly he was following Allison's every move with his eyes because he didn't own anybody any explanations, especially not his simpleton of a brother who seemed to think that every Alpha was going to pounce on Allison at the first sign of any heat.

Allison's decision to spend her heat in the house leads Five to a small realization - and even smaller desire - but he will kill a thousand men before admitting to it.

☁︎ Outside, For the First Time by Trees_Frogs_andPotentially_Treefrogs { G }

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Grace is torn between her programming to obey the rules set by Mr. Hargreeves, and her duty to the children, and decides that being a person is self determined.

☁︎ Snacktime. [Series] by HotCocoaaa { G }

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There was a wolf spider, just, chilling on the table that morning when Diego came down for breakfast. A...a really big wolf spider. Just...a real hunk of a thing.

(“You...you just….you just ate a spider.” He murmured.)

It didn't end well.

☁︎ sweater weather by KittenAnarchy { G }

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Number Five, a dryer, and his first blink.

☁︎ there is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends by Drhair76 { G }

→ Download Here

"What's this?" He said pointing a finger at the bread and peanut butter that was laid across the table top.

Five rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "What do you think. It's a sandwich."

"Oh?" Klaus reached out a hand to brush the sleeve of his beloved hoodie. "And what's this?"

or, the one where Klaus 'loses' a hoodie, Five gets a hug and Ben is proud.

☁︎ trans diego & child five [Series] by iamnotalizard { G }

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eudora and beaman are surprised to find out diego has a kid; they're more surprised when they see what their relationship is like

☁︎ Uncle Five PT1 by glitched-coffee { G }

→ Download Here

Allison has to take care of Claire without warning the others but its all fine and dandy until Claire thinks she’s old enough to hear everything about Five. She’s seven.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Happy Together : 2

Small World

Character(s): (deceptively) dark!Steve

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. It goes without (and with) saying that this is 18+.

Series Synopsis: The reader is stood up while awaiting a blind date, instead finding herself keeping company with the restaurant’s famous owner; Steve Rogers. After that night, she tries to forget her humiliation but she just can’t shake one thing about that night: him.

Chapter Summary: The reader sees a familiar face.

Notes: For reference to setting, see the previous chapter. As for this one, I hope you have patience. Now, Witness kinda took a few chapters to get to the crux, but this one might take a little longer. ;) But I promise, it’s going to be some very fucked up Steve eventually. In advance, I thank everyone for following along and soon I will start adding to other WIPs one Witness is finished (maybe finally start that Medieval AU lol) <3

Thanks to everyone who reads and as always, I looked forward to hearing from you in the replies/reblogs/tags/asks. <3

You were annoyed that you had wasted time at that restaurant waiting on yet another unreliable and selfish man. You could’ve used the hour finishing your latest commission but instead you spent your Saturday morning on the project. You usually tried to save that day for yourself. Self-employed, you made it a priority to work at least six days a week. You were paid well enough, quite successful as it was, but you liked the security of having a little extra under your belt. Besides, it always made you anxious to think that you could be actually doing something instead of lazing around on your couch watching Netflix.

Plus, you needed the distraction from your self-pity. The humiliation lingered for a few days after and even your work couldn’t erase it entirely. Why hadn’t he come? Was it an innocent case of forgetfulness? Or maybe he had changed his mind after seeing you. Tandi had exchanged your information via Facebook and he had seen your photo the same as you had his. Perhaps he hadn’t been as pleased at the prospect. Ugh, you didn’t even know him. Just forget it!

It was Wednesday and the disappointment was still a speck at the edge of your mind. It was sunny for once, a light jacket over your blouse and jeans as you basked in the warming spring air. You walked merrily to the park, happy to be outside, refreshed almost. You found a place on one of the bench, the melody of birds and interspersed voices of people filling the flowery air. You pulled your tablet and pen from your leather tote and opened up your program, working on the outline of the geometric logo you had started the night before.

Every now and then you looked up from your work and admired the serenity nestled amidst the chaotic city. You crossed your legs, resting your tablet against your knee and continued to draw, the sunlight hugging you. A blur moved across the top of your vision and paused, looming closer and you slowly looked up. The tablet nearly slid off your knee as you spotted the man approaching you. It couldn’t be.

“Hey, it’s you,” Steve greeted, his perfect smile shining brighter than the sky. “Sorry, I didn’t get your name the other night.”

“Um, Y/N,” You answer, shading your eyes from the sun beaming over his shoulder, “You remember me?”

“A face like yours is easy to remember,” He replied coyly, “I’m Steve, by the way.”

“Yeah, I uh...know,” You admitted shyly, “Thanks again…”

“Oh, it was nothing,” He waved away the gratuity, “Do you mind if I sit?”

“Go ahead,” You shrugged, steadying your tablet across your knee.

“Are you drawing something?” He asked, your tablet half-dimmed as it threatened to lock.

“Yeah. Working actually,” You explained, clicking the sleep button and shifting the screen against your thigh. “I’m a graphic artist.”

“Ah,” He nodded, “Makes sense. It must be fun. Doing something creative like that.”

“It can be,” You answered, “I…” You paused, his eyes never leaving yours. He was so intent on you, as if no one else was in the park. How had he picked you out among the crowd? Half of New York had probably been in his restaurant. You shook away the overly paranoid questions and continued. “Depends on the job, really. I mostly just do corporate logos and designs. Can’t really get paid for what I want to draw.”

“Well, what do you like to draw?” He stretched his arm over the back of the bench, you almost didn’t notice as it slid behind you. You were sure it was just a casual gesture, a habit he didn’t give much thought to, but it felt entirely too intimate.

“Life, I guess. People, animals, trees. I just like to create scenes, not just...symbols,” You said, nervously twirling the pen between your fingers. “I prefer to paint, really.”

“Oh, yeah? Do have any of them on that thing?” He pointed to the tablet, “Anything you’re willing to show me?” You blinked as his tone caught you off-guard. He was talking about your art and yet it seemed like he meant something more. You could’ve sworn his eyes had strayed from your face for just a second. God, you were crazy. After being stood up and nearly two years by yourself, you were growing delusional.

“I might, I, um...one second,” You unlocked your tablet and saved your work. You opened your gallery and flipped through your files, settling on a quick sketch you had done of a sparrow that had built a nest outside your building. “It’s just a drawing, but, um, here.”

You handed over the tablet and he tilted it so he could see the screen, his brows lifting as his eyes ran over the lines and shadows done in monochrome, splashes of auburn here and there to give a hint of life to the sketch. “Wow, that’s really good.” He looked up, holding the tablet out to you, “You’re very talented.”

“Thanks,” You looked away shyly, “Really, it’s just a sketch. I’ve seen way better.”

“No, no, what you do is amazing. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others,” He smiled as you took the tablet, your fingers brushing his by accident. “You’re you and that makes it more than a sketch. It’s art.”

You allowed yourself a small smile. “Thank you,” You locked your tablet again and set it on your lap, resting your pen beside it.

“Well,” He slowly pulled his arm out from behind you, his warmth releasing you as he stood. “I’ll leave you to it. I’d hate to keep you from you work.” He checked his watch as he spoke, “And I’ve got to get to the restaurant for dinner service.” He looked back to you, his blue eyes searching you, considering you closely as he measured his next words, “You should definitely come back some time. You know, no date required.”

“Yeah, uh, sure,” You nodded evasively. You didn’t really want to admit that you couldn’t go back not because you were dateless but because you had bills. “It was, uh, surprising to run into you.”

“You, too,” He grinned, his golden brows twitching, “The special tonight is salmon. You should give it a try….have a good one.”

He turned away, strolling across the park and onto the street. You drew your brows together as you saw a silver car pull up and he got inside. Why would he be walking through the park if he had a town car? You shook your head and readjusted your tablet across your knee. Maybe he had just gotten out to stretch. You doubted he had gone out of his way to bug you.

-------------

You balanced the mugs, careful not to spill any of the foam as you walked between tables and found your seat by the window. Tandi was sat with her phone out, grinning at the screen like an idiot. You set her latte in front of her and cupped your own warm mug as you sat down. She finished typing and relinquished her phone on the table. She looked up at you, starry-eyed over her latest fling. Well, they’d been seeing each other for a couple months so maybe it was getting serious.

“I’m real sorry about Danny,” She said. She had arrived as you were waiting in line, grabbing a seat as you bided your time in the queue. Your mouth twitched and you looked away. The heat still rose in your cheeks whenever you thought of the painful hour spent in the restaurant. It had been more than a week.

“It’s not your fault,” You grumbled, “It was just embarrassing...I can’t believe I sat there that long. It was like everyone was staring at me.”

“I’m sure they weren’t, but it was a dick thing to do. I’ve blocked him on Snap, Facebook, and Twitter.” She smirked, “So yeah, fuck him.”

“Ha, thanks,” You scoffed, raising your mug to sip from it, the foam cooling the espresso. Your eyes wandered out the window as you leaned back in your chair.

“You know, not all guys are like that, Y/N,” She trilled, “Carson’s a nice guy and he has lots of friends.”

“I don’t want to date any of your boyfriend’s bros,” You protested, watching the passerbys through the glass. “Carson’s nice but not my type and I can’t imagine his friends are of a different cut.”

“Well, you should at least consider someone. Anyone!” She said dramatically, but before you could chuckle it caught in your throat. You swore you recognized that blonde head across the street. You couldn’t say for sure as it quickly ducked into the suit shop and you blinked as the mug in your hand wobbled. You steadied your grip and turned back to Tandi. Right, you were going crazy.

“I will. One day. But I’m fine right now. Work’s good and steady and I feel pretty good. I can do what I want when I want...Living with Mike was difficult and I didn’t even realize how much I hated it til he was gone.” You stopped yourself before you could get too emotional. “I know it’s been a long time, but I’m working on it, a little at a time.”

“I know…” She reached over and touched the back of your hand, “I just want you to be happy; healthy.”

You smiled. A genuine smile. Not the one you put on for strangers or when you were anxious. A real one and it felt good. You took another gulp and waited for Tandi to begin her usual train of gossip. She always had the messiest stories about her workplace; she was an actor and had garnered many a theatre job, enough at least to keep her studio apartment. Once she began, it was hard to stop her and your latte was drained by the time she finished.

Her phone shook the table. She flipped it over and checked the notification, her face shone. “Carson’s back from his trip,” She almost sang. You stared at her and sighed as her eyes rounded brightly.

“Go on,” You relented, “You’re free to go. I won’t keep you. Just call me when you get a chance...if you get a chance.”

“Thank you,” She stood so quickly she hit the table with her hip. She pulled on her thin trench, pulling taught the belt around her thin waist. “I love you, you know that?”

“I know. That’s why I’m letting you go,” You crossed your arm, “Just let me know you’ve arrived safely. You know I’m paranoid.”

“Sure, sure,” She leaned down to give you half-hug, “I’ll see you.”

“See you,” You patted her lower back in return, “Bye.”

You watched her go, content at least with the hour shared with her. You couldn’t expect her to put her life on hold because you had. You weren’t bitter but you mulled her words. Just because one jerk had stood you up didn’t mean they all would. Maybe not today or tomorrow or the next day, but you’d be ready to start again one day. For now, you wanted to pop into the used bookstore just across the street. You always found something interesting there.

You stepped out into the cool spring afternoon, the evening looming as a hint of rain floated in the air. You ran across the street and hopped up onto the curb, your focus solely on the book shop. You entered with a ring, the small bell above the door announcing your entrance. The storekeeper was sat at a desk stacked with book, the daily newspaper held aloft like a shield. You headed for the back shelves where vintage magazines were kept in old filing crates. You liked to use them for inspiration.

As you picked out decades-old issues, the bell jingled again but you didn’t pay much heed to the arrival of another. You continued to thumb through the magazines until you had half a dozen, content that they would last you a while. You stood and looked along the shelf, walking parallel to it slowly as you read the titles of ancient odes and medieval limericks. You stopped to pull out a collection of Wordsworth, the spine thin and worn, easily falling open in your hand.

“Excuse me,” The voice interrupted you before you could finish reading the title of the first poem. It was oddly familiar. Your lashes fluttered in disbelief, “You dropped…” Steve’s voice died and he chuckled as you turned to him slowly, “You again.”

“Uh-huh,” You mumbled warily. It had been him on the street retreating into the suit shop. That would prove he had been in the area for more than an hour but why? He held no wares from his visit to the tailor’s. Another coincidence? Surely, you weren’t that special.

“As I was saying, you dropped this,” He held up the white pen you used with your tablet. It had likely slipped out as you knelt at the crates.

“Thanks,” You accepted it and tucked it snuggly in the side pocket.

“What’s that you got there?” He asked, nodding at the book in your hand.

“Nothing,” You closed it and placed it back on the shelf. “I was just wasting time.”

“Oh yeah?” He smiled, resting his hand on the shelf as he leaned on it casually. “I just kinda stumbled in. Saw this copy of Dante’s Inferno,” He held up the painted cover which depicted an eerie cave spiralling ever downward, “My mother used to keep a copy but I never read it. Thought maybe I could give it a try.”

“Cool,” You hugged the magazines to you chest. Something about him being there at that exact moment was off. The unease was stronger than it had been at the park; his spontaneous visit had been more believable then. You tried to smile. You were being dumb. And what were you even afraid of? He used to be an Avenger. He was good guy. “I was actually just about to head--”

A clap of thunder shrouded your next words. You looked past the bookshelves as the light rain you had failed to notice through the window began to pour down in sheets. Your distress must have been plain as your lips parted slightly.

“Do you need a ride?” He asked, shaking you from your despair. You looked back to him and tried to think of something. Anything.

“I’ll catch a cab,” You shrugged him off, trying to seem unperturbed. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Don’t waste your money. You can share my town car. He’s just outside. I’m sure you don’t live too far out of the way.” He smirked, his hand shifting along the shelf as he edged closer. You almost didn’t notice the subtle movement.

“Really, I can’t. You’ve already done enough. I really should, um, go.” You back away only to find the corner at your back.

“I won’t let you say no,” He asserted, “Come on. Just a car ride. That’s it. I mean, do you really wanna stand out in this and hail a cab?”

You stared up at him as you considered the invitation. Why were you so reluctant? He had done nothing to earn your distrust. If anything, he had only done you favours. But why? Oh, shut up brain, he wasn’t Mike. Or Danny. He actually seemed like a decent human being so why were you being so dumb?

“Okay,” You relented, “Sure. Why not.”

****

tags:  @ruff-m3rc @alexakeyloveloki @lanabanana-86 @sathlens @jessieray98 @kellyn1604 @ahideousthinginside @ironlady1993 @kloe-iel @grayxswan @iheartsebastianstan @myboyfriendgiriboy @tanelle83 @patzammit @phoenix21love @they-call-me-le @iheartsebastianstan

[calamity-bean]

Reddie Fic Recs: Canon Divergent

Comprising stories that substantially alter the events of canon — typically so that Eddie survives the final showdown with Pennywise, because that’s the kind of content I crave. Includes ones set during the events of the film(s) as well as ones set in the future that use the premise that Eddie didn’t die. For stories in which Eddie dies like in canon but doesn’t necessarily stay dead, check out my Canon Compliant recs.

This is a mixture of complete works and WIPs, of various ratings and lengths, mostly recent (like, posted since the release of Chapter 2). If part of a series, I’ve listed only the first work. More possibly to be added at any time I feel like it!

the anatomy of a joke by crescenteluce

He trails off and Bev raises an eyebrow. ‘So, you being in bed together fits in there how exactly?’

‘No, Jesus, Bev.’ Eddie says and Richie, horrifyingly, feels his cheeks heat under Bev’s suspicious look. Something needs to be done, so he plucks Eddie’s phone from his hands.

‘I am appalled by your implications, Beverly.’ He says sternly, trying to ignore the blood still not quite done rushing to his face. ‘I would have you know that I’d never defile Eddie like that, the poor man’s 40 year old and still a virgin and if I’d have the honor of-’

He’s cut off by Eddie trying to wrestle the phone away from him as Bev cackles delightedly.

and they read off our names by liquidsky

Eddie survives.

Part 1 of that ends well to end up with you

Button Up Your Overcoat by stitchy

“It’s just a gut check, there is no gun to your balls here,” says Richie. "But if you were gonna be a dad... what do you think you’d like about it?”

Eddie glances at the dog, who just looks back at him like, I dunno, man, he didn’t clear this with me. I thought we were just hanging out and watching some Treehouse of Horror tonight.

Call It What You Want by hannahberrie

They’re just staring at each other in the middle of a crowded New York train station, and it’s almost midnight. There’s supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight, according to the forecast, but Eddie can’t really remember that right now.

In which, after separating from Myra, Eddie goes to stay at Richie's place in Manhatten.

Cards on the Table by jendavis

Ben had kissed Bev, and it had brought her back from the deadlights. Eddie tries the same thing with Richie. Richie comes out of it knowing how to kill it, and knowing that he'd just seen Eddie die.

He's kind of a mess. It's kind of Eddie's fault.

Part 1 of Writing on the Wall

Cruel Summer by actuallymaxie

Richie used to call it an itch. Eddie makes him feel like it’s something else. It’s one thing to feel it. It’s something else to be able to say it out loud.

Or: Eddie doesn’t die. That doesn’t mean there’s a happily ever after. Not right away, at least.

for better, for worse by kaspbrak_kid

Eddie's done a fucking lot of brave things in the past year and a half. He did a lot of brave things in Derry, and then left his wife and started therapy and came to Ben and Bev's wedding even though he's been in love with his best friend for somewhere between six months and thirty years. Even though he knew it'd be fucking hard. He's not sure how many brave things he has left in him.

hoping to be found by eddiespaghetti (foxwatson)

When everything in Derry is said and done, Eddie really doesn’t know what the fuck to do. He goes back to New York, alone, because he doesn't have any other immediate options - and he heals.

i am easy to find by zach_stone

Or, 25-year-old Richie Tozier doesn't know why he can't remember his childhood, or why he has nightmares about yellow eyes looming in the dark. Then he finds an old photo of friends he can't remember, and things start to change. A "what if Richie and Eddie found each other again during the 27 years" fic.

If You Believe by websters_lieb

What if Eddie held on just a little bit longer? What if the losers figured out how to kill it just a little bit earlier? What if Eddie made it out of Neibolt, injured and barely holding on, but alive?

When Eddie emerges from the cavern to see Richie floating, he just about shits himself.

Part 1 of The Ever After

In Case Of Emergency Contact E.Kaspbrak by stitchy

It wasn’t immediately obvious to the Losers that something was wrong with Richie after the Deadlights. After all, his eyesight had always been shit.

in the heat of the summer (you're so different from the rest) by kaboomslang

There’s a heatwave in L.A., the first time Richie sees Eddie naked.

or

One very hot year in the life of two idiots in love, working shit out.

In This Cold Heart by pineapplecrushface

The future Richie sees while he's caught in the deadlights gives him a chance to save Eddie. In the year afterward, they both try to follow Stan's advice.

it’s about time that you just unwind by fuckener

“It sucked to tell people,” Richie said suddenly, tapping a finger on his glass. He was avoiding eye contact again. “Like - it just really fucking sucked. I’m old. I’m like middle-aged. You’re this old and you just start telling people you're gay, they think, ‘Jesus! That dude’s got issues.’ Because they’re right, and you do.”

“It must have come as a real shock to our friends,” Eddie said, staring. “That you have issues.”

it’s coming out backwards by banksoflochlomond

The problem is that he’s known it his entire life. Or at least as long as Eddie started sputtering after Richie’s “your mom” jokes. As long as Eddie, with his small delicate fucking body, muscled up to him and told Richie he was gonna get herpes from licking the swingset. As long as Richie’s known his button nose, still nice as shit after twenty-seven fucking years.

But Richie’s never said it out loud. Never let himself feel it, except when he had to. Maybe that’s why Richie was so good at forgetting Derry. He never wanted to remember. Never wanted to deal with the albatross he’d pretty much surgically attached to his back.

He’s got to, though. Say it out loud. Say it to Eddie.

(Or, Eddie survives. The road for Richie isn't any easier, though.)

it’s time the kid got free by zach_stone

But now he remembers his childhood, and the fierceness of all the emotions he felt back then — love most of all. Love was a blood oath, it was Bev handing him the fencepost that could kill monsters, it was what made him throw that fencepost into Its gaping maw to save Richie from the deadlights.

