#rocket ship santa

[epicallyepicepilogue]

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Santa's Rocket Ship, early 1960s. Managed out of Tyler, Texas. A custom-built aluminium bus, 40 ft long, 12 ft. 6 in. high and 8 ft wide with seating capacity for 65 children. Each year Santa would visit many towns before Christmas.

source: Alden Jewell auto historian on Flickr

[wildbeautifuldamned]

YOU PICK ~ BEAUTIFUL Robert Stanley Blown Christmas Ornament NWT ebay MarvelousMarket

[spockvarietyhour]

Santa's Rocket Ship is in Wisconsin

[saphiccarma]

Four times you almost admit your feelings for Natasha, and one time you do

Summary - To you, Natasha was an angel, to her you were just a friend.

Words: Just over 3k

Warnings: Blood

A/N: Idk if anyone will, but I need writing ideas, so if y'all have any feel free to send them over

You were known around SHIELD for your tact, or lack thereof, when it came to someone you liked. Throughout your ten years there, you had become a level eight agent, one of the high ranking. While most SHIELD agents worked in groups, strike teams, you preferred to work alone - it was faster and easier. One of the most infamous teams was Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, two of your friends.

The three of you, plus Maria, Bobbi, Coulson and Laura sat on couches in the Barton's house. Nate squealed as Clint swung him around, pretending to be a rocket ship and threw him on the couch next to Laura.

"Again!" he cried happily, clapping his hands together, "Again!"

Laura laughed, the sound soft and filled with a certain motherly love. You hoped you could laugh like that one day. Subconsciously, your eyes drifted towards Natasha. Her red hair was let down, cascading just past her shoulders as she tilted her head back to take a swig of beer, her green eyes sparkling with enjoyment that could light up a thousand dark rooms. She noticed you looking at her, smirking at you with those red lips that always seemed to be twisted into a smirk when she looked at you.

"Time for bed mister," Laura growled playfully, snatching up Nate, "You guys start on presents, I'll be back."

"Woo!" Clint let out a whoop, a more carefree side shown of him when around friends and family, but it could also be attributed to the few drinks he had. Maria rolled her eyes, swatting him on his shoulder to sit him down. She herself was without a drink, instead choosing to sip on the occasional water. Coulson held him down affectionately, gently taking the drink from him and placing it on the table.

They had done secret Santa this year, everyone secretly getting assigned their own person for gifts. Bobbi went first, giving her gift to Maria, which was a gun holster, matte black with blue accents. Coulson had Bobbi, having gotten the woman a brand new set of batons. Maria had Clint, getting him a pair of earplugs, an inside joke that caused a laugh throughout the room. Clint had you, giving you a mug that said, "Best Partner", to which Natasha scoffed since you weren't even his partner. And you had Natasha.

You gently placed a small box into her palms, seeing little scars littering them. She took it carefully, smiling at you as you returned to your seat. Her slender fingers untied to bow as you waited with baited breath, and she pried open the box.

Just a few weeks ago, you had gotten it for her, considering it a present when you would tell her you liked her, and yet you chickened out, giving it to her now instead. It was a gold bracelet with an hourglass symbol as a charm in the center. She took it delicately in her hands, flipping it over and her eyes examining it.

"I love it," she declared, looking up at you with a soft grin.

I love you, you nearly said, but held back at the audience. Despite that, Maria was looking at you with a knowing look, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Thanks," you swallowed, "I'm glad."

^______________^

The world felt fuzzy as the blackness behind your eyes cleared, bright lights shining down on you. You blinked, trying to clear the blinding white that seared into your pupils. After a brief moment, the lights dimmed and were replaced with an angel.

At least, she looked like an angel. Natasha stood above you with a soft, teasing smirk, and muscular arms folded across her chest.

"Hey," she greeted, leaning back, her red hair swaying as she did so, "How you feeling?"

"Good," you slurred, your mouth still sore from getting your wisdom teeth removed, "drugged."

Natasha laughed, the sound lighting up the room and bringing a sparkle to her eyes, "Well duh," she rolled her eyes playfully at you, "You're still on some painkillers." You grumbled, words hard to form right now with your back gums so sore, "Steve went out and got smoothies, I brought yours up here," she held up a smoothie cup filled with pink liquid.

She reached to your bedside table, grabbing her own drink as she passed you yours. Her lips wrapped around it, slurping up the last of the drink. You drank your own, faintly aware of Natasha's eyes on you. A small groan escaped your mouth, the smoothie was absolutely divine.

"That good?" she teased.

You nodded your head, loose strands of hair brushing against your cheek. Reaching forward, Natasha brushed it back behind your ear, a soft smile on her face. A fiery brush lit up your cheeks, one that caused Natasha to smirk once more.

"I'll leave you be, call if you need anything ok?"

"Nooo," you whined in your drugged state, "stay with me."

A laugh burst from her mouth once more as she stood from her seat, "I can't, I have stuff to do."

You pouted, a few words on the tip of your tongue, but I love you. You barely refrained from saying them, a clear bit of sense holding back. Natasha sauntered out of the room, taking the brightness with her.

^_____________^

Your legs burned as you weaved through fallen bodies, victims of the whirlwind that you, Natasha and Clint were. As your fingers reloaded your gun, depositing the empty cartridge with practiced ease, even as your heart raced inside your ribcage, you pressed your index finger into your comm.

"Romanoff, Barton, come in?"

Static answered you, the sound crinkling in your ear. You cursed, positioning your hands on your gun as it was reloaded, rounding the corner carefully. More bodies greeted you as they scattered the floor with Hydra logos decorating their helmets and gear. Blood wept from their wounds, a silent testimony to their ruthless death.

"Romanoff?" you called again.

Only now did you realize how hoarse your voice was from smoke inhalation and screaming over the gun fire, words scrapping against the walls of your throat. A wound bled from the base of your leg, seeping into the pools on the floor. Ignoring the pain, you tried again on the comms, this time receiving a voice.

"Y/L/N?" Natasha voice was shaky, one of the rare times you heard it like that, "Where are you?"

"Romanoff?" your fingers pressed the comm into your ear, "Where are you? Where's Barton?"

"Clint's calling evac, I'm on the west side near the exit."

You stumbled over a body, your legs losing their speed as your lungs burned, "Understood, on my way."

The corridors tried to lead you the wrong way wherever you went, and despite how morbid it was, you simply followed the trail of bodies. After what felt like forever, although probably just a couple minutes, you caught a flash of red hair.

"Romanoff!" you called, forcing your legs to pick up.

As you rounded the corner, Natasha whipped around, her red hair brushing against her face and scrunching around her cheeks. It was a mess; stray strands having fallen out of her ponytail that sat atop her head.

"You're ok," she breathed, rushing over to grab your shoulders. You ignored the flutter in your stomach at her touch when she grabbed your cheeks softly and turned your head side to side. "Are you hurt?" she asked, staring into your eyes.

"No," you scoffed, regretfully batting her hands away, "I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

You ignored the sting in your leg as you did a quick check on her.

"No," Natasha shook her head, "Come on, let's get out of here."

