#mind you. this au is going to be very charles centric because he is my main guy

[nameification]

okay so in response to a comment by @waterfall8484 put into a separate post bc i have Thoughts

Hang on, trying again... The teammate/soul mate thing sounds like a really fun idea! Depending on driver vibes you could have non-teammate alliances like with Cleo and Scott, lone wolf drivers like Pearl... oooh, what would a 5am Oscar be like?? There was also the secret thing going on between Grian and BigB, and you have reluctant team/soul mates like Grian with Scar.

oh there will be a Lot of non-teammate alliances in this hypothetical double life. i have so many thoughts actually on how some of the teams would work. if i get any of the dynamics wrong do know that i have not watched double life since it first aired

ferrari [55&16] - i think they'd be similar to a joel and etho dynamic (tho i think they'd have the same kind of history as desert duo). one is obsessed with the other, they both are Not Normal about each other, they both would absolutely try to kill each other. the base is made of wood (the car is shit) but hey at least it looks pretty and is honestly pretty practical (they get a few wins in that thing). they die together in lava (taken by circumstances out of their control)

haas [27&20] - very similar to impulse and bdubs. insane about eachother. would murder everyone else whilst living the suburban family life

mclaren [4&81] - THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY SCOTT AND PEARL CODED...oscar going lone wolf YES

okay so for this one im thinking moreso for like. rancher duo as a basis for how they would work and imo this works for two diff teams. mercedes [44&63] OR williams [2&23] (yes logan. hold on a moment). they wanna just. raise livestock together and live peacefully on their side of the hill but no. they are doomed by the narrative. one is doomed to die first (and thus take the other with them) and the other is doomed to die a meaningless death. i feel like it could work with either merc or williams

now some non-team dynamics... ehehe

33&16 - i had to. I HAD TO. they absolutely meet with each other in secret and help each other more than their teammates. they think it's a secret but everyone knows

yknow how scott was always reaching out to jimmy. do you think george and alex did that to each other.

pierre and yuki are absolutely teaming

i can see lewis and fernando in like. a reluctant allyship sort of position? dont ask how they get there i just. see it

all for now i think...yeah this is about it for now. there is honestly so much material to work with. if/when i write the fic for this im gonna upload the chapters every tuesday bc thats when they used to upload each pov

[blacksails-rarepairs]

black sails rarepair week 2024: the week in review

a brief overview of the fics and art posted for rarepair week! there's a delightful array of work here--modern AUs and canonverse, comfort reads and belligerent sexual tension, repression and introspection, gen and queerplatonic and romantic and unrequited affections.

the event is now closed, but the fics & art posted as part of it can be read and appreciated at any time! comments, kudos, reblogs, etc. are highly encouraged!

huge thanks & all my gratitude to everyone who participated--it has been my honor to serve as your host <3

now: the rarepairs!

an introduction by Benja

rated T. Flint & Gates.

fascinating portrayal of Flint's early days as Flint in Nassau, from Gates's POV, with super sharp dialogue

The creation of Captain Flint, from Gates' perspective.

this is what you do at parties (right?) by sunset_waltz (@thenobleprincess)

rated T. Abigail Ashe/Idelle.

new college student Abigail meets-extremely-cute with local bartender Idelle. (nb: sunset_waltz's fics listed here are all set in the same modern & very queer/trans AU!)

Abigail is new in town, and Idelle is too pretty.

let me get this straight by ElectricKettle

rated M. Flint/Gates.

i'm nominating this fic for most apt use of the ao3 tag "Belligerent Sexual Tension" SERIOUSLY oooooough

Hal Gates is a man of moderation. He is not prone to impulse or hotheadedness. So why is it that this all goes out the window when it comes to a man named Flint?

i think it's magic (and i hope you'll agree) by sunset_waltz (@thenobleprincess)

rated T. Miranda Barlow/Madi.

meet!! cute!!! SO much chemistry

Miranda is Abigail's mom. Madi is her teacher.

a love lost or false by @van1lla-v1lla1n

rated T. Billy Bones/Charles Vane.