When it comes to what love feels like for Eddie, it’s always been — different, with Richie. He loves all of his friends with all of his heart, but Richie has burrowed in deeper, somehow, and if Eddie were a more dramatic or poetic man he might say he loves Richie in his bones, in his soul. But he isn’t, so he doesn’t say that, even if he maybe thinks it a little bit and feels ridiculous.

just be still with me by eddiespaghetti (foxwatson)

Eddie Kaspbrak is 38, working as a driver in New York. Richie Tozier is a stand up comic who comes to New York on a one way ticket to audition for SNL, and his agent has hired Eddie as his driver. There's something familiar about Richie, though Eddie knows they've never met. While Richie insists on sitting in the front seat and making something more than small talk, Eddie struggles to maintain professional distance.

Basically - what if Eddie and Richie did forget, and didn't see each other for 25 years, but they fell in love anyways.

Part 1 of i can stare for a thousand years (you wouldn't believe what i've been through)

The Kids Table by stitchy

For the most part Richie and his sister have a doctrine of mutually assured destruction. They could obliterate each other with their parents given the slightest provocation. To keep things at an even keel, they steer clear of each other as much as possible every other day of the year, but on Thanksgiving? Kids Table is like their NATO.

A series of Tozier Thanksgivings, from '85 to '19.

last ones out by gayingenue

Richie wonders if it’s always been this hard for him to touch Eddie. It hasn’t; they were incredibly touchy as kids, falling all over each other, gangly limbs intertwined. Even as adults, a few days before, Richie had barely been able to keep his hands off of him. Eddie almost dying did something, though. Chipped away at something deep within Richie. From the bed, Eddie laughs.

Like Pulling Teeth by  stitchy

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie muttered. Maybe there was a curling iron around here somewhere he could electrocute himself with. He scrounged a few safety pins from the counter and passed them to Bev without looking directly at Richie. He knew he was being a little bitch, but he could not let on how jealous he was. Their friendship barely survived the Christmas Richie got a Sega.

- In which Eddie mistakes wanting to be ON Richie for wanting to BE Richie -

Love It If We Made It by areyoureddiekids

Eddie lives. Richie stumbles through being in love with the man who used to be, and could still be, his best friend, and maybe something more. This is how they find each other again as adults, in the aftermath of finally killing It.

men who are afraid of the light by beepbeep (aceface)

Eddie survives.

“Well,” says Richie. “I wanted to fuck Paul Bunyan and nothing turns you off your homosexual urges like a murder clown filling his mouth with dagger teeth. Can you imagine those wrapped around your dick? Worst blowjob ever.”

Missing the Boat by stitchy

About a year after Derry, the Losers plan a cruise to Bev and Ben's destination wedding. Cross country travel being the bitch it is, Richie and Eddie miss the boat and get stranded until they can catch a flight out to Hawaii. It's a blast from the past Good Time TM, but Eddie wants to know- why has Richie been so distant?

Part 1 of Missing the Boat 

My Four Leaf Clover by pineapplecrushface

After Derry, Eddie starts dreaming, gets his shit together, and figures out how to live.

New Page, Same Old Book by Rend_Herring

He thought he’d hidden these feelings from himself, stowed them away in some dark corner and learned not to think about it. But the second Eddie peaked in from around the corner at the Jade and looked at Richie with those big, limpid pools of Christmas Orphan meets Bambi, and started rambling about gluten and cashews, it all came flooding back into focus. Richie has loved Eddie so long that it’s become an ache that goes beyond reason.

no sense of living without aim by Anonymous

Eddie had been on grindr for all of two days and in that time he’d already seen more dicks than he had in the nearly forty years of his life. He’d gone methodically through his messages and blocked all the catfishes, the possible serial killers and the bores, and eventually settled on a promising ‘37. DTF. I'll make u a drink after’ (637 feet away).

Or, sometimes your long-lost childhood crush is the anonymous hook-up you meet along the way.    

not quite young by saintsrow2

Richie was sitting in a chair in front of a dressing table, looking into the lit-up mirror while he sipped a glass of amber bourbon. He looked up when Eddie walked in and then there were no words; neither of them had thought this far ahead. Eddie stood awkwardly in the open door, feeling very much like he was still waiting for the big prank to be revealed, for there to be machinations behind all of this that he couldn’t understand. “Hey, Trashmouth,” he said, eventually. “Hey, Eds,” Richie said. “You know I always hated being called that,” Eddie said. “Not when it’s me.”

An AU in which Richie and Eddie meet before Mike calls them all back to Derry, the affair that follows, and the consequences both of them want to ignore.

Richie and Eddie Outrun the Devil (in Richie’s Rental Car) by sofia_estrella

“If It’s trying to kill us, I don’t want to get on an airplane.”

“Air travel is statistically safer than—”

“Eds, please. I don’t think I can handle a cross-country flight by myself right now. There isn’t enough Ambien in the world.”

Eddie snorts. “What are you gonna do then?”

“Drive, I guess.”

“You’re gonna… drive… to L.A.?”

+ alternate title: An Evil Clown Can’t Kill You If You Drive Fast Enough

(Stand-Up) Routines & (Engagement) Rings by cajungirlkye

2 years after the events of IT: Chapter Two, Richie brings Eddie out on stage during one of his stand-up performances in order to ask a Very. Important. Question.

sweet as cherry wine by pearlshop

“Can I come in?” Eddie asks, teeth chattering. He’s soaked to the bone, a cornflower blue polo clinging to his small shoulders. It’s the only thing he’s wearing besides a pair of khakis that are also soaked through. Richie is suddenly very sober. “Eds?” or: Eddie leaves Myra and shows up at Richie's door.

Things that Happen after Eddie Lives by IfItHollers

In a world where Richie manages to save Eddie from It after the deadlights, they still have problems on their to-do list. Featuring everything from Derry to Los Angeles—Richie Tozier's murder trial, Eddie Kaspbrak's divorce proceedings, bedsharing of the platonic and non-platonic varieties, an investigation of magic, a truly disgusting séance, the quintessential morosexual road trip, and OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES.

Part 1 of Things that Happen After

we're f***ing killing it, babe by thenewlondoner (muleumpyo)

Richie has been back in Derry for three days and murdered an Eldritch horror-esque monster from space or possibly from some weird meta-verse, who knows, and faced both of his childhood fears of clowns and his own death, as well as the possibility of losing his first love just as he remembered they fucking existed, he’d like some slack cut for him on the emotional front, thank you!

OR

Eddie is dead, but the Losers carry him out of the house on Neibolt anyway. Which is good, because Eddie is not dead.

we were always here at the right time by fuckener

Eddie’s eyes were getting heavy again. Richie helped him back down to the pillow.

“It’s always kind of like this, isn’t it,” he mumbled.

Richie didn’t move. He was still holding Eddie’s hand, his shoulder.

“Like what?” he asked softly.

“You and me,” Eddie said. What else?

what doesn’t kill me (makes me want you more) by beautifulbane

Eddie survives. He goes back to New York and divorces Myra, but a part of him is still unhappy. It isn’t until he sees Richie a year later at Ben and Bev’s wedding that he realizes why.

you're already gone by ameliepoulain

You can never get enough, Robert Smith cries over the static, and Richie turns around wearing that dumb smile again.

All Eddie can think is: soon, all this will be gone.

You’re So Stupid by StilesBastille24

“Hey,” Richie greets brightly.

Eddie looks over, one hand reaching for the remote to turn off the tv. “They said their letting me out today,” he says, eyes narrowed as he peers over Richie’s shoulder. “You know, Derry’s hospital doesn’t even make the rank of top hospitals in Maine? I’ll be lucky if I’m not back in here from a fucking blood infection in two days.” He braces both of his palms against the mattress and tries to push himself further upright.

Richie swoops in before something horrific like split stitches can occur. “Cool it, Evel Knievel, or your going to be bleeding all over these perfectly white sheets, and then they’ll definitely think twice about letting you out of here.”

[dustylovelyrun]

Hello! Do you have any WIP(s) you're working on atm? If not, anything you're possibly brainstorming? Your bio said you're a writeblr, so I thought I'd ask :)

Oh, man. I definitely do!

I haven’t really posted much about them so far, outside of random last line tags and a moment of frustration about Derek’s placement in Supervillain AU. Right now, I have 34 wips that I’m actively working on, and there’s bound to be a lot more lost in the murky depths of my scraps folder because I wasn’t interested in them at the time. And still not, to be honest. That folder’s a certified nightmare.

And I’m - probably not going to throw them all out into the void of the internet. Not yet. I need to be able to refer to some of them by something, and a lot of them don’t have that.

But here’s some of the ones that do:

Pulse - This is a disaster. A beautiful disaster. Pulse is a name for about three different series that interconnect. One main, two side. All of them with different people, and different, but related, stories to tell.The main one is currently on it’s fourth draft. It follows the Adeyemi-Nakamura family after the disappearance of the youngest daughter, Nastunye Adeyemi, from an off-world boarding school that their family has been attending for over three centuries, and their search for answers. 

Some major themes: space travel, alien races, dark academia, main poc cast, found family, LGBTQ+ rep, neurodiversity, supernatural abilities, and probably some others I forgot. There’s a big cast. And I’ve estimated there to be around three books, so far, for the main one. We’ll see for the others.

_

Supervillain AU - This is also a disaster, but less. And it’s not actually an Au. It just really needed a name. It follows the story of four like-minded individuals that, in the throws of adversity and hatred, make a pact at a young age to become a group of supervillains, and gradually take over the world. It also follows a lot of the many, many strays they take in from similar scenarios, and the journey to living out their dream.

Some major themes: Found family, adversity, main poc cast, neurodiversity, physical disability, world domination (in the making), Gen Z Rage, injustice, characters fueled by Spite and Caffeine addictions, and probably some others that I forgot here, too. I’m good at that. There’s only one book, so far, but it’ll probably turn out to be a series somewhere down the line.

_

Switch - In the middle of open warfare, when the going gets tough, how do you stop a group of powerful individuals known to escape confinement without killing them? You switch who occupies which body, of course, and take advantage of the open confusion that comes with a new form, new powers, and the troubles that come with learning about them several years too late and maintaining much needed control. This story follows an already established group of supervillains struggling to adjust to their new forms and abilities, while simultaneously trying to maintain face and finish what they started. Oh, and going back into their own bodies would be nice, but that’s lower on their list of priorities.

Some major themes: superpowers, supervillains, main poc cast, body switch, poorly controlled superpowers, LGBTQ+ rep, shady agenda’s, corruption, grey morality, accidental-almost-homicide, and some very intentional homicide, and then some others that I’m probably missing. Again. I’ll get to it with the official introduction. Probably.

-

Moose - In a world where magic exists concealed in the shadows, and mundane populaces continue to grow, to fight, to destroy and to eradicate, six cousins are faced with the perilous task of finding safety for their ever dwindling numbers of fellow magic users. The land is near hospitable, the oceans are slick with muck and toxic, and the planet’s dying. But they need to find somewhere, and to find it fast. …What if they went up? This series closely follows these cousins and their harrowing journey to incorporate mundane technology with hyperactive and very explosive magical energy, evading government surveillance and evacuating their people, and the mental strain that such a large mission takes on a person.

Some major themes: magic, magical abilities, dying planets, main poc cast, LGBTQ+ rep, neurodiversity, physical disability, shady but well meaning cultist organizations, government surveillance, space ascension, mental break downs, miscommunications, space travel, hopefully legitimate science, and anything else I probably missed! 

_

Zombie AU - Following a group of diverse and unique individuals as they try to navigate a broken and abused world that’d enveloped them in the most unlikely of places. But nothing’s ever as simple as it seems, and they soon learn that one of the amnesiac protagonists might have more to tell, fragments and distortions in their memories that swirl and twist, bend and slowly start to form into a larger picture… and one that spells a far darker picture, with the infected perhaps being the least of their worries. 

Some major themes: zombie apocalypse, epidemiology, shady organizations, amnesiac protagonists, main poc cast, LGBTQ+ rep, physical disability, minor character death, and some other themes I’ve probably missed!

_

Hunter AU - Following Russian protagonist Alyona Barisova as she attempts to unravel the intricate mystery of her parents’ disappearances, three weeks prior, while balancing a hectic school life, an incompetent guardian that’s Trying Their Best, the secrets of her newfound heritage and coming to terms with her parents decision to hide it, and two of her classmates approaching her out of immense concern for how her ex-girlfriend, Zhanna Nuamova, has been acting lately.

Some major themes: paranormal, ghosts, hunters, incompetent impromptu guardians, lying to authorities (a lot), LGBTQ+ rep, physical disability, main poc cast.

_

Serpents and Fangs - Following a protagonist who became the very thing that he was fighting against - Ryeuladov. A species of violent, war mongering people who only sought to create havoc and mayhem throughout the world, and had a pretty progressive, slow acting venom that could turn enemies at their will. But it - doesn’t… seem nearly as accurate as they’ve been told. Actually seems a lot more… humane? Just? Fair? It follows the protagonist trying to navigate their new world as a member of the Ryeuladov and realizing that, sometimes, history isn’t always as accurate as it seems.

Some major themes: adversity, violence, hate crimes, revenge, completely unfair and unjust government declarations, shady governments, inaccurate histories, stigma, LGBTQ+ rep, physical disability, found family.

_

SN - Three newly appointed mentors royally mess up, appointing six untrained, unqualified, and chaotic dynamic children to be protectors of their planet. Their galaxy. From unseen forces and threats that loom in the dark, and have to make up for it. Somehow. This follows their chaotic journey into making six hellbent children behave and learn, and the struggles that come with defending an entire galaxy from something that they can’t see nor prepare against; only act against.

Some major themes: main poc cast, LGBTQ+ rep, physical disability, from enemy to reluctant teammate to found family, found family, neurodiversity, aliens, space travel, and some others that I’ve probably forgotten because it’s 1:22 a.m and I want to s l e e p.

_

And there’s currently three being outlined - HCH, Game Freak, and “How to Break Your Local Holomek in Nineteen Short Days - An Instructional Guide by Kennedy Červeňák” - which I’m not going into much detail about because I sort of know what I’m doing with them, but they’re in that really awkward part where explaining it makes absolutely no sense. 

Which was also one of the reasons I posted so many wips for you to look at.

But, uh. Anyway. There’s a lot in this post, but…. there’s some of my wips. None of their names are actually their names - just references until I can think of one for them all (aside from Game Freak, that’s permanent), and none of them are actually au’s from something else, either - just badly named - but I hope that it answered your questions?

This was done very, very impulsively.

[littlehollyleaf]

Ask a writer!

tagged by @mysillylittlesoapbox (yes I do still write fic... sometimes :p I’m afraid it’s all Gotham now though!) ...I don’t usually do memes about my writing though so, this should be...interesting...

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

my name is holly, holly leaves are a thing, I wanted to just be ‘hollyleaf’ but it was already taken so I figured ‘well hey, I’m also small...’ and voila! (no, I’m so sorry, but the Warrior Cats series was not involved at any point, I still haven’t read them and only know a character has my username, or a version of it, because of all the asks I keep getting about it :P)

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/favorites, follows/subscriptions, visitor hits, kudos)

So I had a quick glance at AO3 and this is something it looks like WAAAAY too much effort for my lazy ass to figure out, plus I dunno how accurate the AO3 stats would be for my stuff anyways because I only very recently put all my fic on there after having most of it posted (and therefore commented on and otherwise interacted with) solely over at LJ for years and years...

I would imagine it’s Imitating Life (spn, deancas), because that’s the one I remember getting the most feedback for. So I’ll just go with that!

3. What is your FFnNet/AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

It’s the same as my tumblr one. Because it’s me and I already had the image saved in an appropriate size. I know, dull right?? (back on LJ I was OBSESSED with finding and/or creating SO MANY different icons to convey different moods and whatnot - they were basically an oldschool version of reaction gifs I guess - but on any other platform I’ve been just... meh about the icon thing... idk!)

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

@vampirebillionaire has been a regular for my Gotham stuff, notable for jumping ship with me into foxma :) (well not jumping... simultaneously enjoying :p), for which I am profoundly grateful xx but generally my fic style and content is a bit... eclectic I guess? so no, no one who is super regular

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Of my own? Nah. Well... not AGAIN AND AGAIN like on the regular. I HAVE re-read my stuff OF COURSE :p But usually it’s me re-reading previous parts of a series/set to get the feel for the story/characters again as I write new stuff. Though admittedly I have re-read Imitating Life more than most probably, to check it still reads okay.

As to other authors’ fics - I must confess that I read less and less these days, so there is def not a single one I constantly return to.

I have, however, re-read a few by depthsofgreen since I got into Gotham, as well as some by rissalf and silentsinger

Back in the day there was this one spn last unicorn AU I used to re-read the night before each premiere, because it was a deliciously angsty way to get me in the mood for a new season and pass the time while waiting - particularly notable because AUs are not really my thing, so it was an interesting choice for me to keep returning to! Alas I have lost my link to it however :( Should anyone know the one I mean drop me a line! (Cas was the unicorn, obvs, Dean was the Prince, Sam was Schmendrick, Anna was Molly and Meg was Fortuna)

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I have ONE (1) story bookmarked - because it is a WIP I am following (and I just learnt how to bookmark the other month)

...what even is subscribing and how is it different??

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

None at all if possible. Although most of my fics end up being Canon Divergent in the end ofc they are generally canon compliant (based on my interpretation of the canon anyways) at the time of writing... Sometimes canon changes things while I am in the middle of writing stuff though ofc (*shakes fist at Gotham right now*), in which case I will unavoidably be writing something knowingly Canon Divergent/What If.

(aside - I tried to write an spn x-men AU once, but I got bored very quickly... full on AUs are just not me!)

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

OH THERE’S A STATS PAGE?

*checks*

K - 34 subscribers and 423 bookmarks (whoa that seems a lot??)

hey there’s graphs and stuff with your top five fics based on hits too - that’s pretty cool - my top is in fact Holding On and Letting Go... probably because it was one of my last big spn fics and one of the first I published on AO3...

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

No... I mean... I don’t think so? If there ever has been it’s passed me by and I’ve forgotten about it.

...for a hot minute I was into Eddie/Isabella in Gotham, and that plot was ofc (understandably) received VERY POORLY by the fandom, so I may have at one point been hesitant to explore that idea (and the related Ozzie/Eddie/Izzy thoughts I had) because of that... but I never got as far as wanting to actually WRITE anything that I recall so... I guess not really?

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

There’s a couple of dumb little grammatical things I wish I was better at remembering - like when it’s ‘passed’ and when it’s ‘past’ or when it’s ‘effect’ and when it’s ‘affect.’ Because I forget and have to look it up Every.Damn.Time!

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

Well, the ship I’ve written most for is deancas - so it’s def ‘popular ships’ I write most! (though I would like to point out that it WASN’T ONE when I STARTED :p). 

I’m not opposed to writing rarepairs as well however (she says, in the middle of a huge Gotham rarepair series!). I just write... whatever I’m enjoying most at the time.

12. How many stories have you posted on FFNet/AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

I’ve got 39 works up on AO3. Never published on FFNet. Probably got a few little things that I’ve only ever published on tumblr (like my cracky spn/WtNV crossover :p), so total number published across the board is more like 40ish...

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

(not counting the abandoned spn x-men AU that will remain forever unfinished) Just one. I CANNOT work on more than one fic at a time.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

In my head (my stories are never especially complex after all). Once I’m stuck into a fic though I do tend to start creating bullet points below the main text of certain things that are coming next - like specific lines or phrases/metaphors I might think up as I go that I want to make sure I include, or the order of certain scenes if there is a series of short ones on the way, or sometimes points with question marks if I haven’t quite decided on something (eg. ‘have Eddie take his hat off here or wait until Ozzie smiles at him?’ that kind of thing...)

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

No. I came CLOSE to co-writing a DCBB with the lovely @takadainmate YEARS AGO but we never quite made it work (I got a distracted by involving Balthazar in a subplot and went on my own tangent, we had trouble even getting together to discuss it, the deadline started looming and eventually we wisely close to call it a day!). 

