#onyxsboxes

[amiserableseriesofevents]

What about 'soft and sweet' for the random kiss prompts? 🥰🤗

warm, soft and sweet, a little clumsy, soft giggles, melting, sugary, love

Hi there ♥️ here we go!

A soft little drabble set in the Such Stuff verse to celebrate the end of the main story 🥰✨

The colorful Christmas lights hung outside the pub paint the sidewalk in soft, flickering hues. It didn't snow yet this year but there's the heavy smell of it in the air, the night sky verging on that weird shade of grey that usually welcomes a storm of white flakes. John knows that sky very well, it used to be like that every winter in Manitowoc when he was a kid; it'll start snowing before Buck's birthday ends, he knows it.

Standing on the sidewalk, he's enjoying the one and only cigarette he's allowed himself to have throughout the whole holidays while Buck is inside with all their friends, celebrating his 29th birthday with a karaoke night and many, many rounds of drinks. John'll have to get back inside soon, Marge's waiting for him to perform one of their duets and he's already missing Buck despite having spent every single minute of the past four days together. So he flicks the cigarette to the ground, the cherry-red tip glowing for a moment on the dark pavement before he puts it off with his foot, and then steps back into the pub.

The music is loud and the air heavy and hot, a blessing on his cold-bitten cheeks. He starts to shrug his sheepskin off as he walks to their table, somehow always the loudest and rowdiest in the place, but when Buck catches sight of him he stands abruptly and cuts through the crowd to get to him. It worries John a little — did any of the guys say something bad to him? Did his parents tried to contact him since it's his birthday? Is he having some kind of crisis?

“You're back!” Buck tells him once he reaches him, throwing his arms around John's neck like he hasn't seen him in weeks. John returns the hug, confused. “I've been outside for ten minutes, Buck. Did you really miss me that much?” He asks him, tenderness in his voice.

Buck pulls back to look at him, his eyes wide and shiny in the soft light of the pub. “Of course I did,” he answers, tone serious like when he tries to explain calculus to John but with a slanted smile on his face. “I always miss you when you're not here,” he adds and goes for a kiss, somehow missing half of John's mouth and ending up crushing his mouth against John's upper lip and his nose.

John laughs and repositions him, kissing him softly on the lips; suddenly, the reason behind Buck's weird behavior is clear as day.

“Buck. Are you drunk?” John asks, lips curling up in amusement. Stubborn as ever, even with the heady smell of liquor in his breath, Buck shakes his head.

“Yes you are!”

“M'not,” Buck protests feigning a serious expression, but his credibility dissolves in a fit of giggles. “Benny bought me one drink. Can't be drunk on one drink,” he adds with conviction, and leans forward for another kiss — his lips are unbelievably soft and plushy, even in the middle of winter and with him biking his way around town every day.

“Was it a girly drink?” John enquires licking his lips after the kiss and tasting sugar, the only thing that makes a drink bearable for Buck. The other nods conspiratorially, running a hand up and down the front of John's newest winter jacket. “This is hideous,” he declares.

John starts laughing. “You got it for me, Buck.”

“I know,” Buck says, half annoyed. “Because you kept riding around on Our Baby in your leather jacket. You need to stay warm even when I'm not there.”

“Oh? Do you want to keep me warm instead?” John asks, amused at following his drunk boyfriend's stream of thoughts. Buck nods, a happy little smile on his face, and hugs him again, this time even tighter and nuzzling his face in the curve of John's neck; John's starting to sweat, between the sheepskin and Buck's warmth and the thick air of the pub, but he lets the hug last as long as Buck wants, content with pressing little kisses to the side of his head, melting in the embrace.

Outside, slow and silent, it's starting to snow.

[alienoresimagines]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

Oh, thank you 🥹❤️ and thank you to @c-goldthorn too ❤️

Drag Me Under (also on AO3)

Gale fell asleep on the couch, leaving it up to Bucky to get him to bed without waking him. He has feelings about it all. Mostly, he's in love.

My first MOTA fic and my first fic after 2-3 years of not writing anything 🥹 It's the fic that reminded me how fun it was to write and how much I used to love it. It's the fic that screamed "hey! you still love writing!" at me, and I could never be more grateful 🥹❤️

Also who doesn't love a soft Bucky carrying a sleeping Buck to bed?

Gale And His feelings for Bucky, in four Acts (only on AO3)

Gale's journey from realizing his feelings for Bucky to realizing Bucky feels the same towards him.

I had such a blast writing this!! It was so much fun to explore Buck's pining and his obliviousness at Bucky's pining, I think it's the fic I've always wanted to write when I watched MOTA lmao, I wish I'd written some more scenes for it, developed it a bit more, but that will go in another fic 🥰

And so the weed of sorrow springs at the four cross ways (only on AO3)

Neil and his wife never had children, and yet, he realizes as he watches Bucky’s bottom lip tremble and feels the lump in his throat growing in answer, he’s already familiar with the grief of a father.