Jack Rackham reminiscing on the golden days and spinning tall tales about the love life of his buddy Charles Vane (rip).

I met Jack Rackham at a tavern once, long after the golden age of our kind, and he spun me a tale of a love lost or false, I knew not which, and I know not still to this day.

unspoken words (are preferred) by sunset_waltz (@thenobleprincess)

rated M. Bonny/Rackham/Vane but super multiship!

another installment in the author's rarepair-centric modern au, with so many fascinating poly character dynamics

Charles fucks up, and apologizing is hard.

post-XXVII by @kairennart

Flint/Vane art!!!!!! SUCH beautiful colors, amazing lovely expressions, have i mentioned that i'm in love with Flint's freckles BECAUSE. just go look at it <333

by the way (i forgive you) by sunset_waltz (@thenobleprincess)

rated M. Flint/Madi, Flint/Madi/Silver.

(modern au) Silver disappears, and Flint and Madi find each other as they grieve in his absence. & as if that weren't an amazing enough premise: BONUS OT3 AT THE END

After John Silver vanishes, Madi and Flint are left to their own devices--until he comes back.

under the stars and the sky by Veridissima (@thestagthatlovedthewolf)

rated T. Miranda Barlow & John Silver.

a very quiet and comforting middle-of-the-night Miranda-Silver interaction, with background Miranda/Flint/Hamilton/Madi/Silver. super compelling miranda-silver queerplatonic relationship

Miranda hears Silver walking past her bedroom door, and she can't help but follow him outside.

the unnoticed bulge by BilliesBud

rated M. Billy Bones/Charles Vane.

my wife's first fanfiction :''''''') a very tongue-in-cheek portrayal of a deeply repressed Charles Vane confused about why he's thirsting after Billy Bones

Billy living rent-free in Charles' head.

five times Howell was too blind to see what is right in front of him + the one time he wasn't by tahiri_veila (@twopointsinspace)

rated E. De Groot/Dr. Howell + unrequited Howell/Flint.

absolutely masterful portrayal of Howell's unrequited affection for Flint shifting to a requited friends-to-lovers situation with De Groot. (with bonus background silverflint)

"Welcome aboard." De Groot lowers his voice to a near-whisper. "Don't mind the captain's disgruntled mood. He may be a capricious bastard, but he's damn good at his job. The best, I'd say. You get used to his ways."

pourparler by @van1lla-v1lla1n

rated T. Max/Marion Guthrie.

i'll be honest this was mainly me thirsting after Harriet Walter. but don't you want to know what all those meetings between Max and Marion Guthrie were like! this is that.

Max meets with Marion Guthrie for initial negotiations.

joy, and music, and peace by Benja

unrated. Eme/Madi.

ough be still my heart this one is SO sleepy-sweet--literally sleepy like Madi and Eme have a cozy little rest together, a lovely moment of safety and security.

A moment of rest.

[bisexual-magneto]

I know this is ur anti Tony blog, but I saw that u are an x-men fan! I'm kinda new to x-men since I've only seen the new movies but I was wondering if u had fav x-men fics? I don't really have much preference with type of genre or whatnot as long as it doesn't have r*pe or non-con or dub-con or that a/b/o stuff. You don't have to answer this if you don't want or don't have the time btw! (Also I was thinking of trying to read the x-men comics but western comics are so complicated to start/read)

Hi! I’m sorry this took so long to answer, but I definitely love talking about the x-men or give recs, don’t worry. These are just some that came to my mind and were pretty early on in my long list of bookmarks. If you ever look for some specific genre or pairing whatever, feel free to ask again but I hope this gives you something to read so far: 

One of my favourites is The Building of the House which is very Quicksilver and Magneto centric and I really love the writing and the characterisation so huge rec! Another one much like (and very unlike) it is Father’s and Sons with a more humoristic take on the paternity reveal

