#i wanna say this is by far my favorite Ultron fic

[phaticserpent]

I'm almost done with the 1k Ultron/Reader fanfic <3

I HOPE yall like it

#phaticserpent #ultron #marvel #ultron mcu #brooooooo my back hurts #i wanna say this is by far my favorite Ultron fic #yall will have to see #hehe

[incomprehensiblelentils]

@loved-the-stars-too-fondly​ tagged me in a ship meme! I will try to make this interesting lol.

1. First ship

It’s a tie between Aladdin/Jasmine and Simba/Nala, because I saw both of these movies about the same time as a little kid. And my sixth birthday cake had a picture of Aladdin and Jasmine on it, and I used to tell stories about them to myself on the playground, but I had plushies of baby Simba and Nala with magnetic noses that could “kiss.” 

2. First OTP

I am taking this to mean “first fic you felt strongly enough about to produce content for or engage with in a creative/fandom way,” in which case that would be Michael/Mia from The Princess Diaries. I wrote one (1) bad fanfic when I was 13 (about how Michael proposed and then Grandmere threw a fit BUT then he saved her life while they were horseback riding) that’s still on ff dot net somewhere, and I read basically every fanfic for them that was available on ff dot net. I still have an enormous soft spot for them and I reread the books every few years.

3. Current favorite ship

Since I’m on a Dimension 20 kick right now, even though I haven’t read much fanfic yet I’m going to say both Fig/Ayda from Fantasy High and Ricky/Esther/Sofia from The Unsleeping City. Fig/Ayda is incredibly cute because Fig is a tiefling with shapechanging ability who had a string of questionable romantic encounters with much older men before meeting Ayda, the teenage curator of a magic library who is also an autistic Black phoenix. Fig is very impulsive and brash, but also emotionally closed-off and insecure, but she starts bonding with Ayda because Ayda thinks she’s really cool and admires her bravado. Fig doesn’t know what to do with someone who’s so intimidating but cool who seems to really like her, and, well, you can watch this scene where they get together, it’s very good. It contains Fig vomiting into a bush, then saying “I think you’re perfect the way you are,” then skateboarding away in a panic. It’s maybe the most accurate sapphic rep I’ve ever seen.

Ricky/Esther are just two incredibly nice people who get together in The Unsleeping City, but I think that they should also get together with their friend Sofia because of reasons. I genuinely think the canon supports this reading quite a bit.

4. Your ship since the first minute

I have a fun story for this, which is that literally since day 1 of Korra, I wanted her to have a girlfriend (post date: 12/7/11), and the second Asami showed up I was like eyes emoji. And then I dropped off the show after the first season for a few reasons, kind of assuming they would never do an f/f couple and casually shipping Korrasami sort of out of spite, but THEN my friend messaged me immediately after the finale like DUDE YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED. And that was honestly one of the emotional high points of my fandom life.

5. Ship(s) you wish had been endgame

I have...many! Bering and Wells from Warehouse 13 is paramount, obviously, because that is a wound in my soul from which I will never recover. Cartinelli from Agent Carter slightly less so, but I think that was truly the last time that I had real hope for a canon f/f ship. I think Matt/Foggy/Karen should have all been romantic together because Matt/Karen by themselves has weird vibes and I don’t like it. Obviously I think Fitz should have died in the series finale and Skimmons should have been canon, and as far as I’m concerned he died of a brain tumor after that and then they got together. (Daniel is also involved still, he’s a chill dude and I like him and it’s fine.) 

6. Ship you wish was canon

Grace/Dani from Terminator: Dark Fate, because wow did they shoehorn in an incredibly hilarious attempt at mommyzoning Dani (didn’t work, it’s still gay fuckos). But it would’ve been nice if they’d just leaned into it and let the horny lesbian ghost that possessed the screenwriters make it explicitly gay. Also I think Cameron/Donna and Gordon/Joe from Halt and Catch Fire should have been canon because that show is already basically about the world’s messiest polycule anyway, and Joe is canon bi and already treats Gordon like a booty call, and Cameron and Donna act like either romantic partners or bitter/awkward exes, so like. c’mon. Also I think Daisy/Robbie should have been a thing.

7. Ship that most of the fandom hates but you love

Natasha/Bruce is cute COME AT ME. Age of Ultron is a bad movie but they could have been cute!!!!

8. You don’t even watch the show, but you ship it

Uhhhh. Most things I end up secondhand shipping I end up consuming the canon for eventually lol. I was secondhand shipping Cameron/Donna from Halt and Catch Fire last year because my friend was watching it but then I just...also watched it lol. Uhhhh. The Killing Eve lesbians seem fun I guess? I’ll get to that eventually.

9. Ship you wish had a different storyline

I’m digging deep for this one, but Buffy/Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think they had SUCH a cool dynamic that kind of stopped getting explored after season 4, and it’s a bummer. I don’t think they’re like, endgame or true love or anything, but I think they’re sort of the messy pair that can’t completely disentangle from each other, and maybe they don’t even really want to? I think that they couldn’t live in the same house or anything but that they meet up and hang out and probably fuck every couple years, and it’s good.

