#is this an au set aboard the titanic? no. i just want to know if someone talking about the wreck in 1989 would say something about that.

[tortoisesshells]

write another au, they said. it’ll be fun, they said.

[fiber-optic-alligator]

Desperation vs. Domestication

Pairing: IDW Drift x Human Reader

WARNING: This story contains soft vore. If this makes you uncomfortable, please do not read this story.

Word Count: 3161

Summary: Trapped aboard the Lost Light and chosen by a certain red-and-white samurai mech as the perfect sapien companion and tasty snack, you decide to form a rudimentary plan on possibly escaping your robot captors and finding your way back to Earth…while also realizing that spending months living as a pet has messed with your judgment on a greater scale than you previously realized.

This is based off of an ask I saw on Relic’s blog about what might happen if a human trapped aboard the Lost Light tried to escape via an escape pod, and I liked the idea so much that I had to write something based off of it. This is my first time writing for the Tasty Au and the First Contact Au and I must say I am quite happy with the result. This is inspired by Callsign-Relic’s Tasty Au, obviously, and I am so utterly fascinated with the whole concept, as well with First Contact scenarios in general, that this certainly won’t be my last time writing about this sort of thing. Thank you all for reading and thank you to @callsign-relic for giving me permission to write about it!

Also available to read on AO3!

Here is the link to pt. 2!

Sticky globs of synthetic saliva coat your shivering body as you are carefully slipped out of the massive mech’s cerulean mouth. The red-and-white bot nuzzles you gently with his nose, cooing to you in soft alien words. You don’t understand his language; to your ears, he speaks with the purr of a car engine, the rumble of machinery, the smooth hum of something distinctively much, much bigger than you. And yet, after months of being trapped aboard this titanic starship, surrounded by these massive extraterrestrial robots that have turned your life upside down, you’ve come to comprehend some simple, short phrases your mech typically only says to you: Good. Proud. Love you.

  You hate how you lean into his touch. You hate how you cling to these few words you can translate. You hate how your heart softens for him as he sets you down on his desk and begins to clean you up, rubbing his saliva off of you with a towel. You protest softly when he smushes you gently with both hands, struggling feebly before you reluctantly give up and go still. He chuckles deeply and shushes you. “Shhh, shhh….Safe…Safe.”

  After a few minutes, he nods to himself, satisfied with his work. You stare at him with the deadpan look of a cat who was just dumped into a bathtub while he retrieves a fuzzy blanket from his bed and wraps you up in it snugly. The part of you that still clings to your autonomy wants to scream and shove his fingers away when he slowly rubs your scalp. It wants to curse him out and tell him you despise him, how you are traumatized because of him and the rest of his kind.

  And yet, you can’t.

  You know he won’t understand you. You know you’ve developed feelings for him in your weak, pathetic heart. Your bot cares for you. It is obvious in the way he treats you, and you can tell it’s gone beyond seeing you as a pet. He calls you sweet. Little one. He’s never hit you, never yelled at you, and actually respects your boundaries when you express them…sometimes. There are some days where you have clearly shown you don’t want to be eaten. He listens. Those days are few, but they happen regardless. You can’t help but sympathize with him. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, call it delusion, but you are at war with yourself, one side begging you to resist, the other side wishing to submit and accept the role you have been forced into.

  Your mech scoops you up. For a good minute, he simply holds you, purring deeply while he traces circles against your back with his thumb. It feels good, and you hate that it does. His heavy rumbles are soothing. Despite what one might think, being eaten, massaged by a mechanical stomach for hours, and then regurgitated is an exhausting experience to go through. You find fatigue tugging at the back of your mind while your eyes flutter shut and you yawn.

  The mech coos. “Sleep,” he whispers to you, his voice smooth as honey. “Sleep.”

  If this were your first time, you would have fought it. But it’s not your first time, and you know resisting will get you nowhere closer to escaping. Darkness pulls you into its embrace with the glow of his eyes flickering in the background until it too fades away. It doesn’t take long for you to give in.

  His name is Drift. That’s the first thing you think when you wake up. His name is Drift, and he saved you from the first set of robots that plucked you from your home and carried you off into space, saving you from one personal hell and thrusting you into another. It did not matter if this particular hell was a rather comfortable one. It was hell regardless. To have your sense of self snatched away from you, to be reduced to nothing more than a pet and a snack, to know you are possibly light years away from Earth and you are utterly alone here is enough to drive you insane.

  You sit up slowly and groan, running a hand through your tousled hair. You're still wrapped up in the blanket Drift gave you, and you're resting on his berth. It’s covered with more blankets and even pillows, all courtesy of the mech who has done what he can to make your life here as comfortable as possible. The lights are dimmed. Drift is nowhere to be seen. He must have had some other matters to attend to and decided to give you a moment of solitude while you were resting. It was considerate of him. The sympathetic side of you feels appreciation. All that’s left is relief he is not here to stuff you back into his maw.

  Drift does not understand you. In his eyes, you are simply an adorable little creature he has adopted. He cannot speak your language, and you cannot speak his. No level of displaying your intelligence will ever prove to him that you are worthy of being considered a true person by him or the other mechs. Oh, he cares. You know he does. He’s not a bad guy. You’ve seen bad, and he’s a welcome change from it. But he will never view you as an equal. You are simply just an animal in his mind’s eye.

  Your fists clench with subdued rage without you even realizing it at first. The frustration bubbles up and leaves a foul taste on your tongue. You’ve screamed. You’ve begged. You’ve done everything you can to show them that you do not belong here. But they don’t listen. He doesn't listen. You're too cute, too tasty. For the first time in your life, you truly wish you had it in you to be a violent person and live up to the horrible reputation humans have given themselves on their own planet. Maybe if you had the power to destroy like the rest of your kind can, the mechs would finally learn to respect you. But human beings only destroy what is theirs. And here? Not even you belong to yourself anymore.

  “Damnit,” you whisper under your breath. You haven’t felt this level of helplessness in a long time. Your chest tightens, and hot tears trickle down your cheeks and drip off your chin. You close your eyes and grit your teeth as a low sob heaves up from your throat.

  “I want to go home,” you say to no one in particular. There’s no one to hear you. Even the gods of your world are too far away to listen to your prayers. “Please. Please. I want to go home. I just want to go home.”

  So why don’t you?

  Your eyes fly open.

  Wait.

  There are escape pods on this ship.

  You’ve only seen them once. Drift usually keeps you perched on his shoulder when he travels around the ship and tends to his duties. He’s walked by them before. They’re towards the middle of the vessel, all lined up in single file. 

  What if you were to steal one?

  A plan begins forming in your mind. It’s stupid. It’s risky. It could cost you your life. But you're so scared, and you’ll do anything to relieve that fear. You could return to Earth…you could go home.

  You look around Drift’s room, taking in how absolutely massive everything is compared to you. The escape pods will be the same. One single little human will have a hard time piloting it. But what other choice do you have? Sit here and live the rest of your life as a pet?

  A part of you actually finds it tempting. But you can’t let that side of you win. You cannot allow yourself to slip into the stupor that is slowly breaking your spirit. You must keep fighting. You must take back what was stolen from you: your life.

  Drift is not a stifling owner. He does not demand your attention 24/7. He understands you need your space, and usually, if you protest enough, he will simply coo at you understandingly and leave you in his room for a few hours while he leaves.

  You come up with a plan. It’s not a particularly stable one, and there are way too many points where it could go horribly wrong. But you will go through with it anyway, because you don't know how much longer you can take this. You're desperate for release, frantic for an escape from this nightmare reality you are in. You will find a way back home. You can’t give up. You refuse to give up. You are a human being. You belong on Earth.

  As much as your plan relies on Drift leaving you alone, it also depends on his presence too. It’s impossible to traverse this starship by yourself. To be seen without your mech companion would lead to some robotic stranger scooping you up and bringing you right back to square one.

  So, you will have to trick Drift.

  You will use the advantage of your harmless appearance and have him bring you to the escape pods. You could blast away right under his nose and he won’t even know it because his belief that you are just an innocent, adorable little thing who can barely think for yourself is just too strong.

  Guilt flashes through you.

  He has no way of understanding, a tiny voice whispers inside your mind. It’s not his fault there’s a language barrier between the two of you. He’s trying his best. He’s trying. Can’t you appreciate that?

  He views me as a pet, you think back. He thinks I’m an animal. A snack. Is abandoning my will as a human being worth it if it means I please him?

  Yes.

  The realization makes your heart sink.

  Are you really that far gone? Have you become that accustomed to your life here? Have…have you truly been broken in?

  The soft whoosh of the room door opening interrupts your thoughts. Drift slips in on silent feet; you still don’t know how such a large mechanical creature can move so quietly. He doesn’t look at you, and instead trudges to the mirror attached to the wall opposite his berth with his shoulders slumped and his head hanging low. Through the reflection of the mirror, you can see him staring at himself with a complicated expression. His mouth tightens and his hand rises to slowly begin tracing the metal beneath his eyes. You watch, with growing concern, as he just…looks. He’s observing his features, taking in every scar, every dent in his armor, every sign of age.

  He vents out a soft exhale. With a surprising amount of weariness, he takes his swords and places them on their display stand.

  “Drift?” you call out to him.

  He turns to focus on you. His eyes immediately soften, and his grimace uplifts into a tired smile.

  He looks so much older than he really is.

  Your heart twists painfully. All of your previous foul thoughts towards him vanish as your empathy takes over and you raise your arms to make grabby hands at him. This is a language anyone can understand: Pick me up please?

  He wastes no time in obliging. Swords and reflection forgotten, he makes it to you in four long strides. Gentle fingers push the blanket aside and free you from your fabric burrito. They curl around you, holding you in his right palm while he slowly lifts you up and slips his left hand under to support you. You no longer feel the queasy flip of your stomach turning circles from the dizzying experience of watching the floor grow further and further away. That reaction was long lost with your time here.

  He presses you to his chest. The metal is warm, and deep within, you can feel the steady beat of his heart. It thrums through your entire body and causes you to shudder with awe. This is an alien being, one you hardly understand. Yet, he has a heartbeat. It connects the two of you, in a way. As your heart begins to beat in tandem with his, you feel so small. Yet…it helps you feel for him all the more, because it proves he is alive.

  After a few minutes of hugging you, Drift lifts you higher. The soft blue glow of his eyes washes over you as the mech observes your tiny face. There’s a moment when he pauses, and then his thumb caresses your cheek, lightly running over the stains decorating your skin from your previous bout of tears. His smile falls into a concerned frown.

  “Little one?” he whispers. He knows what tears are. You’ve heard him cry himself to sleep some nights. So he must understand you are not in a particularly good headspace right now.

  “Drift,” you whisper back. He whines when he hears how your voice trembles. With great sadness weighing his expression down, he brings you close and presses his lips gently to your forehead.

  You automatically freeze, and your eyes widen in shock as you feel the slightly plush metal against your skin. It’s so…intimate. All too quickly, you melt into the embrace, closing your eyes as a fresh wave of emotion washes over you and threatens to unleash the waterworks again. You sniffle and cling to him. “I hate that I’m enjoying this,” you quietly say.

  He hums in response and slowly pulls away. The smile he offers you is so sweet, it makes your heart skip. You feel like a foolish schoolgirl in love. It’s the wrong emotion for the wrong person in the most wrong scenario you could ever imagine, but it feels so right.

  He leans back in, and you think you are going to receive another kiss. But then his mouth opens wider and you have a full display of the squishy segmented tongue that’s shifting in eager anticipation for the taste it desires: you. Strings of saliva connect between metal teeth as large as your head. Inside, there’s light that softly pulses with the same color as his eyes, and it runs all the way down into his throat, illuminating the journey you know you are about to take. Fear jumps through you. “Drift,” you say, pushing frantically at his fingers. “Drift, wait!”

  “Shhhh,” he murmurs. There are some incomprehensible words that, to your ears, sound like the garbled slurs of a broken radio. Your mind works overtime to comprehend. “Little one…safe…comfort…”

  Oh.

  He wants to comfort you.

  You feel absolutely disgusted with yourself when you bite your bottom lip and contemplate his request.

  Unfortunately, Drift doesn’t give you a chance to decide whether to accept or not. Apparently, your tears are really worrying him. With one last reassuring purr, he delicately pushes you into his mouth. You yelp when his tongue curls around your little body to begin slicking you up for a smoother ride. Drift rolls you around carefully, tasting every inch of your exposed skin with happy hums of pure pleasure.

  You want to fight off the large muscle and demand he open his mouth to release you. However, you know there is no point. He’s not listening to you today. He believes this is the only way to bring you the reprieve you need. So, you give in. You go limp and allow your mech to toy with you.

  He presses you to the roof of his mouth and suckles gently. A low moan rumbles up from within him. You are delicious. You know you are delicious. The way he savors you both terrifies you on a raw, existential level, and also makes you feel…wanted, in a way. He wants you. He cares about you. This is just another way of him showing it.

  Eventually, his tongue lowers, and everything goes tipsy as Drift tilts his head and begins to push you towards the back of his throat. You instinctively scrabble at the base of the biomechanical muscle, but you cannot stop yourself from sliding back. When you look behind you and see the pulsing metal waiting to slurp you down into its dark, wet confines, you want to scream.

  “Glk.”

  One gulp.

  That’s all it took for Drift to swallow you.

  It is extremely unnerving to be reminded of how small you are.

  You are sucked into Drift’s throat with no resistance. The glow of his mouth sticks with you while you are squeezed downward from all sides by the soft, moist walls of his esophagus. You wriggle as much as you can, but it is virtually impossible to move due to how tight the passage is. You find yourself holding your breath as you close your eyes and try to remain calm while you listen to the steady sounds of his internal systems working to keep him alive: the heavy thudding of his heart. A rhythmic intake and outtake of air that is eerily reminiscent of human breathing. There are other low whirrs and hums you cannot identify as well. All consuming. All just for you to hear.

  Space opens up beneath you, and you drop into his stomach with a wet plop. The organ gurgles, welcoming you back like an old friend. You bounce a little as the floor jiggles, then you find yourself sinking into the mesh metal. The walls close in, squeezing you, kneading at you, all while a melody of rumbles and groans fill the space. You pant, taking a moment to catch your breath as you lay on your back and stare up at the soft biolights all around you, filling the stomach with a comforting hue.

  Something presses against you from the outside: Drift’s hand. Above you, the mech says something. His voice is soft, yet loud at the same time. You are utterly, completely surrounded by him. Locked away behind all of this metal, you truly feel like you are his.

  For some reason, this is not as scary as it usually is.

  You sit up and try to wipe saliva off of your face, but only succeed in smearing it all over you even more. Drift speaks again. “Little one?” His tone is urgent, worried. The stomach growls with nervous trepidation.

  You crawl on your hands and knees to the organ’s wall. Sitting up, you press your hand into the wet muscle, watching as your fingers sink into the squishy grooves. “I’m okay, Drift,” you murmur. “I’m okay.”

  You feel him relax all around you. Drift presses his hand right over where yours is and rubs you tenderly. You cuddle up against him and close your eyes, listening to your mech’s happy purrs, enjoying the feeling of being constantly massaged by his stomach.

  It is warm.

  You are warm.

  You no longer want to cry.

  Maybe…maybe you can put off your escape plan. Just for a little longer.