She turned around ready to leave, her slender fingers grasping your hand, tugging you along. Before either of you could take a step, a gunshot echoed throughout the corridor. You barely had time to think before you shoved Natasha to the ground, forcing her out of the way of fire.

You gasped as you felt blood drip down your back and front. Your fingers came up to grasp your stomach as another gunshot came off. Natasha had a snarl on her face as she had her gun raised and pointed at the attacker. Faintly, you heard a body fall behind you, smacking onto the concrete floor - just another victim of the Black Widow. Scrambling off the ground, Natasha caught you before you fell. A strangled gasp of pain escaped you when her hands pressed on the wound in the center of your back.

"Sorry," she whispered, lowering you to the ground, "sorry."

You whined as the gunshot was pressed onto the hard floor, pushing on the bleeding skin and leaving an imprint.

"It hurts," you whimpered.

While you were a high level SHIELD agent, it wasn't often you got wounds like this.

"I know," Natasha soothed, her hands pressed down on your front, "I know. Hang ok? Clint's got evac coming. Talk to me, what are you doing this weekend?"

The corners of your vision turned blurry and black while you processed her words. Rather than answering her question, you reached down to grab one of her hands, looking at it carefully. Blood coated her pale skin and perfect nails, your blood. It dripped down to the bracelet on her wrist, the golden one you got her for Christmas, coating the sparkling chain in a sticky layer of blood.

"Hey," she pulled her hand away, "Don't look."

Your eyes fluttered shut before you regretfully opened them when Natasha shook you.

"Alright," she said, removing her hands from your wound, "Put your hands there." She ordered. You did as she said, pressing your hand onto the gunshot.

Natasha placed one hand under your leg, and the other under your back, coating her arm in the blood back there. You winced, almost crying out in pain as she lifted you up bridal style. The redhead grimaced at your pain, readjusting you to be more comfortable. Your head fell onto her chest, eyes drooping shut.

Her breath was warm as she muttered, "You stupid idiot, why would you do that?" She glanced down at you with a scowl, one that forced your eyes to open all the way.

"Because your my friend." you muttered, eyes falling shut. While really all you wanted to say was, 'Because I love you.'

"Stay awake," she ordered, her footsteps steady as she carried you.

"Don't want to." you grumbled, eyes falling shut once more.

^_______________^

A sleek dress fit your form as you laughed, leaning back onto the couch. Tony stood atop the coffee table, iron man gauntlet in hand as he chugged a shot, whooping and hollering. The rest of the avengers, plus Maria and Pepper sat around you, their laughter echoing.

Your gun wound had healed nicely, leaving two lumpy scars on either side of your body.

Tony jumped down, his grin crazed and hair wild, "You know what?" his tone was louder than necessary, "We should play Spin the bottle."

It was met with a round of groans, yet Clint grabbed an empty beer bottle and placed it onto the coffee table where Tony once stood, spinning it first. Clint grinned as it landed on Maria, the look teasing - almost like a younger brother.

Maria grimaced, "No." She shook her head as Clint neared her, sticking her hands out, "Not happening." Clint batted her hands away, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on her cheek.

Making a disgusted face, complete with a scrunched nose and furrowed brows, Maria shoved Clint to the floor. The archer fell with a grunt, pouting up at Maria as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Your turn!" Tony crowed, gesturing eagerly at Maria. He once again held a new drink, a glass cup filled the brim with some alcoholic substance, "And it has to be on the lips now!"

Pepper pulled Tony down when he had stood, forcing him to sit on the couch. While she rolled her eyes, Maria still spun the bottle, the glass stuttered to a stop with the nose pointing towards Natasha. The brunette raised a brow at the assassin, looking for permission, and when the redhead shrugged, Maria gave her a peck on the lips. There was the slightest blush on Maria's cheeks as she walked back to her seat.

"I guess that means it's my turn," Natasha shrugged as she spun the bottle loosely.

It spun slowly around the table, the nose slowing to a stop right in front of you. You twisted in your seat when Natasha did the same, your knees brushing together. The redhead looked at you questioningly, making sure it was ok. You nodded. Heat creeped up the back of your neck, tinting the tips of your ears.

The redhead leaned in, a faint smirk on her thin lips. She placed a chaste kiss on your lips and you could faintly taste her lipstick. It ended all to soon when she pulled away, leaning back into the seat. By now you felt like your neck was on fire. Tony laughed, cackled really, as he took a sip of his drink.

"Someone got a crush?" he asked, gesturing towards you, his words slurring slightly.

"No!" You protested, crossing your arms, "I do not!" You really did.

Tony made a disbelieving noise and Maria looked at you skeptically. Ignoring them, and the fiery blush on your cheeks accompanied by Natasha smirk, you spun the bottle.

^_______________^

The Hulk roared as he was set loose, strands of Bruce's clothing flying. Bullets wiped around you as he took off, smashing the turrets that fired at the group. Dirt coated your face, mixing in with the blood as you sat crouched behind a dirt hill, pistol in one hand and a knife strapped to your side. Natasha sat panting next to you, her suit stained in blood that would once again wash out.

Steve and Tony were no where to be seen and Clint wasn't here. Steve was most likely already in the base, having attacked from the other side. This was supposed to be simple, take out a base and leave, but you had received the wrong information and walked into an ambush. Beside you, you could heard the click of her gun as Natasha reloaded and checked her widow bites.

"How many do you have left?" you asked. Your voice was breathy as you heaved for air.

Natasha took a minute to reply, "Five widow bites and ten bullets."

"Take this," you tossed her your spare magazine.

It was probably a stupid thing, but you still had a full one in your gun. You would manage. Natasha scowled at you, but didn't argue. Well, she didn't have time to argue because you launched yourself over the hill the minute gunfire paused. Sliding down, your feet carried you forward, body ready for a fight. The Hulk bellowed ahead, destroying all the turrets that stood in the way. Natasha was hot on your heels, catching up quickly. The battle field was eerily empty, sure you had The Hulk, but it was odd it was this empty. Faintly, there were gunshots that echoed through the valley, and finally you caught sight of Tony flying above you.

"Tony?" You pressed your finger into your comm, firmly securing it back into your ear from when it had fallen out.

"Y/N?" he responded, and you saw him glance down at you and Natasha, "How are you guys holding up?"

Natasha had passed you by the time you responded, "We've been better."

"Speak for yourself," Natasha scoffed playfully.

"Steve is working on securing the other side of the base, I'm going to go help him."

"Copy that."

While he was out of sight, you could still hear The Hulk smashing small shelters around the base. You and Natasha skidded to a halt when you came face to face with large metal doors, looming ominously above you, burrowed into a large hill.

"Wouldn't it be nice if these were just unlocked?" you joked, catching your breath.

Natasha rolled her eyes, tugging at the doors. They opened with a creak and Natasha glanced at you with a confused look, causing you to shrug helplessly. The two of you entered cautiously, guns and widow bites ready to fire. Yet, nothing came. A cold chill blasted into your faces as you crept through the door. The hall was dark, illuminated only by a few lights on the concrete walls. There was a single door at the end of the hall.