-

Still reeling from losing Buck on the Bremen mission, Chick tries his hardest to keep his boys together, especially Bucky. But an overheard confession that could get the other man sent home with a blue ticket forces him to make a decision that could change the outcome of the Münster mission and drastically change Buck and Bucky's fate.

This one is my baby 🥹 I spent so long trying to find Chick's voice and I like how it came out. It was a bit of a struggle to reconcile Man Raised in the 1910s with what I wanted from him but I think I managed. Also, I have such a soft spot for Chick and his relationships with the Buckies and the boys under his command that this fic is really special to me. Write what you want to read and this is the fic I've been wanting to read for weeks before writing it so 🥰🥰

Every inch of your skin is a Holy Grail I've got to find (only on AO3)

Kissing John might be one of Gale's favorite things in the world, but right now, there's nothing he desires more than to watch the other come undone beneath him. His left hand leaves dark curls to brace on one broad shoulder, giving him leverage to sit back up, even though he can't help but crane his neck to steal quick kisses. John starts leaning up on his elbows to chase him, and even if it makes something swell in his chest, Gale stops him with a hand on the valley of his chest, fingers tangling lightly on the dust of hair there to push him back down gently but firmly.

"Don't," the word comes out as a rasp, arousal making his head swim as he straightens up. Beneath him, John whines pitifully, the sound high in his throat but he flops back down obediently, looking up at Gale with half-lidded eyes, chest heaving.

This one is very special to me because it is my first smut fic ever! I don't know if I've done it well lmao but it definitely was a relief to get past the mental block and try my hand at it. Also, it's the first fic set in my Vampire AU, which is very special to me, and I like how I sprinkled it all with a bit of lore and stuff that callbacks to it without it overpowering the smut. Also I live for Gale calling John a good boy and the power balance of John being the vampire but surrendering fully to Gale 🥹

S'Cute (also on AO3)

Gale is already looking at him, eyes bright and fond and loving, the golden light of the pub shining in his hair and creating perfect shadows on an already perfect face.

He's cute.

Gale's eyes widen a bit, a blush immediately finding its way onto his cheeks, and it's only then John realizes he’d spoken out loud. Alcohol made the words slur a bit in his mouth, coming out more as "S'cute" than an appropriate sentence but still Gale heard him. Now ducking his head shyly, a small pleased smile on his face, golden hair perfectly styled making him glow among the rest of them, he looks so sweet and handsome, and he's all Bucky's to love.

So very special to me that Callum actually chose to say "s'cute" before grabbing Gale's chin in part2 and they decided to keep this take, I had to write something and I'm still overwhelmed by emotions whenever I think about this moment. The implications of it, Gale's flustered face, John's love shining so bright on his face... I fear I will never recover, and it makes the entire "I will be your best man" so so much more painful

[honestlydarkprincess]

Blue for the fanfiction Work-In-Progress guessing game 🙂

Eddie knew he should have called. He knew that. Showing up out of the blue wasn’t completely unusual for him and Buck but more often than not they had some idea that the other was coming over.

send me a word and if it's in one of my wips i'll give you the sentence(s) it appears in

[antiquitea]

Hi, What about "21. Which storyline did you enjoy the most?" for Masters of the Air Asks? 😊

in a completely predictable manner, i "enjoyed" (perhaps the wrong word) bucky's very bad not so good day in episode six. just the absolute roller coaster of him getting captured, breaking free, getting captured again, reuniting with buck, etc.

[buckysteveloki-me]

🎶 🏅 When you get this, list 5 songs you like to listen that give you Olympic Games vibes and publish them. Then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🏅 🎶 make sure to tag @onyxsboxes

Runnin' - Adam Lambert

Hear Me Now - Bad Wolves

The Champion - Carrie Underwood/Ludacris

Impossible - James Arthur

Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas

[heretoobsessstuff]

Last line tag

Ahhhhh im so happy u tagged me @valstarsandgalaxies thank u so muchhhh 🥹🫶🏻

Here’s a little piece of the “babe can I call?” WIP i wrote recently (a 5+1 fic, 5 times John call Gale in the middle of the night and one time Gale does instead!)

“Gale,” he breathes, relief flooding him at the sound of that familiar voice. He hears Gale shuffle before he speaks again.

“John? Is that you?”

John took a shaky breath, trying to drown in that voice, willing it to pull the fear from his body. His hand shook as he gripped the phone like a lifeline.

“Are you drunk again?” Gale sighed, his voice heavy with sleep. John felt floaty, dread sitting at the pit of his stomach as he tried to calm his breathing. He felt desperate to make sure Gale is okay. That he’s alive. That he’s still here. He jumped to answer.

“No—not drunk. Gale, I—”

“John? What’s the matter? Where are you?” Gale interrupts, urgency threading through his words.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

“Nothing. I’m home. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have called.”

“Are you okay? You’re kinda freakin’ me out right now.”