10. Favorite ship(s) that’s endgame

GAMBIT/ROGUE GOT MARRIED IN THE COMICS. I’M SO PSYCHED. I don’t know if Karolina/Nico from Runaways counts as endgame but I love them, and I also love Gert/Chase. I’m rewatching Nikita and am delighted to know that Michael/Nikita is still very good. Priya/Tony from Dollhouse is also very good. Daisy/Daniel was honestly the best outcome SHIELD could have realistically given me and I was quite happy with it. I don’t know if Magnus Archives ships count but I really like Georgie/Melanie (we stan sapphic accidental apocalypse cult leaders). Oh and I like all the canon Avatar: The Last Airbender ships too.

EDIT: I FORGOT MY BELOVED ARAGORN/ARWEN AND WILL/ELIZABETH (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN).

I’m tagging @swiftzeldas @toriasimmons @dollsome-does-tumblr @theomenroom @zenithofdork if you wanna!

[anonthenullifier]

Of Cephalopods and Pistol Shrimp

Summary: Vision helps Wanda figure out a new way to harness her powers by using techniques from the ocean.

AO3 link

Based on a fic suggestion from @thissweetmoment about how Wanda goes from her looser powers in Age of Ultron to the tight, electric spheres in Civil War. Sorry this took me so damn long to actually write. I hope you enjoy!

I hope everyone else enjoys this as well!

Existence is a fascinating ordeal.  Technically the number of experiences and sensations are finite, yet each day Vision encounters something new. Sometimes it is a smell, such as Rhodes’ burnt toast or the antiseptic, lemony sting of the new cleaning solution the custodial staff recently switched to. Other days it is a sound, like the way pages whisper when Sam falls asleep on the couch, his magazine tumbling to the floor or the authoritative click of Natasha’s shoes. Tactile sensations are amongst his favorite, entire nights spent running the pads of his fingers over the bumps in the imperfect paint on his bedroom wall, dipping into the crevices of the grains in the kitchen table, analyzing the difference between the tiles of the backsplash and the grout, or relishing the effervescent embrace when he flies into the clouds. Taste is a curiosity but not enough to waste food.  Even when he experiences the same stimuli numerous times, it is somehow never the same and that is what makes it so enthralling. 

His eyes do not waver from the reinforced plexiglass in front of him, arms crossed over his chest in mimicry of Sam and Steve’s shared stance (apparently, this is a sign of contemplation), as they complete the latest test devised by Stark to map the abilities of the new Avengers. They all watch as Wanda sends furious and untamed tendrils out, the scarlet matter beginning as a cohesive unit before spasming into myriad uneven pathways. It’s reminiscent of a documentary he watched the other night on cephalopods, the red clouds surrounding Wanda shimmering and undulating much like the frenzied dance of the ink as the animal fled danger. The tactic is mesmerizing, always new, the patterns sporadic and unique, much like snowflakes, yet just as with snowflakes, it is only effective in large quantities, which tires Wanda out.   

“She’s terrifying.” 

Steve grunts noncommittally at Sam’s awed comment and Vision finds himself confused at the terminology. Terror is what horror movies are meant to evoke, the white knuckles of Wanda’s hand as she absentmindedly grips his bicep during a team movie night, or the wide-eyed, shaking stance of a small child they find in amongst the ruins on a mission. There is nothing about this display that elicits said reaction. Perhaps their adversaries would feel some terror from this, but teammates should not. “I think it is calming.”  

The two men turn and stare at him, the same furrowed brows and slight side-eye occurs now that happens any time Vision attempts to make an observation counter to what has been stated. “It’s something, for sure.” Steve remains neutral, unaffected by the training as he clicks the intercom switch, “I think we’re good for now, Wanda.”  

Wanda throws a tired thumbs up in their direction and exits out the side door, arriving in the communication center minutes later, her breath light and rapid, muscles shaking slightly as she huddles in close to watch the tape of her performance. It is impolite to stare, or so he has been informed, and yet Vision cannot stop himself from watching Wanda watch her own tape, curious to see if there are any signs of terror in her stance. “It seems a bit sloppy.” Her comment is factual but tinged with a negative emotion that is not terror, per se, perhaps more like the time Wanda stepped in the aftermath of a food fight that happened at the team’s fourth of July barbecue. Disgust, yes, that’s it, not terror.  

“It could be tightened up,” Steve agrees with her observation, though he does not seem upset, “we really need to find a way to channel it all into, I don’t know,” a wary hand rubs the back of Steve’s neck, his day longer than their own, having to watch and critique each teammate, “concentrate it somehow.”  

Wanda nods, forehead wrinkling at the comment while her lips purse in concentration, “Do you have any recommendations?”  

A sigh answers her, the same one Steve used when Vision asked him if there were any known exercises to help him with his phasing. “I need to think on it for a bit.”

“Okay.”  

“Sam,” the conversation moves on as Steve turns to the last of the team to go into the simulator, “you’re up.” 

Sam grins, snapping on his goggles with an, “Alright!”  

Her session done, Wanda leaves the room and Vision waits exactly five minutes before excusing himself for the evening. 

  It’s while he’s watching another ocean documentary that Vision realizes he may be able to help Wanda. Unfortunately, this occurs at 4:15am and for once, no one else in the compound seems to have insomnia. To pass the time, he sets himself up in the common room lounge and drafts plans for different exercises, tests some of them himself with the Mindstone, though he recognizes the confound in his attempts to extrapolate his own power set to hers. It’s at 5:30am when Steve and Sam come in with a friendly, “Morning, Vision.” 

