#the fact that it was listed as Hawkeye though was delightful

[bwaygirl17]

I’m currently training for a new position at an eyeglass company and we’re practicing reading perscriptions, and they all have fictional character names and today a bunch of them were from MASH and listen I know just enough about MASH-blr to be slightly indignant to think that these surgeons were just passing out eye perscriptions

#like excuse me what are you doing trapper #the fact that it was listed as Hawkeye though was delightful #mashblr #mash #@hotcassavettessummer #relevant to your interests #potentially lol

[popculturebuffet]

Superhero Wedding Valentine's Day Special II: Hulkling and Wiccan (Empyre #5 and Empyre Aftermath: Avengers) (Poll Winner)

Happy valentine's day all you happy people! And it's time for my now annual valentine's day superhero wedding spectacular! For those not here for last year's event: despite not having been married (and being currently single), I love wedding episodes, so last year I had you fine folks pick a superhero wedding for me to review. Last year it was an overwhleming tie between Spider-man having to stop Doc Ock and Aunt may's wedding, cumilating in a nuclear explosion on a canadian island and Kitty Pryde and Colossus diasterous failed wedding.. leading to Gambit successfully stealing it for Rogue. And since that event was a successs, one of my only polls I both coudl complete due to scheduling conflicts and that got plenty of votes, I decided to do it AGAIN this year. And while we got a clear result (gestures above) this race was even tigther. While last year was a very clear tie between the two winners with nothing else coming evne remotely close this year…

Yup this year's winner was only by one vote with every patreon putting in a good fight.. and my person choice of yellowjacket and the wasp.. doing horrible because in hindsight maybe I shoudl've thought past the fact Hank and Jan are two of my faviorite characters.. into the fact their marraige ends in utter tragedy and abuse, with Janet moving on from it and Hank never forgiving himself and trying to atone for it quite a bit. Especially against three popular couples. LIve and Learn.

I'm delighted with the winner though: Wiccan and Hulkling! It's our first gay wedding on this feature.. I mean it's our third overall but superhero gay weddings are suprisingly rare, and while there have been plenty this is easily the highest profile one. So join me undre the cut for a long explination of these two's love story, the nuptials themselves and one hell of a reception:

So for those not familiar with the happy couple, let's tell their tale: Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman had what they thought were entirely normal lives. Billy was raised by two loving jewish parents and became obessed with the avengers and Teddy had a loving single mom working in real estate. Then both discovered they had super powers: Billy could make thigns happen if he said it hard enough I.e. "PLEASEDON'TBLOWUPPLEASEDON'TBLOWUP" and while he struggled at first with that and being gay, a chance meeting with the Scarlet Witch helped convince him being diffrent wasn't so bad and to embrace what he was while Teddy found out he was green and could shapeshift, taking on human skin to fit in till some jackass he had a crush on abused that power and he decided "yeah fuck that. "

Both were recruited by Iron Lad in the wake of Avengers Disassembled. To make a long, poorly told story short: Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, once upon a time made two children with the vision… literally it turned out as her boys were both magic and were stolen by a d-list villian and made into baby hands

She had an entirley understandable mental breakdown from that and her husband turning emotoinless.. as well as the fact none of her friends thought "Let's get her therapy ya know?". She apparently recovered but brian micheal bendis didn't do his research, so she later had another break down when an old woman refused to let her just reconstruct her children. Like.. she wasn't breaking into another universe and stealing someone else's kids, Agatha. Comeon. And yeah comics agatha is an old woman it's a long story.

Thanks to Agatha Harkness assholery, Wanda had a mental breakdown again this time far mroe grandly because Brian MIchael Bendis didn't think that maybe this was a touch insesntive. And this was back when most of his writing was GOOD. This was the EXCEPTION.

Said exception lead to the deaths of my boys Vision, Scott Lang and Hawkeye. As you can probably guess all got better, but it still left a lasting impact. And anyone whose seen wandavision or int he multiverse of madness can probably guess why i'm telling this story, yet are a tad puzzled.

With the avengers gone a visitor for the future , Iron Lad, showed up with the avengers protocol, recurting people Vision had in mind in case the avengers fell.. which was a bunch of teens instead of old hands, but I find that clever: it's likely this is intended if shit REALLY goes south and most avengers past and present are gone. Iron Lad simply used it because what was left of the avengers woudn't listen to him.

As a result he gathered Billy and Teddy

Along with Patriot, the son of lost captain america Issaiah Bradley, a super soldier given tuskgee style experiments and lockeda way for decades. Turns out Iron Lad wasn't ENTIRELY up front as he was actually a young Kang the Conquerer, upcoming villian of ant man and the wasp and total prick. Iron Lad is one of Kang's many variants and this one is entirely his fault as he went to his young self to inspire him, to show him what he'd be and assumed naturally his younger not yet jaded, bored and longing for conquest self would be entirley happy to find out

He very obviously wasn't and gathered the team to fight him, also picking up Cassie Lang, daughter of Scott Lang whose mom and step dad were total pricks at the time and badly wanted to follow in her dad's footsteps and due to being around him and getting saturated in pym particles could turn giant. Together they fought kang, and Iron Lad had to leave after stabbing him but left his armor behind which became the new vision.

While the avengers tried to stop these daring new heroes because they were being kinda dicks at the time, they only grew, gathering new member Kate Bishop Hawkeye, who after being rescued by these lads at a wedding used her vast fortune to buy them a base, new outfits and new equipment.

It was soon after this Teddy and Billy found out shit was way more complicated than they thought: Billy found out he was the reincarnation of one of the Scarlet Witch's twins, something that was naturally rattling as it was exciting and found his brother, Tommy, who had a much rougher life but came to embrace his new family and joined the team as Speed.

Teddy.. had it even worse with his revelation as the super skrull came a knocking, burnt his mom, and Teddy found out the truth: his mom was his adopted mom, which once again gets complicated because the writer of the first run of young avengers, Alan Heinberg, did really well tying these two into continuity, but it also means there's a lot to unpack when your just saying it instead of putting it in a story. During the Kree-Skrull War, long story, Captain Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvell and a kree soldier turned galactic hero met the princess of the shapeshifting Skrulls breifly. They had a quick affair, and rightly fearing for her child's life , his mom had her handmaiden take Teddy to his father. Said father was dead of cancer so she raised him herself. Super Skrull's natural reaction.. was to burn her.

Klrt ended up atoning a bit, playing Teddy to give both races shared custody, while Teddy remained on earth. Over all this he and Billy had fallen in love and were happy together with Billy's parents gladly taking his boyfriend in, having figured out he was gay (not so much he was a superhero) and warmly welcoming the boy. It's really sweet. The avengers realized they'd been dicks and decided to back off giving the kids full sponsorship.

Billy and Teddy were fan faviorites and it was easy to see why: While Marvel had gay characters before this , most either had to be hidden in plain sight (Mystique and Destiny) to get past censors, or were b-list characters that while great , didn't leave a huge impact (Northstar). While teen versions of the avengers, Billy and Tommy were still fairly high profile and depsite writer and creator Alan Heinberg being busy in CALLLLIFFFOOORRRNNIIIAAAAAA, the Young Avengers were kept pretty high up and a part of most crossovers from then on out in some form. Not only that the fact the two were gay , while something they had to deal with this being the early 2000's, was celebrated and a non issue for their parents, something that was rare in this kind of story at the time.

The two would stick around a while, and Tommy would eventually get his mom back during Alan Heinberg's long delayed The Children's Crusade.. which is kind of a mess and something best left for another time but in short, the twins reunited with their mom, who nicely lives in step with Billys adopted parent (Tommy's abandoned him so he's fine), and Dr. Doom killed cassie lang after bringing back her dad. It's a lot.

In the wake of this a new volume of Young Avengers by one of my faviorite comic book writers, Kireon Gilleon launched and the couple faced some issues despite getting engaged in the wake of Children's Crusade: Billy accidently summoned a dimenson hopping parasite named mother, forcing an all new iteration of the young avengers (Billy, Teddy and Kate along with Progidy, America Chavez, Teen Loki and Marvel Boy), to step up and take her out. The adventure was important as it asked an obvious question.. okay Loki did because who else: Did Billy .. wish Teddy into existance? I Mean his existance was pretty conveient: a struggling gay kid suddenly gets a handsome boyfriend whose also the secret son of captain marvel? He wasn't of course, but it was a good line to explore, the two eventuallyr econciled and peace was had.

The two would go on to be part of New Avengers, a book I loved by another writer I loved and the one who wrote these issues, Al Ewing. They worked with former New Mutant, Avenger and All Around awesome guy Sunspot as he took over former supervillian hive aim and tried to make it something good… by buyign them out as their traded like any company and most of them liked him better as a boss than whatever super villian took it over that week. The takeaway here is the two got an apartment, and Teddy got cemented as future king of space by taking up a cool as hell sword, but refused the throne for now.

This leads us, finally, to Empyre, the event the wedding's a part of.. as a massive twist mid story. It's also really one of the only lasting effects this event had, the other being the major catalyst for two future al ewing books: Guardians of the galaxy, which we'll cover the first arc of in May for obvious reasons, and SWORD which is awesome.

Empyre.. is as bit of a mess and one of MANY marvel events that feels like it's there JUST to be a marvel event. It's especailly hard to look back on after last year's Judgment Day, an event that truly FELT like it needed to be one, had massive lasting consequences for the x-men and nicely tied up writer Kireon Gilleon's eternals run, while telling a compelling story. As you can probably guess it's on my to do list. Empyre.. only is if I ever cover Dan Slott's fantastic four run which given i'm set to cover another disasterous run of his very soon, is thankfully getting pushed back.

Empyre is a long story: the short of it is Teddy united the long fueding Kree and Skrull empires, another thing that stuck ever since, and took them to earth to wipe out the cotai… which echoed history as the kree had done this before but the Coatai had decided thanks to that to wipe out all life.

Along the way Teddy ends up getting kidpanped and replaced by hisg randma who goes mad with power

Forcing the human torch and carol danvers to run , getting teleported.. to the happy couple's apartment, where Billy not only reveals the ruse (if not whose behind it as he dosen't know) as having dated Teddy so long he knows his facial tics to a t.. and because

Yup. Props to Slott and Ewing, and it's why I brought up him writing New Avengers: Ewing clearly loved the characters and made it a goal to give them a bigger place in the marvel universe with this event, and also snuck a gay wedding into one of the biggest events of the year. Kudos. Slott helped too, I guess. I mean credit where it's due he did co write it, I just feel this was likely Ewing's push aand Slott, being a progressive, gladly went along with it.

That leads us to issue 5 and to the actual nuptials. We won't be covering this one in full, as there's still a LOT of empyre stuff here. It's what makes covering some of the more mordern superhero weddings tricky as due to being written for the trade stories can often require an entire arc to get there. I got lucky with X-Men as whlie there was plenty of build up, the wedding itself was contained to one issue plus some bonus bits in the first issue of mr and mrs x. This one.. is smack int he middle of a massive and messy crossover event with 80 dozen tie ins. Thankfully the wedding itself is a short scene and the second wedding with a much larger crowd is contained to an aftermath issue. So after much ado let's GET to that wedding shall we?

We open Empyre #5 with Billy explaning it to Johnny and Carol.. who I"m not sure he'd even met before this, but hey, it's comics so the answer is "probably. At any rate he explains the two had an hour before Teddy left to become king of space. And as two 20 somethings at this point they used half of it already.

I see his point.. also we get a mildy gross bit of Carol apparently deying the eye thing despite the art showing it.. despite being at least twice his age.

Having learned well from his time under Roberto, aka sunspot, Teddy already had a crazy wedding scheme ready to go, including a special guest to precede over it:

Yup that's creator Alan Heinberg, a really sweet gesture.. and one he was well aware of. He and Jim Chung, who co created the characters did a short story for the marvel comics #1000 story staring the young avengers.. in the same outfits they'd wear to this wedding, placing it RIGHT AFTER said wedding. He was of course honored when asked about the cameo and I thoguht it was a sweet touch: he created them, he got them together.. and now he'd marry them, even if he wouldn't be writing it himself.

So surronded by their friends and brother, they marry and it's just.. utterly enchanting. To wrap up the whole doppleganger plot for you guys as it DOES tie into the aftermath issue as you'd expect: the whole connection thing isn't just beautiful poetry, but just as a percaution (Given the Skrulls and Kree asked Teddy to dump Billy already, yes really. ) Billy left a piece of magic inside his husband.. and thus they find the REAL teddy, bring him to the imposter, and said imposter turns out to be the queen of the skrulls, his grandma and someone who should've died when Galactus ate their homeworld. Teddy wins, they stop a doomsday weapon, the plant people are stopped and the evfent as a whole ends with Teddy as king of space. But since only a select few got to attend the first ceremony due to time constraints.. we get Aftermath, a proper wedding issue as the two get married again in front of more friends, Billy's parents, and of course their royal space court.

We open with Teddy visiting his grandma in jail. She explains how she's alive and became a kree infiltrator: she teleported out, leaving her daughter to die because.. well she kidnapped her own grandson and usurped him for power, she didn't have far to fall. She bided her time to try this scheme failled and does the usual villian thing of mocking teddy for his weakness.. before asking how his REAL wedding went.. thus we flash back to the other day

While Billy was happy with the small wedding.. he's equally happy with the huge rager, featuring tons of characters including those just fresh from the crossover, in case your curious why Wolverine and Spidey are wearing ff style uniforms. Which look dope by the way, they may of been for a fairly meehhhhh tie in but those outfits need to make a comeback. It's a nice spread.

Among the guests are recent newlyweds themselves ben grimm and alicia masters, Robby Reyes ghost rider palling around with venom, the guardians of the galaxy including recent couple Noh Varr and Hercules, and the richards kids who are for some reason laying down next to each other stoned out of their minds. God I hope ti's just that

We also get a really nice moment from Cap as he admits their constant attempts to stop the Young Avengers was one of his greatest regrets. Granted it leads to registration coming up and thor quickly stops that with a drink for everyone: Skrullian Fruit Juice for Tony, Mead for THor and an american beer for Steve. The toast is not to the groom or the groom, but to the father of the groom, Captain Marvel, and it's a really touching tribute to their absent friend who they know would be proud if he coudl see this.

So we cut to Teddy also thinking about his dad: his mom tried calling him but he was you know busy and in space and likely failed before word of his cancer diagnoiss reached him. Carol however gives the two a nice congradultions in her predecessor and friends stead…. but soon has her own problems as Abigail Brand walks up to her. Abigail Brand is the former head of SWORD, basicallys hield but dealing with space threats, having been raised in space. It also puts her in my wheelhouse. She also works under Carol at Alpha Flight, SWORD'S replacement…. and is rightfully pissed at carol for going to the cotai without bothering to contact the giant space agency she runs.

And .. she's entirley right. I agree with all of it. The Coatai got in because the avengers ate the hummus as they later put it and Carol tended to just.. call on the avengers. Which was fine when she was just carol danvers and not head of an organzation DESIGNED to counter this sort of thing. Abby is told to back off by Teddy, as while he agrees she has a point this isn't the time or place and she leaves, quitting this bitch.

Carol agrees she had a point and while her friends all assure her "nah they probably woudl've sucked too", though at least Reed Richards agrees she has a point: the earths heroes have acted a bit too unilaterally and have to be better.

Billy however is more unnerved as he noticed something… in a group full of 50 or so avengers, the fantastic four, and the guardians of the galaxy.. everyone looked at Teddy. T'Challa helpfully guides his fellow ruler.

It's the highest compliment that Roberto probably TRULY dosen't have an actual plan to kill his friends.. incpaciate them or talk sense into them maybe, but it's clear he trusts them to rule wisely. Granted he probably has like.. 80 backup plans if they get overthrown but given he's currently living part time in the shiar empire where a regime change is called "Tuesday" I can't say I blame him.

With that Kate breaks out crying as she met them at a wedding.. and now this is happening. We get a sweet moment as everyone reunites.

Back in the present we get some more Empyre wrap up as Teddy rebukes his grandma but shows that while a kind just ruler.. he isn't soft. He lays into Super Skrull, who helped with the coup, for murdering his mom, slaps the guy and rather than give him the easy out of death.. he gives him the job as ambassador, to help save lives to make up for all those killed which he graciously accepts. General Glory, the kree equilvent refuses and agrees to a cell instead saying Teddy will need him.. and we flash forward as he indeed does as things are dire.. until the calvary arrives.

Welcome to SWORD.. a story for another day surely… but for now A toast to the groom to the groom to the groom to the groom , and to the other groom the other groom the other groom, may they always be satisfied and may some idiot not break them up. For now though this status quo has held, these two are happy and they rule over space, together.. as it should be. THanks for readnig and happy valentines day.

#wiccan #hulkling #young avengers #avengers #lbgtq+ #valentine's day #comics #empyre #billy kaplan #teddy

[remyfire]

I return, halfway through season 7 and having watched yet another Sidney episode. I was so excited to see him show up in The Billfold Syndrome, even though every appearance is one less I have to look forward to in the future 😅 And admittedly I didn't find the hypnotism to be one of his best ideas, but I mean it worked! And the way he hugged that soldier once he figured out what happened just got me right in the heart, he's just the sweetest man I SWEAR 💕 I also just love his dynamic with both Hawkeye and BJ, he works with them so well and it delights me to no end. In my humble opinion, this show seriously underused Allan Arbus. Also, last time I sent an ask you mentioned you had some favorite episodes in S7 that you wouldn't mention yet, and I now request that you mention them! I like to look out for episodes I know other people enjoy. And I've definitely had some that I've loved--None Like It Hot was just so fun and light! And Point Of View was such an interesting take on the show, it was a fascinating way to mix up the standard episode format and show us something a little different yet still so in tune with the tone of the rest of the show. It also gave me the opportunity to experience BJ and Hawkeye smiling at me in a first person point of view, which, I'm not complaining 😂 Anyway that will conclude my rambling for now, but I also wanted to let you know that it made me very happy to know you enjoy my random appearances into your inbox 💕 I hope you're doing well, and thank you so much for all your contributions to this fandom!

HURRAY, I'm so glad the message was delivered :D And I'm happy to see you back and delighted that you're having such a lovely time.

Augh, The Billfold Syndrome is such an interesting peek into how Sidney's mind is working and how his craft is shifting, advancing, growing through the war. I always find it fun to remember that in the midst of the early '50s when he's operating, there really is a lot of stuff being thrown at the psychiatric wall to see if it sticks or not. Add in the fact that a lot of the more popular or "accepted" treatments involved a lot of violence being done against institutionalized patients without their full consent, and frankly it is remarkable what techniques Sidney works with in comparison. Like the hypnotism is a bit of a question mark in a lot of ways, especially to us modern viewers, but there is such a sense of compassion in him choosing to work with a technique like that and it softens me toward him even more. A surprise to no one, I'm sure.

No one is surprised either to know that Hawkeye, BJ, and Sidney are a HUGE rare ship of mine. I'm also obsessed with their interplay. They're so much fun to consider (especially given BJ who absolutely should've had sessions with Sidney and who never does, whether intentionally or unintentionally, oops who said that).

I really would've loved to see more Allan use also. I adore so many of the episodes he's in—a lot of them are my high high favorites tbh—and I always take some measure of delight in knowing that many people involved in the show clearly knew what a gem they had in him. I think a lot about Alan writing/directing Dear Sigmund and War of Nerves, for example, these episodes that give us interesting peeks into multiple characters but that really had Sidney at the center of them. They wouldn't have flowed so well without Sidney being the linchpin, and Alan clearly knew that as he was constructing them. Good on you, sir. Thank you for shining such a bright light on our special guy.

Oh man, S7, so many bangers (same with S8 and S9, PHEW, you're in a good run of them rn). I'm legit just gonna pull up the episode list here and go through all of the ones in S7 that I enjoy so so much for various reasons (some agonizing). I love Peace on Us, Lil, The Billfold Syndrome, None Like It Hot, Major Ego, Eye for a Tooth, Dear Sis, Hot Lips Is Back In Town, Preventative Medicine, A Night at Rosie's, and The Party. If I can be honest, I enjoy almost all of them to quite a high degree, but those are the ones that if I saw them gifsets or caps of them, I'd probably go !!!!! and be pointing emphatically at the screen. Also just fucking ones like They Call The Wind Korea, B.J. Papa San, C*A*V*E, like, FUCK, it's just a GOOD FUCKING SEASON AAAAAA wow wow wow. Did you know MASH is a good show?