Gale sounded concerned—panicked, even, his voice rising in pitch. John took another deep breath, fighting to steady himself.

“I just-just need to hear your voice.”

His eyes burnt with tears, so he closed them, feeling the weight of the night press down on him.

“Did something happen?” Gale’s worry is palpable, and John shook his head even though Gale couldn’t see him, exhaling deeply as the lump in his throat threatened to choke him.

“No. Just wanted to know-needed to know you’re there.” The words were finally out and he felt his stomach clench with anxiety. As if he was expecting Gale to say he wasn’t okay and that he was dead and that these past months of leaving England and flying back home were all a dream. That Bucky was still in Stalag, without Gale, counting the days until something happened and ridded him of this misery-

“I’m here, John,” Gale says softly, voice gentle, cutting through the chaos like a knife.

“You’re okay,” John says shakily.

“Yeah, I’m all in one piece.” A pause. “As okay as I ever was, Bucky.”

Ahhhhh this is going slow but im rlly excited to share snippets 🤭 absolutely no pressure tagging @amiserableseriesofevents @happy-days19 @onyxsboxes @joeyalohadream i’m rlly sorry if you’ve done it already ❤️❤️

[ktredshoes]

HBO War Fanfiction Stats

Let me start by saying that I am not in any sense criticizing anybody's taste in HBO War relationships. In my opinion, any well-written fanfic, regardless of ship, is worthy. Heck, any fanfic is worthy — it takes a special type of creative courage to write and share a fanfiction story so that others might appreciate what you see in characters you love. So, that's the first thing.

Buckle up, I get wordy. More under the cut.

Tagging a handful of folks who showed interest in my decidedly unscientific findings: @onyxsboxes @jesslovesboats @itstheheebiejeebies @onekisstotakewithme @sparkling-strychnine

Trying something here: @meyerlansky @anachilles @astolovewithallmyheart @dano-png

I started down this fanfiction stat rabbit hole about four years ago when I started looking at The Pacific tags on Archive of Our Own (AO3). I was trying to figure out if it was just my imagination or not that everything other than Sledgefu in TP fanfic felt like a rarepair. I was not surprised to find statistical backup for what anecdotally felt true.

I love all the HBO War series — and for the record, I consider Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Generation Kill, and Masters of the Air to all be part of this fandom community. I won't get into trying to rank them or make the case that one is better than another — they are all related in being stories of men at war, and three specifically stories of men at war during World War II — but direct comparisons, in my opinion, are apples to oranges to prosciutto to tiramisu. They all have different raison d'etres. So that's the second thing.

(I will admit to a particular soft spot for The Pacific as the overlooked "younger brother" to Band of Brothers, precisely because of the tendency of some to negatively compare it to BoB. TP was never intended to be "part two" of Band of Brothers — I was listening recently to a podcast with Tony To, an executive producer of both shows, who asserted that BoB was, yes, about the brotherhood of war, but TP was about the cost of war. )

Anyway.

A couple of days ago, I saw someone post about the fact that the Cleven/Egan ship in Masters of the Air was about to hit 1,000 stories on AO3 — and since I knew that the total number of stories was only about 1,400ish, I figured it was time to take a look at MotA stats too. And that led to looking at GK stats and BoB stats and once I finished, I was really struck by what I saw.

I have a whole spreadsheet looking at the four shows, with breakdowns by relationship and character, with percentages of total stories. (I've posted some graphics from those spreadsheets below, not to worry.)

So what did I learn?

The Pacific and Masters of the Air both are overwhelmingly dominated by a single ship — Sledgefu in the case of TP and Clegan in the case of MotA.

As of August 10, 2024, there were 1,500 stories on AO3 tagged for The Pacific, and 1,485 tagged for Masters of the Air. Sledgefu features in 884 of TP stories, which is 58.93% of the total.

You might think that's an astounding total — but Clegan features in an astonishing 986 of MotA stories, or 66.4% of all stories. The falloff in the next highest ship in each fandom is precipitous: Hilldane in 14% of TP stories (210), and Crubbles in 8.82% of MotA stories (131).

If you are a fan of any ship aside from the most popular pairing in these two fandoms, that has got to be terribly discouraging. You wouldn't think the dropoff would be so high if you're at all active in the HBO War fandom on Tumblr, based on what's posted on a daily basis, but if your entry to HBO War fanfic is solely on AO3, what would you think?

I will once again state that I'm making no judgement on anybody's favorite pairing — I'm making a case on behalf of all the other ships. I'll also note that there are many, many fics posted to Tumblr that never make it to AO3, and I would very much encourage those authors to please please please consider posting your stories to AO3! (If you don't have an account on AO3, it currently takes about 10 days from requesting an invitation to receiving it, which is not that long in the scheme of things.)