“Good morning, Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson.”  

Sam always gets this smirk when Vision addresses him, a small shake of his head and sometimes a roll of his eyes. “Dude, just Steve and Sam.”  

This has been told to him before, yet it seems very impersonal given their longer duration in heroics. “My apologies.” 

“We’re going out for a run, wanna join?”  

Usually Vision is not in the common room at this time, mainly for this reason. He is aware the offer is out of politeness when it comes from Sam (it is a command when it is from Steve), which means he can technically say no, though his stomach always seems to rotate uncomfortably when he turns them down. But he doesn’t want to get distracted and miss out on Wanda. He also, if he is being honest, is not particularly fond of running, flight a far more invigorating experience. “No thank you, I am attempting to draw up potential exercises for Miss M- for Wanda to better examine her powers.” 

Steve nods in approval, “Good, I think that’s a great idea, you two can probably learn a lot from each other.” 

“Yes,” Vision’s stomach evens out, no longer churning at dismissing their request, “I do believe that is true.”  

“Alright, well, have fun.” Sam winks at him, taking a bite of his granola bar as he and Steve leave the common space.  

It’s approximately forty-three minutes later that Wanda enters, her hair thrown up in a ponytail and still adorning her pajamas with a baggy sweatshirt. She shuffles towards the kitchen, her eyes leaving the ground once to make sure she is heading in the right direction.  “Good morning, Wanda.” He seems to surprise her, her hands clutching the sweatshirt tighter as her face swings in the direction of his voice.  

It takes several agonizing seconds for her to respond with an un-emotive, “Morning.”  

“Did you sleep well?” 

Wanda shrugs and it conveys more than enough information, her sleep patterns erratic and unhealthy, though they are getting better. This seems to end their conversation, her feet taking her closer to the kitchen. Vision stands, fingers twisted as he considers his next step, but now that he’s standing, it would be awkward to sit back down, he thinks, so he phases through the couch and follows her to the kitchen, coming to stand next to the stools at the island while she busies herself making her tea. “I had an idea last night,” Wanda turns towards him, face expectant, “I, um, well I believe I had an epiphany on how best to harness your powers,” her stare doesn’t change, despite the fact he feels like it should be blossoming with the excitement, just as his did when he had the revelation, “the way Captain Rogers suggested, by concentrating it.”  

Her response is slow, the two-syllable, “Okay,” lasting long enough that it feels like eight. 

“I was watching a very fascinating documentary last night about cavitation and pistol shrimp—” 

“Am I going to need some coffee for this?” 

Vision pauses, taken aback by the change in her preference and why she is inquiring of him, “I believe you should drink whatever sounds most appealing to you.” 

This garners a laugh, though he isn’t sure why, but it is a pleasant experience, his own mouth lifting in response to her apparent joy at his comment. “You’re going to have simplify this for me.”  

Which is fair. “Cavitation is a phenomenon in which cavities are formed due to rapid changes in pressure and this change in pressure, if it becomes too great, the cavity can collapse into a shockwave.” 

“More simple.” 

Vision follows her as she fills her cup with tea, drizzling honey in while she stirs and then tossing in a pinch of sugar for good measure. No one else on the team ever attempts to understand him this way, to demand he work on his communication, and so he is never offended when she asks him to rephrase or simplify. “When you use your powers now, they are free-flowing, like,” the simile of his revelation may be apt to use now, “a cephalopod…” Wanda glances up at him as she blows gently on the tea, and wordlessly she informs him to keep simplifying, “a squid or an octopus, when it is alarmed, it sends out ink into the water. This method is particularly useful for obfuscating,” another glance and he runs through a thesaurus online, “confusing people, a distraction–” 

A shimmering cloud engulfs her hand, wispy and tumultuous with the rotation of her wrist, “Are you forgetting how my squid powers took you down in training last week.” 

“I am not, it was an impressive display of power,” she glances down at her tea though it is not enough to fully mask the upward curve of her mouth, “but you would have been victorious even faster had you acted more like a pistol shrimp.” 

“Which would be?” 

“Oh, um,” this speech went smoother when he rehearsed it earlier in the morning, though his conversational skills are always more confident when he is alone and practicing than when her green eyes are locking onto him, flecked with an amusement that sends electric shocks down his spine, “to gather your powers into a bundle of unequal pressure and then let it loose.” If the quirk of her eyebrow is any indication, this is still not as illuminating as he hoped. “I can show you a video?”

Wanda waves her hand at the tablet on the counter and she takes the seat next to his as he searches for a good example. Together they watch a five minute clip of a pistol shrimp, first at actual speed which makes it look like the shrimp is punching the air, but then the scientists present a slowed down version and together they watch as a small air bubble forms in the middle of the open pincher. “This is pretty cool.” 

A warmth, similar to his first time winning one of the training challenges, circles his chest, “It is.”  

Suddenly the shrimp closes its pincher and the bubble collapses, sending a shockwave through the water, stirring the rocks at the bottom of the tank and immobilizing the smaller crustacean in the tank. When the video ends, Wanda lifts her hand, powers collapsing from their usual tempest into a centralizing orb. “So, you’re saying something like this could be more effective?” 

“Assuming your powers can be driven by cavitation, yes, with enough pressure you may be able to more efficiently remove threats.”  

