likeadeuce

[likeadeuce]

mix-and-match fanfic writer asks

pick a number...

Which of your fics is your favorite?

Which of your fics is your least favorite?

Which of your fics is criminally underrated?

Which of your fics surprised you by how much attention it received?

Which of your fics is the funniest?

Which of your fics is the most serious?

Which of your fics is the most crack-like?

Which of your fics did you spend the most amount of time writing?

Which of your fics did you spend the least amount of time writing?

[Asker's choice: specify the fic you want to know more about.]

...and pick a letter...

a. What is something you wish more people noticed about it? b. What is something you would do differently if you were to rewrite it? c. What do you think makes it deserving of love? d. What is your favorite line or excerpt from it? e. Are there any lines or sections that you think don't belong in it? f. Which character (POV or not) was your favorite to write? g. Which section was most difficult to write? h. Which section was the easiest to write? i. Did anything substantial get cut from it? j. Describe it badly.

...to create a combo question! (ex. 1c, 5a, 9g)

[likeadeuce]

1, 3, 12, 37, and 50 for the fic writer ask game!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Answered, though if I had to turn around and give a completely different answer, Solutions for Better Living is a fic about the second-string Avengers, written in response to the prompt "Robots are attacking IKEA!" This is me having fun with voice and ensemble and deep, understated feeling.

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

As I realized making my last list, I apparently love writing people lounging. Maybe because I do a lot of mental work for writing while I'm lying in bed, people tend to have conversations while lying down comfortably together (then there's either a conflict where someone jumps up, or else they start making out.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I don't really think in terms of tropes, and I usually don't read things I think I'll dislike, so nothing really that I can think of!

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

I went to look at what I thought were my less popular 'Challengers' fics but they're all kind of basically at the same level? So I poked around through older fics, and I remembered this X-Men story I wrote about Wolverine and Jean Grey, Huntsman. I wanted to write some old-school mercenary Wolverine-POV, which the movies never really did a satisfactory job with, I love Famke Janssen's Jean Grey, who never really got her due, and so I cooked up an encounter of Logan and teenage Jean. This was a chance to play in a genre I like but don't write very much.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about! I picked "Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?"

No dialogue. I think there are a lot of different ways to approach that, and it's an interesting challenge, but just reading or writing dialogue (unless it's something like a fic in the form of a podcast) feels like it's missing something; even when I write a screenplay or play format I really like stage directions!

Thanks for the questions! More here!

[likeadeuce]

Ask game:) 1, 7, 23

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

When There's Nothing to Feast On, which is a one-shot based on "My Own Private Idaho." It's one of the most accessible things I've written in terms of giving everything you need to know within the story, and it also combines my loves of American indie film, the Mountain Goats, Prince Hal, postcards, and emotionally uneven relationships that involve yearning for another person even while they're right there with you, fucking nasty. It's more of a 'fix it' than I usually write (I'm usually there for letting the tragic endings be tragic so I can twist the knife,) but it's also a completely different fix-it than people usually want from the movie, because my brain just works like that. I'm enormously proud of it.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

For my Riza Hawkeye backstory series in Fullmetal Alchemist, I invented a thematically relevant city:

The sun had almost set, and they were sprawling in the lush green grass of Border City Park. It felt hotter, somehow, than it had back at the front.

Hughes had a theory. Spreading his hands to frame the marble façade of the Governor's Palace on the other side of the Commons, he said, "They built this town from nothing, sixty years ago, to look like a smaller version of Central City. The block we just walked down is laid out exactly like Gracia's neighborhood near Central U. They copied major buildings, street plans, even this park. Except Central has moderate weather year round, and Border is still in the middle of the goddamn desert."

Roy glanced up at a palm tree, which the Border City fathers had substituted for Central's willows. It was the only apparent concession to climate. "So at the front we knew what we were in for. But if you're from Central, you come here and you expect it to feel like home. Then when it doesn't, it feels even hotter than it actually is?" Roy took a paper bag from Hughes, lifting it to drink from the cheap bottle of whiskey they were sharing. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "I'm not from Central, and I'm still fucking hot."

(I don't that I would revisit this series at this particular time in world events, but then FMA isn't there to make you feel good about world events.)

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

I'd mostly like to write original SFF that's not a fanfic AU but coming up with the characters and the setting at the same time is an unbearable burden for me, and I honestly have no idea how people manage.

I have more asks in my inbox to answer but for now I must go to bed!

[likeadeuce]

questions for fic writers

a collection of questions i, as a writer, would love to be asked !!!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

9. How do you find new fic to read?

10. How do you decide what to write?

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in [insert fic], what would it be?