"Well this is ominous."

You received no response as Natasha crept forward, with you following behind.

The door in front of you burst open, vines sprouting forward and encompassing the walls. Natasha scrambled back, shoving you with her. The vines, coated in brown thrones, tore through the room, just barely missing you. A woman, really a girl, stood in front of the destroyed door. A collar was wrapped around her neck and her eyes dazed. She eyed you and Natasha with horror, her hands shaking.

"Leave!" she cried, "It's a trap! Please leave!"

"Hey," you soothed, "It's ok." You raised your hands in a gesture of peace as you slowly crept forward.

"Y/N." Natasha warned behind you, her gun raised.

"No!" the girl screamed, taking a step back, "Leave!"

"We can help," you told her.

Before you could comprehend what was happening, there was a sharp pain in your stomach. You glanced down with strangled breath. A vine, coated in bloody spikes, slowly slid out of your stomach. The girl let out a cry of pain as you slumped to the ground. Blood poured from the wound as you heard Natasha call for backup.

She sprinted past you. Your vision blurred. You heard Tony whizzing in as blood pooled onto the ground around you. Coughing, blood splattered on your chin. You weren't sure how long it was before Natasha kneeled next to you.

"Hey," she whispered, pulling your head into her lap, "Hey look at me."

You blinked, trying to focus your vision, "I don't want to die." Tears welled in your eyes.

"You're not dying," Natasha said harshly, "You're not."

Coughing once more, blood splattered onto her.

"I don't want to die," you cried, clinging to her as she pressed her hands on the wound, "Please Talia."

You weren't ready to die. You still hadn't told Natasha you loved her. You didn't want to die. You didn't want to die.

"Tony!" Natasha screamed, "Do something!"

Tony stood off to the side, staring at you in horror, "Nat..." he trailed off.

"No," she shook her head violently, "You're going home."

You looked at her green eyes, shining with tears as she looked down at you. Her face was still coated in dirt, little specks of blood from when you coughed. The world felt so fuzzy. Your mind cleared; you were dying. You were going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

Shaky fingers reached up to cup her face, catching some her beautiful red hair in you bloody fingertips, "I love you," you whispered.

She freezes her frantic movements. With wide eyes she moved her eyes from your stomach to your face.

"I-" she hesitated.

"Don't just say it back cause I'm dying," the words were forced past your lips, just barely making it through your wheezing breaths.

"No," she said harshly, "Don't say, you're not dying."

"Nat-"

"I love you."

The words were all you needed to succumb to blackness edging the corners of your vision and blur in your brain. Natasha screamed your name, pain lacing her tone as your eyes closed.

"Y/N!"

She pressed her head to your chest, searching for a heartbeat, and yet she only met with the sticky feeling of blood.

[incorrectbatfam]

I don't know if you've done this already, but headcanons about the Batfamilly doing their holiday shopping?

Bruce: The mall closes in fifteen minutes. Alfred's warming up the car and Kate already started loading the trunk. Did everyone get what they need?

Bette: I got matching gifts for you and Kate. Obviously I don't want you to know what it is, so the store's gonna ship it.

Jason: Psh, you couldn't pay me to get Bruce anything after he let me DIE.

Bette: What's in the bag then?

Jason: No peekies!

Steph: Cass and I got matching earrings. Of course, we had to get her ears pierced first.

Cass: I am filled with sharp things.

Barbara: Well, I got lucky and snagged the last ergonomic keyboard.

Duke: I returned that defective lava lamp from Black Friday and they gave me an even better one for free.

Tim: I found a bracelet for Bernard to match the necklace he gave me. It'd woven with imported conspiracy board string. By the way, Helena, Selina, and Carrie are still talking to Santa.

[Santa's workshop]

Carrie: —and I want a pony and a unicorn and a rocket ship and a kitten and a trip to Disneyland and a tropical vacation and another pony and—

Luke, who is the mall Santa: I can't feel my legs.

Selina: Say cheese!

Helena, groaning: When will this end?

[back to the rest]

Bruce: What about Harper and Cullen?

Dick: Hot Topic checkout line. They took up both registers.

Bruce: And Damian?

Dick: Isn't he here?

Bruce: I don't see him here.

Dick: I thought he went with Jason.

Jason: Since when was I in charge of the gremlin?

Dick: He's your brother too.

Jason: It's an unspoken rule that you're his handler.

Bette: Relax, let's just call him.

Bette: *calls Damian*

*phone buzzes in Steph's purse*

Steph: Shoot, I forgot. He didn't have pockets so he gave me his phone when he went to the bathroom back at the food court.

Bruce: Did any of you see him after that?

Everyone: *shakes their heads*

Bruce: I'll alert security. The rest of you, fan out.

Damian, standing behind them the whole time: ...

[multi-fandom-imagine]

Day 25: Christmas Morning

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Character: Stanford Pines {Dad}

Naughty or Nice: Nice

Sitting up in the bed, Ford flipped through one of his books waiting. His eyes glancing at his watch every now then, it was like clock work. The same thing every year. Though he couldn't help but enjoy the peace and quiet for a moment.

But five-year-olds don’t do “quiet” on Christmas morning.

“WAKE UP, WAKE UP!” a chorus of tiny voices erupted as the bedroom door burst open. The triplets tumbled into the room like a snowstorm, all bundled in christmas pajamas while clutching their favorite stuffed animals.

“Mama, Daddy, Santa came!” Lena cried, her auburn curls bouncing as she climbed onto the bed.

“Stockings! Presents!” Olivia added, her wide grin revealing a missing front tooth. She bounced on the mattress, making Ford groan.

Luna, the youngest by a minute, was more methodical. “We saw boot prints by the fireplace! And he ate all the cookies! Well… except the crumbs.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you sat up, running a hand through your tousled hair. “Good morning to you too, my little detectives."

“Morning mommy!" Lena declared triumphantly, holding up a candy cane she’d already unwrapped and was nibbling on.

Ford groaned, rubbing his eyes as he adjusted his glasses. “What time is it, anyway?”

Luna peered dramatically at her wrist, where a “watch” which was actually a paper cutout taped to a string that was clearly upside down. “It’s Christmas o’clock, Daddy!”

Letting out a snort you lent over to kiss Ford on the cheek. “I think that means it’s time to get up.”

With a resigned sigh, Ford pulled himself out from under the warm covers. “Alright, alright. Let’s see what Santa left.” A crooked smile on his face placing his book on the bedside table.

The triplets erupted into cheers, each grabbing one of their parents by the hands and pulling them toward the living room.

The sight that greeted them was magical: the twinkling Christmas tree surrounded by piles of colorful presents, stockings stuffed to the brim, and a soft glow from the string lights that decorated the room.

“Look! Santa knew I wanted the rocket ship!” Olivia shouted, diving toward a box with her name on it.

“And this one’s for me!” Lena gasped, hugging a stuffed unicorn nearly as big as she was.

Olivia held up a neatly wrapped gift with a tag that read To Theo, From Santa. Her eyes sparkled. “He really does know everything.”