[psychotecha]

Title: Once Forward, Twice Back Pairing: Kid x Law Prompt: 31. Kidlaw Titanic AU   Warnings: References events that happened aboard the Carpathia when rescuing survivors of the Titanic. I very quickly stopped trying to make it accurate though. Notes: Entry for one of the KidLaw Summer event put on by @kidlawevents.

.

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Kid helps Killer haul up another lifeboat, the two of them working in tandem to winch it up as slowly and easily as they can. There’s fewer survivors in this one but even from the deck of the Carpathia it’s obvious that these people are all hurt somehow. Killer reaches out when it comes close enough to swing it in, some of the crew rushing in to help offload as Kid locks the winch before shouldering a scrawny kid out of the way. Luffy’s got all the energy in the world, but these people are going to need steady arms to get them out.

“Do not move his head,” the only man upright in the boat instructs as he finishes laying a child in Killer’s arms, both of his hands cradling the boy’s neck until he’s satisfied that Killer has the kid right. He’s one of the more coherent people Kid’s already fished out of the water, which means he’s not a passenger. “He fell from an upper level and likely has broken bones. Take him to- Do not touch her!”

The man whirls quickly as he snaps, sudden and loud. Luffy, who had snuck in on Kid’s other side, freezes with his hands under the armpits of a soaked and shivering woman. Her lips blue with cold as her eyes stare out into nothing. “What, why?”

“Her ribs are broken,” the man hisses as he eels his way over and slaps at Luffy’s arms until he draws back. Though Kid’s sure it’s as much from the fierce glare as anything else. “You do not just tug on someone with broken ribs unless you want them to die from a punctured lung!”

“Get out of the way,” Kid knocks Luffy back again and steps into the space to scoop the woman up. Laying his arms out over the lip of the raft as the dark haired man carefully adjusts the unconscious woman to his satisfaction. He can hear Luffy grumble as he moves down to help Zoro with a fat looking man who is shaking too much to be of any help on his own.

“Lift carefully,” the man instructs and Kid rolls his eyes at the order but does it. The sun is still hours away from rising but this close the man’s piercing yellow gaze does not invite argument. Neither does the shout that goes up when another raft is spotted and Kid knows they’ll have to clear out the area before they can haul it up.

Kid steps back and turns to where he last saw the Carpathia’s doctor setting up to treat the people as they come aboard. The deck is crowded with soaked and shocked survivors but the people shuffle out of his way as he moves. The woman is small and still, only the slightly harsh sound of her breathing giving away that she’s alive at all as her head lolls back.

It takes some time to find the head surgeon –the youngest and shortest member of the crew is always hard to spot– but then he’s back to looking for survivors. Pacing along the railing looking for icebergs and survivors both. Calling out any flash of something that isn’t the dark water, and hauling frozen people on board until the sun finally rises and there’s no more survivors to see nor any more room aboard the ship to hold them.

It’s the longest four hours of Kid’s life.

~

The Carpathia is overcrowded as it makes a slow and ponderous turn back to land. They’ve doubled the number of people aboard and there’s not enough space for anyone. Not for the passengers and definitely not for the crew. It’s only 2 days to land though so everyone deals with it. Most are still too shocked to protest anyway. The work of dealing with the survivors helps to keep the crew too busy to think about how their small quarters have doubled from the usual four man bunks.

Kid isn’t the only one stepping up to take on more work just to stay out of that mess. He sticks with the boilers for the most part, but not everything that needs doing is underdeck. Just as often Kid’ll find himself wading through the crowded halls and packed guest rooms above. Which is where he sees the dark haired man again and again.

Trafalgar Law, Kid learns, was an assistant surgeon aboard the Titanic, and the man does his best to keep busy. Kid sees the man nearly everywhere he goes, and he’s half convinced the doctor can teleport by mid-day. He’s completely sure that Trafalgar can flay a man alive with his tongue alone though as the doctor takes the lead from Chopper dealing with the more aggressive patients. The ones too stubborn to do as they’re told or too rich for the younger doctor to intimidate easily. Watching Trafalgar step in to shut that shit down with a few words is a beautiful scene that Kid’s down right honored to have witnessed before noon.

Killer cracks a grin when he shares the incident with him later. The closest the man will ever come to laughing and Kid’s known him long enough to know it’s not at the situation. “Out of the hundreds of rich and grateful people we pull up, it’s the sour doc you fixate on?”

“Shut up,” Kid growls and seriously considers pushing his friend over the rail as they both lean against it with piping hot mugs of soup. They’re out of the way of the worst of the people who refuse to leave the deck, but there’s too many hopeful eyes still straining for any sign of other survivors for Kid’s comfort. “You’re damn lucky there’s too many witnesses or I’d throw you overboard.”

Killer’s grin only gets wider, and Kid really might have given it a try if they didn’t have to get to their shift tending the boilers to keep the ship going. After their run to the Titanic, they’re all feeling the effects of keeping the fires stoked, and Kid will be damned if he has to do it alone.

~

There’s funerals to take care of. None from the survivors, yet, but they pulled in three bodies with the rafts. Luffy had even gone in the water to pull out a fourth. A stupid move that got the kid yelled from one side of the deck to the other, but that Kid has to grudgingly respect. Out of all the new crew they picked up in New York he’s one of the few who’re likely going to stick around after they dock. Kid’s had to snap at one too many people acting as dazed as the survivors who have an actual excuse for being stupid to believe the whole crew will be staying on after this.

Funerals at sea are not uncommon. Sometimes there just isn’t any way to get the body to dry land before it starts to rot, and with a ship full of people it’s better to just send the dead off into the depths of the water. Kid’s seen it plenty of times before, but this one is not like any of them. Usually, once the body is wrapped, someone’ll say a few words and then the weighted corpse will be sent off. A grim but practical affair that sees everyone back to working as quickly as possible. The ocean doesn’t allow for too much idle time after all.

This is different though.

There’s a godly man among the passengers who drones on over the bodies of the men. Words and prayers offered up in a sermon that Kid blocks out with practiced ease. The deck is packed. Passengers, survivors, and crew all coming up to see. They’re silent as they all bow their heads, the funeral standing for more than just the four men wrapped up.

Many of them still have hope of some kind. Kid hears it walking through the ship as the survivors talk about those they left behind that might be picked up by the other ships. The way they speak about their friends or family who are not on the Carpathia. They talk about them being found by another ship with a force and cheer that is nowhere to be seen now as they mouth prayers and allow themselves to doubt.

Kid watches over it all from behind where the crowd is thinnest and wonders how long it’ll take before the fact that there hasn’t been any calls over the wireless of any other survivors being found.

Trafalgar steps into the respectful space left between the crowd and the railing most of the survivors avoid. Kid notices the man’s presence immediately but not the subtle step Killer takes that forces first Zoro and then Kid away from the rail. The shift has him bumping into the doctor and the man grunts from the unexpected shove. Fixing Kid with an irritated glare that he returns before Kid turns his eyes to Killer.

Fucking asshole is just asking for a beatdown later as he ignores everything and does a very good impression of a pious person with his head down in prayer.

The three men straighten themselves quickly and when Kid looks again Trafalgar’s jaw is clenched tight but there’s no grief to be found there. Trafalgar is staring straight ahead at an older man who looks close to collapsing despite the two people on either side there to prop him up. In the light of day his eyes are gold and frustrated.

Kid cannot help bumping into the man again on purpose. Arm pressing against the man’s side and using the crowded gathering as an excuse though Trafalgar doesn’t look away at all. A slight furrow of his brow the only indication he gives that he notices anything other than his own impatience, and Kid has the urge to see how far he can push before the man snaps. He puts some of his actual weight onto the doctor who grunts but holds up under it and stubbornly refuses to look away.

The man doesn’t push Kid away though, and that is a fine enough start as far as Kid is concerned. They still have a few days before making land and Kid works well under pressure.

[theshakykid]

En Route (Peter Parker X Reader)

PART 1

Summary: Peter Parker is aboard the Argo III, the world's largest passenger ship. He was sent by Tony Stark to strike a deal with Silver Sable, a wealthy businesswoman. But Stark's deal will have to wait, as Peter has set his eyes on something- or someone - else.

Warning: None.

A/N: Okay, so this is kinda like my spin on the Titanic AU. There might be scenes which resemble scenes from the movie...

"Peter Parker," one of the men standing at the entrance of the ship called out.

"Here," Peter replied, dragging the two suitcases atop the ship's landing board.

"You know Tony Stark?" the man asked, tipping his glasses down a little.

"Um yeah, he's my mentor."

"Alright, he has upgraded your ticket to premium, just grab your key from the counter at the entrance and move to your cabin. Our staff will help direct you."

Peter nodded and took his ticket back. He grabbed a key and walked to the cabins. This is the first time he's going on a cruise alone, and he could already picture the crew throwing him out. Last time he came on a cruise like this, he burned the kitchen and drained an entire pool. And that was with the Avengers around.

He opened his room and started arranging all the important items in the drawers. The cruise was only for two weeks, so he didn't have to unpack everything.

"Hey," someone said from behind him.

Peter turned around to see a young man around his age. He was grinning widely at him, and tipped his brown hat when Peter smiled back.

"I'm Ned, and we're neighbors. I thought it'd be good to introduce myself, and I don't have anybody to hang out with anyway, so..."

"I'm Peter. You can get in by the way. And close the door while at it."

"Yeah, sure. So, why did you decide to come on this trip? I've always wanted to go on a cruise. I was originally not supposed to have a suite and stuff, but my grandmother upgraded my ticket. She's crazy rich."

Good, he's talkative. Peter didn't have to do much talking then.

"I didn't really want to come. But I have to meet someone here."

"Someone important?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded, hoping he wouldn't ask more.

"Oh man, that's so cool. Important as in, spy important? I've always wanted to become a spy! Maybe you could make me the guy in the chair!"

"The guy in the chair?"

"Yeah, you know, the guy who gives information and stuff to the spy through earpieces. I'm really good in technology, so maybe you should consider it."

"I'm sure you'll be of great value," Peter muttered, stuffing expensive watches into the drawer, courtesy of Tony Stark who thought Peter should value time more.

"Hey, the breakfast counters open in 15 minutes. Do you want to join me?"

"Sure," Peter replied. He's thankful he met Ned. 2 weeks alone in a cruise would be pathetic and boring. Besides, he wanted to see how long Ned can tolerate Peter's clumsy antics.

A/N: This chapter is kind of introductory. I wanted to focus on the story this time. I promise (Y/N) will come in the second chapter 😁

@harrystylescherrie @arlo-sanders

[gamerwoo]

Wonwoo: Achilles (Part Three)

Characters: Wonwoo x female reader

Genre/warnings: attack on titan au, technically enemies to lovers???, angsty fluff??? fluffy angst???? idk one of the two lmao

Word count: 1,555

Summary: With a title like ‘humanity’s strongest soldier’, Wonwoo is the best of the best with zero weaknesses. But when the female titan betrays the scouts and runs away to Marley, Seungcheol decides to enlist the help of you: one of the people aboard the Marleyan ship sent out to sabotage them. And it’s then that Wonwoo discovers his one weakness that might just be his downfall.

a/n: remember that this series will contain spoilers if you’re not caught up with attack on titan!!

Previous | Next | Achilles Masterlist

The sun was setting over the wall, creating beautiful pinks and oranges and purples in the sky. However, you were too busy watching the giant titans in front of you fight each other. The special titans were training with one another, and you were currently watching Jihoon go up against Chan. You had perched yourself on the top of the wall almost an hour ago now to watch Minghao and Mingyu have a go at each other, but they were now resting miles away from you, swinging their legs off the side as they mostly talked to each other instead of observing their comrades.

You, however, found the titans to be the most entertaining thing ever. Other than Jiwoo, you had never gotten to see a special titan up close. You had to admit, Mingyu was obviously the most impressive considering his size -- he wasn’t the colossal titan for nothing -- but seeing Chan and Jihoon go head-to-head was more interesting just because Mingyu’s movement was much slower. These two had no problem going after each other.

You heard a scoff behind you that broke you from your staring, and you already knew who it was behind you.

“You’re spending your afternoon watching some titans wrestle with each other?” Wonwoo sneered, rolling his eyes. “I figured a Marleyan would rather be off exploring than just sitting on top of the wall.”

“You know we don’t have titans in Marley, right?” you reminded him, turning around to look at him.

“And you’ll have plenty of time to see them in action later,” he told you. He folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe those men were right about you, then. Maybe you’re just a braindead mo--”

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was kicked down onto his back with a huff. He hardly caught how quickly you’d gotten up and shoved him over before placing your booted foot on his chest. One of your swords was in your hand, pointing down at his neck. He could feel the sharp tip against his skin as you glared down at him.

“Don’t ever call me that,” you growled. “I’m not braindead. If I were braindead, I wouldn’t have survived nearly as long or become second best to a pompous asshole like you.”

You lifted your foot off of him and turned to walk away, your green cape flowing out behind you. Wonwoo sat up and watched you go, a smirk on his face.

-

“Excuse me.”

Despite the kindness in the tone, it still had that very authoritative sound to it that only could belong to the commander. The scouts at your table stopped laughing and turned to look at the end of the table where commander Seungcheol was standing with a soft smile, holding a tray of food in his hands. 

“Would you mind if I joined you for lunch?” he asked.

Normally, the commander went to his quarters to eat alone and probably do more work while he ate. It was odd seeing him want to eat with the rest of you, and even more of a strange sight to see him sit down across from you when Soonyoung shoved Seokmin further down the bench to make room. Seungcheol sat himself down before his eyes met yours.

“So, uh...” Jeonghan began slowly. “Not to sound rude, commander, but why are you sitting with us?”

Seungcheol just chuckled at the question, “I thought it might be nice to get to know _____ a little better since she’s going to be the key to our success.”

“The key, huh?” you scoffed. “I gotta admit, commander, you’re pretty dumb for believing in me that heavily.”

Everyone’s eyes -- except Seungcheol’s -- widened as they looked at you.

“You can’t just call the commander dumb!” Seungkwan gasped.

“If anything,” a new voice that made you raise your eyebrows spoke up before Wonwoo shoved his way between Seungcheol and Soonyoung and sat down, “you’re the dumb one.”

“Ow...” Soonyoung frowned, rubbing his upper arm.

You smirked as Wonwoo stared blankly across the table at you, “You already forgot this afternoon on the wall?”

He shrugged, “I’ll take my chances, princess.”

Seungcheol didn’t pay him any attention, focusing back on you, “So how are you liking it here so far, _____?”

“I get fed and treated like a real person, so,” you shrugged. “So far, it’ a lot better than Marley.”

“You always have to bring up your sob story, don’t you?” Wonwoo muttered under his breath.

Your eyes flickered over to him, but your expression didn’t change. You didn’t say anything, but you wondered what his problem was. Everyone else in the scouts seemed to treat you normally by now, deciding you weren’t going to double-cross them. So why did Wonwoo still act like an ass?

And why did you find it somewhat amusing?

“Don’t mind him,” Hansol leaned over to whisper to you. “He acts like that toward everyone.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” you replied. “Except with Seungcheol.”

“Because he kind of owes him, I guess.”

Owes him...?

“I heard you watched the titans train today,” Seungcheol continued between bites of food. “How was that?”

“Pretty cool,” you admitted, cracking a smile. “I’ve only ever seen the female titan that one time.”