For a while there were VAGUE murmurings about returning to the idea... but the plot involved Dean and Cas getting trapped together in Purgatory you see aND THEN SEASON 8 HAPPENED!! So we decided to let canon run with it instead :P

16. How did you discover FFNet/AO3?

While I don’t use FFNet and don’t even read stuff there now, I did used to read fics on it early on. I discovered it while searching for info on my very first TV obsession Due South and was DELIGHTED to find a place full of stories about this thing I loved but had no new content for at the time :)

AO3 I remember being talked about and used a little by my LJ crowd, which is how I heard of it. I didn’t start using it myself until recently when I realised it had very much become the go-to hosting site used by tumblr fic writers.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on FFNet/AO3?

Nah.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

...my personal readers? As in, not the general name for the various fandoms (like ‘spn family’ or ‘Gotham fam’), but for the people who read my fic specifically?

No... that seems... weird...?

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Actually... no... no one specific. Just... reading lots of fiction by lots of different writers, fic writers included, is what inspired/encouraged me to take a crack at it myself I suppose.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Do not listen to me!

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Um... both I suppose. Only... my plotting isn’t really... plotting. 

Because I just... daydream, you know? And after a bit I’ll realise that I’m coming back to one particular daydream more often than another. And adding to it. And adding to it. Until I’ve got something at least vaguely coherent. At which point I make a decision as to whether I like the scenario enough to write it down or not and if I do, well, it’s already pretty much there and fully formed in my head, so no additional ‘plotting’ necessary (just the ironing out and researching of a few details).

But while I’m daydreaming... well that’s me ‘figuring it out as I go’ I guess.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

My first foray into writing fic was with a Clex re-write of S05 Smallville. It ended up being a sprawling, much too ambitious multi-chapter thing I had no hope of ever finishing. But hey, it kept me out of trouble :p 

Anyways, I was part of a sci-fi society at Uni at the time I was writing and each of us in the group developed these different fictional versions of ourselves over the course of our time together... because we were a sci-fi society and it was fun! And I thought it would be a laugh if, for one chapter, I put all of us into my SV fic. So I did (I made us all kryptonite infected characters who lived at Lex’s secret 33.1 facility - if any SV fans are reading) and prefaced the chapter with some disclaimer about how I was sorry if this part was a bit too self indulgent or ‘mary-sue’ or whatever, but that I couldn’t resist doing it for my friends, and that things would get back to normal next chapter.

And generally it was fine - I didn’t have many readers anyway :p 

But long LONG after the fact, when I had written many other chapters since, I got a comment on this one chapter from someone saying that they felt my self-insert characters came across as too obviously self indulgent and were unnecessary and that I shouldn’t have written them in.

And you know, it was a fair call. But since I’d actually prefaced the chapter with myself saying that’s EXACTLY what they were, it seemed a bit odd to me that this person would bother making a point of the issue. And to compound confusion - this person had actually already commented POSITIVELY on the chapter when I first posted it, so their comment read something like ‘I’ve been re-reading this and on consideration ACTUALLY I think you should know that...’

So... that was a bit odd. Not really bad, but notable enough that it’s stayed with me! Since I was many many chapters along in the story at that point though it was easy enough to just nod and shrug and move on.

I’m lucky in that I’ve never received any actual scathing or horribly negative comments otherwise. I like to think I’d be thoughtful and philosophical about any serious criticism I might receive...

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Hmmm. Exposition probably. My focus is typically on a character’s emotion at any given time, but when the only thing happening is characters discussing what’s happening and when and why there’s not exactly much strong emotion involved you know? So I struggle, because it’s boring to write and I constantly fear I’m not describing/depicting it in a way that is interesting to the reader and blah blah.

(part of the reason I don’t often write complex stories anymore perhaps - less narrative means less exposition!)

(smut used to be hard... now it is less so... though that doesn’t mean I think I’m good at it now! I don’t think I’ll ever shake the fear that my smut is actually cringe-worthy...) 

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Just The Fox and the Scorpion :)

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

No. Like I say above - I CANNOT work on more than one fic at a time. How do people do that??? I bow to you all!

I have in the past paused in the middle of longer spn fics (like my DCBBs) to knock out some quick ‘finished in the span of an evening’ FICLETS, usually in response to specific happenings in canon (like when Gabriel died and I just HAD to type something up as an outlet). But I don’t think that’s really quite what this question means? Because those aren’t projects OR stories, they are just... SCENES, you know? Also - I haven’t written a ficlet in FOREVER, so I’m not even sure I could do it anymore...

Having said this - I DO CONSTANTLY DAYDREAM. Which involves daydreaming multiple scenarios not exclusive to whatever fic I’m in the middle of. Some of which may well end up being part of the next fic I end up writing. But that’s hardly ‘planning’ I think? Because at that stage of things I’ll have no desire to make what I’m dreaming part of an actual story/fic.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Nah. I just write when I feel like it and keep going until I’m done.

If I’m writing for a challenge this changes ofc, because DEADLINES. So sometimes I’ve had to set goals because of that - usually it’s something vague though, like ‘you need to get to this point in the plot by tomorrow night Holly, come on!’ Nothing so regimented as a specific amount of time and/or words every day.

...generally when I’m in the middle of a fic I end up in a kind of... idk, natural momentum that pulls me on? Like there’s this constant FEELING in the back of my mind urging me to get back to the story. And not in a nagging guilt kind of way, in a ‘this is what I WANT to be doing right now’ kind of way.

Not that I end up easily writing every time I get back to the fic or anything! Sometimes I’ll get back to the page and just... be stuck, find I’m not in the mood or can’t think of the words or whatever. Which is frustrating because I still have that feeling of WANTING to continue the story, but I’ll know that I’m not in the right frame of mind so have to leave it for a bit (which can be anywhere from a few hours to a week). Generally the pull to keep writing draws me back in eventually though. 

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Goodness yes. I think if you’re writing regularly you’re just ALWAYS improving, aren’t you? Naturally my fic today is better than my first attempts, but likewise I think some of my Gotham fics are better than my spn fics in some parts. It’s a constant process isn’t it?

28. What is your favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Imitating Life remains one of the fics I’m most proud of. Not only did the main story hold up well AND stick to overall canon (when it comes to Dean and Cas at least), so I think anyways, I also wove in a couple of subplots I very much enjoyed seeing through to the end. PLUS I really enjoyed all the meta nonsense, including messing about with the format to make it like look (a little bit) like a screenplay. So yes, that one will always hold a dear place in my heart :)

For Gotham I don’t think I’m ever gonna do better than We Are What We Are tbh

29. What is your least favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Generally unimpressed by ALL my SV fic now. And considering I spent SO MANY HOURS/DAYS/WEEKS/MONTHS/YEARS of my life on it all I kinda feel like I should feel bad about that but... you know I really don’t? Because if it wasn’t for all the time and effort (and love and fun) I put into those not very good stories, I wouldn’t be enjoying the work I’m proud of and writing today. So *shrug emoji* 

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

5 whole years? Tbh I rather think I’ll have stopped writing by then. I’ve been winding down when it comes to fic for a LONG TIME now and writing for Gotham feels very much like a minor, brief resurgence of the hobby. Currently planning on calling it a day once I’ve finished Fox and Scorpion in fact.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

The part that doesn’t involve writing.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Trying not to be repetitive.

Have I started a paragraph with this character’s name too many times in a row? Am I using ‘furrowed brow’/’bites lip’/’narrows eyes’/’insert stock descriptive phrase here’ too often? Did I use this phrase already or was that in another fic or in the book I was just reading? Is there too much alliteration in this sentence?  - to name but a few of the questions that inevitably pop up related to my paranoia about repetition.

33. Why do you write?

Because I’m insatiable and the stories onscreen aren’t enough for me. 

...well that was exhaustingly introspective so I’m way too tired to tag! Interesting one though, made me think! (and taught me some stuff about AO3 :p)

[gffa]

I had planned to do a different set for this week for STAR WARS recs and I wanted to give myself a chance to build up a few more fic recs before posting again. But then this week had some amazing fic and I couldn’t pass them by because they were so incredibly good and I had to flail immediately. ✦ Split the Night by Zinga763, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul & some anakin/padme, 7.8k wip   Darth Maul knows exactly how to break Kenobi. In which Maul targets someone other than Satine, and it changes Obi-Wan and Anakin’s lives, along with the galaxy’s. ✦ untitled Supreme Chancellor!Obi-Wan fic by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & yoda & palpatine & cast, 4.2k   So here we go, updates about the Inhibitor Chips, more about what Palpatine does and does not know, Obi-Wan being Tired™ and needing a damn nap, and Anakin and Ahsoka having a good time and discussing the Order as it is and once were. Enjoy! ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, dark themes, pay attention to the warnings!, 38.6k   The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky. ✦ Stoking the Hearth by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 8.4k   Finally, all three of them have time and the ability to get away and share one another. ✦ Tired Soldiers by LibraryMage, obi-wan & ahsoka, 1.4k   After leaving Malachor, Ahsoka goes to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan. ✦ Caleb the Fool by ambiguously, kanan & ahsoka & luke & leia & hera & depa & cast, 37.6k   Fourteen years have passed since Anakin Skywalker killed Chancellor Palpatine then fled into sanctuary with his wife. Now the Skywalker twins have come before the Jedi High Council to request training in their powers. This is only the beginning of Caleb’s problems. ✦ Abduction by Mishael, thrawn & eli, 26k   After the battle of Atollon, just as Thrawn is mourning the absence of a trusted companion, an unexpected opportunity presents itself. But that’s not the only unexpected thing he will have to face. ✦ Patience, Anakin by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, d/s, assassin’s creed fusion, ~1k   Anakin wants attention and for once he chooses to do it the right way. SW/AC crossover, but you don’t need to know the AC universe. ✦ untitled by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, sugar daddy au, 1.3k   Anonymous asked: No no no. By all means. Write a sugar daddy! Obi one shot. With sugar baby!ani I’m assuming? Oh dude. Definitely do it ✦ No Regrets by Icsek, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 1.4k   Prompt: Give me the au where Padme and Obi-Wan are planning on getting rid of Palpatine but Anakin beats them to it first and everything is okay and nothing hurts and Anakin gets to be happy. ✦ Failures of Rhetoric by Mithrigil, obi-wan/satine, nsfw, 3.2k wip   Diplomacy is an art that requires years of refinement. Satine doesn’t appreciate Ben’s many failures. Or, five times Obi-Wan Kenobi should’ve kept his trap shut. And once he should have said something, anything, anything at all. ✦ untitled by delicatefury, obi-wan & anakin & satine, ~1   She takes a moment to look at the blue projection of a waiting Jedi padawan before entering her private comm room. ✦ To Find I’m Not Alone + Wrestling the Angels and the Devils in my Head by MorganEilish, obi-wan/padme & luke & leia, 6k   Padme survived Anakin’s betrayal, faked her death, and fled to the distant corners of the galaxy with Obi Wan to raise her children. ✦ Pillow Fight by Liana-chan, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k   ObiWan is tired. And all he wants to do is go to bed. But something is wrong. Terribly wrong… full details + recs under the cut!

✦ Split the Night by Zinga763, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul & some anakin/padme, 7.8k wip   Darth Maul knows exactly how to break Kenobi. In which Maul targets someone other than Satine, and it changes Obi-Wan and Anakin’s lives, along with the galaxy’s.   Chapters 3-4: I continue to metaphorically shove this fic in my face every chance I get because, yessssss, this is what I am here for! The promise of Maul taking Anakin instead of Satine, the effect that will have on Obi-Wan and the relationship between them, that definitely keeps me eagerly reading this one, but also that I’m enjoying the angst that comes along with the ride before that–that Anakin is so angry and closed off, that he’s distant and won’t open up, that Obi-Wan is trying, just wants him to be happy, but doesn’t know how to reach him, that their relationship is so complicated and difficult, even when they care so much about each other. Chapter 4 has a really great conversation between them where you see that they’re both trying, that this isn’t something either of them want, that on some level they do want to fix it, but it’s hard for both of them, and it just makes me love them both so very much all over again. And then the end of that chapter is where shit has hit the fan and it’s genuinely creepy, ahhhh, I am so ready for more of this, SO READY. Especially because the characterization has been really lovely so far and I can feel how much they both care, how much everyone cares, and that gives me a warm feeling, even as I am ready to lose my mind over the suspense! XD ✦ untitled Supreme Chancellor!Obi-Wan fic by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & yoda & palpatine & cast, 4.2k   So here we go, updates about the Inhibitor Chips, more about what Palpatine does and does not know, Obi-Wan being Tired™ and needing a damn nap, and Anakin and Ahsoka having a good time and discussing the Order as it is and once were. Enjoy!   This is part of a larger universe of Obi-Wan accidentally becoming Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, but you can read it on its own, you have context enough just from that, if you wish! And, oh, this fic was so gorgeous and heart-warming and well-written and beautifully characterized, it’s spot on to each one of these characters, and so incredibly engaging. This entire fic series has been wonderful, it’s one of the best things in fandom, to see circumstances not piling up against our heroes, to see them have better options and how they grab onto them with both hands, and this fic shows how this world is easing towards something better, how it feels better just in the air around them, in a way that is so spot on to canon. But it’s more than that, too, it’s just plain entertaining, it has great bits of worldbuilding from canon and then expanding on those in delightful and hilarious ways–I literally had to put my reader down to laugh for a minute about Anakin’s first mission, just picturing the imagery there has me grinning all over again.   It’s a great example of how much I love Anakin and Ahsoka sitting around with the clones, trying to explain the Jedi and their ways, and it’s this really joyful scene that made me fizzy with delight, but also HILARIOUS. Or getting a chance to see Obi-Wan working himself so hard, but also stepping back to get some sleep, which is building on pieces that have come before, that the Force feels not quite clear enough to guide them again yet, but a little better, enough that even when something immense is looming on every sense he has, he has the support to take a break, to find the peace of mind for it, and that’s so much better, because they have breathing room now. And, of course, Sidious’ pov is always a delight because he’s such a great menacing villain and his hatred for Obi-Wan Kenobi is always a joy because he just hates him sooooo muuuuuuch. Everything about this was wonderful and I encourage the reading of the whole thing, but also you can start here just to have a fun, hopeful fic that made me happy, even when I know shit’s about to go down soon. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, dark themes, pay attention to the warnings!, 38.6k   The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky.   Chapter 9: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. So, this was the final chapter for this fic and it’s just as sad as I expected, it was exactly what was coming the entire time, and yet I thought I was prepared. But between letting go of this particularly story and the actual events of it, yeah, okay, I was definitely crying by the end. But I wouldn’t have had the story end any other way than what it did, after the previous chapters had the resurfacing memories the way they did, there was never any other way this could have gone, not really, and given that it was a satisfying ending, that it went out as it was the entire way–a story about how broken these characters wound up being, that they loved each other so much and that allowed them to survive, that there was so little beyond that bond that could reach them anymore. But Ahsoka was there and they remembered her and it was so satisfying for that. But also that, ultimately, this was a chapter about Obi-Wan and Anakin and this awful thing that had happened to them and the swirls of beauty that they’d made of it. It was about these characters resurfacing again, not just the good but all the bad that Sen and Koh had done as well, that they could find the strength to rise above it one more time.   The balance between saving Ahsoka and what they had to do for themselves, between their fury at the world around them and the clones trying to attack them and the good they struggled to find in themselves, the balance between fear and peace, all of it was just exactly what I hoped for from this final chapter. That it touched me as a fan of these characters, their relationship, and this author’s work. It was a satisfying ending in that it went exactly how it had to go, even if it was sad and brought tears to my eyes, it was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, that there was peace and hope even amongst all the tragedy of what had happened to the two of them. And, oh, if I hadn’t been there before it, the epilogue absolutely would have brought tears to me as well (and it did), because the galaxy keeps moving forward. And, for all that this was a horrible situation for them, the fic does such a gorgeous, gorgeous job of how they were together in this, that it saved them from something that would have been worse, in a different way, that it’s not entirely awful (the clothes gave me so much hope, that warm touch of comfort that I needed not to be an emotional wreck!). The ending was beautiful and bittersweet and hopeful and sad and absolutely everything it needed to be. Such a lovely experience of a fic! ✦ Stoking the Hearth by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 8.4k   Finally, all three of them have time and the ability to get away and share one another.   Holy hell, this fic was amazing for me, it absolutely ruined me for the night and was beautifully written and practically could have been targetted to my exact wants and desires. It’s definitely a happy fic, it’s pwp but with really beautiful characterization that is just dead on to what I’m looking for from this fandom and all of it was really, really ridiculously hot. But it’s also that it balanced the dynamics of these three characters, that it’s somewhere between Obikin&Anidala and Obianidala, that when Obi-Wan and Padme interaction, there’s a spark of real appreciation for each other there, but it’s also largely about Anakin, that they’re both so in love with him. When Padme and Obi-Wan work together, it’s about Anakin. When Padme is riding his face and turns back to watch Obi-Wan gently opening Anakin up with his fingers, then pushing into him, she loves the way he wants Anakin, the way he turns his full attention on her husband and lifts his hips to a better angle to fuck him properly, and she enjoys that, too. It’s just the right blend of how these characters interact, that Anakin is the center of them, even as they lightly touch and connect with each other. But, oh, the sex, when it starts with laying Anakin out on the bed, how he is pinned down by their weight and they take care of him, that it combines with Padme on his face while Obi-Wan is inside him, that it’s just this side of sub-space and he’s so happy and content there, that he loves them taking pleasure from him, he loves being so full he could burst, that he can feel how much they enjoy fucking him, that’s it, that’s what I want a thousand times, especially when it’s as ridiculously beautiful and hot as this one was. I read the whole thing practically tripping over myself to get to the next page, because I loved how affectionate and warm and loving this was in the way they touched Anakin and cared for him, the way he could settle because they were paying attention to him in the best way, because he was wholly and completely theirs. This is definitely getting a reread at some point in the future, just because it made my heart and id so happy. ✦ Tired Soldiers by LibraryMage, obi-wan & ahsoka, 1.4k   After leaving Malachor, Ahsoka goes to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan.   This was a short but very lovely look at two people who have been through so much, who are two of the few people left who really know what these losses mean, yet there’s something of hope and comfort here between them. Both in that they’ve found each other again and that there’s hope for the future, that their grief can be shared and lightened for the help. It’s simple but carries such weight, it’s so kind between them, as there’s so little of that left in their lives, and I loved it a lot. ✦ Caleb the Fool by ambiguously, kanan & ahsoka & luke & leia & hera & depa & cast, 37.6k   Fourteen years have passed since Anakin Skywalker killed Chancellor Palpatine then fled into sanctuary with his wife. Now the Skywalker twins have come before the Jedi High Council to request training in their powers. This is only the beginning of Caleb’s problems.   I have a brief caveat in that the ending of the fic is complicated, that it’s one that took me a bit of time to sit with to feel the resolution of it, but the longer I did so, the more I thought that it couldn’t have ended any other way, and so I would advise against going into this fic with expecations, even once you start reading. I realize that’s vague and potentially unhelpful, but without getting into spoilers, that’s the best I can do! And my caveat is not meant to turn readers away, but to put them in the right headspace, because I really, really enjoyed this fic a lot, it was a fascinating look at a universe that went differently for the Jedi and where that path led them. That the Republic survived, the Jedi retreated due to mistrust from the public, and suddenly the twins of the recently dead Anakin Skywalker show up on the Jedi’s doorstep to learn. This tumbles Knight Caleb Dume into a situation that he’d never expected, to be asked to train Leia Skywalker, and then where shit starts hitting the fan from there. It’s a very engaging story about a plot that’s simmering in the background until it explodes on the reader (more than once), that it’s all about Caleb feeling out of his depth, but being exactly the right person for this story anyway. I love the use of the characters and the different paths their lives took here, that there’s a reason for everything that’s happening that you won’t understand until later, and I thought the build-up to that plot and those reveals was very nicely done.   I would have read this fic just for the plot, just for Caleb teaching Leia while Ahsoka teaches Luke, because those elements were a lot of fun! But it’s the characters that are the other half of the heart and soul of this fic, that Leia is so Leia in her interaction with Caleb, that this is absolutely a Kanan I can recognize, even as he’s on a vastly different path in life, that he’s still somehow the guy I remember from Rebels. There’s really great Kanan/Hera interaction, that they manage to gravitate towards each other without overtaking the story, it’s exactly the right balance and true to the spirit of their relationship, too. The fic achieved exactly what it set out to do and, boy, was I reading in a hurry for the entire last quarter of this fic because I couldn’t stop turning the page! It’s a great fic for if you’d like a divergent timeline or AU scenario, but also it’s a great fic if you like these characters, especially if you wanted to see Caleb as a full Jedi. Or if you just want a cool little plotful story to read! ✦ Abduction by Mishael, thrawn & eli, 26k   After the battle of Atollon, just as Thrawn is mourning the absence of a trusted companion, an unexpected opportunity presents itself. But that’s not the only unexpected thing he will have to face.   This is a WIP, but it only has one or so chapter left to go, and most of the resolution has already happened, so I’m choosing not to mark it as a WIP here and I would recommend it to those who are gunshy about them usually! And, oh, I really enjoyed this one a lot! It’s a solid plot story, about a mystery that Eli and Thrawn find themselves wrapped up in, complete with a mysterious alien threat and lots of excellent character whump! And the fic really strides the line between friendship and maybe something more with the characters, that you could read it either way if you wanted, and that it goes hand in hand with the plot being told here. It’s one of those that’s just an incredibly solid read, it devotes the right amount of attention to the worldbuilding it’s doing and the right amount of attention to the characters’ reactions to each other, and does a really good job with both aspects! I had no trouble seeing the characters from the book or the setting of Star Wars and it was just really nice to read an adventure fic combined with whump fic! Definitely a good read if you’re interested in Thrawn fic, all the more so given how rare it can be to find fic that captures him well. ✦ Patience, Anakin by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, d/s, assassin’s creed fusion, ~1k   Anakin wants attention and for once he chooses to do it the right way. SW/AC crossover, but you don’t need to know the AC universe.   This is a short fic and one of those that hit me right in the iddy wants, where Anakin wants attention and is fidgety about it and restless and his head is full of whirling thoughts, so he kneels and waits for Obi-Wan’s attention, lets everything else slide out of him and a quiet steal over him, that it’s peaceful like that. And I enjoyed it for that, I would read so many fics just exactly like this one for that moment where Anakin Skywalker finds quiet. ✦ untitled by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, sugar daddy au, 1.3k   Anonymous asked: No no no. By all means. Write a sugar daddy! Obi one shot. With sugar baby!ani I’m assuming? Oh dude. Definitely do it   I did not know how much I apparently needed this AU until I had it, because it’s so much fun and it’s surprisingly almost sweet and soft, because it hits on that element of how Anakin has always wanted someone to follow, to guide him, to take care of him. And it’s really kind of hot, that there doesn’t even have to be anything explicit, it’s suggestive at most and it’s more about the initial attraction, how brilliant and shining Anakin is, how attractive he is, not just physically, but that I felt that sort of pull to him, that pull between both of them, as Ben has this incredible solidity and presence and desire to grab hold of this shining star and take care of him. It’s one of those that hits on a lot of feelings I have about Obi-Wan’s care for Anakin and then dresses it up in a hot AU that hits my id just right. ✦ No Regrets by Icsek, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 1.4k   Prompt: Give me the au where Padme and Obi-Wan are planning on getting rid of Palpatine but Anakin beats them to it first and everything is okay and nothing hurts and Anakin gets to be happy.   [Or you can read on tumblr!] Oh, this was just such a happy place for me when I read this, that it’s not a sugary happy everything is perfect AU, but instead a softer, kinder universe where things go right for these characters, where Anakin Skywalker is still the mess he’s always going to be, he’s terrified and reactionary and emotionally unstable, but Obi-Wan and Padme love him and he’s better at accepting that love, and everything is just really kind on my fannish heart. It was warm and good and just the right amount of sweet for me, it hit my “FIX EVERYTHING AND LET ANAKIN SKYWALKER REALIZE HE’S LOVED (even though he’s kind of a dip sometimes, but in the most adorable way)” button straight on. I enjoyed it really so much for that! ✦ Failures of Rhetoric by Mithrigil, obi-wan/satine, nsfw, 3.2k wip   Diplomacy is an art that requires years of refinement. Satine doesn’t appreciate Ben’s many failures. Or, five times Obi-Wan Kenobi should’ve kept his trap shut. And once he should have said something, anything, anything at all.   Chapter 3: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole–though, as each chapter is a stand-alone in a series, you can read this the usual amount of lack of spoilers. Oh, I really am enjoying this fic, I love how many sharp edges there are between these two, that it feels so spot on to who they are, that there’s such attraction and pull between them, how much they care about each other and yet how they clash against each other, too. It’s an extension of their relationship in the show, that I see what draws them to each other, yet also what pushes them apart from each other. And, oh, the way they crashed together, the way there’s such understated but there passion, the way Obi-Wan kisses her like a storm, the way he fucks her up against the wall, the way she is so sharp and complicated, they’re both such intense people, and it’s beautifully written. This is the Obi-Wan/Satine fic of my heart, this is what I’ve been waiting for. ✦ untitled by delicatefury, obi-wan & anakin & satine, ~1   She takes a moment to look at the blue projection of a waiting Jedi padawan before entering her private comm room.   This is a follow-up to the Hello Again verse (here and here), which should probably be read first, but either way, this was a short but lovely look at Satine’s pov when Obi-Wan calls her with some important news. It’s about the fun dynamic between them, how they have these sharp edges along this such deep affection and care, how they banter and how they have these soft moments, all of which fit them very nicely here! But it’s also about something so incredibly important that Obi-Wan wants to share with her and, oh, my fannish heart. ✦ To Find I’m Not Alone + Wrestling the Angels and the Devils in my Head by MorganEilish, obi-wan/padme & luke & leia, 6k   Padme survived Anakin’s betrayal, faked her death, and fled to the distant corners of the galaxy with Obi Wan to raise her children.   Rec #1: I read these two fics together last night and they’re a little more Obi-Wan/Padme-centric than I usually go for, but there’s enough of Anakin’s ghost between them that I can see this, and it’s just nice to read something where they have a long, slow heal together. It’s one of those fics for when you want Obi-Wan and Padme running off together, away from the fight against the Empire, because there’s nothing left in them, only enough to raise and love the two new little lives they’re protecting. The story is told in monologue form much of the time, but it does well with cramming a bunch of really engaging, interesting details into the story, the little moments of them learning to live again instead of just survive, that the twins are growing up and the life they’re all settling into, the little things they discuss about what to do or not do next. There’s an ache throughout the whole thing in exactly the way it should be and it’s a lovely set of fics for this pairing post-ROTS and how much they’ve both lost and are slowly gaining back.   Rec #2: I’ve only read the first two fics of this series, so this rec will be based on them, but I believe it’ll hold true for the greater series. This is definitely a series where you’re reading for the ship, because Obi-Wan and Padme run off together, they flee from the Empire and fighting back against it, as well as they’re entirely wrapped up in each others’ characterization, but I’m not saying that as a nitpick, instead that that’s the headspace that works best for this story, one where you go in wanting them to find something good together again. The fic is solidly written and the highlight is in how many little details are packed into the story, even as it’s told in a sort of montage/bird’s-eye-view style, moments across the years they spend in isolation together, just them and the children. The fic has a strong sense of them building something together here, the little touches of what they do on this remote planet and the little scenes between them and how they inch ever closer to each other. The fic also does well with how this isn’t a happy universe, even if they’re finding something of that together, but instead it’s very underlying sadness permeates everything kind of fic, that slowly dissipates–but it’s very slow, just as it would be. It does well with how these are both traumatized people and that that’s something they’ll never entirely, fully, wholly come back from. ✦ Pillow Fight by Liana-chan, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k   ObiWan is tired. And all he wants to do is go to bed. But something is wrong. Terribly wrong…   This is short and super fluffy, it’s basically Anakin stealing Obi-Wan’s pillow, who goes to get it back, and of course they end up tangled in a heap and Anakin curling up against Obi-Wan to use him as pillow instead. It’s one of those that I read while having so many other angstier fics also on my plate and made me feel that much more soothed, because it’s entirely soft and happy and adorable and fluffy, just as I wanted.