Ford chuckled, pulling you close as you both watched your children tear into the gifts with uncontainable glee. “You know,” he whispered, “I thought I’d miss the quiet mornings. But this… this is better.”

Snuggling into his side your head resting on his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Ford.”

“Merry Christmas, Y/N,” he replied, squeezing your hand. “And to our little chaos makers, too.”

[phosphoresccent]

i tried not to but. im going to have to live blog the jaffactory stream its too good (i'll just edit this post)

funnies

lewis crashed a plane into a tree and the hard cut to it was amazing

simon's stupid little wet lunch adventure

lewis has called simon dad, lad and duncan so far "i'm your daddy, right lewis?" "stop talking about my genitalia lewis - i'm your father, show some respect"

the modpack is not very well optimised lmao

duncan hasn't turned off his discord notifications, harry's POV has broken and they have already cheated in EXP for a bit

they have now started playing terrible trivia

lewis trying so hard to drop lore but simon keeps making funnies. simon everything you say is so cursed, i've missed this. please stop talking about whale tits.

"we are very confused here, at the yogscast. we don't see gender."

"none of us have had sex, thats for damn sure" LEWIS

"classic jaffa factory - just found another secret lewis hole" lewis is now eating the fuckin mountain. he also fell into his own hole. well done lewis.

"lewis i need you to fill my hole" SIMON??

all spruce all the time.

now this is chat not the boys, but everyone is talking about when he 'put the heating on' in SOI, and also a bit about lysander whenever the blimp shows up

simon accusing lewis of being a richboy snowboarder.

simon is in creative diughifgh - he's back in creative again thats so valid of him. oh no, he's infected lewis (they are running out of time for the stream, to be fair) - oh no, not barry too!!

lewis and simon fighting to the death for the intro

lewis' laugh at simon's jokes are so loud they blow out the mic <3 <3

"no one has ever mentioned the tick rate on the server, i think we got away with it"

apparently bullying a high duncan is an office hobby

the cable car is *so* blorped i love it so much. everyone keeps falling out

duncan got stuck in spectator mode which is hilarious

please never let simon build a man again. santa 2 is so cursed.

new lore

canonically they just woke up at the jaffa site, they didn't walk there, nor do they remember how they got there

officially confirmed that the crashed ship is from Hole Diggers' cheese incident

israphel mention

honeydew's office is extra dimensional and also he doesn't own the jaffa factory, he sold it

CLONES MENTION??? "I'm - I'm starting to worry we're all clones" "We've had some history with cloning - you wouldn't remember though, would you [Honeydew]?"

this honeydew might actually be an earlier clone - from prior to holediggers?

im sure this is not actually lore - but the 'this xephos may be a honeydew clone' bit is hilarious

rocket stuck in ice tower (the jokes are predicable but very funny)

ominous helmet now fused to honeydew's head via curse of binding.

oh no honeydew has a gun

new book is referencing the og 'santa with a belt below the ass' from jaffactory 1

hypercube reference!!!

giant present just dropped from space - xephos' body at the feet of the statue is sending me

xephos loving his little plane is so sweet to me. love this. hes very protective about it.

THE STICK IS BACK!!! poor xephos is getting smacked again.

so many spoilers!! we are getting jetpacks back again (update - only lalna has one so far!)

xephos remains a hoarder. he has so much random crap on him at all times.

xephos deaths so far this stream: at least 2

the fast tick rate is, in fact, canon. is it magic? is it a simulation? who knows!

"[Honeydew] why is the bathroom on fire?" the whole building almost burnt to the ground. the bathroom now has a snake it in. he lives there. he's xeph's little buddy.

"Yippe!!" Brry and Xeph having fun on a trampoline, much cuter that the very cursed last half hour of the stream.

only just noticed the blue detailing on xeph's backpack which is very very cute - honeydew's also suits him!

everyone sitting on the couches by the fireplace is so cute

Brry went into the portal - Lalna's dead body is still on the tracks - thats how the stream ended, with him yelling "I DONT WANNA BE HERE"

[spooky-switch]

Mama Bird || Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Tickle Fic (Squealing Santa 2023)

Summary: The new baby raccoons have imprinted on Rocket and will not leave him alone; Quill couldn't be more amused.

Author's Notes: This is my Squealing Santa gift for @fanficsandfluff! I hope you enjoy it! It's such an honor to have been chosen to write for one of my biggest inspirations in this community!

"Oh, come on!" Rocket groaned, watching as the fluffy little creatures stumbled after him, letting out little cries for attention. "I know you guys wanna play, but I've got work to do! I can't hold ya' all the time!"

The smaller raccoons gave no indication of understanding (or caring about) what Rocket was saying, mewls growing louder at the sound of his rocket.

"I am Groot." Groot chuckled, grinning down his friend. Rocket gave a small scoff, shaking his head.

"I got LUCKY raisin' you so good with how you acted out. This is WAY different; look how many of them there are! And they're so...small!" Rocket retorted, letting out a soft sigh as the little creatures began to crawl up his legs, seeking the comforting warmth of his torso.

"You're the one who wanted to take them so badly." Quill chimed in, a gigantic grin of his own plastered to his face. "Besides, you're their mama bird, of course they'd wanna stick with you 24/7."

Rocket shot his captain a glare. "I ain't no mama bird! Besides, it's not like I could just leave them behind on that ship, could I?"

Quill shrugged. "True, but I DID offer to drop them off on earth once I had recovered, and you were the one who turned down the suggestion."

"You can't just drop them off on some strange planet they've never been to! They wouldn't have made it there, either!"

"Rocket, they CAME from earth, they would've been fine. Besides, it's not like I would have just dumped them in the woods somewhere. Earth has people specifically trained to take care of creatures like them until they are old enough to survive on their own." Quill replied, a teasing glimmer entering his eyes. "I think you just got attached to them and knew you'd miss them."

The older raccoon huffed. "Oh, shut up!" He looked down, watching as two or three of the little ones made it to his torso, immediately attempting to burrow under his clothing to gain better access to the soft, warm fur of his stomach. "Hey, watch it, will ya?" He grunted, half-heartedly attempting to nudge the little creatures away.

"I am Groot!" The tree-like alien snickered, shoulders shaking with barely contained mirth.

"S-Shut up! I ain't ticklish, I just don't want them crawlin' all over me like a bunch of little bugs!" Rocket snapped, though there was no malice behind his words, and a smile was already tugging at his lips as he continued trying to pry the little raccoons off of him.

"Aw, come on! We all know THAT'S a lie!" Quill smirked, uncrossing his arms and wiggling a few teasing fingers Rocket's direction. "You're ticklish as shit, dude!"

"I said shut up!"

Rocket squirmed, hopping from foot to foot as soft titters began to build up in his throat. He could feel the little creatures' paws scratching gently (yet infuriatingly ticklishly) at his torso, quickly driving the older raccoon up the wall.

"Shihihihihihihit! Knohohohohock it ohohohohohohoff!" The raccoon giggled; he ACTUALLY giggled! Quill let out a snort of laughter, shoulders shaking as he tried to contain his mirth.