22. Who is your favorite character in [insert fic] and why?

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

27. How long did it take to write [insert fic]? Describe the process.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [insert fic]? Explain your choices if you want!

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

32. What’s your ideal fic length to read?

33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

43. If you take/write prompts: what’s your favorite prompt fic that you’ve written?

44. If you take/write prompts: do you prefer dialogue or scenario/narrative prompts?

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

47. If [insert fic] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

[likeadeuce]

'One Year of Challengers' Fic Recs! Pt.1

I've had so much fun creating this list!! Ty to everyone who sent me links to fics they love, ty to everyone who has written anything for this fandom, and ty to Challengers!! Movie of all time :)

We're going by categories, starting out with:

AUs

With A Racket

Tashi, My Beloved

Innocent Bystanders

Stanford and its Diversions

They Go Back to the Hotel

Patrick Takes the Guest House

Okay, buckle up! It's going to be a long one!

Category #1: AUs 

Near canon and far flung, this is Challengers with a twist.

down on one knee by benhargroveisdead Rated: M Word Count: 16,863 Summary: Someone else gets injured, someone else gets married, or no one does. It doesn't fix much. 5 2019 US Opens that never happened (+1 that did)

Rec: Challengers run through a kaleidoscope.

you're in my blood like holy wine by goddesspharo Rated: T Word Count: 3,714 Summary: "Don't," Tashi warns him with a hard edge that makes her decidedly her. It's almost a comfort to hear it – her leg might be broken, but she's not shattered. That feels like an important distinction to make. "Don't say it unless you mean it." Patrick doesn't miss a beat this time. His voice is steady when he promises that it's going to be okay. "We're going to make it okay."

Rec: A Practical Magic AU that keeps things messy.

not your savior by sundermount Rated: T Word Count: 2,370 Summary: Art and Patrick don’t meet Tashi. They’re worse off for it.

Rec: The summary says it all. Art is 31 and doesn’t play tennis and has a best friend he’s never kissed. Patrick can’t afford his motel room. Life has never been worse.

it's getting better by spqr Rated: T Word Count: 9,025 Summary: “Okay,” Patrick says, looking away from Art and clearing his throat – whatever discussion they were having with just their eyes, it’s resolved. “You remember back at the Junior Open? That night in our hotel room?” Tashi almost chokes on her drink, but she saves it. “Yeah,” she says. “I remember.” Patrick glances at Art, like he’s checking in one last time, then says, “You remember when you asked us if we ever…” he trails off significantly, holding her eyes. Abruptly, Tashi gets it. “Oh,” she says, then, “oh. The two of you? So you’re roommates-roommates.” ## Or: Tashi goes pro.

Rec: One of the only ‘Tashi doesn't get injured AUs on the market’ which is a damn shame.

Freaky Friday by mr_ghostpanther Rated: T Word Count: 58,903 (wip) Summary: On Friday March 2nd, 2007, the world turns upside down for Tashi, Patrick, and Art when Tashi is severely injured during a match. The next morning, Art wakes up to a startling discovery that threatens to change all of their relationships for good unless they can find a way to work together again. Or, a Freaky Friday AU. Basically. It's body swapping. It's fun!

Rec: Literally “spend a day in each other’s shoes” that these three desperately need.

turning me over by vokdas Rated: E Word Count: 6,010 Summary: Art dies at twenty. Patrick and Tashi deal.

Rec: It’s the best kind of hurt. A real shock to the system.

+++++++++++++++++

Category #2: With a Racket 

Remember when Patrick said “I’d let her fuck me with a racket”? Well-

reset/replay by radialarch Rated: E Word Count: 3,934 Summary: “So you, uh. You ever done this before?” Patrick scoffs. “Have I ever gotten fucked with a racket during a threeway?”

Rec: Patrick’s words come to bite him on the ass.

Determined by blindvigilante Rated: E Word Count: 1,441 Summary: “He can take it.” Art’s skin glistens over the hotel sheets, milky white under the artificial lighting as legs get spread as far as they can go. He’s always been flexible. Tashi’s look is determined, like most times.

Rec: Art isn’t left out.

i'd let her fuck me with a racket by serenfire Rated: E Word Count: 6,801 Summary: Tashi says, soft as an apology, “I have to go.” A line of spit snaps between Art and Patrick, and Patrick is staring at her and looking like he’s given up, like he’ll just let the blood-thumping moment of glorious, untold possibility pass them by. Art swallows the first plea that eternally lives in his chest, and instead says, “But Patrick told me he’d let you fuck him with a racket.”

Rec: Nuclear level threat to the “they hook up in Flushing” economy. No survivors!