“Well, it won’t be the last time you see her,” Seungcheol promised. “We’re still working on plans to get Jiwoo back, but we’re confident we’re on the right track -- thanks to the information you’ve provided.”

“You don’t have to kiss up to her so much, y’know,” Wonwoo deadpanned.

Seungcheol continued to pay him no mind. He kept up conversation with you and the other scouts at the table, with Wonwoo making snide remarks under his breath every now and then. He did physically threaten Soonyoung once, but he never did such a thing toward you no matter how many snarky comments you threw back at him.

Once you were done with dinner, Seungcheol invited you to walk with him back to his quarters. He continued to ask things varying from more information about Marley to plan the attack, to normal questions about how you were liking the scouts. Truthfully, you liked being apart of the scouts. You felt like you actually belonged.

Even with Wonwoo there.

The captain followed the two of you, walking on the other side of Seungcheol. Once you reached the commander’s quarters, he bid you a good night before he left you and Wonwoo alone outside. 

“So what’s your deal?” you asked him.

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows, “Hmm?”

��What’s your problem? You could’ve just not tagged along with the commander since you knew he was with me, but you did. Why?”

He shrugged, “Why? Did it make you upset, princess?”

“No, but you clearly had a problem with it. Why bother putting yourself in a situation where you’ll make yourself angry? You really just--”

“It didn’t make me--”

You grabbed Wonwoo’s jaw in your hand and pulled his face toward yours. Your fingertips pressed into his cheeks as you glared at him. His expression was unreadable as he stared back at you, completely taken off guard.

“Stop interrupting me,” you growled before releasing his face. You took a step back but kept your eyes on him. “I get you’re the captain, but maybe learn to be quiet for longer than 2 seconds.”

You stalked away, leaving Wonwoo stunned as he watched you go.

Did Wonwoo hate you? If he didn’t, he didn’t tell anyone -- except maybe the commander. However, nobody had ever tried to put him in his place like you have, and twice in one day. So he had nothing snarky to call after you to get in the last word.

“When will you admit it already?” Seungcheol’s voice behind him would’ve made him jump had Wonwoo not heard the door’s soft creak when it opened.

Wonwoo turned around to see Seungcheol standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest with an amused expression on his face. Wonwoo scoffed, shaking his head.

“It’s not like it’s anything important that needs to be said,” he replied. 

“It started when she was first captured and showed no fear. You respected her, and now here we are. Do you think pushing her away with snide comments will make the feelings go away?”

“I can’t have distractions. Distractions cause weakness.”

“Love isn’t a weakness, Wonwoo.”

“I don’t love her.”

“Well, you’re more fond of her than anyone else you’ve ever met,” Seungcheol chuckled. “Maybe you act that way toward her because you’re bad at expressing anything other than sarcasm?”

“Commander, if I wanted your analysis, I would’ve asked for it,” Wonwoo sighed.

“I know, but as your friend, I’m giving it to you for free. And by the way, Wonwoo: I know you see it in her, too. She’s gone through similar things that you have, and you feel like she understands you in a way nobody else does. I’m a firm believer that there are people on this earth who are just...meant for each other.”

“And why are you telling me that?” Wonwoo asked, not looking the least bit amused.

Seungcheol shrugged, stepping back into his quarters and grabbing the door to close it, “Just do what you want with that information.”

And then he closed the door.

[leftenantmackgordon]

Crossing the Atlantic - Ch. 1

A Titanic-set AU Audebert x Gordon x Horstmayer Series

Series Main List

Warnings: Mild language, overbearing parent

Word Count: 2.7k

Ch. 1 - 10 April 1912

The midday sun fills the first class reception salon with cheery light. Scents of rich wood oil and fresh roses perfume the air, greeting the passengers as they step off the gangway and onto the floating wonder that is the Titanic.

In all of Gordon’s years at sea, he’s never seen another ship like her. He’s had the last two weeks to get familiar with his new home and duties as Third Officer serving under First Officer Murdoch, and already he never wants another ship assignment. The Titanic shines from stem to stern, appointed with every last modern advance in shipbuilding and seafaring know-how, and Gordon’s never been more proud to serve a vessel.

The polished, brass buttons of his uniform gleam bright as he consults his clipboard. He scans the passenger manifest for the given name. “Here we are, ma’am.” He looks back at the short, prim woman bedecked in a stylish green traveling suit. “Cabin C-91, Mrs. Graham. A steward will guide you presently.” He gestures at the waiting steward who wears a broad smile. “Welcome aboard, ma’am.”

She nods her thanks and turns for the waiting steward while motioning for her daughter to follow.

Gordon offers the young woman a polite, officious nod. “Welcome aboard, miss.” She returns his polite nod and casts him a flirtatious side-eye. It isn’t the first time a young woman has taken a passing fancy in him, but he knows better than to cavort with a passenger. And a first class passenger, at that.

He turns back towards the steady inflow of passengers, ready to help the next in line. Excited conversation and gentle laughter float in the air, but the man who stands before him now looks as though he’d rather be anywhere else. His silver-grey hair is neatly combed atop his head to complement his trimmed mustache, and his traveling suit displays the finest cut. He scowls at Gordon in clear distaste. “I was told that Captain Smith would personally oversee the boarding arrivals.”

The three gold stripes around the cuffs of Gordon’s navy jacket that identify his rank as Third Officer are suddenly glaringly obvious, but Gordon holds his well-trained smile in place. “Indeed he is, sir. Just there.” He politely nods towards where the captain is greeting passengers as the stewards escort them to their cabins. “If you’re willing to give me your name, please, I can confirm your cabin assignment. Then, the steward will show you to Captain Smith.”

Thinly-veiled disgust flashes in the older man’s eyes, but he holds his socially polite, if mirthless, expression. “Very well. General René Audebert, and my son, Camille Audebert.”

“Thank you, sir.” Gordon nods before consulting his list. He makes the appropriate notation and glances up, this time noticing the taller, younger man standing behind General Audebert. “Cabins B-51, -53, and -55. The parlor suite, sir.”

“Yes,” General Audebert says, clearly unimpressed. “I’m aware of the cabins that I booked, but thank you all the same.” He looks over at the waiting steward, and Gordon is glad to see the man go. Of course, he’s seen his share of arrogant, even rude, men of privilege in his days as a sailor on passenger ships, but he already knows that he doesn’t care to see General Audebert for the rest of the voyage.

The younger man that follows behind the general offers him a small smile and nod as he passes. As he goes, Gordon can’t help but notice the soft sweep of his dark hair and the warmth of his brown eyes. Gordon returns his smile and gives a small nod in greeting. “Welcome aboard, sir.”

“Thank you.” His voice carries the same French-accented syllables as his father but there’s no denying the gentle tone about them. It stirs an unbidden warmth in Gordon’s chest as he holds the man’s gaze for a moment longer before finally turning back to his clipboard.

“Good day, sir.” He greets the next passenger. “Welcome aboard. May I have your name, please?” He listens before offering a confirming nod and consulting his list. “Here you are, Mr. Ross. Cabin A-10. Now, if you’ll please-.”

“Mr. Gordon!”

Gordon snaps his head up, instantly recognizing Captain Smith’s gentle, commanding voice. The Captain motions him over with an expectant air, and Gordon quickly makes his apologies to Mr. Ross. With swift steps, he squares his shoulders and steps up to Captain Smith’s side. “Yes, sir?”

“Why wasn’t I informed of the incident?”

Gordon blinks in confused surprise as he schools the rest of his face. “The incident, sir?”

The captain nods towards the older gentleman. “General Audebert here tells me that the gangway landing is quite uneven. That the lady in front of him nearly lost her footing, and he likely would have, too, if he hadn’t witnessed her struggle.”

Gordon grips his clipboard tighter at his side. His jaw tenses in frustration but he forces his pleasant smile to remain in place. “My apologies, Captain. I shall see to it right away.” He nods at Captain Smith and General Audebert as he knows his duty demands. “If you notice anything else amiss, sir, please don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention.”

Captain Smith nods in dismissal and Gordon turns, irritation simmering beneath his uniform. He pauses just long enough to direct waiting passengers to First Officer Murdoch for their cabin arrangements before setting off in search of the carpenter.

Camille glances around his stateroom. It’s bedecked in all the luxury appointments that he’s come to expect from a life of first class passage, but the plush surroundings do little to put him at ease. Eight days at sea crossing the Atlantic with only his father and father’s friends for company would not be his first choice, but business is business, and the churn of progress waits for no man. As his father’s only son and heir, he has obligations that he knows he cannot escape. Especially as his father continues to age, it’s simply a matter of time until the success of the family enterprise falls squarely on Camille’s shoulders whether he wants it or not.

He doesn’t discount the impact that his family’s wealth has had on his education and opportunities. He’s seen enough of the societal class divisions to understand the privilege that he was born into. But it just makes him think… surely, there has to be a better use for his life than just perpetuating the privilege of his lineage.

He sighs as he adjusts his suit jacket before stepping back out into the sitting room. His father is elegantly seated on the sette, round wire-frame glasses perched on the end of his nose as he reads over what appears to be the day’s paper. A steaming tea service rests on the side table at his elbow in gold-rimmed white china laid out for two. Camille turns from it as the thought of tea sours his stomach.

“Won’t you join me for tea?” René’s voice drifts over his shoulder. “Lunch isn’t until after we depart, and our luggage has yet to be delivered.”

Camille reaches for his hat from the chair where he dropped it earlier. “No, thank you. I think I will go have a stroll about the decks.”

René blinks up at him in obvious confusion. “I’ve never understood the appeal of shuffling through a crowd. You should at least wait until we’ve left Southampton.” He turns back to the paper. “You certainly don’t need to demean yourself by waving to the less fortunate crowd still clamoring on the pier.”

Camille grips the brim of his hat tighter. “Actually, I thought about finding the third officer and apologizing for what transpired earlier.”

René’s brow furrows as he glares over the top of the paper. “Apologize? The man was remiss in his duties if he allowed paying passengers to walk on that gangway.”

“You didn’t give the man a chance to address your concern,” Camille shakes his head. “You just reported him straight to his commanding officer.”

“It’s hardly any concern of mine if that officer chooses to be derelict in his duties, but his commanding officer had every right to be informed.”

Camille sighs and fits his hat on his head. “I know that’s what you believe.” He steps up to the stateroom door and opens it to the hallway. “I’ll return in time for lunch.” He doesn’t wait for a reply before he closes the door behind him.

Shoving a hand in his trousers pocket, he sets off at a leisurely pace down the hallway. Passengers move about, settling into their staterooms and journeying topside for the imminent departure. Porters wheel trolleys of trunks to and fro, making the appropriate deliveries to identified staterooms. Stewards bustle about delivering the newly created passenger list, and Camille dreads returning to the stateroom once his father peruses the list and determines who all needs to dine at their table.

He weaves through the spotless halls and finds himself back in the boarding reception salon. The gangway door sits secured in place but the briny and fumey smell of the port outside still lingers. Two seamen make final adjustments on the door’s closure, and a small smile comes to Camille’s face when he glimpses the third officer presiding over their work.

“Secure the last locking mechanism.” The officer says with a dutiful air. “Nice and tight, now.”

“Yes, sir.” One of the seamen replies as they continue to work.

Camille watches with interest, tracking the movements of the sailor’s hands as the long screw of the locking mechanism twists into place. Blurred motion of the third officer’s navy uniform draws his attention, and Camille meets the full force of those bright, watercolor blue eyes. The officer’s mouth curls to a surprisingly warm, perhaps even pleased smile, as he tips his head in greeting. “Good morning again, sir. Mr. Audebert, if I remember correctly?”

Camille nods and smiles despite himself. “Yes, you… you have a good memory.”

The officer tilts his head in appreciation, and Camille thinks that maybe a faint flush rises in the man’s cheeks before he turns back to the sailors. They stand with their task complete, and the officer makes a quick inspection of their work. “Well done,” he nods at the two men. “Now, get topside and prepare to shove off.”

They snap off crisp replies before disappearing down the hallway and into a hidden crew passage. With slow steps, the third officer turns towards him wearing another pleasant smile. “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Audebert?”

Camille can’t say why he suddenly finds himself at a loss for words, but a small smile comes to his face under the weight of the Scotsman's infectious smile. “I… just wanted to apologize. My father should not have called you out in front of your captain without raising the issue to your attention first.”

The officer’s jaw tenses as his eyes soften with an emotion that Camille can’t place. Slowly, almost conflicted, the man nods. “You needn’t apologize for that, sir. It’s… well, I suppose he was within his right.”

“On that, we shall disagree.” Camille simply says, inexplicably drawn to the way the officer’s lips curl in shared understanding. Though the officer had done a commendable job of hiding his frustration during the boarding process, Camille can tell the man is grateful for his apology now even if he can’t say anything in their current setting.

Slowly, the officer nods again. “I appreciate that you took the time to speak with me, but unfortunately, I must head for the bridge to support our departure.”

“May I walk with you?” Camille can’t say for sure why he asked, but he isn’t ready to return to the stateroom just yet, nor part from this man’s company.

The officer looks torn in a moment of indecision between surprise and flattery, but he keeps careful guard of his facial expressions. It’s probably an important skill of his job when dealing with all manner of passengers. Camille’s happy to wait while the man deliberates, and when he finally nods, warmth flutters in Camille’s chest.

“That’s very kind of you to offer, sir.” The officer starts. “But I wouldn’t wish to impose-.”

“No imposition,” Camille reassures as he falls into step at the officer’s side. “I was thinking of going topside for the departure.”

“It is indeed a good day for that. Southampton is usually rather hazy, even when the weather is favorable.”

Camille casts him a curious glance. “If you don’t mind my asking, how long have you been a sailor?”

A fond smile teases the officer’s mouth. “Since I was a wee bairn, my father had me on the water. Standing still on land just never felt right.”

Answering fondness blooms in Camille’s chest as they leave the stateroom hallway behind and the atrium of the Grand Staircase stretches before them. “Well, it sounds like the Titanic is lucky to have a man of your experience aboard.” He watches the officer fight to suppress another flattered smile as Camille moves with him up the stairs. “Though, it just occurs to me that I don’t know your name.”

“Gordon, sir.” The officer supplies with a bow of his head. “Third Officer Mackenzie Gordon, at your service.”

Camille returns the nod in formal greeting. “It’s an honor, Mr. Gordon. I know that my father gave you my name but… I’m Camille Audebert.”

Gordon flashes him a polite smile. “The honor is mine, Mr. Audbert. You… certainly don’t need to take the time to converse with me.”

“I’m more than happy to do so.” Camille sighs gently. “I’m well aware of the conversations that await me over the next eight days aboard your ship, and you are a refreshing change of pace.”

“That’s kind of you to say.” The corner of Gordon’s lips twitch with an air of intriguing mischief. “If you don’t mind me saying, I may have to use that line sometime.” Another flush rises high in the man’s cheeks, and Camille finds that he wants to chase it across Gordon’s skin. “No one’s ever said that I’m a refreshing change of pace… a right pain in the arse, more like.” He blanches as he realizes what he just said and comes to an abrupt stop as they reach the sunshine warmed deck. He glances up at Camille with fear-stricken eyes. “Please, sir, forgive the rude slip of my tongue. That… was completely uncalled for in the face of the generosity that you have shown me.”