This is just a oneshot about Erik and his PTSD - but it shaped a really strong headcanon of mine when I first got into the fandom so I’m going to rec Chocolate as well. Same with Ignite your Bones which delves a little into Erik’s experiences with solitary confinement which I have a lot of thoughts about

As for some AUs, I really have a dark fascination for the Searchlight universe (no non-con of any kind, but it’s about a world where mutants are either killed or experimented upon and it’s rather dark so cw for that) it started with a letter-fic called Searchlight that I think was first published on LifeJournal? Not sure, but I found it on ao3 so I might be wrong: Searchlight, and it was continued as normal third person fic in Methods of Deduction. They can stand alone, but I love reading them as two sides of the same coin. I even considered adding a little to that universe myself, but I don’t have that many good ideas

Another one of my favourites is The Boy With The Heart On His Sleeve - I was actually really hesitant about the idea (Erik is a tattoo artist, Raven works with him and wins a bet against he brother Charles who is very much against tattoos and now has to get one) because tattoos are such a big no for Erik in canon, but I personally liked how his relationship with the matter is addressed in the fic and it actually makes a point to portray Erik as a Jewish character so that’s a plus in my books

Another complete long fic Anarchy in the Uk: I read this one ages ago but I really liked it (Yahtzee’s stuff is generally all worth checking out). It’s about Charles as the Prince of Wales who’s gay but afraid to come out and he accidentally sleeps with Erik (who’s a journalist) and he’s worried that Erik might out him - who in turn is really offended because he wouldn’t do shit like that. Another, darker AU from the same author: In Shadow and Silence which also deals with human experimentation

This is a funnier one where Charles and Erik are popular mutant rights activists: For the Record

[veliseraptor]

Your fic recs are always super good, so I was wondering if you could rec some long, plotty and just /good/ ones that are Loki centric? Some emotional angst and plot twists are always a bonus. *Gives a thousand cookies and loves*

Oooh, this is a good one. 

I love plotless whump fic and fic that’s basically 500% emotions with very little “plot” but I do also love a good, long, crunchy plot fic. (Though sometimes “plot fic” mostly means “processing emotions” fic. Which is great, I love that.) 

For this list I made a couple executive decisions: 1) no unfinished fic and 2) only things over 30,000 words. This means a lot of things I really like juuuust slipped under the wire or else aren’t done yet and so aren’t on this list - but that was mostly to keep it manageable for me. 

No Such Liberty by xParrot

Okay, I know I recommend this and the next one every time, but you asked for long, emotional angst, and plot twists and this is one of the best of that genre in the entire fandom. Loki comes back to Asgard after The Avengers, but his plotting isn’t done yet.

Bargaining by Proantagonist

Time travel! Family dysfunction! All the angst that you can handle and possibly more! (Seriously, bring a box of tissues.) This fic is a masterwork. Thor dies, and Loki goes back to change the past. A long way back. This time, he’s going to do it right.

The Unwinding of Loki by dvs

This one has Thor/Loki in it but I’m reccing it mostly because of the Steve and Loki relationship. Loki (pre-Thor) freaks out about his future and flees to Earth, where he gets tangled up in some truly dark magic of his own making. 

Silvertongue by Epiphanyx7

I recommended this one a while ago as a heart-wrenching fic that’s long been a favorite. Loki realizes that Thor will always try to save him, no matter what. This is actually kind of a problem. Featuring a delightfully twisty Loki playing a long game. 

What Once Was Lost Returned by DemonQueen666

On Jotunheim, one of the Frost Giants recognizes Loki, and they demand that he be returned. A lot of Jotunheim worldbuilding and mostly about Loki having to come to terms with his heritage.

Understanding the Storm by Lizardbeth

A nice, long AU series with a whole bunch of angst, Understanding the Storm is an AU from the end of The Avengers that ends up exploring a lot of territory over the various installments. Features a particularly delightful Frigga throughout, but everyone is very well done. 