+++++++++++++++++

Category #3: Tashi, My Beloved

I love Tashi so much. These are Tashi centric fics that ask “What the fuck is wrong with this woman?” and the answer is soooo many things. She’s so fucking awesome.

capacity and purpose by Anonymous Rated: E Word Count: 12,301 Summary: True love blooms. OR, A dog is housetrained. OR, An execution is commuted to a life sentence.

Rec: YOUCH!!! There’s so much wrong with Tashi. She’s never been better.

playback by hydrochaeris Rated: M Word Count: 7,541 Summary: Love was about breathing with someone, about hitting something between the two of you and refusing to give it up. Refusing to take a bad shot, refusing to let your guard down. Volleying it back, giving as good as you got.

Rec: Tashi builds herself up, gets torn down, and reassembles as best she can.

only see by agletbaby Rated: T Word Count: 5,048 Summary: Instead of everything beginning, Tashi retreats to her childhood bedroom.

Rec: A really wonderful character study in the immediate wake of her injury.

back to the baseline by thejourneys Rated: M Word Count: 9,584 Summary: “I wish it had been my fucking— my arm,” she murmurs, brain still foggy from the anesthesia and unsure of whether she’s addressing her mother or Art, both of whom have been in and out of her hospital room the whole morning. “They could just fucking— chop it off— and I’d still—“ “Hey,” comes her mom’s voice, so soft it makes Tashi’s chest ache, “let’s focus on something else, okay?” There is nothing else, she wants to say— nineteen and a mouth full of cotton, nineteen and a has-been before she’d really been anything— nothing else that matters. -- OR: Tashi Duncan, and a now-impossible dream.

Rec: A foundational text!

wicked games by seekrest Rated: M Word Count: 4,010 Summary: It’s a game for him, this teasing back and forth. “I will.” “Okay.” “I mean it.” She looks up, his hair still askew from when her fingers had run through it. “Okay,” she replies then turns to leave. She’ll always be the better player.

Rec: Tashi through her life. She breaks my heart <3

+++++++++++++++++

Category #3: Innocent Bystanders

Outsider POVs that are a fully raised eyebrow. As it should be :) Homemakers by californianNostalgia Rated: T Word Count: 4,262 Summary: Nicki is unfortunate enough to be present when the Donaldsons show up as an allied pair of blindingly hot jilted exes laser-focused on her depressing mess of a tennis instructor. Alternate title: My ‘Patrick Zweig wins a Grand Slam’ Agenda. (Outsiders POV.)

Rec: Shows off what strange and dependent creators ATP are with some really cool OCs along the way.

let's just say there's a vibe by waltztangocache Rated: G Word Count: 2,141 Summary: becca🌻 @rebeccangel Thu 11:28 AM hey is anybody else watching this new rochelle challenger final right now? its kind of ummmmm | becca🌻 @rebeccangel Thu 11:28 AM let’s just say there’s a vibe (The Challengers post-canon, as told by tennis twitter.)

Rec: A very silly and fun outsider social media POV. #throuple

grownups do brunch by bigwigs Rated: T Word Count: 1,718 Summary: Every week, Helen and her sister catch up over Facetime. This week, Helen's life has been a bit more exciting than usual. (Or: Helen tells her sister about the tennis player who's moved in to her apartment.)

Rec: Helen gets the main character treatment she deserves. Thank god!

bizarre love triangle by tsukkiluvr11 Rated: M Word Count: 5,900 Summary: So, there’s his answer. Art and Tashi are fucking and Patrick knows. Patrick’s okay with it, even. Then, his face crumples as he considers the thought that Patrick messaged them that day and asked them to fuck so he could listen in on the phone. Well, to each their own, he forces himself to think or five times Art's roommate doesn't understand Art, Tashi and Patrick's relationship, and one time he gets it.

Rec: RIP Art’s roommate. Poor guy.

you can watch from your window by rib14 Rated: T Word Count: 3,580 Summary: zara donaldson @federerererer has anyone else seen patrick zweig’s latest insta post??? i swear to god he’s in front of the same wall that’s in tashi’s pic from a few weeks ago That time in 2020 when we all went a little bit crazy about these three tennis players’ personal lives. Does anyone else remember that? What a weird time.

Rec: Speculation is going wild, as it would and as it should.