Anyway, this is long enough, so I'll just thank you for being so incredibly sweet ;v; I love this show more than I can put words to and I know there's not a ton I can bring to the fandom besides, like, caps of episodes and my fanfics of many, many unexpected ships—I always wish I could do more—so you saying that really made my morning already. Thanks again!!

#the way you can tell i wrote this before the ritalin kicked in fully because i went all over the place and was wordy af #please forgive me for that kfdds #my ramblings #long post

[royaidaydreams]

FMA (Royai) Fanfic Rec List

Often fanfic rec lists share fanfic that comes from AO3 since it is currently the dominant platform in the fandom. But I’d like to post a rec list of fics that are only hosted on ff.net. These are some gems that shouldn’t be forgotten or dismissed.

Today let’s recommend some works by Stoplight Delight. I don’t know the author. These are simply fanfics I’ve enjoyed reading.

 ***

We That Are Young by Stoplight Delight (277k)

Summary: It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

Why it’s worth reading: OMG, why are we not talking about this story more? This is the holy grail of Roy and Riza fanfic. The author masterfully weaves the adventures and tragedies of young Roy and Riza lives together to show us how they grew into the adults we recognize in canon. It’s difficult to decide the most impressive aspect of the story because every facet is flawless. The tone captures the pastoral feeling of life in a small country town. The world building creates a believable setting so realistic that the Hawkeye household and the one room schoolhouse feel tangible. And the characterization: if you ever wanted to understand who these characters are fundamentally –– why Riza and Roy mean so much to each other, why Master Hawkeye tattooed Riza, why Roy befriended Maes Hughes, why Maes is so loving and dedicated to his family, why Roy joined the military and Riza followed –– this story explains all of their motivations by showing us the events that shaped their personalities. Even the original characters that populate the town receive just as interesting development and backstories.

Though the prequel nature of the story builds Roy and Riza into the canon characters we recognize, it is technically an AU that combines ideas from both the 03 series and manga/Brotherhood: Riza’s alluded red Ishvalan eyes and the flame alchemy tattoo. The story also ignores some aspects of canon entirely, namely Roy being raised in the Hawkeye household instead of by Madame Christmas, Roy and Maes meeting as children, and Berthold’s name changing to Mordred.

I cannot praise this story enough. Go read it (again) now!

Other highlights include: orphan!Roy baby!Riza, the downward spiral of Master Hawkeye, Grumman being a good grandpa, reasons by Riza is an only child, illiterate!Roy, Maes Hughes horror story of a birth, Xingese!Roy, the brothers Hughes, best original character Doctor Bella, bedsharing, Riza’s tattooing, the reason Roy and Riza never call each other by their first names, Roy joining the military, and subtle cameos by other FMA characters.

 Shall Never See So Much by Stoplight Delight (101k unfinished)

Summary: In the military academies of Amestris, Cadets Mustang and Hawkeye are trained to command. They are groomed and prepared for firefights, hand-to-hand combat and even torture. But there's one thing their schools cannot prepare them for: the reality of war.

Why it’s worth reading: Did you say you wanted more prequel Roy and Riza? More angst? The author continues a stunningly believable, realistic portrayal of Roy’s personal growth as he progresses through the military academy and struggles to not only decode Riza’s tattoo but practically apply his newfound knowledge of flame alchemy as well. After being torn down by her father’s abuse, Riza uses her new freedom to put herself back together through working, creating friendships, and ultimately deciding to enter the military academy. This story provides the best explanation of Riza’s motivations to enter the military. The author carries a unique, refreshing perspective of the experiences of these characters as Roy and Riza gradually become the Colonel and Lieutenant we recognize in canon. 

Unfortunately, this story is unfinished. The author has no plans to continue at this time, but what exists is well worth the read. This work single handedly convinced me to believe in alternate realities just to believe somewhere a full completed version of this story exists. Imagine what could have been.

Other highlights include: working class!Riza, Roy becoming Riza’s legal guardian, Roy burning off his eyebrows, meeting Madame Christmas, well placed cameos from other FMA characters, Roy struggling to learn flame alchemy, Maes Hughes being good at detective work, but Roy being better at hiding secrets, Roy earning his place on Olivier Armstrong’s sh*tlist, the reason Riza enters the military academy, Roy’s work study under Kimblee, and was that Jean Havoc in the last chapter?

#FMA #royai #fanfic #fanfic rec list

[hope-whispers]

aspects of vox machina I knew would be a thing but was nonetheless completely unprepared for

(as of episode 5)

-guys they’re all so young and excited and wide-eyed at the entire concept of what they’re doing and don’t get me wrong, they’re still that way. but how fucking cool is it that the excitement of “oh my god we reached a thousand subscribers” or “wait people in the chat room bought us pizza??” turns into “oh my god you guys raised millions of dollars for our kickstarter?”

-I’m still not over level nine. look how much they can do! look how much they have done! (they’ve killed how many dragons?) and look how much random shit is in their bag of holding!

--and also, look how much they care about each other. Pike joining the party again was the sweetest thing in the world. they’re all just so comfortable with each other and it’s so fun and easy to watch

-okay actual character stuff though

-Grog. just Grog as a whole. the voice, the excitement, the heart.

--and the stupidity, my god, I know there was an entire one-shot based around something that Grog did yet I’m still blown away and delighted every time Travis just takes off running toward something he knows is gonna blow up in his face

-on a related note, Travis and Laura sitting beside each other. is she telling him not to get himself killed because Vex cares about Grog or because Laura is Not Having This Shit? I don’t know and I don’t care because either way their every interaction is a delight

-you know who else is a delight? Taliesin and Marisha. everyone at the table is so touchy-feely in campaign 2 and it’s genuinely kinda cathartic to watch, but oh man these two are already giving me the feelings. their little side jokes, the laughing at each other’s rolls, it’s so good. I can’t wait to get into some serious story shit while they’re sitting beside each other

-speaking of Taliesin, Percy is broken. I don’t mean in the ‘has a traumatic backstory that shaped his entire personality’ sense bc like. episode 5 still. but in the ‘built a gun, ignores cover, can obliterate enemies from ten years away even though this is a high fantasy game‘ sense. I love him

-Percy is also an inventor, which like, logically, I knew. he built a gun. and yet I was unprepared for the actor I’m so used to as the gravelly-voiced hippie gravekeeper just casually and poshly request to bust out his tinker tools and invent something while the others are sleeping

-which brings me to Percy and Vex, who are of course only friends at this point, but it seems like every morning Vex wakes up to ‘I built something for you!’ and a brand new, almost always devastatingly powerful arrow. “I’m gonna Hawkeye you out” is also one of my new favorite phrases. Taliesin’s excitement and supportive play style paired with Percy’s innovation paired with the unintentional foreshadowing of a romance

-also, just while on the subject of romance--look. I know who I am. a simple dumbass lesbian who sees two (2) amazing female characters and thinks huh, that’d be a neat ship. I knew--I knew--I’d be at least a little bit here for Vexleth. I was unprepared to be so invested so quickly.

--and it’s entirely my fault for going through their tumblr tag the other day, when will I learn

-anyway

-y’all. Pike and Grog. cleric and barbarian, gnome and goliath, best friends forever and I have hearts in my eyes

--Travis and Ashley sitting next to each other are also downright delightful

-Liam as a rogue. Liam as a rogue who loves to charm people. Vax’s easy smiles and cocky wit and obvious love for the entire group. obviously I knew Liam was talented before, but the range from Vax to Caleb is astounding right now

-same with Marisha as Keyleth and Beau. which yeah, sure, I’ve talked about before, but goddammit I’m gonna say it again. the range between them--even with just how she’s holding herself at the table. bright-eyed and enthusiastic vs calculating and reserved

--and yet--and yet--you can see parts of Keyleth in Beau. the fumbling when Beau tries to have a heart-to-heart, especially early on in the campaign. the way she throws herself wholeheartedly into something with the chaos crew. and the creativity and drive of her combat. she knows what her goal is and she’s going to fucking do it, even if it means drowning herself with an umber hulk or staring down a hydra.

--which also means I’m fucking pumped to get to see little bits of Beau in Keyleth.

-but anyway back to the point of this list

-which is things I knew but am still amazed by

-which very much includes the fact that Keyleth is basically the avatar? why did none of you tell me she was basically the avatar

--’oh i’m gonna create a massive stone wall to block the tunnel’ ‘oh i’m gonna bend water so we can reach this secret tunnel’ ‘oh i’m gonna shape air beneath our plummeting magic carpet to soften our landing’

--so the last one didn’t work but guys this was all in the span of like two episodes. Keyleth is gonna be so fucking powerful by the end of this campaign! what the fuck!!

#all of these lists end up with me gushing about marisha ray and you know what #i have zero regrets #critical role

[be-compromised]

Recathon 2020 Masterlist

Hello and welcome to the Recathon 2020 masterlist! This masterlist will be comprised of all recs posted to this post (all 144 of them!), with some small edits. Those edits are: (1) Duplicate recs have been discarded. Fics appear under the first theme they were rec'd under. (2) "Self rec" and "rec one of your own fics you think didn't get enough love" have been combined. Unless otherwise specified, all recs are Clint/Nat or Clint & Nat. Also, unless otherwise specified all recs are fanfiction. On to the rec list!