"Oho my god, this is the cutest shit I've ever seen!"

"I am Groot!" Groot replied, nodding in head in agreement, causing Rocket's cheeks to heat up beneath his fur. The raccoon lurched forward, a wheezy cackle tumbling out as one of the little balls of fur found a particularly comfortable (and ticklish) spot on his stomach and nuzzled up to it.

"I'M GOHOHOHOHOHONNA KILL YOU BOHOHOHOHOTH! HELP MEHEHEHEHEHE!"

Quill raised a brow. "Now, why would I do that after you LITERALLY just threatened me? Nah, I think I'll just let the runts have their fun with you for a bit. You need to laugh more anyways." He retorted with a smirk, his sass only increasing Rocket's desire to wipe that smug grin off of his face the instant he managed to pull himself together. The raccoon was already plotting how to get his claws and tail on his leader's sensitive stomach and underarms; how to reduce the man to a shrieking mess.

Oho, yeah, Quill was a dead man.

[ace-of-garlic-breads]

more ROTTMNT characters saying things that me and my friends have actually said cause I'm bored. 👍 (including ones from my parents)

(No shipping)

.....

April: I once sneezed so hard my necklace flew off.

The others: ?!

.....

Donnie: QUIT HITTING ME WITH CRACKERS MIKEY

......

Mikey: ooh look a hole! Imma jump down it!

(This was me playing Minecraft for like, the first time.)

......

Donnie: are you smarter than a doorknob?

(This one was actually my mom)

.......

Young Leo: ah yes, Slime my favorite drink

.......

Young Mikey: I'm a sandwich bored

(Again, one from my mom)

.......

Raph (to Donnie): WHY WOULD YOU READ FANFICTION ON AN OVEN?!

.......

Raph: Put the tape measure down and go to bed.

(Yet another one from my mother)

.......

Draxum: why is there a pile of cinnamon toast crunch on an envelope

......

Leo: awwwwww no. I can't hate myself, that's homophobic and transphobic.

......

Donnie: ewwww! It's a sweaty croissant

......

Leo: moose Jesus?

Donnie: MOOSE JESUS!

.......

Mikey: WHO THE FUCK CRUCIFIED ELMO?!

.......

Raph: WHY DOES SANTA HAVE A ROCKET LAUNCHER?!

........

Leo: it wasn't cooperating. So I stabbed it.

.....

Donnie: Raph, you walk so loud.

.....

Donnie: windows are for losers

.....

Raph: Donnie. Give me the crowbar.

......

Mikey: I AM CONFESCATING THE POTATO

....

Leo: I will no longer be celebrating my brother's birthday. Only Nico Di-angelo's

.....

Leo: Don't eat roses, I tried it and it tastes bad.

......

April: Quit talking about the Rinocerous party

(This was acc my HS Civics teacher. The rhinoceros party is a joke Canadian political party and my class wouldn't shut up abt it)

.....

Mikey: im looking for the Unicorn insides

(The things you say/hear as a crafter)

......

Donnie: SUBMIRGE!

......

Leo: we love gay space apples

.....

Mikey: PHD, Permanent, Head, Damage

[be-kind-recklessly]

My secret santa gift for @idontwannadoablog! They asked for campers having fun in the snow, so here's Whispering Rock Psychic Winter Camp! Closeups and dialogue under the read more

Chloe: This frozen water is a curious earth phenomenon. And it's very suitable for making a scale model of the rocket ship I will need to build…

Bobby: Ha ha! This is the greatest snowman we've ever made! Benny: It's so realistic! Maloof: Please, let me out! I'm cold!

Franke: You're not making a snow angel, it's a snow Kitty!

Raz: What are you doing, Lili? Lili: All this snow is not good for the plants. Luckily it melts away real quick when I SET IT ON FIRE! Dogen: I set someone on fire once…

Milla: Don't worry darling, we'll get that beast away from you! Mikhail: No! This is fight between me and bear.

Nils: Winter, the worst season of all. The ladies wear so many layers of clothing, there's nothing to see! Elka: Hmph!

Crystal: Wow, the water in here must be really cold… I wonder how long you'd last if you fell in… Clem: Not very long, probably.

Elton: The fish say they don't like this weather. Because of the ice they can't see what's happening at the surface. Milka: …

Chops: Whoah! J.T.: Watch out partner! Phoebe: Aw man, I almost got him!

Vernon: All this snow reminds me of a story my uncle used to tell me… It was about a boy who climbed up a mountain because he wanted to go skiing. But when he was at the top he realized he forgot his skis. So he went down again. And then he grabbed his skis. And then he climbed up again. And then…

[astranite]

Notes- Christmas TAG secret santa fic.

Because of this post and @janetm74 and @edutainer2022 here are my additional notes for my 2023 thunderfam secret santa fic.

It contains brainstorming that became part of the og fic and notes as a continuation for the car ride. It was actually these that I came up with first and intended to write but got side tracked with explorations of getting ready, especially given the prompt i was given was “Every day is a school day” with Jeff and Lucy. Also deadlines!

Mind that this is pretty much as is from my notes in its entirety, complete with spelling errors, partial sentences and utter lack of cohesion as I jumped between ideas.

Link for the fic proper on ao3.

---

“Every day is a school day” Jeff and Lucy. And everyone.

Car drive to spent christmas with Grandma and Grant at Gran Rocha. The preparing and road tripping shenanigans.

getting all five kids plus themselves and luggage into the car on time as chaotic as a school day. Jeffs line?

S15, J13, V12, G 6?7, A3

Wake-up call. Alarm going off Lucy tired and grumpy where Virgil gets it from. I’ll get the kids up and you can head straight to the coffee. Jeff fooling around like mock drill sergeant. Scott’s grumpy teenness and chucking a pillow at him with surprisingly good aim for supposedly asleep. Scott getting up. Bed hair mess that Jeff runs a gentle hand through pulling him into a hug. Virgil and John. John and Bagel the cat curled up together. Both hissing at him in unison. Virgil needed to be hugged and woken up more slowly. 

Down in the kitchen. Jeff kissing Lucy and trying to steal her coffee. No you cannot steal my coffee Jefferson Tracy, you have your own.  Lucy’s massive science pun mug. Hair in her face looking like little Virgil. 

HURRICANE LUCY. Time skip to about to go?

packing- John wanting to fit telescope. Or “But I did leave my telescope behind” but bag full of books. 

Last min shoving presents in. Neighbour to feed the cat.

Scott nabbed the car keys first on massive ** many different  keychain so neither Lucy nor Jeff could lose them. Swinging them around his finger, “can I drive” Parental chorus of “No!” Doesn't have license yet but is learning to pilot. argument of Grandma lets me drive on the ranch. Thats the beat up old ute and theres nothing much out there to hit any way.

And they were done. Bags were in the car, kids were in the car, last final bathroom stops had been had.  Lucy patted down her pockets. Keys! She didn’t have them, so Jeff must except that he didn’t. Surely the couldn’t have lost them with the neon pink rocket ship key chain attached to prevent this. Until they both spied Scott leaning against the drivers side door and swinging them around his finger.  