[lodessa]

It’s been a while since I did this

Tagged by@carlynroth

List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or as little detail as you like then tag some friends to see what they’re working on: writing, art, gif sets, whatever.

Okay so I set some rules for myself in making this list in an attempt to maybe clear it out a bit to what I’m more likely to write any time soon: I did not allow myself to look at any of my previous lists OR my WIP documents/folders until after I’d made the list (only to add details/links after I’d finalized it).

Star Trek: Voyager - Janeway/Chakotay

Stumbling: Post Endgame Janeway and Chakotay struggle to get back what they once had (trust) even though they both want it.  Basically I really wanted to explore how messy emotions are and a realistic struggle to recover from what happened. I think it’s going to be like 8 chapters, but for all I know it will end up being 14 like Parameters and Voyager High; because, that’s apparently my natural length for drawn out chaptered fics.  Three chapters are currently posted. Chapter four is partly written.  Excerpt: 

“Here’s the thing: She still wants him.  It’s ironic, after all the years he was diligently waiting and she was able to stuff it down and put it aside some ninety something percent of the time Now, now she is so angry with him, so distrustful, but it’s like that pain has wrecked her self control. She can’t come back from the blunt honestly of her despair. When she’d been so secure in him it has been easy to set aside her desire.

Now. Now she feels raw, not just with the sting of his betrayal but also with her own longing.

Now he meets her for long afternoon walks between her meetings and his office hours and she can’t take comfort in his arm linked with her but she can’t ignore it either. His warmth beside her is a provocation, unsettling her.

He brings her a series of peace roses and part of her wants to feel comforted by the gesture but there’s something inside her that balks at any memory of how it used to be.” 

Just Once: Five times Janeway and Chakotay were only going to kiss once (and the time they finally gave that pretense up).  This is really a more drawn out version of “Why Janeway and Chakotay Can't Share the Couch: 5 Times They Slipped Up”   but it’s not like there can ever be enough of that type of fic. Currently I have posted 1 of 6 total chapters, but I do have all of it outlined.

The Greek Mythology AU Epic.  I only have a couple actual paragraphs of this written, but I have a very clear idea of the plot and style.  Basically it’s a homeric style epic, wherein Janeway is the hero and involves a plotline with her going down to the underworld to get Chakotay back.  Very different from my usual style, obviously.  Excerpt:

“You have heard, of course, about the great ship Voyager, and it’s captain: the wise but willful woman king known as Janeway, favored by Athena. The tale of how her ship was blown off course by a powerful storm and ended up in distant waters far from home, how she subdued the outlaw ship she’d been chasing on the other side of the world, won over it’s captain: the noble Chakotay, how together they kept raiders from causing Atlas to drop the world, and thereafter Chakotay and his followers served under her and he became her most trusted subject and against all odds they returned to Greece in seven years and seven days is widely known. 

Less famous, however, is the tale of Janeway’s descent into the Underworld and how she came to prevail upon Hades to undo what his wrathful brother, Poseidon, had done in spite and wounded pride.   Many heroes have gone down to plead with the king of the dead for lost loves, but few are those to emerge again to the sunlight.”

That One Where Chakotay Gets Pegged.  So I have a number of fic ideas involving this (Including a follow up to Happy Accident) but the longest standing one and one I really mean to write in the near future is one where Janeway happens to mention one of the ways she has gotten the upper hand in diplomacy situations with men who want to fuck her  involving a strap on and well... Chakotay can’t get the idea out of his head. 

Daxverse:  After three years of intending to do this AU with Jadzia on Voyager and not actually writing it and @talsi74656 having been in the same situation for a couple, we are seriously exploring joining forces and merging our two different versions into one in hopes of getting it written.  Because, the idea is too good to sit forever unpublished.

Year of Hell PWP: Chakotay offers Kathryn a different kind of birthday present.  Excerpt:

Kathryn felt herself blush deeply at his probably innocently intended question.  She was wound so tightly right now she might explode on impact at the slightest jostling.

Chakotay flushed as well as he realized from her expression what she wasn’t saying.

“Oh…” he pressed his lips together, “I see. No wonder you are having trouble sleeping.”

“Chakotay!” she replied with a scandalized gasp.

“Let me help?” his voice and his expression both were beseeching, “You know you’ll sleep better and that will make you way more productive.  You wouldn’t accept my birthday gift… at least let me do something for you.”

Cracktastic Anthropomorphic Voyager/Janeway/Chakotay Situation: Sentient Voyager takes human form and interacts with its Captain(s) in a variety of ways. Set over the course of the series and post series when Chakotay takes command.  Most likely ends with a threesome.

Post Endgame Angst Where Janeway is Hallucinating: Janeway cracks once the immediacy of all those years of pressure lets up and loses touch with reality.  Feeling abandoned and lost, she hallucinates a Chakotay who is cruel and kind in turns, and by the time the real Chakotay shows up she doesn’t believe he’s actually there.

Timeless Timeline Chakotay/Endgame Timeline Admiral Janeway Fixit AU: Somehow the Admiral goes sideways instead of back and ends up in the averted Timeless timeline. Both of them are so damaged by loss and time in these timelines and I’d love to see them interact. Ultimately, they join forces and go back to save their past/alternative selves from becoming the selves they are then and there.  This started out as a coauthored fic that got abandoned midway through, but I still really love the idea.  Excerpt:

"Well that depends, what year is it and how long have I been dead for." She said it teasingly but the question still felt heavy, "How do you think I died?"

"Are you sure you want me to tell you? I'm not even sure I can." He shook his head, running his hand over his face, suddenly overwhelmed with the memory of seeing Kathryn dead on Voyager's bridge.

"It's important, I think." she sighed, running her fingers through his hair, "Unless you'd rather I tell you."

He wasn't sure what was worse, watching the pain that crossed Kathryn's face when she mentioned his death, or thinking about how hard it would be to relive her death. He couldn't bring himself to cause her more pain than he had to, even if that meant bearing the brunt of it himself.

"It was the slipstream drive..." he said quietly, trying not to go back to that day, "Harry and I went ahead in the Delta Flyer, but we'd miscalculated..."

He could barely get the words out, as the lump formed at the back of his throat. She reached for him, her hand cupping his face.

"All these years, and you still..." He could see her calculating how long it must have been.

"Always." He kissed her softly.

Her hands lingered on his face, thumb stroking his cheek.

"It's an alternate timeline," she said at last, "we never attempted that slipstream flight... Seven," he couldn't help but notice something off in Kathryn's voice as she said the former drone's name, "Seven got a message warning us."

RPF

KM/RB Fic No One Wants That Involves RealTalk(TM) Racism.  Because I feel like this needs to be addressed in terms of KM’s exoticism when it comes to him and also that she only publicly dates white dudes. She looks like a jerk in this one.

Another One No One Asked For: Why Both KM and Braga Got Pissed At RB Really. As JR is added to the cast, RB is upset that KM chose Hagan and decides to get back at her by exploiting somewhere he knows she’s already feeling vulnerable.  He looks like a jerk in this one.

KM Has Zero Sympathy for the Problems RB Created For Himself. Because KM sass is life and seriously CHOICES dude.

KM/RB As a Taurus/Scorpio Dynamic Case Study. Because they are.

Veronica Mars

Balacing Act: Two parts are written. Part 3 of the series is still in progress.  Continued  post movie threesome action with Logan, Weevil, and Veronica. Excerpt:

“I have acquired bagels… and coffee.”

It takes a moment for Eli to remember where he is or how he got there, gradually regaining enough consciousness to register Veronica’s way too chipper voice and remember that it must be Logan’s fucking arm he can feel slung across his hip. Reluctantly, he opens his eyes and there she is, looming over them with a take out tray of coffee cups in one hand and a paper bag in the other, looking cheerful and relaxed, like this is something that happens every day instead of being unprecedented, like she is used to him fucking Echolls up the ass until they both come.

“Enjoying the view from above from once, V?” he teases, refusing to act like this is weird if she isn’t going to.

“Wait… you went all the way to-“ Logan sits up, looking perfectly mussed as he notes the logo on the coffee cups.

This is weird. This is definitely weird, even for them.

That Season 3 AU I Started Around the Time The Movie Came Out: So season 3 was a mess as a whole, but it also always bugged me that Veronica’s “I was wrong not to trust” moment is about Logan (who didn’t deserve her trust and yeah actually his explanation in the end was shitty) and not about her dad (who deserved better than her judgement and criticism) and Weevil (seriously did she really think he’d rip Lilly’s necklace off her).  It’s a lot bigger than that, but basically this AU starts from there and has Weevil be the one to find her in the parking garage instead of Logan and goes from there. I need to finish it because it’s important, even if it’s a dead fandom. Excerpt:

“Would now be an appropriate time for me to list the reasons why you shouldn’t even be wasting your time with that spoiled gringo asshole?”

Weevil knew that was never going to be a productive addition to any conversation with her.  She had some mad feelings about Logan Echolls, every bit as much as Lilly had.  He didn’t think about Lilly so much these days, but sitting in Veronica’s car talking about whether Logan was a bad boyfriend was bringing the memories back.

She must have noticed the parallel too; because she said, “Is that what you told Lilly?”

They had never talked about Lilly.  Whenever possible she stuck to cases, favors, and harmless flirtatious banter that he knew didn’t mean anything at all. They avoided talking about Logan, but this - this was taboo.  And Weevil doesn’t know what to feel about that.

And what the hell is Veronica thinking, anyway?  Maybe it was the lingering effects of the drugs.  What the docs call trauma?  He hasn’t got a freaking clue .  All he knows is that Veronica Mars had bought up the girl whose ghost seemed to have more life than most of the people walking around Neptune. And he doesn’t like to say no to Veronica Mars.

“Sometimes I think it was what she wanted me to do.” He answered, deciding to pursue this line of potential honesty, “It was probably just a way to stroke her ego.   It’s not like I don’t get that, but she sure did like to paint a picture to me about how unhappy she was with him…”

“You and me both.” Veronica replied, gaze fixed away from him. “What were you supposed to tell her?  That she could do so much better?”

Sometimes these days he almost forgot that Veronica had been Lilly’s best friend, that she told her everything that really mattered.  Of course, that meant that he didn’t really matter.  He had always known that, even when he maybe wanted to believe otherwise, but there is maybe a small part of him that wanted to hold on to the idea that maybe he did.  

“Is that what you would tell me? If I said yes… If I asked you to tell me why I shouldn’t be with Logan?” Veronica turned around sharply to look him in the eyes.

“Pretty sure it would be a better option than giving you the spiel I gave her, the one that goes something like ‘I’d never let you feel alone’ and ‘Just let me show you how much better it can be.’ You know, that kind of crap.”

It was his turn to stare out the windshield, away from her.  Normally he would make a joke out of it, wink and suggest that maybe she wanted that all along, for him to profess his undying love, but not now.  They were both too raw.

“Tell you what.  If I ever do decide I want you to talk me out of dating Logan, I’ll let you know which version of the speech I’m looking for.”

“Deal.”  He agreed.  He knew they would never have that conversation, or at least not that version of it. That was what Lilly wanted to hear - she got  off  on hearing how much he wanted her. But Veronica wasn’t Lilly. She liked having leverage of a different kind.  Getting the better of someone.  Oneupsmanship . Veronica wasn’t interested in the straight power of someone finding her desirable, even if she used it to her advantage if she felt it was needed.

A Song of Ice and Fire (really not Game of Thrones)

Jaime/Brienne Adventure Romance:  Because this ship deserves a long plotty romance novel and I wasn’t ready to write that kind of thing in 2008 when I stopped writing them but I am now.  Definitely book and not show universe.  Jaime and Brienne go looking for Arya across Essos.  Excerpt:

“Indeed father.  He does know me.  Do you not recognize Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer?”

Brienne waited for Jaime to respond to the barb, but he did not. Her father looked surprised, doubtless he had expected Brienne’s visitor to be of less consequence. She could see him going over Jaime’s features and attire, as if putting the pieces together.

“It is an honor Ser. We so rarely get such important visitors here on our humble island.”

“Doubtless, Ser Jaime is here for his reward.”

“Reward?” Lord Selwyn looked, if possible, more perplexed.