Stories set in/focused on/including IKEA. Some Assembly Required by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings: "They say that when you go to the seven circles of Hell, IKEA has taken over the suburbs and parts of the ring road.” Natasha and Clint enter an alien universe. Anything is Possible by @cassiesinsanity Gen, no warnings: It's 3 a.m. and Natasha is struggling to assemble an IKEA bed. Clint is woken up by her loud cursing and now they're in it together, both figuratively AND literally. #27 IKEA by @nympheline Teen, post-Avengers, angst: Clint and Natasha will never have normal lives. They have accepted this as fact. Once a month, they pretend by putting on some old rings and going to Ikea to pick out furniture. Or to Home Depot to look at paint samples. Or to Walmart to check out baby clothes. Because they will never have normal lives, but it’s nice to pretend. Things We Learn About Each Other at Ikea by Vera (Vera_DragonMuse) Chapter 7 of Drips and Drabs from Alliterative Domiciles, part of the Alliterative Domiciles series Teen, no warnings: Natasha and Clint in Ikea. Consumer Affairs by @galwednesday Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: “Tom,” Sara, the Senior Marketing Associate, said levelly, “if you don’t let me promote our bedroom product line using the Winter Soldier’s tweet reviews, I will quit. I will quit today. I will leave you high and dry with a junior marketing associate and an intern, Tom. The intern just started last week. He doesn’t even know how to work the copier yet.” Comedy! Frank & Matt: A Summary by Ariel Video. Matt Murdoch and Frank Castle. captain america | crack!vid 2 and captain america | crack!vid 3 by chrissy mae Video. Exactly what it says on the tin. Cursed Fork by canistakahari Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: There is a cursed fork in Steve’s cutlery drawer. Life of Crime by neveralarch Clint/Carol, Clint/Nat/Bucky, Kate/America, explicit, cntw: A supervillain AU where Clint shoots arrows at people and gets beat up a lot. So, not really that much of an AU. It's Raining Men by DailyAsgardianNews Video. Again, exactly what it says on the tin. xD Here Are All the Sensations of Being Alive by prettyasadiagram Gen, cntw: Contrary to what Clint likes to tell the new SHIELD agents, Natasha does have hobbies other than coming up with new and impressive ways to kill people with her thighs, even though the slight flinches and rabbit-quick swallows in the hallway are always hilarious. Natasha and a bedazzler. The Amazing Naked Avengers by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: There were Avenger-sized mouse traps all over the damn bunker. All about as effective. Meaning no one got killed, but everyone is naked and bleeding a little. The Great Avengers Body Swap by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: Loki and the Avengers spend a month in SHIELD's detention cells, because Loki cast a bodyswapping spell against them and got himself with it, too. The Importance Of Being Spidey by @copperbadge and @scifigrl47 Gen, no warnings: The Daily Bugle has some peculiar ideas about Clint Barton and a spandex bodysuit. Extracurricular Activities by @scifigrl47 Gen with background pairings, teen, no warnings: New York has a party for any taste. Some people like high class lounges. Some enjoy a good dive bar. There are gay bars and techno clubs and all night raves. And somewhere out there, there's a club where the dancers are dressed like Super Heroes, and Spider-Man may or may not be their headliner. Let's face it, the everyone assumed that Clint would be the first Avenger to take up pole dancing. He's a little distressed he's been beaten to the punch. Phil Coulson Knows Tony Stark's Super Villain Name by @scifigrl47 Gen with background pairings, teen, no warnings: Look, I’m just going to say SHIELD team building exercise with paintballs. Transfer Students by @copperbadge Gen, teen, no warnings: Five times the Avengers pawned kids off on the Jean Grey School. The Immortal Hawkeye by @copperbadge Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint's a little older than he looks, and his DNA has a few surprises in store, too. Leader Of The Free World by @copperbadge Gen with Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint Barton's presidential campaign started as a joke. It didn't end that way, except for Steve. 5 Times Steve Got Arrested and 1 Time They All Did by @heartsdesire456 Steve/Bucky, Clint/Phil, teen, no warnings: What it says, 5 times Steve Rogers ended up in jail (with and without Bucky) + 1 time all of the Avengers got arrested with him. Cap3 helicopter scene but with My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion by @darlingpeggys Video, uploaded to YouTube by punkrockchewbacca Clint/Other and Nat/Other recs Prince Charming by @brendaonao3 Steve/Bucky, Steve/Thor, Clint/Wanda, explicit, no warnings: Bucky's not looking for a girl, he doesn't need anyone for the long haul. Then he meets Steve Rogers and discovers that what he's looking for in a relationship isn't a girl at all. in deep with you by @topaz119 Clint/Darcy, mature, no warnings: Darcy could have, under normal circumstances, resisted the aesthetics (however awesome they are, and holy crap are they awesome), but there's an itch under her skin—apparently, nearly dying by giant, fire-breathing robots from space in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico will start you questioning your life choices. Who knew? assume a defensive stance by hoosierbitch. Clint/Bruce, teen, no warnings: No one can understand why Bruce and Clint are together. Clint's loud, brash, irritating--exactly what Bruce doesn't need in his life. fast, thorough, sharp as a tack by @quidnunc-life Natasha/Maria, teen, no warnings: Natasha likes getting a rise out of Hill when nobody else can. longing for the last time by @quidnunc-life Natasha/Valkyrie, teen, no warnings: After they imprisoned Hela, after all her sisters fell to inglorious deaths, the last Valkyrie swore she would not love again. In Your Likeness by hailtherandom Clint/Natasha/Sam, explicit, no warnings, post-WS: In which Sam gets a mysterious package from a mysterious person and, after a spell of feelings and a trip to Switzerland, both of those mysterious things get used quite a bit, much to everyone's delight. Two (Sort Of) Truths and One Complete Lie by igrockspock Clint/Melinda May, teen, no warnings: Melinda May was married once. Good luck finding out to whom. Fic with low kudos/comments Smoke on the Horizon by AuroraShard Teen, major character death, post-IW: Clint falls back on old coping mechanisms after the events of Endgame. Pepper joins him. A short fic about dealing with grief. We Are Family by SneakyHufflepuff. Mature, cntw: Natasha had sister-relationships with some of the other girls in the Red Room, and Nat was hardly the only one to escape. Turns out Clint's going to have to meet the family after all. Self-recs/a story of yours that you wish got more attention the shorter story by @cloud--atlas Mature, cntw: "be careful what you wish for" is written in matter-of-fact writing on the little sign by the entrance. he only wishes to be dry, and idly he wonders if there is any way even that can go wrong. Portrait of an Outlaw by RedBirdBella Teen, cntw: Clint is an undercover police officer working to convict a gang of cat-burglars. After being unearthed he’s beaten up and left for dead in an alley. From his hospital bed, he’s asked to work with a sketch artist to put together portraits for each gang member. Unfortunately, he can only remember one. Diamonds and Rust by @alphaflyer Clint & Kate, gen, no warnings: Kate is back; there's going to be laundry. Driver Choses The Music by inkvoices Teen, mild self-harm: Clint shoves his bag in the trunk of the car – a standard, bland SHIELD undercover ride – and doesn’t ask how Nat acquired the keys. Doesn’t ask how, or even if, she’s gotten permission to take him off base, doesn’t ask what’s in the bag she shoved in his arms on their way out, doesn’t ask what they’re doing in a SHIELD garage at ass o’clock in the morning. Doesn’t care. Some Strings Attached by @topaz119 Explicit, no warnings: "You," Natasha says slowly, "thought we should do something for Valentine's Day?" Five Unrelated Rescues and One Reunion by @crazy4orcas Teen, cntw: Rescue: to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil. Reunion: an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation. Show a Little Faith (There's Magic in the Night) by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings, Dust Bowl AU: Riding the rails in the last bitter winter of the dust bowl years, two drifters encounter something they haven't seen before. Personal comfort fics Woman in the Crosshairs by @freaoscanlin Teen, no warnings: In which Clint has a new hobby and Natasha isn't curious, until she is. Black Widow and Hawkeye, their partnership—and what it means—throughout the years. The Only John Wayne Left in this Town by @gyzym Clint/Darcy, teen, no warnings: Clint's got a secret love, and it's spelled b-a-n-j-o. and at night be warm by @quidnunc-life Teen, no warnings: If Kate would've just talked to him about the Dog Cops finale, then Clint wouldn't be lying in bed, staring pointlessly at the ceiling, when the Insomniacs Anonymous radio show comes on at 1 AM and changes his life three minutes at a time. The First Annual Avengers Convention by starandrea Clint/Phil, teen, no warnings: With damage estimates topping $100 billion, New York City faces a long and expensive road back. Charity organizations have stepped in to support the Red Cross and provide long-term relief, but the economy is struggling and money has to come from somewhere. Everyone wants a piece of the Avengers. Who better to help fundraise than the heroes themselves? Amateur Theatrics by galaxysoup Gen, teen, no warnings: In which Thor’s primary problem-solving method (a mighty blow from Mjolnir) fails to have the desired effect on a magical artefact, and his secondary method (a mightier blow from Mjolnir) proves to be actively disastrous. The Observable Universe by Serea Okelani (sarea) Teen, no warnings, Jane POV: Jane has a low tolerance for stupidity. Clint and Natasha take exception to being called stupid. Catching Bullets in our Teeth by anothercover Clint/Laura, Clint/Nat, mature, no warnings, slow burn divorce AU: Retirement, it turns out, is not a thing that Clint is adjusting to very well. Or, you know, at all. It didn't occur to him that when he dropped the team, it would mean he'd lose Natasha, too. Under the Mountain by flawedamythyst Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint and Bucky get trapped in a cave. Natasha and Kate Bishop friendship fics All Night, All Right by MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) Kate/America, Clint/Nat, teen, no warnings: Despite being young and rich and hot and awesome, Olympic gold medalist archer Kate Bishop finds herself in a bar acting like the world’s saddest, dullest cliché: Area Twentysomething Drinks Alone Because Her Ex Is Getting Married Next Weekend. But then, from across the room, she catches the eye of a girl with a wicked smile and an even better right hook. Things start to look up after that. High School/Uni AUs A Whole Month of Detention by @marvelousmsmarvel Teen, no warnings: The first detention was his fault. The second detention was his fault. Not surprisingly the whole month of detentions to follow were his fault too, but Natasha had to admit, marking her flawless record with a whole month of detentions was the best thing she'd ever done. Just A Little Bit True by @lissadiane Clint/Bucky, gen, cntw: Clint is good at cheerleading and bad at flirting and has been pining for Steve Rogers broody best friend for years. Naked Pantomime in the Dark by @intosnarkness Steve/Tony, Thor/Jane, Clint/Natasha, teen, cntw, Modern High School Theatre AU: Clint Barton has been at Carver High for six weeks when they draft him into the theatre department, and his life is never the same. Two for the Show by mousie-tongue Mature, cntw: After her uncle is taken, young Natasha Romanov ends up in state's custody at a group home. She can tough it out alone... but somehow fellow resident Clint Barton becomes the reason she doesn't have to. Wet Hot Avengers Summer by Sarea Okelani (sarea) Clint/Nat, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, teen, cntw: At summer camp, Clint’s met the girl of his dreams. Then he meets her four brothers. Circus or carnivale AUs On the Nature of Dust by inkvoices Mature, no warnings, 1930s dust bowl AU: For as long as he can remember Clint has always been getting into trouble for seeing things that he shouldn’t, or rather for getting caught at it. Oklahoma, 1934, and this time trouble comes in the form of a girl. No Magic Would Save Me by arsenicarcher (Arsenic) Gen, mature, cntw: Once upon a time, an angel with the unlikely name of Pepper came to the circus, and took Clint away. some moments more spectacular than others by @quidnunc-life Mature, no warnings: When Janet suggests a team bonding event, Natasha thinks she means… an art gallery, a movie, even bowling. Something like that. Not the circus. Not clowns. Not falling head over heels for a professional circus archer with an affinity for purple, slushies, and purple slushies. Cover Another Black Eye by @lostemotion Clint/Nat, Clint/Bobbi, teen, some child abuse: History will dub it the summer of love. Natasha neither knows nor cares about love, never has, expects she never will, but history's got one thing right: it's the summer when everything changes. Natasha and the Amazing Hawkeye(s) by @freaoscanlin Gen, teen, no warnings: It starts because somebody orders a hit on the Amazing Hawkeye. No, not that Amazing Hawkeye. The other Amazing Hawkeye. scramble in the summer sky by paperclipbitch Kate/America, background Clint/&Nat, teen, no warnings: Kate’s first week, when she was still pretty sure this was a terrible idea and also not one that real people actually had – seriously, in the twenty-first century, who ran away with the circus – America came up to her three days in and said without preamble: “is anyone going to come looking for you, Princess?” Space AUs The Highest State of Friendship by inkvoices Teen, no warnings: A futuristic space AU in which bounty hunters Natasha and Clint aren’t married. Actually they’re supposed to be hunting each other. We Have Done the Impossible series by Telaryn Explicit, cntw, Firefly fusion, baby fic: Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were born - and in Natasha's case bred - to serve the Alliance. No one cared when they began sleeping together; under Alliance law an Operative like Natasha could take as many sexual partners as she liked so long as it didn't interfere with her duties. - A baby would interfere. In Two Straight Lines In Rain or Shine by OracleGlass Gen, no warnings, Firefly crossover: "On that barren dustball known as Budapest, Firefly picks up an odd pair of passengers. Homeward Bound: The Adventures of the USS Avenger in the Delta Quadrant by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings, Star Trek fusion: Sent to track the rebel ship Black Widow and to try and persuade her captain and certain of her crew members to work with Starfleet in defeating the Chitauri invaders, the USS Avenger finds itself displaced to the other side of the galaxy. And that was before the Black Widow opened fire... No Straight Lines by anonymous Teen, no warnings, Firefly AU: “It's curved. You'd end up at the starting point.” Natasha pauses, tilts her head. “Space doesn't have an end,” she adds, trailing her fingers across his shoulders as she passes. Old school, post-2012, they all move into the Tower fics if you let me through the door we can let the world in by @geniusorinsanity Background parings, teen, no warnings: Tony Stark has always wanted a clubhouse. He gets something more than that. Exclusive by @copperbadge Canon pairings, teen, no warnings: Heroes In Manhattan: From Captain America's Hidden Talents To The Truth About The Hulk, We Debunk The Myths And Expose The Daily Lives Of The Avengers. In Great Transition by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: One by one, the Avengers move into Stark Tower. well, let the drumbeat drop by jonesandashes and @pollyrepeat Gen, no warnings: Pepper leaves, and there’s no more pizza, and Thor’s already talked about Jane, and Tony suspects all of them realize, abruptly and simultaneously, that they actually have no idea what to do now. He is, in fact, pretty certain that they’re just a few minutes away from someone deciding to say something about the weather. It’s probably going to be him. Culture and Other Balls of Twine by LithiumDoll Gen, no warnings: “Okay, I realize this could appear to be poorly conceived - to those of limited vision - but what you have to understand is, I’ve actually just had the greatest, most outstanding idea ever.” Tony’s eyes searched heavenward and then he nodded soberly. “Yes, I believe history will consider this my triumph.” To Be Modified As Necessary by ignipes Background pairings, teen, no warnings: They only need ten rules to ensure (relatively) peaceful cohabitation. Experts at the Fall by @enigma731 Gen, no warnings: After the Battle of New York, Natasha just wants things to go back to normal. But that’s not so easy considering that normal means being a spy, and her partner’s decided to be a superhero instead. And it’s especially difficult when her new assignment from S.H.I.E.L.D. is to collect intel on the Avengers. Fics where Natasha isn't as confident as she likes to pretend to have a home by oceanofchaos Background/past pairings, gen, no warnings: She doesn’t need other people, but she’s beginning to think she might want them. She buries herself in her work instead. Bouncing Baby Sniper by vain_glorious Clint/Nat, Steve/Peggy, teen, no warnings: Clint is actually Peggy Carter's grandson. Favourite kinky fics Get Some by @eiluned Explicit, het anal, butt plug, DP: He had just taken a big drag of coffee, savoring the sugary leftovers at the bottom of his mug, when she turned to him and out of the blue said, "I want you to fuck me in the ass." Cue epic spittake. your mileage may vary by Nonymous Explicit, past abuse, latex, BDSM: Clint's not really sure how to handle this whole BDSM thing. Natasha's not really sure how to handle Clint Barton. But she's definitely gonna give it the ol' college try. Moving the Furniture by @copperbadge Steve/Natasha, mature, friends with benefits: Steve thinks about sex a lot, and he'd like to have some, if he could just stop being an idiot around the people he'd like to have it with. Dropping Glasses Just to Hear Them Break by @lostemotion Explicit, cntw: Clint's mission to kill the Black Widow ends up a disaster when he runs into a third party in the field and finds himself being turned from hunter to hunted. His former target offers her assistance, and soon he's in for a whole other brand of trouble. Favourite poly fics runaways are running the night by anothercover Clint/Nat/Bucky, other parings, explicit, cntw: Natasha, Nakia, Okoye, Jessica Jones, and Valkyrie are the War Dogs: an all-girl rock band navigating their sudden explosion of hard-won success. Clint is a stand-up comedian. Bucky works security. Good People by @paperairplanesopenwindows​ Clint/Nat/Laura, teen, no warnings: "You have ‘Thank God you didn’t die when SHIELD fell’ sex with your wife and partner once and then your partner runs for the hills and your wife turns into a lovesick teenager.” She's My Cherry Pie by sheis-theslayer Clint/Nat/Laura, Nat/Laura focus, explicit, no warnings: If Laura Barton has said it once, she has said it a thousand times: no one touches the food while she's cooking. Especially if it's her pies. But Natasha Romanoff never listens. Alliterative Domiciles by Vera_DragonMuse [series] Pepper/Tony/Bruce, Clint/Nat, cntw: Fluff, schmoop and Tower shenanigans Little Stranger by Not_You OT6, gen, pregnancy: Natasha is not fit to be a mother. She is bitterly aware of this, sitting on the closed lid of her toilet and watching another test come up positive. A Safety in the End by @cloud--atlas​ [series] Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen to explicit, cntw: The relationship adventures of Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov and James "Bucky" Barnes RedStar by @cloud--atlas​ [series] Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen, angst, musician AU: “Clint,” Kate says slowly as two figures emerge from the house, their shapes so achingly familiar Clint wants to wrap himself up in them and never, ever let go. “Are you friends with James Barnes and Natasha Romanov of fucking RedStar!?” this is how it began (this is the secret between) by @notcaycepollard​ Clint/Nat/Laura, mature, no warnings: "Laura's a translator for SHIELD," Natasha tells him. "We're keeping her." i am on a lonely road and i am travelling (looking for the key to set me free) by irnan Nat/Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Wherein Natasha Romanov has a bucket list and a metaphorical feelings-cat, joins the Victoria Hand Rescue Society Inc, and is absolutely not dating either or both of her super-soldier BFFs from the 1940s, no matter what Nick Fury thinks. Friends and Ex-Lovers by @scifigrl47​ Clint/Bucky/Nat, mature, no warnings: Natasha knows exactly what a good thing she's got. She just thinks it could be better Three Step by @copperbadge​ Nat/Steve/Bucky, mature, no warnings: "How many times a week can a couple have a threesome with the same guy before it becomes some sort of three-way relationship?" Keeping Steve by @copperbadge​ Steve/Tony/Pepper, explicit, no warnings: The gifts from Tony and Pepper are nice, and Steve secretly likes showing off signs that he belongs to them -- until some offhanded teasing from Clint makes him wonder if they're gifts from his lovers or payment for services rendered. Hide and Seek by @cassiesinsanity​ Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen, no warnings: There are reasons you should never break into your friends' houses. Kate finds out one of them. Favourite fics 1000 words or less Slow and Simple Melody by limned Teen, no warnings: Today he isn’t expecting to find Natasha awake in the communal living room at two-thirty in the morning, but it’s a pleasant surprise. You Are My Sweetest Downfall by @nympheline​ Teen, mild angst: You know how Natasha’s hair is really long in Iron Man 2 and then for the Avengers it’s completely chopped off? I like to think that’s because she got hurt in a mission in between and loses her hair because of a really serious head injury and Clint’s just going to be a mess because she’s hurt and she won’t say much because she never does. And he tells her she’s beautiful anyway. tower of babel by @sweetwatersong​ Gen, no warnings: Someone very cleverly thinks up a spell to keep the Avengers from talking to each other. They've fallen victim to one of the classic villain blunders, though: Never underestimate Hawkeye. account rendered by Siria Gen, no warnings: Clint lies in the debrief. Favourite Clint/Laura fics Repair Work by igrockspock Clint/Laura, gen, no warnings: Clint says, “I'm retired. One hundred percent. Done with Avenging.” Laura says, “Will that be for five minutes, or for five days?” Fragments by @intosnarkness​ Clint/Laura, teen, no warnings: Clint Barton has brought home strays before, but never one as dangerous as Natasha Romanoff. small town girl by @topaz119​ [series] Clint/Laura, teen to explicit, no warnings: “Oh, nice,” Laura said. “A smartass.” Holding Out For A Hero by @alphaflyer​ Clint/Laura, gen, no warnings: Cooper Barton pens an essay about his father; Laura does damage control. Clint helps (sort of). Topical: favourite trapped/isolated/quarantine fics Time, Baby by cat_77 Teen, cntw: A mission gone horribly wrong leaves Clint and Natasha trapped, injured, and suffering a slow death of suffocation. Time and each other: they have one and kind of need to steal some more of the other. Chasing the Light by Sarea Okelani (sarea) Teen, medical/quarantine/virus themes: A mission that goes awry tests two assassins and their partnership. Kate sets up Clint and Natasha How To Win Friends and Influence People by @cloud--atlas​ Gen, no warnings: For the prompt: Bookshop AU. One is bookseller/bookshop owner, the other a customer. Instead of talking one of them tries expressing feelings through the books they buy. Hawkeye's Pet Supplies by SneakyHuffelpuff Gen, no warnings: For the prompt: AU where Clint and Kate work at a pet supply store. Natasha is a frequent customer, and Kate is suspicious of her motives. Serendipity by silverfoxflower Teen, no warnings: "Why are you still in bed?" Kate demands, kicking at a corner of Clint’s mattress, which, rude. Why were girls and cats always so rude to him. By the Book by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: Clint Barton's love life isn't just a car crash, it's a multi-vehicle pile-up. Kate decides to lend a hand. Five of Clint’s Relationships that Kate Didn’t Approve of (And One That She Does) by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: Exactly what it says on the tin Poste Restante by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: The vials with live pathogens, alien prosthetics and ant colonies aren't the worst things Clint's friends drop off at his place for each other. Matters don't really get hairy for Kate until Natasha Romanoff shows up, with a heart-shaped box that says "Neuhaus". Favourite AUs Brown and Gold by Koren M (CyberMathWitch) Teen, no warnings, Dragonriders of Pern AU: What if they were different people in a different place and time? (A time that just happened to have dragons.) Soiree by ruby_caspar Teen, no warnings, a Georgette Heyer Regency AU: The Dowager Duchess known as the Black Widow is the talk of the ton - rich and mysterious, the only way to meet this elusive lady is through the equally mysterious Mr Barton… no light in this valley by trysts Teen, cntw, wild west AU: It was a good way to end a bad year, Clint figured. Tomorrow Then by @scribblemyname​ Teen, no warnings, reincarnation AU: Neither of them remembers where it started. There is eternity and the earth tilting in the heavens, but there is no beginning. They are not human enough yet for beginnings. Maps by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, cntw, reincarnation AU: Natasha won't let go, no matter what he becomes. Mr. & Mrs. Barton (Or: Why Natasha Sends Jennifer Aniston an Annual Apologetic Fruit Basket) by @geniusorinsanity​ Explicit, cntw, Mr. & Mrs. Smith AU: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl neglect to do background checks. Not a Day Goes By (Not a Single Day) by @intosnarkness​ [HSAU Theatre 'Verse] Gen, no warnings: A Coda: On the life and times of Clint and Natasha Yesterday, Upon the Stair by @intosnarkness​ Mature, cntw: When she was little Natasha had an imaginary friend. But like all little girls, she learned to forget him as she grew up. So imagine her surprise when one day she comes face to face with her old friend. And he's pointing an arrow at her heart. Talking Like Peter Lorre by @freaoscanlin​ Gen, no warnings: Clint has a very important question for fellow zoologist, Dr. Natasha Romanoff. Or: the AU where they’re all scientists in Antarctica and everybody is cold. All Under Heaven by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, cntw: Wherein Clint and Natalia are nature documentary filmmakers, filming for the BBC in Guilin, China. We Together Make A City by @cloud--atlas​ Mature, no warnings: Written for the prompt: Clint was/is a musician. Soft Landing by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, no warnings: Natasha Mends broken hearts. It's easy until it's not. Here I Dreamt I Was A Soldier by @sugarfey​ Mature, cntw: Bletchley Park, 1942: Women are recruited from across the country to decode enemy transmissions. The war stories of Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, Carol Danvers and Kate Bishop. Like campfires in the dark by @scribblemyname​ [series] Mature, cntw: There is nowhere to run, nowhere to escape the Great Strangeness creeping over the earth. They don't need to run. Clint Barton, Vampire Slayer by Sproid Mature, violence: The adventures of Clint Barton, Vampire Slayer. Or, how to be a Slayer while working for SHIELD and with the Avengers. Something that made you go: "Wow! This person knows what they are talking about!" Habeas Matrimonium by @crystallitanie​ Teen, no warnings: Five times Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton pretended to be hitched (and one time... well) In The Service: Three Times Hawkeye Questions His Orders (And One Time He Doesn’t) by @alphaflyer​ Teen, cntw: Some Government jobs are more … complicated than others. Samsara by xahra99 Teen, no warnings: Burning down a monastery isn't the worst thing they've ever done. Natasha and Clint take on a mission in Tibet. Everything isn't quite as it seems... Domestic Clint/Natasha Junk Food and Dirty Socks: A Love Story by igrockspock Gen, no warnings: Clint and Natasha show their love in unusual ways. Exciting Adventures in Cohabitation by igrockspock Teen, no warnings: Clint and Natasha try to navigate the mundane problems of living together. Like how someone can't be bothered to pick up her damn socks, and somebody else keeps leaving empty milk cartons in the fridge. Friendship fics Frequently Asked Questions by Mad_Maudlin Clint&Kate, teen, memory loss: Today is Monday, March 18th. You started losing your memories yesterday. still officially lost by @pollyrepeat​ Clint&Coulson, teen, no warnings: “Barton has clearly imprinted on you,” Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil’s knee-jerk, horrified, “He has not,” to seal Phil’s doom by saying, “so I’ve decided that you’re going to take primary responsibility for him from now on.” something good waitin' down this road by defcontwo Clint&Kate, gen, no warnings: Hawkeyes' House Rules for Dog Ownership and Other Misadventures. Or: Clint, Kate, a dog, and a study in moving forward. When push comes to Chevre by @copperbadge​ Bucky&Various, gen, Bucky Barnes acquires a plot of land in Wakanda, buys some goats, grows peanuts and sweet potatoes, and fosters a wayward rhinoceros. That's it, that's the story. Silhouette by @mariana-oconnor​ Clint/Bucky, Steve&Bucky, Clint&Natasha, mature, cntw: After a mission in Mexico goes wrong, SHIELD Agents Barnes and Rogers are given the job of hunting down the notorious Hawkeye and the Black Widow, the only problem being: no one even knows what they look like. On the other side of the law, Clint's enjoying messing with their new SHIELD shadows, especially seeing how close he can get to Agent Barnes without him realising, but he makes the mistake of getting attached, and that makes everything more complicated. Best Kept Secret by AlchemyAlice Tony&Natasha, teen, no warnings: In which there is a secret friendship, and Tony can’t deal with feelings, so Natasha has to do it for him. These two features may or may not be related. Heartbreak and angst we were emergencies by @gyzym Explicit, cntw (please see story notes): It's not about being unmade; it's about remaking, one aching step at a time. This Bitter Earth by @cloud--atlas Teen, cntw, dystopia: The only beautiful things here are her and the stars. And he can’t reach the stars. White Blank Page by allisnow Mature, cntw: Debt is beautiful only after it has been repaid. Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears [series] Steve/Bucky, Steve/Peggy, Clint/Natasha, mature, cntw: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Peggy says, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Warp and Weft by legete Mature, body horror: The muscle apparently talked a little much for Loki's liking. Now Natasha has to pick out the stitches. Favourite long!fic your blue-eyed boys by Feather (lalaietha) [series] and the related series [to see you there] (Clint/Nat, Bruce/Betty and Tony/Pepper) and (even if i could) make a deal with god (Steve/Bucky) Various pairings, teen to explicit, extensive warnings - please see tags, canon-divergent after WS: post-Winter Soldier recovery fic > Specifically: what i thought, what i said (Clint/&Natasha, Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings) and [your albatross: carry it with no regrets] (Mature, no warnings: Five moments in Clint Barton's life.) To Be Vulnerable is Needed Most of All by perfect_plan Steve/Bucky, Clint/Nat, mature, mental illness and PTSD: Steve is a shy comic book artist and meets his new neighbour, Bucky Barnes. Hyperfocal Distance by @freaoscanlin Teen, cntw: The AU where Natasha is an investigative journalist and Clint has a camera and is pretty good at shooting things with it. we are for each other by @quidnunc-life Steve/Maria, Clint/Natasha, teen, post-Avengers, no warnings: SHIELD has fallen, and Steve and Natasha deal with the questions that fell with the Triskelion: who are they, and who do they want to be? Which parts of their pasts are they going to rescue from the rubble? Where do they belong? letting me in or letting me go by @quidnunc-life Teen, no warnings: Natasha Romanoff has worked hard to become a successful member of SHIELD Investigations, and her hard work pays off when she lands a major job investigating corporate espionage at Stark Industries with Clint Barton and his apprentice, Kate. Working with other people isn't Natasha's forte, and she has her reasons for preferring to work alone; but Clint is charming and Kate is irrepressible, and soon Natasha finds herself wrapped up in a case that could prove to shake the skeletons out of her closet and upend everything, including the friendship (or more?) that's started to develop between her and Clint. Agent, Archer, Widow, Spies by @alphaflyer [series] Teen, cntw, James Bond fusion, excellent mission fics. Brooklyn Baby by sprinkle_of_cinnamon Bucky/Steve, Clint/Nat, mature, no warnings, AU: In which Bucky is just trying to live life and enjoy his unofficial official table at the obnoxiously hipster coffee shop but some guy named Steve stole his spot. Or, the time that Bucky unintentionally befriended the Avengers and had no idea. but the sky is the same by @sweeter-than Teen, no warnings: Takes place one year after Clint makes the unexpected choice to bring Natasha Romanov in from the cold. They've become co-workers and acquaintances, but Natasha is still as much a mystery to Clint as she was on the day he was first sent to target her. A story about making friends and making choices, set against the backdrop of daily life at SHIELD.