She studies the orb undulating in her palm, head cocked to the side, allowing the red to reflect off her eyes, and Vision is briefly mesmerized by it, until she extinguishes the orb, jolting him back to the present. “Worth a shot. I assume you already have exercises planned?” 

Others on the team have said similar statements, theirs laced with exhaustion and aggravation, at times, Wanda’s is neither of those, the corners of her eyes pinching as the right side of her mouth tips up. “I do, yes. Shall we reconvene in the training gym in approximately fifteen minutes?” 

“Sounds good.” 

  When they meet again, he has restructured his molecules into his uniform, feeling like his new staple of slacks and a sweater do not belong in such a space. Wanda is not in her uniform, but is wearing the same outfit she dons when Steve forces her on the morning run three days a week. “Okay,” Wanda’s tightens her ponytail as she talks, “so how are we doing this?” 

“I believe we should start simple, so I have set up a number of targets ranging in weight and size,” he directs her towards a table containing several sizes of soup cans, dumbbells, and kettlebells. “I have downloaded a relatively novel program that will allow me to analyze both the broadband noise and subharmonics created before you unleash your powers.” 

Wanda’s lips tighten in time with her hesitant nod, “I’m guessing that’s how you tell the, um, power of the attack?” 

It is close to what he is doing, if she replaces power with pressure. “Precisely.” A broad, toothy smile parts her lips and he mimics it, always enjoying these small moments of glee she shares with him. “Would you like to try?” 

“Yep.” Wanda spreads her feet out so her stance is a touch wider than her shoulders, her right foot approximately an inch closer to the display than her left. Slowly her powers pool around her hand and even more slowly she draws them together into an orb. He expects her to release it, but she doesn’t, instead her fingers continue to wave, weaving her powers into a bigger orb that spins faster and faster. 

He checks the measurements streaming through his mind and frowns, the display reporting an error. It is only at the subtle dip of her hand that he figures out the problem, “Wanda wai—” she doesn’t hear him soon enough and she flicks her wrist, the orb soaring through the air and exploding upon contact with a can of tomato soup that never stood a chance. The shockwave of the hit throws the table across the gym, the viscous soup coating the floor looking more like blood than lunch and several new holes have been created in the wall from the weights. Vision rushes to Wanda’s side, “Are you okay?” 

Shock pulls her jaw down, eyes wide and hands clasped into fists at her thighs. “That was fucking awesome.” 

“I—” he follows her gaze to the destruction, not certain awesome is the best term, it was remarkable, for sure, but he’s going to have to explain how this happened to Natasha and Steve and Tony, a meeting he is not thrilled about. His worry is eradicated when she laughs because it’s the freest sound he’s ever heard from her, effervescent and untamed, her body shaking so much she leans against his shoulder for support. “It was amazing.” 

“There’s soup everywhere!” 

“Yes,” her reaction is infectious, his own lungs beginning to spasm as light huffs intersperse his response, “that was an oversight on my behalf.” 

“At least it you didn't grab something like corn.” 

The image of hundreds of kernels littering the ground is a much worse reality. “This is true.” 

Wanda straightens her spine, removing her touch from him, and turns with a smile that might almost be described as wicked. “Can we do it again?” 

A survey of the damage forces him to reassess his strategy. “Yes, though I believe we need to be more methodical.” 

Together they pick up the table, Vision arranging the weights on it while Wanda uses her powers and a mop to remove the soup from the ground. “So, what’s the plan?” 

“I believe we should experiment with how much pressure you build up to determine the amount needed to effectively deal with the target without destroying it.” 

For the next hour they do just that, Vision reading the indices and informing Wanda when to release her orb. They start small, and work until finding the most efficient amount per each weight. Once they’ve done this, he stops informing her of when to attack, instead allowing her to determine the feel of it in her hands, since he cannot constantly assess her during a mission. It’s after she’s successfully sent the heaviest weight flying an acceptable and not destructive distance that they move on to the punching bags, which are more analogous to the foes they face. With each target she grows more confident, the power coalescing faster and faster until she can attack within seconds.  

During their (well her) water break, Wanda suggests the next step, one he hadn’t yet conceptualized since he did not (foolishly, admittedly) anticipate her being so proficient after a half day. “You know, in the video we watched the prey was moving, so I don't think I'm one with the pistol shrimp yet since we've just used immobile targets....” 

"Oh, well, I can find some of the mechanized bullseyes from the supply closet."

This doesn't seem to be what she had in mind, the tips of her ponytail dancing as she clarifies, "Those never move like the actual people we face on missions."

A true statement and one dripping with suggestion that is driven home by her pointed stare at him. It takes Vision 1.5 seconds longer than it should to fully grasp the implication. “Are you asking me to be your soup can?” 

“Yes.” Her face grows serious other than the flicker of red in her eyes, “Vision, will you be my soup can?” 

He’s not sure why the question releases a torrent of heat in his cheeks, a reaction he will need to further parse out at a later time. “I suppose since you asked so nicely, I have no reason not acquiesce.” 

 “Don’t worry,” she pats his arm as he walks past, an action she’s never done before, “I’ll be gentle.” 

Vision has to suppress the way her actions and the glimmer in her eye make him feel unsteady, keep his voice calm and unaffected as he quips back, “I believe I am somewhat more formidable than Campbell’s.” 