Camille shakes his head with a calming smile. “No offense taken, Mr. Gordon. I’m not going to report you as my father did. In fact… your candor rather proves my point.” He meets the officer’s smile for another moment before blinking away as the cheerful calls from the surrounding passengers rise in his ears. “Thank you for letting me walk with you, but I don’t wish to keep you from your duties.”

Gordon forces a nod as regret comes to the lines of his eyes. “Thank you. Again, I appreciate that you took the time.” He pauses as if debating the wisdom of his next words before drawing a breath. “As you mentioned earlier, we have eight days until we put into New York, and a ship this size is only so big - I’m sure that we’ll see each other yet again.”

Camille can’t hold back the excited edge in his smile as nods. “I look forward to it.”

With a farewell tip of his head, Gordon turns to continue his walk towards the bridge. Camille watches him go and recognizes the spark of interest that blooms in his chest. It’s been a long time since he last let himself even consider indulging such a personal attraction, but his stomach sours to think of not seeing Mackenzie Gordon again. Instead, he summons a smile as he thinks about the next eight days ahead. Maybe… just maybe he’s found the perfect balm in the face of his father’s company.

He moves through the crowded deck to the railing and glances out over the busy port. The pier is lined with well-wishers waving their arms in vigorous motions, and he watches the heavy ropes cast away from the ship. Allowing himself a hopeful smile, he raises an arm and returns a hearty wave of his own.

Series Main List

[pulltothelight]

2020 Reylo Fanfic Recap

With just a couple days left of 2020, I wanted to go back and appreciate all the Reylo fic I’ve written this year. Totaling 24 Reylo Centered Fics.

Like His Father’s Dice: *Puts on Tin Foil Hat* Here’s how Ben Solo can still be alive. Remembering how Han Solo’s dice disappeared in his hand gives Ben the key to surviving the battle on Exegol. G, 1,057 words, Complete.

He Gotta Go Check On Her: a sequel to Rey Has a Cold, where Ben crosses the Galaxy to take care of a sick Rey. G, 2,848 words, Complete.

I Licked It, It’s Mine: Senator Benjamin Organa-Solo is prim and proper and polite. Rey, the scavenger his father picked up on Jakku, is everything but. G, 1,884 words, Complete.

Yes I’m Wearing Your Shirt: You’ve Been Mostly Dead: Ben Solo was only mostly dead, and over the past several months since Exegol, his life Force has been recuperating in the Force. Rey is where we last saw her on Tatooine, working through her grief. G, 1,045 words, Complete.

Rey Crashes a Speeder: Rey and Ben are living a happily married life with peace in the Galaxy. That doesn’t mean that accidents don’t happen. G, 1,065 words, Complete.

Abilities Deemed Unnatural:  Post TROS AU where Ben could not save Rey on Exegol. He's left to pick up the pieces. T, 6,341 words, 5/? chapters, WIP.

Broken Hearts and Healing Hands: A 1 shot that turned into a multi-chapter fic, and then post TROS, it got an epilogue. Rey and Ben fix the Legacy Lightsaber. T, 16,049 words, 16 chapters, Complete.

Dismantled: The Supreme Leader learns that the Force does what the Force wants. He decides he will do his best for the Galaxy, and for the little life the Force placed inside him. Mpreg. T, 13,233 words, 6/7 chapters, WIP.

Putting Down Roots: part 3 of my Scenes From a Sweeter Space series,  Set after the events of Playing in the Snow, Ben and Rey find themselves caring for more than just the plants in their greenhouse. G, 1,590 words, Complete.

The Son & Heir of a Shyness: A modern high school AU, where Rey is the new student, and Ben is horribly shy. G, 2,344 words, Complete.

Down From the Tower: A Rapunzel/Tangled AU where Ben is the one with the gorgeous hair and Rey is our scrappy scavenger thief. G, 5,200 words, 1/3 chapters, WIP.

The Memory That Matters:  The last thing Ben remembers is the fight in Snoke's Throne Room aboard the Supremacy. When he wakes up in a med center, he learns that a lot has happened since his last memory. Canon Divergent from TLJ. G, 2,829 words, Complete.

We Don’t Match:  Ben is on an overnight road trip when he stops at a podunk diner in the middle of nowhere, and the light on his soulmate indicator lights up when the waitress brushes his hand. Unfortunately, she's not wearing an indicator herself. G, 7,995 words, Complete. 

Saving What We Love: When the Supremacy and the Legacy Saber were shattered down the middle, Rey dragged an unconscious Ben back with her. Unfortunately, he wakes up in a cell. G, 747 words, Complete.

Padawans of Ren: Luke refused to teach Rey on Ach-to, and so she returned to D'qar to the Resistance, which was still hidden from the First Order, until Kylo Ren shows up with three new faces. G, 1,167 words, Complete.

Entangled Stars:  Dance Stars: Galaxy was the hottest televised dance competition, and the this week's paired dances draw out the most compelling dynamics. G, 889 words, Complete. 

Always a Woman to Me: Finn is missing Rey, where ever she is in the Galaxy, but his emotions pull another someone who is missing Rey to him through the Force. G, 705 words, Complete.

Palpatine is a Liar: A detour to confirm Rey's lineage leads to Palpatine's defeat and Ben's redemption. G, 2,093 words, Complete.

Written in My Hand: Diverging at The Force Awakens, Ben and Rey are soulmates. They know they are because they have the other’s name written on their arms in their handwriting. Knowing that they are soulmates from the very beginning changes everything. G, 9,884 words, 6/? words, WIP.

The Fire of the Sith: Ben and Rey send their adopted children up to summer camp, the same one that they perform at every Fourth of July. Little do they know, Ben's camping years have sprouted up the Knights of Ren, a group of campers who may very well burn the whole camp down. Part 4 of the Scenes From a Sweeter Space Series. G, 6,660 words, Complete. 

Two That Are One: Ben Solo was the avatar, everyone knew it. Except, he couldn't bend all 4 elements. G, 1,637 words, 1/? chapters, WIP.

Celebrating Rey’s Birthday: Ben knew Rey's Birthday, and he made sure to celebrate her, even though she had never celebrated it herself. G, 939 words, Complete.

Chosen: As teenagers just presenting as an alpha and an omega, Ben and Rose promised that if they turned 30 without being mated to someone else, they'd marry each other. It's fine and dandy until Rey, an unmated omega, sets off Ben's rut. T, 10,323 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

The Wings We Stole: Before this Earth, before this life, Rey and Ben promised to find each other. They only agreed to do come to earth so they could spend eternity together. They don't think of themselves as angels or saints. They can't make it through this on their own. A Mormon Flavored Modern AU. G, 11,329 words, 8/? chapters, WIP.

BONUS

A Meta: Today on I fricking Love Ben Solo: A meta concerning the fall of Ben Solo. G, 537 words, Complete. 

A GingerRose Fic: The Rose of The Titanic: Armitage Hux had helped design the massive ship, Titanic, and upon touring his pride and joy before the maiden voyage, he runs into the prized mechanic down in the belly of the ship. A GingerRose Titanic AU. G, 3,153 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

[theconjugationofyeet]

Iron Dad AU Fic Recs

this is gonna be kinda long

Stark Industries: An American Workplace by fourdaysofrain

“No, I don’t--” The corner of Peter’s mouth twitches down and he looks at something behind the camera. “Mr. Stark doesn’t treat me any differently than the other employees. I don’t know why everyone says he does.” He tugs his sleeve down his wrist and looks to the side. “I’m the receptionist, so he has to talk to me more to like, plan his calendar and stuff.” --- The Office!AU (For the "AU: TV/Movie" square in Irondad Bingo

We’re Alright by writing-in-my-spare-time

When billionaire Tony Stark comes into the cafe late one night to get his caffeine hit, he finds barista Peter busy doing homework. The homework is quite advanced and right up Tony's alley, and the two hit it of immediately over their shared love of science. But when a masked gunman interrupts their bonding session, Tony knows he'll do anything to make sure Peter is alright.

Prompt: Modern Day/No Powers AU

Apartment 43B by @ironfamjam (my most favourite author ever)

After Peter gets stabbed clean through, he knows he can't let May see. His genius plan? Sneak into his best friend's apartment and clean himself up.

The problem?

It's the wrong apartment.

Enter Tony Stark, the ex-CEO that disappeared off the face of the earth three years ago, armed with his handy little first aid kit, custom made coffee machine, and witty anecdotes.

Somehow, the breaking in becomes a habit.

Irondad Bingo Prompt: Hurt/Comfort

Walking The Grey Line by ALittleBattyLady

When Ben Parker dies in his arms, a little piece of Peter dies too. At age 14 he's spiraling down into a hole of emptiness and just can't seem to move forward. Then he accidentally texts the wrong number. Tony thought he could handle whatever the world threw at him, but Steve's betrayal was something he hadn't expected. Months later he's still struggling to pick up the pieces. Then after a wicked bender, he wakes up with a text from a stranger.

They've built themselves a world that exists within nonsensical messages, where Peter finds a father figure he never expected and Tony finds himself worrying for a kid who shouldn't have to suffer so much. Still, the world still exists outside of their bubble of texts. The Avengers have been broken apart, the Accords are nowhere near perfect. Peter's uncle is dead and he's about to be thrown into a world of heroes.

What started as a chance meeting through a strayed text is about to turn into so much more.

AKA The Wrong Number Irondad Au no one asked for, but received

If You’re Going Through Hell, Keep On Going by @baloobird

In a world with no superheroes or powers, Tony Stark turns over a new leaf after his plight with Afghanistan. He goes to therapy and it changes his life, so much so that he decides to open up his own practice and help people that are like him.

His newest client: Eight-year-old Peter Parker

Little did he know that he would actually become attached to one of his patients

What Occurred In Raychester Castle? by @fictionart

Lord Anthony Stark is the Earl of Raychester castle. He inherited it from his father when he died, and soon he'll be married to the lovely Lady Virginia Potts. His life the perfect example of Victorian values, everything was going the way it should have.

Until one day, one of his lower servants worms his way into Tony's heart, and introduces him to a world Tony knew was there, but had never seen, and challenges the very way he viewed the world.

Yet, it doesn't feel like such a mistake.

---

Or a historical AU of Tony Stark and Peter Parker set in 1890s fictional Britain, where Tony is an Earl and Peter is a lowly servant.

Our Pages Flipped In Reverse by @ciaconnaa

Fifteen year old Peter Parker makes headlines when he's captured in a terrorist attack during a Sokovian science convention. Three months later, he's a household name when there's reports he busted out of a cave in some ridiculous iron suit.

With a miniaturized version of Tony Stark's infamous arc reactor in his chest.

Naturally, this means the two have to meet.

Intern Spider by @justme--emily

Penny Parker applied to the pilot Stark Industries internship program before she got her powers. But when Mr. Stark becomes her personal and superhero mentor, she'll have to get creative to keep the two identities separate...and secret.

ever in your favour by @iron-spider

Peter startles awake when someone shakes him.

“Sorry, honey,” May says. Peter blinks a couple times and she comes into focus, her hair pulled back from her face. She’s trying not to look a certain way, but he can see it in her eyes anyway. She clears her throat, keeps talking. “But it’s…” She glances away, wets her lips. “You gotta get ready.”

He remembers what day it is, and his heart beats like a drum at someone’s execution. But he tries to put on a mask, make it all seem normal. It’s everything but, despite the fact that he’s been dealing with reaping day since he was born, between himself, Ben and May. That fear that one of them could be taken away. Sent to surefire slaughter. But now Ben is gone, taken despite never having his name drawn from a bowl, and May’s finally safe. Now Peter’s name is in there alone. The last Parker sitting on the chopping block. He doesn’t know how to be. He doesn’t know what normal is, when the Hunger Games are looming on the horizon.

A Tale As Old As Time by @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars and @femalemarvelfanatic

A selfish man gets cursed into a metal suit, and only a little boy with a dark past and a heart of gold can break the curse. It’s a tale as old as time.

peter’s stars by @parkrstark and IronPengu

Steve and Peter lose their apartment and are kicked out on the streets. Steve has to juggle between jobs to earn whatever money he can, take care of his son while refusing to let him realize how much they're trouble in, and keep them warm and safe on the city streets in winter.

So, he really doesn't have time to date the billionaire that flirts with him everyday as he buys his cup of coffee. Even if he did, he can't let himself fall for the man. Because if he knew that he lived from a backpack and showered in a public bathroom there's no way he'd still want him...right?

Make Way For Tomorrow by @tonystarkstan

Before Ben died, Peter won a booth to present his project at the Stark Expo. But even on the run from the foster care system, he can't pass up the opportunity to attend and show the world his project. It all goes so well, until it doesn't. Trying to avoid being caught, Peter runs out on Tony just as the man is about to make him the offer of a lifetime.

Bold of him to assume Tony won't try to find him.

It All Comes Back To This by @tonystarkstan

After a car accident leaves him hanging somewhere between life and death, Peter must decide whether to stay or die. The answer isn't as easy as he thought it'd be. Luckily, he has his friends and the Avengers there to help him figure it out.

Have Patience, Quick Wit and a Gentle Heart by @ironfamjam

“I’m your fairy-” he scowled, looking pained, “you know what, no. I’m not going to say that. It’s ridiculous and not even accurate. I don’t know who invented those fairy tales you humans love so much, but they’re beyond terrible."

"Wait..." Peter tried to hide his grin, "Are you my fairy godmother?" he laughed, unable to stop no matter how hard he tried.

The man glowered. "Watch it kid. I could turn you into a frog instead."

Or

The Irondad Cinderella AU one person asked for

 More Ancient Than Magic  by ironfamjam

Life isn't exactly normal when your Head of House is also kinda your father-figure and his daughter is kinda sorta your little sister.

It's also not normal when the bad guys your real-life-war-hero-not-actually-dad defeated in The Great War threaten to return and you're still just trying to finish your Charms essay.

But Professor Stark asked him to protect Morgan. And that's what he's going to do.

Even if it breaks him.

The mini Hogwarts AU

The Case Of The Sinister Spider

In New York City, Peter Parker finds his entire life up-ended when he gets a phone call informing him of May Parker's tragic accident. But when new evidence comes to light proving foul play, no one in the NYPD will give Peter the time of day.

No one that is, except genius consulting detective on probation, Tony Stark. But Tony has his own demons to fight. Struggling to maintain his sobriety after a tragedy in London forced him overseas, Tony learns that what mends hearts might not be at the bottom of a bottle, but something like a string of unsolved murders and perhaps even love.

Or, the Elementary AU no one asked for

Only For A Little While by eccentric_artist_221b

Exploring the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker if they had been passengers aboard the Titanic over 106 years ago…. an Irondad AU 

a galaxy far, far away by @madasthesea

a star wars au if tony and peter were master and padawan

___________________________________________________

add to this list if you know any more awesome fics with an au!

[thebestpersonherelovesbucky]

My Heart Will Go On

(the Titanic AU)

Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings*** Length: 95.8k 7/10 Chapters

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, born to wealth and privilege, is returning home to America aboard the RMS-Titanic – the Ship of Dreams – with his mother, Winifred, and fiancé, Alexander Pierce. Wanting nothing to do with the upcoming wedding that’s been forced upon him, Bucky feels lost and helpless, desperate to get away from a life he dreads. All he longs for is freedom, and he might very well be desperate enough to escape by any means necessary.  