“For saving my life, father.  Surely you will satisfy him.”

“He… he saved your life?”  

“Yes, when I was in the bear pit at Harrenhal. Really father, you’d think you didn’t listen to a word I said about my travels.”

Her father was indeed no longer listening to her.  Doubtless he was busy concocting some heroic version of her rescue that would culminate in his at long last marrying off his daughter.  Brienne was sure that’s what he thought the outcome of this visit would be, though he must have known Jaime was part of the Kingsguard.

At last Jaime spoke, “You mistake me, my lady.  I came seeking no reward.”

“Surely Ser, you came for something.”

“I came to see you, Brienne, for there are things I wish to discuss with you.  That is all.”

“You might have sent a letter.”

“Perhaps, but it I did not.  Will you walk with me?  While I am here I was hoping to witness the splendor of the Sapphire Isle.”

Jon/Sansa Fake!Married Trope:  Also definitely book!verse.  Following Danaerys’ reconquest, both remaining Starks attempt to leave Westeros without attention.  They run into each other. Excerpt:

She was undeniably lovely, with creamy skin and blue eyes he hadn't seen the like of since he left Winterfell.  She stared at Ghost in surprise, but not in fear.  Indeed she seemed transfixed by the direwolf as she reached her hands out to him and Ghost nuzzled his head against her.  Jon was amazed; he did not think she had noticed his own approach, she seemed so distracted.  

“It can't be.” She murmured to the direwolf, “But there is no mistaking you.  How did you get so far?”

Jon was unsure of how to alert her to his presence without startling her, yet it seemed rude just to stand here.

“They are all gone now, aren't they? Lady, and Nymeria, and Summer, and Greywind, and even Shaggydog.  Is he gone too Ghost, is that why you've found me?”

The woman sounded close to tears, and stranger yet she'd known. She had known not only Ghost but all the rest of the direwolf pups.  Realization dawned on Jon and he recognized Sansa, although his half sister had grown from a pretty child to a beautiful woman since he'd last seen her.  He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his mouth as he watched her fling her arms around the direwolf with a sob.

Crossovers

Restoration: Dresden Files/Revolution NBC, coauthored with @jaqofspades.  Miles Matheson doesn’t remember he’s a wizard, not that it matters with all the magic gone after the blackout.  Dark twisty multishipping with every kind of delicious wrong.  We need to get back on writing this eventually. 

Tagging: @talsi74656, @jaqofspades, @joyful-voyager, @sophia-helix, and @starfleet-vs-maquis if you guys want.

ETA: Oh I forgot one my favorite current projects!

That Massive 24th Century Trek Series Crossover AU: Which is a follow up to The Smallest Twine, in which certain details of the Cardassian Treaty get leaked before it is signed and the Federation is very nearly plunged into civil war.  It continues to explore the J/C relationship from the first story in the AU but also features a lot of our favorites from TNG and DS9 as well as more of the VOY characters.

[uozlulu]

WIP Fic. Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers. Untitled. PG-13-ish

Back in April 2016 I had surgery and due to brain damage I have i had a really bad reaction to anesthesia and I had to build my brain back up to speed. The first fic writing idea I got post-surgery was Infinity War, but from a Guardians of the Galaxy perspective instead of an Avengers perspective. It was the only idea I had so I ran with it until I hit a brick wall of inspiration in how to write the second half of the fic idea.

Since the Infinity War trailer is out now I might as well post the portion of first draft I wrote since I did put a lot of time and effort into it so it’d be a waste not to share. If there’s an interest in me finishing this fic, editing it, and making it good enough to post on AO3 and ff.net I’ll gladly continue it even though that will mean posting it after the movie comes out. If there’s no interest in that that’s okay too. Like I said, I don’t want the time and effort it took to make a playlist (this is a GotG fic after all) and write 15,913 words to go to waste. 

It’s been spell checked and grammar checked via Word. My writing process is to write up a rough draft and then edit it once all the chapters are written so it’ll likely be rough in places or not fleshed out enough. I’ll give a rough overview of where the fic is going in the second half since it’d not be fair to post this and not tell you roughly how it ends in case it never does get finished. 

So here we go....

Title Title Goes Here Author Uozumi AO3 | ff.net | Tumblr Fandom Avengers (MCU)/Guardians of the Galaxy (MCU) Character(s)/Pairing(s) Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Daughters of Thanos, Drax, Gamora, Groot, Happy Hogan, Scott Lang, Mantis, Wanda Maximoff, May Parker, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, Hope Pym, Peter Quill, Rocket Racoon, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, T’Challa, Thanos, Thor, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson Genre Action/Alternate Universe/Science Fiction/War Rating PG-13 Word Count 15,913 Disclaimer MCU c. Marvel, Disney Summary The Guardians of the Galaxy track Thanos to the Solar System. Upon reaching Earth’s orbit, their ship runs afoul and they’re scattered across the globe. As they encounter the Avengers it becomes obvious that both groups must unite and stop Thanos’ threat Warning(s) language, fire, violence, death, major character deaths, spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017), spoilers for the trailers for Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming(2017) Notes For the sake of narrative clarity Peter Quill is Quill and Peter Parker is Parker. This fic also places the Ginnungagap somewhere between Greenland and Iceland. I wanted to make this a more Guardians centered fic to avoid possibly making the fic too much like the upcoming Infinity War movies. I’m just excited to be able to write fic again so I’m running with the first idea that came to me. I also will be honest that I’ve not seen Doctor Strange (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), or Thor: Ragnarök (2017).