+++++++++++++++++

Category #3: Stanford and its Diversions

The Stanford!Era is so special. Tashi and Art and Patrick are so young and hopeful :) near and dear 2 me 

unavailability is the only thing that turns you on by wizardempire Rated: T Word Count: 3,351 Summary: Art moves to sit on the edge of the bed. He presses the back of his hand to Patrick’s forehead the way his grandma always did when he was sick. Admittedly, he doesn’t really know what he’s looking for, but he definitely feels warm. “I don’t think you’ve just got a cold, man.” “Doctor fucking Donaldson…” Patrick grumbles, swatting his hand away. “Are you still pissed?”

Rec: Art stuck in the middle once again! Applaud wizardempire doubly so for giving Patrick a cold. Someone had to.

dear circle story by mostreverent Rated: T Word Count: 6,619 Summary: Art didn’t have a bag, just a dark blue towel thrown over his shoulder and clashing with the red swim trunks that Tashi vaguely remembered seeing in the Stanford bookstore when she first toured the school. Patrick slowed to a stop and rolled down the window. “Get in the back, bitch.” Art’s eyes rolled, a dramatic, oversized motion that overtook his entire body. “God, fuck you.” He glanced past Patrick, and Tashi could tell the exact moment that Art’s eyes found her. His entire body stiffened up and he went pink up to the tips of his ears just peeking out of golden hair. “Oh. Hi.” Laughter was light as a salt filled breeze on her voice. “Hi.” The moment lingered a second too long, and Patrick leaned back in his seat with a groan. “Oh my god, stop staring and get in the car.” - Art, Patrick, and Tashi have a beach day.

Rec: This is so like, ‘everything is beautiful and nothing hurts’ but it already hurts a lot.

tell me what you'll do, please by snoopyarchie Rated: E Word Count: 5,422 Summary: It had slipped out of Tashi's mouth, surprising herself. She was on top of him, draping herself across his body as they made out. He was being extra pliant today, letting himself be pushed down with ease. "I wish I could fuck you," she's saying before she even realises. Or: Stanford era patashi pegging fic

Rec: Didn’t you hear. It’s a Stanford era Patashi pegging fic!

if you've got leavin' on your mind by cloudninetynine Rated: E Word Count: 24,093 Summary: tashi presses a bit harder as she watches, tosses her hair over her shoulders. “y’know,” she says, her grip firm. “i’ve kissed you. and i’ve kissed him.” art doesn’t need to hear her finish the sentence to know where this is going. “i think the two of you are a bit behind here.” “you think-” he gasps, delirious. “you think the two of us should kiss?” a sardonic laugh, and patrick's fingers are back, carding through his hair. “yeah, she’s not exactly subtle about that one.” or: 5 times patrick visits art and tashi at stanford + 1 time art visits tashi and patrick.

Rec: Had me shaking my head with a wild grin, muttering what the fuck is wrong with them.

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Category #6: They Go Back to the Hotel Room

Post-Canon fics where they fuck it out and/or fuck it up.

cut back down to my knees by hollowcene Rated: E Word Count: 4,354 Summary: It's not like Tashi hasn’t fucked Patrick while he’s looked worse. Except this time it’s not just Tashi that’ll be there, and Patrick hasn’t waited and wanted to get into bed with Art for this long to let the opportunity go to waste.

Rec: A situationship from hell.

On the Brink by tevinterimperium Rated: E Word Count: 7,840 Summary: Patrick hadn’t minded all of the time it took, all of the media attention, all of the microphones pressed into his face to ask him about the challenger and his performance, and hadn’t even minded that he had lost, for once in his life. “It was a beautiful game,” one woman had said, a gorgeous blonde with an endearing European accent that could’ve been from anywhere, “how do you feel now?” On top of the fucking world, Patrick had wanted to say. A phantom utterance: Code violation. Audible obscenity. Point penalty, Zweig—On top of the whole damn world, he would correct. Instead, with a distinct ringing in his ears, he had said, “Great,” and felt the fresh trickle of sweat fall down his nose and drop to the cement where they were huddled, “Really, really great."

Rec: When a Challengers fic has a ‘voyeurism’ tag you know it goes hard.

in the company of ghosts by addandsubtract Rated: E Word Count: 6,584 Summary: After the challenger, what they should do is talk, but what they actually do is fuck. If it was supposed to fix anything, it doesn’t.

Rec: A torturous holding pattern! But they’re working it out.

Where the fingers forgive each other by theaa Rated: E Word Count: 52,971 Summary: There are hardly any spare seats at all, collective body heat pushing up the temperature in the stadium even further. Except, of course, the seat next to Tashi.

Rec: A very expansive look at the trio's lives over the years. The POVs are excellent, and the tennis even better.