For twenty-one-year-old Steve Rogers, a kind but poor artist, life is full of endless possibilities and limitless adventures. When Steve wins a pair of Third Class Tickets for Titanic at a lucky hand of poker, he just knows with all his heart that his destiny waits for him on that ship. With the fresh air in his lungs, a few blank pages, and his best friend, Sam, at his side, Steve is sure this is going to be his biggest adventure yet.

While aboard the ship, a chance encounter brings Bucky, the spoiled aristocrat, and Steve, the starving artist, face-to-face, and one moment just might change both their lives forever as they sail across the Atlantic on the ill-fated Ship of Dreams.

Sample:

Bucky runs into the First Class entrance and down the staircase, pushing past the gentlemen and ladies who are filling up the steps. He scans the A-deck foyer. He doesn’t see Mr. Stark anywhere. Worried that one punch might not be enough to thwart Alex’s attempts at bringing him back again, Bucky doesn’t linger. He runs down the rest of the stairs and across the A-Deck foyer.

The first corridor he checks only has passengers in it, many of them still moseying about and taking their time. Unaware of the present danger and emergency they’re actually in. Around the corner, Bucky finds an empty hallway.

“Mr. Stark?” he calls as he searches. “Mr. Stark?”

There are still more people he comes across as he looks up and down the corridors. A few of them have lifejackets on. Some of them are collecting precious possessions. None of them are Mr. Stark.

“Mr. Stark?!”

Bucky runs down two more corridors, looking into open doorways as he does, until he nearly flies right by him. Mr. Stark is coming out of a room he’s just checked for any passengers.

“Steward!” he says to a passing crewman ushering some gentleman down the hall. “Check the starboard corner!”

“Yes, Mr. Stark!”

To a woman still standing in her doorway pulling gloves on her hands, Mr. Stark says, “Madam, please, hurry and get to the boat deck immediately.” Then, to a maid, touching her cheek gently, “Sweetheart, please, put on your lifevest, set a good example.” He pushes another door open. “Is anyone in here?!”

“Mr. Stark!” Bucky calls, breathless as he hurries to him. “Mr. Stark, thank god!” When he reaches him, Mr. Stark looks horrified to see him there. “Where would the Master at Arms bring someone under arrest?”

“Wh- no. No, James, you need to get to the boats right away!”

He attempts to turn Bucky to send him back the way he came. As kindhearted and well-meaning as it is, Bucky jerks away from him and huffs, moving back to face him again.

“No!” he shouts. “It’s Steve, Mr. Stark. I have to find him! I’m going to do this with or without your help. But without will take longer.”

Mr. Stark looks at him like he’d give anything to change his mind, but sighs, beaten, and nods.

“Take the elevator to the very bottom.” He points toward the direction of the elevator bank. “Go left, down the crewman's passage, then make a right and go left again at the stairs. You’ll come to a long corridor. The office is down there.”

“Bottom, left, right, left. I have it.” Bucky nods, committing these directions to memory. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, hurry, James.”

Breaking into a run, Bucky rushes back to the foyer. There are still tons of people gathered around and he struggles to get through the crowd.

“Excuse me,” he says as he maneuvers around them. “Pardon me. Thank you.”

Finally reaching the elevators, Bucky almost falls over in his haste to get into one. Only he’s stopped by the operator, who’s clearly been telling other people that he won’t be working them.

“I’m sorry, sir, but the lifts are closed.”

Scared and frustrated and simply exhausted, Bucky grabs him and shoves him back into the elevator.

“I’m through being polite, goddamnit!” he shouts. “Now take me down!”

The operator, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, fumbles to close the gate and start the lift.

@annecraycray @renlongwaters @maitre-kuroneko @whipped-for-marvel @the-chiseled-dorito-of-justice @incorrectstevebucky @codenamefinlandia @katsdisturbed @lulu5109 @catherinemedellin @mistjif68 @platonictrashh @astaraiches-oisinn @acook39 @gikah98 @southerngracela @hutchhitched @helloarmchairphilosopher @octobergryphon @starbirks​ @reblogging-bucky @ransomsweatersandcappuccinos

[earstwo]

Get this: a reylo titanic au where ben is rose and rey is jack but with a happy ending (because there was definitely space for two) where they then drift off to an island to start a life of there own

i’m into this?

ben is engaged to bazine, who is cold and a little cruel but comes from old money and it’s what’s expected of him if he wants to carry on his family’s wealth, but he’s definitely not in love with her. she’s inconsiderate and vain and materialistic in a way that he’s never been able to be despite also coming from significant money on his mother’s side.

rey and finn are poor as piss kids trying to leave england to make a new life for themselves in america and they win tickets aboard the titanic in a dirty game of pool where rey hustles the shit out of a group of swedish idiots. they only have the clothes on their backs and a flask of whiskey between the two of them but they’re going to america. the land of opportunity. 

rey sees ben for the first time much like how jack first saw rose, but she’s much less subtle about it. she yells something cheeky like oi, your face is gonna get stuck if you keep scowling like that, and he is absolutely not amused in the slightest. (she doesn’t see him let his face soften once she finally turns away from him). 

they meet again when rey sneaks onto the upper deck to get better views for her sketchbook, and when she sees him and notices how...strong...his profile is as he stares out at the water with his arms crossed over the railing, she can’t help but start to draw him. her pencil moves on its own, really. 

he notices her eventually and demands that she give him the picture. she laughs in his face. he questions why she would ever want to draw someone like him, which leaves rey a little dumbfounded, and because she’s never been one to filter her thoughts, she says “because you’re actually quite beautiful when you don’t look like you want to kill someone” like it’s the most obvious answer in the world. he doesn’t understand, doesn’t want to understand, it seems, so he leaves her and the picture and walks away. 

that night, he and bazine get into a huge fight. they argue about marriage (she wants to get married as soon as they arrive in america, no use in wasting anymore time), and children (she wants at least 4, preferably two boys and two girls and they will all attend boarding school during the year so she doesn’t have to give up her social responsibilities), and money (she wants him to take over his family’s company from his parents sooner rather than later). it all makes ben’s head spin, truly, because even though he knows that they are fundamentally incompatible on every level, it’s never been so painfully obvious as it is right now. his life, all at once, feels impossible. 

he’s only twenty-five. he shouldn’t have to have his entire path set out for him right now, especially if the path is so far away from everything he wants. 

he takes a walk on the upper deck, leaving bazine crying and angry in their stateroom. he steps onto the railing and looks over the water, hanging just far enough over to scare himself. it’s not like he’d ever actually do it, but for one second, the salt-spray tastes a little too much like freedom. he’s breathing hard, and starting to cry a little bit when he hears that voice behind him. 

that melodic, cockney-accented voice that’s too brash and too soft all at once. 

unprompted, she starts telling him things that he couldn’t possibly care about,  like how when she was fifteen she broke her arm falling off of a stolen bike, or how she lost two molars in makeshift boxing ring at eighteen, and countless other strange stories about her rough, unprecious life. 

finally, he turns around to look at her. 

“why are you telling me all of this? i don’t even know you.” 

rey shrugs, a cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth. “you were staring a little too longingly out at the atlantic. looked like you could use a friend.”

he stares at her, unblinking. rey sighs.

“i’m not a first-class lad with a ten dollar cigar or anything, but i’ve got loads more stories, if you want to hear them.” 

ben’s eyes float to the cigarette. he steps off the railing slowly and smooths out his pants when he finds his footing. when he looks at her again, she’s got the ghost of a smile on her lips. 

“give me one of those.” he gestures with his chin to the cigarette, and she reaches into her pocket. 

they smoke.

she talks. 

he listens.

for the first time in his life, his heart doesn’t feel heavy. 

he doesn’t return to the stateroom until after sunrise. 

[somedayonbroadway]

Picture this for angst: Titanic au.

Oh yikes...

Okay so… not gonna lie, I’d never seen Titanic until now.

I mean… obviously I knew how it ended and also knew that Jack could have survived if he’d tried a little harder. But no, it’s fine!

Anyways,

Titanic AU

TW: Major Character Death (obviously. This is the Titanic), suicidal thoughts, mentions of abuse

Characters

Jack Kelly — Jack Dawson

Katherine Plumber — Rose DeWitt Bukater

Racetrack Higgins — Fabrizio

Spot Conlon — Tommy Ryan

Medda Larkin — Molly Brown

Joseph Pulitzer — Ruth DeWitt Bukater

Morris Delancey — Cal Hockley

Crutchie Morris — Lizzy Calvert

William Randolph Hearst — Thomas Andrews

Albert DaSilva — Brock Lovett

So so…

In 1996, a group of treasure hunters are searching under the sea for the Titanic, where it had been said the Heart Of The Ocean might be found. Albert, the leader of the whole fiasco, has been searching for this particular diamond for three years, becoming nearly obsessed with the lost artifact and not truly understanding the history or weight behind The Titanic or why it’s important at all.

On this particular hunt, Albert and his crew manage to find a lost safe in one of the first class rooms of the ship. Believing they’ve hit the jackpot, they head for the surface with the safe and Albert can hardly contain his excitement.

Finally opening the thing up, much to his irritation, all they find is one single drawing. Albert’s right hand man, JoJo, assures him that something similar had happened to someone else and it had ruined his whole career.

But Albert takes the thing down to the lab anyways, getting the thing recovered.

When he can see the thing clearly, he finds a beautiful young  woman wearing only a single necklace and nothing else. The picture is really detailed and good and it is signed “JK” and dated April 14, 1912, the day the Titanic went down.

The story of the findings is aired live on television.

One woman in particular sees the drawing on the news. She’s with her great grandson at the time. Despite his bum leg, he takes care of her. She asks him to turn the television up, so he does. She drops the tea that she’d been drinking. The cup shatters on the floor and she makes a mess but she stands up from her wheelchair anyway.

Because she recognizes that drawing.

With a newfound strength in her heart, the old woman calls Albert DaSilva.

On his boat, Albert nearly dismisses the call until JoJo convinces him that he should really pick up, telling him that the woman’s name is Katherine Kelly-Dawson. Finally doing it, Katherine asks Albert if he’s found The Heart of The Ocean. After a few quick questions, Katherine reveals that she is the woman in the drawing.

He invites Katherine to come aboard and sends a helicopter out for her the next day. His crew tries to tell him it may be a hoax, just some old woman wanting attention. They reveal that Katherine is 100, almost 101 years old, married a Spencer Dawson, had three kids and was working as an actress in her twenties. Regardless, Katherine and Crutchie board the ship and they find that Katherine travels with a suitcase full of pictures.

When she’s settled in a room on the boat, Albert confronts her and asks if he can get her anything and she replies she would just like to see her drawing. So Albert takes her to it. The moment she sees it, her eyes water.

She can still see those green eyes that looked at her like no one else ever had.

Albert describes the history of The Heart of The Ocean, to which she responds it was a heavy, dreadful thing that she’d only worn one time.

Crutchie asks Katherine if she’s sure. And she says she is, referring to herself as a “doll”. Crutchie’s never heard her talk like that before.

After explaining that, if what Katherine was saying was true, she would’ve been wearing the necklace the day the ship sunk, Albert asks what they can offer for the information of what happened to the necklace. She doesn’t ask for any money. She instead, only asks for the picture. Albert agrees and shows her some things they found in her stateroom on the Titanic.

There are very few things, but that doesn’t make the emotion of it any less controlling. A few tears fall and she trembles a bit, but JoJo asks her if she’s ready to go back to the Titanic.

They show her an animation of the titanic hitting the iceberg and beginning to sink. Katherine starts to get really tense and emotional, so Crutchie offers to take her back to her room. She refuses.

JoJo gives all the scientific analysis and Katherine realizes that they may know exactly what happened, but they seem to have forgotten that the sinking of The Titanic was completely devastating.

So she begins to tell a story.

She states that The Titanic was called the ship of dreams. And it was just that.

Young Katherine Pulitzer arrived to board the Titanic reluctantly, with her fiancé, one Morris Delancey, and her father, Joseph Pulitzer. Morris had been trying to impress Katherine for some time, but nothing worked. She never did really like him, but this was an arranged marriage. Morris insisted it could be love, but she was much more reluctant.

After all, she’d only been 17.

But Morris is rich and smart and confident and would make a proper husband and that’s really all that mattered.

Meanwhile, moments away, in a local pub in Southampton, a young boy was in the midst of a game that may well be changing his life in mere moments. He and his best friend, a very Italian Antonio Higgins whom he’d given the name of Racetrack, are playing poker for two tickets aboard the Titanic.

It’s a close call, but Jack plays a very lucky hand and ends up winning. After a brief celebration, they are told by the bartender that the ship is set to depart in merely five minutes.

So they run.

They barely make it aboard before the ship departs, convincing the crew that they’re both American and are in fact brothers. He doesn’t let Race talk at all, as to not give them away. Then they go up to the deck of the ship and wave at the people on the shore, though they have no one to bid farewell. Then they go down to find their room, greeting their roommates who are confused as to who they are. They end up making friends with one of them, who Race calls “Spot” because of a birthmark on his arm.

Katherine is unpacking in her suite, instructing some of the crew to set up some of her paintings around the room. Morris comments that these “mud puddles” were a waste of money, but Katherine insists they’re beautiful. Truth without logic. And she adores them. Katherine is a huge fan of art and has been a collector ever since she’d been a child. Morris assures her that Picasso will never amount to a thing and dismisses the conversation easily.

He’s not a very kind man. Katherine complains about him often, though she knows it’s improper and rude. Her father makes it clear that she must marry this man to save their status as they’ve lost all their money.

Katherine knows this.

That doesn’t mean she’s okay with it.

Jack and Racer are exploring the ship together, much like they would explore a city. It’s gorgeous. They end up at the front of the ship, Jack standing right up on the edge, shouting that he’s the king of the world, to which Race replies they’ll at least be the kings of New York when they arrive in America.

Katherine is stuck inside, having lunch with many important people on the ship, including the ship’s builder, Mr. Hearst and someone Katherine finds amusing and fun to be around, one Miss Medda Larkin. Many around here think her annoying or out of line, but Katherine adores her from the moment she lays eyes on her. It’s mostly because of the color of her skin that folks have issues with her. Medda is the only one that seems to notice how controlling Morris is when it comes to Katherine.

Katherine makes a point to sit beside her until she ultimately leaves the table after her father and fiancé ridicule her for smoking a cigarette.

Finally alone, she explores the ship, ending up on the front deck.

The moment Jack catches sight of her, he knows he wants to meet her. His friends tease him and tell him to let it go. But Jack can’t stop looking at her. Not even when another man comes up from behind her and takes her out of view.

Later that night, Katherine is struggling to keep her cool. She is not content with her life and knows that once she arrives in America, that will be it for her. She’ll have to marry Morris and she goes to dinner and she meets important, rich people. While they’re eating, she presses her fork into her skin, drawing blood.

It’s only then that she realizes what she wants to do.

The moment she can, she runs.

Somehow she ends up at the back of the ship, though she doesn’t manage to get there without drawing attention to herself. Specifically the attention of a teenage artist who happened to be stargazing all alone when she rushed past him in tears, thinking no one else was still up at this hour.

As she swings her legs over the railing of the ship and readies herself to jump, a voice stops her and she gets even more frightened. Jack just talks to her, telling her that hanging off the boat like that’s dangerous as he takes off his coat and socks, explaining that he has to be ready to jump in after her. She tries to tell him the fall will kill him. He tells her that he’s not so much worried about the fall as the freezing cold water. She asks him just how cold.