Title Goes Here Three hops. Three more hops. It was almost two years since Yondu’s death. The Guardians of the Galaxy tracked Thanos, edging ever closer. Three jumps and they would be in the same solar system. Quill held his breath. Gamora squeezed his shoulder from the seat behind his. Two jumps. Groot slept quietly in Drax’s lap. Mantis sat with Gamora in front of the security panel. Their new ship was smaller than Quill’s old ship, but had ample space for the small crew and whoever tagged along from time to time. Mantis wanted to touch Quill and understand his emotions, but she did not feel like she could ask right now, that anyone could speak right now. One final jump. Quill let out a long, low breath. “Almost there,” Rocket said. There was not much either of them could do while the ship jumped. The ship shuddered to impulse engines as they finally arrived at their destination. They were three planets away from Thanos’ main ship. “Cant’ Fight This Feeling,” by REO Speedwagon started to play as the Earth loomed in the cockpit windshield. Peter stared. When Yondu abducted him almost thirty years ago Peter had not comprehended what happened long enough to look back at Earth before they warped out of view. He swallowed. “It’s so…blue,” Mantis said quietly. “It explains his moods,” Drax said as if in some kind of agreement. “I am Groot,” Groot yawned. “We arrived,” Rocket answered the question and then pointed off to the left, “but what is that?” Everyone looked at an object coming into view as it orbited the Earth. There were groups of eight solar panels on either side of several linked structures. “It’s too primitive to be Thanos’,” Gamora said. “Is it Terran?” Peter frowned. “I don’t know. Looks like Skylab or something, so probably.” His mind filled with questions and quandaries. Did Earth have any kind of space defense? Was this a space defense? An explosion at the stern of the ship caused everyone to move forward with the vibration. Groot fell out of Drax’s lap. The attack alert system began to sound and the security screen in front of Gamora and Mantis brought up the rear view cameras. “It’s a Chitauri sentinel,” Gamora said. “He’s firing to port.” Rocket brought up the weapon systems while Peter navigated the ship. He was not fast enough and another shot sent the ship towards Earth’s orbit. “I will go out and meet them in –” Drax said and started to undo his safety harness. “We don’t need anyone to go outside,” Peter said. “We need the guns in the back.” “We don’t have any guns in the back anymore,” Rocket said. “The sentinel is moving to starboard,” Mantis reported. “That I can do,” Rocket said and returned fire on the Chitauri ship. Groot found himself huddled under one of the seats. From his hiding spot he could see a red button behind a small cage. It was a special button only meant for emergencies. Everyone was careful to tell him not to touch it. The ship rocked again. They were losing altitude quickly. Everyone was shouting. Groot could not tell if they were winning or losing, but it felt like losing. It felt like an emergency. He extended a branch towards the button and pushed. “Ejection sequence activated,” the ship’s voice said. “Ejection sequence activated. Please remained seated.” “What the –” Peter glanced over his shoulder and did a head count. “Where’s Groot?” “I am Groot,” Groot said and he scrambled up into the empty chair. “Ten,” the computer said. “You WHAT?” Rocket asked. “Nine.” “I am Groot,” Groot said. “Eight.” The computer activated everyone’s safety gear so that they each became encased in a bubble wrap looking space suit. “Seven.” Peter tried to keep the ship stable. “Someone needs to stop this ejection sequence.” “Six.” “I’m trying! I’m trying!” Rocket said. “It’s not responding.” “Five.” “We need a meeting place,” Gamora said. “Four.” “Uh…” Peter tried to think of a landmark. Any landmark. “Three.” “Peter!” “Two.” “The St. Louis arch!” Peter said. “One.” The windshield lowered and the ship ejected everyone except for Peter, who sat in the captain’s chair, into Earth’s atmosphere. Peter kept control of the wounded ship. All he could do was guide it towards what looked like North America as everyone else disappeared from view, as “Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore,” brought an end to the sound playing over the speaker system. The group ejected from the ship were too high up for their jet rockets to engage immediately. Their suits protected them from disintegrating in the reentry friction. One by one the winds pulled them away from each other until only Groot and Rocket remained. “Groot! GROOT!” Rocket cried out after his bubble-wrap like suit retracted, but he was too far away for Groot to hear. A large coastal city loomed below. “Dammit – Groot!” Rocket shouted. His jetpack kept him at a stable speed, but if he tried to force it to help him fly, it sputtered and threatened to fail. Rocket was so fixed on Groot’s position that he was ill-prepared to land on a terrace of one of the tallest buildings and tumble into the penthouse. He lay on the floor catching his breath and then let out a string of curse words. Rocket stood up and pulled the jetpack off so he could examine it. “No. No.” There was a small scorch mark at the base. He opened a hatch and examined the wiring. “Shit.” He felt eyes on him and tensed. He raised his gaze and saw a man sipping coffee watching Rocket quietly from a few yards away. “Totally didn’t see anything,” Tony Stark said. “Totally didn’t hear anything either.” He kept his distance and did not take his eyes from Rocket. Both grew quiet, assessing the other. Tony was so calm that Rocket could believe Quill’s stories about these raccoon things being on Earth that looked like him. “Anyway, where do people go to get mechanical parts around here?” Rocket gestured towards the direction he came from. “I’ve got a friend to go pick up and I can’t do it with this thing busted.” “Who’s your friend?” Tony asked. He finished off his coffee. “None of your business,” Rocket said. “I just need some wires and probably a propulsion cord. Tubing too.” Normally all these things would be ripe for the taking at the nearest spaceport, but Rocket knew they were too far out in the boonies of the galaxy for such a thing. Tony set his mug down. “It’s my business,” he said. “I know there’s an invasion coming. I know raccoons don’t talk or fall out of the sky. So I need to know who your friend is so I can protect this city, this planet from whatever’s coming.” Rocket realized the only thing keeping this situation from deteriorating was the fact he had not presented a credible threat to this person yet. He could also tell that Tony’s patience was thin. Rocket looked around the room at his options and paused. They were in a penthouse full of comfortable furniture and decorations that belied the owner was artistic and mechanical and probably out his nose rich. Rocket set his jetpack down and showed Tony his palms. “I think I’ve been too hasty. My friend is a small talking tree about this tall. If I don’t find him soon, who knows what will happen to him.” “A small talking tree?” Tony asked. “Yeah. His name’s Groot,” Rocket said. “He’s not even a sapling. He went down somewhere over there.” Rocket gestured off towards Queens. “We’ve got to get back together and find this…uh…” he tried to remember what Peter said before everyone left the ship, “San Ark.” “San Ark?” Tony asked. “Yeah, I don’t know what it is either,” Rocket said. “Anyway, like I said, I need some parts to fix this thing so I can go find him.” Tony was quiet a long moment, thinking things over. “Okay. Come with me. I know where there are some parts.” He started off towards the elevator. Rocket followed. He figured if it was a trap, he could get out of it. Gamora, meanwhile, lost sight of the others early on. She fell through the atmosphere and waited. If she engaged the jetpack too early it would not work. She could see airplanes below and no sign of any spacecraft other than what they saw from orbit. She went into a bank of clouds and still waited. When she emerged, she could see taiga stretching out in front of her with few signs of settlement. Gamora retracted her bubble wrap-like suit and engaged her jetpack, using it to guide her into a landing spot, avoiding the fir trees. Gamora landed in a pile of slush. Everything was melting from warmer late spring temperatures. She sighed and looked around. Like so much about Earth, she was in the middle of nowhere. It was too cloudy to find the sun. She took out a small device from her pocket that was made to find certain types of magnetism for navigating any habitable planet. She held it up and let it calibrate, using the reflection on the device to see behind her. She took a deep breath. What was it that Quill said aliens always said in movies? “I come in peace,” Gamora said. Her device beeped to let her know it had calibrated to Earth’s magnetic force. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” Sam Wilson replied where he stood not far away, one hand on a gun near his thigh, “since the last few have not.” Gamora showed him her hands, though she was ready to defend if need be, and turned slowly to face him. She could tell he was a soldier and highly intelligent. Before either could speak again, there was a streak through the sky. The damaged Chitauri sentinel crashed into the trees not far away. “Not one of those bastards again,” Sam murmured. “You’ve fought them before?” Gamora asked. “Yeah,” Sam said, keeping details light. He drew his gun. Gamora drew her own space gun. It was small and discreet and ran on its own self-charging system. They retreated into denser taiga and waited. The Chitauri moved silently. There were two of them carrying medium sized particle weapons. The Chitauri shot first, singing the trees. Sam and Gamora moved to other cover. Gamora returned fire when she could. Sam fired one shot, choosing to conserve his bullets and lead the action towards the mouth of the forest. Gamora drew closer to one of the Chitauri once she saw the riverbank and led them out into the open. Once they were on the ample, rocky riverbank, she drew her sword and charged. The Chitauri switched weapons to a three pronged blade that pulsed with electricity. They clashed, each try to avoid death. The rocks were flat and wide farther away from the river, leading to good footing for both. They twisted and turned, trying to cement the high ground and avoid the smaller rocks. Out in the open, Sam lacked cover. He did not have his wings either. However, he knew the terrain and he knew his skills. He returned fire, injuring the Chitauri. Sam used the pause in action to charge forward and tackle the Chitauri to the ground. He could heard the other Chitauri die. Thick blood oozed from the Chitauri under Sam. The Chitauri stopped struggling and reached for a button on the side of his armor. “Get away!” Gamora shouted at Sam, who was already rolling away from the Chitauri. When the Chitauri pressed the button he exploded, spewing guts, blood, and skin across the riverbank, Sam, and Gamora. Two seconds later there was a massive explosion in the direction of the Chitauri ship causing the ground to shake in such a way that Gamora almost lost her footing. Fire shot into the sky, lighting the forest around it on fire like a giant flare. The bears down river made alarmed noises, calling to each other to evacuate. Other animals began running in any direction leading away from the fire. Sam scrambled to his feet. Gamora joined him and they ran downstream away from the fire. They came to a place in which rocks stuck out at short enough intervals they could cross the river. The fire continued to spread. Gamora looked over her shoulder once she crossed the river at the destruction consuming the taiga. She turned away and continued following Sam. Back in New York, Groot remained motionless on the roof of someone’s front porch. He fell three hours ago and he was not sure what to do. He lost track of everyone after he pressed the button. He heard someone approach the house and peered in their direction. Peter Parker entered the front yard and rubbed his face. He had his backpack slung over a shoulder and looked wiped out from school. He ran a hand through his hair and paused. Then he looked directly at Groot. Groot held his breath and remained perfectly still. He was definitely just a bit of drift wood on this roof. He was one with other branches that fell during the rain last night. He relaxed when Parker entered the house. Groot was not sure if he should stay on the roof or not. He meant to leave sooner but some neighbors came out of their houses to hang flags and others kept coming and going as if everyone was preparing for an upcoming party. Groot hoped he would not have to lie low until night. Certainly the others were looking for him. The window near Groot’s head opened. Parker leaned out and touched Groot carefully. Groot held his breath. “Hey,” Parker said. “I can hear you breathing.” He held out a long stem of broccoli. “Are you hungry?” Groot looked at the broccoli. He’d never seen such a plant before. “I am Groot,” he said quietly. Parker blinked. “What?” he asked. “I am Groot,” Groot repeated a little louder this time. Parker nodded slowly. “Well, uh…if you need water, I can get you water.” He put the broccoli in his mouth and ate it. “Want to come inside?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. He reached out to Parker. Parker picked him up, unsure of how to hold Groot at first. “I’m Peter, by the way,” Peter said. He juggled Groot in one arm and shut his window with his other hand. “As long as Aunt May doesn’t see you, you can stay here as long as you want.” “I am Groot?” Groot asked. “She’s uh…my dad’s sister-in-law,” Parker said. “I’ve lived with her since I was little.” He carried Groot down the hall and into the bathroom. He set Groot down on the linoleum and made sure the small tub was clean. Groot looked around the bathroom. He saw a cockroach in the corner and slowly crept over to it. He caught it in his branches and bit down on its hard exterior. “I am Groot,” he murmured in disgust and cast the cockroach aside. The cockroach ran into a nearby vent as fast as possible. “I don’t think you should eat that,” Parker said. He started the water running. “What kind of temperature do you like?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. Parker nodded and adjusted it so it was ever so slightly warm. “Try that,” he said. Groot reached out and touched the water. “I am Groot!” he said and excitedly got into the tub. “Okay,” Parker said. “Now, watch this.” Parker engaged the shower. Groot’s eyes lit up when the shower rained down on him. He rushed to the far end of the tub to get the brunt of the blast and then danced about, taking in the water. There was a large curtain pulled across most of the tub. Peter watched him from the far end where the water wasn’t in danger of soaking the bathroom. Groot looked at Parker and then remembered to say, “I am Groot.” “You’re welcome,” Parker said. “I AM GROOT!” Groot shrieked when the water abruptly became ice cold. He ran away from the brunt of the spray and got out of the tub. “Ah! Hold it!” Peter said. He shut the water off and grabbed a big towel. Groot tried to evade the towel and ran out into the hallway, leaving a small trail of water in his wake. “Groot, you can’t get everything wet!” “I am Groot!” “You’re on carpet! Air drying doesn’t count!” Parker eventually dropped the towel over Groot as gently as possible. Groot stopped running once he was under the warm fluff. Groot dried himself off and peeked out at Parker. He watched Parker wiping up the puddles Groot left on the carpet and bathroom floor. Groot draped his towel tent over his head like a hooded cape and sat on the floor. The door downstairs closed. “I’m home!” Aunt May called out. “Shit,” Parker murmured. “Hey, go to my room and hide, okay?” he said quietly to Groot. “I can’t let Aunt May see you.” Groot looked at the staircase and then he looked at Parker’s room. “Groot,” Parker hissed. “Are you okay?” Aunt May asked from the foot of the stairs. “Yeah,” Parker called out. He headed down the stairs. Groot got up and dragged his towel cocoon into Parker’s room. He settled down onto a small child-sized chair Parker kept in a corner despite being too big for it now and fell fast asleep. Mantis did not worry when she saw the others disappear. They all had to find Louis Arch. She did not think Quill would pick a place too hard to find to meet back up at since he grew up on this planet. She was west of Gamora and none of the terrain was ideal to land. She finally settled down on the rocky shore downstream of Gamora and on the other side of the river. There were bears upstream. Mantis approached the river and knelt down, sticking her fingers into the cold river. Instantly she withdrew them, wiping them off on her jacket. “Too cold,” she murmured, accustomed to talking to herself when alone to cope with Ego leaving her alone for long stretches of time. Mantis’ antennae stretched. She could feel eyes on her. She turned around and saw a young woman watching her. “Hello,” Mantis said. “I am Mantis with the Guardians of the Galaxy. We’ve come to save Earth.” Wanda Maximoff did not immediately say anything. She looked at Mantis as if she was not sure it would be rude to stare at Mantis’ antennae too long. “I do not know who or what that is,” Wanda said carefully, still assessing if Mantis was friend or foe. “We are a group that helps anyone who needs help,” Mantis said. She paused. “Unless they’re Thanos.” She kept her gaze on Wanda. She did not know why but there was something about Wanda that seemed familiar, almost like Mantis herself. Mantis knew that this feeling made no sense since she and Wanda did not look alike, but she could not shake the feeling either. Wanda took one step forward. “You feel things, yes?” She did not look away from Mantis either. “Yes,” Mantis said. “I feel…everything.” She also took a step forward. Her fingers she dipped in the river stung in the cold air. “I don’t touch people who don’t allow it,” Mantis added. Wanda brought her hand up, but kept it close to her body, hesitating. Mantis reached out, her palm open, ready to take Wand’s hand if Wanda consented. “What is going on?” Steve Rogers asked as he emerged from the fir trees. He was dressed in earth tones and for the climate like Wanda. Wanda took a deep breath and then let her hand rest at her side. Mantis lowered her hand as well and curled her fingers to access the warmth from the sleeve of her jacket. “I have it under control,” Wanda said. “This is Mantis. She says she is a Guardian of the Galaxy.” Steve looked at Mantis. “What are you doing on Earth?” he asked. He looked at ease, but his stance was also tense as though he was ready to defend them if Mantis attacked. “We’re –” Mantis said but stopped speaking as the three of them watched the injured Chitauri ship fly across the sky and disappear out of view. “They attacked us,” Mantis said. “Our ship sent us into your atmosphere and we got separated.” “Why would they attack you?” Steve asked, his eyes trained on where the craft disappeared from view. “We’re here to stop Thanos,” Mantis said. “They work for him.” “We’ve fought them before,” Steve said. He frowned deeply. “Wanda, I’m going to help Sam. Take Mantis to that place. If things start to go south, take the truck and head northwest.” Wanda nodded. She motioned for Mantis to follow her. Steve ran in the direction of the ship. It would take him into the woods before Gamora and Sam could emerge from the woods. Mantis followed Wanda along the riverbank. Wanda handed Mantis a pair of gloves. “You do not want to get frostbite,” she said. “Wear these.” “What is frost bite?” Mantis asked, who was used to Ego’s utopia and the safety of spaceships. “It is when the skin rots,” Wanda said. Mantis pulled on the gloves. They were very warm. They moved quickly as they could through across the taiga only stopping when an explosion echoed from far away. Wanda hesitated, looking back at where Sam and Steve were. Then she shook her head. “We must hurry,” she said and picked up the pace. Not long after animals began to run in the same direction and the smell of the forest burning filled the air. When they arrived at an abandoned fishing cabin, Wanda and Mantis got in the truck. It was outfitted for the terrain and snow. Wanda started it up and the pair headed to the road. They headed North West and soon they ran into Steve, Sam, and Gamora, who got in the back of the truck. Wanda continued driving through the haze caused by the fire, heading steadily towards the tundra. Drax ended up getting carried away to the north farther than any of the others. He ditched his protective suit as soon as he could and used his jetpack to avoid landing in the ocean and finally bringing it down along the eastern most coastline of a series of fjords. It was cold and there was snow flurries in the air. His shoreline was just the bottom of a cliff surrounded by other cliffs and glaciers. He heard noise nearby and looked towards ocean. Two men in a sophisticated boat came in as close to shore as they dared and idled. Thor stood up and raised a hand in greeting. “We saw you fall from orbit. What is your business here?” “I have no business,” Drax said. “I’m not getting paid.” “Right,” Thor murmured. “Do you think he’s one of Thanos’ men?” Bruce Banner asked quietly, though his voice carried across the water. Both Thor and Bruce wore long and thick dark cloaks to protect them from the weather. Thor shook his head. “I think he is one of those we heard about,” he told Bruce. Then he asked Drax in a louder voice, “Are you the one who held the Power Stone and survived?” “I did not hold the stone, I held my friends’ hands,” Drax said. He paused. “That is why I survived.” “So he’s one of them?” Bruce asked Thor. “It appears so,” Thor said to Bruce, “which means we are very fortunate.” He addressed Drax again, “We are two of the Avengers. We can ferry you wherever you must go. It is likely your comrades will meet where ours will.” “At the ark?” Drax asked. Maybe this ark Quill wanted them to meet at was some kind of port on Earth. “No,” Thor said. “On the battlefield against Thanos.” He extended a gang plank from the boat towards Drax so that Drax would not have to step into the frigid ocean. Drax stepped onto the plank and then onto the ship. He settled down onto one of two seats Thor and Bruce were not using. “I did not know Earth had such technology,” he said. “We don’t,” Bruce said. He looked around the boat for a compartment that might store clothes. “We might have an extra cloak if you want one.” “No,” Drax said, “my nipples are too sensitive. I can do without.” “If we are ready, let us be off,” Thor said. “Once the wind is warmer, we will be able to contact our allies.” Once they were all settled onto the boat, he pushed some buttons and they shot off across the water at tremendous speed. “Temple of the King” by Rainbow played in Quill’s earbuds as he assessed the large mass in front of him. It swallowed up part of the town he was raised in and now the buildings were abandoned. He found it when walking through the forest away from the crash site. No one needed to tell him that the large magma-like monolith was a remnant of Ego’s failed plan. He also had a feeling the attack originated from somewhere near the Dairy Queen his mother took him to whenever she had the funds. He took in a deep breath. He still had his wallet from Earth along with $15.00 in bills and probably another $3.03 in coins. It was leftover birthday money. Peter sighed deeply. The town’s graveyard was likely swallowed up since it wasn’t too far away on the other side of the Dairy Queen. Quill opened his mouth and then closed it. He turned away and began walking out of town. Some of the shops were the same but most changed. He was not sure what a Starbucks was but it was where the comic book store was when he was little. The route to a nearby state road was the same and soon Peter was walking towards Saint Louis. “Mr. Big Stuff,” by Jean Knight came on Quill’s Zune next. He let the beat get into his step as he continued along the shoulder. He tried to hail a big rig that passed, but the driver did not stop. Even though it had been over two decades since he last traveled to Saint Louis, Peter knew the route well. He went back and forth his entire life with his mom while she tried to treat her cancer. He regretted naming the arch as their rendezvous point, but it was the first iconic landmark he could think of while trying not to die. The sun was starting to think about setting when a car slowed down beside Quill and he paused his music. The car window rolled down with a comfortable hum instead of a squeak from a crank. A man older than Quill sat in the passenger seat and a red haired woman drove. “Hey,” Clint Barton said. “Looks like you could use a lift.” “Going to Saint Louis?” Quill asked. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Natasha Romanoff said in a half-deadpan that Quill could not tell was sincere or a hint that her response was a joke. He could, however, tell she was probably Russian. It made him remember the Cold War for the first time in decades. He wondered if it was still happening. “Get in,” Clint said. “Always room for one more.” Quill got in the back of their car and settled into the seat behind Clint, putting his bag in the middle seat. The car was cushier than the last car he rode in. It was also more technologically advanced with dual climate control and actual built in cup holders for passengers in the front and the back instead of little plastic ones that got wedged into the space between the car window and the door interior. “This is…really nice,” Quill said. He wondered if it was a high end model or maybe a cheap model. If this was a cheap or older car, he could not imagine what some high end new car must be like now. “Thanks,” Natasha said. After a bit of silence, Clint asked, “So, what brings you to Missouri?” Clint sounded like he came from the next state or so over and it put Quill at ease. Quill leaned back in his seat, surprised at how much leg room he had in the back even if it was still cramped. “Business,” Quill said. “What about you?” “Yeah, we’ve got business here too,” Clint said. He seemed to consider his words and then asked, “Did you see that big thing in the sky a few hours ago? I keep telling Tasha that it was a UFO, but she won’t believe me.” “They aren’t real,” Natasha said. “It was a meteor.” “Meteors aren’t that big,” Clint said. “It also had passengers.” “Cast off,” Natasha said. “Meteors break up in the atmosphere.” Quill did not know what to say at first. He was prepared for people to be afraid of the other Guardians. He was not prepared to explain his ship, which now that he thought about it, was kind of a stupid detail to overlook. He held up his hands. “I saw it. Trust me, definitely saw it. Big hunt of rock spewing little rocks everywhere. Pretty sure it was a meteor.” He paused. “Or is it a meteorite? One falls to Earth the other is on Earth…” “That doesn’t explain why you were in a town that hasn’t been inhabited in three years,” Clint said deceptively casually. Quill froze. “Shit.” Natasha had been slowly increasing her speed to the point the car was now too fast for Quill to easily escape. Quill licked his lips and considered his options. “The people after you are also after us,” Clint said. “We can help, but you have to tell us who you and why you’re here.” “And if I don’t?” Quill asked. “Then we’ll leave you where SHIELD can find you,” Clint said. “SHIELD’s just a rumor,” Quill said without thinking. “So you have been off world a while then,” Natasha said. “SHIELD is very real and they are already picking apart your spacecraft as we speak.” Clint nodded. “Why did you come here? Who are you?” he asked. Quill weighed his options. The state route did seem unusually desolate. He also knew that the Guardians alone would like be unable to stop Thanos by themselves. “I’m Star Lord. There’s this intergalactic evil guy called Thanos coming to collect stuff hidden away on Earth. As a Guardian of the Galaxy, it’s my job to make sure he doesn’t get it.” “‘Stuff?’” Clint asked. “What stuff?” “Space stuff,” Quill said. “Top secret space stuff.” “Is your name really Star Lord?” Natasha asked. “Yeah,” Quill said. “It’s a name known throughout the galaxy.” Clint gave him a dubious look. Natasha looked mildly amused. Maybe. Quill could not read her yet, but something about her reminded him of Gamora and Nebula. “You can also call me Peter,” Quill said. “Who are you?” “Avengers,” Natasha said and left it at that. A siren caught Quill’s attention and he looked out the rear window. There was a sheriff car zooming towards them. “We must be out of that zone now,” Clint said. “I hope you’re buckled in, boys,” Natasha said. “We’re going to lose him. She pushed the car to its limits and cut across a field to another state highway that would lead to an interstate. Traffic increased and she began to weave her way to the nearest exit. “We’re going to leave the car in the open and use the darkness to our advantage,” she said for Quill’s benefit. They entered a town of over 5,000 people at a normal speed and continued along the state route until they reached a sad looking gas station near the interstate. They abandoned the car in the parking lot and went into nearby woods, working their way south parallel to the interstate. They crossed a road and continued until they reached a neighborhood. The houses were modest, some better kept than others. Quill stopped and looked at the houses around them. It reminded him of the neighborhood his grandfather