“We’ll see.” 

He stands twenty feet from her, the optimal distance they decided on during the prior phase of her training. “I will maintain my normal density for this.” Wanda sends him a thumbs up and he activates the program, recording the accelerate spike in both the broadband noise and subharmonic index, sending her a wave when he believes it should have some effect. The orb crashes into his body, the shockwave of it bursting flutters his cape, but nothing else occurs. “Try again.” And she does, fifteen times and yet she can’t seem to send him farther than a centimeter back. “Perhaps try using both hands to form the orb?” He has no basis for the suggestion, but he hypothesizes that each of her hands serves as an independent source, using both might double the impact.  

Wanda’s feet spread a bit farther apart as her arms wave through the air, the orb oscillating between her palms reaching the highest threshold of his measurement system in a matter of seconds. The power is released before he tells her, not to any detriment, the burst of scarlet against his chest sending his sympathetic system into a frenzy, his body desperate to increase its density but he resists, instead allowing her to throw him back into the wall.  

“Oh shit!” Footfalls echo around the gym, the noise bouncing too fast for him to pinpoint her location until her hands wrap around his biceps, worry streaming from her fingers, “Vizh, you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?” 

Her right hand leaves his body and hovers in front of his face, fingers bending and straightening as his eyes adjust. “You are switching between two and three fingers.” 

“Can’t even trick you after that.” 

Vision smirks at the despondency in her response, sitting up slowly while running a quick system check. “Wanda,” she meets his eyes, “that was incredible.” The last stray wisp of concern leaves her face, replaced by a proud grin. “Shall we try it again, only I will fly this time?” 

“Only if you’re okay.” 

“I am fine.” 

Despite his assurance, Wanda still offers her his hand, helping him stand before returning to her position in the gym. It’s at this point that Natasha comes in, a wave towards them that states she’s merely here to watch. Wanda’s fingers flex at the added attention, still overcoming her self-consciousness of being scrutinized by the former spy during training.  Vision takes a moment to approach Wanda, standing far enough away to not encroach in her personal space, but close enough that she can hear his slightly lower voice. “Pay no mind to Natasha,” Wanda’s head tilts, in what may be annoyance or anger or some other emotion he has yet to determine in situations such as this, “I want you to go back to one handed throws. We want to train your accuracy first and then you can add more power.” 

“Okay.” 

“And Wanda.” 

“Yeah?” 

For some reason he is tempted to reach out to her, give her arm a comforting embrace, but he doesn’t, instead clenching his fingers into fists at his side. “Remember that no one else on the team can do what you can.” 

His comment seems to latch onto the corners of her mouth, tugging it up into a brief smile. “Don’t go easy on me, okay?” 

He reassures her with a heartfelt, “I will not.” 

Vision lifts into the air, eyes scanning the gym for all accessible routes and protection. For the first attempts, he determines to remain relatively low to the ground, allowing her to fine tune her aim at a more accessible level before moving higher and requiring greater calculation on her behalf. He waits for her to form an orb before moving. Like with any other foe, he positions himself so that she is always in his view, even if it is just his periphery, but primarily he utilizes his proprioception to determine how to angle is body or bend his limbs to avoid her attacks. Even with her rapid-fire method, the closest she gets to a hit is a singe to his cape, her movements too predictable to him given the hours they have spent training together. Vision lands softly in front of her, assessing the stoop of her shoulders and the way her fingernails are digging into her palms, a small action he has come to associate with her frustration. “I believe we may be approaching this incorrectly.” 

“How so?” The weightless ease of her voice is gone, replaced by the measured rhythm she uses during any other training, particularly after being beaten down a few rounds by Natasha.  

No single animal utilizes just one attack pattern, nor do any of the Avengers, and yet that’s what they’ve been trying to do. “We have only been focusing on this one aspect of your powers, but for the task at hand, you need to utilize more than that.” Wanda waits for him to continue, arms crossing as her eyes slide to where Natasha is sitting. “You need to obfuscate first...” 

Now her attention returns to him, “So squid power you?” 

“I- yes, correct, distract me and then—” 

Her frustrations flips into understanding, “Then I pistol shrimp you.” 

"Correct.”  

A shared nod cements the plan and he returns to the air, waiting, yet again, until scarlet oozes from her hands to begin flying. This time is very different, every direction he flies is teeming with scarlet clouds, each one obscuring his view and sending him into a new location, only to be met with another dense nebula. Vision decides to tempt fate by flying through one of the formations, having no other means of getting to the other side of the gym, it’s then that the cloud constricts around him, throwing off his senses long enough that he feels an impact on his side, hard enough that it stings yet soft enough that he remains steady in the air. Vision lands, hand rubbing out the branching tingle still spreading throughout his oblique. “That was much more effective.” 

“It was. Mind if we try ag—” 

Before she can finish, a new voice enters the gym, Steve’s authoritative, “Training starts in two minutes everyone,” setting an end to her suggestion, Wanda’s mouth closing and her shoulders shrugging, the look on her face one he thinks says Maybe later?

   A week later he stands again with Steve and Sam, arms crossed and head tilted to the right, his eyes never leaving the varying patterns of scarlet through the plexiglass. This time her powers seem to dance, a careful choreography of wild undulation followed by disciplined restriction. “Holy shit,” Sam steps closer to the glass, hand rubbing his chin at the destruction being wrought within, “she’s even more terrifying now.” 