#commstuff #Clintasha #clint barton #natasha romanoff #fic #fic recs #recathon #ot3

[zetalial]

FMA fanfiction recs!

Hey, so in my recent fma survey, I asked people for FMA fanfiction! And they delivered, yay! Thank you. I decided to make them into a nice list for all to see.

You’re very sweet, Anon but I’m afraid it’s already too late. This ended up quite, quite long. And I’m amazed at how long some of these stories are - if you’re looking for stuff to read, hopefully this list will occupy you for a while, (especially if you check some of the author’s other works). 

Most of these I have not read, but hey, they were recced so they’ve got to be good, right? Range of ships and stories from both canons. I’ve included the ships but haven’t included ratings so be warned that some of these may be explicit. (The author will probably indicate it themselves though.)

Full list under cut!

-Fullmetal’s Company by Roseveare | 18434 words | Gen, takes place pre-series. | Ed should have never flashed the silver pocketwatch in a warzone.

-A Wicked Game by Tierfal | 59921 words | RoyEd, Modern!AU |  Roy has lucked into the all-expenses-paid vacation of his dreams – all he has to do is convince a bunch of happy couples that he's head-over-heels in love with Ed Elric. What could possibly go wrong?

-Be light from now on by Merel | 2363 words | GreedLing, Modern!AU |  “Let’s go inside, sweetheart.” Cat café

-Number 28 by Sevlow | 63347 words | Gen, Parental RoyEd, divergence |  As of today, Edward Elric had been missing for four months, two weeks, and five days. Warnings for angst, some gore, and Chimera!Ed.

-In the Gaslight by UnorthodoxCreativity |13542 words | RoyEd |  Ed hates military parties. This is no surprise. But when a certain bastard of a colonel takes it into his head to make Ed's night a happier one, well. Ed's not complaining.

-Through the Gate by PreelikesWriting | 3 part series totalling  252736 words | Harry Potter crossover with BH Ed Pre-promised day covering books 5-7 of the HP books. Last part is still incomplete. |  Edward is transported to the Wizarding world and must fight his way back home.

-Playing God by the Flamel Cult | 44445 words | Harry Potter crossover  |  I thought the dull aching was something other than my demise. As it turned out, I was sorely mistaken. Perhaps I should listen to Alphonse more; maybe then there wouldn't be another bloody tragedy that would, inevitably, end it all. For good.

-snipers solve 99% of all problems by silentwalrus | 134066 words | Harry Potter crossover, incomplete post-Promised day | Ed had thought, after the whole Promised Day, homunculus, entire country harvested for alchemical batteries thing, the batshit quotient of his life would have settled down some. He really ought to have topped out the meter with that one. But no. The bullshit is just getting started.“Are you fucking kidding me,” Ed demands. “The wizards?”

-Harry Potter and the Eastern Sage by LiteratureWork | 141609 words | Harry Potter Crossover Brotherhood incomplete |  Nicholas Flamel was famous for creating the philosopher's stone, but like Lockhart's smile it was all a lie. Flamel stole a part of the stone and it took Edward 642 years to get it back along with the souls inside of it, one which was his brother. But after traveling to Hogwarts to retrieve it, Dumbledore has other plans for the ancient hero.

-Reversed by Autzulfrost | 162206 words | Harry Potter crossover post 03 anime |  At the end of the first anime, Ed is sent back to London. But he's a kid again and through a twist of fate gets involved with the wizarding world. Will the alchemist help save wizarding Britain? Will he find a way to return to his home and true family?

-Stray Hayate by Famousfault | 3436 words| Harry Potter crossover |  Hayate had no idea how he had ended up there, but he had no other choice but to accept the situation. Harry at the other hand is not quite as satisfied with it.

-Demon Alchemist by Metisket | Series, 88462 words | Brotherhood divergence covers whole series | Al died in the transmutation. In which Ed becomes Central's local vigilante, thereby becoming Maes's problem. Roy finds something poetic in this.

-No Crueler Punishment by Gomboc123 | 2504 words | Post-promised day humour |  Instead of taking away Roy's vision, Truth decides to take something much more precious from Roy, and defaces him in the worst way possible.

-The Bond we Share by DiaHonkers | 23750 words | What if Brotherhood where Ed and Al share a body incomplete |  The Fullmetal Alchemist was a weird person. He joined the military at only 12 years old. But the weirder thing about him was that he changed personalities in the blink of an eye. One moment he could be screaming his head off at you and the other he would be profusely apologizing. He would constantly talk to himself, and his commanding officer didn't bat an eye. But what they didn't know that it wasn't just one person. It was two.

-Another Journey by Isil'zha BLZ | 254486 words | Whole series rewrite. |  The Elric brothers embark on another journey, but this time it's different than the ones they've been through before. A reimagining of the FMA story that combines elements from both anime to create what is (hopefully) the best of both worlds.

-A boy named Ed by BelloftheSea | 302732 words | Post-canon but Ed is young again without memories of his old life. Incomplete |  Ed knew he was different. It wasn't just that he was smarter than the other kids or even that he had automail. No, it had more to do with the way people would occasionally look at him, like they were expecting somebody else. It was the way his mechanic cried the day she met him. It was the way his dad would sometimes slip – and call him Fullmetal.

-Nothing Gold by Rydia Highwind | 23230 words | EdLing Post-canon, AU ending |  Ling has gained immortality. Ed has not.

-Unto the Shores of Acheron by LAXgirl | 99904 words | Gen, post 03 AU |  Everyone thought Edward was dead. But when someone tries to resurrect him, no one's prepared to deal with the soulless look alike that's created instead, or its hurt and anger when his original half unexpectedly returns from the other side of the Gate.

-Nequitia Est Manus by Azei | 103304 words | Divergence story incomplete | Madame Christmas meets a blonde brat with a fondness for drinking all her whiskey and giving her more headaches than Roy ever did. AU in which Ed fakes his death at the end of episode 26 and uses it as a means to stop Father's plans from the sidelines.

-Beast of a Burden by Shoulderpads | 66416 words | Diverges Pre-canon, BH incomplete |  Alternate universe where Ed and Al don't get the chance to try and bring their mom back before they're taken to the labs as subjects for chimera experimentation.

-The Colours of the World by MaiKusakabe | 114228 words | Harry Potter crossover Post Promised day, incomplete |  When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one.

-Confirmation Bias by Cryogenia | 3327 words | RoyEd vague timeline. | (No summary) 

-Phylactery by Shade40 | 250666 words | Post-Promised day AU, incomplete |  Six years after the Promised Day, Selim is Homunculus and child. As he studies alchemy, Selim realizes it is possible to resurrect his family. The Homunculi deserve the same second chance that he was given, but while they struggle to embrace their newfound humanity, an unknown player comes with a deal that divides them. Post-FMAB with bits from 2003 series.

-Inhuman Beings by wllw | 3173 words | Mid BH, Pride + Kimblee centric |  At the edges of his vision, the shadows followed him.

-The Twelve Days of Disaster by  MEOW-I'm-A-Dog | 47932 words |  A series of oneshots about Christmas that go from crack to full cocaine. Written on a whim, not to be taken seriously unless you want to. Characters: Breda, Ed, Al, Havoc, Fuery, Hawkeye, Falman, Mustang, Hughes and the occasional Armstrong

-At Gate’s Edge by Winds of Water | 455478 words | RoyEd 03 AU where human transmutation went awry and Ed is a ghost. Incomplete |  Love's never easy as it is, but it's twice as hard when you're separated by life and death.

-Grand Arcanum by The-Immortal-Moon | 343781 words | Series AU and roleswap blending 03 and BH. Incomplete |  Brothers Edward and Alphonse tragically lose their bodies in a failed attempt at human transmutation. Now, they partner with their childhood friend, Winry, and scour Amestris in search of the Philosopher’s Stone.

-Abandon All Hope, Ye who enter here by Anonymous | 17171 words | Dark! Au from end of 03. Ed being held by Dante. NonCon. |  Everything went wrong. Al is gone, Dante has the Stone, and Ed is a prisoner to the fanciful whims of his new captor.

-Love Can Melt the Ice by Winryofresembool | 63640 words | EdWin Modern!Au |  Edward Elric, a hockey player from Amestris, participates in his first ever Olympics. The only thing he's planning to get from there is a gold medal. However, when he accidentally bumps into a childhood friend, a talented figure skater Winry Rockbell, he learns there are things bigger than hockey.

-Our Embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms by spooky_bee | 155853 words | Neon Genesis Evangelion fusion with FMAB RoyAi | "He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

-Talking With Ghosts by em-witchwood | 2801 words | EdRiza, Post FMA 03 |  Out of all of them, she was probably the only one that didn’t regret all the things she had never said to him, because she’d said all that she wanted.

-We That Are Young by Stoplight Delight | 277131 words | Pre-canon |  It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

-Tempest by Bookwrm389 | 16810 words | Gen, vaguely mid-series Parental RoyEd |  Ed is adamant that he doesn't need a father. And it's only when he's about to lose the closest thing he has to one that he understands how very wrong he is.

-Flames of Consequence by EnviousMonster | 67018 words | Gen, Envy lives AU post BH. Incomplete |  Where Envy survives and is given a second chance to become something more than they were made to be. Will contain depictions of violence, emotional and mental duress, etc.

-Stock Market Crash by VIKAN | 29301 words | Gen, vaguely canon timeline |  Stranded in the middle of the Eastern Desert, Roy Mustang must try to get himself and a concussed Edward across it safely before he completely loses his mind.

-Mendacium by ChaoticClueless | 15558 words | My Hero Academia crossover with BH Ed. Incomplete | Edward didn't want to help Truth. He didn't want to go to a different world to defeat yet another Father. He didn't want to become a vigilante there.He also wanted his brother back. The choice was obvious, even if Truth is a massive asshole.

-Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai | 288908 words | EdRoy Timetravel story, BH |  Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

-Best Kept Secret by MoonStarDutchess | 523815 words | RoyAi BH canon-compliant incomplete |  What if Roy and Riza were secretly married through the entire series? This story tells you that.

-Ash Like Snow by Laora | 6723 words | Harry Potter Crossover |  His sanity is crumbling away, but then, so is the entire wizarding world.

-Penance by Laora | 125965 words | Harry Potter Crossover around Promised Day |  The Gate was opening; the black arms stretched toward him and Pride. Ed knew he had no say in the matter. He would be pulled to this parallel dimension, alternate universe—whatever it was—and Amestris would be left to die. Truth merely grinned.

-Jiǔ by agentcalliope | 3131 words | Roy-centric piece, RoyAi |  the nine steps Roy Mustang takes towards acceptance

-Homefront by hlwim | 50895 words | BH AU, some RoyAi |  Miss Riza's arrival in Resembool has the potential to ruin everything.

-Infernia by mitsys | 3899 words | Royai, Pacific Rim AU |  Some stories aren't told in headlines or newspapers, but in the touch of hands and minds. They linger together in the Drift, lines melting together into the seams, and they don't mourn the lost letters. They've been writing their story long enough to do it without words.

-Wooden by tobu_ishi | 1928 words | Gen, Post 03 anime, Ed in other world |  He never realized how useful automail could be until he was an entire world away from it, or what a pain simple daily tasks could become.

-Mirrorworld by Tramontana Keeper | 305134 words | EdHei, Pre-CoS AU |  Ed managed to prove that he was truly from a different world, and Alfons finds himself captive in Ed's dream of opening the Gate. 

-Fragile Worlds by The Prettiest Frog in the Pond | 5635 words | Gen, 03 anime AU |  He'd been stuck in this place for months now, but no matter what he says, nothing changes. He's Edward Elric. He's been Edward Elric all his life. So why won't they believe him?

-One Foot in by Firewind | 7008 words | Gen, 03 anime AU |  Envy shows Ed why it's unwise to break a deal with homunculi.

-The Circle by Elfpen | 3007 words | Gen, promised day |  Edward Elric teaches alchemy at Central University. A particularly horrible student leads them down a path of dark discussion, which somehow, leads Edward back full circle.

-Ignis Fatuus by Mikkeneko | 5787 words | Gen. |  Edward attempts to break apart a chimera made from an animal and a child.

-Abstention by Asidian | 11117 words | Vague timeline |  An assignment to snow country under Colonel Mustang is bad enough for the damper it puts on the Elrics' search for the Stone, but downed supply lines lead to cut rations, and Ed discovers that he can't take the deprivation as well as he'd like to pretend.

-Never break the chain by haganenobeato | 4199 words | RoyAi BH, vague timeline | The nights were not kind to Riza Hawkeye. Sleep felt elusive following the failed operative to capture a homunculus after Gluttony swallowed the Colonel whole with Edward alongside him. Before she could gather her bearings and make sense of what was happening, Mustang’s men were transferred at different cardinal points in Amestris with herself at the center as Bradley’s assistant.As for him… he had been changed.

-Men and Angels by Laora | 56333 words | Timetravel AU |  Trisha can't understand; she's terrified, but she has to stay calm. Her boys are gone, replaced by her sons from the future...and something, she knows, is terribly wrong.

-The Really Ridiculously Good Looking Summer Festival by VerboseWordsmith | 45594 words | Modern!Band!AU RoyEd |  Quasi-indie newcomers, Fullmetal Alchemist, just hit number one with their second single on the Amestris Hot 100 Rock chart and they've been added to the lineup of this summer's Transmuted Tour.

-To Love is to Sacrifice by Konfessor2U | 6372 words | Edvy, BH |  Edward is held captive as a human sacrifice and Envy is set to watch over him.

-Not in His Job Description by alightintheshadows | 1331 words | Gen, BH Post-promised day, Parental Roy |  General Mustang receives visitor much too early on a Sunday morning, but he doesn't mind in the slightest.

-Aftermath by Asidian | 32148 words | Elricest, vaguely post-series |  Not even a year after Al receives his new body, Ed requests a mission that will take him far from his brother's side. When things go terribly wrong, they must pick up the pieces together.

-Ignis Aurum Probat by writing_addict | 34827 words | How to train your dragon AU, FMAB, incomplete | Edward Elric is born early into the dead of winter, on an island twelve days North of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing-To-Death. He comes into the world sickly and small--and endlessly defiant, burning with the kind of rage that can shake the foundations of the universe. The gods themselves hear that scream, that roar of fury and thunder promising to remake the world as they know it, and wonder. Fifteen years later, Ed brings down the Night Fury that's been plaguing his people for generations, stands over it with the perfect opportunity to make the kill...and spares it.

-Satellite by SpicyReyes | 103170 words | EdRoy, Timetravel, BH incomplete |  A rogue alchemist, desperate to restore the alchemy of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, pushes Truth into playing a new game - one that has Edward Elric waking up on the floor of his house where a transmuted abomination should have been, just in time to save his younger self and brother. He might have a chance to do everything again, now, though...He would never hold anything but bitterness for the title of 'dad,' but maybe an older brother could make things better.

-With Eyes Anew by Rider_of_Spades | 500 words | LustScar FMA 03 | "She’s not your second chance– she’s your first." On the implications of being in love with a Homunculus.

-Son of the Desert by ShanaStoryteller | 10445 words | Ishvalan!Ed AU, BH EdRoy | Every time Edward sees the circle on the back Mustang's hand, he wants to scream, wants to reach across the desk and shake him, wants to wrap his hands around the older man's throat and ask if it was worth it, if this desk and his rank is worth the screaming, crying, writhing, burning bodies of his people-

-Tears and Rain by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 196772 words | RoyEd FMA 03 vague timeline |  When Ed stops an assassination attempt on Roy's life, he foils one of the opening moves in a massive military intrigue. Can he and Roy stay one step ahead of those who want them dead, or will they both lose the fight to survive?

-The Lost Language of Swans by Mirabella | 2258 words | Elricest, Wingfic Post-series |  They smuggled Al out of Central and back to Rizembul, where they rented a small house with room for Ed's books and Al's wings.

-For the night has been unkind by CoolJellyBean25 | 159980 words | RoyEd PostBH AU, Incomplete |  Even with the straitjacket off, Ed never feels like it's really gone.

-conflicted by the very air i breathe by writing_addict | 149707 words | some RoyAi, BH AU, incomplete |  Edward Elric vanishes after what was supposed to be an ordinary mission. A year later, Roy Mustang gets a call that changes everything.

-World without Roy by Manalfedz | 41482 words | Gen, BH AU, incomplete |  Wherein...Roy tries not to freak out in an alternate world where everything has gone horribly wrong.

-A sudden alchemy by LadyMerlin | 5388 words | RoyEd Modern!Au |  The one in which Roy is a Knight in Shining Armour

-A Pyramid Scheme by PhantomRose96 | 1662 words | Gen, immediately Post!BH | “Why didn’t you run?”   “Sorry?”  “Why didn’t you run away, Fullmetal?”

-From Ashes by JordannaMorgan | 22864 words | Gen, canon-compliant set right after the human transmutation attempt. |  Edward and Alphonse had a long journey to make before they ever left home.

-Babylon by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 261096 words | RoyEd, post FMA 03 AU |  Two years after retrieving his brother's body from the Gate of Truth Edward Elric is still paying the price. Will his debt ever be repaid, or will it finally cost him everything?

-Havoc’s Foolproof Plan by 1stTimeCaller | 9187 words | vague timeline, some RoyAi shiptease. |  Havoc's love life is constantly interrupted by his womanizing boss. So he decides to try it on with the one woman who is immune to Mustang's charm.

-The Ordeal of Being Known by budgeWrites | 20254 words | FMA 03 AU LustScar Lust and Scar both live, Incomplete |  On conquering demons, remembering how to live, and coming home.

-Focus by Sevlow | 37665 words | Gen, vague timeline |  Mustang, Edward, and all the other Alchemists of fair Amestris are starting to lose their grip on their own minds and bodies. The Amestrian military is in chaos as dozens of its higher-ranking officers start losing their minds to an unknown sickness.

#fma #fullmetal alchemist #fma 03 #fmab #fma 2003 #fma fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic recs #wow there's a lot here #you guys recced so many! #thanks so much! #there's all sort of ships here #I've made a point to mark them out

[aion-rsa]

Best Marvel Comics to Binge Read on Marvel Unlimited

https://ift.tt/2UR4Tzi

With an enormous swath of the world involved in varying degrees of social distancing, many of us suddenly find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. Never fear! There are more options for streaming comics than ever before, and that means we have access to more of comics history, more hidden gems, and more epochal runs than ever before. But the variety of options to read can be daunting. That’s why we’ve put together a recommendation list of some of our favorite comics binge reads to help you through quarantine. Marvel Unlimited has been around for more than a decade. It runs about six months behind print release of books, so it’s a good way to stay sorta-current with the stories you love. But the real draw is the back catalog: with 25,000 issues in its library, you’ve got access to some of the most important and most entertaining runs of superhero books of all time. From Lee and Kirby creating the modern superhero comic in the pages of Fantastic Four through Chris Claremont and John Byrne revolutionizing the X-Men, and through several Wars (Secret, Infinity, or Civil), everything is here. 

You don’t need us to tell you to read some of these stories. You know “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” Kraven’s Last Hunt, “Demon in a Bottle,” or Jonathan Hickman’s behemoth are all important and good. And some of them, Marvel’s even giving you for free. We’re going to skip over some of the obvious ones and point you towards hidden gems, the harder to find stories that fill in the edges of the Marvel Universe and make it such a rich, lush experience. We are also looking for monster runs that will keep you occupied – you can read six issues in one sitting with no danger of nearing the end. Some of these might take you an entire round of social distancing to finish. 