lived in except with more disrepair and age. He swallowed down his feelings and followed Natasha and Clint as if the three of them were out for a totally normal walk. Quill was not sure what Avengers were, but it sounded like the kind of help he needed. He decided to stick with Clint and Natasha for now. They found their way to a boat showroom. There was a pickup truck in the parking lot and no sign of anyone in the store. It did not take long for them to get the truck started and start heading south on the interstate. They were going away from St. Louis now with Clint driving. “What are the Guardians of the Galaxy?” Natasha asked. She sat between Clint and Quill. “What are the Avengers?” Quill asked. “Seems polite you tell me about yourself first.” “The Avengers are a group of skilled individuals who protect the earth,” Natasha said. She opened the glove compartment and found an unopened bag of chips. Neither Clint nor Quill objected when she opened them and began rationing them out to the three of them. Quill made a weird face when he tasted the BBQ flavor. “This is…weird.” He knew how BBQ chips should taste but this was not it. “Not a bad weird.” “I believe it’s your turn,” Natasha said and gave Quill another chip. “It’s polite.” Quill snorted a little. “The Guardians of the Galaxy are like the Avengers, but in space. We get hired to do stuff like protect batteries or if a big threat comes up like Ronan, we kick his ass.” “Ronan?” Clint asked. “Yeah, the Destroyer,” Quill said. He was working for Thanos, but we managed to defeat him.” By the skin of their teeth and the seat of their pants. Even knowing he was part Celestial now, Quill did not know how he survived the Power Stone. “We’ve heard things about Thanos,” Natasha said, “mostly whispers.” She passed the third to last chip to Clint and passed the next to last chip to Quill before taking the final chip for herself. Quill turned the chip over in his hands. He was running out of time and had to take the chance that Clint and Natasha could help him. Where else could he go? He took a deep breath and began to explain what he knew about Thanos and what the Guardians were on Earth to do. A large ball of fire and particle beam shot up into the sky far enough away that Dax, Bruce, and Thor could not see the source. It was a fireball tall enough that it likely could be seen from space. Bruce cleared his throat “Well, that…’s festive.” “Is it a custom?” Drax asked. It made him think of the bonfires his people danced around except bigger and more annoying. “No,” Bruce said. “I’m not sure what that was.” They could see very, very faint smoke as though the fireball had been taller than wide and whatever caught on fire might be even farther away than it first appeared. “We are in range to communicate,” Thor said. “The others might be aware of what the cause is.” He removed a communication device from his belt. It looked Asgardian in design. He pressed some buttons and waited. The set of three beeps caught Rocket’s attention immediately. His jetpack fixing adventure led to him needing to rebuild the entire interior of the pack if he wanted it to work. Tony’s technology was not primitive, but Rocket did know several places across the galaxy he probably could get better equipment in some regards. If this was the height of terran technology, Rocket did not want to think about what he would be up against if he landed somewhere less populated. Whatever was beeping kept beeping. Rocket looked at Tony who was working quietly in a corner on his own project. Rocket could not tell if Tony was purposefully ignoring the beeping or could not hear it over the music playing from the speakers. It was similar music to the stuff Quill played but a little louder and a little angrier. Rocket liked it. “Mr. Stark, there is a communication from There Can Only Be One,” FRIDAY said. Tony paused the song, went over to a nearby desk, and retrieved a communication device that looked like alien tech Rocket saw before that definitely was not terran. He pressed a button. “Tony Stark.” “Greetings,” Thor said. “Forgive my lack of communication. There has been too many developments.” “If you mean aliens dropping from the sky once a week around the world and a talking raccoon in my workroom, yeah, lots happening,” Tony said. He moved over to where he was working. “Hey,” Rocket said as if he was telling Quill to watch it with the raccoon talk. “So there are other talking raccoons? Quill said that they did not talk here,” Drax said. Rocket rolled his eyes. He bounded over to Tony’s workspace and said loud enough for the others to hear, “It’s me, you dumbass.” “I’m here too,” Bruce said muffled in the background. Tony’s face softened at Bruce’s voice a little. He let out a small breath. “Been a while,” Tony said. “Glad you’re safe.” There was a small pause and then Thor said, “We must assemble together at the tower. There is much to discuss. It is also important that we find the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. They will be indispensable in the upcoming battle.” “About that…” Tony said. “Stuff happened. Fighting on the tarmac is a meme now. Half the team are fugitives on the run. Rhodey is a bionic man. We’ve not assembled in over a year.” There was silence on the other end of the line. Rocket studied Tony’s face, trying not to be obvious about it. Tony looked off at the bar he no longer stocked. “We cannot fight ourselves right now. Not just Midgard but Asgard and possibly the universe needs us to stop Thanos before he can obtain what he seeks,” Thor said. “I –” Tony stopped himself. “Look. We already fought. Everyone lost.” “How about,” Bruce said and his voice became clearer as though he took the communication device from Thor, “we come to the tower, you get whoever you want to come too, and we talk about how to handle this? You can tell us what happened and we can figure out how screwed we are.” Tony was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah. I’ll make some calls. Get who I can here.” “We will arrive in…” Bruce’s voice trailed. “About one and half sjømil,” Thor said, a little muffled. “Yeah,” Bruce said. “We’re in a boat. We’ll be there in an hour or two? I think we might be warping space time around us.” “We are following the river,” Thor said. “We’ll see you soon,” Bruce said. When the transmission ended, Tony let out a slow, low breath. “I told them this was going to happen,” he said. “Nobody listened.” Rocket frowned. “Well, it’s happening. Now what?” He was not sure what ‘it’ meant Thanos specifically, aliens in general, or whatever the fight was about. “Don’t you have some sort of guardians to gather or something?” Tony asked. He was already queuing up contact info of those to notify. “We’re all going to meet at the San Ark. Can’t be too hard to find,” Rocket said. “Drax and I can just bring you guys with us.” Rocket would use a communicator to talk to the others but he did not have one on him. He had not anticipated someone using the emergency exit button. Tony looked dubious, like Rocket was talking about something alien. It made Rocket wonder if in the thirty some years Quill had been off world that this San Ark thing stopped existing. “Besides, I’ve got to go get Groot once this is fixed,” Rocket said. He returned to his jetpack. “How hard is it going to be finding a little tree in this place?” He knew how hard, but that was also why he needed to fix the jetpack. He needed to be able to outrun anyone who had problems with a talking raccoon and sentient toddler tree. Rocket hoped nothing too weird was happening with Groot. The first hour of riding in the back of the pickup was silent. Sam sat in the corner behind the driver’s seat and Gamora sat in the corner behind the passenger’s seat. Steve sat beside Sam. Gamora had a communicator but she kept it off for now. The middle window in the back of the cab was open so they could communicate with Wanda and Mantis once they were in a position talking would not disturb Wanda’s driving. The taiga was rough, but the truck was equipped for off-roading. After a while, they came to a gravel-road. “Should I?” Wanda asked. “Yeah,” Steve said quietly. The fire was behind them and still burned. The gravel was easier to travel than the taiga. After a few minutes, Mantis said, “It’s very quiet. Our friend always plays music when we travel.” “So the two of you work together?” Steve asked, his eyes moving from Mantis to Gamora and back. “Yes,” Mantis said. She turned her head to look back at Sam and Steve. “He loves music. His soul is full of music.” “Thanos’ soul is full of music?” Sam asked as if he officially had heard everything now. “No,” Mantis said. “Peter Quill’s soul is full of music. We’re here to stop Thanos. He’s not our friend.” “We’ve been tracking Thanos down for the last year,” Gamora said. “He’s after powerful weapons that are so powerful they require more than one being to use in most cases. He is so strong, he can use at least one if not more without assistance.” She took a breath. “As far as we know, he doesn’t posses any of them, but there are two on Terra and possibly two more that can be accessed from Terra.” Steve’s lips drew into an increasingly thin line as Gamora spoke. “How many of you are there?” “Six,” Gamora said. “When our ship was in orbit we were attacked by the Chitauri that followed us into your forest. If you know who Thanos is, you know what kind of threat will come, and he will come soon.” Steve looked down in thought and Sam kept his eyes on Gamora. Steve’s gaze swept over them from Sam to Wanda to Mantis and finally to Gamora. “What can we do to stop him? How can we help?” Gamora knew they would need any ally they could get. She began to explain the situation, keeping some details to herself for now. Groot woke up from his nap alone in Parker’s room. The sun was low in the sky and the room was very dim. Groot emerged from the towel and looked at a small post-it note on the arm of the small chair. He could not read English, though he saw Quill write in it from time to time. Groot sniffed the post-it and made a weird face before sticking it back onto the arm of the chair where he found it. He climbed up onto the window sill and let what sunlight could reach him touch him. It was nice. It was also really, really quiet. Groot remembered not to let Aunt May see him, whatever an Aunt May was. Parker said it was a father’s sister-in-law, but that explained nothing. Groot got down from the window sill and quietly went to the door. He peeked out into the hallway. There were no lights on upstairs, but there was a nightlight in the hallway. There were lights downstairs and he could hear the TV playing. Groot crept closer to the stairs, pausing every so often to stand perfectly still. It was a good camouflage tactic used on his home planet. The music from the TV drew Groot closer. The course said, “Tell me more. Tell me more,” but Groot did not need direct prompting. He settled onto one of the steps and peered through the balusters. A woman folded clothes while watching the TV where a group of adults pretending to be teenagers danced around a school ground singing about summer love. It was very colorful and very catchy. Groot let his legs dangle over the edge of the step. May Parker placed the folded laundry meant to go upstairs back into the basket. She left the television on and headed for the stairs. Groot was too engrossed in the continuing movie to realize he should move until he heard a very loud shout. “No! I will not have rats in my house!” May said. She kicked out at Groot who slipped between the balusters only to fall to the floor. May set her laundry down on a step and charged down to grab a broom. Groot got up and looked around. He ran under the sofa, but he was too big to fit. He tried under a chair, but again, he was just one size too big. He finally laid down under the coffee table and remained completely still. May approached and moved to stick the broom under the coffee table to help herd the presumed rat towards the door before she froze and blinked. “What…?” She took a step back and studied Groot. “You’re not a rat.” After a long moment of silence, Groot said, “I am Groot.” “I’m May Parker,” May said. Groot suddenly yelped and rolled out from under the coffee table. “I am Groot!” he exclaimed and prepared to run off. This was the Aunt May Parker told him to avoid probably. “Wait!” May said. “Wait. You’re not in trouble.” “I am Groot?” Groot asked. “Is that all you can say?” May asked. “I am Groot,” Groot said. He did not understand how Parker could understand him but May could not. “Well, ah…do you know Peter?” May asked. “I am Groot,” Groot said and nodded for emphasis. “I see,” May said. “He’s at a party right now. How about we call him?” she asked. Groot nodded. May took out her cellphone. Groot looked over his shoulder at the TV just as the song ended. His eyes sparkled a little and he settled down on the carpet to sit and watch. Movies were truly wonderful. He figured it would not hurt anything to keep watching the movie while May talked to Peter. Traveling northwest worked until the snow began to fall. While the truck was equipped for difficult weather and rough terrain, it was not wise to press their luck. They returned to the gravel road until they pulled off to take a break and change drivers. Wanda led Mantis to a water source in sight of the truck. It looked clear and flowed. Wanda knelt down and began to refill her canteens. “I will let you have one of these,” she said. “It’s not good to travel without water.” Mantis knelt beside Wanda and watched. “Is the god who controls your weather angry with you?” she asked. “What?” Wanda asked. “Sometimes planets are gods or controlled by gods,” Mantis said. “When mine was upset, he would make every day dark and cold.” She took the canteen carefully from Wanda once it was full. “What did you do about it?” Wanda asked. She filled the second canteen. “There was nothing I could do until the very end,” Mantis said. “I was brought there to help, not hurt.” She unscrewed the cap of the canteen and then screwed it back on, examining the design. “I did not want to think about it until I had to think about it.” Wanda screwed the cap onto her canteen and observed Mantis. “Did no one else think it was wrong?” “There was only Ego and me,” Mantis said. “Until my friends came, then we destroyed Ego and began hunting Thanos.” They lapsed into silence. Wanda stood up and then Mantis stood. Mantis did not take her eyes off Wanda. “May I touch your hand?” “What?” Wanda asked. “I want to know what you’re feeling,” Mantis said. “When I touch beings I can feel their emotions, all of them. I can also manipulate their moods. Ego used that in me to help him sleep.” “I feel worried,” Wanda said. She tied her canteen back to her belt. “Something is coming. It won’t end well.” Mantis nodded. She tied her canteen to her own belt since that was where canteens seemed to go. “I am worried too,” she said. Since Wanda did not agree to anything, Mantis put her hands in her pockets. Mantis looked over at Gamora who was trying to reach Quill on her communicator. “Gamora is strong,” Mantis said. “When she’s with me I feel like I can be strong too.” Wanda followed Mantis’ gaze. “We are also strong,” she said. “Hopefully strong enough.” They walked over to Gamora who was working on establishing contact with Quill. “Finally,” Quill said. In the background they could hear a radio commercial for a Back to the 80’s concert transitioned into “Rocket Man” by Elton John. “Where are you? Are you okay?” Mantis, Wanda, Sam, and Steve gathered around Gamora. “We’re fine,” Gamora said. “Mantis is with me. It’s snowing and there’s a lot of trees and bodies of water.” “How far north are you?” Quill asked after a pause. “How would I know?” Gamora asked genuinely. She did not know how she would know if she had never been to Earth before and did not know where Quill even was right now. “Peter, the Chitauri ship followed us. It sent some kind of signal to Thanos. I think we’ve got anywhere between three hours and three weeks before Thanos arrives. “Three’s more,” Gamora continued. “We met up with three people, one of whom can outrun a forest fire without getting winded or breaking a sweat.” “Is his name Steve?” Clint asked, voice muffled from behind on the opposite side of the truck from Quill. “It’s me,” Steve answered, speaking loud enough for Clint to hear but not so loud his voice would carry past the clearing. “From what I can tell, Gamora and Mantis are serious about stopping Thanos. They seem like,” a pause, “people we can work with.” “Quill seems that way to us too,” Clint said. “What we need to do is come up with a strategy,” Sam said. “Sounds like Thanos has been strategizing for a long time now. He probably already knows what he’s going to do after that big fireball appeared.” “I agree,” Gamora said. “We at least should assess where we are and if we can get together to talk about what we should do. We’ll need as many allies as we can get. Thanos has many armies at his disposal.” They began solidifying their plans. Gamora and Mantis’ group were about two to three days travel from where Quill’s group was. They decided to use Memorial Day weekend to their advantage and meet towards sunset to ensure most people would not be paying attention to them. When the conversation ended, Gamora checked to see if she could get in touch with Drax, Rocket, or Groot. None of them responded. She sighed and put her communicator away. The group got back into their truck, this time with Steve driving, and started back towards the gravel road that cut through the taiga. The first person to arrive at Tony’s place was James Rhodes, followed soon after by Vision. After an insanely long conversation with a go-between, Tony got T’Challa to agree to a video conference. Tony sighed. “Two more to go,” he said more to himself than anyone else. “Is there a reason there’s a talking raccoon making a jetpack?” Rhodey asked quietly so Rocket could not hear, but Rocket could hear. “Repairing a jetpack,” Tony clarified. “Same thing,” Rhodey said. “He fell from the sky. He’ll go find a talking tree once he’s done,” Tony said. “Of course he will,” Rhodey said. He accepted the glass of water Tony poured for him. “I am Vision,” Vision greeted Rocket. “Are you from Earth?” “No,” Rocket said. He was almost done with his repairs. He still had not decided if he should stick around to see what the people coming had to say or try to find Groot immediately. He knew that if he waited for dark, he might have a higher chance of running into fewer problems, but he also did not like that Groot had been out there somewhere alone for such a long time. He looked up at Vision then blinked. “So you really do wear that thing on your forehead?” Rocket heard the rumors some idiot was running around with an Infinity Stone out in plain sight. He did not expect this. “It’s embedded,” Vision said. “Without it, I would cease to exist.” “That’s…” Rocket’s voice trailed. “So, you’ll be the center of the action then.” “Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY said, “Dr. Banner, Thor, and an unidentifiable have arrived.” “Good. Send them up,” Tony said. Rocket did not have to be told that Thor was an Odinson. Asgard was legendary even in Rocket’s part of the galaxy, not only for its wealth and strength, but also the fact it was exceedingly hard to enter unless through specific routes. Bruce Banner, however, looked completely unremarkable even though he also wore clothes befitting of the more well-known worlds connected by Yggdrasil. “Friends,” Thor greeted Tony, Rhodey, and Vision, “and…new friend,” he greeted Rocket. “Hey,” Rocket replied. “New haircut?” Tony asked. “Yes,” Thor said. “I reunited with Banner in the gladiatorial pit. We won many battles. Unfortunately short hair is a requirement.” “Gladiators? Isn’t that more of a Roman thing?” Tony asked. “Sakaar is not one of the realms,” Thor said, “but we were able to return to the realms.” “We fought in the Ragnarök,” Bruce said quietly. “It didn’t go according to the prophecy.” Drax approached Rocket as Thor and Bruce gave Tony, Rhodey, and Vision the details. “Where are the others?” he asked. “I imagined the ark would have more animals in it than you and the humans.” “This isn’t our meeting place,” Rocket said. “I’m still not sure where San Ark is anyway.” He flipped a switch and his jetpack whooshed quietly. He turned it off. He could retrieve Groot when he was ready. “I wonder if it still exists,” Drax said. “Quill said he has not been here since he was a boy. If someone travels the stars and returns, he is always younger.” “We’ll figure something out,” Rocket said. “I know we have to,” Tony said loud enough that Drax and Rocket looked at the humans, android, and demigod in the room. Tony took a deep breath. “Look, just…I can fight on the same battlefield. I’m not going to run away from this, but I’d rather not talk to him. I don’t have to talk to him to fight with him. Whatever this battle is going to be it’ll be bigger than both of us anyway.” “We could discuss a truce,” Thor suggested, “and then toast to putting this aside and figh –” “You weren’t there. You don’t know,” Tony said in a tense, quiet whisper. Bruce held up his hands. “How about we just…use Thor as a go between? Thor probably gave Steve a communicator too. You two won’t even have to sneeze at each other. No drinks necessary. The truce is already unspoken, no one wants to fight each other while we fight a galactic super power. Have you contacted Natasha yet? She’s probably in the middle of this already.” “I was about to contact her,” Tony said. He sighed and rubbed his face. “King T’Challa is on standby, sir,” FRIDAY said. “Good,” Tony said. He pressed some buttons and T’Challa appeared on a screen nearby. They got hold of Natasha and went through some brief introductions before getting down to business. “The power Thanos seeks are the Infinity Stones,” Thor explained to make sure everyone was on the same page. “The Space Stone is blue and it is what allowed Loki to open a dimensional portal for the Chitauri to attack this city six of your years ago. The Reality Stone is a red stone and it became the Aether. It is the reason that the Svartálfar invaded Midgard not even two years after. Both of these are kept in very secure locations that even I am not aware.” Thor paused. “Not long ago word reached Asgard that a group calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy used the Power Stone to stop Ronan the Destroyer. Where that stone is I cannot say.” Drax almost said something but Rocket shook his head. They remained quiet. “Another stone I am unware of its location is the Time Stone,” Thor said. “I heard it was green and had the power to manipulate time to varying degrees. There are rumors it appeared on Earth but I have no evidence. However,” Thor approached Vision, “we all know where the Mind Stone is. Thanos will come for it first.” “Then I am a target and a danger,” Vision said. “Yes,” Thor agreed, “but the danger of allowing Thanos to wield the Mind Stone is infinitely greater a threat than protecting you and the Stone from Thanos.” “Has anyone checked on whoever’s guarding the Space and Reality Stones?” T’Challa asked. “Are they still secure?” “Yes,” Thor said. “The beings still stand.” Thor frowned. “While we were on Sakaar and after our battles in Asgard, I heard many things. Whatever Thanos is planning it will be bigger than any battle we have fought as a team. We must unite with each other and with the Guardians of the Galaxy and whoever else we can bring into the fight that will give us an advantage. We likely have little time.” “Where are the rest of you guys anyway?” Rhodey asked Rocket and Drax. “We kind of ran into some technical difficulties,” Rocket said. “When we came into orbit, we got hit with a Chitauri ship and one of our crew decided to eject us from the ship. He’s like two or something. It happens. Before we left the ship, we decided to meet at a San Ark, so we go there, the rest of us will be there.” There was a a small pause and then the holoscreen that represented Natasha made a small noise like a sputter. “Saint Louis arch!” Quill said. Another silence followed since they were all under the impression Natasha was alone. Then Rocket asked, “How was I supposed to know? It’s not like we talked about it. Besides, who makes an arch significant landmark anyway?” “The city of Saint Louis for one,” Quill said. “Paris for another.” “I don’t know where either of those are,” Rocket said in a no duh kind of voice. “How would I know where either of those are?” He shook his head. “If the Guardians have a meeting place then perhaps some of us should go there to meet with them,” Vision suggested. “We could also provide a swift exit in case we have to make the ‘shooting a found footage movie’ excuse,” Tony said. “We could meet on Memorial Day,” Natasha suggested. “We can use the crowds to our advantage.” “Maybe meet around sunset?” Quill said. “That way people will be paying attention to the river more than the people.” “How crowded does it get there anyway?” Bruce asked. No one knew. The last time any of them had been there was when Quill went with his grandpa in the late 80’s. They began to plan what they could and then T’Challa left the conversation and then Natasha and Quill left the conversation. The room was silent for a long time. “I should go find Groot,” Rocket said. “Before you go..,” Tony said and after some searching, he handed Rocket a smartphone. “If you get into trouble, press the helmet icon and it will call me directly.” Rocket turned the smartphone over in his paws. He put it in his bag and then headed out the way he entered the penthouse earlier that afternoon. Rocket set off from the penthouse’s landing strip and flew past neon signs and buildings, heading as fast as he could in the direction he saw Groot disappear. He honestly did not know how he would find Groot. Rocket dodged drones and birds. He ignored shocked shouts when someone happened to glance out a window while he flew past. Rocket slowed when he got to the approximate area. It was residential. He stopped the music and hissed, “Groot!” knowing Groot could hear him even if he was super quiet. “Groot!” He landed on the sidewalk and slunk into a nearby yard. “Groot!” He approached a window and peeked in. There were two young kids and a babysitter watching TV. Rocket moved along the street, sticking close to the houses. When Peter Parker hurried down the sidewalk, Rocket hid behind some rose bushes. Once Parker was gone, Rocket continued his search. “NO!” a voice behind Rocket from inside a nearby house shrieked. “No! Bad raccoon!” Rocket blinked “What the f –” He turned around in time to get a very, very bright light shone in his face. A speaker nearby began to blare, “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band so loud it hurt Rocket’s ears. Rocket ran. The music continued to blare, but once he reached the Parker residence, there were enough buildings between them to make it tolerable. Once the song ended, the music stopped. Rocket’s ears still rung. “I am Groot,” a voice said from the house Rocket hid beside. Rocket froze. “I am Groot,” Groot said, thanking someone. “How do we know this isn’t going to turn out like Gremlins?” May asked. “Don’t feed him after midnight?” Parker asked. Rocket peeked in the window slowly. Groot was walking over to the TV while May and Parker stood with their backs to the window. Groot looked hydrated and healthy. There did not seem to be any danger and Groot looked happy. Rocket hesitated and then he lowered his head below the window. If he knew where Groot was and Groot was okay, did he have to take Groot back with him right now? It would also be easier to collect Groot if Quill was there judging by the weird light and music display down the street. There was a small chirp to Rocket’s left. He ignored it. The chirp sounded again. Rocket looked at the source and saw a raccoon staring at him. The raccoon let out a small purring noise. “Uh…” Rocket’s voice trailed. The raccoon inched closer and chirped again. “…No. No thanks,” Rocket said, not really sure what the raccoon meant. The raccoon drew closer and purred again. “Just go…do whatever you guys do,” Rocket said and stood up, taking a step back. He engaged his jetpack and took off into the air as the end to “Blinded by the Light” echoed into the night, muttering “Trash panda,” under his breath. The Saint Louis Arch was currently under renovations. Even though no one could go into the structure, there were people enjoying the designated picnic areas. The Mississippi River flowed along the eastern bank, and the sunset began to decorate the old courthouse to the west. Quill, Natasha, and Clint sat in the open enjoying the music from a nearby radio station truck and the view. Quill hoped it would not be too hard for everyone to get a ticket into the grounds. “I like the music, but I could go for some metal once in a while,” Natasha said. Peter and Clint followed her gaze. They could see Tony, Rhodey, Vision, Thor, and Drax approach. Their clothes did not look expensive and they almost blended into the crowd except Vision’s face under his hood was clearly not a flesh tone. No one in the crowd seemed to notice this, most people continuing to go about their business. “I dunno,” Clint said, “I wouldn’t mind a good round of ‘God Bless America.’” From the other end of the park, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Gamora, and Mantis entered. The three native to Earth wore non-descript clothing. Gamora and Mantis still wore what they arrived on Earth with. All of them had what looked like convention badges as though they had an afternoon of fun and now came to