The popularity of TP and MotA characters in these stories shows a similar disparity between the most popular and everybody else. In The Pacific, Snafu features in 63.53% of AO3 stories (953) and Sledge in 62.6% (939). No one else is as high as even 20% -- Burgie is in 17.2% (258) and Ack Ack is in 15.6% (234) and Hillbilly in 14.73% (221). The other two ostensibly lead characters in TP are Bob Leckie (12.53% or 188 stories) and John Basilone (1.67% or 25). I find that just shocking.

MotA is both better and worse. There are 10 characters who appear in 10% or better of posted stories on AO3 — but the dropoff from most popular to next highest is even more dramatic. Bucky Egan features in 77.9% of stories (1,157) and Buck Cleven in 74.28% (1,103). The next highest is not, as you might think, Harry Crosby or Rosie Rosenthal, the other featured lead characters in the series. It's Curt Biddick, who is in 25.19% of stories (374), followed by Croz in 23.7% (352). Next is Rosie, who is tied with John Brady — both in 16.9% or 251 stories. What a steep drop!

But, hey, at least there are a baker's dozen plus one of characters who feature in at least 100 MotA stories:

Egan: 1,157 stories (77.91%)

Cleven: 1,103 (74.28%)

Biddick: 374 (25.19%)

Crosby: 352 (23.7%)

Brady: 251 (16.9%)

Rosenthal: 251 (16.9%)

DeMarco: 243 (16.36%)

Payne: 225 (15.15%)

Lemmons: 181 (12.19%)

Hamilton: 167 (11.25%)

Marge Spencer: 146 (9.83%)

Douglass: 139 (9.36%)

Kidd: 130 (8.75%)

Blakely: 111 (7.47%)

After 14 years, will TP ever develop more diversity on AO3? Probably doubtful — though since I first checked the stats in 2020, Hilldane has gained 2%, so there's slow change but some change. Eight months in since the birth of the MotA fandom, and Clegan, and by extension Bucky and Bucky, are steamrollering the rest of the MotA relationships and characters on AO3 — based on what I see on Tumblr, I don't know if that huge disparity will hold up, but who knows? It's still a very new fandom.

But what about GenKill and BoB, you say?

Well, as you might have guessed, there's a clear delineation in GK between the top ship and the next ones below it, but the dropoff is not nearly as dramatic as in TP and MotA.

There are 3,024 Generation Kill stories on AO3 as of August 10, 2024, and the number one ship is Brad/Nate, with 1,261 stories, or 41.7% of the total. Next highest is Brad/Ray, with 677 stories, or 22.39%. The top three characters are Brad, featured in 63.82% of stories (1,930), then Ray, featured 52.35% of the time (1,583 stories), followed by Nate (45.44% or 1,374 stories). Next is Walter Hasser at 571 stories (18.88%), followed by Poke Espera at 284 stories (9.39%), Mike Wynn at 262 stories (8.66%), then Doc Bryan at 254 stories (8.4%). There's that dropoff again!

And as for Band of Brothers? After nearly 21 years on AO3 (the oldest story dates from November 2003), there are 5,016 BoB stories on AO3, with a huge number of ships and characters — albeit some quite small. Frankly, I stopped counting after getting to 70 relationships and 55 characters — I just got tired!

Still.

Let me add that the earliest BoB stories on AO3 are not well tagged for ships or characters — many don't have any tags at all. I don't know the reason for it — whether the tagging system in the early AO3 days wasn't easy to navigate, or maybe the lack of tagging was a holdover from earlier systems or archives? I have no idea how well-tagged stories were on LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, or Fanfiction.net. So anyhow, early BoB stories on AO3, if tagged according to current standards, would definitely change the stats but I have no insight on how it might shift them, except definitely upward for the most popular characters and ships.

At any rate: onward.

The top BoB ships on AO3 are 1) Winnix — 1,250 stories or 24.92%, 2) BabeRoe — 771 stories or 15.37%, 3) Webgott — 663 stories or 13.22%, and 4) Speirton — 662 stories or 12.4%.

Moving on to characters, there are a dozen that feature in 10% or better of the BoB total. Take a look:

Winters: 1,173 stories (34.35%)

Nixon: 1,652 (32.93%)

Roe: 1,380 (27.51%)

Speirs: 1,135 (22.63%)

Heffron: 1,125 (22.43%)

Luz: 1,063 (21.19%)

Liebgott: 1,058 (21.09%)

Lipton: 978 (19.5%)

Webster: 790 (15.75%)

Toye: 749 (14.93%)

Guarnere: 686 (13.68%)

Malarkey: 514 (10.25%)

That's a much more even distribution here, without the massive dropoff in the other three fandoms. Or as @itstheheebiejeebies put it to me: "BoB fans feast on variety. It's a grazing table instead of main and side courses." Just so.

So what do I take from all this? I mean, in the case of MotA, I came into the fandom all gaga over Callum Turner and thus Bucky Egan. But then I quickly veered off into following Benny DeMarco (Adam Long) and for the past several months I've fallen under the spell of Everett Blakely (David Shields). Will I stay there? I have no idea! And that's kind of exhilarating.