Terror is still an odd descriptor, because what Vision sees before him is more beautiful than even the undisturbed dawn over the mountains, the memory of her powers erupting in tingles along his skin, a fascinating texture he now associates with power and marvel.  

“What exactly did you two work on?” Steve only watched some of their additional trainings, never interceding, something he tends to do when the more fantastical powers are at play.  

Vision doesn’t pull his gaze from Wanda as he answers, “Obfuscation and cavitation.” 

“Not really helpful, man.” Sam, like Wanda, will always tell him if he is being too dense, though never as nicely, but never rudely either.  

The other way Vision can think to explain it likely won’t help them either, but it is how Wanda describes it to him as she eats lunch after their trainings, hair dripping with sweat, hands shaking from her hard work, and her smile radiant, so he determines it cannot be worse, “She has become one with the squid and the shrimp.”  

“Okay then,” Sam’s two words last for four seconds, his confusion palpable, but Vision doesn’t amend the statement, deciding to let Wanda explain it to them later, allowing Vision to become engrossed in the fascinatingly breathtaking display in front of them.

#scarlet vision #wanda maximoff #vision #the vision #thescarletvisionnetwork #mcu #pre-relationship #flirtatious training #mine

[feluciasynthezoid]

001, Shakarian or Scarletvision, I’ll let you choose!!

Aww man I don't know which to choose. I kinda wanna do both. I'll do both. Both is good.

Shakarian

When I started shipping it:

Pretty soon after I was introduced to mass effect. Garrus was petty much my favorite squad mate from the start and that's the relationship I followed on my first play through.

My thoughts:

I just think these two work really work together. Their personalities are just perfect for each other and I just love them so much!!!

What makes me happy:

Auugh I love them they are cute I love the dance scene in the citadel dlc. I just love it all

What makes me sad:

Well mass effect 3 doesn't have a very ideal ending for Shepard and any ongoing relationships. Unless that secret ending is unlocked with the breath which I failed to do on my first play through.

Things done in fanfic that annoy me:

I don't think I've seen much yet that annoys me but I haven't read as much of their fabric yet either since I only started playing mass effect earlier this year.

Things I look for in fanfic:

Well similarly to the previous question, I am not sure yet.

Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with if not each other:

Maybe Garrus and Tali or Shepard and Thane.

Happily ever after:

They both live and adopt some little Krogen kids.

Big spoon, little spoon:

Switch

Favorite non- sexual activity:

I think maybe I'd say just sending time together.

Ok one done now for scarlet vision

When I started shipping them:

Really soon after I saw age of ultron. I wanted to know about their comic book version and found out they were married in the comics and I was like yes this I like this I will ship this now.

My thoughts:

I think this is one the fastest times I've fallen in love with a ship. Like it went from oh that's interesting to this is now the only thing I'm taking about very quickly. The only thing that I don't like about this ship is certain comic book storylines like avengers disassembled where writers have kinda torn apart the characters and ship.

What makes me happy:

I like how their aspects of their personalities kinda balance each other. They are similar in some ways and different in other ways. Order and chaos. I could say much more but is need a different post.

What makes me sad:

Well mcu vision is dead so that sucks. In the comics they aren't together currently. Avengers disassemble is awful, Tom King wrote Wanda yelling at Vision and calling him "not real" and a "toaster", And anything John Byrne wrote is terrible!!!!!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I hate it when people write Vision only as there to please Wanda and don't give him personality, needs, or story of his own. Like they are both people and one does not exist only to please the other.

Things I look for in fanfic:

Both being treated as people. Other than that I'm not really picky as far as genre. Although I do love sci fi stuff so off the fic has a cool sci fi theme then I really love it.

Who I'd be comfortable them begging with if not each other:

This one's hard. I dislike most of the other ships with Wanda and I don't see many other ships with Vision. I guess with Wanda I'm ok with her and Jericho, the guy she is currently with in the comics, and for Vision it'd probably be Virginia from the Tom King Vision series.

My happily ever after for them:

They are alive and happy. They get married and raise kids. They live a happy life without any more tragedy ruining things.

Big spoon and little spoon:

I'd say they switch but I've also a bunch people say Vision is a little spoon and I think that's cute.

Favorite activity:

I'm going to say gardening. Why? Well there is this one issue of marvel what if and in it Wanda gives Vision a rose and I thought that really cute and so that became the headcannon of Wanda occasionally giving Vision flowers which became the headcannon of oh maybe they could do gardening stuff.

And there we were two ships looks of thoughts!! Boom!!

[mirthandstar]

Hi there! Um would you mind if I asked you for some stony fic recommendations? Please and thank you

HONESTLY I can do this but fair warning 1) my fave fics are either the heart-wrenching or sweet romance type and 2) you’ve all probably read them before. Anyway, small list of some of my personal (completed) faves below the cut. Thank you for the ask, Anon!

do i wanna know by JenTheSweetie (Rated E, 10,455 words)When Steve Rogers woke up, they told him a lot of things.Sucker Punch by Sinaela (Rated T, 20,586 words)Steve never quite warms to Tony Stark, Avengers benefactor. Guys and Bots (series) by Annie D (scaramouche) (Rated E, 28,423 words)During the final battle with Ultron, Tony kisses Steve for the first time. Afterward, the situation escalates.To the End of Love by laireshi (Rated T, 2,562 words)Steve's been married to Tony for years when the Stamford disaster happens and the Superhero Registration Act tears the superhero community apart. Favorite by CapnShellhead (Rated T, 11,402 words)Steve challenges himself to be Tony’s favorite Avenger.