Darkness, flooded in light by galaxysoup

For everyone who loves the “Loki is an old lady magnet” headcanon: read this one. Loki falls to Earth and ends up in a small town living an ordinary life. 

A Villain State of Mind by Mikkeneko

This one is part of a series but I think the first one might be my favorite - in order to deal with a Loki who somehow ended up not returning with Thor (despite trying), Fury turns to a powerful telepath to get the truth out of him. That telepath being Charles Xavier. 

Godchild by griseldajane

After another battle, Loki finds a child Thor and takes him under his wing. That’s basically the plot, but it’s every bit as delightful as you’d imagine it to be. And also full of feelings.

Nuances by FelicityGS

One of my all time favorite Natasha/Loki fics, featuring a whole bunch of relationship negotiation and forced cohabitation and just…a lot of really nuanced and excellent characterization. (Nuanced, haha.) It’s just very good stuff. Also nonsexual BDSM, which is great, and some exploration of alien biology (specifically Jotun biology) which is also great.

Rearrange by TheGreatCatsby

Loki’s punishment after The Avengers is to be cast back down to Earth with a spell on him that erases pieces of his memory every time he uses magic. It’s an innovative concept and it’s very well executed here.

Rise From Ash by Mikkeneko

I haven’t reread this fic lately because I’m kind of scared to. I remember it being analogous to, like, six punches in the feelings. It’s a time loop fic with Loki trying to save the world, and that’s about all I want to say about it without giving the ending away. 

Man, now I want to reread but I’m not sure I’m emotionally prepared for that.

Out of the Mouths of Babes / The March of the Damned by Rynfinity 

This one is Thor/Loki, which I don’t read a lot of, and a modern/human AU, which I also don’t read a lot of - but damn it’s really good. It’s also really intense - heavy content warnings for…a lot of things. The first one (Babes) is Thor POV; Damned is Loki POV. I recommend reading both. 

The Many Doors of Niu Heimar by nixajane

An AU of the beginning of Thor where Loki almost dies on Jotunheim and Odin reveals to him afterwards that he’s a Frost Giant. They go to Earth and team up with the Avengers there. It’s Steve/Loki (but pretty slow burn) and is nice and long and plotty, with a killer last few chapters.

Jacob and Esau say their goodbyes by Lady Charity

This one isn’t so plotty but it is definitely “emotional angst.” Loki shouldn’t have survived his “death” on Svartalfheim. In the end, he won’t. (Yeah, cw on this one for hella character death.)

Though she may forget by Lady Charity

Another one that involves Loki going to Jotunheim and reckoning with his heritage, and like all of Lady Charity’s fic it’s beautifully written and just truly excellent work. 

The Hangman’s Hands by Mercurie

This fic is inteeeense. I actually haven’t reread the whole thing in a while, but I do go back every so often to reread favorite scenes. It’s Jane/Loki but that takes a long time to build, and doesn’t erase Jane/Thor which I appreciate. The last three chapters might kill you, though. They kind of killed me. 

Ask Me No Questions by Alex51234

Loki is brought back to Earth with a spell that compels him to tell the truth. Loki telling the truth is often not a very good thing. Also features Loki developing a weird friendship with JARVIS, which is pretty legit, and some excellent Bruce and Loki interaction.

Just Let Me Go by JaggedCliffs

This one’s an AU where Odin dies while Loki is on the throne and the illusion keeping him looking Aesir drops - leaving it looking like a Frost Giant somehow having snuck into Asgard and taking the throne and Loki’s place. There’s some pretty intense torture in this one, and a follow up fic that’s still in progress, and it’s all delightfully whumpy and painful.

AND A RANDOM COMICSVERSE REC

Words Will Never Hurt Me by Mythtaken Identity

This one is based on Journey Into Mystery and Agent of Asgard - which if you haven’t read, you really should, but it is comicsverse and may not make a lot of sense without that background. But you wanted angst and plot twists and this fic sure does deliver on both.