But here's what I know for sure: as I continue to read and write HBO War fanfic, I'm going to be doing my best to support the ships and characters out of the top tier.

Creators: Don't just post your fanfic to Tumblr — post it to AO3 and tag it.

Be the change that you want to see.

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

Now, as promised, here are the stats in graphic form.

[johnslittlespoon]

Hellooo and welcome to the WOTA server's master–list of fics for the summer writing event! ☀️ We had a list of 36 summer–themed prompts to choose from and a month to write, and everyone who participated has put so much love and time into their fics; I'm so proud of how well this first server event went. 💗

This list will be updated as fics are posted, and you can also peep the collection on AO3 for easier browsing. Thank youuu to all the lovely writers who participated, can't wait for the next one! 🌈

✨ Fic List:

Only You Can Cool My Desire Prompt: 'Ice Play' / 'Too Hot For Clothes' -> by @johnslittlespoon [WC: 6K | E | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Tough And Sweet AU, Heatwaves, Ice Play, Blow Jobs, Light Dom/Sub, Teasing, Orgasm Delay] The Man I've Looked For Prompt: 'Roadtripping' / 'Seductive Popsicle Eating' -> by @amiserableseriesofevents [WC: 4K | M | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Semi–Public Sex, Romantic Fluff, Blow Jobs In A Car, Roadtrip, Gale Cleven's Oral Fixation] The One I'll Care For Prompt: 'Passing Out From Heat & Being Taken Care Of' -> by @c-goldthorn [WC: 2K | G | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Notting Hill AU, Red Carpet, Film Festival, Hurt/Comfort, Heat Stroke, Fainting, Whump] Out Of Control -> by @trashbag-baby666 [WC: 8K | T | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Modern AU, Surf AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort] No Proof, One Touch Prompt: 'Too Hot For Hugs' / 'Sweat Kink' -> by @c-goldthorn [WC: 1K | G | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Flight School, Set In Texas, Pre–Canon, Pre–Relationship, Sweat, Play Wrestling, Hugs] I'm On The Run With You, My Sweet Love Prompt: '"I Don't Want To Move"' / 'Lake Sex' -> by @alienoresimagines [WC: 9K | E | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Fluff and Smut, Dry Humping, Boys In Love, Summer 1943, Romantic Fluff, Established Relationship] Under The Cover Of The Willow Tree Prompt: '"If You Don't Get Off Me"' / 'Summer Storms' -> by @eternallytired17 [WC: 4K | M | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Post–War, Fluff and Smut, Summer Vacation, Idiots In Love, Dirty Talk, Hand Jobs, Teasing] My Love For You Burns Like A Thousand Suns Prompt: 'Getting A Sunburn' -> by @onyxsboxes [WC: 1K | G | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Summer, Short & Sweet, Sunburn, Established Relationship] Do They Collide? (I Ask And You Smile) Prompt: 'Stargazing' -> by @counting0nit [WC: 1K | Gale Cleven/John Egan | Post–Canon, Post–War, Angst, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff] Summertime (And The Living Is Easy) Prompt: 'Skinny Dipping' -> by @air-exec [WC: 1K | G | Ken Lemmons/Rosie Rosenthal | Boys In Love, Fluff, Skinny Dipping] ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[joeyalohadream]

WIP/Last Line Tag

Thanks for the tags @rangerelizabeth , @swifty-fox and @onyxsboxes. Been tagged in a few different games recently and so I figured I'd share a little bit of a modern au, Christmas fic I've been keeping close to the vest.

----

“This section here,” he continues, and John follows the line his gloved hand points towards, taking in the lines of trees that look like something he’d see in a town square, a mall maybe. “These are all mature Balsam Firs. They’re probably the most popular but they’re not cheap.”

John hums, nodding along but staying otherwise silent. If this man thinks hearing the names of the trees is going to help him, he’s wrong, but John would listen to that voice all day so he’ll let him continue unhelpfully.

“I’ve got a grove of Fraisers just beyond the Balsams,” Gale gestures again and John smiles at the concentrated look of focus on the other man’s face. “Douglas and White Firs too at the back of the property.”

Gale raises an eyebrow at him and John makes his face flatten out, turn introspective, considering, but still offers no help.

“If you’re looked for a pine instead,” Gale seems to take pity on him, “I’ve got Virginia and Scotch. Even have some Blue Spruce and-”

“Wait,” John interrupts him, grinning now. He looks down at the Husky sitting patiently at Gale’s feet. “Blue Spruce? Douglas Fir?” Gale crosses his arms and his posture stiffens, going to defensive. John’s grin widens. “Virgina Pine?”

“What?”

“You name your dogs after trees, Buck?”

“Her eyes are blue.” He watches as Gale’s gloved fingers start absently scratching the top of Blue’s head. Her tongue lolls out in pleasure when he starts pulling her perky ear between his thumb and pointer.

“Right,” John nods, and then it’s his turn to gesture and he points over to the two German Shepherds sitting at the back of the coffee cart, waiting for a treat. “You pick up those two in Virginia from a guy named Douglas?”