In the Middle by buries Rated: E Word Count: 6,006 Summary: She liked it better when he allowed them to be them, as they were. Her with her scarred knee, Art with his nervous tic of playing with his wedding ring, and Patrick… Patrick stayed the same. He rubbed his hands against his thighs, scratched the back of his neck, and laughed too much. His laughter was too loud, but it fit in their room, littered with wedding photos. Nothing in this room was his, but he fit. He was theirs.

Rec: Tashi and Art make some room :)

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Category #7: Patrick Takes the Guest House

Fics where Patrick inhabits a Guest House - literal and figurative (sometimes a guest house is a state of mind etc etc). Also known as: The Donaldsons bring home a stray

Playing House by somerdaye Rated: M Word Count: 4,238 Summary: "You're staying with us for the lockdown thing?" Art checks, and he's so good at tone regulation, at not sounding like he's pissed off even though Tashi knows he must be, somewhere under that cool exterior. "I wasn't really given a choice," Patrick says, shoulders hunching up closer to his ears. "Is that a problem?"

Rec: A Covid fic. The three of them have forced proximity and they don’t know what to do with each other.

my longings stay unspoken by dharmainitiative Rated: M Word Count: 23,023 Summary: “You can stay in our guesthouse,” Tashi says finally. Patrick stares. “Your guesthouse?” “Yes. Temporarily, yes.” “Why do you have a guesthouse?” “Because my parents use it when they visit, and because we’re rich as fuck, Patrick.” “But — ” He doesn’t want to ask. But he’s kind of a glutton for punishment, and besides, he needs to know. “Is Art going to be okay with that?” For a long moment, Tashi’s narrowed gaze flickers across Patrick’s face. Then she lets out a disbelieving snort and shakes her head. “I’ll send you the address.” And before Patrick can protest, she turns and walks away from him.

Rec: Patrick gets domesticated, but in the way you slowly boil a frog.

giving up the gun by quentintarrantino Rated: M Word Count: 4,543 Summary: Art was always something he had considered a constant in his life, even when the years dragged on without contact he knew that it would come back around sometime. It had to.

Rec: They just can’t help themselves dude!

can't be trusted around you by r_holland Rated: E Word Count: 23,610 Summary: And look: this whole thing could probably be resolved with a single honest conversation. He’s sure that with a little communication they could all manage to come to some arrangement. In fact, Patrick is pretty certain that he could fix their marriage himself by finally getting them both into bed at the same time. But Art is extremely reticent to voice what he actually wants, and Tashi can’t do anything without making it into a game, so here they are, each sneaking into Patrick’s bed and pretending that they’re mad about it. Patrick has no problem voicing what he wants or being direct. He wants Art. And he wants Tashi. If they could get their shit together and realize that they both want him, too, he’d probably be the happiest man in the goddamn world.

Rec: Patrick doesn’t understand how he ends up in the guesthouse. But also he 1000% does.

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Part 2

[likeadeuce]

DC, Open (2848 words) by likeadeuce Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Challengers (Movie 2024) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Art Donaldson/Patrick Zweig, Art Donaldson/Original Female Character(s), Patrick Zweig/Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Tennis, Missing Years, watches and other status symbols, Patrick Zweig's POV Summary:

Patrick is trying to get his tennis career together when he runs into Art again at a tournament in Washington, DC.

Are they so back, or is it so over?

[likeadeuce]

DC, Open (2848 words) by likeadeuce Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Challengers (Movie 2024) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Art Donaldson/Patrick Zweig, Art Donaldson/Original Female Character(s), Patrick Zweig/Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Tennis, Missing Years, watches and other status symbols, Patrick Zweig's POV Summary:

Patrick is trying to get his tennis career together when he runs into Art again at a tournament in Washington, DC.

Are they so back, or is it so over?

[likeadeuce]

i made this in microsoft onenote

[likeadeuce]

A persons fanfic tells you a lot about them, i , a fanfic writer, realize in terror

[likeadeuce]

when i say my gender changes to the tune of the bit i mean a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and if he can’t then god forbid women do anything

[likeadeuce]

Summary: Roy's newfound fame had less to do with his actual heroism than with an inexplicably popular series of films. Mangaverse, post-canon.

Author: @likeadeuce

[likeadeuce]

Reblog if you're okay with receiving asks for backstory info on any/all of your fics.

If not all, specify which ones in the tags.

[likeadeuce]

⋆˚࿔ build-a-fic 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

➴ chose a line of dialogue, an emotion and a setting (a number, letter, + a creature), and write/request to your heart’s content!

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ a piece of dialogue

꒰ 1 ꒱ “i can’t fucking believe this.”

꒰ 2 ꒱ “what they said back there. is it true?”

꒰ 3 ꒱ “it’s not safe here anymore- we need to leave. now!”