A quick note about the reading guides: We’ll list out the issue numbers for most of these. Many of them may have their own separate entry under Marvel Unlimited’s reading lists – those are helpful, but these are definitive. One of them, we’re going to refer you to the events – to find those, you can go to “Browse”, then scroll over to “Comic Events.” And for one of these, we’re linking to the inordinately helpful Comic Book Herald. They’re a great site for comic reading orders in general, and have helped me through several other binge reads before. 

Walt Simonson’s Thor

Thor (1966) #337-360, Balder the Brave (1985) #1, Thor #361-362, Balder the Brave #2-4, Thor #363-382

This probably shouldn’t be on the list. It is in the conversation for the greatest runs on any superhero comic ever. But if you’ve never read it, you’re truly missing out.

If you watched Thor: Ragnarok and loved how it looked or any of its story, chances are you are going to adore this, the run that Ragnarok borrowed so much from. Walter Simonson took the Asgard realized by Jack Kirby, the mythological realm pumped full of color and Kirby dots, and turned everything way up to create the most iconic Thor run of all time. Simonson started the run on art before handing off to Sal Buscema, and Simonson and Buscema are two of the artists I could recognize by style the soonest. Everything is HUGE. 

Read more

Movies

Thor Comics Reading Order: Ragnarok for Beginners

By Marc Buxton

Movies

Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date, Cast, and Story Details

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

It’s paced immaculately, with whatever story is in the foreground holding your complete attention, but always with something drip drip dripping in the background that will eventually crescendo. This run made so many characters wonderful, but Loki, Volstagg, and Beta Ray Bill are highlights. And have I mentioned the art? It’s incredible, and doesn’t suffer one bit when Buscema takes over. This is my favorite run on any comic of all time. You absolutely must read it. 

X-Men: the Messiah Cycle

Messiah CompleX, Messiah War, and X-Men: Second Coming

The hottest take you’re going to find on the internet today is this: the Messiah Cycle is the best era of X-Men comics. It has everything I want from the X-Men line: books have distinct voices and missions, but contribute to the overarching direction of the line. There IS an overarching direction to the line. New characters are brought to the front, and new ideas are injected into the line.

Read more

Comics

First New Marvel X-Men Crossover Revealed

By Jim Dandy

TV

X-Men: The Animated Series – The Essential Episodes

By Michael Mammano

You get all of that from the Messiah era. Messiah CompleX picks up with Cerebro identifying the first mutant birth in years; Messiah War has the members of the Mutants with Claws and Swords era X-Force heading to the future to check up on that baby; Second Coming is when she returns to present day. Each one has a different tone; Messiah CompleX and Second Coming bring together every book in the line to tell their stories, but also let each creative team keep telling their stories and end up being the best-handled X-crossovers since Inferno. And Second Coming is the best straight action X-book I think I’ve ever read. 

If you like these crossovers, you should absolutely check out other books from this era. Utopia X, a crossover between Uncanny X-Men and Dark Avengers, is amazing, as is Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti’s Cable and Zeb Wells’ New Mutants.

Mark Gruenwald’s Captain America

Captain America (1968) #307-422, 424-443

Full confession: this is my current binge read. After years of hearing about how wonderful Gruenwald’s Cap was, I finally decided to jump in and within three issues, I was texting people to scream at them for not forcing me to read it sooner. For starters, the goddamn Serpent Society turns into a union. In fact, the Serpent Society’s union meeting is the most fun I’ve had reading a comic scene in a while, and the fact that it is based on a real meeting of comic book creators from 1978 makes it both more accurate sounding and HILARIOUS (I think Constrictor is Gil Kane, when you read it).

Read more

Comics

Avengers: Endgame – The History of Captain America’s Climactic Moment

By Gavin Jasper

Movies

Captain America Comics Guide and Reading Order

By Mike Cecchini

But the real appeal is how much movie Cap is based on this era. Gruenwald’s Steve Rogers is a really nice guy. Everybody loves him, everyone respects him, and there’s not a lick of condescension or mean spiritedness about anything he does, from sparring with Black Knight to taking on a gang of criminal jugglers with Hawkeye to trying to help joke villains like Rocket Racer. He’s also extremely competent, and Gruenwald and artist Paul Neary do an incredible job of showing this, as Cap breaks into the West Coast Avengers’ headquarters while trying to figure out, through his jet lagged brain, what day it is. It only gets bigger and more traditionally superhero as it goes on, with artistic contributions from the likes of Kieron Dwyer, Ron Lim, and others.

You’ll see even more of this run’s influence in Marvel’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier TV series on Disney+, as it introduces key characters who we’ll see on screen there, so get reading, and pay attention!

Runaways 

Runaways (2017) #1-current

Rainbow Rowell’s current run as writer on Runaways captures the Marvel spirit better than just about any comic coming out right now. It’s a masterful mix of superheroics, joyful immersion in Marvel continuity, and soapy teenage drama. A lot of people are doing good work at Marvel right now, but nobody is hitting these notes as consistently well as this crew. 

This book is remarkably accessible for something so steeped in its own history. If you’re new to comics, or if you’re here because of the Hulu show, you’ll find plenty to love. But if you liked the original series from Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, you’re going to be shocked at how much this feels like if that same book had never ended. Even though the characters have grown and changed substantially, their voices are distinct and seamless. This is one of my favorite Marvel comics being published right now, and once you’re all caught up, make sure you add it to your pull list at your shop.

Darth Vader

Darth Vader (2015) #1-12, Star Wars: Vader Down #1, Darth Vader #13, Star Wars (2015) #13, Darth Vader #14, Star Wars #14, Darth Vader #14-25

Remember that moment in Rogue One where Vader just kicked the shit out of everyone without looking like he was trying? And how everyone squealed in delight at old, force of nature, badass villain Darth Vader being back? If you were reading the comics at the time, that moment had already happened for you a full 18 months before the movie came out, in Darth Vader #6. 

Read more

Comics

Star Wars Canon Timeline in Chronological Order

By Megan Crouse and 1 other

Movies

Star Wars: Darth Vader’s Best Moments from the Marvel Comics

By Marc Buxton

This entire series is Vader killing everything he can. It’s like watching a space tornado. What’s especially surprising, though, is how Kieron Gillen manages to sneak some important character development into the book. While Vader slices through Sith intrigue and Rebel scum and the entire royal line of a mining planet and a bunch of others, we’re also learning about why he’s the way he is. This series takes place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, so some of the lines that get filled in add to the rest of the OT as well. There have been several very good Star Wars comics since Marvel got the license back, but this run on Darth Vader is the best. 

Ultimate Spider-Man 

Ultimate Spider-Man saved Marvel Comics. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley didn’t do it with flashy variants or crossovers. They did it by telling good, pure, core Spidey stories. 

It’s hard to separate Peter’s origin from Ultimate Spider-Man from Peter’s origin in the 616. The Ultimate origin is so definitive and iconic in how it fills in the spaces between the necessary beats. Bagley’s art especially – even now, thinking about this series that I haven’t read in forever, I can still pull up Peter jumping over Norman’s car, or MJ’s face when she and Peter have “the talk.” 

Read more

Movies

How Shifting MCU Release Dates Could Impact Spider-Man 3

By Don Kaye

Movies

Spider-Man 3 Story Is “Absolutely Insane” Says Tom Holland

By Kirsten Howard

For the absolute best, and purest this book can be, just read the first 38 issues, ending with the first Venom arc, but the book stays solid for its entire run. Bendis’ work with both Peter Parker and Miles Morales is my favorite work of his career, especially when Miles joins the cape world, but nothing will ever match just how fantastic these first few arcs of Ultimate Spider-Man are.

The Annihilation Era

Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, Realm of Kings, and The Thanos Imperative

You will be hard pressed to find better comic book space opera than the Abnett/Lanning era of Marvel’s cosmic characters. Marvel’s cosmic line was an afterthought when these first started coming out. By the end, it was a widely beloved corner of the Marvel Universe that was popular enough to be mostly transcribed whole by the movies.

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Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Cast, Release Date, Director, Story, and News

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy Reading Order

By Gavin Jasper

The nice thing about this era of the cosmic line is how neatly the main books move from event to event. Annihilation tells the story of a cataclysm that befalls the universe, and how the remaining heroes – Nova, Star Lord, Silver Surfer, Drax, Gamora, Ronan the Accuser, and Super-Skrull, among others – fight a war to survive. Rich Rider gets his own solo Nova comic from there, and it leads right into Annihilation: Conquest, about the catastrophe that follows in Annihilation’s wake. It also sees the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy as we know them and launches their book, before tying both comics together in War of Kings where the Shi’ar and Kree empires collide. Realm of Kings is the aftermath of that war (and has one of my favorite Shi’ar Imperial Guard stories of all time), and that leads directly into the conflict that mostly closes out the era, The Thanos Imperative. This is a great introduction and immersion in Marvel’s cosmic universe, and will have you hooked by the halfway point of the first crossover.

Black Panther

Black Panther (1998) #1-22, Deadpool (1997) #44, Black Panther #23-62

There are certainly better parts to this run, but there is a scene where Namor, T’Challa, Doctor Doom, and Magneto stand around an apartment outside of the United Nations shouting at each other about diplomacy, and to this day I still have not found a comic book more specifically designed for my interests than this one. 

Read more

Movies

Black Panther 2 Cast, Release Date, Villain, Story, and News

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Best Black Panther Comics: An Essential Reading Guide

By Jim Dandy

Priest is one of the sharpest minds ever to write comics. He’s so good at misdirection and storytelling – he will overwhelm you with style and flash, and you won’t even notice the subtle clues he’s dropping, or the way themes and characters weave together to show key parts of the story. This run on Black Panther is probably the definitive one for the character, and contributed a ton to the movie version, but there’s so much more depth (and humor!) that Priest puts into the Marvel Universe that it’s very worth reading.

Incredible Hercules

Hulk (1999) #106-112, Incredible Hercules (2008) #113-115, Hulk Vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide, Incredible Hercules #116-137, Assault on New Olympus Prologue, Incredible Hercules #138-141, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1-2, Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1-4, Chaos War #1-5

Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente are two of the best people writing comics right now. Each individually writes really good comics, but the two of them working together almost always put something special out. Incredible Hercules spun out of World War Hulk and came out better than it had any business being. 

Read more

Movies

Hulk Movies Marvel Should Make

By Marc Buxton

TV

Who is She-Hulk? A Guide to Marvel’s Next TV Star

By Gavin Jasper

Hercules exists in a unique place. Pak and Van Lente used him as a gateway to the mythology of the Marvel Universe – the Greek pantheon, but also the Norse pantheon, Japanese gods, Inuit gods, even Skrull deities. And several of these aren’t exclusive to Marvel, so you get a very clear and obvious statement about some of the differences between the Big 2 universes, some clever in-jokes, and the requisite moving story about godhood. This all comes with wonderful characterization, clever plotting and a great sense of humor. 

Nextwave: Agents of H.a.T.E.

Read Nextwave after you’ve read everything else, not because it’s a good capstone to your Marvel experience, but because it’s aggressively anti-continuity, and (lovingly) EXTREMELY disrespectful of the rest of the Marvel Universe. It’s also one of the funniest comics Marvel’s ever put out. 

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This whole story is Warren Ellis brutalizing superheroes. Boom Boom from X-Force, Monica Rambeau (sometimes Captain Marvel, sometimes Photon), Machine Man, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Captain &#($$&*#!@ (or The Captain) are brought together by the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (H.A.T.E.) to fight Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction. It’s aggressive nonsense, less anti-continuity than acontinuitous which isn’t a word but also fits the spirit of the book – characters make no sense even from issue to issue, and only serve the plot, but that nonsense later serves the plot. And it is an absolute tour de force from Stuart Immonen, who draws every type of comedy you can imagine – slapstick, absurdity, somehow sarcasm, puns – with incredible layouts and storytelling. This is not a good Marvel comic, but it is an incredible comic book that you’re going to love.

The post Best Marvel Comics to Binge Read on Marvel Unlimited appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[avengerscompound]

Serendipity

Serendipity: A Winterwidowhawk Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Word Count:  1710

Warnings:  angsty, probs some adult themes.

Synopsis:   There has been a lot of terrible things that Natasha, Bucky, and Clint have had to endure, but they’ve all lead here.

A/N:  For @until-theend-oftheline ‘s #MCU Beautiful Words Challenge using the prompt Serendipity.

Serendipity

Serendipity: The chance occurrence of unfortunate events with a beneficial outcome.

It was a long and dark path that led here.  Each thing, both large and small aligning just right so that one day the four of you would decide that you didn’t care anymore.  You had had enough and people could say what they liked about you, you were due some god damn fucking happiness and you would take it when you could.

The first was clear and not many people knew about it.  In 1928 an infant girl with bright red hair was taken from a Russian Orphanage and brought to a facility known as Krasnaya Komnata.  It was here the very first cog was put in place.  A girl barely able to raise her head had been selected to become an assassin and super-soldier.

The next one was less clear.  What point in Bucky Barnes’ life could you point at and say; ‘That there is the reason you became the Winter Soldier’.

Certainly, if he hadn’t he’d likely have married, fathered some children and died of old age while you were still getting driven to and from school.

Maybe it was the experimentation that he went through when he was first captured by HYDRA.  Without that first lot of serum, it would have been unlikely he’d have survived when he fell from the train.  Or was it before that?  When he had signed up for the army in the first place.   Maybe it wasn’t even his doing?  Had his friend Steve Rogers not signed up for the super-soldier program, and not then been made to perform like a circus animal, he’d have never been in place to save Bucky from HYDRA that first time.  Nor would he have been there to give his mind a shake the second time either.

Definitely, the fall was an important one.  When Sargent James Buchanan Barnes was listed as lost in combat and no one went to search for him.  When he was dragged through the snow, bleeding from the stump where his arm had been torn from his body, his body broken and shutting down.  When HYDRA pumped him full of serum and froze him, thus marking the start of decades of torture and mind control.

Next came Bucky’s transfer to the KGB.  Maybe it wasn’t as important to the two previous things.  Had a young ballerina not taken pity on the brainwashed assassin maybe she wouldn't have been so curious about his memories when Steve had brought him into the group.  Maybe she wouldn't have lingered as long as she did in the room when he was there waiting for him to acknowledge her.  If that same assassin hadn't in turn taken pity on the ballerina and held himself back from the unspeakable acts that he was ordered to perform as part of her training, maybe he wouldn't have been so keen to earn her forgiveness for the things he hadn't been able to control.  Maybe they wouldn't have circled each other the way they did.  Like two moths that were drawn to an open flame.

Or maybe that attraction they had might have been there either way.  The Red Room did leave its mark on both of them, that much was true.  Marks like that are hard to cover up and it did affect their later connection.

The next thing that happened was two boys who had bounced from one abusive home to the next finally bounced their way into a traveling circus.  The older of the two had a talent for pickpocketing and grifting that the circus decided they'd exploit.  The younger had a talent for acrobatics and archery that the circus decided to encourage.  

When the skills of the older bothered the younger enough he turned and Shield grabbed him.  ‘Hawkeye: The World’s Greatest Marksman’ became ‘Hawkeye: Agent of SHIELD’ and the next cog fell into place.  Had Clint and Barney Barton not been beaten daily by their father, Barney would never have taught Clint how to take that beating and keep getting up.  Had their parents not died in the car accident Clint and Barney wouldn’t have found themselves in that home with yet another abusive man.  If he hadn’t beat them, they wouldn’t have run and stumbled into the circus.  Without the circus, he’d have never learned archery.  Without archery, he wouldn’t have been recruited by SHIELD.  Without SHIELD… well, things would have turned out very differently indeed.

You see if Clint Barton hadn’t joined SHIELD it would have been someone else that had been sent to kill the Black Widow.  If that had been the case, well, more than likely the one who had would have been Coulson or maybe Hill.  They would have just got on with the job and Natalia Romanova would be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Russia and the rest of you would be traveling down completely different paths that probably would have never intersected.

It had been Clint though.  Clint who saw things others didn’t.  Who grew up with criminals and abusers and was good at detecting the intentions of other people.  Who could read past the lies and see the real truth in people.  It was Clint who had made another choice.

That choice had meant that Natasha had joined SHIELD.  That the two of them became friends.  Best friends.  Friends with benefits.  That when the time came that SHIELD fell they took the leap into the Avengers together.  Being in the Avengers meant being near Steve Rogers.  Being near Steve Rogers meant that when the Winter Soldier had finally shaken off the shackles of what HYDRA had made him, they were near Bucky too.

The three of them spent a while circling each other.  More like water down a drain than sharks around prey.  The problem was that a lifetime of abuse makes forming bonds difficult.  It’s hard to know what the appropriate level of affection is.  It’s hard to accept it when you expect it to be taken away or used against you.  It’s hard to interpret your own feelings.  So two would sleep together but not admit feelings, while two would dance around a dark past they were both too scared to admit to, and one guy just really had this thing for the scary dude with the metal arm and shit that was new, what could he do about that?

Would anyone say it was worth it?  That all the pain and suffering, all the lives that had been lost on the way were a fair price to pay for what they had now? Each one of them would change any of their pasts or the pasts of the others if it was in their power to do so.  It wasn’t that the price was fair, it was more a sense of relief that after all that, they’d found a safe place to fall.

There was still one piece of the puzzle missing.  For three people who are too scared to follow their feelings and too fucked up to recognize what they mean do not make a relationship.  There was one-quarter of the equation missing.

You.

You hadn’t had quite the ride they had.  In comparison, it was positively mundane.  There was no HYDRA or KGB in your history.  No assassin school or circus.  No one had been sent to kill you nor had you ever been sent to kill anyone else.  Maybe that’s what they needed though.  They needed the bad stuff to end so they good stuff could finally take over.

They definitely needed a coffee.

People with that level of trauma often have trouble sleeping.  Especially when they avoided doing anything to actually treat it.  Instead of sleep, they dosed up on caffeine.  Which for them meant coffee, which brought them to you at the coffee shop around the corner from the Avengers Tower.

Initially, they came for the coffee.  Over time they each realized they kept returning for you.

It wasn’t that they realized it was a romantic thing, to begin with.  Maybe the romantic parts of them had died off a long time ago anyway.  They just knew there was something about you that made them feel better.  More comfortable in the space they occupied.  More open to actually being happy.

There was no way of explaining it fully.  Maybe it was the fact you intentionally wrote Bucky’s name wrong on the cup every time, which delighted Clint.  Clint’s light-hearted ribbing led to Bucky’s relaxing into the fact that he might actually have friends.  Maybe it was the latte art you did on Natasha’s coffee that made both Bucky and Clint would tease her about it.  Maybe it was the free cookies.  Or the refills.  Or the fact they just really loved the way you actually seemed to light up when they came in.  That a normal everyday person might be excited to see them.  Not because they were famous.  Just because they were them.

Maybe it was that you were just that right kind of normal that showed them how they could make their own kind of normal.

Which is what they did.  First Bucky spoke to Natasha and they got all their baggage and unpacked it together until they felt they could be something other than people hurt by the Red Room.

Next Clint told Natasha how he felt.  How he really felt.  Not just about her.  About himself and Bucky and even you.  Natasha wanted Clint to be happy above almost everything else and she realized that maybe that meant she needed to find her happiness too.

Then the three of them asked you if you'd like to hang out sometime.  Maybe get a drink.  Not coffee.

And then, and then, and then...

It was Serendipity.  A whole lot of horrible things that all played an important part in getting to the good part.  Which was this.  Four people together in a way a lot of people didn't understand.

No one else needed to.  You understood.  This worked because they needed it to, so they made it work.

“Pchelka, can you get some warm water?”

Natasha’s voice echoed through the apartment in Bedstuy you all shared.  You got up with a groan and made your way to the kitchen.  “What’s happened?”  You called back.

“Clint got his tongue stuck to James’ arm.”  She replied.

You laughed and shook your head as you turned the faucet on and waited for the water to heat up.  “Not again?”

“You might want to hurry, darling.  Clint’s trying to pull himself free.”  She called.