“I’ve got a cat at the house named Bailey,” Gale tells him around a frown, the tips of his ears red and John doesn’t think it’s from the cold. “No Bailey pine or fir or spruce out here.”

“Bailey, huh?” John hums, still grinning as Gale’s eyes narrow at him. “What’s your favorite Christmas movie?” He laughs when Gale rolls his eyes, but the embarrassed flush goes down the part of his neck that isn’t covered by his ridiculous blue scarf. “You got Clarence, Bert and Ernie running around here somewhere?”

I feel like all of these have been going around, so apologies if you've already shared! But NP tagging @happy-days19 , @blixabargelds , @feyd-meowtha and @reallylilyreally

[hbowardaily]

And the winner is... Eugene Roe! Eugene will get his day on hbowardaily really soon and in the meantime you will also notice some other changes to suit the winner.

Next up will be the HBO War ladies on Wednesday! 16 ladies will go against each other in four rounds, to decide who is he fandom's absolute favorite!

Some overall statistics for the boys rounds:

It was Roe who could get the most number of votes in one round, and it was in the finals: 628 votes

It was also Rosie in round 1, who was able to gain the biggest percentage: 98,4%

Lipton vs Speirs in round 6 scored the most number of votes in any of the polls: 976 votes

Rosie vs Lipton was the only poll to reach 50-50%

Eric Kocher got the less number of votes in the polls (he deserved better): 8 votes

If you would like to see more of the statistics for the polls, check out @onyxsboxes amazing collection of all the results in a spreadsheet here.

We will have the ladies rounds, and some side-polls inbetween, but other multiple-round polls will be set aside for the time being due to the poll overload in the fandom. But other events are in the making too, so keep a look out for those!

And don't forget to pick up your hard earned badge for voting:

Hope you enjoyed this part of the event and we will see you at the ladies polls too!

[amiserableseriesofevents]

[giving them a panicked hug] "no, no, no, no!" OR "shit, no, that's not what i meant." (if one of them inspires you dear 🥰)

After a week spent hiking, it's their turn! Modern AU, not Such Stuff related 🥰🏔️

John has been acting weird for weeks, and for the life of him Gale can't understand why.

For starters, he personally suggested the location for their holiday, a task that usually Gale takes on; one day he came home to a depliant of a quaint camping site in the mountains, amidst the nature, with suggestions on several hiking trails. It's not the first holiday they've spent hiking, they both like to stay outside and breath fresh air when they're not in the office and they're both in good enough shape to take on even steeper trails if the view is worth it, and it seemed like this particular place meant a lot to John so Gale had agreed to his plan, secretly pleased that he was the one taking the initiative for once.

That was only the first weirdness, though.

Since then, John keeps acting like he's hiding something and he's such a terrible liar that Gale knows something is going on, he just knows it.

He packed his own suitcase without accepting any help from Gale, and he triple checked everything before leaving when he's usually one to shrug and say he'll deal with it even if he forgets to pack something crucial like a clean pair of pants or a toothbrush. If it were winter Gale would think John's hiding his birthday present; but it's fucking July, their anniversary is not coming for two more months, and Gale cannot think about another date worth celebrating.

The strangest thing though happened just this morning, when they were getting ready for the hike and John dressed all in blue – an extremely sober choice for him that usually wears clashing colors like a hot pink tank top with yellow shorts and neon green socks. “Are you feeling alright?” Gale ventured to ask him, genuinely worried.

“Yeah of course Buck, why?” Was John's answer, with a hint of hysterics in his voice, so Gale decided to not push him; whatever is going on with him, sooner or later Bucky will tell him.

The hike he's chosen for today is splendid: a narrow dirt track amongst tall trees whose shadow provide a welcome respite from the summer heat, the air filled with the fragrant smell of resin and dirt. John told him there's a lake waiting for them at the end of the trail, with several bits of sandy shore all around where they can lie their picnic blanket and rest after the long walk.

“It's pear shaped, you know Buck? The lake I mean,” John tells him, his rambling never stopping even when he'd need to save his breath. “It's great, you're gonna love it. The water's a bit cold but no worse than Lake Michigan.”

“You came here with your family, right?”

“Yup, for three summers when I was a kid. I've always wanted to come back and I thought, what better chance to do it than, ah, with you, my love,” John answers, clearly almost giving up his secret. Gale feels his gaze on him, nervous, and he smiles back at him, grabbing his hand. He's not usually the type for PDA, but they're alone in a forest and John seems to be needing it, so Gale weaves their fingers together and they keep walking like that for a while, careful not to jostle each other on the uneven ground.

“I'm happy you decided to bring me here,” Gale says after a while. “Thank you for always sharing these things with me, John. It means a whole lot.”