꒰ 4 ꒱ “you know how much i care about you.”

꒰ 5 ꒱ “they’re never going to hurt you again.”

꒰ 6 ꒱ “here, let’s get you warmed up.”

꒰ 7 ꒱ “i didn’t do it. please, you have to believe me!”

꒰ 8 ꒱ “i’m taking you home, and that’s that.”

꒰ 9 ꒱ “do you trust me?”

꒰ 10 ꒱ “i can’t sleep either. mind if i join you?”

꒰ 11 ꒱ “you’re not your worst mistake.”

꒰ 12 ꒱ “try and eat, if you can. it’ll make you feel better.”

꒰ 13 ꒱ “i say this with all the love in my heart, but you look like shit.”

꒰ 14 ꒱ “they’re going to surround us. we need to get ready.”

꒰ 15 ꒱ “i need you to leave.”

꒰ 16 ꒱ “we can’t be seen together like this. not anymore.”

꒰ 17 ꒱ “it’s dangerous. i need you to know that before you agree.”

꒰ 18 ꒱ “it’s just one night- surely sharing a bed for that long won’t kill us.”

꒰ 19 ꒱ “it’s getting dark, we should think about heading back.”

꒰ 20 ꒱ “what have i told you about coming here?!”

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ an emotion

꒰ A ꒱ disdain

꒰ B ꒱ grief

꒰ C ꒱ ecstasy

꒰ D ꒱ disbelief

꒰ E ꒱ anxiety

꒰ F ꒱ contentment

꒰ G ꒱ drunkenness

꒰ H ꒱ enjoyment

꒰ I ꒱ confusion

꒰ J ꒱ fear

꒰ K ꒱ hunger

꒰ L ꒱ relief

꒰ M ꒱ distrust

꒰ N ꒱ fondness

꒰ O ꒱ delight

꒰ P ꒱ hurt

꒰ Q ꒱ love

꒰ R ꒱ sickness

꒰ S ꒱ exhaustion

꒰ T ꒱ betrayal

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ a setting

꒰ 𓆉 ꒱ the corner bed in a hospital ward

꒰ 𓅨 ꒱ a spare bedroom

꒰ 𓆣 ꒱ an alleyway behind a dive bar

꒰ 𓃰 ꒱ a mountainside shrouded in fog

꒰ 𓃗 ꒱ a skeevy motel just off the highway

꒰ 𓃱 ꒱ a barren industrial plant in the middle of nowhere

꒰ 𓃟 ꒱ the lush, indulgent foyer of a member’s only club

꒰ 𓆟 ꒱ the war room of a military blacksite

꒰ 𓆈 ꒱ the produce aisle of a 24/7 supermarket

꒰ 𓅫 ꒱ the bedside of someone who doesn’t want you there

꒰ 𓅟 ꒱ the walk-in fridge of a failing restaurant

꒰ 𓃵 ꒱ a rickety old barn’s hayloft

꒰ 𓃓 ꒱ at work, far later than you should be

꒰ 𓆌 ꒱ a stranger’s bed at dawn

꒰ 𓆏 ꒱ an airplane hanger

꒰ 𓅭 ꒱ a medical bay that stinks of antiseptic and fear

꒰ 𓆗 ꒱ the kitchen of a derelict house

꒰ 𓃢 ꒱ the dressing room of a luxury department store

꒰ 𓆧 ꒱ the place where grassy plains meet desert dunes

꒰ 𓃔 ꒱ a beach at low tide

[likeadeuce]

challengers #wipwednesday

Artashi friend zone/ Artrick divorce

“Help me finish this pizza,” said Tashi

Art looked uncertain, and Tashi pushed the box in his direction. “I can tell you want to. This is a special occasion. By the power invested in me as Tashi Duncan, I grant you permission to cheat on a training diet for once in your life.”

This made him smile. “You think better of me than I deserve. As always.” He took a bite and chewed, for a while, then put his pizza down and said. “When I first got to the academy, right, when I was twelve, I was -- well, you saw the slide show they put together for the party.”

Tashi had put the slide show together for the party. She'd gotten an album of digitized photos from his parents, and no one else recognized` the face they would need to cut out of all the pictures.

“I was so fucking skinny. They put me on this bulking regime that was all, like, boneless chicken breasts and brown rice. Eggs with every meal. Sandwiches with almond butter because of all the peanut allergy rules in the dorms. I was supposed to eat every few hours -- you know how this works -- so we had all these shelves of healthy protein rich snacks in our bedroom --”

Art was constantly lapsing into nonspecific “we”s and “our”s when talking about his school days, never mentioning the name that got his words to make sense. Tashi might not have noticed except that she had an aunt, recently and nastily divorced after thirty years of marriage, who talked around her ex-husband the same way. Breakups were bad enough; Tashi had been through her share. This was being cut off from the story of your own life.