So… maybe there might be some more accidents along the way.  That was life after all.

#MCU Beautiful Words Challenge #clint barton #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #black widow #the winter soldier #hawkeye #winterwidowhawk #black widow fanfic #the winter soldier fanfic #hawkeye fanfic #clint barton x reader #bucky barnes x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #bucky barnes x clint barton x natasha romanoff x reader #winterwidowhawk x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #serendipity

[cami-chats]

Chance Encounter

Fandom: Marvel (616/MCU crossover)

Pairings: Tony Stark/Giuletta Nefaria (Madame Masque)

Warnings: None

"Weird, this doesn't look like Wendy's," she said, looking around at the assembled supers. Most of them looked familiar, but... off. Black Widow looked shorter than she remembered, and her hair was cropped shorter. Captain America was much less broad, Hawkeye wasn't dressed all in purple and that girl (woman? Giuletta didn't really know how old she was) that had taken to hanging around him wasn't at his side, Thor didn't have that ridiculous helmet, on and on the list went. This one guy had an arm like the Winter Soldier, but that's where the similarities between them ended. There was Iron Man of course, in a suit that was a little more bulky and not as bug looking as Tony's most recent designs. 

With a wide grin on his face was a man she didn't recognize, forced to his knees and-- judging how hard he was staring at her-- probably the reason she was here. "I knew you would come and bring an end to the unholy Avengers!" 

Giuletta ignored him because clearly he was on something. If she got too close, the crazy would catch and she did not want to deal with that shit again (for like the fifth time. Seriously, her and Tony had been through enough). "So you're the Avengers?" she asked, looking towards Tony. Captain America was probably the leader here, but he'd always bugged her. Plus, another Iron Man! If it was Rhodes, Cabe, or-- god forbid-- Potts, she was going to get grumpy real fast. 

"We sure are, goldie. And you?" Iron Man asked. Yep, that was Tony alright. 

"Madame Masque," she said, giving him a flourished little bow. Maybe she was lucky and they were together in this universe too. Looking around though, it was clear that none of them recognized the name, or her. "You don't know me," she stated, distaste clear in her tone. She was a goddamn delight to be around, and she should exist in every universe. "Hmph." She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the fact that her hair was getting in the way and she couldn't see much of anything with the wind acting like this. She was used to that though, so it was easy to pretend everything was perfectly visible to her. 

"Why does Zemo think you would kill us?" Captain America asked. 

She shrugged. The Zemo she knew was much more terrifying, not near as uselessly creepy. "Hell if I know." A portal opened right next to her, and a much more familiar Iron Man popped out. "Hey honey." 

"Hey, how's it going?" 

"Alright, I guess." 

Zemo gaped, face turning white with rage. "I summoned you because you tried to kill Tony Stark! You were meant to come here and destroy him no matter the cost!" 

"Psh, that was ages ago," her Tony said, waving it off. 

"I am sorry about that, by the way." 

"Eh, at least you waited until we were on bad terms to try it, that's better than Rodgers." 

"Ugh is she still on that?" 

Tony shrugged. "Who knows? It's been a while since she cropped up." 

"She tried to kill you?" the other Tony asked incredulously, gesturing to Giuletta. "And you're still with her?" 

"There were extenuating circumstances, so shut it. Her villain phase didn't last very long." She hadn't exactly been in her right mind, what with the clones and her father coming back and everything. 

"She's a villain?" 

"What part of 'phase that didn't last very long' went over your head?" Giuletta asked flatly. She shook her head, turning to face Tony more. "These people." 

"Ridiculous," he agreed. 

"Does that mean we can go home?" 

"Uhhhh yeah. About that." 

"You didn't plan a return trip." 

"I didn’t plan a return trip," he confirmed. "You might have been in danger! I didn't have time to come up with a way home before the quantum trace of your journey dissipated." 

"And we can't ride that back?" 

"Already gone." 

"Damn." 

He nodded in agreement. 

"Does that mean you need our help?" someone asked. He had dark skin, a shaved head, and was standing at Captain America's side, some sort of mechanized pack on his back and red goggles on his face. 

Giuletta sighed. "Looks that way." 

"Cheer up," Tony said, elbowing her lightly, "it might not be that bad." 

She glanced over at the group-- plus Zemo, who looked like he was having a breakdown. There were varying expressions of doubt and apprehension throughout, but Captain America said, "We'll help however we can," and it didn't look like anyone was going to challenge that. 

"Thanks Cap, appreciate it." 

"Iron Man, why don't you and Black Widow take them to the Tower and the rest of us will finish up here." 

The other Tony said, "Sure thing Captain Tight-pants." Then he looked at her Tony. "I'll fly my girl if you fly yours?" 

"Careful Stark," Widow said with a glare. In Giuletta's opinion, it was all for show, but then, her opinions regarding Tony were rather skewed. 

"Just a figure of speech." 

"Sounds good to me," Tony said, sounding amused. She stepped up to him at the same moment he lifted his arm to make room for her. He put it tightly around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They'd learned the hard way that doing just one or the other didn't work well enough. "Ready when you are." 

The other Tony held out his arms in invitation, and Widow very grumpily got into position. "Follow me." He shot off, and Tony followed easily. 

"Does she really think she's fooling anyone?" Giuletta asked now that only Tony could hear her. Her hair was whipping around her face, hard enough that it was a good thing both of them were wearing masks. 

"What?" 

Apparently she was fooling Tony, if no one else. She snorted. "The Black Widow. She's interested in this universe's Tony." 

"Really?" he said doubtfully. "I think you're way off base." 

"I'm an expert in people that love you." 

Tony made a noise to show how much stock he put in that, but it's not her fault that he still didn't believe that Potts had liked him before she retired. 

"Whatever. If we're here long enough, you'll see." 

"I'm sure." 

"Oh shut up." 

"Yes dear," he said, and she could sense the shit-eating grin he had on. They landed a minute later, and they followed the other maybe-couple inside. Tony let the suit melt away, leaving him in his undersuit as he looked around. "This is your place?" 

"Yeah. What's your suit made out of? We don't have any tech like that here." 

"Classified," Tony said, slanting a smirk in his direction. 

"Seriously?" the other Tony said. His suit opened up and he stepped out. The suit walked itself over to an elevator and went down, presumably to his workshop. "I can't believe any version of me is a kiss ass." 

"I can't believe any version of you is that short," Giuletta said, looking at the other Tony incredulously. 

Tony grinned, walking towards- oh jesus was that a phone? Was that what phones looked like over here? "I was Director of Shield for a while, I couldn't exactly say fuck you to the man so I could try to get a day off." 

"You were Director of Shield?" Black Widow asked, clearly surprised. 

"Yeah during the whole SHRA mess." 

"The what?" 

"You didn't have that here?" Tony asked, stopping his perusal of the phone to look at her. She shook her head. "Damn, I think I like this place better. Hey Giuletta, what do you say to moving homes?" 

"I say that it looks like Potts is still here, so hell no." There was a picture of her and the Tony and Rhodes of this world on one of the side tables. 

Tony rolled his eyes. "You can't still be on that." 

"On what?" other-Tony asked, looking between the two of them. 

"Giuletta thinks that Pepper wants to date me," he said. "Which I've told you over and over, is ridiculous. She's happily married." 

"She was happily married when she kissed you, too." 

"She'd just had another miscarriage! She was all emotional, it's not like she was actually planning on having an affair or leaving Happy. Besides, what does it matter? Even if Pepper were interested in any of that, I'm not." 

She disagreed, but she knew when she was beat. "Hmph." 

"Not that I know anything about you," other-Tony said conversationally, "but if you're married now, shouldn't you be over the jealousy thing?" 

"We're not married," Tony said. He took a seat on the couch, kicking up his feet down the length of it since there wasn't a coffee table he could do it on. 

"Because he won't ask me." 

"Blatant lie," he said, pointing at her as she walked over to join him on the couch. She picked up his feet, sat down, and let them sit in her lap as she put her arms on the back of the couch. "I asked you once and you said no." 

"That's because you were joking," she said, rolling her eyes. 

"I wasn't joking." 

"Wait, seriously?" 

"Uh yeah. You thought I was joking? I've got a fucking engagement ring sitting uselessly in the closet, and you would have said yes?" 

She just stared at him. "Oh my fucking god, this is the most ridiculous thing to happen to us since the thing with Cabe." In her defense, it hadn’t been her idea to switch bodies. 

"Are you really going to bring up all of my past relationships?" 

"I thought we liked her?" Unlike Rodgers and whatever the hell she’d been on. Cabe was stupidly impressive, Giuletta was glad she’d taken another job. She couldn’t handle that type of competition in her life, even if Tony insisted there was no competition to be had. 

"Of course we like Beth, but you called her Cabe." 

"Psh, I call everyone but you by their last name. Or their superhero name, depending. You forget, I'm here for you, not because I believe in the undying good of humanity." 

"You've been coming around," he said, poking her thigh with his toes. 

She snorted. "Barely." It was more like being evil was a lot of work and she wouldn't get Tony, instead of being good where she was working her ass off, not getting paid most of the time, but she got lovin' on the regular. 

"You're dating a supervillain?" other-Tony asked. 

"You're not great at listening, are you," Tony said, lazily rolling his head to look at him. "We established earlier that she's good. Are we ready to work on getting us home or are we waiting for someone else?" 

"Someone like who?" 

"Richards or Strange. Personally I prefer Richards, at least his cloak doesn't have a mind of its own. Of course that's because he doesn't wear a cloak at all, but eh." 

"I don't know anyone named Richards or Strange, so it's just the two of us." 

*

They couldn't get it figured out in the few hours that they had that night, so other-Tony gave them a room and mentioned that yes the door locked and yes, there were condoms in the attached bathroom. They locked the door as soon as they went in, though they didn't doubt that it could be bypassed quite easily. There was no surveillance visible, but there had to be a video feed of some sort-- otherwise these people were too dumb to still be alive. 

"Ugh, I have been in this get-up for far too long," Giuletta groaned, pulling her mask up and off. She’d long since gotten used to being without it around him, which was a relief since she used to keep it on at all times unless the room was too dark for him to see. She set the golden item on the side table next to the bed, massaging her cheeks to get some feeling back; she’d been smiling too much and it pressed into her cheeks when they rounded like that. 

"Yeah, but you look so good in it," he teased. Tony moved up behind her and found the zipper, pulling it down. Sometimes it felt sexy, other times she needed the help in peeling it off because the fabric didn't exactly breathe. It was the same with Tony's suit, only his usually got stuck from blood, not sweat. He helped her get her suit off, rolling it down and down until she could finally step out of it. 

"Turn," she said, and he did. They repeated the process, but it was a little easier this time. He had short sleeves and the undersuit cut off above his knees, whereas hers went all the way down to wrist and ankle. Once it was off, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face to his back. He could feel the long since healed scars against his skin, and she turned to press a kiss against his shoulder. "We're not opposed to having sex in here, right?" 

Tony snorted. "I've done it in far worse." 

"Preaching to the choir there, my love."

#tony stark #madame masque #marvel #fanfic #my writing

[whatthefoucault]

A Chronological List of Works by me, whatthefoucault: the Everything Edition

So it turns out I’ve actually written a very good number of words.  Almost all of the superhero things I’ve written fall into the same timeline/continuity, which I like to call Earth-212, adjacent to a few canons and then sort of also has a life of its own. I wasn’t sure how best to organise this, but here’s an attempt at placing all of these works into a vague chronological order, though almost all of them can be read independently and the reading order doesn’t really matter. Largely stucky, with some other Cap Fam shenanigans, and also a lot of entries for frostmaster and other Revengers business, some Hawkeyes, and various others. Heed the tags in each fic, but bear in mind I’m here for softness, recovery, finding one’s place in the world, and that’s largely what I’m here to write about.  If this list of everything-in-chronological-order is overwhelming and you want to get more specific, here’s:

Cap Fam

Revengers

Miscellaneous

The Stargazer’s Field Guide To Constellations

By the time Bucky happened upon him, doubled over on the front steps of the library, Steve was already as green as a plate of creamed spinach.

And My Heart Beats So That I Can Hardly Speak

Steve doesn't dance, but this was a special occasion.

(A Few Inches Too Far) Underneath The Mistletoe

It was purely by chance that Steve happened upon a scruffy little sprig of discarded mistletoe on their way back from dinner with the Barnes family.

So Take It From Me, Captain America

"Ok, Captain America PSA number four, take one, and... action."

Sextown, U.S.A.

The message was vague on details, but the urgency in Wade’s voice told Steve it was serious, and that he should come alone.

“Help me, Steve Rogers,” he pleaded. “You’re my only hope.”

Steve had to admit that that got to him.

(It would be three months before Steve would see Star Wars for the first time. Needless to say, he was not amused when he did.)

... In which two supersoldiers form a very special bond across several time zones, many states, and more all-you-can-eat breakfast than anyone should ever eat in their life.

Advanced Seminar In Postmodern Cultural Analysis, Lesson Five

In which Steve Rogers and his very good friend Wade Wilson hang out.

The Sand And The Sea

Clint and Kate have not talked about that thing that happened.

Bring Your Silver Arrows

After that thing that happened with Kate, Clint's going through some stuff.

Continental Breakfast Not Included

Sam had definitely asked for separate beds, but they had been driving since before sunrise, and it was almost midnight.

This Is Going To Make For An Interesting Expenses Claim Form

The scene before him as he rushed to the bathroom door, one pant leg still flapping awkwardly underfoot, would have to anyone else been highly out of the ordinary, but they were superheroes, after all.

The Season For Plums

One day, a man went to the market to buy plums. 

Notes From A Dirty Attic

I don't know what I'm doing.

My name is Bucky. I come from Brooklyn. I died in the war.

Particle-Wave Duality

While Bucky is napping, Steve reads to him.

Blackout Nights And Tight Spaces

It was cold, then sleep, but it was different this time. He was dreaming.

Caprine Management

In which Steve meets Bucky's new friends.

Everyone’s A Winner

Little did the Grandmaster know, when he settled in by the pool, that his evening was about to become much more interesting.

The Art Of The Co-Operative Endgame

The Grandmaster surveyed the board as Loki prepared to make his move, and - oh, this was interesting, he thought - there was a very good chance indeed that Loki might actually win.

Moonshakes

"Hey Scrappy," said the Grandmaster, "what do you think of the new guy, uhh, Loki?"

Gamalost

In which the Grandmaster has found the right companion with whom to share one of his very favourite things.

or

When Loki falls out of the sky and into the Grandmaster’s lap, he gets everything he hopes for and more. The more comes in the form of cheese. A lot of cheese.

Two Seat Sofa, Hensta Light Brown

"So..." Steve hesitated to finish the question, "are we dating?"

(In which Steve and Bucky come home.)

I Guess That This Must Be The Place

He closed his eyes, and prayed his words would project over the distance, somehow:

Count down from a hundred, and then come and find me, my sunshine.

... in which the Grandmaster embarks on an intergalactic road trip in search of his love.

A Constellation Of Sunlight, Beneath The Cherry Tree

It was well into the night when they lay together, but it was not until the morning that they made love.

Rugbrød, Fløtemysost, og Molter

There were some things the Grandmaster needed to know about Loki, and it seemed, from the shift she felt in her bones as she awoke, that this was the morning to address them.

No Less Than Three Kinds of Cheese

The sun was out and the park was beautiful, but it was still too cold for a picnic.

Sugaring

Every morning, Steve sets out from the little cabin to tend to their maple trees. 

Solskinnsboller

The fact that no bakery in the entire staggering metropolis he currently called home had ever so much as heard of solskinnsboller was tragic, but Loki was nothing if not resourceful. He would just have to make them himself.

Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs

"What was my grandma's name?" asked Bucky, apropos of nothing.

Syzygy

It was cloudy enough that most people chose to forego the beach that Tuesday, but such things would not deter the Grandmaster and Loki from a day out.

American Globs

Objectively, he knew everything was fine. He knew they were fireworks, and that they were beautiful, and back in the day, he and Steve used to sit under the stars together and watch them light up the sky with wonder and delight.

But time had passed since then.

It’s Like Right Now

Nat and Sam visit a street food market.

Me And My Baby Gonna Touch That Leather

"I think we should fuck," said Bucky, as Steve began climbing back under the duvet.

Say The Magic Word

"Hey, if you're going past the kitchen, do you think you could get me another coffee?"

Two Brooklynites and One Big Apple

“You did good out there today,” Captain America said, brushing a layer of detritus from his unfathomably broad shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”

“Not if I see you first,” replied Miles, fingergunning with one hand as he sent a web rope fwipping off into the distance with the other, catapulting himself away at tremendous speed.

… in which two superheroes battle with bad guys, embark on community art lessons, and a friendship forms along the way.

The Nemophilists

“Conspicuous,” said Steve, apropos of nothing. Bucky was putting away the last of the clean dishes.

“Conspicuous?” asked Bucky, nesting the heatproof glass bowl precariously in a short stack of significantly smaller cereal bowls.

“Yeah,” said Steve, scooping last of the leftovers into a container that, it turned out, was a tablespoon too small. “I’m.”

Nemophilist: (n.) One who is fond of the forest.

The Shape Of A Snake In A Defensive Coil

In which Loki's not very well, and the Grandmaster volunteers a solution.

Long Hair Problems, And How To Outsmart Them

“So I guess we’re not getting up early to line up for brunch?”

The End Of A Century

This is the story of a sister and her brother.

As the shadow of the war fades and gives way to new conflicts, Becca Barnes battles the constraints of the twentieth century: an education, a marriage, a career, with the ghosts of her youth never far from her memory. As the twenty-first century barrels on through its awkward teenage phase, Bucky Barnes builds a new life, with new friends, and a burgeoning relationship with his lifelong companion Steve, the erstwhile Captain America, as they struggle to find their place in the world. The last time Becca saw her brother was on the eve of war; neither of them expected, some seventy-something years, a hip replacement, and one new arm later, to be reunited.

This is a story about family.

And Our Dreams Are Making Us Nice Stories

Steve had been adamant that a party was unnecessary; however, his friends had insisted, bundling into his little Brooklyn apartment with pizzas and a selection of local microbrews and seven-layer taco dip and two dozen supermarket cupcakes emblazoned with the most neon buttercream he had ever seen piped into the stripes of little American flags.

A Ghost That The Others Can’t See

"What'd you tell her about me?"

"Only the good stuff."

From the Mighty Forest of Vacherin to the Belegen Fields

When it came to special events, the Grandmaster did not do understated.

The Littlest Balsam In Brooklyn

In which Bucky and Steve get a tree.

When Life Gives You Limoncello

In which Bucky has baked a pie. 

Blessings

At last, the shape of life after everything had begun to come into focus. Bucky and Steve consider the next steps, and some friends come to visit.

Kinugoshi

When the Grandmaster had suggested somewhere special for lunch, Loki was not expecting a small, four-table restaurant in an unremarkable suburb of Kyoto, but there they were.

Stargazing

"You know what? Let's get out of the city," Steve suggested after dinner.

(In which Steve has a very quiet birthday.)

The Mighty Hrothgar

"Uhh, I dunno about this place, stardust," the Grandmaster said to Loki, his tone hushed. "I've introduced myself to, like, five dogs, and none of them have said a word. Why don't they like me?"

The Fundamentals of Sciurine Linguistics

Sam Wilson was sure about three things: the words Captain America were enough to nab a table for two at the most popular noodle bar in the East Village on short notice, everyone loved a good noodle bar, and ramen was up there with corn on the cob and chicken wings as the worst possible food choice for a first date.

Eight Evenings In The Kitchen

The Barnes-Rogers Hanukkristmas season was always going to be one spent almost exclusively in the kitchen.

Light Showers And A Gentle Breeze

They had been under no illusions that there would be a guarantee of snow, but nothing could have quite prepared them for the abundant, relentless sprinkle of rain.

In which Bucky and Steve go somewhere quiet for Christmas.

Nine And Three-Quarters

"I don't get it, stardust," puzzled the Grandmaster. "It was supposed to be right here. Between Platforms 9 and 10."