John pulls him closer for a kiss, then stares seriously in his eyes. “I'll always share everything with you Buck, I promise,” he tells him. Gale hesitates, wondering if that's John way of suggesting him to ask about whatever he's hiding right now, but then John's focus shifts back to the trail and he decides to drop the subject.

After an hour or so they reach the last part of the trail, the hardest one: a steep staircase carved into the side of the mountain, more or less thirty steps to reach the other side before climbing down to the lake's shore.

“Once we're up there we'll be able to see the lake!” John exclaims, his childish enthusiasm making him all the more jittery, a smile on his face wider than any Gale has seen before.

Gale goes first, eager to catch a glimpse on the view. The sun beats down on him, unforgiving, and he feels beads of sweat forming along his hairline, his t-shirt progressively more and more stuck to his back. There are more step than John remembered, bordering on sixty, but once Gale reaches the top he immediately forgives him for his inaccuracy because the view is truly breathtaking: the lake is blue, the deepest blue Gale has ever seen in his life, and the light hits it just right so that parts of its surface look like they're made of shimmering diamonds. All around the shore there are more tall trees, their bright green in contrast with the sapphire hue of the water and the turquoise of the sky, dotted here and there with fluffy white clouds.

Gale leans back against the rock wall, breathless and mesmerized. He hears John reaching the peak after him but doesn't turn too him, too entranced by the view. “John. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,” he says, voice shaky with wonder.

“I know, right?” John says, and by the mirth in his voice Gale knows that he's looking at him and not at the view. He turns to him, ready to affectionately scold him, and he finds him down on one knee with a small box in hand.

His brain short-circuits.

“No!”

How did he not think about it? Every single one of John's weirdnesses of the past few months suddenly makes sense: he chose a place that meant a lot to him, dressed all nice for Gale, and waited for the best possible moment to propose. He can't believe it. It was so obvious, so-

It's only when he notices that John has gone pale, his eyes wide with confusion and heartbreak, that he realizes he's spoken out loud. John got down on one knee to propose, and he shouted no at him.

“No?" John asks, little more than a whimper.

"Shit, no, that's not what I meant!” Gale says, frantically trying to make up for his mistake. “It was a no to me, not to you! Because I've been trying to understand what was going on with you for weeks and now that I know it was so obvious, I can't believe I couldn't see it!”

“...so?” John asks, still on one knee.

“Ask the question. I promise I'm not gonna say no.”

“You promise?”

Gale nods, and John takes a deep breath. “Buck, my love, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Gale shouts, louder than the no he spoke before, and throws himself at John when the other rises back on his feet, kissing him with all the passion and joy he can muster.

“Buck, the ring!” John tells him between kisses, and Gale reluctantly lets him go; there are tears on John's face and in his eyes, but Gale hopes they're of happiness just like the ones he feels wet on his cheeks.

The ring is beautiful, a simple silver band with a B engraved on the inside. “It's perfect, John” Gale tells him, beaming.

John gives him a kiss on the tip of the nose. “Never do something like that again,” he half threatens, half pleads. “I was about to throw myself in the lake from here.”

“I promise. I'll make it up to you.”

“Your wedding vows better be fucking fire, Buck.”

[alienoresimagines]

For the fanfic writer emoji ask game 🥰

🙌 What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

🤷‍♀️ What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular, but really took off?

🥘 What wip are you most excited about?

Hi, Ame, I hope you're doing okay 🥹❤️

🙌 What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

Aaaah this is so tough but one line that stayed with me in particular would be one from my first mota fic ever, Drag Me Under :

“Alright, doll, wheels up.”

Which may seem like nothing like that lmao but with the context of the fic, it just struck me as so tender and I just couldn't imagine John saying something else 🥹 Also bonus point for John calling Gale "Doll"🥰

🤷‍♀️ What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular, but really took off?

I don't expect any of my fics to be popular lmao I'm always surprised whenever I get kudos or comments but I would say one would be the same fic as for the first question, so Drag Me Under, because it got so many hits and lovely comments and kudos which completely blew me away because it was my first time writing for Clegan and my first time writing in almost 3 years so people liking it so much really surprised me in the best of ways 🥹❤️

🥘 What wip are you most excited about?

My Hogwarts AU and its Yule Ball fic 🥹 Writing them pining so bad for each other while everyone else around them are losing their minds because how can they be so smart and yet so dumb is so special to me 🥰 Also I love that it started out as just this lil fic but as I'm writing it, I find new lore and stuff for future WIPs 🥰

Thank you for asking all of these, Ame, it was a lot of fun to reflect on all that 🥰❤️

If you want to send me a fanfic writer emoji ask, it'll be my pleasure to answer <3

[anachilles]

chapt 8; whiskey neat, coffee black 🚒🥃

“Do you, uh…” Gale turned on his heel, facing Bucky again, his expression heavy-lidded in the half-light of the streetlights from outside spilling in through the window, and caught somewhere between caution and come hither. God, he was so beautiful it was unworldly. “Do you want something to drink, or…”. Bucky smirked, sensing his nerves. “Some guys just don’t know how to leave work at work, huh?” He shook his head, and Gale offered him a reluctant smile in return for the joke, but didn’t make any move further. Suddenly the air felt a little more breathable. But only a little. “I think you’ve poured me enough drinks at this point,” Bucky continued, making a choice. “Come here.”