And they start having a conversation. Jack tells her a story about falling through ice back in Wisconsin after ice skating with his father. He tells her it’s so cold, you can hardly think or breathe.

He promised her even still that if she jumps, he jumps too.

Eventually, she gets scared down and turns back to Jack finding their faces inches from each other.

Just as she’s gonna step back over, she slips.

Jack barely catches her. He promised her he won’t let go and that she needs to grab the railing and pull herself up.

Terrified, she listens, letting Jack pull her back over. She lands beneath him and her dress rips.

What they didn’t know is that when Katherine screamed, people came running.

When security sees Jack hovering over Kath like he was, they naturally assume he was taking advantage of her and he wordlessly let’s them pull him up, knowing his words hold no weight. He lets them out cuffs around his wrists as Morris rushes up to Katherine and helps her up. He then backhands Jack and yells at him for thinking he could touch his fiancé.

And Katherine pushes Morris away, quickly explaining that she had been leaning over the ship too far to see the propellers and had fallen over and Jack caught her just in time.

Morris apologizes to Jack only barely and Jack is released. Morris’s brother, Oscar, tells Morris that surely he must do something to repay Jack so Morris offers Jack twenty bucks. This does not please Katherine. So Morris invites Jack to dinner the next night.

As they’re walking away, Oscar comments that it’s interesting that Katherine fell so suddenly but Jack still had time to remove his coat and socks.

Once they get Katherine back in their room, Morris gives Katherine a very heavy, very expensive necklace to try and cheer her up. It doesn’t work. Morris is just trying to prove his wealth to her. That doesn’t mean she loves him.

The necklace is the heart of the sea. But Katherine doesn’t care.

The next day Katherine finds Jack on the ship, talking with Race who’s trying to woo some girl. They talk and Katherine tries to thank him, but Jack makes it slightly difficult. He’s nice enough but Katherine gets defensive and they bud heads. Jack tells her that if she didn’t like her life, she could change it. She doesn’t have a response. She won’t tell Jack that she doesn’t love Morris. Jack tells her she can leave but she counters him telling him he should leave until eventually she ends up stealing his sketchbook out from beneath his arm, telling him he probably isn’t that good until she sees his drawings that take her breath away.

He tells her that he’s been drawing ever since he could hold a pencil and the pictures he draws are of real life. She asks what was with all the naked women and he’d say he’d been in Paris and a lot of women didn’t mind taking off their clothes for him. He tells her stories about some of them, explaining that the one she called him “infatuated with” was a one legged prostitute.

Katherine comments that he really does see people, to which Jack responds he saw her and knew she wouldn’t have jumped.

Meanwhile Medda was trying to have a nice time with Katherine’s father and other rich folks on the ship who don’t necessarily like her around them. She manages to stick by them anyways as they go for a walk around the ship.

Jack and Katherine continue to talk about their dreams. Katherine always dreamed of being a reporter, chasing a story all on her own. Jack says she wouldn’t last two days as a reporter in New York, living in a crummy apartment with no hot water. She slaps his arms, telling him to stop dismissing her dreams like everyone else. So he does.

Jack promises to take her to Santa Fe and teach her how to ride a horse and then to California where they can ride a rollercoaster. He promises to travel the world with her and show her the seven wonders of the world (can’t wait for eight and nine) and she agrees to all of it, laughing with him, happy for the first time in a long time.

Jack loves hearing her laugh.

Then he takes her hand and they run around the ship. Jack tries to teach Katherine how to spit “like a man”, and she tries.

That it’s, until she hears her father behind her.

She’s pulled away and everyone looks at Jack like he’s got two heads. He’s used to everyone thinking he’s crazy. He’s never minded it.

When Pulitzer takes Katherine away, Medda asks Jack if he knows what the hell he's doing and Jack replies honestly that he has no idea. So Medda would take him and get him a change of clothes.

When she’s done with him, Jack looks like a perfect gentleman.

He goes to dinner, sticking close to Medda who knows how to behave at these sorts of functions whereas he does not.

Jack escorts both Katherine and Medda to dinner (which is honestly freaking adorable).

Throughout the whole dinner, Morris is belittling Jack but Jack ignores him completely, focusing all his energy on trying to make Katherine smile.

Once the dinner’s done, Morris and Pulitzer and the other men at the table excuse themselves, inviting Jack who declines. Morris says it was a good choice as it would be nothing interesting to him anyways. Politics and stuff like that.

Jack has to hold back an eye roll.

He excuses himself, kissing Katherine’s hand and passing her a note to meet him at the clock and make it count.

So she does.

And Jack asks her if she’s ever wondered what a real party looks like.

He takes her to one.

It’s down below. Everyone is drunk. Race has struck up many games of poker and other drinking games and has started everyone off dancing. Jack gets them a drink and is shocked at how well Katherine can hold her liquor. She says it’s nothing.

Jack dances around with a little girl, this sweet little six or seven year old (Smalls) and Katherine asks if she can cut in. Jack promises Smalls that she’s still his best girl and teaches Katherine how to blend in when neither of them know the dance.

Eventually, after mingling a little, Katherine shows men what real pain feels like by going up on point completely barefoot.

They don’t see Oscar catching sight of them all.

Jack walks her back to her part of the ship and Katherine explains to her that everyone in her crowd are so small and Jack tells her she must’ve been mailed to the wrong address.

They see a shooting star. Jack tells Katherine that it’s a soul flying up to heaven.

He tells Katherine to make a wish.

She tells him it’s no use and leaves, though Jack doesn’t want her to.

The next morning, Morris goes off on Katherine, scolding her for behaving at that party as she did. He slaps her and leaves, knocking their breakfast onto the floor. Katherine tries to apologize to the maid and clean up, but the maid assures her it’s alright.

Later, Pulitzer demands Katherine never see Jack again reminding her once again that their money’s gone.

Jack tries to catch Katherine after church, but is sent away, though he tries to explain he was there last night and is a friend of Katherine.

Jack goes back to his friends who tell him to let it go. Race just wants him to remember where they stand in the food chain, but Jack doesn’t care.

He sneaks over to see Katherine anyway, stealing a coat and a hat to fit in and then grabbing Katherine's arm while she’s out for a walk and pulling her into an empty room.

He tells her he can’t leave her alone unless he knows she’ll be alright. So she assures him she will be and that it’s not his job to save her and he agrees, telling her that only she can do that.

She asks Jack to leave her alone and goes to rejoin her group.

Later she gets out of tea with her father by accidentally spilling some on herself and she finds Race who tells her that Jack is up at the front of the ship.

When she gets to him, Jack acts like nothing ever happening to begin with. He tells her to step up on the railing and close her eyes, promising that he’s got her. He wraps his arms around her waist and tells her to leg go and open her eyes, so she does.

She’s flying.

Jack holds her tight and let’s her fly. And he sings to her.

They stay there till the sunsets and then Jack and Katherine walk around the ship, just talking and having fun until Jack asks what’s up with her necklace and she tells him she wants him to draw her like one of his French girls wearing it.

And nothing else.

He just grins.

They run back to Katherine’s room and get to work after she pays him a dime for his work. She lays out on the couch and Jack admires her as he draws her perfectly. Katherine notes that he’s blushing and he just chuckles.

When he’s done, he dates and signs it and she puts the picture and her necklace in her safe with a note for Morris telling him that now he can keep them both locked in his safe  and just as she and Jack might move further into their romance, someone unlocks the door. Oscar.

Katherine and Jack are then on the run.

Jack doesn’t let go of Katherine’s hand the whole time.

Eventually, they end up down at the bottom of the ship in someone else’s car and they definitely have sex whole half the ship is up searching for Katherine. They don’t find her. At least, not for a while.

When Jack and Kath eventually make it back to the deck, they catch the attention of the lookouts who realize moments later the whole ship is headed straight towards an iceberg. Katherine promises Jack that she’ll be getting off the ship with him and they can run away together.

When the ship hits, Katherine and Jack were dancing under the stars. Jack has to pull Kath away to avoid getting hit by the ice.

Everyone thinks it’s just a close call.

Eventually, after realizing the damage is worse than they thought, Jack and Katherine go to see Pulitzer and Morris, hand in hand and prepared to come clean, only for Morris to insist that he’d been robbed as Oscar plants The Heart of the Ocean in Jack’s pocket.

Jack screams for Katherine to believe him as they drag him away, calling him a criminal and she can’t speak, not knowing what to do.

They take him down further beneath the ship and Oscar handcuffs him to some of the pipes. Jack knows he can’t get out.

When the ship starts sinking, he starts to panic.

Everyone in first class is told to get their life straps on and climb up to the deck. They do. Women and children are told to get on the lifeboats. Katherine recalls that there aren’t enough boats to get half the passengers off safety. Without thinking anymore, she goes to find Jack.

She runs into Hearst who tells her the ship’s going to sink and then tells her how to get to Jack.

When she finds Jack, Jack is alone, screaming for help because the water is rising and he can’t get out and he just doesn’t want to drown. He hears Katherine calling for him. She finds him and kisses him and tells him how sorry she is.

Then he tells her to get help because he needs the cuffs off. No one is willing to help them, so Katherine grabs an ax and runs back to Jack. After some not so promising test swings they manage to break the cuffs and run, finding their way to Race and Spot whoa really arguing with the man who has the entire lower class on the ship locked behind a gate, not allowing them to get to the surface.

Spot is trying to argue, saying there are women and children down here too but no one’s listening.

Morris goes back for the necklace which he puts in his pocket before trying to find a ship that will let him board. He bribes a crewman for passage on a lifeboat and is about to board the thing when Oscar tells him he found Katherine and she’s with Jack. Morris is torn, but rushes to find Katherine.

Jack and his friends try to find another way out, resorting to grabbing a small bench and ramming it into the locked doors and letting the lower class people out so they’d have a chance.

Jack tries to get Katherine on a boat, only convincing her when Morris finds them and helps Jack lie about having bribed someone on the other side of the ship after giving Katherine his coat. Jack goes along with it, trying to keep Katherine safe. But she jumps back on board after they begin to lower the boat.

He jumps, she jumps.

When Jack rushes down to her they run and Morris realizes he left the necklace in his coat which Katherine now wears. Morris sends Oscar after them with a gun.

Oscar tries to kill them. Eventually, Jack gets the upper hand. But Morris grabs the gun and chases them.

Jack and Katherine are forced to run down where they once again get trapped behind a gate. The man with the key to their release throws it into the water and Jack only manages to find the things and unlock the door just in the nick of time.

Race and Spot are trying to fight for their right to live with nervous security who end up accidentally shooting Spot. He dies in Race’s arms. Race takes his life vest and kisses him on the head as he goes.

Morris finds an abandoned child and uses her to get a seat on a lifeboat, abandoning Katherine and Jack and Oscar all at the same time.

Oscar jumps overboard and dies on impact. Race gets crushed by part of the ship. Hearst resigns himself to dying in the grand entrance of the first class cabins.

But Jack and Katherine keep going. Jack says they have to stay on the ship for as long as possible. So they do. He holds her hand the whole time.

The ship is sideways. They’ve climbed to the top and are on the other side of the railing. Katherine comments that this is where they first met and Jack kisses her deeply before explaining to her what they have to do once the ship goes under. Kick for the surface. Hold her breath and kick for the surface.

Katherine emerges but Jack doesn’t. Not right away. Someone grabs at her, nearly dragging her under until Jack finds her and fights the guy off, helping Katherine swim over to the wreckage and helping her up on a piece of the boat that’s still floating.

(Okay, look guys… they both could have survived that day, alright? But it makes for a much less dramatic ending and even though myth busters proved it could’ve worked, were sticking to the script here)

There’s only room for one of them.

So Jack floats beside her and holds her hand, shivering but talking nonetheless.

Jack tries to tell Katherine that the boats will come back for them, though they both know it’s a lie. Katherine tells Jack that she loves him and he tries to tell her not to say her goodbyes. But he ends up telling her he loves her too.

Jack makes Katherine promise him that she’ll survive. That she’ll grow old. That she’ll make it.

And she does.

He asks her to promise that she’ll never let him go.

And she does.

Hours later, Katherine is delirious. She’s still gripping at Jack’s freezing hand, laying on her back and watching the sky.

A shooting star crosses it.

That’s when she hears someone calling for survivors. She calls for Jack, telling him they’d made it. He doesn’t respond.

No matter how hopeless she was, she had made him a promise. Even though it pained her through and through, she did what she had to, turning to the boy… the man that her heart and soul would forever belong to, and telling him that she’d never let go, as she lets his body fall beneath the surface of the ocean. She sobs as she watches him go.

But she swims over to a dead body nearby, grabbing a whistle and blowing it as loud as she can.

And they come back for her.

In 1996, the entire crew is staring at her in shock, including Crutchie who has never heard this whole story. Katherine explains that she saw Morris one more time but did not make contact and last she heard, he’d taken his own life when the depression hit America.

After that, she’d lost Jack. she began to introduce herself as Katherine Kelly, believing Jack was now her guardian angel, which he was.

She made contact with Medda who grieved with her for a boy they’d never get to see again.

Katherine explains to Albert and his crew that Jack Kelly had no records. So no one knew he existed. He lived only in her memory until Medda had brought her a picture one day.

A sketch of one Jack Kelly, done by a professional.

Then, the old woman reaches into her purse, the one she’d always carried, and she pulls out an old piece of paper, showing her great grandson and Albert the smiling face of her guardian angel, the one that was watching over them at that very moment. She’d tell them that every time she felt an ocean breeze pass her by, she knew it was just Jack laughing.

Jack had saved her in every way a person could be saved.

Katherine went on to live a great life. She’d met her husband, Specs, she’d ridden a rollercoaster, a horse, she’d explored New York and even published a few articles herself. And all of it was because of Jack.

Crutchie takes Katherine back to her room that night.

And Katherine wakes up hours later, walking barefoot to the back of the ship, admiring a shiny blue necklace. The Heart of The Ocean. And then she drops it in, smoking as she watches it leave.

The next night, warm in her bed, Katherine’s heart gives out. Charlie watches a shooting star cross the sky.

Jack is waiting for Katherine when she opens her eyes. He’s waiting for her by the clock. And Katherine meets him right on time, suddenly seventeen again. Forever and eternity.

And she’s with Jack again.

And everything’s okay.

For more Mood Boards and AUs, check out my list

[irondadfics]

Have any AUs that you recommend?

There’s so many different types of AUs that it would be impossible to compile them into a single list. Perhaps one day we will make a part 2, but for now here are just a few we enjoy.

Platonic Soulmate AU

Born To Cherish by ironfamjam @ironfamjam

Everyone has two soul-mates whose thoughts are written on your hands. Your platonic soul mate on your right. Your romantic soul mate on your left. But Tony’s always known he’s impossible to love. He only gets one. Until Peter.

Everything, All At Once by ironfamjam @ironfamjam

Everyone has a soul-mate and when you fall asleep, you get to meet in your dreams. But there’s a catch. When you wake up, you can’t remember a single thing. Tony and Peter find each other again and again in a world made of dreams and memories and it doesn’t matter that Tony loves him more than he’s ever loved anything at all. No matter how hard he tries, when it truly matters, he doesn’t know Peter exists at all.

Chapter 5 of I wanna find a home (and I wanna share it with you) by madasthesea @madasthesea

Ok, this soulmate AU might be a bit confusing. Quick run down: you get your soulmark the first time you touch your soulmate. The mark is your soulmate’s name written in their handwriting in a color that reflects them. If they die, it goes white. If your soulmate touches your soulmark, you get a little happy feeling or something like that.