Strollin’

"Hot dogs?" asked Steve.

"Hot dogs," agreed Bucky.

The Greatest Thing

In which the Grandmaster plays an early afternoon slot at his very first Midgardian jazz festival.

On A Quiet Morning In The Last Forest In Brooklyn

“We said we wanted to keep the guest list short,” protested Steve. “Just close family, and close friends. Nothing expensive, nothing... tacky.”

“As if you’re one to complain about tacky,” countered Tony. “I got my invitation by group text. Who does that?”

...in which Bucky and Steve get married.

The Witches Of Føroyar

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, nestled in a little cottage just beyond the rocky shores of a tiny, windswept island, lived two very special people indeed. The green witch drew his power from the moon and the stars and the deep, dark night sky; while the gold witch shone with the power of the sun, dazzling and bright. They loved the island and the mountains and the stormy sea, but most of all, they loved each other very much.

#stucky #frostmaster #clintkate #ironstrange #samnat #samsquirrel #thorbruce #hawkpool #cartinelli #writings #masterpost

[namixart]

To start off 2019 with some positivity, I'm going to make a list of things that I absolutely love and make me happy in my favourite shows, movies, books, games etc. Small things, big things, no particular rhyme or reason. It was surprisingly therapeutic. Feel free to reblog and add your own!

Link being left-handed now let him use sign language Nintendo please

The entire Sector 6 Market section in Final Fantasy VII and the Honeybee Inn in particular

Zuko's character arc

The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack

Final Fantasy X's worldbuilding

Everything about Disney's Mary Poppins it put me in a good mood for three days straight

How Percy absolutely adores his mum and is supportive of her relationship with Paul (after a while)

Edward Elric

(Yes. Just Edward Elric as a character, person, concept, actions...)

Major character design kink: boys with long (ish) blonde hair (see Edward, Link, Zidane, Howl)

Final Fantasy IX's soundtrack

Aerith and Tifa being close friends despite both being in love with Cloud

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence's worldbuilding

The fact that one of the characters in Zootopia speaks with my city's accent in the Italian dub (you never see it in any movie)

Final Fantasy IV's world being just vague enough that it tickles my creative bone to expand on it

Kingdom Hearts I using original storylines for the Disney Worlds

How Yato's eyes are very a very clear indication that he's a supernatural being in Noragami, being unnaturally light and bright

That one panel in the Kingdom Hearts II manga where an almost-naked Pete carries Maleficent bridal style out of the collapsing tower

Sleeping Beauty's art style and instrumental soundtrack

The fact that two super popular shonen manga/anime have leads who are super smart instead of being dumb muscle or the stock happy-go-lucky-not-very-bright protagonist (Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia)

How some of the Olympians like Hermes and Poseidon are so casual when interacting with mortals

The scene where the Spaceport is revealed in Treasure Planet and the look of the film in general

The first few chapters of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga before card games took over the plot

People in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence being emotionally honest despite being literal con artists

The theatre motif in The Republic of Thieves

Cloud, Aerith and Tifa threatening Don Corneo, but especially Aerith saying that "she'll rip it off" if he doesn't cooperate

Locke and Jean becoming pirates in Red Seas Under Red Skies

The Hunger Games movies being the most accurate film adaptations I have seen in my life

The Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, especially the vocal tracks, Dearly Beloved and The Other Promise

Final Fantasy VI shoving you in what usually is the backstory of a videogame and literally destroying the world

Edward defending Mustang when he had his sight taken from him despite them having spent 90% of their screentime together bickering

Tony Stark and Peter Parker's relationship in the MCU

Sophie throwing a tantrum after she realises she's in love with Howl and creating deadly weedkiller to express those feelings

Darcy being a goddamn social Disaster in every incarnation of Pride and Prejudice

The relationship between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye

The Once Upon a December sequence from Anastasia

The mere existence of Zamira Drakasha and Ezri Delmastro and everything they represent

Sokka's role as both the strategist and the goofball in the Gaang

Peter Parker sharing a hot dog with Loki when he could have asked for anything because Loki owed him a favour

How the plot of Kingdom Hearts is so ridiculous we don't even question it anymore

Enormous muscly men I can still categorise as "super adorable and sweet" (Major Armstrong, All Might)

Howl being the biggest drama queen in the book

My Hero Academia's fantasy AU ending

Spider-Man (PS4) nailing the Friendly Neighbourhood Spidey aspect of the character and letting him interact with civilians

That moment when I was sure Bakugou was going to join the League of Villains but then he didn't and I've never been happier about being wrong my entire life

Zuko practising before asking the Gaang to join them

SNAP SNAP SPARK SPARK

Harry's wonder at every new thing in the Wizarding World

The fact that Spider-Man's backstory could just as easily be that of a villain but instead he's a hero and he has the biggest heart

Jake and Amy being in an Adult and Communicative relationship while still being themselves and each other's best friend

Winry being just as much of a prodigy as Ed and Al and building Ed's automail at 11 years old

Percy Jackson starting out as a standard straight white kids' series and Riordan adding ALL THE DIVERSITY as soon as it got popular enough that Disney couldn't say no

Charlie Weasley just outright trespassing into Hogwarts to smuggle an illegal dragon out

The soul and essence of Pride and Prejudice being passive-aggressiveness and sarcasm

Apollo's haikus in Trials of Apollo

Every scene using Deep Canvas in Tarzan

Winry and Edward's diametrically opposed reactions to the realisation they're in love ("Oh I guess I've fallen for him alright moving on" vs "Fuckfuckfuckfuck oh shit no why oh god aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh")

Lilo & Stitch's watercolour backgrounds

The fact that Roy Mustang's womanising persona is a facade to hide the fact that he's a) a huge nerd, b) going to overthrow the government and c) in love with his lieutenant

The "makings of greatness" speech in Treasure Planet

Spider-Man (PS4)'s swelling score as you start web swinging

The Battle of 1000 Heartless in Kingdom Hearts II

Sophie proudly describing Howl to Abdullah, him assuming she was listing flaws and her getting angry about it

Edward and Alphonse being atheists despite having literally met their version of God

The fact that Amajiki is one of the top three hero students despite his crippling anxiety

Rubicante recognising Edge as a warrior and apologising for Lugae's horribleness

Edge unlocking new powers out of sheer rage

Sora throwing a tea party at the end of Dream Drop Distance while his best friend was still asleep

The backstory in Skyward Sword about Hylia and the first Link

The "immoral manga" omake in Fullmetal Alchemist

The School Festival arc in My Hero Academia, Eri finally smiling and Deku and Mirio being the best big brothers I've ever seen

Kingdom Hearts III finally coming out this month

McGonagall's cat form resembling her human form

Edward finally breaking down at the end of Fullmetal Alchemist god I love this boy so much he has such a big heart

The Enlarged Suit Scene from Howl's Moving Castle

Most of Howl’s Moving Castle is a delight to be honest

Kairi's reaction at the news that she would be training with Axel in A Fragmentary Passage

The bonfire scene in Cosmo Canyon from Final Fantasy VII

Uraraka deciding not to focus on her crush on Deku in order to grow as a hero

Rydia summoning Titan and raising a mountain at the ripe age of seven in Final Fantasy IV

The friendship between Percy, Annabeth and Grover

Kairi and Lea looking like they're going to be a team in Kingdom Hearts III

Greed (at least the second one) claiming that his goal in life is to have everything when in fact he only ever really wanted friends

The Main Theme of Final Fantasy playing during the scene where the characters not in the final battle pray for the party in Final Fantasy IV

The Overture from Phantom of the Opera

Locke Lamora from the Gentleman Bastard Sequence being named after Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI

Luna Lovegood never having to change who she is and remaining weird and happy

Terra Branford becoming more human by feeling not romantic love but maternal love for a bunch of orphaned children

The "You're not alone" scene from Final Fantasy IX

Darcy respecting Elizabeth's refusal of his first proposal and working to become a better person after she points out his many flaws

Neku learning to open up to people in The World Ends With You and literally saving Shibuya through character development

Bakugou's slow development into a better person

The sketchy animation during Disney's Dark Age

The official character artwork for Skyward Sword

Harry and Sirius's relationship

Spider-Man being a street-level hero and being super humble even though he can literally lift Thor's hammer

That little high-five between Sora and Remy in the 30 seconds trailer for Kingdom Hearts III

Rosa and Rydia immediately ignoring the boys' order to not come to the Moon and stowing away on the Lunar Whale

Plus Edge's adorable "Y-you're here too!?" in the DS remake

Cloud not being allergic to smiling and joking around in the original Final Fantasy VII ("Let's mosey!")

Thor and Loki starting to mend their relationship in Ragnarok

Into The Spider Verse has a scene where Miles uses Spider-Man comic books to figure out how to use his powers and it's the best and I love it

You know what, Into The Spider Verse as a whole because I saw it a while back and I'm still gushing

#i feel so good about the world #long post

[random-french-girl]

2018 Year in Review

Rules: answer the questions about 2018 and tag some people!

Tagged by: @sebrone thanks friend <3

Top 5 films you watched in 2018:

rip I barely watched any movies......

Black Panther was def the best movie I saw though, no question

The Miseducation of Cameron Post made me extremely emotional and like. God. It’s very important to me for Reasons.

Colette was a lot of fun??

Crazy Rich Asians was cute???

does it count if I rewatched The Sound of Music for the millionth time...

Top 5 TV shows in 2018:

Killing Eve. What a goddamn DELIGHT.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! I fell in love with this show guys. They did the whole child soldiers/abuse survivors thing so well, and still managed to be a fun silly show with lots of humor and heart. <3

Legends of Tomorrow, because it’s the most ridiculous mess and I greatly enjoy it.

RWBY!!! I binge watched the whole thing this summer and did not expect volume three to kick me in the FACE and actually make me care about the story... AND YET HERE WE ARE. After that...it was over for me. I love the four main girls with all my heart and also I am so completely INVESTED in blake and yang’s relationship... pray for my soul etc

The Good Place has been consistently great.

ALSO KILLJOYS! My fave scifi show with the most wonderful heroine and a side of found family feels!!

Top 5 songs of 2018:

??? I don’t...listen to music that much...

I did listen obsessively to Dirty Computer all summer. Thank you Janelle Monae for the best album ever.

Also All That Matters and BMBLB on the RWBY soundtrack ngl!! I have a lot of feelings about these songs and my girls blake and yang!!!

ok I’m just gonna add “Your Turn to Roll” from Critical Role because they deserve it

I ALMOST FORGOT NOBODY BY MITSKI who am i. I had that song on repeat for a full month.

and let’s just say France Gall because <3 forever

Top 5 Books You Read in 2018:

Hawkeye/Young Avengers, basically I just read a bunch of comics about my favorite girls Kate Bishop and America Chavez and it was such a good time and i love these two very very much.

The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang. I read it this fall and damn. What a great, brutal, amazing book. A+, def recommend.

The Tiger’s Daughter, by K. Arsenault Rivera. It’s weird because as I was reading this book I didn’t always feel very attached to the characters or the story but as soon as I finished it, I missed all of it terribly.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin aka my actual fucking favorite writer.

??? i think I read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo in december 2017 but i wanna put them on my list anyway because I have so much love for these books.

Binti, the Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor! The whole Binti trilogy is delightful and just.... kinda magic tbh.

Top 5 Podcasts/New Media Series you listened to/watched in 2018:

Critical Role obviously <3 <3 <3 ive been obsessed by both campaigns for the entirety of 2018. O even went to the live show!!!

The Strange Case of Starship Iris. Absolutely love this wacky scifi story with all the found family feels and f/f romance and mystery and political tensions.

Alice Isn’t Dead. SO SAD TO SEE YOU GO. MISS YOU ALREADY.

Can i talk about video games here?? because The Last of Us was like. a revelation and im still reeling from it and also i cant fucking wait for TLOU II i love ellie so much guys.

Speaking of video games, Horizon Zero Dawn is pretty great too

Five Good/Positive things that happened to you in 2018:

Moving to NYC has been an Experience! I’ve been able to do/watch so many cool stuff. 

I got to visit Hawaii and I think it might be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to

I got to see so many friends and family who live far away from me, and I feel very lucky <3

TECHNICALLY did not happen in 2018 per se, but the fact that I’m married to a woman? Iconic.

I’ve been working on some personal projects of mine and it’s made me very happy to see the progress ive made in some respects. 

That’s it folks! Tagging @sshepardcommander @imaginejolls @cannot-escape-cpge@alexdumas-ghost and @dearsheroozle if you guys feel like it!

#tumblr diary #ask games #random meta

[minaminokyoko]

Favourite avengers movies scenes?

How on earth do you expect me to ever narrow down enough to not list the entire trilogy in general? Holy hell. I am a big fat Marvel fangirl and I could write a fucking dissertation on scenes complete with charts and graphs. For the sake of argument, let me see if I can at the very least just highlight the tippy top favorite moments from the first three Avengers films. Keep in mind, I fucking love all three of them to death and could rave about them for days at a time.

The Avengers

-Loki’s confrontation with Nick Fury. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the film so fucking well, man. It’s just brilliantly done to see that whatever humanity that we saw in Loki in Thor has pretty much flown out the window and he’s here to wreak havoc and start a war, and he doesn’t care how many people he destroys in the process. I also like that it shows the vast gap in power and experience between the SHIELD agents and an Asgardian. Loki all but flattens everyone in a matter of seconds. Seeing him among other Asgardians can kind of make you forget he’s literally a thousand year old god and is tough as nails. He’s also low down and ruthless and that’s the kind of thing that is scary as hell when you realize that’s what they’re all up against.

-Nat’s “interrogation” with the Russians. I actually love every single Avenger’s introduction scene, but this one is so delightful in that Nat shows us just why she is an Avenger even though she has no enhanced abilities: deception, manipulation, and just being an incredibly agile combat expert. I am most delighted with her scene because before Avengers, I had no regard for Nat at all and thought she was just fanservice, but here, she completely proved her worth as a character and to the team, and I got on board as a fan of her just from her opening scene wiping the floor with these idiot Russian dudes.

-Tony and Bruce getting to know each other in the lab. From a character standpoint, this is an outstanding scene. Tony is trying to draw Bruce out of his shell, and the sympathy and empathy he has for him is so palpable that it’s why we all dubbed them the Science Bros and why it’s one of the best friendships in the Avengers. Tony is so awesome for joking with Bruce and treating him like a normal person and reminding him that there is at least one person aboard that helicarrier who doesn’t see him as some terrifying monster and knows just from reading up on him that he’s not a bad person. It’s so charming and wonderful.

-Stuttgart. Man. Man, oh man, this is a well done scene. The build up to Loki’s horrifying actions is so great and so is this freaking diva’s grandstanding once he demands the poor, confused Germans kneel before him. It’s fascinating to me because Loki has an almost childlike need for attention, as if his frustrations with his failure to take over Asgard as king has manifested itself into this very basic need to be acknowledged as being a powerful threat. Loki could kill an average human being with a flick of his wrist. His comparison of “an ant has no quarrel with a boot” while cruel is accurate, but here’s the thing, Loki: if you fuck with enough fucking ants, you can get your ass into a lot of trouble, and we’re fireants, not sugar ants, buddy. And ants who band together get shit done. The old man who stood up to him, in my book, is a fucking hero all on his own and I think it’s one of the most well crafted pieces of dialogue in the entire MCU. “There are no men like me.” “There are always men like you.” Oh, standing ovation for that piece of dialogue. Give it an Oscar. Then Cap swinging in to kick ass and Tony swooping in beside him with an equally over the top entrance to Loki’s was the icing on the fucking cake.

-Thor retrieving Loki. Hnnnnnnngh, okay, so here’s the thing: I fucking love Thor and Loki’s relationship even before Ragnarok came out and upgraded it. Thor is and always has been since his first movie a man with very deep emotions who loves and loves deeply with all his heart, and his confrontation with Loki just wounds me so much. How Thor throws Loki to the ground and yet yanks him to his feet and just holds him there, his hand on his face, looking so torn between agony and relief that his brother is alive. “I thought you dead.” “Did you mourn?” Fuck me, this scene is absolutely brutal to my feels. Thor and Loki’s debate was nothing short of excellent as Thor tries to bring Loki around, and the thing is, he means it. He means every fucking word, that he would take the Tesseract and bring his brother home, and he doesn’t care about facing the music, he just wants his goddamn brother back even after all Loki has done so far in the story. Y’all better stop sleeping on Thor, man. His heart is by far the best thing about him, forget all the delicious muscles and that perfect teddy bear smile. Thor has miles and miles of heart, and that’s why I love this scene so much. 

-Nat tricking Loki into revealing his plan. This scene is so good I based an entire goddamn fanfic around its premise. Dude. Nat fucking Romanov, y’all. I love how this scene is staged and executed. I love Loki starting out almost gentle and conversational, as if for once he’s going to just be an actual person and not a monster, and then he slips back into that nasty egotistical megalomaniac when he thinks he has one over on Nat. And then Nat fucking schools him. It’s why I have a personal headcanon that he developed a hatecrush on her after she, a mere mortal, tricked the goddamn God of Mischief. It solidified Nat as one of my favorite female heroes forever. I loved seeing her use that feminine “weakness” to let him run his mouth. I also love that his cruel words did in fact affect her and motivated her even more to both save Clint and to go to war with Loki at the end.

-The whole ass helicarrier attack sequence. I mean, I don’t even need to go into detail. You already know. 

-Tony confronting Loki. This is the scene that assured us that what followed would be one of the greatest fight sequences in cinematic history. I pretty much have most of Tony’s dialogue memorized because it had such an effective impact on me from a storytelling standpoint. Tony standing up to Loki as a mortal man with no suit, candidly threatening him with barely suppressed rage that Loki murdered Coulson, a comrade, in cold blood, is downright amazing.

-The battle of New York. Boom. Again, no words necessary. Perfect fucking sequence from start to finish.

-Thor trying one last damn time to bring Loki around. Oh, my heart. My poor fucking heart. Thor really loves his brother and he would do anything to have him back. Is it naive? Yes. But it’s also a beautiful statement of what family truly means to Thor and it breaks my heart. The fact that a tear slides down Loki’s face when he stabs Thor and mutters, “Sentiment” is so not cool. As much as Loki pretends to be the Big Bad Wolf, there is something still young and human inside of him even though he pretends it isn’t there. All my creys.

-Hulk trouncing Loki. I went and saw The Avengers three times in theaters, and two out of the three times, everyone cheered so loud I didn’t hear the Hulk say “puny god” over all the noise. It was that satisfying a scene.

Age of Ultron

-The entire beginning sequence. Fucking loved it. What masterful ass-kicking and showcasing of the team dynamic. It made me want a longer lead in to how they all got reunited because it was so enjoyable. “Language!” Oh, Cap.

-Jarvis and Ultron’s first scene together. Dude. James fuckin’ Spader, man. I never knew I could be so intimidated by a man’s voice. It was so unsettling for so many reasons, the resentment, irrationality, and anger from his unusual birth and creation. It was all the more frightening when he turned on Jarvis, and at the time, we didn’t know he hadn’t killed our beloved butler. 

-Picking up Mjolnir. This scene needs no elaboration. It’s just perfection. Even people who complain about Age of Ultron admit this scene is just flawless.

-The team confronting Tony over creating Ultron. Cap’s line, which we now know goes even further after the events of Infinity War, just make me want to die. “We’ll lose.” “Then we’ll do that together, too.” Tony’s face, realizing that Cap doesn’t care that he fucked up–he cares that Tony couldn’t trust the team enough to let them in on what he was dealing with–is soul-crushing. Tony realizes he was wrong to assume instead of being honest with them. 

-The confrontation in Wakanda. Everything about it was badass and it hits you right where you live seeing the Avengers having to face their biggest regrets and most painful moments of their pasts. Especially Steve’s. The image of him and Peggy finally getting their dance was so not okay. Special props to Tony in the Hulkbuster armor. That was one hell of a fucking brawl.