-> read here on AO3! <-

.

@alienoresimagines ||

@joeyalohadream ||

@imasexypotato ||

@clevenhq ||

@neverfellforyou ||

@buckyclevens ||

@coastiewife465 ||

@shoequeeny ||

@onyxsboxes ||

@thru00thepages22 ||

@doctorstrangeherself

@shprka

@carnevol

[luckydeuce]

last line(s) / WIP tag

Warning: I'm exhausted and busy with work (sob) and so, so under the weather it's just a massive shit show. And I've been struggling to write but some wonderful, wonderful souls tagged me recently (I'm talking about you @happy-days19 and @soliloquy-dawn and @onyxsboxes and @weimarweekly and @reallylilyreally and @amiserableseriesofevents) and I swear I didn't ignore it!!!

This is collective for @london-cowboy and this account because there's more than 1 me. Here we go.

John takes a small sip of his whiskey. It isn’t Macallan. It must be The Dalmore, the 18-Year-Old, or something similar: deep and spicy—burnt black coffee and marmalade. It’s wonderful. But it’s also— “Not what I wanted, Buck.” Buck has been just raising his glass to his lips. He stops, mid-gesture. “Pardon?” Oh, pardon my ass, frat boy, thinks John. This is perfect, fucking perfect. A wonderful opportunity to start. He hates that it is happening. “They didn’t have Macallan?” Buck looks confused, eyes darting between John’s lips and the £400-a-bottle liquid in John’s glass. “They did, but—” The thing is, John knows. He knows they did, just as he knows Buck was trying to impress him. Win him, please him. In any other circumstances, it would have worked, nice and simple. But nice and simple isn’t really what Buck wants from John.   “Then bring me what I wanted,” John says. He doesn’t blink, doesn’t smile; equally, he doesn’t frown. “Please.”

Tagging @stereobone , @whirlpool-blogs , @feyd-meowtha and @wayrad , only if you'd like to (but adding a Dom John Egan kind of please).

[avonne-writes]

Rules: show the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words.

Thank you for the tag @counting0nit and @joeyalohadream 💕

“Gonna put a baby in you.” Bucky pants. “My baby. Oh fuck.”

Yeah, umm... Smut FicTM is still in progress.

Not sure who hasn't been tagged yet, but I'll tag @onyxsboxes @nicijones and @hogans-heroes (not really following the rule but 🤷‍♀️)

[heretoobsessstuff]

Last line tag

Thank u sm for the tagging me a few days ago my lovelies @joeyalohadream and @alienoresimagines ❤️ here is more babe can i call snippets (lowkey posting the whole fic at this point lol)

(5 times John calls gale in the middle of the night and 1 time gale does instead)

*

"Hey you okay? You alright?" He asked, voice coming out frantic as he grabbed Gale's face, forcing him to look at him.

"You came"

Gale said weakly, voice relieved, almost shocked, like he couldn't believe he was here. Before John could even say anything, Gale was wrapping his arms around him in a bone crushing hug, face buried in his neck as he breathed him in.

"Of course I did. You called. Of course I did." He tried to sound reassuring, but his voice trembled with worry.

He felt paralyzed, his heart racing as he instinctively looped an arm around Gale's waist, his other hand gently running up and down his back to soothe his shivering. Gale didn't do well with the cold anymore and seeing him shaking like this dredged up distant memories in John-memories he wished he could pack in a box and lock them away and forget them forever. Memories of the war, of Gale shaking and shivering in the blistering cold, marching across Germany with him, not knowing what kind of fate awaited them. The deep sense of helplessness at seeing Gale with frozen eyelashes and flushed face, trembling, huddled with hundreds of other men and not being able to do anything about it, sipped back into his bones and made space as if it had never left. It felt wrong and unbearable to see it now. Those days were over and he never wanted to see Gale cold and shivering ever again.

The memories crashed over John like a wave, knocking the breath out of him. With newfound urgency, he pulled back, shedding his coat and wrapping it around Gale's shoulders.

“John-” Gale breathed, voice strained. His eyes were brimming, threatening to spill over, face pinched with raw emotion. John reached to brush his messy fringe out of his forehead, cutting him off.

“You’re shaking, Gale. Talk to me. What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

John rubbed up and down his arms vigorously, desperate to get him to stop shaking. To warm him up. Gale did nothing to resist it. He just stared at John and bit his lip, his expression pained as he looked away and closed his eyes, hands fisting in his lap.

*

Idk who to tagggg omg let’s go with @joeyalohadream (uno-reverse), @onyxsboxes @majorbuckyegan and @happy-days19 (im so sorry if u have done it already! No pressure ofc) ❤️‍🩹