Something Death Can Touch by thatdamneddame (Rated G, 6,336 words)Tony nearly dies in the field on a Saturday. Steve breaks up with Tony the Wednesday after he's released from hospital.many names in history, none of them are ours by aubkae (Rated E, 42,948 words)Steve's not sure if he'll ever understand Tony Stark, but it's good, living here. If he still wakes up sometimes convinced this was all a dream, well, it's better than it was before, and that's something, isn't it?Plunge by Kiyaar (Rated E, 28,467 words)How the Illuminati ruined everything and no one was able to pick up the pieces.Semaphore by DevilDoll (Rated E, 40,040 words)"I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard."one foot in (and one foot back) by kehinki (Rated E, 32,529 words)This isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to Tony, but it's in the top five. (Soulmate AU).Feel Whole Again by thepartyresponsible (Rated T, 7,360 words)Steve turns to leave. It’s easier to talk, somehow, when he’s not looking at him. “If you need anything,” he says, “I’m just a few floors down.”“Might regret that, Cap,” Tony says to his retreating back. “I’ve been told I’m needy.”the good days by romanoff (Rated E, 12,672 words)Tony dies. Steve doesn't cope.So Close Together (So Far Apart) by theappleppielifestyle (Rated T, 13,020 words)Steve and Tony become Friends With Benefits. It backfires on them both.

#answered #fic rec

[itismarvelicious]

This is a thing I wrote the day after seeing Spider-man: Homecoming. I started really enthusiastic about it and ended up quite disappointed, but I thought I’d put it here anyway to give it a chance and see if I should continue the story. 

Initially, it was supposed to be a fic about Tony and Pepper’s relationship, from post-AOU to Spider-man: Homecoming. The breakup, the reunion, and you know what. I took some liberties of course, but still tried to be as close as possible to the real story. 

English isn't my native language so I apologize in advance for the mistakes you will encounter. If you are interested in correcting them, I adore you already.

Also, this is my first “fic” ever. I've always had a vivid imagination but never managed to write anything, so I hope it doesn’t turn out too bad. Alright, enough excuses haha, here it is guys!

“You said that you would stop!”

“That was the point of the whole thing! I created Ultron to stop -”

“You should’ve thought this through, Tony!”

They were at it for five minutes, tops. When he came back home after – let’s keep calling it the whole thing – Pepper was waiting for him.

“Is it true what they say?” she had said.

“What?”

“Was that you? Ultron.”

“Yeah, I’m fine and alive, thank you.”

He didn’t mean to be bitter but it had been a rough day.

“Answer me, Tony.”

“Yes. Yes, it’s all on me.”

And she had gone mad. Which is understandable, really, but he didn’t need to be told over and over again that he had “killed hundreds of innocent people!”. He knew. 

“You know what, I’m just gonna walk away. That’s it, I’m walking away”, Tony said as he did, raising his hands in the air.

“You come back and face your actions!”

He turned again to face her.

“I already do, Pepper! You think I don’t blame myself? Because I do! But it’s done and it’s too late and right now I need to eat, I need to have a shower and maybe have some sleep, you know?!” And a fucking glass of wine, he thought to himself. And then I don’t know, because I don’t know what to do anymore.

“Oh you go get your golden shower and sleep in your golden bed while people are still dying in a hospital or under the rubble that you -”

He walked away.

He got his shower, got some snacks and two or three glasses of wine but he gave up on trying to sleep. It was three in the afternoon, anyway.

Pepper was nowhere to be found and Tony didn’t know if he was relieved or worried about it. They were arguing all the time, but this time was different. It was damageable. The world had already crumbled outside, he didn’t need his own world to crumble from inside.

When she didn’t come back in the evening either, his chest began to hurt.

“Jarvis, can you locate Pepper?”

But there was no Jarvis anymore. “Shit”.

“Why not just call her?”

Tony’s heart jumped. “Holy shit, Vision!”

The android was just standing there, in the middle of the living room, seemingly coming from nowhere.

“Where do you come –“ Tony was about to ask, but then remembered Vision could actually walk through walls. “Nevermind.”

“Miss Potts let me in this morning. I was here the whole time but I assumed you didn’t want to be bothered.”

“Great, that’s fucking great. What made you change your mind?”

“You called Jarvis.”

It caught Tony off guard for a second. Was this loyalty? Was this just programming? What even was it that he created now anyway?

“You’re not Jarvis”, he pointed out.

“Indeed I am not, but I have kept some of his memory so I believed that maybe you’d want me to – oh. I’m still new at this. Do you wish me to leave?”

Tony sighed, rubbing his face. “Nah, it’s fine. You can stay. If you want to learn how to be human though, I’d suggest you sit down on the couch. Standing here – well, floating here like this is kinda creepy.”

“Understood.”

“Hey, you wanna try a drink? Wine?” Tony said as he poured one glass for himself.

“I do, but as for you I believe you’ve already had four glasses of this beverage today, which I heard is toxic for the human body.”