She and Art ought to talk about it.

For now, she listened while he told her about twelve year old boys and their improvised late night snacks. “Whatever, organic almond butter on rice crackers tastes fine at three AM. But if you screw off the top of an Oreo --” He made gestures to demonstrate what he was describing -- “Scrape the frosting off with your teeth, and then just -- slop as much almond butter there as you can. Squeeze it shut, lick what’s left off the sides. Now that is a good mouthful of food. And if it’s good once, it’s good -- thirty-six, divide by two -- eighteen times. Now. Do you want to guess what happened when we had to get up at five and run wind sprints? ”

Tashi stuck out her tongue and mimed vomiting, a silly regular-girl face to make him laugh in appreciation, which he did. She bumped his shoulder with her fist and said, “You know a tennis player’s a phony if they don’t have a dozen good puke stories.”

What she didn’t tell him was that she’d heard this one before, from Patrick. All of Patrick’s stories, when Tashi knew him, had Art in them

.“So,” she said. “Is that how you learned to always stick to your diet?”

“Oh yeah. Never drank, smoked, got high or snuck onto the girls’ halls, either. Always perfectly well-behaved.”

He finished the last of his pizza, then picked up the box and started to tidy up the trash. Once he’d gathered it, he didn’t know what to do with it, so he put it all down and sat by Tashi again. “If anything it’s a story about how, if the school or either of our parents, gave a shit, we should have been separated for being a bad influence on each other.”

Tashi suddenly, dearly wanted to know the ways Art had been a bad influence on Patrick. But that wasn’t this conversation.

“You think that would have worked?”

“Probably not. Still feels like, if it had, it would have saved a lot of bullshit later.”

“If you weren’t joined at the hip with Patrick, you wouldn’t have met me.”

That night at US Juniors had felt like magic while it was happening but afterwards, when there were still the three of them, they’d hashed out the history. Art wouldn’t have gone to the party without Patrick egging him on; Patrick would have gone back after saying one starstruck hello if Art hadn’t dug his heels in.

“I would definitely have met you.” He gestured around them. “Same school, same town. Not that big of a tennis program. Would honestly be kind of weird if we never played doubles together.”

“But would you have MET me?” That first night had come after an extraordinary day, when Tashi felt the pulse of possibility all around her and would have done anything to keep it from ending. She felt more fully herself, a living and limitless being, and she was ready to show that self, in the silliest and most profound ways, to a pair of boys she’d just met and had no reason to trust. They could have met at team orientation, run drills together, been paired up by coaches, while Art flirted awkwardly and Tashi labored to keep up her boundaries.

“I’ve had a lot of doubles partners," Tashi said.

[likeadeuce]

challengers #wipwednesday

Artashi friend zone/ Artrick divorce

“Help me finish this pizza,” said Tashi

Art looked uncertain, and Tashi pushed the box in his direction. “I can tell you want to. This is a special occasion. By the power invested in me as Tashi Duncan, I grant you permission to cheat on a training diet for once in your life.”

This made him smile. “You think better of me than I deserve. As always.” He took a bite and chewed, for a while, then put his pizza down and said. “When I first got to the academy, right, when I was twelve, I was -- well, you saw the slide show they put together for the party.”

Tashi had put the slide show together for the party. She'd gotten an album of digitized photos from his parents, and no one else recognized` the face they would need to cut out of all the pictures.

“I was so fucking skinny. They put me on this bulking regime that was all, like, boneless chicken breasts and brown rice. Eggs with every meal. Sandwiches with almond butter because of all the peanut allergy rules in the dorms. I was supposed to eat every few hours -- you know how this works -- so we had all these shelves of healthy protein rich snacks in our bedroom --”

Art was constantly lapsing into nonspecific “we”s and “our”s when talking about his school days, never mentioning the name that got his words to make sense. Tashi might not have noticed except that she had an aunt, recently and nastily divorced after thirty years of marriage, who talked around her ex-husband the same way. Breakups were bad enough; Tashi had been through her share. This was being cut off from the story of your own life.

She and Art ought to talk about it.