watch the sunset. Most people did not take notice, and those who did started whispering about makeup and prosthetics skills. Quill stood up and waved to both groups as ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends,” by War began to play from the radio van’s speakers. Gamora, Mantis, and Drax gravitated to him immediately. Steven then Sam then Wanda then Natasha then Mantis then Clint then Quill then Gamora then Drax then Thor then Vision then Rhodey then Tony made a curved line. No one said a word. “Where’s Rocket and Groot?” Quill whispered to Drax. “Rocket stayed behind with Banner. He said Groot is safe,” Drax said. Quill nodded. When it appeared no one was going to say anything, he took a deep breath. “Anyway…hi. Thanks for coming. I’m Star Lord,” after some looks he said, “most call me Peter. I’m part of the Guardians of the Galaxy and we’ve come to kick Thanos’ ass. All your help is appreciated.” He reached down to a cooler nearby. “I brought some hot dogs and some veggie dogs I grilled at a park earlier. I’m not sure if they’re good or not. I had a soda for the first time in like almost thirty years yesterday and it was not what I was expecting at all.” “In a good way or a bad way?” Vision asked. “Huh?” Quill asked. Then he seemed to process the question. “I don’t know. It’s just not what I remember drinking.” He opened another cooler. “We also got some water bottles. Figured we might as well eat.” The groups eyed each other and then Steve and Tony both sat. The rest followed. There were enough dogs for everyone to have two. The sun continued to lower in the sky. They remained quiet, some more tense and others more relaxed. Quill looked at the arch, his eyes following it from one end to the other. “Okay, I have to ask,” Rhodey said after he finished a hot dog, “why the arch?” “Uh…well,” Quill thought about how to answer, “it’s easy to find. I grew up not far from here actually.” “It is…. What does it do?” Thor asked. “You go up to the top and look at the city from the observation deck,” Quill said. “They built it when my mom was a kid.” Everyone’s eyes were on the arch as they watched the sky grow darker and darker, almost at a faster rate than it should during a normal sunset. “Guys,” Natasha said in a warning tone. The darkness became a void. A large ship appeared as “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” by Three Dog Night began to play from the abandoned radio van. Ordinary people on the grounds ran as fast as they could, abandoning what they could not carry. Tony and Rhodey encased themselves in their suits. Gamora put her hand on the hilt of her sword. “I thought you said the Space Stone was secure,” Tony said. “It was,” Thor said. “When I returned to Asgard, it was still secure in the vault.” Lights across the river began to flicker and then go out and soon lights around the arch and the city went out as well. The only light came from the almost full moon rising steadily. Quill touched a button near his ear and activated his space helmet so the eyes would allow him to discern friend from foe. “Protect Vision,” Steve said. “Get him out of here.” “Thor, you’re the demi-god,” Tony said. “Get him back to that location.” Vision hesitated. “Tony –” “Go with him,” Tony said. “We can’t lose you.” Vision and Thor disappeared into the darkness. The Daughters of Thanos drew closer, the lights of their jetpacks showing their locations before they dropped to the grass. Quill, Tony, and Rhodey took to the air since their vision technology was the best of the group. Drax shot up after the group in the sky once his eyes became accustomed to the moonlight. The rest of the Avengers and Guardians drew into a circle with their backs to one another. None of the Daughters of Thanos looked like each other. Many were humanoid, but there was at least one that looked like a person-sized biped lizard, and there were a few Daughters that moved on four legs when waling. Many had mechanical parts like Nebula. Few, like Gamora, were completely flesh still. Gamora had fought almost all of them and those she had not fought before she saw fight others. She drew her sword and stilled her breath. The clash on the ground came from all sides. Wanda used her magic to throw those charging towards her to the side. Mantis positioned her hands and waited for skin to grab, concentrating on thinking about sleep and peace. Natasha used her dual guns to pick off Daughters before they got too close. Gamora clashed with her sword, holding her ground while trying to evade attacks. Steve grabbed a heavy cooler nearby and used it as a shield between him and the Daughters while also using it offensively to strike blows. Sam took out a knife with a long blade and hoped he could figure out where to slice the aliens for maximum blood loss. Clint had his bow and arrows, shooting strategically. Some arrows exploded on contact and the shrapnel dispersed into the wave of attackers. Several of the larger, quadrupedal Daughters charged Wanda, Natasha, and Mantis at the same time several Daughters from the sky dropped down and lifted Steve, Sam, and Wanda into the air. With the circle broken, Thanos’ forces on the ground swarmed. Gamora ducked and swung, striking her targets. Natasha kicked one of the Daughters charging in the face and Mantis grabbed another, sending her into a deep slumber before touching the Daughter Natasha kicked, sending her into a deep sleep too. Quill continued to fire at any target he could. He watched the Daughters who picked their targets up shoot high into the air. “Shit,” Quill said. He shot at another Daughter and then flew towards them, not sure what he could do to help all three of them. Sam managed to drive his knife into the neck of his captor. Once the Daughter died, they remained in the air due to the jet pack. Sam used the controls to lower the dead body and himself to the ground. Wanda damaged her captor’s jetpack and sent the Daughter spiraling to the ground while Wanda’s powers kept her in the air. She began attacking the Daughters around her, sparks of red lighting up the aerial battle. Quill saw Clint look at him just before Clint’s captor released him. Clint fell through the air and shot an arrow, striking the Daughter in the jetpack engine, causing an explosion. Quill managed to get below Clint fast enough to catch him. Quill returned Clint to the ground. They joined the fight on the ground, Clint collecting arrows from dead bodies. Drax was aggressive with his battle style. He slashed, stabbed, and headbutted his way through the sky. Each opponent was a challenge and each was more skilled than the last. He ploughed his elbow into the middle of the lizard Daughter and she bit him on the shoulder. Drax stabbed her in the sides and watched her drop to the ground. Then his vision began to blur. His head felt too light and his feet too heavy. He touched a button on his jetpack but it did not respond. He tried to press harder but it felt like her could barely push it at all. He slowly fell through the air to the ground as he blacked out. It did not feel like progress, but they were slowly making it. Gamora knew there could be a second wave of her sisters, but she was not sure when it would come. She felt a sting along her ankles that quickly began to move up her legs. Multiple something were attacking from outside her clothes. She sprung into the air with her jetpack and kicked, but the stinging persisted. Soon the Daughters of Thanos began to falter in their attacks. Many took to the air like Gamora. Gamora felt a sting on her hand that then became a pain as if something was trying to eat her flesh. Quill started shouting nearby and also took to the air. “Shit. Fuck. What the hell?!” A large humming drew closer like a wave of stinging insects. The wasps began to target anyone who was not an Avenger. “Shit,” Clint said. “Shit! You’re attacking our allies too!” he shouted. “Scott! Stop!” There was a sudden pause and the biting ants and stinging wasps stopped but did not retreat. There was a harsh smell of various metals in the air, like a mixture of bloods that also did not smell like blood at the same time. Some of the Daughters of Thanos dropped to their knees or passed out completely, their bodies unable to handle the insect toxins in their bodies. Suddenly, a large man in a head to toe suit appeared towards the north side of the main battle. Scot Lang stood ten foot tall in the Giant Man form of his suit. He picked one of the Daughters of Thanos out of the sky and threw her at the hovering spacecraft on the other side of the river. The spacecraft shot a beam out, incinerating the incoming warrior and anything in its path. Several Daughters of Thanos hovered mid-air once the beam passed through them and then one by one each of the Daughters’ jetpacks exploded and Tony’s suit exploded milliseconds after the closest daughters to him did. Guts and shrapnel showered down on anyone near the explosions. The next blast from the ship shot at the giant man, who ducked out of the way before shrinking down to blend into the crowd. This time Daughters scrambled out of the way as best they could an only a few did not survive. Quill found Gamora in the air. “What can we do?” Daughters began to return to the ship. As long as they approached on their own volition, the ship did not shoot at them. “We have to go,” Gamora said. She pinched the last remaining ant and sent it towards the ground. “What are these things?” “Red ants,” Quill said. He looked around for somewhere they could go that wouldn’t harm people if the ship followed. Suddenly Scott Lang appeared across the shore, directly under the spaceship. He leapt into the air and punched his fist into the hull of the spaceship. When he landed on the ground, it caused the area nearby to quake. He jumped and punched the hull again, causing a loud cracking noise to echo through the immediate river valley. The void reopened and the ship escaped through it. Giant Man shrank out of sight. Gamora and Quill landed at Drax’s side where Mantis was already trying to move him. “I put Drax to sleep so he could heal. He’s very wounded.” Quill wrapped one of Drax’s arms around his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around Drax’s waist. He used impulse power on Drax’s jetpack to help carry him. “I’m out of ideas about what we’re doing next,” he said. “We’ll let them lead,” Gamora said. “Stay alert. This isn’t right.” Sam landed nearby and removed one of the Daughter’s jetpacks he took during the battle. He looked at Wanda. “I can’t find Steve.” “I saw him fighting not long ago,” Wanda said. She drew her magic to her hands. “I can check for his breath.” A thin red mist spread from Wanda’s fingers as she detected vibrations in the air. Tony and Rhodey landed not far away. Wanda’s eyes widened. “They’re –” Half the Daughters lying on the ground stood up and pressed the detonation devices on their jetpacks. At the same time, one of them shot something towards Tony’s suit. It was sticking and large and the stickiness began to grow, oozing into joints to make the suit harder to remove. “Uh…” Tony was half way out of the suit, but the stickiness grew, clinging to bits of fabric of his clothes once his clothes were exposed. “This is a message from Thanos,” the large lizard said. “He remembers New York and he will not allow it to happen again.” Rhodey moved towards Tony to help. “No!” Tony said. “Everyone, get away!” he tried to put his suit back on, but the sticky mass prevented most of the suit from returning. Tony found enough suit to propel himself into the air just in time for the sticky bomb to detonate. Shrapnel and flesh rained down on everyone. Only the parts of Tony encased in his suit remained. Within seconds, the remaining Daughters detonated their jetpacks, the force of their explosion sending those alive and corpses flying. The grass caught fire. It took a moment before Gamora realized she’d landed several feet away from her original position. The ringing in her ears eased away and she stood. The moon showed a mass of bodies and body parts scattered across the grounds. She looked around near her and found Mantis, who was still alive, and helped Mantis to her feet. Quill and Drax were farther away and closer to the detonation point, but both were still breathing. As far as she could tell, the void was gone and the threat from her sisters gone. “Sam! Sam,” Wanda said nearby where she knelt over him. “I’m – I’m still here,” Sam murmured and sat up slowly. “Where’s Steve?” “I cannot find him,” Wanda said. Clint stood up and rubbed his face. He had his weight on his right leg as though his left leg was too injured to stand on. Natasha and Rhodey walked towards the north and stopped after several paces. Natasha kept one of her arms close to her body as though it were injured. Rhodey removed his armor and Natasha’s posture straightened. Suddenly two people appeared beside Sam and Wanda. Hope Pym stood beside Scott dressed in a similar suit to his, but with a more wasp-like color motif. “What happened?” she asked quietly. “Tony Stark is dead,” Clint said. He found some twisted metal he could use as a makeshift cane. “We can’t stay here. Now that the ship is gone, the police and press will show up soon.” Quill got to his feet and pulled Drax up with him with help from Gamora. “Where do we go?” he asked. Rhodey found a picnic blanket and wrapped what remained of Tony in it. He walked back towards the others with Natasha a step behind him. “We have to go,” he said. “Everyone can come.” He encased himself in the suit and took to the air. Wanda had enough energy to transport Natasha with her magic. Gamora helped Sam with her jet pack and Mantis helped Clint with her jetpack. Quill was at the end of the line with Drax. It was a short flight to the north and across the river to a set of three islands. There was an aircraft concealed in the trees. The group touched down and approached. Rhodey retracted his suit and then pressed a button on the watch it became. The cargo doors opened. Thor and Vision were prepared to fight back, but when they saw it was a group of allies, their postures relaxed. “We were undisturbed,” Thor said. “Apart from an earthquake,” Vision said and paused, seeming to take a headcount. “Two are missing.” “No,” Rhodey said and set the bundle of body parts down in a seat. He fastened the bundle in so it would return to the tower intact and undisturbed. He rubbed his face and went to the pilot seat. Everyone else filed into the aircraft and took seats, leaving the row Tony was in alone. Quill sat in the copilot seat, not sure where else to be. Rhodey took a deep breath and ran through the pre-flight checklist and then the craft rose straight into the air like a helicopter but without the blades. Memorial Day in New York City carried on like any other Memorial Day. There were parades, pool openings, and cookouts. Parker and May were gone since that morning leaving Groot to his own devices. He watched some TV, played around with a bucket full of water they left him in the shower, and watched the neighbors and street activity. The front door opened and closed. “Hey, Groot!” Parker called out. “I am Groot!” Groot said. He used his branches to swing off the stair railing and fling himself towards Parker. Parker caught him. “Hey. Do you want to get out of the house?” “I am Groot,” Groot affirmed. “Okay,” Parker said. “If you promise to stay in my backpack, I can show you something really cool, okay?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. He could promise that. Parker got his bag and packed it with some extra water bottles. He placed Groot inside and zipped it up so that the top was open but not so open people could see inside it. “How’s that feel? Is it too stuffy?” Groot waited a few moments. “I am Groot,” he said. It would suffice. They traveled by foot for some distance and then they took to the air. Groot could not see much asides from buildings and sky flashing by as they seemed to swing through the air. After much swinging, they stopped moving. “I am Groot?” Groot asked quietly. “Yeah, we’re there,” Parker said. He unzipped the bag. Groot let out a very loud, very high-pitched shriek. Hovering over the bag was something that was red and blue with giant white eyes. Groot continued to shriek and attacked with is branches. “Wait! Hey! It’s me!” Parker said. “Groot!” Groot peered out of the bag. Parker had the mask pulled up to his forehead. It was definitely him under that second skin. Groot slowly poked his head out the bag. They were on top of a building. There was no one else around. “I am Groot,” Groot said. “Prove I’m me?” Parker asked. He frowned and then removed the second skin from his right hand. He showed Groot his wrist. “This is my costume,” he said. “See? It’s my hand, my arm.” “I am Groot,” Groot said, noting the place where the webbing could come out of Parker’s wrist. “Well, it…uh…does this,” Parker said and he shot a bit of webbing at the rim of the rooftop, creating a small web. Groot got out of the bag and went over to the web. He poked it gently. “I am Groot.” “Yeah, it can be like that,” Parker said. He reached into the bag and retrieved a small bag of potting soil. “Want a snack?” “I am Groot,” Groot agreed and took the bag from Parker, picking bits of dirt out with his branches to eat. Parker got out a bag of chips and settled down on the roof near the rim. Groot climbed up onto his lap and the two looked out at the sunset gleaming against all the buildings in the city. Parker put on some music and “Iron” by Woodkid began to play. Groot watched the sky change colors and the sun grow larger and redder. He finished his soil and drank some water as Parker’s music continued to play. When the sun finished setting, Groot stood up and said. “I am Groot.” Groot wanted to swing through the city where he could really see instead of being stuck in the bookbag. “You’re really small. It might not be a good idea,” Parker said. “I am Groot.” Groot was not that small. He had grown so much since he was still in a pot on the ship. “People might see you,” Parker said. Groot looked at the Spider-Man suit and then at Parker’s face. “I am Groot.” There was no way Groot looked weirder or would attract more attention than that costume. “You shouldn’t say the f-word you know,” Parker said. “What if Aunt May hears that?” “I am Groot.” Aunt May could not hear that well. Parker sighed. “I’ll let you stick your head out until we have to walk.” Groot agreed and they made sure he could see without falling if they ended up upside down. Once Groot was in the bookbag, they were off across the city again. Groot’s eyes grew wide. It was amazing to feel the rush of air, see the lights and buildings zooming past. They made a pitstop for Parker to change clothes and then Groot spent the walk home deeper in the bookbag. When the group left in the late afternoon, Rocket had to stay behind because Terra was apparently not ready for a “walking, talking sass raccoon,” and Bruce elected to stay behind for reasons Rocket did not know, though he could guess introversion was a factor. Rocket continued making a particle gun from scratch and Bruce worked at correlating what they knew about Thanos. When it got to be suppertime, Bruce was willing to cook and Rocket was willing to eat anything. Bruce made fried noodles with vegetables and fried tofu. It was spicy and had a sweet twinge to it from sweet chili paste Rocket found in the pantry. Rocket set his bowl down after licking off every last drop and then leaned back on the kitchen stool. “How long does it take to get to this St. Louis place anyway?” “In Tony’s jet? Probably an hour or so. He still has to coordinate with the FAA, so maybe an hour and a half,” Bruce said. He picked their bowls up and took them to the sink to rinse them out. “They’re probably staring each other down as we speak.” Once the dishes were rinsed, he set them in a slot in the wall that would carefully take the dish to a main dishwasher to be cleaned. They went back to the workroom and Bruce turned on a screen, choosing a local channel that would be likely to interrupt programming with any breaking news. Rocket continued wiring his gun, but the movie on the television kept drawing his attention. It was about this robot that had come to Earth to destroy some woman who was probably going to hook up with the male protagonist at some point. From what Rocket could tell, Bruce was not paying attention to it at all. It was probably a little over an hour since the sun set in New York, when the station showed the local news logo and the newscaster appeared on screen. “We’re sorry to interrupt your Memorial Day, but we have breaking news from St. Louis.” Rocket and Bruce turned their attention to the screen. “The footage we’re about to show you is a life, unedited feed from a hotel room near the action. Discretion is advised.” The footage showed an alien spaceship near the full moon rising behind the arch. It showed some of the Daughters of Thanos dropping down to the ground out of frame to fight while others engaged Quill, Iron Man, and War Machine in the air. Soon Drax joined them. The last light of the sunset disappeared and only the moonlight and light from jetpacks and attacks illuminated anything. Whenever the footage cut out, there was always another stream from somewhere else to take its place. Rocket and Bruce continued to watch. Then there was a large beam blast from the spaceship. The feed cut out. Groot woke when he heard a spaceship’s canon fire. “I am Groot! I am Groot!” he said, but soon realized he was not on board his ship and his friends were not here. He looked at the television. He did not remember falling asleep, but he must have when the movie they were watching about lions started playing a song about feeling the love tonight. “…we’re trying to find another feed,” one newscaster said. “There’s no word yet if any Avengers were in that blast.” Groot looked at Parker then. The teen had his arms on his thighs and had bitten his nails almost to the point there was nothing left to bite. Parker’s eyes did not leave the screen. His entire body was tense. “I am Groot…?” Groot asked tentatively. “Shhh,” Parker said. “…This feed comes from Drury Plaza Hotel…” the newscaster droned on as the screen switched from the studio to a blurry image of the battle raging. Again the spacecraft fired its canon. Groot and Parker watched the aftermath quietly. The newscasters only spoke to explain to anyone tuning in what was going on. When Giant Man sent the spaceship away, the cameras all suddenly cut out and there were no more live feeds. “I am Groot!” Groot said and he jumped off the couch. He ran towards the door. He was going to help his friends. He wasn’t going to let them just lie there. He could remember Yondu lying in his casket during the funeral and he did not want that for any of them. “Groot!” Parker charged after him. “Groot! No!” He shot his web at the door handle so it would be stuck to the door molding. Groot started banging on the door. Parker picked him up and Groot became a mass of branches trying to break the web and get out. “Groot! They’re in St. Louis! We’d have to go by plane! I don’t have that kind of money!” “I am Groot!” Groot didn’t care. He needed to know his friends were okay. “We could call them! We can talk to them!” Parker said. He kept a tight grip on the thrashing plant. “I am –” Groot paused when the news made its breaking news fanfare, “Groot?” he finished quieter. Parker turned around so they could both see the television. Groot stopped thrashing. Tony Stark’s picture appeared to the left of the newscaster with 1970 – 2018 written underneath. Parker wrapped his arms around Groot more like Groot was a stuffed animal than insolent toddler. “…reports that Tony Stark has died,” the newscaster said. “Multiple sources can confirm based on video evidence and eyewitness testimony that the billionaire was killed when a space ship attacked those fighting at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. There has been no official word from Stark Enterprises, but we suspect they will confirm his death before morning.” Parker’s grip tightened around Groot. He swallowed hard. The news split the screen with a helicopter view of the battle site. There were few corpses. They could see firefighters approaching the scene. “..We’re expecting an update from the local fire chief and police chief within the hour,” the newscaster continued. “I am Groot,” Groot said. The Peter he knew cried. It was probably something Peters did. Paker snuffled loudly. He set Groot down and picked up his phone. His hands shook as he typed a message into it. When he went to hit send, the phone rang and he dropped it. He cursed under his breath and picked it up, answering it. “Hel –” Parker cleared his throat to make it sound stronger, “Hello?” “Hi, it’s me,” Happy Hogan said and then after a pause he said, “Happy Hogan.” Parker gripped the phone tightly. He could not even open his mouth. “Peter? Are you there?” Happy asked. “I just…Are you sitting?” “Y – Yeah. Sure,” Parker said even though he still stood. “It’s bad news. I…” Happy paused as though picking out the right words and realizing there were none. “Is he…?” Parker asked and slowly sat down on the floor. “Y – Yeah,” Happy said. “I’m really sorry, Peter.” His voice was very thin. Parker’s hands shook too much for him to keep holding the phone and it fell into his lap. He put his hands over his eyes and began to sob. Groot hesitated and then he toddled over and wrapped his branches around Parker. Groot did not know what to say. He let Parker cry. The medical facility at the tower was fully staffed. The Guardians gathered in a corner left to their own devices, letting the staff take care of the Avengers since the staff had more experience with that than treating beings who were not from Earth. They could see Sam and Wanda sitting on the same hospital bed talking quietly. Natasha had her right arm in a sling while waiting on a cast. Clint’s leg was still being set. Thor stood off to the side, thinking deeply. Bruce helped the medical staff take care of patients. Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Vision were elsewhere. Drax abruptly threw up. “Hey! Watch it!” Quill said at the same time Rocket said, “Give us a warning!” “It has exited my body. I do not need to be here,” Drax said. “Let’s just…stay together a little longer,” Gamora said, glad to be standing on the opposite side of the hospital bed. “The thing I don’t get is how is your arm that big?” Rocket asked Quill. “I’m allergic to wasps like my mom,” Quill said. He had his jacket off now. The site of the sting on his right hand looked angry and his entire arm from finger tips to elbow was swollen. “I just need some Benadryl and a gallon of Gatorade.” “I tried to tell them not to sting you,” Mantis said. “It was easier to influence the ones that crawled more than the ones that flew.” Scott and Hope approached the Guardians and introduced themselves. Hope had some ice packs. “We’re sorry about the attack,” she said and held out the ice packs that were already wrapped in cloths. “Ice can help with the bites.” Gamora studied the packs a moment and then took one of the packs cautiously. After about an hour after the ant attack, the pain of the bites had reduced. She placed the ice pack on her arm and found that it did help what pain remained. “You probably didn’t know,” Quill said, trying to stand a little straighter. It was hard to look cool when one of his arms was swollen all to hell. He took two ice packs and put them on his forearms. “We owe you a beer or something when this is all over,” Scott said. End Draft After this point, Steve's body is in posession of the government. There are funerals. I was kind of stuck because I was trying to figure out how exactly I wanted to do these funerals. What time of day? Where are they burried? The government has Steve's body for experimentation so what do the Avengers bury in his stead? Sam and Rhodey take over command of the Avengers. Bucky's brought out of cryosleep and Loki also joins in on things because this is so much bigger than past problems and the Avengers/Guardians need all the help they can get. Nova shows up because like hell she's going to miss this. Groot and Parker show up to help too. Thanos has possession of all of the Infinity Stones. The final confrontation is very brutal. Not sure who all would die, which is another reason for the delay in finishing this. Slowly the stones are stripped away from him. Vision is restored, Loki uses the Tesseract to help rather than hurt, etc...Eventually after much struggle and problems, Thanos is defeated. How exactly is a good question, it's another reason that I kind of stalled out on this thing. The ending, however, was much clearer to me than this middle to almost end bit. Once the dust is settled and it's time for everyone to go home, the Guardians (what remains of them?) head to their ship, which has been rescued and restored. They're standing outside of it along with what remains of the Avengers, X-Men, whoever, etc.... The Guardians think Quill will remain on Earth. It's his home after all and the place he's longed to see again. They all know how much this means to him and they expect him to want to stay. Except, Quill's been gone since 1988. The food's different, his extended family is either dead or wouldn't realize who he was anyway. His mother is dead. While it was great to visit Earth and full of nostalgia, the Guardians are his family and space is his home, though he will always love what he knows of Earth. So in the end, the Guardians zoom off back into space to the tune of like "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge or something in that vein. The End