Historical AU

A Little Monument of Stones by YellowDistress @yellowdistress

Russia’s royal family has been executed. The little prince is presumed dead.That is until a boy is brought to Stark Manor, alive, thousands of miles away in rural England.

What Occurred In Raychester Castle by fictionart @fictionart24

Lord Anthony Stark is the Earl of Raychester castle. He inherited it from his father when he died, and soon he’ll be married to the lovely Lady Virginia Potts. His life the perfect example of Victorian values, everything was going the way it should have.Until one day, one of his lower servants worms his way into Tony’s heart, and introduces him to a world Tony knew was there, but had never seen, and challenges the very way he viewed the world.Yet, it doesn’t feel like such a mistake.— Or a historical AU of Tony Stark and Peter Parker set in 1890s fictional Britain, where Tony is an Earl and Peter is a lowly servant.Only a tiny bit inspired by Downton Abbey.

Only for a Little While by eccentric_artist_221b @eccentric-artist-221b

Exploring the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker if they had been passengers aboard the Titanic over 106 years ago…. an Irondad AU

Fairytale AU

A Tale As Old As Time by Buckets_Of_Stars, Femalemarvelfanatic @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars

A selfish man gets cursed into a metal suit, and only a little boy with a dark past and a heart of gold can break the curse. It’s a tale as old as time.

Have Patience, A Quick Wit, And A Gentle Heart by ironfamjam @ironfamjam

“I’m your fairy-” he scowled, looking pained, “you know what, no. I’m not going to say that. It’s ridiculous and not even accurate. I don’t know who invented those fairy tales you humans love so much, but they’re beyond terrible.“"Wait…” Peter tried to hide his grin, “Are you my fairy godmother?” he laughed, unable to stop no matter how hard he tried. The man glowered. “Watch it kid. I could turn you into a frog instead.” Or The Irondad Cinderella AU one person asked for

Mermaid AU

Sea Spider by Bean_reads_fanfic @the-reverse-mermaid

“Tell me I’m not the only one seeing this,” Tony prompts, gesturing to their catch.It’s a kid. A teenager, by the looks of him, no more than 15 or 16, with curling brown hair plastered over his forehead and eyes. He lays there prone on his side, covered in cuts- some shallow, some deep, all of them most likely caused by the barbs on the fishnet. Tony can just make out blood matted on the back of his head- he probably hit it on the side of the boat and got himself knocked out. Clinging to his torso is a soaked, faded t-shirt and below that… …below that, his lower body is a tail. A full-on fish tail.

Chapter 6 of an empire is nothing without its heir by Daydreamer5187 @day-dreamer176

The boy let out a terrified scream as he was yanked back, desperately trying to move a tail that wouldn’t move anymore. He’d never had his tail restrained before, it was terrible and it only added to the boy’s panic. “Mr.Stark!” Peter was being pulled away from his guardian too quickly, Mr.Stark wasn’t going to be able to catch him, but still he screamed for him. “Mr.Stark, please!” Tony was not going to lose his family all over again.

Under the Hudson by NanixErka

Tony Stark is a billionaire Superhero Peter is a scrappy little mer-kid And this story is how they became a family.

Movie/Book Inspired AU

I’ll Take You Under My Wing by agib, ShoyzzArt @agib-2002 @shoyzz-art

Obadiah and Howard let HYDRA test on Tony Stark as a child. Now he has wings.Many years later, HYDRA contacts them out of the blue, wanting Tony back.Being the good friend Rhodey is, he warns Tony and supports his choice to go off the grid.Tony’s not upset about going on the run, although nothing can prepare him for what HYDRA has created and experimented on for fourteen years…Or - The Maximum Ride AU that (I hope) people wanted…

ever in your favor by iron_spider @iron–spider

Peter startles awake when someone shakes him. “Sorry, honey,” May says. Peter blinks a couple times and she comes into focus, her hair pulled back from her face. She’s trying not to look a certain way, but he can see it in her eyes anyway. She clears her throat, keeps talking. “But it’s…” She glances away, wets her lips. “You gotta get ready.”He remembers what day it is, and his heart beats like a drum at someone’s execution. But he tries to put on a mask, make it all seem normal. It’s everything but, despite the fact that he’s been dealing with reaping day since he was born, between himself, Ben and May. That fear that one of them could be taken away. Sent to surefire slaughter. But now Ben is gone, taken despite never having his name drawn from a bowl, and May’s finally safe. Now Peter’s name is in there alone. The last Parker sitting on the chopping block. He doesn’t know how to be. He doesn’t know what normal is, when the Hunger Games are looming on the horizon.

The Will of the Force by madasthesea @madasthesea

Tony and Peter end up as mentor and mentee in a different universe. Or, should we say, Master and Padawan.

[batmansymbol]

@montpahrnah tagged me in a writing meme! thank you eve <3 i'm tagging @woodswit (i must catch up on the memes you did after hiatus aaaa) @ibuzoo @cocoartistwrites @devdevlin @mechanical-orange @provocative-envy​ and anyone else who would like to!!

ao3 name: speechwriter, after my favorite band in middle & high school, Speechwriters LLC. in this house we do not simply change our internet identities after fifteen years

fandoms: currently: harry potter! previously: angelic layer, cardcaptor sakura, avatar, and sherlock, before seasons 3 and 4 happened.

number of fics: 8 on ao3, 28 on ffnet. i’d like to migrate some old stuff to ao3, but i would want to edit most of it in transit, which would take ages!

fic i spent the most time on: hard to say -- i think probably have a nice day!, my corporate-espionage-but-set-in-high-school tomione fic... what a subgenre. tied for last is twice as long, but i worked on HaND for a couple years rather than drafting the entire thing in three insane months like TFL.

fic i spent the least amount of time on: common household poisons, which took maybe two hours

longest fic: tied for last (250k), but disappearances might wind up pushing that length!

shortest fic: a day in the life. folks, this is a Foxtrot fanfic from seventh grade. the internet houses many secrets

most hits: tied for last. ffnet doesn’t show hits, but as of this post, it has nearly 1.4 million. i might have talked about this here before, but it’s strange being 99% sure that something i wrote when i was sixteen (and which i have ... complicated feelings toward) is probably going to be the thing i write in my lifetime that’s the most read. i love that people have enjoyed it, but what a weird cocktail of emotions!

most kudos: the disappearances of draco malfoy. my baby

most comment threads: tied for last

most bookmarks: the disappearances of draco malfoy

total word count: 727,563

favorite fic i wrote: toxicology, definitely. it might be my favorite thing i’ve ever written. i spend a lot of time thinking, if i could just do this thing or that thing, i could have a stylistic breakthrough and write a whole piece in a way that i love ... i think toxicology is probably the only thing i’ve written where i feel like i actually made the breakthrough. but i’m still fond of unsinkable, my titanic tomione AU (more corporate espionage!), which i think has a good shape to it. and this untitled blaise zabini drabble is probably the oldest thing i’ve written that i have unmitigated positive feelings toward.

fic i want to rewrite/expand on: ad infinitum, which is this bonkers science-fantasy forward-in-time time-travel tomione AU that i stopped writing halfway through college. i still sort of love it, and i’ve had the remainder of the fic outlined for years, so maybe i’ll come back to it. tbh, i would love to rewrite/heavy-edit nearly all of my older fics... especially with tied for last and have a nice day, where i think that they’re fun concepts with decent bones impacted by the fact that i was a child, i’m like... this is wasteful, to let them sit there in their current state. but am i really going to rework a 250,000 word behemoth instead of working on a new story? doubtful.

share a bit of a wip or story idea you’re working on: i haven’t started the next chapter of Disappearances yet, so i have no fic excerpts to share! so lol um here’s a snippet from my 2021 book, Alone Out Here, which will be out next fall! it was pitched as Lord of the Flies in space, which is not inaccurate. the concept is that in 2072, the First Daughter and 53 other teenagers wind up on the only ship that escapes a dying earth, and must grapple with their own humanity as they try to build a functioning society aboard.

we haven’t done edits yet but here’s the first page of the manuscript as it is now

Before the announcements, we used to pose awful hypotheticals to each other. My friends and I were like that when we were fourteen: morbidly curious, or maybe just morbid. We huddled under blankets at night and murmured questions about scarcity and disaster. Which three things would you bring to your desert island? Which three people would you choose for your team in Armageddon? If you were about to be stranded in the wasteland, if all the movies came true, if everything went wrong, what would you save?

We never settled on answers. Lilly always fell asleep halfway through, and the next morning, Marcus would switch his choices back and forth, clarifying the rules of the universe over breakfast. “Is there internet in this wasteland?” he’d ask. “If I brought my headset, could I have unlimited games?”

Lilly would sigh and say, “God, Marcus, what sort of amateur apocalypse do you think this is?” and I’d laugh until I got hiccups.

Four years later, I remember those mornings with digital clarity. The cozy blear of them, the pikes of sunlight angling through Lilly’s kitchen window, the sweetness of 2% milk. I remember how unreal the idea of catastrophe felt. Maybe that’s what I’ll miss the most: the sense of security, so insulating that I could stare at the concept of total loss, as searing as the sun, without feeling like I was going blind.

It was like a drug, wasn’t it? The thrill of imagining danger, knowing you were safe?

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

The Chopped Madness Champion is….

@the-most-beautiful-broom​

the-most-beautiful-broom was a steady force in this competition, writing everything from a Canonverse Bellarke Robin Hood Fairy Tale AU to a Marper Titanic Angst AU (+ Marper Aeronauts Angst) to a Political Aassassins Memori Dystopia AU to a Zaven Spider-verse Superheroes AU to a Luna/Lincoln Mirror Universe Thriller AU and they were all FANTASTIC! That’s six (6!) fics and 31k words during the weeks of this competition! You deserve the title of CHOPPED MADNESS CHAMPION! Congratulations! Check out all her fics below:

Qualifying Round Fic: we'd up and fly (if there were wings for flying)

Mods’ Review: Robin Hood was such an awesome fairtytale to choose, we loved this fic! You were really able to bring us into the world of your story so well! Your description of Wells’ death was great, and it really helped bring us into that “robin hood medieval” world that this story needed! And, obviously, we LOVE wells, so this death was so rough, but so well done!! We really loved Villain Kane, the whole quarry/slavery/chancelor kane concept was so good and so well executed! We really loved the concept, with Bellamy as Robin Hood and Clarke as Maid Marion! It was so great, we need more!! Bellamy being so badass, and putting his name on the packages to make sure Kane knew it was him, was EXCELLENT! We love a Hero!Bellamy plot, but let’s be real here… who doesn’t! We also really loved your little hand washing tutorial, always important, but even more so now… your corona is showing ;)! Bellamy giving Clarke the ring that Wells gave him for her was so sweet! You always manage to bring in such soft, sweet character moments that really bring your stories so much life! This story had so much heart to it, and we loved every word! 

Round 1 Fic: Macushla & Both

Mods’ Review: The whole concept of the Macushla fic, the Titanic and the “road trip” being them on their life boat trying to escape, was so creative and exciting. You were able to really nail this setting and story, we loved this fic! Harper just absolutely murdering that journalist was such an awesome opening scene!! The set up of the sinking ship and her trying to find her way to a lifeboat was so good! We were on the edge of our seats, you really established the life or death nature of the situation really well! Also, we love the touch of Monroe being involved somehow! Harper trying so hard to get more people aboard their lifeboat was so harrowing and sad to watch, and it was a really nice touch to see her pushing the people onboard to do their part, and shaming them when they didn’t. It was a really nice character moment for Harper, and felt very true to who she is. Harper choosing to steer the ship was so good! It really added to the story to see how much she wanted to be a part of the effort to help in whatever way she could. She was a heroine we wanted to root for! You were really able to craft this story exceptionally well, and we loved reading it!

We also have to add your Aeronauts AU, Both, to this review! We can’t believe you wrote two fics this round and we’re sorry you couldn’t enter them both for the competition! But we are glad we get this fic in it’s entirety! It’s so beautifully written and a really great look at Harper and Monty. Going from Strangers to Lovers in a hot air balloon “road trip”, was mesmerizing. And it had just the right touch of angst that had us going back to read this fic over and over. Thanks so much for sharing it! 

Round 2 Fic: Good to be Back

Mods’ Review: Big fan of the opening, with the radio calls back and forth! It gave the audience the information we needed to get going with the story, while also adding some mystery and suspense as well! Murphy selling salt cubes, and using saltwater as currency, was so creative and fun! It was a nice touch of world building that really added depth to the story! Abby’s death leading to a political coup of some kind was such a great plot line, and it set up your fic so well! Assassins is always such an exciting plot! The “accidental death” assassination was so cool, it showed the expertise that Emori and Murphy have in their line of work, and it was a really cool scene. Hiding the syringe in a tampon wrapper? Genius!! Forced bed sharing to keep up with their married couple facade? Oh the angst! We love a good wake up scene, all sleepy and cute while they lovingly gaze at the other person, and this was no exception! You were able to add such a nice touch of romance and sweetness to a pretty gnarly story, well done! The Resistance pushing Murphy and Emori out after they did their dirty work for them is so good, it made the story feel even more real, and the stakes even more intense! The fact that the reaction to the death by the government was mass destruction was so unsettling but also so believable, you really created a very real dystopia that had us white knuckling it throughout the whole story! Loved that ending, of them planning to keep the work going, and try to save the world. Memori as sort of underground heroes is always a great storyline! This fic was so good! 

Round 3 Fic: Into the Blue

Mods’ Review: It’s amazing how you managed to capture the very essence of the Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse movie into your fic! Raven’s introduction to the Other Times Square (and to us) was the perfect setup! We became obsessed with all your character choices, too! Raven as Gwen, Miles/Zeke as Spider-man, Jordan as Miles, Octavia as Doc Ock!, Jasper as Prowler, Diyoza as Aunt May, Madi and her robot, Bellamy as Spidernoir and Murphy as Spider-Pig?! SO CREATIVE! The added layer of angst you weaved between these characters is something to behold. The simple glances between Zaven and lines like, “The universe gives her back her best friend for him to not know her, to be older and colder and to not know her. And then kills another version of him, just for fun.” Or “Who was your Jasper?” Raven had been alone in her world and you explored the found family trope so wonderfully in this fic. “It’s been so long since she let herself rely on others...a part of her wants to go back with each of them. She doesn’t do friends. This feels a little more like a family.” Cue the tears as they all said goodbye and Raven went into the blue!!!  And the final scene much later as she goes into yellow hinting at more for Zaven is just perfect. We enjoyed this fic so much!!!!