“Gosh, you really do sound like Jarvis. Here, try this.” He handed the glass to Vision, before sitting down on the other end of the couch. He had already finished his own drink when Vision was still dipping his lips in the wine, eyebrows frowned, sounding like a professional sommelier.

“So?” Tony asked.

“I do not taste nor feel a thing.”

“Lucky you.”

“You should call Miss Potts.”

“We need to work on changing topics, too.”

“She was worrying about your mental health.”

“I worry about that too.”

“She’s afraid you might do something stupid -”

“Too late, already done that.”

“To yourself.”

Oh. So why did she scream at him? Because what you did is unforgiveable. And you know you’re both hot-blooded.

“Right. I’m not going to do that.”

“Which is why you should call her and tell her.”

Tony stared at Vision, then frowned and nodded approvingly. “You know, for a newborn, you’re a fast learner. I sense a romantic in you. Can I have a moment of privacy, please? I’m gonna call my girlfriend.”

Vision nodded, then floated away and through the window, just more than 900 fucking feet in the air. The guy still had a lot of things to learn.

His phone in his hand, and Tony wasn’t so sure anymore. Was he supposed to explain himself? Pepper didn’t seem like she wanted to hear any explanations this morning. Was he supposed to apologize? It will never be enough for what he did. Was he supposed to tell her he loved her and beg her to come back? It was probably too early for that.

But he was going to do exactly all that anyway.

It’s Pepper Potts, leave a message.

“Hey. Pep. Can we talk? I mean, actually talk and not… shout at each other? I just – I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing but things got out of control. I got out of control. You’re right, I should’ve thought this through. Don’t know why I didn’t because… It’s my whole nightmare again. My weapons turning against innocent people.I was so sure and – it’s a huge mistake I’ll have to live with my entire life. I’m not asking you to – well, maybe I do. Please forgive me.”

He could never forgive himself so he was hoping at least the one person that mattered would.

“Come back when you’re ready. I’ll… stick around for a few days. But please come back. I need you. I love you.”

He slept till noon and when he got up, his body felt sore everywhere. His head hurt too, though probably not from the battle. But it didn’t matter because above all things, it smelled like Pepper’s favorite homemade chicken salad.

“Hey”, he said as he walked in the kitchen.

“Hey”, she said without looking at him.

She was wearing a black legging and a white tank top, her hair tied in a pony tail. Gosh, she could be wearing a rag and Tony would still think she was beautiful.

“Where did you sleep?”

“Maria’s.”

“You don’t look like you actually slept”, he pointed out.

She had dark rings under her eyes. “I did a lot of thinking.”

She set a plate and cutlery in front of him but still avoided his eyes.

“Did you get my voicemail?”

“I did.”

“Can we talk, then?”

“I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen. But eat first. Vision told me all you did yesterday was drink and eat snacks, which is totally not healthy.”

Only Pepper could think about eating healthy in the darkest of times.

“Vision’s still around?”

“I gave him the guest room.”

“Great.”

“Let’s talk.”

“Okay.”

“You are responsible, so far, for the death of 150 people.”

Tony sighed, dropping his fork. He wasn’t hungry, and what was it with the chest pain again? He didn’t expect her to be so straightforward. And why did she choose that moment to look at him in the eyes? “You don’t need to -”

“Let me finish. It is what it is and, like you said on the phone, you will have to live with it forever. But I know you, Tony, and I don’t want you to enter into self-destructive mode. This bottle of wine was full yesterday. Take this aspirin.”

Despite himself and as he took the aspirin, Tony smiled. Pepper was observant and caring and tough and honestly, he didn’t know what he would do without her. What he would be without her.

“I knew what I signed for when I got into a relationship with you.” Pepper continued. “This job, or whatever you call being a superhero, I knew what it would involve and despite all the dangerous situations you put yourself in, I was okay with it because you always took the right decisions. And now, just one wrong decision turned… lethal. And I have to live with that burden too, which is why it is going to be very hard for me to forgive you. I love you, Tony. But I hate what you did.”

There was a long silence after that. After escaping death so many times, this was the first time Tony felt like he was actually dying.

“This is the part where you can talk”, Pepper said, probably seeking a reaction that didn’t come.

Tony shrugged. “Got nothing to say. Uh, I understand?”

“Tony.”

“It’s okay. You hate what I did, I hate myself for what I did, things are pretty clear. We can move on from here. At least we both love each other. These things matter, right? Gosh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be bitter, it’s just harsh and too much in a very short time and I need to process all that is happening but right now, I’m lost.”, he admitted. “But I understand, I do. If that’s what you want to hear.”

“I want to hear that you’re gonna be okay.”

“Are we gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then I don’t know either. But you don’t need to worry about me. I’m going back to Sokovia tomorrow. I’m gonna fix as much as I can. Of course some things will never be… repairable. You can’t fix the dead.” He let out a humourless laugh. “And then maybe we can fix ourselves, too.”

#if you guys knew all the stucky fics I have in mind but never managed to write #should I continue the story? #oh gosh I should've used the present tense narrative #I used the present tense for what I wrote next #silly me #i never reread myself #pepperony #pepper x tony #tony x pepper #tony stark #iron man #pepper potts #robert downey jr #gwyneth paltrow #age of ultron #cacw #spider-man:homecoming