-The Sokovia final battle. There are just so many awesome points in the final battle sequence, man. Everyone is out there just kicking ass and doing what they do best. Special props to Hawkeye getting through to Wanda, and Hawkeye’s “nobody would know…nobody” moment with Pietro. 

Infinity War

Disclaimer: I have no idea how to isolate moments in a movie that is by far one of the most well written comic book movies since The Dark Knight, but I guess since you asked, I have to try anyway. Hoo boy. Strap in. 

-Loki’s death. Let me explain something to you: I went entire years without caring about Loki, and then around the time The Dark World came out, I slowly became converted to both a Tom Hiddleston and a Loki fan, and then after Ragnarok, he finally just seduced me completely to being smitten with his stupid trashy self. It is important that you realize that I recognize that Loki is a selfish, inferiority complex-having, murdering bastard and I do not excuse a goddamn thing he does because of his fucking Daddy issues. That being said, in spite of how much of a flaming trashbag he is, I love him anyway, and I tried for months to tell myself that I knew as a fellow writer that Loki was going to die in Infinity War. It was assured not only from the trailer, but from me knowing that his character arc was always going to end with his death. What hurt most of all is that, as I predicted, Loki died trying to save Thor. I cried my eyes out. Hell, once Thanos closed his hand around Loki’s neck, I covered my eyes because I just didn’t have it in me to see it end this way for him and for Thor. Thor being helpless to stop it is truly what made it worse. There is nothing on heaven or earth Thor wouldn’t do for Loki, even knowing how wicked Loki is. And the fact that Loki couldn’t let Thanos kill Thor after all these two have been through was like an icepick through my heart. Loki wouldn’t have died protecting Thor if Thor had not loved him unconditionally this entire time we’ve watched their story. Thor’s love did have an effect on Loki throughout these films, and that’s why I literally burst into sobs and couldn’t bear to see him die that way. It is one of the most gut wrenching things ever put to film, and certainly in the MCU. I’ve only had the stomach to watch that scene twice because it hurts me so much, and neither time was I strong enough to actually watch Loki’s final moments. Goddamn, it’s just so painful. Capped off with Thor slowly crawling over to his brother to be with him one last time before the ship explodes and just laying his head on his chest in the kind of grief that honestly should get Hemsworth a fucking Oscar. Bravo. 

-Cap, Widow, and Falcon reuniting with Vision and Wanda. Holy shit, yes. This fight was gorgeous, gripping, and fucking awesome. Special props to Cap and Widow being the ride or die Avengers Mom and Dad team. We can infer from their actions that the two of them have been together since the end of Civil War possibly, so you can not tell me Cap and Widow are not a thing on some level. Captasha all day, err day. They perfectly compliment each other and I headcanon that they’re together and no one will convince me otherwise.

-”We’ll fight you too.”/”We don’t trade lives.” That sound you hear is me screeching. Some people have said Cap wasn’t given a ton to do this time around, and I emphatically protest it simply because, yes, he has less screentime, but man, he does so much work in this role that reminds us of why we all love Captain America. His values mean so much. Cap will lay down his life in the blink of an eye for someone who needs it. He cares so deeply. He is the pinnacle of selflessness and it’s so important to see in this film.

-Thor meeting the Guardians. Perfection. Just…perfection.

-Irondad and Spiderson aboard the Space Donut. Jesus fucking Christ, I am so on board for Irondad and Spiderson that it’s insane. I love that entire fucking interaction from start to finish. I love Tony’s strict, fatherly anger and exasperation because he just wants his baby boy to be safe on earth while he’s on another suicide mission, but the baby boy wants to help his dad out and baby boy also doesn’t quite realize the consequences because he’s too young. Extra points for Tony’s death-glare after Parker says, “It’s kind of your fault I’m here” and the fact that even the fucking cloak did a double take at Parker when he said it. Oh, it’s so perfect.

-Gamora making Peter promise to kill her if Thanos gets to her. I just…I want to die. This was so beautifully done, and so in character for both of them, and Peter and Gamora are just so soft and sweet and in love that it’s so overwhelming. At the very least, I take a small comfort in knowing that they were a happy family for four years before this shit happened to them.

-Gamora “killing” Thanos. Again, can we just award Oscars to like half the fucking cast in this movie? Jesus Christ, I cried at this scene too because the fact that she’s just completely unraveled as she finally thinks she’s killed her goddamn abuser is so deeply tragic. Gamora is my favorite Guardian. Hands down. She is so three dimensional. She tries so hard and she is so much more than the deadliest woman in the galaxy. She is so complex and it is the worst pain ever to know that Peter actually kept his promise and tried to kill her to prevent her from being in the hands of her abuser again and Thanos foiled their plan, and had the fucking nerve to say, “I like him” before he took her again. 

-”It’ll kill you.” “Only if I die.” “…yes, that’s what killing you means.” 

-The battle of Wakanda. Motherfucker. This is some A+++ motherfucking good shit hurr. What always gets me hype as hell is Cap and T’Challa sprinting down the goddamn hill at 80 mph and I just can’t even handle that shit because it was so good and satisfying. Everything about this battle was incredible.

-The battle on Titan. Same thing. It’s so creative and well crafted and amazing. You feel every blow. You flinch. You want them to beat that son of a bitch but he’s just so fucking strong. It is an incredibly engaging fight, man. Hoo boy. 

-Thor’s entrance to the battle of Wakanda. I distinctly remember the entire audience going absolutely apeshit during this scene the night Infinity War premiered. Like the first Avengers, I saw it three times in theaters, and two out of the three times, the crowd went fucking wild. That was so fucking satisfying, man, as are the neat little scenes of levity with Cap introducing himself to Groot and Cap and Thor remarking on each other’s changes in appearance. It was so pure and good and perfect.      

-Cap squaring up with Thanos. I. Can’t. Breathe. It was so powerful. Like the above scene of “we don’t trade lives,” this is why we love Captain America. Why we love Steve Rogers. This man, this mortal human man, took one goddamn fucking look at that twelve foot all powerful alien giant and said, “Not today, bitch.” Steve fucking Rogers stood there and took it. He put his life on the goddamn line for Wanda, and for Vision, and for the rest of the universe, and he actually held that goddamn line for a moment. The incredulous look on Thanos’ face is what seals it. He is utterly confused that this little man is actually holding him back, that this mere mortal doesn’t give a fuck that he can’t overpower him, but he is giving it his all because that is who he is. Steve will not quit. Steve will not falter. Steve will die doing what’s right and that is one of the most moving things in the whole MCU, imo. He just planted his feet and said, “No, you move.” I know we saw that scene in the trailer, but it was so unbelievable to see it in context that Cap gave it everything he had trying to protect Wanda and the rest of the universe, and I still get choked up just thinking about that shit. 

Welp, you asked for it and now you have it. I told you I was gonna rave, man. God bless anyone who actually read this nonsense. Marvel had me at hello with these characters and they have way too much sway over my emotions, as you can see above. Ten years, man. Ten years. 

#The Avengers #Avengers #Avengers Age of Ultron #Infinity War

[ramajmedia]

Marvel: 5 MCU Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 5 They Rejected)

In over 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered some of the best content that superhero media has to offer. Their incredible characters, expert world-building, and ability to adapt the source material have made the MCU one of the biggest franchises in modern times. Part of what makes the films so successful is seeing the characters interact with other characters from other films. The result has introduced audiences to some very intriguing relationships. Furthermore, while not all of these relationships have been romantic, there have still been some strong romances within the world of the MCU. However, while some pairings seem perfect, others have easily missed the mark. To look at some of the best and the worst, here is our list of 5 MCU relationships that fans were behind, and 5 that they rejected.

RELATED: 10 Supporting MCU Characters That Could Return In A Big Way

10 Rejected: Peter and Liz

Introducing Liz Allen as a love interest for Peter Parker certainly helped distinguish it from previous Spider-Man films. However, most fans already knew that their relationship would never last. Though Peter is romantically involved with Liz for a time in the comics, his two greatest loves will always be Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson. As a result, Liz’s portrayal in Spider-Man: Homecoming almost made her seem unimportant. Throughout the film, she very much feels like a background character. Though the twist in her relationship with Vulture definitely helped her character feel more important to the story, it was pretty clear almost immediately that she and Peter wouldn’t last long. Because of this, fans seemed to brush her aside in anticipation of a much more important love interest for Peter.

9 Behind: Steve and Peggy

The romantic relationship between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter is easily one of the more tragic love stories in the MCU. Considering the chemistry between the two of them during WWII, it was heartbreaking to know that they never got their dance together. With Captain America being such a fan favorite character, fans alike often just wanted him to be happy. Therefore, it was all the more heartbreaking to know that he couldn’t be as happy as he wanted to. Thankfully, Avengers: Endgame (2019) altered the timeline and ensured that Steve Rogers actually did get the happy ending that he always wanted. Though Steve dabbled in romance in modern times, things just felt right between him and Peggy, making it all the more satisfying to know that the two ended up together in the end.

RELATED: The Avengers: 10 Best Candidates to Replace Captain America as Leader

8 Rejected: Tony and Aunt May

For a very brief time, it is suggested that Tony Stark may actually make romantic advances towards Aunt May. At the start of Captain America: Civil War, Tony’s relationship with Pepper is a bit unclear, and certainly complicated. Furthermore, his comments towards Aunt May could lead one to believe that Tony would certainly make a move. However, considering how Tony quickly became a father figure to Peter, seeing him romantically involved with Aunt May would definitely seem like a step too far. While everyone wanted to see the two be happy, it is nice to see that both of them ended up with much more suitable partners.

7 Behind: Tony and Pepper

As the first romance of the MCU, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts made for an interesting pair. Originally his employee, Pepper would eventually work her way into Tony’s heart. Though their relationship would always be a bit rocky, the two eventually persevered, even going on to have a child together. Despite the troubles in their relationship, Pepper is truly the only person who could handle Tony’s personality for that long. Furthermore, Tony himself would be a disjointed mess without Pepper there to guide him, making the two an ideal pair. From the very beginning, all the way to the very end, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts have been a relationship that fans happily support.

RELATED: MCU: 10 Ways Pepper Potts Could Return In The Future

6 Rejected: Hawkeye and Black Widow

Initially, many fans were actually hoping to see a romance develop between Hawkeye and Black Widow. Throughout the MCU, it is even continually implied that the two were (at least at one point) more than just friends. However, after fans learn about Hawkeye’s family, most of them immediately dropped the thought. Jeremy Reynor’s Hawkeye worked so well as a family man within the MCU, arguably making him a more compelling character than his comic book counterpart. Furthermore, the loss of Hawkeye’s family at the start of Avengers: Endgame sets him on one of the most interesting character arcs he has ever had. Had he had a romance with Black Widow, Hawkeye would lose a lot of what made him a great character, making it easy to see why some fans rejected the two of them together.

RELATED: Avengers Endgame: 10 Characters The MCU Changed In A Big Way

5 Behind: Peter and MJ

At the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, many hardcore comic fans were a bit worried about how Zendaya would portray MJ in future Spider-Man films. The actress is certainly a significant departure from MJ’s traditional comic book appearance, and even makes some changes to the character’s personality. However, after Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zendaya certainly won over a lot of fans who doubted her. While she may be different from her comic book counterpart, there’s no denying that she has some incredible chemistry with her co-star, Tom Holland. The on-screen relationship between the two just feels incredibly natural and helps make Spider-Man’s place in the MCU feel all the more impactful. Hopefully, the two will get to continue to explore their relationship within the confines of the MCU.

4 Rejected: Hulk and Black Widow

Though Joss Whedon certainly did a lot to help make the MCU one of the biggest franchises today, the relationship between Hulk and Black Widow wasn’t one of those things. Especially in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it is very evident that there is a strained attraction between Black Widow and Bruce Banner. Of course, the two would likely feel cautious in exploring their feelings for one another considering their drastically different histories and abilities. However, the romance between them is arguably the most forced relationship in the MCU. In the end, the whole thing just felt unnecessary. Likewise, the fan response was mostly negative, making it a good thing that the relationship between the two didn’t develop much further.

3 Behind: Happy and Aunt May:

 One of the bigger surprises in Spider-Man: Far From Home was in learning that Happy Hogan, a character who has constantly appeared in the MCU, was starting a romance with none other than May Parker. As one of the newer romances (and with Spider-Man’s MCU fate unclear at the moment), very little has actually evolved between the two characters. However, it doesn’t change the fact that the pairing just fits so well. With a younger, more light-hearted take on Aunt May, it is totally believable that she would find herself with someone like Happy. Even though this relationship doesn’t exist in the comics, Kevin Feige and other Spider-Man creatives have definitely made the pairing work.

RELATED: 10 Storylines That Won't Be Resolved If Spider-Man Is Out Of The MCU

2 Rejected: Steve and Sharon

Though the relationship between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter is the definitive Captain America romance in the comics, the two just didn’t fit quite as well on the big screen. Unfortunately, the chemistry between Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell was just much stronger, leaving Sharon’s character as a bit of an awkward match. Sharon was also not utilized as much as she could have been in the MCU, making her romance with Steve feel a bit more forced than other relationships in the MCU. While audiences can appreciate the inclusion of Sharon in the MCU, she certainly didn’t match with Captain America as well as her aunt did.

1 Behind: Scarlet Witch and Vision

Considering the relationship that the two have in the comics, fans were delighted to see Scarlet Witch and Vision together on the big screen. Unfortunately, very little of their relationship has actually been seen, due to the character’s background presence in films like Captain America: Civil War, and the important events from films like Avengers: Infinity War. Thankfully though, the two will have an opportunity to explore their relationship once again in the upcoming WandaVision TV show on Disney+. This time, audiences will get to see a lot more of the romance unfold between the two, and hopefully make them a much bigger presence within the MCU as a whole.

NEXT: MCU: 7 Times Pepper & Tony Were The Best Couple (& 3 Times They Should’ve Broken Up)

source https://screenrant.com/mcu-relationships-fans-were-behind-rejected/

#screenrant

[maisstories]

Tagged by @fanfiction-by-abalisk

Rules: List the first lines of your last 15 stories (or chapters). See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

(I’ve added the beginning of three as of yet unpublished things, two for OP and the other for FMA :D)

1.     Marco was flying towards one of the closed windows of Albus’ office when he froze mid-flight. There was someone else inside the office with Albus, and it wasn’t a professor, one of the headmasters from the other schools or even a tournament judge. (Recreated Fire, chapter 42)

2.     Sometimes Thatch liked to bring Ace’s new stroller into the kitchen at odd hours, when the place was calm and Thatch could focus on an experiment or whatever he felt like cooking, and tell him about random things. (Born to be a Pirate, chapter 4)

3.     Roy received his berating with stoic serenity. Molly Weasley had the kind of terrifying air that came with being the mother of seven children, some of which were truly unruly, and this air served her well in dealing with anyone she believed had stepped out of line. Roy, however, was used to having Riza Hawkeye looking over his shoulder, with her disapproving glares, words and gun ready for whenever he did something she didn’t like —which was often enough. Molly’s scolding over the reckless move that had been Roy’s fake date with Tonks tonight —and she was all the more horrified because they had run into Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy— was positively refreshing in comparison. (The Colours of the World, chapter 14)

4.     “That’s it, that’s our destination!” Vivi announced, pointing towards the coast of what remained of Erumalu. She had been trying hard not to think about crossing through this destroyed city since her arrival at Alabasta, and so far she had managed it thanks mostly to Luffy and Ace’s constant chatter as they caught up. Now, however, seeing the dried-up land and the silhouettes of the abandoned buildings… (A Sibling’s Love, chapter 8)

5.     Marco accepted the room key from the lady at the reception with a smile and a ‘thank you’ and headed towards the row of elevators in the hallway. Contrary to his previous times here, he didn’t cross paths with anyone. Then again, Sunday evening was probably too late for many people to arrive and too early for those already here to leave. There was some noise coming from the restaurant, but that was it. (In Your Hands, chapter 1)

6.     The meal passes as smoothly as Gracia hoped it would. Alphonse tries everything on the table. He is careful about how much he eats, mindful of the doctors’ orders, but his eyes shine with happiness and childish delight the entire time, and he keeps constantly complimenting Gracia on the food. Elicia is happy to help Alphonse decide what to try next, offering input on her favorite foods, while Edward and Roy mostly watch the scene unfold. It’s hilarious, because Edward is trying to pretend he isn’t as emotional over this moment as Alphonse is and Roy has put a calm mask on, as though he hasn’t been waiting for years to see Alphonse retrieve his body. Somehow, despite staying mostly silent, they manage to end up bickering more than once, and watching then trying to keep their bickering child-friendly has Gracia snickering into her napkin every time. (As the World Turns, chapter 7)

7.     Hermione had walked into Professor Mustang’s office with a full speech and a long list of arguments to defend her case of why that array wasn’t theirs ready in her mind. Her speech died before she could even open her mouth upon hearing Professor Mustang’s admission. (The Colours of the World, chapter 13)

8.     Roy went motionless the moment he snapped awake, his battle instincts coming to life at the feel of the hard ground —a sidewalk, it felt like a sidewalk— under his body. He listened attentively, but there was nothing to be heard aside from some distant traffic and the soft rustle of leaves. There was no sound that would signal the presence of people around him. (FMA Big Bang Story)

9.     When Elicia learns that they will have guests for dinner tonight, she insists on helping to get everything ready. Gracia doesn’t trust her anywhere near the kitchen appliances or the food, of course, but she is more than willing to sacrifice a bowl of pie dough to make Elicia happy. (As the World Turns, chapter 6)

10.  Law groaned and turned around in bed again, the pillow firmly covering his head. The party had been going on for hours. Law had stayed for a while, had even enjoyed himself at first, but there was only so much time he could stand boisterous drunkards doing increasingly stupid and embarrassing antics. Law had quit the party the moment the lewd jokes moved from jokes to actual groping between people that felt no real attraction to one another while sober. (Paper Monsters, chapter 6)

11.  Marco is the first one awake that morning. It’s not odd, given how he rolled away from the position he settled in on deck last night and the sun hit him straight on the face at dawn. (Being Human, chapter 33)

12.  The World Government liked to handle most of the Shichibukai-related affairs at their base on Mariejois. Tsuru had no doubt that it was meant as a show of the government’s might for the Shichibukai, even if no one used such words to describe it. Personally, Tsuru thought it had no effect, at least not the desired one. No Shichibukai she had met had ever been impressed or awed by the Holy Land. Doflamingo found his visits hilarious, Mihawk was utterly indifferent to the place and what it represented, Jinbe had hated it… and right now… well, it was clear that Law was no more impressed by Mariejois than Mihawk was. (The Shichibukai, chapter 2)

13.  When Marco wakes up, he can immediately tell that this is not the room in which he has been sleeping lately. He doesn’t need any light to know where he is, but he raises a hand and calls his fire anyway. The sight of his cabin greets his eyes. The cabin that was destroyed alongside the rest of the Moby Dick over two years ago. (Living Dreams)

14.  Harry walked into the Alchemy classroom with his notes tucked under his arm. Next to him, Hermione was reviewing her own notes and Ron had an exasperated expression on his face, as though he hadn’t spent last night desperately going through his alchemy notes in an attempt to make up for the fact that he had been so focused on quidditch he hadn’t looked at them all week. Honestly, Harry hadn’t studied that much himself, what with Umbridge’s horrid detentions taking up so much of his time. (The Colours of the World, chapter 12)

15.  “I’m thinking I should tell Diggory about the dragons,” Harry told Marco on Sunday morning during a break from their risky flying training. “Hagrid took Maxime there, too, and I’m sure she’ll tell Delacour.” Hagrid probably hadn’t even thought of that possibility; knowing him, he most likely believed seeing dragons was an amazing plan for a date. “And I saw Karkaroff when I was leaving, so Krum has to know about the dragons by now.” (Recreated Fire, chapter 41)

The only pattern I could say I see here is that I tend to start chapters and stories using narration. In fact, the only two examples that start with dialogue are because I couldn’t get the narration to work properly.

I’m not tagging anybody, whoever wants to fill it go ahead. I’m curious to see what you guys write like :D

#about me #I was tagged