For now, she listened while he told her about twelve year old boys and their improvised late night snacks. “Whatever, organic almond butter on rice crackers tastes fine at three AM. But if you screw off the top of an Oreo --” He made gestures to demonstrate what he was describing -- “Scrape the frosting off with your teeth, and then just -- slop as much almond butter there as you can. Squeeze it shut, lick what’s left off the sides. Now that is a good mouthful of food. And if it’s good once, it’s good -- thirty-six, divide by two -- eighteen times. Now. Do you want to guess what happened when we had to get up at five and run wind sprints? ”

Tashi stuck out her tongue and mimed vomiting, a silly regular-girl face to make him laugh in appreciation, which he did. She bumped his shoulder with her fist and said, “You know a tennis player’s a phony if they don’t have a dozen good puke stories.”

What she didn’t tell him was that she’d heard this one before, from Patrick. All of Patrick’s stories, when Tashi knew him, had Art in them

.“So,” she said. “Is that how you learned to always stick to your diet?”

“Oh yeah. Never drank, smoked, got high or snuck onto the girls’ halls, either. Always perfectly well-behaved.”

He finished the last of his pizza, then picked up the box and started to tidy up the trash. Once he’d gathered it, he didn’t know what to do with it, so he put it all down and sat by Tashi again. “If anything it’s a story about how, if the school or either of our parents, gave a shit, we should have been separated for being a bad influence on each other.”

Tashi suddenly, dearly wanted to know the ways Art had been a bad influence on Patrick. But that wasn’t this conversation.

“You think that would have worked?”

“Probably not. Still feels like, if it had, it would have saved a lot of bullshit later.”

“If you weren’t joined at the hip with Patrick, you wouldn’t have met me.”

That night at US Juniors had felt like magic while it was happening but afterwards, when there were still the three of them, they’d hashed out the history. Art wouldn’t have gone to the party without Patrick egging him on; Patrick would have gone back after saying one starstruck hello if Art hadn’t dug his heels in.

“I would definitely have met you.” He gestured around them. “Same school, same town. Not that big of a tennis program. Would honestly be kind of weird if we never played doubles together.”

“But would you have MET me?” That first night had come after an extraordinary day, when Tashi felt the pulse of possibility all around her and would have done anything to keep it from ending. She felt more fully herself, a living and limitless being, and she was ready to show that self, in the silliest and most profound ways, to a pair of boys she’d just met and had no reason to trust. They could have met at team orientation, run drills together, been paired up by coaches, while Art flirted awkwardly and Tashi labored to keep up her boundaries.

“I’ve had a lot of doubles partners," Tashi said.

[likeadeuce]

WIP Wednesday... Cincinnati

When they got to Art’s room, he flubbed the keycard a few times. Tashi touched his shaking hand, which stilled as his voice faltered. She took the card and swiped the door open.

The door was still swinging shut when he kissed her, fast and hungry. One hand cradled her breast, while the other found the curve of her ass under her skirt. He pushed his hips against hers and rubbed slowly, letting her feel how hard he was already and she made a sound she hadn’t been trying to make, directly into his mouth. His responding laugh vibrated through her -- awkwardness or delight, was there a difference?

They stumbled toward the bed. She steered him to sit on the side of the mattress, wanted him out of that stupid sweater, wanted to get under his shirt and feel his shoulders, put hands on the body he’d still been building when they’d last trained together. “Wait --”

Art kissed her forehead gently and started to move away, then reconsidered and nipped at her neck before he stood up. She thought he was going for a condom, even though they were both still dressed -- that was fine, that was good actually, it would be a relief she didn’t have to talk him into it -- but instead he pulled his phone out of his jeans and touched a few buttons.

A speaker on the nightstand clicked on, lush music that made her think of college for reasons she couldn’t remember.

“Art Donaldson, do you have a fuck playlist?”

“It’s not a fuck playlist, it’s . . .” His ears got pink.

“If that playlist is called ‘Tashi,’ I am walking out of this room.’

"It's the fall season party playlist from oh-six. You and Luisa did that…” He gave a little hip shake that could have been a microaggression if he hadn’t immediately looked embarrassed of himself.

“Oh hell.” He ran a hand through his messy hair. “I just like music. I like the way you dance.”

So she danced for him as she took off her clothes. It was a song about love until the chorus turned into something else. Keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding.

Art lasted about twenty seconds, though that wasn’t fully his fault -- wasn’t his fault at all, bodies did what bodies did -- Tashi’s body, for example, required a lot of time and attention and, frequently, creativity, if she was going to climax. That was hit or miss with a casual hookup, which was all she’d had lately, and she’d learn to enjoy other pleasures -- teeth on skin, fingers in hair, a voice cracking on her name, the naked desperation when she made them wait -- and take care of her own orgasm later, if she even bothered.

She didn’t have an approach for when his body was vibrating with goddamn feelings while they listened to what was absolutely a fuck playlist that he’d made while thinking about her.