“So, can I drive?” Scott asked as if he didn’t already know the answer to that question. 

“No,” came the parental chorus. 

Then the other kids repeating them, picking up on it slightly behind. 

Scott grinning and tossed the keys in the air one last time then caught them. He passed them to Lucy’s waiting hand prompted by a stern eyebrow. 

7 seater beat up car. Drive- Kansas to Texas. approx 9 hours to 8 1/2. Lucy english thinking its ages. at least america had good highways. and from her mothers tales at least kangaroo spotter was a redundant position. 

Panic at dress clothes for Christmas day

someone packed no underpants. Gordon only packed underwear and swimmers. Trying to sort laundry at last minute. Jeff’s haphazard packing of his own clothes with getting everyone else in military order. Lucy remarking jokingly, “Mightve gotten to mars adn forgot your space suit. 

Jeff the nerd, calling Grandma to tell on our way, “Houston we have take off”. Kids dramatic countdown. A “finally”. FOnd eye rolls. 

John and Virgil at back seats. Johns already long limbs folded up.

Scott getting the dubious privelige of the middle row. but centre seat between Alan and Gords car seats and on big brother duty. 

Lucy hoping but not expecting to get some rest on the trip. Up all night getting ready. has mystery novel to read. but trying to wrangle kids. Putting Jeff’s cowboy hat over her face to keep the sun off as she sleeps.

Stops for toilet breaks. Lunch fast food. “Do not let gordon have soda.” Johns burger order. Virgil picking pickles out to give to john. The chips stealing. Trying to eat and drive. sending older ones in to fish younger out of the play area. losing Scott to it too, send in John planning it like a mission.

Jeff adn Lucy discussion over what coffee is supposed to do. ADHD Jeff. starting with Scott asking for coffee, cheekily. No, we dont need you any more hyper. Jeff’s confident, “Coffee doesnt do that” Even same with Aa. spirited debate. JSSo that means I can have some? eff still saying no coffee for Scott.

Lucy driving at some point. 

If Lucy had to hear one more rendition of baby shark she was the one who was going to get out and walk.

music and Lucy and Virgil comparing synesthesia.

John reading massive heavy text book, splayed out across knees. not getting car sick, serve well for astronaut. for fun, reminded he didnt need to study. 

Scott bored and restless. tinies asleep. no phone signal. twisting around, being told off for seat belt, trying to see what Johns doing. seat swap and he and John are in the back doing maths and physics, heads bent together. virgil eyes closed but awake or leaning around car seats to look out the windows, bobbing head to music through headphones. 

when John adn Scott get stuck, calling questions out to Lucy. Jeff snoring in front seat, head on lucy;s jumper, went from wide awake to clonked out even after the coffees.

Virgil using breath on fogged up windows to draw. Scott and John used it for math.

Gordon are we there yet. Alan copying him. 

naming animals and animal sounds. then naming sea creatures. then sounds of sea creatures. some known, some gordon happily making them up.

car sickness. Scott getting car sick, in spite of crazy spins and flips but then hes in control. another reshuffle, Jeff wedged into the middle seat, Lucy laughing and looking in rear view mirror at tall, broad shouldered husband folded awkwardly into the back. John and Virgil back-back. Scott getting shotgun, window open and nauseous. Vomit bags in glove box because learnt from past fiascos and puke in hat story. Scott grumps would be fine if I was driving 

some point tinies and Jeff all asleep.  John and Virgil happy together. Lucy getting to check in and chat to scott. 

on destination. everyone there, big family.  Lee? Kayo adn Kyrano and Kayo mother. Jeff brothers? packed into the big ranch house. noise and merriment. hot dry texas air. smell of good food cooking. some slight odour of burnt. 

explain lucy parents farm????

“The eagle has landed” finding rooms, unpack car. eldest three in together. youngest. 

John overwhelmed after trip, not wanting to talk to anyone. near tears at thought of going into party. going to stable to spent time with horses. 

Virgil running up to Grant and talking his ear off, to much delight of both parties. Grant, still broad shouldered and strong from farm work, charcoal black hair now salt and pepper grey. 

Achievements getting caught up with. Jeff telling grandma about scotts, Scott proud but a bit uncharacteristically shy, leaning into a side hug. 

the comments of how big the kids were all getting, and theyd better not be having more. Lucy laughing and very nope five is plenty enough. 

somewhat tired cranky, sticky dusty kids. Gordon spilling something sticky on him in the last hour, waiting to get there to wash him off. Recovering excitement at bath. 

grandma’s welcome cookies. 

——- other fic. Graduation. car crash. Injuries—the bruises. Scott burst into tears with brothers because he wants mum

[actuallykiwi]

Don't Let Go

Ho, ho, ho @livnimbe, I'm your @portal-secret-santa!

For your gift, I wrote you a little ficlet about the final battle with android!cores... and a few twisties ;)

I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas <3

"You like revenge, right? Everybody likes revenge! Well, let's go get some!" GLaDOS prompted, shaking her little fist in the air. Being a little shorter than a foot tall, clad in a potato sack and one small finger jammed into a computer port, it was hard to take her seriously. But those glowing yellow eyes were filled with murderous determination.

No, that's not what was making Chell nervous. As the elevator raced upwards, there was one thing she was most apprehensive about seeing again: Him.

Chell didn't even look down as she stepped off the platform and into the chamber. He was descending from the ceiling, perched on the console like a king on his throne, blue eyes pulsating with the power coursing through him. "Welcome, TO MY LAIR!" Wheatley's gangly arms outstretched with pride.

This wasn't Wheatley. This wasn't her Wheatley. This wasn't the Wheatley she spent weeks exploring the facility with. The one she let share stories about the scientists over the campfires. The one that made her feel less afraid because of just how terrified he was and how she had to be the brave one. The one that was always encouraging her, even with seemingly almost no way out. Because he believed, no, knew if anyone could find a way, she would.

This wasn't that Wheatley. What he had become was completely foreign to her, nothing like her friend. Even as he ranted about the fires, the neurotoxin, and the bombs, even as he boasted about killing her, Chell was hesitating.

But in Aperture, hesitation meant death.

So though it hurt, she readied her portal gun and darted as the bombs began to cascade. The whole time it was his voice taunting her, trying to distract her. She had been through this before, but last time it was different. She was ready to destroy GLaDOS. But Wheatley...

Chell dove behind a pipe transporting conversion gel. As the last bomb struck it, everything become white and covered in the portal surface. Just what she needed. But the realization hit her. She had to hit Wheatley with the bombs.

She grimaced as she took her place on the far side of the room and let the bombs follow her, popping a portal behind him. When the next wave started, she popped the other below her and dove out of the way. She couldn't look as it made contact with his back. Wheatley cried out and her heart ached. But she had no time to feel remorse. He was temporarily knocked out, and GLaDOS was bringing the first corrupted core in.