Round 4 Fic: we cross our bridges and burn them behind us

Mods’ Review: We love the idea of a Science Squad who are HELLBENT on proving the multiverse, it feels so true to the sci-fi thriller genre, to have a team of ‘good guys’ who make some discovery, and then have to deal with the repercussions. Also, such a nice touch, using Nadia’s last name for Luna. It’s a nice change from the ‘water’ based last names that Bailey is definitely guilty of lol. The escaped double is an excellent concept, and so very exciting! Honestly, HOLY SHIT. ALIE leveled midtown in like four hours?! That's Insane! You are always so deft at creating real tension within your stories, while still making sure they have real meaning and emotion behind them, and we love that you never pull your punches! “I don’t do teams” “wrong earth for that” FANTASTIC. It's like ‘you will join this found family and you will LIKE IT.’ And from Wells, our hearts! We always love any mention of Wells! We ALSO love a  suspenseful two hour countdown! Very ‘end of the world, 1 man can save us’, like one of those movies where Gerard Butler is somehow the only man who can save the President from certain doom, but obviously in a good way! Raven’s motivational hero speech being ‘nah it’ll be good as long as we get to it’ is so in character and hilarious, we loved it! Oh my god… Jasper’s death scene, Bailey literally had her mouth hanging open. We loved that you had Luna ask if he knew, and the weight of the realization that it was usually Luna, even if he didn’t say it. So much emotion happening in such an intense scene, so well done! The twist that she’s not actually Luna 47!!! SOO well done, we can’t deal! And it makes the scene a little earlier, where Lincoln said “thought it was you” make so much more sense! We were honestly BLOWN away by this fic, it was intense and exciting, heartfelt and sweet, full of deftly handled intense plots and really amazing character moments. This fic was definitely deserving of pushing you over the edge to become our Chopped Champion! 

———

Now that Chopped Madness is complete, all the fics written for Chopped Madness by all authors have been revealed and you can post about your fics! Don’t forget to tag us!

Our non-anonymous collection is still open for anyone who is interested in sharing fics they’ve written based on any of the Chopped Madness prompts! We’d love to see what you come up with, and we’ll happily share your work on our blog! The non-anon collection can be found here! To submit your fic to the collection, simply enter ‘chopped_non_anonymous’ as the name of the collection when uploading your fic!!!

Non-Anon AO3 Collection Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Chopped_Non_Anonymous

This is the end of Chopped Madness! Thanks so much to the 16+ authors who participated in this event, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!!

[theruinedand-lost]

Masterlist

Started: 12/18/2019

Last updated: 09/24/2020

Total works: 16

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Fix You (I_OfTheHawk)

Word count: 3,649, Summary:  All in all, Draco Malfoy is not adjusting after the war, but he’s trying his best. He’s made a friend in the most unlikely of place, and he has his mother. When a tragic accident happens Draco is pushed over the edge that he has been teetering on.

Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain (Faith Wood) 

Word count: 21,139, Summary: It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that's ever so cross.

The Light More Beautiful (firethesound) 

Word Count: 81,255, Summary:  Thirteen years after Draco accepts Potter's help escaping the horror of his sixth year, he returns to England where he makes the unfortunate discovery that Potter is still as obnoxious as ever. And worse, more than a decade overseas hasn't been enough to dim Draco's obsession with him.

Lord of the Rings

Gen/multi

Walking wounded (mirrordance)

Word count: 24,552, Summary: Danger does not stop for grief or injury. For Legolas, there is no rest, respite, or relief on the seemingly endless road between Moria and Lothlorien. He, with the Fellowship he has sworn to serve, has no choice but to move forward, hurting and heartbroken.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians 

Gen/multi

When the Smoke Cleared (Nilly’s Issue)

Word count: 5,877, Summary:  A semi-monster hunt goes wrong and Thalia is forced to deal with a concussed Percy. Along the way, she learns a few things. Set between Sea of Monsters and Titan's Curse. [Warning: very subtle Percabeth]

Stranger Things

Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove

Of fists and firsts (ohmybgosh)

Word count: 2,468, Summary:  Will witnesses a moment between Steve and Billy. 

Ocean Child (flippyspoon)

Word count: 4,528, Summary:  “I’m Steve’s friend,” Billy said, pulling out into the road. “I’m Billy.” 

“I’ve never met you,” Erica said, scowling. 

“Yeah well, we don’t travel in the same social circles.” Billy wanted a cigarette. 

“You look like a criminal,” Erica said. 

The Sound of Breathing (aerials)

Word count: 3,832, Summary:  Steve was someone Billy allowed into his head and in the long run his god damn heart. And Billy would swear that he didn't love, that he was incapable of feeling something that had never been expressed toward him, or even taught, but how could he ignore that sense of longing and the way Steve crowded his thoughts at 3am when he couldn't sleep. 

Billy Hargrove Sucks (flippyspoon)

Word count: 7,871, Summary: Hopper puts Steve in charge of sobering up a wasted Billy Hargrove one afternoon and suddenly things start to make sense. Until they really don't.

Star Trek

Jim Kirk/Leonard “Bones” McCoy

The inherent dangers of coffee dates (MourningElegance)

Word count: 2,476, Summary: Oh fuck, Jim thinks to himself, eyes widening with sudden realization. He eyes the coffee cup in his hand, noticing the telltale hives beginning to peek out from his shirt sleeves. Fucking allergies -- -Of course James Kirk would go into full blown anaphylaxis in a crowded Starbucks. Lucky for him, the cute stranger he just met seems to know an awful lot about medical emergencies...

Jim Kirk/Spock

The Gravity of Never Letting Go (notfreyja)

Word count: 20,230, Summary: After George dies and the Kelvin is destroyed, Winona is left out in the black with a newborn and a choice: go home, or run away from her problems. The consequence for her decision go beyond anything she could have imagined.

Accustomed to slightly lower then natural gravity aboard Federation vessels, an extended stay on Earth is a death sentence for Jim. But he's not going to let that stop him.

Mother, Why (iknewaman)

Word count: 5,892, Summary:  The amount of things Spock would put up with for his mother was disconcerting. Like partaking in a social engagement she had predetermined for him and an unknown potential romantic interest.

A blind date. Spock’s mother had set him up on a blind date.

Paper cuts (espressohno)

Word count: 20,439, Summary: It was just one big, happy, drunk (except for Jim), family. Which was an ironic statement, because their family consisted of a recovering alcoholic, a college student who could hardly speak English, a vandal with a Master’s degree, a business owner who should be a model, a Vulcan who makes coffee instead of algorithms, and a maintenance man with a Scottish accent whose name they had just learned an hour ago.But it felt like family, and it felt like Christmas, and it was the exact opposite of why Jim had started drinking in the first place.

The Mystery Lay (noodleinabarrel) 

Word count: 2,324, Summary:  After having the best lay of his life on the couch of the sleazy club he bartends at, Jim comes home starry-eyed. Bones, however, couldn't give a shit about his roommate's swooning. All he cares about is his half-made guacamole and the avocado Jim promised to buy, but conveniently lost when his mystery man accidentally stole his jacket.

Star Wars

Gen, Multi

Precipice (shadowsong26)

Word count: 211,814, Summary:  An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall.

Poe Dameron/Finn

Burnout (aslipperysloth) 

Word count: 6,262, Summary: Poe crash-lands and is trapped in his X-wing. Finn won't let him go out alone, of course. Not if he can help it.“Keep listening and talking, you’re doing really good.”

Young Justice/Batman (All types of Media) 

Gen/Multi

Stay with me (Cause you’re all I need) (I_OfTheHawk) 

Word count: 2,891, Summary: Pain.

Pain was the first thing he felt and suddenly he was aware of everything. Tim was leaning over him, hands covering something on his chest. He groaned. He tried looking around but everything was so heavy. The weight in his chest blossomed into something unbearable and he tried to grab Tim’s - no Red Robin’s - wrist and push it off. You’re hurting me

[mesothulass]

96 + 22

96 - Scars & 22 - Space AU I’m! Defaulting to Cywhirlgate! Since you didn’t specify the ship! (it was originally gonna be cygate but yikes)

Cyclonus the swash buckling space pirate! (this got long)

Ok no, he’s got an inflated sense of honor. But let’s twist that on its head - what if Cyclonus was pushed to piracy due to Scourge and Galvatron getting held hostage. I’d like to imagine Cyclonus was the most reasonable of the three of them, and that’s why it was him who was bargained with. So he’s still got his sense of honor, a set of rules he’s not allowed to break, and he’s a pirate.

What are these rules? First and foremost, he will not kill unnecessarily. He has to do one good thing, no matter how big or small, for each bad thing he does. No getting overcharged, no taking part in what he plunders, no rescue attempts rescue Scourge and Galvatron until he has everything he needs.

The Intergalactic Council has been after him for millions of years - as has Cybertron’s equivalent of Interpol. There haven’t been enough actual sightings of him to figure out where it is he refuels or who he works for (if he works for anyone). So Cyclonus just floats around and does what he has to to keep Galvatron and Scourge alive.

Enter a blue and white mech, a minibot  that makes Cyclonus want to - well, he doesn’t really know. Stop his unending mission to keep his oldest friend and lord alive? Abandon his rules? Not particularly. But he keeps showing up, first at that one robbery of Cybertron’s national bank, then as a cleaning bot when he stole an outrageously expensive painting, then as one of the mechs who see Cyclonus clean the slums of Kaon, then as one of the travelers on the spaceship he held hostage to barter a good sum of money from a politician nobody liked.

Whom the fuck? This is a minibot who definitely should not be showing up as many places as he is. Admittedly, Cyclonus has been seeing him on and off for a good couple million years, but he’s an old design. Has he been in Cyclonus’ vicinity this whole time?

Then comes their meeting - official meeting, with an introduction. Hot shot cop Rodimus Prime has finally caught the famous outlaw. He sets Cyclonus in a cell and stands off to the side to make a couple calls. Cyclonus is originally indifferent but the white and blue minibot is in the cell with him. Cyclonus is dying, just a bit. But the minibot lights up when he sees Cyclonus and bounces as close to him as his shackles allow.

“I’m Tailgate! Last time I saw you, you were helping rebuild Velocitron’s titan!” Is what he says and, despite hot shot cop Rodimus Prime’s continued pretense, what can Cyclonus do but introduce himself in kind? So they talk, and by that I mean Tailgate talks and Cyclonus listens with a mixture of confusion and utter horror at some of the stuff Tailgate says. The reason Tailgate is around so much? He has bad luck and bad taste in mechs. The people he hangs out with are the very same people Galvatron and Scourge’s captors want dead. 

Tailgate, after centuries of being abused by the Senate (“The would perform empurata on people who went against them so I never dared try - I don’t want to thank Primus for a revolution that killed millions, but… anyway, we’re free now.”), was a philanthropist of sorts. He might not have much money, but he was always down to travel somewhere for an outreach or goodwill mission, or maybe just to help other civilizations rebuild after natural disasters or to teach people to read and write. This has lead to many uncomfortable situations for him.

That aft backwards politician Cyclonus was sent to murder? Tailgate was one of his guards. The bounty hunter Cyclonus had to go ten rounds with in order to obtain some round trinket? Tailgate had saved his life and was cashing in a favor at the time. The reason he was in the cell? His friend, Nutjob (”That’s not his name, but he calls me shorty.”), had gotten into trouble with the law (”He’s always in trouble! Poor thing doesn’t know how to be a descent person like the rest of us. He’s really cute though.”) and Tailgate was just a case of wrong place wrong time.

It was intriguing.

Scourge’s and Galvatron’s captors had never said anything about companions, so Cyclonus breaks Tailgate and Nutjob (“I’m Whirl and if you think I can’t beat the crap out of you because you’ve got a big fancy sword, you’re mistaken.”) out of jail and takes them with him. Hot shot cop Rodimus Prime watches them go - he doesn’t try to stop them. Cyclonus is careful never to mention Tailgate and Whirl, paranoid for forever and a day. They grow closer during all the lawbreaking Cyclonus has to do and - and it’s nice.

Yes, they break his rules (“Haven’t you listened to a thing Shorty has said?! I’m made for violence! How can I not kill everyone here??”). Yes, they eat him out of spaceship and storage (“I’m sorry, Cyclonus, but no sane minibot can eat this little fuel and not go into permanent stasis-lock? How are you not dead? Do you have special internals? Are you undead?”). But it was nice to have them with him after his millions of years of loneliness.

And, in time, they become a sort of home. Somewhere safe to end the day. A pair of bots who want his time just to have it, to talk and relax, not to go out and pillage and destroy. They helped him win out against his fury and in turn he put his attention to helping them with what they needed. They made him a person again and he, because what else was he good at, made himself a wall against their fears and insecurities and self deprecation. They share their scars and help each other learn to move on, to learn from them, to become better people despite the trauma they’ve all been through.

And, when the time came to rescue Scourge and Galvatron, they were a big help. Whirl was just the kind of distraction Cyclonus and Tailgate needed to break in (“Come on you little freaks, it’s time to fucking party!”). While he exploded the front of the building, Tailgate hacked into the system (“I just have to plug in right into this terminal and… ooh! It’s so nice and organized! I used to have a friend who’d feel just like this during interface.”). He’d learned a lot through his many, many run-ins with Cyclonus and his travels and had picked up a few tricks. What he didn’t know, he generally knew how to bullshit.

Once they’d located Galvatron and Scourage, Cyclonus went on alone. Whirl pulled back, attacked a different part of the building, Tailgate was busy sending self destruct codes to every and any computer linked up to the system, and Cyclonus tore down whatever got in his way. And even now, Cyclonus doesn’t give up on his rules.

In the end, Galvatron hadn’t survived. He was hotheaded, uncontrollable, uncontainable (“You’re not so much a bodyguard as the mech who has to keep me in line. I’m going to try to murder the world. You’re going to have to stop me.”) . He’d tried to escape and they’d put him down as a result. Cyclonus could recognize, through the shock and the pain, that Galvatron had died like a warrior - fighting for freedom. But Scourge… Scourge had… his best friend…

(“I bid you stand in the glow of my spark so that you may feel the heat of my words and know them to be true. I invite you to receive my light and in so doing become my amica endura - from now until forever. Cyclonus, for your loyalty, your laughter, and your soul. As you are to me, may I be to you - today, tomorrow, and always.”

“Today, tomorrow, and always.”)

It was here that Cyclonus lost the carefully crafted control he’d worked so hard on. It was here that his rules lost meaning. It was here that he tore apart the entire building, it was here that he murdered every single person inside it, it was here that he fought and fought and fought until there was no one left to fight, until it was just Whirl carrying him to the ship (“You’re heavy, Little One. See, I can call you that too! Now, wake up and tell me off!”), just Tailgate standing watch (“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”), just Cyclonus’ memories looping through his mind (“Promise me no harm comes to them. Promise me they will be safe and well-fed. Promise me that, and I will do whatever you ask.”).

Hot shot cop Rodimus makes a reappearance, aboard the bulkiest ship Cyclonus has ever seen (“The Lost Light is a little beaten up, but she’s got quantum engines and the best damn crew an ex cop can ask for.”). He was making a safe haven, he said, for the wronged people society would never protect. For the lost. For the ones with nothing left. 

Tailgate is the one who said they would join (“You won’t regret taking us on, I promise.”) and Whirl is the one to ward off those who tried to pry (“I’ve got titty guns! Do you really think going up against me is a good idea? I’m unvincible!”). Cyclonus is the one who relearned his rules, born from love and acceptance instead of hate and fear.

(“You were by my side when I needed you. You have been beside me since we first met. You brought me back when I thought… when I thought the Afterspark would be better than suffering life. I owe you my life. But when I look at you, at either of you, my thoughts don’t go to that. They go to waking up together. To scaring some poor fool. To the two of you getting overcharged and getting called to pick you up. To seeing you happy and carefree. You’ve seen my scars and yet you still accept me for what I am; more than that, you care about and protect me despite them. What I’m trying to say - what I’m - I wanted to ask.

“Will you, both of you, be my conjunx endurae?”)