From above the catwalk, a chittering android with orange eyes softer than GLaDOS was cradling a rocket ship toy. The metal arm he was dangling from released him, and Chell leapt across the catwalk to catch him. Luckily, these hard-light androids were primarily composed of sunlight, so they were very warm, and very lightweight. Which helped, as they were all the same height or taller than Chell.

The catwalk collapsed and splattered repulsion gel, leaving her a bouncy blue path to Wheatley. With the space core bumbling about galaxies to her, Chell sprung to Wheatley's incapacitated body and latched the core's back to an exposed port.

Space core was wiggling and playfully parading his rocket around as Wheatley came back to, stretching as if Chell had just hit him with a fly swatter. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't a bit relieved, but it was time for the next one.

The second time she hit him with the bomb, from underneath him, Chell could see the scorch marks it was leaving on his hard-light body. She was now angry that she was having to do this. Angry at him for making her, for this being the only way. And the next core was no help.

When she caught the fact core, it perched itself on her awkwardly like a cat, spewing some nonsense about cats, in fact. She almost threw his lanky body at Wheatley dead-on, but couldn't risk missing the port.

Wheatley was now furious. She had seen him frustrated before, back before he changed, but this was unadulterated rage. Whatever had possessed him truly wanted to kill her. If Chell knew what fear was anymore, she would probably feel it then. But she pressed on and portaled a bomb to him once more. Sparks from the power withdrawal and damage to the console were beginning to sprinkle the floor.

So, hard-light had synthetic pain, apparently. Rick, the adventure core, was an odd mixture of pride and shame when being carried by Chell. His attempts at flirting had no affect on her, but it was him stroking her cheek that set her off. She flung Rick off of her and jammed the butt of the portal gun between his legs. Rick perfectly simulated how a man would react to this, and with his perversion out of the way, Chell slung him onto one of Wheatley's ports upside-down.

Wheatley was twitching periodically when he came back online. Much to Chell's relief, the bodiless announcer voice came on to initiate the core transfer. GLaDOS appeared from where the elevator was, her tiny body eager to get this over with.

Chell was tired. But she knew Wheatley would argue, and he did, and she would have to press the stalemate button. However, a fire had been started in the Stalemate Resolution Chamber, and the sprinkler system turned on. All of the white portal surface gel washed away, back to the stale grey steel of the chamber. All, but one.

Wheatley hadn't noticed that he had created an umbrella over himself and left one small patch of gel beneath him. Or maybe he had. If Chell had looked closer at the chamber, glimpsed what was behind the fence around the button, she would have seen the bombs. But exhaustion, frustration, and grief had caused a momentary lapse in her cautious judgment. She created a portal to the button and leapt through.

And was sent flying in a fiery frenzy back into the chamber.

Everything burned. All she felt was fire. She smelled burning skin. Her vision was distorted. And she could hear Wheatley's unbridled fury as she somehow managed to survive the blast. If you could call it surviving.

She had no strength left. Even the fight with GLaDOS had not hurt this bad. But maybe the pain wasn't all physical. Her friend, her only friend in her small, bland world, was doing his best to kill her. She trusted him, helped him, and he spat at her and called her selfish. Any hope she had had diminished. She was done. She painstakingly turned to roll on her back, every inch of her body either simmering or sore from the fight. Her only friend was screaming at her, calling her worthless, wishing she were dead and sharing her "all hope is lost" sentiment.

The ceiling crumbled above her as the facility neared its end. And there was the moon. Beautiful Luna. Bright, shining, and huge in the abyss of the sky. Had it always been so big? Just how long had it been since she'd seen it?

And then a thought occurred to her. The moon. Moon rocks. Moon rocks make a great portal conductor. Portals...

It was crazy. A crazy, girl-at-the-end-of-her-rope thought. But at this point, what choice did she have? Despite her body's protests, she raised the portal gun at the face of Luna, and fired. The recoil of the gun slammed her further onto the crumbling floor, nearly knocking her unconscious, but she was awake enough to see what happened next.

There was a moment of utter quiet. And then the chamber became a vacuum. Everything that wasn't nailed to the building, even some things that were, were now being sucked through the portal beneath Wheatley. This included Chell. Wheatley was struggling to keep himself attached to his throne, but the entire console was fighting, a mess of wire and metal thrashing in the vortex. Chell found herself suddenly flying right towards him, and reached for absolutely anything to hold onto. She found the collar of his shirt and clung on for dear life. There was an intense pulling, and then there they were.

Chell was clinging onto Wheatley's shirt in the facility, while her body was flailing in outer space.

Object were being hurled around them, knocking them this way and that, but despite having little strength left, covered in wounds, and on the brink of losing consciousness, Chell clung to him. "Let go! I can fix this! I can still fix this!" He yelled over the vacuum.

"I already fixed it!" GLaDOS had metal arms reaching through the portal. One had a hold of Chell's waist, "and you are NOT coming back!" and the other was about to cut Wheatley loose.

There was a moment. A brief, sudden moment, when Chell met Wheatley's eyes and the deafening sound of the vacuum faded away. She no longer saw the monstrous, maniacal machine that wanted her dead. She saw fear. He was afraid. He was the same tall, dorky, chatty android that showed her around the facility. That saved her from her sleep. That helped calm her down after nightmares by just speaking nonsense. That wanted her freedom just as badly as she did. He was still there. Buried, possessed by something he had no control over. And she was about to lose him to oblivion.

Even if it meant her death, even if it was a dream and he was really gone, she made a decision. Just as the metal arm reached his connection, she wrapped herself around him and held on with all the strength she had left.

The arm stopped. There was a pause, then something that could be perceived as a mechanical sigh. Then a jolt as the arm around Chell pulled back into the portal, and the portal closed.

They both collapsed to the ground, and GLaDOS ripped Wheatley's connection from the console. He cried out and curled up next to Chell, who was slowly fading. "You.. you saved me." He whispered.

"You really do have brain damage, don't you?" GLaDOS's tall and slender original android form stood over them, Wheatley's ripped cables in hand.

Chell could only see blurry shapes, their voices sounding a mile away. Everything was going numb with pain, but she felt a hand. A warm, gentle hand cradled her head. "Hey, you're gonna be okay, luv, you're gonna be just fine..." Before her consciousness left her, she saw gently glowing blue eyes watching her, not pulsating ones. And she knew.

That was her Wheatley.

[wildbeautifuldamned]

1996 Christopher Radko Rocket Santa Christmas Ornament 96-038-0 9 Tall ebay Lizmugs Do What Makes You Happy

[velvetvexations]

The dumbest thing about the Toys R Us ad is that it's not branded enough. Why do all these toys look like they came out of a depiction of Santa's workshop in the 1960s? No one was going to Toys R Us to buy generic dolls and rocket ships. I know culture has a problem with worshiping IPs but this is an instance where it just feels more fake and hollow to not worship IPs, how could you make a video supposedly celebrating IP Mecca without worshipping IPs.

[meidui]

i'm answering all 30 fic writer asks as seen on kelly@fohatic's blog 😽 HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? fool's gold was a 1872 fic and it was one-sided dialogue but with no quotation marks, so it was supposed to read like somebody from timely was telling you about what happened! i liked it but i don't know if i would do it again because it's just stylistic, i think it worked for 1872 because it suited the small town setting

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) i have too many wips but i posted 56 fics on ao3 this year!

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? that i dilly dally a lot to avoid writing smut scenes and that the discord sprinting bot is my best friend

4. What piece of media inspired you the most? probably endgame because we had the @stevetonyisendgame exchange and prompt fest this year, so i rewatched it a lot and ended up writing lots of endgame-adjacent/post-endgame!! they're so soft in that movie i can't help myself

5. What fandom(s) did you write for this year? all marvel except for one fic for game changers! i foresee house md fic in 2024

6. What ship(s) captured your heart? stevetony has always had my heart does that count

7. What character(s) captured your heart? i love steve rogers even more than i did last year

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? new ships!! i wrote steve/thor and steve/natasha for the first time for captain bottom bingo and steve/peggy for the first time for steggy secret santa

9. What fic meant the most to you to write? nobody saves me, baby (the way you do) because kristina@samcky had an unposted draft of it that she let me rewrite 🥺 so it meant a lot to me because she's all over that fic and i just love her with all my heart

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? i think it's a tie between winged and how porcupines kiss because they're so fluffy! although this might a little biased because @capnstars drew the cutest winghead!steve art you've ever seen in your entire life for winged and @itsmaybitheway drew THIS PRECIOUS PORCUPINE!STEVE AND ARMADILLO!TONY for how porcupines kiss 🥺

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? probably hell and high water because i worked on it slowly for months which usually doesn't happen, and it might even be one of my favourite fics that i've ever written so i was really proud

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? i don't think anything was difficult to write but new york is a hell of a town (and i'm brooklyn down) was so silly of me because it's set in august, but i wrote the first part in april and the second part in october and didn't really work on it during the actual summer 😶 like what was that?? why did i do that?? i'm so sorry

13. What fic was the easiest to write? into the forever and beautiful sky! it's a rocket-centric fic with rocket & steve friendship, i wrote it right after watching gotg vol 3 and it's just feelings vomit ahahah

14. What were your shortest and longest fics this year? my shortest fic was fool's gold which was 546 words and the longest fic that i wrote by myself (not just this year but also ever in all my life) was a rose by any other name which was 11.6k words! without caveats the longest fic is heartbreak prince, which i wrote with @areiton and it was 12k words!!

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 a beast of a burden is really special to me so i want to rec that one! because i wrote it for the endgame exchange that i loved so much and it was for mrsgingles, who is my favourite stevetony artist, and it reminds me of this summer, and it also feels like the truest love letter to endgame that i've ever written

16. What were you go-to writing songs? i don't have any! usually it's whatever i'm already listening to or a movie or show that i'm watching, but i listened to exo's lotto on repeat when i wrote hit the lotto because that's what the fic sounds like in my head and taylor swift's timeless when i wrote once in a lifetime because it was based on that song

17. What were your go-to writing snacks? NO TIME FOR SNACKS WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO KISS

18. What was the hardest fic to title? maybe lovelorn and nobody knows? i started working on it before 1989 tv came out and it didn't have a title for way too long, the google doc was literally just called "there are still beautiful things steve pov" and then it took me like 20 minutes of comparing 1989 vault lyrics to pick one 😭

19. Share your favourite opening line from the ice is getting thinner under me and you (a hockey au)

Steve is supposed to be at a bar downtown with the rest of his team. Steve is not supposed to be back in the emptied out stadium, his back slammed against the lockers with Tony's tongue in his mouth.

20. Share your favourite ending line i added the second last line for context but this ending line is my favourite because time has always been against steve and peggy, so i feel like the best show of how happy and safe they feel together is that they finally don't have to watch the clock or worry about time slipping through their fingers anymore 🥺 this is from from we were born to be national treasures

When she laughs, eyes glittering, he has the most peculiar feeling that he was always meant to end up right here, kissing the maroon lipstick off Peggy’s mouth, swaying under the sprig of mistletoe they never took down from Christmas as someone starts to shout a countdown to New Year’s. She cups his face and he smiles into the kiss, and neither of them bother watching the clock.

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue from if my wishes came true (buckynat)

“You got that written down in your notebook?” “I don’t need to write you down to remember you, Natasha Romanoff.”

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene there were so many close contenders aahh but my favourite scene has to be the one from catastrophic blues when tony finally catches steve!!

“Then don’t make me hurt you,” Tony says, raising his palm and lighting up his repulsor. “I know you know what this does. You’re unarmed and backed into a dead-end alley. You’re not winning this one, kid, I can tell you that for free. Take off your mask.” The Vigilante glowers and stands his ground. “My whole life is dead-end alleys. I’m not taking off my mask.”

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? the whole end part of near-death cliché took some wrangling just because i was trying to make it sound like something kang the conqueror would say haha

“I’ve killed a lot of Avengers and it all starts to blend together,” Kang says, “but I remember you because you always end up fighting for him. I admire the consistency. It’s rare.” “Him?” “You could be with Steve Rogers,” Kang says almost empathetically, and it’s like he has gently wrenched Tony’s heart out of his chest. When the repulsors on his palms falter, Kang continues in the same disarming tone. “I could send you back to the battlefield. You’d open your eyes and he'd be there.”

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? this is hilarious to me because the recurring motif in but saving what we love was supposed to be steve and tony calling each other's bullshit over the years but it ended up being overshadowed by star wars. so much star wars, in fact, that it warranted a "star wars references" tag

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) google docs

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? all of i thought the plane was going down (how'd you turn it right around) for two reasons! one is that i feel like maleness informs a lot of their lives and experiences and for a while i didn't really get the appeal of genderbending them, but then i read all of isozyme's lesbian stevetony fics and i had an epiphany about genderbending being an opportunity for character and relationship study, and two is that once i had said epiphany i realised i actually had a lot to say so i wrote captain eve rogers in one go and now i love her so much

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? hmm i don't think so!

28. How did you recharge between fics? i don't think i really do that either

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank? oh my gosh. with all the sincerity in my heart, every person who gave me a kudo or a comment or is subscribed to my ao3, recommended my fics or my blog, said in a reblog/tweet/discord message/dm that they liked one of my fics or it made them happy or they were excited about reading one, follows me on tumblr or looks at my gifs or likes/reblogs my posts, runs fandom events, shares their beautiful fics or art or edits with us, all the members of the steve rogers defense squad, truly everyone who i've had an interaction with (except the steve antis and bots in my block list 😠) because i'm so grateful to have this community and that we met because we love the same thing and we can make each other's days better. deactivating for 10 months was the right thing to do but i'm so happy to be back this time because of you

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024? some of these have been cooking in my head for so long that they have TITLES

that famous happy ending (enchanted au)

play house (wandavision au)

plausible deniability (rival lawyers au)

wild and beautiful (feral/tarzan steve au)

yoga instructor steve and discharged air force pilot tony

prequel to kristina's beautiful ocean's 11 au, Give me a kiss before you tell me goodbye